#while he fights and they try to defend him.... no other explaination (apart for 4 the plot reasons)

[hauntingblue]

NAMI NEEDS TO GO UP THERE AND FIGHT BIG MOM I AM SO SERIOUS!!! THIS IS A BATTLE FOR THE ROMANCE DOWN TRIO!! SANJI DO NOT DARE TAKE HER SPOT!!!

[larluce]

Arthur and Merlin travel back in time without knowing the other is from the future too AU

Tagging @aceauthorcatqueen , @fallenxjas , @smileytrinity ,@lucifertookmyshoe , @an-entity-i-think , @thecornerofbelu , @griffonskies , @odinjm , @cinnabon-sweetroll-tiramisu , @thelady-mary , @bennedict , @nightninjaboy , @st8-of-grace , @star-rie , @error-username-not-available , @dogberryrowan , @jamieweasley13 , @tansyuduri , @tercais , @robynnemrys , @evadne01 , @serasvictoria02 , @hairdryerducks , @hopeaha , @curiously-lazy , @ harriettesthings , @andrealux16 , @wacko-weirdo , @greatdonutenemy , @yougottobekittenme , @anxiousosaurus , @kinkforwings , @someweirdassnamee , @impracticalantlers , @miyriu , @hobipabo

LINKS TO THE OTHER PARTS OF THIS AU HERE: PART 1 , PART 2 , PART 3 , PART 4 , PART 5 , PART 6 , PART 7 , PART 8 , PART 9 , PART 10 , PART 11 , PART 12 , PART 13 , PART 14 , PART 15 , PART 16 , PART 17 , PART 18 , PART 19 , PART 20 , PART 21 , PART 22 , PART 23, PART 24 (You're here) , PART 25

This is basically a bonus of "The Moment of Truth":

When Arthur, Merlin and the knights come back to Ealdor, they are greeted with applauses and gifts from the villagers. They thank Merlin the most since he "hired" those men and wish him luck in his way back to Camelot. Merlin and Arthur are having a heartfelt goodbye with Hunith at her house when suddenly Will enters.

Hunith: (surprised) Will!

Will: (yells furious at Arthur) You! I'm going to kill you! (goes to him with every intention to fight him)

Merlin: (puts himself between Arthur and Will) Wow! What's wrong?

Will: Don't defend him, Merlin. I know who he is! (to Arthur) You are Prince Arthur, aren't you? I should have known, you speak like a nobel, you even walk like a nobel! with all this air of superiority!

Arthur: (doesn't feel threatened at all cause he can take Will apart in a second, he's just confused) I am indeed. That still doesn't explain why you want to kill me.

Will: People like you don't do anything unless it meets their selfish needs. And you came all this way here to help a village that isn't even in your Kingdom. (turns to Merlin, his fury turning into worry) Merlin... what is he making you do? What did you give him in exchange of his help?

Merlin: (more than confused) ... What? 😧

Will: (holds Merlin by the shoulders, very distraught) Did he .. force you? Is that why you hate him so much?

Merlin: (open his eyes wide when he realises) No! Arthur would never! Oh, Gods, where do you get these ideas?!

Arthur: (very offended, but still keeping his composure) You heard him. I would never take advantage of anyone like that, much less Merlin.

Will: Of course he won't admit it while you're here. (puts Merlin behind him) Don't worry, Merlin. I'll protect you. You won't have to go back with this sick bastard again. (starts pulling Merlin)

Merlin: Will, wait! It's not-

Arthur: (grabs Merlin and pushes Will to make him let go of him) Who do you think you are to take my manservant from me?! 😡

Will: I don't care that you're the Prince or the King himself! I won't let you put your filthy hands on him again 😡 (punches Arthur or rather tries to cause Arthur soon stops his fist mid-air and twists his arm behind his back) Ow, ow, ow!

Merlin: Arthur! 😠

Arthur: He started! He should be thankful I'm not arresting him for treason.

Will: (takes impulse and hits Arthur with the back of his head)

Arthur: Ow! (brings a hand to his nose)

Will: Your training paid off. (grabs Merlin by the wrist and starts running) Let's go.

Arthur: (grabs Merlin's other wrist before they can go far) Stop trying to steal my Merlin! 😡 (Pulls)

Will: He is nothing of yours! 😡 (pulls)

Arthur: He's my servant! 😡 (pulls)

Will: He's my friend! 😡 (pulls)

Merlin: Stop pulling me! 😫

Hunith: (raises her voice) Let go of my son this instant! 😡

Arthur and Will: (don't let go and wait the other to let go, killing each other with their eyes)

Hunith: Let go I said! (slaps Will's hand hard to make him let go of Merlin)

Will: Ow!

Hunith: What's gotten into you? (Grabs Arthur’s hand and makes him let go of Merlin gently) You are acting like kids, for Gods' sake!

Merlin: (looks at his mother surprised in disbelief)

Will: (just as surprised, but also looking kind of betrayed)

Arthur: (smiles smugly)

Merlin: (crosses his arms) Mom, why did you wait until now to intervene? 🤨

Hunith: Sorry, hon. I thought you had it under control.

Merlin: What gave you that impression!

Hunith: (sighs and turns to Will) Will, Arthur has been sleeping under my roof for days which is why I discovered he was a Prince way sooner than you did. You think I would let my son keep working with him if I believed he was in any danger?

Will: But you must have seen it! How this pervert stares at him with lust in his eyes!

Arthur: Hey! 😡

Hunith: It's true he stares at him, but you are confusing lust with something else. Trust me, he's been nothing but respectful towards my son.

Merlin: (thinking) Only when you are watching but I can't say that right now without making things worst.

Hunith: I know you won't be at easy until you can talk alone with Merlin, so... We (points at Arthur and herself) will leave you two alone (points Merlin and Will) to talk things through and clear this big misunderstanding and after that I want you (points Arthur and Will) to apologise for what you've done. Understood?

Arthur: But-

Hunith: (looks at Arthur, sternly) Understood?

Arthur: (hungs his head) Yes, ma'am.

Will: (smiles smugly)

Hunith and Arthur: (leave Merlin and Will alone in the house)

Merlin: He is NOT doing THAT to me.

Will: You don't have to feel ashamed, Merlin. I won't think less of you.

Merlin: I am telling the truth! Arthur and I are just friends. He helped me out of the goodness of his heart.

Will: Friends? A Prince and a servant?

Merlin: Crazy, I know. But somehow we are.

Will: You told me you hated the Prince and badmouthed him!

Merlin: Yeah, I also call you brainless beast and you call me freak of nature sometimes, but is not serious. I mock him, he mocks me. That's how we are.

Will: So... he hasn't... beded you?

Merlin: For the last time, no.

Will: (sighs in relief) Okay... That still doesn't mean he's not looking for that.

Merlin: Will-

Will: I saw how he looks at you! That's not how you look at your friends!

Merlin: I told you, he's very protective of me. Shortly after we met he witnessed how a witch throwed a poisoned dagger at my back.

Will: What?! 😨

And Merlin tells him. Story after story, and how after each adventure or experience his closeness with Arthur growed. Will is still incredulous at first, but soon his expression turns very serious and seems to understand something he didn't before.

Will: He's in love with you.

Merlin: (turns very red) What-No, of course not! Didn't you heard anything I-

Will: And you love him too.

Merlin: You're talking nonsense again.

Will: Give me your hand.

Merlin: What?

Will: I want to prove something, give me your hand.

Merlin: (gives Will his hand)

Will: (takes it gently and looks at him intendedly) I'm in love with you, Merlin.

Merlin: (pulls his hand away quickly and frowns at Will)

Will: See? That's the normal reaction when you learn a friend you only like as a friend is in love with you. But when I told you Arthur is in love with you you denied it, yes, but you also blushed!

Merlin: ...

Will: (softens his expression) We are friends, I don't care if you fancy men. Hell, I suspected it for a while. But this man-

Merlin: It's just my friend and that’s all he'll ever be.

Will: Even if he corresponds your feelings?

Merlin: He never will.

Will: But if he did?

Merlin: ...

Will: Merlin, you must promise me you won't get with him even if he loves you back. He's not good for you. He's a Prince. Of Camelot of all places! It's not-

Merlin: Will, I'll tell you what I told my mother and my uncle. I'm sick of people deciding what's best for me. (Goes to the door) I'll go get Arthur and I expect you to apologise for your behaviour, because, whichever you believe his reasons are, he still saved our village and by extension your ass. (Leaves)

Time skip. Will apologising to Arthur while Merlin watches.

Will: And I'm sorry I called you sick bastard... and pervert... and ugly pighead.

Arthur: You didn't call me that.

Will: Oh. I must've thought it then.

Merlin: Will 😑

Arthur: (smiles politely) I accept your apology. I was out of turn too. I hope you can forgive me.

Will: (thinking) He totally rehearsed this.

Arthur: Merlin, go prepare our things. Facade is over.

Merlin: No, I won’t let you two alone.

Arthur: We'll behave. Now go or we'll be late.

Merlin: (not convinced but obbeys) My mom is nearby, just so you know (leaves)

Arthur: Alright. You can speak your mind now.

Will: Merlin may be too dense or oblivious to notice, but I'm not! You want to turn him into your misstress! You think that by doing this "desinterested" acts he'll agree to be your little toy and I won't allow it!

Arthur: (sighs, thinking) Why didn't you die in this timeline. (Says) I know you have a bad image of nobelty. I could go on and on on how much Merlin means to me, that I rather die than harm him in any way and you still wouldn't believe a word I say.

Will: You guess right.

Arthur: But don't you trust Merlin?

Will: Of course I do!

Arthur: Well, it doesn't look like it! You think Merlin, insubordinate with justice complex bold Merlin, would let himself be bought by such things? Or that he would submit to any noble's desires? The very first day he came to Camelot he confronted me for bullying a servant. Even after I told him I was the Prince, he didn't care. You really think he has such low selfrespect?

Will: ...

Arthur: So think whatever you want of me, I don't care. But don't insult Merlin like that.

Will: You're really good at speeches. I'll grant you that. But if you dare to hurt him-

Arthur: You'll kill me, I know. I'll tell you what, if that ever happens, you have my permission. No charges will be brought against you.

Will: I hope you are a man of your word, Your Highness.

Arthur: (laughs a litte) You are the second person I know that makes "Your Highness" sound like an insult. I can see why Merlin and you get along.

Will: (very proud) Well, we've been best friends since forever. It's normal we share some qualities.

Arthur: Childhood bestfriends.

Will: (frowns) And bestfriends now.

Arthur: I don't believe so.

Will: (sarcastic) And who's his best friend now? You?

Arthur: (also very proud) I mean, we've been pretty close since he came to Camelot.

Will: That doesn't make you his best friend. I've been there for him for years.

Arthur: And what about these last months? Quantity is not quality.

Will: I taught him how to fish. 😑

Arthur: I taught him how to horse ride and follow a trail. 😑

Will: I defended him from bullies. 😠

Arthur: I defended him from the King himself. 😠

Will: He took the blame for me every time I got into trouble. Every. Single. Time! 😡

Arthur: He risked his own life for me. More. Than. Once! 😡

Merlin: (comes back) Everything is ready. We can-Are you fighting again? 🤨

Will and Arthur: (turn to Merlin fast in sync and demand) WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND? 😡

Merlin: ... What? 😰

Will: It's me, isn't it? You wouldn't replace me after just a couple of months for... (points at Arthur despectively) this.

Arthur: You mean a literal Prince?

Will: (ignores him and keeps talking to Merlin) Who got you out of the well when you fell?

Arthur: Who lied to the King to help you protect your village?

Merlin: I...(thinking) When did they decide to gang up against me?! 😓

Will: So?

Arthur: Who is your best friend?

Merlin: (sweats)

Hunith: (Passes by in the distance)

Merlin: (shouts at her) Right away, mom! (to Arthur and Will) Sorry, my mom is calling me. (runs)

Arthur and Will: MERLIN! 😡

...

Aaaand that would be all with "The Moment of truth". Next will be "The Labyrinth of Gedref" that is going to be quite long too cause is going to take a WAY different turn! Then I will finally focus on series 2 where most of your requests are, don't think I forgot them ;)

I can't thank you enough for all the love you've been giving this merthur story, especially in the comments. Which was supposed to be merely a prompt turned into this kind of long fic in script format and I didn't expect it at all. This story exists for you so thank you, so so much, I love you all! ❤️❤️🤧🤧

Fun fact: Merlin's mare name is Princess Eboni Lily Plum Pendragon, but he calls her "Princess" or "Baby Plum" for short and just calls her by her full name when he's angry or scolding her (which happens often cause she keeps biting and kicking other people). When Arthur asks Merlin why he gave his last name to the horse, Merlin just tells him he doesn't have one to give and since Arthur bought her it just felt right. Though, secretly, Merlin just wanted to mess with Uther too.

[criolla-star]

A Fiery Lovestory (Red Son x Mk part 5)

(i suggest you check out part 1-4 if you haven't already has a lot of information and sidenotes)

Red Son let out a sigh when Mk left and began looking around the apartment for things to do. He was curious and went into MKs' room it thankfully wasn't as messy as the rest of the place, he looked around the room because fuck privacy. Red Son stared at a photo frame it had all of MKs' friends in it, "Stupid noodle boy..." He mumbled to himself before deciding to go through MKs' clothing as far as he knew his clothes were probably dry but there was just something about MKs' clothes sure he wore it for one night but it was so comfy and warm and sure he can control fire but it was a different type of warm it made him....happy......

Red Son found a jumper it looked way bigger than MKs' other clothes totally as if the normal clothes weren't big on him but when he put it on it covered his knees, "Why does he even have clothes this big...?" the fire demon mumbled before hugging himself and purring you see he was a lot like a cat and it was a coincidence since they were also his favourite animal. There was something about cats their cute faces and soft fur that made them so lovable.

Letting out a sigh Red Son continued to search through the room and found a sketchbook, opening it there was beautiful scenery drawn the fire demon could draw but that's just because he was always sketching out templates for his inventions. He let out a sigh and put the book down before leaving the room with a fluffy blanket. Red Son sat on the couch and began making it comfortable, but while he was doing this someone unexpected appeared.

"RED SON! I"VE BEEN LOOKING ALL OVER FOR YOU" a voice called out before Macaque emerged from the shadow hearing the sudden shout caught Red Son off guard causing him to yelp, "Are you alright? You went to go work on something then just disappeared from thin air" Macaque added worriedly before grabbing Red Son by his shoulders and shaking him. "Whoa okay, geez calm down I'm fine" the fire demon chuckled out taking the shadow monkeys' hands off his shoulders. " Good, Now tell me why the fuck you're in your so called enemies apartment" Macaque hissed. Red Son let out a sigh, "Last night I went for a walk out and then it started raining, which I had no idea impacted my fire then I bumped into the noodle boy and he wouldn't let me go out in the rain" Red Son quickly explained, "Is that why you're wearing his clothes, because to me these things are dry~" Macaque teased while pointing towards his friends' clothing, Red Son lit up with blush, " Haha very funny maybe I'll listen to your opinion when you and Wukong stop fighting like a married couple" the fire demon said trying to defend his dignity. "H-Hey!" Macaque stuttered out.

"Did you lie to my parents for me...?" Red Son asked quickly changing the mood, "Hmm? Yea...told them I sent you somewhere so we could train" Macaque said relieving his friend of his worries. "Listen I can't leave now, noodle boy will freak if he finds out I'm not here when he comes back" Red Son said looking away from Macaque, "Alright kid, but you better be out by the end of the week" the shadow monkey responded, "Also you seem quite comfy in those clothes of his~" he added, causing Red Sons' face to light up again. "I have dignity and high standards I would never fall for a simple mortal!" Red Son said out embarrassingly, "but, his clothes are quite comfy..." he added whispering the last part but he clearly forgotten that he walking whispering around the Sixed-Eared Macaque so he was obviously heard and Macaque laughed out, "Anyways, I'll be seeing you later, go back to whatever you were doing" The shadow monkey said before retreating into the shadows.

Red Son let out a small giggle when Macaque left, "I don't like the noodle boy, I could never!" Red Son spoke aloud trying to convince himself. Red Son grabbed the TV remote before putting on a show and watching it while he was sitting there comfortably wrapped in blankets.

(With Mk)

"Hopefully, he hasn't done anything..." Mk thought to himself as he drove around, "He seems so innocent when he's embarrassed, he gets so easily flustered....his hair it's so soft and smells so good...-" Mk was cut out of his thoughts by a loud honking sound which caused him to jump it was a green light and he was just there daydreaming about Red Son. He instantly drove before he was honked at again, but after awhile it was his break time and he was tired. Mk sat in the truck eating some noodles until, he was absorbed in his thoughts again, "His voice, face, body and....personality......so perfect.." Mk said the last part aloud, "OOOoo, whatcha thinking about there bud, who's perfect?!" Wukong said as he appeared out of thin air. "HOLY SHIT MONKEY KING! Don't sneak up on me like that..!" Mk said as he almost had a heart attack, "Haha sorry bud, but I seriously wanna know who you're thinking about" Wukong laughed out before sitting next to Mk. "I-I don't know what you're talking about" Mk said out stubbornly looking away from Wukong, Mk was still in denial that he liked Red Son.

"Does Mei know about your little crush?" Wukong teased, there was an awkward silence between the two, "No..." Mk quietly replied, "Aww c'mon bud I won't judge you and plus I need to make sure she's good enough for you" Wukong said, " Who said it was a she?" Mk replied trying to get on Wukongs' even more, that sentence caught the great sage off guard he knew Mk had been a few relationships before and that he was bisexual but Mk always told him that it was sorta hard to find guys his type. "C'mon you can't tell me that and not tell me who it is" Wukong whined before shaking Mk, "Yes, I can...and would you look at that my break is over see ya" Mk said before staring the truck, Wukong let out a sigh of defeat before teleporting away.

Mk focused on the road, "I can't like him...what are the others gonna say..." Mk thought before digging his nails into the steering wheel.

[kining-the-evil]

Can i request a James Wilson x f!reader where they’re married and the reader takes the place of House in the episode where he gets shot.

Heartbeat

Summary: Nothing brings a fighting couple together like a life threatening event

Warnings: being shot, arguing between reader and Wilson, angst, house being a bitch, reader is House’s sister

“I really don’t know what you want y/n,” James mumbled through his hands. His desk was a mess, something that always drove you crazy. The entire time you’d known the man you went out of your way to clean it and eventually he got used to it, even poking fun at you when you did. Today would not include that sort of teasing.

“You know exactly what I want, you just don’t want to actually do it.” You argued back. This was the third time James had stayed at the hospital over night, except last night he didn’t stay here. He went to your brothers.

“I- I had work to get done-“

“Thats what you were at Greg’s?” You watched as his face morphed slightly. He knew you’d caught him in his lie.

“He told you?”

“No. I was tired of sleeping in an empty apartment so I went to see my brother. Your car was parked out front.” The silence made the room feel heavy, and your husband was looking everywhere but at you.

“I don’t… i didn’t mean…I was going to come home. But…I just ended up there,” he attempted to explain.

“Thats why you told me you wouldn’t be home before I went home?” He didnt answer, fully aware it was a rhetorical question. “Its nice to know we are no longer in the ‘honeymoon phase.’ How else was I ever going to know when you were going to start trying to make me ex wife number 4?”

“Thats a low blow.”

“No, its a low blow for others. For your wife, its a perfectly reasonable concern!” He finally pushed himself away from his desk to stand up, reacting to how your voice was raising.

“Please just, calm down for a moment.”

“I have been calm! How many times have I defended shit you do? How many times have I forgiven you!” You yelled at him. “You promised you would be better this time!”

James just stared at you. It could have been because he didn’t know what to say, or because you’d never yelled at him like this; but you didn’t really care.

“You know what James, if you want to be like this then you can stay at Greg’s house for a while. I don’t want to see you.”

You didnt wait for an answer this time, simply leaving his office in a huff. Your next stop was your brothers office so you could chew him out.

“Gregory House!” You yelled, throwing the door open. All three of his lackeys turned to look at you while Greg made a face.

“Full name, that cant be good.”

“Why the hell did you not tell me?”

“Tell you what?” you gave him a look, making him sigh. “I assume you just got done yelling at Wilson?”

“I told him he could stay with you for a while, seeing as you didn’t have an issue with it last time.” The other three doctors watched the two argue, unsure of what they should do. It felt wrong to watch, but they didnt want to draw attention to themselves by leaving either.

Before you could continue yelling at him, the door to the office opened and another man walked in.

“Are you Doctor House?”

“No, he is.” Greg pointed at Forman, not looking away from the obvious staring contest happening between the two of you.

“Im an old patient.”

“You can leave the gift basket on my desk-“ he stoped talking, eyes wide, making you turn to see what was happening. You didnt even see the gun before you felt a sharp pain in your neck, and then your abdomen. You felt yourself run into your brother as you stumbled backwards, and he quickly helped you to lay down.

He was talking to you, but the ringing in your ears was to loud to hear him. You brought your hand to your stomach, bringing it up slightly to see your hand covered in blood. You must have been shot.

You let your eyes slid shut for a moment, and when you opened them again you were laying on what felt like a bed and the ceiling was flying by. You caught a glimpse of Cuddy, and you could feel hands on both your neck and stomach. Your breathing was labored, and blood was stating to fill your mouth. You coughed, attempting to expel the liquid, and Cuddy glanced back down at you.

“Your going to be ok y/n.”

You nodded slowly, but the pain in your neck quickly put a stop to it. You let your eyes slip closed again, and when you opened them again a few doctors were surrounding you and you were no longer moving. In the corner of your eye you saw James, and you attempted to say something. Though you weren’t sure what. Instead, a mask was put over your face and the already fuzzy world got even fuzzier.

You attempted to reach out in James’s direction, but your arm felt to heavy. You let your eyes slip closed for a third time, knowing you wouldn’t open them again for a while.

•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•

Everything hurt. That was the only though you had as you woke up a bit. Every part of your body was soar, and your head felt like someone had been beating on it with a hammer. After a few moments of laying there, you opened your eyes slightly. Thankfully, the lights in the room were turned down making it slightly more bearable. A glance around the room told you you were alone.

You reached up, feeling around your body a bit. Your neck felt the worse, which made sense since there was multiple bandages and a draining tube sticking pit if the side. Your stomach also had bandages, and there was a small bit of blood on it.

“You look like shit.” You glanced up to see your brother leaning against the doorway.

“Funny,” you groaned. “How bad?”

“You got a bullet lodged in your neck and abdomen. They removed them, but you lost a lot of blood and you flatlined for two minutes.” You listened, calculating what that would mean. Two minutes without air could cause brain damage.

“He was trying to shoot me.” You glanced back at your brothers face, seeing an emotion that was rare for him. Guilt. “He had an std after cheating on his wife and I had to tell her. She ended up killing herself; he wanted to kill me. You got in the way.”

You weren’t sure what to say. One thing the two of you didnt have a lot of practice with was sharing emotional moments together. No mater what the emotion was. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“I know.”

It was silent for a few minutes after that. Neither of you really knowing where to go from there. “Where’s James?”

He smirked lightly at your question. “He snuck off to see his mistress, he’ll be so disappointed that you pulled through.”

“Im not in the mood Greg.”

“Relax. He should be back any second.” He leaned back to glance down the hall. “Speak of the devil.”

James pushed past his friend, slightly out of breath. “Is she ok-“ he stoped when he saw you awake. “Thank god.” He mumbled, a smile in his face.

“Hi,” you whispered, a smile of your own on your face.

“I’ll give you some space, but don’t go to crazy.” You couldn’t help but role your eyes at your brothers sarcasm, but he did leave the two of you alone.

“Im sorry.”

The words were out of his mouth before you even had a chance to think about saying something to him.

“What?”

He walked over, sitting in the chair next to your bed. He reached out taking a hold of your hand, careful of the iv in it. “I have been, awful the past few weeks. My own insecurities got the best of me, and because of that you’ve suffered. When Cameron got me, I immediately thought, ‘what if I lose her?’ When they told me you flatlined-“ he cut himself off with a shaky breath. You let go of his hand, reaching up to touch his face; whipping away a tear. “When they told me that, all I could think about was that the last moment I would have spent with you was arguing. Not say I love you, not seeing you smile; that last time I would have seen you was with you glaring at me.”

“James,” you whispered to the man. “I’m ok.”

“I know, but what if you weren’t?” He had tears running down his face, which told you just how upset he was. James took after your brother, his emotions being just as hard to read at times.

“Im sorry for yelling,” you apologized. “I’m just scared to be another one of your ex wife’s.”

“I messed up my other relationships, Im not doing it again.” He assured you. “And I will do anything to show you.”

“I just want honesty. Dont hide, or go running to my brother. Talk to me.”

“I will.” He promised, letting his head lean into your hand as he rubbed light circles in your wrist. He leaned down, intending to kiss you but you turned your head away.

“I can not possibly look kissable right now.”

“You Look beautiful.” He tried, but you shook your head.

“I have a tube in my neck draining a mix of blood and puss. I can promise you that’s not attractive.” He just smiled at your words, shaking his head.

“You could throw up blood on me and id still kiss you.”

“Liar.” He laughed at the look you have him to accompany the word.

“Ok, ok, that may be an exaggeration. But I still want a kiss.” That time you let him lean down and connect your lips. It wasn’t long, but it left the promise of more later.

“Oh come on, you can do more then that.” James exhaled on your face, making you chuckle as Greg walked in. “If you go a little further then I get $100 from Forman.”

“You could always not make bets on our person life,” James offered.

“But what’s the fun in that?” He pushed a few buttons on your iv, making your frown.

“What Are You Doing?”

“Uping your Morphine, dont tell cuddy.” He Held a finger up in a shushing motion.

“God, I love you,” you smiled. If you were going to be shot, you might as well feel good for the night.

“Now that you’ve done your little crying make up thing, you should go shower.” James started to argue, but Greg just cut him off. “You haven’t moved to two days. How am I going to make the $100 of you stink?”

“Ill be fine,” you assured your husband. He didnt say anything, but nodded and stood up. He placed a small kiss on your forehead before leaving the room. Greg watched him walk away before look back at you.

“Thank god you made up, he is the worst roommate.”

“Shut up before I throw something at you.”

[iris-sistibly]

The Targ Talk (a review series): House of the Dragon episode 7

[🔥]

The very first scene when Vaemond (or whoever that was) was making a eulogy during Laena's funeral, and when he spoke of Laena's daughters and how their Velaryon blood runs through their veins, then the camera turned to Rhaenyra and her sons as if the eulogy was meant to point out the boys' questionable parentage. Daemon giggling when Vaemond (?) said that their blood "must never thin" was perhaps due to the fact that neither Jace nor Luke (or even Joffrey) has the Velaryon blood. Idk how the rest of y'all would interpret that scene but that's how I view it.

Aemond trying to defend Helaena when Aegon expressed his disgust at his betrothal with his sister, and even called her an idiot. I kinda like that about Aemond in the show, having a tad more sense of responsibility than his older brother (also it's pretty obvious that he likes Helaena).

Corlys acknowledging Lucerys as heir to Driftmark ❤️ this is why I love him (aside from him being a living legend). Even in the book, Corlys has always looked at the boys as Laenor's sons and his own grandchildren. Again, despite of Harwin being a good dad to the boys, Laenor gave them his surname and recognized them as his sons, therefore they are his.

In the previous episode, we saw how much Daemon missed home (even if he denied it), when Viserys approached him and offered him to stay in King's Landing with the girls AND a position in his court, he refused which was a wise decision because he will be surrounded by the people who are against him. Besides, Viserys has treated him like a piece of shit most of the time which explains the reason why he refused.

Daemon calling Otto a leech was funny af.

Viserys calling Alicent Aemma was funnier af.

Jace and Baela holding hands! 😭 that was so sweet, but a piece of advice from someone who has already gone through Fire & Blood: don't get your hopes up.

My heart bleeds for Princess Rhaenys as of the moment, she doesn't care about the crown or power, she only wanted the best for her children but they got tangled up in this whole political bullshit that it cost the life of their daughter. While everyone else craves for power and legacy, she just wants a peaceful life for her and her family, apparently, simple desires in life are denied when: 1. You are born a Targaryen and 2. You are married into another powerful political clan.

Daemon and Rhaenyra finally…FINALLY *addressing* their unfinished business after being away from each other for so many years. I'd have to say that Matt and Milly's sexual tension was more intense (IMO) compared to Matt and Emma's. But I'm not mad though, Daemon and Rhaenyra have matured in this timeline and that their scene was more like finishing what they have started or doing what they should have done years ago, no more longing and yearning for each other. When Rhaenyra told Daemon that she wanted him, the latter was like, "Fuck that shit, we've been apart for so long I won't let her go anymore," and he did not held back. The chemistry was there, but as opposed to Daemyra making out on episode 4 where it was oozing with lust for each other, this was more like love making (Also, see you soon Aegon III! 😂).

It's also kinda funny at how Vhagar was like, "Dude, just let me freaking enjoy my retirement in peace and leave me tf alone! Also, I'm still mourning for my dead master so go away!" when Aemond approached her. BUUUUUUT I have to say that I enjoyed watching that scene when the brat finally claimed Vhagar for his own.

Jace, Luke, Baela and Rhaena ganging up on Aemond was so fucking satisfying! Daemon and Rhaenyra did an amazing job at raising their own kids, they're kind and well-mannered but know how to fight back when needed. Ironic at how people viewed their parents as an asshole and a whore respectively, biiiiiitch! See how they brought up these beautiful children?!

But the real hero was Lucerys. Damaging Aemond's eye was indeed a huge price to pay for stealing Vhagar, beating up the girls, breaking Luke's nose and threatening to kill Jace. The boy just defended his brother and cousins (*clears throat* future betrothed)

Fun fact: When Aemond claimed Vhagar, it was Joffrey who first saw him. When the latter told his uncle to stay away from the dragon (the older prince was forbidden by his parents to go near Vhagar), Aemond shushed him and pushed him onto a pile of dragon shit. Joff then called upon Jace and Luke and the three were all at the yard when Aemond landed, the brothers armed with wooden swords. A fight ensued, to defend Jacaerys, Luke took out his dagger and slashed Aemond's eye. (Source: Fire & Blood by George RR Martin).

Intense scene between Rhaenyra and Alicent! Oh my gosh, Emma and Olivia killed it! Rhaenyra unmasking Alicent's true colors, and the latter unleashing the anger, jealousy and hatred she harbored towards the princess for years. She has bottled up emotions, and when people like her explode they can be very dangerous. Another thing about this scene is that I've noticed another contrast between two mothers. During the confrontation, you can see how Rhaenyra protected BOTH Jace and Luke while Alicent only stood up for Aemond and blamed Aegon for not being there for his brother when the brawl happened.

Daemon standing in one corner and watching the drama unfold was hilarious, but I love the way he blocked the fragile masculine dude who goes by the name Ser Criston Cole so he wouldn't get in the way/protect Rhaenyra. Aaaaaand the way Daemon, Rhaenyra and Corlys protected the kiddos (especially Luke) was such a powerful scene, while no other person was even on Alicent's side (literally). I see this as a foreshadow of what her life would be towards the end of the dance, and since we haven't gotten that far, this is what I could only say for now.

Rhaenyra is such an LGBTQIA+ ally! When Laenor said that he hated how the gods made him, Rhaenyra made sure to make her husband feel like no matter who he is or what he chose to become, she loves and accepts him for who he is and that there wasn't anything wrong with him. That being said, I had a mini heart attack when I thought she and Daemon plotted to kill Laenor so they could marry. I was sooooo ready to rant but the ending scene was by far the biggest plot twist in the show! Rhaenyra deserves a husband who would stand beside her and support her, while Laenor deserves to be free of all the burdens that comes with being heir to Driftmark and future king consort, hiding his true self, and just live happily.

Fan theory: I have this gut feeling that the reason why Laenor agreed to fake his own death wasn't only for the chance for him to live his life the way he wants to, but because Daemon and Rhaenyra was planning something ahead…and what if Corlys and Rhaenys knew about this (or at least Corlys) and that they were just acting or something?????

Fun fact: Laenor Velaryon was killed by Ser Qarl Correy himself. There were two contradicting accounts about his death: Septon Eustace wrote that Ser Qarl killed Laenor out of jealousy because the latter found a younger, male favorite. But according to Mushroom's accounts, it was Daemon who ordered Ser Qarl to kill his lover but it was never proven. (Source: Fire & Blood by George RR Martin)

DAEMON AND RHAENYRA FINALLY GOT MARRIED! That being said, it was nice to see the traditional Targaryen wedding. I couldn't recall whether Jaehaerys I and Alyssane had the same ceremony when they got married in Dragonstone but it's just a random thought (I hope they did though).

Fun fact: In less than six months since the deaths of Laenor and Laena, Daemon and Rhaenyra secretly got married in Dragonstone. The Prince was 39, the princess was 23. According to Septon Eustace, Rhaenyra knew her father would never approve of their union thus the secrecy, while Mushroom claims that the reason why the wedding was hastened was that Rhaenyra was already pregnant with Daemon's child and "do not wish to birth another bastard." (Source: Fire & Blood by George RR Martin).

[Meh]

Alicent is clearly playing favorites among her children. She and Otto are treating Aegon horribly and she's being so weirded out at Helaena that I could hear her thoughts like, "Is this really my daughter?" or "Did I really give birth to this child?" Perhaps because Aemond is more of a momma's boy in comparison to the other kids, but idk. Aegon is a brat but I kinda feel bad at the way he's being treated.

[WTF]

For a few minutes, I liked Aemond but the second he laid his hands on the girls that's when I became so furious! He pushed Rhaena and SMACKED Baela wtf is wrong with this kid? He stole the only living memory the girls have of their mother, and he has the audacity to hurt them? I'm seeing a male version of Alicent here.

Alicent defending her asshole son. Honestly, I'm not surprised.

Dearest Alicent, who the fuck do you think you are demanding for Viserys to take YOUR side? Seriously, she's just someone the king married out of duty, Rhaenyra is the king's own flesh and blood. While Aemond is also a son of Viserys, the kid literally beat his own cousins and nephews and threatened to kill one of them! While I'm writing this, I realized that she's one of those Karen moms who would literally blame everyone else except herself for failing to discipline her own child. Unbelievable.

I would also like to point out to one twitter user who said that Alicent's character is the perfect representation of those who are self-righteous, uphold moral values but are the ones who do the shittiest things, a hypocrite in short. That's how I would basically describe her as well.

Is Ser Criston for real?! He would willingly pluck out Luke's eyes because Alicent said so? I know he's sworn to protect her, but Lucerys is a CHILD. I could never agree more with that meme which said that he refused to be Rhaenyra's whore but was so willing to be Alicent's bitch.

For those of you who are asking as to why Alicent wasn't punished for treason, it's because Viserys was in denial that his family was falling apart, he is desperately trying to unite his family as one to avoid conflict and possible war. What's odd is that he has the guts to send Daemon away for asking Rhaenyra's hand in marriage but when Alicent attempted to kill her right in-front of everybody, he was like, "We'll speak no more of it." seven hells this guy!

[Special Shoutout]

This episode is by far my favorite! Really intense scenes, amazing performance from the cast (as always), but the plot twist at the end was *chef's kiss.* The ending was far from the two accounts in the book, but you know what? I'm not mad at all, this is one of the changes that I gladly accept.

[eastofthemoon]

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11

Rating: PG

Series: Voltron Legendary Defender/Avatar the Last Airbender

Summary:   After the fight with Zarkon, Shiro accidentally gets tossed into  another  reality where humans have the ability to bend the elements. His  best  shot at returning home is with someone called the Avatar, while  he waits  he might as well take on the job of being the Firelord’s  bodyguard.

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

Keith had to admit that, in a way, Slav was kind of amazing.  This wasn't due to intellect or dedication to his work - it was because Slav was one of the only people Keith could think of who had ever made Shiro lose his temper.  Shiro had always made it a point of pride to approach challenging situations calmly and maintain self-control, so Keith couldn't help but be impressed that Slav had driven Shiro to the point of shouting in a rage.  It was honestly incredible.

Keith had no clue how he was supposed to keep his own temper in check. He was just grateful Hunk was the one that had to pick him up since Slav refused to go into the Black Lion with Keith.

Slav didn’t like that Keith’s red armour didn’t match the Black Lion. Lance and Allura had been placed into the same boat with him and he had yet to hear any of them complain. Having the honor of Slav riding with them wasn’t exactly something anyone was desiring.

Once Slav arrived, and seemed to mostly approve of the lab set up, it didn’t take long for them to explain the situation.

“So, what do you think?” Pidge asked.

Slav’s third and fourth arms were crossed as he stroked his chin with his second arm.

“And you are able to confirm at least 89 percent that he is there?” he asked.

“Yes,” Keith stated firmly and pointed over his shoulder. “From what I sense from the Black Lion he is there 100 percent.”

“Hmmm,” Slav said as he rose from his and began to pace. “It will be tricky to pinpoint, but if we are precise with how much quintessence we use we might have a probability of 72 percent.”

“That chance of success should increase given we should be able to use Shiro’s connection to the Black Lion to track him,” Allura said.

Slav narrowed his eyes. “While that is very true, Princess, we still need to be very careful.” He waved the fingers on his second and third arms. “Crossing into another reality can be very difficult.”

Lance gave a shrug. “Well, we already did it once, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”

Slav’s arms became still. His eyes widened in alarm as he slowly turned his head to Lance. “What do you mean?”

“As Voltron,” Keith explained. “When we were trying to retrieve a comet we accidentally made a tear into another reality and-”

“YOU DID WHAT?!” Slav cried as he leaped out of his chair and seized Keith by his arms. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?! You could have shattered all of reality!”

“Whoa, whoa!” Hunk said as he pried Slav off of Keith. “What are you talking about?”

“Every time you cut through reality you run the risk of severing quantum strings and creating instability that threatens to unravel localised space-time!”

“He means it would be bad,” Pidge stated as she adjusted her glasses. “But it was one tear, and you’ve created pocket dimensions.”

“My pocket dimensions are localised in eddies of gravitational curvature!  No tearing of reality is necessary if you’re CAREFUL!”

“But that is the Black Lion’s ability,” Coran replied. “It’s how Shiro got into this other reality in the first place.”

“From what I’ve been able to analyse, the Black Lion is a different case,” Slav ranted as he waved his hands. “It seems to be able to access this ‘astral plane’ through direct fifth-dimensional movement vectors, allowing it to travel without rending holes in the universe.  The combined power of Voltron, on the other hand, seems almost designed FOR tearing apart universes!”

“So, what are you saying?” Hunk asked. “We can’t go as Voltron?”

“NO!” Slav said as he held up a finger. “Only the Black Lion may go to retrieve Shiro and that’s it! That is the only way I will agree to assist you.”

Keith sighed, but shook his head. “Alright, fine.”.

Slav seemed satisfied with this.

“It will make getting back a bit trickier,” Coran commented. “If you went with all of Voltron you could find your way back by tracing its energy trail, but with just the Black Lion it will be harder to track if you take too long.”

“But if the other lions are left behind we can use our connection to them as our guiding point so we’re not so rushed for time,” Allura offered.

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Keith said as he crossed his arms. “I’ll go fetch Shiro and bring him home.”

Lance raised an eyebrow as he placed his hands on his hips. “Excuse me? What’s this ‘I’? nonsense?”

Keith resisted rolling his eyes. “It has to be me. I’m the only one who can fly the Black Lion and I’ll use my connection to the Red Lion to get us back home.”

“Yeah, sure, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t just go in the Black Lion with you,” Lance retorted.

“He’s right,” Pidge replied. “Did you forget we all got here because we all got into the Blue Lion?”

Keith couldn’t deny that. “Yeah, but we don’t know what this other reality is like. There’s less of a risk if it’s just me-”

“And what if something happens to you and Shiro ends up stuck?” Hunk argued. “There’s safety in numbers.”

“He’s right,” Pidge replied. “If the rest of us go with you then in the worst case scenario we can use our own connections to our lions to get Shiro home.”

“Agreed,” Allura said with a smirk. “You’re not winning this argument, Keith. The rest of us paladins are coming too.”

Keith looked amongst his friends. He could keep arguing and even pull his rank as leader, but they did make solid points. He didn’t like putting them in needless danger, but they all agreed they had to do everything they could to get Shiro home.

He would never hesitate to take the same risk if the roles were reversed.

“Alright, we’ll go, but it’ll be a tight squeeze,” he replied.

“Can’t be any worse than when we were all travelling in the Blue Lion,” Pidge said and glanced at Lance. “Just as long as SOMEONE doesn’t decide to ‘hear something’ again.”

Lance snickered. “No promises.”

Allura frowned. “What are you referring to?”

Lance’s snickering halted as Pidge grinned. “Oh, you don’t know? You see Lance decided to-”

“She doesn’t need to hear that,” Lance said as he slapped a hand over Pidge’s mouth. “And it’s nothing, nothing, Allura.”

Allura still looked baffled as Hunk began to pace. “Um, but we still have the problem of how we get there? I mean, the Black Lion isn’t strong enough by herself, right?” Hunk said. “We only go into that other reality because we were all combined.”

Lance sighed. “Couldn’t we just…I don’t know, take the energy when we’re Voltron and store it in a giant battery or something?”

“That’s…” Pidge started, but then paused as she slowly grabbed her chin, “not a bad idea.”

Lance blinked. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Hunk agreed as he crossed his arms. “It’ll probably take us a couple of days, but we could build a battery, form Voltron and fill it with just enough of its quintessence to give the Black Lion the boost she needs.”

“We’ll need help with the design though,” Pidge said as she glanced over. “Willing to help with this?”

“Yes, this plan would be acceptable,” Slav confirmed.

“Then it’s settled,”  Keith declared. “You three work on the battery while the rest of us will get supplies ready.”

Lance raised an eyebrow. “Do we need that much? This Aang said he and his friends were taking care of Shiro, right?”

“We still don’t know how truthful he was being,” Coran stated, “and as my Uncle Yevern would said ‘You don’t want to be caught short on acid when facing a one-eye Dunga.”

“Exactly,” Keith replied even though he didn’t quite understand the saying. “Shiro’s counting on us so we can’t afford any mistakes.”

The others nodded as Keith’s body tensed.

 We’re coming for you, Shiro. Hang in there!

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

Katara sighed as they walked down the palace hall. “Sokka, will you stop pouting?”

Sokka glared as he kept his arms crossed. “I’m not pouting, I’m grumpy and can you blame me?” He pointed over his shoulder. “I liked that shop and Toph and Shiro got us banned.”

“We’re not banned,” Aang added hastily. “It was just heavily implied for us to not come back for a while.”

Shiro rubbed his neck. “Does it help to say ‘sorry���-”

“No, Shiro, no it does not,” Sokka snapped as he whirled around and pointed. “I expected that kind of behaviour from Toph, but not you!”

“Hey, guys,” Suki cried as she rushed to greet them. “Glad you guys are back-” She trailed off as she noticed her boyfriend’s face. “What happened? Didn’t you have fun?”

“We did,” Sokka said as he pointed, “until Shiro and Toph got us, me included, banned from that weapon store I liked.”

Suki blinked as she glanced at the others. “How?”

Aang gave a nervous laugh. “Toph kind of metal bended one of his new and very expensive swords.”

Toph shrugged. “Hey, if a man claims he has the ‘strongest steel in all the Fire Nation’ and gets cranky because someone metal bends it, it’s his own fault.”

“Ookay,” Suki said. “Couldn’t you just bend it back to the way it was?”

“Tried to,” Toph said with a scoff. “But the owner was all huffy that it wasn’t straight enough.”

“That’s when I stepped in and tried to use my cybernetic arm to help,” Shiro said sheepishly as he raised his arm. “And…kind of accidentally snapped it in two.”

Shiro did feel bad about it. It didn’t happen often, but it could be hard at times to predict how much strength his arm had. He had tried to get better ever since he accidentally broke one of Coran’s favourite tools.

Granted, at least Coran didn’t cry about it like the poor shopkeeper did. At least, not while Shiro was watching.

“Still say it wasn’t a strong sword in the first place if you could do that easily,” Toph commented.

Sokka groaned. “I had a discount there.”

Suki gave a soft laugh. “Well, it’s good you guys are back.” She clicked her tongue. “We’ve had some developments.”

Shiro frowned. “What kind of developments?”

Suki sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck. “I think it’s best if Zuko explains.”

The group exchanged anxious looks as they followed Suki. They found Zuko and Iroh in the meeting room.

Iroh finished setting up tea cups and greeted the group with a smile. “Welcome back. Did you get a nice tour, Shiro?”

“I did,” Shiro said as Iroh began to pour tea, “but we can discuss that later.” He glanced over to Zuko. “Suki said something happened?

“Yes,” Zuko said as Katara took a seat next to him. “We were given a message.”

“Ookay,” Aang said as he scratched his cheek, “I don’t see how that-”

“From Ozai,” Zuko finished.

The group went silent. Katara's eyes narrowed as she touched his shoulder. “Is it actually from Ozai? Maybe someone-”

“No, it’s him,” Iroh said as he handed her a cup. “A guard gave me the message and I went to confirm it myself.”

“It’s been three years,” Sokka retorted as he took a seat. “What could he possibly want to say to you?”

“Not to me,” Zuko said and looked up. “He requested to speak to Shiro.”

Shiro's eyes widened. “Me?”

“He claims to have information.”

“That still doesn’t explain why he wants to talk with me,” Shiro said as he sat down and took a cup of tea. “I’ve never met him.”

Zuko sipped his tea. “If I had to guess, he heard the rumours about you and wants to attempt to convince you to turn against me so he can gett back on the throne.”

Sokka stroked his chin in thought and gave a slow nod. “Yeah, that would track.”

Shiro raised an eyebrow. “You honestly think he would waste his time on that?”

“He’s been stuck in a jail cell for three years,” Aang said as he crossed his arms. “He’s probably willing to give anything at least a try at this point.”

Shiro frowned, but gave a slow nod. Aang was probably right.

“So, I guess the real question is do you think Ozai is telling the truth and actually knows anything?” Suki asked as she leaned against the wall.

“Considering how long he’s been cut off from the outside world, I want to say no,” Zuko said and sighed. “But it’s not impossible.”

“So, I should probably go and talk to him,” Shiro said.

Zuko frowned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’ve never met him and he has a way of getting into people’s heads.”

“I agree,” Katara replied as she touched Zuko’s shoulder, “especially since he’s probably lying.”

“Except we don’t know for certain, do we?” Shiro said as he crossed his arms. “We can’t afford to not take any possible leads.”

“I have to agree with Shiro,” Sokka said as he stroked his chin. “As much as we hate it, we can’t ignore his claims either even if they do end up being false.”

“Then why not have Toph go with him.” Aang sighed as he glanced at Toph. “You would be able to detect if Ozai was lying, right?”

Toph sucked air between her teeth. “Probably? I mean, he can be tricky but he’s not as hard as Azula. I should be able to handle it.”

“At the very least you’ll be solid back up if Ozai tries to pull anything funny,” Zuko replied.

Shiro frowned. “Do I really need back up though. Aang took away his bending, right? What could he do behind a prison cell?”

“Truthfully, not much,” Zuko admitted, “but I don’t like taking any chances.”

“Even a defanged spidersnake can still hold a deadly bite,” Iroh admitted.

“That’s fair, but whatever Ozai wants to tell me he might not be willing if I have company,” Shiro replied.

“I can just stay hidden,” Toph said with a smirk. “I don’t have to be standing next to him to tell, just close enough to feel the vibrations. I could probably just hide in an empty jail cell next to him.”

“That could work,” Shiro said.

Truthfully, Shiro would have felt better going on his own. If this Ozai was as dangerous as the others feared he would rather not put any of them in danger. However, he needed Toph’s ability to determine if he was telling the truth or not.

“I guess we should get going then,” he replied.

“Not before tea,” Iroh said as he gestured. “There is nothing better to strengthen the mind before battle than a cup of tea.”

Shiro gave a slight chuckle and he sat. “Alright, but I’m not heading into battle.”

Iroh frowned. “Not of the body, but of the heart. Be wary, Shiro. My brother is not to be taken lightly.”

Shiro gave a thoughtful nod as he slowly took a sip.

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

Shiro and Toph didn’t talk much as they approached the prison cells.

“Are there any other prisoners kept here?” Shiro asked.

“Ozai is the only one as far as I know,” Toph replied. “Sparky once explained to me it’s only for members of the royal family. Granted, I think everyone feels safer Ozai’s in a place where he can better keep tabs on him and he can’t gain ‘friends’ with other prisoners.”

“Makes sense,” Shiro replied and then frowned. “Wait, was I near Ozai when I was put in a cell?”

“Naw,” Toph said with a hand wave. “The prison here has levels to it and you were in an upper one. Ozai’s cell is in the deepest one.”

Two guards were stationed outside the entrance. Shiro couldn’t resist a smile as he spotted a familiar face between them.

“Hey, Ling,” he said with a wave. “It’s been awhile.”

Ling gave a smirk and poked her fellow guard in the rib.

“See, Azai, I told you he’d remember me.”

The other guard sighed as he rubbed his side. “Yeah, yeah, you win the bet. I’ll treat you later.”

Ling chuckled, but it quickly turned back into a frown as she turned back to Shiro. “Should I assume you’re here to see Ozai?”

“I am,” Shiro said, “but how do you know about it?”

Ling sighed. “Because I’m the one that had to deliver the message to Prince Iroh.”

“I see,” Shiro said and then gestured to Toph. “Um..I don’t know if you two have formally met.”

“Not personally, but Master Toph’s abilities are famous within the palace,” Azai replied. “Especially with the gardeners considering that damage you cause-OW!” Azai rubbed his arm and Ling glared. “What? It’s true.”

Toph smirked. “Relax, I’m not offended. I’m just glad my reputation precedes me.”

Shiro gave a small smile as he patted Toph’s shoulder. “Toph is going to accompany me.”

Ling grasped her chin. “I’m not against the idea, but I’m fairly certain Ozai was implying to speak with you alone.”

“And as far as he knows, he will,” Toph replied as she crossed her arms. “I’m planning to stay out of his sight. You just need to direct me to the closest cell where he won’t see me and I’ll handle the rest.”

Azai rubbed his neck. “He is the only prisoner down there currently, so that shouldn’t be too hard to do.”

Ling went quiet as she thought, but gave a nod. “Yeah, alright,” she said as she turned to open the door. “Azai, you stay here and I’ll take them down.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” he said as he stepped aside.

Ling gave a smirk as he patted his arm and then led the way inside. No one spoke as they went down the stairs. Once they reached the bottom, Ling gestured towards a nearby empty cell.

Toph responded with a nod as she quietly stepped inside it and leaned against the wall.

Ling then continued to the next cell which was not empty. A man sat in the centre of the cell with his back to them.

“Lord Ozai, you have a visitor,” she said.

There was a chuckle. “Oh, do I?”

He rose and turned around smiling. “And who do I owe the pleasure?”

Shiro narrowed his eyes.

Having only heard about Ozai, Shiro didn't know what to expect. On Zuko’s orders all portraits of the man had been removed from the palace. However, he wasn’t surprised by what he saw either.

He was wearing prison clothes similar to what Shiro had been given when he had first arrived. Ozai was tall, with long black hair and a beard. Shiro could see traces of some of Zuko’s features in the man, but not in the eyes.

He had the same cruel eyes he had seen in Zarkon and Sendak.

No compassion, no empathy and all calculating. Definitely the eyes a formal tyrant would have.

Shiro crossed his arms. “I’m Shiro,” he replied curtly. “You sent a request to see me?”

Ozai smirk tightened. “So I did,” he said and then sharply turned his head to Ling. “Leave us.”

Ling looked prepared to argue, but Shiro reassured with a nod as he patted her shoulder.

“It’s okay,” he said.

Ling sighed as she bowed.

“Let me know if you need assistance,” she said and then turned to leave.

Ozai didn’t speak until the two of them heard Ling walk up the stairs.

“So, you must be Shiro,” he said as he approached the bars. “You’re quite famous within the palace these days.”

“Am I?” Shiro said with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh yes,” Ozai purred as he tucked his hands behind his back. “Bujing’s defeat and sudden retirement spread like wildfire. The ‘living dragon’ is what some of the guards are calling you.” His eyes landed on Shiro’s cybernetic arm. “I find myself curious how you were able to acquire such a powerful arm. The Fire Nation’s technology is quite advanced but even-”

“Is there a point to this?” Shiro cut in. “I doubt you called me here just to ogle my arm.”

Ozai smiled. “Forgive me, I seem to have picked up some of my idiot brother’s habits while being cooped up in here. I fear I was about to offer you tea.” He gripped the bar cells. “I wish to make you an offer.”

“Oh, really?” Shiro replied. “And what would that be?”

Ozai released his grip on the bars and began to pace in his cell. “My son is weak. He doesn’t have the strength it takes to rule.” He turned to Shiro. “Help me break out of here and restore my rightful place on the throne. If we succeed, I guarantee you honor and glory beyond just being a bodyguard for a failed heir to the throne.”

Looks like Sokka and Zuko’s hunches were right, Shiro thought. “What about the assassins? You claim you knew about them.”

Ozai shrugged. “Why do they matter beyond proving the pretender to the throne is unworthy of it? I just said that to convince him and my brother to let you down here.”

“So, you don’t know anything then,” Shiro said simply, “which means you’re just wasting my time.”

Ozai glared. “Should I take this to mean you’re refusing my offer?”

Shiro turned to walk away. “We’re done here.”

Ozai gripped Shiro’s human arm through the bars. “No, you must assist me!”

Shiro glared down at him. Ozai didn’t seem intimidated by it. Either he was very stupid or very desperate.

“I don’t have to do anything-”

“The brat doesn’t have the conviction to do what needs to be done! He isn’t strong like you and I!”

Shiro paused and blinked. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“My son is a weakling, following my brother’s foolish philosophy. He refuses to believe killing is necessary.” Ozai smirked. “Unlike you.”

Shiro became still. “I don’t know-”

“I heard how your angi kai went, the ruthlessness that brought you victory,” Ozai continued. “Had it not been for that weakling’s presence you would have removed Bujing permanently as a threat.”

Shiro’s hands tightened. “You don’t know a thing about me.”

“I know the signs of a killer,” Ozai said with a smirk, “and an experienced one. How else could a non-bender take down a top general so easily.”

Images flashed through Shiro’s brain. Faces. Screaming. Blood. What had he done? Focus on the enemy. No time for distractions!

“The worthless pacifist lacks the resolve that we have,” Ozai continued. “At my side, you could be my greatest weapon-”

Shiro lunged and sent his arm through the bars. He seized Ozai’s neck and yanked him forward to slam against the bars.

Ozai gasped for air. He frantically tried to break free, but Shiro kept his hold.

“You shut up,” Shiro snapped as he brought his face closer. “You don’t know a damn thing about me!” His grip tightened on Ozai’s neck. “From everything I've heard about you, everything I’ve seen, I should do everyone a favor and just end your life right now.”

Ozai coughed as he attempted to lift his head to stare at Shiro’s glare.

“Go..ahead,” he spat. “Do what my son is too weak to do.”

Shiro glared, every human muscle tensing, his fingers tightening, but after a moment he shoved Ozai to the ground, standing still as a statue.

“The only reason you’re still alive is because of Zuko,” Shiro snapped. “There’s a lot of people who would love to see you gone. If I were you, I would be careful with my words because I imagine even Zuko’s patience can only hold out for so long.”

Ozai coughed, trying to gather the breath to say something. Whatever it was, Shiro blocked it out as he focused on walking down the hall. Once he was out of Ozai’s sight, he braced against the wall and covered his face with his hands.

I’m not a killer, I’m not a killer, he repeated in his head.

“Shiro?”

He jumped, sharp breaths coming rapidly, his heart in his throat-only slightly calming when he saw it was Toph.

I forgot she was still here, he thought as he hastily gave a smile.

“Sorry, I needed a minute.”

Toph frowned. “I think you need more than that. I could feel your heart racing, still can.”

Shiro swallowed. “I’m fine, Ozai just brought back some unpleasant memories. That’s all.”

Toph touched his arm. “Do you want me to get-”

Shiro pulled away. “No, I’m fine, really,” he insisted and went to the doors. “I just need to be alone. I’m going to the garden a bit, alright?”

Toph was still frowning. She didn’t look convinced.

Shiro opened the door and went up the stairs. “I’m fine, really.”

He didn’t bother to turn his head, but he could hear her say.

“You’re lying.”

[mypoisonedvine]

Seeing Red | bodyguard!Bucky Barnes x actress!reader (part 9 - FINALE)

(part 1) (part 2) (part 3) (part 4) (part 5) (part 6) (part 7) (part 8)

series summary: bucky used to brag that he didn’t have a celebrity crush, or really care about famous people at all, which is what made him the perfect person to start working for a celebrity like yourself.  except, of course, it’s just his luck that he’d fall for you.

word count: 7.2k

warnings: smut (oral f receiving), semi-public sex (in a parked car) angst, arguments, implied smut, sappiness, time skips, some alcohol consumption here and there, lots of talking about issues including bucky's ptsd, I really have no idea how to warn for this but IT’S THE END SO STRAP IN FOLKS

Since that night, it had been like a stand-off in a Western movie, none of you saying anything because you had no idea what to say. Whenever he tried to start the conversation, you brushed him off.

You took a cab home from the event. He slept in his own room for the first time in months.

Finally, suddenly, you were ready to talk about it nearly 30 hours later, knocking on the guest room door and entering to find Bucky on his bed, re-reading Flowers for Algernon. He sat up quickly and shut it, setting it aside. “Hey,” he greeted softly, hesitant like you were a deer in a clearing and he was extending a handful of grain in his palm.

“Hey,” you returned, already fighting back your emotions. “I think I’m ready to talk.”

“Okay,” he nodded. “I’m ready to listen.”

“I just… I want to make sure that you understand this is a really big deal.”

He nodded again.

“I had to do a lot of damage control to prevent being banned from all HFPA events— that includes the Golden Globes, you know, I can’t exactly skip those just because my boyfriend went fucking nuts at a party.” And there was the anger again— you had tried to wait until you could be neutral about this but it barely lasted, mainly because you were still embarrassed about the way you’d handled yourself that night. “You’re lucky not many people saw; you’re lucky no reporters were there! Can you imagine if someone had a fucking picture of this? There were cameras everywhere, what the fuck were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t thinking!” he defended. “I saw you with him and he was touching you and I just… I saw red.”

You sighed slowly. “That’s not a good thing. That’s really, really concerning.”

“I know, I agree— you’re right. I need…” he trailed off, taking a breath before starting over. “I need to work on that.”

“Yeah,” you agreed. “I just… I can’t really be a part of that. You need to work on that on your own.”

He stood up instantly, almost looking… afraid? Terrified, really, and heartbroken. “On my own, like what? What does that mean?”

“It means that I think maybe you should go back to your own apartment for a while. I just… need to be alone for a bit.”

“You need to be alone?” he repeated. “Or you need to be away from me?’

“Both.”

His head fell into his hands instantly. "Please don't tell me I fucked this up," he whimpered. "Please don't tell me I ruined this."

"I— I don't know."

"Please, please, please," he sighed, just louder than a whisper, suddenly stepping forward, grabbing your hand and clutching it to his chest. "Look at me," he begged.

You did, hesitantly, fighting everything in you that wanted to cry (and not doing so good of a job at it).

"Please, I lo—"

"Don't," you grimaced. "Don't say that."

"But it's true."

"It doesn't matter!" you yelped, surprising both of you with your volume.

“Are we going to have a chance to talk about this again? Am I going to get a chance to make it up to you?”

“You don’t make it up to me, you fix it. And that takes time.”

He shook his head, looking shocked and confused and completely blindsided which made you feel sick to your stomach. “How long?”

“I don’t know…” you mumbled.

“Am I not going to see you at all, for however long it takes?” he pressed.

“I… that’s sort of the idea.”

He shivered and pulled you into a hug. “Please don’t hate me forever,” he whispered against the top of your head.

“I don’t hate you,” you promised, doing your best not to hug him back even though all you wanted was to wrap yourself around him and feel safe in his arms again.

“Then don’t make me go,” he pleaded as he pulled back, clutching your face. “Let me stay and we can work through this together.”

“That’s not how this works,” you reminded him

“But I don’t know how to be without you,” he explained shakily.

“That’s not really my problem!” you yelped, and he turned away like he’d been slapped, dropping his hands from your face. A long, heavy silence fell between you as you watched him stand there, contemplating.

“If this is my last chance,” he finally spoke softly, barely breaking the silence, “to say everything I want to say…”

“It’s not,” you assured. “We’re going to talk about this again, but you need to go now.”

He nodded, his adam’s apple bobbing with a swallow of nothing. When he looked at you again, you hated how much bluer his eyes looked when they were bloodshot and filled with tears. “Can I kiss you?”

You shook your head. He bit his lip and turned to walk away; you stared at your feet because you couldn’t watch him go.

You heard him grab his backpack, shoving a few things from the drawers into it; he set his key on the table, walked into the open hall, and as soon as you heard the front door open and shut you were plunged into solitude and silence. With a whimper, you crumpled to the floor and cried, the look of betrayal on his face burned into your mind.

It was obvious, to your horror, that he really hadn’t seen it coming; he hadn’t packed his things, or prepared in any way for the conversation going like that. He had been waiting for an olive branch and got a switch to the face instead. You didn’t know anything about working on relationships, repairing broken things… when something went wrong, all you knew how to do was bail.

You knew how to do a new take and say the line right this time. You knew how to take off your eyeliner and start over. You knew how to kick unsuspecting C-listers out of cars because you already got yours. But you didn’t know how to stay, and work, and frankly you were just too scared to try. Last time you tried to make it work, you got burned. And as much as a logical part of you knew that wasn’t Bucky’s fault or responsibility, your heart just couldn’t survive another relationship where you put everything into putting the pieces back together while the other person stood there and watched you just to pull them apart again.

It had to end at some point, right? It was you, it was him… and that’s just how these things go.

//

He knew it was too good to be true. He knew you were too good for him. Anybody with at least one eyeball and half a brain could see that. But still, he hadn’t been ready to let you go.

Being in his apartment felt like stopping in a ghost town; there might as well have been a tumbleweed rolling through the living room. It was beyond a bachelor pad: it was more like an unfinished work site, considering his ‘couch’ was cinderblocks and a few two-by-fours, and his bed was a mattress on the floor.

One toothbrush. No books. A half-empty shampoo bottle in the shower and some hard water stains he needed to scrub away at some point.

This place didn’t feel like a home, it barely felt like a livable space. It was a three-dimensional homage to how empty his life had been before you, and he realized that was only his own fault.

Then again, this was all his fault.

But still, he had let himself obsess over you, turn you into his whole world and it made him into somebody he didn’t want to be. He had been working so hard to keep you happy, inspired more than anything by his fear to lose you, that he’d forgotten to give you space and now here he was… giving you so much more space than he ever wanted to, or knew how to deal with.

But he wanted to use this, if he could. As much as it was tempting to binge on junk food, drink too much and watch porn for an hour, as much as he wanted to run away from everything he was feeling, he owed it to you and to himself to face it all and learn from it. He wanted to be the man you deserved, if that was even humanly possible; he wanted to be who you used to think he was.

//

The next week went by in a blur: a blur filled with shitty romcoms, Ben & Jerry’s straight from the carton, and phone calls ignored.

It would all be fine with time, you knew that, but god, it fucking hurt now. It made you want to call him and at least apologize for having sex with him when you knew he wouldn’t have wanted to if he knew you were upset. More time and distance from the situation made you appreciate that it was manipulative, even if it by no means justified the way he grabbed you, or shoving anybody in the first place.

Truth was, you were scared of Bucky long before that happened. You were scared of how strong your feelings were for him; and, in turn, you were scared of how strong his feelings were for you. You felt loved by him, and you didn’t know what to do with that. So you self-destructed.

Just in time to tear you out of your spiralling thoughts, the intercom buzzed from the front gate. You furrowed your brow, wondering who it could be, and got up to check the camera feed.

You couldn’t see the face of the driver, just his arm, but you’d recognize that Rolex on his wrist anywhere.

“What do you want?” you asked coldly, holding down the intercom talk button.

"Let me in," Sam instructed.

"And why should I?"

"Cause if you don't, I'll press charges against your boyfriend."

BEEP BEEP BEEP! the gate announced its opening.

You took the time while he parked his car and walked to the door to throw out the wrappers from all your questionable “meals” (i.e., candy and ramen), change into slightly nicer sweats and splash your face so you looked slightly less dead. Just as you came downstairs from your rushed primping, Sam knocked on the door and you turned off the TV, tossing the remote aside. “It’s open!” you called out.

He turned the knob and stepped in with just one foot, peering around.

“Is the Terminator home?” he asked coyly. “Cause I actually think I’ve been assaulted enough for one week.”

“No, he’s gone. And don’t call him that.”

“What?” he shrugged, finally coming all the way in and letting the door swing shut on its own, taking his shades off and sliding them into the collar of his v-neck shirt. “It’s a compliment, and you really invite the killer robot comparisons when you’re part robot, look like a killer, and act like a thug.”

“He’s sensitive about the arm, okay? It’s one of the reasons he… it’s part of why we waited so long to go public.”

Sam glanced down to beside the door, where three pairs of your shoes were haphazardly lined up while his boots were noticeably absent. “And the fact that he’s moved out? When’s that gonna go public?” He always had an eye for these things, the bastard.

“I… I don’t know,” you sighed. “What do you want, exactly? Because honestly, I really can’t handle you right now.”

“I’m just trying to be a friend,” he explained, stepping closer again as you leaned against the breakfast bar.

“You seemed a lot more than friendly on Saturday,” you reminded him. “God, Sam, why did you have to do that?”

“So it’s my fault, then?” he rolled his eyes.

“No, of course not,” you assured, “but you knew I wasn’t single. I was actually happy… did you even want me back? Or did you just want to fuck with my life?”

“I did want you back, really.” He paused for a moment, more serious than he almost ever got. “I still do.”

You scoffed, looking away. “What happened to just being a friend?”

“That’s not why I’m here, this time. I’m just here to tell you that I’m worried about you.”

You took your weight off the bar and circled it into the kitchen, Sam mirroring you by following around the other side. “Do you want something to drink?” you asked, opening the fridge. He opened his mouth to answer but then leaned in as he stared at your hand where it was right in front of his face gripping the refrigerator’s door handle.

"He did that to you?" Sam pointed to the bruise on your wrist. You let go of the fridge and pulled your sleeve down to cover it again but that was answer enough. "Jesus, babe, this guy's fucking crazy."

"He's not crazy, and don't call me that," you frowned. "I don't think he meant to, really— his prosthetic is powerful and it was in need of a recalibration. He shouldn’t have grabbed me, but, he probably didn’t mean to do it so hard.”

Sam didn’t seem too convinced by that explanation, but didn’t say anything.

“Believe it or don’t, Sam, but either way it’s none of your business,” you frowned.

“Right, I know,” he nodded. “I just want what’s best for you.”

“And that’s you?” you pressed with an incredulous raised brow, opening the fridge again to grab yourself a green juice (because you were, again, trying to look like you had your shit together) and starting to walk away.

“I’ve changed, believe it or not,” he explained as he followed you out of the kitchen again. “Occasionally, people are capable of that.”

“If that’s true, then I owe it to Bucky to wait for him like I said I would,” you shot back. “I told him to leave so we could work on things separately. Not so I could entertain your come-to-Jesus moment.”

“It’s not a ‘come-to-Jesus’ moment, it’s just a ‘give me another chance’ moment,” he corrected as you took a long sip of the juice, “it’s a ‘maybe we ended things too soon’ moment.”

You looked at him in silent judgment as you kept drinking, and the way he was looking at you made you glad the glass bottle was keeping your lips occupied.

“It’s an ‘I’m still in love with you’ moment.”

Before you could stop yourself, you spit the juice right onto him, covering your mouth in shock just a moment too late.

For one of those indefinite moments, you were just staring at each other while you both contemplated that you had said he loved you and you had spat juice onto him.

“Okay, I was prepared to get shot down,” he admitted. “This is… worse.”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” you rushed, trying not to laugh, “I… I’ll get some paper towels, I can get you a new shirt, but it’ll have to be one of the ones Bucky left behind…”

“Oh god, it’s sticky,” he grimaced, as he tried to peel his shirt from his skin, “can I just use your shower maybe?”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” you nodded, “upstairs and down—”

“I remember where it is,” he reminded you as he stepped past you to make his way to the bathroom. “I knew I should’ve waited to say it until she was done drinking…” you heard him mumble to himself before he disappeared and you heard the bathroom door shut.

But truthfully, it wasn’t really the fact that he said it, or the concept of Sam loving you at all that made you spit out your drink. It was that when he said it, you realized you were in love with Bucky. Which, yes, would’ve been obvious to anyone else but it came as quite a shock to you.

It made you realize that you wanted to make this work. You wanted to be vulnerable, you wanted to try, even if it ended just as badly as it nearly had last week; even if it meant dealing with all the shit that you’d pushed down for so long.

You wanted to have another chance, this time knowing how hard it would be to be without him.

Just as you pondered what to do with that realization, a knock at the door startled you. Who could have made it to the door without buzzing the intercom?

Somebody who has the gate code already, you realized, and your heart sank. You weren’t ready to see him again— specifically, you weren’t ready to be seen by him again. Sure, cleaning up the trash and splashing your face was enough for a guest like Sam, but you had been imagining that when you saw Bucky again you’d be all dolled up looking like you were doing better than ever, like you were thriving without him just to rub it in that you were the best he ever had.

Couldn’t he have just waited a few hours after your realization so you could go to him on your own terms, with your whole speech prepared and everything? As an actress, you were much more comfortable reading lines than improvising.

Another knock made you sigh and set down the half-empty bottle of green juice, running up to the door to answer it.

“Hi,” he greeted soberly when you opened the door.

“Hey,” you nodded back, “listen, now’s not a great time…”

“Listen, I’m not here to cause any problems, or ask you for anything, I just need some of my stuff back,” he explained.

“Okay, it would’ve been better if you had come at another time—”

“I know, I’m not trying to invade your space,” he sighed. “I shouldn’t have used the gate code, I didn’t mean to surprise you, honestly it was just second nature but I realize now I should’ve called first— well, I don’t think you’re taking my calls right now—”

“Bucky, please, we can talk later,” you assured, trying to shut the door.

“Can we?” he sighed. “I mean, will we?”

“Yes, but I’m busy right now,” you explained.

“When?” he asked, voice full of hope. “Soon?”

“I— I don’t know, sure,” you shrugged.

“You’re just saying that to get me to leave,” he realized flatly. “I understand, I don’t blame you— god, I just hate how scared you are of me. I’m everything I never wanted to be. I just wanted to keep you safe and now I can’t even do that, now you think of me as a threat. You should have the gate code changed, if it’ll make you sleep better—”

“I sleep fine, just go and we’ll deal with all of this soon— really, I promise!”

“You promised before and this week without you has been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do!” he returned, getting more emotional as he gestured with his hands. “I’m not saying this should all go away in a week, there’s so much more I have to do, but… but not being able to see you at all is killing me. And it’s not like I don’t see you, your movies are on every fucking channel, but you know, I don’t get to really see you, talk to you— that’s what I miss, I miss when we would talk for hours.”

“I miss that too,” you agreed, “it’s all going to happen, it’s just that I need you to go right now—”

And of course, Sam picked just the right time to come running down your staircase with only a towel around his waist.

Bucky tensed up as he saw Sam, jaw tightening. "Oh."

You had no idea what would happen. Was Bucky going to attack him again? Would Sam try to hit Bucky? Were you going to drop dead from sheer embarrassment?

Instead, Bucky just sighed a little and looked to the ground, almost laughing though he seemed anything but amused. “You’ve got a funny idea of what ‘being alone’ means,” he sneered.

“Sam was just—” you began to defend.

"No, it’s okay, I see how it is," Bucky informed you quietly, coldly. He didn’t even seem angry anymore, just defeated. "I'll leave. I'm sorry that I… I'm sorry."

And he turned to leave, you reached out and grabbed his arm. "Wait, it's not—"

He shrugged your hand away as he kept walking, forcing you to chase him.

"Don't leave, please— Bucky, I love you too."

He stopped, but didn't turn around yet; you just stood behind him, staring at his back as it rose and fell with a slow breath. When he looked back at you, his eyes were red, brimming with tears and heartbreak. "Don't say things you don't mean."

"I mean it," you promised.

“And what does that mean for us?”

“I… I don’t know,” you admitted.

“I don’t think I’m ready to come back yet. As much as I miss living with you— and as much as my apartment is so gross—”

You giggled a little, glad you could laugh with him again even if just for a second.

“I need more time. I’m not going to subject you to me until I know I can be… stable, again.”

“Okay,” you smiled. “Whatever you need.”

“But maybe we could… go out sometime? Somewhere where there aren’t paparazzi, ideally?”

“Uh, Vermont?” you offered jokingly. “I’ll find somewhere, though. We’ll talk this all out.”

He nodded slowly, swallowing a little. “Okay.”

With obvious hesitance, he leaned in slightly and gave you a kiss on the forehead. You wanted more than anything to get up on your tiptoes and kiss his lips, but it was probably too soon. He smiled down at you slightly before he turned to walk away, and you did the same as you made it back into the house.

“Hey, listen,” you began as you found Sam still waiting in a towel looking completely lost.

“That doesn’t sound like the beginning of good news,” he sighed.

“I’m so glad you were honest with me and I’m still really sorry for spitting on you, and for Bucky shoving you, and for everything awful that went down between us. And some part of me is always gonna love you, but—”

“I know,” he nodded, clearly disappointed but resigned in a peaceful way. “It’s okay. I had my chance, I blew it, and if this Bucky guy has his then I just hope he isn’t taking it for granted.”

You smiled a little. “He’s not.”

“Then I’ll get dressed and go. Please direct me to his favorite shirt, so that I may steal it,” he requested formally, making you laugh, but you weren’t ready to let it go just yet; instead, you stepped forward and pulled him into a hug.

“You’re a good friend, Sam,” you mumbled against his bare chest.

“Yeah, kinda wish I wasn’t though,” he sighed as he hugged you back.

“Kinda wish I’d made you get dressed before hugging you,” you admitted, the awkwardness of his nudity finally catching up with you.

“Yeah…” he agreed in a whispered sigh.

//

His palms were actually sweaty; well, at least one of them was. He hadn’t been this worked up about a date since high school.

But there was so much more riding on that now than there was then. If he blew this, you probably would dump him for good, and he’d become ‘that guy Y/N Y/L/N dated for a minute’ to the rest of the world.

And there was so much more to him than that— he was learning to really let that shine after three weeks of therapy on Mondays and Thursdays— and so much more to his relationship with you, but it would still be pretty humiliating. More importantly, he would be heartbroken if he never got a chance to hold you again, kiss you again, tell you he loved you not during a fight…

His eyes glanced to the door instinctively when someone stepped in, but it still wasn’t you. He checked his watch and closed his eyes: it was still a few minutes early, you probably wouldn’t be here until 6:30, since that was when you’d agreed to meet when you discussed all this over text. But the length of time between 6:27 and 6:30 just seemed to keep getting longer and longer.

When you finally walked in, it was like one of those movie moments where everything slowed down, the ambient noise and background music faded away, and all he could see was you. If this was it, at least he got to see you like this one last time.

He waved you over, watching you walk closer and feeling his heart race as you pulled him into a hug.

“I missed you,” he blurted out right away.

“Missed you too,” you mumbled back, pulling from the embrace as he moved to pull out your chair for you.

“So,” he began as he sat down, “do you… want me to go first? Or do you want to go first?”

“I love you,” you said instantly, and he couldn’t fight a wide smile.

“I love you too,” he whispered back.

“Now that that’s out of the way,” you grinned, “I think you should go first.”

“Well, now that you say that suddenly I forget everything I’ve been practicing in the mirror all day,” he chuckled. “I already told you I’ve been in therapy, and they finally got me on stuff for my PTSD… it feels weird to say it, to talk about it like I really have it… but I do, and I’m working on not being ashamed of that. What I am ashamed of is the way I treated you that day, how I let my anger get the best of me and how I hurt you when you’re the most important person in my life. You didn’t deserve that. And if I haven’t said it enough, I’m truly sorry.”

“I know,” you nodded, “thank you. I’m glad you’re getting help… I don’t want to see you like that for your own sake, too.”

“Just because you don’t hate me doesn’t mean you have to forgive me. And just because you forgive me doesn’t mean you have to take me back,” he reminded you softly.

“But I do forgive you, and I do want you back,” you promised. “And I want to apologize, too, for the things I did wrong… obviously it’s basically impossible for me to hurt you physically, you’re so much stronger than I am, but I hurt you with how I handled some things and I regret that.”

“It did hurt, but I still reacted poorly at basically every turn. I shouldn’t have gotten jealous of Sam in the first place, if you and him have something going on then that’s none of my business—”

“Of course it’s your business, Bucky, you’re my boyfriend!” you laughed. “You don’t need to be jumping for joy when I talk to my ex, you just need to not be that aggressive about it.”

“Am I your boyfriend?” he asked sheepishly. “Is he your ex?”

"When you came over the other day, and he was there… nothing happened, really. He came over, I told him I didn't want to be anything more than friends, he asked to use my shower… I don't know how to prove it to you—"

"You don't have to," he shook his head. "If you say nothing happened, then nothing happened."

“I mean, we hugged,” you remembered. “And he took your Fleetwood Mac shirt.”

“He what?” Bucky yelped, but then calmed himself down immediately. “Whatever, it’s fine, the point is that I have a lot of shit I still need to work on. Because the truth is, you’re not mine—”

“No, I—”

“Really, you’re not. You’re your own person. That’s what made me fall in love with you in the first place, I love that you’re independent and strong and… maybe a little crazy, but you’re exactly who you need to be. You don’t belong to me.”

“I don’t mind belonging to you as long as it’s fair, Bucky; as long as we belong to each other.”

“Sweetheart, you always had me,” he laughed. “From day one.”

“Then let’s figure your shit out. Believe it or not, I’ve got shit too… commitment issues, abandonment issues, daddy issues—”

“Ooh, I have that one too!” he beamed, making you laugh. “You know, when I was talking to my therapist, she had me do this thing where I talked about my hopes and stuff and, I don’t know, maybe it’s dumb but I wanted us to do that. I want to know what you’re hoping for for this.”

“Okay,” you nodded, “well, I’m hoping that you’ll move back in soon but not right away, maybe in a few months? I want us to get better at being apart, it’ll come in handy when I have to go to far off places for filming and stuff.”

“Totally with you,” he agreed, “might have to start buying some real furniture for my place though.”

“What about you?” you prompted.

“I’m hoping that you still think I'm cute enough to put up with some of my crap," he smirked, "if not all of it."

"Definitely," you grinned.

“I’m hoping that in the future, if you’re upset, you’ll tell me and we can work it out, and then have make-up sex," he added.

“Deal,” you chuckled.

“And, if I’m being honest,” he continued, leaning in closer and lowering his voice, “I’m hoping that I can take you home tonight.”

It was so simple, but it made a shiver run down your spine. This distance had caused more than just your heart to grow fonder, and you were craving his touch more than ever. “Where’s home?” you asked coyly.

“It’s wherever you wanna go,” he purred. “Your place, my place, the back of your car—”

“That one,” you nodded eagerly, “definitely that one.”

//

You wanted to go right then and there but he made you sit through the whole dinner, with all the trappings of wining and dining, though for you it sometimes felt more like whining and dying because you needed him so bad you couldn't think. But he stayed patient, keeping up the conversation, asking more about a new project you were tentatively linked with, telling you more about the newest improvements to his prosthetic.

He picked up the check, which was absurd to you but he insisted, and escorted you to your car as if his intentions were just gentlemanliness even though you knew it was far worse than that.

He (gently) pinned you up against the side of the car, kissing you slowly, making you melt like it was no effort for him at all. As his lips made their way to your ear, he whispered to you darkly, "get in the back and spread your legs for me."

You were sure you'd never obeyed an instruction so fast, hopping in and happily watching him climb in behind you. He instantly knelt down between your spread legs, holding you by your thighs as he pushed your dress up, and you were already lifting your hips up to let him pull your panties down to your ankles.

"So eager," he whispered happily, kissing his way up one of your legs and never breaking his gaze away from yours. Your mouth fell slack as you watched him get higher and higher, closer to where you were already dripping with need. "Been wanting to do this since that night, however many months ago, where I had to watch somebody else do this to you," he admitted with a grin that nipped at your inner thighs. "I know I've tasted you a thousand times since then, but I wanted to do it here."

There was a lot you could say to that, but it was all lost to a gasp as he licked one long, thin stripe right across your entrance and over your clit. Already you were shaking and grabbing his hair— he'd grown it out just enough that you could really dig your fingers into it, but even so he kept his teasing pace.

He kept going, that slow and torturous cycle where just as your clit got some much-needed attention, he started back over at your leaking opening again.

"The fuck are you doing down there, trying to figure how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop?" you finally groaned, making him chuckle at how demanding you'd become.

"I'm just making sure I do this right," he dismissed. "Want more, baby?"

"Please," you shuddered. "Need your tongue inside me."

He grinned and put you out of your misery, really latching his lips onto you now as he pushed his tongue inside and curled it against your g-spot. It was enough to make your back arch dramatically and your fingers clench on his hair, a little growl echoing out of his mouth and into your body in response.

Your legs were accidentally clamping down on his head each time he sucked on your clit, but he didn't seem to mind, if anything it egged him on.

"C-close, so close," you chanted our warning as his hands tightened on your thighs he gave wide laps to your throbbing button.

"Say you love me baby," he mumbled his demand against your skin.

"Bucky, yes, I love you," you whimpered. "Love you so much, fuck, I'm gonna come…"

He nodded as he wrapped his lips around your clit and kept sucking, harder than ever, until your whole body was literally quaking and you weren't sure if you had closed your eyes or if your vision just went black for a second. As if that weren't enough, he kept going until you had to push him off of you by his forehead, shivering and catching your breath as aftershocks rocked your body.

"You're so amazing," he groaned huskily as he sat up and pulled you into a rough kiss, the taste of your pleasure coating your tongue as it tangled with his. Just as you were about to reach down and attempt to operate his belt buckle with your tingling fingers, he pulled back from the kiss a moment too soon. "And now you get to drive yourself home," he grinned, patting you on the cheek reassuringly.

"What? That's it?!" you squawked.

"You just came so hard you nearly blacked out and you're asking me if that's it?" he smirked incredulously.

"I just thought you would want to, you know… go all the way," you explained, cringing at the immature phrase.

"Hey, I'm a gentleman, and this is still our first date," he reminded you.

"But aren't you, you know…?"

"Oh, I am," he nodded quickly, leaning in to bite at your neck. "Don't worry about me, princess, I can take care of myself." He chuckled at your whimper and pulled back to look right into your eyes. "But it's not about me, is it? You want my cock all for yourself, don't you?"

You nodded, making him giggle sweetly.

"Well, you're just gonna have to wait," he cooed, poking the tip of your nose with his finger and laughing harder at your needy whine. "We'll go out again next weekend and maybe if it goes well, it'll lead to something more, alright?"

"Okay," you sighed, "I can wait a week. I think."

He smiled and kissed you again, helping you pull your panties back up and rubbing your thigh appreciatively. "Goodnight," he whispered against your lips, slipping out of the car and shutting the door behind him.

You sighed and let your head fall back against the seat, watching out the window as he walked back to his bike. You hated to see him go, but you did love watching him walk away.

//

two years later…

“Will the Six Million Dollar Man be joining us?” Sam asked with a smirk as he glanced to the door of the bowling alley, checking to see if anyone had walked in.

“When he gets off of work,” you promised.

“Why do you call him that?” Natasha asked Sam innocently.

“You’ll see,” Sam promised, kissing his girlfriend on the cheek, but you figured there was a pretty good chance she wouldn't get the reference anyway.

Right on cue, Bucky appeared in the doorway and you and Sam waved him to the correct lane. “Hey guys,” he greeted, “hey babe,” he pulled you into a quick kiss. “And happy birthday, Sam.”

“Shh, keep it down, we don’t want any Hollywood people to find out that I’m aging,” Sam joked. “Are you gonna join the game or just observe?”

“I’ll join, if it’s not too late,” Bucky decided.

“Since when do you bowl?” you asked him, raising an eyebrow.

“Since I got the prosthetic recalibrated to throw the perfect strike every time,” he winked.

Beers and turns went pretty quickly after that, light conversation interspersed in between, until the more raucous parts of the evening died down and you left Bucky for a moment to join Sam at the bar.

Sam nodded to acknowledge you as you leaned beside him, and you ordered yourself one more drink before you called it a night.

“So, Natasha,” you started the conversation, watching the way Sam couldn’t hide his smile. “She’s great.”

“Yeah, she’s really something,” he agreed. “I wanted you guys to meet her sooner, but you were gone filming for so long and all.”

“Don’t fuck this one up, Sam,” you threatened.

“I’m trying not to!” he defended, before looking around like he was trying to make sure no one was looking. As you furrowed your brow and wondered what he was up to, he pulled out his phone from his jacket pocket and showed you a picture: a ring, with a massive diamond and accents of citrine.

“Holy shit…” you sighed, pulling the phone closer to get a better look.

“Had it custom made, I’m gonna pick it up tomorrow,” he explained, putting the phone away. “I don’t even know how I’m gonna ask her yet… I just know I need to snag this one before she slips through my fingers.”

“You’re really like a whole new man,” you realized aloud.

“I’m telling you, this girl… she really changed everything for me,” he sighed wistfully, and you nodded because you knew what that was like.

“I knew you just needed a good woman to straighten you out, Wilson,” you joked, patting him on the shoulder, “my only mistake was ever thinking it was me.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I thought it was you, too,” he smiled softly. “I really loved you, even when I was stepping out on you… and I think I needed to love you, and to lose you, to be here now.   So, thank you.”

“Uh, you’re welcome, I guess,” you laughed a little, taking a slow sip of your drink.

“And if she says yes, I’m gonna need all the marriage advice you have to offer,” he bargained.

“I mean, we’ve only been married for a month,” you chuckled, “I don’t think we’re far enough into it to really provide significant guidance.”

“And you’ve already gone through so much together.  Is he doing alright?  You know, his nightmares and stuff…”

You glanced over and where Bucky and Natasha were chatting, admiring how at ease he looked; he usually had a harder time with new people.  “Yeah, it’s been a lot better, he’s on new meds… how did you know about that?”

“He talks to me sometimes,” Sam admitted.  “And as someone who has played a PTSD-striken veteran in not one, but two major motion pictures, I’m sort of an expert,” he winked, but then got serious again.  “I would’ve asked him how he was doing myself but he wouldn’t let me ask him personal stuff on my birthday.”

“I bet he’d let you ask him for his opinion on the ring you just showed me.”

“Um, why would I want his opinion when he bought you that?” he grimaced, pointing at the ring on your finger.  “I mean, sapphires?  Really?”

“Cut it out,” you laughed, shoving him on the shoulder.

“Okay, fine,” he relented. 

“Are you coming to my premiere tomorrow, by the way?” you asked.  “I have it on good authority you were invited, since I demanded it.”

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” he nodded, “Nat really wants to go, too.  She’s a big fan of your work.”

“Well, tell her she was great in that one about the missing girl,” you replied.  

“I’ll be sure to tell her exactly that.”

“We should head home, you know how early premiere prep starts,” you sighed with an exhausted roll of your eyes, finishing the last of your drink before grabbing Sam on the shoulder.  “Good luck with however you decide to pop the question with Nat.  Let me know if you need anything.”

He nodded and let you go, and once you got Bucky’s attention and said goodbye to Nat, the two of you made your way out back to the car.

“I’m glad you and Sam get along,” you reminded him as you squeezed his hand.

“What gives you that impression?” he scoffed.

You shook your head and smiled, letting him walk you to the car in silence.

Less than 24 hours later, you held his hand in just the same way as you sat beside each other in the screening auditorium, watching your latest film fade to black and hearing the crowd at the premiere— mostly cast, crew, and critics— erupt into applause.

"I have a little surprise for you," you whispered in his ear as the credits began to flash.

"I am not gonna let you blow me in this crowded theater," he instantly scolded.

"No, not that," you giggled, although you secretly wondered how much less crowded the theater would have to be for him to let you try it.  "Just wait until my name comes up."

Written and Directed by Hope Van Dyne

A Paramount Pictures Film

In Association with Europa

And then there it was, in big white letters, just as much of a trip to see as the first time you saw your name on the big screen.  But something very important had changed.

Y/N Y/L/N-Barnes

Everyone at the screening was clapping and cheering, but you were so focused on him that his whisper was the only thing you heard.  "Sweetheart," he gasped, and you smiled wide.  "You didn't have to—"

"I wanted to."

"It's just a stage name, if you want to keep it the same—"

"Buck, really.  I want your name there with mine."

"But your credits…" he protested, though the break in his voice made it clear he was tearing up.  "You're an actress and you've established your career already and it's so important to you—"

"Hey," you soothed, reaching up to brush your hand over his cheek, forcing him to look at you.  "Your wife is the most important thing I've ever been."

[tomatograter]

What are your Thots on jake’s pq route?

I already wrote some about it in this post where I discuss the problem with taking dirkjake as a literal parallel to tavris (Mainly, that it’s inaccurate to both situations and misrepresents the dynamics at play) but it’s been long enough since release that I feel like I can talk about it without that criticism being taken as a personal witch hunt. TL;DR: As a general rule of thumb I don’t cite Jake’s PQ as part of his characterization, and I think basing your Jakewriting on it will only lead you astray.

I liked a lot of the Pesterquest routes and the alphas were among some of my favorites, but I think when you play the four of them in sequence Jake’s really... stands as the odd one out. It’s almost as if he’s afforded way less sympathy from the get go for some indiscernible reason, or like MSPAR took a day to say ‘I can’t stand this kid in particular’ after dealing with waaaaaaaay more mindboggling troll customs or stupid dangerous situations that tested their patience and their limits. When it comes down to it, it’s mostly an issue of framing.

Let’s go with the “Just the Alpha routes” example, because I think that makes the overall context clearer and the response/reactions it gathered (or the lack thereof) easier to understand. The alpha kids were the last 4 Pesterquest episodes. They were also afforded entire volumes just for themselves, which cemented our expectations on “oh, they’re going to really dig into unexplored territory!” and for the most part, that’s what we got! It was really nice to see the internal mechanics of Jane as someone raised within a corporate echochamber, Roxy as a grieving, isolated kid, deprived of all human contact, and Dirk as a nerdy doomsday prepper haunted by private flashes of himself as a supervillain. It all works! Those are things the alpha kids were dealing with on the background of the broader Homestuck story, things we were only hinted at as the *larger* problems played out. It makes you understand their point of view. Except on Jake's route, where nothing about his life seems to be relevant at all? 

With Jane we get discussions about HIC and her family, with Roxy beautiful passages about a mother they never met and growing up alone— Same for Dirk, who gets a whole brother zapped from an alternate timeline. But on Jake's route there's not even an expansive dialogue path dedicated to Grandma English, Skaianet, the rebellion, or the giant red ship that came and murdered her in the night and then bombed his house, leaving him trapped inside his only surviving tower. No understanding passage realizing that this kid has had to fend for himself in an island full of Actual Giant Alien Monsters trying to eat him alive, or that he cremated his guardian specifically to avoid attracting predators to the scent of fresh blood drying on her mutilated corpse at the age of an actual toddler. The text refuses to dig into any of the psychological implications or impact an environment like this could have on a kid, which is even weirder when you consider MSPAR has met and helped Vriska get out of a similar situation. The whole thing with Jane in the previous volume has just happened, even, while Jake's particularities go unremarked. He was just supposed to deal with it. And that's because a choice was made to portray all of Jake's problems in this route as sort of... single handedly Dirk's fault? Something he should have Just Dealt with?

There's not even a hint that Jake knows Hal exists. Which is important! Jake can pick out Hal from Dirk based on *verbal cues*, and the fact that he considers Hal a barrier between him and his "real friend" getting to communicate with one another is a whole point of contention (and even comedy) in the story proper. Instead of examining Jake's isolation, or grief, or how he literally locks himself in his room and plasters it with cinematic posters to pretend he's just the main lead of a wacky adventure movie in the face of the immense shitshow outside, we get brobot acting nonsensically and threatening to break into Jake's room to beat him up. 

A general reminder on brobot: He was programmed to scout the jungle and deal with predators so Jake could a) Be allowed to safely leave his room (something he simply didn't do before age 13 out of sheer terror, and we know this because dirk and jake talk about it on his birthday conversation, when he first gets brobot) and 

b) Learn how to defend himself in the case of a surprise attack, with different combat settings adjusted to his level. The brobot has a novice mode Jake feels patronized by, but pushes him up levels quickly enough. In Homestuck proper, the brobot only enters "stalking mode" after Hal gets pissy with Jake for finding him out, and forcefully switches the setting on to make Jake work for the Uranium inside it. When you take Hal out of the picture, this plotline makes no sense! Jake's route is set way before the Alphas even think of entering the game, so this particular event hasn't even happened. Jake goes on to text Roxy and she turns the stalking setting off remotely anyways, so even if brobot was programmed to murder Jake in his sleep, or jump him inside the safe zone of his room (he's not) he has literally no reason to be acting like that when he's been set to Baby Buff Up Mode.

(Brobot does end up spontaneously pulling himself apart to give Jake his reward after this)

Which brings me to my other problem with the general framing of this volume; the alpha kids don't feel present in Jake's life as friends at all. It's all "romantic options" and "shipping discourse" and MSPAR making these silly logic jumps to justify insisting on this line of query, and all it does is completely flatten out anything of interest having to do with Jake as a Person, to build up an image of Dirk as being suspicious and shady for his volume and more or less come to the conclusion that Jake sucks because he just Cant Choose Who To Date Between All His Friends! And that's why jake is just like tavros… and dirk is just like vriska! Or something. 

And just as a reminder, here's Jake talking with Roxy so I don't have to explain why that feels like a weird choice to me. (click to zoom)

And then there's the endings. On the vriska ending, MSPAR just ends up weirdly angry at jake for being such a piss baby and not getting that he's tavros and dirk is vriska so he had to… uh… take all his anger out on this 13 year old alien girl he has never met and teach her a lesson to prepare to do the same on dirk, or something. And on the other ending Jake mentions his pen pal, is zapped to meet jade, they have some non-committal greetings and then a cosplay party where Jake insists that he totally likes Lara croft not because she's a femme fatale and he relates to that, because he's never ever in his life thought of anyone being interested on him. Or Something. He likes Lara croft for normal reasons only. He wears really tiny shorts and does sexy poses because he's not aware at all of how other people find him attractive. He's just too dumb to get this, or the shipping thing, or that he's tavros and Dirk is vriska (who the hell are these people?).

Jake feels like an afterthought in the grand scope of events. Sidelined on his own episode. This volume is busy with rehashing age old fandom arguments that have little to do with his character, because said arguments were started and maintained by bored teens engrossed on fighting online instead of analyzing Homestuck; we introduce vriska for no interesting reason at all (thank god at least Jake has enough decency to say he's not into hitting on 13-year-olds, because that would have been particularly rancid.) And aside from catchphrases and old slang sprinkled liberally into his dialogue like a fog making machine, none of the motivation for the character is there. What does he want? What does he fear? Why does he act like the way he does? What would accommodating him look like? What would helping him look like? We get this on Jane's volume, Roxy's volume, and Dirk's volume. To really heart-wrenching and dramatic results, too. You get to know who they are, where they live, what they want, what they fear, what might help them get better, but Jake is just sort of There. He's a burden. MSPAR either ends this volume berating him for not doing what they want or finding him weird and confusing and like they don't know each other at all, and the fact both of those were marked as dubiously bad ends in the game files speaks for itself, I think.

[o-pandora-o]

Brothers in the Human Realm

No one was a demon to begin with (maybe luci though but-). You meet the brothers as human in the human realm. How would you meet them?

Lucifer:

Apparently some schoolmate of yours have done some violations in the school grounds and they used your name

You were sent to the Principal's office where you were questioned by Principal Diavolo about your wrong doings

You were trying to defend your innocence, but it was no avail

Coincidentally Lucifer was just dropping paperwork to Diavolo

Lucifer is your strict and scary and handsome college professor

He overheard the conversation and he defended you since he knew that you weren't lying

"Mr. Diavolo I must say, MC is one of my exceptional students, they would not do something as idiotic as that, and I clearly observe the behavior of my students"

Your H E R O

The next day, someone gave Principal Diavolo evidence of those who did wrong

Your name was cleared

Apparently you saw Lucifer giving those schoolmates detention, threat, and punishment. You may or may not seen a hint of killing intent in his eyes

You decided to thank Lucifer

"No worries, I just clearly observe the actions of what is mine"

H O L D U P

"Wha-" you replied

"Ah MC I have to go to my next class, take care"

Mammon:

Is a famous model, often the cover and centerfold of the monthly Majolish

For you Mammon was okay? I mean he is famous and many people likes his face

You were going to buy a limited edition  sunglasses that have hint of yellow and orange

You went to a sunglass store and asked the attendant if they they still have it but apparently the one on the display is their only stock

You decided to buy it

Apparently, Mammon also came to that specific sunglasses store looking for sunglasses that is the same as the one you bought

"I'm sorry sir, but apparently it was already bought and we have no stock" the attendant said

"Who bought it?"

"They did, sir" the attendant said as they point to you

"Oi! Can I buy the sunglasses from you? I'll pay double, no one can refuse the great Mammon"

"I'm sorry but I have to refuse. I really wanted it." you said

"Don't you know who I am? I'm-"

"The Great MAMMON, who is a famous model and often seen on Majolish magazine" you cut him off. "R-right! Now can i buy-"

"Nope sorry" you replied as you rushed to the exit

"Oi! What's your name? And contact details" he asked

"the name is MC, thats all you can get from me" you said as you rushed to the crowd

He was swarmed by the number of fans who saw him

He managed to find you and he chats you "Can I buy the sunglasses now?"

In the end it wasn't just sunglasses you talked about, you also talked about his struggle of being a model and your life

Leviathan:

Your username DestructoSheep is well known in the realms of Obey them

You always rank 2nd in pop quizzes

However no matter what you try, you can never beat your enemy, L3v1

Today, you got a letter from obey them, acknowledging the top players and giving them limited edition items

Ofc you have to go (there are limited items after all)

So you arrived early at the meetup place, no one was there yet so you played some obey them

A purple haired male entered the room, he looked fidgety, nervous, and he was mumbling something about normies

Cue giving of merch

The purple haired male tripped on the tiles and he dropped his phone in front of you

You helped him up and picked up his phone only to see his player name is L3v1.

"You.... You are L3v1." you sai

"Y-Yeah?W-Why?" he said as he was going to grab his phone away from you

"Waaaah! I'm DestructoSheep nice to meet you, oh but you can call me MC" you said as you reached his hand for a handshake

"I-uhhh I'm sorry I'm not used to touching, thats very normie-ish" he said as he averted his eyes

"My name is Leviathan, levi for short"

"I've always thought that the top player is always prideful and such but here he is being shy" you said as you chuckled

"H-hey! I'm still the best one in obey them mind you! I got every event cards at lvl 150 and skill lvl 10 and-"

"Yeah yeah I know" you said

After both of you received the merch, you both talked nonstop about obey them, other games, and anime

It was more like Levi bragging the amount of games and anime he played and watched

It was almost dusk till both of you notice the time

"Ah i got to go early, need to cook dinner. Chat me sometime!!!" you said as you gave him your contact details

Expect no sleep cuz both of you kept chatting till dawn

Satan:

He saw a kitty in a box in an alleyway near his apartment

Everyday, he often stops by to give the kitty enough food for the day

Is often disgusted by the fact that most people dump their pets in trash because they don't have anything to feed it

Saw you going to the alleyway

He suspected the worst and he thought that you were gonna harm the kitty he was feeding

"Hey don't harm-" he stopped

He saw you feeding the kitty

"Ah I assume you thought that I was gonna harm it?" you asked

"Well I thought the worst, humans are naturally scum anyways, but even so I do apologize"

"Ah it's alright, it's not a big deal anyways" you replied

"You come here often? I mean to feed the kitten that is" he asked

"You can say that, but not as often as you do" you said

"How did you know?did you perhaps-"

"Ah I happened to saw you feeding the kitten, I was just shy to approach you" you said

"Well I come to believe that people who are close to cats are not necessarily bad"

"I have to say I have to agree" you replied

"Ah I have to go, let's chat here again next time" you added

The alleyway became your meeting place to chitchat about cats

Asmodeus:

The famous M.A.D. Company released a new and limited edition Devil Set makeup and you were dying to get a hold of one

You spent a day looking at different stores but it was either unavailable or sold out. However, you were lucky to find another store that has one last stock.

You didn't notice someone else was also going to get it and so both of you grabbed the last set

"Uh... I'm sorry I have been looking this for the whole day, may I have it?" you politely asked

"Awww sweetie, I have been doing the same thing! Can you be a dear and let go of it?" the male with champagne-colored hair replied

Cue 1 hour of both of you saying "let go" or "it's mine"

"I have an idea! Let's just buy the set and divide it" you said

"Ohh! Good thinking! I will take the lippies, Devil shadow palette and the foundation!"

"That's literally EVERYTHING IN THE SET"

Cue two more hours of bickering.

Both of you didn't notice someone took it while the two of you are bickering

You noticed that it was gone

"Um... Someone already bought it while you two were... fighting" the saleslady explained

Both of you left the store empty handed and sad and you decided to break the atmosphere

"Pffft I'm sorry for fighting because of a Makeup set, btw my name is MC" you said

"I'm also sorry dear, although I wanted it I still didn't get it. I even missed my appointment to the salon!"

"And my name is Asmodeus, perfect name for a perfect being!" Asmo added

"Alright Mr 'Perfect' " you rolled your eyes

Let's just say that both of you talked about makeups on your way home.

Beelzebub:

Beel is your classmate during Physical Education class at college

Is a famous football player in your campus and he is also known for his handsomeness

His practice hours were often morning to late lunch and late lunch til dusk

During late lunch you saw him in the cashier by the cafeteria, asking if they still have cheeseburger available

But to his dismay, the cashier said "I'm sorry you already bought the last cheeseburger, and that's the last quota for the day"

He seemed sad and still hungry

You still have a cheeseburger to eat, but when you saw the time you knew you weren't gonna make it on your next class

When no one was looking, you decided to approach Beel and gave him your cheeseburger

"Are you giving this to me?"

"Yeah, I was going to eat it but I don't have much time for my next class" you replied

"Thanks, I owe you one"

You saw how happy he was when he got the cheeseburger

You were shocked how fast he ate it

Did he like inhale it or something

After your class, you noticed that he texted you saying "Thanks for the cheeseburger, I'll repay you next time you get hungry"

Let's just say you both got closer after that

Belphie:

It's your first day of online class, and your first subject has a 4 hour lecture

You forgot to disconnect your meeting link and you didn't notice until you were about to do homework

As you were about to disconnect, you saw that you weren't alone and you're classmate is still connected

You didnt want to leave him so you tried your best for your classmate to notice you. You tried spamming and saying " hello"

After 1234 attempts he finally noticed you

"Ah I'm sorry I slept during the boring lecture, thanks for waking me up"

"Ah it's no problem" you replied

"My name is Belphegor as you can see, but you can call me Belphie"

"My name is MC" you replied

"Say... How are you still here after hours after the lecture?"

"I forgot to disconnect" you replied

"Uh idk if this is too much of a favor to ask, can you wake me up again next time? After lecture that is, I don't want to be late for other classes"

"Sure, I don't mind I guess" you replied

After that, both of you got to know each other and you forgot to do your homework and you became a personal alarm clock

[vashak]

Different worlds: Eiji (3)

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

Originally posted on 19 December 2019 in Turkish here.

This is the part where things get complicated. Eiji will discover the true extent of Ash’s solitude and try to save him from a fatalistic mindset.

Like I mentioned in the other meta, Ash doesn’t want to kill. On the other hand, he shows no mercy to those who sold their friends out to Arthur. Or let me rephase that: Ash can’t take the risk of showing mercy to these spineless cowards who indirectly caused members of his gang to be killed. In the meantime, Eiji more or less knows what Ash is up to until late at night. He pieces together the bits he overheard Ash tell his gang members and the news about gang violence. Still, Eiji doesn’t judge him without hearing his side of the story. Instead he calmly asks him about what is going on.

Eiji gives Ash an opportunity to explain himself first. When Ash brushes him off, he points out the blood stain on his t-shirt, making it clear that he wants an explanation. He shows Ash the article on New York Times and asks him “Did you do this?” Then he softly adds “I don’t want to believe it…” This last sentence serves to make Ash understand that Eiji’s disappointed in him. Yeah, that’s just how good Eiji is at expressing his emotions.

Ash, on the other hand, is already feeling guilty about the lives he took, so being confronted about it makes him angry and defensive. He brazenly tells Eiji “And so what?” I think Ash is trying to act all nonchalant about it because he’s trying to convince himself that he did the right thing. But Eiji doesn’t know what to make of this sudden shift in attitude because just a few days ago he witnessed the extent of Ash’s trauma with killing when Ash cried his heart out on his lap. So Eiji gets angry because he’s scared. He wanted to protect Ash’s soul but now he’s scared that he has already lost him for good. Fueled by disappointment, his next remark hits home: “You now are not you! You’re not the Ash that I and Skip and Shorter knew so well!”

Remember the part where Eiji was thinking to himself that he feared Ash was slowly drifting away from him even when they were so close? This is the first time Eiji voices that fear, which leads Ash to conclude that Eiji started seeing him differently than before. And that thought is enough to make him panic because Ash always took consolation from the fact that, in Eiji’s eyes, he was just a teenager, not a cold-blooded murderer (although he just called himself a murderer in front of Eiji).

Seeing Ash storm out of the apartment, Eiji regrets his words immediately. He also feels guilty about defending others and telling Ash that he wouldn’t understand the feelings of the “have-nots” while he failed to understand Ash’s feelings in the first place. The last thing Ash said before he left the apartment keeps echoing in his mind: “I never ever wanted to be exceptional in my whole life!”

I assume Eiji then spent a sleepless night thinking things over and followed the logic I explained here, which lead him to look at things differently: Ash’s actions aren’t always dictated by his will or desires. He does certain things not because he wants to but because he has to, because “his world” compels him to. So Eiji decides to go and apologize to Ash as he thinks he hurt him while all he intended to do was to warn him. On the other hand, Ash probably thinks he lost Eiji for good after that fight like I explained in this meta. But it’s not like this was something he didn’t expect.

The look on Ash’s face here is just so raw… And this scene is proof enough that he didn’t believe Eiji when he said he would stay with him forever just the night before. For Ash, that was just an empty promise made on the spur of the moment by an innocent boy who didn’t belong in his world. But like everything else with Eiji, it was meant well.

Ash was ashamed of what he did and wanted to protect Eiji, so he didn’t tell him what he was up to, but of course he didn’t expect Eiji to remain clueless. That’s why I think it didn’t come as a surprise to Ash when Eiji wanted to confront him about the killings. But when Eiji outright tells him that his talents and gifts (which are nothing but a curse to Ash) make him exceptional, Ash is deeply hurt. Before, Ash always knew that Eiji was on his side even if he didn’t understand Ash’s feelings. Not this time. Ash realizes that Eiji’s not with him on this one and that realization makes him feel very lonely. That’s why he goes to the library. Ash turns to books when he has no one else. It’s as if the library is a reflection of his inner self.

The morning after the fight, Eiji asks Bones and Kong where Ash might be. They tell him, “The boss likes to come to the library when he wants to be alone.” Actually, it’s the other way around. Ash comes to the library because he feels alone. We know what went through Eiji’s mind when he found Ash reading on his own in the library because he tells Ibe-san at the end of the story. In that moment it’s like everything falls into place and Eiji makes up his mind.

Come to think of it, going to the library to find Ash is the best way Eiji shows Ash that he matters to Eiji as he is. That Eiji accepts him as he is. By doing that Eiji surprises Ash once again, because that means he’s still there for him and I think that’s when his promise of forever becomes meaningful.

So Eiji goes up to Ash and apologizes, putting his emotions into words as good as he can: “I said too much. I thought true friends should be able to say what they think even if it’s something bad. I didn’t want to hurt you.” Yeah, it sounds like he’s quoting a self-help book. Let me rephrase what I think Eiji’s actually trying to say here: “I didn’t say what I said to hurt you. It’s just that I thought you should know that you’re going farther and farther away from the people who care for you.”

Ash in turn says something to imply that he knows he’s over the line and doesn’t feel at ease with that fact: “You hit someone where it hurts and they tend to get sore about it.” And before Eiji can understand what he means by that Ash changes the subject. But Eiji already knows that Ash is deeply traumatized by killing people. Still, he can’t fully grasp the extent of it until the showdown between Ash and Arthur. But before going there I have a say a few things about the Snows of Kilimanjaro scene.

Why is Ash talking about death? Why does he say that he sees himself in that leopard? I think this is Ash’s way of explaining the things he said to Eiji with anger the night before. By drawing a parallel between himself and the leopard in the story, he’s basically saying that he had no choice in the events that brought him up to this point just like an animal without consciousness (“I never ever wanted to be exceptional in my whole life!”). Another way to interpret this is that Ash accepts the fact that he won’t be able to change his fate, his future. What it all boils down to is that Ash found himself on a path he can’t change and the only thing that lies ahead for him is death.

Seeing Eiji’s perfectly legitimate look of horror, Ash lightens the mood by saying, “I’ve never been afraid of death but I’ve also never wanted to die.” While it doesn’t sound like it, this line is actually consistent with the leopard analogy. Most animals can’t make a conscious decision to die. So again, it’s possible to interpret this statement to mean that Ash can’t/won’t fight against his fate. Eiji, on the other hand, tells him the exact opposite.

By the way, what Eiji literally says here is this: “Humans can change their fate. They possess wisdom that leopards don’t have. And you’re not a leopard, right?” Here’s what I think Eiji means by this in very simple terms: Anything is possible as long as you live.

Like Eiji says, Ash is indeed human, not an untamable beast. And we understand at the end of Banana Fish that what makes Ash different from that leopard in the Snows of Kilimanjaro is the fact that he has Eiji in his life who helped him preserve his humanity—the very same person who told him he was not a leopard in the first place.

Let’s move on…

On the night of Halloween, Ash and Eiji are talking good-naturedly about girls over a few drinks. But later, as I talked about here, the mood turns sour when Ash tells Eiji about a girl he used to like who was killed because she was mistaken to be Ash’s girlfriend. As Ash reminisces about the painful memory, he makes an offhand remark to Eiji that once again emphasizes how the two of them belong to different worlds.

And Eiji reacts the same way he did the first time Ash told him that: He thinks he’s a burden to Ash and blames himself. And that is the last thing Ash wants at that moment, because he’s sending Eiji off to Japan in a few hours and Eiji has no idea about it. So Ash feels guilty for going behind his back and hastily changes the subject, but not before assuring Eiji that he’s not a burden. Ash doesn’t want Eiji to think that when Eiji’s presence alone makes him so happy (I think Eiji can’t even imagine just how happy, nor can Ash put it in words). He just wants to spend the last couple of hours he has with his friend talking about normal, ordinary stuff (or perhaps the last couple of hours of his life as he’s going to have a showdown with Arthur soon).

But when Eiji wakes up to find Ash gone and Bones and Kong waiting to take him to the airport, he realizes that Ash was planning this all along. He thinks that Ash is sending him back to Japan to protect him from danger, so that Eiji doesn’t end up like that girl Ash told him about a couple hours ago. Naturally, Eiji is hurt that Ash planned all this without telling him anything and he obviously doesn’t want to leave Ash but he’s willing to go along with it because that’s what Ash wants—until he finds out the truth of the matter.

There is another reason why Ash wants to send Eiji back to Japan: to “protect” himself, not Eiji. Ash comparing himself to Hemingway’s leopard stands to reason how much he has surrendered to a fatalistic mindset. Ash must give up the emotional support Eiji’s ready to give him in order to keep walking in that set direction. In other words, to be able to fight Arthur and his gang the way he did, Ash felt like he had to disengage himself from any influence that would bring out his human side and make him weak against the enemy. That’s why he’s sending Eiji away.

When Bones and Kong spill the beans, Eiji realizes what Ash intended to do all this time.

Here we see Eiji finally understand how Ash was trying to deliberately desensitize himself all along. This was the reason why Ash snapped at him when they had a fight (“Logic’s got nothing to do with it! Strength is all that counts!”), why he had planned to send him away without telling him anything. But Eiji has seen how wounded Ash is under all that ice. He witnessed how Ash unconsciously sought help to be saved.

Eiji realizes then and there that the reason why Ash was knowingly and cruelly trying to drown his soul was because he couldn’t afford to salvage it. And now he’s off to a showdown where he might get killed. With these thoughts in mind, Eiji starts to run as fast as his legs will carry him.

Eiji makes it to the end of the fight between Ash and Arthur which is now finally one-to-one. He screams Ash’s name on top of his lungs to stop the fight. But to no avail. He watches with horror as Ash delivers the finishing blow on his opponent with one last swing of his knife.

Ash went to face Arthur expecting to die and survived despite all of Arthur’s dirty tricks. But he doesn’t look like he just won a deadly fight. He lifts up his knife to the air dolefully like he’s won a Pyrrhic victory. No doubt he’s feeling ashamed for having killed so many people. What’s more, he thought that Eiji would be safely away from all this shit by then but Eiji just saw his ‘monstrous’ side that Ash tried so hard to hide from him.

Then comes a very meaningful scene. Among the roar of the cheering crowd, Ash and Eiji are simply looking at each other without saying a word. Ash is on the top of the bridge and Eiji is down on the road. The chasm separating the different worlds they belong to couldn’t have been portrayed more accurately. Finally, Ash breaks his silence.

The nightmare Ash has later when he is being operated on paints a more clear picture of what he means by not wanting Eiji to see him like ‘that.’ Ash still can’t get over the fact that he killed Shorter. Coupled with what just happened with Arthur’s gang, he can’t think of himself as any anything other than a killing machine. He is touched to see that Eiji is refusing to go back to Japan to save him despite everything, which makes him feel even more worthless. So this scene tells us once again that Ash thinks he’s undeserving of Eiji’s concern and compassion.

If, like me, you see a pattern here, let me summarize it for you…

The first time round, Ash tries to send Eiji back to Japan for his own safety. The second time round, he tries to send him back because he doesn’t want him witnessing what he has to do.

The first time round, Eiji stays because he’s moved by Ash’s plight and wants to help him. The second time round, he stays because he thinks Ash needs him.

Read the next part of the meta here.

[ejzah]

A/N: Well, that was a pretty resounding yes for part 2. I’m not sure if this is AU or not. Things got quite angsty and dramatic.

Rumor Has It, Part 2

***

Deeks pasted on a smile, trying to give the illusion that he was listening to the 29 year old sitting in front of him. Sophia Glossman was upbeat, funny and, attractive. On any other occasion, he’d probably be perfectly happy to share dinner with her. The problem was he wasn’t here by choice.

And she wasn’t Kensi. From her short blonde hair to her barely five feet of height, she was just about as different from Kensi as you could get.

He pushed that thought to the very back of his mind. Right now he needed to appear to be an attentive boyfriend and thinking about his issues with Kensi would not be helpful.

Despite his best attempts to draw her out, Kensi remained stubbornly standoffish. Every time she ignored him or answered in monosyllables instead one of her awful jokes, he the knot in his stomach grew a little heavier.

“Xavier?”

Deeks’ inhaled shallowly at his alias’ name, refocusing on Sophia. Based on her expression, he missed some integral part of the story.

“Oh, sorry,” he muttered, silently berating himself for getting distracted. “What were you saying?”

Sophia leaned forward, balancing her chin her cupped hands.

“I was just telling you about this jerk I had at the bar today,” she explained. “Are you ok? You’ve been really distracted today.”

“Yeah, just, uh, rough case.”

“Oh no, is it still the DCS case?” Clearly thinking his subdued demeanor was to do with concern for his client, she reached for his hand, rubbing her thumb along his, and brushed his hair back from his forehead. He resisted the urge to shake it back in place.

Xavier Moricz was a little more refined than Marty Deeks. He wore suits on a daily basis and drove a car that was far outside a cop’s pay.

“Uh, yeah, it’s not going well. I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep her from serving time. It might even be years,” Deeks said, taking inspiration from a dozen similar cases he’d worked as a public defender. He let the remembered emotion wash over him again and swallowed harshly, glancing up at Sophia with a shrug. “She could lose her kids forever.”

“I’m so sorry, Xav,” Sophia murmured, cupping his cheek. “You know, I think it’s wonderful that you do so much pro bono work for people who can’t afford a lawyer, but you’re working yourself way too thin. You need to take a break once in a while and-” she shrugged playfully, leaning even closer so he could see the flecks of darker blue in her eyes-“relax.”

He shivered at her touch, which wasn’t unpleasant at all, and made him think of Kensi even more. Grabbing Sophia’s hand, he kissed her knuckles, looking directly into her eyes. He saw her pupils widen with desire.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Why don’t you come over to my apartment and find out.” She skimmed her nose down his cheek, her breath warming his skin. “I have a bottle of really good tequila I might have “borrowed” from work and I don’t have to be in til 3.”

Deeks caught her mouth with his, kissing her for several long seconds and then pulled back with a groan.

“You have no idea how much I wish I could, but I have three depositions in the morning and I need to finish prepping,” Deeks said with an apologetic sigh.

“Workaholic,” Sophia teased, giving him a slightly exasperated look. “Ok, I’ll give you a pass. This time. But you owe me.”

***

Deeks got to his apartment just before 11. To make up for declining her mildly scandalous offer, he’d lingered at the restaurant, paying special attention to Sophia.

As he reached the front steps, he jerked as a figure slipped out of the dark shadows, instantly reaching for his gun before he realized it was Kensi.

“Kens, what are you doing here?”

She drew closer, but kept several feet between them.

“She seems nice,” Kensi said, her tone sarcastic. “A little young, but I guess that hasn’t stopped you before.”

“Wait, did you follow me?” Deeks asked, outraged and once again worried that he possibly hadn’t noticed her. He really needed to get his act together.

“You’ve been acting strange recently so I decided to matters into my own hands since you wouldn’t tell me.”

“Oh my god, Kensi...” Deeks shook his head and quickly brushed past her to open the front door. “We can’t have this conversation out here”

Kensi hesitated for a few second and then followed him inside, watching with her arms crossed as he turned on lights.

“So, are you going to tell me why you’ve been lying to keep your girlfriend a secret?”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Deeks insisted.

“Really, because last I checked you don’t make out with friends.”

Deeks pinched the bridge of his noise, fighting the urge to let his frustration show.

“Or maybe she’s just a booty call,” Kensi continued recklessly and Deeks snapped, slightly outraged that she would suggest such a thing. He hadn’t dated anyone, let alone

“Kensi, do you really think I’d lie to you for a hookup? You know me way better than that.”

“I thought I did.” She shrugged. “But since you lied to me about where you were every night this week, anything is possible. For all I know, you’ve been seeing a different woman each day.”

“I would never do that to you,” Deeks said firmly and a hint of hopefulness crossed her face. God, he hated doing things to her. “And if I could tell you the truth right now, I would. Please believe me.”

Kensi’s face fell again, making his stomach clench uncomfortably, and she shook her head. She turned away, but not before he saw the tears shining in her eyes.

“If that were true, you’d find a way,” she said with quiet bitterness. “I thought we were-I thought we were friends, Deeks.“ Somehow that hurt more than anything she’d said so far. He took a step towards her, not really sure what he planned to do, but didn’t make it more than a few feet before his phone rang.

“Dammit!” he hissed when he saw the number and Kensi turned around with a slightly sad, knowing look. “Kens, I need to go right now, but I promise that I will explain everything to you.”

“No, that’s not necessary. You made it perfectly clear that we are partners and nothing more. Just like it should have always been.”

She moved around him, quickly heading for the door. He reached for Kensi, desperate to keep her from leaving even if he had no idea what he would say. He managed to catch her fingers and Kensi didn’t immediately pull away.

“Don’t go,” he begged, sensing that if she left now, something would be irrevocably broken between them.

“I can’t, Deeks,” she said raggedly. Her thumb moved against his, maybe unconsciously, and then she tugged free.

He immediately missed the warmth, the familiarity of her touch. She backed away from him, pulling up a mask of indifference in the time it took her to reach the door.

“I hope she’s worth it.”

***

A/N: Kensi may be just a touch OOC here. I figure that this takes place late season 4 and in my version of things, Kensi thought she and Deeks were close to moving toward a relationship and is now extremely hurt.

[crossdressingdeath]

I sometimes see this narrative going around amongst JC stans where “JC is the one who bears the consequences for WWX’s actions” and it just genuinely baffles me because...how? When? When WWX defended LWJ and JZX in the cave? But it was already acknowledged that that wasn’t his fault in JC’s own head. When he protects the Wen remnants? He literally staged a fight with JC and got stabbed just so people would accept that he was no longer part of the Jiang sect, and the whole point of that was 1/7

so the Jiang sect wouldn’t suffer any consequences for what he was doing. And there’s literally no proof that the Jiang sect were in any way affected by this - it was WWX and the Wens suffering, while the Jiangs were off strengthening their sect, and building alliances with the very people calling for WWX’s head since JYL married into the Jin sect? So yeah, the JC definitely didn’t suffer there. Didn’t technically suffer through JZX’s death either since there’s no proof that those two 2/7

were even close, and anyway, it didn’t mean that JZX’s death suddenly meant that people hated the Jiangs. No, if anything they were seen as the victims that WWX had betrayed, especially since they all believed he had somehow caused the destruction of the Jiang sect. And while of course JC would have been upset to see JYL sad, that’s JYL’s pain, not his. And JYL’s death, the only thing out of these that does undoubtedly affect him, was not 3/7

WWX’s fault. WWX isn’t the one who organised an army to attack him and a group of innocent civilians AFTER two of them had already surrender, just like what had been asked of them - WWX didn’t force JYL out onto that battlefield. And as had been discussed before, WWX didn’t die at WWX’s hand, she died after being stabbed by someone else trying to attack him. Therefore the thing that hurts JC the most out of all of this wasn’t even WWX’s fault. And after all of this? JC’s sect 4/7

isn’t struggling, or being blamed for WWX’s actions. No one seems to connect WWX to the Jiangs anymore, except to sympathise with them; JC gets praise and acclaim for ‘killing’ WWX; the Jiang sect is undoubtedly doing very well in the future, despite the poor reputation that JC earned for himself amongst his people. Now, on the flip side, JC’s decision to literally ignore the dozens of civilians who he KNOWS aren’t the deadly army that the Jins are claiming, and his refusal to 5/7

uphold a life debt, means that it falls to WWX to shoulder that burden alone. Even though that JC has more than enough reason to help out, and wouldn’t have suffered any consequences had he at least spoken out. It’s JC who leads the siege to kill WWX and the Wens; they are all literally dead because of a plan that he was in charge of. If we’re using this round about logic about people suffering the ‘consequences’ of other people’s actions, then how about we say that if JC hadn’t made the 6/7

choice to distract those Wen cultivators, then WWX would still have his core? Since apparently ‘saving LWJ and JZX’ amounts to ‘you destroyed the Jiang sect’ in these peoples eyes. Seriously...I just wish people would stop making JC out to be the victim in every situation. 7/7

Honestly, I wish I could explain why people insist that JC always bears the consequences for WWX’s actions because... if anything it’s the reverse. JC and WWX are drinking in the Cloud Recesses? Only WWX faces punishment. JC chooses to leave his allies to die? WWX steps in and almost dies himself in the process. JFM finds that admirable on WWX’s part? YZY freaks out at WWX for outdoing her son (who, reminder, chose to stay back and not do the thing that would’ve gotten him praised against WWX’s express wishes). JC gets mad at not being praised for trying to leave his allies to die? WWX has to drag himself off his sickbed and comfort him for it. JC throws himself into danger on impulse after the fall of Lotus Pier? WWX loses his golden core. JC doesn’t want to help the people who saved his life? WWX dies trying to repay that debt. It is always WWX paying the price, always WWX who suffers. The most you can say the other way around is that if WWX hadn’t left to fulfill JC’s life debt then maybe JC wouldn’t have ended up alone... but given JYL had already moved out and JC treated WWX like shit (meaning he probably wouldn’t have stayed forever anyway) odds are he still would have ended up without family at his side. I don’t know, it always has heavy victim-blaming vibes to me, given how often it’s followed with something that can be summarized as “so really it was WWX’s fault that their relationship fell apart”.

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

dance

Written for Day 4 of @aangweek! Read here on AO3.

~*~

4. dance - if you hit a wall, climb over it, crawl under it, or dance on top of it

What year did Fire Lord Sozin battle the Air Nation army?

The Air Nation army.

What army? The ashen remains of bones that littered the Air Temples? The memories of a past erased and rewritten by the conquerors? The whispers and cries of voices drowned out by roaring flames? That army?

Aang shuddered, pulling his knees to his chest. Was that how his people were remembered? As part of a history reformatted and reworked? As aggressors instead of defenders? As casualties, no, as soldiers instead of victims? Was that how the world had chosen to immortalize his people?

Aang sighed, releasing his legs before slowly pushing himself into a sitting position. He wouldn’t be falling asleep anytime soon. And besides - he could see the sun inching upwards over the horizon. Daybreak had almost arrived, which meant it was only a matter of time before everyone woke up and they continued travelling. There was no point in him trying to catch an extra hour of shut-eye.

Maybe he could meditate for a bit. While he waited for morning to come. It could help him clear his mind, he supposed, of… of those more painful memories. Of false knowledge force-fed down his throat.

But as Aang stood to find an open place for meditation, he was distracted by the presence of Sokka. His friend was already awake, hunched over and scribbling away at his lengthy schedule.

“We can shorten our stay here,” Sokka muttered, “and taking this route shaves two hours off our total travel time if we only take one break instead of two -” He stopped when Aang joined him, the airbender plopping down on a patch of grass. “Good morning?” He paused. “Uh… What are you doing up so early?”

Aang gave his friend an amused smile, folding his legs criss-cross. Considering he himself was usually the first one up, Aang couldn’t help but find Sokka’s question rather hilarious. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

Sokka shrugged. “Just trying to rework our schedule. I have to take in account the extra days we stayed in that cave if we want to arrive at the meet-up point for the eclipse invasion on time.”

Aang flinched at the reminder. Of the upcoming eclipse or the additional days he’d encouraged his friends to stay in the city, he wasn’t sure. When Sokka glanced at him, Aang looked away. Down at his feet. “Right. Yeah. I guess we do need to make up for that… lost time.”

Sokka raised an eyebrow, at first not commenting. He rolled up his schedule and placed it aside. “So, why again did you say you were up so early?”

Aang hadn’t.

He sighed, leaning backwards to stare up at the arrival of dawn and bracing himself with his palms. Clouds of orange and red and yellow burned before Aang. Hues not dissimilar to fire. “Dreams.” Memories.

Sokka nodded. “Nightmares?”

“Kind of.”

“Want to talk about them?”

The Air Nomads didn’t have a formal military.

Aang shook his head. “Not really.”

Sokka nodded. “That’s okay. You don’t have to.” He tucked the group’s schedule into his bag. “Want to talk about something else?”

Aang didn’t answer immediately. Stuck on some twisted loop, his mind traced over and over and over the surprise, the shock, the disbelief of every kid’s face in the cave as he’d danced before them. They, too, had been robbed of their childhood. Not in the same way, no. Not at the same price. But it had been stolen from them all the same.

“Do you think I helped them?” Aang finally whispered. His fingers dug into the dirt beneath his palms, collecting behind his nails. “The Fire Nation kids, I mean.” He sat up straight again, this time making eye contact with his friend. “Toph told me I helped them to be free.” He swallowed a lump in his throat. “Do you… Do you think she was right?”

Sokka raised an eyebrow. “Uh, what are you talking about?” Aang opened his mouth to explain, but Sokka continued before he could get a word out. “Of course she was right.”

Aang’s voice disappeared into his chest for a full ten seconds before resurfacing. “She was? But it was just a dance par-”

“It wasn’t ‘just’ a dance party, Aang,” Sokka interrupted, giving him a wry smile after his use of dramatic finger quotes. “You gave those kids their first moment of independent thought. I know I called them ‘depraved little monsters’” - Aang snorted at the reminder - “and while I don’t think I was too far off with that assessment, I’ve come to the conclusion that…” Sokka pursed his lips. “Well. Deprived might be a better word.”

Deprived.

Yes, that was fitting.

“I still can’t believe they didn’t know how to dance,” Aang said after a pause. “A hundred years ago, the Fire Nation was - was the place to be for dancing!” He learned everything he knew from Kuzon, after all. “And now…” Aang sighed. “Sure, I gave them a taste of fun, but they’re all going to be punished for it.” If they hadn’t been already. “Was that - Was it even worth it for them?”

“I think it was,” Sokka answered, a thoughtful expression crossing his features. “Like I said - it wasn’t just a dance party.” A beat passed, and he winked at Aang as he held a finger over his lips. “It was a secret dance party.”

Aang laughed. “What are you talking ab-”

“You taught them to challenge authority!” Sokka continued, throwing his hands in the air. “You taught them that sometimes, to learn the real truth, you have to think outside the box and track down other sources.” He laughed, shaking his head. “Aang, you showed them that adults can be wrong. That people in power are not infallible.” Sokka grinned at him. “So you didn’t just teach them to be free. You taught them how to find their own freedom, too. And in a brainwashed, messed-up country like the Fire Nation?” He snorted. “Spirits know they need that.”

Brainwashed… Not an inaccurate term to describe the misinformation - the lies - Aang knew their country had built its new foundation on.

“Thanks, Sokka,” Aang said, giving his friend a soft smile as tension eased from his shoulders. Maybe it was a good thing, then, that he’d stayed those extra days in the cave. Those kids were the future of the Fire Nation. Change would have to start with them.

“You’re welcome, buddy.”

Aang bit his lip. A beat passed. “Can I ask you another question?”

“I mean, you technically just did - kidding, I’m kidding,” Sokka amended as Aang rolled his eyes. “None of you have a sense of humor.”

“Sokka, you know I think you’re the funniest guy in the four nations.”

“And you would be right!” They both laughed, and Sokka continued once their snickering had died down. “But sure, go ahead. What’s on your mind?”

Aang opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated, out of nowhere finding that it was thrice as difficult for air to enter and exit his lungs. How embarrassing for an - the last - airbender.

Deep breaths. In and out.

Well, I don’t know how you could possibly know more than our national history book.

“What… What were you taught about my people?” Aang found himself staring at the ground, at his feet, at anywhere but Sokka’s eyes. “The Air Nomads?”

“Uh… not much,” Sokka admitted, and Aang grimaced. “We knew Sozin massacred them in an attempt to kill the Avatar, which started the war. Gran Gran told us they were a peaceful people, too, and were all really gifted benders.” He hesitated, giving Aang an apologetic glance. “I’m… sorry I don’t know more.”

Aang’s chest ached with an emptiness he sometimes feared would never be filled. But at least Sokka hadn’t been told -

“You know my people didn’t attack first, though?” His voice faltered, and Aang cleared his throat. “That - That they never wanted to fight?”

Sozin defeated them by ambush.

“Yeah,” Sokka said quietly. “I know.”

He forced down the lump in his throat, and when Sokka moved to pull him into a tight embrace, Aang allowed himself to fall apart in his friend’s arms.

When the sun had risen and his tears had dried, Aang spoke.

“After I defeat Fire Lord Ozai… you’re going to dance with me.”

Sokka raised an eyebrow. “I’m gonna what now?”

“Dance with me.” Aang gave him a small smile. “Come on. Don’t tell me you’re too much of a picken to dance with your best friend.”

Sokka rolled his eyes. “You know what? Sure. Why not. When you defeat Fire Lord Ozai, I’ll dance with you.” He grinned at Aang. “I look forward to it, hotman.”

Aang laughed. “Flameo!”

~*~

i am prepared and willing to throw hands with anyone who says "the headband" ep was pointless filler (it really and truly was not). also, i read something and it said flameo was a curse word, and idk if that's true, but you're welcome to interpret the final line as aang being like "fuck yeah!" if you'd like. thank you for reading, and i hope to see you tomorrow for day 5 - air temples!

[dumbbitchenergy17]

I’m Sorry (Part 4)

Summary- You are Michael’s vessel as you are Dean’s kid and letting him use you instead of your dad.

Dean x Daughter!Reader

Word count- 3862

Masterlist

It was an abandoned church people were hanging from chains, some crying others passed out from their wounds one man slowly bleeds in a goblet bound to a chair. Footsteps approach Michael healing a cut on the man bleeding Michael takes the goblet that is now full of blood and nods approvingly.

“A little of this… a little of that.” He pours some angel grace in and swirls it as it dissolves, “and," Michael forces the man’s mouth open and pours the blood down his throat. 

“Yes, good boy.” The man begins to choke and gasp before the vessel burns out. 

Michael frowns, “Hmm. Too much ‘that’. How disappointing.” He grabs the corpse and drags him over to a pile. All failed attempts bodies piled up with burned-out eyes and blood pouring from it. Looking over the line of people in chains he spins his knife

“Alright. Who’s next?”

In the bunker, Mary and Bobby look over weapons “Who goes to Duluth in October. Sure Michael didn’t touch down in Orlando?” Bobby says check over a handgun

Mary looks over at him “Jo was pretty specific. Duluth.”

Bobby sighs ”Yeah, well, angels ain’t exactly known for their veracity.” Mary clears her throat and looks behind Bobby, as Cas enters “No offense.” 

Cas nods ”None taken. I tend to agree with you.” Mary clicks the barrel back in handing it over to Sam who sits with his laptop. “Here you go.”

Sam nods scrolling through the police reports “Thanks” Footsteps cause every to look over at who entered and it was Dean holding a beer

“Hey Dean how are you.” Mary greets him everyone walking on eggshells.

“I’m fine do we have anything.” Dean sits across from Sam taking a sip.

“Uh yeah, so I’ve been searching through police reports in Duluth. Cops just turned up a pile of corpses that was dumped near some train tracks just north of town and their eyes were burnt out.” Sam explains tilting the screen toward everyone else.

“So Michael. We should go now.” Sam glanced over at Cas 

“No. This isn’t just Michael we’re talking about.” 

“It’s Y/n,” Dean stated

Sam nodded “Yeah. Cas, you know why you can’t come with us, right?”

Cas looked down upset he couldn’t help “My angelic presence would be sensed by Michael, thereby nullifying your hopes of a sneak attack.”

Sam gave him a pity smile “Yeah, sorry.”

“And, you need me to stay here and babysit Nick and Jack.” Cas frowns putting his hands in his coat.

“It’s not babysitting, Cas,” Dean responded sipping his beer.

Cas look over at Dean and frowned “Only in the sense that they’re not infants, but they both have to be supervised. Jack is lost without his grace, Nick is...he’s just a mess.”

“Well, it-it’s not his fault. Cas, Nick was housing, you know. He-he deserves a shot at rebuilding his life.” Sam defended Nick even though he did house Lucifer. 

“And yet every time I look at him, all I can see is the supreme agent of evil.” Cas retorted but frowns seeing Jack walk in feeling bad talking about a touchy-subject

“You’re talking about my dad again? Look, I understand. Being around Nick...it’s hard for me, too.” Jack says

Mary comes over placing a hand on his shoulder “Uh, Jack, we’re going to need you to sit this mission out. Not a permanent thing.” Jack nods

“I know last time, I sucked when it mattered, and I need to improve. So...that’s what I’m gonna do.” Sam stands up grabbing his gun

“Alright. Okay.” Sam looks over his family and rests on his brother who nods in return

“Let’s move.” When they arrived at the station they were taking into the morgue where multiple people laid on tables.

“These are just some of the victims. More are in the hall, a couple in a storeroom,” The coroner grimaced “we don’t usually see this kind of action in Duluth.”

Mary glanced over the other bodies “The injuries all pretty uniform?” The Coroner nodded handing Mary over a clipboard 

”Yep. The boys upstairs think maybe we’re looking at a spree killer.”

“If they were DOA, you have an ETA on TOD? Any sample DFA?” Bobby questioned, Sam quickly clears his throat, “DNA.”

The woman glanced at him and shook her head. “Uh, frankly we don’t even know the precise cause of death. I mean, there were the neck wounds of course, but there was also considerable internal trauma, so-” her phone goes off “Excuse me.” She gives a smile walking out.

“Yeah. Sure,” Dean nods and looking over at Bobby “DFA.” he smirked

“I’ve been fighting a friggin’ apocalypse for 15 years, my, FBI might be a little rusty.” Bobby countered.

Mary grabbed gloves “Let’s give them a quick once-over, see what they missed.” The brothers and Bobby pulled on gloves as well each going over to a body studying it.

“Angel kills for sure, and not grunts,” Bobby look at the distinctive burned eyes, “We’re talking 5-star smitings.”

“Knife slits in the throat, but it doesn’t appear they bled out.” Dean pointed out leaning the head back pointing to the scar.

“He kept these people alive for a while.” Mary said looking at the others Sam opens the mouth of one of the corpses 

“Maybe these people aren’t people. Looking at a vamp.” He presses against the gums fangs popping out.

“Same here.” Bobby said, “Me too.” Mary added.

“Why milk ‘em if he’s just gonna smite ‘em?” Bobby questioned. Dean glance at Sam “And why is an archangel hunting vampires in the first place?”

Sam went over to the Coroner’s office and knocked on the doorframe “Sorry. Excuse me. Um, did anyone come to claim or identify these bodies?”

The women nodded “Oh, yeah. A young lady. Said she heard about the killings on the morning news, thought she might know one of the victims.”

Dean leaned forward “And?”

She shook her head “She didn’t. Then she disappeared, never even gave us her last name.” Sam glances outside to the parking lot 

“Huh. Do you happen to have surveillance cameras outside?”

Back at the bunker, Jack is seated at the table in the main hall reading when Cas enters. “Looks like about...two centuries of biblical lore. Light reading.”

Jack looked up at the angel ”I’m researching how long it takes archangel grace to replenish.”

Cas sits next to Jack “Well, archangels being exceedingly rare, the data on that is woefully scant.” Jack points at a section “The books say it can take from a month to-”

“A century,” Cas cuts him off, “Yeah. Complicating factor being your human component, which slows the process,” He pauses, “Jack, um...mourning what you’ve lost...it’s wasteful. Might be smarter to focus on what you still have.”

“You don’t understand what I’m going through.” Jack frowned feeling dejected. 

Cas placed his hand on Jack’s shoulder “Yes, I do - a little. At the time of the Great Fall, when angels were banished from heaven, I lost what I thought was everything. I had no grace, I had no wings. I felt hopeless and useless.”

Jack looked up at the man he sees as a father-figure “What did you have left?” 

“Well, uh...well, I had Sam, Dean, and Y/n. But I had something else that was extremely helpful. I had myself. Just the basic me, as, uh...as Dean would say, without all the bells and whistles. You know, Sam and Dean, they weren’t born with their expertise. They’ve been at it since they were children. Failing, winning, developing over the years. And Dean had no idea how to raise a kid and Y/n is one of the smartest, bravest, human I have ever met. Patience, persistence - those are skills too. The past, where you come from, that’s important, but it is not as important as the future and where you’re going.” Cas explained thinking of all the times the brothers and he has gone through hell and back and helping Dean raising a child was one of the greatest accomplishments in his time on earth.

In a hotel, Michael looks at himself in the mirror smoothing out the wrinkles in the suit fixing the buttons. His reflection in the mirror changes from Michael to the Winchester daughter

“Get...Out.” She breathed out angrily.

“I don’t think so.” Michael smiles staring back at the girl in the mirror

“You can’t.” She cried

The archangel grins “Oh, but I can. Because see,” Michael punches the mirror, and Y/n is gone he smirks smoothing out his vessel’s hair,

“I own you. So hang on, and enjoy the ride.”

In a cheap apartment in Duluth, a young woman lies in her bed but is interrupted by pounding on the door.

“Yes?” She calls out.

“Lydia Crawford, this is the FBI. Open up.” Sam call out Lydia looks terrified and tries running for the window while Sam keeps pounding on the door

“Open up!” Sam yells again. Dean breaks down the door and rushes in gun drawn with Sam right behind him, with Mary and Bobby following.

“Hey! Stop!” Dean yelled.

“Get away from me!” She cries trying to put as much distance between her and the Winchesters.

“Don’t move. We know who you are. We know you went to the morgue.” Sam threatened his gun pointed at her.

“We saw your license plate on the security cams and pulled your address. You should’ve ditched the car when you first got turned. Made this way too easy.” Bobby commented Lydia look at the four of them

”You’re not FBI. You’re hunters.”

“That’s right.” Dean nodded and begins to pull out a knife

”I haven’t done anything wrong!” Lydia exclaimed.

“No, vampires never do.” Bobby replied sarcastically

“My nest, we - we fed on animal blood,” Sam paused and lowering his gun and Dean lowered the knife, “We lived quiet lives, until...until she came.” Lydia explained still shaken from the incident.

“She? She who?” Sam asked

Lydia shook her head “I don’t know her name, but...she was strong. She tied all of us up and one by one she’d take blood from us. I couldn’t see what she was doing, exactly, but every time there would be this explosion, and my friends would be dead. When she was coming for me, a couple of the others tried to att- tried to attack her. I was able to get away, but...they didn’t make it.” She started tearing up at the memory.

“Why was she killing you? Did she say?” Sam questioned

“I don’t think she meant to. It-it’s just that...things seemed to go wrong. She wasn’t killing, it was like...it was like she was experimenting.” Lydia said 

“Experimenting? What for?” Dean asked Lydia frowned

“That’s - that’s all I know.”

“Okay,” Bobby nods grabbing his own blade, and advances to Lydia, “Nice chattin’ with ya.”

Lydia presses herself further into the wall holding her hands up ”Wait! Wait! I-I don’t know what she wanted, I-I don’t know who she was, but I do know where she is. If - if you let me go.” Dean and Sam look at each other having a silent conversation.

The door opens in and in walks Michael and a woman.

“Thank you. Oooh, Very elegant. But then, so are you. I didn’t expect you to be interested in this side of the spectrum.” She giggles

Michael chuckled leading her into the room “Yeah… Thanks for showing me around,” He uncorks some wine and pours them both a glass, “I didn’t realize there was so much going on in...where are we again?”

“Duluth.” She answered taking a sip of her wine.

Michael nodded “Of course. Nothing like where I’m from.”

The woman hummed “What’s it like in your hometown?”

“Hmm. Empty. Windswept. Dead bodies lying around.” Michael shrugged taking a sip of his drink. 

She chuckled “You’re so funny. What a nice surprise, meeting you. I bet you were wondering what I was doing, all by myself in that bar tonight.”

Michael smirked “I’m pretty sure I know exactly what you were doing in that bar tonight.”

The woman smiled setting her glass down “Oh, Michael. I am so not that girl.” she walked closer to Michael

“But you really are, aren’t you?” The woman wrapped her arms arounds around her neck

“You’re terrible.” She sighed. His vessel smiled showing off a dazzling smile

“You have no idea.” The woman giggled moving her face closer to the young Winchester and her eyes flash green and her teeth come out ready to bite what should have been an unsuspected victim. Michael grabs her by the throat as his vessel’s eyes glow blue.

“Did you honestly think I didn’t know what you are?” Michael lifts her off the floor choking her as she trashes in his arms, “You think you picked me? I picked you.” Michael throws her across the room and turns over to take a sip of wine and turns back to her still on the floor.

“Now, summon your master.”

Still in Michael’s room he hands a glass to a man seated next to the woman from earlier.

“You first.” The man points to his glass.

“One hundred-year-old cognac. Strong notes of vanilla and apricot,” He takes a sip, “and zero notes of silver.” The man also drinks “I appreciate you accepting my invitation.” Michael crosses one of his knees over the other.

“Yes, well, the ever-tactful Melanie,” he nods over to the woman, “thought a refusal might be unwise. She thinks you’re a god.” 

Both of them chuckle “An archangel with a decent vessel. But close.”

The man nods “And I’m the leader of a werewolf pack. Why on earth would an archangel care about us? About me?”

Michael smiles swirling his drink “I admire you. Eating on the run, surviving, despite being stalked by those venal humans, who think of you as nothing but vermin.”

The man leaned forward “My pack has survived and prospered for centuries, despite the humans.”

“Yes, well, I’m new to town, and from my perspective, the real monsters of this world, the ones that cheat, cover, lay waste to this planet, are the humans. Who made them top dog? Pardon the pun.” Michael explained taking a drink of the cognac.

“God, I suppose.” He questioned

“God who? Between us, Phillipe, God’s on permanent vacation. Gone fishing. Demons and angels don’t seem to be much of a factor here, so, I’m in charge.” Michael smiled leaning back in the couch

“And what do you want from me?” The man we know as Phillipe asks.

“You and your kind, you are who you are. You kill, but not for sport, for trophies - to live. There’s a purity in that. Isn’t it time you had your due?” Michael explained waving his hand towards Phillipe.

Phillipe frowned confused “Our due?”

“There are ways to enhance your - let’s call them ‘talents’.” Michael points out. 

“And these ways are..” Phillipe waves his hand hoping he would explain.

“Fully tested. There were some misfires early, I will admit to that. But I have cracked the code.” Michael explains clapping his hands together.

“And now what? Do you propose we wage a way on the humans, keeping only as many of them alive as we need for slave labor and a steady food supply?” Phillipe laughs “Because I love that world, but believe me, it’s an absurd dream.” 

Michael smirks “Is it? Why be the hunt-'ed’, when you can be the hunt-'er’, hmm?” He smiles watching his plan slowly come together.

After Sam and the others had left with the information on Michael, Lydia rushed around her apartment frantically packing her stuff to leave. The sound of someone appearing and as she turns to grab another handful Michael is sitting at her table.

“Lydia..” Michael singsong. She freezes the items in her hands falling.

“I didn’t!”  Lydia defended

“Of course you did.” He laughed at her attempt to lie. “The hunters,” Michael stands up, “Why do you think I dumped your brothers and sisters in plain sight? Why do you think I let you escape?” He points at her watching her face fall.

“You let me escape?” She whimpered

“Rule number one: you can’t have a trap without bait,” He smirks walking past her, “That brings us to rule number two, which says once the trap has been sprung, you don’t need the bait anymore.” Michael’s eyes glow blue and Lydia scream as she is burned out. Her body hits the ground and Michael turns looking at it before leaving.

Back in the bunker Jack turns the corners of one of the halls with Cas following him

“Jack, what were you thinking. Taking that kind of risk?” Cas scolded him

“It wasn’t a risk.” Jack disagreed

“To-to go out there alone?” Cas sputtered “Jack, you have been on the radar of every angel and demon and power broker in creation since the day you were born and I’m sorry, but you’re not exactly yourself.” Cas followed Jack as they entered the war room and Jack turned around

“Weak and defenseless, you mean.” He stated

“I mean that the possibility of capture is real, yes.” Cas explained

“I heard what you were saying, Cas, about me finding out where I came from. I never knew my mother. I thought the next best thing might be for me to meet the only real family that I have left.” Jack confessed

“That is not-” Cas visibly reins in his frustration, “Well, did it help?” Cas sighed and Jack nodded “And you didn’t tell them who you were, did you?” Cas questioned

“Of course not.” Jack deadpanned “I...wanted to. I wanted to tell them I was their grandson. They thought I actually kinda looked like her?” Cas nods in agreement Jack smiles but it fades as he sits against the steps to the library, “I...couldn’t tell them that she died. They just love her so much. I know I should have.”

”What you did you did from a place of kindness. I suppose there are worse ways to be human than to be kind.” Cas reassured the Nephilim sitting across from him

“Have you heard from Sam and Dean? Did they find Michael?” Jack asked 

“Yeah, they think so.” He nodded

“So they’re going to try to kill him?” Jack stated Cas shook his head

“Uh, no. No, the plan is to subdue him using angel cuffs and spellwork. They have to get Michael out of Y/n.”

“And if he doesn’t leave?” Jack noted

“Then they’ll try to drive him out.” Cas responded.

“And if that doesn’t work?” Jack said getting upset

“Jack-” Cas started

“Cas, Michael has to be stopped.” Jack cuts him off

“I know, and he will be - after Y/n is-” Cas tries to reason with him

“No, Y/n doesn’t matter” shot Jack, “You’re all so focused on trying to save Y/n and I get it, I understand, but - if she can’t be saved, if it comes down to her or Michael - Michael has to be stopped. Caged, or killed-”

“And if that means that Y/n dies too?” Cas shouts

“Then Y/n dies.” Jack snaps, “I know this Michael. I’ve seen what he’s done to an entire world, and so have you. If stopping that from happening here means that Y/n has to die, then…” Jack and Cas both start at each other, “Do you think she’d want it any other way?” Jack stands up and walks away leaving Cas there with a choice.

Back in Duluth Sam, Dean, Mary, and Bobby enter the abandoned church Lydia told them.

“You think vamp-girl was lyin’ about Michael hanging out here?” Bobby asked looking around the place.

“Not sure why she would. I mean she has every reason to want him dead.” Dean states aiming his flashlight over in some dark corners

“She wasn’t lying about the slaughter happening here,” Mary called out her flashlight pointing to a stain on the floor, “whole lot of dried blood on the floor.” 

Sam walked further into the church “Why was he killing them? And what does she mean by ‘experimenting’?” He questioned.

Bobby shrugged “Don’t look like he’s here.” The stained glass windows shatter sending glass flying as werewolves break through them. “Werewolves!” Bobby yells and is then tackled by one.

Sam fires his gun at one coming towards Dean and it has no effect. “Silver bullets aren’t working! Nothing’s working!” He yells. 

Dean punches one of the werewolves “Son of a bitch!” Dean yells and is tackled by another and smashed into a bean. Mary is struggling against another as they both fall to the ground. A werewolves tries to go for Sam but he grabs his machete and decapitates one

“Well, that works.” Bobby yells and is punched by a werewolf. Dean pushes the one of him grabbing his machete and chops one of the heads off, Mary stabs the werewolf with one of her knifes but it has no effect and is shoved to the ground. Mary grab the small hatchet and began to chop at the werewolf before is falls to the ground. Bobby is pushed to the ground and before he is attacked Mary throws the hatchet into the werewolf’s back and Bobby decapitates it. Mary hears growling and turns and sees another werewolf but Dean decapitates it just as Sam kills the last one.

“Is everybody okay? Anyone get bit?” Sam pants out

“No.” Mary replies.

“I’m okay.” Bobby answers all of them grouping up again

“What the hell kind of werewolves were those?” Dean asked wiping the blood of his blade.

“Silver didn’t touch them.” Mary added Sam sighed all of them out of breath from these new monsters. A loud bang causes everyone to look towards the door as it opens revealing Michael, backlit in red light.

“Oh god.” Mary breathes out He slowly walks towards them raising his hand. Which she uses to grab a post and staggers into the light breathing heavily removing her cap as she does.

“Dad. It’s me.” You breathe out your voice shaking. Dean stares back at you tearing up. Dean rushes towards you as you knees give out and helps you sit down. Sam is sitting next to you with Dean in front of you.

“Y/n is it really you?” Dean asked looking over you

“Yeah, it’s really me.” You answer your hands are shaking trying to understand what was going on.

“Are-are you okay?” Sam questioned

“No, I’m not okay!” You yelled putting your face in your hands. Dean placed his hand on your knee making you look up at him.

“But you got Michael to leave.” Dean tried to reassure you that everything was ok.

But you shook your head. “No, I-I don’t...I didn’t.” You stated.

“What?” Bobby questioned looking at the younger Winchester. 

You look at your dad in fear, “He just - he just left.”

Dean squeezed your hands “Why?”

“I don’t know…” You shuddered, “I don’t know.”

[kaypeace21]

DID theory part 3: St novels/comics/spotify list analyses

*read part 2  of DID theory-first! You’ll be lost otherwise, seriously XD. First, I’ll say -I find the ST comics/ books as canon as the st movie inspirations . I don’t consider the books/comics ‘literal canon’ (cause they contradict the show ( like Max and billy meeting a year before s2  in runaway max - but meeting as little kids in s3,  or El’s age being wrong in suspicious minds, in the d&D comic Will’s friends instead of him /Jonathan building castle byers, etc) . 

So I think we shouldn’t take it  literally - but more like the st movie lists - filled with foreshadowing/symbolism and other eastereggs (That the Duffers may have told them to add). So here’s some more (possible) alter / DID hints...

‘Suspicious minds’ novel

- Brenner  equates k*lling rabbits to h*rting kids. And he’ll hurt (kid) Kali (the bunny in the analogy) if Terry tries running away from him . I wonder if Lonnie used a similar threat against jonathan? Jon could be giving only a partial truth to why he cried for a week (about the bunny story)?

-Kali “hops” like a bunny then talks about tigers obsessively (linking her to rabbits/tigers similar to the other alters/Will/Lonnie). Terry also imagines tigers and kali says to Alice they can all be tigers together.

- one of the only male psychic experiments (who can see the future) is gay

- Terry is into lord of the rings, like Will. Has her and her boyfriend dress as sam & frodo (m/m ship). Terry calls her and her friends “the fellowship”.

-when Terry/Alice were injected with d**gs -they hallucinated rainbows.yikes.

- Alice (like Lonnie) is a car mechanic. She can see the future like Will the wise and says “monsters of course my mind has them as long as they stayed in there, everything would be alright? Wouldn’t it?” (in her visions she saw the demogorgan).

 (completed) graphic ST novels (by Jody Hozer) so far  (+ other st comics).

*Jody Hozer writes all the graphic novels (every novel is 4 chapters each) - the will byers comic, number 6 comic , into the fire comic, and at the moment she’s writing the d&d series and the summer camp series (which isn’t done yet). Then there’s the occasional 1 chapter st comics not written by her.

- Number 6 has (the ability to foresee the future like Will the wise/Alice) and has an ab*sive dad. 

When having a nightmare of the demogorgan ...she says as she wakes up “screw you dad” (another hint the demogrgan -aka in d&d means ‘deep father’ ...is Lonnie).

- when number 6 and others run they say they’re’ ��rabbiting”(which yes technically makes sense but I found such an uncommon phrase odd.)

- The (summer camp and d&d graphic novels aren’t completed yet) but they establish d&d creatures are based off  real life people the boys don’t like in real life. Or that d&d is used as an outlet to explain true events from their pasts -but they just give the true stories a d&d fantasy slant.

- Which brings me to the halloween oneshot(not by Hozer),taking place before s1. Will tells a scary story told to him by Jonathan, and originally told to him by Lonnie. Says the boys have to keep it a secret cause it was something he was never supposed to tell to anyone. Mike says he has to finish the story he started. It’s about a “ch*lld-eater” monster first attacking a boy near the quarry (like where Will was found) and  attacking kids in a library (where Will was also found in s1).When the child sees the sheriff she bangs on the library door begging for help-he ignores her , walks away, and tells the other cops to never speak of what they saw as she screams for help. Because the previous sheriff was in kahoots with the monster. It def had some ... uh questionable imagery too 0_0

The vine in the mouth is also like the one in Will’s mouth (when Joyce found him in the library).And of course Dustin asks whether or not something like that could be covered up.

- In the “bully  comic” (about troy) also not by Jody. We focus on Troy and his ab*sive dad (who encourages him to fight/ditch his best friend). The dad has a drinking problem (gets fired), calls Troy a “mess” , pushes him, and constantly encourages Troy to be vi*lent/macho. He pretty much tries sabotaging the relationship Troy has with his friend (which I could see Lonnie doing in the future with byler).The dad/troy is framed similarly to when Billy gives Max a ride home-  after both ab*sers give bad advice saying not to hang out with their friend (after witnessing them fight in the school parking lot). Dad also laughs about almost k*lling a squirrel (a trait we see troy mimic)- and we see El feel guilty about k*lling a squirrel in s2. At the end of the comic- Troy (like Will) after making up with his bff james- moves leaving his best friend behind.

-  (into the fire) Twins: (one was normal with no powers living in the real world and the twin with fire powers is trapped in a dark sunless “cold” world styled like a psych facility/medieval fantasy) . pics in link.She hated her reflection cause it reminded her of being betrayed by her normal non powered twin who left her behind in the ‘cold’ place. She’d call herself a ‘hunter’ who would defend herself and attack others to never be hurt again. Her powers being unleashed were described like opening “a door.” And she loves her twin deep down and just wants friends . And fire twin goes to the “other side” to reunite with her reflection and find happiness in the real world. *also there’s sunflower/bunny symbols which she lights on fire-which can relate back to Will/Terry/Lonnie etc. The twins = Will & Will the wise (mf)

Mirrors also connect to Will and Will the wise via the canon spotify playlists too.

Will playlist (song: mirror in the bathroom)-Mirror in the bathroom Please talk free.The door is locked -Just you and me.Mirror in the bathroom recompense for all my crimes of self defense.Cures you whisper make no sense!Drift gently into Mental illness.

Demogorgan playlist ( from perspective of Will the wise aka the mf) (song: are you dead yet? )-”polluted soul through a mirror I behold.Throw a punch, shards bleed on the floor. tearing me apart. but I don't care anymore.Should I regret or ask myself are you dead yet?Wake up, don't cry. Regenerate to deny the truth. The fiction you live in blindfolds your eyes. Disclosure, self loathing, this time you've gone too far.Or could it be, my nemesis, that you are me?

(*st ‘into the fire’ comic. the fire powered twin’s thoughts echo the song)

*I think this foreshadows the later plot points of mf (will the wise ) and Will interacting via mirrors. The fire-wielding twin and the non powered twin had a lot of mirror imagery. Including the fire powered twin (Who denies reality/and imagines herself in a fantasy world) punching her reflection because it reminds her of her non-powered twin. Here’s some cover art from the novels showing how much they emphasize mirrors.

*And in s4 movies Black swan - “the black and white swan twins (two halves of the same person-Nina)” had creepy mirror imagery. In long kiss goodnight the women with DID talks to her “ (supposed)dark 1/2″  via a mirror (in a dream).  in ‘the visit’ the teen girl who’s dad abandoned her when young-  refuses to look in the mirror (and it’s never explained why she hates her reflection). So yes I think we’ll see this in s4 or 5. We already see the mf take on the appearance of Billy when talking to him.

- Will in “zombie boy” comic is afraid he’s a monster.

also lets appreciate the lil byler moment of Mike and Will being the only zombies and mike comforting him. honestly , though, the characters were pretty out of character for most of this 1 ch comic (until the end) tbh.

- in the “d&d comic” mf is  (possibly) described as a “protector” (aka like how i said the mf is probably a perpetrator alter- which are misguided protectors).

*update now that it’s finished... hinting Will created everything subconsciously.

‘Runaway Max’ novel (before s3)

(I didn’t get time to read this book unlike ‘suspicious minds’ -so can’t show screen shots of everything others talked about. May read it eventually)

-Max compares Billy  to ‘her monster’ and a ‘shadow’ that will attack anyone that comes close (mf parallel).

- Dart k*lled a cat,  El’s papa tried to force her to k*ll a cat. And Billy when seeing a d*ad cat lights it on fire for a “viking funeral”. A connection to WW (who has fire powers) and El & dart.

-Max and Billy both are into cars and bond over fixing them (similar to Lonnie’s interest in fixing up cars). And since Lonnie tried to brag to Jonathan about fixing a car up and Will is into tech it wouldn’t be a stretch that Lonnie and Will were into fixing cars together (like Max/billy who would hang out at a autoshop in Cali) .  Similar to Will ,max says hanging with Billy wasn’t always so bad- which made things more confusing to her.

- Max compares Billy being beat up by Neil: to ‘punching a pocket of a baseball glove’. This is interesting since this book was pre-s3 which was when they established the connection of billy and his dad to baseball (similar to s1 saying  Lonnie taught Will baseball).

-Billy’s friend is a nice ‘music snob’ . He tries distracting Max with music while Billy is burning the cat. Which reminds me of Jonathan trying to distract Will from their parents fighting in the next room-with music

- Max’s bio dad is a criminal who takes her to shady bars, and Max fears he’d ‘get bored of her’. Max also ran away from her mom to her dad’s 2x.Which reminds me of Jonathan thinking Will ran to Lonnie’s in s1.

-Max mentions how Billy misses his friends after moving out of Cali. And he starts acting even worse-after the move. Which will probably be the case for Will (at least a bit) when moving to California.

-Billy tells Max Neil isn’t his ‘real dad’ either because Neil can’t be a father to anyone.

-Billy also tells Max who (at the time ) is 12 years old not to act “easy” and breaks her best friend’s (Nate’s) arm over  someone joking he was Max’s boyfriend and also cause Nate tried to get in between Billy bullying Max. Eventually all her Cali friends ditch her cause they’re afraid of Billy.And Ugh- why could I see Lonnie doing something like this in the future with Will/his new friends. 

- Creepily Max says Billy doesn’t fool around with her like other girls not because of her age or being family. But cause she wasn’t ‘attractive’. This whole excerpt gave me the heeby jeebies,on so many levels, honestly.  Almost like he’s jealous- and controlling her cause he doesn’t want Max to have any love interests. Maybe i’m just missing the context? But ugh... excerpt:

Will byers secret Files

-Hopper gets scared by a pumpkin-scarecrow. And in Will’s canon journal when talking about the mindflayer and his nightmares draws the same scare-crow , Hopper saw. There’s also a lot of s4-5 foreshadowing in the book... but that’s a post for another day.

Darkness on the edge of town (Hopper novel)

*didn’t get time to read this (except the preview)

 I think it’s more foreshadowing for future seasons though- cult/supposed ritual k*llings, people being wrongly blamed for those crimes-like the hellfire club , most likely.  (similar to the guy number 3 in the number 6 comic)  saint john in the novel also has the same brain control powers as 3- similar to the mf. .” When a blackout plunges the boroughs into chaos, Hopper must escape the the mobs in the streets to make sure his family is safe and stop Saint John from fulfilling his prophecy.” I already talked about here- how the next few seasons would start having more religious symbolism/a future apocalypse (based on what we’ve seen in the show/s4 movies). Although, i think there’s quite a few differences between (the novel’s) saint john and Will the wise. Hopper is also a star wars nerd like the boys (alter hint)

Canon spotify songs (posted after s2/before s3) hinting at DID/ alter /lonnie stuff-

Will  and Will the wise (aka the mf) being an alter

*Used Will and the demogorgan playlist (which i think has perspectives of Will the wise aka the mf, demogorgan, and Lonnie).

Besides the mirror songs previously mentioned...

Will (cold inside)-Doctor the problem's in my chest.My heart feels cold as ice but it's anybody's guess?Doctor can you help me cause I don't feel right?Better make it fast before I change my mind. Doctor can you help me cause I don't feel right?Better make it fast before I change my mindWell it's cold, cold, cold, cold inside. Darker in the day than the dead of night Cold, cold, cold, cold inside...Counselor give me some advice Tell me how hard will I fall if I live a double life?

El (ghost)-your ghost, the ghost of you.It keeps me awake.My friends had you figured out.Yeah they saw what's inside of you. You tried hiding another you.But your evil was coming through... living in the shade Your cold heart makes my spirit shake.

El (monster Lead me home)-I don't know what, what I was afraid of, I was afraid oooof...Monster take me somewhere...We walk in shadow.Monster lead me home.Where there is no place to hide.Stranger on the other side We walk in shadow.Monster lead me home.

 The’ innerworld’/  other hints Max, El, Hopper, and Billy are alters of Will’s

Max (Logical song)-I know it sounds absurd. Please tell me who I am, who I am, who I am, who I am?

EL(Buzzcut season)-I remember when your head caught flame It kissed your scalp and caressed your brain ...nothing's wrong when nothing's true. I live in a hologram with you Where all the things that we do for fun . Play along (make-believe it's hyper real) But I live in a hologram with you.

Billy (broken bones)-Broken bones.Stay alone. If I see only what I believe -reality's bound by what I conceive

Max (Why can’t i touch it)-Well, it seems so real.I can see it.And it seems so real-I can feel it.And it seems so real-I can taste it.And it seems so real-I can hear it.So why can't I touch it?

Hopper (breakers)-Just to keep me from losing my mind .It's so easy to drown in the dream.Oh, and everything is not what it seems This life is but a dream.Shatter illusions that hold your spirit down ...From the inside, so it seems.Oh, I'm telling you it's all a dream It's all a dream It's all a dream It's all a dream It's all a It's all a dream.”

Max (comfortably numb)-When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye.I turned to look but it was gone.I cannot put my finger on it now.The child is grown.The dream is gone.I have become comfortably numb.

Max (Kids aren’t alright)-Still it's hard Hard to see Fragile lives, shattered dreams...What the hell is going on? The cruelest dream, reality.

El(team)-Livin' in ruins of a palace within my dreams. And you know we're on each other's team

Hopper (denial twist) ( just change ‘she’ to ‘he’)-Just because she makes you feel wrong she don't mean to be mean or hurt you on purpose, boy!Take a tip and do yourself a little service...by playing a different role Ya, by playing a different role, oh.The boat ya you know she's rockin' it.And the truth well ya know there's no stoppin' it.So what, somebody left you in a rut and wants to be the one who's in control.But the feeling that you're under can really make you wonder.How the hell she can be so cold?So now you're mad, denying the truth.And it's getting in the wisdom in the back of your tooth

El (the story)-You see the smile that's on my mouth.It's hiding the words that don't come out.And all of my friends who think that I'm blessed.They don't know my head is a mess.No they don't know who I really am.And they don't know what I've been through

El (hero) ( pretty much alludes to El being a construct of Will’s mind similar to his juju zombies in the d&d story he wrote )-Who knows what you'll find when you look inside (billy’s mind)?Haunted beach (billy flashback), roll the dice.The zombies in the corner aren't amused (d&d ref).Play the part of the blushing bride...Out of view, cloaked by night...My spirit dims, but I feel the force"No longer in my hands,"  (loses powers) .I say to you .I could've been a hero, I could've been a zero.Could've been all these thingsI could've been nothing, I could've had something.Could've been all these things.And if I am unable, tell him that I'll try but underneath the table will spin the wheel and hope for gold. Oh, and where it stops, nobody knows.

Max (it’s real)-I don't know who's behind the wheel.Sometimes I feel like I don't know The deal.But when I tell you how I feel-Believe me when I say It's real.I skated on a frozen Sea.It's real as far as I Can see?

Max (Halloween)-Because your role is planned for you there's nothing you can do.

El (White rabbit... alice and wonderland/lonnie ref)-And if you go chasing rabbits, and you know you're going to fall...When logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead.

demogrogan(Dimensions of horror)-Gaze upon the ancient face you dread (lonnie)... Passing through the doors, into Dimensions Of Horror. Haunting visions from the past, rise once more.Realms of darkness, terror, death and gore.Scream in fear, your sanity is lost

demogorgan (SCHORCHED)-Terrorizing madness. Vivid dreams. internal. Hallucinating the unknown. Abstract entities prey.Through superhuman abilities.Fragments of memory erased.

demogrogan (Calling from a dream)-the shadow king...seven spirits (7 ref) Swarming around his head.Close your eyes.Listen to my call. Our bond will bring us together again.I will wait for you. For our hearts still beat as one.Listen to my calling from a dream. (integration?)

 Maybe a coincidence or a hint at Will having both male &female alters?Billy (dude looks like a lady)- What a funky lady...Oh, he was a lady.Dude looks like a lady. Hopper (turn the page)-All the same old cliches,"Is that a woman or a man?" Max ( rebel rebel) (this was on her her pre s3 spotify list + post s3 “wrapped list”)- you got your mother in a whirl, doesn’t know if you’re a boy or girl? 

 SHIT DAD/ AB*SIVE FAMILY

*trigger w*rning ahead for dark themes like s**ual ab*se

demogorgan (my children)My children I never loved them.Why feel that way when their existence is my business?My children...feral vessals of my selfinterest...So don't lean on me man 'Cause I ain't got nothing to give.Don't lean on me man 'Cause I ain't got nothing to give.My children they're right behind you My children they're gonna beat you.My children if you let them Oh, oh, my children.

demogorgan (black dahlia-window):  I’m not quoting the lyrics you can just look it up.  it’s messed up.Based on the 1st person pov of Gilles de Rais -k**ler and p*d*rest who also kidnapped a cleric.

Will (creature comfort)-Some boys hate themselves.Spend their lives resenting their fathers... hate their bodies .Stand in the mirror (another mirror ref) and wait for the feedback.Some boys get too much, too much love, too much touch.

Jonathan’s Playlist- We’re happy family: “Eating refried beans (poverty). Gulpin’ down Thorazines (pills for a mood disorder). We ain’t got no friends (s2 ref). Our troubles never end. Daddy likes men. Daddy’s telling LIES.”

Jonathan’s playlist-Enter sandman: “Don’t forget my son. Sleep with one eye open. Gripping your pillow tight, Exit light, Enter night. Take my hand, we’re off to never-never land. Something’s wrong, shut the light, heavy thoughts tonight. Dreams of LIARS and of things that will bite, yeah. Hush little baby don’t say a word, and never mind that noise you heard. It’s just the beasts under your bed, in your closet in your head.”

Jonathan (The killing moon-guy sings this)-So soon you'll take me up in your arms. Too late to beg you or cancel it. Against your will!He will wait until you give yourself to him...In starlit nights I saw you.So cruelly you kissed me... unwillingly mine.

jonathan (haunted)-You and I both know that the house is haunted And you and I both know that the ghost is me. You used to catch me in your bed-sheets just a-rattling your chains.Well back then , it didn't seem so strange...In the midnight hour..I was busy trying to charm that snake. When the sun came up we had no place to hide...You and I both know that the house is haunted  yeah you and I both know that the ghost is YOU! You used to walk around screaming, all slamming all 'dem doors Well I'm all grown up now and I don't scare easy no more But you and I both know.

Hopper (Confession)-Now I'm on the low Confession, to a virgin ghost Admission, force you know.

hopper (Tomorrow ) Yeah, and back when s*x and amph*tamines were the staples of our childhood physique.

Max (Last caress)-I got something to say.I k**led your baby today.And it doesn't matter much to me.As long as it's de*d.Well I got something to say.I r*ped your mother today.And it doesn't matter much to me.As long as she spread. (Lonnie pov? Neil?messed up song to be on Max’s list)

hopper House of the rising sun- And my father was a gamblin' man Way down in New Orleans... And the only time he's satisfied Is when he's on a drunk

Max Poor relations-An attitude, no patience, he's paper thin.Talking over everything you have to say...Don't correct the things he said, what's the use?Can't handle violence.Can't handle violence.Learning to love the abuse you can't live without.Your familiar oppression, your daily injustice...That loser man that belongs to you, he's ruling you.

el (sweet dreams are made of this)- Some of them want to use you ...Some of them want to ab*se you.Sweet dreams are made of this...Hold your head up.Keep your head up, movin' on.

Max (Alternative ulster)-They say they're a part of you.And that's not true, you know.They say they've got control of you.And that's a lie, you know.They say you will never Be free, free, free

max In bloom-”Sometimes at night I let it get to me.And last night it had me down and feeling NUMB...And thinking back upon those days Way way back when I was young.I was such a little shit.Cos I was always on the run.Well you know just what they say-Just like father then like son.Don't delude me with your sympathy.Cos I can do this on my own.And this will be the last time-That I break down and wanna crawl to bed. “(since Billy has a playlist I found this song choice being on hers instead of his interesting- in fact almost all of Max’s songs are from the 1st person perspective of a boy unlike the other gals.)

Max (comfortably numb)-The child is grown.The dream is gone.I have become comfortably NUMB.

hopper (numb)-Honey, here I go again Down that crooked road of sin.My momma locked me out again And hung me high to rust under the rain I am NUMB( 8x)....Little bluebird at my window Sing a pretty song for me Don't you know that you can fly, fly, fly away Don't you know that you can leave I am numb.

other psych songs

Hopper (life of sin)-Every morning when I rise I look in the mirror (another mirror ref) and despise the sight of everything and all that I've become. The level of my medicating some might find intimidating But that's alright cause' it don't bother me none.

 Max (Moon over marin)- “Dive in my scalding wooden tub (connects to mf/el)...There, wasn't that a nice visit?Don't forget, a psychiatrist is on duty twenty-four hours a day in the blue room...Drink plenty of water when you take these.Now you can relax.” ( I wonder if stranger writers saying to “drink plenty of water” is secretly a line said by a psych person in s4?)

Max (Feeling ok)-My doctor says that I should take it -At least I won't have to keep faking.I know, someday I'll find it-Where I, I least expect it.Today I know I feel ok.

Max ( Going gets tough)-.No home since the fire.Me and the ash can't settle down...So I sink another round-Placebo for pain.And there's no one for to blame . I refuse to accept-That my work is all in vain...Still always remembering .When the going gets tough .That the labor of our love-Will reward us soon enough.

 Max (Comfortably numb)-Hello? (Hello? Hello? Hello?)Is there anybody in there?Just nod if you can hear me.Is there anyone home?Come on now-I hear you're feeling down.Well I can ease your pain .Get you on your feet again.Relax // Now I've got that feeling once again.I can't explain . you would not understand.This is not how I am. I have become comfortably numb.I have become comfortably numb //Okay (okay, okay, okay)Just a little pinprick.There'll be no more, ah .But you may feel a little sick.Can you stand up?I do believe it's working, good.That'll keep you going through the show.Come on it's time to go// Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.

Explanations of Why the mf  (WIll the wise)behaves the way he does

demogorgan (ww) (Cowards starved)- friends think of me as a priest.I had to show them that the weakest hands Can still make impressive fires. (aka MF = will the wise)

demogorgan (ww) (Unmerciful):I will be reborn...Tranquil demeanor.Now devoured.Surfacing malice...I can't reconcile the torment others bring unto me.I will not take any reproach.Turning the other cheek.Relentless hatred consumes.Control released.Absolved of all compassion.I am free .Look into my hate filled eyes and tell me What do you see?Surging aura of my rage Paralyzing you in fear.

Demogorgan (ww) (bodies-Beaten why for (why for)?Can't take much more.(Here we go, here we go, here we go).One, nothing wrong with me,Two, nothing wrong with me.Three, nothing wrong with me.Four, nothing wrong with me.One, something's got to give.Two, something's got to give.Three, something's got to give now...You're all by yourself but you're not alone...Driven by hate consumed by fear.

demogrgan (ww)-Orbs used as transmitters carry electromagnetic beams from above (affecting magnetic fields in the show).Silence, manipulated, tortured ...How immune is your system of suffering?Its in the blood of suffering (familial ref).Its in the blood.

 Demogrgan (Monster)-I shoot the lights out..Whoa, just another lonely night...None of who you get it, ain't nobody cold as this.A zombie (will ref) with no conscience .Everybody knows I'm a motherfucking monster. Everybody wanna know what my Achilles' heel is? Love I don't get enough of it.

[emily-the-fae]

Sound of a Heartbeat

Part 2. Edge of the Water

Part 1 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6

Okay so apparently this piece has formed some more or less coherent storyline and I just had to write it down...well at least try to. So if anyone enjoyed part one and is in to hear the further turn of events, here we go.

Pairing: Dracula x OC

Warnings: um, none again, suicidal mood a little bit if that counts

Watch out for the side effects of slowly dying by vampire bites (and no, it's surprisingly NOT turning into vampire)

***

Shari woke up in a strangely lit place. Woke up - big word, rather jumped into consciousness with total clarity as to what she is and what happened to her and total frustration as to where she may be located. It was definitely not the place she left. The forest around her seemed to glow light blue, fireflies dancing in the air with their bluish sparks. She didn't feel cold nor warm, all the pain seemed to leave her body together with most of her senses - Shari felt light, almost weightless and when she looked upon herself, she saw that her own body was glowing the same bluish color as everything around her.

She stood up hesitantly.  She had no idea what the place was - the campfire was gone and the forest around was nothing like the spot she stayed at before. What was this? A magic trick? A hallucination? Was she dead? Shari saw particularly bright light behind the trees and decided to walk in its direction - perhaps it was a trap, perhaps she's dead and in purgatory and there are punishing beasts waiting to see her. Shari could never be sure, but felt surprisingly at peace even in her current state, strangely at peace.

The source of light turned out to be a lake. A long and seemingly deep lake that ripped its way through the forest, no end of it seen any near, it might also be seashore, although she doubted that due to abscence of waves - there were fireflies dancing above it and the water seemed crystal clear, even though she couldn't see far below the surface because of the light emanating from it. Shari felt the urge to go closer - to dip her feet in the shiny water, almost felt the need for it, but something restricted her from doing so. She could hear whispers too - as if there were hushed voices coming from the depth of water and that scared her off quite a lot: whatever that thing was, it was definitely not as simple as it tried to look. Her witching life has taught her - if something looks nice and calls out to you, but is also magical: in most cases it wants you to be its lunch. A rule that definitely worked in practice.

The healer stopped still, then sat down on the ground abruptly, feeling awkward in her position; but she needed time to think. This all seemed unexplainably odd - the water, the indecisiveness, the whole place - it seemed like a vague dream even though she felt completely awake. Dracula said it was going to be like sleeping. But by Dracula's deeds she should already be dead. This did not look like afterlife.

Suddenly Shari sensed, rather than saw a movement behind her, ready to jump to her feet and defend herself the best she could, she turned her head to face the source of it. It was a woman. Shari could swear she wasn't there before - a young woman stared at her, standing some distance away. Her beautiful, intelligent face looked somewhat concerned, her long blonde hair thrown over her shoulder, she was glowing the same bluish light as everything else around them. Shari recognised her, very vaguely, but she did remember: Adrian had shown her portraits before.

- Lisa? You're Lisa, right? Lisa Tepes, I know you! - Shari wanted to jump up, but the woman held her back with a gentle gesture of her hand. Lisa - or whoever it was that looked like her - floated rather than walked closer, then sat down next to a very confused and excited Shari, giving her a reassuring smile. There were a few moments of silence, while her guest studied her face intently.

- You are beautiful, you know, - Lisa smiled warmly.

- Wh-What? I mean thanks, but why? I mean... Umm what kind of a conversation starter is that? Are you?... Are we?... Am I not dead or...? - Shari was startled to say the least.

- Yes, you are... Heading in the direction of death, though your friends and specifically my son are very insistent upon the opposite. I believe, you'll have to live up to their expectations and survive now... although it all depends on you, really.

A pause. Shari nodded slowly, taking in her words.

- But-but hasn't your husband killed me? I thought he was definitely going to finish me off...

- He was going to, I'm sure. But he didn't have enough time to do so... or will, for that matter, - the woman turned somewhat remorseful. - I hope he didn't hurt you too much.

- He... tried not to, at least in the end. That's a pity he didn't succeed. I almost felt grateful to him for doing so, - Shari turned away to look at the lake. - It wasn't going to end well anyway...I wasn't going to end well.

- Don't. It's probaly his poison wearing off on your mind, but stilll.Just don't say that. Value what you have while it's still in you. You have to live. Trust me, it's not as pleasant as it seems to be when you get to the other side.

- Why excatly? - a chuckle. - You know, I'm not far from death anyway, it is going to be pain and waiting for me. To go like that is the best way now, I am afraid. Going to be there soon, why not strip myself of needless agony, - she hesitated for a moment. - You are actually dead by the way. If you say I'm still alive, how are we even talking?

- I am not quite sure I can explain this properly, - Lisa frowned, her gaze drifting off to the lake. - The simplest way to place it is: sometimes the people who die are not yet ready to leave this world - and then they stay between life and death, like...

- Essentially, you're telling me that you're a ghost, - Shari felt a bit sceptical.

- Essentially, yes.

- And why am I seeing you out of all people?

- Because I wanted so?

- Why? To tell me to survive?

- Yes.

Shari arched an eyebrow, looking at Lisa with mistrust.

- I don't like this simple tone.

- You are not going to like it, - she hesitated, then continued. - You have to save Wallachia, - the words left her mouth so easy and obvious, that Shari burst out laughing.

- Oh no-no-no, now I'm definitely hallucinating. Is this some fairy tale for children or something? Listen here, you ghost of Christmas past, I'm no kind of warrior-saviour person. I'm not going or willing to catch up to the pathos of "you are the chosen one" or whatever it is that they say in those situations. I believe you confuse me with your son, madam, - Lisa listened silently to her monologue with an amused smile on her face; it was obvious that the reaction was quite expected. When Shari finished, the ghost carried on:

- That is exactly why you have to do it. You are no chosen one. But you are one who has at least a chance. Adrain doesn't. He thinks he does, everybody thinks he does, but in reality it will only go worse if he works out his plan. I know... I don't need you to save all of Wallachia after all, - Lisa paused after that sentence and Shari looked up confused, trying to catch her meaning. -  Just one person - and that will do the rest, - the woman was very serious, and Shari suddenly understood this conversation was somehow real, even if happening in a dream realm.

- And who might that be? - she asked carefully, in a hushed voice.

- Dracula.

Shari actually laughed.  Loudly. Not quite rolling on the ground, but close to doing so. Lisa looked at her, with a raised eyebrow and calmly waited for the small hysteric to finish.

- Done yet? - were her only words, when Shari seemed to calm down a little bit.

- Listen, ok, I get it, you want to protect your husband, but...

- You don't understand! It's not only about protecting him - it's about stopping this war. Peacefully. It's about stopping Adrian from killing his own father - you need to persuade Dracula to call back his army, - Lisa was looking at her earnestly, determination in her stare. Shari only huffed.

- You... How do you imagine me do it? Persuade him? Are you insane? He would tear me apart and finish what he started, he didn't listen to Adrian, he actually almost killed Adrian, his own son. Why would he listen to me now?

- That is quite the point. He would listen, because it's you, - Lisa leaned back, smiling at the confusion on the girl's face.

- Oh yes, and what's so special about me? - Shari replied sarcastically.

- Nothing.

- Ouch.

- Apart from the fact that he pities you, - sensing that she was about to be interrupted, she quickly added. - I've watched both him and Adrian, thinking of a way to figure this out and stop them from tearing at each other's throats, and you suddenly came as the most valid solution I can think of for the time being.

- He... "pities" me? - Shari rubbed her neck, raising her eyebrow. Sure. He pities her so much; she flinched slightly at the memory of their encounter.

- Don't go witty. He does. He was merciful to you, he almost didn't want to kill you, that's why he didn't succeed. You're the first human after my death that he feels this way to... You are a person he did not know before all of this, you evoke his pity and you seem to have the skill to negotiate your way into people's good side and out of conflicts. You may actually have something in you to change his mind.

- That's not how it works, he...!

- You remind him of me. You may persuade him that there are people worth fighting for... That there is a life worth fighting for, - her tone was growing louder with each word, getting more insistent.

- Wait a minute, so you want me what? To replace you? Remind him of you and tell him you wouldn't want it? Tell him your final will, you think that'll stop him? - Shari jumped to her feet, backing away.

- I want you to go to find him. To reassure him, show him pity, show empathy. You will remind him of me. And he will come back to understanding that humanity is not all bad, that some people are still worth keeping alive. And that awar against them is not worth his own or our son's lives, - Lisa stood up too, sensing the tension rise and stepped closer once again. Shari did not like it. She didn't just die heroically to come back and search for yet another heroic and probably much more painful death.

- No, Lisa, I-I see what you want me to... But I'm not you! You see, I'm not you! I can't just go and drag - who? Dracula-the-vampire-king-that-just-killed-me - out of his murderous depression! - she backed away.

- If you had a choice: you can surrender or you can come back to fighting with a new way...

- Yes, I think if I had any kind of choice and if I survived, I would keep away from trouble and try to hold onto my final bits of life for as long as possible, thank you very much! - Shari argued loudly.

- You have to do it, if you live, Shari. It is the only way to protect you and... - Lisa made another step towards her.

- And die a much more painful death, yeah, thanks, great, - Shari almost hissed. Her attention suddenly turned to the pool of water behind her. So that was the whole trick, why Lisa appeared to hold her back from dying. - Oh. I know how this works. The lake is the entrance. My decision if I do or don't die, right?

- Precisely, though it's not really you, who decides. You touch the water - you either leave or wake up. Can't be sure until you do... - Lisa answered. - But before you decide and step in I want you to think. Shari, you have to fight for it, for yourself annd for Adrian, for all the people out there you've been trying to help!

- I am not your son, - she answered barely audible, but firm.

- Shari! - Lisa stepped yet again closer.

- No! I've had my bunch of suffering. I'm not going back in just because you believe I am good for the fight, I'm not! I'm selfish, okay? I did not ask for this, - she paused, glancing at the water. - Whatever it is, let it be. If I die - I die, right? - Shari turned away decisively and with a moment of hesitation made a small step forward, into the water, not looking back at the ghost.

She awaited darkness or light, hell or heaven or emptiness and quiet. Whatever escape was about to come, she threw herself at its mercy.