#you know he went crazy for the recovered memory movement

[gilberttheboy]

Armand loved the 60s and 70s not for the clothes or the music, because it was when all the fucked up psychological experiments were happening and he thought they were neat

[bluegalaxygirl]

Amnesia (KidKiller X Reader) P1

Plot: After an explosion reader wakes up in a hospital with no memory of the past few years, her parents want to take her home so she can recover and get back to a normal life while the Kid pirates want her back on the ship where she belongs.

Warning: Bad language, Violence, Death and Blood.

Reader is Female, Poly Relationship, established relationship, Kid X Reader X Killer, Reader is a member of the Kid pirates and is in charge of the money, Budgeting and negotiating the best price.

< Previous part ..... Next Part >

Gunfire, cannon fire, yelling and screams fills the air as the Kid pirates take on the many marine ships in search of the treasure they were carrying. There's never a real plan when your with the Kid pirates since Captain Kid usually charges in head first destroying anything and everything in his way but Killer made sure to give the crew an idea of what to expect and how to go about things. The crew split up into groups taking on different ships in search of the treasure while others stayed on the Victoria firing cannonballs at the marine ships that were coming as backup. If they found the treasure then they would load it onto a smaller ship to send it back to the Victoria Punk before sinking the ship or calling out to their Captain, so he could continue his destruction. Several ships had already sunk thanks to Kid going a little crazy on the violence, it seemed random but the pirate Captain has been doing this long enough to know just by looks which ships won't carry any kind of treasure. It didn't matter if his crew were on those ships since they knew well enough to stay out of their captains away and get off any ship he was going to attack. Killer went straight for the biggest ship knowing thats where their leader is, The marine was only ranked a captain, he honestly expected a higher rank with how many ships there were and how much treasure and weapons their supposedly carrying, but he couldn't complain. While the few crew members he was with searched the ship and took out the low ranked marines Killer fought against their leader slashing and kicking at the man who could hardly keep up with the first mates movements and speed.

Heat used a rope to swing from one marine ship to another, he rolled before pulling out his sword and slashing a marine that ran at him before standing up right. He has no chose but to switch groups since the ship you were on had explosives, his fire would make things worse, but he had confidence that you can handle it and get the ship away from the fight so it doesn't hurt the crew. Heat scans the deck seeing marine body's scattered all over, but he couldn't see any of his crew until a girl with short blonde hair runs out of one of the rooms carrying two large bags of what sounded like gold coins. "Heat, what are you doing here?" Hip yells seeing her crew mate and running up to him before coming to a stop "That ship has explosives on them, be careful in case the others do too" Heat reply's earning a frustrated sigh from the woman "Great that's just what we need, The Boss is still going mental, Killer is fighting a Captain a few ships over and now some of the ships might have explosives" She groans as other members of the crew start running over holding wooden crates and bags of gold. "Get the treasure back to the Victoria and tell the others to be on the look out, I'll inform Killer and Kid" Heat order the group who all nod before running off to the boat that will take them back to their ship. With Killer a few ships away and Kid further than that he knew he would have to swing his way over using the ropes while also fighting any marines that got in his way.

The marine Captain pants while holding his stomach after being slashed by Killers blade, other marines came in to help only to be quickly taken out by the first mate. Using the last of his strength the marine yells while running at the masked man bringing his sword down to slash at the masked man but Killer easily doges it while spinning his blades and cutting the marine captain in half. Two thunks hit the decks floor but after that it was silent, no more yelling, screaming or gunfire from the ship he's currently on until someone lands on the deck. Killer turns ready to fight only to see Heat, his friend letting go of the rope before stepping closer, anxiety wells up inside the masked man since head is supposed to be with you "Some ships have explosives but Hips group found some of the treasure" Heat explains as quickly as he can while looking out at the other ships seeing his Captain bringing a big mental hand down on one braking it in half and making it sink. Killer sighs before turning to look over at Kid "HAY KID" The first mate yells managing to get the captain's attention who jumps over to the ship their on, landing hard on the deck his boots cracking the wood bellow until he releases some of the metal on his arm making him much lighter "You found the treasure yet?" Kid asks walking over to the two, Heat nods but looks back to the ship you were on, his eyes widening when noticing it was heading towards the Victoria Punk "What the fuck is she doing?" He didn't mean to yell it out loud, but he didn't think you would bring the ship closer, unless it wasn't you doing it.

Killer and Kid jump at the sudden yell of their friend since its highly unlike him to yell, turning their attention to the ship he's looking at Killer places a hand on Heats shoulder turning his crew mate to face him "What is going on?" The masked man's voice was calm but there was a bit of worry in his voice "That ship has explosives on it, Y/n was supposed to steer it out to sea not towards the Victoria" Heat panics but soon hears Kid let out a laugh "Don't worry, look its turning away, our feisty girl's got this" The captain smiles watching as the marine ship heads further and further out to sea before starting to turn going to head to the marine ships that are coming as backup, the three relax knowing you now have the ship under your control "Alight lets get ba-" Kid goes to order when a cannon goes off soon followed by an explosion, his eyes widen as the ship you were on burst into flames and rips apart, a wave of hot hair rushes across the sea causing the water to ripples and bounces forcing the marine ships to crash into each other. The sound of creaking, cracking and yelling rings through the air as the marines and the Kid pirates all try to get to safety, marine ships thats crash into each other start to break apart making masts fall either hitting another ship or crashing into the water. The three covers their faces with their arms as the hot air reaches them almost forcing them back a bit while the marine ship their on sways a little, once the burning wave of heat passes the three look up from their arms seeing the burning mast of the ship you were on cracks apart and fall into the water as the ship starts to sink.

Kid curses out loud his heart pounding in his chest at the thought of losing you and the members of his crew that were on that ship, His legs move before he can tell them too starting to run off jumping from ship to ship, the explosion made all the ships move loser together so it was easy for the captain to jump from one to the next. Killer felt his heart stop for a second, but he hoped you had gotten off the ship before it went up in flames, The masked man was quick to follow his captain "Heat, get the rest of the crew back to the Victoria" Killer yells back stopping Heat from following. The first mate knew that with the marine ships still crashing into each other and falling apart that the rest of the crew is in danger. The two only stop when they make it to the last none sinking marine ship, but they were still not close enough. The burning ship is too far out to sea, the only things they could make out were pieces of wood floating and black shadow's under the water although they were too far away to know if it was a part of the ship or a person. "Kid, we should get the crew back to the Victoria, take out the other marine ships, and then we can look for Y/n and the others" The first mate finally speaks snapping the captain out of his spiraling thoughts of how they might find you, he didn't like the idea of backing off but on the other hand Killer was good at planning and it would be easier to find you and the other crew members without all the fighting and other marine ships around. "Shit, fine." Kid growls at Killer who nods letting his finger loop over one of his captains.

It didn't take too long for everyone to gather what they could and make it back to the Victoria, Kid sank a few ships on the way back and once all the crew other than your group was accounted for the Victoria unloaded Cannon fire ripping apart the marine ships along with some of the back up ones. Seeing they were out matched by the pirate crew the other marine ships fled out to sea, with the air around the sea now silent and night falling, Kid orders his crew to head over to the slightly burning marine ship and look for the rest of the crew. In groups the crew put small boats in the water and headed out as the Victoria sat in the water close by, their lantern's helped in the fading light while Killer and Kid stood in the dinosaurs skull looking out at the almost fully submerged ship. The wait was long making the already worried and tense atmosphere worse, when ever a lantern lingered too long hope and relief ran through the two but when it moved on with no call outs that feeling quickly vanished. Killer slowly moves his hand closer to Kids linking a finger with one of his captains who quickly grabs his hand holding it tight "We'll fine them all" Kid whispers mainly to himself but Killer nods stepping a little closer while squeezing his captains hand "They'll be fine" The first mate whispers back knowing Kid is worried about the crew but mainly you, the two don't like to show favorites but your their partner, their lover, it breaks their heart thinking of you hurt or gods forbid dead in the water.

Heat stands by the railing near the ladder waiting for the crew to find someone, anyone, guilt runs through him since he should have been on that ship with them. Wire tried to comfort his friend, but he knows until they found you and the others that guilt wouldn't be going away. A few boats soon head back bring them some hope but as they get closer its clear mainly by House's face that something was very wrong. House is your best friend on the ship and the doctor so for her normally cheerful face to be lifeless made them think the worst. Heat and Wire help them up onto the ship as Kid and Killer make their way over stopping as House looks down at the deck with a sigh "I'm sorry captain we didn't find anyone" Her hands clench into fists at her side as Hip walks over placing her hand on the doctors shoulder in comfort. "A few of us managed to check some of the inside but there are only dead marines" Hip continues for House who starting to shake a little trying not to cry in front of everyone. Killer grits his teeth feeling a crushing weight press against his chest, he didn't want his mind to wonder but it did, were you further inside the now sunken ship where they couldn't get too? Or where you at the bottom of the ocean? Kid looks down at the two girls unsure of how to react to the news, he was beyond angry but not at them, his crew did a good job, but he's also upset and frustrated the feeling of wanting to scream and break something consumed him. After a while of silence and Kid's glare out at sea getting more and more angry Wire ushers the crew who are still on the deck away from the situation.

Heat refuses to go though instead he walks up to his two longest and oldest friends "I-I'm sorry… I should have been on that ship with them. She told me to leave but i should have forced them all to come with me… I'm so sorry" Heat pants a little while gripping his arm tight, he's never felt this way before, guilt is something a pirate shouldn't feel but at the moment thats all he could feel. Kid sighs knowing his friend isn't at fault for this, no one thought that the marines would fire at their own ship knowing their men were still on it "I don't blame you" Kid suddenly states before turning and storming off, his boots heavy and loud on the deck as he tries to control his anger and hurt. Killer lets out a breath trying to clam himself down, he places a hand on Heats shoulder giving him a simple nod that tells him that its not his fault before running after his captain. Kid kicks open any door in his way as he heads to the bedroom, his mind fixed on one thing as Killer catches up to him trying to calm the red head down, hoping he wouldn't put holes in anymore walls or doors. "Kid, i know your angry, i am too but i'm sure she's out there" Killer tries to calm Kid but the captain ignores him while kicking open the door to their bedroom, luckily the hinges didn't break this time so Killer closes the door behind them knowing it will give them both the privacy they need at the moment. Heading straight for a chest of draws Kid looks over the small wooden box sitting on top of it, but he couldn't bring himself to open it.

The box contains three Vivre cards, Yours, Kid's and Killers, but he was scared that when he opened it there would only be two along with a pile of ash where yours should be. Killer sighs taking off his mask and placing it on the bed before walking over and placing a hand on his lovers shoulder "She's alive, i know it, we'll find her" The first mate moves his hand down to hold Kid's hand. The captain turns his head now seeing the face of the man he loves, it helps calm him a bit, but he still can't bring himself to open the box. Killer knows the man too well some times, so he squeezes Kids hand while the other moved to the box, unlatching it he can't help but hold his breath before opening the box. Relief flowed through the two as their eyes landed on your card, it was slightly burned at the edges but it was there which means your alive. They knew your hurt but the corners have stopped burning away which means you or someone has managed to patch you up as much as possible. The two let out a breath as Kid goes to picks up your card only for it to move slightly to the side, raising an eyebrow the captain looks to the window that the card was moving towards, it was just open sea. Killer picks up the card lightly feeling it with his fingers as it twitches in his hand trying to move in the direction you are "Either she's drifting out to sea or the marines have her" Killer sighs either way it was bad but at least now they have a way of finding you "If the marines have her then they most likely have the others too" Kid sighs while pinching the bridge of his nose while letting go of Killer and heading to the door, he places his hand on the handle but doesn't open it instead waiting for his partner to put his mask back on and join him "We'll set sail and follow the Vivre card" Kid states as Killer nods walking over to the door while fixing his mask into place.

----- You, Bubblegum, Boogie, Gig and Emma -----

Boogie breaks the surface of the water taking in a deep breath for air as he lifts you up out of the water, Gig reaches out helping to drag your uncontuse and bleeding body into the large slab of wood that was once part of the marine ship. Unfortunately for the group it was currently floating out to sea, the Victoria punk hardly visible from how far out they all are, the rippling waves forcing them further and further out to sea. "Shit, what do we do?" Emma asks as she leans over your body unsure of where to put her hands, Your head was bleeding badly but the gash on your shoulder was also oozing blood. "Stop sitting around and put pressure on something" Boogie yells as he gets onto the board of wood before crawling over and placing his large hands on your shoulder. Emma nods and places her hands on the top of your head trying to feel where the blood is coming from with slightly shaking hands. Gig nods at the orders starting to look over your burned legs, he may not be a doctor, but he knows better than to touch the burns in case they get infected, so he looks over your torso seeing blood and pieces of glass and wood sticking into your skin. "We need to get her to House" Gig gulps unsure how to help since the only doctor is on the Victoria Punk which is getting further and further away. Before anyone can answer or do anything a cannon ball lands next to them in the water the three shielding themselves while also trying not to fall off the slab of wood as the water ripples on one side almost toppling over.

A small marine ship glides through the water behind them soon coming to a halt as the cannons are aimed at them along with guns that several marines are holding "Your under arrest, put your hands up, and we won't kill you" A marine in a white coat steps closer yelling at the group bellow him, Gig growls while gripping his fists but the three are way out numbered and hurt with hardly any weapons so Boogie clears his throat while keeping pressure on your shoulder "Fine, we surrender" Emma and Gig turn to look at him in shock but the man sighs and looks down knowing they have no chose, Their Captain was too far away, you were injured and the three were just floating out to sea, they had no where to go. It was their best option, at least they would all get medical treatment and a place to rest, Their crew will come after them so there was no need to worry, Kid will set them all free soon. The Marines cuffed everyone before dragging you all onto the ship, forcing everyone who's awake onto their knees. The white coated marine looks the group over before sighing and turning his back "Take them to the cells" He waves his hand while walking away, Emma's eyes widen at his words "Hay wait aren't we going to get medical treatment… Our friends hurt" She calls out while struggling against the marine who's holding her cuffed hands behind her back, the white coated marine stops in his tracks and laughs throwing his head back while holding his stomach "Why would i help a bunch of pirates?" He asks before walking again some of the other marines laughing along with him.

Boogie growls kicking at one of the marines trying to force them to let him got, but they punch him in the face as the others are dragged off bellow deck to where the cells are. The four are thrown into a dark cell only lite by a single candle hung up high on the metal wall, the cell door closes and locks before the marines give them a smile and walk away. "Bastards get back here" Gig yells after them struggling to get to his feet with his injured leg and hands behind his back. "Guys?" A familiar voice calls out in happiness, Bubblegum steps out from the darkness his hands cuffed in front of him unlike the others, he was hurt a bit but has a reveled smile on his face. "Bubblegum, your ok" The three yell as the tall blue haired man runs over to them only for his smile to drop at seeing your body still bleeding on the floor "Oh shit" He states as the others sigh letting him over to you and kneel down to inspect your wounds. "Their refusing to treat any of our wounds.. what do we do?" Gig asks as he sits with his back to you his hands trying to hold pressure on your shoulder, but he couldn't tell if they were in the right place or not. Bubblegum adjusted his hands for him helping Gig put pressure on the right place before looking around the room trying to think of what they can use to help you out. "The blanket and candle, we can use the blanket to stuff the wound and then the wax over the top to hopefully seal it… Boogie hoist me up" The blue haired man walks over to the metal wall with his crew mate who kneels down letting the blue haired man sit on his shoulders.

It was a struggle to get the candle Bubblegum trying to balance as the ship slight sways but with their combined heights it wasn't long until Bubblegum grabbed the candle and pulled it out of its holder. The flame would be a better idea to use on your wound but the wick was short and it was their only sauce of light, if your blood got on the wick it would put the flame out, and they would be screwed. Emma runs over and grabs the blanket in the corner, it was thin and short, it would be batter as a pillow cover than a blanket but it'll have to do. Rushing over to you, Bubblegum gets to work, stuffing the blanket into your shoulder wound that Gig lets go of once he's told too. It hurt seeing you not move in any way, normally people would flinch or groan in pain but you were silent and unmoving while the blanket is stuffed into your shoulder, just like they though the blanket didn't do much to stop the bleeding which is why the candle came in handy. The others watch as Bubblegum lets the melted wax land on your shoulder wound coating the blanket and stopping the blood from seeping through, it will hopefully cause enough pressure to build stopping the bleeding all together but it'll take a bit of time. "What about her head?" Gig asks as he watches your shoulder stop leaking blood but your head was still bleeding, Bubblegum puts what's left of the candle down and starts looking through your blood soaked hair seeing a thick cut going from your forehead to the middle of your head, what ever hit you split the skin and may have busted your skull.

He thinks for a second before pulling his shirt off and ripping it to wrap around your head hoping it will stop the bleeding, he didn't want to put wax on the wound if there was a chance it might touch your brain. "I-i don't know, this will have to do for now" He sighs but Boogie leans over bumping the mans shoulder with a small smile "You did great for not being a doctor" The two let out a small laugh trying to cheer themselves up in this awful situation. "I'll take a look at the rest of you now, ok?" Bubblegum asks looking over his bruised and cut up friends who nod at him letting him do what he needs to, Boogie and Gig end up having to take their shirts off ripping them apart to help stop some bleeding, once done the four take a breather and relax for a bit, there was worry in the air but all of them had faith that their crew would come for them. "Where do you think their taking us?" Emma asks as she looks out the bars of the cell and into the dark hallway trying to make out what's around them, Gig shrugs as Boogie sighs "I don't know but i don't think it matters" The three raise an eyebrow at their crew mate wondering what thats supposed to mean, Boogie lets out a small laugh while leaning his head back against the wall "The captain as Y/N Vivre card, so they'll find us" The others relax knowing he's right, their captain will find them and get them out of here.

[simplywghost]

He's just a ghost (part 1?)

After Johnny's death everything changed within you, around you and even in the world, nothing looked as colorful anymore, your family was not as happy and everyone felt the absence of your brother.

Time went on slowly, every week felt like hell because how do you really get over a loss? And people were nice, they gave you hugs and words of encouragement that were filled with nothing but good intentions, but you doubted you could ever recover from this, he was your family, your role model and the light of everyone who knew him.

On the other hand, your family and your home was not the only place where absence paid a visit, it also walked through the barracks and his captain's office, it hugged his teammates and although everyone was painfully used to losses... this one was different, it felt more heartbreaking.

Ghost hated to admit it but his mind wandered to memories of his mate, of that accent that he repudiated and now tried to reproduce in his mind, of the jokes that did make people laugh but he never allowed himself to laugh, which felt bad now. He was a nostalgic man, he lived in the past although he did not like to relive those moments.

And he felt alone, maybe that's why he was encouraged to open the letter you sent him under another name with fingers numb from the cold and assumed that the person writing had already sent letters to members of the army, his full name was written next to his unit. He ran his fingers all over the paper that had been crumpled a little from the stack of other letters, it was kind of cliché but it was the best way to communicate when there was no signal.

“I don't really understand how to start a letter, in fact I have never known, even though I have written so many, I didn't study the reason very well either.

Maybe I feel alone, I don't know, what I have known for quite some time is that I am sad and writing makes me forget a little how monotonous and gray my life has become.”

Ghost looked at the window for a moment, his hand reaching for the old wood of the cabin where they spent the night, thinking for a moment that the feelings of the person who wrote to him coincided with his own, his vision was lost for a moment in the darkness and the snow before returning to the letter.

“Is the army as depressing as they say? I can't come to grips with the reality that blood and death is a lifestyle that people choose by choice, it's selfish, your loved ones worry and fear for your well-being while you flee from the tranquility of a comfortable life."

Simon had to stop to chuckle. “I have no loved ones, darling.” He muttered as he shook his head slowly and settled on the floor as best as he could, his back resting against the wood that creaked with every movement and the musty smell was seeping through his mask into his lungs, how was it possible, with so much snow?

“What I want to say is that I don't understand how you can carry the weight of death on your shoulders without it driving you crazy, it's too much and I get exhausted just thinking about it.

Maybe I need help, for you to allow me to see with your eyes to see if I learn to cope with what I feel now.”

He bit his cheek, his eyes lowered to the end of the letter, where there was a mail address just in case he wanted to respond and the initial of a letter that he deduced was random.

Ghost let out a sigh, it was early morning and his eyes hurt, burning from the amount of time he had spent awake, his body was numb from the cold despite all the layers of clothing that covered his skin, however he managed to stand up and lazily look for a piece of paper that was in decent condition to answer.

It didn't matter who he was, what mattered was that he had an address to send the response to and that he too felt the loneliness eating away at his brain like a virus, he felt exhausted and hopeless, Soap's death had been so unexpected... well, like everyone else's, it was part of the job.

There was a piece of paper in one of the kitchen drawers and he grabbed  it along with a pen that looked about to give in, but trying was what he should do and he doubted it, he had not written a letter for a long time and although he did not consider himself a bitter old man, he never had much to say.

“The army is often not only an obligation but also an escape for many who do not find a home in their house, it is sinister at first, I am not going to lie. There are daily situations that make you wonder if you want to continue there and even if you feel like you are made of iron, many things change you forever.

Time gets you a little used to all the mess and you find yourself unable to feel the same level of terror that you felt as a newbie, which is worse because it often led me to wonder what was I becoming.

I could never spend too much time thinking about whether I feel alone or scared, it's probably what caught my attention the most about the job, it doesn't stop for anyone, it doesn't let us stop to think if it's what we want or not".

His hand hurt from writing so fast and he dropped the pen once he finished, it was a little short but he wasn't used to sending letters, he didn’t have a big family, he wasn't a lover, a son, a father, he wasn't anyone, just a ghost.

He walked slowly back to the window and collapsed on the floor, letting out a sigh and feeling the heaviness of fatigue, closing his eyes. He would sleep badly and wake up sore, but that was better than not sleeping.

The next morning they all left the cabin to a place a little fuller of civilization and he was able to send the letter by mail to the address you left him. He didn't know when it would arrive as it was never a quick process, but he found himself longing for the response. It was the only way he had to feel connected to the outside, so he limited himself to asking questions that might make you simply not answer anymore.

And just as Simon imagined, the letter was in your hands fifteen days later, you read it with tears in your eyes because although his personality and Johnny's were not even remotely similar, he reminded you of your brother, because the 141 was part of him and his essence.

That was precisely the reason why you were talking to him through letters, because you needed to feel connected to someone who was no longer there and your only connection right now was Simon, it was strange, not him but this whole situation, you had met Ghost only once and you felt intimidated, his cold gaze under that mask was so hard and emotionless, he really lived up to that nickname, he was like a ghost.

You sighed, sitting on the kitchen chairs and looking out the window, the weather outside was merciless, the snow was destroying everything in its path and you could no longer see the floor, that weather reminded you of your childhood, the layers of thick snow covered the cars and yet the discomfort of humidity was more present than the cold.

You got lost in thought with the letter in hand before looking at it again, praying that this mysterious man would return safely from deployment, you imagined that he, like you, had felt the loss, so now part of you and of your pain was with him.

[quillsandtypos]

The Edge in Revenge

Words: 3k

Warnings: smut, degradation, female oral receiving, sexual edging, and underage drinking mentioned (NO SEASON 2 SPOILERS, I just started watching season one but I needed to get this out of my head)

Pairings: JJ Maybanks x fem!reader

...........................................

JJ really shouldn’t have been the one to underestimate what you were capable of doing in the name of revenge. He’d been fucking with you all day. It had started that morning, you were alone in his kitchen as the other Pogue’s were still asleep. He had you pinned up against the wall lightly sucking on the side of your neck. As he trailed down to your collarbone he suddenly pulled away. You furrowed your brows at him but he just winked and smirked before he walked away; leaving you wet and confused.

Then later after lunch he managed to get you alone before you and the other pogue’s went out on the water. You were still inside grabbing the cooler, as everyone else was already on the boat. He snuck up behind you unbeknownst to you. You felt his hot breath on his ear. “You need help with that princess?” he asked cockily. You felt his warm cock press against the back of your ass, and his hand was at the small of your back.

“Oh definitely,” you responded eagerly. You turned to him as he easily pulled you in with one arm around your back, and the other at the back of your neck. Your lips interlocked, and you hungrily kissed him back, almost begging for more. But just as the time before, he quickly pulled back. Grabbing the cooler from behind you and heading out the door. With a ‘thanks!’ and a barely contained giggle. Oh he was a dead man, you decided right then that revenge was most definitely an order.

So you came up with the perfect scheme. If he wanted to play that game, then he would quickly learn who he was quite literally playing with.

“Ki,” you said. You quickly pulled her away from the boys. “I need a favor, I need you to get JB and Pope away from JJ.”

“Do I even want to know?” she laughed.

“It’s in the name of revenge,” you offered hopefully. She let out a long fake sigh.

“Hmm, let me think,” she took a long pause.

She cracked a smile. “I’m just kidding, you should’ve started with the revenge part.”

“Yes! Thank you,” you said, hugging her tightly.

“Come on JB, we’re gonna go help Pope with whatever he’s doing in the kitchen,” she said, pulling him along.

“What? Oh, okay,” John agreed confusedly as he awkwardly followed her.

And so then there were two. You casually flopped yourself down on JJ’s lap, who seemed slightly startled at first, but then just wrapped his arms around your waist. As much as it was a sweet gesture, you didn’t sit there to be sweet, so you needed to ruin the moment. Lightly, you rolled your hips back so you went right across his dick, and then rolled forward, making sure to move slowly but applying a small amount of your body weight as pressure. You weren’t certain he was giving you a look that could kill, but you didn’t bother looking. But what you did do was speed up a little bit until you felt his dick grow hard.

Smiling a smug grin you moved to get off of him. But his arms helds you there. He swiftly pulled you down onto his chest so your right ear was directly next to his mouth. “When we are alone next, I’m gonna fuck you till you’re screaming,” he whispered lowly.

You adjusted your head so you could see his face. “As if you could ever have that effect on me,” you smirked.

“Care to up the stakes then? Or are you too chicken?” His eyes gleamed, and at the same time so did your’s.

“Name your price,” you said confidently.

“If I can get you to beg, then you owe me a six pack of beers.”

“That’s it?” you asked, surprised.

He raised his eyebrows, “Fine, a six pack of beers, and you have to go skinny dipping with me next Friday night.”

“But I have to work next Friday,” you suddenly remembered.

“What? Not feelin so cocky now princess? Afraid you’ll lose?” he taunted.

You narrowed your eyes at him. “Of course not. So what do I get if I can make you beg?” You poked him in the chest for emphasis.

“Alright, if you win, then you get me as your personal boat driver, or person who gets you things, or whatever,” he offered.

“You sure that’s quite a high bargain JJ?” you now taunted back.

“Yeah, I’m not worried,” he replied cockily. He offered you his hand to shake and you took it.

“Prepare to be my personal maid,” you said.

“You better prepare to beg,” he countered.

You moved off of him just as your friends came out of the kitchen. “You guys wanna come with, we’re going for a night swim?” Johnny B offered.

“Nah, we might be out later though,” JJ answered before you could.

“Suit yourselves,” Pope shrugged. Kiera sent you a wink before also heading out the door with them.

JJ and you practically booked it to his room as soon as they shut the door. You quickly grabbed a condom from his drawer where you knew them to be by memory. You turned to throw him the condom to see that he was already on his bed with his shirt off. Every piece of your body was drawn to his chest and the way his back muscles looked in the low light, but you weren’t going to let him know that. So you deflected.

“Someone’s eager,” you commented.

“I-” JJ started to defend himself but the comment got stuck in his throat as he watched your movements. You began slipping your shirt off to reveal a black bra that was sheer, and lacy around the straps and underwire area. It pushed your boobs up nicely and accentuated your cleavage perfectly. JJ was a mess.

“This is so not fair,” he groaned, his jaw practically on the floor.

You knew the effect the lingerie would have on him, which is exactly why you picked it. “What? You too chicken J?” you said, using his taunt from earlier.

Your words made him recover quickly. “No, of course not,” he scoffed.

“That's what I thought you’d say,” you smirked. Now you let your jean shorts fall to the floor, so you were able to show your black thong, which was not as fancy looking, but you knew it would practically make JJ lose it.

You were right, he looked like you had placed him under a spell. When he finally snapped out of it, he pointed next to him. “Bed princess. Now.”

He was almost making this too easy. “I don’t know about that. How about please?”

JJ nearly opened his mouth, but quickly caught himself before he could say anything. “Fine, I’ll do it myself,” he smirked. He moved off the bed, to grab you. You tried to avoid his hands, but there wasn’t much room to run around, so he easily caught you. He threw you onto his bed, and you let out a small yelp of surprise. Before you could even think about running off again, he jumped on the bed, flipped you onto your back, and pinned you. His knees were on your hands, effectively keeping you from touching him.

“Are you going to be a good slut and scream for me?” he asked. His face a few inches from yours.

“Not a chance J,” you smiled.

“Have it your way then, but either way, you’ll still be moaning my name.” His arms lowered so he could dip down to kiss a couple inches above your collarbone. His knees still held your hands in place. He sucked hard against your skin, making sure to leave marks.

“Wait, no marks JJ,” you told him.

“Should’ve told me that sooner now everyone’s gonna know that you lost a bet,” he teased.

“In your dreams,” you scoffed.

JJ didn’t have a comment on that, but went back to work leaving you many bruises that you would have to cover the next morning. Oh how you wished your hands could be in his hair at the moment. He made an agonizingly slow trail down to your bra, before removing it and throwing it onto the floor of his room. He then started sucking on one of your breasts letting his lower lip just gently brush against your nipple everytime he sucked above it. He had found out about the spot driving you crazy the first time you had sex, and now you were strongly wishing you had never told him.

You had your mouth clenched rather tightly so that no moans would escape your lips. Unfortunately for you, your boyfriend noticed that.

“Come on y/n, just let it out. You know that no one can make you cum like I do,” he taunted.

Luckily, his temporary break gave you a chance to get control of yourself again. “Fuck off,” you retorted.

“Yeah, that was kinda the plan.” He grinned devilishly.

He must’ve realized that he was not going to get you to break by doing that, and instead moved farther down to pull your panties off.

His head ducked down to your pussy, but he made eye contact just as he did so. “You still feeling cocky?” he asked.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Alright, then let’s see how long that lasts since you’re such a slut for me,” he said with a wink before ducking his head fully down. He sucked another hickey on the inside of your thigh, and he slowly started licking towards your pussy. You could practically feel his tongue against your clit, but he was taking his sweet time.

“Stop teasing,” you finally groaned out.

“Is that begging I hear?” he questioned.

“No, I’m telling,” you said matter of factly.

“Yes ma’am,” he agreed with a chuckle.

His tongue slowly started lapping across your folds, occasionally flicking along your clit. Oh god you were in heaven, but simultaneously in hell because you couldn’t make a peep. His tongue once again licked across your spot, and you had to slap your hands over your mouth to keep a moan from escaping your lips. You could feel the smirk on his lips, but you weren’t going to let him have the satisfaction of knowing how much he was affecting you.

A few whimpers nearly came out of your body, and your hands were nearly shaking from trying to hold it in. But all of a sudden you realized that letting it out may be to your advantage, hearing your noises of pleasure, always had quite the effect on him.

So you did. Every moan, and whimper you let him hear. He thought that he was getting to you, which truthfully he was, but the game was far from over.

“You’re eating me out so good,” you moaned.

Your plan was already working; you noticed that he started to pick up the pace.

“Oh god JJ!” you screamed as he licked over a good spot on your pussy.

He continued licking in that exact spot which almost made you want to give up the bet right then in there. You felt shivers go through your spine as your core started to heat up but you were too stubborn to lose yet.

“No one fucks me like you do,” you moaned, knowing damn well the effect it would have on him.

Your plan seemed to have worked as he quickly took off his shorts, put on the condom, and just as his cock was about to enter you, you stopped him.

“Beg,” you insisted.

“Y/n fucking pl-” You had nearly had him, but he managed to stop himself before the words tumbled out.

You smirked, as he finally realized what you were doing. He however was now hell bent on making you lose. JJ climbed back on top of you with new vigor. “You’re smart, which is exactly why breaking you will be so much more fun,” he taunted. His head went back down again.

Your hands entangled in his hair as he went back to licking every single nook and cranny that he could find. “Fuck,” you whimpered as he once again licked your even more sensitive clit. You could feel the tension burning in your core, and a tingling sensation starting to spread all over. You started to buck your hips from the stimulation, and JJ was quick to force you back down. As his flicking became more rapid, you felt your body start to tense up.

“JJ I’m gonna-” you had started, but suddenly he had stopped.

“Beg,” he told you. And as much as you wanted to give in you were determined to knock the cocky grin off his face.

You sat up on your elbows. “Make me.”

JJ looked delighted by your answer. “That’s fine I got all night.”

“Inside me JJ,” you told him. You knew he wanted to make you beg for that as well, but you knew that he wanted to be inside you more.

He thrusted his cock into you and you did your best not to slide backwards from him pushing into you. “Oh my god you’re so wet for me, you really have been waiting.”

After he had checked on you he began slowly thrusting into you, going deep into you. “Oh shit,” he moaned. He would have to explain a lot of scratches across his back tomorrow but quite frankly you didn’t care.

“JJ!” you half moaned, half screamed as he went down again.

“You’re such a dirty slut for me aren’t you?” he taunted you.

You wanted to have some sort of retort but all that came out of your mouth was another moan, which just egged him on more.

“Come on, I know you’re tempted.”

Truthfully, you were extremely tempted, but you could surely outlast him right? But then you had an idea, he couldn’t stop it if he didn’t know what was coming. So as you felt your body starting to be strung out again you did you best to keep your breathing the same, and to not move around as much. But just as you felt the tension building he stopped.

“JJ?” you groaned in confusion.

“You seriously don’t think I don’t know when you’re going to have an orgasm?” he laughed. He pushed his hair out of his face and grinned down at you.

“Y/n you might as well just give up now, and spare yourself,” he suggested.

Collecting what small amount of strength you had left you said “Not a chance.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he smirked.

The warning was evidently very necessary, your whole body was starting to feel ten times more sensitive than it usually did. Every thrust sent a wave of pleasant goosebumps through your body. Your legs were shaking, and your voice was admittedly starting to go away. Your body felt like it was screaming that it wanted to orgasm. He started to slow down, but you were so close. You attempted to buck your hips into his to get the feeling back but he held you down. With a satisfactory grin on his face, that you needed it so bad.

“You’re not getting an orgasm unless you beg and we both know that I could fuck you for hours,” he taunted.

“Fine, fine, fine, please, please, please let me cum J, please. I am begging you,” you whined.

“That’s all you had to say princess,” he smirked. Finally his pace picked back up, to a more rapid one.

“Fuck you feel so good,” you moaned to him. There was no point keeping it in now. Your hips bucked in rhythm with his, as he moved in and out. But his rhythm slowed down as what you recognized as his climax.

“Oh god,” you heard him say as it finally hit him. His moans of pleasure only sped up your’s. “Fuck,” he moaned on top of you. But he managed to push himself back up to go down into you a couple more times for you to reach your climax.

Your whole body felt like it was on fire with tingles. The feeling spread from your stomach to your breasts to throughout your whole body. Your legs began to shake and you couldn't form words anymore. The only coherent thought you could form was how good you felt. Even after you had reached your climax, you had a sense of euphoria that you just couldn’t shake.

Eventually, you felt JJ start to move out of you, and you both whimpered slightly from how sensitive you were. You saw him take the condom off and throw it away. You lay in bed, still breathing heavily.

“Give me your hand, we’re going to the bathroom,” he said sweetly, but insistently. You groaned but you didn’t protest.

After you had used the toilet, you both flopped back down in his bed. It was quiet for a couple minutes before JJ spoke up.

“You know I’m really excited to see what beers you get me,” he teased.

“Shut up,” you laughed, lightly smacking him in the arm.

He lightly smacked you back. “Oh and don’t forget to call off for Friday tomorrow morning,” he grinned.

“I hate you,” you said as you rolled over.

“I love you,” he said sweetly, as he wrapped his arms around your midsection.

He always had a way of making you happy. “Love you too J,”

“Goodnight princess,” he said as he kissed your cheek.

“Goodnight JJ.” And you quickly fell fast asleep in his arms.

Needless to say, the other pogue’s weren’t worried that you never came outside. They knew where they would find the two of you the next morning.

[sockablock]

hey are requests still open bc I am still FULLY CRYING about Molly coming back to life holy SHIT. I have a thing I want to request and that’s Molly having to come to terms with whatever changes his body went through - new blood hunter abilities, longer hair, the much larger scar from Lucien’s v gory death - after he comes back to life.

Molly doesn’t ask what happened to Nott. He doesn’t ask them where they are. He doesn’t even ask who Essek is, and only gives Caduceus a friendly pat on the shoulder before turning away and wandering off.

His feet are bare on the soft teal grass. This time of year in the Blooming Grove, faint glowing insects hover around his ankles. The leaves of the old blue wisteria trees hang like a sheet across the sky. He is wrapped in a cloak of quiet moonlight, grey on the graves as he passes by.

Eventually, he comes to a lone headstone. It is long, and flat, and smooth. He sits down.

If he is different in any way, nobody says. It’s taken him a few days to find his words again, and it’s clear that his memories are still trickling back. Veth had joked that he used to be more entertaining, but they all know that his returning in any capacity is already nothing short of a miracle. To the Mighty Nein, he is still as miraculous as before.

To himself—to Mollymauk, he thinks he’s a bit leaner. He’d never really been one for rigorous training—not aside from what it took to throw a sword and catch it—and yet, this body seems hardened, now. It’s still a bit sore in some inconvenient places, and the tall one, Caduceus, mentioned that he shouldn’t do anything too strenuous to avoid opening his scar. This newest mark runs like a seam down his shoulder to his navel, making the rest of his scars look like paper cuts. He isn’t exactly sure how to feel about that, yet. Beau offered to help him design a tattoo to cover it, and he isn’t sure how to feel about that yet, either.

A faint breeze runs through the Grove, tousling his hair. It’s longer now, and Molly might have liked that more if he’d been around to enjoy it. He suspects that he might have been, in one way or another, though not nearly present enough to make the executive choices. Otherwise, he might have tried braids. Maybe hair dye. Not  only that, but the...what had Caleb called him? The “previous occupant” had taken off Molly’s horn charms and necklaces. For the second-life of him, Molly can’t remember if he’d kept them. He can’t remember much about the last ten months—which might be alright. He doesn’t know if he wants to.

(He does remember some things, though. He remembers taking his shirt off the first night at the Grove and seeing the other scar left behind. It is closed now, and healed well over with blood magic, but when Molly reaches up and traces it down, he can feel how the cut drips into his abdomen. He remembers how it felt to have the blood pouring over, to boil with fury and die of shock, under the stars.)

He looks at them now. They haven’t changed a bit.

Another wind kicks up. Molly isn’t sure exactly what time of year it is, but he shivers. The Clays are kind, but the whole family towers over Molly, so their spare clothes fit him poorly. Firbolgs are also—well, furred—and Molly suspects that this borrowed tunic is on the thin side. His tail curls inward as he realizes he’s going to sneeze. He feels his muscles tense, he breathes in—

And suddenly, something warm is draped across his shoulders. He glances up.

“Oh. Yasha?“ His voice is strained. It feels as if Molly hasn’t spoken in a year, but at the same time, he feels like his throat is worn. Almost like he’s been giving frequent speeches with wild abandon. Now that he’s had some time to recover, the combined effect sounds like someone trying to remember how to talk, but only being allowed to do it through a rusty pipe.

“Come to join me in my musings?” he still says, stubbornly.

“She’s not the only one. ‘Sup.”

Molly doesn’t have to turn to know that Beauregard has walked into the rows of graves just behind Yasha. The two of them have been pretty attached to each other lately, except for when Yasha comes to check on Molly. The strongest part of him, the part that hung on the longest, is privately quite pleased by this.

“And you’ve given me your cloak.” He grins, but just at Yasha. “How kind of you, my dear.”

Okay, so not that privately.

“I was worried you’d be cold,” Yasha says, concern endearing. “Sorry your old coat wasn’t doing better. Jester says she can probably Mend it, or try to paint you a new one—“

Molly waves his hand. “No, no need, dear. I should do it. It’ll give me a thing to work on.”

Yasha nods. “I’ll let her know.”

Distantly, Molly can hear footsteps approaching. He counts four, maybe five pairs, if one of them is lighter. After a moment, there’s the sigh of cloth, and six pairs are walking.

Movement joins Molly on the headstone. He turns, and now Beau is seated beside him. Yasha stands like a guardian at his back.

Both of them are much, much wearier, Molly notices. Even though it’s been less than a year since his “death,” Beau is riddled with new scars from combat, and Yasha’s tattoos have gotten much bolder. Oddly, that’s reassuring.There’s something in the fact that Molly’s body changed, but theirs did too. And even if he can’t remember it, that’s something they have in common.

On the other hand, though, it makes him feel...he shakes his head. He gazes outward.

He asks, “Why did you follow me, then?”

Beau responds first. She does so with a snort. “Of course we’d follow you, you idiot. You were our friend—or...okay, technically, at the time you’re actually a crazy cult leader—“

“No, I meant—“

She cuts him off. “Right, yeah, details. Not important. Listen, it...it was a whole long thing, and it was complicated, but the important part is that we really, just really wanted you back. That’s why we did any of it. All of it. And why nothing could stop us.”

“Not even me?”

“Hell, no. Since when could you stop me?”

Molly chuckles at that. He glances at Yasha. “Is that true?”

“Which part?” she says. Then she says, “Yes. It is.”

He matches the tiny smile on her face. Then he turns back to stare at the woods past the graveyard while behind him, the rest of the Mighty Nein come to a halt.

His smile widens. “What I was actually trying to ask, though, is why you all followed me here. Just now. I thought you were going to prepare for dinner?”

“My parents took over,” Caduceus says. “They told us to take a break.”

“Besides!” With a burst of jewelry and her flouncing skirts, Jester squeezes onto the other end of Molly’s headstone. “We wanted to spend more with you!”

“Now that you’re interesting again,” adds Nott, taking a seat at the base of the stone with Fjord. He reaches up to wink at Molly, “Hey, roomie.”

“I thought I should get to know you as well,” says the new voice. Molly remembers that his name is Essek. “We, ah...we are both purple, so that is something we already have in common.”

Molly laughs at that. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Caleb. “It’s like there are two of you now. Like your shadow. Or a duplicate.”

“I am still the funny one,” Caleb says. “I plan on defending that title. Even from you.”

Molly laughs again, and this time, he does turn. He can see that the whole group have gathered around him now, sitting beside him, standing behind him, in the grass.

They are all so tired. They are all much stronger. Molly has gathered from the scars on their bodies—as well as from the scars on his own—just how powerful they must be now. He knows that he isn’t the same, either. Sometimes his blood feels like its boiling. Sometimes he is moving, and he can swear that it’s through snow.

But the Mighty Nein are here. There are nine of them, now. And that, he thinks, in and of itself, must be a miracle. And as he looks at them now, drinking their presence in, he thinks...

Maybe some things haven’t changed, after all.

—

✨ Ko-Fi Link in Bio! ✨ | Requests are OPEN

[lovelyminnieee]

Without you- J.J.H

Pairing: Jaehyun x reader

Genre: Angst, Fluff

Warnings: Car accident mentions, mentions of death, father!Jaehyun, Coma, mentions of losing a loved one

Summary: Jaehyun doesn't want to deal with life anymore. Without you there to hug him, or tell him it was okay to cry, he didn't want to even come home, unless it was for his daughter. He missed you, so much he could go crazy. Maybe you will never come back, he hasn't lost hope yet. Will you be able to comeback to him and your daughter's lives again?

A/n: this is my first fic on my account, feedbacks would be deeply appreciated. Uh, I am a little nervous to post it, but please do give me feedbacks. And the paragraphs written in italics are memories

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It's been 3 years. Three years without you. There wasn't one day where he didn't think of you. Your daughter and the way she reminds him of you. He's tired of it, tired of life. Without you there to comfort him, tell him it's okay to cry, he's tired.

"Eun ha, we have to get to school!" Jaehyun shouts from one end of the apartment, packing her lunch. "Coming daddy!" His daughter waddles over to him, struggling to put her shoes on. "Let me do it," Jaehyun said as he picked her up and put her on the table. He smiles as he puts her shoes on quickly, placing her down after. "Let's go, okay baby?" Jaehyun holds her little hand, her bag in his other hand.

Jaehyun opened the door to the apartment and sighed. An empty home was not really welcoming. You weren't there to hug him, tell him that you love him. His habits haven't changed, he sat down on the couch and pulled out his phone.

"I miss you so fucking much..."

He texted your number. He missed you so much, he was going crazy. He closed his eyes, trying to hold tears bay. He sent you a picture of Eun ha in her dress up outfit. Like a princess.

"Look at Eun ha, she looks so pretty. Just like you baby"

His fingers type, the memories flooding in. He took you for granted while you were there, and that is the thing he regrets the most in life. 

"I understand, but you can't just ignore me like that, Jae," you said, angry. He was ignoring you for the past few days, and you had no idea why. He said it was because of work, but he wasn't there at work during work hours. "No Jae, you're not working, you're somewhere else during work hours," you said, your eyes staring at him. Jaehyun paused for a minute, speechless. He was preparing something special for you, and that was the reason. "I- I was-" Jaehyun sighed. You were getting on his nerves. "Y/n, just leave me alone. You don't understand," he said and walked away, frustrated at your behaviour. You didn't know why you got angry so quickly, you were usually so calm and collected during arguments. "So now you want me to leave you alone?" You scoffed. Jaehyun turned around and stared at you. "Isn't that what I just said?" He stares back at you. "So it's completely okay for you to go out during work hours? And ignore me when you come home? What the fuck, Jae?" You raised your voice a little. "Can you not right now? I'm frustrated, Y/n." Jaehyun tried to keep his cool. "Jae, I've been dealing with so many things, do you think you're the only one who deals with stress?" You ask him, tears swelling in your eyes. Jaehyun closed his eyes, trying to stay collected. Maybe you had a reason to be mad this quick. "You might as well be cheating on me, or lying to me. And what not-"

"WHY ARE YOU BEING LIKE THIS Y/N?-"

"BECAUSE I WANTED TO TELL YOU I WAS PREGNANT, JAE!"

Jaehyun went silent. His heart pounded in his chest at the news. Well, that certainly wasn't a good way to release the news. She was pregnant? He thought.

"You're what?"

"You know what, nevermind," you walked away, wiping your tears. Jaehyun ran up to you and hugged you from behind. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Jaehyun whispered, kissing your neck softly. "I'm hurt, Jae." You whispered, your voice cracking. "I'm so sorry," he said, his hands softly resting over your tummy. Jaehyun's face ceased into a smile, continuing to press his lips against your neck. "I'm going to be a father," Jaehyun's eyes teared up as he twirled you around and kissed you softly. Everything felt unreal at that moment. He was going to be a dad. His heart swelled in happiness, pulling your waist closer to him.

"I'm so sorry about everything. I love you so much"

He pressed the send button, his eyes tearing up.

"Please come back to me, to Eun ha"

Tears ran down his cheeks and his world darkened again. Three years of torture. Three years without you. He doesn't know how he's going to manage. He shifted on the couch, staring mindlessly at the ceiling. "I miss you so much, Y/N." He whispered, holding his tears in. He had to visit you at the hospital soon, so he put his emotions aside for a moment and got up. He walked to his room and changed in a few minutes, grabbing his bag and walking out the door.

"Hi baby, I'm here," he whispers softly, walking closer to your bed. Your parents had been taking care of you for the past two days because he was busy, but now that he's here, he wants to tell you everything. He knows you're listening, unable to talk. "How are you, love? Is everything okay? Does it hurt?" He asks, gently caressing your hands. He misses your whiny self. Whatever he said, the room was so silent when it was supposed to be filled with your sweet voice. He sighs and closes his eyes, trying to hold in his emotions. "I miss you so much," his voice comes out as a broken whisper. "I can't do this anymore. I can't do this without you, please come back, I'm sorry," he cries, holding your hand close to him. Jaehyun remembers the day the accident happened.

"I'll meet you at home, babe. I love you," he said, cutting the call with a smile on his face. "You make me feel so single," Johnny whispers from his work desk, sighing. "Come on, John. You can bag girls if you try," Jaehyun chuckled as he put on his jacket. "Lucky, you get to go home early while I'm stuck with hyuck, great." Johnny rolls his eyes. Jaehyun just chuckles, walking out of his shared office space.

"So, how was work today?" Jaehyun asked, his eyes focused on the road. "Bad, all that man had to say was I did a bad job and screamed at me. The audacity," you scoffed on the other side of the phone. "Which man? The manager or the CEO?"

"Of course it has to be the manager. He's so annoying I swear," you sighed.

"Oh well, I'll ask him to shut the fuck up next time so he won't annoy you, okay?"

"Ew that was so cheesy, Jae," you cringed behind the phone. Before Jaehyun could even process your reply, loud crashes and screams were heard. He called for you repeatedly, only to realise that you weren't replying.

"I'm so sorry, if I hadn't distracted you, you would still be here for me." Jaehyun cries hard. He looks up at you to see tears running down the side of your face. "Sssh, don't cry," he said, wiping your tears and letting his hand rest on your face. He places a soft kiss on your forehead, his heart hurting at the sight of you. You laid in the bed, limp and pale. "Hey, you know..." He sniffled. "I met your manager on my way here today," he smiled, trying to get the mood better.

"And then, she was trying to write C, but Eun ha wrote it like it was mirrored," Jaehyun giggles softly, his hand still caressing yours. Your hands felt warm to him, and it was the best thing in the world to him. Just as he was about to let the unknown tears in his eyes fall, he felt something. He felt your hand move. His gaze snapped to your hands, which once moved. "Baby, can you do that again for me?" He says hastily, trying not to cry. And he sees a movement, yet again. "Wait for me, I'll go get the doctors, okay?" He says and hurries out of the room, holding himself together. He will come apart any second, but now was not the time.

Doctors rush in and out of the room as Jaehyun watches from the side, tears falling. He had called his mother and asked her to pick Eun ha up from school, just so that he can stay with you longer. "Mr. Jeong?" The doctor called. Jaehyun's cloudy gaze snapped to the doctor, hurrying over to the man. His first clenches in the anticipation of the news as the doctor smiles. "This is the first time I've seen something like this. Her senses are responding to the tests, after a full three years." The doctor tells him. "Is that good?" Jaehyun askes, sniffling. "Yes. Mrs. Jeong's health seems to be progressing so much more than the last three years, she has a higher chance of recovering from the coma for a week or so," Dr. Cho assures him, patting him on the shoulder before he leaves. Jaehyun stares at you for a moment before he comes closer to you. "Hey baby, you're gonna come back to me and Eun ha, aren't you?" Jaehyun asks softly, tears welling in his eyes yet again. "You will, I know it." He kissed your forehead again.

The hopeful week was crucial. Jaehyun visits you everyday of the week with Eun ha, trying his best to make you happy. He'd give his life up for you because what he and his daughter needed the most during this time was you. He had to go to work nevertheless, but you would never be left without a visitor. Mostly being his or your parents and your kid, or him and Eun ha. He was hopeful until the last day of the week rolled over, and he got a call from the doctor.

"Mr. Jeong, I need to talk to you as fast as possible."

"Is there a problem, Dr. Cho?"

He hears a sigh from the other side that sends fear through him.

"We need to talk as fast as possible. Can you make it to the hospital now?"

"Of course, give me 30 minutes, doc,"

Jaehyun cut the call, panic settling within him.

"Johnny, please take care of this document for me. I just got a call from Dr. Cho. I need to go, okay?"

"Yes sir, don't worry about it,"

Johnny said, gesturing to him to hurry on his way. Jaehyun rushed out of the building, getting into his car in no time. In fifteen minutes, he was there at the hospital. He found the same office he's been visiting for the last three years in a couple of minutes, panting as he barged in through the door.

"I was expecting you, Mr. Jeong," Dr. Cho said, sitting upright. He had a bad feeling about what he was going to hear. "I need you to sit down and take a deep breath," the doctor said, sympathy marked in his eyes. Jaehyun sat down hesitatingly, staring at the doctor.

"Would you like something to drink or...?"

"Cut the crap, Dr. Cho,"

Jaehyun snapped. The man just sighed, looking him in the eye. "Your wife, Mrs. Jeong, was pronounced brain dead over 20 minute ago. She had a stroke which caused the brain to stop working," Jaehyun's broken world came crashing down in a few seconds as soon as he heard the news.

"What?"

"Sir, you need to calm-"

"No no no, she hasn't died yet. She can't die yet. You said she was making steady progress, YOU SAID SHE MIGHT WAKE UP, WHY CHANGE YOUR WORDS NOW?!" Jaehyun asked, tears running down his cheeks.

"Jaehyun, listen. It was a stroke that prompted brain death. We can keep her on a machine which pumps oxygen onto her organs which will keep her warm, but it won't do anything,"

"Can you step out for a minute?" Jaehyun asked him, his voice soft. "Of course," the doctor said, moving on his way out.

Jaehyun takes in the news, tears pouring out of his eyes. All he asked for was you and God denied. Great, he hopes that he at least gets to see you one last time. He stepped out of the doctor's office with red eyes and nose. "Can I see her for the last time?" Jaehyun requests, to which the doctor agrees. Tears kept flowing on his way to the room, wiping then with the sleeve of his shirt.

"Go on in," the doctor says, gesturing at the door. Jaehyun holds onto the handle and hesitates before sliding the door open. He keeps his eyes locked on to the floor and when he does lift his eyes, surprise strikes him. You were up, alive and well. Jaehyun blinks before wiping his eyes and looking again. "Jae..." His name rolls off your tongue, bringing him back to earth. He didn't say anything, but he rushed to you and engulfed you in a big hug. He held you close to him, not letting go. It's not like you wanted to let go either. "Jae..." You said, letting your head rest on his shoulder, arms wrapped around him tightly. "I missed you so much," he whispered, breaking into tears again. "God, you're so warm. I missed this so much," you say softly. He missed your voice so much. Jaehyun pulls back gently and stares at your famished face, wiping your tears. "I love you so much, so much," he said, cupping your cheeks in his hands. Your tears ran down again, you missed him so much.

"So what was that?" Jaehyun questions the doctor, glaring at him. "Well uh, your wife had a special request," the doctor smiles, looking away after. "Cho Si-hyeon, I will smack you," he glares, shooting lasers through his eyes. "Hey! Yell at her, not me!" Si-hyeon, his fellow classmate who was a year older than him exclaimed, pointing at you. "No," Jaehyun said, kissing you all over your face as you giggled softly. "She needs to get physiotherapy for her legs and you can go home after," Si-hyeon says, watching them both enjoy each other's presence. "Mhm, 'kay. What else?" Jaehyun said, his gaze fixed on you. "This is disgusting. Bye, I can't stand it," Si-hyeon scrunched his face, leaving the room. "Tsk, he's just jealous that I have such a pretty wife," Jaehyun says and places a small kiss on your lips. "Oh well," you whispered, pulling him into a soft and we'll needed kiss, for both.

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Taglist: @sparklysung @trying-to-love-myself

[kaijurakunsobs]

If requests are open could you do a Heisenberg fic with a teen or young adult reader(no older than 20 please) who stumbles into the village trying to get away from their parents and after they get attacked by Lycans Heisenberg patches them up and takes them in trying to hide them from his sister and mother miranda. Could you please do it with an AFAB reader who doesn’t identify as female? I am currently dealing with borderline verbal abuse from my conservative father who doesnt like that though I am AFAB I don’t identify as female.

first, baby, I'm so sorry that this is happening to you. I know how bad and mentally taxing that kind of living situation can get, I was in a similar situation and somehow managed to pull through.

you are not alone, you are loved and I hope everything gets better, never forget that it's you who defines yourself, your self worth should NEVER be defined by others

All you can think is...how cold everything is around you, how the freezing air burns your skin and lungs, but, you have endured something worst, physical pain can be healed with time, emotional and psychological pain is what hurts the most, what feels eternal and haunting, it coils around you, it grows and never let's go, like being branded, it leaves marks that never go away.

Running aimlessly through the snow feels like nothing.

What made you get out of the car?

Was it anger?

Desperation?

Does that even matter anymore?

You can't hear their voices anymore, so that's a win.

Farther away you see smoke and fain lights, distant sounds beckoning you closer to that place, and you let yourself smile widely when the silhouette of someone standing so close to you, you could get help, start somewhere new, be happy!

But it's so short-lived, that you question if there's divine retribution, karma, or just the universe laughing in your face.

Your "savior" is covered in blood, a man with a perpetual expression of agony lays in the snow, dead. The monster turns to you and finally the cold freezes you where you stand, it's not alone, and all the other creatures are looking at you, dark soulless eyes fixated on their new prey.

You have felt like that before under his gaze like if you were vermin, it made you furious how you were treated and consider as something lesser than a person. These things look at you the same like you are just a speck of dust in their path, and maybe you are, if the mangled body is any indication that taking a life will be nothing for them.

You see it from the corner of your eye, one of them lunges for you, and then? everything is a blur.

You remember kicking and punching wildly, adrenaline making you forget about the pain of the bites and scratches, there are memories of you running and using something to smash the head of one of the monsters, a rock, perhaps? But in the end, cold, blood loss, and exhaustion are enough to bring you to your knees. One of them grabs a fistful of hair and roars in your face and you know, that, this is it, you fought and did your best, but this is the end of your travesty...so much for your new life of freedom.

"Get the fuck away...I SAID FUCK OFF!" his voice is so loud that it makes you whimper and recoil "LET GO, CAN'T YOU HEAR ME? LET GO, DAMN IT!" the smell of blood and a warm liquid hits you hard, but at least you are free, letting your body hit the snow

"What do we have here?...this one is alive, but ya ain't from around here, do you?" he's smoking and something small and silly wants you to tell him that smoking is bad, which makes you smile so softly "...Interesting"

Heisenberg rarely gets intrigued by anything, he hasn't found anything to spark his curiosity in so long, so of course, he had to come and see what was causing such a commotion. What he thought to be a villager, fist fighting the lycans so valiantly, turned out to be a teenager, he saw you from afar,  furiously kicking lycan after lycan, you didn't even notice the growing red spots in your clothes and the black eye, it was survival and feral like behavior. Truly interesting.

Now, what made him pick you up with care? years from today he will say it was just "Scientific interest kiddo! nothing more", but, it's the pain in your face that makes him act so soft, it's not the agony brought by your wounds, this goes deeper, it's different and he knows it very well.

Under normal circumstances, he would have taken you to Moreau, but he knows the loud mouth will give you to that bitch Miranda and that will be it for you. Dimitrescu is OUT of the equation, so does Beneviento, hell knows what her psychotic ass would do to you. So he brings you back to his home and takes time to clean your wounds, true, his stitching abilities are amazing...on corpses, and a lack of anesthesia and your occasional movements makes it hard for him to stitch you properly, but by the end of everything, you are bandaged and clean, isn't that the important part?

He’s done his part, the rest is on you. If you had the strength to fight and even kill a lycan, you might live to see another day

How long were you out?

You are warm and so fucking sore, cracking your eyes open is a big task and even harder to sit up in the bed you are laying on. The room is black and smells like tobacco, oil, and something you can’t place but it’s nice.

Barefoot and curious you start to get up, wincing deep and loud when pain floods your body, but you get up non-less, you feel the cold air hit your legs, and immediately pull down the shirt to cover yourself. Then it fully clicks, the jagged memories of what happened slaps you in the face and make you lose your footing, falling back on the bed you pry the shirt off from your body, you see bandages and patches placed on smaller wounds, your head is killing you and your right eye hurts like crazy.

With small breathes you pull the shirt back on and force your body to get up and investigate the room. There are piles of clothes and pieces of paper everywhere, picking one of the pants you sigh, these are yours, but they have been destroyed either by the beasts or by however brought you here. Looking around there’s nothing more, time to go out.

The only door leads you to an open room, the kitchen and living room placed together, in one of the sofas you can see someone laying down, their chest rising and falling softly, their face obscured by an old hat.

You try to be as quiet and sneaky as possible when getting back into the room “Where do you think you are going, kid?” his voice is thick with sleep but the sound is enough to make you yelp, slamming your shoulder against the door frame, the man jumps up and in a couple of strides he’s beside you “Can you more fucking careful? the stitches gonna get open and if you get an infection I ain’t risking my neck to get you meds”

He’s a bit taller than you with squared and wide shoulders, his face is stern and it seems like he’s annoyed about something, is it you? Did you anger him? You try to remember what could you have done to make him so mad but nothing comes to you, is not like you remember much, and what you do, is better to be left forgotten.

Heisenberg has seen many people look at him with fear, reverence even, but he has never been in the receiving end of a look like yours, he has to close his eyes for a second, carefully grabbing your wrist and dragging you to the kitchen, almost forcing you to take a seat in on of the wobbly chairs he owns.

“Well now that you are back with us, I can finally cook something to eat. You must be starving! I would too after the way you fought back there” he lets out a howl while he busies himself with pulling ingredients for whatever he’s cooking “I saw ya, you know? That was one hell of a show and I know about putting up good entertainment, you gave those lycans a good beating”

Lycans? So those things have names...uuuh, who would have thought.

"What's your name kid?" you get pulled out of your mind by his voice and the smell of cooking eggs, for a moment you wonder and think, that this is the time to be addressed by YOUR name "...I'm Y/N, sir"

"Cut the sir bullshit, you ain't trying to impress nobody here, you can call me Heisenberg, Karl if you wanna get my attention quickly, got it?"

"Yes...Heisenberg?"

He's rather harsh from what little you have seen of him, but he's careful when serving you breakfast, a steady hand serves you tea and makes quick work of a loaf of bread, whit that you two eat in relative silence, he eats like a wolf and that's enough to make you hide a smile.

"Once you are...better..." he's speaking between bites, eew "I'm taking you to get some new clothes, staying here ain't gonna be free, ok?" with his fork pointing at you he waits and continues without you answering "I'll have to teach you...that's gonna take time..."

"I'm a faster learner!"

Heisenberg laughs at the offended tone in your voice, taking a big gulp from his mug once he stops "I like ya kid, there's a fire in you and I respect that, we gonna get along"

It takes you almost 2 weeks to fully recover and be able to move without crying out in pain. On the day he announces that he must take off your stitches, he's kind when pulling on the thread, talking about how that same day he's taking you to the seamstress cuz he's "done" having you wear his stuff.

The seamstress in the Village seems flabbergasted when "Lord Heisenberg" comes into her house, demanding she makes you good sturdy pants and easy to move in shirts. From that sole visit is enough for people to call you "Heisenberg's assistant" whenever you are sent to the village or just went spotted by anyone. The Duke, the merchant that sometimes you have found yourself talking to, does nothing but fuel the rumor, people already fear Heisenberg on a god day, now they fear you might be spying for him.

You would be lying by saying that, Heisenberg is a normal man, he's flamboyant and loud, filled with pride, and what you can describe as...showmanship, he speaks with passion when explaining to you the ins and outs of the factory. He's always close, never breathing down your neck, just close enough to hear if you need help.

The first time you see him use his gift is the most embarrassing and awkward moment of your life.

You are working on some molds for pieces he needs to make from scratch, he taught you where you should work on that, away from whatever lurks in the lower areas of the factory. You were so engrossed in getting the mold out perfectly, tongue sticking out and heavy gloves helping you to pry open the damn thing open, you don't even jump when a hand lands on your shoulder, but you do when the ghoulish face of a corpse appears beside you.

He's running the second he hears you, a high pitched sound tearing through the noise of the machinery, he sees you bolting it towards him and a Zwei Soldat quickly catching up with you, the drill in its arm too close to your back, the moment you are close enough he pulls you towards and behind him, a metal sheet flying to the thing and beheading it in an instant.

"Kid...Kid, look at me, hey, eyes on me" you are not crying, there's no blood anywhere and nothing seems to be missing, you seem more startled than anything else, but you listen to him, concentrated on him and his voice "Y/N, it's ok kid, I'm here"

Then it happens, you let it slip. "Thanks...thanks dad"

You feel him go tense, the hands-on your shoulders shake for a second and embarrassment comes crashing down on you, you are ready for him to yell or push you away and order you to see if the mold is still useful, but he pulls you close, patting your back like you never said anything.

There are days when you can hear him talking on the phone, his voice growing irritated, and his explosive temper getting worst.

You are curled up in the crawlspace that he turned into your room, listening to him talking with someone, he sounds exasperated and nervous. This time he takes longer to come out from his room, a new cigar in his mouth and hammer over his shoulder, usually, he would tell you that he's leaving for a couple of hours, this time he's just there, tapping his foot and sparing quick glances at you.

"Get your coat, we need to leave"

That's new...he never takes you with him to wherever he goes, but you don't feel like arguing and do as he says, slipping your boots on and grabbing your coat.

Heisenberg is unusually quiet this time, only the snow crunching under your feet make enough sound to fill in the void, he takes you farther from the village and into a rundown church, you can hear new voices and the unforgettable sounds of the lycans snarling.

Inside the candlelight is soft and cast strange shadows of the people already waiting inside. There's a woman in a white dress that probably towers over you, another lady dressed in black and her covered, she sits in a corner with a creepy doll on her lap, and finally, a shy man who battles to cover himself with the torn cloth of his jacket.

"Is this why mother Miranda called us? Did you brought a new toy and never informed her? what a bad dog you are Heisenberg"

"Non of your business, Dimitrescu" Karl does everything to keep you behind him, away from the doll or the twisted man, but especially from the woman, Dimitrescu as he called her.

From where you stood, you could see how beautiful and regal she is, sitting with grace and a sarcastic smile plastered on her face. Noticing you, she moved slightly to get a better look, narrowing her eyes, making you feel small and like food. Before she can't even speak the sound of feathers caught your attention, giving Karl enough time to guide you to one of the pews, making you take a seat beside him.

The four adults greeted the new woman, the infamous mother Miranda, you have heard about her in the village and through small stories shared by the Duke, but mostly, you have heard Heisenberg curse the woman and call her every single name under the sun.

"Usually I wouldn't care for what my children do in their dominions, but, Karl, I must say I'm disappointed in you...to hide this child and avoid telling us?"

"I apologize, Miranda, the right opportunity never came" ooooh he's pissed

"I say you take his toy, Mother Miranda, and if possible, give me that lovely lady to me?" at that your gut twist uncomfortably, it's been some time since you were...addressed like that

"Excuse me?" Heisenberg cocks his head to the side, looking at Dimitrescu over his shades "Are you talking about my SON?"

"YOUR SON?! Don't make laugh, child, I can smell the sweet maiden blood running through her veins, that's a lady not one of your dirty lycans"

"And you are bitch no matter how well you dress!"

"ENOUGH!" Miranda's voice breaks them apart, everyone looking at her "Care to elaborate, Heisenberg?"

Karl takes a second to take a drag from his cigar and blow a cloud of some into the air "I found Y/N here, they fought hard to survive and I took them in, just like Alcina, and her lovely daughters...I decided it was my time to have a child of my own"

"That doesn't change the fact that you brought an outsider and didn't inform mother, and now you are trying to do what exactly? have...them...play house with you?"

"Lady Dimitrescu, that's enough" she's looking at you, mother Miranda in staring, and Heisenberg as a hand on your back, suddenly you are hyper-aware of everything, the sounds and smells, the movements each person in the room does, the way the candles flicker "I allow it, may this never happen again, Heisenberg. Next time there will be consequences"

You feel like passing out after that, the screams of Dimitrescu and the doll get drown by the ringing in your ears, everything keeping you together is Heisenberg's hand on yours cursing up a storm as he pulls you along with him.

The cold air feeling nice against your burning skin.

"Kid? I think you are ready" you are halfway through the trek back to the factory when he speaks again

"Ready for what?"

"To be introduced to the Heisenberg family true work, of course! What kind of father I would be if I don't involve you in our family's business"

You trip with your feet hearing him say that, so...he meant it? what he said in the church...that you are his son?

"Come on Y/N, I won't go easy on you because you are my kid now, quick quick"

Catching up to him is easy and you feel at peace when one of his arms wraps around you, he begins to talk about how many things he's gonna teach you and how exciting is to have a young mind to shape.

For the first time, you are eager to get back home.

[softholand]

gingerbread kisses - t.h

pairing: tom holland x youtuber!reader

warnings: a lot of dialogue and some good old festive fluff

words: 2.5k

a/n: this is like a part two of my youtuber!reader series, it can also be read on it’s one but if you haven’t read chocolate kisses yet, you can do it here i really hope you guys enjoy it and please let me know what you think!! ✨

It was another normal workday at your flat, you had all your lights and camera set in your living room, ready to start filming. Today’s video was going to be a Q&A with a special guest, Tom Holland.

It was expected that your baking video with him was going to be one of the most successful ones, but you weren’t expecting the number of views that, to this day, a whole month later, kept coming.

With so many comments almost begging you to bring him to your channel again, you finally gave in and asked him to do a Q&A with you, but since it was the end of the year and Christmas was just around the corner, you decided that, while you answered your viewer's questions, you two could build gingerbread houses.

“Tom, where are you? I’m about to start this without you!” You shouted from the living room floor, where you were seated. “I’m coming, I just had to get something before,” Tom answered, appearing in front of you, wearing a ridiculously ugly Christmas jumper, making you burst out laughing.

“Oh my God! Where did you get that?” You asked, trying to recover from your fit of laughing. “Oh, don’t worry, darling! There’s one for you too!” He stated, taking an identical jumper from behind him.

“You’re not letting me get out of this, are you?” You questioned, sighing when you saw him shake his head. Once you took your (his) hoodie out, replacing it with the ugly sweater, you were finally ready to start recording.

“Hi guys, welcome back to another video! This week we have a special guest that you guys have been asking since our last video together.” You said, giving Tom time to sit next to you. “It’s Tom!”

“It’s me!” He exclaimed, smiling at the camera. “This time we’re not baking anything but, since Christmas is almost here, I thought it was a good idea for us to build some gingerbread houses!” You said, pointing to the kits you had bought on your last trip to the grocery store.

“It’s been so long since I’ve done this!” Tom smiled, clearly excited to start. “But, instead of just sitting here, I asked you guys on Instagram to send some questions so we could answer while doing our houses. What do you think?” You questioned, looking at him.

“Dangerous… but fun!” He said, making you laugh. “So, we have the Christmas tree with the lights on, it’s starting to snow outside, I’ve made us some hot chocolate and of course, we cannot forget our ugly sweaters, courtesy of Tom.” You grinned.

“You’re welcome!” He praised, making you roll your eyes. “I’d said we’re ready to start.” You announced, to which he gave you two thumbs-ups.

Once you had taken the house out of its package, you laid all the biscuit parts in front of you, Tom doing the same beside you.

“So, the first question is “What’s your best/worst memory together?” You let them know while putting the baking glue on your biscuit. “Do you wanna start?” Tom offered, to which you shrugged. “It’s okay, you can go first.” You said, seeing that he already had the answer at the tip of his tongue.

“Best memory is your twentieth birthday party.” He stated, without taking his eyes out of his project. “Why?” You asked, also concentrating on building the house.

“C’mon, y/n! You know why!” Tom finally looked up, making kissy lips to you. “Tom! It’s supposed to be a surprise for the end of the video!” You whined, earning a chuckle from him. “Okay, fine! I’ll behave!” He said, making you laugh this time.

“I think my favorite memory of us is at the Far From Home premiere party! We had so much fun!” Tom declared, making you smile. “Yeah, that was nice!” You agreed, thinking about your favorite memory with Tom. “Mine is probably when we went to New York, I loved that trip!” You confessed, remembering all the crazy things you and Tom did back then.

“Yeah, that was a good one!” Tom agreed, smiling at you. “Worst one has to be the time paparazzi locked us outside of that restaurant. It was awful, I honestly thought I was gonna die that day.” You remembered, feeling chills cover your body. “Yeah, same!” The boy next to you answered, clearly feeling down just thinking about that event, so you made sure to quickly change the subject and ask the next question.

“So, the next question is, what was your best trip?” You asked, motioning for Tom to go first. “Mine has to be Bali, I loved that place and I’m dying to go back.” He stated. “Tell me about it, I was so jealous when you guys went there!” You whined, remembering the photos he kept texting you. “What about you, y/n?”

“Oh, 100% Christmas in New York!” You told him, without even having to think. “It was magical!” You smiled, remembering the trip like it was yesterday.

“Nice! I never spent Christmas in New York!” Tom commented, before going for the next question. “What’s the other Starbucks order?” He asked, taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

“Yours is tea!” You said, rolling your eyes. “Hey, I drink coffee too!” Tom uttered. “Rarely! Most of the time is Chai Latte or a Royal English Breakfast Tea.” You stated and of course, Tom had to agree.

“Yeah, you’re right! I should try more of their stuff. But you also always get the same, White Chocolate Mocha or Peppermint Hot Cocoa at this time of the year.” Tom listed, making you smile knowing that he knew your drink orders.

“But it’s just soooo good! I can’t help it!” Tom chuckled, before passing your phone back to you for the next question. “That’s a good one, who’s the messier one?” You questioned. “I don’t even think I have to answer this, you guys realized that from our last video together!” You declared, making you both laugh.

“Ok, I’ll give you this one. I’m pretty messy! But I’m trying to get better at it, I promise!” Tom added, to which you chuckled. “My house is built, now I just have to decorate!” You announced, making Tom gasp by your side. “What?! There’s no way! I’m still trying to make these walls stick together.” He whined, making you chuckle.

“That’s because you’re not using enough glue, look, you have to put a straight line across the whole biscuit, otherwise it won’t stick.” You told him, showing exactly how to do it. “But the glue it’s showing on the other side.” He reasoned. “It doesn’t matter, Tom! We’ll just make it look like snow. See?” You pointed to your own house and he nodded, going back to work, focused on finishing it so he could start decorating.

“Next question, what’s the most useless talent you have?” Tom asked, already laughing. “Mine is really stupid but I can put my feet on top of my head,” Tom stated, demonstrating exactly what he was saying, almost knocking everything that was on the table in front of you off.

“That’s not a talent, you’re just flexible.” You rolled your eyes, to which he laughed. “You’re only saying this because you’re jealous you can’t do it.” He smirked, clearly trying to get on your nerves. “Shut up, I have a much better one, I can lick my elbow.” You said, also showing your completely useless talent. “That’s… weirdly impressive.” Tom expressed making you both laugh.

When Tom was finally done building his house, he joined you and started to decorate. You told him and your viewers that you were going for more of a white Christmas theme, while Tom expressed his desire to make the house as colorful as possible.

“Tom, I think the next question is for you.” You gave him a look, before continuing. “What is the dumbest way you’ve been injured?” He gasped, putting one of his hands over his chest while you laughed. “Why are you coming for me today?” The brown-haired boy asked, pretending to be offended.

“I’m sorry, but how many times have you broken your nose while filming?” You asked once you had stopped laughing. “Three, actually, two and a half, the last one wasn’t a complete fracture.” He explained, trying to not make a fool out of himself.

“Well, I’ve never injured myself badly, just some paper cuts, which for me it’s very dumb.” You mentioned. “See? Your answer is dumber than mine and still, I get the title.” Tom shook his head, making you laugh. “So, taking a break from the questions, what are you doing with your house?” You questioned, taking a moment to observe his work.

“I’m gluing some gummies on the roof.” He exclaimed, putting the icing on the sugar-coated candy before sticking it on the house. “And you?” Tom asked, stopping his movements to look at yours.

“I’m putting shredded coconut on the roof and a little bit on the floor, to make it look more like snow.” You smiled, happy with what you had done so far. “Uhh, bougie!” Tom uttered, sticking his tongue out.

“Shut up! Okay, question number… I don’t even know what number we are, so… weird habits of each other? Oh my God, Tom makes SO much noise to eat, it’s ridiculous!” You blurted, to which he immediately complained. “I do not!” He exclaimed. “Yes, you do!”

“You never said that to me!” You laughed at Tom defending himself. “I have told you, at least, a hundred times!” You stated. “Well, at least I have control of my own body, you can’t stop bouncing your leg for literally two seconds.” He exclaimed.

“That’s because I have anxiety and you know that! I’m always moving a part of my body!” You practically yelled. “Still annoying!” Tom said. “Well, I can’t help it!” You interjected. “Neither do I!” He replied. “Next question?” You asked. “Please!” He shot back, making you both burst out laughing.

Once you stopped, Tom took your phone and asked the next question. “Do you have nicknames for each other?” He smirked, making you panic. “Hey, you said you’d behave!” You warned, pointing a finger at him. “I will, promise!” He told you, but that didn’t stop you from being nervous about his answer.

“I sometimes call her cherry, because she can do that trick with the cherry stem, it’s unbelievable!” He smirked, making you blush. “That’s actually pretty easy to do!” You said, trying to make light of the situation. “Oh yeah, it’s totally easy to tie a knot with a cherry stem with your tongue. Super chill!” Tom added, without taking that stupid smirk out of his face.

“Stop it! I don’t think I have a nickname for you, I call you spider-boy sometimes but just to spite you.” You smiled, sticking your tongue out. If Tom wanted to play, you could join his little game.

“I wish I could tell them all the other names you call me in bed,” Tom whispered, making you almost choke on your hot chocolate. “Thomas!!!” You screamed, trying desperately to clean the mess you’ve made. “Fine…” He replied, taking a sip of his drink.

“Ok, since we are almost done with the houses, the second to last question is: If you could, what would you change about your first kiss?” You asked, immediately regretting choosing the question. “Oh, that���s cool! Let me see… no, I don’t think I’ll change anything about it, maybe the place. It was a little too crowded.” He replied, not even trying to hide his smirk.

“Really? That’s all you’d change?” You asked, giving him the chance to take back his answer. “Yep, that’s all! What about you, y/n?” You shook your head, feigning disappointment that he didn’t choose to make you his first kiss. “I’d change the person, you idiot!” You answered, throwing one of the icing packages at him.

“Hey, that hurt!” Tom protested, throwing it back at you. “Stop it! We have to finish these so we can end the video.” You warned, pointing an accusing finger at him. “Oh, I’m done!” He announced, showing off his finished gingerbread house with a very colorful roof, windows, and door. “Already? I still wanna do a garland on the door. I even bought special sprinkles for it.” You stated, rushing yourself. “Of course you did!” Tom mocked, to which you simply flipped him off.

Once you had also finished your house, you and Tom did a quick cleaning of the table, before going back to filming. “We’re back!” You said, to which Tom added. “And we’re finished!”

“I’m really happy, they turned out so pretty!” You beamed, looking at your finished works. “They did!” Tom agreed, smiling widely. “So… before we end this video, we do have a last question, one that was the most asked and that is: are you guys together?” You said, finally acknowledging the elephant in the room.

You and Tom shared some guilty looks before blurting it out together. “Yes!” Tom’s smile was so wide that it made you smile too. “Yes, guys! You were all right! Tom and I are in a relationship now and we are so happy to finally share this with all of you!” You grinned, looking at your boyfriend, that of course was looking back at you.

“Yeah, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world and I honestly couldn’t be happier,” Tom murmured, making you blush. “Stop it!” You smiled, now completely lost in his eyes. “I think you have to finish the video now, darling!” He joked, bringing you back to earth.

“Oh, yeah, right! So… that was everything for today’s video, I hope you guys enjoyed it! Don’t forget to give the video a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel! Please, let me know what you guys thought in the comments section down below and… I think that’s it. Do you wanna say something?” You asked, shifting your eyes to Tom. “Thank you for having me again and I hope to come back soon for another one!” He said, giving the camera an adorable little wave. “Bye guys! See you next week!” You cheered, getting up to stop the recording. “We did it!”

“Yay! Can I eat now?” Tom quipped, before smashing his house in half. “Thomas!!!!” You shouted, not believing what he had done. “What?! We’re not supposed to eat it?” He wondered, putting one of the cookie pieces in his mouth. “I mean, yeah, but not… like that!” You tried to reasoned, to which he scoffed.

“C’mon, you didn’t think I wasn’t going to make a mess, right?” He smirked, signing for you to come closer. And you did, sliding right in front of him, straddling his waist.

“You’re an idiot!” You teased, clasping your arms behind his head. “Hmm, c’mere!” Tom lifted your chin and there was nothing more to do other than kiss his lips, so you did, only this time, instead of chocolate, they tasted like gingerbread.

tagging some of my mutuals ✨ @stuckonspidey @definitely-not-black-cat @missnxthingg @bi-writes @uglypastels @screamholland @peeterparkr @wazzupmrstark @tomhollandthing @lauras-collection @tommybaholland @mrs-hollandstan @duskholland @allyz @hazinhoodies @hollandcreep @worldoftom @whatevsholland @geminiparkers

[last-operator-standing]

Toll of the Bell

Chapter 1 - Ashes to Ashes

> Ao3 

> Chapter 2 (tumblr)

Summary: What now? He could roll over and accept the fate thrust upon him and die as Adler intended. Starting a new life away from it all couldn't be that bad either. Or…

Or he could finish the mission.

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Violence, blood & injuries, anxiety 

Words: 2k

A/N: This follows the post-ending for my Bell. For the sake of the story, Bell saved Lazar and was forced to leave Park behind, but she still lived. Her explanation will appear in ch 2 ;u; Originally I wasn’t gonna share this but uhhhh here we are! I wasn’t overly happy with the ending of this chapter, but c’est la vie, friends. ;u; 

"I'm sorry it turned out this way." 

 Why?  When he tries to speak there's only a pathetic gurgle as the blood spills past his lips. 

 "I hope you understand."

I don't! Why? I told you the truth! His chest feels tight, like it's being crushed under an invisible force. Was it always this hard to breathe? To think? He can't be sure anymore. So why?! Why..? His fingers are stained in crimson when he lifts his hand from his chest. Why did you shoot me? The words won’t come out. Trembling, his arm falls back to his side, unable to hold it up any longer.

 "It was never personal, Bell." 

 There's a pressure in Bell's right hand as Adler presses something into his palm. His fingers twitch against cool metal - his gun? - but he doesn't have the strength to lift it. He can only stare up at the soft blue sky as his chest burns and he dyes the ground red.

 "It wasn't meant to be like this."

 I trusted you. Then again, he also trusted Arash Kadivar. Look where that got me. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…

There's a darkness encroaching on the edges of his vision. Panic builds and it only makes the desperate burning in his lungs worse. He struggles to force air past the fluid. A terrible bubbling resonates in his chest and Bell idly wonders if he'll drown in his own blood before he bleeds out. I bet this makes you happy. Adler's face slides into view when he kneels beside Bell: His features are blurry and the colors somehow don't feel right. But he's not smiling. He almost looks.. sad.

 A hand slides against Bell's cheek, pressing gently, tilting his head a bit to the right and allowing him a clearer view of his would-be murderer. It's easier now to see  how Adler's face is pinched downwards in a grimace. Adler stares down at his dying protégé just as much as he stares back, once vibrant emerald eyes now dull and swimming with uncertainty and betrayal as he teeters on the edge of oblivion. 

 Bell wishes he had something else to dwell on in his final moments. Something that was his and not the manufactured memories pounded into his head by Adler and his trigger phrase. He tries to think back to before the CIA, before MK-Ultra, before Perseus. All he comes up with is Adler's smug smile as he wakes him in Vietnam. Fake. How Sims and he recovered the Russian comms log during Operation Fracture Jaw. Fake. Fending off the VC attack after his bird is knocked from the sky. All of it, fake.  

 The anguish of knowing there's nothing left of him- the real him- brings a burning to his eyes. Who am I? Bell doesn't realize he's crying until a gloved thumb brushes a tear from his cheek. 

 "Hey." 

 Bell's cold. The jacket does nothing to keep him warm. His limbs feel impossibly heavy. Any trail of thought he has slips between his fingers before he has time to complete it. No matter how much he blinks the world stays blurry and he's losing the energy to keep his eyes open. He tries to focus on Adler's face but he's nothing more than a tan smudge against a blue sky. 

 Bell's so, so tired...

 "You did good, kid."

 Deep down Bell knew it was always going to end like this. He was never truly part of the team. That was apparent in the way Sims refused to acknowledge him (didn't their time together in Vietnam mean anything?) or in the pitying look Mason would cast his way when he thought Bell wasn't looking (like he somehow understood..)

 Above all he knew from the way Hudson spoke about him.

  Bell? Don't get me started...

  Are you taking him into the KGB with you? Are you crazy ?

  If we can't control the asset, we end the asset.

 Bell's eyes flutter close and they don't open again. The warmth at his side, Adler's warmth, is only there a moment longer before it pulls away and is gone, leaving Bell alone with only the abyss. 

 Dying isn't what Bell ever imagined it to be. He feels light, like he's floating amongst the clouds. The coldness has long since seeped away to a numbness and he forgot about the hard concrete below him. Bell can't hear anything, can't feel anything. The abyss swallows him whole. He bathes in its darkness and floats in its silence, drifting through oblivion.

 Bell doesn't expect to ever open his eyes again. Without medical intervention, there was no logical way he would survive the bullet in his chest. This makes it all the more jarring when he's dragged into consciousness. He simply lays there at first, the numbness creeping back in and replacing the blissful void of nothingness he felt while unconscious.

 It's dark when he finally musters the energy to squint open his eyes. Gone is the calm cliffside in which Adler shot him at. Instead, he's in an unfamiliar room with faded green walls and blankets around him that are far too stiff and cause his aching body to itch . There's railings on either side of him, the kind you'd find on a hospital bed or to prevent children from rolling off the side at night. Voices resonate just behind a closed door. They're hushed and aggressive but Bell can't make out what they're saying. When they fall silent the light beneath the door flicks off and he's left with only a digital clock for illumination.

 Bell drifts in and out of awareness. He can't keep track of the passing time. On one occasion there's movement at his bedside and voices filling his ears.

 "..ell? B…?" 

"Is.. wake..?"

"Damn.. all, he… again.."

"Bell?"

 When he looks up, their face is too blurry to make out. Someone joins them at his side, but they are too fuzzy to see as well. Their voices sound like they're speaking underwater; too far and too jumbled to make out. Moments later he's unconscious once more.

 It's night again once Bell is able to stay awake properly. He feels heavy but warm and the room spins when he tries to look around. It's not until he tries to raise a hand to calm the spinning that he realizes something is wrong. He only manages to lift his arm a few inches before something stops him. Confused, he tries tugging a few times. A metallic jingle fills his ears. Looking over confirms his suspicions: He's handcuffed to the railing. Swallowing down the building panic, Bell tries the other arm only to find it just as restrained to the opposite railing. 

 He tries to keep calm. He really does. But it's all too much for him; he should be dead, he knows that. Not chained up inside an unfamiliar room with no idea how or when he got here, or who brought him here in the first place. A memory forces itself to the front of his mind.

  Bell woke up to voices. "I gotta admit," the first voice, American, rumbled, drawing his attention. It took some effort but Bell managed to lull his head towards the speaker. Two individuals peered down at him. "I didn't expect him to recover so quickly." His limbs were restrained, preventing any movement. "He's a resilient one," the second person agreed. Bell did his best to hold back his fear and anxiety. This certainly wasn't Perseus nor the KGB, which only meant he was now in the hands of the enemy. He wouldn't let them break him. 

  Not again. Bell fights against his restraints as hysteria begins to take hold. I can't do this again. Losing his mind once was too much; no way he could withstand being reset a second time. A rapid beep-beep-beep fills his ears but the Russian is too fixated on freeing himself to pay it much attention. A light flips on beneath the door, encouraging him to struggle all the more. 

 "Bell!" The door flings open. There's hands on his shoulders. "Bell, you're safe!" He thrashes. The light flicks on. "What's going on?" The hands leave Bell's shoulders and move to the sides of his head, forcing him to turn wide-eyed toward a familiar face. "Bell, hey, calm down," Lazar sooths.

 Bell falls still from exhaustion. His chest heaves with each rapid breath. Eyes wide, he stares between Lazar at his side and Park, who stands tense at the door. 

 "Bell-"

"Lazar, what's going on-"

"Park, not now-"

"I knew we couldn't trust him."

"Park, please! You're not helping." The MI6 agent scoffs but relents, leaving Lazar alone with Bell. 

 Bell trembles with a fear like he's never felt before. "Bell," Lazar tries again with a weak smile. "It's alright. You're safe. We're at an MI6 safehouse. I'm, uh… sorry. About the cuffs. It's the only way Park would agree.."

 "How..?" Bell only manages a croak, throat tight. 

 "Call it a hunch," Lazar offered. "I knew something was off with Adler. Followed you guys. Got there after everything already went down. We tried to patch you up the best we could with the equipment we have here. You've been out for a few days." Bell calms himself and listens intently. The exhaustion is clear on the Russian's face. 

 "I just.. I feel like I owe you, Bell. You saved my life back in Cuba." Lazar sighs softly. "Park is.. weary. She thinks you'll turn on us now that you've, well," he motions awkward towards Bell. "Now that you've begun to break your programming." 

 Lazar's face turns serious when he stares into Bell's eyes. "I didn't think it was fair to cut you out of the picture before you had the choice to decide who you really are." 

  The choice to decide who I really am...

 The distress must be noticeable on Bell's face because Lazar suddenly lightens up with a smile and gentle squeeze to his shoulder. "Hey, it's alright. It'll take time, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. You chose to tell the truth, you can't be all that bad, eh?" 

 Bell's head is a hurricane of emotion despite Lazar's teasing reassurance. Aside from his meeting with Perseus, the implanted memories, and everything that's happened to him in the past couple months, Bell knew nothing about himself. Am I righteous? Am I a terrorist? Just? Prejudice ? If he's honest with himself.. he was terrified of the truth. It was so much easier to be told who he was, to do what he was told, to put his trust in the team and his life in Adler's hands.

  Adler.

 "Get some rest." Lazar's voice shakes Bell from his thoughts. "We can talk more tomorrow, sort everything out. Don't worry about Park- she's suspicious but she wouldn't hurt you." Somehow, Bell isn't entirely convinced. He doesn't comment on it. 

 ".. Spasiba, Lazar. For saving me." 

 Lazar pauses at the door and turns. His surprise turns into another small, genuine smile. "No problem, Bell."

 Alone once again in the dark, Bell takes a shaky breath. He doesn't realize he's clenching his hands until he feels the ache. It takes some time but he relaxes the best he can and takes stock of his condition. Head throbbing, chest burning, mind buzzing with uncertainty and raw with emotion, but undeniable alive . 

  "It's always been for the greater good."

 There's a feeling he can't quite shake. It brings apprehension. Bell's not sure what will happen next. Will his would-be rescuers turn him in? Will Adler come back to finish the job? Will I ever get my memory back? Many questions burn in the Russian's head and not many answers come to mind. What now? He could roll over and accept the fate thrust upon him and die as Adler intended. Starting a new life away from it all couldn't be that bad either. Or…

  Or he could finish the mission. 

 Whoever he was before Bell may never know. It doesn't matter; that person is dead. The CIA reinvented him and gave life to 'Bell'. Now he has to live with that. Whether or not they like it they gave him a job. Find Perseus and stop him. 

 He found Perseus once.

 He'd find him again.

[trudy-shams]

What we become -Part 11

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Steve had decided to drag you along to see Sharon after you two had your "reunion" of sorts. You had dozed off and on for a few hours after you two had spent considerable time exploring each other, thoroughly.

But honestly, you were still tired and slightly sore and just wanted sleep.A few more hours in Steve's arms would have been nice and you told him as much but he was clearly a man on a mission, insisting he wanted to formally break the news to Sharon after which you two were "not supposed to get out of bed, ever". Steve's words, not yours.

You were not comfortable with the idea of being a part of this confrontation, or "discussion" as Steve said but he insisted that he wanted you to be there, saying there was nothing better than Sharon's corroboration of Steve's side of the story, to clear your head of any lingering doubts. He appeared confident that Sharon won't mind one bit since there was nothing romantic between them and they were just friends, in fact she might be happy as the burden of breaking this alliance off would fall on Steve in front of both families.

He playfully rolled his eyes and dragged you along " for the 4th time sweetheart, there is nothing to worry about, trust me" He gave you a boyish grin and opened the door. Steve had asked Sharon to come to Asgard,the one nearer to his place, Even though it wasn't the same outlet, visiting this place brought back so many memories, most of them happy and quite a few involving Steve.

As if reading your mind, Steve turned around and pecked you on the lips, eyes shining with so much love that you couldn't stop a smile from spreading on your lips. You eyes caught movement behind Steve, spotting Sharon standing up from her sitting position with a frown on her face. Following your lead, Steve turned around and smiled at Sharon, which she hesitantly mirrored.

"What is going on?" Sharon blurted as soon as you two neared her table. She eyed your intertwined fingers and then looked back at up Steve, not making eye contact with you at all.

You just knew this was not going to go as Steve expected.

Steve, oblivious to all this, beamed at you and squeezed your hand before addressing Sharon "Remember Shar, I told you I fell in love long ago but there was no hope for me" Sharon gave no outward response but a twitch in her eye told you she had heard him.

Steve looked back towards you and continued " Well, looks like there is hope after all"

There was a pause where Steve continued beaming at you, Sharon stood there like a statue and you were torn between smiling back at Steve, eyeing Sharon for a reaction and exploring imaginary dirt on your shoes.

You should have asked Steve to do this alone, it was weird accompanying your boyfriend while he was breaking up with his fiance.

God! This sounded so bad with no context.

"What is the meaning of this Steve?" Sharon had tears in her eyes and that is what broke Steve out of his lovesick stupor "you said that to me when I left for fashion school".

You immediately looked between Steve and Sharon while Steve looked like a fish out of water. Opening his mouth several times to say something and then closing.

After a tense few seconds, Steve, finally, spoke "Sharon, I know I never said that to you. Cmon, stop goofing around, my girl here is gonna leave me again" The easygoing air Steve was aiming for did not hit its mark.

There were tears streaming down Sharon's eye "Why do you keep doing this Steve.We are getting married in a few months, please stop this nonsense now. I am not putting up with this anymore, I won't pretend to break up with you just so you could fuck some random gir, again!"

If that wasn't a bucket of cold water, you didn't know what was.

You tried snatching your hand back from Steve but he held on, if anything, his grip tightened

"No, you are not running away from me again" he spoke to you before turning to Sharon " I don't know what game you are playing but you need to stop now. We are not getting married, no date has been announced and it never will and I never asked for your approval to fuck any girl"

You hissed and tried yanking your arm back.

Steve realised what he said "I don't sleep around with random girls sweetheart, that's what I meant"

Sharon interrupted and spoke directly to you now "I don't know what lies he has told you but he has done this exact thing multiple times before. At that time, I let it go because I love him too much and didn't want him to feel tied down but now so close to our wedding, this is unacceptable"

"Sharon,I am warning you. I will call your mother and tell her the truth about the baby if you don't stop fucking lying" Steve was pissed now.

"What baby, waa..Steve what complicated story have you weaved this time. Honestly, I don't care. Come back to me when you are ready to apologise and then we will talk" Sharon grabbed her things and stood upto Steve "..and No, you don't have my permission to fuck her"

Now,that pissed you off. Who the hell did she think she was?

"Too late for that now" You spit at her and she turned to look at you horrified but recovered quickly.

"Great, just great. Another conquest added to the list. Did she ask you to break up with me so you could fuck her the second time. Is she that good a lay? Fine, have it your way. Come to me when you are bored of her" Sharon glared at you and tried rounding Steve to leave but Steve grabbed her arm and pulled out his phone.

"I am calling Mrs. Barned right now if you don't tell y/n the truth"

Sharon scoffed "Sure, go ahead"

Steve sighed " I am sorry Sharon but you have left me with no choice"

Steve dialed her number and put the phone on speaker "If you confess, I will hang up"

Sharon stood expressionless, crossing her arms in front of her.

Mrs. Barnes picked up the phone and she had the same annoying tilt in her voice that Sharon had "Hi Steve, how are you honey"

Steve looked at Sharon for a beat who just raised an eyebrow at him.

"I am good Mrs. Barnes, I have called you to confess something to you"

You realised that everyone in Asgard had gone quiet. Jesus! Every single person in the sparsely crowded bar was looking at you three.

"Oh go ahead honey. What is it?"

"The baby Sharon miscarried wasn't mine. She was in love with some guy named Stephen and he was the father of her child. I agreed to take the blame just to keep her out of trouble" Steve spoke softly on the phone and you were so thankful that he kept his temper in check given the delicate nature of this declaration. He truly was a gentleman.You squeezed his hand softly and tried giving him a small smile, which fell the moment the next words were out of Mrs. Barnes' mouth.

"What baby are you talking about Steve?"

You stopped breathing.

Steve blanched and started saying something on the phone, which you couldn't hear over the ringing in your ears.

Sharon had a smirk on her lips when your eyes met.

There was pindrop silence in Asgard apart from Steve's vehement conversation on the phone.

You wanted the earth to swallow you.

Your cheeks heated up from embarrassment and you started looking at possible exits.

But then a lightbulb went on in your head.

You put your hand over Steve's cheek and saw Sharon tense in the periphery while Steve stopped speaking on the phone and looked at you with pleading eyes.

"Please believe me. I don't know why she..."

"Shh, it's okay baby. Whatever happened in the past doesn't really matter to me. What matters is today and our future, I know you love me and I love you. You can break up with Sharon and we will be on our way"

If Steve was shocked by your words, he didn't show it. He just stayed rooted on the spot, his eyes asking you a million questions at once.

But before he could say something and ruin your plan, exactly what you hoped for, happened.

"What do you mean it doesn't matter, of course it matters. I was pregnant with his baby and it doesn't matter to you. What if the baby was around, would you still say the same thing" Sharon was seething now.

You heard an audible gasp on the other side of the phone and Steve let out a puff of air through his mouth.

Sharon was still looking at you with anger, clearly missing what she had just confessed.

I mean, everyone in the bar collectively gasped but she was still oblivious.

You decided to help her catch up "But Sharon, your mother just said there was no baby" Sharon physically recoiled from you both and started blabbering " I mean, there was no baby. My mom meant there was no baby from Stephan. Of course, there was a baby from Steve..."

"Enough! Just stop. You and your mother are more vicious than I thought"Steve disconnected the phone and turned to Sharon with venom in his eyes  "I will tell my family the truth because it looks like your treacherous family knew everything all along. Keep the ring if you want, it means just as much as it meant before,nothing"

He then grabbed your hand and walked out of the bar.

As soon as you two were out of the door, he swung you to face him and hugged you tight "Thank you. Thank you so much for trusting me. Thank you"

You leaned back and cupped his face "It wasn't hard to, I beleived in you" you hugged him again and spoke with your face tucked in his chest "but I am also not stupid, no one would be dumb enought to call someone's parents with such a huge claim if they didn't beleive it to be true, specailly on speaker phone"

You could feel Steve's laugh rumble in his chest  while you continued with a grimace" I just wish you would have done this somewhere private. I am 77% sure someone recorded the whole thing"

----------------------

Nat's Wedding

"C'mon Steve, just one more dance" you were pleading with Steve for another dance while he was shaking his head.

Nat's wedding was a dream. Outdoor with the most lavish decor you had ever seen, even on TV.

But now at the reception, everyone was drunk and dancing like crazy.

"I think I have stepped on your toes enough for today" Steve grabbed your arm to pull you into his lap "and I think you need to rest too. I can't wait to get you all alone and help you out of this beautiful dress, can't have you tiring yourself out entirely on the dance floor"

"I am too tired to get the dress off by myself handsome" you said sleepily and grabbed his hair to attack his mouth.

After a few heated moments, Steve pulled away while you chased his mouth with yours " Okaay..no more drinks for you honey. Here, have a glass of water and you are not leaving my sight now" He bopped your nose and passed you a glass of water.

"But I want that fruity tall glass that Wanda has. Wanda, gimmie" you slurred a Wanda made her appearance followed by Vision.

Wanda had surprisingly become one of your good friends. She had filed for divorce from James a few weeks ago, stating that yours & Steve's and Nat & Pietro's love had given her the push she needed to follow her own heart.

"This is orange juice babe, you hate orange juice" She said while sipping on her drink.

"Orange juice sucks. I only like one kinda juice..Steve's" you smiled dopely at him while he shut his eyes and subtly shook his head over Wanda and Vision's loud bark of laughter.

"TMI baby and I think that is our cue to retire for the night" Steve made to get the both of you out of the chair.

"I can't goooo.. it's my sister's wedding, There are things that need to be done. What if she needs me to help her pee" you pouted at Steve.

Why was he looking at your face like that "I love it when he looks at me like that, it's usually wohooo night after this" you whisper yelled at Wanda and gave her an exaggerated wink.

Wanda put her drink down while trying and failing to keep a straight face "Honey, you know Nat has Pietro to help her now and then  I am here. You can go off to bed"

"With Steve" you added "I go to bed with Steve, every night, mostly" you then turned to Steve "baby, wohoo night?"

"Honey, with how drunk you are, it will really be a boohoo morning for you" . With that, Steve picked you up bridal style and bid Wanda and Vision good night.

"I can't wait" you said sleepily before grabbing onto Steve's shoulders and hugging him from your position in his arms "I love you"

You felt a pair of lips in your hair and a deep " I love you too baby, so much" from Steve before slowly entering dreamland.

[laurenmm62017]

Jedi June: Day 5

5 Times Luke met Force Ghosts

Prompt: There is no death, there is the Force

This sort of ignores the whole “It takes years of study to learn to become a Force Ghost” thing but oh well.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32046055

@jedijune

~1~

The first time he spoke to someone who was not really there was back on Tattooine. Luke was working on one of the vaporators at the edge of the farm, near the end of the day. He had been working on the damn thing for the better part of the day. One part failed just as another was fixed, but it seemed that Luke finally figured out what was wrong.

He straightened up and wiped a bit of sweat off his brow with a satisfied huff. At that moment, his eyes strayed over to the fence that marked the edge of the farm. Leaning against the electric fence was a Kel Dor, long robes flowing around them. As if that wasn’t strange enough, they were completely blue and translucent. What the kriff?

“Hey!” He shouted over, lowering his hand to his holster to make sure his blaster was there. You could never be too careful with Sand People roaming around. “What are you doing out here? Tosche Station is a long way from here.”

The Kel Dor chuckled, and stood up straight. “So you’re the Luke Skywalker that Ben keeps going on about. A pleasure, young one.”

“Ben? Ben Kenobi? What about him?”

Then, the Kel Dor walked straight through the kriffing fence. Luke’s eyebrows nearly shot off his head at that. He fumbled with his blaster a bit before turning the muzzle towards the… ghost is the only word he could think of. “What the hell??”

“Do not be afraid, young Luke. I mean you no harm. I was simply curious.”

“Y...you’re see through. And blue? What are you?” Luke was so confused.

“Simply a memory from a time past. May the Force be with you, Luke Skywalker. You will do great things. Just like your father before you.”

And just like that, he disappeared, leaving Luke confused and intrigued.

~2~

Luke doesn’t see another ghost until the aftermath of the Death Star explosion (the first one, as he will find out later). Luke had just climbed down from his X-Wing, adrenaline still flowing through his veins. He yanked his helmet off his head and looked hastily around for where the Falcon landed.

As he scanned the landing field, he caught a glimpse of translucent blue, and his mind flashes back to that time on the farm.

Luke weaved through the crowd of Rebel pilots and engineers and mechanics to the edge of the airfield, almost out of sight of everyone.

This figure was tall, much taller than Luke, with hair pulled back in a ponytail, and a mask that covered his eyes with some interesting markings on it. While the last ghost wore Jedi robes, this one was wearing typical Rebel Alliance attire. He was leaning casually against the hanger wall, watching wistfully as a modified Corellian freighter slowly came in for a landing.

“You don’t look much like a Jedi, sir.” Luke called out casually.

The man turned to him and smirked. “Neither do you. You look like a hero of the Rebellion.”

“Ehh, all I did was pull the trigger.”

“And blew up the Empire’s biggest weapon. Come on, kid. Don’t be so modest.”

“Alright, alright, thank you, Master…?”

“My name is Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight. I fought in the early days of the Rebellion, with my crew over there. Maybe you’ve seen them around base.”

Luke and Kanan observed this crew disembarking the Corellian freighter. A Twi’lek woman walked down the ramp holding what looked like a very small baby with bright green hair. A Mandalorian with colorful armor was chatting with an older man with a beard and bright white armor, followed by a ginger-haired man in standard Rebellion clothes and a big purple alien of whom Luke did not know the species of.

“That’s your crew? They seem... formidable.” He looked over this eclectic, mismatched crew, who seemed to know exactly where each other were as they walked towards the rest of the rebels. Luke stared at the crazy amount of modifications on top of this ship. There was almost as much as the Falcon, but this ship actually looked in much better condition. Don’t tell Han he thought that.

“They’re my family. I watch over them through the Force when I am able to. When this war is finally over, then I will feel comfortable with becoming one with the Force.”

Luke’s gaze focused back on this crew and contemplated the last few days. He went from a simple farm boy on Tattooine to hero of the Rebellion in an insanely short period of time. He met a Princess, an old Jedi, and two smugglers that he had become very close to. He really hoped they could become as close as Kanan’s crew appeared to be.

He turned back to Kanan, only to find that he disappeared.

~3~

Luke was recovering from his encounter with Darth Vader- his father when he met the next ghost.

Well, ghosts.

The doctor just left after making sure the stump of his arm wasn’t infected. It wasn’t, and what a relief it was for that small miracle. He was lying down with his eyes closed in a room between two empty beds.

Slowly, as the sedative the doctor gave him worked through his body, he began to sense two? Force signatures, sitting on the bed to his left. They were so melded and tangled together, he almost thought that it was one person.

He turned his head, and there sat two men. The first was wearing robes that looked similar to Old Ben’s robes. He was slightly too thin and his eyes didn’t quite connect with his own. The other was more built, had shoulder length hair, and was wearing a simple shirt and pants.

But Luke could see the way that their bodies were angled towards each other, the way the larger man had his arm on the other’s back, the way they seemed to unconsciously lean against each other.

“And who are you two?” He muttered, his brain still a bit fuzzy.

“My name is Chirrut. And this big softy is Baze.” The one who wore robes said, and gestured with his hand to the other man, whose frown deepened slightly at his introduction.

“Hi. I’m Luke.”

“You’ve been through so much, young one. The Force feels heavy around you. You faced a horrible creature and paid the price for your mistakes.” Chirrut declared, a bit too loudly, in Luke's opinion.

“Yeah, guess that’s what happens when I don’t listen to Master Yoda.”

“No.” Baze rumbled. “This sort of thing happens when you go into a situation you think you are ready for, but horribly overestimated yourself.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I should have listened to Master Yoda. But if I had, Leia and Chewie…”

“There is no changing the past. All one can do is look to the future.” Chirrut smiled. “Besides, I don’t think you’re ready to give up yet. After all, the strongest stars have hearts of kyber.”

“What does that even mean?” Luke asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about.” Baze said, smiling very slightly.

“I’m disappointed, Baze. Do you not remember our time in the temple as Guardians?”

“I’m surprised you can remember something that happened so long ago, old man.”

“Such a shame. Baze Malbus was once the most devoted Guardian of us all!”

Luke smiled at them, letting their bickering to wash over him, then allowed the sedative to take hold of him.

~4~

The next time Luke saw a ghost was right before his turn in the plan to get Han back from Jabba's palace on Tattooine. He was at the outer edges of the Dune Sea, doing a bit of moving meditation to settle his nerves and center his focus. As his movements flowed smoother and smoother and he sank deeper into the Force, he could sense the Force coming together next to him in the form of a humanoid. Harsh, wild energy barely contained within, but already one with the Force. He could feel that this ghost was following the movements of his meditation with sharp precision and only a split second behind him.

He was winding down now, moving slower and slower, and finally settled in a kneeling position on the sand.

A beat of silence, then...

"You were trained by Obi-wan Kenobi, weren't you?" This ghost's voice was light, jovial, but his energy was dark, a shadow just out of sight.

"Yes. Him and Master Yoda. How could you tell?"

"I'd know Obi's style anywhere. We grew up together, after all."

Luke's eyes opened and looked across from him at this new ghost. He had dreadlocks that went slightly past his shoulders, a stripe of color across his nose and cheeks, and what looks like only the outside robe of standard Jedi robes? Interesting choice, Luke supposed.

"Obi-wan... I knew him as Old Ben, he lived out in the Jundland Wastes. Uncle Owen... he never trusted him, I guess. But I was always drawn to him, for some reason. Now I know it was because of the Force.” Luke smiled at the man. “You said you knew Ben?”

“Sure did, kid. But I knew him as Obi. We grew up in the Jedi Temple together. He was a cute little thing, always chasing after me and our group of friends. A lot happened to him at the start of his Padawan training, and it influenced him for the rest of his life, and therefore, the fate of the galaxy.” The man shook his head. “He was so full of anger when he was younger, but then he went to Naboo with his Master, that was the turning point for him. We could all feel it. Had the Jedi Order continued, I totally believed that he would have been the youngest Grand Master the galaxy had ever seen.”

“He was a bit distant, and I could tell there was a lot that he didn’t tell me before… he went to face Vader.”

“He was always like that. Never wanted to be a burden on others, so he kept everything close to his chest. He really only confided with Master Yoda. Or during the Clone Wars, he would spend a lot of time with his second in command.”

“A clone?”

“Yes, Commander Cody, highest ranking clone in the entire GAR. They were very close. Dunno what happened to him after the war.”

“May he be with the Force.”

“Yeah.”

There was a pause between the two.

“Hey, kid. Be careful, in there. Jabba is a lot smarter than his appearance would indicate.”

“Of course. How could he be the leader of an entire system if he wasn’t?”

“Heh, that’s true. Just don’t underestimate what he would do if he found you out.”

“He won’t.”

~5~

The last time he saw a ghost, or Force ghost, was during his exile on Ahch-To. He had lost track of time many cycles ago. The local population helped him acclimate to basically having nothing. They taught him how to fish, sterilize water, plant edible food, and build a shelter for himself. All of the books that he collected over the years were kept in an isolated part of the island that he rarely went to.

It was peaceful. But there was still a storm in his heart.

Luke stood on one of the higher cliffs on this small island, looking over the endless water. The waves roughly washed up the cliffs and he felt the sprays tickle his feet.

He wasn’t meditating; his head was too much of a mess for that.

Why didn’t he see it sooner? Why didn’t he sense it? If he were a better teacher, would he have been able to stop it?

“Luke, stop that train of thought this instant.”

He jumped and nearly fell from the cliff as a result. He turned around indignantly, ready to tell off whichever ghost had come unannounced to his exile, but paused when all he saw was blue and white lekku.

He slowly looked up to see a scowling and unimpressed face glaring down at him and they stepped back. Now he had a better view of this Force ghost.

A Torgruta, at least a head taller than him, wearing long flowing robes and patches of… stormtrooper armor? No, it was a little too angular for that. Clone trooper armor then. She had many decorative beads draped over her montrals and lekku and her face markings were very sharp and distinct.

“Well it’s true. What would you know of any of this?” He retorted back.

“Oh, you will find I know betrayal very well. After all, thousands of my children betrayed me.”

“…you’re talking about the clone troopers.”

“Indeed. My name is Jedi Master Shaak Ti, and during the war, I was stationed on Kamino, the home plant of the clones. I oversaw thousands of clones’ training, I gave them advice, I comforted them when their brothers were decommissioned. I fought with and for them all. But in the end, it was for naught. They executed almost all Jedi, even the youngest in the crèche and the eldest in the Halls of Healing.” He listened in awe.

“But I do not blame them. It was Palpatine who forced them to do this. Implanted a chip to control them with the right code words. They couldn’t control it, just as you could not control what happened with Ben Solo.”

“But I could have stopped this from happening, if only I had seen it!”

“What if’s and could have’s won’t change the past, Luke. All you can do now is look forward. What could you do in the future, if only you would forgive yourself.”

“I… I can’t go back. How can I face them? Leia, Han, Chewie? Their son Fell to the Dark side, because I wasn’t a good enough teacher.”

“Falling is a choice, Luke. Ben was manipulated by the Dark and Fell because of it. Not because you failed.”

“Heh. Sure, whatever you say.” He turned on his heel and began walking back down the hill to his hut.

He heard her sigh, and then felt her Force energy disperse.

[phoenixkadeu]

always blue behind the red blood stains

Soft golden strands fell on top of Asra's shoulders, the blade merciless and the light breeze caring, as it cleaned all the traces of the slaughter that was a pair of scissors against his hair. Long (enough to be slightly curved) and pointy nails scratched his scalps, signaling him to drop his head a little further down so that the woman who had welcomed him into the group could work on cutting the hair at the nape of his neck.

The movements stopped, the snipping of the pair of scissors ceased and for a moment all Asra could hear was the loud chirping of birds and quiet conversation of those who surrounded the both of them. The touch at the nape of his neck was unexpected, but he still remained quiet, not reacting and simply waiting for whatever there was to come.

“A bit odd for a fire elementalist to choose to mark his body like this, don’t you think?” the woman resumed her movements, quick fingers working on brushing and cutting his damp hair. At first, all the response that she got was a shrug of shoulders, until Asra finally felt like giving a more substantial answer, “probably, but it made sense for me”.

“And why is that?”

Unfortunately, Asra had never been a big fan of sharing intimate bits of information about himself with someone he barely knew. Still, there was a thought in back of his mind, when he first arrived, all the group had asked of him was trust and patience that they would be able to heal him and Asra knew that he had to take that request seriously or he would never be able to recover  or come back home.

“My grandfather was born and raised in Umibe before coming to Kadeu where he met my grandmother. So, every summer while I was growing up, all of my family went there on vacation. My father was always very gifted when it came to building things, so all of us would help him build these wood boats, big enough to carry three people each. He would let me paint it afterwards and by the end of the summer the boats were always in the worst condition, because my aunt always got a bit crazy due to the competitive boat races my family decided to host. Anyways that’s how we knew that the summer had been good, when we could see the destroyed boats on the beach''

A long sigh left his lips, there was no sign that the other woman was listening, but Asra was certain that she was. It felt a little bit painful to share that memory, especially because the last time he had been at that place was when he discovered that Allore was dead, promising himself never to return there anymore. But, at the same time, it felt good to talk about a memory he had almost forgotten and to be asked about something other than the obvious scar that tainted his face.

“Besides I always grew up believing that maybe I would be like my mother. She was the one that saved me, kept me alive all these years, so that is mostly in honor of her and how much I appreciate the power she has'' he could have not imagined how many emotions his parents felt when they realized that their son was trapped in a house on fire, the fear would have taken over anyone leaving them paralyzed, but they did not succumb to it and not only were they able to get him out, but nurse him back to health without any help from healers. It was only him, his mother and water.

A few more minutes passed, before a much more painful question cut through the air. “Remind me of how allore died, please?” the softness in which it was said did not help him in any way.

“I already told you, a LEA Sergeant chased her”

“I know that already, Asra, but how did she die?”

“She fucking drowned, alright?”

Sensing the sudden change in Asra’s behavior and acting almost as if she had been expecting it, the woman put away the pair of scissors letting the young man turn around, nothing but an emotionless face staring right at his angry expression.

“You have to let her go, you know it’s not your fault that happened” the way that she stared back at Asra made him believe that she was aware of something he was not and that feeling only was enough to irritate him beyond all rationality.

“Like hell it isn't, I knew deep down that she was not strong enough to deal with all of that and still I wanted to believe that everything would be fine in the end, so how exactly do you expect me to just get over it? What would you do if Manda suddenly died, uh? Would you just go around and fall in love with someone else?” from what they had told him the two women had been together for over eighty years, meeting when both of them decided to join this group of nomad elementalists.

“If you are proposing that question while thinking of someone else already I don’t really think it’s necessary for me to answer” the raised brow and the revelation that came with that statement was enough to shut him up as well as leave him frozen in place. The root of all the guilt perhaps was not only linked to the fact that Asra had not been able to save Allore from her fate but maybe it also had to do with the fact that his heart had slowly started to beat for someone else without him noticing it.

“Dead people don’t feel anything, Asra, but we do, the living, so don’t just ignore it, use it in your favor. You are here because you care about someone, because you want to help your family and friends back at home, because you love them, don’t become numb to that feeling” a stretched hand was offered and he took it, mind heavy with everything that had just been thrown at his face without any time for him to digest it.

The walk they took did not last long and soon enough the two elementalists were near a body of water. The lake was calm, secluded and it was clear that both of them were in deep thought as they stared at the water.

“I can tell that the first thing you think about when looking at this is her, you need to rebuild your connection with water and remind yourself of who you were before you feel in love with her. Go for a swim”

She gave him a push, but did not leave until her last words were said “it was not your responsibility to protect her, but it was her responsibly to become stronger, you did not fail back then so don’t fail now”

[the-knight-of-the-stars]

Echoes: a Descendants Fanfic

The children of the isle, and the children of Auradon, are now lost and alone in an unknown world.

Can they remember the truth? Can they remember who they really are? Is it possible for them to find their way back home?

All they have left, are the echoes from another life...

Chapter 1: Uma

His large, calloused hand slowly caressed her cheek. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, the wood smell of his clothes. How sweet it felt to be around him. Hot specks of ash flew around them, amid a thunderous sound of revolts, screams, some crackling fire. It looked like the end of the world. Through a haze, she blurred a pair of blue eyes full of melancholy, a sadness weighing on him.

"Come on Hook, I'll always be a just step away from you, " she said in a voice she didn't recognize.

"I know, we are light from the same star, right?" His deep voice slipped from his lips, tears streaming down his dirty face. Behind him, a pulsing red light blinded them, giving the young man the mythical appearance of a fiery creature. He leaned in, bringing their foreheads together in a desperate attempt to feel her close one last time "Goodbye, Uma ..."

Her eyes snapped open, her heart pounded. His words still echoed in her head, she still felt that suffocating heat, the chaotic sensation, and the sadness that vision had caused her. It had been brief, but still, she felt like she had been sleeping for days like she didn't think she would ever be able to wake up. But now the cold of the undaunted room made her hair stand on end and reminded her that it had all been a dream. She blinked several times, barely realizing she was clinging tightly to the sheets, making sure she had returned to reality. She put her hand to her heart and felt it pounding and excited. It felt alive. "I miss you," she thought, closing her eyes to that strange and familiar feeling, "Even if I don't know who you are."

Uma watched the snowfall through the grimy window and found that just as it had happened every day in that dead tundra, the sun had not risen. In that forgotten corner of fleeting feelings, only the gloom remained. Without fire, without chaos, there was no one by her side. Her breath resonated on the icy upholstered walls as if floating in the heavy silence that only abandoned houses have, that sad emptiness of having had and have lost. She got up from the bed.

But of course, Uma couldn't remember ever having anything. That loss was all she knew. All that remained inside her, like a luminous lamppost guiding her, was the hope that one day she would be able to recover everything she had lost. She walked through the lonely house, her long blue hair falling like soft clouds over her naked body, two small front braids, eternally tied, from which hung small amulets whose meanings she did not know. Only the heavy wool blanket that had wrapped her up during the night covered her.

Just like every day, Uma went to the small kitchen, lit the oil lamps, and started to heat the tea. Outside, the wind whistled, and as she cracked two eggs on a frying pan, the heat of the kitchen reminded her of her dream. Fire, ash, the musty smell of gunpowder and blood, the boy with blue eyes. That was her dream. Over and over, that vision haunted her at night. He had lost count of how many times she had had that same dream, always the same, always leaving her with that feeling that she did not understand, but could not get rid of. "I miss you".

Something inside Uma told her that there was a reason why it felt so real, why it kept popping up in her mind. It was more than a dream, it was a memory. But she couldn't be sure, Uma wasn't sure about anything. As far as she knew, that exciting memory could only be an invention of her mind.

In town, they called her a witch. They said that magic had destroyed her mind, and that was why she did not remember who she was. Maybe they were right. Maybe that sad-eyed boy she called "Hook" wasn't real, it was just magic confusing her mind. As Uma ate her breakfast, listening in the distance to the howling laughter of the forest elves, she couldn't help but feel once again disappointed that the dream hadn't changed. Why couldn't she remember more? She sipped her tea and tried to forget about it.

-----------------------------------------------------

The last fishermen of the town began to gather their nets with slow and tired movements. It had been a long day. Uma said goodbye to them with a kiss thrown into the air, as was the tradition, and they responded in the same way, thanking her for the help and hard work. The dogs surrounded her amid joyous barking, and she had to dodge them laughing, as she walked away carrying her own basket overflowing with fish. In front of her stood the messy mound of windows, balconies, doors, and chimeneas. Uma had always thought that those particular tower-towns so common in the northern lands, looked like a tree made of houses stuck together. An oasis by the sea, a refuge from that mysterious, cold, and hostile land.

She entered the city swinging her basket, she knew perfectly the path between that maze of stairs. Here, the air was different, it smelled of bread, sweat, coal, human heat. It was more joyous, more comforting. Uma found the company she needed just by seeing the townspeople in their daily life while continuing to climb to the top. Boys hauling lumber, up alleys with the day's game on their backs, people on balconies spreading clothes, shaking rugs, or lighting lanterns. She paused for a moment, daring to look back, to see the huge sea from above.

Up there, where she was at the height of the birds flying and the trees seemed tiny, Uma stopped feeling so alone. Up there, among the wind, the heat, the flowers in the windows, the amber lights in the houses, and the noise of the people, even if it was only for an instant, Uma could almost feel normal, like someone loved, like someone human. And that was precisely what had motivated her to dream of one day, to be able to raise enough money to buy a little house in the highest part of town, where she could wake up every day in the midst of that joyous daily life, where she could finally feel that she was someone.

Finally, Uma reached her destination. She entered the narrow, candlelit establishment and approached the counter. She put the basket on the floor, and a skinny girl came out from the back.

"Uma! How are you? How are things going down there on the plain?" The girl greeted her with a charming smile. Uma shrugged, returning the smile.

" Hi Ruba, you know, cold as always ... I brought fish" replied Uma, smiling fondly at the girl in the store.

"I see they had good fishing today, right?" Ruba looked at her excitedly, and Uma only answered with her head "Well! How much do you want for it? It looks very good, how about 60 coins?"

"Are you crazy? Your mother would kill me if she finds out you gave me that much money" said Uma, laughing slightly. The girl from the store smiled, pleased to see her happy, and handed her a bag of fifty coins on the counter.

"Come on, take them, " Ruba said with a wink. "My mother doesn't have to know ..." Uma laughed again, slightly flushed.

"If you insist" she answered taking the bag and weighing it on her hand with pride. Ruba sighed with a huge smile.

"You know? I don't even think mother notices ... She is too busy licking a foreigner's boots" Ruba whispered with an amused tone "They say he came from the warm lands of the south and we are renting him my brother's room, you should have seen his face, He is furious to have to sleep on the kitchen floor, but he had no choice ..."

"He comes from the warm lands?" Asked Uma intrigued "And how is he?"

"Well, he is tall and handsome ... He's tanned, you know, like the people of the South ... He came on the train dressed as a prince with a ruffled suit and a suitcase full of wonders ..." Ruba explained with bright eyes of emotion "I'm sure he would love to meet you!"

"Me? Why?"

"Because you are a witch, you are the best that´s ever happened in this boring town ..."

"Thank you?"

"Oh, I almost forgot! I wanted to give you something… " Ruba said happily and took out from the folds of her dress a small wrapped package.

"To me?" Uma asked, surprised, and happy. No one had given her a gift since her teacher had died.

"The stranger brought us gifts from the south, you know, for letting him stay, and I thought why not give one to my favorite witch?" Ruba admitted, blushing a little. Uma smiled gratefully and took Ruba's hand in a happy squeeze.

"Thank you, Ruba, for everything ... You are the best friend I have made in this town ..." answered Uma, delicately keeping the gift in its folds. Ruba smiled from ear to ear.

"And you are mine, Witch ..."

-----------------------------------------------------------

Night fell, heavy and freezing on the plain. By the time Uma returned home, the darkness was almost absolute. Despite carrying a flashlight, she had to tap the walls for a long time to find the door. When she entered, the wall of enchanted tapestries greatly lessened the cold and the furious roar of the night wind. As soon as the door closed behind her, Uma dropped to the floor, exhausted, looking at the small hall of the house. Silence, again that deadly silence. With ragged breathing, she decided that she would stay there until her muscles relaxed, and she leaned against the wall, staring blankly, imagining not having to go back to that empty and distant house every day. She took off her coat, brushing dust and snow from her hair. In her pocket, she felt the small wrapped package that Ruba had given her, and Uma smiled again as she took it out. A gift from the south.

What wonders could come from those lands? Uma couldn't even imagine it. That northern land had been all she knew, all that interested her. That was what her teacher, the witch Aida, had taught her. Five years had passed since the villagers had found her, so cold and pale, that they had thought she was a corpse. They said that she came from the sea during a stormy night, an unconscious body that the waves threw to the beach. Villagers had given her a two-day funeral and attempted to bury her in an unmarked grave. But when the first earth fist was placed on her, she woke up. The frightened villagers took her with the only person in miles around who knew about the mysterious affairs of the world: Aida, the old witch of the forest.

Before that, Uma had no memories. She didn't know who she was, what she was, or where she came from. She only remembered the sea, the lightning, and the feeling of having lost something. Old Aida had taken her, cared for her, fed her, healed her wounds. She was the one who helped Uma overcome the shock and discovered that she knew how to speak, write, knew about the things of the world. But she still didn't know anything about herself. "You are a witch," her teacher had told her. "I can feel your magic, you probably got into forces that you shouldn't have, and this is the price you must pay. " After six months, Uma began to dream about the blue-eyed boy. And because of that dream, that memory, Uma was able to remember her name. Aida tried spells to make her remember more but never succeeded, and all Uma was left with was that fuzzy image of a world on fire.

Aida was a traditional woman, who during the time she met her taught her to rejoice in the little things in life, to cook, to attract fish, to become human again. And a year ago the old woman had died, sitting in her chair, leaving Uma with one last lesson to learn: how to survive alone. And Uma had learned, hunting her food and selling the fish that she trapped to the town's merchants, little by little, learning to make friends, to be kind to people, to trust them. Rarely did Uma think of the possibility that the world existed beyond that frozen region, that magic-filled forest, and that sparkling sea.

Uma untied the laces of Ruba's gift, thinking about her teacher, for the first time wondering if, in other lands, she could stop feeling the emptiness that consumed her inside.

She unwrapped the slip of paper, and a gold ring fell into her open hand. As soon as the metal touched her skin, Uma felt a jolt that shook her heart, like an electric shock that tore out the air, while in her head the vision of the boy with blue eyes appeared again, and his voice repeating the same words in an infinite cycle "We are light from the same star".

"Harry ..." she whispered as if her soul was breathing for the very first time "I remember you ..."

Also available on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25621861/chapters/62193694

[kazimakuwabara]

A Name (part 5)

Previous chapter can be found HERE

“Have you been having a lot of nightmares?” Kurama asked.

That was the man’s name, the one Kuwabara had mistaken for an incredibly beautiful woman. Instead, it seemed he was an incredibly beautiful man, which was of course fine. Male or female, this person was gorgeous. Although, given Kurama’s expression, Kuwabara had really fucked up in misgendering him.

‘Shit. I just met the guy and I’ve already put my foot in my mouth,’ Kuwabara thought as he stirred a cup of coffee Shizuru had brought him once everything had calmed down.

A chirping sound alerted him to one of the cats. Kuwabara glanced down. Tomi, the younger of the cats was rubbing up against Kuwabara’s leg. He was also a calico, like the older cat of the house, but had a bobbed tail. He was rubbing his face and body all against Kuwabara’s leg.

“He wants attention,” Kurama explained, his voice hesitant.

Kuwabara glanced at him, and saw some of the anger had left his eyes, and that he was now looking at Kuwabara, and then to the cat. Like he expected something.

It was just a cat? Did Kuwabara need to be so attentive?

“Ah well... I don’t really feel like petting him. These cats seem very clingy,” Kuwabara answered with an awkward shrug.

Oddly, Kurama seemed pained and even horrified by what Kuwabara said.

“Sorry, again,” Kuwabara blustered forward, “About mistaking your gender. That was... rude, and a complete mistake. I was having a crazy... dream.”

Kurama blushed and shrank a little in his shoulders, “It’s not such a big deal! I’m not upset about you making that mistake. I’m being...” Kurama sighed, and adjusted himself in his seat, and tossed some of his red hair from his shoulder with an elegant toss of his head, “Sorry. I’m not mad at you. I’ve had the unfortunate problem where people mistake my gender, and then are very rude about it. But in all our years of knowing each other, you’ve never done that. At least... not verbally to me. I don’t know the inner workings of your mind... But I’ve always appreciated that you would correct people who would mistake me for a woman.”

Kurama sighed, and chuckled a little seeming to let something go, “Do you want to start over?”

Kuwabara let out an explosive sigh and slumped in his chair, kicking his legs out straight beneath the table. His movement disturbed Tomi, who scampered off, probably running to go find Eikitchi or snuggle Shizuru. “Yes, please!” Kuwabara rumbled gratefully.

Kurama smiled the slightest of bits, “Hello... you may not remember me... but I’m Shuichi Minamino. Although I go by Kurama... as in my previous life I was a demon fox who was known as Kurama.”

“And I’m Kazuma Kuwabara, which you know,” Kuwabara said with a shrug. He had a lot of questions about what Kurama meant by previous life. But things had already started off so awkwardly, Kuwabara held his tongue.

Kurama smiled at that, and then nodded.

And then it went quiet.

‘Fuck, this is awkward,’ Kuwabara thought, returning to stir his coffee.

“Your... you were having a nightmare when I barged in. Are you alright?” Kurama finally asked the silence of the room, his voice itching with concerned curiosity.

Kuwabara leaned against his good hand, and glanced down at his bad arm. He frowned thoughtfully, and then looked at Kurama, “Am I known to have bad dreams?”

Kurama looked surprised, but thoughtfully considered what Kuwabara asked before answering, “In a way. You’re a very powerful psychic... and often would dream of things. Things that were happening, or had happened, and it disturbed you when they happened. You did not... scream... often...” Kurama muttered looking lost in thought, and a little sad, “But it had happened before. You’ve also been moved to tears before as well.”

Kuwabara flushed and touched his face. He had been crying when he had been shaken awake. But everything in that last dream had felt like a loss. Everything was ending. He had been grateful, but sad in the dream. Everything was ending. And then there was the pain too.

Kuwabara sighed, “Well perhaps it was one of those psychic vision things. Premonitions?” Kuwabara shrugged his good shoulder, “A memory maybe.”

“Memory...” Kurama repeated softly, his green eyes suddenly shining, “Would you tell me about them?”

Kuwabara nodded, and spoke with Kurama about his three dreams. He even spoke of the sudden memory he had when Hiei had visited. If Kurama had been disturbed of what Kuwabara spoke of, Kuwabara couldn’t tell. Kurama had a very good poker face. They spoke through breakfast, and Kuwabara was not done talking, and answering Kurama’s few questions, until Shizuru was bringing in lunch.

Kuwabara smiled at her, and she handed him a large glass of water which his downed. Talking so much had made him thirsty. She arched an eyebrow at him, and smiled, “I’ll bring a pitcher.”

After that was retrieved, she left Kurama and Kuwabara alone, and Kurama sighed, “It sounds like a mix of mostly memories. Most of what you said...” Kurama’s green eyes flicked up and pierced Kuwabara, “happened.”

Kuwabara nodded, “So... I’m recovering my memories,”

Kurama placed a hand over his mouth, and pressed his chin into his palm, “...Perhaps.”

“I’m not supposed to be able to remember am I?”

Kurama’s knee knocked the table, and he shout a hand out to steady the small table they sat out. His eyes were wide and he stared shocked at Kuwabara.

Kuwabara’s eyes flitted curiously over Kurama’s expression.

“I’ve been thinking,” Kuwabara began to explain, “That perhaps, despite what Yukina has said, and what Shizuru hopes for, that I’m not supposed to remember. I did something, or something happened... and as a result... every bit of me was supposed to be gone. It’s a feat that I’m even here... isn’t that right?”

Kurama was pale, but nodded a slow confirmation, “Very... clever.”

Kuwabara pursed his lips. Something about that comment made him angry.

“So... did you all know that I wouldn’t get my memories back... and were just lying to poor Shizuru and Miss Yukina?” Kuwabara asked, unable to keep the snarl from his mouth.

Kurama looked mortified, and had paled again, “No! Not at all-”

“But,” Kuwabara interrupted, “But I’m not supposed to be here. And I’m not supposed to remember. And I’ve deified the odds-”

“That’s just it!” Kurama interrupted, standing up quickly. He hastened to Kuwabara’s side and both his hands fell on Kuwabara’s good arm, “After what you did... there was no way for you to survive. But you did! You did. And you had lost all your memories... so therefore, I thought... there was no way you would recover!”

Kuwabara burst of anger began to cool. Carefully Kuwabara asked, “You... All of you just were relieved I made it, against the odds. But didn’t expect my memory to come back.”

“Half right,” Kurama whispered, his eyes shining with what looked to be tears, “Half right. I... I was the one... I am the only one who thinks you won’t get better. Or at least I think so... I haven’t voiced my concerns. It’s a miracle you still exist... I thought... I didn’t dare hope for more.”

Kuwabara shifted in his seat, and gently tugged his arm away from Kurama. Kurama let him go, his head lowered. Gingerly, Kuwabara wrapped his good arm around Kurama, whose head shot up to stare at Kuwabara with a raw emotion flooding his eyes. One that Kuwabara did not have the name to give to explain what he was seeing.

Carefully, Kuwabara embraced Kurama, “I’m still here. I don’t remember. But I’m still here.”

Slowly Kurama’s arms wrapped around Kuwabara, and he returned the hug in the gentlest of grips.

After a long pause, Kuwabara sighed, “This whole situation is weird. And to forgo politeness, really fucking annoying. I don’t remember a thing... but...” Kuwabara squeezed Kurama who let out a wet sniffle. 

“How lucky I was to have all these people that cared about me. But I need you to do something for me now. And if not for me, then for whoever I used to be,” Kuwabara’s words grew stronger, and he pulled back to meet Kurama’s eye.

“Tell me Kurama, tell me about the mission we all went on. And as much as you know that happened to me during.”

[themanicmagician]

Shipwrecked [3/4]

[AO3]

Summary: When Redd’s boat crashes upon the shore of Bastion Island, Tom reluctantly takes him in while he recovers. Tom despises Redd for his past deceit, but when he has no choice but to spend time with him, Tom is reminded why he fell in love with the wily fox in the first place.

“What is this supposed to be?”

Tom eyed the frilly cocktail Redd had pushed into his hand. It was a swirl of blue and seafoam green, complete with a tiny toothpick umbrella spearing a pineapple wedge.

“Vacation Juice.”

“But we’re not on a—”

“It’s just a name. You’ll like it, trust me.”

Tom took a small sip. It tasted like pears. Very, very sugary pears. He couldn’t even taste the alcohol. As he took a second, larger sip, Redd said: “Told you you’d like it.”

Tom rolled his eyes, not gracing Redd with a response. He swallowed another mouthful of the “juice” as he glanced around the bar. It wasn’t one of their typical haunts. Drinking out in the city was always expensive, so they tended towards establishments with long, generous happy hours, and cheap brews to go along with. The bar they were in now—Tom had already forgotten the name—was a touch fancier. The drinks were all cocktails with themed names. The drinks were served in small portions, and the prices were obscene, but they were celebrating, after all. They could splurge, just a little, just tonight.

The bar was miraculously uncrowded. Tom and Redd had even managed to secure a corner table all for themselves. The lighting was dim, intimate. They were surrounded mostly by other couples, each pair focused on each other rather than a game on TV.

This was Tom’s third drink in under an hour, and he was getting to that pleasant, loose phase of drunkenness. He watched Redd swallow, observed the slow bob of his throat as he drank. He was struck by a bolt of desire. He wanted to trace the movement with his tongue. Tom shifted on his stool.

Redd’s cell phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket. His cool demeanor slipped, his eyes widened in alarm.

“It’s the landlord for the building!” He told Tom before he hurriedly took the call. “Hi! Phil, how’s it going? No, no it’s not a bad time at all.”

Redd hunched down, pressing the phone close to his ear to listen over the booming music.

“...Really? Oh—Oh no, that’s not a problem at all.”

Redd’s expression twisted briefly in distress. Tom’s stomach lurched with sudden, strong anxiety. What was the landlord saying? It was maddening, only being able to hear half of the conversation. He leaned closer, but could barely hear the tinny voice coming from Redd’s phone.

“Of course. I’ll get it to you tonight. Yes. You too. Ciao.”

Redd hung up, and sighed. When he didn’t immediately launch into an explanation, Tom blurted: “Well?”

Redd combed a paw through the fur on his head with agitation. It made his sleek fur stick up at odd angles, but Redd didn’t seem to notice, or care.

“The landlord, he got another offer on the store. Says if we still want it we’ll have to pay the first six months—up front.”

Tom swallowed, throat suddenly dry. He downed the rest of his Vacation Juice.

“I have some money put away, but not nearly enough for all that time.” Redd frowned. “But if I don’t get it to him tonight, we lose the place.”

“Well, how much is six months’ rent?”

“Everything included—all the fees, insurance, utilities and everything—it’ll be 200,000 bells. And I already went and spent most of my money getting us the stock. I can’t get a refund now.” He laughed, the sound sharp and bitter. “We’ll have all this furniture and nowhere to put it.”  

“How much do you need?”

“Tom, I couldn’t—”

“Redd. We’re partners, right? How much do you need?”

The fox shifted on his stool.

“...It’s too much to ask of you.” Redd mumbled, eventually.

“Redd.”

“Fine, fine. I only have about 15k bells left in my account right now.”

Tom brought out his own phone. It took a few clumsy tries for him to unlock it. He had just enough in his account to cover the remainder, built up from the months of pitching and selling ideas to businesses. This would drain nearly all of Tom’s savings, but it was an investment. It was worth it. Besides, they’d make it up and then some when their store opened.

“I can transfer it over right now.” Tom smiled. “Though I’m afraid we’ll have to switch to ramen and tap water for a while.”

“I could kiss you.” Redd said.

“What’s stopping you?”

After a sloppy kiss that tasted of pears and apples, Tom drained his account for the deposit. Redd called Phil back to confirm the transfer was a success. Once the landlord confirmed, Redd pulled Tom from the bar, hand in hand. They couldn’t really afford to buy more fancy cocktails, but there was a full bottle of sake at home, calling their name.

~*~

Tom awoke with a thunderous headache. He groaned, pinching two fingers to the ridge of his nose. He warily opened his eyes a few centimeters, then slammed them shut again. Nausea churned in his gut. He took a moment to just lay there, and prayed for his insides to stop revolting. How much had they had to drink last night? It was a blur. Tom had been feeling buzzed already from the cocktails and then the sake had gone and punched straight holes through his memory. He remembered snatches of moments, of sensations. Raking his paws through Redd’s fur, feeling the corded muscles beneath as they shifted. The sweet taste of Redd’s mouth on his, the triumph of finally marking up that exposed throat. The way that Redd, always so perfect and composed, became a stuttering, breathy mess as they made love. Then, a whole lot of nothing.

“Redd?” Tom moaned feebly. The fox handled his liquor a thousand times better than he did. He could entreat his partner to get up and fetch him some water. He flailed out blindly, reaching, but his hand encountered no fox.

Tom opened his eyes again, with heavy reluctance. He was alone in the bed. He swept his paw over the sheets. They were cool.

Tom spilled clumsily over the side of the bed to reach his pants, which were in a crumpled heap on the bedroom floor. He rooted around in his pockets until he found his phone. The time blared at him, like a condemnation: 10:05 a.m. For someone that normally got up for the day at 6, it was sacrilege.

Standing upright was a mistake. Dizziness and nausea slammed into him immediately. He barely made it to the bathroom before he was puking. He hadn’t really had much to eat yesterday, so all that came up was stringy bile. He flushed the mess down and rested his head for a minute against the cool bathroom cabinet.

He was surprised Redd hadn’t come to investigate, considering the amount of noise Tom was making.

“Redd?” He croaked.

There was no reply.

Tom sat for a moment more, until he was certain he wouldn’t neat the toilet again. He levered himself upright, bracing himself on the sink.

He shuffled out of the bathroom, and went into the area comprised of their kitchenette and living room. Redd was still nowhere to be found. And there was something...off. It took him a moment, and then he realized: Redd’s stuff was missing. His artwork that’d been scattered around, his books, they were gone. Tom checked their bedroom. Tom’s things were neatly folded in the drawers, but there was an empty gap where Redd’s clothes had once been.

Had something happened to Redd? Heart pounding with confusion and fear, he dialed Redd’s number. The call went straight to voicemail. He called again; same result.

After the beep, he left a message, his voice audibly shaky. “H-Hey, it’s Tom. Call me when you get this, alright? Let me know you’re okay.”

Tom returned to the living room, and paced anxiously until his attention was caught by a white envelope. It was resting on the floor, by the front door. Someone must have slipped it underneath.

The envelope was addressed to Redd, but Tom broke the seal anyway, hoping whatever was inside would provide answers.

Inside was a final eviction notice.

According to it, Redd was three months past due on rent, and had until the end of the week to move out his stuff before it was thrown out by management.

Tom was breathing fast, now. It felt like the walls were closing in on him. This didn’t make  sense. Redd had afforded this apartment for years before Tom had moved in. And as soon as Tom began making money he contributed half of the rent. He gave the bells over to Redd and assumed he’d take care of it. Redd had money before they’d poured most of their shared earnings into their store, so why—?

The eviction notice was starting to crumple in his shaking grip. He set it aside on the kitchen island.

He needed to find Redd. He needed to talk to him. There was probably some simple explanation for all of this that Tom just couldn’t see right now. Redd would explain, would tease him for getting all worked up about nothing. Or, or maybe this had been premeditated. Maybe he’d taken Tom’s money for months and then—

Tom yanked on his pants, and a shirt, and dashed out of the apartment. Redd wasn’t home, but there was one other place he might be at this hour.

Tom ran to their store. Animals gave him odd looks as he passed them, but he paid them no attention. He wasn’t built for running, especially not over long distances. He was soon panting and wheezing, sweat slicking his shirt to his back, but he didn’t slow. The walking sign switched to a red hand but Tom kept running, ignoring the resultant yells and curses spat at him from nearby cars as they were forced to swerve around him.

He reached the store at last—and his heart dropped to his stomach. The entire area was roped off. There were large heavy construction machines, including a crane with a wrecking ball at the end of it.

Tom ducked under the tape and tried to run inside, but was grabbed by one of the construction workers.

“Hey, hey!” The bulldog barked. “You crazy? You can’t go in there, they’re about to bust it down.”

“That’s my store!” Tom yelled. “What are you doing, that’s my property!”

“This place has been foreclosed on for over a year now.” The worker replied, bewildered. “It’s been slated for demolition. Gonna squeeze another high-rise in there.”

“But—But—”

The key in his pocket was freshly cut. If the place had been abandoned, it would’ve been relatively simple for Redd to install a new lock on the place. To add a layer of credibility to the entire request, to allow Tom to hope.

Tom was no longer resisting, so the bulldog released his grip on Tom’s shirt.

“You should step back, kid. It’s going to get real dusty here in a minute.”

He threw one last perplexed look at Tom before he rejoined his crew members.

Tom retreated behind the tape, and watched as the wrecking ball swung out, and smashed the front of the building inwards. His eyes watered, then, but not from the resultant dust.

~*~

He didn’t return to the apartment. He didn’t want anything they’d shared, or that would remind him of Redd.

He walked to the train station in a daze, only pausing to chuck his apartment and store keys in the trash.

Tom didn’t have much remaining in his account, but Redd had at least left him enough to purchase a one-way ticket back to his hometown. The train was the same make and model as the one that’d brought him here, six months ago.

Tom sat at a free window seat, and rested his cheek against the window. The glass was a bit smudged and sticky, likely from a child’s hands, but Tom left his head where it was.

The train came alive with a jolt. Soon the skyscrapers gave way to houses. Gradually, the houses became further and further spaced out, and the forest grew denser. He drank in the sight of green foliage greedily, like a man given water after days in the desert. He hadn’t realized, until now, how much he hated the gray of steel, the tan of concrete, the black of asphalt.  

The train stopped intermittently. Tom did not pay attention to the conductor’s voice over the loudspeaker, as his was the very last stop on the line.

“Hey, do you mind if I sit next to you?”

It took half a moment for Tom to recognize that he was being spoken to. He pulled his gaze sluggishly away from the window. A blue and white cat stood there, smiling down at him, seemingly unperturbed by Tom’s dour mood. Tom shrugged, not really caring what the cat did. He slid into the seat beside Tom.

“I’m Rover.” He beamed. Tom wanted to grab him by the shoulders, shake him, scream that it wasn’t fair, how dare he smile like that when Tom had been through hell.

“...Tom.” He admitted, eventually, in the expectant silence.

“Pleasure. So, where you headed?”

“Home.”

He understood it now. He wasn’t meant for city life, for a place that cradled you when you could provide it value, then dropped you into the dirt after.

“Took a day trip to the city, eh?”

Tom grunted.

“What a place! Fun to visit now and again, but I’d never live there, personally.”

“Me neither.” Tom agreed.

Rover filled the trip with largely one-sided chatter until he hopped off, three stops before Tom’s.

“Safe travels, friend! I’m sure we’ll meet again someday.”

Tom mustered up a wave for him.

The train pulled into its final station a little after noon. Hardly anyone was left on the train. As Tom left the station, he passed a few elderly couples, some younger animals psyching themselves up for a nature hike.

There weren’t cabs this far out, so Tom walked. It reminded him somewhat of his first day in the city, fraught as it was with exhaustion and confusion as he plodded down street after street. At least this time he walked with certainty. Starved of entertainment as a child, he’d explore the entire town enough times he could navigate it blind.

He wasn’t surprised to discover nothing had changed here. He hadn’t been gone that long, all told, and change came at a glacial pace in his hometown. There were the same trees, unchanging storefronts. Though he supposed there was perhaps a bit more peeling paint on the general store sign than the last time he’d seen it. The store had been owned by Gran Bluebell since before Tom was a kit. It was no great shock she didn’t bother with touching up the hard to reach sign at her age.

People recognized him. Welcomed him. Assumed he was just here for a visit. Tom smiled at them, and exchanged pleasantries but no meaningful information on his side. Humiliation burned his face like a hot brand. He could hardly admit to himself that he’d failed, let alone to them. They’d sympathize, express their condolences—but past their commiserating veneer would be a sick kind of satisfaction. I knew you’d never make it out there. You thought you were better than us? Smarter? We’re all stuck here in this town for a reason.  

Had the city soured his optimistic, rosy view of others? Perhaps it had. Could he truly be blamed, though? With pessimism, you expected the worst out of others. You could never be disappointed, only pleasantly surprised.

At length, Tom reached his destination. It was a house on the end of the row. One story, cream-colored. The doorbell had stopped working years ago, so Tom rapped on the door. He heard the shuffle of feet over wood, and then the door creaked open.

Sable’s eyes widened. She shut the door again to unhook the chain lock, and then threw it wide open. Tom could see a slice of the kitchen from his current vantage point. Mabel was strapped into her highchair, gleefully smashing peas into paste on the tray in front of her, babbling nonsense. Label was peering at him with large, dark eyes, half-hidden behind the frayed couch.

“Tom, what are you doing here?” Sable swept a critical eye over him, noting his lack of luggage.

Tom saw telltale signs of strain in his friend’s features. The circles beneath her eyes, the unkemptness of her quills, the stains, fresh and old on her apron. He shouldn’t bother her with his problems. But he didn’t have anywhere else to go.

“Tom?”

She cupped his chin, lifted his head up so he met her gaze.

“What happened?”

Tom broke. He surged forward, wrapping Sable in a tight embrace. Sable hesitated only the briefest moment before she encircled her arms around him, stroking his back soothingly.

“Sable,” He choked out.

“It’s okay now.” Her tone was soothing and soft. “Let it out.”

He buried his head in her shoulder, and wept.

~*~

Tom was rooted in place. Redd was gone, again. Without a trace, without a word.

He was being stupid. He was overreacting. Where could Redd go, really? The island wasn’t that large.

He knew this, logically, and yet his heart was pounding like a drum, his paws, clammy. He couldn’t help the irrational fear that history was repeating itself.

He managed to break through the panic which had seized him to return downstairs. He entered the Cranny. Timmy and Tommy swiveled away from their conversation with Fang.

“Have you seen Redd?” Tom blurted.

The twins shook their heads in unison, but the old wolf scrunched up his forehead in thought.

“The little red fella?” Fang rumbled. Tom nodded. “Think I saw him on my way in. Headed northwards, cha-chomp.”

“Should we look too?”

“...too?”

“No, boys. Mind the shop. I’ll find him.”

Tom waited until he was out of sight of anyone inside the store before he broke into a jog. He crossed over the bridge that connected the main swatch of Bastion to the smaller crescent of land to the north. Alex had left most of this land to the wilds. There was a grove of multicolored hyacinths, encircled by pear trees. Bastion’s lighthouse was posted on the edge of the water. There was no other sign of civilization out here—save for Flurry’s house.

Tom hurried up to the house, and was about to knock when the door swung open. Redd was exiting, a new book tucked under his arm. Flurry was behind him, wringing her tiny paws.

“You’re sure I can’t carry it for you?” She fretted.

“The book weighs more than you do. I can handle it, no problem.”

Redd was facing Flurry; he hadn’t seen Tom yet. He was speaking in that tone of voice, the same one he’d had with the boys, before Tom interrupted. Something soft, kind.

Then Redd turned to see Tom, and the gentle look on his face vanished, replaced by something charming and fake.

“Come to escort me home? How gentlemanly of you, Mr. Nook.” Redd batted his eyelashes obnoxiously. Flurry giggled.

Tom gave a short nod to the hamster before she shut the door. Tom waited until they were in the hyacinth field, far enough away from Flurry’s house, to speak.

“You can’t just—just leave without telling me.”

Redd snorted. “I’m not one of your adopted kiddos.” A thought seemed to occur to him, and with some annoyance, he added, “What, you can’t trust me to be on my own, is that it? Think I’m always up to no good?”

“You’re hurt and you don’t know the island. You can’t just go off on your own.”

“Please, Tom. Don’t bother with all this. You don’t care about me, you’ve made that perfectly clear.”

“That’s not what I—you’re so—!” Tom clamped his mouth shut. He took a deep breath, which didn’t do as much to calm him as he would have liked. “I’m sorry. I overreacted. You were just gone, and I panicked.”

Tom was surprised as that seemed to set Redd off. “Oh, panicked, did you? How do you think I felt when you left New Leaf, without telling me? I had to hear it from Chadder—Chadder, of all people!—that you’ve just run off to some deserted island, on your own. There are tarantulas out here, Tom. Tarantulas!”

“And scorpions,” Tom added, helpfully. Redd glowered at him. “I was expanding my business into travel. Not that you’d know anything about innovation.”

“You learned all you know from me!”

“Hardly!” Tom scoffed. “I taught myself everything after you stole from me. My first shop was made out of scrap metal and wood from the dump, and look at me now. Whereas you, Redd,” He jabbed the fox in the chest. “You just jump from one scam to the next, and don’t care who you hurt in the process.”

Redd flinched back. “I’m not. I’m not like that anymore. I—look. I might have. Lied. Before.”

“You’ll have to be more specific.” Tom said, waspishly.

“Guess I deserve that one.” Redd shifted his weight uneasily. “I’m talking about the art. It is real, like I said. Spent almost every bell I got to acquire it all. But I wasn’t planning to scam anyone with it. I wasn’t going to go island to island to sell people replicas. I just wanted to come here. Where you are.”

Tom’s ire drained, supplanted by confusion. He said nothing, and Redd took that as permission to continue.

“I was going to swing by once a week. Give a new piece of art to that human kid every time, because I know Blabbers—”

“Blathers.”

“—would want them all displayed in his museum. And over time, you’d get used to seeing me around. And there’d be no stories about fakes for you to hear. And maybe you’d…” Redd sighed. He looked up at Tom with an earnestness the raccoon had never seen from him before. “I scammed a lot of guys before you. A lot of them were like you—new to the city, hopelessly clueless, grateful for any scrap of guidance. But you were different. I...I do regret what happened between us. What I did to you. It still haunts me.”

“So why did you?” Tom asked, softly. “You know that I loved you.”

Redd’s face twisted in anguish. “I did know. I hate myself every day for ruining what we had. And the worst part is I can’t tell you why I did it. A part of me, a big part of me, didn’t want to. But it was what I’d always done. I didn’t grow up in a nice place, or in a nice home. I learned how to con, how to lie and cheat and survive. I learned how to take care of myself, because no one else was going to. And then you came along, and you didn’t want to use me, and you were clever, and wanted us to be partners, equals. You thought I could be that for you, that I could be up at as high a level as you are, and, and it scared me. It made me think that maybe I didn’t have to be that way anymore. I didn’t have to trick anyone ever again. But when it came down to it, I couldn’t change. I couldn’t make the leap. I fell into old habits, because they were secure, because I knew I could rely on the results. I knew I’d hurt you, but I did it anyway. Because I didn’t trust you, and I didn’t trust myself.”

Tom felt as if his heart was breaking again, but in a different way. Redd’s confession was a raw, sad thing.

“I’m not asking for your forgiveness. I know I don’t deserve it. But I’m a selfish bastard, and I...I still want you in my life. In whatever way you’ll have me.”

There was a long silence between them. The hyacinths swayed gently around them in the cool sea breeze.

Redd had hurt Tom deeply. On one level, Tom did forgive him. Redd had suffered the consequences of his actions. He’d gained money, but he’d lost Tom’s affections, lost the chance for an honest living. On another level, Tom could not open his heart fully to the fox again. Redd claimed that he had changed, and he certainly seemed repentant. But they would remain only acquaintances, perhaps friends, at the most. He simply could not trust Redd to the extent he had in the past, and he doubted he ever would.

“What book did Flurry give you?”

“What? Oh.” Redd blinked. He checked the title. “Bark Antony and Kleopawtra.”

“Perhaps you could read it aloud to the kids, tonight. They’d like that.”

A tentative smile spread slowly across Redd’s face.

He accepted the olive branch.

“Fine, but you’re voicing Bark Antony.”

The pair of them returned to the Cranny, walking shoulder to shoulder.

[suxian]

it’s the teddy bear! Nix and Dick’s quite unusual life in Pennsylvania.

I know this chapter was wrote quite awful, so if you don't like it, please just ignore it

1 2 3

Nix hid his face in Dick's chest. He remained silent for a long time, during which Dick did not speak. He only gently stroked the back of Nix's hairy head, listening to Nix's breathing. As if a heavy rain after the bleak grass, the breeze slowly blowing, stirring up the refreshing aroma of grass.

After a long time, Nix finally spoke up.

"I've never wanted to be human again as much as I do now." His voice was muffled, mixed with a rare embarrassment and a touch of gnashed irritation, "At least I can take my clothes off and have sex with you and fuck my fucking brains out instead of being so embarrassed that I have no words to talk to."

Hearing Nix's angry speech, Dick couldn't help but raised the corner of his mouth. But at the same time he felt a secret bitterness and heaviness in his heart. He and Nix have been tacitly aware of Nix's behavior and have avoided talking about it. Whenever Nix wants to escape some topics from Dick, or abandon himself and hide his fragmented emotions, he will make love with Dick. He will madly try to drag Dick into the confusion and joy of his body, and will cover up his true feelings with deep kisses, dirty strokes, colorful seductions and licentious behaviors.

Dick didn't notice it until Blanche committed suicide because of depression. After the funeral dust is settled, Dick and Nix return to the apartment where Nix and Blanche used to live together. Dick is reluctant to let Nix stay alone in the apartment full of memories. No matter how good the memory is, it will only be like a nightmare at this time. Nix, however, locks himself into the room as soon as he gets home, leaving Dick no chance to make any other suggestions.

After pacing back and forth in the living room, eventually, Dick made a quick decision. He first told the housekeeper to prepare the meal and not to indulge Nix in drinking too much wine. He went back to the apartment to clean up his clothes and would come back immediately.

By the time Dick got back to Nix's apartment, it was past noon. Nix didn’t have lunch, and he also skipped over dinner. Dick did not try to disturb him. He waited until nearly midnight, and the housekeeper prepared supper just in case, but Nix's door was never opened again. He didn't even ask the housekeeper to deliver the wine. Eventually, Dick returned to the apartment's guest room, with no clue how long it will take Nix to recover from another death. He closed the door, took off and folded his coat, and sat for a long time with his eyes looked at the front horizontally, his legs together, his hands on his knees, and his back straight in silence. And then, he turned off the light.

Dick's keenness cultivated in the front line for many years made him turn over and roll out of bed on guard, putting on a defensive posture even before he woke up when he felt that someone was approaching him. The next second, however, Dick was completely awakened because of the extremely familiar voice and the other person's fuzzy figure in the dark. He was surprised and asked, "Nix?"

"I don't want to disturb the rest of the house at this time, so" Nix shook his hand in the darkness, and Dick saw by the dim moonlight that it was a key. "Sorry." Nix said unapologetically and threw the key down beside Dick's pillow.

"It doesn't matter," said Dick subconsciously. He was only concerned about Nix now. "What happened?"

"Good question, guessing what? The truth is I decided not to get fucking drunk and wake up the next day, or the next morning, on the vomit-covered floor to escape from --" Nix paused, tilted his head and didn’t go on. He then walked two steps closer to Dick and suddenly asked, "Do you need me to turn on the light to make sure I'm not drunk at this time?"

Dick didn't understand what Nix was trying to do, but he shook his head, "No." He said, "I know you're sober."

"Good," Nix said, "I'm going to do one thing. If you feel any discomfort during this period, say stop, I'll stop right away and leave."

"What? "Dick frowned, and his heart became alert. He had never seen Nix so wearily, even the heavy night couldn’t conceal his pallor. "What are you going to --"

"I like-- hell, I love you. "

Nix saw Dick's lips suddenly closed and his face strangely turned. It was as if this amused him, as if he had expected Dick to show this particular reaction. "I'm tired of pretending that I don't have feelings other than you are just my best friend." He then regained his expressionless face and said calmly, "I also don't want to be carefully suppress, cover up these feelings."

With that, Nix shrugged.

Dick was shocked by these sudden words, feeling dizzy, accompanying by an unadulterated joy. His heart rate soared, blood all poured into the face, and ears were crazy with the huge flow of blood vessels.

Dick opened his mouth. His spirit and limbs, which had been solid as a rock in the midst of the fire and the danger of the battlefield, trembled. He was eager to say something --

The next second, Nix kissed him.

It started as a gentle kiss, Nix brushing Dick's teeth with the tip of her tongue, feathery soft. But to his surprise, Dick opened his teeth and took Nix's cheek in his hand. His breath stung Nix's lips, jaw, and nose like a burning fire and boiling water. Nix was stunned for a few seconds, feeling Dick's tongue itch across the palate, and then suddenly, his senses came back. He desperately sucked on the tip of Dick's tongue until it was tingling, itchy, and painful, saliva spilling from the corners of both their mouths with this intense movement.

There was a long struggle, until Nix laughed and put his hand between them and felt between Dick's legs. "You got me, Major." He said in a low, obscene voice, bending his knees and deliberately grinding the delicate spot. Dick, without surprise, let out a groan and gasped uncontrollably. It had been less than a day after Blanche's funeral, he thought with great difficulty, they were in Nix's apartment, a door away from the housekeeper, the cook, and the maid. Any reason should calm him down and refuse to continue his folly. He bit his lip, trying to catch Nix's hand.

Nix dodged deftly, then fell to his knees and jerked off Dick's shorts. The half-hard penis jumped out. Nix looked at Dick, who frozen in place by his audacity, blushing and bewildered. "So, I guess I'm the first one to say hello to this soldier?" He smiled, bent his head, and put Dick's cock in his mouth without any hesitation.

Dick closed his eyes in despair. Nix was not familiar with the movements at first, but he was apparently incredibly clever. After a few attempts, he had figured out how to swallow Dick's penis as deep as possible, and had learned to squeeze the glans with his throat while fondling the frenulum. Watching Nix skillfully swallow his penis, lick it, kiss the tip of his cock does nothing to extinguish lust. And even though Dick closed his eyes, Nix's puffy cheeks, swollen lips and tearful corners of his eyes, and in between the puffs he muttered vaguely, "Dick, you're hard enough to hurt me."

Dick almost lost his reason. He just wanted to abandon all his faith. He wanted to hold Nix's neck and slammed into his mouth and throat so that he could not say a teasing or outrageous word any more.

In the meanwhile, Nix watched Dick bit his lip with stiff self-discipline, clench his hand into a fist with all his might of restraint and hold it against his thigh, wrinkling his eyebrows, veins on his neck, throbbing forbearing and erotically. He couldn't help but smirked, knowing that the only reason Dick didn't stop him was because he knew that Nix wouldn't stop, and that any extra noise they made would attract and alarm outsiders. Dick tried to stop Nix silently with his eyes, but it was obvious that this oral job could not be stopped.

Nix, of course, selfishly ignored this signal. He put his hand on Dick's hip, involuntarily kneaded Dick's firm tight butt, and then opened his mouth harder, forcing Dick to feel the pleasure squeezed out every time his cock hit Nix's throat.

The sensation builds up so quickly that it seems like a wall of waves is falling over one's head. After another deep throat from Nix, Dick suddenly let out a thick, muffled grunt, and the muscles in his thighs and lower abdomen tightened -- he was submerged in a sea of desire, caught in the whirlpool of orgasm, and shot out violently.

Before Nix could step back, Dick's semen filled his throat, more on his red lips that seemed to be bleeding, his jaw, and trickled down into the small indentations made by his collarbone. He coughed uncontrollably, and his tears made his face more salacious.

When Dick recovered from the orgasm, satisfaction and possessive desire finally disappeared from his body like a tidal wave. Dick saw Nix, who had already returned to normal at this moment, staring at him with amusement. His penis was still standing upright and his pants were stained with a dark mark.

"Nix, I --" Dick suddenly resenting himself for being so absorbed in the pleasure that he had forgotten Nix’s feeling.

"Stop, just don't apologize," Nix stopped him, shaking his head. "In fact, you can make it up to me. The night is still long."

Dick held his tongue, and waited.

"Fuck me, hard." Said Nix, raising his eyebrows. Dick's semen hung from his pretty, flawless cheek. Dick stared at the liquid that had made Nix unclean, and for a moment, uncontrollably, he wished it were hanging from Nix's eyelashes.

-- this shouldn't be right, they shouldn't have done it, Nix should have had a sweet wife, Dick should have got a girlfriend, they could have been close, and their kids could have been close, but they shouldn't have been as close as they are now, having sex, having fun, two men together.

But Nix was looking at him, recklessly, looking at Dick with a kind of contempt, and at the same time with an incomparable charm and dashing grace.

Fuck it, Dick thought, he had made a choice at this moment. He chose to go against the public order and good custom and abandon the so-called moral standards. He thought that if the world and Jesus only allowed a man and a woman to love and make love, then he would like to be Nix’s woman, and he believed that Nix would also like to be his woman.

"Tell me what I need to do." Dick heard himself say.

Nix laughed.

/

When they awoke in the early morning, Dick found Nix's head buried in his neck, trying to hide from the annoying sun. His black hair looked golden in the sun.

"Fuck you". Nix then woke up, groaned hoarsely.

"Good morning." Dick laughed uncontrollably, turned his head and kissed Nix's earlobe reassuringly, as if he had done it a hundred and a thousand times before.

"You're an animal." Nix complained.

"Feeling better?" Dick didn't care about Nix's offensive language. He just asked the question. He knew why Nix had come to him yesterday.

"For now, good." Nix replied scoundrelly, "for good? Have no clue. "

After a moment's silence, said Dick, "You looked awful yesterday."

"Well, when you don't know how something is going to turn out, it's like in Bastogne, you don't know where the German bombs are going to come from and go off," Nix said disagreingly. "But the worst thing that could happen is that you turn me down, you resign, and we don't interact. How could things be worse?"

Dick's heart shrank sharply. "I won't leave you."

"That sounds like a relief." Nix said in his usual joking tone, but Dick knew it was just a mask.

"I don't --" Dick tried to say that again, but Nix flipped over quickly and covered Dick's body with his own. He then put his fingers into Dick's red hair, which was just like the hot and burning and never extinguished sun.

Nix licked his lips and said, "Proved it."

Dick surrendered.

He admits, willingly, he is Nix's captive.