#assassinating your assassins with the assassination weapon... get wrecked i guess

[dathomirdumpsterfire]

^ Darth Maul 002 (2017) drawn by Luke Ross & Nolan Woodard.

[falcor-thee-luck-dragon]

Bad Dreams - Bucky Barnes x Avenger (f)reader

Summary: You and Bucky are adjusting to civilian life after the Blip, some nights he needs you more then he realizes.

Warning: bit o angst, soft Bucky, fluff

Masterlist

It had been a long fucking five years alone, sure you had Nat and Steve around at the Avengers Facility. But no matter how much time you spent with them doing whatever to keep your mind busy, at the end of the day, you were undoubtedly alone. You liked it that way at one point in your complicated life as an Avenger, but after the blip, you absolutely despised it. 

No one had expected what would have happened to be so terrible and tragic, or it to even go the way that it did. You had never even heard of Thanos or what the fuck kind of weirdass monsters could exist from other parts of the galaxy until they showed up knocking. How rude huh.

Life was peaceful before hand, well for the most part; you were an Avenger, someone who was part of the team. A conjurer of flame and ash, a Phoenix held within that was not afraid to use your power, and you used it well.

Then as per usual, shit went down and low and behold you met the one and only James Buchanan Barnes, Steve’s old friend with the metal arm and troubling history. Not to mention a face to die for, or at least one that would cause a bit of a chaotic scuffle between your two friends. They clearly had other priorities apart from yours at the time which was keep Steve out of jail, don’t burn anyone, and refrain from flirting with his 90 something year old friend. You tried your best in most of those areas. Most of them. 

Nonetheless, you fell hard and fast for the blue eyed man, and him the same for you, his feisty little firecracker with a heart as big and bright as a dragons. So when he went to Wakanda to lie low and get some much needed help. You followed.

With a heartfelt goodbye and a lasting kiss, he went under for a couple long weeks until Shuri and her expert team of scientists were able to fix what those bastards at Hydra had done to him.

For a short yet blessedly peaceful amount of time did you and your dark haired lover live safely within the Wakandan borders. In a small and beautiful little village by a lake, a hut all your own to shelter you from the heat and rain that poured hard onto the earth, and most wonderfully of all you had Bucky.

Life was simple for the first time in a long time, you spent the days helping out the locals and teaching the children how to properly swing a stick in defense, you know completely normal leisure activities. Spending the evenings making a big fire to tell stories under and cook the best food in Wakanda.

And the nights? You spent those wrapped up in Bucky’s arm, although most times you would be the big spoon which he loved more then anything in the whole world. Telling you it’s not just because you’re naturally warm, but that he’s been admittedly a bit touch starved from the years alone and lost. And for that you would always hold him closer.

Then that fateful day came crashing into your lives like a waterfall against rock, your friends had shown up claiming some being called Thanos was coming to take a stone out of Vision’s head. Yeah that was a new one.

The battle wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either, you were able to save many lives by scorching the beasts that pursed onward. Letting whips of flame slash hard against the enemy with great skill and force from your bending. Then the world seemed to still, and the wind swayed the trees oddly.

Then HE came, the Titan from another world, he threw down all in his path without an ounce of mercy or remorse. You and Wanda were so close, so damn close to stopping him, but then he threw you back with the whole force of the gauntlet and a moment later Vision was dead.

Your head was bleeding and a fresh scar had marked your jaw in a bloody red slash from the impact. Though your mind didn’t have time to register nor care as Thanos abruptly disappeared into oblivion, leaving a confused Thor in his wake. Much like the rest of the Avengers.

Then to your horror, one by one, your friends began to turn to ash and dust. Gone. You raced for Bucky nearby, praying to who’d ever listen to spare him or you for that matter. You just needed ten more seconds and then you could have held him one last time, touched his precious skin, ran your fingers through his long dark locks.

Looked into his ocean blue eyes, but no, the universe laughed as you gasped in panic, then it snickered as you screamed. Cheering you on as you sobbed in a cyclone of your own fire until the ground was scorched to shriveled dry earth. And no more tears could fall, your throat raw and heart broken in two.

Your world was gone, a memory forever kept locked inside your heart and soul. He was gone, he was your world, Bucky made your life better and you his.

For the coming months you were a mess, an angry and frustrated wreck of a person. Functioning by sheer will power and Natasha to keep you afloat in your new dreary little world of nothingness. You envied Steve for his ability to keep most of his shit together, and where almost enraged by Tony who had everything still intact. Pepper and a child on the way, how cruel the universe appeared.

You would wake up in the middle of the night sweating, your heart racing a mile a minute and usually part of the wall behind you would be burnt and blackened. You never set fire to anything thank god, but fuck, your heart hurt so much.

You wanted to scream most days, but as one year rolled into two and then three, the dull dreary ache in your body subdued to a tiny flicker of sadness. It became almost nonexistent during the day as you went about Avenger business, only to burn hot and angry at night.

You wanted to move on and forget, but you couldn’t, he was too important. They all didn’t deserve to go like that, none of them. And so another year passed, then it was year five since the blip, more months passed on. Until out of nowhere something or perhaps someone miraculous lit the way into a new sense of hope.

Resulting in the return of everyone who had been lost before, including your Bucky. And from that moment after the battle, when at long last you had finally found him, you knew life would never be the same.

——

Rain pours relentlessly from outside your apartment window, a rhythmic pitter patter near your bedside that aids in keeping you asleep and unbothered for the time being. No sooner do you reach the climax of your dream that consists of you being chased by a giant monarch butterfly with no weapon but a sandbox plastic shovel, do you wake. Strange dream.

All your senses flooding back into you as you feel for your lover in the darkness, your eyes still closed as you do so. Your hand slides across the crinkled bedsheets to no avail, the spot next to you is undeniably empty and rather cold.

oh, Bucky.

Cracking one eye open you glance at the alarm clock where it reads 1:10am in big red letters, illuminating the nightstand that it sits on. You take in a deep breath and roll onto your back to stare up at the ceiling, this has become a reoccurring event with Bucky in the following months since his return.

In Wakanda things were different, it was like a nice prolonged vacation away from all your problems and responsibilities of the world. Now, you two have an apartment somewhere in New York City all your own. Bucky goes to therapy and does his best to integrate back into his new role as a civilian while you work as an Avenger part time. The other half used for being a supporting loving girlfriend to Bucky and a hacker on the side for extra cash in the bank.

You get it though, he’s adjusting the best he’s able to manage right now, and even when he swears the nightmares are gone for good. You know him too well to believe that shit, you can see it in his eyes, he may have been a master assassin at one point. Now he’s with a skilled and almost equally as weathered Avenger who’s seen her share of people really going through it.

It’s not like you were doing any better, you’d wake up screaming in the dead of night from another nightmare involving losing Bucky again. That only lasted for a month or so, but still, it sucked and hurt every damn time. So you get it, nightmares can be a bitch.

Blinking the bleariness out of your eyes, you yawn into the darkness and take a moment to listen to the sound of the rain. It’s peaceful and calm, and though you’d like nothing more then to roll over and fall back into the dark comfortable void of sleep. You long to see Bucky again, even if you saw him not even two hours ago.

Pulling the blanket off of your body, you slowly sit up and face the blurry window that overlooks the glowing city, well more so the park close by. Pushing some hair out of your face, you stand and take a brief moment to stretch before letting your right hand emit a beautiful blue flame.

It proptly lights up the dark room into a shadowed yet still visible one, with a lazy proud smile, you move for the opened bedroom door. Your flame lights the way down the hall until you wander past the tiny kitchen and stop in your living room to the sound of heavy breathing coming from the far end.

You give a lopsided smirk to no one in particular as you pad over to the man who’s sweaty and shirtless on the wooden apartment floor in nothing but his boxers and a single blanket that’s not covering much. Well he sure looks like a hot mess, your hot mess that is.

He gives you an apologetic glance before staring tiredly back at the nearby wall. You extinguish your flame and gently nudge his leg with your sock, “How’s the floor?” You ask with a tinge of humor to lighten the mood.

He lets out a breathy laugh before looking back up at you, “Solid.” Quips Bucky in reference to the hard floor and perhaps his take on the makeshift bed, always one for a bit of humor huh.

Chuckling you crouch down to better meet his shadowed gaze, “I guess so,” You mutter with a shrug, “....afraid I might burn you in my sleep?”

Shaking his head, he gifts you the flash of a smile, “No. Not this time Y/N.”

You smile back before sitting down next to him, you look down at his hand before reaching out to take it without any resistance, “I know it’s the nightmares Bucky.” You whisper softly, your eyes sincere and true, “You don’t have to hold it all in okay, I don’t.....I don’t want you to do that.”

Letting out a reluctant sigh, Bucky frowns, “I know Y/N....I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, I just love you too much to see you hurting. I’ve missed you for what feels like a hundred goddamn years and I don’t want you to slip away from me..” You add with a sad smile, “Never again.”

Squeezing your hand gently, Bucky nods, “You’re not going to lose me okay. I promise you that much alright. I love you Y/N.” And he means every word.

“That’s good then. Can you at least tell me something to ease your mind from what’s bothering you?” You ask with a hopeful smile, “Please. Remember what the therapist talked about with speaking your thoughts and feelings....it’s like emptying a treasure chest or some shit.”

“Right.” Laughs Bucky, “Can’t say you’re going to find any gold in here.”

“Shut up I don’t care.” You muse with a shrug, “I’m here to listen.”

“As the lady wishes.” Retorts Bucky with a half-assed bow that caused you to break out into a small smile at his cheekiness.

“Wait.” You pause.

“What?”

“Can we sit on the couch for this I wanna lay next to you.”

Rolling his eyes, Bucky fakes his annoyance as you patiently await his answer, “Fine.” He confirms, quickly standing up and taking you with him, “But you gotta lay on me I’m kinda cold now.”

Bucky falls onto the large comfortable couch with a dramatic huff as he pulls you onto his shirtless body, “Weren’t you just all sweaty?” You wonder with a raised brow as he quickly wraps his arms around your waist.

“Yep.”

“Gross.”

Bucky chuckles, “Well you’re making me talk about my feelings.”

“That’s because you won’t talk about them with your actual therapist.” You sass back.

“I hate it when you’re right.” Mutters Bucky into your cheek as you snicker at his adorably dramatic self.

“I think your brain short circuited and misplaced the word hate for absolutely love and adore.”

“Maybe.” Adds Bucky as he steals a sweet kiss, “I’m still working through things you know.”

“Okay smartass. Now tell me what’s on your mind.”

His chest rises as he takes a deep heavy sigh, he stares out the nearby window that keeps the rainy city from being bothersome. You can’t completely see his face due to the darkened room, but you’re close enough to see the way his face turns into a frown.

Suddenly you think maybe you shouldn’t have bugged him to speak about his nightmares. Until he purses his lips together and glances those big beautiful blue eyes down at you, the flash of a smile revealing itself in a split second.

To give him a bit more confidence and perhaps to calm his nerves, do you reach a hand up to gently caress his stubbled cheek, “Was it the Starks again?” You whisper softly in question, knowing how much it still haunts him. Among all the others.

Closing his eyes, he leans into your touch, “Not this time.” Mutters Bucky before taking that hand in his as he rests his head against the couches puffy arm. “Someone else.....Someone who got in the way. Wrong place wrong time.”

“oh.” Slips from your mouth quietly, you’re not sure what else to say, but you’re still hoping he’ll speak a little more about it. “Do they have anything to do with your list?”

It’s a shot in the dark, but you’re well aware of Bucky’s goal to make amends with his past and the people tied with it, maybe someone might be linked to it by chance.

Bucky takes another weighted breath, you can just sense how terrible he feels about this person. “Bucky take your time, it’s okay I’m right here.”

Looking for a positive sign you watch as he closes his eyes once again before moving his head a little bit so that it rests against yours, “I know....it’s just, difficult.”

“Always is.”

“Yeah.”

Kissing your forehead, his flesh arm wraps around your waist as he makes himself more comfortable before continuing, “I was in some government building at night.....tasked with eliminating some special high end target. I finished the mission in under a minute, but uh....there was a civilian who saw everything.”

“Oh shit.”

“Yeah.” Mumbles Bucky against your skin as he takes a moment to gather himself, soon he shifts underneath you once more before letting out a soft breath, “I shot him.”

A bang of sadness washes over you in that brief second and then a sparking anger for what Hydra had forced him to do. You keep silent and wait for Bucky to continue on with his story.

“That guy I killed. He um....he uh, he didn’t deserve that....but I had to.” Bucky’s voice is shaky as he puts his words together, “And you know what’s the worst about this?”

“I’d like not to imagine it but I know you should tell me.”

“You remember Yori?”

“Of course, he takes us to that great sushi place sometimes.”

Bucky squeezes his eyes shut as he hugs you tighter against his bare chest for some kind of comfort, his voice nothing but a regretful whisper, “I killed his son.”

Your eyes soften as he reveals who this mystery civilian was, “Damn.”

“Out of all the people in this world and I meet the man who’s son I murdered for Hydra.”

“That’s almost a sick joke.”

“I know. God I’m so fucked up.”

“No.” You protest softly while he hides his face in your neck, “I know you’ve heard this a thousand times but that wasn’t you. It wasn’t the real James Buchanan Barnes alright, you didn’t have a choice. Those fuckers took that away from you.”

“I know Y/N, but I still did it.”

“Bucky look at me.” You ask kindly, to your genuine surprise he lifts his head from your neck to look into your determined gaze, “You’re not the only one here who was manipulated and had their freedom taken from them by Hydra. I’ve done terrible things too, but you know what? We were never truly ourselves then, they molded us into their weapons and now.....they can never touch us again. You understand me?”

Tears whell up in Bucky’s shimmering eyes at your truthfully honest words, he had temporarily forgotten that you were once an unwilling participant in Hydra’s mind stone experimentations many years ago.

“I understand....” Mutters Bucky as he swallows hard, “what would I be without you?”

Giving him a small tearful smile, you gently wipe away a stray tear from his cheek, “A little bit more alone I’d say.”

“You’re a hundred times braver then me you know that? I couldn’t image five years without you and these fucking nightmares.” Admits Bucky as he moves to rest his head in the crook of your neck, “I’d go insane.”

Appreciating this close proximity and his heartfelt confession, you smile into the darkness, “I think I did. Thing is about shitty situations like that....life moves on and finds a way. I have you now, I thought I would lose you forever.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.”

“Me too.”

[itstheendofthegoddamnworld]

Pain Relief (Jacob Frye x Injured! Reader) Pt. 2

84 years later and I’m only now just posting this. If you don’t remember the first part, I don’t blame you, here the synopsis: 

The reader is an assassin and gets badly injured and it’s Jacob Frye who saves her.

PART 1

-

“ᴼᵖⁱᵘᵐ—ʷʰᵉʳᵉ’ˢ ᵗʰᵉ⁻“

“ˢᵗᵉᵃᵈʸ ʰᵉʳ—ᵖˡᵃᶜᵉ ʰᵉʳ ᵈᵒʷⁿ ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ—ᵐᵃᵏᵉ ˢᵘʳᵉ⁻ ᵉⁿᵒᵘᵍʰ ʷᵃᵗᵉʳ—ᵇʳⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰᵉ ˢʸʳⁱⁿᵍᵉ.”

There was a stir within you, where you could hear the faint sounds of voices around you, too many to count when you laid in a restless place neither final nor positive you were still existing. Darkness cloaked you, enveloping you whole, with the unlimited sense of being numb that seized control of your entire body.

You didn’t bother to open your eyes, knowing that to open your eyes was to continue living, no- you weren’t quite ready for that at this moment. Let me rest. You told yourself as if resting from a deep slumber. Let me rest a bit longer.

You didn’t know how much time was passing whilst left unconscious, but the steady dripping of what sounded like water beside you seemed to be the first thing that irked you to consciousness. The steady relentless sound of what you thought was rain when you groggily came around was actually a bucket, collecting water from a leaking ceiling.

Your surroundings were neither pleasant nor unpleasant: expecting to be back on the train in your bed tucked away, you were actually tucked in the corner of a hospital bed, the creams and ugly greens were a vast contrast that made your eyes water. Your body felt light as if floating as you came around further to your senses.

Then, the pain finally kicked in.

It wasn’t the same feeling of having a bullet lodged into you, but enough to have you aware of what ordeal you had dealt with. It was a discomfort that made you grunt out in pain when you tried to shift, attempting to move or at least sit up, but the shift of a seat behind your head brought you to the awareness you were not alone.

With no weapons on you or even your blade attached to your wrist, your first thought and response were to fight whoever was there if they were a threat. Who knew, you could’ve been in the hands of the Templars, locked away with no way of escaping-”

“Y/N?”

You blinked slowly, a tentative hand was on your shoulder to bring your attention to their soft words, more astonished to see you there. “Easy there, love.”

“Jacob?” Your voice startled you yourself: weak and hoarse from not using it, not attempting again when you saw the figure of the Frye twin kneel beside you. He didn’t waste an opportunity to lean over you and engulf you into a hug as best as he was allowed without harming you, his head buried in the nook of your neck. His warmth and smell were next to engulf you, the similar feel of him made you smile, tenderly reaching a weak hand to stroke the back of his head as best as you could.

There was a shudder that wrecked through the man: noticeable even when he became silent. A silent wrack of a sob passed through him into you, your eyes widening in realisation. “Jacob… I’m here, it’s okay.”

“I thought I lost you back there,” his voice was taut, trying to steady himself. “You went cold as ice in my arms, love. I thought—you were out for four days.”

You could now gather a proper look at him: silently feeling the weight of guilt and pity that spread through your chest, hurting harder than the wound that took over your body with soreness. Jacob seemed the same, but there was not as much of a spark that was there in his hazel eyes, the shell of a man who was once lively and held feverish intent on bringing back control in London through brute strength. The bags under his eyes and gauntness to his face brought the startling revelation to you, his brown locks unkempt and unbrushed, his hat nowhere to be seen. “You… you stayed here with me?” Your voice was wracked with astonishment.

“I didn’t leave, no matter how much Evie begged me back to eat or to sleep. I told her I couldn’t… not until I knew you were awake and stable.” Your hand came to his, squeezing with a little bit more force compared to what you had assumed was the last time. “I was worried, love. I was terrified I’d lose you for good.”

The guilt was hot and immediate in your throat as you felt your eyes well with tears, threatening to spill, “I did this… I caused this strive when I was too stubborn in not waiting. Evie, Henry, you… I didn’t listen to any of you.” You looked away in shame, a single tear spilling finally. “I’m so sorry, Jacob.”

“Oh Y/N,” Jacob’s voice was the only thing to soothe you, reaching over to hold you where he sat on the edge of the bed. He soothed at your hairline carefully, tenderly, placing a sweet kiss on your brow. “I’m thankful you didn’t leave me just yet.” The laugh that came from his was raspy and made you feel warm. “I don’t think I’ll let you leave my sights.”

“No, please don’t. I think it would benefit everyone.” You joined quietly, nuzzling into his chest, feeling how he cradled you close to him, not thinking of letting you go so soon. There was a peaceful pause that fell between the two of you before Jacob seemed to hesitantly speak up. “You never allowed me to repeat it back to you, you know?”

“Repeat what back?”

“You say I have beautiful eyes but I never get the chance to tell you back?” He huskily laughs, squeezing your hip with affection. “Way to leave a gentleman on hold, love.”

Your eyes widened in realisation as you looked up to meet his gaze, “There is a time to say it now.”

“Indeed,” his hand danced along your jawline, his face leaning close to yours. “Has anyone ever told you how lovely your eyes are?”

The blush was quick to come to your face, even from realising how close his face was to yours, never once retreating. “No, you never have.”

“A few times I’ve thought of it, but I didn’t have the courage to tell you,” his voice was warm, breath fanning against your face, his scent so musky was grounding you to reality. “I guess you could say I did quite fancy you.”

“Did?”

“Well—I still do.” He confessed sheepishly. Your nervous laughter bounced back between the both of you, leaning your forehead against his. “It is a good thing I fancy you too then.”

Since awaking, Jacob’s joy seemed to spring back after being gone, not wasting time to capture your lips against his, his hand tracing your cheekbone, pulling you closer to him. You grunted from a sudden shift in your body as you tried to turn over to face him further, the assassin pulling inches away from you, the look of surprise sprinkled over his features, “Oh… I guess I couldn’t wait to do that.”

Your laughter filled the large room, voices hushed with reassuring kisses and hugs, finally feeling the relief of being in his arms once more. 

-

God, I finally finished this, who knew it would take so long? 

[dennou-translations]

Violet Evergarden Ever After: Chapter 2

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The Night and the Auto-Memories Doll

   Everything went around.

From past to present and from present to future. The dead bodies that decayed within the soil would dissolve into the earth, and from the earth, too, would new living creatures be born. Within a few hours’ time, curtains made of stars and nightly shades would be covered over by curtains in the colors of dawn.

People went around as well.

Children would be born, muster out their voices, start walking and, once they became aware of their own selves, their stories would begin. A cycle of discovering passion, coming to know love, stopping to be children and, upon sympathizing with other families, birthing offspring just as their parents had done. A cycle of learning about the world, spreading information, teaching their knowledge to younglings without sparing any of it away and generating more such younglings. A cycle in which someone’s story was someone else’s encouragement, and those who were encouraged would conceive stories of their own.

Everything went around.

There was one cycle here. It was the story of a meager cycle that likely could happen anywhere in the world.

A man picked up a wild beast from a small island to which he had drifted. It was a beautiful beast, but it had been stocked with skills long before coming to his hands. Skills for slaughtering people with ease and seeking submission.

Their first meeting was terrible. His underling had attempted to lay his hands on the beast’s beauty. As if it were a given, the beast had killed his many subordinates, leaving only one person. That was him. Granting him both disaster and salvation at the same time, the beast had sought subservience in regards to the man.

The man fled around the island where all but himself had been murdered, but gave in and accepted the beast. The beast was useful, but also an existence that he could not handle. Be it morning, noon or night, his head was troubled with the beast, his heart unable to calm down.

Essentially, he was a man who did not want to be shackled by anything. After all, he had a past of being forced into submission by his household and parents. He had escaped from his responsibilities and his home, jumping off into the sea. The man, who had been born in a family that bore the name of a flower, had run away and gained freedom.

He yearned for it – for a freedom that no one could steal from him – more than anything. Even if he had to cast away his little brother for it. Therefore, the man had done the same in the beast’s case. The one who mattered most to him was himself. He wanted to break free from that horror. Most likely, he had cut off from himself a child in need of salvation.

Everything went around.

——O God, I want to                                .

Everything.

   A voice that sounded like bells echoed.

“Captain,” it whispered, as if to tickle the man’s ears. “Captain Dietfried Bougainvillea.”

It was evening. A time when people were returning to their homes.

“What would you like to do?”

An orange light shone from the window inlaid with stained glass. With the sunset reflected on the elaborately designed interior decoration, the place itself looked like a single work of art.

“Could it be that, because of the impact earlier, your hearing has...”

It was supposed to be. The place where the person who called out so insistently and the person who intentionally ignored her were in was an art gallery that just recently had its interior and exterior finished.

“As if.”

“I am relieved. Then, I would like to ask if you have a plan.”

In a place they were not supposed to be at, the two who were not supposed to be together were kneeling on the floor in resignation.

“Captain.”

“.............................”

“The civilians are in a predicament.”

“................................”

“Captain Dietfried Bougainvillea.”

“............”

“What would you like to do?”

“..................”

“I would like to ask if you have a plan, by any chance.”

“.....................”

“The civilians are in a predicament.”

“........................”

“If I may offer my opinion, firstly, I could act as a decoy—”

“Be quiet, monster. Don’t keep repeating the same thing over and over. Don’t breathe either. I’m thinking right now.”

Dietfried Bougainvillea, a naval captain of Leidenschaftlich, eldest son of the Bougainvillea – a household of patriotic national heroes – and the man who had picked up Violet Evergarden in the past and brought her to this country, was covering his eyes with his hands due to having too much on his plate. The little bit of silence and darkness had brought him relief, but someone’s sobbing, the voice of a man reproaching it and the sound of a person being brutally kicked and tumbling down dragged him back to reality.

He had a severe headache. Whether it was caused by his anxiety or his injury, he had no idea. He put a hand on the back of his head and examined it, but only a bit of blood had come out.

In order to somehow spit such awful mood out of his body, he took deep breaths. He felt that he had become a little better, but the unpleasant sensation returned once he opened his eyes and cast his gaze at the woman next to him. A spoon of discomfort, rejection and fear each was thrown into Dietfried’s emotional vessels, set on fire and boiled up. However, the most prominent feeling was something else.

The woman who had been talking to him so insistently until a moment ago was now quiet just and not letting out a single breath as he had told her. Violet Evergarden.

Dietfried looked fixatedly at his former servant. The woman, whose appearance had transfigured considerably in comparison to when they had first met, bore a radiantly shining cold beauty, which was even more conspicuous under such tense circumstances. She was almost like an ice sculpture, Dietfried thought.

——Even though you used to stink like a wild beast...

She now smelled of nothing but flowers.

——...you turned out just as I’d imagined.

“You’re a siren.”

Silence.

“My little brother destroyed a train station just to keep you alive; you’re a siren through and through. I’m not into you, but my mental stability is wrecked right now, and I’m sensing the harmfulness and influence that your existence brings about in that. You’re unmatched when it comes to breaking things and causing problems.”

Dietfried had once told his brother that the beast could become a siren. He had meant to say so including all sorts of matters. This young woman named Violet was a creature that God had created by mistake and had not been born under a good star. When one was by her side, there were many of them.

“Damn troublemaker.”

Many problems. Even though she had not wished for it, she had been born this way. Under a star that attracted disasters.

——It goes round. All of it.

He ran and ran from her, yet they would end up meeting, thus Dietfried had started to think that it might be some sort of divine revelation at this point. Telling him to face the girl that he had thrown away.

Violet was still, hand on her brooch. He someway guessed that it was given to her by his younger brother. He felt like clicking his tongue. This girl might become the worst-ever wife whose hand his most beloved little brother was going to take.

——We can leave that for later; gotta overthrow this situation first.

Determined to fight this reality, Dietfried then turned his gaze towards the sight that spread out before his eyes. Women, men, elderly people – everyone was crouching on the floor with guns pointed at them regardless of anything. Obviously, the same applied to Dietfried and Violet.

Unexpected situations – situations in which they could not make a false move even if they were on their own, let alone in the presence of so many civilians – were responsible for this. On top of it, Dietfried was also saddled with someone that he had to protect despite not wanting to. Of course he would feel like clicking his tongue at it.

Perhaps they were thought to be lovers, as no one said anything even while they stayed close to each other.

“Hey, did you really stop breathing?”

She did not seem to be in agony, but her figure as she diligently obeyed made Dietfried feel uneasy.

“I was joking; breathe.”

Violet’s blue eyes blinked with a snap.

“Yes.”

And then, she finally let out a breath. Dietfried hated himself for being remotely relieved that she had safely started breathing again, was what he thought.

“Hey, you.”

“Yes.”

“From now on, follow my orders. Don’t act on your own accord.”

“All right.”

“I’m gonna save the civilians. It’s my duty. There’s no helping it, so I’m counting you in that math too... No idea what my little brother would do if he found out I’d let you die. Even if it weren’t on purpose, if anything that could kill you happened under these circumstances, I really have no way of knowing what he’d do. He’d probably hate me.”

“No, Captain, he—”

“Have some self-awareness, Monster. My foolish younger brother blew up a train station to let you live. This fact did turn into a subject of teasing towards Gil for no matter how much time passes from now, but if you think about it on normal terms, it’s out of the ordinary. That’s the way you’ve changed him. Damn witch...”

She was the tool that he had found and that used to exist for his sake. A woman who used to be a dog with no name. An orphan whom he had picked up from a solitary island, brought back with him, attempted to get the most out of yet was unable to, and then threw away.

Asset. Girl soldier. Automatic assassination doll. Witch.

——Even if I don’t want to, for now, I gotta protect this thing and take it home.

“I’ll save you, so you save me too, Witch.”

Fate went around, adding a chance meeting as the best seasoning for a finishing touch. After all, at this very moment, Violet Evergarden and Dietfried Bougainvillea were being attacked by robbers and had weapons thrust at them.

“That’s awfully unpleasant for me, but I’ll take action by considering your life to be the top priority. Not for you. For my little brother.”

Understanding that she had received permission to talk once she had received permission to breathe, Violet gave her own opinion, “No.” She did it directly, without any restraint. “No, that is my job, Captain. Major... Lord Gilbert loves you.”

Dietfried’s eyes blinked. Those green orbs were staring fixatedly at Violet since earlier, enough to seem like they would suck her in. They were green jewels in a different shade from his younger brother’s. Those green gems, enveloped in shock, reflected Violet’s serious gaze.

“I shall guard you, no matter what happens,” Violet declared with resolution, like a knight. “I will obey your orders to the best of my abilities, but if I judge it to be dangerous, I shall take action with your safeguarding as the maximum priority.”

“Hey.”

“I will definitely protect you and bring you to Major safely. Please do not leave my side, Captain.”

“That’s my line,” Dietfried said while nonetheless wanting to kill Violet.

   For the exchange between the two to reach this stage, things had first begun when morning visited Leidenschaftlich. This might be going back much too far in time for a clarification, but it all had indeed started since daybreak.

The morning weather was overflowing with sunlight on that day – typical of Leidenschaftlich in early summer. Early rising ladies formed queues in the bakeries that opened at dawn and little birds flew about the shops’ surroundings to receive breadcrumbs. There was a café three stores away from one of the popular bakeries, famous for serving floral teas, its signboard girl preparing to open it. If one went further ahead, there was a bank, and round said bank, there was a main street lined with large-scale shops.

An art gallery arranged to open the next day had been erected on the main street. Its name was Artemisia. It bore the name of its owner, who was an artist.

The gallery Artemisia displayed the works of its proprietor, of course, but it also had works of artists from within and abroad Leidenschaftlich. There were rows of works from unknown young artists that the owner had taken interest in as well, devoted as she was to the cultivation of new talents.

The Artemisia Gallery, which was to become a place where novel forms of Leidenschaftlich’s art would be born, was scheduled to hold a pre-opening party today, attended only by the people concerned. The gallery’s staff had started cleaning its interior and the sidewalk in front of it from morning.

Around noon, a restaurant employee hired for the sake of that day had visited, bringing in wine, snacks and table sets. As for the dishes, there were two types: the ones that had already been prepared and the ones that would be made by borrowing the kitchen of the owner’s residence, which had been built on the gallery’s top floor. Since eating was not the main focus, the preparations were merely enough for the upcoming guests not to feel hungry.

As evening came, the inside of Artemisia began to speed up with haste. If there were anyone in command of such a scenery, they would likely be asserting with a baton: “hurry”, “faster”, “elegantly”.

An envelope closed with a wax seal bearing the establishment’s crest. Customers arrived one after another with the invitation taken from inside of it at hand. For a pre-opening party with a limited number of invitees, there was a large amount of people. The elect few of Artemisia’s employees were in a flurry of activity.

“Bring me a coat” here, “not enough drinks” there, a plate breaking somewhere. “Where’s the owner?”, “Got caught by the guests”. “There’s no one to give us instructions”, “Oh, well” – just like this, things descended into chaos behind the scenes.

Normally, their job was to calmly recommend artistic goods. Therefore, they were unable to hide their bewilderment at handling so many visitors at first. Nevertheless, if one looked at the guests being entertained, how were they? Appreciating the artworks, looking like they were having a blast. Upon seeing this, the employees were able to understand deep down. That “what, so things are the same as usual”. By the time that the customers were completely familiar with the gallery’s interior, the employees were able to show smiles with a little bit of ease.

Among the guests invited to Artemisia, a foreign body completely unrelated to this world was mixed in.

It was a woman. A beautiful one at that. From an appreciative viewpoint, there would be nothing to complain about if she were one of the artworks. She was clad in a ribbon-tie one-piece dress, snow-white as a flower in full bloom on a summer day. Her long, softly curved golden hair extended to her waist. Perhaps she had come straight from work, as she held a heavy-looking trolley bag on one hand. “Click, click,” knocked her cocoa-brown boots against the marble flooring each time she took a step.

She walked while observing every artwork one by one. Idyllic landscape paintings, abstract paintings that looked like silver ink spilled on pure-white paper, oil paintings in which the people seemed as if they would move at any moment. Glassworks and ceramics that one would be very afraid even to look at from nearby. At first, the exhibition was of works from artists renowned within the country, but the small hall of its latter half integrated displays from artists who were still nameless. The woman stopped in front of one such work.

A painting of whimsical fantasy. Was it a winter sea? It depicted various things falling and sinking into dark and cold water. A pocket watch, a feather, a bed, a knife, a white flower and a chair. All were worn-out and had damaged parts. At first glance, one would not know what it was expressing. Only the boy painted in the center seemed to pierce through the viewer.

He was still a teenager and his appearance could also be considered that of a girl. After staring at him for a while, the feeling that he was supposed to be saved would surface. Because the boy had a facial expression that almost looked like he was making eye contact with the viewer as he fell. But this could not come true. He was sinking in the picture. No one on this side could do anything. One would not know what to do with themselves after looking at it – it was that kind of picture.

“Excuse me; I was the one who painted this. Is there anything wrong with this painti...”

Suddenly, a voice called to the woman from behind. A rock thrown into the quiet atmosphere. A low tone that cut through the dimness of the room.

People were mostly heading towards the famous artists, so the woman had been all by herself on that spot until just now. The man who had showed up a bit late was coincidentally the creator of that fantastical painting, and found himself talking to the woman who had stopped in front of his art. That was an extremely natural encounter for a pair. If their positions, circumstances and everything else were different, something might have been born between them. It did not have to be romantic love, just something – something else that “the two of them originally had”.

“Captain Dietfried Bougainvillea.”

The moment the woman turned around, the space resounded with a loud squeak. It actually had not resounded, but at the very least, Dietfried heard the thump of his own heartbeat, which gave his whole body goosebumps. He was enveloped in a strange sensation, as if the blood inside him were flowing backwards. One of the things he had once evaded in his life was standing there.

“What’re you doing, Monster?”

Violet Evergarden.

Before the emerald eyes that Dietfried possessed, of a hue different from his younger brother’s, there was a young female Auto-Memories Doll. The reason why he had not recognized her from the back was likely that her golden hair was slovenly loose.

He had not had a chance to see her after she had become a grown-up ever since the incident during the Flying Letters. Only people who had great amount of interaction with each other would be able to tell such a thing just by looking at someone’s back.

“I was looking at the paintings, Captain.”

Violet was expressionless. However, her hand alone promptly searched for her emerald brooch and squeezed it.

“You, paintings? Can you understand them?”

First, a scornful laugh, and then a head start with a verbal attack. She needed to put up a defense line. After all, this girl was formerly a weapon. An automatic assassination doll.

“I cannot. It is just that... my eyes and legs stopped.”

She was the one and only woman that Dietfried feared. If he had run into anyone else, his emotions would not be so disrupted.

Dietfried was scared. This girl was terrifying.

“I caused you trouble last time.”

He knew the things she had done. He knew whom she had killed. And he also recalled how he used to treat her, telling himself that it was all right.

“By asking about Major.”

Because she was a monster.

——O God, I want to                                .

These words wandered about in his head. They were words that he had prayed in his childhood to the one that he would meet at some point – probably in his dying moments. Thinking back on it now, it had been a foolish, immature and helpless wish, but he was serious about it at the time.

Looking at this girl made him remember his embarrassing past self.

“I shall see myself out. Captain, please take your time.”

“Hey.”

Violet had decided to retreat from the place, putting it to action. She concluded that this would be a peaceful solution for both sides and that it would secure each other’s survival.

“Hey, wait.”

However, Dietfried still had something that he wanted to say.

At the call of restraint, Violet’s feet halted mid-step. She then gazed at Dietfried. “Why?” her eyes were asking.

Choosing to leave must have been her own way of showing respect. Considering the current and the previous relationship between two of them, it was a sound judgement. Hence, she stared at him presumptuous and mutely.

Even now, it pierced Dietfried. That quiet “why” perforated him.

Despite being the one who had told her to wait, Dietfried lost sight of his next words. He had tons of complaints. Rather, complaints were the only thing that ever came out of his mouth. Most likely, he had never presented any warm words or attitude to her. No, he had at least patted her head when they parted. But what about it? That was all he had done. Which perhaps was the reason why.

——What did you think of that painting?

Just a question like this was exceptionally challenging for him. If it were anyone else, he would surely be able to ask as easily as breathing. He could also boast that he was the one who had painted it. However, only with this woman was it so difficult.

A long silence drifted between the two. A truly long, long silence.

The mood was almost like two beasts had come across each other in the wilderness and were estimating which would attack first. Both were underdeveloped and, not matching their insides, only their appearances were actually full-fledged. Seen from the sidelines, they were a beautiful adult man and woman looking at each other, but the air flowing between them was that of a battlefield.

Dietfried was starting to sweat. As for Violet, even her breathing was becoming shallower.

Violet seemed to be thinking about something. She opened and closed her mouth, repeating it several times. What should she do in that situation? What was best? She was probably unable to decide. This was something that not just Violet but also Dietfried was thinking about, yet the degree of seriousness in behavior was surprisingly higher on Violet’s side.

She would normally not be like this.

He was the person that even Violet Evergarden, who had written so many letters, was at loss as to how to act around. That was the man called Dietfried.

Perhaps her thinking had eventually arrived to a conclusion, Violet left her baggage on the floor and put her hands behind her back. “Feel free to.”

At first, Dietfried had no idea what she was doing. Violet looked like she was offering her body.

“Ha...?”

Without hesitation, almost as if she were a tool.

“I am still. Feel free to.”

“Feel free to feast on my life,” she seemed to say. Her current self overlapped with the beast of the past.

“To do what, is what I’m asking...” Dietfried’s mouth felt sticky, giving him a hard time mustering words out. His head had been occupied mostly with how to mend the blunder that he had exposed to her, so he could not respond to Violet’s surprise attack immediately.

“Do you not remember? I used to do this whenever I had to receive reprimand or punishment.”

He could not. All of the information that had been fluttering about in Dietfried’s head until now disappeared. It vanished.

“You, what the...”

The owner of the blue eyes that stared at Dietfried as if to shoot through him always did unexpected things, tossing him about.

“I did not know how to speak back then, so in order to show that I had no intention to attack you, Captain, I would do this.”

Those eyes.

“No matter what I say, surely... there is no atonement for me. With time, I have come to understand the things I... did. And how much terror I made you go through. Nevertheless, I am grateful for the kindliness of placing me under Lord Gilbert. I wish to pay you back somehow. If you say that it is unnecessary, at the very least, do as you please.”

For whatever reason, when those eyes asked him “why”...

“Be it with fists or with reproach, as much as you want.”

...his chest ached as if it had been stabbed.

“Feel free to.”

If that place were not a quiet art gallery, Dietfried would have yelled furiously at her, without caring about shame or his reputation. He managed to ball his fists hard enough for it to hurt and swallow down his angry voice due to his high level of self-respect.

“I hate that about you...”

This girl always made him aware that she would never act as he expected.

“...to death.”

At the words spoken by Dietfried’s quivering tone, Violet took a step back. Her stance of offering herself did not change, but her instincts were on-guard, wondering if she was not going to be killed by this man. Seeing that, Dietfried sneered at her figure.

“You’re the one who could choke the life out of me anytime,” he seemed to say.

Dietfried suddenly felt the heat that had gone up his head cooling down. Violet had taken a step back. That became the trigger for him to regain his composure. Because he was able to reconfirm that she was but a child in the end. This innocent aspect and action that were much like what a child would show to an adult exerted a great influence on the other party. Dietfried loathed that.

For he, who despised interventions from anyone, had so much aversion to it that it make him want to vomit.

Those who were accustomed to oppression from others would very easily choose to hurt people. She was inwardly frightened of that tendency. Yet albeit frightened, she prioritized others over herself. That creature was like a mass of contradictions.

——Disgusting. Stop. Die. Don’t look at me.

He did not want to get involved with her. But he had a mountain of things to say. However, when it came to whether or not he could properly do it, even if he managed to squeeze them out, they would turn into nothing but abusive language.

There was a large lake between the two of them and all they could do was gaze at the opposite shore, unable to tell how deep it was. Their first meeting was to blame for that. It was the cause of everything.

His underlings had attacked her and she had killed all of them. She then chased and chased after him, making him into her master. Despite there being a hierarchy, Violet was the one who had a grip over his life.

One would understand, after spending time with the girl, that this was a necessity for her. She was always like that, ever since the island only the two of them knew. Whenever anything happened, she would prioritize Dietfried. After all, even as he handed her over to Gilbert, she had not resisted.

If anything could be changed, that was the moment.

The two who never mingled with each other met again countless times in a parallel line. On such occasions, they would become unable to make a move due to shouldering the truth of rejection and of the things they had done, thus running away.

——Gilbert.

What did the person who brought the two together, whom they loved most, thought of that?

“You... I...”

——If I could change for Gilbert...

“Captain...?”

——If I could change, right here and now, for your sake...

Would it be easier for him to breathe?

Just as Dietfried was about to make a bitter decision...

“GYAAAAAAAAAH—AAAAAAH—AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

...an incident occurred.

   It was clearly not a hasty crime. The scream of Artemisia, the owner, echoed, and by the time that Dietfried and Violet had bolted from the quiet hall where there was just the two of them, robbers were already thrusting their weapons mostly at vulnerable women and children, having them on their knees. The course of action was far too swift.

Wide-eyed, Violet swung back her trolley bag and was about to throw it at them, yet Dietfried stopped her.

“Are you stupid?! Those aren’t all adults that can run...!”

Among the hostages, there was also a little girl held under someone’s arms, looking like she did not understand the situation.

“I will save them as fast as possible and take control of the rest.”

“They’ve got guns; what’re you gonna do if they hit someone else with a warning shot?! There’s the other artworks too... This ain’t a stage for a tactless bastard like you to brawl! Just stay put for now!”

“But, Captain—”

“Stay put!”

While the two were trying to push past each other, the robbers took notice of them.

In the main hall, perhaps in order to bind people up through fear, the men were being beaten without exception, being put on their knees over the floor. Seeing that, the women naturally sat down, trembling, and began to cry.

While screams were resounding like music, one of the robbers headed towards the duo. “So there were still weeds growing here?” was the look in his eyes as he swung his firearm emotionlessly.

Dietfried would have managed to avoid it. He had done it several times until now. He could do it as easily as floating on water. If he could catch the man’s gun with one hand and pulled it just like that, he was able to picture the opponent falling over as a reaction. Once he stole the gun, he could shoot each member of the robber gang one by one in the head. And then, there would be a gunfight. He would have done that if he were alone. Yes, if he were alone.

——Why now of all times?

There was nothing more humiliating than a punch that one had to resign oneself into receiving. But he had things he had to protect above his own dignity. Thus, he accepted the attack without dodging. If he were to start a scuffle amidst the current situation, he did not think that all of the people who had become hostages would remain unharmed. He would aim for a chance. That was what he should do. He made such decision not only for his own welfare but also for that of other people.

However, the automatic assassination doll made a completely different one. When her eyes glinted like that, she quite literally moved on automatic. She came forward to take his place. In that instant, the face of Dietfried’s younger brother was the only thing crossing his mind.

——Gil.

It was almost as if he had readied himself to do it. That was how quickly his arm reached out. He forcefully embraced Violet and turned his back towards the robber. A violent hit struck him from head to back. He could hear Violet’s breath quietly catching while holding her in his arms.

And such was how they had arrived to the present.

   Dietfried did not think that his decision to suppress Violet was a mistake. He was aware that she was the woman who had fought by herself against terrorists inside an exploding train, but it would be a problem if she did something of the sort in the Artemisia Gallery.

Right now, he felt like a pet owner containing the rampage of his mad dog.

As for the mad dog herself, she had grown quiet ever since Dietfried had been hit, as if her functions were gone. Dietfried had pushed away the hands that had attempted to give him first aid. Any false moves and the robbers might beat him again.

She, who always took upon herself to protect, wound up being protected. On top of that, she had let the other be injured. This must have caused her to fall into despondency, enough to result in service outage. However, with time, she had rebooted and was rousing herself up once more to get through this situation.

“I understand that I should refrain from the use of force in an art gallery. But should we not place human lives above the artworks?”

——Whose fault do you think it is that I got hit on the back of my head?

Because she was saying the most obvious thing with the most serious face, Dietfried grabbed the collar where her brooch resided, taking the brooch along, without thinking. The thread that fastened the ribbon-tie dress’s button let out a screech. It was not the kind of deed that a gentleman would do to a lady. But Dietfried did not loosen the strength that he put into his grip.

“You... Do you still need disciplining from me?” he said, voice filled with rage, close enough for their faces to touch. “Think of this as a place that can hardly compare to any other... This thing’s pretty important for you, isn’t it?”

After blinking with a snap, she opened her mouth once, then closed it.

Once Dietfried’s hand let go of her, she grasped the brooch as if to protect it. She was more concerned about the brooch than the crumpled bust of her dress. She stroked it over and over, making sure that it had not been damaged.

Finally, she whispered in a dazed state, “I understand.”

“As if an idiot could,” Dietfried said with a snort, yet the other was a poker-faced Auto-Memories Doll. No matter how much he hurt her, it would have no effect. That was what Dietfried had thought.

“I understood completely. I will avoid combat here as much as possible.” Alas, her voice sounded a little faint.

Dietfried stared at Violet from the corners of his eyes. The brooch was indeed important to her. She was holding it down with both hands. She did not want anyone to touch it – that was what she was indicating. The two of them were speaking in an awfully low tone, but her timbre just now was as thin as the cry of a mosquito.

Dietfried said with a somewhat softer voice, “Good that you get it. I’m indebted to the owner of this gallery. I’m gonna choose the best I can for her sake too.”

“All right.”

“Human lives are the priority, of course. But we’re not gonna fight in a stupid way.”

Like a child, Violet nodded repeatedly.

“You’ve only ever been doing body guarding, murders and military action, and that’s why you don’t understand. In the sea... In fleet battles, we fight to protect. Our way of thinking is different from those who fight to conquer.”

“To protect...”

“If you can’t put brakes on them at sea, the enemies go to land. The reason why Leidenschaftlich is called a military nation ain’t just the army’s achievement. I’ve... never taught you how to fight at sea, huh... For now, forget the method of destroying and taking control of everything. Learn from my ways.”

“Understood.”

Dietfried was inwardly surprised at the obedient reply. Rather, even more than this, he was surprised that he and the “beast” were able to have mutual comprehension.

When she was in his hands, this beautiful Auto-Memories Doll was a “wild beast” that did not know how to speak, as well as a tool. An incontrollable beast, to boot.

“Still, if that is how it is, please do not forget that your wellbeing is my top priority all the more. I shall fight to protect you, Captain. Please do not think of protecting me for Lord Gilbert’s sake. If necessity arises, I will not might if you use me as a shield. I can be replaced, but there is no substitute for you.”

If, at that time...

“This is also linked to protecting Lord Gilbert.”

...in that place...

“Bye, Monster. This guy’s your next master.”

...he had educated and guided her instead of letting her go, would she have grown up the same way?

“Shut up.”

Would she have thought like that?

“Shut up, Monster.”

He had never even thought about it.

Another side of him immediately answered “no” to the self-questioning. Surely, a Violet Evergarden raised by Dietfried Bougainvillea would not have turned out like this. He might have at least taught her how to talk. They would have trouble communicating otherwise. He would have probably given her clothes and personal belongings for daily life. Bringing her along when walking around would look bad for him.

However, when it came to whether or not he would have bestowed this girl with something that would be enveloped in her hands with utmost zeal...

——I see; so it’s the same color as Gilbert’s eyes. That brooch.

...he would undeniably have not.

——Come to think of it, she was always following me around from behind ‘cause she hated being alone.

If there was anything he could have done for her, it was to at least fill up a coffin with flowers and leave it available for her. He did not intend for anything to happen, but he might have done that much. After all, if Violet had stayed beside Dietfried Bougainvillea, she would have surely died before him, for his sake.

“We’re gonna do an act.”

——Aah, Gilbert.

“An act?”

——I’m always late to realize how great you are.

“That’s right. You’re the one who suggested it, so I’m gonna make you into a decoy.”

——You’ve made that filthy beast into this.

“Understood.”

——You were able to change her like this.

“First, take this... It’s late for that, but... you got any questions about a joint struggle with me?”

As Dietfried asked, Violet responded with her neck tilted, “Why...? I do not.”

For whatever reason, his former weapon would show scraps of emotion only at times like these. Just innocently, unaware that it was merciless of her.

“Please use me correctly, Captain.” She smiled.

   Why had robbers attacked the Artemisia Gallery?

There was a certain amount of history that led to such violence unfolding amidst everyday life. Firstly, it would be preferable to start with the time when a turning point happened in the life of the robbery’s main offender, but that would be rewinding too far. On to a brief explanation.

This case was a crime committed by a habitual criminal.

There were various reasons for people to rob, yet the advantage was but one. Earning compensation within a short period. Good citizens would be paid for their work, but thieves did not share this mentality. People received rewards through serving others. In order to gather a large sum, a long time and effort were necessary. Thieves abdicated from this. To achieve success, no matter in what land, a person had to be equipped with skills as a rule of thumb.

If one could stop after doing it once, why did they do it countless times? There were people here and there who thought this about criminals. It was because, if they had succeeded once, they could do it again. They were instantly able to attain things that they would have to spend a long time out of their lives to earn. This was the arrival of an opportunity to do that.

Once one got used to it, identifying opportunities was surprisingly easy.

Supposing that there was someone who excelled at predicting people’s thoughts. The other person’s personality would be determined by the movements of their eyes, the way they breathed, their voice tone, the relationships of power in their background, their social position and other such things, so one would be able to deduce what kind of conduct should be taken in order to derive the “correct answer”. It seemed like magic at first glance, but it was no more than the result of someone continuously keeping watch on another person for many years.

Since this was a strategy against individual matches, the robbers needed a slightly better ability to grasp the environment. As they were walking around the city, they incidentally found out that a new gallery was going to open. The opening date was also announced. It appeared that there would be an event only for those concerned on the day before.

No matter the establishment, dealing flawlessly with the inauguration of a new shop was difficult. Even if there were people in it who already had experience working in a gallery, but the use of their abilities to have control over such a situation and proceed with it smoothly was different. Employees would be in quite a panic on the day. If it was a members-only celebration day, there was no mistaking that the original state of the security that should be guarding the gallery would be insufficient.

And so, the robbers had thought, “Aah, if you poke this place, it’ll surely crumble down.”

They did not have any grudges in particular. They had simply judged that they could do it, thus undergoing the assault. The truth was merely that the Artemisia Gallery had been unlucky.

How many hardships the owner had gone through until she was able to open the gallery, had she lived her life bowing her head to other people? How many artists were looking forward to seeing their work exhibited in the gallery? The feelings of such people could be trampled miserably at times.

Not that many people paid any mind to weeds when walking. That was all. Except, this time, the Artemisia Gallery had been lucky about just one thing.

“No good... Hum, excuse me...! She suddenly...!”

A naval captain who loved art...

“Ugh...”

...and the woman who used to be called Leidenschaftlich’s War Maiden were amongst the hostages.

The man who had caused a commotion and pleaded to one of the robbers in a panic raised both of his hands as a display of no resistance. He was a long-haired a man. His slightly curvy dark hair went past his shoulders. Right next to him was a woman holding her stomach and trembling.

“What?”

A few armed men gathered around them.

“It seems her stomach hurts.”

“Just a stomach ache? Leave it alone.”

“You’re telling us to let her go to the bathroom? We still gotta watch these people. Besides, she’s a woman. If someone takes her to the toilet... Well, how much stuff did we get?”

“We’ve piled most of the paintings in the carrier, but there’s still the ornaments. It’s still gonna take a while.”

The robbers had a choice. The option to either silently let her suffer or kindly take her to the restroom. Beating only the men was likely one of their policies. They did not hesitate to make use of violence when needed, but when it was not, it was best to have as least animosity as possible in order to get through with things unobtrusively and quickly take the treasure. It seemed gentlemanly but was a self-righteous thinking.

“What do we do? The Head is...”

“The Head got in the car first. As if we can ask him stuff like this every single time it happens.”

“Head” probably referred to the member worthy of being their chief.

As the quiet exchanges continued in front of the agonizing woman, she finally lay down on the floor while still holding onto her stomach. The man who had appealed about her bad condition shook her shoulders, telling her to “hang in there”.

As if she had received a signal, the woman raised her face slowly. Her gemstone-like blue eyes were visible through the gaps between her disheveled golden hair. She was covering her mouth, perhaps trying not to vomit. Even so, it was easy to tell that the woman’s looks were remarkably good.

“It’s gonna take a while, huh. Besides, we’re gonna need the women later.”

Her eyes locked with one of robber’s as though sucking him in. One would not understand the destructive power that having this woman look up at them from their feet with her eyes wet had, unless they witnessed it themselves.

“Then, I guess it’s okay.”

From the vulgar smile of the man who had said so, one could presume what his intentions were. As the woman was covering her mouth, the robber instructed her to stand up, pointing his gun at her, and then took her to the restroom.

After that, the woman and the robber did not return for a while. Since there were no other people who mustered out the courage to say that they wanted to use the toilet, the period of their absence passed as if it were natural. In the meantime, the gallery’s exhibits were being carried one after another to cars with roof racks parked outside the establishment. The robbers were dressed as employees who worked with the transportation of goods, so even those walking down the street did not think there was anything strange about that work scene.

Once they had finished relocating most of the merchandises, one of the cars left the gallery. The other one that remained parked was meant for the getaway of those who were keeping watch. With the artworks that had been collected for the sake of this day snatched away down to the last one, the gallery was bare. The owner, Artemisia, had all the while been suppressing her cries and shedding tears.

Apparently, those thieves were quite the habitual criminals. They had threatened everyone with armed force upon entering the establishment, robbing people of any resistance, but after that, as long as everyone stayed still, they would do nothing but coldly keep control of the hostages, not even raising their voices. If people did as told, they would not lose their lives. That hope made the hostages obedient. Even though they were robbers, this seamless way of dealing with people was like that of artisans. They did not think of humans as humans.

“Excuse me; I just... want to lend her a handkerchief. That’s all. The sleeves of her clothes are already soaked with tears. Can’t you allow just this much?”

Hearing a voice from the back, Artemisia turned around. It came from one of the artists that she had invited over for today, whom she had known for quite some time. She was shaken by a sense of guilt that she had done something terrible to him as well.

Their first meeting had started at a certain recreational facility, when she peeked from behind while he was painting a landscape. She did not know his occupation, but they kept in touch and she had him show her his art. It seemed he had always been drawing as a hobby. He told her that even most of the people who were close to him did not know he painted, and that he had truly only been doing it for himself.

The busy man had weaved his way through spare time and the work he brought had swayed Artemisia’s senses. At first, he had hesitated at her request to put it on display, but then smiled like a boy and gave her his ready consent, looking happy.

——Aah, God. Please give it back. Please give that fun time back to everyone.

Artemisia was upset and vexed at the fact that the artworks were being stolen, but more than anything, it felt like the regret towards everyone who had been looking forward to this day would split her chest open.

“Hey, he told you to use this.”

He had lent a handkerchief to Artemisia through one of the robbers. Artemisia wiped her tears and managed to lock eyes with him somehow. She then mouthed a “thank you” to him without letting out her voice.

The man smiled. But it was not the smile that Artemisia knew. He was different when he talked about art. She had shivers before she could think. His eyes were not smiling.

“                              .”

The man said something to Artemisia. As he had only moved his lips, Artemisia could not tell whether she had been able to read what he tried to convey. She could not, but most likely, he had said:

“It’ll be over soon.”

Eventually, the robbers started to create an atmosphere of evacuation at last.

“Let’s take one person with us until we leave the harbor. Can be a woman or kid. Which do we choose?”

“Woman it is.”

“That guy was playing around with the woman we were planning to use for that, wasn’t he? What happened to him?”

Assuming that they would finally be freed, the hostages started fidgeting. They had faced a disaster and the artworks that they had dedicated their lives to making had been stolen. This joyful day had been repainted into despair. But they were alive. That was the one and only bright side of today. They would not be able to maintain their rationality unless they comforted themselves with that. At any rate, they wanted to hurry and be liberated.

Amongst them, there was a man who merely observed the robbers’ movements in silence all the while. It was the man who had been caring for a woman that had a stomachache, looking worried. Once the woman had been taken to the restroom, he became expressionless, as if he had lost interest in everything. Occasionally, there were moments when he even yawned in secret, as if he had grown sleepy.

“Go call him. We could use that woman as hostage. She’s young, so she can come back walking if we throw her away on the street.”

Hearing these words, the man let out his voice and laughed. By the looks of it, he had not intended to laugh, but wound up doing so. He put a hand to his mouth, but then shrugged and let the robbers see it. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make fun of you. But trying to rape that thing, huh? No matter how many lives you have, it wouldn’t be enough.”

“Hey, what’s with you...? Got a complaint or something...?”

The man kept laughing, as though to say that the robbers’ threatening figures were even more comical. With her eyes, the owner, Artemisia, begged the man provoking the robbers to restrain himself, for she could not afford to lose not only the artworks that she had collected but also a guest that she had invited, yet the man closed one eye at that and replied, “Artemisia, it’s okay.”

No one in this place knew his social status. Or his history.

In the past, Dietfried Bougainvillea used to wield a weapon that could become the world’s best. It was now away from his grasp, but it was not as if their master-servant connection had been completely severed. The beast had a high level of loyalty, so although they had met by chance after a long time, her heart recognized it. That he was the one she had been following in the past – someone worth being served by her. Therefore, the beast would attend him to exhaustion.

Only a limited number of people could handle the beast. The feeling that she had returned to his hands for now was somewhat strange.

“She runs quick.”

“Ha?”

“That’s why it’s the end for you guys. My bad.”

“Hey, shut this dude up.”

As Dietfried had suddenly started talking, the robbers naturally had a doubtful reaction.

“She’s as fast as a deer. And this is the city’s main street, so there are hotels nearby.”

“So, what’re you saying?”

“I left my bodyguards behind to come here today. They’re probably drinking at their room’s bar. There’re also guys among them who know that thing from the time when she was still by my side. I left my hair tie with her, so she should be able to convince them with that. I could predict that you’d take the things you stole to the port. It’s pretty difficult to get away from pursuers on land when you make such a mess in the center of this city. It’s harder to be tracked using the sea route than the land route, right? But the sea route doesn’t work against me. It looks like one vehicle left a while ago, but it’s over by the point they reach the port. You’ll probably go outside now, but if you’re thinking about taking someone along as a hostage, you’d better drop it. Many of my subordinates are hot-blooded. If you rouse them up like that, they’ll probably get too excited. If that happens, you’re the ones who’ll be getting the short end of the stick. No matter how many dead bodies fall down, we can deal with it all we want in the aftermath. We’ll need to get the stories straight, but today’s hostages will surely choose to cooperate with me. Having people trample on the proof of a life that you’ve lived with all your might is painful for anyone.”

The eloquent man did not run out of breath even when speaking nonstop in such a situation. However, this majestic aspect of him was reflected in others’ eyes as dreadful and similar to madness.

The robbers abruptly realized that all the hostages were looking far behind them. They felt that there was something behind them. It was like a ghost, hiding even its flame of life, simply waiting for the orders of its lord.

Outside the windows of the gallery, they could hear the sounds of someone fighting from around the area where the car was parked. Simultaneously, they could hear a faint breathing just behind them.

The respiration of a woman who was out of breath from running loomed over their ears.

“Do it, Violet.” Dietfried raised his thumb and made a swift throat-cutting gesture.

While watching his doll render the robbers unconscious with a strength as overwhelming as a monster eating people, Dietfried reminisced to the past.

——Everything goes around.

He recalled the time when the two of them were stuck in that isolated island.

The beast had been scared when the rescue fleet arrived. So had Dietfried. He would not be able to bear it if more of his comrades were murdered. Hence, he had taken the beast’s hand and guided her to the outside world. In his perception, it was the same as taking the reins.

There were no reins anymore now. No need for him to pull her by the hand when walking, either. There was nothing between them.

Not love, passion, attachment, desire, anything.

“Captain.”

There was nothing, but one thing was for certain.

“Captain Bougainvillea.”

If he called for her, this Auto-Memories Doll would most likely go to the ends of the world to save him. That was her nature.

“I have just returned. Are you unharmed?”

At that moment, the beast was well aware that he had called her name for the very first time. Her eyes were crinkling.

“Yeah.”

Just this much compensation was enough to make the beast smile.

   After a little while passed, Leidenschaftlich was embraced by the gentleness of the night.

Summer constellations were decorating the jet-black sky. Just as sunny as it was during daytime, the night sky was twinkling so brightly this evening that it could be called a banquet of stars. The day was about to end in Leidenschaftlich. Today was filled with chaos ever since morning.

While being observed by gathered-up onlookers, the arrest drama that had unfolded in front of the Artemisia Gallery was already coming to a conclusion, its many procedures and processing passed over to the military police. Seeing the stolen artworks safely re-delivered to Artemisia, Dietfried took a breather. His gaze then fleetingly drifted to the side. A dirtied ceramic doll was standing there. A woman beautiful enough to look like such, who shone amidst the night, was standing there. He had to say something to her. As one would expect, he should do that at least now. But he could not think of anything.

——“You did well”. “That wasn’t too bad”. “Good work”. “I commend you”... Which one?

Inside his head, words were being conceived and then disappearing. Just like the dreams that the sleeping children all around Leidenschaftlich were surely seeing right now. They were born and then vanished.

At last, he attempted to open his mouth, “Aren’t you cold?”

“It is summer, after all.”

And ended up talking to her like a man who was unused to inviting women out.

Violet Evergarden, who had been fighting reasonably and in order to protect, was still by Dietfried’s side. It was fitting to say that she had been today’s most meritorious person. The one who had come up with the idea of the arrest operation was Dietfried, but the one who had done all the work for it was Violet.

First, she had put up the woman-with-a-stomachache act and gone with one of the robbers to the restroom. She had then quietly strangled the neck of the man who had reached a hand to her shoulder with her mechanical prosthetic arms, making him pass out.

She had broken out and escaped through the restroom’s window. Rather than going to the military police, she had gone to the hotel that Dietfried instructed her to and notified the naval soldiers, who were enjoying cigarettes and drinks in a room on the top floor, of the circumstances. One of the soldiers, who happened to know her, had been frightened at first, but upon seeing that she had been entrusted with Dietfried’s ribbon, his facial expression changed and he contacted the military police, then informed the port’s security to reinforce their inspections.

Without waiting for them to get ready, she had immediately run back to the Artemisia Gallery and infiltrated it through the same route. A few of the robbers, who had the bad luck of spotting her, fell to the ground with one kick or punch to the abdomen, and so, she had finally returned. As Violet stood behind the remaining robbers while catching her breath, the hostages stared as if she were their safety, but Dietfried was sneering as he looked at her.

Just as ordered, she had saved Dietfried without damaging a single artwork.

“About what happened...”

“It will probably be best not to tell Lord Gilbert. He would worry.”

Upon seeing the last artwork be brought in, Violet took the trolley bag that lay by her feet. She likely intended to go home by herself.

After making her do so much, something similar to guilt was now sprouting within Dietfried. He wound up acknowledging that she, too, was important to someone. That was what he thought after the battle, when he saw Violet stroking her emerald brooch as if to confirm that it was there.

Even though she used to be a wild beast whom no one would mourn if she died.

——Aah, that’s an excuse. It’ll be nothing but an excuse. If so, then I don’t wanna say it.

Back then, when she was by Dietfried’s side, every single day was filled with madness on all accounts. They used to roam around battlefields, fighting from dawn to dusk, growing too accustomed to violence. The war then ended, peace had returned, and he realized that an era in which he could even make art was arriving. That those times were abnormal and the way he felt now was the default.

“I’ll take you home.”

“No need. Your escorts must be waiting, so please, feel free to take your leave, Captain.”

“It’s fine; just this time. I’ll take you home.”

“No need.”

“I’ll take you. Listen up, this is an order.”

“I cannot accept your command.”

“You little... You were taking action like I instructed you to just a while ago.”

“Because it was a state of emergency... Besides, Captain Dietfried, it would be reasonable if I were to take you home, but the opposite is illogical.”

“What’re you talking about? You’re a woman, aren’t you?”

“A woman”. Finding himself asserting this with his own mouth, Dietfried regretted it even more.

The corner of Violet’s lips had a cut and blood was coming out of it. Her ribbon-tie dress was drenched in sweat. Even those who did not sweat much would be like this after such a huge scuffle during summertime.

“I’m calling a carriage. It’s all right; just wait right there. I’ll see you off until you get inside the Evergarden house. And then it’s goodbye. We’ll never see each other again. No matter what you and Gil become, we’ll never see each other again.”

What he had done today to this woman, who had become fully able to accept someone’s love, was not something that a son of the Bougainvillea should ever do to a lady.

After they had hopped into the carriage, a moment of silence went on for a while.

——Is it okay for her to keep such an open secret even though those two are a couple?

Dietfried found himself accidentally concerned about his younger brother’s love life. After all, this situation might be a betrayal to his dearest brother. Gilbert had completely forgiven Dietfried. For pushing the headship succession onto him. For not having any consideration for their family. For forcing an indescribable wild beast onto him. He had forgiven everything.

Thinking back, the only time that he attempted to push Dietfried away, saying he would not forgive him, had been when Dietfried offered Violet to him. He had called it “human trafficking”. Told Dietfried not to be violent with a child.

Most likely, those two were each other’s only exception from the very beginning. There was probably no pardoning what Dietfried had done to Violet today. Gilbert would forgive most things. Save for matters related to the one and only thing that was most important to him. Being hated by a loved one. This could cast a shadow over anyone’s heart, regardless of how old they were.

“It is all right.” The voice that cut through the silence was thrown at him as if to soothe him down. The words sounded almost as if she had perceived Dietfried’s uneasiness. “If, by any chance... word ends up reaching him through someone else about this case, I will definitely defend you, Captain Dietfried.”

“‘Defend’, you say?”

“To tell the truth, I often get involved in large-scale incidents without Major knowing. But I return without fail. To Leidenschaftlich. I will return today as well. Therefore, we are all right.”

“What do you do out there?”

“We were separated for much too long. Therefore, we have many moments that the other does not know about in the first place. Perhaps even now, too. I have work to do and so does he. We have limited time to see each other. However, I will definitely always return to Major. He knows this as well. Even when we are apart, that person is the only one who occupies my mind. I am not sure if I convey it to him properly, but that is how it is.”

Her statements were something that would normally make him burst into laughter, but Dietfried was unable to do so.

——When did you become like that?

Dietfried hated Violet. Several factors had induced his emotions to it.

——Now you can correspond to someone’s love.

He saw himself overlap with her. Her subservience to adults and the way that she herself wanted it disgusted him. He despised the wild beast that did not yearn for freedom. Despised the fact that she had been trained by someone to be this way. Despised everything. To begin with, Dietfried did not have many things that he liked.

Even the number of people who could become kind had a limit.

The truth was that, even if he wanted to be kind, it was no longer possible. He had prayed to God for it countless times in the past. However, unable to achieve this, a man named Dietfried Bougainvillea existed.

——O God, I want to, he begged a certain Someone in his mind for the first in a long time. Perhaps since his childhood.

Still, this sort of being did not give any reply to calls. Even now, he had no idea if his plea had reached Him. It was certainly impossible. His and Violet’s stars were in a position that would not radically change.

Nevertheless, for some reason, he had the overwhelming desire to ask someone for forgiveness today.

——I wanna go back.

Not even he knew where to.

——Hurry and be over, this day, today and the time I have to spend with her.

He was not annoyed.

——O God, I want to...

But painfully miserable.

“Captain.”

The carriage ran amongst trees dyed in the darkness of the night. A cool voice echoed amidst them.

Violet was looking at the scenery outside. She was observing the moon, which chased after them, no matter how far, far apart they were.

The moon was something that would continue to exist forever. Unlike stories. Regardless of whether Dietfried concerned himself with it, everything about his story would come to a closing one day as well. Demise would arrive even to the things that he did not wish to ever be over. Even the feelings he had now would end.

“How was I today?”

“What?”

“Did my work earn your satisfaction today?”

Dietfried could not read the intentions behind Violet’s question at all. She was someone whose emotions he could not read in the first place, but it was even harder to understand the meaning of that sentence.

“What do you want to say?”

Silence.

“Hey, just say it straight. Don’t be dodgy with me.”

“All right,” the cool voice entered his ears once more. Such coldness resembled the night, but it never left his ears, easy as it was to catch.

Violet turned her neck and cast her gaze at him. Slowly, blue and green eyes blended with each other.

“I...”

Bathed in moonlight, she was simply, purely beautiful, enough to take Dietfried’s breath away.

“When I was with you, Lord Dietfried, my work was never satisfactory. Now that I became an adult, have I finally been able to repay my debt... with my work?”

“What d’you mean by ‘debt’?”

His voice was hoarse. He suddenly felt as if this icy woman had robbed his entire body of its heat. The inside of his mouth was extremely dry.

“I mean everything. It all started when you brought me from that island. I am the way I am now because you entrusted me to Ma... to Lord Gilbert.”

“If you’d stayed with me, probably nothing good would’ve happened.”

“How would I be if I had continued to serve you?”

These words became a bullet and pierced Dietfried’s heart. He felt as if his breathing would stop at the unexpected question. Things had been like that since the distant past. Dietfried would reconfirm time and time again that she was a woman who could have become a lethal weapon for him.

“So you also imagine a hypothesis... of ‘what if’,” her exquisitely cold voice rang within the darkness. Upon being asked, “You too?”, Violet nodded.

That was his line, Dietfried thought, but Violet then sent his gemstone eyes a dream-like gaze. His existence might be devoid of realism to her.

Violet began to whisper. If only she had disobeyed that order back then. If only she had rushed to him a step faster at that time.

“Back then, if”. “Back then, if”. “Back then, if”.

She could not bring myself not to think that, if only she had had this extra step, he would not have lost that emerald eye.

“Besides, I wonder... if I had managed to protect him back then...”

She had to let go of her most beloved lord’s hand and was entrusted to someone else as if she had been thrown away.

“...I would not have had to spend that time away from Major.”

Thinking back, she had always been abandoned and then picked up by somebody. She should have been used to it. That was the star she had been born under.

She was originally a foreign body to this world and was supposed to have been eliminated. Her destiny had also flowed in this way. The reason why Violet had rebelled against her sectioned path, despite having been tamely submitting herself to it, was that the other was special.

——I also threw her away.

He had thrown his home away. Thrown away his little brother, who cried in protest. And thrown away this beast.

“I also wonder what would have happened if you had not left me with Major.”

This woman.

“But all of these are akin to dreams, crossing my mind and fading away. After passing through countless ‘if’s, I...”

He had pushed this woman onto his brother and forsaken her. Looking at her made him sick. He was also scared of her. Most importantly, he would have stopped being himself. This terrified him.

“And now, I have become an Auto-Memories Doll and am spending a night with you.”

This woman possessed an element that transmuted people.

“Y’know, you’ll be alone one day. You’re the one who’s got the longer lifespan, aren’t you?”

Violet closed her eyes at those words. If she had pictured numerous “if”s, this would obviously come to mind as well.

“I do not know.”

“If that happens, what’re you gonna do?”

“I do not know. But are you not the same as me when it comes to this? You love him, right?”

“I’m... I’m the older one. I’ll be gone sooner.”

“No one knows about that. But... if, one day... I do become alone... if I am left living by myself... my order will still be valid. I will probably live on.”

If she ended up living by herself, this supposition was the cruelest of things to the beast. Just what did he want to do by making her say this now?

Thinking back, ever since they had first met, he had not known how to deal with her. Should he have protected her? Killed her? Protected? Killed? Or perhaps...

“That is why I write letters every day. Even if they do not reach him, I write letters to Major every single day.”

Silence.

“Captain, what will you do?”

“Me, huh? I... let’s see. Paint, I guess.”

“A painting or Major?”

“That’s right.”

“May I go see it?”

To Dietfried Bougainvillea, this wild beast was both a woman and a monster from the very beginning. She was now as far-off as a dream.

“You’re the only one of my relatives who knows I paint. Do whatever you want.”

   ——O God, I want to be a good person.

[strangestdiary]

swimming in sins | axel

Relationship: Axel/Reader w/ Platonic Oscar & Otto

Request:  Hi! Since you've done the fic about the boys got hurt. Can I ask for another Axel/reader fic where the reader accidentally got shot by her old enemies ( she is a former assassin but no one knows ) and came home soaked in blood. When the trio came back they freaked out, especially Axel b/c he thought it was his fault. A tiny little angst in the beginning and fluff later please 😊

Words: 2.8k (holy shit)

Warnings: Heavy description of killing/Violence (Like this is actually pretty dark I won’t lie), blood. weapons, swearing, a lot of angst, fluff at the end

A/N: I really loved writing this! This is one of the longest things I’ve written in a long ass time, so thank you so much for requesting this and getting my creative juices flowing. 

MY REQUESTS ARE OPEN!

---

You should have seen this coming. Should have realized that even after retiring, your past would never stop following you. There was no way you could fully detach yourself from who you used to be, no way you could go back in time and just simply forget all of the trauma you had been subjected to. Your employers made sure of that. They put you on the most grueling missions, the torture and killing never fully numbing out which would make your boss push you even harder. You were left with permanent scars both inside and out, the ghosting pain coming back to haunt you even in your dreams. It was no easy job, that was the best way to put it, and it certainly wasn’t for the faint of heart. So you knew that your past would follow you forever mentally, it was the physical following that took your by surprise. You guess everyone had to beg for forgiveness at some point so here you were, paying the ultimate price for your sins. 

Pain rippled through your jaw as the man’s fist made contact with your reddening skin, you could already feel the growing bruises pulse underneath the surface with every shift of your head. Warm blood trickled from your right nostril, painting your lips crimson and leaving a copper taste on your tongue. 

Fingers grasped your aching jaw making you wince, he tilted your head upwards roughly and made you look at the slightly wrinkled picture yet again. It was a dated polaroid of a barista named Candy. She was kind and had a nice smile but the details of her personality didn’t matter when it came to your job. Not until now at least 

The man’s fingers tightened against your bruised flesh “She was just an innocent girl,” He ground out behind clenched teeth “and you fucking murdered her like she was nothing!” This time was a punch to the stomach which made you wheeze and sputter. You groaned quietly in pain as you tried to double over but couldn’t, the restraints around your wrist preventing you from slouching forward. 

“It was nothing personal, man.” You pant out, the blooding coating your lips soaking your tongue once again “This isn’t gonna bring her back though.” Nausea twisted at your stomach from his last blow. With your eyes staring down at his legs you tried to focus on your breathing and calm yourself down. 

He let out a dangerous growl and reached behind him, you could already guess where this was going. The outline of his shadow shifted and there was a beat of silence before you heard the signature click of a gun cocking. Slowly you lifted your head and looked past the barrel pointed at your head and to him, his cheeks were stained with tears. His anger merged with grief dangerously. You looked into his eyes and watched them pool with more tears and a snarl curled his lips. 

“I’ll make you suffer, you bitch.” He lowered to aim at your stomach and fired. The pain was searing and shot through your entire abdomen instantly, white hot fire ripping through your veins making you yell out in pain. “I guess that’s one thing I can thank you for… At least you made it quick!” He yelled out and shot you again this time in the shoulder tearing a wail from your throat. 

Tears were streaming down your blood stained cheeks from the pain, he gave you absolutely no time to recover from the fiery pain that consumed you. His fist came down against your cheek yet again,  black spots splotching your vision, you knew you wouldn’t be able to keep yourself awake much longer. The pain rippled through you in pulsing waves, washing over you entirely until you were drowning in it. There was no escape from your past, wherever you went your sins would always follow. 

--- 

There were muffled bangs coming from inside your home, the sound was unmistakable. Axel felt the anger rise inside his body, he threw open the car door not even bothering to look if his brothers were following behind. He should have suspected this, his job wasn’t exactly the safest, it left the people he cared about in danger whether or not they were involved. He should have considered your life would be on the line because of him. 

With all of his might he kicked the door open, the wood splintering around the handle and slamming violently into the wall surly leaving a dent. The living room was a wreck and it reeked of blood. That was the last straw that sent him into a blind rage, his eyes immediately locked onto his prey and he almost felt a growl crawl up his throat. 

The man’s eyes grew wide when he turned around, a gun clutched clumsily in his unskilled hand. He let out a startled gasp and looked between the three men that stared him down. Axel let his eyes drift over to the second figure in the room, slumped over in a chair from the dining room was you, fresh blood soaking your favorite shirt in multiple places. Your face was shadowed by a veil of hair, the sight of you like this was enough to make him see red. 

Axel looked back over at the man, he stamped over to him in three strides, the blonde’s hand came to clutch your captors throat in a bruising grip. His blunt nails dug into the man’s flesh and he stepped forward a few times and slammed the shorter man against the wall. The framed pictures hung up on the samee wall shake from the impact. 

The man pleaded pathetically but it didn’t faze Axel in the slightest, in fact it made him feel even stronger, the begging of a worthless bug that was scared to be crushed under his heel brought him to a sense of twisted pleasure. The man tried to claw at Axel’s gloved hands which only served to irritate the enraged blonde. He took a knife from his trench coat pocket and slid the sharp blade across the man’s paling cheek, blood bubbled to the surface mixing with the tears pouring from your attacker’s eyes. 

Axel wanted nothing more than to make the man suffer but he knew he had to get this over with, you needed him after all. “Filthy fucking scum.” Axel spat in his native tongue applying as much pressure as possible before he heard the satisfying crack of the man’s neck. The smaller man’s lifeless body crumpled to the floor and Axel finally turned back to where you had been tied up. 

During his vengeful kill his brothers were quick to untie you and gently lay you on the couch, Oscar cut open your shirt followed by a quiet apology to your unconscious form. They were already working the second bullet out by the time Axel was done. 

Axel couldn’t help but feel a wave of guilt crash over him when looking down at you. This was all his fault, he had been so careless and dragged you into a life of danger without a second thought. He felt nauseous as his mind wandered to  what could have happened if they arrived just a few minutes too late. He sat down on the floor beside the couch next to Oscar, you were a sight for sore eyes to put it lightly. Your right eye was slightly swollen and badly bruised, your lip was busted in two different places. Your torso was littered with bruises that were already blooming to the surface, he felt disgusted with himself. 

A hand came down on his shoulder, he didn’t have to look up to know it was Otto attempting to comfort him wordlessly. But even then he felt nothing but wave after wave of guilt crash into him. 

---

When you opened your eyes again you were staring up at the popcorn ceiling of your living room. The smell of blood was still lingering in the air making the room feel weighed down, it was an overwhelming thing you thought you would never have to feel again. Your body was throbbing all over, pain shooting through you with every breath. 

You felt his fingers lace with yours before you saw him, worry knitting Axel’s brows when you shifted your head against the pillow underneath you. Guilt tugged at your heart at his worried state, blood smearing his left cheek. Your thumb wiped at the trying to help rub it away but it was no use. His eyes pooled with all kinds of emotions; worry, happiness, fear, guilt. 

“I’m so sorry.” He muttered, making you freeze. What the hell was he sorry for?  “I should have suspected my work would come back on you.” 

You smiled at him softly, you guessed it made sense why he would blame himself. Sometimes you felt bad for never revealing your previous ‘life style’ especially since you knew he and his brothers wouldn’t judge. It had never come up though, you had taken your leave long before you even met the trio so you never thought it would be important to spring on him. Plus there was a lingering fear and insecurity. What if they did judge you? What if they did think differently of you afterwards? 

“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about Axel.” You moved to sit up which he lightly fussed over but you brushed him off softly, you peered down at yourself to see you were wearing a different shirt. The remains of your other shirt crumbled on the foot of the couch. 

“Hey, so uh… I think it’s actually about time I talk to you guys about something.” The three brothers looked at you curiously and you felt your chest tighten, anxiety pooling around you. You knew that eventually the secret would spill but you never wanted it to be like this, not with a dead man rolled up in a spare bed sheet from your linen closet on your bloodstained carpet, not with the three of them staring at you with so much guilt in their eyes. But you guessed there was no time better than now to finally crack open your most heinous secret. 

“Otto there’s a large cardboard box hidden at the very back of my closet… it’s uh- it’s under some old running shoes. Mind getting it for me?” You couldn’t shake the shame that bit at your nerves, your past was never something you wanted to willingly confront again. After years of finally coming to terms with the things you did to survive, you tried so hard to suppress the monster that was buried so deeply inside of you, leaving your soul permanently stained. 

Otto returned with the box in question, it was decently sized and hidden inside were all the weapons you had used to kill off your ‘assignments’ as your boss would so fondly call them. Guns, knives, and even an assortment of brass knuckles that were kept in a decorative wooden box. But tucked away underneath all of the long since abandoned weapons were the files your employer would provide you with. Inside each of them contained information on each life you took, where to find them, their family information, and even how to kill them if the boss held a specific grudge against the victim. 

The tallest brother kneeled down next to the couch and sat the taunting box beside you. His eyes were soft yet confused which warmed you in the very slightest. You gave him a wary smile before turning yourself just a little, you took a deep breath and finally opened the box with shaky fingers. 

You cleared your throat and your gaze trailed up to Axel’s chest, not exactly able to meet his eyes just yet, “Can you slide the coffee table over here please?” He hesitated for a few seconds before prying his bright blues away from the box and doing as you asked. “Thank you.” The shame was probably noticeable in your tone. You shook it off and started taking out gun after gun, knife after knife before finally enough room was cleared and you were able to pull out the files of your fifty seven victims. They were organized by age, youngest to oldest. You combed through the thin manilla folders for Candy’s, your fingers felt like they could burn just by touching them after so long. 

You plucked it from the pile and opened it, the contents inside would certainly be unsightly for any average person who was not experienced in the field of killing. It contained pictures of before and after Candy was killed by your hands, a single bullet wound piercing her forehead with her hazel eyes still open and staring right at the camera. After you were able to tear your eyes away from the picture you picked up another. It was a picture of Candy standing beside the man who had attacked you, the man who was merely a chilling corpse on your floor at this point. 

“That,” you gestured to the wrapped body on your floor “was her boyfriend Roger Myer. They had been together for three and a half years and she was getting ready to celebrate her birthday the day I broke into her house and killed her.” You paused, sucking in a slow breath before continuing “She didn’t even have time to beg for her life before I put a bullet in her head.” You swallowed after bitterly reminiscing the quick kill. 

All three brothers stared at you in disbelief, never in their years of knowing you would they think you would be anything like them. They had believed you were just an innocent, only to now realize your soul was darkened just like theirs. 

“I uh… I’ve been out of the job for about six years now. When my boss finally died and the rest of his employees fled I was released from my contract and was able to leave all this behind me.” You almost rolled your eyes at how naive you were “Until this guy decided to do his little revenge quest.” You couldn’t exactly blame him for the anger though, anyone would want to do the same thing if the person they loved was murdered for close to no reason. 

“I understand if you guys don’t want anything to do with me anymore. I mean- ugh shit,” You let out a sudden sigh pinching the bridge of your nose, ignoring the pain that shot through your face, trying to find the right words “I know that you three would understand since you’re exactly what I was. But I shouldn’t have kept this from you and I understand if you need me to back off for a little while.” Your eyes stung and your throat tightened slightly before you spoke again “I was just so scared you would think differently of me if I told you about what I used to be.” 

You felt the couch dip beside you but you were too scared to look up from the dry blood caking your hands. A leather clad hand came to clutch your shaking fingers, the gesture was gentle and reassuring. The tears slowly trickled down your cheeks, marking a pathway for one after another to follow. Axel’s other hand came up to your chin to tilt your head up gently, his eyes were soft and caring. He understood your fear because he had once felt it too when he first whispered his deepest secret into the shadows of an early winter morning two years ago. He sympathized with you. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for, älskling.” His voice washed over you, finally willing you to relax against his soft touches “We are the same.” Your breath hitched in your throat and you couldn’t help but look up at his brothers to gauge their reactions as well. 

Oscar had the simplest hints of a smirk on his lips which was far from unusual. He was holding one of your most prized guns making you give a watery chuckle. Of course he would be drawn to the weapons so carefully laid out side by side, you couldn’t say you were surprised. 

Beside him Otto had his hands tucked away in his pants pockets “You are our family, we hold no judgement when it comes to one’s past. It would be pretty hypocritical of us after all.” He grinned down at you. The room felt ten times lighter, it was no longer spinning with your anxieties taunting you. You looked back to Axel who’s expression was still soft yet neutral at the same time.

Sometimes the past had a way of catching up with you, your sins choking you until you could no longer breathe. There was no escaping what you had done but that didn’t mean you had to hide from it anymore, your secrets were out in the open now. Even though a part of you still shook in fear you couldn’t find it in yourself to care in that moment. You were finally allowing yourself to fully heal from the scars that were so deeply embedded inside your soul. It was even more reassuring to know you wouldn’t have to do it alone anymore. 

---

Älskling: Darling

[aliynavenus]

‘A Little Adjustment’                                          a damirae fanfic 

Prologue

next chapter is out click here to read

“Aw man how much longer till lunch I’m starving.” Jon groaned impatiently, leaning against his chair, acting as if the hunger was going to end him right then and there. 

“Relax. We only have half an hour.” Damian didn’t even lift his head away from the textbook he was reading, the study of hidden techniques of the katana, Of course, the academy would never actually have this in their library so he had to take a part in bringing his own interests from home. Even though he knows every little thing there is to know about his sword, it was the only thing that interested him while passing time during his study hall. 

“Hey look, that transfer is in our class.” Jon leaned in across the table nudging his head to where a young girl sat on the couch displayed across from them, “I heard her name is Rachel. Some people have been talking about her already. They say she gives off like a bad vibe or a scary one, something like that. I mean she does look rather anti-social” he paused, thinking. “Just like you! You should talk to her.” 

Damian didn’t even bother to look up, “You know I have no desire for women.” It was like a reflex when he said it though it was true. Never in his life did he care for women like that, even after all those damn setups his brothers have put him through, yet he always left the girl either crying or shut the door right in their face when they arrived at the manor. 

“You’re no fun. Tons of girls swoon if you even speak to them.” Jon glared at him trying to get Damian to understand yet he got nothing but his eyes wandering at the damn book, “You’re hopeless, I can’t wait to meet the girl who actually makes you feel emotions,” pause, “I’ll be back I have to use the bathroom.” 

Tsk. It felt like everyone around him was wondering if he had any sensibility. His brothers, Jon, even his own father, were all meddling into his life wanting him to be more “sociable.” Like that would ever happen. He wasn't trained to have empathy, he was trained to assassinate anyone that meant necessary feeling no guilt out of it. He was supposed to be the next heir to the league. Yet that all went away when he turned 14 and came here. Even though it’s been 2 years since then he really hasn’t made that much improvement in the realm of “socializing” as his father would say. 

What was the point of it anyway? Everyone at the damn academy were all prids who cared only about their wealth and status having no sense of what actually goes on behind their boring life. They were all the same. Not once has he ever felt like anyone could compare to him. No one could understand the insufferable anguish of destiny to become merely just a weapon to then having to adjust to living ‘normally’, to know that the person he once admired was a demon himself. It all vanished, so what was even the point to get to know someone if they didn't understand. 

Damian lifted his head finally releasing his sight from the textbook. He groaned, craning his neck to stretch it. His version began drifting to the scenery of the library until something caught his eye or someone, someone who he’s never seen before. 

A girl with dark raven hair with pale skin seated on the cushion brown sofa, alone. Oh, this must’ve been the girl Jon was talking about. Her face was stuck to a book. ‘The Truth of the Realm of the Underworld’

He felt taken aback at that, no average girl around here would ever touch a book like that. It almost intrigued him. He tilted his head slightly trying not to be noticeable that he was looking for the features of her face. Finally she lowered the book.

And that’s when he saw her. 

She looked so fascinating and mysterious all at once. Her features were delicate and soft, it was if he could see hidden secrets behind her face, behind those violet eyes if anything. Those eyes, those damn perfect eyes. They were something he’s never seen before. Even at a distance he could see her iris were full of infinite specks like gems. This was the girl people said they feel bad energy from, how in the hell can that even be. She didn’t look scary or anything, she looked pure. 

His chest tightened as he stared at her. What has gotten into him? It was as if he could hear his heartbeat quicken pounding against his ears. A lock then fell out of her hair framing her face, simply tucking it behind her ear, he felt his jaw tighten. Fuck she looks cute. Damian never noticed the uniform on the girls in the academy but the way they fit on her, it was mesmerizing. 

It hugged her perfectly. The clean white button up blouse with a neat red tie around her neck. The short plaid skirt--extremely short, laid perfectly at her thighs. Her skin even looked velvety like a smooth canvas with no imprints. She was so beautiful. 

He then felt his throat being choked by the damn tie. Like that helped his body relax. He never felt more desirous to talk to someone, to know every little thing about them, to touch them. She was something that looked restricted, too good to even lay a finger on, especially with his guilty hands. He needed to know more about her, to understand her, so much that it made him eagered.  

“Everyone! Please evacuate to the main room! I just got word that the city is under attack!” The librarian spoke loudly, alarming everyone to quickly rush towards the exit in panic. 

Rumbling was heard from outside the room, making the floor vibrate within their feet. Sirens of ambulances were blaring outside echoing through the glass windows. Damian needed to get away from these people so he could change. Damn it why did there have to be so many snobs in this damn study. Pushing past everyone to leave the crowd to run to the empty hall to find his locker for his uniform. “Damian! Here!” Jon shouted who was already disguised, throwing Damian’s duffle bag that he kept his uniform in, “Hurry. Bane is throwing grenades everywhere outside the school and having his minions raid the bank.” 

“Thanks Jon. Everyone should be in the main room, make sure they're safe. Don’t let anyone leave the building! Contact Wally and Donna while you’re at it” Damian hollered rushing towards an empty classroom to change. 

“You got it, boss!” 

Changing quickly Damian launched the grappling hook gun to extend out the nearest window to swiftly take him outside to see Bane’s minions robbing the bank across the street from the academy, like that was such a coincidence. Landing perfectly on the ground annihilating himself to his enemies as if they were no more than punching bags. “Your combat could use an increase in reaction.” flipping another minion onto an agonizing pile of them. 

“Robin! Someone is stuck under rubble on the corner, they need help!” Wonder girl yelled in the air with a woman in her arms retrieving her to safety

Damian nodded, running towards the place Donna was referring to. There was someone, someone from the academy. It was Rachel.

What the hell was she doing out of the academy it was a lockdown. He didn’t expect their first meeting to be introduced to her as Robin but hell with it, he needed to get her to safety. 

Rachel’s ankle was stuck under a piece of construction, from one of the grenades that wrecked the concrete. Placing his hand at the small of her back for comfort, “We’ll get you out, stay calm”  and she was. He found it rather strange at first normally people would panic and cling to him wanting to get out in harm's way but she was perfectly fine when he rushed to her. Does she normally get trapped under rumble?

“Robin, watch out!” looking above to see enormous pieces of construction falling right to their direction, instantly taking a hold of her head bringing it close to the crook of his neck, shielding her body with his, waiting for the rumble to crash into them. But it didn’t. When he opened his eyes Raven’s hand were up in the air, dark magic appearing out of it connecting to a force field surrounding them in a bubble protecting them. 

His eyes widen, holy shit. No wonder, she didn’t just seem different to him before, it was because she was. She was a sorcerer.Sure he’s seen tons of shocking things in his life that never appealed to him but this one, it was a whole different story. It was unreal.

Rachel sighed hopeless when she used her powers to lift up the construction under her to release her ankle. “I guess the cat’s out of the bag.” she chuckled dryly against his shoulder, at her charade was now over. 

Damian pulled her head gently away from his shoulder, “Is your ankle injur-Argh!” A sudden hit from a baton was swung against the side of his head. One of those damn criminals managed to get a hit on him by surprise. Damian gritted his teeth ignoring the blood rushing down his head turning to the enemy to torture him. Although that didn’t even need to happen when he saw the masked man being lifted from the ground and flung to the other side of the street. 

“Are you okay?” her worried voice came behind him leaning her body up towards him to touch the damage of his head. It was the first time he’s ever heard her speak, her voice was soft yet filed with emotion when she saw his wound. He felt the touch of her fingers gently being dozed in his blood against his skin. Even though he had farther worse injuries than this it felt like her touch burned him, yearning for her. 

He felt his throat dry up, “Yea, it doesn’t hurt.” she looked at him with worry “I’ll be fine.” he assured her. “Isn’t your ankle hurting.” 

“I didn’t want people to see I had powers, it didn’t hurt me. But I can heal you. Let me heal you please it won’t take long.” concern was filled in her expression. He felt his stomach twist with her touches on his arm and head. It was almost like he surrendered in her grasp. 

“Okay. Do it fast.” 

She nodded rolling up her sleeves, placing both her palms on the side of his head. Amethyst. That was the color of her eyes up close. They were big and gazing and full of mystery that he wanted to seek. Seeing her face up close, she was naturally beautiful. He felt his chest tighten once again but this time he felt like his whole body felt tense having her in his reach. Shortly he felt the slow stings takeover the wound, yet it wasn’t painful. It felt bitter but a pleasurable sensation overriding his damaged flesh. It was warm and contagious feeling her powers run through his veins. Sensing his bloody wound reattaching onto clean skin, admittedly it felt enjoyable knowing this came from Rachel. He let out a soft breath from his lips as he felt the tenderness disappear, damn it felt good. 

Then something unexpected happened, writing in a form he never recognized appeared on her arm in glowing red ink. What the hell? Is that normal? Something told him it wasn’t seeing her face expression change. It didn’t look like she knew that was going to happen either. He watched as it soon faded away leaving not a mark on her skin. 

“What was tha--” 

“Robin! We need your help here!” Donna and Wally called out to him who were tangled up in forcing Bane to the ground but having trouble in doing so. 

“Right” he nodded, lifting her to her feet “Get back to the academy, it's safer there.” Running towards his teammates he could hear Rachel whisper something, it was distant. 

“This can’t be good.” 

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

After a successful mission of taking Bane back to the Asylum and returning the money he had stolen, Damian headed straight to the batcave, still in his Robin uniform, seating himself in front of the main frame. 

“What are you looking for?” His father’s voice came from behind him.

To be fair he wasn’t even sure. Right after the mission he came here to do some research on the writing that appeared on Rachel’s arm and her background. He knew his father had to have some relative information about her considering he has information on everyone who are of the abnormal, even his acquaintances. “Just doing some research. Must you monitor everything I do.” 

“No but it is my job to keep you on track to fully live your life and your life as Robin separate.” 

There his father went on again always speaking of terms of wanting him to socialize more. ‘To fully live it’ whatever that meant. “I am living.” 

“Not both. You're living more as Robin than Damian. You haven’t made any new friends except Jon. You only speak to Donna and Wally when you have missions. When are you going to start acting like a teenager your age.” his father’s words were like a blade to his skin. He hated when he acted like this it was an unavoidable irritation. 

“I wasn’t trained to make friends, Father. I was trained for the good of humanity.” Damian bit back defensively, turning himself to his eye father to come to full view of him dressed in his business attire. 

“You aren’t even a part of it.” Bruce sighed walking towards the main screen tapping keys in “I have a new mission for you, Damian. Think of it as an experiment and experience for you” 

“What’s the mission?” 

“You’re nemesis, Slade was spotted in Tokyo. Something tells me he’s going to stay there for awhile. There have been also, new leads in a new chemical serum that could be developed into making metas stronger. It’s a drug for them, yet I can’t calculate where the origin is. Which is why I’m sending you.” 

Damian felt like something was off about his mission, he knew there was another purpose to this, “What’s the catch Father? Why can’t you simply do it?” 

“I chose this for you. I want to send you there to deal with understanding people your age and socializing with them. You’ll be finishing your junior year there and come back before your senior year starts. Everything is already purchased. So we both get what we want. You get to track down Slade as well as any incoming missions sent to you and also, you get to take part in a society meeting people who aren’t abnormal.” 

Damian had to say it was a request he couldn’t resist, if it involved Slade. It was like a cat and mouse game that he enjoyed ever since leaving his deceased grandfather’s side. It sounded well but something left him reluctant. He was going to be gone for a year, sure that meant leaving Jon too, it also meant Jon was going to lead Wally and Donna in crisis. Yet the only images that struck his head were her. Rachel. If he left that meant he could no longer seek wanting to see what more she was. Here he was getting the opportunity he’s always wanted, hunting Slade and leaving the meddling voices of his Father and brothers behind yet he felt hesitant. He almost felt pathetic. 

“I accept, Father.” Damian leveled his eyes to meet him out of respect. Bruce nodded, “You’re flight leaves tomorrow night. I’ll leave you to it.” he said, walking to the exit of the cave leaving Damian to spin back to the screen dialing as information about Rachel. If he had 22 hours before he left, he might as well gather information on Rachel about her origins so he could inform Jon that a new sorcerer was walking around the academy.

Typing in her name instantly took him to another page that blared at him. Of course he was right, his father did have at least some relative information about her. One of the few benefits about him. 

‘Rachel Roth also known as Raven’  so Raven was her real name, it was fitting. He continued on reading everything there was to know, ‘Daughter of Trigon. Left her home Azarath and was spotted a month ago in the city.’  It was quite surprising, he didn’t know Trigon had a daughter.

At least they had something in common, both being raised by demons only to be brought into another way of living. He’d never expect to feel so familiar to someone just by reading pieces of information about her. It felt almost pleasant yet unusual feeling that way. Unfortunately not much was gathered about her considering it’s all new and untraced. 

He stretched against the leather chair acknowledging that this research shall be put on pause for the night. Entering the changing room in the cave to peel his uniform off to change into joggers, leaving himself shirtless. He paused to think about her. Should a woman be this much on his mind?. He almost felt disappointed that he wasn’t going to admire her for a year. It pained him. It was like his mind was being ambushed by images of her, her eyes, her touch. It was all too damn good. That he craved it.

 A sharp tingly started to form against his foreman. It was writing the same writing that appeared on Raven after she healed him. Why did it appear now? Why did it appear on him? Was this like a mark that was supposed to be left on the body after being healed by her. It was strange but no distress came from him, just comfort. The same kind of comfort that he felt when he was in her grasp. Within a second it vanished, leaving no trace of it left. His body felt no different, it didn’t feel like a threat. Maybe it was just a form of writing after being healed. Like a brandment. For some reason he kind of likes the idea of being marked by her. It made him feel connected to her, he liked it. 

But he couldn’t. He was going away for a whole school year. He was going to forget her, these feelings whatever they were, had to be gone  And he knew for sure they were, he was Damian fuckin Wayne Al Gual. He could do anything, anything but gain feelings for a girl. 

And oh was he so wrong. 

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

So if you made it to here. This is a multi chapter fanfic and the summary is basically these. 

After attending a full year at an off the coast boarding school as well as being involved in an undercover mission, Damian is back to the city for his senior year, after completing his missions. Going back to his subtle ways of living with his father. Attending night patrol around the city. Things of course wouldn’t be any different. Until his best friend, Jon all of a sudden has a new familiar looking step sister -- Raven aka Rachel Roth Kent. The one girl who caught his eye back in the Academy before his departure. Although now having Raven part of the Kent family who also unknowingly knows that her new adoptive family are a bunch of heroes living under her nose. Right nothing much has changed. Just adjustments for the demonbirds  

there will be lots of fluff. lots of angst. and smut lol. 

[imjustthemechanic]

The Price of a Soul

Part 1/? - Agent Russel Part 2/? - The Letter Part 3/? - Miss Lake Part 4/? - The Stewardess Part 5/? - An Assassination Part 6/? - Fallout Part 7/? - Face to Face Part 8/? - Deals, Details, and Other Devils Part 9/? - Baggage Part 10/? - Private Funding Part 11/? - Just Passing Through Part 12/? - Party of Four Part 13/? - Resolute Part 14/? - The Wreck Part 15/? - Body Snatchers Part 16/? - Out of the Frying Pan

Out of the frying pan, but into the fire would be a worse mistake than Peggy knows.

-

Part of Peggy’s mind was flying.  How had Masters found out about this?  Thompson would have let him know when Kay escaped, but wouldn’t have had any idea where they were going because Peggy hadn’t told anyone about the coordinates except Daniel and… well, there was Russel, who could probably guess the significance of them but would not have known that Peggy was planning to actually investigate.  She’d only mentioned them to him once.  Had Kay left a note?  Or was her initial theory correct, and he’d just overheard Jason’s radio message to Stark Industries?  What had Jason actually said?

Another part was doing its level best to clamp down on the urge to punch him in the face.

“Agent Carter,” he said.  “Fleeing the country upon finding out you’re under investigation doesn’t look good at all.”

“I had every intention of returning, which you would know if you’d asked my landlord or my employer,” Peggy replied.

He was not impressed.  “And what’s your explanation for assisting in the escape of a known Soviet agent – again – and attempted theft of US Government property?”

“Don’t insult me,” said Kay.  “I escaped by myself.”

Masters glanced at her.  “From full-security police lockup under the noses of the entire East Coast SSR and the CIA?”

“What?  Like it’s hard?” asked Kay, in a mock ‘dimwit’ voice, wiggling her head and shoulders to cement the implication that any floozy could have done it.

“What government property are you referring to, Mr. Masters?” Peggy asked.  She had a feeling she knew the answer, and she didn’t like it a bit.

Masters turned to her again.  “You know damn well I’m referring to Captain America and his equipment.  The shield is the world’s entire known stock of Vibranium, and his body is the only hope we or anybody else have of recreating Erskine’s serum.  And you were about to sell both of them to the Russians!”  He looked her over in disgust.  “Were you already planning that when he was alive, or is it that now he’s dead his wishes don’t matter anymore?”

This time Peggy very nearly did punch him – she actually raised an arm before she managed to get herself under control, leading Kay to grab her around the shoulders to stop her, and several of the soldiers surrounding them to aim their guns at her face.

“They certainly don’t seem to matter to you,” she said through her teeth, shrugging Kay off of her.  “Steve would not have wanted to be an object of study after his death.”

“Captain Rogers wanted us to win the war,” Masters replied.  ��We’re fighting a new war now and he’s gonna be our key to winning it.”  He stepped back.  “I want these two put in the brig, Captain Lewis – and don’t take eyes off them for a moment.  They’re slippery.”

The man who must’ve been Lewis nodded.  “Do it,” he told the men.  “And get the Captain straight down to the morgue to thaw out. The scientists are waiting.”

Peggy and Kay were taken unceremoniously by the shoulders and frog-marched inside.

It took a few minutes for the red haze at the edge of Peggy’s vision to fade away and her fists to unclench before she could think about this logically, and when she did, she began to realize she was in very serious trouble indeed.  All this time Masters had nothing on her but suspicions and circumstances, but now she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, so to speak.  Who would believe her story that she and Howard were just bringing Steve back for burial when they’d been so secretive about the whole thing?  Perhaps Kay would testify in her defense… but who would believe her when she was an admitted spy and a murderess?

The soldiers put them in a cell in the brig, far down in the belly of the ship, and left two very large and imposing men to watch over them. Peggy and Kay sat down on the little cot in the cell, and their guards sat down on either side of a small table outside, and dealt themselves a hand of cards.  How ironic, Peggy thought with a barely-suppressed sneer.

Kay had said nothing since mocking the SSR’s security out on the deck.  She did not look particularly inclined to say anything now.  She merely sat looking at her watch.

“Have you anything to say for yourself?” Peggy asked her.

There was no reply.  Of course there wasn’t.  Kay had never explained anything and there was no reason for her to start now. Instead of trying to talk, Peggy decided to try to think.

What were their options at this point?  They could sit here and be taken back to the States for trial – that would most likely end in a guilty verdict and imprisonment, if not hanging, for both of them.  They could try to escape.  Peggy could probably pick the lock on the door but the guards would see and hear her doing it, and she doubted she could take both of them.  Perhaps Kay could take one, but that would just be further evidence that the two were in cahoots.  What a silly-sounding word cahoots was.  Where on Earth had it come from?

If they did escape, where would they go?  They were on a ship.  Peggy could not fly a plane or a helicopter, although she wondered whether Kay might be able to.  Their only options would be to take a lifeboat or to jump into the water.  The former would be easily pursued, and the latter meant death by hypothermia.  The same fate Steve himself had suffered… also nicely ironic.

They could try to escape long enough to go get Steve’s body back, but what would they do with it?  The options seemed to be destroying it or dumping it overboard.  The second was not a good idea – it might still be retrieved.  But the former was deeply distasteful.  Peggy couldn’t imagine cutting him up or… or burning him?  The ship would have huge furnaces to keep the crew warm and provide steam for the propellers.  Those would certainly make a fine crematorium… could she bring herself to do it herself?

Maybe she could, if she were desperate enough.  At the moment Peggy had nothing to lose… but that still left the question of how to get out of this cell…

“You stupid bitch,” said Kay suddenly.

Peggy’s head snapped up.  “Excuse me?” she said.  Her companion had said nothing at all for what must have been ten minutes at least, and now was offering insults out of nowhere?

Kay shot a glance at the guards, then glared at Peggy. “You had no plan, did you? Here I thought you were coming out here knowing what you were doing, but you had no idea and now we’re in here!”

Ah.  “Why should I have a plan?” Peggy demanded.  “I didn’t think we were going to find a bloody thing up here except ice and snow!  Did you really think I was taking your word for something so important?  How can you be smart enough to escape from Thompson and yet stupid enough to think I would trust you?”

“You didn’t need to trust me!  You just needed to have a backup plan!”  Kay gave Peggy a shove.

“Don’t you dare touch me, you daft Russian whore!” Peggy shoved her back, and the two of them rolled off the cot to grapple on the floor.   Having fought with Dottie more than once, Peggy knew the Russian women were ruthless and skilled, but now Kay wrestled like a child who’d never been in a fight in her life, grabbing and pinching and pulling hair.  Peggy did likewise.  If this were going where she thought it was going…

“That’s enough, you two!” a male voice announced. Keys jingled.  Peggy didn’t dare look up as two pairs of heavy boots approached – the men were going to try to separate her.  For an instant she caught Kay’s eye, and saw a smile on the other woman’s face.

Then a pair of hands grabbed Peggy’s shoulders.  She wrapped her legs around the man’s boots and twisted – he fell against the cot.  Before he could right himself, Peggy was on her feet and grabbed him by the hair to smash his face against the wall repeatedly.  By the second impact his nose was bloody, and by the fourth he was limp in her hands.  She let him drop and turned around.  Kay had gotten a hold of the second man’s tags and twisted them tight around his neck. Peggy was just in time to see him turn blue and pass out.

“Well done,” Peggy said, as the soldier collapsed at Kay’s feet.

“Letting them think you’re stupid and emotional is always your best weapon,” Kay told her, brushing off her hands.

“I have some experience with that myself,” said Peggy. “To the morgue?”

“Obviously.”

They helped themselves to the unconscious soldiers’ guns, and Peggy took the keys off one of their belts and locked the cell door on them.

The ship they were on was a Casablanca-class escort carrier.  Peggy had never been on one, but she knew that on large military ships both the brig and the morgue were deep in the interior, far from anywhere the rank and file sailors would normally go.  Left to her own devices, it probably wouldn’t have taken her very long to find the one from the other, but she didn’t have to.  Kay appeared to know exactly where she was going.  She headed down a flight of steps, and then paused in the stairwell, putting an ear to the doors.  Peggy crept up next to her.

“How’s he doing?” a male voice asked.

“He’s free of most of the ice,” a woman replied, “but still pretty solid.”

Peggy put her eye to the gap between the two doors. Two doctors in white coats were talking to a brunette nurse, just to the right of a solid door labeled MORGUE. The door was closed and apparently locked.

“We can’t wait too long, or the blood will start to clot,” said the shorter of the doctors.

“We’ll still have the bone marrow,” the first man reassured him.  “Can you give me an estimate, Miss Harper?”

“They’re saying at least another hour,” the nurse said, and turned to unlock the door.  All three people headed through.

Peggy and Kay exchanged a glance to make sure they were still agreed as to the plan.  It seemed they were, so they both burst out of the stairwell and took the trio from behind. Peggy clocked the taller one on the back of the head with the gun she’d taken off her jailer.  He dropped to his knees, holding his bleeding scalp.  Kay vaulted onto the shorter one’s back and knocked him forward into Miss Harper, spilling both of them onto the floor. Miss Harper tried to scream, but Kay kicked her in the face, and then drove her knee into the second doctor’s jaw. He fell.

Inside the morgue room, two more doctors and three nurses were standing around the gurney where Steve’s body was now lying.  They were, for the moment, too shocked by this sudden and violent intrusion to react to it, which gave Peggy and Kay the advantage. Peggy grabbed the nearest equipment tray and hit one of the doctors in the face with it.  The first blow appeared to merely stun him and he just stood there blinking at her.  She hit him three more times, until he fell.  One of the nurses tried to flee, and Peggy pushed the doctor’s body into her.

While Peggy was occupied with that, Kay had shoved the other doctor into the open drawer that had been waiting to receive Steve’s body. She shut it and turned the lock, then she and Peggy both pulled out their guns and trained them on the two nurses still standing.  Both women put their hands up.

Kay twitched her chin towards the first two doctors and Miss Harper, all lying on the floor in various states of unconsciousness. “Get them out of the way,” she ordered the nurses.

The women didn’t move.

“We have had a very upsetting day,” Peggy warned them.

Terrified, the nurses went to start rolling the bodies of their co-workers away from the door.  Kay kept her eyes and a gun on them, while Peggy took the brakes off the gurney.  There was a white drop cloth over the corpse.  Peggy knew it would be a terrible idea to look beneath it, but she told herself that after all this trouble they had better make sure they had the right body, and lifted it for a peek.

There he was.  They’d cut his uniform off him, leaving him quite naked.  Bruises and scrapes he’d gotten on his last mission were still there.  Peggy recognized one on his arm where a bullet had grazed him.  She’d bandaged that herself, because he’d been too sunken in depression from the death of his friend to do it.  And the cut on his cheek, just beneath his left earlobe. She’d kissed that.  The memory, buried for three years, was suddenly as fresh as if it had happened moments ago.

She reached to touch the place, and quickly drew her hand back upon finding his skin was wet and still icy cold, feeling more like frozen meat than human tissue.  How was he still pink?  As he thawed the blood ought to start pooling in his back and buttocks, like it always did on dead bodies.  Maybe those parts were still frozen.

“Peggy!” Kay barked.  “Is that him?”

Peggy quickly dropped the cloth and wiped her wet fingers on her coat.  “It’s him,” she said.

“Follow me,” said Kay.

“Where are we going?” Peggy asked, as she wheeled the gurney out of the room.

Kay led the way up the hall with the longest strides she could take.  “The boiler room,” she said.

“Oh, good,” Peggy nodded.  Had Kay’s mission perhaps been to either secure Captain America’s body for her own people or, failing that, to see to it the Americans didn’t get a hold of him either?  Peggy decided she didn’t care anymore.  Whatever the reasons, they were going to do right by Steve, and after that, if Masters wanted to hang her, she would go to the gallows with her head held high.

[lo-55]

Tilt The Hourglass ch. 5

Maul’s mouth felt sticky. 

The tasted of fresh blood had soured into something far more disgusting by the time he opened his eyes and found himself looking up at the ceiling. 

A droid puttered to the side, one Maul didn’t recognize, changing out a trio of fluid bags. Their labels were fuzzy to his eyes, but he could recognize the colors faintly. Antibiotics, water, and painkillers. He had awareness enough to understand a needle in was his arm before the drip started and he was awash with warmth and the sensation of floating away. 

He dropped into dreams.

He was fifteen. Sidious grinned faintly, showing his straight human teeth. His hood obscured his eyes. "What happened on Orsis and aboard this station was not set in motion by my hand, Maul. In fact you were betrayed by one who told Talzin to find you, and then aided and abetted her plan to capture you." 

Maul's eyes grew wide and a wave of anger twisted across his patterned skin. "May I know the identitiy of my betrayer, Master?" 

Sidious considered Maul before he answered. "Meltch Krakko." 

"Did Trezza know, master?" 

Sidious shook his head. "Trezza knew nothing. However I fear that we may not be able to contain the damage that has been done. We can't risk that word of your disappearance and all the followed my spread. You will deal with Trezza and the others at the school." 

The others? Maul thought of Trezza, who had always treated him with a degree of respect that Sidious never had. He thought of Kilindi and Daleen, who had shown him kindness. And then his pounding heart turned to stone and he said, "I live to do your bidding, master." 

Sidious nodded. "And as long as you do, you will continue to live. Be discrete."

He was. He found Daleen in her room with Kilindi and cut her throat. Her eyes opened long enough to look at him before the light inside them went out, and the light of her life left the Force.

He found Trezza, who looked at him covered in blood and still tried to calm him. He stabbed him to death in front of his ward.  

Maul looked  at Kilindi. She was staring at him blankly, but she radiated fear like a child in the presence of an enormous monster. He'd never wanted her to fear him. It didn't matter now. He never paused to wonder how his life might have been different if he had not revealed his Force powers to Meltch Krakko. He never paused at all. His only purpose was to serve his master. Kilindi didn't run. 

She did try to smile. 

She said, "I guess you're not interested in the surprise that Daleen and I had for you." 

"Not anymore," Maul said. He held her body in hands that barely felt like his own and felt her life leave her body. 

He killed them. 

He was ten. “You need to leave,” he said quietly. His teeth were red with his own blood. 

“Maul?” Kilindi was halfway to the blaster she kept under her desk. Her dark eyes were fixed on him.

“You need. To. Leave.” 

“Why?” Daleen carefully extracted herself from his grasp. He caught her wrist. 

“My master. He,” Maul swallowed. “Has ordered your death.” 

Kilindi paled into a mint green. “He can’t. Trezza-” 

“Trezza couldn’t stop him if he tried,” Maul shook his head. “He’s not what he seems, my master. He’s more powerful than you could imagine. Trezza can’t stop him. I can’t stop him. You need to run.” 

“What about you?” Kilindi demanded. She was always too smart. 

“He will hunt me down no matter how far I go.” All of Maul’s plans were out the window now. “But you he knows less. If you go now, quickly, you might escape with your lives.” 

“We can’t leave you,” Daleen argued, her jaw set fiercely. 

Maul turned on her, his eyes flashing. “You will leave. Now.” His voice bounced off the walls and around her skull. Daleen swayed. 

“We will…” 

“I am not letting you get yourself killed!” Kilindi argued, storming up to him. Maul didn’t not waver. 

“I will not die,” he said firmly. “I am too stubborn.” 

He ignored Kilindi’s crushed expression. 

“Go,” he said again.

They left. They lived. 

He was thirty four. Mandalore belonged to him. The duracrete and beskar walls were ornate, for a warrior society. The pacifists were dead at his feet. His brother was at his side. 

A wave of cold he’d nearly forgotten landed on the planet. 

His master had come. 

The doors blew open and rage swamped across the room. It was not the battle fury of Savage, who towered over him even with his metal legs. 

He watched the mandalorians, his mandalorians, lift into the air, clawing at their throat. They fell limp and were dropped in heaps of black and red armor. His colors. His markings. The door swung open. Savage, at his side, tensed. 

Anger simmered through Maul. How dare Sidious? But he did not attack. He could feel the oppressive shadow that Sidious cast upon him. He could not win, and his brother, his apprentice, was weaker still. 

The doors parted and Sidious entered. 

Swallowing his pride, he fell to one knee. “Master,” he murmured, as he had done years ago. 

“I am most impressed to see you have survived your injuries,” Sidious said. Maul’s hand tightened on his metal knee. 

“I used your training, Master,” he said, though the truth was the Force was what had told him how to preserve his own life. “I build all of this, for your,” he went on, his mind whirring as he tried to spin his tale, “In hopes of returning to your side.” 

“Hmm. How unfortunate that you are attempting to deceive me,” he sneered down at him while Savage paced closer restlessly. Recklessly. He didn’t know  Sidious as Maul did. He thought they could do anything together, they two. 

“Master?” 

“You have become a rival!” 

With a turn he threw the both of against walls that cracked with the impact. They dropped, and fought together, red against red, burning and rage and hate. 

They were sent flying through the windows of the palace, where Maul skidded to a stop. The electronic connections to his nerves hissed and he scrambled to his feet, reinforcing them with the Force. Sidious laughed at them, vicious and cruel. 

Savage fell. Maul cradled his brother’s hand in his own, his master forgotten, watching green mist curl off of his body as his strength and life left him. 

“Brother!” 

“Brother,” Savage croaked, his eyes rolling. “I am… an unworthy apprentice. I am not like you. I never was.” 

Grief threatened to strangle him. Good, he wanted to say. Don’t be like me. Be better, brother. 

“Remember the first and only reality of the sith,” Sidious lectured, laughing from behind him. Grief twisted into hatred, and into rage inside him. “There can only be two. And you are no longer my apprentice. You have been replaced!” 

He was seventeen. "I saw your weakness long ago. Your doubts in your own abilities. Your doubts in my teaching. Your inability to embrace the dark side. And that is why, over these long years, I have secretly trained another apprentice."

Maul had stared hard at Sidious. He hadn’t wanted to believe him. He hadn’t wanted to trust the taste of betrayal on his tongue or the coursing anger in his veins. 

"Or, poor Maul. All he ever wanted was a friend. Does it please you to know I have another apprentice? Does it make you feel less alone?" 

Breathless and in pain Maul had said, "More than one apprentice... is against rules of the sith."

"You are right," Sidious said with a grin. "A spark of intelligence, at last. My second apprentice is on the other side of the planet. He conquered all of the assassins sent after him. He only sustained a flesh wound. He is healthy. He is strong. Unlike the pathetic weakling I see before me." 

"Can you understand? Focus. If there can be only one apprentice, then one of you must die. Who do you think I have chosen to die, Maul?"

He was twenty two, and the jedi lay dead at his feet. He would have given him a quick death if he could have, but in his excitement he’d been sloppy. If he was prone to apologizing he would have, but he was too concerned with the apprentice that threw himself at Maul with viciousness and fury. 

He was stronger than Maul was expecting. The Force spun around the pair of them like the light of their sabers. Maul had never known that light could burn the way Kenobi’s eyes did.

He didn’t feel the pain that came when the little jedi, in one smooth move, leapt over his head and spun to cut him in half. All he felt was horror, and a desperate, desolate rage that came with it. He would not die. He could not die-

Vengeance, the Force whispered to him, curling around him like an old friend. Vengeance. 

He is thirty four again. The jedi stood in front of him in the throne room of Mandalore, entreating and so infuriatingly kind. He should hate him. Why doesn’t he hate?! Maul can taste his fear and his anger. But no hatred. He was to weak for that. 

“I have seen your village. I know where you’re from,” his voice is impossibly kind and Maul wants to scream at him. Where was that when he was a child? Where was that when Sidious was taking him apart piece by piece and building him into nothing more than a tool? A weapon? 

Another thought comes in. He had not asked Savage much about their homeland. He knew only the basics. 

“I know the choice to join the darkside wasn’t yours. The Nightsister’s made it for you.” Maul can’t take the kindness. It’s a lie, a weakness, a bargain for the life of his woman-

“Silence!” 

Maul woke again to the droid hovered over him, touching one of his still short horns. 

The fuzziness at the edge of his vision was fading. The Force loved her children, and Maul was no exception. No drug worked on any Forceful for very long, especially once it wasn’t being introduced continuously. Their bodies purged it, and Maul had trained his to get rid of toxin’s as fast as it could. 

The fact that his wounds had been infected at all had been his own fault, for stopping the flow of the Force to give the illusion of his death. 

When the droid made to replaced the bag of pain killer’s Maul bared his teeth at it. 

“No,” he meant to snap. What came out was hoarse and wrecked. Force, what had he done to his throat? Everything was still fuzzy and clouded, but clarity was steadily creeping in. 

“You will be in pain.” Said the droid, and continued to hook up the bag. 

Maul scowled. He struggled to sit up. “No,” he said again. When the droid paused to look at him and Maul reached to rip the needle straight out of his arm when the doors slid open with a soft click. 

A mandalorian stood in the doorway. His helmet was absent, his hair was sweaty and stuck to his forehead and he looked pale. 

Oh. Maul knew that face. He knew that face well. 

He hadn’t cared much about the clone wars, besides wanting to laugh that the Jedi, peace keepers, had been reduced to generals and commanders, but it was impossible to avoid during the years that it lasted, and the years of the empire that came after. 

But, it was too early for clones to be wandering around the galaxy. 

Maul had a brief spike of fear that it had happened again. That he’d fallen into dark madness and memory and lost another decade of his life to blind muttering and rot. Then he realized that the man was wearing true beskar, not the plastoid of a clone. 

They used a mandalorian as the template for their army, Rook Kast had told him with a strange kind of pride, given that her mother, and she herself were part of an organization that fought against him. 

It didn’t lessen the feeling that Maul was wrong footed here. 

“Don’t pull that out,” he said when he saw Maul had his fingers around the edge of the needle. 

Maul scowled at him. 

“I don’t want-” he choked and coughed before he settled for pointing at the green bag the droid held. 

“Pain killers,” the droid said dutifully. “Without them he will hurt. The bacta has worked well on him, and his fever is broken, but his ribs still need time and-”

“Don’t. Care.” Maul said firmly. Let him hurt. It was beyond a pain that would slow him down, and now that he was aware he could turn it to strength once he felt it properly. The shadow of the darkside curled near him like an old friend, waiting to be called upon. 

The mandalorian kept looking at him. His brown eyes were wide, but there was steel in them. 

Maul met those eyes evenly. Now that he wasn’t feverish and barely alive, and the last of the suspension had faded by then. Maul breathed in and pulled the Force with it the way he had sith ashes, twice now. It curled in his lungs and purged the last of the painkiller from his system. 

“No,” he said again. His body was mostly healed. Bacta had done its work, and he healed quicker than was strictly natural as well. The outer injuries would hurt a while more, and he knew his back was still worse for wear, but he was perfectly functional like this. He’d killed Qui Gon Jinn with an injured leg, after all. 

The Mandalorian looked between the boy and the droid before he finally ran his fingers through his curly hair. 

“It’s your choice. If you change your mind, you can tell him,” he nodded to the droid. Maul didn’t respond. He continued. “Now, ade, want to tell me why you were on that ship?” 

Maul set his jaw. He certainly did not. 

Mando inclined his head when it became clear that Maul wasn’t the talkative sort. 

(This is, in fact Not True. Sidious just taught him to keep quiet. Free of his master and Maul had never once in his adult life shut the fuck up) 

“Okay. Then how about a name? Mine is Jango, of House Fett.” 

“... Maul,” was all he offered up. His throat still hurt, and he wasn’t keen on swallowing bacta. He’d deal with it. 

Fett nodded at him, once. “Okay, Maul. Where were you going?” 

Maul pressed his lips into a line. He didn’t know how much to tell the Mandalorian. While Fett had certainly helped him, when he didn’t need to, and old mandalorian’s had that annoying habit of adopting whatever children they found, Maul didn’t know how much he trusted him. 

Did he trust him enough to tell him about Kilindi and Daleen? 

Sidious had been right. Maul did know the pair enough to figure out where they might go next, but was he willing to risk their safety like that? Sidious was still Senator Palpatine to the rest of the universe. It was entirely plausible he would send bounty hunters out looking for the pair. 

“Away.” 

Fett looked him in the eye. Maul couldn’t imagine what he found there, but Fett inclined his head again. He wasn’t pressing for answers. Foolish, but Maul appreciated it nonetheless. If Fett worked with foundlings, as Rook called them, he would be used to people who didn’t like to talk about the past.

“I can take you somewhere safe. There are no master’s there. You would be free to do as you wish, once you’re old enough to take care of yourself.” 

Maul curled his lip. “I am old enough!” 

A phantom smile flickered across Fett’s face. The paleness started to leave his skin. 

“You’re still an ade, a child. You shouldn’t be out here on your own. The galaxy is a dangerous place.” 

“I’m aware,” Maul said, scowling. “And I won’t be put away in a creche. I’m no child.” 

Sadness entered the air. 

“You are by all laws. How old are you?” 

Maul scowled. He answered, truthfully, “I don’t know.” 

That didn’t make Fett happy. The sadness, already tinged with anger, swelled with fire. Maul breathed it in gladly. 

“I won’t be sent away to live with your children,” Maul said again, firmly. 

Fett ran his hand down his face. 

“I’m on my way to help a friend, so I couldn’t take you to a Foundry if I wanted to.“

That actually threw Maul off. “A Foundry?” What would he be doing in a metal factory? He was not working in one! 

“Easy, Maul,” Fett held up his hand placatingly. “A Foundry is where Foundling’s live before they’re adopted into a clan, or strike out and make their own.” 

Maul was slack jawed. Fett meant for him to be adopted as a Mandalorian?

“Absolutely not!” He wasn’t against being mando, but he had just left Orsis. He was not about to be shoved into an over glorified orphanage with a bunch of sad-eyed children!

“They aren’t bad places. Three meals, a bed, other kids to keep you company-”

“I’m not a child!” 

“And you’d learn to fight, and a trade if you want it. It would be safe,” Fett’s voice was kind, “No one would beat you there.” 

Maul curled his lip, revealing the gap between his teeth. 

“I’m not interested.” 

Even as he said it, he could tell that Fett was stubborn. Fine, Maul was too. 

“We’ll see. I’ll find you somewhere safe once we’re planet side, and we’ll figure out the rest once I return from my job. Whatever happens I will make sure you are safe. Understand?” 

Maul worked his jaw before he finally relented, his shoulders slumping. 

“Fine.” 

Worse case scenario, he killed Fett and stole his ship. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

 They came upon the planet half a day after the ade, Maul, finally woke up. 

The boy troubled Jango something fierce, but it was as he said; he had a job to do. 

On any other job he would have either called someone else to take over for him, or called one of his men to take Maul off of his hands, at least temporarily. 

But he’d been telling the truth to Maul before. This job was for a favor, and he couldn’t exactly pawn that off on someone else. He’d assured her that he would be the one there. 

When it came to Maul himself Jango didn’t want to foist him off on someone else for plenty of reasons, not the least of which was the ring of bruises that were trying to peak over the collar of his flight suit. For such a small thing Maul was vicious and startlingly strong, especially for the emaciated state Jango had found him in. 

Jango had every faith in the mandalorians in charge of Founderies. They dealt with hard cases all the time. Maul was far from the first freedmen that had been found by one of his people, and unfortunately he wouldn’t be the last. It meant that even if they weren’t very experienced with the Force they were very good at helping traumatized ade. The jetii magic was going to hurt things, but they could work with it. Some of his people heard the Manda, and as Mand’alor he heard them as well. They guided them and watched over them, their forebears. 

None of them ever fried a whole ship in one go, but mandalorians were nothing if not resilient. 

That said, he was reluctant to let the boy go. He didn’t want to make Maul feel like he wasn’t wanted. 

The boy was a fighter. He was stubborn, too much so for his own good. Smart, too. Jango could feel his eyes on him whenever they ate, and they watched him from the shadows while Jango moved around the ship. If Maul’s ankle bothered him, he showed no signs of it. 

The Manda hummed at Jango whenever he was near the boy, and he had been Mand’alor long enough to know better than to dismiss their quiet song. Even without them, he looked at Maul and saw the warrior he would one day become, fierce and powerful. With a crown of sharp horns pointed, strength in every move he made. He had just been missing armor. 

Jango shook his head. The Manda had been very loud about this boy. 

Jango initially thought that once he made contact with his friend on planet he could find a bolt hole to stash Maul in, or ask Dex to keep an eye on him. 

Maul, the trouble maker, stole a hooded poncho kept in the closet and fairly attached himself to Jango’s side. The ship was Silas’, a more discreet make than Jaster’s Legacy, so Jango wasn’t too surprised. Silas was one of the few Mandalorians who was willing to hide his armor and go undercover when needed, and Jango figured he would find all kinds of clothes around the ship if he had a mind to look. 

Maul stood by the door, the hood pulled up over his head, and stared at Jango defiantly. 

Jango bit back a sigh. 

Privately, he thought that this was Jaster’s doing. This was his revenge for all the shit Jango had pulled when he was an angry, hot headed ade and buir had had to drag him out of trouble a million times. 

“Keep your head down, and stay out of sight if you can. Okay?” 

The look Maul shot him was utterly unimpressed, but he nodded, once, his tattoos face half hidden by a poncho three sizes to big for his little body. The only real problem left was his ribs, and the slower healing burns on his back, and a long line that had been burned along his side.

Jango shoved those thoughts away so he didn’t do something stupid. Like demand who had done that to child and hunt them down. 

Another time. 

They made their way down the ramp, Maul little more than a shadow in the corner of Jango’s visor. When they came upon the ship his friend was traveling on. 

The Monument was a crate shaped correllian barge. 

It was also one of the ugliest vessels Jango had ever seen. It was pock marked from asteroid hits over its history. Jango watched a few arconian’s march on board in miner uniforms, while crew loaded it with supplies. Out of all of it, the thing that stood out the most was a small human that stood in front of the ship, looking like he was marching to the shooting squad instead of a simple mining vessel. Jango might not have noticed him if it weren’t for the fact that Maul, at his elbow, had frozen up and was staring at the boy. 

For his part the human was oblivious. 

Jango would have asked, but they were interrupted by the arrival of his friend. 

Clat’ha stopped in front of them. Her teeth were bared in a grin that looked more like a grimace. 

“I’m glad you could make it,” she said. clasping Jango by his forearm. She looked like she had when they’d last parted ways, with her in the cockpit of her ship and he on the grounds of Mandalore. Her eyes darted towards Maul at his side. 

“Who’s the kid?” 

“I’m not a kid,” Maul snapped, but it was half hearted. His attention was still on the human who was slowly making his way onto the ship.

“A foundling,” Jango said. 

“And you’re bringing him with?” Clat’Ha’s brows shot upwards. Jango didn’t blame her. 

“No, I-”

“Yes,” Maul said at the same time. He was still watching the boy, but when his voice overlapped Jango’s his attention finally turned to Jango himself. His jaw set mulishly.  “I’m coming with you.” 

Jango shook his head. Clat’Ha, wiser than he, made a quick exit with some excuse about checking with the captain. Jango let her go while he knelt in front of the young one. 

“It’s not going to be safe.” 

“All the more reason for me to go.” 

“Maul,” Jango softened his voice, and tried to ignore the way it made the young one tense rather than relax. “I know you’re tough. I can see it. But I can’t let you come on this job with me.”

“You’re not my dad,” Maul crossed his arms over his chest and looked triumphant. “You never said that Gai bal Manda.” 

That was true. He hadn’t. Jango eyed the boy. 

Jango was going to have to ask an armorer how hard it was to make a buy’ce for species with horns. Maul’s were short yet, but they would certainly grow with age. 

Something in Jango’s expression must have given his intentions away, because Maul’s smuggness vanished. 

“...You wouldn’t.” 

The phrase was enough to make Jango’s heart ache in his chest. Did the boy truly think he Jango wouldn’t want him in his clan? Did he think any of the Haat’ade wouldn’t take one look at this fighter of a boy and not lay a claim to him? 

Whatever master he had had before had done plenty of damage. 

Jango wanted to say the words then and there. The only thing stopping him was the wide eyed look on Maul’s face. For the first time, true uncertainty. 

When Jango lay his hand on Maul’s shoulder the boy didn’t flinch or pull away from it. 

“Not if you’re not ready for it. I can wait, ad’ika.”

“I can’t,” he shook his head, nearly dislodging the hood. “I can’t be your aliit, I have brother-” 

He froze, like he’d just revealed some terrible secret. Maybe it was. It was enough that it made Jango’s blood start to boil. Maul had vod, somewhere. Were they still with his master? Or had they been sold somewhere else? 

“I can help you find them,” Jango offered, solemn. 

Maul visibly gathered himself. For just an instant he really had looked his age. Not like the feral creature that had fallen out of the ceiling, but a child forced into a horrible situation. Was this how Jaster felt when he’d first decided to adopt Jango? 

“After the job,” Maul said, his shoulder’s straight and his chin lifted. 

Jango nodded once. 

“After the job. Think about what you want to do after. If you want to stay with me or go to a Foundery, or if there’s somewhere else for you and your brother’s once we have them too. Let’s get back to the ship, and see if we can’t find some weapons and armor for you.” 

Maul agreed, and the pair walked side by side back to the borrowed ship.

[the-mic-drop]

Shonen Jump Rap Cypher by Rustage

Lyrics below the cut

If anyone wants to break down some lines that you think not everyone will get, please feel free!

Monkey D. Luffy- One Piece (Performed by Rustage)

Starting with the number one, hey

How’d a pirate get this long, hey

‘Cause I eat the gum-gum, see them run run

when I hit that gun, hey

Sailin’ I’m taking no breaks when my crew’s on the move as we pillage the grand line

Looting the treasure we can find

I’m blowing up like a landmine

Going gear second, I reckon that I’m a weapon

I’m wrecking up those who threaten in messing with my own brethren

Stay reppin’ look where I’m headin’

No question the Yonkos sweatin’

I’m bettin’ in words I’m yellin’

I’m the king and there’s no forgettin’, UH

Gon Freecss- Hunter x Hunter (Performed by Fabvl)

I’ll jump the competition, really there’s no contest

Channeled future Nen and most of y’all ain’t even bomb yet

It’s nonsense

Pro exams completed as a child

Hisoka, I think these clowns are living in denial

So don’t make me power up, I’ll call the thunder at my right hand

If you want the strongest Shonen, then you called the right man

They might stan

Treat you all like Pitou, it won’t take long

Name is Gon and this time, I’mma make sure that you stay gone

Naruto Uzumaki- Naruto (Performed by None Like Joshua)

Oh, better believe it’s Naruto

Who’s the best hero? All of you know

My legacy is happening, I got a type of running named after me

while you’re slow

Can’t keep up with my chakra flow

Except Hinata, I’m her Ho

Kage

All I did was call her and I told her to come over ‘cause my parents are not home

Out of these ninjas, you can watch my dub

Even all my filler is so far above

When it comes to Boruto, why y’all givin’ up

like I did with simpin’ on Sakura?

Killer B’s rapping, but I get the encore

With the power that I bring, I don’t really want yours

‘Cause I came from the swing, everybody shunned more

Now you’re looking at the king of this Jump Force

Yami Yugi- Yu-Gi-Oh! (Performed by Connor Quest!)

I’mma master, you be

practice newbies

That’s a doozy

for Yami Yugi

Puzzle did something like a hadron tunnel

‘cause now I got Atem through me

Champ of the match see fans fawn, no matter what hand’s drawn

I’m kicking up dust, metal tanks in land form

When we d-d-d-d-duel there’s sandstorms

Cards are flippin’ I need an answer quick

and I might find my Dark Magician

If I wish, and believe hard enough in the heart that’s in ‘em

(Heart of the cards)

I see Seto’s fear

Pull the fifth part of Exodia

Guess it’s all came to a head, so clear

that your deck’s gonna get X’d, oh dear!

Asta- Black Clover (Performed by Eddie Rath)

Welcome to the magic

It’s a tale that’s tragic

Filled with a pain that’s harder than plastic

especially when you discover you don’t have it

When I started I was less than amazing

But now that I’ve been chosen by the Grimoir, I’m rising to the occasion in a blazing flame of

Magic

Ain’t no Hocus Pocus and Abracadabra

Not a wizard you joke with

This is not Gandalf the Grey, but you shall not pass hopeless

Better be ferocious

Was the poorest orphan living in darkness

but now that I’m focused, I be thanking all my hardships

Ichigo Kurosaki- Bleach (Performed by IBDL)

Uh, hittin’ back with that Bankai

Got that power like I came out of the Dangai

Pops passed the torch; now I’m the fam’s Don guy

Think you Aizen, but you lookin’ like that Don guy

Y’all like Soifon, your raps barely sting

My bars are Getsuga Tensho, got that masterful swing

They say, it ain’t over til the fat lady sings

But you’ll know it’s really over when that black lady sings

Koro-sensei- Assassination Classrom (Performed by CDawgVA)

Mach speed

Blow up the moon and now I’m making these children write essays

Comin with tentacles teach you a lesson in why you don’t mess with the sensei

I amaze

Used to be the Reaper, now I run this class

I can turn a loser to assassin, do it real fast

Light Yagami- Death Note (Performed by Zach Boucher)

I think I’ve been out of my head

Gift was given, made some poor decisions, that I wish I didn’t, but I’d do it again

Feeling different, I was on a mission to achieve my vision with a page and a pen

Sit and listen to the words I’ve written

I ain’t even finished ‘til I see that they’re dead

Don’t even try to pretend

There’s no malicious intent

Stay in my thoughts, stick to the morals I’ve got,

and kill everyone who is not

Just never get caught, ‘til every criminal rots

They’ll consider me as a god

At whatever cost, that’s how I excel

Cannot be stopped, even if I fell

I’m taking them off if you couldn’t tell

I gave up a lot to give you this L

Shoyo Hinata- Haikyuu!! (Performed by Shwabadi)

Yah, here comes Hinata

When I’m on the court the enemy has got their guard up

Never gonna fall off, bet I’m gonna pop off

Way short, but I’m packing punches like a sawnoff

Hot like a sauna, this ball of fire don’t know nada

but I’m gonna chase desire to go farther

every jump will take me higher

They put walls up, so I had to learn to fly

Putting up points, spiking it, or clearing the way

Best decoy, got a little something to say

to anyone that doubts that I’m here to stay

Only got one goal, that’s to play the game

Underestimated, I’m the ace, you just wait

when I spike it past the net, you might take it to the face

Izuku “Deku” Midoriya- My Hero Academia (Performed by Divide Music)

Coming in with 100% of me

I got you all trembling

Oh just with a flick of a finger

put you back where you’re supposed to be

I’m not, holding back

I got you so calculated. I’m

one step ahead, One for All gon’ be demonstrated

Get it? Got it? Good.

Nothing better and you should know

Started at the bottom

but I made it to the top so

Step aside, I’m climbing to great heights

with All-Might by my side

Reppin’ U.A. with pride, oh

Yusuke Urameshi- Yu Yu Hakusho (Performed by GameBoyJones)

Giving you the finger, Spirit Gun

Send you off with Botan, then you done

Hit you with the stick, and I didn’t need a grip when I’m pulling from the hip, then click!

Because I’m, locked loaded, the clip is ready to go

Got a, shotgun in my hand that’s ‘bout to blow

Cause I’m hittin’ you quick fast

givin’ you whiplash

wearing these Spirit Cuffs

You could be human or demon, cause honestly, I just don’t give a fuck

If you’re looking for the best, just know there’s no other

‘cause I’m flexing out here like I’m the youngest Toguro brother

Gintoki Sakata- Gintama (Perfomed by Shao Dao)

They call me, Gintoki, slim not stocky

Lemme Shonen Jump on your leg and your body

Odd Job Gin, don’t mess with my possee

If you touch my hair, then you will be sorry

Ne, boge (Hey, bloke)

Nanikore, uruseena (what is this? Not good.)

Cause you’re way too sloppy

Got a silver soul, Shiroyasha

Swing my sword and Amanto scatter

Gintama, not Kintama

Tell Shinpachi we need money

If Kagura or Katsura bring more trouble, we keep running

Pay rent? That’s a waste of time

That weather girl, I will make her mine

You can beat me up and that’s fair and fine

But if you hurt my friends, then prepare to die

Tanjiro Kamado- Demon Slayer (Performed by DizzyEight)

Look, slayin’ demons that’s what we do

If you filled with evil, then my blade is highly lethal

If you comin’ at my people, pray to god I never meet you

Ever mess with Nez, you KO’d when I see you

I’ve grown stronger from that fateful day they found me

I trained hard to hone the skill, the progression so astounding

My style like breathing water, that mean you can never drown me

Whirlpool, that mean I’m slicin’ everything around me

Emma- The Promised Neverland (Performed by FrivolousShara)

E-M-M-A 63194

Listen to what I’ve gotta say

The others walked, seems now we’ve gotta run away

Don’t you talk, adults are the enemy

You can break every bone in my body, I won’t falter

and if the plan fails, the idea simply alters

Ah, these demons scheming, but they ain’t the only monsters

Our combined IQ breaks the safe, strength in numbers

Now we’ve woken from the slumber

Never ending perfect Summers

Across the farm, you can’t help but wonder

Soma Yukihira- Food Wars! (Performed by DiggzDaProphecy)

See I’m the anime Raekwon

The chef baby, stay calm

You can’t stand the heat

Stay out the kitchen, get a day job

Word, and the finale’s superb

I take a sec, put on my band, an’ I’ll be happy to serve, uh

So ma, tell me what you like and I can hook it up

Ya boy’s got them recipes the best couldn’t cook it up

And she gon’ bust from the taste of my meat

Chef, boy are these boys always cookin’ up heat

Jotaro Kujo- Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (Performed by Dreaded Yasuke)

It’s my go, they call me Jotaro

Don’t get me mad, I’mma go fat only with jabs you go through silos

Got that drip from Cairo, girls will simp my silhouette

I know think it’s a typo fighting with a platinum psycho

None of y’all is a threat

What you gotta say in your breath

Better speak with a bigger chest

Now you lyin’ down with my pet,

while Iggy piss on your neck

All types of disrespect, what you expect?

Go against a vet, better get your techs

wanna get swept through the complex,

now who is next?

Bobobo- Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (Performed by BassedOlaf w/ ThighHighSenpai)

Bobobo making the foes stare

Call me the master of nose hair

Look at the hair on the heads of these anime characters,

brother, it’s no fair

But I’m better than these guys, don’t you understand?

I came second place at screaming face-to-face with desk fans

Afro is full of surprises, look at my power’s immense

Leaving beauty screaming-

(Bobobo, that makes no sense!)

Hunting hair hunters, Saitama, I’m coming for you

Don Patch a better Super Saiyan God than Goku

Son Goku- Dragon Ball (Performed by DaddyPhatSnaps)

Oh they went and called Kakarot

had to be danger

Leave em flat-footed like they in the gravity chamber

I’m just looking for a challenge, can you battle me stranger?

Shonen legend in the saddle and the power is major

Level up on the track, flow Ultra Instinct

Bye bye bye fusion dance is always in sync

Wink

And they wonder why I’m last on the song

‘Cause when all of y’all were talking

I just formed a Spirit Bomb

[semi-imaginary-place]

rewatching decadence

ep1: so... indoctrinating kids that they life their life in service to an upper class. also like, the way deca dence takes care of giant gadoll is to punch it like no giant sword or laser canon or anything just the power of a giant mountain sized fist. this show actually has some good foreshadowing from seeing Natsume from the perspective of Kaburagi’s hud, to Natsume’s dad (Muno) finding the Solid Quake logo at the beginning of the episode and the logo again being shown in the last shot at the announcement signs off with have a profitable day which is a weird public safety announcement but makes sense as a company slogan. I’m still not sure what the “TIME 1:00  POINT SE,07,G” means. I didn’t write it down last time because I was unsure of myself, but my first thought when the cyborgs showed up was VR chatroom for the upper class.

ep2: yeahs that’s totally an advertisement that plays right after natsume realizes the human costs of war as the tankers pay respects to the fallen. I realized what it was with the cartoony designs, the bright colors and patterns, the funky shapes of all the structures aboard the space ship, it looks like a tv show for toddlers. inoffensive and deliberately cheerful to distract from the horrors of a corporation owning your person. the eng subtitles are confusing here it should be “real death(simulation) awaits” in that the company is advertising being able to experience death but not have any of its permanent consequences as a feature of the game. The cyborgs are corporate wage slaves being compensated for their labor in company credits and the only other things we seen them do outside of work is play the company’s mmo, or recreational drugs. “I should be proud of my function and to be scrapped” as property of the company. aaaa that’s terrible. aaa. what are cyborg cores??? and why are they valuable. Solid Quake has no control over the core, only the cyborg’s housing. Is it that they cannot produce more? Considering the others on the team got executed for sentenced to an eternal forced labor camp with appalling conditions, Minato really did pull some strings for Kaburagi. ooh so “time until scrapping” and “operational limit near are two different warnings. the first is a general reminder of lifespan and the second is because oxyone levels are low. now its “TIME 20:00  POINT SE,05,I”. all those new gadoll events probably wreck havoc on the tanker economy. its 400c now and i think it was 500 for 2 earlier. First time through I wasn’t paying attention and totally thought kaburagi was an assassin, but no he’s just clean up crew. ahh yes, come spend you wages at the company run stores. micro transactions... wait so where were people getting the number 13 from?

ep3: ah yes Solid Quake charges to use the media center, truly a micro transaction hell. Natsume’s character arc is about whether to push herself or not. Here Fei acts as part of a continuing dialectic saying that Tankers have no place outside of Deca-Dence, that sooner of later Natsume will die from it, and once again highlighting Natsume’s right arm. In the other level of this though, tankers shouldn’t go outside because that’s not their role in the solid quake mmo, and those who would disrupt the mmo are killed. I like how you can see Kaburagi switch from videogame logic (oh she’s low level so let’s just stick her in the tutorial zone) to real life (what skills and experiences would help in fighting). So several corporations took advantage of desperate people to sell them a service that would augment them with mechanical parts. I get that pipe in a little outfit is funny, but does no one really realize its a gadoll, i meant natsume recognizes it instantly. like the scene where Natsume talks about her right arm, the anime does a good job of showing how her feeling about it are complicated. She’s lived with that arm for years, but it also hinders her sometimes, and people will comment about it. there’s this specific type of humor that pops up in this show and given how its the same joke, my guess is that its the same person behind it. The “joke” being that Natsume is put in a position that references sexual assault. The first is with fennel where she makes up an excuse of having to go see kaburagi to get away from him. And then there’s this episode. There’s also a few stray lines here and there that alarm me in that they imply Natsume has dealt with the threat of assault before. Since they didn’t do anything meaningful with this, I’d rather it just not be there. Minato is in on the secret of Pipe’s existence and by the way the two talk, they’ve called each other before in the last 7 years. Its good to know that Kaburagi wasn’t JUST brooding for 7 years and that the two of them stayed in contact.

ep4: Natsume after having gained confidence in herself takes down several gadoll and earns her place in The Power. Its a fulfilling payoff after seeing her train for several episodes. Natsume is where she always wanted to be, fighting gadoll in the Power. gahh It really is a patch release trailer. Ohh so I assumed that the other structures on the cartoon earth were other corporations, but in this episode we see one of them (the white and red striped cone thing opposite the deca-dence dome) and the cyborgs there are talking about the game (MMO LARPing lol), so either Solid Quake owns multiple of those structures, or these cyborgs are customers not owned by Solid Quake and playing of their own volition. that would makes the cone cyborgs where solid quake is deriving its profit from since its not like it pays its workers. reading comments online, a lot of people missed that because a ranker was found to be cheating (mikey), the rankings were abolished. In the present time, gears/players are not ranked. Ah so Kaburagi was transferred to the maintenance department from the warrior department. Wow reassignment is so much better than the poop jail. I remember it being said, armor repair, doctor, and weapon shop could be employee(cyborg) run so I wonder if the medics and that one armor shop guy are tankers or not. So this anime already snuck in a sex joke with the when the poop gang swapped kaburagi’s avatar with a sex toy, so i wonder if the safetyprivatemode was made so that the mods wouldn’t have to listen to robot sex. I really wish this show could have had 24 episodes. The trend for the past 20 years has been shorter and shorter shows so I know it would have been likely impossible to get the clearance and funding for 24 eps but oooh in som alternate universe maybe... i brought up fleshing out minor characters and character relationships before but there also stuff like Natsume’s right hand almost clamping on ... Mindy? Which usually would be a narrative flag but is completely dropped because of the episode limit. And the confidence Natsume gained last episode come to work against Kaburagi trying to keep her from the suicide mission. Its only from this point on that Kaburagi starts to really change, as of this point he is still a loyal cog to a machine that does not care about him. Kaburagi and Natsume in the 2nd half of the episode continue the same dialectic that runs through the whole of the show, about giving up and learning to try again, about pushing your limit, about why someone bothers trying. On the collectivist versus individualist spectrum, Deca-Dence is on the individualist side with assertions of the importance for deciding for yourself what you will do with your life. Its an interesting counterpoint to The Twilight Mirage (Friends at the Table) which I am currently listening to in that The Twilight Mirage is a western production and strongly collectivist with one of the antagonist being sort of kind of an embodiment of independence/individualism while japanese works as a whole tend to be more about the whole over the individual than western ones. Kurenai talking about why she fights is very good and very important for 2 reasons, first it help flesh out not only her but offer a very needed other opinion on what its like to live as a Tanker, second it segues nicely into Natsume’s memories of her dad telling her about the outside world and him being the only one to believe she can do it (fight in The Power) as contrasted with flashbacks of all the other characters telling her she can’t. This culminates in Natsume gathering her resolve to fight not because of something grand like changing the world or the fate of humanity, but something very personal scale: changing herself and proving to herself that she can do it. The is also the climax of her character arc, the point of no return.

ep5: If last episode was natsume’s point of no return, then either this episode or episode 7 is Kaburagi’s. Rationally speaking, the optimal scenario would have been for Kaburagi to stall long enough for the Tankers to escape before pulling back himself, but emotionally and narratively, there’s no way he couldn’t. After all the build up of deciding for yourself how to live and pushing your limits. Its appropriate that here in defense of the girl that inspired him to live and choose for himself rather than just continue existing in the default of what Solid Quake demands of him, that Kaburagi chooses to release his operational limiter (literally pushing him limit) and derail the company’s plans. How did no one realize purple dude was breaking imprisonment to play on a hacked avatar. Like he’s still as purple and bloodthirsty as ever. He acts and speaks the same. Someone would have totally seen him and gone “eyyyyy [i forgot this guy’s name] is back” and talked to people about it and someone should have heard. So I remember reading comments from various idiots who were mad because they mistakenly thought the anime took place in a virtual space and that Natsume was made of lines of code. And first off even if that was true there’s a difference between objective reality and the lived experiences of a person and what’s to say her experiences and emotions would be any less real than yours. And second, did everyone forget The Hunger Games? Like its just another game that plays with real lives and doesn’t care who gets killed. Solid Quake is just using humans as a stage prop. Man this episode is jam packed. Its like getting punched in the face 4 times. The pacing of the last 4 minutes was really good. The quiet scene as dawn breaks acts in direct contrast to the high energy of the Stargate takedown that preceded it. After time and against not listening to him, Minato still calls Kabu to check in with him. There’s also his certainly that it was Kaburagi that saved the Deca-Dence mech (i need to be clearer when I’m talking about the physical fortress city mech, the mmorpg game, or the deca-dence system itself). And then when the world state gets reset is just so good because it make it clear that the gadoll were never the true enemy. The tankers could kill as many gadoll as they want and nothing would change. Kaburagi’s at an interesting point here, in that he’s no longer in a state of having given up like he was in episode 1 just waiting to die and following along with Solid Quake’s orders, as of this episode he has deliberately gone against the company’s rules, and yet he’s still believes that nothing will actually change. He’s broken a rule and resigned himself to punishment instead of say for example getting rid of the punishment all together. He’s still a good little employee that hasn’t rebelled against the system. And then the “Take care of Pipe” and Natsume turns around and he’s already gone, is sooo good. The final shot too of his avatar face down in the snow! The “This world needs bugs” is in direct contrast to Hugin/Fugin(?) repeating that this world must be rid of bugs, and the same phrase Kaburagi repeated 7 years ago when he was transferred to the Maintenance Department instead of being killed. I wonder how much the cyborgs feel in their original bodies  vs. how much they feel in their Gear avatars. Kaburagi doesn’t seem to care about food and no food stalls were shown in the Gear area so maybe they doesn’t have much sense of taste? The avatars also have a lessened sense of pain. And then the limit release sequence shows connections increasing between the two bodies so does it make the cyborgs more attuned with the avatar’s senses?

ep6: eh so this is another example of what I mean when I say some of the humor in this show is in bad taste. They probably put the oxyone port where the ass would be just to make this joke. But this is better then doing to it Natsume. The animators even had a gleam censor for the over where the capsule was inserted as if it wasn’t obvious enough what it was suppose to look like. Spurned on by the the promise that one day if they work hard and behave (”rehabilitated”), the cyborgs will get let out when in actuality its a forced labor camp so that Solid Quake can squeeze just a little more labor our of the cyborgs for even less compensation. The cartoony style here helps offset just how horrific there working conditions are. And Kaburagi still the good little employee (iiko) tries his hardest to play by the rules and win. Except in this game, there is no “win’ written into the rules. So finally he is forced to move outside of the system Solid Quake has made. I still can’t believe they let Donatello keep the gun... Maybe cyborg cores are brains. In 5.5 Kaburagi’s core is in the top half of his metal case, and Donatello’s is also in his head. I’m still not sure what that sequence where Kaburagi takes the head fin and an image of a cyborg core is overlayed, means.

[sparrowkingsley]

For the Milkshakes

"You're just like Indiana Jones, Lo."

Laurel wrinkled her nose at that, "You think I'm like some old man running around with a whip?"

"No, but now I'm imagining you using a whip! You would be totally bad ass! But I meant you're like him because he literally goes around the world to discover long lost legendary treasures and that is exactly what you do. Seriously are you ever going to actually finish one of these movies with me? Please! You'll totally get what I mean if you just watch them!"

Laurel let a hum as she reached over her friend to grab another part for the old time courier they were working on putting back together. Indie couldn't hold back a giggle as she watched Laurel stick out her tongue in concentration as she started to set up the wires to reconnect.

"Are you just gonna laugh at me or are going to help me finish this, Heywood?"

"Sorry, sorry- oh wait be careful with that or you'll end up-!"

Suddenly a spark sent them both jumping away from the device.

"Oh frack, is it fried? Oh please tell me I didn't just wreck the whole thing."

Indie examined the parts closely, "It's a little shinged but no worries we can still totally make it work."

Laurel let out a sigh of relief, "Good. My moms totally confiscated all my good ones so we have to get this old piece of junk to work, I just, I really need it to work. Ray and your dad have the jump ship for some bro trip and Gideon is on high alert thanks to my last failure trying to steal the Waverider so this is the only option I have."

"Don't worry, we got this okay. Whatever it is I got your back, Lo."

They fell silent for a few minutes. The two working harmoniously together like always. Together it was like they could solve any problem. Together nothing felt impossible. Soon they were grinning down at the fixed courier and the two let out a series of whoops as they hugged each other in their excitement.

As they pulled apart Laurel said one word, "Swords."

"Swords?" Indie asked, utterly confused.

"Swords are a much better weapon, Heywood. Whips are fun, flashy even but swords? Swords are just perfect. Now let's go! I'll buy you a milkshake!"

"Wait what? I'm down for milkshakes obviously but where are we-hey! Wait for me Lo!"

***

Laurel tapped her foot anxiously as her and Indie stood outside the diner. This was definitely the right place. She had spent a lot time trying to find a perfect moment like this one. Any minute now.

"Ugh can't we wait inside? You promised me a milkshake so you better not back out on me."

"Have I ever not bought you a milkshake after promising you one?"

"Well no. Sorry I'm just really hungry now. Like seriously how can you just stand there when there is literally such good smells hiding behind those doors?"

"Not much longer, Heywood. In 3, 2, 1, And here we go."

Then there she was rounding the corner. It's not like she had never seen her before. Her momma Sara had pictures of her all over the house. She had also met her counterpart from another Earth but this? She never thought she would ever be able to see her like this.

"Holy frack, Lo' that's your, isn't that your A-!"

"Come on, Heywood. We gotta go in now."

She was standing behind her now. It took everything in her to stay quiet and keep a distance between them. For so long she had wanted to meet her. Now here she was. She had to find a way to talk to her.

"Table for four?"

Laurel blinked as the waitress came up to them but found that she couldn't find her ability to speak. Her head swam with sudden panic as she realized she had unconsciously stepped far too close to the women in front of them.

"Does it look like these children are of our responsibility? Clearly these two are not near worthy enough to be our dining companions."

"Nyssa, don't be rude. I'm sorry it's just us two. Obviously these kids behind us are here together on a first date and are eager to get to their table, right? It's okay. You can go ahead and seat them first. We don't mind."

"I can speak for myself, Laurel but very well. Yes, seat the young ruffians before us then."

Indie muttered a quick thanks and took Laurel's hand as the waitress led them away. The two of them hid behind their menus as they desperately tried to avoid looking across the room at the person that Laurel had literally just brought them to see. Indie even went ahead and ordered for them both as Laurel drummed her fingers against the table relentlessly. She had totally blew it.

"Um so that's your Aunt. And the person with her is who I think it is right?"

"Nyssa al Ghul, yes."

Indie fanned herself dramatically as she literally began to fangirl, "Oh holy frack, oh frack, oh frack! She is like so pretty. Can I say that about her? Oh my god I can't believe your mom use to actually date her. She is like an actual warrior queen in the flesh."

"Ugh really, Heywood? Please don't make me think about my mom doing, ugh now I thought about it and I'm going to need something much stronger than milkshake to get that image outta my mind. Thanks for that."

"Sorry but not sorry because she might legit be the second most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on."

"I mean if you say so? I don't really see it. So who's the first?"

"Ummmm oh look! Here's our food and milkshakes! Yay fast service!"

Indie quickly sipped her milkshake to cool herself as her face flushed fiercely. Thankfully Laurel wasn't paying attention to her at all. She was focused on dipping her fries in her own shake as she tried to casually glance over to where her aunt was. Hopefully Nyssa was comfortable enough at the moment not to except someone to be spying on her. This whole thing could go really bad if she caught the attention of the assassin again.

"So are you going to try to talk to her? And if you do how are you going to do it? What are you going to say? Are you sure you're not going to totally wreck the timeline if you do?"

"Nyssa and her are going to have an argument in just a few minutes. I'm going to go over and grab some extra napkins or something. And idk exactly what I'll say but I think I can wing it? I hope I can wing it. I have like a five minute window before she needs to go after Nyssa. I can do this. I have to do this."

Without realizing it her drumming had increased and she was basically shaking the table her foot was so shaking so much. Gently Indie took Laurel's hand and Laurel turned to look into those waiting warm eyes. Amber eyes that instantly helped the tension ease away from her and helped Laurel ease back into a steady breath.

"You got this, Lo. And when you're done I'm going to be right here waiting for you. I believe in you, Laurel. Nyssa just stood up by the way. Time to make your move."

Expertly Laurel quietly made her way over to the counter just as Nyssa made her way out the door leaving her Aunt standing alone.  She cleared her throat as she clutched the napkins she grabbed in her hand. As her Aunt turned to her Laurel was relieved to find her voice this time.

"Are you okay? Sorry, you just seem upset and I know it's not my business or anything but just thought 'hey maybe I could help someone in need?' Especially since you offered to let us be seated before you and everything. Thanks for that."

Oh frack that was bad. That was bad and dumb and rambling and embarrassing. For a moment all she wanted to do was turn around and accept defeat. Then her Aunt smiled slightly at her instead. The fear slipped away as excitement took over. She did it! The Black Canary herself was actually going to speak to her. Finally she was going to have the chance to talk to the Aunt she was named after.

"Honestly, I'm not okay. I upset my friend and well she had every reason to react the way she did."

"What did you do to upset her?"

"I kept something from her. Something I knew would hurt her and who knows if or when she'll forgive me for it."

Laurel took a deep breath and before she knew what she was saying the words slipped out, "You know my mom has always told me you have to be strong to do the right thing. You have to face the pain you cause and own it. Redemption isn't a destination, it's a journey. Sounds like you just took that first step to mend your friendship and that is totally awesome and brave."

"Your mom sounds pretty smart if you ask me." She reached out her hand, "I'm Laurel Lance. It's nice to meet you."

Laurel took her hand, "I'm Sharpe, um Sara Sharpe."

The handshake froze and for a moment her Aunt just held her hand in her's.  Laurel wished that this moment could last longer. She knew it was a moment she would never be able to let go of. Even though slowly their grip fell away from each other.

"I'm sorry, I just, Sara was my sister's name. I lost her not so long ago and this may sound strange but you kind of remind me of her."

"Oh well that's cool I guess. Not that you lost your sister! That I remind you of her! I mean hopefully that's cool. Is it cool that I remind you of her?"

Her Aunt let out a small laugh, "Actually yeah. It is cool. Anyway, it was so nice meeting you, Sara but I need to go try and further my redemption with my friend."

"Good luck."

"Thanks and good luck with your date."

Then her Aunt was out the door. Laurel felt the dopey grin on her face as she bonded back over to her friend. She hugged Indie tightly before sitting back across from her. She was practically glowing with her giddiness.

"I did it! Oh my god did you see how awesome that was. Look, look! My hands are shaking from how totally awesome that was! Can you believe it? I met her, I actually talked to my Aunt Laurel! That was totally bitchin' right?"

"So totally bitchin'! I'm proud of you, Lo'. I mean saying your name was Sara may have been a little too on the nose but hey, you did it!"

"Omg, I know I literally just said the first thing that popped in my head and of course it just had to be a combination of my moms' names. But honestly maybe my best mess up ever cause I don't know, we had a moment. I had a moment with my Aunt Laurel!"

Indie smiled as happiness filled her own chest at seeing her best friend's pure joy. Ever since she had broken up with Josh, Laurel had been kind of out of sorts but now she really starting to bounce back to her former self. She would literally follow her anywhere and do anything to make Laurel smile like she was now. Indie really would.

"Hey come on. Let's get a couple shakes to go and get out of here. I know we probably shouldn't but I know the perfect spot where we can totally watch my Aunt swoop in and save Nyssa from Oliver and the League. Come on, Heywood. Trust me it will be so worth seeing."

Indie quickly agreed and soon the two of them were strolling through Star City. Sipping on black and white milkshakes as they made their way to catch a glimpse of assassins. Things were never boring when Laurel had a plan.

"Oh Heywood, know what was weird? My Aunt thought we were on date for some reason. Weird, right?"

Indie blushed, "Oh um yeah, so weird. Too weird. Who would ever think we would ever go on  a date? Like a date date I mean. Obviously we go on friend dates cause we are beat friends and all that so yeah! Friend dates only. Anyways, um so what are we going to tell your moms when they found out we have timed jumped without permission again. Temporal residue and all that is going to make it real obvious when we get back."

"No worries, Heywood. If they ask I already have a the perfect reason for why we jumped."

"Oh really? What is that exactly?"

Laurel smirked, "Simple. We tell them, we did it for the milkshakes."

[caribooed]

all the stars questions im idiot

YOU ARE NOT IDIOT!!!

ALDEBRAN - What is your most obnoxious interest?

Hrhehuajejah batman I've been yelling abt him to everyone I come into contact with for months

ALGOL - Favorite planet? Favorite space object?

Hrngbn,,,, Saturn is pretty!! And nebulas go brrrr

61 CYGNI - Favorite time period?

The Victorian age has that Aesthetic,, hehe

CASTOR - Favorite band/artist?

Rn Poor Man's Poison is [flappy]

POLLUX - Draw the art cover of your favorite song/album

I Cannot currently but the song name is Hell's Coming With Me if you'd like to check it out

RIGEL - Put your music on shuffle, give us the first five songs.

1. A Little Messed Up - june

2. Ticking Bomb - Aloe Blacc

3. The Kid I Used To Know - Arrested Youth

4. Everybody Gets High - MISSIO

5. C'mon Down - Poor Mans Poison

BETELGEUSE - Which videogames give you nostalgia to a place you've never known?

Njahdbanfb the Batman Arkham games really do make me [eyes] for Gotham

AGENA - What is your favorite moment from a game?

[flappy] [eyezoom]

Spoiler for Arkham City I guess but,, heehoo Joker melting into Clayface is fucking COOL (close second is the Jig in Arkham Origins)

DENEB - You can turn one book into another piece of media. Which are you picking?

Jurassic Park!! I'd love to see that book as like. A scene-for-scmcene recreation in a tv show

ATAIR - Why is your favorite book your favorite? Do you have a favorite quote from it?

Bgjajfbanf idk I don't rly have a favorite book

PROKYON - Grab the nearest book, go to page 145 and give us the first sentence.

"According to the map, Coraunt is four miles northeast, sitting at the intersection of Regent's River and the extensive Port Road." - The Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

ACRUX - When and where do you like to read most?

On a warm day out in the tree in my backyard

SPICA - When do you consider a movie "good?"

I'd answer this question but I don't know myself dbajfbajdbahv

ANTARES - Think of a movie that means a lot to you, now describe the first scene that comes to mind.

BATMAN: YEAR ONE

OK so get this

The police have been going absolutely apeshit because Batman is threatening this guy named Falcone!! Who is paying off the Commissioner. So the Commissioner finds out Batman is in this specific building and goes get him boys. So SWAT comes in and just. Asmr firebombs a building with people who are Not Batman still in it bc they wanna kill Batman. But jokes on them, he lived!!

So they r in this building and Batman is asmr wrecking SWAT and then he like. Fucking summons a gigantic swarm of bats who go [vibecheck] at the police and then Batman gets away!!!!

PROXIMA CENTAURI - If you had the chance to travel the world, where would you like to see?

Ngjahgbabf idk the bottom of the Marianas Trench sounds sexy ngl

ALGOL - You have to assassinate someone, which weapon do you choose?

Hrng,,, sword do be kinda personal tho

MIMOSA - What do you associate with your favorite color?

The ocean in the Carribean, mint, the aftertaste of toothpaste when you've washed it out

SIRIUS A/B - What is your favorite sound/smell?

I do be kinda emotionally attached to the sound my fan makes,, ngnshdbgbn vanilla and cinnamon are tied

[vanosslirious]

BBS Dialogue Prompts #22

Dialogue Prompts/Sentence starters. [9]

BASICALLYIDOWRK

Nobody made it.

Where are we supposed to go?

This isn’t even my apartment, this is your apartment!

He’s trying to assassinate him.

Bash his fucking brain in.

Oh my God, that was clean. 

Assassinate him!

He was alive two seconds ago!

That lasers going through the fucking window.

On a second thought, I don’t want to do this.

FOURZER0SEVEN

Where the fuck do I go?

It’s like I’m hallucinating.

Get away!

If this thing kills me, I’m going to be so pissed.

We’re saving ourselves.

But we haven’t made it through a night yet so...?

I’m being tracked.

It’s almost night time, boys.

He made no sound!

What the fuck is this?

DAITHI DE NOGLA

Are you on fucking meth again?

You’re so aggressive for someone so passive.

Oh my gosh, we’re getting wrecked!

Oh no, we’re going to lose, bro.

That was a good five seconds before I pulled out a weapon and killed him.

I just put a thousand dollars on myself.

And he always wins at Mario Kart.

I heard that shotgun.

Don’t hurt me, I’m your only friend here to help you.

Don’t forget the cue.

TERRORISER

I swear to God, if no one tries to murder me, I’ll be pissed.

What is our mission, what are we doing?

This makes no sense.

I can’t snipe.

Stop being pessimistic.

I’ll fly next.

Give me an angle.

Is that the guy?

Do you want me to fly next?

He’s in a vehicle, he’s moving.

VANOSSGAMING

You know what, that wasn’t too bad.

Are we enjoying the sunset?

That’s not suspicious at all.

We’re making a lot of fucking noise.

We’re not going to get out of here alive.

I feel like I’m going to die...

We did so much illegal shit in the last year.

Let’s ambush these motherfuckers.

There they are.

Yes, you’re going down.

I AM WILDCAT

Let’s hope it reaches you in time.

I didn’t mean too, I tried to save him.

This is so sad.

It looks like a mass suicide from a cult or something.

Everything’s going exactly as planned.

Someone’s gotta fly this bitch.

I made a couple of jokes I thought were funny, nobody laughed, made me feel real bad.

There’s no way that still works, does it?

It was their day off.

What the fuck is going on down here?

H2ODELIRIOUS

Look at all these sons of bitches.

Come on, let’s leave, we gotta go.

He has to reload, he can’t kill everyone.

I’m fucking scared man.

They opened the door!

It’s beautiful.

Where are you guys?

I’m tired, alright.

Open the door, let me in.

Don’t I deserve to be with you guys?

SMII7Y

Okay, we’re good.

I’m just going to take everything, I hope you don’t mind.

Maybe I should grab something for the road, so I at least have a weapon of some sort.

For all I know, I could’ve stared at two and I wouldn’t have known it at this point.

Not like I was looking anyways, I mean, I guess that served me right.

I backed out on it, I guarantee you multiple times.

This isn’t working.

Maybe I’m making up an assumption too realistic.

Hello, beautiful, the keys are already in here.

Knowing me, it’s not where I assume it is, it’s somewhere completely different.

CaRtOoNz

One above me...

Explosion upstairs...another explosion upstairs.

He’s bloodthirsty.

Is it reinforced?

Where’s he at?

Good shit.

I’m watching our flank.

There’s someone on the stairs.

Check the stairs.

Motherfucker.

[fiive-hargreeves]

play along - f.h.

warnings: gun mention, knife mention, swearing

word count: 2.2K

pairing (platonic): five hargreeves x (13yo!) (superhero!) (fem!) reader

summary: y/n has been a superhero for about a year and a half now, but when she comes across twenty men pointing guns at a boy her age, she is unsure whether or not to step in. when she finally does make her decision, the boy is much less accepting of the help than she would’ve hoped.

a/n: this ends on a sort of cliffhanger, and it’s something i could definitely write a part two for, if it was desired. so shoot me an ask if you want a part two to this and if there’s enough people who want it, i’ll make a second part!

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

"shit," five muttered, glaring out of the window of his van. he didn't know how they had found him; he'd removed the tracker days ago. maybe there was another, somewhere he couldn't see? he'd have to find it later.

of course, that was hardly his biggest concern. he was currently watching a collection of somewhere around twenty men, each one armed with his own shotgun, stroll towards the narrow alleyway he'd parked in.

his mind was working rapidly, carefully combing through every possible plan of escape.

he tried to teleport, but it didn't work. "shit," he swore again, shaking his fists, to no avail.

his power would come back eventually, he knew, but for at least the next few minutes of his life, he'd be on his own.

he glanced back at the men. maybe he had something he could fight with? he jumped into the back and rummaged around, but he couldn't find anything.

by now, the men were much closer. soon, they'd be at his door.

could he take twenty people all alone? and unarmed, at that. even the donut shop had had a butter knife or two; here, all he had to defend himself were his hands.

whether or not he could beat them was not the question, he decided. he was easily the best out of the entire commission, that he knew; he always had been, even in his later years. but he wasn't sure he'd ever had to deal with that many people at once before.

and the commission knew that, he realized. the handler was well aware of everything he'd done under the commission, and though she had no knowledge of what he'd encountered during his time with the umbrella academy, he'd always had ben, allison, klaus, luther, and diego with him then.

now, he had no one. he was all on his own, left with nothing but his own wit to defend himself.

he would not back down. no; he was five hargreeves! everyone at the commission feared him, he was sure of it. and rightfully so! he was, without a doubt, the best out of all of them.

he could take these oafs, no sweat.

he climbed back into the front of the van, stepping out into the dirty alley. "i'll be back," he promised dolores, before shutting the door. he grinned at her. "they'll be easy."

he spun around to meet the army of assassins. each one cocked his gun, and pointed the barrel at five's head.

he was alright so far. he knew that they wouldn't shoot. the handler would likely want to persuade him to come back and work for her- she couldn't do that if he was dead.

"hiya, fellas," he glared through narrowed eyes, offering a sarcastic smirk as he shoved his hands down his pockets.

he dug around, trying not to look as obvious as he felt. once again, he found nothing.

"come with us." snarled one of the agents. "and no games," he added quickly.

five sighed, bringing his hands out of his pockets and cracking his knuckles. "let's get this over with,"

he moved to teleport, but it still didn't work. he sighed, a look of exasperation dominating his face.

the men continued to aim their guns at him. he quickly considered his options: fight without jumping, or forfeit, and let the commission take him without a fight.

the first of these options appealed more to his sense of pride, but after examining his surroundings in search of potential makeshift weapons, he knew that it wouldn't be the best idea.

he looked from his hands to the twenty guns, all of which were pointed squarely at his head. guns held by hardened assassins. guns held by people he knew were physically unable to make a wrong shot.

reluctantly, he let his hands fall to his sides, and hung his head. he'd be able to jump eventually; but until then, he had no choice but to play along.

out of the twenty-one people involved in that ordeal, none of them noticed a young girl, about five's age, lurking just across the street, watching and listening intently.

and, as anyone could tell you: they all wished they would've.

because this girl, too, was special.

no, she hadn't been one of the forty-three infamous children born on that faithful day, but she was gifted, just like them.

not too unlike the umbrella academy, she also used her powers for good.

upon the discovery of her special abilities, she knew immediately what she wanted to do with them. she'd always loved superheroes, and the idea of fighting off criminals- now she could finally do something to help her community!

she’d stocked up on comic books, and asked her parents if she could take fighting classes- she wanted to be the real deal.

she trained daily; as per her request, her father had shown her how to shoot, and over time she'd built up an exceptional aim. 

of course, being a thirteen year old, she'd never been in a situation where she'd needed to apply these skills- not yet.

she watched curiously as the strange boy was moved into the middle of the group. not one of the men ever moved the barrels of their guns away from his head.

she carefully evaluated the situation. would it even be a good idea to step into this? she'd only been practicing as a superhero for a year and a couple of months; was she ready?

of course she was, she decided. a superhero would never back down from helping someone out! even if the opposing team did have twenty guns.

but was the boy really in need of help? these men looked like serious business - maybe they were police?

but what could this child have done to warrant twenty police officers to all point their guns at him?

she'd find out.

in an instant, she'd stopped time. no one was moving except her and this mysterious boy.

"what the hell?" the boy murmured. he'd bumped into the man in front of him, and he was now realizing the state of the world around him.

the young girl gazed on from her post as he weeded his way out of the circle of men, and looked around.

he stopped, staring straight at her. "who... what... are you doing this?"

he was several feet away from her. she stepped out from behind her wall to move closer, but he backed away quickly.

"sorry!" she said hurriedly, backing up again. "yes, i'm doing this."

"who the hell are you?" he asked, stepping closer.

"y/n y/l/n," she smiled at him. "i guess i'd call myself a superhero,"

"this is... this is your power?"

"yep!" she replied, with a loose smile. "do you mind if i come a little closer? you're just a little hard to hear from here, and i don't like yelling very much,"

he nodded, gesturing towards a bus bench they could sit on.

she followed him as he walked. they sat in silence for a moment, before five spoke up again.

"are you one of the forty-three?"

she glanced at him, a look of curiosity washing over her face. "huh?"

"nevermind," he waved his hand, changing the topic. "why'd you do it?"

she looked up at him from the patch of ground she'd been staring at. "stop time?" he nodded. "well, i needed to ask you why the heck twenty-something people are pointing guns at you,"

the boy looked annoyed. "well, that's not really much of your business, so, if you don't mind-" he stood up, moving to leave.

"you're gonna tell me what i want to know," she said, standing in front of him, blocking his escape. she put on a crude smile before continuing. "i'm gonna ask you one more time. what do they want from you?"

the boy scoffed before looking up at her again. "again, that has nothing to do with y-"

"it has to do with whether or not i stab you or every single one of those guys over there in the next second!" said the girl, drawing a knife from seemingly nowhere. she was aggravated now. she wanted to show the boy exactly who he was sassing.

the boy was visibly impressed, and maybe even frightened. she was immediately immersed in a feeling of pride , but she didn't lower her weapon.

"you wouldn't be able to stab me," the boy smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"try me," she snarled, flipping the dagger into a more comfortable stabbing position. she was disliking this boy more and more by the second.

"let's go," he said, his voice overflowing with cockiness. he motioned for her to come closer.

oh, she'd kill this boy. she would absolutely wreck him. now she understood why those men were after him- he was such a colossal asshole!

as she moved to puncture his chest, he... disappeared. she looked up. she'd just stabbed at empty air.

she soon locked eyes with the boy, who was waving at her with a stupid grin painted over his face.

"teleportation," he smirked. suddenly he was much closer to her than he had been the second before. "that's my power."

"well," she scowled at the boy, tucking her knife back into its hiding spot. "even if i can't stab you... why should i help you get away from those guys?"

"if you would unfreeze time, you'll see perfectly well that i don't need your help at all,"

she stared at the floor, unable to come up with a reply. why had she intervened? she had yet to do any superhero deeds; in fact, all she'd done was make enemies with the person she was trying to "save".

"well?" the boy said impatiently.

y/n took a moment before speaking, taking a last minute to consider her next words.

"i will not unfreeze time until you tell me why those men are pointing shotguns at your head."

he scoffed. "i already told you, that's none of your business!"

she rolled her eyes. "fine. time stays frozen then. i don't really care..."

"you know what! i don't need you!"

y/n raised her eyebrows, turning around to see that the boy had teleported to his car.

she walked over, and saw him trying to start it up.

"it's not going to work," she told him after watching multiple failed attempts.

"yeah, i can see that!”

the girl squinted. she'd caught a glimpse of something in the passenger's seat. "is that... is that a mannequin?"

the boy glanced between y/n and his mannequin. "she's not isn't just a mannequin!" he snapped, laying a protective arm over it.

"okay!" y/n thought, her eyes widening as she took a few steps back. "this guy's a psychopath!"

she was just about to let him go, but he started talking again before she could.

"wait, don't leave!" for some reason, y/n stopped. she turned back to face the boy.

he sighed "what did you want to know?"

yes!!! she had embarrassed him so much that his only way of changing the subject was answering her question!

"what the hell are you doing with a van that says 'drain and toilet specialists' and why did these guys just come out of nowhere and kidnap you?"

"okay, first of all- i wasn't kidnapped! alright? i went willingly. and this van... it's... my dad's."

"and why are these people pointing guns at your head?"

he looked like he was working out calculus in his head for a moment, before saying, "long story short: these guys are assassins, and their leader wants to talk with me."

"why?"

"oh, she's pissed because i'm smarter than her."

at this, y/n allowed herself to laugh. "one more thing," she said.

"i told you my name, and although you probably don't remem-"

"y/n y/l/n," he interrupted, stunning her.

"oh," she said quietly. she'd honestly marked him as an asshole to begin with. she hadn't expected him to have even registered her name, let alone remember it. "but, um... what's your name?"

"five. hargreeves." he said, extending a hand through his open window for her to shake.

she did this, feeling that maybe this kid wasn't so bad after all. even if he did have a mannequin girlfriend.

five pulled his hand away, and clenched his fist. y/n started at him in confusion, watching as he did it again, swearing under his breath.

"what?" the girl asked him.

"can't teleport," he said, furrowing his eyebrows. "watch out," he added.

y/n stepped out of the way as he opened the van door and got out.

"you can't?" she raised an eyebrow.

he shrugged. "sometimes it just doesn't work."

"that happens to me sometimes," she told him.

they stood in silence for a while, before y/n spoke again.

"well, i'll start time up again and leave you to it!"

"wait!" five cried, stopping her. he sighed; the man hated to admit that he was wrong, but what had to be done had to be done.

"what i said before... about not needing your help... that was when i could teleport,"

y/n grinned at the boy. "so what you're saying is...?"

five sighed, staring at his shoes. there was not much in this world that he loathed more than having to admit that he was wrong. "will you help me with these guys?"

her grin grew. "sure!" five smiled up at her. "oh, and five? one more thing,"

"yeah?"

in that moment, a rock resting on the ground lifted into the air, landing in y/n's awaiting hand. "i also have telekinesis,"

[shandidellamorte]

Shandi’s StarTerror Saga 8!

I know these chapters are pretty short but it’s kinda for suspense purposes~ Don’t kill me plz~ <3

~Shandi

While the Assassins regroup, Paul attempts to get answers from Nikki.

MAKE ME FEEL AGAIN Part 8

“You’ve done so well~” 

“That’s bullshit.” Axl draped himself across Slash’s lap with a scowl on his face. “The targets got away.” 

“Not all of them~” 

“Well maybe I’d be more satisfied if I blew someone away!”

“Your lover is pleased. Is that not enough for you~?” 

Axl sighed, looking up at his boyfriend with a softened expression. “Are you really happy, baby?” Slash replied with a kiss. “Just got off the phone with Duff. With their guitarist out of the way KISS’s tour is gonna take a fuckin’ nosedive. I couldn’t be happier~” 

“I told you I would give you what you wanted. I never go back on my word~” M’s eyes flashed red beneath his hood. “Now..the one called Paul Stanley will be your next target. You will have the violence that you crave when the Anarkians come to you~” A sadistic smile spread across Axl’s face. “That’s what I wanna hear~ We use the pretty one as bait..and they won’t even see it comin’~” 

“I will fetch the others, then we can begin~”

Back in KISSteria, Master Radames had arrived from Sphynxia to join Demon at the Sisterhood’s Temple. “I came as soon as I possibly could..” he said, distress evident in his voice. “Please tell me what has happened.” Demon growled, running his fingers through Vinneketh’s hair. “It was an assassination attempt. The Sisters have informed me that some form of black magic was used as the weapon. Magic they have rarely dealt with. He’s fighting it as hard as he can.” Radames grimaced. “The Gods’ magic is sufficient protection now but it will eventually weaken. We must find a solution before this happens.” Red Lotus then entered the Chamber with five other Sisters following close behind. “Welcome, Master Radames I am glad you are here. Your assistance will indeed be invaluable. We have discovered the source of the magic that has poisoned poor Vinneketh’s soul. It is different from what he had seen in the past but..we are certain this is the work of Prince Michael of Hanoi.” Radames looked at her with wide eyes. “Hanoi? I thought..that Realm was a myth!” Sister Grey Wolf shook her head. “It is very real. We were there some time ago to offer aid to the Prince. Members of Rhye’s White Court had stumbled upon it as well. We had received a plea for help from the Prince’s lover, but when we attempted to return a powerful barrier had been cast to keep anyone from setting foot there.” She looked around at her fellow Sisters. “We are afraid that what we had feared has finally come to pass. The Prince has become a Dark Fae.” 

“Can this magic be eliminated?” Demon asked impatiently. He cared little for anything else save for the welfare of his precious Treasure. Red Lotus placed her hand over the wound in Vinneketh’s chest. “It will take all of our combined power to dispel such wickedness..and it will take time.” Demon looked down at his husband’s face. Then we are not going anywhere until he is safe.” StarChild closed the Chamber door and heaved a heavy sigh. “I guess it’s just you and me for now..” he said to Fox, who was on the verge of tears. “What can we do..?���

“We do what you suggested. I ask Nikki if he knows anything. This..Prince Michael must be working with the assassins. It would explain how a human was able to get to Jendell. I still don’t understand why we are his targets. We’ve never even heard of Hanoi until this very moment. The Crüe must be connected somehow. We have to go back to Earth. I..suppose the tour will have to be postponed indefinitely..but that’s not important right now. Also..I should ask the Elder if she can watch over Ayesha.” 

“Think you could use an extra pair of hands?”

They turned to see Black Dahlia..no..she was just Heather now, leaning against the Chamber hallway entrance. StarChild smiled and hugged her tightly. “It’s so good to see you again~ I thought you were never going to leave your room.” She chuckled softly. “I can only wallow in self pity for so long. Might as well try to shake it off by making myself useful~” Fox patted he shoulder. “We could definitely use your help~” She ruffled their hair. “Then I’ll go let the Elder know about Ayesha and I’ll meet you at the Star Portal~” 

On Earth, Nikki had been staring blankly out of one of the tour bus’s windows when he was startled by a hand on his shoulder. “Fuck!! Tommy don’t do that shit!” 

“But y’looked so lost in thought..and vulnerable! I had to!” 

“Fuck you!” 

Tommy laughed and smacked his shoulder. “C’mon man it was a joke! What’s got you all riled up?” Nikki sighed. “Some serious shit went down at the Whisky.” 

“What? A fight?” 

“More like a guy I thought was my friend pullin’ a fuckin’ gun on me and Princess..”

“......” Tommy gawked in disbelief.

“Yeah..and I’m worried. That’s why we’re stayin’ right here. I want him to find us when he comes back. So Vince needs to stop givin’ me shit. He’s got legs. Whatever he wants he can walk to get it.” 

“You’re fuckin’ serious.” 

A knock at the bus’s door made them both jump. “I..I got it.” Nikki opened the door slightly. “Who’s out there?” 

“Nikki? It’s Paul.” 

“Oh, thank fuck..” He opened the door fully to let Paul, Eric and Heather inside. “Glad you’re alright, Princess. I was worried about ya.” 

“Likewise. The assassins haven’t come back?” 

“Nothin’ so far.” 

Tommy held up his hands. “Wait a minute. Back the fuck up. Did you say assassins?” Paul sighed. “It’s a long story..” 

“Well I wanna hear it!” 

“Then Vince and Mick should too.” Nikki went to the back to wake them up. Once they had all sat down (and Vince had stopped complaining), Paul began to explain. About the assassins. About Prince Michael..everything. While he spoke Heather watched the Crüe’s reactions very closely. It was clear that they knew something. When he was done she seized the opportunity. “The looks on your faces says you’re keeping something from us. So why don’t you spill? If my friends are in danger I think they have a right to know.” Vince ran a hand through his hair. “We..never wanted anybody else to get mixed up in our shit.. It’s us that Mike is pissed at.” Paul narrowed his eyes. “What did you do..?” 

“We fucked up in a bad way..wrecked his place.. Raz got hurt really bad..almost died. His parents did die. He was rightfully pissed..and he kicked us out..” Eric covered his mouth. “Do you..even regret what you did..?” 

“‘Course we do! I even tried apologizing but he was too upset! Now he’s got it out for us..” Heather shook her head. “Then you can just sit on your hands anymore. This is your problem and you have to help us solve it. You have to find a way to make up for what you’ve done.” Paul bit the inside of his cheek. “This has gone far beyond a simple apology. If Prince Michael truly has gone down the Dark Path as Red Lotus said he needs to be brought back first. Then we can work on bridging the gap. The Crüe all nodded in agreement.

“Well, Princess..what’s our first step?” 

To be Continued!! 

[harveywritings92]

Hidden Blades and Cricket Bats: Older! Jacob Frye x OC

OC: Iris Adair

Aliases: Reese (Jacob) snow angel [Jacob/random bloke.] Home-wrecking trollop! [Barbra] Kyle Reese [Herself]

Age 10 for chap 1 & 2 , 19 through chap 3 and onward....

Eyes: gray

Hair: ash blond 

skin tone: fair light freckles on her face

Height 4'2" [child] 5'5" {Adult}

Weight: 75 pounds [child] 125 pounds {adult}

Sexual orientation: Pansexual.

Occupation: Private Detective.

Summary: Just after the Roth fiasco Jacob meets Iris when she was a child, she saved him from freezing to death when he passed out drunk in the icy rain, when he coming to and throwing up, the assassin awkwardly introduced himself to the little girl who called herself Iris, Jacob decided to repay her with some breakfast and warmer clothes, when they're suddenly attacked by group men who ordered Jacob to hand the kid over if he valued his life. the thugs obviously didn't realize who they were dealing with, he took care of them, then Jacob brought the girl to Inspector Abberline who was just about to approach the assassin over an abduction case of one Iris Adair, Guess who Jacob's been running around London with all day? once the people who were after Iris were dealt with she was returned to her grandparents in Scotland. ...Until they meet again nine years later.

Jacob is like 29-30 years old he was engaged with a woman named Barbra who he just found cheating on him and just using him for money to support her opium addiction, He called off the engagement and kick her out, a few days later he goes to a pub to drown his sorrows when he meets a girl covered in soot looking just as lost as he was... 

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Jacob woke up to a splitting headache he winced as his eyes tried to adjust to the light and wondered what station they were at, until his ears picked up the sound of birds and crud chill of wind against his skin, but what really snapped him awake was the pair of curious gray eyes staring down at him, it was then the assassin realized his pillow was the lap of a little girl!??

Alarmed the hazel eyed man recoiled away from the child letting out a startled yelp only to regret it a second later, when all that alcohol he consumed the night before decided make a resurgence, Jacob threw a hand over his mouth before looking around and spotting a storm drain and vomited once he was sure it was all gone, he turned to his little...host? if this makeshift camp was anything to go by. 

"Oi poppet you got a name?"

"Iris, Iris Adair..."

The assassin cocked a brow at the girl's Scottish accent "hmm, well good to meet ya Iris, I'm Jacob Frye."

"..."

"Iris how did we get here?"

Jacob asked trying to piece together how he ended up sleeping under a bridge with a little Scottish girl, "I found you over there." She muttered pointing towards a park he followed her hand, he saw a set of tiny footprints in the mud then a secondary a drag trail leading to her camp, it wasn't hard for Jacob to put two and two together he got drunk and passed out, Iris must stumbled onto him and instead robbing and leaving him there.

The blond girl pulled him out of the rain impressive feat for child, the assassin frowned as he turned his attention back to Iris, she wasn't one of the orphans he rescued her accent would've set her aside, it was then he noticed the bruises on her wrists, Her clothes weren't her's the pants she wearing legs were too long to be hers and rolled up to her knee, her legs were visibly bruised and scraped like she'd been running, her dingy blond hair was hastily and unevenly cut.

It became clear that Iris has escaped from somewhere and was hiding, from who and where Jacob intends to find out, but first his empty stomach rumbled "Right then let's get something to eat and you cleaned up." The little girl gave the assassin an odd look before he suddenly picked her up and carried her out of the park. 

they ended up at a cafe in the strand; not the best place for a man and child who looked like they were fished out of the Thames, But then no one addressed the matter, unless they want to deal with Jacob who shot the staff a ''Say something I dare you.'' look the second they walked in. He ordered a lemonade for Iris and lemon ginger tea for himself being hungover and all and couple scones.

"Need help with that?" Jacob asked watching Iris's body language carefully; as she struggled with a scone; it was clear she wasn't some run of the mill urchin, whoever the little blond was; she was clearly from wealth, what with her proper table manners and etiquette. "yes please." she said shyly and pushed her plate over to the brown haired man *polite too...* Jacob noted cut her scones for her then slid the plate back and she thanked him, after a few minutes of silently eating. "Who are you running from?" Jacob asked taking a sip of his tea, Iris flinched at the question. "Iris, I can help you. But you have to trust me." the assassin pressed as the little Scottish girl looked at him unsure.

"I don't who they are, they took me while was playing in the yard..." She doesn't know how she got to London they "gave me this gross juice that made me sleepy.." Jacob frown bloody sods were drugging her, than again a child screaming murder would rouse some suspicions.

 Iris continued saying she woke up in this shed, wasn't sure how long she was in there for she could hear her captors talking about money, So it's a ransom case... And chances are those kidnappers are out there right now looking for their meal ticket...

Jacob heard someone clear their throat and looked to see what appeared to be the head waiter glaring daggers at them before the snob could even open his mouth the assassin cut him off. "Yes,yes we're leaving." Jacob said slamming some money on the table the head waiter's tune started to changed when realized the rough looking man actually had money! 

But Jacob wouldn't hear it, he grabbed Iris's hand and the two walked out of the cafe they wandered a few more blocks before stopping at a tailor shop. the couple running the place owe the twins some favors, needless William and Emma were happy to see Jacob who introduced them to Iris and explained he needed her cleaned up and was here some clothes.

Emma took the girl upstairs to the couple apartment while Jacob stayed with William and picking out a gray jacket, shorts, tights and black boots and gray paper boys cap. William brought them to his wife and went back to Jacob to inform him that his suit was repaired.

Jacob thank him... "Never thought I'd miss you." he mumbled to his Top-hat as he finished getting dressed just as miss Emma came downstairs with a now clean up and dressed Iris. "She's a lovely girl Mr. Frye, But don't you think a dress would've suited her?" the old woman fussed as Iris shifted uncomfortably Jacob ruffled the little girl's hair.

"Yes, But at the moment the less she looks like a girl the better, Ain't that right Reese?" 

"Reese?"

"Well, I can't exactly call you by your real name now can I?"

"That makes sense."

Iris mused as Jacob felt a little smug having someone agree with him, he and Iris left the Strand with the intention of finding Fred Abberline when the little girl noticed someone following them.

the little girl saw them duck out of sight, her stomach felt heavy as she tugged on Jacob's jacket to warn him "I know." he said in a hushed tone and he waited until they were in a more secluded area when Jacob turned around and pulled Iris behind him and glared at a group of men coming out of the alley.

"Easy there we don't want any trouble, just hand over the kid and we won't hurt you." a sleazy looking ginger haired man said attempting to intimidate Jacob who glared at him defiantly as Iris clung on to his coat terrified. "Afraid I can't do that gents," as the men glared at him as the ginger haired man scoffed at Jacob tough guy act. "Look I tried to be civil mate, but if you want to die for a brat be my guest, let's get him!" Jacob took his top-hat off and handed it to Iris and took out a smoke-bomb and strode towards the men.

As the men circled him "Sorry, Sweetheart this show's Adults only!" he winked before pulling his hood up and throwing the bomb down a huge smoke cloud filled the alley.

 Iris flinched everytime she heard weapons and the sounds of pain and bones cracking when the smoke was clearing up , she closed her eyes using Jacob’s top hat as a shield as something large was thrown passed her.

Hearing someone groan  Iris opened her eyes and lowered the hat to see the ginger haired man beaten and bloody clutching his ribs as a hooded Jacob came up behind her and gabbed the man by the front of his shirt and pinned him to the wall.

"Now here what's gonna happen mate," the Assassin growled as the man wheezed in pain "I'm gonna let ya live because you're my messenger boy now."Jacob hissed and pretty much told the guy to tell his boss if they wanted Iris? He'd have to take it up with Jacob Frye... He saw the light go off in the man's eyes which soon dissolved into fear. "Yeah... now y'know who I am now don't ya?" Jacob hissed the man nodded his head as the assassin threw him aside and watched as the man got and limped out of the alley. 

Jacob then looked at Iris who was staring at him not in fear like most children would in her situation, but in curiosity... he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, he was about to take his hat from her when he heard someone yelling at him and cussed seeing a group of Blighters he tucked his hat into his jacket grabbed Iris and aimed his grappling hook to the rooftops. "Hang on tight Reese."  he said and the girl let out a squeak when they were suddenly airborne! 

Needles to say Jacob found out just how fast he could run with a kid on his back! The blighters were hot on their tail but oddly enough weren't shooting at them? which was off to say the least, when it seemed they were headed to a dead end. Jacob suddenly maneuvered Iris into a bear-hug "Don't scream." the gang leader warned as he did a backwards leap of faith with Iris in his arms.

 they landed in a hay cart the assassin shushed the little girl and held her close as he listened to their pursuers search for them, but gave up when they couldn't spot the assassin or child anywhere, Jacob relaxed and hopped out of the cart then pulled Iris out setting setting her down taking a few seconds to pat her down and get some of the hay off her, He pulled back his hood and put his hat back on then took Iris's hand and the twosome continued on their way through London.