#<- I'm questioning and I'm wondering if the small small alter count I seem to have is like. typical at all

[amethysthaunting]

feel free to add whether ur like OSDD-1a, 1b, P-DID, DID, polyfragmented, recently discovered, or any other notable distinction

[downthe-f4ndom-rabbith0le]

Always Been You (Dick Grayson x Reader) - Prologue

Always Been You (Dick Grayson x Reader) Reader Insert: she/her pronouns Word Count: 7839 Warnings: death, violence, fighting, bloody wounds, angst, infuriatingly oblivious love interest, slowburn Spoilers: Young Justice Seasons 1-3 plot partially, but it ended in 2022 so catch up.

Y/N Prince - miracle daughter of Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor - and Dick Grayson - first adoptive son of the Batman himself - have been best friends since day one. They went to school together, trained together, kept each other's alter ego secret from everyone else, and they founded the Young Justice alongside their friends together.

But as time progressed, Y/N and Dick grew up and Y/N found herself wanting more than friendship with Dick. But he never seemed to indicate that he reciprocated her feelings. And when Wally died and Dick abandoned the team, Y/N realised he never would. So she heads to the one place she knows will help her become a stronger warrior so that one day she can take her mother's place: Themyscira.

Two years after his leave, Dick reaches out to his old friends to help him with a mission. But when he finds out Y/N left too, he chases after her in the hopes to bring her back.

However, when the two finally reunite, it isn't as warm as he hopes. Not to mention Themyscira becomes under siege as they go to war against Echidna, the Mother of Monsters in Greek Mythology, and her army of monstrous children.

Will Dick and Y/N be able to put their past behind them and save the Amazonians' homeland? Or will they fall, unable to tell one another their true feelings?

Long summary I know, but I'm attempting something that I haven't tried to do in a long time and I've had this thought in my head for ages so I've just got to get it out now. This story will cover the plot from Season One to the beginning of Season Three. Apologies if anything is vague or inaccurate, I haven't watched the show in a while and cannot be bothered going back to get it right when the main plot of this story is entirely of my own design and not canon. Also, for the sake of the growing-up-together part, I've brought Dick's family's death up so he is taken in by Bruce earlier than 12 years old. I've always loved this version of Dick Grayson (Nightwing) in Young Justice and I hope I do him justice for those of you who also loved the show and him xx

~~~

(10 years old)

'Don't worry, my beloved,' Diana said in a soothing voice, patting her daughter's head gently as the car pulled up. 'It's not so scary on the inside.'

Wayne Manor was made of grey columns and dark shadows it seemed to little ten-year-old Y/N, who couldn't shake the feeling that the house was full of ghosts. It was an imposing structure, making her wonder how anyone would choose to live in such a cold and lifeless place.

'I want to go home, Mother,' she whimpered, backing away from the car window.

Diana turned her daughter's head to face her, giving her best reassuring smile to alleviate some of her daughter's worries. 'We will, but I need to take care of something first and I can't leave you at home alone. My very good friend has kindly offered for his butler to look after you while we sort our business out. He has a son that I think you will get along with quite well.'

Y/N couldn't believe that a child lived in the scary house outside, but she knew when not to question her mother.

Her mother was always busy, it didn't matter what time of the day or night. Y/N didn't quite know what her mother did, but she knew it was dangerous, as her mother would come home with cuts and bruises, exhausted from whatever she'd just been doing. The partial truth of it all came out just last week, as Y/N and her nanny had been attacked in their small apartment in Washington DC. The nanny had locked Y/N in the bathroom when the men attacked so Y/N didn't see what happened to her. But Y/N had heard her screams, had heard the men laughing at her anguish. She'd heard her mother finally arrive and slaughter the men. And when Y/N was finally let out of the bathroom, her mother's red, white, blue and gold metallic outfit was covered in blood, as was the sword she'd dropped as she pulled Y/N into her arms tightly.

Whatever kind of work her mother and her mother's "good friend" were involved in, if she said Wayne Manor was the safest place to be when she worked, then Y/N wouldn't argue.

It didn't stop Y/N from squeezing her mother's hand to the point of cut off circulation as they walked from the car into the scary house.

'Miss Prince,' a man in a tuxedo said in welcome. He was partially bald and his moustache twitched when he spoke.

'Alfred,' Diana said, giving the older man a warm smile. 'So good to see you again. And please, I am Diana to friends and family.'

'Of course,' Alfred said, a cheeky smile on his face, 'but forgive me if I prefer to be a little old-fashioned, Miss Prince.'

'Very well,' Diana said, turning her gaze down to Y/N. 'This is my daughter, Y/N.'

Alfred smiled warmly down at Y/N, crouching ever so slightly to hold out his hand. 'A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Y/N. Welcome to Wayne Manor.'

Y/N hesitated in taking his hand. She'd always been taught to be cautious around strangers.

'Come on, Y/N,' Diana insisted. 'Don't be rude.'

Y/N, with her free hand, accepted Alfred's outstretched one, giving it a firm shake like she'd seen her mother do with people she had meetings with at work and at home.

'My, you certainly have your mother's strength,' Alfred commented as he stood back up, shaking his hand a little. 'I'll be sure not to mess with you when you grow older.'

Y/N didn't have time to process what Alfred meant when two dark figures walked down a grand staircase into the lobby they stood in. As they drew closer to the light, Y/N distinguished one as a tall and broad-shouldered man with dark hair, neat attire, and a stern face. Beside him was a small child close to her height, also with dark hair and flashing blue eyes. Unlike the taller man, though, his face was bright with intrigue and mischief.

'Diana,' the tall man said by way of greeting as he reached the ground floor with the boy.

'Bruce,' she replied, walking herself and Y/N over to him and the boy. 'Thank you for offering to look after Y/N tonight.'

'Well, it won't be me personally,' Bruce replied, 'but I'm sure Alfred will be able to look after them while we're gone.'

'If I could raise you to be the man that you are today, Master Bruce, I am sure two beautiful children won't be much of a task,' Alfred called out casually as he closed the front door and exited the room.

'I've contacted Clark,' Bruce continued. 'He says he'll meet us at the rendezvous point. We should leave soon.'

Diana nodded. 'Okay.'

To her surprise, Y/N found Bruce's gaze on her, and his stern expression softened as he looked her over. 'This must be the famous Y/N I've heard so much about.'

Y/N remembered her mother's lessons on etiquette and nodded politely. 'Nice to meet you, Mr. Wayne.'

Bruce surprised her again as a small smile broke out, making him look younger and less intimidating than before. 'It's nice to meet you too, Y/N,' he said, looking down to the boy beside him. 'This is my ward, Richard.'

The young boy groaned in annoyance. 'It's Dick, Bruce. You know I don't like it when you use my real name.'

Bruce sighed, but conceded. 'Sorry, this is Dick. I hope the two of you get along tonight, Y/N.'

Before Y/N could reply, Dick stepped forward so that they only stood a step apart. His blue eyes were so bright as they scanned over her, and it took all of her will not to hide behind her mother.

He squinted sceptically at her. 'Do you like sparring, Y/N?'

'Dick,' Bruce exclaimed, eyes wide with horror. 'That's not something you should ask-'

Y/N ignored Bruce's protests as she locked eyes with Dick. She saw the challenge in them, and whatever fears she had about coming here faded away. A fire sparked in her, and she couldn't help herself but grab Dick's unsuspecting wrist and flip him over her and land him on his back. Before he could get up, she pressed a knee to his neck softly as she held him down.

'Y/N!' Diana exclaimed. 'That is not how we treat-'

She was cut off by the sound of Dick laughing, a sound so pure and light it brightened up the gloomy interior of the manor. Dick looked up at Y/N, not even bothered by the fact she was an inch away from cutting off his airway. 'Oh yeah, we're going to get along just fine, Bruce.'

The last of her apprehension to the arrangement disappeared as she released Dick from her death grip and helped him to his feet, a bright smile gracing her features.

'Where'd you learn to flip like that?' Dick asked.

'My mother,' she answered proudly. 'We've practiced for thirty minutes everyday since I was eight. I've also been taking classes back in Washington in judo and karate.'

'Cool!' Dick said. 'Maybe you can teach me some moves?'

'Sure!' Y/N answered.

Without even hesitating, Dick grabbed Y/N's hand and took off running to who knew where, words falling from him like a dam that had just been broken. 'Awesome! And then I can show you some of the cool gymnast tricks I picked up in the circus.'

'You were in the circus? That's so cool!'

The two of them were lost in their own world as Bruce and Diana remained in the lobby, looking after their children lovingly before they disappeared completely. When silence filled the room once more, they turned to each other.

'How much does she know?' Bruce asked.

Diana sighed. 'Enough to know that she will never have a normal life. Not after the incident last week. I thought I had a bit more time.'

Bruce placed a hand on his friend's shoulder comfortingly. 'I'm sorry, Diana. Truly. It's hard enough protecting a child who isn't your own. At least Dick has known death before. He knows everything.'

Diana nodded her appreciation, patting Bruce's hand before he let it drop. 'She will know, one day, what all this means. What her destiny is. Until now she has shown how much of Steve she has in her.' Diana paused at the memory of her fallen lover, feeling the tears rise up whenever she thought of him. 'But I fear she will grow to inherit my power, my responsibilities. I don't know if I'm ready to let her become that for the world. Not yet.'

'Diana,' Bruce said softly, 'she might not have a choice one day. I fear the same thing for Dick. You and I won't be around forever. The world will look to them to help, one day.'

Somewhere in the distance, Y/N and Dick's laughter resonated through the manor, giving it a warmth Bruce hadn't felt in a while. He smiled at the sensation. 'But for now, they have a choice. They can choose to be kids. Until the world no longer needs us.'

~~~

(11 years old)

'Uuuuuuuughhhhhhhhhhh,' Y/N groaned as she flopped onto Dick's bed, textbook flattening over her face in defeat. 'I give up. I'm never going to pass this infuriating maths exam next week.'

All Y/N received was an amused laugh from the dark-haired boy, resulting in her throwing her textbook at his head where we sat on the floor. But Dick had always been quick, dodging the book easily. He was even more quick since they'd started training with each other since she moved to Gotham permanently for school.

She was enrolled at the same school as Dick: Gotham Academy. It was the best school in the area, and when she'd received her scholarship, her mother couldn't refuse her wishes to move. Y/N stayed in the boarding house for the most part, but being friends with the Bruce Wayne's only son certainly had its perks. Such as getting out of the boarding house whenever she needed to study and train without prying eyes.

Dick laughed again. 'Come on, Y/N,' he said, picking up her strewn textbook and offering it back to her. 'It's not so bad. We're just trying to find x.'

Y/N rolled over onto her stomach so Dick wasn't upside down anymore. 'Yes, and it is impossible! I mean, they give us nothing to try and figure out a and b, but we need them both to find out x. How?!'

When Y/N didn't take her book back, Dick put it on the ground and shuffled forwards. He did so until he was half an arm's length away from Y/N's face where it rested in her hands.

'All right, let's have a break,' he said. 'Focus on something else. How about... Ooo, I know! What would your vigilante name be?'

Y/N's eyebrows furrowed. 'What?'

'Your vigilante name,' Dick reported. 'You know, like a code name for ordinary people to refer you by. Like Bruce for example, he's Batman.'

'So like my mother too, who is Wonder Woman,' Y/N added.

Dick nodded. 'Correct. When we start fighting bad guys - and we will some day - we will need alter egos so villains don't pursue us outside of an ordinary mission.'

Y/N sat up as Dick jumped to his feet, pulling out all kinds of ninja-karate moves, many of which Y/N had taught him herself over the last year. 'I think I'll be something winged too. Batman needs to be accompanied by another flying animal, don't you think?'

'That is... logical,' Y/N admitted, though not understanding his motives for the specific topic. 'I haven't given much thought to the matter, honestly. I'm too busy trying to find this dumb x value.'

Dick landed a slam kick against thin air before he took up a normal standing position in front of Y/N. He smiled down proudly at her. 'I was thinking of just bird,' he confessed, taking a seat beside her on his bed, 'but then I thought that was boring. Batman and Bird, yeah sooooo intimidating. So I was thinking maybe Hawk, or Sparrow-'

'Why does it have to be intimidating?' Y/N asked.

Dick paused for the first time in the conversation and looked at her as if she was crazy. 'Because Batman is intimidating. I don't want to be seen as a sissy when I rock up beside him to fights. I defs won't feel the aster, then.'

'But shouldn't a hero be giving people reassurance and hope when they come to save people?' Y/N countered. 'Why would you want to be something that all people dread when you enter the door. I think a hero's name should be strong and encouraging. Something like my mother's.'

Dick rolled his eyes. 'You're just saying that because she's you're mum.'

Y/N shook her head. 'No I'm not. I've seen it first hand. When my mother shows up to lend a hand, the people cry with joy and relief because they know she will do all that she can to save them. I'm not saying Batman - Bruce - doesn't do the same thing, but I just know that when I have to be a hero, I would hope my name inspires people to keep hoping. Not fear me.'

Y/N watched Dick process her words, saw his piercing blue eyes grow distant as he looked down at his hands. For a moment, Y/N worried she'd ruined everything. That she'd overstepped. Dick and Bruce's relationship - it was more of an arrangement, in her opinion - was tenuous to say the least, the two of them always dancing on a very thin line that could snap at any moment when push comes to shove. Either way, it wasn't her place to comment on how Dick should handle his relationship to Bruce.

However, when Dick looked up to Y/n again, she was relieved to find he wasn't angry at her. In fact, a soft smile had bloomed on his lips.

'You're right,' he said softly. 'I don't have to be scary. Bruce has that all covered.'

'Glad to hear it,' Y/N replied with a a reciprocal smile. 'So... anymore ideas on your name?'

'Well, I still believe it's got to be a bird of sorts,' Dick answered. 'But let's steer clear of the birds of prey, shall we? Maybe Jaybird, or Bluebird. No, that's stupid. Raven? Nah, that's going backwards...'

'How about Robin?' Y/N suggested, and Dick's smile broadened to the point Y/N was scared he'd split his mouth right open.

'That's perfect!' he exclaimed, bringing her into a hug. 'Batman and Robin. It's got a nice ring to it, doesn't it?'

'It sure does,' Y/N said, grateful to have helped.

When Dick let her go, he said, 'Now how about you? What do you think your vigilante name should be?'

Y/N thought about it for a moment, but could only come up with one name. 'I like Wonder Woman, but mother already has that. I don't think two of us would make it easy for the public, especially if she is still working.'

'That is true,' Dick replied, turning away from her as he delved into deep thought. Y/N could tell he was thinking deeply as his tongue was poking out ever so slightly - the thing he always did when he was concentrating really hard. Y/N always found it amusing since the day she met him.

Y/N jumped a little when Dick suddenly cried out with excitement. He turned back to her and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look directly at him. 'How about we take inspiration from your mother? Use part of her name to create yours. Like Wonder Girl!'

Y/N shook her head. 'No, that's really lame, Dick.'

'Wonder Kid?'

'No.'

'Wonder... Child?'

'No!'

Dick snapped his fingers and his eyes brightened as Y/N assumed a great thought popped into his head. 'I've got it: Wonderess! You know, like Wonder Woman and goddess put together!'

'Wonderess...' Y/N tested it out on her tongue, and she smiled at how easy it rolled off. It was simple, it was to the point. She could just hear the world now, shouting and screaming and crying her name for joy, for help.

She couldn't stop her smile from widening and matching Dick's. 'I love it.'

'Great!' Dick slid back down to the floor and grabbed the forgotten textbook she'd thrown at him earlier. 'Now, oh mighty and powerful Wonderess, time for you to conquer the alluding and difficult enemy that is mathematics.'

Despite her earlier anguish, Y/N felt rejuvenated and took the book from Dick and opened it back to the page she'd failed to understand. 'Then conquer mathematics we shall, oh sneaky and charming Robin.'

Dick flashed her one of his dazzling smiles. 'Oh yeah, I can see it now. Robin is going to be popular with the ladies when I'm older.'

Y/N rolled her eyes, but couldn't contain her smile. 'Don't make me throw this book at you again.'

Dick raised his hands in mock surrender before they both dove back into their respective homework. But after five minutes of work, Y/N had another thought.

'Dick. What does "aster" mean?' ~~~

(13 years)

When Y/N had walked into the Hall of Justice earlier that day, she never imagined that she'd end up helping her best friend and the sidekicks of the Flash and Aquaman break into a top secret and highly secured lab centre, get captured by the mad scientists running the show down there, break out and now be standing in front of the Justice League as a Superman look-alike (that they'd broke into for and out of with) stared down his creation's inspiration.

'Start talking' Batman said, finally breaking the tense silence.

Between Kaldur, Wally, Dick, and Y/N (Superboy, Y/N realised early on, didn't talk much), the story of how they ended up at Cadmus and pretty much destroyed it was eventually told. Afterwards, the blockbuster monster they'd fought was taken away by Green Lantern and some other League members. Y/N couldn't help but peak at her mother as Wonder Woman herself conversed with Superman and Martian Manhunter. For a brief moment, Diana looked her daughter's way then quickly averted her gaze. But Y/N knew from that one look that her mother was unimpressed by her actions today.

'Cadmus will be investigated,' Batman said, after Superman said a frosty goodbye to his younger clone. 'All fifty-two levels. But let's make one thing clear-'

'You should've called!' the Flash finished, crossing his arms, clearly disappointed in his sidekick's efforts.

'End results aside, we are not happy,' Batman continued. 'You hacked Justice League systems; you disobeyed direct orders; and you endangered lives. You will not be doing this again.'

Y/N's heart faltered at the very notion. Despite the wreckage and the stress and the struggles they had faced, Y/N very much liked working with Dick, with Kaldur and Wally too. Even the Superboy was enjoyable at some points. To never work with them again was not something she expected she would miss after one mission.

Kaldur and the other boys must've read her mind, as he stepped forward, standing tall and speaking with a strong voice well beyond his years. 'I'm sorry,' he began, eyes never leaving Batman, 'but we will.'

'Aqualad,' Aquaman started, stepping up behind Batman. 'Stand down.'

'Apologies, my King. But no,' Aqualad replied. 'We did good work here tonight. The work you trained us to do. Together. On our own. We forged something powerful. Important.'

'If this is about your treatment at the hall,' the Flash started, 'the four of you-'

'The five of us,' Wally corrected, looking directly at Superboy as he did, 'and it's not.'

'Batman,' Dick said, stepping to the front of the group. 'We're ready to use what you taught us. Or why teach us at all?'

'Why let them tell us what to do?' Superboy interrupted, pushing past Dick to take the lead. 'It's simple, get on board. Or get out of the way.'

Y/N joined her friends in staring down the heads of the Justice League. It was an intimidating figure they all posed, but Y/N knew she was doing the right thing. That her and her friends had done the right thing tonight.

Diana joined Batman, the Flash, and Martian Manhunter, her face unreadable and voice monotone. 'Are you sure this is the path you would like to forge, Wonderess?' she asked, her voice echoing in the crater they stood in.

Apart from Dick and Bruce, no one else (to Y/N's knowledge) knew that Wonder Woman and Wonderess were related in any manner. Not that either disguised themselves like other heroes did - purposefully hiding their faces to conceal their identities like Batman and the Flash - but neither outwardly acknowledged their true relationship either.

However, Y/N could tell her mother wasn't just asking her as her sidekick, but as her daughter. Was Y/N really prepared to risk all she had trained for, for some... strangers?

Y/N eyed the golden lasso that hung at her mother's hip, and opened her hand to summon the seemingly never-ending rope into her hand. It wrapped around several times, then glowed as Y/N clenched a tight fist around it.

'I am more certain than I have ever been, Wonder Woman,' Y/N replied, feeling the lasso urge her to speak all her truth. 'While I still endeavour to one day be your successor, my place is with my friends right now. We need to walk this path together, wherever it leads. I know this to be absolute truth.'

Y/N sucked in a breath as she let go of the lasso, feeling slightly drained from the power it had over her. Dick put a hand on her back to brace her as she recovered. Once Y/N had caught her breath, she spared Dick a grateful smile, which he reciprocated.

Just as it had been from day one, they would ride this wave together. No matter how rough.

The very next day, the five of them were taken to Mount Justice, the backup facility for the Justice League as Batman explained. Upon arrival, they met M'gann, Martian Manhunter's niece, and soon after Artemis was brought into the mix.

Soon, they were the Young Justice.

~~~

(13 years old)

'Congratulations team, you have won the day,' Red Tornado said as he laid dismembered on the ground.

The rest of the team had just reconnected as the Justice computer phased a date and time code onto one of the glass walls of the Watchtower. It read: January 01, 00:00 EST.

'Happy New Year, Justice League,' the computer announced.

To no one's surprise, Wally picked up Artemis and pulled her in for a long-awaited kiss. M'gann and Connor paired up, so did Rocket and Aqualad surprisingly.

Y/N felt uncomfortable watching them all making out, so she turned to her best friend so they could give them all some privacy. 'Hey Dick, let's go-'

But as she turned around, Y/N saw that Dick had also paired off with someone: Zatanna. This time, Y/N couldn't help but stare as the two of them made out.

Since day one of Zatanna joining the team, Y/N had noticed Dick had a thing for her. Who wouldn't? She was beautiful, she was just a year older than them but that just made her more desirable, and she was good with magic!

Something stirred inside Y/N, something that twisted her guts to the point she thought she'd throw up. Was it jealousy? No, she wasn't the jealous type. Besides, Dick was her best friend, no one could change that. He could kiss whoever he wanted to kiss. At the end of the day, they'd still talk and laugh and spar and go get ice cream together.

...Right?

'Human customs still allude me,' Red Tornado said from his place on the floor.

'You're not the only one...' Y/N mumbled to herself, standing all alone.

~~~

(16 years old)

Y/N was just sparring on a test dummy when Dick entered the training ring looking a little worse for wear, his usual mischievous smile not visible.

'Hey,' Y/N said, finishing up her combo of kicks and punches, heaving in deep breaths. 'What's up, bird brain?'

He didn't reply straight away, instead standing on the edge of the fight ring as if afraid to step out of the shadows and into the light. Y/N raised an eyebrow in confusion. 'Dick?'

When he didn't respond again, Y/N walked over to him. And when she got closer, she realised why he remained in the darkness.

'Have you been crying?' she asked softly, scared to speak too loud in case he ran away.

Dick wasn't an emotional guy. He just wasn't. He was the mischievous gremlin who kept the team together with his witty remarks, charm, and sheer intelligence. And even though Kaldur had been the leader of their team for years now, Dick always wanted to be a leader like Bruce was for the Justice League. He never gave himself room to be emotional.

So for him to stand in front of Y/N with red-rimmed eyes and tear marks streaking down his face, whatever had just happened had to be so impactful it finally broke his resolve.

He averted his eyes. 'Zatanna,' he started, biting his lip to suppress sobs falling out between the words. 'She broke up with me.'

Subconsciously, Y/N had been dreaming about hearing those words for a long time. She didn't quite understand why, as Zatanna was a close friend and Dick was by far her best friend so of course she only ever wanted happiness for them. But now that Dick stood in front of her so broken and sad, Y/N only felt sorry and remorse.

'Oh Dick,' she said. 'I'm so sorry... How can I help?'

Dick shook his head vigorously, eyes still averted from her. 'Can you just... Can we spar please? I think I really need that right now.'

His tone was restrained, as if he were holding back what he really thought. Y/N had half a thought to suggest they just talk, but when he finally looked directly at her, how could she refuse her best friend? After all, she was the only one he never wore his glasses around. Even after all these years with the team, he trusted no one else but her with his identity.

The original members knew, but even then he still wore his shades around them half the time if he wasn't in his vigilante suit. But not around Y/N, though. Never around Y/N.

'All right,' Y/N conceded, walking with him back to the centre of the fighting ring. She stood in her usual starting position, hands raised and feet split ready to fight. 'Same rules as last time?'

Dick nodded. 'No flying from you, no gadgets from me. Just us.'

'Perfect.'

Y/N launched into a heated sparring match, much more heated than any other match she'd had before with him. Sparring matches are usually to practice a skill, usually some punches can be pulled. But not now, Dick was throwing himself into everything, becoming sloppy, opening himself up. While the first few jabs Y/N got in were small victories, she soon grew worried as he grew more and more reckless as the match progressed.

'You're opening yourself up too easily, Dick,' Y/N commented between heavy breaths. 'Tighten up your stance.'

Dick groaned with frustration in answer, throwing another punch at her which she easily ducked and palm-punched his abdomen hard. He stumbled back as he caught his breath, but Y/N took it as her chance to end the fight as she charged at him, crash-tackled him to the mat with a bit more super-strength than she'd been using and pinning his limbs to the ground.

Dick struggled under her, but she refused to let go. 'Concede, Grayson. Now,' she demanded.

She rarely used his last name, only when he was in serious trouble or when she really needed him to listen. So he stopped, and he looked up at her and he nodded. 'I concede,' he said between huffs of air.

Y/N nodded her head in acknowledgement before stepping off him and helping him to his feet. For years they had been the same height, but once Dick had hit fourteen, he shot up fast. He was still lean and more on the skinny side, but he was toned in certain places and he now stood a head taller than Y/N. But she didn't let his new height stop her from locking eyes with him.

'Do you feel... somewhat better now?' she asked cautiously, feeling that Dick was on the brink of an explosion, she was just unsure what kind it would be.

To her surprise, Dick's piercing blue eyes welled up with tears. 'No,' he said.

Y/N immediately wrapped her arms around him, and Dick fell into her and wrapped himself around her as if she were a warm blanket on a cold night. They stood like that - with Dick crying silently into her shoulder and Y/N rubbing soothing circles into his back - for who knew how long. A minute, two, an hour maybe. It didn't matter, Dick needed Y/N'S help so she would stay there as long for as it took.

'She said she couldn't do it anymore,' he said finally, tears finally finished running, but he still didn't break from Y/N's embrace. 'The long distance.'

'Being promoted to the Justice League is a huge commitment, Dick,' Y/N offered.

'It's not just that, though,' he said. 'I think she couldn't take me anymore. Ever since Jason-'

His voice cracked on the mention of his fallen brother, the next ward Bruce had taken under his wing. When he joined the team, Jason took over the Robin mantle, giving Dick freedom to explore a new path of vigilante identity. One outside of Bruce's shadow and the dynamic duo of Batman and Robin. He'd settled upon Nightwing - another name Y/N helped come up with - and he'd taught Jason everything he knew about being Robin and how he could find his own meaning for the role.

But Jason never got the chance to do the same for the next Robin, who Bruce mentioned would never be found after Jason's death. Jason had been killed on a mission with the Batman himself only a month ago, and Dick had secretly been a wreck ever since. He'd learnt from his sponsor who to hide his emotions, but Y/N assumed he had to let it out to someone or someones every so often. Those people were herself, and no doubt Zatanna.

Despite her bubbly and adventurous personality, Zatanna knew death, knew grief. It suddenly angered Y/N at the thought that Zatanna had dumped Dick because he was grieving and couldn't give her the attention he had become known to give her daily.

Y/N held her tongue as she pulled him tighter, though. Now was not the time to rub salt into his open and bloody wound.

'You don't have to explain yourself to me, Dick,' Y/N reassured him. 'I understand.'

He squeezed her tighter. 'First my family, then Jason, now Zatanna. Promise me you won't leave too. Promise.'

'I promise, Dick,' Y/N answered. 'I'll always be here if you need me.'

Dick finally pulled away from her, but only far enough that he still held her in his arms and she had to angle her head harshly upwards to look him in the eye. Despite the redness, Dick's eyes still shone a blue that didn't seem quite real - like the colour of the purest, cleanest ocean.

So beautiful.

'You're my best friend, Y/N,' he said softly, a grateful smile finally breaking through his sadness. 'You know that right?'

Once upon a time, Y/N wouldn't have hesitated in answering. Yes, she would say, because it was the truth. It was the truth still, but a discomforting feeling in her stomach squirmed at the words "best friend". What he meant to her went past the simple label, at least in her opinion. But she just couldn't quite put it into words yet.

'Y-Yeah, I know,' she stammered out quickly. She had paused way too long to answer. 'Just like you're mine, bird brain. Don't think a bunch of tears is going to scare me off so easily.'

She was so glad to be the one to make him laugh then. It was the most melodic sound she'd ever heard, even though she'd heard it a thousand times before. Dick could never be tiring to her.

Finally - and thankfully - Dick stepped out of her arms, allowing her to suck in air that had previously been missing from between them. But he stole it all right back when he flashed her that charming smile of his.

'Guess I'll see you tomorrow, Wonderess,' he said. 'Thanks again for the sparring. I'll be sure to tighten up for next time.'

'G-Great, good, excellent,' Y/N stumbled over her words, unable to breathe when he smiled so causally yet so beautifully at her. 'See you tomorrow.'

Dick gave her a tiny wave as he left the room. As he left, Artemis and M'gann strolled in wearing civvies. They greeted and farewelled Dick before continuing to walk to Y/N, who stood frozen where Dick had left her staring after him.

'You okay, Y/N?' Artemis asked, waving a hand in front of Y/N's face. 'Helloooooo. Earth to Y/N?'

'Maybe she's fallen into a hypnotic state,' M'gann suggested. 'Or worse! A mind ant has taken over her brain! I'll have to go inside her mind to weed it out.'

That finally disrupted Y/N from her stupor. 'No! No need for that. No mind ants here,' she frantically said just M'gann was about to enter her mind.

'Then why were you looking like Medusa had risen from her mythical death and frozen you in place?' Artemis asked, deadpan.

'First of all, Medusa was a real person. Greek Mythology is real, or therefore my mother and I wouldn't be here today,' Y/N countered. 'Second of all... I think I a have a crush on Dick.'

As soon as she said the words, she knew them to be true. She didn't need to discuss it with the girls, she already knew.

Y/N Prince, daughter of Wonder Woman, had a huge, fat crush on her best friend, and son of Batman himself, Richard 'Dick' Grayson.

'Shit,' all three girls said at once.

~~~ (18 years old)

Y/N watched with sad eyes as two of her closest friends walked away under the cover of darkness. Again. Kaldur and Artemis - the latter now legally dead - waved farewell before they entered a small submarine, on their way to continue infiltration of the Light on Kaldur's father's ship.

Two figures stepped up beside Y/N. 'Well,' Wally started, 'I guess that's that.'

'For now,' Dick said. 'I promise, Wally, we'll bring them both back.'

'Yeah, whatever,' Wally said, turning to leave. 'You're my bro, Dick. But if Artemis is really killed because of this, I will never forgive you.'

Wally's footsteps resounded through the empty fishing warehouse as Y/N continued to stare out at the ocean. Soon, it was just her and Dick.

'We should head back to headquarters,' Dick suggested. 'Someone might start to wonder where we are.'

But Y/N didn't turn to leave, still transfixed by the ocean. 'I thought I was okay with all this,' Y/N admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. 'I convinced myself that this was for the greater good. But now I'm not so sure.'

'What do you mean, Y/N?' Dick asked.

'The lying, Dick,' she answered, finally turning to him. 'The secrets, the faking of deaths and undercover betrayals. If we keep this up, it'll tear the team apart.'

'It won't,' Dick reassured her, his voice so certain and sure. 'When this is all over and we explain it all, they will understand. I expect some disappointment and hostility for a while, but one day they'll understand why we did what we did. But this team we've built, Y/N, it is stronger than all this. I know it.'

Y/N shook her head, wanting to believe him but unable to put aside the horrible feeling in her gut. 'I know they are strong. I just wish there was another way for us to win.'

'Trust me, if there was, I would've taken it,' Dick said, and even with a mask on, Y/N knew he was telling the truth. 'I want all of us fighting this together. For now, we've just got to trust in Kaldur and Artemis that they will succeed.'

Y/N nodded, her gaze returning to the flat ocean waters where her friends had long since left behind. 'Maybe you should've sent me like I suggested,' Y/N said half-heartedly. 'You're a great substitute for leader, Dick. Truly. But the team took Kaldur's betrayal heavily, and Artemis and Wally were out of the game. We shouldn't have brought them back in. Wonder Girl is trained up enough to take my place. You don't need me.'

'Don't say that.'

Y/N could barely react as she was grabbed by her shoulders and forced to face Dick, who had crouched so he was eye-level to her and leaned in so she could see the slightest gleam of his pupils through the white mask.

'Don't say that,' Dick repeated, his grip on her shoulders firm and grounding. 'We do need you. You're a founding member too, Y/N. Regardless of if it were Kaldur or not, the team would've struggled without any one of us. And the only reason I was able to lead this team this past year is because I knew you had my back the entire time.'

'Really?' she asked, the one word a struggle to get out.

His expression softened and he loosened his grip. But Dick didn't release her yet. 'Y/N, you are always the one giving hope to the team whenever I can't raise their spirits. You were the one to console them after Kaldur leaving. You are strong and brave and you never give up, especially when the chips are down. And they have been down on us a lot lately.'

Y/N caught her breath as Dick released one shoulder to use his pointer finger to hold her chin up, making her look directly at him. 'It kills me that you don't see yourself how everyone else sees you. Which is amazing, Y/N. Amazing and wonderful.'

Y/N swore Dick could hear her heart thudding rapidly against her chest. In the two years since realising it, her crush on her best friend hadn't faded like she'd hoped. Instead, it had grown and blossomed but Dick still couldn't see how much she absolutely adored him. She'd resigned herself to the fact that he would never feel that way about her, and also if they were to date, then it would just make working together all the more complicated. She couldn't compromise on the team's relationship.

But as Y/N looked into Dick's eyes now, a little spark of hope flickered inside her. He was so close to her, he had to feel her heartbeat. He had to know... right?

A wind of doubt blew out the spark and she stepped away from Dick so her head would stop spinning. 'You just had to get a pun in there, didn't you?' she said, surprised at how calm and casual her voice came out all things considered.

Dick took a moment to gather himself, as if he too had been lost deep in thought. But soon that infamous smile of his stretched his lips and Y/N knew she could never say no to him. 'What can I say? I'm an opportunist.'

'I thought you were a gymnast.'

'I am also your best friend, and so I am legally obliged to slip in puns about you whenever possible.'

'Oh, do you now?' Y/N asked, lightly shoving him as she made for the warehouse door. Dick was right, they needed to head home before anyone started questioning their whereabouts.

Dick quickly caught up. 'I mean it Y/N. You are my best friend.'

'I know,' Y/N said nonchalantly, trying not to let the words sting too much. But she managed a soft smile as she said, 'And you are mine. Always have been...'

Dick flashed her a genuine smile, no charm, no hidden agenda behind it. He held his pinky finger up, to which Y/N linked her own with. '...Always will be,' he finished.

As they went home, Y/N felt better about Kaldur and Artemis' mission, as well as her place in the team. But she was now even more confused about Dick and how he felt about her. They were best friends, had been through so much together, it wouldn't be wise to ruin all that now.

But the way he'd looked at her, maybe there was a chance after all.

~~~

(18 years old)

'You're leaving?'

Y/N and Kaldur couldn't believe what they'd just heard. One minute, the three of them were discussing the team's next move after foiling the Reach's invasion plans and splitting the Light in half, and the next...

'That's correct,' Dick said. 'I just... I think I need to take a break for a while.'

'For how long?' Y/N asked, finally getting over the initial shock of his announcement. It had been a hectic day, full of surprises and sacrifices nobody saw coming. Right now, in her opinion, everyone needed to band together, not... leave.

Dick shrugged his shoulders. 'I don't know. But it definitely won't be quick. This team has been my whole life for five years now. I think it's time I stepped away, let Kaldur take the reins again.'

'The team will not be the same without you,' Kaldur offered.

'The team already isn't the same,' Dick said solemnly, and the slightest crack in his voice indicated to Y/N what he was referring to. 'You, me, Y/N, Wally. We founded this team. Without him...'

Dick didn't need to finish. Y/N had felt Wally's absence since the moment he fazed out of existence. He saved the world, but he'd been too slow to combat the chrysalis' energy. Not even the Flash or Impulse could save him. It made Y/N so mad, because Wally must've known he wouldn't come out of it alive. He knew he was too slow, having been out of the game for so long.

And yet he did it anyway, because that was who Wally West - Kid Flash - was.

'I understand,' Kaldur said, placing a comforting hand on Dick's shoulder.

'Thanks,' Dick said, then looked to the boom tubes of the Watchtower. 'I should probably go.'

'What? Now?' Y/N asked. 'At least see the day through, Dick.'

'There's nothing else for me to see through, Y/N,' he countered, already making his way to the boom tubes to make his exit. 'Kaldur is back, and so is the Justice League. I am no longer needed.'

Kaldur didn't follow Y/N as she chased after Dick. 'At least let the team know personally you'll be leaving. Don't you think they deserve that much from you after all we've done?'

'All I did was sign Wally's death sentence,' Dick answered harshly, not even bothering to turn around and face her. 'Yeah, the team really deserves that from their substitute leader.'

The two of them stopped before the boom tubes, facing each other one last time. Y/N grabbed Dick's wrist before he could dial in his code to exit the Watchtower.

'Dick, please,' Y/N pleaded, voice tight with desperation. 'I know you're hurting right now. We all are feeling Wally's death. But the team needs you right now. I need you...'

It was a last ditch attempt at convincing him that he meant more to her than just a friend. That he was her glue, that he was important to her and the team. That, even if he was nothing else, he was her best friend, and she was his.

Always have been... Always will be.

Don't go, she wanted to say, but the words never came out. It's like Dick had always been a part of her life; she now couldn't imagine her life without his witty remarks, without his odd use of words like "aster" and "traught", without his charming smile and kind eyes. She couldn't imagine life without him. Please, don't go.

Dick's sad expression told her he'd made his mind up before he even spoke the words.

'I'm sorry, Y/N,' he said softly, pulling her into a gentle embrace where he pressed a feather-light kiss to her forehead. 'But I can't deal with this right now.'

As if in a dream, Dick stepped out of the embrace and dialled in his code for the boom tube.

'B:01 - NIghtwing,' the computer announced as the boom tube activated.

Dick was a step away from leaving Y/N behind when she called out, 'Don't be a stranger!'

She knew he had already made his mind up. But that didn't mean the two of them couldn't still be what they had always been. Best friends.

To her joy, Dick stopped and turned back around, a melancholic smile on his face as he held up his pinky finger. 'Always have been...'

Y/N reciprocated his smile as she too held up her pinky finger, imagining hooking it with his. '...Always will be,' she replied softly.

And then he was gone, and Y/N was left standing alone in the Watchtower.

She didn't realise she was crying until Dick was gone, until her senses had returned fully and felt the sensation of tears rolling down her face. That's when she acknowledged she was truly, utterly, hopelessly sad.

Because for the first time in seven years, Dick was no longer by her side. She didn't have Dick to fall back on when things got tough; she didn't have Dick to talk to about her issues with the new recruits; she didn't have Dick to laugh with after a night out at the arcade where he had failed epically at every game; she didn't have Dick reassuring her that everything would be okay, even when the world was telling them otherwise.

Dick was gone, and that was something Y/N had never expected to deal with.

'Wonderess.'

Y/N wiped her tears away before she turned to see who had called her. It was Kaldur, and based on his sympathetic expression, she knew he had heard everything.

'Batman and the rest of the Justice League wants to speak with us all,' he said.

'Right,' Y/N said, composing herself before walking over to join her friend.

Dick was gone, but she was still an integral part of Young Justice, and they needed her more now than ever. Whatever was to come their way now, they had to be strong, a united front.

Even if her heart yearned for someone who had completely abandoned her.

[themusingsofacurlyhairednerd]

Datura Pt 5

Summary: Trapped Under the Mountain you're trying you best to learn to navigate Amarantha's Court and your own, budding powers.

Content Warnings: Allusions to assault, slavery, mild cursing

Author's Note: This one hurt me to write, but my depression got the better of me and I needed to let my angst out somewhere; I'm so sorry.

Pt 1, 2, 3, 4

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It’s been three weeks since you’d been dragged under the Mountain, each day counted with a little tally scratched into the wall behind your bed post where no one can see. Two weeks without word from your uncle. Two weeks without sunlight. Sometimes you sit in the dark wondering if, when this is over and you finally get to step into the sun again, if your eyes will be able to bear it, or will they be permanently altered?

The weeks are taking a toll. The girl you see in the mirror each morning is paler and paler each passing day, the lines of your face a little thinner as hunger becomes a constant companion. Amarantha has tasked someone with feeding you, but meals are few and far between, save for the assortment of stale snack Rhys has been sneaking into your training sessions. The male has spent hours each day running you through shielding techniques, followed by sparring sessions to “keep you limber” he’d said, and has only just begun to touch the well of power that sleeps beneath your skin. He’s still tight lipped about what he suspects it was, no matter your questioning. Things are, well you wouldn’t say pleasant necessarily, sometimes he still makes you want to hurl things at his head, but there has been no more threats from Amarantha to enforce upon you and so things are fine between you. The Queen has kept to herself for the last three weeks, until the Attor came knocking on your door.

The creature has the decency to not attempt to carry you by the back of the shirt this time. Instead, it walks ahead of you, leathery wings and talons scrapping the floor, it’s every breath a horribly, squeaking, rasp through it’s crooked teeth. It’s only spoken to inform you that you’re being summoned to the Queen’s chambers and than it clamps it’s thin lips shut and shoves you into the hall.

No throne room today, for that you’re relieved, most nights you can still see the bodies pinned to the wall when you shut your eyes. Instead, the Attor leads you up and up, the climb stealing your breath as you head to what you can only assume is the Mountain’s peak. Someone has painstakingly carved steps into the rock, each stone smooth and worn down over time. The door at the top is the same carved stone as all the other doors, but this one is guarded by masked sentries, both armed to the teeth. Spears glisten in their gloved hands, and you keep your questions about how well those could be wielded in such a small space to yourself. Questioning Rhys about her operations is one thing, the Attor and the rest of her cronies is another.

The sentries knock twice before pushing the door open for you.

Unlike your room, the space of her chambers is cavernous, the walls smoothed over and held by pillars of marble and sandstone. Faelights glitter and twist around each pillar, bathing the room in an unnaturally red glow.

Red seems to be her favorite color.

Her sleeping chambers are set in the side of the space, hidden from you by a crimson curtain. The rest of the room is left open, decorated with plush couches and chairs around a roaring fireplace in the shape of a lion’s head. Beneath the worn coffee table, currently plated with tea cups and scones, is a pelt of some sort of monster, the head bearing curling horns and an open mouth of jagged teeth, the glassy eyes starring right at you as the Attor all but shoves you into the room.

There’s a heavy scent of mirthroot and incense in the room that makes your head feel fuzzy.

The Queen emerges from behind the curtain wearing little other than a silk robe, the bare expanse of her legs on full display.

You reign in the disgust you feel at seeing her, try not to picture what she was doing back there, so flippant after she’d ordered an innocent male killed simply for knowing you. She’s a monster. But she’s also the monster with the power of the High Lords and you’re not so foolish as to upset her here in the quiet of her chambers where no one will hear you scream if she decides she wants to punish you for any slight you might offer.

“Y/N,” she says with a grin that looks wrong on the sharp planes of her pale face. “Glad you could join me! Come, sit.”

The Attor watches you move towards the couch opposite her like he thinks you might pounce on her and drag your claws across her throat.

The couch sinks in when you sit, like it’s been used a lot. You try not to think about why.

“Tea?” She asks as she grabs her own cup, her red lipstick smearing across the rim as she takes a deep drink.

Your stomach rumbles, a reminder that they’d forgotten to feed you again. You pull your hands into your sleeves, trying to keep your hands from reaching out to take what’s offered on instinct. “No.” The chances of you being drugged in here are high, you’re not taking any chances. Mentally, you do a quick check of your shields, just as Rhys had shown you, to ensure the doors of your mind are shut from whatever power of his she can wield over you.

She frowns. “I can see that you’re scared of me.”

You lean back in the couch, arms across your chest.

“I wish it didn’t have to be like that,” she says as she sets her own cup down. “I’ve been training with Hybern for many years, I’ve often thought of him like a father, and so I hope you don’t think I’m being too forward when I say I hope that some day you’ll see me like a sister.”

The urge to unleash your claws and slash them across her face is overwhelming. You’re thankful you’d had the good sense to pull your hands into your sleeves, it hides the way you dig your nails into your palms to keep yourself still. “Oh?”

She clasps her hands together, the eyeball in her ring swiveling to look at you. “My relationship with my own family was… rocky, I’d like to think fate is giving me another chance with you.”

You’re not so desperate to get out that you buy it, but you know, from somewhere deep inside of you that if she’d waited a few more weeks, if the hunger and the dark were really starting to get to you that she could have been convincing. That’s what scares you the most.

“I know I come across extreme,” she continues like she hasn’t noticed your reservations. “But, girl to girl, I really want to see you thrive. Rhysand has been telling me of your progress. He says you’re a fast learner.”

He’d told you that too. “He’s a good teacher,” you say carefully. You mean it, he’s very patient with you, even if he is an ass about how he gets results, he’s never been harsh, never pushed too far--not since that first day had he come into your mind uninvited--but you can’t have her getting suspicious of why you’ve been such a dutiful student. If she suspects you’re trying to awaken your powers too soon, you’re as likely to end up chained to her as the High Lords are. Hybern needs a weapon, not a time bomb, you have to play your cards steadily to unsure you can get out of here at the end of this.

“Charmed, are we?” She asks in what feels like it’s meant to be conspiratorial girl talk, but the look in her eyes... You swear the eye on her finger widens in warning.

“I haven’t had any training before this. It is nice to have a guide for my questions.” As close to the truth as you can get.

Amarantha leans back in her seat, arms spread across the back of the couch, as she studies you. Her eyes are so dark they’re almost black, nothing but cold calculations in a gaze you know has been wielded with extreme precision on the battlefield. It’s like she’s pinpointing all your weak spots when she looks at you. You can’t look her in the eyes, not without fidgeting, you find yourself picking at the fraying edges of your shirt sleeves instead.

“You poor thing,” she coos. “You must have been so confused.”

That much is true too. You still haven’t been able to figure out why they’re doing all this. What terrible power does she think you posses that she’s so desperate she’ll invite you into her personal chambers instead of attempting some dramatic event in the throne room?

You stare at the wall. You can’t give her the satisfaction of asking her those questions. Maybe she does have the answers, but they’re from her mouth and you know better than to trust a damn think that comes out of it.

“I thought everybody was ahead of me,” you admit. “We travelled a lot so regular schooling was out of the question.”

“Oh I’m sure your uncle was a master at weaponizing your naivety. Most males are.” She brings her hand with the ring up to her chest and begins to trace a pointed nail over it, as if she’s thinking about something else.

“He’s a good male,” you blurt before you can stop yourself.

She huffs a laugh, “Good males do not steal children from their parents.”

You bite down on the inside of your cheek.

“Your parents were very powerful people once, and your uncle had always been jealous of your mother. I wish you could have seen her, Y/N, when she stepped onto a battlefield, males coward. I watched them piss themselves just at the sight of her. She was everything I hoped to be as Hybern’s general.”

You’d always imagined your love of books and ancient things had come from your mother. In your mind she’d been a soft woman who grew gardens and was always reading books under big oak trees. In your mind she was kind and gentle and had lost you tragically in some sort of accident. To hear anything else, from Amarantha of all people, made you want to throw your hands up over your ears. Your uncle had alluded to your father not being the best of people, but you had never imagined it would be this bad either.

“Your uncle couldn’t stand it,” she continues, oblivious to your inner turmoil. “I tried to warn them that he was a jealous and dangerous male, but your mother loved him too much to see it. And when he stole you out of your room that night, well, her heart couldn’t handle it. That’s our curse as women, I suppose, we care too much.”

You look into the fire. That can’t be true! You don’t want it to be true. Because, if it is, you’re not only wrong about your parents, you’re wrong about your uncle too and then you will have no family left at all.

“And look at you, following in her footsteps,” she presses. “Caring so much about him that you’ll sacrifice your own peace of mind to spare his miserable life. He’s a monster, Y/N, why are you protecting him? All he has ever done is hurt you.”

The flames dance in the fireplace, reaching towards the carved teeth of the lion’s head. You trace the ash that’s dusted up the creature’s face with your eyes, anything to avoid looking at her. Your shields might be in place, but your face will betray you all the same.

She stands and comes to sit next to you, the heavy scent of earth and incense a cloud around her. “Your powers could have driven you insane without the right teaching. He very well could have killed you. You want to protect a male like that?”

 Maybe it is all true, gods above you can barely stomach the thought, but even if it is, you can’t sell him out to her. “I already told Rhys where he would be. I’m not protecting anyone.” These last few weeks, no news of him had been a relief, it meant he was safe, but as time ticked on, the doubts were starting to get to you. None of her huntsman had even heard whispers of where he’d gone. Was it possible he’d abandoned you?

She reaches out and places her nails under your chin, turning your head until you’re looking into her eyes. “You poor thing. I feel for you, I really do. I know the terrible sting of betrayal all too well.”

The eye on her ring swivels to stare at her, like it’s questioning the statement.

Maybe it really is alive; the thought makes your stomach roll.

“What do you want?” You ask.

She laughs like you’d told a joke. “As I said, I want us to be friends.”

“You killed a male to threaten me into submission and suddenly you want to be friends?”

She stiffens a little.

“This is about the twins, isn’t it?”

“Do you smoke?” She asks instead.

The shift makes you pause for a second, long enough for her to shout for someone behind the curtain leading into her sleeping quarters. A moment later, the same male from the throne room appears, shirtless, wearing nothing but his boxers and a glittering, golden collar. In his hand is a small, silver tray and as he seats himself on the arm of the couch, he holds it out to her. A rolled cluster of cigarettes sits on the tray next to a golden lighter and she grabs the nearest cigarette. Out of what can only be habit, the male sets the tray on the table and lights the cigarette for her as she brings it to her mouth. You’ve been in enough taverns to know mirthroot when you smell it, the smoke making the room hazy.

“Helps with my headaches,” she says, holding it out to you.

You glance at the male, now draped over the edge of the couch like this is normal. Like it’s normal that there are scratch marks across his chest; a collar clinging to his throat. So much had happened the last time he’d been around you hadn’t really noticed what was happening, but now…

Amarantha is speaking again but you honestly can’t hear what she’s saying.

What kind of female does this to people?

There’s something prowling beneath your skin, a caged animal pacing the bars of it’s enclosure. The first bits of your talons poke through your skin, digging into your palms to keep it at bay.

“Y/N?” She asks, and by the tone its clear this isn’t the first time she’s called you by name.

You force yourself to draw a breath, then another. You cannot fight her here like this, no matter how badly you want to. No matter how much the sight of that collar makes you want to destroy everything she’s ever touched. She has the power of the High Lords and if you fight her here in her chambers, untrained, you will loose.

You draw another breath. Rhys had said that half the battle was knowing when to throw the first punch. It isn’t time yet.

You repeat it to yourself, to the thing that slumbers in your chest until it quiets.

You know Amarantha is watching, can feel that oily gaze on you. You draw another breath and force yourself to look at her. “I’m sorry, I… I was just wondering…” You should placate her, pretend your just some untrained, naive little girl she found on Calanmai. At the start of this conversation you might have, but the shift you feel beneath your skin…

You need to get out of the room before you implode.

And you need her to know you’re not just some stupid pet.

“I was just wondering what’s so bad about the twins that’s got you rattled, Your Highness?” Maybe you can’t meet her gaze yet, maybe you can’t win a physical fight, but you’re not some helpless toy at her whims. The last couple weeks have weakened you, but they haven’t beat you.

She growls at you, eyes flashing dangerously.

The male on the end of the couch scatters out of range, ducking behind the curtain long enough for you to get a flash of the room, see another body laying in her silk sheets.

You’re going to rip this mountain apart brick by fucking brick if you have to.

“Is this what you’d rather do, little mouse?” She asks, her voice dangerously low. “Play games with me?”

It's too late to take it all back now. The words are out and despite the shiver running down your spine, you know if you back down now she will hold it over your head forever. Might as well stand your ground and see what she'll reveal to you if you keep pushing. “I’m bored in my cell,” you counter.

She takes a drag of the mirthroot. You'll ask Rhys later why she needs so much of it. Is it possible that holding all that power is effecting her physically somehow?

“How forgetful of me to not keep you entertained.”

“Isn’t that what friends do?” You over emphasize the word, put all your venom into it. You can’t spar with her physically yet, but you’ve always been quicker with your words than your fists anyway.

She flicks the cigarette away. “You should come to dinner tonight, if you’re so bored.”

You hope she can’t hear the way your heart thunders in your chest. This is dangerous, so very dangerous. You’re almost sure you can hear Rhys screaming in your head. “I’d be delighted,” you say as sweetly as you can.

Amarantha motions the Attor over, a dismissal. “I was hoping to protect you from the cruelty of this court until you were ready. My subjects aren’t always as kind as me, but since you’re so keen on getting out of your room, I suppose I can’t help you.”

She’s going to throw you to the wolves.

You swallow the lump in your throat. “I’ll have to get acquainted with my father’s court eventually.”

“You’ll remember this conversation after dinner,” she hisses as the Attor grabs your shoulder and lifts you off the couch.

“I’m sure it’ll be a good laugh for both of us,” you say like you don’t hear the threat.

As the door opens, you throw over your shoulder, “I’ll see you tonight.”

The powers she’s stolen rumble as the door slams shut behind you, the mountain shaking.

You tuck your trembling hands into your pockets as you walk back the way you came. At least no one is dead this time, but still you can’t shake the feeling that you’re royally fucked.

Doesn’t help matters that, as you turn the corner back towards you room, Rhysand is there, frowning as he leans against the closed door. That intense violet gaze roams over you as you approach, as if he’s cataloging every detail of you, then the Attor.

“Why is she out?” He snarls at the Attor.

“Well hi to you too,” you grumble.

You’re not entirely sure what powers come with being High Lord of the Night Court, but you’re sure he once was able to burn holes through people’s heads, judging by the intensity of the anger in his eyes. He won’t even make eye contacting with you, only the Attor, who lumbers past you, chuckling.

“Her Majesty requested an audience.”

“She’s only to leave her room with me,” Rhys snarls, pushing away from the wall so he’s standing at his full height. Wisps of darkness unfurl from his shoulders, thrashing behind him like living things.

You shiver a little. These last few weeks had made you forget the male you had seen on Calanmai--what Darkness Incarnate was capable of given the right push.

“Funny,” the Attor rasps, unbothered by the display. Maybe when you spend so much time with Amarantha, only big, powerful displays matter. “She hasn’t mentioned you all morning. Maybe she’s gotten tired of you.”

“And maybe,” Rhys prowls forward, the stars you can sometimes see glittering in his eyes winking out with each breath he takes. “I was out dragging Tamlin’s sorry ass in for you.”

The Attor pauses, wings twitching. “Spring surrendered?”

“His time is up,” Rhys snarls. “He didn’t even fight me.”

Shit shit shit. She’s actually done it. Tamlin had been the last High Lord on his throne. When Hybern came in a couple of months, there’d be no one standing in his way. Amarantha would have all the High Lords sitting and waiting for him to do whatever he wanted with them.

You look at Rhys, really look. There’s no damage on him, no cuts or bruises, not even dirt, no hint that he was lying about bringing Tamlin in. He doesn’t look at all bothered by it either, as if this is just another part of the job.

The Attor makes a hissing sound, “Guess we both didn’t get what we wanted today, lordling.”

“This will be the last time you take her anywhere,” Rhys snarls, his voice wholly taken over by a High Lord. Not the male that sits on the floor in the training room, showing you how to shield; not the male who sneaks you snacks to ensure you’re not starving to death in the dark. There is no room for argument, no room for a fight, he is High Lord and he will get his way. “And if I find out any harm came to her while she was under your watch I will take my gods-damned time flaying the skin from your measly bones.”

Measly? The Attor is twice Rhys’s size, yet you know, just by looking at him that he’d win. It’s no idle threat.

“You talk a lot of game, whore,” the Attor snarls as it backs away. It knows it’ll loose too. “But lets see you put that same energy out in front of Her Highness when she has her new pet out for dinner tonight. I’m sure with the Lord of Spring joining us, things will be interesting.”

It scurries away before Rhys can ask what that means, or before you can tear it’s ugly face off it’s bones. Yours claws are piercing into your palms, blood pooling between yours fingers. You hadn’t realized you’d done it, they’d slipped, your control waning at his words. Rhys hadn’t seemed to notice them, hadn’t reacted at all, just as he hadn’t that night in the throne room, but you can’t stand it. And you can’t even explain why.

“Are you hurt?” Rhys asks as soon as the Attor is gone. The wisps of darkness disappear in a rush, like all the energy needed to summon them had suddenly vanished.

“No, I’m fine,” you reply, but you can’t stop yourself from looking down at your hands, the indents you’d left in your palms. Little tendrils of your own darkness slip from them, like it’s leaking out of your skin.

Rhys is on you in an instant, taking your hands in his own, looking at the damage.

“Guess I was clenching my fists a little tight,” you say.

The world tilts and spins, the sound of wind rushing in your ears, and then you’re standing in another bedroom. It’s as barren as your own, lit with a dozen, half melted candles, most of the space taken up by a bed with black silk sheets. There’s some furniture covered in dust around a cold fireplace; it looks less used then your own had been when you’d arrived.

Rhys’s hand is around your wrist, pulling your towards the bathing chambers. He’s breathing hard, as if the winnowing had taken a lot out of him; his skin a little more pale, dark circles around his eyes. How much of his power does Amarantha steal on the daily?

“What did the Attor mean about tonight?” He asks as he motions you to sit on the edge of the tub. It’s bigger than your own, not by much, but there’s enough of a lip around the edge that you can sit without falling completely in. He lets the water run until it’s warm.

You pinch your eyes shut. “She gave me this whole speech about how she wants to be friends.”

He guides your hands under the water and you wince against the sting.

“I was going to wait her out, just not say anything at all, but…” but you kept seeing that male in that godsdamned collar, and the bodies pinned to the wall of the throne room, and the male who had been murdered on the floor.

You know you should be careful here too, no one has explained what his role in all of this is. Was he like Tamlin once? Dragged in when he ran out of options? Or had he come on his own? And you can’t shake the queasiness you get in the pit of your stomach when someone calls him a whore, because all you can do is wonder if Rhys has any say at all what happens to him down here?

“But?”

“But she’s a monster and the last fucking thing I want to be is her friend.”

He steps away long enough to get a towel and dab at the open wounds, still bleeding, the water red as it runs down your hands.

“So I guess I kinda goaded her into doing something with me instead of leaving me in my room all the time.”

Rhys huffs, but you can’t tell if it’s annoyance or anger. He doesn’t say anything beyond that as he shuts off the water and start rummaging through the cabinet under the sink. There’s a lot of vials and bottles and hand towels organized in the small space, the only real sign that anyone ever stays in the room at all.

“You’re lucky she didn’t tear you apart,” he growls as he comes back with a bottle of what looks like antiseptic. He dabs some on another towel and presses it to your palms, ignoring the hiss you make at the sting. “She’s ripped off people’s arms for less.”

“Yeah well one of the joys of being me is she needs me alive,” you drawl.

He tosses the used rag in the tub and then opens a small bottle of salve. It’s half empty, the contents clinging to the sides of the container. It’s applied to your hands with the care of someone who has done this over a dozen different wounds.

“How’d you find all this stuff?”

He’s got gauze too; wraps your hands carefully. “One of the joys of being me is she needs me in one piece,” he returns.

When your hands are all wrapped, he puts all the stuff back and washes his own hands.

“What…” this is dangerous ground, it sounds an awful lot like you care about him. You run a finger over the bandage, trace the sleeve of the shirt you only have because he’d given it to you. You’d still be in a shift in this frozen place if it wasn’t for him. You’d be a lot worse off, if it wasn’t for him.

“What exactly do you do for her?” Do you even want to know? Why torture yourself with the truth when you find out he’s done all of this for her because he wants to? Because he was born a monster just like she was and had only decided to latch onto you because maybe you were as much a ticket to Hybern’s graces as you were for Amarantha?

You watch the way his back shudders as he draws a shaking breath.

Something in your chest cracks and you jump off the edge of the tub.

“Whatever she wants,” he says so softly you almost can’t hear him.

You take a step closer, then another, until you’re right behind him. “And do you… want to do that?”

He turns slowly, head to his chest.

You take the final step so that you can look up into his eyes. So you can see him. There is so much there, in his eyes, in the shadows across his face that you’re pretty sure you have an answer. But you can’t be pretty sure of anything Under the Mountain. You need to hear it said.

“It doesn’t matter what I want,” he whispers.

“Yes it does,” you press.

He shakes his head, onyx hair falling over his eyes. This is the most rumpled you’ve seen him, he’s always so put together. “Not with what I stand to loose.”

“What could be worth all this?” You’ve unconsciously brought your bandaged hands up on his chest, the beat of his heart quickening beneath your palms. He lets you, as if that pulse might show you that he really does have a heart that works under his shirt.

He brings a hand up slowly, gently running his fingers over the back of your knuckles. His mouth opens, and closes without an answer.

“Rhys-”

He pulls your hands away, straightening, whatever emotion had been on his face before is gone, that cold mask of indifference in it’s place once again. “I am High Lord,” he explains, “my duty is to protect my people at all costs.” Whatever he was going to say before will remain buried behind that mask. You don’t know how he does it so easily. Just when you think he might open up, might let you in, might show you that the male you had met on Calanmai was real, he shuts it out behind this mask.

“And who protects you?” You dare to ask, because even though you know you can’t get past that mask, you can’t stop yourself from trying.

“I don’t need protecting,” he says, but it’s not confidence in his voice, nor pride, it’s… broken, as if he doesn’t think he’s worth protecting. “Careful, Y/N, I might think you care about me.”

Caring in a place like this very well may get you killed. But if you stop, if you find your own mask and shut down every piece of yourself behind it, aren’t you just as bad as him?

 “Would it be so bad?” You whisper. You can’t help but feel small in a place like this, would having a friend be so terrible?

“Yes!” He snarls and darkness leaks from him again. “The more people you care about in this gods forsaken mountain the harder it is to get out! You might only get one shot and if you don’t take it, you’re likely to get stuck here forever.”

Somehow this is worse than Amarantha asking to be friends, this feels an awful like some sort of rejection and that chasm you often feel after Calanmai, when you’d ignored him, cracks and splits wide open in your chest. You feel yourself tumbling down, down into the dark void.

“Why do you care so much if I get out then?”

“Because you’re-” he bites down on the rest of the sentence, shakes it off with a deep breath. “No one else will tell you the truth, so here it is: You will be the death of all of us if you stay. So yes, I want you out of here. I want you as fucking far away from here as possible!”

You can’t breathe.

The chasm swallows you, drags you under until you don’t know what way is up. You know you’re crying, but you can’t stop the tears that stream down your cheeks. Rhys doesn’t bother to try and wipe them away this time.

“Fuck you,” you whimper.

“It’s not my fault you were so damn isolated the first scrap of attention you got you confused with something else,” he replies. “I’ve kept you alive out of necessity and I will continue to do so until it is no longer required of me. And when the time comes for you to get out, you’ll take it and not look back, understand?”

The world spins again and you’re suddenly back inside your own room.

“Do you understand?” He repeats again.

“Perfectly,” you hiss.

“Good. Now let’s fucking hope I can get you out of this gods-damned dinner before your throw away your chance.”

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

Tag List: @mariahoedt, @lovelydove, @twsssmlmaa, @sleepylunarwolf, @judig92, @willowpains, @annaaaaaa88, @daughterofthemoons-stuff, @myheartfollower, @uniquecolorwizard, @eternallyelvish

*I've seen that some of my tags aren't working for this list, I'm trying to figure out why it will let me tag some of you and not others, but I'll keep trying until I figure it out. :) As always, if you want to be added to the list, let me know! :) Thank you all for your support in this fic you guys are amazing! <3 *

[wrestlingisfake]

For the Sickos

I shouldn't let this bug me, but it's sticking in my craw. Kevin Kelly did an interview with Eric Bischoff this week, and had this to say:

"His vision of what wrestling is, for me, works best on a small scale. People always wonder why did PWG stay small? Well they knew, I think, they knew that if they went big that it would go stale fast, and they had to stay small to keep it special, to keep it niche. He wants to appeal to a niche audience with his vision of wrestling. He thinks he can convince the people to watch on a grand scale."

I'm no insider, but it seems to me that Pro Wrestling Guerilla stays small because it costs a lot of money to go big. They had a formula that was sustainable at a small level, and they didn't mind staying at that small level, so it wasn't worth taking a huge financial risk to try to expand.

Here's another way to look at it: PWG has been on hiatus since August 2023, because Super Dragon is focusing on his girlfriend's cancer treatment. Again, I'm no insider, but I suspect that if he wanted to, he could get some people to run shows while he's busy. But that would cost money, which would increase the promotion's budget, and it would alter the promotion's style, which would increase the financial risk. So instead PWG went on hiatus--not to avoid going stale, or to "keep it niche," but because Super Dragon is unwilling to incur the added costs/risks that would come with a different solution.

Super Dragon makes the right choices for himself and his promotion. But the fact he won't gamble big money on upscaling PWG doesn't mean the gamble could never pay off. The fact nobody will take that bet except Tony Khan doesn't prove it can't work. All we've established here is that a billionaire's son can afford to take chances that an indy wrestling promoter wouldn't, which is self-evident.

But here's what really bugs me about the PWG comparison: Tony Khan doesn't need to "convince the people to watch on a grand scale" because they've been watching for 246 weeks and counting. Granted, TV viewers and ticket sales are down from their peak. But ten years ago there were plenty of naysayers who would insist that a PWG clone would be "too niche" to draw 2,500 butts in seats and over 500k watching at home on a weekly basis. Even if AEW shuts down tomorrow, it's proven there's a much higher ceiling for that kind of wrestling than Reseda.

The only open question, then, is whether Tony Khan is leaving money on the table by booking "for the sickos," instead of doing whatever Kevin Kelly or Eric Bischoff or Jim Cornette or CM Punk would have him do. But this is basically the same question of expansion that we examined with PWG. Changing AEW's style to draw more "casual fans" would only introduce new risk. And it'd be a fairly big risk, since "casual fans" already have plenty of WWE to watch. As long as AEW is financially stable (and we probably won't know that until the new TV deal comes through), then TK doesn't really need to take that risk unless he wants to. Judging by AEW's new "FOR THE SICKOS" shirt, I'd say he's comfortable standing pat.

[streets-in-paradise]

Certified Paranoid - Barclay Wheeler Family AU Oneshot

Word Count 800 words

Characters: Andy Barclay, Jake Wheeler, Junior Wheeler, Nica Pierce

Warnings: AU were Andy adopts Jake and Junior with some Andy x Nica added to the mix.

Notes: This is a short domestic scene i wrote when trying to distract myself during a heat wave.

Tags: @losersclubisms @series-thoughts

@silvershewolf247

It was the hottest day of the month in the middle of an intense summer that was altering everyone's moods. Spending winter in company wasn't as difficult for Andy as that abnormally hot summertime had been. They were uncomfortable, he was uncomfortable and no one had the willpower to lift a finger about it. 

Two fans in a living room that wasn't huge to start with and a man with two boys trying to find relief was quite a desperate sight. Andy was laying on the largest couch and Junior was on the floor, mimicking a similar position with the addition of a lifeless-like expression. On his part, Jake was moving in synchrony with the rotating movement of the fan that was closer to him. 

" Couldn't you pay some more and get a cabin near a lake?" Junior began to complain at some point in the afternoon. " We would be diving in cold water ríght now. " 

The wishfulness in his tone at the end of the sentence spoke for himself. 

" You picked the wrong side for luxuries, kid. " Andy frankly replied. " If you wanted that sort of shit you should have stayed with Tiffany. Chucky would have been glad of exchanging you for a TV on the post divorce division. " 

Jake laughed and his cousin wished he had anything close to throw at him, or the energy to do it. 

" Don't listen to him, that's just the rich kid inside of him speaking. " Jake deepened the mocks. "Junior wouldn't change you for a lake house. " 

" ... Well, my brain is slowly frying so excuse me if i say dumb shit. " 

"... The less he would trade you for is a Beverly Hills Manor." 

Junior seemed upset to the core and that got an energical reaction out of him.

" Now YOU are saying dumb shit, Jake! I have lived with Andy more than you and I have become an expert survivalist. I'm laying on the floor because it's colder, what is your strategy?" 

" Moving with the wind." 

Imagining the hilarious visual made Andy look at Jake and when he noticed it the boy exaggerated the motion to make him laugh. 

Junior took advantage of the small mood improvement. 

" Dad, can we get an air conditioner?" 

It was weird for Andy to be addressed like that, even more from him but not precisely because it was more emotional than usual. 

His kids always used to call him mom.

" Holy shit, Jun! Are you alright?" 

" I'M BURNING ALIVE!!!" Junior screamed, acting as if he was clumsily attempting to raise. " PLEASE, I BEG YOU" 

Both kids have secretly wondered all summer why they wouldn't have one already. 

" You need a certified technician for that. " The man hesitantly explained. " ... I don't like to have strangers at home. Why do you think I live in the woods?" 

Jake had a good answer for that. 

" So nobody in miles would hear the screaming ?" 

" We know you are the ' i do all on my own' guy, but we can't deal with this shit anymore. " Junior followed, making snarking escalate. " Save that energy for when you try to impress Nica by changing tires." 

Andy actively chose to ignore the last part. 

" Cooling the cabin is a process. If we wanna do it ríght, we need permits. What if someone sees something weird when they come to check the place for the install?"  

The excessive caution of that man knew no límits.

Jake needed to ask an obvious question regarding that extremism. 

" What's next? Are you going to tell us you are afraid Chucky could take his time to find out you solicited a permit, find our technician and possess them, come here and try to kill us all? " 

" I didn't have that in mind, but now that you mention it..." 

" Andy, you are a certified paranoid. " Junior added in the counter strike. " Normally I would say that is awesome, but now it's making us roast in our own fluids. " 

" Yeah, it's not like we can pray to Damballa for good weather. " 

Jake was just joking, but Junior thought it was a brilliant idea.

" Wait a sec... Everytime Chucky speaks to him, it starts raining. " 

" Don't fuck with that, dumbass. What are we gonna do if he demands a sacrifice? " 

" We have our first volunteer!" Junior cheered, ready to pretend he would go macabre. " Thank you, Jake. I will think of you once the air will be breathable again." 

They were coming up with crazier ideas each minute that the bickering lasted. Luckly, Nica showed up at the ríght moment. 

" Let's be rational. " She attempted to calm the boys down. " ... I'm sure Andy can kill a deer in our names and it would be just fine." 

Andy couldn't help laughing and she wheeled closer to him. 

One sweet smile of hers and he was done. 

" So... What should we try first? Getting a cooling system or the voodoo sacrifice?"

[miateawrites]

i love you, i'm sorry

Hello! For some context, this is from my Ninjago AU/OC story, a scene from the tournament of elements between Kai and my OC Ren. The AU is kinda like a political drama honestly LOL and Chen is a huge political figure amongst other characters, including the ninja themselves. The ninja as vigilantes have secret identities as opposed to their alter egos which are well known by the public as being "secretaries" for Wu, who is quite influential. Ren is quite morally grey at the beginning, and in a desperate climb for power, she falls into Chen's trap as he begins to show his true colors, and ends up losing her twin sister, Kaiya, to him in the process. Additionally, she and her sister are the granddaughters of Krux and possess tampered-down powers related to the two-time twins. For the purposes of this story, Ren is gifted with an "intuition" of sorts and fast speed, as her powers are based on the future. I may post more in-depth descriptions of the characters and storyline later. Oh also, Kai and Ren are in love (not that they'll ever admit that. yet.)

Description: Most everyone has been taken by Chen, and Ren has long since disappeared; at least that's what Kai thinks. After forming an unsteady alliance with Chen, he sneaks into the room the staff is kept in to put an end to all this. Unsurprisingly, Chen's crony, one-half of the masters of time, shows up to stop him. More surprisingly, she is someone he knows far better than he thought he did.

Warnings: violence, really badly written fight scene LOL, lots of angst, comfort at the end, gun (briefly)

Word count: 2,546

Maybe Chen couldn’t see through it, hell, maybe even Skylor couldn’t, but Ren was a girl with deadly precision and a strong gut instinct. Not just this, but she was also a girl with a dangerously untempered infatuation for the master of fire.

When she ran to the room with the staff, clad in the clothes of her other persona that was becoming far too real, she wasn’t exactly sure what she was going there to do. Briefly, she wondered if turning Kai in would earn her any favor with Chen, perhaps giving her sister a fighting chance. But the moment she saw him sneak past those security doors, she knew why she was really there. 

Kai didn’t seem to notice her at first, too preoccupied with breaking into the room as quietly as possible. When he finally did face her, he was startled. But his gaze was resolute in a way Ren had never seen before, and she felt a chill crawl down her spine at the realization that this boy she so admired had more sides to him than she thought.

“I should’ve guessed,” he muttered. Ren made no sudden moves, simply staring him down, daring him to take a wrong step in her direction. “Look, I don’t know what Chen has promised you, but I promise you it is worth nothing compared to what he really has planned. Aren’t you the slightest bit off-put by him?”

Dropping slightly from her hand came a blade on a long chain, dangling just inches above the ground. The rest of the chain coiled in her other hand. Kai’s eyes shifted to it before pulling away to look at her. She could feel the nervousness rolling off of him in waves. He had seen firsthand the things she could do with this weapon of choice, but even in those moments, he had his brothers to back him up. Now, he stood alone in a small room with this beast.

“I don’t want to fight you.” 

Unlikely.

“But I will if I have to,” he pulled a sword from his back, and from under her mask Ren raised a questioning brow. So, he had found his own weapon of choice, too. She almost felt bad for not being intimidated.

She sidestepped just as he charged at her, releasing the roll of chain from her arm to wrap around his ankles, bringing him down to the ground. He rolled out of the grip, and as she pulled back the oppressing metal, she placed herself in a defensive position.

A swing of his sword was met by a solid wall of chain metal, blocking it from hitting her. She twisted around, aiming her blade for a shallow cut on his shoulder, but he rolled out of the way before she could make contact. She huffed in annoyance, abandoned her usual strategy, and instead charged at the boy before he could, hoping to catch him off guard.

Ren was not physically very strong. She was slim and had a sallow appearance that made her look ghostly. Her sister was strong, short, and stocky, built like a tank. But if there was one thing Ren was, it was fast. Uncomfortably fast. Kai’s ninja training had taught him to be light and quick on his feet, but as Ren charged at him, finally taking the offensive, he found himself unable to move away in time. Her chain twisted around his half-raised sword, and she pulled down, extracting the sword from his loose grip. She grabbed it and threw it at the opposite side of the room.

It was a warning. The room was small, and Kai could easily run and grab his sword, with time to spare to guard against an oncoming attack. He could, at least, if he were in this room with anyone else but this master of time. She was quick, and she knew that he knew that. To run over and grab his sword would make this fight an easy win on her part. He swore that for a moment, in spite of the mask, she was giving him an expectant look.

He gave her one of his own, as he dashed off in the direction of the sword. Before he reached it, he swerved to the side, turning around and placing his first hit on the elusive creature, as his foot made contact with her side. She wheezed out in pain and shock. Clearly, even an otherworldly intuition could be fooled by falsely placed confidence.

As she was winded, he ran the rest of the way to his sword, drawing it and turning around just in time to raise it to the smaller blade of her weapon. Breaking away, he could see her heaving breaths as she studied his movements. She was getting frustrated, he could tell. He smirked at her, and with a tilt of her head she seemed to return the sentiment, as the excess chain rose to strike him directly in between his legs, the effect almost immediate as he grunted in pain.

He fell to his knees as she pulled away, and Ren almost felt a little guilty at that moment. It was a dirty move, she knew it, but whatever pain he felt now was nothing compared to what he would feel should Chen learn of his betrayal. Even in his pain, Kai began to rise to his feet, and she responded in kind, raising her blade and bringing it down, hoping to incapacitate him just a bit more so she could get this over with.

She gasped when his hand wrapped firmly around the metal of the blade. Blood instantly rose to meet its sharp edge, and when she met his eyes again she pulled the blade away, stumbling back.

She wasn’t sure if his eyes were really on fire, or if that was just how it felt, but either way, he looked livid, and if she had to guess it wasn’t just because she had pulled the lowest blow in the book. No, she knew this seething look, because she had seen it before. It was the look she had seen when he found out Chen had Zane, and it was the look he gave in the courtroom when corrupt injustice threatened to let loose.

She felt the heat before she saw the flame. The coat over her bodysuit had erupted into flames at its tail, Kai’s hands placed in front of him, aiming right towards her feet. In a panic she desperately tore the coat off before it could ravage her skin, throwing it to the ground and stomping the flame out. Only after the flame had been vanquished did she look back up, puzzled that the ninja hadn’t taken her momentary panic to strike her down. But still, he stood there, hand pressed to his chest, and eyes tearing into her.

He looked exhausted. In the rush of adrenaline, Ren hadn’t noticed how much time had passed. For nearly an hour they had been stuck in this violent dance, with her landing most of the hits. After all, it is hard to match the stamina of one who doesn’t fear the future. Her strikes to his ankles and legs must have done their job, because now it looked as if, the adrenaline now dampening, he was beginning to shake in his place.

He pulled off his mask, and Ren’s breath caught in her throat again, but for a very different reason this time. 

“This could go on all day,” he heaved, “but you know I’m not gonna back down. I can’t beat you, I know, but this isn’t about me.”

He got his bearings, raising back up to his full height, his posture strong and firm. For a moment, Ren almost felt like she was looking up at him.

“Lloyd… my brother, you guys won’t break him, and no matter what you do to me here I will defend him to my dying breath. As for Ren,” she stilled at the mention of her name, “I know you’ve hidden her away somewhere, and I will not rest until I find out where. Mark my words.”

His leg lowered slightly, his fists raising as he got into a fighting position once again. He was going to fight until he died, Ren realized.

She stared blankly at him for a moment, wondering what force of nature had brought someone so upstanding and good to be in her life. Even as he stared her down with malice in his eyes, her heart still fluttered at the way he said her name. Maybe that’s why instead of getting ready to launch another set of half-assed attacks, her hand raised to grip at the mask that covered her head.

In one motion, she ripped it off and cast it to the side. Untucking her hair from the body suit, she looked at him earnestly and held out her arms.

“I really, really do not want to hurt you,” she finally spoke.

She had expected shock and anger and was surprised to find his gaze lowered to one of silent disappointment; like this had been inevitable from the start. She supposed it couldn’t have been that hard to connect the dots, just as she had done with him and the ninja. She thought back to what Kai had said when she had poked fun at them, amused by the absurdity that no one had pieced together what was clearly so obvious:

“We’re whatever people want us to be, they’ll only ever see what they want to see.”

That was the look she was seeing in his eyes right now. Denial. 

He took a deep breath. “Well,” he started. A shit-eating grin crawled onto his face, and Ren wasn’t sure if she felt relief or annoyance at its arrival, “you’re doing a pretty damn good job at it if that’s the case.”

“Don’t do that.”

“That girl is your sister, isn’t she?”

With that, she rushed at him again, chain meeting blade, and apparently, he had learned a thing or two from her. He wound his sword along the chain, pulling it from her grip, and sliding it down onto his own arm. The dull end of his blade made contact with her stomach, stunning her, but not before she delivered a swift kick to his shin. He hissed between his teeth as he knelt to the ground, and she put a sizeable distance between them in the meantime.

“Okay, so don’t bring up the sister, noted.”

“Would you stop that!”

“No, Ren, I can’t,” he grunted, slowly rising back up, his legs unsteady beneath him. “I can’t just ignore the signs here, because they are glaringly fucking obvious. I don’t know what Chen has threatened you with, though I could make a pretty educated guess, but I know you aren’t here fighting me because you want to turn me in. You’re still my friend, and I’m not giving up on you.”

Her hand drifted over the pocket on her thigh. “You’ll fail, and then he will kill you and every single one of your friends.”

“He’ll kill you too,” he yelled slightly. “Don’t you see that? Ren, he will never stop using you. Every day that you think he’ll give whatever it is he’s promised you will be spent being trampled beneath him. You will die a slave to him.”

He took a step forward, and she took one back, hand dipping into her pocket, her fingers loosely gripping around the cold metal.

“Come with me,” his hand raised forward. “We can take the staff and we can put a stop to all of this. No one else needs to get hurt.”

The moment he took another step forward, her hand rose, shaking out of her pocket, and aimed the gun at him with more than a little doubt behind her eyes. She was frustrated to see that he looked more annoyed than he did afraid.

“Are you serious, Ren? Now, you decide to pull the gun on me?”

She cocked it quickly, raising it with slightly more confidence. “I’m not gonna let you throw all of this away. You don’t understand what you’re doing.”

She hated the way her voice shook when she said that, but she hated, even more, the way his eyes softened at her cadence. He took another step closer, and this time she didn’t back away.

“Ren, please let me help.”

“You have no idea what he’s done.”

Another step, and the first of tears fell down her cheeks.

“You’re right, I don’t. But I could, and I promise you he will spend the rest of his life wishing he never even spoke to you.”

“He’s going to kill her. He’s going to kill you.”

Two more steps, another tear.

“Ren…”

“Please just stop.”

He places a hand on the gun, and without any fight back he pushes it down. It drops from her hands, and she falls to her knees with a sob, muffled as she realizes the danger of their current situation, how easily they could be caught. He falls down with her, and the feeling of warm arms engulfs her as her head falls into the crook of his neck, tears pouring freely onto his gi as he holds her.

“I’m so scared.”

“I know.”

For twenty minutes, the master of fire holds the master of time and not once does he look away. Not once does his gaze turn towards the glass case, holding what very well could be the most powerful weapon in all of Ninjago. Never does he loosen his grip or pull away when her sobs become particularly violent. When the girl drags her face from him and composes herself, they don’t feel any need for words as he stands up, gently pulling her to her feet.

She’s the one who looks over at the staff first. Any sign of her vulnerability before had been sealed away, with only the reflection of tear stains to give away the passage of her old self. Now, her face is solid and resolute. Kai decides to keep his mouth shut and listen.

“Chen isn’t going to finish the ritual,” she states matter-of-factly. “But we aren’t going to steal the staff tonight either.”

Now it’s Kai’s turn to give her a puzzled look, and she sends him a devilish grin back. Her hands fall to his, and she brings the injured one up to her face, placing a kiss on his palm, gentle as to not disturb the already damaged skin. Kai swears he could die right there.

“I gave you a pretty nasty cut there didn’t I?” Her tone is joking, but Kai can see the guilt behind her eyes, He gives her hand a reassuring rub with his thumb. She begins to walk towards the door, his hand still clasped firmly in hers.

“I’ll tell you the details while I bandage your hand, but you don’t need to worry too much. I’ve had plenty of time to plot out my rebellion doing nothing as his secretary.”

Whatever doubt Kai has is pushed away by his utter adoration for the girl pulling him along. Whatever she has planned, he’s there for it through thick and thin.

[ren-c-leyn]

Happy WBW Ren! So I was wondering, say the Shackles of Time main characters existed in the Forgotten Gods universe - what would they do there? What kind of gods would they choose/would choose them if any did?

@writingonesdreams

Happy wbw to you too, Dreams ^^

Okay, this probably is not going to be the answer you were looking for, and I am sorry about that. It's a good question, but it's kind of a hard one both for me and those particular WIPs.

However, it was still long enough to need a readmore, so I hope you enjoy the ramblings.

I'm going to preface this with I don't do a lot of AUs or 'what if this character was in this world' kinda scenarios, so there's probably aspects of this question that I'm over thinking or not thinking of at all. Unfortunately AUs jumble things up in my head so my worlds and characters are very locked into each other, and thus are also dependent on each other. If I stop working with a world, the characters get left behind as well since a lot of the context that made them is lost and so moving them to another world would change them entirely. I don't know why, it's just how it's always worked in my writing.

Onto your actual question - With the way Forgotten Gods works, there isn't really a specific 'type' you can count on a God to have. An Evil god may enjoy Merle's stubborn adherence to her codes and honor and make a game out of trying to wreck it. A God of honor may try to bring her into the fold. A God of parties may make it a mission to make Night enjoy life more. A god of assassins may try to feed her dark side. Arlen may never get 'picked' by a God and thus may never learn magic in that world.

And the truth is, most people don't. Champions are uncommon, no single god has more than 5 at a time, and even having that many at once is rare. What makes them seem common is that there's hundreds of Gods and champions are a good way to earn a following. It's a sort of gimmick 'worship me today and you may get a flaming sword like this gal!' But most of those people never will. Most people will go their entire lives without even touching a magic object, little alone becoming a champion. Just having more than one champion gathered in a small town like what happens in the plot is rare unless there's some grand quest to stop a malicious God whose annoying several of their fellow Gods.

As for who they'd worship of their own accord, you picked an odd cast for this question. The problem with The Shackles of Time cast and religion is that they all have this distaste, at best, for Gods. A God waged a war on them, tried to kill every mortal in existence, possibly during Arlen's lifetime, though the Moon elves' towers are not close to a Shadowed Gate so they weren't in the thick of it. Men, women, children, the elderly, the Mad God didn't care. He had his monsters and fiends hunt them all. Many people actively hated the Gods after that, many people preferred to think true Gods never existed, and many people ended up with a cold indifference or outright hatred towards religion in general, but very few claim a God.

I know for a fact that none of the main cast do. So I don't have a good basis for what kind of God they might lean towards and no idea how big of a role their religion may play in their lives.

Add in the chaotic nature of Forgotten Gods' world where a God whose domain you vibe with has rules you despise and that makes this an even trickier question. Arlen, for example, might like the idea of a God of Knowledge, but he hates overbearing rules. If a God of Knowledge has a ton of little rules that feel restricting, he's not going to worship that God. Merle might be better with rules, but if her God were ever to harass someone or do something out of line with her own code of honor that's it. She's wrecking the alter and denouncing them. Curses and wrath be damned, she's not going to follow something that goes against her own code even if walking away from it gets her killed or worse. And I can't see Night binding herself to a higher power at all. Shade-kin in general have very little faith in anyone or anything but themselves. Remember the first quest arc and how long 15 seconds was? She's not the kind to leave her fate in someone else's hands, little alone a fickle and uncaring God.

It's a long winded way to say I don't know, but I thought you might find the thought process I was going through while trying to find an answer interesting.

Thanks for stopping in. I hope you have a lovely day/evening.

[iwadori]

when they’re feeling insecure (Sakusa, Kuroo)

genre: angst, fluff

word count: 2K

masterlist

request: Hiii can you write a reverse comfort where they hq boys are feeling insecure?? I love your works it can be any characters you want.

AN: okay so I’ve posted after a week so Yeahh I like sakusas hate Kuroos . thanks tee for being my sakusa encyclopaedia.

Sakusa

On your way home from Sakusa’s volleyball game, you could tell something was off with your boyfriend. Usually when you’d come back home, he’d be all tired and clingy, blanketing you in his arms as he blubbers about how great his spikes are in a sleepy manner. However, tonight Sakusa’s behaviour was different, he was sitting upright, wide awake, deep in thought leaning against the bay window looking outside.  

You made you both some tea and approached him cautiously, wondering what was going on in his head. “I made your favourite,” you said, making him slightly jump as you spoke which knocked him out of his concentrated thinking. He thanked you with a small smile which grew as he took a sip of the tea which you always made to perfection.  

Sitting in silence wasn’t a thing neither you or Sakusa weren’t used to, actually these times were moments you were quite fond of when you were with your boyfriend basking in the tranquil peace and comfort that being with him gave you.

“Omi,” you asked eventually, wondering if he was in the mood to talk to you, “are you alright?”  

He looks up at you, resting his almost finished tea on his lap and he turns his body fully to you, frowning as he asks “Do you enjoy your time with Atsumu, more than me?” His question takes you aback as you replicate his frown with one of your own, thinking hard on why he would bring up Atsumu in a response to your question asking if he was alright.

“What makes you ask that?” you say, resting your hand on his knee ushering him to look back up at you as his head was hanging low in fear of hearing the answer he expected.

“Because…” He started, his voice faltering. “Y'know Atsumu and even Bokuto and Hinata, you seem to get along really well with them, they always make you laugh and I think that you’d have a better time with them… being with them.”

His confession saddened you as you would never expect Sakusa to think that you belong with his teammates more than you belonged with him. Of course you were close friends with Boktuto, Atsumu and Hinata as well as his other teammates , however you and any one around you would think that it was evident how much you were infatuated with Sakusa. So how come he didn't think so?

“Baby, why would you think such a thing?” you say inching closer to Sakusa, internally pleading for him to voice what his mind has been thinking of.  

“It’s just, I feel that I’m too boring for you,” he said timidly “I know that i’m probably not the funnest guy when it comes to daily things like they are, and I’m content with that. But with you… I see how happy you get when you’re laughing at one of Atsumu’s jokes and how elated you get when Bokuto and Hinata manage to rope you into something spontaneous and crazy, I'm not like them. Don’t get me wrong I love you, truly and that's why I'm saying that being with me is probably not in your best interest when I'm too boring and dull for you.” He finishes his tangent about to put his head back down with a deeper frown than before but stops when your hands cup his face keeping his head up as you stare at him with an adoring smile.

“You’re so adorable omi,” you say, making his frown form into a ‘o’ shape in confusion. Before you were worried about what he was going to say as if it was going to be something drastic and serious which could alter your relationship. But simply, it was just your boyfriend being insecure about something that was all in his head and naturally you were going to be there for him and reassure him that everything was okay with how he acted and how you are as a couple.

“I love you,” you started, as you watched Sakusa put is tea cup on the floor as you bring him into your arms letting him rest on your chest as you stroke through his hair, “You always make me wonder what goes on in that pretty little head of yours, since you’re smart really smart. Like when we watch those little Netflix crime docu-series or thriller movies, you consistently say intelligent things making you the best person to talk to when it comes to those and when I come to tell you about the gossip at work, you’re always there to listen to meet, giving your much needed input.”  

You hear him laugh quietly at your words which guided you to continue you on, “And you say you're not spontaneous? What about the times when you’ll be up late at night waking me up in the middle of the night as you're in the kitchen baking something you found on Buzzfeed getting me to help you. Or just moments like before when we’re just peaceful and quiet, relaxing with each other. I really love the moments we spend together, Omi, and I don’t think you’re boring.”

His body twisted so he could look up at you, “You really think so?” he questioned, eyeing you as if you held all the answers to the world.

“Oh I know so,” you said with a playful smirk, forcing an eye roll out of your boyfriend because of your cheesiness.

He buries his face in your neck and sighs in content as his arms wrap around your waist and your arms go over his back. Occasions like this were and will always be your favourite, and to some Sakusa may be ‘non affectionate,’ and ‘boring,’ but to you the amount of love that he showered you in will never have you doubting how much he cares for you and even though he may see himself as boring, you knew you’ll always be interested in anything Sakusa Kiyoomi does.

Kuroo

You were sitting at home, after bringing your two children to bed eating a microwaved version of the dinner you made hours ago. The clock hit 9pm and you were drained, completely worn out by the day's events. Since it is summer your kids were off, and as you worked from home your schedule made it easy for you to look after them at home whilst your husband, Kuroo Tetsurou, went off to work all day.

Kuroo was a hard worker, you always knew that from when you met him and you admired that in him even now when he’s working tooth and nail in the pandemic and still has the energy to come home to flurry you and your children with the devotion he had for you all.

You finished up your dinner, and as you were washing the plates you heard the key slightly jiggle in the front door and padding footsteps entering your house, ones which you recognised to belong to your husband. You didn’t approach him, as you knew he would do his usual routine of engulfing you with his body as he peppers kisses all over your face. 

But after five minutes of hearing the front door open, you didn’t feel his presence behind you like you were familiar with. “Tetsu,” you called out behind you, wondering where your husband was. You didn’t hear a response right away, so you assumed he was in the bathroom or finishing up a small quick errand before he came to talk to you.

Time passed and you began to feel uneasy at the foreign routine but you decided to not overthink and finish the dishes instead. When you left the kitchen, already planning to look for Kuroo but you halted when you saw him sitting on the couch with his back hunched over his face pressed into his hands.

“Tetsurou,” you repeated walking over to the couch sitting next to him, apprehensively wrapping your arm around his back in comfort which you felt him relaxing into as his body shifted slightly closer to yours and his heavy breathing pattern you saw him have calmed down into an easy one. “What’s wrong baby?”

He didn’t respond instantly, just shaking his head in his hands and you could feel his knee moving up and down, jittering against yours, something he always did when he was nervous. You patiently waited for him to speak, happy to sit there for the whole night if it meant that in the end your husband was okay. You and Kuroo always had a knack for knowing how to support one another when it came to either of you being upset, stressed or mad about something. 

“One of my colleagues went on holiday today,” he said finally lifting his head from his hand, not looking at you yet but you were glad he was well enough to speak, “he’s a great guy, really big on family and he’s amazing at his job.”

You were confused on what he was saying at first, but didn’t interrupt letting him talk, putting your other hand on his knee which soothed his nerves a bit slowing down the fastness of his moving leg. 

“He’s going to the Bahamas, I’d love to go there,” he said with a pitiful smile, “but I can’t, since all I do is work. It seems every day now I'm always working, even more than I did before hours and hours on end at the office. How do you not resent me for that?” He turned to you when he asked this question and you could see that his face was tear stained, which melted your heart at the sight of your husband physically upset. 

“No I don’t resent that” you said seriously, “of course I don’t resent that.”

“Are you sure? Because I know that as I’m working all the time you’re with the kids I barely get to see them now and it hurts me every day coming home seeing them all tucked into bed fast asleep, with the thoughts in my head that they think that I don’t care about them anymore,” he said sniffling a bit.

“Aw Tetsu, you shouldn’t think that way,” you said reassuring him stroking his face, “Our kids adore you absolutely, they love how hard working you are as do I and of course even though they don’t see you as often as they see me as i’m stuck at home all the time it doesn’t mean they don’t think you don’t care.” 

The sullen look that was plastered on his face softened a bit after hearing your words but he was still unconvinced thinking that what you were saying was merely a lie to comfort him even though you actually thought otherwise. 

“You’re so hard on yourself Tetsu,” you continued forming your own little frown at Kuroos revelation, “I love how much of a go-getter you are and I don’t resent you at all for it. But if you want to take a break then take it, we’ll be here to get you through that me and the kids too. But whatever you decide to do whether that's to continue working or take a rest then that is fine.”

He wipes his remaining tears and collapses into your arms with his face in your chest, groaning in delight as your hands dance across the back of his neck. “‘Love you Y/N,” he murmured. 

“And I love you, okay?” You said with him humming in acknowledgement. 

You spent the rest of the night talking, with Kuroo finally understanding how you and your kids would always be his support system, being pillars of assurance and love for the man that he would never truly understand. He did go back to work as usual but managed to rework his hours so he could spend his time with you and the kids even more which you were all happy with. So at times, even though you admired when your husband was hard working you did like when he paused to take a break.

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[queen0fm0nsterz]

For lady ideas, she probably was considered a dirty in physical form. There are some hidden alters. I think ln ii has an alter Easter egg, as well as a figurine of her. There’s even a maw advertisement. It seems pretty well known. So, considering how she’s known to provide food and luxury, higher ups probably left her alone since she’s not only powerful, but beneficial to them. Also, she only seems jerky to poor people. With maybe the exception of the janitor and twin chefs.

MASTERPOST

I somewhat agree with this take of the Lady being considered a deity, actually.

I have a feeling both the Lady and the Thin Man are being "worshipped" by the two different groups they ""provide"" for, AKA the Viewers and the Guests, yet it seems that the figure of the Lady of the Maw has more... recognition? When compared to the Broadcaster's.

It's true that both of the previously mentioned groups are only appreciative of the two because of their services - the wonders of the Transmission and the delicious food to placate their hunger - but it's also worth noting that we never, not once!, see a shrine dedicated to the Thin Man himself. The Lady has several in both games while the Thin Man doesn't even have one in his own game. Only children's drawings rappresenting him as omnious as ever... which may imply that the adults either:

1) don't know about his existence;

2) don't care about him in the slightest;

3) both. As long as the Transmission keeps them content, finding out who's behind it is not an issue.

Now, the Lady on the other hand...

(There is an extra one in the Residence, but I'm not sure if it can be considered a shrine tied to our Lady, so I'm putting it aside for now.)

Back to being serious.

The first shrine I want to talk about is the hidden one at the beginning of the Kitchen Chapter, because it's the one that most resembles an actual shrine...

... and because it seems to have been there for a long time.

If we take Six breaking the statues as a canonical part of her journey, and by extension part of all the Ladies' journey through the Maw, the broken statues imply that this shrine has been here for at least four cycles. If the order of the Ladies is correct, that would have been Tengu's reign.

What's more! Taking the "Tengu & Scarecrow are sisters" theory into account, thus taking a Lady off the count, leaves us with the shocking realization that the shrine might have existed since Fox was around.

With this in mind, I'm guessing both of the women in the two pictures are, or were, Ladies. The identity of the woman in red is still dubious in my mind, though.

What is interesing to me in this scenario is that, if this is the case, then the Lady of the Maw has always been held in high regard by whoever decided to make this shrine... and bothered to keep coming back and bring a new statue & picture when the ones present are outdated and cracked.

Which leads me to the next question: who could have possibly made a shrine in such a place? The room is extremely small, which immediately excludes any adult and leaves us with only two suspects: the children or the nomes.

Let's take a look at the next shrine.

A downgrade from the previous one, but the Nome worked with what it was given. The effort was clearly there.

Hunter brought a little guy back with him on land... I'm assuming he didn't mean to bring the Nome - but I wonder if the statue was also an intruder in his luggage. If the Nome tried to take it along for the ride, then that really sparks some questions.

The broken statue in particular reminds me of the previous shrine. Also, the candles.

Last one can't really be considered a shrine, but it has a Lady statue with an achievement tied to it, and also pictures of the Lady + the Maw, so I'll take it.

The placement of the armchair is both hilarious and telling because it implies whoever lived here had an habbit of just... sitting there and stare at that picture of the Lady, as far as we can tell anyway.

Also, the statue, again, implies that whoever lived here visited the Maw and somehow returned alive.

So, all we've gatheted from this "analysis" about the Lady's status is:

1) She's more known/held with higher regard by the people than the Thin Man;

2) Both adults and Nomes (possibly children?) have shrines dedicated to her;

3) This dedication seems to be more tied to the title of Lady of the Maw and what it rappresents rather than the Lady as a person, see as the first shrine has existed for possibly generations.

I bet our Lady is loving the attention, since she's so vain. Or maybe deep down she actually hates it and that's why she always prefers to be in her quarters, who knows. Either way, you're completely right about the Maw being advertised - there's papers laying around the City with its picture on it, and I also have a feeling its being advertised on television, too. Call it a gut feeling.

I'm not too sure what you mean with the "she seems jerky to poor people" - I personally think the Lady thinks poorly of whoever she deems to be below her regardless of status, but I do agree on her staff being the exception to this behavior.

Something that baffles me about the Lady is just how much she appears to appreciate her employees. Like... she may be an horrible woman and a literal soul-sucking monster, but at least she's a good boss who actually likes her staff- especially the Chefs for some reason. She has so many pictures of them in her quarters. It's insane.

[corysmiles]

Could you believe I actually am back with some Runnaway Experiment WRITING??? :D

This takes place very early on in the story, and gives some more insight into Tommy's life before they escaped (in the comics). Enjoy :D

-------

The experiment was growing years after years, to everyone’s delight. It seemed the first laboratorial human had a decent enough lifespan so that it could be studied in the long run. And so, 14 years, it has been since T0M saw the light of day, and it acted in a similar fashion a 14 year old human would. .

Of course, the many researchers failed to take in consideration an alteration of the most cumbersome. T0M looked human, could understand the english language, followed orders and didn’t complain, asked some questions but the specimen…. was big.

Too big to fit in a human bed.

Too big to fit comfortably in a room.

It went in spurts, which was terrifying the first time. It kept on growing and growing, as scientists hoped it wouldn't take long for it to stop, otherwise, it might lead to a lot of problems. But for the past 2 years, no noticeable change really occurred, which was a relief when the thing was already 25 ft tall. It never seemed to be challenging personality wise, which was a relief, but they still needed to keep him in line.

Hopefully, the Doctor Soot, as well as Doctor Puff took part in daily check ups and made sure he didn’t rebel.

So, every 2 day, they took turns to visit T0M in the room accustomed to its needs.

And both’s reports were excellent! T0M learned more while being as obedient and compliant as ever. Phil couldn’t be more happy with those results.

However, as time went on…. Wilbur failed to mention another kind of teaching he had going on with the subject for the past months.

“And this is called ‘Sadness’.” He held an A3 size paper with a moody smiley drawn on it, the word being written below. “It’s that feeling when our sessions are over and I have to go and you say ‘oh noooo’ in that voice.”

T0M was sitting on his knees in front of him, paying the utmost attention to what Wilbur was showing and saying.

“I hate that one.” He pouted.

“I know,” Wilbur chuckled. “No one likes to feel sad. But it’s a part of life.”

A single hum. Wilbur’s smile turned more sympathetic.

“Do you remember the other ones?” He stood up from his place and put the sheet in one of the dark grey metallic drawers.

T0M nodded, excitedly. He took his hand and poked his fingers as he counted. “ there’s “Happiness”, it’s the good one. And “Disgust”, it’s when I have to eat the weird green stuff.”

“Brocoli”

“That. And then there’s excitement, it’s when I smile real big because you come early.”

Wilbur clapped “Wonderful!” T0M’s eyes were shining stars at every approval from Doctor Soot. Even though T0M’s enjoyment was very appreciated and contagious, but it could be a bit… much, to handle at times.

“Since you understand the basics, I think it’s time for us to start a whole new lesson.” He clapped.

T0M gasped and cheered from the top of his lungs “YEAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!”, throwing his arms in the air and effectively making the room shake from the sheer volume of his voice. When he looked back at the scientist, his eyebrows were pinched and the brunette was covering his ears and curled up, almost in pain.

“...Doctor?” He brought his head close to the man who, after making eye contact, scrambled back until he hit the same drawer he put the papers in earlier. T0M looked at him confused, face still too big in Wilbur’s peripheral.

“I… Tom, I appreciate your enthusiasm when we do our lessons, but if you could prevent yourself from screaming, it would be nice.” He tried in the most gentle voice he could muster without it shaking.

“What’s screaming?” T0M asked, crouched so his face was almost on the ground at eye level with him. He brought a hand closer to the doctor who was still breathing heavily. When his head shot to look at the hand, his body on alert, he froze before saying.

“... Is it a moment when I can’t touch you?”

Wilbur’s eyes were locked on the now frozen hand for a good second before returning to T0M, nodding. “Uh, yeah.”

“... Okay.”

The hand retracted in the following seconds, and soon, he was back in his initial position.

The doctor thanked before regaining his composure. He looked back at T0M, and his expression held remorse. A guilt twisted Wilbur's guts at the view. Thing is, as T0M grew up, people quickly realised he was the equivalent of clingy. He would constantly grab people into hugs and had a hard time keeping his voice down which resulted in a large noise blocker investment. And so they had a rule. T0M couldn’t make any sort of physical contact with anyone without being given explicit permission first. Obviously, most workers considered T0M as a test subject and therefore, wouldn’t give him that pleasure.

Wilbur, though, was not in the same vein. Once he realised how empathic and emotional and human T0M was, he started teaching him things a human teen should need, and started giving him a sort of affection a human teen should have. Which included some sort of physical affection.

When T0M was sad, he would sit next to him or pat his back. It quickly evolved as Wilbur accepted being held by the boy and brought to eye level as long as he was careful when doing so, and ever later, they would hug and wilbur would try to brush his hair at times.

Still, that didn’t make him immune to any of T0M’s carelessness which’s consequences were amplified ten fold due to his scale.

“Did I do something wrong?” he asked pitifully.

“I- no, it’s not your fault. It can just be a bit overwhelming is all.” Wilbur explained.

“... what does that mean?”

“It means… when something is ‘too much’. Like when you want to bring Techno very close, but he keeps reminding you about the rule.”

“Oh.” T0M let his head fall. “... I don’t like that.” Wilbur scratched his head. “I want to be so close and show that I’m very happy and it’s all inside and I can’t let it out.”

“Well, here, it’s a bit more of the opposite. When outside, there is a lot and you’re incapable of letting it in.”

“... I’m sorry Wilbur” he mumbled.

“It’s okay, I’m not angry.” reassured the brunette. “I just have sensitive ears.”

“...Everyone has sensitive ears.”

“Well, when you’re a small guy like me, you’re sensitive on pretty much all fronts.”

“... It’s not fair.”

“What’s that?” Wilbur perked.

“When I stop getting big and strong, I want to hug you with all of my will. Like you do with me. It feels nice. I want you to feel nice just like that. I want you to be overwhelmed with happiness. I want to hug you so, so bad but I can't and it's shit. I don't want to be strong, I hurt you if I’m strong. I want to hug you."

Tommy vented, more to himself, and when he looked at Wilbur, his eyes shined, not with joy.

"Oh Tommy…."

It ached. It ached Wilbur to his core that something as simple as a hug was something he craved and still couldn't get. Because he knew. He knew all of the things T0M was missing out on. All the life he could have lived if he was granted freedom. How much he could live and appreciate. It kept him awake at night.

But he was here. Trapped. In a room barely tall enough to contain him, treated like a circus monster. And the worst thing was, T0M wasn't aware of it. Of all the life he wasn't living. How his life was no life and how he thinks this absence of everything is what life should be.

Plato would probably laugh in his grave.

"I promise you. One day, you will be able to do that. I promise you that I'll find a way for you to hug me just like you are a small man too. I promise you that I'll make you discover all of those joys of life, Tom. I Promise you. I will help you. And I'm sorry for not being able to provide it sooner. And I'll apologize for all the years it took for me to get it."

They stared at each other, and Tommy nodded, throat tight and eyes wet.

"And a promise makes sure that it's gonna happen." T0M croaked.

"Exactly, tom." Wilbur smiled. "You are going to live many more things."

The bell rang, and both faces fell a bit.

"I'll see you in 4 days, Tom. We're gonna have a little recap over the emotions you learned and then I'll teach you about relationships."

"Oohh, that sounds nice! What is it?"

As Wilbur packed his little bag, he looked at T0M and simply replied "it's all around you. But I'm not gonna spoil the next session. On that note, I wish you a nice week, Tom."

"Have a nice week, Wilbur! " T0M waved with a smile. "It's nice talking to you."

"It is my absolute pleasure, Tom."

And thus, they parted. As Wilbur walked down the immense corridor (just tall enough Tom could run through them.) He wore a satisfied smile. His small steps resonated, the only sound in the room, yet peaceful enough for his ears to listen to them as carefully as silence. Halfway through, the sound was doubled.

"Helloooo."

"Oh, hey techno! How are you?"

"Doing fine. You seem very happy."

"I am. I made some good progress with T-he subject. I feel like he's learning well. The next tests should have fabulous results."

"Ahh, wonderful. Let's make sure it doesn't learn too much though." He joked.

And at that, Wilbur chuckled, his hand on the man's shoulder. "Oh don't you worry about that, my friend. I can assure you that'll never happen"

"Amazing" techno replied, deadpan. Both nodded their conversation away and walked the rest of their ways.

As he got further away, the doctor's smile turned to an amused grin. His steps resonated, so much smaller than what could be, in a corridor in which the boy just next door should walk through.

"Don't you worry about a single thing."

MEL YES I ADORE THIS AU SO MUCH ITS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!

Poor Tommy but at least Wilbur is helping him :”]

[thefallenbibliophilequote]

Style

Loki x Reader

1989, chapter 3

"Her heart belonged to someone who couldn't stay"

Summary: It's hard to find the one, but even if you do find him it's always going to be a daily struggle to make it work. Can you even make it work after he broke your heart? The answer to that is complicated, but it all started when you found each other again in the Stark tower- and that's where our story begins.

Word count: 5,300

Warnings: mild angst, violence, badly written missions(I'm sorry), fluff

A/N: this song is so fun, and as always with this series I suggest listening to the song of the chapter. Let me know if you want to be tagged!

A/N: a big thank you for @chrissquares for making these amazing dividers! And thank you @nacho-bucky for beta reading this!

No one is allowed to repost my writing or steal or copy my work! Reblog on tumblr is fine.

Series masterlist

Song on Spotify and on YouTube

"Hydra is moving fast and advancing, tomorrow they are going to make a move on a not so secret lab in Germany which works on energy cores, we do not know the exact thing that they are after but we are going to stop them from getting it. Reindeer games you are quite familiar with Germany so try not to take over it this time." Tony projected then the layout of the place. You didn't dare look at Loki, you already knew the scowl he had on his face, barely distinct but you knew it was there.

"Why can't we just warn them today and ambush Hydra?" Clint asked from the end of the table. But you didn't look at him.

You strategically chose your sit, no temptation to look at Loki, not returning the looks that you knew he would send you. No memory of just earlier today. Hell, you still felt the ghost of his lips on yours.

"We suspect that with the knowledge, they might try to strike a deal with Hydra and in exchange of money, they will give them the supply they want. It's safer for us if they start on bad terms and we step in to make sure it all ends."

"We only got a handful of the weapons they created, so be aware of that and stay safe. That lab is intricate and big. Bucky and Clint will be on guard outside, take out any Hydra agents that may lurk guarding outside. The rest of us will spread out to protect and evacuate the relatively innocent folks, and the others take out the Hydra super guilty folks. Point Break, Horny Head," you bit back a laugh. "Try to see if there is anything Asgardian in the Hydra weapons."

You were the first out of the door after it ended. You were not going to wait to see what will happen. You almost felt like a prey, his prey, and he was about to catch you any second now.

"Y/N, are you not going to stay?" Steve asked when you were about to head out making you turn to face him, your eyes couldn't help but momentarily wander who Loki who thankfully had his eyes lowered. "We were going to review the mission details."

"Oh no, I'm feeling a little tired today," you tried to hold Steve's eyes but you knew he knew you better than anyone here, well almost. "Just fill me in tomorrow."

You did not see the look Steve gave the raven haired god when he watched you leave.

How could Loki not stare?

Just a couple of days ago his life was empty of you, and then you entered it again knocking the breath out of him just like the first time he saw you.

And just a couple of hours ago you were in his arms and he was kissing you like he did that one time he came home to you after a hard day with his father, and hel, you kissed him like you did that time he came back from a long fight after a week of being absent from your touch. Your kisses always reminded him what he was fighting for, despite the treatment from his family, he fought through to get to his solace, to get to you.

And now he is back to nothing.

And you are back in an empty room where his presence still lingered. Just like the night he left.

•

Out on the hanger, you were on the open quinjet ready to go when you felt a presence behind you.

"What exactly can you do?" you turned to him after you tightened the dagger strap on your leg.

"Why does it matter?" you went further inside the quinjet, at the very least you didn't want wondering eyes on you.

"I want to know what happened to you." The question made you look back at him. You couldn't figure him out now, he was just as different as you were but that's not it- he left you, no explanation, and now he is here kissing you and wondering about you as if he actually cares. But then again, why would he leave if he cared?

"I don't know what happened, I started to feel bad and I thought it was just a virus or something, but then I started seeing things… and then I just had these powers." You sighed, there were too many incidents before you understood what was happening.

"Nothing prompted it?" he pressed. He was almost towering over you now as you stood against the wall.

"No, not that I know of at least."

"What are they?"

"I can manipulate people's vision and emotions. I alter their reality as I like and control what they'll feel." You looked down then. "That's what I did to you."

"You put me in the invasion in New York, making me scared." You only nodded to him, you didn't like using your powers but sometimes they are needed. As if he read your mind. "You know that it's-"

You saw Natasha and Tony walk into the quinjet then, followed by the two supersoldiers who found you in the corner. You saw the strange look on their faces.

"I know exactly what it is Loki, now we need to focus on the mission." You walked around him and went away, sitting in the co pilot seat next to Natasha.

"Anything interesting happened today?"

"No Nat, nothing. Let's just get to that lab." You helped her start everything, ignoring the look she gave you at the answer.

"Thor?" Steve called to the god as the two went aside to talk out of earshot.

•

It was colder than you thought. Now you could only pray to any god out there, maybe Greek just strictly out of spite, that the lab will be much warmer.

"At this point, I think we lost the element of surprise boys." Natasha said through the comms as you drove towards the lab, snow covering the ground mostly white but as you got closer and more agents appeared it started to look red.

Bucky and Clint were on top of the trucks, shooting the guys that were securing the lab building from a distance.

With Thor and Loki taking down the guards on the tower, blasts came from besides you.

"Bucky, on our right, take them out." You yelled to Bucky who turned and blasted the vehicle and the agents in it.

"They're out, now could you just try to keep us steady? I don't want to fall off of this thing." He complained as you made another twisted turn, avoiding getting wrecked into a tree or a guard tower.

"You're a goddamn supersoldier, I'm sure you'll manage. Plus, it seems like we will have to leave the vehicle behind soon." You looked at the blockade just before you and Natasha.

"In three?" she asked and you nodded to her, pulling out your guns and shooting the men in front of you.

Then the blockade hit the cars. Bucky, Clint, Natasha, and you jumped out of it and over the blockade, knocking some of the guards.

You looked up and saw Loki fight. You've never seen him fight before.

He brought down yet another tower, pulling out knives out of nowhere and then disappearing behind the guards and he knocked the tower to the ground, its wooden form breaking down in pieces.

"Y/N look out!" you heard Steve calling out to you, he came in with his motorcycle, knocking out a Hydra agent who was about to attack you.

"Thanks Steve!" you called him and went to move away and fight.

"No, hop on, I need coverage." You nodded to him despite his bowl of crap. Hopping on the motorcycle behind him, you shot whoever was in sight. You got closer to the lab and in front of you a new rush of agents lined up. "Thor, we need you here."

"Oh no," you groaned. "You're going to do something really stupid, aren't you?"

"No."

"He always does something stupid, Y/N you should know him better." Bucky retorted and you laughed.

Thor came up besides the two of you. Getting down behind some rocks you guarded them.

"It seems like they are lining up for us."

"How kind of them" Thor raised his hammer and Steve his shield and it pounded as they hit each other, the energy sending the guards and the tank flying, obstructing them and their weapons.

Almost at the lab, a tall man stood in front of you, he had a weird shaped weapon in his hand, before you could advance and use your powers on him, the sky suddenly turned dark, you saw lightning and then his pointed weapon shot lightning energy towards you. It was too fast but you were whisked away before it could hit you. One of Loki's hands covered your head while the other snaked around your middle.

He pulled a long spear and was about to shoot it forward when he saw the man had disappeared.

"Brother have you seen that?" Loki called to Thor who ran next to the two of you. Loki still held you, but you pushed him away with a small thank you, looking at Thor instead and taking a few steps backwards.

"What was that?" he looked at his brother.

"It can't be, I destroyed it long ago." Thor shook his head.

"You saw what happened, it had to be it. Nothing else could do it." The blue eyes turned to you. "Are you okay darling?"

"I'm just fine, I can take care of myself." Pulling out your own knives, you saw Natasha and Pietro up ahead. "And don't call me that."

After you left Thor came up to his brother.

"What are you doing? What is going on with her? Loki were you-"

"That is not your business, stay focused on the fight. We need to find that weapon they used."

•

The inside of the lab was quieter than outside. Tony and F.R.I.D.A.Y detected the German scientists and you split up to look for them, and hopefully take whatever energy core Hydra was here for.

Jumping a story down, it was weirdly quiet.

"Hey guys, I'm in the east wing, something feels wrong." You waited but nothing came back but static, "Guys? Fuck."

Turning around you saw Hydra agents coming out of a door you hadn't seen before, they started to shoot at you, coming from both of your side, you used one guy for coverage, making them shoot at each other. Locking eyes with one of them, he soon fell with a scream, eyes foggy. You slit the throat of the guy you used and focused on him instead. In a field of enemies, he got up and shot everyone he saw around him. Once satisfied you let him fall down alongside all the others he shot.

You saw other agents coming your way but there he was again, Loki pulled you behind him and shot daggers forward and duplicating himself. You saw a couple running away to what you only assumed was another secret door but you lost them as you turned a corner.

"Guys, there's nothing here." The captain voiced through the comms.

"The comms are working again, great." You sighed.

"What do you mean there's nothing here?"

"I'm saying that this was a trap, there wasn't anything special that these scientists were working on, this is not what we thought it was."

"How could we have been wrong here?"

"I don't know but we have to go now, I don't like this."

Soon enough on the quinjet you tended to Clint's wound, he took a nasty shot. And your wounds weren't near as bad.

"Could they have had something that seemed insignificant to them but Hydra needed it for something?" you heard Tony talk to Steve.

"No, they weren't working on anything right now. The lab was for research, not for weapons."

You picked up on another conversation then.

"We have to tell father what we saw, Loki."

"No, I searched the building, and I didn't see the guy nor his weapon. Father will just send an army here when we don't even know what it is we are searching for." Loki reasoned.

You just tried to clear your mind and focus on helping your friend.

•

The sunset painted the rooms a lovely shade of orange from the windows. It was quiet as people were either resting, or in the infirmary. You walked through the hallway leading to the Avengers elevator to take you to your room.

He came in front of you from the corner.

"Y/N,"

"Hi." You didn't know what to say now, he saved your life twice today.

"Are your wounds alright?" you let him inspect your hands and arms. This was new to him too, seeing you fighting like this.

"Don't worry, they'll heal." He still didn't take his eyes off of you, his delicate petal out here fighting and risking her life.

"Let me heal them." You leaned on one wall as he stood in front of you, covering your wounds with his hand. You heard him mumble a chant and your skin tingled. You told yourself it was from the spell.

Then he looked up at you, and the look in his eyes was one straight out of your daydreams.

"I should just tell you to leave but-" your breath shuddered, your mind trying to make peace with your heart's will.

"I never stopped thinking about you and I." He admitted, you put your hands on his chest and slowly they slipped up to his shoulders.

"I heard that you have some other girl now, I heard they'll be a wedding soon." The pain in your voice did not go unnoticed.

"It's true, but I never thought I'd find you again. That was arranged, nothing happened yet and nothing will happen."

"I never stopped thinking about you too." You bit your lip and pulled him closer to you. "We know exactly where this leads, why go in circles?"

"My love, we can just call it even. We can't ignore this forever." His hand caressed your cheek now, you leaned into him.

"We're always going to come back, aren't we?"

"I'm afraid so, my dear." Your lips finally met, and you let every worry and fear go away, kissing him back with just as much passion and love.

And there it was again.

The first kiss.

"Will you stop messing it up?" you laughed at Loki as he tried to get the music player to work until he finally gave up and let you do it.

"That thing is just stupid midgardian technology, there is no use to it!" he complained as you magically managed to get it to work, a soft melody fell upon the room.

"I finally got you to agree to teach me, this is far from useless!" you laughed as you came up to him, playing with your dress as you twirled in it. You moved the furniture so you could dance in your living room.

"I don't understand why you even want to learn it, no one on Midgard knows it and it is not like you have balls around here anymore." It was quite barbaric to his taste.

"Yes but I want to learn this dance, I bet it is super pretty and elegant," just like you, you thought but didn't speak up. "I bet the balls there are amazing."

Loki showed you the right position and took your hand. He brought you close and prayed that you won't be able to hear his heartbeat.

"They are. Maybe one day I'll take you to see it," you had a bright smile on your face then. "You know, just so that these lessons won't be for nothing."

"Of course, whatever you say." You held onto him tighter as you almost fell. "I expect a nice dress too, I can't come to Asgard with a human earth dress."

He laughed at you, but it turned into a groan when you stepped on his feet, supposedly it was accidental.

"While you look beautiful in this dress, I bet you'll look just as beautiful in an Asgardian dress," you looked up at him surprised, you forgot how close you were, hel you forgot completely about the dance as you just stood there and swayed back and forth. "Like a true Asgardian goddess."

Loki didn't mean to say that but once it left his lips he couldn't even feel embarrassed about it, no he didn't even feel vulnerable when he saw the way you looked back at him. You moved your stare between his lips and his eyes.

"Do you really think that?" you whispered, scared to break whatever it is you have built in this room, in this moment.

"Absolutely." He closed the small distance and he already knew that he was a goner, you took his heart and mended it with your own. He could feel your passion in it, in your first kiss. He'll be damned if it will be your last. You wrapped your arms around him, pulling him ever so closer, deepening the kiss. He smiled then before you pulled away just a bit, a huge smile graced your face and you lit up the room. Your red lipstick was smeared a bit, your bottom lip was swollen, and he wondered if he ever told you how much he liked it when you put this lipstick on.

"This was inevitable, wasn't it?" the smile never left your face and he didn't know what he did to deserve you.

"I'm afraid so." You couldn't keep in the giggle that escaped you, this man will be the death of you, you were sure of it.

He had never felt as loved as he did in that moment.

The kiss after a bad meeting.

Loki got to your home as soon as he could, he couldn't wait to be in your arms. His father was- well, his father as usual. He just needed some peace right now, and that was you.

He walked into your apartment, he saw your computer open on your desk with various papers all around it but he didn't see you.

"Darling?" Loki called you and you pocked your head out of the kitchen. You immediately took off the apron and went to him, he smiled at you even though he knew you'd see right through it- you always did.

When you reached him, you gave him a tight hug, playing with his hair until you felt him relax under you.

Then you pulled back and kissed him so delicately but it was all he needed. Your kisses surely had some magic laced in them, because you somehow made him feel completely content.

"I love you." He whispered to you.

"You what?" you must've heard wrong. You told him you loved him months ago, but you understood that he needed more time, it was harder for him to open up like that. But while he didn't say it, he surely made sure you felt it that night. Sleeping was not included in that.

"I love you." He repeated and you smiled, going to say it back, "Do I smell smoke?"

The kiss after he came back from war after a week of not seeing you.

The moment you saw the green shimmer from the living room, you got out of your bed and all but jumped on your boyfriend as he took off his armor. He managed to balance himself and you, but then you pulled away from the hug and attacked him with a bruising kiss, you gave him easy access to your tongue and tried to pull him closer by his hair.

"I missed you so much." You leaned your head against his forehead, you both panted heavily. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

He could see the moment the light bulb in your head lit up and he chuckled, he shook his head but he let you see for yourself, he knew it would calm you down.

You lifted his shirt up and saw the small cuts on his stomach.

"You're not okay! Loki come on, I need to clean these cuts." You dragged him to the bathroom and pulled out your first aid kit.

"Darling, I'm a god, these small cuts don't affect me." He rubbed your back but you didn't listen to him.

"And I'm your girlfriend so shut up and sit down. Maybe you got hit by a poisoned spear or something that is like- I don't know what's up there but I don’t care!" he saw how worried you were, eyes bloodshot, he hated to leave you. So he nodded and let you take care of him, his hand raked through your hair calming you down. He had never felt more cared for, or loved.

You swore at him all kinds of curses, telling him to stay safe and be more cautious.

He swore he was going to marry you someday.

•

Asgard felt different now. After you went back to your room, with a smile that you tried to hide but he caught, he and Thor went back to Asgard- they needed to check some stuff to make sense of what they saw. It was night now so luckily most of the people were sleeping. Most but not all.

As the princes walked through the corridors, lady Iyllir was there with her maids, which she quickly pushed away when she saw them.

"My princes, I am so glad to see you back in Asgard, it's almost midnight now how come you are still with your armor?" she frowned at the cuts and light bruises she saw in the dim light.

"We just got back, and we are both very tired so we are going-" Thor put a hand, keeping Loki in place.

"It is really late, I'm sure my brother will be happy to escort you back to your chambers?"

"Oh that would be great, thank you my prince, have a good night!" she bowed to Thor and took Loki's outstretched arm. He sent a nasty glare at his brother but walked with Iyllir towards her chambers.

"I hope you are okay, your cuts still haven't healed." She took his hand, gently examining the cuts.

"I assure you I am fine, these cuts will be healed soon. Midgardian weapons cannot wound me badly." He gave her a smile and she only nodded.

"I miss our time together, you are great company. I hope you are staying longer this time."

"We will be staying for a couple of days I assume."

"Oh, great, so tomorrow we can go to that nice garden that you said you will take me to!" she gave him a kiss on the cheek quickly before turning around and walking into her room. "Goodnight, my prince."

He groaned to himself, he did promise to take her there. He pondered about it as he went back to his room. The lady and he had quite a good time- that was before you came back into his life. He walked the long way around to his room.

•

"This place really is beautiful like you said." The redhead looked around at the flowers that were around them and the tall bushes that created a barrier from the outside of the garden.

"They have been using magic to grow the bushes around the entire ground, making them into walls of this place." He remembered what his mother told him about this place.

"Thank you for bringing me here, I never knew this place existed." She smiled at him and sat on the ground next to him.

"It's my pleasure," and for a moment those barriers made him go back to a couple of months ago, when he would wander around in thought about the lovely lady his father brought for him to meet, soon to arrange a marriage. "Did you manage to finish the book I gave you?"

"I did, it was really interesting. I find history fascinating so the book was splendid to read."

They talked like this for a few more hours, talking about books and exchanging stories.

Before he knew it, Iyllir got closer and closer to him, sitting right beside him. The silver tongued prince went silent when he saw her lean in, all the while smirking at the look on his face before returning her gaze to his lips.

He considered his options. You were his only love, perhaps you always will be, but will you stay after all that is over? Can he still come back to you? He remembered the reason he left, the moment was scorched in his mind but now things were different. Maybe this time he will be able to stay, would you let him? After all, all you agreed about was temporary, just for old times' sake.

Their lips touched now.

"I can't." Loki said, before leaning back from the offended girl in front of him.

"Why not? Our parents brought us together to marry."

"Perhaps yes, but while you are great company I am not ready for this yet. We should go back, I have a meeting to attend to soon."

When they got up, she refused to take his hand. It was a silent walk back.

•

"Thor, are you sure you checked it all?"

"I did Loki, the vaults were lacking multiple weapons. They were old ones. Do you think you could tell exactly what is missing?"

"I'll do my best." The vaults closed behind them and Loki started to scour the items present, while trying to find the missing.

"I saw you were taking a walk with lady Iyllir today."

"What about it?" Loki went deeper into the place, looking at the empty stands and mentally taking note of all the items that should be there.

"I also saw you were around Lady Y/N a lot. You still haven't told me how you know her." Thor studied his brother, following him to the big closet.

"I was on earth and I happened to meet her, I did tell you."

"I'm not as big of a fool as you think I am, I can see the way you look at her. And the way she looks at you."

Loki didn't know if he was relieved or frightened as he found a way out of this conversation when he opened the doors.

"My wand, Thor my wand is gone!" Loki's eyes went wide alongside Thor when they saw the other weapon that was missing.

•

"This is ridiculous, why is he throwing a party in the middle of this mess? We can't waste time Thor, we need to tell them what those Hydra mortals have." Loki scowled as he got through the people dancing in the crowded room.

"Will you keep it down Loki? These mortals don't know a thing. I'm sure Tony will listen to us when we find him.

Looking around the room, he saw several other faces he recognized, and then he saw you- grinning and laughing with a guy he did not recognize. One of the mutants- was her name Wanda? She came up to you with a hug, and joined in on the conversation. Maybe it wasn't like what he thought. He hoped so, when you looked straight at him. In the daze, he looked at the tight little skirt you wore, his mind was lost and didn't notice when you reached him. The crowd seemingly closing around you, a barrier that let you be alone without watching eyes.

"See something you like?" you smiled at him, he couldn't help but return it, not ashamed of looking at every inch of your body before answering you.

"Yes, very much" he put his hands on your waist, bringing you closer. You put your arms on his shoulders, keeping him close.

"We said we will start anew, right?"

"Yes." You leaned your head on his chest, and the two of you started swaying not along to the music but to your own heartbeats.

"I missed this, Loki. I missed us." You confessed to him, he didn't have to answer, you knew.

"Did I ever tell you how much I love that red lipstick of yours?" you chuckled and lightly kissed the side of his. He sighed at the contact and your heart fluttered at the red mark your lipstick left on him.

He brought your chin up with his hands and didn't spare a second before attaching his lips to yours. He didn't know how he survived without your kisses, without your touch. He actually did know, it was hel. He would go sleepless at night, conjuring up figures of you beside him but that could only help so much. When he missed you most, he would go to Heimdall and ask about you. He was the only one that knew after all, he was the only one who knew about his only weakness. But then so many things have happened, some distracted him from the loss of you until he got used to it, and some… some he had to keep you in his mind just to survive through the very worst things that were inflicted upon him.

But now that you were in his arms again, he knew it will be even harder to let go of you if you asked him to leave afterwards. And he made sure to show you how much he still loved you in the kiss until you parted and looked at him, your eyes begging.

"Take me home, Loki. Take me away."

With the temptation, it was something he couldn't deny the both of you.

The minute he teleported the two of you to your room, your lips were back on his, pulling him with you until you hit the bed.

You made quick work on taking off the white shirt he wore, as he unzipped your skirt, letting it fall to the ground before he picked you up and laid you beneath him on the bed.

You looked up at him, feeling whole again remembering all those other times you were just like this, he always had the same James Dean type daydream look in his eyes, right before he made sure you remembered who your heart belonged to.

He promised himself to show you how much he missed you, and make up for all those years apart.

You spent the next few hours devoting yourself to each other, you were sure everyone could hear you scream his name in pleasure. But you didn't find it in yourself to care when he made you feel this good.

•

"What do you mean you didn't get the weapon?" the agent backed away, scared.

"We didn't expect it, and besides- he was there!" begging for his life, he hoped he will get out of these woods alive, the weapon in front of him was powerful enough.

"Who was?"

"There were more of them than usual, we didn't expect him to be there- we couldn't get the weapon!"

"You will be given one last chance to do this right, if you fail I will make sure you pay the price for it."

He was then handed the weapon, wrapped in a cloth.

"Do you remember how to use it?" the agent considered it, before he grabbed it in its hilt.

"And this stone heals it, right?"

"Exactly, use it when I'm gone."

He did just that, pulling out the sword, examining the weight of its powers, looking at the gem stone, then turning back and stabbing the other agent behind him. He let him bleed, before finally taking out the stone, and he watched in wonder and the wound healed. This will be fun.

Tags: @ayybtch @buckys-other-punk @chaoticpete @madcrazy50 @mishkatelwarriorgoddess @the-departed-potato @rogerrhqpsody @onceupona-happilyeverafter-love

[junipersgarden]

metanoia 4. | Hijack

PAIRING: Peter Parker x Superhero!Reader

SUMMARY: After the intense and insane day of Venice flooding again from that gigantic water monster, Y/N and Peter want things to go back to normal but Nick Fury has other plans...

WORD COUNT: 3528 words

WARNINGS: A singular swear word from Nick Fury 

a/n: hello everyone!! here is the next part of my series ‘metanoia’ and i hope you enjoy!!

[NOT MY GIF]

...

Inside Room 11 of Hotel de Matteis

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from: F/N ✌️

HYDRO WHAT NOW?!  

                                                                                                                          from: you

Hydro-Man. apparently he's a sailor who suddenly

got water powers from an experiment or smth.

from: F/N ✌️

science. always the cause.

just y/n/n, are you okay?

we saw it all on the news and that 'thing' and what it did...

from you:

i'm okay and safe. everyone is and thankfully,

not one got hurt.

are you alright?

from: F/N ✌️

it was just, a massive scare.

after the whole 'blip' and everything and now this?

we literally can't have a break! and there's no one to protect us!

from: you

yeah ik. everything's just been chaotic.

im certain things will change tho and will get better.

plus, we have each other and pretty sure Spidey and Saviour as well.

from: F/N ✌️

guess we do... thanks y/n/n

anyways, i suggest you call your mum back or text her.

she was in hysterics and was screaming at Harrington thru the phone.

was pretty funny ngl, well without the situation.

from: you

will do.

i gtg now sorry; Harrington wants us up and early.

ill get to mum in a bit and will tell you more i promise.

gn nub!

from: F/N ✌️

you better... > : )

gn geek! : P

Slumping against the door, you sink to the ground and drop your phone lazily into your lap. The moonlight shines into your face from your open window, the night's cool breeze drifts and ruffle the worn down curtains.

I just want a break.

Your mind wonders and races with flashbacks of today's events; the screaming and collapsing buildings, water rapidly running and wrecking the streets of Venice and Venetian's homes and everyone; it's only the first day of the Europe Trip and it's already a mess... typical luck.

A vibration from your lap surprises you as you jolt upward lightly. The screen illuminates with its bright light directly into your eyes with the message notification: 1 New Message.

from: UNKNOWN

We need your assistance Saviour.

Meet at these coordinates and go alone.

You have 10 minutes to arrive and no later.

Tell no one.

Examining the order of numbers, you pin point the exact location and clicked off your phone; the location was underneath a bridge for whatever reason and is only a 5 minute flight with the suit.

"Hey ARIS?"

"Good evening Ms. L/N, how may I assist you this evening?"  Your AI responds, blinking a tiny blue light from your bracelet.

"Nothing at the moment yet. How's your status?"

"My circuits have successfully mended and the suit and myself are in full operation. I apologise for the inconvenience earlier."

"Wasn't your fault ARIS. Anyways, apparently I have a few missed calls?"

"Indeed you do. I apologise for not alerting you; I was in Power Nap Protocol as requested. You have approximately 20 missed calls from Mum, 10 missed calls from Dad, 25 missed calls from Y/F/N and 5 from Pepper Potts."

"A-any voicemails?" Your voice quivers with a hint of fear.

"Every missed call contains a voicemail except the 5 calls from Pepper Potts. Shall I send anything to the following?"

"No thank you ARIS. I'll call Mum and Dad myself." You finish and switch ARIS off.

Grabbing your phone, you unlock it and stare again at the anonymous message and groan.

from: you

i'll be there in 20.

They can wait. First, I need to call Mum and Dad and then-

"That canal water today was filthy and full of dangerous bacteria." Mr. Dell's voice abruptly interrupted your thoughts.

Then a shower and THEN I go to the bridge or whatever it is.

Standing up onto your feet, you lean against the door and go into contacts and as your finger hovers over 'Mum ❤️', a slight sense of pain hits you as you stare intensely at the name 'Pepper Potts'.

Shrugging the feeling off, you press onto the contact name and place the ringing phone to your ear, bracing for her yells and screams of relief and anger.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The sound of water rippling against the boat's motor is the only thing Peter can seem to hear; after wishing Y/N a goodnight, Ned had started bombarding Peter with questions about the 'Water Monster' and what he as Spider-Man was going to do.

Sure Peter still had an anxious and itching feeling about the monster but all he wanted to do was rehearse his speech of his declaration of love to Y/N and score the entire day with her in Paris.

But of course that was all ruined when Ned was shot by Nick Fury with a tranquilizer and told him about more bad guys possibly lurking around. What a great way to start a 'Spider-Man free vacation'.

With his suit on, Peter stood next to Fury and gripped onto its side; in front of him and Fury was an array of monitors which appeared to be measuring amounts of frequencies within the area.

"Stark left these for you." Fury perks up and nudges a box at Peter's direction.

Carefully and with caution, Peter takes the small, rectangular box into his hands and observes it; the outside had speckles of its beige brown paint chipped away from age. Peter gently lifted the lid and in front of him was none other than Tony Stark's famed glasses with his Stark Industries card placed beneath.

Peter stared at the glasses and felt a tinge of ache of grief but in it, a feeling of content rushed over it; Peter had Tony's glasses. Peter Parker was given the possession to multibillionare, genius, literal saviour of the Universe, the Iron Man and Tony Stark's iconic and ever expensive and high end tech glasses.

Brushing over the box lightly, Peter smiled sadly at them, remembering to all the times he had seen Tony wearing them; from on the news, front pages of magazines, wearing them when he was around and now, they no longer had that owner anymore; they didn't have Tony and neither did Peter. And neither did the world or Y/N.

"Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown." Fury quotes and turns to Peter and even though Peter's mask was shielding his face, the raised creases of his frowned face of confusion were evidently clear as he snapped from his trance. "Stark said you wouldn't get that because it's not a Star Wars reference." A dry laugh escapes Fury's lips as he turns back away from Peter and concentrates on the boat.

"Kid if you peep one more Star Wars reference today I'm going to take your suit."

"But it's May 4th Mr Stark!"

"I do not care; right now you're in my house and there will be no Star Wars references."

Peter huffed out in irritation as he continued to focus on readjusting his webshooters on his suit.

Tony let out a chuckle at Peter's demeanor and how this kid basically came dressed as Han Solo just for this one day of the year; the commitment was real and even though Tony would never tell anyone, he loved seeing Peter passionate about the things he loves.

Working in the lab was one of Peter's favourite past times; spending quality time with Tony, tinkering with his suit and just talking was something Peter loved about the Tower; it was his second home to him.

A knock from the door caused Tony and Peter to look up.

"Ms. L/N requests to enter." FRIDAY notifies.

"Grant access." Tony permits.

The doors of the lab open to Y/N holding steaming bowls of something that smelt amazing which wafted in.

"Brought you geeks some sustenance before I head home." Y/N waltzed in and placed the two bowls next to the both of them. Y/N saw something was different about Peter; not his hair or general appearance just his clothing but the closer Y/N looked at the details in his outfit, a name popped into her head.

"Peter are you Hans Solo?"

Tony bursted into laughter as Peter hid his face to hide his red cheeks. "F-For May 4th?"

"Guess that makes me Leia?"  Y/N poked her space buns in her hair. "I wanted to wear space buns to get my hair out my face and didn't even check the date, coincidences man." Y/N giggled at the convenience.

"But Tony in all honesty, don't you think Fury looks a bit like that guy from Star Wars... what's his name-"

"Mace Windu?"

"YEAH HIM PETER!"

"...I don't remember what he looks like... FRIDAY, can you get a photo of Mace Windu?"

Observing the photo displayed in front of him, Tony wiped the hologram away and looked as if he was in deep thought.

"...Well yeah he does-"

"Incoming call: Nick Fury." FRIDAY chimed and that was when the 3 of them lost it.

God I miss him and Y/N...

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Lose the mask, everyone here has seen you without it. You don't wanna be fanning around and breathing through a spandex mask for no good reason."

Trailing behind Nick Fury, stops for a brief second and takes his mask off and as he alters his senses to his surroundings, Peter is met with sight of SHIELD agents, alongside with their small set up with crates all around the joint with weapons and technology lying around as it were nothing.

By hearing Fury's footsteps echoing through the underground base, the SHIELD agents turn to face him and Peter with stoic and intimidating faces.

"Over there we have Maria Hill." Fury points to a woman with light brown hair tied into a ponytail who was busy on a computer, looked up for a split second at Peter to acknowledge his existence before getting back to work.

"That, is Dmitri." Fury gestures to a man wearing a leather jacket, seated on top of a crate as he quietly loaded his rifle.

"And this, is Mr. Beck."

As Nick Fury stepped to the side, Peter abruptly slowed to a complete stop as he gazed at the familiar figure and outfit in front of him.

"Mysterio?"

"What?" The man questioned at what Peter said.

"Doesn't matter- it's just what my friends are calling you." Peter stuttered.

"Well," As 'Mysterio' began to approach Peter, 'Mysterio' extended his hand to Peter, indicating to shake his hand.

Peter got the message as he started walking and the two met and shook the other's hand.

"You can call me Quentin." Quentin revealed his name as the two greeted one another.

"You handled yourself well out there today," Quentin implied to the earlier events of the day, "I saw what you did with the tower. We could use someone like you on my world." Quentin shrugged away from Peter.

"T-thanks... wait I'm sorry- your world?"

"He's from Earth, just not from ours." A voice answers from behind him.

Following the voice, Peter jumps by being startled and whips his head around quickly; walking from the entrance and to everyone else is none other than-

"You're late Saviour." Fury visibly annoyed and unimpressed exhales out.

"As my good friend Albert said, time is relative my friend." Saviour sasses back and skips straight past Fury's daggering eyes.

"S-Saviour?! W-what are you doing h-here? Oh god, now you know what I look like-"

"I've known for a while Parker and besides, you're not the only superhero SHIELD wants their hands on; Fury contacted me a while back after... Tony. And don't worry, New York is under control without me there." Saviour teases and strolls next to Beck, leans against the desk with arms crossed.

"There a multiple realities Peter; this is Earth Dimension- 616 and I'm from Earth Dimension- 833." Quentin further evaluates.

"I'm sorry, you're saying there's a multiverse?" Peter jogs up to Beck and Saviour, full of awe and amazement from his discovery. "Because I just thought that was theoretical and that changes everything and how we understand the initial singularity, we're talking about an eternal inflation system and how does that even work with all the quantum because it's insane-" Peter's rambling falters as he sees Nick, Maria and Dmitri looking at him funny.

"S-sorry, it's just really cool-"

"Don't ever apologise for being the smartest person in the room." Quentin encourages and sends a soft smile to Peter.

"Anyway Beck, wanna fill in Spidey and myself about whatever the hell that was today?"  Saviour perks up.

A diagram of a black hole suddenly emerged as everyone gathered around.

"They were born in stable orbits within black holes, these creatures formed from the primary elements: air, water, fire, earth."

As Quentin talked, the hologram changed alongside with what he was explaining, showing images of the creatures and their general appearance.

"The Science division had a- technical name, we just called them, Elementals."

"Versions of them exist throughout our mythologies." Maria Hill speaks up as the Elemental hologram changes into their mythology forms.

"Turns out the myths are real-"

"Like Thor," Peter interrupts Quentin as he pays close attention to the presentation, "Thor was a myth and now I study him in my physics class."

"These myths, are threats." Fury clarifies as he walks away from the scene as once more it changes into an image of Earth.

"They first materialized on my Earth many years ago. We mobilized and fought them but with each battle they grew and got stronger. I was apart of the last battalion that tried to stop them. All we did was prevent the inevitable."

"And now they're here and attacking the same coordinates; our satellites confirm it." Maria adds.

"You both can thank Beck for destroying the other 3; there's only 1 left: Fire."

"The strongest one of all... the one that destroyed my Earth. It's the one that took my family." Quentin mutters as the apparition of Earth is now scorned and tarnished in red. The red light reflects Quentin's face full of guilt and remorse, twiddling around his wedding ring on his finger.

"I'm sorry..." Peter murmurs.

"So where's this fire Elemental? Do we even know where it likely is?" Saviour bluntly asks.

"It'll be in Prague in approximately 48 hours." Maria responds.

"We have one mission: kill it and the both of you are coming with us." Fury demands.

Peter's face falls as he faces Maria in disbelief and asks a second time if she said Prague.

Saviour's posture lifts as the struggle and anxiety surfaces Peter as the colour from his face vanishes.

"Listen Fury this all seems like big time, like huge superhero kinda stuff and... and I mean, I'm just a friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man sir."

"Bitch please, you've been to space!"

"I know but that was by accident, sir come on, I've seen Saviour in action many times and I'll admit is probably better than me for this but there's gotta be someone else you can use." Peter protests and moves closer to Fury, "What about Thor?"

"Off world."

"Okay um, Doctor Strange."

"Unavailable." Maria pipes in.

"Captain Marvel!"

"Don't invoke her name." Fury shakes his head slightly.

"I really wanna help I do but if my Aunt finds out I left my class trip, she's gonna kill me and if I'm seen like this in Europe after the Washington Monument, my whole class will figure out who I am and then the whole world will figure out who I am... and then I'm done."

"Fury if it helps," Saviour steps up and walks next to Peter, "I'm pretty sure I can manage without Parker swinging by my side."

"Okay." Fury blankly answers, scaring Peter and Saviour a tiny bit from the lack of expression, "I understand."

Taken back by his approval, Peter and Saviour share a look with one another before going back to Fury.

"I'm sorry, what?" Peter with doubt inquires.

"Why don't you get back before your teacher's miss you and it becomes suspicious. Dmitri, why don't you take him back to the hotel."

"Thank you Mr. Fury and thank you Saviour." Peter sends a soft smile to Saviour and places a hand on the suits left hand shoulder. "I believe in you and good luck." Peter whispers only to Saviour before wishing everyone else out loud good luck.

"See ya kid." Quentin farewells Peter and watches him and Dmitri exit out.

"You really let him go Fury? No strings attached?" Saviour scoffs in astonishment by Peter's success to get himself out of SHIELD business.

Fury stands up and moves to Saviour with a stern look on his face.

"Of course not."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Bzzzz...

Bzzzz...

Bzzzz...

Groaning from your exhaustion, you roll over and press on your phone's screen multiple times in attempt to hit the snooze button.

Last night had been a rollercoaster: Peter and Mysterio are working with SHIELD with you, Fury made you stay back extra late to run through diagnostics which gave you around 4 hours sleep tops and the jetlag wasn't helping your situation at all.

Sitting up in bed, you try to stretch out your tiredness and peer to see MJ reading a book in one hand and a mug within the other, sitting on her bed with her black converses draped to the side.

Greeting MJ a 'good morning', you lift yourself up from the safety and warmth of the bed covers and slipped into the bathroom and changed for the day: rocking a pair of navy blue jeans and grey t-shirt for a casual but yet stylish look and throwing a little something over the top.

MJ mentioned there was breakfast downstairs (breakfast being cereal), you quickly did your hair and retreated down to grab a bite and sat next to Yasmin and Zoha and afterwards, heading upstairs to brush teeth and pack.

You and MJ both gave each other a hand carrying luggage down and delivering it outside.

"Oh I forgot my backpack I'll be back." You call behind as you jog back up to your room.

Rushing quickly into the room, you sweep up your backpack and stuff your phone charger inside and as you whirl around, you collide into something and hear a bang.

"I- Peter?"

"H-Hey Y/N! Sorry I was hanging up a call with Aunt May and I-"

"Pete it's fine you dork." You can't help but giggle at how flustered he is.

Peter's cheeks glow faintly pink as he shyly smiles.

"I got yelled at by my Mum and Dad for not answering the phone and I'm 98% sure I'm grounded when I get back home."

"Oh that's not good..."

"Guess not but eh, stuff happens. How are you though Peter? Feels like I haven't talked to you in a while."

"Y-Yeah... I'm good. You?"

"Yeah guess I'm alright. I'm really excited for Paris today though."

"Favourite destination?"

"Hell yeah! It's gonna be great but we gotta haul our stuff or Harrington will lose his mind." You joke.

"Oh yeah! That's why I was heading down." Peter swings his suitcase in front of him with a sly beam.

Too cute.

You and Peter talked for a far while before actually going back down the stairs and outside to everyone else.

"I'm going to get you a Vitamin C pill, you cannot get sick okay babe?" You hear Betty's distant voice as you and Peter round the door.

As you're about to walk out the door, Peter tugs your sleeve before you hit the outside and perplexed as you are, you pivot to look at him, giving him your attention.

"Before we go, I was just wondering if you wanted to um, sit next to me on whatever we're transporting on?" Peter fumbles and averts his eyes to the ground.

"Of course! I'll save you a seat Pete." You playfully punch his arm.

Peter rubs the back of his neck and lets out a laugh of relief.

You both walk out and see Betty frantically trying to receive a Vitamin C pill.

"I better go help her before she explodes." You suggest and inform Peter.

"Y-Yeah. See you later?"

"See you later!" You wave and leave Peter and Ned alone.

Peter watches Y/N tap Betty on the shoulder as Betty freaks out over the situation and remembers of why Ned is feeling 'sick'.

"Hey man, are you sure you're good?"

"Dude! I'm fine! Okay don't worry! Seriously, getting tranqed in the neck by Nick Fury, probably the coolest thing to happen to me anyway."

"It is pretty cool." Peter admits as the both perform their handshake. "I'm just glad we don't have to go to Prague-"

"Good news: we're going to Prague!" Mr. Harrington announces with a wide grin plastered on his face.

Everyone buzzes around 'whats' and 'huhs' as everyone glances around.

"Tour company called and upgraded us. Should've heard I gave them hell now come on!" Harrington begins to march as everyone scrambles for their belongings.

"Check out our upgraded ride!" Harrington chirps as the class sees a black bus with a man holding a sign saying 'Midtown High'.

Peter immediately recognizes the guy to be Dmitri from last night and gulps down his irateness.

"I think Nick Fury just hijacked our summer vacation."

TAG LIST !! < 3

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[malethirsty]

My Nightingale/My Fae: Desi Harperin

My Nightingale 

Summary: You always had a star brimming inside you, but also a potion of self doubt, never a good mix. It would take a very special man to extract the poison, and bring your light back.

Warnings: M/M smut (21+), Bareback (Wrap Before You Tap!)

Inspired by: Butterflies- https://youtu.be/y3l-ovZQY4M & Coming Home- https://youtu.be/J8XDaNrPS_Y

Social Anxiety mixed with self doubt about your abilities served up a cunt of a cocktail. You’d sung for a long time, but never really found the strength to find your own ground out in public, so you seeked privacy out in a Broadway dressing room where no one could see or hear you, chucking on shuffle and sang to your heart’s content. This was no way to perform, but what other choice did you have? Do X Factor or Idol and fucking embarrass yourself in front of the world, be a laughing stock and be pelted with death threats like how people threw rotten shit in the stocks? You’d rather stay in anonymity.

So this tradition continued for many years, this afternoon seeming a normal one as per usual. You’d snuck into the dressing room during your lunch break, and found a nice acoustic track to sing along to. You made sure no one was outside before drawing a deep breath and began to sing:

I was just coastin', never really goin' anywhere

Caught up in a web, I was gettin' kinda used to stayin' there

And out of the blue, I fell for you

Now, you're lifting me up 'stead of holding me down

Stealing my heart 'stead of stealing my crown

Untangled all the strings 'round my wings that were tied

I didn't know him and I didn't know me

Cloud Nine was always out of reach, Now, I remember what it feels like to fly

You give me butterflies

The song hit a nerve with you, you wished you could find that level of protection that Kacey could, but with your anxiety, you didn’t know how, unaware that it was about to fall into your sight “That was beautiful.” Came a voice from the corner. You yelled out in fright, properly surveying the room which you’d thought to be empty, but on closer inspection it was not, a male figure had appeared near the door of the bathroom, he was tall, had a mattering of brown hair and a thin beard covering his face, he looked like he had stepped out of a theater production of Country Strong. “Who are you? This room is reserved!” You balked, thinking someone else had been loitering “Yeah, it’s mine for Major Barbra.” The man said and your heart sank right down, someone had heard you, someone big “Well let me have it, it was like nails on a chalkboard right?” The man tilted his head, a look of confusion on his face “What are you talking about? Did you not hear yourself?”

You started to crumble in front of this man, which didn’t seem right to do, you’d only met him a few seconds ago and didn’t even know his name “All the time, which includes my self doubt, it makes me question myself and pushes it away to a small room like this, making scared to go out and sing to wider people.” The man crossed over to you and wiped the tear tracks off your face “I’m Desi, what’s your name?” “Y/N” “Well Y/N, you have to stop doubting yourself, it holds everyone back and has no contribution to life. Where did you get this idea?” “It’s gonna sound stupid, but watching stuff like X Factor and Idol.” You told Desi who gaffored “You do know they are cooperate machines set up by the companies who love to see people fail right?” You looked at Desi with a piercing look in your eyes “I know that now, back then I didn’t but that amount of time was all it took to let me get the best of myself.”

Desi sat down at his table turning his chair around to face you and indicated he wanted you to do the same, which you did with some trepidation. “Y/N, you need to stop that bullshit negativity and I’m gonna help you, I’m no guru on positive vibes and shit but” he reached under the table and pulled out a guitar case “I do sing as well.” He opened the case and removed his guitar, moving his chair a bit to the right he was able to hold it correctly. As he tuned it, you in a way were safe, not only did this man seem nice, but he also sang, which means he must know what works and what doesn’t. “So I’ll pick a song out at random, and you can sing it with me and remember sing Y/N, express it loudly, like I’m the only person here, I won’t judge, I only want to hear you.” Desi grabbed his phone from his pocket and glanced down the list “Here, know this?” He showed you the song he had chosen ‘Coming Home’ “Yeah I do.” You said and Desi fixed the chords on his guitar to fit the song “Remember, I start first verse and chorus, you do the second verse and chorus and then we combine for the last part.” You nodded, a warm emotion washing over as you agreed with Desi. Clearing his throat, Desi strummed his guitar before beginning to sing

It's a four letter word

A place you go to heal your hurt

It's an alter, it's a shelter

One place you're always welcome

A pink flamingo, double wide

One bedroom in a high rise

A mansion on a hill

Where the memories always will

Keep you company

Whenever you're alone

After all of my running

I'm finally coming

Home

The world tried to break me

I found a road to take me

Home

There ain't nothing but a blue sky now

After all of my running

I'm finally coming

Home

He had a crisp voice you thought, one perfect for acoustic guitar and folk music. And his voice sounded so beautiful, a tear began to form as you saw how beautiful he looked as he performed. You realized it was your part and Desi looked at you, love and care in his eyes, suddenly calm, you began your part

Well they say its where the heart is

And I guess the hardest part is

When your heart is broken

And you're lost out in the great wide open

Looking for a map

Finding your way back

To where you belong

Well that's where I belong

Home

The world tried to break me

I found a road to take me

Home

There ain't nothing but a blue sky now

After all of my running

I'm finally coming

Home

“Yes!” Desi said as you finished your part, making you laugh, to compensate he added more chords and counted you in softly but loud enough so you could hear as you both began in harmony.

Home...

Home...

Home

The world tried to break me

I found a road to take me

Home

There ain't nothing but a blue sky now

After all of my running

I'm finally coming

After all of my running

I'm finally coming

Home

Desi finished the final notes of the song, and you sat there with a smile on your face as you watched him finish. “See? Did you hear how beautiful we sounded?” You nodded “Yeah, I guess we sound pretty good together.” “A huh.” Desi said, arms outstretched “Bring it in Y/N, you look like you need it.” You wrapped Desi tightly up “Perfect, you were perfect, you hear me, voice of a nightingale, so beautiful.” You smiled into his shoulder, somehow your broken heart was slowly starting to mend, piece by piece reforming as you kept yourself near Desi. Eventually you moved away, getting a glance of your mentors pretty face & that was when you both moved in, capturing each other in a deep kiss.

Desi tasted like molten gold mixed with honey, a very rich taste of luxury that you craved more of. You parted your lips so that you could tangle your tongue with Desi’s, his taste seeping into your mouth. You stayed like this for a while, breathing each other in before Desi pulled away “I need you.” Were the only words he said. You started to disrobe him, pulling his shirt off while he attended to your clothing, each of you drinking in the sight of each other. Finally you both stood naked in front of each other, Desi looking like a picture of beauty that life artists would cry if they ever saw his beautiful form. You slowly sunk your knees and began to suck his dick. “Oh” Desi moaned “Oh yes! That’s it Y/N, suck it.” He reached down and guided your head so you were able to get to his most sensitive veins, you were able to move your tongue over his head, eliciting moans from the man.

As he ran his hands down your back, you got an idea, pulling off his cock, you went to suck his balls, Desi threw his head back, moans falling from his lips so blissfully. You worked over them, inhaling their musk, collecting the sweat that clung to them, most of all stimulating Desi as he slowly melted into a puddle of praises. Finally you pulled off, a despairing groan coming from Desi that you stopped with a kiss “Fuck me Desi, take me right here in your dressing room.” You swung up, hooking your legs around Desi’s as he walked to his table and deposited you on it before climbing on top of it himself “God, I want you so badly.” “Take me then.” You groaned as you stretched your legs open for him, not wasting anymore time Desi thrust his cock into your ass, groans falling from his mouth as your walls clamped down around him, like a velvet encasement.

Desi bucked into you smoothly, taking the time to savor you, like this moment would pass quickly and he was holding onto it as desperately as he could. As you raked your hands over Desi’s torso and entangled them in his chest hair, you wondered if when the first people in the world had sex that it was this liberating, this freeing. Groans and moans were the only sounds you emitted as Desi continued to fuck you “More” you moaned needily, and Desi increased the pace starting to nip down your neck leaving hickeys every other spot. You widened your legs so Desi could sink further down, his balls slapping against your ass as his pace increased “Oh fuck yes!” You groaned as he fucked you harder “Cry out for me nightingale! Y/N cry out your pleasure, your bliss, all from how good you are. Tell me you’re good.” “I’m good” you breathed out “Louder!” Desi raised his voice “I’m Good!” You got out louder as he hit your sweet spot very strongly, sending a ripple of ecstasy rushing through you.

He lifted you up, positioning you so you could gaze at everything in the mirror. It was quite a sight, you flushed out, hair a mess as messy as Desi’s, a look of need in your face, Desi similarly looking, like you were the complimenting images of each other. “I want you to gaze at your beautiful body in this mirror as I have sex with you, and I want you to reach deep inside your heart and say you’re good, do that for me, let it fall from your mouth naturally.” You gazed at the picturesque sight and with your heartstrings playing aloud, you screamed out “I’M GOOD! I’M GODDAMN AMAZING!” Desi pulled you up to him and kissed you deep “Yes you are Y/N. So damn stunning, so fucking beautiful.” He settled you back to the table and continued his intense pace, both of you knowing the end was fast approaching.

“Y/N, I’m gonna!” Desi cried out in a wanting tone. “Do it Desi!” You cried out wanting him to explode inside you, but he shook his head “Not before you do.” He grabbed your cock and began to stroke longingly, needing you to find your orgasmic explosion before he did. You tipped over the edge of bliss, shooting your load all over, some of it landing on both of your faces and the rest ending up on both you & Desi’s torsos. “Oh God, your walls are clenching around me Y/N, my nightingale, I’m almost there, yes! YES! FUCK! OH YES!” His cries so blissed out, so loving as he shot his warm sticky load in your ass, your walls now housing a white river of cum.

“Clench” Desi instructed and you obeyed as he pulled out, careful not to spill anything as he dropped down next to you, breathing deeply. “That- was amazing” he said having to suck in a deeper breath after the first word he spoke after he fucked you to some type of fae land it seemed. He definitely looked like one, all blissed out and sweaty, breathing deep and steady as he regained himself “Do you have your phone?” He asked “Yeah.” You responded, moving to grab your pant pocket, similar movements going around Desi’s end of the room. You eventually recovered it as you turned back around, Desi having his phone out “Trade?” He asked, holding his phone out “I want to get to do this again, the singing, the fucking, all of it.” You smiled, the first time something akin to had crossed your face in years as you took his mobile and placed your contact details, Desi doing the same. He handed you back your phone and you pocketed it as you started to redress, eventually you got your last item on before turning to see Desi all dressed and fancy again. “Well, I have to get back to work, I’ll see you soon.” You said, kissing Desi again “Of course, my beautiful nightingale.” He replied, letting another smile cross your face, you left, a spring in your step as you walked, a spring you never wanted to leave.

[prettywordsyouleft]

my second question is a writing question. i always struggle with feeling like i'm not giving enough context when i write in short formats (like your drabbles). the thing i've challenged myself with most recently is "ficlets" that are under 1000 words, and i still struggle with those most of the time. it's possible that i just comes down to different writing styles. but i wonder if you had to "train" yourself to write drabbles or if you have advice on how to do better when writing less.

I definitely had to train myself to write less. It’s still a challenge for me (last week, I think only one CC drabble stayed under the limit ugh). Before starting this blog, I only wrote chaptered stories. Sure, I’d do a couple oneshots here and there but reality was a drabble seemed so unfathomable … why did I only need to write 200 words when I could do 2000?! But it’s amazing how writing drabbles can change and assist your writing as a whole. 

As writers, we often overwrite. So few have learned the skill of portraying a scene with precisely the right amount of words needed. I can tell you I just deleted 2 whole paragraphs right now that came before the sentence above, solely because they weren’t needed to help answer this! See! It’s easy to write more than what we need. So it’s really about taking an intentional look at what is needed for a storyline to work. 

Things that you can take out most of the time or just don’t do, as long as it doesn’t affect the flow: 

First, don’t write a complex idea for a short story. If you need more than 1-2 sentences to explain the idea, then it’s not suitable for a shorter story. Simple ideas like “A and B cleaning out the fridge together” as opposed to “A cleaned out the fridge in her apartment with her roommate B for one last time before moving out. When she finally moved out, she realised she missed B and this wasn’t the opportunity for her like she thought it would be. A approaches B because of her feelings.” Of course you could still write the latter but it’s going to need way more words than the original, more simple idea would.

He/she said/replied/commented etc after your character has spoken so long as the reader knows who is present in the conversation.

A new scene if your goal is to remain limited to a short amount of words (ie under 500) - keep it locked to that key scene only. 

Internal dialogue if it really doesn’t benefit being there. Equally a string of feelings when it could be portrayed in their actions.

Lots of description on the setting. Use those words for your character’s development instead. 

Write until you think the scene is done. Don’t focus on word count or anything until you’re done. 

Biggest advice: Don’t plan it out before starting. I know some people need outlines for everything before they write, but for short pieces, the more you plan, the more you’ll write. Get your idea and start it. 

Example to this last one: say your idea is A is in love with B but thinks B loves C. You don’t need to plan out why A thinks this in a small story. A can explain it in its own way. You don’t need to explain in detail (or at all) C’s role in B or A’s life unless it directly affects the storyline. In a drabble that is under 500 words, all you need to do is choose where the confession will come out (or equally not and why) and what B and A’s reaction to this knowledge is. If you plan out all the things and include C’s role in everything, then you’ll lose the chance to be concise on what the main target was for your story. If it’s a ficlet, then of course, there’s room for more information but I’d be more inclined to showcase what A or B does to lead up to this confession and the result and all that as opposed for more of their world. Does this make sense? 

Things I do after:

Leave it alone for at least 24hrs if I can. For CC, I tend to write so basic now that I’m used to the format and editing is easier since I don’t write many words. But if it’s not for CC, I’ll leave it to get it out of the freshly in my head zone.

Look for unneeded sentences first, then read through again looking for unneeded words. Can your sentence structure be altered to maintain it’s message but with 1-3 words less? Take out things we naturally do in longer stories, ie: each and every time, and make it concise: always / every time. You just cut it down by changing such a little thing. 

Be mindful of the flow. Sometimes removing words ruins the integrity. It’s okay if it’s a little over, but challenging yourself to write regularly with a word count makes it easier for you to know what words need to be there and what don’t. 

The more you succeed, the more you will challenge yourself. I always recommend drabbles for success. They can be used as mindless writing tasks and you’ll feel the satisfaction of finishing one. I like to think 500 is a happy medium. 300 is tough and 1000 when under a word crunch to me now feels too much and makes it easy to get carried away and end up with 1200. 400-600 is a really safe zone. You’re going to push to keep it concise so you’ll find yourself feeling you can complete a scene within this space well. It’s one of the reasons I created Challenging Words ( @challengingwords ) with Sem and we decided on 500 words being the word count if people want that as an extra challenge.

The more drabbles you write, the more your series/longer pieces will benefit from it. You’ll start to erase unnecessary words out of habit and be able to focus on all the parts that need attention. You’ll have trained yourself out of this over the top explaining we sometimes can do (not saying we all do it, but I’m sure you get me) and each part will have function and purpose to being there. 

I hope this advice helps! I wrote a lot about little stories! Let me know if you need any help structuring things. I think a beta reader or someone to bounce ideas off is equally vital, especially when it comes to challenging yourself. Good luck Xxx

[blackcoffee85]

With Love

Pairing: Liam x Savi

Word Count: 1538

Rating: PG

Description: This one shot with Liam and Savi was written to address the “sharing a dessert” prompt assigned to me by @brightpinkpeppercorn

Author's Note/Disclaimer: Content warning for mentions of parental death. All characters (with the exception of Savi) are from The Royal Romance Choices series and belong to Pixelberry.

Tags: @ladynonsense @bobasheebaby @hopefulmoonobject @ritachacha @callmetippytumbles @indiacater @knndyj @zaffrenotes @annekebbphotography @aworldoffandoms @thequeenofcronuts @darley1101 @super-secret-fandom-blog @ownworldresident

“Bastien, can you please come to my office?” Queen Savi Rhys of Cordonia inquires over the phone with the Cordonian Head of Palace Security, Bastien Lykel.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will be down to your office momentarily.”

Hanging up the phone while she awaits Bastien's arrival, Savi resumes picking at the small locked box on her desk she found hidden deep within her right bottom desk drawer.

“Your Majesty, you rang?” Bastien's tall silhouette bellows from the open doorway.

“Yes. Please do come in. I have something to show you that I may need your assistance with.”

Bastien steps into the office, joining Savi as she continues to pick at the box. “Bastien, as I was reorganizing my files today, I stumbled across this box deep within my desk drawer. I have tried to open it, but it seems that I do not have the proper key to do so. Have you seen this box before? Do you happen to have the key to it?”

Bastien's eyes grow wide as the realization of when and with whom he last saw the box on Savi's desk. “Your Majesty, I do recognize that box...it belonged to Liam's mother, Queen Nari.”

Anxious anticipation radiates through Savi which amplifies her desire to unlock the box. “Bastien, we HAVE to get into this box!” The key has got to be in my office, Savi thought to herself. Maybe, it is somewhere in an obvious location. Savi starts to feel under the desk drawer that contained the mysterious box.

“BINGO!” Dropping her royal facade, Savi shouts after locating a small key taped to the underside of the drawer. Now, let's hope it opens this box! Savi inherited the desk in her office most recently from Regina, and then Liam's late mother. I wonder how Regina never stumbled upon this box? Shrugging her shoulders, Savi discards the tape from the key into the trash bin under her desk and clicks the key into the lock, hearing a soft release to confirm that she indeed had the right key. Opening the box, Savi locates a sole unaddressed envelope that was stamped shut with the Cordonian Queen’s crest.

Opening the envelope, Savi reached in and pulled out the following letter from Queen Nari addressed to...her.

To the Woman My Son Loves:

These are dangerous times Cordonia finds herself in. If you are reading this letter it means I have passed away and am not able to have this conversation with you, my daughter-in-law in person or see my precious Liam grow up to be the benevolent prince he is destined to become. I don't know who you are or how Liam found you, but I know that if Liam has chosen you as a wife that you mean the world to him. Regardless of his royal lineage, one of my hopes for Liam is for him to find a partner and share in the same intense love that I have found with Liam’s father, Constantine. I hope Liam and Constantine use my memory to uplift their spirits as I know I have passed away with unending joy in my heart because of them and Leo.

I was not there for Liam (or you) on your wedding day, but that does not stop me from extending to you an additional something both borrowed and new. Since I was pregnant with Liam he has always loved baklava. During the first trimester of my pregnancy, I denied myself sweets. Liam was my first pregnancy and I wanted to make sure that I remained healthy for his sake (I call that part of my pregnancy the “first-time mom worries”). And rightfully so! Not only was I a queen, but I was also carrying an heir to the throne! When I was about four months into my pregnancy with Liam, I finally reintroduced sweets and had baklava for the first time during my pregnancy. Baklava was one of the food items Liam would allow me to keep down and I also distinctly remember Liam kicking me each time I ate it. I took this as a sign that Liam both loved baklava and that he would demonstrate strength in ways I could not foresee. I write to you to share with you my baklava recipe that was passed down from Liam’s grandmother (Constantine’s mother) and altered to better fit my tastes.

May this recipe help us to bond in our own way, my daughter. May you love each other fiercely and bring each other happiness. Above all else, may you be a shining example of Cordonian royalty.

With Love,

Queen Nari

Tears in her eyes, Savi’s hands shake as she attempts to carefully place the letter down on her desk with her left hand while reaching into the envelope for the recipe with her right hand.

“Your majesty, are you alright?” Bastien inquires, stress lines creased into his forehead.

“I am perfect, Bastien,” Savi extends him a gentle smile before continuing. “So much so that I have the perfect surprise when Liam returns from Italy.” Turning over her wrist, Savi peers at her watch and realizes she has just enough time before Liam returns.

Moving as fast as she could for a woman in her condition, Savi runs out of her office and into the royal palace suite.

****

“Savi, Love, I'm home!” Liam calls out from the door having returned from Italy for a renegotiation of Italian/Cordonian tax incentives. Before he takes another step, a familiar scent hits his nose, leaving waves of nostalgia and a sudden yearning for his mother.

“Liam, honey, I'm in the kitchen. Set your bags down and come and join me.”

Liam walks to the kitchen in anticipation of what he may see given the smells that assaulted his nose when he entered their home. Upon seeing Savi, the anticipation melted away and was replaced with love and longing. Liam missed his chocolate drop while he was away.

“Please have a seat, my king, and close your eyes. I have something special for you.”

Liam sits at the table with his eyes closed and Savi kisses Liam on the cheek before walking to the stove to pull out the baklava she was keeping warm in the oven.

“Are your eyes still closed?” Savi questions Liam with her back turned to him.

“Yes they are my queen, but I smell something familiar, and it smells delicious!”

“How do you know it's not me?” Savi smirks awaiting Liam’s response.

Liam lets out a laugh that emanates from the depths of his stomach as Savi cuts and plates several pieces of baklava, returning to the table to sit next to Liam. Savi quietly places Nari’s letter faceup in his direction and the plate of baklava between the two of them.

“Liam, open your mouth and take a bite.” Liam obeys Savi’s command. Upon biting into his surprise, Liam opens his eyes as a wave of emotions washes over him.

“How did you?! This tastes just like my mother's!”

Liam stumbles over his words as tears begin to well in his eyes. He looks down and sees the letter from his mother Savi has placed in front of him. Seeing Liam taking in his mother’s final words, Savi watches his tears, now free falling, as she grabs his hand and intertwines her fingers with his.

Having finished the letter, Liam looks up into Savi’s red eyes that match his own.

“I stumbled upon that letter today, shortly before you were due home while I was working in my office. The way that you speak about your mother and your mannerisms I have observed over the years helped me to understand how much of your personality you adopted from her even though she died when you were very young. As she mentioned in the letter she wanted me making the baklava to be a bonding experience between me and her, but what I don't think she prepared for was for it to also become a bonding experience between me and you. You are the love of my life, Liam, and I would do anything to see you happy. I hope me making this baklava is one of many ways that I will continue to show you the fierce love I have for you and the happiness that both your mother and I would like for us to maintain in our marriage.”

“Savi, you have already given me more than I could have ever dreamed to have. You know what we have been through and who knows what still awaits us. Thank you for doing this for me and for sharing this moment with both me and my mother.”

“You know that I'm not one to shy away from emotions but may I please have some of that baklava now? I made it for you but have yet to sample my creation!”

“Absolutely,” Liam chuckles, running his hands over his eyes. “Just like you fed me, it is my turn to feed you.” Liam takes a piece of the baklava from the plate and places it into Savi’s mouth.

“Mmmmm...this IS good!” After a couple of bites, Savi feels movement in her stomach.

“Liam! Baby Rhys just kicked!”

[talesfromthefade]

"Don’t you dare come near me!" for the dwc. Me, I'm always in for Solavellan, but please pick your favourite pairing to write for :) And welcome!!!

I don’t think I could pick a favorite pairing if I tried, I love exploring all manner of dynamics between the fantastic characters DA has given us, but this idea has been knocking around in my head for awhile now, so I figured I’d finally try to put some of it down in words. Hope you enjoy.

Fenris & Anders (Wings AU) for @dadrunkwriting

“Your coat,” Fenris blurts out suddenly after several minutes of silence pass between them while the pair makes their way back up the hill towards their respective beds after a night with Hawke and the rest of their band at the Hanged Man. “Where did you come by it?” Anders, surprised by the sudden address startles a little, coughing and shaking his head, before clearing his throat.

“I don’t recall exactly.”

“It doesn’t seem particularly practical,” the elf continues, as the mage wonders just who or what exactly has suddenly made Fenris the guardian of good taste or fashion. “What function could all those feathers possibly serve,” the warrior mumbled. “It must have been a tedium to produce.”

“Yes,” Anders agrees distractedly. “I’m sure you’re right.” Fenris stumbles, stopping to stare for a moment at the blonde supporting him, not yet nearly drunk enough to miss the fact the mage has just agreed with him, even if it is something as simple as the coat he wears. Something is wrong, and the elf is suddenly seized by a need to be certain, his left hand flying up from where it was resting on the other’s hip to run over his shoulder blades before the mage can stop him and feeling the truth of it as his companion spins away from him and takes on a defensive stance, reaching on instinct for his staff.

“It’s true,” the elf whispers breathlessly in shock. “I thought it must have been some kind of hallucination, a fever dream, but it’s true,” he continues eyes blown wide in awe, shaking his head. “I felt them. Saw them that night when you healed me. But then I forgot… You,” Fenris growls suddenly, pointing an accusatory clawed finger from beneath his gauntlets at the mage where he still stands, staff in hand, back to the nearest wall to protect his secret, his wings, Fenris thinks. “You did something. You made me forget.”

….

It was an accident, and in retrospect, Anders spends many nights thereafter going over it all again and again in his mind until he is certain he has memorized every possible detail. He’d been careless. Let down his guard in a way he has not done in years, perhaps ever. He let himself become just a little too comfortable, too complacent being counted among the Champion of Kirkwall’s friends. Oh, he is aware of the plight of mages well enough, it’s not something he has ever been able to entirely turn a blind eye to before and certainly not now he’s invited Justice to share his body. But somehow, some small, traitorous part of him was beginning to think that maybe, just possibly he was- if not safe, then at least not required to look over his shoulder quite so often as he once was. And in that brief moment, he’d risked and potentially lost everything he’s fought so hard to protect. He should have seen this coming. He was never as good at remaining free as he was breaking his chains. All those careful escape attempts from the Circle… And that it would be the warrior elf of their company, Fenris, who hates him and everything that he is and in his bitter mind represents as one who possesses magic…

Anders flirts and charms well enough, one has to be charming in order to sway or obtain the good opinion of others when you are on the run from the Circle, the Templars, the Grey Wardens, Maker’s breath but he does seem to leave a trail in his wake, doesn’t he? But he has always been equally skilled keeping others at arm’s length, going out of his way to avoid sentiment and attachment as much as possible, and always avoiding any kind of touch. Such things were simply too dangerous to be had, no matter how much the mage may crave- and in Karl’s absence- miss them.

But Fenris is injured, quite badly though the elf is doing his utmost to pretend otherwise.

By the end of their excursion and subsequent fighting that afternoon, they all are weary, battered and bruised, but Fenris is easily the worst. Anders having fought most of his opponents from a distance, and provided wards and healing for their party is low on Mana, but otherwise in the best shape to carry and care for the injured warrior. A lyrium potion or two will sort the healer easily enough. He pauses to readjust his grip on the other to help relieve some of the weight on the elf’s injured side when he feels it. Fenris’ fingers grasping at his shoulder for support feel the truth of Anders carefully maintained glamours, the elf’s eyes widening in surprise and confusion as what appeared to be the feathered collar and pauldrons of his cloak give way to something that feels and shifts in a way that is distinctly warmer, more like flesh and bone beneath the feathers rather than cloth.

Anders doesn’t know who or what he has to thank for the fact the injured man doesn’t immediately start peppering him with questions or demand to know what’s going on while the rest of the group is still within earshot. It’s not as if they have ever been anything close to resembling fond of each other, so he doubts it’s anything resembling loyalty or friendship, but he’s grateful for whatever it is that’s intervened on his behalf all the same. They make their way back to Danarius’ mansion where the elf has been squatting since they’ve still got the cover of night on their side and it is far closer than the mage’s clinic in Darktown. There’s a moment, a fraction of a second, Anders thinks as he lays the now weaker body of the elf on a table, sweat shining on Fenris’ brow while he fights the poison speeding through his veins, he could simply leave him, could tell the others he did his best, but was too late, and reclaim his secret for himself. It would be easier… But Fenris’ wide pupils meet his, as he coughs a breathy offer of ‘thanks,’ and Anders shoves the thought away. He can’t.

Fenris watches through heavy eyelids as Anders’ hands flare with magic, sweeping a few inches above his clothes and armor over the expanse of his wound. He doesn’t see, but already knows and feels the way his markings, the Lyrium branded into him will glow a little reacting to the other’s spells. It doesn’t hurt, not that he would probably notice with his body already fighting the toxins coursing through his blood, more of a strange kind of tingling sensation of electricity just beneath the skin. Anders continues a few sort of gestures, before taking a step back with an exhausted, somewhat pained expression on his face, drawing in a deep steadying breath from the effort. Fenris wonders for a moment if perhaps part of the healing process means that the mage absorbs something of the pain he is relieving. He’s never bothered to ask or think about it before, he realizes before suddenly remembering his earlier discovery.

Anders has helped him to remove what remained of his plates, leaving him in the simple undershirt and leggings beneath. Another time perhaps, if he weren’t so tired, Fenris would resent this, being so exposed, vulnerable and around the sort that he trusts the least, but the mage has just healed him, and Fenris has a greater preoccupation at the moment. Long, thin fingers stretch from the bed Anders helped him to when he finished with his spells while the healer is busy on the edge of the bed, lost in thought. The feathers feel… warm, shift a little under his touch, before Anders’ whole body tenses, head whipping around angrily as he pulls away from him.

“You have wings,” the elf whispers in awe, the glamour surrounding the mage shimmering before falling away, there being little point in maintaining the illusion any longer. “Why do you hide them? …You could be a God,” Fenris continues distrustfully, even as he fights his body’s exhaustion and struggles to stay awake, thinking of what the mages in Tevinter would do to have such a thing at their disposal.

“Or a freak,” Anders snaps back icily, before softening a little and shaking his head at him. “Get some rest,” he instructs pushing him back down onto the bed with a hand on the elf’s shoulder.

“Don’t tell me what to-” but Fenris doesn’t manage to finish the thought before he finds himself complying with the order.

Anders is gone when he wakes again. The elf supposes the mage is an experienced enough healer to have been able to tell when he was out of any kind of danger and no longer in need of his attention before he took his leave of him, besides it is hardly as though he is unaccustomed to being alone. Still, he feels a brief, inexplicable spike of anger the mage has abandoned his patient. Fenris supposes with the life he has led he is used to, even expects others to judge him to be of lesser value, but that doesn’t mean he has to like it, or take it lying down anymore. Did he even say anything before leaving, or did he simply steal away at the earliest opportunity once sleep overtook him? Fenris does his best to recall, but the evening’s events after they parted Hawke’s company are lost in a kind of fog. The effects of the poison, perhaps, he thinks.

…

“Fenris, don’t-” Anders says softly, shaking his head, worried amber eyes watching the elf carefully, hands raised in a gesture of surrender.

“Yes, do tell me what to do. Give me an order Mage, see how well it works out for you,” Fenris snarls savagely, looking every bit the wolf that gave him his name.

“Fenris, please. I didn’t-” the healer pleas softly, expression softening, apologetic in a way that only serves to make the elf somehow angrier still.

“Save it,” Fenris snaps, cutting him off. “You altered my memories somehow. Made me forget what I saw, what I knew. Do you deny it?” Anders mouth opens to speak, pausing a moment too long. “Yes or no,” the elf spits.

“Yes,” Anders admits softly, dropping his head to stare at his boots. “But-”

“You dare to lecture me on my prejudice against mages? You are just as guilty as the rest of them. Using and abusing your powers, manipulating those who have none or any knowledge of yours,” Fenris accuses, the words burning and shaming the other man where he stands before him. “You are no better than Danarius,” the elf hisses, fists clenching and unclenching, only sheer force of will, the determination that Anders isn’t worth it, preventing him from lighting up his markings and coming after him. “Keep away from me mage.” Fenris thinks perhaps he hears a soft, half-hearted attempt from Anders to call after him as he pushes angrily past, storming back to his mansion, but he doesn’t stop or look back.