#yes will threw them off a cliff yes this was his leap of faith into the arms of the man he loves

[the-crooked-library]

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Ellen’s sex scene with Thomas is weird, unsexy, frantic, fully clothed and disturbing, while Ellen’s sex scene with Orlok, literal corpse, is slow, detailed, sensual, and they are both naked. The juxtaposition.

exaaactlyyyy!! it's about the INTIMACY

regardless of how desperate both Ellen and Thomas may be to conform to their socially acceptable marriage (they're both distinctly queercoded, Ellen wants passion, Thomas cannot give it, both of them see each other as a duty), they still do not and cannot understand each other. Ellen, who comes from a wealthy but abusive home, cannot imagine prioritizing material success over love and connection; Thomas, who self-deprecatingly refers to himself as a "pauper," cannot imagine ostracizing himself so completely from the society that very easily jeopardizes the livelihood of anyone non-conforming. There is a distinct lack of intimacy between them, only partially breached by anger and confrontation; which is, indeed, illustrated by their fully clothed, aggressive scene. It is more of an argument than sex.

Ellen's death-wedding with Orlok is entirely different - as you said, slow, sensual, reverent; it centers their closeness above all. They cling to one another, both overcome with emotion (self-professed inability to love be damned), perfect living skin against rotting flesh; the visual implication here is that there is, quite literally, nothing between them. They know each other entirely, the flaws, the beauty, and that understanding is more important than their own life or death.

One is a sex scene that is actually a fight, the other is a lovemaking disguised as murder, and I am obsessed

[estellardreams]

Chapter 3: Escape from New Yoke

"Where's Shadow? He should've been here by now. We need to stop Eggman!" Sonic said. 

"Sonic, can you stop being impatient? We need a proper plan. Besides, Shadow is making one for us. He'll be back soon." Amy looked over inside the cavern. 

"I just... Hope it's in time." 

"Don't worry, I'm sure he will be in time. I have faith in him." Silver said. 

"You have faith in everybody." Rouge said. 

"So what?" 

"Uh huh. Look, I have to go. Maybe, once you come to your senses... We'll talk." Shadow turned away.

"No! Get back here!" Infinite leapt up to him. Shadow grabbed his arm and threw him to the side of the cliff.

He huffed, turning away and running back to the mountain. 

Infinite broke through the rubble, the gemstone he had on hand glowing with energy. He growled, running after Shadow and up the mountain.

"Uh huh. Look, I have to go. Maybe, once you come to your senses... We'll talk." Shadow turned away.

"No! Get back here!" Infinite leapt up to him. Shadow grabbed his arm and threw him to the side of the cliff.

He huffed, turning away and running back to the mountain. 

Infinite broke through the rubble, the gemstone he had on hand glowing with energy. He growled, running after Shadow and up the mountain.

"Yeah, let's go." Shadow huffed, running ahead. Everyone else followed through the base.

"This way for the escape!" Tempest directed.

"Okay, hold on... Didn't catch you two's names."

"Tempest Rose."

"Rebel."

"I'm Venice."

"Ah, got it." Shadow said.

"Wait! We shouldn't be trying to escape!" Venice said. 

"What do you mean?" Tempest asked. 

"We need to get their energy crystal. If we do that..." 

"We can take back our world!" Rebel finished. 

"Yeah, but where do we get it?" Tempest asked. 

Just then, eggforcers began to fly after them. Venice looked over to the side, seeing a way down with the stairs. 

"This way!" he directed. 

Everyone followed him inside, leaping down the center of the stairs and falling all the way through as the robots continued to shoot at them. They headed through the door, making sure to jam it's keypad so no one else could come after them.

They continued to run through the halls. Venice paused, noticing Shadow's regulators on his shoes beginning to light up with prismatic energy as they passed by the hallway. 

"Stop! It's that way!" Venice said, pointing down the nearby hall.

"Well, how do you know?" Tempest asked.

"His shoes are picking up the energy signal, like a compass!"

Shadow looked down at his altered shoes. He moved them between the hallway to the entrance of the hallway next to them. The glow strengthened, then weakened when he moved it back.

"Venice is right. It's this way, but we need to hurry."

"Already on it!" Rebel flew through. Venice, Tempest, and Shadow followed after her, with the eggforcers continuing their pursuit.

The doors began to close, with Venice keeping the ones open in front of them for everyone to get through before they slammed shut. 

"We're so close! We need to get the crystal before something bad happens!" Tempest said.

"Y'know, when you say stuff like that something always goes wrong." Venice remarked.

"Oh, don't be so pessimistic."

"I'm not trying to be pessimistic!"

"Well, you are now."

"I'm not!"

"Yes. You are."

"Oh, why you little-!"

"Both of you, stop it!" Rebel yelled. The two quickly shut up, as Shadow kept watch, seeing the doors begin to open back up.

"I'll buy you all some time. Rebel, Tempest, guard Venice while he hacks into the mainframe to get you all inside." he directed.

"Alright, got it." Tempest agreed.

"Venice-"

"Already on it." Venice began to type through the keypad and it's many locks as eggforcers began to approach.

Shadow threw them back, only for Bullet to suddenly slam him into the wall. 

"Heh, long time no see." he smirked.

"I don't have time for this. Get off me!" Shadow shoved Bullet back.

Bullet spindashed into Shadow, knocking him back into the wall he was just pinned at. Shadow growled, getting up. 

"Hey, it's me you want, isn't it?"

"Look, nothing against you. I just need you to come with me back to the Doctor's peacefully."

"So what? They can fry me? No, I won't."

"Fine then, but I'm warning you."

"Yeah, warn me all you want. It doesn't change a thing." Shadow ran off, with Bullet chasing after him.

The two leapt outside, running along the top of the subway tracks as eggforcers flew after them.

Shadow ran along the tracks, with Bullet already running ahead. He swerved and charged, forcing Shadow to leap up and dodge. He landed, taking off again. 

He rammed into the eggforcers, smashing them before turning back to see Bullet catching up.

Shadow turned back, knocking Bullet off the tracks and smashing another eggforcer down on top of him so he stayed down. 

"There..." He huffed, turning back and running up the ramp to where the others were.

As he did, he began to remember what happened the first time, getting an odd sense of deja vu in the process. 

Shadow skidded to a stop at the entrance to the core, as Venice finished breaking it in. The doors opened, letting them all get inside. 

"This is it... Its everything we could've-" Rebel stopped, just as her and Tempest were grabbed by a mechanized arm and yanked back.

The door closed as Eggman's mech ran towards them. 

"Want something right, do it yourself... Step away from the core, or your friends are toast!" he said, trying to break it open.

"Shadow. We have to hurry. Now!" Venice urged.

"Right. Let's go."

The two ran up to the core, seeing only the red shard floating in place. Shadow paused, eyeing it closely. 

"This is... This isn't the Paradox Prism. It's... A fragment of it." he paused.

"There's... More of this...?" Venice asked.

"Yeah... I remember seeing it... There was this red, and then a green, blue, and yellow fragments... But... Where are they?" Shadow studied the shard.

He froze, realizing exactly what just happened.

Shadow then reached the Prism, slipped off two of his inhibitor rings, and set off an immediate Chaos Blast. 

The Prism Shattered, and time slowed drastically down as fragments of red, green, blue, and yellow flew everywhere. And then... 

It all went black.

And he ended up in New Yoke... Where the red shard was... 

Did that mean...? 

"I... I broke reality... Didn't I...?" Shadow said softly. 

"I shattered the Paradox Prism, I thought... I thought that doing that would keep it out of Eggman's hands, but... Its my fault."

"You're saying that... There's more worlds, with more shards in them...?" Venice asked after a moment, looking at the shard. His ears perked up at the sound of banging from the outside gate.

"Okay, you might've said some weird stuff earlier, but let's focus. Grab the shard, and we'll sort the rest out later!"

"Right..." Shadow turned to the shard.

He brought his hand up to it, noticing it's pulsating energy begin to magnify his hand up to it. Venice immediately noticed, yanking his hand back with his psychokinesis. 

"I don't even wanna ask what that was about..." He mumbled.

"I have an idea. We take it, sneak out, and you get those resistance members near us so we can teleport to their base."

"Understood." Shadow backed up to the wall, scaling up the ceiling as Venice picked up the shard using his psychic powers. The power cut out before an announcement came on the speakers.

"Backup systems engaged."

The door opened. Venice and Shadow snuck out from the ceiling. Shadow saw Tempest and Rebel cornered by eggforcers with tasers directed towards them. Venice carefully levitated them towards their group before Shadow warped them to an alleyway.

"This way. Come inside, newbies." Tempest directed, slipping inside a tube. Rebel, Venice, and Shadow followed as they arrived directly into the resistance base.

"We have their energy source... We can finally make New Yoke into what everyone wants." Rebel said, taking the shard from Venice.

"Just... Don't let Shadow touch it. His power seems to be reactive towards it." Venice said.

"Yeah... I don't even wanna know what'll happen if I touch it." Shadow said.

"Then let's focus on the now. Venice, can you figure out what it can do?" Tempest asked.

"Yeah. I just need my lab for it." Venice said. 

"Shadow can accompany you to make sure you aren't followed there."

"Alright. Thanks. Come on, Shadow."

The two headed out of the resistance base, heading down to the subway as they entered back into Venice's lab.

Venice set the shard down, typing away at his computer as he let the readings do the work. 

"So... I'll keep guard for you and-"

"No, stay."

"Why stay here? Shouldn't we return to the resistance?"

"In time, right now... I need some alone time to think."

"Right. I suppose I'll just wait, then." Shadow looked at the security cameras outside the base, seeing eggforcers begin to approach.

"Uh... Venice?"

"What?"

"Eggforcers are outside. We need to go."

"On it. Just need a few seconds." Venice finished typing just as the bots began to tear through the door.

Shadow held onto Venice as he grabbed his computer, scanner, and the shard. 

They warped right back to the resistance base, seeing that it was now empty. 

"What's going on?" Shadow asked. 

Venice looked over at their computers, seeing a fight going down outside. He got some thin flexible metal and wrapped it around the shard.

"Shadow. You need to leave. If I'm on the field, they'll think I have the shard. So go!" he urged, handing it over to Shadow.

"Alright. I will. Thanks, by the way."

"You're welcome, just be careful."

"I will." Shadow left the base, running up as eggforcers began to target him.

Venice joined the fight with the resistance, throwing back machines and conjuring up protective shields for everyone. 

Shadow weaved past lasers, trying his hardest not to touch the exposed part of the shard. As he began to speed up, a green aura began to appear around him as he heard Infinite again. 

"Shadow!"

"Infinite?" Shadow questioned, looking over at the faint figment.

"I'm in the void. You have to go. Now."

"What? What are you-" Shadow felt the connection cut off as a laser hit him in the back, causing him to drop the shard.

He landed on top of it, and the moment his head touched the shard he felt himself warp out of sight.

"Shadow!" Venice yelled. He immediately yanked the shard back to him, holding it close.

"No no no no no!"

"Go! We'll hold them back here!" Rebel urged.

"Right." Venice quickly flew off, with Rebel and Tempest continuing to fight back the eggforcers.

Bullet belongs to @son1c

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

[beifongsss]

warmth [zuko]

Pairing: Zuko x reader

Requested?: yes!: “maybe running from fire nation and hiding in a cave with zuko? zuko and reader think they each hate each other but they rlly don’t ����“

Summary: You and Zuko get separated from the Gaang and things happen :)

w.c. ~3.1k

.masterlist.

~

The day had started out normally.

You were the second person to wake up, Zuko being the first. You rubbed your eyes sleepily, crawling out of your sleeping bag and walking over to Appa, patting the sky bison before grabbing your bag and reaching for a peach that you had stuffed away. When peaches were present, Momo couldn’t be trusted. 

“You really take that whole ‘I rise with the sun’ thing to heart, huh?” you asked dryly, sitting across from the prince. He huffed lightly, crossing his arms before looking away. You smirked smugly, knowing that his silence meant that he couldn’t think of a comeback. 

The silence didn’t last long before Zuko turned back to you. “Spirits! Could you chew any louder?”

“I don’t know, let me try,” you replied, chewing obnoxiously. Zuko glared at you before standing and walking away, turning slightly so you couldn’t see the faint smile tugging at his lips. You stared after him, biting back a smile of your own. 

The group was already used to the banter between you and the scarred prince. It had started way before he joined the Gaang, back when he still had that god-awful ponytail and thought that capturing the Avatar would restore his honor. He had aimed a plume of fire just a bit too close to you and you had let one sly remark slip, your jaw dropping in shock when the prince responded in kind. 

Ever since then, you always made sure that you pissed Zuko off whenever you had an encounter. It was just too easy to rile him up. 

That didn’t change when he joined your side. If anything, it got worse. You didn’t miss a single opportunity to get on his nerves and eventually, Zuko found himself anticipating your remarks. It gave him a sense of normalcy. You didn’t treat him any differently than you ever had and as weird as it was to admit, he didn’t mind the attention you bestowed upon him. Of course, he couldn’t deny that you had really gotten on his nerves that one time he had lost his firebending. 

It was silent in the clearing after Zuko walked away, and you proceeded to make everyone breakfast. A while later, everyone emerged, mumbling a sleepy thanks as you handed them a bowl of rice porridge. The six of you sat in a circle around the small campfire, enjoying the small moment of peace you had. 

“Thanks for breakfast, (Y/N),” Katara said softly, smiling at you over the rim of her bowl. 

“Yeah! This is amazing,” Sokka said, tilting the bowl to get the last of the porridge into his mouth. 

“I thought it was a little bland,” Zuko commented off-handedly. Your eye twitched as Aang gave a nervous chuckle. Katara looked at you worriedly as Sokka tried to ignore Zuko’s comment. At your lack of response, Zuko smirked and opened his mouth yet again. “I’m certain that Momo could’ve made us a better breakfast.”

“Next time, make your own damn breakfast,” you snapped, slamming your bowl down onto the ground before turning to face Zuko. “Oh wait, that’s right. Poor little Prince Pouty doesn’t know how to do anything for himself!”

“At least I know how to control my temper,” Zuko shot back, glancing at your now-cracked bowl.

“Oh that’s rich coming from the guy who once set me on fire because I accidentally spilled some water on him!” you replied, remembering the unfortunate incident. You now had a very prominent scar on your leg as a reminder.

“Guys,” Aang called out. “Maybe we should save this for later.”

“Really?” Zuko asked, jumping to his feet. “What about the time you almost stabbed me because I accidentally stepped on Momo’s tail?”

“Hello? You stepped on Momo’s tail!” you cried out, jumping to your feet as well. “He hates you now!”

“Well at least Appa likes me,” Zuko said, thinking about the time Appa threw you off his back because you had accidentally yanked his hair. 

“Appa does like me,” you snapped, a groan emitting from the sky bison as he agreed with your statement. 

“Guys!” Aang yelled loudly, getting your attention.

“What?!” you and Zuko snapped in unison. 

“Look behind you,” Sokka said quietly, his boomerang ready in his hand. You whirled around to see a group of Fire Nation soldiers standing amongst the trees. A low hiss escaped you as you smacked Zuko’s arm. 

“See what you did?” you asked, your eyes never leaving the soldiers. “Your yelling led them straight to us.”

“My yelling?” Zuko scoffed, getting into a defensive position. “If I recall correctly, it was actu-”

“Guys!” Toph yelled angrily, sending the two of you a harsh glare. “Now really isn’t the time for this.”

You nodded sheepishly, readying yourself to fight as well. The six of you quickly realized you were outnumbered and realized that your best possible option in that moment was to escape. You all gathered up your supplies quickly, rushing towards Appa. A guard stepped in front of you suddenly, knocking you down before aiming a blast of fire at you. You rolled out of the way, leaping to your feet before sending a kick to his head and knocking him down. 

“Yip yip, Appa!” Sokka yelled, sitting at the reins. 

“Wait!” Katara cried. “(Y/N) is still down there!”

“What?” Sokka screeched, looking down at the ground as he tried to locate you. He noticed a group of soldiers trying to surround you as you fought them off. 

“Go!” you yelled, waving them away as you began to run the other direction. 

“We’re not leaving you!” Aang yelled, getting ready to hop off of Appa. 

“I’ll lead them away and then meet up with you,” you replied, rushing off. “I promise! I’ll be fine.”

You were gone before anyone could say anything else, disappearing into the trees as half of the soldiers followed you. The other half turned their attention to Appa, ready to attack. 

“Yip yip,” Sokka cried again, receiving disbelieving looks from everyone else. He gave them a shrug, trying to hide his worry. “She’ll be fine. She’s gone through worse. C’mon we can’t lose faith in her.”

The rest of the group nodded softly, sighing in relief as Appa left the ground. Their relief was cut short when Zuko leapt off of Appa, landing on the ground and kicking his leg to send out an arc of fire towards the remaining soldiers. 

“Zuko! What are you doing?” Katara yelled, looking over the edge of the saddle in a panic. 

“Go,” came Zuko’s rough reply. “I’ll stay with her. I’ll protect her.”

It was silent as the group watched Zuko sprint away. Appa didn’t stop and Sokka made no effort to bring the sky bison back down to the ground, watching as Zuko fought off each soldier effortlessly. He hummed lightly, drawing everyone’s attention to himself as he turned his attention back to the reins. “You know, I’m willing to bet five gold pieces that by the time we find them, they will have smooched at least twice.”

Toph grinned at Sokka’s statement, her fear of flying temporarily forgotten. 

“Oh you’re on, snoozles.”

~

You weren’t sure how you had managed to evade the soldiers for as long as you had. You were out of breath, panting heavily as you sprinted through the forest. Looking around, you knew you needed to find somewhere to hide. No matter how good at fighting you were, you knew that you couldn’t fight off all those Fire Nation soldiers. As you darted between the trees, your ankle got caught on a tree root and you went tumbling onto the ground. You groaned as you laid on the ground for a moment, opening your eyes to get a bearing of your surroundings. Your eyes narrowed when you noticed a gap in the cliff a few yards to your right. It would’ve been unnoticable from any other angle and you silently thanked your clumsiness for leading you to safety. 

“She went that way!” you heard a soldier shout. Biting back a gasp, you scrambled to your feet and sprinted to the opening in the cliff. You squeezed inside, pulling on some of the hanging vines around it to better conceal your location. You head faint footsteps coming your way and you stilled, crouching down to get a better look outside. 

Stifling a groan, you darted outside, grabbing the person by the collar of their shirt and dragging them back inside the cave with you. 

“H-Hey what’s your problem?” Zuko asked as you pushed him up against the cave wall. You shushed him softly, placing your hand over his mouth. His skin heated up under your touch and he froze for a moment before snapping out of it and grabbing your wrist, pushing you away from him. 

You stumbled slightly before landing on your butt, scowling at Zuko but remaining silent. You cocked your head to the side as you heard footsteps walking by. 

“We lost them,” a gruff voice said, sounding a lot closer to the cliff than you liked.

“They can’t have gotten far,” another voice replied. “We’ll set up camp in the clearing over there. The prince is too valuable to let go.”

A noise of agreement was made before the footsteps faded and you found yourself walking up to Zuko and pulling him down by the collar of his shirt. 

“What are you doing here?” you hissed quietly, still on edge. 

“Saving you, that’s what?” Zuko snorted, once again gripping your wrist and forcing you to let go of his shirt. 

“No! Now they’re going to hunt us,” you replied, turning around and walking away. “They would’ve given up sooner or later, Zuko. I’m not important. But now they won’t leave because you came after me!”

“So now you’re upset?” Zuko asked, whisper-yelling. “I took out half of those soldiers! You’re welcome.”

“Yes I’m upset. Now because of you, we’re stuck in here!”

Zuko’s eyes widened as he realized you were right. There was no way that the two of you could leave the cave, not with the Fire Nation soldiers camping out a few yards away. He cursed under his breath before observing you. You had walked to the other side of the cave, leaning against the wall and sliding down until you were sitting on the ground. He looked outside, noticing the sun going down and walked towards the entrance. 

“Where are you going?” you whispered, keeping your eyes on him.

“I’m going to get some firewood. I’ll be quiet.”

“Are you serious right now, Zuko?” you asked exasperatedly. “We cannot start a fire in here. They’ll see the smoke escaping through the entrance.”

Zuko paused for a moment, knowing you were right before walking over to you and taking a seat a few feet away from you. “It’s getting dark out. It’ll get cold soon and something tells me that Aang isn’t going to find us that quickly.”

You looked at the entrance to the cave, knowing that he was right. It was getting darker by the minute and without a fire, you were in for a cold night. Zuko watched your expression, getting a bit worried. As a firebender, he had no issue with the cold; but you weren’t a firebender and he was worried about you. 

Silence engulfed the two of you as night fell. The temperature fell ridiculously quickly and you found yourself curled up into a ball as you tried to warm yourself up. You shot a glance towards Zuko, scowling deeply when you noticed him lost deep in thought. He was sprawled out on the ground, not shivering at all as he stared up blankly at the ceiling. You rolled your eyes, looking away before hugging yourself even tighter.

“Can you stop your chattering?” Zuko asked suddenly, turning his head to look at you. “It’s quite distracting.”

You glared at him, shivering lightly. “I’m sorry, is me being cold inconveniencing you? Not all of us can firebend, Prince Zuko. And my teeth are not chattering!”

Zuko didn’t reply, instead standing up and walking over to you. You glanced up at him suspiciously, frowning when he took a seat right next to you. He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close and avoiding your gaze.

“Zuko, what are you doing?” you whispered, unable to move your face from where it was buried into his neck. Zuko shivered at your words, keeping you tucked into him as he tried to control his blush.

“Keeping you warm,” Zuko replied. “What does it look like?”

“Why?”

“What do you mean?” Zuko asked softly, tilting back slightly to meet your eyes. You avoided his gaze, curling into him even more. He was exceptionally warm, and you felt yourself sinking into him to avoid the chilly air within the cave. Zuko’s arms tightened around you as he shifted, bringing you into his lap as he made himself more comfortable. 

“You hate me,” you whispered, still hiding your face from him. Your arms snaked around his waist, allowing you to dig your face into his chest and hide even more. 

“W-What? No I don’t!” Zuko cried, earning a shush from you. “If anything, you hate me.”

“N-No I don’t!” you exclaimed, pulling away slightly to look up at him. 

“Yes you do!”

“Why would I hate you?” you asked, looking at him with a bewildered expression.

“I don’t know!” Zuko said, a confused expression on his face. You thought he looked rather cute. “I get why you would hate me back when I was the bad guy, but I’ve changed! I thought that by now you would like me.”

“Zuko, I never hated you,” you replied. “Not even back when you were the ‘bad’ guy. You were always fun to banter with and I thought that you wanted things to stay that way.”

“What on earth gave you that idea?” Zuko asked, looking at you in shock.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that you always had something to say in return to my remarks,” you stated, looking at him blankly.

“Well you always start it,” Zuko accused. You paused for a second, knowing that he was right.

“Well you always reply!”

Zuko let out a frustrated groan. “That’s because you keep teasing me if I don’t.”

“Okay, but that’s becau- mmph.”

Your eyes went wide as Zuko pressed his lips to yours, effectively shutting you up. You froze for a split second, not believing that this was happening. Zuko pulled away, a smirk on his face as he took in your flushed face and dazed expression. 

“Not so mouthy now are y-”

This time it was you who cut Zuko off, pressing your lips to his almost feverishly. Your arms left his waist, coming up to wrap around his neck and pull him impossibly close. Zuko responded better than you did, immediately returning the kiss and angling his head just so in order to deepen it. You melted against him, causing Zuko to smirk into the kiss before he began trailing kisses down your neck. 

A gasp escaped your mouth as you felt him leave a mark on you before you tangled your hands in his hair, pulling his face back up to kiss him again. You couldn’t remember feeling cold anymore, the feeling of Zuko’s lips on yours and his arms around your waist erasing any thoughts about the chilly air in the cave. Now all you could feel was warmth. 

“In case it wasn’t clear, I like you,” Zuko muttered into your ear, pulling away from your lips for a second. You shivered at his words before leaning your forehead against his. 

“In case it wasn't clear, Prince Pouty, I like you too,” you teased, giving him a shy smile. Zuko snorted at the nickname before kissing you gently, a stark contrast to the way the two of you were kissing only minutes earlier. 

“Toph! They’re kissing!”

Sokka’s head was poking through the cave entrance, looking at the two of you in shock. In the midst of your confessions, the Gaang had found the Fire Nation soldiers and defeated them, knowing that you couldn’t be too far away. Toph had been the one to find the cave, using her seismic sense, but Sokka had insisted he be the first one to enter. 

“Aw man,” Toph called out, pushing Sokka out of the way and forcing her way into the cave. “How many times did you lily livers kiss?”

You and Zuko exchanged surprised looks before looking at your two friends embarrassedly. You were still in his lap, the two of you ridiculously close to one another. Overall, you had been caught in a very compromising position. 

“U-Uh, I don’t know,” you stuttered, avoiding Toph’s blank gaze. Even though she couldn’t see you, you knew she was judging you.

“We didn’t exactly keep count,” Zuko drawled. You slapped his chest. “But if you want we can add a few more.”

“No!” Sokka and Toph yelled in unison. Sokka covered Toph’s eyes as Zuko pressed his lips to yours, catching you off guard.

“I’m blind!” Toph grumbled, causing Sokka to look at her sheepishly.

“Oh, right,” Sokka replied, removing his hand and carrying Toph so that her feet were off the ground. “That’s better.”

“Just tell us if you kissed more than two times,” Toph said, hanging limply from Sokka’s arms. 

“Oh we definitely did,” Zuko said, a smirk on his face as you squeaked in embarrassment. 

“Ha! You owe me five gold pieces,” Sokka yelled triumphantly, accidentally dropping Toph. The small girl landed on the ground, scowling deeply at both having been dropped and losing the bet.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Snoozles. If you need me I’ll be outside,” Toph grumbled, stalking out of the cave. You shared an awkward glance with Sokka, who had a large grin on his face as he stared at the two of you. 

“Uh, anything else you need?” you asked the Water Tribe boy.

“No,” he replied, the smile never leaving his face. “We’ll be waiting outside when you’re done. Have fun, but not too much fun.”

Groaning, you dropped your head onto Zuko’s chest. Sokka let out a loud laugh as he left and Zuko simply rolled his eyes before looking down at you. Using his index and middle fingers, he tilted your chin up, bringing your face up so that he could look at you. A bright blush spread across your cheeks as you met Zuko’s golden eyes, the urge to look away growing stronger as his gaze dropped to your lips. 

“Now, where were we?”

~

taglist!

@musicalkeys, @mywigglybaby​, @bubblebars​, @iguessthefloorislava​, @dekahg​, @boxofteenageideas​, @bottledcostcowater​, @butterflycore​, @coldlilheart​, @the-firebender-girl​, @ajediherowitchrunner​, @lammello​, @astroninaaa​, @samsmultifandomblogs​, @sadskater25, @oddment-niwit-blubber-tweak​, @eternallyvenus​, @emberislandplayers​, @sunflowerazula​, @moonnei, @stilllivindue2spite​,

[punemy-spotted]

In Which Love is a Leap of Faith

Chapter 1: Merman

Summary: You thought a man was drowning in the lake. He wasn't.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x You

Warnings: Eventual Smut, Alcohol Mentions, PLEASE DON'T JUST DIVE INTO LAKES IN YOUR BRA AND PANTIES THAT'S WHAT EMERGENCY SERVICES ARE FOR YOU DO NOT WANT TO DROWN, Don't Try This At Home, 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI

Notes: Pacing meant I couldn't shoehorn being absolutely railed by Steve Rogers into Chapter 1 but Chapter 2 is starting with a bang. Will this be an ongoing series? Probably. Inspired by This Reddit Post

Did you know? Did you know the Avengers sometimes came out to your little mountain hideaway? Well. Not exactly yours, but you’ve lived here your whole life and you know it best. This is your sanctuary, the space you feel safest and yet you had no idea. Of course you didn’t, because if you did? You wouldn’t have just stripped down to your bra and panties and taken a running leap of faith off a cliff right into the mountain-spring lake below.

So how did you get here, making that perfect arc with your body, arms outstretched before you the way you remembered from swim practice all those years ago?

Easy.

You were jogging, like you always do in the mornings before work — your parents’ bar, where you wait tables and balance the books and keep the family business alive — when you saw him. Floating, almost limp in the water, just bobbing along in the emptiness. The lake had a reputation — there was always some barely corroborated story about a friend-of-a-friend who nearly drowned or a tourist who quite possibly did — and you, having occasionally been the person putting MISSING posters up, didn’t want the loved ones of the man in the water coming to town wondering.

If you could save one person from the torment of the unknown, wouldn’t it have been worth it?

So you yelled, Hey! Hang on just a little longer, I’m coming! and threw your clothes off and to the side before throwing yourself off and into the water. You’d swam here plenty of times, knew the exact angle to hit the cold surface, knew just where the shore was from here, knew the right path to take to get to your clothes, thrown haphazardly over a rock somewhere. This was your sanctuary, and you weren’t going to let it turn into someone else’s grave.

Except then you actually reach the man in the water and the blue-eyed surprise spread all over his face Are you okay?

Yes? Are you?

See that? That’s a regulator hanging from the side of his mask.

Now isn’t that convenient?

What the Hell are you doing out here?

What are you doing out here?

I thought you were drowning! Who the fu—CHRIST!

You’re not alone with the blond man in the water — you know his face now, of course you do, as you tread water and try not to glare at Captain fucking America, Steve Rogers, the Man With A Plan, cuz you sure as hell ain’t the gal with one, not anymore — and the clearing throat about three feet away from you sends you into a kicking frenzy, screaming in surprise and face-to-face with a very bemused (and also very concerned) Sam Wilson.

There really is no justice left in the world for you, because they’re both laughing so hard you think Captain America might actually keel over right here and now.

And there’s more.

There’s always freaking more, isn’t there? Yeah, that’s the rest of the fucking Avengers, popping up out of the water and looking like you’re the best comedy act they’ve seen all week.

You’re treading water so fast you think your legs and arms might give out here and now and oh fuck you don’t want to end up the friend-of-a-friend in those cautionary ta— Steve Rogers to the rescue once again. He’s so gentle when he puts his hands on your waist and holds you still Hey, hey, I’ve got you. You okay? You’ll float, just relax, just relax.

You have the good sense not to glare at him for patronizing you. He has the good sense not to tease you for swearing up down and sideways.

You good?

Yeah.

Good.

You’re so red you might in fact have turned into the sun from the force of your embarrassment and the smirks on everyone’s faces don’t exactly help but here you are. I thought you were drowning so I— you can’t even finish your explanation it sounds so ridiculous surrounded by the Avengers in dive suits and regulators.

The smirk on Steve Rogers's face? Absolutely illegal, you should kiss it off do something about it.

You’re still thinking about the what you should do when he speaks up again, steady and warm and it’s honestly hard to be mad when he’s holding you up and keeping you steady, You wanna escort me back to shore?

It’s nice of him to be the one to glare at Sam when the Falcon bursts into laughter at the ridiculousness of the offer, but you know what? Still rude.

Yeah, I can. Hard to flounce when you’re still treading water, even harder to flounce when you’re wearing nothing but a bra and panties and Steve Rogers is pressed against you.

You’re a good swimmer and he’s a good complimenter, handing you a towel and trying not to look at you in soaking wet skivvies. You briefly consider how you might have preferred him being unconscious — least he wouldn’t see the heat rising to your cheeks or the way you’re avoiding looking at him in the dive suit does it have to look so good?

Yeah, thanks. Learned to swim in the lake while you towel off and glance up the path where the rest of your clothes are waiting. You’re going to have to explain this to your family and they’re absolutely going to be weird about it, aren’t they?

Hey he startles you again, why does he keep doing that and you’ve got eyes on him, big and round you did the right thing back there. Thanks.

What?

Jumping into the water. Trying to help. It was the right thing to do.

You… didn’t need any help though.

Yeah, but you didn’t know that.

Okay we— he does that thing, the glare you’ve heard he’s famous for you watch the news and you just. Shut up, faster than you expected. Oh. So that’s how it feels.

Look. We shouldn’t have laughed — and I’m sorry about that. I’ll talk with the rest of them later. There’s not enough people who go diving into lakes and try to do the right thing, and even if I didn’t need it, you did it because you wanted to do the right thing, and that’s what matters.

If you weren’t red before, you’re redder now, about to open your mouth to say thanks and then—

But that was also incredibly dangerous, what if you’d gotten hurt in the dive? How good are emergency services out here — you can always call them before you start stripping down — water’s too cold for that anyway.

You know what, being scolded by Captain America sucks.

Better focus on the praise.

You invited him to the bar.

Well. Technically you invited all of them to the bar — something about overpriced beer and endless pool, you can’t remember you were too busy rambling in your underwear. Bottom line, you invited the Avengers — who, if you recall, apparently come out to your little mountain hideaway for dive training — to your family’s bar and your mother (bless her) didn’t kill you for not giving her advance warning so she could clean the place up.

They’re not gonna show, c’mon, it’s the Avengers. They’ve got better things to do than humor the dumb bitch who jumped into a lake wearing nothing but a sports bra and some briefs.

You’re too busy dealing with the dinner crowd to be disappointed, and trying not to think about how everyone in town is asking you about your encounter with Captain America and The Avengers was he nice what was Thor like were they polite did you really meet them in your underwear what are you, Ariel?

Did your mother have to be the town gossip?

You’re busy and frazzled and the dinner crowd gives way to the lakeside drinkers and still no one shows, proving you right as you clean glasses and try to steer gossip to something less exciting.

You don’t actually notice when the room goes quiet.

Not until you hear Hi, we’re looking for…

You could almost say you didn’t recognize him in clothes, but Captain America? Looks really good in a leather jacket and a button-down, determinedly trying not to jam his hands into his pockets like some sort of dork, hair dry and combed and even a little sheepish as he scans the room until he sees you.

Hey. That offer for drinks still open?

[midas-or-khaos]

Wrong place, Wrong time. Part 1

God of war x borrower oc story

“-And remember, DON’T touch anything! Reavers aren’t exactly a clean bunch,” a gurgling followed. “Ugh, really bad at keeping anything clean in fact.” The poor man really could be a worry wart at times (and a clean freak as always).

“Sindri, I’ll be fine. I promise! Cross my heart and everything. The whetstone will probably be kept somewhere safe if it’s precious enough to be stolen, so it’ll hopefully be clean when I find it.”

“Oh. Well, I hadn’t thought of that. Just...stay safe ok? And don’t get caught!”

“I won’t, I never do. See you soon!”

Reluctantly the dwarf answered,“See you soon jojo.” But the poor dwarf’s knee couldn’t stop shaking, thinking about worst case scenarios. Jojo knew he’d just have to prove poor Sindri wrong once again. Maybe one of these days he’d actually learn there was no use worrying himself into a frenzy. Taking off, the 5 inch figure wasn’t stopped as he scurried along natural ledges in walls, and began his descent into the heart of the earth.

Jojo didn’t see what all the worry was for. One of the few perks of being a borrower was often big folk like Reavers or monsters were always too busy looking ahead for bean sized people, that they never looked far enough down to see him. He knew the dwarf didn’t like asking him for help, even though the boy often came to Sindri’s shop outside ‘Fafnir’s storeroom’ (or whatever he called it) asking for challenges and new borrowing spots.

Most borrowers would call it suicide to be talking to beans and other big folk, ESPECIALLY with all the new monsters that have started popping up recently. Hel walkers they’re called apparently. But Jojo wasn’t most. He’d sought out his favourite Dwarf and brother when his parents died drowning in the lake of nine when the waters suddenly flooded, leaving their 8 year old son to fend for himself. Not immediately, obviously. No, at that point he was still a weedy little scaredy cat himself, not able to be even in the same area when footstep started to shake the earth. It could only last so long though. He hadn’t been old enough to be taken out borrowing before being left alone, and supplies ran low quickly. So, spurt of the desperate, when he saw the two set up shop outside his home in the foothills, the child decided to stride right out into the open and ask for food.

4 years later and he still never regretted that decision. Still scrawny, “the side effect of being young” said Brok, but definitely more confident. Brok taught him a lot of that confidence (and a whole lot of swear words too, despite Sindri’s attempts to undo his brother’s work) and Sindri taught him kindness and generosity. The generosity was only spent on the brothers, because who else was he going to see? No borrower would trust another that hung around beans, and Sindri wouldn’t let him be found by anyone if he had anything to say about it, but kindness he tried to show all IF he could without getting sliced in half.

Gathering focus for the change in environment, the world became darker. White, natural light was flittering out, slowly being replaced by the ethereal glow of blue crystals bouncing off liquid smooth stone corridors leading into a fatal drop. An underground ravine. Nothing had shown its face yet, though the odd grunt of some undead beastie would make itself known now and then. Being so small meant there was no need to cross the water below, or find ways to get the chain ropes down so as to climb across. All he had to do was stick close to the roof where stalactites could be leapt between till he reached some valley in the wall to rest. Nothing too hard. Looking for the fist place to jump, a low hanging spine was just a couple of feet away (to Jojo); taking a leap of faith, the boy managed to snag the tail end. Right, next one. Leaping like a lemur the drop was easily avoided, and soon something came into view. Sunlight yellow was beginning to mix with the unnatural blue, and Jojo knew there was an opening into the outside world around the corner. Good, finally he would be able to see, though he would be easier to spot in the illumination of day.

Sindri

How had Brok convinced him to let Jojo go treasure hunting alone? So many traps, monsters, ancients even! “He’ll be fine” said Brok when the two had discussed it together during one of their rare ‘chats for important matters’. So nonchalantly Brok threw out, “Kid’s never been seen before, he ain’t gonna be now!” We’ll that was just testing fate wasn’t it! The rhythmic thumping of hammer to metal was doing nothing to take his mind off the matter, and a few too many near misses to his thumb told Sindri he wasn’t going to get any real work done at this rate. Perhaps he should have a break and go visit Ivaldi’s workshop?

“Hey Sindri!”

“Agh!!!!” Both hammer and work went flying overhead, just missing the flat of his skull. The lithe boy in question at least had the gall to go red, abashed as he walked over to the Dwarf’s workbench, scratching at the buzzed fuzz across the side his head.

“Sorry.”

“Well you should be! That could’ve hurt you OR me, and all the infections that could get in-”

“Boy, be careful.”

The source of the voice sat further back up the slate corridor, hidden in shadow, hawkish gold glowed beneath a heavy brow.

“Sorry father.” Atreus called back to the hidden figure.

With meaningful strides, the figure came into the light of day, bleach white skin, jet black beard and a crimson tattoo striped across an eye setting the figure apart as none other than his worst fear. Kratos. Why? Why were these two here?

“What brings you two to my place of work to scare me?”

Leaning on the edge of his (freshly cleaned) work bench, the spritely youth explained with excitement, “We’re gonna get that whetstone you wanted!”

Shit! He’d mentioned that to them, hadn’t he? Why had they come to fulfill that promise now, when they seemed so disinterest in before?

“O-o-ooooohhhhh yeahhhhhhh, THAT whetstone. Well...”

Atreus leaned in with a head tilt and a brow lifted, “...well? What’s wrong, did you find it already?”

“No-“

“-No? Then what’s the problem?”

“Speak clearly, we have come for the promise of improvements.” Straight to the point, both father and son were on edge now.

Damn it, he was digging a hole for himself again. Stupid mouth. Obviously, if the two of them went in those mines, there was a chance his kid would get spotted and wearing that rat skin outfit, either of the pair could mistake Jojo for an actual rat and hit him with something. Oooooo, that’s horrifying, don’t think about that! Ughhhh don’t vomit! Don’t-...But On the other hand, there was a chance that the father/son duo could clear the way and make it safer for his boy to get back. And more searching eyes makes for less work. Sindri would just have to encourage them not to be too... liberal with their killing.

“Yes the offer is still there, but you must heed this warning.”

“You mentioned no warning before, why?” The irritation lacing the bestial man’s tone didn’t keep itself hidden, growls billowing out that barrel chest. The dwarf didn’t shirk away like a turtle. Not at all.

“O-oh-well-I didn’t know before. Bbbbut I got new information...from Brok. He said not tooooooo... kill the ratssssss?”

The growls took a higher pitch.

“Errrrr, ok? Are the rats protected are something?” Quizzed Atreus, bringing the blacksmith off the subject of the terrifying god before him. A perfect excuse.

“YES! Yes, sorry, the rats are the protected subjects of Freya. Wouldn’t want to upset her right?!”

“Oh! Well, she never mentioned that when we met her.” These two met FREYA! Of course they had, who was he kidding, they’d met everyone and probably started a fight with them too.

“Must’ve slipped her mind, now hurry up! Don’t want any drauger or wolves to get their disgusting hands all over it! Otherwise it’ll be so dirty even I won’t be able to clean it!”

The excuse was enough. The two turned (but not before the kid’s enthusiastic good bye) and disappeared below the cramped passage into the inky black mines, their footsteps echoing out.

“Please let this be the right idea.” Huffed out Sindri with stale, held breath, shaking his head at his own recklessness.

Jojo

Making the last of his descent down the sheer cliff walls, vibrant green broke the dead stone and made life at the edge of the darkness. The sweet ache from overworked tendons and muscles began the slow process of slipping away, fresh air and bird song rejuvenating the boy’s ambition to find his prize, a grin pulling at bubbly cheeks. He was halfway now! Strolling through the ivy, form barely making a rustle, sunlight illuminated the boy’s way through the thickets. Brok mentioned that before he reached the main chamber where the actual traps and treasure was kept, there was a ‘small’ field for him to cross with bits of precious metals along the way. Jojo knew he’d need to make height soon in order to know where he was going, but this time it’d have to be calculated; all black stood out in all this greenery. Now where to go? Rocks. He could use the rocks as an outpost to look out: dark coloured, easy to climb and easy to blend into. Just a matter of reaching it. Strolling through the ivy, the speckled light beaming on the crumbled earth was just enough to guide the way forward, boots barely making a sound.

Squawk

Stopping dead, a cold trail prickled along his back. The boy made the slowest tilt back possible to peak throught the canopy, trying to avoid detection. Too late, looking with a ghostly green eye, a monsterous raven was stalking with keen interest, perched almost serenely upon it’s watch point. Ravens weren’t notorious borrower hunters, seeing people like him often as a chore to catch and consume. But rats...rats were their favourite.

And he was dressed as one.

Atreus

“Father, what do you think had Sindri so shook?”

“Anything, boy. The dwarf has a talent for fear.” No denying that, agreed the doe eyed boy. Sindri did fear just about everything.

Crouching did nothing for the chalk giant, disgruntled grunts sounding out amongst the overhead drips of droplets every time his bald head scraped the sandpaper rough ceiling. It’s one of the few examples in life that made Atreus happy to be short. Yowls were coming from further into the mineshaft, but drauger were a minor setback, easily dispatched.

“Be on your guard boy, we are nearing danger.”

Jojo

“Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck-“ How could one bird be more persistent then all the drauger in the world?

SSSSSQQQQUUUUUAAAAAARRRRRRRKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!

Too close! Every attack was only wearing the borrower down more; the saving grace from this endless stream of dive bombs was that in the bird’s haste, it made enough flapping to give its location away at all times, making it easier to dodge. But now Jojo was lost, lost and close to just falling down if his quaking limbs were anything to go by.

Atreus

“Well that was easy.”

A sagely look was drawn toward Atreus, not angry, but not impressed, “Easy because there are two of us, boy, but don’t let your guard down because you perceive an enemy as ‘easy’.”

Always one to lecture. “Yes sir.”

The cave entrance as coming into sight, stoic father and brash son walking side by side. With electrical arrows at the ready and frosty axe drawn the odd pair walked into daylight, sun illuminating the thick blood staining their skin and wares. Both were ready for any kind of battle ahead, be it fierce or simple.

Well, except for the kind of battle that they stumbled onto.

“Father? What’s wrong with that bird?” Quizzed Atreus, looking up, but Kratos was busy scanning the wooded field

“It hunts for prey boy, pay it no mind.” No beating around the bush.

“But it looks like one of Odin’s crows.”

The barely there expression of strained, chalk temples and widening, heavy set eyes might as well have been a scream.“Shoot it down.”

This rarity was not lost on the boy, heart pounding in response. If his ever-stoic dad was frightened, this was more of a danger than he had anticipated. Wasting no time, Atreus locked on as the bird went for another dive, and let loose a wizzing arrow. It fired true puncturing the breast and punching through to the other side with a resounding crack of the rib cage. The creature never hit its mark, breaking apart in a surprising burst of green flame, but never actually setting anything on fire. The witchcraft of Odin was strange indeed.

The boy couldn’t feel pleasure out of his elegant kill, still too shaken by what he’d seen. Atreus knew better than to ask his father what was wrong, the man would switch on him like a rabid dog driven mad by rabies if any fear was ever acknowledged.

“We go on, boy.”

Kratos took the lead, heading further uphill into the tree trunk horizon, sun spilling over the crest and illuminating some of the lower valley where the boy stood. Atreus made no move to follow. If he was to get answers, it would have to be now whilst his father charged on unaware. Tip toeing over to where the bird would have fallen, eyes trained on his father, the archer found his arrow wedged fast into the soft earth with wandering hands. Turning his gaze for just a moment to inspect his find, there were signs of burns, suggesting that the animal must’ve been made of pure magic; probably a spy of some kind if Odin had anything to do with it, the man was notoriously suspicious and crafty (even all seeing as his mother had mentioned) so would want to know at all times what was going on in midguard. Hold on... pulling the tip of the spear out, a rat skin sat pierced at the end. Weird thing was though, it was clean, even looking tanned on the inside like some kind of weird miniature hooded tunic! This wasn’t an animal the crow had caught and killed, but clearly was worn by the thing that the bird was after on the ground. Wait... Sindri mentioned not killing any rats, but this one was allowed to die and be made into clothes, meaning Freya wasn’t protecting the rats at all. Sindri was lying, he was protecting whoever wore this tunic-

“BOY! COME!”

Oops. He’d zoned out too long.

“Father, I think Sindri was lying!”

Footstep were coming down behind him in a charge. Curiosity wouldn’t let him leave, but flight was making his feet flitter and shake, ready to take off from the raging bull behind him.

“Did I just not tell you to follow?! The dwarf is of no concern-“ Fighting curiosity won over.

“DAD! Just. Look.”

Turning back and presenting the tunic to the man who’d finally reached him, the golden hue burned brightly with hatful embers down at the find. Just as quickly the gaze focused back on the child. He neither cared nor understood.

“It’s a tunic, made from the skin of a rat. Sindri said the rats here were under the protection of Freya, but if that were true, this one wouldn’t be dead and Odin’s ravens wouldn’t dare go after it. Sindri’s hiding something.”

[amjustagirl]

okay im willing to talk ur ear off on why it completely made sense that she took him back... BUT it never actually occurred to me while reading the fic that there’s a possibility she wouldn’t. she was always gonna take him back in my opinion, drawing from what constitutes acceptable mistakes that make up a person and how love can persevere through that. YES the mistakes are there. they’re big and large and red BUT the whole story was working towards forgiveness and growth (in atsumu especially) and him realizing his family is what matters. were his mistakes horrible and reason for divorce? yes. did he realize how much he fucked up? also yes. the decision of taking him back doesnt make reader weak. it actually makes her quite brave, being willing to fight for happiness AND stability (as opposed to stability only if they carried through with the divorce). reader’s character is so good, so complex, and just because she decided to make space for love doesnt mean she’s any less of a badass boss bitch.

hey bee please talk my ear off about it (its embarrassing how happy i am to talk about it, truly LOL ackkk)

I agree, actually. Storm Chaser is, at the heart of it, a story about love and forgiveness and growth - so I knew from the start that the reader was going to forgive Atsumu (fun fact in my other Storm Chaser universe fics - e.g. Broken Compass feat. Sakusa, she’s actually named Kaiyo, forgiveness in Japanese) because he’s changed. 

In every scene that Atsumu has when he returns to Japan he’s trying (with varying degrees of success) to prove to her that he can be better, though of course he only truly wins her back when he recognises (a) he’s been so fking selfish, (b) he recognises her choice and say in the matter by signing the divorce papers and (c) he wants to give her her freedom back, as symbolised by the gift of the motorbike and most of all (d) when he’s truly, finally emotionally honest and vulnerable with her. 

idk personally? i think the reader was kinda crazy for taking him back because he’s failed her so many times yet...that’s why i included the line - jump off a cliff with me twice - first in chapt 2 when he asks her to marry him, and the second time in chapt 7 when it’s her turn to ask him to take a leap of faith with her. and so in chapt 8 i had to write them slowly grow and learn and love (and i think esp for atsumu, once he knows what he almost lost, he just threw in all he had to prevent that fr ever happening again). 

and yes! the reader is really a badass boss bitch and i truly, truly love her so so much. the knife maker’s daughter with a spine of steel who re-forges herself when she breaks :) 

i loved hearing your thoughts so so much about it, and thank you again for reading it. if you ever wanna shout at me, feel free! 

[onedoesnotsimplywriteafanfic]

Reunited at last (5/6)

Part: 1, 2, 3, 4

After exploring the old ruins that was were streets. It was a long lost dream to find this place and here I was. I wasn’t suppose be there on the hill of the mountain, but I was. Rafe had yet another meeting with Nadine and her men and he didn’t want me their, with the excuse it was way to boring for me and I could use that time exploring the building. So that was what I did. I explored and figured it all out.

Walking trough history, thats how it felt. Everything was just like it had been left behind after what looked like a huge fight, some could call it a war. Bodies where spread over the clearing, canons, weapons and barricades could be found.  It was unclear who’s battle it was and what they where fighting for.

Making my way inside the bloodshed had continued, who ever the battle was between had made their way inside.  Big golden looking doors, three times bigger than that I was, kept me from entering, what I only believed to be, the treasure room. A lever on my left was my way in. I pulled it towards me and a heavy mechanism could be heard starting to work.

Only it was for a little while before it stopped, doors still closed. With a groan I walked over to the door and pushed it with all my wight. It took a lot of effort but I manged to open the doors by force. My believes where right, this room used to be a treasure or trophy room, only this one was empty.

It was hard to imagine what had taken place hundred years ago but I had my ideas. By the looks of the state this room was left in, Avery had already taking his treasure elsewhere. Along the walls almost life sized paintings hung portraying the pirates. Avery, Tew all the founders of Libertalia.

They were all marked with the word ‘’Thief’’ meaning the treasure was already gone by the time the citizens had fought their ways in. Looking around the room for further clues I found the last peace of the puzzle. It was so small most would have missed it, but not me.

A map was painted on the sealing, it was barely visible because most of the roof was missing. But it was there. It showed a small town named ‘’New Devon’’ inhabited by seven large mansions. One for each pirate of Avery’s crew.

Smiling to myself, proud of my findings, I found myself calling for Nate. ‘’Nate, I figur,-’’ I cut my self off mid sentence, realizing Nate wasn’t here. In that moment of happiness I longed for my best friend. I should have been here with them, with Nate and my father.

Gunshots pulled me back to reality. It sounded far away but not the less it caught my attention. In a haze I looked for a way out. It took me way more time then I had anticipated and by the time I found a way outside the sound of a gun fight had stopped.

Now standing on top of a watch tower I looked around in the hope to locate the source of the fight. But what I found was more disturbing. Shoreline men filled my few, weapons drawn. Panic filled my body and the only thing on my mind was that I needed to get the hell out of here.

Making my way down was difficult because the tower was about to collapse. Running as fast as my legs could carry me I made my way down. Just before the tower collapsed I jumped to the roof of a nearby building.

My body wasn’t used to these kinds of shenanigans any more, so the safest way was the ground. No more jumping buildings. More shots filled the air and sometimes I needed to duck to prevend myself from getting shot.

In the distance I saw Rafe running inside a gave with some of the Shoreline soldiers. I followed him and waited till I got close to make my presence known. I ran out to a small clearing leading to a ravine. ‘’Rafe!’’ I called out. All eyes where now on me and so were most of there guns. ‘’Rafe?’’ I called out again, this time with my hands in the air.

Looking around the group I saw Nate and Nadine who was held captive by someone I couldn't see its face of. The man holding Nadine shifted slightly in its place making it able for me to see his face. My eyes grew bigger from confusion. ‘’Sam?’’ My voice was shaking, my mind making over hours. ‘’I told you to stay away.’’ Rafe spatted at me. A low growl could be heard leaving Sams throat.

Snapping my attention to Rafe I spat back at him. ‘’Excuse me?’’ I was still being hold at gun point but I ignored them. With anger in his eyes Rafe took a step towards me. Trying to hold my ground I stayed put. Locking my eyes with his I looked for answers. ‘’You knew, didn’t you.’’ I asked bluntly not giving him time to talk. ‘’You knew, all this time he was alive?!’’ I felt a white rage burning in my stomach and my anger got the best of me.  

Waiting for him to confirm my theory I kept my eyes locked on his. ‘’Of course, who else did you thought broke him out for a second time.’’ Without thinking I swing my arm back and connected it with his jaw. Through the force of the impact Rafe stumbled back. By only one sign, one of the Shoreline soldiers grabbed me and put his gun to my temple.  

The safety of a gun being pulled back could be heard, coming from Sam, still holding Nadine. ‘’Let her go Sam, or she dies.’’ pointing at me Rafe kept his vision at Sam. ‘’No.’’ Sam said trough gridded teeth. ‘’Don’t make me ask again, sam.’’ A threatening hint was visible in his voice.

Nate who kept watching until now made a move no one expected. It all happened in a second. Nate moved towards his brother and unarmed him so Nadine could step free. ‘’Now let her go, Rafe.’’ Nate said trowing the gun away. ‘’I can’t quite do that yet, Nathen. I still need her.’’ Anger kept boiling up inside of me.

I lowered my head towards my chest before I yanked it back, making contact with the nose of my captor. He let me go to grab his now bloody now. Kicking the gun out of his hand sending it flying. ‘’I am done helping you, Rafe.’’ I spat my words out, filled with poison.  

A cynical laugh left his lips. ‘’I don’t think so princess. You and your not so dead boyfriend over there are going to lead me to Avery’s treasure.’’ With his pistol raised at Sam, he shot daggers at me. ‘’To bad I don’t know where it is.’’ I lied, shrugging my shoulders nonchalantly.

He wasn’t to happy with my answer. ‘’Then you better figure it out, fast, or els.’’ He threatened me. ‘’Please, I am sure we can figure something out, make a deal, find it together.’’ it was Nate he broke the silence. ‘’There is nothing to figure out. I only need one or two of you.’’ His gun shifted from Sam to Nate. ‘’No!’’ Sam and I yelled in unison. But it was to late, Rafe had pulled the trigger.

Sam jumped in front of Nate to take the bullet but it hit him in the shoulder. It was a trough and trough and it launched itself in Nate, who fell backwards to the edge, eventually falling over leaping to his faith.

The build up anger that i’ve been collecting inside bursted, I launched myself towards Rafe. One of the Shoreline men grabbed me but without luck. In a second I had disarmed him and held him under gunpoint with his own gun. ‘’Tell your men to stand down and no one gets hurt.’’ I threw a quick glance at Rafe. ‘’And who is going to hurt them, you?’’ wrong answer.

Pulling the safety back and pulled the trigger I shot the man in his back. Dead. ‘’Yes, me.’’ with an empty look in my eyes I looked at Rafe. Sam watched me from his position on the ground. An amused and proud look spread across his lips.

A vein on Rafe’s forehead was about to burst so much anger was he carrying. ‘’Maybe I only need one of you.’’ Rafe said coldly and pulled the trigger. The bulled embedded itself in my torso, falling to the ground immediately. Faintly in the distance I could hear Sam’s voice but I couldn’t figure out what he was saying.

One by one Rafe and his people left the cliff, dragging Sam with them. Leaving me to die. But one thing Rafe forgot, he doesn’t get rid of me that easily. What felt like hours I woke up.  My body felt stiff and everything hurts.

Weakly I made my way trough the cave to the shore. My last hope for survive was my dad. He owned this ridiculous old aircraft that could land on water.

Nearing the shore I saw the outlines of the aircraft, with the last strength I had in me I screamed for my dad. ‘’DAD!’’ limping closer to the water I tried again. ‘’Dad!’’ I hadn’t much strength in me left, but it was just enough for him to hear me.

For a second time I lost conscious. The next time I woke up I laid in the plain all patched up. ‘’Dad?’’ I asked silently, slightly in panic. ‘’I am here, doll.’’ I heard my father say over the sound of the plain. ‘’We are getting Nate and Elena at the north side of the island.’’ By hearing Nate’s name I shot up from my laying position. ‘’He is alive?!’’ I could barely believe it.

A tension filled the air followed by a deafening silence until I broke it. ‘’I know about Sam.’’ My dad looked at me quickly over his shoulder. ‘’Sweetheart, I am so,’’ he started but I stopped him. ‘’I understand Dad. You did it to protect me and because the whole thing with Rafe.’’

The flight was short, we landed near the shore and waited for Nate and Elena. Loud explosion could be heard in the distance. Getting closer and closer by the second. An armored car seemed to be chasing something or someone.

In horror I saw who the car was chasing, Nate. ‘’Dad, it’s Nate!’’ But my dad was already on the case and shot an RPG at the car, making it stuck on a wall. ‘’Trow me the RPG!’’ Nate yelled and my father did what he asked.

We helped Nate up de wall after the car was taken care of. Without giving him time to react I embraced him tightly. ‘’I thought you were dead.’’ I breathed in his chest, slightly crying. ‘’Me too.’’ He whispered back. 

After breaking apart I looked for Elena. ‘’Where is Elena?’’ and right after the words left my mouth she came running towards us. ‘’Hey.’’ She said before embracing each other. ‘’Hey.’’ he said back. ‘’How are you doing?’’ My father asked. ‘’Im doing good, some close calls but,’’ She stepped away from us to look at the ruins. ‘’He covered me.’’ And walking out of the ruins came Sam.

Part 6 

Masterlist

[blissfulxivarchive]

.escape.

Burn to the Wick

If the real thing don't do the trick           You better make up something quick                    You gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn to the wick                        Oooo, Barracuda, oh yeah

Ty'ries eyed the midlander. She wanted him to come closer to her. There was something odd about him and then it dawned on her. His armband was Garlemeld. She mouthed out "Well fuck." she did not say a word. However, the dancer threw on the charm and dance. A flash of a smile, that look in her eye she began to give him the move. "So, tell me, guard. Who did I kill?"  She asked him ever so sweet.  

"You keep dancing like that I will have my way with you, missy," he stated. "I am surprised you can get up." She looked down. "A bullet grazed my leg. I am not that hindered. Besides you don't need to stand to dance. " she winked. The charm is working well with the guard. "So where am I?" she asked again. Her hands moved down her body for him. "I never have seen a cell like this before." Ty'ries sweetly asked him in an innocent like voice. 

"Lose the top. It's been a while since I had the pleasure of seeing the form of a female body since joining the Garlean empire." She looked at him. "I need a chair since I am injured." She gave a coy answer to him. A sly grin crept across his face. He left to get a chair for her. She quickly got the shank she made the night before. Ty'ries stuck the shank in the back of her ratty shorts. 

She sat back down in her bed waiting on him. Ty'ries heard the footsteps of the Garlean return. She looked up at him with doe-like eyes. "Oh thank you, sir." She clasped her hands together.  The guard unlocked her cage. She grinned at him flashing her teeth. "Now be a good boy and sit." 

The guard sat down slowly as Tyries stood up removing her tank top without revealing the shank that is stashed on her lower back. She simply got up walked over to him slowly with one leg stepped to the side then to the right as if she was doing a far east exotic dance. She would sway her hips for him. Her body snakes around him without revealing the weapon. She used the misdirection tacts of her dancing. 

"Are you sure you're not hurtin'?" he asked her pointing to the leg. The bandage was turning red. "Nah I will be okay. " Even though she was in pain she didn't let on.

Blitz

She spins around before a blink of an eye. She stabbed the guard in the throat. His blood gushed over her body. She looked down disgusted but what can you do at this point. She looked for something to draw off with. He, however, dying slowing from the shank in his throat. Ty’ries searched the area and found a used uniform. She quickly put it on. She was still covered in his blood but it was not noticeable from wearing the uniform. 

Ty’ries quickly looked for weapons. She found a gun and some ammo. She looked over to the guard who laid on the ground silence with death. She smirked a bit. “Deserve you right,” she whispered. 

She began to disguise herself as a soldier to get away from the compound. She looked around the corners to make sure no one going or coming. She looked for some explosions. As she worked around the building an alarm went off. 

                   𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙰𝚗 𝙴𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝙻𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙶𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚜.

Ty’ries rolled her eyes started to curse under breath. She quickly hurried to find something to escape. “YOU THERE!” a voice behind shouted at her. She slowly turned around. Ty’ries came face to face with a masked soldier. “Y..yes sir?” she asked him. 

“What are you doing here?” The soldier asked with a breathy electronic voice. “I uh. I am here to find the convict.” She pointed to the back door of the complex. She looked over noticing the soldier was not buying her alibi. 

A swift kick knocking the soldier down but not out. She started to run before she could far. The soldier grabbed her by the foot and slammed her against the ground. She kicked him in the face knocking him into the ground once again. She crawled to her gun before she could reach. The soldier tackled her once again. They dance with each other in a magnificent performance. 

She finally gained the upper hand with a technical step sliding around him with her skills as a dancer. She did a full turn grabbing her gun firing once. She left a hole in his stomach. He fell knees first then face to the ground. 

She tip-toes backward out the door looking him with the gun still gripped hard in her hands. The small petite dancer bolted through the doors running until she found her exit. The air raid sirens blared in her ears. 

She slid to a stop overlooking a cliff. The waves crashing below. “Well fuck,” she stated out loud. She looked over her shoulder she was surrounded by the Garlean. 

Ty’ries made a running jump leaping off the cliff. As she leaps to her faith, the buildings behind the soldiers’ went off and exploded leaving zero behind. As her body falls into the water she manages to turn around giving them all the one-finger salute. 

to be continued.

[satbiym]

Icarus AU Chapter 5!

The Lament for Icarus by satbiym

Yuuri took a deep breath, head bent, the heat from the hearth a gentle presence with an echo warning him from getting any closer.

“Yuuri.” His mother whispered. Yuuri slowly opened his eyes and looked up from where he was sitting.

“It’s time.” She said softly.

Yuuri got up, leaving behind the rich smell of burning Katsudon in the hearth.

x

x

A Mysian who saw that they were amazed, retorted by persuading one of the Arcadians who had acquired a dancing girl to dress her in the finest costume he could, fit her with a light shield and bring her on to give a graceful performance of the “Pyrrhic” dance. Thereupon there was a roar of applause, and the Paphlagonians asked if the Greek women also fought side by side with their men. The Greeks answered that these were the very women who had routed the king from his camp.”

Anabasis, Xenophon

x

Phichit, bright-eyed and flushed, turned, almost vibrating with his enthusiasm.

“Yuuri! Look!” He said, pulling Yuuri closer by clasping Yuuri’s hands within his own, and squealed, “It has started! Look! Those horses there are so beautiful!”

The village priest gestured for his disciples to bring in the chariot with the four horses that Phichit had been referring to. Phichit who had turned back to the proceedings gasped, probably in surprise at the way Yuuri’s hand had tightened within his.

“Yuuri, what-” Phichit started to whisper, only to be cut off by a curt shake of Yuuri’s head, his hand still being gripped tightly. Frowning, Phichit turned back towards the priest, who was now leading the horses and chariot in the direction of their house, the crowd following.

“Yuuri.” Phichit asked, with a familiar undercurrent of foreboding in his tone.

The priest bypassed Yuuri’s house, opting to lead them all to the nearby ocean.

“Yuuri.” Phichit urged, more frantic than before.

The priest didn’t stop walking, the reigns of the chariot and the horses still firmly in his hand, until-

Yuuri threw his arm over Phichit - sweet, soft-hearted, Phichit - and crushed Phichit’s face into his shoulder so he wouldn’t have to see any more. Minako’s face, smooth like jade, turned to look at them and met Yuuri’s unflinching eyes.

No. I won’t let him see it.

Minako turned back to look as the horses were plunged into the ocean.

The sacrifice to Helios had been made.

Phichit’s shoulders shook and Yuuri tightened his grip as the priest turned, knee-deep in the ocean and raised his fist to the exhalted cheers of the crowd.

Halia had begun.

Yuuri released Phichit and moved forward, blood rushing in his veins and hand leaving Phichit’s and moving to his sword.

The priest waddled out of the ocean and with a huge smile declared, “The Titan Lord of the Sun is pleased with our sacrifice. Our Hero, Yuuri Katsuki, born to Hiroko Katsuki, student of Minako, named Icarus, first of his name, is now going to start Halia with a Pyrrhic dance.”

Yuuri turned, blood still roiling, looked at the crowd that seemed to stretch all the way to the other side of the peninsula, and was not afraid.

His eyes sought Phichit’s, Phichit who had come here on his request and been demanded an almost impossible task from, who had left his family and home after being away for years, with nary a whisper of complaint, all for him.

Phichit was white-faced, still trying to understand what he had been witness to. So young, Yuuri mused, and yet… he shines brighter than any other.

Faced with the dulled look in his friend’s eyes, Yuuri decided: he would just have to do his best to remind Phichit of why he had decided to come to Hasetsu in the first place.

Yuuri nodded to the aulos performer waiting for his cue, loosed his body, feet apart and hand on his sword, and started to move.

Yuuri lost himself, with every swing of his sword, jab of his fists and leap of his feet, he forgot the sudden hush of the crowd, the uncertainty of the future and the cruelties of the past.

He was Yuuri Katsuki.

Yuuri slowed his rapidfire movements, the aulos taking on a sweeter note...

Born to Hiroko Katsuki.

And with a lethal slice of his blade, he drew up from his arched back, quicksilver, sharp and ruthless in pushing his body to its very limit, the aulos tripping over itself to keep its pace with Yuuri, but he paid it no mind, too lost in his own mind.

Student of Minako.

The aulos’s music swelled until it seemed to almost tip over with how much it contained, tension thick and grabbing, and Yuuri threw his sword towards the ocean, only to - with rapid gymnastics - tumble after it, quick enough to grab it out of the air before it could even touch the earth.

The aulos’s music stopped along with the air in everyone’s lungs, as they took in the final image of Yuuri Katsuki pointing his sword, snatched from mid-air, at the sky - no, not the sky, the sun.

Yuuri opened his eyes to wide-eyed silence but with not one eye turned away from him and his story.

He was Icarus, first of his name.

x

x

Helios the Sun rides his chariot, he shines upon men and deathless gods, and piercingly he gazes with his eyes from his golden helmet. Bright rays beam dazzlingly from him, and his bright locks streaming from the temples of his head gracefully enclose his far-seen face: a rich, fine-spun garment glows upon his body and flutters in the wind : and stallions carry him. Then, when he has stayed his golden-yoked chariot and horses, he rests there upon the highest point of heaven, until he marvellously drives them down again through heaven to Okeanos (Oceanus).

Homeric Hymn 31 to Helius

x

x

The competitors were giving him a wide berth.

Yuuri resisted the urge to rejoice even mentally at the reprieve from social niceties. After his dance, he had little patience to suffer courtesy small-talk.

Yuuri turned towards Phichit who had been unusually silent since his dance that even Minako had given a perfunctory nod to. Yuuri opened his mouth, only -

“Hey, you! Icarus!” A light voice that somehow managed to distill an inordinate amount of anger in it, called out.

Yuuri turned quizzically to see a blonde youth, who appeared to be around Phichit’s age, march towards him with purpose. The crowd had long left to go watch the other competitions and festivities. Yuuri blinked as the blonde got up into his space and stared at him, eyes narrowed, before hissing a venomous, “No one needs your interference.” before walking away.

Yuuri, whose eyes had started to water from the impromptu staring contest, blinked rapidly and wondered if there were just people in the world whose sole purpose was to voice Yuuri’s innermost fears and insecurities.

“Wow, who misplaced their child and why does that child look like he wants you on the end of his sword?” Phichit who had witnessed the whole thing asked.

Relief overwhelmed him at Phichit’s voice and he lightly laughed, turning towards him, saying “I honestly have no idea. Also, I doubt he’s a child, Phichit, he seems almost as old as you.”

Phichit drew up like a haughty bird and with no little amount of self-importance said, “Yes, but I am Daedalus, I doubt even the heavens could fathom creating someone like me twice in a row.”

Fond and so terribly charmed, Yuuri couldn’t help but agree.

But at Yuuri’s laughter, Phichit’s face grew more somber than before, and he rushed forward, gathering Yuuri’s hands within his own.

“Yuuri. Yuuri.” He said urgently, “You mustn’t. You mustn’t use the wings, please, Yuuri I beg of you.”

Yuuri, surprised at the sudden vehemence and the tears that had started to fall from Phichit’s eyes, said, lost “But, why? Did something happen?”

Phichit gripped his hands tighter and he said with desperation, “Yuuri, that dance, it- it reminded me of what I have to lose. Yuuri, Yuuri, please don’t fly with my wings, if something happened to you and because of something I’d created, I’d never-”

Yuuri laid his hand on Phichit’s mouth silencing him, and said softly, “Phichit, I have complete faith in you. I would never make you an accessory to something you wanted no part in, but please, I beg of you, please, let me do this, for Hasetsu.”

Phichit drew in a shaky breath and still trembling stared into Yuuri’s eyes, and after a moment, said with a conflicted expression, “You have to promise me, you will come back from that ocean, swear it so.”

Yuuri nodded and said, resolve strengthening, “I swear it.”

Phichit, whose shoulders had still not stopped trembling, still looked like he was on the precipice of a cliff about to do something rash. Yuuri softened, rash was usually his modus operandi.

Yuuri, drawing close, asked lightly, “Come now, Phichit, have I ever broken a promise to you?”

Phichit, finally relaxing, threw himself into Yuuri’s arms. Yuuri, who had never had any doubt about the many people who held love for him in their hearts, tightened his grip on Phichit. He had known, but maybe not how much.

Maybe there was no need for him to interfere, but he intended to be deserving of this love, and he was going to come back from the ocean, for there were people in this mortal world who loved him just as much as he them.

There was no other outcome that Yuuri would accept, he would spit at the three Fates themselves if needed, but he wasn’t going to break his promise to those who held him so dear.

Having someone to fight for was a powerful thing, indeed.

[totentanz]

And Will He Not Come Again?

For Jonerys Week “The North and the South.”

Rhaegal left just after dawn.

Daenerys was already awake. She had never been one to laze in bed when there was work to be done, and there was always work to be done - petitions to hear, disputes to settle, rebuilding efforts to oversee. But even on the rare days when she could afford a bit of idleness, she never slept much later than the sunrise. Two years after she and Drogon had flown over the smoking wreckage of King’s Landing to the Red Keep and found Jaime Lannister kneeling over the body of his sister, bloody sword in hand, visions of green fire and the screams of children still stalked her dreams. Their cries of anguish - myhsa, mother, why didn’t you come sooner? Why didn’t you save us from her? - dragged into her wakefulness, her cheeks wet with tears and her heart pounding so hard it was difficult to breathe.

Jon could keep the nightmares at bay, when he was with her. But while the blood of the dragon ran through her husband’s veins, he was still a creature of ice and snow. He’d died and been resurrected in the far North, in the shadow of the ancient magic that had raised the Wall, and the North still claimed him as its child. Too long away from it and he began to fade away, going still and quiet, his eyes turned toward something only he could see. It had terrified her at first, when she touched his hand and he didn’t turn to look at her with that smile she so loved, the one that made the corners of his eyes crinkle and her heart flutter. She called his name and hadn’t so much as twitched, and the image of Drogo, lost to fever and unable to respond to her pleas for him to just live a little longer, my sun and stars, please don’t leave me here flitted through her mind and stole her breath, left her cold as stone.

But Rhaegal had known what to do. Rhaegal had swept down and bathed Jon in warm, sulfur-scented breath, given him the strength to climb on to the dragon’s back and follow the summons of the North’s ancient gods away from the south, away from Daenerys. She might have wept, if Drogon hadn’t nudged her with his immense head and crooned softly, the sound rumbling through her body. Do not despair, the dragon seemed to say. All will be well.

She ran her hand over the empty sheets next to her, allowed herself one more moment to wish she were touching Jon’s sleep-warmed skin, then swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. There was no use in trying to sleep longer. Better to go outside and let the stiff ocean breezes clear her head.

Most of the sky was still dark, but the eastern horizon was touched with streaks of rose and orange. She walked past the slumbering heap of dragon wings and tails to the cliff’s edge, and stared out over the sea. The ceaseless pounding of the waves against the stone resonated deep in her bones, as familiar to her as her own heartbeat. She had been born on this island, drawn her first breaths here, and some primal part of her had never forgotten that. She felt grounded here, on this rocky soil, in a way she never was in Essos. She knew it was expected that she’d return the monarch’s seat to King’s Landing once the Red Keep was habitable once more, but the thought of doing so brought her no pleasure. That place was full of ghosts. She’d rather stay here, in the place of her birth, where Rhaegal and Drogon could fly freely over the ocean.

The sky grew brighter, and the curve of the sun appeared and limned the waves with gold. Sunlight raced across the waves, up the rocky cliffs, and across the windswept grass until it illuminated the dragons’ scales. Rhaegal lifted his head and shook his wings free, ignoring Drogon’s rumble of irritation, then walked to the precipice. He paused for a moment, his tongue flicking out to taste the air, then sprang aloft, his powerful wings catching the air and bearing him northward.

She shaded her eyes and watched his flight. She wasn’t sure how exactly Rhaegal knew when it was time to leave, whether it was some distant summons from Jon, far away in the lands north of North, or her own yearning to hold her husband in her arms, or if the dragon himself simply missed his rider. She liked to believe that Jon summoned Rhaegal to him, that he ached for her as much as she ached for him and wanted to return; it also brought her comfort to think that if Jon were ever in dire need, the dragon would know and rush to her husband’s aid.

“Bring him back to me,” she called, the sea breeze catching her words and bearing them aloft. She watched Rhaegal until he was nothing more than a speck in the brilliant blue sky, then turned and made her way back toward the keep, her heart lighter than it had been when she first woke up.

It wouldn’t be long now, not long at all before Jon was in her arms once more.

* * *

                            Until the Red Keep could be sufficiently restored, Daenerys chose to hold court in the ruins of the Dragonpit. Even though the Iron Throne itself had proved too cumbersome to move, the pit was large enough for Drogon to crouch behind her seat and fix his burning eyes on all who approached, and his presence a more potent symbol of queenship than any chair could hope to be.

It also meant she could arrive and depart on dragonback, a piece of pageantry that brought her no small measure of delight. She savored her daily flights from Dragonstone, when she soared high above the sparkling waters of Blackwater Bay with the wind whipping through her hair. On dragonback she felt most like herself, young and free with all the world before her, and Drogon’s answering exultation spilled into her own mind until the two of them were almost one. She’d heard that Daena the Defiant once that said she was born to ride a dragon; it was a sentiment Daenerys Breaker of Chains understood.

Seven days after Rhaegal journeyed north, she and Drogon flew out of the Dragonpit into the kind of evening that made her want to fly forever. The air was just cool enough to be pleasant, the western sky was painted in vivid shades of orange and red, and Drogon’s body was warm and strong beneath her legs. The day had gone well - the new vines planted in the Arbor were flourishing, the restoration of the Sept of Baelor was almost complete, and a fleet of trade ships from Meereen had arrived, their holds full of spices and silk. Her realm was at peace, recovering from the years of constant warfare, and she had everything she’d dreamed of as a lonely girl wandering through the Red Waste with nothing but a ragged khalasar and three newly hatched dragons barely the size of cats, everything except -

Off in the distance, a dragon roared.

Drogon’s answer split the skies, and Daenerys’ heart leaped in her chest as she spotted Rhaegal up ahead. She tightened her hold on Drogon’s spines and leaned forward, urging her mount to fly faster.

“Onward,” she whispered. “Let’s catch them.”

They met just south of Dragonstone. Drogon and Rhaegal circled around each other in greeting, drawing so close that Daenerys could see Jon’s smile in the twilight. She smiled in return, and the joy bubbling through her veins made her feel like she didn’t need a dragon’s wings to fly.

The dragons danced, and the sky faded to a deep blue speckled with silver stars. Daenerys caught a glimpse of Jon’s expression, equal parts of delighted and mischievous as he urged Rhaegal to fly higher, and she sent Drogon after him. The two dragons soaring so high that Dragonstone’s mighty Keep seemed no larger than a child’s toy; and then, just as her lungs started to burn in protest of the thin air, they plummeted downward, speeding faster than arrows shot from the great weirwood bows used by Northern archers.

Daenerys gasped in delight, and the sound was immediately snatched away by the rush of wind. She felt no fear, even as the dark waters of the bay rushed closer and closer. She had complete faith in her mount, and when the dragons pulled up at the last second and raced across the water, their wings barely skimming over the waves, she threw her head back and howled her exhilaration to the skies.

“Again,” she cried, and Drogon and Rhaegal sped skyward. “Again!”

By the time they turned toward Dragonstone, Daenerys was out of breath, her hair was tangled from the wind, and the blood burned hot in her veins. She felt gloriously, intoxicatingly alive. Drogon had scarcely touched the ground before she slid from his back and raced toward her husband, eager to touch him, kiss him, exult in feeling him beneath her hands once more.

Jon waited for her with outstretched arms, the smile she loved stretching across his face, dark eyes sparkling with warmth. She threw herself into his embrace, and their lips met in a kiss. He tasted of the North, of ice and snow and the sharp scent of pine, but when she caressed the nape of his neck, the skin was warm.

When they finally broke apart, he rested his forehead against her and closed his eyes. “Dany,” he murmured, and brushed his fingers gently against her cheeks. “Dany.”

And let the North have him for six moon turns in the year, if it kept Jon from fading away entirely. Let the cold mountains winds have their time with him, if that was what it took to restore his spirit and prevent him from falling back into that endless slumber. Because he might be ice, but he was also fire, and her fire called to him as surely as the Northern snow did.

“I’m here, my love,” she whispered in reply, and their lips met once, twice, three times. “I have you.”

(Yes, the idea here is that Dany and Jon have a Hades/Persephone vibe going on, where Jon needs to return to the North for a certain amount of time each year to keep his resurrection juice going. Yes, that sidelines R'hllor. No, I do not care.)

[commander-bunbuns]

Hallowborne pt.1

Working for Hallowborne Tavern consisted largely of keeping an eye on Garlean activity, with the occasional bodyguard duty and securing trade routes. Kisumi slowly became closer with those in the inner circle. There was Maria, the White Mage miqo'te. So soft, and sweet, and passionate to help those in need. Her energy and optimism made her fast friends with Kisumi and even prompted an evening of fireworks together. There was Zyn, the au'ri Ninja. He claimed to be old, but his dexterity never showed it. He loved women and drink and though he was indeed a scoundrel, Kisumi could see him for his talents and even took to him as a mentor of sorts. Lady Althaea Hallowborne was their rock– the cornerstone of the entire operation. She was a very busy au'ri woman, always caught up in some book on finances and trades and outsourcing. She hardly ever left the Tavern, though another part was likely because of the lalafell… Veigar was the strangest of them all– so much so that Kisumi did her best to simply smile and nod and keep her distance from him. He was as childlike as his body, but incredibly ruthless. His attitude would flip faster than a pirate’s, were it not for Althaea’s guidance. Whenever he spoke of leaving the house, the room grew heavy and dark. Zyn would ruffle his hair and tell him to keep his chin up before escaping like Veigar wished to do. ____________________

It was time for her first real mission. Recon was a simple chore they were all expected to carry out, but there was definitely more that clawed beneath the surface. Kisumi’s target was a human trafficker called Elliot and reports called for attention in Outer La Noscea. Zyn was the one that appointed her for the job, and Kisumi was eager to prove herself to the assassin she thought of so highly. She made for The Long Climb and found a secluded hot spring overlooking a cliff face… neighbored by a small shack. “Elliot could be in there,” she thought, “But it would be foolish to go guns blazing and find a simple vacationer. This place is still very close to the Storm’s camp, after all.” Ever cautious, Kisumi disguised herself to look in league with the dark character she hunted and invited herself inside. The man she found inside was not pleased by the intruder. He screamed at her with the slurred speech of a sailor native to this province. “You’re not Elliot.” She growled. Actually, Kisumi had no idea what her target looked like. All she had was a name and an activity to look out for. She rationalized that she could easily determine this person’s character by his answer: If he corrected her, she would have a lead on her target. If he pleaded ignorance, then perhaps she was wrong. The miqo'te had the unfortunate circumstance with the latter and walked out silently, despite the cursing behind her. Once she felt she was no longer being followed, Kisumi camped out the only path to the hovel in hopes that her trip would not be in vain.

____________________

Hours past and dusk nearly turned to night. Kisumi cursed Zyn under her breath for sending her on a wild goose chase. “Hes probably fuck deep in booze and women while I’m out here waiting for nothing.” She was beginning to leave when she heard footsteps approaching; two shady-looking Roegadyns, a fully-armored human, and two females shackled in tow. This had to be what she had been waiting for! She made to take out the large ones first, blessing her weapon of choice for being so silent. The first arrow disabled one of the Roeg’s legs, which set the other running at the signal of the human. The second arrow was meant to halt the use of the guard’s weapon arm at the base, but it ripped apart his neck instead. Kisumi didn’t mean to be so brutal yet there they were. The human sighed at the inconvenience, but showed no remorse. He grabbed his own axe and lunged at Kisumi, slamming against the rock wall as she dropped to the ground, and quickly wound up for another attack. All she could do in the position she was in was roll out of the way of the swipe which cleanly shaved off a piece of skin from her shoulder. Regaining her footing, Kisumi thought to bind her target in the encroaching shadows and make space. She only barely had the time, repelling herself as her trap was easily shaken off. It appeared that the captured ladies got away. Kisumi caught a glimpse of Maria running back. “She must have seen them to safety.”. It wasn’t just Maria; another skipped behind her– Veigar. “They let him out..!” The White Mage patched her up just enough to stop the bleeding, and now the odds were in her favor. “Sumi found him! She did! I finally get to make someone go boom!” The lalafell’s crazed comment was offputting, but at least it was on Kisumi’s side. Elliot began to flee, matching a blast Veigar sent his way as he turned a corner toward the hovel.

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When they arrived, an armored man was standing at the edge of the dock. Kisumi felt much more confident after being healed and with more manpower. The three, so doe-eyed and eager, began closing in for Elliot’s apprehension. “Elliot! You’re being detained under suspicion of human trafficking. Either surrender yourself to me or to the fall!” Kisumi filled with pride. Her first mission was about to be an incredible success! With a leap, the man came down upon the three. A burst of dark energy ignited around him, catching the group unaware. Kisumi only had a split second to shoot herself away while Maria and Veigar were bound in the void-like substance. Fear creeped into her skin as she watched them take a heavy blow with a greatsword. “The man from before..!” Elliot had slipped away in the brief moment Kisumi lost sight of him and was replaced by the man from the hovel. With her comrades down for the count, she raced to save them– desperately unloading onto him every attack she could. He was overwhelmingly powerful; brushing off her attacks, throwing her arrows back at her, and landing a decisive blow that threw her into the water. Her clothes became heavy as they soaked, making it difficult to move freely. She was exhausted from giving it her all to no avail. “This isn’t what I wanted… Maria… Veigar… Zyn..!” The man approached with this sword vertical– thirsting to skewer her. His blow stabbed close between her arm as his head was split savagely down the middle. He didn’t bleed. A dark smoke oozed out of his exposed scalp. He looked surprised, as did Kisumi when she saw who was behind the axe…. Maria.

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The man cried out as his body disipated. The “White Mage” sneered down at Kisumi, “Fakin’ that accent was a real pain in th’ arse.“ She stretched her neck, preparing her next move. “Sorry, love, but if anyone’s ‘aving yer ‘ead, it’ll be me.” She stepped closer. “Bounties don’t collect themselves, ye know.”

What? What is she saying? This is Maria. Our sweet, soft mage…

Even if Kisumi’s legs weren’t disabled by shock, she had spent all of her energy already. So she sat frozen as Maria came to claim her “prize”. The “mage” had a flare in her eye as if she relished in the resignation. She wound up her axe, and Kisumi closed her eyes. There was a sound of metal, and Kisumi reluctantly peeked in curiosity as to what stalled her demise.

“Lass..! You’d better move yer arse and get home. Now!”

Zyn! What is he doing here?!

The au'ra struggled to keep Maria still, which was more surprising still than his presence. Kisumi had little time to act, and even less to think. Her instincts told her to run, but she couldn’t just leave Vei behind. She ran to him and channeled their aether for a quick escape.

[calyfornian]

Keylo and Cataleya : Good Vibrations pt. 3

Keylo pushed on the small earpiece to communicate with the team, "All right, we're going to keep it tight. Obsidia, I want you to intercept before they reach the ground. Saliant, you're with Obsidia. Nerrient and I will hold the center.The rest of you are on the outer most ring, none of them leave the quadrant. Stay alert, The Watchers will be feeding us information throughout."

In unison, 'Sir' ran across the headset.

"Stay close to me." Keylo said it stern, with decisiveness.

"It really has been a while since we've interacted," I cocked my hand cannon, "I can take care of myself."

With his cigar and a smile he gave me a, "Whatever you say."

"Awfully quiet, eh?" Anvio stated over the headset.

"There wasn't a pause in my sight either." Latticia added.

"Be still. You two act as if you're in a hurry."

Keylo got a kick out of that, it was apparent when his boisterous laugh erupted beside me.

When a few minutes went by without so much as a sound, I felt the urge to fidget. In my visions, in all of our visions, the second the portal was opened, the demigons started to pour out. A cigarette to soothe the nerves.

"Hey."

"What is it?" I took a good drag.

"Remember on one of your first missions with me, when we were in badlands, near the mountains?" Keylo was at the end of his cigar when he tossed it.

"You know I do. It was the first time I had been placed as sole watcher. Ugh, I was terrified." Another drag, then I laughed the smoke out.

"Could I get a cigarette?" Keylo reached his hand, familiar, like he knew I wouldn't, no, couldn't say no still.

"Of course." I reached out my case and handed him one while he fumbled for his lighter.

"Why'd you bring that up?" I turned to face him as he lit his cigarette and stared back up at the sky.

With the light from the portal, it made the smile that emerged more angelic, "Remember," a couple hard chuckles, "remember when you," he started laughing harder and his eyes closed kind of hard when he tried to look at me, "remember when you jumped off the fucking cliff so Cataleya would catch you."

His laugh was contagious, even if I didn't think what he thought was funny was particularly humorous, "I remember that. I was terrified." More laughter ensued, "It was quite the leap of faith. Honestly in my visions I only saw my death. I don't even know how Cataleya found me."

Another drag.

"What?" Keylo's laughter was no longer existent.

"What?" I was puzzled by the shift in behavior.

"You didn't see Cataleya catching you?" His eyes were solemn and solely focused on me, like the portal wasn't there.

"Well, no, it was kind of the only course of action where I didn't see an ending to. I thought, if I jumped, it was better to die that way than that thing-"

"You just fucking jumped without no regard for yourself? Without any regard for losing your life?!" I think he might have forgotten about the still burning cigarette in his hands, he wasn't taking any drags.

"Well, yes. I didn't really have an option when-"

"You sent me away! You sent me away and told me everything was going to be fine! You can't say there wasn't anything else that could have been done!"

I didn't know how to respond initially, I was taken aback that this had interrupted into what it had, especially when it was years ago, "Keylo, I, I don't know what you expect. It was a mission, I made a call and things turned out fine."

He took a couple deep breaths, then relit his cigarette and inhaled till it burned properly again, "My apologies. I've just, I've just been mulling over things and-"

A horribly familiar screech hit our ears. Keylo didn't drag his eyes away from me until the roar of the creatures could be heard in our realm.

When we focused back at the portal, it was just like the visions; nearly every inch of the portal had been covered with the outpour of demigons. So many that the flutter of their wings was a roar of wind.

Nasty things. Over sized mosquitos mixed with an arachnid.

Maybe twenty at a time, they began shredding into bits of nothing and beginning their disintegration. It was Obsidia holding up to what was demanded of her. The heavy pour of them was no match for her to keep up with. When the demigons began to break from the crowd, the soldiers hand cannons began going off from every direction. Intense beams of energy vaporizing torrents on the spot.

One they were approaching the center where Keylo and I were, he jumped back on the headset, "Cresentia."

The massive mosquitos were maybe fifty feet away and closing in fast when they crashed into an invisible wall. Cresentia was using her telekinesis to stop them.

"Commander!" Cresentia yelled loud enough that she didn't need the headset.

"Get down!" Keylo demanded.

With my sight, I saw the best course of action was to hide behind a boulder that was near a set of shrubbery.

Keylo pulled an orb from his belt, rotated it twice, then threw it at the accumulated, rectangle of demigons while speaking into the headsets, "Let them go, Cresentia!"

In my sight, it was magnificent, and once again, I found myself resisting the urge to bite my lip. The orb was incendiary. Flames scorched the winged beasts into nothing in only a second while fire danced about Keylo while he stood unaffected, like a true soldier should. His brown skin glowed in the fire. If it was safe to have his eyes open, I'm sure the emeralds could have sparkled brighter than they ever had.

"I'm going to head out, get back with Cresentia and Nerrient and stay there." Keylo was standing over me as I was crouched with my back against the boulder.

I stood up to be at more level terms.

"And Jay, if you see something, please, let me know... For old time's sake." He ran his tongue across his lower lip, and covered in soot, and the ashes of the enemy, I wanted to crash my lips against his.

Keylo began a sprint away from all of us towards the swarm.

"Redigim, head to Obsidia and Saliant. The swarm is about to shift." Latticia was quick across the headset.

Sure enough I eyed the swarm shift in the direction, almost as if they knew Obsidia was tearing them to shreds before they even made contact. Cresentia was disconnecting heads from demigons as they made our way in our direction with Nerrient shooting the ones that made it passed her.

"The east isn't covered, Ery, get to the building highest for coverage." Anvio instructed.

It reminded me that I was to be watching. It reminded me that I was the damn head watcher, and I could stop paying attention to Keylo's future, try as I might. Too bad I wasn't trying.

"Shit." I began a full sprint in the direction Keylo was headed. He was about to be over run.

"Watcher Jay, I insist you get back here with Cresentia and I." Nerrient was sprinting beside me, well, I guess for this strong a soldier, he might have been power walking.

A demigon came across our path and Nerrient lept at it, completely detaching its head from its body with his bare hands. When two more fluttered into our way he fired his hand cannon taking them both out.

I stopped running, "Nerrient, a swarm is circling around and heading for Cresentia, Latticia, and Anvio, if you aren't there, she'll be over run." Nerrient was flooded with hesitation before taking a step towards me.

"Is that an order, sir." He seemed confused, and I thought about how he couldn't have been more confused than I was at that point.

"It is. You heard Commander Keylo. You'll protect Anvio and Latticia at all costs." My logic was flawed, but Nerrient took it as he began his full sprint back to my watchers.

A small horde of demigons were approaching me. I was quick enough to the draw, five shots out of the hand cannon took down all seven. They evaporated quickly enough.

There was a small enough concrete wall ahead of me. When I was on top of it, one of the massive mosquitos caught me by surprise. A quick shot, then the corpse knocked me down to the other side of the wall. As it sizzled, I writhed over the heat and small cinders that hit 

There was a fountain not too far off, Keylo was beside it, ripping off heads and punching through the swarm that seemed to be intent on destroying him.

I leapt up and pulled out my second hand cannon and started to unload.

"The outpour has ceased, what we have out is all we're going to see." Latticia informed over the line.

Four demigons hit Keylo at once, latching onto both arms. In a quick and erratic fashion, he forced himself back into a building, smashing two of them, then he swung his arms downward, getting two more off of him that I quickly fired at. With no stress at all, he grabbed the last one by the neck with his free hand and gave a light squeeze until it began to disintegrate.

This time, at the sight of him, I couldn't help but salivate.

The monsters had ripped through his battle suit with their talents in the most excellent way. His entire left arm and pec was exposed, and so was his right bicep. He still had it. Hell, he'd always have it.

"What are you doing here?" He said it with a couple short breaths.

I couldn't help but laugh some, "You looked as though you could use a hand."

His smile spread across his face quickly, and his laugh was the warm, boisterous one, "I had it under control."