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aquietwritingcorner · 3 years

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Writers Month Day 23: Truth/Arranged Marriage Word Count: 9084 Author: aquietwritingcorner/realitybreakgirl Rating: G/K Characters: Riza Hawkeye, Alex Louis Armstrong, Roy Mustang, Olivier Mira Armstrong, General Grumman, Philip Gargantos Armstrong, Mama Armstrong, Scar, Edward Elric, Rebecca Catalina, Jean Havoc, Heymans Breda, Vato Falman, Kain Fuery, Sheska Warning: Summary: The Grummans were once a powerful family in Amestris. With the knowledge of who his granddaughter is becoming known, he sees a path back to social and political power. Not everyone is on board with this plan though—especially when they weren’t informed they were part of it. Notes: Based off a headcanon slinging session with @canisfuria and it blew itself up into this! One day I’ll go back and do this properly. AO3 || ff.net

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Truth/Arranged Marriage

Riza glanced over to where Fuhrer Grumman and Alex Armstrong’s parents were talking. This was the third time this month she’d been drug here by Grumman, and then shunted to the side and expected to spend the entire time talking to Alex. She eyed them. They seemed to be deep in conversation about something, and she had no idea what it might be, but she was suspicious anyway. She felt like a child who had been told to go play while the adults made plans, and it ate at her. People making plans for her had never ended well.

“Are you alright, Miss Riza?” Alex’s voice, gentle and kind rumbled next to her.

She turned her attention back to the large man and gave him a smile. “Yes,” she said. “Just distracted. And suspicious.”

Alex looked over at his parents and the Fuhrer. “Yes, well… I can’t much blame you there. More tea?”

“Yes, thank you.” She waited a moment while he poured her tea. “You know you can just call me Riza in moments like this, don’t you?”

Alex smiled at her as he put the teapot back down. “Yes, you’ve told me. But it isn’t considered proper. If I remember correctly, your grandfather wanted you to learn the social graces.”

Riza made a brief face. “Honestly, all of these high society rules are for the birds. No offense, Alex, but it just isn’t for me.”

“No, I understand.” He sat down next her on the small couch. “It can be stifling. Sometimes I think that’s part of the reason Olivier got out and stays away.”

“That… makes sense,” Riza said. She took a sip of her tea and looked around them. “To be honest, it’s hard to imagine her in a place like this. She’s always been General Armstrong to me.”

Alex chuckled. “I can see why that would be hard. But my big sis can be just as terrifying in a ball gown and sharply applying the social graces. I sometimes think that if she had stayed, she would be the most formidable woman high society has seen in quite some time.”

Riza’s lips tipped up at that. “Somehow, that last part doesn’t surprise me. Still,” she sighed. “I don’t think this is the life for me. It’s definitely not how I grew up or been part of my plans for life.”

“It was quite a surprise when Fuhrer Grumman was revealed to be your grandfather,” Alex said. “I can see how that and the introduction to high society would be jarring.”

“It was a surprise to me as well,” Riza admitted. “It raises a lot of questions. How long he’s known, why my mother left, why he didn’t try to find her, why he didn’t tell me…” she shook her head and looked over at them again. “The tricky old coot won’t tell me anything,” she scowled.

Alex chuckled again. “True as that may be, it’s probably best that you don’t refer to the Fuhrer that way in front of people.”

Riza snorted lightly. “Well, I can’t bring myself to call him ‘grandfather’ so I suppose just ‘Fuhrer’ will have to do.”

Alex opened his mouth to say something else but was interrupted by the sound of his father calling out to them.

“Alex! Miss Hawkeye. Please come here a moment.”

“Of course, father,” Alex said, sitting his teacup down.

Riza had already sat hers down as well, but Alex stood and politely offered her a hand up. Riza took it, as, she had learned, was polite, and then the two of them made their way over to the three older individuals in the room. The three of them looked quite pleased and happy, and Riza was sure that she could see tears the elder Armstrongs’ eyes. Grumman looked far too pleased with himself, and Riza was immediately suspicious.

“Alex, son, we have been talking,” Philip began, “and observing, and I think we’ve come to an arrangement that is most agreeable for all parties.” He reached out, and took Alex’s hand in his, and then reached for Riza’s putting the two of them together. Genevieve Armstrong let out a sniffle. “A marriage arrangement between the two of you has been set. Congratulations!”

For a moment, there was a silence in the room, the only sound Genevieve’s sniffles as she cried at the occasion.

“What?!” Riza’s voice broke the silence, and she wrenched her hand free of the hold it was in. “What do you mean, a marriage arrangement? I didn’t agree to this!”

“We have the blessings of your grandfather, dear,” Genevieve said. “He is, of course, the head of your family, as you have no other living relatives. He’s within his rights to find and provide for you as best he can.”

“I don’t care about that!” Riza snapped out. “It isn’t his decision to make!”

“It is, actually,” Grumman said. “Once you were declared my heir, legally, this is something that I can arrange.”

“I refuse,” Riza said.

“Now, now, Alex is a smart match for you,” Philip said. “We’ve been watching you two. It’s obvious that you get along quite well. It would be advantageous for both families.”

“It would provide you with money and social clout. With just a word anything or anyone you support would have backers behind him.” Grumman said.

Riza stared at him for a moment. She understood what he was saying. If she married Alex, then she could catapult Roy to the top. Fury filled her as she swept her eyes over the three conspirators in the room, and then she switched her look to Alex, demanding to know if he had anything to do with this. He looked just as shocked as she did and shook his head a small amount.

Rage filling her, Riza stood stock still and straight, and then she turned on her heel and began walking away.

“Where are you going?” Genevieve asked her. “There’s still the meal to celebrate.”

“I’m leaving,” Riza said. “I’m going back to the city.”

“That’s a long walk,” Grumman said. “Wait until after the meal, and then we’ll—”

“No.” the word was spat out. “I’m leaving, even if I have to walk the whole way.”

And with that, she made her way out of the door, leaving them all behind.

Alex looked over at the other adults in the room and made a decision himself. “Riza—Miss Riza, wait!” he took off after her, leaving the three behind.

Riza was, it seemed, fast and had a good memory. She had already found her way outside and was going down the steps of the front door by the time Alex caught up with her. She was clearly angry and clearly determined. She reminded Alex so much of his sister in that moment. A strong, beautiful woman rejecting the decisions others had made for her. He admired that about both women, just in different ways.

He caught up with her as she walked—practically marched—down the long drive, her heels in her hand, pantyhose stuffed inside them, walking barefoot. “Please, Riza, wait a moment.”

She didn’t slow. “Did you have anything to do with this,” she demanded of him.

“No! No,” he said quickly. “I knew my parents were looking for a match for me, but I didn’t expect this.” He shook his head. “If this had been an option, I would have approached you beforehand to make sure that you were receptive to it. But I would never ask this of you.”

“Why not?” she demanded again, “This society seems dead set on making decisions for me.”

“Because I see what you and Roy Mustang have, and I would never ask you to give that up.”

She startled at that, and looked up at him, shock on her face as she paused. He held out a pair of shoes to her.

“Please,” he said. “Will you put these on? It will be better than walking in your heels or barefoot all the way back to your apartment.”

She sighed, and then reached for the shoes, sitting down on a small wall to put them on. “…I’m sorry for being angry at you,” she said as she pulled them on and adjusted the ties. “This was just… very unexpected and not at all what I wanted.” She looked up at him. “You’re a fine man, Alex. But you’re not the man for me.”

“No,” he said, “I’m not. That man is Roy Mustang, and Fuhrer Grumman knows it as well.”

Riza sighed and stood back up with the new footwear on her feet. “I need to tell Roy. And we need to make it clear that this idea of a marriage between us is not happening.” She started walking again.

“There may be ways around it,” Alex said. “I can do some research and we can talk to them.” He began walking beside her. “Tomorrow we can plan more. I will find a way out of this for us, Riza. It isn’t fair to you to be thrust into this world and its expectations and rules.”

“We’ll find a way,” she said. “I don’t want to take away your shot at happiness either.”

He rumbled an agreement, and the two kept walking, discussing what they might do in the next couple of days to end this before it became a problem.

They were not fast enough. News of their engagement was in the papers the next morning and announced on the radio as well. It was, naturally, the talk of everyone. Riza couldn’t take ten steps without someone congratulating her or questioning her. By the time she arrived in the office, her face was thunderous, and she still had her team to deal with.

As soon as she entered all eyes were on her. No one said anything for a moment.

“…So…” Havoc said.

“It was not my idea,” she spat out. “And no, it wasn’t Alex Armstrong’s either.” She marched over to her desk and all but slammed her bag down. “It was Fuhrer Grumman’s—apparently, my dear grandfather,” the words were spit out with more sarcasm than anyone in the room had ever heard her make, “can make these kinds of arrangements for me, seeing as I’m his heir or something because of some arcane law.”

“Wow. That’s… messed up,” Havoc said.

“What are you going to do about it?” Breda asked.

“Well, I’m not marrying Alex,” Riza said.

“Obviously,” Breda replied.

“What does he think about all of this?” Fuery asked.

She sighed, a little of her anger melting. “He was blindsided by it too. Neither of us were expecting this. He has more knowledge of high society and its rules than I do, so he’s going to look into what can be done. We just didn’t expect the news to drop this soon.”

“And Mustang?” Havoc asked.

“I told him about this last night,” Riza replied. “So, he’s not unaware. But this whole thing is a mess.” She stopped and let out a sigh. “If this is what Grumman was like as a father, I think I understand why my mother ran away.”

“Well, the boss wanted you to go in and see him as soon as you got here,” Havoc said. “He called for Armstrong too.”

Riza sighed. “Right.” Straightening her back, she went into his inner office.

This was going to be a long day.

Needless to say, the day did not go well. There was no easy way out of this that would not end badly in some way shape or form. Grumman had, as usual, played things to his advantage. If Alex refused the arrangement, he was bringing shame on his family, his parents, himself, and the Armstrong name. That would impact the influence that he was bringing to the restoration of Ishval. If Roy pressed or made some sort of big deal out of this, it would hurt his standing with the public and with society, which would negatively impact his chances for Fuhrer and the restoration of Ishval. For Riza to back out would bring shame to her, make her seem ungrateful, and bring negative consequences as well. Riza and Roy running away together, as her own mother and father did, wouldn’t bode well either.

They could take it to the courts, but by the time anything as far as Riza’s legal standing as Grumman’s heir was concerned would be resolved, the wedding would have long since passed. And, unfortunately, there were legitimate benefits to Riza marrying Alex, namely in the influence she could bring to Roy and to his causes. And, of course, it sent Grumman back into high society himself.

By the end of the day, all three were worn out and stumped.

“I think,” Alex said, “We need to talk to Olivier.”

Roy groaned from his chair, his head on the desk. “She hates me.” He lifted his head. “But do you think she would help Riza?”

“Yes, she would,” Alex said. “She likes Riza. But more than that, she hates the idea of anyone being forced into something they didn’t agree to.”

Riza let out a huff. “Isn’t that what arranged marriages are all about? The fathers get together and pick out where the girl should go—like she’s a prize or something to be given away.”

Alex shook his head. “I can understand why you feel that way, but it is supposed to be a much different than this has turned out. The idea was that loving parents would find someone for their child that would love and protect them. The children trusted that the parents would have their best interests in mind and would give the other person a chance. Even if there wasn’t love to start with, many of these marriages, when done the right way, have worked out wonderfully. The problem is, of course, when the system is abused.”

Riza shook her head. “Perhaps you could trust your parents that much, Alex, but I’ve been used too many times by people that were supposed to look out for me and didn’t. I’m not giving up my agency.”

Alex looked at her, compassion in his eyes. “I understand. And I believe Olivier will as well.”

Two days later they managed to get a hold of her. Alex, Riza and Roy gathered at a small cottage on the Armstrong estate, one far enough removed from the main house that no one would bother them. It took some time, but they did eventually get Olivier on the line.

“Took you long enough, Alex,” she said into the phone. “I assume Hawkeye and Mustang are there with you.”

“Yes, Sister,” Alex said. “They’re here as well.”

“Good.” She paused. “I read about your engagement in the newspaper. I wondered how long it would take for you to come to me.”

“Is there anything you can do?” Riza asked.

Olivier paused again. “It is… a difficult situation,” she finally said. “Our parents are right—It’s a smart match. Hawkeye is a decorated war hero, helped to save the country, is known for her intelligence, high level of skills, and is beautiful. Her connection to the Grumman name is also a boon, as it brings in more family ties and money to the family. Alex is now seen not as a disgraced soldier, but as one who tried to speak out in Ishval. He was heavily involved in saving the country as well. He’s strong, capable, intelligent and considered attractive. The Armstrong name is a boon in and of itself and would definitely bolster the faded Grumman name. As an added bonus, the two of you are already familiar with each other and get along. Logistically it is a good match.”

“I don’t care if it’s a smart match,” Riza said heatedly, “I’m not marrying Alex!”

“Yes, I assumed as much,” Olivier drawled. “Everyone knows you and Mustang are in love.”

“You’re the head of the Armstrong family, though,” Roy said. “Can’t you do something about it?”

Olivier snorted loudly enough to be heard over the phone. “All that grifting, and you still don’t understand high society.”

“Arranged marriages are a norm,” Alex explained. “They are something that parents are allowed to set up for their children.”

“It goes back to a very old law that was never changed,” Olivier said. “Most of the members of high society never saw any reason to change it. There’s very little recourse to it.”

“So there’s nothing you can do?” Roy asked. “Even as the head of the family.”

“Can you tell them that you don’t approve of the match and end it there?” Riza asked.

There was silence from the other end. “That… is tricky. Typically, the parents or guardians are the heads of the families so there’s no conflict. This situation is a bit more difficult. I am the head of the family, which means I have the final say in many things, and that my opinion carries a lot of weight. However, our parents are the ones who get the final say in these matters, unless they are declared incompetent or give up this right.”

“Isn’t there anything you can do?” Riza asked, desperately. Roy reached for her hand, and she held it tightly. “Or anything I can do?”

“I can contest it on the grounds of not being informed as head of the family. That will give us a review period that will delay things,” Olivier said. “It’s only a delaying tactic, though. I’m having Falman do a review of the law to see if there’s anything we can take advantage of.”

“I’m having Sheska do the same,” Alex said. “Ross and Brosh are helping her out.”

“The team has been seeing what they can find out or do as well,” Roy said.

“Rebecca is making waves where she can as well.” Riza said.

“Good,” Olivier said. “The more people working on this the better. If public tide can be turned against it, that will help as well. Hawkeye.”

“Yes, sir!”

“I don’t like people being manipulated like this. We will find a way to help you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Olivier did as she promised, and any further announcements or celebrations were put on hold. That didn’t stop Grumman from assigning Riza and Alex to work together on things, nor did it stop them from being pushed together in high society moments. The tabloids were all over this, managing to grab pictures of private moments between them. The moments, in full context, weren’t romantic, but that didn’t stop the tabloids and papers from spinning them that way. Alex and Riza were seen together more and more often, and they were quickly becoming the media darlings that the country had been hoping for.

It wasn’t going much better in the legal department. There was a chance that the mess could be untangled in the courts, but it would take years, which was something that they didn’t have. Olivier even came down to make the case against this to her parents, but they would have none of it. It was looking like there was no choice but to either go along with it or run the risk of disrupting everything that had been worked for.

At least, until one day when Falman, who had come along with Olivier, and Sheska came running into Mustang’s office. They had a nervous but excited energy about them. The team, Olivier, and the Elrics, who had come when they heard all that was going on, were in the office, trying to brainstorm.

“Sir!” Falman said, “We might have something.”

Everyone sat up straighter.

“You do?” Mustang asked.

“Well, maybe,” Sheska said. “We’re not entirely sure, but it might work, if everything lines up correctly.”

“For lack of a better word, we’re calling it the ‘truth clause’,” Falman explained. “It basically boils down to this: have you ever told the truth about your love?” Falman asked.

Roy and Riza exchanged looks, but Olivier was frowning. “That sounds too easy. If it were as simple as that, hundreds of arranged marriages would have been absolved. What’s the catch?”

Falman and Sheska exchanged looks.

“There are conditions,” Sheska said. “It has to have been a declaration of love to someone else that’s not part of the marriage arrangement within the past three years. It had to have had witnesses, clergy is especially encouraged, and been proven and shown to be true again and again before, during and since the declaration.”

“Sirs, if I may,” Falman said, “we’ve seen evidence of how much you love each other for years. No one who knows you doubts it—including, I’m sure, Grumman himself. The main question is, has there been a confession.”

“And were there any clergy involved.” Sheska added.

Edward perked up. “Alright, problem solved,” he said, and then blinked when everyone just stared at him.

“What are you talking about, Brother?” Alphonse asked him.

Ed swiveled his head back around to look at Roy and Riza. “…Are you serious? That whole business in the tunnels underneath Central on the Promised Day? Did you forget that?”

“We could never forget that,” Roy said.

“But what does that have to do with anything?” Riza asked.

“Geeze, look, if that wasn’t a love confession in your own weird way, then I don’t know what was.” Ed said. “You two weren’t even pretending anymore.”

“Wait wait—what went on in the tunnels?” Havoc said. “I’ve not heard this.”

“Well, he,” Ed pointed at Roy, “was chasing down Envy after Envy confessed to killing Hughes. Only it wasn’t to bring him to justice, it was in vengeance. Hawkeye caught up to him just before he was going to kill Envy and held a gun on him. She pleaded with him to stop, reminding him of some sort of promises they had made to each other years ago and saying that she would take care of Envy for him. It didn’t seem to do anything, and Scar and I put in our two cens as well, not that it made much of a difference. Hawkeye pleaded with him again, only much more personally, as if they were actually a couple. He asked her what she would do after she shot him, and she said that after the battle was over, she’d kill herself because she had no intentions of going on alone. He surrendered to her after that, saying that he couldn’t lose her too, and apologized her hurting her again. They both lowered their weapons and sat down right there together. It was practically a love confession.”

“Woah.” Most of the individuals in the room looked at each other in shock, even while Roy and Riza looked at each other, clearly wanting to say more.

Olivier, however, was looking thoughtful. “When the sacrifices caught up with the rest of us again, the way the two of you addressed each other was incredibly informal—as one would address a longtime lover, or a spouse, not as a subordinate and commander. That too can be taken as proof.”

“Edward,” Sheska said, “You said that Scar was there, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Isn’t he a priest or some sort of clergy of Ishval?”

There was a moment of silence before the room went wild.

“Wait, wait!” Falman said and waited until everyone had calmed down. “There’s one more thing. It has to be public. The declaration didn’t have to be, but the acknowledgement of it does.”

A hush fell over the room.

Roy and Riza looked at each other.

“What would that mean for us working together, sir?” Riza asked. “I made a promise to you.”

Roy looked at her, and then reached over for her hand, intertwining their fingers. “I know. And I made one to you. We’d have to figure it out.”

Olivier looked from them to Falman and Sheska. “What do the fraternization regulations say about two people who are in love?” she asked them.

“Oh, it says nothing about them being in love,” Sheska said. “It talks about romantic relationships and marriage. Love is implied, but not specifically stated.

Olivier nodded. “Are you two in a romantic relationship?”

They both shook their head. “Until our work is done, we’ve denied ourselves that. It’s more important than us.” Riza said.

“Then by the letter of the regulations, you should be fine.”

“…You know,” Fuery spoke up, “I still have friends at Radio Capital. They let me do a show there every so often or fill in. I’m sure they’d love to interview the happy couple of Alex Louis Armstrong and Riza Hawkeye. Especially as an exclusive.”

“If we can get Scar to agree to be on the show—” Roy said.

“I’ll be a witness,” Ed said. “Maybe Al can talk to the chimeras.”

Al frowned at his brother’s choice of words but nodded. “I’m sure they’ll want to help.”

“I can find the Central soldiers who were there,” Rebecca said.

“I’ll call my men from Briggs who witnessed your reunification,” Olivier said.

“You’ve also got all of us to give you a hand about the past,” Havoc said.

Riza looked around the room at them all. “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you all so much.”

It took a couple of weeks for all of the plans to fall into place, but that gave Radio Capital time to promote and advertise. It was the talk of the country and by the time the day came, nearly everyone was tuned in. Everyone wanted to hear this interview.

“And now the interview everyone has been waiting for. In the past months an engagement between Alex Louis Armstrong of the Armstrong family and Riza Emmaline Hawkeye, who was recently revealed to be our Fuhrer’s granddaughter, was announced. It was unexpected and caused quite a stir, especially since no interviews or further announcements were made. All the public had to go off of were the pictures that tabloid photographers managed to take.

“But the couple has agreed to give Radio Capital an exclusive interview on how this engagement came to be, what the future holds, and the thoughts and opinions of many of their family, friends and coworkers. We’ve got a high-profile line up for you tonight, so hang on, folks and stay tuned in!”

“Alright, welcome back from the commercial break, folks. With us here to start off are Lieutenant Colonel Alex Louis Armstrong and Captain Riza Hawkeye. Tell us, how did you two meet?”

“The first time we encountered one another was in Ishval. The interactions were brief, as I was a state alchemist, and she was a sniper.”

“I see. So, you didn’t really get to know each other there, then.”

“No. And our tours didn’t overlap by much.”

“That’s right, Lieutenant Colonel. You were sent home early. The common belief was that you cracked under the pressure of war. That is obviously not true.”

“It is, in a way. When I saw the atrocities committed there, I found that I could not stand the thought of being party to them any longer. Unfortunately, instead of standing up for what I believed in, I ‘cracked’ and allowed myself to be removed from the battlefield. It’s one of my biggest regrets, that I didn’t do more to speak up then.”

“But if you had, would it have made a difference?”

“I don’t know, but I do know that I should have tried.”

“I see. Now, Captain Hawkeye, I’m told your experience on the battlefield was different then the Lieutenant Colonel’s.”

“Yes. I was pulled from the academy to serve as a sniper on the front. Snipers are solitary creatures, so we don’t interact much with other soldiers or make many friends. Compounding that, to survive the war with my sanity intact, I pulled my emotions back and built-up walls. Not many people managed to get close to me.”

“Not many. But there were a few.”

“Yes. Most notably was then-Major Mustang. He and I had known each other in the past, but we managed to find each other on the battlefield. He introduced me to Maes Hughes, and he became a friend as well. We grew close, and that closeness remains to this day. I’m certain that if Hughes were still alive, he would be close with the both of us still.”

“Interesting. So, when did the two of you really get to know each other?”

“…I suppose it was just from all of the times working together.”

“Did that happen frequently?”

“Brigadier General Hughes was my direct commanding officer in Investigations. We did a lot of work with General Mustang’s unit when we were in the East.”

“Hughes used to say that Roy attracted trouble like a magnet.”

“That he did.”

“So, you two got to know each other over the years. Was there any time there seemed to be more frequent encounters?”

“Hm… I suppose in the year before the Day of the Eclipse. Roy—that is, General Mustang—had been concerned about a plot in the military. That only grew with the passing of Maes Hughes.”

“I was brought into the fold mostly because of Hughes, as well as because of the Elric brothers. I was more fully inducted after Mustang supposedly killed Maria Ross, who was one of my subordinates.”

“But he didn’t.”

“No, it was all a ruse, and he found a way to let me know.”

“In the planning leading up to the Day of the Eclipse, Alex became a point of contact for many things, mostly because of the connections his family had. It was after that, when we started to become more friendly. When it was revealed that I was Fuhrer Grumman’s granddaughter, Alex helped me negotiate my way through high society.”

“I couldn’t leave Riza to navigate that minefield alone. I knew I could help her.”

“I see. And that’s when romance began to bloom.”

“No.”

“No?”

“There’s nothing between Alex and myself but friendship. I value and cherish that, but there is no romance here at all.”

“Surely there must be. You two are engaged, after all.”

“It was the idea of my parents and her grandfather. We were not consulted on the matter at all.”

“Not at all?”

“Not one bit.”

“That seems… unreasonable.”

“I thought so as well.”

“It’s a fairly common and well-used method of high class. Most marriages are arranged. I expected something similar to happen to me one day. However, I did not expect for myself and the potential bride to be completely excluded from the process.”

“Is it common for the children to be involved when the parents are arranging these marriages?”

“It’s typical that the children know and understand that the parents are actively considering someone as a potential partner. Even though there were meetings and outings, neither of us were aware that they were to see if we were a good match.”

“I see. Captain, this must have all be quite a shock to you.”

“Yes, it was.”

“Were you aware of this custom of arranged marriages?”

“I come from a very small town in the east. As a child, I remember marriages being arranged between daughters and sons, but it was a dying way of doing things. Most of the time, if a boy and a girl showed interest in each other, the parents would get involved, just to make sure that the children would be able to work well together and take care of each other.”

“Did you ever expect anything like that to happen with you?”

“…I was unsure, truthfully. My mother passed when I was young, and my father was too focused on his work to care much about me. I was never sure if he would have just ignored me or if he would have married me off to get me out of the way. However, he passed when I was sixteen, so I suppose I’ll never know.”

“It doesn’t seem like either of you are too excited about this engagement. Do you think it was rushed into, and that you won’t work well together?”

“It actually is a smart match on the part of our elders. I am very fond of Riza, and she has said that she feels friendship for me. It’s obvious that we get along, and we have enough common ground that we can work well together. The tying together of the two families and what could be done with that power and influence is also a great boon to either of us. The marriage would be advantageous, and I believe that we would get along.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“She’s in love with someone else.”

“…that does change things. Do your elders know about this?”

“I believe that my grandfather does, yes, although I’ve never said so directly to him.”

“I see. Is this a new development for you?”

“No. I’ve loved him for years.”

“If you’ve loved this man for that long, why haven’t you married him?”

“Our positions wouldn’t have allowed for it, not if we wanted to keep moving forward with our work. Married couples aren’t allowed to work under each other due to fraternization regulations. As much as we loved each other, we felt that our goals were more important.”

“I see. And what were these goals?”

“To make sure that another Ishval can never happen again. To keep power in check so that no one man or group of men can order the murder of innocents again. To rebuild Ishval and do all that we can to pay back the harm and pain that we caused.”

“Captain… with what you’ve said here, it sounds like…”

“Yes. I am in love with General Roy Mustang. I have been for years. Even if I can’t marry him, I’m not going to betray that love by marrying someone else.”

“Does he love you as well?”

“Yes. He does.”

“And you’ve always kept this hidden?”

“No. There are people who know—people who have seen our confession to each other. People who have seen our actions towards one another. People who have heard our words to each other. It isn’t well-known, but it is known.”

“….well, with that listeners, we’ll go to commercial break. But expect more when we get back!”

“Welcome back, listeners! We’ve given the Lieutenant Colonel and Captain a bit of a break after the last segment, and now we welcome two more guests that know them well. First Lieutenants Jean Havoc and Heymans Breda. Both have worked under General Roy Mustang for quite a while, and, going along with that, Captain Hawkeye. Tell me, boys—were you surprised at all by the captain’s confession a few minutes ago?”

“Naw. We all knew that there was something between them for a long time.”

“They’re not as good at hiding their past as they think they are.”

“What made you think that?”

“There were these little things. Looks, the way she’d indulge him, the way he would give into her… I mean, it was clear there was some kind of a past there.”

“They kept it professional, though. They didn’t do anything romantic in sight of anyone.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“There was never any hand holding, sweet words, talks of plans together. While it was obvious there was a history there was never any solid clue as to what kind of a history. They could have been childhood neighbors.”

“Yeah, but after the Day of the Eclipse, things changed. They were, I don’t know… more touchy? Although the General was blind for a while there, so he kind of needed touch so that he could get around and—"

“Please hang on viewers, someone is pounding on our glass—it’s a woman. She’s coming in now and—”

“Jean Thaddeus Havoc! You take all the romance out of everything!”

“Aw, Bec, come on. I was just saying—”

“I’m sorry, who are you?”

“Rebecca Catalina, Captain Riza Hawkeye’s best friend. And honestly these two don’t know how to tell a good story—especially a true one.”

“Catalina, we really don’t need—”

“Don’t you start in with me too, Red! Alright, let me tell you how this really goes. Riza and I, we were roommates at the academy. I didn’t get shipped out with her, but before that we were roommates, and after it too. Let me tell you, that girl is good at holding her emotions in. Fortunately, I’m good at noticing them anyway.”

“Please go on, Lieutenant.”

“I’m pretty sure that Riza and Mustang knew each other beforehand. But after Ishval they started working closer together, with her as his adjunct. I knew from the get-go that there was more to these two then met the eye. Oh, of course it wasn’t romantic at first, but there was a connection of some sort there. Over the years I saw it develop into fondness, and then to outright love. Yes, they both dated others—Mustang more than Riza ever did—but they always ended up back with each other again. Riza would never tell me who she was in love with, but I know a woman in love when I see one! It didn’t take me long to figure it out. And after the Day of the Eclipse, it was even more obvious.”

“Oh?”

“I’m not entirely sure what happened in the tunnels below Central, but I do know that some sleezebag tried to use Riza against Mustang by slitting her throat open, and that whatever it was he tried to force Mustang to do didn’t work. I’m so glad that little pink princess from Xing was there to help them out! She saved Riza’s life! What I do know is that when I saw Riza again, the doctors were trying to keep her from bleeding out again, and one of the first things she did was ask about Mustang. She wouldn’t settle down well until after she had found out that he was alive and relatively okay. When I found Mustang, he wouldn’t settle down until he was sure she was alright. They both had to know about the other first.”

“That wasn’t anything new.”

“Hush you! I’m telling a story!”

“Please go on, Lieutenant.”

“Anyway, they were just worse in the hospital, always asking about the other until the staff finally got tired of it and just put them in a room together. I mean, Mustang was blind, it wasn’t like he could see anything anyway, and Riza—yeah, yeah, Riza, I see you threatening me through the glass, you know you love me—would be able to rest her voice more if she wasn’t constantly asking about him. But honestly, whatever happened down there, it changed them. They were both more driven, but also more open with each other and themselves. To anyone who knew them before, the way they look at each other, the way they talk to each other, the way they support and care about each other—they might as well be confessing.”

“Interesting! So, you three say that you know without a doubt that Mustang and Hawkeye are in love?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Yes.”

“Definitely.”

“Alright, well, we’re up against a hard break, but when we come back, let’s hope we can hear more about what happened in those tunnels!”

“Welcome back, listeners! We have quite a treat for you! Sitting before me are two people who I never thought I’d have sitting in my studio, much less together! The Ishvalan known as Scar, and the former Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric! Welcome, both of you.”

“Thanks.”

“Thank you.”

“So, my producer says that you two know what went on down in those tunnels?”

“Yeah, we were there—although I wasn’t there for all of it, because I didn’t see the part where Hawkeye got her neck sliced open.”

“I witnessed that.”

“So was there something else that happened in those tunnels? Something before then?”

“Yeah.”

“Can you tell us about it?”

“…You heard Hawkeye mention Maes Hughes earlier, right? Well, what she didn’t say was how close he and Mustang were. When Hughes was murdered, it set him off. He was determined to find Hughes’s killer. The individuals in the conspiracy tried to pin it on Ross, but Mustang saw through that and saved her instead. But he kept looking for the killer. Down under Lab 3, he found the killer, who confessed. Mustang then set out after him—but not to bring him to justice. It was vengeance, plain and simple.”

“Vengeance?”

“It was. I saw it on the Flame’s face when he had captured his foe.”

“Scar’s right. It was obvious to all of us, but especially to Hawkeye. When Scar and I got there, the suspect had already injured Hawkeye, and Mustang had started to take his revenge before Hawkeye stopped him. I took control of the suspect then, getting him away from Mustang. Mustang demanded him back, and I refused. He threatened, and that was when Hawkeye started talking to him.”

“Oh? What did the captain say?”

“That’s the thing. It wasn’t just what she said, but how she said it. Hawkeye and Mustang had always been incredibly formal around me—around everyone. She always called him ‘sir’ and by his rank, and kept her tone very professional. Mustang called her by her rank and last name, also, professional, usually. But it was like at that moment, they dropped all pretense. They spoke to each other like… like…”

“Like a wife to a husband, like a husband to a wife. They spoke as equals who loved each other deeply and were hurting each other deeply.”

“What do you mean by hurting each other deeply?”

“Captain Hawkeye was pleading with Flame not to kill the individual that we held captive. She said that she would take care of it, but that she couldn’t allow him to walk down the path he was heading. He refused to listen, and Elric and I both spoke up. Elric told him to take a good look at his face, and I told him I had no right to tell him what to do. Captain Hawkeye then pleaded with him again. She spoke of promises made—promises, I could tell, that were as deeply held as any marriage vows.”

“It’s the only time I’ve seen Hawkeye’s hand shake while holding a gun.”

“Flame asked her what she would do after she shot him. The pain that crossed her face was deep and grief-stricken. She replied that she had no plans on going on without him, and that after the battle she would end her life. Flame let loose with an explosion down a side tunnel, and then turned to her. He declared that he couldn’t lose her. They lowered their weapons and collapsed together after that. It was an intense moment of confession between two people who share a deep love.”

“That sounds like an incredible moment you witnessed.”

“Yeah. I don’t think I’d ever seen two people show that kind love and devotion.”

“Was that where the captain got her throat slit?”

“No, because I was still there. It happened after I was separated from the group.”

“I was there, though.”

“Can you tell us what happened then?”

“We were captured. A man demanded that the Flame preform human transmutation. When he refused, the man had one of his subordinates slit the neck of Captain Hawkeye to ensure that Flame would perform it. She encouraged him not to give in. In a display of strength, he honored her wishes. I believe that she somehow knew that there were allies waiting for their chance and somehow communicated that to Flame. It was shortly afterward that these allies dropped from the ceiling. As soon as there was an opportunity, Flame was rushing to her side, ignoring all else. I could hear him calling to her. Mei, the Chang Princess from Xing, was able to do something to help stabilize her. When the battle was over, Flame was holding Captain Hawkeye closely. The tenderness was obvious.”

“So you’re saying that you have no doubt that they were in love even then.”

“They were clearly, deeply in love, and confessed it in front of me.”

“Have you seen love confessions before?”

“Yes. Before the destruction of Ishval, I was a priest. I saw many love confessions while serving in the temple. Since returning back to my roots to restore and rebuild my people, I have, again, taken up some of my duties. What I witnessed was as clearly a confession of love as anything I have ever seen.”

“What an incredible story, folks. But hang in there. More is to come!”

“Alright folks, we’ve heard from Alex Louis Armstrong and Riza Armstrong themselves about the way their engagement came about, and why they don’t want to go through with it. We’ve learned that Captain Hawkeye and General Mustang are in love and have been for years. We’ve heard about the way they’ve treated each other over the years from various coworkers, about the confession they had in front of Scar and Edward Elric, about the way they addressed each other as lovers on the Day of the Eclipse from Briggs soldiers and civilians who were involved, about how they loved each other early on from the wife of a close friend, and many others. Now we’re going to hear from the head of the Armstrong family herself, Lieutenant General Olivier Mira Armstrong. General, we’d love to hear your opinion on all of this as the head of the Armstrong family. Were you aware of this? What are your feelings on the matter?”

“This is a complicated situation, mired in old laws and societal rules that are, quite frankly, outdated.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. As my brother stated earlier, arranged marriages are common in high society families. I understand why, in the past, they were common. It was a way for families to ensure that their daughters would be well cared for in a world with limited options, as well as to strengthen ties between families. Ideally, the parents would also be looking out for the children’s best interests as well, including if the partner would be a good one.”

“I see. So, you don’t approve of arranged marriages then?”

“I neither approve nor disapprove of the practice in general. It’s the execution of it I often take issue with, as well as the legally binding ways it can entrap people—especially women—in a day when there is no need for a woman to rely on a man, especially not a woman like Riza Hawkeye.”

“Do you approve of the match between your brother and Captain Hawkeye?”

“I think it’s a smart match. Hawkeye is smart, capable, sharp, and independent. She would be a good compliment to my brother in many ways, and I think that she would adapt quickly to high society life. She would be able to live well and, if I am honest, I wouldn’t mind having her for a sister-in-law. Alex would, in turn provide and care for Hawkeye, and treat her exceptionally well.”

“So, you’re for the marriage then?”

“No. I’m against it.”

“But you just said it was a smart match.”

“It is. However, it isn’t something that both parties want. Hawkeye is clearly in love with Mustang. To force her into a marriage that she does not want would be cruel and would take away her autonomy. My brother would never want to do that to her, or to any woman. He is not willing to marry a woman that does not want the marriage.”

“I see. So, are you absolving the agreement then?”

“I don’t have the authority to do that.”

“But you’re the head of the Armstrong family.”

“Yes, I am. However, arranged marriages fall under the purview of the parents or guardians of the individuals in question. Usually, the parents and heads of family are one in the same, so there is no issue there. The Armstrong family situation is unique.”

“So, you’re saying that both your brother and Captain Hawkeye are trapped in this engagement? That has to be difficult.”

“I’m certain it is. This is why I would encourage more communication before such arrangements take place. There are only two ways to absolve the engagement in a lawful and honorable manner at this point.”

“Oh? What would those be?”

“One would be for the parents or guardians to absolve it themselves. However, neither the Fuhrer nor my parents seemed willing to do that.”

“What’s the other way?”

“For there to be a history of one of the parties being in love with someone else. There has to be evidence of it, a confession, preferably in front of clergy, and a public declaration of the matter.”

“….you mean such as coworkers who have worked with the individuals for years speaking up about it, and Ishvalan priest seeing the confession and it being broadcast on the radio.”

“That would be an acceptable manner in which to do it, yes.”

“So does this mean--?”

“This means that legally, according to the law, my brother and Captain Hawkeye are free to absolve their engagement.”

“Folks, you can’t see this, but through the window to my studio, there are a number of happy people out there. I think this is a good time to take a break. But stay tuned. We’ll have more on this when we return!”

“Alright folks, in studio we have Lieutenant Colonel Alex Louis Armstrong, Captain Riza Hawkeye, and General Roy Mustang. It’s been quite an evening for you all! An engagement, a confession, and now a broken engagement. Tell us, General—do you really love Captain Hawkeye as she loves you?”

“I do. I have for years.”

“How did you feel when you found out about the engagement?”

“Riza called me the night it happened. She and Alex were going to work on ways to quietly try to break it off. Unfortunately, the announcement the next day made that difficult.”

“I can imagine! How do you feel now that the engagement has been broken?”

“Relieved.”

“Captain Hawkeye, how about you?”

“It’s as if a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.”

“You weren’t happy being engaged to Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong?”

“Alex is a fine man and will make a wonderful husband one day. But he’s not the man to be my husband. I hold no ill will towards him. Instead, I’m grateful for all that he did to try to help me out of this situation. He respected my own autonomy, and for that I will be eternally grateful.”

“As will I.”

“Lieutenant Colonel, how are you feeling about all of this?”

“A marriage will not work, arranged or not, if the people in it do not want to be in it. While I will always cherish the friendship that Riza gives me, I am more than happy to help her find her way to her happiness. General Mustang, I know that Riza can take care of herself. But now as this is over, I am entrusting her care to you. I know that you two will take care of each other.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel.”

“Thank you, Alex.”

“I feel it’s time for me to take my leave of you then. I hope all of your listeners have a marvelous evening.”

“Yes, thank you for your time, Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong. Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong has left the booth and now I’m here with Captain Hawkeye and General Mustang. So, after this confession, do you think you’ll be allowed to work together?”

“We should. The regulations only speak of marriage and dating relationships, not of people in love.”

“So, you two aren’t going to get married?”

“Not at this time. There’s just too much work we need to do and need to get accomplished.”

The door to the studio closed softly, and Alex Armstrong walked over to stand next to his sister. The murmur of voices could still be heard through the window, and Roy and Riza could be seen, hands intertwined as they enthusiastically talked about their plans for the future and for the rebuilding of Ishval. Olivier was standing to where she could look into the window, observing. Behind them, the murmur of other guests could be heard, all of them excited about what they had managed to pull off. Olivier wasn’t celebrating with the others. For a moment, they just stood there.

“…you would have loved her, wouldn’t you?” she finally asked him, speaking too softly for anyone else to hear.

“Yes. I would have given her the world.” He replied.

Olivier hummed. “But the world wasn’t what she wanted.”

“No. All she wanted was him. And so, I found a way to give him to her instead.”

Olivier said nothing, but just stood there. Finally, she let out a sigh so soft that Alex almost thought he imagined it. She turned, pausing to put a hand on Alex’s shoulder.

“You’re a good man, Alex. One day the right woman will come along for you.”

Alex said nothing for a moment, and then only responded with “Thank you, Sister.”

Olivier didn’t acknowledge his words, just walked away, and that was good enough for Alex. He didn’t need any more than that anyway. With his own internal sigh, he turned away from the window, determined not to let Riza know how he truly felt about her.

Before he could go too far, though, something ran into his leg, and he looked down to see a ball, with a little pigtailed girl running after it. Elicia Hughes.

“Sorry, sir!” she said. “It got away from me.”

“It’s alright,” he said, kneeling down. “It’s not the first time a ball has run into me.”

“Elicia! I hope you’re not bothering the Lieutenant Colonel.” Gracia hurried up to him.

“Oh, no, please, it was no bother at all.” Alex said.

“Still.” Gracia looked at her daughter. “You must be more careful. Especially if we go to the restaurant.”

“Restaurant?” Alex questioned.

Gracia nodded. “They’re talking about a celebration at a restaurant. It’s just been decided.”

“Oh! Sit with us!” Elicia said. “Please?”

“Elicia!” Gracia scolded again.

Alex smiled. “I would be honored to.”

Gracia looked up him and smiled herself. “Well in that case, you’re welcome.”

Alex glanced back at the window, and then back at Gracia.

Even if he didn’t have love, he at least had good people in his life. And that would be enough for him.

#writersmonth2021 #fma #Fullmetal Alchemist #riza hawkeye #alex louis armstrong #Roy Mustang #Olivier Mira Armstrong #and a whole lot of other people but these are the most relevant #fma fanfic #fullmetal alchemist fan fiction

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somethingusefulfromflorida · 3 years

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1960: John F. Kennedy/Lyndon B. Johnson vs Richard Nixon/Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.

1964: Lyndon B. Johnson/Hubert Humphrey vs Barry Goldwater/William E. Miller

1968: Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew vs Hubert Humphrey/Edmund Muskie vs George Wallace/Curtis Lemay

1972: Richard Nixon/Spiro Agnew vs George McGovern/Sargent Shriver

1976: Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale vs Gerald Ford/Bob Dole

1980: Ronald Reagan/George H.W. Bush vs Jimmy Carter/Walter Mondale

1984: Ronald Reagan/George H.W. Bush vs Walter Mondale/Geraldine Ferraro

1988: George H.W. Bush/Dan Quayle vs Michael Dukakis/Lloyd Bentsen

1992: Bill Clinton/Al Gore vs George H.W. Bush/Dan Quayle vs Ross Perot/James Stockdale

1996: Bill Clinton/Al Gore vs Bob Dole/Jack Kemp vs Ross Perot/Pat Choate

2000: George W. Bush/Dick Cheney vs Al Gore/Joe Lieberman

2004: George W. Bush/Dick Cheney vs John Kerry/John Edwards

2008: Barack Obama/Joe Biden vs John McCain/Sarah Palin

2012: Barack Obama/Joe Biden vs Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan

2016: Donald Trump/Mike Pence vs Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine

2020: Joe Biden/Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump/Mike Pence

The same candidates tend to show up year after year. Not just President running for re-election, but Vice Presidents running for the top slot themselves, incumbents or candidates, successful or not; Richard Nixon (1952, 1956, 1960, 1968), Hubert Humphrey (1964, 1968), Walter Mondale (1976, 1980), Bob Dole (1976, 1996), Al Gore (1992, 1996, 2000)

I would expect John Edwards (D-2004) to try and make a comeback, though he was only a one term senator from North Carolina, so that’s looking increasingly unlikely. The state swung for Obama in 2008, but hasn’t voted blue since (except for governor, but he has no power because the Republicans control the state legislature)

Paul Ryan (R-2012) will be back for sure; he retired from the House in part over of disagreements with Trump, but one doesn’t just give up being Speaker and slink away into obscurity (just look at Newt Gingrich, he refuses to shut up or die), so I think Ryan is just biding his time and hoping the whole Trump thing blows over in the next decade. If the party shifts away from Trump, he might offer himself as a slightly more moderate (“moderate*”) alternative.

Or maybe Sarah Palin (R-2008) will try and reclaim the presidency for herself; she’s a hardcore right wing nutjob, she was a Bush supporter AND a Trump supporter, and she’s still relatively young, so I could see her stepping back into the spotlight to try and “being the country back” to the traditionalism of the early 2000s. Nostalgia is cyclical, so I figure around 2028 or 2032 people will start looking back fondly on the Clinton and Bush years (Clinton more so than Bush, what with 9/11 and the wars and such)

Tim Kaine isn’t even one of the famous senators; there are some senators that everybody knows, even if they’re not from your state, like Chuck Schumer, Joe Manchin, Lindsey Graham, Bitch McConnell, big names with big reputations. Tim Kaine is a nobody, just a bland and inoffensive white dude Clinton picked to be as uncontroversial as possible (she couldn’t pick a woman or a black person because then the ticket would have been “too diverse”). He’s not the future of the Democratic party, but I could see him trying to become part of the Senate leadership. Maybe the whip (vice leader), I don’t think he has what it takes to be leader outright.

I don’t think Mitt Romney (R-2012) will run for president again; that ship has sailed. Moderate Republicans are critically endangered, extinct in the wild, with single specimens in captivity (in Vermont, Massachusetts, and Maryland). After back-to-back losses in 2008 and 2012, I don’t think Republicans will run a moderate candidate ever again. Romney could maybe just maybe become the whip if he so desired, he’s a big enough name with support enough to become their presidential nominee, though he’ll never be the leader; McConnell was their golden goose, he gave hem exactly what they wanted and changed the game to give them an advantage even in minority. They will only ever elect hardliners like him from now on. Romney is too soft; he cares too much about the other side (he’s not liberal by any stretch of the imagination, he’s a Mormon for Brigham’s sake, but he voted to impeach Trump twice which means he may as well be a liberal in the eyes of the public)

Mike Pence has committed political suicide. Democrats hate him for his homophobia, sexism, racism, classism, and weird relationship with his wife who he calls “mother.” Republicans hate him because he didn’t break the law to re-elect Trump. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. He’s ultraconservative and super religious, so under normal circumstances he’d be a shoo-in for the nomination, but after breaking with Trump in January he’s dead in the water (he didn’t even really break away, there was literally nothing legal he could do; if he had tried anything it would have been struck down by the courts). And besides that, Pence is boring as hell. He’s milquetoast, he’s a saltine cracker without the salt because it’s too spicy, he orders plain hamburgers with ketchup on the side, all his steaks are cooked well done, he gets a boner when he sees a woman’s ankle and has to self-flagellate for penance, he sends back water if it has too much ice because it makes his teeth hurt. He’s the sacrificial lamb they’d nominate specifically to lose so they can save a stronger candidate for later when there’s no incumbent.

Kamala Harris is basically president-in-waiting (or rather nominee-in-waiting; who knows if she can actually win?) Biden ran on the unspoken promise that he would step down in 2024, making her the front runner, but he has recently walked this back and says he plans on running for a second term himself, pushing Kamala back until 2028 at least. She has good PR and has convinced half the country that she’s a progressive instead of a cop, so if she runs she’ll definitely have an edge over Democratic challengers. The media picks the nominee, and in 24 or 28 they’ll pick her for sure.

It’s becoming increasingly harder for people to stay relevant over multiple decades. I can’t imagine any 2004 candidates running in 2024, but Bob Dole managed to get on as Ford’s #2 and come back as #1 himself twenty years later (he lost both times, but still). Richard Nixon beat the odds and actually got elected in 68 after losing the presidency in 60 and the governorship in 62; he was pretty much coasting on Eisenhower’s legacy, selling himself as the anti-Goldwater, who lost in 64 to LBJ in a landslide.

Trump is acting like he’s going to run again, but whether or not he’ll fully commit is up in the air. On the one hand, his least insane niece says that he doesn’t want to put himself in a position where he could lose again, his ego couldn’t take it, he’s so embarrassed he can’t even admit it happened the first time. On the other hand, he’s too proud to accept defeat and just let some other candidate take his spot as leader of the Republican Party; the Republicans haven’t had a leader since Eisenhower, every other president has disappeared after leaving office.

Nixon resigned in disgrace

Ford was elected out

Reagan disappeared in the 90s because he didn’t want the country to see him deteriorate from Alzheimer’s

Bush Sr was elected out

Bush Jr was despised with approval in the 20s (record low), and could potentially have been tried at The Hague if Obama had balls

Now Trump wants to stick around, even though he’s older than Reagan and FAR less healthy. He’ll probably be dead in 15 years anyway; no way he reaches 90. His mind may already be going, but unlike Reagan he isn’t self aware enough to know it, so he might try to stay in the spotlight even after the dementia sets in. Wo knows?

What his niece says, and what I think is most likely to happen, is that he will pretend like he’s running in order to scam donors out of millions of dollars to pay his exorbitant legal fees, but then bow out of the race before the primaries. Whichever candidate he personally endorses will become the nominee and go up against Biden. Biden will win the popular vote, but I don’t know if he’ll win the electoral college; if this happens for the third time in a quarter century, I expect nothing less than chaos in the streets, perhaps even civil war (well, I expected civil war after 2020, and we’re still standing, so again, who knows?). All I know is that congressional Democrats will throw a hissy fit but do nothing to stop the Republicans from sneaking their way into office without a mandate AGAIN.

The last Republican to legitimately win the presidency was George Bush Sr in 1988. Jr lost to Gore, and only got re-elected in 2004 because he invaded Iraq the year prior. Democrats have won 7 of the last 8 elections, including the last 4 in a row. There are more Democrats and left-leaning independents than Republicans and right-leaners. If the Republicans lose-but-win AGAIN, I don’t think the county could take it; there would be phony calls for secession on TV and legitimate whispers behind the scenes, there would be lawsuits, there would be an even bigger assault on the Capitol than January 6, people would riot, the National Guard would attack brown people with impunity while peacefully corralling the white ones with shields and loudspeakers.

There hasn’t been an assassination since 1963, and no assassination attempt resulting in injury since 1981. Someone threw a grenade at Bush Jr in 2005, but they wrapped a handkerchief around it so the lever didn’t release. I think multiple politicians on both sides of the aisle might be targeted in the event of another electoral college screw up.

Trump could face jail time for his tax crimes, though given his high profile I think he’d get off with a slap on the wrist. He has never faced consequences before, so why would they start now?

#politics #political #2024 #2024 election #2024 prediction #2024 presidential election #politicians #John Edwards #Sarah Palin #mitt romney #paul ryan #Mike pence #Kamala Harris #Donald Trump #Joe Biden #fuck trump #fuck donald trump #fuck Republicans

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lokilickedme · 4 years

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Writing Update, 4/17/20

Trying to get back into the groove here - recovery’s been rougher than I expected but at least part of my brain feels like it might be coming back online, so we’ll see how this goes. I haven’t done an update post in a long time, so I made myself a new header for it on the premise that sparkly new thing = motivation. I’m sure that’s not true but it’s worth a try :)

Worked on The Department chapter 35 tonight, which is currently at around 3800 words and will be wrapping up in about another 300. Might be ready to post on Sunday and settle back into its designated timeslot. Updates on that one may slip to bi-weekly until it’s finished, or until I finish one of the books I’m working on and can go back to devoting more time to it. Chief and Greta just made an appointment for the minute Ant leaves town, but first Andy’s gotta survive one more night without being assassinated by his own guardian.

Mapped out the next pairing for Tales From Quarantine. It’s probably going to be Chem!Tom and Anja :) Tom is being a bit macabre, and we all know how weirdness makes him horny.

TOM: Someone will have to find our corpses, eventually. Unless the whole world goes down, then I guess it'll be aliens.

ANJA: What?!?

TOM: Skeletons everywhere, just all laying in bed, watching TV or fucking, waiting for the world to end while it slips quietly into that good night.

ANJA: WHAT?!?!

I have chunks of Hammer Of The Gods chapters 28 and 29 put together, as well as a good part of the final chapter and some of the epilogue. Chapter 28 could go up in the next couple of weeks. Tate’s got Jake’s tuition money and a fierce determination to make sure his selflessness won’t be for nothing.

Jack Montague will be delayed for a little while. This one takes a really specific mindset to write and I’m just not up to it lately and I refuse to halfass this story, it means too much to me. Loki and Adam are still sorting wtf is keeping them flying through the portals every five minutes, but it’s pretty likely that Loki’s already figured it out.

ADAM: You are possibly the dumbest motherfucker I’ve ever had the sorry misfortune to be acquainted with...but it’s been something of a cockassed honor to to die repeatedly with you.

LOKI: Yeah, I guess now wouldn’t be a good time to tell you your daughter is an interdimensional anomaly that’s going to destroy the gods and the gods in question plan to destroy her first and they’ve sent me to do the job...would it?

UPCOMING BOOKS:

The second book in the Strada Trilogy is about half finished, so...not too terribly long till this one goes out. Baltho is still an uncontrollable nutcase and oh yeah, his powers are returning...Keene is still cranky and put out about the whole situation and might be catching feels, if he believed in that sort of thing...the other Strada are crossing over and the Messenger has just arrived with a whole bunch of sticky notes to remind him what he’s supposed to tell everybody, but nobody seems willing to follow that whole “don’t shoot the messenger” thing long enough for him to do his job. The end of the world doesn’t come from a virus, folks...it comes from big guys with wings and really bad attitudes.

Another second book - part 2 of The Carmichael Addendum - is outlined and maybe a quarter written. The war they were expecting in book one? Yeah, it came. Except Kaine is nowhere to be found and Aiden’s name is on the dead list and a rogue slayer is consecrating kills - which is a big no no - and Clarissa’s gotta find the guy before Fitz and his Agents do. She’s got a pretty good idea who it is though...because sometimes the dead don’t stay dead, and a certain archaeology dropout might be harder to kill than everyone expected.

Eidos and The Fifth King are both coming along nicely. These will be housed together in one book. Sexy cyberpunk sci-fi.

Wicklow House is chugging along, I’ve got the entire thing sorted and it’s maybe a quarter written. It’s ended up being the first of a series. Huh, imagine that. Gothic horror romance/mystery.

Chemical Volume Three is nearly finished, this one will go to publishing within a month I think. I rewrote bits of a few of the Prehistories and polished them up some, and did the same with Penumbraluna.

The McClary Chronicles book four is about half written. It’ll go out at some point this year, fingers crossed.

The King’s Heart and The Wolf King are waiting their turn - they’ll be partly rewritten and then published, I haven’t decided if they’ll be together or in separate books yet.

Whisper is almost finished being rewritten, then it’ll be released as a novella.

That’s where everything is at the moment. I’ll try to get back into posting update notices a couple times a week like I used to do.

#writing stuff

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lumilasi · 4 years

Photo

UPDATE: added her civilian outfit + updated rest of her bio

Her bio below

Age: 34 when Kain and Ryuu arrived in her place the first time, 40 now

Sexuality: lesbian

KEI’S QUIRK EXPLAINED

Quirk name: Knight (Pros in normal, cons in bold)

SWORD MODE

When in this mode, her attack will always cause damage regardless of the opponent’s defenses and invulnerability. How severe it is depends on the opponent, but the attack will always have some form of impact.

She can also easily break through physical emitter attacks that require offence tactics, such as Ice or soil-based quirks that aim to immobilize you.

she can switch between her two modes fairly quickly by default, making her a very efficient fighter.

The strength of her attacks depends heavily on her physical health; if she’s feeling weaker, her attack efficiency is weaker too, as well as the speed in switching between her two modes.

She tends to be on her other mode by default, so Kei needs to physically switch herself into the offensive mode, and when she does that, she can’t use her shield mode abilities.

SHIELD MODE

“Shield mode” basically makes her immune/highly resistant to any types of attacks, and this includes non-direct emitters like brainwashing. She has this mode on by default constantly.

Quirk-erasure skills are the only exception to her immunity, though only indirect emitter types; any quirk erasure that requires physical contact won’t work on her.

Like with the sword mode, her defense strength and stamina depends on her current fitness.

RANDOM FACTS

- “Kei” means Knight, and “Reidou” means “mother” and “home”

- Her new name was given to her by an elderly couple who took care of her for a while after she managed to flee the commission agents after her (by luck), making them think she was dead.

- Her original name basically means “fire heart autumn child”, a nod to her strong willed nature, warm color scheme and the fact she was born in fall.

- She often likes to wear tank tops and cardigans. For shoes she either wears those brown boots or sandals, all the time. Sandals for exceptionally warm weather, boots for any other weather. She refuses to wear any other kind of footwear.

- She was a very skinny and petite as a child, but due to her quirk grew much more strong framed overtime.

- Like said, Kei isn’t truly a villain but more of a vigilante. While she’d lost her trust in the system, she wanted still to help people, despite knowing it was risky as it could potentially reveal she was alive.

- She drinks a lot of coffee, and does frequent a bar Aizawa sometimes goes to with Mic and Nemuri. She has even talked with the pro-hero at times and they kinda get along. Aizawa has his suspicions that she’s a Vigilante of some sort, but never asks questions about it.

- She works in a local coffee shop of the village she’s living in. As a result Kei drinks a shit-ton of coffee, and usually black. She also occasionally suffers from Insomnia.

- She’s not that bothered by Ryuu and Kain’s sometimes brutal and violent antics, because she has seen first hand how the supposed “good guy side” sometimes does even worse bullshit.

- Rankure gives her grey hairs with her gullible nature and tendency to end up mixed up in random schemes, but she loves her anyway. As long as she doesn’t get mixed with the big wigs on either side, she’s fine with her antics.

- Kei was the one who taught Wasabi how to use the staff, because he saw her train with it one day and thought it was cool, so he wanted to learn it too.

PERSONALITY

Kei is pretty calm and stoic for the most part, with a dry and sarcastic sense of humor. She is very distrustful of strangers due to her past experiences, and it takes her a while to warm up to people, apart from those she sees are obviously in great need of help; even with them, she won’t share her personal history easily. It took her a long time to tell her story to Rankure and Wasabi for example.

She can be pretty intimidating when angry, and overall has big “momma bear” or “Mama Lion” energy as Rankure describes it.

Because of her past, and guilt issues, she can take topics touching her history very personally, getting overtly aggressive to people’s faces for these issues, such as people being insensitive over death, child abuse, or when people ridicule somebody for questioning things reasonably (namely anything about the hero structure) She’s generally known for having the kind of temper that can go from zero to a hundred in a snap second if you rub her the wrong way.

She’s also not very fond of heroes, but doesn’t really hate them knowing most are just puppets for their leaders, not realizing how badly flawed the system they uphold is. Nowadays she just prefers minding her own business, running the small coffee shop and being the rational one in her found family.

BACKGROUND STORY:

Kei’s parents were friends with Akashiro’s wife, and she used to babysit Kain when he was very little, before the boy was fully locked up in the facility his dad worked in.

After his quirk manifested, Kei began to notice problematic signs from the way his father treated the boy, and how often he had to go through “clinical checks” that always seemed to leave the boy shaken.

Initially, the child did not want to tell her anything about what was going on despite her concern, but eventually relented, which prompted the then-teenager Kei to confront his dad about it. He told her to keep her nose out of his business however, stating it was a government matter, the situation with Kain.

She kept arguing over this with Daiki (Kain’s father) for months, after seeing more and more worrying signs in the boy, until one day he lost control of his quirk one time she was visiting the laboratory. After yelling at Daiki’s face she was dragged away and thrown out forcibly, told to return home.

After this incident, her and her family began to feel like they were being followed, and one day as they headed for a holiday trip, their car swayed off the road due to a sudden storm, and caused it to fall to the sea; Kei managed to survive thanks to her quirk, but her parents died. (she later found out the car had been tampered with as someone *cough*theherocomission*cough* wanted to get rid of her and her family as they knew too much about Dr. Akashiro’s work)

She initially suffered from amnesia, and was taken in and raised by an elderly couple in a smaller more rural town, who also gave her her new name, named after the old woman’s late mother. Once her memory returned couple years later, she initially wanted to find out what happened that night, returning to the capital secretly. She quickly realized that trying to dig into this could be too dangerous, so she decided to leave it be. This trip inspired her to become a Vigilante though, as a bit of a way to make amends over her guilt for what she felt was her fault; her parents dying and an innocent boy being left behind in a horrid situation.

Years later, she ran into a young woman who was carrying a troubled looking child, being chased by a bunch of gangsters. Kei, being reminded of the kid she hadn’t been able to save, decided to step in and managed to drive off the gangsters by sheer intimidation thanks to her strength and durability that her quirk gave her. She allowed the pair to stay with her, not caring that the woman - Rankure - had a bit of a criminal record, let alone what she learned from the little boy, Saname.

She’d seen this all before, but this time, she could help.

Then, many, many years later, she was almost discovered by some government agents who’d heard rumors about a liability still perhaps being alive. Kain showed up however that day, basically steering them away from her and making them fully think it was a false alarm.

As an expression of gratitude and another form of amend to Kain, Kei allowed him and his friend - whom she knew was a dangerous criminal, if not known around there - to stay as long as they promised to not cause trouble, which both agreed to.

#my art stuff #bnha vigilante oc #my bnha oc #boku no hero oc #kei Reidou #my hero academy oc #bnha oc #character bio #character reference #updates may occur #Lumi's art scribbles #Lumi's chaotic creations

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multiverseforger · 4 years

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Kraven's real name is Sergei Kravinoff (Сергей Кравинов). He is a Soviet immigrant, the son of an aristocrat who fled to the United States with his family in 1917 after the Russian nobility was decimated by the February Revolution and subsequent collapse of the reign of Tsar Nicholas II.

Kraven is a maniacal big game hunter who seeks to defeat Spider-Man to prove that he is the greatest hunter in the world.[4] Unlike other hunters, he typically disdains the use of guns or bow and arrows, preferring to take down large dangerous animals with his bare hands. He also lives by a code of honor of sorts, choosing to hunt his game fairly.[5] He consumes a mystical serum to give himself enhanced strength and dramatically slow the aging process. Kraven was trained as a hunter largely by a mysterious man named Gregor, a mercenary who once battled Ka-Zar.[6] Kraven was, at one point, the lover of the voodoo priestess Calypso.[7]

He is contacted by his half-brother the Chameleon to defeat Spider-Man. He leads Spider-Man to Central Park with the help of the Chameleon, who disguises himself as Kraven to use himself as a decoy while the real Kraven ambushes the hero. However, despite Kraven having weakened Spider-Man with a poisonous dart, Spider-Man prevails in the end. Spider-Man proves a frustrating quarry because Kraven continually underestimates the superhero's resourcefulness.[8]

Kraven becomes a founding member of the Sinister Six when he accepts Doctor Octopus's offer to form a team to fight Spider-Man where they capture Aunt May and Betty Brant. He attacks Spider-Man in Central Park with three tigers. Spider-Man easily fights off the attackers and secures the next clue to where Aunt May and Betty Brant are being held. After Aunt May and Betty Brant are rescued, Kraven the Hunter and the rest of the Sinister Six are arrested by the police.[9]

While in the Savage Land, Kraven the Hunter found Gog in a spaceship that he stumbles upon. Realizing how useful Gog can be, Kraven the Hunter decides to use him in a plot to conquer the Savage Land. After kidnapping the visiting Gwen Stacy from a camp in the Savage Land, Kraven and Gog battle the heroes Ka-Zar and Spider-Man.[10] While Ka-Zar deals with Kraven, Spider-Man defeats Gog by luring him into a patch of quicksand, which he sinks to the bottom of.[11]

Determined to end his life as he becomes older, frustrated with his failing health and continuing failure to defeat Spider-Man, Kraven sets out a final hunt for Spider-Man. After capturing Spider-Man, he shoots him with a coma-inducing drug and buries him alive on his estate.[12] To complete his victory, he attempts to become Spider-Man's clear superior by impersonating him in a brutal vigilante campaign and capturing Vermin, the one foe Spider-Man had never been able to defeat on his own (Spider-Man's last battle with Vermin required Captain America's assistance).[13]

After Spider-Man emerges from his grave two weeks later, Kraven explains his actions to him and sets Vermin free, reaffirming to Kraven that his foe is an honorable man. Spider-Man goes after Vermin to prevent his killing again, giving Kraven the opportunity to leave a final confession of his crimes against Spider-Man and then commit suicide.[14] Because of his suicide, his soul is unable to find rest until Spider-Man confronts his risen corpse on Kraven's behalf.[15]

Kraven is resurrected from the dead by Sasha Kravinoff and the Kravinoff family with a ritual using the blood of Spider-Man.[16] He is shown to now be explosively psychopathic and cold towards his family, beating his son Vladimir and daughter Ana and expressing little attention towards his wife. After being stabbed by his daughter Ana, Sergei recovers, stating that Sasha restored him with corrupted blood which he calls "unlife". They pull off the mask of the corpse of Spider-Man hung in their mantel and discover that Kaine is in Spider-Man's costume.[17] Spider-Man, in his black costume, confronts Kraven and the rest of the Kravinoff Family. Spider-Man is tempted to kill Kraven, but he refuses to do so when he is reminded by Julia Carpenter (who has inherited the powers of Madame Web after her death) that committing murder is not in his moral code. Following their defeat by Spider-Man, Kraven and his family escape to the Savage Land. While there, Kraven brutally kills Sasha (who complained that Kraven would have to hunt them to prove their place in the Kravinoff family) and euthanizes Vladimir. Alyosha flees in disgust of what his dad did to his stepmom and half-brother afterwards. Kraven and Ana discuss rebuilding the Kravinoff family, which leads to Ana running off to hunt Alyosha to prove herself worthy to Kraven and rebuild the Kravinoff family.[18]

It was later revealed that back in the 1950s, Kraven the Hunter was a member of Nick Fury's Avengers alongside Dominic Fortune I, Dum Dum Dugan, Namora, Silver Sable, Sabretooth, and Ulysses Bloodstone, tracking a stolen version of the Super-Soldier Serum combined with the Infinity Formula that had been stolen by a group of Nazis attempting to create their own Captain America.[19]

While he is in the Savage Land, Agent Venom lands in the area on an unrelated mission from the federal government. Mistaking him to be Spider-Man, Kraven attacks him and gains the upper hand before Venom escapes.[20]

At one point, Kraven is contacted by a doctor who once treated him when a past hunt went wrong, the doctor requesting that Kraven track down a recent patient of hers - who had been used as a test subject to duplicate another man's electrical abilities — as well as asking that he capture the Black Panther — currently acting as a 'local' vigilante to regain his sense of self after the destruction of Wakanda's vibranium - in return for her help finding a way for him to die. With the aid of Storm, T'Challa is able to stay ahead of Kraven long enough to convince him that the doctor had lied about being able to kill him, Kraven agreeing to leave T'Challa alone and take the doctor's mutated animal subjects back with him into the wild.[21]

When their identities became fractured after a temporary separation, the Hulk discovers that Bruce Banner had hired Kraven to find the lost city of the Sasquatches. Although the Hulk was uninterested with helping the Sasquatches deal with Kraven, he changes his mind and beats up Kraven.[22]

Kaine, in the alias of the Scarlet Spider, later encountered Kraven the Hunter, who was dressed as the Scarlet Spider in order to torment him.[23] With the help of Ana, Kraven kidnapped Kaine's friends in order to motivate the Scarlet Spider to fight him. In the end, Kaine delivered Kraven a fatal blow in the chest, which paralyzed his heart. But using the same attack, Kaine brought him back to life supposedly still breaking the curse. Following the fight, both Kravens disappeared.[24]

Kraven, still claiming to be cursed, next battles Squirrel Girl at Empire State University, having earned her ire by lashing out at the local squirrels, including Tippy-Toe. Kraven departs when Squirrel Girl informs him of the existence of sea monsters like Giganto and challenges him to hunt them, instead of limiting himself to going after the same prey he did prior to his resurrection.[25] He later returns to abduct Howard the Duck,[26] but gets trapped with Howard and Squirrel Girl in a manhunt as the hunted. After surviving, he vows to only "hunt the hunters".[27]

During the "Avengers: Standoff!" storyline, Kraven the Hunter was an inmate of Pleasant Hill, a gated community established by S.H.I.E.L.D. who used Kobik's abilities to turn Kraven the Hunter into a zookeeper. He rallied some of his fellow inmates to help him find Kobik and bring her to Baron Helmut Zemo.[28]

During the "Opening Salvo" part of the "Secret Empire" storyline, Kraven the Hunter is recruited by Baron Helmut Zemo to join the Army of Evil.[29] At the time when Manhattan was surrounded by a Darkforce Dome, Kraven the Hunter raided the Daily Bugle in order to find information to the identity of Spider-Man. Knowing that J. Jonah Jameson would be in danger, Phil Sheldon's daughter Jennie headed to J. Jonah Jameson's house to warn him. After Kraven the Hunter attacked J. Jonah Jameson, Jennie Sheldon fired a signal flare into the sky. This attracted the attention of Spider-Woman, who defeated Kraven the Hunter. Jennie Sheldon even took pictures of the fight.[30]

At the time when Venom encountered some Dinosaur People in the sewers, Kraven the Hunter followed Venom and killed an Ankylosaurus-type Dinosaur Person before engaging Venom in battle. He was fended off by Venom, who vowed to fight Kraven again.[31] Upon the news of Dinosaur People being found beneath the streets of New York City, Mayor Wilson Fisk and NYPD Commissioner Chris Rafferty appointed Kraven the Hunter to lead a SWAT Team into the sewers and eliminate them. When Venom deactivated each trap and confronted Kraven, Venom was caught off-guard when Kraven the Hunter revealed his secret ally Shriek, who used her attacks on Venom and then collapsed the ceiling over him. Shriek then tells Kraven the Hunter that she can have Eddie Brock's head after the mission is done.[32] As the Dinosaur People feed on the rats that enter their lair, Kraven the Hunter sneaks up on some Dinosaur People and kills them. Venom catches up to Kraven the Hunter and fights him and Shriek. With help from Tana, Venom stated that the Dinosaur People were not killing anybody and that they are only surviving underground. Kraven the Hunter and Shriek are arrested by the NYPD, as the captain stated that he never liked Kraven the Hunter anyway.[33]

Kraven the Hunter was hired by the evil organization Rampart to lure Captain America to them. After a brief struggle with Kraven the Hunter, Captain America was frozen in ice by Rampart's freeze cannon.[34]

Squirrel Girl has helped Kraven reform, teaming up with him to fight other villains, even establishing a friendship with him. She helps Kraven realize that Spider-Man is not even close to being the most dangerous prey in the Marvel Universe.[35]

In a prelude to "Hunted", Kraven the Hunter reminisces about how Sasha, Vladimir, and Alyosha were killed by him and Ana for not living up to his legacy. After cutting a deal with the High Evolutionary, Kraven the Hunter has 87 clones of him created, trained as the Sons of Kraven, and sent out to prove themselves by being hunted by each other. This motif caused Ana to leave him. The one that hunted and killed the other Sons of Kraven was labeled as the Last Son of Kraven. With help from the Taskmaster, the Black Ant, and Arcade, Kraven the Hunter starts hunting various animal-themed characters, like the Beetle, the Kangaroo, the Owl, the Puma, the Serpent Society, the Squid, and the White Rabbit. In the case of the King Cobra, the Rhino, the Scorpion, Stegron the Dinosaur Man, the Tarantula, and the Vulture, they were grouped together as the Savage Six.[36] While making the final preparations for the "Great Hunt," Kraven the Hunter recaps on his own immortality when it was revealed that the Kraven the Hunter that was stabbed by the Scarlet Spider was actually a clone. Kraven the Hunter sends the Last Son of Kraven to capture Spider-Man for the Great Hunt.[37] After a Hunter-Bot created by Arcade Industries is demonstrated on the Iguana, Kraven the Hunter and Arcade begin the Great Hunt, where Central Park is surrounded by a dome that is from the same technology as the Planetary Defense System.[38] It is revealed that the moment the individual connects to the Hunter-Bot and if it is destroyed, then the individual is killed, which is what happens when the Vulture destroys Bob's Hunter-Bot. Kraven the Hunter plans this from the beginning to punish the hunters for killing animals for sport.[39] Kraven the Hunter has Arcade tell the Vulture that there is a chance to break the force field by killing more Hunter-Bots.[40] During a fight between the Hunter-Bots and the animal-themed characters, Kraven the Hunter's secret motive is to force Spider-Man into killing him again so that he can be free from his dreadful curse. He does this by trapping Curt Connors when he tries to rescue his son, Billy. Spider-Man was forced to "kill" Curt by tearing out the implant chip that prevented Curt hurting humans as the Lizard, despite the risk that taking out the chip would kill Curt.[41] After Spider-Man found the dead bodies of the guards that were killed when the Lizard escaped, he was confronted by Kraven the Hunter. During their fight, Spider-Man figured out that Kraven the Hunter was the one who killed the guards to frame the Lizard, as the wounds are too precise for the Lizard's feral claws. In order to guilt Spider-Man into becoming a hunter, Kraven the Hunter attempts to force Spider-Man to watch the Lizard save Billy and the Black Cat from the Last Son of Kraven, but Spider-Man rejects the idea that this can only be accomplished through violence. Upon realizing that he was the beast that he was wanting to kill all along, Kraven the Hunter released all the surviving animal-themed characters and sends Spider-Man to protect Mary Jane. Kraven the Hunter then dons a copy of Spider-Man's black costume to act like him once more. When the Last Son of Kraven was conned into strangling Kraven the Hunter to death, he soon realized that he was fooled when he sees Spider-Man swinging away.[42] His funeral is later attended by the Last Son of Kraven. The Chameleon is revealed to be one of the attendees, as he is pleased that Kraven the Hunter spared him from the Great Hunt. As he walks away, the Chameleon quotes to his dead half-brother to sleep well and states "You needn't worry. The world is no longer your burden. Besides, there won't be much of it left soon...not by the time I've finished"

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silenthillmutual · 4 years

Text

boy i was thinking about Marble Nest within the full context of Pathologic 2 because honestly you should play Marble Nest once before you complete the main game and once after

and thinking about Daniil stitching the odongh up for the wedding and him being not understanding what’s going on until he’s handed a human heart as payment for keeping the odongh alive and how the Kin tell him that no one else will die now,

the wound being self-inflicted because the odongh wants the pest to eliminate the town & its inhabitants (Nocturnal), this is why he tells Daniil not to heal him because that will ruin everything, as another member of the kin (the Herb Bride marrying earth) will die

the members of the kin asking for Daniil’s help not wanting the rest of the town to die off (Diurnal), and gifting him a heart because this along with spilled blood is what goes into the tinctures that save people, and Daniil is the last hope they have since Artemy is dead and Clara is AWOL in Marble Nest

the bitter irony of this of course being that when Daniil goes through Var’s pharmacy, he finds the panacea, but his agency and ability to use it is taken from him by the army / the Kains

Marble Nest actually fits really well in the Nocturnal ending because technically the Kains are winning (the Polyhedron is not destroyed, the “exam” is taken), and Daniil’s chance of survival is very slim (only 1/4 of Marble Nest’s endings have him live)

it also kind of fits in with Classic Daniil’s being a puppet constantly manipulated because the only choices you are capable of making in that game are prolonging your torture, accepting death (either meaningfully or without meaning), or accepting less conventional wisdom & refusing to play the game to the rules given to you:

accepting death without meaning: Nocturnal Ending, walking into the steppe and being killed in an attempt to run away

accepting death with meaning: Diurnal ending, you either stay in town or you return to the Capital where you’ll be killed

looped torture: you die, the game continues

refusing to play the game: you pick someone else’s ending

i also think it’s really interesting that Daniil on Day 11 says he feels like he’s been lead into acting the way he does when you find him in Lara’s place because both in the context of Marble Nest and in Classic, he doesn’t really have that many choices. in Classic a lot of this is because people are lying to him or he otherwise doesn’t have the full story so the choices he make naturally seem like bad choices when you’re not playing as him because you get more information than he does, but -

in Marble Nest he actually just doesn’t have any agency until it comes time to decide what to tell death, and even then the only moment of agency you get is if you’ve managed to tell death No Thank You. which is about how the end of his Classic route feels; people have been manipulating him into making a decision, to the point where actively choosing either Clara’s or Artemy’s ending feels like the only way to pick freedom.

#nori noises #i haven't had enough caffeine yet for my brain to really be online but #you can reblog this if you like #many thoughts head empty #plato plays marble nest #path of logic

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phonelinescut · 5 years

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oh look, i’m back with the report on pathologic 2 day 5 and by god it’s an awful one

five deaths everyone, five deaths!

i may have descended into a death spiral, tilting ever downwards.

setting the scene, i’ve already played up until around 1pm on day 5 at this point and reloaded a couple times to no real gain on my part, just a little less red on the bars. i start playing again tonight from my save in the lair.

at first i tried the original strategy: walk through the warehouses, stop off at the weird house to trade for a shmowder (a shmowder! in the flesh!) and hop on over to the chemist in bridge square to have a civil chat about embalming bodies in houses. i drop dead in the street the first time, the same the second time around.

then i decided my approach was most likely flawed and next turn made a stop in the crude sprawl where i could get so food so i could stop bloody dying every time i stepped out of my lair. this emboldened me, and so i went about my business at bridge square. morale is high and my mum, who is sitting next to me as i play, is concerned as i try to explain various bits of lore like where are your fellow doctors and why is one of them a teenage girl?

third time, i finally make it to the chemist and have a chat to victor kain about the whole thing, who tells me to mark houses with chalk. sure victor, i can do that, don’t mind me if i collapse on your lovely carpet. so i go out and listen at a few houses, mark one that’s mysteriously already marked and have a desperate flick through all the locals’ trading offers. cue another death, i’m pretty sure this one was another ‘local surgeon keels over in the middle of the road’ situation.

the fellow traveller greets me in the theatre this time and makes a wonderfully tempting offer but i refuse for reasons unknown even to me. the fear of what i may lose is greater than the hope of what i may gain, i guess.

so fourth time is a ride, i start in the crucible, thanking the save. i then proceed to listen at the houses, and enter one that’s making a noise just to check i’m doing the right thing. i get beaten to death trying to get up the stairs. no one is at the theatre this time.

fifth time’s the charm or so i’m hoping. i mark some houses and proceed to the theatre, mainly so i can check on the bone structure outside but also to chat to dankovsky, since i remember he was there from one of my previous reloads. i manage to get there just fine and have a nice talk to daniil who is actually making some sort of effort to care about steppe language? very sweet. i promptly drop dead to the theatre floor. at least they don’t have to carry me far.

so here i am, typing this post after this ordeal and considering just starting a new game. i don’t believe at this point i’m likely to ever get back on track with anything but i’m reluctant to restart because i know i won’t be experiencing it for the first time again. i know where i went wrong (that damned Fund task on day four that involved me sabotaging my own attempts to complete it) so i know i don’t have to stay like this, and there are some things i would do different but i’m still hesitant to abandon this run? help me

tl;dr i’m in a death loop and poor artemy has to put up with it, god help us

#pathologic 2 #fufilling my dream of becoming a text-based gaming youtuber #long post #so sorry about that #i need help though #poor artemy

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tooruclub · 6 years

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Because I’d Give You all the Years of My Life - Prologue

Summary: Riza Hawkeye keeps secrets and gets shot in the process.

A/N: hello @fullmetalscullyy and i came up with this idea and i couldn’t help myself from indulging in parental royai

READ ON AO3 here!

One second Riza Hawkeye stood to the left of Havoc, gun tight in her grasp with amber eyes scanning the emptied bank; one lightning fast bang later she was on the cold ground with white-hot pain flaring up in her right thigh. The window behind her had shattered, spraying shards of glass over her body. Havoc was there in a second, holding her in his arms and yelling for Fuery to bring Armstrong onto the case and for Breda to get a car. Riza would be fine, she knew she would be. It was only a shot in the leg, nothing life-threatening, especially not for her, but that didn’t erase the fear in the forefront of her mind. Her life wasn’t solely her own anymore, she had another person to worry about other than herself, and even though the wound was nowhere near her lower stomach, Riza still worried that the baby had been injured too.

Time passed in flashes. Riza could remember Havoc lifting her up, carrying her out of the bank, and putting her in the car. She could remember the blurry city line as Breda practically flew them to the hospital. She could pick out the worried faces of nurses she had seen over the past couple of weeks at her checkups, they knew her secret and were just as scared as she was. She could feel the uncomfortable hospital bed as they laid her down and she could remember the doctors rushing in to operate. Pulling the bullet out and sewing her thigh up was a quick process that she demanded to stay awake for. The last thing she could remember was the nurses telling her the baby was okay. That’s all Riza needed to know before welcoming sleep.

–

Out of all the things Roy expected to happen during his meeting with Ishvalan priests to prepare for the construction of new temples in the East, Kain Fuery bursting into the room without permission, breathless and teary-eyed, was not one of them. But what he really didn’t expect was to receive news that made his entire world stop.

“She’s been shot, sir.” In that moment Fuery looked the smallest he ever had. Short by nature, but the fear in his watering eyes and the shakiness of his hands made him look like an eight-year-old who had just seen a monster. “I’m sorry… I couldn’t let you sit in here and not know for hours.”

It wasn’t supposed to be a dangerous assignment, a simple robbery that could be handled within a couple of hours. The suspected thieves had fled the scene as soon as the military police arrived, leaving the team to hunt for any leads. No other people were supposed to be in the building except them, at least that’s what they had been told. And now Riza had been shot. Roy didn’t want to believe it, his mind screamed for Fuery to tell him it was a lie, but his mouth was too dry to form words.

Roy could feel the piercing gazes of the Ishvalans seeping into his skin, their eyes calling out questions of who had been shot and why, questions that he didn’t want to answer. He shouldn’t leave this meeting, he knew that; it’s too important and the priests were expecting construction sites to pop up soon. But he had to leave. There was no way in hell he could sit in an office for four more hours without knowing whether or not Riza was okay. Perhaps it was a selfish decision to make, but Roy had to go.

He apologized profusely, repeating how sorry he was that he had to go. that one of his men had been shot. It’s not common for a high ranking military man to leave an important meeting with officials from other cities simply because oneof their men got shot, but the other Amestrian officials said anything, not even the Furher. They all knew who was in danger and that there was no point in trying to make Roy stay.

Roy and Fuery raced out of Central Headquarters side by side. The poor second lieutenant was still trembling, afraid to look at Roy and see the hurt plastered on his face as they stomped down the halls.

“When did you find out?” Roy snapped as they scrambled into a car, Fuery getting in the driver’s seat and he in the back.

“I was there, sir. I came straight to tell you while Breda and Havoc took her to the hospital.”

They sat in silence for the rest of the ride. Roy squeezed his shaking knee, wishing he could calm his anxieties. He shouldn’t have reacted that way, he should’ve waited until the meeting was finished, but Riza wasn’t just his subordinate anymore. The two had been meeting in secret outside of work for months now. After the Promised Day, around a year and a half ago, it was mutually decided that they wouldn’t hold back their feelings anymore, at least not to each other. They had faced death head on and didn’t want to waste any more time not being together. Roy hated the secrecy, but he was more than willing to sacrifice a public relationship if it meant that he’d be able to just be with her.

Roy didn’t even wait for the car to be parked before hopping out and rushing into the hospital. The nurses at the front desk nearly jumped out of their seats in shock when he flew in. He looked a mess, raven hair out of place and coat flying behind him, and they knew exactly why. One of the nurses stationed up front had worked with Roy and Riza both when they shared the same room a year and a half ago. She wasted no time getting out of her seat and leading Roy, and a winded Fuery who ran in after the General, to the room Riza was in.

–

Riza was still in surgery when Roy finally reached her room, so he did the only thing he knew how to do when scared. Pace. He walked up and down the halls, one hand tugging at his hair and the other shoved into his coat pocket. Fuery stood against the wall opposite to Riza’s room, trying to see anything through the tiny square window.

Don’t leave me, Riza. You can’t leave me, not yet. We have so much left to live for, so much left to do. You can’t go, not now, not ever.

Thoughts clouded with negativity refused to leave Roy’s head. He tried to be optimistic, prayed that she had gotten shot somewhere easy, he really did, yet he couldn’t shake the idea that she had been horribly injured or even worse dead. No, she wouldn’t have died. That doesn’t happen to her. It just doesn’t. Riza’s going to be fine. She’s strong, she won’t give up so easily. Even through the forced optimism, the one image Roy couldn’t shake was Riza lying on the ground, blood pooling around her body as life was being ripped away from her.

Havoc and Breda arrived at the room minutes later. Roy stopped his pacing and faced them.

“Where were the both of you?” Roy’s voice was harsher than he meant it to be, but his men knew that he wasn’t being cold with them directly.

“Brigadier General Armstrong called about the case, sir,” Havoc began to explain, lowering himself to sit on the floor, back resting against the beige hospital wall. He was visibly exhausted; his baby blues were drained of vibrancy and there were hints of purple underneath his eyes.

“They have a few leads to the burglars, but they did catch one man. Armstrong is pretty sure that it’s the guy who shot Hawkeye. He was across the street, high up in a building with a sniper’s rifle. They’ve taken him to Headquarters for interrogation.”

Anger bubbled up at the bottom of Roy’s stomach, mixing with the acidity in his gut. He wanted to throw up. If this was the man that shot Riza, then he wanted them dead. Immediately. No, he wanted to hand that man his death on a silver platter of his own flames. Roy couldn’t do that, though. It’d be too obvious. This wasn’t a dire life or death situation where he could kill anybody that harmed Riza. This was a case that had to be handled professionally and there wasn’t absolutely nothing he could do about it.

“Good. Keep up with Armstrong’s team and let me know of any updates. Other than that, you’re all free to go,” Roy said, glancing over the three men. They had worked hard today, both on the case and in getting Riza to the hospital. They deserved to rest.

Breda let out a snort, sliding down against the wall to sit to the left of Havoc. “You’re dumb if you think we’re going anywhere, boss. She means as much to us as she does to you.”

“Falman would be here too if he wasn’t caught up in Briggs,” Havoc added.

Roy sighed and joined the row, sitting on the floor to Havoc’s right. Fuery took a seat at the end of the row, next to Roy, after trying to peek through the door one last time. There was no point in trying to send any of them home. Their team was loyal with a bond so unbreakable not even an all-mighty god could pull them apart, in comparison to what they had gone through together, a gunshot was nothing.

–

Thirty minutes or so passed by before nurses and a doctor filed out of the room, the lead doctor coming out of the room last with a clipboard in hand. All four men on the floor jumped up once the room was cleared, hoping to see Riza or at least know if she had made it through.

“Are any of you family to Miss. Hawkeye?” The doctor asked, glancing at the row of men over the brim of his glasses.

A chorus of three sad no’s and one forceful yes echoed throughout the hallway. Breda, Havoc, and Fuery all looked at Roy with shock. Technically, no, he wasn’t family, but he was the closest damn thing she had to it. Lying wasn’t something Roy did often, but he’d do it to see her.

The doctor pushed the door to her room open and motioned for Roy to join him inside. Riza was asleep when they walked in, bobbed blonde hair splayed against the white pillow. Roy wanted to rush to her side, grab her hand and beg her to wake up, but there was no way in hell the doctor would let him bother her.

The two sat in chairs pushed against the wall, opposite of Riza’s bed. Roy couldn’t stop himself from looking at her every now and then. He hated seeing her like this, weak and out of body. It had been so long since she had been in a hospital and the last time he couldn’t even see her. For once in his life he was thankful for his previous blindeness. He never wanted to see Riza in a hospital bed again.

“The surgery went perfect,” The doctor started, drawing Roy’s attention away from Riza. “Miss. Hawkeye was shot in the thigh and was lucky that it didn’t hit any bones. She’ll be fine in a couple of weeks, though there she may have a limp for a while, but it’ll fade.” Roy could finally breathe. She was going to be fine. It was minor and Riza was going to be okay.

“More importantly,” he continued. “The baby is going to be fine. We checked the heartbeat and ran a quick scan just to make sure that everything was normal. A couple of inches higher and it would’ve been a grave situation, but they’re both fine. Miss Hawkeye should wake up in a couple of hours, you’re free to wait here with her.”

The doctor’s existence faded away the second he mentioned a baby. Roy’s world stopped in disbelief for a second time that day. A baby? Riza never told him anything about her being pregnant. Hell, he hadn’t even noticed any changes with her, but then again if she truly didn’t want him to know about it, she’d find a way to hide it. He didn’t understand many things in that moment, but Roy really couldn’t figure why would she want to hide something like that from him. He couldn’t think of any valid reasons as to why she’d keep a secret that big. The baby was definitely his. He thought they had been careful all the times they slept together but clearly, they hadn’t been careful enough.

God, he wished she would wake up soon. He had so many questions swirling in his brain, it felt as though his mind would burst at any second. The doctor had left at some point, he probably took notice to Roy’s shock and thought it best to leave him, leaving him alone with his Riza. His Riza, the mother of his baby, and fuck, he was going to be a father. It was all too surreal and spending the silence overthinking would do nothing but send him into a mess, so he leaned back in the chair and waited for Riza to wake, never once taking his eyes off of her sleeping body.

–

Voices. Riza could hear voices all around her. She didn’t want to open her eyes yet, still exhausted from the day’s events, and decided to simply listen.

“She’s gonna be okay though, right?” Fuery was there, she could hear his trembling voice breaking through the frantic conversation.

“You can’t just hide everything from us, boss, that’s not cool.”

“Exactly.”

Havoc and Breda too, she expected them to be there, but Havoc mentioned a boss and that meant– no. No, he couldn’t be there. He shouldn’t be there. Roy would only fuss over her and come up with excuses for him to justify missing work. She would be fine, she didn’t need him to be there with her. When she was back on her feet Riza was going to shoot whoever thought it was a good idea to run and tell Roy Mustang that she had been injured and hospitalized.

It was more than him missing work, though, she was terrified to face Roy. The secret she carried deep within her was bound to come to light at some point, Riza just didn’t want it to be now. Although she hated keeping things from him, she thought it was the best thing to do. With so much on both of their plates, bringing a baby into the mixture wasn’t ideal but Riza would handle it. She could deal with this on her own. Telling Roy would only make him worry more and neither of them needed him to be stressed out.

“Listen she’s going to be okay, but she needs space to rest.” Riza laughed at that in the back of her head, how ironic was it for Roy to say that when he’d be the one person not giving her space.

She listened as the other three men grumbled for a bit before sulking out of the room. A part of her wanted to open her eyes and face Roy, but another part of her was still worried to face him. On top of the baby, she knew how much he hated hospitals, specifically when she was in them. And as much as she wanted to, Riza couldn’t push this off any longer. Roy would have questions waiting and after a bit of mental encouragement, she was ready to answer them.

–

The second Riza’s eyes flittered open, Roy was at her bedside. With nobody else in the room to see them or question their closeness, he reached for her hand and gently intertwined his fingers with hers.

“Riza?” The warmth softness of his voice washed over Riza’s body and she couldn’t help but crack a weak smile.

“I’m okay, you don’t have to worry.” She turned her head slightly to look at him, taking in his concerned face.

“The doctor said that you’re pregnant,” Roy said quietly, breaking away from her gaze. He was shy to touch on the topic, dreading her response to him knowing.

Riza’s jaw dropped, stunned. He knew. Fuck, fuck, fuck, he knew, and she hadn’t been the one to tell him. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go, she was supposed to tell him later, after he had finished his current plans with Ishval, when they had a break in time. He wasn’t supposed to find out like this.

Tears pooled at the corner of her eyes and Riza tried to pull her hand out of his grasp, but Roy only held onto her tighter. She fought back the tears, not wanting to appear anymore weak than she already did.

“Don’t try to carry this all on your own, please,” he murmured, squeezing her hand in reassurance. “I’m not upset, I promise. I just want to know why you hid this from me.”

“This would only be a burden to you right now–“

Roy’s eyes snapped up, no longer clouded with worry but blazing with frustration.

“A burden, Riza?” He spat out the word as if it were poison. “How can you say something like that?”

“Because it’s true, Roy,” she replied, keeping her voice level. “We’re both too busy for this right now, but I can handle it. I’m not going to force you into a commitment like this when you’re working on so many projects right now.”

“Force me into a commitment like this? Riza, we made a commitment to each other long, long ago and that still applies even to this. You’re not forcing me into anything. You don’t have to force me to be a father to ourchild.”

Riza shook her head. Of course, he’d bring up the promises they’d made to each other all those years ago. He wasn’t going to let her go down any road in life alone, that was a fact, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t going to fight against it.

“Legally, you can’t be the father of this child. Think about that, think about your career.” She needed Roy to look at this logically. He needed to push his heart aside and use his brain for once with her.

Roy scoffed, head tilting to the side and looking at her with hurt. “I don’t care about any of that right now. I care about you and our baby, that’s all. Nothing you say is going to change that. And if I have to physically amend the law myself to be a part of this, then I will. I’ll go straight to Grumman tomorrow morn–”

“No, you won’t,” Riza snapped, eyebrows knit together in irritation. “You’re going to continue to work as usual and act as if nothing has changed, Roy. I can handle this for now.”

Sighing, Roy expelled all of the frustration in his mind. Hell would freeze over before he let her go through this solo, that was clear, but he didn’t want to argue with her right now, especially not after today. They could talk about this later and come up with a solution, one that Roy hoped included him being present in the growth and life of their child.

“Go back to sleep, Riza,” Roy whispered, running his thumb over the back of her hand. “I have to go pick up some things from the office, but I’ll be back later.”

“I swear to God, you better not go to Grumman and talk to him about this–“

He hushed her with a kiss to her forehead, squeezing her hand one last time.

“I wouldn’t go behind your back like that, not before we’ve talked about this.” Riza’s gaze softened at that, reassured that he wouldn’t run straight to the Furher and demand a law change. They’d work this out together somehow.

“Bring me back some work, too.”

Laughter burst out of Roy’s chest as he grabbed his coat. Sometimes he couldn’t believe this woman. Not even hours after being shot and getting operated on, she wanted work to do.

“I will not, but I will bring you something to eat. Hospital food is disgusting.” Roy flashed her a grin on his way to the door. She responded with the face of an annoyed puppy, nose scrunching up and amber eyes narrowing slightly.

“Fine.”

“I love you, Riza.” Roy said after making sure nobody was around in the hallway to hear him. He looked over his shoulder one last time, already half way out the door.

Riza’s fake annoyance faded away instantly, happiness and relief taking over her features.

“I know.”

Nobody else needed to know of their relationship, not when they had each other. It had been them, together, since the beginning of time and that was never going to change. Sure, a new addition was coming into the picture, but it would only bring them closer together. This baby was going to be a challenge for the both of them, but they’d get through it. They’d figure out how to work around the schedules and law somehow. They’d learn and adjust and find a solution together.

#royai #roy mustang #riza hawkeye #parental royai #royai oc #royai kid #royai fic #royai fanfiction #fmab #fma #fmab fanfiction #fma fanfiction

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ready8210 · 5 years

Text

„Let me in your heart again“

2. California calling

Vivian

Munich / Germany - Vivian's Hotel room

It's a shame you have to spend the whole day in a boring plane. I let my eyes wander out of the window, taking in the breathtaking bright blue morning sky, one last time.

It was a nice breathy summer day and I was standing in my hotel room in Munich, had grabbed my packed bags and was ready to go for our "two - year - adventure".

It took me some days to realize, what happened and that I would spend the next years with one of the biggest rock bands in history. Me, little clumsy, timid Vivian.

Unfortunately it didn't take me that long, to realize, my hero, the man himself, Mr Freddie Mercury, literally HATES ME.

Yes he hates me, for sure.

And I have to admit, I shad a view tears, as my fantasizing about what could have been, between the two of us, went overboard and got the best of me.

NO, you can't just really believe that. Of course I didn't cry!! I'm on a MISSION now....giving him the hardest time ever!!!!

I may be a tad to upbeat here. I'm afraid things will evolve in another direction.

* * * *

Munich / Germany - Airport

I took a taxi, earlier today, to get all my bags full of camera equipment and belongings to the airport. Two suitcases for all of my cameras, lenses and all the other stuff, that comes along with being a photographer, plus two, for all my clothes and personal stuff. I'm hopeless when it comes to packing, so I always end up with way to much to carry around.

Finally there, we had some hours to spare and I was killing time, strolling around the multiple shops with my new „friend" Roger Taylor, incessantly asking me about my life and flirting like a manic.

He really can be annoyingly persistent.

I ended up telling him I'm married, having high hopes he would draw his attention to somebody else. Big mistake, I tell you. It encouraged him even more. I finally found some alone time, which was much needed, cause for whatever reason, I didn't feel very sociable today, as Brian and John forcefully tug him away from me, to discuss "something" with the band.

Looking after them, strolling away and making their way to the other end of the hall, I rummage around my bag, to put out my cellphone and headphones and make myself comfortable, while waiting for boarding to begin. I have to smile, as I hear the first tones of „under pressure" resounding in my ear. „How fitting" I giggle, while laying back my head, with closed eyes and sealing myself off from the outside world.

„Boarding for business class passengers will begin in 5 minutes", I hear a tinny voice informing the waiting crowd, as I still lay back in my seat, waiting to head to sunny California. My head is killing me at the moment, many sleepless nights and pervasive anxiety attack's, for the last view days, didn't make it better. And to make matters worse, there's no chance, not even a spark of relaxation, for the next two years. Even less, when you have to deal with a hate - filled Rock God.

Convinced to fly economy today, as Mr. Beach had acknowledged me, a view days ago, I look at my ticket for the first time, since I received it, recognizing, much to my surprise and liking, I am booked for business class.

„Let's go" I mutter noiseless „Let the hell ride begin", putting my way to heavy bag over my shoulder and enthusiastically bouncing up. This new circumstances really lighten up my gloomy mood.

As I make my way to the end of the line of waiting people, I can see Freddie hectically gesturing in my direction and scoffing something to Paul, while shaking his head contemptible, to then shoot me a death glare.

Paul Prenter to be precise. He's one of Freddie's PA's and the both of them are literally inseparable. Sticking together like Siamese twins the whole time. Somehow I feel sorry for Freddie, spending his time with a sneaky, calculating, little rat, always controlling his every move and telling him what to do. I may be prepossessed against Paul, but that's the impression I got so far. Earlier today, Roger did his best, to convince me of Peters malice. And one look at him is enough to know, Roger is right.

Besides that, I already was able to see for myself, when I was invited to the studio again and we all went out for dinner, a view days ago. The day was packed with teasing, despicable glances and subtle insults coming from Paul. After I was invited, I hoped for a more ‚friendly' meeting with Freddie, but he unfortunately took Paul as an example and did his best to make life hard for me.

Someone is not too happy with the fact I will join them business class, I tell myself, as I look at Freddie. I put on a big satisfied smile and look in his direction, while nodding brazenly. His expression changes to pure fury, you literally can see smoke whooshing out of his ears, before he relaxes his hands, which were painfully clenched into fists, showing every vein on his skin, and grabs his bag to quickly walk towards me, with narrowed lips and madness in his eyes. For a second I'm pretty sure he will stab me right there.

I shirk from his look, as a subtle hint of timidity overcomes me and make my way to the counter, as I realize, I'm next in line. A woman behind it checks my passport and ticket with a bored expressing, putting on a exaggerated smile, while handing me my documents back.

„Have a nice and enjoyable flight Ms", I hear her fading voice, already making my way to the plane, through the boarding bridge.

„Your seat Ms Kurzmann", I be led to my place, by a warmly smiling flight attendant. „If you need something, just let me know. Enjoy your flight."

Stowing away my luggage and seating myself, I take in the surroundings. This will be my best flight ever, I smile in satisfaction.

It will not! You'll see.

„Ms Kurzmann?", a friendly man, with a nice British accent appears besides me, seating himself, reaching out his hand to me.

„Yes, Vivian Kurzmann?!" I say half asking, looking astonished, and puzzled at him, as I hesitantly reach out my hand to greet him. I have to stand up to do so. Social interaction is not that easy, when flying business class.

„So You're the photographer the band is all exited about?" he babbles out, putting on a toothy grin, one that indeed shows all of his teeth. He has a really warm and friendly smile, one that immediately makes you feel happy.

„Oh excuse me. How rude of me. I'm Peter Freestone, or Phoebe for almost everybody." he introduces himself, while still giving me a firm handshake.

„Oh, I'm pretty sure not ‚everybody' is pleased with this arrangement." I mumble suggestively, looking at my hands, with Freddie, my new BFF, in mind.

„Phoebe?" I wonder, as we end our handshake. As I realize the word left my mouth, I slowly shake my head, fixing his eyes again and continue „isn't that a woman's name?"

„I suppose it's Freddie you're talking about? Oh I assume you caught him in one of his „good moods" he quips. Realizing my perplexed expression, he continues

„I should explain that. I'm Freddie's PA and he gives all of his close friends new names. Female ones for male and vice versa. Mine is Phoebe." he blinks at me.

„Well then, nice to meet you sir." I respond politely.

„Please call me Phoebe." he requests, as he still tries to make himself comfortable, searching for something in his bag.

„Gladly. I'm Viv." I tell him, leaning back in my seat, letting out a pleased sigh and marveling at what my seat and his surroundings have to offer.

Phoebe starts giggling and mutters:

„I don't think so..."

I turn my attention back towards him with a baffled mien. I already know this flight will be an ‚interesting' one.

„And whats that suppose to mean?" I begin to dig deeper, looking at him, my eyes widening in curiosity.

„Freddie already has chosen your new name." his lips turn into a fiendish smile, as he glances up from his bag and puts out a more then worn out book.

„No way. He literally hates me. I really wouldn't call me a friend of him. Not even close. We're more like Kain and Abel, David and Goliath or Napoleon and Kutuzov. You'll see when we arrive in LA." I put him off.

Phoebe lets out a loud lough „I'm telling you. YOU already have your name set." he assures me, nodding confirmingly.

„Enlighten me please." I request him, feeling curiosity grow in me.

„Brody." he shrugs , without any expression on his face.

„Brody? He couldn't come up with something better?" I ask blankly, still wondering how he came up with this name especially with such a boring one.

„You may ask him yourself." a broadly grinning Phoebe encourages me.

A queasy feeling spreads out, as is realize, I have to handle him for the next two years. And looking back on our two ‚dates', this won't be peaceful two years.

Unfortunately, my naive dream of a happy cure world unexpectedly came to an end last week, on this history - charged Friday and bursted like a soap bubble.

I shake my head in refuse at his words „I don't want to be eaten alive."

„This will be interesting two years." he winks amused.

In a steadily, serious voice I say „Don't get to exited. I may be dead and gone by the end of this day." Letting my head fall on my shoulder and my tongue hanging out of my mouth.

„The boys were right, you are adorable." he snickers.

Immediately turning red on his last remark, I coyly look into my lap.

„Young lady, I have to leave you for a short while. I'll be right back." Phoebe breaks the short silence, standing up from his seat and turning his back to me.

„I'll do my best to keep the evil away and stay alive. See you later." I exclaim, forming a cheeky smile.

As Phoebe strolls away, I grab my phone to ask google about my new dubious name.

‚Dirt' and ‚mud' I read speechless, with widened eyes after some minutes of research.

Staring at my phone with rising rage, I loudly blurt out „THAT SON OF A BITCH.", as Freddie and his partner in crime arrive at their seats. Both looking at me with a mixture of astonishment and aversion.

Freddie?.....here? In business class? The fact he's not flying first class today, for whatever reason, explains the tense atmosphere, now laying over the cabin like a big black cloud.

„Speaking of the devil" I address Freddie, playfully smiling, nodding teasingly at him again.

Something tells me, he wouldn't have expected me to speak to him like this, as his expression changes to a soft puzzled look and every muscle in his face relaxes. Still staring at me and looking me straight in the eyes, I move up my hand to wave at him, shooting him a challenging look. He looks down quickly, as phoebe comes back and passes by. With a long loud sigh Freddie falls into his seat, chatting and snickering with Paul.

Two can play this game Mr Mercury. I move to face my phone again, while shaking my head, still smiling over my little triumph. If he thinks he can intimidate me, than he's on the wrong track.

I really don't know what's coming over me today. It's not my typical introvert behavior, that usually would cause me to turn red like a tomato and go on the run. But I might get used to it.

„Im glad you survived", a winded phoebe collapses into his seat.

„Mephistopheles and his companion decided to leave me alone.

NEVER underestimate a woman and her superpowers" I giggle in response. Phoebe, for whatever reason unable to speak, tries to suppress his laughter.

„Did you take part in a marathon?" I ask in amusement, watching his rapid breathing. „I'm afraid you may need medical assistance."

Phoebe gasps and laughs at my words, which isn't of advantage for his current physical state.

„I'm pretty sure it's you, being dead and gone by tonight, not me." I quip, before giving the pour man his much needed rest.

Taking notice of all the laughter, Freddie turns to face us, jealousy and annoyance washing over his face, looking back and forth between Phoebe and me.

Deciding to ignore him this time - i really don't want to overreach things - I relax in my seat, putting my headphones out of my pocket.

„I Never would" phoebe finally finds his breath again.

"Would what?" I ask startled.

„Underestimate you and your superpowers." he winks, before grabbing his book again and browsing through it.

Noticing Freddie standing there again and staring at us, he whispers „He's a good guy, he's just very serious about his privacy and cautious when it comes to new people coming into his life", while slightly nodding his head in Freddie's direction. „You both will get along well."

„I hope so" I whisper calmly, facing Freddie.

As our eyes meet he holds my gaze for a view seconds, looking at me, as if he is in some kind of trance, before quickly turning his head back in embarrassment - at least it looked like that, as his cheeks started to glow in various red tones.

* * * *

With plugged in headphones I shuffle through my phone, with shaking hands, trying to find the kind of music, that will keep me calm for the tricky part of this flight.

I really enjoy flying, but takeoffs and landings scare the shit out of me. Most of the times everything goes off well, but when anxiety comes over me, I tend to go completely nuts. And this is no understatement.

Feeling a hand on my knee, I look up in surprise.

„You're ok?" a soft voice interrupts my growing panic. „Your hands are shaking like leaves." A concerned phoebe looks at me.

„I will be fine as soon as this bird will be up in the sky" is say assuringly, pointing upwards.

„Fear of flying?" he asks with worry in his voice.

„Not flying per se, just getting up there and down again. Don't worry, I will be fine." I smile at him affirmative.

„What are you listening to?" Phoebe tries his best to distract me.

„Canzonetta Sull'aria" by Mozart. It always helps with my anxieties." And let me tell you I have a lot. I simply reply with a hint of embarrassment in my voice.

„Oh, so you're into classical music?" an enthusiastic Phoebe babbles, with sparkling eyes and a way to big smile on his face. He seems to be as excited as a little boy in a candy store.

„I grew up with it, my grandma would never listen to anything else. I never could understand why, as a young kid. But here we are, over 20 years later....I really enjoy it these days." I tell him while melancholy comes over me.

Phoebe, recognizing my growing nostalgia, warmly smiles at me „I love classical music. I would love to show you my collection one day. I'm sure you'll find some stuff you like. Maybe I can show you something new."

Giving him a sincere smile I nod warmly: „That would be lovely."

„We just have to smuggle you past Mephistopheles." Phoebe giggles while looking in Freddie's direction, his mouse turning Into a mischievous grin.

„Uh?" Unable To disguise my lack of knowledge. „Why is that?" I go on as Phoebe didn't answer.

„I live at Garden Lodge. I'm his PA, so I get paid to always be around. It works best like this." he explains in his soft, calming voice.

„My sincere condolences." I reply ironically. „Living with Mephistopheles must be tricky." I add playfully.

Phoebe shakes his head giggling "You have no idea."

„Please never tell him, I called him that....uhm Mephistopheles I mean." I urge him, as I let my gaze wander to Freddie, who's sitting there, his thoughtful eyes fixed on a pad laying on his lap, while fiddling with a pen.

"My lips are sealed darling." he pats my shoulder, smiling kindly at me.

As I let my gaze wander over Freddie, peacefully sitting there, I surmise sadness in his whole appearance, he's always surrounded by people, most of the time by Paul Prenter, but in his eyes you can still see pure sadness and loneliness. I know this feeling too well. But that's another story to tell.

After a short while, I look back to my phone, to stop my thoughts and try to prepare for the upcoming departure. Unaware what awaits me on this flight.

My omnipresent panic increases to another level, as it abruptly turns dark outside and the sky is fully covered with thick pitch black thundery clouds.

We were told to be ready for takeoff, as a voice rings out of the speakers: „The flight is delayed due to bad weather. Please remain seated and keep your seatbelt fastened. We're ready for takeoff shortly."

„Ready for takeoff?" I yell hysterically. „They must be fuc*** kidding. They cannot possibly....FU**!" I exclaim much louder as intended.

Phoebe looks at me terrified, based on my unfortunate choice of words and screaming, not able to hold back his laughter.

„You're laughing?" I snap in frustration.

Phoebe puts on a sympathetic face, while trying to calm me.

„Relax Darling. It'll all be over in a view minutes and you'll enjoy the flight." he soothes me.

„Exactly, everything will be over, that's exactly the point." I object.

Freddie, now noticing my panicky splutter, shakes his head, frantically repressing his laughter.

Shooting him a destroying death stare, I cling to my armrests.

As lightening and thunder set in and a heavy rain falls down, I tremulously look outside, the tip of my nose pressed against the little window.

Turning back, I cup my face with my hands, stammering: "We're going to die. Oh god, we're going to die. Please someone get me out of here." Moving my body back and forth repeatedly.

Phoebe now puts his hand on my shoulder - at least he tries to, with this good distance between our seats - and whispers at me. "Look at me."

Hesitantly putting my hands on my thighs, I look into his calm eyes, as tears roll down my cheeks.

Ok Vivian, how embarrassing can it get? You're such a drama queen.

"Take a deep breath, everything will be alright. Keep breathing, calm down." He whispers, his hand still resting on my shoulder.

I thought I was calmly breathing, for everybody involved, it must've looked like the strained panting of a delivering woman.

The captain informs us, we are next in line and will takeoff shortly, as the rain decreases and the last thunder fades.

At this point I completely lose it: „Oh God, we're taking off, you said everything will be fine." I hiss at Phoebe.

„I will die in this fuc*** plane and Mephisto right there will bring me straight to hell." I gasp way to loud. Again!!

I scroll through my phone like a maniac, as a perplexed Phoebe asks „What are you doing?"

„Searching for music....if I have to bite the dust, it won't happen to the sounds of fuc*** Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart." I mumble frustrated.

I felt the plain moving faster and faster as I shuffled through my phone, not exactly knowing, what I was searching for.

I close my eyes, lay my head back and cling to my armrests even tighter. „Please don't crash, please don't crash, please don't crash...!" I wind the words like a mantra.

The moment the airplain gets off, is the worst. „Oh god, oh god, oh god,..." I gush out, til I notice the plane gains altitude and is now in the air.

„You see darling, nothing happened." Phoebe smiles at me, as I open my eyes again.

Much to my surprise everything went off without any turbulences.

„Nothing happend..." I whisper disbelievingly, scanning every part of the cabin.

„Am I dead?" I ask Phoebe in all seriousness, still taking in the surroundings and looking my body up and down.

Phoebe bursts out laughing and shakes his head.

Surprised by his reaction, I look over to Freddie, who is sitting there alone, turned around to face us, his hand pressed against his mouth, giggling uncontrollably.

As my expression hardens, I face Phoebe again. „If we're dead, we went straight to hell. Mephistopheles is still here." I gesture in Freddie's direction, rolling my eyes in annoyance.

Phoebe just giggles and draws his attention back to the book he is holding.

"Darling, you made my day. I hope you're ok? That was an overly impressive performance." I hear a posh British voice chuckle next to me, as I look out of the window.

I turn around and look up, straight into Mephi....Freddie's deep, brown eyes.

For the first time, the sadness is gone. I look into the two most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. Eyes filled with honesty and warmth.

As I feel embarrassment grow, I try to avoid his gaze and look down into my lap, where my still shaking, cold hands are laying. "I hope you enjoyed the show." I stammer scarcely audible, to then face him again, and smiling sheepishly at him. It takes me all my remaining strength to do so.

"It distracted me from my own anxiety. From now on you will do this on every flight." He giggles and taps my shoulder, before strolling back to his seat.

Looking after him, like some love struck teenager, trying to grasp what just happened, Phoebe snaps me out of my thoughts.

"As I said, you'll get along well." He says convinced, not looking up, while reading.

"I really hope so" I mumble, my eyes fixed on Freddie's back, as i feel some hope flaming up in me again.

Part 3 will follow soon...

Also published on wattpad:

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cass-chan12 · 6 years

Text

Felony of the Heart (Ch 6)

Fandom: Fairy Tail Genre: Romance and Friendship Pairing: Main- NaLu. Sides- Gajevy, Gruvia and Jerza

Summary: What would you do if you were forced into a school that deals with Delinquents and young adults that have committed felonies? Lucy Heartfilia would rather chance it than going back home to being married off. What lies ahead for the blonde is unknown but she's convinced she can make it through with him by her side

Chapter five

What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it.

-C.S. Lewis

I viciously coughed against the floor and my cheek was against the wet floor. My lungs sucking in as much oxygen as possible and my ear drum pounded from the despairing cries that echoed behind me, trying to stop desperately.

She let me out of her grasp.

It happened so fast I couldn't gather my thoughts on what just occurred and why.

All that mattered was the fact that this girl was in pain and she tried to take it out on me. I could tell from the beginning of the epidemic that she was hurting, that she tried to fight herself, that she was regretful…

Once my obstinate coughing died down I pushed myself off the wet floor and looked over my shoulder to the blue haired girl who was still balling her eyes out.

It was a shame that she had been reduced to a despairing young woman, she was well… pretty. Okay not pretty… like beautiful. That alone made me cringe at my own appearance.

Even though she was also drenched in water, her hair was a silky shiny dark blue and already started to curl at the tips. She had white porcelain looking skin and was simply flawless, her skin obviously did well in the seasons with the lack of sun and even if she would be in the sun I doubt the rays of heat would damage her skin.

Her crying started to slow down slightly and her tempest blue eyes made contact with mine and set off another fresh waterfall of tears.

I turned my body to her and used my shaky sore arms to pull myself closer to her, and see if I can comfort her somehow. Although deep inside, my mind screamed not to because she did try to drown me, my conscience told me to ease her and her weeping.

She hardly noticed I was inching closer to her since her sobs were the only thing that could be heard in the bathroom. The shallow puddles I moved through were icy cold and sent shivers from my spine to my head making me feel a little dizzy.

By the time I reached her my hand automatically reached out for her.

What exactly was I thinking?

She tried to kill me, or at the very least hurt me quite badly and I… I feel sorry for her? As if I somehow am looking in a mirror of my own despair. I could quite easily lie to myself and say that the time I've spent here hasn't been all that bad since I had new friends by my side; Erza, Levy, Gray… Natsu. Even having him next to me couldn't well subside how sad I really was.

I was sad that I was forced to be a pawn for my father, I was sad I was yanked away to be manhandled in this god forsaken school, I am sad that this school has no sympathy for its students… I am sad for people like this girl who I am about to comfort and how she was angrily crying and repenting that she forced herself to do something she really didn't want to do.

I don't know what came over me but when I was in arms reach of her I flung myself onto her in an overpowering hug.

Her cries slowly began to stop altogether and I squeezed her tighter by pure emotion. My eyes began to water and tears escaped, giving into my own melancholy.

Her body stiffened, I'm only assuming she's confused as to why I'm holding her. Her shoulders slumped though and her sniffs and cries escalated again.

She wrapped her arms around me in return.

"Juvia is sorry." She whispered. "Juvia is so sorry" she said again bursting into more tears and gripping tightly onto my shoulder of my damped shirt. Her voice was sweet and gentle, I wouldn't expect less from her appearance but her actions made her kind of contradictory.

Her sobs quieted down slowly and her body had ceased with its shaking. All I could hear now was her erratic breathing trying to even out.

"Why?" she breathed out.

My body stiffened at the sound of her serious voice, I wasn't sure what she meant though.

"Excuse me?" my voice broke asking her.

"Juvia was intent on hurting you, probably worse…" she gulped "yet… why are you comforting Juvia?" she asked pulling herself away from my grasp.

I met her dark blue gaze which was almost terrifying to look back at. I wasn't really sure how to answer her, really the only thing I could think about was my sympathy towards her… no not sympathy.

"I'm empathetic I suppose? Seeing you in pain only reminded me of myself." I said gazing at the floor refusing to look her in the eye.

"Juvia is in pain, but not in the way your in." she argued.

I laughed slightly "Pain is pain. Whatever type of pain it is, I can still overlook what just happened." I said with my voice cracking.

"No, Juvia shouldn't be forgiven. The pain Juvia is in is petty and weak."

"Petty?" I mumbled

She nodded her head "Juvia is jealous and is in love."

I lifted my eyebrow slightly "How am I involved then?"

She really looked guilty now; even her lip trembled again as if she were to burst into tears right now.

"Gray-sama." She whispered and I blinked unsure what she was talking about.

"The boy you just befriended… Juvia… Juvia loves him." She whispered before starting to cry slightly again.

"And Juvia wanted to hurt you because, Gray-sama was close to Lucy-san… and helped Lucy-san…and…Juvia is so terrible" she wept covering her face with her hands.

My heart was close to stopping, so she's in love with Gray. It didn't make much sense but I guess I understood.

What was to be noted here is that those who came to this school are psychologically unstable and that whatever crimes they committed overshadows what their lives were before. I know that's not always the case but looking at the blue head girl in front of me it's clear she needs friends.

"I'm sorry Juvia, I didn't know. For the record I don't like him." I said reassuring her.

She shook her head harshly "Juvia can't handle her emotions, reasoning doesn't work."

I was crazy for even thinking of it but it already came out my mouth "Then join our group… if you want. It's-kinda-our-own-little-pact-to-make-sure-the-teachers-don't-get-to-us-and-we-watch-each-other's-back." I said hastily running out of breath.

She stared at me astonished of what I just asked her, her dull blue eyes gained some life too and her smile was sweet as infectious.

"Really?" she asked for reassurance.

"As a good friend once told me-'We're in this together'."

Needless to say, the night before became restless as ever along with the fact Juvia and myself had to clean the bathroom without anyone noticing.

A tough task indeed since the storage room was close to Ultear's room. If she had caught us we would have been DEAD, and not to mention our stroke of luck that those horrible night guards decided to take the Friday night off to probably drink themselves rotten.

By the time Juvia and I were done we snuck into the bedroom at 4am and managed two hours of sleep. I'm just grateful I did have rest before venturing to the bathroom last night.

Still… I felt like I crawled out of a grave like from a horror film, I did look the part. With the over exertion of my body, the cruel pushing's of Kain and the bathroom epidemic, my muscles were flimsy and weakened tremendously. When the morning siren went off I winced at the slightest movement, although I managed to move without any unwanted attention from my peers in the dorm and since its Saturday we were permitted to wear casual clothes- when I say casual, I mean dull and boring. So I put on a plain white shirt along with some tracksuit pants and my worn out sneakers.

Levy and Erza must have left without me noticing, but across the room I spotted Juvia looking slightly bashful, most likely waiting for me.

I walked to her and saw Ultear inspect the room before looking at the two of us.

"How are you feeling Miss Heartfilia?" she asked in a dismal manner.

"Just fine Ultear, thank you for asking." I said back in the same dull way.

Her eyebrows dipped low almost making her look angry "Right… you two are dismissed." She said gesturing for us to leave.

We slowly passed her and I felt Juvia close behind me feeling nervous which I don't blame her for.

"Just one more thing girls…" her voice appeared again making us turn.

"If you ever stay up past curfew again, there are worse punishments than cleaning up the mess you made in the bathroom. Are we clear?" she asked darkly threating us in a way.

My body was frozen and as I felt Juvia stiffen I assume her heart probably dropped to the floor as well.

She knew? Did she know about Juvia trying to drown me too? If she did was she just going to let it continue? Or did she just know we tried to clean the bathroom without her noticing without the other important details?

I gulped "Yes Ultear." I replied cautiously.

Satisfied with my answer she walked away leaving us dumbfounded.

"Lucy-san?" Juvia called out to me softly.

Out of my daze I shook myself internally and looked at Juvia "Just Lucy, Juvia. We're friends now so no need for the honorifics okay?"

Her face told me she was shocked "Really? Lucy-san… erm sorry, Lucy wants to be friends with Juvia after what happened last night?"

I smiled "Why would I want you in our group of friends if I didn't want to be friends with you?" I laughed and she blushed slightly but then laughed along with me.

Today it was overcast but no rain fell to my and most probably to the boy's relief who had to wake up early to do chores. I'm hoping Natsu and Gray were done by now so I could thank them for yesterday and introduce them to Juvia, well… introduce her to Gray really…

Saturdays in the hall were happier than usual, even the fact the boys were busy in the early hours of the morning they seemed happier than usual. Everyone though didn't go overboard due to Kain-sensei being unpredictable.

Juvia and I grabbed some breakfast that actually looked somewhat editable since the staff tries slightly harder on the weekend. I walked towards the familiar table and I could already hear Natsu and Gray bickering over something and well, Erza wasn't pleased.

By the time I came to the table I saw Levy eating her toast and watching the scene in front of her; which were the boys on their knees in front of Erza who was scolding them.

I let out a laugh which made all four of them look to me.

"Luce! Help!" Natsu yelped while on the floor and pressing his hands together in a pleading manner and Gray just rolled his eyes at the pinkette

I looked to Erza "What happened?" I asked near laughing again.

She flipped her long hair over her shoulder and sighed exasperatingly "Bickering; which friends aren't supposed to be like."

"Like I would be friends with this stripper!" Natsu protested.

"You would be lucky if I was your friend pyro." Gray retaliated.

The boys started again and I sighed showing I've given up before I even started. I felt Juvia was still behind me which reminded me that I still had yet to introduce her.

"Speaking of friends- this is Juvia everyone!" I said pushing her slightly forward.

Her body was frozen under the gazes of everyone at the table.

"Nice to meet you Juvia" Erza smiled easing up the table.

"Yay, another Bluenette!" Levy cheered.

"Welcome Nakama" Natsu smiled.

Juvia's face was flustered at the attention but her face turned an even deeper red when her and Gray made eye contact.

"Cool" was the only thing Gray said before walking to the table nonchalantly.

Juvia's high dipped and she faced me pleadingly. My eyebrows twitched in anger toward the cold boy, it makes more sense now why he lived in such a cold region before, since he has no tact whatsoever.

"Gray…" I mumbled angrily "Can I speak to you for a second?" I pointed to the food line. Gray looked surprised at my demeanour and slowly got up.

My eyes darted to Natsu's briefly and his expression was not impressed in the slightest, I just turned my attention away from the boy piercing me with his dark green stare to Juvia instead.

"Juvia, go sit next to Levy. This will only take a second." I nudged her to the table.

She swiftly turned to me and whispered in my ear "Don't take him away, Love Rival."

Love Rival? Did I hear right?

I sweat dropped "No, no, I'm helping you out." I whispered back.

She squeaked before I nudged her to the table and Gray and I walked to where the group can't hear us. I looked over my shoulders and his carefree slash don't give a damn look was irritating me beyond belief. I turned on my heel when we were far enough and gave him a deadly look.

His eyebrows rose at my action and he shifted to lean on a nearby chair, looking uncaring again… he's really getting on my last nerve right now.

"What exactly was that back there?" I asked angrily.

"I didn't do anything, perhaps talk to yer boyfriend." He 'tched' me.

"W-what? H-he's not- that's not what I'm talking about! I'm talking about how you brushed off Juvia like nothing!"

Gray looked angry now "And why do you care? She's just a stalker of mine, so I don't see why it's your concern."

"Stalker?" I mumbled. I didn't think her obsession was that extensive?

"She's my friend that's why." I countered "Just be nice, she really likes you and I'm sure now that you're friends she'll stop… pestering you."

He gave me a deadpanned look and sighed in defeat, clearly meaning I had won this argument and early might I add.

We walked back to the table with Gray tailing me reluctantly and the first thing I noticed was Natsu's gaze on us, fierce and captivating.

The second person my gaze fell on was Juvia's and it was lovesick all over. Her eyes were widened with anxiousness and her smile reached ear to ear.

Before I gave Gray a choice I sat next to Natsu and Erza which only left space next to Juvia and Levy. I could almost feel my head burning from behind but I brushed it off without a care.

He grouchily sat next to Levy creating some space between himself and Juvia and sitting across from me at the table. Gray quietly sat where he was listening to Erza and Levy talk to Juvia.

Natsu leaned against me catching my attention and when I was about to tell him off his mouth was already by my ear. Hot and moist was his breath and sent shivers down my spine.

"Why do you smell like dirty water?" he asked gruffly.

My heart stuttered at the memory of last night which I must keep to myself or Juvia might be kicked out before she started.

My gulp was near audible but I coughed to cover it up "That's rude, the girls water system isn't perfect. I did the best I could."

He growled "Did something happen Luce?"

That's just like him, reading my mind as easily as a book and showing up at times that are near to unexplainable.

Before I could answer a shriek came from Levy's lips and Juvia smiling like a fool and fainting, hanging half off the seat. My sights turned to the boy seated across me and his shirt was off… again.

I only just wish that the cafeteria didn't make an uproar that alerted Kain-sensei. But something about watching the scene in front of me made me smile and feel happy.

Whether it is Natsu and Gray arguing over Gray's stripping habit, Erza yelling at the bother of them, Levy and myself laughing over the matter and now Juvia's fangirl ways on Gray's action.

As great as the group is in its different antics and personality traits, our little group was still incomplete.

But for now our next task is standing together as a unit tomorrow at confessionals. Even though we have been through several together, I think we have an upper hand in having eighty percent of the group on our side.

With that said… why do I still feel unsettled?

#felony of the heart #fairy tail #fairy tail nalu #nalu #fairy tail fanfiction #fairy tail fanfic

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home-of-the-ascended · 6 years

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Returning

The sky was dyed in a beautiful hue of reddish pink once they decided it was best to move. Life was...good, the past few days. No problems ever arose save for the occasional nightmare that tormented Jenos in the dead of night. They didn’t run into anymore demonspawn, and none seemed to be nearby. The city was just as barren as a desert: lifeless. When Zhin was having difficulties finding enough food to sustain them both, he decided it was best to look for a new place to hunker down.

That’s when he remembered an old friend of his. They had to leave fairly early in the morning to get there in a timely manner, much to Jenos’s disdain. The demon had no intentions of waking up early, having grown used to the feeling of passing out until he naturally awoke the next day. Still, Zhin had managed to coax him into an agreement; he would be carried if he didn’t feel like walking the whole time. Jenos, in the end, walked alongside the slayer.

By noon, the duo could see their final destination in the distance. It was a large building, regal in appearance. If Jenos didn’t know any better, he’d say there was a large stone wall surrounding the property. The white haired male nodded in response, as if anticipating the other’s pondering. They continued onward after admiring the scenery for a while longer, making short stops to hunt down something to eat or to take a quick break and get off their feet. By the time they reached the wall themselves, the sun was beginning to set.

Travelling down a stone path, the two reached a large door with a large emblem carved into the wood. It appeared to be a phoenix. The wall towarded over them, casting a hefty shadow over them. The former demon stared up in awe while the demon slayer approached the door. He reached up and grabbed hold of one of the knockers, then slammed it down against the wood four times. He stopped, stepped back until he was beside Jenos, and waited patiently. Blue eyes observed him skeptically, how could anyone have heard that? Someone would literally have to be outside with them.

The blond ate his word as the doors slowly creaked open. A heavily armored figure was seen on the other side, pushing both doors open with ease. Their helmet casted a thick shadow over their face, completely hiding their facial features except for the eyes, which were beady and nearly white in color. It was still for a minute or two as the stranger stared them down. Zhin grabbed a hold of Jenos’s arm and held onto him, a silent reminder to stay calm. As much as a refresher Jenos was, he was hard to manage when stressed. The silence lingured on while both parties stood their ground, neither backing down. After some time, the metal clacked as the figure loosened up. They approached Zhin with a welcoming chuckle.

“Well well! Long time, no see Master Zhin! I can still call you that, correct? It’s been decades since your last visit.”

Zhin smiled. The man was quick to eye Jenos, the warmth in his voice not showing in his eyes as he did so. The blond shirked away, pressing up against the white haired man’s arm. Zhin cleared his throat, catching both of their attention.

“Jenos, you don’t need to worry about him. This is Khan, he’s the Primus of House Aico, although he’s more like butler than an army leader.” He heard Khan scoff at the remark, “Khan, this is Jenos. He’s a...” They met gazes for a brief second, “He’s a survivor of the slaughter I found on my travels. He’s with me.” Khan backed off, if only to think it over. Zhin rubbed the former demon’s forearm with his thumb, hoping to keep him relaxed. The man before them smiled, or so they assumed with their limited few of his face. He turned to head back towards the doors and walked ahead, stopping to face the duo when neither followed him.

“Well? No need to waste time standing there in the open. Come in, come in! I will alert milady of your presense as you two get comfortable. And I will see to it that your companion gets some proper clothing, those rags wouldn’t even pass for commoners’ cloth.”

As Zhin hid a grin behind his free hand, and Jenos hid his face behind his hands to cover his humiliation, the two walked into the courtyard together. Once they walked in far enough, the doors automatically began to shut behind them, closing completely with a hallow kerchunk. Zhin, having grown up coming to this place every so often in his youth, was familiar with the place. However, for Jenos, it was like walking into a santuary for harmony.

It was beautifully decorated with colorful flora, lively small woodland animals and song birds that sang in harmonious chords; unlike the barren surroundings beyond the walls. A small pond with a few lilypads was protected by the branches of a Southern Oak, despite the occasional moss piles that fall from those branches. Another section had a walk way that led to what he could assume was a bon fire pit. There were 3 handcrafted stone benches sitting in a neat fashion around a scorched dip in the ground, presumably where the firewood goes. A canopy roofing rested neatly overhead to block out any rain should the weather turn bad. All in all, everything was gorgeous.

“Jenos, Jenos hey, focus. You can space out once we get settled in, alright?”

Zhin’s voice pierced him like a dagger, frightening him. Jenos recooperated from the scare shortly before meeting the other’s gaze. He sounded concerned as his protectiveness was easy to see. It made the blond uneasy.

“Shouldn’t you feel at home here? It sounds like you’ve spent a good amount of time here for Kaine, or what’s his name to recognize you decades later.”

“That isn’t, gah, just listen. I may be safe here, I may be comfortable, but I am more concerned about you. If you get even the slightest feeling of dread, we will pack up what we can and go. You come first before them. There’s a reason I didn’t come here after the stunt you pulled all those years ago. Do you understand?”

Jenos swallowed, his uneasiness making him slightly nauseous. The former demon begrudgingly agreed to Zhin’s demands, despite the lack of why. He figured it’d have something to do with whoever Khan refered to as “milady.” Seeing the mortal’s body untense, the blond figured he was probably under a lot of pressure himself. The duo kept to themselves until Khan returned, cheerily they noted. The man was no longer in his hulking body armor, but wore a slimmed down version of said armor. Only the helmet remained.

“Alright Master Zhin, and guest, follow me. Milady will be with you both shortly, she had just finished washing up when you arrived. Please stay in the main lobby until her arrival, I wish not to hunt you down around the manor should you get lost. Zhin, I expect you still remember the layout? If not, you may tag along with your guest for a refresher.”

“Thank you, Khan, I appriciate this.”

“Y-Yes, thank you. You may call me Jenos, there’s no need for formalities, honest.”

Khan said nothing before facing the blond, his eyes still lacking the heartwarming tone he used when addressing Zhin. The former demon shuddered underneath the icy stare. “Are you of royalty?”

“Wh...what?”

“Are you the son of a lord? Or perhaps a lord yourself? Do you have any noble lineage in your blood?”

“Not that I know of, no–“

The demon slayer wedged himself in between Jenos and Khan, his hand and arm outstretched defensively over the other’s chest. He stared up at the Primus defiantly, warding him to back down. Khan clicked his tongue as he leaned away, stepping back to give them additional space. He watched with mild disgust as Zhin checked on Jenos and made sure he was fine; the blond was simply a commoner, unworthy of even stepping foot within the walls of House Aico. Yet the man he nurtured and trained was practically treating this lowly dirt peasant like a king. It was insulting to him and the family name he served.

Nevertheless, he wished not to get on Zhin’s bad side. He abided to the other’s request, for the time being. Clearing his throat and filing their little argument away for later, Khan led the duo into the manor. The lobby alone was massive, with a large stairwell the split into 2 seperate wings of the house and a giant family portrait hanging just above the crossroad. The flooring was of pristine marble that shimmered and reflected even the briefest of light that shone onto it, and on top of that, a ruby-colored carpet acted as a pathway from the enterence to the staircase and beyond. The walls were a light shade of pink and very easy on the eyes, especially during the early morning hours. A beautiful chandelier hung overhead, lit with magic flames that refused to go out. There were a multitude of doors and hallways as well, each leading to a seperate part of the building.

It was a tad overwhelming for them both, with Zhin getting over the sheer size at a faster rate than his demonic partner. Once he got used to how spoiled he really was back then, the demon slayer checked to make sure Jenos was still with him. Seeing the once powerful entity reduced to a dazed mock mortal was somewhat amusing. Sticking close to his side, in case the other toppled over for any reason, Zhin redirected his attention to the hulking figure.

“I forgot how huge this place was.”

“When one doesn’t return to a place after so many years, it becomes possible to forget even the most grandest of sights, Master Zhin.”

Zhin huffs his nose, his eyes wandering around the open area. There were plenty of things to see, some vases resting on pedestals, neat indoor trees and flowers to add some color and variety; pointless rich things to show off to your not-so-rich guests. There were plenty of portraits and paintings on the walls, but many of them didn’t really catch his eye. It was quite underwhelming once he got used to everything.

“Even after all these years, I still remember how bland the decorations are. Nothing’s changed, not even the flowers in those flower pot beside the stairs-”

“If my favorite shops weren’t so rudely destroyed by those damned creatures, maybe I would have changed things around.”

Zhin sighed as he was interrupted by a female’s voice. He stared begrudgingly at the new figure coming down the stairs, her hair still damp from her bathing earlier. Her attire was rather revealing, just barely covering her chest as her left leg was revealed to the open world. Platinum blonde hair pooled down her back as a circlet wrapped around her forehead. She gave off a sense of pride that could sway anyone into joining her side, no matter the reason. The female finished her trek down the stairs and was quick to stride across the carpet path laid out below them, stopping just an arms’ length away from the duo.

She said nothing at first, her gaze invasive and determined. Zhin remained calm and collected whereas Jenos felt he shrank in size. Khan stood off to the side, his arms crossed. It was quite. Suddenly, a fist found itself flying into Zhin’s face, eliciting a surprised cry from him as Jenos acted quickly to catch him before he fell over. Her calm demeanor crumbled as tears filled her eyes as she stared at the white haired male.

“Why haven’t you visited, Zhin!? It’s been decades! I was so worried about you, goddamnit! When I heard what happened to you, I-I thought you died too! Why didn’t you say anything!? Even a damn letter would have been enough! I thought you cared about me!”

Zhin sucked in a breath as the woman ranted between wails, having begun pacing before him and throwing her hands up and about as she rambled on and on about his neglectful behavior. He gave Jenos a small grin to show this was normal, which only caused the former demon to worry more. With a cold palm placed against a newly formed bruise on his cheek, Zhin called out to the platinum blonde before she could continue with her scene.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking right when I left home. Heading to you to say I was leaving wasn’t exactly the first thing that came to mind when you discover your family had been killed in a fire caused by demonspawn. But I’m here now, that’s all that matters. It may have taken years, but I’m back as promised.”

“Lady Lian was very concerned for your wellbeing, Master Zhin. She had sent out scouts to try and learn of your whereabouts, contacted other royals to see if they’ve housed you, or searched nearby ruins in case you were around in the area. The least you could have done is informed your fiancée that you were alive and well.”

Zhin choked, supposedly on his own spit. Staring at the Scion, he was reminded of the wedding plan and arrangements made. They were to be wedded the week after the demons had attacked his home town. The demon slayer slowly brought a hand up to his forehead before sliding his palm down over his face. He had forgotten all about it when he started his journey to get revenge on Soul Eater. Zhin recovered from the shock in a timely manner, coming back just in time to hear Lian speak again, “And who is this? I don’t recall ever allowing lowlifes into the palace. Khan, please take out the filth before he dirties the lobby. Zhin and I have a lot of missing time to make up for.”

Jenos instinctively growled as Khan approached, his hands darting to cling onto Zhin’s clothing. The former demon was getting irritated; his hands were rapidly heating up. Just as Khan reached out to grab the blond, Zhin wedged himself between them once more. A quick glance behind him and he could see the fear-turned-anger brimming within blueish-orange eyes. Jenos’s true colored were beginning to show from the stress. Looking back at Lian, the man scowled at her.

“Excuse me, but this filth just so happens to be my guest. He’s a friend, and has a name. If you are eager to kick Jenos out, then do not expect me to stick around. He will die out there without my protection. Either show him some common decency, or we can leave.”

“But-But Zhin, I-“

“I will not hear your excuses. You have turned your nose up to so many people in need, I will not allow you to do so anymore. He stays, or we both leave.”

Zhin argued heatedly. Lian was always like this, even when they were kids. She would snuff her nose at the commonfolk simply because they weren’t “worth her time.” She was rude to them and often called them worthless. Her favorite term was lowlife, she used it more often than any other. Zhin wouldn’t say anything about it back then, thinking she’d learn to treat people of the lower classes better as she got older; he had only gotten his hopes up. She was even worse than before.

After contemplating for a noteable amount of time, the Scion eventually gave in with a lengthy sigh. She sank slightly as her knees bent and shoulders sank in defeat. Lian wasn’t going to argue with a long time friend she hasn’t seen in ages.

“Alright, fine. You win. Khan, ease off. God, you’re making me feel like the bad guy here. Jenos, was it? I’ll see it fit that one of the maids gets you some actual clothing. Those rags deserve to burn for having even been woven together.” She turned her sight onto Zhin, mild annoyance apparent in her body language, “I expect you will be sharing a bed with me? It has been some time since we were last together, surely you’ve been deprived yourself. I’ll see to it that Jenos gets a room that is suitable to her–“

“His. Jenos is a man.”

“...needs. Dinner is being prepared as we speak, so please wash up before then. You two reek. Anything you wish to add before Khan gives the tour?”

“Yes, I will be sharing a room with Jenos.”

Lian’s expression darkened. “Why is that? He’s perfectly capable of staying in his own room.”

“I only wish to make sure he is comfortable here for his first few days. When he is, then I will consider sharing your bed.”

The platinum blonde groaned, but complied with the demand. She muttered a few choice words under her breath before dismissing herself, heading outside to blow off some steam. The door slammed roughly behind her, causing them both to flinch. Seconds passed before Khan cleared his throat, the tension having gotten to them all. He spoke softly and gently this time, explaining to Jenos that he could speak up whenever he had a question. It was different than the usual tone of voice the former demon was used to, but it made him feel more at ease. More welcome within the home. Zhin was also by his side the whole time too, which was encouraging.

The tour was a simple one, to say the least. Khan showed the duo around, refreshing Zhin’s memory as he went over various things to Jenos. They passed through many hallways and peaked inside many doors, most of which were either storage, training, or guest rooms. With the demon slayer tagging along, the Primus was forced to be kind to the young man. Something about the blond was off putting and malevolent. Sinister. He couldn’t put his finger on it, however. Khan simply continued as this unknown issue buzzed around his head liek a fly.

The grand tour ended at the guest rooms they’ve pasted earlier. Jenos was given the option to pick his room for the duration of his stay, which was a fairly quick decision. The room he chose was one of the larger guest rooms with a king sized bed, extra blankets and pillows, a moderately sized drawer and was close to the nearest wash room. Zhin and Khan spoke out in the hallway for a short period as Jenos threw himself onto the bed, sinking onto the bedding as the velvety material cradled his body. The door opened after the discussions were done as Zhin walked in with a set of fine clothes. He shut the door behind him and soon joined Jenos on the bed, placing the clothes on top of the dressing drawer. The demon slayer pulled the blond close and curled around him, effectively spooning the smaller man.

“I talked Khan into giving you a few of his outgrown outfits, so you’ll have more clothes to wear.”

“Is that so?”

“Mm. Are you comfortable here?”

Jenos hummed in thought, submitting to the warmth surrounding him. “I’ll get used to it.”

Zhin sighed. “You know what they are, huh.”

“Demon slayers, such as yourself.”

“...”

“I’ll be fine, I trust you. If I feel threatened, I can defend myself.”

“Good to know.”

The two fell silent, finding comfort in one another. These next few days were going to be tough, for both of them. Lian and Khan weren’t fond of Jenos, Zhin had to keep his eyes peeled for any strange behavior; the had to look out for each other. They only had each other to completely trust. The possibility of something going wrong was high, but they knew that the moment they stepped foot inside. Everything would be fine, though.

It just had to be.

#paladins champions of the realm #pcotr #paladins jenos #paladins zhin #paladins khan #paladins lian #HEY A CONTINUATION STORY FOR THESE TWO #GOD i’m so pumped for the next part #i have the story planned #just not typed out in full yet #zhinos #with one sided zhian #is it zhian?#and bulter khan is a thing now #have fun with that #short story #please enjoy!

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