#I’d betray him too if I went from like simple raiding life to like

[dykedvonte]

The new Vegas Tribes having to learn to read, write, do math, and every casino game on earth along with customer service etiquette in the span of like a month or else this gambling Walt Disney Knockoff they’ve never met is going to gun them down with big fuck machines they’ve seen for the first time in their life. Not to mention they have to learn how to tie a tie:

[youllallriseintheink]

A Worthwhile Investment, chapter 2

Please enjoy this Shawn x Grant story. It is a part of my canon.

Thankfully, Shawn and Grant were able to sneak out undetected. Shawn knew the warehouse Norman had told them to meet at- the one Lacie worked in, roughly two blocks from the studio and not visible from it. From there, they called a cab to take them to a bar (as Norman had promised and Shawn had reminded him) and declared themselves safe.

“Uh, sorry the raid was a bust,” Shawn said.

“It wasn’t.” Norman held up a set of keys. “I can go anywhere I want in the studio now, whenever. And I saw Sammy Lawrence wearing a Bendy mask. I knew it. I knew he was a part of this. I’m gonna crack this if it kills me.”

“Sure you will,” Lacie drawled. “Mind telling us why this is your choice of hobby? Like, why are you like this?” Shawn could tell that she was using her friendly cold, judgmental tone, which was different from her genuinely cold, judgmental tone. He hoped Norman could, too.

“Like I’d tell you. What, you think I’d ask for your life story just like that?”

“I’ll tell it. I ain’t got nothing to hide. I was born to two crack-addicted pieces of shit, so I learned to rely on the parents of neighbourhood kids on days they decided not to care for me. It was like that basically my entire life before my sister sorted herself out and I moved in with her. But it taught me I could take care of myself, so I didn’t mind moving with Bertrum wherever he went, and I didn’t cry when he retired.”

“And it’s a good thing he retired, or I might not’ve met Lacie when ah did. Bein’ an immigrant, away from home for the first time an’ barely speaking teh language- it woulda been real lonely otherwise. Of course, Ah make friends easy, but I’m still glad she was one'a them.”

Lacie’s sharp eyes landed on Grant. They’d only met once before and neither had been too comfortable with the other. “And what about you, Grant? Anything interesting in your past?”

“Oh, no. Normal upbringing. Parents who loved me. Nothing special.” It was lame, but it was the truth.

The four of them kept chatting for about an hour.

How did I end up surrounded by the three strongest people I know? Grant wondered. Most of his friends growing up had been cousins or kids of family friends, and his social circle hadn’t diversified much since, until he met Shawn and Norman. Comparatively, these three were freaks. But they were all so respectable, and honestly, Shawn and Norman were some of the best friends he’d ever had.

Life in general had given Grant a lot to be thankful for as of late. The early thirties had been hard on him- after the stock market crashed, he’d gone through a job loss, the collapse of his marriage, some domestic abuse, his divorce, and losing custody of his children. But now? Things were alright. He had a new job, and the studio was, generally speaking at least, holding steady financially. Against all odds, his daughters seemed to be fine living with their mother- maybe she had been serious about working on herself for them. Grant cherished the time he did have with them, and though he hated to admit it, he was much happier divorced. And of course, now he had these two. It was while he was there, listening to the three of them talk, that he realized that he was currently the most content he’d been in years.

Shawn had had a few drinks by that point, and leaned on Grant as though he intended to fall asleep on him.

“I think I should take Shawn home. Norman, can we talk about something tomorrow? In the projector booth.”

“Of course,” Norman said. Something in the way he said it told Grant that he already knew what it would be about.

---

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Norman asked, as if he didn’t already know.

“It’s about Shawn,” Grant started. How much to say? He figured that Norman knew he was gay- very little escaped Norman’s notice, after all- but maybe Norman was only okay with that because he didn’t act on it.

“You know Sammy Lawrence?” Norman mused, looking through the window into the music room. “For a long time, he was dating his- very much male, I should mention- lyricist. I saw them making out once- this gorgeous pretty boy and this middle-aged marshmallow- I guess love is blind and all that. I’ve got no damning evidence of it, but I’d bet anything that Joey Drew is gay as well. And I could go on! This studio has more queer people than you would believe, and my powers tell me about more than just existential dreads.” There was a pause. Norman turned back to look at Grant. “So. As a living lie-detector, one of the best gaydars you’ll ever see on a straight man, and your best friend of over half a decade who would never betray you... you can tell me anything about what’s going on with him.”

Grant gave a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad you’re okay with this. And yes, I’m considering dating Shawn.”

“Great. He likes you- I could tell.”

“Thanks. But I already knew- he kissed me suddenly about ten days ago. I didn’t know how to react, and I kind of froze up, and I told him that I liked him, but I needed to think about whether we could be together. Up until last night, I thought I’d tell him ‘no-’ I just hadn’t had the willpower to yet. And then I had an epiphany.”

“What was the epiphany?”

“I realized that I respect a bunch of very unconventional people- yourself included- so it’s okay that I’m not perfectly conventional. But... even if it’s not inherently wrong, the idea of acting on it still scares me. If my mother ever found out, it would break her heart. My father would be humiliated if anyone else knew about it, and he might not want to speak to me again. And if it got to my ex-wife, she’d do anything she could to keep me away from my kids- she might even report me. I don’t have to worry about any of that if I don’t act on it. I don’t know... is it even responsible to risk it? These are people I have obligations to. Is it worth it?”

“Well, only you can choose that. But don’t you want a chance at actual love? I mean, I sure like having a loving partner. Why give that up over the risk that someone else might find out?”

“I guess you’re right. Shawn could be my only opportunity for a while. I really don’t know if I want to get involved in whatever culture gay men have going on. If the stereotypes are true, I’d be walking into a group of dangerous people looking to take advantage of a naïve outsider. Of course, they might not be true, but I don’t want to just walk in without knowing. And anyhow, I wouldn’t know how to find anything like that if I tried.”

Norman nodded, taking some time to process everything he’d said. “Alright. Look- you’re overcomplicating a bunch of simple problems by rolling them together into one big problem. Just take it one issue at a time. You want your family to be happy? Make them happy, and don’t worry about something that won’t hurt them. Any partner you might have will know that this kind of thing has to be kept secret, and New York is a big city- you can hide it. You want to date Shawn? Date Shawn. I can tell he makes you happy. You don’t want to get into gay culture without knowing what it’s like? Then don’t. I don’t know anything about their culture, but you have no idea how many gay men are here at Joey Drew Studios. Plenty of people you can ask about it to decide if it’s your thing.”

“Wow. Thank you. You really made that all sound so simple.” Norman had a way of cutting straight to the point.

“Yeah. You’re gonna be okay. Heck, even if you decide not to have a love life after Shawn, I’m glad you’ll be doing it because you’re risk-adverse and not because you’re still ashamed.”

“Thanks again. Now I need to go find Shawn.”

In the end, Grant couldn’t find Shawn before it was time to get back to work, so the next day he left a note in his locker with some flowers. Like a schoolboy. Ridiculous. But that was how Shawn made him feel.

Over the next few years, their relationship went on, and off, and on again. They fought, probably more than the average couple. But overall, they were glad to have each other. It was worth it.    

[ashes-and-ashes]

he went to the funeral

alone.

Some angst ;)

~

Remus hated bandages.

The long, white ones, that wrapped around and fastened with the metal clip. The ones that were stored in a roll, hundreds of them, cotton and gauze, stacked up in perfect boxes on shelves that reached the sky.

They always reminded him of nights after the full moon, of stitches and bleeding, painful cuts. Lines and lines of pale bandages, covering up everything that had happened to him.

The hatred carried on, later throughout the war, bandages covering missing eyes and fingers, pressed against bleeding stumps of legs long gone. Everyone had them, the ragged cotton edges peeking up from underneath clothing, stained with blood, old and new.

So he can’t stop the slight tremor in his hand, the way they shook as he fastened the last bandage against Sirius’ skin. He adjusts it slightly, the gesture smooth, born out of years of bandaging himself after full moons and hours of bandaging others after raids gone wrong.

Yes, Remus hated bandages.

Sirius lets out a tiny groan as he ties the knot, places the last sliver slip. Remus presses his lips together, heart clenching, staring down at the white bowl in his lap. The water is a dark red, stained from all the blood and if he squints hard enough, he can almost see his reflection.

He didn’t know what had happened in Azkaban. Remus saw the photos - Sirius’ dark, thick hair, his gleaming grey eyes. The way he lifted his chin and stood, shoulder back and spine straight, the haughty curl to his lips. Sirius had gone into the prison as a young man, brimming with life.

He had come out as a skeleton.

He always had scars, left over from Walburga. Rows and rows of them, down his back and his legs, covering his ribs and knees. Thin, pale scars, straight and even, each one of them so familiar to Remus that he could find them with his eyes closed.

But there were new ones too. A thick gash on his side, that looked like it was made with a knife. A perfect circle on his neck, made by pressing a burning wand-tip to the soft flesh. A lump on his ribs, from where they had obviously been broken and never healed, his fingers crooked from being slammed into walls. There were heavy, deep scars from chains on his wrists, an odd crosshatch pattern burned into his palms.

And the brand. Of course there was a brand.

Remus’ throat had closed up when he first saw it. It was simple, just 3 lines seared into Sirius’ shoulder. Below it was 2 strange runes, and then the number 390.

He felt sick whenever he looked at the brands. It reminded him too much of the marks on his own back. The Prisoner and the Werewolf, he thinks, and a bitter smile stretches across his face.

On the couch below him, Sirius lets out a muffled groan. “Is it….”

“Yeah.” Remus stands, resting the bowl of water against his hip. He grabs the roll of bandages, trying not to throw up at the feeling of them against his skin. “You’re good. Let me just throw these away.”

Sirius doesn’t respond, just stares blankly up at the ceiling.

Fuck. Remus bites his lip, blood filling his mouth as he tosses the water away in the sink. He almost throws the bandages away but reconsiders, hurling them at the back of the kitchen cupboard. He’s too poor to give into such pettiness, can’t afford to destroy half a roll of perfectly good bandages, but he still feels a bit of primal satisfaction as he slams the cupboard shut behind him. He flicks the kettle on, dumps a tea bag into two mugs, pours the steaming water and heads back out into the living room. “Sirius? I made tea.”

Sirius snorts, his eyes half-lidded. “12 years. 12 fucking years without a single bloody cup of tea.” He shakes his head. “I think I would have actually murdered someone just for a single cup.”

Remus raises an eyebrow. “Nah. You wouldn’t.”

He regrets the words as soon as they come out. Sirius just stares at him, with those hollow, empty eyes, fingers curling around the handle of the mug. “You don’t know what I would do anymore,” he says.

Remus feels his insides shrivel up. It was hard, to merge the images of the boy he loved before, the boy who was full of light, with this shattered man in front of him. He coughs. “Are you….okay? You seem….broken.”

“12 years in Azkaban will do that to you,” Sirius says dryly. He coughs, a deep, hacking sound, one that makes Remus’ chest ache. “I was already broken, before I went into that shithole. They couldn’t do anything else to me.”

“You sure about that?” Remus raises an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Sirius says. He closes his eyes. “Tell me about the funeral.”

Remus swallows. He can feel his body freezing up, his muscles locking, as if someone had poured a bucket of ice into his veins. There’s a sharp, splintering pain in his hands; he’s cut open his palms with his nails. Slowly, Remus unclenches his hands, sets the mug back down onto the coffee table. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t bullshit me.” Sirius’ voice is flat. “The funeral. Lily and James’.”

“I went to it alone.” Remus whispers the words, each breath making his throat close up. “I went to it alone.”

“I would have come,” Sirius says. He scoffs. “I would have been there if it wasn’t for the tiny inconvenience of having my ass stuck in fucking Azkaban.” He pauses. “Where?”

“The hill. You know, where….” Remus breaks off. “Where he proposed to her. They had the ceremony there but the….the….”

“The bodies.”

“Yeah.” Remus sniffs. “They’re in Godric’s Hollow.”

Sirius’ face is unmoving, like it’s been carved out of stone. “Who went?”

Remus takes a deep breath. “Hundreds. The entire Gryffindor Year….the ones that survived. A couple of high-end ministry people. Dumbledore ran the ceremony.”

“Dumbledore.” Sirius scoffs. “He never tried to get me out, did he?”

“He….” Remus’ voice cracks. “We thought you killed them. We all did.”

“Of course.” Sirius laughs. “Of course. Everyone thought I was working for Voldemort. Everyone thought I’d betray my best friends. Figures. What am I, besides a bloodthirsty, muggle-hating Black?”

“It wasn’t like that.” Remus’ throat is tight, the words tense. “We didn’t know, we all thought you were the Keeper - “

Sirius cuts him off. “Did Snape go?”

Remus hesitates. “I don’t know. I barely got in myself. They didn’t want a werewolf at the ceremony. Said I had ‘No right intruding on such a somber occasion.’”

“Fuck.” Sirius spits the word out. “You’re kidding.”

Remus shakes his head. “They left me some money too. Not a lot. But a bit. Ministry took it. Said it was for my half-breed tax.”

“What the hell?” Sirius’ fists clenched, the fingers going white. “They’re taxing you - “

“Don’t bother.” Remus closes his eyes. “It only makes it worse. The idea that there’s still hope for someone like me.”

“Someone like you.” Sirius shakes his head. “You say that as if you’re not human.”

Remus meets his gaze. “Am I, though?”

Sirius stares back at him. It’s silent, the only noise the raindrops falling on the roof, the wind whipping through the trees. Finally, Sirius swallows. “You’re more of a human then I am at this point.”

“Don’t.” Remus shakes his head. “Don’t say that. You’re out, Sirius. You’re free.”

“Am I though?” Sirius says, echoing Remus’ earlier thought. He shrugs. “I don’t think I’ll ever be free. Too many ghosts. Too many memories.”

“It’s not your fault though.” Remus lets his hand rest on Sirius’ knee. He pulls him closer, presses his lips against Sirius’ neck. “It’s not your fault. You were just pulled into this fucking web - “

Sirius closes his eyes. “Oh, Re,” he says. “It’s always my fault.”

[kaitoujokerscans]

Showdown in the Dark Night! Joker vs Shadow CH5

<5> Shadow’s Resolve

Once she finished relating everything that had happened in Singapore, Rose took a breath.

"So that's what happened..." Queen said. She knew about the case in Singapore already. UNN had reported that Joker vanished like smoke, and she remembered that Hayami had been quoted, "Baloney! Raisin' those steel walls shoulda been impossible, unless they had superpowers!".

"It's my fault that Hayami-san's trap went to waste..."

"You didn't do anything wrong. It's only right for a phantom thief to help their friends when they're in trouble. You just did what you needed to do."

"If Oniichan hadn't been so selfish back then, I could have stolen the treasure on my own..."

"I'm sure Shadow was just worried about you. He must have changed the plan and tried to steal the treasure himself, I'm sure of it."

"No, Oniichan never has any confidence in me... And then Hayami trusted me, enough to tell me so much. I feel guilty about betraying that trust..."

"That's a fair point, but..." Queen considered. Rose hadn't been in the phantom thief trade for very long, so ultimately deceiving someone had to be an emotional trial for her.

"So when I saw him at the manor, I was too surprised for words. He probably knows I'm a phantom thief ally by now..." Rose lamented. "It might be too late for it now, but I want to see him and apologize. Just a simple 'I'm sorry'."

"I see..." Queen searched for the right words to say, but couldn't find them. Then an "Aha..." came from the bed, uttered by Spade.

"Spade!"

"Spade-sama!"

Spade gently opened his eyes to see Ai looking over him with worry. "My apologies, Dark Eye, looks like I've made trouble for you again... I should've listened to you. I guess my body gave out at the wrong moment."

"It's all right, Spade-sama." Ai smiled, relieved.

Behind, Rose hung her head. "Spade-san, I'm sorry. Your condition worsened because of me..."

Then Spade gave Rose a soft smile. "Ha ha ha, it happened because I didn't take care of myself, so you shouldn't worry about it. I heard your story, and what happened with Hayami isn't your fault either."

"Okay..."

"If you could, I'd appreciate it if you went back along to the manor too. Your powers will probably come of some use. I'm not wholly confident in Queen going alone."

"Excuse me, what do you mean by that?" Queen put her hands on her hips and huffed, but showed a smile to Rose when she turned around. "Okay, Rose, you're going with me."

"Eeh... all right!" Rose nodded vigorously.

Spade then looked over at Ai. "Dark Eye, we have to fulfill our promise with Master. First we'll ask Joker on screen there where the Gilded Chrysanthemum is."

"But Spade-sama, you have to rest..." Ai cautioned Spade, fretting.

"I know. That's why asking you to do it, Dark Eye."

"Eh?" Ai's eyes went wide at the sudden declaration.

"You should be able to accomplish a phantom thief's mission with grace, plus you're skilled at martial arts. I want you to help out Queen and Rose."

"But... I have to take care of you, Spade-sama..."

"I'm here, so you don't have to worry about Spade. I won't let him push himself." In front of the computer, Roko grinned.

"Dark Eye, please. This is something only you can do." Spade looked Ai right in the eye.

"...Understood." Ai made up her mind and nodded gently.

"Okay, everything's settled! I'll get Komachi's Gilded Chrysanthemum this time!" Queen announced, and the three women stood up bravely. They exchanged glances with one another, along with angelic smiles.

§§§

Shadow and Hachi quietly landed on a slightly elevated knoll. The knoll wasn't too far from the Gardens. The manor lights could be seen in the distance. The circling spotlights probably meant they were looking for Shadow again.

"Shadow-san, thank you for saving me..." Hachi bobbed his head down, only to be met with a "tch" sound from Shadow.

"He let me get away. I just repaid the favor." Shadow said, then snatched the cards Hachi was holding. They were the same cards that Joker had used for his Straight Flash and set floating. Hachi had picked them up when running away.

"Ah, those are!"

"My gratuity for saving you." He reversed the cards to reveal a golden hairpin stuck to them. "Thought so..." Shadow smirked, peeled off the hairpin, and studied it. "..." The golden hairpin shone dimly in the darkness of night. While he did, Hachi started to check his belongings.

"What are you doing?"

Hachi didn't answer. It seemed that Hachi intended to go back into the manor.

"You'll just get caught if you go."

"Joker-san believes in me, though." Hachi said to Shadow with a smile.

"..." Shadow looked into Hachi's eyes silently.

"Well, I'm off. Shadow-san, thank you!" Hachi bobbed his head again. Then he ran down the knoll, blowing a bubble of Balloon Gum as he did, and sprang into the air. He gradually blended into the dark of night, in the direction of the manor.

"......" Shadow watched him leave and spoke. "Believes in him, huh..."

Rose's face crossed Shadow's mind. Ever since the Singapore caper, Rose had seemed a bit depressed. It might have been a little too early for her to go on a solo mission, after all. Shadow regretted letting Rose go alone. He also criticized himself for not being able to protect Rose again.

--It used to be that Shadow lived to sever his old ties with Joker. When Shadow and Rose were young, a man called Professor Clover had coveted Rose's mysterious powers and raided their village, taking Rose away. Rose became a prisoner and was put to sleep for a long time. In Shadow's eyes, Joker was one of the reasons why Rose had been targeted; that rage burned in his heart, and his hatred for Joker made him live in a world of darkness. However, once Shadow and Joker combined forces to defeat Clover and wake Rose up from her sleep, he was able to discard these emotions.

Yet...

As soon as Rose was saved, Shadow lost sight of the meaning of his life...

Up until then, he had been fueled by his resentment and hatred of Joker. But for Shadow, losing those feelings was the same as losing his reason for living.

Shadow thought back to what Hayami had told him earlier. Yer Joker's shadow, a bona fide phoney veiled by darkness. He had denied it then, but what he said was true.

I'm just a phoney version of Joker... He had saved Rose, and his boyhood grudge against Joker had vanished. There wasn't even need to imitate his dress anymore. When they brought down Clover, he could have taken a new step under his real name, as Phantom Thief Cyan. But...

Something tugged at Shadow's heart. I'm not better than him at anything... Joker was Shadow's archnemesis, as well as someone he once despised. He had chosen to be the shadow to his light and extinguish that light, but he had lost his motive before one of them could come out on top. Am I going to be his "shadow" for the rest of my life...?

Shadow had been cleansed of that despair by Rose's trust. When she woke up, Rose relied on him with all her heart. Thus Shadow made an oath, so he could stand on his own as a phantom thief. Until then, he had thought he would steal everything from Joker, but from that moment on he was going to give everything to Rose. He had decided to live for Rose, who trusted in him. Since the Singapore incident, he felt that trust had been shaken. To stabilize it, he had to succeed in this mission...

Bong...! struck the bell of the manor's clock tower. The tower clock was shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to tell the time.

"..." Shadow took a moment to hold up the golden hairpin in his hand. Rose, watch me... Shadow flapped his black cape and glared at the Gardens. "The real Komachi's Gilded Chrysanthemum will be mine...!"

[determined-magi]

“ Et tu, brother? “

Thannor doesn’t respond, he just grumbles under his breath. If it wasn’t for who it was, he would’ve likely growled to be left alone, but then now he’s got exactly who he just needed. Even if he knew he wouldn’t get an answer, at the least empathic company would be of some comfort.

“ You were spying Rho? “

“ No, but I did get sight of Fleur, and supposed in a way you both were to talk, rather sooner than later it appears. “ He sighs, glancing both at his hands and then at him directly. “ How are you, by the way? are they still bleeding? “

“ Ye, turns out those fuckin grey were right, probably right about lost too, after all the apple doesn’t fall from the tree. “

“ So Fleur lied, can see on a side, still... kind of hurts knowing they don’t trust us, but then... “

“ Can’t really blame ‘em can we? Not like we’re not going to turn into a bunch of murdering idiots down the line, heh... already getting there ourselves little by little, aren’t we? “

“ Oi... I’d like to say we should have a more positive view, but... eh, it is getting harder by the days. We betrayed our kingdom... built an army or thieves, bandits and outcast of the law...  “

“ Raided our people, stole their goods, killed people while at it. Lied for our own purposes... “

“ ... “

“ Guess we really are not meant to be the good guys are we? “

Both laugh, it feels a little amused at first, and then it just drops in a defeated sigh of both. Stopping them on their tracks right at a stream, at which they just take seat and let their legs soak in the water. Arms lifted over the other’s shoulder on a tight grip.

“ Rho? “

“ Yes Tei Tei? “

“ Why are we even doing this anymore? “

The mage is silent for a while, before both let go of one another as they lay the rest of their body down. That... that was honestly beginning to be a good question, if the judge was honest. The more time went, the more reports, orders, and letters he had read, the more he found himself getting fed up.

They had made a good call to have relocated their families, “their former abodes had already gone through attempts. Vandals, thieves, murderers and the like, finding nothing just bare simple things they couldn’t move quickly enough without attention. Gil’s family inn had been breached, Braigon’s home burnt, Agar’s raided and broken down. The academy had been raided by the counsil itself, and most of the things not hidden lost... and the others burnt or torn to the ground as the building was destroyed. Few remains of her work there survived, not all he life’s work, but a good number with some important ones...

It was... discouraging, enraging too. How quick they were to act, as if awaiting all their lives to do so, just the little mistakes to justify the actions. All their works, all their deeds and things they tried to prove themselves to their people, and it meant nothing in the end. It felt like an insult, much like he supposed the former prince felt. it was... infuriating, unfair. And if it wasn’t enough? they already had to deploy people to stall campaings from beginning, some people already were trying to jump over innocents, and some reports... some reports made it hard not to feel like his magic mostly felt, even... vengefull, if he was honest...

Sometimes he forgot just how putrid, their kingdom was, how corrupted, he sighs, he... he wasn’t one to vouch for violence, but damn... the way things were? It felt like some purge was going to be needed to make it better.

He... didn’t want to do that, now, did he?

“ I... I don’t know, I would say because it is the right thing to do. But then, trying to do things the right way didn’t work, trying to do them the wrong obviously won’t either... “ He closes his eyes, he rubs his eyes with his palms. While feets splash against the water to attempt for some distraction. “ We’ve lived our lives adapting to become something, which could fit in a world that did not wish us, and had its own wishes for us to be. If I am honest Tei... I’m beginning to feel like we should just give ‘em what they want, because no matter what we do, it seems like the world is bent on turning us the villians... “

“ Ye... I hate it too. For once I want change, but turns out change wasn’t enough, hell... might’ve even been all just a fuckin farse and what I’ve done was meant fer nothing... “

“ I... doubt it was for nothing, though... he did seem to enjoy a few things, I spoke to him a while ago, he said the thing was just a job, but really he was just being an stubborn kid, like you when you don’t admit you’ve grown fond of him. “

“ Well- “

“ Let me finish, please. I saw how things were to an extent, really, it is more than just a job. He can deny it all he wants, but this... us? We became some sort of therapy to him... “

“ Then why the hell would he lie then? “ he gestures as he changes position to lean with and arm “ How can we be therapy and a stress source all the same? “

“ Suppose similar way to how he puts you on a pedestal... “

“ But... we’ve fuckin done everything to show them we meant well, Rho, what else can we do then? You yourself had done it too, and he still doesn’t trust just any better, and what if it was all a farse, like they said? They seem good as pretending as much as coming up with reasons to, just look at your own friend! He’s not even shown a single footprint in months, not even when you- “

Rho flinches, and he stops talking, looking away as he bites his tounge. That... that was a sore spot he got carrier away with, no need to put a finger with salt on the wound. His magic seems apologetic at him as much as he is, letting a low regretfull groan as he himself turns the other way in shame.

“ I... I don’t really have anything to say on it, Tei, I really don’t... even I don’t know what could be done. In the end, it is not something we can help with, I... I honestly don’t think all is a lie, I pray it isn’t... but we can’t change that side of them... “

“ But they can change that side of us and ask for things? That’s not how it works in any way, this is a two way, not one. “

“ No... no we don’t. But that’s not something we can teach them by words, is it? “

“ Wish it wasn’t... “ the man says, before pulling out numbed limbs and covering them once more. “ I fuckin hate it sometimes, ye know? Not being able to convey things like I wish I could. ”

“ Everyone has those problems Tei, we all do... some are more evident than others, us for example. A few monsters too, a lot of them actually. More so in the presence of humans and... well, people like us. “

“ Really? “

“ Yeah! I remember a fox monster running about, male. My magic was bonkers around the guy, he was really timid because of it, if not afraid of me, on a convoy we settled some of it. I managed to sort ourselves and help him see things, and we got to be rather decent pals! Even if my magic still is... hostile. Sometimes when I have the time and see him I try to have some fun with him on the trees. “

“ Sounds great... “

He smiles, though somewhere in there is sad really, Rho pulls him into a hug the second he catches that. Thannor doesn’t pull away, like he usually would, if anything he pushes his head towards his, forehead against one another, before brushing sides as his magic for once chuffs, followed by a soft growl. His just answers with a little whine, empathic, and knowing.

“ Things will get sorted out Tei... I’m sure when you both talk it will get better, you just need to have an honest talk eye to eye, I’m sure you can both reach an agreement, you’re dense people, but not impossible... Besides, you both are not too different, you can reach some common ground together... “

“ And how will I do that? “ He groans defeated, before letting his face rest in his palms, it sounds rather defeated. “ How am I supposed to speak if I can’t even think straight, I can’t talk with him like this, let alone fuckin express when my brain hasn’t even processed things rationally enough. “

“ Well, first and foremost we can... I do not know, sort them out you and I, help you untangle the ideas forming, what’s in your mind, organize it and perhaps ease some of them that can be helped right now. Then? We can just let things cool down enough to form some ideas and how you can approach to this... “

“ Did sis teach ye this? “

“ Yeah, remember that phase when Agar and I bickered a lot? The sudden drop out? That was her interfering, quite literally. kicking both our asses and talking to us each for it... you know? We really should join up all and give her something for that the shit she puts up with from us... “

“ Ye... Anyways. Ye’re saying? “

It took less than he thought it would.

The mage had returned not too long after, it wasn’t many hours, perhaps a pair at most, or so. They both adressed one another’s own issues. It had been... not bad, but not the most instructive of things, it did however give them some guides to do things. Each to their own.

He wasn’t exactly on a better mood, he did feel better about a few things though, and certainly didn’t feel as prone to make something stupid. So he called it a good time as any to make things... well, better, in haste somewhat too, given he hadn’t even given a clue on the stance of things, a mistake on his part on the hasty need to leave before things escalated on the wrong way. Hoping he still had at least some moment o clarify things, and set themselves to have some time to talk when the chance arises.

Surely if he had been there to have some moment with them, and given himself the trouble he did, he could at least wait a little...

...

Not really.

He doesn’t react immediately, instead he moves in to take a seat by the fire. Hands clenched tight to the point of bleeding once more. Silence reigns in his room, perhaps the forest, he’s not really sure.

The next moment? He’s got torn rags on his hands, and a mess of gloves, a few hours worth of work ruined chest plates, as well as hands covered in blood and cuts. A man lays on the ground, knocked out and, if his nose is right, likely with some bleeding from how hard they smacked the ground. Foot steps already sounding outside, likely people coming in to see what was the ruckus.

Thankfully the others were already trying to get them to not peek in, and one of them would come instead. He doesn’t say anything, but Rho keeps im company for the rest of the night, already knowing something didn’t really go well.

The smith doesn’t say anything either, choosing to go back to work and calm himself, smashing metals with a worrying fervor through crimson painted bandages, and grunts of pain from hands already abused enough.

None of the other mages say anything, even if worry itself was present on their faces, not like they could do anything to get him off that mood.

[yootaesowlwrites]

I Was Feeling Heroic Chapter 8;

Chapter 8 - I Was Feeling Heroic Series.

First Season.

Second Season.

"What's the holdup?" Kol asks as Alex steps out of the house. "All right, we rescued Nik, we escaped mortal danger why are we not on a private jet to Saint-Tropez?" Alex walks towards Elijah as Kol snatches the newspaper from his hands. "You can catch up on the last five years when we're on our way, I can assure, you haven't missed much."

"Much has changed," Alex says.

"Enlighten us then," Kol says as he became impatient.

"Hell was destroyed," Alex says. "You might not find that in the papers, Elijah." She jokes, everyone looks at her.

"Hell was destroyed?" Rebekah asks. "Is that even possible?"

"Yeah, when you find the person that rules over Hell, and then you kill them using hellfire," Alex explains.

"Are you..." Freya begins but stops, she thinks for a second trying to figure out how to ask her question. "Are you still half demon then? Considering Demon's come from hell."

"I'm still a hybrid, but there are certain things that I can't do anymore, such as hellfire, I can no longer create that," Alex says. "And the demon inside my mind has subsided, it's not as strong anymore."

"Did you feel when hell was destroyed?" Freya asks.

"I did," Alex says. "But it was quick, it felt like a thousand fire pokers being pressed against me, quick but painful, it scared a lot of people that day." Elijah takes hold of her hand and softly squeezes it. "I can feel the loss of power."

"How'd you know it was hell? Could have been anything, the weapon being found?" Kol suggests.

"Because Stefan Salvatore appeared in front of me as I was recovering," Alex says. "Told me what the Mystic Falls kids did, all because Katherine, or Katerina as you all know her, was in charge."

"How come that doesn't surprise me?" Klaus mutters. "But you're telling me Stefan is dead?" Elijah pulls Alex down onto his lap causing her to giggle softly, he placed his hand on her lower back.

"Sacrificed himself by holding Katherine as the hellfire made its way towards them," Alex says, it became silent for a moment before Kol it.

"Well, I think we're all caught up then, can we leave now?" Kol asks.

"Circumstances have changed, we will leave here soon," Elijah says, Kol crumbles the newspaper and throws it down on the ground in frustration.

"We have our niece to consider," Rebekah says.

"Kol has a point, we need to put an ocean between us and Marcel Gerard as soon as possible," Freya says, Klaus lets out an irritated sigh.

"We're not going anywhere today, I want one day of peace with my daughter before we uproot her," Klaus says.

"Any delay is a risk!" Freya insists.

"One day!" Klaus says loudly. "We're in the middle of nowhere, the house is cloaked, we weren't followed, She said she's keeping an eye on Marcel, and I'm not asking!" Klaus loses his patients with his siblings just as Hayley and Hope walk out of the house, Hayley gives Klaus a look.

"Everybody, look who's awake," Hayley says, Hope looks at everyone shyly.

"Hello," Hope says, her voice just above a whisper, Klaus stares at her with admiration.

"Hello." Klaus softly says, Hope looks up at Hayley.

"Mom, can I go play in the garden?" Hope asks, Hayley nods her head.

"Yeah, sure," Hayley says, Hope quickly walks off the porch and towards the garden while Klaus watches her for a moment before turning to look at Hayley, Jackson walks out of the house before Klaus could say anything else.

"I'm going into town to get some supplies, does anybody want me to bring them something back?" Jackson asks.

"No, but thank you," Hayley says.

"Nothing for me," Alex says, Jackson nods his head and looks at the other but receive no reply.

"Well, all right then, I'll see you later then," Jackson says, he kisses Hayley on the cheek before walking off the porch and towards the truck.

"What horrible things did you tell her?" Klaus asks Hayley, Alex stood from Elijah's lap.

"We'll give you two a moment," Alex says as she pulls Elijah from the chair, she and Elijah walk down the porch towards another area away from the garden where they could talk privately, Freya went to the barn while Kol and Rebekah went inside leaving Hayley and Klaus on the porch. "I assume when we do leave, we'll leave together?"

"Mh, that is what we've always done," Elijah says. "Although over the years we sometimes did split from each other." Alex nods her head. "But we always find our way back to each other." Alex suddenly sits down on the grass pulling Elijah down with her. "Wh-oh." Elijah grunts as he hits the ground, Alex softly chuckles as he pushes himself upright.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pull you down that hard," Alex says.

"It's all right, I'm not used to somebody being stronger than us," Elijah says. "And it was unexpected."

"Well, sometimes I forget how strong I am," Alex says, Alex lays down on the grass placing her head on Elijah's thigh as she looks up at the sky, he runs his fingers through her hair.

"What is going on inside that head of yours?" Elijah asks, Alex lets out a sigh.

"When you told me about your family, you often mansion how Rebekah longed for a family of her own." Alex begins.

"It hurts me to see my sister longing for something that she can never have," Elijah says. "When Hope was born, we sent her away and asked Rebekah to look after her."

"What if she could have a family of her own?" Alex asks, Elijah looks down at Alex as he stops playing with her hair.

"Is that even possible?" Elijah asks, Alex pushes herself into a sitting position.

"I've become stronger," Alex says as she moves herself to face Elijah. "I can create life, and I can take it as well."

"How would it work?" Elijah asks, Alex begins smiling.

"Well, it's ethereal power," Alex says. "And a simple yes or no from her." Elijah tilts his head causing her to chuckle. "I know, I looked at the page with confusion as well."

"You just have to ask if she wants a baby of her own, and she just has to say yes or no?" Elijah asks, Alex nods her head. "If you do that, she would be in your debt for a thousand years or more."

"She doesn't have to repay me," Alex says. "I just feel like you all deserve some sort of happiness, especially with a long history of pain and suffering." Elijah takes Alex's hand.

"You deserve happiness as well," Elijah says as he brings her hand closer to his lips, softly kissing her knuckles before letting her hand go, she was about to answer him when she spots Hayley walking towards them.

"Are you carrying the world on your shoulders?" Alex asks, Elijah turns his gaze towards Hayley.

"No," Hayley says as she stops near them. "You both can stay, Hope too, Klaus can visit on weekends, I guess." Hayley sits down on the grass with them. "I betrayed a lot of people over the last five years." Hayley glances at Alex. "We killed a lot of people just to cover my tracks." Elijah glances at Alex. "To keep Hope safe, we were ruthless."

"You were being a Mikaelson," Elijah says. "Both of you did what you had to do."

"The truth is, I'd do it all over again." Hayley says, she looks at Alex. "I don't know about you."

"If I had to," Alex says, Hayley faintly smiles at her.

"I told myself a hundred times that it was all for Hope, but maybe I did it for selfish reasons too," Hayley says. "I should be happy right now, but there's one of my kind in the barn, miserable and scared, and she doesn't deserve to be here."

"Release her," Elijah says.

"But what if Marcel finds us..." Hayley begins.

"You can't do this forever, your life is more than the salvation of the Mikaelson family," Elijah says. "Now trust me, you'll lose yourself."

"And if he does come, he knows how strong I am," Alex says. "At least he realizes that I could kill him and his army without needing to touch them." Alex easily could have killed Marcel over the last five years, but she knew that Klaus still considered him part of the family and until he became a threat to her, she wouldn't harm him too much.

"All right," Hayley says. "Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me," Elijah says. "She should have been released the minute we where cured." Hayley stood from the ground.

"Yeah, but Freya's kind of stopping me from doing that," Hayley says, Alex sees Freya exiting the barn.

"We'll distract her," Alex says. "FREYA!" Freya looks towards Alex and walks up to them.

"Hey, so are we all relaxing in the sun now?" Freya asks, she anxiously played with the ring on her finger, she wanted to leave, but nobody was going anywhere unless Klaus gave the green light.

"We're cloud watching," Alex says. "Join us?" Freya glances at the barn.

"I- I can't ri-right." Freya begins, Alex grabs her wrists.

"Perfect, you can sit right here," Alex says pulling her down to the grass, Hayley quickly left going towards the barn. "You need to relax, you're going to have a heart attack or something."

"Alex," Hayley says as she steps into the kitchen, Alex slams the fridge door shut.

"I totally wasn't raiding your fridge," Alex says causing Hayley to chuckle. "Don't laugh, I seriously don't know why I'm craving so much food, I'm dead, I don't have to eat or drink anything."

"Maybe you miss the daily meals?" Hayley suggests, Alex gives her a faint smile knowing she didn't have many daily meals when she was still human. "And that's why Jack went to the store."

"Right, so uh, anything I can do for you?" Alex asks.

"Uh no, actually, Elijah is asking for you," Hayley says as a smile appears on her lips. "He's outside." Alex tilts her head in confusion.

"Why is he outside?" Alex asks.

"You should go see for yourself," Hayley says, Alex nods her head.

"All right, thank you for telling me," Alex says, she walks towards the backdoor and steps outside, she spots a gazebo and candle lights underneath it along with several blankets on the grass, she walks towards the gazebo. "Mr Mikaelson, what are you doing? What is all of this?"

"A surprise for somebody," Elijah says as he steps towards her. "I hope she gets here soon."

"Well, I hope whoever it is has decided to come," Alex says.

"She has," Elijah says, he takes her hand in his before looking down, Alex could sense the sudden change of emotion.

"What's wrong?" Alex asks, Elijah lets out a sigh.

"Rebekah asked me something today." Elijah begins. "Who I might be if Niklaus no longer needed me, Did I have any desires of my own?" Their fingers intertwining. "And I thought about it, there was a time, long ago, I do recall, I wanted more, somehow I have..." He thinks for a moment. "I lost the feelings, beneath the blood and choose."

"You can't let the bad things define you, you're good, Elijah," Alex says.

"But I am not good," Elijah says. "I'm evil."

"You might be a vampire, but you're not an evil vampire, we both know that there are others that have done worse than you," Alex says, Elijah gives her a faint smile. "Besides, I'm the demon here, not you." Elijah chuckles as he brings their hands into the air.

"You have helped us, a lot," Elijah says. "More than I ever did for you, and I never got a chance to tell you this five years ago, but you captivate me." Elijah pulls her closer to him. "And I'm in love with you, Alexandra Zastrod." Alex's eyes widen in shock.

"Yo-you love m-me?" Alex stutter in shock.

"I would take a bullet for you, start wars if you asked me," Elijah says, Alex nods her head.

"Then uh you should know, that you really hurt me the day after the ball," Alex says, Elijah nods his head. "But that I realized that I was in love with you at that ball." Elijah's eyes showed sympathy.

"I have yet to properly apologize for my actions that day," Elijah says.

"No, you haven't," Alex says. "But you can make it up to me now." Her other hand wraps around his blazer, pulling him closer to her.

"HAYLEY!" Klaus's scream caused them to back away from each other before they could kiss, they quickly made their way back into the house to see what was going on, when they entered the living room they saw Hayley holding Hope in her arms as they sat on the couch, everyone quickly rushed in and surrounded the couch.

"What's going on?" Alex asks.

"It's Hope," Klaus says, Freya touches Hope trying to figure out what was wrong. "There's something wrong."

"She's never been sick, ever," Haley says concerned.

"This is a magical affliction." Freya begins. "I don't know, it's hard to explain, it's almost cold." Alex walks towards Hope and Hayley, she kneels down in front of them.

"Let me see," Alex says, she takes hold of Hope's hand and black veins sprouted from Alex's arm travelling up to her neck, Hope gasps at the temporary relief. "This is ancient." Hayley reaches into her pocket as she felt something appear in it, she takes out a note and shows it to everyone before unfolding it.

"It's from Vincent Griffith, he knows what's wrong with Hope, he can cure her," Hayley says. "But we have to go back to New Orleans."