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neonacity · 2 years

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CHAPTER 16: EPILOGUE

SUMMARY:

“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”

An NCT mafia AU with OT23. Summary: Working for the mafia comes with many layers. There’s excitement, violence, loss, and betrayals. Yet there’s also friendship, family, loyalty, and code. The last thing it needs? Love and all the complexities it brings.

TW: violence, death, mentions of sex, drugs, and other illegal activities. If you’re uncomfortable with any of these, feel free to skip. Author’s note: This is purely a work of fiction. In no way am I supporting all the illegal activities and behaviors that might be mentioned in the story nor am I implying that any member of NCT acts whichever way I may write them here.

Previously > Chapter 15 > Cadenza

MASTERLIST

Fic Trailer

"I swear to god, Haechan, if you don't stop picking on your stitches, I am going to put you in a straightjacket."

Haechan made a pointed move to put his hand to his side with a roll of his eyes. He heard Mark snicker beside him, but before he could turn and throw the other a snide remark, he felt the slight dipping of the couch he is currently sitting on. A gentle but firm hand angled his head slightly as the girl beside him peered at his wound.

"It's healing well…" she whispered now as she looked closely at the base of his spine. "Seriously, I've done nothing but patch you up. Why is it always you?"

This time, he gave a sarcastic scoff. "I don't know, maybe you should ask the guy who drove his gun down my neck. Yah, Jaemin-ah. Make your girlfriend stop. She's talking my ear off."

The boy in question gave him a deadpan stare from the seat across from him. He looked frustratingly calm for someone who seemed like he just got out of a brawl with the still purple bruise on his left eye and the cut on his lip. Jaemin gave a wave of his hand before crossing his arms over his chest again.

"I'd listen to her if I were you. She's not kidding about the straightjacket."

"Anyone saw Jisung? He didn't die in his sleep, did he?" Jeno asked with mild concern as he walked over to their little group huddled in one of the rooms of the headquarters. He also looked a little worse for wear with the bandages covering his forearm and a portion of his shoulder. Renjun briefly looked up from the laptop he had been slaving over for the past hour to answer him.

"No, he woke up earlier just to chug down a glass of milk and then he went to sleep again. He's still recovering."

"What are you doing though?" Chenle asked as he peered over the other's shoulder from where he sat. His forehead creased seeing the multiple windows pulled up on the screen.

"I'm trying to see what happened that day we were attacked because no one would tell us."

Mark sighed as he leaned back against his seat with a wince. His back was still hurting from his own injuries, but it was definitely better now that they've been given some time to recover.

"I told you, you should all just wait. Doyoung-hyung said they are going to make an official announcement soon."

"You sure you don't know anything, Marky? Because it would be really mean if you're just not telling us things," Haechan asked with a suspicious hint to his tone.

"Hell no. Ask Jeno. We're in the dark, too."

Well… that's not entirely true. The day they were dispatched for their Busan mission, Taeyong gathered him, Kun, Doyoung, and Jungwoo to tell them about some vital information that has literally been sitting under their noses all along. To say that Mark was surprised to know who the true heir to the Donship was would be a kind understatement. As one of the kids raised by their "big sister," it never crossed him to look deeper into her history and identity. He knows that she is one of the earliest members of the family, but he didn't expect anything other than that, especially since she seemed to try her hardest to stay under the radar.

The revelation, however, explained a lot. Mark could easily see now why they were exhausting their manpower just to try and save the Don's wife—her mother—and why Taeyong… who previously didn't give the slightest interest in fighting for the position of family head, suddenly made the decision to go against Jihoon. Mark may be younger than the rest of his 127 members, but he is also the leader of Dream for good reason. His keen sense of observation easily dissected the true full picture to him.

Taeyong might be doing it for their brotherhood, but he is also doing it for her.

In the end, he and Kun were given the choice to share the information with their own units. Mark, however, opted to keep it temporarily to himself for a couple of reasons. First, because he doesn't feel like it is his place to reveal what he just learned, and second… because he wants to spare his members from the weight of the information in the event that they get caught and tortured during their mission. It was a tough decision, but as it turned out, was the right move to make.

"Noona," Chenle suddenly turned to the sole girl in their group who has now moved over to sit beside Jaemin. "You're not keeping anything from us, are you?"

"No," she answered with an exasperated sigh as she reached out to dab an antiseptic strip at the lip of the boy beside him. "I told you everything I know. The moment you guys left, Taeyong-hyung and unnie left in a rush. I never saw them again after that."

"It says here there was a notice blasted to the whole family," Renjun squinted at his screen. "So that means…"

He didn't finish what he was about to say. He didn't need to, because everyone in the room knew the exact implication of his words. After being rescued from Jihoon's private military who held them hostage, they were all temporarily kept in a safe house to recover. While there, none of them had any other news of what happened in Seoul—not until they were finally sent back to the city a little over a day after. Even then, all their hyungs kept their lips tightly sealed, as if they were waiting for someone to finally give them the signal to break the news. From the looks of it though, everyone are in the same page as they are, only having a slight idea of what has really happened.

All of them had their guess though. It really wasn't that hard to make a conclusion if you put two and two together.

"Maybe they're just waiting for Taeyong-hyung to fully recover…" Jeno offered. As per what they were told, their leader and a few others, including their big sister were heavily injured during the confrontation with Jihoon. Everyone glanced at him, knowing exactly what he was trying to say.

"You really think he is the new Don now?" Jaemin voiced out the question that everyone's been wanting to ask. The boys exchanged glances before Mark finally shrugged and broke the tension.

"Most probably. I mean, who would it be if not him? The psycho killer from Busan is dead."

"And we're sure the old boss is history," Renjun said as he flipped his laptop to show the screen to them. He tapped it with his forefinger, pointing at a black section on its far left side. "No family sigil. That means we'll be getting a new one."

"That's freaking cool," Haechan smirked as he rested his boot-covered feet on the coffee table in front of him. "To think we actually will experience a change of leadership this early. I thought the old man would either hold it until he stumbles to his grave or that crazo would."

"Is it really such a big deal for you guys, though?"Jaemin's girlfriend asked now as she finally locked the lid of her medical kit. Her tone sounded genuinely curious, not surprising since she had just recently joined the family.

"Well… yeah. It kinda is," Mark said as he leaned back deeper against the couch. "We do take brotherhood and blood ties very seriously… but we also need to have a good leader to keep the family together. If we don't believe in the person heading the family, it could break us apart."

The girl frowned now, a little confused. "Really? Has it happened before?"

"It actually has. It's the reason why our seniors left—you probably haven't heard of them but they were the most active group before us. They called themselves EXO," Jeno explained.

"They left because they didn't like the management of the former Don. It was a good thing they decided to formally retire rather than create their new faction, or else we would have been left with no choice but to be rivals with them," Mark added.

"That's complicated… so for your group, it means…"

"Each unit will be asked whether they want to continue being part of the family once the new head has officially been announced. It's part of the rules, or at least, that's what I've read," Renjun said as he picked himself up from his seat to finally join the rest.

"If it's Taeyong-hyung though, then we wouldn't have any problems," Chenle piped in.

Mark nodded. "Right. I did have the feeling he would have broken his affiliation with the Don's house sooner or later if things didn't change." He let his words hang for a bit before finally giving each boy in the room a pointed look.

"Still, we can't really know for sure until the official announcement is made. We still don't know who is going to take over—something might have happened while we were gone and the former Don might have cooked up something different. Whatever happens though... we stick together, alright?"

The boys exchanged looks before giving their own silent answers.

"It's 7 Dream or nothing."

******* The cold bite of autumn air whipped against my skin almost painfully. The cardigan I had on was obviously not enough to protect me from the frosty chill of the outdoors, but I didn't mind it, my eyes set instead on the sinking sun over the horizon. It's been days since I stepped foot outside, having been bound on my hospital bed to recover from my injuries. When I finally managed to stand up without half dying from pain, I immediately took the chance to escape to get a breath of fresh air.

For the first time in days, I finally had the chance to get my thoughts to myself without anyone fussing over me. While I do appreciate the others for worrying about my well-being, I also have things to process and settle in silence. At one point, I assumed Taeyong—who was also on bed rest—sent the order for everyone to leave me alone, giving me time to sort things that I needed to deal with on my own.

The soft creaking of the door behind me alerted me of a new visitor. I didn't turn around to look at the newcomer, but I do have a feeling of who it might be from the way light footsteps made their way to where I stood by the rooftop. It stopped a few feet away from me and for a moment, all I could feel was the person's gaze silently watching my back.

"You've always loved watching sunsets…"

I finally turned to face my mother, my eyes colliding with hers for the first time since that night we rescued her. I heard nothing about her other than the news that she was also currently being treated for her injuries in our headquarters, but I was careful enough not to ask anything about her after. This is the first time I actually had the chance to look at her properly, and I would be lying if I say it didn't hurt to take in her presence now as she stood in front of me, very much alive.

She looked exactly the same the last time I saw her before she… died. There were age lines in her face that weren't there before and gray wisps of hair now framed her delicate features but overall, she was still the beautiful woman I've whole-heartedly loved and cherished many years ago. As I stared at her, I saw the same longing in my eyes reflected in hers. She was also drinking me in, trying to catch up with all the years lost between us.

"Why are you still here?" My voice was even and expressionless when I finally spoke, but it was enough to send a look of pain course through her features. She looked away, her eyes moving down to avoid my gaze.

"I wanted to see you…"

I didn't really know what to say about that. I could see from the way she looks that she is sincere with her words, but that didn't change anything she has done for the past few years.

The lies. The abandonment. The secrets.

"I want to know why you did it," I said clearly, my voice unwavering. To be honest, I never thought I would be this calm when I imagined having this conversation in my head, but a part of me was also relieved now that this is finally happening. Both of us knew this time would come, and it is only a matter of us going through it one last time.

My mother didn't look up to meet my gaze, but she did shift it to stare unseeingly at the view in front of her. The look in her eyes told me that she was shifting memories in her head and I looked on, waiting for her to speak.

"I was in love with someone else before I married your father," she started, her voice soft. "I was always meant to marry him, but we never loved each other. He knew there was someone else I've always liked—I never lied to him about it —but we both went through the marriage because it was our duty to do so."

"The leader of the Serpents… it's him all along."

Her silence confirmed my suspicion. A look of pain crossed her face, but she tried her best to hide it before it could fully consume her.

"I never cheated on your father. There was no love between us but I tried to be a good wife to him because we have you. I would be lying if I say my feelings for his rival changed, but we never went behind his back. And then one day, I heard about his plans. He was planning on killing him once and for all so he could have full control over Seoul; and he was planning to use me… and you as bait."

"That was the moment I knew I had enough. I couldn't take it anymore. So I decided to work with the Serpents, make it seem like they will get the bait, and also asked Jihoon for help to fake my death. You were never meant to be hurt, darling. Your father made sure of that, but I also had my own plans to cover for you because I couldn't trust him anymore. That's why it was Taeyong who came for you. He was the only one I could trust when it came to you."

I have more or less already put two and two together and only needed her to confirm all of my suspicions, but that doesn't mean I was spared from the weight of the truth now as she confirmed them, one by one. I could see from the way she looked at me how tortured she was over what happened, but I didn't stop her nor try to comfort her despite her pain. The truth is, despite the lies and the betrayal, I still love her the way I loved her before; but this is something she needed to suffer as a consequence of her actions. She knows this. We both know this.

"But you did hurt me though. More than father ever did."

I could see it. The way something inside her broke.

"You lied to me. You chose me over a new life and another man."

"It was the only choice I had back then. I didn't know what was waiting for me after that—I wasn't even sure if I would survive that night. I didn't want you to live a life on the run."

"So you made the decision to leave me, knowing I would be tortured by your death."

Her frame stiffened before her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"It wasn't part of the plan… you weren't supposed to see your father giving the order to kill me. My death was supposed to have just been one chapter of your life that you could have naturally moved on from. You would mourn like any daughter who lost her mother would before picking up your life again. You were supposed to grow up normally, comfortably, before you take over your father."

I felt more than defeated. For a very brief slip of a moment, I let my emotions take over me as I listened to her piece. A part of me was hoping that hearing all these would finally make me snap and lash out to her, but instead of any overwhelming emotion, it was a slow and strange mix of resignation, acceptance, and understanding that overtook me in the moment. I didn't feel angry, betrayed, or even hurt.

I was just tired.

"That was the problem, wasn't it? You and father… all you had were plans. That was how the two of you lived. It was always political. Strategic. He did it for power. You did it for yourself. You were different, but you were also the same. None of you… ever really chose me."

The look in her eyes would have made me break down if it were any other day, but I soldiered on, my words slow and calm. For a while, I had the desire to run over to her and have her hold me again like she used to when I was young but I kept on, knowing that it could ruin my resolve. I needed this… and I was going to see it through the end.

After being a pawn to all their games, I am choosing my own path.

The words that left me next were calm but final.

"I'm ordering your exile from Seoul. You are not allowed to step foot in this city and any other place the family has control over ever again. If you break this, I will come after you. And I won’t be kind about it."

I could see from the emotions that overtook her features that she was already expecting it, but even that couldn't pin down the overwhelming look of pain and longing that were reflected in her eyes. I could feel a dull pain also throb from somewhere deep in my chest but I easily swallowed it back, my face remaining placid. I didn’t move. None of us did. Finally, she put her head down in a slight bow, a gesture of respect and resignation towards my decision.

"I… understand…"

For a moment, there was nothing but the soft whispers of the wind that could be heard between us. The silence was deafening… but it was also loaded with hundreds of unspoken emotions, questions, and worries hanging in the air between us. I couldn't exactly say how long it stretched, but we both processed it slowly, knowing full well that this might be the last time we will see each other again.

It was my mother who finally broke the silence. Lifting her eyes again, she gave me a look that took every ounce of my power to keep my ground.

"I am so sorry… I do not deserve your forgiveness, but I want to apologize once and for all. I want you to know though that I have never stopped loving you. I will never do."

The stinging pressure behind my eyes was growing but I didn't falter. I faced everything head on, taking every detail in—the pain, the longing, the love. I watched as my mother's lips finally formed a smile, sad but also full of pride.

"I am so very proud of you."

Seven words. The closing of a door. And she is gone forever. Again.

*******

I didn't know how long I stayed staring at the horizon after. By the time I heard the door open again, darkness had already fallen with the stars high up in the sky. I didn't turn around to look at my new visitor, but my guess was confirmed when I felt a warm hand gently pick up mine from the spot on the bench where I was resting it.

"You're cold."

I turned to look at Taeyong who was gazing at me with a gentle look in his eyes. His face was only slightly illuminated by the light of the night sky above, but it was enough for me to notice the way his gaze roamed my face. I moved my fingers so that they were intertwined with his and he answered the gesture by slightly squeezing my hand.

"I'm fine… I want to stay here a little bit longer."

I turned back towards the sky I was gazing at and he did the same, the silence between us comfortable. I had barely seen him while we were both trying to recover from our injuries so we took our time to catch up in our own silent way.

"You let her go…" he said softly after the initial peace we shared. His tone didn't sound like a question, but more like a neutral observation. I let a few heartbeats pass before answering.

"It is safer for her to be as far away from Seoul as possible… She will be happier too…"

"Did you…"

"Yes, I did. Her new husband is alive. If things went well, he'd probably met her back at the airport again."

"And your father?"

That made me fall silent. I haven't talked to him since that night at his mansion, but as far as sources have reported, he hadn’t made any move after it.

"I trust that he will follow my order and won't go after her. But if he does… I will know."

Taeyong glanced back at me after, his gaze heavy yet comforting on my moon-washed face. I knew he was trying to read every single thing that I'm still trying to process, the same way he always did when we were younger. This time though, things are different. I didn’t flinch or hide. I let him see every single thing he wanted to see. The raw pain, the fear, the love.

"I'm so proud of you."

It was only five words, but he almost cracked my resolve with that simple phrase, especially since it was also the last thing my mother said before she left. For the first time since all the happenings of this afternoon, I let some of my emotions bubble to the surface as I looked back at him. Taeyong didn't even flinch, openly taking in the rawness and vulnerability reflected on my face.

"You think I did the right thing?"

"Whatever you feel is good for you, regardless of the decisions you had to make, is the right thing."

I will never get over it, how he always seems to know the right thing to say at any given moment. I've been so focused on trying to keep myself in check, that I've never really realized how much I needed to hear those words spoken to me out loud. He was right. To say I am not hurting would be outright lying to myself, but I also know I deserve everything I decided to sacrifice and finally let go.

"It was never right… even from the beginning," I whispered in the dark, Taeyong listening to me silently. "My father has always prioritized power over everything else and my mother always held it against him for stealing away a life with the person she really loved. All their life they've been running after different things...."

"I guess I did the same though. All along I thought I was standing up for something that I didn't even realize I was also running away from everything… including you."

His eyes, which were already staring at my soul, changed light at my words. It made my heart ache a bit, realizing that even after all these years—and even after everything I've done and haven't done—he still gazed at me with the same openness that he had always given me. Taeyong's lips curved into a gentle smile now which only made my fingers close tighter around his own.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For everything I've done that demands my apology."

He laughed softly.

"I never and will never ask it from you. You never demanded; and I willingly gave, but if it will make you feel better, then I accept your apology," his smile turned gentler now as he moved his other hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. I unconsciously leaned my face against his palm, wanting to have him closer.

"Now that's out of the way, I can say thank you."

His brows shot up and he momentarily paused to stare at my lips before finally deciding to humor me again.

"For what this time?"

This time, it was my turn to smile.

"For always choosing me even during those times I wasn't choosing myself."

Taeyong was speechless for just a little bit. When he spoke again, he had already started moving closer to slowly close the distance between us. He whispered, his breath fanning against my skin.

"And I always will. If I have to, I'll do it again and again."

That would have been the sweetest ending before our lips finally met, but I found my hands pressing slightly against his chest before he could fully lean in. He gave me a slightly confused look as I pushed him back just enough so I could stare up at his eyes.

"I'm not done. I have something else to say."

He looked like he was on the verge of laughing with the way his lips twitched. Still he looked on, willing to humor me to no end.

"Now you love speaking up after holding back for so long. Okay, let's hear it."

I really should have thought of the best way to say this, but a part of me decided to just go along with it, probably because of how long overdue things have been. Even in the chill of the evening air, I could feel a slight heat crawl to my cheeks as I stared at Taeyong who continued looking at me patiently with a small smile. He ever so slightly raised his brow and I swallowed.

"I think I'm…"

"Hmm?"

I sighed.

"I think I'm in love with you…"

If he was beautiful then, then he is absolutely breath-taking now. I knew from the way he looked at me that he was already expecting what I just said but that didn't stop his smile from widening, the light in his eyes dancing. I felt the corners of my lips lift as well before a soft and relieved laugh escaped me. I didn't know just how much I needed to say that out loud until I felt the physical weight from my chest lift.

"I already know that. Now, can I finally kiss you?"

I nodded, my smile almost splitting my cheeks. My hand reached out to tangle with his locks the same time he finally pressed his lips against mine. Unlike the quick desperate kiss we shared back at the night of the stand down, he did it deliberately this time, the both of us taking our time to finally catch up with everything. When we parted, it was only briefly so that the two of us could catch our breaths. Taeyong leaned his forehead against mine, our eyes meeting.

"I guess we're not the same," he whispered and I raised a brow at him as my lips quirked. He smiled, and that’s when I know I’ve made the second best decision that night.

"Because I'm pretty sure I am in love with you."

******* "Are you ready?"

The look I gave Taeyong must have been so desperate because he completely stared at me for a full five seconds before a slight laugh escaped his pursed lips. I frowned at him and he decided to compensate by kneeling in front of the chair I am currently sitting on before resting a hand on my knee. He peered at me and I sighed before avoiding his gaze.

"You okay?"

I gnawed on my lower lip before trying to give him an answer.

"Do we really need to do this today? Can we, I don't know, postpone it a little longer?"

"Babe, it's been about a week. I'm afraid to say this is more than just a little bit longer," he said patiently as he took my hand to squeeze it in his. My gaze moved towards the door, beyond which the rest of the family was waiting. Even from here I could hear the soft chatter of the others beyond, which only made my stomach churn. Taeyong noticed and I felt him press his thumb against my palm to try and calm me down.

There's both good news and bad news. The good news is that both me and him were able to recover well from the injuries we sustained, as well as the few others who were hurt during the fight with Jihoon. The bad news is that I no longer have the excuse to delay making the formal announcement about my new status, which is why I am here now, huddled in one of the rooms of the headquarters, waiting to step out into the room.

To be honest, I also don't know the exact reason why I'm getting a bad case of nerves. Maybe it's because technically, I lied to everyone about who I am, or maybe because I was afraid of being found incompetent to take over the position. If I'm going to be completely frank, I didn't really give the consequences of my actions much thought back in the night I decided to step in and take over. The plan, really, was pretty much just a band aid solution back then so we could survive another day. It's entirely different now, however, with the full weight of everything having settled down. Right now, more than anything, everything feels more real than ever.

"Come on, talk to me. What are you so worried about?" Taeyong gently coaxed me before I could even go off on another tangent of my silent worries. I opened my lips to answer him, trying to find my words, then closed them again.

"What if they're angry at me?"

"Why would they?"

"I lied to them about who I am."

"You didn't lie. You just didn't share."

"A lot of people got hurt because of me."

"That's true. But it is part of the job, and there wasn't much you could do back then too because of the things you didn't know."

I pursed my lips and frowned at him. With a final sigh, I let my shoulders slump before looking at my hands.

"What if they don't think I'm good enough…?"

"Do you think you aren't good enough?"

His question made me stop. I glanced at him with a look loaded with meaning as he stared at me, patient as ever. After a few seconds of silence, I finally sighed and looked away.

"Will you help me out there? I'm really bad at this… speaking in public thing."

He gave me a reassuring pat on my knee before he straightened to his full height again. I did the same, smoothing out my hands on pants.

"I got you," he said as he turned to walk towards the door. I didn’t even give myself a chance to look at my reflection in the mirror, afraid to only see pure fear staring back at me. Instead, I decided to ask him.

"How do I look?"

Taeyong glanced at me at my question. He gave me a smile before finally opening the door.

"You look like our new Domina."

*******

The moment we stepped into the room, it was like a dial was turned down, causing the chatter to die instantly into silence. If I was nervous a few minutes ago, I was absolutely petrified now as everyone's eyes bounced between me and Taeyong who moved into the center, looking calm and collected as always. I took the silence as a chance to quickly run a sweeping glance across the room, noting a few faces who smiled back at me when I met their eyes.

Everyone was scattered around the lounges and chairs, looking serious and expectant. Other than the members of NCT, there were also a few familiar faces who joined the crowd like Jaemin's girlfriend who gave me a small friendly nod and Jihoon's step sister who was sitting at the far corner of the room. Nobody seemed to be breathing, but even in their stillness, I could sense the nerves and tension filling up the space like invisible fumes. I was glad when Taeyong finally decided to break the silence—I really didn't think I could have lasted one more minute of it if he didn't.

"I'm glad to see everyone today. First of all, I'd like to thank all of you here for doing such a great job a week ago, when we finally successfully took down Jihoon. Some of us were hurt, but it is still a good thing that we've never lost a brother."

"Second, I'd like to personally apologize for keeping everyone in the dark until today. I am sure all of you are aware of the change that has happened within the family ranks, but we decided to wait until at least our injured members have recovered before making a formal announcement. Thank you all for being patient."

Taeyong stopped speaking for a little while, as if he was giving the room the chance to breathe and catch up. Meanwhile, I tried to desperately swallow the tightness in my throat.

"Today, I'd like to formally make an announcement that a new leadership has finally taken over the family. The rightful heir has stepped over and the change was supported by me as Seoul's capocrimine and Busan's new commander herself. The turning over was rightly approved and allowed by the former Don, as I could personally prove as a witness."

I wasn't looking at him at all, my eyes set on the floor as I stayed still on the far side of the front of the crowd. I knew it was coming though, my heart thumping aggressively against my ribs.

"With that, I'd like to present to you our new Domina. Please... If you could address everyone."

If the room was silent then, it straight up felt dead in the next seconds that followed. A few heads turned in confusion, expecting someone to show up magically behind Taeyong. It was only until I shakily took a step beside him and bowed to the group when I heard a few intake of breaths.

"It is nice to meet all of you. I am the new chief, representing the highest seat of the main family."

******* For a while, nothing and no one moved. I didn't meet anyone's gazes, not until I heard Lucas' loud whisper finally break the silence.

"What the fuc—?"

That was all it took for the room to burst into full blown noise. I quickly glanced at Taeyong before looking at the room with a wince.

To say everyone was surprised would be an understatement. The Dreamies, who were sitting closest to where I stood, looked straight up lost, Jisung blinking away rapidly while Jeno whipped his head towards Mark, Taeyong, and me. WayV, who mostly occupied the back of the room, was almost having a quiet meltdown—I saw Ten quickly grab Kun by the forearm while the latter tried to get his own bearings. 127 was not any better. Other than Johnny who remained calm from the spot he was leaning by the wall, everyone seemed like they were trying to compute everything in their heads.

"It was you? You took it, noona?" Mark asked now, his eyes round as saucers. Beside him, Haechan gasped before grabbing him by the collar.

"What do you mean—you knew she is the heir?!"

Taeil turned to look at Doyoung with a slight look of betrayal on his face.

"You knew too?"

"I only knew that she is part of the main family a week ago but I had no idea that she was—I thought Taeyong was still going to be the one taking over."

"You didn't grow up in China?" Hendery asked, sounding utterly confused. Xiaojun turned to look at him looking utterly lost.

"Did she say she grew up in China?"

"She is fluent with the language—"

"I was trained to speak a couple of languages when I was young…" I said weakly, too soft for them to hear over the clamor of voices. In my peripheral vision, I saw Yuta give a heavy sigh before leaning against his seat.

"I knew it. I’ve always known.”

Johnny shot him an amused look from where he stood.

"Yuta, I’m sure you don't know shit."

"Enough."

Everyone immediately stopped talking at once after Taeyong called out into the room. He gave the crowd a pointed glance before motioning towards my direction with a simple nod of his head. He had stepped over to the side to let me stand in the center, but he remained within reach of me still, something I’m incredibly thankful of at the moment.

"Show some respect in front of our new head. Let her speak."

I glanced at him and he gave me a quick look in return. That was enough to calm me down a little bit as I turned towards the room again.

"Look… I don't really know how to start this but I want to say I’m sorry first and foremost. I owe everyone an apology," I said, my voice thin but steady as I finally addressed the group. I bent my body slightly again into a bow before straightening up once more.

"I hid my identity from all of you which only caused trouble and hurt you all. I know there is nothing I can use as an excuse for that and I would like to sincerely ask for your forgiveness for it," hesitantly, I looked up to check everyone's faces. As expected, their eyes were all on me, drinking my every word. I sighed but decided to push on.

"I ran away from my family almost ten years ago before I met almost all of you. I didn't plan on going back ever so I didn't share my past with anyone. Taeyong was kind enough to take me in while he was starting NCT and I took the chance to start building a new life here."

"I… didn't really have any reason to want to come back until… recently. I’m sure all of you have pieced things together after everything that has happened but I’m willing to answer questions—I owe you guys that. Again though, I apologize. I know we could have saved ourselves from a lot of trouble if I did something in the beginning," I finished shakily. It took every ounce of me to briefly look at the crowd again now to gauge their reaction. Nobody moved. Nobody even seem to be breathing.

I sighed.

"Now that is out of the way… I would understand if some of you… decide to leave."

Taeyong decided to step in at that moment. Hands behind his back, he turned to address the room again as a whole.

"Anyone who wants to cut ties with the family, given the change in leadership, can do so now," he said that evenly, his tone in great contrast with the effect of his words. The room crackled with silent intensity, as if everyone was waiting for something or someone to finally break it. I didn't even realize that I've held my breath as well as I waited for the defining moment. There are really only two ways this can go: either I make the family stronger, or break it entirely.

10 seconds.

20.

The silence was getting longer and it was getting harder for me to breathe.

"I don't know about you all, but this sounds cool. Of course, I'll stay."

Everyone turned to look at Chenle when he finally spoke. I stared at him as well, surprised by how casual he phrased that. He was grinning from ear to ear, and Jisung did the same when he turned to him excitedly.

"Right? Noona's the new big boss now? That's lit!"

That seemed to be the push the rest of the others needed to finally relax. I watched as the others exchanged smiles with each other, looking thoroughly amused. It was like the tension clinging in the air earlier didn't even exist at all.

"For real though? This seems like it’s straight up from a drama," Yangyang piped in from his seat. Sicheng nodded silently beside him before crossing his arms.

"And a girl as a leader. It's about time."

"God, can you believe we had our family head cook us ramen," Renjun winced as if he was regretting a good portion of his life decisions.

"And she also used to wipe snot from Jisung's nose," Chenle snickered, which made the other look at him defensively as a slight blush dusted his cheeks.

"Yah, at least I didn't have a crush on h—"

"Hey, stop it," I couldn't help but cut in now, a smile finally lifting the corners of my lips for the first time since I walked into the room. I could feel myself relax a little especially with the banter taking over the once tense air, but I still wanted to clear things on the get go. "…It's still just me okay? I just… don't want any awkwardness happening with, you know, everything that has happened."

"Damn, right. I'm BFF with the Domina now," Yuta said as he nudged Doyoung, causing the other to scowl at him. "You know what that means? ~Perks~"

I rolled my eyes at him and scoffed. "You bet your Japanese ass that you're not getting any special treatment from me, Nakamoto."

"Ah, there it is. Still as salty as ever. Yes. Nothing has changed at all."

"Well, if that's the case, I guess the only thing we need to do is to make things final," Taeyong smoothly stepped in before I could even give Yuta another go. And just like that everyone went serious again as they waited for their leader to give the final question.

"Those who wish to continue being a member of the family, please state your oath now."

It was Mark who did it first. Looking at the rest of his team quickly, he stood up from his seat by the couch and looked at me with a smile. I waited for his words with bated breath.

"Dream swears to continue providing our support to the family head."

"WayV swears the same. You have China on your back," Kun added with a smile from where he stood. I felt like something was physically lifted from my shoulders as I grinned back at him.

"As it is for 127. The Domina has our support," Taeyong finished calmly as he smiled towards my direction. I returned the gesture at him, the relief and happiness on my face evident. His eyes told me everything he wanted to say at the moment.

I told you so.

I let my gaze linger on him just a little bit more before turning my attention to the others. Slowly, I bowed my body at an angle to show respect and acknowledgement for every single person in the room before giving my own promise.

"Thank you for trusting me. I promise to try my best and do only good for The Family."

"So, what's next? I guess we can make a formal announcement now to the rest of our network?" Doyoung asked, as efficient as ever. "It's usually your caporigime who has to do it…"

"Oh about that, no need to worry," I smiled, eyes twinkling. "I already have some help."

The opening of the door made everyone turn around in their seats. A woman walked in, followed by a familiar face just a few steps behind her.

******* "Jaehyun-hyung!"

Jungwoo's voice rang clear in the room as the pair stopped in the middle of the room. The woman gave a polite bow of her head towards me while Jaehyun remained quiet by her side. He wasn't really looking at anyone in particular, his face unreadable.

"Is he… he's your—" Doyoung asked slowly as he turned towards me. The woman, however, politely cut him off before he could even finish.

"I have already prepared the formal message, Ma'm. As well as your new sigil."

I didn't need to look, but I felt Taeyong's gaze slide towards me. It's true that I have been quite busy with things while I was still recovering, some of which I also kept from him. I knew it was going to be a controversial choice, but let’s be honest, no one can contest that there is nobody else who better knows the ins and outs of the system than the same woman who was by my father's side for the past years. That… and… I have other reasons, of course.

"I've decided to invite her to join me in the family ranks as my formal right hand. I am confident that she will be a valuable addition to the family," I said calmly, causing everyone to quickly glance at me again. Pausing a bit, my gaze landed on Jaehyun who, despite keeping his unreadable look, gave me a glance that was loaded with meaning.

"I couldn't entirely take her away from her husband though...so I decided to invite him back as well," I finally said, the slightest ghost of a smile touching my lips.

"I am thankful for the trust," the woman said as my words sank across the group. Jaehyun took a step forward and decided to speak for the first time, too.

"And I promise to try my hardest to prove myself,” For the first time, he looked up, making sure to glance at everyone in the room. “I won't let any of you down again."

"Oh, you won’t have a chance to,” I said now, my lips slightly twitching from amusement. “You will be under the watch of 127. Yuta will take care of you.” A ghost of a smile also flittered over Jaehyun's placid expression and he gave a slight bow towards his former member who is currently glaring at him.

"I'll accept anything my seniors will ask me to do."

"You bet your ass you will," Yuta said with a low voice before he turned away, arms crossed over his chest. The other members snickered and giggled while I took the chance to finally meet Taeyong's gaze. There was a slight smile resting on his lips, and he was looking at me with pride. He didn't need to say anything for me to understand what he wanted to say.

Thank you.

For bringing my brother back.

"If I may, Domina?"

I tore my eyes away from him to look at the woman who had already taken a few steps towards the front of the room. I gave a slight nod at her silent request and she answered by finally moving beside me. I watched as she slipped a small chip on one of the computers resting on the table, the system of which will send the official message announcing my new role to every single one in the family, from the highest, down to the lowest in ranks. I looked on as she rested her finger on a button momentarily before finally clicking it with a graceful tap of her finger.

A huge message opened up on the screen behind us bearing my name and new title. Under it is the new family sigil: a phoenix with its outstretched wings framed by the outlines of daisies and roses.

I glanced up to check the room once more. Everyone was smiling and I watched as they collectively bowed their heads to formally accept me into their fold. Taeyong did the same from my other side, and I couldn't help but smile back, knowing full well I’ve finally found my way back home.

*******

"You need help with that cigarette?"

Johnny looked up from trying to light his stick at the woman walking towards him. An amused smile was playing at the corners of her lips as she stopped beside him, her elbows resting on the rooftop grills he's also currently leaning on. He stared at her for a little bit as her eyes swept over the view before finally lowering his hands holding his cigarette and metal lighter.

"I thought you left for Busan already."

She answered with a slight scoff.

"You always seem to want to make me leave, don't you? Relax, I'm going soon."

Johnny's eyebrows raised just a little bit. She looked relaxed, even happy as she looked on to the view, the orange glow of the setting sun dancing across her features. He had to admit; she is beautiful, always has been, but there is something different now from the way she carries herself that makes him want to look at her longer. He did try to glance away, however, not wanting to be overly rude and obvious about it.

"How's your brother?"

"Good. He's doing good. He got mild injuries from when he was saved by your kids," she answered, her hands clasping in front of her. She paused before continuing. "He is very thankful… We're both very thankful."

Johnny kept quiet after giving a silent nod of his head. He really didn’t know what to say about that, but he is glad that the boy was saved. He noticed the way she turned towards him again in his peripheral vision and he met her gaze, softer and more open than he had ever seen before.

"I guess I just wanted to say thank you to all of you. And to you most especially."

Well… he wasn't expecting that. He isn't really one who easily softens up to anyone, and surprise moments like this are usually met by either sass or playfulness from him. So that's what he did now, his smile openly turning into a smirk as he looked down on her.

"Oh, so you are admitting that I did do something now?"

"Yes you did. You stuck your annoying ass up in my business which fortunately ended up to something good," she smoothly answered back with the same wit and sharpness. That made him laugh loudly, his voice ringing in the open space. To give her credit, she can perfectly match his pace without batting an eye.

"No, I'm serious though. Your family did save mine. I don't really care much about power or position but I'm relieved the devil is finally dead."

Johnny watched her for a bit and noted the faraway look in her eyes.

"You're going to do it though? Take over Busan?"

She answered with a sigh that sent wisps of breathy smoke into the air.

"Yes. She did talk to me about it, your big boss. I think… I can trust her."

He smiled.

"You can."

This time, it was her who gave him a look. He knew she was about to ask for something from the way he glanced at her.

"Are you two… a thing?"

He answered her with a strange look and a rising of his brows.

"Are you seriously asking me that right now?"

She rolled her eyes, but he could also see the slight flush that had crawled into her cheeks.

"Well you don’t need to—"

"You did see how she and Taeyong look at each other, right?" He asked, his lips twitching. She frowned as if processing what he just said, before realization crawled up her features.

"Oh."

"Uh-huh."

"Well, you do seem to talk about her fondly."

"Because she's my close friend. I've been there with the two of them when everything was still starting. They're both precious to me."

"Ah…"

Silence settled over them for a bit. From the looks of it, she didn’t want to ask more about the topic so he respected it by letting the trail of conversation naturally die. Johnny watched her from the corner of his eye before slightly clearing his throat after some time.

"So, are you and your brother planning to visit Seoul every now and then? It is part of the job."

She winced. "I guess. I hate how busy it is here, but I guess we can make some exceptions. It also seems like my brother took a liking to some of your kids. He already asked me when he can visit."

That made him laugh. "If he needs anyone to train him, we're always open for it. Dream is really friendly with everyone too. I think they'll be good friends because they’re around the same age."

He felt her stare on him and Johnny did his best to keep himself from smiling. He was already expecting it… now, it's just a matter of whether or not she will have the guts to ask it.

"You can also come visit too," she said softly before clearing her throat and looking away. "To Busan. If you want."

He couldn't help it, the wide smile that curved his lips upwards. Of course, she had the guts to go about it.

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Do you want me to ask you out on a date?" She shot back, looking agitated but very very flustered. Johnny laughed and she retaliated by rolling her eyes.

"I’ve always known you're attracted to me."

"Hey, listen here—"

"Which is good because you're cute, too."

That shut her up. For a moment, she just stared at him, mouth slightly open. Finally, she looked away, the blush ever so evident in her face despite the quickly gathering darkness around them.

"Well, that's it then. If you're planning to come, just—let us know, I guess," she managed to say a little awkwardly as she finally pushed back from the railing she was leaning on. She was already almost at the door when Johnny called out to her again.

"Hey. There's a question you haven't given me an answer yet."

She turned to him, a confused look on her face.

"Why did you save me? Back in the club you bombed?"

Her face lit up as she remembered. Instead of answering though, she simply smirked at him as she opened the door.

"Maybe I'll let you know the answer once you visit me in Busan."

******* "Renjun, how does it look there?"

“I have eyes on the target. She’s not moving in her room at all.”

Jaemin and Haechan exchanged a look before the latter leaned over the shared laptop they were both staring at to press a button. Behind them, a door opened, ushering a clueless looking Jeno inside.

“Give us access to your camera, we sent you a request,” Jaemin said from his mic. Haechan tapped away at the keyboard, inputting a code that opened a small window on the screen.

“Wait, what? I thought you guys said we’ll limit the access?” Renjun answered, his tone confused. He was actually only at the other side of their makeshift headquarters for the night, and the rest of the boys could hear the way the wheels of his chair swiveled from where he is currently camped at.

“Plan’s changed.”

“Since when?”

“Since right now,” Haechan hastily answered. “Come on, don't be a kill joy. Give us access.”

Jeno stared at the two before glancing over at Mark and Jisung who were currently sitting on the couch, staring at their own laptop. Chenle was lying on his stomach by their feet, his face concentrated on his own screen.

“What are you guys doing?”

“Nothing,” Jisung said almost automatically, which only made Jeno even more suspicious. Something he saw on the screen made him gasp, however, and he excitedly pointed at it, his eyes rounding at the boy sitting beside him. “Hyung, she’s leaving!”

“I think she already got the call,” Mark said seriously, a frown creasing his brows. Jeno, realizing that he wasn’t going to get a proper answer from any of his friends, decided to just walk over the others and squinted at whatever it is that they’re watching.

It took him a while to realize what he was looking at, but when he did, he immediately turned to Mark who had now clutched Jisung’s forearm from what looked like excitement. He knows the exact place the rest of his team are currently spying, even more so the person whose movements they are following on the screen.

“Hyung, why are you spying on noona?” Jeno asked now, his voice rising just a little bit from worry. Mark simply shushed him, his eyes never even leaving the screen.

“We’re not spying, we’re just checking for something.”

Jeno turned back at the monitors in front of him and watched as the girl there emerged from her personal office space to make her way towards one of the upper level rooms. She seemed oblivious that she is currently under surveillance, her glance moving from her phone and at the path she was walking on as if she was texting somebody.

“This looks like a whole lot of spying to me. She’ll kill us. What the hell is happening?”

“We think Taeyong-hyung is going to ask her the question today,” Chenle finally answered, his face mere inches from the screen. Jeno looked confused and was about to ask a follow up question when the other quickly waved him off. “Ask noona to marry him, is what I mean. So that’s why we’re watching.”

That definitely shut Jeno up. He blinked once, then twice, letting that sink in. Finally, he slowly reached out for seat before planting himself just behind Haechan and Jaemin. He still looked a little worried and troubled by what was happening, but he peered at the screen now, which showed the girl they were watching take another flight of stairs. Haechan turned to him briefly before raising his brow at him a bit.

“What?” Jeno asked, almost defensively.

“I thought you think it’s wrong to watch, Mr. Lee?”

He gave the other a slight smack on the shoulder. “Shut up. Besides, I don’t think I can stop any of you. Are you sure she won’t bust us for doing this though?”

Before any of them could answer, however, the screen they were all watching turned black. Chenle gasped loudly as Jaemin leaned over his monitor.

"Renjun, what happened? We lost connection."

"Shit. Somebody jumped on our loop in the security cams," the other boy answered in panic. Sounds of his frantic typing echoed in the in-ears of the other boys as he tried to restore it.

"I'm hacking back the lines. Give me a minute."

It took about less than a few seconds before they heard something again. A slight scratching sound crackled from their earpiece followed by a slight ping before another voice came in.

"Yah, yah, yah. You should bet me on this. Come on, you’re no fun at all."

Jisung looked up in confusion.

"Wait, who's that?"

"Leave me alone, Yuta. I told you I am not betting on a losing game," came another agitated answer. Mark's head snapped up before he pressed a button on his mic.

"Doyoung-hyung?"

The voices on the other end of the line shut up, surprised by what they heard. Jungwoo's voice came on next, followed by Taeil.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Are you hacking into the system?"

For a few seconds, the rest of Dream looked into each other in fear. It was Renjun who saved them, his own tone accusing.

"So it's you guys who stole our access!"

Haechan gasped dramatically.

"Aha! You’re spying too!"

Doyoung was quick to jump to his defense. "Look, we're not. We're just checking because Yuta won't shut up about his gossip about Taeyong and I swear I am going crazy if he talks about it for another minute!"

"I told you it is not gossip! I actually saw him with a little box. If you don't believe me then why won't you bet with me—"

"I am not letting you extort money from me again."

"You can't tell on us then! If you do, we'll tell…" Haechan trailed off as he scrambled to make a threat. "We'll tell Johnny-hyung!"

Taeil scoffed from the other end.

"Your Johnny-hyung is currently at the rooftop with Jaehyun scoping the building personally as we speak. He says he doesn't want to watch it on a monitor."

"Damn it, why didn't I think of that myself?" Yuta mumbled in the background.

"Shh! Can you guys just stop bickering? Fine, I'll give access to Dream," Jungwoo said, clearly agitated. "Stop fighting. We might have lost them already!"

And just like that, the monitors opened again, causing everyone to lean towards their screens in unison. The view showed the girl standing in front of the wide windows of the building, her phone pressed against her ear.

"Wait, where's Taeyong?" Taeil asked as he squinted at the footage.

"I don't know. Last time our cameras caught him he was on the ground floor. I thought he invited her to come over to the conference room—" Jungwoo stopped all of a sudden as if he was computing something in his head. Then he gasped, causing everyone in the same room to jump on their seats.

"It's the rooftop, it's not the conference room! He's proposing there!"

"Wait, we don't have cameras there?"

"We do. But they're not connected to our system. It’s a neutral space in our headquarters so we can't hack it."

"Ah, dang it, man. That's too bad," Mark said from his seat. A beat of silence followed before Haechan jumped again on high alert.

"Wait, we can still do something!" Hurriedly, he opened a window from their database and clicked what looked like a call button there.

"What are you doing?" Jeno asked, his eyes trying to make out the details on the screen.

"Asking for reinforcements," Haechan said promptly before straightening up as he heard the line click.

"Hello?"

"Yo, Xiaojun, hey. You busy tonight? We might need your help for something. Just a little favor?" Haechan crooned, his voice sounding sunny and pleasant. He put the call on loudspeaker before the other could answer so everyone could hear.

"Uhh… actually. We're quite… occupied at the moment," Xiaojun answered, sounding oddly distracted. Haechan was about to try and sweet talk him again when the sound of a door opening came on the background, followed by a number of voices.

"Yah. Who left the popcorn in the microwave. It's burning," Yangyang’s voice came on, sounding irritated.

"It's Lucas. He's insisting we need it to watch," Winwin piped in, sounding far off into the room. His voice was still clear though… as clear as Hendery’s who seemed to have just entered as well.

"It's a proposal, not a movie, but honestly, same—"

The rest of his words were drowned out as a scratching noise took over the line before completely muffling the sounds. The mute button blinking on didn't help though, Haechan already screaming at his microphone after he realized what was happening.

"Hey! What are you guys watching?!"

It took a while before any sound came on. When it seemed like WayV didn't have any plans of speaking again, Chenle aggressively talked over, his tone threatening.

"Kun-ge, I know you're there. If you don't say anything I'm going to tell everyone about that one night in Beijing when you stuck your—"

A sharp noise cut his words off, followed by Kun's rushed voice.

"Jesus Christ, Chenle. We were just re-arranging our plans. Calm down."

"Plans for what?" Taeil said, sounding obviously suspicious. A sigh was heard before Ten's voice answered.

"Look, we just hacked into your headquarters' cameras. Johnny told me Taeyong might—"

"Might propose tonight, yes. So you've been watching too?"

WayV's line fell silent before Lucas laughed in the background. "Wah…. Jinja? We were all doing the same–HAHA, that's hila–ouch!" His voice died as the sound of something hitting skin echoed from their end.

"Look, since we're all… doing the same right now anyway, why don't we just share?" Doyoung suggested after clearing his throat, obviously failing at sounding disinterested. It took Ten a few seconds before speaking again.

"Well, we would have, but we can't see them anywhere in your cameras, too. We think they moved to the rooftop and we can't connect to the network there—"

"Unless you have a satellite," Haechan finished before the other even could, causing everyone to fall silent. "Special low-range communication satellites can hack into any system. Right?"

"We… have a satellite," Lucas' voice came on again, sounding as if it is his first time realizing that piece of information.

"We have a satellite," Ten repeated, sounding surprised himself. Not even two seconds have passed before he was barking at Xiaojun.

"DJ, get to it now!"

"Wait what? Are you serious?!"

"Yes!"

"Kun-ge, are you okay with this? I need to get your actual green light, you know that."

A few seconds passed before Kun finally answered.

"I didn't… hear your question."

"What do you mean—"

"I can't understand what you’re asking. I can't say yes or no if I don't understand it," he reiterated, clearly this time. That was enough to make things click, the sound of fingers flying over the keyboard overtaking the speaker after. Everyone was on the edge of their seats, even more so when the monitors opened a new window, now showing a view of the rooftop.

The footage was dim, but everyone could still see the two figures standing in the middle of the space. Xiaojun did a bit more adjusting by zooming in the view for everyone.

Taeyong had his back on the camera they were watching from, but they could make out the form of the girl in front of him, her face partly covered by his frame. They seem to be talking, her hand held loosely by the other. Everyone moved closer to their seats to try and get a closer view, their breaths bated.

"Did he give it already?" Jeno whispered, as if talking too loud would give them away. Jaemin shook his head slightly as he tried to squint at the monitor better.

"I don't know. I can't see her hand."

As if he heard them, Taeyong chose that moment just then to make a slight movement. He took a few steps backward to give himself space and made a motion as if he was about to get on his knees. A few collective inhales filled the room at his gesture; however, the cause of it quickly turned into something else at the next seconds that followed.

Instead of kneeling, Taeyong stepped to the side to stand shoulder to shoulder with the girl beside him. The latter didn't move except for her gaze...

Which directly stared at the camera in front of them.

"Oh, shit."

She sighed, before giving a shake of her head and a rise of her brows.

The next second, Taeyong had the nose of his gun pointed straight at the lens they are watching from. He gave everyone a knowing smile as the girl waved at the camera.

The last thing everyone saw before their view was busted was something shiny sparkling from her ring finger in the dark.

*******

A/N: Finally! I was able to finish this story! After almost eight months, two word lagging documents and thousands of words, I was able to wrap this up! Thank you to everyone who has always supported this story. While there are less of you here (compared at least to my other ones) I really really appreciate all of you for sticking around. Black Daisies is closest to my heart because it is the reason why I started posting here in the first place so it will always be my special baby. I’d especially like to thank everyone who have reached out to me to talk about it because you’ve given me the confidence to continue during times when I felt too lazy to upload it. Anyway, I really hoped you enjoy and once again, thank you for everything! <3

Tag list: @hen-marks99, @negincho, @nctisthecity, @sevenstay, @springdaybreaks, @philanarose, @jaemingold, @yutasnabi

#nct mafia au #taeyong x reader #johnny x reader #jaehyun x reader #nct mafia imagines #nct mafia fic #mafia!taeyong #mafia!johnnny #wayv!mafia #nct dream!mafia #nct 127!mafia

148 notes · View notes

mirkwoodshewolf · 4 years

Text

History comes to life; Ahkmenrah x reader

*Author’s note*

Hey guys well this has been a LOOOOONG time coming in. For years I’ve alwasy wanted to try and write an Ahkmenrah fanfic and thanks to a Wattpad friend of mine, she gave me that chance. So here we are with my first Ahkmenrah fanfic. Now this is only part 1 and I’ll try to have pt.2 up as soon as I can. Hope you all enjoy this fic my lovelies :)

UPDATE: PART 2 IS HERE

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things

@waddles03

@psychosupernatural

@ixchel-9275

@dancingcoolcat

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels

@kairosfreddie

@queendeakyy

@geek-and-proud

@simonedk

________________________________________________________

2006. New York City. The Museum of Natural History. My home away from home. I mean to a college girl going for a master’s degree history that’s a lot, and all at the age of 23. Yeah whenever it came to school I was always deemed the ‘smart one’ or in some cases the ‘nerd’.

Was Valedictorian in high school, completed my bachelor’s degree within my first 2 years of college and now I’m completing a 4 year master’s degree. Not only that but I once did an entire year abroad in Egypt as a part of one of my courses that gave me 3 credits for one of my History courses.

And now here I am completing an internship credit instead of going for a core course credit, here at the Museum of Natural History. So far into my second week of my three month internship it’s been pretty good. Since I’m also having to write my dissertation about the ruling of Ahkmenrah, this place has been a great place to think.

Whenever I wasn’t needed by the boss, Dr. McPhee, you would normally find me in the Ancient Egypt hall, sitting in the room of the pharaoh himself writing my paper. And I know it sounds crazy but sometimes I wish that I could actually have the chance to speak with him, I mean if I’m to complete my dissertation I wish to know things that I didn’t already know (there’s only so much you can find on the Internet).

Little did I know that that day would soon come, and it all started with a blast from the past.

I was currently walking down the steps after completing my day here at the museum when I saw walking with Cecil, one of the three night guards an old ‘boss’ you could say.

“Well I’ll be damned. Larry Daley.” I greeted as I came up to them.

“Oh hey, hi uhh…..” ahh the same old Larry forgetful Daley.

“(Y/n) (l/n). I used to live down the road from you guys.”

“Oh right sorry! Wow it’s been a long time.”

“Yeah about 3 years since I graduated high school.” I said with a smile.

“So I see you know our new nightguard huh Ms. (l/n)?” asked Cecil.

“Yeah I’ve babysit his son since the day he was born. How is Nicky by the way?”

“Oh he’s you know good. Fine. Loving hockey.”

“Oh that boy and his hockey. I remember he tried to get me to play it in the house and we ended up breaking that lamp.”

“Yeah thanks for reporting that.”

“Even though he tried to convince me not to speak of it.” I giggled. “So Cecil says you’re going to be the new night guard?”

“Yep. Just showing Larry around, giving him a little tour before his shift tomorrow night.” Cecil explained.

“Well, welcome to the team.”

“So do you work here too?”

“Oh no I’m just here for an internship credit but Dr. McPhee has allowed me to do further researching even after my internship’s up.”

“Read her dissertation a couple of days ago, she’s quite the researcher. Any further questions you can always ask her.” Cecil said.

“Oh Cecil you old charmer stop it. Well I better get out of here before traffic gets too crazy. Bye Cecil, Mr. Daley, welcome aboard again and I hope to see you before your shift tomorrow.”

“Yeah of course, see yah then (y/n).” I smiled and gave the gentlemen a nod goodbye before bundling up and walking out into the New York winter air.

I was now at home typing up what I had written down on paper and transferred it to the rest of my dissertation that was on Word. I heard my door open and in came in my mom and she said.

“Dinner’s ready.”

“Okay mama, just half a minute and I’ll have everything typed up.”

“Sweetie you’ve been working non-stop ever since you got home. You can step aside for ten minutes to eat dinner.” I looked up at her then saved the changes I had and said.

“Fine mama, you win.” She grinned down and said to me.

“I always do. Until you become a mother yourself, you’ll never win.” I scowled up at her before the two of us walked out of my room and headed downstairs to eat.

As we ate our dinner, I told her about my progress and about Mr. Daley now working for the museum as the new nightguard.

“Wow, Larry Daley. Hadn’t heard from him in a while. Not since the official divorce.”

“Wait what?”

“Oh honey I’m sorry to tell you this but Larry and Erica were going through a divorce this past year.”

“Ahh man. How’s Nicky taking it?” I asked.

“Well last time I ever talked to Larry he told me it was a joint custody agreement. Now whether that went through or not I’m not sure.”

“It must’ve, I mean he did say Nicky was still playing hockey so that must mean he gets to have Nicky at least some days of the week, maybe the weekends.”

“Erica was always hard on him. Even when they first got together. Don’t tell her I said that though.”

“I promise mom.”

After dinner, I took the dishes and cleaned them out before placing them in the dishwasher before going back to my paper. Before I even knew it when I finally ran out of ideas and edits, I saw that it was after midnight. So after saving everything I shut my laptop off and got ready for bed.

The next day it was like any other day. I went in, did my rounds for Dr. McPhee, organized some files and edited some papers. Then after my lunch break I had time to do my paper for the final 4 hours of my day today. Even with the small crowd of people in the Pharaoh’s tomb, I wasn’t really bothered or distracted from doing my dissertation.

In fact I was so invested into it that I almost didn’t hear the voice speak over me.

“Hard worker as ever.” I looked up and smiled at Mr. Daley.

“So, ready for your first night tonight?”

“I don’t think it should be that hard. I mean not really anything happens in a museum at night.”

“Do you got a second? Just wanted to see if you’re interested in a cup of coffee. Colleague to colleague?”

“So not just for the sake of me being your old babysitter? Is that all I am to you now, just a colleague?”

“No. I mean yes. But not in that way I mean I was just…..” I laughed and said.

“I’m just pulling your buttons Mr. Daley. I’d love to get a cup of coffee. Maybe even educate you on what you’ll be guarding.” I packed up my stuff and we both headed out to the coffeeshop just down the block from the museum.

As we walked around Central Park he asked me.

“So that paper you were writing earlier, what’s it on?”

“Oh it’s my dissertation paper for my master’s degree.”

“Masters?! Wait so you already got your bachelor’s?”

“Yeah. I got it just last year. Now for my masters I’m doing the full 4 years so in total I’ll be doing 6 years of college.”

“Wow, sounds exhausting.”

“It can be, but I can’t help it. I’ve got a thirst for knowledge. And as an ancient civilizations concentrator I can’t help but want more.”

“Yep your mom always did call you her little book worm.” I smiled and nodded. “So that paper.”

“Oh yes that. Well I’m doing my dissertation on the ruling of Ahkmenrah and how he was the most justified ruler Ancient Egypt had ever known. Sure there have been good pharaoh’s but I’m setting to prove just how fair and just Ahkmenrah truly was as a ruler. Even with his short time as king.”

“How long did he rule?”

“Well he was given the crown by his father when he was just 16 and ruled for only 4 years before he was murdered by his own brother.”

“Yikes.”

“Yeah, his brother was extremely jealous of Ahkmenrah. So much so that after murdering his brother, he tried to claim the throne only to throw Egypt into despair in just under a year of his ruling.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. Ahkmenrah sought to treat everyone with a kind but firm hand when need be. Did you know that he was the only pharaoh known to be kind to the Hebrew slaves?”

“I did not.”

“Yeah. He even tried to seek out a fair system where they wouldn’t have to work on their sacred holidays. Of course it wasn’t passed yet because well—he died just before he could declare it a law.”

“Wow, things would’ve turned out very differently had that happened.”

“Yeah. Cecil’s also been a good resource too since he was there when he found his tomb when he was just a kid.”

“Cecil found Ahkmenrah’s tomb?”

“Yeah. The three sarcophagus’ of him and his parents.”

“But wait I thought you said he had a brother?”

“He was. His brother wasn’t buried with them. Kahmunrah was condemned to be mummified alive and buried in a tomb far beyond the royal family’s because of what he had done.”

“Wow that’s—horrifying. Don’t they like rip their guts out or something?”

“All their organs were placed into jeweled canopic jars.”

“Wow. I think I lost my appetite to drink this coffee now.”

“Sorry Mr. Daley, I can be a little assertive when describing some of the things the Ancient Egyptians did. But you should’ve seen me when I actually got to set foot in an actual mummification area.”

“So you actually went to Egypt?”

“Yeah last year during my bachelor’s degree last spring. I spent an entire semester down there. Learned a lot, and I can speak a little Arabic. Ancient Egyptian is a little rusty but I know like a word or two.”

“So if you could, could you read what’s written around the tomb of Ahkmenrah?”

“Now you’re really challenging me Mr. Daley.”

“Thought you said you loved a challenge?” I chuckled.

“That I did. But sadly no. Probably a word or two as I said.” I looked down at my watch and said. “It’s almost sunset, better get back to the museum less you wanna get fired on your first day. I’ll check in on you first thing tomorrow.”

“Okay, thanks for the little history lesson on the pharaoh (y/n).”

“Anytime. And here, give me your phone.” He handed it to me and I went through his contacts to see if he still had my number. Turns out he didn’t so I went ahead and gave him my new number since I got a new phone. “Here, any questions or concerns or if you just wanna chat. Give me a call.”

“Thanks (y/n). Anything I can do for you, just let me know.”

“Give me a chance to see that knucklehead Nicky again and we’ll call it even.”

“Will do.”

“Well good luck Larry.”

“Thanks.” I waved goodbye and walked back towards the nearest exit and hailed down a taxi and told them my address.

As I lay down in my bed after typing up the next several pages of my paper, I charged up my flip phone since it was almost dead from this week’s use.

“Hope Larry’s liking his new job. I’d give anything to stay the night in that place.” I stretched myself out and cuddled into my bed before falling asleep.

Bright and early the next morning I got around and headed on out of the house.

“Mama I’m heading out!” I cried out.

“Have a good day sweetie, give my love to Larry for me.”

“Will do mama.” I gathered up my stuff and took the bus toward the museum.

Once I got there, I entered inside just to see Mr. Daley walk out.

“So how was the first night?” he looked at me like he had just been through a rumble with Mike Tyson or the Rock as he said.

“Well I—”

“Dad.” A young boy’s voice said. We both turned to see Nicky walking with another man with short black hair and looked younger than Mr. Daley.

“Hey, hey buddy. What are you guys doing here?”

“Oh Erica had to be in court early today so I’m taking Mr. Big stuff here to school. But he wanted to swing by see your new job.” The man explained with a smile.

“It’s so awesome that you’re working here.” Nicky praised.

“Well your dad gets a praise but I don’t get so much as a hello?” I teased.

“(Y/n)!” he came up and hugged me and I hugged the little monkey back. “Do you work here too?”

“No I’m just here as an intern for a couple of months.”

“So Nicky whose your friend here?” the man asked.

“Right, (y/n) this is Don. Erica’s new uhh…well he’s her new….” Larry tried to explain but Don butted in by saying with a business man snake-like smile.

“I’m her boyfriend. So you’re the famous (y/n) the babysitter I’ve heard about.”

“Yeah. So you’re the new guy huh?” I looked over him once over and all I saw was a monkey in a suit with an earpiece to his ear.

“Yeah.” He shrugged like it was nothing. “Hey Nicko. Wanna take a lookie-do inside. Maybe your dad or your friend can give you a VIP tour?”

“You know what we’re actually kinda slammed this morning but I promise I’ll show you around soon bud, deal?”

“Deal. Love you dad.”

“Love you too.” Nicky hugged his dad and Mr. Daley gave Nick a kiss on the top of his head before he and Don walked hand in hand across the crosswalk before heading towards his school. “Yeah Erica and I are going through a—”

“I know, mom told me the other night. I’m so sorry. You both seemed really happy together.”

“Yeah well sometimes life happens. I’m just thankful I get Nick on Wednesdays and every other weekend.” He said solemnly as he kept his eyes on Nicky.

“Were you really thinking about quitting?”

“How did you…..”

“I’ve seen that walk so many times with my friends. Hell I’ve even done that walk before once at the Library of Congress. So c’mon Mr. Daley the truth.”

“Last night was……intense I’ll admit. But I really want Nick to be proud of me, and not see me as…..ordinary.”

“As Teddy Roosevelt once said, ‘some men are born great, others have greatness thrust upon them’. Maybe this is your moment. Look I know being the night guard may not be the funniest job ever for you. But don’t do it for yourself, do it for Nicky.” I said as I placed my hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me and said.

“You truly were the best babysitter Nicky ever had. No wonder how he got so wise.”

“History geek, you get great life quotes. Not just from Star Wars or Lord of the Rings.” I then skipped up the steps and walked inside.

“Oi intern!” I sighed heavily. Even after 2 weeks he never really does call me by my name.

“Yes Dr. McPhee?”

“The Egyptian tour guide called in sick this morning, I want you to take over his shift. You’ve got the better resume to give a tour with your year abroad. So do it.”

“Yes Dr. McPhee.”

“And see to it that the children don’t touch the exhibit. God I hate it when those sticky little monsters think a museum is a-a-a-a-a…..touchy place.” He then turned away mumbling to himself.

“Out of all the bosses I’ve had, he’s by far the goofiest and strictest. But it’s better than organizing files again.” I then went up and Rebecca handed me my Egyptian tour guidance flag and I waited for the first wave of guests which was in fact kids from the middle school I went to years ago.

When the class arrived I greeted them and told them my name and that I would be their tour guide today. I walked them through the Egyptian wing before finally leading them to the tomb of the Pharaoh.

“Now we are finally arriving into the tomb of the pharaoh himself. King Ahkmenrah was known as one of the youngest pharaohs to rule in the Upper kingdom of Egypt in 232 BC. He was even the first pharaoh to be crowned above his older sibling.” It was then I had a young girl raise her hand. “Yes sweetheart?”

“What are these statues?” she gestured towards the 20ft. jackal guards.

“Ahh those are the Anubis guards. The Egyptian god Anubis, Lord of the dead is said to be the judge of the underworld. He would deem by balancing your soul on a scale with sand and if your soul weighed heavier than the sand, you would be damned in the underworld. But if your soul was lighter, you’d be granted peace in the afterlife. His guards which you see up there are the protectors of bodies, especially over the royal families tombs.” I got another hand raise this time from a black child.

“Do the mummy’s really get wrapped up in toilet paper?” at that the kids all laughed, to which I couldn’t help but laugh.

“No. No it’s not toilet paper. They get wrapped in special linen which is sorta like a gauze wrap. How many of you had an injury and your parents would wrap your injury with a sorta white bandage?” I got a few hands raised. “It’s basically that. But before they wrap up the bodies, they expose the body to a type of oil and salt to de-moisturize the body so that it could be preserved from the elements.” Another boy asked.

“What exactly is that gold thing up there?” I looked up and I said.

“Ahh that my dear boy is the tablet of Ahkmenrah himself. It arrived here at this museum in 1952 from the Nile expedition. It is said to bring the dead back to life.”

“Yeah right.” The boy sassed back. Kids today, so desensitized by movies and television.

“It’s a legend but never mock the powers of Egyptian magic. Okay kids, why don’t you have a look around and check him out. But please don’t touch the stone slab.” I then walked aside and the kids all gathered around Ahkmenrah’s sarcophagus. “If only it were real.” I muttered as I sat down and rested my feet.

The day dragged on until finally I was clear to go home. I decided that for tonight, I would leave my dissertation for next time and just immediately go to bed. I covered myself up with my thick warm blanket and was out like a light.

The next day it was just about closing time and once again I was in the tomb of Ahkmenrah. I stared down at his sarcophagus sighing softly.

“Excuse me miss, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to ask you to vacate the premises.” I jolted slightly but when I turned around I saw that it was only Mr. Daley.

“Oh sorry, just—kinda got caught up in my thoughts is all.” He switched his flashlight off and walked up to me.

“So this whole Egyptian stuff really—gets to you doesn’t it?”

“Ancient Egypt has probably been one of my most favorite ancient civilization. It’s just fascinating of how the Egyptians were able to build things like the pyramids, the sphinx, and intricate tombs that have endless passages in order to trap graverobbers when they didn’t have the technology we have today. It’s amazing.”

“Yeah, guess that is kinda cool.” We stood there side by side in brief silence before he said, “Hey (y/n), do you really believe History comes to life?”

“I mean yes. In a way all around us we are always being given knowledge of every historical moment. And this museum helps us to actually in a way live through it.”

“I mean do you truly believe that history can come to life?”

“I—don’t get what you’re saying Larry.”

“I mean that…..I tried to tell Rebecca this earlier but she ran off on me. She thought I was making fun of her but I really wasn’t I’m telling the truth, I told her the truth.”

“What truth?” he looked around before he leaned close to me and whispered.

“Everything in this museum comes to life. At night. All because of that tablet. Ever since they brought it here back in 1952, everything in this museum came to life.” I looked at him before saying.

“Uhh—have you been overworking yourself again?”

“No, no I swear to you (y/n) I’m not lying.”

“Look, your shift’s about to start and I should really get going. We’ll—talk about this tomorrow. Goodnight Mr. Daley.” I quickly walked around him but I could hear him trying to call out to me.

As I exited the museum I began thinking back to what he was saying. I mean I know I said that there could be a slight chance that the tablet of Ahkmenrah could hold some magic but this—this is something else. I hailed a cab and asked him to drive me back to my place and in just 10 minutes I arrived back home.

As it got darker and snow began to fall from the sky, what Larry had told me earlier this evening was still spinning in my head. I mean what he said was absolutely crazy, if he was implying that the figurines, statues, and the actual pharaoh himself can come to life at night—he was even crazier than when I first met him.

Suddenly something was thrown at my window. I gasped and turned on my lamp to see the leftover remains of a snowball. I got up from my bed and looked out the window to see some figures standing down along the sidewalk.

From the streetlights I could see that it was Larry and Nicky but along with them were two others. One was dressed up as an Egyptian pharaoh and the other was dressed like Attila the Hun. I put on my coat and boots and quietly walked down the stairs and unlocked the door.

“Nicky? Mr. Daley? What are you guys doing here?”

“Hey (y/n) look I know this is a lot to take in right now and I don’t have a lot of time to explain so I’m gonna cut right to the point. Cecil stole the tablet of Ahkmenrah, along with Gus and Reginald. We have the other two back at the museum but we need your help in getting Cecil.”

“Whoa wait what? Mr. Daley you mean to tell me that the former head of security, someone I’ve looked up to for years has stolen the tablet of Ahkmenrah? Why would he want to steal it?”

“He said he and the other two guards were gonna sell it so that they could get a wealthy long retirement.” Nicky spoke up. I then turned to the two costumed gentlemen and I said.

“Am I missing the historical convention or something?”

“No, no, no. You know how I told you the tablet makes things in the museum come to life? I’d like you to meet Attila the Hun and the pharaoh himself Ahkmenrah.” I turned towards them and almost couldn’t believe it, especially with ‘Ahkmenrah’.

I mean there’s never been a real documented picture of him due to his short reign but—he was kinda cute. Wait what am I saying? This could all be a trick.

It was then Attila said something in Mandarin as he nodded to me. I looked at him confused, that’s when Ahkmenrah said.

“He says he’s honored to meet someone who knows his true history and not the fables that surrounded him.” I walked up to Ahkmenrah and I looked him over. His light blue eyes and sun kissed skin.

“How do I know you’re not just some method actor?”

“I assure you my lady I am no actor. But if you want to test me since you know so much about my history especially, ask me something only I would know.” I crossed my arms at his challenge.

“Okay.” I thought long and hard about a question that only either I or the ‘pharaoh’ himself would know. “How exactly did your brother kill you?” yeah I know it was a dark question but it was all I could think of that was a difficult question. Some scholars have even debated on Ahkmenrah’s death but I alone knew the truth after getting some good research done.

“It was sunset. I had just gotten through with wanting the Jews of Egypt to have free will among my kingdom when my brother called me into the studies to speak about the new law. At first I thought we’d go into another argument about it, but he wanted to drink a celebratory toast in light of the new law. I thought nothing of it so my brother and I drank the wine he had prepared. After the toast, I felt this pain in my stomach and—my brother standing over me with nothing but a cruel smile on his face.”

Oh…….my…..god. It—this was……Ahkmen—he…..Ohhhhhh shit!

“My pharaoh I—” I proceeded to bow before him but he stopped me and he said.

“Please no. There is no need for that.” Oh my god his hands were so warm on my cold ones.

“I—I can’t….I just can’t believe. Oh my god I’ve really fallen off the deep end haven’t I?”

“Told you I wasn’t crazy.” Mr. Daley spoke up.

“Okay, okay I believe you. So where is Cecil at right now?”

“Last we saw him he was heading for Central Park.”

“Then why the hell did you come here for!? Central Park from here is halfway across town compared to the museum! We’ll never catch him on foot.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” He then whistled and soon a horse came charging in and stopped right in front of us.

“Uhh Larry I hate to break it to you but we all can’t fit on one horse.”

“Oh I know this is my ride, your ride is Rexy.” I soon heard the thundering footsteps and soon following behind a toy truck was the giant T-Rex that you first see when you walk into the museum. It let out a roar and my mouth just dropped.

“You finally get your Jurassic Park wish huh (y/n)?” Nicky said to me with a wide smile.

“I—I suppose so.” The truck stopped right by us and I took notice of the two small miniatures inside that were inside. The Roman General Octavius and the cowboy Jedidiah.

“We ready to get this rodeo on the show now gigantor?” said Jedidiah.

“Yeah guys. So you remember the plan right? You all round Cecil off and I’ll follow behind him.”

“We’re on it my liege. Everyone hop on. The enemy must not escape our sights!” Octavius proclaimed. Larry and Attila got on top of the horse and the two of them rode off while Nicky, Ahkmenrah and I got on top of Rexy. Ahkmenrah got on first and he held his hand out to me.

I took it and he helped me mount onto the T-Rex. My back was pressed up against his chest and our noses almost touching each other’s.

“Thank you.” I softly whispered in awe.

“I didn’t want you to get hurt. It’s—very different from mounting a horse.” I nodded as I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.

“Shall I leave you two alone to get a room?” Nicky sassed out.

“Oh you little twerp just get on.” He grinned smugly as he came up and I told him to be careful as he came and sat in front of me. “K guys we’re ready!” Nicky told the two miniatures suddenly Rexy lunged forward and soon we were running full speed towards Central Park.

Within 10-20 minutes we arrived at Central Park and on the other side through the trees I saw Cecil riding on top of the money carrier horse and coach.

Rexy soon began to run faster which forced me to lean further up against Ahkmenrah. We looked at each other and smiled at each other as I felt him hold onto my waist tighter so that we wouldn’t fall off. Rexy then suddenly took a sharp left and we were now right in front of Cecil’s path.

But then Cecil took a sharp turn right past us just barely missing Rexy’s leg by a few inches. It was then I saw the horrifying sight of the truck that Jedidiah and Octavius were riding in spin out of control until it flipped over a small foot of snow before exploding.

With no bone to follow, Rexy soon stopped and whined and we all looked in the direction where the two miniatures had disappeared to. I saw that Larry had stopped just ahead of us and he was looking right where Jed and Octavius had fallen.

“Rexy let me down boy.” He lowered himself down so that I could get off of him.

“Where are you going?” asked Nicky.

“I’m gonna help your dad end this. Ahkmenrah, can you keep an eye on Nicky?”

“Yes of course.”

“Nicky, stay with him alright?” I told him in my sitter voice and he knew to never go up against me when I used that voice. I hopped off and raced towards Mr. Daley. “Larry!” he turned to me and I said. “I’ve got a plan, but I need you to do exactly what I tell you.” he nodded.

“Hop on.” I got on the back of the horse as Larry said, “C’mon Tex let’s finish this. HIYAH!” soon we took off racing after Cecil.

“Stay close to the back of the coach, I’m gonna try to hop on it and grab the tablet.”

“Are you crazy!?”

“Yeah well it’s been a crazy night. So just do it!” he urged Tex on and soon we were right up on the stagecoach. I reached out as far as I could and missed it a few times before finally getting a grip onto it. Once I pulled myself up, I nodded to him telling him to get Cecil’s attention while I went for the tablet.

“Give me the tablet Cecil!” Larry cried out.

“Can’t do it, son!” the horses whinnied as they ran faster and I slowly crawled up towards Cecil’s back where I could see the glimmer’s of the golden Egyptian tablet.

“Pull over!”

“It ain’t gonna happen. Moving on!”

“Last chance Cecil! Stop the horses or I will!”

“They can’t be stopped, Larry. Don’t you know your history? These are money carriers. They were trained not to stop for anything but a secret word.” I finally grabbed the tablet and pulled it out of the bag as I said.

“You don’t say?” It was then Cecil turned and saw me with the table. “You mean a word like—”

“DAKOTA!” Larry cried out. I then held onto the roof railings of the stage coach as the horses suddenly stopped and Cecil went flying forwards into the snow. As Larry rode up towards Cecil, I got off the stage coach and followed right behind Larry. “Read up on my history, along with a little help from a friend.” Larry said as he turned towards me.

“And by the way. Consider yourself out of my dissertation paper.” I told Cecil.

“And also, never talk to me like that in front of my son.” He then grabbed Cecil and threw his famed words back at him, “Moving on.”

We soon met up back at the stagecoach where Ahkmenrah, Nicky, and Atilla and his Huns came in.

“Oh hey, Huns.” Cecil said nervously as Larry transferred him over to them.

“Tell Atilla to have his boys take him back to the museum, put him back with the rest of the guards.” Larry told Ahkmenrah who then translated it to Attila in his tone. “Oh and uhh no limb ripping, okay?” Larry told Attila.

Attila tried to reason with Larry but he shook his head saying no. That’s when Attila pinched his fingers with a little bit of space between them as he asked Larry.

“Mikaka?” Larry turned to Cecil for a moment before turning back to Attila doing the same thing as he responded.

“Makeekaka.” Hearing that made Attila and his friends very happy as Attila then proclaimed out to his Huns.

“Hey, w-wait. Hold the phone. What’s Makeekaka mean? Wait, translation please?” he asked Ahkmenrah as the Huns picked him up and carried him back to the museum.

“That’ll teach him to steal from the museum.” I bragged. “Not bad Mr. Daley. That was impressive.”

“Hey, couldn’t have done it without those websites you sent me to help me out with the research. You’re the real hero here tonight (y/n).”

“Yeah, and that was so awesome of how you got onto that stagecoach. You were like a superhero back there.” I blushed at Nicky’s praising.

“They are right (y/n).” Ahkmenrah said. “We owe this night to you, thanks to you I once again have my tablet.” I smiled and said.

“It took all of us. Teamwork is what got this back.” I said as I held up the tablet.

“Oh boy.” I heard Larry say grimly.

“What is it?” asked Ahkmenrah.

“I gotta get you guys back to the museum.” He said urgently.

“Why? What happens if they’re not back at the museum? Well besides it being empty.”

“If the exhibits are outside of the museum when the sun comes up, they turn to dust.” He told me. My eyes widened in fear as I turned to Ahkmenrah and he looked at me with a grim expression that expressed the truth.

“How?” asked Nicky as I turned to see half of the museum already here in Central Park.

“It’s gonna take us hours just to wrangle everyone up. And this isn’t even half of the exhibits we need.”

“Ahkmenrah. We’re gonna need your help.” Larry guided me over to the young pharaoh as he continued, “This is your tablet, you know the instructions. We need you to get everyone back.” I handed him his tablet and he took it from my hands.

As we did the transfer, our fingers briefly touched one another’s and I swear to god I thought I felt a spark. I swallowed my little crush (was it a crush? I don’t know) and nodded to him and that’s when Ahkmenrah began to speak in ancient Egyptian as he looked down at the tablet.

As soon as I heard him say his name, the tablet glowed which reflected his face majestically, but that’s when I heard Rexy softly growl as he then began walking back towards the museum. Not only was he walking onward but all the exhibits, it seemed they were all in a trance as they walked on.

With that the four of us left alongside the exhibits and we went to make sure that everyone got back there and to their designated wings safe and sound.

Once everyone was inside, present and accounted for; I walked with Ahkmenrah back to his tomb and he said to me.

“Thank you, for helping me retrieve my tablet (y/n).”

“It was no problem. Really. I’d do it all over again a thousand times if it meant you and the others could live to see another night.” He smiled and as he placed it back to its proper place he asked me.

“Will I see you tonight?”

“Oh I don’t know.” I sighed heavily. “I can’t let Larry just get the boot for this, at least not if I can help it.”

“You have a kind heart (y/n). In another life you would’ve made the perfect Egyptian Queen.” I blushed and laughed shyly. “If that is the case, then it was an honor to finally meet you (y/n).”

“Believe me it was an honor meeting you. I just…wish we had more time. I have so many questions for you.” He smiled and said.

“If the Gods make it to be, perhaps one day we shall cross paths again.” I nodded as I extended my hand out for a handshake. He took it and instead of a handshake, he turned my hand over and kissed the back of it.

I felt my face heat up and butterflies fluttered around my stomach as I nervously smiled.

“Yeah, you too Ahkmenrah.” I then helped him back into his sarcophagus and once I closed it up, I heard nothing but silence. I turned to the Anubis guards who now stood very still and figured that it must be sunrise about now. “Wadaeaan ya fireawn. Num jayidaan.” I whispered as I gently touched Akhmen’s sarcophagus.

I left the Egyptian wing and saw that all the exhibits were now once again either statues once more or had phased back into their wax figurines. I walked down the steps to see the large mess once again.

“You got him back to his wing safely?” asked Larry.

“Yep. Safe and snug in his sarcophagus. C’mon. Let’s clean up whatever we can before McFreak comes in and flips out.”

“(Y/n).” Rebecca scolded me. I shrugged at her as I picked up a broom from the supply closet nearby and handed one to Nicky and the two of us began to collect all the toilet paper that had been tossed around.

When Dr. McPhee did come in, he was definitely not happy. After having Larry and I sit through the news that was talking about all the sightings that had happened last night from Rexy’s footprints in the snow, caveman drawings in the subway and even the Neanderthals up on top of the museum building waving torches in the air.

“Any explanation at all?” he asked the two of us. Larry thought about it before he came to a fake conclusion.

“No. Got nothin’.”

“Me neither.” I answered.

“Right. I’ll take your keys and your flashlight then.” He said as he walked up to Larry before turning towards me and continuing, “And you. Can turn in your membership and research card. You’ll be banned from the museum until further notice.” Larry and I looked at each other before Larry turned in his stuff and I turned in my access card.

He guided us out of his office to let us out of the museum but what we saw was something I had not seen since I was probably a little girl.

The museum was packed! There were probably hundreds maybe even thousands of people walking about, getting tours, checking in, and asking for information about certain figurines or exhibits.

A wide smile spread across my face as I placed my hands over my mouth trying to contain my excitement. But what really got me excited was when Dr. McPhee gave Larry and I back our stuff and gave us a small smile before walking away.

“Oh my god.” I said in awe.

“Seems the news really brought this place back on the map.” Larry said. I then hugged Larry as tight as I could and he hugged me back. “What’s that for?”

“I have no idea. Just—thank you for probably the greatest moment of my life.”

“You sure it don’t have anything to do with the pharaoh just one floor up?” he teased. I playfully punched him as hard as I could in the shoulder.

“I’ll see you tonight Mr. Daley. I’ll even pick up Nicky and bring him here.” I headed off to start my shift since I knew the tour guides needed more help so I decided to lend a hand and help out.

Of course that was fun and all, but the real fun began when the sun went down. With my I-pod hooked up to the stereo on my “Happy feet playlist”, I had my #1 song ‘September’ by Earth, wind and fire playing while all the exhibits were gathered around the main lobby in celebration.

Everyone was either dancing or playing soccer and I couldn’t help but smile at seeing a once ancient pharaoh dance so badly that it was almost embarrassing. Our eyes soon locked with each other and he came over to me and said.

“Come on, let’s dance.”

“Oh no, no, no, no, no I don’t dance Ahkmenrah.”

“This is our party and I demand you dance. By royal decree.” He teased at the end with a wink down at me. Well—who was I to deny a royal pharaoh’s decree?

“Just a little warning for you, I don’t know how to dance.”

“Neither do I.”

“So you’re not at all embarrassed?”

“Not really. We’re amongst friends. And true friends don’t laugh at one another, even in their silly moments. Now come (y/n).” he took my hands and pulled me onto the dance floor and the two of us danced to the beat as silly as we possibly could.

#rami malek #rami malek imagine #rami malek imagines #rami malek fanfic #rami malek x reader #ahkmenrah #ahkmenrah x reader #ahkmenrah imagine #ahkmenrah imagines #night at the museum #night at the museum fanfic #might at the museum fanfiction #rami malek fanfiction #night at the museum imagine #night at the museum imagines #night at the museum fanfiction

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i-hate-thomas-jefferson · 4 years

Text

He is the WORST!

-Wrote the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal BUT thinks black people are inferior. Then called Indians savages in the said declaration.

-Was against and Alien & Sedition Act during Adams presidency BUT used such law to imprison reporters that are Federalist-leaning and sued then libel.

-Promised Sally he will free their children if she returned to him to America. Note that when he fucked Sally she was technically free but that asshat did not free her and used their children as bargaining chip. He only freed his children in his death and excluded Sally. Wtf! Sally was 14, he was 44. And his reasoning why he had sex with her because she looked like his death wife. Well, so does his daughter so does that mean he want to bone his daughter too? And then Jeffersonians tried to deny the affair and when disproven said they loved each other and when counterattacked claim that such act between slaver and slave was normal during such time. Sounds familiar? Yes, it’s the Trump reasoning all over again.

-Was against industrialization because that would mean less reliance on slavery. Ended the slave trade but like his “abolotionist” views were all lip-service. In fact, thanks to illegalizinf slave trade, it made current slaves situated in USA more expensive and high-proced commodity (supply and demand)

-Was against Bank of USA but used such bank to buy Louisiana on sale. And he secretly supported Haitian Revolution to make the offer price low.

-Supported the French Revolution even if America hd no resources to support and the revolution is different than America’s with how bloody it is during Reign of Terror

-Colluded with France during the 1796 Presidential election. You think Trump’s collusion with foreign nation was something new, nah Tjeff did it first. That is why GWash warned against foreign intervention in his farewell address because France was intervening in the election. But Tjeff still lost to Adams. Such a loser.

-When Hamilton died, he did not address him in the proper honorary title as General but simply as Colonel.

-Madison revised his notes on the Constitutional Convention over 50 years just to please Thomas Jefferson. He wanted to make their ideals seemed right. And his argument that Hamilton was a monarchist because of what he said in the convention. Well, there is a theory that it was planned between Hammy and Madison that H will give such speech to make M’s plan less radical. But we will never know the true events because Madison revised his Notes to please Jefferson and many pages are missing. And Washington’s notes on that convention was also missing. Pretty convenient for you Tjeff.

-He loves revolution so much yet when Revolution came to Virginia, he fled.

-Hired James Callendar to talk shit and spread fake news against his opponents and when JC became a whistleblower, a pro-Jefferson mob attacked him and he later drowned because he was “drunk” and Virginian officers did not allow autopsy to investigate the real cause of death. And JC was a key witness in a case against Jefferson and isn’t it nice that he just happens to die before he can testify.

-Wallace alleges that Jeffersonians tried to downplay Hamilton’s command in Roundabout 10 in Yorktown after Hamilton’s death. Wallace alleges the real reason why Hammy was given command was because Muhlenberg was sick with fever. Yet, when Hamilton died the narrative changed and Hamilton was made to look like a power-hungry weasel who wanted to take the glory from Muhlenberg.

-Caused the War of 1812 against Britain because of his trade embargo of 1807. Then left Madison to deal with the war. Looks like Tjeff really had a habbit of running away when war comes knocking to his front door. Left Virginia when American revolution came. Left France when French Revolution is starting. Left Madison to deal with the consequences of his actions. Oh, but Tjeff claims it is GWash who leaves when things get hot. Projecting much Tjeff.

-Claims that the Federalist are elitist when the elite at that time were rich plantation-owners. But oh well, in TJeff’s lingo, “poor farmers”. Yah right. Claimed his party were for the people but it was the other party who protected the Indians and were against slavery.

-A seditious Secretary of State and urged the farmers in Western Pennsylvania to rebel. Release information about their cabinet meetings to newspaper under his employ.

-His party led by him made Hamilton stand on Congress because they cannot believe that such man in-charge with money will not steal from the coffers of the nation. They did this rigorously to the point of it becoming a witch-hunt for months while Hamilton was sick. Familiar, yah it’s like the witch-hunts of Republicans agains their enemies.

-When he was subpoena in a case, he did not attend. Like Trump. He also ignored Supreme Court rulings and tried to impeach the Chief Justice because ehe came from the other party. Thanks to that the Marshall doctrine was borne making the SC the ultimate authority in interpreting the Constitution.

-Tjeff claims to be a strict interpretation of Consti guy but bought Louisiana which at that time was considered unconstitutional and used the implied powers of the executive department. However, when it was his predecessors who used the implied powers, Tkeff then claims they are establishing monarchy. Such a hypocrite.

-Tjeff talked shit about Washington so much that Martha Washington said meeting him was the second-worst day of her life. In fact, there was one time in which a newspaper talked shit and spread fake news about George Washington that even without prompt from Gwash, Tjeff said he did not write that. So defensive Tjeff, are tou guilty of something.

-Beat his own slaves using overseers because Tjeff does not want to dirty his own hands.

-Thanks to his Kentucky Resolution of 1798, the Confederate during Civil War had a a legal precedent why they would ignore Federal laws.

-Said that black should be deported to Africa (aka “send them back” of Trump). So how about your black kids Tjeff? Hmmmm, are you trying to get away from supporting them. At least when GWash freed his slaves, he decreed that if they can’t support themselves (too old/young), they will be supported by the estate and they were not Gwash’s bastards.

-Spread rumors that Hamilton was ¼th black and only got to his station in life due to nepotism because he was Washington’s bastard. When Hamilton shared how he was cured with yellow fever, Jefferson accused him of fake news. And politicized the Yellow Fever pandemic. Jeffersonians also claimed Hammy was economic illiterate and Tjeff was better because he was a student of Adam Smith. Yah Tjeff was so great his economic policies caused a war with Britian. And his agrarian utopia needs slaves to operate unlike industrialization.

-Ya know why he supported voting without property at that time because it means he can leveraged livelihood of those people if they will not vote for him and his party. That is why the other party was against it because it will mean that it will essentially be vote-buying because your livelihood is being leveraged and your votes are compromise. But hey, it means for Jeffersonians can claim he was for the people.

But despite all of that people view him as GOOD and ignore his DARK SIDE because he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Sigh!

#INTENSE facts #thank you for this submission!#you went IN and I'm IMPRESSED!!!!!!#fuck this dude. seriously.#doesn't deserve to be as glorified as he is.#submission

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theaetherhealerffxiv · 5 years

Text

Redemption pt 3

Chapters Master Post

Ao3 link

----

Rating: PG17 for safety

Parings: Wol x Emet-Selch

Summary:

Its over, the winner gets to write the next chapter of the story. So why, pray tell, wont the Warrior of Light let him die?

Chapter Summary:

Swath and Hades have a heart to heart, while he is bombarded by emotions he have not felt in eons.

Word count: 5126

Gif owner

Hades took in gulps of air as Swath breached the surface. She had walked quite a distance under the water; but keeping up the bubble had begun to drain the two of them. Hades loath to admit that his concentration waned as time had dragged on. To the extent that moments before as the Hero was frantically running to try to get as close as she could to the surface he had lost control of the magic which formed the air pocket. It had popped suddenly causing the water to press in quickly around them, cutting off his air supply and choking him. It was an odd sensation in two ways; one Hades normally would be able to manipulate magic, aether, the very will of the world itself around him with the ease of a person breathing. Instead he was becoming restrained and a slave to the mundane just as the rest of the shards inhabitants, which infuriated him. Two, he could not remember the last time he had been in a near death situation. The water had robbed him of his breath and filled his nose and mouth, Hades had felt fear as the dark waters close in around them. The sensation was a short lived as burst into breathable air, as once the bubble had popped she had been able to swim quickly to the surface.

Then suddenly he was thankful, realizing that it was the third time today he had been saved by her hands.

As Swath turned on her back to start kicking her feet, Hades found himself staring at the sky. The lazy clouds contrasted with the sensation of the water lapping around them. As Swath continued the journey towards shore Hades felt himself falling into his thoughts. His mind wandering back to the previous hours; more importantly, the incident with Amaurot and the butterfly. Hades realized that his magic was stunted, it deeply troubled him; his soul was not changed. Not fundamentally at least, it was still whole, still a soul of an Ancient. Yet the binds that Swath had put on him unknowingly had changed the flow. It limited him in ways that he hated. He theorized right there that being near her was like putting a cap upon his power. She was his limiter. Rightly so as well; his soul was properly bound to hers, her aether even now acting as gentle bindings. As such, Hades was reluctantly grateful to Swath’s existence.

He was starting to feel more than just intervals of depression and hatred for the world around him. His heart beginning to sing with familiarity to her broken soul; it had been before of course, while they fought, while they traveled together. But Hades had silenced that song himself, because he had thought it was not her. Yet here he was leaning against Swath, hours ago his enemy with a blossoming trust. It likely was very possible with their growing relationship, he thought that he could overcome the limiter himself. Hades knew he would have to be careful so that he would not harm her, the strings that connected him to her likely worked both ways - as it did when he used her as a conduit for his magic. If he tried to bypass them he could possibly send negative feedback and hurt her.

He felt a frown grace is brow momentarily as he took a quiet oath that he would do everything in his power not to harm her. For the sake of his budding feelings, and for the sake that she had gone against the wishes of her companions for his sake.

I’h will be using you, I’h will use yah as a reason for meh to live. The one I saved.

To use him as a reason to live. How much of the world was upon her shoulders? How many times did she feel like she failed to protect those around her? Closing his eyes he took in a breath. No, he would not add to that weight. While the chapter between the two of them had been finished she still had to contend with Elidibus.

Opening his eyes he looked down at their bodies, the kicking of her feet and how she still wore her armor, but was seemingly unhindered. Elidibus was not as strong as Hades within the field of magic, but he was far more cunning of an opponent. Hades may have raised armies and empires, but even he did not know the extent Elidibus had upon the stage of the world. If Hades played his cards right; he knew he could become a valuable asset to Swath in the war against Zodiarks remaining forces. The thought caused his heart to clutch, with fear, loathing and excitement. To what extent had he been tempered? He wanted to know, he wanted to see; he wanted to fight back against his creation which he had served so dutifully.

As the water splashed his face and he turned slightly to catch her face out of the corner of his eye. Though his the wet strands of his hair he could see her eyes closed, her face oddly relaxed. To what extent was she tempered? Could he use his bonds to free her as well? Hades slammed down hard on that train of thought, it would do no good to either of them thinking that way. If he severed the connection between the ‘Mother Crystal’ and Swath there could be a lot of backlash - her unnatural strength may fade, or worse yet, the Primal may retaliate to keep its hold on Swath. Hades couldn't risk it, he wouldn't. He would have to learn to accept her as she was now, while researching in the background about the effect of Primals. Hades had never given it much thought, had only understood the fundamentals. But it had been eons since he last picked up a book on the subject. Perhaps the people, of the various shards had learned something new that could help him in that front.

He would fight for Swath’s right to choose; so that she could have the ending she deserved. For now he set the thoughts aside and began to shift to get himself a little more comfortable. To mitigate the sting of the sea water upon his exposed wound. As he shifted he heard the Viera woman give a content sigh. Turning his head he lifted a free hand to push back his still soaked hair to look at her better. Hades raised his eyebrows when he saw the wide grin and sparkle in her eye as she gazed at him.

“Pray tell hero,” Hades asked hoarsely, letting his hand drop and clearing his throat in a futile attempt to rid his voice of its sudden roughness. “Why are you gazing at me with such an expression?”

“Happy,” Swath answered curtly. This caused Hades to frown; the one worded sentence had reminded him of the rumor that the hero was often a person of few words. How it often got her into trouble or unable to get proper information. Slight irritation bubbled in his chest as he reached out and seized her cheek between his thumb and forefinger pinching it. Her expression turned from joy to, while still happy, confusion.

“Swath, that is not a valid answer to give me.” He chastised her as if she was one of his many children. He had been a father many times over, and while she was a grown woman he felt the need to remind her that speaking her mind would get better results than not. She blinked as he wiggled his fingers and then splayed his hand against her cheek caressing a small scratch that he found under her eyes. Hades felt a jolt of strange emotion as the Viera leaned into his hand. His eyebrows shooting up as he watched her nuzzle his palm; her face was one of contemplation. She was clearly thinking of what to say and debating her words. As she did she stopped moving, allowing the two of them to float in the sea. Hades watched as she collected her thoughts, her mismatched eyes shifting to look over him carefully. Then, her hands moved to free him from the bridal carry she had been holding him in. She left one hand on his upper back so that he would not float away from his place on her lap. With her other free hand she paddled lazily to keep their momentum going.

“A valid answer,” She repeated looking up to the sky, her white hair fanning out in the water like a halo. “This moment, I’hm happy for it.” Swath breathed, Hades pulled his hand away, as if her voice was releasing him from a spell. “I’h dun get moments like these oft.” Her gaze was focused on the sky and not the man in her arms. Hades felt his head tilt in curious wonder, and words began to tumble from his lips before he could stop or censor them.

“You are not given moments of reprieve often?” He shifted to let his body float in the sea water, only remaining on top of her by the grace of her one arm which still wrapped around his upper torso. “You were told to rest often, if I recall, did you not?” She laughed, the water around them splashing up to his face causing Hades to huff with frustration. He reached up to, in a futile attempt, wipe the drops from his face. “Do not laugh at me hero, I did not spy upon you while you were in your room. I may be a villain, but I am a villain with morals.” Suddenly with those words, the air changed, Swath looked down at him with a leer. As if she was reminded of something increasingly negative, Hades frowned back at her trying to gauge her emotions and failing.

“Is tha’ what yah call it?” She looked at him with a surprisingly cold smirk. “Bein’ a villian with morals?” Swaths brows turned down into a frown. “Hades yah murdered millions yah know.”

Ah, he thought, that was what it was. She was looking at him not as Emet-Selch, who did kill millions ‘indirectly’ - but as Solus zos Galvus, the warmongering man who killed millions by leading an army. He felt a mixture of anger and sadness, in the pit of his stomach. Hades did not want her to see him as anything but Hades. A rather fruitless wish, but one he had unknowingly had - one that had clearly been broken. He knew he could not take back the deeds he had committed, nor would he apologize for them. Hades at the time of committing them had firmly believed, tempered or not, that he had been doing the correct thing.

Follow the plan, sacrifice the fragments to bring about the world once more. All would be well and Zodiark would bring them all back.

The thought now, brought a bitter laugh to his lips. As it spilled past his restraint he could hear Swaths sharp intake of air - more shock at his reaction than anything.

“Hero,” Hades began carefully, turning once more to fully look at her, making eye contact with ease. His expression was cool and collected, he knew full well that he could not escape his past. “While I understand that you feel like this is a conversation we must have, I humbly ask that we postpone it until we are not floating in the middle of the sea.” Hades emphasized this by lifting his hand and mentioning to the water around them. She stared at him as he let a gentle smile grace his lips. “All I will say is that you had the perfect chance to allow this world to be rid of this villain that you hold.” His words were cold - he knew this, but it was a truth he felt she must hear. “You chose to use me to live, and I accepted this. Until you grow tired of me, I will live.” Her face quickly darkened, it was not anger or sadness, that much Hades could tell. It was acceptance. She knew it was her choice, and she was not regretting it. But the golden eyed man could tell her mind spun with unasked questions; ones that likely neither of them could answer.

Why him? He who had done such wrongs?

The silenced dragged on a moment more before Hades sighed heavily. “Let us think of such things later. You have not answered my original question and I am not fond of having the conversation changed.” He shifted looked back up at her, she stared at him with a soft smile that reached her eyes. The hand that was paddling stopped and she reached up to gently touch the wound upon his chest - while it stung he allowed her the movement. After a moment she began to propel them forward once more.

“Nay, I did not get much of ah reprieve in mah own quarters.” Swath finally spoke, conceding to Hades demand. The man marveled at her bluish skin that was tinted with a nearly invisible blush. Part of him felt glee that she was blushing because of his words. The heavy atmosphere that had nearly suffocated them moments ago was broken with a shared smile and chuckle. “I’h had ah, companion, tha often came tah speak tah me.” She lifted her head out of the water and Hades watched as her ears twitched, he reached up, grunting to help her keep them above the water for a little while. In doing so he was more sprawled out against her, but the hand on his back told him she did not mind. In fact it held him close to her breast as she started kicking again to give them more momentum.

“Please continue hero, who was this companion?” He asked now leaning over her, his face frighteningly close to hers. His wet hair falling around them shielding them from the sting of the sun. Her eyes grew heavy as she looked at his face, and a strange expression - one that seemed to echo the strange emotion he had felt when he had first used her as a conduit painted itself across her features momentarily before she smiled.

“He was ah lingerin spirit. One of tha ol’ Warriors of Darkness yah sent to terrorize me back in tha day.” Swath spoke with the grin upon her lips - a smile that caused the back of Hades’ neck to heat up. Was it the sun? Was it his own emotions? He was a right mess and could not tell.

But Hades had remembered the Warriors of Darkness - at least he what he had heard of them. It was Elidibus’ plan originally of course. That and Hades himself had been asleep at the time - he did not want to deal with petty schemes. Logically speaking from the point of being a Ascian, the plan had been a disaster. It had actually only benefited Swath and the Scions, more than likely setting in motion the events that would bring them to the moment they were in. Then Hades recalled the voice that had used her body to speak right before they engaged in combat, when he had momentarily thought the light had won out. “Ah,” he breathed, his lips tight as he looked down at her. Air whistled out of his mouth as he sighed. “The spirit that was part of your whole.” He moved his hand slightly so he could stroke her ear with his thumb. Causing that blush to creep back across her face. Hades, despite himself was pleased he could have such an affect on her. Clearing his throat he stopped and resumed just holding her ears out of the water. “I will endeavor to give you as much time as you need to rest when we return to the Crystarium.” Hades promised, causing her face to shift from embarrassment to surprise. “We can even devise a plan to keep your Scion companions from pestering you. You can blame it upon my wound, the fact that only you can rightly treat me.” He smiled as her hand became tighter around his back. She stopped kicking a moment, before reaching up with her other hand and bringing his head down to nuzzle against her. This time Hades blushed, how many times has she done this to him today? “Yes yes..” He murmured, sighing shifting to press his third eye against her forehead. “Enough of that.”

Under him, the Viera beamed clearly content with his actions as he moved away. She moved and shifted him in her arms as she did. He allowed her too, and soon he was being held bridal style again. “Tha will also give us plenty o’time ta talk about yah past.” Swath teased gently, her words quiet and sobering. They made Hades smile sadly at her.

“If that is what you wish to converse about during that time I will not protest.” He felt her begin to kick her legs with more gusto and her face was no longer focused on him. She was gazing towards the shore which was approaching quickly now. Their reprieve was now over; and it would likely continue to be until certain matters were discussed and plotted out. He was a man that was supposed to be beyond redemption, one that only deserved death as his final outcome. Looking down at his wound he let his shoulders sag. He had done horrible things - things he did not regret, and despite being freed from the chains of temperament he could not truly tell what had been his own desires and actions and what had been the will of Zodiark influencing him.

It vexed him, he continually repeated that he did not regret his actions, but at the same time the amount of life that had been lost caused a strange knot to form in his stomach. Stray thoughts continually reared their head against his usual logic.

What if this could have happened sooner? What if one of those people he had killed had been her?

Her hands brought him out of his dark musings; Hades had to reach out and grip her collar as she brought her feet down onto the sand, as she twisted she and Hades momentarily went under the water, before she stood straight up. Their clothing cascading with water, the golden eyed man coughed and sputtered out as much salt water from his lungs as he could. He looked at her with frustration but her apologetic smile and gentle squeeze quickly caused what minor irritation he had with her to dissipate. Swath walked with purpose until they were out of the water completely. Suddenly her shoulders dropped and Hades for the first time noticed that her soul was dim - that she was exhausted.

“Can yah stand alright?” Swath suddenly asked, turning her tired gaze to him. He nods, and she set him down carefully pain laced through his chest down to his feet, with a sharp inhale he stood as straight as his back allowed. He felt his legs wobble and he shut his eyes momentarily, her hands still on his back and shoulder. Reaching up, he grabbed her hand entwining their fingers and giving a squeeze.

“Yes, I will be fine Swath.” Hades looked up at her face, her eyes scanning his expression carefully before giving him another soft smile. Then, the two of them heard the stampeding footsteps and the calling of Swaths name, from the Scions and other unfamiliar voices. Hades watched as her face turned with confusion and then hardened into a familiar form. It was a manner that he had seen her take many times during her journey. “Your public awaits you Hero.” He smiled as she side eyed him, taking a step back he gently swept his arm up in a bow. “I shall remain a shadow at your side.”

“Yah better,” Swath muttered lowly. She reached out and pulled him closer, and behind her. “Do not leave mah side Hades.” Watching her curiously he shrugged.

“I will always watch you from the shadows.” He murmured, taking half a step back as the crowd reached them. Most of them Hades realized he recognized from the reconstruction of the lift and the giant golem. They all came to welcome her back from their fight. He looked away as the Scions rushed in.

That was right, he was the enemy of these people - no he had been. He was no longer in a position to rightfully call himself a villain. He was just an onlooker, an outsider, a ghost that should have died. The noise of the conversation became background noise as Hades eyes gazed across the beach. He could see in the distance the lift - his mind returning to the conversation that he had with her. Hades smiled, it was not a bad memory to dwell upon, the din of the people was easily ignored as his eyes continued scanning the scenery until it fell upon Eulmore itself. The city loomed in the distance and the sight of it caused that knot to return to his stomach. He had done a terrible thing there. Hades had sentenced an innocent unborn child and its mother to certain death, to become a monster and corrupted the father to set the cogs of the rejoining in motion.

Raising his hand to the wound upon his chest he let it hover there, he felt slick with sweat as the knot continued to twist. What was this feeling, was this regret? What was he feeling regret for? No, it was not setting the plan of the rejoining in motion, was it because of the child? Did he feel regret for creating a twisted creature that should have grown with love and care from its parents? He clenched his fist against his chest as what he could only describe as a fever grew. Shutting his eyes he took a deep steadying breath, pushing the knot away. Hades knew he did not have the time to deal with whatever he was feeling. Although the feeling dissipated the heat did not. Reaching up he pressed his ungloved hand to his face. It was fruitless but he tried to feel if a sudden fever was coming on. It was strange, why would he suddenly be getting sick? He should not be able to - even when he possessed a body and let it age he had rarely gotten ill. Another steadying breath, but his legs began to feel like jelly, and his chest ached. Unexpectedly he felt cool hands pressing against his forehead and cheek. Hades also then realized that the conversation from the crowd had dulled, and looking back he saw Swath before him and the people behind her chatting away with each other.

“Hades?” Her facade was down as her face quickly scanned his. One of her hands pressed firmly against his forehead and the other trailed down intermittently pressing on his cheeks and neck searching for heat. Sighing he reached up and seized her wandering hand and entwined his hand to hers.

“Yes Hero, did I miss anything of importance? The conversation was boring me.” He shrugged, giving her an exhausted smile trying to convey that he was fine and just because he was clearly taking ill he refused to be a burden. While he would admit openly that her hands felt soothing he would not say that amidst strangers.

“Are yah developin ah fever?” Swath asked him slowly so that the others did not hear them.

He shrugged. “Even if I am, there is little to do about it here. I will persevere until the point I cannot.” Hades body was starting to become sore, he was truly getting sick. Perhaps the stress of the day, being pulled from death, and being drowned in various emotions that he had not felt in eons was even too much for him.

“Can ah Ascian catch a fever?” She muttered leaning back touching his face again. Again, Hades shrugged.

“Hero,” His tone was a gentle warning. “Do not obsessed over my health at the moment. There are many pressing matters to attend to.” Raising his hand he waved to Thancred, who was now looming behind her, Swath, surprised, spun on her heel with unusual speed for one so exhausted. Hades smiled, because as she turned she did in such a fashion so that their hands were still entwined. A small gesture that she did not have to do, and one that further convoluted Hades feelings. He knew he was falling in love with her; it was a familiar feeling. He would not stop the descent of love either, but he doubted that he would ever act upon it. It was not his place to woo the hero of light and darkness. Regardless if she had been his love in her past life.

“Thancred!” She blurted out causing him to heave a sigh and wave towards a path. “Ah, ‘re we ready ta go?”

“Yes, we are,” The white haired man then eyed Hades who raised his eyebrows at him. The man scanned the former Ascian, lingering on his wound with a frown. “Can you even walk?”

Hades face twisted up into a frown. He actually did not know if he could or not. With the wound starting to hurt again and the fever on top of it all he likely was doing his best to remain standing. “Does it matter if I can walk or not?” He eyed Thancred carefully who shrugged.

“I ask only out of concern for Swath, if you cannot she likely will try to carry you again.” Waving his hand dismissively Thancred looked away. “I really don't care what happens to you.” Hades grinned as he felt small waves of anger coming off of Swath. The golden eyed man knew that she probably did not understand her attachment to him, and while the feeling was mutual he was still grateful that she wished to defend him so.

Hades took a step forward his hand practically dragging Swath along. His steps where unsteady but he refused to allow his weakening body to win out. The hero quickly fell behind Hades as he followed Thancred. Further ahead of them was the crowd, all huddled around the Exarch. Ah, this was why they needed to hurry forward. The Exarch could not be too long from the Tower, he would grow weak. How could he have forgotten? Before them Thancred jogged to meld into the group leaving Swath and Hades trailing behind. After several moments, Hades could see the twins and the child Ryne throwing glances at them. Ryne clearly looking at both Swath and Hades while the twins only looked at Swath. They wanted her to join them that much was clear, he leaned his head towards her.

“Swath,” He said her name carefully, gauging her reaction. In response to her name he felt her grasp on his hand tighten, causing him to sigh. She was being stubborn, Hades realized whatever he said she would not leave him. Regardless he would try for the sake of the young ones. “You should go to them, you have won after all.”

“Tha victor writes tha story?” Came her murmur.

He frowned. “Why are you repeating my words?” The question came with a bit of malice from Hades, she should just leave him and go towards her companions. Continually fussing over him would achieve nothing.

“What kind ah story do yah think we will write?” She asked looking towards the people jovial and clearly celebrating. Hades frowned, his eyes focused on her face, while his mind only focused on walking forward. “How will yah be painted? As ah fellow victim as tha Exarch?” Hades grew quiet as his gaze frantically searched her rather blank face for some inkling of her thoughts. “As tha villain?” Swaths voice trailed off and she looked down at their entwined hands.

“How would you like the story written Hero?” Hades asked suddenly, stopping his gait causing her to stop as well. The rabble continued except for the Scions who paused to keep an eye on them. Hades cared not if they watched, he looked at her blank face, as if she was frightened of what was to come. He reached out and took her other hand holding them he asked again. “You, are the victor Swath, not your fellows, you. How would you, like the conclusion to this chapter to be written?”

Swath looked at him with shock, as if no one had ever actually asked her that. Once again her face was deep in consideration. “I wish for ah happy endin.” She muttered, “One where it says tha I saved yah.”

Hades smirked, “Then make sure it is written as such hero.” Turning he released her other hand and raised it to his forehead. He was again drenched in sweat, beside him Swath took the lead catching up to the other Scions who had been waiting for them. Ahead of them was a prepared set of steeds to allow them to fly back to the Crystarium. Hades felt his shoulders slump a little, he did not have the energy to hold onto a beast. As the Scions settled on their steeds and made sure the Exarch was comfortable Swath led Hades to a large one and climbed on, only to hold her hand out to him. He frowned.

“Ride with meh Hades.” She breathed, “I’h wanna make sure yah dun pass out.” Hades chuckled and using nearly the last of his energy climbed onto the beast behind her. She shifted and leaned back letting her messed up ponytail rest on his head. “Hold onta me.” Frowning he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned into her back. It was broad, not as broad as his of course. Physically she was still slimmer than him even though she was clearly much more muscular and towered over him. The beast easily launched into the air making his head spin, soon the ground was far below them and they were on their way back to the Crystarium.

His destiny awaited there, the pivotal moments that would begin to change him. Hades knew this, but his attention span was once again nonexistent as the fever began to grow, heating him up. Shutting his eyes he pressed his forehead into her shoulder. He would not pass out, he would hold strong until he could properly collapse. Where he was not a burden to her.

The thought was short lived as his consciousness faded and he slumped against her.

#ffxiv fanfiction #ffxiv fanfic #emet selch #emet-selch #emetxwol #wol x emet-selch #wol x hades #wol x solus zos galvus #solus zos galvus #solus zos galvus x wol #garlean grandpa #Redemption AU #emet selch x wol #Remember Me [emetxwol]

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doopcafe · 4 years

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The Clone Wars: Clone Cadets (3x01)

Summary: A misfit squad of clones must pass their final test in order to graduate and become real troopers so that they can be killed in the fifth episode of the show.

Comments: This is the third episode in the series chronologically, 45th episode in the show.

It’s nice to see an actual story, especially one without a lightsaber or Anakin and his obnoxious little pet... and it even produced a little backstory behind the troopers we saw mostly die in Rookies (1x05). Echo, Fives, Cutup, Droibait, and Hevy are given a backstory because, yah, they totally needed one?

So now we know the, uhm, people behind the, uh, faces in Rookies. If you forgot, Cutup was eaten by a giant eel, Hevy died in an explosion, and Droidbait---surprisingly enough---gets killed by droids. Only Echo and Fives survive to get awarded a medal and join something called the 501st legion.

I don’t care about any of this. My biggest question is... what’s the point of this story? The majority of these troopers we’ve already seen pointlessly die, just a few more tallies to the mounting death count of assembly-line slaves. Adding a backstory makes their previous deaths a bit more tragic, but it’s heavy-handed and clumsy back tracking. Hevy also promises to return home to 99 at the end of Clone Cadets---I think there was supposed to be some moral in there---but now we know he doesn’t. Because he died in an explosion.

It’s also important to note that this is the first episode of the third season. When this first aired, it was over four months since viewers last saw a new episode. As such, this episode is out of place and a resounding flop. The worst thing the showrunners could do next is have a follow-up or two of this episode where we follow these characters some more; i.e., double down on their mistake. Based on previous experience with this show, my money is on them doing exactly that.

I could be wrong, but without even looking ahead, I know I’m right. The show isn’t just bad, it’s predictably bad.

Anyways, I have questions.

(1) What is so special about Domino Squad that the OP(?)Jedi lady takes a special interest in them? There’s a scene where she discuses them and the head breeder knows what she’s talking about. I’ve watched countless episodes where these guys bite it by the thousands because Anakin was too busy arguing with Prequel!Wan or demeaning Ahsoka’s existence or something equally petty so it seems strange that an OP!Jedi would consider the worth of a handful of their slaves.

(2) The “version THX, variable 1138” snippet of dialogue doesn’t make any sense. I get that it’s a reference (to one of the greatest editing jobs in movie history). Why are there so many versions? And does that dude honestly remember up to 1,138 variables? Like, if you’re going to make a little wink of a reference to Lucas fans, at least fit it in somewhere that makes sense. You’ve sacrificed your internal cohesion for a stupid reference... for what?

(3) Why is Domino Squad never given any training? How did they pass the test a third time when they did not learn anything of technical or military value between the trials and after each failure? The premise here is that the Domino Squad sucks at teamwork and can’t pass the final test to become real soldiers. So they repeat the test in front of another higher up and fail again. After a debate regarding whether they should be sent to maintenance and down-graded, the Jedi lady allows them to repeat the test again, but without any training. There’s a strange scene where one of their instructors physically assaults Cutup and another awkward scene where Hevy argues with 99, but there was no actual training. So, why is no one actually training these troopers? There’s no teaching scene where their mistakes are explained to them. They just repeat the test again and like, don’t fail, but they didn’t actually learn anything?

(4) Why is the OP!Jedi lady in charge of training clones? She is a demi-god, she should be on the front lines, eliminating droids by the battalion at the relatively minor cost of having to breath a little heavy.

(5) Where was Hevy going when he’s packing his bags? 99 suggests he’s going AWOL, but... how? He’s just going to walk off into the ocean? Did what 99 say to him convince him to stay?

In conclusion, we were subjected to a backstory of the troopers that have already died.

#pie211-tcw

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laughing-with-god · 5 years

Note

Hello! Can I request a bts reaction to them hitting you playfully but their kid sees that and think that they hurt you seriously so they defend you? I think this is pure and innocent, I hope you do it 🖤

I love this reaction request say less sis.....

JIN- Jin and you prided yourself on keeping a peaceful and family oriented household. Never has your daughter witnessed you guys even so much as raise your voices at each other. The only time you daughter has ever seen Jin pressed was when he uses his ajussi voice and complains over dramatically, but that only made her laugh.( she has her dads windshield laugh btw and fondness of puns). One late afternoon, you put your daughter down for a nap and went to talk to Jin about what to do for dinner.

“Why don’t you just pick up some chicken? Me and (D/n) have been craving it lately you know...” you said mindlessly while cleaning up the toys in the living room as Jin walked up behind you.

“Yah! Is there a problem with my cooking? How dare you?! After slaving over the open flame for my family, you tell me you prefer cheap take out?” Jin jokingly scolded you using his grandpa tone before he playfully shoved you on the shoulder.

The two of you hear a loud gasp before turning around and seeing your still sleepy daughter standing in the doorway, jaw hung open. Before you guys could comprehend anything, a small fireball of a toddler flew across the room and onto Jin’s shoulders, swinging her miniature fists onto her dads back.

“Daddy, you never hit a girl! You told me that!”

Jin whined as he struggled to get his kid off of him. You laughed at the scene before you while trying to explain to your daughter the situation.

“S-sweetie, mommy and daddy were just joking around. Daddy didn’t actually hurt me.”

You pried your daughter off as she calmed down. Of course you could depend on Jin to milk this for all it’s worth.

“Yah! I practically raised you on my back! Is this how you treat your old man?! I’m your elder you know!” He complained, making your daughter and you laugh.

Namjoon- it was a rainy Sunday morning and you and your family found no reason to leave the bed.

You were on your phone on your respective side of the bed while your man Namjoon was reading a book on his side, your three year old son slept between you two.

“Nammie....” You whined playfully.

Said man looked up from his book to cringe at you. He knew you only used that sickly nickname when you wanted something. “Yes, baby?”

“You should get up and make us some coffee.” He groaned, he really didn’t wanna leave the bed.

“Let’s play for it.” He said, holding up his hand to initiate a game of rock paper sissors. You laughed and played him, only to win when he pulled paper to your sissors. He groaned while you only cackled at his luck. When would he learn that you always won?

He closed his book and reached over to spank your butt before moving to get up from the bed. This is when your three year old chose to wake up, to the sound of a slap and looking over to see his mama rubbing her backside while hissing.

Your three year old decided to defend your honor. He grabbed the book and threw it at his father’s back.

“(S/n) what was that for?!” You asked, surprised at you toddlers viscousness

“He hit mama.” You three year old shrugged before flopping over and going back to bed.

You laughed while Namjoon grumbled that his son inherited your personality and that he was the punching bag of his own family.

Later though he told his son that he was right for protecting his mom. But that wouldn’t be needed against his own father for he would never hurt you two.

YOONGI- both you and Yoongi had sarcastic and dry senses of humor. Sometimes it was borderline crude and it was taking a while for you guys to learn how to censor yourself around your child. But this was to be expected of new parents and your child was only 7 months old.

Recently though, it was Yoongi who was doing a good job of watching what he said around his child. It was probably bc he was way more protective of his son than you were.

Your son was in the living room, practicing his crawling while you were entering from the kitchen, snack in hand. However, you ended up stubbing your toe against a piece of furniture and that’s when you colorful vocab decided to make an appearance.

“Fucking shit! What kind of cunt places stupid furniture here where anyone can walk into it?!” You yelled in pain.

Yoongi was sat at the couch and when he heard your cursing and curious stares from the baby, he reached over to flick your thigh from his place from the couch.

“Babe remember what there’s tiny ears here. We dont want his first word to be the C-word.” He monotonly lectured.

But what you child say was his dad reach over to do something to his mom and the cries of pain from you. The mini Yoongi decided to army crawl his way over to the scene and mindlessly swing at his dad (of course he could barely reach or even hurt him.)

Yoongi day there puzzled, watching his own son swing so hard that the baby fell down from his own strength. “Is he really trying to fight me right now?” He asked while you just shrugged and ate your snack while cheering your ass kicking baby as Yoongi sat there, weirded out by his own fam.

HOSEOK- it was no secret that Hoseok was the aeygo king. He often tried to use this cuteness to get what he wanted but sometimes it was useless on you. Simply put, you got used to it and thus immune. Like today for example, he was attempting to convince you to let him take your 8 year old daughter out to dance practice so she can have fun and dance with her uncles whom she hasn’t seen in a while.

If it was any other situation, you would’ve gladly said yes. Knowing how much your child loved the BTS members. But tonight was a school night, she had homework and you knew how late those dance practices could be.

“C’mon jagi~! I promise I’ll take her home early enough to do her homework and be in bed for school tommorow. Jimin and Tae even said they have gifts for her. You won’t deprive them of seeing her, would you?” He cutely argued, playfully hitting you in an effort to be adorable.

You laughed and was about to make a compromise of letting her go on the condition that you pick her up early when you a tiny body came between you and your husband.

“Daddy, I know you want me to go but that’s no excuse to hit mommy.” You daughter crossed her arms and maturely scolded her own dad. You and Hoseok held in your laughs while the both of you decided to play along.

“But sweetie, maybe if your mom didn’t try to keep you from the gifts your uncles have waiting for you, then I wouldn’t feel the need to defend your honor.” He dramatically droned while placing an offended hand onto his chest as he faked tears in his eyes. Now, your kid turned against you and was ready to argue against you too now that potential toys were on the line.

“Okay! Okay! You can go but I want her home by 7:30!” You gave up while laughing at the noisy rambles of your husband and daughter whose tactics were all to similar. (Him winking at you as his daughter switches sides)

JIMIN- Work hard, play hard. This was the park family motto. Jimin and you were practically kids yourself so instead of dishing out rules and being strict when your twin boy and girl made a mess, you guys were more likely too join in on the fun. Neither of you were the type to put an end to your kids playtime.

But what started out as a playful battle had now turned into an all out war. The kitchen was a mess and clean appliances were lost as well as family ties and loyalty.

“I loved you!” You dramatically cried, peeking over a dirty toaster. Jimin grinned evilly as his daughter provided him with more amo. She was always a daddy’s girl...

“I’m sorry Jagi. But you know I have to do this....”. Jimin told you, expression tender-hearted before he threw a handful of sloppy kimichi at your head, successfully sticking it to your hair.

A war cry was heard behind you and your son came rushing to the battlefield, you biggest ally had arrived.

“Mom! Don’t worry I got you!” He screamed while shooting his dad with a major game changer in this food fight; a water gun.

You grinned while closing in on your little girl while her dad was busy getting attacked by your son. You smiled as you watched your little soilder defend you before you snatched the little girl up, tickling her to the point of tears.

(GIF after he was sprayed with water, just watching his crackhead family)

TAEHYUNG- Tae has always been a protective man. Being his wife you knew how seriously he took the safety of his loved ones. A goofy and dorky Tae can switch into a scary and intimating man if someone ever tried to hurt you or made you uncomfortable. You witnesssed this after being cat-called once after your third date. Scary, indeed...

Although when you finally gave birth to a son (first of five kids, Tae swore) you never thought those two paths of scary Tae and fluffy Tae would cross given he was now a family man. At least, never would he switch in front of you child.

So imagine your surprise when you walked in on you husband lecturing you 5 year old boy about what it means to be the proctor of the family.

“He’s five, you psycho!!!” You had yelled at him.

“He needs to know when to protect his own mother and potentially his younger siblings” Tae had deadpanned.

You two dropped the argument but it later came up when you as a family were at the ice cream shop. You had asked your son to go get some napkins, knowing how messy eaters your boys were when Tae threw up his hood and came up from behind you, masking his face.

“What the fuck are you doing you literal crackhead?” You asked but Tae only shushed you and gave you a light but still powerful shove. Not enough to hurt you, but enough to set you back a little bit.

“Yah!” Your son came up and kicked the hooded man on the shin.

“Congratulations son! You passed your test.” Tae pulled the hood down and turned to face your son.

You enrolled your family into group therapy after this.

(GIF of him preparing to ‘attack’ you)

JUNGKOOK- your husband was a muscle pig. But when you had given birth to a beautiful baby girl, you had hopes that it would soften up his seemingly steroid headass. Boy, were you wrong.

You daughter grew up to take the traits of Jungkook. She had more interests in boxing than she did in dresses or dolls. She would even go to the gym with Jungkook and try to ‘bulk up’ which was outrageous to you.

So instead of having tea parties like you had kinda hoped, your daughter and Jungkook had wrestling matches. Right now, they were currently in one.

Jungkook playfully pinned his girl down and told her to try to get out of his hold. You rolled your eyes, this was their new thing. He would put her in weird holds and tell her to find a way out of it. It was ‘self defense practice’ as Kook called it. She loosened his grip and was able to turn over, but not enough to completely get out of his hold. Thus, they started rolling around in your living room. You heard her squeal and your motherly instincts came up when you thought it could’ve been from pain. You came closer to the rolling duo, trying to break them apart when a beefy forearm slapped you across the face.

“Yah! You hit mommy!” You daughter yelled before forming a fist and hitting her dad on the shoulder before jumping up and coming to you to check your ‘injury’.

Jungkook sat there, dazed and confused. Before apologizing to you and telling your daughter that she packed a good punch.

(GIF of him looking messed up after the fight)

Send reaction requests!!

#bts #bts reactions #bangtan boys #namjoon #jin #park jimin #taehyung #family #bts fluff #jungkook #jhope #kids #kpop

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theworstjedi · 5 years

Text

Facing the Mirror

Friyr heard metal spikes scrambling down a cantina counter and across the room in that very same insectoid manner NM-1 possessed.

“Hullo, George. Stop tryin’ t’get th’bartender t’serve you alcohol,” he intoned without greeting. He tapped the weapon turned makeshift staff in his hand around the room as she stepped forward.

Rrzzzwiittt

Friyr snorted as the butt of his piping hit on something solid, and Friyr edged his way around it. “No you didn’t. I don’ think your audio sensors pick up anythin’ beyond this room.”

Zzzwroot

A smile tugged the cut corner of Friyr’s mouth. “Truuuue a lotta people don’ deserve me; that’s fact. Dunno why you’re so concerned with it though.”

Reet

Friyr’s expression quickly turned to a frown in the wake of the sliding doors. “Even if I was th’type t’get all jolly with m’master, there’s a big ol’flaw in your get me with Tabris plan.”

Friyr wiggled his fingers at Mader Gunns spiel in Huttese, he didn’t fully understand, then stepped out into Ambria’s dry coarse heat. Old sunburns immediately stung in protest. Friyr dug his teeth into each other. Time made callouses but did not build pain resistance. Ambria. Ammmbria. It got under his skin the way sun damage soaked up heat, and yet—the perverse call over the rocky wastes appealed something fierce to him.

Wrrrrooottoo doot doot

“Yeah, I guess there’s plenty’a green guys around.” Friyr made a face. “Why’s everyone think I gotta green fetish?” he muttered as NM grabbed his pants leg. Friyr stopped, a displeased bent to his mouth as the droid pinched the fabric, tugged for security, and began to climb up until he was perched on Friyr’s good shoulder, which Friyr leaned away to accommodate. He could feel NM’s little legs digging into his chest through the clothing. He began to walk again. His pace was more burdened by NM’s heavy carapace.

The little but weighty droid trilled again. “Yah, aliens’re preddy hot,” Friyr conceded in an undertone on the off chance any were around. “I never did getta try out Chiss.” Friyr bounced to the balls of his feet to jostle the stowaway. “By th’way. Yer not stayin’ up there.”

Delet doorooo too otooo

The droid fiddled with the bag on Friyr’s back, making the man duck with a pouch to his lips as the fabric of the study canvas pulled and the metal fastenings came undone. “Yer not comin’.”

<<Stop me bitch,>> The droid said in fully rendered basic automation.

Friyr’s lips parted in combination surprise and resignation.

<<I wish to see what happens in this desert.>>

“Well there are no big booty red heads, I prahmise.”

<<We will see. I have heard tales of lone desert spirits in the form of beautiful women offering favors to men.>>

Friyr rolled his eyes so hard he felt the strain in his sockets. “Yah? Bully fer ‘em. Tell me when there’s Massassi suckin’ dick out there. I’ll bring cred chips.”

___

Friyr bounced the pack to a string of binary to audio curses, chuckled, and left on his way. The desert was cruel. The sand shifted with the movements of the Force, belying his own insignificance in it. Wails of a past pain were resonant with each gust of wind and beaten ray of sun that peeled him, so Friyr didn’t judge Ambria too harshly. The planet had come to suit his soul.

Though it didn’t think kindly of him, he did of it in a sense. Caring about something Sith scorned was as futile as the last steps of the behemoth that had staggered and died in the sand. Friyr felt the gargantuan skeleton loom out of the desert easily. The currents of wind diverted in its wake. The creature had died alone. Perhaps scared. But it had tried. Friyr could try and hope it made a little bit of difference before he kicked it.

The first thing Friyr did when he waded through the sand trails to his chosen spot, was throw his pack inside of the skull. It was shaded and spacious in the maw of the beast. Friyr climbed in through the crown of teeth and reshouldered his staff. The plain bone agianst his flat palm acted as his guide.

The Force was warm here. Familiar, like home, but it was uncontestedly dark in concentration. Friyr couldn’t count how many times he’d come here and—

He dropped his jaw, his walls to the Force, and screamed until the dead world, plagued by its own pain, resonated with the chills of his own echoing from his body. Sand eddied with his voice heightened by shame, failure, defeat.

When you scream for blood, you lean the weight of every decision that has led you here to it so that your enemy might know it. Herald his death with your unquenchable thirst for it. You are Sith.

It was transformative. Friyr channeled the unused emotions cluttering his stomach into the darkness he felt deep inside him still, and the unearthly wail welcomed by a world that had seen many desperate and dying beasts before haunted and unhallowed the ground he stood on. Not that it had been hallow to begin with; Ambria was not an innocent planet.

Friyr panted as his breath, taken from far beyond his lungs, ran dry. His eyes wide and blown a beautiful gold. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.He fell back against the bone. Heaving.

“Friyr?”

…

Luca Dorne was not the highest on the list of people he wished to talk to in his moment of weakness. No one was, but—Friyr turned to face him.

___

Luca had left after a brief moment of sitting in the sun talking and giving himself heatstroke all the while. Talking. NM had busied himself arranging the small encampment Friyr kept in the skull. He dug in the sand and complained as Friyr leaned back and settled himself against the bone wall, feeling the temperature fade by degrees. He drifted… in and out of a trance, sometimes replying to the small droid’s complaints.

When he came to, the sun had set, and NM was furiously keeping vigil for the aforementioned spirits. Friyr could hear the tap of his legs shifting the sand. He smiled. Friyr closed his eyelids and savored the coolness. He was distinctly hungry from the trance. The screams had left him empty, elevated and awash in the Force’s grip.

Friyr leaned the forward and pulled the pack forward, feeling for the oilcloth of food he’d settled next to the bundle he’d made for Marzian. His fingers touched the soft skin, and he pulled it out. His fingers unknotted the thin twine as he thought.

Something had to give for Friyr Illustratum. Becoming a Jedi had forced Friyr to strip himself down in front of a mirror and admit he hated parts of himself he’d grown to love. He had been created in adversity and forged by his own callousness. Friyr remembered what it was to be Sith every time he wailed into the empty dunes with no one to hear and no one to care.

Power, strength infused his ruined body, soothed the muscles that no longer worked. The Force murmured that she had him so long as he paid his due to her in the end. It was comforting even if the sum he owed for these narcotic injections of calm assurance were steep from his past usage. Friyr remembered what it was to keep a clear mind in those precious moments of sight and … ability. Free of his body and the prison of stubbornly tormented thoughts. It was a lie.

Friyr only ever had wanted to be alright, he realized, and the decrepit price he’d paid for it was more than he had realized. Sith was fantasy borne of desperate men who didn’t want to admit they were dying. They took people with them before they went but—

Friyr pushed the cloth back and brushed his fingers over the dried fruit and bread. The fruit leather was oilier than the dried oro. He brushed over the rough meat to soft pillowy yeast.

Friyr wanted nothing more than to cut his connection to the Force. He might’ve asked had he not respected the time Teran, As’traa, and Ma’lar had done to pull him back from the brink. Friyr tried not to disappoint people. Especially those he made promises to. Jedi did not make bonds wantonly and neither did slaves.

Friyr tore a piece of the bread with his teeth, calm now. Unnaturally so.

He could only imagine what Sahley would’ve thought. He had changed. The Sahley he had bedded would’ve thought different of the old Sith. Impressed somehow by his scars and the obvious experience behind his words. The way that Friyr had ran his hands over him and the express interest that Sahley had admitted to finding only once before.

This Sahley, the one that Friyr was less apt to take advantage of, believed more in the Sith’s capacity to give in to his own pain. To desert. To run. Like Friyr had run from him. There were furls of difficulty in his words. Distance from the hard and fast way Friyr had been living as though it had been expected. And why shouldn’t he? Friyr had severed the budding connection Sahley had searched for with a purposeful cruelty. Pain, he’d justified then, was the only teacher and none of his business if it wasn’t his own. Friyr hadn’t given anyone any other impression than fast, loose, and easy anyhow.

Friyr swallowed and began to gulp small mouthfuls of water, so it wouldn’t hit him all too hard.

Friyr didn’t know when that had become the rule. It wasn’t him, but he was lonely, starved for close relationships, and half-crazy from his time in the Empire. Bodies were grounding, and he was good at having people but not carrying them with him. They filled a need left vacant. That was fine. Friyr wasn’t a creature of luxury. He was simple. He needed food, sex, and George in that order.

But every so often. A Kurt. A Sahley. He’d wander by, and Friyr would wonder. He hadn’t known he liked the green skinned alien until last night. Sitting in a tree with a girl he barely knew but liked very well enough. In this quiet moment Friyr could pinpoint the exact moment he’d endeared himself to the one-night stand.

He capped the bottle, placed it back into the sand, and wandered outside, pushing heaps of sand in his wake. His face turned up to a distant moon washing the sand in a dim glow that gauzed his eyes. Sahley had taken his wrist and pulled him out onto the deck of Outpost Aether. The Jedi inside milled around talking about things Friyr didn’t quite understand.

Can you feel the sun on your skin? he asked, and part of Friyr’s heart melted under the feeling of being cared for, paid attention to despite every part of him that people gawked at, pointed out, made awkward jokes over to cover their own anxiety. Sahley had grabbed his wrist and asked a blind man, if he could feel the sun. It was so pathetic. Wanting.

Friyr realized that he would always be dogged by the curiosity of what it was to be loved by someone else in the way he loved them. The attachment was not to Sahley. Perhaps not to Kurt, but rather the need to feel—wanted?

Friyr closed his eyes and breathed outward. A stray breeze cradled his face a moment before it returned to the heavens. A chime of musical notes followed it, and Friyr hummed to the tune of the universe gently singing. Today had been good for him. Friyr had asked Sahley to be his in a way Friyr already knew he didn’t want but couldn’t exist without. The man had said a clear no, and Friyr had finally exhaled a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. In truth, he didn’t know what he’d do with Sahley if he’d said yes.

The rejection was closure. Friyr still nursed a sweet spot for the mirialan, but he didn’t ache for him. Not the way he’d ached for Kurt in silence and shame. Friyr knew he’d never be wanted, if only because logically he didn’t care for the concept and people were smart enough to understand that chasing that was trouble. His heart, like his body had needs though. Something would need to be arranged because Friyr couldn’t avoid attachments any longer, wait for someone else to tell him no. He needed to deal with them.

Friyr thumbed the Force Bond within him thoughtfully. Thoughtfully. Somewhere in the Empire, a pang of a memory found Kurt Wax, but the Pureblood didn’t pull back. He was trying to move on. Friyr smiled sadly. Perhaps this was his answer.

#IC

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theboondogglepub · 5 years

Text

Hello Darkness.

“Talk about it with a rock?”

Aboard a ship sailing out of Limsan port, heading somewhere very far away. A miqo’te holds a rust red jagged crystal in the palm of his hand, staring over the bow of a boat, his singular eye staring into the water and beyond the water at the same time. He stares at the dark beneath the surface, and reflects.

“Why am I bothering talking… nobody cares. Why should they?”

“That’s not why you’re talking about it. It’s solely for yourself that you are.”

“Hm… could be. So I guess… I guess easiest thing to do is call it what it is, self sabotage.”

“Is that why you’re leaving? You want to sabotage your own life?”

“I’m not sure what it is I want, but it’s easier to call upturning an objectively good existence as self-imposed sabotage than admitting I’m just a feckin’ moron. Friends, a lover, the pub, I hit the highlight with havin’ the casino and it all felt so joyless. I know I haven’t found or felt it for a while now, that sense of satisfaction and meanin’ in life. Maybe… no… definitely is on me for that. They’ve got these cliques and groups and I’m sure I was useful in some way but… was I? Was I actually any benefit?”

“Did you have to be?”

“No. Yes. I’m really not sure. I guess its a solid maybe but if I’m honest it leans heavily on the yes side of maybe. There’s this need to please with me, or maybe it's just a need to be validated through pleasing. A need for my existence to be given meaning despite always telling myself there is no point to it all, and that in itself is what matters.”

“There’s no point? In what way?”

“To life, existence, everything. Not that I’m saying that in a negative way, far from it. It’s just what it is, entirely neutral. People use you for what they want out of you, and you use others. Others genuinely do care, they invest in you and who you are. Really put the effort in, and… and you betray that in the end because you aren’t like that yourself. But beyond us, the world just keeps turning, pointless turning beyond lookin’ pretty.”

“You don’t strike me as someone who doesn’t genuinely care.”

“I think I am… I feel I am. Gods what I did to her. I’m an ass. There’s no other way to put it. She really truly cared about me an’ what I did. Supported my every action, gave everything to protect and see it come true. That’s why I’m an ass. Why didn’t she just stop caring for me and use me like everyone else does or did. Then it would be easier for me to accept. I never put the effort in like she did, and there’s every bit of honesty that she deserves someone who can invest in her like she invested in me. It’s only fair.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. Either way it's done now, and there’s no going back. I know you, you’ll brook no regrets. Let's backtrack though a moment on this need you feel to be validated.”

“Why?”

“Because it speaks volumes to who you are and what makes you up. It’s very much the key pillar of who you are I think.”

“Being validated? What makes you say that?”

“Think about it. You are trash, a thing to be bought and sold and used. You’re only as valuable to yourself as you are to others, but as you’ve recently pointed out even that’s not enough. You had a lover, friends, your pub, a whole casino. That wasn’t enough. You were and are trash. Born a slave, sold as breeding stock, trained to please and only having a purpose to exist as long as others get use out of you.”

“That’s pretty harsh, don’t ya think?”

“I can only reflect what you yourself think. You know how this works.”

“Yeah… ok. So say that’s true, then what am I to do? If I believe deep down I’m trash, what can I do with this knowledge? It’s not like it benefits me in any way to feel like this. If anything its a detriment to me and everyone around me.”

“Why do you think you’re leaving?”

“...”

“Ah you see. Now you’re understanding. You aren’t leaving because you can’t find joy or purpose, you’re leaving because you’re trash and don’t want to drag others into the trash with you. You don’t want to drag her into the trash with you. You don’t communicate and put up walls to seperate yourself from others because you know that one person’s trash can become another person’s trash quite easily. They’re all objectively good people who do good things, and you aren’t. No amount of making yourself useful can make up for that. That’s why you don’t feel fulfilled.”

“That’s pretty generalizing and full of logical holes.”

“I only reflect what you yourself think.”

“Yeah… Ok. So follow up then. Why don’t I just go off and off myself? Take care of it the easy way.”

“Two responses Corsa’ir. Since when have you ever done it the easy way? And what purpose would that serve? Didn’t Leylong, your former Master say that the dead serve no purpose. You can’t and won’t do things the easy way, not until you die naturally and foolhardy. There’s a reason you throw your life away for others so callously, because it doesn’t matter. You’re trash, but at least in saving someone or dying for something worthwhile you’ll be given purpose. Maybe Emeline should have let you die that night, at least then you would have been killed doing something useful. As you are now, you’re stuck. Alone, with a crystal that doesn’t even talk back, just feeds you what you already know inside.”

“Why did I even take you back…?”

“Because at least with me in hand, you can use your unfathomable negative emotions for something good.”

As the miqo’te stared over the bow of the boat and spoke a one-sided conversation that not a single other soul shared, a tap came on his shoulder. It was the captain of the modest sea-faring vessel. He looked nervous, concerned. “Ahem.. Ser Boon? We’ll be sailing out proper on the far route soon. No turning back, not really. This is yer last chance to head back for Aldenard waters.”

The miqo’te gripped the rust-red crystal in hand and turned to the Captain, a broad grin on his face then. “Ah, sounds fair m’ good Cap’n! I’m all rarin’ fer th’ last big trip! Th’ New World! A place an’ land unlike any other! Adventures await! Lets shove off, an’ set sail!”

With that said, the captain of the modest merchant ship beamed wide a grin through patchy grey hairs. “Ah, good on yah then Ser. Please if you like, head down to the galley and we’ll get you fed proper. We’re in for a few Moons worth of sailing.”

“Sounds good Cap’n! Sounds quite good.” Corsa’ir nodded happily as the elder captain turned and stepped away to return to his station, and Boon turned again to stare over the bow of the ship. Again his good eye stared into the water, and beyond the water. “Sounds good…”

#ffxiv rp

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trashpandaorigins · 6 years

Text

Heaven Can Wait We’re Only Watching the Sky Ch. 9

Unbeknownst to him, Rocket came into the world shrouded in the darkness of a hole in a large tree, enveloped in a sweet, damp, dark must that smelled of milk and fur. He was born to a nameless raccoon female and with three nameless siblings. In that safe place of earth and wood Rocket sniffed and nursed and slept against the other kits, tucked into the fur of his mother. Safeguarded from the cruelties that would befall him a few months later. He would leave the world, in a remarkably similar fashion.

“Hey rat!” Kraglin’s crackling voice carried through the Milano, pricking his ears as he sat trying to wire a new gun and glancing at the blue-print’s he’d drawn up some turns ago.

“What?” The raccoonoid growled, it had taken him so long to concentrate this hard on the weapon. Blinking and squinting every time he had to pour over the sketches he’d down.

“Mandatory movie night!” Rocket rolled his eyes, stiffening as he stood, catching his breath as his small feet struggled for purchase on the metal grating. He fell forward, reaching out for anything to grab on to, “aaaggghh,” his paws gripped air and he let out a scream as the impact of his body hit the floor with a rough clank, vision going white. Fuuck…. he whispered, seething as electric wires sent shocks through his metal bones. He huffed for breath, lying there. The people in the strange masks looking down upon him…. what’s the next test? Fuck heads?! His mind challenged the demons within. Breathless the raccoonoid stood, holding on to the wall for balance and carefully made his way up to the Milano’s main deck.

“Hello puppy!” Mantis greeted, Rocket suppressed a growl at her usual perky demeanor. “I am very excited to see earth movies!”

“Your excited about paint drying,” he spoke with a bemused cough. She only giggled while the made their way to Peter’s impromptu movie theater on one of the lesser-used rooms of the ship.

“There you are! We were gonna make Groot come down there and carry you!” Drax announced from his seat. Rocket glanced at the Flora colossus who gave him a look contradictory to the Destroyer.

“Why can’t we just watch the one with the kids and the pirates again?” Rocket grumbled, shuffling to an empty chair.

“The Goonies?” Peter corrected, squinting at the VCR as he attempted to configure it. “Because you all have a whole lot of terran pop-culture to catch up on and Star Wars is an institution. There’s guns, you’ll like it.” Rocket folded his arms, tilting his head as the lights went off and the blurry pictures appeared on the screen. He strained to see, nearly toppling out of his seat at the loud crescendo of music.

“Peter, your crushing my hand,” Gamora informed him. The human let go, apologizing under the music.

“A long time ago in a galazy far, far away,” he began to read aloud.

“What galaxy?” Drax inquired, “there is only one. This movie makes no sense.” Rocket tuned out the incessant questions of the Destroyer, but he did on the whole appreciate the film. Lots of guns, much more useful then the light up swords. He sat in his chair, shifting, trying to find a position where the panging in his spine and the throbbing in his hips would not hinder him.

“Psst, Rocket stay still would yah?” Kraglin whispered, Rocket dismissed him with a flick of his tail. Can’t be here, everything in Rocket’s little body that was natural-which was not much but just quiet enough-propelled him to go. To depart from the others, to find a quiet place and hold solitude. Somewhere preferably dark. Flee. He glanced at Groot, who’s large eyes were glued to the screen. Scanning the others for he knew they’d come after him, Rocket slid down off his chair and quietly made his way over the threshold and down into the hall. Dark and small, alone…he glanced up at the air vents and nodded to himself, crawling upwards and easily dislodging the grate.

“F…fla…flark it,” he hissed, metal bones threatening to pierce through his flesh as he crawled through the vents. Black sludge dribbled from his muzzle, though he hardly noticed it. He rounded another corner and two more, dragging himself, his aching from a slave to the instinct that compelled him. Finally, the raccoonoid collapsed at the dead end of one of the vents, just above the cockpit. Through the slotted vents his heavy eyes could make out the starlight. He could not remember the stars of his early days, the scientists ripped that knowledge with him along with the memories of the forest and trees, his mother and siblings, but he had seen stars for the first time when he escaped the labs. Though the sky had also been alight with gunfire, smoking and turning into the vast sky above. The moment he beheld the stars was the first moment 89P13 realized he did not fear life or death. He did not fear it now either as he allowed the twinkling stars to lull his disheveled mind.

“Rocket?!” Rocket’s ears flicked upward untold time later. “Man, where are you?! You missed the movie!” Quill. Go to them! No. Dueling voices within Rocket compelled him to stay put, he flung his tail over his face.

“Small furry friend,” Drax intoned, closer. “Where did you go? Are we playing the hide and seek game we played with Groot when he was small?” Rocket smiled at the memory though it also had resulted in several grey hairs that never regained their color.

“Rocket” Gamora called, clear and concerned. “Rocket we just want to make sure you’re alright!”

“Puppy?!” The raccoonoid cracked an eye, peering down at the cockpit, watching as Kraglin looked under the control panel and Drax began searching the secret compartments in the wall.

“I am Groot!” Rocket’s heart cracked at the fright in his friend’s voice, yet still he shrank back as Groot’s large eyes appeared before him and his nimble wooden fingers dislodged the grate. Rocket hissed, involuntarily, hair raising. The agony in his body creeping over his mind as Groot reached for him. “I am Groot?!”

“J…just leave me be,” Rocket begged, knowing logically that it was futile. He bristled as strong vines and ample hands wound around his body and lifted him down from the ceiling.

“You found him!” Peter came forward, followed by Gamora and Kraglin.

“I am Groot,” Rocket frowned. Why did his voice seem so far away? He was spinning in Groot’s hold. The flora colossus sat on the ground, legs folded, cradling Rocket in his lap.

“He…he doesn’t look so good….”

“Shhh!” Gamora snapped, the raccoonoid squinted, trying to see her face through the black spots of his vision. “Rock?” She whispered, Groot’s own face loomed over him and Rocket smiled, recognizing that face.

“I am Groot,” the raccoonoid nodded though his body spasmed, light of the cybernetic panels reflecting against the bark of the flora colossus. What was happening? Wilting, he was convinced when he’d seen himself in the mirror. But maybe he was wrong. As Rocket lay there, leaning his whole body against Groot and surrounded by the faces of those who had done so much more than put up w him, but had forgiven him, loved him. He wondered if that sad garden of self he’d curated away in the dungeons of Halfworld wasn’t wilting at all.

“The light in the last of this panel…it’s blinking.” Drax fretted, though he could not hear him. Rocket stole a breath, and yes it really did seem like stealing. Stealing more scraps of air. He’d always been prone to kleptomania, but this time was different. This time he was stealing every moment of life he could gather to him. Rocket had been hard wired for hate, conditioned for cruelty. He was created for the sole, simple propose of violent vitriol. To kill and bleed were to be his only intentions. Rocket’s mind was malformed and warped to cause destruction. Every strand of fur left on his 4’ body had been pricked as it was pricking now, fabricated with rage and it did not take long for that rage to become real. The first emotion he discovered. Yet despite all of this 89P13 who would call itself Rocket, refused to let anguish and chaos be his destiny. Though the tendrils of those scientists still lingered in his mind long after his escape Rocket eventually let himself discover other ways of being. Groot was the first to wrap him, unwillingly at the time, in love and compassion. It was not long before the others crashed into his life.

First it was Gamora. She who quickly shoved him out of the way, pushed him aside but then who had, in her own dignified way come to look upon him with kindness and understanding. Ever since then, Rocket recalled, sniffing her scent and letting it permeate his heart they had tentatively revealed the small dark scraps of their past to one another. How a woman who had endured arguable more torture then him, had such soft hands to work his cybernetics? He had known for many years. But he realized now, as he sensed her closeness that it was because she nobly refused her abusers intent, and because after all she had gone through, she was still Gamora. She smelled of metal and of pure intentions, of a heart that had only been made stronger through struggle.

The second person to come into Rocket’s pulverized existence, was Quill. The first to show Rocket friendship, the first to see his intelligence for his own, not the result of those experiments. Peter Quill, who like him combatted a traumatic unorthodox upbringing. Rocket sniffed weakly, leather, music, cologne that was left on too long. He smelled like the ship, he smelled of home.

Drax crept along the edges of Rocket’s life for some time, but it was he who had given him the first affectionate touch, besides Groot, hat Rocket had ever known. He turned his head slowly, colors moving, blurring together until Rocket could make out the grey and red of the Destroyer’s tattoos. He smelled of awkward empathy, of sweetness buried under steele. The unassuming scent of grief lingered too. It was ubiquitous but somehow serene.

In the churning waves of his awareness Rocket could smell Mantis. She who he had been malicious towards and realized almost too late that she was the most generous of them all. She had shown him this generosity. This ability to be profoundly empathetic. Rocket had poured all his pain into her these past few months and she had never spoke against it. He sniffed, her scent was of sunlight and tears, of a breeze that caresses others but is still itself. She is so sad…comfort her…He opened his mouth to speak but only regurgitated that black metallic residue within. It seared his throat and Groot’s fingers clutched tight to him.

Kraglin sniffed somewhere though Rocket could no longer perceive where. While other senses were failing him, he could still smell. The ravager smelled of ash and dirt and familiar gun-powder. He smelled like someone still a little lost, still trying to find themselves. Rocket had faith that he would. Kraglin had borne dignified witness to both his and Yondu’s own pain; a conduit for the sorrows of the two of them. A sentinel. He had shown Rocket humility.

The we’re all, each of them more than the wrongs they’d suffered, more than the mistakes they’d made. He was more than himself. Rocket felt himself sinking now, melting against the wooden embrace of his friend. All of them together, he and Groot included had been thrown together after saving the galaxy and all of the fame and fights and laughter and joy that had come with that. They saved themselves and each other. They sowed the seeds of their hurt and grew something beautiful. Something beautiful.

“Quill,” Rocket breathed, “in the engine room under my stuff in a box there’s a twig. Get it for me would yah?” Only Peter’s cold perplexed stare answered. Rocket shuddered in Groot’s hold, another stab of malfunctioning metal tore at his sides and in his belly. He gazed up at the humie and without provocation, grasped Quill’s hand. “This ain’t like your mom alright?” He tried to blink away the clouds of shadows obscuring Quill’s dejected face. “This ain’t like Yondu.” The slim fingers tried to pull away, but Rocket’s grip was earnest. “This…this is natural,” he spoke softly, “maybe the most natural thing about me.” Quill’s mouth parted, tasting those irrevocable words.

“Rocket…” The human’s face slowly crumpled It’s a’right, I don’t mind. Rocket would’ve continued if his throat would have obeyed, it’s a’right. Everything was all right. Every squabble between them, every insult hurled or sarcastic quip. It hardly mattered now. They had, each of them been trying to come inot their own. Peter clicked his tongue in some sound between a cough and a sob. Rocket tried to grin, wearying to make his own muscles obey him. Peter did not go off to get the stick but instead looked at the raccoonoid who in turn could feel his bright helpless eyes. If Groot had saved his soul, Gamora his past, Kraglin his unease and if Drax had saved his ability to receive affection, if Mantis had saved his pain then Peter Quill had saved Rocket’s life. He had tossed the opportunity upon him for a chance to be a part of a family and even when Rocket had rejected and reacted to it with malevolence Peter still stood by. Challenging him, challenging him to be better and always there. In Rocket’s small hand, Peter held with it all that was unspoken between them.

“I…it’s okay humie,” he could barely make out Quill’s solemn nod and felt the human’s fingers slip from his. He smelled Peter depart and if Rocket lamented anything about this whole flarking thing it was only the jokes and smart bickering they would no longer share. Rocket’s sentience was not of the kind to contemplate a higher power, but whatever else he hoped that Quill would forgive himself.

“It’s….the last twig from the old Groot,” Peter’s tender voice found him a few moments later. “You saved it.” Rocket felt the thin stick in his paws. It was smooth now, so brittle and bare. He held it to his chest, clinging to it with all the strength he could muster. Around him, spores of light danced, he could make out their faint glow. He swallowed more of that nasty liquid, the metal in his back stretched his skin taunt as he curled around the last remains of his original partner. This last shred of that which he had cherished most in all the galaxy. Well, almost, more than anything. He twisted himself towards Groot again, smelling that earthen scent of soil and rebirth. The only thing he loved more than his original Groot, was this one. He gripped the twig in one paw, and the bark of his friend in the other.

“I am Groot,” Groot bent his head low, tears of sap collecting on the raccoonoid’s fur.

Rocket sighed, yes maybe he was wilting, but he knew as he looked up at Groot that which he’d been ignorant to see the first time: Groot was that little piece of his soul he had clung to. Groot was that part of himself and to another extent all of them were. Gamora asked him once, many years ago what the old Groot had meant when he said, “We are Groot.” Rocket couldn’t bring himself to answer her then, nor did he totally undetsnd himself. But he knew now. Groot had conveyed that all of them were more than themselves all of them had toiled through treachery, defined their tragedies and loved nonetheless. He did not fully understand then, nor could he bring himself to tell Gamora when she asked. I gotta tell them now, Rocket’s fragmented mind urged him. He opened his eyes again, savoring each of their faces as he spoke.

“You. Are. Groot.” He looked a Groot last, yearning for that familiar face to be imprinted on his soul forever, no matter what happened next. It could not be more agonizing, more lovely or perfect that then which had already happened in his life. As he fell back into Groot’s hold he knew it to be true. All lives are blotted and smudged with pain and tears, with sleepless nights and unsaid words. Indescribable feelings. But if somehow through it all you could still love others the way he’d loved Groot and eventually the rest of the Guardians, then that was truly what mattered most. And so all things go on, he realized, spinning and turning. No matter what the Galaxy stretches onward into millions of stars. The only true eternity there is. Rocket curled up tighter, nestled in Groot’s chest. His heart and soul slept, content and whole and more than anything, loved.

He did not wake. He did not have to.

#heaven can wait were only watching the sky #heaven can wait #rocket raccoon #groot #gotg #my writing

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