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anime-lover-forever-1127 · 3 years ago

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A Woman With Vision {Arthur Leywin} - 20. Beast Glades

Beast Glades

*****

Disclaimer - (Cause fanfiction is tricky ground and I hope not to offend the creator of the original story and get sued)

I do not own "The Beginning After The End", it belongs to its original creator TurtleMe. This is only a fanfiction that I was inspired to write by the original work. Please support the official release. Most of the media - such as the art and illustrations, gifs, video's, etc. used in this fanfiction - are from the web. Thus, most of them aren't mine (because I really, really can't draw) unless mentioned. To fit the story, images are also edited by various apps and websites. So they aren't mine, just edited. I get much of the text, especially the fight scenes and thought, aside from my oc's, from the original novel, which can be found on Library Novel. Please support the official release.

Also if you own a picture or Video that I found online, and you either want your name added, or me to take it down. Please contact me and we can talk it out. P.s. I also ask that you do not copy my work and publish it onto any other website.

If you're gonna use my idea, please ask me (If you ask nicely, I for sure, will agree). If I don't contact you within a week, then just assume I'm giving you the all clear and go for it. Just remember to credit me.

I will be writing out scenes even if my Oc isn't in them. As long as she's mentioned, or influencing the characters in some way. This may seem a bit annoying. But that's just how I write. I like to embed my characters into the story line. Because of this, most of the dialogue/scenes will come from the original work.

Playlist

For the playlist you can go to my YouTube channel, which is under "Anime-lover-forever-1127" and click on the playlist titled "A Woman With Vision {Arthur Laywin}". Or you can use this link watch?v=GYlAaNM7WS8&list=PLVKYkztH1Zd8bdl2_a1C8F6u8gPPwfa6D&ab_channel=7clouds

Warnings: Spoilers for Chapter 30 and chapter 54 of the comic

*****

Today's Special

No one tells you that the hardest part of MOTHERHOOD is when your kids grow up

~ sitiraihana

*****

{Morgana P.O.V.}

Crossing through the teleportation gate, my senses jolted from the scenery. The City of Xyrus had the most teleportation gates among the cities since they were the only way one could enter it, it being a floating city and all. The one we crossed led us directly to the front entrance of the area known as the Beast Glades.

The chirps of birds, occasional cries and roars of beasts, and the constant sound of water flowing filling the background all created an enticing symphony of nature. The sight of tall trees and numerous hills covered in various plants and shrubs made it hard to believe that this beautiful landscape was filled with magical beasts capable of killing even the strongest mages. However, because of abundances of natural resources on the outskirts, it was mostly only the lower rank beasts that inhabited this deeper an adventurer traversed, the more mysterious and treacherous the landscape turned, filled with the lairs of powerful beasts that have amassed their treasures and power in the solitude's of unexplored regions in the Beast Glades.

I took a sip of the crisp air as Jasmine and Arthur arrived behind me through the teleportation gate when, suddenly, I heard a wish, and from the corner of my eyes I saw Sylvie scurry off.

"Wait, Sylv! Where are you going?" Arthur called after her, dumbfounded.

Sylvie transmitted a vague response; I could feel her emotions of excitement as she sent out thoughts about her plans to train as well.

"Did she just?" I asked, pointing at the direction my baby just ran off to.

"Yep, she just ran away from home." He answered weekly, his tone going a little high.

"Oh, Arthur." I sighed, pulling him close and giving him a shoulder hug. I had only known Sylvie for a couple of months, and I felt as if something was missing without her here.

But she was Arthur's bond, and had never left him since the day she had hatched. I could only imagine how big the hole in his heart must feel.

"Are you gonna be ok?" I asked. "We could take a break."

Arthur shook his head, "We just got here. Plus, I'm only a little…" He struggled, unsure of what world to use, "...uneasy. But… I can sense her whereabouts. So it should be fine."

"You can sense her whereabouts?" I asked, surprised.

He nodded, "Wait! You can't?"

I shook my head.

"Close your eyes, and try searching for her aura."

I did what he had said. I could see the mana floating around me, but no Sylvie. I opened my eyes, "Nothing. No trace of her. Maybe we're not just there yet."

Sylvie had explained to me that the longer me and Arthur were with each other, the stronger our mate bond would become. And the stronger it becomes, the easier it would be for me to create an adopted bond with Sylvie. Of course that would only be possible after spending time with her. And if I ever got a bond, it would be the same with Arthur. He would form a bond, through me, until he had a second, slightly weaker bond, with my own, on his own.

So because of that, until my bond with Sylvie was complete, I would be using Arthur's bond, to support my own developing one with her.

Now it was Arthur's turn to give me a sympathetic and reassuring hug. "It's fine mama bear."

"You're right." I nodded, "Knowing you can still

"She'll be okay. Mana beasts have a natural instinct to grow stronger. She must've felt very suffocated being in a sheltered environment all of her life," Jasmine pips up , walking next to Arthur.

"I know." I nod, "But that honestly doesn't make it hurt any less."

Jasmine lets out a chuckle, "It's like your her mother."

"She is" - "I am"

Arthur and I answer at the same time.

Jasmine stops a bit, staring at us long and hard, before smiling, "I think I get what your parents meant now. Well, to each their own."

Both me and Arthur smile at that. She really is a great woman.

Putting her hand on our shoulder, she signalled for us to start moving. "There's a place I wish to visit first before going to a dungeon. We have to hurry though; it gets a little more dangerous at night."

Willing mana into her body, Jasmine bolted off into the distance, her wind attribute mana propelling her even faster.

I followed after her, forming two gales of wind below my feet as I dashed after her, Arthur doing the same, followed.

Everyone in a while, Arthur would give me an update on Sylvie.

"I just hope that she doesn't go after bigger beasts until she's ready." I sigh.

"Don't worry. She knows she has us if she ever gets in over her head. She knows she can always ask us for help." Arthur says, petting my head.

*****

The journey lasted a few hours and it began to grow dark. The only reason Arthur and I had been able to keep up with Jasmine, even when she was at a dark yellow stage, was Arthur had been using mana rotation throughout the way, and I had controlled mine to only use the bare minimum amount mana needed to create a controlled, constant amount of wind. This skill had become almost second nature to me now as I utilised it unconsciously whenever I exerted mana.

By late evening, we had cleared through a dense forest and arrived at a small clearing. Surrounded by trees, there was a small field of grass with a stream of clear water flowing through it.

"We'll camp out here for a few days," Jasmine announced as she set down her bag and took out a couple of items.

"Weren't we going to a dungeon right away?" Arthur asked, setting down his bag as well.

She simply shook her head, picking up a few branches of wood and gathering them together.

Well Arthur and I went into the forest, finding some decent-sized branches to make a fire with. After a bit, we had a fire crackling and popping in the middle of our camp. Making myself comfortable, I leaned against Arthur who had removed his mask and sat silently by Jasmine, next to the fire.

Trying to break the silence, Arthur asked Jasmine, "What made you want to become an adventurer?"

"…"

Her gaze never left the fire and after a few minutes of more awkward silence, I just stared back at the flame, assuming she didn't want to answer.

"I wanted to get away from my family." I almost missed what she said from how quietly she spoke amidst the wood of the fire snapping fiercely.

"I see… were you on bad terms with your family?" Arthur responded, his eyes focused on the fire.

I choose to just listen to their conversation.

"…"

"The Flamesworth House was a major contributor to the war against the elves. Our house has provided many powerful mages, both conjurers and augmenters. Our lineage in the fire attribute element was second to none. We took great pride in this, because fire is considered to be the most powerful of the elements," she stated monotonously.

Despite her short sentences, this had been the most Jasmine had talked in one sitting.

"But Jasmine, aren't you a…" Arthur asked, looking up at her as she nodded in response.

"Since early on, when I had first awakened and started training, my family tried to test my mana for fire affinity. I went through various tests so they could see how my mana was exerted and how it flowed through my mana channels." She took a pause and poked at the fire before continuing on. "When it was made clear that I had no aptitude for the fire attribute, my family regarded me as lesser."

"…"

Arthur didn't know how to respond to her. For the first time, the always aloof and cold Jasmine seemed…vulnerable.

"I'm sorry for what happened…" was the only response Arthur managed to utter.

But so much for staying silent, I stood up to my knees and crawled over to Jasmine until I was face to face with her. Looking her directly in the eyes, I told her firmly. "Your family is wrong… and crazy." Her eyes went wide at my statement. "Wind magic is probably stronger than fire when you get down to it! All your family is, is a walking matchstick. All they can do is shoot out flames, a pillar if they're really getting creative. But with wind magic… we can create tornadoes, fly, move objects across a room. I mean it was because of wind magic we covered a distance that would have taken us days, in mere hours. Do I really have to say more?"

Jasmine's eyes widened and she shook her head, she gave me a faint smile. "The Twin Horns have treated me well and I don't dislike what I am."

I smiled, "I know that. I can tell it on your face whenever you're with your party, that you're clearly happy. But I'm just letting you know that your family is wrong. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but theirs… is just plain stupid."

I glanced at her palm as Jasmine formed a small swirl of wind, different emotions running through her face as she peered at her hand.

This world was a place of discrimination and classification. The hierarchical roots embedded into this land would never truly disappear. Normal humans were considered second-rate people, while even amongst mages, augmenters were discriminated against by conjurers. It went further than that where, unless one was a deviant or a dual element specialist, some elements were considered "higher class" than others.

Being born from a family of powerful fire attribute mages, she was discarded as inferior because of the elemental attribute she had; something that most mages would kill to acquire. She was a dark yellow augmenter skilled in fighting and mana manipulation at the ripe age of 24. Many would consider her a genius but from the standards she grew up with, she considered herself lesser.

We placed more wood to last through the coldest parts of the night and laid out our sleeping bags a few feet away so we could still feel the heat.

As we got ready to go to sleep, Arthur leaned into my ear and whispered, "I know subtlety isn't really your strong suit. It never has been."

I sent him a glare, "This better be building into a compliment."

He sent me a smile, "Well, more of a request. But I'm not shy to add one in there. Anyway, if we ever meet with nobility… and royalty again - assuming you haven't scared them enough yet. Could you at least try to hold it in. Until we least have a chance at beating them."

I huffed, "Speak for yourself. I already have my network ready. Of course it really isn't anything that great yet, but it has potential. The seeds are planted, and ready to sprout like a butterfly bush at a moment's notice." I winked at him.

He stared at me confused, "Who would-"

I cut him off, "Finishing school is quite boring when you've actually played the high society game. But, when it comes to making connections with little girls eager for your approval, there's nothing like it. As for informats, they're easy to buy. Mom and dad's allowance has always been generous, and I know exactly how to put it to good use." I smirked as I thought of the various amounts of blackmail I had collected for various families.

Arthur stared at me, wide eyed. "Damn, why didn't you say anything?"

I shrugged, "I thought you knew me?"

"I do!" He defended himself. "But I may have accidentally underestimated you. I thought your network may take you another two to three years. Sorry. Never again."

I smiled into the fire, "Well… If I'm being honest. It's nowhere near as good as my old one. But it's better than nothing. Information is the name of the game. And plus, every now and then, I do find a few pieces of gold." I said, remembering the little golden nugget of information I'd collected on a certain elf princess. I don't wanna be mean, but if she pushes my hand...

My eyebrows furrowed as I remembered, "Where's my compliment?" I pouted.

Arthur chuckled, "What you said to Jasmine, was truly amazing."

"Of course it was." I said, smiling and accepting the compliment. I ran my fingers through his hair, and added, "Though, we really do need to work on your elements. You need to do so much more than just creating pillars of fire." I felt a sweat drop roll down the side of his neck as I began making plans. "I've made a lot of progress with my wind, though I definitely need to work on my water. Before we start school, I would like to start working with ice a little bit. Though I'm not sure how much I could exactly get done between practising wind, and working on water, and relearning the sword." I pouted, eyeing the blue blade Arthur wouldn't let me touch unless he knew for a fact I wouldn't drop it on myself.

As much as I hate to admit it, I don't really blame him for it. Considering he never lets me forget it, I know for a fact he remembers how bad my first sword training lesson went. And to be honest, as fun as it would be to swing it around again, I don't wanna know how well it would work out with my current build. It was too big for my current body. So until I grew a bit, I'd have to use a practice sword.

Eyes closed, I waited to drift off when I heard Jasmine mumble something.

"…It's weird. When I talk to you two, it doesn't feel like I'm talking to children."

I didn't respond. Pretending to be asleep, I hoped she wouldn't push further for a reply.

*****

"Good morning." Jasmine was up and cooking something over the fire by the time I had gotten up and out of my sleeping bag.

My stomach rumbled to remind me that I hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon as I looked hungrily at the skewered fishes being grilled on the fire.

"Good morning! You should've woken me up, Jasmine. There's no need for you to do all of the chores on your own."

I turned my head to see Arthur rubbing his eyes.

"…I tried waking both of you up… But you wouldn't budge." Her half-closed eyes that give off an apathetic stare regarded us with concern. "If I didn't hear you breathing, I would've mistaken you for corpses."

"Haha…" Arthur let out an awkward chuckle. "I'm sorry, I really need to fix that."

"You and me both." I nodded. I usually woke up early on my own. But if I didn't, then nobody could wake me up.

After devouring the grilled fish for breakfast, we put out the fire. Using the nearby stream to wash myself and my clothes.

Arthur put on his mask and swords, well I wrapped my cloak around my shoulder, and placed my contents lenses in, assuming we'd go hunting for some mana beasts around the area, when Jasmine stopped me.

"Your opponent for these few days will be me."

"Huh?" I couldn't help but be surprised at the turn of events. We came all the way here to spar?

"This area is close to the dungeon we will be exploring, but for these days, I want you to focus on fighting me. I noticed that your fighting style seems… awkward at times. Like, you know it in your head, but your body doesn't listen to you… or something like that." She told Arthur and then turned to me, "You have your control down. But you need to focus on increasing your mana amount. We can stay in a dungeon for days at a time. So you're going to need to work on that."

Unsheathing her two daggers, she pointed one at me, continuing, "We won't use any kind of mana for these next few days while sparring."

I hadn't expected Jasmine to catch on to what I had been worried about, but it was a good opportunity.

"Good idea," Arthur replied, unsheathing his short sword.

I sat down on the grass, getting ready to meditate.

{Arthur's P.O.V.}

"Use your other sword…" Jasmine's eyes flickered toward Dawn's Ballad.

"How did you know this was a sword?" I wasn't planning on hiding my weapon from her but I was still caught off guard.

"Knowing you, that black stick should be something more than just a cane or a practice stick," she shrugged, walking a few steps closer to me.

Giving her a confirming nod, I tossed the short sword to Morgana, who caught it with her eyes closed. From my position, I could see the mana around us, begin to gather towards her.

As the sword soundlessly glided out from its scabbard, the translucent blade glowed a light teal as it reflected the sun's strong rays.

Holding it out in front me, I positioned myself. "Ready when you are."

"Y-Yeah," Jasmine stuttered as her eyes remained glued to Dawn's Ballad.

We dulled the edges of our weapons using mana before beginning. Without mana strengthening my body, I realised just how much I had been neglecting myself. After a few swings, my arms felt heavy and my legs trembled as they pushed feebly off the ground.

This was my mistake. I knew of the limits that my juvenile body had, but instead of trying to fix my shortcomings, I chose only to mask it using mana.

While magic in this world was capable of many things, it should be only used as a supplement to your abilities, not a replacement to cover them.

I lunged out with a sharp thrust aimed at Jasmine's sternum. Even though our swords were coated to prevent fatal injuries, it would still leave bruises and even broken bones if taken lightly; this made the sparring experience much more intense and real.

Jasmine swung her two daggers down in an outward arc, parrying my lunge and knocking the blade of my sword into the ground.

I brought my rear foot forward to maintain balance as my teal blade sunk into the ground below her. However, by that time, Jasmine had already brought her daggers back into position to follow up with a quick, downward slash.

Prying out my sword, I immediately pivoted my body to the side to avoid the overhead slash. As her daggers grazed harmlessly past my loose shirt, I kicked her arm away and stepped away into a more comfortable distance.

My arms were burning from the quick, consecutive movements as I positioned my sword in a defensive stance.

"It's my win," Jasmine said, sheathing her two daggers deftly into their scabbards attached to her thighs.

"You're right," I laughed as I dropped Dawn's Ballad on the ground. We had sparred for a little less than five minutes but my arms and legs screamed in protest from overuse. Massaging my forearms, I picked my blade back up and slid it back into its black sheath.

The duel had ended with me with the upper hand, but I didn't have the strength to proceed. It was my loss.

"Hey Jasmine, I think I'm going to need more than a couple of days to work this out," I confessed with a chuckle.

Her lips curled up slightly as she nodded in agreement.

I had three years before I'd attend Xyrus Academy. During my time at school, I would have plenty of chances to focus on studying mana.

I knew what my priorities were at this time.

Making a rough calculation in my head, I held up two fingers. "Two years, Jasmine. I'll dedicate two years to getting my body truly adjusted to sword-fighting without relying on mana."

"That's it?" she said, surprised.

"Just watch," I smirked.

*****

A Butterfly bush is a really fast growing plant. I could have used weeds, but referring to an information network as weeds, doesn't sound nearly as nice.

Also, finishing school only takes about 6 weeks. So I didn't have to worry about that.

I get the whole bond system is a little confusing, especially with me throwing in mate bonds and secondary bonds. So if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Because I do have plans to keep using and referencing the bonds - so it would be easier for you guys and less confusing, if you know what's actually happening. (Or if your just here for the romance - I guess you can sort of skip it - though again - their is the mate bond)

I feel like I should give you guys a heads up, that the next chapter is going to likely be on the shorter side (and the two after that as well). But man will it leave a huge impact on you guys. I'm actually willing to bet the title of the next chapter alone would be worth the hype (and the happiness and excitement you would get from four pages - why four you asks, one page for each word in the title.)

In fact, here's a little teaser (Feel free to try and guess what may be happening, and the contents of the paper):

Next Time~

Morgana untied the bright red ribbon and uncurled the scroll.

Her eyes widened as they flew over the contents of the paper, before tears began streaming down her cheeks.

#animeloverforever1127 #tbate #the beginning #the beginning after the end #a woman with vision #A Woman With Vision {Arthur Leywin}#Arthur Leywin #20. Beast Glades #arthur #morgana

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starksinner · 7 years ago

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Such A Nerd

Summary: Peter knows that Spider-Man has fans, but what he doesn’t expect is for his best friend Y/N to take the meaning of ’super-fan’ to a whole new level.

Pairings: Peter Parker x Reader

Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of Sex, Buncha’ Fluff

“Spider-Man, Spider-Man! Does what ever a spider can! Can he swing from a web? Take a look, overhead! Hey, there — ”

“Y/N! Oh my, c-can you stop?”

Peter ran down the hallway, gripping the straps of his backpack tightly as he saw Y/N leaned up against his locker, belting out the Spider-Man Theme Song in front of their fellow pupils.

“Aw, c'mon, Pete! I know I’m no Glee member, but-”

“You don’t have to sing - that - every time you’re waiting to meet me!”

Y/N couldn’t help the smirk that crossed her lips as she confidently moved her back from Peter’s locker, eyeing him carefully as he imputed his lock code and grabbed his History textbook.

“I’m just so happy - that my best dude - is a motherfucking superhero!”

“Shhh, Y/N! You and Ned are the only people who know - I’d like to keep it that way!” Peter’s eyes were bulging out of his head as he stared frantically around the hall.

“I can’t believe you told him first, by the way.” She rolled her eyes, grabbing her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans. “You know - Falcon is, like, my favourite Avenger - and you went to Berlin to meet him! You didn’t even mention me!”

“It wasn’t a fucking Avengers meeting! It was a Civil War - and - we were on opposite sides!” Peter grabbed her arm, guiding her down the hallway as he walked his way to fourth period.

“You could’ve webbed him up - grabbed your phone - opened up Snapchat - and made him say - ’Hey, Y/N! Peter’s told me so much about you! I love you, too! Falcon, out!’”

She gasped suddenly, yanking on Peter’s arm with such a force, he almost knocked into the lockers.

“Or even better - you coulda’ made him yell - Cut the check! … I just feel like that’s something he would say …”

“Oh my God - you’re such a nerd.” Peter muttered, locking his arm with hers as they headed up the stairs to the third floor.

“Me? A nerd?” She stared up at Peter, completely aghast, watching his curly hair bounce luxuriously as he weaved past other students.

“You and Ned practically had nerd-gasms when you saw The Last Jedi trailer! Don’t even fuck with me, Parker!”

Peter chuckled as he reached the landing, Y/N at his heels. He grabbed the handle of the door, gesturing out his arm for her to enter first.

“We’re both nerds, then - I guess.” He shrugged, looking over at her as she scrolled through Instagram, not even averting her eyes at the passing people.

“Anyways - Pete - I was thinking … pizza date after school? I’ll bring it to your place around five - pepperoni just like you like …” Y/N didn’t even look up at him, seemingly too occupied by Black Widow’s newest post to care about his wandering eyes.

“Sure. Will you help me with my English assignment while your over? I know you love Shakespeare.” He grinned slyly as he pointed to his History classroom, haulting at the door.

She srunched up her nose, raising her right hand to the sky, gripping her phone in her left. “To be - or not to be, Spider-Man! THAT - IS THE - QUESTION!”

“Oh my God, alright.” He shook his head at her amazingly, slipping into class with the other students. “I’ll catch you at five, then, nerd.”

“Hiya’, May!”

Aunt May returned Y/N’s warm grin, taking the young girls arm and inviting her in.

May grabbed the pizza box from her hands, placing it on the entrance table.

“You’re looking beautiful, Hun.” She complimented, playing with the ends of Y/N’s hair as the girl turned and took off her F/C sneakers.

Y/N looked back to her and smiled, taking in Aunt May’s dressier appearance. “Are you going out?”

“Only into town. Pick up some last minute things before everything closes.” May grinned, pointing her chin up to Peter’s room at the end of the hall. “I’ll give you two your space.”

Y/N shook her head and laughed, gripping the handles of her duffel bag tighter. “We don’t need space, Aunt May. Trust me on that. That - is never going to happen.”

May let out a short sigh, grabbing her purse from the coat rack. She sent Y/N a little wink. “Aw - c'mon! I dream of the day you two are together.”

“May - no! Please, don’t start with that!”

“Alright! Alright - fine! … I’ll see you before you leave, yes?” She grabbed her long, tan trench coat, pulling the cover up over her shoulders.

“I’ll be here. See you, May.”

Aunt May shut the door with a giddy grin, the automatic lock clicking as silence now filled the almost empty apartment.

“Peter!” Y/N yelled, sauntering over to his bedroom. She held her duffel bag in one hand, balancing the still warm pizza in the other. On the front of Peter’s door, his name in red letters flashed brightly against the baby blue paint.

She brought her knuckles against the wood, pressing her ear against it. “Are you’re pants on, Parker? You gonna’ let me in?”

On the other end of the door, she heard a loud gasp and the evident sounds of running and clothes being thrown from wall to wall.

Not a minute later, she heard the doorknob being grabbed, followed by a mumbling, aw, shit!

“Hey, Y/N.”

Peter’s hair was seemingly messy and fluffy, curly in all the wrong places and flat on the sides. His choice of a quick wardrobe, a purple Stark Enterprises sweatshirt and bright green boxers, seemed to be going against all the laws of fashion.

“You weren’t - uh -” She took a step into his room, walking around him as she eyed the boxers and dirty t-shirts on the ground, stepping around the garments like a mine field. “- doing anything … R rated - were you”?

Peter rubbed the back of his neck nervously, shutting his door with the back of his foot. “Um - well …”

“God - Peter! Okay, then!” Y/N lightly tossed the pizza box on his dresser, his sheets not seeming like a great option. “I don’t know where to step! I don’t know what’s contaminated and what’s not!”

“It’s okay!” He reassured her, pulling his blue comforter over the top of his thin, white sheets. “Sit right there! It’s clean - I promise!”

She eyed him with fear, which he almost burst out laughing at, hesitantly sitting against his headboard that smacked against the wall as she sat on the bed. “Okay - this is - really weird …”

“Yeah, it-it is.” Peter hopped up on the opposite end, eyeing her black duffel bag that she was still clinging onto. “You’re … not sleeping over … are you?”

“Nah.” She chuckled, running her fingers over the zipper. She looked up at him, a glint of fire in her eyes. "You want me to sleep with you, Parker?“

Peter didn’t think his face could grow any redder. All the warmth in his body felt like it had traveled up to his cheeks, leaving him in a burning daze.

“W-What - wait - l-like - what, okay - like sex? Or what - Y/N -”

“Oh my God!” She grinned, pulling on the sleeves of her jacket and shrugging off the leather. “You’re such a fumbling little, ball of fluff - aren’t ya?”

Peter glared up at her in awe as she pulled her hair into a lazy, messy bun and made herself comfortable. She always did everything with such ease and confidence - it just made him grow hotter.

“I - I - Y/N, what did you mean - by sleep with? I-”

“Aw, Parker, Parker, Parker …”

“That’s for me to know-” She reached over for the pizza box, dropping it right in front of him. “-and for you to find out.”

“What year was this guy born in, again?” Peter cocked his head to the side, a slice of pepperoni pizza being held in one hand, a series of Shakespeare novels being balanced in the other.

“1564.” Y/N grunted, picking up a rather curious piece of wet paper. “If Aunt May saw this room - you’d be a crushed spider.”

Peter let out a laugh, slamming the textbooks onto his desk. He finished eating the crust off the pizza, turning to Y/N with a weary smile. “You don’t have to clean up for me, ya know?”

The H/C haired girl grimaced as she began tossing loose papers into his garbage bin. “Yeah - I’m not doing this for you. I can’t be in a room this unorganized and … smelly - it’s driving me insane, honestly.”

“Always the clean freak.” Peter muttered, a sly smile filling his cheeks as he turned his attention back to his essay, finishing up the last paragraph. “I’m finally done, yo.”

“Congrats.” Y/N backed up until her thighs hit the back of his bed. She let herself fall on the mattress, mumbling a quiet oof as she suffocated herself in the comforter.

“Are you gonna’ tell me what’s in that bag of yours?” Peter pondered, getting up from his desk. “It’s been buggin’ me all night.”

“Oh, shit! Totally fucking forgot about that.” Y/N rolled over onto her stomach, watching Peter as he stood in the middle of the room awkwardly. “You gonna’ grab it for me, or what?”

Peter nodded quickly and rushed over to the end of his bed, tossing her the duffle bag as she sat up and crossed her legs.

“Um - it’s not, like - an explosive, right?” Peter hesitantly sat down next to her, watching as her fingers gripped the zipper.

“Why? Would it be a problem if it was?”

“Little bit.”

“Okay! You’re gonna’ have to close your eyes for this!” She poked the side of his face as he glared at her questioningly.

“What is this your planning? Honestly.” He observed her carefully as she slid off his bed with the bag in her hands.

“Well - on second thought - I’ll go to the bathroom and change. It might take a while anyhow.”

“Change? Why-why are you changing?” Peter’s eyes widened as she smirked and shut the door behind her. “Y/N?!?!”

“Are you still alive in there?” Peter tapped his fingers nervously against the wall as he stood by the door frame of the bathroom, pushing his ear up to the door. “Hello? Y/N, you there?”

“Yo! Get away from the damn door and close your eyes!” After what felt hours of silence, her voice finally came through.

“Why do I gotta’-”

“Just fucking do it before I slap you across your stupid, cupcake face!”

“Fine! Fine!” Peter held up his hands in defense and wandered back to the comfort of his bed. He leaned his back against the wall and shut his eyes, propping one open as he heard the door creak open.

“Close them eyes. I know your a sneaky bitch.”

He laughed as he imagined her walking out of the bathroom, a proud smile plastered on her lips. He decided to listen to her, covering his eyes with the palms of his hands. “Well, you know me really well.”

There was a long period of silence and shuffling before Y/N chose to speak again.

“Alrighty, Parker. Go ahead and open em’ for me.” Her voice was sweet and provocative - just like always - but Peter knew something was up.

“Okay, but - Oh my shit …”

If someone told him that - this - was happening today - he would have just shook his head and laughed. This could only be a dream … was it a dream … ?

He was completely and utterly flabbergasted. His mind was totally blank - everything was blurry and running fast. He knew his face must’ve been the colour of fire. But he couldn’t take his eyes off her - even if he tried.

Y/N stood in front of him, her hands settled on her hips, a nervous look etched across her enchanting features. She wore a skin-tight Spider-Man catsuit, accentuating everyone of her captivating curves and body parts. She looked good. She looked damn good.

“Ha - okay - I know it’s stupid - but I wanted to kinda’ surprise you and everything! You’re - like - my favorite superhero ever - which is super weird - and I know I’m a nerd and everything - but I though it was cute and funny- and-”

“Holy. Fuck.” His jaw was still to the floor as he continued to stare at her with wide eyes, his fingers gripping his sheets tight, almost as a form of support from completely loosing his shit.

Y/N’s brows furrowed, a frown dropping her lips as she focused on the silence. Her heart sank a little - he wasn’t saying anything. “You don’t like it, right? You’re gonna’ laugh at me? It was a fucking stupid idea anyway-”

“God, NO! God!” Peter jumped up from his bed, almost tripping over the forgotten, empty pizza box on the ground. He struggled for air as his breath caught in his throat. She was even more pretty up close - she literally just took his fucking breath away. Holy shit.

“God - okay - don’t slap me for sayin’ this …” He realized that his hands were growing clammy as seconds passed. What the hell was even happening, right now? “ …but - you look fuckin’ hot … Super hot. Ya know - you-you look - uh - great.”

Y/N was still and quiet for a moment before she timidly licked her dry lips and decided to make eye contact with him. She couldn’t believe she was even doing this. “Fuckin’ hot, huh? Not nerdy?”

Peter smiled as the tension between them seemed to thin out, a small smile breaking at the corner of her perfect, plump lips.

“Well - uh - no. You’re super nerdy - you look super nerdy. But I - I meant that - about you looking sexy - I mean - nice - great - y-yeah.”

She let out a roaring pit of laughter, shaking her head as she felt her cheeks threaten to turn rosy.

“Is this your way of confessing those - uh - feelin’ things I always try and hide?” She smirked as she felt him inch closer, his body heat mixing with hers.

Peter couldn’t help but laugh, the smile on her face and her little chuckle causing his skin to sweat. “I guess so … You dressin’ up as Spider-Man your way of tellin’ me?”

“Mmmm …” She grinned mischievously, glaring up at the ceiling, tapping her finger suggestively against her chin. “Not really … but this sure as hell is.”

“What’d ya’ mean by-”

Her lips brushed against his - but not innocently - she was a fucking tease. The kiss was hot, fiery, passionate, and demanding - all things she was and all things she will always be. He was loosing himself - but he was so fucking okay with it.

“I hate myself for falling for you … I hate spiders …” Her voice was only a whisper, a quiet, angelic little noise.

He couldn’t help but lean in for another, clasping his hands on either side of her face, his thumbs brushing against her warm cheeks with such softness.

“ … That makes two of us …” He laughed lightly, running his finger over her lips as she smiled and stared into his eyes.

“Can I tell you somethin’?” She held onto his arms, running her hands along the cotton of his big sweatshirt.

“Yeah …”

“ … I also got some Spider-Man t-shirts, socks, a pencil sharpener, pajamas, and a wrist watch.”

She giggled as an almost horrified look overtook his features. She pressed her forehead against his chest, trying to contain her laughter.

“Where the hell did ya’ get all that?! And why?”

“Walmart, of course! They have a bunch of your merch there. I thought it was kinda’ fucking hilarious …”

“Talk about a super-fan …” He mumbled, mostly to himself. This was doing great things for his ego, that was for sure.

“Maybe I’m your only fan …” She looked up at him, shrugging causally. “ … the shelves were all fucking full.”

“God dammit!”

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thegardenandthegrave · 6 years ago

Text

The Power Of Fandom Compels you.

The scent of sulfur hung low in the air. The tremors that had overtaken the earth were so frequent that Ursula Gibson had stopped paying any attention to them. Nowadays they just lulled her to sleep in the worst possible way. The light of her phone cast a pale glow on her face, a stark contrast to the eerie red of the sky above her.

“Turn left in 1,000 feet.” A feminine voice announced from the device. Right after, two sharp warning bells came and her phone screen went black.

“Shit.” She said, staring at the black screen in dismay. She pressed incessantly at the power button, hoping for just a few more moments of screen time. The cracks that ran in a spider web from the right corner were all that remained of the Waze map she’d been studying. Of course, she’d known ages ago that this would happen. She’d managed to find a lifehack site early one that explained how to keep her phone alive using a pen, a D battery, and a car charger. Even that couldn’t last forever, though.

Ursula was on her own now. A cold feeling overtook her as she looked away from the broken screen and acknowledged in her surroundings. There had been trees here, once. Now there were black spires of charred trunks and ash floating lazily in the wind. She couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t have flecks of ash covering her skin. She closed her eyes against the bright light of the hazy red sun and took a deep breath. End of the world or not Ursula would finish what she’d set out to do.

Someone had to try, at the very least.

Tucking the phone in her back pocket, Ursula scooped up the ragged backpack she’d dropped at her feet. Once it was secure over her shoulders she grabbed her walking stick and wiped away the thin layer of sweat and ash that had mixed on her brow. Tucking a stringy strand of hair behind her right ear she set off down the road towards her final destination.

The trek was slow. Due to the blisters that now covered her feet and the broken asphalt that had once been a road, it took her twice as long as it should have to reach the left-hand turn her phone had indicated. Once there, she turned onto the Rus De Bois Flurry Road and breathed a sigh of relief. Only another half mile and her destination would be on the right.

As she hobbled along, Ursula tried to keep her mind off of what she might do once she reached the end of her journey. It had been a long seven months as she traveled around the country trying to track down the source of the disturbance that had been the catalyst for Armageddon. Without the help of others, she never would have made it this far. She smiled as she thought of the long conversations she’d had with humorshriek37 in the late nights when the wind was filled with howling demons and the internet was sketchy at best.

She tamped down the urge to pray they were safe, wherever they lived. Prayer didn’t do any good anymore. It fed the enemy. It made what she was about to do even more impossible. There was no going back though. Sweet 0rangatangellie had risked everything to get the information on where the enemy was hiding. The coordinates had been painted with her last dying breaths in the red of her own blood on the floor beside her.

When Ursula had seen the pictures that were posted of the scene she had been surprised to know that Ellie was so young. The color of her skin hadn’t mattered in that moment, hadn’t mattered to anyone since the beginning of this horrible apocalypse. As Ellie had shown them in her last act, they would all bleed red in the end.

Ursula stopped in front of the massive hill that had cropped out of the ground, surprised that she hadn’t been attacked yet. The uplift in earth wasn’t quite a mountain, but neither was it a molehill. It was just high enough that she had to crane her neck to see what rested at the top. Then she had to close her eyes and turn away as the bright light burned against her retinas.

“Excuse me!” She called, eyes still closed. She had no way of knowing if the enemy had heard her. Any moment now she could die in a blaze of righteous fire. Still, she had to try. She had to. “Excuse me! Who the hell do you think you are?”

No response was given, at least not in plain English. Even a bit of French or Spanish would have been fine. Really Ursula could work with anything Latin based as long as the being before her gave her a chance to try.

Instead, she felt the response. It was curious, surprised, and a little annoyed.

“You heard me!” She yelled, leaning against her walking stick and wishing she’d bought some sunglasses. They wouldn’t do much good against the monster waiting for her but at least then she’d be able to think past the bright orange of her closed eyelids. The full power of holy light was raining down upon her and she wanted to fall to her knees. She wouldn’t do it, but she wanted to. “I’d like to know who the hell you think you are. Because rumor has it, you’re claiming to be God.”

I AM GOD.

The impression came over her in a swift force of tidal waves and inevitability. She braced herself against it and marveled at her own ability to withstand the power. Entire cities had fallen in the face of this great being and crumbled under its intensity. Ursula had a cause to fight for though. A cause that she would not give up on until her final dying breath and perhaps not even then.

“Well, so you say.” Her voice was feeling very hoarse. She tried to remember the last time she’d had a drop of water. It had to have been at least two days ago. She really was at the end of her journey no matter what. There was nothing but fire and ash for miles around. She’d never make it back to a sanctuary before she died of dehydration. If the supposed God even let her leave after what she planned to say.

I AM GOD. It raged again, and she gave it a very understanding look. The look was lost in translation as her eyes remained closed and her sympathy remained nonexistent. I AM THE BEGINNING AND THE END.

“Good for you,” Ursula said, and all caution had been thrown to the wind. She would die here, this day. She would not die before she had a chance to have her say. “Do you know what I am? I am the spokesperson for humanity. I am the one they sent to tell you to fuck off. We denounced you long before you showed up again. We don’t want you here. We don’t worship you. Kill every one of us and it won’t matter. End the world, and see if we care.”

I BRING PARADISE. I BRING PEACE. I AM THE ENDER OF SIN.

Ursula scoffed at the impressions she was getting off the God that had come down from the heavens to wage war against demons and ruin the world in the process. She ran a hand through her oily, bedraggled hair and sighed.

“We don’t want that.” She called and wondered why it couldn’t see the destruction it had caused. Omnipotence had its flaws if this was how their creator thought they would reach eternal salvation. Whatever that even meant, really. “No one cares about paradise anymore. No one wants to go to heaven, not at the cost of all this. We were living our lives you know. We had plans. I missed out on watching The Doctor become a woman because of you!”

There was confusion that crashed down on her, but she held strong against it. The god above her might not understand, but Ursula knew. She knew without a doubt that this god of theirs had made a mistake. The world wasn’t supposed to end. Not yet. Not like this. She pushed back, willing the stupid all-powerful presence to understand.

“You created us!” She yelled. “You made us this way. You gave us life and let us go on living it for billions of years. You can’t take it away now. It’s not fair to us. We had things we were doing, you know. Jobs, and families, and dates. Well, some people had dates. I had a novel I was reading. I’ll never finish it now. You call that peace? I call it cruel.”

I AM NOT A CRUEL GOD.

“No?” Ursula let out a mirthless laugh. “Look around you. There’s more pain and suffering now than there ever was when you just left us alone. We weren’t doing great but we hadn’t destroyed ourselves yet. All the worst wars have been caused by fighting over your existence and now that you’ve proven yourself real we’re left with a handful of survivors who hate you and wish you’d never existed.”

There was a distinct silence coming from God. Ursula peeked an eye open though she knew it would ruin her vision. She’d be dead soon, regardless. It was worth it, to see the surprised look that the entity wore. The young, frustrated woman wondered if anyone else had seen a God look hurt. She doubted anyone else had ever spoken to a God this way. Not to its face, at least.

“Look, if you really want to make things right you still have time.” She tried. It was even harder to sound helpful when shouting, but seeing the frown on its glowing face had sparked hope in her. Ursula’s right eye was seared into darkness, but she’d give up her whole right side to make this work. “If you’re all powerful you can reset everything to before you arrived. You can let us keep on going and find out that really, we’ll work things out on our own. If you want to be a good God you could even come hang out among us and put a rest to the crazy wars we’re fighting in your name. But above all, what would really make the world a better place would be another season of Sherlock. Make that happen and I can guarantee an entire cult following of people who will be praying to you and giving you all the sacrifices you could want. Just, don’t make Sherlock date Molly. God or not, I’ll personally skewer you if that happens.”

Ursula sucked in a breath at the end of her rant and waited. That was all she’d had. A cracked and dying phone, and a bit of rage in her heart. She was just a fangirl after all. There was no ninja training that she’d endured or some magical artifact passed on to her so she might defeat the greatest evil the world had known. She only had her rage at being denied access to her favorite shows and a lack of self-preservation born of watching too many movies where the hero wins despite all reasoning.

Now all that was left was to be struck down by the fury and fire of the Almighty God.

Silence.

She peeked open her left eye, expecting to see rage baring down on her. She gasped and took a step back at what she saw instead. Grass as green as emeralds and the clear blue sky. She sucked in a deep breath, the first clean gasp of air she’d had for seven long months. She stood stock still, in the same place she’d been before it all started. It was a park just a few blocks from her apartment and she could hear the skateboarders nearby, edging each other on as they worked up to more complex tricks. A large woman in a pink tracksuit passed her with a little white dog on a leash.

Ursula had seen that woman crushed by an asteroid, at the very beginning of the end. Now the woman was alive, free and clear of any debris falling from the sky. They were all alive, safe, unharmed by the total annihilation of the world.

And Ursula’s eyes were healed once more. She felt years younger, had never felt so refreshed and empowered in her life. She grinned and reached into her back pocket for her phone. It was uncracked and fully charged. Her nose scrunched up for a moment and she wondered if she’d imagined all of it.

Then her phone went off with a text alert and she knew it had all been real. There, on her screen, was a link to the announcement that Sherlock would be returning for season five. She turned to head back to her home, fully prepared to re-watch all her favorite shows and re-read all her favorite fanfictions without taking them for granted ever again.

She ignored the curious glances she got from strangers at her beatific smile. She knew they would never believe her. They would never understand what she’d learned that day; sometimes miracles really do happen.

#BettsIcan #Madlanternmedia #short story #flash fiction #Crack #Am writing #writeblr #bettsican-2018 #original posts

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