#It had already been discussed to NOT charge in somewhere dangerous and completely alone.

[electrasev5nwrites]

Ninja Daily: Vapors 34

"Why won't you tell me what we're doing," Naruto whined. He dragged his feet on the dirt road theatrically, kicking up dust that tickled his sensei's nose and made him itch to sneeze.

Jiraiya snickered loudly, not bothering to hide his delight in withholding information from his protégé. He had thought it would be amusing to tell the boy that they were going to go somewhere Naruto would like to build anticipation, but he hadn't expected that the kid would never drop the topic. It was just plain obnoxious. At least it was worth a couple of laughs.

They were close anyways. He'd send the boy ahead to leave their things in a hotel room and get to the rendezvous point.

Four days prior.

"This is ridiculous," Kakashi said flatly, with closed off body language implying he was shutting the topic down. Aiko was familiar with it—that tone signaled that he was fed up and anyone who continued to annoy him would be running laps until their legs fell off or they begged for death to come. Whichever came second.

Shizune didn't take the hint, instead giving an uncharacteristic scowl. "You're not Hokage, Hatake. You have already established that you think this is a terrible idea. Your objections have been noted, and I'm going over your head."

Of course Shizune's own teacher had been the one Konoha nin who could rival Kakashi in scariness, so she was inured.

In the other room, Aiko and Yamato fidgeted uncomfortably. She was perched on the edge of a fluffy chair resting her head on her knees with shut eyes. She wished they would just stop already. After they had been unceremoniously tossed out of the room, things had been very quiet and discussion seemed to wind down… until the acidic tang of a summoning filled the air and a new argument started up.

"She's thirteen, and sealing is dangerous. Genius or not, you can't honestly think this is a viable solution."

Sasuke had left before things had gotten to that point, tired of what he saw as a pointless temper tantrum. She didn't blame him for being irritated—without knowing that the past Mizukage had been a jinchuuriki, he had no way to put together the rest of the puzzle. He was probably livid that Yamato had ordered Sai to follow him, but it was for the best not to wander around a foreign village alone. And despite how much she liked Sai (in theory, at least) he was almost certainly spying for Danzo at this point. The less he knew, the better.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I completely forgot that you were put in charge of this mission. I'll just go tell the Mizukage that we don't want that alliance after all, because you have a bad feeling about your student learning a new skill. Grow up already!"

Yamato gave a heavy sigh that covered Kakashi's angry rebuttal, staring up at the ceiling. The book he had started off with –a godawful boring looking tome with a picture of a wooden bridge on the cover—was resting on his chest sloppily with a couple lonely bent pages he hadn't noticed curled up against his chest.

"I hate it when mom and dad argue," Aiko joked sardonically, prompting a surprised huff of amusement from her companion.

The door opened and the oldest members of the team stepped out with a palpable sense of irritation. Shizune furrowed her brow, glancing around the room. "Where's Sasuke?"

"He went out for a walk," Yamato informed professionally, sitting up and closing his book gently. "I sent Sai with him."

"I'm sure he's delighted," Shizune sighed. Her hands twitched as if she wanted to reach for something. Instead she just smoothed her hands over the front of her kimono. "In any case. Aiko, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that if I can negotiate it, you have a month to learn something that takes masters years, or at least memorize enough to complete a job and fake having mastered it so that Mist doesn't know we agreed to sell skills you don't have. The good news is that you're going to be meeting with your brother when we leave here. I've sent Jiraiya a message, and as soon as I get a response we'll coordinate a destination."

Aiko felt all her air escape in surprise. She turned to her shishou for reassurance. He was all but brooding, a veritable dark cloud in the room.

"And Hatake thinks this is a moronic idea," Shizune added somewhat sardonically. She'd clearly noted the automatic deferral to a man who was definitely not in charge of this mission.

Aiko shrugged noncommittally. "If Shishou says it is, this is probably an appalling idea. But if it's the only option available, we should get going."

This was actually an interesting outcome, she mused while the argument started up again. It'd be nice to see Naruto again. She was delighted to have Kakashi as her teacher, but the sheer prestige of having a chance to learn from a Sannin was a little seductive as well.

Then she wondered why Mist didn't just have Jiraiya do this job. He already knew how. It wasn't like they didn't know who he was—he was internationally famous for much more than his books. He acted like a bit of an idiot, but he was a nearly unrivaled Fuinjutsu genius, Kage class combatant, and intelligence expert.

Then again, maybe that was the problem? Perhaps they were wary of having such a powerful shinobi within their village and within arm's reach of one of their best weapons.

If that was the case, they were walking a rather delicate tightrope between having someone dangerous who could do the sealing and having an unthreatening incompetent who could do even more damage than Jiraiya by inadvertently releasing the Tailed Beast when they fucked up the sealing.

Aiko… well. Before this topic had come up, she would have said that her fuinjutsu skills were respectable. After her crash course under Anko's guidance, she had continued making them as a late-night hobby when she couldn't sleep. Explosive notes and sealing scrolls were expensive as all hell, so it wasn't a bad idea to make her own.

Not that she used either of them often, to be truthful. Aiko kept a small supply of both on her person most of the time for times when nothing else would do the trick, but they weren't a large part of her combat style. In the past, she had gotten plenty of practice supplying Naruto, who liked to pack everything but the kitchen sink and explode whatever he could whenever he could. Bit of a mad bomber, that one.

But being asked to seal a tailed beast… well, that was fuinjutsu on a completely different level. Aiko wasn't likely to ever put down her own skills. Her character flaw would lean more closely to valuing them too highly and underestimating others'. She knew that she had some really cool abilities, rockin' genetics, and intelligence significantly beyond what she allowed others to see. She was arrogant enough to believe that if she wanted to, she could become a sealing master capable of doing such a thing. But she wasn't quite arrogant enough to think that she could do that in a month.

Then again, she knew very little about the theoretical differentiation between expert fuinjutsu and layman practitioners' fuinjutsu. From what she understood, the parts of the discipline she was unfamiliar with had a lot more to do with ways of thinking. Creativity, sensing or making connections, and using cold hard logic were entirely different skill sets than the memorization and repetition of basic principals in standardized formats.

Then again, she'd been honing her creative abilities for years, so she might adapt well to fuinjutsu.

It didn't matter either way. She had her orders, so she had to do her best.

At least it turned out that Mei was perfectly willing to allow a little over a month's time for sealing preparations. She needed to find a suitable container anyway. Aiko winced at that when it was mentioned. It was hard to remember that she would be subjecting a real person to that kind of life. Was it evil? She would never go so far as to say that life as a jinchuuriki wasn't worth living, but it did make things much harder. Would that child hate her?

They almost certainly would, if she didn't do a good job.

So all she had to do was perform perfectly on a tight deadline. No big.

Jiraiya started snickering at the dumbstruck expression on his apprentice's face. He really did look pretty thick when he let his jaw hang open like that. Even grumpy little Kakashi-kun seemed to let his expression lift momentarily at the sight before returning to his normal glower.

"Aiko! Bastard! Sensei!" Naruto shrieked, running forward to pull the impassive little redhead into a hug that turned into a spin with her feet in the air. She patiently endured his attentions with a hint of an amused expression around her eyes, patting awkwardly at his back.

It was like a reversal of their parents—little Kushina had always been so exuberant. Minato had appreciated the attention, but never quite known what to do with it all.

The thought was a little painful, so he turned away. He thought he saw a hint of ruefulness in Kakashi-kun's gaze that indicated similar thoughts, so he turned his attention to Tsunade's adorable little apprentice. She was still cute, of course, but she looked like she'd been through a wringer. He politely chose not to mention that.

Jiraiya slid on the charm like a silk coat, practically slithering up into her personal space and dropping his voice a few pitches. "Fancy seeing you here, Shizune-chan. Have I ever told you that you've really grown up into a beautiful young lady?"

"You could try to sound a little less like a pedophile," the grumpy looking brat lurking by Shizune's side (as if to use her as a shield from Naruto's enthusiasm) grumbled. Jiraiya spared him a scowl. Why had Tsunade taken on that brat again?

"Jiraiya-sama, thank you for meeting us here," Shizune politely bypassed the insult and the disgusted 'tch' sound that the boy made at being ignored.

He leered. "Of course, anything for a pretty lady." Then he eyed the rest of the group. "The rest of you can leave, though."

None of them laughed, probably warned by his reputation. Hatake gave him a smile through his eyes, though, so he counted it as a win. It was always nice to be able to cheer up that gloomy brat. Even Minato had had a hard time with that. Finally, he took pity on the girl and pried her brother off by the scruff of his collar. Naruto dangled, scratching and hissing like an angry kitten, but Jiraiya just held his arm out a little further. When the boy tried to bite him, Jiraiya irritably shook the boy. "Stop that, you're embarrassing me. You'll have plenty of time to catch up." Then he leered theatrically at the girl. "You can call me shishou." He turned back to Shizune, already done with dutifully acknowledging his goddaughter. "Anyway, we shoul-"

"No."

Jiraiya startled, turning back to the girl. She'd seemed so quiet in the few times he'd seen her. It was hard to believe she was as disrespectful as her brother. Not for the first time, he noted that there was something creepy about the kid, something just a little off. He couldn't quite explain it, but she seemed to be evaluative and removed even when she put an expression on her face. All the muscles moved correctly, even the creases around her eyes, but it seemed like a dead mask over her real thoughts instead of a reflection of her emotions.

He was probably just seeing things where nothing existed.

"I'm very sorry, but I cannot call you shishou." She ignored the scandalized "Aiko!" from Shizune and gave a short bow, letting her hair slide down to expose her vulnerable neck in a show of submissiveness. "Sensei. I can only have one shishou."

Jiraiya let a little smile tug at his lips. He wasn't altogether opposed to insolence, especially when it was paired with loyalty. Hatake looked mildly floored. Perhaps he hadn't realized he was held in such high regard.

If Jiraiya was a different type of man, he might have minded the snub. As it was, he let it wash right off his back with a nod. "So be it." To lighten the mood and lift the irritated expression from poor Shizune's exhausted features, he gave a dramatic scowl and pointed at his wayward apprentice. The boy had wiggled out of his grip when Jiraiya had lost interest, and was standing with his arms crossed aggressively. "You may call me sensei, as long as you do not allow his disrespectful habits to taint your own ladylike disposition!"

There was a far-too-loud snort from the dweeb in the face-framing leaf headband. He turned red as a cherry when most of the group turned to look at him with varying expressions. The kid looked like he wanted to body flicker a mile away, but he didn't apologize.

"What is going on here?" Naruto demanded. "I don't want you anywhere near my sister, you big pervert!"

Something twitched in Jiraiya's eye. The kid made it sound like he was completely unable to control himself, liable to victimize a goddamn child. He really didn't appreciate the connotations of his apprentice's constant accusations. Jiraiya was many things, some of which he even acknowledged as faults. He was a super-pervert, not a pedophile or rapist. He liked to admire and flirt with all women because it was enjoyable. It made him feel gallant, it made them feel pretty, and sometimes even served a useful purpose like distraction or information gathering. It could be amusing to flirt with someone who was uninterested or unsuited, like Shizune-chan. But he would never touch a woman without her permission. He was gallant, a real gentleman!

"I'm not worried," Aiko offered blandly. "And what's so bad about being a pervert anyways? Everyone is. If we weren't, we wouldn't reproduce. Are you trying to claim you stare at pretty girls because your mind is as pure as fresh snow? Do we need to have a talk about where babies come from?"

Naruto turned a red that nicely commented the purple tint of the Uchiha brat. Jiraiya wasn't entirely certain why that one was coloring. Guilty conscience, perhaps? Lack of oxygen from a sudden inability to breathe?

'By all the kami, this Uzumaki is going to be an excellent student. She has the one thing her father lacked- a proper appreciation for the place erotica has in high culture.'

"But Aiko, he's sooo old!" Naruto blustered desperately, waving his hands. Annnd there went the last of his patience.

"Stop being such a disrespectful brat!" Jiraiya roared. He bopped Naruto on the head—not very hard, but enough to express his displeasure.

After Naruto was done smothering his sister and whimpering about a little love-tap, he'd turned to some sort of intricate awkward little boy 'I missed you but am too insecure to say so' dance with the grumpy little Uchiha that ended in a tussle in the dirt with Naruto pinned face-down in the dust. The scarily pale teen merely watched silently, thoughts completely hidden behind dark eyes. Jiraiya took the distraction as opportunity to quietly question Shizune-chan as to the details of what he had to do. What he learned wasn't really anymore encouraging than the little she'd communicated to him via slug. (Though convenient as a method of communication, slugs' poor short term memory made sharing complicated messages a Bad Idea).

Before things got any less intelligent, the group made their way into town proper to invade a noodle restaurant. The proprietor was visibly terrified by the large group of heavily armed ninja, so they seated Naruto at the end between his sister and Kakashi in the hopes that they could curb his enthusiasm.

It quickly became clear to Jiraiya that Hatake was Not Happy about something. He made the mistake of mentioning this to the woman on his right.

Shizune winced visibly, as if reliving several days of lecturing and Hatake's unique …well, let's call it charm. (He was the kung-fu master of passive aggressive bitchiness. Even Jiraiya knew that.)

He knew the feeling. Tsunade was not best pleased about this arrangement, even less so that (apparently) Hatake had possessed the gall to try to tell her he would be staying. He'd lost that battle, but had perhaps won the war. Apparently, Hatake had managed to teach some of that insolence (presumably so as to give Tsunade aneurisms far into the future).

Aiko had made the phenomenally inappropriate decision to calmly inform the Mizukage that she would not be party to sealing a tailed beast into an infant (and didn't that make Jiraiya feel like shit?) and so to expect a missive detailing the specifications she expected the new jinchuuriki to fit. She had dodged giving those specifications on the spot by saying that she would need to confer with Jiraiya first as he was more experienced. Jiraiya had been told to convince her to use an infant—their developing chakra systems made the jinchuuriki much more powerful and made the transition easier—but he wasn't sure if he had the heart to do it. It was possible to put a tailed beast into an adult, after all, and even Minato hadn't been certain he believed the benefits outweighed the fact that an infant could not possibly consent to a life-changing procedure. He'd been a big believer in self-determination.

Obviously, Minato had made his choice and done it anyway when he had needed to. But then again, Aiko had seen what it was like for a jinchuuriki to grow up around people who had been victimized by the beast they carried. He wasn't sure he wanted to start that conversation and hear what she had to say about how Naruto had grown up.

The hints he had were bad enough.

"Ah." He cleared his throat uncomfortably, figuring it would probably not be reassuring to tell Shizune that he agreed with Hatake about the wisdom of this endeavor. He had no expectations that Aiko would be able to manage this, largely because it was unwise to have any expectations at all before he had gauged the girl's aptitude and current abilities. "I'll take care of it, Shizune-chan. You can count on me."

Oh, hell. Jiraiya silently damned his chivalry, but he'd had to do something to wipe the sadness and stress lines off the girl's face.

Thus committed, the toad Sannin was anxious to find out what he was working with. He rushed through his meal as politely as possible, and then cleared his throat to catch attention. "Alright. Naruto, Aiko, say your goodbyes. We need to get to work."

Naruto pouted, but his sister was more businesslike. At least, he would have thought so until she went around the table passing out hugs, starting with her shishou and moving to Shizune before inflicting one on a suddenly very tense Sai. The Uchiha balked when she got to him, but she blinked down at him innocently as if he made no sense. Eventually, with a sigh he compromised with a handshake. The dweeb in the face plate snickered, until he got his own hug.

Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Alright, that's enough." Effortlessly, he picked up a teenager in each hand and hoisted them up. Aiko was mildly surprised, but Naruto was resigned and hung limply.

"Bye everyone!" Naruto waved, getting half-hearted replies from the table before Jiraiya set off to the hotel where he'd reserved two rooms.

"Alright girl. Tell me what you know about seals."

The abrupt subject change seemed to take her off-guard, but she amicably and competently enough talked about core concepts and demonstrated proficiency in the standard language and sigils when he quizzed her. She had little to no theoretical knowledge about the higher level work that he and her parents had both practiced. That was what he'd expected, to be honest, but it would have been nice to be starting with more.

Naruto looked on blankly while Jiraiya heaved a sigh and slumped against the wall, hands in his pockets.

"Are there any useful similarities between sealing physical material and volumes of chakra?" The girl looked curious, but also mildly concussed. Maybe it was just her large, dreamy eyes and default expression. Jiraiya re-evaluated his earlier hypothesis that there was something creepy about her. The more he looked, the more she looked like her mind was a million miles away contemplating unicorns. That could explain the detachment, he supposed.

Still, the question wasn't a bad one.

"Very few," he admitted honestly. "It's going to be even more difficult because this seal is going to have to be adapted for non-human chakra. Luckily, your study materials here," he jerked his head towards a now-napping-Naruto, "will at least provide you with an example of demonic chakra so you can get a feel for what you'll be working with."

"I see." Aiko twisted a lock of hair around her fingers, and he had to blink away from the light it reflected into his face. "Will… Can this work?"

Jiraiya considered telling her a nice lie, like he had Shizune. But he shook his head. "I can't teach you the kind of mastery over seals it takes to understand and design a process like this in a month. I couldn't if you were the Sage of Six Paths, for crying out loud. But," he held up a finger to stop the slump of her shoulders, "I can teach you to fake it like the best of the Red Lantern District professionals. I will probably end up designing the seal you'll use and help you memorize it, as well as the most likely problems that could occur and how to recognize and deal with them. Mist isn't going to have anyone who will be able to tell the difference. So as long as nothing horrible and unforeseen happens, we're going to cheat like a Nara."

"Nara cheat so often?" she asked, sounding mildly amused.

He shook his head gravely. "The important thing isn't how often they cheat. It's that they cheat intelligently."

At least she had a good memory. Naruto was decidedly displeased about being left out of what was going on, so Jiraiya started him on learning the sigil set just to shut him up. Aiko proved to be a convenient study aide—all the whining he'd given Jiraiya died in his mouth when his sister raised an eyebrow at him.

Which was really unfair, he noted. Why would he listen to his sister and not his teacher? It defied logic.

[theflowerofthecommonwealth]

(Saw a video on Nicks death lines, got upset, made this to fix it. It turned out a lot longer)

Nick: (Taking cover behind a wall from Triggermen, wounded badly)

Triggermen: (Firing heavily, closing in around the synth Detective)

Nick: (Strained, hand on his chest) “We aren't done here… It'll take more than that…” (Looks down at the blue staining through his clothes) “Oh… thats a lot of coolant…”

Jasmine: (Appears to shoot down the remaining Triggermen, sprinting over) “Dad?!?” (Puts an arm around him to hold him up)

Nick: (Leaning heavily on the teen girl, eyes flickering on and off) (Weakly) “Been roughed up pretty bad here Doll…”

Jasmine: (Glancing Nick over with wide eyes) “Well no SHIT Sherlock!” (Helping him hobble to the exit)

More Triggermen: (Charges into the room, firing at the pair)

Jasmine: (Pushes her and Nick down behind a counter) “Shit...” (Drawing out her pistol with one hand)

Nick: (Pained) “Not… like this…” (Slumps downwards, eyes ominously flicking off and staring into space)

Jasmine: “DADDY NO!!!” (Lays him on the floor, glaring deathly up at the Triggermen) (Through gritted teeth) “Now you'll have to deal with me Fuckers…” (Pulls out her dagger)

[Loud gunshots and screaming, blood splattering everywhere followed by thuds of bodies hitting the floor]

Jasmine: (Runs back to Nick, easily lifting him up using the fireman's carry) “Im not losing you too…” (Makes another mad break for the exit)

[Hours later at Sanctuary]

Nick: (Sitting up on a bed in the Red Rocket station, completely repaired) “Huh?- What the…”

Sturges: “Hey you, you're finally awake-...”

Nick: (Frantically standing up, remembering the last events) “Where's Jasmine?!?”

Jasmine: (Standing in the darkest corner, unmoved since she got them both there) (Quietly) “Here…”

Nick: (Sighs in relief at his daughter being safe) “Hey there kiddo… quite the hectic day we've had huh?”

Jasmine: (Doesn't move, just stares at Nick absently)

Sturges: (Leaves to give them a moment)

Nick: (Assuring smile) “Sweetheart, I’m fine, see?” (Holds out his arms to gesture at himself)

Jasmine: “………” (Slingshots herself into Nicks arms, gripping him in a hug and bursting into tears) “YOU MORON I WAS SCARED AS HELL!!! WHY DID YOU GO IN THERE ALONE?!?”

Nick: (Stumbles back, sitting down on the bed with his crying kid in his arms) “Hey, shhh. Its okay, I am alright now…” (Stroking the teens hair)

Jasmine: (Sobbing in his shirt) “NO IT’S NOT ALRIGHT! YOU KISSED DEATHS ASS AND I WAS THERE TO WITNESS ALL OF IT!!!”

Nick: (Goes quiet at her words)

Jasmine: (Softly whimpering) “I cant lose you too Daddy… I cant… Not like everyone else…”

Nick: (Rocking the girl side to side, placing a kiss on the top of her head) “I know Doll… I‘m so sorry.”

[loving-all-for-loki]

Can you write one where the Rogers is assigning a new recruit to each avenger for training? Loki gets the new girl and he’s irritated thinking she’s just some normal human that hasn’t a clue how to fight properly because of her petite size. When it comes time for them to spar, she gives him hell. She fights with swords and is very skilled in the art. He says something to piss her off and she ends up blasting him away with powers she never told anyone about. Loki realizes what she is since he knows the magic she used. She’s part light elf but being half human she was abandoned and left to die just like Loki was. They end up bonding and work together on the team.

A/N: I hope you like it! I didn't focus a whole ton of them working together, but I feel like you get the point. It's a bit longer than my other one shots.

The Moon And Her Darkness

Summary: Y/N, the newest avenger, starts her first day of training. An unimpressed Loki’s doubts are proved to be wrong when she reveals herself to be stronger than he knew.

Word count: 2744

Warnings: angst, dick Loki

Forever Tags: @mm2305

-

Your blood pumps fast through your body as you stare at the raven haired god. Ever since you joined the team, he’s been giving you dirty looks and eye rolls. You tried to not pay attention to it since you know of his past (and have been warned by Tony), but as the newest Avenger trying to prove herself, you find yourself longing for his approval.

It has been a week since Nicky Fury showed up at your home, extracting you from it, and throwing you into the lion's den you called the Avengers. You never signed up for it, but given that you were on the government’s radar for a long time, you’re not surprised. A couple mishaps here and there made them take you on their own terms. They’ve decided that having super powers is not something to be normalized and that you couldn’t live like a normal civilian.

Although you want to be home, the Avengers have already shown to be a great family. Nat and Wanda have already taken you shopping while Steve gave you a tour of the tower. As far as the others, they have been out of sight. Bucky avoids everyone, Sam with him because they’re glued to the hip, and Tony is somewhere else working on new technology with Bruce. Clint? Thor? Who even knows. You’ve been thankful for the attention they have given you.

Except for Loki.

You remember the attack in New York and you won’t lie when saying that approaching the god is intimidating. He stands with great pride and power, it’s hard not to feel small, but when he stares at you the way he does, it’s harder. He doesn’t stop looking at you as if you were a rat he found in a sandwich. Disposable. Replaceable. Disgusting. You don’t expect much from the God being that he’s only staying here out of punishment for the attacks, but you had hoped for a little something more. Even a prank or two.

When Steve told you that you were going to start training, you expected hand to hand combat like the rest, not whatever involves Loki being in the gym at the same time as the two of you. He hasn’t said a word, but just stared at you as Steve goes over some basic disabling techniques and defense. Most of it is already burned in your brain from your childhood, being a warrior and all, but you still manage to learn some new things.

But learning as to why Loki is there, that still remains unclear. Everytime you throw a punch or try to block one of Steve’s, Loki scoffs at you and rolls his eyes. He looks completely relaxed on a bench in the room, yet he could not be looking at you with a more tense gaze. He looks worried, as if you’re going to get beaten to a pulp.

“Okay, what’s wrong?” You yell at him.

Panting, you block Steve’s last hit and turn to the younger Odinson.

“Sorry?”

“Oh, don’t sorry me. Cut the crap, Loki. What’s up?”

“I believe the sky is.”

You grab a knife off the wall and aim it in his direction, startling him slightly but not even shocking Steve.

“You stare at me with daggers in your eyes and judge my every move. You have yet to even talk to me since I joined the team. What do you have against me, you ass?”

“Y/N-”

“Shut it, Steve!” You yell, quickly aiming the dagger at him before returning to Loki, “You. Talk.”

“It’s just pathetic, that’s all.”

“Pathetic? You’re calling me pathetic?”

You start to charge at Loki, but Steve quickly wraps his arm around your waist, holding you back from gutting the god.

“Y/N, I wanted you to spar with him after me,” he cuts in.

“And why would I do that?”

“Because he's a skilled fighter who matches your level.”

“Oh, so I spar with the tricker who decides I’m too pathetic to fight. He’s going to teleport or some shit and stab me like he does with Thor.” Loki’s eyebrows raise at the mention of Thor getting stabbed. “Yes, I’ve heard the stories. I’m not that naive, Steve.”

“I won’t leave you alone with him. I’ll be here to watch and guide.”

“What do you know about fighting with me? I have magic beyond belief” Loki asks the both of you.

“I know more than you think,” I spit, turning back to Steve, “Can we do something else?”

“Well, you coud-”

“I am not sparing with Loki.”

“Okay, then how about weapons? Whatever one you want to start with?”

Loki scoffs again at the mention of you fighting any other way than hand to hand combat. He’s lucky you’re on the same team as him or else you would have decapitated him by now just because of annoyance. How can a man so attractive be so obnoxious?

You walk over to the wall of weapons were Steve and quietly discuss which ones you’ll practice with. He recommends knives so you can spar with Natasha when he’s gone, but the swords are more up your alley. They remind you of your childhood, the weapon of your people. Some days, you miss them, but you know they are fighting their own battle that is too dangerous for you.

Picking up the swords, Steve warns you he is not good which makes Loki laugh again. He has the right to this time because how do you practice with a man who doesn’t know what he’s doing. You can’t last ten minutes with Cap before you’re tired of his flailing. He’s really not good.

“Loki, you wouldn’t happen to know how to use swords would you?”

“I have some experience. Asgard knights and Valkyrie used them, we were forced to learn.”

He stands and takes Steve’s sword from him. Turning to you, he smirks, taking you in. Your frame looks so small compared to his, nothing but a mortal. He’s never admit it, but he finds you slightly adorable, in a helpless baby sort of way. You take proper stance and stare at Loki dead in the eye, determined to prove him wrong.

The two of you run at each other, swinging at any unblocked area you can, yet never hitting. He blocks your swing, pushing you back but not down. Looking up at him, you scream and run, thrusting your sword towards his neck and legs. He blocks you again, but not without stumbling. Before he’s able to get up, you land a blow right to his chest, knocking the air out of him. He hooks his foot around your leg and flips the two of you over so he hovers above you, sword to throat.

“I’ll admit it, you are good, but not great,” he laughs.

He stands up and walks off, setting the swords back on their holder on the wall. You gradually stand up, fury in your bones for the way he speaks to you.

“You… are irritable!” You yell.

Right before Loki gets to the door, he turns to face you. Steve rushes to your side.

“Y/N, stop. He’s not worth it.”

“Oh, he’s not worth it, alright,” you mutter to Steve, “He’s not worth the pride. The praise. Whatever the ‘glorious purpose’ he thinks he has. He’s just an insecure little boy who needs to prove himself over others, make them feel small so he feels superior. Just a bully.”

“I’d watch your tongue,” Loki warns.

“Or else what? You’ll challenge me to a words competition? See who has the best insults or can sound like the biggest douche because I think we all know who would win! Another check mark for your book of things you’re better at than ‘midgardians’ or ‘mortals’ or whatever degrading nickname you think of next.”

Loki’s chest heaves in anger. You’ve never seen someone so angry or heard anyone yelling at you with concern like Steve. Nothing he says registers in your head as Loki’s daring looks fill your mind. You’d almost be scared if you didn’t know he’s full of empty threats. Just a scared little god boy.

“You imbecile, think you can scare me?”

“Actually, I think anything can.”

“I can take words from someone who does not know me, but to be called a coward is not something I take lightly.”

“So what are you going to do about it? Huh?”

“Nothing, I don’t waste my time on people like you.”

“Oh, people like me? Because the great Frost Giant Asgardian is sooo superior.”

“Don’t you ever say that.”

Loki rushes to your side, grabbing you by the throat and lifting you up against the wall.

“Loki, stop it!” Steve yells.

“This is not about you, Rodgers. I suggest you leave before getting in the crossfire.”

“I can’t do that. The safety of this team-”

“Is your priority. I know you are honorable, but I highly suggest you leave.”

Steve hesitates at the sound of you gasping for air. You cling onto Loki’s hand, tightly wound around your throat. His veins pop out of his hand like a dehydrated man. Steve looks back at you, eyes now closed to focus on your breathing.

“Put her down first,” Steve orders.

“Fine, always have to be the hero.”

Loki sets you down and your body goes numb. Everything hurts, your throat swelling. You gasp for all the air you can, feeling it go down your throat and enter your lungs. It’s fresh, comforting, healing. Leaning your head back against the wall, you barely open your eyes to see Steve by your side.

“Are you okay?”

Not energized enough to speak yet, you nod your head and place your hand on his shoulder. Steve looks over at you with worry before turning back to Loki.

“Leave, now.”

“Gladly.”

Loki turns to walk away, but doesn’t. He stands there to listen to you and Steve. At this point, neither of you care. You’re too focused on not dying.

“Can you breathe?” Steve asks.

You nod your head.

“I can get you help. We have a hospital room.”

“No,” you choke, “I’m fine. I just need a moment.”

Steve nods, but doesn’t listen. He gets up and leaves the room, rushing down the hallways to get a nurse, leaving you alone with Loki.

“Why haven’t you left?”

“No reason.”

“Please, just go. I’m tired of fighting. You’ve done enough.”

Loki turns to look at you. You look weak, but actually weak this time. The purple tint to your skin is fading as your lungs self regenerate as you keep breathing. Gripping onto the wall behind you, you stand up. Your knees are weak, making you wobble as you do. You’re not lying. You’re tired of Loki. You’ve barely spoken to the man and he’s made two attempts on your life in ten minutes. Sure, you teased him, but doesn’t he deserve it for being an ass.

“Weak.” He mutters.

That was the last straw. You look up at him. He stares at you as if the devil himself has entered you and your eyes glow bright red, but you know what is wrong. Holding out your hand towards Loki. A glow erupts from behind you, bright yet dark. It’s dark blue like the night sky and Loki watches it in awe. In seconds, Loki’s body is flung through the training room doors, blasting him into the wall of the hallways. He feels his rib breaking, his head hitting the wall. He yells out in pain as you slowly approach him, the anger seeping through.

“Never call me weak.”

Loki flips his head up to look at you, shock running through his body. At the sound of his body collapsing, the other Avengers come running forward. They look upon the sight of you towering over the trickster god with a look they’ve never seen before. Ethereal. Godly. You look as if you’re a queen staring at her peasant handmaid. Anger. Controlling. Power.

“What the-” Bucky mutters.

“You,” Loki gasps.

He struggles to stand as the team tries to help but he refuses. You two locked eyes but nothing was said. “You’re an elf.”

Everyone looks back at you with confused faces, but you don’t say anything. Your body goes hot at the mention of the word ‘elf’. The fire inside you fades out as anxiety places it, waiting for Loki to continue.

“I knew if someone was here to figure it out it’d be you,” you whisper.

“Light elf yes?”

“Yes, moon elf to be exact.”

“How are you here? Aren’t the-”

“Yes, they’re away. I was left to die. Our town got ransacked, everyone fled. No one stopped for me.”

“Then how are you here?”

“The Air elves. They got word of what happened and came. Found me. Took me back, but-”

“You weren’t suited. They found out.”

“Yes.”

There’s a moment of silence between you and the god. His eyes shine with sadness, tears coming to the corners. He looks at you with great pity as the wall inside you breaks.

“Can someone explain what’s happening?” Steve asks.

“Can you tell?” You ask Loki.

He nods, “Yes. Y/N is a moon elf, a tribe of light elves. They’re as high up as Asgard in the nine realms, powerful warriors. They’ve been at the center of every creature out there. People have been after them for their weapons, gems, and wealth. A landmark for every thief and warrior in the universe.”

“My town was destroyed when I was a little girl. Nobody wanted me because I was a child. I was a burden to them.”

“She was left for dead to be found by the Air Elves. Another tribe. Not as powerful. But they didn’t want her and there’s only one reason why they wouldn’t want a moon elf. She’s a half-breed.”

“Moon elves are the only ones who tolerate them. Half human, half elf. Considering many of them come from moon elves, they’re not despised, but Air Elves.”

“They dropped you off on Midgard to be picked up by someone else. I assume you hid your powers?” “I had to. I acted out once when I was little and my parents freaked out. They sent me away. I lived in a orphanage before some group took me, trained me, helped me hone in my powers. They saved me.”

“Until you got to old and left.”

“Didn’t know where to go. I became a waitress at some back alley bar, lived above it in an apartment with my manager. Lived paycheck to paycheck.”

“Then?”

“Nicky Fury came to me. I was on SHIELD’s radar and they wanted me on the Avengers.”

The room goes silent. Throughout your talking you missed the way Loki got considerably closer to you. You practically stand right under his nose. Loki raises his hands and places them on your shoulders, getting your attention. You two look each other in the eye for a long moment.

“I am… so sorry.”

You feel the tears forming in your eyes as Loki pulls you into his chest, holding you by your waist. The team watches in awe as the closed off god embraces you. Slowly, everyone leaves you two in the hallway. An hour goes by as you cry in Loki’s eyes.

Eventually, Loki picks you up bridal style and brings you to your bedroom. He helps you get dressed for the night and settled in bed before you grab his hand, making him turn back to face you. His eyes are no longer riddled with anger or hatred, but kindness and pity. He looks at you like you’re a little lamb to be protected.

“Yes, darling?”

“Stay with me?”

He nods before undressing and getting in bed with you. He pulls you close, your head leaning on his chest, and places an arm around your waist.

Every night goes on like this. No matter what happened in the day, even if you two got into an argument, Loki always found his way back by your side in your bed. You would have never expect it from how he treated you at first, but after the last few months since you met him, you find yourself growing closer to the god.

Loki slips into your bed for what feels like the 1482nd time. Resting your head on his chest, Loki pulls you close to his body.

“Goodnight, darling.”

[istanleyff7]

TOTP, Episode Aerith, Scenes 22-27

Final Fantasy VII Remake: Traces of Two Pasts Episode 2: Aerith Scenes 22-27 A Light Novel by Kazushige Nojima Translated by Stanley (@istanleyff7 on twitter) Scene 22

After Meguro and his children had left, Elmyra went out on her own. When she returned home after an hour or so, she updated what had happened while she was out. First, she went to the Sector 5 House to apologise for failing to watch over Marcellus and announced that Rona's real name was Aerith and that she would be keeping the alias. But Elmyra hopes they continue to have good relations with her and requests them not to talk about Aerith's name outside of the House.

"As much as possible, I wouldn't want to lie to them. I didn't tell the teachers our reasons, but they understood where I'm coming from. Moreover, Jean is an imaginative and clever boy. I'm sure he'll be able to keep the children in check. I've also gone on to explain the situation to my acquaintances living across the alley."

"Okay."

"Well, I've told them not to talk about it to anyone else, but I can't say just by doing that is enough. I've discussed with Butch, and he mentioned that the members from the third in charge would come over to the house and look after us. That's rather reassuring, isn't it?"

↞↠

Elmyra's plan may or may not have worked. The time had passed peacefully. Aerith became accustomed to being Aerith at home and being Rona while outside, and she was getting used to living in the slums. She was also used to having one of the third in charge and his subordinate in the house. Meguro came to visit a few times a month but never brought his children. Butch retired because of old age, and Carlo filled up the vacancy as a third in charge. February came, and Carlo planned a birthday party for Aerith’s 8th birthday, where the members would bring over their families to gather at the Gainsborough house and celebrate Aerith's birthday. When Aerith heard the plan, she was so delighted that she hugged Carlo. It was also decided that the children from the Sector 5 House were to be invited. Aerith did not want Marcellus and Rona to be invited, but Carlo did not allow her request. 

However, the party did not happen. The day before Aerith's birthday, Carlo brought his subordinates over to begin decorating the house for the party. Then Rodin appeared in a panic and reported that Meguro had a heart attack and collapsed. His life was also in danger. The actual head of the organisation had collapsed. For everyone involved, this was more important than a birthday party. Carlo flatly declared that the party was postponed. Aerith was stunned by this but was comforted that it was postponed instead of cancelled. However, the thought of the party being postponed on an ordinary day did not excite Aerith. The excitement and thrill had faded. While the adults were in disorder, Aerith shut herself in her room and cried. For one moment, Aerith's anger welled up towards Meguro for collapsing, and the next moment, she was tormented by guilt.

On the early morning of Aerith's birthday, Elmyra went out to visit Meguro. Someone from the House came over to invite her to play, but she ignored him. Elmyra came back home in the evening. 

"Meguro is fine. His condition is no longer life-threatening."

"I'm glad he's fine."

"If something were to happen to him, he'd ask me to take in his kids."

"What!?"

"It's an absurd request, isn't it? Shall we pray for Meguro's complete recovery from the bottom of our hearts?" 

Elmyra laughed, and Aerith could not help but laugh along with her.

"You finally laughed! Why don't we go somewhere more lively in the evening? Let's have something nice to eat."

"Okay, let's eat."

"We will. Actually, I've also hired a bodyguard. He should be here any moment."

"Who is he?"

Just then, the doorbell rang. A person's figure could be seen standing outside through the window of the door.

"Coming!" 

Aerith opened the door with great vigour. It was an unfamiliar face, but she recognised his suit. She had an encounter with Professor Hojo one day, was not there a man in a full black suit standing behind him? During the one time she had seen President Shinra, there was also a man in a full black suit standing in the corner of the room. The Shinra Company came at last.

"Aerith, so you're here after all. Everyone has been worrying about you," The man in the suit said in a friendly manner.

"No... Go away!"

Aerith backed away from the door and hid behind Elmyra. The man did not care, and he walked in on his own accord. Elmyra stopped him, but the man ignored her and continued talking.

"Aerith... You know you're not just any little girl. You're a descendant of the Ancients."

"Who the heck are you? This is my house. Don't you think what you're doing is rude?"

"My apologies. I'm a representative from the Shinra Company."

"You're surprisingly young. Are you a newcomer? You forgot to mention your name. Did you think you could scare me off by saying Shinra?"

The man lost the composure in his eyes.

"It's Tseng. I'm Tseng from Shinra Company's Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department."

"And, what's your business here?"

"I'm here today to talk to Aerith."

"I don't want to talk. I don't want to!"

"You mentioned something about the Ancients. What the heck is that? You sure it isn't someone else?" Elmyra stood forward and said to him.

"They were the original stewards of the planet whose boundless knowledge and wisdom shall guide us to the Promised Land. Some believe the promised land to be a myth. Others, an allegory of sorts. But we take the words of the scriptures at face value and believe it to be quite real. Which is why Shinra would like very much for Aerith to help us—"

Aerith couldn't bear the thought of being separated from this house. She never wanted to go back to Shinra Building.

"You're wrong! I'm not an Ancient!"

"But Aerith... Even when you're all alone, don't you hear voices whispering secrets?"

"No, never!"

Aerith ran upstairs to escape. She crawled into bed and pulled the blanket over her. It was not cold, but her whole body was shivering.

She felt this one year would disappear like a dream. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to chase away the fear she has never felt before. All that came to her mind were negative possibilities. Eventually, she imagined Elmyra facing a terrible situation. What should she do? But she was afraid to go downstairs to see what's going on. No, what should she do if he comes upstairs?

"We came to an agreement," Aerith heard Elmyra's voice close by. 

Aerith looked up from my blanket and noticed there was no one else in the house. There was sympathy in Elmyra's eyes.

"You’ve been through lots of scary things, haven't you? Don't worry. He already left."

Elmyra sat down on the bed and held Aerith close to her.

"You're an Ancient?" 

That was so Elmyra, with a straightforward question.

"I'm actually called a 'Cetra'. My mother was a Cetra, and I'm only a half-Cetra."

Elmyra nodded again and again.

"That man...  from what Tseng mentioned, it seems that Shinra regretted not obtaining the information they wanted most because of the horrible things they did to your mother, Ifalna. It was regarding the Promised Land.  So it seems that they decided not to ask you for any other information except about the Promised Land."

It was not that she did not know about the Promised Land. She had heard of such a place from Ifalna. But what kind of place is it? Where is that? She did not know the information that Shinra wanted.

"I don't know. I don't know anything about that."

"That's what Tseng said. But he also mentioned things like, even if you don't know about it now, the day you may know it may come."

"I don't want to go anywhere. I like Elmyra, and I want to stay here."

"That's very nice of you to say, and I feel the same way too. That's why I suggested this to him. You'll live with me every day, and I'll observe you, and if I seem to see any sign from you, I will inform Shinra. Until then, Shinra is to absolutely not come near you. Tseng contacted his superior, and we had an agreement right away. I think he's a pretty good kid."

"So, can I still live here?"

"That's right. And too bad for Tseng, I'll probably only be observing my daughter's behaviour."

Elmyra let out a laugh.

Scene 23

"When Shinra found out about me, I no longer had a reason to hide my name. So I could be Aerith, not only in the house but also outside it. For a while, it was really peaceful. The Turks didn't really come, and Elmyra's business was going well. Of course, it wasn't all fun and games. There were times when I felt terrible and wanted to cry. But that's because we were living a normal life."

"That's nice," Tifa said empathetically.

"But then, another incident occurred. And it's because of Marcellus."

"Oh..."

Scene 24

Carlo came to visit. 

"Hey Aerith, are you well? Here's a gift for you."

He presented her with a bundle of sweets. It was a little childish for a ten-year-old girl. Elmyra thought that sweets were detrimental to the development of healthy teeth and made a glum face.

"I've got some business to attend to with Elmyra. May you take this and head upstairs?"

"Okay~"

This was a common occurrence when one of the in-charge came over. Elmyra, who used to tell her everything, was becoming more like a mother and distinguished what her daughter should and should not hear.  After entering her room on the second floor, she slammed her door shut with all her might. There was a loud bang. And immediately after, she quietly opened the door. She opened the door just enough for her body to slip through, and she concealed the sound of her footsteps and crept close to the stairs. The house was old, and the floor would creak when stepped on, but she already knew the safety zones where no noise would be made.

"It’s bad. It’s really bad."

Carlo could be heard saying that out loud.

"How much do you know about Meguro's illness?"

"His heart is fine, right?"

"Well, yeah. But the rest isn't so good. He has three diseases I can't even remember the name of. Since Rona was born, he has gained weight at an alarming rate, hasn't he? After his wife passed away, his life was a mess. He ate all kinds of goo and slop."

"I also tried to warn him, but I didn't know if I should have been harder on him."

"Well, he will either ignore you or flip you out. I wonder what he would do, though. And besides, Meguro also decided to move to the plate to facilitate his medical treatment. He's willing to manage the business from the plate, and it seems that he intends to bring a third in charge along with him to be his liaison officer. So what does that mean? From the way we see it, that guy is practically the second in charge. He didn't consult with you about such an important matter, did he? You're the same rank as him. He’s taking you lightly, isn’t he?"

"What a bother. I'm just only a representative, and I've been leaving everything up to Meguro up till now. I don't wish to get involved in all of this politics."

"You live with this job. How can you not be involved?"

Aerith could not hear Elmyra's voice, but she probably would let out a big sigh.

"Anyways, I didn't come over today to talk about the organisation. It's about Marcellus. That cocky shitty brat ran away from home. I only know this much but Meguro had ordered all the in-charge to search for him. He told me to pass it onto you, and so I did.

"Marcellus... I haven't seen him for two or three years. He's thirteen or fourteen now, isn't he?"

"Yeah. I ran away from my shitty home when I was twelve. I thought he merely just caused a big uproar by running away from home, but..."

"Did something happen?"

"Meguro's condition was leaked out to the public, and there seem to be people taking advantage of the situation. Such as Corneo from Sector 6, all the way to the Manson brothers. Meguro thinks that these people may have kidnapped Marcellus. What do you think?"

"If it was kidnapping, the kidnappers probably would say something?"

"Not yet, it seems. It's been three days since Marcellus disappeared. He most likely just probably ran away from home. But the worst case would be what I had just mentioned."

"Okay. I'll keep this in mind. Even so, I live on the wholesome side of the slums. I don't think I will be of much help though."

"We'll be the ones to find Marcellus. You keep Aerith safe. If Marcellus is kidnapped, there is a chance that Aerith will be kidnapped too. Regardless of what we regard you as, from the outside, you're the second in charge, Elmyra. Aerith is her daughter. If I had to use her as a bargaining chip, I'd choose her too. You'd rather give up your business for Aerith, wouldn't you?"

Aerith was astonished and took a step back. She stepped out of the safety zone, and the floor creaked.

"Aerith, are you there?" Elmyra called out sharply, "Come down here."

She had been caught, so it cannot be helped.

"Did you hear everything?" Carlo asked her the moment she got off the stairs. 

She had no choice but to admit it.

"Don't worry. Nothing will happen to you."

There was nervousness in Elmyra's voice when she said that.

"However, I think it's better if we take precautions. It's probably better to head out from here. There is someone in Kalm whom Gabriel used to take care of a long time ago. I think we can turn to him for help."

"If it's possible, that's probably better."

This saddened Aerith. She decided to raise Aerith on her own, and now Elmyra had to leave this house.

"Pack up your things tonight. I'll arrange for a car and a driver to Kalm. No, I'll drive. It's been a while since I drove, but I think I’ll manage. I'll pick you up before dawn tomorrow. You'll both have to walk to the gate, so wear comfortable clothes to move about in.

The conversation went on and on.

"Aerith, don't look like that... I’ll come pick you both up as soon as we solve this problem."

Carlo's chest tightened as Elmyra held Aerith's shoulders and pulled her close for an embrace.

↞↠

It was nighttime. Elmyra and Aerith stuffed their belongings into a small briefcase Elmyra and Clay used for their picnics and then went to bed. Aerith was so nervous she could hardly sleep. She wondered what Marcellus was doing. She had not thought about Marcellus in a long time. His voice suddenly came to her mind, as well as his malicious manner of speaking, the lemonade that he spilt on the table and the dirt that stained his pure white suit. However, she does not remember his face. She wondered what kind of face he had. His mouth leaked out blood. His nose. And then his eyes.

"Ahhh, that was it."

The moment she remembered how Marcellus looked, she felt goosebumps running down her body. Behind the shut curtains of the window, there came a flash of light. 

"What's that?..."

She got out of bed and opened the curtains slightly. She could see the garden. In the garden, she saw Marcellus, around the area where Jean had pinned him down that day.

"What?"

The next moment, Aerith was in the garden. Marcellus was lying on his feet, covered in blood.

"No!"

"Ugh..."

Marcellus moved his hand and felt the toes of Aerith's bare feet. She felt goosebumps throughout her body again. The scenery surrounding them changed in a split second.

"Ehh!?"

An unfamiliar landscape was spreading across. Walls. Wired fence. When she turned around, she saw Midgar, and it seems that beyond the wall was the wilderness.

"Help... me..."

A faint glow radiated from Marcellus' body. That was the form of life, and she felt as if she had known it all along. Now, at this moment, Marcellus was close to dying. 

"Where? Where is this?"

"Sector 6... gate..."

"Ehh? I don't know where we are, but wait for me!"

Aerith started to run in the opposite direction of the wall — towards what appears to be the slums. She intended to call for someone. However, the landscape disappeared. When she turned back, she could not even see Marcellus. She ｗas within a lukewarm, white blur, and she could not see anything anymore. Her body felt itchy, and she could feel the blood rushing through her body. It was an unpleasant sensation.

"No! No! Help me! Elmyra!"

She could hear her own voice in the distance, and it gradually became louder. And the scenery returned. Her eyes seemed to remember their function. She was in her room, somewhere she was familiar, and was lying by the window. She hurriedly got up and looked out of the window. It was still dark, but she knew that dawn was approaching. She noticed someone in the corridor. The door then opened, and Elmyra peered in.

"Ahh, you're awake. Carlo will be here any moment now, so hurry up and get ready."

"Marcellus, he's at the Sector Six gate. He has injuries and is covered in blood. He looks like he's in a lot of pain."

Elmyra's stare made her feel uneasy, but Aerith did not look away.

"Let's tell Carlo about this."

Soon after, Carlo came over and called for them. He urged them to leave in a hurry, but Elmyra held him back. 

"It seems that Marcellus is near the Sector Six gate, and he's injured. He appears to be in critical condition, so can you quickly go and save him?"

Carlo furrowed his eyebrows.

"Where did you get that information from?"

"Don't ask me anything, please. I owe you one."

Carlo first looked at Elmyra and then looked at Aerith's face. After that, he departed from the house.

Scene 25

"And then, Carlo found Marcellus collapsed near the Sector Six gate. He was in a critical condition, but I'm glad he somehow managed to survive."

"That's strange... Sorry, I'm repeating myself, but that's strange."

"I don't think it was just my powers, but I think the land had an influence too. It's because that area around my house was different from others."

"Such as the flowers being able to bloom?"

"Yup. I think that's the same way my mother, Ifalna, was able to come over to my room. But I can't even aim to try and do that. It's because I'm not a pure-blooded Cetra, and more importantly, I don't have the same state of mind as when I was a child. I think that's a huge factor. I can no longer tame that pure-like feeling similar to when I was a child. I wondered if I became insensitive once I grew up."

"Ahhh what a waste that you can’t have it anymore."

"Yea. Especially after starting this journey."

The two fell into silence. The definition of happiness changes from day to day.

"Oh," Tifa raised her voice.

"Did Marcellus run away from home after all?”

"Yup. It was just as Carlo thought. Marcellus didn't want to move to the plate, so he ran away. While he was aimlessly wandering around Wall Market, he got tangled up with Corneo's thugs, ran away, got lost, and lastly, he was attacked by a monster."

"Hey. Moreover, Carlo did a splendid job, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did. He's a different person from the first time I saw him. He's like a dependable uncle. I used to think that he was an uncle, but clearly, he's like a brother."

"So, what’s he doing?"

Scene 26

Marcellus was brought under protection. However, the fact that the Corneo’s were involved, albeit they only had little influence, could not be overlooked. They cannot afford to stop being vigilant. The two young men under Carlo's care, Banquo and Zoot, were sent to the Gainsborough house to lodge for a while. They were still in their late teens. As they ate Elmyna's home-cooked food with relish, they seemed like children, and it felt that they could not be relied upon if a malicious enemy came over. Carlo, who paid a visit every other day, was seen to be very reliable compared to Banquo and Zoot.

One day, Carlo bothered Elmyra in an unusual way. He insisted that he wanted to eat deep-fried bread with meatballs. Elmyra refused, saying she did not have the ingredients. But Carlo was persistent, and in the end, Elmyra gave in. With Banquo and Zoot as bodyguards, they went out shopping.

"Hey, Aerith."

As soon as the both of them were alone, Carlo called out to her. He was very gentle in his voice.

"You know about how Elmyra told me where Marcellus was? How did Elmyra know about it?"

"Well, I don't know," Aerith responded bluntly.

She intended to pretend that she was calm, but she wasn't confident.

"I see. To tell you the truth, my colleagues suspect that someone was involved in the kidnapping. And in reality, it was Corneos' thugs who beat Marcellus up."

"Yup."

"And they believe Elmyra had something to do with it. Because she knew where he was, that's why she's a suspect and that her purpose was to warn the ones in command. Elmyra would be ready to make Meguro obey her. Something like that. Do you understand?" 

"They suspect Elmyra?"

"That's the case. And they suspect me too. You see, ever since Clay passed away, I've been coming here frequently. Now that they suspect that we’re a couple... Ah, sorry, excuse me... that both of us are planning to sell the organisation away and stuff like that. To be direct with you, we aren't in a good position. And as a matter of fact, Meguro suspects us too."

"What should we do?"

She thought of the time when Meguro was angry. It sent chills down her spine.

"I need to know why Elmyra knows where Marcellus was, and if it's a reason that everyone can understand, we can be justified. It's hard to clear our name once we're under suspicion, but if I know the truth, at least, I will feel different about it."

Carlo looked at her with downcast eyes.

"You know, Aerith. Elmyra is in a terrible situation. That's why Aerith. If you know anything, please tell me."

She knew what Carlo was saying very well. No, she understood the meaning of his expression. Carlo would not continue supporting them anymore if she did not say anything.

"About that."

Aerith's voice was trembling. In truth, Elmyra had told her not to reveal it at any cost.

"She heard it from me. I saw Marcellus in a dream. It actually wasn't a dream. It was something else. But that's the kind of feeling that I can only describe as a dream. In it, I met Marcellus, and he told me where he was."

Carlo nodded his head several times as he listened.

"You don't have to believe me, but it's the truth."

"I see. Aerith, does this happen often?"

"It doesn't happen often, but... It's not the first time."

"I see. That's why Elmyra believed you. Is that so?"

Carlo lifted his head and gave a sweet smile as he patted Aerith's head.

"Aerith, you really like Elmyra, don't you?"

She did not know what Carlo was thinking. She was not sure if he'll stay on their side or not. Or had she let him down?

"Carlo. What's going to happen? I'm scared."

"I'm scared too."

↞↠

Eventually, Elmyra and the others came back home from shopping. 

"Elmyra," Carlo called out for her, "The situation has changed. I'll have the deep-fried bread some other time."

"What the heck! I took the trouble to head out..." as Elmyra was saying that, it seemed that she noticed the unusual atmosphere in the room. "Did something happen?"

"Remember what I told you about going to Kalm? It turns out that it's probably better for you to go. If you don't wish to leave, then let Aerith go on her own."

"Are the Corneo's coming? Or is it Manson?"

"It's Meguro."

"What?"

"From the moment you knew where Marcellus was, he suspects you have connections to Corneo's. And they think I'm in on it too."

"Who's telling you that?

"Rodin, Marvin, Roger, Bowman, Louis and of course, Meguro himself."

"Isn't that all of them?"

Elmyra closed her eyes. Aerith wondered what she was thinking. Eventually, she opened them and stared at a point on the table. It was a picture of Clay and Gabriel.

Then, she transferred her gaze to Carlo and...

"Where's Meguro at?"

"He's at home. He has postponed the move and has been tirelessly working to solidify his security. Are you going to march into his place?"

"I just want to talk to him. I'm going to let go of the business and give up all my rights to Meguro."

"Woah woah woah woah! Are you serious?"

"I've thought about it several times, but to be honest, because when I thought about my livelihood, I couldn't follow through with the decision. Well, I guess this is the right time, isn't it?"

"Wait a minute. Even if you do that, that's not going to clear your name, isn't it? In fact, they might think that you're leaving us because you're going over to Corneo's. If you're not careful..." Carlo hesitated to say.

"I understand what you want to say, Carlo. But even so, I still have to go. Please take care of Aerith a little for me."

Carlo shrugged his shoulders.

"And Aerith?"

"No," a husky voice came out of Aerith.

Elmyra smiled and touched Aerith on the cheek.

"I may be back late, so go to bed. You can eat with Carlo and the others."

"No!"

Elmyra turned her back on her. Aerith tried to stop her, but Carlo grabbed her by the arm.

"Let go of me! Mummy, don't go!"

However, Elmyra went off. Banquo and Zoot looked at Carlo in disbelief.

"Banquo, Zoot, make us some food. Anything is fine."

"Carlo, I hate you."

Carlo had a sad look on his face. Moreover, he did not want to let go of Aerith's arm.

"Elmyra should clear up about this. We’ll be understood eventually."

↞↠

Aerith didn't have much appetite, so she caved herself in upstairs without touching Banquo's omelette at all. She was so worried about Elmyra that she could not concentrate on anything. She looked out of the window and peeped for signs of life downstairs numerous times. It was nearly midnight when the door opened.

"Elmyra!" Carlo called out in a lively voice.

"Let go of me!"

Aerith ran down the stairs and almost fell over. Carlo was scratching his head as though he was embarrassed, with Banquo and Zoot grinning at him.

"Mummy!"

Elmyra came over and squatted before Aerith's eyes.

"I'm home. You must have been worried."

Aerith could not resist it and gave Elmyra an embrace. Elmyra could not support the weight of her daughter and fell on her bottom.

"You've grown up, haven't you?"

"So, Elmyra. How did it go?" Carlo asked impatiently.

Elmyra helped Aerith to her feet and then took her time to stand up herself and fixed the wrinkles on her clothes.

"Meguro no longer thinks that Marcellus has been kidnapped, much less that you or I had anything to do with it. It didn't even cross his mind once."

"Eh? Is that so?"

"He said that you and I wouldn't go around doing that kind of stuff."

"Damn you, old man. You underestimate me!" Carlo tried to behave like a villain, but he couldn't hide his delight.

"So, what was with the talk that I heard about?"

"Who the heck did you hear that from?"

"Butch. I heard it from Butch. He retired, but he still meets Meguro often, so he knows what's happening inside pretty well."

Elmyra looked at Carlo in silence.

"Butch!? Butch set me up!? That old man!"

Carlo scratched his head off, swore, made his face funny, rubbed his eyes and paced around the room.

"Carlo, calm down. I'm not finished yet."

Carlo stared at Elmyra intensely. His breathing was still heavy.

"I have no idea how Butch was related to this, so let's put this talk behind us. I've brought something for you to keep from Meguro."

After saying that, Elmyra took a small box from her bag and presented it to Carlo.

"What is that..."

Carlo accepted the box and opened its lid. He was lost for words.

"It's Gabriel's ring. President Shinra also has the same ring. It was a token of their friendship. It was supposed to be Clay's, but that wasn't possible. So Meguro held onto it."

"In order words, that's..."

"It's to mark the first in charge, the head of the Gainsborough household. And this too."

Elmyra held out an envelope.

"Inside holds the title deed, a memo regarding Shinra's liaison officer to us, and the others are documents which you'll need for the job. It also has the blood-sealed certificates of the current in-charge of the household. I just did my blood-seal earlier too."

Elmyra then showed him the ring finger of her left hand. There was blood on the plaster.

"Big brother Carlo! Doesn't that mean you're the head of the household!?" Banquo excitedly exclaimed.

Elmyra looked at Carlo and gave him a big nod.

"Meguro has been sick and turned completely weak. He called upon all the other heads, and it looks like that was to prepare for his retirement. He intended to talk to you for the last time."

Carlo mumbled something in his mouth and went on to take the envelope. But then quickly withdrew his hand. 

"I'm scared. It's too sudden. What should I do?" ― Carlo was worrying about all these as his men, Elmyra and Aerith, observed him.

"You're amazing, Carlo," said Zoot, sniffing and rubbing his eyes.

It took Carlo three minutes to make up his mind. He took the envelope from Elmyra's hand, who had been patiently holding it, and put it in his black bag, which he always carries with him. He then took his gun from the bag and placed it on the table. A heavy thud sounded in the room.

 "I won't be coming here anymore, so I can't protect you both. You both have to do it yourselves."

"You won't be coming back?"

Aerith could not help but ask. Everything was settled, and things seemed to be going well, but Aerith could not wrap her head around why.

"I won't be."

Carlo suddenly made a weird looking face and looked as though he was on the verge of crying.

"If I keep coming and going to visit, won't nothing change? If members of other organisations know about this, you both will definitely become their target. It's not about the business anymore. Aerith, be a good girl, okay? Elmyra, continue being the great woman that you are."

After quickly saying those words, he left the house as though he was escaping. Banquo and Zoot hurriedly followed behind him. Right after that, the door opened once more, and Carlo came back alone. Once inside, he got close to Elmyra, and without looking aside, he embraced her tightly. He let out a deep sigh afterwards, lowered his shoulders and left the house.

He never came back.

↞↠

The days that followed were so peaceful that it was almost anti-climatic. Because nothing anxiety-inducing occurred, Elmyra put her gun in the attic after about half a year, when in the beginning, she would not even let go of her gun no matter where she went. Aerith wondered what Carlo and the others were doing. What happened with the hostile organisations afterwards? She wasn’t given any information. Elmyra probably knew something, but she did not say a word in the house. Elmyra is a workaholic and decided to earn her living by cleaning cafés, hospitals and orphanages in the neighbourhood. Elmyra told Aerith with surprise that she seemed to get a job no matter where she went in the slums. Even though she had enough on hand, she was often introduced to other customers, and there were people everywhere who cared enough to make sure that Elmyra and Aerith did not fall into poverty. Elmyra expectedly thought it was strange and asked them for their reasons, and they told her about the debt of gratitude that they and their families had for Gabriel Gainsborough. When Midgar only had its foundations, the wages paid to the workers were astonishingly measly. And a massive bunch of people who were neither from Shinra nor construction workers had money extracted from them in the form of referral fees, brokerage fees, and administration fees. It was Gabriel who reconfigured the structure and got rid of those who exploited the workers. There was lots of bloodshed, but workers' enemies were exterminated, and a large part of the wages paid by Shinra went to the workers since then. He also negotiated with Shinra and also won the workers an increase in remuneration. Many of them were able to open shops and start businesses because of Gabriel, and these people did not forget to pass on their gratitude to their children.

"I'm grateful for this."

Aerith heard Elmyra saying that numerous times.

↞↠

The children of the Sector 5 House would head out to work once they become thirteen years old. To mimic them, Aerith decided that she also wanted to work. However, Elmyra did not allow her.

"Why can't I?"

"It's not that I want to lock you up in the house, but I'm worried about you. You've been through a lot, haven't you?"

"I know, but for a long time, nothing has happened."

"That's true. But you know what? This is my problem, you know. Even up till now, this happens to me. Whenever I feel happy and secure, something happens. It's always been like that. I wonder if I had that kind of fate."

Elmyra let out a deep breath and shook her head.

"If I do that, I'd be restraining you as Shinra did. Alright, you may work. But, only around the neighbourhood, please."

"Thank you, Mummy."

Her mother's frank confession struck a chord in her heart. At the same time, she wondered about the possibility that she was one of the problems that she's holding onto.

Scene 27

"And my mother's fears were right on the mark."

"Ehhh?"

Aerith tiredly nodded to the surprised Tifa.

↞↠ You’re on page 119/142 of Aerith’s segment of the Light Novel Next Scenes: Scenes 28-35 Previous Scenes: Scenes 15-21 Back to Content Page (click/tap here) follow @istanleyff7​ on twitter for updates support the TOTP translation project financially here (click/tap here)

[cant-think-of-anything]

Pirate AU (Part Three)

Cordelia and Alastair stood outside a small café, her hat dipped low to hide her face. Lucie had told her that she was bringing her cousin, so she thought it only fair to drag her brother along as well. Alastair seemed apprehensive, claiming Eugenia was already watchful of them but Cordelia countered by saying this could be a way to prove their innocence. 

The problem with waiting outside in London though was that it was pouring. Constantly. 

“I can’t believe you convinced me to do this,��� Alastair said, scowling as he shook rain soaked dark hair from his eyes. 

“A few hours of being social will not kill you dadash.”

His eyebrows raised at the use of their native language. They spoke a mixture of English and Persian when they were at home, but using it anywhere else elicited dirty stares that made Cordelia want to stab something with Cortana. Alastair looked as if he was going to say something but a strong blow of icy water into their faces before he had the chance. 

Before Cordelia could contemplate unanchoring their ship and sailing somewhere warmer, she heard her name being called. Lucie and the presumed Eugenia Lightwood were hurrying towards them, umbrellas nearly being blown out of their hands. Cordelia propped the door open for them, offering a smile to Lucie who’s eyes were bright from the wind instead of tears. 

“I’m so happy you’re here,” Lucie said in an overjoyed whisper, a complete contrast to the last time they had spoken, though Cordelia suspected it was a front. Lucie’s cheerfulness was most definitely a pretense but Cordelia understood why she had it in place. “ Eugenia desperately needs a distraction and as do I.” 

Cordelia smiled, enjoying Lucie’s happiness as she watched Alastair and Eugenia have a sort of staring competition. “I had to drag Alas- my brother here. He isn’t fond of social outings.”

“So,” Eugenia said smoothly when they were seated, “Your brother here is rather good at slipping out of conversations isn’t he?” 

Alastair scowled as he usually did, as if he was trying to kill someone by looking at them. “Cornering new arrivals is something you do often then?”  

“What tea do you want!” Cordelia cut in brightly, waving the menu in their face. 

“Black.” They responded in unison, their glares intensifying. 

“Will Thomas be joining us?” Lucie asked her eyes darting between the two as if she either wanted to laugh or flee. 

At that Eugenia’s eyes went soft and worried. “He hasn’t returned home yet. He isn’t usually the reckless type but-” She cut herself off. 

“Who’s Thomas?” Cordelia asked gently, trying not to overstep. She felt Alastair lean forward as if he was interested in the answer as well. 

“My brother. He saw the note and took off.” 

“Note?”

Eugenia looked between Cordelia and Lucie, confusion clouding her face. “Lucie didn’t tell you? I thought the two of you were- oh. Well there was a note left in the Institute, by the killer,” Her voice hitched on that word, “or some cruel person who wants to make our lives more hellish.” 

“What did the note say?” Alastair asked, his voice low. 

Eugenia shrugged and pulled a paper from her pocket, sliding it across the table. Cordelia inhaled sharply and felt Alastair’s arm tense before she had the chance to read what the note said. The symbol at the bottom. She had seen it before. A crude jagged line that had been carved into numerous wrecked ships around the ocean. She’d watched those ships fall. 

As for who it belonged to, that was a mystery. 

Cordelia was getting tired of mysteries. 

Lucie, who had been watching Cordelia with a confused expression, stood up suddenly and grabbed her hand. 

“I- what?” Cordelia stammered, horror and confusion hazing her mind. 

“I think we have matters to discuss. 

Pulling Cordelia away from the table, she led the two of them into a dim hallway before whirling around, her cheeks faintly pink. 

“You’re lying to us aren’t you?” 

Cordelia drew back sharply, which seemed to give Lucie all the confirmation she needed. 

“You are,” She murmured. “Tell me it wasn’t you? You didn’t do this to my cousin?” 

“No-Goodness, Lucie no.” 

“You’re lying about something. How did you get on the guest list? Who are you? Did you have something to do with Barbra?” 

“I didn’t have anything to do with her, I swear it.” At Lucie’s intense stare she felt her resolve crumble a bit. 

“You need to prove it. Please.” 

Cordelia looked at Lucie again, her blue eyes were blazing. She told herself that this was an awful idea, that she had only known Lucie for one afternoon. She felt an odd sort of connection to her, that much was true, but was that really enough? Perhaps if she denied Lucie the truth then she would go to her parents, incriminating them even more. Cordelia knew all it took to get her imprisoned was a word claiming her guilt. 

Cordelia let out a soft sigh of defeat and lowered her voice. “I might have to show you. You wouldn’t believe it otherwise.” 

~~~

Alastair wondered what demon had possessed his sister to have made her sit alone at a table with Eugenia. He determinedly stared at the wall, praying she wouldn’t attempt at small talk. Not that she seemed like the type. 

“Why did you react that way?”

Alastair startled. “What?” 

“When I gave you the note you and your sister looked as if someone slapped you.” 

He internally cursed himself for allowing such a see-through expression, but he truly hadn’t been expecting it. It meant that the killer they were dealing with was a pirate, more than that, a pirate that belonged to one of the most dangerous crews known. 

“It was a startling note then,” He grumbled, casting a backwards glance at Cordelia who didn’t look anywhere near done talking. 

“The writing was too small for you to have read it that quickly.”

Privately, he was surprised that she noticed so much. It would be admirable if it wasn’t so aggravating.

“We aren’t responsible for what happened at the party,” he snapped instead. 

“I’m aware. I don’t believe you’re guilty, but I do believe that there’s something important you’re keeping from us.” 

“Of course. We’re strangers.” 

Eugenia rolled her eyes and leaned forward. “I don’t want your snark. I want your help.” 

Before Alastair could respond or even process what she said, Cordelia and Lucie arrived back at the table. 

“Am I to tell Eugenia?” Lucie asked. 

“Tell her what exactly?” Alastair muttered to Cordelia, who had a somewhat sheepish look on her face. 

“So Alastair do you have skulls on your masts?” Lucie chirped happily, taking a sip of her tea. “Eye patches? Maybe a peg leg?”

“Cordelia!”

The note lay forgotten between them as the siblings bickering took the attention. It’s words were scribbled in a suspicious red that grew darker the longer you looked. 

Your families have wronged mine in ways you couldn’t imagine. Vengeance must be taken and vengeance is often taken out on innocent people isn't it? Don’t assume that this is over. 

~~~

Kamala knelt in front of the telescope, her dark hair fluttering uncomfortably in the soft sea winds. The barely discernible block of land known as London lay little ways away. She plucked a quill from where it rested in it’s inkwell charting the estimated distance of her journey. She was something of a self proclaimed sailing master, charged by Tatiana to travel the seas in her name. It wasn’t a pleasant job exactly, but the pay was good. 

She absentmindedly rubbed the needle in her hand against the lodestone resting on the table, watching as it grew magnetized and swung to true north. A soft thud sounded behind her, but Kamala didn’t have to turn to know who it was. 

“London?” The girl’s voice was icy as always, nearly as sharp as the wind tearing through her thin blouse. 

“London. We have a job.” 

Grace scoffed and came up next to her to lean against her table, cluttered with maps and compasses. Tatiana had taken Grace when she had been very young, twisting and molding her into the girl she was now. Kamala had come soon after, hired from a village where she had been running out of money. Everyone came for selfish reasons she supposed, but she never understood Grace’s motives to stay. 

“What’s in London?” Grace asked, “Besides Tatiana.” 

Kamala winced. “The Herondales.” 

Grace’s face twisted into an unpleasant scowl, she turned on her heel and disappeared to enter the hold where their beds were kept. The Herondales were a touchy subject. She didn’t understand the full story, just knew that Tatiana made a public offer to marry off Grace and the Herondales declined; just as publicly. Then again Tatiana had a way of twisting the truth and Grace a way of believing it. 

Kamala steeled herself before rapping her knuckles on the door leading to the captain’s cabin. The door swung open rather quickly revealing the captain of their ship. A man named Belial. He had been aboard longer than even Grace, terrorizing the seas alongside Tatiana and the rest of their crew, but as far as Kamala knew there were no romantic ties. 

Belial, though she would never admit such a thing, frightened her. She relayed the direction they were meant to be headed and tried not to appear as if she was fleeing when she retreated into the hold. 

“Ms. Joshi.” Belial said, stopping her in her tracks. 

“Yes?” She asked, wondering what would happen if she pushed him overboard. 

“When we arrive in London there’s something I need you to do, since Tatiana will have her hands full with her vendetta against the Herondales” When she didn’t respond he continued. “ Our other ships have reported sightings of the Carstairs. In London.” 

Kamala stiffened. She’d only seen the Carstairs ship once, hadn’t seen their small crew at all but she’d heard enough about them. The boy with cold eyes and sharp daggers, the girl with red hair and a golden sword that marked their family. 

“What exactly is it that I’m meant to do?” She asked, clearing the roughness from her voice.  

“Lure them here. Locate them and bring them to this ship.” 

“You want me to capture them?” 

A cruel smile twisted his face. “No. I want you to kill them.”

Tagging: @adoravel-fenomeno and @barbra-lightwood

Props to Alastair for being able to canonically pick up a language he’d stopped speaking for several years, I still feel so awkward about talking in my native language.  

[justlightlysedated]

for @zuluoscarecho​ 🥰🥰

-

Michael is in the middle of changing the oil on Mr. Jameson’s ancient Chevy, when there are hands wrapped around his ankles rolling him out on the creeper from beneath the hood of the car.

Michael takes in the military uniforms, tactical gear, and the fact that they all have their faces completely covered and is immediately on guard, trying to figure out how to get out of this without actually revealing his secret.

"Are you Michael Guerin?" One of them asks, voice muffled by their masks, but the command in their tone is unmistakable.

"Who's asking?" Michael asks instead, not wanting to give an inch.

"His face matches the picture, Number Two," another voice pipes up. "We can just take him and confirm once-"

The voice is cut off with a painful sounding hiss, but Michael's eyes are narrowed and on the person who seems to be in charge here.

"What are the charges?" He asks, pushing himself up to his feet, and letting the creeper slide back underneath the car. "Because I know you can't arrest me without a warrant."

The group of four soldiers are all pointing their guns at him, except the one called Number Two, whose eyes look too amused for Michaels liking.

"Who says we're here to arrest you?" They ask, and before Michael can think of something to say to that, one of the soldiers closest to him moves, swinging his gun and catching Michael right on the side of the head.

Fuck, Michael thinks as everything goes black.

-

Michael comes back to consciousness violently, fists swinging and feet kicking, his knuckles smart when he actually comes into contact with someone, who grunts in pain.

"Calm down, Mr. Guerin," the same commanding voice from before says. "We're not going to hurt you."

The only difference in the voice is that it's not muffled anymore, which is the only reason that Michael opens his eyes and gives them a pointed look in answer.

The woman in question is standing in the middle of the room, she's tall and regal looking, blonde hair kept away from her face by a braid. The other three soldiers are sitting on the opposite side of the small room, two more women, one wearing a hijab, the other a brunette with her hair cut short and severe aligning with her chin and a blonde guy, built like a linebacker, hair buzzed on the sides and cropped short on top, rubbing a red spot on his cheek and glaring at Michael, all of them looking around the same age, which is not any much older than he is.

“The fact that you knocked me out and then brought me here, wherever here is says pretty much otherwise, so excuse me for not actually believing that,” Michael says, ignoring the pounding in his head to sit up, not really liking being in a vulnerable position around so many people, especially considering these people were soldiers.

The woman, who he figures is Number Two, straightens up even more, tucking her hands behind her back, and she somehow looks even taller than before as she starts to speak.

“Our apologies, but we need your help,” she says, and keeps speaking before Michael can ask what exactly they need him for.

“We are Troop Eleven-Zero-Six of the USAF, in charge of infiltrating and retrieving. I am First Lieutenant, Barbara Wilson, but everyone calls me Number Two. My team,” she motions over to them and they all introduce themselves, but Michael is still caught back a couple of sentences before when she said they were part of the USAF, the Air Force, meaning that this was either his one way ticket to a dissection table or this had to do with Alex.

“I’m sorry,” Michael says, interrupting the guy who’d been rubbing his cheek earlier. “But I don’t really care who you are. What do you want with me?”

The guy opens his mouth, probably to argue, but Number Two steps up, holding a hand out to stop him before he can say anything.

“As of 0600 hours yesterday morning, our Captain, Alexander Manes was reported MIA, during what was supposed to be a simple routine pick up. Our assumption is that he’s been abducted and is being kept somewhere outside of our jurisdiction. My team has been put on the sidelines and told to wait, while inexperienced older men debate whether or not it would be worth it to use the resources to find him.”

Michael had always known that the Air Force was going to get Alex killed. 

Even though it’s been weeks since the last time that he reached out to Alex, the distance making their connection waver and spotty most of the time, like an old radio trying to pick up radio signals that are out of range, Michael reaches out for him almost subconsciously, and he is marginally relieved to feel a sharp irritated nudge back, even if it’s Alex Code for leave me alone.

“What do you need from me then?” he asks, partially because he thinks he already knows what. But at the same time, their soulmate status is something that they never actually discuss with each other, so Michael had assumed that Alex had never told anyone else.

“You are his soulmate, aren’t you?” The girl in the hijab, who Michael vaguely remembers, had introduced herself as Carter, no first name, asks stepping away from the wall she’d been propped up against.

“He’s obviously not,” the guy who he’d interrupted before, and is now labeling, Blonde Asshole, says, a sneer on his face. “There is no way some backwards cowboy hick from Roswell is the Captain’s soulmate. I told you we should’ve checked his mark while he was unconscious.”

“That is an invasion of privacy,” Carter says, sounding disappointed.

Blonde Asshole scoffs, “We’re in the middle of an unsanctioned mission.”

The woman with short hair sends a truly impressive bitch face to the Blonde Asshole, and Michael thinks she introduced herself as Sabrina, “That doesn’t give you the sanction to act like such an asshole. Oh, wait, that’s just a delightful part of your personality.”

Blonde Asshole makes a mocking face at her, “It would’ve saved us the trip. The Captain’s life is in danger. We don’t have time to-”

Michael gets to his feet, effectively shutting him up and turns to Number Two, who stares right back at him. 

“Alex is in danger?” he questions, sending a wave of worry to Alex, which is immediately cut off with a stone cold icy wall, like Alex doesn’t want to give him even an inkling of what he could possibly be feeling right now, which usually would make Michael scoff and roll his eyes and go to the bar and drink until he can dull the awareness of Alex in his head.

“Yes,” she says, simply and effectively changing the mood inside of the room. “Our mission before he went missing was highly classified, and it’s entirely possible that it pissed off the wrong type of people, and this is their way of getting revenge. They’ll interrogate him to get as much information out of him first, and then they’ll kill him. And the Captain is a hard nut to crack. He’ll withstand the torture for a long time. But I wouldn’t put it past the Commander to just drop a bomb instead of risking a rescue mission.”

“So we’re not only on a time limit, but we’re also risking possible dishonorable discharge, not to mention actual prison time, so if you’re not going to be any help, you may as well tell us now so that we can find another way to save him,” Blonde Asshole says, and he potentially sounds worried, but Michael ignores him and keeps looking at Number Two.

“So what are we waiting for?” he asks, not caring that he hasn’t confirmed that he is Alex’s soulmate. 

He is, which is all that matters. He doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone right now. They’ll get their proof soon enough.

“For the plane to land,” Number Two says, and the plane hits a spot of turbulence on an otherwise completely still flight, and Michael drops down back to the row of seats that he’d woken up on, feeling a little dizzy. He has never been on a plane, and he doesn't understand why knowing he's actually in one, makes him feel worse than not knowing.

Number Two just reaches out and pats his shoulder, “Rest up. Once we hit the ground, there’s going to be no time for that.”

Michael nods his head, thinking that that is easier said than done, but as soon as he leans back against the seat, he feels his eyes flutter close, exhaustion hitting him like a wave,  dragging him under and before he knows it, Michael falls asleep.

-

After the plane lands, he gets shuffled into a standard armored vehicle, squeezed between Blonde Asshole and Sabrina, who asks him if he's an actual cowboy or if he just wears the hat.

Michael doesn't really answer because since the moment he touched the ground, wherever they are, since he didn't exactly get an itinerary before he'd been kidnapped, he could feel his awareness of Alex coming back in full force, and now that he was closer, he could tell exactly why Alex had been pushing and putting up walls, and trying to keep him away.

Their bond was bright hot red with his pain, and not only was he going through whatever it was causing him pain, torture being the likely candidate, but he was also actively trying to keep their bond blocked.

Michael closes his eyes and concentrates fully on the piece of Alex that he had inside of him, feeling it light up in the back of his head, and right on the center of his chest, warm and pulsing.

Alex sends out a drowsy question, probably wondering what the hell Michael is doing, and Michael sends back an image of getting pulled out from beneath the hood of Mr. Jameson's Chevy by his team.

He feels Alex’s alarm sweeping through him, and before he can say or think anything else, Alex drags him out of his head.

Michael gasps as he feels overwhelmed with pain, stinging from the tips of his fingers to an ache in his chest that makes it hard to breathe to the excruciating pain of what he’s pretty sure is at least one broken leg.

Michael opens his eyes with difficulty and takes a look around the cell that they have him in, but there are no windows, and even if he could find it in himself to move, whoever took Alex has his hands cuffed together and tied to his cuffed feet.

If Michael concentrates, he'll be able to tug against the bond and use his powers even while in Alex's body, but before he can, Alex is dragging him out of his head and into their mindscape, a phenomenon that only seems to be possible when an alien is your soulmate since it's one of the many strange things about their bond that isn't like anyone else's.

Michael lets Alex tug him forward and check him over, asking about a million questions, but he can barely hear any of that.

His entire focus is taken up by Alex. Even though he knows that in the mindscape he's nothing more than a projection of his subconscious, which is why he looks all of seventeen years old, the same exact age they were when they fell in love and formed their bond. Michael can't help but be relieved at the sight.

He misses Alex so much while he's away, even more when he's overseas and he can't even get this.

Alex stops speaking, probably noting the lovesick look on his face, and he sighs, but Michael can feel the swell of affection pulsing through him.

"Guerin, focus," Alex requests, snapping his fingers in Michael's face.

Michael blinks a few times before he nods his head, “I’m here.”

Alex nods his head, “Good, now tell me. What do they have on you? Because I can convince Wilson to get lost while I figure out how to get out of here.”

Michael is too charmed by the way he puts air quotes around lost and forgets to actually pay attention to what Alex is saying.

Alex shakes him a little, and Michael blinks a few times before he realizes what Alex is saying.

“Oh,” he says, shaking his head. “This isn’t about me. Well, not about the alien thing. It’s about our soulbond. They think I can help find you.”

Alex furrows his brow and shakes his head, “Tell them no.”

“It’s already a little late for that,” Michael says a little sheepishly, pushing his recent memories towards him.

Alex just inhales deeply and closes his eyes.

"Fine, okay," he says, sounding defeated. "My team is good at extraction, and having a direct line to me through you should get the job done, but-"

He stops himself and turns to Michael, looking at him with a pleading expression, "But you have to promise me that you're not going to do something reckless and dangerous and expose yourself."

Michael wants to tell him that he will do anything if it meant getting him back safely, but he also knows that it's probably a declaration that Alex doesn't want to hear.

"I'll just lead them to where you are and stay out of the actual fight, you don't have to worry about that,” Michael says, and Alex gives him a look like that’s asking for him to do something impossible.

Before either of them can say anything else, Michael feels a jolt of pain coming from Alex’s side of the bond.

Alex grits his teeth, shutting his eyes tightly and shaking his head.

“Is that why you push me away sometimes, because you’re trying to protect me from this?” Michael asks without actually meaning to.

Alex blinks his eyes open, and just looks at him, and Michael can tell that he’s on the right track, but now isn’t the time to be discussing this.

Alex just breathes in deeply, and then narrows his eyes at Michael, and Michael feels a deluge of memories, scents and sounds and limited vision, of the drive to wherever it was that they took Alex.

It’s not a lot, but it’s enough for Michael to piece it together.

“We’re going to find you,” he tells Alex, infusing the words with as much conviction as he can.

Alex gives him a wan smile in return. “I know.”

Michael just nods his head and Alex closes his eyes, and then Michael drops back into his body like he’s been dropped from a great height.

He jolts and his eyes snap open, and he sees Number Two and Carter, turned around looking back at him.

He can feel Sabrina’s hands on his neck, and wrist checking his pulse.

“Is everything okay?” Number Two asks slowly, eyes darting all over him, probably worried that they’d concussed him earlier.

Michael nods his head, “Just conferring with Alex. I know how to find him.”

Number Two looks at him for a long moment, scrutinizing, before she nods her head sharply, "Alright then."

She turns towards the front starting the truck up again while Carter hands him her tablet with their location and the map pulled up, showing real time images.

Michael grabs it gratefully and starts looking for something that matches the memories that Alex gave him.

"Let's go get our boy back."

[missdawnandherdusk]

A Guy Worth Getting Expelled For

Draco X Gryffindor!Reader

Part One    Part Two    Part Three    

Part Four     Part Five

Summary: So maybe you and Draco figured out that you don’t have to hate each other... but that about the rest of the school? 

A/N: Who is ReADy foR ThiS!? Because I promise you all, you’re not. It’s been one of my favorite parts so far but let me know what you think! I love you guys and your feedback so don’t be afraid to comment or reblog! (Also this is over 3k words because I have no self control anymore)

Tags: @un-limiteddd @geekysimmerthings @coffee-addicti @ilikestuffproductions @msmcsmutt @ravn-87 @artemismohr18 @whygz @crazywritingbug @dolphincommander @bisexualbumblebeesstuff @fuzzy-panda @bitemebro522 @zombiesnips-blog @jillanaholland @shookyungsoo @savingdraco @welcometomyworldwithoutrules @akari180 @slytherin-emerald @chaotic-good-gemini @memalfoy-spidey

The weekend passed, and due to final exams, I was holed up in my room most of the time. That’s what was nice about rooming with Hermione, I could cook my own food—the Muggle way—and she wouldn’t tell on me. Ramen was a lifesaver as we studied.

I hadn’t heard form Draco at all. Part of me wondered if he figured it out. The letter he wrote to me was getting worn form the amount of times that I unfolded and refolded it each time I reread his words.

The boys did coax us both down to dinner Sunday night, however. They weren’t quite convinced that I was fine and were still at my defense despite my change in mood and constant protests. In fact, it seemed like every Gryffindor in our year and then some were ready at my defense.

“Do you want us to sneak a doxy into his room?” Fred offered. “We’ll do it. Free of charge.” 

“No, I’m okay, really,”

“We could do it anyway,” George suggested.

“No,” I said firmly as we sat in the Great Hall.

Dinner came and passed, and I didn’t have to look over my shoulder for Draco because Ron and Harry were doing a great job of that already. There was no way I was going to be able to walk to Draco with this... protection squad hovering—and not listening to me when I said I was fine.

My heart did flutter as both Harry and Ron tensed, glaring at the door to the Hall. A smile found its way to my face as I turned, finding clam blue eyes.

“I’ll get him,” Harry said, getting up from the table and Ron following suit.

“Guys, wait, no!” I scrambled to get up, tripping over my robes before righting myself, a few paces behind them, Hermione at my heels.

The students who were in the Hall also noticed what was going on and all looked our way. Some stood to get a better look. This was going to get very bad very fast if someone didn’t do something. And, apparently, I had to be that someone.

“You have some nerve Malfoy!” Harry sneered, drawing his wand.

My adrenaline spiked as Draco kept his cool, keeping his eyes on me. I tried to tell him that this wasn’t my idea and that they didn’t know and that I would fix this, but maybe that was too much to tell him in one look.

I caught up to Harry and pushed past him. Turning and facing Harry—the same way that Draco had done for me against Pansy—I glared him down.

“What are you doing!?” I demanded. “I told you! It was fine!”

“But he hurt you! He deserves this!” Harry exclaimed.

“Pansy was the one who made me cry not Draco!” I laid out. “He... He protected me from her,”

Harry gaped at me and so did Ron, Hermione was beaming. There was a rumbling through the students who had gathered around us. Why did I keep finding myself in these situations?

“No way, I don’t believe it,” Harry hissed. “Malfoy would never, and not for you.”

“And how would you know!?” I demanded. “You’re so absorbed in yourself that you never stop to look, or think, or ask questions!”

“So now you’re taking his side!?” Harry fumbled.

I scoffed and threw my hands up in exasperation.

“Why does there have to be sides!? Why do we have to fight!?” 

“He’s a Slytherin!”

“Great! And I’m a Pisces! What does it matter!” I annunciated each word, taking a few calming breaths. “He deserves to be helped and loved as much as you do Harry,” My voice was barely audible.

Now Harry was glaring me down, his anger shifting from Draco to me, which was fine, I could handle Harry easy—Golden Boy or not.

There was a hand on my shoulder.

I turned, meeting Draco’s eyes.

“I’m not worth this.” He murmured softly. “Don’t... not because of me.”

He was so close now. I could feel the fear and desperation almost tangibly as he pleaded with me to back down, and maybe that broke me more. For him to think that he wasn’t worth saving. That he wasn’t worth fighting for.

“Did you figure it out?” I asked softly, completely ignoring Harry and the others behind me. Draco held my focus now. “Who sent me the letter and who I told my mother about?”

He nodded and looked down. How could he know that he was the one that I had chosen, and he still didn’t think it was right for me to fight for him?

“What? Is Malfoy jealous over who you’re crushing on?” Ron jeered and the crowd snickered.

Draco turned red, gritting his teeth, I saw his hand reach for his wand, but I beat him to it and drew mine. Spinning around, almost hissing at Ron, everyone backed away from me, sensing the danger I assumed.

“I don’t think he can be jealous,” I snapped, tilting my chin back. “But the rest of you can,”

Without much thought or time in the moments between, I grabbed Draco’s hand and pulled him closer. I met his eyes for an instant, and I could see and feel the coolness of a lake, the refreshing wave of the ocean. There was an electric current between us.

I brought my hand to cup his face ever so gently—grimacing when he flinched as if I was going to hit him—and quickly pressed my lips to his. He froze under my touch but relaxed almost instantly, which was a bit shocking, but comforting. His hands rested on my waist and he pulled me a step closer.

His lips were soft and hesitant on mine. The electric current didn’t wane, instead it seemed to be stronger than before. It was better than what any potion could offer, or spell could conjure.

I had to pull away in fear that I might spend all night kissing him.

The situation around us settled back in, and though neither of us could keep the smiles off our faces it was Draco who spoke before I could.

“If anyone has anything they’d like to say, you’ll answer to both of us,” There was smugness and pride in his voice as he said ‘us.’

I couldn’t lie, I liked it too.

The crowd broke out into mutters and whispers, some of which were encouraging, some baffled, and some downright cruel—most of which came from either Gryffindor or Slytherin. My hand found Draco’s as an anchor in the midst of it all, not sure what was coming next.

Harry stormed off and Ron gave an apologetic look before going after him and Hermione followed suit. As much as I was alright on standing on my own, their absence hurt.

“Mr. Malfoy! Miss Lupine! My office! Now!” It was McGonagall.

My heart sank as the students scattered in fear of also getting in trouble for something that they may or may not have done. It left Draco and me alone walking to McGonagall’s office under her gaze. Somewhere along the way Snape caught up to us, and to my surprise, Dumbledore.

I gave Draco an apologetic look, but his face was a mask of calm and indifference—courage in the face of danger. I followed his lead as we sat in McGonagall’s office as the three discussed what to do with us outside the door.

“Why didn’t you tell me it was me? When we were on the stairs?” He asked softly.

I shrugged.

“I don’t think I was ready,” I admitted. “It was... a hard day.”

“Sorry again,” He mumbled sheepishly.

We sat side by side together, waiting for whatever was about to happen. I feared for the worst and I could tell do did Draco. The memory of his lips on mine however, kept me somewhat same and comforted.

“I’m sorry I dragged you into all of this,” I whispered. “This is all my fault,” 

“No, it’s not Y/n. You know that,” He argued. “I had a good part in it too.”

“I should have just left it alone,” Tears were in my eyes as I started to realize the gravity of the situation.

“No,” He said firmly, catching my eyes. “You’re right, this has gone on too long.”

Again, his hand slipped into mine and I felt grounded. It was odd, finding comfort in someone that I had hated only a few months ago.

The three Professors came down and we dropped our hands quickly, as we both looked down.

“It has come to our attention that you two have caused quite a bit of trouble,” Dumbledore began.

“Please, sir. It was me. Not her.” Draco stood, taking a small step in front of me.

Shock flitted across the faces of the professors, and mine. I didn’t know what I was expecting but it wasn’t that.

“No, it was me. I’m the one who kissed him and provoked Harry.” I stood next to him, almost pushing him out of the way. “Whatever punishment... I’ll take it in full... even if that means expulsion.” My voice wavered as the words slipped out.

“Y/n,” Draco protested and turned to me.

“Your dad will kill you in you get in trouble because of me,” I argued. “And... I can’t let that happen. So... please, Draco,”

I didn’t know what I was asking for exactly, but I knew that if his father found out... he’d be in worse trouble than whatever the school could come up with.

“No, forget about my father. I don’t care what he thinks. You’re not talking all the fault. I won’t let you,”

I bit my lip, thousands of words wanting to escape them just as the tears that threatened to fall. Why hadn’t I seen this in him before? Why hadn’t anyone?

Draco Malfoy could be good. He could be selfless. He could be loved.

“If I may,” Dumbledore began again. “Neither of you are in trouble nor are you getting expelled.”

“What?” We both snapped, turning to the three professors.

Hope fluttered in my chest, that maybe once we would both be okay. That we could both make it out of here.

_______________________

Out in the hall...

“Has it happened?” Dumbledore asked. “The legacy?”

“Yes,” McGonagall confirmed. “I got a letter from her mother early Saturday to keep an eye out, and I saw it tonight at dinner.”

“You believe that these two are the ones to end the feud?” Snape asked cautiously.

“Something much darker than us all is coming Severus,” Dumbledore sighed. “And they might be the ones we need to stop it.”

“But I don’t understand why stopping an old family feud solves anything.” Snape hissed.

“Because it’s not a family feud, it’s a house feud and always has been. For too long Slytherin and Gryffindor have been pitched against one another unhealthily and perhaps this can right what has been wrong for so long,” McGonagall noted hopefully.

............................

“Miss Lupine, you should be expecting a letter from your mother soon. I suggest you both read it together and decide for yourselves whether you want to accept what is in it or not.” Dumbledore explained.

“What kind of letter?” I prompted and McGonagall gave me a scolding look as Dumbledore simply smile.

“Oh, you are so much like your mother,” His eyes twinkled. “Give her my best and please remember, each of you are more than a name,”

_________________________

Draco walked down the hall with you beside him. He couldn’t think of a thing to say. There were too many to say. There was too much to talk about and it was driving him mad that you were lost in thought.

“Any ideas on where to go? To read the letter?” You finally spoke.

Your voice sounded unsure and afraid, with a nervousness that came with expectation. He had never heard you speak like that. You were always so sure of yourself—courageous, like any proper Gryffindor.

But now, your eyes filled with tears and worry. Your arms were crossed across your chest, as if they had the ability to keep you together if you held on tight enough. He knew that you never showed anyone this side of you—not even that Mudb- your friend Hermione. Because he never showed anyone either.

“Come with me,” He said, not giving anything away and led you through the castle wordlessly.

You followed him without a protest, a quip, snide remark, or question. And he couldn’t lie, it was nice; it worried him too, being afraid wasn’t in your nature.

Taking a sharp right, he paused, opening the door for you. You quirked an eyebrow and a teasing smile. You knew where he led you and it amused you, he could see it in your features. That was the you he knew.

You ascended the staircase and through the trapdoor with him at your heels. You faltered one and he caught you easily—knowing it would happen: it was the reason he had made you go before him—your cheeks turning a deep red as you quickened your pace.

Alone in the Astronomy Tower, Draco saw a small screech owl awaiting the two of you, letter attached. It was the same owl who had given him your letter all those nights ago, it must be yours.

You didn’t go to the owl—even though it chirped at you annoyed. Instead, you went to the window and stared at what he did almost every night that he couldn’t sleep: the stars blanketed over the mountain range and the lake as night consumed the world around them.

Knowing that you would want to gaze for some time, he took the letter for the owl and shooed it off, but it remained.

“I’ll give you something later Penelope, thank you,” You cooed softly stroking the birds head gently before it flew off.

Unsure of his actions, Draco stood close beside you, watching the night unfold with you. Your hand found his and his thoughts about what needed to be answered or what the letter held paused. Your warmth invited him in, lured him to be still and just... feel.

“I’m scared,” The confession left your lips. “I’ve been waiting my whole life for my mother to tell me what this fight was all about and now...” You turned to him, true despair on your face.

“Whatever it is, we do it together,” He murmured, “Remember, we get to choose if we want to accept it or not,”

“But don’t we have to?” Your thoughts mirrored his: he had expectations to live up to and he wanted to prove himself to his father and his family.

“We’ll see,” He reached up and stroked your face softly.

You pursed your lips as he offered you the letter. You took it and with one last hopeless look to him you opened it and read it aloud:

~

My dearest Y/n, and charming Draco,

I hope this letter finds you both well. I have written to each of your House Heads letting them know to give you time to read this together if fate allows.

Y/n, my darling, please stop your fretting, I can feel it from here. You are alright no matter what you choose, but I do hope you choose the path of love.

Draco, hello, we haven’t met formally, but I must thank you for standing up for my daughter against one of your own house. It was a brave and kind thing to do and you have my deepest respect.

Now, about the feud. I know you have asked many times what it has always been about and perhaps it is time to finally tell you:

Our families have always been intertwined in the fate of the wizarding world as pure-blood families. Long ago, it was said that one of Lupine and one of Malfoy decent would be the ones to mend the rift between pure-bloods and muggle-born.

You can see why this caused such a feud. I’m sure even now Mr. Draco you are thinking that this is preposterous, and perhaps you as well my child. For how can two pure-bloods whom hate another possible med anything?

Well, no one knows. And no one wanted to know either. The Malfoy’s were always against muggle-born and swore vengeance on them all. The Lupine’s have always been proud and swore to never fraternize with a Malfoy. Centuries and generations passed, and our stories have been twisted and distorted to what you know today.

I did try my love to keep you away as best I could from it, but some things are very deep rooted, and I am sorry that I failed you. But now it comes to you two.

From what I have heard from you my darling, it sounds as if Mr. Draco may be the one you were meant for. It was once called Consentire Animi Pace—an old thought that souls reached for another to bring harmony in the world around them through magic.

I am not forcing this upon either you, nor am I making assumptions. I would just like you both to know that it does exist and not to deny that it does and that it may be what our Antiqui were speaking of when the legacy was given.

My darling Y/n, I am proud of you no matter your choice and I love you without a doubt. I am proud of your achievements and your courage to reach out to someone you had no reason to reach out to.

My dear Draco, I am proud of you no matter your choice and I extend my love to you as well. I know that your parents are not as forgiving when it comes to family names as I am. You will have a home in our family—whether that be Y/n and I or the entire family if they decide to stop being so... Anyway. I am proud of you as well and for what you have done. You had no reason to protect my daughter and you did and I am proud of you on that fact alone. You have truly exceeded your expectations, whether your father sees that or not.

Don’t not be afraid of what is before you nor the choices that you must make. It is not about the right choice; it is about the righteous one—the one made with the right heart. It is easier to correct ignorance rather than disobedience.

My love goes to you both, both of you write me back please. 

Love, Magdalene Lupine

~

.

.

Part 7

[ghostmartyr]

SnK 132 Thoughts

This month, more people scream and die.

Exactly as keikaku.

Unlike certain keikakus, however, this keikaku is still missing the essential element of a keikaku in that there is no actual keikaku there’s just a lot of people running around screaming while they try not to die and then the screaming only stops when they die.

People also die when they are killed.

...Maybe.

Before we approach the obvious, the most interesting part of this chapter to me is that once again, Eren is presented with the option of stopping. While he’s in the planning stages of his assault, it is explained quite plainly that strategic strikes will completely undo any country’s attack on Paradis.

Hizuru favors a limited test run of the rumbling. Yelena provides a tactic that uses only a bit of the outer wall. She explains the reasoning. She isn’t wrong.

We’ve already had plentiful examples of what the Wall Titans can do. They can swim. They’re easy to spot from the distance, but there is no ammunition or strategy that can deal with them. Running is the best option, and even that is a risk.

Systematically destroying every single port would have bought Paradis all the time in the world. Yelena has this discussion with Eren back when she is wanting Eldians to die out, so they have different view of what counts as a win, but if Eren had wanted to, he could have easily wielded his massive power to keep every nation’s military from fucking with them.

He doesn’t do that. Instead of a small portion of the walls, he wakes up the entire part. Instead of targeted strikes, he goes for armageddon.

Eren has options. Hange can say that Eren has no solutions, hope, or future, but the lack of hope is all that comes close to the truth. There is a solution right here. Fight anyone who would oppose you, and win. Make it clear that the assaults only happen because they made the mistake of declaring war on Paradis.

Eldians might be treated like crap everywhere, but Eren’s murdered plenty of Eldians with this plan. If his only care is the island, he could have worked to protect it.

Instead, even in the most generous of reads, he's deconstructed Paradis’ government in a time of incredible strife, sowing the seeds for an ugly civil war that has already had its beginning skirmishes.

Eren’s actions are destructive in every single category. When he first activates the walls, Armin still has that flash of hope that Eren is only using the amount of force he needs to put an end to this assault.

He doesn’t. He wakes up every single titan, sends them marching, killing people on this island he’s supposed to care for so much, and now his closest friends are stuck in a world where to prevent genocide, they are probably condemning their own people to an even worse future than they already had.

The thing about this level of power is that you can do what you want. No one can stop you. If this starts with people forcing Historia into a breeding farm, Eren can just murder anyone who’s in favor of that.

(Sidebar: I still am annoyed that no one came up with the obvious solution for that problem. If they need someone with royal blood to still be around in fifty years, just turn Historia into a mindless titan and ditch her underground with specific instructions each new Founder can follow. Titans are functionally immortal when left alone. They’re much less fragile than humans. Any dedicated person could easily kill off all the royal heirs, so might as well simplify the process, keep one royal heir around and relatively invulnerable. Then each Founder has easy access to their power if they just go to the right place. Obviously there are risks, but honestly it’s more straightforward than having a bunch of free-minded little kids be your backup plan.)

Eren can destroy an entire country before even the most knowledgeable titan experts can work out a reliable plan.

Paradis was never in danger. They had this. The rest of the world had a hundred years to forget, but a handful of public demonstrations illustrates the point very, very clearly. Yelena’s strategy was meant to serve Zeke’s plan, but if what Eren wants is Paradis to thrive, it works. He doesn’t have much time left, but he doesn’t need it to destroy other countries’ options of attacking Paradis.

Hizuru is interested in allying with Paradis because of this power. They’re the first. They would not be the last.

At the very least, this would give Paradis more time, which they’ve all seen the need for.

Instead, Eren chooses to destroy everything that might even consider being a threat to Paradis. There is no diplomacy. There is no measured use of force. There is no plan. There is the monsters he’s always hated, and falling so far into the darkness that the freedom he claims to want is destroyed by his own hands.

There were countless threads Eren could have followed, being a demigod. He very honestly could have done whatever he wanted.

So he did.

I feel like we’re still missing why. By the time his head has gotten blasted off, he’s encouraging his dad to murder the Reiss family, and he’s hallucinating himself as a child, I think it’s more than fair to say this war has won against Eren. He’s broken, and this is the path he’s on.

Maybe it’s as simple as thinking in such stark black and white terms that he needs a future with a guarantee, and death is the strongest guarantee he can come up with.

Except going back to just last chapter, this is not what Eren wants. It is not something he is approaching with the passionate conviction of being in the right. He’s in tears over it. He’s horrified by the future he causes, but chained to it because he knows he causes it.

It’s a difficult problem to explain. From a plot perspective, I’m frustrated because there are so many ways this didn’t have to happen. I’ve said before that tragedy should feel inevitable, and with each reveal of what Eren got up to in the shadows, this tragedy feels entirely avoidable.

However, from a character perspective, it does make sense that once Eren’s course of action has been decided, he doesn’t see the other options. The inevitability is a trick of his mind, but it’s a trick that he’s bought into completely, so the tragedy is found in how truly unnecessary this all is. The tragedy is that the most powerful person on the planet is a slave to his own mind.

Here’s where that stops working for me:

We see that character arc play out better elsewhere.

That’s Floch’s role.

Floch is an unlikable, divisive zealot who will happily kill civilians and throw children out of airships. He joins the Survey Corps when it’s the hip and happening thing to do, and has none of the conviction to back up their ideals.

He is the sole survivor of a suicide charge. Everyone around him dies in the space of a few minutes, and he’s left alone to make sense of it.

The only sense he finds is that this has to be necessary.

This is how they win.

The world is chaotic and vicious, and the only way to answer that evil is with evil. This world that hates them is not allowed to wipe them out, and anyone who tries will feel their wrath.

Floch doesn’t bother with mercy or kindness. He doesn’t mind that the rest of the world has to die for them to live.

This is how his world operates. Kill or be killed. Those are clearly the rules. Those have been the rules for a hundred years, more clear than ever when they step outside and are eaten on contact.

If the rest of the world lives, Paradis dies.

Paradis is home.

For as long as it’s existed, it’s been hated. Never mind that the current people living there are also victims of the Eldian Empire. They’ve lived in a bubble, and forces keep showing up to pop that bubble, leaving nothing but bodies in their wake.

It is cruel and appalling.

But Paradis is still alive.

Because Erwin murders all these new recruits, Paradis lives.

Floch is the only one left alive to know that so intimately.

It is not a kind assessment.

It is one he redefines his life by.

Answer devils with devils. Their enemy is the entire world. There can be no rest. There can be no sympathy. As long as the outside world exists, Paradis will be a target for its hatred, and that hatred will eventually succeed in killing them.

Floch believes this. Genocide is not something he has a problem with. He’s been living in a world where it’s Us or Them, and has repeatedly made it clear that he will choose Us.

Floch is a teenage boy who survives brutality he’s not prepared for, and reconstructs his entire worldview around the tactic that tries to kill him. He’s a dick, and he does terrible things.

He believes in what he is doing.

He believes that if he doesn’t stop the plane, Paradis will die. He believes that our little ragtag group of heroes are the final, greatest threat to his home. He believes that Eren’s evil is the only thing that will keep them all safe.

At the end of the day, his only hope is that the Devil is on their side.

Floch dies believing in that hope, and he dies to the people hellbent on destroying it.

It’s tragic and sad, because he could never see anything better.

Our first real introduction to him is him on a rooftop, arguing that a boy whose eyes sparkle at thoughts of the ocean is not a good contribution to the war effort.

On that same rooftop, his devil argues that that is exactly why that boy needs to stay alive.

I understand that Eren’s somewhere that we can’t really reach right now, but I don’t feel like the story has shared the thread of how things got this bad. I can point to a dozen different factors that finally broke the camel’s back, but I wouldn’t say any of those are the reasons canon is operating under. We know that Eren came completely undone when the memories of the future were unlocked, but as late in the game as Marley, he’s still devastated by what he’s about to do.

So why does he do it? Why this choice? Why this way?

I think I spent most of last month’s post arguing that, so I won’t belabor it much more, but... I really feel like something’s being overlooked, and I don’t understand it. It’s hard to say if the story simply has a much different vibe than I expected, so my mind is rejecting all this, or if it’s intentionally weird. I’d like to think it’s intentionally weird, because in my opinion that’s a much better story, but either way, right now everything Eren’s doing feels like an incredibly pointless detour.

...Sure, that will end the world, but who cares about that, give me my character work.

How did hope become an impossibility for Eren?

To less painful things, I suppose.

No one suffers like Mikasa suffers.

I like Annie. She has always, very emphatically, wanted nothing to do with this. She has pride in her skills, but she spends years of her life undercover for a government that hates her, planning the deaths of people she respects. I like her opting out. This has never been her war, really, and she’s finally among people who will respect that she’s done with it.

It adds to the sweetness that Reiner is one of those people, now. As her self-appointed leader, he drives Annie into things she can’t stand, clearly favors Bertolt, and is generally just a pain who’s trying too hard in all the wrong areas.

Reiner gets that, and instead of bullying her into participating when she doesn’t want to, he lets her go.

Annie finally gets to pick her battles without anyone negging her.

It’s not a resolution I expected, but it’s one I’m glad for. It follows the trend of our leftover cast being completely past done with violence.

Who knows if that will turn out well for them, but I like the story taking the gentler approach. The world’s ending, so they might as well take the time to be kind to each other. It’s the opposite path of what ultimately destroys Floch, and I love to see it.

The Survey Corps is represented by their yearning for knowledge. Understanding. For a hundred years, that yearning has been paired with war, and the dead bodies have piled up.

Now, the remaining bodies left who call themselves Scouts are kind of. done with that. They’ve seen too many friends die. They’ve built trains. They’ve seen the ocean. They’ve tried foods from other countries they didn’t even know existed.

Surveying the outside world required weapons because otherwise you’d die, but there’s a reason why Levi keeps on missing the promotion to Commander. Levi is a defender of humanity. When he dedicates his heart, he does it to protect people. Learning more about the world is a side effect.

To match the Survey Corps’ ideals, violence is the side effect. It’s not what they’re meant to be about. Yet somehow they’re all soldiers with huge body counts, guilty even of killing their countrymen.

Levi lets Erwin go on that roof because he rejects Floch’s desire to condemn one of them to being a devil for the rest.

That results in letting a boy who dreams of the ocean live.

Hange becomes the Commander and gets to see their world expand. New friends are made, new technologies discovered. New civilization. New, new, new.

Aaaaaaand it’s still all trying to kill them.

Hange begins as a recruit who hates titans. What saves Hange from that hate is curiosity. At the end, that curiosity and awe is still alive. Even heading into death, we return to that beginning spark of salvation.

“Titans really are... incredible.”

No one else in the world looks at these monsters and sees something amazing. Hange is enamored with them. The world is burning, these things are responsible, yet still. There is wonder to be had in looking at them. They are an incredible, impossible creation, and Hange gets to see them up close.

A world like that has to be called incredible.

That’s why Armin gets to be Commander. Jean’s there to help. Mikasa’s there to help. Connie’s there to help.

But the Survey Corps exists to go out into the world and understand it. If something is hidden under a rock, you lift the rock. If you don’t know why someone’s doing something, you talk to them.

The world is fucking beautiful.

If the person in charge doesn’t remember that, they’re all doomed.

(This is why Levi is not allowed to be in charge.)

It’s a good sendoff for Hange. Time spent with Levi, getting to be a chaotically cool genius who saves everyone... yeah. It’s a good finish.

But this better not be fucking going where I think it’s going.

Let me politely frame my issues with dream sequences and time travel in fiction. I feel that I have done it before, but let us revisit, briefly.

There’s this show called Supernatural.

A thing that happens enough time to warrant its use as an example is that characters see or go into the future, and find that everything is fucked beyond belief. It is all bad, everything is wrong, see how you must avoid this so it never gets this bad.

The frustrating part is that hey, these characters in the future should have the same degree of agency as this guest from the past. Except they don’t. Because the past character is the main character. Future crew is just an extended what-if, and soon the entire plot will be devoted to making sure this what-if never happens. They are not real main characters, so they don’t get to do cool stuff. They’re forever doomed to failure.

The ghosts of the Survey Corps watching the progress of their living comrades isn’t a new concept. Every veteran has been haunted by them. Seeing them at the end of the story, doing exactly what we’ve been told they’re doing... fine, okay.

I just am starting to feel like the story’s quaking for a reset button.

Everything is bad. The world is fucked up beyond repair. There is no plan to deal with it, except to try to keep the global genocide from living its dream. In a world where they succeed in that, Eldians will be more hated and feared than ever before, Paradis being wiped off the map will probably be an international priority, there will be no Founding Titan to protect them, and there’s no path to recovery.

Then we’ve got a shot of ghosts all looking over the current happenings.

We know from Paths magic that all of Ymir’s people are connected. This doesn’t use that imagery; it’s based much more simply in the oath all these soldiers swore. But the point is, we see dead people. At a point in the story where many, many dead people are being produced.

I don’t mind a character being welcomed to an afterlife. A lot of stories go there.

But I am a suspicious, terrible person, and getting a glimpse at sentient dead people at this time makes me wonder if we’re allowed the privilege because they’re going to be newly present in the story.

And I am fine if we go the way of a Madoka ending. It’s better than a Lelouch option, and I like Madoka.

The only thing is, if we are going to hit a reset button, I become very, very cross at some of the choices made. Because sure, the characters might have still made those decisions, but the author knows that things are free to go as badly as whimsy will take them, because it won’t last. And with how my primary objection to the current plot is that it feels unnecessary, and like the choice to go here was made without enough reason to back it up...

It hasn’t happened yet, there’s nothing more than a suspicion that it might happen, but there are some specific kernels of “this needs more canon explanation” that I think the story should have, and if we’re stepping into the afterlife, magic solutions don’t seem far off, and if we get a magical solution without first establishing the non-magical ways we first ended up here, I will have a problem.

But hopefully none of that will even be an issue, and I’ll look back and feel silly for bringing it up.

...It’s just that our main character is not only threatening, but committing global genocide, and as of right now, the win condition is a moral win where everyone lives to oppress Eldians another day.

-tosses charred confetti-

And I feel like that is an incredibly pointless and boring story, so maybe it is not the story we’re being told, so.

So.

To next month.

[dragonprincess18]

Third Place Event Prize!

Okay, here’s a Fluff Alphabet for Zoro, courtesy of @beautifulnightmareus. I hope you like this version of him from The Dragon That Will Pierce The Heavens!

E-Equal: Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

*Zoro is a laid-back kind of person when not in battle

*For him, being in control isn’t really important, though he won’t turn away the option when it’s offered

*Luffy, for example, calls the shots most of the time, though in more intimate situations, he looks to Zoro for some level of guidance, especially in the bedroom

*Kid enjoys a certain amount of push-back every now and then, even if he always ends up on top in the end, and Zoro is often revved-up enough to indulge him

*While Law lets Luffy and Hikari take charge when it comes to their crews, he calls the shots in the relationship itself, one way or another, and Zoro hardly minds

*Hikari, in fact, tends to be so shy about physical intimacy most of the time-even just holding hands-that she lets the four of them take the lead rather than initiate

*So, Zoro is really somewhere in the middle with Luffy

M-Marriage: Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

*Zoro knows that using the word ‘marriage’ might be a dangerous idea

*Considering Hikari has been nearly forced into abusive marriages twice within a year, you can’t blame him for thinking so

*But to be honest, Zoro doesn’t see the point in getting married

*He already lives with the four people he loves, shares a bed with them, even shares his alcohol with them

*Getting married is the same thing, right?

*Zoro might consider making things official if he thought it would stop random assholes from trying to marry their girlfriend

*Or Luffy

*Zoro is still a little prickly about Hancock

*If the idea ever got stuck in his head, Zoro would probably bring it up to his boyfriends first

*Most likely very casually and out of the blue, like he was asking if they might be interested in stopping at a bar on the next island

*Law would have a heart attack

*Kid would not be far behind

*Luffy would have no idea what marriage is, and they would have to explain it to him

*Luffy would then also agree they’re already basically married

*This realization would actually cause Law to have a cardiac arrest

*The four of them would discuss actually proposing, if that was what they all wanted to do, and figure out how to go about it with Hikari

*Law would pretty much be the one planning the entire proposal

*Look at those faces, do you think the other three could plan out a letter, let alone an entire evening?

*Hikari, of course, would be suspicious from the very beginning

*Especially when everyone else immediately vacates the galley where there’s a nice candlelit dinner already set up that Luffy hasn’t scarfed down yet

*But Hikari would go along with it, just to see what they’re planning

*First thought? Luffy and/or Kid broke something really important, so everyone is hoping to butter her up before delivering the bad news

*But when dinner and dessert pass with no awkward admissions of guilt, Hikari would relax and enjoy the usual banter

*All five would then go out on deck to stargaze in their usual cuddle-pile

*Hikari would be caught completely by surprise when all four of them offer up pieces of jewelry, bracelets (silver from Law, gold from Kid) and earrings (a gold dangling type from Zoro, a silver stud from Luffy), and ask to make things ‘official’

*She would probably cry, the boys would freak out, Hikari would hiccup out that they’re happy tears and say yes while giving all of them a huge kiss

*The whole wedding, however, turns out to be a sensitive issue

*While Nami would be eager to plan a huge affair, Hikari would rather have something small and personal

*Zoro suspects it’s from her extravagant, but abusive, childhood and the likely huge weddings she had barely avoided already

*They end up getting married on the Sunny by Killer and Bepo, and have a week-long party that ends up including the Revolutionary Army, the Red-Haired Pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates, the Fire Tank Pirates, the Drake Pirates, the Bonney Pirates and the Fallen Monk Pirates

*Not to mention all of the islands the Straw Hats had ever been to

*But really, life itself doesn’t change much for any of them after the honeymoon

P-PDA: Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag about their boyfriends/girlfriend in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss, etc, when others are watching?

*Zoro is not shy about his relationship at all

*He won’t necessarily point it out to people, but he doesn’t hide it

*Anyone who has doubts about his significant others will learn very quickly just how badass they are, and how unwise it is to test a swordsman’s patience

*Especially on their ships, Zoro is open to kissing and cuddling and napping pretty much anywhere, no matter who can see

*But that sort of intimacy out on a random island? Zoro gets a bit flustered, which can result in threats of violence

*Luffy doesn’t even bat an eye, honestly, being used to how reserved so many of his lovers can be

*Kid finds it amusing, just like with Hikari, and will purposely kiss or grope him in public to get a reaction

*Law is rather like Zoro in being more private out on random islands, but open to the swordsman’s lazy affections otherwise

*So yeah, Zoro won’t necessarily shout from the rooftops that he’s in a relationship, but he’s normally not shy about it

[quicksilversquared]

The Felix Fiasco:Chapter 2/2

AU of the episode Felix

Instead of cutting off what his father was going to say, Adrien inadvertently let Mr. Agreste out himself as Hawkmoth. With some help from a friend- and some surprise visiting family members- and a bit of luck, Paris might just find itself one supervillain down by the end of the day.

links in the reblog

Felix had had his story all ready when he stepped in the house. He had been taken off guard by the news, of course, and had run on impulse. Ever since the first akuma had showed up all he had heard was about how much of a villain Hawkmoth was, so of course his first reaction wasn't to be all-in. But he had had time to sit alone and think about it, and- well, he wanted his mom back, of course, just like his father did. And magic could do that, so- well, he wanted to know more, and to see his mom, if possible. After all, it had been ages, and he missed her.

And Adrien's father and Nathalie ate it up. There was no suspicion at all.

Seriously, how were these people supervillains? Sure, Felix was confident in his acting abilities- that was why he had agreed to this whole thing in the first place, because he was positive that he would be able to weasel his way through the situation- but he had figured that there would be more persuasion involved, them drilling him to make sure that he wasn't about to run off again and immediately report them to someone once he knew more. There had been some questions, sure- they had wanted to know if he had told anyone, to which they got a very quick "no!"- but nothing like what he had expected. Apparently the desire to see his mom again made "Adrien" turning to the dark side completely believable.

And then his mom and Adrien- or, sorry, "Felix"- arrived, and they had to interact normally, but as each other.

(At least Adrien had thought to have them practice that part in Marinette's room after they switched clothes. If they hadn't...well, Felix had far less confidence in Adrien's acting abilities, even if Adrien was the one between the two of them to do voice acting and shoot commercials.)

"This is nice and all, but Adrien and I were in the middle of something before you arrived," Mr. Agreste said after a few minutes of- well, admittedly awkward conversation. Felix's mom had apparently decided to continue on with the main reason for their visit- getting back the rings- and that was making Mr. Agreste less than thrilled. It probably was keeping him from getting suspicious, though, considering that Amèlie could have a one-track mind when she wanted to and her not bringing the topic up would be strange. It was a trait that ran in the family, really, so Felix refused to consider it a bad thing. "If you could, ah, wait-"

"They could hang out in my room!" Felix blurted, mimicking what he could remember of his cousin's eagerness as best he could. He gestured widely up the stairs. "There's a foosball table, and, uh..." He wracked his brain. What else had Adrien told him was in his room? Hopefully things hadn't changed too much since his last visit. "A climbing wall, and- well, you'll see."

"Thank you, Adrien!" Amèlie told Felix, beaming. She placed a hand on Adrien's shoulder, clearly ready to guide him up to the room, and then cast a disparaging look at Mr. Agreste. "Hopefully we'll get to hang out with you soon enough. Don't keep my nephew from me for too long, Gabriel."

Mr. Agreste only gave a short jerk of his head that might be interpreted as a nod, landing a heavy hand on Felix's shoulder and steering him forcefully towards what- if Felix was remembering correctly- was his office. Nathalie shut the door behind them, flipping the lock.

For the first time, Felix was nervous. This wasn't going to end in, like, human sacrifice or something, was it? It was all fine before, when they were around other people, but now Felix was on his own. If something went sideways...

No. His uncle wouldn't hurt the boy who he believed was his own son, right? Right-

-no. In a flash, Felix remembered what Adrien had said that had gotten his mom so enraged. Adrien had been attacked by akumas before- targeted by akumas, even, and Mr. Agreste had akumatized himself and attacked Adrien. Maybe it was just because stuff would likely be put back at the end of the attacks and so a little danger was considered acceptable, but that didn't exactly make Felix any less nervous.

"Your mother is down below the house," Mr. Agreste told Felix, guiding him to a specific section of floor in front of a painting of his aunt. It was weird. "We'll have to take the elevator. It's really only designed for one person, but we can make it work for two."

"An elevator? Where?" Felix asked at once, glancing around. He wasn't seeing any doors around in the too-open, too-clinical room. "In here?"

"In the floor, obviously." Mr. Agreste leaned forward, pressing several spots on the painting- buttons! Before Felix had a chance to memorize the pattern, they were going down, down, down. They passed another track that headed to the side and then- if Felix's eyes weren't deceiving him in the dark- upwards, and just kept going down.

Felix had decided: he Did Not Like This.

"It was quite difficult to get all of this installed without anyone noticing," Mr. Agreste commented idly as the elevator went down. "I had to call in a foreign company, make some payments to keep them quiet- not that they ever saw your mother or her condition. I had to keep her in one of the back rooms for a bit- it was quite dicey, making sure that neither you nor the household staff went back there. But the cavern already existed, and some of the scaffolding, so it wasn't quite as expensive as I had worried."

Felix had to struggle not to comment at that. How much of the money he had spent had actually belonged to Mr. Agreste, and how much had come from the Graham de Vanily family fortune? Surely he wasn't making that much money off of the fashion business, considering that everything Gabriel sold was either regular clothes with a brand stamped on them and sold at a huge markup, or absolutely hideous "fashion" that Mr. Agreste dreamed up, at least as far as Felix knew. The quality of the designs had definitely taken a turn for the worse after his aunt vanished, which suggested that either she had been doing a fair bit of designing herself or had simply been in charge of the editing.

"It was quite hard to keep you from noticing, of course, but I had hoped to pull off this whole thing without you knowing at all." Mr. Agreste paused as the elevator slowed and they descended into a huge cavern. Felix was not particularly comfortable knowing that this existed under his cousin's family's mansion- like, who had decided to build a house over this? It should have just been a park, and that way when the ground inevitably decided to collapse, there at least wouldn't be a building over it. "But it has dragged on for long enough now that I- well, Nathalie, at least- thought it might be a good idea to let you in on the secret, and you can be our eyes and ears on the outside."

"What do you mean, Father?" Felix asked, cringing on the inside. Having to call someone else- and someone as awful as Gabriel Agreste- father, so soon after his own dad had died...well, he would rather pass. But if he wanted to act convincing, he needed to address Mr. Agreste just like Adrien would. At least Adrien normally called Mr. Agreste father instead of dad, because Felix really wouldn't have been able to stomach that. Perhaps the two words were technically very similar, but it was just different. "How could I possibly be any more helpful than any news coverage? The Ladyblog has quite a bit of content."

"It has dropped in both quality and quantity recently. Both because your friend Alya has decided to trust Ms. Rossi and her stories, and because she's become so distracted by that DJ boyfriend of hers that she's not following the attacks as often." Mr. Agreste sniffed, leading the way off of the elevator even before it fully came to a stop "Typical teenaged romance single-mindedness. Foolish, and something that they will no doubt regret later on. They have become blind to everything except for each other."

Felix glanced away as though he was uncomfortable with how his- well, Adrien's- friends were being discussed, but inside he was trying not to roll his eyes. Adrien's friends were obsessed with each other? That was rich coming from the guy who had turned into a supervillain in an attempt to save his wife and had rather deliberately put his son in danger multiple times for the same reason.

(Also, this cavern was insane. There were rusting metal walkways over moving water below, and an opening somewhere up above that was shining light down at the cluster of plants at the far end, and- well, it was weird.)

"But you, Nathalie, and I can discuss specifics later," Mr. Agreste told him. "I know Nathalie had some ideas. It will require working in tandem with Ms. Rossi- she's one of my allies, though I don't know how much she suspects."

Felix blinked. "How- how much she suspects? What have you told her?"

"Very little. She is acting on my requests as Mr. Agreste- requests to deliberately get people upset enough to akumatize. Oh, don't look like that, you know that it causes no lasting harm," Mr. Agreste snapped when surprise and disgust slipped onto Felix's face. "And she is slippery enough to smooth things over again afterwards. But she's also been very cooperative with Hawkmoth, agreeing to become akumatized even without emotions clouding her judgment." He sent Felix a considering look. "You could do the same, actually. I'm sure it's something that Nathalie has thought of. With cooperative akumas, I can plan a design and powers in advance, instead of having to come up with them on the fly."

...Felix did not like this Ms. Rossi character already. He also wasn't sure who she was- she wasn't one of the people that Adrien had mentioned- and he didn't want to say anything that would give that away.

"But enough about that. You wanted to see your mother." Mr. Agreste headed up the walkway, shoes clicking with every step. "This way, stop dithering about. We don't have any time to waste- your aunt will start nosing around if we take too long, no doubt, and I shudder to think of what her reaction might be if she gets wind of this." Even from behind, his scowl was evident. "She's too nosy for her own good. The sooner she and your cousin leave, the better."

Felix had to force back the absolute rage at that. How dare his uncle call his mom nosy. Granted, maybe she sometimes was- he got irritated with her prying at times, he was a teenager and wanted his secrets, darn it- but for Mr. Agreste to say that, as though what he was doing wasn't a hundred times worse?

It was absolutely hypocritical.

"And here we are," Mr. Agreste announced, stopping in front of a tube... thing. He pressed a button, and the sides retracted to leave a glass case, with Emilie Agreste laying inside on a padded surface, deathly still.

It brought back memories in a rush, memories that Felix would have rather stayed deep inside. Memories of his father laying in a coffin- narrower than this one, to be sure, and wood instead of metal and glass- but with that same cream-colored silk padding and arranged in that same position, down to the flower bouquet held in his hands. Those waxy, too-pale cheeks, everything a little too neat and perfectly done up to truly look alive.

He wanted to be sick. Why couldn't Mr. Agreste have his wife on a bed, or at least in something far less coffin-like?

"She is alive," Mr. Agreste was saying, stepping closer to the foot of the- he was going to call it a chamber, Felix decided- and resting a hand there. "And the machines- they're to keep her stable. She was using the Peacock Miraculous even though it was broken. She was trying to be helpful, and this is where she ended up." He gazed up at his wife, clear longing on his face before he shook it off, his expression shuttering as he turned back to Felix. "Once I get the Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculous- well, I want to use the ultimate power to change history, so that she wouldn't end up here."

"Won't there be a price, though?" Felix asked. He and Adrien had talked about it while they were swapping outfits and hairstyles and buffing out the few differences in their facial features with makeup, and Adrien had assumed that any wish made with the two main Miraculous had to result in kickback somewhere. Frankly, Felix had to agree with his cousin's assumption. That made a lot of sense. "A consequence for changing things?"

Mr. Agreste shrugged. "Perhaps. But I'm not going to concern myself about that right now. My kwami, Nooroo, had been most unhelpful about giving me information about that!" His voice rose with every word and Felix cringed back automatically.

He wasn't ever going to be jealous of his cousin ever again. Maybe they had both lost a parent- and maybe there was a possibility that Adrien's mom wasn't completely lost- but at least Felix's remaining parent cared about him. She wouldn't raise her voice, and she wouldn't look at him like Mr. Agreste had looked at "Adrien", all closed off and uncaring.

If Felix hadn't already felt bad for his initial plan to screw up his cousin's reputation as payback for Adrien not coming to Felix's father's funeral before, he definitely would now. It couldn't have been more obvious that his cousin already had enough to deal with.

"Master, I'm not allowed to say more!" a high-pitched voice protested, and Felix startled as a small purple creature appeared over Mr. Agreste's shoulder. "And it's unpredictable, and-"

"That's enough." Mr. Agreste swatted away the small fairy, focusing back on Felix. "I will interrogate Ladybug and Chat Noir's kwamis once I get my hands on them, and I will find out the best way to go forward. You don't need to worry about that."

Felix would beg to disagree, but he thought that it was probably not the best time to knock heads with Mr. Agreste. So he decided to turn to a different topic.

"What was Mom trying to do with the Peacock?" Felix asked, glancing back up at his aunt. "Who was she trying to help?"

Mr. Agreste frowned deeply, letting out a loud sigh. "She was trying to come up with a magic solution to cure your uncle's illness, to help him and possibly you and your cousin as well." He glanced up at Emilie again. "She fell into a coma before the test results came back telling us that neither of the two of you had inherited the genes for his disease."

Felix blinked. He knew that he had gotten tested to see if he had the genetic disposition to get the same illness that had killed his dad, but why- why would Adrien? They were related on his mom's side, not his dad's. "Inherited his disease? How- how would h- I inherit Uncle's..."

Mr. Agreste spared him a short look. "There were fertility issues, I thought we told you this before, Adrien. I mean, perhaps we didn't mention that your uncle helped out, but I thought that would be obvious enough."

Wait. He and Adrien were genetically brothers?

Well, that would explain how they looked similar enough to pass for each other with a clothes change, a hairstyle switch, and a little bit of hasty contouring with some makeup to cover up the few differences. Felix had known that technically, if one just considered genetics, that the two of them would be half-brothers since their moms were identical twins, but this...

Well. Felix had wondered how he and Adrien had ended up looking so alike when their fathers looked absolutely nothing like each other.

"Ah," Felix managed instead, deciding not to make any comments about how really, it was probably for the better that Mr. Agreste hadn't been able to have kids. Unlike Felix's own father, Mr. Agreste was- well. Not exactly model material, to say the least. "That- yes, okay."

He would have to ask Adrien how much he knew about the whole fertility issues thing, because he had never been told. That- that seemed like the kind of thing that would be really important to mention, like, years ago.

Also, did Mr. Agreste ever share information with his son in a way that didn't involve dumping it in one abrupt, overwhelming go? That seemed like it might be somewhat damaging.

"I'll admit, we should have done an exam for potential health problems first and made sure that everything came back healthy, but your aunt and uncle offered and Emilie seemed quite fond of the idea, so we were a bit lax on our screening." Mr. Agreste's face pinched, clearly irritated. "Not that it would have been easily available at the time, anyway. Add in the fact that we were rather fond of the idea of knowing the donor, instead of having it be some faceless, homely nobody who might have a dozen kids already across the country, and- well, never mind that. Your screening came back clear, after all, and with Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous, we will fix the damage from the broken Peacock and get your mother back."

"I- right."

"But I think that's enough information for now. We don't want your aunt to come snooping because we're taking too long." With another press of a button, metal shutters closed over the glass chamber and Gabriel Agreste turned, leading the way back up the walkway. Felix glanced back once before hurrying after him, trying his best not to fall behind. "With your help, now, we'll be able to get the Miraculous in no time and have your mom back with us. Like I said, it will very likely involve you working with Ms. Rossi, and I expect you to be on your best behavior with her. If we can get Ms. Dupain-Cheng akumatized...she has avoided my butterflies on more than one occasion now. I suspect that she would make quite the powerful akuma. Her creativity could make her more than a match for Ladybug."

Felix only just hid his disgust at that, instead turning a distressed look on Mr. Agreste. "But- but Marinette is my friend!"

"Akumatization causes no long-term harm, Adrien, we have already been over this. And I thought it would be obvious enough already considering how many times some of your other friends have been akumatized. It's not as though her akumatization would be any different." Mr. Agreste sent him an exasperated look. "If it would distress you that much to upset Ms. Dupain-Cheng, then Ms. Rossi can take care of that bit. You would just need to stay out of the way and not rush after her to try to offer comfort."

Felix knew full well that Adrien would never agree to that, not after Marinette had pulled him in and offered comfort during his breakdown. Still, he had to agree- or at least pretend to. "I- I'll try."

Mr. Agreste's lips flattened. "No, Adrien, you will. There is no try. I am not asking for an impossibility here."

Felix swallowed a sigh. He wasn't surprised, really. "Yes... father."

"Good. And I plan to change the timeline, to keep your mother from ever falling into a coma in the first place, so Ms. Dupain-Cheng won't even remember her akumatization." They stepped onto the platform, and Mr. Agreste tapped the button that would take them back up. Felix tried his best not to scowl as they ascended into the dark tunnel again, trapped with no space to step back and away from the madman that was his uncle. "So you see, I am not the villain after all. Paris will not remember this, if all goes to plan, and we will have your mom again."

For a moment, Felix was almost tempted to forget the whole stop Hawkmoth thing. If Mr. Agreste changed the timeline- would he change it so that the Peacock wouldn't be broken, and Mrs. Agreste might actually be able to find a cure before his dad died? After all, it sounded like she had been trying to find a cure for all of them, not just in case Adrien had the same condition. But...

Well, all signs pointed to it not being a particularly good idea for him to trust Mr. Agreste's stories. He was clearly a madman, and it was incredibly likely that there would be consequences for such serious magical tampering. Maybe their immediate family wouldn't see those impacts- or maybe they would, and Felix would lose his mom instead- but either way, Felix knew deep inside that his dad wouldn't approve.

They went up and up, and Felix turned his attention to his secondary plan- stealing the Miraculous. Adrien had guessed that it was hidden under that hideous ascot- not that he had actually seen the pin, he was just assuming based on where he had seen Hawkmoth wear his Miraculous- and getting it unnoticed would be difficult unless he could figure out a plan. Maybe he could pretend to lose his balance and fall against Mr. Agreste, but how to make that look realistic...

Despite his earlier show of confidence, stealing the Miraculous was always going to be a long shot. Rings were easy, and bracelets. But pins, and particularly hidden ones?

Felix shifted, shuffling his feet as though uncomfortable- and that wasn't hard to act at all- and was about to 'trip' over his own feet when the elevator gave a sudden jolt. Felix's carefully-planned 'fall' turned into a real one, right against Mr. Agreste's chest.

And as luck had it, right against the bottom edge of Mr. Agreste's ascot. As the elevator gave another jolt- good god, please don't let it actually break now- Felix let his hand slide under the ascot (a clip-on, how utterly tasteless and embarrassing for a fashion designer) and felt the bottom of a pin at once- hopefully the Miraculous, and not just a normal pin. As Mr. Agreste's attention was on cursing out the elevator system and trying to keep them upright and not getting their clothes caught in the few bits of exposed machinery, the pin practically shifted itself into his hand and Felix unpinned the Miraculous, letting it slip out of his hand and up his sleeve, trying not to flinch as the pin suddenly changed shape.

Somehow, miraculously, it was mission complete. And his uncle seemed none the wiser.

With one more jolt, the elevator started moving normally again, just as though the near-breakdown hadn't happened. Felix frowned against the darkness, then narrowed his eyes when he caught a glimpse of something small and dark up above, something that vanished into the shadows before he had a chance to get a better look. There was another flicker of movement on the other side of the tunnel, but it too vanished before Felix could figure out what it was.

"Do- do we have rats?" Felix asked, still frowning into the darkness as they continued upwards. "I thought I just saw something."

"Perhaps. The cavern is not exactly completely insulated from the world, so while I shudder to consider it, it's not impossible. Did you see something?"

Felix shrugged, taking a step back- well, as much of a step as he could, without risking stepping too far back and into the walls they were moving past- and letting his hands fall by his sides again. The Miraculous slid back down his sleeve and into his hand, and Felix pocketed it at once. "I thought I saw something small moving along the side of the tunnel, but it's too dark to see."

Mr. Agreste just let out a noncommittal hmm.

After another few seconds, the floor above split and they ascended into the office. Nathalie glanced up as the elevator platform clicked into place on the floor, giving them a brief smile and nod before returning to her work. Felix stepped away from Mr. Agreste at once, giving himself a bit of breathing room.

"I don't think that I have to remind you not to tell anyone," Mr. Agreste instructed him sternly. "Don't make me regret trusting you. I know that you want your mother back as badly as I do, and this is what we need to do. The opinions of the city do not matter."

"Of course, Father," Felix lied at once, very aware of the weight of the Butterfly Miraculous against his leg. "Should I go check on Felix and Aunt Amèlie now?"

Mr. Agreste nodded, leading the way over to the door and unlocking it. "That would probably be for the best. If my memory serves me correctly, your cousin has rather sticky fingers. You wouldn't want too many things to go missing."

Felix very nearly felt offended, but then promptly remembered that his original plan for their visit to the Agrestes had included snitching his cousin's phone and just now, he had stolen his uncle's magic jewelry and was planning on trying to steal his ring for his mom if possible.

Maybe he did have somewhat sticky fingers, but only when he had a goal. It wasn't as though he was a common pickpocket.

"Of course, Father," Felix said again, stepping out of the room. "Will we see you at dinner?"

"No, I've wasted quite enough of the day already, so I'll be taking my meals in the office as usual," Mr. Agreste told him. He scowled. "No matter what opinions your aunt has on the matter."

Felix tried not to smirk. His mom would absolutely be vocal about that, and it would be hilarious to see the face-off. Mr. Agreste well deserved her ire, after all. "Right. I'll see you later, then."

He didn't get a response, and he hadn't expected one. After lingering another half-second, Felix trotted up to Adrien's room, hoping that his memory would serve him right and his cousin hadn't changed rooms or anything since he had last visited. Thankfully, the door handle he remembered gave, and Felix stepped into the room that he remembered, excessive even by rich people standards. His mom and Adrien were there, hovering anxiously by the door. They both let out a sigh of relief when they saw Felix, letting him into the room at once and locking the door behind him.

"How did it go?" Amèlie wanted to know at once, ushering him further into the room and handing over a makeup wipe and a comb so that Felix could start putting his appearance back to right. "Did you see Emilie? Did your uncle suspect anything?"

"Well as it could have, I suppose." Felix shrugged. He hadn't been ill despite the- well, despite the reminders of death and coffins that he really hadn't needed- and Mr. Agreste hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary. "I saw Aunt Emilie, yes, and I don't think he suspected anything, and, well..." Felix let a small smile slide onto his face, reaching into his pocket and pulling his hand back out, opening it where both his mom and Adrien could see. "I managed to grab this when the elevator malfunctioned on the way back up."

The twin gasps this time made Felix grin. Amèlie reached out as though to take it, then drew her hand back. "That- you're sure that's the Miraculous?"

"It sprouted wings after I grabbed it, so I assume so, yes." It had been so hard not to react when he felt the brush of wings sprouting out of the Miraculous, but Felix had managed it. He tapped it, a little curious, but- no. He couldn't want it. He wasn't going to be like his uncle. Felix refused. Besides, the Butterfly itself really couldn't do much beyond make tacky villains in an attempt to take Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous, and considering that his uncle had been trying and failing to do that for ages, the likelihood of Felix actually succeeding in a much shorter timeframe- after all, a non-zero number of people knew about his plan to get the Miraculous- was pretty much nil. "And, well. I managed to get this set up before coming into the house, and it's a good thing, too."

Felix pulled his phone out of his pocket, finally hitting the end button. The screen blinked up at him, announcing that he had been recording for just over forty minutes and his phone's storage was nearly full. It had been a last-minute idea, really, but he was glad that he had thought of it now. His uncle had said quite a few interesting things, and it would be important evidence soon enough.

Adrien grinned as soon as he recognized what Felix was holding. "That's great! More proof for Ladybug and Chat Noir."

"I'll make some copies of the file this evening," Felix told them. He turned his attention to Adrien. "Do you know of a Lila Rossi? Apparently she was freely working with Hawkmoth."

Adrien's jaw dropped, and then a slow grin spread onto his face. "No way! That's great- I mean, it's- well, she's a terrible person," he hastened to explain. "She likes lying to get her way, and it's frustrating to listen to, but if we fight her, then she might get akumatized and cause a lot of problems. I know Marinette has been butting heads with her a lot, and Ladybug loathes Lila, so for Lila to be ousted as willingly working with Hawkmoth..."

Felix smiled at that. "Yes, I gathered that she might not be the kindest character. Mr. Agreste was talking about having her deliberately upset people to get them akumatized, and apparently your friend Marinette was next on his hit list."

"He- what? No, he had better stay away from her, how dare they go after Marinette-"

"Oh, is she your girlfriend?" Amèlie asked in delight. "I did wonder, since you two seemed quite close, but I didn't want to pry, it didn't seem the time."

Adrien promptly turned pink, which seemed like a pretty clear answer to Felix, but he was also shaking his head. "No, I- we're friends! And she does so much for all of us, to help everyone out and keep people happy so that people don't get akumatized, and so for them to target her..."

...yeah, Felix's cousin was pretty obviously sweet on this girl. Before Felix could call Adrien out on that, though, there was a knock on the window and Ladybug waved at them from the other side. Felix stepped that way, ready to hand over the Butterfly Miraculous at once, but Adrien stepped in front of him.

"I want to make sure that it's actually Ladybug," Adrien murmured, just loud enough for Felix and his mom to hear but not Ladybug, who was still standing outside of the window. "The Peacock is still out, and we've seen some odd sentimonsters recently. You put yourself in danger to get this, and I don't want to lose the Miraculous right back to Nathalie again."

Felix nodded, letting Adrien take the lead. He wasn't sure how Adrien was planning on ensuring that this Ladybug was the real one, because Felix was pretty sure that his cousin wouldn't know anything more about Ladybug than any other person in Paris did. He could admit, though, that the timing seemed pretty strange, since how would Ladybug know to come now?

"Hi, Ladybug," Adrien said, pushing open the window and stepping aside to let Ladybug in before Mr. Agreste or Nathalie could spot her on the security cameras. "Um, how are you?"

"I'm- well, I've had an interesting day," Ladybug said, rubbing the back of her head. "Marinette waved me down when I was out for a run- I had heard horns and yelling, so I thought that there was maybe an akuma out and so I was searching- and told me about your father and that, well..."

Adrien nodded. "That he's Hawkmoth."

"And that you were maybe going to try to get the Miraculous, if possible." Ladybug glanced between them. "So I was mostly curious about what more you had learned, and if you maybe...?"

Adrien nodded, then paused. "Ah, one quick question, just to be safe- when Jackady was attacking the house, what did I do when I got to my room?"

Ladybug blinked, clearly puzzled by the question, but only for a moment before her expression cleared in understanding and her cheeks turned pink. "You, uh, went to go take a shower."

"And what did we talk about after I came out?" Adrien asked, just as pink as Ladybug was. She smiled at him, bright and happy.

"I saw the picture of your mom on your computer screens...and I said that you had your mom's smile."

"Okay," Adrien said, nodding and flashing her a wide grin. "Thanks, I just- I just had to make sure."

Ladybug nodded, smiling back. "That's fine. I understand wanting to be careful, and I appreciate that. It's really smart."

There was a pause.

"I got the Miraculous," Felix announced when it seemed as though neither Ladybug nor his cousin were about to speak. He produced it from his pocket. "I understand the Peacock is still at large, but I didn't want to push my luck with trying to find it."

"It's not worth it, not when we know who has it," Ladybug agreed. She took the Butterfly Miraculous, popping open her yo-yo as she did. After another good look at the pin, she tucked it into the yo-yo and snapped it shut. "That's incredible that you were able to get it. I would have thought that Mr. Agreste would have been too protective of the Miraculous to let anyone get close to his neck."

"I got a lucky opening and I have practice swiping things unnoticed," Felix told her, ignoring the fact that anyone would be able to figure out that there wouldn't be many positive applications of that particular skill. That was entirely beside the point. "I also got an audio recording of my entire experience with Mr. Agreste and our visit downstairs. I'll be making a copy of it tonight- mom, what hotel are we staying in?"

His mom frowned, thinking. "I don't recall- it's not the Grand Paris, I know that much, because the last time we visited and stayed there, it was a bit too expensive even for my tastes and I wasn't particularly impressed by the place. It reads as more of a bragging rights project than an actual high-end hotel, so I decided to go elsewhere." She frowned in thought for a moment more and then smoothed out her expression automatically- after all, she couldn't get frown lines, that wouldn't be nice- before digging out her phone and navigating to her email, showing Ladybug the confirmation email before tucking the phone back in her pocket.

"Here, I can give you a USB drive now," Ladybug said, popping one out of her yo-yo. Felix tried not to stare, because seriously, how many functions did that thing have? But maybe he shouldn't be surprised, because it was magic, of course it could do whatever Ladybug wanted. "And then I can pop by later?"

"Well after dinner," Amèlie told her. "We're staying here for our evening meal, and then leaving an hour or two later, as though we were taking the last train of the evening out of the city."

Ladybug nodded in understanding. "Okay, I think I know when that is. I'll give you some time to get settled in before I stop by. And I thank you for turning the Miraculous over. I know not everyone would. The idea of powers like that- well, it's too much for some people to resist."

...well, okay, now he was going to feel guilty if he didn't say anything. Also, everything that he had heard before about the Miraculous and the wish that the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous granted was just guess and conjecture, and he- he wanted to know. Surely as the holder of one of those Miraculous, Ladybug would know more.

"I..." Felix trailed off, glancing to the side. "I will admit, I considered it for maybe a couple minutes. The opportunity to have my father back...and with the price, well, what if we traded my dad for Adrien's father? It's not like having the world be down one supervillain would have been awful, especially because my dad was actually nice. He cared about others, not just himself, and he wouldn't have even considered doing what Mr. Agreste did." He glanced back at Ladybug. "But that's not how the wish would work, would it? That seems too neat and tidy, to be able to pick and choose the person to trade."

"It's definitely more unpredictable," Ladybug agreed. "Even Chat Noir and I's mentor- he's been studying the Miraculous for years, and he made a really dumb mistake that caused a lot of destruction. You would think that he would use the Cure and fix that, but even he doesn't want to mess around with the Wish. There's just no way to control what the price would be."

Felix nodded. "Okay. Thank you." There had been no opportunities missed, after all. That would keep him from staying awake at night, wondering and wishing and cursing himself for not at least trying.

With one last bright smile, Ladybug thanked them again and took off out the window, vanishing quickly. They all watched her go before falling into a somewhat uneasy silence as Adrien and Felix finished swapping back their appearances. Once they were finished, Felix's mom spoke up again.

"We'll have to be careful going forward," she told them. "Adrien, your father is bound to notice that his Miraculous is missing at some point today. I doubt that he would try to make a fuss with Felix and I here, but once we leave- well, I don't think that you should stay here tonight."

"I can lock my door and sneak out," Adrien offered. "I've done it before, and even if Nathalie and Father have the key to the door, I know how to block the doors so that they can't be opened. And, uh." He ducked his head, a small smile on his lips. "Marinette just texted me and said that I can stay over at her house, since they have a guest room."

"Oh, good. Perfect." Amèlie beamed at them. "So I think that unpleasant business has been as sorted out as much as possible, then, and we can move on to more pleasant topics and actually enjoy the rest of our visit here. So. Uh. Ideas?"

"Uh, maybe just one," Felix starting, figuring that- well, he was curious, and this was probably as good of a time for it as any. After all, the visit was already a bit awkward with his uncle's impending arrest for domestic terrorism via magic supervillains, so surely it couldn't get much worse. "Earlier, in the cellar, Uncle said something about him and Aunt Emilie having fertility problems and Dad helping out. Uh, can I just ask- what?"

  Gabriel Agreste let out a long breath once the Graham de Vanilys had finally, finally left, barely sparing Adrien a glance before heading back into his office and calling up a generous glass of scotch to sooth his nerves. His in-laws were as absolutely infuriating and interfering as he had remembered, barely deterred by the loss of Amèlie's husband, it seemed. Add in the fact that Amèlie still couldn't get her thick head around the concept that, family heirlooms or no, the twin rings belonged to him now, and the fact that Adrien's dash after learning about Gabriel's secret identity had caused no small amount of stress, and the fact that Amèlie hadn't accepted no for an answer and had forced Gabriel out of his office for dinner, just to make her stop pestering him and shut up- well, it really was no wonder that Gabriel had been nursing a small but persistent headache for most of the day.

But now they were gone- at least for now, he didn't doubt that they would be back in another couple of months to pester him some more, that family was nothing if not annoyingly persistent- and he could take some Advil with his scotch before settling in to plan out how he and Adrien could work together to take down the superheroes. With any luck, they could steal another Miraculous from one of the lesser, temporary superheroes and Adrien could use that to tip the scales. Gabriel wouldn't allow it for many battles- Adrien would only go out if conditions were solidly in their favor, because if he got his identity exposed that would be a disaster- but it could be the extra thing they needed, a strong akuma plus a sentimonster plus him and Mayura and Adrien.

"I could design the perfect akuma to make Ladybug and Chat Noir pull out one of the temporary heroes," Gabriel mused to himself once his drink was gone and his headache had receded, already rising to head for his elevator. He could plot better up in his lair, and he would also be ready if any negative emotions showed up in the city. There had been a surprising lack of them so far today, and he didn't understand why. "Which could very well mean re-akumatizing one of the people who got that reaction again. That could be difficult, unless I can direct Lila, perhaps." That wouldn't be hard, he was sure, considering that the girl seemed to jump on every opportunity to attack Ladybug. "But I might need to plan this one out some more. Nooroo, remind me what akumas brought out the B-team."

There was silence. Gabriel frowned, his fingers mid-reach towards the elevator buttons that would whisk him up to his lair. "Nooroo?"

Nothing. Dread started to pool in Gabriel's gut, and he scrambled to pull off his ascot, tossing it to the side to get a clear view of his neck.

His neck, which was- for the first time since he had put the brooch on- bare.

"No, no no no!" Gabriel snarled, sure that there had been a mistake. He dropped to his knees, snatching up his ascot and rifling through it in case the brooch had simply gotten snarled in the knot of fabric. His search yielded nothing. "Come on, come on, I couldn't have lost it!" The only new person who knew about him being Hawkmoth- who would have any idea about the hidden brooch- was Adrien, but he wouldn't dare steal his father's Miraculous. He wasn't anywhere near slick enough, after all- it was Felix that was the silver-tongued thief- and besides, he had clearly been very interested in his mother's return.

So where had it gone?

"Okay, breathe," Gabriel muttered to himself, determined not to let himself panic, even as he undid the pin-on ascot so that he could flatten it out. Panic led to dumb decisions, which could mean an end for him. "Adrien couldn't have taken it without tipping me off, he has no control over his emotions. He would have been nervous, and I would have been put on high alert. Maybe I just didn't fasten it right this morning and then it got knocked off."

Yes, that had to be it. Gabriel remembered that he had had to scold Nooroo in front of Adrien when they were in the underground cavern, so he had had the Miraculous then, at least. Which meant that it might have gotten knocked off down there. Where the walkway was not solid and there was rushing water down below.

That would not be good. Visions of the Miraculous getting whisked away by the rushing water danced through his head, and Gabriel's blood pressure spiked again before he remembered that Nathalie still had the Peacock Miraculous. They had to be careful with their usage of it, sure, but surely they could manage a transformation and a sentimonster that could sniff out the Butterfly Miraculous and return it. They might have to wait a week to make sure that Nathalie had fully recovered from her last transformation- or maybe it would be smarter for him to use the Peacock. The thought made Gabriel clench his hands, because the mere idea of subjecting himself to the peacock's weakness was-

Something was wrong. It hadn't been immediately obvious, but when he clenched his fists….

Gabriel's gut twisted as he looked down and then once again, he froze. This time, it had nothing to do with his missing Miraculous. Instead, Gabriel was staring at his bare hand. Specifically, his bare ring finger.

His ring. It was gone. Gone. Just like his Miraculous, vanished into thin air.

No!It-it couldn't be! He had been so careful to not let it out of his sight, and he certainly had never taken it off for more than a minute at a time to clean it. It wasn't as though he would take it off for any other reason- the smooth surface of the ring was hardly going to snag on any fabric, and he was hardly going to deign to do any sort of baking- which meant that it had been removed. Somehow. Without him noticing.

Two incredibly important pieces of jewelry gone without a trace in the span of a day. Gabriel scrambled for his phone, suddenly paranoid that maybe the Peacock had vanished from Nathalie's possession, too. If it had- well, then all was lost, wasn't it?

No. No, it had to be a coincidence. There hadn't been a single opportunity for Adrien to steal his Miraculous, but there certainly had been an opportunity for Felix to palm the ring when they shook hands. He should have been on the lookout for that, should have been on high alert the entire time that his sister-in-law and nephew were within his sight, should have put the ring in a safe until they were gone.

And by now, they were on a train back to London. Gabriel couldn't go after them, and even if he could, Amèlie wouldn't admit to her son taking the ring. They would hide it and play dumb and never let him see that they had it. No, it was well and truly lost to him now, and maddeningly so.

But that didn't mean that the Butterfly was. If he summoned Nathalie back to the house at once- she would be annoyed, certainly, since she had only just left, but as soon as she found out what was going on she would understand the urgency- then they could start the work of figuring out where the Butterfly had gone.

He wasn't going to let Emilie down.

(a/n: If ML is going to make Adrien and Felix inexplicably identical, I'm going to give them a completely bonkers justification for it. In this case, the chances of them looking so similar are a LOT higher if they share a father on top of having identical mothers.

This was meant to be the second and final part of the story, and it very well might be- I do like my open endings, after all- but it is possible that I might return to this story at some point and write a part 3 that ties up a few of the lose ends. It depends entirely on my inspiration and amount of other projects I have on the go, though, so no promises.)

[jdmslut-red]

Story: In the Dark

Chapter: 4 out of ?

Pairings: Negan x OC (Negan and Lilith)

Characters: Lilith, Negan, Ghost, Mike, etc.

RATED M

Violence, mentions of rape, torture, swearing, erotica.

Chapter IV

"What do you think?" Lily asked him. 

Negan squinted his eyes down the street, observing the destruction and debris surrounding the cars. They had finally made it to the suburban streets. It was almost dusk and they were both exhausted from the long journey on foot. 

"I don't like it. This shit looks worse than a goddamn morning after Black Friday. We should keep moving." He said. 

Lily frowned. "We're losing light. Plus one of these stores is bound to have something. We need bandages Negan. And you're not gonna make it another day on the road. Don't think I haven't noticed how much pain you're in! Besides, it's just for tonight." She argued. 

"I'm fucking fine doll. We can look for supplies but we're not staying the night here. I don't fucking like it." 

"I don't either but what choice do we have Negan? It'll be fine it's just for one night. You need to take it easy." 

"Fine. But if we're staying we stay under my goddamn terms! I go in first and..." Negan growled. Lily was already marching forward to the nearest store with Ghost fast on her heel. 

"Jesus fucking Christ woman!" He jogged to catch up to her. "What did I just fucking say!?" 

She stopped him. "You're injured old man." She snickered at him, a pitiful attempt to distract him and bring some light in the matter. 

"Old man!?" He huffed. "Who the fuck are you calling old princess?" 

"Don't call me that." She frowned. "Just stay here with Ghost. I'll check it out, see if it's clear." 

"Abso-fucking-lutely not!" He grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving. She glared at him, leaving no room for an open discussion. "At least take the wolf." Negan sighed. 

"I've done this so many times I can do it blindfolded." She ripped her arm from his grip. "I get that you're used to being in charge, but like I said we're loosing daylight! You got a damn cut on your side and those stitches are just waiting to burst open! For once in your life just shut up and listen! You don't have to like it but you'll stay out here. If I need you I'll call for help. And Ghost is staying with you. You can barely stand!" 

Negan frowned. She was right. He was exhausted and the cut on his side was kicking the ever living shit out of him. He was surprised her poor stitching job was still holding. He hated being this fucking useless. He hated letting her do all the work. 

"At least take Ghost." He sighed in defeat. "Please?" 

Lily opened her mouth to argue but quickly shut it. She felt the slight pull in her chest looking into his pleading eyes. Ghost looked from his owner to Negan, making a barely audible rumbling sound as if to tell them make up your their minds already. Lily let out a long and dragged exhale. "Fine." She agreed with him. "Just... just be careful ok?" She took the Glock pistol from the holster strapped to her thigh. She took out the magazine counting the bullets. 

Five. Fucking five bullets. That's all they had left. She frowned before clicking the magazine back in place and pushing the lever back to click the gun forward in place. "Take this." She handed Negan the Glock. He looked down at the gun, he was about to argue again but quickly decided against it.    

"We need to find more bullets. Another gun would be nice too. You can't just walk around with a damn golf club and a puny knife." 

Negan almost laughed at the circumstances. Of course he didn't have any decent weapons. It was hard to find even a decent knife these days, let alone a gun or bullets. He nodded at her, tucking the handgun at the waistband of his jeans. 

"Stay safe. Be back in a jiffy." She told him before turning around and walking inside the store. "Ghost..." She quietly called her four legged companion to follow her. 

She rounded the entrance of the store, looking around for any movements. Ghost stood beside her, eyeing their surroundings. "I know it's been a while boy. But remember, just like we practiced. Move with me." She explained quietly to the wolf as if he understood her. She sighed before banging on the wall. 

She waited for any sounds or movements and when nothing submerged, she strolled forward. Her steps were calculated and quiet as she stepped around the store, looking for anything they could use. She stopped before a shelf, quietly rummaging through the items. Books, pens, smashed plastic cups and a lighter, nothing useful. Lily tested the lighter, when a small flame emerged she quickly pocked the lighter, they could always find lighter fuel somewhere. 

Before she could crouch down to search the shelves bellow she heard Ghost growling. She quickly stood up, gripping the handle of her sword strapped to her back with her left hand. "Ghost?" She she quietly called him. Nothing.

Shit! Lily quickly made her way to the back of the store. "Ghost?" She whispered, cautiously moving forward. The back of the store was completely pitch black. Lily was skillful enough to rely on her other senses but being in the dark with danger lurking around every corner always made her feel uneasy. She slowed down her steps when she heard the growling get louder. Slowly, she creeped and peered around the corner. Lily saw that her wolf had already taken out two walkers and was currently fighting off three more. 

She was quick on her feet, unsheathing her Japanese sword and decapitating the first walker before lunging her sword through the head of the second one. She kicked the third walker that was quickly approaching her. The walking corpse stumbled and fell backwards, allowing Ghost to finish the job. The wolf crushed the decaying skull with his powerful jaw, using his paw for leverage to pin the walker down. 

Lily looked around for any more walking dead, when the room was clear she breathed a breath of relief before walking to her four legged friend. "Are you ok boy?" She rubbed the wolf's torso, searching for any bites or wounds. "What did I tell you huh? I told you to stay close." She staggered in between breaths, the adrenaline still pumping through her. Lily's hand made it to Ghost's chest and neck and noticed his fur was wet and sticky there. 

Just dead one's blood. She told herself. Please let it be walker's blood. Her hands trembled, gripping Ghost's fur tightly. The wolf nudged her face with his nose before making a whining sound. Before she could worry about her pet any further, a loud crash was heard on the other side of the room followed by low growling and gargling sounds. 

"Fuck!" She gasped. Where the hell were they coming from?

Ghost quickly turned around, growling at the sounds in the darkness and ready to pounce. Before he could lunge forward however, Lily grabbed him. 

"No go get Negan!"

The wolf struggled against her grasp, fighting his way to lunge forward. More loud crashes were heard followed by gnarling sounds. 

"Ghost go!" She shoved the wolf hard with her leg, blocking him with her body. The wolf whimpered and hesitantly retreated. Before Lily could follow him she felt something grabbing her ankle, making her stumble and almost fall. She stumped on the thing that grabbed her a few times with her foot, crushing its skull. 

The other walkers were quickly approaching her in the dark, she didn't know how many there were but she knew she was surrounded. Lily rampaged, slicing, stabbing and kicking the things around her. Her sword sliced through them like butter. It wasn't difficult to pinpoint the decaying corpses trying to desperately make her their meal. She was fast to dodge out of the way every time one would grab at her clothing. 

After what seemed like forever, Lily stood still, struggling to catch her breath.  She held  her sword down at an angle, ready to slice upwards should anything come near her. She waited a few moments and listened for any more sounds. It seemed like an eternity. Finally, when she was sure nothing else was in the room with her, she sheathed her katana. Lily staggered and tripped over the dead bodies around her, making her way to the door. 

After struggling to walk through the pile of corpses, Lily finally made it out of the storage room and back to the store. She made it halfway through towards the exit when something grabbed her from behind. Lily yelped while gravity brought her down, sending her crashing backwards on the floor like a sack of potatoes. She grunted at the wave of pain that followed. The soaring pain at the back of her head and back was quickly forgotten as a large walker fell on top of her. The living dead corpse crawled its way up her body, snapping its teeth and growling at her. She raised her hand under the dead one's chin, keeping its mouth away from her while she struggle to get the knife strapped to her belt. 

The goddamn knife was stuck. She tried to wiggle her hips to untangle her knife from its sheath attached to her belt but it was to no avail. The walker was desperately thrashing on top of her, eager for its meal. She tried to push it off of her but it was no use, this was a fresh corpse. Some fat guy that died probably only a few days ago. 

There was a crunching sound behind the walker. The corpse immediately ceased its movements, collapsing on top of her. Before Lily could question what happened, the walker was quickly shoved away from her. 

"Jesus fuck!" Negan growled, bending down to help her up on her feet. "I told you! I fucking told let me go in but nooo! Fuck! Are you bit did it fucking get you!?" Negan frantically palmed his way up and down her body. 

"I don't think so. I'm ok." She gasped. 

Negan growled, gripping her arm tightly and dragging her outside. In the light, he searched her body for any bite marks or scratches. 

"Thank fuck..." He breathed, dropping his head to the ground in relief while he still firmly gripped both of her arms. "You're lucky Ghost came to get me! The fucking wolf is smarter than you it seems. Fuck!" 

"Where is he?" Lily looked over his shoulder, frantically looking around for the animal. "Negan what happened? Where..." Before she could finish her sentence she a heard a bark from the other side of the street, Ghost came running to them.

She stepped away from Negan to crouch down with opened arms. Ghost leaped to her, bringing her down with his weight. She laughed as he franticly licked her face. "Im ok." She giggled. "Good boy. I'm ok." She said between giggles. 

Negan's mouth twitched to a slight smile seeing the cute display before him. He was angry however. Angry at her and himself. He should have never let her go in the store alone... he should have never went across the street. Fuck!

Once Ghost calmed down and let Lily sit up, she searched his body for any wounds. Sighing loudly when she didn't find any. It was just walker's blood she felt before. She felt the overwhelming feeling to cry. Ghost was ok, Negan was ok. They were all ok.

[alternitavely]

Werewolf idea? Chap 1

Shout-out to @kitkat-the-snacc for helping me out so much with this, they're amazing, so check them out!!

_______________

Of course it had to be the one thing he knew so little of how to control that malfunctions.

Edward Richtofen, alongside Nikolai Belinski, Takeo Masaki, and 'Tank' Dempsey had all wound up in somewhere deep in a dark forest, cold and fogged over.

The men look around confused, but none moreso than Richtofen himself who had intended that they arrive elsewhere, nowhere near a forest of this kind. He turns to face the other men, perturbed and a bit nervous.

"Gentlemen! It seems as though we have been transported to an area in which I had not intended, and I am afraid I do not know why."

Nikolai snapped his attention to the German.

"What do you mean, "don't know why"? Is it not you who holds the knowledge of Universe in your Kronorium?" He asked angrily, "Can you not just open another portal?"

"Yeah," Dempsey agreed, "what's the hold up Doc'?"

Edward huffs, irritably. "It is much more complicated than just opening and closing a door. These portals are openings through time and space. Hardly something to fiddle with when it doesn't work properly."

Takeo stepped forward as he surveyed the wooded area. "I fear if we stay to argue here, the light will leave us for the darkness soon." He said, watching the sun lower all to quickly." We need to find shelter from the dangers of the Forest."

Nikolai nodded." Yes, I agree with Takeo. Let us discuss later your incompetence, Richtofen."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes, but did not retaliate. They walked for a time, and eventually found an empty cave.

"Convenient.." Dempsey grumbles, looking for any signs of a wild animal, and finding nothing relevant to their safety.

Edward knew he would only worsen his already dwindling impression on the others, and decided to find food for the others in the forest.

"Are you sure you will be alright on your own, Doctor?" Takeo asked him, taking note of the quicky darkening terrain.

"I assure you that I will be fine Takeo. I will return when I have found something."

Nikolai grunted. "Take your time."

Edward huffed, and made his way into the forest. He walked into the forest for what felt like hours, until he found a lone stag. It was larger than any he had ever seen, and completely oblivious to the rifle he held pointed at his heart. Richtofen fires, and kills it with his rifle, but as he walks back, dragging the large animal slowly, he hears a growl.

A deep, low, threatening sound that makes his hair stand on end, and his body shake to its core. A wolf, larger and more monstrous that he had ever seen, comes out of it's spot in the darkness, hungry for a meal. Richtofen, thinking quickly, tries to back away slowly, posing no challenge to the beast. However, this was no ordinary canine, and it's intentions we're not on eating the fallen fauna, but the scarred man faking confidence before him.

Before Richtofen could do anything to defend himself, the Monster took him to the ground, and bit viciously into his shoulder, its front fangs reaching down to puncture the barely healed wound under his ribs.

He tried to call out, but was muffled by the beastly paw pushing down on his face. He flailed his arm attempting to locate his blade, clawing at the opposing force on his face, finally grabbing it it and frantically slashing at the animals side making it cry out in pain, and flee. Richtofen took a moment to steady himself, groaning loudly as he sad up to bandage his newfound wounds. After a while he managed to stand, and grab hold of the fallen Stags antlers once more, and continued to follow the smoke showing over the trees.

_______

Takeo was the first to notice that Richtofen was very obviously injured, but his question on the matter was drowned out by the other two men's outbursts of astonishment over that large animal he had brought back.

"How did weak man like you manage to move such a large animal, Richtofen?" Nikolai jested,

"Yeah, didn't know you could see past that huge ego far enough to shoot anything smaller than a naval ship!"

Dempsey joked.

Richtofen didn't have the strength to respond. He simply dropped the the deer's head to the ground, tossed his knife to the ground near Nikolai, and stumbled into the shelter, grimmacing

He sat for a while, trying to steady his breathing. His wound hurt incredibly so, he was exhausted, but he promised to be lookout. He was so focused on breathing, on ignoring the pain and staying awake, tht he didn't notice the others calling for him as he faced the wall of the cave.

Takeo decided to confront him directly, rather than have Richtofen just push off the issue like he very often did.

He approached the Doctor, setting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Richtofen?" He called, quietly. "Are you alright, Doctor?"

The German slowly came to, realizing that is the man had asked him something.

He blinked, taking a slow, shaky breath.

" I am sorry, Takeo. I am afraid I didn't hear you."

The warrior looked worried, but repeated himself nonetheless.

"I asked if you were alright, Doctor. You are injured, and look unwell. Are you sure you don't with to rest tonight instead of taking watch?"

The German winced, finally processing the weight on his injured shoulder. He gently removed the other man's hand and put up a false show of wellness.

"Surely you've been worse for wear? I was just hit by the Stäg before I managed to kill it, nothing the Doctor cannot handle!" He stood, stretching, but instantly regretting it. " I appreciate your concern Takeo, but I assure you, I am perfectly fine." His speech was strained, and he was obviously in pain, but he knew he wouldn't be able to make the doctor change his mind without force, so he let him be.

Takeo returned to the others, who had cut up the stag and were now cooking sizeable chunks of it. The skin was hung on a nearby tree, and the antlers were severed and set by the mouth of the cave.

Dempsey had hung strips of the animal over the billowing fire with a rather impressive contraption made of sturdy thin logs.

"So, the fuck is wrong with him?" Dempsey grunted,

He had been peeved that the German had fucked up whatever their mission was supposed to be, but he had calmed down when he realized that there weren't any maggot bags to be seen. Yet.

He had been worried, however, when said German came back looking worse than he'd ever seen him. He looked ready to collapse at the sound of the bell.

"He is badly injured, but he insists he is fine." Takeo replied, looking worried himself. "He is still determined to take watch tonight, though I suspect he won't be able to stay alert enough to preform the task successfully. One of us should stay out with him."

Nikolai huffed. "Let him sit out alone, why should we Care tht he doesn't want to care for himself? He certainly hasn't shown his care for us. And he obviously doesn't know what he's doing, leading us to a place mistakingly, and not telling us of his supposed "plan?"" The Russian vented.

He continued on, clearly unforgiving to their German associate.

The other men looked at him, then to each other. Nikolai would obviously not be staying out with Richtofen tonight.

"I can stay with him, Tak'. You and Nik' just rest for tonight, ok?" Dempsey offered, quietly as not to let their Russian comrade hear.

"If you are sure, Dempsey. Thank you, my Friend." Takeo accepted, greatful for the chance to rest and think over what had been happening for the past few months.

Soon enough, two men went into the shelter to rest while Richtofen exited, avoiding the Russian man's gaze. He knew that he had only worsened his relationship with the larger man, and didn't wish to start an argument over the residing issue. He didn't have the strength.

Dempsey left to stay with the German after a bit, seeing him sitting on a log near the pit they had dug, holding the antlers if the Stag he killed.

"Is that what got you hurt?" The Marine questioned the Doctor, dropping onto the adjacent log.

"What?"

"The antler's, from the deer." He repeated,"Did it hit you? I'd that why you look like you were just run over by a trash compactor?"

The doctor looked back at the antlers. "Ah." He said, sounding distracted. "yes, I'm afraid I became... Distracted."

The Marine laughed. "Must have been something out of a nightmare to have distracted you from I giant deer charging at you, HaHa!"

The German chuckled, a dry and humorless sound.

"How right you are, Dempsey.." He said under his breath.

Tank had failed to hear what his teammate had said, but his did notice the lack of resort from the usually quick-to-resort German.

"You sure you don't need to lay down, Doc? God knows you could use some beauty sleep." Demsey said to him, worry evident in his voice.

The Doctor looked to him, a small smile playing on his tired face.

"Ha-Ha Dempsey, very funny."

The German laughed quietly.

"I fear sleeping anywhere near Nikolai may end in my throat being slit. I wish I could explain to you what I must put you all through this, but I cannot." He said, voice heavy with exhaust.

"Well what's stopping you?" The Marine prodded, hopping to gain a bit .ore information, but also wanting to learn more about the other man.

Richtofen faltered, and slowly rocked in his place, trying to find an explanation.

"I cannot.. explain it.. there are things you would misunderstand, and some you wouldn't understand at all. This is not me saying you arent intelligent, just uninformed."

The American took a second to think about what the Doctor told him, and decided to not press any further.

"Are you alright? You're breathing a little hard there." He tried, seeing as the other's rocking hadn't ceased.

"I am fine." The doctor said, shaky and quiet. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a large, comforting and warm had gripped gently on his upper arm.

"You're hiding something Doc, you aren't alright. What really happened when you went out earlier?"

Richtofen looked at the other, desperate for comfort, wanting to break and tell the other everything, what had happened, the strange twist in his gut when he looked at the moon.

But he resisted, shutting his eyes tight and taking a deep breath, calming himself. "I am sorry, Dempsey, but I will not push my own issues upon you when. You have your own to deal with. Thank you, for talking with me, but u think I'd like to rest now."

The Devil dog seemed disappointed in his response, but said nothing in protest.

"Why don't you sleep here? You said you don't feel safe with Nik', and I'll be finishing watch tonight, so I can make sure you're safe."

The German deemed flattered. "You wouldn't mind too terribly, would you?"

Dempsey grunted, "I'm the one offering, Doc."

Edward chuckled, and nodded. He layed down before the log, far enough from the now dying fire to be comfortable, and tried his best to ignore his worry over the shifting of muscle around his newest injury, and sleep.

[thenovelartist]

The Love Dare, chapter 12

~ AO3 ~ Fanfiction ~ Support me on Ko-Fi ~

<<<First   <<Prev   Next>>

Day 25

“Day 25,” Tikki said to Adrien and Marinette as they sat on the couch that morning. This, they decided, was going to be their new routine. They each had their coffee and their notebooks, and they eagerly awaited Tikki and Plagg’s teaching. “Love forgives.”

“We know you two had a crying fest yesterday,” Plagg said. “But today, I think both of you need to be clear on what you’re sorry for.”

“And to do that,” Tikki continued. “I think we need to go to the root source.”

Marinette frowned. “And what’s that?”

Tikki and Plagg gave each other a look that caused Marinette to worry. Plagg zipped off somewhere in the house while TIkki gave them a look of sympathy. “We should go back to the day this all fell apart.”

Adrien’s brow furrowed.

“The day you two defeated Hawkmoth.”

Plagg returned with a box of tissues that he placed between the two of them.

The kwamis began by recounting that day and the plan between them to invade Hawkmoth’s lair and take him down. The superhero duo was reminded of how they swore their love for each other before the fight in case something went wrong.

Which it did.

Adrien was the first to grab a tissue when the kwamis covered Ladybug’s downfall. She had been the first to fall, Hawkmoth having grabbed her yo-yo and used it against her to pull her in and take a swing at her with his hidden sword. This sparked a round of apologies from Adrien about how he regretted he couldn’t protect her and how he didn’t know what he would have done if he lost her.

“You’re the best thing to have ever happened to me,” he choked out. “And I couldn’t get to you. He… my father… he was going to kill you, and I couldn’t get to you.”

Of course, this led to Marinette’s tears. She grabbed a tissue in one hand to blow her nose, then grabbed his hands and held tight.

That day, the other supers had appeared out of nowhere. Carapace had come in to protect Ladybug from the blow Hawkmoth was ready to give while Rena assisted in freeing Chat from the trap Hawkmoth had set up.

After that, Chat charged Hawkmoth, starting a sword fight between the two of them. Chat had been loathe to admit Hawkmoth was a good swordsman, which shouldn’t have been surprising once the man had been revealed. Chat had won the fight, Hawkmoth falling to the ground. Ladybug had marched up to him, demanding his miraculous. She had reached for his brooch, but Hawkmoth had grabbed a hidden blade. Chat had caught sight of it before Ladybug did, and he’d ran to protect her. Queen Bee had been the second to notice, summoning her power ready to sting, but Hawkmoth was too quick. Chat had shoved Ladybug out of the way just as the knife landed in his side.

Within moments, Chat had been choking out blood.

Seeing his moment, Hawkmoth had grabbed the ring off Chat, revealing Adrien.

And things had gone downhill from there.

Once Hawkmoth saw Adrien, his immediate reaction had been to drop the ring in shock. Queen Bee had gotten him this time, freezing him. The brooch had been ripped, off revealing Gabriel Agreste.

Ladybug had to be reminded to use the Miraculous Ladybug power in order to fix everything. Tears had been pouring down her face as she clutched Adrien tightly. The moment the ladybugs washed over him, his gradually shallowing breathing had been restored to normal and the blood strain that had soaked his side vanished. Ladybug had even lifted up his shirt and stared at his side in order to prove to herself her kitty wasn’t going to die.

She did it for days afterwards, too.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see the blade,” Marinette sobbed, grabbing another tissue and blowing her nose. “I’m sorry. I’m a terrible partner.”

“No,” Adrien assured reaching cross the tissue box to grab her cheeks, wiping away the tears with his thumbs. “No, I should have held him down.”

“No. It was my fault—”

“No, it was mine.”

And their argument eventually dissolved into two people clinging to each other like life-lines as they sobbed in their bed of used tissues.

“Tikki,” Plagg whispered as he looked over the duo. “I say that’s enough for the day.”

Tikki looked at them in pity. “I think you’re right,” she agreed. “Their problems are way too vast to be solved in a day.”

“Maybe by this time next year, they’ll have dumped all their baggage,” Plagg said.

“You really think it will take that long?”

The kwamis looked over the duo again, who had calmed from ugly snot-bubble crying to clingy sobs. “Nah,” Plagg answered. “I was wrong. Two years. Minimum.”

…

Day 28

Adrien held tightly to his journal in his office. He took it with him everywhere as a reminder to think about the morning’s issued love dare throughout the day. He hadn’t been doing it as long as Marinette, but he did swear to do the dares to the best of his ability for her. He was determined to uphold that promise.

“Love makes sacrifices,” he mumbled, looking over the dare and thinking just what he could do today to meet that goal.

Or, to use Kagami’s terms, what he could do to strike that target.

A knock came at his door.

“Yes?”

Kagami entered. “Hey, you made it today.”

“Yeah, barely,” Adrien said.

“Back still hurts?”

Adrien nodded. “Surprisingly.”

“You must have tweaked it really bad.”

“Must have,” Adrien agreed. “As long as it goes away, that’s all I care about.”

Kagami nodded. “It will, soon enough.”

There was a pause.

“Was there anything else you wanted, Kagami?”

Kagami paused, glancing down at his hands. “I—"

There was another knock on the door. Thinking it must be a student, Adrien called them in.

Only for Marinette to appear in the doorway.

Adrien’s heart leapt at the smile she shot him. However, when her eyes locked on Kagami, he suddenly wondered just how dangerous it was having two very powerful, very assertive women in the same room.

Particularly when they had already faced off.

“Sweetheart,” Adrien greeted, hoping to disperse the tension between them. “What a pleasant surprise.”

Marinette’s shoulders immediately relaxed as she looked over at him. “I brought you lunch,” Marinette said, holding up a bag with a grin while walking over to him.

“You didn’t have to. I packed a lunch.”

“I also brought IcyHot patches and the heating pad for you. Your coach told you to take care of that back injury.”

He grinned down at her, a warm and fuzzy feeling filling him, but suddenly remembered there was someone else in the room. “Forgive me, Kagami,” he began. “But have you met my wife, Marinette?” He slipped an arm around her waist, hand resting on her hip. Mostly, it was to hold her there because he’d seen his lady in action. He may not have seen the face-off between these two women, but knowing these women as he did, he knew it could not have been pretty.

Kagami frowned. “I can’t say I have. I was unaware you were married.”

Marinette shifted in his hold, meaning he tightened his grip on her. Even Adrien felt his smile strain at her words. He knew by Marinette’s journal that Kagami thought he was only dating, but that was his fault for not wearing his ring. To think that that might have affected what advice she’d given him. Worse yet, to think he was close to following it…

He shoved that thought out of his mind.

“However,” Kagami continued, “seeing as it was rather kind of her to bring you lunch, I will be taking my leave now.”

“Thank you,” Marinette purred. “Sorry to interrupt.”

Kagami’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly at Marinette. And in return, Marinette shot Kagami an exaggerated grin. Adrien knew her well enough to know that was a vicious smile. A dangerous one. One she shot akumas that said “try me. I dare you.”

He loved this woman.

“Wait, Kagami,” Adrien called out right before she was going to walk out the door. “What did you want to say to me earlier?”

Kagami looked back at him, her smile clearly forced. “Nothing we can’t talk about later. I just wanted to go over some of the class information.”

Adrien knew she was lying, but let it slide. For now. “All right. We can discuss that after the school day.”

Kagami nodded, then slipped out the door.

The door closed slowly, but the moment it shut, Adrien dished out a firm smack to Marinette’s rear.

She squeaked in protest, talking a step away from him to protect her backside. “What was that for?”

“Play nice.”

“She was throwing herself at you and lying to your face, and you want me to play nice?”

“I will confront her later when you aren’t in the same room together—”

“And why not?”

“Because I don’t want to know how the confrontation between the two of you happened, but I need to confront her on those issues alone because who knows how you two will react in the same room.”

Marinette rolled her eyes, but bit back her retort.

“And secondly, she wasn’t throwing herself at me.”

Marinette’s brow immediately rose and she crossed her arms. He knew right then he was in trouble.

“That’s just Kagami being Kagami,” Adrien defended. “She’s really assertive. She wasn’t throwing herself at me.”

Before Marinette could say a word, Plagg made an appearance, cackling like a mad-man. “Can you believe this idiot, Tikki?”

Adrien’s expression faded as he took a seat in his office chair. “No. No way.”

Marinette’s brow somehow rose higher. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Plagg continued rolling around in the air, laughing all the while.

“No,” Adrien argued, feeling more and more like an idiot for missing something. “No, she’s a co-worker. Maybe a friend, but that’s it. Kagami doesn’t see me like…”

He didn’t complete that sentence. Plagg was laughing so hard it was only a matter of time before he attracted outside attention. Marinette, on the other hand, rubbed her temples with a grimace on her face.

Eventually, Marinette dropped her hands and stared straight at him, “Adrien,” she said, coming up to him and bending down to get to face level with him. “You are an idiot.”

He blinked a few times. “So… you mean she did see me as more than just a friend?”

Marinette hung her head a second before facing him with a newly exasperated look. “Little more than that,” she said, tone dripping in sarcasm.

“Oh,” Adrien said, trying to recall all her actions to see if they were flirty or forward whatsoever, and he guessed that they were. “I guess I missed that.”

Marinette sighed, her grin turning exasperated as she regarded him. “Good gracious, you are an idiot. No wonder you were the only one not to know of my crush on you in school.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I thought we were just good friends,” he whimpered.

She shot him a grin before shuffling forward and sitting down in his lap. He was already fried at that point because her pretty bum was on his legs, but then she took his cheeks in her hands and he nearly forgot what breathing was or why it was important. “All I care about,” Marinette said, her tone sweet and gentle, “is that you’re my idiot and only my idiot.”

“Forever and always,” he quickly vowed before he realized what she said.

Her grin was wide and her eyes glittered and her hands wove into his hair to pet it. His eyes closed on their own accord. “Good husband.”

[cigarettesnsex]

cigar no. 13

"i can't give you the world but i can give you comfort."

|

after jimin's confessional with jin and namjoon he felt better. he didn't feel great but it was better than the feelings that had clung to him earlier. though that did nothing to solve his problem. sure, jin had made him promise to report chul but could he?

could he gather up enough courage to even venture into darkest corners of his mind? it was hard to say really.

"are you going to stay the night Jiminie?"

jimin looked up from his place on the couch jin looking at him from the kitchen.

"oh, um not this time. i don't want my roommate to worry so i'll be leaving."

jin looked at jimin both eyebrows on his face raised high.

"when did you get a roommate Jimin?"

jimin froze for a moment thinking of how if he said anything now he'd never be able to leave the dorm. jin might've been a great comfort but he was also very nosy. meaning he could make you spill any kind of information with just a look. and right now jimin did not want to discuss his current predicament with taehyung.

"i'll see you later hyung."

there was a knock at the door causing both males to jump. namjoon had already left for his afternoon classes so it couldn't be him at the door. well, it shouldn't be him.

"get the door for me please Jiminie.", said jin with a smile.

he did not plan to let jimin leave until his questions had been answered. so, with a huff jimin got up from the couch and made his way to the door. though what he what he was met with was not what he had expected.

"Taehyung?"

"ah, Jimin!"

the shorter male was completely thrown off as taehyung engulfed him in a warm hug his face full of concern.

it was an unpleasant pull on jimin's heart strings and a nasty kick to the heart. though that didn't stop him from returning the hug.

"how did you know i was here?"

"Yoongi told me."

jimin pouted.

He tells him everything nowadays.

"Jimin? who's at the door?"

jimin flinches and takes all of two seconds before he's slipping his coat on and pulling on his shoes. just as jin is about to round the corner taehyung picks jimin up, throws him over his shoulder (with great struggle), and slams the door.

he's already out of the apartment building by the time jin even reaches the door.

"Taehyung!"

jimin can't help the blush that spreads across his cheeks as taehyung grips the back of his thighs while holding onto his waist.

"sorry i just wasn't in the mood to deal with my...cousin."

Cousin?

"cousin?"

taehyung nods while slowly setting jimin back down though he doesn't remove his hands from the smallers waist.

"yeah, um seokjin is my cousin. the last time we talked didn't end too well. besides, you seemed to be in a rush too."

Good  thing I never answered Hyung's question then.

"y-yeah he was beginning to ask too many questions."

taehyung could only chuckle in response. and jimin didn't understand why but it made him smile a bit admiring taehyung's side profile as they walked.

He hasn't got a cigarettein his mouth today.

and for some reason that made jimin feel all the better. he doesn't bother asking taehyung about his relation to jin that just seems a bit too personal.

not to mention that it wasn't really his place either so he asked something a bit more mundane.

"what does it mean to live Taehyung?"

Wow, way yo go Jimin real mundane.

though it appears that taehyung isn't bothered by the question not in the slightest.

"to live is to do more than just breathe ever day. sure, it requires a lot of strength to do so and sometimes it hurts but i think it's worth it. besides, getting to meet people like you is worth living for in my opinion."

jimin's at awe really. he half expected taehyung to give a something less thought out but it was clear this was a question he'd asked himself before.

"you're something worth living for too Tae."

taehyung smiled.

"i like it when you call me that."

"and i like when you call me babe."

|

when the two arrive home they're both smiling and laughing the both of them in higher spirits after their walk. jimin watches as taehyung slips his shoes off hanging his coat by the door. he's expecting taehyung to go out on the balcony like he always does but instead heads to the kitchen.

"i hope you don't mind but i picked up some groceries the other day. i was thinking i could cook for y-you? i mean us!"

taehyung rubbed the back of his neck his cheeks tinted pink.

His cute.

jimin chuckles before making his way into the kitchen grabbing two aprons from a drawer.

"i'll let you cook but only if you let me help."

taehyung grinned and it was like those little subtle smiles he'd normally give or the corners of his mouth lifting up. no, his pretty lips had took on a boxy shape along with his whole face lighting up.

it was the first jimin had seen him like this. seen him happy. it had a warm feeling blossoming in his chest to the point it almost began to hurt. though jimin couldn't deny he wanted more. that thought alone scared him.

"deal."

jimin and taehyung got to work. jimin was in charge of the rice and cutting up vegetables while taehyung worked on the main dishes. it wasn't anything extravagant nor elaborate but it was good. the two felt good as they talked about random things moving from one place to another.

the air around them was domestic a feeling that wasn't unwelcome but it had dangerous thoughts lurking in the back of their minds.

and by the time they'd finished eating the atmosphere had changed. when? it was hard to say however it wasn't hard to address.

"were you serious about me calling you babe?"

jimin nearly choked on his glass of water as he met taehyung's eyes hesitantly.

"and what if i do Tae?"

taehyung shrugged doing his best not to smile.

"that's up to you babe. "

this time it was jimin's turn to grin as he stood from the dining room table taking his plate to the sink. taehyung was already on his heels by the time he stepped into his bedroom.

somewhere between time and space there had been a shift between the two males. a movement that would stay undetected though for how long was a mystery unto fate itself.

"Tae, touch me please."

taehyung's hands were already on jimin's waist pushing him back towards his bed. taehyung laid him down carefully admiring the beauty that was before him.

like always his hands were slow to undress jimin loving the way he shivered beneath his fingers or arched into his touch. and when he lay bare before him taehyung had to take a deep breath because jimin never failed to amaze him.

"Tae."

"shh I got you babe relax."

and jimin did his best to become pliant as taehyung's lips touch him all over. taehyung's fingers pinching his nipples as he left open-mouthed kisses down his abdomen.

jimin was an absolute mess panting loudly lips red from his harsh biting. that didn't stop taehyung though as he took jimin in his mouth working him slowly.

"T-Taehyung..."

"hmm?"

"watch me please. watch me work myself open for you."

for a moment taehyung thought he'd heard wrong and that his mind was playing tricks on him but jimin was already grabbing the lube and pushing his head from between his thighs.

his breath hitched as jimin slowly pushed the first finger in the second following shortly after. jimin had his head thrown back eyes closed as he rocked down on what was now three fingers.

"Jimin, look at me babe."

the hoarseness of taehyung's voice had jimin's eyes fluttering open his pupils blown wide and heat simmering beneath his skin.

his whines resonated in the room all the sounds going straight to taehyung's dick. and for a moment the taller thought the other would keep going like this until he came but much to his surprise jimin stopped gaze heavyas he looked at him.

"Tae, please fuck me."

"anything for you jimin."

Anything for you.

[soulstealer1987]

Arc 4, Chapter 5

Ziist Grozein

Gallus finishes up Goldenglow, and gets to know the Guild better. Don't worry, he'll get at least a little more bonding with his guildmates before everything goes to Oblivion~!

Crossposted from AO3. Masterpost is here.

Arc 4: Of Luck and Lies

Arc 4, Chapter 4 ~ Arc 4, Chapter 6

Once Gallus made it to the basement, finding the safe was the easy part. Getting to it was significantly harder, even more so than sneaking through the ground floor of the Goldenglow complex. Picking the lock was much worse, and it got to the point where Gallus was worried he’d run out of lockpicks before it finally clicked on his second-to-last.

He takes a moment to ensure he is actually alone before slowly, carefully, pulling the safe’s door open, hoping it doesn’t creak. It creaks, and rather loudly too. Gallus freezes here for a few, terse seconds before realizing that the creak of the door opening sounded an awful lot like the wooden floor creaking on the floor above, and considering that the guards on the upper level were constantly moving around when he was up there, the ones down here would think nothing of it.

The guards here aren’t moving around, either. Evidently, none of them think someone would actually make it this far, and Gallus isn’t one to not take advantage of that opportunity when he can. Assuming he doesn’t make too much noise, and doesn’t catch any attention, he’s essentially got all the time in the world.

With this in mind, he reaches in, finding a bag of coin atop a single folded paper. He leaves the coin and takes the paper. Quietly, he leans against the safe and begins to unfold it. The first thing he notices is how neatly it’s written, although it does look rushed. Whoever had written this hadn’t had a lot of time to do so, which means they must have been afraid of something.

The Guild?

The second thing he notices is the odd symbol at the top of the paper. It looks vaguely like a dagger, with a dark circle inked in behind it. That, at least, is definitely something he’s never seen in his life. The symbol, not the handwriting. He’s undecided about the handwriting. There’s something about it that seems almost familiar… perhaps he knew the individual who wrote this letter?

As he begins to read, the ends of his lips unconsciously tug downwards into a frown, and if he was aware of the action he wouldn’t be at all sure of why.

Aringoth,

This document acknowledges the sale of Goldenglow Estate and all property, assets, and materials contained within. Payment on the property has been made in full by Gajul-Lei as an agent on behalf of the buyer. All dealings with the Thieves Guild in Riften are to cease immediately. To deter possible retribution for this act, you are to take immediate steps to protect our assets in any way you see fit. I think you’ll find that the Thieves Guild is far more bark than bite and will likely avoid Goldenglow Estate rather than thin their already-dwindling numbers.

Good luck and may this be the start of a long and lucrative partnership.

Naturally, the note’s unsigned—Gallus supposed it would be too much to ask for it to be that easy—but he can guess at a few things from this, at least. For one thing, whoever bought Goldenglow Estate is directly targeting the Thieves Guild. That’s concerning, to say the least. For another, whoever this mysterious person is, they don’t have a very high opinion of the Thieves Guild.

Most importantly, there’s two names listed in the letter. One of them is Aringoth, the Bosmer running the place that Brynjolf mentioned earlier. The other… Gajul-Lei… Gallus can’t say he’s heard that name before (or if he has, he obviously can’t remember it) but it sounds vaguely Argonian, and he’s sure someone from the Guild will know who that is.

He stands, slips the paper into a side pocket, and heads into a nearby trapdoor. This time, he actually climbs down the ladder instead of jumping in feet-first. Somehow, though, he’s got a hunch that the trapdoor might just connect up with the sewers.

It does, and Gallus finds himself slipping back into the darkened streets of Riften just before dawn. While he hasn’t let his guard down entirely in… some time, not since he came here, now that he’s not in immediate danger he can do some much-needed thinking on… a lot of things.

He knows who he was, finally. He was the former Guildmaster of the Thieves Guild, and his name was in fact Gallus. That or it’s a coincidence to put all others to shame, but somehow he doubts that’s the case. There’s too much for it to be a coincidence, too many places and people that seem eerily familiar.

If he’s right, then a lot more than just his memories are at stake. He needs to know who tried to kill him, and keep one step ahead. That’s of course assuming that whoever had tried to kill him hadn’t succeeded. It’s a distinct possibility, just not one he wants to think about.

People don’t just come back from the dead, do they? Gallus supposes that he might know for sure what happened to him if he could actually remember something of his past, something of who he was. Regrettably, he can’t seem to recall a thing—and he’s tried. His only guide, then, is based on whatever feels familiar, and whatever he can figure out without asking too many questions.

No matter what, he hopes he wasn’t anything like the current lad in charge is now. Mercer… Frey, right. From the sound of things, they were friends. Gallus wouldn’t have thought he would have been friends with someone like that, so that leaves two possibilities.

One, that Mercer Frey is actually a lot nicer to people he actually knows and not random strangers like him who happen to look a lot like someone who’s supposed to be dead.

Two, that he was like that, once. He’d like to think he never was that much of an ass, but it’s a possibility. It’s a distinct possibility, and he couldn’t ignore it if he tried.

In retrospect, it might have been a better idea to wait a bit before returning to the Ragged Flagon and the Thieves Guild, although Gallus hadn’t known that initially. How was he supposed to know that Mercer had a completely unreasonable rule in place regarding sleeping during the day?

“That’s ridiculous,” Gallus mutters, not bothering to try and hide his exhaustion at this point. “We’re a group of thieves, aren’t we? Thieves generally work best at night, so it would make a lot more sense for people to get some sleep whenever they can.”

“Gallus said much the same thing once,” Brynjolf says dryly. If he notices Gallus stiffen slightly, he doesn’t comment on it. “I don’t know what Mercer’s logic is, but trust me, lad—you do not want to be passed out anywhere near here when he gets in.”

Gallus frowns, blinks back the sleep in his eyes, and asks, “Why is he the leader?”

“What?”

He hears the warning in Brynjolf’s tone, but chooses to ignore it, saying, “Leaders are supposed to make decisions that are good for everyone. Rules are supposed to be there for a reason, and not because the leader doesn’t like something.”

“Mercer probably does have some sort of a reason, even if he’s not telling us it,” Brynjolf says after a moment. “And look—lad, I like you, so I’m going to give it to you straight. Mercer might be a bit of an arse-”

“A bit of one?” Gallus asks innocently. Brynjolf sighs.

“You’re right,” he says, “but you shouldn’t say it. The thing you’re missing is, the Guild wouldn’t exist without Mercer, and that’s just the truth of the matter. Sure, we’re not doing as well as anyone would like now, but we’d be doing a damn lot worse without him.”

“He’s still an arse.”

“Yeah, alright. If Mercer doesn’t show up soon, just go ahead and pass out somewhere that’s not too obvious. I’ll get someone to wake you before Mercer notices.”

Mercer doesn’t show up soon. In fact, Mercer doesn’t show up at all for the better part of the morning, so Gallus takes the opportunity to sleep off at least some of his fatigue in a darkened corner of what he assumes to be the training room. It seems like he’s barely closed his eyes when someone’s shaking him awake.

“Hey, Brynjolf told me to go find you, said that Mercer was here,” someone says. Gallus finds himself looking at another, younger Imperial, with a genuinely friendly look on his features and much more worn Guild leathers. “You awake…?”

“Yeah,” Gallus says. After a few moments, he gets to his feet. “If anyone asks, I was awake the whole time.”

The lad cracks an easy grin.

“Of course,” he says. “So you’re the one who did Goldenglow? Ragnar, right?”

“Yes.”

Gallus’ response is a little too curt, a little too clipped, but thankfully the other thief doesn’t pick up on it.

“My name’s Rune. Yeah, rune... just like you’re thinking.”

Gallus raises an eyebrow at that one. While he’s curious, he figures he can ask about that later. Instead, he says, “Well, I’m named after an exceptionally shitty drinking song, so…”

Rune snickers, and nods. “Yeah, I didn’t think anyone would ever be able to top mine. Then again, at least yours is a proper name.”

“You’re right, but I’m reasonably certain my mother is the only person in the past fifty years to name her kid Ragnar. ”

“Probably,” Rune says. “Hey, when Mercer lets you into the Guild, come find me. You’re pretty cool, even if you’re named after a drinking song.”

Gallus can’t help but crack a grin, but it fades when part of what Rune said fully registers. Confused, he repeats, “When Mercer lets me into the Guild?”

“Well yeah, he’d be a fool not to after you pulled off Goldenglow.”

They part ways at the door of the training room, and as Gallus heads over to where Mercer and Brynjolf are evidently discussing something (that may or may not involve him), he thinks that even if he was like Mercer once…

If there are thieves like Rune and Brynjolf in the Guild, he can live with his past. Even if he still can’t remember a thing.

[carry-on-kissing-snowbaz]

Werewolf Adventures (Spooky Week Day 7)

Just a fun little fic in which Baz and Simon go looking for a werewolf in the Wavering Wood. Happy Halloween everyone! @snowbazspookyweek

Word Count: 1.8k

Baz

Snow was driving Baz mad. He kept pacing the floor in their room like he was on the verge of an epiphany and gnawing at his bottom lip. Baz felt the brief urge to offer to do that part for him but quickly dismissed the idea. Much as he wanted to, offering lip-gnawing sexual services would not be a good idea.

“Snow can you place sit like a good dog and stop pacing the rug?” Baz asked, irritably.

Snow stopped, glaring at him.

“Do you not care at all about the loose werewolf?” Simon asked.

Baz shrugged.

“He’s a student. I thought you’d be on his side, what with him having magic and all that.”

Snow rolled his eyes.

“Of course I’m on his side. But it’s a full moon tonight.”

“It’s also Halloween,” Baz said, “A night when students like to have fun. He’s probably just blowing off some midterm steam in the Wavering Wood.”

Snow took an unconscious step towards Baz.

“He was dared to go in Baz. Jared has never gone in the Wavering Wood before. Even if he manages to stay, well Jared, when he transforms, he might still get lost.”

Baz sighed.

“You managed pretty well during your first Wavering Wood visit.”

Snow frowned.

“I went off and made a decent crater in the woods, I don’t think Jared and I are comparable.”

Baz studied Snow’s face, trying to figure out why Snow had allowed the conversation to go on as long as it had.

“Why not take Bunce out for an evening stroll then? I’m sure the two of you could find him,” Baz said.

“She went home to help pass out candy,” Snow said.

“And Wellbelove?” Baz asked.

Snow dropped his eyes away.

“She hates the Wavering Wood,” Snow said, “And besides, we’re not really talking right now.”

Baz frowned.

“Why not?”

“We broke up,” Snow said, flatly.

Baz felt a surge of excitement and then an instant answering feeling of guilt. Snow was obviously unhappy about the breakup and there Baz was feeling like he’d won the lottery. It was messed up and he owed Snow, even if Snow didn’t know anything about it. 

“I’ll go with you,” Baz said.

Snow blinked in surprise.

“You…you will?” 

Baz sat up and put on his shoes.

“It’s obvious you’re trying to get me to go with you. So let’s go,” Baz said.

Snow grabbed a sweatshirt and threw it over his head quickly.

“We have to be careful, Jared might be afraid and dangerous.”

Baz noticed that Snow didn’t correct him about his previous statement. Had Snow actually been trying to get Baz to go with him?

“Don’t worry,” Baz said as they left, “I’m using you as a human shield.”

Simon

Simon had been in the Wavering Wood with Baz only a handful of times and all of them had been against his best wishes. This time though, he had practically asked Baz to come with him. Whether Baz wanted to admit to it or not, Simon knew he was a vampire. He hoped that having Baz come along would help them find Jared faster.

A small part of him wanted Baz there simply because he wanted to be near him. Simon tried to ignore that part.

Simon was not worried for himself. If Jared attacked them in earnest he knew Baz’s spellwork was good enough to immobilize him. He only hoped that they could get to Jared before anyone else, or anything else, could.

“What is it that you think is out to get Jared?” Baz asked.

“Well,” Simon said, “Anything I suppose. The Wavering Wood is fucked up.”

Baz laughed.

“Truer words have never been spoken,” He said.

Simon felt his heart thump unevenly when Baz laughed. Cursing to himself, he tried to get ahold of his feelings. It was not the time to get goofy with Baz in the woods.

“So why did you and Wellbelove break up?” Baz asked.

“What?” Simon asked, suddenly panicked.

As he said this, he forgot to duck under the tree branch Baz had just pushed up and walked under. The branch smacked him in the face.

“Fuck a nine toed troll!” Simon shouted, covering his face.

Baz turned and swore.

“Can you please watch where you’re going? The plan isn’t to run face first into Jared, is it?”

Simon felt slight pressure on his arm. When he opened his eyes he found that Baz had grabbed his arm to steer him forward. He glanced at Simon’s face.

“Is something wrong?” Baz asked.

Simon shook his head, unable to speak.

Baz studied his face for a moment, and then his hair.

Simon felt his breath leave him as Baz raised a hand to touch his hair. He had barely ruffled Simon’s curls when he brought something to Simon’s face.

“You had a leaf in your hair,” Baz explained.

Simon felt his whole face go red.

“Thanks,” He said.

They continued to walk. Simon watched as every now and then Baz’s nose flared unnaturally. He knew this was his way of tracking Jared. Simon wondered if Baz knew Jared’s scent or if he was just tracking for a werewolf in general.

“So,” Baz said, “Wellbelove, break up, what happened there?”

Simon bit his lip.

“Well we’d kinda grown apart,” Simon said.

Baz sneered.

“That’s it? Three years together and you end it because of that?”

Simon felt himself get defensive.

“You’ve never been in a relationship, you don’t know. It’s enough to make you need a break.”

That made Baz quiet.

Simon softened a bit.

“There was more though,” Simon said.

“Well, don’t make me wait all night,” Baz said.

Simon looked down at his feet. As much as he hated the Wavering Wood there was something satisfying about the crunch noises his feet made as he stepped on the multicolor tree leaves. Even in the dark of night he could see the flashes of red and yellow underfoot. 

“I liked someone else,” Simon said, quietly.

Baz stayed quiet for a moment.

“And who’s the lucky girl?” He asked.

Simon felt the desire to be honest, to lay his feelings on the line. It was Halloween night, the time of year that people put on masks in order to do things they would never normally do. But they weren’t trick-or-treating and Simon didn’t have a mask to hide behind. 

“Not the lucky girl,” Simon said.

Baz was a few steps ahead of Simon. He watched as Baz’s back muscles tightened. 

“Unlucky girl then?” Baz asked.

Simon stopped walking.

“I…Baz I need to tell you something, I think that I like…” 

Baz turned to look at him, his face unreadable.

“Simon…”

Baz

Baz refused to believe it was possible. Snow was standing there, cheeks red like overripe apples and his eyes downcast. It didn’t make any sense for Snow to like him. Was this the part where Snow started to laugh and tell Baz what a good trick he’d pulled off? But no, Snow seemed rigid with real emotion.

“Simon…”

Suddenly Snow’s whole expression changed. His eyes went wide and Baz watched as his hand flickered instinctively to his side.

With a feeling of dread, Baz opened up his senses.

“There’s a werewolf behind me isn’t there?” Baz asked.

Snow nodded, eyes glazed with fear.

Baz supposed it made sense that during one of the most important moments of his life, a werewolf named Jared would come and fuck it up.

He swung around and raised his wand.

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” Baz said.

The magic hit Jared before he could attack Baz. But it didn’t hold. The spell was normally meant to calm overexcited young dogs or puppies. It didn’t have much effect on a fully matured werewolf. He snarled at the both of them and charged. Simon raised his own wand, shaking.

“A wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Snow said.

Baz froze as he watched Snow’s magic hit. The spell was normally used to uncover a person’s true form as a way to counteract a glamour. It was not used to force a transformation on a werewolf. And yet, Baz watched as Jared returned to his human form. 

“Sometimes you scare me,” Baz said, eyeing Snow.

Snow shrugged.

“Happy Halloween?”

Jared groaned on the other side of them, embarrassingly naked. Baz whispered a conjuring spell and threw a robe at him wordlessly. It was likely Jared had gone into the Wavering Wood fully dressed and lost his clothing somewhere in the midst of his nighttime adventure.

The three of them walked back to their rooms, Snow eyeing Jared like a disapproving parent.

“Jared why would you go into the Wavering Wood alone? You could have been eaten!” Snow said.

“I think the chances of me eating someone else were higher,” Jared mumbled.

“Oh and that’s so much better,” Snow griped.

Baz was only half-listening. He didn’t want to discuss Jared’s idiotic choices. He wanted to go back to the conversation he’d been having with Snow in the woods. 

Finally they deposited Jared back to his room and made their way to their own.

Baz strolled over to Snow’s bed and leaned on the bedpost.

“So?” Baz said.

Snow eyed him warily.

“Yes?”

“Where were we before we were so rudely interrupted by Jared?”

Simon

Baz hadn’t forgotten about Simon’s bitten off confession in the Wavering Wood and he wasn’t letting it go. He was pretty sure Baz knew already and that denying it ever happened was a useless idea. Still, he felt like crawling under his bed and shoving his fingers in his ears.

“I like someone,” Simon said.

“Yes,” Baz said.

“I like…you,” Simon said.

Baz inhaled sharply.

“I don't expect you to do anything with that information,” Simon added quickly.

“Do you like me enough to kiss me?” Baz asked.

“I-what?” Simon said, completely flustered.

Baz crossed his arms over his chest, defensively.

“Do you like me enough to kiss me?” Baz repeated.

Simon stood there for a moment, totally uncomprehending.

“I mean…yes. But I would never do anything you didn’t want me to do.”

“Who said I didn’t want you to kiss me?” Baz asked.

Simon stared at him.

“Do you want me to?” He asked, in utter disbelief.

“Yes,” Baz said.

Simon moved without fully having decided to. He was walking across the length of the room, eyes on Baz’s suddenly vulnerable face. It felt like a moment fragmented out of time, singular in its rarity.

“Simon,” Baz said.

And then he was kissing him. It felt like an eclipse of everything they’d ever said and done to one another, overshadowed by something more luminous and powerful. Simon gasped when Baz’s breath huffed into his mouth. The feeling undid him, made him feel as if his knees were no longer reliably under him.

Baz kissed him back, his mouth soft and unpracticed in a way that made Simon’s chest hurt. He wanted this more than he’d ever wanted anything else. Everyone had told Simon he was made of magic, but he hadn’t felt like it until that moment. 

They continued to kiss, content to spend the rest of the night inside their room after a night of hunting a peer-pressured werewolf.