#yes your honor he’s smart until emotions and how to express yourself come

[diamondmiami1809]

Why we collectively decided to think of sj as a dumb boy who is angry all the time and mocks everyone who dare to breath next to him ??(sometimes that even isn’t required) He is indeed, smart, please he wasn’t choose as the next peak lord of Qing jing out of nowhere, we are talking of the second highest peak, and has an undoubtedly importance in cang qiong, they are the behind of every step and decision that cq made, they’re the scholars who breaks their asses just studying, if they’re were stupid will definitely make cq fall into pieces, and also ( and more important) he win over all that nobles who were studying since they have very young the ability to read, sj beat them all, but aha he’s dumb, whatever you said

[rosesgonerogue]

I didn’t so much fall in love- It kicked me in the face Chapter Three

The Wayne Manor was exactly what Marinette had come to expect after years of knowing famous people. It was expertly decorated, but it had an almost somber feel to it - it matched Gotham’s general aesthetic. 

Also meeting expectations was the Wayne family itself. Marinette had done her homework, taking hours to research each member long before setting foot in Gotham. It was clear that they had been warned to behave, but chaos still bubbled beneath their calm facades, she could see it in their eyes. 

“Miss Dupain-Cheng, allow me to introduce you to Masters Bruce, Richard, Jason, Timothy, and Damian.” 

Marinette nodded to each in turn, her hand unconsciously tightening on Leo’s. She took a steadying breath. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and this is my son Leo. If you’re interested, I made some macarons for you, as I do for most meetings with my clients.” She set the box on the coffee table. “I would recommend eating them in the next day or so.” 

Tim looked like he was going to faint, and it was then that Marinette noticed the harsh bruise on his jaw - almost like he’d gotten kicked. Surely it had to be a coincidence, there was no way… 

Damian huffed, and the entire family seemed to stiffen. When he spoke, his words were sharp, acidic. “You’re meant to be a seamstress, not a baker. Besides, what kind of professional brings a child to a business meeting? Is his father too worthless to watch him?” 

Everyone in the room froze, and Marinette could feel the warmth drain out of her. She felt eerily similar to when Tikki used ice powers, in fact. There was no way for her to know, but when she spoke, Marinette’s words carried the weight of an avalanche. 

“You yourself are legally a child sitting in on a business meeting, Monsieur Wayne, and I did not object to it because I trust your father to parent you how he sees fit. I could explain to you that other than myself, my only options for Leo’s care are my parents, who are busy preparing for my mother’s surgery while running the most successful bakery in Paris, or my friends, who are all dealing with professional lives of their own. I could explain that, but I shouldn’t have to, because he is my son, and I will raise him as I see fit. And I’m a fashion designer, not a seamstress. This isn’t the seventeenth century.” She paused, staring the offender down. “Do you have any further objections, Monsieur Wayne?” 

A small part of her glowed in satisfaction when Damian ducked his head. “Do as you must.” She missed the way that Tim blinked owlishly, exchanging surprised looks with Dick.

Instead she straightened her jacket, murmuring a few comforting words to Leo before finally letting his hand go. “I prefer getting to know my clients before I actually begin, it helps me make the perfect piece. Does some-”

“I’ll be first,” Jason said, shoving Dick out of the way.

“Perfect. If you’ll come this way, Monsieur Todd, we can sit…”

*************

The satisfied look on Jason’s face was more than a little disconcerting to Tim. He didn’t really feel like hearing the woman who’d occupied his mind for the past day, so he turned his attention elsewhere. He still needed to come to terms with the fact that she had gone head to head with Damian and come out on top after all.

Leo was scrutinizing one of the paintings on the wall, a tiny version of MDC herself. He had the same dark hair, light freckles on pale skin, and wide blue eyes…

No. Please no. Tim glanced subtly at Bruce. Surely he wouldn’t try to adopt either parts. Marinette was an adult with two living parents, and Leo had Marinette, so they were safe, right? 

Regardless, that would be an issue for another time. Tim found himself crouching next to Leo. “That painting is of Monsieur Bruce’s parents,” he said in French. 

The child switched his soulful eyes to Tim’s face, his expression serious. “You know French.” 

“Yes, I really like languages, so I learned as many as I could,” Tim said, resisting the urge to ruffle the boy’s hair. “Your name is Leo, right?” 

“Yes, Monsieur.” 

“You can call me Tim. Are you enjoying Gotham so far?” 

Leo thought hard for a moment. “Maman and I had a lot of fun today, but yesterday was a little scary, the way it sometimes gets in Paris.” 

He desperately wanted to ask Leo more about the scary things in Paris, but it wasn’t fair to ask a child. Instead, Tim let the boy pull him around the parlor, asking questions about anything he found even remotely interesting. 

“And that is the trophy Dick, my oldest brother, got for gymnastics in seventh grade,” Tim explained, hefting the boy higher up so he could see the object in question more clearly. “That’s the ribbon Jason got for a creative writing contest, and Damian’s martial arts trophy. A couple of these belong to Bruce…” 

Leo stared at the glass case like it would afford him the answers to the universe before looking up to Tim’s face. “Where are your trophies?” 

“What?” 

“Everyone else has trophies. Where are yours?” 

“That’s… I mean, I have some, I just didn’t think they were very important,” Tim said with a shrug. 

“But families should be together,” Leo said with wide, unblinking eyes. “That’s why I wanted to come with Maman, even though it made your brother be mean to her.” 

Tim smiled, pushing down the barrage of emotions fighting within him. “You’re right, you’re absolutely right. Your Maman is a very smart lady.” 

“Maman is the smartest,” Leo said solemnly. 

“You must be right again,” Tim said conspiratorially. “She’s also the best at making clothes.” 

The boy’s face didn’t change in the least, there wasn’t a trace of a smile, but he slowly patted Tim’s cheek. “I like you.” 

“That’s high praise.” 

TIm golted, his cheeks flooding with color when he found himself next to Marinettte. She was smiling kindly when she said, “Thank you for watching Leo, that really wasn’t necessary. But I didn’t know you spoke French. That’s very impressive, Mr. Drake.”

“Call me Tim, please. And you’ve caught me, I have a deep love of languages. It’s helped in this position, though,” he said with a smile. “Business transactions are a lot easier when you don’t need a translator.” 

“I’ve also found that to be true,” Marinette said, lips quirked. “It’s finally your turn for your consultation. We can do it with or without Leo, whatever you would prefer.” 

“Leo and I are friends now, of course I would need his opinion!” Tim said, just barely noticing that he was still holding the child. “After all, I need his help making sure that I have the best suit at the entire Wayne Gala.” 

That actually coaxed a smile out of the boy, and the resemblance between him and his mother had never been stronger. Marinette looked surprised, but her eyes were warm. “A lot of designers despair over men’s fashion, you know. People lash out whenever you stray too far from the traditional designs, and no one can really reinvent the suit. While it doesn’t let us exercise as much creativity and freedom as women’s fashion, I actually love things like this. Men’s suits are all about attention to detail - how I can work to show your personality in an appropriate but memorable manner. Do you have any specific requests?” 

Against his will, Tim felt his face heat up, doubtlessly turning as red as his vigilante suit. “I fully admit that I was the one who originally commissioned you. I even had to fight Damian. And yet, I haven’t thought about the specifics of what I might want until now.” 

Thankfully, Marinette laughed. “You’d be surprised at how often that happens. That’s perfectly fine. I just didn’t want to leave out anything you desperately wanted. Do you have a specific color for your suit in mind?” 

“Black?” Tim asked helplessly. “I’ve followed your career for a long time, Mademoiselle, but that doesn’t mean that I know anything about fashion. I just know that your fashion seems… magical.” 

Marinette’s lips quirked upwards, a knowing sparkle in her eyes. “That’s an interesting comment. I have a proposal for you, Timothy Drake. If you have any pressing requests I will include them, but I want to keep yours a surprise.” 

Tim swallowed, completely unprepared to deal with the sparkle in her eyes. “I trust you.”

“The exterior is going to be a neutral color because you’re a business man who needs to keep up appearances. That means the most fun we’ll get to have is with the lining. Any opinions?” Marinette asked. “I only bring it up because it’s the most flexible part.” 

“I don’t know, I think all of my suit linings are black or gray,” Tim said, slightly distressed. 

Leo stared him down with serious eyes before saying, “Maman, the inside needs to be red. Ladybug red.” 

“Ladybug? You want me to look like a beetle?” Tim asked. 

Marinette smiled slightly at his comment, but her eyes were fixed on her son. “Are you sure, mon cher? Ladybug red?”

“That’s what he needs,” Leo confirmed. 

Thinking about his brothers’ laughter if he showed up in a polka-dot suit, Tim asked again, “Ladybugs? Are you sure, Leo?” 

“Oh, not the bug,” the fashion designer assured him, finally breaking eye contact with her son. “She tries to keep her existence quiet, but Ladybug is one of Paris’s heroes.” 

“She’s the best hero,” Leo said solemnly. “But you’re nice like she is. You need to have red like she does.” 

There was a strange look in Marinette’s eye that Tim couldn’t quite decipher, but she smiled nonetheless. “You should feel honored. Once someone back in Paris asked me to make something in Ladybug red, and Leo hid the fabric so I had to make it in a slightly different shade. He must really like you.” 

He wanted to say something, anything. Tim had never felt so… he didn’t even know how to describe it. He had spent his life building it into what he had wanted it to be, propping himself up with his accomplishments. He stood alone in his skyscraper, trying to catch up to Bruce and his brothers, but Marinette and Leo had violently dragged him down to the ground, standing outside with everyone. Maybe his family had never been as distant as he thought. 

Or maybe the caffeine withdrawal was finally getting to him.

Taglist: 

@ii-fox-demon @queen-in-a-flower-crown @novaloptr @saphiraazure2708 @iamabrownfox @smolplantmum @redhoodedtoad @loysydark @slytheringinger300 @finallyaniguana @brokenwordsarehard2 @abrx2002 @mystery-5-5 @zalladane @moonlightstar64  @marinettepotterandplagg @black-streak @purplesundaze @maribat-is-lifeblood

Note: 

Damian’s going to be a jerk in this. Beware. 

[chaos-caffeinated]

Emotions can help you remember Part 2 (Sebastian Michaelis x reader)

 A/N: Part two is here, excited as always, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thank you so much for the comments, for the support. I did not know that I had the date set to that day, I thought it was the 19th, but oh well, it’s done. I hope this second part satisifes as the continuing part. 

Not requested

Rated: NSFT/W, 18+

~~~

Yes, I do love using Gifs that send a chill down your back, it may even help trigger some emotions for sexual purposes ding ding :)

Also extra note, Microsoft Bing Translator was used, so 1) Do not come at me for any mistakes 2) Do not start requesting stories in French please, gracias! 

Part 1: https://chaos-caffeinated.tumblr.com/post/623644027625127936/emotions-can-help-you-remember-13-sebastian-x

The moment you heard the bell when someone walked into the shop, you greeted them. While Nina was busy tailoring in the back, you were in charge with inventory; looking up you greeted the client with a smile, “Hello, welcome to- Earl of Phantomhive, it’s so good to see you again.” You perked up, setting down your quill and walking around the counter to greet him, “What brings you here today, Lord Phantomhive? I can call over Madam to prepare your tailoring.”

The earl nodded at you in acknowledgement, even replying, “There’s no need for that, Miss. (L/N). Actually I am here to ask Nina for a favor, but I need both of your presence.”

Confused, you just had to nod, “Of course, I’ll be right back.”

You head towards the back and Ciel called forward Sebastian, “Sebastian, see what you can know about her and you can decide on it.”

He nods, placing his hand over his chest and leaning forward, “Yes, my lord.” He smirked softly and stood up on point when Nina and you walked out. 

“Lord Phantomhive? You wanted to see us?” Nina asked in a confused manner, but remaining straight.

“Yes, I wanted to ask about Miss. (L/N) living at my manor for a few days. I figure you would be busy, so I wanted Miss. (L/N) to take note on what outfits-...”

While you and Nina listened, Sebastian strolled his way to your side, tapped on your shoulder softly. When you turn to glance at him, he had that same smirk he always possess on his pale face with piercing red eyes and nodded his head subtly towards the backroom, enticing you further. However, you were ready to say no to pay attention to the earl when he raised his hand to yours and pulled lightly, his grip on your fingers were light, but they guided you to the backroom you were previously in.

How he managed to get your own body to obey his silent commands were unknown. Since the last meeting, you were curious for more, you were beginning crave more of him. His comments, his words, his teasing yet professional manners were all getting to you. But you needn't him enough to go after him.

You asked in a whisper, “Sebastian, what is this about?” You asked confused, “Why does Lord Phantomhive want me to spend a few days in his manor?”

Instead of answering your questions, he added a few of his instead, “I was actually just going to ask you about this. Tell me, Miss. (L/N), how did you come about to work for Miss. Hopkins?"

Hesitant about revealing some information, you lightly shrugged, "My father works as a merchant, and I started working with him since I was 8. When I began to work, the sales increased dramatically until Madam stepped foot in the store when I was 17. She said because of my 'beauty' that she would help me obtain enough money to help my parents live a peaceful life without having to struggle. I'll occasionally have some modeling sessions with her clothing, and well...that's about it."

Sebastian crossed his arms over his chest, raising the back of his clothed forefinger to the bottom of his lip as he stood there in thought, "So I assume you asked about her teaching tailoring to do more than modeling?"

You nodded with a smile, "Yes, she has such a charisma and how joyful she is to create clothes for people is just inspiring. I would be lying if I said I didn't want to do it."

Your smile shifted into a softer one, gazing back into a memory, "It gives me the power to gift others the opportunity to feel just as good as the elite."

The corner of his lip curved slightly as he offered a deal, assuming that you would take up on it, "Then for a few days, would you grant us the wish of you appearing as the guest of honor in the incoming ball?"

"A guest of honor in a ball? That means a lot Sebastian and I thank you, but...why?"

"My young master is going to host a party in celebration of the successful partnership with the Northern countries. It's because of you that it managed to be so." He charmed his close-eyed smile, "It would be an honor to have your presence. It would definitely be if I got to see you once more." His tone slightly shifted into his sultry one. Even his eyes radiated something, but you couldn't pinpoint what it was.

You felt a small chill down your spine, barely noticeable in his eyes, but you kept pressing, "But me? I didn't do anything but provide a suit for the lord. It's a material for many, so surely it can't be because of that."

He was taken aback from the response, he thought you would be greedy like everybody else, but you had common sense in you. Questioning, acquiring the knowledge needed. It surprised him to see that in you.

"Being the guest of honor grants you the opportunity to meet with many patrons, with future clients for Miss. Hopkins and yourself. You said you wanted to help your parents, your success here in meeting with the guests can aid in your dream at a faster pace."

When he saw your eyes widen slightly in realization, he felt the ease of getting to you was accomplished. He was ordered to get you on board with the invitation, tell his master about your history which cleared out. Because you were a noble woman, you wouldn't back out from an opportunity to help the ones you treasured. With that he had you in his grip, a step closer to not only his master's wish to use her in his plan to trap a murderer amongst the noblemen the Queen ordered to get rid of, but also his desire. He had grown to lust, to search for a simple toy whilst in contract, yet here he was obtaining the information for his selfish wants as well.

"...So Lord Phantomhive is asking Madam for permission so that I stay with you until the ball?..." Your voice trembled with nervousness as you were hit with a dilemma. You wanted to quit the modeling, having the eyes of other people made you feel uncomfortable. You tried so hard that you even asked Madam about teaching you how to tailor, but the man in front of you- the mysterious man- was giving you an opportunity to reach higher by just attending a formal event.

"Yes, at the moment they are. In the meantime, we can discuss about further responsibilities to avoid any problems."

"Well I'm sure Lord Phantomhive can help me on that then-" You were about to walk out when you see his arm place outward in front of you, his hand placed on the wall.

You stopped immediately, looking at his arm before you saw him at your peripheral.

Sebastian leaned his face forward, quiet as he stared at your reaction with his eyes half-lid and his lips pulled into a smug smirk.

“Miss. (L/N), you will be a great addition in our current situation. Having you on board can prove a good time for you as well. My master may be distracted with business partners, but his servants will be in alert if there is any discomfort. If you ever need me -in any case- I will be there in a second.” The hand beside your head guided towards your chin, softly grabbing with his forefinger resting underneath it, and his thumb gently pressing against your lips, "Like I mentioned before, it would be a great honor for me if you attended..." and he leaned closer and closer to your lips.

Your eyes widen as your cheeks darken with a pink/red hue, and you moved your head aside from his hand and face getting closer. You wondered what he was doing, you wondered if you genuinely had that affect on him, but you had to stay alert.

Upon this, Sebastian was surprised as well, smirking softly and closing his eyes before backing away completely. She was smart, and she was indeed unlike other girls who would take up on the opportunity.

“A-A-and this is because... because of my ‘beauty’?... That’s the qualification?” You closed your eyes for a moment, pinching the bridge of your nose before completely turning to the man ahead of you. If it weren’t for this, you would be blushing as you see him nearly hovering over you. His eyes seemed much darker, his bangs nearly coverng them, “It would be a brilliant way to cast your beauty, and if the compensation is not enough -or interest- we can arrange that in a meeting. I’m sure anything you ask for can be arranged, I assure you as such. It can be for Miss. Hopkins as well.” He smirked softly. 

You thought for a moment, sighing softly in reluctance, “You’re very convincing, but is my presence alone the only thing needed for this event?”

Sebastian stood back, his arms crossed in a soft manner while he brought one hand up to his chin, rubbing softly, “There is one thing. We may need you to speak in fluent French, many guests there prefer to speak French for an unknown reason.” 

“Wait- I-I don’t know French.” you added to which Sebastian stare at you with a semi-surprised expression, “You don’t? Well I assumed that because you worked under Miss Hopkins she would have taught you-”

You shook your head in response, “She always speaks English to me unless they are simple phrases like, ‘Bonjour, Comment-’ ... uhm...vas-tchu?” You were already messing up your pronounciation to which the butler simply stared at you with the best attempt of sympathizing. 

Letting out a breath, he shook his head, “Well, it can’t be helped.” Then he smiled small, “I can provide the help needed to ensure that you do speak fluent French. You can even surprise Miss. Hopkins and avoid any language barriers within.” He offered a warm smile which you reciprocated, “Alright, wait you are going to be teaching me?” you askeed confused.

“Yes, I will.” He nodded, his smile shifting into a prideful one, almost like he was giddy to show off his ability to speak French.

“But you don’t sound like Madam at all.” You bluntly stated as you acknowledged the lack of accent.

What came out of his mouth surprised you nonetheless: “Un humain en particulier que vous devez avoir remarqué de tels détails, mais attendu de la benficiaire de Nina. Ce sera amusant à coup sûr, car je vais m’assurer de vous donner autant que l’attention, mon petit chaton.”

The way he suddenly showed you up with this second language made you not only blush, but sense a chill. His voice enunciating each syllable with ease like it was his native language made your heart flutter. You almost prefer him talking that way from now on, but you were not only blinded, but deaf of his subtle approaches. 

“...So you do speak french.” You confirmed, speechless from the action.

Smiling with his eyes closed, a confident, yet playful smile, he responded, “Why yes, a Phantomhive butler who can’t do this much isn’t worth his salt, I would have high hopes for your success in learning a new, wonderful language, but I know all my students are succesful when it comes to speaking French.”

When he said that, you couldn’t help but ask, “You taught Lord Phantomhive French? A butler?” You asked curiously as you tilted your head to the side a bit.

Smirking smugly, he replied, “I’m not just a mere butler, my lady. I’m simply one hell of a butler.”

A series of chills traveled down your spine as his eyes darken and his smirk remained, catching a glimpse of his whites, a sharp canine tooth showing itself. With his response, you felt pulled towards him, now a sense of being with him getting stronger. INstead of replying, you simply turned to walk to the main room witha  soft blush across your cheeks as Nina was going to tell you with excitement to participate in the ball. Sebastian, on the other hand, had a soft smile on his face, his features no longer had his previous intent. He had gone back to his façade butler character as he hid the fact that he was soon going to take fully advntage of you when you two enter the  manor. 

~~

Currently sitting in front of the earl in the carriage, you simply remained staring at his boots out of respect.

“As much as I respect your manners, Miss. (L/N), I’m sure your neck is sore, please just look up.” He commented, his arms were crossed as he crossed one leg over the other. 

Just like he guessed, your neck was slightly strained from keeping it at a certain angle for a long time, “I’m sorry my lord, I just don’t want to offend you any way.” You responded with honesty as he focus went from the outside fields to your face, “I appreciate that, but you don’t have to worry about that. You are a guest of honor, please do relax.” He smirked lightly, his left blue eye glinting softly, “I’m sure Sebastian explained why we needed you?”

You nodded, “Yes, my lord. A guest honor to your incoming ball?”

He nods in response, “Yes, but in addition you will be further aiding in providing extra clients for Miss. Hopkins which can help your experience with tailoring as well.”

“Yes, but if I may ask, my lord...why go that far for me to be a guest honor when I'm simply a tailor?...”

“Good question, Sebastian commented that since very little people are aware of you, it would be a great way to expand the opportunities from a wider stance. You have skills, you are smart, you need a lot more practice and how when clients occur weekly or monthly. And please, start calling me Ciel, it would be more appropiate."

“Ciel...” You pronounced it, testing it, “It’s a beautiful name.” You complimented, watching as he hesitated a smile, “Thank you.”

“However, if I have to call you Ciel, you can just call me (Y/N).” you smiled warmly.

Now he smiled small, his weight shifting underneath, “(Y/N), it’s a beautiful name.” 

Ciel smiled softly before traveling over at the window to watch the scenary while recalling some events.

~

Sebastian knocked on the door only for Ciel to respond, "Come in."

Opening the door, Sebastian walked in and closed the door. He strolled over in front of the mahogany desk and reached out his arm, "A letter from the Queen, my lord." He gazed downwards.

Ciel was writing on a paper when he sat up, placed down the quill and took the letter. Opening it and silently reading it indifferently by himself, he hummed afterwards, "Seems we have a rotten apple in our bunch." He commented and set down the letter to focus on his dessert Sebastian brought earlier.

"Indeed, if it remains there, the others will rotten as well." Sebastian smirked, "What's your plan, my lord?"

"The murderer seems to appear in the parties, so he is invited." He sighed, "Honestly, if I have to create a party here just to catch it then it would be annoying since I have so much work to do." He chewed on his dessert when Sebastian spoke up.

"It's unfortunate we can't perform the ‘Robin’ again." He smiled smugly as Ciel choked on the last piece, blushing hard as he looked at him with an angry expression, "Shut up! I forbid you to ever speak of that event! That was utterly embarrassing, you know it."

Sebastian raised his hand to cover his mouth, "Really, I thought you were a splendid lady." He teased with a taunting tone as he chuckled into it.

Ciel felt a chill down his back as he was enraged with the teasing demon, "I said shut up!" He huffed into his chair, "Anyways..." He raised a fist to cough lightly in an attempt to brush it off, "We may have to use a decoy to this party, someone rarely anybody knows of."

Sebastian nods subtly, "Yes, I agree. What about Miss. (L/N)? I do believe she would fit the qualifications to be a decoy in the trap."

Ciel picked up the letter and read it again, "She does seem to fit the profile the murderer selects his victims from." He sighs, "Very well-..." He view the letter once more before becoming bewildered.

"Something the matter, my lord?"

"...Fluency in French. For some reason the murderer likes girls who speak french." Ciel commented in an irritant tone, "Does Miss. (L/N) even speak french?"

Sebastian pondered on it, rubbing his chin softly with his finger, "I'm uncertain about that. Judging by her accent, no, but you don't have an accent either despite being bilingual as well. How about we trick her into being a guest of honor, but not disclosing that with that with the guests?"

He sighed as he placed down the letter, "Fine by me, just don’t mention anything to her about the case.” He raised the cup up to his lips and sipped on the tea. 

Sebastian’s cornered lips perked up as he placed his hand over his chest and leaned forward, “Yes, my lord.”

Ciel glanced at the demon ahead of him and pondered what true intentions he had with the lady at the tailor shop. Of all the other women laying around, the name that came out of his mouth belonged to you, it was a recent visit too. Nonetheless, he just wanted the case solved.  

~

When the carriage stopped in front of the mansion, Sebastian opened the door with his head bowed slightly, “We’ve arrived, my lord.”

After Ciel walked out, you followed, admiring the manison. 

You were hopeful that you were going to have fun being with these two without realizing you were going to risk you own life as well. 

[animeyanderelover]

This was requested privately by @headmastermephistopheles. Remember that there will be changes in the original story. I also skipped a lot in here because I didn’t want to rewrite the whole episode. I obviously have to split this in more than one part.

Warnings: Yandere themes, threats, manipulation, blood, death

Summary: Working for the young Phantomhive had always been very interesting, especially if his butler seemed to have a huge interest on you. You yourself had never been normal as well. But who would have thought that one visit in a town would lead you to gain two obsessed admirers and leading you to find out that you were so much less human than originally thought?

Pairing: Yandere Angela/Ash &

reader

Angel, hope of my life

“Holiday, Holiday, we’re going on a holiday! Holiday, holiday, we’re going on a holiday!” Why couldn’t they just shut up? Did they seriously expect the young master to bring you all along just so you would get some rest too? No way that the young master was that kind. You bet he had been just afraid to leave you all alone there to find his manor burned down when he and Sebastian would come back. He did trust you, but he didn’t trust the other three. But you decided to not tell them this, for their happiness sake. You noticed a signpost that you passed by. “Welcome to Houndsworth.”, you read out what stood on it. If you were completely honest with yourself, it didn’t look like the place you were heading to was the paradise on earth, more the opposite. Your suspicions were confirmed when the carriages suddenly stopped and you heard Sebastian speaking:”It seems we arrived at the village everyone.” To say that the scene in front of you was godforsaken would be too nice. “I forgot to mention something. The resort that the queen is planning is yet to be constructed.”, your young master told you. “Yes master.”, all four of you answered and you couldn’t help, but feel bad for Mey-Rin, Finny and Bardroy. Damn that child. Almost as if Sebastian had heard your thoughts his head suddenly turned around and his blood-red eyes met yours. You narrowed your eyes at him whilst he just sent you one of his charming smiles that would have worked on all other persons, but not on you.

Something about Sebastian had always been fishy, he seemed not normal, not human. The way he did everything always so perfect wasn’t normal. But there were many things that weren’t normal in this household. Best example were all the servants, including you, in there. All three of you had a pretty shitty past and all of you had been hired by Sebastian because of your special abilities. You had lived on the streets back then, having run off from the orphanage you had spent your first years of life in. Your parents had set you for whatever reason right in front of the door when you had been really young and the people working in there had taken you in. You had lived in there until you had become eight years. That’s when things had gotten bad for you for a rather abnormal reason. You didn’t know until today how exactly it was possible, but somehow your own body healed visibly faster than others. It was a really benefitting power, but humans were naturally afraid of things they couldn’t understand and so the people in the orphanage had started to avoid you because every wound you had gotten seemed to heal within a day. The children had started to call you witch and no one had wanted to do anything with you. You had felt lonely and unappreciated what had led you to the decision to leave.

Living in the streets had forced you to grow up faster, needing to fight in order to survive. You had learned many things from many people, each one of them helping you realize a important messages in life or tricks that had proofed to be very useful. You had learned how to fight and you didn’t want to compliment yourself, but you were a good fighter. You didn’t possess the strength Finny had, but you were athletic, smart and knew a lot of moves. Sebastian had encountered you one day when you had currently fought against a few other men on the street who had wanted to steal the food that you had honestly earned. You had been too busy with fighting to really hear what he had offered you, taking three from the five guys without much troubles down. When you had been ready to take the remaining two, they had already been laying on the ground, Sebastian standing over them. That’s when he had offered you to start working for his young master. You had refused, but for some reason the man hadn’t leave you alone, instead following you until you had enough and had yelled at him that if he would beat you in a fight, you would join. If you would have known how he was beforehand you would have never made this offer, but you had been so stupid at that time. The fight had been short and humiliating, you had lost and had joined the servants.

The whole landscape plus the city were in your eyes just bleak and the people in there have you some bad vibes, however, it was no wonder. They were probably all highly alert and leery. Who wouldn’t when a giant wolf was killing the citizens. Your young master was honestly such a liar. You just knew that he didn’t bring you here on a holiday. He had a mission and for the manor’s safety he had brought you all along. You felt almost disgusted when hearing that the people in here killed dogs just for fun. That was nothing, but heartless. You were thrown out of your thoughts when you suddenly heard your fellow servants making words of admiration. It looked like you had arrived at your destination. It was an old manor, nothing compared to your master’s manor, but you guessed that not everybody had a Sebastian as a butler. That’s when your eyes suddenly landed on the lady who you assumed was a maid for the one who owned this manor. You would have lied if you would have said that she wasn’t gorgeous. She was very pretty with her greyish hair and amethyst eyes. You didn’t know if she felt your intense staring because suddenly her eyes shifted in your direction. Her eyes widened and for a moment it almost looked like she had just discovered the most beautiful creature on earth. But she quickly pulled herself together and led you inside the house. You couldn’t stop staring at her. It wasn’t because she was pretty, but because of the...strange feeling you had about her. It was somewhat similar to the feeling you always had about Sebastian, yet at the same time it felt like the complete opposite. But it felt dangerous nevertheless.

You stared shocked at the walls in the room the maid had just led you in. Covered with heads from stuffed animals. It wasn’t the first time you had seen this, but the sheer amount of it was what shocked you. It almost looked like the owner of them killed just for fun. A sudden scream and a whipping noise made you turn your head around. You gasped when you saw the scene right in front of you playing. A man, most likely the owner of this house, was hitting the maid with a whip whilst yelling angrily at her. For the first two or three seconds you were speechless, disgusted by this act of cruelty. But the very next moment, before your master could even order Sebastian to do something, you suddenly sprinted towards the woman who was lying helplessly on the ground, preparing herself for the next hit. But the next hit never reached her because you suddenly jumped protectingly in front of her and catched the whip with your hand, ignoring the searing pain you felt. “And who the hell are you stupid little thing?! Get out of my way or else I won’t hesitate to hit you until you whine like a child!!” He raised his whip one more time threatening. But you didn’t move, instead you glared angrily at him. “You’re truly despicable, sir. Hitting a poor woman just like this. Don’t you have any sense of honor left in that pathetic body of yours? I warn you, the next time you attempt to hit I’ll attack. And I swear, I’ll give you each hit you gave her twice as bad back.” For a short moment the man looked shocked, clearly not having expected to hear such with dislike laced words. But in the next second his face twisted into an angry expression. “How dare you, you little brat!!”

You prepared to give him a strong kick in his private parts, but before he could even attempt to hit you he was suddenly stopped by Sebastian. “Couldn’t you have interrupted all of this earlier?!”, you snarled at him. “I waited for my master’s orders. By the way, it isn’t my fault that you played the hero.” You groaned before quickly bending down to the woman. “Miss, are you alright?!”, you asked her worriedly. She stared with wide eyes at you before letting her eyes wander to your hand where a red mark had already started to form. “Why would you do that and let yourself get hurt? I’m not worthy for you to get hurt!”, she said panicked and grabbed your hand, observing the wound carefully. She mumbled something that was, despite the fact that you were so close to her, couldn’t understand. You were a bit surprised by the way she acted, the panicked and terrified look in her face whilst looking at your hand was a bit off for the fact that it was a rather harmless wound and that the both of you had just met each other. You pulled your hand away from her almost desperate grip and she tended up as soon as she didn’t hold your hand in hers anymore. “Listen Miss. I did it because it was the right thing to do. And compared to your injuries this is nothing. By the way, my wounds heal faster than others so it shouldn’t take too long for my hand to recover.” You offered her your unharmed hand which she gladly took. She didn’t let go of your hand, holding it for a bit too long before finally letting go. She glanced shortly at the hand that had touched yours and you saw something sparkling in her eyes. An emotion which you couldn’t quite grasp. What was that? Admiration? Adoration? Love? Why the hell would she have such emotions in her eyes? You couldn’t find a solution to your questions because suddenly Sebastian tapped your shoulder. You blinked confused at him. “Didn’t you forget something (y/n)?” At first you didn’t understand before you realized it. “Damn it! I was supposed to help the others carrying all the luggage in!”

She didn’t stop staring at you. The whole time all of you were sitting on the table she didn’t stop glancing every few seconds at you. It made you feel uneasy, the emotions from before still swirling around in her eyes. It kind of unsettled you. Such strong emotions shouldn’t be reflected in a person’s eyes. Especially not after only meeting someone for barely an hour. Mey-Rin, Bardroy and especially Finny seemed to not notice that. They were busily acknowledging Angela. “...After all we servants go to stick together, right? (y/n), am I right?” You turned around to him. “I’m afraid I didn’t listen. What did you say?” Bardroy gave you a betrayed expression. “Come on, why are you always ignoring me? I said if Angela needs any help we’ll help her. Right?” All attention shifted to you since you were after Sebastian and Tanake the highest ranking servant in the house simply because Sebastian trusted you the most when it came to responsibility. One short glance in Angela’s direction made you feel nervous. She looked at you like your answer would decide something really important in her life. You could understand to some degree that it must be hard to serve for such a jerk, but that still didn’t justify these intense feelings in her eyes. But who were you to judge someone? Angela had been probably beaten up many times before so to finally have someone step in must had been a new experience for her. “Of course. Just call us when you need a few extra hands.”, you answered. “How kind of you to offer your help. Thank you all.” This sentence should have been meant to all four of you, but why was she just staring at you and made it sound like she only meant it for you. You glanced around. Did the others not realize how she kept staring at you? A sudden ringing interrupted the silence and Angela instantly stood up. “I have to go right away. My master is calling. Please excuse me.” Before she disappeared through the door she turned one more time around, glancing at you. You didn’t know why, but your gut told you that there was something dangerous about her. And so far your gut had always been right.

“How are your hands doing? Are they better?” Angela nodded. “My hands are just fine, but what about your hand. I’m far more concerned about that.” You waved your completely healed hand in front of her face. “Told you that you don’t have to worry.” She slowly stretched her hands out to grab yours and observed it closely, just like she had done it when there had been the fresh wound. “Perfect.”, she muttered with an almost worshipping gaze out. You laughed nervously and pulled your hand out once again. “Why are you keep doing this? You make me nervous with that.” She gave you a shocked expression. “I’m sorry! It wasn’t my intention. I was just so glad that your hand healed so quickly! I felt so incredibly guilty when you got hurt just for my sake. I’m not worthy of this sacrifice from your side!” Her outburst was unexpected and confused you. Why was she so concerned about this. “I’ve endured worse than this. Believe me, this was nothing compared to what I’ve endured in the past.” You had hoped to ease her a bit with this, but it had the complete opposite effect. “You got hurt even worse before?! Promise me you won’t bring yourself in troubles again!”

“Master! I beg you! Show mercy this one time! These people don’t deserve the punishment!” So much to promising her to not bring yourself in troubles again. Quite the serious troubles. Being tied up and needing to watch how the young master was chained to a wall just so the dogs could rip him to shreds was indeed very humiliating and frustrating. Not to mention that all of you were left. That was insane! You were being punished for saving a dog! You were being punished for showing humanity! What was wrong with those people?! Where was their honor?! Where was their heart?! You just wanted to punch these bastard Barrymore in his face. He was truly a pathetic human being and if you would have still been able to speak you were sure you would have cursed the whole village by now. So it was probably a good thing you weren’t able to or else you would have angered them even more. “Leave this village immediately and advice her majesty never to send her minions near it again.” You gave a muffled scream of protest out and gave your master a sharp look. “Don’t you dare to humiliate us all like this!”, you screamed in your head at him. But you shouldn’t have worried about your young master. When you heard his words you felt almost proud. Sharp and cruel with his words as ever. But when you glanced at Angela you noticed that she looked absolutely terrified at you. It wasn’t the worst situation you had dealed with. That was at least until you would be chained to this wall as well. Then you would have a problem. “...Get him!” With these words the dogs stormed straight towards Ciel. “Sebastian, you idiot! Where are you when we need you?!”

“You fool! Couldn’t you have appeared 5 minutes earlier?! Then we wouldn’t have been tied down! I mean, I understand that you needed to collect the evidence, but still!!” “Shouldn’t you thank me for saving your life?” The nerves of this man. “Thanking you?! Keep dreaming! You always need to make such a show!” You had actually a few more words to say, but couldn’t because Angela suddenly turned you around and started looking for any injuries. “I thought you promised me that you wouldn’t get yourself in troubles anymore!! Are you hurt anywhere?!” You slowly pushed her away from you. “I’m not hurt and apologize for this. But I did the right thing. I believe that it’s always worth the trouble to stand up for what you think is right.” She looked at you as if you had just spoken nonsense before you continued:”Shouldn’t you be happy as well? After all the guy who mistreated you was just sent to jail. That means you can finally be free.” “Y-you care for me?” You nodded. “It’s as Bardroy said. We servants gotta stick together.” Your attention was turned towards Finny who was holding the dead dog and crying. A shadow clouded your eyes. The dog had reminded loyal to his master the last minute. Sometimes you were surprised how much more humanity you saw in animals than in humans. “Humans can be so disgusting.”, you mumbled out. Angela glanced surprised at you. “I can’t believe that they did this. Of course they now know who was all behind this, but still. To let a living creature die like this. It’s disgraceful. Especially Henry Barrymore. Someone like him deserves to rot in hell.” Angela turned to face you fully. “Do you think that all humans are like this? Dirty?” You looked at her irritated. What was that for a question. “I...suppose that not all humans are bad. But all humans can be corrupted if they aren’t strong enough. But no one is born evil. That’s what I believe. Why asking this?” Angela didn’t answer, instead staring somewhere in the space with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

“What’s wrong Mey-Rin? Why are you screa-“, you paused your sentence when you saw the scene right in front of you. The cellar in which Barrymore had been kept was destroyed. The wall behind the wall was completely destroyed, telling you that something with incredible strength must had done this and the large pool of blood told you what faith the man most likely had suffered. “What...happened in here?”

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Tokyo Love Story (Part 5) The Truth of Black Swan

The following Scene takes elements and themes from the novel scenes and game quests surrounding Akira and Kogure Sakurai and weaves them into the MCs journey in a way that is meaningful. This scene does not appear in the Novel or the Game.

Please Enjoy

You’re riding in the passenger side of Chance’s Audi R8, the city lights flashing across the pale makeup on your face. Caesar might have turned up his nose at the car, but you found it very stylish and unpretentious. It was a sports car you could drive to work. You stare out the window at the many people walking down the streets. Tokyo’s nightlife was just as vibrant as the daytime. Only, instead of being locked in the offices for work, people spilled into the streets to visit karaoke bars and eat street food. There were also plenty of couples holding hands and laughing. Girls in skirts and women in tight dresses walking with friends. Men in sports jackets and a few in suits and ties. The people your age were casual in t-shirts and jeans.

When you imagined going to the big city, it was something like this. Having lots of friends, going out on the town, enjoying food and walking under lights.

Chance’s phone vibrated. “Yes, she’s with me, we’re on our way to the safe spot, notify me of the all clear.”

His expression was grim and he spoke like a soldier reporting to his commander. You’d only seen him as a carefree guy but now he was acting as a member of the Devil Clan, a Yakuza organization. Looking up at this, you notice that he’s no less muscled than Caesar, but he was a bit more wiry and lithe.

“We’ll give it a couple of hours to let things calm down before taking you back.” He said, stuffing the phone in his pocket.

“Thanks,” you say. “I have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“Did Izanami really love Izanagi?” You rest your head against the window.

“That’s a matter of philosophical debate, even among White King Descendents. Her motives were selfish. She fooled him and lied to him. But when he betrayed her, no one can deny her emotional reaction had to be rooted in some genuine attachment.” He maneuvered the car as he spoke, keeping his eyes on the road. “The common consensus is, for dragons, love is never the goal. It’s a means to an end. Once that end is fulfilled, love fades or dies completely. If the object of the dragon’s love refuses to cooperate with the end goal, that love can quickly turn to hatred. Humans pursue love for the sake of it. But Dragons do not. The emotions are real, but they’re not the goal.”

“That seems manipulative.” You say.

“It can be. Keep in mind that Izanagi wasn’t exactly the best example of human love either. Bottom line, it’s not good for humans and dragons to fall in love. They both will end up hurt somehow. But it does happen.”

He keeps driving until the city spires flatten to more residential spaces. You pull into a small park with rolling terraformed hills and tiled roof shelters. Chance killed the lights on his car and opened the door, getting out with a briefcase. “We can hide out here for a while.”

At the center of the park is a large dark lake. The stars couldn’t be seen over the lights of the city and the moon was shrouded by dense clouds. He leads you by the hand through a pea gravel path. You could feel your cheeks grow warm. The idea of running away to hide from the world with a man was depicted in TV shows you watched and in magazines you read, but now it was happening to you.

“It’s going to rain tonight, so let's stay under the shelter until we get the all clear.” He said.

He settled you down on a bench and sat next to you. He was handsome, with his red hair in his ponytail and his green eyes in the dark. He took a deep breath and let it out. “Now comes the hard part.” He opened the briefcase and took out a thin yellow folder.

“Ruri Kazama wanted me to give this to you.”

You accept the folder and open it. Much to your shock, you immediately recognize the title. Black Swan Harbor Initiative! 

“You’re from Siberia right?” He looks at you. Those eyes glittered like jewels.

“Where did you get this?” You ask, anxiously flipping through the pages. There were photos of Black Swan Bay, just as you remembered it. There were even photos of orphans that you remembered, ghosts of the past. Vera, Khorkina, Anton… you pause. A knife of pain piercing your heart.

Renata’s picture stared at you, smiling from the yellowing paper, her eyes sparkled too, even in black and white.

“Ruri Kazama had it. I don’t know what it all means or where he got it from.” He reaches over and flips the pages back to the beginning. “He wants you to understand your situation. The reason why Black Swan Harbor was created. Black Swan Bay was like a dragon graveyard. Even though Cassell holds a lot of ancient artifacts, Black Swan Bay had the actual specimens for direct study of the creatures. You were created there as part of a study on making perfect, super hybrids.”

“What?” You whisper.

“I’m only telling you what I read. None of this makes sense to me either. You’re an 18 year old girl from 20 years ago. I…” He shook his head. “It must have to do with your bloodline, that you can rest so long and retain your youth. Anyway, because you’re not perfect, you will eventually become a deadpool. You’re a ghost. There’s no changing this.” 

He flipped over a page in the folder leading to Anton’s file. “This is from one of the research papers. The average lifespan of the Black Swan Bay children is 20 years before they lose their grip on humanity. This orphan was eliminated because he’d reached the end of his life.”

You stare blankly at the page. You remembered Dr. Herzog tested hybrid children thoroughly and then, around age 20, some were selected to go to school in Moscow. Back then, you had excitedly chatted with Z about how one year you might be selected. But instead of feeling excited for you, he led you to a lab. There, you saw Anton, who had been selected to go to the capital, sitting in a wheelchair. Despite his power to stop a bullet, he couldn’t stand.

Dr. Herzog was like your father. So your mind rejected his words when he said that going to Moscow was a lie. And when he shot and killed Anton, it was something your mind couldn’t fully process. This all happened 20 years ago but for you it was only a few weeks ago, and you realized you still couldn’t process it. It was like a missing puzzle piece, floating on the side table, waiting for its place in the picture. And now it snapped into place. 

Anton wasn’t ever going to Moscow. None of you were. Khorkina, Vera, Renata… You were all going to die by euthanasia. As deadpool.

Chance reached over and massaged your shoulder silently. You closed your eyes. No wonder Ruri Kazama told you that you were a perishing flower. No wonder he sang that happiness was fleeting. Ruri Kazama knew that you were going to turn into Deadpool. That you were going to die.

“So I only have a year and a half left?” You ask after a moment.

“I’m afraid that’s the maximum. You might have even less. I’m sorry.” Chance says. He drops his hand in his lap.

You take a deep breath, absorbing this terrible blow in still silence. “Thank you for telling me. I will show this to Caesar.” You close the folder and sigh again. Your hands are pinching each other hard to stem your roiling emotions.

Chance marvels at your reaction. “You’re a really strong woman. A lot of people would scream and cry in denial at this news.”

“I’m strong because my friends are strong.” You look out over the water, expressionless. The reflection of the moon peeked from its cloudy veil. It rippled but when it stilled, you could see the shadow of the moon, shaped like a rabbit. You weren’t sure what you could do to stop this eventual demise. Caesar promised he wouldn’t let you die. No… it wasn’t a promise, he just wouldn’t let it happen.

“Hm.” He chuckled, elbowing you. “Do I still have a chance to get a star-heart ticket?” He was attempting to lighten the mood.

You allow yourself the distraction. “Maybe.” You smirk and swing your legs under the bench. The wind was starting to blow, bringing the smell of rain, pulling leaves and cherry blossoms down from the trees to land on the water and make little ripples. The gusts disturbed the glassy water. It wasn’t the time for cherry blossoms, but odd weather had caused them to bloom twice this year. “Let me ask you something to test you. Do you seek death?”

Chance gave it some thought. “It’s not a matter of seeking it. I know it's coming. I just try not to think about the future. Live my life one day at a time, appreciate every moment.”

You nod and your eyebrows lift. It was a good answer. “I’ll ask you something else. Given the circumstances, if you knew you had to give up your life so I could live, would you do it?”

He laughed. “In a heartbeat!”

You turn to him and frown.

“What? Don't tell me you don’t like that answer. What do you expect me to say? It’s an honor for a man to give up his life for a lovely woman.” The stiff breeze had teased some hair out of your comb. He brushes your hair  from your face and tucks it behind your ear. The wind stirs the flowers in your hair while he watched you.

You shake your head. “Well, in that case, you’re not getting a star heart ticket.” You cross your arms and look away

“Oh come on, you’ve gotta be kidding me.” He leaned forward, trying to catch your gaze when you turned away from him. “What am I supposed to do? Just let you die? Look at you! You’re beautiful and smart and … and… you’re so strong!” Chance was shaking his head in confusion. “If that’s not the right thing to do, please tell me the answer.”

You turn to him again, your eyes blazing. “And you’re not beautiful and resourceful and strong? Why is my life, somehow, worth more than yours?”

Chance’s good humor suddenly fades and he lowers his eyes, damping his mood like a lantern lowering its wick. He turned back to face the lake, looking down on the ground, but his mind was somewhere far away. When he speaks again, it’s with a lump in his throat. He swallows hard. “You have people. I don’t have anyone any more.”

You knew that look. You had that look. It was the look of someone who had nothing else to lose, so why not give up his life for you? You reach out and put your hand over his and look him in the eye, even as the fires of grief ignite in your chest.

“The Hydra came for my family last week. We all lived in the same apartment block, but we’d never done anything. We were just an extended family buying out condos and dealing in real estate. But they were merciless. All my brothers and their wives were killed and f…” His voice caught and his eyes sparkled with tears. “My five nieces and nephews were taken prisoner.”

“Prisoner?”

“Yes!” His voice turned hoarse in distress. “Back in World War II, Hydra had these black prisons to lock up unstable hybrids. When the government found out about them, they ordered them closed. But twenty years ago, they started operating them again. If you resist and fight, they kill you. If you give yourself up… they lock you away in those prisons forever. I had been working when the raid happened. When I turned the corner on my way home, the whole apartment block was on fire! There was nothing I could do, so I ran away. That’s how I ended up at Club Takamagahara. That’s where Ruri Kazama found me.”

He turns back to you, his green eyes as dark as an endless forest. “It’s either death or prison and then death for me. So if I can make my death mean you get to go free and shine under the sun like you did tonight… I will absolutely take that.”

Your heartaches in sympathy. You scoot closer to him and rest your head on his shoulder and he wraps his strong arm around you and holds you close. “You’re not going to accept my next words, Chance. Because I didn’t want to accept them either. But I will say them because they’re the truth. Chance… you have to live.”

He let out a single bitter laugh, but he turned away and blinked away tears. “Didn’t you listen? Life isn’t in the cards.”

“You think it isn’t. I didn’t think so either.” You reach up and turn his face back to you. The tears wet your fingertips and sink into our nails. You’re willing him to listen but you understand that it might just be too difficult to accept. “But… you will be shocked at how long you can live if you really try.”

“What? Really try? Are you saying my whole family didn’t try hard enough?” His voice breaks with grief and anger.

“That’s not what I’m saying. If death comes then it does, but what I’m saying is, you shouldn't just… give up your life. Not for me. Not for anyone. Make death fight you for it.” You whisper. Your throat hurts. Your eyes burned..

“And then if I don't give up my life for you… what will happen to you?” Tears were slipping down his face and he trembled against you.

“I will fight too.” You reach out and twine your fingers in his hair. “We will both fight death.” You look up at him, determination filling your dark eyes, defying reality. You knew he probably thought you were a fool, that you were just fantasizing that you could both fight the fate you were given, hit the ball out of the park, and live happily ever after. “What’s the point of love if you both don’t make it out? If Izanami taught me anything, it’s better to end up in the Yomi-No-Kuni together.”

He sighed softly and he leaned forward until your noses touched, your faces wrapped in night shadow. “You already gave me permission.” He whispered.

“I know…” You rise up to meet him halfway. This kiss was nothing like Z’s. Z took you like something that belonged to him. In this case, your kiss was a gift, a bow to tie your words in an oath upon his heart. 

Chance was overcome. He rested his head against your neck, crying. He held you so tightly your ribs resisted against his arms to breathe. You held him like that until his sobs subsided. But you were in no hurry to part, instead you leaned against each other, watching the wind play against the water until your emotions calmed. Every few minutes, he would sigh deeply and kiss your cheek.

In the distance, thunder rolled. Chance’s phone buzzed. He reached down and looked down at it. “That's all clear. Let’s go.” He gave you one more kiss. “Here, you keep this.” He tucked the folder into your dress. “Thank you. I..” He paused for a moment and then just stood up.

He doesn’t remove his hand from yours as you make your way back to the car, but as you’re turning the corner on the path to the parking lot, he yanks you back! “Damn it!” He hisses.

The car was surrounded by men in black trench coats armed with swords and powerful guns. The way out of the park was blocked by a huge van. The park was so small, it would only take a minute to penetrate the entire space and there was nowhere to hide. Chance urgently whispers. “Quick! Let’s go to the other side!” 

How could they have found you? Kaguya?

There was no way to hurry and stay silent. The pea gravel made too much noise. If you stepped off the path the surrounding vegetation rustled against your clothing. You can only use your method of stepping in his foot prints to hide your own sound and it was hard in your ornate gown. Your heart was screaming with adrenaline as you started to hear voices behind you. In the back of the park, behind the trees and fountains, there was a high eight foot stone wall that enclosed it from the rest of the neighborhood. You hurry to it.

“I’ll lift you over the wall!” He said. “If you jump, you can make it over!”

“No, I’m not leaving you. We need to find a way out together.” You say, planting your feet.

“You’re serious? There’s no way! We can’t fight all those guys!” He hissed.

More voices are coming. You must have been heard! Bright beaming flashlights are sweeping the park. The men from Hydra are bounding up the hill behind you! The group fanned out. One member was sweeping up against the wall you were next to and heading straight for you. More voices are coming from the opposite direction up the path ahead of you. Apparently, the Hydra following you had alerted more men on the other side of the park who were coming around the other side to encircle you and cut off your escape.

Chance pulled you along the wall and together you crawled carefully against it, staying away from the ones approaching from behind and getting to the other side of this dragnet. As you came close to those approaching from the front, you noticed that there was no one sweeping the wall! If you could sneak past through this gap, you could make it past them!

You hurry through the gap and crouch still. The Hydra were only a few feet from you. You could see the shine of their leather shoes and hear them talking, but you couldn’t understand their Japanese. One of them laughed.  All they had to do was sweep their flashlights to their right to find you. You both hold your breath even though you felt breathless from running and staying low to the ground. You tremble there until their shoes turn away. Their footsteps finally started to fade, but you couldn’t wait for them to fade completely. 

“There’s a backgate this way.” Chance whispered as quietly as he could.

You could see it. It was covered in vines and looked like a maintenance entrance. It didn’t look locked but even if it was, it was less than four feet high  and you can both make it over. Your heart beams with hope. He returns your smile. You couldn’t wait to tell Caesar. He was right. His justice was right. You don't have to leave friends behind.

A sudden sharp hiss and a burst of wind rushes by your head! A silver projectile blade cut through the air and embedded itself into Chance's calf! Chance gasped and howled in agony! He fell to the ground, clutching his leg. You scurry towards the gate and dive behind a statue of a praying Buddha.

Chance is writhing on the ground, and moving away from something looming in the dark. Someone is approaching him as he scoots frantically away, begging. “No… No!  No! Please!”

Out of the shadows steps a young dark haired man. His silver-blue long sword glowed in the dark like a shattered piece of moonlight. His trenchcoat caught the air and it waved like the hem of the Grim Reaper’s cloak. He stood over Chance like a towering god, gazing at him with frigid black eyes.

Chisei Gen!

[pen-of-roses]

WHG-Conor 1

Stepping into the apartments for the captured almost came as a relief.

Almost.

The smug and confident whispers that surrounded this new group were stifling as ever as always. Give anyone enough power and they think they can control everything, that they know the course of the Fates. How horribly boring for them.

On the other hand, the hint of determination, whispering promises to escape to not submit to this were a joy. The hint of despair and hopelessness whispering of failure were not. They would prove less likely to act, less likely to sway into action off their paths. At least smugness made people easier to manipulate. Easier to veer of course.

No, these whispers simply would not do. Would not do at all.

Others had been sent down as well, and he walked behind them until the helpless feeling seemed to turn from a whisper to a scream behind one door in particular.  Wordlessly, he slipped from his position behind them, if they’d even noticed him there to begin with, and through the door.

The little assassin that had been reaped with Reine sat starring unfocused at the wall, curled in on herself. It took all his self-control not to scowl.

“And here I sense more fire and determination in you before the Games. This is just sad really, after everything I heard about not giving up, about finding a way to survive.”

“Whatever you want, I don’t care.”

“You should. Or have you really abandoned yourself so thoroughly? If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s people not being true to themselves.”

She glared up at him, though the expression was dampened somewhat by the exhaustion that screamed in the air around her. Still, the spike of anger sounded like music. Good, there was something in there after all.

“You still have something to fight for you know. There is a chance to escape.”

“We failed. There’s nothing.”

“You failed, the others did not. Despite what you might have believed, you are all still alive yes? No longer trapped in the Games, a feat that should have been impossible. It speaks of many doesn’t it? People to valuable to risk the deaths of.”

“I don’t have time for your games, just say what you came to and get out of my hair.”

His lip twitched down unconsciously at the address. It’s not like she had much else to do after all, she should be honored he even deigned to entertain-no. Getting upset would do nothing in this instance. “They’re keeping you alive for a reason. They went so far as to free multiple of you from the Games. What purpose would that serve them if it wasn’t something deeply important?” There it was the trill of curiosity and hope. “You value knowledge if not your own life, don’t you? Use it. Or else who knows where your little friends might end up. Tell me, are you really ready for more blood on your hands?”

She froze at the words but forced herself to relax. “And why would I trust you?”

“Why indeed?” His grin was all teeth. “I have very little interest in seeing any of you perish. And I hate to see such a spirit as yours wither up and die, it would make life just a little bit more boring. But I believe I’ve said all you’re willing to listen to, so I do hope you think over my words.”

Confusion whistled around her, but it was enough to dampen the wailing of her earlier despair and sounded lovely with the growing curiosity. Yes, that was much better. Get her thinking and who knows where it could lead? Her refusal to fight in the Games had already caused a stir, but a refusal to fight back now would do no good. Asking questions though, that could always lead to answers and reactions he could watch.

Besides, she knew the most about them. Get her to ask the right questions and he might get his own answers sooner or later.

But as for right now...

There was a spike of anger and defiance that had seemed to just beg him to investigate and who was he to deny such a request?

His grin returned full force when he slipped into the room the other two he had come down with were leaving to find District Ten’s thieving little tribute inside. Oh, but she was so much more than that now, wasn’t she? Leaning against the wall, he casually raised an eyebrow, "I must say, you are far more interesting than I first thought. Though I suppose you've been hearing that far too often as of late."

“And you’re looking remarkably less ridiculous than the last time I saw you.”

“Oh good, you recognized me, I was deeply worried you wouldn’t under all that. But I suppose you did go through all that effort to steal from me with my dear star’s help I presume.” Would likely have been the only way her attack dog—or rather cat—let anyone who wasn’t supposed to be there near the floor. The gall to actually steal from one of them! But then, it had been far too long since an actual challenge and he was never one to shy away from those that brought a little more chaos in their wake.

"Nah. That was all me. And by the way, I had my stylist burn those hideous gloves after the interview."

Her words hum with the lie at the beginning, as well as the slightest hint of...anger? Wariness might be the better word. But she’s not backing down from the challenge. Interesting. Still, the fact that she burned something of his-no. Don’t get distracted. "Burn, really? And here I thought you had an affinity for ice that would prevent such a thing. Still, doesn't really matter now that you're here. I was so worried after I discovered that lovely little trick that I wouldn't get a chance to properly meet you, that the Games would claim you well before ally cat and I arrived with your crew to aid the escape. But imagine my surprise when instead you were delivered to my newest interest?"

“Hmm.” Confusion whined around her as she looked him up and down. “Those are a lot of vague claims that I don’t have time to unpack right now. So, what can I do to placate your interest?”

“This.” He spread his arms, savoring the building melody of her confusion and wariness. “Your very existence is interesting to me from what I've been hearing, about how you shouldn't exist. It's different and new and exciting. Here I thought you and my lovely Reine would cause an uproar here for me to watch with your escape. Instead, I discover a strange group of people, these Shades, working for the Capitol with powers I haven't seen before, which is really quite impressive, Pirate,” the reminder caused a stir but she did well in hiding it. Interesting. "After all we've been around for quite a long time. She did tell you that right? Or I'm sure you're clever enough to have seen the signs of it anyway."

Curiosity at that. So he’d been right, as much as she may have fancied the girl his star hadn’t felt the need to expose them. Shame, she’d been so much more fun when she cared less about those pesky rules.

Triel recaptured his attention with her own little bow, how adorable. "I'm honored that my existence intrigues you. Would you like my whole life story, or just the paraphrased version?"

It had been too long since someone new had spared with him like this. He missed it. "Oh, I like you. Yes, it seems I wasn't off the mark here, you will be so much fun to watch as this all plays out. Your loyalty is inspiring, truly. I am curious what you will actually tell me of your life though? To give you this much fire after everything when even poor rainbow is beside herself over losing you. If you will indulge me Pirate?" He returned the bow.

"Well, it all started when my father told me that I should have never been born. So, I ran away and joined some pirates. And did I tell you that Churi was my father? I bet you've seen him. That's why he hates my guts." She forced tears and a crack in her words, but her emotions held the same hum.

Well, he always did love a good tale.

"Oh shall I get some popcorn for this beautiful tale you are spinning? Tell me which of the higher ups in the Capitol is the mother?" He feigned a gasp, "Oh don't tell me, President Snow is the wealthy uncle who will leave you everything in the end after a dramatic murder? Though I do think your acting may need a little work, not quite as sharp as your words."

“Joke's on you, I was making it obvious. And I hadn't thought about President Snow being the wealthy uncle. You think he'd bust me out of here?"

"Hardly seems the type, no see,” he easily slipped into the storyteller role, “you can't find out about it until after the death because then there's the will explaining how the entire thing was an act to keep you safe, but the untimely death means there's no one else to continue his work, no? Of course, I'd say that's when you discover the whole secret world full of magic and impossibilities and whatever unique power runs through your blood, but it seems you've skipped that part."

“And what part would you play in this story?” There was a lovely trill of wariness as she eyed him now. Good, she was smart, and not easily taken by his words. Yes, he liked her quite a lot.

He pretended to think for a moment, eyes catching on the time momentarily, "I suppose that depends on who is telling the story. Whatever best fits my desires at the moment. Currently? The audience watching what'll happen next, when you'll make your next move to escape this because you hardly seem the type to just sit by, and what this shady organization will do to try and stop this and spin the narrative in their favor. Though I suppose now I should play the distant old friend who shows up in time for dear Reine to cry on the shoulder of about failing you."

A hint of fear. So she was concerned for her as well?

She nodded. "So, since you are part of the audience, you must be satisfied to see the protagonist, so, in order to not bore you, you should probably take your leave."

Aww and here they were getting to be such good friends. But what a good little hero she would make in this tale after all. If that fire persisted, she could do wonders on this strange group and the Capitol. Alas, he really did need to meet them before they became suspicious. Shame.

He bowed slowly, never breaking eye contact, “It was a pleasure to finally meet you Triel. I am sure you will not disappoint me in your endeavors.”

Indeed, she would not. With the right push, if the people adored her or were half as interested, her escape—because she would try again, no way someone with that fire would sit quietly by—why it might just cause a riot. An uproar and spark that could cover his trail and provide just enough entertainment to be worth the effort.

And that wit...it was too soon to say, but he’d definitely need to keep a close eye on this particular person.

"I'm sure I'll see you clapping in the audience soon enough."

"Unless I'm need elsewhere of course,” he offers with a wink before taking his leave. There were things to put into motion after all.

. WHG tag list: @concealeddarkness13 @maple-writes @ratracechronicler @thoughts-of-nora @knmartinshouldbewriting @sparkles-and-hens @madammuffins Does anyone else want to be tagged in these?

[concussed-to-pieces]

The Mettle Of A Man; Part Seven

Fandom: Fallout (4)

Pairing: Eventual Paladin Danse/Female Sole Survivor

Rating: Holy shit M.

AN: Enjoy!

Part One: ArcJet

Part Two: The Prydwen

Part Three: Orders

Part Four: Finding Brandis

Part Five: Weston Water And Oberland

Part Six: Meeting Preston And Matthew

Paladin Danse, pride of the Brotherhood of Steel, yawned loudly right before he took the shot. The radstag looked up, alerted to his presence, but it was already too late for the beast.

  Danse lumbered down to the water's edge, hauling the body up onto the withered grass and then drawing his combat knife. As messy as field dressing creatures could be, Danse found himself soothed by the memorized motions. He wondered idly whether he could have been happy doing something like this. Just hunting to support his own needs, staking a claim on some forlorn piece of land and slowly shaping it into a home, maybe even starting a family...

  He almost nicked his thumb due to his inattention and Danse grunted, a little irritated to have caught himself daydreaming about a more domestic existence. You're a member of the Brotherhood of Steel , he scolded, start acting like it! Imagining fake lifetimes was reserved for those who hadn't sworn the Creed, dedicating their lives to carrying out the will of their Elder and honoring the tenets of the Brotherhood.

  Theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why, theirs but to do and die.

  Danse's familiarity with the task made quick work of butchering the animal, the paladin rolling everything neatly into the bedraggled hide he had peeled off the beast. The inedible bits of the animal he buried, not wanting to draw any predatory attention to the site. 

  With the lumpy, makeshift sack slung over his shoulder, the paladin trekked back up the hill to the station. Preston waved at him from the fortified wall and the paladin saluted out of habit. 

  Danse found himself powerless to stop his smile when a freckled face popped out from the doorway of the station, Matthew staring down at him. The child's fear seemed to have evaporated overnight, replaced by the verbose curiosity that so many of his age group eagerly employed. It probably helped that Danse had left his power armor behind the station.

  "Whatd'ja get?" The boy asked, skittering down the stairs.

  "Radstag. Notoriously gamey, but ultimately acceptable for consumption." Danse replied as he rinsed off his hands and knife, surprised when Matt nodded solemnly.

  "My papa and older brothers get them sometimes. He says I can't see them shoot one yet though. When I'm older I can come along." Matthew squatted beside the paladin, watching intently as Danse unrolled the pelt and separated out the different cuts of meat. Some would benefit immensely from being aged, but out in the field there was little chance of a reliably-cooled environment. 

  Danse frowned. He had been hoping for smaller game, like some mole rats. He hadn't wanted to pass up the prolific meat the larger beast offered, but now he felt a bit foolish for impulsively going after a creature they may not be able to consume entirely before it spoiled. He couldn't spend all day cooking or preserving it either, he had promised Preston he would finish the wall--

  "Good news!" Garvey called, a spring in his step as he approached the two. "Matt's folks are coming 'round to collect him as soon as possible. I'd expect them by noon, if not earlier."

  "Does your family need food, Matthew?" Danse asked the boy bluntly, gesturing down at the meat. 

  "I got three brothers and four sisters, Mister Danse sir." Matt said by way of reply, his eyes a little wide. "We grow some stuff and my mama makes pretty things to sell, but food's kinda' tight." A flush rose on his face. "We're not poor though! Not poor. We have a place to live, and clean water." He continued defiantly.

  Danse was stunned silent for a moment, and Preston cleared his throat. "You need a hand with that, Paladin?" 

  "I...yes. Thank you, Lieutenant." Danse mumbled, struggling to gather his thoughts. "I may have bitten off more than I could chew as far as resources go. If you would...just...uh, wrap the…"

  "You want them to have the decent stuff, or the larger stuff?" Preston asked simply, crouching down.

  The paladin grimaced. "The whole damn thing, but I'm certain they wouldn't accept it." He muttered incredulously under his breath, " eight children." 

  "They're lucky. A lot of times, pregnancy doesn't really work out so well." Preston rumpled Matthew's hair. "How about you decide, big man. You want the whole deer, minus what we eat for breakfast?"

  "What, really? All of it?!" The boy asked excitedly, looking up at Danse like he was waiting for confirmation. Danse nodded jerkily, unsure of exactly which emotion was choking him at the moment. "This will make my mama wicked happy! I hear her cry sometimes about food. S'why I went to the water place, I was tryin' to scavenge for stuff like my big brothers do."

  It was hardly Danse's first time encountering a family that was low on resources. He had grown up a scavenger himself, alone and hungry. The Capital Wasteland had been rife with desperate people who were willing to try their luck against fully armored BoS troops. Danse couldn't even begin to count the amount of times hostile situations had erupted due to the Brotherhood sitting pretty atop a mountain of supplies. 

  "I'm glad it'll be put to good use, then." He managed to say, his fists balled up tightly. 

  At least right here, right now , he could help.

  …

  Danse trudged across the lot yet again, dragging a massive fallen tree behind him. Thanks to his power armor, the paladin was a machine of industry when it came to building the remaining two sides of barricades. Backhand was just grateful that he had waited until after eight o'clock to begin. Her sleep had been poor, filled with dreams of chasing after Shaun.

  Danse worked almost silently aside from noises of exertion, and it seemed as though his mind was elsewhere. If Backhand had learned anything during her brief stint of traveling with the paladin it was that when he pondered, he appeared to devote his whole body to the task.

  "He's really somethin', General." Preston commented. "I mean, just look at him go! If more folks in the Brotherhood were like him, I feel as if the tide would finally start to turn for the Commonwealth."

  "You're not wrong." Backhand agreed, wiping the sweat off her forehead. After Danse had assured her that he was more than up to the task of finishing the fence, she had decided to start planting the crops. So here she was, General of the Minutemen, up to her elbows in dirt, tato seeds and corn kernels while Matt 'supervised'. "I think he likes helping."

  "Kindred spirits?" Preston teased. 

  "Maybe so!" She laughed, flicking his knee with dirt-covered fingers. "I think the Commonwealth could always use more people willing to lend a hand, though."

  "The Minutemen certainly can, even if the rest of the Commonwealth wants to stick its head in the sand." The radio on Preston's lapel crackled to life and he dashed off, practically bounding up the steps to the station so he could get a little higher and clear the signal. " Lieutenant Preston Garvey here… "

  "I hope my parents come soon." Matt said quietly. He toed at a mound of dirt, his expression troubled. "D'ya think they'll be mad at me?"

  Backhand grimaced. "I doubt it. They'll be happy that you're okay. You're really lucky, y'know."

  "I know." Matt continued staring at his feet, "I just didn't want my mama to cry anymore. I wanted to fix it."

  Backhand raised her hand and placed it on his shoulder, giving him a little shake. "Hey, sometimes we're just not big enough to fix stuff by ourselves. Sometimes we're not strong enough, even when we think we are. But that's how you learn, right? So you gotta' pick yourself up and try to help where you can." The little boy still looked dejected. "I'll tell you what, Matt. As General of the Minutemen, I'm giving you a field promotion to Intel Lieutenant."

  "Intel Lieutenant?" Matthew echoed in confusion, his eyes wide. 

  "Yep. You're observant and resourceful, excellent qualities in an intelligence operative. I need you to keep your family safe, and that includes keeping you safe. A smart intelligence operative always ensures the safety of the people around them. Can I count on you, Lieutenant?" Backhand asked, wiping her hand off on her jeans and extending it to the boy.

  "Yeah. Yeah! Yeah, I can do that!" Matthew puffed his chest out a little, small fingers grappling her own when he shook her hand. "What's my first order, General ma'am?" 

  "Your first order will be to work in tandem with Preston and secure the perimeter. You walk the inside beat, he walks the outside." Backhand instructed, barely stifling her laugh at the child's stiff salute. 

  "Matthew?" An unfamiliar voice called, a thin woman slipping through the doorway Danse had left in the fence. "Matthew!"

  "Mama!" Matthew hollered, bolting across the settlement to fling himself into his mother's arms. The woman sank to her knees, holding her son close and crying into his hair as he clung to her.

  Backhand's throat ached and she looked away, blinking away the tears she wanted to shed at the reunion. She noticed that Danse had stopped mid-motion, the paladin appearing to silently watch the scene unfold.

  Preston trundled down the stairs, his smile kind as Mrs. O'Brian tried to thank him. "All part of the job, ma'am. We were happy to help." He assured her. "Really, you can thank that curmudgeon Rob. Without him telling the General about the super mutants, she never would have gone to Weston."

  Backhand rose from the dirt, brushing her knees off and meandering forward. Mrs. O'Brian launched into a new wave of thank-yous which Backhand attempted to graciously deflect, and in the midst of their conversation Mr. O'Brian arrived. He was wheezing a bit from the climb, freckled face red with exertion.

  "Matthew Amadeus O'Brian!" He thundered, and Matt lunged for him.

  "Papa!" The little boy cheered, hugging his father's leg. 

  "You had us out of our minds , young man!" Mr. O'Brian scolded, the relief in his eyes belying his sharp tone. "Don't you dare wander off like that again!"

  "I won't, I promise!"

  "We seriously can't thank you enough, we...we've been so worried ." Mrs. O'Brian daubed at her eyes with her sleeve. 

  Backhand caught her arm and carefully took her aside, speaking in undertones when she said, "Matt told us that he was trying to scavenge like his older siblings did. Apparently he overheard some discussions about food scarcity."

  Mrs. O'Brian froze guiltily, looking back at her son and husband. "I...well, the winter was so hard , General, and caps have been tight because the corn wouldn't pollinate properly. We'll get by, though. We always have." She said staunchly. 

  Backhand cocked her head towards the motionless Danse. "My friend Danse butchered a radstag earlier today. We ate our fill this morning, and Matt already promised us that you'd be willing to take the rest. It'll just go to waste, otherwise." She reasoned, watching the other woman's eyes glisten with tears all over again.

  "Oh General, we...I mean, if you're sure -?" 

  "Absolutely. Myself and the paladin will be going our separate ways from Lieutenant Garvey today, and that much meat will definitely spoil before we reach our next destination. Please, I insist."

  "I thought the Brotherhood of Steel wasn't willing to help civilians?" Mrs. O'Brian whispered cautiously, her eyes flitting to Danse.

  "I can't speak for anyone else, but my friend Danse is a cut above your average grunt." Backhand said proudly. "Once this settlement gets up and running I hope to establish a caravan between here and Starlight. If we can get the logistics squared away, hopefully that will make trade a little easier. I can't promise anything, but-"

  "I can already tell better days are coming." Mrs. O'Brian said softly, her hand clasping Backhand's own. "Now that the Minutemen are back...well, it gives folks hope again, and sometimes that's all you need." She then waved Danse over.

  His power armor grinding loudly, Danse obligingly approached the two women. "Citizen." He addressed Mrs. O'Brian with a polite nod once he was within earshot.

  "I wanted to personally thank you, Paladin Danse." The older woman announced, her voice wavering slightly. "For finding my son, a-and for the food."

  "Oh, you don't...er, thanks are not necessary, citizen." Danse floundered, rubbing the back of his neck. "A good Brotherhood of Steel soldier knows that their responsibilities lie with the people under their protection." His smile was slow, and a bit awkward. "I am simply glad that we discovered Matthew before any serious harm could be done, though I have to apologize for the cut above his eye."

  "Matt was hiding in a wall when we entered the facility, and we thought he was a hound. We may have gone through the wall." Backhand explained with a wince. 

  "The super mutants would have done much worse. Hopefully that little scrape helps him learn." Mrs. O'Brian brushed off their apology ruefully. "He's very fond of getting into trouble. I call him my little wanderer."

  "If you'll excuse me." Danse murmured, offering the older woman a salute and then turning to Backhand. "I should be done by fifteen hundred hours or thereabouts. At that point, I believe it would be prudent for us to return."

  "Are you sure? You're already burning your grease, Paladin." Backhand pointed out worriedly. 

  Danse shook his head. "Paladin Brandis will have reported in by now. I can get my armor serviced at the base."

  "Alright, I'll have everything locked and loaded." 

  The paladin nodded and headed back towards the framework of a wall that he had constructed. "God, he is tall ." Mrs. O'Brian muttered. "And stiff." She seemed to remember herself after a moment. "Uh, anyway! We really appreciate everything that you've done for us, General. Everything . If there's anything you need, or...even if you're just in the area, you're more than welcome to stop by. We'd love to have you visit!" She said, loudly enough so that Danse could hear her. 

  He simply nodded again and heaved a log up into his arms, then slammed it down over his armored knee to snap it in half. The bark essentially exploded off the trunk, bits and pieces landing on the ground as Danse shoved the crude beam into the dirt. Where the first half of the wall had been constructed with various scrap, the second half was much more reliant on raw lumber. It looked more like a stockade wall than anything.

  "Oh." Mrs. O'Brian said weakly. "Are they all...like him?"

  "I imagine some of them are way worse." Backhand chuckled. "We'll leave him to it. Let's get you that radstag."

  Mr. O'Brian was a touch more reserved than his wife, but he still expressed a wild amount of gratitude to Preston and Backhand. The entire time Matt was glued to his leg. "I'm just happy to know that there's still damn decent people out here." The older man remarked, looking a little misty as he secured the pelt over his shoulder. "We owe you a lot, General. You can count on us if the Minutemen ever need help."

  "I'll hold you to it, Mr. O'Brian. Lieutenant Matt." Backhand inclined her head to the little boy, who saluted her. "It's in your hands now, soldier. I'm depending on you. I know you're up to the task." 

  "Uh huh." Matthew replied, sounding a bit breathless. He scrambled away from his father right before they departed, fumbling with the knotted bandanna around his hand. "Here, General! I gotta' give you your luck back before I go." He said seriously, unwinding the cloth and returning it to Backhand. Without waiting for a reply, he then rushed at Danse. "Mister Danse! Hey, Mister Danse!" 

  Danse halted where he was. "Yes, Matthew?" He replied.

  "I wanted to say thank you. And I'm sorry I thought you were scary before. You're not that scary." Matthew said plainly. "You're nice even though you look scary."

  Danse arched a brow. "A charitable allowance, citizen. Maybe I'll bump into you again someday. In the meantime, try to stay out of mischief and listen to your parents. You are…" Danse paused, his expression sad. "You're very lucky to have them, Matthew."

  "I know!" The boy answered brightly, wrapping himself around Danse's greave in a makeshift hug before skipping back to his parents. "Bye, Mister Danse!"

  Danse raised one large gauntlet. "Goodbye, Matthew."

  …

  There was no easy way to say it. Danse was in a slump . It felt like the closer he got to the airport, the harder it was to force himself to keep moving forward. He doubted the amount of labor he had done earlier was helping matters, as the joints in his armor protested vigorously with every step. 

  When Knight Vega tentatively suggested that they find shelter for the night, Danse hated the relief that flooded his body. "The next suitable structure we come across." He promised, knowing that she must have spotted the radstorm he had been tracking on the horizon for several hours. 

  Steaming rain began to fall as Vega pointed out a ramshackle-looking lean-to, butted up alongside a collapsed house. "There, c'mon!" She said urgently, running through the tall grass alongside the road. 

  "Vega-!" Danse began to protest, lumbering along in her wake. Green lightning split the sky in the distance, the odd warbling thunder that accompanied radstorms rolling shortly thereafter. "Knight Vega, you don't know whether that's inhabited! "

  "I don't care!" Backhand retorted, shoving open the door with her shoulder and vanishing inside. 

  Danse tried to enter through the doorway, but it was too narrow. "Dammit Vega, you need to think your trajectory through. Don't just go running off whenever you get an idea in your head." He scolded, swapping his rifle to his right hand and flicking on the tact-light as he sidestepped gingerly through the door instead.

  The beam wavered in the darkness, playing over the battered walls and half-tarpaulin roof. It did appear that the tiny structure was deserted, and Danse wasn't sure if he should be even more cautious. What could have caused the previous inhabitants to depart? 

  Backhand stood in the middle of the room, her arms folded around herself as she shivered. "C'mon, get in here. The wind is picking up and I'm freezing ." She complained.

  Danse attempted to oblige, nearly cracking his head open on one of the ceiling trusses in his haste. The paladin grimaced, ducking and then carefully closing the door behind him. "Better?" He asked, a little irritated with her demanding attitude. 

  "Y-Yes." She replied, her voice sharp. She immediately began stripping her armor off, as well as the Vault suit beneath it. 

  Danse flinched, turning his head away. "Vega, will you-"

  "Please just...just give me a second." She begged. 

  Danse's brow furrowed, and the paladin shot her a look. Thunder rumbled in the distance and...was that a flinch? "Vega, are you-"

  "Just give me a second! " Backhand cried, probably louder than she had intended. Danse took a reflexive step back, his gauntlet clattering against the wall. "I'm sorry, I...I'm sorry, Danse. Paladin." She apologized after a second, floundering with her greaves. "It's the rain, I can't...it makes me feel sick to my stomach." 

  "You should have said something earlier, Vega." Danse chided gently. "We could have found a more defensible position."

  "I thought if we moved quick, we might make it back to the airport before it hit." Her motions were jerky as she yanked the Vault suit down, unlacing her boots as an afterthought. "But now we're stuck here for the night."

  "At least the roof appears to be sound." Danse tried to look on the bright side of their incarceration, and tried to not look at her as she stripped to her smallclothes. He was dry aside from his head, the gorget seal at his neck saw to that. But Backhand had no such luck. "I'll put my armor in front of the door to barricade it." Danse offered after a moment, taking the opportunity to turn his back to her. He didn't get a reply, and he honestly wasn't sure if he had even expected one in the first place. 

  Danse emerged from the armor, stepping down and back smoothly before he urged the hatch closed once more. He then popped the fusion core out and tucked it into his utility belt. He knew he was being overly cautious and performative when it came to giving Knight Vega her privacy, but at this point he was doing this for his own sanity as well.

  After a pregnant pause, he heard her shift her weight. "Okay, I'm decent." She mumbled.

  The scent of lantern oil wafted past his nose and a light flared up behind him, turning his shadow into a pitch black silhouette on the wall. Danse took a gamble and slowly turned around.

  Vega had thrown on a shirt that reached her mid-thigh. That was her idea of decent? She scuttled around bent nearly double, spreading her bedroll without even bothering to clear the floor beneath it. "Vega." Danse addressed her quietly, then a bit louder when she failed to respond, " Vega . You'll do serious damage to your back if you sleep so rough. Take a minute to prepare."

  "I-" Backhand's eyes were wild when they met his own. For a moment, Danse wasn't certain she knew who he was, or if she even saw him . 

  "Knight," He paused, clearing his throat and then mumbling, "Elizabeth." Saying her actual name, the name she had given Matthew, felt oddly inappropriate. "You're alright." He assured her calmly. "You're fine. We have shelter, light and food. You're alright."

  "I know ." Backhand retorted. "I-I know. And don't call me that." 

  "What?" Danse asked in confusion. "I apologize, I didn't mean to-"

  "Paladin, please ." Backhand's eyes had gone fierce, pale blue snapping in the light from the lantern. "I'm not his fucking Beth anymore." She practically snarled the words.

  "I didn't call you Beth. I called you Elizabeth." Danse replied, trying to gentle his tone.

  "Oh. I... God , Danse, I'm so sorry. I don't mean to be all…" she trailed off helplessly, making a vague gesture. "I didn't sleep well and getting sick from the rain wouldn't help. We used the last of the Rad-X for you."

  Ah . Danse should have known. This wasn't about her getting damp or being uncomfortable, it was the usual resource scarcity that had her on edge. "It'll be alright, Knight Vega. We're only a few hours out from the airport." He hesitated, unsure if he should continue. "I apologize for using your first name. I was unaware that it was a raw subject for you."

  "It's not , not really. I just...he used to call me Beth and I'm not that person anymore. It's been so long since I heard Elizabeth that I must have just assumed you said Beth. I'm sorry, Danse." She was wringing her hands nervously.

  "Logan." Danse murmured.

  "What?"

  "Fair's fair, right? My first name is Logan. I regret that I have no nickname to give you."

  …

  Backhand's eyes widened. Logan . It was a good name. It suited him. She mouthed it once to herself. "Don't encourage me to give you a nickname." She joked, aware that she probably sounded a little too reedy. "I can guarantee you'll regret it."

  Danse's eyes crinkled good-naturedly at the edges when he smiled down at her. "I don't doubt it," He allowed, repeating, "but fair is fair, Knight."

  "I don't like the radstorms at all." Vega blurted out, a blush staining her face. "The thunder, it's wrong and I hate it."

  "Understandable, Knight. The noise is highly unsettling." Danse had her gather her sleeping bag back up, the paladin using a spare piece of plywood that he found by the door like a makeshift plow to shove the debris off to the side. "There," He said finally after he was satisfied with the state of the floor, " now you can lay down. Without worrying about tetanus or a herniated disc." He teased.

  "The Brotherhood will not forget your sacrifice." Backhand ribbed in reply, smoothing the wrinkles out of her bedroll.  

  "And this is how I'm promoted to star paladin." Danse said dryly. "For my dedication to the art of proper slumber in the field." He shook his head ruefully, unrolling his own sleeping bag and spreading it lengthwise at the base of his armor. He was blocking the door, Backhand realized after a second. Like the immobile armor wasn't enough!

  "Hey, come over here." She requested boldly, patting the cement beside her. 

  Vega didn't expect him to obey, the larger man dragging his bedroll parallel with hers after a moment of thought. "I suppose the floor is more level here." He reasoned. "Good eye, Knight."

  "Oh yeah, it's not because you're probably warm or anything. I was definitely looking out for you."

  Danse's chuckle was soft. "Understood. I am a commodity." He lowered himself onto his sleeping bag, waiting patiently as she dug through her satchel. 

  "So for dinner, we have a wonderful assortment of Cram. After that, I'll brew us some tea." Backhand said finally, digging two cans out of the pack. " God I wish I'd had the stuff to bake bread, would have made us some back at Oberland." 

  Danse shook his head. "It spoils so fast out on the road. Though during the harsher months there is nothing quite like a fresh slice of hot bread with a little grease alongside the meat stew from the mess hall." He sounded wistful, despite the fact that Backhand knew he was talking about military food and therefore it probably wasn't anything to write home about.

  "Remind me to bake you some bread." Backhand tossed him a can of Cram, and then opened her own with less-than-steady hands. She did her best to ignore the storm that was raging closer and closer, steeling her spine from flinching at every rumble of thunder.

  Danse all but devoured the canned substance, the large man obviously starving from his day of labor and walking across the Commonwealth. He drowsily watched Backhand set up the small coffee pot she lugged with her, the lantern now doubling as a brazier of sorts. Backhand pried open her tea tin after a momentary struggle, grabbing one of the bags inside and dropping it into the pot of dubiously-clean water without much ceremony.

  The tea was a hubflower blend, lacking in caffeine and bearing a sweet, calming scent. Backhand often employed this beverage when she had difficulty sleeping, finding that the entire tea-brewing process tended to calm her racing mind.

  Danse dug out the cup from his mess kit for her to pour into, the thin metal thoroughly scoured clean and dented from use in the field. "Be careful, it's really hot." Backhand warned, gingerly scooting the cup across the floor to the large man.

  He nodded absently, cradling the cup close. He looked pensive, as though he wanted to ask something but couldn't quite think of how to phrase it. "Knight... how do you know of the way to get into the Institute?" Danse's tone was wearily quizzical. "That information is...it's unprecedented , but I assume you must know that already."

  Backhand exhaled, staring up at the ceiling as she tried to gather her thoughts. It was a relatively straightforward story, all things considered, though some portions would sound insane . So she started talking.

  She told Danse about going to Diamond City and employing the assistance of a well-known detective. Finding out that Kellogg had been there, with a ten year old child. The grueling endeavor of tracking him across the Commonwealth, culminating in a ferocious gunfight against the mercenary and his group of synths. The grisly discovery of the devices implanted in his body, and the slow unraveling of the truth from the escaped Institute scientist in the Glowing Sea. Teleportation .

  Backhand conveniently left out the fact that Detective Nick Valentine was a synth, and that Virgil the Institute scientist was once a man, who had in turn become a super mutant by force of necessity. 

  She sipped her tea, realizing that her throat was parched from talking. The look that Danse was giving her was one of extreme incredulity and she grimaced into her cup.

  "Christ, Vega." He said hoarsely. "What happens now?"

  "Well, if I have any luck left , I figure out how to convince someone to help me build a giant machine that I don't really understand." Backhand shrugged glibly. "Sturges has been working on a few things, but I think this project might be beyond his scope of expertise." 

  "Maybe Proctor Ingram should take a look at the plans you have? If there's anyone I know that can make sense of a mess, it's Ingram." Danse suggested tentatively. "Her and Haylen are...just outstanding ." The warmth in his tone whenever he spoke of Haylen never failed to make Backhand smile, but this was the first time he seemed to notice her doing it. "What? Did I say something funny?"

  "Not at all! You just talk about Haylen like she hung the stars." Backhand pushed down the brief flare of envy she felt. "It's sweet."

  " Sweet? " Danse sputtered, a flush rising on his cheeks. "I am not...she isn't--Knight, you misinterpret my admiration. She is a phenomenal soldier, an immensely talented field scribe. I sponsored her as an initiate. She and Rhys are...they're the only ones left of Gladius. I'm thrilled that they've decided to pursue a relationship." Danse's eyes were soft and haunted in the dim light of the guttering lantern, but his words were sincere when he said, "They deserve to be happy."

  "What about you, though?" Backhand asked gently before she could stop herself. Danse tilted his head, appearing confused. "Don't you deserve to be happy too?"

  His smile was sad. "I am a paladin of the Brotherhood of Steel, Knight Vega. I am sworn to uphold the tenets and be an example to the troops. My own happiness was doomed to irrelevancy the moment I accepted the promotion." He folded his hands in front of him, leaning forward a little and staring at the floor. "Truthfully, it was rendered obsolete long before then."

  …

  "Why?" Vega sounded curious and Danse cursed himself for even bringing up the topic.

  He could lie, or simply brush off her question. But that didn't sit right with him. Danse sighed heavily and began to speak.

  He talked about growing up alone in the Capital Wasteland, no parents or siblings that he could recall. Always alone, picking through the ruins for anything edible or salvage that he could trade. He talked about opening his own little stand in Rivet City once he was grown, and he was ashamed of how his voice broke when he mentioned Cutler. Joining the Brotherhood had been a no-brainer, like it was the only course of action possible. Everything had gone so well. He had felt like he was actually making a difference. Until the day Cutler disappeared on a scouting mission. Danse vaguely remembered arguing with Paladin Krieg, his sponsor attempting to shout down the then-knight. But Danse was fiercely stubborn.

  He tried to tell her what he had found when he had finally tracked the remains of Cutler's squadron down, tried to continue his explanation as to why his personal happiness held little to no ground in his life, but the lump in his throat left him incapable of speech. 

  Backhand's touch on his arm startled him and he jerked, looking up at her. Her eyes were sorrowful. "Hey, you don't have to say any more." She offered him a weak-looking smile. "I get it. I lost my C.O. during an assault on an enemy bunker. You feel like it's your fault and you stay up all night trying to figure out what you could have done to save them."

  "I know it's futile to think of such things. " Danse rasped.

  "And yet you do it anyway." Backhand rubbed his arm. "Empathy is some rotten stuff, Paladin Danse, but we need to be reminded that we're human sometimes." Her sigh followed the tail end of a rolling boom of thunder. "I was incapacitated by the same explosion that killed Sergeant Cathan. He bled out next to me. I was shipped home with him technically, although I wasn't in a pine box. I went to his funeral, got to listen to his widow try to keep her shit together when I knew all she wanted to do was bury every single uniformed asshole there that had sent her husband to die." Backhand scoffed. "I knew because I felt the same way."

  "I was furious with Arthur for sending Cutler's squadron out to that corner of the wastes." Danse admitted. "It was shortly after I had discovered what happened to Cutler that Ar-" He stopped short, horrified that he had nearly let the information slip.

  " Come on Danse! " Arthur had complained, rolling his eyes . " I know you did this stuff for Cutler. "

  Danse cleared his throat. "It doesn't matter." He breathed. He had always been a terrible liar and he knew Vega didn't buy it for a second . 

  Those pale blue eyes narrowed and she scooted even closer, her sleeping bag pooled around her knees as she studied his face. Danse just tried to avoid eye contact. "What did he do, Danse?" She asked softly.

  " Nothing ." Danse stressed the word, his tone sharp. "I said it didn't matter, and it doesn't."

  "Hey." Backhand murmured, "I'm on your side, okay? Don't lie to me. Whatever it is, it's eating you alive."

  Danse's breath hitched. How could she tell? How could she pierce through the stoic facade he had painstakingly crafted over the course of his military career? 

  The answer came to him suddenly and he felt a little foolish for not having seen it sooner. 

  She wanted to. 

  Ludicrously simple, almost child's play. It was because she dared to bother . In a world that was more than content to let appearances be, she did the unthinkable and probed past the first glance.

  She was like Cutler. Perhaps a bit too much like Cutler. Curious to a fault, whip-smart and witty. Danse's heart ached in his chest. The idea of opening himself up again like he had with Cutler was... terrifying , mind-numbing, it was like standing on the deck of the Prydwen knowing that one misstep could send him plummeting to his demise. He had barely survived the depression that had engulfed him after he was forced to end Cutler's life, knowing that it was what the other man would have done in his stead but also hating himself for being able to carry it out at all. What did that say about him as a person, that he could stare into the eyes of the only individual he had been truly intimate with and kill him without a word?

  Danse was a model soldier. He was relatively certain that he would be following orders until the day he died. No one had ordered him to go after Cutler. He could have left it alone, simply gone along with the " missing, presumed dead " verdict. But those damn emotions he struggled with so much had reared their ugly head, made him volatile to the point where he had gotten into a screaming match with Paladin Krieg . 

  The person he had really wanted to shout at had been Maxson, both for assigning Cutler such a far-flung post and for doing it without warning. Danse hadn't even been able to say goodbye , damn it.

  And then the hive, the empty suits of power armor covered in blood and gore and fragmentary human remains and Cutler , babbling nonsense in a voice that grated and shrieked. He hadn't recognized Danse when the other knight foolishly removed his helmet. Instead, Cutler had lunged at him, trying to tear him apart with his newfound mutant strength--

  "Danse?" 

  The paladin jolted at the sound of her voice. "It doesn't matter, Knight." He repeated dully. "We should get some sleep." Without waiting for a reply, he shifted down a bit in his bedroll and tugged the fabric up over his shoulders. 

  Backhand stayed up for a bit longer, probably finishing her tea. The rain continued to beat on the roof, the occasional flash of green lightning blazing through every crack and crevice in the dilapidated lean-to. 

  The Capital Wasteland hadn't gotten storms like these. Danse had to assume that they must blow in from the Glowing Sea to batter the surrounding landscape. 

  He heard her shuffling around, and her whisper of " good night, Danse ." He didn't reply, hoping she would believe he was asleep. 

  Vega sighed softly and Danse barely kept himself from jumping when he felt her back press against his own. He wasn't sure if the defensive sleeping position was really necessary what with his armor in front of the door and all, but he appreciated the strategic forethought. 

  It felt like he had only closed his eyes for a second, the rain pounding on the roof lulling him into a doze and then he was being blinded by a particularly vibrant beam of sunlight. Danse grunted, half-lidding his eyes to try and adjust to the light.

  He idly watched over the top of Vega's head as motes of dust wafted lazily through the beam, the paladin feeling weirdly peaceful and unhurried. As if he could take the time to simply observe the world. He noted that he had rolled over in his sleep, and so had Elizabeth. Backhand. Knight Vega . 

  His thighs were pressed against the jut of her knees, her elbows tucked into his stomach through the layers of their bedrolls. Backhand apparently slept with her hands folded beneath her chin, but her left arm was threaded up beneath the hem of her shirt to do so. It pulled the fabric to bunch just above the bottom of her breasts and only through extreme self control did Danse manage to exhale slowly through his gritted teeth, knowing that his face must be bright red. 

  He flicked his gaze back up to the sunbeam, feeling like a lech. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He could pretend like he was still asleep, but that may come at the cost of their progress. He'd rather not sleep rough yet again, although if it was beside Vega--

  No , Danse reprimanded himself sharply. Maxson had given him hell for his lack of self control the last time he had seen him. The last thing he wanted was to give Arthur the satisfaction of…

  Of what? Having something else in Danse's life that he could ruin or take away? 

  Danse reached out slowly, cautiously, taking hold of the fabric of Vega's sleeping bag and drawing it up and over her shoulder to preserve her modesty. Then, the paladin eased his body away from hers to rise, his back protesting a little when he stretched. 

  The sooner we get back to the Prydwen, the sooner I can get my armor serviced , he mused, still opting to let Backhand sleep a bit longer as he checked over their weapons and his gear.

Part Eight

[bangtan-sonyeonddaeng]

BTS Scenario| Them proposing to you at a concert

Namjoon

Namjoon was so nervous for tonight. More nervous than he had ever been for a show before. It wasn’t because of the show itself, moreso what was going to be happening at the show. He was planning to propose to you. The ring had been in his pocket all night throughout the performance. At the concert flyers had been passed out to Army detailing Namjoon’s plan and they were all too excited to see him finally propose to you. At the end of the show were they normally did ARMY Time up on the screen, you saw your name instead. Your hand immediately flew up to cover your mouth in shock as you saw a slideshow begin to play with photos of the two of you that you had taken together throughout your relationship. All the while you could hear army softly singing Trivia: Love as the slideshow continues. You’re sobbing at this point, so touched and moved by the kind gesture of your boyfriend and his fans. Suddenly you see him drop down to one knee and wave you over from where you are standing back stage. You are shaking as you approach him and Jin has to walk over and help you walk towards him before you collapse. Namjoon is smiling up at you, you’ve never seen such a warm and kind expression on his face before. His dimples form deep caverns on his face as you see tears begin to form in his eyes as well. Army stops singing as Namjoon brings the microphone up to his mouth. 

“Y/n. I’m sure you already know what I’m going to ask you, but I just need to say this to you myself. From the moment I met you, you’ve been an absolute angel. You helped me to love myself, you’ve given me the honor of loving you and having you by my side for a year now, and I would love it if you would do the same for many more years to come. I love you so much. Will you marry me?” You hear the crowd release a chorus of aww’s throughout the stadium. You can’t speak as you’re still crying too much. You nod your head and drop to your knees and throw yourself into his arms, sobbing into his chest. The whole crowd erupts in cheers as you continue crying. He pulls out the most beautiful ring you have ever seen and slips it onto your finger.

Jin

The concert was amazing. It was truly an experience you would never forget. Even though Jin is your boyfriend and you see him everyday, he still never fails to take your breath away. His vocals give you chills, his visuals reminding you why he’s given the nickname world wide handsome. And the fact that you are able to call him yours is so surreal to you sometimes you wonder if you’ve just made all of this up in your head. 

The members are giving their ending ments, and you are anxiously watching from the front row and waiting for Jin’s. You know how extra he gets when he’s talking to army and it never fails to make you laugh. 

“AAAARRRRRMYYYYYYYYYYYY!” You hear him yell. The crowd cheers back at him and you can’t help but cheer along too. “Thank you all for coming today. Tonight is a very special night do you know why?” The crowd cheers yes back at him and suddenly you’re confused as to just what is going on. “Perfect! I just need to find something here..” He begins searching around in his pockets and you’re fully expecting for him to pull out one of his red paper hearts. However when you see him pull out a small box you are even more confused. “Army, do you know what this is?” They all cheer a yes back at him. “Then you know what I’m about to do right?” The all respond with cheers of excitement and you now notice that Jin is walking over to your side of the stage.

“Guys can you give the love of my life some encouragement to join me up on stage?”  The stadium erupts in loud cheers and you are assisted over the barricade and up on stage.

“Jin? What is this what are you-” He opens up the box and you are stunned. It’s an engagement ring. Jin is going to propose to you. Your brain is racing a million miles a minute but all your thoughts cease the moment he kneels and takes your hand in his own.

“Y/n, I know I joke around a lot but if there is one thing I am more serious about than anything it’s my feelings towards you. You make me so incredibly happy. You’ve filled a piece of my life I didn’t even know I was missing until you came along. You’re so kind, and smart. And beautiful and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather spend the rest of my life with. Will you marry me?” Suddenly the crowd starts chanting “Say Yes!”. Like you would even say no to begin with.

“Kim Seokjin, I would love to marry you.” 

Yoongi

You were backstage with Yoongi waiting for it to officially be time for them to go on stage. Yoongi kept fidgeting with his mic, with his hands, and pacing back and forth.

“Yoongi? Love, you seem nervous is everything okay?” You walk over and hold his hand, knowing that it usually calms him down. 

“Just nervous. Um, this is a really big show you know? You think I would be used to it by now but it still gets to me sometimes you know?” You nod in understanding and place a kiss on his cheek. 

“You’ll be great Yoongi. You always are and I’m so proud of you.” Hearing your words of comfort, feeling your soft lips on his face, he almost dropped to his knee and proposed to you right there. But he needed to be patient. He flashed you a small smile and kissed your forehead.

“Thanks baby, you always seem to know exactly how to make me feel better.” Suddenly the staff members call him to get ready to go up. 

“Love you, Yoongi. I’ll be cheering you on!” He looks shyly away from you but you can see the smile forming on his face. Yoongi absolutely rocked every performance after that. He was a born performer and it showed when he was in his element up on stage. It was the end of the show and it came time for Yoongi to address army. He was the last one to do so, and his words absolutely melted your heart. He bows to the crowd and then turns back towards you, where he knows you’ve been standing off to the side to watch his performances.

“Y/n, sweetheart can you come here for a minute please?” You are nervous to walk out in front of that many people but do so with little hesitation. Yoongi reaches his hand out and takes your hand, you’re standing face to face and he has a faint blush on his cheeks.

“Ah, I can write song lyrics like its nobody’s business but when it comes to finding the right words to say to you I get so tongue tied. I had a whole speech prepared and I forgot every word of it.” He chuckles nervously and rubs the back of his head. He brings the microphone back up to his mouth and his voice trembles slightly as he speaks to you. “Y/n I don’t know how to put it into words to describe just how much you mean to me and how much I love you. You’ve stuck by me through all of the bad times as well as the good. You never once complained that I spend too much time in the studio. You’ve stood by me and whole heartedly supported my career, my dreams, and have cheered me on every step of the way. You’re my better half. You make me smile when no one else can. You bring me out of my darkest days and show me the light. I.. you mean so much to me I- shit.” Tears start falling from his eyes and he lowers his head to hide his face from you. Your hands immediately fly to his face and wipe his tears away. Everyone else has disappeared in this moment and you are only looking at Yoongi and him to you. He kneels down in front of you and holds out the ring box, his gaze still cast down at the stage. Now you’re crying too. You grab the mic out of Yoongi’s hand and clear your throat so he can clearly hear you say yes. He eyes immediately shoot up to meet yours and his wide gummy smile is now spread across his whole face. You help him stand back up and he puts the ring on your finger. You cup his face in your hands and lightly kiss him. 

“Thank you y/n. I can’t wait to marry you.”

Hoseok

You were standing back stage watching the show on one of the monitors with the other staff members. You knew that Hoseok’s solo was coming up next and you couldn’t wait to watch his VCR that would play before his performance. You had seen clips from the other shows and thought that he looked absolutely adorable. However before it could play you were approached by Namjoon.

“Y/n? Will you come with me for a moment please?” You were worried something may have happened to Hoseok before his performance. However before you could worry for too long Namjoon seemed to be able to tell what you were thinking and set your mind at ease. “Hobi is fine. I just need you to come with me okay?” You nod and follow him. When you see he is taking you out on stage you freeze in your tracks.

“Namjoon? What’s going on? I can’t go out there in front of all those people.”

“Y/n, just trust me. And Hoseok, yeah? Don’t worry everything will be fine.” You walk out with him onto the stage. You’re thankful that the lights are so bright and blinding so you can’t see just how many people you are standing in front of right now. Suddenly all the lights dim and Namjoon spins you around to face the screen. Hoseok’s face shows up there, and you have no idea what to expect at this point. 

“Ah, hey army! And if this goes how I am planning hello to you too, my love.” You hear a bunch of aww’s coming from the stands. “I wanted to say this is going to be way different than the other VCR so I hope that’s okay with you army?” You hear a bunch of cheers from the stands and can feel yourself getting emotional, although you aren’t quite sure why yet. “I just wanted to say a few things before my solo. Something I have been wanting to say for a while now. Y/n, you have been a light in my life since the moment I met you.” You feel the lump in your throat growing larger. “I didn’t think I’d ever be able to love someone as much as I love you but, here we are. Even to this day I still get butterflies when you kiss me, and I swear my heart skips a beat when I see you smile at me.” You feel tears start to fall down your cheeks. You quickly wipe them away and focus on Hoseok’s words. Suddenly the video ends and a single spotlight shines on the stage where he is now walking towards you.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is that I would be honored if you would marry me, jagi. So this is me officially asking. Y/n will you marry me?” Your hands fly up to your mouth and cover them in shock as you now see Hoseok kneeling in front of you holding up the ring. 

“Yes! Yes yes yes 100x yes oh my god, Hobi.” He slips the ring onto your finger and you practically tackle him back onto the stage, peppering kisses all over his face. You can hear the fans laughing behind you and suddenly you remember you are in front of 50,000 people. You clamber off of him, blushing furiously. He lowers the mic and leans over to your ear so only you can hear what he is saying.

“We can continue this later, baby. Thank you for saying yes, for loving me, for everything you’ve done. I promise to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much I love and adore you.” 

Jimin

It had taken a lot of time and preparation for Jimin to get ready for his proposal for you. He had spent months trying to pick out the perfect ring until he decided to custom make one for you. He wanted it to be as unique and beautiful as you. He had been wearing the ring around his neck on a chain that he hid inside his shirt, being way too nervous that he would lose it or it would fall out of his pocket otherwise. At the end of the show when Mikrokosmos was playing, You were stood in front of the barricade, looking up at the firework display going off. You were so engrossed in them you hadn’t noticed Jimin was standing right in front of you until you felt a chain slip around your neck. His eyes have disappeared into crescent shapes as he smiles at you so softly. You look down and the sight takes your breath away. You can see there is an absolutely beautiful ring in the center of it. You take the chain off your neck and hold the ring with shaking fingers.

“Jimin? Are you… Is this what I think it is?” At that moment you noticed the army time show up on the screen. When the camera zoomed in on the banners and you thought you could make out your name on the banner. When it got even closer your mouth dropped open in shock.

Y/n, my angel. Will you marry me? 

You can feel the tears threatening to fall from your eyes and you desperately try to hold them back. Jimin leaning in and pressing his lips to yours is your undoing. You burst into tears, and frantically nod your head. You’re shaking so much holding the ring in your hand that Jimin has to gently pry it away from your hands, and unclasp the necklace to slip the ring onto your finger. 

“Park Jimin, I love you so freaking much.” You jump into his arms and wrap your arms around his neck, hugging him so tightly as if you’re afraid he’s going to disappear and that you’re imagining all of this.

“I love you too y/n. I’m so happy I get to marry you and call you mine forever.”

Taehyung

Taehyung was so anxious for the show tonight. He knew you loved him, more than anything in the world. But there was still that little voice in the back of his head making him think there was a slight chance this could all go horribly wrong. You two hadn’t been together for long, he worried maybe you would think he had proposed too soon. It was these thoughts that had him nearly shaking before going up on stage. Jimin could sense how nervous he was, he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t be so nervous Tae. Y/n loves you, insanely much. Everything will be just fine, I promise.” The comforting words from his best friend instantly set Taehyung’s mind at ease. He finished the show without a hitch, nailing every performance. He smiled widely seeing you cheering him on from the front row. Once the show had finished, you thought everyone was going to leave the stadium but everyone stayed in their seat. All of the members had left the stage until it was just Taehyung, and he was looking right at you. 

“Y/n? Baby, can you come up here please?” A security guard walks over to you and assists you up on the stage. You look at him, confused.

“Tae? What’s going on?” Suddenly you see the screen change behind you. You notice a collage of photos of you taken from Taehyung’s point of view begins showing on the screen. You watch on as army begin to sing along with Scenery playing over the slide show. Hearing tens of thousand of people sing along to your boyfriends song, combined with the beautiful photos he has taken of you has you tearing up in seconds. He’s in front of you in an instant, smiling and wiping away your tears with his thumbs. When the song ends Taehyung reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a ring.

“Y/n, my love, my life, my perfect scenery. I know we haven’t been together long but I am so completely in love with you that I don’t know what to do with myself. I can’t imagine a day of my life going by without you there by my side. You’ve stuck by me through the good times and the bad. You’re everything to me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?” 

“Oh my god yes. Of course. Taehyung I love you so much.” You plant a firm kiss to his mouth and hear whoops and whistles from the crowd. You pull away blushing, having forgot you were in front of so many people. You wrap your arms around his waist and rest your head on his chest, never wanting to let him go.

Jungkook

Jungkook had his proposal planned from the moment their tour started. He wanted it to be a surprise for you. With every ticket purchased, certain seat numbers were asked to turn their ARMY bombs off when a special message popped up on the screen. The other ones had been synched up to change to your favorite color so a message would be spelled out in the stands. You had no idea what was going to happen tonight. Jungkook seemed to be on edge the whole day. You kissed his forehead before he went out on stage, wishing him good luck. When it came time for his solo, you noticed something had changed. All of the lights started to go off in the stadium except you noticed select army bombs were still on and just happened to be your favorite color. When you read what the message spelled you instantly burst into tears.

Y/n, marry me 💜

Before your brain could process what was happening your legs were carrying you out on stage and you ran full speed into Jungkook’s arms. He chuckles and leans down to your ear.

“I’m not done yet, love.” You pull away and soon you hear a ballad version of Euphoria start to play. All of the army in the stadium start singing along. Jungkook holds his hand out and you take it without hesitating. He places a hand on your waist and begins slow dancing with you. When the chorus is over he kneels down on one knee, and pulls the ring box out of his pocket.

“You don’t even need to ask me Jungkook. I was yours from the very first moment I met you. Of course I’ll marry you!” You see his eyes start to glisten with tears, he immediately pulls you into a hug, not caring that there are 60,000 people watching the two of you. He peppers kisses all over your face before finally meeting your lips. 

“I love you y/n.”

“I love you too, so so much.”

[heartfeltheart]

Alchemy: Tiny Steps

Chapters: 22/45 Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist/Harry Potter Rating: T Relationships: Edward/Winry, Lan Fan/Ling, and May/Alphonse. Primary Characters: Edward Elric, Severus Snape Additional Tags: Crossover, Teacher!Edward, BrOtp Edward/Severus. Sassy beyond measure. Pro!Snape Series: Part 2 of 9. Summary: Part two of the Alchemy Series.  Politics. Either you love it, hate it or you live it. For Alchemy Teacher Edward Elric, he lives it, hates it and loves it when he gets the upper hand. Here is to another year of hell… D/C: I do not own Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist. Discord: La Red(Mesh Mash of… stuff.): https://discord.gg/KYjmVAb Alchemy Series: https://discord.gg/DejEYNJ

"One week. One week. Truth is punishing me. He is testing me." Alphonse kept muttering under his breath, as he watched Tuesday's class walked through the door of his brother's Alchemy class. Well, his class too next year. The main problem Alphonse had been that he wasn't prepared to fully take over his brother and his teaching style. He must continue on with Edward style of teaching and not his own, this is his year not his own. The reason for taking over for the week, Edward is still under guard of Madam Pomfrey's care for the semi-mild concussion to a severer one due to an unfortunate encounter with the school's poltergeist. Peeves had caused his brother to fall down some flights of stairs. There is no telling how long Edward will be decommissioned for the injury and recovery.

Edward will be okay, just needs to rest and the potions and magical remedies are helping the healing process to go faster. Here's hoping that he has a fast recovery.

With sigh, Alphonse pushed himself away from the desk he was leaning on when he heard the familiar ring of the bell. The classroom is filled to the brim with students, from first to seventh years. From the looks of it, he could already sense who has to leave and who could possibly stay. Picking up a clipboard from the desk and looked down to see that today's class focused on teaching the students the non-magical aspect in alchemy. He let out a mental sigh of relief at seeing Edward's side notes, showing that four students from the original class are in today's class, peer teaching by the looks of it.

Fred Weasley: He along with his brother, George Weasley, show a great aptitude in Alchemy. Remember who is who, they may be the same, but they are not. This Weasley still needs to have a deeper understanding the laws but still is miles ahead of his peers. It is noted that when he and his brother are together, their minds seemed to be linked together and are able to reach no bounds in their research. Warning: Chronic Pranksters.

Timothy Jerkins: Needs a huge dose of reality that not everyone is a stepping stone to supposed success. Appears to selfish and narcissistic, give him a hawk's eye and he'll be a replica to Mustang. The only difference… he makes Mustang look like a saint in terms of personality. Shows aptitude in the laws and understanding of the laws but does not understand how it fits in with the human side of it all. Warning: Unlike Mustang, he actually sees people as true chess pieces.

Kasey State: Where do I start? She grew up in an orphanage, said place made no stance that they even cared for her in her physical, mental, emotional and… there's no end on how much they fucked her up. She shows great critical thinking skills but shows little to no skills in non-magical subjects but is more than willing to over pile her work to get ahead. Talk to the house-elves to have food 'randomly' appear by her whenever she looks hungry and ensure it's easy on the stomach. If you suspect anything, inform her Head of House, she'll take care of it.

Elfrida Hopkirk: Very studious but always leaves everything for the last minute. It's that Ravenclaw side of her, having the brains and smarts gives them the excuse of doing things last minute with the assumption they fully understand the subject. She get's it but her heads is stuck in the clouds with that mindset. Needs to understand non-magical concepts and perhaps move her to Wednesday class. (If you are reading this Al, at least I know when to ask questions until I fully understand what the hell I'm doing before I slack off. She doesn't.)Kasey State: Grew up in an orphanage that sees her nothing more than a paycheck they are paid to supposedly to take care of her. Gave her a shitty education before coming here to this place. I swear, when I first saw her, she looked like she was starved. Have the house-elves set out extra meals for her. Needs a huge refresher in her studies but is very eager to learn. Warning: Don't visit the orphanage. Have Madam Sprout do it.

Alphonse couldn't help but smile softly at his brother's notes on his students, noticing the finer details in them. Details that need to be seen. Fred will be no problem, give him advanced work and have him help out the others. Timothy would help him, but needs to understand the human concepts of life. He'll have to break Elfrida out of that habit if hers. Kasey… Edward had once previously mentioned a student that grew up in an orphanage. Seeing said student in front of him, he could see how desperately she is trying to herself in her clothing, and failing desperately. After traveling for so long as he did and seeing the consequences of war, starvation is one of the many atrocities in humanity.

"Welcome to Alchemy, my name is Professor Elric, Mr. Elric your slated teacher is currently indisposed. Yes, we are related. No, we are not related in that way. He is my older brother. I am engaged. I am very happy with her." Alphonse couldn't help but show his utter disappointment how more than half the class visibly deflate. Seems like a lot of his fans are in class and now has to find a way to weed out the fans from the actual students.

-.-

Severus sat beside Edward's bed, a book in hand and a cup of black tea in the other. It was his turn to take care of Edward when Alphonse isn't around to make him stay in bed. Fortunately he was put into a magic induced sleep and it appears it is doing wonders for his healing process. Even so, here's hoping there won't be any long term effects. On the night table besides the bed is a package of stone cakes sent by Hagrid, one of the many forms of apologies from the half-giant.

There was no need to apologize, Edward in his medical induced haze that it wasn't anyone's fault. Animal's just have a tendency on harming him for the hell of it. This only caused Hagrid to burst into tears once more.

"What are we going to do with you…" Severus sighed, placing the now empty cup of tea on the night table and putting the book on the bed. He continued on talking as if Edward was actually listening and responding instead of being unconscious. "Not even a month in, and you already got yourself in this condition… don't give me that look. You have a tendency to get hurt, lost, maimed, insulting the wrong person, or a combination, which results with you in his sort of outcome… What did I say? Don't give me that look… Ugh… you are impossible."

-.-

"Should we accept this proposal?"

"If we do, it would allow us to put more heirs up front to become the next emperor or empress."

"He still has to pick…"

"Instead of possibly only have one choice from ever respective clan, there would be more. Everyone has an equal opportunity, from the smallest to the largest of clans."

"The only prerequisite he has is that they must attend the new school the Emperor is currently creating with the help of Amestris and Magical Great Britain."

"I like this proposal… providing an equal opportunity and dealing with that bothersome marriage law."

"Don't get me started… The Emperor's father keep taking our daughters, sisters, nieces and granddaughters without much of a care."

"Let's not forget… even the ones that were married or promised to someone were not off limits for him…"

"What if he does the same as his father?"

"Don't make me laugh. I've seen that Amestrian threaten him that if he ever does anything to offend that woman's honor, then he will be the one to beat him senseless."

"Can he do that?"

"From what I've heard, he could... He's not the only one who threatened Emperor Ling."

-.-

Mustang mentally grumbled to himself as he left Grumman's office, he was just kicked out of his leader's office while his Captain stayed behind. It was suspicious to say the least. Maybe there is something going on without his knowledge? There are constant whispers behind his and Hawkeye's back, all of them revolving around this upcoming law that will permanently change the military. Whatever it is… it has to be big…

-.-

"I had made a list of all possibly candidates for once the Anti-Fraternization laws are abolished, so that you know who I approve from greatest to least." Grumman handed his granddaughter a long list of possible candidates for supposed marriage.

Riza's hand were shaking at what her grandfather had just told her, the answers to all those whispers, innuendos, and so on. Her grandfather, the Fuhrer of Amestris, is removing one of the biggest laws the Military has for who knows how long. The only problem is that… why is he giving her a list of candidates for marriage?

"I am going to be officially announcing everyone you are my granddaughter, to avoid having issues of my own."

Riza gave the old man a deadpanned expression, she swore that Roy took a lot after Grumman than she cares to admit. "The list?"

"What? I am giving you my approval to anyone you choose from the list as a possible partner in the future and not worry about me. Plus, once word get's out who you are to me, there would be marriage proposals just for your connection to myself. I want to make sure you know who would be a good possible candidate for yourself."

"Why did you have General Mustang leave the room? Shouldn't he hear the news?"

"I'll leave that for you, I'll be making everything official at the end of the month."

"Thank you?"

-.-

"I'm the twelfth person on this list?!" Roy didn't bother to hide his look of utter disbelief and dismay at the list Riza just presented him with. "How in Truth's name did Havoc get to be number four while I'm twelve! And both Armstrong's are the first two on the list! ugh!"

Jean, for his own part, slowly hid underneath his desk to avoid his head officer's wrath.

"Sir… you're missing the point." Vato called out from his spot in the office, he was scanning through the paperwork that was required to officially abolished the anti-fraternization law.

"How are you above me by one!" Roy called out to Vato, pointing accusingly at him. "How are all of you above me!"

"You could see his pride being demolished bit by bit…" Heymans whispered out to his comrades with a chuckle but stopped with Riza glared at all of them.

"They should just make it official now…" Kain sighed.

"I'm just waiting until Hawkeye slap some sense into him." Jean whispered out from his spot from underneath his desk.

Roy snapped his fingers and ignited the list up in flames. He promptly ran his hands through his hair in frustration. So, this was what was being hidden from Riza and himself, Truth… he already had plans to get rid of that law down the line. This puts a wrench into his plans. His plans involve… it involves Riza helping him bring it down under Maes's name.

Who was their main supporter…

"…I wanted to romantically propose to you…"

"Sir, the law hasn't been abolished yet."

"Is that a yes or no?"

"You haven't asked me anything yet."

[boarix]

Wraith in the Ruins: A Fallout 4 Story Part XII

Children of the Wasteland

Trigger warnings: canon violence/language/gun, alcohol and drug use. Suggestive/mature content

Game Spoilers!

Please enjoy!

 “You may kiss the bride!”

Spring had finally returned to the Commonwealth and with it the wedding of Valentine and Ellie. Wraith and Hancock stood tall and proud next to their friends as they pledged themselves to each other. Going all out with her sewing skills, Wraith had managed to make a wedding dress that the demure Ellie not only felt comfortable in but looked incredible in too. Valentine was dashing in a tux and formal hat and the pair presented an image that was somehow both striking and modest.

As soon as she had finished the dress Wraith had turned her attention to Hancock’s coat. He had been reluctant to have her mend it; suggesting that the threadbare look was necessary, “Rugged yet classy. Flashy but grounded. It’s a carefully cultivated affect, sunshine.”

“I think that even the King of the Zombies could occasionally go to a tailor… I’ll be gentle I promise.” She had kissed him to make him feel better, “We’ll go find some trouble sometime after the wedding and it’ll be right back to where it was.”

“Mmm, you me and trouble sounds good.”

Wraith hadn’t been getting into as much trouble as she might have liked. After returning to Sanctuary from the behemoth incident, Curie had grounded her. Apparently, tearing the entire Gunner Plaza apart with bare hands so recently after having a shoulder rebuilt was a mistake.

“Madame, you have been entirely too rough with your new arm! You heal quickly yes but you are not invincible. It requires additional surgery now and I would have you rest until it has mended. No more ripping and smashing until I say so! You understand, oui?”

Wraith had initially protested and told her that it would have to wait until spring but Hancock had finally gotten through to her after watching her try to shovel snow. “Far be it for me to tell ya what to do with one of your own limbs but sunshine, you should see the faces you’re making. If it hurts it hurts! Danse an’ me will take care of the snow, ya feel me?”

Working one-handed had been frustrating but Wraith couldn’t deny the necessity. Cautioned even after she stopped wearing the sling, she had to convince Curie that sewing and working on new tack with Strong and Bear wasn’t going to undo all her hard work.

“It’s perfect rehab, Baby Bird. I’m all caught up with desk work and I’m about to lose my mind. It’s this or I go out and find dragons to fight.”

“I simply cannot understand your attraction to violent excursion.”

“ALPHA GOOD AT SMASHING!”

There was no denying the sense of peace she had felt, while sitting with Panther sprawled across her lap, creating something with her hands. Now, standing next to Hancock in her Minutemen uniform, the past frustrations of the winter melted as the snow.

Valentine and Ellie were married and there was a small reception at Home Plate. Piper, Preston, Codsworth and Wraith had been cooking for days. Incredibly proud of the cake he had made, Preston stationed himself next to its table, eyeballing MacCready and the children if they got too close.

“Do you think he’ll let us cut it?” Ellie’s voice was just loud enough for him to hear but rather than be embarrassed Preston gave her the two finger I’ve-got-my-eyes-on-you gesture while sporting a huge smile.

The partygoers ate and visited, paused to watch the cake cutting (Ellie had rather daintily touched Valentine’s substantial nose with frosting and then proceeded to kiss it just as daintily away which cause a great deal of assorted “awww” noises) and ate and visited some more. Wraith drifted around pretending to mingle but really she was looking for Deacon. She hadn’t seen him since the Plaza fiasco and she was worried about him.

“Hey sunshine, come dance with me.” Hancock was the very definition of dashing in his mended coat. As other pairs moved to the floor, the ghoul led them toward the less crowded edge. When the song ended he pulled her tightly to him with a cunning look in his eye. “He’s not here, love.”

“Who?”

He smiled then kissed her. It was a long, intense kiss that left Wraith breathless and brought a flush to her cheeks. Seeming satisfied by her passionate response, he cocked his head to one side and gave her a self-mocking smile, “There’s only one person, apart from MacCready, that steals your attention from me.”

Now the color on Wraith’s cheeks belonged to embarrassment and she took a step away from him, “Who says I’m not looking for Shaun?”

“You just out-smarted yourself, sunshine.”

Frowning now, she play-punched his shoulder, “Be nice to me!” She folded her arms and glared at him.

His smile vanishing, Hancock snaked an arm around her middle and pulled her back to him. Leaning in close, his eyes shown with a look of open lust that made Wraith’s heart skip, “I’ll be very nice to you. Right now, if you want me.”

For a long second Wraith forgot that she was in a room full of people. Her breath hitching in her chest, she leaned against him.

Two can play at this game.

Her mouth at his ear, Wraith’s voice was wanton and husky, “I want you.” Thinking that she had called his bluff she was genuinely surprised when he pushed her to the wall while kissing her hard and unfastening her uniform.

…tactical error…

He let her push him away, knowing that he had won, “Don’t worry sunshine; I’m not that much of a barbarian.”

“Hmm, I don’t know… You’re not someone I’d play chicken with.”

 Wraith shooed Valentine and Ellie away when they started to help with the clean-up, “Oh no; you guys leave this me! I’ll have some plenty helps so you guys go do newlywed and stuff.” A little tipsy, she made a couple of obscene gestures that made Ellie giggle.

To everyone’s surprise, Valentine swept his wife up into his arms, “I’ll get right on that!” Ellie laughed, delighted as he carried her out the door.

Hancock snickered, “He’s not even drunk! Hasn’t had a drop since MacCready’s birthday!”

Taking a break, Wraith settled in a chair and waved goodbye (perhaps over-enthusiastically) as Piper and the kids left.

“Quite a swinging, goodtime you all had.” Deacon handed Wraith a container of water, “Any cake left?”

“Ah, there’s the shadow master.” Wraith took a couple of sips while she stared at his full, red beard. “Where’ve you been?” Close to sober, she looked at the floor, “I’ve been worried about you.”

MacCready had swaggered up and stood next to Wraith’s chair not unlike Preston guarding the cake, “How’s it going, sunglasses? Nice chin-warmer. It real, or did you shave a dog for it? Haven’t seen you for a while; thought you might have gone to that big ol’ dumpster in the sky.”

Deacon was surprised: MacCready’s body posture and tone were conversational and friendly, despite the fact he initially seemed territorial. “Well, gosh MacSweety! I had no idea you cared so much.”

“Right!? Well, a hero always cares for the little people.”  

“Hey hero, come back o’er here and help me with this fucking table!” Hancock winked at Wraith on their way out the door.

Even with just the two of them, Deacon felt the air was stifling close, “Can we talk on the roof, boss? I want to see the sky.”

It was still early spring and the night was chilly. Wraith sat cross-legged next to Deacon and watched their breath float away like mist, “You seem to be moving around okay…”

“I’m fit as a fiddle… where on earth did that expression come from?”

“Can you tell me what you’ve been up to? You seem... thicker. I like your beard by the way; it’s nicely shaped. You do that yourself? What’s it hiding?”

“Keeps my face warm. I’m a Minutemen caravan guard. Later this spring when you head to the Capital Ruins to pick up MacCready’s son, you’ll be joined by six fresh-faced new recruits. Well… in my case, a beard-faced recruit. My name’s Harley.” He offered her his hand, “It’s an honor to finally meet you, General. I believe I will be of great use to you.”

After a firm handshake he reached into the Minutemen uniform he was wearing and handed her an envelope. “This is correspondence meant for you from the Nyx Morningstar. She has agreed to meet your party and aide in the safe travel of Duncan MacCready.”

“De… Harley…”

Deacon removed his sunglasses and smiled his eyes at her, “Thicker, huh? Guess all those extra pushups did the trick.”

“You’re almost beastly.” She used her shoulder to shove his playfully. “Harley, are we sure these five ‘recruits’ aren’t going to suddenly become coursers midway south?”

Regret flashed across his face, “We are sure, yes.”

“I trust you.” She meant it as a joke but could tell his chuckle was forced. “I sent a letter to Morningstar last fall… how… no, that’s stupid; you know every fucking thing about me! But, do you know how unfair that is?”

“I’m the same age as Hancock. We are both going to be forty-five this year.”

“I adore you. You know that too though, don’t you?”

He let her lean on him, “Yeah.”

 Shaun was furious. Dirty and bruised, the fact that he had been fighting also showed in the mud in his curly hair. He stood before Wraith with his chin held defiantly high and his fists clenched at his sides.

“Why did you push Nat, Shaun?” Wraith tried to maintain a calm, level voice and keep emotion from her face.

“She threw mud at me.” His voice trembled with barely suppressed anger.

“Why did Nat throw mud at you?”

“I told her to stop being a bully!”

“Elaborate, Shaun. Tell me the whole story.”

“This isn’t fair! SHE STARTED IT! WHY AREN’T YOU YELLING AT HER?!”

Wraith let an edge creep into her voice and hardened her eyes, “The only person yelling is you. As for Nat, don’t worry about it. Piper will speak to her. When you cause a scene and are publicly violent, it is my responsibility.”

“Since when? I thought you gave me up to the Wrights.”

“It’s unfortunate you feel that way.”

Ouch, kid!

Wraith sat motionless waiting for him to speak. A game of patience and nerve she didn’t plan on losing. It took some time but he broke the silence first.

“Nat, Pete, Erin and me were playing the ground-is-radioactive-waste with a ball… that’s when you can’t let the ball touch the ground, cause…” Surprised that she hadn’t interrupted he was momentarily flustered, “Anyway, Shang was just… Idunno, watching us and I felt bad. I asked him if he wanted to play with us but Nat said ‘no’.”  Shaun’s face had started to relax as he spoke but now tightened with renewed anger as he relived the memory, “I told her she wasn’t the boss and she got really mad and threw the ball up on the roof of someplace! I said she was a bully and we all weren’t going to play with her ever again! Then she threw mud at me so I pushed her down.” He waved his hands in exasperation, “SHE TACKLED ME WHEN I TURNED AROUND! SHE TACKLED ME!”

“MacCready said he had to pull her off of you, yes.” The fact that MacCready had been laughing the entire time he had told Wraith, wasn’t something she was going to tell the prideful child.

“HOW IS THIS MY FAULT?!”

“I never said it was your fault. Not sure what that has to do with anything… or why you are still yelling. I’m right here and I’m listening to you.” Resisting the urge to cross her legs or arms she took a deep breath, knowing that he’d most likely mirror her. “If you had a chance to go back and change how you handled yourself what would you have done?”

After a deep breath he folded his arms and looked away, “I’d stop Nat from throwing our ball away.”

“I said ‘you’, Shaun, not Nat. What different thing would you have done?”

“I dunno what you want me to say, so just tell me.”

“Nope.”

Anger renewed, he clenched everything and glared at her, “You want me to say that ‘violence is the last resort’, right? Why don’t you practice what you preach, Wraith the Barbarian?! It must be nice sitting up there on your high tower!”

Wraith had to bite her lip to keep from giggling. “I think you just combined ‘high horse’ with ‘lofty tower’.”

Cheap shot but still, ouch kid. Ouch. I can’t get over how much you look like Nate… lighter skin and my eyes but still… You’re breaking my heart…

“We aren’t talking about me. We are talking about you. Judging by what you just said you know full well where mistakes were made.” Wraith stood up and folded her arms behind her back, “Do you know how to play chess?”

“Wha...”

“Did you know Bear came with me? He wanted to see if there was a market here for some of his brahmin tack… anyway, he and Hancock like to play chess together and I think they were going to meet up for an after-lunch game. I want you to go and watch them. You don’t have to tell them about what happened this morning but you do need to be polite. Understand?”

Confusion crawled across the synth child’s face, “That’s it? I just… have to watch Mr. Hancock and Mr. Bear play… But why…”

“Yes or no, please.”

“Yes, grandma.”    

 “Got tackled by a girl, huh? Good for you!” Bear gave the child a hearty pat on the back that made him lurch forward, “Start calling you Lady-killer! Har har!”

Hancock’s face was inscrutable, “How old are ya, twelve? I guess that’s not so early to have a girlfriend.”

“She is NOT my girlfriend!”

A table had been set up in Home Plate for the two ghouls to battle each other. MacCready was sitting nearby, helping to sort guns that had just come in and he snickered at their gentle ribbing.

“I thought Wraith was teaching you judo. How’d Nat get the better of ya?” Hancock hooked a nearby chair with a boot and gestured for Shaun to take a seat, “Relax kid, you’re lookin’ like yer about to pop!”

Slumping, defeated in the chair, Shaun muttered at the floor, “She’s teaching Nat and Ms. Wright too.” He absentmindedly picked at a clot of mud on his jeans. “It’s not like I’m special or anything. To her, I mean.”

MacCready made a noise in his throat and half-stood, ready to come to Wraith’s defense. Hancock waved him back to his seat with a subtle flick of his hand.

“It seems odd for her to waste her time in teachin’ somebody judo, if she doesn’t care ‘bout ‘em, you feel me? Hey, Bear?”

Taking a long drag from his cigar, the enormous ghoul made a show of considering Hancock’s words, “Hmmm, you’re right.” Blowing a few smoke rings, Bear folded his arms and leaned toward Shaun, “You know, I lost my mom when I was a kid. My poor pop was a broken man for a time. Wolf’s family took me in and she an’ I grew up together just like you and your girl, there. We used to get in the worst kinda screaming, punch fights! Phew!”

Shaun’s locked his green eyes on Bear, “Really?”

“Sure enough. Mrs. Wolf would make us hug after; the worse the fight the longer we would have to. Drove us crazy but it did the trick. Teach us to throw hands at each other!” Looking back at the chessboard, Bear knit his brow and frowned, “Wait. Wait… what did I just do?”

“You lose your spot, brother?”

“No! Nope I got this… So young Shaun, you want to learn chess from a master?”

“I know a little bit… Just how the pieces can move and what they’re called.”

“Master, huh?” Hancock moved his queen, “Checkmate.”

“N… no… you… ” Sucking air over his teeth, Bear was ready to let loose with a powerful stream of curses. Hearing MacCready loudly clear his throat, he instead exercised extreme restraint, “Youuuuu… oxygen thief!”

Shaun shared in MacCready and Hancock’s laughter, “Grandma says that too. What’s it mean?”

“It means a ‘useless person’. I demand a rematch! I was distracted.”

“First lesson, Shaun: when you lose, resign your king with grace. What Grandmaster Bear just demonstrated was not a graceful resignation.”

“Hardy har har.”

“Back on your girl trouble...” Hancock smiled at Shaun’s frustrated sigh, “I imagine that Nat cares about you and yer opinion of her. Probably hurt her to hear ya say you’ll never play with her again. Dealing in absolutes is dangerous. Plus, hormones aside, yer getting a little old to be goaded so easily into a throw-down like that.” Raising his brow he leaned forward confidentially, “Don’t get me wrong, rolling around in the mud with a gal is fun and all but like I said, you’re twelve. Maybe just stick to holdin’ hands, you feel me?”

“She made me so mad!” Hugging himself, Shaun confessed to the floor, “I didn’t mean it though.” When he lifted his head, there were tears in his eyes and his voice was thick with emotion, “Was grandma broken? Is… is that why… Oh, I should’ve said that!”

MacCready practically leapt across the room, “Hey man, don’t cry! What did you say?”

Shaun shook his head and wiped his face with a sleeve, “I’m just… I was mean.”

Hancock set a gentle hand on his shoulder, “Listen kid, we all have bad days, right? You know yer grandma will understand. So, chin up and eyes open. Watch me kick Bear’s… MacCready, what am I allowed to say again?”

 “Well, I’m glad you were able to get through to him; he called me a barbarian! Although, truthfully I can’t protest too much…”

“You’re not… that bad.”

“Thanks, Mac.”

“You should have heard ‘em. Everything a proper father should say.” MacCready shoved Hancock playfully, “Maybe, we should start calling you ‘daddy Hancock’.”

Wraith maintained a private suit at the Dugout Inn and after finalizing plans for a morning departure, MacCready, Hancock and she retired for the evening.

Wraith had been brushing her teeth as MacCready sang the ghoul’s praises but stuck her head in the bedroom to make a disgusted face, “Ugh, no! That is, surprisingly enough, one kink I do not have.”

Hancock pulled MacCready to him, “You can call me whatever you want, Robert.” He set his scarred lips against the younger man’s in a dipping kiss that ended with Hancock gently nipping MacCready’s lower lip. All while maintaining eye contact with Wraith.

“Sh… shit.”

“Awww, now with the cursing? Well I guess daddy’s gonna have to teach you a lesson…”

“Please. Please, let’s not have this be a ‘thing’, okay? …guys?” Wraith protested even as the two men quickly shed their clothes.

“Wraith, c’mere and help hold ‘im down!”

MacCready feigned a timid whine, “Who says she’s on your side, huh?”

Giving in to desire, Wraith pulled her shirt off over her head, “Okay, but I’m gonna make you two hug after.”

 Stopping briefly at Sanctuary, Wraith had dropped MacCready off for his first semester of the year. With another winter in the Commonwealth conquered, she set about finalizing plans for an extended leave-of-absence. This included a three-week tour of all Minutemen settlements within the Commonwealth proper, with Hancock and Dogmeat in tow.  Apart from a minor skirmish with a grumpy, just-woke-up yao guai, that involved Wraith running in circles while calling out to a very frustrated Hancock “please don’t shoot the bear!” the inspection went as well as one could hope and she returned home exhausted but hopeful.

“Curie wants to see you at the clinic, when you aren’t too busy, dear.” Sofie rolled her eyes, “Whenever that is.”  

Hancock had nearly fallen asleep on Wraith’s office couch, but gestured vaguely at her on her way out the door, “Make sure you eat somethin’ first!”

Laughing at her when she walked into Curie’s lab with a whole loaf of razorgrain bread hanging out of her mouth, Danse pointed to his lip, “Afternoon, General. You’ve got a crumb… just there.”

Curie giggled at them, “It is good to see that you eating, Madame.” She walked over and began manipulating Wraith’s left arm. “I wanted to check on your shoulder before your journey.” Danse got up to leave the room but Curie waved him back to his chair, “Her clothing will remain on, mon ours.”

“So what’s the plan, General?” Danse’s face turned red and he cleared his throat.

Not to be detoured from his pet name reveal, Wraith’s smile was enormous around her meal and she razzed him unmercifully, “’Bear’, huh?” She chomped and smacked as she ate; making as much obnoxious eating noises as possible, “You know, we already have a Bear. What’s French for moose?”    

“General…”

“Hmm, there is élan, but this is an elk. It isn’t quite fitting, no? Although some anatomy may be…”

“Curie…”

“Oh, ho? You don’t say? Oh my, do tell!”

Danse’s face was nearing purple, “Are you ladies quite through?!”

“Oh mon amour, don’t be such a prune.” She stepped lightly to him and kissed the corner of his mouth.

The large man gave an equally large sigh and smiled at her, “Dearest, I believe you mean ‘prude’.”

“Oh? Very well.”

“You two are too adorable…”

“How is your pain level, madame?”

“Honestly it’s fine. My arm can be a little tight if I move it straight up and down laterally but unless someone plans on using me as a water pump, it’ll be oaky.”

Danse had been brewing tea and offered Wraith a cup, “The plan? You haven’t actually told anyone where you’re going…”

Sitting on the edge of a counter, Wraith took a sip before answering, “It’s kind of a surprise. I actually want to talk to you about some related matters though; so if you can keep a lid on things, I’ll fill you in.”

“Shall I step out of the room, madame?”

Wraith waved the suggestion away, “Nope, it’s not a huge deal just, like I said, keep it hush-hush.”  

The couple pulled up chairs and both leaned forward unconsciously. Their eager faces reminded Wraith of children excited for story time and made Wraith felt particularly maternal.

I feel like I’ve been more of a mother to these two…

“I’m going to take a couple of days to rest here but the plan is to head south. Hancock, MacCready and I are taking a small contingent of Minutemen and going to Underworld, to get Duncan.”

Curie clapped her hands, “Oh, how wonderful! To reunite father and son! Oh, oh I’m going to cry!”

Danse had gone very still, “You’re going to the Columbia Commonwealth.”

“Yes, I am and I wanted to ask if you would like to come along.”

Standing abruptly, he turned his back to her and spoke to the wall, “Do you think that I should? Why?”

“Danse…”

Whipping around, his face was a kaleidoscope of emotion, “I’m not sure if anything that I remember was real! No, I can’t. I shouldn’t.”

“Mon amour, surely you have chapters of your life that need closing? What if Haylen…”

“NO!” Instantly sorry for shouting, Danse visibly pulled himself together and offered the two women a wan smile, “This is real.” He took Curie’s hand and pulled her into a hug, “You are real.” He kissed her, “Right?”

“Oui, mon ours, I am real.”

Wraith stood to leave, “I understand. Oh, Curie, will you have the prosthetic for Henrietta finished soon? Since we’re going to be going that way I’d like to give it to her in person.”

“Oui, Monsieur Sturges and I finished yesterday.”

“Excellent! Oh, like I said, I’m keeping it a surprise until I know for certain that Mac will be ready. He might still need convincing, so mum’s the word.”

Grabbing her hand before she made it through the doorway, Danse pulled Wraith in for a hug, “Thank you. I know I’ve said it before but if it wasn’t for you… I might have never known what ‘real’ is.”    

Wraith patted his back, “I’m glad I could help you bear-man.”

 “Why am I so nervous? Are you nervous? I’m sweating… ugh! Are you sweating, because I am definitely sweating?”

It was early morning and Hancock and Wraith sat at the table in her small kitchen. MacCready had yet to join them and Wraith was letting her anxiety spin out of control.

“I’m not even sure why I’m nervous! I mean, maybe it’s because I’ve spent a lot of time planning this without actually getting his permission. And the fact that I’ve asked him before… even volunteered to go with him but he said ‘no’ like he meant never.”

“It’ll be fine, sunshine.” Hancock took her hand in his to keep her from drumming the tabletop apart, “You should have seen him when he saw that picture… when he heard his boy’s voice…” His own voice deepened with emotion and his eyes where misty with the memory, “He wasn’t ready before but he’s sure as hell ready now!”

“What am I ready for?” MacCready joined them while rubbing his eyes like a sleepy child. Folding his arms on the table, he laid his head on them and mumbled into the crook of his elbow, “What are you two crazy people going to get me caught up in now?”

“Did you sleep upside-down? Your hair is completely vertical!” Perhaps slightly jealous, Hancock’s tone carried a small amount of disgust, “It’s goddamn ridiculous!”

The young man, with dramatic slowness, unfolded an arm and flipped him off. Smoothly and without hesitation, Hancock plucked a mutfruit from the bowl on the table and slid it down over the offending digit.

“Oh mY GOD! WHAT IS THAT?!” Shuddering slightly, MacCready shouted into his elbow: too afraid to look.

Laughing helplessly Wraith shook her head, “You two are the absolute best!”

“It’s a mutfruit, MacCready.” The ghoul’s tone was shrewd and taunting, “I’d think you’d know…”

Lifting it to his lips, MacCready waggled his eyebrows at him while slowly taking a bite, “Not used to one being applied in that particular location.” He winked at Wraith.

“Boy, that got off track before we even left the station...” Wraith cleared her throat and tried to school her features into a poker face Fahrenheit would be proud of. “Okay… here we go. Mac, I wrote a letter to Nyx Morningstar last fall. She and I have made arrangements to meet at a relatively safe location and she’s going to grant us additional protection as we pick up Duncan.” Mistaking his shocked expression for a rejection, Wraith’s face pinched with nerves and she spoke faster and faster while gesticulating, “I know you’ve told me ‘no’ but I think we have come a long way in making the roads safer since then. After all, that was just after we gave the cure to Daisy! There will be ten Minutemen with us, Morningstar’s people once we get close enough, plus Hancock and me. Not to mention you! The behemoth thing was just a fluke and although I’ve no way of being able to guarantee, without any fraction of doubt, that we won’t come across a similar situation, statistically…”

“Wraith! Wraith, stop!” Able to capture one of her waving hands, MacCready stood and pulled her with him. Reaching for Hancock as well, he hugged them both while laughing and crying, “I love you guys. Of course, of course I want…” Giving over to crying, he was unable to finish.

Thank you so much for reading! Like what you read? Looking for more? Please see my Wraith in the Ruins master-link under my bio. Tumblr’s dislike for link-posts is why you’ll see two versions of my chapters. I do my best to keep the master updated and change the date when I do. As always, feel free to throw me an ask if you have any questions/comments/concerns. Anon too! =^..^=

[leanncar]

To Lead Fantastic Lives - Epilogue

I know what y’all are thinking. I never thought this day would come either. (aka wherein Leann comes back to her fanfics 3 years later and finds an unfinished epilogue for a story she so rudely abandoned. ending is rushed, im warning you AND OH GOD I DONT EVEN KNOW HOW THIS SITE WORKS ANYMORE IT’S BEEN SO LONG BUT OH WELL)

Thanks to everyone who has been a part of this story, whether you’re actually still here or not.

Link to whole story

“Are you sure it’s gonna be okay?”

“Naegi, sit still.”

“I mean, what if it’s not? Kirigiri, it’s been four days!”

“I will hold you down with my own hands if you don’t stop squirming. Those bandages on your head need to be replaced and you’re making it hard on the nurse!”

“But—”

“The doctor said it’s fine. Trust him. Ikusaba is fine.”

The pair sat on some chairs in the waiting area. Kirigiri’s crutch rested on the side of her seat and she held a cup of stale coffee in one hand. Beside her was Naegi, whose bandages were now pristine white and clean. In the aftermath of the Enoshima encounter, his head became a muddle. He hadn’t noticed that a piece of rubble fell and scraped the top of his head, blood trickling down the side of his face. He was lucky that was all the injury he sustained, same with Ishimaru, Oowada, and Fujisaki. They were all extremely lucky. But whatever luck had worked in their favor did not bode well for Ikusaba, who was retrieved from the house’s kitchen barely alive. In spite of it all, she was saved. And she was recuperating. Naegi knew not what life awaited her when she woke, but if he could impart her some of his luck he would.

Ishimaru appeared, his arm in a sling. He smiled at the pair, though it was more for the sake of formality as it did not reach his eyes. “How is she?” he asked.

“Ikusaba’s still unconscious,” Naegi replied. “Shouldn’t she be awake by now?”

Kirigiri placed a hand on top of his shaking one. “Relax. The injuries she sustained are far worse than yours. She’ll need a lot of sleep to repair them.”

He nodded, believing her.

Ishimaru cleared his throat. “Naegi, I…” He sighed. He rubbed the back of his neck, his frame limply hanging over the two. “I’m sorry I… I wasn’t able to help. Y-you know, when we were there. I wanted to! I really did! But something came over me, I don’t know… and I was frozen. I couldn’t move. I was—”

“You were scared,” said Naegi. “It’s understandable.”

“I was cowardly. There is simply no excuse.”

“You’re being too hard on yourself,” Kirigiri countered. “You got Naegi out of there in time. Only short moments after your escape all probable exits from your position had been blocked by rubble. If you hadn’t been there, Naegi wouldn’t have made it out at all. You saved a person’s life, Ishimaru. Are you really demeaning yourself for that?”

The grip on Naegi’s hand tightened. He looked at the detective in awe. He hadn’t been aware of this piece of information. “Wow.” Turning to the prefect, he gave a bright smile. “Thank you, Ishimaru. I feel like I owe you so much now.”

Ishimaru shook his head. “No, not at all! You owe me nothing!”

“You’re a great friend,” Kirigiri said. Ishimaru was on the verge of tears.

“I…” Ishimaru changed the subject before the waterworks could continue. “I just came from Fujisaki’s room.”

Fujisaki had been given a different concoction too. She’d been asleep all throughout. Even as Oowada slung her small frame over his shoulder and got her out of the fire, which had crept up her legs by the time he got to her. She had second degree burns on the sides of her legs, but other than that she was fine. The burns will heal. They will, perhaps, scar badly, but they all had been scarred emotionally for the rest of their lives anyway. Other physical scars seem minor now.

“Is there anything she said? About Enoshima or when she was taken captive?” Kirigiri asked.

“Nothing. She’d been walking home when somebody grabbed her from behind and placed a handkerchief over her nose. After that she woke up in this hospital with no recollection at all of what had taken place.”

Kirigiri nodded. “I didn’t expect there to be much information anyway.”

“And how is she?” Naegi inquired.

“She is fine, don’t worry. I left her with Mondo. She’s getting to be more talkative.” There was a fond smile on his face as he spoke. The expression was fleeting, however. The smile turned down, lines appearing in the space between his brows. “Can I ask? Enoshima, she is…?”

“Dead,” Kirigiri quipped. “It was all part of her plan, to have us witness her suicide. We were all pawns in her chess game. Me, especially. I was the most foolish of all of us.”

“Then it’s over.” The relief in his voice was unmistakable.

“Yes,” she said. “Please rest easy, Ishimaru. Thank you for everything and I’m glad you are safe.”

“I should probably be thanking you, Kirigiri-san! You were very smart! And Naegi, standing up to Enoshima like you did. You were so brave.”

Naegi laughed. “It was more of plain stupidity than anything else.” He got a chuckle in response.

“I should head back to Fujisaki now. Please alert us if anything happens to Ikusaba.” They agreed and Ishimaru walked away.

The moment that he was out of earshot, Naegi turned to the detective. “Kirigiri…”

“You saw through it, didn’t you? Do you think he noticed anything?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think anyone else could’ve noticed. I’m just getting better at finding out when you’re lying. Now tell me, what actually happened to Enoshima?”

They locked eyes, Kirigiri’s lower lip trembling before speaking. “They never found the body.”

Naegi swallowed, his heartbeat hammering at the mere thought of Enoshima’s still living body. “That’s impossible. There was a big block of cement on her lap. She wouldn’t have been able to move at all.”

“I’m stating the facts as it is. After you got out, they managed to retrieve Ikusaba. I told the firefighters the perpetrator was still inside. It took them another few moments to get the fire under control, but they claimed not to have seen any sign of another human still inside.”

Before Naegi could form a reply, a doctor turned up and commanded their attention. “She doesn’t seem to have any family, and you were the ones she came in with, so… Mukuro Ikusaba is awake now if you would like to visit her.”

-

Ikusaba suffered from minor burns, a fractured arm, three broken ribs, and some internal bleeding. But her eyes were open and lit up with unfathomable emotion when she saw Naegi and Kirigiri approaching. Naegi made an effort to look encouraging, shooting her a warm smile. Kirigiri was her usual stoic self, ready to get down to business as soon as the luckster finished the formal greetings.

“I’m really glad you’re okay,” he started. Relief flooded on her face.

“But I’m going to jail. I must pay for my misdeeds.” Her voice was scratchy and it took a while for her to speak. She grimaced. “Thank you, though. For deeming me worthy of saving.”

“Naegi’s faith in you was unwavering.” Kirigiri approached her bedside. “I hope you realize what a huge honor that is.”

Ikusaba averted Kirigiri’s stern gaze. “I do realize. I dare not ask for more than that.”

Naegi took in her frail disposition, her eyes glazed with sadness. Ikusaba spent her entire life being manipulated by her own sister, to the point of her own destruction. She’d fashioned herself… No, Enoshima fashioned her to be the perfect killing machine by instilling in her the idea that no one else would care for her other than Enoshima. And she’d followed until she completely dehumanized herself.  Now that she’d betrayed Enoshima and with the prospect of lifetime imprisonment hanging over her head, what could she possibly think was still in store for her? He wanted to give her hope, but he did not know how.

As always though, it was Kirigiri who had the solution.

“I have a business proposal to you, Ikusaba. Enoshima has escaped from the fire.”

To his surprise, Ikusaba scoffed. “That sounds like her, alright.”

“I need to track her down, for good. And also each and every member of her despair group. I can’t have a single one of them walking free and unharmed.”

Ikusaba nodded in understanding. “You think… I could supply you information about them?”

“Yes. I understand Enoshima, to a certain extent. I thought I did fully, but recent events have proved that I am only partially inclined to what goes on in her mind. I need someone who really knows her. And who better to understand her than her former right-hand woman?”

“I don’t know a lot about… the despair network,” she admitted. “I know most of the members, but some of them are out of my reach. In fact, I knew nothing about Mrs. Matsui until I was given the order to shoot her son.”

“The members that you know are students at Hope’s Peak, aren’t they?”

Naegi’s eyes widened at the statement.

“Yes, they are. I don’t know what will happen to them now that they think Enoshima is dead. I would like to hope that without her they’d be harmless.”

Naegi knew that would be too much to hope for, even for him.

Kirigiri spoke again. “I would also like to propose a partnership, once you’re fully recuperated, that is. You’ve proven yourself time and time again a reliable and stealthy fighter. One that would prove indispensable to my investigations.”

“You’re asking me to-to fight alongside you?”

Even Naegi was surprised. For all the doubts that Kirigiri had on her character, this kind of proposal was definitely a huge turn in reverse. “Naegi trusts you, and I trust his judgment. That is all I have to say on the matter. Should you choose to cooperate and testify against Enoshima in the succeeding trial, I’m willing to negotiate with the force on the repercussions of your crimes.”

“You don’t have to answer right away, of course,” Naegi said, breaking out of his astonishment. “This might be too much to ask of you, going against your sister and all.”

“I’ll do it,” Ikusaba said. “I have no doubt in my mind that I want to put an end to Enoshima’s schemes. I will assist in your investigations to the best of my ability.”

A sly smile materialized on Kirigiri’s face. And if Naegi hadn’t just finished an encounter with Enoshima, he would’ve thought that he was the only person in the room who wasn’t completely insane.

-

Kiyotaka Ishimaru had much more than what he bargained for when he decided to take that leap of faith and become friends with Mondo Oowada. From that stemmed the rest of the chaos that would scar him for life. And yet from that also stemmed even more friendships and experiences he’s sure to never forget. If there was anything he learned, it’s that the world was so much larger, madder, better than he initially perceived.

From across the hall, he looked at Oowada, calmly picking at the lint from the bandages on his arm. His hair drooped lazily over his brows, spilling onto the bows of his eyelids. The biker caught his eye, and they shared a knowing smile. His face said it all - I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad you’re alive. And with me.

“What’re you lookin’ at?” said Oowada in a teasing tone. “Am I too handsome?”

“Mondo,” Ishimaru said his name like a prayer and sighed. “You need to get a haircut.”

[hollowpages]

Your Biggest Fan 4 (Commission)

The following is a commission. Mature content is within.

---

Your Biggest Fan - Part Four Captain Gonzales was deathly silent, staring down at the files in front of her on her desk. Across from her, Gary sat, Lisa to his right, watching, waiting, for the Captain to say something. Captain Gonzales was the type to wait to speak until she felt she needed to. Her silence tended to convey her thoughts for her, but she could easily talk up a storm if the need arose. Typically, she was a reserved woman, maintaining a cold, distant demeanor with those around her, hence the reason for Erik’s ‘steely’ Latina joke. She didn’t let her emotions show except for very specific, very rare circumstances. Such as the current moment, where she didn’t bother hiding her genuine disdain for the subject at hand. “I had a feeling,” Captain Gonzales said, “that The Fan would return eventually. Someone like that, they’re not going to just up and disappear. That sort never does.” “What do you want us to do?” Lisa asked, leaning forward. Gary could tell that Lisa respected Captain Gonzales. She held the woman in a lot of regard, and Gary couldn’t exactly blame her for it, either. The Captain had been at the precinct for almost twenty solid years, working her way up from beat cop to detective to the rank she currently held, and she had done it by herself, through hard work and a whole lot of determination, even with the various odds stacked against her. Gary knew from experience the kinds of shit the Captain faced. Racism due to her being a Mexican American, born from illegal immigrants that came to the States looking for a better life. Sexism, due to being a woman trying to be a cop. Gary heard horror stories of the way others treated her, how many had gone out of their way to try and make her quit or to make her see that her place was at a desk, not in the field. But through it all, the Captain kept going, kept persevering, until it finally paid off. She was worthy of admiration. But now wasn’t the time for that line of thinking, Gary knew. He focused instead on watching the Captain’s face, noting the subtle shifts as she Captain closed her eyes and sighed. “I want all four of you to go back to the Grand Flora,” she said. “You two talk to the manager, find out everything you can, including why he decided it was the best course of action to tamper with a crime scene before the police arrived. Arrest him if you have to. Get Benson and Carter to interview the staff, I want to know everything about that room the day of and the day before. Check security, everything.” That was all the Captain was going to say on the matter. Gary could tell by the look in her eyes, as she shifted her gaze back to the files. The Captain was going to dig into The Fan with everything she could, probably going to pull every bit of evidence she could find on them. Gary believed it. So, he nodded and exited the room, Lisa following right behind him. Erik was busy filling in his partner, Davis Carter, on the events that he had missed. Davis was a good man – African American, born in New York, but moved to Los Angeles ten years prior. He was smart, and cool, and calculated, though the biggest flaw that Davis had was the fact he seemed to always be late to the party, no matter what. Davis liked to joke that he wasn’t late, but that he preferred making an entrance at the ‘perfect time.’ Gary had seen him do it, a few times, in fact, though it didn’t stop him from teasing the man about his tardiness. Granted, when you had a wife and three kids to look after, it was to be expected that you would be late at times. Everyone understood his reasons, it just didn’t spare him from the teasing and the banter often aimed his way. “Ah, Davis,” Gary said, coming to stand beside Erik’s desk. “Nice of you to join us today.” Davis waved him off. “Slept through my alarm, what can you do, huh?” “Get a louder alarm,” Lisa said. Davis grinned. “And ruin my beauty sleep?” “Is that what they call it these days?” Gary asked. “Hey, you’re one to talk, my man,” Davis said. “Look like you could use some yourself. Anyone ever tell you you’ve got the face of a bulldog?” Gary rolled his eyes. When it came to appearances, Gary was more or less what you’d expect from someone in his line of duty: he was average. Average height, average build, average everything. His hair was dark and short, often semi-neatly combed – when Gary had the time, of course, otherwise it was a bit of a mess, but nothing too out there. His eyes were green, his skin an average tone with the slightest of tans going on. But yes, as Davis pointed out, he wasn’t skinny. True, he wasn’t quite as big of a man as Erik was, but he wasn’t a twig, either. The past few years had been rough for Detective Frost, and he had let himself go – just a bit, of course. It wasn’t enough to make him unattractive or even unappealing to be near, and it certainly hadn’t affected his physical prowess in any way. But, as Davis was poked fun of for his tardiness, Gary was teased either for this fact, or because of his icy demeanor, hence the Snowman moniker. Everyone had something, even the Captain. Lisa was the only one without something to tease her for, but Gary was certain that would change in due time. “We heading out?” Erik asked, breaking the silence. “Yeah,” Gary said. “Back to the Grand Flora. You two are on the staff and security details, Lisa and I have the honor of dealing with this idiot of a manager.” The other two men stood and gathered their things. All four sauntered toward the elevator together. “The Fan, huh?” Davis said as they entered, Davis pressing the button to go down. “I don’t know who the hell they are, but they are a piece of work, that’s for damn sure.” “Piece of something else, too,” Lisa added, shaking her head in disgust. “What the fuck kind of sicko cuts off a person’s tits? Or hands? Or ears? Seriously, that’s like something out of a Stephen King book, not reality.” “What I don’t get is why they just vanished for a year,” Erik said. “Most of the monsters and psychos we’ve dealt with don’t stop and take a damn vacation.” The elevator doors opened, and the four of them stepped out. “Something’s off about this whole situation. I’m not going to say it isn’t The Fan, but for them to randomly stop and then start up again out of the blue like this?” Gary shrugged. “Not every killer is linear in how they think, Erik. This isn’t a horror movie or a comic book. People are way more complicated than that.” Erik gave a half nod. “I guess so, but it still bugs me.” “We can figure it out later,” Davis said. “Let’s get to the hotel. I’ve always wanted to see the inside of the Grand Flora. Heard great things.” “Eh, it’s not that great,” Lisa said. “Kind of boring, honestly.” “Not enough eye candy, Petrucci?” Davis asked, cocking an eyebrow. Lisa smirked. “Not the right kind for me.” Gary and Lisa climbed into their police cruiser, Erik and Davis into theirs, and the four drove off toward their destination. “So were there ever any big name suspects?” Lisa asked after a moment of silence. She snuck a look at Gary, studying him. “I can’t wrap my head around the idea that someone like this could just go around killing people without someone being a big suspect.” Gary nodded. “Four years ago, we had three major suspects that we investigated. Put a lot of time and energy into delving into everything we could find about them.” “Who were they?” “The first was Abraham Baldwin,” Gary said. He could recall all the details about the man, from face to personality, with near perfect clarity. “Baldwin fit a lot of the bill for what we were looking for at the time. He was young and athletic, had a few previous arrests for stalking and breaking and entering, and we knew he had a history with at least two of the victims. Guy had a shady side to him, and there was just something about him that made me think he might’ve been The Fan.” Lisa waited, listening. Gary sighed. “But, then he got hit by a car. Paralyzed him. He’s been confined to a wheelchair ever since, and this was only midway through The Fan’s spree. So, he was off the list.” “Shit,” Lisa said. “Next was Karen Moore. A bit older, but no less dangerous and no less crazy.” Gary’s lips twitched. “She had a history of mental illness, and an obsessive behavioral pattern when it came to people she deemed worth her time. She would start getting delusions about famous people, believing them to be friends, family, lovers, you name it. Led to a lot of problems with the law, and a lot of problems with the media when they heard about it.” “You thought she could be The Fan?” Lisa asked. “At first, yes,” Gary said. He paused to flick his turn signal on. “But then, she was removed from the pile when it became clear the woman’s mental health was getting worse over time. She wound up getting admitted to a hospital and stayed there till she died from a stroke. This was after The Fan killed their fifth victim, right before the sixth.” Lisa shook her head. “Fuck. And the last suspect?” “Aaron Roderick,” Gary said. His expression darkened. Of the three suspects, Roderick had been the one Gary truly believed to be The Fan. He was always nearby the murder scenes, had interacted with each of the victims at least once that was known in public, and he never had a solid alibi despite his frequent insistence that he was innocent. Not only that, but there was a way about him, the way the man carried himself, walked, talked, and just… looked. Not on the outside, no, but the way he looked at others, with a level of dispassion and disdain, the sort of look someone who could take a life might look. Aaron Roderick gave Gary the air of a man who could break at any moment. He genuinely thought that Roderick was The Fan given his past, a past drenched in a whole lot of stalking and obsession with famous people. That, and an overzealous hatred for the famous – Aaron hated them with a passion, because he wanted what they had. He wanted the wealth, the fame. Gary knew it the moment he and Aaron first spoke. He could tell these things without Aaron openly admitting them. That had been why he was so certain that Roderick was the killer. “What happened?” Lisa asked. “Did he die, too?” “No.” “Get paralyzed somehow?” “No.” Lisa scowled. “So then what? How’d he go from being the number one suspect to, you know, not?” Gary stared at the road as he made another turn, the hotel looming in the distance. He came to a stop, parking the car. He unbuckled and glanced at Lisa. “Because the day when we finally felt we had enough evidence to arrest him on the charges of all the murders, the day that I thought we had found The Fan once and for all, the day when it seemed so certain this monster was caught, everything was shot to hell when we got to Roderick’s place to pick him up.” “Why?” Lisa asked. “What happened?” “He was dead,” Gary said. “The Fan murdered him.”

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