#*WIPES MY BROW* this may be a consequence of trying so hard to get myself into Porky’s mindset to study this but this one took it out of me

[ducktracy]

!!!NEW REVIEW!!!

the first Looney Tune of the 1941-1942 season is one of the LT shorts i personally have the most opinions and theories and feelings on out of the entire run—a very promising start to a very promising season!

perhaps best known for its own remake, 1948’s Back Alley Oproar starring Sylvester and Elmer Fudd, Notes to You is a hidden gem of musical timing, behavioral comedy, empathetic portrayal of characters, immersive storytelling, dubious directing to keep the audience guessing, and perhaps the bearer of the darkest ending to any Looney Tune. all high praise for such a seemingly innocuous short about Porky’s plans to get a good’s night sleep being repeatedly violated by a cat with an insatiable itch for music—and heckling.

[zukkoxx]

mha boys doing the hickey prank on you

(w/ bakugo, kiri, shinsou)

bakugo 💥

you and bakugo’s relationship started with bickering and annoying each other till you drive the other crazy.

and that didn’t stop when you started dating.

now, it’s more of pulling silly little pranks on each other.

and each time you would try to one up the other.

well, the last prank you pulled in bakugo had him fuming, he was mad for a week.

so obviously he had to get you back even worse.

he got mina to help him, figuring she’d be best at making the makeup look like the actual thing.

she berated him the whole time, telling him if he broke her best friend’s heart she’d shoot acid in his eyes.

he brushed off her comment. you deserved this.

it was a little late in the evening after you get to bakugo’s dorm, finished with all the tasks you had to do today.

“hey kats.” you greet, placing your things on his desk and joining him on the bed where he was sitting on his phone.

he looked up at you, almost feeling bad when you gave him a genuine smile before snuggling up next to him. “whats up?” you say when he doesn’t respond.

“nothing. how was your day?” he quickly asked.

the two of you talked for a while about random stuff, and at some point you went up to kiss his cheek, laughing at a comment he made.

but you freeze when you see a dark, purplish mark on the side of his neck, in plain sight.

you furrowed your brows, wondering how you hadn’t noticed to before.

“katsuki...what’s this?” you ask, making him turn from his phone and look at you.

“what’re ya talkin about dumbass?”

“don’t call me a dumbass, what the hell is this on your neck?” you speak louder, pressing a finger under the mark.

“it’s nothing, probably a bruise from a mission-”

“bakugo.”

the blond widens his eyes at your deep tone and the way you said his name. he never really heard you speak like this unless it was towards a villain. but even then, you never sounded this serious.

“you and i both know that’s not a fucking bruise.”

he stares at you silently, not knowing if he should end the prank or not.

he decides to push on.

“i don’t know what you want me to say.” he shrugs, looking away from you. he couldn’t stand seeing the hurt in your eyes.

you scoff, trying to get rid of the pressure building in you throat. “you really are just a big asshole, aren’t you?”

he stayed quiet. “if you wanted to break up with, you could’ve just told me.” you try so hard to keep your tears at bay, not letting them cross your waterline.

but it feels like a dagger had been stabbed through your heart.

“and to think, i thought you could have actually loved me.” you chuckle darkly before trying to get off the bed.

upon hearing your words, bakugo quickly grabbed your hand, pulling you against him.

“i do love you-”

“let me go you asshole!” you push his chest, tears finally escaping. “we’re done! that’s what you wanted right?”

“y/n it’s not real! calm down.”

he holds your waist so you were sitting on his lap, keeping you still. you look at him, trying to figure out what he was talking about. “what the hell do you mean it’s not real?”

he stared at you for a second, almost scared that if he looked away, you’d be gone. but he eventually reaches to the table beside his bed and grabs a makeup wipe mina lended him. he quickly wiped the mark, staring at you intensely.

“see?” he turns his head, and you find the purple mark gone, only a slight red pigment left from where he wiped so harshly. “fake.” he holds up the wipe so you see the purple stains covering it.

“it was a prank.”

you felt like you could finally breath again, but your relief quickly turned into anger, and you punched bakugo’s chest out of instinct. he didn’t react.

“i hate you. why would you do this?”

“you pranked me last week!” bakugo states, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“i put pink dye in your shampoo katsuki. this was overboard.” you mutter, wiping your cheeks to get rid of sparse tears.

bakugo frowned, feeling even more bad about the whole thing. he had to admit, he took it too far. “you’re right. i’m sorry.” you didn’t respond, but accepted his apology.

“hey.” bakugo lifted your chin to look at him. “you know i love you, right? more than fucking anything.” you nod. “don’t ever doubt my love for you, or i may have to blow myself up for making you feel that way.”

you laugh slightly, bending down so you could hug when, pushing your face into his neck.

“you know i’m getting you back for this.”

kirishima🪨

kirishima often does things without thinking ahead.

not fully comprehending the consequences of his actions.

this was one of those moments.

it was april fools day! great right?

except kiri and the boys made a bet, wondering who could pull the best prank on someone in their class.

kiri took a while thinking about who he should prank. and eventually, a perfect prank to pull on his precious s/o came to mind.

a hickey prank. haha....ha. -_-

he had seen tons of videos where someone made a fake hickey and pranked their s/o with it. he always laughed his ass off at them.

this would be the perfect opportunity!

so he sprinted to ochaco’s back room, hers being the closest, and asked for some makeup he would return quickly.

he went to his room, doing his best at imitating the red, purplish bruise you’d often give each other.

when he thought he did the best he could, he leaves his room, trying to find you so he could get the prank over with.

he sees you in the kitchen, eating a bowl of fruit, chatting with jiro.

he makes his way over slowly, nervousness creeping up his spine with the amount of people in the common area at the moment.

he didn’t want to embarrass you, but he didn’t want to give any of the boys 50 dollars either.

he stood behind you, awkwardly waiting for you to finish talking to jiro.

jiro looks past you, motioning for you to check. you turn, eyes brightening as they land upon your boyfriend.

“hey kiri, what some fruit?” you push the bowl towards him, and he shakes his head with a dopey smile. “no thanks babe. just checking on you.”

you melt at his kind words, about to respond when jiro speaks up beside to. “i think you should be checking on yourself kiri. jeez y/n, are you human or a leech?” she covers her moth to stifle a laugh, pointing to a very specific spot on kiri’s neck.

you halfheartedly laugh, confused, and glanced at the area yourself.

you breath stops when you notice a big purple mark covering the side of his neck.

you didn’t do that to him...

kirishima stands uncomfortably still, not real really knowing what to do this far into the prank.

“kirishima? wha...” you can’t even speak, just utterly astonished at what you’re seeing.

you stare at him and shake your hands, waiting for him to explain himself.

“are you going to say something!?” you ask, the hurt in your voice making his heart break.

he didn’t like this. not at all. why did he do this?

“...fuck you kiri.” you spit, ignoring the fact that you still used his nickname while you were mad at him.

you walked away in a hurry, leaving jiro glaring at kirishima.

“what did you do?” she asked.

“i-it was a joke! a prank! i...it’s april fools!”

“well go tell them that!” jiro says, pushing kiri to go follow you.

kirishima runs after you, getting to you as soon as you enter the elevator to go to your dorm. he sprints inside, crashing into you in the process.

he looks at you with wide eyes when he sees tears running down your face. “why are you here?” you quickly yell.

“y/n it’s a prank! it’s april fools day, please baby! i’m sorry!” he goes to hug you. you don’t return it but you don’t push him away either.

“what the heck eijiro! that wasn’t funny!” you yell in distress. you were happy it wasn’t real, but the feeling from being absolutely heart broken to feeling better in the span of seconds was overwhelming.

“i know. i know it was stupid of me to even attempt this. i made a stupid bet with the others. i am so sorry. you know i’d never do this to you. please, forgive me.” he begs, holding onto you for dear life.

“i’m really upset with you right now, eijiro.”

“you should be. i don’t blame you y/n. but please, don’t leave me.”

you sighed, finally going to hug him back. “i’m not going to leave you kiri. i was scared you were leaving me!”

“i’d never! never in a million years!”

“i know, just don’t do that again. you really scared me.”

he nods against you. “never again.”

shinsou 🌀

shinsou was never good at expressing his emotions.

he was very reserved and even though you were his s/o, you often had trouble figuring out what was going on inside that complicated head of his

so when you laughed at izuku’s jokes, or praised shoto’s quirk

of course he wouldn’t tell you how jealous it made him feel. how it made all his insecurities rise up.

you didn’t mean to make him feel this way, god no. you had known the two boys longer than him and were used to having the comfortable playful conversations with izuku and serious quirk related talks with shoto.

but shinsou didn’t like all the attention you gave them.

and he couldn’t find a way to let you know how he felt that didn’t involve telling you. which he wasn’t going to do.

so he ended up doing the next best thing that came to mind.

make you feel what he was feeling.

he gets some makeup from someone he had already forgotten the name of and went to his dorm, doing his best to make the fake hickey at least a little believable.

he didn’t want the prank to be too serious, just to hit you with a quick realization that you had been making him feel this way.

so he waits for you to meet him in his dorm like you always do, and even leaves the makeup out in the open to see if you’d catch on yourself.

“hellooo my love.” you say cheerfully, and shinso smiled at your happy mood.

“hi y/n. had a good day?” he asked, sitting on the edge of his bed as you approached him, standing between his legs.

“mhm. but i missed you.” you muttered, pushing his face against your stomach as you hugged his head.

hitoshi frowned at your words. maybe this wasn’t a good idea. maybe he’s been overthinking and this stupid prank will just make things worse.

“so, what did you do today-”

you pull back from hitoshi and catch a glimpse of a bruise on his neck. you grip his chin, turning it to the side with slight force and narrow your eyes.

“what happened here?” you asked curiously

“nothing babe.” your boyfriend shrugs

“hitoshi is this a fucking hickey?�� you asked after getting a better look, hoping to whatever god there was that his answer would be no.

“what does it look like?”

“don’t talk to me like that, you prick.” you seeth, and push his head away until he falls on his back on the bed.

“we’re over! i hate you.” you say the last part quietly, still not wanting to believe what you saw was real.

“wait y/n, it’s fake!” hitoshi yells before you could leave his dorm.

“how is it fake hitoshi? what, you had no real feelings for the bitch that sucked on your neck? do you think i’m stupid or something?”

“the hickey is fake y/n. i made it.”

you stared at him with deceiving eyes, crossing your arms and tapping your foot. “is this some type of mind joke hitoshi? i told you don’t use that shit on me.”

“please babe, c’mere. wipe it off.”

you slowly made you way back to him, gripping his chin to turn his head again and swiped at the mark. it smeared a little, but didn’t come off. you licked your thumb before rubbing it into the mark, finally making it disappear.

you pushed him back slightly, eyes still angry. “what was that all about? why’d you do that?” you ask.

“just thought it’d be funny.” he lies, looking away from you. you knew he was lying. he always looked directly at you when talking about something. especially something serious.

“do not make me even angrier than i already am shinso. fess up.”

hitoshi groaned, putting his hands over his face before looking at you with tired eyes. “fine, i got jealous of you hanging out and being friendly with midoriya and todoroki. i just wanted to get you back in a way.”

“so you pretend to cheat on me?”

“i’m sorry. it was really immature of me and i should’ve just talked to you. the makeup is right over there if you still need proof.” he points to his desk and glance at it, seeing the makeup sprawled on top.

you sighed, not wanting to forgive him so easily. but you couldn’t help it with the way he rubbed the back of your legs soothingly and looked at you with love filled eyes.

“ugh, you’re lucky i love you.” you state, trying to stop the smile growing on your face as you see him smirk softly.

“and i love you. more than anything. thank you for forgiving me.”

“and...i’ll try not to make you jealous. i really didn’t mean to.” you say, remembering the reason for the whole situation.

hitoshi shook his head. “you can hang out and be friends with whoever you want. i know you wouldn’t leave me or be unfaithful. and i’d never be unfaithful to you. i’m so thankful for you.”

.....

“stop getting all mushy on me.”

i always see hcs where the boys get pranked, i thought it’d be cool to do the reverse. i can still do y/n pranking the boys if you guys would like that! hope you enjoyed this! leave a request here! -> 🥀

[samanthadalton]

The Bodyguard (AU) PART 1

pairings: Poppy x Bea

Wanted to write a fic based on this post, thank you @alexlabhont for showing us that tik tok. Going to be a series so i don’t know how many parts. Also this is a slow burn and I’ll add more context as the story progresses so it makes sense (i may steal some names of counties from PB 😅👀)

warnings: mentions of blood, violence and death in this chapter

taglist: @cloud9in @somewillwin @alleycat97 @baexpoppy @save-me-the-last-dance @helpconfusedpersonhere @dopeyouth @alexlabhont @thedaft1 @veenast @cloakanddaggerthings (added people from my usual poppy taglist if you wanna be added or taken off just let me know ☺️☺️)

word count: 5.1k (wasn’t expecting it to be this long)

also i was using my phone to copy and paste from google docs so i apologise if the layout of the fic is weird, it kept cutting off sentences and paragraphs so hopefully they’re actually here and the story makes sense 😅😅

2 weeks earlier

Poppy stands, paralysed with fear, as she watches her assailant point the gun at her. The tears threaten to free fall as her eyes move towards her father’s dying body, blood sprouting from his mouth. He clutches at his chest, his hands and chest painted red as his breaths come out short and harrowing. Poppy balls her hands up into fists, her lip slightly trembling as she watches the aggressor yell, her mind too overwhelmed to articulate the words coming out of his mouth. She watches the evil glint in his eyes as he watches the life drain of her father’s body; how his lips twist into a viscous scowl as he screams at her, the gun in his hand wildly flying around. A deafening gunshot pulls Poppy out of her reverie, her hands moving to grab her body, looking for the wound, but when she hears the assailant’s body hit the floor, seeing the blood oozing out of his mouth, she turns back to see the royal guards pouring into the room. A sigh of relief comes out of her, before realisation hits her and she slides her body over to her father, her hands uselessly hovering over him and the dam of tears break through.

Present

Poppy gasps heavily, her sleep immediately breaking as her body jerks upwards. She brings her hand up to wipe the slick cold sweat that breaks out on her forehead, steadying her excessive pants. Another night where her sleep is broken by the same nightmare, she shudders at the thought of the man who killed her father invading her thoughts, recollecting the way he broke into a malicious grin as she lamented for her father’s life. She lets out a shaky breath as her hands subconsciously grip the blanket, her brain going haywire as she squeezes her eyes shut.

“It’s just a dream,” she whispers to herself, “it’s just a dream.”

Unsure of how much time has passed, she sharply inhales, opening one of her eyes to glance at the window, the sunlight barely peeking through the curtains as she groans throwing her head back onto her pillow, a groan escaping her lips. Just as she feels the sleep about to consume her, her bedroom door flies open, immediately alerting her.

“Why are you still in bed?” Her mother raises an eyebrow, her tone stern, yet lacking any emotion.

Poppy sighs rubbing at the temples of her forehead, agitated “I was hoping to have a few more minutes to myself.”

Her mother dismissively waves her hand at her, “get up. We have business to deal with.” She turns and walks out of the room, leaving Poppy on her own.

After a while Poppy makes her way to the Great Hall, her lady in waiting greets her with a warm smile, “good morning your Royal Highness,” she slightly tilts her head as she bows, her brows slightly creased with worry as she gazes at the eyebags under Poppy’s eyes.

“Goodmorning Taylor,” Poppy scans the room, “where is my mother?”

“Her Majesty requested that you have breakfast in the garden today.”

Poppy hums, “she hasn’t been in the garden since father passed.” Taylor gives Poppy a sorrowful smile, struggling to respond to Poppy’s blunt admission. Poppy waves her hand, “I’ll meet her now.” She walks through the palace until she reaches the garden, she closes her eyes, feeling at peace for a few fleeting moments until it’s broken by her mother’s voice, calling out to her.

“Poppy quit dilly dallying, take a seat we have much to discuss.”

Poppy obediently follows her mother’s orders, carefully sliding into her seat, keeping her posture upright as one of the servants pours her out some tea while she glances expectedly at her mother, “so why all the urgency today?”

“There’s going to be some changes at the castle.”

Poppy raises an eyebrow, “oh? Do tell.”

“There will be an increase in security, we won’t have a breach like last time.” As Poppy gazes at her mother, she sees her face fall for a few moments, grief swimming in her eyes before she quickly masks it, her usual stoic demeanour taking over, making Poppy question whether she actually saw her mother show some emotion. “The Royal Guard are putting in some more extreme measures to ensure our safety here. Speaking of which, I have someone I would like to introduce you to.” She lifts her hands, beckoning someone and when the figure comes into appearance, Poppy can’t help but stare a little.

The woman is young, she looks slightly rough around the edges, but still quite beautiful. Poppy’s gaze darts down to her arms, they’re heavily toned, meaning she’s very strong. She assesses her uniform, her suit looking more polished than her usual guards, and when their eyes meet, her gaze pierces into Poppy’s, momentarily taking her breath away at the sheer intensity.

“This is your new bodyguard.”

Poppy’s face twists into a scowl, “a bodyguard? What am I twelve?” Her eyes dart back to the woman’s, anger boiling inside of her, “and she’s a woman.”

“With all due respect Miss Min Sinclair,” the woman speaks up, her voice smooth as velvet and her tone welcoming, a stark contrast to Poppy’s hostile demeanor. “I’ve had a lot of training. I graduated top of my class and I’m more than qualified to look after you.”

“Look after me? What are you, my babysitter?”

“Poppy!” Her mother calls out, admonishingly, “I apologise for my daughter’s enmity, she’s yet to learn the poise of a princess.”

The woman bows her head, “no need to apologize your Majesty. I understand the situation is overwhelming.”

Her Majesty speaks out, “as for Miss Hughes being a woman,” Poppy feels her heart beating in her chest a little faster, Hughes, it rolls off the tongue easily, “she will be able to guard you at all times, even in situations where you may be compromised. I think it’s only fitting that your bodyguard can keep a close eye on you.”

Poppy opens her mouth to retort but the bodyguard beats her to the punch, “Your Highness if I may?” Poppy gives her a small nod indicating her to continue, “I’m not here to intrude on your life, I’m here to ensure your safety. These people are ruthless, I know you’ve seen first hand what they are capable of. I’m here to make sure you don’t share the same fate as your father.” As she speaks, her voice is steady, strong, lacking in compassion but filled with promise. Poppy watches her with a careful gaze, unsure of what to make of her new companion.

“I don’t have a choice, consequences of being the royal heir I guess.”

Poppy stands and turns her back to walk into the palace but her mother calls out to her, “darling do me a favor and show Miss Hughes her chambers.”

“Am I her maid now?” Poppy retorts through gritted teeth.

“Seeing as she’ll be taking up accommodation in the room adjacent to yours, it's only fitting you show her where to stay. I’m sure she needs to do some preliminary security sweeps.” Her Majesty gives Poppy an authoritarian glare and Poppy sighs before walking off, her bodyguard trailing after her.

Poppy leads her bodyguard into her room, gesturing to the room, “well this is your room, but that’s already obvious. I’ll have one of the maids make up your bed for you.” She turns to the woman, assessing her, “so, do you have a name or do I call you Hughes?”

“Bea. But if you feel comfortable calling me Hughes, I won’t stop you.”

“I’ll feel more comfortable if my mother stopped treating me like a child and keeping me at bay from the rest of the world.”

“Well that’s why I’m here. So you can resume your usual activities but having someone watch over you while you do.” Bea walks out of the room, and goes into Poppy’s room, her eyes darting all over the room, as she begins sweeping the room.

“Excuse you? What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Poppy says, her voice filled with agitation.

“A security sweep. I have to make sure your room isn’t compromised.” Bea continues looking through her room, as she begins opening and closing drawers, her slender fingers feeling around the outside and inside making sure there is nothing suspicious.

“Well unless you’re secretly a pervert, there’s nothing there except my underwear.” Poppy rushes to close the drawer, a blush creeping up on her cheeks. Bea’s eyebrows shoot up but she steps away, her expression blank as she does. “Well. My friends are coming over, try not to get in the way.”

Poppy begins lumbering toward one of her living rooms, and squeals as two girls begin running up to her. Bea protectively stands in front of Poppy, signalling to the girls to stop. Poppy rolls her eyes, pushing Bea slightly to the side, “at ease soldier, they’re not going to kill me.”

“Can’t be too careful.”

Poppy responds with a scowl before turning to her friends, her scowl immediately diminishing. “Ladies, it’s been a while.”

A girl with ombre coloured hair wraps Poppy into a right hug, a solemn expression on her face, “I’m so sorry Poppy, I can’t imagine how hard it’s been for you.”

Poppy’s lip quivers for a few seconds before she bites down on it, slightly sniffling, “thanks Veronica.” Bea watches the interaction with careful eyes, observing the fall in Poppy’s expression as she pulls apart from the hug before being tackled into another one by a blonde girl. “Jesus Chloe, maybe my bodyguard should step in.” Bea steps forward, but Poppy smirks, “chill Hughes, I was kidding.”

“Right.” Bea’s expression remains serious as she watches the girls, but Poppy expectantly glares at her.

“Can we get some privacy?”

Bea nods, walking to the corner of the room, her eyes not leaving Poppy as she crosses her arms, standing guard. Veronica gazes at Bea, her eyes filled with admiration as her roams Bea. “She’s hot.”

Poppy scoffs, “don’t tell me your standards have dropped so low,” Poppy reprimands, taking a seat on one of the chairs.

“Not all of us are surrounded by gorgeous princes and aristocrats,” Veronica teases, “let me thirst in peace.”

“But she’s a bodyguard,” Chloe adds, a tinge of disgust in her tone.

“Classist much Chlo?” Veronica huffs, as her eyes return to gawking at Bea. Poppy sighs, but indulges in polite conversation until her obligations as a princess arise and she says goodbye to her friends before indulging in her chores.

Over the next few weeks, Poppy is still hostile towards Bea, still not fully comfortable with the idea of having a bodyguard. Tensions around the palace are at an all time high, as the number of guards have increased and are always at alert.

“Good morning your Highness.”

Poppy gasps, clutching at her chest, “jesus!” When she glances at Bea she swears she can see a hint of a smile of her face but it’s gone just as quick.

“Your mother is asking for you.”

“Of course she is. Well we shouldn’t let her Majesty wait.” Poppy climbs out of bed, her body still slightly sleep deprived as she stumbles towards the bathroom, Bea watches her with a frown before following her. “Excuse me? Haven’t you ever heard of privacy?”

“How long have you been struggling to sleep for?” Bea’s tone is monotone but her facial expression is worrisome.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Bea sighs, letting her usual icy demeanour drop slightly, “do you remember the old head of security, Marc?”

Poppy nods, “he was always so nice to me.”

“That was my father.” Poppy’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “Yeah.” Bea gives Poppy a half smile, “before I took this job, I kinda resented my father, I used to think, how does a man who talks a big deal about the importance of family barely be in our lives? What job was so important that he could barely be at home with us? But I understand it now. I know I haven’t been working at this post long, but I get it.” Bea’s eyes pierce intensely into Poppy’s, forcing the strawberry blonde to let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding. “My job is to protect you, Miss Min Sinclair, I won’t let anything get in the way of that.”

Poppy’s eyes search Bea’s looking for… something she can’t quite put her finger on, “that’s…. reassuring. Thank you Hughes. And you can call me Poppy, if you’re supposed to be always around me, we can drop the formalities.”

Bea gives Poppy a nod of appreciation, “of course, Poppy.” She gives her a small smile, “well I should let you shower.” Bea turns to leave but Poppy calls out to her.

“Hughes.” Bea stops in her tracks, turning to face her, “why did you take this job?”

Bea looks off into the distance, a pensive look on her face, “curiosity. I wanted to follow my father’s footsteps in terms of training but when your mother offered me the job, I felt compelled to say yes. Just to see how demanding it would be and now I see my father in a whole new light.” Poppy gives Bea a sad smile, “I can’t imagine what it feels like watching your father die in front of you, but give yourself time to grieve. Don’t be like your mom and lock away your feelings, because it will eat you up until it’s too late.” Bea pointedly glances away, training her gaze to the ground, “I’ll wait in the hallway, you should hurry, your mother was adamant about you meeting her as soon as possible.” Before Poppy can thank Bea, she’s already out of the bathroom. Once Poppy has finished getting ready, Bea greets her with a small nod, and Poppy can already feel the shift in their relationship, as she begins to feel more at ease with Bea being around her.

Once they enter the Great Hall, Poppy takes a seat at the table, and her mother greets her with a frown. “I thought that when I urged the significance of this meeting you would come faster.”

Before Poppy can reply, Bea intercepts, “that was my fault Your Majesty, I was going over the security guidelines for the dress store.”

Poppy’s mother turns to face Bea, a glimmer of humor in her eyes, “thank you Miss Hughes, and I told you call me Ana, you’re practically family.” Bea bows her head in gratification, as Ana gestures towards one of the chairs, “why don’t you take a seat and eat some breakfast and I won’t take no for an answer.”

Bea smiles and takes a seat opposite Poppy, before reaching out for some croissants, placing them on her plate before pouring herself some tea, not letting one of the house servants do it. “Thank you.. Ana.”

“Of course, also I’m giving you the day off for the gala next week.”

Bea furrows her brows in confusion, her eyes shooting to look at Poppy, “what about..” she clears her throat as her eyes meet Poppy’s, “security?”

Ana dismissively waves her hand, “I’ve hired the best security and I’ve personally gone over the plans with the Head of security, we’re safe. Bea hesitantly nods, as she pointedly glances away, looking down at her plate.

“Thank you.”

“As for you my dear,” Ana turns to Poppy, her expression emotionless, “this will be our first public appearance since,” she cuts herself off, “it’s imperative we make our guests feel at ease, so make sure you do your rounds and introduce yourself to all of our allies.”

“Yes mother,” Poppy says obediently. “May I be excused, I have an appointment at the dress store.”

“If you must, we will continue this conversation later. Also tell Miss Lombardi that the dress I received was beautiful.”

“Of course Your Majesty.”

Once Poppy reaches the dress store, Bea protectively goes in first and begins looking at the store, earning a confused glance from the owner. “Bodyguard.” Poppy retorts, earning a nod of understanding from the woman. Bea gives Poppy a nod of satisfaction earning an eye roll from the strawberry blonde who makes her way into the back of the store to greet her friends, Veronica and Chloe who look like they’ve been waiting a while based on how comfortably they’re sitting on the couch. Bea does a quick security sweep on the insides of the dressing rooms as the girls indulge in some small talk. Once she’s done, she gives Poppy a satisfied nod.

Veronica says as she pushes herself off the couch to stand, Chloe follows suit a few seconds later. “My mom left your dress in the dressing room.” Poppy smiles and makes her way inside while Bea stands in the corner of the room, patiently waiting as Poppy tries on her dress. The woman from earlier enters, holding some measuring tape and a box of needles, pins and thread in one hand while a few dresses are draped across the other, just as Poppy exits the room, wearing her dress. Bea casts a glance, unable to tear her eyes away from the strawberry blonde.

“Your Highness.” The woman says as she bows, earning a small but unnoticeable eye roll from Veronica. “If you just stand up on this, I can make the final adjustments. Veronica sweetie, take these dresses and you girls try it on while I do the final measurements for Miss Min Sinclair. Veronica grabs the dresses beckoning Chloe to follow her into the dressing room, Poppy stands on the platform, staring at herself in the mirror but she catches Bea’s eyes on her through the mirror, tilting her head with curiosity glistening in her eyes.

“Hughes, what do you think?”

Bea breaks her stoic demeanour as she gives Poppy a panicked look, breaking eye contact, “I don’t think it would be appropriate.”

Poppy sighs, “no need to be such a prude, I’m only asking for your opinion.”

Bea clears her throat, “you look..beautiful.”

Poppy breaks out into a wide grin, her eyes roaming herself, “hmm I do. You did an amazing job Ms Lombardi.”

“Thank you so much Your Highness.” Veronica’s mother replies, a smile on her face.

Veronica’s voice rings out, “I need some help zipping up.”

Veronica’s mother turns back to look at Bea, “if you won’t mind dear, I have my hands full.” She makes a show of displaying the needles and pins in her hands and Bea gives a polite nod before making her way to the dressing room.

“Someone needs help with a zip?”

“Yes.” Veronica opens the door of her dressing room, a small smile on her lips, “hi.” She turns, presenting her back as Bea steps forward to zip her up, placing her hand on the small of Veronica’s back as she begins pulling up the zip. “Poppy told me you’re not working the gala.”

“Yes I’ve gotten the day off,” Bea responds, her tone flat.

“Well do you have any plans for the day?”

“Considering I just found out I have the day off I haven’t made any sudden plans.” Bea steps back, finished with pulling up the zip and Veronica runs her hands down the sides of her dress before turning to face Bea.

“Thank you.” Bea gives Veronica a polite smile, “Be my date to the gala.”

Bea lets out a small laugh, “well aren’t you blunt?” She responds, a hint of a smile of her face.

“Well I didn’t grow up with everything being handed to me, so bluntness is kinda my thing. So will you?” She stares at Bea expectedly.

Bea sighs, slightly scrunching her lips, “I don’t think that would be appropriate. You’re one of Poppy’s closest friends and it wouldn’t be professional of me.”

Veronica raises an eyebrow, unimpressed, “so? Screw unprofessionalism. People like you and me are like at the bottom of the food chain. I love Poppy but at the end of the day, she’s still royalty and will always look down on people like me or my mom. So if you wanna enjoy a party, do it! Don’t let them dictate you like that.”

“Are you done?” Bea replies with a smile. All the while, Poppy steps into the dressing room but steps out of view, watching the interaction, only seeing Bea from the angle she’s standing at, but she feels a small pang in her chest as she watches Bea smile at Veronica, wondering why she’s never seen Bea smile like that at her. “If I say yes will you stop ranting?”

“Maybe,” Veronica retorts, suppressing a smile by pressing her lips together in a thin line.

Bea nods, “okay, I’ll be your date.” Veronica cheers, pulling Bea into a small hug before planting a kiss on her cheek. Bea slightly blushes before pulling away, her icy demeanour returning, “I should get back.”

“Oh of course. To be continued?”

“Yes.” Bea places a chaste kiss on Veronica’s cheek before walking out of the dressing room. Poppy panics as she sees Bea about to turn in her direction and runs back out to the room, pretending as if nothing has happened.

The rest of the day goes by and it’s as if the heart to heart between Poppy and Bea in the morning hasn’t happened as Poppy’s hostile personality returns and she begins pushing Bea away again, infuriating the bodyguard as the strawberry blonde makes her job harder.

….

The day of the gala arrives and Poppy is like a spawn of satan, rushing the servants around, screaming her head off as she barks orders at them. “Your queen has insisted that tonight goes perfectly, do not disappoint otherwise it will be all of our heads on a spike.” She glances around, fixing the decor, or making someone else fix it for her, before getting ready, slipping into her dress. She places a crown on her head, the jewels sparkling under the chandelier lights, as Poppy smooths down her dress, appraising herself in the mirror.

“Guess who?” A pair of hands cover her eyes, as the voice speaks low and playfully into her ear.

Poppy squeals, pulling the hands away from her eyes before turning, “Bradley! You came.” She greets him with a long kiss, before pulling away, wiping her forefinger across his lips, “sorry gif some lipstick on you.”

“That’s okay,” he laughs, as he pulls on the hem of his suit jacket, straightening it. “Shall we?” He holds out his arm as Poppy wraps hers around it, smiling up at him, “you look gorgeous by the way.”

“Thank you, you look dashing.” The couple make their way to the ballroom where the party is already in full swing, “we just need to make some quick introductions.” Poppy gazes around the room, noticing the increase in royal guards standing at their posts, and feels a tinge of satisfaction, no ones dying today, she thinks to herself as her and Bradley, introduce and mingle with the important people.

Simultaneously, Bea opens the door of the limo, before taking out her hand which Veronica gratefully slides her hand into as Bea pulls her out of the car. “You look radiant by the way.”

Veronica blushes, “thank you, and you clean up spectacularly well.”

“Thank you,” Bea says as she runs her hands across her dress. “Shall we?”

“We shall.”

When they enter the ballroom, Veronica offers to grab some drinks as Bea stands, scanning the room looking for anything suspicious. As she does she catches Poppy with her arm wrapped around an unfamiliar man, a wide smile on her face.

“Come in you’re off duty.”

“Sorry,” Bea replies, flushing with embarrassment, “habit.”

“That’s okay,” Veronica hands over one of the glasses to Bea, before taking a careful sip of her drink.

“Who is that with Poppy, I don’t think I’ve been debriefed on him yet.”

Veronica scans the room until her eyes fall on Poppy, “that’s her boyfriend Bradley.”

Bea raises her eyebrows in confusion, “boyfriend? I wasn’t told about this.”

“Well that’s probably because he hasn’t been here for the last few months. He was off building homes in a poor country or something.”

“Huh that’s charitable of him,” Bea replies flatly.

Veronica drains the contents of her glass before intertwining her fingers with Bea’s, “enough about them let’s dance.” Veronica pulls Bea onto the dance floor, and begins grinding on her, while Bea awkwardly stands, unable to apprehend what Veronica is doing. They’re interrupted by a familiar voice.

“So you two are here together?” Poppy’s eyes dart between Bea and Veronica, her tone nonchalant.

“Yes we are,” Veronica wraps her arms around Bea’s neck, pulling her closer. Poppy gives Veronica a weird look. Sensing the tension, Bea slightly pulls out of Veronica’s grasp turning to look at Bradley.

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” she holds out a hand which Bradley shakes, his expression warm and inviting.

“Bradley, and you are?”

“My bodyguard,” Poppy interrupts, her tone slightly mocking.

“Bea Hughes.” Bea brings her hand back to her side, a smile on her face, “it was nice meeting you.”

“Same to you,” Bradley gives the girls a small nod before pulling Poppy away, whispering into her ear, “I think we should get out of here, there’s something I wanted to show you.”

“How? This place is heavily guarded.”

“Follow me.” Bradley takes her hand as they slip away from the party, unsuspectingly.

Bea looks over at Veronica, a frown on her face, “is everything okay?”

“Yep. Did you hear the judgement in Poppy’s voice? God she can be so infuriating sometimes. I need a drink.” Veronica storms off, leaving Bea in the middle of the dance floor. Her eyes begin scanning the room and she feels alarmed when she notices Poppy not in the room anymore. She begins looking all around the room before Veronica joins her, confused. “Is everything okay?”

“Where’s Poppy?”

Veronica surveys the room, huffing, “she’s probably gone to hook up with Bradley.”

Bea frowns, “something doesn’t feel right, I’m going to go look for them, stay here.” Before Veronica can respond Bea is already gone, making her way through the crowd as she slips out. Bea begins looking around the palace until she sees the end of Poppy’s dress just as she goes into a room, hesitantly Bea follows. Just as she reaches the room, she twists the handle, opening the door and goes into a defensive stance as Bradley swings around, pulling Poppy against him, holding a knife to her throat.

“Hughes,” Poppy whimpers as Bradley harshly shushes her.

“Let’s all just calm down here,” Bea raises her hands, her voice low and soft, “let’s not do anything abrupt.”

“Let us leave and nothing will have to happen.”

“I can’t let you do that,” Bea takes a step closer promoting Bradley to push the knife against Poppy’s neck, making a small cut.

“Can’t do that I’m afraid,” the previous warm glint that shone in Bradley’s eyes are gone, replaced with a more hysterical one, insanity glimmering beneath the surface. “This is for the Sons of Veronica.” Just before he can do anything, Bea leaps forward pulling Poppy out of his grasp, stepping in front of her, just as Bradley’s knife wildly swings, slicing her, just under her chest. Bea groans slightly before grabbing his wrist, pulling it backwards, evoking a scream from Bradley as she snaps his wrist.

“Poppy run!” Poppy hyperventalies as she reaches the door but when she throws it open, she gasps.

“Hughes.”

Bea turns to see a wide, built man, standing in the doorway, anger written in his face. She throws Bradley to the side before, pushing Poppy away, throwing a series of precise punches at the man. Unfazed, he grabs Bea by the throat, throwing her against the wall, his grip tightening. Bea gasps as she clutches at her throat, feeling the air leave her lungs as she tries to muster up the strength to claw and punch her way out. Instead she feels dizzy, her eyes slowly closing as she feels herself losing consciousness. Out of nowhere, Poppy smashes a vase over the man’s head, causing him to loosen his grip around Bea’s throat. He angrily huffs, backhanding Poppy, as she hits her head against the corner of a desk. Bea calls out of her, anger filling up her entire body as she lets out a primal battle cry and swipes her leg under the man’s, resulting in him losing his balance. She then flips his body around, pressing the front of him to ground as her knee digs into his neck. A few moments later his body goes limp and Bea moves away, running towards Poppy who lays on the ground unmoving.

“Poppy!” She calls out, worried but she sighs breath of relief when she sees Poppy’s eyelids fluttering open. “Are you okay?”

Poppy nods clutching at her head, “my head hurts,” Bea reaches out, placing her fingers on a small cut that has formed on Poppy’s head.

“You’re okay.” A series of groans snaps her out as she looks up to see Bradley trembling as he holds out a knife, his hand violently shaking. Bea stands, kicking him square in the chest, causing him to crash into some cupboards, knocking him out. Bea pulls out her phone, calling the guards to put the palace on lockdown in case there are any more surprises.

After being checked by a medical professional, Ana rushes pulling Poppy into a huge hug, tears falling down her face, “thank god you’re okay. I don’t think I could handle losing your father and you.” She gratefully kisses the crown of Poppy’s head before turning to look at Bea, a grateful smile on her face. “And you Miss Hughes,” she pulls away from Poppy, pulling Bea into a hug, “if it wasn’t for you I-“ she begins sobbing as Bea rubs comforting circles on her back.

“Just doing my job.”

“Thank you,” Ana says, as she holds both of Bea’s hands in hers, “even when you weren’t on duty you saved my daughter’s life, thank you.” Bea nods as Ana pulls her in for another hug. Poppy watches as the police put Bradley and the other man into handcuffs, a frown on her face.

She turns to her mother, “what is Sons of Victoria?”

Ana stammers, “where did you hear that?” She gazes around the room, her expression careful.

Bradley mentioned it before he attacked us, what are you not telling me?”

Ana awkwardly glances around the room before lowering her voice to a whisper, “we have a lot to discuss.”

[thegoodprincess]

Together We Are Apart, but Apart We Are Together | KTH Ch. 6

Author: thegoodprincess

Pairing: Kim Taehyung | Original Female Character

Genre: romance, fantasy, action, forbidden love, human KTH | angel of death OC, supernatural au

Word Count: 2.6k [series, ongoing]

Rating: N/A

Warnings: None

Summary: After admiring a handsome boy from afar, an Angel of Death reluctantly rescues him from his own demise. As a result of going against her better judgment she inadvertently invites him into her world.

Together We Are Apart, but Apart We Are Together

Chapter 6. Name For a Face

“Tigers die and leave their skins; people die and leave their names.” - Japanese Proverb

While I was awaiting his return, I finished up the remainder of my tea. It had gone a bit cold since it was first poured. Nevertheless, I still drank it, savoring the sweet flavor as it slid down my throat. I decided to lay down on the sofa to rest my sore body. Sinking down into the cushions and staring blankly up at the ceiling, I wondered if I should have went to retrieve the boy’s wallet instead of Malachi. I didn’t want his willingness to help to be misinterpreted as him enabling my own foolish actions. Otherwise he would have been just as much at fault, if we were to find ourselves in the midst of chaos. He had always been eager to assist with whatever trouble I had found myself in, ready to bare the burden with open arms. It sometimes felt like he was too loyal to me, like he was just blindly complying to my wishes. I didn't want him to help me because he felt he had to, but because he wanted to. In turn it made me feel guilty about how I treated Malachi, as if I was exploiting the nature of our friendship.

Lost in the guilt-ridden thoughts of my conscience, it hadn’t even occurred to me that I had closed my eyes. I had fully intended to stay awake until Malachi returned, so I reluctantly opened them. However, I found it to be a struggle to keep them that way. Fatigue was starting to set in as I tried desperately to blink the sleepiness out of my eyes. The calming effect of the rose tea paired with the soothing sound of the logs crackling in the fire created a comfortable ambiance for me to relax to. Eventually my limbs began to feel heavy and my breathing slowed enough for me to finally lose the battle against the Sandman. Just like that, I readily drifted off into the unconscious.

It felt like Malachi was gone for quite some time before I was awoken by a small crashing noise that emanated from in front of the fireplace. Looking drowsily in the direction of the sound, I squinted to faintly make out Malachi readjusting a drying rack I had set close to the fire to dry the boy’s clothes. Through blurred vision I saw him carefully hang the articles back into their positions on the bars, spreading them out to ensure they dried properly.

“That damn thing needs to be moved. Why would she set that cursed thing right there? Stupid human boy and his stupid human clothes. What if I had fallen into the fire and burned my as—,” he whisper-yelled to himself irritated before he realized he had woken me up. “My apologies, I did not mean to wake you.” He bowed his head embarrassed of his crude outburst. I stretched and yawned, feeling the muscles in my back strain from the movement before sitting up. “It’s fine,” I waved my hand with blithe disregard for his unnecessary apology. “How long were you gone? I fell asleep waiting for you.”

“Not long.”

I rubbed the delicate skin around my eyes to get a better view of him. That’s when I took in his whole figure. Looking towards his legs I noticed that his pants were thoroughly soaked all the way up to his shins, from no doubt trudging around in the snow. “Oh my gosh, are you okay? You’re soaked. Here sit in front of the fire to warm up.” I quickly scrambled off the sofa and offered him my seat.

“I can assure you I am quite alright. I am nowhere in the condition you were in earlier tonight.” He assured with a sincere smile while taking a seat next to me. I awkwardly sat back down again.

Suddenly remembering why he left, I anxiously inquired, “Did you find it?”

“Yes.” He simply answered pulling it from his robe. The leather of the wallet was cold and stiff from getting wet. “And it did not take me long, it was just buried deeper than we originally thought. The snow has picked up quite a bit since we last left.” I held the wallet not ready to open it as he continued. “I also disposed of the gun and the patch of ice he fell through, you will be pleased to know it froze back over.”

“That’s good. No evidence. Do you think the old man will report the boy’s involvement.”

“No. I already took care of it.” I furrowed my brows confused. “I took the liberty of tracking him down and wiping his memory.” Malachi explained.

“Oh. Thank you. I didn’t even need to ask.”

“Yes. Well, you are lucky I am the best,” Malachi facetiously boasted. I rolled my eyes.

“What about the gun man?”

“Did I wipe his memory? No, I want him to live with the guilt until it consumes him.” The expression in Malachi’s eyes turned unnervingly dark. “And I doubt he will anonymously report the boy’s death. Not unless he wants to involve himself with the authorities or worse get caught by them. He will probably try to go about living his life as if nothing ever happened.”

“That’s horrible. But it’s good for us, I guess. Less of a mess to clean up. Not that I haven’t already jeopardized enough for us as it is.” I ashamedly spoke looking down at the floor.

“You are too hard on yourself.” He frowned concerned.

“I have to be. I can’t make mistakes. Especially when they effect those I cherish most.” I said looking purposefully at him.

“Ha, even a divine being such as yourself is allowed to make mistakes. And for as long as you allow me, I will always be there by your side to help you fix what is considered broken. Even if that means going against the rules of our nature.”

“Yes, but you said, if the consequences were dire then I was to take respons—,”.

Malachi promptly held a hand up to stop me, “I am well aware of what I said. However, if your actions do not bode well, I will still remain faithful to you, and only you.” He chided. He then took a second to soften his voice before continuing, “Allow me to clarify. It is my choice, and I choose to help you not because I feel it is my duty to do so, but because I want to help you. Why will you not understand that? We are as thick as thieves, even when that means cheating death,” he quipped. And with that he chastely kissed my forehead to put my guilty thoughts at ease.

I decided to steer the conversation away from my self-scrutiny, and brought our attention back to the wallet in my hands, “Did you look in it?” Immediately after the question left my mouth, adrenaline started to surge through my veins. I was well aware of the spike in my heart rate and the perspiration gathering on the nape of my neck.

“No, I thought I would let you do the honors.”

“Oh. Okay.” Nervous, I turned the wallet over in my quivering hands and reveled in the feeling of physically holding the piece of leather. The movement made it hard to undo the snap closure, and my slightly sweaty palms were doing me no favors as they slid against the leathery texture. Finally after a brief struggle I was able to open it.

There inside his wallet were some clear card holders with one containing a card with a small picture of him. Holding it closer to my face I realized it was his driver’s license. To the right of his picture, in printed text was the one thing on my mind that I had been wondering for months, his name. “His name is… Kim Taehyung,” I read aloud smiling. “Taehyung.” I repeated again letting the two syllables roll around in my mouth. I wanted to keep repeating his name like a mantra, giddy with excitement that I finally knew it.

“Well, now that you know the human’s name, I would advise you check on him. Speaking of which, I am surprised to not find you with him now. Why is that?” He eyed me suspiciously.

“I was waiting for you. He’s safe in my bed. I could hear the steady pace of his heartbeat from out hear.” This was a half truth, I also wanted to avoid the temptation of staring at his sleeping form. “You, however, were out there in the snow looking for something I needed, cold and alone. I was worried.” I may have been preoccupied with the probability of the boy’s, no Taehyung’s, life; but that didn’t mean I was any less concerned about Malachi’s wellbeing.

“Ah, so you do care,” he teasingly joked.

“Of course I care about you. You’re my friend.”

“As are you.”

“Thank you.” I sweetly hummed the sentiment for the fifth time tonight.

He nodded as to convey that it wasn’t a problem. “It was my pleasure little bird.” He patted me on the head. “You should check on the boy and get some rest.” He nodded towards my bedroom door.

“I will. I suggest taking a warm bath before bed. Goodnight Malachi.”

“Thank you for the recommendation. Goodnight my dear.” He said as he got up and walked towards the bathroom.

After Malachi had left to run a bath for himself, I decided to put out the fire. I could instantly feel the temperature of the room drop several degrees. While blowing out the last candle, I looked towards the window. Through the glass I was able to clearly make out the moon. Its light that penetrated from outside was more than enough for Malachi to see when he came out to go to bed. As I made my way over to my bedroom door I counted my steps until I reached it. I walked with one foot directly in front of the other with my arms out to the sides of me, as if I was walking on a balance beam. I know I must have looked somewhat silly, but it was all in an effort to prolong the inevitable, as well as simultaneously calm my nerves. I ultimately didn’t want to seem too eager to see Taehyung. Finally reaching my door I briefly hesitated before turning the knob. I then walked through the threshold and quietly closed the door. Once the lock softly clicked into place, I leaned my head against the wood and took a few slow breaths in order to prepare myself. I didn’t want to look in his direction just yet because I knew once I saw him it would be difficult to look away.

Over on my bedside table was a candle that I wished to light. Using the moonlight, I repeated my odd ritual from earlier, deliberately looking straight at the floor as I made my way over. Except this time I made sure to walk with normal footing. I would have been mortified if I had tripped and potentially disturbed his sleep.

Placing Taehyung’s wallet on the table, I opened the drawer and blindly felt around for a box of matches. After a few failed attempts, I finally grabbed ahold of one. I plucked one match from the container and struck it against the side of the box. Not wanting the flame to go out, I quickly touched it to the tip of the candle wick and flicked the used match to put it out. Almost immediately my senses were flooded with the rich earthy musk of amber and sandalwood. Closing my eyes, I took a brief moment to appreciate the comforting aroma. The candle’s flickering light intimately lit up the small area around my bed causing our shadows to bounce on the wall. I then leisurely turned my head and saw him.

Tucked into my silk sheets, he laid flat on his back with his whole body, from the neck down, hidden under the blankets. I watched him sleep peacefully as I sat on the floor and knelt near the side of my bed. From under the silky blankets, I could make out the subtle yet steady rise and fall of his chest. If I listened close enough I could hear the sound of his soft inhales and exhales. Continuing my gaze upwards, it landed on his neck and the pretty curve of his jaw. From there I was met with the sight of his beautiful face, his expression passive. Slumber had made his features look innocent. The moles that were on his cheek, lip, and under his eye reminded me of the stars that sparsely dusted the sky on a cloudy night. They somewhat reminded me of a constellation and it briefly dawned on me that if I were to connect them, would I be any closer to navigating my zealous yet enigmatic feelings for him.

Against my pillows his head rested delicately. His hair was almost fully dry. A few locks in the front of his head curled around his face, while the rest fell elegantly onto the pillow like a halo. Its golden hues were complimented by the iridescent pearly sheen of my pillow case, and the sight created a picturesque scene worth committing to memory. I couldn’t help but be enamored by him. He looked otherworldly, almost like an angel. He could have very well been one of the ones that I had come across when I visited Heaven from time to time.

Finally able to touch his face in a way that wasn’t correlated to life threatening peril, I gently brushed my knuckles against his cheek and tenderly traced his jawline with my fingertips in curious fascination. Mesmerized by the feeling of the suppleness of his warm to the touch skin, I pondered how I got so lucky as to be this close to him, while also being able to reach out and touch him. It was almost intoxicating. And what was even better, is that now I had his name to go along with his face.

“So your name is Tae-hyung.” I whispered each syllable slowly more to myself than him, dramatically emphasizing the pronunciation of both. I smiled at the new found knowledge. “It suits you.”

Not long after admiring his sleeping form, I began to feel like my conscious reality was fraying around its edges. Walking a few feet on my knees to the end of my bed, I took a cotton blanket slewn messily over the end of the bed post and draped it over my shoulders. In my drowsy state I placed a gentle kiss against Taehyung’s forehead. I then turned to blow out the candle after my rash display of affection, but saw something that I thought was peculiar out of the corner of my eye. For what felt like a split second I could have sworn I had seen a brief flash of very faint light emitting from around his head in the dim candle light. However, I attributed it to being a trick of the light, after all I was exhausted and my blurry tired vision wasn’t the most reliable at this exact moment.

Taking one last longing look at his face in the moonlight after blowing out the candle [as if this would be the last time I saw him], I rested my head against my arm and was lulled to sleep by the rhythm of his calm breathing, hopeful for whatever tomorrow brought us.

[tonydadisbestdad]

It’s Positive

Peter ParkerxReader

Dad!Tony

Word Count: 1,987

Summary: Pregnant by accident and dad tony finds out

A/N: this is stupid but I wanted to write something dumb so here it is. Sorry if formating it weird. I’m posting from my iPad bc I can’t be bothered to use my computer rn but it would have made it worth it if I had bc I can’t make this look how I want to on “mobile”. Whatever. Also sorry I haven’t written in ages, as some of you know, I work more than 40 hours a week and don’t normally get home until after 8 pm and am tired as hell. But since I’m fiinally quarentining (is that even how you spell that is it even a word?) myself I decided to try some writing instead of watching hours of tik tok videos. Enjoy! Sorry for my rant.

Perspiration collected on your forehead as you rode the elevator. Pain twinges in your abdomen as the pressure begins to become too much.

You had to pee. Of course you had to pee. You drank half a gallon of water when the thought occurred to you.

You ran through the penthouse, clutching your purse protecting the contents from jumping out, praying your bladder would not release it’s contents before you were seated on that throne.

Nervousness overtook you as you shut and locked your bathroom door behind you. You riffled through your bag for the thing you'd just returned from buying.

With shaking hands you unpackaged it.

After waiting the designated time, plus 10 minutes out of fear, you finally worked up the courage to look at it.

Your heart sank seeing the positive symbol. Your 19 years of life suddenly feeling like it all just ended.

You couldn't believe how absolutely stupid you were.

Grabbing your phone from your bag, you sent a text. Knowing you wouldn't be able to have the conversation in person.

“Pete, I got a meeting to get to. Do you got the rest?” Tony asked. They were in the lab, working on another new device.

“Yeah Mr. Stark, I should have it done by the time you get back.” Peter answered.

Tony left with a quick see ya later and was gone. Peter on the other hand returned to working.

Until his phone went off. He saw it was from you and opened it. His stomach dropped. There was no way. You were joking with him. You had to be.

All the message was, was a picture of a pregnancy test box and 2 words. “It’s positive.”

He thought about that one night a few weeks ago that you spent together. It was an event night, both of you required to be there per Pepper.

You might not be of age but that didn’t stop you from drinking and Peter liked to take his off nights to enjoy himself some so he was drinking too and next thing either of you realized your innocent flirting that usually happened turned into high key sexual tension and with nothing to stop it, well you both took advantage of the situation in a deserted bathroom two floors below the event you should have still been at.

And now you were about to pay the ultimate consequence.

Your nerves grew as you waited for a response. You practically shot out of your skin when your bathroom door opened.

“Please tell me this is some fucked up joke,” Peter said, not even caring that he just walked right into your bathroom without even knocking.

“Pete-Peter I-,” you shook your head. “Why would I joke about something like this?!”

“I don’t know!” He wouldn’t meet your eyes as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Retaliation for me fucking you in a bathroom at an event for your dad?”

“That’s all that was to you?” You asked quietly. Things just kept getting better and better. You sat down on the edge of your tub, you wrapped your arms around yourself. You were not going to cry right now.

“I-“ he tried to start but you stopped him.

“It wasn’t conventional or perfect but hell Peter it meat more to me than just a quick fuck.” Before you could even register the tears you were holding back slid down your cheeks. You shifted, your head going to your knees and your hands covering your head. It was getting hard to breathe and his silence was not a reassuring thing.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, sitting down on the floor in front of you. He pet your head.

“What are we going to do?” You sobbed.

“Hey,” he said, tugging you forward so gently, bringing you into his lap. He secured his arms around you. “We’ll figure it out, I promise. We don’t need to have all the answers right now. Okay? Let’s just take this a step at a time.”

“How are you not freaking out,” you asked, pulling back some to look at him.

He finally looked you in the eyes. “I’m terrified,” he admitted. “But I know we can get through this.”

You gave a hesitant nod.

He kissed your forehead and didn’t leave you the rest of the night.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The two of you tiptoed around the topic for 3 weeks before you were finding yourselves cornered by your dad.

“What’s going on with you two? You’ve been acting weird for a couple weeks now.” Tony stated. He’d called a team meeting but as soon as you arrived, Peter was already there, you discovered that no one else on the team was arriving.

Peter looked at you, you both knew he was a terrible liar when under pressure like this.

But you? You were a great liar. You learned from the best after all. You arched a brow at your dad. “What do you mean? How have we been acting weird?”

Your dad hummed. “Let’s see, the two of you get all jumpy when the other shows up. I keep catching the two of you whispering to each other whenever I’ve left you alone for a few minutes. There was the fact that at that banquet I had a few weeks ago the two of you disappeared for a while. Y/N you’re not eating normally, Peter everytime I ask you something you either jump out of a daze or I can’t get your attention at all. I can go on guys, so tell me. What’s going on?”

You leaned back in your chair. “Peter asked me out, we didn’t want to tell you, things are a little weird right now.”

Tony looked at you in surprise.

You prayed that as Peter did the same your dad wouldn’t notice or wouldn’t realize that the look he was giving you wasn’t the “oh my God you had to go along that route to avoid the worse one? You shoulda just told the truth and not lied!” Look.

“Oh,” Tony said, nonchalantly he added, “Here I thought you were pregnant.”

Your eyes went wide, fuck.

“What do you take me for, kid?” He asked. “Did you think the cleaning staff was going to not gossip about having found a pregnancy test in your bathroom trash?! That I wouldn’t find out about it?”

You took a shaky breath.

“I know when you’re lying, you can’t lie to the person that taught you to lie, Y/N. It doesn’t work.”

You had to try, “Well then why is Peter here if that’s what this is about?” Maybe you could get him off the hook.

Your dad’s face went blank. “Now you’re just insulting my intelligence. Of course it’s Peter’s! Kid’s been in love with you since before you two even met!”

Peter’s face went red as he twisted the computer chair he was in away from both of you.

You blushed lightly. “Dad stop!”

Tony sighed, finally he sat down in a chair across from you. “What was your plan?”

You glanced at Peter then down at the table. “I… we-we don’t have-have one.”

Tony reached across the table and took your hand in his. “Okay, that’s fine for now, sunshine. Whatever you decide, I'll support you. There’s options if you don’t want to keep the baby or if you do. I suggest though that you two figure out what this means for the two of you before you make any of those decisions first.”

Tears welled in your eyes.

Peter was looking off to the side but he had returned his chair to facing your dad. “Thanks Mr. Stark,” He added quietly.

Tony smiled at him. “If you hurt my daughter, Parker I will kill you and no one will find the body. Understand?”

Swallowing the sudden lump in his throat he nodded in response.

Tony stood, he leaned across the table and kissed your head. “Sorry I forced this out, but you two were driving me crazy. I’m here when you want to talk more baby girl.”

You nodded and wiped at your face.

Your dad left, leaving you with Peter and impending conversation about the child growing inside you and what your futures held.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

“So,” Peter started after the two of you sat there for 10 minutes in silence after your dad left. “I… I think now would be a good time to have this conversation, Y/N. So, I’m gonna just lay everything I’m feeling about this out.”

You glanced at him, he’d scooched closer to you and faced you.

He took a breath and started. “Your dad wasn’t wrong. I… do love you. I just… this is all messed up, but you know, it’s me why would anything go the way it should go, right?”

You went to speak but he continued.

“I’m not ready to be a dad. But I’m willing to take the responsibility because of my actions if you want to keep this child and want to raise them together. Or if you want to do it on your own. Or if you want to give them up for adoption. Or just want me to-“

You turned your own chair to be facing him and wrapped your arms around his neck.

He relaxed some and hugged you back as best he could with the angle.

“Would it be alright if… if maybe we just start with a date first?” You hesitantly asked.

He let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah, yeah please.”

“I don’t want to get rid of them. But with that being said, we have plenty of time to decide on what we want. And I just really want us to give being together a try before we make any life changing decisions.”

Peter nodded then kissed your cheek.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Of course your date went perfectly. As did the one after that, and the one after that and the, you get the point.

Peter went with you to your first doctor’s appointment and made sure he’d be there for all of them after that.

After that first ultrasound, well to say your minds were set on a decision was an understatement. You couldn’t believe you were so hesitant to want them.

Everything after that was a blur. You and Peter got closer, as did your expecting date.

Your dad and Pepper supported both of you the entire way. As well as Aunt May and the entire Avengers team.

You couldn’t have asked for more.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

“Shh,” You whispered to the little girl. She giggled and held a tiny finger to her lips. The two of you poked your head through the cracked door.

A tuft of wavy brown hair stuck up everywhere from the pillow.

“Go ahead baby,” You whispered.

The little girl pushed the door open and ran for the bed. She jumped up, right on top of the man laying there. “Happy birthday, daddy!” Shouted as she sat on his back and shook his shoulders. “Wake up! Wake up! Mommy and I made you breakfast.”

You got into your side of the bed, set the plate down on your nightstand as Peter pretended to still be asleep.

He let out a loud fake snore.

“Daddy, wake up!”

You chuckled. “I think daddy might need some raspberries with his pancakes, Rory.”

Her eyes lit up. She smashed her face right into her daddy’s neck, making him flinch and laugh.

“Oh my I see how it is my girls wanna play games with me huh,” he scooped his little one up in his arms and raspberries her cheek before she could get away.

Rory squealed and struggled against him.

You laughed at the scene before you. But this caused both to stop, share a mischievous look before they’re both pouncing on you and giving you the raspberries now.

Which led to a full out tickle war, cold pancakes, and warm morning cuddles.

Tags: Wanna be tagged just ask!

@manchurian-barnes, @marrvelle-fics, @chloe-geoghegan1 , @buckysendoftheline ,

@peterparkerscamera , @esistmon , @httpmcrvel , @karlitabi-rrito rrito, @ximaginx

[redrobinhoood]

no choir | chapter 7, if tomorrow it’s all over

A/N: Get a neck brace for the emotional whiplash, we’re going on a roller coaster of sadness.

AO3 Link | 3600 words (approx) | Chapter 1, Chapter 6, Chapter 8

Chapter Summary: Fox and Thire tell the Emperor of their suspicions and find themselves facing the consequences.

CW: Psychological trauma, discussions surrounding death, and graphic imagery.

“Your Majesty.” Thire greeted as the two men stopped and snapped to a salute.

“Commander Thire, Commander Fox.” The Emperor responded, turning from where he stood at the window with Darth Vader to face them. Thire could’ve sworn Vader had tilted his helmet ever so slightly in recognition. Thire hadn’t seen the man in some time, not since the walk back from Senator Chuchi’s office nearly eleven months ago. “I am told that you had some information for me.”

The brothers lowered their hands. Fox was the first to step forward. “Sir, Thire and I believe that there is an infiltration into our government. We have compiled a list of possible threats within your inner circle.”

“How long has this investigation been going, Commander?”

“Just under a year.” Thire spoke up, hoping to draw Vader’s gaze away from Fox. He wanted to keep the two as far away from one another as he could, but he couldn’t remember why.

“We didn’t want to overwhelm you at the time, sir.” Fox continued. “But now, we’re certain that one of these beings is acting against the interests of our government and has perhaps done so since the time of the Republic.”

There was silence as the Emperor looked from his men to Darth Vader. Thire’s neck twitched as he felt something reach out into his mind. Not Vader. He had become acquainted with the feeling of Vader’s connection to the Force when he had been slammed into the wall and questioned on the relationship of Fox and Riyo’s relationship. Just another fragment. After that, Vader has disappeared and to the best of Thire’s knowledge had never spoken of the matter again. Not that Thire’s forced cooperation had mattered, Vader had had a hologram of Thire’s two idiots kissing on Senator Chuchi’s couch. Thire blinked. He hadn’t remembered that detail before.

“Commander Fox, you have never let me down. But it is late. Shall we discuss this matter in the morning when the sun rises on our year-old Empire?”

“Yes, sir.” Fox nodded, taking note of the polite dismissal, and turned to leave. Thire began to follow after him.

“Commander Thire.” The voice of the Emperor stopped him. “Would you stay a moment more?” The Emperor gestured to couches before his desk.

Thire and Fox exchanged a quick glance. It wasn’t like Thire could say no. “Yes, sir.” Thire walked over to the two men. By the time he arrived, he had heard the door shut behind Fox.

“Sit, Commander. I must make a call.”

Thire did as he was told, slinking down to sit on the plush material of the red couches that gathered around the Emperor’s desk. He spared another glance to Darth Vader, who had yet to speak. When he did, he felt Vader’s familiar pry in his mind, confirming that it was not him who he had felt earlier. He jolted back to reality when he heard the next words out of the Emperor’s mouth.

“… kill Commander Fox.” Thire couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. “He will be the stormtrooper escorting the Pantoran senator tomorrow morning. If you like, you may track him from her residence but kill him on the steps of the Senate. I want to make a point.”

“Your Majesty.” His shock gone, Thire was on his feet before the comm had ended. “Why?”

“I’m afraid that Commander Fox is meddling in affairs that he should not be.” The Emperor said calmly, as if they were discussing anything but homicide.

“Sir, if this is about the mole then we can end this investigation at once.” Thire moved around the desk to stand before the Emperor as he spoke. “We still have a list of names; we can frame somebody, then the entire affair will be forgotten. Please, don’t kill him, I beg you.”

The Emperor turned to fully face Thire. “Then beg, Commander.”

Thire fell to his knees, looking up to the Emperor. “Don’t kill my brother.”

The Emperor reached down and removed Thire’s helmet, letting it fall to the ground beside him. He stroked a hand down Thire’s cheek, stopping to cup the bottom of his jaw. With his head tilted up at such an extreme angle, his neck fully exposed, Thire felt afraid. A tear slid down his cheek as he finally recognized the presence in his mind.

“It’s you.”

The Emperor tenderly wiped the tear from Thire’s cheek with his other hand. “And so it is.” His grip tightened on Thire’s jaw as he pressed his other hand against Thire’s forehead.

Thire looked to Vader, still standing behind the Emperor. “Help me, don’t let him do this!” But Vader didn’t move, and Thire found the Emperor’s touch to be growing warmer. “Please, he’s my brother! Please…”

Thire jolted awake. He stood up and immediately stumbled to the floor. The Emperor was beside him in a heartbeat. “What happened?” Thire managed to say.

“You collapsed.” The Emperor said, helping Thire back onto the couch. “Commander Fox was just telling me how you have discovered a traitor among us. After he left, you just dropped.”

“I don’t remember.” Thire looked around the room. It was empty, save for the Royal Guard. Something wasn’t right, there had been someone else here before.

“Yes, he said that’s been happening. Not to worry, the commander is on his way to arrest the traitor as we speak. Everything will be better soon.”

Thire felt a warm calm come over him. “Everything will be better soon. Of course, thank you, Your Majesty.”

“No, thank you, Commander.” The Emperor straightened up and moved to sit at his desk opposite Thire. “Your efforts today have been most admirable. It’s a pity that you won’t be there to see their result, but such is life.”

---

Fox was greeted by a rush of blue and purple when he opened the apartment door. He dropped his helmet unceremoniously on the ground and picked Riyo up into his arms when she reached him.

“I thought you’d be coming home right after the parade. I was so worried.” Her arms around him were beginning to put pressure on his neck, but he ignored the discomfort and pulled her closer to him.

“I told you I’d come back. Thire and I had a meeting with the Emperor.”

“You told him about the mole?”

“Yes.”

Her grip around him relaxed and he set her down on the ground before him.

“How did he take it?”

“He wanted to discuss it in the morning. I think I was right.”

Riyo’s expression morphed back into one of concern. “Right about what, Fox?”

He reached over and tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m a coward. Can I tell you in bed?”

Her brow sunk further into worry and she gave him a sad nod. The sight broke Fox’s heart, he’d have a hard time doing this.

By the time he’d pulled off his armor and blacks, setting out a fresh pair of blacks for the next day and arranging his armor for a quick assembly, Riyo was already in bed, watching him cautiously. When he returned to her side, she reached up to him and pulled him down beside her.

“Please hold me.” He begged.

"Okay.” She whispered as she turned onto her side, allowing him to curl up beside her, press his forehead against her chest, and wrap his arms around her waist. She lay her arms around his shoulders and began to run the fingers of one hand slowly through his hair. “What’s going on, love?”

Fox sighed. “I think that the Emperor knows who the mole is. I think he’s the one that put it there as part of a larger conspiracy. What I can’t figure out is why.”

“Political power? Most of us aren’t assigned our rank at birth, Fox.”

“I think it goes deeper than that. There’s something I’m missing, but I don’t think that matters in the end.”

“Why not?”

Fox tried to focus on the sensation of Riyo’s heartbeat against his skin. “He’ll be dead. I’m going to use him to find the mole, bring them together into the same room, and kill them.” He could feel her heartbeat begin to speed up under his touch. “After that, the Royal Guard will either shoot me dead or arrest me and formally execute me for treason. Though I’d much rather Thire shoot me first. He’s a good shot, it would be quick.” It would be fitting for him to die in the same way that Fives had, at the hands of his brother.

He felt Riyo’s hand still in his hair as her grip on him tightened. “You don’t have to die, Fox.”

“I don’t know how to make a sacrifice without laying down my life, Riyo.” He laughed dryly. “Besides, it’s what I was born to do. My life is all I have in this galaxy, and I don’t even own it. But I’d tell you the night before I do it. I have had so many brothers leave my life without any warning; I couldn’t willingly do that to you. And I’m still a coward. I would give you the opportunity to talk me out of it, and if you couldn’t then I would try to spend one last night in your arms.”

“Is that what this is?” Her voice quivered as she spoke.

“No. I still need to find the mole first. Besides, I think I’d paint my armor beforehand to look more like myself. I could wear my phase two armor, make a statement, but it would be much easier to die in stormtrooper armor, the new plastoid weave offers no protection.” He had seen firsthand how easily any blast cut through the ‘armor.’

Riyo gently loosened his hold around her waist and slid down so that she was face-to-face with him. “You really think that your options are either to die or to abandon the Empire to corruption? There’s got to be a third option, Fox.”

“I’ve made my peace with it.” He reached a hand up and brushed away a loose strand of hair from her eyes. “I was afraid this morning, but I’ve made my peace with it. Dying is easy. My only regret would be leaving you behind. But maybe that’s what’s best for you.”

Anger flashed over her features. “You don’t get to decide what’s best for me.”

“No, I don’t. But is loving a man who will die long before you really what you want? My love for you is selfish, Ri, I have nothing that I can give you. I own nothing, not even my own body. The Empire wants to sterilize all of us clones in a few months. I can literally give you nothing.”

“Give me your life, Fox. Your life and your love, that’s all I want.” She sat up and pulled him up after her, taking his hands in her lap. “Run away with me. You promised me that we would find some fresh air, a forest, let it just be us and the trees. I’ll retire as a senator. We’ll run away and go live in a cabin in the woods on some backwater Outer Rim planet. Let me save you for once.”

For a moment, Fox considered trying to hide the tears welling in his eyes from Riyo, then he found that he couldn’t. He closed his eyes and let them begin to fall. She pulled him forward, tucking his head into the crook of her neck and wrapping her arms around him. He’d sworn to her that he would break his oath to the Republic if she asked, and she had asked. In a way, he wished she hadn’t. It would’ve been far, far easier to die. “Okay.”

Then she was pulling him down once more to lay across her, still holding his head in the crook of her neck. He slipped an arm around her as he tried to bury a soft sob in his throat. Once, his oath to the Republic and his love for Riyo had been the same. Everything had been easy when his love and his loyalty intertwined. Now the Republic was gone, living on in the fragments of his once-numerous brothers and in the far-away senators who roamed the buildings of Coruscant, and Riyo was no longer a part of that system. Or maybe, she was still the Republic. While her optimism had been dimmed under the Empire, it hadn’t fully extinguished. She was still the voice of reason that he had watched, guarded, and finally, loved, over the Clone Wars. Maybe he wouldn’t be breaking his oath after all.

He turned his focus on her breathing, the beat of her heart against him, until he fell asleep.

---

Fox smiled fondly as he watched Riyo arranging her hair from the doorway to the bathroom. He couldn’t begin to understand how the strands were supported, but they were. When she had finished pinning down a few flyaway hairs he stepped forward and leaned back against the counter in front of her.

“What are you thinking?” She beamed at him. Only he got to see her like this, and he never wanted anyone else to know how beautiful his goddess was when she was still blinking sleep from her eyes.

“A lot of things.” He admitted. “But there’s one in particular that’s bothering me.”

“What’s that?”

Her look of polite curiosity turned into another beaming smile as he leaned over to kiss her. She cupped his face in her hands as their lips worked slowly against each other and she ran her thumbs over his cheekbones when they had pulled apart.

“One more month,” she mused, “then you’re really mine.”

"I suppose that I will have to arrange my own death after all.”

“Morbid.” She pulled away from him and he followed her from the bathroom to the living room to watch her slip on her shoes.

“I’m sure Jek will have some ideas. He’ll want to poison me or something to that effect.”

“You’ll regret all the times you’ve been a horrible boss.”

When Riyo rose from the couch, Fox met her and wrapped an arm around her waist to lead her towards the door. “I’m an amazing boss.”

“I’ve watched you throw Rys into a garbage can, Fox.”

Fox shrugged, picking up his helmet from the floor and putting it on. “That has nothing to do with my leadership skills.”

Riyo practically pushed him out of the door, following right on his heels. “And the new helmets don’t affect your aim.”

“Not if you know what you’re doing.”

They fell silent as they made their way to the speeder park. While Riyo’s neighbors had never minded her red-armored clone escort, Fox couldn’t help but notice how they already avoided him so soon after the switch to white. They didn’t speak again until they were in the air.

“Where do you want to live?” Riyo asked him. “We can’t stay on Pantora, I would bring too much attention upon us.”

“I don’t know.” Fox would be the first to admit that he knew nearly nothing of the galaxy. “Somewhere far away from where the war was. Perhaps somewhere they won’t recognize me as I am.”

“We’ll have to start looking into that, you know.”

“I know.” Fox glanced over to see that Riyo had her datapad out.

“No war, won’t recognize a clone, beautiful forests, probably not Hutt-controlled space either, preferably a native language that our vocal chords can produce. Anything I’m missing, Fox?”

"No, I believe that covers it.” Fox felt something rising in his chest that he hadn’t felt in a long time, hope. But there was also the all too familiar pang of sadness that sat upon him. He would be leaving behind his brothers. He knew that they would forgive him, would gladly send him on his way with Riyo, but he could never forgive himself for leaving them to die under the Empire.

They fell into a more comfortable silence as Riyo began to make a list of planets for consideration. It felt surreal. That feeling stuck with Fox through the landing and as they began to make their way up towards the Senate. Fox had argued against the new parking system, it left the senators too exposed as they made their way from their speeders to the building, but he had ultimately been disregarded in favor of reallocating what had been the parking garages.

Riyo stopped suddenly and he mirrored her.

“Riyo, what it is?”

At the source of the reflection on the Senate building, a scope was narrowing in on the back of Fox’s head.

“I thought I saw something.”

Above them, a finger depressed the trigger.

Fox took a step forward. ��I don’t see a-.” His sentence ended in a gasp as a hot line of pain traced from the left of his spine through the center his torso. “Riyo.” He stumbled forward, hands moving to cover the wound.

But Riyo was already there, wrapping her arms around his chest and lowering him gently until he was kneeling before her. The scent of melted plastoid was beginning to reach him, and he spared a look down to the exit wound beneath his hands. Blood was beginning to seep from the burning hole. There shouldn’t have been blood. Something important had been hit. He pressed his hands back against it, gritting his teeth. For something so small, just a little larger in size than the muzzle of his blaster, it was causing a large amount of pain. This amount of energy would have never penetrated the old armor of the guard in full, the most it would’ve done would’ve been to leave a small burn on his back, the rest of its energy dissipated. It had taken five shots like it to fell Thorn. Thorn. Fox wondered if this was how Thorn had felt before the last shot hit his chest. But Thorn had died alone. Fox would die in the arms of his love.

There was the sensation of air on his face and he looked up to meet Riyo’s eyes as she set his helmet aside. If she said anything, it was lost to him. Fox took her in for the last time. He wanted those golden eyes to be his last sight. Now that he had stopped moving, the second shot would shoot hit him and finish the job. But in the seconds that stretched into years, he could gaze upon Riyo. Fox knew that the Pantorans worshipped a moon goddess. Surely, that goddess was her. He wanted to raise his hand to her face, run his fingers through her celestial purple hair one last time, but he couldn’t find the strength to lift his arm.

The second shot never came.

As the strength continued to drain from his body, his knees began to slide out from under him and he fell to the duracrete beside Riyo. He caught himself with his right arm, the left one still gripped over the wound. He clutched it tighter to himself as nausea rose in his throat. His stomach heaved. He hadn’t eaten anything today, there was no food to throw up. But there was blood. Something important had definitely been hit.

Fox felt arms wrap around his upper torso and pull him away. He found himself falling backwards into a familiar embrace and let his head fall to the side to rest against Riyo’s cheek. He brought his right hand back to the wound and found it resting on top of one of Riyo’s hands.

“Ri, I- I- I-.” He couldn’t raise his voice to begin the word love. “Ner cya-.” He couldn’t finish that either. His vision was beginning to tunnel as the pain in his chest rose.

“Fox.” She sobbed.

He slipped his fingers around her hand the best he could considering the torrent of blood that now spilled from the wound and squeezed it three times.

“I love you too.” She sniffed and pulled him tighter to her chest.

The pain was beginning to fade now. Some part of him was aware that his breathing had slowed down, but another part didn’t care. The pain was leaving. If he could have stopped time and made a list of every serious injury he had incurred in his life this would have to be the second most painful. The first being when he was nearly eviscerated by bounty hunters. He had been surrounded by his brothers then. Stone, Bravo, whoever it had been who had kept Fox’s hands pressed to his stomach before the medics arrived. Now, it was just him and Riyo. His vision was beginning to fade, and he closed his eyes.

“Fox, stay with me, Fox! I love you. I love you, don’t leave me, Fox.” He could still hear Riyo’s voice, but there was another voice now, a voice that sounded like his brothers, that told him to stop fighting. “Stay with me, Fox.”

With every sound of his name he fought to reach her, but there was something warm rising in his throat that held him back. It didn’t hurt. Nothing hurt anymore. He tried to reach out to her, to take her hand one last time, but his grip on his body was fading and he was unable to move his hands. He was vaguely aware of a new voice joining Riyo’s, but couldn’t tell whose voice it was. He focused on Riyo’s voice until that too began to fade away.

Fox’s last conscious thought was of the night before, when he fell asleep in Riyo’s arms with the hope of a new life.

[valhallanrose]

2,500 words of a girl, a patron, and a bargain...

Court of Swords depicts Miriyam’s background, namely an event that influenced a major decision in her life. I wanted to put it together to bring her to life just a bit more, so...here we go!

Miriyam wasn’t unfamiliar with dreams of death, so ‘cold’ and ‘dark’ were two adjectives she could easily apply. 

‘Gold’ and ‘scaly’ were not. 

As she came to, she could pick out a few things about her situation even before she opened her eyes. 

One: her hair, normally tightly braided back, was loose and cascading down her shoulders. It pooled beneath her head in her reclined position, swept carefully away from her face by an unknown hand. 

Two: The leather bodysuit she had been wearing was pristine, not a spec of blood or hole or tear on it. There was no arrow, and she was perfectly dry, as if she’d never been up on those gods-damned flagstones in the pouring down rain. 

Three: Warm air washing over her, ruffling the silver waves and the lace trimming her nightdress. It was steady, like breathing, but there was far too much air to be another human being. It was much larger, and by extension, much more nerve wracking.

The first time she’d opened her eyes to see the source of the breathing, she’d squeezed them shut again, not sure if she was really seeing things right. 

If she was dead, why the fuck was she looking at a dragon?

I know you stir, sword-child. 

Miriyam flinched, dark lashes fluttering against her cheeks before she eventually forced herself to open her eyes. 

The molten gold of the dragon’s eyes was warm yet analytical, peering down at Miriyam as if looking through her very being. They sat there for a long moment - the woman laid out on the gold of the dragon’s hoard, tucked carefully under a broad wing, head arching over her body as she slowly sat up. 

“You know, I didn’t expect whatever afterlife this is to consist of a dragon.”

That earned Miriyam a huff of breathy laughter, echoing with a thousand voices, then gave her a gentle nudge to her shoulder with a massive silver snout. 

There are worse places to be when you step beyond the mortal realm.

Miriyam paused, a hand trailing down the side of her neck as her brow furrowed. “What...what happened...?”

As soon as the words left her lips, the space over her heart twinged. A split second later, it tightened painfully, and Miriyam could only gasp and tighten a hand over the taut leather of her attire. 

The feeling of the arrow first piercing her leather armor and lodging in the flesh of her breast.

Unable to catch the ledge she was trying to jump to, slamming into the wall with a force that forced the arrow through her heart and out her back. 

Falling...the world rushing up…

The sound her neck made when it snapped on the cobblestones far, far below. 

Miriyam felt a hard push at her side, drawing her out of that vision - her neck still twinging slightly as she looked up with burning eyes to meet the gaze of the dragon. 

It would be wise not to dwell on the circumstance that brought you here. 

“What else can I do?” She whispered, raking a hand through her hair and leaning against the creature’s scaly side. “I expected a lot more fire and brimstone on the other side. You know, ruminating on the weight of my sins for eternity, burning in hellfire, that sort of thing.”

For as long as she wished for it, for as many times as she’d danced with death...she didn’t know how to feel. A part of her was grateful for the end: she’d never had a reason to truly live, always wondered why she was put on the earth only to be left unguided and alone on her walk through existence. 

But the part of her that had been forced away when the iron-clad whip came down on her back was crying, screaming, wanting nothing more than to fight tooth and nail to simply breathe again.

The dragon heaved a breath and lowered his great head, settling it across her lap carefully. 

Correction, sword-child. You stand now on the precipice, a foot on each side of the veil. Not quite there, but not quite gone, either. So you are here, on the last vestiges of your essence - with a choice to be made. 

Miriyam paused halfway through lifting her hand to stroke the dragon’s scales, palm falling instead to rest on the heap of gold coins beside her thigh. “What choice...?”

Your essence holds tightly to the barest threads of your magic, anchoring itself to your mortal body, but it cannot stay that way forever. You must decide whether to stay, to pull yourself back...or to let go and fade into oblivion. 

“I don’t understand.” Dark brows furrowed, golden eyes burned with brewing tears she refused to let fall. “There’s no way I could have survived...maybe the arrow, but my neck…even if I could go back, I’ll die anyway because of the damage to my body. Isn’t it better to just let go now?”

The dragon huffed and shook his head slightly, shoving his head under Miriyam’s hand in a motion that briefly reminded her of an attention-starved puppy. Those who stand behind logic alone miss the intricacies of the truth. You must look beyond the understanding of your world to make sense of how it will change based on your decision here and now. 

After a beat of pause, he spoke again, voice far gentler as her hand stroked over his snout. 

What would you give, child, to think yourself whole again?

Miriyam laughed - though the sound was choked as a single tear streaked down her cheek. “Do I deserve that? Of so many others, begging for the same...how can I claim that?”

The past weighs heavily on you, doesn’t it?

If she was honest with herself...no. No, it didn’t. She did not live with regret for what she’d done, the blood she’d spilled for survival and for sport. She was a shell, empty, and always had been. 

Or perhaps what weighs on you more is what you’ve never had. 

As the dragon pressed his snout to her temple, Miriyam’s vision faded before flashing into vivid color - but not of the treasure trove she sat in. 

Visions of a woman whose face seems so familiar, smiling as she pressed her forehead against a younger Miriyam’s. Laughter as Miriyam tangled herself in the arms of a lover, her back smooth and unscarred as she sprawled across their chest and tucked herself against them. Unbranded hands, grasping the hands of another and pulling them in close to her chest.

Others were places. White sand beaches and snippets of a musical-sounding language Miriyam could recognize yet couldn’t understand. Wind whipping through a forest, grass licking at her ankles and moss under her bare feet. The snap of sails catching the wind, the sea lashing at the hull of a ship she’d never been on. But there was always this feeling...

Simple, unbridled happiness, echoing through each vision of what could have been in another life. 

You are young, and yet you live as if you believe the end of the road is just around the corner. You believe there is no chance for you to have what you have always wanted, and perhaps in some instances, that will be so - no mortal life can live free of pain or sorrow. Such feelings are the consequence of existence, the consequence of a beating heart and a body of flesh and bone. 

Blue eyes met gold, the latter swirling like molten metal fresh from the forge. 

Your path diverges here. You may choose between the finite and the unknown - the end and the distant future. I cannot guide you on what choice to make, but I will be beside you no matter the answer. 

It was a long time before Miriyam answered, the tears overwhelming and chest heaving as she sobbed against the dragon’s smooth scales. It waited patiently, head craning around her shoulders in the closest thing it could create to a comforting embrace. 

“I am so, so tired.” She managed, voice broken and shaking. “It would be so much easier to give in and let go…”

Perhaps it would be, sword-child. But is that truly what you want for yourself?

“What I want…?” Miriyam whispered, burying her face against the side of the dragon’s neck. “I want…”

She hadn’t ever considered that for herself. The day to day had always been the same - get up, walk through the hours feeling like a stranger in her own body. It only worsened with every contract, every time blood spilled on her hands and left a stain behind long after the crimson vanished down the drain. And yet...deep down...

“I want to live.” She breathed, the weight of this newfound realization slipping from her shoulders. “There’s still so much I’ve never seen, never had, and if I let go now…”

Miriyam sighed, tugging on a few strands of hair. “When I go, I want to be able to rest peacefully. And if nothing else...I don’t think I could rest easy knowing I didn’t give myself the chance.”

With a rumbling chuckle, the dragon turned his head, snout forcing warm air over Miriyam’s face as he looked at her. 

And you have your answer. 

“And yet I’m still here.” Miriyam closed her eyes and sighed heavily, wiping at her wet cheek. “My options are a damaged, death bound body...or letting go on my own terms.”

That earned Miriyam a gentle nudge to her chest before the dragon straightened to his full height, wings flaring and legs flexing as he found purchase on the sliding mound of golden coins. 

Oh, sword-child, I forget how unlike the rest of my patrons you are. 

Before Miriyam’s eyes, the dragon’s scales began to glow, forming intricate swirling patterns as they climbed up his forelegs and toward his chest. 

I hear the truth in your heart. If you truly desire to return to the earth, to live as you please...as King of the Court of Swords, I offer you a bargain. I will restore your body to allow for your return to the mortal plane...but in return, you must give me something as well.

Her brow furrowed as she craned her head back to meet the dragon’s glowing golden eyes, thoughts swirling wildly around her head. “I don’t understand...what could I possibly give you that you don’t already have?”

The dragon made a gesture that looked like a loose shrug of its front shoulders. 

Knowledge. The Court of Swords revolves around the mind and intellect, the thoughts, attitude, and beliefs of the querent - but none of us can walk the mortal plane like you can. I rely on my patrons, each tainted with an agenda to gain something from our interaction. But you would have already gained all you desired - your sole agenda would be to live as you never had before. 

“Well, I’m certainly not a scholar.” Miriyam snorted, tucking her hands loosely into her pockets. “What knowledge would you want from me?”

Think of it as a long term investment in my own pursuit of knowledge. When you return to me, before you pass through the veil...you will tell me about the life you lived. Tell me of love and loss, of your joys and sorrows, and everything in between. 

That seemed...too simple. “You just want me to...tell you about my life?”

Another rumbling chuckle. Perhaps it is nothing but folly. We Arcana have eternity to live, to learn, and to understand, but...we are simply archetypes. We lack the complexity and range of experience that your kind holds dear. The King of Swords believes in trusting the truth, finding the appropriate sources to learn from - and you shall be mine. As I said, for the pursuit of knowledge. 

His glowing snout reached down, pressing to her forehead and making Miriyam close her eyes. 

“That’s it?”

That’s it. 

She mulled over that for a long, long moment, only their breath filling the silence in the air. 

It seemed too good to be true, and yet...what did Miriyam have to lose? Even if he wanted more in the end, wasn’t anything worth the chance for life again?

With a deep breath in, she placed her hands on each side of the dragon’s snout, her voice soft as the swirling light began to creep down her hands and arms. 

“I accept.”

*    *    *    *    *

Miriyam had awoken several days ago, laid out on a slab in Adelram’s morgue, frankincense and myrrh thick in the air to cover the scent of death and decay. She’d scared the shit out of the priestess that had been leaning over her, performing some sort of last rite, but she was too happy to be breathing to give a damn as to how she got there or the state of her body. 

Adelram had just laughed, slapped her on the back, and told her she really did sleep like the dead. 

She’d have believed it was a miracle if not for the physical changes that had begun mere hours after her awakening. 

Her eyes had gone first - once clear, crystal blue had morphed into molten gold. They never seemed to settle, always swirling unnaturally, indicating something beneath the surface that even she didn’t know how to explain to those who asked.

But it was her hair that had shocked her more. 

Once as dark as night, the blue-black of her hair had begun to lighten before the first streaks of silver began to appear. They spread rapidly, nearly overnight, until her hair was silver from the crown of her head all the way down to ends at the small of her back. 

It was eerie, sometimes, to look in the mirror and not recognize the reflection staring back. 

It was in front of a mirror that Miriyam stood, hands braced on the bowl of the wash basin. She stared deep into that unnatural gold of her eyes, colors glittering and spiraling, knowing that the new feeling coursing through her veins was energy not her own, manifesting in her body where they could not be contained. 

Patron of Swords, which way will you go? 

She took in the scars littering her golden brown skin as the rumbling voice echoed in the depths of her mind, tracing two fingers idly over the new skin above her heart. Her eyes trailed down to the braid hanging limply over her shoulder, the scars down her chest, the pain behind each of them and remembering the blades that caused them. 

The hand over her heart shifted, grabbing the braid and pulling it taut while the other picked up the dagger she’d left on the edge of the basin. With a deep breath, she quickly brought the dagger up to the base of the braid, slicing through in a single motion. 

The choppy strands settled around her jaw as she released the heavy braid of hair, but the weight lifted from her was more than just the length of it no longer against her back. 

“I go forward.” She whispered, feeling pride not her own trickling over her senses. “To somewhere better.”

[prurientpuddlejumper]

A Deep and Rapid River, Ch. 2

<- Chapter 1 | Chapter 3 ->

Summary: The next morning, the monster you slept with is an emotional mess. Apparently, if you like him, there must be something wrong with you. (ehhh arguably true tho??) 

You wake up on the forest floor to the sound of cheerful birdsong, a large woolen cloak spread beneath you. Frost traces the edges of leaves and petals, the last remnants of an early spring night. The dying embers of the once-hot campfire are fighting a losing battle against the damp chill invading your clothes—yet the warm body at your back, with its giant arms wrapped around your waist, you keeps you from feeling cold.

When you roll over to wish him good morning, the he tries to hide his face from you, alarming you as he twists and jerks away.

"What's the matter?" you gasp.

"Don’t… Do not look upon me," he pleads, raising a hand to obscure your view of him.

You try to reassure him that you’ve already seen his face, but he only pulls away further.

“Firelight may soften even the most hideous of features. The full extent of my deformity, exposed by the day’s harsh light, will not be so easy to forgive. Even I tremble at my own reflection—to your eyes, I will be intolerable. You will realize the mistake you have made… and...” his voice breaks. “I don’t want you to go.”

“I won’t go,” you promise, throwing your arms around him. You nuzzle his neck, peppering him with soft kisses, until he allows you to lift his face to yours. “There you are,” you smile. He looks at you with bated breath, waiting for you to scream. You kiss him.

"Oh," he breathes. He kisses you back. When you don't resist, he relaxes into it, smiling against your lips. "You're not scared of me." He begins to laugh a soft, joyful laugh. His shoulders begin to quake. He weeps freely, clinging to you tightly with his powerful arms, holding just shy of the strength he remembers might hurt you.

Then he laughs with delight again, then sobs, then laughs again, howling like a man gone mad. You hold him through each surge of emotion, rubbing circles over his broad back, until his mood switches precipitously to anger.

“Why aren't you afraid of me?” he says more as an accusation than question. “Why do you care whether I should live or die?”

“Be-because you saved me? Why ought I be afraid?” you ask, your heart noticeably beating faster.

“Because I am an abomination!” he screams. Leaping to his feet, he begins to pace like a caged tiger, gesticulating wildly. “You’ve yet to grasp what I’ve done to you by sharing your company. I AM A REPULSIVE THING! How can you even bear to touch me? Unless—of course!—you, too, are a monster.”

“What?”

“What sort of devil are you?” he growls. “To consort so willingly with a fiend, you must be wicked,” he towers over you, jabbing an accusing finger at your face. “An angel would never keep company with a beast. No, you must be a demon!”

Your heartbeat races, every sense in your body urging you to run away. For all he had seemed benevolent and pitiable until this moment, you didn’t know him, or how violent his fluctuating moods could become. His face contorted in anger, he did seem monstrous.

Cowering, you try to back up a few steps, but he grabs your shoulder. Instinctively, you slap him hard across the face. He rears back—for a moment you brace for his retaliation, but instead, wide-eyed and dumbfounded, clutching the side of his face, he whimpers. “You struck me.”

“Yeah! I did! You were acting crazy!” you shout.

“It stung!”

“You were scaring me! My limbs still shake; I thought you might have killed me.”

“Kill you?” His brows fly up, and for a moment he’s desperate to reassure you. “I wouldn’t—not ever!” Voice hardening again, he adds, “How quick of you to take me for a murderer.”

“Well, I don’t know! How would I know that? I’ve barely met you.”

“B-because! I… I’ve never hurt anybody. For that matter, how am I to know you don’t intend to kill me? Every human being I have met has attacked or fled me—how do I know you are not a baited hook, sent to lure me, love-blind, into some trap?”

“I came to help you; do I seem capable of such treachery?”

“I don’t know!”

You stare each other down, huffing with agitation. He has craned over you so far, and you have puffed up onto your toes so tall that your foreheads are nearly touching.

You can’t help getting lost in his eyes, whose unnatural yellow color give him a demonic seeming. The texture of his his skin is too thin, like tissue paper that had been crumpled, then pressed flat again over the muscles of his face; through its sickly pallor, the inner workings of purple veins are much too visible. You think he’s beautiful.

He notices your gaze, and quickly turns his face away, letting his hair hide it.

“I don’t understand how you can look at me like that, when I cannot even bear to look upon myself. Who are you? Surely… surely you have come to kill me.”

“Do you really trust me so little?” you ask quietly. “For me to attack you would be as the sparrow attacking the wolf. But in such a rage as you were, it would be a simple thing for you to dash my skull in with one blow.”

His breath hitches in his throat. He turns to look at you and his eyes are wet with tears. “Did I truly frighten you? Do you think me such an abominable wretch to be capable of harming so beloved and gentle a soul as yours? Repulsive though I am, I never intended to frighten you.”

“Neither your intention nor appearance are of any consequence to me—it is your behavior which causes me fear.”

He throws himself at your feet, clinging to your ankles. “WRETCHED BEAST!” he cries. “Please, allow this abhorred villain to alter his behavior. Instruct me, and I shall obey. Please! I beseech your forgiveness,” he sobs. “Please, you mustn’t think me capable of such horrors. Tell me how to redeem myself. I don’t know how to fix this!”

Shaking your head, you sigh, and squat down to his level. “First of all… get up.”

“I cannot,” he sobs into the dirt.

“Then sit.” You pat his head like a child. He sits, so hunched over in remorse he is nearly shoulder-to-shoulder with you, facing away. “Now, can you swear these wild swings of temper you are prone to will never escalate to violence?”

“I swear it. I am not the master of my emotions, but to do physical harm is a different matter.”

“Good. Then I only ask you not to accuse me of evil-doing without cause. Then I shall have no reason, in the future, to fear you.”

“Then this I cannot guarantee, when I do not even understand what drove me to be so cruel,” he sniffles, wiping a tear. “I always believed, if any being felt emotions of benevolence towards me, I should return them a hundred and a hundredfold—but instead I level bile at the very salvation of which I have dreamed.”

“I believe you only meant to be cruel to yourself,” you suggest.

He reflects on this, and nods agreement. “I could not believe anyone could look at me without terror in their eyes… and so, finding it lacking in yours, I put it there.” He groans miserably. “My loathing for myself runs deeps. If it is the cause of my ruinous behavior, I cannot promise it will never repeat. I know you said I mustn’t tell you to leave—that such a choice is yours to make—but if you wish to quit my company after such horrible mistreatment, I will not obstruct your departure.”

“Oh, hush. I already said I won’t go.” You throw your arms around his neck, and swivel your hips around into his lap. He breathes in sharply, surprised, then gratefully cradles you. 

“Then, strange girl, I must endeavor not to be so bewildered by your affections, and thus shield you from my uneven temperament.

“That would be nice,” you yawn, suddenly sleepy again nestled in his warm arms. “Now come, it must be time to re-wrap your bandages.”

[silence-burns]

I'd drown you in a spoon //part 6

Fandom: Aquaman/DC

Summary: Based on: “Imagine Arthur bringing Orm to you, as a safe place to stay before his trial.” by @thefandomimagine

You'd spent the past few days cleaning up the area around the house, slowly but successfully removing some of the piled up trash from the sea.

It was hard work that didn't result in any visible change despite you packing up whole bags of trash and driving them to the nearest legitimate dump, just outside the city.

You came home around meal time, and took a long shower before heading to the kitchen. Orm could see your exhaustion and often watched you work from the porch. You never once asked him for help, and it bothered him more than he wanted to admit. He was used to being helpful and useful, so the wait was slowly driving him insane.

You seemed not to notice, focused entirely on your task. You still talked with him every day and those were pleasant conversations. Nothing important or upsetting. It was careful. He appreciated that.

You laid down on the sand, out of breath again. You'd cleared only a small space, just enough for one person to lay on. Orm watched you from a bench nearby, impressed by your stubbornness.

“For once, I'd really appreciate a less sunny day,” you admitted after a while, wiping the sweat from your brow.

“You could always just leave it,” he noted.

“It's not like I have anything better to do here, you know?”

“Still, it's going to take you ages to finish it. Look at how much it covers the beach. You can't see the end of it.”

“There will be an end when I'm done with it. Besides, weren't you the one responsible for resurfacing all of this?”

He frowned. “I was, but the point wasn't to make a single, weak human try and fail to clean it all.”

“Well, it's not like this weak human's got much help.”

“They could ask for it,” Orm said through gritted teeth.

“What if they don't want to?”

“Then they are foolish for thinking they alone can change anything!”

“Thank God they are the only ones who have fallen down that mind trap of ambition, right…?” you asked with a sly smirk, shamelessly winking at him.

Orm felt played. But instead of him admitting it, it made him angry.

“What exactly is your problem?” he stood up, making his way towards you in quick, angry steps.

“Do I look like I have any?” you provoked him on purpose, getting back to your legs too. Ignoring the sand falling off you, you looked Orm directly in the eyes.

He stopped a few inches from you. “You look like you need to be reminded of your place.”

“Scary. Do it.”

Orm frowned, getting the opposite reaction than what he expected.

You used that moment to your advantage, punching him.

Orm blocked it with his forearm, more surprised than angry now. Moving back, he ducked another hit.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking for my place. I think I've lost it somewhere in there.”

He jumped back when you aimed for his legs. Fighting on the surface was slower and messier than underwater, where he could use the currents to prop and move him. The sand was unsteady, but there wasn't steadier ground to move onto.

“Stop it.”

“Why? You promised to teach me.”

“Stop playing games or you'll meet the consequences,” Orm growled, catching your foot mid-kick.

He had a strong grip. You couldn't free it.

“Tell them they're welcome.”

You jumped, using your captured leg to get to him. With the other one, you slammed him right in the chest. Orm stumbled, letting you go. You hit the sand, but he stayed up.

One look at him and you could clearly see you crossed the line.

With no time to get up, you kicked his legs, hoping to make him fall and lose advantage. On one knee, he caught your arm and pushed you to the left.

A few moments of struggling later, you blocked his legs while he was pushing your face into the ground. Neither of you could change the position even a bit, but if you had to be honest, Orm at least didn't have to breath in the sand.

“Are you done?” he muttered, trying to fight your resistance and writhing.

“I can do this all day,” you said, knowing perfectly well you couldn't. But you'd rather suffocate than let him win the round. It'd been getting boring anyway.

“Why can't you… just give up already? There's no point in keeping this up.”

You squished his leg harder, bending it painfully. “I haven't had so much fun in forever.”

You breathed some sand in when Orm pushed you lower. You started coughing uncontrollably when it irritated your nose. You tried to get it out, feeling your eyes water and sneezing the life out of you, but all it did was make you feel even worse.

Orm loosened his grip on you with a frown and hesitancy. He sat next to you, watching you get yourself together again. When you were finally done, you laid down, sweaty and tired, but as happy as anyone who just had a good fight.

The sun burned your exposed skin ruthlessly.

“Are you okay?”

You gave him thumbs up. “Give me a moment and we can have another round.”

Orm scoffed, shaking his head with disbelief. “Why are you like this?”

“I don't know how to be anyone else.”

He acted as if he didn't hear you and that may have been true. He was looking at the thin line of sea visible over the trash.

“Giving up is necessary sometimes, as well as bending to other's will and changing your mind and adapting to that change… You may not be a politician, but you must know that.”

“Change is good, but only as long as I can stay true to myself,” you stated calmly, looking at the sky. “I’m the one I live for.”

You'd give more than a penny for his thoughts. Your words seemed to remind him of something, but you didn't know him well enough to guess what it was.

“That's an interesting point of view,” he said after a while.

Somehow, Orm looked more… peaceful? It may have just been the angle, on second thought.

“Suffocation does it for me. Wanna try it?”

“I'll pass,” he said, but the slightest of smiles seemed to play on his lips.

[pinkykitten]

Based on a Gif!

Marvel

Peter Parker (Spider-Man) x villain & angel! female reader (requested by @saturngirlz)

Warning: death (i know AGAIN!), violence 

“Mommy, mommy look up there!” Your tiny young self pointed up into the light blue sky. There was a slight breeze followed by a machine whirring by. “Its Iron Man!” Your e/c eyes widened at the sight. Giggling at your hero you started to jump up and down, getting excited seeing him. 

“Yes it is honey,” your mother placed her loving hands on your head. Smoothing down as she chuckled at your adorableness. “You know though, one day you could be up there.”

You raised your brow, “what do you mean mama?” You lifted yourself up to sit next to her. 

“What I mean is with your gift, you could change the world y/n. You could be a hero.”

You let your wings out freely. They were small, the feathers were soft like silk. They were also white, blindingly white. They stretched farther than your tiny arms. “Like this.” You flew up and started to, clumsily, fly around the room. 

“Be careful there,” spoke your father as he entered into the room. Holding the newspaper. You giggled, “always papa.”

The two most important people were ripped away from you. Those little moments of peace and quiet disappeared like smoke. Growing up with wings was hard. You tried going to public school like normal children but you were made fun of so instead you did homeschooling. 

You were the quiet type, the one who kept to herself. You didn’t mind that you didn’t have friends, all that mattered to you was revenge. 

High school was difficult. Having lost your parents recently and then now having to go to school, it made you more anti-social. More reserved, pulling away from the world. Your young cheerful self was replaced with a new personality of a damaged girl. Your heart was broken, your bright happy wings now with black depressed wings laid upon your back. 

The day your parents died you made out a bit of who it was. It was Spider-Man!

You vowed to yourself that you would catch that monster and kill him yourself, you will do everything in your power. 

You finally met Spider-Man. His suit was bright red, “hmmph, just like his blood.” You smirked evilly. 

You flew up to block Peter from fighting with his enemy Vulture. 

“I’m sorry who are you?”

“Its understandable you don’t know me or more like don’t remember me. But that’s besides the point, those who don’t know me call me Angel, but those who do call me Dark Angel.” With that you grabbed onto Peter tightly and flew him up into the clouds. His breathing was harsh and you could tell he was starting to become more weak. 

“Please I swear I don’t...I don’t know anything about you,” Peter said as he got the strength to kick you in the face. You were knocked out for a second so your body fell at a fast rate. 

Peter quickly used his webs to catch you, “don’t worry I got you.” He brought you to him. Hugging you close so you were protected. “Wow,” he mouthed as he got a close look at you. The way your skin shined from the sun. Your wings looking almost transparent from the light. 

Almost close the ground your eye lids fluttered open. With an angry scowl you pushed Peter away from you. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Um saving your butt!” Peter shouted as his hands went around your waist. Your breath hitched at the contact. Your arms subconsciously landed around his shoulders. “I-um, well.”

You heard his chuckle, the white of his eyes on his suit turned smaller as he growled at you. “I know I’m a little irresistible, but lets talk on the ground. You know away from death.”

Peter carefully, worrying about you first, landed you on the ground. “I like your wings.” He pointed to them as they opened and closed. 

You gave him a glare, “thanks, I guess.”

“Okay now lets talk. What did I do? I’ve done a lot, if I cut you in Delmar’s Deli I’m sorry my Aunt tells me I’m little crazy when I’m hungry-”

“What? No!” You shook your head. “You, Spider-Man killed my parents!”

“Whoa, you must have mistaken me for someone else...entirely. I would never kill anybody. I don’t even know you.”

“Prove it,” you came closer to him. Your fist raising threateningly to his face. Peter walked back with hands up, surrendering.  “Hey wait there Angel!”

“Its Dark Angel!”

Peter gave a flirtatious laugh that was a mix of his nerdiness, “not to me.”

You almost punched him when he spoke up again, “look I don’t know who you are, I’ve never seen you in my life- Wait...what is your name again?”

“Dark Angel?”

“No your real name.”

“Y/n L/n.”

Peter looked shocked and with a gasp he said, “Y/n I think I know who killed your parents.”

Just then he remembered seeing your parents running away, trying to save themselves. They shouted your name, stating that they couldn’t leave you alone. 

“The man who killed your parents is-”

“Me,” an evil chuckle was hear behind you. 

You saw Vulture. “Yeah thats right. I killed your parents. See when you don’t pay for what you bought, you well you get what I’m saying. You suffer the consequences.”

You were in an anger state, tears falling down your cheeks. “How could you? You ripped everything away from me!” You flew to him just as he flew up. He clawed at your skin and wings but you flew faster to punch him in the chest. 

“No y/n! He’s not worth it!” Peter said as he caught on you with his webs trying to bring you down. You break his webs with your strength and grab Vulture. You flung him forcefully to the ground and grab a sharp piece of debris. Vulture laying on the ground, dazed. Finally the man that took everything from you was about pay, he was about to feel the way you felt when he killed your parents. 

You held the debris a few inches away from his face. “Since you did the worst to me, you took everything away from me...you suffer the consequences.”

You were about to stab him when Peter intervened. “No stop! This isn’t right, I know what he did was the worst! He deserves to die, but you can’t do that to him. Even if you were to kill him it won’t bring you any closure it won’t bring your parents back.”

You struggled to fight against your conscious, against Peter. With a strained voice from crying you look up at Peter, “but he’s right here, finally.” You thought about your mother, her sweet face and your father. This wasn’t right, they taught you to be better than this. To be kind, to help others. 

You fell and cried into your arms, letting Vulture get away. Peter did need to take Vulture down but right now you were his priority. He needed to worry about you. Peter picked you up and gave you a hug, comforting you softly. “I know I know. When my Uncle got killed I felt the same way. I felt like I caused his death, like nothing in the world would ever make me happy again.”

You sniffled, “really?”

Peter nodded, “yeah and then my parents died. All I have now is my Aunt May. She’s man...she’s the greatest. She’s like my mom, so kind and so loving. Look y/n even though we may think we lost all hope in life and in ourselves we have to keep fighting because there is always that one thing in life that makes you live again.”

Peter wiped your tears away and you nodded, “I think I found that one thing.” You smile. Peter wraps an arm around your shoulders and walks with you. “C’mon let me show you around Queens. Lets hang out together and just have fun.” 

You giggled, “sure thing Spider-Man.”

(authors note: i know death again but at least its not on the reader. this is my first time writing for peter and im actually quite happy with this i know its a lil long and not rlly a drabble but i couldnt help myself. avengers: endgame is in a few days so pls request as much as u can and as soon as u can. u can request more than once.)

Tag list: @harrington-lover, @angelgl16, @perfectlybeautifulsuit, @hyehoney, @haven-prelude (wont let me tag), @leasly, @totally-alexa21, @creamy-pasta-boi, @multireese, @fanfictionrecommendations-com, @prentisskelley, @malereaderforkpop (wont let me tag), @guardian-of-cookies, @justafangirl-97, @teenageshitposts (wont let me tag), @andreaoreas, @dippergravity (wont let me tag), @some-booty, @fromfoolishpeopletodeadpeople, @collectiveyou, @wtfisalltherandoms, @fangirl-4-life415, @dirbel, @marwantr, @divaanya, @wassupitschloe, @idontknowwhattocallthisworld (wont let me tag), @spycii, @woeisbutwoe, @pormacskaa

wanna be tagged in my crap? comment!

[secretagentspydetectiveninja]

Drink your “loving and appreciating Marinette” juice

Wrote some Lilanette after watching the new trailer because I am The Salt

AO3

“Lila? Can I talk to you for a second?”

Marinette watched as Lila tensed up for a second before turning around, an incredibly fake smile plastered on her face. “Of course! What do you want?”

Taking a deep breath, Marinette pushed all anger towards Lila out of her mind. “I know we didn’t exactly get off to the best start, and you probably don’t like me very much. But I’m worried about you.”

The smile fell. “Why?”

How to even begin? She couldn’t tell Lila she was Ladybug, that she had seen the consequences of Lila being driven to villainy by Hawk Moth with her own eyes.

“I know you’re trying very hard to make friends with everyone,” she said carefully, watching as Lila’s eyes narrowed at her, “and I know you want people to like you. But why do you need to lie so much to do it?”

“I’m not a liar!” Lila snapped, immediately on the defensive.

“No – wait! I don’t mean it in a bad way! I mean…”

Ugh, this was going to be impossible. How to even get Lila to listen when there was already such a rift between them?

“I know my classmates very well,” she said. “They’re all really nice. Adrien, too! They’re all so easy to make friends with! You don’t have to pretend to be someone you’re not. It’s okay. They’ll accept you. You can be yourself.”

Lila turned away. “I’m already myself.”

“Your true self, Lila.”

“I… I am my true self.”

That pause must have been there for a reason. Marinette pressed on.

“There’s more to being a good friend than just knowing lots of celebrities. Maybe tell our classmates something else about yourself, like your hobbies or interests! They’ll like that too.”

Lila shook her head. “You really don’t know anything, do you?! You’ve been here your whole life! You don’t know what it’s like to have to travel from school to school all the time and never get to know anyone! I can’t just be one of you!”

“You can. We’ve survived akuma attacks together, and now you’re part of the team too. You can be one of us, and you don’t have to make stuff up for it.”

“Why are you even talking to me?!” Lila said suddenly, turning to Marinette with a sharp glare. “You hate me, don’t you? What are you up to?”

Marinette was at a loss for words for several seconds. Why was she even doing this? She could always just pass it off as being the class rep and trying to diffuse any tension within the class, but that wasn’t completely true, nor was it sincere…

“Well the truth is, I wanna be your friend,” she mumbled.

“Um… what?”

Marinette held out her hand. “Lila, I would like to be your friend. I just get the feeling that under that mask you put on, you’re… I don’t know, kind of cool. Or at least, you could be. And I want to get to know the real Lila Rossi. It could be fun.”

Lila glanced down at Marinette’s outstretched hand, brows lowered with suspicion. “What’s the point? Don’t you already have a million friends, like the perfect little class rep you are?”

“I do! Well, I did… though they all seem to have left me for you, so…” She ignored the pang in her chest and put on a bright smile. “So I’ll do the same. Lila, do you want to be friends?”

“How can you just do that?!”

“Do what?”

Tears were starting to run down Lila’s face, to Marinette’s alarm. “I took everything away from you! Adrien, your seat, your friends, everything! How can you just smile and carry on like that? Do you know how many times that’s happened to me? How can you bear it?!”

Slowly, gently, Marinette placed her hand on Lila’s shoulder. “Let’s just put all that in the past…”

“I can’t!” Sobbing, Lila pushed Marinette’s hand away and ran off.

No… not another failed attempt. Should she have apologized? She couldn’t even think what to apologize for. When had she ever done anything wrong to Lila, aside from once as Ladybug? Lila didn’t even know she was Ladybug!

“Tikki, I tried,” Marinette whispered, her courage beginning to fail. “But it didn’t work.”

Tikki popped out of Marinette’s pocket and gently patted her cheek. “You did your best, Marinette. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks…”

-

Lila stormed around her room in a rage, running her fingers through her hair and almost tearing it right out in frustration.

What was this – this – feeling?!

She hadn’t felt guilt over her lies in a long, long time. It was something that was so easy to become desensitized to. Lying was second nature to her now, practically a part of who she was. If all those poor saps believed what she told them, why would she burst their bubble? It wasn’t like she was hurting anyone, right?

Well, except that she really was hurting someone with her lies.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Perfect, precious Marinette, the baker girl who was clearly head-over-heels for her Adrien, who blended into any friendship group in the class with absolute ease. The kind of girl that was everything Lila had ever aspired to be – and all without any lying whatsoever!

And now, this Marinette, who she had tried so hard to isolate, in a stubborn, twisted revenge, didn’t turn into a jealousy-fuelled monster like Lila had been expecting. No, she had gulped it all down and asked to be friends!

How?!

Lila collapsed onto her bed, lying on her side and hugging her knees to her chest. How dare Marinette make her feel guilty like this?

And how dare that jealousy be getting worse and worse, jealousy that Lila knew was a problem but never cared enough to sort it out? Marinette had said that all her friends abandoned her for Lila – but that wasn’t really true, was it? They were distracted by Lila, like some shiny, flashy new gadget. Within a week they would go back to their good old Marinette once the novelty had worn off and nothing would be different.

It had happened time and time again. Lila would try to prolong her period of popularity, creating greater and greater lies just to keep the attention on her, only for people to catch on and begin rejecting her on principle. Or even worse, just ignoring her entirely. Unamused by her false stories.

It hurt. And it had happened SO. MANY. TIMES.

Was there ever a way to break the cycle?

Well…

This school truly was different. The city was full of akumas, and the class had banded together like no other, in order to keep their own safe. Marinette had invited Lila into their special little group with open arms. No ulterior motives whatsoever.

How must it feel to be like that? That free, that unbound by a self-created web of lies?

Lila hugged her pillow close. Could she ever hug her classmates like this? Or Marinette herself? Would they even accept her?

Maybe… just maybe, they would.

They were nice people, after all. Marinette herself was nice. Adrien was plenty nice. The kids who Lila had never bothered getting to know beyond the superficial, they were nice. She had meant to pull them away from Marinette, and it had worked for now, but she knew in her heart that it was only temporary. When push came to shove, all of them would pick Marinette over her.

Lila had never truly been special to anyone.

Except Hawk Moth, apparently.

Ugh. Screw Hawk Moth.

Lila stood up and tossed the pillow aside, wiping her eyes with her sleeves. No more being Hawk Moth’s stooge, like some antisocial loner. Time to truly become a member of this class.

And for that, she had to start with the classmates.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and called up someone who she had never even thought to care about, someone who had the power to help her fix whatever harm she had caused Marinette.

“Hello, Alya? It’s me, Lila. Can I talk to you?...”

-

The next day when Marinette walked into class, she saw Nino sitting beside Adrien. Then did a double-take.

Nino?? Sitting next to Adrien again???

Alya was patting the empty seat next to her and waving. “Hey Marinette! Get over here, girl!”

Confused, Marinette slipped into her old seat beside her. “Um, Alya? What’s going on? I thought Nino sat here!”

Alya leaned over and wrapped Marinette in a hug. “A certain someone convinced me to change my mind. I’m not just gonna abandon my best friend like that, you know! You deserve this seat!”

“Oh! Thank you!”

She gladly hugged Alya back, relief flooding her. Part of the reason she had been so upset was Alya’s reaction to everything – she hadn’t thought her best friend would simply banish her to the back of the classroom like that. Thank goodness things were returning to normal.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Lila slinked into the room and made her way to the very back. Plenty of the classmates were watching in concern. As much as Marinette didn’t want to talk to her, there was an unpleasant twinge in her stomach urging her to do something.

“Um, Lila?”

Lila flinched before turning to face her. Marinette gulped down her nerves.

“You have tinnitus, right? If you want, me and Alya will sit at the back and you can sit here instead, so it’s easier for you to hear in class…”

For a few seconds Lila just stared in surprise. But then she looked down at the floor, an incredibly uncharacteristic look of dejection on her face. “No thanks, Marinette. I don’t have tinnitus anymore actually. Um, it’s healed. Jagged Stone paid for a doctor to… uh… yes. I can sit at the back, it’s fine.”

With that, she turned around and went to sit in her new seat.

That was almost certainly a lie. Marinette guessed that Lila never really had tinnitus in the first place anyway. But in a way, this was… a start?

-

Well, Marinette had her old seat back. Lila had expected to just brush over it and move on, as normal.

But dang, this guilt! This unending, persistent guilt!

“Nino, may I ask a favour from you?”

“Sure, dude! What’s up?”

Lila looked around and lowered her voice. “Do you happen to have a playlist of Marinette’s favourite music?”

“Of course. Why, are we throwing her a party or something?”

“Yes.”

“Ooh, nice! Why?”

He seemed so naturally happy, so inquisitive, no acting needed. How were all these classmates so… like that? No wonder they were all so happy all the time – no reason for them to feel guilty at all!

“I can’t tell you yet, it’s a surprise,” Lila said, giving him a wink. “But I suppose you can be the DJ. Skrillex is a bit busy at the moment with… uh…”

The excited look on his face was almost causing her physical pain.

“I mean, I’m joking about Skrillex, I don’t know him,” she said quickly. Ugh, telling the truth was really going to take some getting used to, huh? “But you can definitely be the DJ. I know you’d want to.”

“Nice! Thanks so much, dude!” He held out his hand for a fist bump.

It was so odd. Lila hadn’t lied in that conversation at all. And this guy still wanted a fist bump!

-

Marinette walked into class to see Chloé Bourgeois standing beside her desk, tapping her fingers on it impatiently.

“Ugh, Dupain-Cheng! Do you always have to get into class so late? I have something to talk to you about!”

Marinette’s heart sank. Yes, Chloé could be alright these days, but that tone of voice was rather… harsh.

“What do you want?” she asked, sitting down and putting her bag down beside her.

Chloé tossed a little piece of card onto the table. “You’re invited to a party at my hotel. It’s not my party, by the way, it’s someone else. But they don’t want me to tell you. So I have to give you this lame thing myself.” With that she flounced off.

Marinette picked up the card and had a look at it. It was an invitation for an evening a few days away, and perfectly formatted – in fact, so perfectly formatted that Marinette leaned back to get a look at Max, frowning.

“It’s not my party either by the way!” he called to her, noticing her watching him. “I just made the invites with Markov’s help.”

“Then whose party is it?” she asked.

“Sorry, I’m bound to secrecy. You’ll find out in 3 days, 8 hours and 47 minutes anyway.”

She looked back at the card. There was a little drawing of her on it too, in a very familiar art style.

“Not me either,” Nathaniel said, almost before Marinette had even turned around. “I just drew the thing.”

Marinette stood up, card in hand. “Who is this mystery person?!”

“Marinette, please take a seat, class is about to start!” Ms Bustier said, frowning at her.

Right…

She sat down again, mind working furiously.

-

Her mystery still wasn’t solved when Juleka and Rose linked their arms up with hers, one on each side, and dragged her to their lunch table to sit with them and eagerly discuss how amazing the last batch of Marinette’s macarons had been. Why were they being so weirdly nice to her?

Well, it wasn’t weirdly nice. It was just the usual amount of nice, but it was so strange to experience it when Lila was at this school too, catching everyone’s attention and making them forget all about Marinette. Was that washing off?

Marinette found herself drifting away from the lunch conversation and watching Lila sitting over in the corner, talking to Sabrina. Part of her wondered if Lila had some malicious intent – Sabrina was easy to manipulate, after all. But then again, these past few days Lila hadn’t been up to much at all. Not even fawning over Adrien.

“Hey Marinette? Earth to Marinette?”

Rose’s shrill voice snapped her out of her thoughts with such whiplash she accidentally dropped her fork. “Ah! Yes, sorry! I was just distracted.”

Rose giggled. “Daydreaming over Adrien again?”

“Heh… yeah…”

No, not really. She hadn’t been thinking about Adrien at all, in fact. Someone else had been taking up all her brain waves recently, someone who she should have hated but just simply couldn’t.

-

“Hey Lila, come over here for a second!”

She turned to see Kim waving at her from across the room. What did he want now? She found it hard to stand his constant bragging, as hypocritical as that was for her. Surely she couldn’t be the only one to find him at least a little bit annoying.

“What’s going on?” she asked politely, pinning her usual fake smile to her face. Or at least, it was fake for now. Recently, more often than not, it had been sort of genuine. These classmates really were quite nice.

“We’re having a competition!” Kim said, holding up a bunch of milk cartons and beaming at her. “Who can drink the most milk in the space of a minute. Me, Alix, Marinette, Ivan.”

“I did not want to be a part of this,” Ivan grumbled rather quietly, thought he had a slight smirk on his face.

“Well too bad, you lost our last bet, so you have to do it. Anyway Lila – you wanna take part too?”

Lila laughed and flicked her hair. “Why would I want to do that?”

“Because you’re good at everything! That’ll make it a proper challenge! None of these chumps here can beat me, so–” He stopped as Alix gave him a kick in the foot.

“I’m sorry,” Lila started, “but I don’t want…”

She trailed off. Of course, she was already used to everyone believing that she truly was good at everything. Worming her way out of having to prove it was second nature to her.

But these kids… they all looked like they were having fun. Mylène was pouring out the milk into glasses, Marinette was setting a timer on her phone, they all seemed so happy to take part, even if they knew only one of them could win.

Lila took a deep breath. “I’m not good at this. Drinking milk fast. I’d lose.”

Oh, it hurt to say, it hurt so much. She never allowed herself to be so honest!

But she noticed Marinette suddenly looking up at her, seemingly stunned.

It sparked a fire within – and a good kind of fire.

Maybe this whole honesty thing really wasn’t so bad after all.

“That’s okay!” Marinette said, having got over her surprise. “I’ll probably lose too. But it’ll be fun to take part. Do you want to?”

Lila looked around at all these warm, welcoming faces, all smiling at her like they truly did accept her, even if she wasn’t as good at everything as she had led them to believe. This darn class! They really were something else, weren’t they?

She let a more genuine smile slip onto her face. “Alright then. I’ll have a go.”

“Nice!”

Marinette stepped forwards, took Lila’s hand, and pulled her over to the table where the milk glasses stood. Lila couldn’t help but stare. Something about Marinette was just so kind, so different, it was no wonder all her classmates loved her so much.

And Lila, too… was beginning to respect her. Yes. That.

She ignored her elevated heartbeat, how warm her fingers were when Marinette let go.

It was in a daze that she came third in the milk-drinking contest. Ivan was the winner, somehow. Perhaps Mylène’s cheering had given him strength – or perhaps his mild rivalry with Kim.

That was the thing, wasn’t it? No one in this class truly hated each other. Even now they all respected Chloé, even leaning more towards the liking side of tolerating. It was so full of love and support and friendship.

Lila couldn’t help it. She really, truly did want to be a part of it.

-

Marinette wanted to smack herself in the face. How typical was it for her to be late to her own party?! Of course, she had been running errands as Ladybug, but still! Her classmates were waiting for her! And this mystery person who had organized the party, they were waiting for her too…

She burst into the hall to see everyone waving at her and welcoming her in, Nino playing her favourite song from the DJ table. What was going on, honestly? Why was everyone being so nice to her?

“Ugh, late again!” Chloé sighed, rolling her eyes. “Anyway, come and sit down over here. Someone wants to make a speech and you’ll have to listen, even if it’s boring.”

She pointed Marinette at one of the seats. Marinette sat down apprehensively, right beside Alya, who gave her a grin.

“Glad you could make it.”

“I know I’m late, I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay! Anyway, you’ll get to find out who organized this party now.”

“Was it you?”

“Nope. Just wait and see!”

Marinette turned towards the centre of the hall. Nino lowered the music volume until it faded out entirely, and everyone’s conversations quickly came to an end.

Into the centre stepped Lila Rossi.

“Hi Marinette,” she said, her charismatic voice wavering a little for once. “And hi everyone else too. Yes, I organized this party to pay thanks to Marinette Dupain-Cheng, for being a wonderful person and classmate.”

Marinette could hardly believe her ears. She had never really heard Lila praise someone who wasn’t herself before. True, she had been a lot more subdued lately, something that Marinette had noticed while keenly watching her from the sidelines, but still…

“And also this party is an apology,” Lila said quickly, looking at the floor now. “When I joined this school I wanted to make friends. But I didn’t do it the right way. I… I lied. A lot. About everything. And I took all Marinette’s friends away from her. I thought she would be mad at me for it. But she wasn’t. Well, maybe she was. But she still tried to make friends with me, even after what I’d done.”

Lila lifted her eyes to look at Marinette, a new vulnerability in them.

“Marinette, I’m… sorry. There, I said it! I’m sorry for doing that to you. And everyone else, I’m sorry for lying to you. Marinette’s the one who should be appreciated, not me. She’s a really special person…”

Was this really happening?

Was Lila apologizing?

Marinette barely noticed everyone’s applause, and didn’t even think about everyone swarming around Lila to congratulate her on owning up to what she had done. The only thing she could think about were Lila’s words, running through her head on repeat.

She’s a really special person.

Was it true? Did Lila really think that of her?

-

Lila ran to the balcony outside just to get some space, some fresh air, some time to herself, anything! She hadn’t meant for her speech to get herself attention. For once in her entire life, that was exactly what she hadn’t wanted! So why did everyone crowd around her and just ruin things like that? This was supposed to be Marinette’s moment, not hers!

Even when trying, she couldn’t help but make everything about herself, could she?

“Lila?”

She jumped. That was Marinette’s voice.

Composing herself, she turned around to see Marinette walking up to her.

“Your classmates and friends,” she said quickly, “they really do care about you, okay? They care so much. I’ve been talking to them this week and they all – they all never shut up about you, they love you lots–”

She stopped abruptly as Marinette stepped forwards, placed a gentle hand on the side of her face, and kissed her cheek.

“Lila, it’s okay,” she whispered. “I know they care. And they care about you too, you know. They really do.”

Lila was too shocked to speak, so she simply nodded. Marinette smiled, softly tracing her thumb across Lila’s cheek.

“And so do I. Thank you for everything you’ve done tonight, and everything you’ve done in this past week. You really have made a difference.”

Now Lila’s eyes were filling up with tears, and she willed them to stop it. Marinette was just so nice!

“I’ll try not to lie anymore,” she managed to say.

“I can’t wait to get to know the real Lila. In fact…” Marinette blushed. “Do you, um, want to go get ice cream sometime? Together?”

For everyone Lila had ever known, she was always the one making the first moves. This, this was a change. And it was a nice one.

She nodded. “Yes please, Marinette.”

[cutesuki--bakugou]

Sea Legs

Ch. 10 - Attraction

Warning, Naughty Chapter: Foreplay and Sex

Boku No Hero Academia / My Hero Academia Quirkless, Mermaid, Modern AU

Rating: Explicit | Excessive Fluff, Blood, Wounds, Nudity, Sex, Cursing and Vulgar Language

Genre: Romance / Humor / Angst

Main Pairing: Katsuki Bakugou x Koge Naegi (oc)

A trip to her grandmothers beachfront home was something that Koge had done every year of her life. This time, an unlikely discovery would change her life forever. Who knew explaining how to be a human could be so hard.

By the time Koge found the courage to leave the bathroom, the movie was over and the bedroom was settled in suffocating darkness. If she weren’t so upset with herself, she would find it pleasant, a perfect environment for sleeping. It was apparent that she wasn’t the only one who thought so, able to hear Bakugou’s deep breathing and soft snoring from the bed. During her time moping in the bathtub, Koge came to realize that everything she had just done was a huge mistake. She had been so blinded by how much she wanted him that she hadn’t even stopped to think about his impressions of it all. He had just been curious about what human sex was, why he was so turned on by her and how it was typically taken care of. In the moment, she may have been driven by urges she should have kept in check, but that isn’t why she had gotten so frustrated.

In the back of her mind, she thought that maybe giving herself to him would give her some hint as to how he felt about her emotionally. From what she could tell, there hadn’t been anything that wasn’t just physical attraction, and that brought her down much more than expected. For all she knew, he would be gone tomorrow, and her stupid little crush would be nothing more than a decaying memory. Technically, she had gotten what she wanted, and he got to experience one of the most intimate things a human can go through in their lifetime. Bakugou was healthy and eager to get home, which was all Koge had originally set out to accomplish, so she knew that she needed to let it all go.

Standing there lost in thought, she didn’t realize that the sounds of Bakugou sleeping had stopped, until she noticed his reflective iris’ locked on her from across the room. It startled her so badly that she gave a small jump at first, bringing a hand up to her chest. “Ah, uhm… Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t. Well… your smell did. You always smell good after a bath.”

Koge couldn’t stop the violent blush that ravaged her cheeks, shifting in her spot a bit before heading towards the small couch where she had been sleeping the past two weeks. “I’m… glad you think so. I guess…” Sitting down, she pulled the blanket up over her legs, though she didn’t lay down just yet. Bakugou gave a heavy sigh, the sound of the bed indicating that he had rolled over. “You’re that pissed at me?”

“No, Katsuki, I’m not mad at you.” Koge fiddled with a string that hung off the blanket, avoiding the eyes that she knew were still watching her. “I’m mad at myself.”

“What for? It’s like you said, it didn’t have to mean anything. It didn’t, right?”

“I--” Koge could feel the familiar burn of tears building up in her senses, struggling to speak against the lump in her throat. “You’re right. I’m just… Maybe I’m sad that you’re leaving in the morning. I’m gonna miss you.”

“Oh? Of course you are. But don’t think I’m gonna miss you! You’re the most annoying human I’ve ever met. But not as annoying as a lobster.”

Koge couldn’t help a short giggle, though it made her instantly lose control on the tears she had been trying to restrain. They were hot against her chilled skin, though she didn’t bother wiping them away. “I don’t believe you. I think you’ll miss me. I hope you will, at least…” With that, Koge settled herself to lay down, keeping her back to him in hopes that he wouldn’t see how truly upset she was about this whole situation. There was so much she wanted to tell him, about how much she truly liked him and how important every second they had spent together was. But she couldn’t. It would be pointless, afterall, and may just make their last moments together more awkward than they already were.

“Utsuro… why don’t you sleep over here.” Bakugou’s voice was quiet, as if his statement was supposed to be a silent wish or thought that she wasn’t supposed to hear.

“What? You… want me to?” Koge turned her head to look towards the bed, noticing that those reflective eyes were avoiding her as much as possible. There was only a soft grunt in response, but it was something Koge had come to recognize as a ‘yes’. After a moment of consideration, Koge peeled herself from the couch and made her way towards the bed, slipping beneath the covers. Facing her, Bakugou’s warm hand came up to caress her upper arm, and Koge could see the frustrated and confused furrow of his brow. “I just… can’t stop these stupid urges to touch you. To hold you… like they did in the movie…”

“You… mean cuddle?” Koge couldn’t resist the smile on her face, which only grew as he nodded. With a scoff, his hand came up and covered her face, making her giggle. “Utsuro, don’t look at me and smile like that! It doesn’t have to be weird, alright!”

Koge reached up and took his hand gently, shifting close to him as she guided his arm around her torso. “It’s okay, Katsuki.You’re right, it doesn’t have to be weird. Friends cuddle.”

“Do they?”

“Mhmm. Sometimes.” Koge felt his warmth spread through every inch of her body as she wiggled herself in, a soft sigh escaping her lips as he held her close. “You’re so warm… It’s odd, for a fish person.”

“I’m not a fish person right now. I’m human, like you.” Bakugou buried his face into her hair, making Koge’s face instantly burn like fire. “And there’s a lot of things about being human I don’t fucking understand. Like how damn stupid you make me feel. It almost makes me want to stay longer… Just to make sense of it.”

“You shouldn’t.” Koge closed her eyes, beginning to feel sleepy from the warmth and comfort of his embrace. “It will only make it harder… For both of us. We shouldn’t get any closer than this.”

“You’re right, Utsuro. Now go to sleep. Before we end up saying something we shouldn’t.”

…

Waking up with a strong arm around her wasn’t something that Koge was used to, but she had no reason to really complain. With Bakugou spooning her comfortably from behind, she felt as if she were wrapped in a warm cloud. She never wanted to move or get up, knowing the instant that she did, she would never have this again. Though, it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t quite as asleep as she thought. His hand slid around to caress her stomach, which was exposed from her tank top having ridden up during the night. Instantly, those butterflies returned, her heart beginning to race.

Don’t touch me like this, Katsuki… We already went through this, we can’t--

“Utsuro…” His deep voice in her ear instantly made her shiver, opening her eyes as his hand traveled up to caress her neck. Guided by his finger and his thumb against his chin, he urged her head to turn, so that she was looking up at him. It was obvious to her that he was still in some haze of sleep, his expression soft. But, his gaze was intense, only making her weaker. She knew there wasn’t going to be any way she could stop this if he started it, and in truth, she didn’t want to. She wanted all of him.

Instead of words, he continued by kissing her softly, which Koge couldn’t help but give in to. Bringing her own hand up, she buried her fingers into his hair, absentmindedly arching her body further into him. It was then that she could feel it, his cock pressing eagerly against her ass. Fuck, he makes me so damn hot. But I can’t! I shouldn’t…

“Can I touch you?” Bakugou spoke breathlessly against her lips, his hand having found its way back to her stomach. It was slowly making its way up to her breasts, his fingers inching beneath her shirt.

No—

“Yes.” Koges mouth spoke out of turn, kissing him again as his hand took action with her permission. Pushing her shirt up above her breasts, he first squeezed and massaged one, his hand large enough to tease it with ease. Koge couldn’t resist a soft gasp into the kiss when his focus moved to her nipple, pinching and rolling it about beneath his fingers. Sly smile crossing her lips, she turned her head away a bit, a fluttering bliss rolling through her body as his kisses continued along her cheek and jawline. “Someone paid attention to the movie.”

“Don’t ruin it.” Bakugou growled in her ear, increasing the roughness of his touch to make her gasp and wiggle. “I’m doing this for you.” A bit caught off guard by his words, Koge didn’t question him, trying to control the increased rate of her breathing. For me…? Does he feel guilty about last night?

She didn’t have much time to contemplate as his hand shifted down to her hips, making their way into her shorts and underwear. The heat in Koge’s body flared as his rough fingers slid across her clit, one of her legs lifting and resting over his to open herself up to him. Recognizing the reaction, Bakugou focused his attention on her clit, fingers sliding across and rolling the fleshy button about.

“Y-yes…” Koge moaned softly, hiding her face further into her pillow. “Yes, Katsuki, t-that’s it!” It was impossible for her to not cave into the pleasure, every inch of her begging for more. Bakugou seemed more than willing to give it to her, his lips trailing her neck and shoulder. “Tell me what you want.”

Beginning to feel that ball of pleasure growing in her core, Koge was happy to instruct, turning her head to look up at him again. She kept their lips close and gaze locked, loving that crimson glare. “Your middle and third finger… put them inside of me, a little curved. A-ah, all the way, to your knuckles and m-move them, in and out, oh fuck--” Being inexperienced seemed to be of no consequence, his fingers moving at the perfect pace and hitting all her good spots. The ball only grew tighter the longer he fingered her, forcing her hips to rock with his movements. “D-don’t stop-- Katsuki!” She couldn’t resist moaning his name as the built up pleasure finally exploded. The waves that rolled through her body were strong, making her twitch and sigh out loudly in relief.

“Damn it, Utsuro,” Bakugou removed his fingers, but continued to stroke along her sex as her orgasm faded. “Hearing you moan my name like that drives me fucking crazy.” After a quick kiss, Koge nibbled at her bottom lip, pressing her hips back against his to put a bit of pressure on his cock. “Well if you fuck me, maybe you’ll get to hear it again.”

“Are you sure?”

“Would I say it if I wasn’t?” Koge turned her body to face him as he removed his hand from her bottoms, catching him in a heated kiss. With ease, Bakugou held her body against his as he lifted her up, rolling them over so she was laying beneath him. Once she was steady, she was quick to strip herself of her bottoms, leaving them discarded on the bed. Bakugou followed her example, and once her tank top removed, they were both left bare. Koge absolutely adored the feeling of his body against hers, finding that even with their dramatic height difference, they fit together perfectly.

“You got it, right?” Koge kept herself open to him, looking down between their bodies as he prepared himself to enter her. With a small scoff, Bakugou slowly began to push himself into her, his brow furrowing from the still unfamiliar feeling. “It’s not that fucking hard, Utsuro, I’m not an idiot.” Holding onto his shoulders, Koge nibbled at her lip, his size affecting her more this time than it did the night before. “I-I know, genius. Just don’t cum early like last ni--” A sharp moan interrupted her as he suddenly thrust into her completely, burying himself within her.

“Damn your smart mouth.” Leaning forward, Bakugou propped himself up on his elbows, sinking his fingers into her hair as he began to rock his hips. “All I want to hear is your moans, Utsuro.” A smirk spread across his lips as he kept his face close to hers, obviously enjoying the way her expression contorted in pleasure.

It may have felt good the night before, but now, Koge was in pure ecstasy. Never in her life up to this point had she felt such pleasure, and she was sure to let him know, having to give him very little instruction. Bakugou seemed to know exactly what he was doing right by the spiking of her voice or the reaction of her body, following these clues to give her exactly what she wanted. In fact, he was giving her more than Koge had ever imagined, his cock slamming into her so hard and deep that she was sure she’d go insane.

“I-I’m never going to find another cock as good as yours, Katsuki. You’re so new to it but I love the way you fuck me.” Digging her nails into his arms, she could feel her orgasm growing close, the pleasure only spiking as he increased his speed on reaction to her praise. Taking a moment to kiss her, Bakugou hid his face within the curve of her neck. “Good. You’ll always remember me, then.”

His words had an affect on her that was probably not what he intended. Immediately, she felt a deep sadness, one which brought tears to her eyes that she struggled to restrain. She didn’t want him to leave. It was selfish of her, but the thought of seeing him off was one she could hardly bare. Nearly three weeks of knowing him was enough to throw her into a deep infatuation, one which she knew she would never feel for another person.

Her mother had always told her these things were like an immediate realization. That, when you find ‘the one’, whom your entire being resonates and connects with, it’s something you just… know. Soul mates, as cheesy as Koge always thought it sounded, wasn’t so far fetched now. She had found hers.

And he was going to leave her.

“Fuck, I can’t hold it much longer--” Bakugou hissed, not noticing Koge’s state of distress. As his thrusts became rougher, she kept her focus on the pleasure, arching her hips up into his so he hit even deeper. “I’m close-- you can finish inside.”

The permission seemed to excite him, his trusts and grip on her becoming more animalistic and rough. “Seriously?”

The change nearly sent Koge over the edge, leaning her head back as she was on the verge of exploding. “Y-yes! Please cum inside me, Katsuki!” Cursing, Bakugou’s movements became completely one sided, not taking her body or limits into consideration as his excitement became uncontrollable. Nearly instantly, Koge lost all control, cumming so hard that Bakugou nearly had to stop. “Ah, fuck!”

Koge gasped and dug her nails into his skin at how deep he buried himself into her, his release so hot that she could feel it. Body so swelled with pleasure, she couldn’t resist rolling her hips against him. “That’s it, Katsuki…” Wrapping her arms around him, Koge held him close, feeling him tremble. He completely melted into her, nuzzling his face into her neck as they both came down from their high. “I… got really rough in the end there.”

A bit surprised that was his first thoughts, Koge ran her fingers through his hair gently, not minding that it was damp with sweat. “That’s okay… I like it rough, anyway. It felt amazing.”

“I didn’t hurt you?”

“No.” With a soft nudge, Koge urged his head up so that he looked down at her. She couldn’t help but to smile at how his cheeks flushed as he looked down at her, the softness in his expression something that she couldn’t resist. “You’re really cute, Katsuki.”

“Don’t call me cute!” That familiar angry scowl returned, only making Koge laugh as he shoved his face back into her shoulder. Stroking his hair as he mumbled and huffed in annoyance, Koge did her best to cherish the moment, even though that sadness began to creep up on her again. Although she tried her best to swallow it down, her body gave her away with a sharp hitch of her breath, prompting Bakugou to lift himself up to look down at her. The instant his eyes locked with hers, she lost any control she may have had, hiccuping as the tears began to flow down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them away, doing her best to regain composure.

“I-I’m sorry, Katsuki, I don’t mean to-”

Rough fingers replaced hers, wiping the tears away.

“I’ll miss you, too, Koge. Now stop crying. I want to see that stupid smile on your face.”

[immortal-imagines]

Heartbeats

Summary: (Y/N) is a muggle-born Gryffindor, which comes with its own problems. On top of that, she has a heart condition, which means her heart beats irregularly when she’s stressed. Severus Snape was never a fan of muggle-borns and picks on (Y/N) regularly, without knowing her situation. When he finds out, his perception of her changes drastically.

(Severus Snape x Reader, The Marauders x Reader)

Warnings: Swearing

Word Count: 1,271

Requested by: Anonymous

A/N: I’ve changed this slightly from the original request in terms of the characters involved. I hope you enjoy it!

Another day of avoiding Snape had come to an end. (Y/N) flopped down on the sofa in the Gryffindor common room next to James. “Ugh, I’m so done,” she huffed. James leaned over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “What’s up, chum?” he asked. He knew about her heart problems and how stress could set her off so easily. It was his job to keep her calm and when he wasn’t there, the rest of the Marauders. “It’s Snape. Avoiding him is exhausting. Every time I see him I’m jumpy. And if he sees me, he sneers or spits.”

“He spits on you?” James had gotten to his feet, his fists clenched.

“Only once. It’s okay, honestly, James. I can work out how to dodge him. I don’t want to cause any trouble,” she grabbed his hands and pulled him back down next to her.

“No, (Y/N), that’s disgusting!”

“Please, James, just leave it.” He could see how worked up she was getting over this, so he decided the best course of action would be to drop it. “Fine, I won’t do anything,” he paused, “Unless I see him spit on you myself.”

“Thank you,” (Y/N) squeezed his hand, “You’re a great friend.”

~

“No fucking way am I letting Snivelling Snape bully (Y/N) like that,” Sirius growled. He, Peter, Remus and James were in their dormitory. Sirius was pacing back and forth, running his hands through his hair. “Agreed,” Remus nodded, usually the more passive member of the group, “She has enough to go through as it is.”

“We’ve got to do something,” Sirius said.

“No,” James interrupted, “(Y/N) doesn’t want us to and I have to respect her wishes. We can’t stress her out anymore. Unless we see it happening, we do nothing, as hard as that may be.”

Sirius punched the wall nearest to him in frustration, breaking the skin over his knuckles. “Fuck!” he shouted. “Padfoot, sit down,” James scolded, “There’s nothing we can do right now, so there’s no point in kicking off.” Sirius pouted, nursing his wounded hand.

Peter smirked, “It’s your own fault.”

Sirius shot him a look that wiped the smile off his face pretty quickly.

~

The Marauders kept a close eye on (Y/N) at all times. They used the map to track her and make sure Snape was as far away from her as possible. When he was close by, one of the boys would be too.

This lasted for a week, until Sirius snapped one day after Potions class. He was just leaving the classroom when he spotted (Y/N) in the hallway, Severus towering over her, cackling. Sirius stormed over and grabbed the boy by his collar, pulling him backwards.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he spat. Snape may have been taller than him, but Sirius was far more intimidating.

Snape’s face had turned a shade whiter than usual and the fear in his eyes was evident.

“Have you got anything to say for the way you’ve been treating (Y/N)? Don’t think it hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

“Sirius, stop it,” (Y/N) whispered. She had begun to bite her nails and her breathing had quickened.

Snape remained silent, trying to keep a poker face and failing miserably. There was no way of hiding how afraid of the Gryffindor boy he was.

“Sirius, stop,” (Y/N) pleaded, “Put him down.”

Sirius didn’t look at (Y/N) when he dropped his hold on Severus’ collar. He maintained eye-contact and didn’t take his gaze off of the other boy until he had disappeared down the corridor.

It was then that he looked at the shaking girl in front of him. He pulled her into his chest, stroking her hair to try and calm her. “I’m sorry, (Y/N). I just can’t stand seeing him do that to you.”

(Y/N) didn’t reply, only clutched at his robes, her body shuddering with sobs. Sirius pulled back slightly, looking her in the eyes. “I’m going to take you to the Hospital Wing, just to make sure you’re okay, alright?”

(Y/N) nodded a little and let herself be led away.  

~

Dumbledore stood in front of his desk, hands clasped in front of him, staring over his glasses at the Slytherin boy in front of him.

“Why am I here, Professor?” Snape asked. He tried to keep his voice level and confident, which was never something he was good at.

“Bullying is something that I will not tolerate at this school, Severus,” the headmaster said, “Especially when it involves a student suffering from ill-health.”

Snape’s brow pulled together, confused. “Are you talking about (Y/N)? What ill-health does she have, aside from…” He didn’t finish his sentence.

“Go on,” Dumbledore challenged.

“Doesn’t matter,” Snape mumbled.

“(Y/N) has quite a serious heart condition,” Dumbledore continued, “Extreme stress can trigger this and have dire consequences.”

The Slytherin boy had nothing to say to that. He stared at his feet, not daring to meet the headmaster’s eyes.

“I think you have an apology to make,” Dumbledore said, before dismissing him.

~

(Y/N) and the Marauders were sat in the Great Hall, studying for an upcoming Charms test. Severus hovered in the doorway, debating whether or not to approach the group or not. On the one hand, he felt so guilty for how he had treated (Y/N), a feeling he didn’t often feel. On the other, Sirius Black terrified him. He didn’t want another encounter like the one outside Potions. He decided it best to wait until (Y/N) was alone. Severus wanted his apology to be sincere.

He sat at the Slytherin table, pretending to busy himself with a book, while he waited for the right moment. It didn’t take long, as it seemed the Marauders had a class to get to. (Y/N) was left alone at the table, after a flurry of ‘goodbyes’ and ‘see you laters’.

Severus took a deep breath, swallowed his pride and walked towards (Y/N). He tapped her warily on the shoulder, making her jump.

“Oh,” she sighed, when she saw who it was, “Please, Severus, I’m not in the mood. I…”

“I’m sorry,” Severus interrupted, “I didn’t know about your… condition.”

(Y/N) was taken aback. This was the last thing she’d expected from the Slytherin boy who teased her relentlessly.

“Uh… Thank you,” she said.

“It will never happen again, I promise,” he added, before turning on his heel and exiting the hall rather rapidly.

~

(Y/N) entered the Gryffindor common room that evening, her thoughts plagued with confusion, but also relief. Remus noticed the unusual look on her face. “What’s up, buttercup?” he asked, moving his feet off of the sofa, so she could sit beside him.

“Severus Snape apologised to me.”

Her words caused the group to hush into a complete silence.

“He what?” James asked, his face just as incredulous as the rest of them.

“He told me he was sorry and that he didn’t know about my heart condition and that he would never pick on me again,” (Y/N) said. She sunk down into the sofa, hugging a cushion to her chest.

“Bloody hell,” Sirius breathed.

“Did one of you tell Dumbledore?” (Y/N) asked, suddenly sitting up. The boys looked at each other, all shaking their heads. “Wasn’t us,” James said, “Maybe he noticed it himself?”

“Or one of the professors?” Remus added.

“Well, whoever it was, I’m just glad Snivelling Snape won’t be bothering you again,” Sirius said, clambering up from his position on the floor to give (Y/N) a hug. “And if he does, I’ve got your back,” he added, flexing his biceps and sending the group into fits of laughter.

[k-renne]

GIVE YOURSELF TO THE NIGHT

SUMMARY: Kylo Ren, the demonic king and now Emperor was on the brink of war with your people. You had one last trick of your sleeve for a man who held you highly, and that was yourself. Kylo Ren would never say no to the offer of his dreams

WORD COUNT: 2.2K

Your vibrant sapphire cape fluttered behind you as you darted through the forest, snow falling as you made your way into enemy territory. But this time, you were going to get caught on purpose, by a particular group of people.

Snow crunched beneath your boots, your dress fluttering in the wind as you pulled your hood further over your head. “I’m sorry,” You whispered, looking back at your kingdom. They would call you a traitor, even if you were saving their lives. But there was no other way, and this was your last resort to help your people.

Your parents, they were stubborn. Too foolish to see how powerful the Northern King, now calling himself Emperor had grown. But you knew, you had seen him close up, even if it was forbidden. And you knew, Kylo Ren was not a man to take lightly.

No, this wasn’t the first time you had snuck past the borders into his kingdom. You attended his yearly masquerade in secret, and though it was risky you never turned down the dances that he offered you. 

Suddenly, you felt a sharp blade pressing against yourself, another figure clad in black standing before you. It was relieving, just who you were hoping to run into. “I am Y/N, Princess of Arrakis, and I am here to speak with your Emperor,” You stated, calmly and without fear though your shaking hands betrayed you. It was important that you referred to him by his preferred title, he wouldn’t even consider you if you didn’t show respect.

“Is she insane?” You heard one of the knights whisper.

You heard the knight behind you shrug, “Check her for weapons, I’m sure the Emperor would be interested in this one,” You heard a mechanical voice speak behind you.

“Off,” The knight in front of you gestured to your coat. You only nodded, complying. One wrong move and this could be over, bringing any weapons was too risky knowing that they would inevitably check you. For now, you’d have to endure the cold walk to the palace.

You blinked snow off of your eyelashes, watching as your breath fogged up in the air. Both knights were on either side of you, each with one arm secured around yours to prevent you from changing your mind. “Second thoughts?” One of the knights, who you learned was named Tsun, asked you.

“It’s beautiful,” You hummed. Even though it was undoubtedly a fortress, it sure was an extravagant one. Ren’s insignia was littered all over the castle, black contrasted by a rich red, the harsh shape matching his personality.

The knights looked at each other at your comment, not expecting you to comment such a thing. And though you would always favor your home, you couldn’t deny the beauty that lay in front of you. It seemed to get further away as you walked along an off beaten path, no doubt to avoid being spotted.

The journey seemed long until you were met with the Emperor’s door to his study, as large as you would’ve imagined it to be, carved in black marble. Tsun went inside, leaving you standing with the faceless Rook. The door opened again, and this time it was for you. “Come in,” You heard a familiar rich voice rumble.

You entered, greeted by the sight of the Emperor with his feet up on his desk, lazily looking at his inky claws trying to appear disinterested. But that didn’t stop him from noticing that you were shaking, your dress not nearly enough to keep you warm. Cursing his bleeding heart, he snapped his fingers at Tsun, “Fetch her something warm, she’s freezing,” He commanded.

Tsun grumbled, displeased to be treated like a servant. You were an enemy, and should not be treated as a guest. However, he didn’t dare question his master’s tactics. He came back quickly with a thick coat, the Emperor’s insignia on the back, Kylo raised his brows seeing that Tsun grabbed one of his coats. He hid his smile with his hand as his coat dwarfed your form.

You debated whether or not to bow, but decided against it. You refused to lower yourself before him, to appear weak. You were almost of equal standing after all, even if he may not see it that way.

“Well, what are you waiting for little princess? Speak,” Ren barked at you, impatient. You could see two distinct fangs poking from his lips, accompanied by inky horns on either side of his head. It was a familiar sight, Kylo had always been this way ever since Snoke took him under his wing and it was another reason why your parents detested him.

“As you are aware, our kingdoms are in a war with one another, and though my parents may not see it I know your forces will easily decimate ours-” You begin.

“Losing hope so easily? Now that doesn’t seem like you,” Kylo tsked. “Rook, Tsun, leave us, I can handle this one.” The knights besides you nodded, leaving you and Ren alone. He got up from his chair, beginning to circle you.

“You know I’m right, Kylo,” You say softly. Kylo stopped in his tracks, the right corner of his mouth curving upwards slightly before he pressed it into a hard line.

“Go on then,” He continued his circling, sizing you up like a predator. Occasionally he would brush his knuckles along your dress or hair, and though he tried to hide it you certainly noticed the sniffing. Kylo could never fully hide his beastly tendencies.

“I wanted to offer something, something you’ve offered me in the past. But I think that this is the only time it’s applicable. “ You heard Kylo take in a sharp breath, showing his anticipation for your next words and his no doubt eagerness. “I want to offer...myself, on the promise that you’ll stop this ridiculous war and make peace.”

“Princess, I’m hurt that you’re doing this. I’ve offered you everything before, and you refused it. What makes you think that I should take you up on it now?” Kylo stopped in front of you, claws catching hold of your chin.

“Because, you were asking me to betray my people and everything that I know to be a bed warmer. But now, I would betray my people if it meant saving them.” You looked at him square in the eyes.

Kylo snarled as he dropped your chin, mouth set in a deep frown. “I did not ask you to warm my bed! I offered to make you my queen. And yes, that would mean betrayal, but I asked for love,” Kylo growled, angry as he passionately defended his proposition. “Of course, even that isn’t enough for such a spoiled princess,” Kylo bit back.

“As if you know what love is!” You pointed at him, Kylo grabbing your wrist in his hold.

“You’re such a fucking brat,” He hissed, claws digging into your wrist unintentionally. “It’s too late, the war has already begin,” He let go of your wrist, frowning when he saw the drops of blood. He cursed himself again, for being too rough on you.

When he turned back to look at you, his heart sunk. Your eyes were watering, chest heaving, he could see that you were truly desperate and not in the way that he wanted you to be for him. “If you apologized to them, if I was by your side I could convince them-we could-” Kylo’s finger silenced your lips.

“You know I have no reason to offer an apology,” He interrupted you.

“Yes, but please-I’m just asking you, please do this for me and I’ll be yours,” You blinked back tears, Kylo wiping them away as they spilled down your cheeks.

This was not how he wanted this to go, he wanted you to be moaning and crying his name as you declared yourself as his, not spilling precious tears from your pretty eyes. But as much as he tried, he could not say no to you, his greatest weakness. And he knew that you were using him, yet it didn’t even matter. To him, your offer was everything.

“Alright princess, we have a deal.”

You held out your hand for him to shake it, sealing the deal. But instead, Kylo grabbed your cheek and kissed you softly on the lips, enjoying the heat that spread across your face. “Mine, just as you should be,” Kylo purred.

You looked up at him, no longer arguing with him and resigned to your fate. Deep down, you wished that this could happen some other way. A part of your felt dirty, for giving yourself to him like this. But for your people, you’d do anything and you weren’t going to risk their safety by fighting with your former lover.

Kylo kissed you again, a hand petting your damp hair. He placed one kiss on either cheek, the tip of your nose, and his favorite spot along your neck. He pulled back to look at you, longing in his eyes. “Don’t be sad pet,” He cooed, thumbing over your lip. “I missed you,” He added, nuzzling your cheek.

Kylo sighed at your lack of response. You would warm up to him again eventually, still he hated to see you sad like this. He knew Hux wasn’t going to be happy when he heard of this, giving in all for a woman. But to Kylo that didn’t matter. “Come this way, we have a lot to do,” Kylo took your hands.

He took you through a passageway in his study, to avoid the unwanted reveal of your presence. Later, he’d make an announcement.

A smiling woman greeted you in a large dressing room, “This is Rose, she’s my tailor and she will measure you,” Kylo whispered into your ear.  

“Hi! Are you Princess Y/N? What are you-” She began.

“Please, no questions, all will be explained later. I need discretion with this one, I don’t want anyone to know about my fiancé just yet or there could be dire consequences.” Kylo warned Rose. You were surprised at how gentle he was with her, as from what you’ve seen Kylo could be quite demanding with others. You were not surprised that he called you his fiancé, even though he hadn’t even asked you.

“Of course Emperor,” Rose nodded, though unable to hide the smile on her face.

“I need her head size first so I can tell the jeweler,” He asked. Rose complied, and you felt her measuring tape wrap around your head. She quickly wrote the measurements on a small notepad and and tore a piece of paper off to give to Kylo. With that he was off, leaving you with the curious tailor.

“Oh, and sweetheart,” Kylo said as he fished something from his pocket. “You forgot this,” He held up a shiny diamond ring, with a gold band. Rose gasped, you blinking away tears rapidly as he slid the ring on to your hand. Kylo gave you one last look before heading out the door, leaving you with Rose.

“Wow! I can’t believe the Emperor is marrying, a princess from Arrakis no less!” Rose grinned as she worked. “Tell me, how did he propose?”

That question made you flustered, seeing as Kylo had never actually asked you. “He...it was at the masquerade, he took me to his balcony and showed me his kingdom, and told me that he didn’t want to share it alone. That’s when he asked me,” You explained, not giving many details. It wasn’t a completely lie, you just left out the part where you rejected him, leaving him distraught on the balcony as you snuck back to your kingdom.

It was a horrible night, and completely unromantic even though Kylo tried to make it so. You couldn’t help but focus on the consequences, how your family and your people would treat you, it all seemed so much bigger than the love he was claiming to offer. Most of all, it was terrifying and you weren’t ready. You weren’t ready now either, you were just 25 years old - Kylo about six years older, and for you it seemed too early to get married. But now you had no choice.

“Please, I can give you everything you want, just let me love you,” Kylo pleaded with you, holding the ring out closer to you just trying to get you to take it. He couldn’t take this as you turned away from him, falling to his knees.

“Goodbye Kylo,” You told him.

The memory made tears spring to your eyes, “Aw, it was that lovely wasn’t it? How romantic!” Rose handed you a handkerchief. You smiling to her to keep up the façade.

You stared down at the ring wrapped around your finger, before covering it with your other hand. You closed your eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, trying to compose yourself. “I’m so happy for you, the Emperor has been alone for so long, everyone is going to love you.” But you weren’t worried about that, you were worried about your people.

When Rose was done, Kylo was back in time to escort you through the passageway. Even though it was just the two of you, he held your hand. Black tipped clawed fingers laced between your hand and a shiny ring glimmering in the dim passage. “I promise Y/N, I will not attack your people, only defend mine.”

“Thank you, that’s all that I can ask for. I love my people dearly,”

“Then you will make a lovely Empress,” Kylo smiled. “But, I should hope that you begin to see my people as yours as well, because soon they will see you as their ruler, and my wife.”

[hellevator-mp3]

Gilded Age || Part 2

Pairing(s): Hyunjin x Seungmin

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 3,000+

Warnings: Not detailed mentions of wounds

Author Note: dflgklh hi!! i swear i’m not dead!! i’ve just been really busy with work, so this took a l o n g time to finish OTL but it’s done and i hope that everyone who’s been anticipating it enjoys it! 

Whether he was a peasant or not, Seungmin knew that to commit a crime would have consequences - he just didn’t expect that falling for a member of the royal family would be part of it.

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Morning and night seemed to come too early for Hyunjin.  

Nights called for negotiations and talks of peace and potential war declarations on other districts; mornings brought fake smiles at breakfast, and district visits to check on the harvests that would soon feed the whole castle, as well as the village.  

Mornings also brought the maid to his room, where he turned her away, saying that he was old enough to dress himself and that she needn't bother coming in to dress him every morning, bowing low as she left the room. He pulled a plain beige tunic from his wardrobe, along with a folded pair of emerald green stockings that surely wouldn't have been picked had it been the maid dressing him.  Instead, she would have leaned towards the crimson tunic situated in the back of his wardrobe, and for good reason. It was covered in dainty embroirdery that itched like something awful when it was on, and Hyunjin wouldn't be able to change from it until after the district visit, which could possibly go into the late hours of the night.  

When he was dressed and his hair was moderately tamed by his hand, he made his way to the dining hall, where the king - or rather, his father - was waiting patiently with his meal set out before him. A quick apology was uttered before his father gestured for him to take a seat and begin eating, a small smile present on his lips during the entire exchange. The two ate in silece for a few moments, before a sudden commotion from the kitchen broke the silence, screams and shouts and the slamming of a door deafening in the silence, the noises so sudden that Hyunjin's father jumped, dropping his spoon onto his plate, the metal clanging loudly on the ceramic, quickly followed by the scraping of wood on brick as the two slid their chairs back and rushed through the kitchen into the courtyard to find out what was going on.  

What they saw nearly made Hyunjin sick, seeing two of the cooks stripping a page of his shirt, before one hoisted him up slightly and the other drew a rope around his wrists and tethered him to the whipping pole, showing nothing but his bare back to the people gathered. Hyunjin moved to the side, closer to the maid bearing the three-strand-whip, to get a glimpse of the boy tied up. As one of the cooks, a big man by the name of Youngbae, took the whip from the maid, Hyunjin saw who was strung up - and just a second too late, as the leather cracked down on his back and the crowd watched in horror as a set of three marks began to rise on his back and he writhed in pain against the pole, but he refused to make a noise. When Youngbae was drawing his arm back for another lash, Hyunjin's mind was sent into overdrive and he threw himself between them, throwing his arms out and taking the lash directly to his clothed chest, the force from the blow knocking the air out of his lungs and forcing him down to his knees as he tried to draw a breath. The maid rushed forward, kneeling down in front of him to check him over for injuries, before Youngbae ordered the two of them to move. One of the other pages came over to help Hyunjin out of the way, even though he tried to get back to his place in order to protect the bound up younger boy, who looked at him with pleading eyes.  

It wasn't until several lashings later that Hyunjin regained his breath and the other boy was nearly dropped in the dirt as they let him down, causing Hyunjin to rush forward once more to catch him, hauling him up as carefully as he could, hands resting under the others backside and carrying him like a child as he ordered the maid to bring him all the supplies he would need to tend to the younger.

A few moments later, Hyunjin had the boy laid out on his stomach on a spare bed, with bandages and the like spread out over the remaining surface area. Hyunjin let out a small sigh as he set to work on repairing his back, gently dabbing at the ruined skin with a rag soaked in wine, taking his time to clean it up as well as he could before gently rubbing a salve over the raw skin and bandaging him up. It wasn't until after he was done that he finally spoke, the disappointment slightly clear in his voice as he addressed the wounded man in front of him.  "Seungmin, why do you keep doing this? You know they're going to suspect something sooner or later." He reprimanded him, tilting his head to look at the man - no, boy - in question, who turned his head to look at the elder.

"See, they may think that you have some sort of favoritism game going on, but they're never going to think that we're dating, are you kidding?" Seungmin cracked a grin, before adding, "besides, I'm sure your dad would support us." Hyunjin let out a tired laugh at the other's response, shaking his head.

Seungmin readjusted himself, letting out a pained hiss as he tried to get comfortable.  "Even so, you know that most of the District would revolt if they found out that a member of the 'royal' family was dating a 'peasant'." Hyunjin replied, using air quotes to emphasize his point.  Seungmin just rolled his eyes in response, muttering a small 'I don't care' as he turned his face away from the elder, closing his eyes and letting his breath even out as he fell asleep.  Hyunjin just watched the peaceful boy, gently smoothing his bangs out of his face and wiping some of the blood spatter from the back of his neck away with a washrag, before getting up from the bed and leaving the room to find his father.  

The two had met in a similar fashion to the way that Hyunjin found Seungmin that day; Seungmin was a member of the lower class, his mother having died off from overwork and not being able to afford the medicine she needed to cure the ailment that wore away at her, leaving Seungmin alone to fend for himself.  Hyunjin was out in the District to check over the crops, when the townspeople began to file into the center.  With a ruffled brow and a confused noise directed at his father, the two made their way to the center to find out what was going on.  A familiar sight greeted them, a barebacked body hung up on a pole, and a broad man bearing a whip ready to deliver punishment.  While most of the crowd gathered behind the boy so all they saw was his back, Hyunjin and his father had come a way that allowed them to see the boy's face, pleading eyes meeting with Hyunjin's that were shrouded in darkness from his hood.  A moment of eye contact was all it took before Hyunjin was rushing forward, straight into the path of the whip slicing through the air, the hit from the hard leather striking him in the thigh.  He hunched over and placed his hands over the spot, before another strike came raining down on his back, the three-pronged whip spreading out and leaving his back raw and bruised, even under the layers that clothed his body.  The world turned to black as he collapsed at the feeling of another strike against him.  Somebody's voice boomed around the center, but the white noise that occupied Hyunjin's ears was too loud to hear over. ~~ Somebody untied the knots holding Seungmin up in the air, allowing him to drop to the floor and scramble over to the boy that took his punishment for him.  He rolled the boy over gently, trying to support him so that there was no pressure on his back - where most of the hits had likely landed - as he pushed the dark hood that hid his face from view out of the way and took in the boy's face, very quickly recognizing him as the prince.  An older man with the same face, but more gray hair made to take the elder boy away, but Seungmin held tight for reason's unknown.  He begged the king to allow him to care for the prince, since he was now in his debt and that was the only way that he could think to repay him for the pain he would have to endure.  Reluctantly, the king agreed, allowing Seungmin to scoop the taller boy into his arms and follow the king to where a carriage was waiting, a butler jumping down from where he was perched on a box, opening the door and allowing the two to get in.  Seungmin settled the elder in his lap, fingers tracing absent shapes into the outside of his thigh as the carriage rattled and shook, taking care to support the others head so there wasn't a chance that it would hit the wall, and also making sure to avoid the small patch of blood that spread from where the whip had hit, Seungmin assumed.  

The king watched the two, noting the fact that Seungmin didn't seem to be present with him at the moment, judging by his fixation on a spot of the wall opposite to him and the slow, unconscious motions of his hands.  He studied the young boy with interest, taking in the dirt smudged on his cheeks and the near black color of his hands.  Seungmin came to when he asked what the boy had done to be whipped, which caused Seungmin to flush and mutter something under his breath that was nearly inaudible.  

When the king asked him to repeat it, Seungmin stated simply that he stole.  The elder asked him to elaborate and waited patiently as the other gathered his thoughts.  Neither of them noticed when Hyunjin stirred slightly, regaining consciousness but faking sleep for the sake of listening to their conversation, even though he was tempted to look at the person that held him close to their chest.  "You see, Your Majesty, my mother passed away just a few months ago, and I've had to resort to stealing from other's garbage to sustain myself."  Seungmin replied, not a hint of embarrassment present in either his voice or on his face, something that the king admired greatly.  

The two continued discussing what life would be like for Seungmin in the castle, although neither dared to discuss what would happen after Hyunjin was well.   ~~ When they arrived, Seungmin was the first to get out of the carriage, waiting patiently to be shown where Hyunjin's room was as he shifted the boy in his arms.  A well-dressed man descended the steps in front of him, making his way to the king and gesturing towards Seungmin as they talked, making it clear that he was asking who he was and what he was doing there.  The king dismissed him with a wave of the hand, instead telling him rather loudly to show the boy where Hyunjin's room was.  It took them no more than ten minutes to get to the room, where a wooden plaque with a metal face stamped with his name announced their arrival.  Seungmin thanked the elder profusely, before stepping into the room and laying the other on the bed, kneeling next to him as he laid the boy on his stomach, using a pillow to prop up his hip and knee so his thigh wouldn't have any pressure on it.  

The butler entered the room a few moments later with all the supplies that Seungmin might need to tend to Hyunjin's wounds, leaving the room with a bow. 

With gentle hands, Seungmin lifted the prince's shirt up, letting his eyes wander over the damage that had been caused by the strikes meant for himself.  With a shudder, he soaked the rag in wine and began to carefully clean the shallow marks, pausing every now and again when Hyunjin would shift or let out a small, pained noise.  After slathering some ointment and covering the area with bandages, he flipped the elder over and contemplated his next course of action.  After a moment, he decided that it would just be easier to roll down the other's stockings down to his knees, and pushing the leg of his underpants up to expose the bright red marks adorning his thigh.  Seungmin repeated the process, making sure the wound was clean and properly covered before redressing the boy, and rolling him back over to his front and readjusting the pillows underneath Hyunjin to make sure he would be comfortable and it would maybe ease the pain.  When he was done, he hauled himself up to the headboard and leaned his back on it, relaxing against the hardwood.  It wasn't long before the dark tendrils of unconsciousness beckoned him, and he went with them willingly.  

~~

Hyunjin awoke with a start, taking note of his surroundings, one of which included an unfamiliar figure that shared his bed.  The memories came back in a rush, along with the stinging pain that occupied his thigh and part of his back.  With a stifled groan, he pulled himself up to a sitting position, crossing his good leg underneath his bad and taking in the boy in front of him.  It was calm and silent for a moment, before the other opened his mouth and spoke.  "You know, it's a bit creepy to stare at people when they're sleeping."  Hyunjin's eyes widened and he jumped slightly at the sudden speech, before the other peeked at him and cracked a grin, before cracking up, laughter racking his body in waves, the noise booming in the quiet room.  

When his laughing fit was over with, he sat up and looked at Hyunjin again, before getting off the bed and bowing in Hyunjin's direction, introducing himself as Seungmin.  "Why are you here?" Hyunjin asked, curiosity getting the best of him.  The younger smiled, before explaining what had happened, and how he ended up sitting on Hyunjin's bed.  

Since then, it was a daily routine of cleaning his wounds twice a day until they were fully healed, and even then, Seungmin didn't return to his home.  When Hyunjin questioned it, Seungmin explained that he didn't have a home anymore.  "This is as much of a home to me as my old home."  He had replied, gesturing to Hyunjin's room, leading Hyunjin to look around and take note of all the traces of Seungmin that littered his room, the ones that had become commonplace in the month and a half that he had been staying there.  A stack of papers filled with ink scribbles that amounted to words, the ones that he was being taught since he never learned how to read.  The cot in the corner of the room, to the right of Hyunjin's own bed, and even Seungmin's worn leather shoes thrown next to the cot.  Hyunjin had smiled at him then, replying that it would be his home for as long as he wanted it to be.  Something sparked in Seungmin's eyes, before he grinned back at Hyunjin, and promptly threw himself into the elder's arms, thanking him profusely.  

When he pulled away, he took notice of the small space between the two of them, eyes flickering up to meet Hyunjin's, before he tried to scramble back.  However, he couldn't pull back more than two inches due to Hyunjin's grip around his back, his eyes widening in surprise at the others firmness.  It seemed as though the two had an 'aha!' moment, realizing that this was...perfectly okay, and the two were perfectly content to stay exactly where they were.  Their eye contact broke when Seungmin glanced down quickly at Hyunjin's lips, darting back up when he realized what he was doing.  However, it wasn't quick enough to escape Hyunjin, and he mentally debated with himself for a moment before leaning forward, catching Seungmin's lips with his own.  The younger was stunned, unable to move and the elder took that as a rejection, pulling back quickly and apologizing as he released Seungmin from his grip.  However, instead of throwing himself to the other side of the bed, Seungmin gently laid his hands on Hyunjin's cheeks and pulled him closer, their lips meeting once again in a soft kiss that turned both of them into mush.  Hyunjin's hands settled on the younger's hips, before moving back to draw him ever closer.  His fingers were quick to settle on a bare patch of skin, drawing absent circles as he settled into a quiet bliss.  

It wasn't until another few kisses that they pulled away, breathing fast and hearts beating faster, resting their foreheads together and just enjoying the other's presence.  They started out as a prince and his servent, morphing into friends and then into friends that shared feelings.  Anything more than that, Hyunjin was unsure of, but just wanted to enjoy his time with Seungmin before anything changed. 

Seungmin awoke with a start, his dream of his and Hyunjin's first meeting springing vividly to his mind in the form of a dream.  The source of his panic was the man standing in the door, who accidentally let the door slam and was staring at the younger with panicked eyes.  After a moment, Seungmin gestured for the other to join him, patting the bed next to him and whining, wanting to know where the other had gone.  

"I told my father."  He replied simply, making his way to the other side of the bed, settling cross-legged next to Seungmin, who made a questioning noise.  "He told me to give you this, and he would settle the rest."  A silver band was pulled from a small pouch that was clutched in his hand, the metal glinting in the soft daylight that streamed in through the window.  The elder slid the ring onto the right finger, before showing the younger his matching ring, before kissing his forehead.  "Now the District can't complain that I'm dating a 'peasant', you'll be royalty soon enough."  The promise was almost as soft as the kiss they shared, before settling down comfortably together on the bed, Seungmin careful not to disturb the healing skin on his back as he cuddled up to his prince.  

[ben-j-man]

Secret War: Chapter 14

Link to chapter 1- http://ben-j-man.tumblr.com/post/180097372453/secret-war-chapter-1

It was early evening for Omnartus, but in this part of the hive, it may as well have been midnight, with the thick, black pollution blocking out any light emitted from the planet's two hapless moons. It was raining as we walked to Glaitis' building. The remaining eight soldiers and Torris escorted me, the Olinthre-thing, and Karmen Kons while Karmen led the way, chatting amicably with Torris the entire time.

I pushed my long, wet hair off my face and for a second seriously considered getting hair cut. I needed to talk with Karmen but was never allowed the opportunity. I suspected that Garrakson had left to talk to Vex about the printout.

Now I found myself inadvertently praising Olinthre for his foresight at leaving his men with Vex, but for a reason, the good major would never have thought. I could only hope they had followed Olinthre's orders and not let Garrakson in, or if they didn't that it wouldn't escalate into a violent confrontation. In all honesty, I felt it would, Jeurat Garrakson was furious, not much was stopping him allowing his rage to override his judgement and to kill the Storm Troopers guarding Vex, that or they may have just let the well-respected veteran right through.

I didn't like the amount of 'hoping' in that last sentence and that Karmen Kons had seemingly just utterly forgotten about it, perhaps she had an ace up her sleeve, or something again I could only hope she did.

I took another drag of my Lho stick and looked sidelong at the Olinthre-thing; It seemed just as impassive as always.

I sighed out smoke while we walked out of the alleyway and into the plaza outside of Glaitis tower. Karmen stopped and turned back to me, addressing me for the first time since out elevator ride, she said; "well I'm going to assume this 'No One of Consequence' is being held on the fifth floor, am I right Attelus?"

I nodded, slowly, fixing her with an intense stare, "yes, he is."

Torris turned to me too, "any idea who or what will be guarding him?"

I shrugged, "I know that there are two permanent guards posted at his door. Otherwise, I'm not sure. last time I was there, five hours ago or so, both senior colleagues Hayden Tresch and Darrance were there, whether they're there now is anyone's guess."

"Who are they?" asked Torris with a grimace indicating he already had an idea of what my answer was and that he knew wouldn't like it.

And he wasn't, "Hayden Tresch is a sniper, the best I've ever seen and like you, Torris an ex-arbiter. He's also big, with a lot of strength and weight. While Darrance he's small like me, and a master swordsman, but unlike me has a very liberal view on the use of combat drugs and on top of that wields a powerweapon, so all your armour is void." I shook my head, "by themselves they are both extremely dangerous, but together, they have at least a centuries worth of experience between them, if either one is there, and you go in hostile, expect a hell of a lot of casualties, but if they're both there..."

I let it hang, and looked over everyone, Karmen was scowling at me, Torris too while the Olinthre-thing had the slightest of smiles, "then you really should've brought more men," I sighed.

"Yes," growled Torris glaring at me under a hooded brow. "What do you suggest we do then? Send you in to talk to Glaitis? Do you think that would work?"

I shook my head, "no, I don't think it would, but if you send in both Olinthre and me..."

"Wait!" interrupted Torris. "Why you and Olinthre? Why not just you?"

"Because it would lend precedence to the whole, "we now know you've been holding a senior member of Brutis Bone's organisation without our knowledge or consent" claim if I have with me a high ranking..."

Karmen said, "But-!"

"And well known!" I interrupted through clenched teeth. "Member, of Taryst's organisation to back it up, also I'm sure that Glaitis wouldn't appreciate me bringing a psyker so near her without her express consent."

Karmen glared at me angrily, she feared I would try to kill Glaitis, and I couldn't blame her in all honesty.

I met her eyes; I swear Estella I won't break my promise to you, I thought.

If she could read that she gave no sign, she still stared at me.

Torris frowned deeply and glanced from me to her and back, then sighed. "Well! Seems like a plan to me," he said. "I can't help wondering why we didn't make it the first plan in the first place, but...I'm sure you have your reasons."

He looked to Karmen, "well you're the boss, so it's you who decides, so which one? Sending the kid and the major in to negotiate or go in guns blazing and maybe, getting slaughtered to death."

Torris grinned nervously, "I know which I like more."

"Alright," Karmen finally conceding it with an animal like growl.

I smiled and nodded to Karmen whose teeth grated in barely contained anger.

"Let's go," I said to the Olinthre-thing, beckoning it forward and we walked on, side by side toward the tower.

"You know," It said once we were out of their earshot. "You are just getting better and better at manipulating people."

I shrugged, "well, I did learn from the very best."

"Ah! As did I," It said.

I grimaced, "anyway I didn't manipulate anyone, it was just mere logic, I just made sure it was brought out into the open. That's what would happen if we did try to take No One of Consequence by force. I was telling the truth, and Torris saw that."

Olinthre's brow furrowed, "but that's exactly what manipulation is, Attelus. Anyway, what Torris doesn't know that Karmen or Estella, whoever she is, is worried that you will try to kill Glaitis. Attelus, now I would like to know where I stand on this, are you going to try to kill her when we get up there?"

I abruptly halted in my tracks; we were just about to ascend the steps to the main entrance and brushed my wet hair off my face again.

"No," I growled. "I intend to keep my promise to Karmen, no matter what. I thought that went without saying."

The Olinthre-thing raised an eyebrow, "you care about her, don't you Attelus? And she seems to care for you too."

"And let me guess," I said. "You find that interesting, right?"

It grinned, "I would think that would go without saying, Attelus."

I frowned, took the smoking Lho in between finger and thumb then threw it away. It was strange, I wasn't scared, or angry, or anything, I was as calm as calm could be, despite the situation.

Slipping my hands into the pockets of my flak jacket, I began to ascend the stairs.

"Let's just get this over and damn well done with," I growled.

Side by side the Mimic and I exited the elevator.

Silently we walked down the corridor, me with my hands in the pockets of my flak jacket and another smoking Lho hanging from the corner of my mouth and It still in the form of Olinthre, It's expression utterly devoid of any emotion.

I had expected the fear to appear as we ascended in the elevator. That it would come in a sudden rush, which would cause me to clench my teeth to fight it back, but still, I felt nothing even as we approached those glass doors and our footfalls echoed on the shining marble tiles. Just a clarity of mind, only an emptiness.

I have felt like this before, many times; in fact, it was the feeling I got when I was in a fight. I felt good, no more than good; I felt great. Despite how badly I ached all over.

Without a further word we shoved the doors open and stepped inside.

Of course, Glaitis was still in that room, with the cold black marble floor and stark white walls, which made for a harsh, almost unnerving, contrast to me. Behind her was a huge window made of reinforced one-sided glass, affording her a fantastic view of the dark, dank, depressing hive below. I have never seen her ever look out it before, which in all honesty I couldn't blame her for and still, she sat, with her feet on her desk and reclining back in her chair while casually appraising a data slate.

"Ahh," she said with false friendliness. "I see that you two have joined forces, young one, you seem to have a skill to gain allies in the most unlikeliest o-"

"Shut up."

She was interrupted in mid-word, leaving her jaw hanging open slackly as she seemed to try to comprehend and I ignored the equally shocked look of the Olinthre-thing.

For a good six seconds, she was like that, her mouth working as she struggled for words.

"D-did you just..." She managed through clenched teeth; then a hideous smile suddenly curled her lips.

"Yeah, I just told you to shut up," I confirmed softly. "I'm not in the mood for your small talk."

She grinned and glared at me from under a hooded brow, a disturbingly familiar expression, that sent shivers up my spine despite myself.

"And pray tell, young one, why is that?" She queried, laying her elbow on the table and her heart-shaped jaw into the palm of her hand.

I clenched my teeth and clenched my fists, "because..." I trailed off.

"Because you're angry aren't you, young one?" she finished the smile somehow turning even more insane. "Because you are so full of rage and hatred? For what I have done? For what It had done?" She said, indicating the Olinthre-thing with a wave of her hand.

I smiled then began to laugh, I threw back my head and bellowed out at the top of my lungs, and Glaitis and the Olinthre-thing's confused expressions made me laugh all the harder. I even laughed so hard that when I finally finished, I had to wipe tears away with my forearm.

"N-no, it's not that," I giggled, as I saw Glaitis glare at me, her jaw twitching with barely contained rage. "It's not that at all."

"What is it then!" Glaitis demanded as she angrily slammed her hands onto her desk

"No Glaitis, It's not because I hate you, I don't hate you," I said, and my face hardened. "How can I hate you, when you aren't even worth hating in the first place."

Glaitis' eyes widened, and for a few seconds, we stood silently our attentions locked.

I smiled, about to continue when the Mimic finally chose to intervene.

"Mamzel!" It cried, stepping between us. "W-we have much to report."

That made me grin all the more, "yes, yes we do indeed." I agreed.

"Yes, I am...sure, that you have much to say," she said haltingly.

I sighed, "well, where should we start, eh Xenos?"

"I-"

"I know," I interrupted. "Let's start right at the top, right at the meat of the issue, shall we?"

"Your theatrics are beginning to get on my nerves, young one," she growled.

I smiled, "only just now? You truly do have the patience worthy of sainthood."

"Attelus," said the Mimic warningly through clenched teeth.

"You've been outplayed, mamzel," I said.

"What?" Glaitis growled.

"You've been outplayed and betrayed, Glaitis. Inquisitor Edracian is on Omnartus."

Fear slowly crossed her face, that almost took my breath away with its potency.

"He's here? Now? How?" she yelled.

I raised a mocking eyebrow, "you really didn't know?"

"Tell me everything, child, tell me everything you know, now!"

I grinned, "as you wish." Then I told her and enjoyed every second of it.

"F-Feuilt?" she stammered. "H-he was Edracian's spy?"

"It seems so, yes," I answered.

She sighed heavily and placed her face into the palms of her hands, "how was this not foreseen? I cannot believe this, how?"

I shrugged, not sure what to say, never have I ever seen Glaitis so pale and taken aback before.

"So you must see mamzel," said the Mimic. "We must speak with the captive; we need to find Edracian, even if that means we must release him and ally with Brutis Bones."

"D-do you really think that he would do that?" asked Glaitis. "He would ally with his enemies?"

"If we can convince him the circumstances have changed," It said. "Maybe."

I frowned and folded my arms, on that thought, why didn't we ally with Brutis Bones in the first place? I sighed and shook my head, I could hazard many guesses on that but just couldn't be bothered anymore.

"You-you still have the means to communicate with the Arbites and Magistratum leaders?" said Glaitis.

"Yes, mamzel and so does Karmen Kons."

Glaitis rolled her eyes, "of course she does."

I furrowed my brow and took a step closer to the desk, "the Adeptus Arbites and the Magistratum?"

"Yes," said Glaitis. "They have been on Taryst's payroll from the very start, that is why we have been able to work without their interference."

The corner of my mouth twitched, I should've guessed that, frig it. Estella did mention earlier they had intercepted Brutis Bones because of the information was given to them from contacts inside of the Arbites and Magistratum.

"So what should I do about you, Attelus?" said Glaitis. "You have, for all intents and purposes, betrayed me."

"And you had Elandria killed," I growled. "I think we can just call us even."

She moved so fast I never got any chance to blink let alone react, she was out of her seat, her fingers wrapped around my throat and she slammed me against the wall.

"No!" she roared right in my face as I gasped in vain for air and felt the stinging pain of her fingernails digging deep into my skin. "No! We cannot ever "call it even" child! I have had enough of your new found insolence! You have betrayed me, you have cooperated with our enemy, and I will not let this pass as I did with your incident with Vex Carpompter. You must face the consequences of your actions."

My teeth clenched as the anger suddenly raged through me and with one violent tug I tore her hand from my neck.

"That..." I gasped and clutched the painful, forming bruise on my throat. "That...That is all I have been doing lately, master! Facing the consequences, the consequence of hurting Vex, the consequences of being too over berating to myself and forgetful! In all honesty, if I hadn't cooperated with Edracian, we wouldn't know what we know now."

She just sneered and glared.

"Y-you taught me that I must do what I must to survive until the mission is complete, I was just doing as your teachings demanded, I did what I had to, too survive."

"And that leads us to another question, Attelus," said the Mimic. "Why did Edracian let you live when you know so much? Why didn't he inject you with legitimate poison and just not give you the cure?"

I shrugged and sighed, why hadn't I thought of that? "P-perhaps he's already off world?" I ventured. "Or perhaps he's just insane, frig. He certainly seemed to be, too me."

"Or who is to say that he didn't just have you injected with another poison?" said Glaitis. "One that is far slower to act."

"Except for the aches and pains from the beating your pet Xenos dealt too me earlier and being barely able to breathe," I said. "I feel fine."

The Xenos' punch came from nowhere, smashing into the side of my face, knocking off Karmen's bandage and sent me stumbling, clutching at my already beaten and bruised face.

"Do not ever call me anyone's 'pet', ever again," It said dangerously. "Or so help me the beating I gave you before will be nothing compared what I will do to you, you understand, Attelus?"

My smile hidden behind my hand, hit the berserk button did I? I thought if only I'd known of this earlier.

It's certainly something I could exploit in the future.

I slowly picked up my bandage and placed it back, then stood back up.

"Frig it!" I snarled with feigned anger. "Why is everyone hitting me today!"

"It's because you deserve it, young one," stated Glaitis as she returned to her seat.

I met the Thing's anger ridden attention. "I'm sorry, " I sighed. "I was wrong and idiotic; I shouldn't have called you that, I apologise."

Olinthre's features just sneered and glared, in an exact echo of Glaitis before.

"So, you want to talk the man who named himself No One of Consequence, to try and get him to lead us to Brutis Bones. So you can negotiate an alliance to track down Edracian and stop him am I correct in that?" She said.

"Essentially, yes," I said. "Assuming, of course, he isn't off-world by now."

She smiled without warmth and curled her fingers together in front of her face.

"He is still here, young one, of that I have no doubt."

I raised an eyebrow and glanced briefly at the Mimic who looked back just as confused.

"And how the hell do you know that, mamzel?"

She shook her head and reclined back on her seat, now as smug as smug can be.

"It is pretty obvious, child, and explains why he let you live, this, quite simply, is a trap."

My eyes widened, "what?"

Glaitis rolled her eyes and swivelled in her seat, "both us and Brutis Bones are his main enemies, we are the only ones who know of his conspiracy, we are the only ones trying to hunt him. He, obviously, like us, doesn't know where Brutis Bones is so he is waiting for us to make an alliance so he can ambush and kill all his enemies while we are all together in one, convenient, location."

I stood for a few seconds, my jaw working as I struggled to make my next sentence. Glaitis was right, damn it why hadn't I thought of that?

"S-so what are we to do, mamzel?" stammered the Mimic.

She shrugged. "Why we are going to fall for it, not doing so would be..." She paused and smiled, "...Inconceivable."

That jolted me out of my stupor, and I glared at her hard.

"We are?" asked the Mimic timidly.

"Of course!" she yelled abruptly, causing both the Mimic and me to flinch in fright. "We'll play Edracian at his little game."

"That's still assuming he's still planetside," I growled. "He could've just left his mooks to ambush us and left."

Glaitis sighed, "could you, just for once in your miserable life, trust me, young one. Edracian is on Omnartus, this I know without doubt. Now you can go back down to your friends waiting down in the lobby and tell them; they have my permission to talk to No One of Consequence, I will send word to Hayden, Castella and Darrance. You are both dismissed."

The Mimic immediately turned to leave, but I still glared at her balefully, I had never mentioned of Edracian's catchphrases during my report.

Did the Eldar tell her of them or was there something else behind it?

She just looked back, mocking me from behind her glasses.

"Uhh, Attelus?" asked the Mimic.

"Whatever," I only growled and left without further word.

We stepped out of the elevator and into the black marble walled lobby to find everyone waiting for us, including much to my surprise, Garrakson and the two stormtroopers who Torris had sent to help him.

"Well, that took a while," said Karmen without greeting. "Did you get permission or not?"

I only managed a slight nod, my attention on Garrakson, who strangely seemed his usual grim, unreadable self.

Standing next to Karmen, Torris frowned, "that a yes then, Attelus?"

I nodded again as Garrakson slowly approached.

"If you wondered where I was, kiddo, I was looking for medicae Feuilt," said Garrakson and I could barely hide my relief. That would explain why Karmen Kons was so calm.

Or he could've met with Vex and was lying about it.

From now on I certainly had to keep an eye on Jeurat Garrakson. Perhaps it would have been a better idea just to have told the truth?

I wasn't sure, but it was too late now, we'd lied so now I needed concern myself on how to reinforce that lie.

"And let me guess," said the Mimic for me. "He was nowhere to be found?"

Garrakson grimaced and looked away, "yeah, I even checked the surveillance recordings, and got nothing. I don't know what that implies, but it cannot be good."

"A-and no sign of El's body?" I asked haltingly.

Garrakson grimaced even more and shook his head, "nothing, sorry kid, he might have hidden her somewhere I had no time to look, it's a bloody big tower. Or took her with him, either/or, I dunno."

I furrowed my brow and sucked air through clenched teeth, why the hell would Edracian want Elandria's body? This was truly getting weirder and weirder.

"Alright," said Torris with a smile and a nod. "I think it's time we got to doing this, then."

We rode the elevator up to the fifth floor all of us barely fit in the small space, and I suspected the weight our combined weights was well over its limit.

Just then I couldn't help wonder, how many times have I ridden up and down elevators this day alone? I began a quick calculation in my head.

Mathematics has never been my strong suit so it took a little longer than it really should've, but what I came with up with was twelve, I've been up and down elevators twelve times today, since my miraculous recovery. By the Emperor that was a hell of a lot and it seemed after every time, I found some new tidbit of information, some new revelation that turned everything on its head. Sacred frig, today was indeed an eventful day.

I smiled to myself and turned to meet Karmen Kons' impassive gaze as she stood right beside me, now that was the understatement of the millennia, I thought.

She looked back unflinchingly, and we played 'who can stare at the other the longest' for the rest of the ride.

Finally, the elevator found the fifth floor and immediately we quickly filed out into the dark, brown-walled corridor.

Waiting for us was Castella, Darrance and Hayden.

Hayden, a big figure barely able to fit into the thin corridor stood with Darrance and Castella at his sides just in front of him.

I was one of the first to file out, and all three couldn't hide their shock when they saw the state of my face.

"W-what happened to your face?" Demanded Darrance, with wide eyes.

I looked at all three, a little surprised that Glaitis had neglected to tell them what happened.

"I-I fell down some stairs," I lied.

Immediately, Darrance eyes turned into suspicious slits, evidently seeing straight through my fib, but he left it at that.

Garrakson's jaw clenched with impatience, and he started forward, growling, "alright, alright enough mucking about we're-"

Hayden's outstretched hand interrupted the ex-guardsman in mid-sentence and mid-stride.

"No," said the ex-arbitrator in a tone with so much finality it would've envied Major Olinthre. "That wasn't to the conditions, those three and those three only."

With a brief wave of his hand, Hayden indicated, "Olinthre," Karmen and me as he said it.

Garrakson who I never thought could be intimidated by anyone, flinched back from Tresch, who stood with such stability he could've been an adamantium bulwark, then the ex-guardsman directed a withering glare at me.

"Why didn't you tell us we couldn't come?" He demanded.

"I didn't know," I said with wide eyes. "Mamzel Glaitis neglected to tell us this when we met her, right, Olinthre?"

"Yes, yes she did," confirmed the mimic, it's voice so deadpanned it could've echoed.

Garrakson turned back to Tresch his fists clenching open and closed, and for a few scary seconds, it seemed that he was going to strike out at Hayden. But Tresch stayed deathly still, and in the blink of an eye, both Castella and Darrance reached for their weapons as did Torris and the ten soldiers escorting us.

I watched on, with my heart in my throat, unsure what to do, or even if it came to blows, which side to take.

Finally, Garrakson turned away and snarled out a "frig it!"

Then he turned his glare back to me, "I know when we're being hoodwinked, let's leave this farce. let's go."

With that they left, filing back into the elevator, all the while Garrakson glaring accusingly at me and I couldn't help wonder; what the hell did I do?

We walked in silence through the cramped, brown, dull lit corridor. Treash was at the front with Castella and Darrance just after him, Karmen and I the last was the Olinthre-thing.

I had my hands in their pockets and every few metres I had to rub my eyes with my fists.

I felt tired and as sick as all hell and my face stung and throbbed.

Shacking away the dizziness and while avoiding Estella who walked beside me, I said; "Darrance?"

Darrance frowned deeply and looked over his shoulder at me, "What?"

I forced my eyes to stay open, I needed something to distract me, so I can keep my eyes open, and I had a question I wanted to ask the veteran assassin.

"When I woke up, medicae Feuilt told me something."

Darrance grimaced and turned away, "I assume he mentioned that I visited you while you were in a coma? Is that what you are alluding to?"

"That's exactly it, yes," I said through gritted teeth, not liking his tone at all.

Without looking back, he shrugged, "and you are wondering why Darrance the complete frig head, who seems to hate Attelus Kaltos deigned to bother to visit you? Am I again, correct?"

My jaw twitched, "yes."

He shrugged again, "well it was your birthday, I thought I might as well, as it may very well have been your last."

My eyebrows raised with bemusement, "m-my birthday?"

Darrance looked back over his shoulder at me, "don't tell me you forgot? You turned twenty-four standard, did you not?"

"Y-yeah, but with everything that's happening, surely, I could be forgiven for forgetting my birthday?"

Darrance shook his head and sighed. "That is where our opinions yet again differ, apprentice. When one is in our line of work, one must appreciate every birthday they live to see as the next is far, far from guaranteed. Isn't that correct Castella?"

Castella seemed to suddenly flinch and hunch forwards as Darrance turned his attention to her. "Y-yes that's right, Darrance!" She said then she looked over her shoulder, giving me a nervous grin. "An assassin must appreciate every birthday they live to see! A-and happy birthday, Attelus!"

I could only purse my lips and look to the floor, unsure what to think, never did I ever comprehend that Darrance would care for such a small thing or, anything, for that matter and Castella, well I didn't know what I should say to her or why she had reacted to Darrance's question so strangely. Was it because of my reaction to her treatment of the prisoner?

"You need not look so perplexed, apprentice," said Darrance, shaking his head. "Believe it or not I have a personality as well."

"Yeah," growled Hayden. "Happy birthday, kid."

This was echoed in turn by Karmen Kons and the Olinthre-thing.

"Th-thanks, everyone," I stammered, rubbing my eyes again.

I'm so frigging tired, I thought.

We came to the door soon afterwards and the guards, looking as bored as they did earlier again nod respectfully to Castella and Hayden, who both returned the nods and absently they opened the door for us.

We all filed inside and gazed through the one-sided glass, into the cell beyond, where sat the man that we had beaten and hurt brutally, but who we depended on so much.

Would he help us? And if he didn't could I blame him? I decided a certain, no, on the last question, no I wouldn't at all.

Next to me, Karmen Kons with her arms folded grimaced and growled, "I knew we shouldn't have given you this building."

Tresch turned to her and smiled although it lacked any humour, "well, it's a bit late for that regret, mamzel," He said.

Karmen shrugged, "I never said that we regretted it, assassin, just that we will learn from it."

"Like you also learned how to not fall so easily for traps?" said Castella darkly.

Karmen's attention snapped straight to Castella, her face as hard as stone, "yes, we have certainly learned not to trust supposedly trustworthy allies, ever again."

That caused all my colleagues, and Darrance included, to suddenly burst out in almost riotous, contemptuous and cruel laughter.

Karmen Kons grimaced with barely contained rage and balled her hands into fists.

I had got that one, they found it incredibly amusing that Taryst and his group had even slightly trusted us in the first place, which on hindsight was, actually, kind of funny. But I had no intention to laugh along with my colleagues, their laughter was harsh on the ears and horrified me. It was the laughter I could imagine from a group of predators would laugh once they had cornered their prey.

"Can we talk to the prisoner now?" growled the Olinthre-thing with such force my fellow assassins' laughter was cut short. "Or are we going just to waste time standing around exchanging petty jokes?"

Castella smiled and shrugged, "well, I enjoy the petty jokes more, personally, but if you insist, Mr major," she said while giving the Olinthre-thing a mocking salute and a playful wink.

Treash frowned at Castella, "alright, we'll go in, and talk to him first, you three just wait out here for awhile."

With that, the assassins walked down the corridor and into the cell while we approached the window to watch on.

"So," said no one of Consequence, after Castella gave him a long sip of water. "You here to ask more questions?" Then he glared accusingly at Castella. "Or just to beat the crap outta me again?"

"Why don't you take a guess?" Said Castella. "I bet you won't even come close."

I grimaced, tuned out and turned to Karmen Kons.

"You do know, Attelus, that you are scarred for life now," she said bluntly. "That wound Elandria gave you, will never go away.

I frowned and absently touched the bandage covering the wound, "I know, I'd thought so," I said sadly.

A short silence followed before the Olinthre-thing grimaced and turned to us, "I've gotta say if you two were trying to convince everyone that you don't know each other, you are doing one terrible job."

We glared at it and said simultaneously, "what?"

It returned our glares unflinchingly and shrugged, "well, the whole staring into each other's eyes thing during half the elevator ride up, your little confrontation before we entered the mamzel's residence, yeah, they weren't clues toward a prior relationship at all."

I immediately turned away as I felt my face flush with embarrassment, but Karmen Kons remained unfazed.

"We never had a prior relationship, Xenos," she snarled. "It was a...friendship, nothing more."

The Olinthre-thing smiled, "so you two did know each other, before these events, then? Thank you for the confirmation," then It shrugged. "Well, from the vibe I got from you two, it seemed like a prior relationship to me. I apologise for the misunderstanding."

Karmen Kons gritted her teeth, about to reply but was interrupted as Castella, Tresch and Darrance entered into the room.

"He is yours," said Darrance, with an evil twisted grin that churned my guts. "We will stay out here."

Karmen treated with him a dark look but gave a slow, deliberate nodded.

"Thank you for the honour, assassin," she growled sardonically.

Darrance only replied with a brief, mocking bow.

Karmen grimaced then turned to the Olinthre-thing and me and motioned us to follow.

"Let us see how this goes, shall we?" She said.

We filed into the interrogation room, and the beaten and broken form of No One of Consequence looked over his shoulder at us.

"So Taryst's bitch psyker finally deigns to see me personally," he growled, and I couldn't help but have my attention snap straight to Karmen with surprise, how did he know about her?

"And you, kid, I see someone gave you one hell of a beating since we last met, believe me I know how you feel," with that he spluttered out laughter at his horrid joke.

"We have come to negotiate," said Karmen through clenched teeth as she walked around to face the captive directly.

"Negotiate, huh?" said No One of Consequence, who seemed genuinely perplexed. "Negotiate what?"

"We need you to lead us to Brutis Bones," she said sternly.

With that, No One of Consequence threw back his head and bellowed out a brief bark of laughter.

"Well, well, we've gone from torturing to 'negotiating' what makes you think it'll make a difference?"

"Because now the situation has become vastly more complicated," said Karmen. "Now we find our goals, coincide."

No One of Consequence sniffed and cleared his throat, "the situation was already 'vastly complicated, how could it get even more complicated?"

Karmen looked at me briefly, then to the one-sided glass that my colleagues stood behind.

"Because Taryst is dead," she said simply. "And with him the intent to hide the truth you and Brutis Bones know."

I flinched at how easily Karmen had given such a secret over and was suddenly supremely glad that Garrakson and Torris weren't here to hear it.

Now that brought a genuine look of shook to the throne agent's bruised, destroyed face.

"Taryst is, dead? How?"

Karmen Kons shrugged, "if I told you the details it would take all day, let's just say..."

She trailed off and glanced over her shoulder accusingly at the one-sided glass, "that it was, an...internal...conspiracy."

No One of Consequence sniggered and shook his head with utter contempt, "of course it was," he lisped.

Karmen smiled coldly, "not just that we also have irrefutable proof that Inquisitor Nonin Edracian is planetside."

"Oh?" said No One of Consequence, disarmingly calm about it. "Has that frigger finally decided to show his face, huh?"

"Yes, and it is our every intention to stop him, as it is yours," said Karmen. "And if we are able to cooperate with Brutis Bones, the chances would increase exponentially."

"Oh. I'm sure they would, that's if we actually cooperate and you don't betray us."

"You have my guarantee," said Karmen as she raised in front of his face the right of trade. "As long as I hold this, the organisation is mine to control."

No One of Consequence tilted his head forward and sighed, "I can't frigging believe I'm doing this, but, alright, if Edracian's on Omnartus and you're truly willing to forge an alliance. I'll take you, despite all the deaths and horrid actions your organisation has done to my people. But on one condition."

"Give us the coordinates of where his base of operations is," said Karmen. "Then lead us there."

No One of Consequence grimaced, "why?"

"So we can send in the Magistratum and the Adeptus Arbites, to make sure that it isn't an ambush beforehand."

"Ha! So much for trust!"

"Show us that we can trust you, No One of Consequence, then we will."

"Alright, alright. I will. But you need to tell me exactly how you know Edracian is planetside and the events that led up to you realising this stuff," He said.

"We don't have the time-!" tried Karmen.

"Then make the frigging time!" he interrupted with a force one who'd been so badly beaten shouldn't be capable of. "Just like I need to earn your trust, you need to earn, mine."

Karmen sighed and turned to me, "okay, alright, Attelus...?"

I gave her a wide-eyed look that asked; "why me?"

She just furrowed her brow, shook her head and impatiently ushered me forward.

I sighed and walked past Karmen to let No one of Consequence look at me directly, wondering what exactly to say and what not to say.

"Hey kid, long time no see, was it Inquisitor Edracian who did that to your face?"

I shook my head, "no, no it wasn't," I paused to think. "I-it started just after I talked to you I was...ambushed."

"Ambushed? Ambushed by who?"

"It was a group of well-dressed hammers who wielded axes, they ambushed me, and after I fought them for a while, Edracian chose to show himself."

"Okay, what did he look like?"

"H-he wore blue power armour with a brown cloak on his shoulders, and a large "I" emblazoned on his chest."

No One of Consequence nodded but did nothing else.

"I tried to escape, but they captured me, injected me with...poison, poison, I found out later was fake, and he ordered me in the exchange of the antidote to...Infiltrate Taryst's condo and take a pict of the Interrogator, if she was dead, the Interrogator you told us of earlier, with this..."

I took out the pict taker from one of my flak jacket pockets and showed it to him.

Despite their swollen condition, No One of Consequence's eyes widened with distinct fear.

"And tell me, boy!" He yelled so loud and desperately it caused us all to flinch in fright. "Did you succeed!"

"Y-yes I did," I stammered, taken aback by his sudden ferocity.

"Oh! You stupid, stupid, stupid boy! Now you've doomed us all!" He roared, and he looked to Karmen. "Yeah I'll cooperate with ya, I'll give ya the coordinates ya need," then he turned back to me with an intense, accusing glare.

"But thanks to this little fool's actions I think it'll be too little, too late."

I couldn't contend a reply at No One of Consequence's statement, I could only stand around my jaw dumbly agape, my heart lodged in my throat and my eyes wide.

"W-what do you mean?" asked Karmen for me.

He let out a frustrated groan and hung his head forward, "typical, frigging, merc always thinking about how to save your own bloody hide! Typical! Frigging typical!"

"What the hell do you mean!" Karmen snarled.

No One of Consequence sighed deeply, "what I mean, psyker," he spat out "psyker" as though it were a curse. "That seemingly innocent pict has spelt-"

"I know that!" roared Karmen. "You have said that already! Tell us why!"

"I'm not sure I should, yet," said the man. "Brutis might want to know this before I do."

"Oh! You!" and she drew her hand back to punch the captive in the face, but the Olinthre-thing caught her fist in mid-air before the blow could land.

"You mean that this...Simple pict, Attelus took is going to contribute to Inquisitor Edracian's...Goal?" said the Olinthre thing as Karmen struggled to break from its grasp.

"More than any "simple pict" ever bloody well should," answered No One of Consequence as he spat more blood onto the floor. "That pict wasn't just of my master's Interrogator; she was more than just that, she was...Her name was, Amanda Heartsa, God-Emperor rest her soul and she was more than just an interrogator, she was his daughter."

My attention snapped to the Olinthre-thing' It's back.

"And, well, frig it. It gets worse from there, but you're gonna have to wait 'till we find Brutis before you find that out," said No One of Consequence.

The Olinthre-thing nodded and let go of Karmen, "we are willing to make such a compromise are we not, Karmen?"

She grimaced and rubbed her wrist, "yeah, whatever," she growled, and she turned to the captive. "So now will you give us the coordinates, throne agent?"

"Why of course, mamzel," said No One of Consequence with mocking politeness. "And I'd like you to know if young...Attenlus or whatever his bloody name is. Hadn't told me he'd taken that stupid pict I wouldn't have told you the real co-ordinances."

The Olinthre-thing folded its arms and sniffed loudly, "I didn't, think that you would've, that was way too easy." And I couldn't help but agree.

No One of Consequence, pursed his lips and shrugged, "oh, I was that obvious? Was I? Ohh, gosh darn it!"

The Xenos shrugged, "better luck next time, I guess."

"Would. You. Please. Tell. Us. The coordinates, now!" Roared Karmen right in No One of Consequence's face through clenched teeth, her attractive face now beet red with rage and I could see the old man close his eyes to shield them from her spittle

"Okay! Okay!" This is where they will go after what happened at the Twilight bar it's in the underhive, it's 20036 by 33299, it's an old Factorium."

My eyes widened at that, "wait! I know that place! It was one of the first we investigated!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, well, they wouldn't have moved there 'till a month ago," said No One of Consequence. "So don't feel bad. There's other things you should be feeling bad about, right now, kid."

I sighed and facepalmed, the search for Brutis Bones seemed pointless now.

"Alright! Here's the plan!" Said Karmen. "Olinthre! I need you to get in contact with Arlathan Karkin at the Magistratum and Tamlorst Toroun of the Adeptus Arbites, tell them we've found Brutis Bones, he's at 20036 by 33299 and tell them to surround the area, but not to go inside until we meet them there!"

The Olinthre-thing grinned, shook it's head and said; "finally, they'll have to start working for all those bribes, huh? Bet they'll be fuming!" And it reached up to its ear to start tuning its link.

Karmen reached up to hers'.

"Garrakson, I need you and your men back here, now. We need an escort back to the main tower."

She nodded at the reply I couldn't hear, then lowered her hand.

"You're sure we can trust him?" I asked, hesitantly. "Because I know he doesn't trust us."

Karmen shook her head and grinned, "Jeurat Garrakson is a man of honour, Attelus, you know that. He will follow what I say as long as Taryst ordered him to."

I frowned, feeling she was, again, vastly underestimating Garrakson. "But he didn't" I pointed out.

"Well we have something that can rectify that," she replied nodding over her shoulder at the Olinthre-thing as he quietly spoke into his link in the corner, in what I guessed to be Taryst's voice.

I shrugged and looked curiously at the man tied to the chair, wondering what he thought of that brief bit of dialogue, but he immediately turned away once he saw my attention was on him.

"So what are we doing, now?" I asked Karmen.

"We are taking poor, poor, No One of Consequence here to be fixed up at our medicae," said Karmen as she began to untie him. "We don't want our guide to be in bad shape."

"You just don't want them to see the condition your lackeys left me in," growled No One of Consequence." Which I also knew, without doubt, to be true.

Karmen leaned her head over his shoulder and briefly pulled the ropes tighter, causing No One of Consequence to gasp out in pain,

"Same, difference, really," she said sweetly. "Now Attelus can you help me here."

"O-okay," I stammered and moved to comply.

It had stopped raining while we walked back to Taryst's tower. The going was slow as Garrakson, Torris and the ten Stormtrooper escort checked every inch of every of every corner of the maze of twists and turns which made those alleyways with a zeal that would put even the most overzealous Ministorum priest to shame. Also with us were Castella, Hayden and Darrance who watched the back, but in a far more casual fashion. Castella had her left hand laid on her the hilt of one of her sheathed swords while in her right was her raised plasma pistol. Hayden held his Long Las low; the barrel pointed at the ground while Darrance had his ornate, curved power scimitar drawn but carried it casually at his side.

I was happy to let them guard; I was too preoccupied with my churning stomach, my painful throbbing face and my thoughts.

The three assassins were, easily, far more intimidating and professional than Torris, Garrakson and the Stormtroopers combined, their casual confidence just added to it somehow. They were skilled extremely, I've seen all three at work during my seven years under Glaitis' employ and knew this well.

But yet, despite this, I knew even they paled in comparison to my father.

Serghar Kaltos could easily slaughter all three before they could even blink. With this, my thoughts wandered back to my dream, the one in which I had fought mono a mono against my father and defeated him.

I looked down and clenched my gloved fist, could I one day be that good? By the Emperor, it would take a while, although.

Again, I glanced over my shoulder at the senior assassins, although I had sparred against my father on countless occasion, I'd never actually saw him at his full strength, he was always toying with me, but still, he'd always defeat me with ease.

While he was no doubt good, but, perhaps I was overestimating Serghar Kaltos true skill?

Perhaps I was even underestimating my own? While I doubted I was as good as Serghar Kaltos, perhaps I was on par with Castella, Darrance and Tresch? In the last six months, I'd seen more action than many veteran guardsmen would see in years, I must've killed dozens of hammers on the edge of my sword. I must've learned something from all of that crap even if those months of toil and killing now turned out to be utterly useless.

Then I looked to No One of Consequence who stumbled handcuffed and blindfolded beside me. I had also gone one on one against him, a man who must be a very experienced throne agent and almost came out on top, then I had held off a rampaging Arco-flagellant long enough to allow everyone in the Twilight bar to escape with their lives.

I did not doubt that now, that I'd somehow accomplished that seemingly implausible feat. Not a shadow of a doubt, Elandria wouldn't have lied, especially if it were her last words.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath through my nose; I missed her, would I ever get over her? I would, I would, one day, without doubt, I'd get over her untimely death, but I wouldn't forget her.

My heart suddenly hurt, and my hand reached up to touch the bandage on my face, I'd surely never forget her, especially with this forever marring my face.

This made me quietly sigh and shake my head, now wasn't the time to be lost in thought! Or as Elandria would've said; 'lost in my little world.'

I smiled sadly at the thought and then I noticed Karmen was looking over her shoulder at me her large blue eyes wide with concern.

I met her gaze, giving her a slight smile and a nod. In all honesty of all the people involved in this, I understood her motivations the least. During our time together in the war-ravaged Velrosia, while we travelled south, I'd gotten to know Estella Erith well. She was a kind woman, with great charisma and intellect, but was extremely passionate and proud. It'd been that pride which had almost driven her to throw her life away, once.

But now, as I stated before, I think Karmen Kons is a completely different creature, sure the pride was still there, in fact, I'd say it was even worse, but she was also far more cruel, ruthless, manipulative, controlling.

A sudden shiver went up my spine as another realisation hit me, she was just like Glaitis.

But yet, sometimes, I'd see hints of Estella Erith break through the Karmen Kons persona, when her dialogue became more formalised or at times like this. The concern with which she looked at me now was completely genuine. Genuine in a way Glaitis could never hope to be. I could tell this because it wasn't Karmen looking at me, it was Estella. How I knew, I truly didn't know, I just did.

Estella gave me a great big grin that made my heart flutter, then turned back forward.

The rest of the trip went without incident, which surprised me. If there were a time that Brutis Bones and his secret squad of crack commandos to strike it'd have been now, while their erstwhile ally was being escorted out in the open and despite everything I felt like I never wanted it to end. It did of course, but it was the last time of peace and contemplation I had before everything went to hell in a handcart.

And by the Emperor now that was indeed the understatement of the millennia.

I sat stripped to the waist, sitting on a gurney in the medical facility the big black bruises covering my torso a stark contrast to my pale white skin, and I tried hard to ignore the pain as medicae-assistant, Hasin stitched up my face, for all the frigging good it'd do.

There were five medicaes, hired by Taryst excluding Feuilt; the four others were now busy attending to no one of consequence, while Garrakson and everyone else stood to watch, everyone but Karmen, who had said; "I need to retrieve something of the utmost importance," then left alone.

"I am sorry to say," said Halsin as he carefully added another stitch. "Your face will be permanently scarred, no matter how many stitches I do. You would have been scarred permanently, even without the trauma you suffered to open it and make it worse, can I ask, how did it happen?"

My jaw twitched, "my cheek was cut by a monomolecular enhanced blade," I informed with forced neutrality. "Then I was punched in the face, a hell of a lot."

Halsin nodded, he was tall and thin and couldn't have been much older than I was, with a gaunt, sallow face and large bulging, thyroid eyes which looked even larger from behind his thick glasses. I hadn't met him before, as Feuilt was the only medicae I had contact with until now.

"And I am assuming that is all the information you are going to give?" he asked.

"Yes," I said, Halsin had given me some chewy tablets to help with my sick stomach, but it either hadn't kicked in yet or wasn't working at all, as another strong wave of nausea hit me.

"And then I am going to assume, again. That you won't tell me what happened to head medicae Feuilt, after you, him and major Olinthre left suddenly around six hours ago?"

"Yes," I repeated.

Halsin sighed, "I had thought as much, I should be used to it by now, everything is a secret around here."

I furrowed my brow; I would've thought of something deadpanned and ironic too...Think, on Halsin stating the obvious, but felt him just saying it was enough.

"Well," he said on, "well, even if you're scarred, you can still wear a layer of false flesh over the scar."

I shrugged slightly, being careful not to disturb Halsin's work with the movement, in all honesty, I didn't mind the scar until now I had been able to avoid being heavily scarred during my career even after going through some particularly heavy engagements.

Then the door slid open and in walked Karmen Kons, her long blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail, she was grinning from ear to ear and now wore battered black flak armour with white trim and was carrying behind her back a long, blue ornate box.

I immediately recognised the armour; it was the uniform of the Velrosian branch of the Elbyran Planetary defence force in which she had once served as a sergeant, it was the very same armour Estella Erith had worn the first time I'd met her, a lifetime ago now.

She nodded to me and quickly approached the gurney.

"Almost done, Halsin?" She asked.

Halsin paused in his work, glanced at her and blushed distinctly, "j-just finishing now, mamzel."

Karmen smiled, placed her hands on her hips and nodded, "thank you, I wish to talk to Attelus in private, please."

"O-of course mamzel!" he cried and after quickly finishing the stitches and placing on a new bandage, said; "It seems that none of your ribs were broken, Mr Kaltos, although I can tell by the density of your bruising that the impacts of those punches should have broken at least a few of your bones. I really do not know what that psyker did to you, Mr Kaltos, but it did not just re-nit your bones, it also somehow made them stronger."

Before I could make a reply Halsin hurriedly turned, nodded to Karmen and walked out.

My eyes widened, not sure quite what to make of Halsin's words. My bone structure was enhanced? But how? Why? Just as I thought this couldn't get any stranger, it just did.

Karmen pouted, still looking at the door then turned back to me.

"He is an interesting one, that, Halsin," she said absent minded, then suddenly shoved the blue box right in front of my face.

"For you," she stated.

With a nervous grin I hesitantly took the box and looked over it, it was made from high-quality wood and was ornate but not overly so.

"Aren't you going to open it?" She asked.

I did, quickly unclasping the metal clips and opened it, inside I found to my minimal surprise; a sword, a sheathed longsword, in a simple scabbard, with a basic but practical handle and guard.

I looked up at her, wide-eyed, "I uh..."

"Unsheathe it," she said encouragingly, "and don't worry Attelus, it's yours ."

Nodding, I slowly took the sword out of the box and immediately I could tell it was lightweight and balanced even before drawing it, which in the blink of an eye, I did.

It was a sword of masterful make; I could tell that at a glance. It also was of Velrosian design, the blacksmiths of Velrosia had always adhered to simplicity in design, but the quality of make and this one was of the highest quality even to Velrosian standards.

It was also old, very, very old, yet exceptionally well maintained.

But that wasn't what got me, what made me blink was that it was also a powersword.

"It was my family's," informed Karmen, knocking me out of my reverie. "It had been handed down the Erith line for generations, even since the time of King Royd Antares."

I looked at her taken aback, "this, this is over a thousand years old?"

She nodded, "that it is, Attelus or that is what my grandfather and father said, anyway."

"I-I," I managed. "I can't take this; this is yours! This is your family's!"

Karmen smiled and shook her head, "no, Attelus, it's yours. I am the last alive of the Erith line, and I gave up a long time ago on practising Valisuth. It deserves someone with skill enough to wield it, and I believe you to be more than qualified."

"H-how did you-?"

She shrugged, "I had Taryst retrieve it for me, it somehow managed to survive the bombardment that destroyed my city and killed my brother and was kept until a few months ago in a museum in Varander, so Taryst pulled some strings and got it for me, somehow."

"I don't know what to say. Thank you...Estella."

Karmen grinned and raised an eyebrow, "oh I am sure you will get ample opportunity to use it soon, Attelus."

I nodded sadly and sheathed the beautiful sword, "I just hope, I just hope that pict I took, that it isn't as bad as the Throne agent said it was."

Karmen's face darkened, "I'm sorry Attelus, but I have very little doubt, it is. You will just have to make up for it by helping stop it. That is what life is about, dealing with the consequences of our actions, whether they be good or bad."

I nodded again, got off the gurney and began to slip my body glove back on.

"You're right, Estella," I said, "and with this powersword, I will, even if it costs me my life."