#i guess i had just been refusing to think about it more in depth

[allseeingharlequin]

thinking about joelthur... thinking about john being stuck in a body that doesn't age and doesn't die unless killed

i need to stop thinking about this

[spaceyaemonds]

pairing: evan buckley x reader

sum.: in the aftermath of your traumatic birth, buck struggles to bond with your baby.

warnings: angsty, buck really struggling with his feelings and thoughts here, traumatic birth but no details aside from she almost died, implied that the reader has ppd, buck is a very very good husband, he is just really struggling, so is reader, good friend hen, buck and readers baby girl has a name (lowen), possible ooc!buck??? minors DNI

note: elaborated on this thought, but it’s more buck centered than a traditional x reader fic, i guess?? i do have a kind of part two, that will read as a standalone, of buck and reader talking more in depth on their feelings on the birth, their struggles, and the aftermath. unedited. and as always, any feedback is extremely appreciated, it helps keep me motivated. especially reblogs/comments/asks!

wc: roughly 1k

Evan loves your daughter. More than anything.

She’s nearly three months old and he already knows he would die for her.

But he can’t hold her most days, can’t even look at her some days.

All he can think about is the fact that you almost lost your life bringing her into this world.

Currently, he’s standing across from Hen in the station at the kitchen, lost in thought as she, unbeknownst to him, looks at him concerned.

Chim had mentioned to her that Maddie told him Evan has been struggling, but wouldn’t talk to anyone about it. It had you nervous, nervous enough to call your sister-in-law crying in the middle of the night when Evan picked up another overtime shift.

Trying to balance an infant, a semi-distant husband, recovering from an awful birth, and what you are fairly certain is PPD was beginning to take a toll on you, and in a moment of desperation you call Maddie.

Maddie, bless her, tried to talk to Evan, but he refused to tell her what was wrong and just promised to stop working overtime and be home with you more.

Hen clears her throat awkwardly, noticing Buck’s mind is clearly elsewhere, “So, how’s the baby doing?”

Evan has to bite back a sigh. The baby. All everyone does is ask about the baby.

“Uh, good. She’s good,”

Hen cocks an eyebrow at him, “Just good?”

Her tone is what catches Evan’s attention the most, and it causes him to be defensive, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Hen holds her hands up in mock surrender, “I just mean, all you could talk about for months was this baby, how excited you were for her to be here, all the plans you guys had. And now that she’s here…” Hen trails off lightly, not sure how to approach this conversation now that she’s started it.

Buck is quiet for a long minute, before he sighs and lets out a whisper of your name.

This catches Hen’s attention, “What about her?”

When he looks back up at her, his eyes look so sad, and it makes her chest hurt.

“She almost died and,” He takes a deep breath to try to calm himself down before he gets too worked up.

“I don’t know what I would have done if something happened to her,”

Hen nods, brows still furrowed in slight confusion.

She, hell everyone, knew that Lowen’s birth had been extremely difficult.

Buck had gotten a call from Maddie in the middle of a 9-1-1 call that you had gone into early labor and he really needed to be there.

By the time they had finished the call, Maddie had called Chim and told him things had taken a rough turn, but everyone was okay, you guys just didn’t want visitors at the moment.

She put her hand on his, squeezing, “But everything turned out okay. She and the baby are both perfect,”

Buck nodded, but bit his lip, “I had this fear, this awful feeling when they rushed her away from me to that OR, that if she died I would resent the baby- that I would resent Lowen.”

His words take Hen, and himself, by surprise. It’s his first time admitting out loud, and there’s no taking it back.

It was true, though. For a split moment, as they wheeled you away and took you to have the emergency c-section, all he could do was beg God not to take you from him, and in that split moment, he didn’t even think about his baby.

There had been blood everywhere when he came in, he didn’t know what was happening, why you had looked so pale, why Maddie had tears in her eyes as she tried to explain everything to Evan.

His ears rang the whole time. He didn’t even react when they came and told him all was well with the baby. All he could think about was you.

Later, when he sat in your room with you as you held her for the first time, crying at how perfect she was, felt extremely guilty. She was-is perfect. The most beautiful baby he’s ever seen.

But he couldn’t shake the feeling of you almost dying to get her here, and he couldn’t ever tell you that.

So, at home he did absolutely everything you needed, every small thing you asked- except for when it came to the baby unless absolutely necessary.

Every time he held her, all he could see was your pale face when they wheeled you to surgery.

He tried, he really fucking tried. But she could sense his unease, his fear, and she would cry and cry until you took her. And you would cry and cry, not able to understand. And Evan would cry too, for causing it all.

Hen looked at him, sympathy in her dark eyes, “Buck, have you talked to her about this?”

He shook his head, unease in his eyes, “No, no. She, uh, she would hate me,”

Hen frowned, “I’ve known that girl a long time. I don’t think she could ever hate you. Especially not for feeling like this.”

Buck looked at her like she’d grown a second head, “She loves the baby more than anything. She would hate me if she knew how I felt.”

Hen laughed lightly, “You love that baby more than anything, too. I know you do. You just need to talk to your wife. I’m sure this isn’t easy for her either,”

Buck frowned at that. You hadn’t talked about it, at all. And he didn’t bring it up, because he didn’t think he could either.

He mulled over his talk with Hen for the rest of their shift, deciding that talking to you was for the best.

When he got home, he cautiously took the baby from you, holding her close and pulled you into his opposite side, finally feeling a weight lift off his shoulders.

[crustyfloor]

I feel like Paratise is definitely a song about Ivan's reflection on his relationship with Till, how he found his heart in Till's presence in his life now that I hear it, but really also the full depth in how selfish Ivan is, how these feelings of his function and how much he desires in such a way his heart doesn't outwardly appear to be, to think back to Nowhere, an encapsulation of an Ivan who had not met Till and had not yet been influenced by him- Ivan's life was lifeless, unemotional in all senses as he found life was just something he was surviving, "wrong or right, win or die" he didn't consider any complexity because the world was simple, you're either the kind of person that lives or dies here, there were bad people and there were good people, simple cateragories that made it easy for him to grasp the world, in that it describes his passive reaction to the world, he was content with just living like that, being another life in Anakt garden appealing to the aliens and appearing perfct until he would eventually die

And then there is a shift. The song references a scene where Mizi and Till were lured to the wagyein in Black Sorrow, and the moment Ivan's eyes opened to Till. -"I bared my fang for the first time within that shadow" referring to the moment Ivan's fixation and fascination on Till developed right then and there because of the way Ivan felt drawn to someone like Till who was so different from him, exhibited so much endless warmth and life that Ivan couldn't see within himself, and inherently, Till was the opposite of everything Ivan believed in. Till's intensity, life, and anger, the way he breathed humanity, awakened something in Ivan (exactly...exactly..) Ivan had never wanted anything or anyone like that before, but from that moment moving forward, Ivan would want Till, fight with him, for the acknowledgement and connection he found in his tumultuous relationship with Till

Something helpless, obsessive, and selfish made Ivan childish and desperate when he would seek Till out, even if he was only met with vitriol and confusion in return. Ivan understands where they stand with each other, and still, this song aligns with how Ivan perceives himself as twisted and unlovable. But he has always, always been content with lingering in Till's shadow instead of recoiling from the rejections because in Till's heart, in the anger and the frustration and the pain Ivan would leave him in Ivan claimed a space inside of Till just for himself, like Mizi did with the way Till lived for her, wrote for her. He wanted to selfishly "take up the biggest space in Till's mind," but there is only a passive hope that he can fit in between the empty lines, so he fits himself in the crevices of Till's cracks and wounds like a bug to claim a space. Sees the way Till readily regards him with disdain, yet recognizes him, takes in everything Till gives him, the moments where he feels his gaze, and calls that little space his own to replace what could be love (It's interesting because, even if he doesn't recognize the way Till does care for him, even his hatred would suffice for Ivan, as long as he isn't refusing Ivan from his space). As long as he could have more and more of what Till would give. As long as he could still linger, Ivan liked this wayward relationship they had together. Being with Till allowed Ivan to feel so much, to live for something unlike before. That kind of freedom itself was his paradise

Paratise's duality is so fascinating and good because it's describing all sorts of cruelty and darkness, something repulsive, yet it's still a declaration of a sensual yearning and desire as an expression of Ivan's feelings -

Ivan's feelings for Till are obsessive and unsettling, violent but gentle, passionate, and luminous. Ivan's instincts and mentality have been distorted since his childhood, otherwise, he can't express himself in "normal" ways. I would guess that's exactly why Ivan perceives himself as such a parasite. And perhaps why the only way he sees himself getting close to Till is by something forceful, imposing like a fist, like giving Till a reason to lash out and building the foundation of their relationship on something sour, to wound him deeper and become an unforgettable scar that Till wouldn't be able to understand, whilst expressing only the most vulnerable parts of him where it couldn't be seen, likely he didn't think they could possibly be accepted with how clumsy and different they were from what Till could do by comforting flowers earnestly

The way he wants to hurt Till and to crawl into a place inside him, somewhere warm and far away from the world they live in, where Ivan doesn't belong, a place within Till that was something that Ivan wanted all to himself- "Be my own private paradise" even if it's just a small thing or to a cost. Intertwining his existence with Till's, desiring Till is uncontrollable after it's festered so much into something so strong. Initially, I was confused by the title, but I believe that's why "paratise" is intentional. It's exactly how Ivan sees this relationship he and Till have made, it's a wordplay between paradise and parasite... an obsession and an infatuation so deeply twisted and visceral and beyond words and something too disturbing to be accurately be described with love or hate, it meshes into something indescribable into a word that's the inbetween what Ivan finds in this relationship, a paradise and something unmistakely twisted and sticky and dependent like parasitism, something uniquely Ivan in ways other words can't perfectly describe

[xoxochb]

“we’re not playing led zeppelin at our wedding, percy.”

“if you hate fun just say that, sweet girl, I’ll still marry you.”

you inhale slowly, closing your eyes, exhaling before opening them again. you’re instantly pushed into the depths of the green sea, oxygen lacking the farther you fall.

but percy’s fingers snapping in front of your face brings you back to land. you shake your head and continue your conversation.

“moving on from music. wardrobe.”

“oh! I got this one. you’ll wear a white dress and I’ll wear a suit and tie.”

it takes everything in you not to sigh again. “specifics, I mean.”

“so tell me what the dress looks like.”

“no.”

percy had been asking that same question from the day you went out with silena to buy it. you’d refused every time because you believed in the bad luck theory. so you had silena’s boyfriend, charlie, keep the dress hidden away in his bunker so percy couldn’t sneak a peak.

“pleaseeee! I’ll never ask you for anything again!”

“it’s strapless.”

percy scowls. “that’s nothing, tell me more.”

you think, for a moment, of something else un-informative to tell him about the dress. “I’ll be wearing white lingerie beneath it. and a garter.”

“really?!” percy perks up quickly, green eyes twinkling with silver specks.

for a second you think about getting his hopes up and saying no to surprise him again on your wedding night. but that’s mean.

luckily for you, being mean to your fiancé was where you shined.

“no,” you deadpan.

“that’s not funny, sweet girl.” percy blows a slow raspberry. “less to take off, I guess, so still a win.”

you roll your eyes and check off wardrobe. “I’ll wear a white dress… guests are wearing strictly blue only… are you wearing that blue tie?”

“the one with the sharks? hell yeah.”

“okay then wardrobe arrangements are officially completed. next is the food and drinks.”

percy takes the one (gently) out of your hand and crosses it off without hesitation. “everything’s blue. completed.”

“percy,” you say in a scolding tone but your growing smile says otherwise.

his expression matches yours unsurprisingly. “my sweetest angel girl.”

“not everything can be blue. we could have your mother make the cake blue and some foods, but not all of it. and we could serve blue lemonade. that could be a thing, right?”

“it’s a thing if you say it is, sweet girl.”

“okay… then that’s settled. we can’t cross this off yet.” you re-write ‘foods & drinks’ next to percy’s scribble. “we still have to decide everything else we’re serving. your mom will help us with that so we’ll talk to her.”

“my mother seems to be a leading conversation for you.”

you click the pen back inside and let it fall to the notebook. “I happen to love your mother.”

percy nods in agreement. “I love my mom too, sweet girl. but you’re talking about her an awful lot on the bed where we’ve—”

“stop right there.” you place the index over his smirking lips to stop his sentence. “this conversation is over. let’s take a break.”

before your hand can drop to your lap, percy takes your wrist and kisses your palm and your fingertips. “is break a secret code name for sex? by any chance?”

“by dictionary definition, break means to momentarily stop something from progressing.”

“so…?”

you huff. “it’s not a code name but it could fall under the list of things you could do during a break.”

“so can we—”

“gods no. it’s already too hot in this cabin.”

your eyes trail to where the window is fully opened from about the headboard of the bed. it’s not doing much since it’s hot outside also. but percy had accidentally broke your only fan so your options for cooling off were currently on hiatus.

“what if— and hear me out on this— we go to the lake—”

“pause. I’m not letting you fuck me in your father’s domain, you hypocrite.”

percy sighs and falls onto his back against the sheets. you move your notebook to the side and fall back right beside him.

“I’ll make a proposition for you.”

“I’m listening.”

“we can take your break— but you’ll let me take a cold shower after. and you’ll get me cold lemonade. and ice cream. and a new fan.”

“done. to all three.”

he sounds joking but you knew he’d do anything you asked.

“then it appears we have a deal, perseus, get over here.”

less than a millisecond it takes for him to comply.

[descendant-of-truth]

So I beat Re:Coded for the first time the other day after previously knowing its story from the movie and novel versions, so you know what that means. It's time for more Data Sora Thoughts(TM)

Plenty has been said about how he serves as an interesting comparison to the original Sora, which makes sense as that's kind of the point of him existing. You're supposed to take notice of how he's different, despite all their similarities. He's kind of an idealized version of Sora, which makes sense as he's the Sora that Jiminy wrote. Jiminy doesn't know the depths of Sora's insecurities or his flaws, so Data Sora is almost unnaturally good-willed and pleasant.

But what stood out to me while playing it for myself is how much the game is just... not supposed to be about him, and how much it still is despite that.

Nothing exemplifies this more clearly than his journey through Castle Oblivion. The whole reason he's even there is to be tested, to see if "Sora" is ready to take ownership of all the pain that's inside him. But they're not testing Data Sora, the person, they're testing what they think is just a representation of the original Sora.

So, when Data Sora resolves himself to face the pain head-on and not run away from it, even learning that it can help him connect to people, no one thinks this is unique to him. They just go, "great! that means Sora's ready, too!" with absolutely zero awareness of the fact that they can't really treat him like this now that he has his own heart.

Which, is kind of insane?? Data Sora is provided a consistent level of support and guidance that even the original Sora didn't get, he develops a heart of his own because of how effectively he was nurtured by his friends, and yet. None of them have ever seen him as HIS OWN person. Even Data Riku, who introduces himself as "zeroes and ones that look like somebody you know," is incapable of separating himself and Sora from their originals.

Data Sora is surrounded by people affirming his personhood while in the same breath denying his individuality. It's an interesting position to be in, to say the least.

That said, the characters may think the test is all about the original Sora, but narratively? It's absolutely about Data Sora, too.

You know how he was surprisingly at peace with the fact that the journal resetting meant that he'd lose his memories? He seemed pretty content with the knowledge that his friends would be able to remember their journey for him, even if he got a little choked up about saying goodbye. It's easy to think, while seeing it for the first time, that because he's already accepted everything with a smile, that his character arc is over by then.

Yeah, Data Roxas comes into the story swinging with "hey, idiot, you have no idea how much forgetting your friends is going to hurt you in the long run. Why don't you do that a couple more times and then maybe you'll get the idea"

Because it's true, I really don't think Data Sora was prepared for the pain of amnesia in the slightest. He has this habit of going along with whatever anyone says without much thought, so when Data Riku told him that everything had to be reset, I think he was just kinda like. well darn. guess I can't do anything about that

(This is the same guy that went "I'm good with that" when he considered that doing what Mickey says will just blast him off into the unknown repeatedly, so it checks out)

I love that the game refuses to end where you'd expect it to, and instead forces Data Sora to reckon with the pain of what was just unfairly taken from him. It treats him with just as much respect as it does with every other character in the series, and gives his feelings the weight they deserve.

Of course, the way the test is set up is... kind of cruel. It bludgeons him over the head with the pain he just went through repeatedly until he figures out exactly how it works and what he's going to do about it. And it's like this because it wasn't set up with a real person in mind; Data Sora's supposed to be acting like a first draft for something the original Sora's going to do later.

But he can't. Because they're different people.

So when you get down to it, he arguably doesn't really fulfill his purpose? He gets everyone the answers they need, sure, but he proves absolutely nothing about Sora. And not just because he became his own person, but because the premise of the test was flawed from the start. Jiminy's perception of Sora is meaningless in the face of the real thing, so it was never going to have accurate results no matter what they did.

It's a story that's undeniably relevant to both Soras, but I still hope we'll get to see Data Sora again so we can finally address how everyone in-game expects them to be like each other. It's a mindset that affects both of them in different ways; Sora has this impossible ideal to live up to, and Data Sora - despite being that ideal - is forever just "another version" of someone else.

And they haven't even met each other. When is that going to happen

[deepspacenova]

Crimson Destruction

As a war rages on, Sylus finds himself closer to peace than he'd ever been. The start of his plans, his future, it's just one battle away. But fate might have other plans.

➻➻ ABOUT | 4000 words. sylus x fem!reader.

➻➻ TAGS | heavy angst. war and battle. blood/injury. major character death.

NOTE: This draws a lot of parallels with Sylus' myth and portrays a bit of history repeating itself. Apologies in advance for any pain and suffering this might cause, guess this one's for the masochists — so make sure to read those warnings (:

Inspired by this ask and i think i may have... over-delivered? Either way, I hope I did your prompt justice @huachengnism <3

Also, bc no ideas are original, I was half done writing this when I found this post by @relentlessconqueror, who I apparently share at least a few brain cells with when it comes to headcanons so *fist bump*

She struggled to catch her breath, her chest heaving with the exertion of the escape. Her ribs screamed with every inhale, bruised from the last blow she’d taken before breaking free, and every bone in her body ached.

It'd been hours since Mephisto miraculously landed on the bars of her cell in the depths of the Association's intricate Wanderer prison system with an all-access key card. But she — they, she corrected as she felt the reassuring pressure of the crow's talons perch on her shoulder — were alive and unhurt. 

The battle had moved to what little remained of the newest No Hunt Zone: what was once known as Linkon City Centre. The once bustling hub that had been full of people and livelihoods had been reduced to a crater on the planet’s surface, destroyed by violence, explosions, and carnage. Linkon was falling, neighborhood by neighborhood, consumed by chaos orchestrated by the Hunter’s Association. Their relentless pursuit of her — the so-called Traitorous Tenebra — had left a trail of destruction in their wake.

She'd barely survived the Alpha Team's brutal "interrogation," which had brought her to the brink of unconsciousness when they demanded information she refused to give. But it was their arrogance and the surrounding destruction of their crusade to capture the elusive leader of Onychinus that let her slip through their grasp.

Now, she had one goal: find Sylus so they could escape this nightmare.

It was easy to predict how today would go — Ever Group’s unrelenting thirst for domination and the Hunter's Association’s relentless pursuit of Onychinus and aether cores made for a volatile duo. But no one, not even Sylus, who had an uncanny knack for understanding human nature, could have foreseen how they would fuel each other’s chaos, turning the Linkon into a nightmare of their own making.

Bloodthirsty men who called themselves "researchers" with protocore-powered ammunition stormed the streets, piercing through civilians like arrows of death. She'd done all she could to defend the innocents of Linkon from afar with the Hunter weapons she’d swiped on her way out of the Association. But only so many could be saved while it seemed like countless others met their ends.

Of course, the Hunters had their own twisted methods for submission. The few teams she'd spotted were taking protocore-inlaid weapons while Wanderers followed their commands like the puppets Xander Sciences made them to be. The very creatures the Association set out to destroy, now wielded like oversized hellhounds to take down Onychinus' leader, "the harbinger of doomsday in Linkon."

She couldn't help but scoff at their zealous fanaticism. And she was the Tenebra.

Bodies and blood were strewn across the cobblestone and the asphalt, and there were far more dead from their side than she’s sure they had predicted in their arrogance. But the fate of Ever’s defeat loomed over the rubble like the mythological Hades, waiting to collect his souls. 

She watched for a few minutes as the attacks grew more spaced apart, deciding that now was the perfect time to send the signal to Sylus. She’d only had a glimpse of his black-red mist and that was hours ago. All she’d wanted to do was cup the reassuring beat of his heart in her hands, to feel his hand wrap around the back of her head, pressing her nose into the warmth of his neck. 

Now was the time. They were done here. Done with this place. 

She looked at the thunderclouds overhead, swelling with eagerness to spill their deluge of water over the landscape. She removed the dark red gem around her wrist before her hands rose to clasp it over her companion's sturdy neck. Her fingers trailed the cold metal of her crow's studded wing when she murmured, "Keep this safe for me, you big fiend. Now, Mephisto. Go."

His mechanical wings unfolded before he launched into the stormy sky. She watched the crimson glimmer as he soared with a fluid grace and precision that made him as real to her as any other crow.

Sylus would know to meet her now.  

Sylus surveyed the No Hunt Zone from the neighborhood’s tallest building, atop the skeletal remains of empty flats that had somehow stayed standing. He was up there for a better vantage point, sure, but he also had to distance himself from the eye-stinging smoke that had surrounded him below as well as the eerily familiar, nausea-inducing smell of burning flesh. 

But he wasn’t going to think about it. Couldn’t think about it. That was then, this is now. 

He'd purposefully stayed within sight of Linkon's supposed saviors and the battle, moving just enough to keep their attention fixed on him. He darted between buildings, his black-red mist filtering through the haze of smoke, a deliberate lure to give her a chance to make it above ground and send him their signal.

He felt a faint trace of her energy only an hour ago as he moved around, commanding and powerful, the only source of water in a desert of death.

Sylus' heart almost beat out of his chest in anticipation of being with her without time limits, without restraint, and he did his best to tamp down that feeling he forbade himself to feel since he was a dragon with his first love: hope. 

But he couldn’t avoid the promise of their escape. It wrapped around him and took the form of her body, making him feel a longing so fierce, he had to force his feet to stay on the stone until Mephisto arrived. 

The firing shots and pained cries were getting fewer and far between, with no shadows of Wanderers moving within sight. The battle was almost over. 

As Sylus squinted to see if any of his men lay among the dead, his ears caught a rhythmic flapping, prompting him to extend his forearm. When he felt the cold weight of the robot's body land on his arm, two things happened at once.

One, his gaze locked on his bracelet's twin, the garnet-colored gem winking at him as he took it off the crow's neck and clenched his palm around it. Two, at the same time, Mephisto's beak opened to reveal the recording device within and the only voice he ever wanted to hear rang out, "Keep this safe for me, you big fiend."

The sound of the words surrounded him like an embrace. Fiend.

He froze in delighted disbelief and couldn’t help it. He laughed. A loud, genuine laugh. It sounded gravelly and unpracticed, feeling foreign on his battle-hardened cheeks, but he couldn’t contain his relief. 

They were done here. 

Mephisto trailed Sylus like a shadow in the sky as he headed toward the N109 Zone, smirking all the way. Very much the opposite of the expression a man who’d just sacrificed everything he’d built on this planet, whose organization had been disintegrated by the Hunters Association, should be wearing. 

He glanced back every so often at Linkon behind him, a scorched blemish on the landscape. 

Impatient, Sylus tried to seek her out with his evol and swore he could feel her heading his way. He was half-tempted to haul her to him, her complaints of manhandling be damned.

The abandoned buildings in the N109 Zone stood like silent witnesses, their jagged edges silhouetted against the unnaturally bright moon. 

He glanced around and whispered her name a few times. When no one answered back he leaned against a crumbling wall, waiting for her. The moon seemed brighter in the sky.

That was when he saw the sinister glow of emerald eyes in the alley. 

A sharp crack split the air, as Sylus’ power surged forward, barely stopping a metaflux-infused bullet mid-air and disintegrating it into nothing before it pierced his chest. 

"Impressive," a guttural voice growled from the darkness. 

The lead scientist of Xander Sciences emerged and Sylus’ lips twisted into a grimace. The maniac had fused himself with a Wanderer. 

The aether core Ever had attempted to manufacture had done more than just augment him — it had warped him completely. Whatever remained of his humanity was buried under a grotesque amalgamation of man and Wanderer. Ugly green scales shimmered under the moonlight, and claws scraped the concrete as he moved.

"I was wondering when you’d crawl out of your hole," Sylus said, his voice calm and unbothered. 

The monster sneered, revealing his jagged face. "You’ve meddled with us for the last time. This planet is mine to reshape. You won’t stand in our way."

He moved with inhuman speed, closing the distance between them in a blur. He slashed with his claws, but Sylus ducked, releasing a burst of energy that sent him skidding backward. The hybrid roared, firing another shot, but Sylus twisted his hand, bending the energy around him to absorb the bullet’s momentum before redirecting it in a volatile arc that scorched the ground at the monster’s feet.

The battle was a storm of power. The hybrid lunged, his claws tearing through the air, but Sylus met him head-on, energy crackling from his fists as they clashed. Each blow lit up the darkness, casting crimson shadows on the crumbling walls around them.

"You’re nothing but a monster now," Sylus gritted out, his voice strained as he deflected another strike. "Even your own tech couldn’t handle your ambition."

He laughed, the sound a guttural snarl. "Ambition is evolution. And evolution demands sacrifice!"

Sylus wasn’t winning this fight, though. He’d already won. 

The hybrid had definitely been injured in battle, or he might’ve just been drunk on bloodlust, but either way, his attacks were haphazard and sloppy at best. Sylus was just looking for the right opening, baiting him so he could deliver her final strike against him. 

Sylus’ evol surged, spiraling around him in a black-red maelstrom of raw power. He struck the ground with his fist, sending a shockwave that threw the monster off balance. Taking the opening, Sylus launched forward, his fist colliding with its jagged jaw, cracking scales and sending it stumbling.

But he recovered, the gun in his beastly hand raised as he fired a spray of bullets, each one infused with metaflux. Sylus dodged, but one grazed his arm, searing through his jacket and burning his skin.

Gritting his teeth, he channeled his frustration into his power, summoning a massive sphere of energy. "This ends now," Sylus growled.

The sphere expanded, its glow lighting up the area around them. With a roar, Sylus hurled it at his enemy, picturing the faces of the hundreds, thousands of humans and monsters alike who had wronged him. Wronged her.

The hybrid tried to counter, his claws swiping through the air to absorb the energy, but the sheer force of Sylus’s attack overwhelmed him. The explosion rocked the area, sending debris flying and shrouding the battlefield in smoke.

When the dust settled, the brilliant Carter of Xander Sciences lay motionless, his hybrid body cracked and broken. Sylus stood over him, breathing heavily, his evol flickering around him like a lightning storm.

"Evolution demands sacrifice," Sylus echoed, his voice low. "Guess you were right about that."

She sighed as she spotted the outskirts of the N109 Zone and headed toward their spot, toward Sylus. She knew he’d be there waiting for her, knew he'd gotten her signal when she saw the silhouette of a black crow sailing through the sky. 

She couldn’t wait to be with him unreservedly, without ever having to leave his side again. She found herself getting excited, feeling a breathless sort of anticipation. Her body ached, the pain of old wounds and new wounds alike coming together throughout her body. And it took all of her willpower to stay cautious of stragglers, to not to break into a sprint. 

But her willpower was no match for hope. No match for the smile that slowly dominated every inch of her face. 

She’d never been so overjoyed, so relieved. So overcome with the need to see his vermillion-streaked eyes, taste teasing smirk, feel his silver-streaked hair. 

The journey felt endless, like she was the Greek king Sisyphus, eternally destined to never reach her only goal. But finally, finally, she could see the haphazard border of the N109 Zone.

When she was just a few dozen feet away, she spotted him, reclined against a stone wall near a felled wanderer, spotlighted by the moon like her very own star.

She paused to compose herself, holding back her stupid tears of joy, of relief. He hadn’t noticed her yet and she was okay with that, content to steal a moment of gazing at him for herself. 

But then he stirred, his eyes lifting to meet hers, and her breath hitched. A teasing smirk tugged at his lips, but it softened when he noticed the way she looked at him, the way her entire being seemed to collapse with relief.

“You’re late,” he called to her. 

She broke into a run, ignoring the protests of her body, her legs barely able to keep pace with the urgency in her chest. “Sylus!”

He stayed in place, his arms opening as she barreled into him, wrapping herself around him. The warmth of his body and traces of his evol enveloped her, buzzing against her skin like a thousand kisses.

One of his arms slipped down to wrap her leg around his waist and held it there, as if the pressure of her chest against his wasn't nearly enough. She felt the warmth of his lips and the sharpness of his teeth on the space between her neck and shoulder as he tentatively nipped her there, like he was infusing himself into her.

She pulled back with a gasp to look up at him, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. His greedy gaze faltered for a moment, replaced by something softer, something vulnerable, as his eyes searched hers.

And then she kissed him.

Her lips met his in a rush of emotion—relief, joy, desperation—all spilling into that single moment. For a heartbeat, he froze, startled, before his hands moved to cup her face, pulling her closer. His evol flared, an electric hum that danced between them, matching the frantic rhythm of her heart.

When they finally broke apart, he rested his forehead against hers, a low chuckle rumbling from his chest to her palm, which caressed the pulse of his neck.

“Careful, sweetie, I might start thinking you like me,” he rasped, his voice rough and playful as his hand slid to the small of her back, holding her close.

She laughed through the lump in her throat, clinging to him tightly.

He pulled back just enough to meet her eyes, ruby gaze sparkling with mischief. His brushed a strand of hair from her face. “You look like hell.”

“I’ll live,” she reassured, leaning into his touch. “I just… needed to see you.”

He sighed as if the words were a balm, hand still cradling her face. “Good,” he said, his thumb brushing her cheek. “Because this big fiend will hunt you down if you leave my sight. Or—" he let go of her leg to circle her wrist and fasten her half of their bracelet around her wrist. "—dare to take this off again."

“Not a chance,” she whispered into his throat, wrapping her arms around him to clasp the bracelet with her other palm, as if printing its jagged shape into her wrist. “No matter how many times the world turns its back on us, I’m never leaving your side.”

The moment took up the entire lens of her focus, so she didn’t spot the other silhouette skulking from the entrance of the N109 Zone.

Sylus felt the shift a second too late.

The sharp, metallic click of a gun broke the fragile quiet, the sound slicing through the air like a knife.

She turned toward the sound and Sylus saw her eyes widen, not with fear, but with recognition.

“Jenna,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

From the shadows stepped her former leader, the woman who had once been her mentor. Jenna's presence was a weapon in itself, Sylus knew —steely, unyielding, and absolute. A metaflux-infused dagger was already raised aimed directly at Sylus.

“Did you really think I needed all the prison guards? I knew where he went, you’d follow,” Jenna’s voice sliced through the air, her voice razor-sharp as she spoke to her and aimed a disgusted glance at Sylus. "The perfect bait."

Without hesitation, she threw the blade like a dart.

"No!" she screamed as Sylus pushed her away from him, the blade slicing his cheek and eye, leaving a burning streak of pain and a hazy right field of vision in its wake.

Pain erupted like a white-hot brand as the impact shattered the aether core in his eye. Blood and fragments of glowing green dripped down his face in a torrent, obscuring his vision.

He staggered, his breath hitching as agony lanced through his skull. The disorienting mix of searing pain and the flickering in his right eye overwhelmed him, and he stumbled.

Through the haze of pain, he could feel the core’s fragments still burning into him and the world around him blurred as his mind fought to regain focus.

A frustrated sob behind him made his blood run cold.

Raising his head, his heart dropped as he saw Jenna’s gun aimed not at Sylus but at her aether core. Her heart. Jenna's other hand had forcefully raised her elbow, aiming his beloved's gun at Sylus' chest.

“You had such promise, young Hunter," Jenna continued, her tone lamenting. "But you should’ve known better than to run from your fate.”

“Jenna, please—”

Something sinister flickered across Jenna's face before vanishing into her practiced calm. “I taught you everything. And this… is how you repay me?” Her tone was as merciless and final. "Now you either kill him, or I kill you."

“Don’t touch her,” Sylus growled, his voice low and dangerous. He tried to reach out toward her, tried desperately to yank her back to him and take her away, but his evol didn't respond.

Jenna only smirked, her grip tightening as she tilted her head. “Your fate has always been sealed. But hers… Well, that depends on how obedient she feels.” She shrugged coldly. “Now shoot him."

Sylus' mind raced as his blurry gaze locked onto the watery anger of her eyes, familiar to him for longer than this planet's entire existence.

"Do it." He ignored her cry of indignant fury at his unmistakable command as he spoke cruel words wrapped in a loving tone.

"Sylus, no."

Inhaling through the pain he exhaled a shaky, almost impatient sigh. She had to do this, had to know he was okay with a world without him in it. "You bluffed once before in this position, kitten. Don't let a second chance pass you by."

"Stop!" The hand being forcefully aimed at his heart was shaking.

Suddenly a fierce resolve burned behind her eyes at his words, at the memory.

Her quaking hand suddenly steadied and her fingers adjusted their grip on the gun, and for a moment, relief overcame the pain in Sylus' body when he thought of her shooting him and ending it once and for all.

But — his cunning little kitten — she outmaneuvered them all.

She twisted her wrist, aimed the barrel at her chest, and pulled the trigger.

The deafening crack of the gunshot rang out, the impact jerking her frame as the bullet pierced right through her and struck Jenna, who staggered backward, eyes wide with shock as crimson bloomed on her Hunter's uniform.

Letting her go, Jenna clutched at her chest as she fell to the ground.

And the world slowed to a crawl.

The visceral scream that tore through his throat was a feral sound, an ancient, animalistic roar that was both agonized and shrill enough to become a death knell for every living being in Linkon. In the world.

Sylus’ legs buckled as he caught the weight of her body. His knees hit the concrete, and his arms tightened around her as he laid her trembling form on the ground.

“No, no, no,” he growled, his voice cracking as he pressed his hands against the flickering, shattered aether core in her chest, desperate to stem the flow of blood.

Her face was scrunched up tight in excruciating pain, but she was still alive. He could work with that. He would. 

“Fuck. You’re okay, kitten, you’re okay,” he crooned. He ignored the blood dripping from his eye to her chest and tried linking his hands through hers, tried to get her to resonate with him, to activate either of their evols so he could at least attempt to—

But her hands were bloody and trembling and limp.

"It's okay, Sylus. It's... alright," she soothed, wincing. "There's no choice, if it's between you and me. No choice."

A half-growl, half-sob escaped him. “Yes, and that choice is always you. Now look at me so I can fix your mistake and figure out how to— no, you're not allowed to close your eyes."

He paused during his diatribe, noticing just how much of his blood and hers had pooled beneath them, just how pale her lips were getting.

“There’s no saving this, Sylus.” Her unfocused eyes met his, hand hovering in the air weakly to pull his face down and place a kiss on his forehead.

The familiarity of the feeling overwhelmed him, like a thousand cuts of grief all at once. His groan sounded like a whimper as he pulled back to grab her hand and press it into the ravaged side of his face.

"Jenna was wrong.... about your fate." She inhaled a ragged breath. "We just made sure of it. There's no going back now."

All he could do was shake his head and imprint her hand over his eye, cold reality starting to fall like ashes around him.

When grey wisps started to sprinkle her hair and rest against her eyelashes, he realized it was actual ash. To some, it might’ve been beautiful; to him, it was devastating. Their souls were separating again, except this time, she was the one leaving him.

"If I ever had a soul—" he exhaled a shaky breath, blinked past the wetness that blurred his good eye, "—just know that it was you."

"You'll always be tied to me, Sylus. Forever." Her breaths were faster, shallower.

Her cheek twitched up and her eyelashes fluttered as suddenly, weak little notes squeezed their way out of her chest. His hand tightened around hers as the familiar melody embraced him and finally made the chest-wracking emotions drip salty trails down his cheek.

As the final note of her requiem faded, there was a long silence.

He waited for her voice again, for more words, but when he pulled back her chest was a pool of crimson and her eyes were closed.

She was gone, and he was in agony.

Suffering had long created a hole in his blackened heart. But this pain was unlike anything he’d felt before. It enveloped him, suffocated him.

And that’s when he found it. That small pebble of rage beneath the mountain of anguish. 

He set her on the ground as gently as he could before getting up and sucked in a breath through his clenched teeth, focusing on the anger so he could escape his grief. 

He felt it latch onto faint, flickering traces of his evol and the two powers laced together like two lovers, moving through his body, his fingertips.

He almost felt drunk with it.

He didn't notice it at first, he was still fixated on his beloved's lifeless face, but there was a soft glow radiating from the shattered remnants of their aether cores.

Black-red mist twitched restlessly and began to stretch outward.

“The day of judgment is today. Everyone will pay for this,” said Sylus, his voice utterly calm. “The whole world will burn.”

[reidmoony-toast]

Angel. pt.2 - sr x reader

Reader was shot and Spencer is there when she wakes up

content: fem reader, angst w comfort/ fluff, established relationship, no use of y/n

cw: canon compliant violence, blood, guns, hospitals, talk of death

wc: 2.6k

an: Part 1 is so much better than this but just pretend this doesn't suck! Anyways ily thanks for reading and all the support for pt 2 <33

Part 1

· · ──────────── ·𖥸· ──────────── · ·

“Pacing isn't going to help.” JJ reminded Spencer, as he crossed the waiting room in front of her once again. He halted for a moment, shooting her a dirty look.

She held up her hands in surrender, and he shook his head, continuing his relentless pacing. JJ really wasn't to blame for anything, and he would've felt bad if he had even a single neuron that could think about anything other than her.

The artificial lights glared down at him, and the smell of ammonia radiated from every surface, making him dizzy and giving him a painful headache. He hadn't had one this bad since... Since Maeve had helped him.

Bone-chilling dread washed over him. This couldn't end like Maeve. He refused that repeating narrative. He needed this time to be better, he needed her to be okay. The other option—he couldn't accept it. Not again.

A nurse walked in, and Spencer straightened, while JJ shot from her chair. “Is she okay?” JJ blurted.

Spencer said nothing. He hadn't said a word since he held her hand in the ambulance, whispering the words ‘stay with me’ over and over again. He hadn't spoken again since her hand went limp in his own.

“She's still undergoing surgery, so I can't say for sure, but she's a fighter.” The nurse replied politely. Spencer wondered how many times she's had to say a version of those words today. How many of those others didn't pull through.

“I will make sure to update you when I have more information.” She paused, staring straight at Spencer. “I need some paperwork filled out. Are you the husband?”

“Boyfriend.” His voice cracked as he used it for the first time in two hours. “She's, uh– my girlfriend.”

The nurse nodded in understanding. “I'm guessing you're still the next of kin, so I'll get you to fill out this, if that's okay?” The nurse asked softly, holding out a clipboard and pen.

He wanted to answer with ‘no’. That he didn't want to fill out a stupid form while his girlfriend was dying in the next room, but he nodded anyway, taking the clipboard in his tired grasp.

‘Girlfriend’ was never a strong enough word. She was his life force. His everything. The soul perfectly intertwined with his own. There was no word in the English language that could ever properly describe what she was to him.

The velvet box tucked into the back of his sock drawer would have made her Spencer's fiancé—which was by far a better word—but he supposed it was too late for that. The whole future they had planned for themselves was very likely to not come to fruition.

That thought alone made his heart ache, and his lungs feel like they were on fire—an agony like no other he had ever experienced.

He finally sat down, and began the futile attempt to fill out the pages of forms in front of him. It was almost impossible to focus, and he'd only written her first and last name before he laid the pen down, unable to continue.

Spencer's breath was still uneven and rattly, and his hands started to shake.

The past two and a half gruelling hours had been a tailspin into the depths of hell, and he felt as if he couldn't catch his breath, no matter what he did. He wasn't surprised, though.

He felt the breath from his lungs completely leave him when he saw her, lying in that car park, and it never returned again—as if her not being near sucked all the oxygen from the air around him. He was now living on borrowed air, and that air would run out if he never saw her again.

Spencer swore he could already feel his organs beginning to shut down, decaying from the inside out. Like they knew—they knew he would never survive if she didn't make it.

It just wasn't in his nature to live without her.

Spencer glanced up, and came face to face with his own reflection in the glass windows lining the sterile waiting room. A pale, gaunt face stared out at him, a man he could almost not recognise—if not for the fact it resembled his past self. The one on drugs. The one in prison.

A dried and flakey red substance lightly dotted his lower cheek—a bit of her blood he must have missed when he hastily wiped his face with his jacket sleeve.

Spencer looked down at his hands, properly, and saw that they too, still had blood on them—caked around his knuckles, between his fingers, under his fingernails. Places where JJ's gentle cleaning with a hospital rag had not reached.

It was fitting, really. He had blood on his hands. Literally and figuratively. If they had stayed together instead of splitting up to cover more ground, if he had noticed her absence sooner, if he was the one who went into that carpark, she would still be right here. Happy. Healthy. Breathing.

He knew JJ would scold him, say it wasn't his fault, but the guilt consumed him, washing over him in great waves—but, unlike the tide, the feeling didn't recede. Instead, it grew, like toxic mould on a dingy bathroom wall. Festering and rotten.

He couldn't help but feel that he was partly to blame. Everything he touched usually broke, so this didn't feel like an unrelated incident. It was always his fault.

A hand was placed gently on his shoulder, and he glanced up from where his head was hung to see JJ, sympathetic look on face, twisted with grief of her own.

He didn't reject the comfort, instead he brought his own hand to hers, squeezing it where it rested on his shoulder. He might not have shown it, but he was glad she was here. He probably wouldn't have been able to keep it together this well if he was alone.

Her company brought him a sense of comfort—knowing someone else cared for her, and for him, as well, made it substantially more bearable.

After a millennia, footsteps echoed eerily in the empty hall towards the waiting room, and they both snapped their gazes towards the door. The nurse hurried into the room, and they both sat, with bated breath, for the news that would either heal or break their whole world.

At least, Spencer's whole world. JJ had Will, Henry and Michael, and the rest of the team had their own families. They would be upset, but they would have a shoulder to cry on when they ventured home. He wouldn't. If he lost her, he had nothing left. Nowhere to call home—because she was his only home.

“It was touch-and-go for a while there, but she's out of surgery and in recovery. I can take you to see her, if you would like.” The nurse gave them a warm smile.

Spencer's heart felt like it finally started beating again after three hours, eight minutes and forty one seconds, like he wasn't fully alive in that time when her life was on the line. His entire body warmed, from head to toe, with all-encompassing relief. She was okay. She was alive.

It all felt too good to be true, like his brain was wired to always assume the absolute worst outcome possible. He had been living like she was already dead.

A breath escaped him, but his lungs still couldn't take in air properly. They wouldn't, not until he saw her with his own eyes.

“Yes. Please.” Spencer quickly added on the end, finally remembering the meaning of the word ‘manners’. The nurse nodded, turning on her heel to lead them to her.

“She's stable, but she'll be unconscious for at least a few hours.” She informed, stopping in front of a frosted glass sliding door that led to a private room. To her.

“Thank you.” He said quietly, and the nurse nodded in acknowledgement, setting off down the quiet corridor. Spencer’s heart raced, and he carefully peeled open the door, stepping into the room.

It was small, walls painted white, linoleum floor worn from foot traffic. A continuous beeping sounded around the room from the many machines monitoring the motionless figure laying on the hospital bed, covered by paper-thin sheets.

It was her. She was really here. Really alive.

He fell heavily into the rickety chair beside her bed, gaze not leaving her peaceful face. Even on the brink of death, she was the most gorgeous being he’d ever laid his eyes on.

He sucked in a deep breath, filling his lungs completely. They were working fine now, because hers were. He could see the slow rising and falling of her chest, and it brought him the most comfort of anything in the entire world.

Spencer reached up, cradling her hand in his own, brushing his thumb over her cold skin. That made him disproportionately heartbroken—her hands were usually like little hot water bottles, and Spencer often remarked about how inhumanly warm they were. Now, his hands warmed hers instead, and it felt wrong.

“I'm going to go and debrief with the rest of the team.” JJ spoke up from her position near the door. He had almost forgotten about her presence, and he nodded in acknowledgement, thankful for her obvious move to give him some time alone.

“Thanks, JJ.” Spencer said simply. She gave him a small smile, and left quickly. He didn't need to explain himself, because she knew what he meant. Thank you for staying with me, thank you for caring, thank you for giving me space, thank you for everything. She understood it all.

The door slid shut, and his attention was back on her. All that was important. His whole life was lying, unconscious, on the bed in front of him. But she was there, and that was more than he could ever ask for.

He brought her limp hand to his lips, kissing the smooth skin softly, eyes closing, as the first lone tear made a path down his cheek—the first of many. He cried for the first time today, silently, her hand still clutched tightly in his own.

~☆~

The first thing I felt when I faded into consciousness was pain. A deep throbbing sounded from my side, albeit less than my last memory.

The approaching sirens, and disjointed flashes from inside the ambulance. And in all of it, there was Spencer. Every moment I could remember, he was there. Always. Never leaving my side.

I cracked my eyes open, taking in the bare walls and bright lights of the hospital room. My vision swam in and out of focus, eyelids heavy.

I felt a weight on my arm, and looked down to see a mop of brown curls splayed over the scratchy linen sheets, head bowed and my hand clasped in both of his. Spencer was here. By my side. Forever and always.

He was bent over awkwardly in the little plastic chair beside my bed, and I couldn't help but think how uncomfortable he must be.

“Spencer.” I rasped out, limbs too heavy to reach out and run my fingers through his hair, like I so desperately wanted to do.

His head shot up quickly, seemingly not as inert as I thought he was. He squeezed my hand gently, lips lifting in a tiny smile of relief, expression unbelievably soft.

“Angel.” He breathed in awe, like he couldn't quite believe his eyes. “You're awake.”

“Hi.” I whisper, gazes never untangling from the snare they both found themselves trapped in.

“Hi.” Spencer echoed, taking one of his hands from mine to reach up and oh so gently tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. He moved it to carefully cradle my jaw and cheek, breathing my name like it was divine. I melted into his touch.

“My girl.” He murmured with reverence, studying my face intently, like I was something to be treasured. Like I was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. I could disagree completely—I almost died, so I was most definitely not looking my best. “How do you feel?”

“Like I just got shot.” I said dryly, voice hoarse. “I must look it, too.”

“You look perfect.”

“Liar.” I rasped, snorting. He narrowed his eyes, like he was about to fight me on the issue, but I interrupted.

“How long was I asleep?” I asked quietly, vocal cords upset from disuse. Or from the blood in my throat. I could still feel myself choking, airways blocked with my own blood.

I remembered the light-headedness from losing too much blood from my body. I remembered the warm blood pooling around me, soaking my clothes. I remembered, as clear as day, what dying felt like.

Spencer’s answer snapped me out of my dark thoughts.

“From when you exited the ambulance, it's been five hours and fifty-four minutes.” He recited immediately. I was impressed, but not surprised. It was Spencer, after all.

I hummed in acknowledgement, before silence fell. Spencer's bottom lip quivered slightly, and I wouldn't have noticed, if not for my constant staring. I frowned deeply, chest tightening. Seeing Spencer upset was incredibly hard.

He was a stoic man, rarely showing his sadness. When he did, it was only in the worst of situations. And now, seeing his palpable misery was beyond heartbreaking.

“I thought I'd lost you.” The almost unintelligible confession sounded after a beat. I wouldn't have heard if I hadn't been anticipating his response.

Spencer ducked his head, avoiding eye contact, and no doubt hiding his emotion. His whole body shuddered when I laid my free hand in his hair, smoothing his curls soothingly.

“Spence, hey.” I tried to coax him into looking back up at me, not wanting him to repress his emotions. I knew why. He was most definitely thinking that he was the one supposed to be comforting me, not the other way around. Which, was completely false.

“I'm here. I'm okay.” I reassured. He finally lifted his head again, and a pang was sent straight to my heart when I saw tears pooling in his eyes.

“You don't have to hide, okay?” I brushed away a tear that broke from his lashes and rolled down his cheek. “It's understandable that you're a mess.” He let out a huff, and I gave him a knowing smile.

“I've been asleep the whole time, and you've been here for five hours and fifty-four minutes.” I repeated back his numbers, and it pulled a tiny smile from his lips.

“Don’t downplay it, you were the one dying.” Spencer scolded, but without any heat.

“I would be a puddle on the floor by now, if it had been you.” Instead of giving him comfort, my words made his face fall again.

He screwed his eyes up, like he was in physical pain, hanging his head once again.

“It should have been me.”

“No.” I answered immediately, tone sharp. I grasp his face in both hands, ignoring the burning in my side. “Don’t say that.”

He didn't reply.

“It was not your fault, you hear me?” I voiced firmly, gaze flicking over his face. “Don’t.” A trembling breath followed.

After a long pause, he finally conceded.

“Okay.” He said shakily, eyes not leaving mine. My stare softened, satisfied with his answer.

“Good.” I pushed back the hair that had flopped into his eyes, moving my hands further into his curls. He sighed at the movement, lids fluttering shut as I dragged my fingers across his scalp. I hummed contentedly.

Bringing his face to mine, I kissed him gingerly. He lifted his hands up to cradle my own cheeks, pulling away only to press his lips to my forehead in a prolonged kiss, seeming to just breathe me in.

“I love you.” I whispered into the air between us.

“I love you too, angel girl.”

· · ──────────── ·𖥸· ──────────── · ·

Thank you for reading, feedback is appreciated x

Tags: @reidology13 @reidmania @navs-bhat - comment to be added!

Masterlist ౨ৎ

[isaacarellanesismyhusband]

seems like deja vu to me p2

pair: Fred Weasley x reader requested by anonymous

Please write a sequel for seems like deja vu to me I need to read about them ending up together

masterlist | navigation | p1

❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿

The next few days at Grimmauld Place were no different—Fred was relentless, always finding new ways to show off or tease Y/N. But now, she found herself noticing more than she had before. His laugh wasn’t just loud and annoying; it was contagious. His constant jokes weren’t a bother—they made her smile when no one was looking. And the way his eyes gleamed whenever he tried to impress her? Well, maybe she liked that more than she let on.

One afternoon, Y/N was in the kitchen, reading quietly, when Fred strolled in, humming to himself. He didn’t notice her at first, but when he did, his face lit up like he’d found exactly what he was looking for.

“Y/N! Just the person I wanted to see.”

She raised an eyebrow, trying to hide her growing smile. “Oh, really? Why’s that?”

Fred leaned against the counter, crossing his arms, a playful smirk on his face. “I’ve been working on a new invention. Thought you might want to be the first to test it out.”

Y/N set her book down, feigning disinterest. “And why would I want to do that?”

Fred’s smirk didn’t falter. “Because, darling, I have a feeling you’ll be impressed. And I know you’ve been dying to admit that you’re impressed by me.”

Y/N rolled her eyes, but there was no hiding the way her lips twitched upwards. “Fred, you’re delusional.”

He took a step closer, lowering his voice in that cheeky, conspiratorial way of his. “Come on, just admit it. I’m starting to think you like me.”

Y/N snorted, shaking her head. “You think very highly of yourself, don’t you?”

Fred’s grin only grew wider, and he leaned in even closer, his breath warm against her ear as he whispered, “You have no idea.”

For the first time, Y/N didn’t pull away. Instead, she glanced up at him, meeting his eyes. “And what if I do?”

Fred blinked, surprised for a moment, before his grin turned into a full-on smile, the mischievous glint in his eyes softening just a bit. “Well then,” he said, voice still teasing, “I guess we’ll just have to do something about that, won’t we?”

Y/N’s heart raced, but she refused to let him see her falter. “Oh? And what exactly do you suggest?”

Before Fred could respond, someone cleared their throat from the doorway. Both of them whipped around to see Sirius standing there, arms crossed and a knowing smirk on his face. “Am I interrupting something?”

Y/N’s face flushed instantly, but Fred, of course, just shot Sirius a wink. “Not at all. Just talking about how Y/N here might have a soft spot for me.”

Sirius laughed, shaking his head. “Well, I guess James and Lily really have been reincarnated.”

Y/N groaned, burying her face in her hands as Fred chuckled beside her.

The teasing didn’t stop, but over the next few days, Y/N found herself spending more and more time with Fred. He toned down the jokes—just a little—and they started talking more. Really talking. She’d always known Fred was fun and lighthearted, but she hadn’t realized just how much depth he had. Beneath the constant teasing and jokes, there was someone who cared deeply for his family, for his friends—and, it seemed, for her.

One evening, they were alone again in the drawing room, the fire casting a soft glow over the room. Fred was sprawled out on the couch, and Y/N was sitting on the armchair, pretending to read.

“Hey,” Fred said suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence.

Y/N looked up from her book. “Hmm?”

Fred sat up, his usual grin replaced with something a little more serious. “I wasn’t joking, you know.”

She frowned, confused. “About what?”

“About liking you.”

Her heart skipped a beat, and for once, she didn’t have a witty comeback ready. She just stared at him, trying to process the fact that Fred Weasley—Fred, the biggest goofball she knew—was being completely serious.

Fred rubbed the back of his neck, looking a little nervous for the first time since she’d met him. “I just… I know I’m a bit much sometimes. But I like you, Y/N. A lot. And I just thought… well, maybe you feel the same.”

Y/N closed her book, standing up and walking over to the couch. She sat down beside him, her heart pounding in her chest. “You’re not too much, Fred.”

Fred’s eyes flickered with surprise. “Really?”

She nodded, feeling a little shy herself now. “Yeah. And… I might like you too.”

Fred’s grin returned in full force, and before she could say another word, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “You know,” he said, his voice teasing again, “I always knew I’d win you over.”

Y/N laughed, resting her head on his shoulder. “You’re impossible.”

Fred chuckled, pressing a light kiss to her temple. “But you love it.”

She sighed, but she was smiling as she snuggled closer to him. “Yeah, I guess I do.”

And for the first time, Fred didn’t need to say anything. They just sat there, wrapped up in each other, with the fire crackling softly beside them.

Maybe Remus and Sirius had been right all along.

[oopsiedaisydeer]

ʜɪᴅɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴘʟᴀɪɴ ꜱɪɢʜᴛ

…𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴

angst, loneliness, mental health struggles, sub!chris?, longing, crush, vulnerability, petnames, intimacy, fluff if u squint,anonymous relationship, love square?

word count - 1.8k

Daisy sat in the corner of the classroom, trying to ignore the buzzing in her chest that had nothing to do with her tutor’s monotone recap. It was the old, familiar feeling creeping back, just like it had in high school… her brain refusing to focus on anything other than him.

Chris. She’d seen him this morning, after she completely not accidentally walked past the field where he had morning practices a couple times a week. He looked soft in the early morning light. Smiling, like he always used to back home.

Her thoughts are interrupted by the door swinging open and the very person she was thinking of walking through. What was he doing here? His usual laid-back presence was somehow still visible even when he was clearly rushing to make it to the class on time. His disheveled hair and worn sneakers were familiar enough to make her heart race. But the Chris she remembered was the one who’d walked past her in the halls of their small high school, oblivious to the way her stomach would flip whenever he was near. He was still oblivious, but now an entire university campus stood between her and him.

“There’s a spare seat there,” the teacher called, gesturing to a spare seat beside her. Chris glanced around, his eyes scanning the room before he finally spotted it. Daisy froze as he started walking towards her. She couldn’t help it… her heart beat faster, and her hands suddenly felt clammy.

No. Not now. Not here. She was supposed to be an adult, but her mind couldn’t help but drift back to that silly high school girl who had watched him from afar, too shy to do anything about it.

And then, to her absolute horror, he was sitting down beside her. Close. Too close.

She could smell his cologne, a soft, familiar scent that made her stomach flip. Her ears turned bright red as she tried to pretend that the proximity didn’t make her skin tingle. She really didn’t need this distraction.

The teacher’s voice was drowned out by the rushing in her ears. Somehow she made out that he was calling for everyone to discuss something in small groups. Daisy immediately stiffened. She didn’t want to be paired with him. Not now. Not when her heart was already threatening to betray her.

Unfortunately for Daisy, Chris turned towards her and the two other people sitting beside her.

Why? She silently cursed the universe. It was just like high school again. No matter how many times she tried to push those feelings down, they kept bubbling up to the surface. And now she had to sit next to him, listen to him talk, and pretend like she wasn’t completely out of her depth.

He glanced at her. She quickly looked away, pretending to pay attention to the notes on the table. “Uh, I guess I’ll start,” he began, and his voice—so familiar and yet so foreign in this context—made her heart race even more. He started talking about the example on the board, with the girl to her right adding on to what he was saying. 

Before she knew what was happening, Chris looked at her again. “Do you have anything to add?”

She opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. She was too aware of every little thing. His posture. His fingers drumming lightly on the desk. The faint scent of him that had invaded her senses.

And when their eyes met briefly, she froze, her heart hammering in her chest. She couldn’t let him see her like this. She couldn’t let him see that she was just as awkward as she’d been back in high school.

“Um…” She cleared her throat, but before she could say anything, the professor interrupted them, moving on to another part of the discussion.

Daisy let out a shaky breath, relieved for the momentary escape. She couldn’t deal with this. Not now. 

The class continued, but Daisy couldn’t seem to shake the feeling of Chris sitting next to her, too close, his presence weighing heavily on her chest. She had always found him charming, funny, and a little bit untouchable… someone who’d never notice her.

And now he was here, in the flesh, sitting beside her as if it was the most natural thing in the world. 

But the truth was, he didn’t know. And she didn’t either. Neither of them knew that Daisy was the one Chris had been talking to these past weeks. As Sun, that is.

Daisy sprawled out on her couch, the evening stretching out in front of her with nothing but the soft hum of her phone and her thoughts for company. She had just finished up another call with a stranger—someone who didn’t quite live up to Sun’s usual charm—and now, she was left feeling... empty. She had gotten used to the easy flow of conversation with Sun, to the point where now, every other call felt a little hollow. Her mind kept drifting back to the way he’d made her laugh, the little personal moments they shared, physically or emotionally intimate—he had made those ordinary nights something different.

The problem was, she missed that. She missed him. He hadn’t called in a couple of days. And there was nothing she could do about it.

But now, just as she was ready to settle into her thoughts, her phone buzzed again. Another call.

She almost ignored it, but something pulled her to answer. After all, it had been a few days since she’d heard from him. Maybe this call would be the one, or at least, different than the others.

Taking a deep breath, Daisy pressed the button, not sure if she was ready for another stranger. “Hello, this is Daisy,” she said, her voice light, trying to sound welcoming.

A slight pause followed, but then that unmistakable voice came through, smooth and familiar.

“Hey, it’s Sun.”

Daisy froze, her stomach doing a little flip. Sun? Her heart rate picked up, and she could feel a smile creeping across her face. She quickly tried to suppress it, but there was no denying it. He was back.

“Sun?” she asked, almost too quickly. She mentally cursed herself for sounding so eager, but it had been so long since they’d last talked. “Wow, it’s... it’s been a while.”

“Yeah,” Chris chuckled softly. “I know. I, uh, called a few times, but didn’t get through to you. And I’ve been a bit... busy. But I’m feeling better now. Things are finally starting to calm down.”

Daisy felt a rush of relief, a strange warmth in her chest. “Glad to hear it,” she said, leaning back a little on the couch. Maybe she could just pretend this was casual... like it always was. “How’s everything going?”

“Better,” Chris replied, but there was a slight hesitation in his tone. “You know, working through stuff. Still not perfect, but... I’m getting there. Trying to open up more, you know?”

Daisy could hear the subtle vulnerability in his voice, and it made her smile softly. There was something different about him tonight, maybe even more honest than usual. She felt the tiniest flutter in her chest.

She cleared her throat, trying to ignore the growing warmth in her cheeks. “I get that,” she replied. “I mean, I guess we all have our... walls, don’t we?”

“Definitely,” Chris agreed. There was an easy tone to his voice now, as if they were picking up right where they’d left off. “But I think you’ve been a big help. You’ve made these last few weeks a lot less... complicated.”

Daisy couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed by the compliment, even though it made her heart skip. He’s really sweet. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Well, you’ve made it easy to talk to you.”

She could almost hear him smirk on the other end of the line. “That’s just my sunny disposition, huh?”

Daisy laughed softly, the sound a little more nervous than she meant. “I guess so.”

The banter was flowing now, both of them falling back into their usual rhythm… casual, comfortable... but maybe a little more charged than before. She had to admit, the idea of being just friends was getting harder to sell, even to herself, especially when this felt more like flirting than anything else.

“So, what’s been keeping you busy?” Daisy asked, her voice light, trying to steer the conversation back to something neutral. “New project? Drama? Life?”

“More like... life, I guess.” He sighed, but it wasn’t a sad sound, just the kind of heavy sigh that came from a long day. “Honestly? I’ve missed talking to you. It’s been too long. Don’t get me wrong, I get it… you’ve got your own life. But sometimes I kinda hope we could talk more... outside the calls.”

Daisy’s breath caught in her throat. She wanted to say something clever, something funny. But the heat on her face was making her feel a little dizzy. She cleared her throat, trying to stay calm. “Well, you know… this is work and all. It’s not like I don’t want to talk more. To you.” She quickly added, “I mean, talking to you is... nice.”

“Oh, I see how it is.” Chris laughed lightly, the sound warm, teasing. “Is that so? Nice?”

Daisy blushed harder than she should have. “Yeah. Nice. Is that such a surprise?”

“Not at all,” Chris replied, his voice turning a little more sincere, though the teasing still lingered. “But, hey, I was actually wondering...”

Daisy’s heart stuttered.

Chris hesitated for a moment, and for some reason, it made her pulse spike. She waited with bated breath. “I was wondering if... maybe you’d feel comfortable giving me your personal number?”

Daisy felt her throat tighten as she processed his request. Her palms felt suddenly clammy, and her words got stuck in her throat. This wasn’t just a casual question. He was asking for something real... and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for that.

He rushed on, clearly nervous. “Look, I know this might be a little out of nowhere, but I... really appreciate the connection we’ve had. You’re, um, really easy to talk to, and I feel like we’ve got a good thing going. I feel like it could maybe make things easier? And I really do consider you a friend, Daisy. It’s totally up to you, of course. No pressure.”

Daisy felt her heart thud in her chest. She should’ve said something. She should’ve been cool about it. But the words slipped out before she could stop herself. “I… yeah. Sure. I mean, you’ve been such a good friend. I don’t mind at all.”

There was a long pause, almost like he was processing her answer. Finally, he spoke, the relief clear in his voice. “Thanks, Daisy. I really mean it.”

She smiled, feeling a little lightheaded. “Of course.”

After she gave him her number, he bid her goodnight, and the line clicked softly, like the soothing scratch of a record beginning.

creds to rose for the dividers!! @bernardsbendystraws

a/n: not sure if ppl have noticed but each title has been based on a song lyric from this au's playlist :>>

taglist: @applecidersturniolo @throatgoat4u @sturnslutz @desreads @courta13 @kier-with-a-k @bluestriips @sturns-mermaid @sweetshuga @snoopychris @st7rnioioss @herewegoagain-b @cowboylikenat @joanakaulitz @mattsstarlet @chrislova comment to be added!

cya sooooooon !!

[thetravelingmaster]

Short Story: Choosing Enthralment

Male's point of view - Hypnosis - Brainwashing - Conditioning

“That’s it… Just sink deeper and deeper into trance… Deeper and deeper into blissful surrender … Deeper and deeper into thoughtless obedience…”

I’m not completely convinced, even though I explained it to her multiple times, that she fully understood what she was agreeing to when we negotiated the terms and limits of her hypnotic submission to me. There was no intent to trick her on my part because I was very clear about what I wished to achieve with her if she wished to dive into my control.

“Deeper and deeper… Reaching a place with no will of your own… No thoughts of your own… Sinking into blissful nothingness… Open and obedient… Letting go of everything inside your mind except the will of your Master.”

Saying she understood everything we talked about, she agreed to let me use hypnosis to conquer her mind and bend her to my will. She agreed that I could use any means available to make me her Master in her eyes. She was so eager… Excited and aroused by the idea of being brainwashed like one of those cartoon characters that ignited her kink when she saw them helplessly mind controlled as a teen.

“Feel my words reach into your mind… Expertly soothing you as they take hold of the mental collar that completely controls you… Completely commands you… That makes your mind… And your body… My property…”

Did she think hypnosis would be 100% effective with such an eager mind as hers? Did she believe that deep down, she wouldn’t truly be claimed and would simply play along to experience her kink? She was adamant that she knew it was real and that if I was good enough, she would truly be brainwashed.

I guess I still can’t quite believe that a young perky girl like her would so eagerly give up her freedom to become brainwashed and enslaved.

“Sinking deeper still… Sinking into the depths of your true self… Sinking to a place where my words can reshape your mind… Your thoughts… Your beliefs… You understand and embrace that deep down… At the core of your being… You are no longer a real person… You are the organic object I own and completely control… You exist to serve and obey…”

I took things slow of course…

Allowing her many opportunities to speak up and change her mind… Test her limits….

But with every session, she grew more and more excited by the results and the pleasure it gave her to let go and surrender to my will. So with every session, I accepted her submission by sinking my control ever deeper within her mind until one day, she realized that she no longer saw herself as an independent person, but as my helpless thrall.

It was so fascinating to watch her get so intensely aroused by the notion that when it came to my dominance and use of her, she no longer felt like she had a choice.

And by then, with the exception of her safe word, she really didn’t have a choice…

“Everything you are is mine to command and enjoy… Your mind is utterly open to my will… Easily changed and programmed for your Masters’s pleasure… Your body is a helpless tool that exists entirely to serve and please your Master…”

Up until a few weeks ago, she had been my thrall only when we met up or did online calls, but then she surprised me by asking, out of the blue, if I would consider letting her move in with me so she could be mine full time. I initially refused and told her to take the time to truly understand what she was asking. Which she supposedly did…

Her request didn’t waver one bit so I agreed to let her live with me for one week so she could really experience what it would mean to live with me. To be sure she understood, I was a lot harsher than usual with her and constantly tranced her or ordered her to do the most menial things that were clearly not erotic. I truly treated her like an object and to my surprise, the more I did the hornier she got.

“You are my hypnotic thrall… My obedient slave… You have no choice but to obey your Master… You cannot resist the words of your Owner… You are an object of pleasure… A warm enthralled sleeve for your Master’s cock… You exist to serve his pleasure whenever and however he wishes…”

I’d be lying if I said that our whole situation didn’t make me as excited and eager as her. Especially after that ‘trial week’ where I got to enjoy my very own live-in hypno-thrall and sex slave. It was clear we both wanted this so I felt bad for sticking to the high road by constantly telling her that she needed to take it slow and think about it.

As much as I insisted though, she insisted even more that she was eager to fully give herself to me and decided to prove it to me by offering me a special week living with her. Like the week before, she would live with me but unlike the previous week, I couldn’t hypnotize her or use any triggers on her. She wanted to prove to me that she was just as willing to serve me even if there was no hypnotic compulsion to force her to do so.

I obviously agreed and was just as commanding and harsh with her as I was the week before. I treated her like the slave she wanted to be and enjoyed her as much as I could without once feeling her resist or hearing her complain.

After such a wonderful show of devotion, I couldn’t keep denying her so I finally agreed to let her move in with me full time.

“Good… Very good… Now my dear… When I say the words ‘Awaken to your purpose’… Your mind will shift from deep trance to a state of waking trance… Your awareness will awaken, but you will not have the ability to think… You will stay perfectly mindless… Perfectly docile and kneel before me… You will have no other thought except your desire to serve my pleasure…”

Admittedly, her hypnotic subjugation reached new heights after that and if it wasn’t for the safe word I buried deep in her psyche, I’m pretty sure there’s no longer any tangible way for her to escape my control. I’ve given her exactly what she wished for and now, she truly believes, with all her aroused little heart, that she is nothing more than my property.

She’s allowed me to own every single inch of her and in so doing, gave me free rein on how I use her for my pleasure and service. Thanks to her daily files, she’s constantly compelled to perform her daily chores, keeping herself healthy and alluring. She has edged herself until her body could keep itself constantly aroused so that I may enjoy her pussy at a moment’s notice. She’s trained her mouth and throat every day so that she can properly suck my cock and fully deep-throat my modest girth.

Her whole life has become a carefully constructed series of trances and compelled tasks that effectively prevents her mind from thinking about anything except the moment she is in. No confusing or worrisome memories of the past to cause her stress… No anxious thoughts about what the future may or may not hold…

And since every moment of her life is filled with constant arousal and pleasure, her mind has zero desire to do anything except dive deeper into her present life of mind controlled service.

I still make a point to check in with her after she’s spent a few days free of trances or compulsion, but by now her new life has been so thoroughly conditioned into her mind by now that even awake and free from suggestions, she doesn’t want to be anything else. She’s as happy as a girl like her could possibly be and no one is able to convince otherwise.

I’m still convinced she didn’t quite understand what she was asking me to do to her, but since I gave her every opportunity and warning so she could keep her freedom, I’ve decided that I’m going to keep enjoying her until the day her safe word triggers. I’ll trust in her deep self to know when she’s had her fill of mindless servitude even though part of me thinks she never will and I’ll be able to keep this wonderful girl in a constant state of enthrallment and sexual servitude.

Or is that my own selfish hope?

[cozmowrites]

Francesca

francesca - hozier

+++++

It wasn't like you to wait. Not for anything or anyone. But for him—brash, fiery, and always burning—you found yourself lingering. You stood in the shadow of the training gym, watching the sun drip down into the horizon, your arms crossed as the evening air cooled.

Katsuki Bakugou was late.

You could hear the echoes of his explosions inside the gym, each sharp bang a testament to his relentless drive. Most people would have been angry, or at least annoyed. You weren't sure what you felt anymore.

He burst through the doors a moment later, his hair a messy crown of blonde spikes, sweat dripping from his brow. His crimson eyes locked onto yours, and for a split second, they softened before narrowing.

"You're still here?" He asked, dragging a hand through his damp hair. "Told you not to wait."

"And yet," you said with a faint smirk, "here I am."

He scoffed, but his gaze lingered on you, his usual sharpness dulling. "Shouldn't have bothered."

"I didn't." You stepped closer, your voice quieter now. "I wanted to."

Bakugou wasn't one for grand gestures or poetic words. His love—if it could even be called that—came in fleeting moments, stolen glances, and the way he always stood a little closer to you than anyone else. It was in the way he'd grip your hand when no one was looking or the fierce protectiveness that flared in battle.

But you needed more tonight.

"Why do you do this?" You asked, not bothering to mask the frustration in your tone.

He frowned, his brows knitting together. "Do what?"

"Push yourself until there's nothing left of you," you said, motioning to the sweat-drenched shirt clinging to his chest. "Until you're more ash than man."

Bakugou's jaw tightened, and he looked away, his hands clenching at his sides. "Because I have to."

"No, you don't." Your voice softened, but you replied quickly, and you reached out to touch his arm. "You want to."

His eyes snapped back to yours, a storm brewing in the depths of crimson. "What the hell do you know about it?"

"I know you," you said, your fingers tightening around his arm. "I know that you think you have to prove yourself to everyone. That you think if you stop, even for a second, someone will surpass you."

His silence was deafening, the weight of your words hanging between you. You could see the conflict in his expression—the vulnerability he hated showing, the fear he refused to name.

"You're enough, Katsuki," you said, your voice barely above a whisper. "You don't have to keep setting yourself on fire to prove it."

He laughed bitterly, shaking his head. "You don't get it."

"Then make me understand."

For a moment, you thought he wouldn't answer. But then, he exhaled sharply, his shoulders sagging as if the weight of the world had finally caught up to him.

"I'm not like the rest of you," he said, his voice low and rough. "I can't afford to be weak. If I don't push myself, if I don't fight for every damn inch, what the hell am I worth?"

"You're worth more than this," you said firmly. "More than your quirk, more than your strength. You're worth everything to me."

The words hung in the air, raw and unpolished. For a heartbeat, he looked at you as if you'd punched him in the gut. Then, before you could second-guess yourself, he pulled you into his arms, his grip almost bruising.

"Idiot," he muttered into your hair, his voice cracking just enough for you to notice. "Why the hell would you say that?"

"Because it's true," you said, your hands sliding up his back. "And because you need to hear it."

He held you tighter, his forehead resting against yours. The world outside the two of you faded, the only sound his uneven breathing and the steady thrum of your heartbeat.

"I'm not good at this," he admitted, his voice so quiet it almost broke you. "At... you."

"You don't have to be perfect," you said, pulling back just enough to meet his gaze. "You just have to be you."

For the first time, he didn't argue. He didn't scoff or roll his eyes. He simply nodded, the tension in his body melting away as he leaned into you.

"Stay," he said, his voice so soft it was almost a plea. "Just... stay."

And you did. Bakugou was worth it.

+++

masterlist ⟢

more bakugou ⟢

requests ツ

[knyontop]

Hello! Hope you're having a good day! And I was wondering if the creepypastas could react to your death but if you're a child pasta? Like say it's from a bullet wound since the enemy defended themselves? Take your time:)

₊˚ ‿︵‿୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿ ˚₊

ONG IM SO EXCITED FOR THISSS

Creepypasta x Child!reader.

Tw: gore, depression and stuff, starving, self sabotage, and other stuff.

Ft: Jeff the killer, Sally, Ticci toby, Ben drowned, Nina the killer, and our beautiful, amazing, handsome, reader.

Jeff:

・He doesn’t know what to say, he only feels anger. Rage.

・The rage of Jeff the killer is something I hope my worst enemy never experiences😭

・He will not sleep until he finds whoever killed you, he will go to the depths of hell to find them.

・He cant even think straight when looking for them the only thing he wants to do is kill.

・he starts to isolate himself from everything and everyone, he will just sit in his room or just go out and kill.

・he killings are much more brutal from the anger.

・taking all his anger and emotion out on his victims.

・cry laughing while he carves em’ up.

・he thought he would be happy if you just randomly disappeared or something but I guess not. ☹️

・He lost his some what friend and sibling.

・He will drink, and drink, and maybe drink some more and drink while killing.

・This just makes him less of human then he already was. He cant do it, he just cant.

・He still refuses to say he cares about you btw. (We all know the truth)

・”Damit kid… you dumbass. Why did you have to die?”

Ben:

・Life is all fun and games to him, playing pranks on people, killing people, torturing people, just the usual!

・This news just hits him like hes being drowned all over again. Hes panicking, feeling like he cant breathe, just losing it.

・Hes glitching all over the place, saying its not true, its not true. You cant be dead! NO YOU JUST CANT!

・Please come back.

・Please just come back.

・He doesn’t find video games fun anymore. He doesn’t annoy people like he used to. He gets more aggressive with his pranks.

・He like jeff takes his anger out on his victims, getting all his anger and frustration out.

・he just wants you back. Please. Come back. Come. Back. Now.

・Hes more glitchy and on edge now, you were like his dumb, little sibling.. but your gone now.

・He just doesn’t get why kids are always the ones who have to suffer, why did you have to die? Your just a kid. You shouldn’t have been dragged into this mess.

・”W-W-Why d-did you h-have to die… y-y-your just a k-k-kid im so sorry.”

Toby:

・oh, oh this poor boy. Hes already lost his older sister, imagine what this is like.

・The worse part is he was there when it happened, and he couldn’t protect you. He couldn’t protect you. HE COULD NOT PROTECT. YOU.

・He will never forgive himself this is like Lara all over again. He cant do this anymore.

・He will eat less and less, just sit in bed. Having random outbursts in the middle of the day, just breaking down absolutely losing it. But who can blame him? Everyone missed you.

・Toby just wished he could have died instead of you, its not fair.

・Hes mad at you, hes mad at himself, hes mad at everyone. Hes now more violent then ever. Hes easy to anger, just everything.

・Hes over here lashingout at everyone, even sally!

・oh and you have no idea how this has affected sally. Omg. 😭

Sally:

・oh this poor sweet baby :C

・She just cries, cries and cries and cries.

・You helped heed forget about all the bad, she had someone to care for and someone to care for her. But your gone now.. why?

・She just misses you so much, shes mad at the world for this. Shes mad at Slender and even Mr. Charlie!

・Sally is now more clingy then ever. She needs more attention and starts to get more “annoying” to everyone.

・visitsyour grave everyday to have tea partys with you, like old times yk? She cant go there without crying.

・She misses when you would brush her hair and tell her about your mission and how there head would go splat splat splat! The sound is so silly to her!

・Sally just wants you back! She wants her parents back, she wants everything back!

Nina:

・Nina is no longer her sadistic silly self.

・She doesn’t have anyone to rant to anymore, she doesn’t have anyone to practice shots on, she doesn’t have anyone to try make up looks on! Her little sibling is gone again! Just like she lost her little brother.

・She didn’t trust herself with you, she thought she would hurt you like she hurt her little brother. But you just ended up hurting her…

・Nina just like toby starts to pass on food, she literally loves food tho! But she just cant anymore…

・”You were my best friend and now.. and now your gone.”

₊˚ ‿︵‿୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿ ˚₊

[oddly-casual]

Gaap Goemon appreciation post/ Character Analysis

because I need y'all to hype him up as much as I do.

I was a fan of the Mairimashita Iruma Kun anime many moons ago, and just recently I got back into it. Finished the manga. Walked away loving the entire Misfit class. Most of all, I see a criminal lack of Gaap content. So, here's why I love Gaap and why I think you should too.

By all accounts, there isnt a whole lot of focus or information about Gaap that goes beyond the depth of a kiddy pool. (It's like that for most of the misfits tbh...) Still, Gaap gets more focus than most.

Kindness and care:

The thing about Gaap that stands out the most, is how much of a natural caretaker this kid is.

He greets everyone he meets with respect. Often using the honorific "Dono" Which google tells me translates to "Lord" or "Master". Almost every time he greets somebody he always has an offer of Hell tea and onigiri. He always makes sure to take care of his guests and his friends. This kid has no shortage of manners. So polite.

In the Harvest Festival arc, Gaap is the one who goes out to save the other students even when Agares has valid points about why rescuing a bunch of demons they dont know wouldn't benefit them in any way. In the festival, where the entire point is to be a cut above the rest, what did Gaap do?

We see little examples of Gaap's kindness. How he defends his friends and is usually on the front lines whenever someone's well-being is cause for concern.

This boy is the mom friend who always had a painkiller and a stack of bandaids on hand. He's such a mom friend that he canonically fights with Jazz when it comes to taking care of their classmates. (They both have a caretaker complex.)

It's also the way Gaap responds to stress! In the Heartbreaker arc, Gaap is paired up with two first-years who won't stop fighting. This obviously stresses the boy out, because he had high expectations of getting along with his first years, but it didn't turn out that way.

The first thing Gaap does is try to offer them food, something we see Gap do to Agares when he snaps at him. When the offer of food doesnt work, he instead tries to assure the first years that everything will be fine. Even if Gaap isn't confident, his first instinct is to try to appeal to and take care of people. Even if that's not what they want.

It’s interesting, because Gaap doesn’t physically get in between them, like you would expect him to do. He avoids conflict when it gets physical, despite being such a capable fighter. (Though when it comes to saving others, he has no problem acting.)

Friends and Habits:

We get to know Gaap the most when he's around other people. Obviously, because he's a secondary character. I think another aspect of this is because Gaap is a social creature, he thrives around people. We rarely see Gaap standing alone and this makes sense because his goal is to have 100 allies.

In the demon world, we know that demons usually dont care about saving or helping others if it doesnt help them. Nor do they have the drive to see their efforts to the end, because they get bored rather quickly. Gaap breaks out of this status quo, along with the rest of the Misfits, by stubbornly pushing towards his goal even when the fruits of his labor dont bloom right away.

The biggest showcase of this drive is the person Gaap takes care of the most, that we know of.

Chapter 111 shows us that Gaap came to Agares' house every day. check it, every day. Gaap would go out of his way with breakfast and pick Agares up so he could make it to class.

Agares clearly doesnt want to go, but Gaap takes him anyway, refusing to leave him behind. From what we can guess, he's been doing it before they started training together. Which could mean Gaap didn't know this kid, but saw he wasn't going to class and went to go take care of him. (Classic extrovert adopting their introvert friend).

We see how that kindness affects Agares as a result. Agares feels guilty when he snaps at Gaap and goes out of his way to visit Gaap when he doesn't show up for class. (This could also mean Agares went to class on his own, without Gaap having to force him.)

Agares was also willing to help the people Gaap saved. Even when telling Gaap not to go out and save those people, Agares still houses them, keeps them safe, and even plans an escape route for the other students when things look bad. It's a lot of hassle for a character who hates being bothered. Gaap's kindness is contagious, even if it's not obvious at first glance.

Oh, Maybe He's Kinda Fucked Up?

No one escapes childhood unscathed.

Gaap is a caretaker, he does it happily. Even so, when you put yourself in the position to take care of others, there are parts of yourself that fall into neglect that you dont realize.

After the Heartbreaker arc (Chapter 272), Gaap is noticeably absent. We find out later, what happens when you fuck with the nice guy too much.

Maybe it was his crushed expectations, the stress of failing and losing, or maybe Gaap was just tired of being nice but he goes apeshit. Accidentally slipping into his Wicked cycle and nearly driving two students mad with his fucked up face.

We learn that showing your true face is a big no-no in the Gaap household. It's literally written on the walls, and Gaap feels immense shame and embarrassment that he broke a family rule.

He hides his face in his hands, and puts a bag over his face when Agares comes over. He's afraid of hurting someone again, even though the stress of those events have passed.

We dont know his parents' reaction, (because aint no way they dont know) Whether Gaap was disciplined by his parents or not, Gaap put this huge weight on his shoulders. Not blaming the stress of the situation, but blaming himself for losing control.

Gaap specifically said, “I panicked”. Which could mean that with all the stressors, he snapped and just lashed out. Gaap didn't willingly enter his wicked phase, I think he just gave in to his instincts. His bloodline originally started by warding off predators with their maddening appearance. What is panic if not your brain responding as if your body is in danger?

Despite Gaap reasonably getting upset, he still feels terrible for the trouble he caused and the students he hurt. The first thing he did after waking up was to ask if he could apologize to the first years for mentally scarring them.

Gaap’s ambition is to make 100 allies. It's pretty sweet. When a teenager says it(Gaap looks 17 yrs old), It just sounds like he wants to have friends. Pair this up with the fact that Gaap rarely asks for anything in return, and suddenly his wanting a ton of friends makes sense for someone who looks his age. Gaap takes care of people because he wants them to like him. (Even if he can drive them away with how much he cares.)

I have no idea where this desire comes from. If it's something his family drills into him, to be sociable and network, or if it's just a personal goal because of his ugly ahh face.

Regardless, this moment makes me want to lie down on the road while it rains:

Despite how much his ambition means to him, he is willing to isolate himself as long as it means no one else gets hurt. This speaks to his good intentions. It isn't just about the popularity or all the favors he could have from knowing so many demons. It's about forming genuine relationships with other demons and providing them a soft place to land and build community.

Look at my son, he tries so hard.

My final point:

Look at how cool he is. This is Chapter 76, my boy came out the gate swinging with powerful bloodline magic. He's got the position, he's got technique, he's got flare. What more could you ask for?

Gaap started out as rank 2, and since then has had no problem leveling himself up. Gaap always stays on his feet (Hence his nickname Busy Body), not letting himself fall behind his classmates. He aced his training and had since learned to use Wind as a companion and not as a tool. He even developed a full-range attack where he can pick which targets get hit by his swing and which dont. He is leveling up in the world. Dont hurt em now Gaap.

Conclusion:

I'm the equivalent of those parents who show off pictures of their kids from their wallet.

Gaap as a character, in the story he's in, isn't anything really new or groundbreaking. Even still, in a story like Mairimashita Iruma-Kun, the Misfit class are demons that are different. We get to learn why they're different, and how they learn to overcome these challenges despite how they threaten to hold them back.

Gaap is a good kid that you watch succeed from the background. We see him struggle and fall apart, but he never stops caring about others in that process. He's that good-natured kid in your life that you hope succeeds because in a cruel world, they make the decision to be kind.

If anyone made it this far, slay. Even if you never noticed Gaap before, I hope you have a new appreciation for his character. Nishi took time and love to write him out, I think that deserves attention too.

[moonselune]

Finally I can request something! Only request that comes to mind is an Artificer Tav x Karlach one where said Tav is basically working themselves to the bone to try and make a new upgrade/fix Karlach’s engine and it’s clearly taking a toll on them. Karlach probably finds them while they’re working on it to try and stop their spiraling. Little hurt/comfort angle I guess?

(Idk I’m thinking this is like mid Act 3 and they’ll probably go to Avernus together and work it out eventually but it ain’t like they know that!)

Sorry for the rambling lol. Keep up the good work!

awwwwwww yes and thanks so much!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Karlach x Artificer!reader | Tinkering till I bleed

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You had lost track of time, hunched over your workbench, surrounded by scattered blueprints, half-finished gadgets, and smudges of grease on your skin. The dim light of your makeshift workshop you had managed to set up after wrangling yourself another room at the Inn, flickered, casting long shadows over your cluttered desk as your tools clinked and sparked. You barely registered the hours slipping by as you obsessively tinkered with the intricate design of Karlach’s infernal engine, determined to find some way—any way—to fix it. To help her.

Dammon was resolute, Karlach would have to go back to Avernus or... You couldn't think about that.

Your mind buzzed with calculations, your eyes stung from lack of sleep, and your fingers ached from endless adjustments, but you pushed through it all, refusing to stop. This had to work. Karlach deserved a chance, a life beyond the cursed engine that burned inside her. You knew you could make a difference, if you could just get this upgrade right.

But the toll of your self-imposed mission was starting to show. You hadn’t slept in what felt like days, barely eaten, and each breath felt heavier than the last. You were losing yourself in the work, unable to let go, to stop.

The door to the creaked open, but you didn’t look up. You were too absorbed in your latest attempt, adjusting a tiny cog with trembling hands, muttering calculations under your breath that were borderline hysterical.

“Hey, soldier,” Karlach’s voice filled the room, her deep, warm tone instantly recognizable. You felt a flicker of warmth in your chest at the sound of her, but you didn’t respond, too lost in your spiraling thoughts.

“Still at it, huh?” she continued, her heavy footsteps approaching, but you kept your head down, focusing intently on the work in front of you.

“I’m close,” you mumbled, more to yourself than to her. “I just need to… recalibrate this valve, and it should—”

Before you could finish, Karlach’s strong hand gently covered yours, stilling your frantic movements. You finally looked up, blinking in the dim light, and saw the concern etched across her face. Her fiery eyes, usually so full of warmth and spark, were now laced with worry as she took in your exhausted state.

“Babe…” Karlach’s voice was soft, her usual boisterous energy tempered with quiet care. “You look like you’re about to collapse. You’ve been at this for too long.”

“I can’t stop now,” you protested, shaking your head as you tried to pull your hand free. “I’m so close, Karlach. I can fix it, I can—”

“No,” she said firmly, her grip tightening just enough to keep your hand in place. “What you need is a break. You’ve been working yourself into the ground for me, and I won’t let you do that.”

You met her gaze, seeing the depth of her concern, but all you could feel was the weight of your failure pressing down on you.

“But if I stop, then I’m wasting time,” you whispered, your voice trembling with exhaustion and frustration. “I need to fix this. I need to help you. If I don’t—”

Karlach crouched down beside you, her face softening as she reached out to cup your cheek with her free hand. Her palm was warm, grounding, a reminder of the real, living person behind the project you were obsessing over.

“You’re already helping me,” she said gently. “More than you know. But not like this, not at the cost of your own health. I can’t stand seeing you like this, love.”

Your eyes burned with unshed tears as you swallowed hard, trying to fight the wave of emotion that threatened to overwhelm you.

“I just want to make it better for you,” you whispered, your voice breaking. “You deserve so much more than this cursed engine inside you.”

Karlach’s expression softened even further, and she leaned in, pressing her forehead against yours, her voice low and filled with affection.

“I know you do,” she murmured, her breath warm against your skin. “But you’re more important to me than any upgrade, any fix. You’ve already given me so much, just by being by my side.”

For a moment, the world seemed to still, the noise of your overworked mind fading as Karlach’s warmth and presence wrapped around you like a protective embrace. Her words sank in, cutting through the haze of exhaustion and self-imposed pressure. She didn’t need you to be perfect, to solve everything. She just needed you.

Your hand trembled in hers, and you finally let out a shaky breath, your shoulders slumping as the weight of your exhaustion caught up with you.

“I don’t know how to stop,” you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. Karlach smiled softly, her thumb gently brushing your cheek.

“Then I’ll help you,” she promised. “But first, you’re going to rest. That’s an order, soldier.”

A tired laugh bubbled up from your chest despite everything, and you nodded, feeling the fight drain out of you.

“Okay,” you whispered. “I’ll rest.”

Karlach helped you to your feet, guiding you away from your workbench and toward a nearby cot. As soon as you sat down, the exhaustion hit you like a tidal wave, and you felt your body sag with the overwhelming need for sleep. Karlach sat beside you, her hand still holding yours as she brushed her fingers through your hair.

“You’re not alone in this,” she whispered. “We’ll figure it out together, but you’ve got to take care of yourself, too.”

You nodded, too tired to speak, but the warmth in her eyes and the steady beat of her heart against your side was enough to soothe the storm inside you. As your eyes fluttered closed, you felt the weight of your worries begin to lift, just a little, knowing that Karlach was there to keep you grounded. And in that quiet moment, you realized that maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

oh gods karlach you deserve everything!! Hope you guys enjoyed this! And a massive thank you to all of you for your ongoing love and support! -Seluney xox

If you want to support me in other ways | Help keep this moonmaiden caffeinated x

[ewfiewfijewfoiejwijofjiowewl]

I’m not a fan of Natalie so far this season

This post will contain SPOILERS! 

Some of you are gonna hate me for this, so obligatory this is just my unsolicited opinion, my opinion could change as the series goes on, and I have no problem with people who love Natalie with all their heart and soul. 

This is going to be a bit long I think…

I’ve talked a little about Natalie’s characterization this season, but not really in depth and I need to get this off my chest so I hopefully won’t think about it constantly for the next month. 

Anyway, Natalie is making me want to bash my head against at the moment, and it really sucks because I was ready to love her. I loved her aesthetic, her overall vibe, the aura of tragedy that surrounded her before they even got stranded in the wilderness, how kind she was despite her tough exterior. Even though I was annoyed that her narrative completely revolved around Travis, I still loved that she pulled a gun on her dad to defend herself and her mom, and if the safety hadn’t been on he would have been dead before he got the chance to accidentally kill himself like the buffoon he was. I loved that she was one of the few characters that called Lottie out on her shit (regardless of whether the supernatural is real on this show or not, she didn’t believe it and she wasn’t afraid to say so). 

The adult timeline isn’t my favorite, and again I didn’t like that Natalie’s storyline completely revolved around Travis, but I liked her dynamic with Misty and Lottie. When they all watched Javi die I really felt for Natalie (and all of them, really). I understand that she was put in an impossible situation where she was forced to choose between her life and Javi’s. Self-preservation is a powerful instinct, and regardless of how good a person is, very few people would put the life of someone they hardly know over their own life. And even then, she did initially try to save Javi. Misty literally had to drag her away from him and spell it out for her that this was her chance to save herself. 

And now we have season 3. Natalie clearly doesn’t believe that Coach Ben burned down the cabin and is distraught when he’s found guilty, when they’re about to kill him, etc. I don’t feel bad for her though because she could have stopped this shit at any time. All she had to do was get her hands on the gun and say hey guess what guys, Coach Ben’s not guilty, and if you disagree you can eat lead. At the very least she could have tried to sneak him out when no one was paying attention, before they cut his Achilles’ tendon. She has no real power because she refuses to take it, even for those she supposedly cares about. Shauna can see that and is running circles around her. 

At the end of the day if the show is going for the angle that she feels bad for him but Coach Ben’s life isn’t worth the risk, then fine, I love a morally ambiguous queen. But own that shit! Don’t pretend that she had no choice or that she had no power to change the situation, because she did. And the self righteousness, holy shit. I actually rolled me eyes when she told Shauna she didn’t have to enjoy it so much. Natalie doesn’t get brownie points from me because she felt bad about it and cried. If she cared enough, she would have done more. She was more than willing to fight Lottie over a knife when Travis’s life was on the line.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

── THE GLASS PRINCESS // FIVE

Series Synopsis: You wake up in a strange room with no memories, broken glass at your bedside, and a prince named Zuko as your only chance at figuring out who you really are.

Chapter Synopsis: You visit Ember Island with Jia-Li and grow closer with her and her brother. Everything comes to a head, though, when a party on the island goes wrong.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Zuko x Reader

Chapter Word Count: 7.4k

Content Warnings: complicated relationships (strangers to friends to lovers to enemies to strangers to lovers to enemies to lovers), amnesia, alternate universe, lots of secrets and lying and mystery

A/N: would you guys believe if i said i thought we’d already know reader’s real identity this many words into the fic?? anyways enjoy the fun times while they last folks because trust it will be getting angsty at some point probably

Dear Zuko,

I’m sorry for whatever I did that made you angry with me. Please forgive me. I don’t want you to be upset.

Sincerely, Ursa

P.S. Destroying Chan’s house was wrong, but since it was him, I won’t chide you. Jia-Li and I also participated a bit, so it would be hypocritical, anyways.

P.P.S. I’m not friends with Ruon-Jian anymore. 

Though you had been at sea for quite a bit of time now, you still had not grown bored of staring at the ocean. Jia-Li had sat back down under the shade of the silk canopy a while ago, eating a bowl full of ice cream and watching you in amusement as you stood at the prow and peered down into the water.

“It’s so beautiful,” you said.

“You’ve said that like a hundred times,” Jia-Li teased you.

“I know, I just…I just can't get over it. I’ve never seen anything quite so blue,” you said, though this was somewhat a lie. That blue from your memories, it resembled this water in depth, though not in texture — the water was clear and lucid, whereas the blue you remembered was harsh and matte.

“I guess I should be glad that you’re enjoying yourself already! Just think about it — you haven’t even gotten to Ember Island yet, and you’re having so much fun. Imagine how much better it’ll be once you’re there!” Jia-Li said.

“I can’t wait,” you said dreamily. “As long as we can go swimming, I’ll be happy.”

“Of course,” she said. “We’ll swim every day! My brother wrote to me, he said that the tides have been forgiving this season. Maybe I can convince him to teach you how to ride the flying dolphin fish. He always shoos me away whenever I ask, but it’s impossible to hate you, Ursa, so he’ll definitely say yes.”

You had been growing accustomed to that name. It still felt like an alias at times, but it was a familiar one, said around you so often that you barely even hesitated before responding to it.

“It’s fine if he doesn’t,” you said. “Though it would be nice to learn something like that…”

“Maybe you should ask him!” Jia-Li said. “There’s no way he can refuse then!”

“I wouldn’t want to be imposing,” you said immediately, shaking your head. “He shouldn’t have to do something just because he’s too guilty to say no.”

“No, I was more thinking along the lines of ‘you’re pretty and he doesn’t say no to pretty girls’, actually,” she said. “He’ll be happy to oblige you, but if it’s a request from his little sister, he’s likely to say no just to be contrary.”

“We’ll see,” you said after ruminating on it for a second. “Also, thank you for the compliment.”

“It’s just the truth,” Jia-Li said. “But since we’re on the subject — I know you don’t have memories, so you can’t answer about your past life, but what about recently? Have you had a crush on someone before?”

“A crush?” you said.

“Yeah! I mean, have you ever liked anyone?” she said.

“I like a lot of people,” you said. “For example, you and Ty Lee.”

“No, silly, not in that way. I mean liking someone romantically,” Jia-Li elaborated. “I know a few of the boys in the Royal Fire Academy for Boys have been talking about you, so I was just curious.”

“Oh!” you said, covering your face with your hands so that she could not see the embarrassment blooming on it. “I didn’t know that they were.”

“Sure, of course they are! They talk about a lot of us, so it makes sense, and anyways I wasn’t lying when I said you’re pretty. They’re all too scared to actually talk to you, but I’m sure that if you went to the market alone and met one of them, they’d propose on the spot,” she said.

The academies for girls and boys had separate campuses, but they were run conjointly, so that your breaks aligned and your events were held in tandem. Though you tended to avoid attending sporting matches, you had gone to one or two in your time as a student, so you supposed that must’ve been when you had become a viable prospect for whatever nonsense Jia-Li was spouting.

“I don’t talk to any boys,” you pointed out. “Even if any of them like me, I don’t know them, so I can’t say I like them back.”

“You talk to the prince a lot,” she said.

“What?” you said.

“Did you really think I didn’t notice how often you send letters to him via Bian?” she chided. You coughed uncomfortably.

“Um, well, he is my benefactor, so I have to keep him updated with my day-to-day activities,” you said. “It’s, er, part of my scholarship, you know.”

It was not, but Jia-Li seemed to buy the lie readily enough, nodding sagely, though not without a dramatic pout.

“That does check out, but it’s not nearly as exciting as a secret love affair or letters written out of pining and sent with longing, stamped with your heart’s greatest desire for a man that can never be your own!” she said.

“Sorry?” you said. “I don’t think any of that fits the situation, though.”

She sighed. “It’s okay.”

“What about you? Do you have any crushes?” you said, recognizing that this was the logical next step in the conversation. Jia-Li blushed and looked at the wooden paneling of the deck, using her fingers to twirl the hair which escaped her ponytail to frame her face.

“Yes,” she said. “Kind of. But it’s someone who I shouldn’t like, and who would never like me back, so I’ve never said anything.”

“Who?” you said. “Your family is pretty influential, isn’t it? I can’t imagine most anyone rejecting you. Unless you like Prince Zuko and are projecting your ‘heart’s greatest desire for a man that can never be your own’ onto me?”

“No way!” Jia-Li said. “It’s more complicated than him being of a higher ranking than me.”

“Then what is it?” you said.

“He’s my brother’s best friend!” she said, all in a rush, her entire face in flames at the confession.

“Oh,” you said, cringing in empathy. “I see. He would not approve?”

“Definitely not,” she said. “But there’s something worse than him not approving: marrying this boy would mean having Kaho as a sister-in-law!”

“Oh, Agni,” you said, slapping your palm against your forehead. How had you forgotten? It was the only reason Jia-Li was somewhat exempt from Kaho’s reign of terror, despite her association with you: her brother and Kaho’s were best friends. But if she liked Kaho’s brother, then what would that mean?

“That’s the scenario,” she said. “And to top it all off, he’s notoriously popular with girls. He probably wouldn’t even look at me twice. I’ll always just be Ruon-Jian’s annoying little sister to him.”

“I doubt that that’s true,” you said as you approached the docks. “Really, Jia-Li, I don’t think that's the case. You said his family will be on Ember Island at the same time as us?”

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “Although Kaho mentioned not being able to come — something about volunteering as a scribe for some official meeting that the Fire Lord will be hosting over the weekend.”

“Perfect! That’ll be our goal, then,” you said.

“Huh?” she said.

“We’re going to get you noticed by your crush! Who cares about the consequences? Kaho and your brother can just deal with it, and if they have something to say, then they can talk to me,” you said.

“That’s nice of you to offer, but what would you even do?” Jia-Li said.

“I don’t know,” you said. “Talk to them, I guess. Kaho already doesn’t like me, so it’s not a tragedy if she hates me more, and I don’t know your brother that well, so if he and I don’t get along after that kind of conversation, it won’t be a great loss.”

“Do you really think we can do something like that?” she said.

“We have to try,” you said. “You deserve it, Jia-Li.”

“Thank you,” she said, swallowing. “You’re a really good friend, Ursa. If you ever change your mind and decide you do like Prince Zuko after all, just let me know—”

“Jia-Li!” you warned her, though the threat fell flat, as she only laughed in return.

Jia-Li’s home on Ember Island was close to the docks, and it was right on the water. She told you as you walked up the seashell-lined path that that stretch of sand was actually a private beach that belonged to her family, so you wouldn’t have to worry about anyone bothering you while you were there.

“Sometimes my brother goes to the bigger beach a little ways away, though,” she said. “They like seeing other people our age and hanging out with them and whatnot.”

“Maybe when I’m a little more confident, we can try it,” you said. “For now, I’m just glad we have our own space where I don’t have to be worried about embarrassing myself in case I drown or something.”

“I wouldn’t let you drown,” Jia-Li said. “But I’m fine with that plan. It’s not like I have some huge desire to be on a massively crowded beach with the others, so it’s not heartbreaking for me if we just stay here the whole time.”

“Now, now, not the whole time,” you said. “We have to leave the house at some point so we can meet this guy you like!”

“I’m still not so sure about that,” she said, pulling out a key from her pocket and using it to unlock the front door. “Now hush, I don’t need my brother overhearing us. We can talk more later tonight or something.”

“On it,” you said, pretending to seal your lips shut. She rolled her eyes before motioning you after her. Carefully, you stepped into the grand foyer, scuffing your shoes on the welcome mat to rid them of the sand. Jia-Li smiled in approval, presumably at your politeness, and you smiled back at her.

“Mother, father!” Jia-Li shouted. “Ruon-Jian! Ursa and I are here!”

Jia-Li’s mother peeked her head around the corner, nodding demurely at the two of you, though it was deeper and more reverent when it came to you. She looked exactly like Jia-Li, only a little older, her features aged, the cut of her face sharper.

“It is good to meet you,” she said. Her voice was musical and quiet, carefully controlled — it was the culmination of years of training as the wife of a high-ranking Fire Nation official. It was what you and Jia-Li and Kaho and Ty Lee would one day sound like, once you had graduated from the academy and were ready to enter society properly.

“And you as well, madam,” you said, clasping your hands, bowing your head slightly. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home. It is greatly appreciated.”

“You are so polite,” Jia-Li’s mother said, the slightest traces of happiness flickering over her face. “I am glad Jia-Li has such an exemplary friend to look up to.”

“Nice to see you, too, mother,” Jia-Li said. Her mother laughed, opening her arms.

“Come here, then,” she said. Jia-Li brightened, racing into her mother’s arms and hugging her. You looked away, feeling like you were intruding on the moment and wishing you had your own mother to embrace like that.

“Where’s father?” Jia-Li said. Her mother sighed.

“He and Admiral Chan were called back to the palace for some important meeting, so they’re not on the island for the moment,” she said.

“It must be the meeting Kaho is scribing for,” you said.

“Most likely,” Jia-Li said. “Do you think he’ll be able to come back before I leave for the academy again? I haven’t seen him in so long.”

“I’m not sure, darling,” her mother said. “If he is still in the capital by the time your boat leaves the docks, I will send him a message to stay in the capital and receive you before he returns.”

“Thank you,” she said. “What about Ruon-Jian? Where is he?”

“Oh, that boy, he’s being as troublesome as ever. I believe he’s locked in his room at the moment. Ruon-Jian! Please come downstairs and say hello to your sister and her friend!” her mother said. It was strange — even yelling, she sounded soft and polite, which should not have made sense but somehow did.

“Why?” a deep, grumbling voice said. There were heavy footsteps on the stairs, evidence that Jia-Li’s brother was on his way but wasn’t exactly happy about it. “I don’t wanna meet Jia-Li and her stupid friend — woah.”

Her brother was tall and willowy, with shaggy brown hair that fell into his face, giving him an effortlessly cool appearance. His eyes were the same color as Jia-Li’s, but that was about where their similarities ended. If you had seen him outside, without introduction, you wouldn’t have been able to guess that they were siblings in the first place.

“This is Ruon-Jian,” Jia-Li said when it became obvious that her brother wasn’t going to introduce himself. He was far too busy staring at something, his jaw dropped and his eyebrows raised, though when Jia-Li spoke, he was able to pull himself together, running his hand through his hair and then smirking.

“That’s right,” he said. “The name’s Ruon-Jian.”

“That’s what I just said,” Jia-Li said.

“What about you?” he said. You looked from side to side, wondering who he was talking to, and then you realized it was you, which meant that the thing he had been staring at was also…

“Ursa,” you said. “I’m Ursa.”

You weren’t sure how you felt about the attention. Maybe you liked it, or maybe you didn’t. It was strange and fluttering and unfamiliar in the pit of your stomach, and behind your back, you wrung your hands nervously.

“Ursa,” he said. “Great name. It’s as pretty as you are.”

“Um, I guess if I knew who my parents were, I’d pass along the compliment,” you said.

“Wicked,” he said. “So, what are you doing on Ember Island?”

“She’s my friend, idiot. My roommate from the academy,” Jia-Li said.

“Shh, Jia-Li, I’m trying to get to know her better! Stop talking and interrupting her,” Ruon-Jian said. You exchanged bewildered looks with Jia-Li’s mother, while at your side, Jia-Li fumed, the air shimmering from the heat she gave off as a Firebender.

“She’s right,” you said. “I’m her roommate back at school. She’s one of my greatest friends.”

“Sick,” he said.

“I don’t think I am,” you said, puzzled.

“It’s slang,” Jia-Li said.

“I understand,” you said, although you didn’t, not fully. This way of speaking was entirely foreign to you, but you figured that if you had Jia-Li with you to translate, you’d probably be alright.

“Who’s your family, Ursa?” Ruon-Jian said.

“I don’t have one,” you said.

“Word?” he said.

“He’s asking if that’s the truth,” Jia-Li whispered. “It’s like saying ‘really?’”

“It is the truth,” you said. “I have no memories. I am the girl that the royal family sponsored to study at the academy after I was rescued from the Earth Kingdom.”

“No way!” Ruon-Jian said. “That’s so cool!”

“Not really,” Jia-Li said. “She doesn’t remember anything. Including her family. Idiot.”

“If I could forget you, I’d do so in a heartbeat,” Ruon-Jian said.

“Well, I’d do the same!” Jia-Li snapped. You cleared your throat.

“I’m just grateful to Prince Zuko for saving me and ensuring my future,” you said. “He, and the rest of the royal family, are likely the reason I’m still alive and standing before you today.”

“Word,” Ruon-Jian said.

“I am not lying this time, either,” you affirmed.

“No, that was more of an expression of agreement,” Jia-Li said.

“I am a little confused,” you said. “But I shall trust you on this one, Jia-Li.”

“Do you have plans for the week?” Ruon-Jian said.

“Jia-Li is going to teach me to swim,” you said, beaming at Jia-Li, who gave you a high-five in return. “Beyond that, no, not really.”

“We were going to ask you if you could teach her to ride the flying dolphin fish,” Jia-Li said. “I know you’d never teach me, but—”

“Definitely!” Ruon-Jian said, cutting Jia-Li off. “I’ll teach you anything you want, Ursa.”

Heat rushed into your face, and you bit your lower lip, shifting from foot to foot nervously. Glancing at Jia-Li, who shrugged, you trained your attention on the ground instead of looking at Ruon-Jian when you responded.

“I think that that would be fun,” you said.

“We’ll get started tomorrow,” he said.

“Ruon-Jian, usually I’m joking when I say it, but you really are an idiot! How can you teach her to ride flying dolphin fish if she doesn’t even know how to swim?” Jia-Li said.

“The day after tomorrow, then!” Ruon-Jian declared. “See you around, Ursa!”

With that, he bounded back upstairs, taking the steps two at a time, leaving you, Jia-Li, and her mother standing in the foyer, somehow even more confused than before.

The next day was somehow sunnier and brighter than the previous, which was a relief, as it was the day you were supposed to learn to swim. At present, you were wearing one of Jia-Li’s sets of swimming clothes, your towel spread out on the sand as you looked at the ocean with furrowed brows.

“You ready?” Jia-Li said.

“I think so,” you said.

“Let’s go!” she said. Without waiting for you, she charged into the water, flopping onto her stomach once it was deep enough for her to do so. Not even taking a second to think, you sprinted in after her, and when the water rose to the level of your thighs, you didn’t second-guess yourself. Using your legs to push off, you dove into the water, jetting through it, forcing your eyes open and laughing soundlessly as you wove amongst the flowing bubbles and colorful fish that decorated the ocean.

It was many seconds later that you pushed your way to the surface, taking a deep breath, your legs churning the water so that you stayed afloat. Some ways away, Jia-Li had done the same, though she was busily scanning the shore for where you might be.

“Jia-Li!” you called out. “Over here!”

“Ursa!” she said, clapping her hands in delight. “I guess you do know how to swim!”

“I guess so!” you said, overcome with a rush of euphoria at the weightless feeling the water afforded you. Jia-Li paddled over to where you were treading, doing the same beside you so that you two could talk.

“That means you can learn to ride the flying dolphin fish sooner rather than later,” she said slyly. You lowered your eyes.

“Maybe,” you said.

“I knew it!” she squealed. “You have a crush on my brother!”

“No!” you said, far too quickly to sound convincing. “I mean. No.”

“You do!” Jia-Li said. “I can’t understand why you’d ever have a crush on him, but I guess there’s really someone out there for everyone.”

“I don’t even know him,” you said. “Sure, he’s cool and all, but I don’t know the first thing about who he is as a person. How can I say for certain that I have a crush or anything?”

“That’s why you have to get to know him,” Jia-Li said, poking you in the forehead. “Right?”

“True,” you said. “Then I can tell you for certain how I feel. What about you, though?”

“What about me?” she said innocently.

“When will I get to meet this mysterious crush of yours? You can hardly expect to pursue him if you never even go to see him!” you said. She splashed you with water.

“I’m not about to just go visit his house for no reason! It would be weird,” she said.

“Maybe a little bit,” you said. “But there has to be a way for you to accidentally run into him! And when I say accidentally, of course it won’t be an accident at all, but it’ll appear to be one.”

“Just forget about it,” Jia-Li said. “It’s not a big deal. If it’s meant to be, something will come up.”

“If that’s what you want,” you said. “But you have to promise me that if something comes up, as you say it will, you’ll really try your hardest.”

“Okay,” Jia-Li said in determination. “If there is some opportunity for me to talk to him, I’ll do it.”

“That’s the way!” you said. “Now, let’s race. I want to see how fast I am, too.”

“First one to that bit of driftwood wins?” Jia-Li said, pointing at a smoothed-over log floating in the distance.

“You’re on,” you said. “Three, two — hey, I didn’t say go yet! Jia-Li!”

You could not remember ever having as much fun as you did during that time on Ember Island. You and Jia-Li spent hours lazing around on the beach or swimming in the water, eating whatever her family’s chef prepared for you, drinking fruit juice that was sometimes sweet, sometimes sour, oftentimes both. At night, you would stay up until the moon was high in the sky, giggling and exchanging secrets and stories, making fun of your classmates and the boys in the Royal Academy for Boys.

“You know, one of them has a shrine dedicated to Kaho,” Jia-Li told you one night. You howled with laughter.

“No!” you said.

“Yes, he really does! He found a portrait of her and leaves money and food in front of it every week,” she said.

“You’re making that up,” you said.

“Nope, I found out during one of the sporting matches,” she said. “I was a little disgusted, but now that I see the humor in it, I confess I’m entirely amused by the entire thing.”

You would sleep late into the day, sometimes missing the morning entirely and only waking up for the afternoons. Jia-Li’s mother never scolded you two for it, saying that she was happy you were catching up on your rest, since dark circles were not comely on a woman or something along those lines.

Sometimes, Ruon-Jian would spend a few minutes with you both, but for the most part, he was off with Chan, his best friend and Kaho’s older brother. When he was with you, he was usually sitting at your side, making fun of his sister and complimenting you all at once. And even though you barely knew him, you had to admit that it was nice to have someone paying such close attention to you for once, treating you as if you were worthy of his time and entirely normal, the way he was, instead of tiptoeing around you and your lost memories.

“You ready, Ursa?” Ruon-Jian said, plopping down on the bench beside you as you and Jia-Li ate breakfast — or was it lunch, at this point?

“For what, Ruon-Jian?” you said, batting your eyelashes at him. From across the table, Jia-Li pretended to gag.

He elbowed you in the side. “To learn to ride flying dolphin fish, of course!”

“Yes!” you said, shooting to your feet. “I thought you’d forgotten!”

“How could I forget about you?” he said. “The currents just haven’t been right for a beginner recently. You should’ve seen how badly Chan wiped out the other day!”

You glanced at Jia-Li. She mimed falling over, and you gave her a discreet thumbs up.

“You didn’t fall, though, did you?” you said. Ruon-Jian beamed and flexed his arms.

“’Course not. I’m way better than Chan,” he bragged.

“Very impressive. Then there must be no one in the Fire Nation more equipped to teach me,” you said.

“Not a single person,” he agreed.

“I can’t bear to watch any more of this,” Jia-Li muttered to no one in particular. “You guys have fun. I’m going to collect our clothes so that they can get washed, Ursa.”

She left without another word, though as she walked away, you thought you caught her saying something about how you could do better. Ignoring it, you followed after Ruon-Jian towards the beach behind his house, struggling to keep up with his brisk stride.

“There’s a pod of flying dolphin fish that visits our beach pretty regularly,” he said. “We should be able to catch a ride there.”

“Okay,” you said. “Is it safe?”

“We’ll ride the same one, so I can look after you, but on the whole, flying dolphin fish are very docile, so as long as the waves are gentle, it’s fine,” he said. “That’s why I’ve been waiting to take you out.”

“That sounds good,” you said. He whistled.

“That’s how we call them. Now, we just have to wait until they come,” he said, pulling you forward to stand beside him.

“Then what?” you said.

“It’s a surprise,” he said. “Just kidding! Then we swim out and find the friendliest one and get on.”

It took a few minutes, but eventually, in the distance, there were splashes. Ruon-Jian whooped in delight, grabbing your hand and dragging you after him before you could protest.

“They were fast today!” he said. “Let’s go before they decide to leave again!”

Ruon-Jian was a little faster than you at swimming, though you had been faster than Jia-Li. You didn’t feel insulted, though; he spent much of his time in the ocean, so it was to be expected that he was better than both you and his sister alike. The end result was that he reached the flying dolphin fish before you, and had already mounted one by the time you swam up to its side.

“How do I get on?” you said.

“You don’t,” he said, using his legs to hold onto the body of the flying dolphin fish and then bending over to pull you out of the water and set you in front of him.

“Thanks,” you said, suddenly very aware of how close he was to you, how he held onto your waist and rested his chin on your shoulder.

“Just rest your hands on its head,” he said. “Like that. Good job! I’ll do all the steering and stuff with my legs, so don’t worry about that for now. All you have to do is focus on your balance.”

“Got it,” you said.

“Then let’s get going!” he said, clicking at the flying dolphin fish, which took off with a push of its powerful tail, propelling itself through the water. Its speed was breathtaking, and as the wind rushed against your face, tears gathered in your eyes, tears of joy and freedom and also of regret. When was the last time you had felt like this? When was the last time you had been so happy? Why didn’t you endeavor to be so more often?

Suddenly, the flying dolphin fish took off into the air, and then you were soaring. Everything faded away, the rest of the world and Ruon-Jian and the flying dolphin fish and even you. It was all nothing. You were all nothing. There was only the sky and the sea and the smell of salt on the wind, blue taking over your vision and almost, for a second, reminding you of something else.

Then you were slamming back into the water, the flying dolphin fish not even slowing its pace as it went from air to ocean. The spray that hit your face from the impact was enough to wake you up from the daze, and you were reminded of where you were and who you were and what you were doing.

“That was so fun,” you said as you and Ruon-Jian re-entered the house, still dripping with saltwater despite the towels wrapped around you both.

“It’s sick, right? I knew you’d like it,” Ruon-Jian said. “Speaking of things you might like…my friend Chan is holding a party later tonight. You wanna come?”

You perked up at the name Chan, knowing he was none other than the object of Jia-Li’s affections.

“Yes, but only if Jia-Li can come, too,” you said.

“Aw, no way! Chan never leaves her alone, and I don’t want my best friend bothering my little sister. It’s so odd!” he said.

“It’ll be really lonely for me to be at a party where I don’t even know anyone,” you said with a small frown.

“That’s fair,” he said.

“And she’s my friend, so it’ll be more fun for me if she’s there,” you continued. “That’s why I’ll only go if she can, too.”

“Okay, okay,” Ruon-Jian said. “Fine. She can come, too.”

“Yay! Thank you so much!” you said, clapping. “It’s going to be so much fun.”

“Sure will be,” he said. “You should go get ready, though. There’ll be a lot of influential people there, so you should try to look your best.”

“Of course,” you said. “See you soon!”

Luckily, Jia-Li had been right in assuming that you and her would be the same size. You had been wearing her clothes for the entire vacation, and tonight was no different, as she picked out something nice for you to put on for the party.

“Ursa, I’m convinced you’re a miracle worker,” Jia-Li said, shaking her head. “Seriously! How is it that you managed to get us invited to one of Chan’s parties? They’re super selective.”

“Simple. Your brother invited me, and I told him I’d only go if you could, too. He was initially a bit reluctant, since he seemed to think Chan wouldn’t leave you alone, but he came around,” you said.

“You’re the best,” she said.

“I honestly might’ve just said no from the get go, but I heard that Chan was hosting, and I knew we had to attend. This is literally the sign you were waiting for!” you said. “What are the odds that your brother would invite me to a party hosted by the man of your dreams?”

“Pretty high, considering he thinks you’re really attractive and the so-called man of my dreams is his best friend,” Jia-Li said. “But I know what you’re saying, and I agree. Enough about that, though. The only thing left is for us to do our best to look amazing!”

Because Ruon-Jian and Chan were best friends, you arrived at the party before anyone else so that you could help Chan set up. His house was enormous, according to Ruon-Jian, and he had said it would be greatly appreciated if you all could lend a hand. With a meaningful look at Jia-Li, you had accepted.

“I made sure that Chan knew what food you like, Ursa, so that he could serve it,” Ruon-Jian said, his arm tossed around your shoulders. “I want you to have the best time!”

“Aren’t you so romantic, brother?” Jia-Li said dryly.

“Thank you, Ruon-Jian,” you said.

“Anytime,” he said with a smirk.

“Ruon-Jian!” a tall, muscular boy said as he opened the door to the mansion. “I thought you’d never get here.”

“Jia-Li took forever getting ready, dude,” Ruon-Jian said. “By the way, Chan, this is Ursa. And Ursa, this is Chan.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” you said.

“Pleasure’s all mine,” Chan said. “Did you say Jia-Li? Is she here?”

“I am,” Jia-Li from where she was hiding behind you and Ruon-Jian. “Hi, Chan.”

“Jia-Li! It’s been ages since I saw you last. How have you been?” Chan said, yanking her by the arm and into the house.

“Quit flirting with my sister!” Ruon-Jian shouted, though he went ignored by both Chan and Jia-Li. You patted him on the arm.

“It’s okay,” you said. “She doesn’t seem upset about it, so you shouldn’t be, either.”

“It’s just so freaky,” he said with a shudder. “Jia-Li’s my baby sister. She shouldn’t have guys interested in her, let alone guys that have been my best friend since I could count.”

“She’s grown up now,” you said. “She can make her own decisions. You should just support her.”

“If you think that’s what’s best,” he said reluctantly. “You’re pretty mature, you know.”

“It’s funny, I feel like I’ve heard that before, though I don’t quite recall who might’ve said such a thing,” you said. “It doesn’t matter; either way, thank you.”

Jia-Li and Chan were too busy talking with each other, and Ruon-Jian was too busy fixing his hair in the mirror, so the brunt of the party set up fell to you. You didn’t mind, though, liking the act of working, and you were so efficient that everything was ready right around dusk.

“The place looks great, Ursa,” Ruon-Jian said when you rejoined him in front of the mirror.

“Your hair does, too, so you can stop fiddling with it,” you said. He pulled you in by the waist, flashing a peace sign in the mirror.

“Don’t we look so good together?” he said. “It’s like…like you were meant to stand beside me.”

“I suppose so,” you said, though you weren’t sure if you would go so far as to say all that. Still, it was nice to know that someone thought you belonged with them, so when he began to lean in, you did not move away.

Right when his lips were about to brush against yours, there was a knock on the door. He drew back in irritation.

“Who is here this early?” he said. “Whatever. Where were we again?”

The moment was ruined, though, so you pretended to be preoccupied with straightening your clothes, your head tilted downwards so that he could not even catch your eye.

“These are some really punctual party guests,” you said. “No one else is here yet.”

“Yeah, punctual’s one word for it,” Ruon-Jian said, clearly taking the hint you had given him and hopefully not being too miffed about it. “Wait, it’s that group we invited when we were on the beach earlier! Should’ve known they’d be the type.”

“On the — Ty Lee?” you said.

The first one to enter, Ty Lee turned in search of whoever had said her name. When she noticed you standing beside Ruon-Jian, one of his arms still around your waist, your posture clearly still set towards him, her jaw dropped.

“Ursa?” she said. “What are you doing here?”

“I feel like that’s a question I should be asking you,” you said as she cartwheeled over to drag you away from Ruon-Jian and into a hug so tight you temporarily stopped breathing.

“We were just hanging out on the beach when we got invited to come by Chan and Ruon-Jian!” she said. “I can’t believe you’re here, too.”

“Ruon-Jian is Jia-Li’s older brother, and he’s best friends with Chan, so I think that my presence is a little more explicable than yours,” you said. “When you say we, though, who do you mean?”

“Me, Mai, Azula, and Zuko!” Ty Lee said, pointing at each of them in turn. Mai was sitting by a painting, glaring whenever someone tried to approach her, and the girl who must’ve been the infamous Princess Azula was talking to Chan while Jia-Li stood behind her, ostensibly shoved out of the way so that the princess could have her turn talking to the host.

As for Zuko, he was still awkwardly standing by the doorframe, though when he glanced over at you, his eyes widened. At first, relief filled them, but when he noticed your proximity to Ruon-Jian, a strange sort of malcontent settled over his expression.

“Zuko!” you said as he stormed over to you. Ty Lee looked at him and then back at you before promptly dashing over to Mai’s side, the only one who didn’t get glared at for daring to go near her. “What are you—?”

“Who is he?” he said.

“The name’s Ruon-Jian, dude,” Ruon-Jian said, holding out his hand for Zuko to shake. Zuko looked at it disdainfully before scoffing and then returning his gaze to you.

“He’s Jia-Li’s older brother,” you said.

“Right,” Zuko said sardonically. “That’s why the two of you are so close.”

“I’ve been staying at his house the whole time I’ve been on Ember Island, so yeah, it’s probably a contributing factor,” you said.

“I’m gonna go get some food, Ursa. There are some freaky vibes here right now that I don’t really approve of,” Ruon-Jian said, inching away.

“Do you like him?” Zuko said. You blinked, taken aback by the direct question. In his letters, he was so kind and tactful, so you had come to associate him with that sort of language. The elegance with which he wrote, the careful concern he always showed for whatever you said — all of it had caused a fondness for him to grow in you.

“He’s just my friend’s older brother,” you said. The way he was speaking now was as if he was accusing you and you had to defend yourself or face judgment, but what crime had you even committed in the first place? “He taught me to ride flying dolphin fish and invited me to the party. That’s all.”

“Of course,” he said. “He’s so cool, with his dumb hair and clothes and flying dolphin fish, so of course you like him. No surprise there.”

“Are you angry?” you said. “Why?”

“Am I angry?” he said. “No!”

“You sound a little angry,” you said meekly. “I just wanted to make sure.”

“Why would it even matter to you?” he said.

“I don’t know?” you said. “I was only asking.”

“Don’t ask questions for no reason, especially when you don’t care about the answer in the first place,” he said.

“But that’s not the case. I did care about the answer, or else I wouldn’t have asked,” you said.

“Well, next time, just ask that boyfriend of yours,” he said.

“Ruon-Jian?” you said.

“Yes?” Ruon-Jian said, appearing out of nowhere. “Here, this is for you.”

“You have such horrible timing,” you said under your breath, accepting the plate he handed you. “Zuko, have you eaten anything yet? There’s a lot of really good food out. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

“It’s all Ursa’s favorites!” Ruon-Jian said. “I made sure of it myself.”

“Oh, yeah?” Zuko said with a sneer. “What the hell do you know about her, anyways?”

“Yo, chill, dude,” Ruon-Jian said, holding his hands in the air. “Who even are you? I probably know more than you! Her and I are really close, you see.”

It was probably the worst thing he could’ve said. Zuko’s face darkened, and then, before any of you knew it, he was grabbing Ruon-Jian by the collar and throwing him into a nearby vase. You jumped at the noise before rushing over to help Ruon-Jian stand.

“I’m fine,” Ruon-Jian said, waving you off as he staggered to his feet. “What is your problem, dude?”

“Stay away from her,” Zuko said.

“Who are you to say that?” you said. “My benefactor? That doesn’t mean you get to control my life, Zuko! Why does it matter to you who I’m hanging out with? He’s from a perfectly respectable family, so it’s not like it’ll reflect badly on you. I don’t get what the big deal is!”

“Seriously?” Zuko said. “You think I care what family he’s from? Do what you want! It doesn’t matter to me. It’s what you’ll do anyways, so why should I try to stop you?”

“What happened?” you said. “Why has your opinion of me lowered so thoroughly? What have I done to offend you so greatly? I know that you are angry, and I know it is because of me, but I cannot understand why!”

“There’s a lot of things you can’t understand,” he said.

“I heard a crash, is everyone — who broke my nana’s vase?” Chan shrieked as he came back into the main room. Ruon-Jian pointed at Zuko. “You! I’ve had enough of you, alright? Get out of my party!”

“I was just leaving,” Zuko said, though not without one last glare at all of you.

“See you around, loser!” Ruon-Jian said.

“Jia-Li’s right,” you said as Mai, Ty Lee, and Princess Azula excused themselves as well. “You really are an idiot. Do you know who that was?”

“Some jealous loser?” Ruon-Jian said. You opened your mouth to argue before deflating, knowing that there was no point.

“Just forget about it. Let’s try to enjoy ourselves for the rest of the party,” you said.

Some time later, there was a knock on the door. Chan opened it, and then his face fell.

“Hello, Chan,” a voice that could only be Princess Azula’s said. “Thanks for inviting us earlier, but I have some unfortunate news to share.”

“The party’s over,” Zuko said, and then all four of them were in the room, sending bursts of fire everywhere, kicking the tables in half, swinging from the chandeliers and slicing up the paintings.

“What is going on?” Jia-Li shouted, covering her head with her hands.

“I have no idea,” you said. “Hey, what are you guys doing?”

Chan screamed as Mai threw a set of knives into a pair of antique paintings on the walls and the chandelier came crashing to the ground under Ty Lee’s weight. Jia-Li pulled you out of the way of a stray lick of blue fire from Azula, and you buried your face in your hands.

“This was a pretty terrible party,” Ty Lee said, dropping lightly to her feet in front of you. “You could say we’re showing our appreciation as guests!”

“By destroying his house?” you said as Zuko kicked an entire pillar in half.

“Yep! Wanna join?” Ty Lee said.

“No!” you and Jia-Li said in unison.

“To each their own!” Ty Lee said before springing away.

“Well…” Jia-Li said. “It would feel nice.”

“What? Why?” you said.

“I thought Chan was confessing to me on the balcony earlier, but it turns out that even though he does like me, he wants to live a free and unburdened life, without the commitment of having a girlfriend. He told me that the best he could offer me is a long-term arrangement in which he does what he wants and then spends some time with me whenever I’m on the island,” Jia-Li said.

“That’s horrible,” you said.

“And while I was out there, he told me that Ruon-Jian invited Mai and Ty Lee because he thought they were hot and he wanted a chance with them,” she continued. “So there’s that.”

You scowled, and even though you hadn’t been betrayed, it felt as if you had been. Naturally, you held no claim on Ruon-Jian, but the entire reason you had grown close to him in the first place was because you liked being someone’s priority. If you weren’t even that, then what was the point?

“Jia-Li,” you said. “Since it’s the prince and princess in charge of the destruction, you could consider it a royal order.”

“You could,” Jia-Li said, a grin creeping onto her face.

“And as students of the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, we are duty-bound to follow all royal orders,” you said.

“That we are,” she said.

“I think that means we have to participate,” you said.

“I think you’re right, Ursa,” she said.

“Of course, it’s not because we’re angry at Ruon-Jian or Chan or anything,” you said.

“Definitely not,” she agreed. “We’re just following in the prince and princess’s example.”

“That’s exactly correct,” you said. “After all, what are we but their humble and obedient servants?”

“Nothing, indeed!” Jia-Li said brightly. “All hail the royal family!”

With that, she ignited her hands and placed them right on a portrait of Chan as a child. You cheered before taking a steak knife and using it to cut up the curtains, tossing them into the fire she had started as kindling.

“I’m glad we’re friends, Ursa,” Jia-Li said.

“Yeah, I’m glad we’re friends, too.”

Ursa,

It wasn’t anything you did. I’m sorry; I was upset about something unrelated and took it out on you. You have no need to ask for my forgiveness — if anyone should be doing that, it’s me. Please, please forgive me for being so angry. I promise that I will make it up to you the next time we meet.

Yours, Zuko

P.S. I did not think that you and Jia-Li would join in, but I can’t say that I’m disappointed.

P.P.S. Ruon-Jian is ugly and his hair is terrible. You don’t need to be friends with him, anyways.