#I’ve been stuck in this survival state since winter

[mochiwrites]

being so honest I don’t understand how people can expect you to be doing things constantly every single day. I’m supposed to be on summer break but my university expects me to send in 80 sources for my senior thesis by next week

the very thought of doing school work right now makes me want to cry. I can’t even open a blank document and start writing for my own fics. I can’t even engage in my own hobby right now because I’m so mentally exhausted. how can you expect me to do thesis work? I’ve hardly had a break since finals

my personal life has been an ongoing shitshow since last summer. and has only gotten worse in recent months. how can you expect someone to function in society when you throw one thing after another at them?

I’m so tired and done. but I have no choice other than pushing through it because that’s what’s expected of me! that’s exhausting

[therabbitthatpostthings]

Oof babygirl, we’re almost through. I can’t believe a single scene from a movie overtook me into making this lmao

Giyuu the Beast AU

The snow felt at home against his cold pale skin. Little specks of it stuck in his pitch black hair like stars in the night. His antlers brushed by the tree branches as you both passed through the garden. With winter approaching and food growing scarce, Giyuu made it a habit to walk in the gardens with you to pick food. Humans were tucked away in their homes most of the day. The most desperate creatures would be sure to try their luck at the abandoned house where only one human lives.

That was Giyuu’s reasoning after all. It made the most sense. It's not like he could feel the cold anyway. He’s much better suited for this weather than you.

You, on the other hand, dreaded the winter. In fact your first winter you almost didn’t survive. You’ve never had a good winter in your life until now. Warm in lavish robes that filled the empty mansion. You could stroll happily through the garden knowing your parents were also warm and fed.

“What should we eat tonight?” You turned to him.

“I will enjoy anything you make.” He stated.

“You always say that, is there anything that you want?”

“I’ve never wanted for anything. I see no point now.”

You playfully scoffed, “I thought you wanted to be alone in this dreary mansion forever?”

“I did, and I always made sure to scare off visitors. You are the only one who would think to come back up this mountain. You’re not that smart.”

You had learned to let his statements roll off you. “And yet you keep me around? You’re not very smart either.”

Giyuu helped you lift the baskets into the kitchen. He stood idly by, watching you. Another thing you had grown accustomed to. Having Giyuu only steps away made this mansion feel less deserted.

You two started to spend your days exploring the mansion. Giyuu never had a reason to come out of his room and only did so to hunt for food. Many of the doors were locked. Others held the clothes he had been sending back to your family. Some of them held books in foreign languages, pictures of giant boats and trains, things you had only ever heard of from travelers. At the end of the day, you would both eat and sit by the fire. It was mostly you telling him about your village and family. He would get this look in his eyes, like he was missing something. You didn’t want to open deep memories. Whatever Giyuu’s reasoning was, someone doesn’t seclude themselves on a mountain for years without reason.

“…chi.” You turned around to see Giyuu looking out the doorway to the garden.

“Did you say something?”

“I think one day, we should get mochi.” He said.

“Oh? Yeah! Let’s do that. Need to get all the ingredients first..”

“There’s a winter festival in the village. We should go get mochi then.”

You stopped chopping and fully turned to look at him. “The creatures, in the forest-”

“I’ll escort you. They wouldn’t dare.”

“The villagers would be scared-”

“I’ll stay hidden. No one will hear or see me. You should get to enjoy your life (Y/N).” He finally turned to face you with a very faint smile. “Let's go to the festival.”

You hadn’t seen his face since that night. Was he always this?… You snapped out of your thoughts and smiled back. “Okay! We’re going to the festival.”

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ♡ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ♡ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

You were somehow more nervous than him. You pulled your scarf closer as you stepped into the cool air. The lights from the village lit up the valley. Months ago you would have been jumping for joy but now, you felt a pit in your stomach. You suddenly jolted as Giyu hoisted you up in his arms.

“Sorry, are you ready to go?” He wore a white fox max with light blue eyes. It looked like it had been cracked in the middle and stuck together.

“Y-Yes.” You felt that familiar swell in your chest. With that same incredible speed, Giyuu traveled down the mountain. You buried your face close to his chest to try and keep from screaming as you leaped across treetops. You stopped just outside of the view from the village’s path entrance. Giyuu gently sets you down.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright? You have been around people for a while.”

“Don’t worry about me, enjoy your night. I’ll be close by if anything happens.” He handed you a bag full of coins.

“I’ll bring you some food.” You smile. He hands over another fox mask with blue ears. This one looks as clean as the one he’s wearing. You shoot him another smile before stepping out onto the village path.

Even with the mask on, you felt exposed and open to everyone around you. This village was much larger than yours. Stalls lined the street with food you could only dream about. Children ran through the streets and the whole town came to life. Occasionally you would stop to grab food and sneak over to a secluded area to eat with Giyuu. Even the Sakura Mochi that started this whole adventure was delicious.

“This is delicious, I’ve never had food this good!” You swooned.

“It’s been so long since I’ve eaten like this.” Giyuu said on his fourth skewer.

“Do you come to the village often?”

“No, never. I’m glad I had you here to enjoy this night with.”

“Of course! We should do this every time a festival comes!”

Everytime… Giyuu hadn’t thought that far ahead. It was only natural that you’d still be with him for the next festival and however many come after that. That would be nice to continue the way you two do. Could he stay like this forever with you? Does he even deserve such a thing? No time to think about all that, not while you look so happy.

“I’m gonna get some more grilled squid- oh! Dango too!” You cheerfully walked back to the festival street. As you were putting on your mask you collided with another person.

“I’m so sorry!” You reached out to help her up. She took your hand and brushed off her Sakura patterned kimono. On her head she wore a mask similar to yours with yellow ears and blue flowers.

“It’s okay,” she smiled. “Oh, I don’t recognize you, or that mask. Did you make it?”

“My friend did. He’s around here… somewhere.” You suddenly felt very exposed again. Her bright blue eyes scanned over you like she was trying to memorize everything about you.

“Oh! It’s just that, my grandpa makes fox masks just like that! Grandpa!” She called to an old man in a red tengu mask. He walked with a cane and a limp. Despite the cold weather, he hardly wore much aside a white scarf around his head.

He leisurely strolled over. “Grandpa, doesn't this look like one of your masks?”

“It does.” He spoke. “Did you make this young lady?”

“N-No. My friend did. He’s very shy.” You stammered out. How did I manage to get myself into this?!

“Oh your boyfriend? Are you both from around here?” The girl asked.

“No! We’re- uh- travelers. Not dating! Just friends!”

“That means you traveled through the mountain pass. I hope you have somewhere to sleep tonight. They say it’s cursed up there.”

“I-Is it now?”

“Makomo, don’t scare the poor girl.” The old man chastised her.

“Sorry,” she chuckled. “But it is a great story. They said two boys went up the mountain to battle a ferocious beast! One of them was eaten and the other was cursed to stay on the mountain forever!”

“Really?” You said in disbelief. “Forever you say?..”

The old man cleared his throat, “Are you alright miss?”

“Yes I just… I was just thinking how incredibly lonely the boy must be.”

The old man’s demeanor shifted. “You have a good heart then. I’ll let you get back to the festival. Hopefully, I’ll be able to meet that friend of yours. His craftsmanship could be better, come on Makomo.”

They both waved you off as you stared at the fox mask. You ran your fingers over the rough texture of the mask before putting it back on.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ♡ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ♡ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

The night faded away as you and Giyuu silently made your way back up the mountain. He hadn’t said anything since you stepped on the mansion. You took off your mask to hand it to him but he stopped you. “You keep it. For whenever you go again.”

“I couldn't make it down the mountain alone.”

“I’ll show you a path to get there tomorrow, goodnight (Y/N).”

You reached for his hand and pulled him closer to you. He still didn’t look at you but followed as you lead him to sitting room. You lit the fireplace and sat next to him.

“What do you want to know?” He asked.

“Whatever you want to tell me.”

⋆☾⋆

“Hey! Are you okay?!” Giyuu couldn’t register what the young boy told him. He had been wandering for days. His clothes were ripped, his hair was matted and had a thousand-yard stare. He recoiled as the peach-haired boy reached out to him.

“Hey, I’m not gonna hurt you. Let me help you.”

Just like the peach-haired boy, Sabito, Giyuu had lost his family. He wandered into the village at the bottom of the mountain, half dead and starving. Sabito carried the boy on his back to his little house. It was just him and the woodcutter. A strict old man who occasionally made masks. They took the boy in, fed and clothed and let him rest for the next coming days. With nowhere to go, their family gained a new member.

Urokodaki would tell them everyday to be careful when chopping down trees and exploring the woods. High on the closest mountain in the valley was an old mansion. Anyone that went up there, never returned. The boys knew this story very well and didn’t stray too far with Urokodaki in sight.

Giyuu didn't mean to get lost, he was confused on how the forest he grew to know like the back of his hand could change so much. He could see the lake from where he was but it never got closer the further he walked down. He called out for anyone to find him but it was no use. It will be dark soon. He stumbled around some more until he fell into a wooden fence. He traveled around the perimeter until he reached a gate and saw a lush garden of fruits and vegetables. Before he could step in, a hard fist came down on the back of his head.

“Giyuu! I’ve been looking for you everywhere! We have to get home!” Sabito yelled and pulled the boy by his arm.

Giyuu snapped out of his trance and hurried after Sabito. He still felt something pulled at him to look back at the mansion. The air suddenly turned cold. They could see the lake but it wasn’t getting any closer. The summer cicadas stopped chirping as the sun dipped below the water.

“S-Sabito, I’m so-”

“Put your mask on Giyuu.” Sabito guarded Giyuu, with axe in hand. Giyuu’s hand shook as he tied his mask around him. He clutched onto Sabito’s free arm and they slowly stepped backwards down the path.

The forest went silent and freezing cold. You both stopped suddenly, waiting, listening for the noise again.

Giyuu heard it. He pushed Sabito forward as the long arm out from the trees, hoisting him high in the air. Giyuu thrashed around in the creature's arm, calling for Sabito and Urokodaki.

“Let him go!” Sabito plunged the axe into the wood like bony arms. He hacked away at the incoming branches. Just as his arms were about to give out, a figure came running up the path. It jumped onto the bony arm and ran up its length to slice it at the wrist. It grabbed Giyuu by his collar as they plummeted back to earth.

“Are you okay?” He asked as the dust cleared from impact.

“Urokodaki?” Giyuu exclaimed.

“Haven’t I told you not to wander alone boy!” He yelled, pulling both boys by their arms. He hugged them tightly, letting out a deep sigh. “I thought I lost you both.”

The wooden arm began to twitch and sprung to life as it clamored back to the figure standing just beyond the trees.

“We meet again, hunter.”

Urokodaki drew his sword, “You leave my boys out of this.”

“I’ll take them both as payment for my imprisonment!” He lunged forward. His many branches swiped and clawed at the three of them. Giyuu was barely avoiding them and Sabito hacked away. Urokodaki, in his old age, wasn’t faring too well either. The monster had swiped at his leg, taking a considerable amount. He tumbled back bleeding.

“Urokodaki!” Sabito yelled.

“Leave me! Take my sword, you two run!”

With a heavy heart Sabito grabbed the sword and ran towards Giyuu.

“W-Where’s Urokodaki?!”

“No time! We need to run!” He handed him the axe.

Giyuu followed closely behind as the trees began to warp and move erratically around them. Branches would shoot out at them. They stayed strong, slicing and cutting through the branches. One branch shot out and Sabito lifted the sword to swing. Out of the corner of his eye he saw another sharper one shoot out from his rear. He pulled Giyuu closer, letting the branch impale his side.

“No!” Giyuu cried out. “No! No! Sabito please!”

“Run, Giyuu run!” Sabito choked out.

“No! I’m not leaving you!”

The demon chucked, “You are Urokodaki’s student, only someone like him would think there’s a chance of winning right now.”

“You!” He growled. He grabbed the sword and pointed it towards the demon. The demon chuckled again at Giyuu’s futile attempts to swipe at him. A large branch bent from a tree and wrapped around Giyuu’s throat. Giyuu clawed and scratched at the branch. He hacked away at what he could reach but the branch would not yield.

“Your family is going to die little human, all because of you and your love.”

Giyuu’s consciousness started to fade after that. When he awoke his form had changed drastically. He stepped out from the porch of the mansion and a flurry of snow appeared beneath his feet. The monster was gone. And he was all that remained.

⋆☾⋆

You didn’t say anything. You gently hugged him. His body stiffened and relaxed into your embrace. “You must of been so scared. I’m so sorry Giyuu.”

He hesitantly wrapped his arms around you. For the first time, in 8 long years, Giyuu felt warm.

⋆☾⋆

A day's journey away from the mountain and valley, your family stood in front of a large crowd or hungry and angry villagers.

“We all have to starve this winter and your getting new clothes and food!” One woman yelled

“When I begged you all to help me, you all turned me away!” Your father yelled “My child only ever helped this village! You want food?! Send your own children to the beast! Feel what I have suffered!”

A stranger was in the crowd, not from this village or any village this side of the mountain range. He looked over to his partner, “A beast that asks for sacrifices? Doesn’t that sound familiar?”

In my personal headcannon, Sabito is more mature than Giyuu cause he grew up quicker. Giyuu seems a lot more childlike cause he’s still getting use to his new life and family. Also I tried to be historically accurate but guys- just suspend your disbelief- PLEASE-

[ajwinter-is-a-nerd]

Le Chat et Le Serpent - Chapter 2

Hello! This is the first story that I have decided to share. It is after the finale of Ladybug and Chat Noir Season 4 Finale. ***TRIGGER WARNING*** Mention of child abuse, general graphic violence, alcohol use, mental health, basically, I have decided to put the characters through the meat grinder***

*this chapter quotes "The Wars" by Timothy Findley. It's an amazing book. You should read it. After you've read this chapter of course.

Chapter 2: Touch These Pages and You Have Me

Make Your Prayers Against Despair

The spine of the book that Luka had given him had begun to crack from Adrien’s use. The story was captivating and dark, and each time he read it, he found a detail that he had missed before. However, no matter how many times he read it, a particular moment forced him to shudder.

As the protagonist, Robert, separated from his fellow soldiers, Rodwell passed along a letter. The two men had witnessed death and devastation in every definition of the word, Rodwell knew he may not make it back. The letter Rodwell wrote was delicate and raw, the truth behind his mask. 

“To my daughter, Laurine;

Love your mother.

Make your prayers against despair.

I am alive in everything I touch. Touch these pages and you have me in your fingertips. We survive in one another. Everything lives forever. Believe it. Nothing dies.

I am your father always.”

Even after the sixth read, Adrien could not identify what affected him the most. The mere suicide of Rodwell could bring a tear to a grown man’s eye, or the fact that his daughter would never again see her father. But the letter layered the pain. Rodwell’s loving words, written in a moment of desperation, forced Adrien to reflect on his own devastated relationship with Gabriel. The next time he would read this book, he would skip these pages, all too aware of what would hurt the most. 

We Survive in One Another

Kagami muttered unintelligibly as she checked all of Adrien’s machines and bandages. Had he not known Kagami for so long, he would have been bewildered by her audacity and thoroughness. She did not show affection like everybody else; she was clinical in every move. In fact, it would be worrisome if she hadn’t asked him about his last blood pressure ratings.

“It does appear that you are getting better, Adrien.” 

“Thanks Kagami, Nurse Jacquie says I’ve been steadily improving since I could have visitors.”

“Mmm… Yes, there have been psychological tests that indicate social support may be a significant determinant in our body’s efficacy to heal itself.” Kagami stated with a stoic face.

“Seems like you’ve begun your studies,” Adrien mused, inciting a faint blush upon Kagami’s cheeks.

“I decided to challenge a select number of classes, therefore, I am technically in my second year of pre-medical studies.”

 “Of course you did, top of your class no doubt. You truly are amazing. I am so proud that you chose your own direction.” Adrien knew she never received praise from her family, so he always took every opportunity to remind her that she was exceptional. Though his words were true, today, they were conveyed with an additional objective. Adrien was preparing his stance to change the conversation’s target.

“It’s really nothing,” Kagami brushed off Adrien’s compliment, but her hands nervously wringing behind her back indicated to Adrien that she was charmed.

“Maybe one day you should bring your textbooks here, it would be nice to at least learn something while I’m stuck in solitary confinement.”

Kagami scanned his room, there were no mobile devices, and the TV was mysteriously out of order. Someone was ensuring that Adrien was disconnected. “As long as they’re not too advanced for you.”

Analysing Kagami’s stance, Adrien could tell that her defence was beginning to fall. He grinned to show Kagami that he recognized the humour. “I’m sure I could handle them. What I can’t handle,” Adrien sucked in his breath, hoping his timing was accurate, “is being cut off from the world.”

Noting the gleam in Adrien’s eye, Kagami realised Adrien had unsheathed his epee. “I understand.” She replied curtly, enforcing a defensive stance.

“What has been happening on the news Kagami? Why is everyone afraid to talk to me?” The drop of Kagami’s head indicated he scored a point. “I’m aware the world continues to spin, regardless of how still I am.”

“If your friends have not said anything, I must assume that they are only doing what they think is best for you. Perhaps it would be better if I followed suit. We may discuss the operations of the hospital, if that is more enticing for you?” Point – Kagami.

Seeing that his approach was not cracking past her wit, he chose a different strategy. “That would be great! I’ve been trying to determine exactly what scent this detergent is, what do you think?” Adrien sarcastically lifted his blanket. Kagami instinctively leaned forward to smell. As she sniffed the blanket, Adrien’s eyes narrowed towards her. 

“Oh, were you trying to be funny?” 

Snorting, Adrien recalled how much he enjoyed Kagami’s straightforward nature. “Obviously failing at it, but now I have to know your detergent deduction.”

“They used a standard unscented bleach-based sanitization method. I should also let you know that storing cheese within your sheets is likely to entice insects.”

Adrien reddened; he had been surrounded by the stench of camembert for so long that he had managed to tune it out. Clearing his head, he lunged once again, stripping the vagueness from his words, “has anyone seen my father, or Nathalie?”

Kagami’s stoic face broke as she dipped her head. “They really haven’t told you anything, have they?”

Adrien’s bewilderment answered for him.

“There have been no Akuma sightings since your hospitalisation began.” She veered off the topic of Gabriel Agreste.

Match – Kagami.

“Oh,” Adrien mumbled, recognizing his loss.

Grasping to satiate him, she began to debrief him on other matters. “Ladybug and Viperion have continued patrolling. The news continues to question whether Chat Noir will be returning to battle or not.”

The thought of Viperion and Ladybug spending every night together sent a tinge of jealousy through Adrien’s stomach. Thankfully, Kagami did not notice it as she continued her summary.  “Personally, I believe that Chat Noir is merely taking respite. The coverage that was collected from the battle demonstrated a significant amount of damage to the superhero.”

Chewing his lip, Adrien decided to further pry, “what happened with Felix? Did the Miraculous that Ladybug thought she gave to me ever return?” Adrien was sharp enough to know that if there was a triumphant return of the stolen Miraculous’, she would have opened with that. However, considering the familial relation, she was more likely to omit news if Felix’s malfeasances had been brought to justice. 

“Your cousin.” She affirmed to demonstrate her comprehension. “He has not been seen since the last battle, along with Lila DeRossi. It has been suggested that they are plotting something, but that seems to juxtaposition the fact that there have been no forms of magical attacks since the last battle.”

“Maybe I should try to contact him. Not that I think he would reply, but it might be worth attempting.”

Kagami nodded, instinctually gripping her phone, knowing that there was a significant reason that Adrien did not have access to current events. “Perhaps, once you have healed, you can try to intercept one of the nightly patrols. I’m certain they are highly interested in your personal connection with Felix. You should prepare to contact Lila as well.”

Adrien seethed at her name. He knew Kagami was right, but the idea of contacting Lila willingly was nearly a greater evil than battling Papillion. Forcing control over his breath, he changed his target. “So, you have taken an interest in psychology classes? I am surprised you didn’t decide to challenge that class as well.”

“I thought it may help me become more approachable,” Kagami flashed her robot smile.  

“That might be a good idea. Have you continued fencing, or has university been a sufficient challenge for you?” He emphasised ‘challenge’ to incite a more honest reply. 

“I will continue the sport for my own personal improvement, but I am rapidly losing interest from a lack of strong competitors.” 

“Good, so you’ll be off your game when I come back.” 

A sense of satisfaction warmed Kagami’s face, “even in your best, you don’t stand a chance against me.”

Speaking in competition was the most natural for Kagami, it was the primary reason that she admired Adrien. He was the only one that could confidently rebut her. 

I am Your Father, Always

Adrien drooped against the railing, exhaustion had seemingly blurred the connection between his brain and his legs. He hoped that Ladybug would actually get the rest she needed. When they parted, the white of her eyes shot red. Had her mask been shorter, he was certain that substantial dark circles would rest below them. But Ladybug was determined. Adrien guessed that he would likely only get a few hours of sleep before Ladybug was out patrolling again. She wouldn’t expect him to be there, but he couldn’t imagine leaving her alone. 

Almost reaching the sweet reprieve of his room, a thundering smash shook the chandelier. Crouching, he peered through the railing’s posts. A weakened Papillion trembled on all fours. 

How did he find out where he lived? Why would he choose to attack Adrien when he, himself, had trouble standing? With a flash of rage, Adrien thought that Papillion must have believed he was weak too. Silently, Adrien called for his claws, waiting for Papillion to make the first move. Carefully opening his baton’s screen, he began to type a message to Ladybug. His typing was interrupted by a scream emanating from the man. 

Instead of standing to fight, Papillon stayed upon the floor, hollering for Nathalie. 

“No,” Chat gasped, praying that his fatigue had led to an incorrect assumption of the villain’s identity. His gasp, however, notified Papillion of his presence. 

Furiously, Papillon jumped up. “You mangy cat! How dare you come here!” 

Chat swallowed a brick as he recognized the familiar tone of rage. Pushing reality out of his head, he played Chat. A hero dressed in black, who had managed to catch Papillion at his house. “How dare you take the Miraculous’!” He boomed in feigned confidence. 

By the time Papillion began throwing blows, the opportunity to send for help disappeared. Chat, who could typically avoid attacks with poised ease, was dragged by his and Plagg’s shared depletion. Though Papillion and his Miraculous’ were also overexerted, Papillon simply had more cards in his hands. If one shot missed, he could easily call upon another. In pure desperation, Chat called upon his cataclysm as he rushed towards Papillion’s face. 

Papillon shell-tered himself against the cataclysm, followed by a fatal counter attack. As Chat’s body spiralled across the floor, his head cracked against the marble, leaving a thick trail of blood. 

Papillon sneered as he watched Chat Noir struggle to breathe. His cat ears hung limply as his chest heaved. “How kind of you, laying down a red carpet to finalise my defeat.” He sneered as he strode confidently through the scarlett streaks. 

Chat’s ring began to sing its final tune.

Allowing his weapon to materialise above his hand, Papillion relished the chance to finally learn his foe’s identity. “Bye bye, Kitty.”

[cjsinkythoughts]

FATWS One Shot #6 - No One Said Anything About a Metal Arm

Word Count: 2011

Warnings: Explosions, Gunshots, The Winter Soldier, Implied Death, Stevie Almost Crying

Setting/Characters: Towards the End of Captain America: The Winter Soldier; Reader, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Natasha Romanoff, Maria Hill, Nick Fury, Bucky Barnes; Mentions of Alexander Pierce, Arnim Zola

A/N: This one took me a while to write and I’ll tell you why. Rewatching this movie made me want to do a complete rewrite of it. I had so many ideas of where the reader could be and why and what she was doing then and all that. But…I told myself this is a One Shot of her unofficially meeting Bucky for the first time. Which is why it seems incomplete - because it kinda is - it’s just that scene picked from the movie. Am I happy with it? Eh. Am I holding back from writing more parts and just saying “forget this piece, it never happened”? Maybe. But, I can’t. I wish I could. But if I were to rewrite this movie, I’d rewrite the next one. And the next one. And it would take me months to finish these. So…this is what you’re getting.

Also, NO ONE MENTION WHAT’S ABOUT TO HAPPEN IN A COUPLE HOURS! I’M THIS CLOSE TO FREAKING OUT!

Thanks! As always, it’s not beta’d, so please excuse mistakes! Enjoy reading, be kind to yourselves and others, and stay tuned!

FATWS Masterlist

cjsinkythoughts Masterlist

********

Sitting on the edge of the old dam was calming. Peaceful, even. The constant sound of the flowing water, the trees swaying in the slight breeze. It was nice to take a breath after everything that had gone down the past week.

To say you were worried was an understatement. The last time you saw Steve was the evening after you met Sam. He dropped you off at your place, refusing your invitation to stay saying that he should probably check on his apartment since he hadn’t been there in a while.

A lot had changed since then.

Steve was wanted by SHIELD, along with Natasha. Fury was considered dead, but was actually still kicking in the structure beneath your feet with the help of you and Hill. You had tried to go after Steve, but it was too risky. Pierce - who you were almost 100% certain was behind this whole thing - had been keeping a close eye on you since Steve ran away, knowing you’d be behind him. You tried to catch the blonde at the hospital, but you were seconds too late, meeting up with Natasha who told you STRIKE already took him away for questioning.

You had been called by Hill and she told you what had happened. Fury had asked for your help specifically, considering the amount of times you’d had to fake your own death while being undercover. And you’d been dealing with that ever since.

You had wanted to go get the three of them - you learned Sam joined Steve and Natasha, which somehow didn’t surprise you - but Hill refused, saying you needed to stay there just in case.

But Fury was fine, no one was coming, which is how you found yourself swinging your legs above a hundred feet of rushing water.

It didn’t last long. A car pulling up to the side entrance caught your eye and you immediately swung your legs around to rush towards the stairs. It’s not like you haven’t gone longer without seeing Steve before. You’d gone months without seeing him. It was your job. But this was different. Whether it was because for the first time he was the one who left or because he was on the run from the organization you worked for, you didn’t know and didn’t care. All you knew was you needed to see him. Make sure he was okay.

It took you a while to get there, all the stairs and corners and twist and turns. You got there just as Fury ended his explanation, hearing him tell the trio, “can’t kill you if you’re already dead. Besides…I wasn’t sure who to trust.”

Your footsteps were echoing and you were sure Steve heard you but when you entered the room, his eyebrows shot up, his eyes widening. “Honey?”

“Oh thank fucking God.” You breathed out, jogging over to squeeze him tightly. 

“Y/N…” He murmured in your hair, hugging you tightly back. “What happened? Why are you here?”

Pulling back, you jerked your thumb over your shoulder to the director. “I’m saving his ass.” Your finger then jabbed into his firm chest, your lips falling into a frown. “And worrying about yours. Are you okay?”

“I am. Natasha got shot, but she’ll live.”

You looked over at Natasha, who nodded in confirmation, before looking back into those azure eyes of Steve’s. “What happened? Pierce is keeping a tight lid on everything. I was gonna come find you, but I couldn’t because he was watching me. It’s a miracle I got away from them to help Nicky boy. I haven’t gone out since. But, honest, I was gonna-”

“Honey, honey. You’re rambling again.” Steve chuckled, hand resting on the back of your head, fingers tangling in your hair. “It’s okay. I’m glad you’ve been safe here. Pierce is behind this whole thing-”

“Yeah, I figured that-”

“-It’s HYDRA, Y/N.”

You froze. “What? HYDRA? Whaddya mean?”

Steve nodded. “HYDRA’s what’s been infiltrating SHIELD. It’s a long story, but Zola continued it when he was hired for-”

“Operation Paperclip. Yeah, I remember learning about that.” You ran a hand over your face. “Okay…” You hummed, looking at the three of them. “Let’s…talk about it more in a little bit. I know we gotta act soon, but Natasha and Fury need to heal a little bit longer and you should get some rest. You look tired.”

Everyone seemed to agree with your statement, starting to disperse from the room. You started walking out, too, when Steve grabbed your bicep and pulled you aside, down the hall a ways away. You opened your mouth, only for him to pull you into his chest.

“I’m really glad you’re okay.”

You nodded, lightly scratching his back, your arms around his slim waist. “I’m glad you are too.” You could feel how tense he was, which was understandable considering what he’d gone through the past couple days. But there was something else. Something in the grip he had on your shirt. The way his heart was hammering against your chest. His erratic breathing and his ducked head. You pulled away to catch his jaw between your fingers, eyes scanning the anguish in his own. “Bubba? What’s wrong?”

It took a moment for him to answer, his eyes growing sadder with every second that passed. “It was Bucky.”

“What?” You felt like the air was knocked out of you. “What do you mean?”

“The Winter Soldier. The assassin who shot Fury. The one who tried killing us on the bridge. It was Bucky. It is Bucky. I saw him, Y/N. I saw his face. It’s him. He survived. When they experimented on him, it must’ve…God, I’m so…I didn’t even notice…I didn’t even check…I left him…” he shook his head, which fell to your shoulder. “Stupid. I’m so stupid.”

“No, no.” You shook your head quickly, fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck as you twisted to kiss the hinge of his tense jaw. “It wasn’t your fault, Steve.” You mumbled softly, lips brushing over the shell of his ear. “It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known. He fell thousands of feet, Stevie. You wouldn’t have found him even if you did.”

HIs grip on your hips tightened. “But I didn’t even try.” His voice broke on that last word. “And how could I not notice something going on with him? There were two years between being experimented on and falling. How-?” Voice catching in his throat, he stopped talking to stop himself from crying. You knew he hated crying.

“You can’t do anything about past Bucky.” You reminded him gently. “But you can help him now.”

“He didn’t even remember me.”

“Then make him.”

********************

To say you were pissed was an understatement. “I’ve been doing undercover stuff for years! This is a piece of cake!”

Steve shook his head. “You’ll be more helpful with Hill. You know more about Project Insight than me, Sam, and Natasha.”

“Bullshit, Steven! You just don’t want-”

“Honey, please.”

You clenched your jaw, glaring at him as he gave you those fucking puppy eyes, his dumb pink lips stuck in a pout. Letting out a rather aggressive puff of air, you looked away. “Fine. But I hate you.”

He beamed and nodded. “I can live with that.”

“Okay.” You glanced at the others. “You all ready?”

“Let’s get these sons of bitches.” Sam stated, making the final adjustments to the wings.

Natasha gave a smirk. “As long as you are.”

Turning back to Steve, you raised an eyebrow, waiting for the captain’s orders. He nodded. “Let’s head out.”

****************

“There’s a problem on the flight deck.” Hill informed you, looking at the alert. 

“Alright. I’ll-”

“Stay with Hill!”

You rolled your eyes at Steve’s voice through the comms. “Sorry, Cap. You’re breaking up.”

“I know I’m not, Y/N! I’m serious! Stay there!”

But you were already moving towards the flight deck. “I’m not gonna sit on my ass here, Rogers! Hill’s got it covered! I’m just gonna go check it out!”

“Honey-!”

“Bubba!”

The line went quiet and for a moment you thought you lost connection. “Please stay safe.”

You let out a sigh at his quiet pleads, nodding even though he couldn’t see you. “That goes for you, too, Steve.”

By the time you got out there, most of the jets were in flames, pilots and crew members scattered around the deck. You scanned the wreckage, trying to find the source-

A gunshot made your head whip to the side. Found it. Or, more accurately, him.

He was standing on top of one of the jets, gun pointed down at the pilot that was sitting in it. Before he could slip in the cockpit, though, you took out your gun and fired at him. Even though you knew who he was, when he looked at you it made your blood run cold. It was confirmation - not that you didn’t trust Steve - but still. Seeing is believing. yet seeing the same eyes you’d seen sparkling up at you from pictures now staring you down, void of any emotion? It was hard to believe it was the same person.

“Oh shit. Bubs?”

“What?! What’s wrong?! Are you okay?!”

You took a couple steps back as the Winter Soldier, no. Bucky - Steve’s Bucky - strode towards you. “Uh…nothing, nothing. I just I, uh, found your Bucky.”

“Y/N, get outta there now! I told you to stay with Hill!”

“Fuck!” You dove out of the way as the assassin started shooting at you. “Now’s not the time for reprimanding, Steven!”

You tuned out his cursings so as to not get distracted when you became engaged in a hand-to-hand fight with the fucking Winter Soldier.

“Hi.” You grunted, ducking under his arm and throwing a kick at him, faking it at the last second. Except, he’d already grabbed your ankle. But you did kick him with your other foot. But…he didn’t really move and it made you fall back, so…fail. You let out a grimace when the wind was knocked out of you, but you couldn’t lay there for long as he moved to slam his foot down. You rolled out of the way, swinging your legs up to hit him in the back of the knee. “Nice to finally meet you.”

He growled as Sam exclaimed, “are you seriously chatting with him?”

“It’s mostly one sided - dammit!” The both of you had gotten on your feet again, and you tried hooking your left knee around his left shoulder to tug him down, but he had slammed you against a jet, your leg stretched in a very uncomfortable position as your free foot stood on your toes. He had his metal arm - which no one had informed you about and you were kinda salty about it - against your throat, his other hand coming up in a fist.

Bouncing on your toes a bit, you finally lifted your free leg up to knee him in the side of his face, making you wince slightly at the stretch and the burn in your left thigh, which was the only thing besides his metallic limb holding you up against the jet.

He stumbled to the side, throwing you by the leg on his shoulder. You went sprawling against the pavement, a hiss leaving your lips at the serious roadburn you no doubt just got. Sitting up quickly, not wanting him to get the upper hand, you let out a breath seeing him swiftly moving into the cockpit of the jet he just had you pinned against.

“Guys…he’s…heading your way…just a…heads up. Also…thank you. It was nice…to fucking know…about the metal arm…beforehand. I’m just gonna…rest here for a minute…”

“You’re not hurt too bad, are you?”

“No, Cap. No, just…gonna be aching for a while. Ugh…” Begrudgingly, you got up to your feet. “I think I’m gonna…go back and chill with Maria.”

“Told you so.”

“Shut up, finish your job, and don’t die, Rogers! And next time, please, for the love of God, mention the metal arm!”

****************

****************

****************

All Works Taglist (Open):

@happygoreading​ @bibliophilewednesday​ @breadqueen95​ @marvelettesassemble​ @w-wolfhxrd​

[jekacatrina]

can i ask for a number 248. “A mistletoe? Really?” bkdk of course ! (also yes i know it’s august and it’s not even close to december or the winter season at all but something jolly won’t hurt ;3)

C, first of all, sorry for taking so long, I didn't read your ask until today because I didn't want spoilers from the leaks so I ran away.

Second, it's never to early for Christmas fics! You just need Christmas spirit, which I have plenty, so here's a mix of Christmas shenanigans, possessive Deku, little shit Bakugou and dumbass Kaminari, which I love plenty! Enjoy, dearest, thank you for your art and all the light you bring into the Bakudeku fandom!

“A mistletoe? Really?” Katsuki regarded the Christmas hat Kaminari was offering him. In previous years their hats were customized depending on the one wearing it, but this year his was pointy and had mistletoe hanging from some sort of antenna. “I can give you 30 seconds to run as much as you can before I kick your ass.”

 “Listen, this is going to be so funny!“ As usual, Kaminari’s lack of survival instinct was a bother to Katsuki.

“You’re wasting valuable seconds, Dunce Face,” Katsuki interrupted him, palm smoking in warning.

“Kacchan, quit it! Look,” Kaminari pacified him by putting the hat in his back pocket. “This is for the greater good.”

“Hah?” He was concerned enough to pause before blasting his dumb face.

“Okay, so, you’re dating Midoriya, right?”

“There’s no fooling you, is it?” Despite his expression barely changing, Katsuki felt pride filling him with the statement.

Katsuki was dating Deku.

Deku was dating him.

They were dating.

He was such a whipped loser, but nobody would ever know. Well, maybe just the nerd.

“I made a bet with Mina,” Kaminari explained, gesturing wildly. “She says you’re more territorial of him than Midoriya is of you, but I know better,” he winked, and Katsuki frowned.

“The fuck you’re talking about?”

“Come on, I’ve seen the flashes of green when I call you Kacchan.”

“Then fucking stop before Deku punches your lights out,” Katsuki crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.

“Midoriya would never hurt me,” Kaminari exclaimed, offended. “I just want to see how he’s going to react, I promise, just harmless teasing!”

Katsuki pondered his proposal; on one hand, he made his life mission not to agree to anything Dunce Face suggested. On the other, he was curious how his possessive little shit was going to react. Deku had been clinging to him for years, even before fixing their friendship, and becoming a couple. Sure, the nerd got flustered around attractive people, but he had stated some sort of claim over Katsuki since they were kids, and that unshakable admiration had helped them grow into what they were to this day. Playing with that side of him promised to be a fun development for the party.

“I want half of whatever you betted with Raccoon Eyes,” Katsuki said, extending his hand. “Now, give me the stupid hat.” Kaminari didn’t wait a second before slapping the item on his hand.

“Wait, half?!” he seemed to register the words and made a face. “Can we negotiate?”

“Half, or this shit goes up in flames,” he threatened, squishing the hat, and Kaminari caved.

“Fine, half.”

Katsuki smirked, stepping back into his room, and slammed the door on his face.

“We could at least hang out!” Kaminari yelled from outside.

“That’s what we just did, Dunce Face! Now go away!”

He studied the hat. This could be fun.

----

Upon entering the common room, Katsuki scanned the faces until he located the familiar mess of green curls, partly hidden by the pointy red hat, standing with his regular crew. His didn’t have mistletoe, but a small bone hanging from the tip, most likely a dumb reference to their first months at UA and his lack of control.

When Deku saw him, he smiled softly, eyes warm, and Katsuki did his best to smirk, instead of giving him a moony and dumb smile. He saw the exact moment the nerd realized what was hanging from his hat. He only gave him a baffled expression, and he grinned in disbelief, then Glasses said something and Deku turned to look at him.

That was it? Huh, how boring.

Katsuki searched for Kaminari, saw him standing with Sero and Mina, and shrugged when he glanced at him. Kaminari looked from Deku to him, yellow eyes calculating. He suddenly broke from his group and strode confidently to him. Katsuki was prepared to kick him or blast him away if he got too close, but he didn't need to worry.

Kaminari froze as dark tendrils wrapped around Katsuki’s middle, and yanked him in another direction. He stumbled into a pair of arms he knew better than his own, and met Deku’s gaze, wide eyes full of fake innocence.

“Hey, Uraraka wanted to ask you something,” he said in lieu of an explanation.

“I did?” Round Face said, sharing a look with the Frog chick.

Katsuki tried to face her, testing how far the nerd was willing to go, and Deku didn’t disappoint. He jumped in front of him, taking his wrists and wrapping himself in a hug. They weren’t big on PDA, but they held hands and hugged without caring who was in the room. However, this was different; Deku was short of shielding Katsuki from everyone. Nobody could stand under the mistletoe as long as he stood under his chin.

“Are you for real?” he whispered in his ear.

“What do you mean, Kacchan?” Deku glanced up, and Katsuki huffed, kissing the spot behind his ear.

“Suit yourself, loser.” If the nerd refused to admit what he was doing, Katsuki was going to make him break a sweat before the night was over.

Katsuki broke from his hold, and went to flop down on the couch. He got a lap full of nerd the minute Sero sat by his side. He let Deku be, sliding his arms around his waist to support him, listening to the conversation around them.

He got hungry, so he pushed his boyfriend off him and went to get some foot. Sato passed him a plate, crouching down to his level and offering a turkey leg like he tended to do. Normally Katsuki just took a bite right out of his hand, mostly because he hated getting grease on his hands, but Deku appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the plate, muttering about taking care of it himself.

The night turned into a game; how much Katsuki could stretch his nerd’s patience before he snapped and stuck to him like glue.

Katsuki laughed until he cried when IcyHot leaned close with a confused expression, studying the mistletoe, and Deku accidentally head butted him in the chin in his haste to get between them. He apologized profusely with a flaming face while Todoroki blinked away the white spots in his vision, rubbing his jaw and backing off, and Katsuki lost it.

His favorite was when Kirishima tried to give him a hug. For whatever reason, Deku had been more territorial of him when it came to Shitty Hair since first year, and Katsuki ended up floating to the Christmas tree with his boyfriend grabbing him firmly by the hips, under the pretense of showing him the star adorning the top.

“Are you kidding me?” Katsuki said, smirking and flicking the ornament closer to the tip of the tree.

Deku didn’t reply, just hugged him tighter. Katsuki saw him smile out of the corner of his eye, delighted by the little game. His boyfriend was ridiculous, completely bat shit crazy, and Katsuki loved him so much he wanted to scream.

They left the party when Deku started to nod off on his shoulder, still clinging to him like a koala. Katsuki yelled a general goodbye, and more or less, dragged his boyfriend to his room, accepting the fate of sleeping in the tacky All Might room tonight over the prospect of hauling the many pounds of muscle all the way to his room.

“I’m beat,” the nerd mumbled, resting his face on the doorframe, but not getting in.

“I would say,” Katsuki scoffed, pinching his cheek. “That was some impressive quirk training, idiot.”

“You did that to rile me up,” he accused him, batting the mistletoe away.

“It was Dunce Face’s idea,” Katsuki defended himself.

“He’s a menace,” Deku said, freeing his cheek of his grip, but not letting go. “But so are you,” he turned his head to the side, and nuzzled into the palm of his hand. “Do I get a kiss before bed?” He glanced up, green eyes shining. How he could manage to give him such an earnest and sweet look, then turn around and kick someone in the face without remorse, would forever puzzle and amaze Katsuki.

“I guess you earned it,” he cupped his face, and lowered his mouth to his. 

As he sunk his fingers in the green curls, tipping his face up and deepening the kiss, Katsuki ripped the hat from his head, and blasted a small explosion to get rid of the mistletoe. They didn’t need it.

Katsuki didn’t want to kiss anyone else but him.

----

Thank you for this, C, I've been writing some angst and this fluff was so good for me! Hope you enjoy it!

[mandos-lightningbeforethunder]

Start Again - Chapter One (Din Djarin x Reader)

SUMMARY: Luke Skywalker wasn't the only one searching the galaxy for force-sensitive beings. And he was a hell of a lot nicer. You were sure of these visions. They told of a forgotten life and explained the cracks in your memories. Perhaps employing the lone Mandalorian may help you put the pieces together.

CHAPTER WARNINGS: brief mention of torture, discussion of memory loss

Author’s Note: First time posting on both tumblr and AO3 (fic is cross-posted). Feel free to reblog! Other chapters will be linked as the story progresses. Enjoy!

CHAPTER ONE - THE MEMORY

“Castin!”

A boy, no more than ten, turned at the voice of his mother calling him. He was jovial, playing in the riverbed. His clothes will be soaked if I don’t stop him, you thought.

“These men want to speak to you!” Perhaps that would get his attention.

Behind you, three men stood, watching the child as he bound toward his mother. The boy quickly hid behind your skirts, suddenly shy. Castin was almost to your chest now, yet in the presence of strangers, he still acted like a toddler. One of the men crouched to his level, offering a rock.

“Your mother tells me of your abilities,” one of the men hums out.

Castin nods. You watch as the man reaches into his pocket, pulling out a simple stone.

“Show me,” he requests. Castin looks to you, unsure. You nod, offering him a smile to encourage him. You had heard whispers around the galaxy, the Empire defeated and a young Jedi searching for more like him.

Holding the stone between his pointer finger and thumb, the man waits for Castin. His face contorted in concentration, Castin pulls the stone towards him into the palm of his outstretched hand.

The three men hum in admonishment. At such a young age and already showing promise, you hear one murmur. Castin smiles at you, practically beaming from excitement.

“We would like to speak to you about possible schooling if you wouldn’t mind?” The man rises from the ground, offering you a smile.

“Yes, of course. Castin can go back to playing, yes?” You ask, not wanting to bore your son. The man simply nods, turning to walk to your village. You walk just behind the man, passing his two colleagues before you hear the ignition of a saber.

The nightmare has been longer than others. However, the faces remain blank to you. The reminder of what was lost, just in front of you, and yet you hardly remember it. There are whispers about it, about your survival and broken memories.

Staring up at the ceiling of your hut, you closed your eyes to try and engrain the nightmare. Fold it into other nightmares and visions, hoping to fill in the blank spaces in your mind. It did little to help what was left of your memory, however. All you knew, is you had a lost life somewhere out there. The voice in that nightmare was your own.

Someone calls your name. Opening your eyes, you again see the ceiling of your hut and rise from your cot. The twin suns leak sunlight into your hut to signify that it was time for morning chores.

Another shout of your name.

“Just a moment!” You shout back, turning to the bowl next to your cot. You splash the water onto your face, rousing yourself. The creak of your door startles you from drying your face.

“Valara! What have I told you about sneaking up on her?” an elder woman, standing just outside your door, chastises.

“Sorry grandmother,” Valara says, before turning to you. She sees the look on your face and calmly shuts the door behind her. “Did you have another nightmare?”

You only nod, drying your hands before placing the cloth next to the bowl.

“You know there are remedies for that,” Valara suggests.

“I know,” you murmur, “but I’m not ready.”

“You choose to suffer?” She asks. You know she means well. She has been there through your worse ones.

“I had a son,” you turn to her, your eyes meeting hers for the first time this morning. “In this nightmare. I had a son. He couldn’t have been older than ten, I think. His face was a blur, but he was mine. I know that.”

Valara stares at you, her mouth slightly slack in shock. She blinks and is quickly set back in reality. She moves closer to you, placing her hands on your biceps as a means of comfort.

“Are you sure? Wait, no, I mean, I believe you. Your memory has been returning and it looks promising. I just,” she pauses, looking away from you before her eyes meet yours again, “I don’t want your conscious to confuse you with false memories. My grandmother told me your brain uses it to protect you.”

“I know what I saw, Valara,” you state in a firm tone. “It was me, my voice in that nightmare. Not something my conscious could just conjure up.”

Valara’s hands fall to her side, nodding at your words. You can see the gears turning in her head, she’s unsure of what to say.

“There are chores to do. Maybe that will take your mind off things before you have another session with my grandmother,” Valara states, turning away from you. She walks toward the door, before turning to look over her shoulder. She then leaves without another word.

You ponder her words. There were chores to complete. The same chores you had been doing since you first arrived in Valara’s village. You needed change. Something different than this village and its secrets. The constant sessions with Valara’s grandmother were only taking a toll on you. Your memory was improving and yet you felt as zero progress had been made.

Opening the door to your hut the twin suns quickly beat down on you. The winter season, a mere two weeks, had come and gone on Puvo. The grassland planet’s ecosystem only called for summer and spring seasons, with the occasional winter season that came every once in a millennium.

Valara was just ahead of you. Kneeling over the riverbed, she washed the dirt off the leaves of Puvo’s native plant. Known for its healing properties, villages like Valara’s sold the leaves in droves. It was shipped across the galaxy, reaching the far ends of the universe. Valara’s grandmother had used it when you had first arrived, bleeding with a shattered mind. Although the leaves healed the physical wounds, your mind remained in the state you had first arrived in.

You knew only your name and parts of your life before. You didn’t even remember the victory of the Rebels. Valara had to catch you up on the last six months, easing you into the current state of the universe. There was no war, none at Puvo at least, and the galaxy remained peaceful.

You kneel beside Valara, scooping a couple of leaves from her pile, and begin washing them in the flowing water.

“I want to leave,” you whisper to her. Her head jerks to look at yours.

“Leave?” she asks. “You know you can’t do that, not without my grandmother’s permission. Your head…it’s not in the right place for you to go out on your own.”

“I know. That’s why you’re going to help me,” You say, looking at her. Her face is contorted in confusion before the realization hits her.

“No,” she states, shaking her head. “I can’t let you do that.”

“Valara,” you start, “I can’t be here any longer. I know my mind isn’t where it needs to be but being stuck on this planet—” Valara splashes you, stopping your words.

“You’re asking me to sneak you off Puvo,” she reminds you. You nod and she sighs, looking away from you.

“I need change. Puvo and its people, you and your grandmother have treated me with nothing but kindness since I first arrived. Your grandmother helped me piece parts of my mind back together. But staying here could mean years before we make any more progress.” At this point, your tone comes off as pleading.

“Why so sudden? What did you see in that nightmare?” Valara asks, “You’ve been here for nearly a year now and we’ve just put together your earliest memories. Leaving Puvo could mean never recovering other memories. You know, pre-Empire memories.”

Right. The Empire no longer existed and instead, the New Republic stood in its place. A new era of peace.

“Valara. That nightmare…that’s more than I’ve ever seen before. The faces may have been a blur, but I know in my heart that I have a son out there. I don’t even know if he remembers me at this point, but I need to try and at least find him.”

Valara murmurs your name, placing a hand on yours. You take a deep breath.

“You came to us a year ago. Broken, bloody, babbling incoherent things. Grandmother didn’t think you’d survive the night. Stars, whoever or wherever you came from, they tortured you. Don’t you understand?  You’re safer here. There’s a possibility if you have a son out there, the people that did those things to you…they don’t want you finding him.”

“Valara,” you say.

“Don’t, don’t ‘Valara’ me. You say it in that stupid voice of yours and suddenly I melt. Stop it.” She demands, glaring at you. You can see the conflict in her eyes. She means well, she wants to protect you and keep you safe from the people that harmed you.

“What if you came with me?” you offered, taking another leaf from her pile. She shakes her head, focusing instead on the task at hand.

“What if I took a communicator with me? Check-in with you every week or so?” This time, Valara pauses in her work. She looks at you again, placing the leaves down in the basket next to her.

“Those communicators are for transport crews only. They’ll notice when one is missing. And how do you expect to get out of here? The only ships that regularly arrive and depart are those janky old transport ships and they can barely fit a load of Puvion leaves.”

A bag of credits lands next to her basket and she looks up at you.

“Where did you get those?” She demands, snatching the bag and peering inside. You can see her counting the amount.

“I’ve earned them,” you say, taking the bag from her with gentle hands. “Turns out loading those janky old transport ships earn quite a bit of them.”

“Damn it,” Valara curses, but she smiles. She seems proud. “What are you planning on doing with those credits? Bribing your trip to another planet?”

“No. There’s an old watering hole a couple of kilometers from here. From what I’ve read, there’s a couple of travelers who come through and pick up any stragglers in exchange for information or…credits.”

“So, bribery,” Valara deduces. You give a sheepish smile as she rolls her eyes. “Where will you get the communicator?”

“You know that one transport crew? The one with that pilot who thinks he’s the shit?” Her eyes widening is a signal that she knows exactly who you’re talking about.

“Nope. I’ve heard enough. I’m not becoming an accessory to your crimes. You’re crazy.” Valara rises from the riverbed, brushing her hands on her pants. You quickly set aside your leaves and pocket the credits, rising to follow her.

“It’s not becoming an accessory. I just need a favor. His crew arrives tomorrow at the same time as the last. He won’t even notice it’s gone.”

Valara stops, pinching her nose in frustration. She seems to be going over your words, processing them and what they could mean.

“My grandmother is going to kill me…” she sighs. You grin, ready to celebrate but she stops you with her hand. “No, no, you’re getting the communicator yourself. I’m stalling for you, so my grandmother doesn’t wonder why you missed a session.”

You hug her and her surprise is visible. Affection is not lost of the native Puvion, but it’s rare coming from you.

“Thank you,” you say, and she rolls her eyes, returning the hug in a begrudging manner.

Read Chapter Two - The Journey here!

[szynkaaa]

I more or less watched The Boy!!! And by watching, I mean I skipped more or less through the jump scare parts because I cannot do horror movies at all. I haven’t watched one since 2015 and The Boy was like the first horror movie after five years

Full disclosure, the ONLY reason I started watching the movie was because someone posted a gif of Greta standing close to Brahms who was all sweaty and breathing heavily n I was like “oh shit who dat he hot” and here I am 

Can anyone explain the sandwich scene to me? So Greta was scared shitless and locked herself in her room, but why did Brahms make her favorite sandwich for her?

I did some digging for interviews and generally what people have been saying about the movie, took some screenshots from youtube to put my thoughts and musing together too! 

Can anyone explain the sandwich scene to me? So Greta was scared shitless and locked herself in her room, but why did Brahms make her favorite sandwich for her? 

So first of all, let’s start with a low resolution photo I found on IG of James Russell without mask:

which brings me to my first musing/thought/question? 

It’s all under the cut, very screenshot and text heavy, you can find more Brahms drawing at the bottom though  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So at the end of the movie, we are shown a Brahms with a broken mask and his face being burned, indicating that he was in fact in the fire.

I assumed first that the fire was created by the parents to fake their sons death and then he had to live hidden inside the walls? 

But I’ve also heard apparently it was Brahms who set the fire to fake his own death or maybe an eight years old kid really was trying to burn himself down?? 

My other theory is that his parents made the fire and tried to kill Brahms and it did burn him but he survived, and the parents didn’t wanna go to jail sooo to hide everything they made their son live in the walls

i mean the responsible thing would be to turn their kid in and have him treated and stuff;;; listened to a murder podcast about two cases where kids murdered enough kids and how they are doing now interesting read Brahms made me think of those two cases 

I also do not think that the previous nannies were killed. Like, c’mon. You’d report a person missing and sooner or later it would go back to the Heelshire mansion and if the body counts piles up? Can’t look good and I doubt that the Heelshire wants the police investigating them close up. 

Also, when the mom was like “He’s chosen you if you’ll have him” to Greta? Is it just me or the wording or does it sound like a marriage proposal/arrangement xD 

Brahms is a brat and he sees the people around him as his possession or to toy around. But I also do think that he has some abandonment issues but not in the sad tragic kind of way lmao. Even if he was the one controlling and manipulating his parents from behind-the-scene (quite literally I suppose?), he was still told as a kid to live in hiding and that no one can know he is alive. I don’t know much about the human brain, but I can imagine how damaging that must be to his mental growth and set him back in some way? We don’t know too much about his relationship with his parents - but I assume that he must have still loved them in his own twisted way. Can’t imagine that he would have been indifferent about his parents suicide. 

The scene before Greta manages to back out - first he uses the child voice to beg her to come back and promises he will be good. That’s his manipulating Greta, but when that doesn’t work and she tries harder to open the door, he becomes more desperate to keep her there and then completely loses his temper and threatens to kill Malcolm if she doesn’t return. I’m pretty sure homeboy would have killed him anyway. And then later when she returns and he is all heavy breathing and smelling her hair and then jumps up when she shouts Brahms? Idk I def think there is some sort of abandonment issue going on. 

I don’t think he is a child stuck in a man’s body or manchild or whatever. I think that he does know how to take care of himself - but he just chooses to manipulate people with the facade of a kid to do his bidding and cater to his needs. 

Anywhomst, but clearly Brahms is also a very manipulative and controlling person based, based on how the mother was reacting on the destroyed bedroom, she really seemed to be at the end of her wits and just breaking down with her “you promised you’d be good”. It was very heartbreaking to watch and also scary because it really makes you realize just how much power Brahms holds over them?? idk maybe it was just me.

Next point: the CGI mask  + the burns 

So according to some interviews with the director stated that at the first test streaming, people weren’t really scared of Brahms because he was too handsome so they had to slap a mask over his face. The face was done after everything was filmed. I’m thinking the face burns were also added post-production when they were adding the cgi mask. Otherwise, James would have needed to go through the makeup department for some wicked face burns and it would have been visible during the filming and test screening too? Which would imply that at first the fire was supposed to be just  a cover story that their son is dead and it was changed later

Observation/thoughts on Brahms Heelshire

Love how he stands there with his hands behind his back and then nods when Greta tells him to go under the cover

James Russell is 191cm tall. So like. Brahms is really fucking tall. But I notice that most of the time he stands with a slight hunch. Could be due to him crawling through the walls and crawling out of places that requires him to do a lot of crouching. His bed in his hideout made me really sad, I’ll get to it later. 

Since James didn’t get many lines in the ten minutes that he appeared, I do think that his eyes did all the acting. They stand out even more with the mask on, there is just this crazy look on it. I also noticed during my rewatch that he doesn’t seem to blink much or at all. 

Oh yeah, he also peeped on Greta and Malcolm making out on the bed and then cockblocked them. We been knowing that he made a Greta doll and very likely jerked off to it. We also been knowing that he very very very likely wanted to bone Greta at the goodnight kiss scene still waiting for the maskeless kiss scene gimme gimme. I also highly doubt that Brahms has much first-hand experience with kissing n stuff. High key thinking he was trying to do copy Malcolm and do what he observed lmao

When I first watched the scene, I assumed that the hole behind the mirror has always been and it’s just another one of the hidden passages Brahms to slip in and out, but now that I’m looking at the shape of the holes, it seems to me more like the mirror and brick wall were broken at the same time?? If that is the case holy shit boy is s t  r o n g. I mean, he also punched through the closet door like no big deal so really what have the parents been feeding him. 

I’m also leaning toward the fact that he ran there because Greta screamed loudly. I don’t think he was in the room as them when everything went down there, it seemed more like he heard the scream and had to nyoomed over and then punched a way through to get out of the wall. And then went on to attack Cole. He must have known that Greta wanted Cole gone, since that what she whispered to the doll before going to bed. 

Tbh, I fully expected him to murder Cole in his sleep, but Brahms wrote a warning message in blood to tell him to get out soooooo like. Cole you were warned and now you gotta live with the consequences ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Brahm’s sleeping corner

This scene was shown at the end after Greta and Malcolm escaped. We also see them briefly during the part where Greta and Malcolm are trying to find a way out and stumbled into Brahms’ hideout. I’m not sure why the rules are slapped on the walls. It seems to me that Brahms is very very very set on that the rules / routine should be followed. In the movie, he called Greta and suggested to her that she should follow the rules, to which she then started doing it.

I headcanon that that’s the routine that he grew up with as a kid and it’s just very very very very very hard to break out of it - not that he is trying to break the routine. 

I’m failing to find a good way to put my thoughts into words, but I guess the rules and routine is sort of his coping mechanism? 

I suppose if you had an OC that you ship Brahms with and want to change stuff around the house, the OC would have to very slowly introduce new rules and routines. Baby steps, yknow.

Brahms has a violin hanging there! Honestly I would be surprised if Brahms didn’t know how to play at least one instrument. The family also has an old ass piano/clavichord (?) and Brahms loves classical music soo yeah. Love me a boy who appreciates classical musical hehe

I suppose the egg boxes are there to soundproof the room more - maybe so he can play the violin? 

There’s also music sheets hung around his attics, it’s not clear on the screenshots but when you rewatch the scene and shove your face close to the screen. Some are hanging next to the violin and there are some taped on the wall next to his bed and porn too

nice to see he has a fridge and microwave, I was concerned that he wasn’t well fed and that leftovers might not be enough, but then again. Dude is 191 cm so clearly he has been drinking his milk

Didn’t take a screenshot of his vanity, but there is a crocodile magnet stuck to the mirror hehe. I do think that he shaves and stuff, otherwise his beard would be much longer??

We can see more music sheets stuck to a pillar on the right. 

Loving the christmas lights that he has hanging there above his bed. It’s cute. 

On the shelf he has a bunch of tupperware and empty bowls. Most of hte things are neatly organized. We can also see some books and a pen

There’s some sunlight streaming inside - I do hope that Brahmsy stays warm during winters.

Here we can see more of the food that he has there - there is also a sink but I didn’t snatch a screenshot of it. I think those are potatoes in the pot? Maybe he does know how to cook some basic stuff, I do wonder if he has a functioning kitchen up there. Probably not for fire safety reasons lol

Yall see that thing on the note sheet covered pillar? Ngl, that’s a whole ass aesthetic right there.

He got a few potted plants up there. Took a closer look at them and it seems like they were healthy. So he knows how to take care of plants, which is nice to know I suppose?

Yes, we all know what he was doing with the doll and what the tissue balled up tissue implies. However, has anyone noticed the size of the bed??? 

If you scroll up a bit to the screenshot of Greta seeing the doll, it looks t i n y. The make shift doll takes up more than half of the space. 

Yall. this breaks my heart. Dude is a beanstalk. I’m pretty sure the bed is from when he was a kid shoved by his parents to live inside the wall, does he have to sleep there in his adulthood too??? 

Even though Brahms strikes me as someone who probably doesn’t sleep much or during normal times, that bed must be so tiny for him. He must be sleeping with his knees bend and shit unable to stretch out :((( 

Brahms: is a psychopath that smashed the skull of a girl and very abusive tormented his parents and then Greta Me: omg he needs a bigger bed that poor thing :(((

Brahms’ DIY corner 

Ah yes, Brahm’s little DIY/creative corner. 

Homeboy got lot of animal traps, cages and taxidermies hanging around, pointing strongly toward that it’s a hobby of it? 

Also at the end where we see him fixing up the doll, we can get a better shot at his desk, and I gotta say the threads and stuff are all very nicely organized. Brahms’s table looks more organized than mine does lmao. 

So we know he is a crafty boy. Not sure how difficult taxidermy is but I imagine it does take a lot of time to learn? Well he had all the time in the world anyway.

So yeah, that’s a wrap. Congrats if you made it to the bottom of my incoherent thoughts and ramblings, have a bonus drawing of Brahms wearing different masks: 

[tanakavox]

A look into the multiverse chapter 8 SAOA

Many thanks to my friend friend @bssaz97 for his work on the reactions. And TheGoldenBoy2188 for the strict for SAOA making writing easy. The next reaction will be a suprise so stay tune.

Amidst the streets of Mantle, Whitley Schnee walked towards a destination while wearing a disguise consisting of a coat, scarf, shaded glasses, and a flat cap. He had a mission and he would not waste this opportunity!

It was not every day that he could simply leave the manor without Father's permission or notice so he needed to be quick but not noticeable. He had waited months for this day to arrive. Whitley had pre-ordered the latest MMO game of his favorite game series a week before the initial release date and had come to pick it up. Having connections in the right places certainly did have its benefits. The only downside was he had to acquire his prize somewhere outside of his father's notice. So what other place to go than Atlas's sister kingdom.

Outside of his notice, a young white haired faunus woman with sheep ears followed close behind him. Fiona Thyme was out picking up some food for the rest of the Happy Huntresses when she noticed an unfamiliar person walking around. She knew almost everyone on this side of Mantle, so a new person popping out of the blue was very suspicious. Normally she would have reported this back to Robyn but upon further inspection she recognized who this person was.

It was the sole son of the worst man on Remnant and the newly appointed heir of the Schnee Dust Company, Whitley Schnee! Why was he here in Mantle?! Fiona determined he was up to no good and decided to follow him. Wherever the SDC goes, trouble usually follows!

Whitley finally arrived at the destination he was seeking… the Post Office! Now all he had to do was open the door, enter the establishment aaaaaand- stare dumbfounded as the inside of this place was a theatre.

"What the-? This isn't the post office. Where am I?!" Whitley shouted at no one in particular.

"Ah-ha! Caught you right where I- Huh? Where the hell? This isn't the post office!" Fiona also dumbfounded.

"Whitley?" Both Weiss and Winter stated in a mix of shock and disbelief at seeing their little brother. Maybe some hostility on Weiss part.

"Weiss? Winter? How-?"

"What the hell is this?!" A loud female voice shouted as four more people arrived out of nowhere. Consisting of two normal sized humans, a bunny faunus and a very large man.

"Coco/Velvet/Fox/Yatsuhashi!" Teams RWBY and JNR said collectively.

"Oh hello everyone! This… is a surprise! When did you get to Vacuo?" Velvet asked the group.

Fiona turned towards the new strangers, "Vacuo? What are you talking about? You're all in Mantle?"

"I'm most certain we're in Vacuo at the time." Yatsu spoke.

"You are in neither at the moment." Ozpin spoke up.

"What the- Teach? Weren't you supposed to be dead?!" Coco confusingly points out.

"I believe an explanation is in order."

*One short but informative explanation later*

"Wait so we were brought here to watch… alternate realities?" Fiona says after she and all the new arrivals had been told everything about the theater.

"We call them viewings but yeah pretty much." Ruby said.

"Hold on, I can understand why all of you were brought here, seeing as you all are huntsmen and huntresses. But that doesn't explain why I'm here." Whitley, having taken off his disguise.

"A great question indeed." Weiss mutters.

"I think I have a theory." Blake stepped forward. "So far now, I've noticed that the people who are here have at least some involvement in the viewings that we have been seeing. Remember that one viewing we saw of Whitley being stuck inside a video game?"

"I was stuck in a video game?"

"Also if you die in the game you die for real." Nora added.

Whitley's eyes widened at the implications.

"Well you're still stuck as far as we know. But apparently you're very good at the game so you might be fine." Jaune clarifies. Slightly feeling guilty that his alternate is the one who traps him there.

"Oh joy, now I'm trapped inside a place against my will in two realities!" Whitley throws his hands in frustration.

"Oh boo hoo! Is the rich boy gonna cry because nothings going his way today?" Fiona says in a mocking tone.

"Oh I'm sure you would know so much about crying and complaining about trivial things, thief." He shot back at Fiona.

"At least I think about the people of Mantle! When was the last time you thought of someone outside of yourself, Schnee!" Fiona retorted.

Winter sensing that this conversation was going nowhere stepped in between her brother and the happy huntress.

"Enough! None of us came here by choice so let's just stop this pointless arguing and move on."

Fiona huffed, "I couldn't agree more." She stomped away from the two siblings and found herself a seat in the theater.

Winter sighed, "It may not be ideal but as long as you are here Whitley, I would just suggest sitting tight and wait until you or all of us are able to leave this place."

"Hmph, very well. Thank you sister, it almost sounds like you care." Whitley took his leave and found a seat that was about four seats away from Weiss's team.

"Isn't there anywhere else you want to sit," Weiss practically hisses.

"Oh but Weiss it's the only seat that's close enough to you." Whitley affirmed.

Weiss groans in frustration, 'Hopefully it's only for one viewing…'

An acoustic guitar plays in the background as a montage of the events of and post-Episode 1 appears on the screen and a narrator began to talk.

" A month had passed since that fateful day. When everyone's world got all twisted, leaving them stranded in a castle in the sky. Since then, 2000 poor souls came to an abrupt and tragic end. Some by bad luck, others by sheer stupidity. I mean, really. Why would you just stand in fire? Anyways, that didn't bother The Kid none. He only cared about one thing, and one thing alone. Himself. 'Cuz in a game of life or death, you either live... or you die."

The scene transitions to Shirou leaning against a wall with an annoyed look on his face.

"What?! Two thousand of the players have died already!" Ruby yelled, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Not surprising, seeing as many of them looked weak last viewing." Cinder coolly replies.

Many huntsmen and huntresses glared at the red clad woman. She paid them no mind.

"Well thank you very much Narrator, you're doing a wonderful job of explaining the total death count of this video game prison." Whitley commented dryly.

"Oh, WOW. What brilliant insight! It's so deep it loops right back around to being stupid." Shirou snarked.

"The Kid ranted at no one, it slowly dawning just how alone he truly was" Narrator continued..

Whitley's eyes narrowed, "Am I being sassed by the narrator?"

"Maybe you said something to piss them off." Fiona added.

"Wait, what was that?" Shirou asks, shocked.

"He asked the sky, like a preacher to his silent gods."

"What gods? What are you talking about?! It's all bullshit metaphors with you!"

"He cried, not knowing the difference between a simile and a metaphor. The tininess of his brain dwarfed only by the tininess of his di-"

Whitley's eyes narrowed and face twitched at how much of an annoyance this narrator was being.

Weiss was doing her best to conceal her smile but was failing and breathes out a laugh. She was enjoying the exchange that her brother was going through and found it amusing. Her team gave her a side glance while Fiona and a few others laughed at the roast session the young Schnee was being given.

"Narrator off." Shirou commands the system with an annoyed tone.

"YOUCANSILENCEMEBUTYOUCAN'TSILENCETHETRU-" The narrator got cut off.

"Dick."

"Thank gods that's over, that narrator was extremely rude." Whitley sighed thankfully now that the narrator was silenced.

Weiss and Fiona grumbled that their fun was ruined.

Fade into December 2, 2022, on a strategy meeting led by man called Diabel. He gave a big smiled out to the crow

"Hey everyone. Thank you all for coming to our little powwow. Now, I know many of you may be discouraged by the fact that 2000 people have died so far."

" WHAT?!" A player screamed

" 2000 PEOPLE ARE DEAD?!" Another screamed.

"IT HASN'T EVEN BEEN A MONTH YET!"

"OH MY GOD, WE REALLY ARE FUCKED!"

"Pretty much, sucks to be you!" Mercury laughed.

"These are the people that have to survive this game. Honestly what was blondie expecting," Emerald facepalms.

"Hey! Just because they've lost numbers doesn't mean that they have to lose hope!" Ruby glared at the two assassins.

"And I know even more of you are a little down because we haven't even cleared the First Floor yet." Diabel added, trying to keep the smile on his face.

"WE HAVEN'T?!"

"I THOUGHT WE WERE ALMOST DONE...!"

"You were saying." Cinder looked back at Ruby.

"Well…" Ruby trailed off, thinking of a way to defend these players.

Diabel's smile wavered

"Uh, you guys do know there are 100 Floors, right?"

"WHAT?!" A crowd of players yelled.

Diabels sighed a bit.

Ruby, despite her best attempts, also sighed and sat back down.

"Oh jeez, I am just making things worse. Point is, we found the Boss Room!"

The crowd gasps.

"Now, we've formulated a few strategies with some help from the beta testers-"

"BETA TESTERS?!" A voice yells out.

"Oh goddammit!" Diabel groaned argnily

A player named Kibaou jumps in.

Kibaou, what do you want? Diabel looked tired addressing this player.

"Beta testers? They're the reason we're stuck in this game!" Kibaoyu sneered

Many that heard this player's statement and quickly frowned at his blatant accusations towards these 'beta-testers.'

"This guy can't be serious, right?" Coco stated.

Dianel looked at Kibaou flatterausted at the stupidity of the statement he heard

"What?! Do you have any evidence to back that up?"

Kiabrou scoffed at the question. "Pfft! Evidence. I don't need no evidence. Isn't that right, Jesus?" He points to a player named "Jesus"

" It's pronounced "Hey-Zeus", and I don't know you."

"Wow, really selling your reasoning by having no one else to support your claim." Jaune stated while crossing his arms.

"Well, they still should have helped us newbies!" He exclaimed

"If I might interject...:" A deep voice called out.

A big muscular man gets up and comes to the stage.

Velvet taps Yatsu's arm excitedly, "Hey you're in this game too Yatsu! …oh gods you're in this game too."

"So it seems," Yatsu, doing his best to keep a straight face.

Coco lowered her shades along with a confused look. As far as she knew, Velvet was the only one who played video games on their team. Unless...

"And who the hell are you?!"

"I am known by many names.", "Closed eyed demon. The memory easer., "Hooked clawed tiger". But you? You may call me... "Velvet".

"Velvet huh? That's a... pretty masculine name." Kibaoru said adwarkley

"Shouldn't be. It's a woman's name." Velvet replied casually.

"Damn it. I had a feeling but I didn't want to be right." Coco cursed quietly while shaking her head.

"Wait, why would Yatsu have a character named after me? That doesn't- ...Oh ...oh my gods." Velvet's eyes widened at the implications, tears starting to build. That is until she felt a nudge on one of her shoulders. She turned her head and there was Yatsuhashi looking at Velvet with a gaze that said, 'It's not your fault.'

"Kay, I don't know how to talk to you."

"Good. Then you can shut up and listen. Does everyone here have this book in their inventory?"

" Yeah.

" Yes."

"Yup."

"Yeah."

" No... Wait, can I change my answer?"

Velvet/Yatsushi held up a book to show to everyone.

" This book is full of tips and strategies on how to survive this game, put together by the beta testers. Everyone read it, yet some people still died. The beta testers did everything they could."

"Yeah, that means Mace Hair has no reason to blame the beta testers!" Ruby points out.

Many of her friends nodded and Yastu's team smiled at the sound defense his alternate presented.

" Actually, I didn't read it." One player chimed up.

"Yeah, I didn't read it either."

"I skimmed it."

"OH COME ON!" Many members of the audience shouted in agitation.

"What? Didn't ANY of you read it?! It is literally a matter of life and death." Velvet exclaimed

"Well, dude. It's like 80 pages." A player pointed

"2000 people are dead!"

"THEY ARE?!"

"Again. These are the people that have to survive this game." Emerald reiterates.

Brief pause. Shirou looks shocked at their stupidity.

"I am so done with you people." Velvet mutters, walking off the stage.

" What do you mean "you people"?" A player asked a bit offended.

The Faunus in the room narrowed at their eyes at the implications made by that player.

"What do you mean, "you people"?" Fiona asks no one in particular.

Velvet and Kibaou take their seats.

Diabel continued with the meeting. "So, as Mister Hooked clawed tiger was saying, this book has some great strategies, including how to beat the First Boss, Illfang."

He clears his throat and starts reading from the guide.

"So as you enter the Boss Room, he's gonna throw wave after wave of disposable minions at you... and you must answer in kind."...?

"Uh, what?" A player asks, mirroring Diabel confusion.

Many in the audience reacted just as confused. All except Whitley, who had a good feeling where this was going.

Diabel continues

"Send the weaker players first. Good rule of thumb: If a player asks you for gold 2 seconds after meeting you, front lines."

"Ha, serves 'em right!" Kiaboru said with a laugh

"If they hijack conversations to rant about their political views, front lines."Diabel said with a smirk looking at Kiaboru.

Kibaou went pale. "Aw, shit."

"Ha! Serves you right!" Nora laughed.

"If they ask female players for pics of their boobs, front lines."

"OH BULLSHIT!" One player screamed out in rage.

"THAT'S DISCRIMINATION!" Another one howled.

"BOO!"

Many of the women in the theater frown at the way those players reacted. Winter was more than certain that those players were the type that participated in the mentioned acts the speaker spoke on.

Diabel smiles and waves them down. "Now, now, people. I think there are some valid points being made here. Now, it goes on to say when Illfang's health goes into the red, he's going to switch from his axe and buckler to something called a "Talwar". At that point we should initiate a strategy called "The Final Solution" and- I'm just gonna stop reading! Jesus, who wrote this thing?"

Shirou giggles evilly.

"Of course Whitley wrote that book." Weiss sighed.

"Why sister, it sounds like that didn't surprise you in the least." Whitley pretending to act hurt.

"Please. The manipulative tone of the text almost makes one sound too much like you." Weiss bit back.

"Well I suppose you would know." A wide smile on Whitley's face.

Weiss scoffs turning her head away from her traitorous brother.

Team R_BY and Winter watched the exchange and sighed.

"Okay, so the guide's a bust. But it'll be fine. I'll come up with a great plan for us." Diabel smiles at the crowed.

"Like what?"

" Well... we... could... Uh... Uhhhh... I'm open to suggestions."

"Woah, guys, we could- we could, you know, like, group up and-"

"And hit it 'til it DIES!" Another yelled finishing the other player sentence

"Woo, nice!"

"Yeah!"

" High five!"

The two hive five.

"Well. It's something, right?." Velvet does her best to be optimistic.

Many of the more experienced members of the theater shake their heads.

"That's... a good start. But let's hear some other suggestions."

"I'd like to hear more about this "Final Solution"." A player in a german accent piped up.

"Fuck it, group up." said Diabel said tirely.

Shirou slides down the seats towards a girl, named Fiona, who's on her own.

Fiona blinks in surprise, "Oh my gods, that's me! I'm in the game! Hey other me, stay away from the Schnee!"

"You have my condolences." Weiss says to the sheep faunus.

"So, why aren't, uh, you joining anyone's group?" Shirou asked.

"I have my reasons." She said mysterioly

" Is it because you're a girl?"

"No. It's because... I don't know how to play."

"Because you're a girl?"

Many of the females and males who enjoy video games, such as Yang, Ruby, Velvet, Nora,, Jaune, Oscar, Ren, surprisingly Mercury and Emerald, along with Fiona herself, threw questioning glares towards the current heir of the SDC. Weiss and Winter glared at him as well but for other reasons.

Whitley looks around to see all the glares directed towards him. "Why are you all looking at me? I said nothing."

"No!" Fiona snapped. "It's just... I don't know how to open the menu."

"What?" Both Fiona and Whitley asked.

"Jinx!" Nora shouts.

"What?!" Shriou looked at the girl in shock. "But you can't do anything in this game without the menu. How have you survived all month?"

Cut to Fiona holding a piece of bread. She is staring at it intensely. "HOW DO I EAT YOU?!" She screamed at it.

Many laughs were had at the poor girl's predicament, despite some of them doing their best to not do so but could not help themselves.

Fiona slowly sank into her chair, covering her face in shame. Her alternate was the utter definition of a newb player.

Back to the present.

"It's... been a challenge…" She muttered before looking at Shirou. "What about you? Why haven't you join the others?"

"Oh, lots of reasons. Mostly because they're a bunch of mouth-breathing neckbeards who think "LMAO" is how French people laugh."

" Ha ha, that's so Le Mao!" Said one player far away causing to Shirou shudder.

Whitley in the theater also shudders in disgust. If these were the people that he would have been surrounded by inside the game, then he too would have avoided them like a plague.

"Wow. You certainly... speak from the heart."

"Funny, I thought I was speaking from my mouth. But, eh, shows what I know about biology." He said with a smirk.

"No one else wanted you in their group, did they?"

"Shut up! It was mutual!"

"And who would blame me? Have you seen the players of this game? I'm honestly surprised they lived this long."

"You're just saying that 'cause no one wanted a smartass on their team." Fiona smirked.

"I'm sorry, were you speaking Menu Girl?" Whitley nonchalantly retorts.

Fiona's face grew red in embarrassment and agitation. She wanted nothing more than to raise her hand and activate her semblance right now. 'Give me a reason Schnee, I dare you.'

It cuts back to Diabel smiling and clapping his hands.

"Alright, looks like everyone's grouped up. Get plenty of rest tonight, people! We leave at noon!"

A player groans "Noon?"

"That's so early!"

Diabel sighs. "Alright. What about 1 o'clock?"

" Dude, come on!"

" God, fine! We leave at the crack of... 2:30, I guess. Lazy butts…"

"Christ, I'm gonna have to set my alarm."

Everyone in the theater did not have high expectations for these players as they would face their first challenge.

Cuts to December 3, 2022 Floor 1: Illfang's Tower, 7:30pm. Everyone's at the Boss Door and everyone except Diabel is exhausted.

"Okay, so there were a few more stairs than we realized. Apparently real life athletic ability translates into the game. Good to know." Diabel looked out to the sad sight in front of him.

"Oh, god. I can feel my lungs trying to kill me." One player whined.

" Is this sweat?!"

" I peed a little."

" Jesus, this is sad." Diabel said with a grimace.

One player vomits.

"Congrats Jaune, someone else has now become the new Vomit Boy of this viewing!" Yang exclaimed.

Jaune rolled his eyes at her attempt at making him feel better.

"Fuck it. Why don't you all just take a Cheetos and Mountain Dew break, and we'll reconvene in an hour."

1960 Batman-Esque transition with Cheetos and Mountain Dew.

" Dammit, guys! I was kidding! You weren't supposed to actually take an hour!" Dibal said in a rage."God, we've lost so much time. Let's just do this already! You all know the plan!"

Illfang jumps into the center of the room and roars. Kobolds pop in, and an error message pops up on the third one that says "Error: "Sentinel_ " not found."

Ruby and Nora laughed at the mob that got glitched.

"Alright, men!" Diabel began,"Form up and-"

"EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!" A player screams

The armies converge on each other.

"Are they serious! You can't just go gung-ho in a boss battle!" Jaune exclaimed at the increasingly apparent, dim-witted players.

"What?! No! Goddammit guys!" Diabel begins to bark out orders. "Squad B, quit attacking the Boss and keep the Sentinels off us! C, D, stop attacking from the front! Do you even know what "flank" means?! Squad F, for fuck's sake! Stop playing Bejeweled! *Groans* Squad G, get in there and help A and B!"

"Got it!" Shirou said with a nod rushing in.

"Don't talk back to…" Diabel did a double take."l Holy shit, really?!"

"How is Whitley the most sensible minded player in this game?!" Weiss asked.

"Weiss, have you seen the other players?" Blake asked her in a deadpanned tone.

"...Yes you're right, that's actually too much of an insult." Weiss admits.

Shirou attacks a Sentinel, leaving Fiona to finish it off.

"Okay, Fiona! What you're gonna wanna do here is-"

Fiona lets out a Battle Cry and kills the Sentinel in one hit.

Fiona in the theater perked up at this display, "Oh my- I can fight! Oh thank gods I can fight!"

Shirou eyes widened in shock "Wow, I thought she was hopeless, but her technique is flawless. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's even better than I-"

"Hey Shirou! I killed the thing and now it says I have XPs! Is that bad? Am I dying?! Fiona cried out to him in fear."

Shirou rolls his eyes"Or... maybe... not."

"Miss Fiona, either your alternate is very lucky or is very out of base with technology. I can't tell which it is." Whitley stated.

"Shut up Schnee, she's trying!" Fiona defends her other self.

Illfang's health drops into the red. He snarls at the players and he tosses his weapons.

"Alright, men! This last part's gonna take careful coordination…" Diabel ran towards Illfang. "which is why I'm just gonna do it myself!"

Diabel charges his weapon art. Illfang draws his Ōdachi.

Ruby's eyes widened, "OH NO!"

Shirou looked and saw the weapon and his eyes widened calling to Diabel. "Oh shit! Diabel, look out! That's not a Talwar! It's an Ōdachi!"

"What's the difference?!" Diabel ask still running towards Illfang.

"Well, a Talwar is of Indian descent while an Ōdachi is Japanese! While both are primarily slashing weapons, the Talwar was favored by cavalrymen, as opposed to an Ōdachi which was mainly used for dick measuring!" As Shirou is talking, Illfang starts jumping off the walls.

" What's your point?!" Diabel asked impaintely.

"Well if you let me finish, I was getting to that! You see…"

Diabel gets hit by Illfang, screaming in pain.

Many of the huntsmen and huntresses in the theater either gasped in fear or looked away at the surely doomed player.

"What's happening? Did I miss something?" Fox called out.

"Oops." Shirou sheepishly said.

Illfang hits Diabel again, sending him flying.

"DIABEL!" Kibaou yelled out.

Illfang pops down in front of Kibaou and roars. A message pops up "Bonus Item: Soiled Pants". Above Kibaou

"Hey, rare drop!' A player said cheerfully.

Mercury laughed at the joke while most of the others were disgusted by the fact that that achievement was unlockable.

Shirou runs over to Diabel and holds him up.

" I was trying to say an Ōdachi's a little bit longer than a Talwar, so it'll have more reach and do a bit more damage."

"And why couldn't you say that first?" Diabel asked weakly

"Yeah you dummy! You almost might've killed him!" Ruby cries out.

Whitley was actually taken aback by that statement. Sure he had moments of pride and arrogance, sometimes he looked down on people but he didn't believe he would ever intentionally kill someone.

" I like to think of myself as a teacher. Anyway, drink this."

Shirou tries to give Diabel a healing potion but he stopped Shirou shaking his head.

"No. It's better this way. I just can't do it anymore. I had such high hopes at first. But now? Our best player is a girl who thinks DPS is some kind of sex thing." Both turned to glance to Fiona.

"I know. It's weird, right?"

Fiona sulked more into her chair.

"You're clearly not like the rest of them. How do you stand it, Shirou? Where do you draw your strength?" Diabel look at Shirou like a sage.

Shirou sigh and drops his wisdom onto him. "I've been playing MMO's a long time, Diabel, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that lions do not concern himself with the opinions of sheep. Just take that little voice in your head that tells you to be tactful and understanding... and shoot it. Shoot it in the goddamn face."

" You are so wise. If only I'd met you sooner. Perhaps, things would have been different. You must lead them now. Show them this game can be beaten." Diabel let's go of Shirou wrist.

Weiss was taken aback that this man was actually willing to place trust in this alternate of her brother. This stranger who barely even knows him placed the lives of all the players into his hands. Much like how she tried to trust Whitley once… this caused a bitter frown to grow on her face in recollection. Even if this was a different version of him, it was still Whitley in her eyes.

Shirou smiles fondly at Diabel. "Another life... in another time... I think we could have been friends."

"I... doubt it." Diabel gasps out before turning to shattered glass, dying.

" Well fuck you, too!" Shirou said angrily his smile dropping into a frown.

Fiona slips in by Shirou's side and began to lay out a plan.

"Alright, Shirou. Here's what we'll do. One counters his blows to knock him off balance and the other switches in to attack. Rinse. Repeat. Victory."

Shirou looked at her with one eye. "You came up with that, but you can't open a menu."

"Shut up!" Fiona cried out.

Illfang roars and they take off running toward him.

"Alright, so you counter and I'll attack!" Shirou yelled to Fiona.

"What? No, it's my plan! I should attack!" Fiona yelled back.

"Fine, just get ready!"

Shirou makes a battle cry and counters Illfang's attack.

"SWITCH!"

Fiona moves in and gets her cloak destroyed by Illfang before attacking revealing white curly hair and sheep ears.

" See? You almost got yourself killed! I'll attack him!" Shirou yelled again and began to attack Illfang.

"Oh, that was a fluke, and you know it! He's mine!" Fiona yelled back.

Fiona attacks Illfang.

"Oh shit. They're actually giving that boss the work!" Coco called out.

"He's mine!" Shirou yelled.

Shirou blocks Illfang's next attack, but Fiona attacks him before Shirou can do so himself.:

"Mine!" Fiona screams

"NO! HE'S! MIIIIIIIIIIINE!"

Shirou slices Illfang and he explodes. Everyone is stunned. Lame party kazoo sound effect and a banner with the word "CONGRATULATION" appears.

"Yeah!" A player cheer.

This caused almost everyone in the audience to laugh. Despite the dark humor of it all, it was still pretty hilarious.

"What happened? Did they win?" Fox asks

"Oh yes, I'm sorry Fox! They beat the boss and a victory banner came out."

"...heh." Fox chuckled.

Shirou is panting. He gets an item as a reward for defeating the Boss.

"Congratulations!" Velvet said, patting him on the back. "That was even more impressive than that cat that learned to play."

Cut to a player with a cat's head, with another player staring at it.

"Meow."

"Huh what did you know?" Yang replied.

"Oh my god! You guys can see it too?! So I'm not crazy! Isn't that great, Jesus?!" We see things from the players' perceptive, with a giant hallucination of Jesus Christ looming over the crowd.

"That's right, Jeffrey. Now... kill them all." Jesus said, his voice growing darker.

"As you command, my Lord." Jeffrey whispered.

"Somethings very wrong with that guy." Qrow states.

"I honestly agree with you, Branwen… Blegh! That left a horrible taste in my mouth." Winter stated.

Cut back to Velvet talking to Shirou. The other players are applauding his victory.

"You've led us to victory, Shirou. These men and I will follow you to hell itself. Now... address your people." Velvet is smiling and pushing Shirou to the crowd.

Shirou gets up and smirks. "I always knew this day would come. Ahem. Fellow gamers! We have traveled far and up many stairs to get to this point. Fighting side by side, noobs, and leets, alike. I'd like to take a moment to say that I couldn't have done it without the help of each and every one of you."

"Aw, that's a nice thing to say-" Velvet was cut off when Shirou counties.

"Of course, I'm not a liar, so I'm not gonna say any of that."

"Oh shit."

"I thought as much." Weiss states.

Shirou grins look at the group. "I mean, really. I could've done this whole Boss Fight myself. But to be fair, I guess you did absorb a bit of damage for me, which was nice. You were an adequate meat shield, and no one can ever take that away from you."

"Fuck. Fuck! Shut up! SHUT UP!" Velvet started to say.

"So for those of you who came in late, and that one guy playing Bejeweled back there... shoot for the stars... it'll make it more fun when I kick you back into the dirt."

"You're not better than us!" Kiaboru said.

"Yeah! What makes you think you're so cool?!" Nora shouts to the screen.

Shirou equips the coat he got for beating Illfang and smugly looks at the group."My sweet-ass coat begs to differ."

"Dammit, he's got us there." one player muttered.

Shirou ascends the stairs out of the Boss Room. Fiona follows him and grabs him by the shoulder. "Shirou, wait!"

Those in the audience looked on at Fiona's alternate in hope. Surely she could turn him around after their excellent display of partnership.

"I want half." She said, staring at him blankly.

That hope was quickly squashed, shot at, and finally burned to death via gasoline and cracking a fire dust crystal.

Shirou turns to her confused. " I'm... sorry. What?!"

"I want half the coat. I did half the work, I should get half the coat." Fiona explain and extends her hand for him give it to her.

"No! It's not fabric I can cut! It's just a bunch of 1s and 0s!" Shirou was getting frustrated.

"Fine, then give me the 1s."

" Fuck you! I want the 1s!" He groans and open the menu. "I am not having this argument. I'm disolving this party." Shirou opens his menu and "Di-solves" their party.

"Shirou! If you walk away with my half of the coat, I will make your life a living hell!" Fiona screamed.

"You know what? Fine! I'll give you the damn coat! Just send me a trade request."

"A... what?"

Fiona's eyes widened as she watched from the theater, "No…"

Shirou grins viciously "Oh, it's quite simple really... Just open your menu." Shirou starts laughing maniacally as he walks out the doors as Fiona screams at him:"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" At him.

Outro Plays.

Fiona screams, "I can't believe the nerve of that-! GRAAAAH!"

"Can you please stop screaming! You're going to cause everyone's ears to bleed." Whitley said while using a handkerchief to rub his ears.

Fiona huffed then matched off, going to another place in the theater.

"Well that was interesting. So you all say there's other viewings where we see other worlds besides this one." Coco asked the group.

"Oh yeah, we've seen a couple worlds ourselves, but only a handful I'd say." Yang admits.

"Well as long as we're here, we might as well take time to catch up." Velvet smiled.

"Yeah, this will be great! It's almost like we're back at Beacon, right Weiss? ...Weiss?" Ruby looks beside her but noticed that her partner was not with them anymore.

In another side of the theater, the all three Schnee siblings stand together. Both of the youngest siblings look at Winter who brought them here.

Winter clears her throat, "I understand that there are some… tension between the three of us during this viewing. So I asked you both here so that we may come to terms with our situation."

Weiss scoffs, "Come to terms with him! I highly doubt that."

Whitley crosses his arms, "Yes it does seem like a lost cause Winter."

"Enough! Both of you!" Winter raised her voice causing both of her younger siblings to go rigid. "I'm not expecting you to get along or even apologize to each other at the moment. What I ask is if you two can at least act civil with one another while in the theater?"

Both Weiss and Whitley looked at each other and sneered at each other.

"Why of course I can be civil with Whitley. It is a virtue of a lady to be civil at all times." Weiss said with hidden venom.

"Quite true, but being civil is also a quality an heir of the Schnee family must cultivate as well. So I look forward to spending this immeasurable amount of time with you my sisters." Whitley said with his best presentable smile.

"Yes, how I enjoy us taking this time to reacquaint with each other." Weiss said while one of her eyes was twitching.

"Well then sister, shall we?" Whitley gestured for Weiss to go ahead of him. Almost would have been believable if one did not notice the glint in his eyes and his strained smile.

Winter watched as both Weiss and Whitley walked back to the auditorium where everyone else had remained.

"...This can only end badly."

Hope you enjoyed.

[thisisawonderfulusername]

let’s save the world

season one, episode five

five hargreeves x reader

summary: finally explaining what was going to happen to luther, as well as making a deal with the handler

trigger warnings: cursing,

word count: 6k

flashbacks are in italics

a/n: i’m sorry that this one took a bit longer than all the other chapters, i’ve just been busy with a bit more schoolwork lately lol. but i hope you enjoy it! i had fun writing it *3* plus it’s the longest thus far, so maybe that makes up for the time gap lmao

you couldn’t remember how long it’d been since you got stuck here. years. lots of them. years since you had last seen five- seen anyone at all. the seasons changed and all you were doing was surviving. it wasn’t what you wanted for yourself, but you were too afraid to just give up and die. so you kept going, hoping that one day you would escape this nightmare or just fall to the ground, the life finally drained from your body.

most of the days were spent alone. you remember the day you first saw another living being. a dog. a beautiful german shepard. you weren’t sure how she had survived the apocalypse, but you didn’t care. she was like a ray of light beaming down on you after you had been left alone in the dark for too long, the pitch black being all you remembered, until you saw her.

she was named miracle, for obvious reasons. she stayed with you throughout many years, as she had been just a few months, at most a year old. in the hot summer, where ashes blew through the air in the wind, you found her some of those doggy goggles, to protect her eyes from the smoke and ash. in the winter, when it was freezing cold and snowing almost every day, sometimes to the point of not being able to travel at all, you would wrap her in as many blankets or put as many clothes made for dogs that you could find just to keep her warm. sometimes, you even carried her for hours, sometimes even a whole day. you swore she was the reason you kept your strength- both physical and mental.

she had been your delores. but you didn’t fall in love with her, of course- and she was actually a real, living thing. you were extremely lucky to have found her.

when she inevitably died and you were left alone again, you were beginning to think it was the end of your days. your hair had grayed, and you felt tired. tired of searching for your next meal, for a place to take shelter in a storm or a blizzard that was impossible to navigate.

you were ready to give up at that point. your fear of death was dwindling. you had given up hope of finding five again. who knew where he was? if he was dead? if he had went back to your time and totally forgot you? every once in a while, he would pop up in your mind, and you would think about him for hours, just wondering. but never hoping.

you remember the day you got everything back. it had started with fear, but ended with you getting a nice haircut, a shower, and some new clothes. the world was even kind enough to give five back. you thought it was all a dream and you had finally died, but you hadn’t.

it was when you were walking, yet again. your hiking pack that you were lucky to have found slowed you from all of the weight it held, but every last bit of that burden was important.

you thought you were seeing things at first, when you noticed the figure of a woman in the distance. you had pulled your pistol out of the holster resting against your thigh, prepared to shoot if it happened to be real. you didn’t know what it would be. a monster, some other survivor who may try to steal your supplies- you didn’t know, but you also didn’t care. if it was living, it was a threat.

as you got closer, the hand gun clutched tightly in your hand, you saw that it was a woman. certainly, she hadn’t been surviving in this apocalypse like you had. she was well groomed, hair in perfect curls with makeup done to perfection and a nice dress adorning her body. no, this was your eyes playing tricks on you. it was impossible for her to exist.

you had finally gone truly insane, after all these years.

-

you had awoken to a pounding headache and a terrible pain in your thigh, groaning as you buried your face into the pillow beneath your head. there was a conversation happening around you, but you tuned it out, trying to focus on the pain slowly dulling and everything you felt around you.

you were laying on a bed, that much was obvious. another obvious thing you noticed was the fact that your arm was wrapped around something- or, someone.

finally lifting your head, you squinted as you saw five’s back to you. your arm had been wrapped around his waist. sitting up, you quickly remove it, feeling a bit of heat on your face which you ignored.

“finally, you’re awake.” five interrupted the exchange between him and luther, turning to look at you as you scooted to sit by his side, running your fingers through your messy hair to fix it up.

after yawning softly, you nod, “i sure am.” you mumble, thankful that the pounding in your head had dimmed to a slight ache that you could easily ignore. your leg still felt like it was on fire, but you felt that you could suck it up and deal with it for now. “what’re you guys talking about?”

luther seemed serious, and you had a feeling you already knew, you just needed some confirmation. “the end of the world.” he states simply, and you nod, your suspicions correct. “so the eye’s a dead end?” he questions, handing the glass back to the boy, who nods.

before you can even get a word in, the door slams open, causing you to practically jump out of your skin, standing from the bed as diego storms in. “you have any idea what you two did?” he questions loudly, and just before he can do anything to either of you, luther grabs him, his feet dangling over the floor. he yells at him to put him down, but he doesn’t back down, waiting until he calmed down.

“wanna tell us what the hell you’re on about?” you ask, eyebrows furrowed as you take your seat once again, fully awake now from the scare.

diego looked at the two of you, the anger he held clear. you would be scared if you didn’t have the ability to burn him to a crisp, but, you did. “these two have been pretty busy since they got back.” he points a finger at you guys accusingly, and you roll your eyes, “they were in the middle of the shootout at griddy’s, and then at gimble brothers, and when those guys attacked the academy, they were looking for them.”

“actually, i wasn’t a part of the gimble brothers one. that was all him.” you wave a hand in five’s direction, but it doesn’t change the fact that diego is pissed. “and either way, it isn’t of your concern what we’ve been doing.”

“it is now.” diego breathes heavily, shaking his head, “they killed my friend.”

now that, you weren’t totally expecting. sure, the commission was ruthless and did whatever it took to carry out a mission, but how did his friend get into the middle of all of this? luther turned back to look at the two of you, urging you to explain.

sighing softly as he looked to the floor for a moment, five gave them what they wanted. “they work for our former employer.” he begins, lacing his fingers together in front of him, “a woman called the handler. she sent them to stop us.”

nodding slowly, you lean back on your hands, “soon as your friend got in the way, they were fair game.” you shrug.

“well, now they’re my fair game.” diego speaks lowly, “and they’re gonna pay.” he turns to leave, already making his way to the still open door.

five tries to stop him, explaining that it would be a mistake, which you fully agreed with due to the extensive training all the assassins went through at the commission. he didn’t listen, simply closing the door behind him.

it was silent for a moment, before luther spoke again. “former employer?” he questions, an eyebrow raising, “what's this really about? and don’t give me the ‘it’s none of your business’ crap, okay?”

“it’s a long story.”

-

the woman waved. you still couldn’t believe this. it took you all these years, and you thought you would be able to keep your sanity, yet here you were.

“who the hell are you?” you yell out, slowly walking towards her, the pistol still ready to fire if she tried something. if she was even real. which wasn’t possible. “tell me why i shouldn’t shoot!”

“i’m here to help.” she tells you simply, also walking forward with the both of you stopping a few feet away from each other. you wanted to keep enough distance in case she had some sort of melee weapon, or if she made a move, you could shoot and run. “if you shoot me, you wouldn’t hear the offer i’m about to make.”

your eyebrows furrowing in confusion, you gesture for her to continue, which she does. “i work for an organization. the commission.” she begins, taking off the shaded glasses that she wore and sticking them in the pocket of her dress. “we are tasked with the preservation of the time continuum through manipulation and removals.”

lowering the gun a bit, you purse your lips. “what the hell do you mean?”

“sometimes people make choices that alter time.” she explains in more simple terms, crossing her arms, “when that happens, we dispatch one of our agents to... eliminate the threat.”

hearing that, you’re immediately on guard again, raising the pistol in a heartbeat. she waves a hand, chuckling as she dismisses what you had thought. “no, no, you misunderstood. you’re not a target, y/n.” you don’t remember giving her your name, which worries you, but you ignore it for now. “i would like to recruit you. i’m offering you a job.”

lowering the gun, you drop it to your side, not knowing what to say for a moment. that doesn’t matter, because she does.

“we’ve had our eye on you for a while, and you have potential. survival skills, fire manipulation... we’ve even found another like you, who’s been here for just as long.”

your eyes widen at the mention of another who’s been here, and your heart leaps. “five?” if he was actually alive after all your hope was gone... you didn’t know what you would do.

“well, what a surprise, you know him.” she smiles, “it will be a happy reunion, then. but, you will have to give five years of service, after that your contract will end. you’ll be able to retire to the time and place of your choice.”

you had many questions. you could feel your heart beating out of your chest at the thought of being able to get out of this nightmare, to see five again. looking at her, you don’t even think. “i’m in.” you tell her breathlessly, and she grins at your agreement.

that was how you became one of the best assassins at the commission. a decision you weren’t sure you regretted or not.

-

“we were partners.” five tells him after explaining everything about the commission, even how the handler had found him. you didn’t bother with your story. it was practically the same. “the whole time i was trying to find out the right equation to get back. to stop the apocalypse. save everyone.”

looking up from the floor, where you had been lost in thought being brought back to those times, you clear your throat. “when he figured it out, we broke our contracts. but of course he got the equation wrong.”

rolling his eyes, five hits your arm. “so you two were hit men?” luther questions, earning a shared nod of confirmation. “well... you didn’t just kill anyone, right? you had some code?”

“no code.” five tells him, “we took out anyone who messed with the timeline.”

“what about the innocent people?”

“that was the only way we could get back here.” you mutter, your gaze fixed on the floor as you played with your fingers.

luther seemed surprised. “but that’s murder!” he contests.

“jesus, luther, grow up.” five responds, and you could tell he was starting to lose his patience with him. “we’re not kids anymore. there are no good guys and bad guys. there’s just people, living their lives.”

you purse your lips, “when the world ends, those people die.” you add on, your tone softer, “including your family.” luther looks at you, quiet and still taking in everything. you sigh softly, “time changes everything.”

-

the tapping of chalk against the walls was something you had quickly learned to tune out over the past few hours. at first, you wanted to rip your head off because of the constant sound, but staring out the window at everything outside helped take your focus off of it.

when the scribbling stopped, it was easy to notice, even if you weren’t listening in the first place. it’s a hard thing to explain. the difference between the sound of something and choosing not to hear it and the absence of that sound was just... different.

“i think i found something, delores.” five mutters to the mannequin, and you roll your eyes as you stand and move to look up at all the equations that now covered the wall.

crossing your arms over your chest, you try to make sense of everything, but it’s way too complicated for you to understand- plus it was scribbled everywhere over the wall and you weren’t sure what gave him what he needed. “sure, tell her but not me.” you grin as he turns to look at you.

“it’s a habit.” he says simply, shrugging and looking back to the blackboard the equations littered.

footsteps out in the hall catch your attention, and you turn to see luther standing in the doorway, just as confused as you by everything on the walls. “what is all this?”

you move to sit on the bed next to where five stood, sighing softly. “a probability map.” he still looks just as confused as before, and you nod, “i understand just as much as you do, buddy.”

“a probability map of what?” he questions, looking to five for the answer now. that much you hadn’t cared to ask. you figured he would explain it when he figured it out, as that was just how he was.

he continues to mark different things on the map, only taking a glance towards the large man. “of whose death could save the world. i’ve narrowed it down to four people.”

of course he had found some way to get a clue on what might stop the apocalypse. he was just that smart. “so, you’re saying one of them ends the world?” he asks, and you and five both sigh in exasperation.

“no, luther.” you lay back, looking at one of the equations by your head and trying to understand at least a little bit of it. “he’s saying their death could save the world. they probably don’t have anything to do with the actual event.”

the man breathes out an “oh.” watching for a moment, before leaning in slightly. “i’m not following.” he mumbles, and you roll your eyes.

“the slightest change in what happens can alter the outcomes in the time continuum.” you explain, glad that you understand one thing as you sit back up to look at him. “the butterfly effect, basically.”

five nods, motioning in your direction. “exactly. all i need to do is find the people with the greatest probability of impacting the timeline, wherever they may be, and, well-” he finally turns to look at him. “kill them.”

apparently finally finished with the complicated map, he gets off of the bed and places the chalk on the small table beside it, grabbing vanya’s book he had been using for notes and presumably writing the names down.

luther moves to look at the four circled, eyes squinting a bit. “milton green.” he reads off, looking to the younger- well, younger looking, “is he a terrorist or something?”

“i believe he’s a gardener.” five corrects, setting the book down once he was finished and reaching under the bed, pulling out a gun and pulling the zipper to open it up.

“wha- this is madness.” luther says, turning to look back to him, his eyes widening when he saw the gun, “where did you get that?”

he glances up at him, “dad’s room.” he picks the gun up, examining it. “similar to what i used at work. nice shoulder fit, reliable.”

“you can’t-” luther stumbles for words, surprised by what five was planning to do, “this guy, milton, he’s an innocent man!”

you groan softly as you stand up, looking up at the significantly taller man. “it’s basic math- to five, at least,” you shrug your shoulders, “his death could potentially save the lives of billions of people. he’d be dead in four days anyway. the apocalypse won’t save anyone.”

“we don’t do this kind of thing.”

“we are not doing anything, luther.” five argues, glaring at him, “i am. with y/n’s help, of course.” you smile slightly.

luther was clearly not going to back down, and you were beginning to get annoyed. he was wasting precious time. “i can’t let you kill innocent people, no matter how many people it saves.”

five shrugs, “good luck stopping me.” he turns to leave and you do the same, but luther is quick to try and do exactly that, grabbing delores and holding her out the window.

when you turn to see what he’s doing, you cringe, “not a good idea.” the gun is already pointed at him. sure, it was a bit overkill, but when it came to delores, five was ready to do anything. you still weren’t sure why, especially when you were back here and he had actual people around him. years of sanity were lost, though, so you assumed that was why he hasn’t gotten it back.

“i suggest you put her down.” you lace your fingers together, rocking on your heels slightly. you definitely didn’t want to see five blow his brother’s brains out over a mannequin.

luther doesn’t seem phased by the threat. “put the gun down.” he counters, nodding towards him, “you’re not killing anyone. don’t make me do this. it’s her or the gun.”

ultimatums. you’ve always hated them. what good was making someone choose between two things?

when five didn’t choose, luther didn’t hesitate in moving to throw the fake women, and the gun clatters to the ground as five jumped to save her. luther had moved towards the gun, quicker than you thought he could move. when he picks it up, you sigh softly. this time, five working on that map, luther stopping you two. you couldn’t get that time back.

“i can do this all day.” luther states, and you roll your eyes as you snatch the gun from his side.

he moves to grab it back from you and you glare at him, “don’t even try it. unlike your brother, i won’t hesitate to shoot you.” you take a few steps towards the bed, putting the gun back in it’s case after unloading it.

five was having a weird, tender moment with delores. honestly, you felt like you shouldn’t have been in the room to see it. “i know you’re still a good person, five.” luther tells him, while you zip the case back up. “you wouldn’t have come back here to save us all if you weren’t.”

you hated him, but the monkey man had a point. of course five didn’t care about the whole world. he just cared about his family. who wouldn’t want to save the people they grew up with?

“you’re not alone. we can help you.” well, that kind of hurt your feelings. it was as if you didn’t exist to him.

five sighs, looking back towards him. “there is one way.” you whipped your head towards him, slightly surprised. what was he thinking? “it’s close to impossible, though.”

“more impossible than what brought you two back here?” he raised an eyebrow, and you looked down at the plain covers on the bed, tapping your fingers against the fabric for a moment as you thought.

maybe it would work.

-

the car rolled to a stop on the old, empty road. you sat in the back, in the middle of the seat, leaning forward with your elbows resting on your knees. your foot tapped against the floor, almost without you realizing it. you were paranoid. this could get the both of you killed, if it all went south. you just had to hope that it didn’t

“i never enjoyed it.” five states, causing both you and luther to look at him in confusion. the whole ride had been silent, which you found incredibly uncomfortable, but maybe it was just the anxiety. “the killing,” he explains at your confusion, “i was good at my job, took pride in it. but it never gave me pleasure.”

pursing your lips, you look to your foot, which continued it’s tapping. “it would take a freak to enjoy that job.” you mutter, shaking your head and sighing softly, “i’m sure some of them did, though.”

five nods slightly, glancing back at you for a moment, “i think it was all those years alone.” he theorizes, “solitude can do weird things to the mind.”

tell that to delores.

luther hums slightly, “yeah, well you were gone for a long time. i was only on the moon for four years, but that was more than enough.” you never would have thought you would actually have something in common with the monkey man. sure, your experience was much worse, but he knew what you felt all those years ago. “it’s the being alone that gets you.”

there’s a moment of silence, before luther speaks again. “well, do you think they’ll buy it?” soft moment over, apparently, as he pats the case that sat between them. it was close enough in resemblance to the commission cases, so you assumed from far away, it would be believable.

“well, they’re desperate.” five tells him, and you nod, though they don’t see it since neither of them were looking towards you.

“losing that case is like a cop losing his gun.” you tell him, sitting up slightly, “the commission finds out, they’re in deep shit. plus they’ll be stuck here without it.” you shrug.

luther pulls the case to his side, “i should hold it. in case they try to make a move on you.”

five hesitantly nods, “okay, but be careful.” he tells him, “i’ve lived a long life. you’re still a young man, you have your whole life ahead of you. don’t waste it.”

you can’t help the short laugh from what he said. seeing who looked to be a thirteen year old boy tell a man in his late twenties, maybe, you weren’t totally sure, to not waste his life. it was hilarious.

his eyebrows furrowed together, five looks back at you. “what are you laughing at?”

a grin on your face, you shake your head, still giggling a bit. “nothing. just so wise beyond your years, five.” you laugh even more as he rolls his eyes, leaning back into the seat as you calm yourself.

once you had gathered yourself, you noticed the car that was coming towards where you guys had parked along the side of the road, and you sighed softly. fun time is over, now to get back to business.

you all got out of the car as they drove past and parked a little ways away. the wind blew your hair into your face and you quickly pushed it away, scrunching your nose up as you watched them get out of the car, their masks on.

“if this all goes sideways,” five turns to tell luther, also catching your attention, “tell delores i’m sorry.”

rolling your eyes, you slap his arm, “c’mon, mannequin lover. nothing will happen. hopefully.” you shrug, sticking your hands in your pockets and quickly moving to meet the other two half way, him quickly following behind you.

as you got closer, five motioned to the masks covering their faces. “are those really necessary?” he asks, and without saying a word, they both take them off, throwing them to the side. if you didn’t have to make a deal with them, you would shove a piece of glass in their leg, show them how it feels. but no, right now you have to play nice.

“where’s the case?” cha cha asks, getting straight to the business.

sighing, you shake your head. “that’s how you’re gonna start?” you raise an eyebrow, glancing back to where luther stood, “you know, we can leave, get back in the car and drive off.”

the woman is quick to pull out a gun, and you roll your eyes. these recruits, always so quick to resort to violence. “you won’t even get halfway.” she threatens, and you simply roll your eyes.

“maybe. but as i’m sure you already found out,” five speaks, his eyebrows raising slightly, “my brother is not your average giant.”

hazel leans to the side slightly towards her, “he’s right. dropped a chandelier on him, got right back up.” your lips press together at the mention. you definitely did not get right back up. well- you did, but you were actually injured, unlike the larger man.

“he’ll smash your precious briefcase before you can even take him out.” you imitate an explosion with your hands, quietly making the sound that would accompany it. they didn’t seem as amused as you were.

“probably us too, right?” hazel speaks again, motioning with the gun he held, “so how do we help each other out here?”

of course, five was ready to tell them what you two needed. “get in contact with your superior. we need to have a chat, face to face.”

cha cha looks slightly confused by the demand, tilting her head to the side for a moment, “about what?”

“what does it matter to you?” you raise an eyebrow, “you need the briefcase, so just do it.”

she purses her lips but sighs, shaking her head. “just don’t tell her about it.”

five shrugs, “fair enough.”

finally putting the gun she had pointed at the two of you down, the woman turned around, walking over to an old pay phone along the side of the road near where they parked. hazel followed, but didn’t turn his back on the two of you, and you did the same as you followed five’s footsteps.

when you got back to the car, you stood next to five, who leaned against the hood of the car. luther moved to stand next to the two of you. “what happens now?” he questions, all of your gazes trained on the commission workers who stood by their own car after getting in contact with the boss.

“now, we wait.” five tells him, one of his hands stuck in his pocket.

it felt like hours that you stood there, just having a staring contest with the two contracted to presumably kill you both. it was really only a few minutes, and the silence that hung in the air was broken by the sound of a light melody playing in the distant, and all of you finally looked away from each other to look for the source.

having to squint slightly, you saw an ice cream truck in the distance, slowly making it’s way towards you. why the hell would an ice cream truck be in the middle of nowhere? you knew it wasn’t the handler, so you didn’t know what or who it could be.

when it got closer, you saw klaus at the wheel, a grin on his face as he waved at all of you. you managed to catch a glimpse of diego in the seat next to him, and your confusion only grew.

“what the fuck? why are they here?” you ask, watching as the truck sped up a bit, “how did they even find out where we are?”

before you can get an answer, the two assassins had already lifted their guns and started shooting. eyes widening, you swung the car door open, as it was the closest and first thing you thought of, jumping behind it to avoid the bullets. a sharp pain shot up your leg and you hissed slightly, but ignored it.

after only a second of the shots ringing out, everything went silent. you had your knees to your chest, head tucked between them and your arms, and you were totally confused from the sudden pause.

“shit.” you muttered to yourself, not wanting to lift your head and see what had happened, “did i die? am i fucking dead right now?” you weren’t ready for death yet. you thought you were, but you are certainly not.

your cycle of thoughts was interrupted when you felt someone yank at your arm, and you jumped slightly, finally lifting your head from it’s place. you sigh in relief when it’s five, “you’re not dead.” he deadpans, and you roll your eyes as you grab his hand to pull yourself up, wincing at the burning of your thigh.

once you were up, you turned to face the music and see what the hell had happened. your eyebrows furrowed when you saw that everything was... frozen.

slowly walking by five’s side towards the two adults stuck in the air, you glance at him for a moment. “are you sure?” you mumble, before another voice cuts in.

“neat trick, right?” you both turn and your shoulders slump as you see the same woman from all those years ago, when she felt like a savior, taking you out of the apocalypse. as the two of you take a few steps towards her, she takes the glasses she wore off, holding them in her hand and having that same, awful smile on her face.

“hello, five. y/n.” she motions to your thirteen year old selves, “you two look good. all things considered.”

sighing silently to yourself, you decide you’ll let five do the talking for a bit. “it’s good to see you again.” he speaks, and you look to the road as you scrunch your nose up. it definitely is not.

“feels like just yesterday i met the two of you.” she hums, and you roll your eyes to yourself, “of course, you guys were a bit older then. congratulations, by the way,” she points to you guys, circling her finger a bit, “on the age regression. clever of you. threw us off.”

you snort, “if only he had done that on purpose.” you grin, sticking your hands in your pockets as you glance to the boy, who was clearly annoyed with you. “he got the equations wrong, if you can even believe that.”

“i just miscalculated the time dilation projections.” he shakes his head, “not like you could have done any better.” you shrug your shoulders, not having an argument for that. he was absolutely right on that front, because you sure as hell didn’t understand a single thing he ever did with all the crazy equations and probability maps and everything like that.

the handler waves her hands to the side, “you realize your efforts are futile.” she states, putting her hands behind her back, “so why don’t you tell me what you really want.”

“put a stop to it.” you say almost immediately, lacing your fingers together, “the apocalypse.”

she shakes her head slightly, “you realize what you’re asking is next to impossible, even for me.” her eyebrows raise as she speaks, “what’s meant to be, is meant to be. that’s our raison d'être.”

five lifts the hand gun he had been keeping close, his expression showing no emotion whatsoever. “how about survival as a raison?” he raises his eyebrows in a mocking way, the smallest smirk tugging at his lips.

she isn’t threatened by it, dismissing it. “i’ll just be replaced. i’m but a small cog in a machine.” she twirls her finger, “this fantasy about summoning your family, five, to stop the apocalypse,” she starts to step closer, and you stiffen slightly, “it’s just that. a fantasy.”

the handler manages to make you so angry without even genuinely insulting or seeming rude in any way. she says everything in such a light voice that you would expect to be saying anything that’s only kind, but she said the opposite. small jabs at you two without outright calling you out.

“i must say, though,” she continues after a moment, continuing her slow steps, “we’re all quite impressed. your initiative, stick-to-itiveness... really something.” she smiles slightly, “which is why we want to offer the both of you new positions back at the commission. management positions.”

five is just as muddled as you are by the offer. there must be some ulterior motive to this. “sorry, what was that?” he raises an eyebrow, letting out a small, breathy laugh.

she straightens slightly, “come back to work for us. it’s where you belong, we both know it.”

“didn’t work out too well last time.” you assert, tilting your head as you raise your eyebrows. you weren’t about to agree to something like that. unless five seemed to have some idea about it being a good idea, you wouldn’t do it. not in a million years.

the woman seems set on getting you back, though. “but you wouldn’t be in the corrections department anymore.” she explains, expressing with her hand, “i’m talking, the home office. best health and pension, and an end to all this travel. you two are distinguished professionals in,” she looks the both of you up and down, “school uniforms.” she chuckles.

finally being only a few feet away, she pushes the gun five held down. “we have the technology to reverse this process.” she tries to convince, “you can’t be happy like that.”

five’s jaw is slightly clenched as he stares right into her eyes. “we’re not looking for happy.”

her smile is soft, but you feel like she’s trying to deceive you- she always gave off that vibe, though. “we’re all looking for happy.” she looks between you two, “we can make that happen. you guys can be yourselves again.”

five lets out a short breath, finally fully putting the gun down, “and what about my family?” he questions, gesturing around to his siblings who were still frozen in their place.

“what about them?”

you can’t help but glare at her, “you know what. he wants them to survive.”

she takes a deep breath in, looking over to luther, his arms raised in the air with the fake briefcase in hand, before to the ice cream truck, where klaus sat in front of the wheel, his eyes wide, and diego looked to be in pain or as if he was cursing for some reason. she finally looks back to five. “all of them?” she questions, and you hold back another eye roll.

“yes, all of them.” five tells her, stating the obvious.

she nods, starting to put the sunglasses back on, “well, i’ll see what i can do.” she then holds her hand out, an eyebrow raising from behind the shaded lenses, “do we have a deal?”

the boy grabs your hand, ready to accept, but before he can, you glance to the side. “wait.” you hold a finger up, pulling away and walking towards the two corrections recruits. they both watch as you grab the gun that hazel had dropped when the truck had hit them, pulling the magazine out of it and throwing it as hard as you can to the side, before doing the same with the now unloaded pistol to the opposite side.

as you start to head back, five notices the bullet that had been frozen as well, heading in luther’s direction. silently, he walks towards it and moves it so it wouldn’t actually hit him.

you two meet back in front of the handler, hands already reaching for each other as you take a deep breath to prepare yourself for what would happen.

the next moment, you’re all gone, time continuing on it’s own.

-

taglists

main: @horrorklaus​

tua: @rasberrymay​

five: @anapocalypseinmymind @five-hargreeves-official​ @insatiable-ivy​ @coffee-e-addict​  @xplrreylo

let's save the world @aspiringwriter1 @thetrashypanda423 @lilacs-lavender​ @academy-umbrella  @xplrreylo @ohmyitsfaith @onedollarduck​ @sleepygal124​ @fandomfreakff​

if you’d like to be added to any taglists, just ask!

[ardett]

Courtings and Crossroads

Description: “Have you seen my daughter?” Demeter rasps.

Hecate debates lying. She owes nothing to Demeter. Her desperation has given Hecate more mortals than ever to bring to the Underworld. But Demeter is more than the Goddess of the Harvest. She is a mother. And in her eternal life, Hecate has seen enough mothers mourn.

“I know where she is,” Hecate answers. She summons her torch and holds it to the open flames, lighting it. “You’ve been looking in the wrong domain.”

-

in which Hecate is Persephone's guide and companion in the Underworld

written for the @greekmythszine !

You can also read this on Ao3!

Hecate feels a twist in her gut, a warping of the natural boundaries between the Underworld and the mortal realm. Someone is crossing between the worlds. As the Goddess of Crossroads, the Goddess of Boundaries, transitions are her dominion. 

She has guided many down paths of destruction and of triumph. Sailors and shepards alike burn food in her name, asking for safe passage. Sometimes she listens, letting the blaze of her torch light the way forward. Other times she does not.

Mothers and fathers pray to her when they lose a child too soon. She has led innocents peacefully into the Underworld when their bodies hadn’t undergone proper burial rites and Charon refused to ferry them.

She has never led anyone from the Underworld back to the surface.

Hecate concentrates on the feeling. She knows exactly where the line is going to be crossed.

She goes.

But when she arrives, nothing seems amiss.

The sun hangs high in an empty sky, guided by Helios’ chariot. The heat beats down on a girl in the valley. A goddess. 

Persephone wanders the field. In each footstep blooms narcissus flowers and mint. 

Hecate recognizes the sacred plants of Hades a moment before the ground distends and out of the gaping hole bursts the God of the Underworld. The field beneath his chariot withers and dies. The bones of his steads rattle louder than Persephone’s startled scream.

Hades snatches her from the ground. 

Hecate tenses. She feels the boundary straining. She could close it but she risks much. If she gains Hades' contempt, he could stop allowing her to guide the penniless dead to the Underworld. She imagines rows of ghostly children waiting at the shore of the River Styx without the coin to travel onward to eternal peace.

Besides, the Underworld has always welcomed her when the Olympians scorned her. Zeus allowed her to retain her power, the only titan to do so when her parents, Leto and Tartarus, had been defeated with Cronus, but the mistrust from the gods remained. Perhaps it was time for the Oympians to realize what it meant to lose.

Persephone is just another innocent traveling to the Underworld. Hecate can at least make her transition easier.

Hecate twitches a finger and Persephone falls asleep in Hades' arms. The ground seals shut behind them. The boundary settles. As Hecate leaves the scene, the narcissus flowers begin to wilt.

-

Ten long days pass. Ten rotations of the sun and sky. Ten days of Demeter scouring the Earth for her daughter.

Demeter ravages everything that stands in the way of her search. All the while, Hecate watches. Each path Demeter traces is like a brand upon her skin. She is acutely aware of where the goddess goes and she knows that while Demeter still hunts in the mortal realm, she will not find what she’s looking for. It’s hard to pity Demeter when all Hecate sees is the destruction she leaves in her wake.

But on the tenth day, Demeter makes an offering to Hecate. The smoky scent of burning grain lures Hecate forward to the fire. No Olympian has ever given her an offering before.

When she arrives, she sees Demeter face to face for the first time since Persephone’s abduction.

Demeter is devastated. Her cheeks are wet with tears. Her hair is tangled with branches and burrs. Her hand shakes around the burning stalks of grain she’s clutching. She looks older. The lines in her face look deeper.

“Have you seen my daughter?” Demeter rasps.

Hecate debates lying. She owes nothing to Demeter. Her desperation has given Hecate more mortals than ever to bring to the Underworld. But Demeter is more than the Goddess of the Harvest. She is a mother. And in her eternal life, Hecate has seen enough mothers mourn.

“I know where she is,” Hecate answers. She summons her torch and holds it to the open flames, lighting it. “You’ve been looking in the wrong domain.”

-

Hecate bears her torch and guides Demeter through the darkness. They wind through forests, over hills and valleys, until Hecate’s flicking light reflects off a narcissus flower on the ground. Hecate hears Demeter’s breath catch in her throat. A footstep ahead is another, and then another, and another. The scent of mint wafts through the air as sprigs are crushed beneath their feet.

Then suddenly, the footprints stop. Demeter looks wildly around for the next one before she sees the ring of dead grass. Her face hardens.

“Hades took her,” she intones. Hecate nods but offers no other response. Demeter demands, “You can take me to her.”

“I cannot.”

Demeter takes a step forward. “You can. Do not lie to me. No gate is closed to you. You will take me to my daughter.”

Hecate doesn’t flinch. The night presses in on them as the flame of her torch begins to dwindle. “We would not survive it. Hades would end us for trespassing in his territory long before we were anywhere close to your daughter. Then what home would she return to?”

This makes Demeter pause. In her eyes, Hecate can see the glisten of unshed tears. “I cannot leave her down there.”

“You cannot save her.” Hecate gentles her voice. “Hades wants to court her. He doesn’t seek to hurt her.”

Demeter sinks to the ground, knees turning ashy gray as she kneels in the circle Hades left. Her fingers dig into the dirt. “Then I will grieve until she is returned to me.”

Hecate feels Demeter make her choice and take a turn at her personal crossroad like the breaking of a rib. Blight spreads from Demeter’s body. As far as the eye can see, plants fade to brown and shrivel. Seeds stop spouting. Life stops growing. As Hecate looks to the sky, the first snowflakes begin to fall.

-

The severity of Demeter’s choice takes time to set in but soon enough it becomes clear that without the Goddess of the Harvest, all of Olympus suffers. Scores of humans freeze in the bitter cold. Those that do survive don’t have enough food to spare for offerings.

Hecate tries to visit the Underworld but Hades is on edge. Even she is unwelcome in his kingdom.

Finally, Zeus intervenes. He demands that Hades return Persephone to her mother. The resolution they come to is not without consequences.

Persephone ate the food of the dead, six ripe pomegranate seeds. For the six seeds, she must spend six months of the year in the Underworld.

Demeter accepts the compromise and though the snow doesn’t melt just yet, the winter storms lessen. Hecate is surprised to smell burning grain again. She hears Demeter’s prayer to her. She pleads with Hecate to protect her daughter.

This time when Hecate tries to enter the Underworld, she slips in easily. When she begins to approach Hades' home, he appears before her, stepping out of the shadows.

“You’re awfully far from the shores of the Styx,” he states, voice low.

“Demeter sent me.”

The shadows surrounding Hades deepen. The ground rumbles. “We agreed on six months. My time is not up.”

“I know. I’m not here to take her back,” Hecate placates. “I can help with her transition. Let me act as her minister, as her companion. She’ll need one if you want her to be content here.”

Hades considers her for a moment. Hecate holds his gaze. He waves a hand and a skeleton rises from the dread soil. “He will take you to her,” he declares.

Hecate follows the skeleton into Hades' personal palace. He leads her to a grand guest bedroom. The room is decorated with the Underworld’s finest, practically dripping in the gold and jewels of dead kings, but none of it fits the goddess who’s confined there. In all the hard edges, her organic form is lost.

Persephone turns when she hears the door open. “Who’s there?” she calls from where she sits on the bed. She tilts her head. The motion is like that of a bird. “Hecate? Is that you?”

“It is. Your mother asked me to watch over you.” Hecate walks inside. She hears the bones of the skeleton click against the stone as he leaves.

“I don’t suppose you’re here to take me back, are you?” Persephone asks. Her voice is almost petulant.

“No, not yet.” Hecate notices a pile of courting gifts at the foot of the bed. Mirrors, combs, jewelry. None of them have been touched. “How have you been adjusting to life in the Underworld?”

Persephone falls back onto the mattress, her forearm covering her eyes. “Oh, it’s terrible,” she groans. Hecate tuts in sympathy, thinking of the goddess’s abduction, but Persephone continues, “The Underworld is just so dreadfully boring. I’ve never been somewhere so dull and dreary.”

“Ah,” Hecate vocalizes. She asks carefully, “And what about Hades?”

Persephone peeks up at her. “What about him?” Hecate raises an eyebrow at her. Persephone rolls her eyes and sighs. “Oh. Well, yes, the kidnapping was in poor taste. He hasn’t exactly been blessed by Aphrodite. But I suppose I’m stuck here now.”

Hecate takes a seat on the silken bedsheets besides the other goddess. “Do you think you might grow to love him?”

Persephone’s nose wrinkles. “Perhaps. Better courting gifts would be a good place to start at the very least.” She kicks at the pile and something clangs to the ground. “All this metal. Everything here is dead.”

“Yes,” Hecate concedes. “But everything that was once living is here now.

Persephone frowns. “So?”

“Maybe I’ll get to show you another time.” Hecate stands, dusting herself off. Persephone sits up.

“Are you leaving?” Her eyes are wide and green. “Will you be back? You’re the only one who I’ve talked to since he took me down here. Hades doesn’t even speak to me. He just sends gifts with his skeletons,” Persephone huffs.

Hecate is suddenly struck by how young the goddess is. All the Olympians are so much younger than her. It seems like it’s not the imprisonment that bothers Persephone so much as the loneliness. Six months to an immortal being is merely a dip in the water, the passing of an ocean wave. However, this is surely the first time Persephone has ever been deprived of her mother and the earthy wonders that she is the goddess of.

“I’ll return,” Hecate promises.

She goes to find Hades.

-

“You’re back!” Persephone bounds up to Hecate when she knocks on the door. She holds up a vase of yellow flowers. “Look what the skeleton brought me this morning! These are extinct on Earth.” She sniffs at them, eyes bright. A soft smile graces her lips. “I’ve missed them.”

“What a thoughtful gift,” Hecate comments diplomatically.

“Yes, thoughtful.” Persephone places the vase back on the table, arranging the flowers just so. “And entirely Hades' idea, I’m sure.”

“I’m sure,” Hecate echos.

“You know, if Hades were to have any other ideas, perhaps he should think about visiting me himself instead of sending his silly skeletons.” Persephone twirls a flower between her fingertips. “After all, how am I supposed to get to know him if we never see each other?”

“I wouldn’t want to speak for Hades but I believe he might be, shall I say, apprehensive. The circumstances of your meeting weren’t the most amenable.” Hecate gives her a pointed look.

“Perhaps I could forgive him if I could speak to him,” Persephone suggests airily. Hecate only nods.

-

The next time Hecate visits, the room is covered in flowers. There are even garlands strung across the ceiling. Since they are the souls of flowers, they don’t need water or sunlight to survive.

“Certainly seems like you’re doing well for yourself,” Hecate notes.

Persephone admires her handiwork. “Yes, it looks much better doesn’t?” Then she glances over at Hecate and pouts. “I must say though, you’re not doing a very good job convincing Hades to visit me.”

“He’s very busy,” Hecate contends.

Persephone huffs. “Doing what? The dead aren’t going anywhere.”

“No, but you are.”

Persephone perks up. “Is he doing something for me? What’s he doing?” she asks.

“I suppose you’ll have to wait and see,” Hecate says evenly.

Persephone groans. “Fine, if I must. As if I’ve done anything but wait.”

“Well while you continue to wait, would you like to meet Hecuba?” Hecate sits cross legged on the ground. 

Persephone gives her a confused look. “Who’s Hecuba?”

“She used to be the Queen of Troy. Now she lives on as one of my familiars.” Hecate summons the black dog to her side. Persephone squeals and falls to her knees next to the animal. 

Hecate managed to negotiate with Hades for Persephone’s freedom within the palace. As they walk Hecuba through the halls, she notices Persephone peer out the windows a couple times but Hades is being careful to keep his latest project hidden.

-

Hecate isn’t there to see the first meeting of Persephone and Hades since the abduction. That was something Hades had to conquer on his own. It seems to have gone well though because she glimpses them walking in the garden Hades built for her.

The amount of time and care Hades spent on the garden is evident. He wanted to impress her and had waited to see her again until he was finished with it. It’s a stunning menagerie against the dark landscape of the Underworld, filled with flowers both living and extinct. The paths are tiled in jewels from Hades’ personal collection. It’s a beautiful union of their two domains.

As Hecate hears Persephone laugh bubble over the grounds, she hopes for the future.

-

When the six months is passed, Persephone leaves Hades with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. Hecate guides her back to the surface and witnesses a heartfelt reunion between mother and daughter. Olympus rejoices and revels. The Earth thrives.

-

Six more months pass. A couple days before she is to leave for the Underworld, Persephone calls Hecate to her side to ask for her advice. When she arrives at Hades’ palace, she comes bearing a gift.

Hades places Persephone’s flourishing pomegranate tree in the center of the garden where it can be admired during their many walks together.

A few months later, Hades crowns Persephone Queen of the Underworld. She accepts. All of Olympus comes to witness the ceremony.

-

Hades sees them off at the end of the six months. Before they leave, he says to Hecate, “I’m forever grateful for your help easing Persephone’s transition. I hope you know you will always have a home here in the Underworld.”

“You could even have my old bedroom,” Persephone winks.

“That’s very generous of you. It means more than you know.” Hecate tilts her head in a slight bow. Hades returns the gesture.

Hecate has been stuck at a crossroad for an eternity, pulled between the gods and the titans, the Underworld and Olympus. At last, she has a path to travel.

[bkgwrites]

Chapter 1: Left Behind

RUN

That’s all your mind could think. Run. You couldn’t slow down, or they would get you. Your body was straining though as you had to carry Bakugou’s full body weight. He was knocked unconscious from the pain he was experiencing from his wounds.

Bakugou wasn’t the only reason that your legs were about to give out as you had to carry both your pack’s that were strapped to your suits for emergencies like these. The wound you were sporting wasn’t helping your case either. But you wouldn’t let this faze you, even if you felt like your body was about to drop. You kept running. Away from the creatures that had taken over the Earth. The ones you were trained to survive among and kill. The creatures that killed your mother in front of your very eyes.

You wouldn’t stop running because the creatures would never have to satisfaction of ripping you apart and eating you as if you were the last meal on the Earth. You didn’t want to feel that pain, so you ran with everything you had even if you felt like you couldn’t run anymore.

Stopping at a far enough distance from the destroyed headquarters of U.A. The organization that taught you every survival skill you know. U.A was designed for teenagers ages 17-20 to train to be able to revive Earth back for the human species. Not to mention, only teenagers lived on Earth while everyone else from babies, children, adults, and elders were residing on Mars currently. With the damage done to Earth’s condition, the government and NASA made a plan to put citizens on Mars since it was the next best-suited planet for humans. So, the year when signs of the Earth becoming too dangerous for the human race, many were sent to live on Mars and fix it for human usage. Now, only those that worked in and were apart of U.A were left on Earth. Those left were accustomed to weapons like daggers, spears, blades, bow and arrows, and even guns. All these weapons were customized to be able to kill dinosauric type creatures and the very ones that murdered your mother.

You were first recruited for this organization when you were 16 years old. After your mother had passed, you wanted revenge against the very creature that killed her. You signed up for U.A knowing that 17 was the age for starting but you didn’t care. Aizawa, your mother’s friend, was able to convince the court that you could train with those of the desired age. Aizawa even trained you himself to help you gain the knowledge and practice that you needed to stay on the same level as those older than you.

The class you were set to was class 1A. Full of 17–18-year old’s that all wanted to help Earth be for the human race again. As the youngest, you were treated as the baby of the class though you had more muscle and experience than some.

You thought back to this morning when the attack had begun.

---

It was another day where you were staring at the sky above walking to class. You felt off but thought nothing of it as you had become someone that even though being sarcastic, you were sturdy and immune to emotions other than anger. As you made it inside you still could feel that feeling though, you felt unease.... like something was coming.

“Y/N” Mina, one of your best friends, screamed across the hall, knocking you out of your funk. “What did I tell you about screaming in the morning Mina,” you smirked. Mina was always one of the few people that you got along with in the class. She never failed to make you snort at something she said. “Well you know I said your name 3 times earlier, but you were stuck in that mind of yours. So what’s up?”

“Nothing, I just feel off today. I don’t know, I feel like something is coming and I don’t know what.” You normally weren’t nervous when at school, but something in your gut was telling you that you were in danger.

“Well everything seems fine so it's ok! So come on, we gotta get to class ya know before Sensei kills us.” You both dash to get into class as you only had 2 minutes before training began. Mina and you make it in just a nick of time.

“WE ARE HERE” Mina screams. “Just go sit down,” Aizawa says to you both. You shake your head walking to your seat. As you sit down, Kirishima turns to smile at you.

“Good morning Y/n! Ready for training today?”

“Totally, I’m ready to kick your ass again” you snicker.

“Awww… man come on. You know you're super manly, I mean you have better abs than me and Bakugou.”

“NO SHE DOESN’T SHITTY HAIR! I HAVE WAY BETTER ABS” Bakugou screams while pulling up his shirt.

“Whatever you say Dandelion,” you roll your eyes, seemingly aiming at the state of his spiky hair. Bakugou was one of the people in the class that you couldn’t stand. He seemed to always be competing with you because he wanted to prove he was better than you since you were one of the top students in training. He was an arrogant son of a bitch that would try to upset you and bother you every second of the day. You despised him, I mean he was almost at the level of hatred you had for the creatures that killed your mother, but you never let him get under your skin. You were better than him and you proved it every day in training.

“WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME” he screamed.

“Bakugou scream at me one more goddam-”

“Bakugou and Y/n, be quiet before you are assigned extra training. Now class go change into your suits so training can begin.” Aizawa said, tuning down the argument that sure was about to happen between you too.

---

Heading out from the locker room, everyone wore the same suit. These suits were molded to fit anyone perfectly and even designed to work with the environment that the Earth had turned too. They even helped the female anatomy considering it would be hard for girls to have their periods during an apocalypse like this. It makes sense as technology really advanced right before and even after the world was taken over.

The suits were customized to any environmental situation, like when the seasons changed, the suit is able to camouflage itself with it. Not only that, but the suit worked with that season, with winter, suits were able to change to match the snow and also change your overall body temperature. Heating you up when the weather is too much for your human body, as the temperature could get so low that frostbite and hypothermia could click within your body in a second; these dangerous temperatures appeared when the Earth changed.

With the suit being able to shift your atoms for body temperature, it also could change your atoms in order to help you survive. With female suits, it was able to change atoms within the body to stop the flow of the menstrual cycle. The suit has its limitations though as that ability only works when the suit remains on.

---

“Everyone you will be assigned partners for training today. I will put you in pairs that normally do not work together. You need to be able to work with and around each other. I want you sparing with everything you got against one another” Aizawa mentions to the class.

“Starting with…. Ashido with Shinso, Kaminari with Tokoyami, Kirishima with Shoji, Hagakure with Yaoyorzu….”

“Y/n with Bakugou”

“WHAT!!!” you both screamed, one in anger and another in confusion. You couldn’t understand why he would put you with Bakugou. I mean it is kind of understandable since you both dislike each other and always bicker. The thing is though, you both were good at the same things. Though in class it seemed you still were always winning against him, either it be in archery class or sword fighting.

“I don’t want to fight this weak bitch” Bakugou screamed to Mr. Aizawa.

“Oh shut the fuck up Dandelion. I’ve beaten you in every class. Who’s the weak bitch now” you smirked from across the room, trying to provoke him.

Bakugou began growling, “SHUT UP WOMAN! You only won because you cheated!”

“Babe, you can’t cheat in training” you laughed out.

Bakugou was about to begin screaming when he paused, beginning to acknowledge the pet name you just said which had his cheeks heat up to a light blush. You were confused why he didn’t scream back but didn’t pay attention to it turning back to finish listening to what Aizawa was saying.

Once Mr. Aizawa finished, you made your way to Bakugou. You two were going to be the second group to spar as Uraraka and Deku were fighting first. However, the round seemed to end a little quicker than expected when Uraraka was able to sweep Deku off his feet with a quick foot attack and shove his side with her dagger not actually penetrating it into his skin.

Coming up to the mat, you and Bakugou took to your defensive positions ready to battle against one another.

“YOU READY TO FUCKING DIE” Bakugou shouted in your direction.

The irony behind his words came in just a blink of an eye as the emergency alarms began to blare.

“EVERYONE GET READY TO ABOARD THE EMERGENCY SHIP TO MARS IMMEDIATELY!” Mr. Aizawa yelled to the class as everyone began to head in its direction.

You and Bakugou looked at each other for a split second with fearful but determined eyes and took off.

Mina ran in your direction. “Y/n I’m so scared, what if we don’t make it in time?” she said with tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.

“Don’t be scared! We’ve been training our whole lives for this and you know I’ll protect you no matter what!” and just as you finished saying that. A piercing scream came from the end of the hallway you were running away from.

You turned your head to see one of the 1b students, Monoma, getting his arm torn off from the jaws of the creature. It was a horrific sight and there was nothing you could do for him as the creature began to tear his head from his throat. You couldn’t help but want to throw up as blood began to run down from the neck of his body and the creature’s mouth. You had to just keep running.

---

As those who hadn’t been brutally mutilated by the creatures made it to the ship, they began filing onto it in a rush. Students were boarded on after the teachers even with the larger number of students. The ship was the size of a high school as even with most of the human population living on Mars, there were still around 517 students and 30 teachers that remained on Earth.

The creatures were dangerously getting closer to the ship and that made the students around you panic. Forcing the crowd to cram into the ship without the care of trampling over one another. It was better than getting murdered by these creatures. And even with wanting to cram into the ship as well, you needed to protect the other students. Bakugou seemed to have the same thought as he began fighting a creature that was closing in.

You ran over to help him with the shaft that you had situated in your hand knowing it was the best weapon against it.

Looking over to your right, Mina and Kirishima began shooting their guns at the creatures, which were filled with poisonous bullets that could kill something or someone in 15 seconds when it set into the bloodstream. Then looking over to your right you couldn’t help but gasp as Sato was screaming out in agony as his legs were getting crushed within the mouth of the creature. Soon to be eaten completely.

Turning back to look at the ship, you realized mostly everyone was on the ship only leaving a good 16 of you on the ground. As 10 of those students began to rush on the ship as well you heard a grunt beside you.

With a quick head turn, you see Bakugou almost getting his arm eaten off and ran to protect him. You quickly flipped over the creature’s head and slashed it off with ease before his arm was eaten.

“I HAD IT HANDLED!” Bakugou yelled at you with scratches on his arms that seeped blood into his suit. You ignored him and ran over to kill the creature approaching behind him. Though this creature seemed smarter than the one before. Right before you could stab it in the eye with your shaft, it snagged at your face. Making you scream in agony as it slashed a mark across your face almost getting its claw into your eye. Gratefully though it didn’t take your eye out, but instead you had blood dripping down from the claw mark going down from your forehead to your jaw.

Bakugou quickly jumped in action killing the creature even with aching arms and running to help you.

“Y/N! Shit! That’s a lot of fucking blood” he mumbled in panic but quickly got into action trying to take you to the ship as you run holding your face. Everyone seemed to have boarded the ship by now as 2 other creatures were coming towards it.

“BAKUGO LETS GO NOW!” Kirishima screamed from the top of the ramp as the ramp began to close. You and Bakugou had about a mile until you would make it to the ship. You and him both ran with everything you had as the ship began to count down.

“1 MINUTE UNTIL TAKEOFF” the ship alerted to you both and the people on board.

Suddenly in surprise, another creature from the right of Bakugou came towards him and slashed at his back. Bakugou grunted in pain with blood coming down from his arm wounds and now back wound. You quickly threw a dagger placed at your side at the creature’s eye, slowing it down thoroughly, and tried to drag Bakugou as he began to slowly slow down. As he was slowly beginning to fall unconscious because of his deep wounds.

“30 SECONDS UNTIL TAKEOFF” the ship alerted you again. You began to panic but kept running with Bakugou. Knowing that you were only halfway to the ramp and the ramp was beginning to close until the point you wouldn’t be able to jump in the ship before it shut.

You felt tears streaming down your face as you realized you wouldn’t make it.

“Y/N!” Kirishima cried out in panic! He seemed to acknowledge that you and Bakugou were not going to make it as he could barely see you both.

“STOP THE RAMP” Kirishima screamed out to the people on board, specifically to the teachers that could alert the captain. But it was too late. The ramp was fully shut, and the ship was taking off.

You screamed in anger as you had missed the one shot to living, but you couldn’t stay at headquarters. The other creature was chasing after you and was almost near you, so you set Bakugou down as he was fully unconscious. And killed the creature with all the might you had within you.

After it was defeated you picked up Bakugou even though you were tired from running, and ran towards the woods beside headquarters. You knew that U.A wasn’t safe anymore as you saw creatures and dinosaur-like beings beginning to take it over. So you just ran, not knowing where you were going and the danger you would come across.

[kookie-doughs]

Y/N L/N AND THE HALFBLOODS

Percy Jackson X Reader -Y/N L/N met Percy Jackson and everything was now ruined.

CHAPTER 7: FIRST DAY OF CAMP

Word of the bathroom incident spread immediately. Wherever we went, campers pointed at us and murmured something about toilet water. Or maybe they were just staring at Annabeth, who was still pretty much dripping wet. She showed me a few more places: the metal shop (where kids were forging their own swords), the arts-and-crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of a goat-man), and the climbing wall, which actually consisted of two facing walls that shook violently, dropped boulders, sprayed lava, and clashed together if you didn't get to the top fast enough. Finally we returned to the canoeing lake, where the trail led back to the cabins. "I've got training to do," Annabeth said flatly. "Dinner's at seven-thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall." "Annabeth, I'm sorry about the toilets." "Whatever." "It wasn't my fault." She looked at us skeptically, and I realized it might've been my fault. I may have made water shoot out of the bathroom fixtures and made the ground shake. I didn't understand how. "You need to talk to the Oracle, both of you." Annabeth said. "Who?" "Not who. What. The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron." Percy stared into the lake, I rested my head on his shoulder wishing somebody would give me a straight answer for once. I wasn't expecting anybody to be looking back at me from the bottom, so my heart skipped a beat when I noticed two teenage girls sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, about twenty feet below. They wore blue jeans and shimmering green T-shirts, and their brown hair floated loose around their shoulders as minnows darted in and out. They smiled and waved as if I were a long-lost friend. I didn't know what else to do. I waved back. "Don't encourage them," Annabeth warned. "Naiads are terrible flirts." "Naiads," Percy repeated, feeling completely overwhelmed. "That's it. I want to go home now." Annabeth frowned. "Don't you get it, Percy? You are home. This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us." "You mean, mentally disturbed kids?" "I mean not human. Not totally human, anyway. Half-human." "Half-human and half-what?" "I think you know." "God," I said. "Half-god." Annabeth nodded. "Your father isn't dead, Percy. And one of your parent isn't your parent, Y/N. You are both a child of one of the Olympians. " "That's... crazy." "Is it? What's the most common thing gods did in the old stories? They ran around falling in love with humans and having kids with them. Do you think they've changed their habits in the last few millennia?" "But those are just— But if all the kids here are half-gods—" "Demigods," Annabeth said. "That's the official term. Or half-bloods." "Then who's your dad?" Her hands tightened around the pier railing. I got the feeling we'd just trespassed on a sensitive subject. "My dad is a professor at West Point," she said. "I haven't seen him since I was very small. He teaches American history." "He's human." "What? You assume it has to be a male god who finds a human female attractive? How sexist is that?" "Who's your mom, then?" "Cabin six." "Meaning?" Annabeth straightened. "Athena. Goddess of wisdom and battle." Okay, I thought. Why not? "And who's mine?" "You grew up with both a mother and a father. So only your Olympian parent knows." "And my dad?" "Undetermined," Annabeth said, "like I told you before. Nobody knows." "Except my mother. She knew." "Maybe not, Percy. Gods don't always reveal their identities." "My dad would have. He loved her." Annabeth gave me a cautious look. She didn't want to burst my bubble. "Maybe you're right. Maybe he'll send a sign. That's the only way to know for sure: your father has to send you a sign claiming you as his son. Sometimes it happens." "You mean sometimes it doesn't?" Annabeth ran her palm along the rail. "The gods are busy. They have a lot of kids and they don't always... Well, sometimes they don't care about us, Percy. They ignore us." I thought about some of the kids I'd seen in the Hermes cabin, teenagers who looked sullen and depressed, as if they were waiting for a call that would never come. But gods should behave better. Whoever my Olympian parent better suck up and claim me or I will show him. "So I'm stuck here," Percy said. "That's it? For the rest of my life?" "It depends," Annabeth said. "Some campers only stay the summer. If you're a child of Aphrodite or Demeter, you're probably not a real powerful force. The monsters might ignore you, so you can get by with a few months of summer training and live in the mortal world the rest of the year. But for some of us, it's too dangerous to leave. We're year-rounders. In the mortal world, we attract monsters. They sense us. They come to challenge us. Most of the time, they'll ignore us until we're old enough to cause trouble—about ten or eleven years old, but after that, most demigods either make their way here, or they get killed off. A few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Believe me, if I told you the names, you'd know them. Some don't even realize they're demigods. But very, very few are like that." "So monsters can't get in here?" Annabeth shook her head. "Not unless they're intentionally stocked in the woods or specially summoned by somebody on the inside." "Why would anybody want to summon a monster?" "Practice fights. Practical jokes." "Practical jokes?" "The point is, the borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. From the outside, mortals look into the valley and see nothing unusual, just a strawberry farm." "So... you're a year-rounder?" Annabeth nodded. From under the collar of her T-shirt she pulled a leather necklace with five clay beads of different colors. It was just like Luke's, except Annabeth's also had a big gold ring strung on it, like a college ring. "I've been here since I was seven," she said. "Every August, on the last day of summer session, you get a bead for surviving another year. I've been here longer than most of the counselors, and they're all in college." "Why did you come so young?" She twisted the ring on her necklace. "None of your business." "Oh." I stood there for a minute in uncomfortable silence. "So... I could just walk out of here right now if I wanted to?" "It would be suicide, but you could, with Mr. D's or Chiron's permission." "I've never had anything weird going on. I had a perfectly normal life." "It's because you don't give much of a half-blood scent. Even Grover didn't knew you were one of us until you came here. Even now they still don't smell you." "I just... want to go somewhere... else." I could see that Percy was guilty. "They wouldn't give permission until the end of the summer session unless..." "Unless?" "You were granted a quest. But that hardly ever happens. The last time..."

Her voice trailed off. I could tell from her tone that the last time hadn't gone well. "Back in the sick room," Percy said, "when you were feeding me that stuff—" "Ambrosia." "Yeah. You asked me something about the summer solstice." Annabeth's shoulders tensed. "So you do know something?" "Well... no. Back at my old school, I overheard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something like we didn't have much time, because of the deadline. What did that mean?" She clenched her fists. "I wish I knew. Chiron and the satyrs, they know, but they won't tell me. Something is wrong in Olympus, something pretty major. Last time I was there, everything seemed so normal." "You've been to Olympus?" "Some of us year-rounders—Luke and Clarisse and I and a few others—we took a field trip during winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council." "But... how did you get there?" "The Long Island Railroad, of course. You get off at Penn Station. Empire State Building, special elevator to the six hundredth floor." She looked at us like she was sure I must know this already. "You are a New Yorker, right?" "Oh, sure." As far as I knew, there were only a hundred and two floors in the Empire State Building, but I decided not to point that out. "Right after we visited," Annabeth continued, "the weather got weird, as if the gods had started fighting. A couple of times since, I've overheard satyrs talking. The best I can figure out is that something important was stolen. And if it isn't returned by summer solstice, there's going to be trouble. When you came, I was hoping... I mean— Athena can get along with just about anybody, except for Ares. And of course she's got the rivalry with Poseidon. But, I mean, aside from that, I thought we could work together. I thought you might know something." I shook my head. I wished I could help her, but I felt too hungry and tired and mentally overloaded to ask any more questions. "I've got to get a quest," Annabeth muttered to herself. "I'm not too young. If they would just tell me the problem..." I could smell barbecue smoke coming from somewhere nearby. Annabeth must've heard my stomach growl. She told me to go on, she'd catch me later. I left her on the pier, tracing her finger across the rail as if drawing a battle plan. Back at cabin eleven, everybody was talking and horsing around, waiting for dinner. For the first time, I noticed that a lot of the campers had similar features: sharp noses, upturned eyebrows, mischievous smiles. They were the kind of kids that teachers would peg as troublemakers. Thankfully, nobody paid much attention to us as we walked in. Percy left me to settle at his spot while I sat at mine. Luke, came over. He had the Hermes family resemblance, too. It was marred by that scar on his right cheek, but his smile was intact. "I hope you settle in just fine," he said. "And here, I stole you some toiletries from the camp store." He had a very friendly and welcoming aura around him, I couldn't help but giggle, "Thanks." "No prob." Luke sat next to me. "Tough first day?" "I don't belong here," I said. "From what I've heard about other campers. I had a perfectly normal life. Nothing weird... I-I don't even believe in Gods..." "Yeah," he said. "That's how we all started. Once you start believing in them? It doesn't get any easier." The bitterness in his voice surprised me, because Luke seemed like a pretty easygoing guy. He looked like he could handle just about anything. "So your dad is Hermes?" I asked. He pulled a switchblade out of his back pocket, but he just scraped the mud off the sole of his sandal. "Yeah. Hermes." "The wing-footed messenger guy." "That's him. Messengers. Medicine. Travelers, merchants, thieves. Anybody who uses the roads. That's why you're here, enjoying cabin eleven's hospitality. Hermes isn't picky about who he sponsors." I figured Luke didn't mean to call me a nobody. He just had a lot on his mind. "You ever meet your dad?" I asked. "Once." I waited, thinking that if he wanted to tell me, he'd tell me. Apparently, he didn't. I wondered if the story had anything to do with how he got his scar. Luke looked up and managed a smile. "Don't worry about it, Y/N. The campers here, they're mostly good people. After all, we're extended family, right? We take care of each other." He seemed to understand how lost I felt, and I was grateful for that, because an older guy like him—even if he was a counselor—should've steered clear of an uncool middle-schooler like me. But Luke had welcomed me into the cabin. He'd even stolen me some toiletries, which was the nicest thing anybody had done for me all day keeping Percy's works. I decided to ask him my last big question, the one that had been bothering me all afternoon. "Clarisse, from Ares, was joking about me and Percy being 'Big Three' material. Then Annabeth... twice, she said I might be 'the one.' She said I should talk to the Oracle. What was that all about?" Luke folded his knife. "I hate prophecies." "What do you mean?" His face twitched around the scar. "Let's just say I messed things up for everybody else. The last two years, ever since my trip to the Garden of the Hesperides went sour, Chiron hasn't allowed any more quests. Annabeth's been dying to get out into the world. She pestered Chiron so much he finally told her he already knew her fate. He'd had a prophecy from the Oracle. He wouldn't tell her the whole thing, but he said Annabeth wasn't destined to go on a quest yet. She had to wait until... somebody special came to the camp." "Somebody special?" "Don't worry about it, kid," Luke said. "Annabeth wants to think every new camper who comes through here is the omen she's been waiting for." I didn't know why... but I grabbed his hand, he turned to me surprised. "I-I... Uhm, I want to get to know you better... I... I'm here if you want to talk. A-As a thank you for helping me since I got here! I-I..." He gave a warm smile and ruffled my hair. "Thank you. Now, come on, it's dinnertime." The moment he said it, a horn blew in the distance. Luke yelled, "Eleven, fall in!" The whole cabin, about twenty of us, filed into the commons yard. We lined up in order of seniority, so of course I was dead last with Percy. Campers came from the other cabins, too, except for the three empty cabins at the end, and cabin eight, which had looked normal in the daytime, but was now starting to glow silver as the sun went down. "Percy," "Hmm?" "Are you okay?" I was about to grip his sleeve when he moved away. "I'm sorry... I'll tell you after dinner." I looked at him sadly while he thought to himself. We marched up the hill to the mess hall pavilion. Satyrs joined us from the meadow. Naiads emerged from the canoeing lake. A few other girls came out of the woods— and when I say out of the woods, I mean straight out of the woods. I saw one girl, about nine or ten years old, melt from the side of a maple tree and come skipping up the hill. In all, there were maybe a hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen assorted wood nymphs and naiads. At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had its own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four of the tables were empty, but cabin eleven's was way overcrowded. I had to squeeze on to the edge of a bench with half my butt hanging off. I saw Grover sitting at table twelve with Mr. D, a few satyrs, and a couple of plump blond boys who looked just like Mr. D. Chiron stood to one side, the picnic table being way too small for a centaur. Annabeth sat at table six with a bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, all with her gray eyes and honey-blond hair. Clarisse sat behind me at Ares's table. She'd apparently gotten over being hosed down, because she was laughing and belching right alongside her friends. Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everybody fell silent. He raised a glass. "To the gods!" Everybody else raised their glasses. "To the gods!" Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread, and yes, barbecue! Percy sat beside other kids of the Hermes cabin. My glass was empty, but Luke said, "Speak to it. Whatever you want—nonalcoholic, of course." I said, "(Favorite Drink; F/D)." The glass filled with sparkling caramel liquid. Then I had an idea. "F/C F/D." The drink turned a violent shade of F/C. I took a cautious sip. Perfect.. . . . . I drank a toast to my loved ones. They're not gone, I told myself. I felt like I was forgetting something. Like I know I will get too them all soon. "Here you go," Luke said, handing me a platter of smoked brisket. I loaded my plate and was about to take a big bite when I noticed everybody getting up, carrying their plates toward the fire in the center of the pavilion. I wondered if they were going for dessert or something. "Come on," Luke told me. As I got closer, I saw that everyone was taking a portion of their meal and dropping it into the fire, the ripest strawberry, the juiciest slice of beef, the warmest, most buttery roll. Luke murmured in my ear, "Burnt offerings for the gods. They like the smell." "You're kidding." His look warned me not to take this lightly, but I couldn't help wondering why an immortal, all-powerful being would like the smell of burning food. Luke approached the fire, bowed his head, and tossed in a cluster of fat red grapes. "Hermes." I was next. I wished I knew what god's name to say. Finally, I made a silent plea. Whoever you better claim me, or I will come for you and you won't like what I'll do. I scraped a big slice of brisket into the flames. When I caught a whiff of the smoke, I didn't gag. It smelled nothing like burning food. It smelled of hot chocolate and fresh-baked brownies, hamburgers on the grill and wildflowers, and a hundred other good things that shouldn't have gone well together, but did. I could almost believe the gods could live off that smoke. When everybody had returned to their seats and finished eating their meals, Chiron pounded his hoof again for our attention. Mr. D got up with a huge sigh. "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels." A bunch of ugly cheering rose from the Ares table. "Personally," Mr. D continued, "I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new campers today. Peter Johnson and (Wrong Name)." Chiron murmured something. "Er, Percy Jackson and Y/N L/N," Mr. D corrected. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on." Everybody cheered. We all headed down toward the amphitheater, where Apollo's cabin led a sing-along. We sang camp songs about the gods and ate s'mores and joked around, and the funny thing was, I didn't feel that anyone was staring at me anymore. I went up to Percy. "What's wrong?" He sighed. "I... I feel like everything... All of this," He signaled at everything, "happened because you met me. When you told Annabeth about your life and how nothing had been going wrong, while I had trouble following me every step... I couldn't help but feel guilty." I knew it... He felt at fault. Taking his hand I looked at him, "I chose to be with you at the beach. I wanted to follow you. I wanted to stay with you. Yeah, troubles came and I lost everything... I would rather have you with me through that. Please?" He rested his head on my shoulder, "Yeah..." Later in the evening, when the sparks from the campfire were curling into a starry sky, the conch horn blew again, and we all filed back to our cabins. It was late at night some were asleep, while some were screaming around. I stayed up looking out the window since Luke had warned me about going out. "Long day, how was it?" Luke greeted taking the spot beside me. "Almost had my face flushed down on smelly toilets, so real fun I guess." Luke rested his back against the window and looked at the two boys wrestling each other few feet away. "You know how you told me you wanted to get to know me more?" "Yeah... I mean it. You're the first person I met here. From what I heard you helped me after getting here." "So you feel obligated to get closer to me?" He raised a brow at me with a smirk. "No, I think you're interesting. I want us to be friends. I want to be a person you can trust." "Why?" "I... don't know. I guess I just want to. I mean yeah I also low-key kinda have a crush on you but oh well." I joked. Hearing his laugh I was relieved he was a cool guy. "I'll keep you in mind." "Really now? Okay dream of me I guess." "For a 12 year old you're a flirt." He shook his head with a smile. "It's my mom, she told me the best way to make friends is by flirting. If they're cool with you flirting they're perfect candidate for a friend, if they aren't, you'll have an awkward friendship." "I don't know about that." "I know right? Imagine teaching a 5 year old how to flirt." We laughed. We continued to chat about little things until it got quiet in the cabin. Most of them were now asleep. Percy slept as soon as he lied down, after all. "Good night." Luke smiled. "Yeah, good night." I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I collapsed on the bed. When I closed my eyes, I fell asleep instantly. That was my first day at Camp Half-Blood. I already felt like I belong. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all...

Previous | Masterlist | Next

I am in love with Luke I'm sorry Here's another chapter Another horirble caphetr UwU -kookie-doughs

Taglist?

@gayer-than-the-gayest-gay @the-natureofme @booknerd-3000

[fernando-jpg]

okay since you’re taking requests, could you do something daryl x reader where daryl and the reader hate each other but get into an only one bed situation on a run together?? only if you want of course.

I've finally finished it-

Here ya go luv

Winter was a hard season to survive in. Everything was cold and dead. Not a lot of people survived the first winter that came after the world ended. It was harder to get supplies and transport them back into camp. It was harder to get water - it froze in the pipes, lakes and rivers. But there were some pros. Some walkers froze in the sheet of ice, which made it easier to decapitate them and they were slower. But you weren't faster than before. 

During the run, you and Daryl hadn't met a lot of them and you were thankful for that. You were exhausted from having to make your way through layers of snow. Your whole body seemed to shiver from time to time as wind hit you. 

"It sucks." 

As soon as you let out another groan, Daryl's eyes wandered over his shoulder, at you, with visible annoyance written all over his face. 

"Stop complinin'. It ain't helpin'." Daryl huffed.

You rolled your eyes at him, fighting the urge to shoot something back at him. You looked at him, your eyes settling at his crossbow which he carried on his back. You didn't want to fight with him now but god, you wanted to do so. 

Daryl Dixon was one of not so many people that were pissing you off just by the way he was looking at you. You two never were on good terms. When you first met him at the quarry, he was an arrogant son of a bitch, who liked to start fights with anyone who was near him. You guessed, that he was a prick due to his brother's influence on him who was even worse than him. Merle was the top one guy who you hated, but his baby brother was in the second place. 

When the group had arrived at the prison, Rick had decided that you and Daryl were going to be paired for runs. You requested to be paired with perhaps Carol or even Carl but he ignored you. He knew that you and Dixon are not really getting along but Grimes only stated that "maybe runs will bring you two closer". Grimes hated when you and Daryl fought about smallest things and he would do anything just for you two to get along. But it was clearly not happening. 

"The sun is setting down." 

"I know that." he huffed again. 

"How far is the cabin then?" you asked. 

"Uhh.." he trailed off, looking at the map in his hands. "We should've seen 't 'bout by now." 

"What?" you stopped in your tracks, snow crunching under your boots. "So we missed it?" 

"Dunno." 

"Jesus--" you scoffed. Moving forward, you walked up to him. "Give me that map. Clearly you can't read it properly." 

Daryl was about to say something but you snatched the map away from his hands, almost ripping it in half. You grabbed your flashlight and shined the light at it since the daylight was slowly dying and it was harder and harder to see. You followed the road with your gloved finger and then looked around yourself for any signs. Everything seemed right. The crossroad was before your eyes not far away and it was shown on the map. The cabin should've been on your right, hidden slightly behind the trees. 

You folded the map, hiding it in the pocket of your coat before making your way away from the road and into the woods. You had to find that damn cabin. Otherwise you wouldn't survive the night here as you saw that storm was approaching. 

"Hey! Where yer goin'?" Daryl called out after you and you've heard his footsteps behind you, close by. 

"To find the cabin you've lost." you mumbled out, pulling out your machete just in case something appeared in front of you.

Not a moment later you found your destination. Completely ruined. 

A huge tree had fallen over the roof of the cabin, destroying it. You couldn't even make out the previous state of the small house. Now it was just a bunch of wooden pieces laying around, some covered in snow. 

You sighed, running your hands down your face to calm down. You had to quickly figure out something to not die due to hipotermia. 

After hiding your weapon, you grabbed the map again and looked through it again, finding only one other way to survive. 

"We gotta move back to the first crossroad and then move West." you informed Daryl, brushing past him to get back to the road. 

"Yeah and then what?" he asked. "There are no more cabins around 'ere." 

"On my last run, I found a small cottage about an hour away from here. It's not shown on the map but it marked it with an x. I wanted to stay the night there but found it overrun with walkers. Someone gathered a bunch of them there and since then they're stuck in there. We'll deal with them and then I'll finally be able to sleep for a few hours."

"Will we actually be able to finish them all off?" 

"We'll have to." 

During the one hour walk to the cottage, none of you two said anything to each other. You didn't mind it all. Anyway the talk will only lead to another fight. And you were already upset enough. 

When you arrived at the cottage, as you predicted it was flooded with walkers. You made a deal with Daryl, that you'll let the walkers in pairs so he could deal with them, then switch. It was a hard job but it had to be done if you wanted to rest. 

An bit later, there were only a few walkers left inside but damn, you were tired. You barely stood on your legs. All that doors pushing, blocking and decapitating walkers was really exhausting. 

"How many left more?" Daryl called out to you. 

"I, uh, about six I think." you breathed out. 

You opened the doors for them to walk out once more, letting out two again. You sighed when they started to push at the doors again and with all the strength you've had, started to close the doors back. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. All of the walkers were out now as you were almost knocked out by the slam of the doors. You fell back, onto the snow, holding your forehead in pain. 

You've heard Daryl call out to you and when you saw what he was dealing with, you immediately ran to help him. Eight walkers were after him. 

You ran up to one and stabbed him on the back of the head. The rotted body fell down onto the ground with a thud, catching attention of 3 more. You kicked the closes one in the knee, breaking his leg, making him fall down which made it easier to finish them off. Quickly you dealt with other two, without missing a beat. Adrenaline kicked in. But suddenly you fell down and walker landed right on top of you. 

You tried to keep calm as you were blocking his gnashing teeth away from your face but it wasn't enough. You've lost your knife and almost a will to fight this monster. 

"Daryl!" 

You've sounded defeated, voice weak and full of fear. Yeah, you were scared shit less. It wasn't like this haven't happen before. But now you were so tired you didn't know how much longer you would hold him back. 

But finally Daryl approached you, pulling the walker off of you, before finishing him on the ground. 

You were about to say something, anything to him when you've felt  hot liquid streaming down your face. You wanted to quickly wipe it off, wanting to see what it is when, Daryl grabbed your wrist. 

"Stop, yer gonna infect it." he said. "It's no walkers blood." 

Finally, at the cottage, you were able to clean yourself off and put a bandage on your head. You've had a cut coming right over your eye. It wasn't deep, no stitches were needed. Not like you two had some. 

While you were cleaning off, Dixon made fire in the fireplace when he broke some furniture in the house. It got warmer and you were thankful the stack of wood was enough for you two to survive the night. He even blocked the doors and windows, making sure no-one would break in. No man nor walker. 

"There's only one bed." Daryl informed you as soon as you stepped into the room. "Imma sleep on t' floor." 

"Don't be ridiculous Dixon." you scoffed. "We can share it. I'll have my side and you'll have yours. I'm not gonna even touch you." 

"..Fine." 

You quickly grabbed your extra blanket and laid down. Walking around the house made you quite dizzy. You turned on your right side, facing away from him, just wanting to go to sleep. 

Eventually he laid down next to you, but you were wrong. Your backs were certainly touching. You didn't mind it actually. 

You've heard him shuffle around from time to time. He was either moving his leg or his arm on his whole body at once.

"Jesus christ, continue this and you'll seriously end up on the floor." you growled almost, annoyed at his actions. 

"...'m sorry." 

You were actually surprised at his words. He never said these words to you before. You now have heard, how soft his voice can be instead of his gruffy usual one. 

"No..I'm sorry." you sighed, rubbing your eyes. "I'm sorry I let these walkers out. They almost got you." 

"'s fine. They didn't eat me." 

"They could've got me though. Almost did. If you weren't there to save me.." You've looked over your shoulder, seeing Daryl gaze at you intensely. "I was an ass to you. Even after you saved me. I feel stupid." 

"Stop it." he mumbled out, looking away from you. "It's nothin'." 

You glanced at him for a moment before eventually facing away from him again. 

Few moments have passed in silence when you finally found the right words to say. 

"Thank you Daryl..I guess you are a good guy." 

"...Go to sleep. Ya need to rest." 

You briefly glanced back at him but only saw his sleepy face. He looked really peaceful and calm. You let your mind wonder for a moment before you eventually turn around. 

Eventually you let yourself close your eyes and start to fall back to sleep, when you've heard Daryl move around on his side. Before you could turn around and see what he's up to, you've felt his hand gently touch strands of your hair. You tried not to let him know that you're not asleep still but didn't want to ruin your first nice moment between you and Daryl Dixon. 

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[shewhowillnotbenamed1]

Snowed In

-Hey! From the prompt list Dialogue 41 & 42, Situation 100 & 101 & 105 and as a setting I was thinking about an accommodation on the mountains :) -Omg... I am the anon with the make up sex while stuck in a snow storm... I forgot to say the pairing: Damirae💜💜

-----

Over an hour and still, she hadn't moved.

Raven sat on the cream-colored leather couch in the Great Room, staring aimlessly out of the A frame window. Not far beyond it, towering pine trees stood perched on the mountains where they continued to amass a heavy coating of frost. But Raven was hardly admiring the foliage in an illustrious winter landscape. With her head nestled in her hand and eyelids drooping, she had to be dozing off.

Damian's heavy footsteps creaked on the hardwood floor to little reaction, so she was definitely asleep. He brushed her shoulder, and she didn't budge an inch. "Raven." He murmured as he nudged her. She let out an incoherent mumble. "I know..." Damian said softly, staring at her sleeping face through half-lidded eyes. "But, you can't be comfortable sleeping like that..." Gently, his fingers plucked at the zipper to her coat.

Suddenly, she blinked, sitting up, ramrod straight. Promptly, she gathered up her coat around her body. "What exactly are you doing?" Raven asked accusingly.

It was an electric shock - so abrupt it was like a switch had been tripped.

"I was trying to help, that jacket was practically suffocating you," he grumbled. Through emerald slits, he regarded nothing but suspicion in her narrowing amethysts. "Don't get excited." As he drew back, he half considered retreating to the other side of the room to avoid the bursts of icy wind she blasted his way. But then, he took another look outside the window. "Raven, the storm is getting pretty bad out there. I don't think..." He saw her eyes flicker, in understanding.

"Jaime, Jon, Kori... They're not coming...?" She confirmed carefully. "Are they?"

"Well according to the weather reports, no." Damian answered, with a long pause to inspect his phone, glancing at an influx of warning messages and weather alerts for the area. "At least not today, they're not."

"I see..." Raven sounded worried. "We really are snowed in..."

"So it seems," he said, his tone taciturn. "You should at least make yourself comfortable." Damian shrugged. "Unpack?" He added under his breath.

"I'm comfortable here."

Damian frowned. "The chalet is hardly a shack." His vert orbs flitted over the high beams ceilings and A shaped walls of windows. "You don't have to confine yourself to the couch." He sighed. "But, since no one else is here yet... you can get the first pick of all the rooms." This seemed to appeal to her, as Raven immediately started to wrestle with her suitcase. "I can help you with that," he offered.

"I've got it." Raven continued, her back to him. Undismayed, he reached down for the handle. "I'm okay - thanks." She yanked her bag up from the floor and marched away in the opposite direction without another word.

Had he offended her without knowing it?

Damian could attest to feeling discomfited. Watching those tall black boots retreat was like watching a painful burn singeing and etching its way through flesh. His chest felt constricted each time she pulled away from him.

The way she had acted, as if he had played some part in arranging and orchestrating the whole thing as some sort of convoluted plot to get her alone.

Damian ran a hand down his face in defeat.

It was shaping up to be a long afternoon leading into what would undoubtedly be a long night.

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

Begrudgingly, Damian shut his laptop and decided to see how Raven was settling in. He knew he was hardly being a gracious host, but she wasn't exactly making it easy on him.

They were stuck together in a snowstorm, for an indeterminable amount of time, but it could be worse. Raven was hardly someone to let out endless strings of complaints or run herself into the ground with horrifying hypotheticals. No, there was no fear of that with her. She was rational and level-headed to her core - everything one needed in a crisis.

But it also meant she didn't need him.

The way she had recoiled from him... He had never known his heart or his head could be so unbidden to the laws of gravity. The hollow that carved into his chest when Raven walked away without a second look - it was a new level of unnatural. No, there wasn't much fear of anything with her. Their present situation had rendered her general level of apathy.

Why did all that apathy extend to him?

As Damian stared down the endless hallways of the chalet, he realized he didn't even know which room she had selected.

Maybe, he was a bad host after all.

Just around the corner from the corridor of windows, the answer arrived. Remnants of steam escaped before evaporating into the air above an open door. In the second largest bedroom, Raven sat on the bed in a white robe, her legs bare, black polish on twiddling toes, and an open book in her lap.

Oh, Gods.

He had found her - all of her.

Here Raven was barely dressed in bed and still so distractingly damp from the bath. By the way he was practically zeroing in on her heat-signature through the fabric, the green laser-beams had to be scorching her.

It was a minute before he realized he was there to check on her. He was not supposed to linger in her doorway uninvited, staring at her for longer than appropriate. Of course, Raven in a state of indecency was something Damian couldn't just tear himself away from. This storm was surely testing the limits of his survival.

"Hey." He rapped on the door frame gently. "You look relaxed..." He managed tightly. "I presume you've settled in?"

"Oh, Damian..." Raven closed her book and leapt up. "I'll just be a minute." She rose quickly to close the door.

Damian's hand twitched. This was the second time. For the second time today the sight of him or their proximity made Raven flinch. An electric impulse fired straight to his synapses - something in him snapped.

"No, you won't..." He heard the dangerous utterance from his lips, barely registering himself saying the words. And in a flash, the wood was barred firmly behind his rough palm.

Briefly Raven looked fearful, but it went away as quickly as it had come. "Damian...?" Her brow furrowed in frustration. "What is this?"

The time for politeness and niceties had elapsed. His tone had gone harsh. "We've been here for hours and you've barely said a word to me."

"That's not true," Raven said quickly. "Besides, that was just seven." She corrected him.

Unbelievable.

"You're incredible." Damian leveled her a blank stare to match the sarcasm. "I know you don't like me." Her lips parted and his curled. "Tch." He held up a hand. "You were silent for hours, so I'll talk." Sharpened icicles hurled his way, pitched off of a bone-chilling glare. But, it barely pierced his hide and he continued. "You think I'm arrogant, or emotionally stunted - whatever." Raven's usual sullenness shifted to annoyance. "But, it doesn't matter. We don't know when this storm is ending or how long we'll be stuck together."

"Way to state the obvious..." Raven muttered under her breath.

There was no doubt Raven thought he was a bad host now, if she hadn't already. And while hosting her was exceedingly difficult, Alfred would haven been ashamed of him regardless.

"Look, we have all the same friends... shouldn't we be able to get along? Or try?" Damian offered more gently. "I feel like I don't know you..."

Raven released the huge sigh she had been holding in. "You're right." Damian felt his stomach drop and all that previous frustration became misplaced. He hadn't actually wanted to be right. To be here and know that Raven would rather be anywhere else - with anyone else. It was more painful than endless bites of arctic wind. "Although...only about some of that." Raven murmured, rubbing her shoulder. And then, she frowned. "But mostly, that - you don't know me."

"What...?"

"You don't know me." Raven said again. "Not aside from the fact you think I would make baseless judgments. And about someone I don't know... Or at least someone I don't really know..." She shook her head. "You and I... we've never spent any real time together, certainly not like this." She gestured to the snow covered windows.

That sounded like a challenge.

"You think...I don't know you?" Damian cocked his head, his green eyes boring into her. "So, let me. We've got time." The husky undertone his voice took up was involuntary. "We'll see if you're right..."

Raven's eyes darted between the muscular mass of man and the door, apparently not anticipating that turn. "Damian, I...don't know if that's a good idea right now."

"Why not?" Damian pressed. "We don't exactly have anywhere to be." His ire began to rise. "You've been acting like you don't want to be around me since we got here. And I want to know why."

Damian angled his body to her own, fixing her with a darkening glare of his own. And this time she broke the electric webs of their connection, seeking solace in the hardwood floor.

Raven huffed. "Fine." In a very low voice she spoke. "Sometimes... I'm emotionally stunted - too..." She crossed her arms. "It's not you." She sounded strained.

This was why?

"Oh..." Damian's lips started to quirk up in a half-smirk. But wait. "I thought you hated me."

"No..." Raven sank down onto the bed, her legs folded under her. "You make me nervous."

"I do?" He scoffed. Damian shook his head. "Well, you're the one who's intimidating..." He could see rose creep up her cheeks out of the corner of his eye. "You froze me out way worse than the weather out there by the way." She made him second guess everything. Like staying at the chalet was subpar and not up to her standards.

"Pfft." The purple orbs rounded the ceiling, as if it was child's play to practice that level of stoicism. "So says the man who just took over the board of Wayne Enterprise." Raven quipped. "It is a very nice chalet, by the way - a present from your daddy, perhaps?"

"Oh, I see." Damian began, crossing his arms and leaning closer. "You do know how to joke. I knew it."

"Go ahead." Raven flushed mid-glower. "Tell anyone you want, no one will believe it. Or that this conversation ever happened."

"I don't care about that, or what anyone thinks. I like this side of you... I always knew it was there." Damian said bluntly. "I actually wanted to give us some time alone on this trip, to get to know each other." No denials, no filter, Damian told her.

"You - did?"

"Yes." This time, Raven didn't flee and he sat down across from her. "But at a restaurant or a late night movie... At the top of the ski lift." Damian avoided her gaze. "I didn't mean for it to be in a blizzard..." His shoulders sagged and he trailed away. "But if something aligned in the universe to make this happen, I'm glad to be with you..."

Raven's eyes shone and she granted him a smile. It was the most stunning and sincere smile he had ever seen; Damian hadn't known her face could even move that way. "I suppose it could stand to be worse..." His hand playfully brushed the ends of the sash holding up her robe and Raven's cheeks burned brighter. She cleared her throat, as if suddenly realizing what was happening. They were sitting in her bed together and she was half dressed. Raven flew to her feet, and they both eyed the door. "This was great - you're great, but I should change... Really..."

"Don't..." Damian rose slowly, moving tentatively to her. "Not just yet." Suddenly, he was irrationally afraid that if she closed the door to change - she might change. Raven's walls would be replaced and this conversation forgotten.

He fingered the neck of her robe as she stared at him. "Damian, I..." Seconds after he closed his eyes, he felt two hands press hard into his chest. "Stop." Damian froze, feeling foolish. And somehow, this exceedingly was worse than before.

"Raven, I thought...you were done avoiding me..." Blinking jade orbs glanced around at the room. "What just...happened?" He asked. It was unclear whether he meant the change in lighting or her...

It certainly was peculiar. Evening was approaching, but it wasn't as dark a few moments ago.

Was it?

Raven answered his thoughts. "The lights." She flipped the light switch over and over. No feedback. No flicker or spark. Just darkness. She shook her head worriedly. "I think the power went out." Quickly, Raven turned on her phone's flashlight.

"Oh." Damian watched her search through drawers and closets for flashlights and batteries, or any emergency supplies. "Look, I'm sorry -"

Raven ran a hand through her hair. "Where do you keep your candles?" She asked, not bothering to bemoan the circumstances that were decidedly less than favorable. Her survival instincts had kicked in at full-force.

Damian slowly came back to his; he knew the place better than she did. He would take care of this and salvage things as best he could. "The matches and candles are in the kitchen. I'll get some supplies - flashlights and blankets. And then, I'll find you. For now... Wait here." He brushed her shoulder. And Damian disappeared with a glowing phone screen lighting up the hallway of a suddenly cavernous chalet.

Raven called after him. "Where would I go?"

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

Damian shuffled the split birch logs onto the fireplace and prodded them with iron tongs. After the fire was adequately tended, he shut the glass door and sat down to watch the flames. "It should start to heat up in here soon." He called over his shoulder to her. "You should join me in front of the fire." He patted the fur rug. "With the power off it's going to get cold in here fast."

"I'm not cold." Raven eyed the spot next to him with disdain.

"Raven, there's no way you're warm in that." Damian gestured to her robe.

"I feel fine - and I'm fine here." She crossed her legs on the couch.

Damian blinked in disbelief. There was a harrowing storm outside and she preferred to suffer in silence rather than be anywhere near him. "We can't be doing this again... Are we back to that?" He spat.

"Back to what?" Raven countered lackadaisically.

"You're avoiding me," Damian volleyed pointedly. "Aren't you?" His finger jabbing the air before falling to his side.

"I'm not avoiding you - we're in the same room." She glanced around at the living room.

Damian stared blankly at the glass encased fireplace before him. "And you couldn't be further away."

Unexpectedly, Raven rose to her feet. She marched over to him, with her chin high and her arms folded over her chest. The molten glare she wore rivaled the burning logs in the hearth.

She stood in the center of the candles she had placed around the room. And as she did, Damian tried not to think of how the glowing purple reflected the firelight, or the shapes and shading sliding, flickering their way across dewy skin.

The fireplace.

And Raven before the blaze.

The smoky smell of logs aflame was a drug of vetiver and earthiness of the deep forest. Even a thousand cold showers wouldn't quell Damian's head or cool his body; he would have to stand out in the storm for any chance to alleviate the burning in him.

"We're not doing this, Damian. You owe me an explanation, and not the other way around." She swallowed sharply. "What was that in my room? Before...what were you trying to do...?"

"You know what it was." His jaw hardened. "Don't act like you don't."

"I mean..." Raven hesitated. "Why would you want to do that...with me?"

"You don't know why...?" Damian frowned. He had told her everything, and she was giving him nothing. "Tch..." He clicked his tongue. "I don't know, Raven, why would I want to touch you - or spend time with you...?" He threw up his hands. "Why would I say those things or try to kiss you?" She blinked, turning away. "Of course, all that and still - I'm the last person you want to be stuck here with."

"Stop," she ordered. "Just, stop." Raven settled down next to him. She didn't speak for a moment, instead she licked her lips and parted them. Mulling over her thoughts to select her next words carefully. "Damian, you're not."

He shook his head, refusing to look at her. "Raven... Don't. Unless you mean it." Damian drew a palm down his face. "Just, don't." He couldn't bare much more of the back and forth - the cruel sport.

"You're not...the last person," she whispered. Raven placed a firm, comforting hand on his black turtleneck. And when his back went rigid, she crept over in front of him to replace that hand on his chest. This time it was not to push him away, but to caress him. "Hey... Damian." She jostled his shoulder, until he glanced up. "Look at me, please."

Raven was kneeling before him on the rug with her knees disappearing into the ivory fur. The robe was so loosely tied, he could see a satin strap. Then, it gave way to an edge of a lace cup. An unrestrained warmth rose up inside him. His pants tightened, the heavy viridian stare darkened around the sight. "You ought to fix that." His voice was raspy when he spoke at last. Damian crooked his head in warning. "Unless you want to...give me a little show..."

Raven held his gaze for an everlasting breath, before she reached down. "What would you do if...I did?" Pale fingers deftly tugged the sash, allowing it to fall open completely. The crackle of flames licking up logs faded away. The snowflakes fell in slow motion. Time stood frozen. Raven's robe was draping off her, fabric bunched up on her arms, exposing her in ways he had only dreamed of. "Isn't this what you want?"

Damian breathing became labored, his body tensed from the strain. It was as though prying his eyes away from her would cause physical pain.

All that coursed through him was a need to feel her against him. It was surging through his soul and possessing him. Suspending his thoughts and taking over every action. It was overpowering and all too much - just as it was not enough.

No more layers or barriers between.

It was exactly what he wanted.

"Yes... And you...?" He growled low under his tongue.

"Yes, Damian."

At last, his lungs became functional as he resumed a normal intake of air. The need to touch her would splinter him to the core.

"Tell me... how you feel - I need to know."

It was brief, but her body trembled. "I..." Her teeth caught her bottom lip. "Don't want to be here with anyone else. Or stuck with anyone else," she murmured in an echo of earlier. "Just you..." She was open. For him. "I need you..." Those words sent shivers down his spine to his shaft. The space between them had become too vast.

Damian longed to rise to the mountain summit with her, he wanted to be out there on the peak before they plummeted together into a pit of madness.

He couldn't take it.

By the way she was sweeping locks off her neck, Damian surely would weaken from exposure.

The column was bared, almost in beckoning. At last, Damian cursed in Arabic, taking hold of Raven, his hands gripped her shoulders, and pushed her body backwards onto the rug.

Lashings of hair splashed out to stain the pure white fur with purple.

It was more breathtaking and more stunning than the snowflakes descending from the sky. More flawless than the untouched landscape outside the windows, a winter wonderland crafted from brush strokes by the hand of Thomas Kinkade. The pure white of the snowfall beyond the chalet held no candle to Raven's miles of opalite.

Before him was the inconceivable, a fantasy of snow-colored skin framed by a mauve colored bra with lace scallop edges in plum. His pine eyes lingered on the bow in the center of her matching panties. A shudder wracked through him and it was the wild call of the raven. Damian desired nothing more than to answer her. To consume her with his heat, his mouth and his hands. Damian dragged his fingers to her collarbone and the tops of her breasts, splaying a hand across her hammering heartbeat.

Little more than thin scraps of satin stood between him and her skin.

All those layers.

He'd had enough of the layers and the walls.

No more.

Frenzied fingers ripped the robe clean away. But, there was still too much space and too much fabric between them. He needed her bare. A haze lifted from Damian and dark fingers dove for the hook to shed her of the balconette bra. Unbound, at last, her chest rose and fell like tides.

If there was anything on this Earth that he had ever found so captivating...

The cream color of her flesh blurred beautifully, bleeding into the rug. Save for pink lips, mouthing frenetic little nothings and her nipples, red and hard, it was almost difficult to tell where it ended and she began. His cock pained at the confinement. Pupils enlarging at the sight, he was voracious and evidently, she was breathless. He traced the spaces his hand had occupied with his mouth. His lips and tongue circled around her neck and chest in spirals. Over and over.

Damian ignored Raven's gasps and hisses, he teased her and nipped everywhere but at the stiff peaks. Pleading, liquid purple seared straight through him. By the needy grunt of his name, the tug of his hair - Raven needed him.

This is exactly how he wanted her.

Damian's hand smoothed down her shapely legs, drawing his eyes up and down her figure.

The firelight was casting on them a mesmerizing glow. The setting sun was starting up more shadows around the room to accompany all the flickering shapes from the candles in tiny glass jars. It was hypnotic. He had gotten his alone time with her. Despite nature's intervention, it couldn't have been more intimate if he had planned it himself.

Damian was unable to resist, threading his fingers through the silk of her hair. And at last, his teeth caught a nipple, rolling it between them. Raven moaned heatedly and amethyst eyes had become molten, her hips were turning. Each nip from his mouth and every brush of his fingers sent a rush of pleasure, a cacophony in a cyclone slipping across her skin and over her center. All the sensations were heightened by the luxurious fur lapped along every naked curve. Damian shifted their bodies onto their sides. Raven's leg started slinging up over him, coming to rest at his hip.

He rumbled low in his throat. Raven had curled her leg tight to bring him right up to her core. Their pelvises ground in circles, in fraught intimation of the act they frantically desired. They cradled each other close, while their bodies clamored to meet each other's heat. Raven's eyes squeezed shut, no doubt watching a motion picture, the whirlwind of her pleasure behind her eyelids.

Oh. This.

He had longed to claim her forge himself with her firelight.

Immerse himself in her hearth.

Lust was taking her over, Raven was grabbing his shirt with one hand with the other threaded through his belt loops, yanking hard. She wanted his pants off. But when he wouldn't yield, she wrapped another leg around his waist as though to tell him she wanted him on top of her.

His dark chuckle gave way to grunts. A frantic rocking of her hips sent him prickles of pleasure. The hardness brushing softness. Like a match striking his skin where he needed it most, Raven drove her barely covered core over Damian's length in his jeans.

"You like this..." She let out a little noise that was all the affirmation he needed. "Oh I know you do. You can't deny it any longer..."

Raven nibbled her lip. "Do you, Damian...? Just as sudden you know how I feel -" And Damian turned her chin back to him.

"You like being here with me -"

Defiantly, she seared him with his eyes. "I haven't anywhere else to be." They fluttered to close as he drew his lips to her sensitive neck to bring forth the shudders of her body vibrating its betrayal.

"You like...my hands all over you..." His hand flew to her breastbone. The midline of her chest, down her abdomen, it dove between their bodies in search of wet and warm. Damian's fingers ran over the front of her soaked panties. Up and down.

"Oh, Gods..."

Raven's body twisted and twitched, pulling at the sweater she held tight in her fist. "And you..."

"Damian, I -"

"You like me..."

They disappeared under the side of her underwear to dive straight for her hearth. And all was lost, to the sea of sensation, their minds had gone hazy, clouded over with pleasure from the frenzy of his fevered touch. Damian tried to steady his thoughts.

"Oh, you're soaked." Raven was reckless, moving wildly, she rocked her hips into his hand, while his thumb reached up, rounding the pink pearl. Over and over, dizzying, electric in ovals. Circling, until brilliant green, orange and red blurred in her eyes and she couldn't control her body or the noises escaping her.

"Fu-ck." She burst out. It was so uncharacteristic, a smirk started to slide straight onto his face. But, little mattered, because she was close. Very close. A well of pride began surging up and swelling in his chest at the pleasure Raven was receiving by his fingers, their push into glorious pink. "Mmm-"

Yes.

In a rush, he had caught her plump mouth against his own. Her body shuddered like she was on the verge and he too was shaking, on the brink of losing his body to the wilds. The wind had swept his sanity away from him ages ago. They were out in fierce zephyrs, a storm of their own creation, they never wanted to resurface from.

Not even to come up for air.

Raven and Damian grasped each other fiercely, desperate, nearing drunkenness in their mutual hunger to share heat.

He hissed when Raven gripped his back. His hair. His forearm. Indented skin under her iridescence. Delicious pale folds were lifting from the floor to meet his hand in time. Ascending - rising up to mountains and descending - dipping down into valleys. Raven cried out - her chest thrust out each time her hips bucked down.

Damian felt her core clenching his fingers and drenching them, shivering, savoring the sweetest release. He needed more than warmth or heat - he needed hers. Damian captured Raven's lips in another kiss, tongue seeking tongue, fierce, needy and wet. In the fervent exchange, he marveled at everything around him.

He and Raven were weaving themselves together into something he barely recognized, but he wanted it. All of it - the messy, the vulnerable, the raw...

Everything.

This was just the tip of the iceberg of what he wanted to do with her. To be with her.

"No, don't stop -" The sentence ended in a high pitched shriek.

Yes.

A full-fingered jerk of his hand sent her falling into him, her face buried straight into his shoulder, breathing heavily on his neck. A zenith on the horizon. Raven was right on precipice, begging for relief. Another curve upward, and at last. Her body's climax sent streams of syrupy sweet down his hand.

And with it visions. Oh, how her sacred water sent him visions.

They formed, crystalline behind his eyes like the surface of a snowflake at its microscopic core.

Before him was the opportunity to get to know Raven in the best way.

Wholly and completely.

To stay up all night talking and feeding each other imported macaroons as they lay in bed. This was only of course, after they were sufficiently sated from earlier activities and basking in the afterglow. Surely they needed to spend adequate time getting acquainted with each other in the sheets.

In the morning, they'd take an extended dip in the indoor pool and then, in one of the outdoor hot tubs. And there, he would finally pluck the knotted string of her drenched black bikini. When they overheated, their skin reddened from the hot water and steam, they would run out onto the mountain. And none but the wilderness would see the shapes engraved into the snow from where their love-making had dissolved the powder around their bodies.

Damian hoped the snow storm wouldn't die down for another day or two or three. Then, it would be him and Raven alone. Exploring each other. Tasting each other. Making love. Damian could pleasure her until she lost all control, screaming out to mountain tops, purple eyes alight with showering stars that sparked off into the night. And when the waves subsided, her black polished fingernails would retreat from where they had dug lasting impressions in his back.

One didn't have to leave the chalet to know they would be the most memorable souvenirs from the trip.

But if she wanted to see stars he hadn't created behind her eyelids. They could sit beneath them, out there on the deck, on the mountain. Here, away from the city lights in Gotham, they could find clarity in an unobscured night sky.

Raven would whisper the names of constellations and mythologies into Damian's ear, her low rasp, like sin and the filthiest dirty talk. Her arms would drape his neck, as she sat in his lap, nestled into him. In counter, Damian would whisper back tales of corvus, watching her stunned expression morph into delight. She would stroke his cheek and seal her mouth to his. And with every kiss, their breaths would mingle together as one.

Damian delved a finger into his mouth for a taste of Raven's sumptuous glaze. It was intoxicating, with the creamy flavor causing his eyes to close in pleasure.

At this, he could see them, in matching robes. With their hands, pink from the chill, they would clutch mugs of the darkest, drinking-chocolate, hand-cut marshmallows and dollops of thick whipped cream. And when, Raven licked her finger, the corner of her mouth would tug about as Damian fought off a knowing look.

They would have found themselves back where it all began - in front of the fireplace, and Raven in a robe. Such sentiment wouldn't be lost. And Damian would begin to press her back onto the rug, and reveal her bare body. He would spread her legs apart and start lifting her thighs right up to his face.

With the hot chocolate abandoned, Damian would drink her down until his craving for rich, decadence was properly sated. Those strokes of a silver-tongue, would embolden Raven's wantonness, while her body wracked with wave after wave of a maelstrom. Before finally, wrenching her fingers through his dark hair, screaming wild abandon to the mountain.

Damian's thoughts swirled, blowing, scattered snow, thinking of all they would be.

All they could be.

Everything and anything - possibilities seemed absolutely endless.

The chalet, this night, it was theirs to explore. Together.

Damian traced the bridge of Raven's collarbone, inhaling the spiced plum and lilac. He whispered lovingly in Arabic, pressing the seam of his lips along her chest, as they trailed downward.

Whatever the universe had wrought brought them to this. It wouldn't end - this was only the beginning of the storm and what was between them.

A flash of bright lights overhead was sudden.

The muffled sound of a generator and the heat began to pour in.

The power was back. The storm must have started to die down. Damian and Raven sprang apart. Purple eyes widened, as Raven stared at his body, completely covered while she lay half-naked. Fighting off a furious blush, her arms quickly surrounded her chest. Oh Gods. The lights were fixed, the storm was ending - the spell was officially broken. All that was left was for their friends to burst through that door for normalcy to resume.

And if they did, would she pretend this never happened?

Damian wasn't sure he could handle it. "Raven...?" He tried tentatively. She wasn't looking at him, her body in an instant had gone rigid and cold. It had little to do with temperature, it seemed to be a reflex where Damian was concerned.

She lifted her eyebrows to his confusion. "Well, this turned out all wrong, didn't it?"

He hadn't been sure what she would say next, but he wasn't expecting this. "We both... I thought we both wanted this." Damian let out a frustrated noise, not bothering to mask his hurt. No. Why would she bring him paradise, just to rip it away? "You can't believe that... It wasn't wrong."

It was beautiful and at the very least he wanted to maintain it that way in his memory.

"Yes, I do." He opened his mouth in protest, but quickly stopped. A pale hand snatched up the hem of his shirt, and began to raise it, revealing the set of deeply tanned abs. Raven cocked her head at his shocked face. "It is... if I'm the only one naked."

The only thing that could truly make him cold was if she disappeared from him.

"Raven..." Immediately, he lifted his sweater overhead and Raven smoothed the static from his hair. "Just... don't do that again." And Damian affixed his mouth straight to her own.

No more layers. No more distance.

Just him and her.

And the chill was but a faint memory.

[swordlesbean]

this means war | 80s catradora mega mixtape [listen]

track listing and lyric selections under the cut

tape 1: raised on you

| 01 shadows of the night pat benatar |

we're running with the shadows of the night / so baby, take my hand, it'll be all right / surrender all your dreams to me tonight / they'll come true in the end

| 02 the best tina turner |

give me a life time of promises and a world of dreams / speak the language of love like you know what it means / it can't be wrong / take my heart and make it strong, baby / you're simply the best, better than all the rest

| 03 right by your side eurythmics |

give me two strong arms to protect myself / give me so much love that i forget myself / i need to be right by your side

| 04 wish upon me suzi quatro |

wish upon me / count on me to infinity / my love will be here / when the stars burn out / so reach out and touch me

| 05 raised on you heart |

let's go tell the world / to quit turning cold / just let me be raised on you / don't have to change just now / we can laugh about the load

| 06 everywhere fleetwood mac |

i'll speak a little louder / i'll even shout / you know that i'm proud and i can't get the words out / oh, i wanna be with you everywhere

| 07 only you yazoo |

all i needed was the love you gave / all i needed for another day / and all i ever knew / only you

tape 2: falling out

| 01 the last beat of my heart siouxsie & the banshees |

reach out your hands / don't turn your back / don't walk away / how in the world can i wish for this never to be torn apart? / close to you till the last beat of my heart

| 02 don’t turn around bonnie tyler |

i'm gonna be strong / i'm gonna do fine / don't worry about this heart of mine / just walk out that door / yeah, see if I care / go on and go now but don't turn around / cause you're gonna see my heart breaking

| 03 falling out kim wilde |

what can i say now after all is said and done / you cut me up in pieces when the shooting first begun / what did i do to you to make you turn away? / cause now there's nothing left for me / there's nothing i can say

| 04 borderline madonna |

you let me down, when i look around / baby, you just can't be found / stop driving me away, i just want to stay / i've given all i can / cause you got the best of me / borderline / feels like i'm going to lose my mind

| 05 love is a battlefield pat benatar |

you're begging me to go / then making me stay / why do you hurt me so bad? / it would help me to know / do i stand in your way? / or am i the best thing you've had?

| 06 i call your name roxette |

i close the door behind me, and i turn the lights all down / there's no one there beside me, i call your name

| 07 who will you run to heart |

you're sure the life you're living with me / can't go on one single minute / and there's a new one waiting outside this door / and now's the time to begin it / you found a new world / and you want to taste it / but that world can turn cold / and you better face it / who will you run to when it all falls down?

| 08 get up and go the go-go’s |

i was on the inside / looking out for you / but you're the one to make the change / there's nothing i can do / now's the time for you to move / actions shout out loud

| 09 stop draggin’ my heart around stevie nicks ft. tom petty & the heartbreakers |

i know you really want to tell me goodbye / i know you really want to be your own girl / baby, you could never look me in the eye / yeah, you buckle with the weight of the world / stop draggin’ my heart around

| 10 breakdown grace jones |

it's okay if you must go / i'll understand if you don't / you say goodbye right now / i'll still survive somehow / why should we let this drag on?

| 11 edge of a broken heart vixen |

it won't be easy, but i've got to be strong / and if i wanna cry i don't need your shoulder / i been living on the edge of a broken heart / don't you wonder why i gotta say goodbye

tape 3: moth to a flame

| 01 i love playing with fire joan jett & the blackhearts |

i love playing with fire / i don't wanna get burned / i love playing with fire / don't think i'll ever learn

| 02 action reaction missing persons |

action reaction, the girl knows just what to do / action reaction, she gets some reaction from you / she's gonna take you by surprise / she's gonna hit you right between the eyes

| 03 bring your love down (didn’t i) yazoo |

if you think you need a change / well, i'm sure we can arrange for you to get on your own for a while / but i don't need to worry, cause you'll get back in a hurry / i know that you like my style / you play your games but the fact remains / i'm the only one that can hold your reins

| 04 moth to a flame olivia newton-john |

here again drawn like a moth to a flame / an invisible force pulling me close to you / i can't break free / there's some kind of hold over me / like a magnet, you attract me like steel

| 05 who’s that girl madonna |

she's trouble, in a word get closer to the fire / run faster, her laughter burns you up inside / you're spinning round and round / you can't get up, you try but you can't

| 06 regrets eurythmics |

i've got a delicate mind / i've got a dangerous nature / and my fist collides with your furniture / i'm an electric wire / and i'm stuck inside your head

| 07 who’s problem? the motels |

so, whose problem am i / whose problem am i / whose problem am i / if i'm not yours?

| 08 state of mind suzi quatro |

fire burning in my heart / tearing me apart / you're the fire / you knocked my defenses down / bare as the day i was born / you're the one

| 09 breakdown girlschool |

i'm gonna make you understand / that i've seen it all before / i twist your mind and break your heart / and you still come back for more

| 10 long time joan jett & the blackhearts |

you can always wake the beast in me / that's the thing that never lets me be / it's gonna take a long time / to get you off of my mind

| 11 winter kills yazoo |

pain / in your eyes / makes me cruel / makes me spiteful / tears are delightful / welcome your nightfall / how winter kills / i tear at you, searching for / weaker seams

tape 4: goodbye to you

| 01 cat-o’-nine-tails L7 |

you're scratching me, baby / right down to my heart / claw the couch now that we're apart / think i'm allergic

| 02 had enough joan jett & the blackhearts |

you rain storm cloud / you ain't no friend / don't wanna see your face again / had enough of you / you ain't for me

| 03 winning the war ‘til tuesday |

you fight just for the sake of it / you know what hurts the most / you might have once been faking it / but now it cuts too close / winning the war and losing every battle / you close the door on happy ever after

| 04 cry wolf stevie nicks |

you can try, but you can't get me into the fire / cause i'm all out of sympathy / and, baby, i can't walk this wire / find yourself somebody new / to catch you when you fall

| 05 thorn in my side eurythmics |

to run away from you / was all that i could do / thorn in my side / you know that's all you'll ever be / so don't think you know better / cause that's what you mean to me

| 06 state i’m in bananarama |

can we carry on / or must we still pretend / that we're really friends / those feelings have gone / but we're not the same / and we're both to blame / there's nothing left to tell you / nothing left to give you

| 07 goodbye to you scandal feat. patty smyth |

baby, it's over now / no need to talk about it / it's not the same / my love for you's just not the same / and my heart can't stand the strain / goodbye to you

| 08 this means war joan jett & the blackhearts |

it hurts me so to fight with you / but since you closed the door / this means war, and you will see it's senseless / this means war, and soon you'll be defenseless / cause you can't win this war

| 09 harden my heart quarterflash |

darling, in my wildest dreams, i never thought i'd go / but it's time to let you know / i'm gonna harden my heart / i'm gonna swallow my tears / i'm gonna turn and leave you here

| 10 don’t watch me bleed ‘til tuesday |

i guess you gave as good as you got / i guess this love is dead at last / but i paid such a lot / don't just kiss me goodbye / don't watch me bleed

tape 5: change of heart

| 01 change of heart cyndi lauper |

here i am just like i said i would be / i'm your friend just like you think it should be / did you think i would stand here and lie / while our moment was passing us by / oh, i am here waiting for your change of heart / it just takes a beat to turn it around

| 02 sorry me, sorry you jefferson starship |

out on the edge / such a dangerous place to be / when darkness falls / and you got no way to see / don't turn away from me / you say you're sorry / i'm sorry too

| 03 we can change belinda carlisle |

i swear we don't have to hurt anymore / throw the old ways out and close the door / nothing remains the same / we can't hold on, but baby we can change

| 04 fighting divinyls |

gotta stick to the fight when you're hardest hit / is when things hurt the most that you must not quit / i'm losing my resistance and i'm coming after you / this time i gotta cause worth fighting for

| 05 before this night is through bonnie tyler |

come inside, close the door, come to me now / we'll find our way, we know how / let the past be the past, let it all fall away

| 06 something to believe in the bangles |

i lost direction in the darkness / couldn't stop myself from running / i could feel the sun on my back / but i was afraid to let the light in / now i can't run anymore / now i see this gift you bring me

| 07 surrender gloria estefan |

you've got the key / so open up your heart and be my destiny / come back, baby, come back / surrender to me

| 08 (we want) the same thing belinda carlisle |

no matter what we say / no matter what we do / beyond the battle lines, baby, we know what's true / we dream the same thing / we want the same thing / and all that we need is to see it together

| 09 never heart |

we can't go on, just running away / if we wait any longer, we will surely never get away / anything you want, we can make it happen / stand up and turn around, never let them shoot us down

| 10 nothing’s gonna stop us now jefferson starship |

let em say we're crazy, i don't care about that / put your hand in my hand, baby, don't ever look back / let the world around us just fall apart / baby, we can make it if we're heart to heart / we can build this thing together / standing strong forever / nothing's gonna stop us now 

| 11 we belong pat benatar |

we belong to the light, we belong to the thunder / we belong to the sound of the words we've both fallen under / whatever we deny or embrace for worse or for better / we belong together

[soren-bleu-kun]

BnHA Fics I’ve Read This Week 1

I read and review a lot of fics, every week. Here is the list from last Friday, to today. Let me know if I should I do this next week. 

Bloom in Winter - God linking all the art for this was a bitch in my google document, but worth it. In this uncompleted and seemingly abandoned twelve chapter fic where Midoriya is forced to work with villains with his analytical abilities. The story picks up when he finds out that he’s going to have to infiltrate UA as a General Studies student in order to find a way to help kill his idol, All Might. 

The Sun in My Eyes - This is a MomoJirou fic where the two girls meet at a young age and slowly fall in love as they grow up together. A fast read, and really cute. 

Trust Fall - This is a cute little fic that I think is supposed to end on a note of a possible relationship between Shinsou and Midoriya. Basically, the 2A addition to the UA Cultural Festival is a cat café, and while chasing one down both Midoriya and the cat he was chasing end up stuck in a tree, and it’s Shinsou to the rescue. 

What’s She Got That I Don’t? - This is a one-shot where we see Kirishima tell Bakugou that he has a crush on him. Getting rejected, he expected that. What he didn’t expect was for Bakugou to turn around and ask out Uraraka the very next day. This one-shot was good, but painful at times. 

I. Shaky Hands - This is the beginning of rexcorvidae’s incomplete Whumptober Series. I did not review every single piece of this series, but it does kick off with a very good start. Dadzawa to the rescue when he realizes that - with all the damage that Midoriya’s done to them - his problem child can’t use a pen well, or a pair of chopsticks. 

[Because this was a series of unconnected stories, I will be putting each one that I reviewed after this] 

III. Delirium - Midoriya gets sick out of the blue in the UA dorms, attacks some students in his delirious state, and collapses. The whump is just spectacular and I love any story that features a character that thinks their friends are their enemies 

IV. Human Shield - While taking Midoriya out for ice cream, he and Yagi get attacked. His brilliant solution to save his mentor? Jump in front of the bullet and almost die. There is some good Dad Might in this fic. 

VII. Isolation - Warning, this fic deals with Suicidal Ideation. Basically, what would happen if Midoriya took Bakugou’s middle school taunting as far as it could have gone. It ends with him standing on a roof, read at your own risk. 

XV. Scars - Midoriya has scars from the years of violent bullying that he went through and they don’t go unnoticed by his mentor. On the other side of the coin, Midoriya doesn’t want to tell Yagi who did it because he knows that if the people who tormented him don’t get to slide into being the heroes that they don’t deserve to be, they could be terrible villains. I honestly love this fic, it deserves everything. 

XVI. Stitches - This is an AU where Nighteye finds Midoriya at a pretty young age, sees the sort of analytical work that he can do, and has him intern at his office [and holds onto his notebooks for him, since there’s a lot of dangerous information in there, even if Midoriya doesn’t understand that when they first meet]. This story takes place a few years into that internship, when Midoriya collapses at work after the stitches he put in himself after another round of violent assault from his classes gets infected. 

XVIII. Muffled Screams - The last fic in this series that I reviewed, and it is a painful one, quite literally for Midoriya. In this story, he has been kidnapped, and he has one job. Don’t scream. Of course, this is difficult as he gets tortured, but he has to, because the villain promises that if he makes a noise, someone he cares about will die. We see this from the live feed that is being broadcast of the torture, with Yamada, Aizawa, and Yagi. 

Is it the Thunder in the Distance - This is a good little one-shot featuring Yagi spending the night at the Midoriya household and finding his successor sleeping on the floor right outside of his room. All in all, this is a very good fic and I like it a lot. Note, the actual name of the fic is much longer, but I am not writing the entire thing out again. 

If I’m Losing Again, Quiet Me Down - This takes place during the Stain Arc, when Midoriya is sitting in the hospital with Todoroki and Iida. While calling around to make sure that people know that he’s okay, he ends up having a panic attack. There is a soft ending to this one. 

I’ll Carry You Home - This was a debut fic for the author on Ao3, and it features Yagi carrying an exhausted Midoriya home after a long day of training. Most adorably, he accidentally calls his mentor “dad,” and when Midoriya wakes up enough to realize what he said there is a lot of apologizing. All in all a cute story. 

Growing Like You - This is a short one-shot featuring Midoriya finding out that one of the side affects of his new Quirk is that he’s growing, fast and a lot. Trying to find him something to wear, Yagi ends up stumbling across a box of his old UA clothes, and he gives it to Midoriya. 

Feelings of a Fanboy - This is one of those “What if Midoriya had a Quirk” stories, and they are some of my favorite kinds of fanfics out there. In this one, his power is called Emotional Rush. Basically, the more he feels, the stronger and faster he gets. This goes up to right around/before the Stain Arc. 

Father’s Day - This is a fic that features Hisashi Midoriya not really being around and Yagi stepping into the paternal role in Midoriya’s life, something that they both seem to need. 

Define “Villainy” - This is more or less a crack fic where Tsuyu realizes that literally no one in her class has tried to stop her from straight up attempting to murder Mineta, and they will probably continue to let her because no one in the class actually likes him. 

Anything, Anything - This is a fic that I already recommended to someone, and it is so good. This is a fic that features eventual TodoDoriya, where the two of them keep running into each other in the UA Dorms common room whenever they wake up from nightmares. 

Those Hardest to Love Need it the Most - This is a Dadzawa fic where Aizawa finds out that Midoriya was extremely mistreated at his middle school and opens up an investigation in hopes of taking the place down for Quirk discrimination. 

All the Signs - This is a crack fic for what I consider a bit of a crack ship, Huyumi. Basically, Fuyumi gets pregnant with Hawks’ kid and starts acting a little... bird like. The author, ohmytheon, is fantastic and I have read so much of their stuff. 

Come Home - This fic breaks my entire heart. This is a story where Touya and Fuyumi Todoroki are twins, two halves of the same whole. This goes through their childhood together, right up to the end where Fuyumi watches Touya being Dabi on TV and refuses to rat him out. She just wishes that he would come back. 

Who Will Protect Them - USJ 2.0, taking place when 1A has become 3A. After getting slammed into a wall and not being able to get back up, Aizawa wonders who’ll protect his class, before realizing that they’re more than keeping their own. He’s proud... and he’ll be even more proud if he survives this. 

Darken Your Door - This is a fic that deals with neglect, emotional abuse, and manipulation. While on a run to a corner store with Midoriya, Aizawa gets to meet his students estranged father. It doesn’t take long for him to realize that his student is extremely uncomfortable around his parent. From then on he wraps Hisashi Midoriya in more red tape than he’ll be able to get out from under. No one talks to his students unless his students want to hear from that person. 

Mouth Shut (Eyes Down) - A story in which Midoriya does not trust adults because they were the ones that let Bakugou and the rest of his bullies get away with assaulting him. He accidentally admits this to Aizawa after being stabbed when he thought he could “handle” getting stalked. 

A Touch of Hope - This is technically a soulmates fic, where you find your soulmate after physical contact. Shinsou was not expecting to find his at UA, nor was he expecting that it would give him an opportunity to join the Hero Course if he can prove himself. 

Voiceless - This is a shorter fic, only 1K, and it features Midoriya losing his voice when he gets sick and Shinsou taking care of him. It’s pretty cute. 

Creating Music - This is a three chapter fic taking place over two days, the day before and the day of Valentine’s Day. This is a MomoJirou fic that is really cute and sentimental. I love it so much. 

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year - In this fic, Midoriya is a dumbass and Shinsou finds his crush stuck to a pole by his tongue. He is not wearing a coat, and he has been stuck like this for a long time. 

Hook, Line, and Sinker - This is a great EraserMic fic in a Quirkless AU, where Aizawa thinks that his tinder date it a catfish because there is no way internationally famous singer Hizashi Yamada just matched with him. Note, there is smut in either the second or third chapter. 

Ask Me No Questions, I’ll Tell You No Lies - This is a silly little fic where Shinsou and Midoriya share a hotel room. Before you ask, there are two beds. There is a kiss, but that’s about it. A little OOC for Midoriya, but still pretty good. 

Shinsou the Local Cryptic - This is a fic where Shinsou becomes an internet meme of his own creating. It’s honestly pretty fun, and I had a good time with this one-shot. 

You Anchor Me Back Down - This is a one-shot with some fun art in it. When Todoroki is hit with a random Quirk that causes him to float whenever he’s happy, it’s difficult for him to keep his crush on Midoriya a secret. This takes place during their third year. 

Cosmic Confluence - Wonderful Shinsou-Centric fic where he’s a reaper and it’s his job to watch over Izuku Midoriya until he dies. I wish that there was more of this fic that I could read because the idea of this is so interesting.