#|v; tonight we end this war; we end a war as old as the land itself

[elenamiria]

The Naboo Sun

Obi-Wan X Reader

Obi-Wan leaves with Master Qui-Gon Jinn to Naboo for their mission. When the mission goes wrong you’re there to help Obi-Wan pick up the pieces, in whatever way you can. 

Read Part 1 - Part 2 here (though not necessary)

Word Count: 7.89k (OOF, it was almost longer but I split it into two)

Warnings: Angst (i’m so sorry😭), Mentions of death, p in v sex, loss of virginity (though it is glossed over), unprotected sex (don't be silly wrap your willy in real life), fluffy ending

We have plot! It’s mainly relationship building as this is the first time we’ve really explored the reader character! I hope you all like it and don’t worry there’s still some good stuff in there  🥰

Also this is officially going to be a series, I already have the next part planned out and currently my plan is to do a few chapters per each important time period (If there are any specific clone wars episodes you want covered let me know)  Tags: @fishswimbetterunderwater @blxwjobsforclones​ @a-dorin​ @obitwo​ (if anyone would prefer not to be tagged just let me know :) )

Obi-Wan was unable to come see you after he had received his orders as he and Master Jinn set off without delay. You were left wondering how long they would be gone and to get the answers you sought you questioned your Master. He didn’t have much information, or he just wasn’t willing to share, only that they were sent to Naboo for negotiations with the Trade Federation and no - he didn’t know how long they would be gone.

You had been in the middle of training when Obi-Wan and Master Jinn had returned. Training was put on pause as your master, Mace Windu, was called to the council for their report. You tagged along hoping to get to see your fellow padawan for even just a few moments, though you were forced to wait outside the chambers; but it wasn’t as if you had anything better to do, Master Windu had made it clear that you would continue your training when he was finished. You aimlessly paced, pausing occasionally to take in the bustling city outside the window - being in the temple it was easy to forget that there was a whole world around you. Finally the chamber doors opened and you turned hopefully, a gleeful smile crossing your face when your eyes met the blue of Obi-Wan’s, who couldn’t help but shoot a grin back. He turned to his master and Qui-Gon gave a brief nod before continuing his path forward, “I’ll be waiting for Anakin to arrive at the front of the temple”.

Obi-Wan nodded and turned to you as you tilted your head, “Anakin? Have you made a new friend Kenobi?”

He offered a small smile and charming laugh before shaking his head, trying to figure out where to start. “Well, I suppose you could call him that. He’s a boy we found on Tatooine, he appears to be very strong with the force and Master Jinn believes he should be trained.”

The two sides of you had started walking down the long hallway outside of the council chambers, rather mindlessly, but at his statement you paused turning towards him confusedly. “Tatooine?? I thought your mission was to Naboo for negotiations?”

“Ah, yes. Well those were cut rather short as the Trade Federation tried to kill us and once we escaped we had to rescue the Queen. However the federation occupation prevented us from traveling directly to the palace so we had to travel through the planet core with help from the a rather unusual Gungan. Once we rescued the Queen we were attempting to come back to Coruscant but sustained damage forcing us to land on Tatooine, which is where Master Jinn met Anakin.”

You looked at him incredulously for a moment as he had said everything so matter of factly and the absurdity of how a simple mission had derailed caused you to burst out into laughter. Obi-Wan wasn’t sure what had caused your laughter and nervously tugged at his padawan braid, hoping you weren’t laughing at his semi-failure of the mission. It took a moment for you to stop and when you managed to look at him with a straight face you suddenly felt bad at his rosy cheeked shy expression. Your hand flew to his shoulder in a comforting gesture as you stuttered out, “Oh no, Obi-Wan! I wasn’t laughing at- I just...I don’t know you made it all sound so simple when in reality it sounds like complete chaos! You clearly did very well considering you were completely blindsided by the Trade Federation.”

At this Obi-Wan’s nervousness faded, he wasn’t sure why he thought you were mocking him in the first place (or why the thought of it bothered him so much as in the past he would have simply made fun of you back), and an easy grin fell into place drawling, “Darling you haven’t even heard the half of it! We’re fairly certain we encountered a Sith.”

Your jaw dropped shock once again covering your face, “I thought the Sith died out?”

He was about to answer before you continued abruptly, face softening and hand sliding down his arm to squeeze his hand, “Thank stars you made it back safely!!”

He smiled sweetly at your words and was about to reply before a loud voice called out to you. You turned to see the Council leaving the chamber, your master standing a little ways from the entrance waiting for you. Sighing you dropped his hand and turned back to Obi with a warm smile, “I better go. I don’t think I can weasel my way out of finishing my training with him.”

He laughed a little and nodded, “Go on, hopefully I’ll see you later. Though the council will be testing Anakin tonight though so it may not be until very late.”

As you were about to respond Mace called out to you again and you winced slightly before giving Obi-Wan a teasing wink as you turned to jog towards your master.

As you warmed back up with a few basic stretches you decided to question your master on what Obi-Wan had shared with you. Though you were most curious about the possible re-emergence of the Sith you also were curious on the councils thoughts on this boy from Tatooine. Casually breaching the topic you simply asked, "So this boy they found, do you really think he's as powerful with the force as Master Jinn says he is?"

Your master turned to you as he warmed up as well, "We have no reason to doubt him, we will be testing the boy tonight so We shall see then if he is as strong with the force as Master Qui-Gon believes."

Nodding, you crossed your arm over your body and gently pulled it with your other hand to stretch your shoulder before continuing, "Will he be trained if he is strong with the force?"

Mace sighed, “To be honest Qui-Gon is set on this boy being trained despite the fact that he is far too old to begin training, all we can do is meet the boy and see if he possesses the right disposition and abilities to be trained.”

You nodded thoughtfully as you ignited your saber and started practicing basic stances and swings, “And who would train this boy, surely if he is strong with the force he would require a great teacher to speed his learning?”

Mace shook his head, an amused smile at your probing falling onto his lips before indulging you with a reply, “Well, we have to see if the boy is fit for training first and we’ll go from there. Now, my padawan time to focus on our training.”

Despite his urging to focus the thoughts of a possible sith roaming around gathered in the forefront of your mind. So, as you both prepped to spar you let another question slide innocently out of your mouth, “Is it true the Sith are back?”

Your master gave you a disapproving look before beginning his attack without responding. You parried fairly easily but you knew your master was simply warming up. This only being confirmed as he finished his attack pattern and stating, ‘good, now faster’.

You continued for a few moments, blades moving in opposition and clashing lightly, until Mace pulled back after you locked blades for a few moments - though he could have easily used his superior strength to win the mock battle right there.

You backed off as well trying to anticipate his next move but were startled when he attacked again, this time putting much more of his strength behind his movements. You could sense he had shifted into his preferred style of Form VII in which he had declined to train you in, the moves coming at a rapid speed and much stronger than before. You fell into defending his attacks with tight movements but struggled to find an opening to attack him back. You were quickly being pushed back and after blocking a particularly brutal swing, which made your muscles strain with the power of preventing any impact, Mace swung around to attack your other side which you were just barely able to block. In doing so your footing faltered and seeing a weakness your master slammed into you with his shoulder sending you sprawling to the ground. His saber swung around in a twirl before the tip came to rest just above your throat and your breathing stuttered in shock, you had never been taken down so easily, and the heat of the blade scorched your face. Neither of you moved for a minute and the room was silent apart from the hum of his saber and your panting breath. Finally, Mace deactivated his saber looking like he had taken a light jog whereas you felt like you had gotten hit by a speeder. Groaning you took in how sore your body was, your hand rose to rub at your sternum where you took the hit, Mace had never pushed you that hard before and it was clear you hadn't been prepared. You left an annoyed huff leave your body, though it was only at yourself for letting your guard down as well as your lack of offense throughout the fight. Your Master bent down a bit and held his hand out which you gratefully took, though your shoulders twinged when he pulled you up. Wincing you stretched out your arms and Mace broke the slightly tense silence, “I’m sorry, I should have warned you first Padawan. I didn’t mean to hurt you, I just-”

He trailed off with a sigh, looking away and you tilted your head curiously. When he didn’t seem to want to share any further you spoke. “It’s alright Master, while it’s clear my defense is...proficient it appears I need to work on my offensive abilities. Perhaps we could run through attack drills next?”

Mace offered you a smile before clasping your shoulder lightly, “I think we’ve done enough for today and the council will want to meet soon about the boy. Perhaps tomorrow.”

You snorted and gave your master an amused smile, “It’s not like you to turn down my request for more practice, but I’ll gladly take it Master.”

The two of you shared another smile and he started to walk to collect his robe before you called out again, “What were you going to say earlier?”

Mace turned towards you with a small groan, he wasn’t one for admitting his thoughts especially when they revealed soft feelings. He stayed silent for a moment, debating whether or not you would push the issue before remembering you always pushed issues (you were notoriously stubborn). You met his gaze with kind, perceptive eyes, which reminded him why he had taken you as a Padawan in the first place and he caved. Sighing deeply he looked down before admitting, “I was only pushing you that hard because if it’s true, if the Sith have returned, I want you to be able to handle yourself.”

A bright smile covered your face at his admission, you had a feeling it was something along those lines, “With a master like you the Sith wouldn’t stand a chance,” you teased. Though as Mace went to respond (probably to remind you that he had just handed your ass to you) you cut him off with, “Thank you, Master. Truly, for everything you’ve taught me”

Padding towards him you picked up your robe and you were shocked when he pulled you into a very brief hug, pulling away before you could even react his hands rested on your shoulder - an affectionate smile on his face. “Go on before I change my mind about training. And, try to stay out of trouble.”

You sat on your bed flipping through the holobook on Sith you had borrowed from the archives when a rapid knock startled you. Getting up to see who it was you quickly made your way to the door, opening it to reveal Obi-Wan who quickly pushed past you into the room. The door hadn’t even slid shut before he began talking, “The council is sending Qui-Gon and I back to Naboo with the Queen. We’re leaving now but I couldn’t leave without seeing you, there’s not much time, I told my master I had to grab something from my room.”

You laughed as you made your way to him and pulled him into a soft kiss but Obi grasped your hips pulling you as close as possible, deepening the kiss. His tongue swiped against your mouth and you opened to him with a moan. You allowed your lover to explore your mouth as he squeezed your hips harshly, low growl leaving his throat. After several long moments of making out you pulled apart, lips puffed from the force of your kiss and your breath came a bit faster. Swallowing breathlessly you looked up at Obi-Wan with sweet eyes, he smiled and pressed a kiss to your forehead whispering into your skin, “you look beautiful”

Laughing, as you were just dressed in your sleep clothes and hair mussed from your pillows, you affectionately cupped his cheek, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips you gave his braid a small tug as you whispered, “you better go before Master Jinn grows suspicious.”

Obi laughed at this as he pulled away, “If I’m being honest I don’t think he bought my excuse for a second.”

You linked hands as you walked a few steps to the door, tenderly kissing the back of his hand, you again stroked his face. Your brow furrowed as you grew serious, feeling uneasy as you uttered, “Obi, please be careful.”

He pressed another kiss to your forehead before humming an assurance and pulling away through the newly opened door. You watched his retreating form, smiling as he turned to wave at you; but as your door slid shut the smile fell from your face. A pit grew in your stomach as you could feel something on the edge of your perception. The force was swirling with a darkness you hadn't felt before and you couldn’t help but feel that something terrible was going to happen. As you turned into your room the uneasy feeling growing you finally identified why you were feeling so sick to your stomach, you were afraid.

Letting out a shaky breath you made your way back to your bed and sitting on it, making yourself comfortable. You closed your eyes and focused on breathing hoping to meditate on your feelings and come to peace. As you began your meditation you could only hope that your intuition was wrong, though you couldn’t shake the feeling that had settled over you.

At some point you had fallen into a restless sleep though you woke early. Unable to fall back into slumber you went through your morning routine and settled with a cup of tea to continue your study of the Sith. Several hours later a curt knock on your door roused you. You were already dressed in your typical attire of over sized loose white blouse and tan high waisted trousers, so you pulled your boots over the pant legs and attached your saber to your large brown belt as you answered the door, already knowing it was your master. As the door slid open you began to talk, having practiced what you wanted to say while you were reading, “I want you to teach me Vaapad, I know that’s what form you were using yesterday and I would like to learn more about it.”

You were met with Mace’s impassive face as he stared at you for a moment. Sighing he turned as you joined him to walk towards the training room. “No, you know it’s dangerous. Besides my Padawan, I do not believe you have the anger nor passion inside of you necessary to fuel the form.”

You didn’t take offense to his words, knowing the passion he talked about was a warped version, but continued your argument. “I may not have the anger inside me but if at some point I did fall into it I would like to know how to productively channel my emotions.”

Quirking a brow at you Master Windu countered, “Preparing to be angry at some point? Should I be concerned?”

You laughed slightly before growing serious, “Last night I felt something dark in the force, it was barely a whisper but I felt it. I couldn’t figure out what it meant and...that made me afraid. I meditated and that abated the feeling, however I want to be prepared in the case that it turns out to be something I can’t shake.”

You chose your words carefully not wanting to concern your master unnecessarily, “I also feel it would be beneficial as yesterday I could defend against the form but I couldn’t find a way to shift to attacking. I feel if I learn at least the basics I will have a better understanding how to effectively fight against it.”

Mace wanted to groan, you made sense and your preparation for his counter arguments left him with little room to disagree - apart from using the ‘no, because I said so’ argument. With a semi-annoyed look he grumbled out, “Remind me why I wanted another padawan.”

You laughed heartily at this knowing you had won the argument, “I believe you picked me because I was ‘a quick learner and I didn't seem like too much trouble’.”

You imitated his voice for the last part and as your master gave you the look while you gave him your best innocent face. You would have continued your teasing if not for reaching the training room. Mace gave you another half-hearted glare before conceding, “Fine, I'll teach you but only the basics. Then I would like for us to focus on Form V I feel it’s best suited for you.”

You trained for the rest of the morning, breaking for lunch and afterwards Master Windu was called for a council meeting. You had just finished washing up when you felt the darkness creeping around the edges of the force again. You were intent on trying to figure out what it was when you felt something else, a deep pain and anguish. Concerned your mind flew to your force bond with your master, worried something had happened but you didn’t sense any distress- he seemed fine. You frowned, confused at what else it could be, it was then that you felt something else - a strong hate. Exhaling shakily you tried to fight back the powerful feelings swirling in you, they were overriding all your senses, but they wouldn’t leave you didn’t even know how they got there in the first place. Desperate for clarity you sat where you stood to meditate, though you focused as best you could peace would not come. Hesitantly and desperate for answers you allowed yourself to embrace your feelings though when you did that it became clear these were not your emotions but from someone else. It was so close yet the answer remained fuzzy. Gasping your eyes flew open with a thought, could this have been Obi-Wan? You weren't aware of you two sharing a force bond though granted your force signatures always seemed to dance in tune with one another but that was to be expected when you were so close. Thinking for a minute you decided to tackle this situation like any other, by gathering as much information as possible to remain prepared. Gathering yourself you headed to the Jedi Library knowing you would be able to find what you needed.

It was there that Master Windu found you, reading intently, several hours later. A grim look on his face and the gentle hand on your shoulder told you all you needed to know, as you had read your suspicions had grown. Looking up at your master and shutting the book you asked, “It’s Master Jinn, isn’t it?”

For a brief moment Mace’s eyes widened and he looked as if he wanted to ask you how you knew but he plowed forward with why he was there - time being of the essence. “Yes, Master Jinn was killed by the Sith. However Kenobi fended off and killed the Sith. The council is going to Naboo and I’d like you to come with us. I believe Padawan Kenobi will need someone by his side to offer support and compassion, while he is very strong the dark side is always a concern, especially when such a devastating loss has occurred.”

You nodded and rose gathering your robe and the holobook. Mace informed you that they were leaving shortly and to meet him at the front of the temple as soon as you were ready and you would be meeting the Council as well as Senator Palpatine at the landing platform by the senate. You rushed through the process of gathering necessary travel essentials, making sure to bring the holobook about force bonds with you, and hurriedly made your way to the speeder Mace was waiting for you in. Once on everyone was on the ship and on the way to Naboo your master made his way to you, intent on questioning how you had known of Master Jinn’s death. Hesitating and weighing your options you concluded your best course of action would be to divulge what you believed to be going on and so you informed him of your probable force bond with Obi-Wan. Mace nodded, seemingly unsurprised, he commented on how the two of you had always been very close and that it was probably only a matter of time, though he made sure to caution you against forming too deep of an attachment. You swallowed deeply and nodded, muttering some reassuring words and hoping he didn’t sense that you were fairly certain both you and Obi-Wan were deeply attached to one another.

When Naboo was reached you let the council and Senator Palpatine exit the ship first, following behind them you waited as Palpatine spoke with Obi-Wan before conversing with the queen. Slowly the platform cleared as the Naboo government went to prepare for the celebrations and the council began speaking to Obi and the boy next to him, you hung back not wanting to eavesdrop after all it would be up to your dear friend to tell you what he felt comfortable sharing. Overall it didn’t take very long before the members of the Council had a clear picture of the events that transpired and they left to deliberate amongst themselves. Only when they departed did Obi-Wan see you standing there. His eyes widened and he took a deep shaky breath so loud you could hear it from several feet away, when you offered him a small sad smile he broke. Your name flew from his mouth, voice cracking, as he ran to you. Arms enveloping you so tightly you were almost knocked off your feet and you returned the embrace fiercely. You buried your face in his neck as one of his hands rose to grasp the back of your head tightly as if you might disappear if he let go. You heard him sniffle softly and you knew he was attempting to keep his emotions in check, pulling back to look at his face your hands rose to clasp his face - fingers delicately wiping stray tears. You searched his eyes to try to glimpse what he was feeling yet all you found was relief and longing pooling in his beautiful blue orbs. For a moment you got lost in their depths, drowning in the ocean of his affection for you. Unconsciously your head tilted, eyes flashing to his lips, and his eyes darting to yours both of you forgetting yourselves. Just as his head tilted opposite yours and you began to close the distance a small voice interrupted you and the veil that had cut you off from the rest of the world was pulled away. You pulled away quickly when you remembered where you were, though one of your hands slid down to rest on the small of Obi-Wan's back comfortingly. When you looked at Obi a scarlet blush covered his face as he looked down at the small boy in front of him. The boy looked between the two of you before repeating himself, “You’re a Jedi too?”

Clearing your throat to clear your own embarrassment, you nodded and squatted to be closer to his level. “Yes, I am a Jedi Padawan.”

You cut yourself off abruptly having almost said ‘just like Obi-Wan’ but remembering the whole reason you were here.

“Well it’s nice to meet you, I’m Anakin!”

He replied sticking his hand out with a smile. You gently shook it and gave a kind smile back.

“It’s good to meet you Anakin, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

You would have continued your conversation but you were interrupted by your master coming to fetch Obi-Wan to inform him of their decisions. Obi-Wan looked nervously down at Anakin and you were quick to reassure him that you would watch over the boy. Your hand came to rest on Anakin's shoulder as you stood up and as Obi walked away from you both you felt a small hand rest over yours. Looking down you saw his worried face and thought of the perfect distraction for the boy, ��Anakin? Would you like to go on an adventure to find our rooms?”

You questioned and shot him a big smile, he looked up at you for a second before nodding and the two of you made your way towards the building you had been told your quarters would be in. As you walked you made small talk with the boy noting his excitement over flying as well as pod-racing, he also talked about building his own droid and you couldn’t help but let him excitedly jump from topic to topic. He only paused when you stopped to ask for directions and then continued excitedly talking though his words grew softer as he started talking about wanting to be a Jedi. Once he trailed off you spoke, “Are you not excited to learn the Jedi ways?”

“It’s not that, Master Qui-Gon said he would train me and now...” He trailed off and you felt your heart ache for him.

“Though I cannot tell what will happen Ani, I promise you we will take care of you. Besides you have me and Obi-Wan to look after you now, no matter what!”

You said reaching down to ruffle his hair with a bright grin, hoping to get a smile from him. You were rewarded with a small laugh and he ducked out of your reach before you could mess his hair any further. By this time you had reached the living quarters and you found them neatly labeled in Basic, stopping at Ani’s you took note that Obi-Wan’s room was directly across the hall from him, yours being next to your fellow Padawan. The two of you walked in and you were just about to excuse yourself when the child turned towards you with a hopeful face. “Maybe, you could stay and we could talk some more?”

You couldn’t possibly say no to the sweet boy and so you sat down on the couch provided in the spacious room and patted the seat next to you. You prompted him with a question about his home and he was off again, talking excitedly about all the little details of his home and telling you about his mother. The two of you became fast friends and you were startled by how much time had passed when someone fetched you for dinner.

Once dinner had been finished and the sun had gone down you knew what was coming. The hospitality at the hands of the Naboo was above expectation, they had arranged the funeral in respect to the Jedi ways, and the group of Jedi (as well as Naboo officials) made your way to the building where the funeral would be held. You had not yet gotten a chance to talk to Obi-Wan yet and you were longing to know what was going on as you stood behind Obi-Wan and next to Anakin. You could feel the grief in the air and you watched as Obi-Wan turned towards Anakin before the boy had even sought comfort. A bittersweet smile crossed your face as Obi-Wan told Anakin that he would be training the young boy, you knew Obi was more than capable of this task but you worried on how much had been thrust on him in such a short amount of time. You had not gotten a chance to talk to Obi and you were longing to know how he was doing with all of this. You hoped he would seek you out but for now you focused your attention back on the fire blazing in front of you, remembering the kind Master who laid before you.

Coming back from the funeral was mostly silent and Obi-Wan retreated to his room without a word. Making sure Ani was tucked in and that he knew if he needed anything he could come to you before retreating to the hallway. Once Anakin's door slid shut you turned, staring at the door labeled Obi-Wan Kenobi. You went to knock but hesitated, instead retreating to your room to prepare for bed not wanting to intrude on him. Once you had gone through your whole routine you paused, walking over to the wall that connected your room to Obi’s and pressed your hand to it sighing lightly. Pressing your forehead to it you exhaled deeply, wishing you could help him, you could feeling the sorrow through your bond and then you heard it. It was as if someone was whispering to you, you focused on the tiny voice and just barely made out what it was saying - ‘I need you, please...please be with me’.

You recognized the voice as Obi-Wan’s and you knew you couldn’t let him be alone. Quickly walking to his door you knocked softly calling out his name. There was no response and you took a moment to listen and again you heard the voice pleading repeating the same words over and over. Opening the door when you received no response and cautiously walking in you paused at the sight of Obi-Wan standing back to you rigid as a board.

You had expected to hear him speaking but when you entered the room it was silent. Though the voice still rang in your head and your eyes filled with tears when you realized you were hearing Obi-Wan’s thoughts.

You padded over to him wrapping your arms around his waist tightly, he startled but leaned back into you once he realized who you were. When you looked over his shoulder you saw he had one hand tightly wrapped around Qui-Gon’s lightsaber and the other was clutching his Padawan braid. You immediately knew what he was trying to do, it was traditional for Master to remove their Padawan’s braid when they were knighted, and suddenly his thoughts made sense as he desperately pleaded for his Master to be with him.

Slipping your arms out from his waist you moved to stand in front of him, hand gently closing over the one holding his braid. His eyes had been tightly scrunched closed but opened to look at you, at his devastated expression you felt hot tears trail down your cheeks. You had to deeply swallow and take a deep breath before you could speak to ask him, “Would you like me to help?”

At your gentle words Obi’s eyes shut again and he nodded quickly. Trying to force back your tears, though they still streamed steady tracks down your face, your other hand rose to wrap around his hand holding the lightsaber.

Obi-Wan activated his fallen Master’s saber, bathing the both of you in green light, and you gently guided the blade to the top of his Padawan braid behind his ear. Taking a deep breath you pulled his hand towards you just barely, a whisper of a movement, and just like that the braid was severed.

The room was still apart from the lightsaber deactivating and his braid fluttering down to drape over your hand. Then in a sudden flurry of movement the new Jedi Knight let go of both hands to wrap himself around you.

Quickly adjusting your grip you kept from dropping either item and crossed your arms around his neck. You felt his body shaking as sobs wracked his body, finally letting go of all the emotion he had been holding back all day. You stayed there, you weren’t sure how long, allowing him to express his deep sorrow and hurt until Obi pulled away from you.

His hands came to stroke gently at your face and then leaning to graze his lips against yours, he pulled the two items from your hand before walking to gently place them on a table - staring at them for a moment longer. He walked back over to you, eyes flickering to the bed briefly but long enough for you to understand what he was silently asking.

You let your hand entwine in his and you led him gently to the bed. With soft tugs and gentle pulls you helped him to shed his clothing until he was just in his underclothes, you were already wearing your nightgown and so you pulled the covers back and slipped into the bed and Obi slid in closely after. Under the sheets your legs entangled pressing closely together and he pulled you into his chest, your hand rising to rest on his collarbone - the other laying over his waist. You rhythmically stroked his sternum until you felt him slip into slumber and when you were sure he was asleep you allowed your eyes to shut as you used your bond to project peace, something you had read in your holobook, hoping to give him a good nights rest; and at some point, draped in his warmth, you yourself fell into sleep.

When you awoke you groggily realized at some point you had changed positions, you now lay on your side with Obi-Wan pressed firmly into your back and his arm around your waist. You groaned slightly and nuzzled down into the pillow not wanting to wake up, you heard an amused laugh and felt Obi-Wan’s thumb gently stroking your tummy. You lazily tilted your head up to try to look at him but Obi was one step ahead of you and had propped his upper body up enough so that he was able to capture your mouth is a sweet kiss. You moaned softly, still not entirely awake, and his hand trailed up the side of your body coming to grasp your chin lightly to hold you to him. As the kiss grew heated you flipped to face him, just barely breaking apart before connecting lips again, and Obi took this opportunity to fluidly slide onto his back pulling you to rest on top of him.

When you finally pulled apart your eyes slid back open, having remained sleepily shut through the readjustments, and you were met with the sunrise gleaming angelically over Obi-Wan’s face. You let out a pleased sigh when he pulled your body close to him and began to trail kisses down your throat, nipping slightly, as his hands held your waist. You needed more and so you gently grasped one of his hands to slip it under your nightgown, that was all the encouragement Obi-Wan needed and his other hand followed pushing your dress up in his path to reach your breasts. As he groped at your chest, teasingly pinching your nipples, his mouth moved down to your collarbone and finally trailing to nip at your hardened nipple through the light silk covering it.

You moaned, hips grinding against his growing erection, as he teased you with both his hands and mouth.

He repeated the gentle nips on the other breast until you jolted forward ripping the dress up over your body, desperate for his mouth on your bare skin. The attention on your chest had gotten you thoroughly soaked and you could feel his hard thick length pressing against you.

With a breathy moan you trailed your hand down to palm at him through his underwear, he let out a deep hoarse groan and quickly flipped the two of you over, tearing your underwear down with your approval and a quiet growl left his throat at how soaked your underwear were. He started pressing soft kisses down the length of your body until he reached your dripping cunt and shyly you tried to close your legs but he gently grasped your thighs whispering, “Let me take care of you darling, please”

His tone was so earnest, his eyes shining with pure adoration, and so you bit your lip as you nodded - allowing your knees to fall apart.

Obi-Wan let his fingers run up and down your slit softly, gathering your wetness before finding your clit and rubbing it like you had shown him before, giving you just the right amount of pressure. Sharp inhales filled the air as you felt yourself growing wetter and when Obi licked a tentative stripe up your pussy your hand flew to his head. He pulled away slightly, worried you didn't like it, until you desperately whimpered out a plea to keep going. Obi’s mouth returned to you experimentally licking and swirling his tongue around you, listening to every cry you gave him. Growing more confident he lapped at you with a bit more pressure, teasing at your hole. As your nails lightly scratched at his scalp in pleasure he removed his fingers from your clit and tentatively sucked it, you let out a loud cry as pleasure shot through you.

You could feel your orgasm building rapidly and you panted out encouragements as he continued his motions, though this time sinking a finger into you. Gently teasing he crooked his finger inside of you, hitting something that made your vision go blurry for a second, as you clenched around him he pulled out before sinking back in this time with two fingers. Pumping steadily he pulled his head back for just a moment to catch his breath and to take in your beautiful expression of bliss.

His tongue returned as he began to gently scissor his fingers stretching you until he added a third. It was when he started swirling his hot tongue around your clit that you clenched around him, cumming and biting your hand to keep from crying out too loudly. Again he sucked lightly on your clit elevating your orgasm and drawing it out for as long as possible.

You desperately tugged at Obi-Wan to pull him away from your drenched pussy and back up your body when you finally started to fade, though aftershocks were still shooting through your body. Eagerly kissing him you trailed one hand down his body to grasp at his cock and starting a steady rhythm of pumping him. At his small groans and moans you felt yourself heating up again and so you pulled his body down on top of yours, his weight resting on his forearms next to your head.

As you continued to stroke him you let your legs part in order to press his throbbing cock to your swollen lips. His hips stuttered, a beautiful guttural groan flying out of his mouth, and as he slid up against you your lips parted, juices covering him. You both moaned at the feeling of his velvet length stroking back and forth over your exposed slit and he continued to softly rock his hips as you continued to soak him, your own hips bucking anytime his hard cock caught on your clit. Your eyes had been closed but they slid open as you whimpered desperately craving more, wanting to give him everything and you knew he would do the same in return for you.

Your hand which had been holding him within your parted lips fell back to gently push his hips so you could line up his tip with your entrance. Obi-Wan’s eyes met yours and he whispered, “My darling are you sure?”

"Yes, please Obi-Wan, I'm craving you. Please let me have you, all of you" You letting your answer slip out of your mouth as you trailed your other hand down your body and used your thumb to rub your clit.

Obi-Wan nodded, you could feel slick leak out of you at the idea of finally coming together like this, leaning down to kiss you fiercely as he slid his head into you softly. Groaning at the intrusion he waited for a moment or two, his breath coming out in hard pants as your walls gripped onto him tightly.

He could tell you were softly tensing up and so he allowed his hands to roam your body teasing you gently. As he whispered that he was going to push further in, nodding you let out a small whimper as he sheathed himself most of the way in you.

You felt a small twinge but as his hand came to rub at your clit and his mouth moved to nip at your sensitive spots on your neck your attention was drawn from that. You took a second to adjust to his size, walls fluttering around him, his cock stretched you but not in the painful way you thought it would, rather you felt full to the brim.

After a couple moments you cautiously asked him to move and gently Obi-Wan pulled back slightly before pushing back in, movements slow and minimal at first as you both adjusted to the feeling.

When you had grew used to the foreign sensation and it started bringing you more pleasure than his fingers ever could have you buried your face in his neck with a soft cry of ‘more, please Obi-Wan’.

He was more than happy to oblige hips pulling back, his cock sliding in to the hilt now as his hands pulled your thighs gently further apart. Moans were flowing from your lips now as your own hand groped at your breast while the other slid to play with your clit as you lost yourself in the feeling of him surrounding you. As his pace sped up further your eyes shut desperately anticipating your orgasm, yours was rapidly approaching as he slid in and out of your sopping cunt.

Obi-Wan's own orgasm was approaching and his hands flew to your waist to pull you into him as he thrust, hips slapping against you as you both desperately chased your release. Your legs wrapped around his back and praise spilled from his mouth - “Oh, stars, you feel incredible my love. You’re taking me so well, gripping me so tight. Oh darling, I adore you I can’t wait to feel you cum”

One truly desperate cry of his name flowing from your lips had him throwing his head back face gasping in pleasure at your gorgeous voice and his expression pushed you over the edge, knowing you were the one bringing him this much pleasure.

Calling out his name your hands flew to his shoulders gripping tightly and Obi pulled his head up to take in your orgasm.

Seeing your face as you came just for him was his undoing and he desperately pulled out, hand pumping himself rapidly as his release spilled over your lips and thighs, his orgasm coming faster than anticipated. You continued to whimper and keen out as his release dripped over your pussy causing your walls to clench at the feeling and Obi-Wan sat there, soft moans leaving him as his head was thrown back in pure bliss.

Both of you panted as you came down from your high and Obi-Wan looked down at you his softening cock weakly twitching at the sight of his cum dripping off of you. With a groan he reluctantly got up and stumbled to wet a cloth to clean you up, wanting to get you cleaned up and back to cuddling in your warmth as soon as possible. When he returned you sat up slightly and gave him a sweet smile that took his breath away.

He had to remind himself what he was doing as he gave you a brilliant smile in return and then he gently pressed the cloth to your spent pussy, wiping his cum off with soft strokes and when he was satisfied you were cleaned up he tossed the cloth on the ground.

You gawked at him calling his name out indignantly as he just chuckled and crawled back up the bed to sit next to you an innocent, “Whaat??” leaving his mouth as he pulled the covers up over the two of you, pulling you into his side.

You rested your head on his shoulder as he gently trailed his fingers up and down your side. It was still early, sun still struggling to rise, and so you sat in comfortable silence for a while having no obligations for the time being and when you felt yourself drifting off you lifted your head to look at Obi-Wan who had furrowed his brow in deep thought.

Tilting your head in concern you made a small noise in the back of your throat to get his attention, his eyes met yours and something flickered over his face as he came to a decision. Shifting nervously his other hand came to delicately clasp your hands, you made another small confused noise before pressing “Obi-Wan what is it?”

He took a deep breath before leveling his gaze and you realized what he was about to say. Grasping his hands tightly you stared at him for a second before speaking, “Obi-Wan, you know if you say this we’re breaking the code outright and there's no coming back from this.”

Your concerned words only caused a soul warming grin to cover Obi-Wan’s face as you reaffirmed why and what he wanted to tell you. As he breathed out your name softly your face eased into an adoring expression and when he sweetly said, “I don’t care, I have to tell you. I love you, with everything I am.”

You felt your heart skip a beat as your eyes got misty and you stroked the back of his hand before a wide smile broke out on your face, “I love you too, Obi-Wan Kenobi. I love you with my whole soul and you're not alone - you'll never be alone, I'll always be with you.”

The two of you shared a loving kiss, sweet and warm, as you snuggled back into each other. You both slid down back under the covers and Obi-Wan wrapped strong arms around you.

At some point Obi-Wan knew you would have to get back to your responsibilities but for right now, in the glow of the rising Naboo sun, nothing mattered but the two of you.

[omgreally]

The Apprentice Read on AO3 Pairing: Din Djarin/F!Reader Rating: E for Explicit, Soon Wordcount: 9k+ Summary: Peli Motto took you off the streets of Tatooine to become one of the best apprentices she’s ever had - but honestly, the DUM droids are setting the bar pretty low. Still, you work out well for the first few months until an armored Mandalorian stranger lands with a busted-up ship and a strange magic baby and, well, you’re intrigued. Even though you know you shouldn’t be. Peli’s always teling you to keep away from anything hot but sometimes, to fix something, you have to stick your hand straight into the fire.

Chapter Three - Second Thoughts

You sit on the ground across from the blazing fire as the Treadwell droids fries the gorgs on the flame generated by the old podracing engine. The suns have long since slipped below the horizon, and the night sky is filled with stars like a dark blanket poked with holes and thrown over a lamp. 

“You ever been offworld, Peli?” You wonder as you gaze upwards. You don’t think about it much, what’s up there - you’ve only ever been concerned with what’s down here and the more immediate need for survival. But the more time you spend on ships that soar back and forth between the stars, the more you wonder what it’s like.

“Space travel?” Peli snorts, ripping off a hunk of jerky for herself and handing a smaller piece to Grogu in her lap. “It’s a waste of time, kiddo. Keeps me in business, though, so I don’t complain. But the hotshots out there, zoomin’ around between planets, never feelin’ the dirt beneath their feet - they complain plenty. Makes me wonder why they do it.”

“What about him?” You nod towards the dark, silent Razor Crest. Mando hasn’t joined you yet. You’re beginning to doubt that he will.

“Who knows? Only thing he seems to care about is this little guy.” She jiggles Grogu on her knee.

“It’s...his child?” you ask slowly, almost afraid of the answer.

“Nah. Don’t think so, anyway. But he’s a part of his clan, so he’ll protect him, see? That’s how Mandalorians are.” She cocks her head. “I think. All I know is I’ve seen him kill without hesitation to protect this little one, and he’ll do anythin’ for him. Anythin’.” Peli emphasizes this with a pointed forefinger, one that Grogu grabs and starts to chew on. “Ow! Hungry little womprat, aren’tcha? Here, have some more o’ this.”

“That almost sounds...noble,” you muse aloud. Peli, only half-listening, chuckles.

“You try tellin’ him that. Hey, where are you goin’?”

“I told him I’d bring him some dinner,” you say as you get to your feet and fill a plate with meat, fruit and jerky.

“You like him, don’t you?”

You stop, half-turning to her in the flickering firelight. You expect to see a smirk, or a grimace, but Peli’s expression is just...curious. Grogu is looking at you too, and you wonder how much the little creature understands.

“He’s...interesting,” you say. “And attractive.” Why lie? Peli’s always been able to see straight through you.

The woman sighs, leaning back. “Just...be careful, Girl, won’t you? Believe it or not, I’ve gotten used to havin’ you around. And you’re a damn sight more useful than the droids.”

You shift from foot to foot. “What are you trying to say, ma’am?”

“I’m just sayin’...It’s like he’s got his own gravitational pull. Try not to fall into his orbit.” She strokes the ears of the child in her lap and presses her lips together into an expression of resignation when she meets your eyes. 

She already knows. And she can see it in you.

Her smile is wry, and a little sad when she adds, "You’ll end up burnin’ up.”

You’re not sure what to say to that, so you say nothing. You walk away, deep in thought, your steps taking you slowly, inexorably towards the ship. Maybe there’s something to what Peli’s saying. It’s like you just can’t help yourself.

It’s like you don’t even want to.

The side ramp is still down, and you wonder briefly if the actuator has broken again - you’ll have to check tomorrow. The sound of your boots on the gangway seem unnaturally loud, but you knock on the frame of the hatch anyway to announce your presence, peering into the dim interior.

“Mando?”

No answer. You make your way further into the hold, but catch no sight of him. “Mando?” you call again. 

This was a stupid idea, you decide. You’ll just leave the plate somewhere and go. You're in the middle of looking for an appropriate flat surface where he’ll find it when his voice drifts down from the cockpit - “Up here.”

There’s still time to just leave the food and go, you think. But of course, you don’t. You move further into the belly of the beast. Balancing the plate in one hand, you haul yourself up the ladder with the other. Somehow, you manage to get up to the cockpit without flinging food everywhere.

The bridge of the ship is even darker than before, the standby lights filling the space with an eerie, blinking glow. It makes the Mandalorian blend into the durasteel background, so that when he gets up from the pilot’s seat, you jump, nearly tripping backwards - but he’s on his feet and has caught the plate in one hand and your elbow in the other before you even register the movement.

“Sorry,” you mutter, staring into the visor. “I didn’t see you.”

“It’s okay,” he says, letting you go - you feel the absence of his touch more keenly than you might have if you'd gotten more time in the sanisteam earlier. You watch him as he perches on the edge of a control panel to examine the contents of his plate, gloved fingers picking through the jerky and crisped pieces of meat.

“It’s not much, but we were a little strapped for credits when I went to the market this morning,” you explain. “I’ll go out and get more tomorrow-”

“It’s fine. Thank you.” Still, he sets the plate aside, and you frown. If it’s fine, why isn’t he eating- Oh.

You turn, your face burning. “Sorry, I forgot. I’ll leave you to eat.” You step towards the hatch, and the ladder that leads to safety.

“Wait.”

The single word stops you in your tracks, and you stand there, frozen. You can’t hear him move, but you know that he’s behind you - you can feel the heat from his body and the coolness of the Beskar both warring for space at your back. You don’t turn around.

“Are you afraid of me?”

That’s definitely not what you expected him to ask. If you expected anything. You do turn now, slowly, coming face-to-face with his breastplate mere inches from your nose, and you have to tilt your chin up to look up at his visor. At the edge of the helmet, you can see the fabric of his cowl disappearing upward, and you wonder what color his hair is under there - if he has hair. It’s so hard to think of him as human, looking at the silver outer shell, and that more than anything else is terrifying. And exciting.

“Yes,” you say, your voice little more than a whisper. 

He reaches out and touches a tendril of your hair, still damp from the sanisteam. He brushes it gently, ever-so-gently, over your cheek and tucks it back behind your ear. His knuckles linger by your temple. You’ve long since stopped breathing.

“Good,” he says then. “Fear keeps you smart. Keeps you from doing something stupid.”

It’s like he knows exactly what you’ve been thinking, every moment you’ve been alone together. You swallow heavily around the sudden lump in your throat, resisting the urge to grab onto something - maybe him - to keep yourself upright, centered. 

“Like what?”  you rasp instead, trying to moisten your lips with the tip of your tongue, but your mouth is too dry for that. The helmet tracks the movement.

“I don’t want to give you any ideas.”

“I already have a few,” you say, breathing in a chuckle. You feel detached, as if this conversation isn’t really happening. Not in your reality.

“How old are you?”

That question stops you for a moment, and you have to think. “Oh...Galactic calendar? Twenty, at least...twenty-something, maybe. I lost track for a few years.”

“Twenty.” You hear him breathe in through the modulator, and he reaches out, a gloved finger tracking the visible indent of your collarbone from the open V of your coveralls. “You’re smart, for someone so young.”

You’re pretty sure wanting to fuck a Mandalorian isn’t that smart, but you don’t voice that thought. Not yet, anyway. 

“I’ve had to be,” you tell him, voice low, like you’re confessing a secret. “Out here, you don’t survive if you’re not smart.”

Mando nods slowly, seeming almost - understanding? Sympathetic? Maybe you’re imagining it. It’s too easy to ascribe emotions to the blankness of the Beskar. He could be making faces at you from behind that mask for all you know. He could just be toying with you to pass the time.

But something tells you that he’s not. And that scares you the most of all.

“I should go,” you say softly, and there’s a small moment of hesitation - just a second or two, but enough that you notice it - before he nods again.

You step back from him, towards the hatch, your eyes on the visor until the very last moment you turn around to swing yourself onto the ladder. You’re halfway down before his voice drifts to you.

“Goodnight, Girl.”

“Night, Mando,” you murmur, smiling to yourself as you climb down the rest of the way. 

There’s a spring in your step as you leave the Razor Crest behind, one that Peli doesn’t miss as you pass her on the way to your room.

“Remember what I told you, Girl!” she calls after you. You wave a dismissive, slightly rude offworlder gesture in her direction, but not too obviously.

“Goodnight, Peli!”

“See you’re up with the suns tomorrow! We got a lot of work to do!” she yells, but you’re already gone, shutting the door behind you as you head inside.

You debate going for another shower, but Peli will tell you off for using all the water, so you go to bed instead. You say ‘bed’ - really it’s just a cot shoved into a corner in one of the storage rooms, housed between crates of spare parts. You don’t mind it. The smell of metal and lubricant has long since ceased being an unpleasant one, and it’s of particular comfort tonight

You try to sleep imagining it’s Beskar surrounding you, smooth and cool beneath your fingers. You picture a pair of gloved hands on your shoulders, your arms, your belly, and your skin warms to your own touch. Your hands aren’t as wide, your fingers not as long, but in the absence of any others, they do the job.

You come gasping into the gloom, picturing the inscrutable darkness of a T-shaped visor boring into you.  And then you sleep, only half-sated, somehow more restless than ever.

You get the feeling things are only going to get worse before they get better.

Taglist: @annon123456789987654321, @babe-im-bi, @casssiopeia, @herefortheart, @shannaniganss, @sofithewitch​

Let me know if you’d like to be added/removed from the taglist! 

[agentrouka-blog]

Arya and Weasel - sending your inner child off into the woods

Weasel is an orphaned, traumatized girl of around two years of age whose story is absolutely heartbreaking. We meet her in A Clash of Kings and she accompanies us for the span of three Arya chapters, which takes place over just about a month, most of which takes place off page. 

We meet her at the end of Arya III, she has her first interaction with Arya in Arya IV and then tags along with Arya, Lommy, Hot Pie and Gendry in the woods until she runs off into the unknown at the end of Arya V.

I’ll follow the story and try to give some sense of time and location to justify my time estimates, simply because GRRM chooses to be so vague. 

Gods, Arya’s chapters in ACOK are among the very finest in the entire book series. 

Warning: Long. As always, excessive use of quotes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ACOK, Arya III (chapter 9)

Yoren and his gang have been traveling the Kingsroad since King’s Landing. She beat Hot Pie bloody in Arya I and they had a tense encounter with goldcloaks looking for Gendry in Arya II. Now they change course westward of the Kingsroad close to the beginning of the chapter.

“We’re not far from Gods Eye,” the black brother said one morning. “The kingsroad won’t be safe till we’re across the Trident. So we’ll come up around the lake along the western shore, they’re not like to look for us there.” At the next spot where two ruts cut cross each other, he turned the wagons west. 

Here farmland gave way to forest, the villages and holdfasts were smaller and farther apart, the hills higher and the valleys deeper. Food grew harder to come by.

They spend an unspecified amount of time, likely about two weeks, traveling and living off the land. Enough for two days delay to still matter but long enough to form habits, see landscapes change, have hunting adventures.

Outside a holdfast called Briarwhite, some fieldhands surrounded them in a cornfield, demanding coin for the ears they’d taken. (…)

The next day Koss came racing back to warn Yoren of a camp ahead. (…) “Might be one side, might be t’other. If they’re hurt that bad, likely they’d take our mounts no matter who they are. Might be they’d take more than that. I believe we’ll go wide around them.” It took them miles out of their way, and cost them two days at the least, but the old man said it was cheap at the price. (…) 

Arya saw men guarding the fields more and more when they turned north again. (…) At one place, she spotted a man perched up in a dead tree, with a bow in his hand and a quiver hanging from the branch beside him. (…) 

A day later Dobber spied a red glow against the evening sky. “Either this road went and turned again, or that sun’s setting in the north.”

Weasel’s tragedy begins when her village is put to the torch. The blaze is enough to light up the night sky from half a day’s travel away. Judging from what we see in Arya IV, the violence was likely unspeakable.

By dawn the fire had burned itself out, but none of them slept very well that night. It was midday when they arrived at the place where the village had been.

It’s butchery and desolation. Yoren goes to investigate the destroyed holdfast. 

When they finally returned, Yoren had a little girl in his arms, and Murch and Cutjack were carrying a woman in a sling made of an old torn quilt. The girl was no older than two and she cried all the time, a whimpery sound, like something was caught in her throat. Either she couldn’t talk yet or she had forgotten how. The woman’s right arm ended in a bloody stump at her elbow, and her eyes didn’t seem to see anything, even when she was looking right at it.

I knee-jerk assumed the woman to be Weasel’s mother, but that is never explicitly stated in the text. For all we know, they aren’t related at all. They are not shown to interact, and even if the woman was Weasel’s mother, she is too far gone from her severe injury to be coherent, let alone care for the child. 

 She talked, but she only said one thing. “Please,” she cried, over and over. “Please. Please.” Rorge thought that was funny. He laughed through the hole in his face where his nose had been, and Biter started laughing too, until Murch cursed them and told them to shut up. Yoren had them fix the woman a place in the back of a wagon. “And be quick about it,” he said. “Come dark, there’ll be wolves here, and worse.” “I’m scared,” Hot Pie murmured when he saw the one-armed woman thrashing in the wagon. “Me too,” Arya confessed. He squeezed her shoulder. “I never truly kicked no boy to death, Arry. I just sold my mommy’s pies, is all.” Arya rode as far ahead of the wagons as she dared, so she wouldn’t have to hear the little girl crying or listen to the woman whisper, “Please.” She remembered a story Old Nan had told once, about a man imprisoned in a dark castle by evil giants. He was very brave and smart and he tricked the giants and escaped . . . but no sooner was he outside the castle than the Others took him, and drank his hot red blood. Now she knew how he must have felt. The one-armed woman died at evenfall. Gendry and Cutjack dug her grave on a hillside beneath a weeping willow. When the wind blew, Arya thought she could hear the long trailing branches whispering, “Please. Please. Please.” The little hairs on the back of her neck rose, and she almost ran from the graveside.

I almost inserted a long paragraph about the textual parallels to Lyanna and Sansa here. But I refrained because this is merely meant to document Weasel. 

The woman and the child (and the murdered men I didn’t include in my quotes) are Arya’s first direct confrontation with the vicious of this war. She and Hot Pie are so humbled in the face of it, they forget their original enmity, their posturing. They become children again. They admit their bone-deep fear. 

The human suffering is an unbearable horror and Arya, understandably, tries to block it out and get away from it. 

So this tiny little girl Weasel has just watched every person she has ever known being murdered by scary, angry strangers and then spent that night and half a day among the charred ruins and the bodies. Hungry, thirsty, scared. No one shows up to comfort her until another stranger picks her up and carries her away. 

It goes on:

“No fire tonight,” Yoren told them. Supper was a handful of wild radishes Koss found, a cup of dry beans, water from a nearby brook. The water had a funny taste to it, and Lommy told them it was the taste of bodies, rotting someplace upstream. Hot Pie would have hit him if old Reysen hadn’t pulled them apart.

We’ll return to this lovely image.

Arya encounters wolves as she relieves herself in the woods at night. They do not harm her, but she is clearly shaken by everything that has happened. 

The crying girl travelling alonside her and the wolves prowling the woods. Two sides of Arya.

She tells Yoren she doesn’t care. She just wants to go home. The chapter ends on:

“Go to sleep, boy. Hear me?”

She did try. Yet as she lay under her thin blanket, she could hear the wolves howling . . . and another sound, fainter, no more than a whisper on the wind, that might have been screams.

Followed by a lovely thematic transition at the beginning of Davos I.

The morning air was dark with the smoke of burning gods. They were all afire now, Maid and Mother, Warrior and Smith, the Crone with her Pearl eyes and the Father with his gilded beard; even the Stranger, carved to look more animal than human. The old dry wood and countless layers of paint and varnish blazed with a fierce hungry light. Heat rose shimmering through the chill air; behind, the gargoyles and stone dragons on the castle walls seemed blurred, as if Davos were seeing them through a veil of tears. Or as if the beasts were trembling, stirring . . .

Arya is about to enter the warzone for real.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ACOK, Arya IV (chapter 14)

We open not too far from where we left Yoren’s merry band. They have reached the river flowing straight south from the Gods Eye. 

It seemed a peaceful place . . . until Koss spotted the dead man. “There, in the reeds.” He pointed, and Arya saw it. The body of a soldier, shapeless and swollen. His sodden green cloak had hung up on a rotted log, and a school of tiny silver fishes were nibbling at his face. “I told you there was bodies,” Lommy announced. “I could taste them in that water.”

He tasted them in the brook, this is a river. Usually brooks flow into rivers, not the other way around. But not too much travel time can have passed for Lommy to make that remark. A day? Two days?

We get a location.

It was midday when the others returned. Woth reported a wooden bridge half a mile downstream, but someone had burned it up. Yoren peeled a sourleaf off the bale. “Might be we could swim the horses over, maybe the donkeys, but there’s no way we’ll get those wagons across. And there’s smoke to the north and west, more fires, could be this side o’ the river’s the place we want to be.” He picked up a long stick and drew a circle in the mud, a line trailing down from it. “That’s Gods Eye, with the river flowing south. We’re here.” He poked a hole beside the line of the river, under the circle. “We can’t go round west of the lake, like I thought. East takes us back to the kingsroad.” He moved the stick up to where the line and circle met. “Near as I recall, there’s a town here. The holdfast’s stone, and there’s a lordling got his seat there too, just a towerhouse, but he’ll have a guard, might be a knight or two. We follow the river north, should be there before dark. They’ll have boats, so I mean to sell all we got and hire us one.” He drew the stick up through the circle of the lake, from bottom to top. “Gods be good, we’ll find a wind and sail across the Gods Eye to Harrentown.”

We don’t know what hour the sun sets but it’s early autumn in Westeros and I’m guessing they’re about 7 to 8 hours from the south shore of the God’s Eye, at wagon and donkey travel-speed.

We have our first mention of Weasel among a heartbreaking instance of Arya’s remaining faith in humanity.

Hot Pie was being silly; it wouldn’t be ghosts at Harrenhal, it would be knights. Arya could reveal herself to Lady Whent, and the knights would escort her home and keep her safe. That was what knights did; they kept you safe, especially women. Maybe Lady Whent would even help the crying girl.

Sadly, we don’t hear who has been taking care of the little girl since her mother died. Arya makes no mention of it.

They reach the deserted town.

The black brother left ten to guard the wagons and the whimpery little girl, and split the rest of them into four groups of five to search the town.

There are no boats, they decide to spend the night at the holdfast. Lots of descriptions of the holdfast and the town. No mention of the little girl. Seriously, who is minding this little toddler? 

When the food was ready, Arya ate a chicken leg and a bit of onion. No one talked much, not even Lommy. Gendry went off by himself afterward, polishing his helm with a look on his face like he wasn’t even there. The crying girl whimpered and wept, but when Hot Pie offered her a bit of goose she gobbled it down and looked for more.

Ah, at least someone is feeding her. Thank you, Hot Pie. Weasel is hungry, she wants to live.

Hot Pie went off and let her alone and Arya curled up on her pallet. She could hear the crying girl from the far side of the haven. I wish she’d just be quiet. Why does she have to cry all the time?

Getting some sister parallels in here.

Jeyne Poole had been confined with her, but Jeyne was useless. Her face was puffy from all her crying, and she could not seem to stop sobbing about her father.

"I'm certain your father is well," Sansa told her when she had finally gotten the dress buttoned right. "I'll ask the queen to let you see him." She thought that kindness might lift Jeyne's spirits, but the other girl just looked at her with red, swollen eyes and began to cry all the harder. She was such a child. (AGOT, Sansa IV)

Don’t like others crying around you when you’re scared, Stark Sisters, do you? There’s a Robb parallel, too.

"Rickon needs you," Robb said sharply. "He's only three, he doesn't understand what's happening. He thinks everyone has deserted him, so he follows me around all day, clutching my leg and crying. I don't know what to do with him." He paused a moment, chewing on his lower lip the way he'd done when he was little. "Mother, I need you too. I'm trying but I can't … I can't do it all by myself." His voice broke with sudden emotion, and Catelyn remembered that he was only fourteen. She wanted to get up and go to him, but Bran was still holding her hand and she could not move. (AGOT, Catelyn III)

They tend to have other characters reflect their inner emotions. That crying, overwhelmed child that they are trying to ingore: themselves. 

Arya, likely through warg power, wakes up to warn the others of the imminent attack. Amory Lorch’s riders are putting the town to the torch. Arya is watching from the holdfast parapets.

Something bumped against her leg, and she glanced down to discover the crying girl clutching her. “Get away!” She wrenched her leg free. “What are you doing up here? Run and hide someplace, you stupid.” She shoved the girl away.

No room for soft feelings when you have to function to survive.

Lorch is not inclined to spare Yoren on account of being with the NW. They attack and throw torches, the barn has a secret tunnel and Yoren orders them to escape. But the barn is already on fire.

As they were running toward the barn, Arya spied the crying girl sitting in the middle of the chaos, surrounded by smoke and slaughter. She grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to her feet as the others raced ahead. The girl wouldn’t walk, even when slapped. Arya dragged her with her right hand while she held Needle in the left. Ahead, the night was a sullen red. The barn’s on fire, she thought. Flames were licking up its sides from where a torch had fallen on straw, and she could hear the screaming of the animals trapped within. Hot Pie stepped out of the barn. “Arry, come on! Lommy’s gone, leave her if she won’t come!” Stubbornly, Arya dragged all the harder, pulling the crying girl along. Hot Pie scuttled back inside, abandoning them . . . but Gendry came back, the fire shining so bright on his polished helm that the horns seemed to glow orange. He ran to them, and hoisted the crying girl up over his shoulder. “Run!”  

In this moment of absolute mortal danger, Arya decides to take charge of the traumatized toddler to ensure her survival, stubbornly, violently even. Just like Yoren did with her. Hot Pie would have left her. Ouch. Gendry soon takes over, luckily. 

The open trap was only a few feet ahead, but the fire was spreading fast, consuming the old wood and dry straw faster than she would have believed. Arya remembered the Hound’s horrible burned face. “Tunnel’s narrow,” Gendry shouted. “How do we get her through?” “Pull her,” Arya said. “Push her.” “Good boys, kind boys,” called Jaqen H’ghar, coughing. “Get these fucking chains off!” Rorge screamed. Gendry ignored them. “You go first, then her, then me. Hurry, it’s a long way.” “When you split the firewood,” Arya remembered, “where did you leave the axe?” “Out by the haven.” He spared a glance for the chained men. “I’d save the donkeys first. There’s no time.” “You take her!” she yelled. “You get her out! You do it!” The fire beat at her back with hot red wings as she fled the burning barn.

Even having grabbed the little girl and knowing there is a path to escaping, Arya cannot simply flee. She hands over the charge of Weasel to Gendry and proceeds to save the lives of the three captives from the black cells. Because Arya doesn’t just let people die. Not unless she wants them dead herself. A force of nature.

She gets the axe from outside in the battlezone, walks back into the blazing barn, throws the axe into the wagon and dives down to safety. The chapter ends thus:

Arya rolled headfirst into the tunnel and dropped five feet. She got dirt in her mouth but she didn’t care, the taste was fine, the taste was mud and water and worms and life. Under the earth the air was cool and dark. Above was nothing but blood and roaring red and choking smoke and the screams of dying horses. She moved her belt around so Needle would not be in her way, and began to crawl. A dozen feet down the tunnel she heard the sound, like the roar of some monstrous beast, and a cloud of hot smoke and black dust came billowing up behind her, smelling of hell. Arya held her breath and kissed the mud on the floor of the tunnel and cried. For whom, she could not say.

So that went from dire to catastrophic.

I love how this chapter was structured. It starts out quiet, the unease builds in the empty town, they create a moment of respite eating dinner in the perceived safety of the holdfast, but even there they have doomed themselves by lighting the cookfire. Then it escalates, the howling of the wolves, the phony negotiations, the blaze they saw in the distance the chapter before now comes to them, and everything sinks into cacophony, until the last second of dubious escape. Arya’s helpless tears are such a well-earned release of panic and tension. There is no safety, only momentary escape, only confusion. It’s monstrous.

She cries, like Weasel cried.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ACOK, Arya V (chapter 19)  

We open to Arya high up on a tree observing a village on the Western lakeshore. 

Someone’s there. Arya chewed her lip. All the other places they’d come upon had been empty and desolate. Farms, villages, castles, septs, barns, it made no matter. If it could burn, the Lannisters had burned it; if it could die, they’d killed it. 

They have been traveling in the woods a while since the night of the blaze. Arya remembers them returning the next night, burying Yoren and joining up with three survivors. The route is North along the Western lakeshore.

Cutjack opened the door at Gendry’s shout, and when Kurz said they’d be better pressing on north than going back, Arya had clung to the hope that she still might reach Winterfell. (…)

To the east, Gods Eye was a sheet of sunhammered blue that filled half the world. Some days, as they made their slow way up the muddy shore (Gendry wanted no part of any roads, and even Hot Pie and Lommy saw the sense in that), Arya felt as though the lake were calling her. (…)

North along the shore, past a number of deserted rural settlings. 

At the end of the day she would often sit on a rock and dangle her feet in the cool water. She had finally thrown away her cracked and rotted shoes. Walking barefoot was hard at first, but the blisters had finally broken, the cuts had healed, and her soles had turned to leather. The mud was nice between her toes, and she liked to feel the earth underfoot when she walked. 

This process will have taken some time. A few weeks.

From up here, she could see a small wooded island off to the northeast.

While the Isle of Faces is not truly small, there is no mention of other wooded islands on the lake. This would place Arya less than halfway up the western shore of the lake. This would match the wagon travel speed of a few weeks from the kingsroad to the holdfast on the south shore. They are slow because they avoid roads, trudge through vegetation and mud, and because they are encumbered by injury and a toddler.

The food situation is not great.

She had broken her fast on some acorn paste and a handful of bugs. Bugs weren’t so bad when you got used to them. Worms were worse, but still not as bad as the pain in your belly after days without food. Finding bugs was easy, all you had to do was kick over a rock. Arya had eaten a bug once when she was little, just to make Sansa screech, so she hadn’t been afraid to eat another. Weasel wasn’t either, but Hot Pie retched up the beetle he tried to swallow, and Lommy and Gendry wouldn’t even try. Yesterday Gendry had caught a frog and shared it with Lommy, and, a few days before, Hot Pie had found blackberries and stripped the bush bare, but mostly they had been living on water and acorns.

The kids are on their own. Kurz the poacher was kind to them and gave them some survival training. But he died four days after they set off from an infected wound. The other two adults abandoned them directly after. Echoes of Dany with Drogo and the khalasar. Up and gone when he died, leaving behind the weak and the slaves.

Maybe Tarber and Cutjack figured they would stand a better chance without a gaggle of orphan boys to herd along. They probably would too, but that didn’t stop her hating them for leaving.

This is horrific. Four children between 14 and 9 years old, plus a little toddler. Sneakily abandoned by the two remaining adults. The Hansel and Gretel vibes are strong. Like Hansel and Gretel, they will be captured looking for food. Like Gretel, Arya will free them using cooking as a weapon, eventually. But that’s for later.

Very much of Arya’s chapters echoes Dany, actually. All from opposite sides. The violence, the abandonment, the eventual enslavement, the starving. The comparison to sheep. It all shows the bottom side of Dany’s war at Drogo’s side, and her travels through the desert with the baby dragons. Even Vaes Tolorro mirrors the Gods Eye town. Food and rest, and visitors that will lead them to another large settlement, eventually. But back to the kids in the woods.

Arya rejoins the others and we see Weasel again. 

At the sound of her voice, Weasel came creeping out from the bushes. Lommy had named her that. He said she looked like a weasel, which wasn’t true, but they couldn’t keep on calling her the crying girl after she finally stopped crying. Her mouth was filthy. Arya hoped she hadn’t been eating mud again.

“Did you see people?” asked Gendry. “Mostly just roofs,” Arya admitted, “but some chimneys were smoking, and I heard a horse.” The Weasel put her arms around her leg, clutching tight. Sometimes she did that now.

So Weasel is all cried out. It’s been a month or so since she lost her family after her village was set ablaze, followed soon after by another such violent, fiery attack. She went from a stationary life in a vilage with her family, meal time, bed time, cuddles and playing, to a life of being scared, confused, hungry, dirty and constantly on the move. 

Like Arya, Weasel stopped crying, like Arya, Weasel doesn’t mind mud in her mouth.

“If it’s a fishing village, they’d sell us fish, I bet,” said Hot Pie. The lake teemed with fresh fish, but they had nothing to catch them with. Arya had tried to use her hands, the way she’d seen Koss do, but fish were quicker than pigeons and the water played tricks on her eyes. “I don’t know about fish.” Arya tugged at the Weasel’s matted hair, thinking it might be best to hack it off. “There’s crows down by the water. Something’s dead there.” “Fish, washed up on shore,” Hot Pie said. “If the crows eat it, I bet we could.” “We should catch some crows, we could eat them,” said Lommy. “We could make a fire and roast them like chickens.”

I love these kids. They are hungry and grumpy and irritated and listless, in their way. They have no clue what to do and injured Lommy is the most anxious of them all. His leg was wounded and infection is setting in. He is the most helpless, and it makes him the most annoying of them. Yield, he says. Yield.

Like Yoren did to her, Arya contemplates hacking off Weasel’s hair. Matted, tangled. Like a bird’s nest, perchance? 

A lovely parallel highlighting the role of privilege, with another taumatized orphan cared for by a Stark daughter:

Alayne smoothed his hair. Lady Lysa had never let the servants touch it, and after she had died Robert had suffered terrible shaking fits whenever anyone came near him with a blade, so it had been allowed to grow until it tumbled over his round shoulders and halfway down his flabby white chest. He does have pretty hair. If the gods are good and he lives long enough to wed, his wife will admire his hair, surely. That much she will love about him. (TWOW, Alayne I)

Arya is trying to care for this child, for her inner child, but she does it listlessly, no practice, no plan. She doesn’t talk to Weasel, at all. Numb.

“Whoever it is, you should yield to them,” Lommy whined. “I need some potion for my leg, it hurts bad.” “If we see any leg potion, we’ll bring it,” Gendry said. “Arry, let’s go, I want to get near before the sun is down. Hot Pie, you keep Weasel here, I don’t want her following.” “Last time she kicked me.” “I’ll kick you if you don’t keep her here.” Without waiting for an answer,  Gendry donned his steel helm and walked off.  Arya had to scamper to keep up. Gendry was five years older and a foot taller than she was, and long of leg as well. For a while he said nothing, just plowed on through the trees with an angry look on his face, making too much noise. But finally he stopped and said, “I think Lommy’s going to die.”

Ah. 

Gendry is the “adult” in the group and he’s definitely going through his own “Rickon in tugging on my leg” phase, and presenting Arya with a variant of an offer Dany gets from Xaro in Meereen later: Abandon this doomed, starving lot and take your chances elsewhere. Unlike Dany, Arya is not actually responsible for any of these children, not even little Weasel. Unlike Dany, she is not even close to tempted.

“I’m sick of carrying him, and I’m sick of all his talk about yielding too. If he could stand up, I’d knock his teeth in. Lommy’s no use to anyone. That crying girl’s no use either.” “You leave Weasel alone, she’s just scared and hungry is all.” Arya glanced back, but the girl was not following for once. Hot Pie must have grabbed her, like Gendry had told him. “She’s no use,” Gendry repeated stubbornly. “Her and Hot Pie and Lommy, they’re slowing us down, and they’re going to get us killed. You’re the only one of the bunch who’s good for anything. Even if you are a girl.”

I am cutting out the following super hilarious exchange around revealing her identity, along with the horrible description of the village with the gibbet and the “SS rounds up the villagers for questioning and deportation” imagery.

Gendry gets himself captured and hauled into the warehouse with the other prisoners. Arya will leave no one behind. Arya will defend her pack. 

Lommy and Hot Pie almost shit themselves when she stepped out of the trees behind them. “Quiet,” she told them, putting an arm around Weasel when the little girl came running up.

Hot Pie stared at her with big eyes. “We thought you left us.” He had his shortsword in hand, the one Yoren had taken off the gold cloak. “I was scared you was a wolf.”

She has her arms around Weasel, trying to comfort the child, keeping in touch with the last of her innocence. It’s her final interaction with Weasel. They thought she was a wolf. She will be. 

Hot Pie glanced at Lommy, at Arya, at Lommy again. “I’ll come,” he said reluctantly. “Lommy, you keep Weasel here.” He grabbed the little girl by the hand and pulled her close. “What if the wolves come?” “Yield,” Arya suggested.

Iconic, badass quote. Heartbreaking context. Their rescue mission is unsurprisingly doomed before it truly gets going. Hot Pie “yields” at the first instance and Arya receives a terrible blow to the head. They take Needle. They are made to lead guards to Lommy and Weasel. 

The man with the torch searched around under the trees. “Are you the last? Baker Boy said there was a girl.” “She ran off when she heard you coming,” Lommy said. “You made a lot of noise.” And Arya thought, Run, Weasel, run as far as you can, run and hide and never come back.

Hide, inner child. Run and hide, like Nymeria. Like the wolf.

So that is the last we see of little Weasel. 

Realistically, she will be dead within days. Exposure, poisoning, injury, starvation unless she has absorbed enough from the others to gather enough bugs for herself. Or eaten by wolves. Plus the fear, the feeling of abandonment. It’s a grim picture. It becomes unbearable when you try and picture any toddler you know in the place of Weasel.

I am going to headcanon hardcore that Baby Weasel is going to be found by loving people and taken away to safety, wrapped up warm and fed and gently raised. Alternatively, she is kindly raised by the giant wolf pack. And somehow not freezing to death. *hands over ears* Lalalalaalalalalaalalala!

We end the chapter with one more death, one that we will see avenged four books later:

“Can you walk?” He sounded concerned. “No,” said Lommy. “You got to carry me.” “Think so?” The man lifted his spear casually and drove the point through the boy’s soft throat. Lommy never even had time to yield again. He jerked once, and that was all. When the man pulled his spear loose, blood sprayed out in a dark fountain. “Carry him, he says,” he muttered, chuckling.

The echoes are beautifully done.

"Well," she said, "I don't know how you'll get there, then." "You'll need to carry me." See? thought Mercy. You know your line, and so do I. "Think so?" asked Arya, sweetly. Raff the Sweetling looked up sharply as the long thin blade came sliding from her sleeve. She slipped it through his throat beneath the chin, twisted, and ripped it back out sideways with a single smooth slash. A fine red rain followed, and in his eyes the light went out. "Valar morghulis," Arya whispered, but Raff was dead and did not hear. 

(TWOW, Mercy)

On the one hand, it’s poetic justice. On the other, it screams out that Arya is basically a child concentration camp survivor but the war is not over. She has had no peace, only ever more hiding, no play, only ever more working, no recovery, only ever more killing. She is in exile, still. But she will return home. And she will one day recover. But she will never ever forget.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Arya VI, she chooses a new name herself for the first time. The concentration camp vibes are strong. Just read the chapter.

“Some farmer’s whelp, are you? Well, never you mind, girl, you have a chance to win a higher place in this world if you work hard. If you won’t work hard, you’ll be beaten. And what do they call you?” Arya dared not say her true name, but Arry was no good either, it was a boy’s name and they could see she was no boy. “Weasel,” she said, naming the first girl she could think of. “Lommy called me Weasel.”

Lommy and Weasel. Injured and young. No use. Dead and gone but not forgotten.

Ramsey names his dogs for the girls he killed. Sansa and Jon each want to name her future children for the family they lost. Arya names herself for the women and girls she cared about. Weasel. Cat. Nymeria, Nan. Even little Beth Cassel. Her kill list is one part of her. But the list of names that truly matters is another. She takes up their cause not in a hope for a peaceful future with personal happiness like Jon and Sansa but in the here and now, within the broiling whirlwind of injustices. But the very first name is for the little girl, for herself, essentially. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In conclusion:

Little Weasel is, to me, a personification of Arya’s inner child, as she struggles with her loss of innocence and the abandonment by adults. Because she shows up when they encounter their first hardcore warcrime scene. Arya tries to ignore her wailing and pays little attention to her, but attaches her to her hopes for help from Lady Whent and her Knights. She doesn’t take charge of Weasel until their adult caretakers, such as they are, become unavailable by way of being horribly murdered in battle. She is not really equipped to care for her, but she tries and she is determined not to abandon her. When she has disappeared, Arya doesn’t despair, she wishes her well, she has some remnant of faith and she attaches it to Weasel. Off into the wild, to escape certain death, perchance to survive, like she sent off Nymeria. 

It is no accident that Arya names herself Weasel when she enters the concentration camp hell that is Harrenhal, and it is a truly briliant stroke that her only direct memory of Weasel after that is when Arya enters service in the House of Black and White in AFFC, Arya II, which seems more empowering but draws up many comparisons in her mind to Harrenhal. The inner child has run off, but her spirit remains hovering over Arya, never quite fading. 

[wickednerdery]

Title: Out of Time Author: @wickednerdery Fandom: Marvel Pairing/character: Loki x Stark!OC Rating: FRC Summary: “I’m always VIP.” Notes: So I found this gif on Google - if it’s yours, I’m happy to credit - and it inspired this idea where Loki (after escaping with the Tesseract in Endgame, perhaps?) ends up in a strange cyberpunk/futuristic Earth. No idea if I’ll continue this or what, but it HAD to come out, lol!

Chapter 2

The Midgard he arrived at was not the one he left. It was older, wilder, both brighter and darker in turn. Loki shifted into Midgardian garb before approaching a main street, nothing looking familiar. The cars ran on their own, machines walked alongside mortals, and the sky above was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.

“Hey, you lookin’ to jive?” A man asks from behind leopard-printed leather mask. 

Loki takes the other in fully. Boots, hooded jumpsuit to match the leopard-print mask, and wild burgundy mohawk. The lights at the knuckles of his gloves alternate between red and yellow as he closes fist, then glow pure yellow across the board as a small, square, tab appears from between two fingers.

“Three million credits.” Heterochromatic eyes smile. “Thirteen million for VIP.”

“I’m always VIP.” Loki waves his hand, the man switches a plain white plastic bit for a red one, stamped with golden mask. “Now, tell me more about this ‘jive’.”

“Ms Stark! Ms Stark!!” The crowds, press and plebeians both, call for her as she steps from black auto-motive. Some cheer in excitement, telling her they love her. Others scream in tirades, declare her a “Tuhao war bitch”. Interviewers ask about men, women, freedom versus security, and her thoughts on Stark technology used to hold down the lower class.

“Sorry, no questions this evening. Not for Ms Stark anyway.” The voice of her car is that of her ancestor. Red lines blaze from head and tail lights, demarcating a barrier and allowing her to carry on into the museum unaccosted. “But I’d be more than happy to answer some, maybe take any praise you have for her.”

Once away from the masses, Ana tugs at the collar of her cocktail dress. It unravels gold, falling to the floor as a gown for the evening. Simple trick really, more to do with sewing than technology, but it never fails to turn heads. “Tony...” she smiles. “Don’t get yourself a parking ticket talking to all your fans.”

“Of course not, when have I ever done that?” The auto replies in her ear. 

“Last week? That time in Tokyo...that other time in Mumbai.”

“Okay, okay, point made. I’m out.”

Ana chuckles as car tires screech away in the distance. She carries on, men stepping aside with bowing heads to let her in. Her name is a whisper of reverence on their lips. Upon entering the exhibit turned ballroom people catch sight of her and begin to applaud.

“Ladies and gentleman, CEO of Stark International, chairperson of the Avengers Youth of America, and head of Earth’s Legion of Scientific Security...Ms Ana Roget Stark!” In the official announcement by the museum’s spokesperson the applause rises in volume and gusto.

Loki looks up, drink in hand, with interest. Stark? His lips curl in amused interest. He scans the crowd, then moves his focus back to her. Like the Stark he knows, she’s wholly confident and reveling in the face of adulation. While more polite, her smile indicates she believes herself worthy of the love she receives.

Her eyes scan from the balcony, land on the mysterious man in black. When he lifts his glass in notable salute, her brow goes up a fraction. Then she turns to the museum head. “Yes, yes, thank you for that...way too impressive introduction. I really would have just settled for Nobel prize winning person of the century.” She laughs, all but Loki join in. “My great-grandfather, Anthony Stark, unknowingly started this museum when he passed, leaving behind his suits and prototypes in the workshop of Stark Tower. Some still unfinished, some ready for mass production to make the world safe in his absence. They were able to be preserved and, yes, even improved upon as this place was created around them. As much as the Starks may have given to this museum, it gave back to the world. It is a sprawling testament of technology and innovation, of how far we have come and how far we can go. I thank all of you, each and every one, for your commitment to science, to knowledge, and to this museum in particular. I encourage you to continue that commitment tonight at the auction and in going forward with your donations.” Her eyes return to the man whose eyes never left her. “Thank you for coming, I look forward to speaking with you all before the night is over.”

Loki does not approach the lithe beauty with his enemy’s name, but his eyes do not leave her either. She swans about the room with the same confidence as the Stark he knows, but her manner is more delicate. She uses more deference in approaching others, is more flattering toward them than herself. Her show is alluring, appealing, boarding on arrogant but never crossing the line. Yet, when she does finally approach him, her manner changes.

“So, how did you do it?” She’s direct, no longer glad-handing, but nevertheless rapt with anticipation as she sits beside him at a table. “Cyber worm? Reverse engineering? Or did you figure out the sequence and use the key-code?”

He opens his mouth, then closes it. He’s no clue what she’s talking about, can’t even think how to answer.

Ana’s face falls to disappointment bordering on annoyance. “You bought it pre-rigged. Figures. I send out a golden ticket and people can only think about the quick buck.” She sighs, starts to get up. “I hope this was worth whatever the invite cost you, because it’s all you get. I don’t have time for fans.”

“Wait.” His hand flies out, takes hold of wrist.

She twists free, grabs his wrist in retaliation, and hits him with 75,000 volts via taser ring worn on her middle finger. She keeps hold until he’s limp, then releases and lets him tip over the table like a drunk. “Security, toss the lump in black at table 17.” Frustrated at her failed test, done with the night, Ana heads out a discreet side door that leads to the rest of the museum.

Looking over the reconstruction of the late Tony Stark’s penthouse Ana sighs. This is still where she feels most at home. Here and her own workshop, but she’s no mind for innovation right now. “How did you do it? How did you keep going?” She asks her ancestor aloud. Failures didn’t bother her, they were always part of success. It’s lack of momentum that drives her to darkness, to the functional bar where she pours two fingers of old school whiskey.

“You are a Stark.” Loki, in more regal and battle-ready gear, stands before the screen display of old New York. “Though a far fairer one, to be sure.” He winks, laughs when glass drops, shattering at her feet.

“Who are you?” Hand goes to her ear first, patching her into Tony, then the ruby and gold bracelet. She rubs it, anxious. “Oscorp? Stane International? Yak?” Ana takes him in, his new suit and the wild glint in his eye. “Or are you one of the anarchists? AIM? One of those anti-techs groups?”

He laughs. “Oh no, I’m my own man, Ms Stark. I don’t follow, I am followed.”

“Well, you have my attention, Mr...Mystery Man. What do you want?”

Loki hadn’t thought that far ahead. He’s merely intrigued by her, by wherever, whenever, he’s arrived.

“Really? I give you the floor and you stand mute?” Ana smirks. “Fascinating...and pointless. Thanks for the disruption and broken glass.” She starts to make another drink.

“Not curious how I got here then?”

“Only when you plan on leaving.” New glass in hand she heads out of the exhibit. She sees a biohazard symbol swimming across a fully masked face, hears the huff of the silencer, and feels the world slip past her as she goes down.

In a flick of his wrist Loki blasts the man through the wall, rushes to Ana as her gold dress goes red, then black, with blood. He gets arms under before her head hits the floor. “You’re not allowed to die until I wish it.” He watches her eyes widen in surprise, as if she didn’t expect him to be real.

“H-How...noble...” She snarks through the blooming pain, her world going dark as the mystery man’s suit.

So...that’s everything I have that’s clear in my mind for this right now, haha! Like, I know that Ana lives and all, but I’m not sure after that. I’ve some options: Loki leaves her to recover and stalks her from afar, Loki brings her back to her home and keeps her semi-captive there, Loki leaves her, but she seeks him out in gratitude and interest. ...But, even then, unsure of the sweeping story - is there a set enemy to go against together? Do they become enemies themselves? Or is this more of a romance? Is there more time travel?? So many questions/ideas, not enough determined yet, lol!

I’ll take suggestions though, haha!! 😉

Side Notes: Tuhao is a Chinese term referring to people of wealth. By “jive” the guy means party, in general. The description of the sky is a pull from William Gibson’s Neuromancer (awesome book!). The groups Ana lists are all from Marvel, all enemies of Iron Man in one way or another. And, yes, her self-driving car has the voice and personality of Tony Stark - he is her main AI, just as JARVIS and FRIDAY were Tony’s.

Tagging: @lady-crowned-with-stars​, @beccaliciooouuusss, gravitational-anomaly, @fuckthatfeeling, @v-2bucky, @ultrarebelheart​, @tarithenurse​ @latent-thoughts​ @chibiyanai​ @lukeevansandjdmobession​ @sweetfictionalworld​ @ladyfluff​ ...And I legit don’t know who else to tag anymore lol

[etlunainmorte]

"Trust me, V."

"(Y/N),... I should not have dragged the both of us in this hopeless situation. Forgive me,... "

"You came. That's all that matters."

"It's true what they say: when there's a will, there's a way."

"You said, please, say yes. And I said, yes! I'm going to the New Year's Ball with you, V!"

"Parting is such sweet sorrow,... that I shall say good night 'till it be morrow. Let us meet,... in the land of dreams. In a beautiful garden,... somewhere only we know. See you soon, my love."

"Stay with me, please. Until I fall asleep."

"Seeing you happy,... is the only single thing in this world that keeps me going. So, please, smile,... and be happy. Don't ever blame yourself for what happened in the past. It was never your fault. Live for the people you love. Smile,... for there are people who truly loves you. And they would never leave you, no matter what. Don't forget about that."

"I do,... take Lord Victor Blake as my husband. I promise to love and cherish him above all else. I will take care of him and support him. Through thick and thin, for richer or for poorer, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. If your soul shall seek mine after death, then I shall wait for you in the next lifetime. Then, the next. I will wait for you, for as long as it takes. J - just,... don't forget about me, alright?"

"I do,... take Lady (Y/N) (L/N) as my wife. This fool will love and cherish her above all else in the world. I promise to care for her, to support her through thick and through thin. If falling for you is a sin, then I refuse to repent. Like a river that flows to the sea, or a fool rushing in, I have fallen deeply in love with you. I cannot help myself from falling in love with you, my dear darling (Y/N). I will stay with you, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. And I shall never stop from loving you, even after my death. My soul shall seek yours, and we will be together again,... in our next lifetime. And the next. I will always love you, my dear, beloved (Y/N). Until the end of time."

...

...

...

I will,... fulfill your three wishes,...

... no matter what it takes.

I will make you,... the happiest woman on earth.

Love me tender, love me sweet.

Never let me go.

You have made my life complete.

And I love you so.

Love me tender, love me true.

All my dreams fulfill.

For my darling I love you,

And I always will.

Love me tender, love me long.

Take me to your heart.

For it's there that I belong.

And will never part.

Love me tender, love me true.

All my dreams fulfill.

For my darling I love you,

And I always will.

Love me tender, love me dear.

Tell me you are mine.

I'll be yours through all the years,

'Til the end of time.

Love me tender, love me true.

All my dreams fulfill.

For my darling I love you,

And I always will.

***

🌸 Three Wishes 🌸

***

XV

For my darling, I love you,

And I always will.

You smiled as Fleminger's performance came to an end. He knew the man possessed such a wonderful singing voice? Not to mention a deep fondness for all things Elvis Presley?

"That's such a beautiful song." You told V as you leaned on the railing of the Grecian balcony just outside the mansion where he led you.

"I never expected Elvis Presley to be," V answered in a low and soft voice as he joined you. " ... such a poet. Those words are,... truly heart - warming." And it was true. He has been listening to that song on loop the moment Nico introduced the King of Rock and Roll's more mellow songs to him.

You hummed in agreement, trying to ignore Salvador as you heard him calling his boss for the third time. "I wonder where Lancaster went?" You finally asked as your eyebrows furrowed in disgust after mentioning your former lover's name.

"Who knows,..." V answered, not wanting to divulge the fact that he felt the presence of Vergil's Yamato a while ago. Where on earth did Vergil bring that doctor, anyway?

"V?" You piped in a few moments later when the sound of applause and cheers from inside the mansion died.

"Hmm?"

All of a sudden, you were at a loss for words. There was something truly deep and mysterious within those hypnotic green eyes of his. More than ever before. You felt it when he looked at you and invited you outside a while ago, and partly because of that ( and your almost unhealthy addiction to romance novels and chick flicks ), you somehow knew what would happen next. You just didn't have the strength to confirm or admit it. It's not that you're worried about it, no.

It was more like,...

... you felt that this was a truly wonderful dream that would vanish as soon as you stirred in your sleep.

And you didn't want this dream to end.

"Thank you." So, you told him instead. "For inviting me here." Looking up at him, you smiled and squeezed his arm next to yours. "Thank you so much."

"Anything for you, my dear." V answered as he heard Fleminger speaking once again.

" ... the runner - up for the King and Queen of the Ball goes to,... Dante and Trish! Congratulations! If you two may, please, step forward. Thank you!"

"Wow. That's Michael Jackson for you, I guess." You said as you listened to the wild cheers and hoots. "And now, Lady will receive her Queen award - "

"(Y/N)?"

You looked up once more at the man, surprised when he suddenly interrupted you. "Yes, V?"

"I know this is awfully late but," He began, and took out a pastel - colored notebook from his breast pocket. The thing that Nico handed him. " ... this is your Christmas present. Well, Nico was the one who thought of it first. Then, the others helped. All of us collaborated."

"Aww! How sweet of you! Thank you so much, V!" You exclaimed as you received the notebook from him. Excited to see what's inside, you began to turn the pages but, then, you remembered. "Wait. I don't have a Christmas present for you! Oh, my God! I forgot! I'm so sorry, V - !"

"It doesn't matter, dear." V answered, smiling at you. He, then, nodded at the notebook in your hands. "Please. I would like you to see it."

You nodded, once again ignoring all the noise inside the mansion, which was honestly a bit different from before. Not cheers, nor applause but, something really weird. Were they,... objections of some sort? You opened the notebook, and saw,... something that made you smile silly! It was - !

"Hey! This is," You looked up at V as you pointed at the photograph. So, it is a scrapbook, after all! " ... this is our Halloween event!"

"Yes." V answered with a smile and a slight wince, reeling at the thought of him dressing up as a mystical blue Genie for Halloween. The body paint! The steel pot!

Stand in a steel pot, she said, V thought ruthlessly. It will be fun, she said,...

"Everyone is here! Dante and his weird costume. Nero, Kyrie. Wait, Kyrie was dressed as a Witch? I thought she was the Girl from Ring. Oh, and Avery and Roman as Morticia and Gomez!" You turned to the next page, saw the next picture, and laughed even more as you helplessly shook your head. "This is when we watched Star Wars! Was Nico spying on us?"

"I couldn't deny that, unfortunately." And V was saying the truth. Nico and his familiars did follow them all day in the shopping district, despite his strict instruction to leave you and him alone. And they managed to produce tons upon tons of stolen shots of you and him.

"This is crazy! Oh, and these are during the Christmas party for the children! The kids enjoyed seeing Griffon as Grandma so much. Oh! And they love your violin - playing, too, V."

"Thank you."

"These are such wonderful pictures!" You complimented as you looked at the photos one by one, vastly enjoying them. But, when you reached the next page and saw the next photograph, your heart seemed to stop beating.

And V? He felt his breathing hitch. It's as if he was forced to stand at the edge of a cliff with someone pointing a gun at his back.

And at the same time, Fleminger spoke once more.

"And to start our last dance for this evening to be led by our King and Queen runner - up, may we call on our special guests for tonight? Let us give a warm round of applause to Ms. Jam And The War Veterans!"

"V," You whispered, confusion getting the better of you as you stared at the strange vintage photograph of yourself dressed in an exquisite gown as you stood at the top of an awfully familiar - looking staircase. " ... I,... don't understand,... "

"Please," V pleaded as he laid his hands on yours, urging you to keep looking. " ... see the photographs."

Trusting V's words, you continued browsing, and as the music started, you felt your consciousness leave your body.

The way you're dressed in these photographs. The setting. Everything.

It's as if,...

... somehow,...

... you've gone back in time.

Never thought that you would be,

Standing here so close to me.

There's so much I feel that I should say.

But words can wait until some other day.

Unable to form an appropriate response to the photographs, you went on browsing, until you found an old letter attached to the next page of the scrapbook. Gently grazing the old stationary with your fingers as if it was a really fragile thing in danger of crumbling, you read the letter.

"Love and harmony combine,

And round our souls entwine

While thy branches mix with mine,

And our roots together join."

But, it was Sir William Blake who said it, and not me.

For, if I' am given the chance to send you a different poem that I have written myself, I would give you none.

My dearest, how could a foolish man such as myself form oh so eloquent words to write poetry if he is in awe of the beauty right before his very own eyes?

And because of that, let this foolish man send you these heartfelt words, instead:

Good night, my Little Wanderer.

My Evening Star.

My Beloved Muse.

My Little, Innocent One.

My Little Lamb.

~ Yours truly, Victor Blake.

"Victor,..." You muttered, looking at the familiar swirl of the letter - sender's handwriting. Then, turning to the next page, you saw,...

Kiss me once, then kiss me twice,

Then kiss me once again.

It's been a long, long time.

Haven't felt like this, my dear,

Since I can't remember when.

It's been a long, long time.

You'll never know how many dreams

I've dreamed about you.

Or just how empty they all seemed without you.

So kiss me once, then kiss me twice,

Then kiss me once again.

It's been a long, long time.

"V is this,...?" You muttered as you saw photos of you together with V but in the same vintage setting.

And in those old photos, you two were always together. Laughing, reading, playing music, walking hand in hand.

You two,... were always together.

"Are we,...?" Your mouth forming incoherent words due to utter disbelief, you turned to the page to see the very last photo. Of you and V surrounded by a group of friends throwing flower petals at you. All of you looked so happy and cheerful, and it looked as though you two were just married.

And those clothes you were wearing,...

... they were the same, exact ones that you and V were wearing this exact moment!

They were,...

... vintage wedding clothes!

And you chose to wear it because you felt something really strong and emotional and sentimental about it! No wonder Avery was so surprised about it!

You and V,...

... were your great grandmother and this Victor Blake's future lives!

"You know, V spent a lot of time in this room last October." Is what Avery told you before when she showed you your great grandmother's bedroom.

Did V,...

Did V know all about this?!

"(Y/N), I know it's confusing but - " V began, very nervous because of the revelation.

"We have always been together, you and I." You told him. Looking up at him as you inched closer towards him, you went on. "No wonder I feel this way about us! The answer is right here! V, you and I were together!"

"I,..." V stuttered, then gulped. He couldn't possibly predict what your reaction would be about this whole plan ( since his mother's necklace was stolen, he had to think of another thing to give you, and that's when Nico suggested this ). At first, he thought you would consider this as a well - collaborated practical joke ( he did hesitate a lot about this, but decided to just go with it as he had no other last - minute option left ), knowing that things such as photographs could be altered nowadays in a way to make them look old. He never expected you to be this,... accepting. "Well, you see, it's a very long story,... of what happened last October. These,... chain of events,... that led me to you. But, it can wait. I will tell you everything. I promise." He took your hands, which still held the scrapbook, and raised them to his lips. Giving them a kiss, he finally uttered the words you never realized you have been waiting for. Until now. "I would adore to hold you in my arms for the rest of my existence. However, I cannot force you to choose. I will never do it."

"But, what if I want to choose?" You asked V with a knowing smile, giving him the one huge hint he never knew he desperately needed. Until now. "What would you tell me?"

And the poet took this hint as a massive opportunity. Oh, yes, indeed!

"(Y/N) (L/N), would you stay by my side,... one more time?"

A smile creeping up on the corners of your lips as overwhelming feelings of joy flooded your chest, you shook your head, and declared, with all your loving heart and longing soul, "Not one more time. I say, yes, now, tomorrow, always, and forever!"

"I adore you, my lady." V whispered as one of his arms went around you and pulled you close to him. "I love you so much, (Y/N)!"

"I love you, too, V." You answered, and oh, how good it felt to finally say it!

You briefly saw the twinkle in V's eyes before being pulled closer to him. And as your eyes closed the moment you felt his warm breath brush against your face, you couldn't help but let out a little sound of shameful excitement. 

Hey, no one could blame you. Not now when his lips began moving rhythmically with yours. Not now when his hands travelled up and down your back in that very delicious caress. Not now when he seemed to pull you closer to his body, not having enough of this long - desired contact.

And definitely not now when he whispered over and over again how much he loved you and how much he wanted to be with you as he showered you with his love.

All of these wonderful things, this very unpredictable and yet romantic evening, this memorable moment shared between the two of you,...

... you will cherish this for as long as you lived.

Ah, yes! At long last! Finally!

And V? He actually never noticed it, nor the awesome display of fireworks in the clear night sky as Fleminger's party drew to a close, and the sound of the Carillion church bells nearby, signaling the very first hour of the year, but he finally fulfilled your very last wish.

Vitale Sparda has fulfilled all of your three wishes, and he could never explain the feeling of warmth that overwhelmed his heart as you two shared this loving moment, this very passionate kiss.

And he will cherish this moment with you forever.

Love me tender, love me sweet.

Never let me go.

You have made my life complete.

And I love you so.

Love me tender, love me true.

All my dreams fulfill.

For my darling I love you,

And I always will.

Love me tender, love me long.

Take me to your heart.

For it's there that I belong.

And will never part.

Love me tender, love me true.

All my dreams fulfill.

For my darling I love you,

And I always will.

Love me tender, love me dear.

Tell me you are mine.

I'll be yours through all the years,

'Til the end of time.

Love me tender, love me true.

All my dreams fulfill.

For my darling I love you,

And I always will.

***

🌸 I hope you enjoyed listening to my singing voice, winkwink! 🌸

🌸 @la-vita , @dreaming-gamer , @birdgirl69 , and @v-vic . 🌸

***

"How long have you been staring at those two?"

Fleminger turned just in time to see Adelaide walking towards him, her hands on her hips and her eyebrow raised. And this made the man smile, as he couldn't contain the happiness in his heart upon seeing her.

"Well?" Adelaide asked, stopping just three feet away from him and crossing her arms.

"Why do I suddenly feel like I'm being scolded by my prom date for leaving her?"

"Don't you dare dodge my question, Flanagan Allen!" Adelaide barked, and all of a sudden, Fleminger saw that young woman again. 

That young woman,...

... who was his sole purpose for living.

"Is it wrong to take pride in one's,... accomplishments?" Fleminger asked her as he nodded at something outside the mansion.

Realizing that Fleminger was observing V and her grandchild happily watching the fireworks display from the Grecian balcony, Adelaide was beyond furious. Slapping the man's arm as hard as she could, she said, "How dare you, Flanagan Allen!"

"Don't you want those two lovebirds to be happy?" Fleminger questioned, offended and hurt as he rubbed his arm.

"Well, I want them to be happy, of course! But, I don't want you to intervene! You may think you are the greatest match - maker in the world, but those two got together on their own effort! You are just the one who put them in vintage fashion and placed them on the dancefloor like puppets in a circus show! You ought to be ashamed of yourself!"

"My, my, you're on fire,..."

"I'm always on fire."

"That's why I fell in love with you."

"Oh, shut the fuck up!" Fleminger received another slap in his arm as Adelaide let out a very crisp curse. "I thought you're married to Reginald!"

"And I thought you swore to never see me again,..."

"Seriously, Flanagan?! Until now, you're being like this?!"

"Like what?"

"Annoying! And irritating! And pompous!"

"And still in love with me?" Fleminger added with an apologetic smile that caught Adelaide off guard. "Aha! So,... I'm right!"

"Shut up. I don't intend on going back with you." Adelaide shook her head, turning away from him, still defiant.

Exactly like the Adelaide he fell in love with.

"Is that the news that got to you after all? That I married Reginald?" Fleminger asked her carefully, not wanting to waste this once in a lifetime opportunity. "I have waited five long decades for you to speak with me again. But you didn't answer all the letters I sent you." 

Reaching out a hand, the man gently made the woman turn around to face him, and the moment she did, he felt as if they're back during that time as their younger selves. During that time before those decades worth of blunders occurred between the two of them. And now that she's here, all he intended to do was to fix the problem once and for all.

"Listen to me very, very carefully." Fleminger told her. "Reginald and I were never married, nor were we in any form of relationship. I told you that lie that we were together because your father wanted me to leave you."

"And you're saying this to me now?" Adelaide hissed, becoming overwhelmed with that familiar feeling of sadness once again. "Do you honestly believe that I would - ?"

"He told me that I' am too poor to be with someone like you. That I cannot afford the life you deserved. So, I had to lie and make you believe that I cheated on you. I had to make you leave me. For your own sake."

"Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

"Because I'm a coward. I could never face your family after all that. I had to think of a way to get you back. To get us back. I studied hard, I graduated with honors, I worked even harder. I achieved the,... ideal man,... that your father wanted for you to be with. And by the time I went back, I found out that you have already moved on. Got married to a mere accountant and had children. Living a content life under a small roof. You got married to a man who was supposedly lower than what I' am now. Inferior."

"Stop,... talking about my husband,..." Adelaide, being a very soft and emotional woman deep down, felt her tears already pouring from her tired eyes.

"But, I never held a grudge against you. You're understandably hurt, and you wanted to move on."

"What did you do,... when you found out?"

To this, Fleminger only smiled weakly. "I lived,... a very wasteful life. It took me many years to get back up again when I know I actually couldn't. Not without professional help, mind you. But, all it took was one tiny idea that got me springing back up to life once more, as hideous as it sounds. And this tiny,... idea,... has sprouted well,... like a majestic oak tree.

"For thirty years, I've been arranging these,... grand parties,... trying to get two strangers to be together each year. Or, at least I thought I have the power to do something for others which I couldn't do for the both of us when we were young."

"The King and Queen." Adelaide added.

Ah, so the rumors are true! Of a man who arranged parties just to get two people together because he couldn’t be with the love of his life, himself!

Oh, how tragic,…

"Yes. And no one deserved the title of King and Queen for this evening except for those two." Fleminger said, gesturing once more at the happy couple on the balcony. "Unfortunately, I have to disqualify the both of them for,... inappropriate behavior."

"Is that the reason why you left the titles empty?" Adelaide asked, her voice no longer laced with anger and hurt, but of pity and understanding. Pity that she and the man she once loved wasted five decades of precious life all because of an awful misunderstanding, and understanding because it felt like they were finally set free due to poor Flanagan's confession and honesty.

Ah! Such fools we both were,...

"That is the reason." Fleminger sighed. "But, I must say. You have taught her the ways of the Jive well."

"How did you know I taught her?"

"You have always been a great dancer. Besides, knowing you, I,... could somehow feel that you would rise to my challenge and show up to one of my New Year parties. With your well thought - out vengeance, that is." With a huge grin on his face, he added, "And you did."

"Huh." Adelaide crossed her arms once more. "Funny you should arrange your first ever grand New Year's Ball a year after my husband died."

"Funny you should ignore all of my invitations until now."

Flanagan and Adelaide looked at each other, and during this small moment of understanding, something clicked inside each other's heads. Like the sensation of putting the very last piece in a puzzle that has been left unsolved for many decades.

And then, they both smiled. The kind of smile they didn't have for so many years.

And it honestly felt good.

"Oh, I don't know!" Adelaide exclaimed as she stretched her limbs like she was a teenager once more. "You don't seem spry now like how you used to. And you don't look like you could pull off a kick or two."

"Oh, I'm very curious to find out, myself." Flanagan replied as he stretched his back, ashamed to see his stomach bulging because of it. Then, offering a hand to Adelaide, he asked, "May I have the honor of this Jive, my lady?"

"Certainly." Adelaide answered with a mischievous wink and a devilish smirk as she took Flanagan's hand, having the full intention of making the man suffer not only with Jive but through at least five more types of ballroom dances.

***

🌸🌸🌸

***

[thorongil82]

Forgotten But Not Gone

Fandom: Pokémon

Chapter: 1/?

Chapter Word Count: 5,631

Can also be read on FFN and AO3

Summary: Ten years have passed since Ash disappeared from Pallet Town, with none of his companions and rivals knowing to where he vanished to. Now, the Pokémon Masters League, an event held every 20 years, is on once again, to find the strongest trainer in the world. Hosted in the Seishi region, who will be selected to compete in such a prestigious tournament? Will the event go ahead without a hitch, in a region still feeling the effects of the ravages of war? And will a certain young trainer resurface from the void to face what has happened?

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

AN: So, here’s the story I mentioned in my update. 

Decided to try my hand at one of those 'Ash disappears for x amount of time and returns for a tournament' stories, with a bit of a twist to both that and the 'Ash betrayed' concepts. It's not my first Pokémon story, though technically all that's been uploaded of the other is a prologue (over on FFN), so … more or less a new endeavour.

Now, to give a quick little bit of info, the events of this story start 10 years after the end of Ash's journey in Kalos, which is where this'll deviate from canon. We are starting from that 10 years later point, and I'll be drawing back to the events in that 10 year gap throughout, whether just as an allusion or an explanation, or as a flashback. I'll explain what happens with his Alolan journeys in the story too.

I'll have a bit more to say afterwards, so, please enjoy!

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

Chapter 1 - The Frontier Is Set

The Seishi region; a land that had been ravaged by constant battles and war several years ago. Yet now, they stood in a shaky time of peace. A peace where, though the battling had come to a standstill for a few years, the people are still left recovering from their ordeals. But now, a new set of battles seem poised to engulf the region …

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

The brightly lit stadium at the base of Mt Daybreak illuminates the surrounding buildings and landscape, with multiple coloured beams of light shining up into the night sky. Inside, many people are excitedly chatting with one another as they shuffle their way throughout the areas, collecting tickets, food, merchandise, or simply talking about who they believe will win tonight's oncoming battle. 

Through this bustling crowd walks a group of five people. Leading at the front is a rather rotund man, clad in an aqua shirt with white Pokéballs and floral patterns typical of an Alolan design. Hanging from his neck is a pristine red Pokénav, folded down and compartmentalised, though not as shiny as his tinted sunglasses. A big grin is plastered on his face as he takes in the many people.

“Looks like we've arrived on fight night,” he grins, nodding in approval at all the spectators as a couple of kids dressed up in costumes – a girl in a small suit of flimsy fabric armour and a boy with wings on his back – dash in front of the group chasing after one another.

“Seems like it,” says one of the men behind him. Despite the slight wrinkles starting to grow on due to age, his yellow hair still stands wild, while he also wears a long sage green trenchcoat , a white turtleneck underneath and a pair of brown trousers. “Think there's any chance we can join in?”

“NO!” bellows the other man beside him, causing some people around the group to jump and glace at them. Meanwhile, the former just smirks unfazed as he grabs at his gloves and tightens them. “We are not here to battle with the locals, Palmer. We are here on business.”

“Aw, come on, Brandon,” Palmer says, looking towards the loud gentleman, adorned in a big buttoned cider green jacket and matching trousers, with thick brown hair with a few strands of grey threading through. “We're here as Frontier Brains. Surely if it's a tournament, we can just register and compete as well. We are supposed to be on the look out for strong trainers to challenge our branches wherever we go. Right, Scott?”

“Well, we shouldn't have too much trouble finding strong trainers here,” the round man leading the group chuckles. “Seishi's league has built up a reputation in its short lifespan for being strong. The gym leaders are known for being tough as nails, and the Elite Four even moreso. But, I don't think that tonight's battle is one you'll be able to join in on.”

“Come on, Scott,” Palmer groans. “It'll be fine if we take care of this business quickly, right? Then we've got all the time in the world to battle.”

“Those boys and their battles,” a woman sighs, trailing behind her companions as they continue bickering. The tallest in the group, she's donned in an outfit reminiscent of a Seviper, consisting of a purple halter neck crop top that shows off her slender figure, with long purple gloves on each hand, long black pants with a golden diamond pattern around her waist, and her long jet black hair cascading down her back, save for the red lowlights in the sides down her front.

She then turns back to the last member of their group. Another woman, her long shiny lilac hair is tied up at the base of her neck with a black ribbon before billowing out down her back to her waist. She wears a slim black blazer and matching tie, with a formal white shirt underneath, with skinny pants, shoes and gloves matching the rest of her jet black clothing. The woman is glancing around, her eyes quickly moving from one person to the next, as does those of the Espeon walking beside her, occasionally brushing her tail up against the woman's legs.

“Are you alright, Anabel?” the tall woman questions, dropping back slightly to walk beside her companion.

Anabel gives her a small nod in response, still keeping her eyes focused on the people around them.

“Epee?” calls up the Espeon at her feet, looking up at Anabel.

“I'm fine, really,” she reassures her Pokémon, all the while as a gloved hand slowly reaches into a pocket in her blazer. “Just a little anxious around this many people.”

Espeon lets out a purr and brushes herself against Anabel's legs, getting a small smile to cross her trainer's face, as her companion glances around, taking in the people who were getting more and more interested in their group. Though most of that was to do with the constant groans and insisting coming from Palmer, and the occasional bellowing denial from Brandon, the two women were also picking up some of the curious gazes due to them being part of the same group.

“Yeah, there's too many eyes on us,” she sighs, closing her eyes while clenching her hand into a fist. “If only Palmer could think of anything other than battling.”

She looks over to see Anabel give a short nod as she takes her hand out of her pocket and brings out three metallic balls, before holding the arm by her side and dropping the balls. They start to drop, only to hover in mid-air in a straight vertical line.

“Are you sure you're okay?”

“Yeah, Lucy,” she nods as the balls start slowly moving in small circular motions as her fingers individually curl and flex.

The group continue moving on until they reach a desk with a few people standing behind it, while a couple of others quickly move away. One, a man with slicked back ashen brown hair and buzzed sides, catches Scott's eye as the group approaches.

“Hi, can I help you?”

“Yes, my name is Scott, and these are Palmer, Brandon, Lucy and Anabel,” he replies, gesturing to each person as he says their names, them giving a polite nod as they are introduced, before reaching inside his shirt and pulling out a document. “We were invited here by the champion for a certain meetup.”

The attendant nods as he takes the papers and quickly looks over them, before looking back up at the group.

“Of course. If you'll all follow me?” he says, getting up from his seat, quickly leaning in to whisper something to another attendant at the desk before walking off, leading the group over to a side door and through.

The group are lead up into a lift and then through a few winding corridors until they are brought before a large door.

“Please wait in here,” the attendant says as he opens the door for them. “Someone will be with you shortly.”

He gives them a short bow and walks away, leaving the group of five to walk in.

Inside is a large room that looks a little like a repurposed conference room, with a few couches spread around the sides of the room along with several chairs set up around the room. A few tables had been pushed together in the middle, with different bowls of snacks and glasses for drinks sitting atop. Positioned at the far corner of the right wall of the room from where they came in was another door, with a tinted window stretching out along the wall, while directly opposite was a third door that seemed to lead out to a viewing box for the stadium. Finally, hanging on the wall opposite the entering group of Frontier Brains is a muted TV broadcasting someone, with a round face, a flat cap on top, and four weird spiny growths growing from their cheeks, giving their analysis of the battle to come, with another couch sitting underneath.

Also, sitting around the room are seven people. The first, a woman sitting on her own with long blonde hair stretching down her back and covering her left eye, draped in a long black cloak with jet black furry cuffs and trims, a tear drop shaped ornament hanging from the base of the v-neck, a black shirt underneath, and black formal pants. She is sitting on a couch happily licking a double scoop ice cream cone and ignoring the constant flirtations of the second, a man with red and brown hair fanned out in a spiky mane, wearing a tanned poncho-style cloak with a large collared black shirt, white pants and a chain of Pokéballs hanging round his neck. The third and fourth, a man with spiked scarlet hair and dressed in a navy blue tunic with blood orange trims and black cuffs, with matching pants and a long charcoal black cape draped over his shoulders, sitting on a couch talking to an old man with a long white bushy beard and long frizzy hair, wearing a crimson vest with a light and dark blue stripe across the middle, and a pair of khaki shorts.

The fifth, a man with teal blue hair, adorned in a white beret and cape, a teal shirt with white sleeves, and purple pants, leans up against a wall with his eyes closed and arms crossed, softly humming to himself. The sixth, a woman with a light brown star-like hair design, wearing an all white outfit consisting of a long sleeved blazer with golden trims scattered throughout with two lacy wing-like bulges sticking out of the back, a pair of short shorts, and a choker from which dangles a golden swan-shaped necklace encompassing a dazzling stone, closes her violet shadowed eyes as the seventh, another woman with pine green hair and red rimmed glasses wearing a grey suit, a white shirt underneath tied off with a thin cherry ribbon tying it off, continues to talk as she gestures to the leather-bound book in her hands. All heads swivel round to the group of five as they enter, as Scott gives them all a small wave, before a few return to what they were doing beforehand, if they were doing something in particular in the first place. With a nod to the rest of his group, Scott walks over to the scarlet haired man and the bushy bearded old man, leaving the others to their devices.

“Ah, Palmer, I take it you've been training hard since our last match?” the blonde haired woman says, looking past the man with the spiky mane.

“Of course, Cynthia,” Palmer replies, walking over to the two. “I wouldn't hesitate to challenge you to another battle. Even here and now if it would take your fancy?”

Both Brandon and Lucy sigh at Palmer's challenge as The Tower Tycoon integrates himself into the conversation with Cynthia and the Unova Champion, Alder. Brandon then heads over to join in with Scott, the joint Kanto and Johto Champion Lance, and the head of the Pokémon League, Mr Goodshow. Anabel moves over to an empty chair and sits herself down, giving her Espeon a pat with her left hand as she jumps up into the Salon Maiden's lap, while using the right to keep the three metallic balls orbiting round through the air beside her. Finally, Lucy takes up a space nearby by an empty space on the wall, keeping an eye on the room and on Anabel.

After a few moments, the door by the tinted window opens up. First through is a giant hulk of a man, large in bulk and height. His arms are as thick as tree trunks, with winding braided and rune covered tattoos weaving along each arm, while wearing a sage green jumper with rolled up sleeves, thick brown gloves on each hand, and beige overalls sitting across his chest and legs. Sitting around his forehead is a thin golden band, while his golden hair with strands of grey is slicked back, along with his neatly brushed golden beard.

The second through is a young looking woman with tanned skin and shiny silver hair tied up into a ponytail. Wearing a thin white crop top and short jeans with an aqua blue sarong wrapped around her waist, she bounces in with a smile, looking around the room. Her eyes seem to light up even more as she spots Anabel, though, when she notices the lack of recognition from the Salon Maiden, it returns to the still energetic beam from before, as she leaps over the arm rest of the couch underneath the TV and lands at the same time as the giant before her.

The third and final through, as he shuts the door behind him, is a man with dark brown skin and braided chocolate brown hair, wearing a loose sky blue t-shirt over a skintight black undershirt and baggy black tracksuit pants. He takes his place between the two that came in before him, though he remains standing up.

“I'm sorry for the wait,” the man says with a short bow. “On behalf of the Seishi Pokémon League, I welcome all of you to our home. If I may begin the introductions, the man to my right is Sheamus, one of our Elite Four members.”

He gestures to the large burly man, who gives a nod and a grin as he raises his hand in greeting.

“To my left is Hikaru, another of our Elite Four members,” he replies, gesturing to the young woman on his other side who gives everyone a big wave and flashes a large shiny smile.”

“Hiya! How're you doing?!” she beams.

“And I'm Raphael, Leader of the Elite Four and Former Champion of Seishi,” he finishes with a bow. “Should we proceed with the other introductions, or are the rest of you acquainted?”

“Oh please, allow me,” Scott says as he stands up. “If you fine folk are not aware, I'm Scott, the head of the Battle Frontier. The people I came in with are the Tower Tycoon Palmer, from our Sinnoh branch, along with the Pike Queen Lucy, Salon Maiden Anabel, and Pyramid King Brandon, all from our Kanto branch.”

Each of the Frontier Brains gives a short nod and a wave as they are mentioned, before Scott continues on with his speech.

“I would have brought someone from our Johto branch as well if I could, but I'm afraid they were all busy with challengers,” Scott chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. “As for the rest, beside me is the head of the Pokémon League, Mr Charles Goodshow, and the joint Kanto and Johto Champion, Lance.”

Both give a polite nod, letting Scott get on with the introductions.

“Over by our battling veteran Palmer is the Sinnoh Champion Cynthia, and the Champion of Unova, Alder.”

Alder gives a chuckle and a wave, while Cynthia gives a kind nod before returning to her ice cream.

“Continuing on, leaning against the wall over there is the recently recrowned Hoenn Champion and Top Coordinator, Wallace.”

“Guilty as charged,” Wallace says with a smile.

“And last, but certainly not least, the duo sitting over there is the Kalos Champion and superstar of the big screen, Diantha, along with, if what I've heard is correct, her manager, Kathi Lee.”

“Yes, that's correct,” Kathi Lee confirms as she snaps her book shut, while Diantha gives a simple smile to the rest of the room.

“Now, unless anyone has anyone else to say, I'll pass over to Mr Goodshow to explain why we're here.”

“If I may,” Alder interjects as Scott finishes, leaving the many powerful trainers in the room to look over at him, “I believe we were all summoned here by the word of Seishi's Champion. So, with all due respect, why is he not here to meet with us?”

“Ah, yes, well, that was initially the plan,” Raphael begins.

“However, the plans seem to have changed a bit thanks to tonight's battle,” Sheamus continues with a low, gruff voice.

“Is tonight's battle a title match?” Wallace questions, pushing himself off the wall and standing upright.

“No, it's a battle with our absent Elite Four member,” Hikaru explains. “It just so happens that he's giving her a hand with some last minute battle preparations.”

“Our hope was that he would still be ready to discuss terms with the rest of you, but it seems like they're taking longer than expected,” Raphael continues as he takes a seat between his fellow Elite Four members. “And besides, I tend to be the one who is more involved with any administrative work anyway, so it's not too big of a loss.”

“Alright then,” Wallace concedes. “Mr Goodshow?”

“Thank you,” Mr Goodshow says as he stands up, though is cut off as Lance holds up a hand to cut him off.

“I'm sorry, Mr Goodshow, but if you'll excuse me, I'm wondering why Scott decided to bring four Frontier Brains along with him for our talks,” the Dragon Master cuts in, looking towards the slightly rotund individual.

“Well, as I said I was hoping to have a member from each branch here, to make sure whatever concerns they had, if there were any, were taken care of,” Scott explains. “As it were, there was another reason for us to come.”

“Yes, I'd heard from our Champion that you were hoping to open a Battle Frontier branch here in Seishi,” Raphael responds. “I take it you were hoping to find strong candidates through this upcoming tournament to take the place of the Frontier Brains here?”

“Indeed I was,” Scott chuckles in good nature.

“Perhaps we should explain that the people here aren't that fond of outsiders,” Sheamus points out. “Particularly if they feel they cannot trust them.”

“I have been made aware of that, both by Brandon and others who have travelled here,” Scott responds. “That's why I was hoping to build it out of people local to the region, to keep the trust of the people. At the absolute most, your Champion and I were discussing the possibility of transferring one of our Kanto branch over to help set it up, and potentially be the final challenge.”

“You were?” Lucy pipes up, the three present Kanto Frontier Brains looking over to Scott in surprise.

“Indeed,” Scott confirms. “In truth, we were going to pick between one of the three I brought here, if it was needed. Though, admittedly, there were some complications with each of you.”

“Such as?”

“Well, Brandon still wants to continue on with his research into the many ruins around the world. It would be a bit difficult to set up a new branch around a man who may not be there for a decent amount of the time.”

“That is true,” Brandon concedes.

“As for you, I'm well aware that you aren't too comfortable around a lot of new people, despite how you like to hold yourself,” Scott continues, getting a slight blush from Lucy as she turns her head away. “I'm sure you'd come if I'd ask you to, but you'd probably prefer to stay at the Battle Pike right now.  Lucy doesn't give much of a response other than a short hum, keeping her head turned away to try and hide the slight blush dusting her cheeks.

“Now, Spencer was also an option, but he is starting to get on in his age, though you better not tell him I said that,” Scott finishes with a laugh. “I believe it'd be a bit rough asking him to move over if he's not wanting to, or able to, keep competing in a few years time.”

“So, that leaves Anabel,” Scott concludes, with the many eyes in the room turning towards the Salon Maiden. “Had it been quite a few years earlier, I don't think there would be any question about her capability in fronting a branch here. But, as some of you know, there are some … hurdles that still need dealing with.”

Despite the number of eyes on her, Anabel shows no sign that she heard anything that Scott had said about her, instead focusing purely giving her Espeon some scratches underneath her chin, getting a delighted purr from the Sun Pokémon while still absentmindedly spinning the three metallic balls above her gloved right hand.

“But, perhaps that conversation should be continued with the presence of the Champion,” Scott concedes, turning back to the others. “So, are there any other questions?”

No one else raises any objections, leaving Scott to turn towards Mr Goodshow.

“Well, then, Charles, if you would?”

“Thank you, Scott,” the elderly man says as he stands upright. “And thank you to the rest of you for turning up.”

“Now, as you all know, we are here to discuss terms for the Pokémon Masters League coming up in a few months. Seishi is intended to be the hosts, and for the most part the preparations will be organised between us in the Pokémon League and Seishi region authorities, along with the Wallace Cup that's to be held.”

“Yeah!” cheers Hikaru as she leaps up from her seat. “I'll be working alongside Wallace to take care of that, if that's okay with you?”

“Of course,” Wallace says with a simple nod of his head. “I'd be glad to work alongside a fellow Top Coordinator to bring this prestigious contest to life here.”

“Awesome! We're going to make this the greatest contest ever!”

“As for the rest of you, you are brought in to make sure that the conditions work with the expectations of your own League members,” Charles continues on. “Each region will take care of nominating the participants coming from their own regions. If there's someone else from another region that you believe should be a part of the competition, then that's up to you to negotiate with their corresponding region.”

“I'm guessing that, because no one from Galar is here, that you weren't able to come to terms with them?” Cynthia pipes up.

“No, I'm afraid not,” Mr Goodshow answers says with the shake of his head. “Unfortunately, Chairman Rose refused to budge on his insistence of having portable Power Spots built here in Seishi to accommodate the Dynamax phenomenon that's prevalent in Galar. As it was, the professors and scientists here opposed the decision, as they can't say what kind of effect the energy dispersed from such an energy source could have on the surrounding area.”

“Especially as they aren't too sure what the continuous effects are of the energy the land gives off anyway,” Raphael adds on. “One of our Gym Leaders is leading the research into the full effects, along with our own Pokémon Professor.”

“Wouldn't that make Seishi a dangerous place to hold the World Championships, then?” Wallace inquires.

“As far as we can tell, it doesn't seem to have any major affects on either people or Pokémon, beyond expanding the move limit a Pokémon has from four to eight,” Raphael explains.

“It also appears to make the local flora blossom at a quicker rate, and at greater levels than other regions,” Sheamus adds on. “Of course, that is purely speculation based off of my own experiences in the field.”

As the talks continue on, Anabel starts to tune the others out as she keeps her focus on her Espeon, continuing to scratch her under her chin while also floating the balls above her hand. She keeps this up for a few moments, the noise of the others' conversations fading away into the void of her mind, before a small spike seems to emanate from her mind.

'… Anabel …' a soft male voice reverberates through her head, causing her to grimace as she grabs at her temple with the hand that was rubbing Espeon. The floating balls falter in mid-air, the wider arcs tightening up as they begin to spiral back into a vertical line.

“Anabel?” a different soft voice comes from outside, as Lucy suddenly places a hand on Anabel's shoulder, also getting the attention of Brandon and Scott. “What's wrong?”

'… I'm sorry ...'

“I ...” Anabel gasps, before whimpering as her head is racked with a sudden severe pain, coursing through her brain like an intense thunderstorm constantly striking her over and over with lightning bolts.

The metallic balls floating above her hand seem to shake in the single line that they currently hold, before, with another sharp gasp of pain, they shoot off quickly in different directions, a few of the others in the room quickly diving to the ground as they hurtle away.

“Espee? Pee! Espee!” Espeon cries out, her front paws pressing up against her trainer's waist. Her cries fail to get through, though, with Anabel crouching over and placing her other hand on her temple, as the sharp jolting pain continues to surge through her brain.

“Anabel?!” Lucy calls out as she crouches next to her fellow Frontier Brain, gripping onto her shoulders with both her hands. Ripples of energy start to emanate out from the Salon Maiden, as the pulses shake and vibrate the air and ground. “Talk to me.”

“I-I … I … Ah!” Anabel manages to sputter out before another wave of pain crashes through her. In a flash of light from Anabel's belt, a Pokéball pops open with a shiny sparkle, revealing a Gardevoir of an abnormal colour; with aqua blue skin where there would normally be green and orange where there would be red.

“Gardevoir?!” Gardevoir cries out as it appears, before quickly taking its place beside Lucy, placing her hands upon her trainer's temple, the lithe limbs delicately sliding underneath the gloved hands of Anabel. “Gar? Gardevoir?!”

“It just started happening again,” Lucy explains desperately, while all she receives from the Salon Maiden is a shaky nod. Gardevoir then closes her eyes and starts to hum, as a circle of light pink energy radiates out from her.

“It's using Heal Pulse,” Diantha observes as the glowing energy created by the Embrace Pokémon starts to wash over Anabel. Her pained whimpers and gasps quickly fade away as the healing power takes hold, the pulsating pink light slowly fading away. With the last of the energy dispersing, Anabel straightens back up, a small smile on her face as a hand reaches up to cradle one of Gardevoir's.

“Thank you, my friend,” she whispers.

“Voir,” Gardevoir nods, standing upright before gliding behind her trainer. Anabel reaches down to scratch Espeon's ears as the shiny Gardevoir rests her head atop the Salon Maiden's and wraps her arms around her from behind, gaining a slight squeeze from Anabel.

“I'm alright now,” she says, albeit a little shakily, moreso to her Pokémon than to anyone else. However, as she finishes giving both Pokémon a gentle squeeze and scratch, her eyes drop down to meet Lucy's, who's still looking up at her with a worried expression.

“Are you sure?” she presses, ignoring the other eyes on them as she gets a nod from the trainer, along with an affirmative confirmation from both Espeon and Gardevoir. “Do you know what triggered it this time?”

Anabel takes in a deep breath and closes her eyes, before quickly opening them and sharply gazing over towards the tinted window.

“There's someone behind there,” she declares, causing the others to look over to the same place.

With a sigh, Raphael stands up and says, “If you'll excuse me for a moment,” before heading walking across and through the door by the window.

“Is there a problem?” Cynthia puts to the two remaining Elites as the door clicks shut behind Raphael.

“No, not at all,” Sheamus replies with a boisterous laugh. “If I had to guess, I'd say our Champion has finally arrived.”

“I guess Jeanne's preparations are done,” Hikaru muses, shuffling her body round so she is sitting with her back against the seat of the couch and her legs resting on the back.

“Was that the hurdle you were talking about?” Lance quietly asks Scott, leaning over as they keep an eye on Anabel.

“That's part of it,” Scott admits, shifting his legs back flat against the chair to get out of the way of Espeon, having jumped down off of Anabel's lap to collect up the balls that had been sent flying around the room.

“Part of it?” Lance repeats, hoping to press for more, only to be left without an answer as the door opens up again. All eyes in the room head over to the entrance as Raphael walks back in, followed closely behind by another individual.

The person accompanying Raphael has wild shoulder length hair that spikes out at random angles, with a large bang that covers the left side of his face. The right side is partially covered by a wide-brimmed hat tilted down over it, obscuring the eye while still showing off some of the scars, gashes and burns spread across his right cheek and jawline. Draped over his shoulders is a midnight black cloak with a small golden outline, closed up over his chest and stretching down to his knees. Peaking out underneath the cloak is a worn and slightly ripped pair of navy blue pants.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to present our Champion, Aaron,” Raphael introduces, who wordlessly greets the room with a tip of his hat with his right hand, revealing a seemingly sleeveless arm and a fingerless glove with a small round cerulean gem embedded into the back. Anabel almost swears she sees his head shift slightly in her direction while he had his hat tipped, only for it to return upright in the blink of an eye.

“Jeanne's all ready to go?” Sheamus asks, getting another silent response as the Champion nods.

“Well, it is nearly time for the battle to start,” Raphael muses aloud while glancing over to the TV screen, the camera image having switched to the battlefield as the noise of the crowd outside starts to pick up. “Seeing as we've pretty much taken care of everything we need to, why don't you all stick around and watch the battle? There's a private viewing box through that door that we Elites tend to use for challenges here.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Alder accepts, along with the Frontier Brains and Champions, save for Diantha who glances towards her manager. “I guess it can fit in our schedule,” Kathi Lee says after a short beat, having looked through her journal. “But we're leaving if it starts to take too long. You need to get back for a shoot in Lumiose City tomorrow.”

Diantha lets out a little giggle as she gets up, along with the others, and they start to make their way over to the door, with Sheamus opening the door for them. Both Alder and Palmer dart over to the tables to grab some food, both getting a bowl of different flavoured chips, while Lucy grabs a cup of tea for both her and Anabel. Diantha also skips back over to the table and cuts herself a big slice of the chocolate cake sitting there, much to the dismay of her manager, before being joined by Cynthia.

“You guys go ahead,” Scott says, mainly addressing his Frontier Brains as he and Mr Goodshow move over towards Aaron and Raphael instead.

“We've still got a few more details to go over with our host here,” Mr Goodshow explains.

The others all nod as they walk on through. Anabel lags behind at the door, as does Lucy who is keeping an eye on the Salon Maiden, as she pulls out a Pokéball, enlarges it, and starts to aim it at her Gardevoir, only to stop as Gardevoir shakes its head.

“You want to stay out?”

“Voir,” Gardevoir answers with a nod.

“Okay,” she concedes, before minimising the ball and placing it back on her waist.

“Espee,” Espeon pipes up as she comes over, eyes gleaming in a pale blue light as the three metallic balls that were scattered earlier float back up to Anabel, each outlined in the same blue light.

“Thank you, Espeon,” Anabel says with a small smile, taking the balls and pocketing them inside her blazer. As she does, she glances back over her shoulder, spotting Aaron expressionlessly looking in her direction along with Raphael and Scott, the latter giving her a smile and a nod, while Mr Goodshow seems to be caught up on the footage on screen.

'You were the one in my head, right?' Anabel contemplates as her eyes seem to catch with Aaron's, barely seeing his left through the thicket of hair obstructing it. There almost seems to be a slight shimmer flickering in that eye, as their gazes lock onto each other's.

'Why? What do you-?'

“Anabel?” Lucy speaks up, breaking the Salon Maiden out of her thoughts.

With a shake of her head, she lets out a breath before walking out into the spectator box, accepting Lucy's offered cup of tea with a short thanks as they pass through together, with Hikaru the last to leave, sliding the door shut behind her. With that door shut, the door by the window opens back up, with a Pikachu swinging in by the handle. Dropping down, the yellow Mouse Pokémon darts across the floor before climbing up Aaron's back, sitting up on his right shoulder.

“Pika pi,” Pikachu sadly says, his ears drooping down as he glances to the Champion. “Pikachu?”

“Yeah, I'm fine,” Aaron softly answers, giving his partner a nod and a short pat between his ears.

“Pika …”

“Couldn't help yourself, eh Champ?” Raphael sighs.

“She hasn't …?” Aaron inquires, directing it towards Scott.

“No,” he replies with a shake of his head. “Anabel still hasn't regained her memories.”

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

AN: Well, I wonder who that could be …

So, yeah, part of why I was wanting to write this story was to play around a bit with the concept of Anabel having amnesia, which was brought in in S&M. With some differences, of course. 

Now, the next chapter was going to be people - particularly Ash's former companions - finding out if they've been invited to compete in the tournament. That'll still be a chapter, but maybe not the next depending on what you guys want. I'm giving you all the option as to if you want the planned next chapter to be next, or if you'd rather read the battle between the challenger and the other Elite Four member, Jeanne. The challenger was initially going to be between 3 people, but now down to 2. Alder was one of my options, but I decided against it. Otherwise, there would have been a different champion representing Unova. 1 guess as to who that is. So, by all means let me know if you've got a preference. 

Also, please feel free to let me know what you think so far. Thoughts, feedback, analysis, predictions, suggestions, all are welcome. I'm happy for people to suggest OCs for contenders in the tournament - I can't promise that they'll last - or even if there's a particular ship you want to see. I make no promises it'll be there, and I'm not budging on 2 ships that will be happening in the story. Beyond that, anything could happen.

I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Obviously that'll depend on what's coming next, so, until then, adios!

[xmxisxforxmaybe]

Remnants, Part VIII

Hang in there, friends. It’s not over yet! If you’ve got questions, shoot me an ask and I’ll answer if it won’t spoil the plot : )

Part I,  Part II,  Part III,  Part IV,  Part V,  Part VI,  Part VII

Summary: You are in the midst of formulating your dissertation, but you’ve hit a wall. Your doting aunt, Rebecca, has a solution that brings you face to face with Ahkmenrah, Fourth King of the Fourth King. As the connection between you and Ahkmenrah grows, and as the secrets of his ancient tablet unlock, the once-king will find himself faced with a difficult choice.

    Thanks so much to @kitkatcronch  @kpopperotp12  @seafrost-fangirl  @sassystrawberryk  @perfect-rami  @txmel  and  @limabein for reading : ) If anyone else wants added to the taglist, let me know. I’ve greatly appreciated the feedback!

    Warnings: Character death (sort-of, of course) but it is somewhat graphic.

Your hasty exit did not go unnoticed.

 “Oh, Y/N. What happened with Ahkmenrah?” your aunt asked as she sat next to you on the stairs, her voice filled with concern.  

 You swiped at your cheeks and your nose in an attempt to pull yourself together before you looked at Rebecca. You felt ashamed for leaving her out of all of this and ashamed for crying on the steps of the American Natural History Museum in New York City.

 “I don’t even know where to start,” you said in a hushed, miserable voice.

 Rebecca’s phone lit up and she glanced down.

 “Larry’s with Ahk. He figured, when he saw you run out, he should go check on him.”

 “Good. That’s good,” you mumbled, trying to swallow the next wave of tears.  

 “I feel so horrible, Y/N. This is all my fault!”

 “What?” you asked, dumbfounded.

 “I knew the two of you were close, but I thought it was a good thing. Ahkmenrah isn’t just a wax figure—he’s human. He needed,” Rebecca paused, narrowing her eyes and pursuing her lips as she thought of how to articulate herself. “He needed a purpose. And when Ahk started working on deciphering his tablet, I figured that you helped give him that purpose, just by being his friend, someone he could relate to.”

 “You couldn’t have known, Aunt Becca.”

 “But I should have. I mean, look at him. Listen to him. He’s the embodiment of everything you’ve ever loved,” Rebecca explained. “It’s no wonder the two of you fell for each other. I essentially set the stage for a low-budget, kinda weird Rom-Com.”

 You huffed, a tiny ghost of a laugh, as Rebecca ran her hand through her hair, clearly feeling guilty.

 “You have nothing to feel guilty about. Ahkmenrah and I both knew what we were doing. We talked about it. We ignored logic and embraced the chaotic unknown. I’d say it works out for the characters in about 80% of those Rom-Coms, right?”

 “I don’t know if I’ve seen one with this level of a twist in the plot, though.”

 “Mmm, maybe a new plot for a Twilight reboot? Forbidden, half-alive boyfriend, stupid girl who makes stupid decisions and feels like death when boyfriend breaks up with her—well, hell. I guess it already is Twilight.”

 “Please don’t tell me you’re pregnant,” Rebecca said, joking, but seriousness did hang on the edge of her tone.

 “I’m not that stupid. I hold birth control as a central part of my belief system.”

 “I would hope so, PhD candidate,” Rebecca said, scooting close to you and wrapping her arm around your waist.

 You laid your head on her shoulder, her company helping you to feel composed enough to at least get yourself back to your apartment.

 “So, what did Ahk say tonight?”

 You took a deep breath and summed up what had happened during and after Ryan’s unexpected visit.

 Rebecca was quiet for a while; you didn’t need to her to say it because you already knew.

 “He’s right,” you said.

 “He is right about one thing,” Rebecca began. “You can move forward. You can, eventually, forget about him and live the life of your choosing.”

 “But I don’t want to,” you said, feeling hopeless.

 “Only time can fix that, sweetheart,” Rebecca replied with a sigh as she kissed the top of your head.

 “Did Larry say anything else?”

 Rebecca picked up her phone, but there were no new messages.

 “Ahkmenrah and I have something that we were working on and need to finish, so I’ll be back tomorrow night. I hope,” you stopped, not wanting to divulge what you considered to be Ahk’s secret about the tablet. “I hope it will bring us back to where we were; I can bury my feelings. I can be just his friend. Friends do love each other, after all . . .”

 You trailed off as your eyes searched your Aunt’s, desperately hoping to see the spark of agreeance within them. Instead, all you saw was sadness, maybe even pity.

 You stood up, fixing your clothes and adjusting your purse.

 “Let me take you home,” Rebecca said.

 You shook your head.

 “I need to walk. Need to clear my mind. I’ll be fine—you know everywhere between here and the village is safe.”

 Rebecca sighed, “Stay alert. Don’t get lost in your head, and text me when you get inside your apartment.”

 You hugged Rebecca and she squeezed you back, reluctant to let you go.

 “Thank you, Aunt Rebecca. For everything.”

 Rebecca gave you a loving smile and watched as you crossed the street to enter the subway. When you glanced back up, she gave you a wave before she turned and headed back into the museum.

 * * * * *

Maybe you were delusional, but you really thought when you and Ahk returned to see his death that he would change his mind—after all, this was the kind of experience that could really bring two people together, the kind of experience that could really make someone realize just how important it is to choose happiness over everything else. At least you thought so, given there really was no precedent for hopping through a doorway into a 4,000-year-old reanimated pharaoh’s memories.

 Once you latched the deadbolt, you sent Rebecca a quick text. She responded immediately, stating that she was happy you were home safe. You thought about asking her how Ahk was, but as you looked around your apartment, the memory from the night you brought him here assaulted you.

 You saw him, standing in your living room, dripping and shivering.

 You saw the heat in his eyes as you touched him, and you reached up to touch your lips as you remembered the passion of your first, real kiss.

 When you walked into your bedroom to change into an oversized t-shirt, you gazed out of the window, watching the flickering lights of the city, listening to the noise of the streets that siphoned into your room, filtered and muffled through the glass.

 When you climbed into bed, you could almost feel Ahkmenrah’s body on top of yours, almost see the intensity he delivered with his eyes as he slid into your body. Everything, well, almost everything about that night had been perfect, and you thought that it was that night, there in the underground café when Ahk had kissed you because you promised to teach him to read, it was then that you fell in love with him.

 The tears came slowly this time, sliding stealthily out of the corners of your eyes as you continued to watch the reflection of lights glittering in the window panes.

 The only thing keeping you from sinking into an actual pit of despair was that you were going to see him again. Ahkmenrah was trusting you with his one last secret, and you were going to prove your love by being selfless, by providing him with support as a friend. He would see, afterward, how much he meant to you, that you really would do anything he asked of you.

 * * * * *

Ahk is dressed in his full wardrobe, his golden breast plate that he rarely wore was glittering in the soft lights of his exhibit, and his face was nearly unreadable; the only emotion that seemed to be swirling beneath his regal expression was apprehension.

 For the first time, Ahkmenrah did not greet you with a smile, and you felt a little piece of your heart break. But being in denial had its perks; you told yourself it was simply because he was about to witness his own death. Anyone would be stingy with their smiles in a circumstance like that.

 “Are you ready?” Ahkmenrah asked solemnly.

 “Yes. Are you?”

 Ahkmenrah gave a firm nod. He removed his tablet from the wall and rearranged the hieroglyphs. Ahkmenrah spoke, the door opened, and the two of you walked in, knowing death was waiting on the other side.

 * * * * *

Of course Kahmunrah chose to murder his brother during the Festival of Min, one of the Egyptians most robust celebrations to praise the god for his fertile blessings that allowed their crops to have flourished. The swath of grain that Ahkmenrah, as pharaoh, had cut to start the celebration is laid on top of a small pedestal in the center of his table. Everyone is giddy, feeling secure in the future of their great nation and in their young, virile king.

 Kahmunrah sits to Ahkmenrah’s right, clearly secure in his position as not only prince, but as the vizier to his little brother.

 You turn to Ahk and question why Kahmunrah held such a high position.

 “Despite his shortcomings, he was my brother. I trusted him. I loved him. And at no time during my reign did I ever feel threatened by him. He made the perfect royal advisor; we disagreed, at times, about foreigners and war, but he always acquiesced to my decisions. I appreciated his passion for our land. He hid his—”

 “He hid his crazy really fucking well,” you interrupted.

 “Yes. He truly did. And I only know that now after revisiting so many of my memories and entering his thoughts. Something inside of him snapped the day my father made me king.”

 You return your eyes to the celebration.

 By this time, Ahk’s marriage to Sitmut is arranged. It is strange to watch Ahk with his future bride; when they greet one another, he cups her face and looks at her lovingly before kissing her forehead. The love that flows between them is palpable, but it feels familial. No wonder the pharaohs kept harems or elected to have a secondary wife; as important as the propagation of the family line was, incest merely served as a means to an end.

 As you watch the festivities, you can see memory-Ahk, flirting with pretty girls, drinking, laughing, and it is clear he is at the very height of his power. Sitmut stays amongst her female companions, and you can’t help but notice she pays a lot of attention to one very beautiful girl. As they sit, drinking wine and eating sweets, their thighs press together on the stairs, while their glances linger just a little too long.

 Your heart aches for Sitmut, trapped into a marriage and a false lifestyle, all in the name of duty.

 Ahkmenrah’s memory becomes a little hazy as he consumes more and more wine, but the celebration shows no sign of ending. In fact, while Ahk’s vision blurs, his hearing amplifies, the music and carousing grow into a crescendo that blocks out almost any other sound.

 And this is when you see Kahmunrah conferring with four, very large, very muscular priests behind the feasting table, their little party just hidden in the shadows of a large column.

 Ahkmenrah’s parents are lying, lazily together on a set of stairs, alternating between watching the party and exchanging soft kisses. They are completely enveloped in a shroud of bliss, their sense of security evidenced by the fact that not many guards are stationed throughout the celebration.

 A young man covered in enough jewels to denote his importance approaches King Ahkmenrah. He leans in, intently conveying a message.

 Ahk’s brow furrows and without hesitation, he exits the room while the young man goes back to the party, quickly getting lost in the mass of people drinking, dancing, and laughing.

 Ahkmenrah’s guards, six of them in total, follow the young king.

 Kahmunrah’s priests slink out of the shadows and head in the same direction.

 A low grown of terror escapes your throat, making the impending horror of what happens next all the more real.

 You and the real Ahkmenrah rush after the priests, running to catch up with them. You can’t hear anything other than the din of the party, and Ahk’s head swivels from left to right as he strains to listen, his brows furrowed as he strains to remember.

 And then you hear it. The sound of something gurgling, the sound of a body falling, followed by another thump and another and another.

 “This way!” you say quickly as you take off into the hall on the right.

 The hall ends in a garden similar to the one that Ahkmenrah had shown you on your first visit to his memory. Even though it is night, the courtyard is well lit, torches blazing along the interior walls and atop lamps that line the garden’s many pathways.

 As you get nearer, you slip, Ahkmenrah catching you before you fall onto a stone that is covered in thick puddles of blood.

 You gasp and raise your hands to your mouth in horror. All of Ahkmenrah’s guards are slain, their throats slit so wide that the blood was forming little rivers in the cracks of the stones.

 The priests must have been practiced in the art of killing silently and quickly because it is clear they took out Ahk’s guards, two by two, until the final two turned to see why there were no footsteps behind them.

 Kahmunrah chose his assassins well.

 By the time you reach the center of the garden, the four priests, covered in blood have memory-Ahkmenrah, facedown. They hold him in place by kneeling on his wrists and ankles, and one priest reaches over to shove Ahk’s face into the sandy dirt of the garden while the other three work to strip him of all signs of royalty: his crown, his collar, his belt, and even his shoes, leaving him only in his short, thin, linen skirt.

 Ahk’s teeth are bared, the veins along his neck and in his arms bulge with his efforts to escape.

 Sliding between you and the real Ahkmenrah, Kahmun enters the garden. As he speaks, Ahk begins translating, causing you to jump because you had been so intently watching the scene in front of you.

 “Little brother.”

 Memory-Ahk freezes as he hears Kahmunrah’s voice.

 “Kah! Help me!”

 “Turn him over,” Kahmun commands in a cold voice.

 The priests quickly flip Ahk, settling again on his wrists and his ankles. Now you can see his dirt-smeared face as it thrashes from side to side, his eyes wide and panicked, and his hands and feet purpling from the pressure of the priests holding him in place.  

 In that moment, it occurs to you how like Jesus Ahkmenrah looks, his feet and wrists pinned, his forehead bleeding, either from rocks in the dirt or from the ferocity with which his crown was removed. His dark skin and his curls are covered in dirt and sand, and Ahk’s skin is smeared in patches from the blood that transferred from the priests’ murderous hands.

 “Kahmunrah, please,” Ahk says slowly as he sees the now unhidden crazed look in his older brother’s eyes.

 Kahmunrah says nothing and only watches his baby brother struggle against the muscular priests, their muscles flexing as they increase their hold on the young king.

 “Why?” Ahkmenrah whispers, as the reality of what’s to happen sinks in. “I gave you everything.”

 Kah barks out a laugh, a high-pitched, terrible noise that hangs on the edges of the night, echoing in your ears.

 “Gave? GAVE?! You STOLE what was mine! Our foolish parents who favored you, loved their precious baby Ahkmenrah more than Egypt itself, made a grave, grave error. But, no worries. They will pay for that error tonight, as well. But know that you die first, little brother, so I can show them your body. So I can listen to the sound of mother’s heart breaking. So I can watch the light, the joy finally go out of father’s eyes.”

 Despite Ahkmenrah’s best attempt to remain composed in the face of death, his eyes fill with tears as Kahmunrah describes his planned horrors.

 “Just kill me, Kah. Let Apep claim me but please do not hurt our parents.”

 “Things will go according to my plans now, Ahkmen. You’ll die, here, in the dirt, like the worthless, second son you SHOULD have been.”

 Kah drops down and settles across Ahk’s hips. He counts up Ahkmenrah’s ribs, looking for a particular spot.

 Without another word, Kahmun sinks the knife into Ahkmenrah’s heart and twists his wrist, ensuring his brother’s death. Kahmunrah pulls the knife out, stands, and puts it back in his belt, not even bothering to wipe his brother’s blood from the blade.

 Ahkmenrah, Fourth King of the Fourth King, dies like he ruled, a good king who cared more about others than himself. Instead of begging for his own life to be spared, he pleaded for the lives of the people he loved the most.

 Memory-Ahk gasps as the knife is pulled from his heart, his eyes bulging as his body dies. The priests stand, and Ahkmenrah’s limbs only twitch in the dirt as the blood escapes out of his chest. He quickly loses consciousness and his eyes lose their light as his last breath struggles out of him, the blood from his heart soaking into the dirt beneath him.

 You know, that for the rest of your life, you will never forget the image of life leaving Ahkmenrah’s eyes.

 At the instant the blade sinks into memory-Ahkmenrah’s chest, real Ahk’s hand flies to his heart and his knees buckle. You reach out, catching him and guiding him to his knees as he watches the blood flow out of the gaping hole in his memory’s chest.

 And as the blood ebbs into the dirt, the memory itself begins to fade, greying around the edges and the commands of Kahmunrah are silent, even though you can see his lips moving. Ahkmenrah is frozen on his knees, his eyes trained on his lifeless body.

 “Ahk! We have to go!”

 He doesn’t respond.

 Fuck, fuck, fuck, you mutter under your breath as the scene continues to darken; the memory is now like a tunnel and only Ahkmenrah’s lifeless body serves as the single pinpoint of light left. The darkness is coming and coming fast.

 You yank the tablet out of your backpack and hope to the gods that it will listen to you.

 You scramble the tiles into the same order as the ones that are marked “Return” in Ahk’s notebook, and you speak the words you had heard Ahk speak to end your other adventures within his memory.

 Sure enough, the door appears.

 You grab Ahkmenrah under his arms and haul him toward the door.

 He shakes you off, his movements damn near feral.

 “No! My parents! I have to save them! I have to warn them! I can change it—I know I can!” Ahk says, pulling at the sides of his cape and twisting his hands, panicking.

 “Ahk, it’s done and you can’t change the past because this is your memory. They’re gone, and we have to go, now!”

 “No,” he says, looking wildly about at the increasing darkness. “No, no, no, no,” he chants, hysterically in ancient Egyptian.

 You eye him carefully and know you only have one shot. You position yourself between him and the door, and in a swift movement, you pivot to the other side of Ahk and push him as hard as you can, jumping after him as the door begins to recede.

 * * * * *

You both landed in a sprawling heap on the museum floor. Ahkmenrah’s crown skittered across the stone, his Wesekh’s clasp shattered and beads pooled under him. He’d also lost his sandals and they were nowhere to be seen. You must have tackled him right the fuck out of his shoes.

 You were breathing heavily, and the remnants of tears glistened on your face. Ahk’s eyes connected with yours as he began to gasp for breath, his lungs clutching for air.

 You scrambled over to him, grasping his shoulders and sitting him upright. You reached to unhook the pins that held his armor in place, pulling it off of him, letting it clang to the floor.

 “Come on, Ahk, just breath, in through your nose, out through your mouth, in through your nose, out through your mouth. Concentrate on my words, come on. In through your nose, out through your mouth.”

 You repeated the mantra until Ahk was breathing normally enough. He reached up and held his hand over his heart, and you followed, threading your fingers with his.

 “He can’t touch you now, Ahkmenrah. It’s done. You’re safe.”

 “You’re safe,” you repeated as you pulled him into your arms, stroking his hair as he began to cry, clutching onto your arms as his tears soaked through your shirt.

 You had no idea how long you sat there with your pharaoh in your arms, clinging to you like a drowning man, but you held him and rocked him, saying nothing other than a quiet whispering of, “It’s okay, Ahk. You’re safe now.”

 Ahkmenrah took a deep, shaky breath and slowly pulled away. You lifted his head and swiped at the wetness covering his face. You kissed his eyelids, tasting the salt from his tears, and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

 “I could never have done this without you, Y/N. Thank you.”

 “I owed you, remember? And I would do anything for you, Ahkmenrah. Anything.”

 “Truly?”

 “Truly,” you said with a small smile, hope quickening the beating of your heart.

 Ahkmenrah stood, gathering strength before he spoke with authority.

 “Go. Go now and do not return.”

Whatever you were expecting, it wasn’t this. You shot to your feet and clutched at his shoulders, holding on to him, the role of the drowning man now reversed.

 “No, Ahkmenrah! I meant what I said. I’m in love with you. I can’t just leave knowing that you’re here, right here,” you said, placing your palm in the middle of his chest.

 Ahkmenrah took your hand and lifted it to kiss your palm.

 “Finish your dissertation. Go to Cairo—it’s where you belong.”

 “I could have you transferred there! There’s a huge movement in the community to restore artifacts to their home territories and—”

 Ahkmenrah looked at you with such sadness it stopped you in the middle of your plea.

 “Y/N, that is what I am now. An artifact, a remnant of the past.”

 “You’re real! You’re fucking real,” you said, your voice breaking as you pushed his chest hard enough to cause him to step back. “You said you fell in love with me only after I saw you as a real person, not as some historical thing,” you finished, gesticulating wildly.

 “I never said I was in love with you, Y/N. I am a reanimated mummy, an artifact. This is all that I choose to be.”

 Every ounce of fight that had been coursing through your body came to such an abrupt halt that you swooned backward, and Ahkmenrah reached out to steady you, his hands firmly grasping your upper arms.

 He was right. Never once did Ahkmenrah say those words. It was you—you who had said them, and you who had believed he felt the same way.

 You shook your head, refusing to believe that he was choosing to see himself like this, as what you had fought to reconcile with from the beginning, as what you could no longer even remotely see him as now. Ahkmenrah was choosing to become an exhibit at the museum, choosing to become nothing more than a wax figure.

 And just as suddenly as the fight had gone out of you, a realization struck you. Ahkmenrah never had a chance to choose; he didn’t choose to become king; he didn’t choose to be brutally murdered by his brother; he didn’t choose to be wed to Sitmut; he didn’t choose to become the master of the tablet; he didn’t choose to come back to life.

 But he could choose now—and he was choosing to let you go, to let you live a full life. He was choosing to stay safe, to be under the guardianship and protection of the museum that he now thought of as his home.

 “You understand,” Ahkmenrah said, a spark of his normal self showing through his pain.

“I do,” you said, holding his gaze, your body damn near lifeless as he still held onto your upper arms.

 “Goodbye, Y/N. Thank you for everything you have given me, and I hope that one day, you will accept this as the right choice.”

 Your eyes filled with tears for the umpteenth time in the last 48 hours, and you kissed Ahkmenrah; you kissed him with every ounce of love that you felt for him; you poured everything you had into that kiss.

 You only stopped kissing him when you couldn’t breathe anymore, and after your lips pulled slowly away, he rested his forehead against yours.

 You slid further into his arms, one last time, and he squeezed you back before pushing you away.

 “Please. Go,” Ahkmenrah said with a steady voice.

 You couldn’t look at him again because you knew if you did, you’d climb into his sarcophagus and only the Anubis statues would be able to remove you, probably by using their spears to turn you into a large piece of Shish Kabob.

 For the second night in a row, you sobbed on the front steps of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

 But this night was the last.

 * * * * *

“You did the right thing, Ahk,” Larry spoke up as he stepped out from behind the back wall of the exhibit.

 “I love her, Larry. I had to let her go.”

 “I know, Ahk. I know.”

[emergenciesstory]

Fight Night

 Pairing: Fem!Reader x Boxer!Steve

Words:1880

Boxing AU. Sequel to Fight for you - but can be read as a one-shot (as can most of my work). For @star-spangled-bingo square “Free Space”. 

Summary: Y/n was a boxer for “The Gym” who is returning for a charity match. Coming back is like coming home, but what will happen when she is selected to go against her boyfriend- “The Captain”?

A/n: With everything going on (Pandemic)- I’ve struggled to keep up with the challenge and work and just life in general. But! I found some time and a need to destress and here we are! Hope you enjoy. Also- I try and write as inclusive as possible, but I’m female, and I picture myself, so i’m sorry. And I’m not a boxer, I just likes this AU so again- Sorry. 

   “Tonight’s line up is a special treat for fans new and old!” The reporter said, a smile on her face. She was standing in front of “The Gym” you had found as your second home. You finished packing your workout bag , listening in.

    “Trainer Tony Stark, formerly known as the boxer, Iron Man, has announced tonight to be the Charity match- bringing home boxers who have gone far, and some who have formerly announced retirement. Tonight's line-up includes Black Widow v. The Captain, The Soldier v. Former Partner and returning Vet. Little Minx, and lastly, The formerly retired War Machine v.  Honorary guest: The Falcon. We’ve been promised two fan based match off’s of the previously mentioned fighters and one surprise match!”

    You smirked, your phone going off in the group chat, Wanda reminding everyone of the line up. You replied letting them know you were heading over soon, cutting off the TV in your apartment and pulling a hoodie over your head. 

    The chat blew up, the guys talking beef as you all ventured from different areas. As you approached the gym, you found The Falcon standing outside, phone in hand.

    “Hey, Sam, Right?” You smiled, holding your hand out.

    “Little Minx- Pleasure.” He shook your hand. “Any Idea how to get into this place?”

    “Y/n, please. We’re friends here. And You’d want the side door- Tony often forgets guests come in the main entrance on fight night. Follow me.”

    “Thanks. You know, this is great, the Charity fights are something I’ve tried to bring to my old box but they wouldn’t hear it.”

    “Maybe you should come here then. Tones likes to give back to the community- we do all sorts of things around here.” you slipped your badge on the door lock, hearing the click and holding the door open. “Welcome to the Fightbox.”

    Sam smiled, slipping into the members only areas you were so familiar with. You remembered what the visiting fighters room was, a smaller training room used for classes or storage. Sam seemed out of his element- still as a statue but not saying much. A laugh escaped your lips.

    “Don’t worry, I’ll give you the grand tour. Through here is the locker room- pick any along the wall for your things for the night.” You dropped your things in your old locker on the corner, grabbing the magnets on the side of the entry door with your name and a write on one. Placing your magnet on your locker, you Wrote “Falcon” on the other and handed it to Sam.

    “For your door, so no one accidently goes to use it.” You leaned on the one beside his, wrapping your hands. “Through that hall is the hold- similar to the one you came through last time you fought here. And if you go through the door to the left, it’s the viewing box.” 

    Sam was quiet for a minute, taking in all the information. “The viewing box? Sorry, my ring is smaller than here. They were, to say the least, money crazed. We just had a locker room.”

    “You used to fight at Brock’s, didn’t you?” you asked, smiling. Sam nodded. “Great fighter, bad guy. No biggy- I’ll show you. Tony listens to what we want, and tries to make it happen. This gym- it was our way to give back to the community here. It brings a lot of business.”

    “Is that why it’s on the bad side of town?” Sam mocked, following you into the viewing box.

    “Sort of. This was just where we had the space. Viewing box- you can see everything, but they can’t see you. Soundproof too. A place to watch but also get away from the fight if you need the headspace.” You stepped out on the balcony, even with the ring floor. Wanda and Pietro were setting the brackets and prepping the ring- both waving when they saw you.

    “We’re all family here. Everyone does their part. Everyone preps, cleans, and has a say in the fights.” You said, smiling at Sam. “And everyone is open to having a new family member.”

    “Depending on how tonight goes, perhaps I’ll talk to Tony about it.” Sam smiled, jogging over to help Wanda set one of the higher brackets she couldn't reach. You smiled, moving over to the visitors hold to set up the pre-fight workouts for everyone to warm up.

____________

The thing about Charity matches was that they were more relaxed than normal matches. The stadium was packed, food trucks stationed around the building to drum up business- as the concessions were closed inside to encourage this, but the oddest part of all, before your match, everyone went out and talked to the news station who covered all your matches. That’s where you found yourself now. 

    “This is MJ, coming at you live from The Gym, the location for tonight's Charity match! All of the profits from tonight's match are going right back into the community, and some directly as seen by the vendors here behind me. I’m currently joined by boxer Bucky Barnes, The Soldier, and his former fighting partner Y/n y/l/n, Known as Little Minx! How are you guys tonight?”

    “We are so excited to be able to pull something this big off. Being the last fight before the Three special matches- it’s really touching to end tonight the way this Gym began.” Bucky said, throwing his arm around your shoulders.

    “That is correct, Ladies and Gentlemen. Little Minx and The Soldier were the first to fight on this location- the grand opening of Tony Starks dream.” MJ said with a smile. “Y/n, last time we spoke- you told us you were looking toward the future, a possible family. How are things going with you?”

    “Well, MJ, I’m so happy to be able to cheer on all the fighters for the past six months since then. When Tony asked me to come back to fight tonight, I was thrilled. These guys, my team, we are a family, and it’s always growing. Steve and I are happy as ever, and I’m so thankful to this Gym for bringing us together.”

    Your’s and Bucky's pagers dinged- a sign your fight would be coming up shortly. 

    “Well, I’m so glad we got to speak- and will look forward to talking after tonight's fight. Any last words before the fight?”

    “I’m excited to get back in the ring with this girl- She’s in for a hellava fight.” Bucky laughed, pulling both you and MJ into a hug.

    “He’s going down.” You laughed, pulling Bucky behind you. “Mark my words.”

__________________________

    You stood in the ring with all the nights fighters, One last special surprise fight to go. The fans had pitted Nat and Bucky, followed by Sam and Bucky. You all stood around Tony, who held the microphone in hand. MJ’s crew was filming these last fights in the viewing balcony, and Tony played to the Camera.

    “Before we end the night with one last match, I wanted to say how happy I am for tonight's success! I’m so glad we can bring you all together here in town, and give back to the people who make this town worth being in.” Applause, hoots, and hollers filled the stadium. 

“We are so fortunate to have fighters willing to come back after retirement to give back,” Tony gestured to you and Rhodes, “and I’m excited to announce that The Falcon will be joining the Family here at The Gym.” You laughed and hugged Sam quickly, knowing he’d fit in great.

“We have one last fight for you all tonight, and I’m sure it will be quite the treat.” A drumroll of stomping feet grew in intensity. “Tonight, for the first time ever, officially that is, Little Minx v. The Captain!” 

You rolled your eyes teasingly as everyone cleared the ring but you, Tony, and Steve. You shook hands with Steve mockingly, but he pulled you in planting a kiss on your lips. The crowd cheered as you swatted him away.

    “The Captain is starting mind games already!” Tony sassed as you both went to your corners to Glove up. Bucky was coaching you, while Nat and Sam were in the other corner talking to Steve. Tony continued to talk to give you both a minute, but it was buzzing. Your adrenaline picked up as Bucky placed your guard in your mouth, hitting your gloves in your old patterns.

    “Make him regret challenging you.” Buck smirked, jumping down off the side of the ring. You turned, seeing Steve’s face shift into game mode. You met in the middle, tapping your gloves together, took two paces away, and the bell rang- round one.

    The two of you danced around, landing some punches. The bell rang, sending you to your corners. 

    “Practice Rep #4.” Bucky said softly. “He doesn’t know that one.” 

“The one with the kickflip?” You asked, mentally thinking.

“The reverse kickflip. You’ll throw him off.” You nodded, putting your mouth guard back in and stepping up. Steve was smirking, and you watched his movements on his feet. Left, Left, Punch, Right, Punch, Left. Repeat.  He did this twice before doing the opposite and then back to it. You counted it out, landing a couple hits. On his second switch, you flipped back, sliding down into a sweeping crouch to knock his legs out as you came around. The crowd roar was deafening- your signature move from long ago, but as you turned back to the middle of the ring, Steve was crouching away from you, holding his Jaw, gloves discarded. The bell rang out three times- signaling an interruption for possible injury. 

“Stevie?” You said, quickly moving towards him, ripping off your gloves. You tried to process if your foot had hit his jaw, it shouldn’t have, placing your hand on his back. “Are you okay? Did I-” Words caught in your throat as you moved in front of him, a coy smile on his face, no mark in sight.

“Little Minx,” Steve said, taking your hands. His voice was amplified across the Gym, throwing you off slightly. “I have loved you since I first saw you kick Bucky’s ass here on this ring. I knew I had to have you, and after months of trying to ask you out, you asked me out to Tacos after a match. I fell in love with you more and more each day.”

Your eyes were tearing up as you listened to Steve talk. 

“This is where we began, and it wasn’t a coincidence we would end the night in a fight. I just wanted to start a new chapter in the same place the first one began.” Steve reached behind him, pulling a ring out of what looked like thin air. 

“So, Y/n, Will you marry me?” Words escaped you as you nodded your head, sinking to your knees before him. Steve undid the wrap on your left hand, slipping the silicone ring onto your hand. He pulled you in for a kiss as all your teammates joined you in the ring, applauding. “Don’t worry, the real one is in your locker.” He sassed, holding you.

“I love you, Steven Rogers.”

“I Love you, Y/n Y/l/n.”

[amazingmsme]

A Loyal Companion Part 4

AN: Here it is, the part everyone’s been waiting for! The rest of the siblings get to finally meet Jasper! Let me tell you, they’re all shook. Hope y’all enjoy!

WARNINGS: guns, dog attack

The Umbrella Academy was a team once more. After going back in time and successfully adverting the apocalypse, they decided they were stronger together. Luther had been the one to suggest it, and Diego leapt at the idea of being able to fight crime again. Others were more hesitant.

"Some of us have other family, and a job," Allison reminded.

"It won't be an around the clock thing, maybe not even once a month. Just, when something big pops up," Luther reassured. "And this time we'll have everyone." He looked at Vanya, who's eyes shifted around the table. She twiddled her thumbs, looking at her lap.

"I-I don't know. I haven't been on a mission before, and after everything I just- I'm not sure," she said meeting his gaze.

"C'mon Vanya, this is your chance to really be a part of the team. You're the strongest one here, so we could really use your help." When she didn't answer, Five spoke up. 

"It can be fun. You get to show off and beat up bad guys, and aren't you always agreeing with Allison about how we need more "family bonding time"? That counts, right?"

"I guess," she shrugged, finally letting the ghost of a smile appear on her lips.

"Great, then it's settled! I'll let everyone know if something comes up- Klaus are you even listening?" Luther bent down and peered under the table where Klaus had disappeared toward the start of the family meeting.

"Yes!" Klaus said, but when Luther raised a skeptical brow, he sighed. "We're all a team again and you'll keep us posted if you find something. You know I don't have to be looking at you to hear you, right?" The tall man huffed out a breath while everyone else giggled in amusement.

"What are you doing under there anyway?" Allison asked, peeking under the table.

"Tying your laces together, stealing socks, y'know, the yoozh," he said flippantly. Of course he hadn't really been doing that, but Diego still checked his shoes. Jasper had come up to him during the middle of Luther's spiel, nudging his leg with one of his toys. Klaus had slipped out of his chair and settled on the ground, engaging in a game of tug of war. Jasper had a strong grip on the rope monkey and shook his head back and forth to try and loosen Klaus's hold on the toy.

They all knew that wasn't what he was doing, but they decided there was no point in asking. It was just Klaus being Klaus. He seemed to be struggling to hold onto an invisible object, leaning all his weight back.

His hands slipped from the toy when Jasper gave an extra hard yank, sending him tumbling backwards. He slammed into Five's chair, hitting it hard enough to send it teetering back.

"Nonono!" Five managed to say before his chair tilted all the way back, leaving him on the ground. He glared at Klaus who just shot him a grin before clambering to his feet. He raced off to another room, shouting.

Five stood to his feet, brushing himself off. The remaining siblings all shared a look. Five opened his mouth to speak, but Allison cut him off.

"Don't."

"You know that's not normal, even for Klaus standards."

"He's not hurting anyone," Vanya piped up. Five scoffed.

"He just shoved me out of my chair!"

Diego snorted, "Oh please, he fell and brought you down."

Five stood his chair back up and sat down. "I'm just worried. He talks to himself a lot more, and I'm not sure it's always Ben he's talking to. Did you know there's apparently a headless ghost in the house?" He asked. Everyone got quiet and Diego shrugged.

"So? It's an old house, there's probably a lot more ghosts than we would care to know. But I know Klaus and he wouldn't be talking to any spirit that wasn't good." He stood and took his leave, and the others did the same. After all, there wasn't much they could do, and why should they ruin his fun?

Their first mission came when they heard word of a bank heist that was going to go down that week. Diego and Allison scoped the people out and were able to bug the warehouse they were hiding out at while they were gone. They were going to hit the bank on Thursday night.

"Diego and Vanya will wait in the car for them to break in before tailing from behind. Allison and I will drop in from the roof and Five will jump in the vault to ambush them if they make it that far. Klaus will wait outside and watch for any back up that may come or let us know if the cops show up."

"What a surprise," Klaus muttered from his place in the back seat of the SUV. Luther sighed and looked at him.

"Our powers make us helpful in different ways. Like Diego's powers are useful in combat for example. You're more helpful to us when you make sure no one else shows up," Luther tried his best to explain. Klaus rolled his eyes, leaning against the back window and slung an arm around Jasper's shoulders. He turned his head and licked his cheek reassuringly and Klaus gave a fleeting smile at him before directing his glare at him.

"Just because you found a nice way to say my powers are useless doesn't mean it's actually nice."

"Klaus!" Allison scolded. Luther leaned back in his seat blinking rapidly, not expecting that reaction. "That's not what he meant," she defended, but Klaus wasn't buying it.

"Then please enlighten me as to what he meant." She opened her mouth to answer, but found she had no words. Klaus snorted, "That's what I thought. So do you want me to stay in the car or hide out in an alley somewhere?"

So that's how he ended up in a back alley pacing back and forth. Ben could tell he was upset and tried to help.

"You wanna practice? Take your mind off of things?" he asked. Klaus shook his head, "Nah I'm not in the mood." He found an old tennis ball by a dumpster and threw it down the alley. Jasper happily ran after it, bringing it back. Klaus smirked and grabbed the offered ball and threw it, watching as he bounded down the alley. Just like before, he came running back and plopped it in the palm of his hand. Klaus met Ben's eyes and they shared a smile. This just got a lot less  boring.

Ghost dogs apparently have infinite stamina, because Jasper wasn't slowing down in the slightest. Klaus had already used both arms until they each were sore and passed the duty of keeping him entertained to Ben.

"You better sleep like a baby tonight," Klaus muttered to himself. His siblings came out of the bank, another mission successfully completed.

Klaus fell into this routine every time they had a mission. He found himself even looking forward to them. Jasper always got excited when he saw everyone putting on their uniforms and would run laps around the house in his enthusiasm. He was always the first one to the car, barking for them to hurry up. Of course no one else heard him, and he had to wait for Klaus to open the door for him.

There was an illegal arms dealer three towns over, and they were on their way to bust their operation. Klaus made sure to grab Jasper's favorite ball, a chewed up softball, and stuffed it in a small bag that he slung over his shoulder. Vanya had been walking by the open door and smiled, "What's that for?"

"Entertainment," he answered simply. She stepped into the room.

"And is it any fun?"

He nodded, "Yeah, Jasper really likes it. Though my arms feel dead by the time y'all finish up," he said. Vanya giggled.

"I thought I saw you rubbing your shoulders on the way back," she said. There was a pause before she spoke again, "I know what it's like."

"Hm?" Klaus tilted his head, not quite understanding what she meant.

"About feeling left out of the team," she clarified. His eyes widened slightly, "Ah."

"Yeah... I just wanted to let you know I'm here if you ever want to talk."

"Thanks V," he said, grabbing a frisbee off the counter as well. He found that Jasper liked variety. Slipping it into his bag, he walked with Vanya downstairs. Everyone else was still getting ready, and he turned to her.

"Is the car unlocked?"

"Should be."

"Great, thanks," and with that he slipped out the door and walked up to Jasper who waited impatiently for the door to open. Jasper barely waited for him to pull it open before leaping inside, turning in tight circles in the flat cargo area of the SUV. Klaus liked sitting back there because he could move around as he pleased. There was enough room for Ben and Jasper to sit with him, and he could reach over the seats to bug his siblings if he wanted.

Everyone else loaded in, and they were off. Luther broke down the mission one more time on the way over before Allison turned on the radio, filling the car with music. The next thing he knew a water bottle hit his head, waking him up.

"Wake up, we're here," Diego said. Of course he had been the one to throw it.

"'M up," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. He climbed out of the car and lingered at the edge of the woods concealing the large building. He pulled out the toys and crouched down. He held them out in front of him, letting Jasper inspect them.

"Which one?" Jasper grabbed the frisbee and lightly hopped around. Klaus grinned and put the ball back in his bag. "Go long!" Jasper ran into the clearing and Klaus threw the frisbee. It soared through the air. Jasper jumped up and caught it mid air, landing gracefully. He and Ben cheered as he trotted back. He walked with pride, his head held high and chest puffed forward.

Klaus rubbed his head and praised, "Wow, what a good boy! You're so talented! Did you see that jump?"

"Yeah, he got like four feet of air!" Ben exclaimed. Gun fire sounded and Jasper growled, the fur on his back standing on end. Klaus stroked him soothingly, "Shh, it's okay."

A few minutes later, his ear piece crackled to life and Diego's voice sounded, "Klaus we could use some help."

"On it," he automatically responded and rushed toward the building. Jasper dropped the frisbee in confusion, seeing both of them run away. He followed them, but Klaus stopped. "Stay," he ordered, and Jasper whined, taking a step forward. Klaus sighed and continued jogging. "Fine, but stay out of the way," Klaus said. Jasper seemed to understand and entered the building in after them. He lingered near the corner, observing the scene as his owner marched right into the action. Upstairs Luther and Vanya stood back to back, attacking the oncoming guards who rushed toward them.

Diego threw blades left and right, hitting every target. Allison swiftly kicked a man in the face before grabbing his gun and shooting him. Five was jumping around the whole building, attacking everyone he could. Klaus grinned at Ben. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Perfect." He sauntered forward, "Sup fuckers!" he yelled loudly and gained the attention of a few of the bad guys. They ran at him and he gave a clap, his hands glowing to life, always one for dramatics. Suddenly Ben stood in the middle of the room and he ripped open his shirt, unleashing the monster that resided inside of him. Tentacles shot forth and grabbed any bodies they could, slamming them into the floor and walls. One threw a woman out of a far by window, another strangled a man until his form hung limp.

One of them managed to get close enough to Klaus for him to punch him in the face. Five suddenly clung to his back and in one quick motion, snapped his neck, clenching his fists and jumping away before he could even fall to the ground. Another woman charged from the right and he kicked her in the chest, sending her careening backwards just in time for a tentacle to wrap around her waist and toss her around like a rag doll. Klaus and Ben had definitely tipped the scale in their favor.

One of the men who had been knocked out awoke and came to that realization. He silently stood, making sure not to gain attention. He grabbed his knife and crept along in the shadows, slowly gaining speed. He ran at Klaus, arm raised.

Allison had just rumored one of the dealers to knock himself unconscious when out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone heading right for Klaus. The glint of the blade made her scream.

"KLAUS!"

But it was too late. He had reached him.

"Kinda busy!" he called back, turning his head just in time to see the swing of an arm coming toward him.

A flash of fur crashed into the attacker, sending him tumbling to the ground. Seeing as he was no longer in danger, he went back to focusing all his energy on keeping Ben summoned. Unbeknownst to him, his brother wasn't the only one he had conjured.

Jasper attacked the man who had tried to stab Klaus, not giving him the chance to stand. He stood over his back, paws pinning his shoulders to the ground. He did his best to cover his head and cried out in pain. He sank his teeth into his flesh, biting and ripping at whatever he could. The sound of malling and snarls filled the air as the action started to die down. Luther was now downstairs and bashed two goons' heads together, freezing at the sight. One by one the Hargreeves siblings stopped fighting, letting Ben handle the remaining criminals.

"That's either a small bear," Luther said, "Or a really big dog." None of them dared to go near him.

Klaus and Ben high fived once they finished off the last few. Ben's chest heaved up and down with each tired breath. "Guys did you see that?" Klaus exclaimed like a child who was asking for their parent's attention on the playground. He turned around when he didn't receive an answer, finally noticing what had grabbed their attention.

"Jasper!" he called, but he was too busy. His jaws were clamped around the man's arm and his head shook around violently. A low guttural growl escaped his throat and blood trickled down the man's forearm to the floor. Klaus whistled to get his attention. He stopped, ears perked. He wagged his tail and started to trot over. The man started to pick himself up and he whipped around barking. Frothy slobber flew from his mouth and hung in long strings of drool from his curled jowls, pulled back in a snarl. Klaus rolled his eyes, "Yes we all know you're big and tough, but let's go."

Jasper backed away before turning and following his master. The fur on the back of his neck and shoulders still stood on end, making him appear even larger than he was. Klaus was already heading for the car, oblivious to his frozen siblings.

"Man I don't know about you guys but I'm beat. Can we stop by McDonald's on the way home?" He had been walking with Ben, but when he didn't receive an answer, Ben turned around to face his other siblings.

"Uh Klaus?"

"What?" He turned around and saw that none of them had moved. "What're you waiting for? C'mon let's go!" he said and gesture for them to come over. He jerked his head in the direction of the door, but no one moved.

"What the hell is that?" Luther asked, pointing. Klaus looked down, then back at them.

"Oh you mean Jasper? My dog I've been telling you about for weeks and weeks that you all refused to believe was real? Except you Vanya, you actually believed me," he exempted her from his mild scold. She gave him a small smile that he reciprocated before returning his glare to the others. "So. I'm waiting."

"For what?" Diego asked, and Klaus scoffed.

"Oh I don't know, maybe an "I'm sorry we didn't believe you Klaus," "You were right Klaus!" Either of those would be nice," he said, folding his arms. He even went as far as to tap his foot impatiently. It was quiet for a moment before Diego spoke up.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you, especially since I was with you when you found him. It's just... hard to believe something's there when you can't see it," he apologized.

"I'm sorry too," Allison said and adverted her gaze to the ground. She would admit she felt guilty knowing Klaus had been telling the truth the whole time.

Five sighed, "I guess I'm sorry too. But why didn't you just conjure him when we scared those kids?" All eyes landed on Klaus in confusion.

"Why were you two scaring little kids?" Luther asked.

"First off, they were in middle school so they weren't that little, and they were bullies. Five and I saw them push this kid to the ground so we gave 'em a good fright. And I was already conjuring ten other ghosts, I wasn't gonna waste my energy; it's tiring! Speaking of which, Luther let's wrap it up so we can leave 'cause like I said, we want McDonald's."

Ben scrunched up his face, "I wanted In 'n' Out," he whined. Klaus waved him off, "They're overrated. You have to practically be a part of their secret society to order anything good," he countered. He looked back at Luther expectantly. The big man took a step forward.

"I'm also sorry. As team leader it's my responsibility to have faith in all of you and to trust you, and I haven't done a good job. I hope you can forgive us."

Klaus smiled. "That's all I wanted to hear." He turned on his heels and marched out, following his dog. They all trailed behind him, reuniting with Ben. They always did this when Klaus summoned him. It was a joyous occasion filled with hugs and tears. They loaded back into the car, and it was obvious how everyone was keeping a distance from Jasper.

He stuck his head over the back seat between Diego and Five, and they both practically flew away from him. The sudden movement startled him and he backed away, shrinking in on himself and baring his teeth. Klaus gently placed a hand on his back to comfort him.

"Can you guys not be so jumpy around him? He won't bite you," he said.

Five's expression was more than skeptical, "Are you sure? 'Cause we just saw proof of the opposite."

"That guy was gonna stab my neck, ask Allison she saw! If it weren't for Jasper I'd be dead!"

"It's true, he saved him," she said backing him up.

"Thank you!" Klaus exclaimed. "Vanya can you ruffle her hair for me."

"Please don't."

"Still," Five said, "Jasper isn't exactly the... cuddliest dog."

"What are you talking about? He's the sweetest!" He wrapped his arms around his neck, burying his face in the fur to prove his point. "You guys are just judging a book by it's cover. Jasper's a big baby once you get to know him, you Judgy Judys."

"It's true," Ben agreed.

"We just saw him rip a guy to shreds," Diego argued.

Klaus rolled his head back dramatically, "Like I said, he was protecting me! We all know you can get more than terrifying when you're pissed off," he stated. Diego stiffened and whipped around to glare at Klaus. He held his gaze before sticking his tongue out and Diego cracked. He sighed and let himself smile, shaking his head. He stuck an arm over the back of the seat.

"C'mere," he said in such a soft voice none of them could believe came from Diego of all people. Jasper slowly approached him, sniffing his hand thoroughly before letting him pet him. He sat down and raised his head high as he scratched behind his ears, displaying the large gash across his throat for the whole family to see. Diego couldn't tear his eyes away, "You said he was in a dog fighting ring?"

Klaus nodded sadly, "Yeah, I mean that's what I think. He's got the psychological and physical harm to prove it."

"I don't like it," Five said bluntly.

"Excuse you that's my dog-"

"I'm talking about the gaping neck wound moron," Five clarified. "Let me see what I have," he mumbled, digging around in his pockets. "Aha!" He pulled out a red bandanna. "This should cover it up," he said and handed it to Klaus. He gently crawled over to him and held it out for him to examine the handkerchief. When it got close to his neck he whimpered and tried to back away, but Klaus reassured him it was okay. All of their siblings were completely enamored; they had never seen Klaus so gentle and loving. Yes he was more emotional than most of them, but they wouldn't exactly call him compassionate. He was eccentric, sarcastic, and all in all very over the top. That was who he was. It turned out there was a whole other side of Klaus that they didn't know.

He finished tying it around his neck, "There you go buddy! You're so handsome!" he praised, and Jasper immediately started to get excited at the change in Klaus's tone. "Yes you are! You look so good!" He started hopping on his hind legs lightly, letting out small woofs. His voice was high pitched and babyish as he rubbed their foreheads together. Luther grinned to himself as he watched the scene unfold in the rearview mirror.

"Wow Klaus, I think your voice is even higher than Five's, and he's going through puberty again," he teased both of them, making them blush. Five leaned up and shoved the headrest forward, making it lock in place at an awkward 45 degree angle against the back of his head. He grumbled trying to fix it but found he couldn't. "Damnit Five!"

Said man chuckled along with the rest of the siblings and Klaus reached up and high fived him.

"Seriously though, you two are just adorable!" Allison cooed from the front seat, and Klaus's blush returned. "Vanya can you pinch his cheeks for me?" she mocked his words from earlier.

"I will!" Five jumped at the offer and tried to reach back, but Klaus had already crawled out of reach.

"Not in a million years little gremlin," he said relaxing now that he was out of their reach. He failed to remember, however, that one brother wasn't quite so far away. Ben reached out from behind him and grabbed both of his cheeks, making the rest of the family erupt in laughter as he tried to bat his hands away. "You guys are so mean to meeee," he whined.

Ben rolled his eyes and ruffled his hair, "Oh please, you love the attention." Klaus really couldn't argue that.

"But I am not adorable, I'm a lean mean sexy machine, and I have the notches in my bedpost to prove it," he bragged, taking a swig from a bottle of Gatorade he had pulled from the pack. Diego saw and asked if he could grab him one. He tossed it and he caught it with one hand.

"Maybe so, but you're still our cute wittle baby bwother," Diego teased and Klaus groaned, hiding his face in his hands.

"Ugh you guys are the worst, you're the worst."

"Careful or I might just miss the exit for McDonald's," Luther playfully threatened.

"My mistake you guys are the best!" Klaus amended. Luther chuckled, "That's better." Allison turned on the radio, filling the car with 2000's hits. Klaus, Diego, Ben and Allison all screamed along to Bad Romance. Luther put an end to their jam session as he pulled in to order.

They got the food and distributed it amongst themselves. Jasper leaned his head over the seat and drooled over Diego and Vanya's shoulders, much to their discomfort. Klaus tried to pull him away but he was glued to his spot. Klaus managed to lure him away by sharing some of his fries and he was content.

"Your powers seem to have gotten a lot stronger since you've adopted Jasper," Vanya pointed out. He nodded while chewing, "Mhm, he needs a lot of attention and I touch him a lot, so I guess it counts as practice. But I'm getting tired, so you'll probably need to say bye for now." They all got a little sad hearing that; they never got to see Ben for very long, but they did get to hang out with him longer than normal, and for that they were grateful.

"Bye," they all said in unison, giving a small wave. Ben waved back, a sad smile on his face. Klaus sighed in relief and slumped over, resting his head on the window.

"You look tired," Five noted. Klaus chuckled, absentmindedly running his fingers through Jasper' fur.

"I am tired."

Diego reached back and patted his shoulder, "Get some rest, we'll wake you up when we get home." He closed his eyes, slowly drifting off. And then all at once, everything was dark and peaceful.

[holy-mountaineering]

This spread is for @luciferianme

Thank you for donating!

Tonight you’re getting the full Qabalistic Tree of Life Spread that I do and here you are. What I’m going to do is go through and briefly explain each card, its position on the Tree, and then I’ll give you a summary/synopsis of the spread as a whole.

Think of this spread as a sort of quantum map, or even the land of a regular map, everything is happening at once, in each place. It’s important to think of yourself as moving “through” the map but you are also simultaneously everywhere at once. For the sake of this specific experiment, think of this as a map.

Where we’re starting the journey from is Kether, the monad, the first sign of creation. We’ll call this your hometown, since it is where you’re from originally. Here we have the 8 of Cups, Indolence.

This is emotional stagnancy and “half fulfilled” desires. The structure and order of Saturn is pulled in two directions by Pieces. The waters have become still and a storm is on the horizon. It has been noted that the cups pictured in the card look an awful lot like ashtrays. It’s that shitty.

Try to begin to focus on emotional areas that haven’t received much attention lately unless you want them getting washed out in the storms coming. You must choose what to do in regards to moving forward emotionally or in a relationship that has become stagnant.

In Chokmah, which is like your freeway getting you out onto the road out of your hometown is the absolute wrecker of shit, both needed and unneeded, a friend of the program XVI The Tower (or War), Peh, Mars.

This is “war is hell” but mostly for the losing side. The practical interpretation of this card is something in your life that was built up and seemed really important is about to come down. This isn’t the end of the world or even the neighborhood, it’s just this ONE big thing. This is also not something of your doing per se but more of an “act of god” or an outside force.

If the Tower is in the way of your progress, boom, easy does it. If that was something that you built and liked it might be a little harder. Things being stripped down to their foundations can be great if you want to build something better and not so easily destroyed.

A thing might fall, but don’t go burning down the whole city just ‘cause this one building is going away. Your job is damage control.

In Binah, which is ruled by Saturn and for the sake of this reading we will call the first stop on your roadtrip. You haven’t really arrived anywhere but you’re stopping and getting a chance to repack your car in a more efficient way. Sitting in Binah is the 2 of Disks, Change.

This is the old saying, “The only constant is change.” This is finding stability in the aforementioned changing. In other words, when stuff gets different, strap in and hold on, steady yourself, and get ready to go into the unknown. Look a bit before you leap but understand that position is king, not appearances.

You’re building toward the unknown and pretending to know is not the kind of posturing you should bother with. Not looking for the result of the change, being in the motion, and enjoying, embracing the motion toward the unknown is where you should position yourself.

Disks are Earth, matter, the material world, your everyday life and 2s are the suit trying to formulate into something from the rawness of the Aces or the beginning of the idea of Earth. Astrologically, the influential and expanding Jupiter is in the highs and lows of the Goat-Fish Capricorn, think rollercoaster, possibly one that goes underwater. And like rollercoasters, they’re scary but probably not going to be the cause of your death. Unless they go underwater, that sounds dangerous.

This is a great time to be aware that you’re moving around and kind of always will be. Enjoy the twists and turns of the ride and don’t stress yourself about how and when it will end.

In Chesed which is ruled by Jupiter and again for the sake of this experiment we’ll say involves your influence and benevolence in your current trip is the 9 of Wands, Strength (through action)

Wands are Fire, action, behavior and the 9 is the rapidly increasing charge to the end of peak of the thing(s) being done. The 9 of Wands is like a military campaign that doesn’t have and end goal besides marching all the way through to the nearest ocean. This is no fool’s errand though, you have the resources and you’re getting more resources and thus, stronger. Astrologically this is the Sun and the Moon in Sagittarius who is the flaming arrow constantly moving through the heavens. This is the focus and reflection being pushed to action in a big way.

Gather momentum and resources to attack big issues and tasks that need to be done in your life. Use the built up force to carry you through, even if you don’t know where the F you’re going yet.

Across the Tree in Geburah, which is Mars Town, where you find your drive and what you’re trying to accomplish/conquer is the 3 of Disks, Works or Work or Working.

Like all the 3s, this is the first formulation of the suit, Earth or material world things. The 3 sided pyramid pictured on this Tarot card sits on water propelled by Dharma Wheels, spinning and causing waves. The drive and energy of the warrior Mars has become stubborn and resolute in the goat-fish Capricorn.

This idea of work is not mindless toil. This is doing the very necessary things in your life so you don’t fuck yourself over on the basic things everyone needs to survive. This is formulating the most simple workable “shape of things” that gets your at least basic needs met so you can expand and become more than basic. Put together a simple way of dealing with the material world, something that can be expanded on. Keep your wheels turning even if they feel like they’re just spinning. Make waves, they’ll go further and affect more than you think!

In Tiphareth, the Sun and center of gravity holding all this in place, the heart pumping the blood through this, your heart is the 7 of Cups Debauch.

This is Venus (beauty, personal growth) in Scorpio, the dark water where things growing aren’t seen so clearly. There is a kind of completion of a cycle in the 7s and this Seven is about “letting go” of rotten feelings and connections that have festered. This is a need for what I call “emotional composting” so let things rot out to fertilize future emotional growth. But like a compost pile, you must turn it, give it Sun, and make sure that it doesn’t get rancid.

In order to grow through the darkest of times, we have to stretch out and take in as much light so we can illuminate the darkness. Our emotional problems and trauma shouldn’t sit alone and in shadow collecting molds and stinking up the place. This darkness is a resource and should be utilized for your future growth. It is work and does take energy and labor but I assure your swimming out of this “undertow” (Scorpio) will be worthwhile work you will live to not regret.

Emotionally things might seem rotten, people might appear all shitty, but it’s just trying to become wonderful fertilizer for greater emotional maturity and better future relationships.

In Netzach, Venus town, where you have the realization about how this is going to change you as a person with a personality is a REAL friend of the program XIV ART, Samekh, Sagittarius.

This is the process of the actual Art of Alchemy, the taking apart, putting back together, and purifying. Duality is being dissolved and it’s being used as rocket fuel to project you outward into the Universe. The hermaphrodite alchemist takes the substances at her disposal and works them to make a purer more useful creation. The cauldron has a momento mori that symbolizes that death or real change is a key to dissolving.

You have to change yourself, burn away the bullshit. Break things apart to their various components so you can use the parts to build them again to be useful.

In Mercury Town Hod-ville, where all the Universities are and everyone has real intellectual shit going on is the 6 of Cups, Pleasure.

For reasons I call this the plumbing card. The water is not flowing freely as though it is pouring, it has been pumped through a series of tubes intricately woven together to fill the cups placed in the shape of a hexagram. Emotion and connectedness to life are intentionally being directed by unseen but invited forces. Someone who wasn’t looking closely could see nothing but knots and chaos and even wonder how the damn thing worked in the first place. Those people are squares and should be avoided at all costs.

Do what gives you pleasure that also instills clarity. Center on the best you can feel even if onlookers can’t appreciate what you’re doing connoisseurs (and you) will dig it.

On the Moon in Yesod, the receptive and reflective place that is alot about the feelings that you’re picking up from all this is a real motherfucker, V The Hierophant, Vau, Taurus.

This is being initiated into how things work in the material or normal world. This is the secrets of how things are and some of that is being revealed to you. This is a person, institution, or experience that is telling you “trade secrets” or how to do what you do better. 5s are the human or microcosmic number and Taurus reiterates this material theme. Once you find out how to improve yourself and your understanding of the world, you must now go out and actually use that skill. Knowledge is useless if it is not implemented in the knower’s life and behavior.

Get initiated into the cult of your sphere of interest. Learn how to improve what you do through being initiated in one way or another. Find what/who helps you to learn the “secrets” of how to do your thing better and then go out and do those things.

Down here in Malkuth-istan, the everyday life mundane, waking up pooping, and going to work world is the guiding light, the 3 of Wands, Virtue.

This is not a moralistic idea of Virtue, this is the idea of formulating a basic mode of action to build from. Virtue unto yourself and your Will, as in doing what you do because it’s what you do. Astrologically, this is Sol in Aries or springtime. This is the energy of the Sun close to Earth creating new growth from the stagnate winter. You can also read a message of centering on new growth in your life.

Create a basic plan like a farmer might for spring. You’re no sharecropper, this is your land so plant the fields only according to your Will.

You might as well start paying attention of emotional areas you’ve let go of, there are connections you’re not getting because you’ve forgot to focus on them so long that they’ve rusted. Good news is nothing tears that rust off like a lot of explosive fire and reckoning and having bullshit roasted away. Thing is, I know it’s bullshit because you’ve got an opportunity now to grab your shit and get going. Don’t focus on where you’re going, just be glad you’re moving around.

I’m sorry to say that the only answer with how to effect the changes you want is to keep on doing, but more powerfully, but simply. Do what works, seriously, do what makes the things happen, the things that are causing changes and results. And hey all that garbage that’s been sitting around is worth a lot if you just let it turn into what it’s supposed to be. You can’t hold this mess in your heart and order your SoLar system around it. It’s time to let it go and let it go through it’s natural cycle of decomposition.

The good news is that, the closer you get to “everyday life world” reality, the clearer, and dare I say, happier reality is getting it. That rotten shit will provide you with different elements and compounds you can “science up” and make better shit. You will grow how you wanna grow when you stop not using the fertilizer you’ve grown yourself!!! You wanna get your mind right? Focus on your own happiness by untangling the feelings around who you are and what give you real pleasure. You can learn a lot from what turns you on, not just sexually. When the student is ready the teacher will appear and more often than not, they’re the same person. You have to prepare yourself for initiation into the cult of You Doing You Better.

And my friend, the only way to do you better is to do YOU. Don’t worry about what people think about what you do, I assure you motherfuckers will talk shit no matter what. It is on you to do the simplest of action plans so that you can get started in this dimension of doing you, the best you can!

Ta Da!

Hit me up with any questions, comments, concerns or criticisms!

[so-langelo]

wishing on a dandelion

woah... it’s been quite a while since I have posted a solangelo fic, but here we are again!

hope you guys like it! 

ari xxx

Summary: 5 times Nico’s wishes didn’t come true and 1 time they did 

i.

“I wish I can fly!” Nico launched himself off of the coach, flailing his limbs and landing with an umph on his butt on the carpet. 

His mother’s delicate laugh rung through their small hotel room. Her worn hands picked him up and pulling her close to her chest. “One day, I promise passerotto.” 

Bianca looked up from the coloring book she had been working on endlessly. “Nico, we’re humans. We can’t fly. We don’t have wings like birds do.”

Nico, his childlike wonder not understanding mortal logic just yet, stuck his tongue out at his sister, and mustered his best glare. “Watch me. I’ll be the first human to fly. I’ll leave you here on the ground and take Mama with me, and we’ll live forever.” 

In the future, Nico would learn to never say things like this. To tempt the Fates so blatantly, for they will quickly strike you down. 

And they did, for while Nico’s mother’s bell chime laugh was interrupted with a thunderous string of knocks on the door. His mother adjusted him, so he would sit on her hip. She opened the door, tentative, but hen she saw the figure outside, the expressions on her face fought between surprise, fondness, and fear. 

“Maria, may I come in?” 

Years later while looking back on this memory, Nico would plead with his mother to not open the door to his father. To not talk to him, to run away with Bianca and him. He wished that his younger self did take his mother and sister away, somewhere where they can never be found and always be safe.  

But that night, Nico tempted the Fates, and for millennia they had never learned to resist.

ii. 

Bianca was dead. Nico prayed that she would come back. He trusted Percy would keep her safe and bring her back. This was his punishment for trusting him. 

Anger boiled like molten rocks in the pit of his stomach. As he ran away from camp, he left a trail of death in his wake. The grass he stepped on wilted and charred. Flowers and trees folded inwards, leaving nothing, but a shell of something that was once alive. 

He didn’t know where he was going. Anywhere away from that camp, away from Percy Jackson. Who saved his friends at the cost of his sister’s life. 

It wasn’t fair. Bianca was all he had, and she let him. To the Hunters and now for forever.

He cursed and screamed, every word that came out of his mouth was guttural and coated in rage. What did he do to deserve this?

He didn’t know how long it’s been. His throat was raw and burned. He didn’t realize when his legs gave out from beneath him and he had been on his knees. The sky was painted gray with storm filled clouds. The first drops had began to fall. Nico looked up and let the cool droplets stream on his face and mix with his tears. 

Oh, Gods, please bring her back. I wish for nothing else, but to have my sister back. 

He waited. The rain fell faster now, and transformed from a sprinkle to the pour. He waited, and nothing happened. The dirt under him melted into mud. The clouds drifted off, pushed away by the winds and the rain calmed down. The sun had retired and stars twinkled above him, mockingly. And still nothing. 

Seconds could have been years and hours could have been eons, it didn’t matter to Nico. If the Gods wouldn’t help him, he would get his sister back on his own. 

iii.

Nico cursed himself. He was being delusional. Of course, Percy Jackson would never love him back. No matter how many times he wished for Percy to smile at him like he smiled at Annabeth. No matter what he did. 

Nico felt himself sinking deeper and deeper down into his hole, and nothing could stop him. For the love of Hades’, he sent this for himself. He deserved this. 

No one can know. This was his burden, and it’s not like he had anyone to tell. 

He was tired. Of everything. Those days he could never sleep. He only drifted in and out of reality. 

Eyes the color of the sea haunted his dreams, leaving him gasping for air. His pulse quickening, and his heart still wishing. 

He doesn’t know how long he could keep going. Maybe it’ll all be over soon. 

iv. 

"I wish you would just shut up, Solace!”, Nico groaned. 

Will painted a sickly sweet smile on his face. “No can do, Death boy. Until you are deemed healthy by me, you are going to stay in the infirmary.”

“You can try, Solace, but I’ll have you know that I’m very hard to catch.” Nico almost slipped into the shadow of a tree to get away, but a hand around his wrist stopped him. 

He met startling blue eyes. He was sure Will could feel how fast his pulse was going. His mouth felt like sand paper. 

“Don’t run away, please.”

Nico kept their little staring contest going, frighteningly aware of how sweaty his palms are becoming. 

“Wasn’t going to. Just testing your reflexes, Solace.” 

He then pulled his wrist out of Will’s hand and sprinted away from him. He looked back at Will, and stuck his tongue out, like a small child. 

He heard Will laugh from behind him and the sound of him begin to chase after him. Nico was beginning to think he made a good choice in staying. 

v.

"I just want a break.”, Nico sighed. A sound that held too many burdens for a fourteen year old. 

Will Solace softly scoffed. “Yup. Tell me about it.” 

They were at a celebration at Camp Half-Blood. The end of the war and the coming together of the two camps. 

“I’ve been wishing for one since I was ten.” Nico watched as the campfire glowed and the people who danced around it, full of relief an joy. 

“Maybe now, we can.” Will looked over to him, and Nico noticed in light of the fire Will’s hair looked golden and how his freckles seemed to stand out. 

His pulse quickened. 

His heart whispered to him, and Nico shushed it. Not wanting to get his hopes up. 

“Don’t forget, three days infirmary with me, starting tomorrow.”, Will tried to send him an intimidating look, which quickly melted into a small smile. 

They sat in a comfortable silence, watching and taking it all in. 

“It’s over now.” Will’s azure eyes trailed up towards the sky.

Nico hummed in response, following Will’s gaze. The stars twinkled, but they seemed kinder tonight. As if they were thankful. For once, he let himself lay back and enjoy the view.

+

It was a familiar sight for the campers. It’s been three months since the end of the war, and almost every night Will walked Nico back to his cabin. The two had grown close over the months.

They walked side by side. Nico having to take larger steps to match Will’s stride. They were talking about something stupid. Nico noted how Will spoke with his hands a lot. How in the moonlight, Will looked like a timeless deity. He seemed to glow. The way he laughed was tantalizing. The way his cheeks darkened whenever Nico smiled at him. 

They approached his cabin, and Nico stood in the doorway facing Will. Their eyes meeting. An unspoken thing hanging between them. 

I wish he would kiss me. 

Nico’s eyes widened when he realized what he just said out loud. Will’s face darkening in at least 20 shades. Before Nico could apologize and take it back, Will leaned in and granted his wish. 

After everything, after all the suffering and all the ups and downs, Nico di Angelo finally got what he deserved.

passerotto- a term of endearment in Italian that means “little sparrow” and it’s an affectionate metaphor for someone who is learning to fly

tHANK YOU FOR READING!!!!! 

I loved writing this and thank you for all those people who leave comments here and on my ao3 fics UGHH I love you guys so damn much thank you! this blog is going to be 1 year old on the 12th and thank you so much for all the growth and all the support from you guys UMM I can’t believe IM ALMOST AT 3K WHAT?????!!!!!!!!! THIS IS ABSOUTELY INSANE FNLDSKJDSNJSJJNCSNSKJCJSKCSJCNSCKSCJSCKJNS

thank you for everything! hope you liked it!

ari xxx

bnha blog @a-mite

ao3 aritza

[callunavulgari]

“In the past I lay out on the land Stretched my legs felt my chest expand If we could flow together someday Then we will float away”

Heather’s Top 25 50 Songs of 2018!

guts — alex winston // sweet dreams — mark hadley // africa — toto // go to war — nothing more // smallest light — ingrid michaelson // my friends — oh wonder // knocking on heaven’s door — raign // rememberance — balmorhea // hazy shade of winter — hidden citizens // time after time — joseph william morgan // live in the moment — portugal. the man // killmonger — ludwig goransson // daddy issues — the neighbourhood // no roots — alice merton // run for your life — k.flay // play with fire — sam tinnesz // the sailor song — autoheart // warrior — steve james // IV. sweatpants — childish gambino // hello — via audio // daddy — emeli sande // paradise valley — honey and the sting // attila the king — nick glennie-smith // foolish — lauren shippen // experience — ludovico einaudi // singing in the rain — through juniper vale //  hello stranger — barbara lewis // end credits suite — nicholas britell // ahead by a century — the tragically hip // achilles come down — gang of youths // without you — leslie odom jr. // natural — imagine dragons // sky full of song — florence & the machine // broken people — logic & rag’n’bone man // flesh and bone — black math // nina cried power— hozier // kol nidrey — the yuval ron ensemble //  stronger — the score // rise like a phoenix — conchita wurst // heroes — mans zelmerlow // cut to the feeling — carly rae jepson // the greatest show — hugh jackman // the plains/bitter dancer — fleet foxes // always starting over — idina menzel // if i could turn back time — cher // new rules — dua lipa // fernando — cher // it’s quiet uptown — kelly clarkson // movement — hozier // seasons of love — rent cast

short version | long version

so, fun fact. if you start a playlist in january and add a song every time you really love it or find yourself listening to it a lot, by december you find yourself with... a very, very large playlist. 261 songs, 17 hours and 17 minutes large to be precise. which hey, last year the mix was 262 so that’s a pretty spot on average.

i sort of prefer the long one, but i mean, hey. there’s large playlists, and then there’s listing all 261 songs. so i broke it down into a moderately more digestible abridged version with only 50 songs. if you want the original playlist, the link is there. have fun. til then though, here’s my 50 most played.

i. guts || alex winston i know you're a liar, throw me into the fire man i should have known, i should have known god damn you're a liar, threw me into the fire

This song is one of those where the catchy jingle sort of hides that the meat of it is relatively dark. It’s a gorgeous song, one that I listened to for most of January, and off and on throughout the rest of the year. Alex Winston’s voice is like a dream. ii. sweet dreams || mark hadley ft. dresage Hold your head up Keep your head up, movin' on

This song I actually listened to a lot at the tale end of 2017, because it was released as part of the Wrinkle In Time trailer and it was absolutely gorgeous. This year, I found it on a Stranger Things fanvid and it’s been on my Stranger Things mix ever since.

iii. africa || toto I hear the drums echoing tonight But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation She's coming in, 12:30 flight The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation

Speaking of songs that are on my Stranger Things playlist... I’m kind of at a loss as to why this got so freaking popular this year. I mean, it is a truly dope song and I’m super fond of it but like. Was it Stranger Things? Did it just become that anthem of the year? For me, it was that I wrote fanfiction to it and also we played it on loop while we were playing beer liquor pong on vacation. It was... super surreal. iv. go to war || nothing more Hush, my baby, make no sound Maybe we can wait each other out It's a cold war Let's go to war So, this song I actually heard driving home from my friend Alex’s after marathoning a few episodes of The Flash and it just hit me super hard. I mean, it’s a great song for my kind of ships, but also, it’s just a great song. v. smallest light || ingrid michaelson Just because you don't see us Doesn't mean that we don't exist Sometimes the smallest light Shines so bright I think I originally found this song on the Watercast playlist on spotify? And I really liked it, because I like most of the songs on that playlist, but like. I was driving to work one day and like, just got hit with the biggest plot bunny for Will and El as siblings. And like, I just had that bunny and this song percolating in my head for the rest of the day, and the song just kind of stuck with me. This song is Will and El’s anthem. vi. my friends || oh wonder Can I beat within your heart? Can I bleed within your love? Oh my friends

Okay, so like show of hands- who here has read We Were Liars? This is a mostly hypothetical question because I’m not sure anyone actually pays attention to these anymore but I like them, so fuck it. Point is, I was listening to the watercast playlist a lot while reading that book and this song was playing when we made certain discoveries that most of us had already guessed, and it made me cry. vii. knocking on heaven’s door || raign It's gettin' dark, too dark to see I feel I'm knockin' on heaven's door

This fanvid happened around the time I was writing that Will and El as siblings fic and I basically played it and the video that inspired the next song on the list on repeat until I finished. This cover is lovely and haunting and just, such a freaking earworm.

viii. remembrance || balmorhea instrumental Yeah, this is the video. I actually used this song in a fanvid of my own a couple years ago, when I got to make a fanvid for @iki-teru​‘s fantastic Yuffie-centric fic All Through the Circling Years which... I can no longer find, so maybe it was taken down? Either way, I loved the song immensely before, but that fanvid with Hopper is so fucking tragic and beautiful. ix. hazy shade of winter || hidden citizens Seasons change with the scenery Weaving time in a tapestry Won't you stop and remember me

There... are a lot of songs on here that are also on my Stranger Things playlist. And I’m a sucker for haunting covers. x. time after time || joseph william morgan If you fall I will catch you, I will be waiting Time after time This is the last of the Stranger Things songs. Well, at least the last of the ones that aren’t Harringrove related. Another fanvid that caught me off guard, because just. Damn. There are so many beautiful fanvids for this fandom, it kills me dead. xi. live in the moment || portugal. the man Come back Sunday morning With that soul to sell When you're gone Goodbye, so long, farewell Not 100% sure where I first heard this one, but it stayed with me for a good portion of the spring and summer. I discovered their song feel it still around this time last year too, so clearly they’re just a real good jam for when you want to feel the sun on your back. xii. killmonger || ludwig goransson instrumental

There are a couple songs from the Black Panther soundtrack on the longer version of this mix, three from the score and one, maybe two from the credits. I freaking loved that movie so damn much, but it’s soundtrack blew my goddamn mind. It is literally all I listened to for weeks, and this song in particular fucked me right the hell up. Just listen to the flutes and the bass. Just, damn. Killmonger, you’ve got the best theme in the entire movie. xiii. daddy issues || the neighbourhood I'd do whatever I could do I'd run away and hide with you I love that you got daddy issues And I do too And heeeere it is. This was the first song that I associated with Harringrove for uh, very obvious reasons. Definitely had this and a few others on repeat whenever I had to write sexy scenes for the boys. xiv. no roots || alice merton I like digging holes and hiding things inside them When I'll grow old, I hope I won't forget to find them 'Cause I've got memories and travel like gypsies in the night

This song hits the same part of me that fell absolutely in love with Guts when I first heard it. Alice Merton’s voice is just fantastic. xv. run for your life || k.flay Bite off the venomous head Follow the chemical scent Look for the hole in the fence Take everything you demand

I got to see K.Flay in concert sometime late last year, and even though I didn’t know her very well (I told my friend that I’d see K.Flay with him if he saw Glass Animals with me) her music was sweet enough that I could appreciate the concert even knowing none of the songs. Let me tell you though, I fucking wish she’d played this song then because holy fuck. xvi. play with fire || sam tinnesz Insane, inside the danger gets me high Can't help myself got secrets I can't tell I love the smell of gasoline I light the match to taste the heat Kuroshitsuji is something I haven’t really thought about in like half a decade. And then I ended up seeing this vid while I was waiting for my connecting plane to arrive so I could go see my family. I only saw the damn thing because it was made by the same person who did this one, which I hunted down because I was reading Yuri On Ice fic on the plane and the point is: pingvi is amazing and all of their vids are a goddamn delight. xvii. the sailor song || autoheart I was your sailor, your demon Your lover, your overbearing best friend Hoping for some attention

So, while I was down visiting my family sometime during the spring, I had a brief dizzying spiral where I fell head over face into the Pacific Rim fandom, because Uprising quite emphatically fucked me up. Anyway, because of this I spent the night after I saw it scrolling through fanart and reading half a decade old fanfiction while my brother was trying to make me pay attention to him. And yeah, that’s how I found this art and listened to this song for like the rest of the fucking year. xviii. warrior || steve james I got my head high, my chest out, my eyes open wide I got no fear, got no doubt and, god, I feel alive I'm not stopping for ya, I'm a fucking warrior

My brother showed me a bunch of fanvids on my first day down there, but my favorite was this one, because I’d recently watched Little Witch Academia and this was so freaking cute and all kinds of lovely. xix. iv. sweatpants || childish gambino Rich kid, asshole: paint me as a villain

Another thing that happened to me that week was the discovery of lipgallagher’s fantastic harringrove fic (shoot the lights out, hide) till its bright out. Which is all kinds of great and lead me to this song and the realization that Donald Glover does music? xx. hello || via audio How could it be Someone could find me Too scary to say hello to This was one of the songs on Damien’s fanmix from The Bright Sessions. And because The Bright Sessions suckerpunched me with feelings, I spent like a month straight listening to that mix and getting into that garbage man’s headspace. It was wonderful. xxi. daddy || emeli sande He's out your system yeah it took you a while You got your family back and you got your smile And you promised your sister that you'd never go back again I spent the better half of this year shipping Harringrove and Mark/Damien, which are both ships that are... well, not exactly the healthiest of relationships. Mark/Damien fucking ruined me. Listening to the last bit of The Bright Sessions was basically physically painful because like, okay. Logically I know that Damien is a garbage person. But also, he’s got a shitty power that would lead to some pretty interesting moral dilemmas even if you were a normal nice person (cough cough Mark), and like. They’re both so fucked up and Damien is so in love with Mark even if he’s not entirely sure how to be a fucking person and I have never had a pairing come after me as hard as this one did. Like it really came after me. Anyway, this was my true Damien/Mark anthem, because it’s fucking perfect and awful and fantastic and I just want them back in my life, guys.

xxii. paradise valley || honey and the sting In the past I lay out on the land Stretched my legs felt my chest expand If we could flow together someday Then we will float away

This here is my most played track of 2018. I first heard it during the special two hour episode of Wolf 359 and the whole end of that episode just blew my mind. So I immediately went to spotify, found it, and have basically listened to it all year since then. It helps that Nick loves it too, so every once in a while he’ll be playing it, which reminds me why I love it and just. It’s so soulful and beautiful.

xxiii. attila the king || nick glennie-smith instrumental

Yeah, I literally have no idea how this made it to the top 50 much less the top five, but apparently it did. It is really good writing music, but still.

xxiv. foolish || lauren shippen The impossible happens every day No matter what you do it won’t go away Don’t ask for more But then what are you waiting for

This was my year for podcasts - in one year I fell in love with Wolf 359, The Bright Sessions, and EOS 10 all over again when it came back for its third season. Near the end of the series though, The Bright Sessions did a musical episode! I listened to it in my car on my way to work and basically spent the entire freaking time smiling like an idiot. Truly my favorite episode. xxv. experience || ludovico einaudi instrumental

The Sense8 finale came out in June and it was absolutely wonderful. This song was playing during the last scene of the series and I fucking cried my eyes out. The song itself is fucking gorgeous, but what’s more is it made that last scene so much more than it would have been if they’d chosen any other song. It truly was, and forgive the corniness, a fucking experience. xxvi. singing in the rain || through juniper I'm singin' in the rain Just singin' in the rain What a glorious feeling I'm happy again I went through a phase in June-July where I checked out a bunch of old movies from the library. The first one was Philadelphia, because it was mentioned in the musical episode of The Bright Sessions and I just really wanted to watch it? But I also picked up Singing In The Rain, because I’d never seen it before and just, damn. I watched it before work and it was raining that day and the drive to work was the most fun because I just listened to different covers of the song and sang my heart out, and I was just so damn happy. It was dumb, and nice, and it probably going to be one of my happiest memories that I take with me into the new year. xxvii. hello stranger || barbara lewis Hello, stranger (ooh) It seems so good to see you back again How long has it been? (ooh, seems like a mighty long time)

I also watched Moonlight sometime in late June. It was one of those quiet nights where nothing really seems good enough, where you feel just a little bit empty inside and nothing is helping. So I watched the movie and read @notbecauseofvictories​‘s A Cornstalk Fiddle on my back porch afterwards and the movie combined with the fic and the music turned that quiet empty night into something just as quiet, but a million times more full. Another good memory from 2018 that’ll stay with me for awhile.

xxviii. end credits suite | nicholas britell instrumental From the end credits of Moonlight - I played both this and Hello Stranger on repeat while I finished up the fic I mentioned above.

xxix. ahead by a century | the tragically hip No dress rehearsal This is our life

I watched Anne With An E. I was sad a lot at the time, and got to a part early on in the second season that kind of lead me into an uncomfortable headspace so I actually still haven’t finished it? But it was really nice for awhile, and I hope to go back and finish it sometime.

xxx. achilles come down | gang of youths Just humour us, Achilles, Achilles, come down Won’t you get up off, get up off the roof?

I’m not 100% sure where I found this song either? My gut reaction is that it was a song I found while I was reading either The Cruel Prince or The Goblin Emperor, but I’m not sure. Good song, though.

xxxi. without you | leslie odom jr. The earth turns The sun burns But I die Without you

Oh man, I found this cover one night while I was reading, and like, I was reading, so at first I didn’t really process what I was hearing, just that it was familiar and that I liked it. And then my brain connected the dots and I looked up and saw that it was a cover by Leslie Odom Jr and immediately restarted the song and just listened.

xxxii. natural | imagine dragons Deep inside me, I'm fading to black, I'm fading Took an oath by the blood of my hand, won't break it I can taste it, the end is upon us, I swear Yeah. I like Imagine Dragons. Honestly though - this one might not have made the cut if I hadn’t heard it a few months later on an EOS 10 playlist.

xxxiii. sky full of song | florence & the machine Grab me by my ankles I've been flying for too long I couldn't hide from the thunder In the sky full of song So, a while back there was that video going around where Florence literally sang this song while a storm started up around her, and like, that was the first time I heard this song? That was the first I heard that she even came out with a new album, so I basically sat down and listened to the whole thing, but this one was still my favorite.

xxxiv. broken people | logic & rag’n’bone man Broken we ain't beaten There's no glory in defeat We won't fall into the cracks between our streets

I uh, may have watched a couple fanvids after Infinity War. This was one of them.

xxxv. flesh and bone | black math Break the truth inside of me Climbed down to hell on the devil’s tree I clutched a branch of soot and flame The thought that rose, to scorch my feet

I walk alone Beside myself Nowhere to go

This was another.

xxxvi. nina cried power | hozier It's not the song, it is the singin' It's the heaven of the human spirit ringin' It is the bringin' of the line It is the bearin' of the lie It's not the wakin', it's the risin'

So last year Take Me To Church made it to my Top 38 or whatever I had it narrowed down to, mostly because I went through a Les Mis phase. But I kind of joked on that post last year about Hozier releasing an album next year and how unlikely it was, and lo, here we have it. Maybe not a full length album, but five new beautiful songs.

xxxvii. kol nidrey | the yuval ron ensemble Nidrana lo nidrei, V'essarana lo essarei Ush'vuatana lo shevuot. Maggie Stiefvater posted this song to her blog a couple months ago and I was really fond of it. It’s incredibly beautiful.

xxxviii. stronger | the score I do this with conviction I write truths and never fiction My disease is what you fed I can't stop with my ambition

Oh look, another Marvel fanvid.

xxxix. rise like a phoenix || conchita wurst I rise up to the sky You threw me down but I'm gonna fly So honestly, basically the rest of the mix are songs from Ryan’s OR mix which is an official EOS 10 playlist. It’s phenomenal, and I basically spent all of October and some of November getting stuck on various songs in the mix. xl. heroes || mars zelmerlow Don't tell the gods I left a mess I can't undo what has been done Let's run for cover

Yup. Giving me feels and also super catchy.

xli. cut to the feeling | carly rae jepson Ah, I wanna cut through the clouds, break the ceiling I wanna dance on the roof, you and me alone I wanna cut to the feeling, oh yeah Okay, but like - why did nobody tell me that Carly Rae Jepson had other songs and they were super fucking catchy? I spent the last few days of being a waitress driving to work blaring this and the last two songs and it did fucking wonders for my mood.

xlii. the greatest show | hugh jackman Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for (woah) Been searching in the dark, your sweat soaking through the floor (woah) And buried in your bones there's an ache that you can't ignore Taking your breath, stealing your mind And all that was real is left behind

Breaking news, The Greatest Showman was amazing and I cried. I fucking missed hearing Hugh Jackman sing, and like the fucking lead up, of starting the movie with this song and then ENDING it with this song, with that performance, with those fucking lines (this is the moment you’ve waited for) - was so goddamn energizing. I just could not fucking deal.

xliii. the plains/bitter dancer | fleet foxes I should have known one day you would come All of us walk so blind in the sun Midnight feeder, beggar pleader

Okay, okay. So there's this playlist called Wet Black Leaves that I listened to a lot when I started my new job, throughout rainy October and November, everything was just a little too wet and a little too cold, and this whole mix is so atmospheric and gorgeous. I absolutely adore it.

xliv. always starting over | idina menzel Am I always Starting over? In a brand new story Am I always Back at one After all I've done?

The finale of Wolf 359 fucked everyone up, right? Yeah, obviously. Okay, well the final episode of season 3 of EOS 10 also fucked me right the hell up. Like we’re talking messy crying in the car on the way to your like second or third day at the new job. Anyway, I kind of spiraled and then I went back and listened to Ryan’s mix and found this song and just wanted to kick my heart around for awhile.

xlv. if i could turn back time | cher If I could reach the stars I'd give 'em all to you Then you'd love me, love me, like you used to do If I could turn back time MESSY CRYING. But like, I also really like this song. So MESSY CRYING and also screaming all these words as loudly as I can within the relatively safe confines of my car. I guarantee you that people next to me at stop lights thought that I’d gone through a messy breakup.

xlvi. new rules | dua lipa Three: Don't be his friend You know you're gonna wake up in his bed in the morning And if you're under him, you ain't gettin' over him Okay, but also some of the Ryan songs were catchy in a not heart breaking way, unless you think about the untold story of what exactly went on between Ryan and Akmazian and fill in the blanks and break your own heart.

xlvii. fernando | cher There was something in the air that night The stars were bright, Fernando They were shining there for you and me

Cher did an entire cover album of Abba songs in like, late October, I think? And like, my little gay heart fucking exploded and I listened to Cher singing ABBA songs for like three whole weeks and it was fucking fantastic. This... was actually not my favorite of the bunch until I went into a Barnes and Noble to pick up a copy of The Wise Man’s Fear and had a completely transformative experience when I heard it playing softly over the stacks.

xlviii. it’s quiet uptown | kelly clarkson If I could spare his life If I could trade his life for mine He’d be standing here right now And you would smile, and that would be enough

And after a brief detour into delightful cher/abba combinations we’re back to tragic EOS 10 songs. Additionally, I’m sick of Hamilton songs fucking me up. I get to see it in person in 2019 and I’m going to make a fool of myself when I cry my eyes out in front of Nick and our friends.

xlix. movement | hozier So move me, baby Shake like the bough of a willow tree You do it naturally

And just when I thought we were just going to get the four songs out of Hozier in 2018, we got this gem, which I think I like more than all the others.

l. seasons of love | rent cast Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes How do you measure the life Of a woman or a man?

I will never be over this song. I will never be over this musical. Merry Christmas, guys.

[justbeingnamaste]

Newly Discovered 1964 MLK Speech on Civil Rights, Segregation & Apartheid South Africa !

REV. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.: I want to talk with you mainly about our struggle in the United States and, before taking my seat, talk about some of the larger struggles in the whole world and some of the more difficult struggles in places like South Africa. But there is a desperate, poignant question on the lips of people all over our country and all over the world. I get it almost everywhere I go and almost every press conference. It is a question of whether we are making any real progress in the struggle to make racial justice a reality in the United States of America. And whenever I seek to answer that question, on the one hand, I seek to avoid an undue pessimism; on the other hand, I seek to avoid a superficial optimism. And I try to incorporate or develop what I consider a realistic position, by admitting on the one hand that we have made many significant strides over the last few years in the struggle for racial justice, but by admitting that before the problem is solved we still have numerous things to do and many challenges to meet. And it is this realistic position that I would like to use as a basis for our thinking together tonight as we think about the problem in the United States. We have come a long, long way, but we have a long, long way to go before the problem is solved.

Now let us notice first that we’ve come a long, long way. And I would like to say at this point that the Negro himself has come a long, long way in re-evaluating his own intrinsic worth. Now, in order to illustrate this, a little history is necessary. It was in the year 1619 when the first Negro slaves landed on the shores of America. And they were brought there from the soils of Africa. Unlike the pilgrim fathers who landed at Plymouth a year later, they were brought there against their wills. And throughout slavery, the Negro was treated in a very inhuman fashion. He was a thing to be used, not a person to be respected. The United States Supreme Court rendered a decision in 1857 known as the Dred Scott decision, which well illustrated this whole idea and which well illustrated what existed at that time, for in this decision the Supreme Court of the United States said, in substance, that the Negro is not a citizen of the United States, he is merely property subject to the dictates of his owner. And it went on to say that the Negro has no rights that the white man is bound to respect. This was the idea that prevailed during the days of slavery.

With the growth of slavery, it became necessary to give some justification for it. You know, it seems to be a fact of life that human beings cannot continue to do wrong without eventually reaching out for some thin rationalization to clothe an obvious wrong in the beautiful garments of righteousness. And this is exactly what happened during the days of slavery. There were those who even misused the Bible and religion to give some justification for slavery and to crystallize the patterns of the status quo. And so it was argued from some pulpits that the Negro was inferior by nature because of Noah’s curse upon the children of Ham. Then, the apostle Paul’s dictum became a watchword: “Servants be obedient to your master.” And one brother had probably read the logic of the great philosopher Aristotle. You know, Aristotle did a great deal to bring into being what we now know as formal logic in philosophy. And in formal logic, there is a big word known as the syllogism, which has a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion. And so, this brother decided to put his argument for the inferiority of the Negro in the framework of an Aristotelian syllogism. He could say all men are made in the image of God—this was a major premise. Then came the minor premise: God, as everybody knows, is not a Negro, therefore the Negro is not a man. This was the kind of reasoning that prevailed.

While living with the conditions of slavery and then, later, segregation, many Negroes lost faith in themselves. Many came to feel that perhaps they were less than human. Many came to feel that they were inferior. This, it seems to me, is the greatest tragedy of slavery, the greatest tragedy of segregation, not merely what it does to the individual physically, but what it does to one psychologically. It scars the soul of the segregated as well as the segregator. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority, while leaving the segregated with a false sense of inferiority. And this is exactly what happened.

Then something happened to the Negro, and circumstances made it possible and necessary for him to travel more—the coming of the automobile, the upheavals of two world wars, the Great Depression. And so his rural plantation background gradually gave way to urban industrial life. His economic life was gradually rising through the growth of industry, the development of organized labor and expanded educational opportunities. And even his cultural life was gradually rising through the steady decline of crippling illiteracy. All of these forces conjoined to cause the Negro in America to take a new look at himself. Negro masses all over began to re-evaluate themselves.

And then something else happened, along with all of this: The Negro in the United States turned his eyes and his mind to Africa, and he noticed the magnificent drama of independence taking place on the stage of African history. And noticing the developments and noticing what was happening and noticing what was being done on the part of his black brothers and sisters in Africa gave him a new sense of dignity in the United States and a new sense of self-respect. The Negro came to feel that he was somebody. His religion revealed to him that God loves all of his children and that all men are made in his image, and that the basic thing about a man is not his specificity, but his fundamentum, not the texture of his hair or the color of his skin, but his eternal dignity and worth.

And so the Negro in America could now cry out unconsciously with the eloquent poet, “Fleecy locks, and black complexion cannot forfeit nature’s claim; Skin may differ, but affection dwells in black and white the same,” and, “Were I so tall as to reach the pole, or to grasp the ocean at a span, I must be measured by my soul; the mind is the standard of the man.” And with this new sense of dignity and this new sense of self-respect, a new Negro came into being with a new determination to suffer, to struggle, to sacrifice, and even to die, if necessary, in order to be free. And this reveals that we have come a long, long way since 1619.

But if we are to be true to the facts, it is necessary to say that not only has the Negro re-evaluated his own intrinsic worth, the whole nation has come a long, long way in extending the frontiers of civil rights. I would like to mention just a few things that have happened in our country which reveal this. Fifty years ago, or even 25 years ago, a year hardly passed when numerous Negroes were not brutally lynched by some vicious mob. Fortunately, lynchings have about ceased today. If one would go back to the turn of the century, you would find that in the Southern part of the United States you had very few Negroes registered to vote. By 1948, that number had leaped to about 750,000; 1960, it had leaped to 1,200,000. And when we went into the presidential election just a few weeks ago, that number had leaped to more than two million. We went into that election with more than two million Negroes registered to vote in the South, which meant that we in the civil rights movement, by working hard, have been able to add more than 800,000 new Negroes as registered voters in the last three years. This reveals that we have made strides.

Then, when we look at the question of economic justice, there’s much to do, but we can at least say that some strides have been made. The average Negro wage earner who is employed today in the United States earns 10 times more than the average Negro wage earner of 12 years ago. And the national income of the Negro is now at a little better than $28 billion a year, which is all—more than all of the exports of the United States and more than the national budget of Canada. This reveals that we have made some strides in this area.

But probably more than anything else—and you’ve read about it so much here and all over the world, I’m sure—we have noticed a gradual decline, and even demise, of the system of racial segregation. Now, the legal history of racial segregation had its beginning in 1896. Many people feel that racial segregation has been a reality in the United States a long, long time, but the fact is that this was a rather recent phenomenon in our country, just a little better than 60 years old. And it had its legal beginning with a decision known as the Plessy v. Ferguson decision, which said, in substance, that separate but equal facilities could exist, and it made the doctrine of separate but equal the law of the land. We all know what happened as a result of the old Plessy doctrine: There was always the strict enforcement of the separate, without the slightest intention to abide by the equal. And the Negro ended up being plunged into the abyss of exploitation, where he experienced the bleakness of nagging injustice.

And then something marvelous happened. The Supreme Court of our nation in 1954 examined the legal body of segregation, and on May 17th of that year pronounced it constitutionally dead. It said, in substance, that the old Plessy doctrine must go, that separate facilities are inherently unequal, and that the segregated child on the basis of his race is to deny that child equal protection of the law. And so, we’ve seen many changes since that momentous decision was rendered in 1954, that came as a great beacon light of hope into millions of disinherited people all over our nation.

Then something else happened, which brought joy to all of our hearts. It happened this year. It was last year, after the struggle in Birmingham, Alabama, that the late President Kennedy came to realize that there was a basic issue that our country had to grapple with. With a sense of concern and a sense of immediacy, he made a great speech, a few days before—rather, it was really on the same day that the University of Alabama was to be integrated, and Governor Wallace stood in the door and tried to block that integration. Mr. Kennedy had to have the National Guard federalized. He stood before the nation and said in eloquent terms the problem which we face in the area of civil rights is not merely a political issue, it is not merely an economic issue, it is, at bottom, a moral issue. It is as old as the scriptures and as modern as the Constitution. It is a question of whether we will treat our Negro brothers as we ourselves would like to be treated.

And on the heels of that great speech, he went in, recommended to the Congress of our nation the most comprehensive civil rights bill ever recommended by any president of our great nation. Unfortunately, after many months of battle, and for a period we got a little tired of that—you know, there are some men in our country who like to talk a lot. Maybe you read about the filibuster. And you know they get bogged down in the paralysis of analysis, and they will just go on and on and on. And they wanted to talk that bill to death.

But President Lyndon Johnson got to work. He started calling congressmen and senators in and started meeting day in and day out with influential people in the country and making it clear that that bill had to pass, as a tribute to the late President Kennedy, but also as a tribute to the greatness of the country and as an expression of its dedication to the American dream. And it was that great day last summer that that bill came into being, and it was on July 2nd that Mr. Johnson signed that bill and it became the law of the land.

And so, in America now, we have a civil rights bill. And I’m happy to report to you that, by and large, that bill is being implemented in communities all across the South. We have seen some surprising levels of compliance, even in some communities in the state of Mississippi. And whenever you can find anything right in Mississippi, things are getting better.

Source ~ Gratitude Amy Goodman ~ Democracy Now !

https://www.democracynow.org/2018/1/15/newly_discovered_1964_mlk_speech_on?utm_content=bufferffa83&utm_medium=social&utm_source=plus.google.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[sushigirlali]

Finding You - Part VIII (Reylo Fanfic)

Part I - Part II - Part III - Part IV - Part V - Part VI - Part VII - Part VIII - Part IX

Summary: Unseen forces move against Kylo Ren from within the First Order as he struggles to unravel Snoke’s deceptions / Rey must balance her relationship with Ben Solo and her dedication to the cause that opposes him / Leia Organa makes a desperate plea to an old friend in a last ditch effort to restore the Resistance. Pairing: Rey x Kylo Ren/Ben Solo [Reylo] [ReyBen] Continuity: Set directly after Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi ends. Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or anything that relates to Star Wars. 

A/N: Hello again, friends! I'm not sure how often I'll be updating due to some deadlines at work, but I have a few more chapters outlined and wanted to get this one to you in the meantime. The next two chapters will be paired with the song Supernatural by Kesha from the Warrior album. You can find me on FanFiction.net and AO3 as sushigirlali as well. Enjoy!

Finding You - Part VIII By: sushigirlali

Baby when we're touching in the dark, can you feel it? I can hear the pounding of my heart, can you feel it? When you take my body to the stars, I believe it Boy this love is supernatural, can you feel it?

Rey held her breath as the Millennium Falcon made its final approach toward Naboo's planetary shield gate. She hoped that Lando's contact had come through, or else this trip was about to come to an abrupt end. Stationed behind the topside quad laser cannon, Rey could only look up into open space while she waited for news.

After what seemed like an eternity, she let out a relived sigh as Lando informed them that the massive gate was retracting, creating an opening big enough for their ships to pass through.

"We're heading in." Lando said over the headset. "Commander, protect our flank."

"On it, General." Poe answered.

"Rey, Ben, stay frosty." Lando instructed.

They responded in the affirmative, checking and rechecking their loadouts and scopes. If the Falcon were to be attacked, the quad laser cannons on the top and bottom of the ship would be their first line of defense.

"How does it look from your position?" Rey asked Ben through their bond.

"Visual is clear. I don't sense anything, either. How about you?" He replied.

"Nothing." She confirmed. "I know I shouldn't be looking for a disturbance in the Force, but…"

"We'll get her." Ben said reassuringly. "Let's just try to focus on one thing at a time."

"She almost killed you." Rey said angrily. "That makes her my top priority."

Ben chuckled. "I love you."

"I know." Rey said smugly.

They passed through the gate with little fanfare, and proceeded to the surface of Naboo. With nothing on the scope as they entered the atmosphere, it appeared that they had succeeded in slipping onto the planet undetected.

"We're clear to land, you guys can come down if you want." Lando encouraged.

Rey excitedly scrambled down the shaft leading back into the main interior of the Falcon, passing a bemused Ben on the way. She rushed into the cockpit, watching in amazement as the lush planet came into focus. Miles and miles of green grass and rolling hills covered in wildflowers stretched before her, and the majestic mountains were bisected by beautiful seas and lakes, all the same magnificent shade of sapphire.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Ben said, coming up behind her.

"The most magnificent planet I've ever seen." Rey said in awe. "Have you ever been here before?"

"Only in my dreams." Ben replied softly in her mind.

Before she could inquire about that mysterious statement, Lando turned to look at them.

"The Naberries have a family estate in a mountain village outside the capital city of Theed." Lando said, bringing them up to speed. "The village is a small, close-knit community, so we should be safe there."

"But I thought these people had money. Why keep a homestead in such an isolated place?" Finn asked, poking his head into the cockpit.

"When I last spoke to Pooja, she told me that the family had retained the property all these years in case the planet was ever occupied again, and they needed a place to hide." Leia explained.

"That makes sense." Ben said. "Although it's not widely known that my grandmother's family is related to the Skywalker line, it wouldn't be difficult to piece together."

"Exactly." Leia agreed. "Being associated with my birth father's name can be dangerous."

"That's why you never took the Skywalker surname." Ben realized for the first time. "Not because you were trying to hide my heritage from me, but because you were trying to protect me."

"Of course, sweetheart." Leia said gently. "We can talk about this more later, if you'd like. We're almost on the ground."

"Oh, uh, sure." Ben coughed, realizing that the entire team was listening to their personal conversation.

"It's okay, they understand." Rey said kindly. "Most of us would kill to know more about our families, if given the chance."

"I know." Ben said sadly, thinking of his friends. Rey and Finn and Rose had lost a lot, too.

"We'll be landing in a few minutes." Lando said smoothly, interrupting his thoughts. "You three head back to the lounge and buckle up. Keep your headsets on."

Rey, Ben, and Finn did as he asked, taking seats with Rose at the Dejarik table and strapping in. A short time later, Lando and Chewy put the Falcon down gracefully in a small clearing surrounded by massive trees on all sides. The canopy was so thick that the anyone passing overhead would have a hard time spotting the famous ship.

"All clear here. Poe?" Lando said.

"Clear." Poe responded. "No hostiles in sight."

"Alright, let's get off this hunk of junk and head to the estate. It'll be dark soon, and we have some ways to walk." Lando directed.

Come, take me by the hand Wanna cross the line, baby go ahead Till the morning light, watch my silhouette 'Cause you know tonight, we're gonna wake the dead

The Naberrie estate was beautiful, but modest for a family of such wealth and influence. The large manor house sat in the shadow of a verdant mountain, three stories tall with numerous arches fronting a wraparound porch. The façade was covered with large picture windows, embroidered with swirling wrought iron frames.

The terracotta colored walls were set against a dark brown barrel tile roof, which slanted over a second story balcony artfully covered in vines. A bubbling fountain sat in front of the house in the middle of a rectangular garden, surrounded by fruit trees and a colorful array of cultivated flowers.

Rey sighed blissfully, tightening her hand in Ben's to get his attention.

"It must have been lovely to grow up here." She said wistfully.

"I imagine so." Ben replied. "My mother and uncle should have been born here, but fate intervened. I wonder if my parents would've brought me here someday, if things had been…different."

"I'm sorry, Ben." Rey said apologetically. "I didn't mean to be insensitive."

"Not at all." He said warmly. "I just mean that Naboo would be a great place to raise a family."

Rey stopped walking and stared up at him, blushing.

"Do you really think so?" She said hopefully.

"I do." Ben said, smiling a little self-consciously.

Rey beamed up at him, her eyes glassy.

"Does he think what?" Lando asked from a few feet away.

"Nothing!" Rey and Ben said together in a high-pitched denial, turning back toward their amused compatriots.

"Doesn't look like nothing." Lando teased.

"We're having a private conversation." Ben said defensively. "It's none of your business!"

"But you barely said anything!" Lando shook his head. "I swear, it's like you two can read each other's minds sometimes."

"That's because they can read each other's minds." Finn informed him.

"Even across great distances!" Rose said cheerfully. "It's so romantic."

"And really annoying when you're trying to get them to pay attention during briefings." Poe added playfully.

"No kidding!" Lando laughed. "You Jedi are always full of surprises. How does—"

But Lando was interrupted as the enormous oak front door suddenly opened and a light-haired woman rushed out.

"Pooja!" Leia called happily as her cousin hurried to her with open arms.

"Leia!" Pooja Naberrie cried in return.

Lando winked at Rey and Ben as the women embraced, letting them off the hook for now, and moved to join the former senators to introduce himself. Finn, Rose, and Poe waited close by, still chuckling.

"When do you want to tell them?" Ben asked, taking her hand again as they walked toward his relatives.

"About our engagement, you mean?" Rey smiled sweetly at him. "As soon as you'd like."

"Today then?" Ben inquired, tensing.

Rey felt the change in him and looked up quizzically. "Did you think I wanted to hide it?"

"Well, it's been three days and you haven't told anyone, not even Finn, so I just thought…maybe you didn't want to yet?" Ben probed hesitantly.

"Ben." Rey said in exasperation. "I'm sorry I've been distracted, but of course I want to tell our friends. I want to tell everyone!"

Ben caressed her cheek, giving her a heart-stopping smile. "I love you."

"Well, in that case…!"

Rey stepped up next to Leia, dragging Ben along with her.

"Hi, I'm Rey!" She directed at Pooja. "And this is my fiancé, Ben."

"Ben? Leia's Ben? Ben Solo?" Pooja stuttered while Leia and Lando looked on in shock.

"One in the same." Rey confirmed, a little worried about the older woman's reaction.

But as Pooja's mouth split into a wide smile, Rey realized that everything was going to be okay.

"I'm so pleased to meet you both! I had heard that you were lost to us, Ben, like my aunt's husband once was. But look at you now! And with such a lovely fiancé!" Pooja grinned at Rey, who blushed under her intense scrutiny.

"Hold on!" Leia exclaimed, recovering her voice. She looked from her son to Rey and back again. "You're engaged?!"

"We are." Ben admitted. "I asked Rey a few days ago."

"I'm sorry that we didn't tell you sooner." Rey added ruefully. "And that I kind of just blurted it out."

"It's been a crazy couple of days." Ben defended his lady. "We were going to tell you today, anyway, but, well…"

"I jumped the gun." Rey flushed.

Leia burst out laughing as Ben and Rey continued to awkwardly explain themselves.

"Oh, who cares about any of that! Come here, you two!" Leia reached out, pulling Rey and Ben into a warm hug. "I'm so happy for you." She said sincerely.

"Thank you, mother." Ben murmured, holding tightly to the two most important people in his life.

"Thank you, Leia." Rey breathed. "I promise I'll take good care of him."

Leia pulled back, beaming. "You'll take good care of each other."

"You sure didn't waste any time, son." Lando joked as they broke apart. "Must be Han's influence!"

"I was the one who proposed to Han, I'll have you know." Leia said boasted. "As far as romantic gestures go, Ben clearly got that from me."

Rey burst out laughing, leaning against Ben's chest as he tried not to think about his parents being romantic.

"What's so funny?" Finn asked as he and the others joined the group.

"They're engaged." Lando pointed between Rey to Ben. "I'd say that qualifies."

"Engaged?!" Finn, Rose, and Poe all exclaimed.

Rey looked at Ben as their friends erupted in well wishes and an endless stream of playful insults.

"Well, you wanted them to know, didn't you?" Rey teased.

"Yeah, I guess I did. What was I thinking?" Ben laughed as Rey rolled her eyes at him. "Thanks for taking the lead when I was feeling insecure." He said more seriously.

"We're going to share a life together." Rey told him. "Your burdens are my burdens."

"Not too long ago I feared that my burdens would consume you, but I know now that they won't." Ben confessed. "You're too strong, and you make me stronger just by being with you."

"I love you." Rey said, touched by his words.

"I know." Ben smirked.

Rey hit him in the arm, still laughing as Pooja directed them inside the manor. As the big wooden doors closed behind them, Rey couldn't help but feel like this was a new beginning for all of them. She could see the faint outline of a future of hope and love and family. Of balance. And she would do everything within her power to obtain it.

Get a little bit wrong, get a little bit wild Get a little bit high off of this love tonight Get a little bit raw, come a little undone Get a little bit reckless, I can't get enough

Pooja led a tour of her ancestral home after everyone had calmed down from Rey and Ben's exciting news. The interior was just as lovely as the exterior, owing much to the bevy of windows stretching from one side of the home to the other.

In the main entertainment space, the natural light filtering inside added a soft glow to the deep amber walls, making the color seem almost molten. Yards of burgundy and gold silk curtains bordered every window, falling to the floor in graceful arrangements. The mahogany furniture was antique, but well kept, with clean lines and plush cushions in various shades of red.

Having never thought much about interior design back on Jakku, Rey was enchanted by the family's stylish aesthetic. Wondering away from the group, Rey inspected several small painted tables that littered the cream and tan marble floors. Not only where they beautiful works of art, but they held a number of fascinating trinkets and books that Rey itched to get her hands on.

"I still can't believe that you didn't tell me." Finn pouted, breaking into her musings.

"Honestly, I was too consumed with this mission, and Kali's escape, to think about it much." Rey said sheepishly.

"But aren't you excited?" Rose questioned quietly as she joined them, trying not to draw attention to their conversation.

"Ben is my soulmate." Rey said simply. "Being with him is like breathing. I do it because I have to in order to live. Sometimes I take it for granted that other people don't know how deeply we feel for each other."

"I'm still getting to know him, but it seems like Ben has turned a corner. Not just with you, but with the Resistance in general." Finn said, sounding impressed. "He seems like a completely different person now."

"Snoke really did a number on him, and Luke's mistake didn't help, but Ben knows that he's just as much to blame for his actions. I think that's motivating him to try harder, to really make connections with people." Rey said thoughtfully.

"I know it's not my place to ask this, but I care about you, and I only want what's best for you." Finn started hesitantly.

"What is it?" Rey asked curiously.

"You're still very young." Finn stated. "Do you really think it's wise to tie yourself to Ben before you've had a chance to spread your wings a little? Before Ben's rehabilitation is assured?"

"Finn, I appreciate where you're coming from, I really do. But, Ben and I are already married in my heart. We're intrinsically linked by the Force, on a spiritual level." Rey explained gently. "Ben and I are two parts of the same whole, and I couldn't separate myself from him now even if I wanted to."

Finn nodded in acceptance. "I thought it might be something like that. I don't fully understand your bond, but I'm here to support you."

Rey hugged him gratefully. "Thank you, Finn."

"Wow!" Rose exhaled as Rey stepped back. "I didn't realize how deep your connection went! It sounds amazing!"

"It is pretty great, most of the time." Rey said, eyeing Ben from across the room where he sat with Leia and Pooja. "Expect, of course, when your would-be husband is ease dropping."

"He can hear us?" Rose gasped.

"He can hear my thoughts, so he's getting my side of this conversation." Rey told her, sticking her tongue out at Ben.

Ben pretended not to notice, but his suppressed smirk gave him away.

"I know you're listening." Rey said in mock anger.

Ben looked over then, cupping his ear as if he couldn't hear her.

"Very funny." Rey said sarcastically.

Finn and Rose fell together, laughing at their antics, drawing the attention of their host.

"I do love hearing the sound of laughter in this old house again." Pooja smiled, standing up. "But now I think it's time to show you all to your rooms and get ready for dinner. I'm starving!"

Lando flushed as his stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly in agreement.

"Don't worry, General, I'll feed you up." Pooja flirted, pulling him along with her.

"Actually, Pooja, I'd like to introduce Rey and Ben to Ryoo before dinner, if you don't mind." Leia said to Pooja meaningfully. "Is she here?"

"For—oh!" Pooja caught on, looking between Ben and Rey. "Certainly! She had an appointment in the village a few hours ago, but she should be back in the clinic by now. It's on the first floor toward the back of the house."

"Yes, I remember passing it when we first arrived." Leia said.

"I'll show this lot to their rooms while you, ah, meet with Ryoo." Pooja said with a secret smile.

Rey and Ben looked at Leia and Pooja, then at each other.

"What was that all about?" Rey wondered.

"No idea." Ben replied. "But let's go find out."

Baby when we're touching in the dark, can you feel it? I can hear the pounding of my heart, can you feel it? When you take my body to the stars, I believe it Boy this love is supernatural, can you feel it?

Ben and Rey followed Leia out of the room, determined to figure out what was going on. She led them down one flight of stairs to the first floor before locating the entrance to Ryoo's clinic. Ben held the door open for Rey and Leia, who murmured their thanks as they passed.

A small dark-haired woman looked up from the datapad she was pouring over, her eyes lighting up with recognition.

"Leia! My goodness!" Ryoo jumped up, coming over to them.

"Hello, Ryoo." Leia smiled, hugging the shorter woman.

"When did you arrive?" Ryoo asked.

"Earlier this afternoon." Leia said.

"Oh! And here I've been puttering around in my lab!" Ryoo laughed. "I hope my little sister showed you all around? I had to see a patient today, she's due any moment, or else I would have been here earlier."

"No need to apologize, Pooja has been a good sport in your absence." Leia waved away. "This is my son, Ben, and his fiancé, Rey."

"Ben? Ben Solo?" Ryoo looked at him warily. "I thought you were…?" She trailed off questioningly.

"I was." Ben said steadily.

"But you're not now?" Ryoo queried.

"No." Ben replied bluntly.

"And why is that?"

"Because of her." Ben glanced down at Rey softly.

Ryoo studied them, as if working out a particularly difficult equation. "How you'd manage this miracle, young lady?"

"I love him." Rey said simply.

Ryoo laughed at Rey's straightforward explanation. "Yeah, that'll do it." Ryoo smiled gently, extending her hand. "It's nice to meet you both."

Rey felt Ben's wave of relief through their bond. She was glad that Ryoo and Pooja had accepted him so easily, but she supposed it helped that they had never know him personally while he was on the dark side.

"So, you're a doctor?" Rey asked, looking around the pristine clinic.

"Yes. An obstetrician, actually." Ryoo told her.

"A what?" Rey asked, never having heard the term.

"I specialize in pregnancy and childbirth." Ryoo informed her.

"Actually, Ryoo, that's why I wanted Rey and Ben to meet with you today." Leia started carefully. "Rey, I was wondering if you would be interested in having a blood test to see if you're…well…" Leia motioned toward her stomach.

Rey's eyes went wide at Leia's insinuation. "I'm not!" She squeaked, embarrassed.

"Not what?" Ben looked perplexed.

"Rey." Leia said in exasperation.

"I would know." Rey said with certainty.

"But wouldn't it be better to know for sure?"

"I do know for sure. My connection with the Force—"

"Is strong, I know. But I've been alive a lot longer than you've been communing with the Force, Rey. Nothing is foolproof." Leia said seriously.

"Okay, what are you two talking about?" Ben cut in.

"Your mother wants me to take a pregnancy test!" Rey said in a high-pitched voice.

"But she's not pregnant." Ben supplied at once, red-faced. "I would know."

Leia threw her hands up. "Well, you two just know everything then, don't you?!"

"Mother, it's not like that. We just—"

"You can't go around having unprotected sex and not expect there to be consequences. Your father and I—"

"Mother!"

"I'll do it." Rey interrupted, wanting to prevent a fight.

"You will?" Ben and Leia asked together.

"It would be better to know for sure." Rey repeated Leia's words.

Leia smiled at her. "Thank you, Rey."

"Would you like to be inoculated with a preventative measure as well?" Ryoo inquired, pulling on a pair of gloves. "It would last for about a year."

"Ben, what do you think?" Rey gripped his hand for support.

"I think you should do what you're comfortable with." He said supportively.

"I do want a family with you, someday." Rey smiled shyly, tugging his hand toward her middle.

"I want that too." Ben affirmed, kissing her reverently as he caressed her stomach.

"But not today." Leia broke in wryly.

Ben pulled back and looked his mother sheepishly. "No, not today."

"In that case, step into my office, Rey." Ryoo said, indicating a raised platform with a comfortable looking white neoprene chair sitting upon it.

Ryoo tied an elastic tourniquet around Rey's upper left arm, tapping a vein in the crook of her arm. Looking satisfied, the doctor picked up a cylindrical device from the tray next to the chair, moving forward to draw Rey's blood. Rey tensed as Ryoo pushed the device into her skin, but she didn't feel a thing.

"That's it?" Rey asked in surprise as Ryoo pulled back a few seconds later.

"That's it." Ryoo confirmed. "Not too bad, huh?"

Ryoo walked over to a large, complicated looking machine on the counter, tipping the vial inside. The data screen on the machine lit up within a few seconds, declaring that Rey was firmly not with child.

Despite themselves, Rey and Ben let out a collective breath, laughing as their eyes met.

"Now, there's just the matter of administering the birth control inoculation." Ryoo reminded her.

Ryoo rubbed a small amount of disinfectant on Rey's upper arm, then injected her with a bright green liquid. It tingled slightly afterword, but seemed harmless enough.

"Feel better now?" Rey teased Leia.

"Yes, I do." Leia said, relieved. "I'm not trying to run your lives, but take it from me, having a child during such political unrest is a dangerous proposition."

"I hadn't thought about it that way." Ben contemplated. "I guess it was hard for you to raise a child in the aftermath of the Empire's destruction?"

Leia smiled at her son. "Yes, but I never regretted it."

Ben smiled back. "Thanks, mom."

"Let's get back to the others, I'm sure dinner will be ready soon." Leia said. "Ryoo, can you show us the way?"

"Certainly." Ryoo beamed. "Let's eat!"

Come, take me in the night I feel it in my blood, want the darker side Baby when we touch, look me in the eyes Poison me with love, I'll bring you back to life

After dinner, Rey retired to the room she was sharing with Ben while he had a private conversation with his mother. The chamber was large and a little overwhelming in its opulence, but she was slowly getting used to her beautiful surroundings on Naboo. Life on the lush planet was definitely a far cry from the abject poverty of Jakku. Still, while growing up as a scavenger hadn't been easy, Rey was glad for the experience. The hardships she faced on the desert planet had prepared her well for her new life with the resistance.

Running a hand over the hunter green and silver comforter, she admired the finely woven brocade fabric. Her sleeping arrangements had never mattered much up until now, but Rey was looking forward to relaxing with Ben in such a luxurious atmosphere. Being alone with him had become her favorite part of the day.

The way he made her feel was beyond anything she'd ever experienced. Not just in a sexual way, although that was a huge factor, but in an emotional one. She had been alone for so long, but now she had someone to share her life with. Someone she could trust and depend on. Someone to love, and love her in return. The certainty she felt about their relationship was the greatest gift she had ever received.

Rey looked up when the door suddenly opened, beaming as Ben entered the room. He was so good to look at, especially now, as he shed his father's jacket, stretching the fabric of his shirt across his muscular chest enticingly.

"I'm sorry I took so long, but I had a few things to discuss with my mother." Ben said, apologetically.

Rey just smiled welcomingly and walked forward, meeting him in the middle of the room. Slipping her arms around his neck, Rey pulled his mouth to hers without further ado, kissing him thoroughly. Ben groaned against her lips, his arms contracting around her. They kissed for endless moments, just enjoying each other's company.

"I love you so much." Rey said when she pulled back, her eyes glassy.

Ben traced the path of a single tear as it slid down her cheek.

"You were listening?" Ben asked, crestfallen. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Listening to what?" Rey asked, perplexed.

"My mother and I. I asked her for—" Ben stopped as he registered her confused expression. "If you weren't listening, why are you crying? What's upset you?" Ben framed her face, pushing her hair back tenderly.

"I'm not upset." Rey reassured him. "Quite the contrary, actually. I was just thinking about you; about how much you mean to me."

Ben kissed her gently. "I love you, too."

"I know." Rey said impishly. "Now, what were you talking to your mother about?"

"Pooja gave her a trunk of my grandparent's old things." Ben murmured, taking a deep breath before kneeling in front of her. "I want to give you everything you've always wanted."

"Ben, we're already engaged." Rey said bemusedly.

"Yes, but last time, I didn't have a ring." Ben said softly.

Rey trembled as Ben produced a beautiful amethyst solitaire, surrounded by a row of diamonds on each side of the white gold band.

"My grandmother was never able to wear her wedding ring in public since she and my grandfather married in secret." Ben said solemnly. "I don't want that; I want to be with you in the light. This ring was meant to be a declaration of love, and now it will be."

Ben blurred in her vision as he slid the ring onto her finger. Sinking to her knees as well, Rey threw her arms around his neck, burying her face against his shirt with a muffled sob. Ben held her closely, running a comforting hand up and down her back.

The way he had put the proposal shattered her. After emulating Darth Vader for most of his life, Ben was finally able to see the man underneath. Although Anakin Skywalker had fallen to the dark side, and lost his family as a result, she knew that would not be Ben Solo's fate. Not if she had anything to say about it!

"There's something else I wanted to ask." Ben started hesitantly when she quieted.

Rey pulled back slightly, rubbing her red eyes. "What is it?"

"I would like for us to be married here on Naboo, among our friends and family." Ben requested.

"I would love to!" Rey exclaimed. "When the war is over—"

"No." Ben shook his head. "I don't want to wait, and that could take years. I want to be your husband, I want you to be my wife."

Rey softened at the yearning in his voice. "When?"

"Tomorrow, if I had my way." Ben chuckled.

"Ben, we've only been engaged for three days!" Rey laughed, hitting his shoulder playfully.

"But we're practically married, already, aren't we?" Ben grinned, recalling her words.

"You were listening to me talk to Finn and Rose!" Rey growled, pushing him down onto the soft carpet. "You little sneak!"

"How else am I supposed to figure out what you want?" Ben teased, circling her waist.

"You could ask." Rey chuckled. "I hear communication is important in marriage."

"Alright, then." Ben said seriously. "Will you marry me tomorrow?"

Rey smoothed her hands over his thick chest, smiling as he stretched toward her like a cat seeking attention. His heart was beating a mile a minute under her palms, causing her to pause. She could sense that he was scared she would reject him, even now, even after everything they had been through together; he didn't try to hide his fear from her. Smiling gently, Rey leaned down to kiss him, to sooth him.

"Yes." Rey whispered through their bond, repeating his vow. "I want to give you everything you've always wanted."

"That's easy." He responded. "All I've ever wanted is you."

A/N: FYI I've been posting mini fics, inspired by some truly gifted Reylo artists, exclusively on my Tumblr blog over the past few weeks. It's the only thing keeping me sane while my work schedule is so crazy! Check um out! Until next time!

A little something extra!

Ali: *Playing with Rey and Kylo Funko Pops* Kylo: What…what are you doing? Ali: Rey and Kylo are having a serious political discussion about fascism and the role of Force-sensitives in government. Kylo: *Rubbing his temples* What? Ali: After defeating the Knights of Ren, Rey and Kylo form a new religious order, merging the Jedi and Sith back into one organization, bringing balance to the Force. Kylo: That sounds nice and all, but how will that work in the long run? Anyone can be corrupted. Ali: By having weekly personal and group therapy sessions to talk about their feelings, schooling in politics, history, and other religions, and regular contact with their families. Oh, and sexual freedom. That too. Kylo: *Looking intrigued* And then? Ali: And then they'll fuck and everyone will be happy. Kylo: Whoomp there it is.

[daleisgreat]

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot

The time has come to put a bookend to keeping up with Kevin Smith with today’s entry focusing on his latest film, 2019’s Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (trailer). Before we get there, I feel obligated to say I was a huge fan of his first half of his career, primarily of his old ‘View Askew-niverse’ days when he first started off with affable stoner characters, Jay & Silent Bob being carryover characters in his first several films. I think I saw Clerks and Mallrats at least five times each and feel safe in saying those two would stand the test of time, especially Clerks. I dug Chasing Amy, Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back when they originally released in my teenager days, but cannot help but think I outgrew Smith’s style of verbiage and humor he honed in on by that point, and have a feeling I would cringe at going back to them. I think I would like Zack & Miri and Clerks 2 more if some certain scenes got nixed. I thought Jersey Girl and Copout were not among his best, but both solid studio comedies and a nice way to mix it up from his regular output at the time. Red State felt like a hard left turn for Smith, and some parts I detested, but it kind of came together towards the end. Tusk however was absolute dreck and upon hearing how his follow up Yoga Hosers was an all-in spinoff of Tusk caused me to avoid Yoga Hosers at all costs and casually back away from the Kevin Smith fandom. This brings us to Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. The sequel/reboot to 2001’s Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. 18 year-old Dale, eagerly anticipated Strike Back, rushed out to see it opening weekend and poured through the DVD in multiple viewings of it and all its extras in the weeks after it hit home video. 37 year-old Dale however ignored Reboot during Smith’s nationwide tour where the only way to see it for several months was when Smith was touring it to boutique arthouse theaters and doing a Q&A afterwards for around $50-80. I only reluctantly picked up Reboot a few weeks after it hit video when I noticed it was on sale for half off and thought for that price I could get my fill out of it with some expected callbacks and cameos that were a big standout in Strike Back and I hope would save Reboot….and that is essentially what happened.

Reboot kicks off with Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) up to their old shenanigans loitering outside the Quick Stop, until they are promptly arrested, but saved in court thanks in part to their attorney. The attorney then informs he just tricked them into signing away their names to big budget Hollywood studios who want to reboot the Bluntman & Chronic movie Jay & Silent Bob failed at preventing in Strike Back. Worst of all, the reboot will be directed by Kevin Smith who is advertising fans to attend a fan fest in Hollywood to audition for a cameo! This leads to the duo condemning Kevin Smith, and travelling across the nation to stop Hollywood once again. Conflicts arise during their journey when they run into Jay’s old flame, Justice (Shannon Elizabeth) who informs Jay that he is now a dad. He soon meets his daughter Milly (Harley Quinn Smith), who brings her friends to tag along in order to win that cameo spot in the movie contest. I do not want to be a downer, but the actual core movie I did not care for that much. Jay’s potty-mouth humor had me in stitches in its small doses when he was a side character in the early Smith films, but it is agonizingly overkill here. There are the occasional gags that landed, like a certain free bonus a cab driver offered that appeared a handful of times throughout and Kevin Smith is legitimately good at portraying a kind of over-the-top grating version of himself at the fan convention. Jay eventually putting in an earnest effort at being a good dad in some of the final scenes culminated in some touching moments with Milly. These core parts of the movie that I enjoyed though are only peppered throughout, but what wound up saving Jay and Silent Bob Reboot was the avalanche of cameos littered from beginning to end.

There are some expected cameos from Jason Lee and Ben Affleck coming back as their former View Askew-niverse personas as Brodie and Holden, respectively. I feel safe saying that is not a spoiler since those two had extended cameos relative to the core plot in Strike Back and more-or-less do the same in Reboot. However for the rest of the film, well….I think Kevin Smith dialed in a lot of favors because this is one of the most impressive deluge of cameos in a film yet. Some play amped up versions of themselves, while others are quirky shillers for Funko Pops. During those struggling first two acts of the film, the saving grace was seeing who would pop up next and what Smith had in store for them. There are countless blink and miss it callbacks and references to other View Askew lore and Smith fandom throughout, especially at the convention in the end. I remember Kevin Smith’s early movies being loaded with extra features, and while there is a fair smattering here, it is comparatively lackluster to the deluxe sets from yore. I was stunned the BluRay omits a commentary track which are usually present in most of Smith’s home video releases. I do not blame him since he re-watched it dozens of times on his nationwide tour, but……hold on scratch that after a quick Google search it appears a month ago Smith released a special quarantined-themed commentary track for the film for free on YouTube that can be found right here. Good on him for that! Actual extras on the BluRay are highlighted by a near hour-long bonus merely titled ‘Cast Interviews.’ It is a barrage of two-to-three minute interviews from nearly all the major and minor/cameo players from the film. Lots of good little anecdotes in there and well worth your time! Following that is a half hour extra where Mewes and Smith interview a variety of the cast and crew which a third of is dedicated to….one major cameo I shall not name here. I will give props to Mewes for randomly getting quick interviews from some of the behind-the-scenes crew to make sure they get their proper due. Wrapping up the bonuses is the requisite blooper reel that does not disappoint and a two minute Hair Reel which is solely of Smith and Mewes adjusting their hair between takes.

Part of me wanted to say Reboot was the ideal farewell film of Kevin Smith to watch, but I see he has Clerks III in the pipeline, so I will ultimately have to cave and check that out too. Regardless, if you are a lapsed Kevin Smith fan and wanted one last trek with his style of comedy you grew up with, you kind of get that here and you also get why you left that in the past too. Regardless, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot does have its moments, and the cameos make it well worth riding this out until the end….including all the bonus shots/alt footage in the credits, lots of gold in there too including one last cameo I did not anticipate. Other Random Backlog Movie Blogs 3 12 Angry Men (1957) 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown 21 Jump Street The Accountant Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie Atari: Game Over The Avengers: Age of Ultron The Avengers: Infinity War Batman: The Dark Knight Rises Batman: The Killing Joke Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Bounty Hunters Cabin in the Woods Captain America: Civil War Captain America: The First Avenger Captain America: The Winter Soldier Christmas Eve Clash of the Titans (1981) Clint Eastwood 11-pack Special The Condemned 2 Countdown Creed Deck the Halls Detroit Rock City Die Hard Dredd The Eliminators The Equalizer Dirty Work Faster Fast and Furious I-VIII Field of Dreams Fight Club The Fighter For Love of the Game Good Will Hunting Gravity Guardians of the Galaxy Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Hercules: Reborn Hitman Indiana Jones 1-4 Ink The Interrogation Interstellar Jobs Joy Ride 1-3 Major League Man of Steel Man on the Moon Man vs Snake Marine 3-6 Merry Friggin Christmas Metallica: Some Kind of Monster Mortal Kombat National Treasure National Treasure: Book of Secrets Not for Resale Pulp Fiction The Replacements Reservoir Dogs Rocky I-VII Running Films Part 1 Running Films Part 2 San Andreas ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Shoot em Up Slacker Skyscraper Small Town Santa Steve Jobs Source Code Star Trek I-XIII Sully Take Me Home Tonight TMNT The Tooth Fairy 1 & 2 UHF Veronica Mars Vision Quest The War Wild Wonder Woman The Wrestler (2008) X-Men: Apocalypse X-Men: Days of Future Past

[lhugbereth]

Skater AU. In some game, Gladio looses his cool, starts a fight on ice and gets sent away for the rest of the game. Kings lose this important match and almost everyone blames Gladio, including himself. Prompto is the only one who can cheer him up.

Thanks for the awesome prompt!!! I think I might have taken this a little darker than maybe you were expecting, but I hope you still like it anyway ^^;;; 

This scene is from the same game as the last part (Insomnia Kings versus the Gralea Demons) only this time we get to see Gladio’s side of the story. And just what that asshole on the other team said to piss him off so bad... 

Warnings for violence, language, and not nice threats

(Also, sorry for an error in the last chapter! Ice hockey isn’t played in quarters but in frames. I’ll edit later to reflect that :D )

Story under the cut v v v 

- Gladio skates out onto the ice feeling like nothing could possibly ruin his mood. Even knowing their game that night is against the Gralea Demons, the nastiest team in the division, he's all smiles. The seats in the arena are packed, creating a sea of his own team’s black and crimson. There are colorful signs and cheering fans, his teammates are pumped on the atmosphere. And somewhere in the front row, Prompto is there to watch him. It feels like the start of the best game of his career.

- The Demons send out their starting lineup - six gorilla-sized skaters in deep purple and grey, their smiles decidedly unfriendly beneath the visors of their helmets. But what they gain in size, they’re going to lose in speed and technique. All around them, the crowd is cheering, stomping, sending a fierce energy through the air, and it’s reflected in the Kings’ cocky grins. This ought to be an easy game.

- Gladio lines himself up against one the biggest of the brutes as the ref skates out to place the puck. The buzzer sounds out the start of the match.

- Everyone springs into motion at once. Out of the corner of his eye Gladio sees Biggs snag the puck, and narrowly dodge his opponent to pass to Nyx. Then Ulric’s flying down the rink while the crowd cheers him on. He’s got three guys on him but they can’t match his speed, and soon he’s in range of the goal. He aims up, slams the puck hard, and the goalie only manages to block it by throwing himself to the ice at the last second. No goal, but Nyx is grinning at the near-miss anyway. The Demons exchange looks, then glare at him as one.

- Ten minutes into the first frame and the Kings have already scored two goals. The Gralean players are pissed. As soon as the puck is put back into play, they’re suddenly changing their tactics. All five of the skaters are ignoring the puck and going straight for Nyx, and in an instant he’s down. The refs can’t tell whose stick tripped him or who tackled him first, but the damage is done - Nyx is helped off the ice with his left arm clutched to his chest, while the Demons lose two players to penalties. Two more identical brutes are ready to replace them. The Kings, however, are crippled.

- Now Gladio’s mad. He throws himself into defensive mode, using his shield tactics to help the others avoid Nyx’s fate. But the longer the game goes on, the fiercer (and dirtier) the other team gets, until they’ve taken out half the Kings’ players and caught up to their score. The game is tied at the end of the second frame. So much for this being easy.  

- That’s when the Demons bring out their secret weapon to obliterate Insomnia’s last defense.

- The Gralean team, coached by an old but ruthless man named Aldercapt, has always relied on rough, brutal tactics to quite literally crush their opponents. Usually, this means exploiting their own players like pawns in order to weaken the other team little by little. Penalties mean nothing to them in the face of victory. But overpowering their opponents sometimes means studying them, knowing how and where to strike without needing to land a blow. It’s dirty, it’s savage, but it almost always works.

- And Amicitia is an easy target that day.

- Both teams line up at the starting line, pairing off to wait for the buzzer signaling the start of the final frame. Gladio skates into position only to hear a mocking voice call out to him. “That pretty boy of yours here tonight?” the man across from him grins, showing off a mouth significantly less full of teeth than it should be. Gladio glares at him but refuses to acknowledge that. “I hope he is. Me and the team wanted to meet him.”

- The buzzer hasn’t sounded yet. Gladio feels his fingers twitch. “Focus on the game, asshole.”

- “Oh, I am, don’t worry. But as soon as we win, we’re planning to take that boy of yours as our prize. Spoils of war, y’know.”

- “Shut your fucking mouth.”

- “Sweet smile he’s got. Bet it’d feel real good wrapped around my dick.“

- “I said shut your mouth or I’ll fucking shut it for you.”

- The man’s grin darkens. As the ref skates up to the center line, puck in hand, the Graelan player leans forward, lowers his voice just for Gladio. “How many of us d’you think he can take before he’s beggin’ us to stop?”

- He tries not to picture it, tries to keep the image of Prompto bruised and crying at the Demons’ mercy out of his head. Gladio’s jaw clenches and his fingers tighten around his stick hard enough to hurt. He imagines the heavy wood is the man’s neck, and he wants to snap it in half. It’s really all he can do to resist. The buzzer is all that saves him in that moment, but even when the frame starts he can’t shake the man.

- “We’ve broken toys before,” he continues, dogging Gladio even as he races for the puck. “Made ‘em beg for mercy before the end. Is he pretty when he begs? When he cries?”

- Gladio’s seeing red. The game is fading from his vision, the cheers of the crowd drowned out by the man’s hateful words. “You better believe when we’re done fuckin’ him, your pretty little whore’ll never skate again.”

- That’s it. He’s done. Game and rules forgotten, Gladio whirls around and slams his fist into the man’s jaw. The crunch of knuckle against bone is deeply satisfying, but it isn’t enough. He follows him when he goes down, arms swinging as he attacks again and again, breaking bone and skin alike while the man beneath him howls with laughter. Hands are grabbing him, he doesn’t know whose. All he cares about is that the other man is still breathing and so he isn’t done. There’s blood everywhere. The crowd is silent. The only sounds in the rink are the ref’s shouts and the sickly wet thuds of fists against an already broken face.

- Gladio can’t think, can’t see straight. Several men eventually pull him up, shout at him to get out of the rink. Fuck them. Fuck all of them. Gladio throws his stick and fumes off the ice, slamming and shoving his way back to the locker rooms. There, he strips off his uniform, growls and dents up a few lockers in his rage. And then finally, when the adrenaline suddenly dries up and he’s left empty, shaking, he collapses on the bench with the full realization of what he’s done.

- It’s some time later that a soft knock on the door catches his attention. The game is probably over by now, he’s certain one of his teammates has come to tell him he fucked up, maybe even that he’s killed someone. But when he finally looks up, raising his head from his arms with a groan, he’s shocked to see Prompto.

- His Prompto.

- Gladio hasn’t cried in front of anyone in years. Not since he was a kid and broke his nose for the first time during winter tryouts. But he can’t hold back now. Prompto’s sitting down next to him, throws his arms around broad, trembling shoulders, and strokes his sweat-matted hair through it all. Gladio’s sorry, he’s so sorry, mostly because he’s certain he cost his team the game (Prompto confirms it a moment later) over what he knew was just a trick. He’s sorry, too, for showing Prompto this terrible side of him. He’s not sorry, of course, for beating the other guy to an actual bloody pulp.

- “We all saw it,” Prompto says, his voice careful. “He was trying to get you to hit first. What did he say to you?”

- Gladio swallows. He looks up into his boyfriend’s eyes, those sweet, summer blues full of concern. He can’t tell him. He can’t repeat those awful words when he knows how much they’ll hurt him. So he settles for shaking his head and hugging Prompto closer. “It doesn’t matter. They’re all talk.” (Although he’s pretty sure that one fucker won’t be saying much with his jaw wired shut).

- The team is understandably pissed. Their coach, Weskham, has more than a few choice words for Gladio about conduct on the ice and the legal battles Regis is going to have to deal with because of him. The team will lose money. Gladio has to make a choice - suspension for the rest of the season, or accept the assault charges. He chooses to sit out the winter. It’s as much a blow to his ego as it is to his team.

- But when he’s holding Prompto close that night, feeling his soft smile against his neck and his fingers in his hair, he knows it was all worth it. The next fool who makes the mistake of threatening him will end up with far more than just a broken face.