#NOT EVEN 24 HOURS INTO THE NEW YEAR AND WE ALREADY GOT SOMEONE ACTING LIKE A ONESHOT IS AUTOMATICALLY GETTING ANOTHER CHAPTER

[sansxfuckyou]

friendly reminder that if a fic reads 1/1 on Ao3, that means its a motherfucking oneshot and don't say 'looking forward to the next chapter' when it says the fic is completed

[pandorafallz]

Vampire AU | Chapter 24

Quaritch once again eyed the new report from the newest repaired dozer to…the new downed dozer and second AMP suit that had been recalled due to damage. Another failure that was chalked up to poor maintenance but Quaritch could feel something was amiss and it felt like it was good old sabotage.

This was not the work he had wanted to do the moment he returned for a full debrief from Frontier West and even then, his work there wasn’t yet complete. He had more important things to do than this. He had put in an inside man to help with the repairs; to ensure the repairs weren’t done to be faulty. He had swapped out the patrol teams and gone over reports and video logs of the shift and they already had scans of the area on the system so there shouldn’t be problems. If that failed to draw anything, he couldn’t call it sabotage on their end.

With the dozers without internal scanners anymore—Selfridge had ordered to remove them entirely as they would shut down dozers at every ‘interesting’ thing the scanners picked up—they had fewer ways to update the terrain unless it was hand-scanners. No one had time for that shit in Selfridge’s book and Quaritch was too busy to give a fuck about it too. They were dozing blind.

Selfridge seemingly looked to be reading his report but even Quaritch could see the guy’s eyes weren’t rolling across the text a lot.

“I’ve got Mansk currently acting as Head of the base until I decide who runs the base. Walker is his head of security until then as well. I’ve got a few men in places but… We’ll need a lot more to fill out the ranks.” He wasn’t thrilled given he wanted Mansk back with his team here but...he was making do.

Selfridge exhaled deeply, rolling his head back. “How many more?”

“A hundred or so more.”

“A hundred!” Selfridge exclaimed, “That…too many! And I’ve seen the number count, you don’t need that many people.”

“I will. Once arrests have been made.”

“Arrests?”

“Next page,” Quaritch nodded to the report Selfridge was slacking on. He waited a few moments, as the guy skim-read through, tapping to the next page then pulled a face.

“You gotta be kidding me…”

“All evidence that we could get shows that…Mercer created the TAP program about seventeen years ago with Cortez. It became actuality a year later. Kidnapping Na’vi children and committing full-out genocide of a Na’vi clan and chemically contaminating the area with toxins to destroy the bodies and evidence. They wiped the TAP-1 Facility so we couldn’t find the back-up saves; someone got to it hours before we did. Someone did leave us enough to work with. Now, I’m not here to preach to the Na’vi and you know that normally, I couldn’t care less given how far away from me they are” Quaritch started, “but…the Frontier West SecOps committed war crimes, an uncalled for genocide attack and poses a huge threat to the safety of those bases. I’ll round up anyone alive that was part of the slaughter. That’s twenty-seven men and women still alive out of the fifty that were listed, six returned back to earth over the last few years, and the rest were killed by animals, wildlife and stupidity.”

Quaritch was honest in his words. Originally, he couldn’t care less. They were heading down to force the Omatikaya out of their home for the human’s greater need. One clan was in the way of it and…well if he was a complete warmonger, he’d be gunning for failure if Sully had been a good boy in his mission and burn the people out if they refused to go. He used to have the same goal with Selfridge but… it was becoming more apparent the guy had no loyalty to anything that wasn’t green or with dollar signs on which had become a pressing concern given the oversight it put onto his department. Quaritch was trying to be patient here which was more than what he was used to giving.

Mercer was his own RDA leader and ran his resources collection with passion but…his oversight had got the man killed. He had taken too much from a lot of clans in the area and…Quaritch did not like the weight it put against the RDA in that sector. They needed more to keep it secure but they also needed more with less Na’vi blood on their hands to…seem less of a threat.

War crimes had their degrees and Quaritch was not innocent. He knew that. But…it crossed a line in his book when there was needless reason for it. This…saren-something clan had no cause; the RDA was not defending themselves or their technology, nor was the ground the clan on holding anything of use to the RDA. No build-up of an attack either. They killed the adults and the teenagers and took the ones small enough to be useful.

Sooner or later, the Na’vi clans were gonna find out…and he couldn’t imagine the base being safe with as much red on their crew as it was. Na’vi liked vengeance when it was called upon. They needed a fresh roster of SecOps that he could trust to run a base than these shitheads that Mercer liked to have around.

“Miles, look, the chances are they’re just doing what they were ordered to. Mercer’s dead and Cortez is dead. There’s no one to punish.”

“Everyone uses that excuse to justify themselves from crimes they’ve committed as a unit. It’s an old reason and I won’t stand for it in these circumstances. Their very presence puts a target on everyone’s back. We need a new roster and I won’t have anyone who was part of this remain on that soil. It’ll undermine RDA authority.”

“What about Colonel Harding?” Selfridge asked, setting the tablet aside tiredly and his hands coming to rub his face.

“Unfortunately, someone got to her records first before we arrived and wiped any involvement she had in the genocide and following years. As I said, I had Mansk running a team into the TAP Con-1 facility to sweep for intel but they’ve found squat. The team believes Harding also runs a black market of Pandoran animal parts which have been shipped off as Na’vi artefacts and put a good amount of money in her pocket and the RDA’s. We can’t remove her without evidence as we have with the others, so we’ll be trying to get witness statements from the SecOps guys to be enough to charge her with their crimes and get her shipped back to Earth for the same trial.”

“The RDA won’t make it a public sceptical.”

“I know. Don’t care.” Quaritch shrugged. “But my point stands; new people. I want SciOps to help back the SecOps up, Avatar Drivers and try to settle negotiations of truce with the near clans.”

“That’s a lot of money you’re gambling.”

“The only avatar driver they had was for the TAP purposes, nothing useful for science or research like Cortez was actually trained for. I checked her records. A new area of the world means more plants and shit that might be beneficial for humans. Pandoran samples are still sought after on Earth. I did my research into Madaki’s family on Earth when I was learning more about his defect possibilities. It seems the plants they have are actually helping Earth. We’re still making money and humans are still benefitting. It’s worth the cost.”

Selfridge seemed to glower but he had a point. They might as well be useful while they had a base there.

“Run it through with Augustine on the…most suitable people to go. No more than four drivers. She’ll be gone to Site 26 soon. I know she’s in the Avatar compound right now sorting shit out still.” Selfridge waved in the vague direction of the compound. “How’s the search going for those who defected at West Frontier?”

“Non-existent.”

“What?! Why?! They killed people to escape, Colonel.”

Quaritch gave the puny excuse of a human with a solid stare. “They have killed which is one of the reasons why I’m weary about bringing them in but the case and reason why I haven’t is because of the six Na’vi teenagers that they’re with and no doubt still looking after. I won’t bring the kids in with the same reasons why I won’t bring the assaulted deserters in. The chances are they’ll be getting the kids to a clan for safety but will no doubt ally themselves with a clan for their own protection if the kids vouch for them. Not worth my trouble or the lives of my men. Pandora is not kind and sooner or later their numbers will be cut down.”

-

Grace thumbed through the tablet Everdeen had handed to her as the fellow avatar checked through the sampling kits. Grace was ninety per cent sure in this body that Everdeen’s avatar wasn’t being controlled by Lilith Everdeen but rather and most likely, Grace Everdeen who Grace was familiar with the schedules and scientific tools to pose as her own sister.

It was known, more publically known due to Jake that identical twins were able to navigate their sibling’s avatar given the matching DNA and neuro links that were mirrored between bodies. That was a welcome surprise for the RDA who could no doubt invest more for one. Quadruplets, like the Everdeen four, were currently unheard of into connecting with a single avatar before now.

Only Grace and Maze knew as they had caught the subtle differences in their scent when one of them was already linked up. All four Everdeen’s had linked up at some time or another. Thea and Amanda Everdeen were SecOps. Lilith and Grace were SciOps. An even ground of skill range which made the Quad a very desired group and why they made it into the RDA as a complete set but the fact that they were an identical and tried to dress the same as much as possible made them…uneasy to be around for those that didn’t have a greater sense of smell to tell the difference.

Grace found she didn’t mind the SciOps two to switch, as they both had areas they studied in that differed but were still important to her department. Both had different views of their work and it was interesting to see how far one would try to stay in character to be ‘Lilith’ when out and about.

The Two SecOps Everdeen’s had returned from West Frontier after helping with Quaritch and had conversed heatedly at night, which had sprung up the topic that all four were gonna bounce given the…aftermath of the RDA’s actions in regards to the Sarentu Clan.

Grace knew a little from overhearing at night, and didn’t like the growing picture that had formed as the four discussed their experience from the other base and…well as much as she didn’t blame them for leaving on those accounts, it was still gonna fuck a lot up and she had already tried to plan forward but… she needed to get ahead of this more directly.

“Dr Everdeen,” Grace decided to bite the bullet on this one, going for opening with work first. Grace Everdeen was…the more nervous type out of the four and would be more susceptible to listening. “Have the Na’vi artefacts from the Sarentu clan been dropped off yet at the Compound?”

Everdeen looked up and then nodded after checking another tablet “About ten minutes ago, doc”

“Go get them and put them in the longhouse. I want us to look over them before we decide on our next course of action.” She knew the likes of Selfridge would certainly see to him attempting to sell these artefacts off so this gave her another opportunity to protect them from his greedy corporate hands.

With a nod, Everdeen peeled off from organising the samples and Grace assigned Louise to take over for their absence.

Grace would rather do her samples but she knew her priorities. There were other things to sort out in the next few days and this new load of RDA shit certainly was filling up her day more than she had planned. Upside of not sleeping, her evening was put to use in catching up on work and she certainly used those hours to keep them all on track before her departure so they weren’t too disorganised by this new wave of change. Current samples were a little more delayed and the preservation was harder to retain on them and yet…humans had to sleep.

Grace picked up a travel case as she headed to the longhouse, getting the case prepped onto the table and with the tablet ready for proper documentation and for scans for digital records and recreation should she find…a better home for the artefacts.

Everdeen appeared hauling two massive boxes on wheels with help but looked a little surprised herself and she finally got to the table. “I thought we were getting trinkets.” She muttered.

Grace raised her eyebrow at the box as well. “Me too. I wonder what they recovered.”

“Maybe they’re bigger than anticipated?” Everdeen wondered, her head tilting curiously. “We don’t know what the RDA recovered from the Sarentu Clan, could be a lot of it fit in these two?”

“Let’s open up and see. No point daydreaming about it, Everdeen.”

The first box was… comprised of weapons. Mostly. Grace counted 8 Sarentu blades, only four with covers. Two bows, four arrows, a small collection of arrow heads and three spearheads, there were also tools as well which looked to be a resin axe head; its handle long gone. Arm guards, Na’vi shoulder padding for their hunts. None were put away lightly.

There was a lot of detail and beauty to take in the craftsmanship of the tools. Everdeen seemed to coo most was the arm guards; inspecting them under the light as Grace took 3D modelling scans.

“Look at the detail. The guard was made from material tightly woven with…different patterns to the Omatikaya’s weavings despite similarities.” She touched lightly over the hardened side, “but…I think the material was soaked in resin and hardened.” Everdeen’s with her ears high in delight. She turned it in her hands.

“What’s your assessment?”

“Female’s arm guard, left-handed so most likely a companion piece for her bow.” Everdeen said, “Could be one we have here? That one with weaving looks like it could be part of it?”

“Unlikely,” Grace remarked but didn’t outright dismiss the notion as the guard was placed into the travel case along with the blades. “We can’t assume matching sets without evidence. This looks like a grab and stash so it’s most likely all mixed up.”

“I know.”

“We’re scientists. We can’t make up stories without hard evidence.”

“Sorry, Dr Augustine.”

Grace opened up the second box when the first was organised and fit well into the travel boxes, aside from the bows and arrows but she requested them to be wrapped and put into the Samson’s cargo supply ready in advance.

The second box contained…more clothes and personal belongings. Toruk Toys, loincloths that...looked small and probably for kids. A few necklaces, chokers, decorative pieces and some more body armour. There was a blanket that was a multitude of finely crafted coloured fibres and thick platted edges of what looked like an Ikran’s head guard. At least, a partial one. All were beautiful and certainly, the Sarentu were skilled in their craft despite their nomadic tendencies.

“Banshee?” Everdeen tilted her head at the head-piece still in her hands. “I had no idea they even had them for a nomad tribe. Nomadic tribes would tend to use Direhorse to aid in moving their tents and equipment.”

“Hunters or clan envoys use Ikran. The Olangi Clan are the clan in this region that only have one Ikran rider at a time as an envoys. I met Akwey, the clan’s leader once.” Grace said. “The other clans use them for hunting mostly.”

“The Olangi priories their Direhorses more than anything. It’s their speciality over the grassy plains.” Everdeen remarked, “but… I suppose it makes sense. Banshees are faster than Direhorses when emergencies arise and can cross difficult terrain. They don’t need many.”

“It’s most likely the Sarentu had one for an envoy if the Olangi is anything to go by,” Grace remarked, finally setting it down into its new case but her attention turned to see…one little thing that caught her attention the most. A cord of string and beads.

Her blue fingers gently lifted the cord from the bottom and laid it out on the wooden surface.

“A songcord?” Grace tilted her head in concern, “Why did the RDA take someone’s songcord? This isn’t…” She felt a spike of anger as she examined it. It was rows of blue beads, a few yellow and red but what stood out was the carved crystal that…was made to look like a symbol; it was curved in shape that looked like a small abstract, tidal wave, and four deep holes were carved into the bottom. No Na’vi would abandon their songcords nor hand them over. The cord here…she had to assume it was from one of the killed Sarentu in the conflict if Mercer wanted these things to be taken and sold. Disgusting, really.

“That’s a Sarentu symbol.” Everdeen gasped in wonder, “They… I read in an early report the Sarentu use ritual scarification; every Sarentu gets the marking after birth under their left eye or gets given one if they’re accepted into the clan in later life.”

Grace held a hand out to stop the woman from picking it up. “No. I’ll handle this one.”

It felt….disrespectful as she took the scans of the cord but by not doing it she’d come across as being emotional and non-objective. This was science; respect for artefacts was always going to be in the grey area. Once the scans were done, she set the cord into a little bag and tucked it into the last travel case.

“Dr Augustine.”

Her head turned in mild exasperation as Colonel Quaritch of all people seemed to appear at her waist with a displeased expression

“What do you want? I’m busy.” She let herself sound annoyed. “You’ve brought a lot of shit I need to organise before I’m bounced off to the mountains.”

“Someone has to and you can handle it.” Quaritch remarked, “I’m getting new people put into the West Base and flushing out the waste and I need SciOps. If you can spare some drivers, I’ll be happy.”

“You want my avatars?” That was new. Quaritch didn’t tend to give a fuck; she had heard enough he thought avatars were creepy and pointless.

“Yes. Four.” He said in a tone of ‘matter of fact’. “Pick whoever seems best fitting and the link technicians you can afford to lose.”

Grace stared at him for a moment. “You couldn’t have bothered with just…normal scientists? Those without Avatars?”

“Avatars are less likely to be shot on sight so….no.” Quaich shrugged, “It’s simply safer for science teams to have avatars so the natives don’t shoot first and questions later. They distrust humans but they will trust something that looks like them.”

“Not always the case.” Grace pointed out. “The Omatikaya know enough to be just as weary of avatars. Most clans are aware of Avatars, even if they’ve never met one. Clans are connected, so news travels.”

“Better chances than without.” Quaritch gave her a look. “I’m not here to sit about with discussions. I’ll get Selfridge to assign the four if you don’t and leave tomorrow.”

“Back the hell off, Miles.” Grace gave him a deep glare. “SciOps isn’t your department and it ain’t Selfridge’s either.”

“Hasn’t stopped him before, Grace, and won’t now.”

Grace tisked, shaking her head. Asshole. She had planned and got assignments ready in advance for all of the current avatars for when she was gone. Losing four avatars… she was going to have to freaking change all of it, especially when they’re gonna be down another avatar.

Sampling probably had to come tomorrow then. Fucking…

“Fine, but it’ll be a few days for they’re set to go. I have everything on a tight schedule without you messing it up for shits and giggles. Ugh.” She rubbed at the bridge of her nose, her tail swishing irritably. “This is the last thing I need night now.”

“I’ll wait for your report on who’ll be coming.” Quaritch gave a lazy salute.

Grace glowered at his back as the human left but her annoyance only grew as she realised that Everdeen had also vanished off elsewhere.

Damn.

-

Grace figured out a plan before they unlinked for ‘dinner’. She only made a vague appearance but didn’t stay for long as she pulled Jocelyn into her empty lab to help with her plan on who to choose to go to Frontier West besides their abandoned meal.

“Look, the Quad is gonna bounce regardless. If we move them to West Frontier, it delays them but it’s…probably better that they bounce from Frontier West than Hell’s Gate anyway and less heat on you for oversight. It’ll delay them enough for them to get a lay of the land and locations to link shacks and lab sites that Frontier West established and abandoned.” Jocelyn pointed out, going over her notes and it didn’t surprise Grace that the Technician knew about the Quad’s plan.

“I was going to talk to them but—”

“Don’t. That’ll put you in an awkward spot if they see you on camera if you go to any of their bunks about it.”

Ah, good old-fashioned plausible deniability. She had a point but… she wanted to reason with her team here; get some goddamn control established so that Selfridge wouldn’t get his panties in a twist and pull the plug. Sure, she could certainly motivate Selfridge into not closing the program but she, like the rest of the vampires, did not want to touch Selfridge with their gifts and it wasn’t due to his position in Hell’s Gate.

Kamath had said it was unwise to stick their minds in trash.

Grace concurred with that opinion. Subtle intimidation so far had worked without the need for hypnosis or compulsion.

“I’ll inform them last minute. They’re planning on bailing in a week and are already packed so it shouldn’t take them too long to leave. If we tell them too soon, then they’ll bail as soon as possible.” She considered.

“Maybe, maybe not. Hell’s Gate is much more secure and Amanda Everdeen has her own ship. Since Reza stole her own ship straight from the airfield, the security’s gone up. If they’re taking the avatar, they clearly have a plan to get it out with them. Frontier West is less secure and with a lot of open gaps in security given the downed manpower. They’ll have an easier time escaping there and be less likely to be caught. The terrain of the Kinglor forests around Frontier West isn’t as familiar to the RDA.” Jocelyn remarked after a moment.

“I’m not sure if it’s worth the risk. I don’t want to help them here, you know.”

There was a flutter of feet at the lab door, the faint scent of Kamath wafting through the gaps before it opened. Grace didn’t bother to look her away as she took the tablet from Maze’s hand.

“If you want, assign me to go to the other base,” Kamath said with enlightened enthusiasm.

Grace looked to her fellow vampire in surprise. Kamath had been very… passive about shit. Went with the flow and had very little care if shit that wasn’t her work. “You want to go to Frontier West?”

Kamath nodded, smiling a little with passion burning in her tone. “It’s a new location, new science and more forests to enjoy. I don’t mind Hell’s Gate but doing dozer patrols are boring as hell. I may be a SecOps AMP suit pilot but I am still a scientist. The Kinglor forest is named after the insect called Kinglor. I want to study that species and I can’t do that here.”

Grace considered her thoughtfully. Kamath would be an asset and she could see the usefulness of having her there. AMP suits were heavily used in that region anyway so she’d fit right in.

The only problem Grace saw was…the fact she was a vampire and that alone made it hard to see if it was worth the risk. Kamath gave her a look, sensing her train of thought with ease. “I know the risks.”

 “How many humans are stationed at Frontier West?”

“About three hundred but there’s going to be a small overhaul. Quaritch’s thoughts are harder to read but he’s going to do a mass extraction of bad seeds. Even if he has Mansk and Walker stay, there should be plenty of humans to feed from between us all.” Kamath said, “They have their own medical bunk and own blood supplies.”

“You don’t have Dr Solis to cover your ass.”

“But the doc there, Dr Malik can be persuaded. I can get him on our side with ease.” Kamath said confidently. “All I need is a face-to-face with him. Mansk can give that to me. As head of SciOps and the fact that I was contracted here as a scientist, you can put me on a ship. Put me on the Quad’s ship on the way there and I can keep them on base for at least two weeks before they pitch a tent into Eywa’s big bush.”

Jocelyn couldn’t contain the snigger at the last bit.

Grace thumbed the numbers briefly, the amount of people; the typical human recovery times between feeding between three vampires…  It wouldn’t be a huge strain, especially if they got a few humans as part of the blood donations. If the human Mess had a garlic incident again… that would be bad.

“I don’t see any garlic part of the food supplies. I can call Mansk and see if they have any there. We shouldn’t be starved out again.”

“Stop reading my mind” Grace gave her a look of annoyance.

“You barely use your gifts, what’s the point of having this ability if I don’t freaking use it. Plus… your mind is quite loud.” Kamath waved off causally. “Proximity.” She gestures around on that one.

“She’s not wrong, you really should use your gifts more.” Daniel of all people seemed to appear, full speed onto a stool…only the force and speed caused the stool to slide six meters down from his original spot like a running cat trying to stop on a glass table. The sound dug straight into their ears and they collectively a shared group wince. “Sorry.”

“I don’t need to.”

“Says the woman who wants your ‘being a meal’ memories back.” Kamath pointed out. “Telepathy is more than just reading minds and wiping memories. Vampires have Ancestral Memory, you might benefit from learning from our Foresires, you know.”

All vampire heads stared at the woman.

Kamath looked at them and then rolled her eyes. “How do you think Mansk knew to keep it all a secret from the human population after he turned? Or why we know turning kids is a big no-no? How we instinctively how to channel our shticks when we’ve never done weird shit like that to start with?”

Grace stared but…opted not to open that can of worms. Nope, not today. That was not a rabbit hole she needed to dip her head in and get suckered down when she had to focus on the here and now.

“Kamath…” Daniel stared but Kamath just gave him a look but turned her attention back to Grace.

“Just... please put me down for the West Base.”

Grace stared but…nodded after a moment. “Okay.”

She gave her a grateful look, “Thank you.” With a final, displeased look at whatever Daniel was thinking, Kamath left.

“Kamath! Ava!” he called after her. “I’ve been a vampire for almost five years! You can’t just drop all that and then bail!”

“She just did, Choi.” Jocelyn chuckled.

Daniel spun to face her with a mildly offended look then lent straight into Grace’s personal space as she tried to review her tablet. “Sign me up to the other base.”

“Just so you can bother Kamath?” Grace leant away with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes! And I can see wonderful new things. Mostly the second because I’m still a scientist and the West has a lot more new things that I wanna poke with a stick and see what happens.”

“Did you discuss this with your girlfriend?” Grace asked, “Because it’s a two and a half hour run back and forth because I am not adding another vampire to West Frontier by bringing her along.” In all honesty, her patience was wearing thin now. She wanted to get to work, not worry about all these details that no one else had to deal with.

Oh, the small things she didn’t have to deal with if she was still human. Ignorance was truly bliss…

Daniel paused, “I’ll…get back to you on that, Doc.” He rose to his feet and hurried at a human pace before Norm seemed to appear in the lab.

Norm blinked in surprise as Daniel passed him without a backward look then to them. Grace didn’t do anything but she was sure her expression of exasperation said it all.

“Bad time?” Norm asked.

“No, just…finishing some side projects. Gotta lot of things to move around now.”

“Need any help?”

Grace pondered her tablet for a moment then nodded, “Help me reschedule. I’ve gotta put four avatar drivers out and this opens slots and closes some.”

-

“How are the kids?”

The question was…loud in the vastness of the Refuge. Lots of people were asleep; hammocks and cheap futons were spread around as everyone still tried to make sense of the space now that the core building was complete. Including the secret compartment where Alma’s human body lay in cryo-sleep. Tucked away. Hiding. A few were awake, still trying to create or finish things off before bed.

Hajir didn’t know why but couldn’t bear himself to ask but he knew it was important if Alma had asked. Perhaps to spare them the sight of seeing her human…or perhaps sparing them seeing her dying. He didn’t know how close they were but he had a few of the Na’vi kids ask about her often.

“They’re…adapting. They’ve found a location for the Aranahe clan and want to make contact. They’re uncertain if they should.” Alex answered, barely looking up from his soldering.  “They… want Alma to weigh in since they know her and she briefly met the clan years ago.”

“Oh dear…” replied Anqa wincing.

“Now you see the problem. I think Nor will go ahead and do it anyway. He wants to…meet a real Na’vi anyway.”

“I don’t see why not. They’ve got to learn from their roots somewhere. Another clan will be what they need to learn to be Na’vi.” Anqa mused.

“How did the raid go?” Hajir asked after a moment.

“We got what we came for. The base was really creepy and very run down so we didn’t explore much. Also, we downloaded all the data we could from the bases black box but we’ll store it for now given how…corrupted it seems to be. The RDA wiped all the original servers but not the back-ups. I’ll ask Priya to get a program to reconstruct the data but that’ll take time to work.” Anqa shrugged, “It was fun.”

“How’s the tank?”

“Currently undergoing UV sterilisation. It’s… the best option we got. We did a solid wash when we got it but UVC’s working for when we pump the water in.” Alex said, “It’ll take time to treat all of the water to make it safe for Alma’s avatar but we have the time. Ri’nela’s been concerned about her getting bed sores and weight loss.”

“How long can we tank her Avatar?” Anqa asked curiously, “Like… I figured there’s some stock limit we have, right?

“Eight weeks, unless we can get our hands on more Avatar nutrient packs,” Alex answered for Hajir.

“If we all work to plan, the Cryo-link pod should be ready in good time,” Hajir said, hoping to get the group back to business. “I’ve gone over the scans but… the avatar needs its own implant while Alma’s in cryostasis. If she’s gotta stay in that big blue body, she can’t rely on auto schedule link and unlinks.”

“It’s not like there’s other options.”

“No, but I’ve been running a few scans of Alma’s avatar the last few days since I came up with an idea.” Hajir couldn’t help himself as he set his tools down, grabbed his tablet and moved close to Alex to show him his findings. “The Avatar’s brain picks up sounds and touches to their form but, as there is no controller, there’s nothing to be done about it. There’s a basic response, like turning the head away from the too-loud sound, or in gestation, thumb-sucking. Basic reflexes.”

Alex looked curiously at the data, “You want to tap into these simulated responses to activate the link time?”

“Yes, like… humans wake to loud sounds, a general body clock or to a stimulus in the environment. If we put an implant in the avatar, it’d be useful for her to relink when morning; it’d follow Alma’s human circadian clock if the crown you are making remains active constantly.” Nodding to Alex’s project where he was crafting a head-piece that.

Alex blinked in pleasant surprise. “So she’d effetely be…living inside her avatar day in, day out? Even when her avatar body goes dormant to rest; they’d still be linked?”

“Just…theory but yes. But to be linked like that, the avatar needs a connection to the human body otherwise there’s no…independence. Automating sleeping and waking and relying on us to do it… I’m not sure she’d like that.” Hajir didn’t know Alma that well but… he could imagine how frustrating it would be if it was him in her situation.

“I never considered that,” Alex looked genuinely impressed. “We could imbed the implant at the base of the queue and stimulate from there. That’ll save us a lot of surgical hassle. Bind it under the braid will protect it as well.”

“Will you need to modify the headpiece?” Anqa asked, looking a little lost but trying to be helpful.

“Probably but… it’ll be more of a software thing to deal with than a hardware.”

“I’ll draw up some sketches tomorrow on a few ideas of what the Avatar side should look like. Can someone get me a scan of Alma’s queue? I’ll be helpful to know the measurements and all.”

“I can.” Heads turned to see Priya coming in with a tray of coco from the open space of a doorway “Ri’nela knows more about queue maintenance than the rest so she’ll probably help me if I ask.”

“Alright.” Hajir nodded his approval. There was no mistake that the young Na’vi had a caring nature; even for something as Dormant as an avatar. But… a familiar face was all she knew that needed help. It took three humans to turn the avatar over due to their scale differences. Having a Na’vi assist was always a great relief.

Masterlist

[thegothicviking]

You killed me on a Wednesday

But I got reborn on a Sunday! 💋

Basically; I won't let this bitch ruin what I have worked so long to create. Yes I had a meltdown but that doesn't mean she is worth it to be ruined. Yes. I dedicated it to her. As I gave her a universe.

A universe with so much backstory and so much emotion, so much fantasy...so much of everything.

I wasted money. I wasted time. I made her a Norwegian dictionary written by hand. I showed my country. Where I grew up. I shared her secrets. I have wasted my creativity. My devotion. Wasted so many whole 24 hours and nights just to write for HER. And this bitch even gave the main character of my story, a perfect name. It fit with the story. Of what this character would become. Of what the purpose of the charcter was going to be. I even found the perfect backstory to why she got the name. It fit with where the main character was from. From Argentina. It was perfect. But she now needs a new name. As that french bitch screwed me over. I now have to rename the main character of Liebeslied. It will be similar to the old. Because I am lazy. And she is mentioned in several hundred pages already. Don't care to edit away all the first name and replaxe it with a brand name. You can't complain on me for that!

But it's scary isn't it? How you can dedicate your entire self to someone. And then with a single "yeah sorry..." they can brush you off. As if you never happened. Like 3 weeks ago I was happy. I was actually editing the chapters I already had, instead of making new ones. I was going to give my universe. My work for 4 whole years. 24/7 for 4 whole years. If I didn't wrote. Then I thought about it. If I didn't thought about it. I acted it out (but alone because I am not the kind to be talking to myself in front of others). My whole life for 4 years (almost 5) and this bitch would get it all for x-mas. For FREE. But no. That's not what happened.

I had to ask her. It had to be done;

hey? Are we still friends?

And she had to shoot me down.

"Yeah Sorry...should have told you long time ago.."

"Yeah sorry..." as in "yeah btw..." our friendship to her was just that..."yeah sorry." " Yeah btw..."

Because she "grew up". She got a bf. A career. "I'm not the same".

No. She weren't. But that doesn't change the fact that

I wasted 4 years for something that died about 2 years prior to this. And she knew it was dying. And I was naive.

I dedicated A UNIVERSE for her. I don't think she will ever realize this!!

A whole UNIVERSE. It had people in it. People that to her was pure fiction but I myself saw them as my children.

And she doesn't want me to give it to her. She never replied to my "could I still post you Liebeslied once its all done. As a form of closure. You don't have to contact me beyond that. Just for closure. Beyond that I wish the best for you aswell".

She never bothered to reply.

Well you know what?

I have had 3 weeks. To think this over. My conclution?

She doesn't deserve what I gave her. She never did. I was just a way to "pass time". So she could get a bf and a career.

The time. The effort. The money. My creativity. My writing. My enthusiasm. My PASSION! My dedication and lastly even my tears and sanity. She didn't deserve ANY of this. She made her choice! She gave me up. Just like that. I wasn't even worthy of a

"hah no thanks I don't want Liebeslied anymore."

She gave this up. But I won't. I won't give up.

She will never know how Liebeslied ends. And that'd ok. She doesn't deserve to know how it ends! It's not for her anymore!

And so I wipe away my tears before they fall. Always before they fall. Because that french bitch doesn't deserve them.

Her friendship to me was simply to her a way to "pass time" until she got a bf and a career.

I am worth more than that!

And so is the Universe that I have created. That I have breathed, every day for so long! Which is why the first fic of the Liebeslied series will be published in 2023 as then everything about this bitch will be in the past.

Tania as the main character is dead.

And Thalia has risen from her ashes.

And with that minor change. Liebeslied will live without that bitch. That french whore that left me for a man and a career. Nope! Screw that!

I will have the first story done in 2023. That is a promise! And it will be good. It is (if I'm gonna say so myself and I will!) way too good to be given up because of something as lousy as her! And I know. Deep inside my still somehow shattered heart. I do know. That some of you yes you; you lovely, amazing, kind, wonderful, beautiful beings...SOME will love it. Some of you will love that universe that I have spent so long making! I am sure.

And unlike that bitch, you all actually deserve this universe!

I have risen. For you! Because of you! My wonderful followers and mutuals, I have kept the little drop of my sanity left. It is the thought of you all that have kept me going for these 3 weeks and more!

I know now that I am better than that bitch. Why? Because I know the meaning of friendships. And that lying bitch obviously doesn't!

So hail to me. For I have risen!

Hail to Liebeslied. For this universe and it's children will go on!

And I promise I will impress and scare some of you. I will make some of you angry. I will make some of you you smile. And some of you will cry and wish that my children would exist and I will have to remind you that they DO! THEY WILL BE BACK! You just as much I breathes life into them! All my followers and mutuals and especially those of you that have wanted and longed for this Universe ...for MY universe to carry on, I am doing this for YOU! And it WILL carry on! Next year. It will all break loose! And I hope you are ready!

Because guess what mothafxahs?

I am back bitches! The gothic viking is stubborn. It's in my name. Viking. And so it's in my blood to be stubborn and keep it going.

I am back! And I oh my have I missed you all! You lovely fxers, you!

🖤⚔🖤

As my fic Richard would say:

Let's go, Honey! We got this! 💋

[tweakin-journal]

*this is not to encourage drug use, don't blame me if you bite off more than you can chew

I wanted to make a side blog to document my experiences on crystal, starting this two weeks after my second time smoking.

Background things for context: I had done a bump once as a teenager ( bad choices lol, snorting glass is like snorting glass. And it burns so bad and will give you the worst headache ever.) I have been a daily weed smoker for years, have plenty of shroom experience, used to im ketamine daily, haven't had any in about 2 years, plenty of danphetamine experience, mostly Vyvanse and Adderall that was proscribed to me for adhd that I would occasionally do recreational doses. I've had several experiences on molly and bean at parties, coke hanging out on occasion, crack once ( doesn't last long enough to be worth the money or the feining), smoked spice once did not like it, got stuck on benzos for a month when I couldn't get k, worst withdrawals I've ever experienced, I stay away from that shit. Spent a lot of time cycling with alcohol, when it was at its worst I would cut myself off when I would call out from work or if I couldn't go 24 hours without getting shakey, havent had to do that in over a year, mostly because ive been working a lot and had other goals. Played around with whippet some. I think that covers my past drug use. And I'm a 24 year old cis woman.

How it started, my then bf now husband had found his mom's bubble, fuckin charred on the bottom like someone ad just taken a torch and burned through that bitch, with a lot left in it. He cleaned it, got super super horny, I left work used some flex time so I wouldn't miss the sex crazed window. About a month after that I bought a light gram from a dude ik from the bar who sold mostly heroin. He got too hansy, i could have over powered his short ass but I wanted the crystal so I let him a little before cutting him off. Went home thinking it wasn't worth it, my bf had started to act kinda feiny about it that scared me too. But those regrets and anxiety didn't last long.

First time smoking middle of January:

We started at 10 o'clock I was a little underwhelmed at first, it took about a hour and several hits to get the rush, but I had been having trouble holding it in. Got really horny watched porn and fucked for 17 hours, stopped smoking around 12 hours, at 13 hours I got kinda bored of the porn but was still very horny I was kinda couch locked. Throughout this time I was in and out of the shower we had been using Vaseline we Doordarshed for lube and I was enjoying washing it off and feeling the water, elite showers for sure. I wasn't able to cum by body just kinda got used to the intensity it ended up dulling out but before it did I had the most intense sex of my life. Must have spent hours giving head, got experimental picked up a few new tricks. We talked about porn and different things we like and don't like about it, we got more intimate than we had been and we were already really close and comfortable with each other, been together for 3 years, with a close friendship before that. We were porn locked and at about 2pm on Monday we got a message from his mom his brother that they and his niece was coming over, enter paranoia and panic cleaning mode, there was olvie oil everywhere sex toys everywhere sheets had to be taken care of, but we got it presentable in time. They came through and we someone manged to not get noticed, even was able to force ourselves to eat McDonald's which sucked. They left and the porn came back on and we kept smoking. I stopped at around 5 trying to give myself enough time to be OK to workTuesday. Took a shower at 6 and got the rush again, right back up. By 9 I was coming down and felt too tired to jerk off but too horny to sleep. By 12 he was smoking on the leftovers in the bubble by 3 he was hitting nothing and being a fien. I was just about asleep when he started to have a panic attack because he was coming down and starting to feel his heart rate and blood pressure and some unrelated nerve damage on his arm that has history of triggering panic attacks. So I stayed up with him to do what I could. I had to leave at 9 to go to work, and it was brutal, I was exhausted and sore and headachey and standing up with the blood pressure wasn't fun at all. At around 11 I had done some physical labor which warmed my body up and I got high again but not so much that my pupils were fucky. Made it through that day job in tact and got to sleep that night. Didn't experience any cravings for about 2 weeks after I had recovered from the come down

The high itself surprised me I felt so relaxed, the euphoric rush lasted about 15 mintirs and the high itself went on forever. Once I got past the coming down I immediately started planning to smoke again in 6 months

[wingsofanangelss]

A Saddest Year

A Saddest Year

  If someone died in your arms even though you beg, pray, and cried to him, would you still be able to trust him? It was December 24, 2021. A rainy night. We weren't able to ready and celebrate Christmas because our house was broken due to the typhoon Odette, there's no electricity and I wasn't happy nor sad at all, I was like a rock, there's no emotion, yet I managed to talked to him, “Thank you for protecting us and keeping us safe, you're the best, happy birthday!” I said in my mind. A Christmas passed and after that we still continue fighting. December 27, I thought it was just a normal day, I was enjoying my own business, then suddenly my aunt called me, she needed help about my nephew who's my cousin's son, “Can you please watch your nephew?” she asked. She needs to do laundry that day, since almost of their things got wet due to the flood because of the typhoon, as a help. I said yes, I wasn't even doing anything good. I left my father who's peacefully sleeping at his room, I didn't think anything bad as I was leaving our house. Seconds, minutes, and hours just flew by, it was already night when I got home, I was smiling the moment I entered the house, when suddenly I saw my brother who's looking at me with a disappointed and anger eyes, then he spoke “Why did you left the house?” he asked. I answered him in a polite way, “Aunt called me earlier, and she needs help about our nephew, so, I helped” I said in a calm voice then I asked “why?” just like that, he walked out and entered the room of my father, I ignored him even though he acts weird. I slept early that night since I was tired. I awoke super early because of the noise I heard, I was still half brained when I tried to get up, I saw my brother's panicked face, then he said, “Papa had been rushed to the hospital with mama, I need to get there as soon as possible” I was stunned, it took minutes until I realized that I was crying.

Hours later, I saw myself standing on the front of my father who's sleeping in a hospital's bed, I cried because of regrets, I was desperately praying, and hoping for his recovery, he stayed at the hospital and when I was about to go home that day, my brother spoke to me, “He was vomiting and he asked for help the day you left the house, luckily, I came home early when I already finished charging my phone” he said, “the doctor explained to mom, papa had a severe disease and he had been hiding this from us for a long time, and“ he paused, “and he is dying” I was shocked, I couldn't move. It was a horror for me. Papa had been staying at 3 days in the Talisay District, it was already December 31, 2021. He was becoming weaker and sometimes he had a hard time to breathe, we really don't knew what do, specially mom. Yet, I wasn't even thinking negative, I was really optimistic that day, later that afternoon, my father asked mom to took care about the bill so we could get out in the hospital, at first we were hesitant but papa was crying, “I didn't want to die here, ma” he said with a broken voice. We got my papa out already, but we can't let him stayed our home since it was damaged, so I did called his brother who is currently living at Tunghaan, Minglanilla.

When his brother arrived, we got him in the taxi, we were all in the taxi and I was silently praying, again. Suddenly papa spoke “We should celebrate new year” he said with a smiling face then he path my head. I was over the moon, I couldn't stopped crying, despite of the situation, my Papa was really thinking a positive thoughts. “Of course, pa. We should celebrate a happy New Year“ I said. He just smiled at me, minutes later I looked at my papa and my heart was cut into a pieces he was crying again. We were about to get to his brother's house then suddenly he lean on my mama's shoulder and cried, the taxi driver panicked and I was too, I called him, again. “Please save my father, please I'm begging, please“ I said silently. The driver made a u-turn, we rushed the nearest emergency hospital at Minglanilla. The last thing I remembered I was devastated, my world stops, I couldn't move again, my tears flowing like a river, my heart was beating loudly, I couldn't hear what's the doctor said, I was sweating bullets, my hands are cold as ice, and I said, “No, I trusted him.”

[amariaaa]

Could I request Meliodas getting super jealous/protective over fem s/o because some guys were hitting on her/you (does that make sense?)

Summary: demon+jealousy= someone hurt.

Characters: meliodas

Warnings: cursing.

Authors notes:again another one of my favorite requests. (I have a soft spot for jealousy stories and meliodas).

———————————————————————

Today was a busy day in the boar’s hat. You were on waitress duty along with Elizabeth. Usually this was your daily schedule and you loved it. Especially the hour breaks that you usually use for secret rendezvous acts with your boyfriend and owner of the tavern meliodas.

As you were wiping down the tables of the costumers you heard the bell chime, signaling a new costumer had arrived.

“Welcome to the boarhat tavern, give me a moment and I’ll be right with you” you said as you walked towards the bar.

“Y/n?”

You turned around, only to be flooded with old memories of your friend from your teenage years.

Before you can even speak, meliodas walked over to your friend and patted his shoulder. Seemingly had already developed some type of relationship with you old friend.

“Hey howser” he said in his usual innocent tone.

Howser and you just stared at each other in shock before he engulfs you into a hug. While swinging you every which way as meliodas stared at you both in confusion.

“HOWSER!” You yelled while he was spinning you in the hug.

“Yeah, how have you been y/n. Haven’t saw you in a while”

As you pulled away from the hug, eyeing his muscular physique in the process. Which doesn’t go unnoticed by meliodas.

You began to forget about current work situation as you began to catch up with howser. Meliodas was watching you as you talked to your newly reunited friend for an hour maybe more.

Tiny bits of jealousy swirled around in him at the amount of time you were spending conversing with the holy knight. So he decided to put an end to it for today at least.

“Y/n there’s a costumer who needs your help”

“Sorry, I forgot all about it. Would it be alright if I take my break now?” “I want to catch up more with howser.”

Meliodas looked at you through a forced smile as his eyebrow twitched. “Of course you can”

While your usual break was an hour, the time must’ve ran away from you because by the time you made it back it was 4 hours later. You didn’t even notice the 6 missed calls and 24 text messages from your boyfriend. (Pretend they have phones)

As you walk through the doors you’re greeted by your lover with a scowl on his face. Meliodas quickly grabbed howser by his shirt and threw him back while running after him.

You quickly tried to catch up to no avail, arriving to the scene a little too late. You inspected the scene to see a bruised howser defending (dying) himself against meliodas.

You quickly rushed and grabbed meliodas as he was about to send another blow to howser.

“Let go” his dark tone making your heart drop to your stomach.

“No, what the fuck has gotten into you” as anger rise into your chest.

You deadpanned and berated yourself as you forgot you can use your own power and teleported you and meliodas back to the boarhat.

“Where tf have you been”

“I was just catching up, I told you that already” you nonchalantly brushed him off, trying to peice together what the hell just happened.

Meliodas pulled you against the wall as he stared into your eyes, his anger making one of his eyes turn a purplish black.

“What we’re you doing that was so important that you couldn’t answer your phone?”

You just stared at him in confusion on why he was acting like this. Was it because of work? Did you forget something important today? Was there something important that missed?

As many thoughts consumed your head, your soon snapped out as Meliodas grips your chin making you look him straight in the eye.

“Answer me” his usual voice turned dark and alluring.

“I just forgot to check my phone. Sorry” you spit back as images of your bruised friend scanned in your head.

His other eye flickered from the dark purple back to his beautiful emerald eyes. “It shouldn’t have taken you this long to get here. Will you at least tell me who he is to you?”

Your mind went blank of howser as meliodas words replayed in your head.

You giggled as the realization hits you.

He’s jealous

You smirked at him “ we took the long way from the town” “also i have a question for you”

He looked at you unamused but with a look that prompted you to continued

“Meli are you jealous?” You asked teasingly

One thing you knew is that calling him by that nickname was that it could get you out of any trouble with Meliodas. Tonight that was not the case. You were mad at him and he was currently mad at you.

“Should I be?”

You looked at him with a mixture of hurt and confusion as you turned away.

“Oh” was all you could muster out as you realized the little faith he had in your faithfulness to him.

He looked at you in shocked as if knowing what you’re thinking at that very moment.

You begin walking upstairs as you don’t even spare him a glance. “I didn’t know you trusted me so little”

Meliodas left you alone for the rest of the night, to give the situation a chance to settle. Except today you didn’t come downstairs for work at your usual time. You didn’t check up on him, give him;his usual morning kiss, come to him for advice on what to wear, even after knowing his perverted ways.

It was late in the afternoon as your stomach betrayed you, forcing you to have to leave the room. As you crept downstairs to try to blend in with the crowd, you’re quickly spotted by Meliodas as he took you outside in one quick motion.

You both sat in silence as he just stared at your face.

You had puffy eyes from shedding a few (a lot) of tears last night. You were still in your clothes from the previous day, and your hair was a mess. Judging by your current dirty attire, you had went back to help howser after the argument.

He gently adjusts your clothes while avoiding eye contact.

“I’m sorry”

You just continued to be silent as he continued.

“I shouldn’t have accused you and you’re right I should’ve had more trust in you”

He cupped your cheek as a few more tears had fallen.

“You’re mines and i trust you completely because we’re together.” “Are we still together?”

You snorted at his question and pulled him into a hug. “One little arguement isn’t going to get rid of me that easily” “although I was hurt, I wasn’t the one who got injured for no reason.

He pulled you down and planted a kiss on your lips “I love you and I’ll apologize and try to find a way to make it up to him later”

You grinned as you decided his punishment would be you not saying it back.

He just rolled his eyes “and by the way I wasn’t jealous, I just missed spending time with you while you were with them”.

[angstysebfan]

The Past Can Break You - 5

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

AU: Avengers

Summary: You and Bucky have been dating for aa few years. As far as you’re concerned he is the one. But what happens when a blast from the actual past shows up?

A/N: Ive seen a lot stories of Bucky getting his first love from the 40′s back. And I’ve always wondered... what would happen if he was dating someone already? Reader is from this time. Not proofread.

Warning: implied smut, angst is back

--

The next 2 weeks were amazing. Bucky really turned everything around and showed you that he was committed to you. It made you feel so much better. While you felt bad that he now completely avoided Dot, because she is still out of place, you didn’t feel that bad because you knew she was bad news. Whenever she saw you and Bucky together she would scoff and glare at you. It made you uncomfortable.

One day the whole Avengers team was called into a meeting to discuss an upcoming mission. Per Steve and Tony, everyone, except you, were needed. You didn’t like the thought of staying behind with Dot in the compound, but you were a team player, and wouldn’t argue. Bucky on the other hand let Steve have it with both barrels.

“Steve you know the situation with Dot. Can’t someone else stay behind?” he said to Steve.

Steve sighed, “Yes, I know this will be difficult, but everyone else is needed for their skill. Y/N’s skills aren’t needed on this mission. She agreed, so why are you fighting me on this?” Steve argued back.

“Of course Y/N won’t fight this, but I am trying to protect her from Dot. You remember how vicious Dot can be, and I don’t want her to upset Y/N when we just started to get back on track,” Bucky said.

“Look Buck, I get it. I do. But this is how it is. The compound is big enough that Y/N won’t need to be anywhere near Dot. By the way, when are you going to tell her that she needs to start looking for employment and another living situation. She makes everyone uncomfortable. Even Tony is starting to get annoyed at all her questions about FRIDAY, and he loves showing people how smart he is,” Steve asked.

“I-I don’t know. I mean I know I have to do it, especially after what she’s pulled, but I still feel bad for her. I mean she didn’t ask for this to happen, and doesn’t deserve to be thrown out on her ass, but I know it’s the right thing to do. I’ll talk to Y/N about it and see if she has any ideas. Maybe if we help setting her up I will feel better about it,” Bucky said.

“Yea, I know. Let me know if you need help. But we gotta get packed and head to the quinjet. And please don’t worry about Y/N. Your girl is strong, and she knows how Dot is. She will be fine. Besides, we are only gone for like 24 hours, what could happen?” Steve asked.

Bucky didn’t respond and watched as Steve walked out of the meeting room. He ran his hands through his hair, what could happen? He hoped nothing, but he didn’t trust Dot. It’s funny the way she is acting now didn’t bother him when he was in the 40s, but now, because of you, he sees that she is not as great as he thought.

Bucky sighs and heads to your shared room to find you packing his bag for him. He smiles as he walks in, “Hey baby,” he says.

You look up at him and give him a bashful smile, “Figured I would help you out,” you said.

Bucky walks up to you and wraps his arms around you, pulling you into his embrace. He looks into your eyes, and all you see is love and admiration in them. He leans in and connects his soft lips with yours. After a moment he deepens the kiss and you feel his tongue on your lower lip. You open you mouth in response, allowing him full access. When the need to breath becomes too great you pull away, panting.

“You’re only going to be gone a day,” you say with a chuckle.

Bucky also laughs, “Will you be ok? Here? With... her?” he asks.

You brush your hand through his soft hair, “Yea. I’ll stay clear of her as much as I can. But I’ll be ok,” you say.

Bucky pecks your lips again. “When I come home, I was wondering if you could help me with something,” he asks.

You look at him with confusion, “Like what?” you ask.

“I think it’s time for Dot to go off on her own, but I don’t want to just kick her out and make her fend for herself. I was thinking you could help me find her a job and a place to live? I would just feel better if I know I wasn’t kicking her out with nowhere to go,” he asks.

You smile and nod, “Sure. I’ll be glad to help. I’ll start while you’re gone,” you say. 

Bucky kisses you one more time, “I’ll be back tomorrow. I love you, Doll,” he says.

“I love you too, Buck.”

--

You have to say you are surprised when you find yourself not running into Dot at all. It’s almost like she doesn’t want to be near you either, which is fine. She has spent most of the last 24 hours in the lab, while you stayed in your room looking up possible jobs and apartment for her. 

You thought it was nice of Bucky to at least help set her up and not throw her to the wolves. It was something you admired about Bucky, his big heart. You both have been texting before the mission, but since then you haven’t heard from him. You hope everything is ok. 

“FRIDAY, any update on the team?” you ask the AI.

“No agent, I’m sorry,” she responds.

You decide to take a nap in hopes that when you wake up your boyfriend will be home. You want your family home safe and sound.

--

You woke up to the sounds of the team in the hallway. You walk out and see Nat and Wanda and hug them hello. You head toward the common room hoping to see the guys, but don’t. You walk back toward the elevator and heard something from Dot’s room.

“Oh Dot, I’ve missed you so much, Doll,” you hear Bucky moan.

You gasp in horror as you continue listening to Dot moan and beg for Bucky to go harder. You can’t help the tears that begin to fall as you hear your boyfriend and his ex having sex.

“So good baby, you’re so good. Taking me so well, you feel amazing. No one is like you, I love you so much,” Bucky moaned.

You’ve heard enough and turn, running back to your shared room. You can’t be near him when he comes in pretending he didn’t just fuck his ex. Your heart is in a million pieces as his voice continues to play in your head. All you hear is her and his moans and his words. He loves her. It will always be her. Maybe you just need to learn to accept that.

--

“Buck, I think you should have told Y/N you got hurt. She is going to be worried about you,” Steve scolded.

“Look, I know my girl. She will be mad at first, but then she will nurse me back to health. I will have to convince her to ride me later, but it will be so worth it,” Bucky says with a smirk as the doctor continues to pull out shards of shrapnel from his side.

“Seriously man? TMI!” Sam complained before leaving Medbay.

Bucky laughed and then hissed as the doctor pulled another shard out. “How much longer? I don’t want Y/N to think I’m dead if she knows we are back,” Bucky asked the doctor.

“One more piece... and....” she pulls the large piece out, “There! Now I will quickly clean and bandage. no stitches cause you will heal fast, but please no sex tonight. You might bleed all over her,” the doctor said with a glare.

Bucky and Steve laugh. “Oh I talked to Y/N about helping me out with Dot and she agreed. I figured it was best to have her involved with that situation from now on,” Bucky says to Steve as the doctor cleans and bandages his side.

“Good idea, less messy that way. I hope everything went well here with the 2 of them,” Steve says.

“I’ll find out,” Bucky says as he puts his shirt on. 

Both men walk to the elevator and head to their floor. They say their goodbyes in the hall as Bucky opens the door to your shared apartment. You aren’t in there, which confuses him, but he figures maybe you went to the kitchen.

When he walks into the bathroom he senses something is wrong. None of your toiletries are there. It was different from when you cleaned, plus his was still there. He walks back out to your room and sees that everything on your nightstand is gone too. Now he starts to panic as he goes to the closet and sees that all your clothes are gone. He tries to not have a panic attack because that will slow him down. He goes to head to the door and sees a piece of paper on the floor:

Bucky,

I guess I’m the stupid one. I’m stupid to think that everything you said to me was true. I was stupid to think that I could compete with your one true love. I was stupid to think that you really loved me. Well I won’t be stupid anymore. No need to lie and say what I heard isn’t true. I hope you and Dot are very happy together in your new apartment, but I’m done. Have a nice life.

Bucky dropped the letter and fell to his knees as tears pool down his cheeks. What the hell happened that you up and left him? You are angry with him, and he doesn’t understand why. He allows himself to cry for a moment before rereading it.

Dot.

--

Chapter 4 / Chapter 6

Oh Dot you dirty bitch! Feedback is appreciated.

Permanent Taglist:  @hailmary-yramliah @tuiccim @comedictragedy @cap-n-stuff @thefridgeismybestie @swiftmind @aleaisntcreative @lookiamtrying @pinknerdpanda @morganclaire4 @iamvalentinaconstanza @verygraphicink @im-squished @joannie95 @peace-love-hobbitness @connie326 @amandamdiehl @harrysthiccthighss @its-izzys @roserose26 @rebekahdawkins @elegantobservationstudentsblog @broco8 @shinykoalacat @white-wolf1940 @jessyballet

Story Taglist: @afuckingshituniverse @wintrfld @cherries-and-berries @ilovemarvelanne1 @lilli2411 @minty-fiction @peakywitch @blue-mostacho @r0bbieshapiro @uncreativezx @sarahjoestewy-blog @geekanista @imtaashu @vicmc624 @browneyedgirl365 @happinessinthebeing @leyannrae

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF I FORGOT ANYONE!

[woahajimes]

Have you ever wondered how Damian would handle an instagram account? 

For starters, Damian doesn’t even know he has an instagram account. It’s until Bruce answers a question at an interview that Damian finds out he has an instagram account. Bruce had created it for him, for god-knows-what reason. Yet Damian has to act like he has known all along, that he has an instagram account. 

Once Bruce gets him settled into a username that very literally is just Damian’s name as the son of the billionaire, Damian does absolutely nothing. He doesn’t follow anyone, he doesn’t post anything. He doesn’t even  have a profile picture. For all everyone knows, Bruce Wayne could have lied and that account is just some rando’s. 

And months pass, Damian’s account is the literal same every single day, and trust me, people have checked. Damian couldn’t actually care less about his instagram account, the only reason he hasn’t deleted the app completely is because he rarely even uses his phone. He just carries it around in his pocket when he’s out as Damian Wayne. 

It’s almost a year, and Damian is out with Dick, they’re getting lunch or something. Dick has ordered a burger, Damian stuck with a veggie option. And they’re about to start eating and Dick takes out his phone, snaps a picture. 

“What are you doing?” Damian asks him. 

Dick stares at Damian. “It’s for my instagram story.” And then he starts typing some caption or something. 

And even though I, op, don’t have younger brothers, I do have a younger sister and I can tell you that little siblings copy like, everything you do. And I know we’re talking about Damian, but still. Damian took his phone out and he snapped a picture, Dick in the shot as well. He posted it in his story, he didn’t put a caption. 

And then later that day, Damian remembered that he hadn’t saved that picture he took. So he opened the instagram app and he saw a little circle around his empty profile picture. He decided that he liked it. It went from purple to pink to orange to yellow to orange to pink and back to purple. 

So this became a routine of his, after all, it would cost him next to nothing. To take a picture and post it on his story. It would keep the little ring around his profile picture. And he’d get replies to his stories and he’d get tagged in pictures and he’d get thousands of followers and he’d get tagged in comments and new requests and all those things that famous accounts get. 

And it’s not like the pictures ever made sense. The first week they were things like the cover of his sketchbook, or this plant he found in the garden. Maybe it was the map on his wall, or alfred the cat and titus. He wouldn’t even take time with these pictures. He’d just remember every day about the little circle around his default profile picture and he’d grab his phone, and  he’d take a picture of the nearest thing he could find. He never bothered to write a caption, nor put a song, anything. 

And as time passes, the logic of the pictures becomes blurry. Why would the heir of the richest man in gotham post a picture of a crack on the pavement? 

But sometimes, people doubt that Damian even takes these pictures. Because sometimes they’re pictures of gotham at night, when the sky is pitch black, starless. And this one time, Damian is out on patrol, the sun is rising, he still hasn’t gone home. The sky reminds Damian of the little ring around his profile picture. So Damian sets his phone to record automatically and so it records towards the sunset. And because Damian would place himself against the light, the figure would look pitch black, a plain shadow against the sunset. So Damian sets his phone and he takes his cape off, he has his grappling hook, but he’ll use it once he’s out of the camera shot. And then he gets the video going (his phone is leaning on a plant pot, there’s another building that ends nearly as the camera shot begins. So Damian swings from where he set his phone, to the other building, and he just. 

Jumps. 

He’s jumping headfirst and he’s whooping loudly, laughing almost. He’s done this so many times yet something is just nicer. 

it was awesome. 

And he posts the video, but silences it. Nobody can see Damian’s uniform, nor his mask. For all they know, Damian hired someone to jump, or maybe he even threw a mannequin or something.  

That was the only video Damian posted on his story. The rest, every other day, theRE were just pictures. 

We skip time a bit more and Damian was with Jon, when he still lived in hamilton. They were by the tree they were always at, and Damian was taking a picture of the bark of the tree. Because bark. 

And Jon just stares at Damian. “What the h are you doing?” 

Damian shrugs. "Just taking a picture.”

Jon snatches the phone from him. They’re close enough friends. He goes to the camera and holds the phone up straight, he sets it to the front camera.

“My mom does this all the time,” he says. “She calls them selfies.” 

Jon snaps a picture. Then he checks it. He’s smiling, Damian is not. “You’re so lame! Did nobody ever teach you how to smile?” 

Jon snaps a second picture, Damian’s still not smiling. Third picture, Damian’s expression moves a bit, but it's just him rolling his eyes. 

“Come on, Damian! SMILE!” Jon takes another picture, he checks it. Damian’s smiling dramatically, he looks like Jon looks in family pictures he doesn’t want to take. He’s not smiling with his teeth, his eyes are practically closed, his nose is scrunched up. If anything, he looks more disgusted than happy. “Ugh, we’ll just try another day, i guess.” 

This became a sort of routine. Every day they saw each other as civilians, Jon would take a selfie with Damian. Sometimes he smiled, if he was in the right mood. It didn’t really matter, Damian never posted those pictures on his story. 

Now we take Damian’s fourteenth birthday. This, Damian decides, is a much better way to spend his birthday than the last one. Bruce isn’t there, but his brothers are, his best friends also are. Alfred and Jon, Dick, Tim, and Jason. They’re eating strawberry cake, with the ‘happy 14th!’ in pink frosting and everything. It is now his first option, thanks to Alfred.

Anyways, they’re slicing the cake, Damian just blew out the candles. Jon takes his phone out, the one he got when he turned eleven. He doesn’t have an instagram account, Lois wouldn’t let him, but Jon still takes a picture of everything. 

Alfred asks Damian for his phone, so he can take a picture. Damian shakes his head, yet he takes out his phone. He’s at the head of the table, he puts his phone on the front camera. He hands it to Alfred. 

“Jon likes to call them ‘selfies’,” Damian explained. He showed Alfred. “Here, you take them like this.” 

Damian took his phone back from Alfred, he stretched his arm with the phone. He called out Tim’s name, and all of them looked up. 

“Smile!” Damian snapped a picture, he grinned. He looked at the picture, he liked it. Alfred was grinning, like in that picture in which he’s with Bruce when he was little, and they’re both laughing at something.

Damian decided that this picture was too nice for it to go on his 24-hour ring. Besides, he had already put a picture of Jason helping prepare the frosting. He didn't need two stories in the same day. 

So he drafts the post, and there’s the option to edit the image, but Damian skips it. It’s nice as it is.

He posts it, he doesn’t write a caption.

taglist: @hauntingsonofrobin @bikoncon @catxsnow @screennamealreadyused @thesporklecat @thesesickfics-justmakemesick andd i think i got it all idk 

[rinkrats]

🥺 that mike lange story. But also those tags #sid loooves christmas #he loves giving presents #looks good in red #piles on the pounds fast #post hockey career as santa 😂😂👌🏽👌🏽

he loves his mementos and presents and is COMMITTED to them. scrapbooking. matching jackets. little pills with hidden motivational messages~*~ his love language is gifts and neck smooches and stalking geno. relevant right now are some anecdotes i sent a friend earlier this year for dorky sid gifts fic fodder:

1. Crosby's constant thoughtfulness would be impressive from anyone, much less someone of his stature.

"Sid always texts me happy birthday, he's always asking me like, how's Russia?" Evgeni Malkin said. "We talk and message all summer. He asks me how my skates are. He knows, like, everything. He follows my Instagram, I think (laughs)."

In addition to having a handle on those little details, Crosby is constantly providing those around him with memories and mementos. If the team is on the road and goes, say, sightseeing or to a sporting event and takes a group photo, Crosby will later send a framed copy to everyone.

When Ron Hextall and Brian Burke watched their first Penguins game in person, Crosby is the one who approached head equipment manager Dana Heinze and asked for two used game pucks to give to the new GM and president of hockey ops. 

After the Penguins won in 2009, Crosby had jackets made for the three players on the team who had scored a Cup-clinching goal in Game 7: Talbot (Pittsburgh), Ruslan Fedotenko (Tampa Bay) and Mike Rupp (New Jersey).

"They were blue jackets with gold buttons, and each one had a patch on it that said 'GWG Game 7,'" Talbot said. "At one of our first team meals the next season, he presented us with the jackets and did a big ceremony with the music and stuff. We had a private room in the restaurant. I still have the jacket."

-The Consummate Teammate, Captain and Ambassador, Feb 2021

2. Merz: My first interaction with Sid was when we were on the bench, guys were talking about a teammate, and the first thing this 15-year-old says is, “Hey, guys. Let’s keep everything positive. Don’t talk about your teammates that way.”

Salcido: When we were getting ready for nationals, he found these little pills that you could put a hidden message inside. They unscrewed, and inside was a tiny scroll. He gave one to every teammate. … He had everyone fill one out. He didn’t tell anyone what to write, but he made it known that we all knew what the goal was: winning nationals. So we wrote on our scrolls, rolled them up and put them in the pill thing. We kept them with us everywhere we went.

-‘Is this real?’: Stories of Sidney Crosby’s year at a Minnesota prep school, May 2020

3. On “Butterfly Boy” Jonathan Pitre:

Though the Senators are his team, Sidney Crosby has always been Jonny’s favourite player. After the TSN documentary airs, Tina gets a call from the Penguins. Sid needs Jonny’s measurements. He wants to have a suit made for him by his personal tailor, Domenico Vacca.

“It’s the kindest, sweetest gesture,” Tina says. “Sid heard that Jonny went to a lot of games, so he wants him to look like he’s one of the guys.”

“I want him to feel like a pro,” Crosby says. “Here’s a guy who is going through something so painful, and his first thought is always, ‘How can I help others?’ When I was young, I’d watch on TV the players coming to the rink in their suits. That was a cool part of being an NHL player. I want him to feel that, to make it as real as possible for him.”

Tina tries to discreetly measure Jonny while she’s changing his dressings. But he’s way too smart for that.

“Um, Mom, why are you measuring me? Am I going for surgery again?” he asks.

“No, no!” Tina replies, trying to reassure him and come up with a good lie, all in the same breath. “The doctor needs them just to make sure they have proper dressings next time you are in.”

A few weeks later, the sharp navy blue suit shows up at their front door, along with a couple of ties, an autographed stick and a handwritten letter from Sid. 

“His eyes just light up,” Tina says. “Jonny always liked to be well-dressed, and he just loves having his own suit. It fits perfectly. He looks so good in it.”

-Beauties by James Duthie (2020)

4. Pascal Dupuis inspired his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates on their run to the Stanley Cup, and Sidney Crosby found a special way of driving that message home.

Dupuis retired in December with lingering health concerns because of blood clots. Despite his NHL playing days coming to an end, the veteran forward remained an integral part of the Penguins and was in uniform to hoist the Cup after Pittsburgh's six-game win against the San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup Final.

On Sunday, Dupuis brought the Cup home one last time as a player to share a special day with his family, friends and hometown fans.

"Yes, it does feel bittersweet a little bit," Dupuis said. "You get the Cup, you want to celebrate. But at the same time I got a gift by the mail [Saturday]. Basically, it's a book of all the pictures of all the good stuff we went through. It came from Nova Scotia, so you guys can figure out who it came from (Crosby), but he couldn't give it to me during the season, he saw me skating a little bit.

"And he sent it [Saturday], before my day with the Cup, so he knew what he was doing to get me right here," Dupuis said, putting his fist over his heart.

-Pascal Dupuis shares Stanley Cup with family, friends, Aug 2016

5. In 2011, Crosby was out of the lineup with a concussion, and the Penguins made their annual visit to Children’s Hospital.

Crosby got along so well with one boy there and was so touched that he later asked Bullano to go back... just the two of them, no cameras, no attention.

When Bullano and Crosby met for the follow-up visit, Crosby appeared clutching a pair of Toys “R” Us bags, filled with a Transformer toy the two had discussed.

“He literally bought every type of this toy they make,” Bullano said. “[Crosby] had never seen it before and thought it was so cool.

“There are no pictures of this. There’s no video. He was laying in the bed with the kid. They were just playing. We were there for over two hours. I got to know the mom really well because we were just sitting there.

“The kid had no idea. Didn’t expect it. They had no idea he was coming. We got there and he said, ‘Hey buddy. hope you don’t mind that I came back.’ The kid couldn’t believe it.

“[Crosby’s] crazy cool about stuff like that.”

What’s crazy is trying to recount the many times stuff like this has happened with Crosby:

• The Little Penguins Learn to Play program has been around for nine seasons, outfitting now 1,200 kids with free head-to-toe hockey equipment. Not only does Crosby serve as the face of the program — which the NHL has now adopted — but he helps fund it, too.

“There’s an awareness of what a person in his position can bring,” Penguins vice president of communications Tom McMillan said. “I think he activates that as much as anybody I’ve seen during his playing career.”

• After a recent practice, Crosby noticed a local family in the Penguins dressing room, approached them, introduced himself, learned their story and wound up giving them a signed stick.

Nobody asked Crosby to do that, and he wanted zero credit when discussing it a couple days later.

“For people who have the opportunity to come in here, people dealing with certain things, if you can brighten their day a bit or spend some time with them, it’s something that’s special for all of us,” Crosby said.

• A few years ago, through a team charity event, Crosby befriended a 4-year-old Amish boy with cancer. Crosby remarked to Bullano how much he loved talking to the boy because of how engaging the boy was and how he wasn’t consumed with technology. Crosby even tried to visit the boy but learned he had passed away.

• He learns the first and last names of the kids who attend his hockey school in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.

“Two kids came from Japan its first year,” Bullano recalled. “He was so blown away by that. He couldn’t wait to meet them.”

• Earlier this season, the Penguins welcomed Grant Chupinka, 24-year-old cancer patient, into the dressing room. Crosby chatted up Grant and his parents, Steve and Kim.

He spent his usual time — about two or three times the requirement. Gave the tour. Then found out the Chupinkas didn’t have tickets for that night’s game and decided he would pay for them to go.

“I’m sure he could just give them an autographed puck or something, but he takes his time to go out and see them and talk to them and get to know them,” Brian Dumoulin said. “It speaks volumes for him and who he is as a person.”

Spend any length of time with Crosby during his visits with those less fortunate, and a few things become obvious.

One, Crosby is really good at these. Smooth but not in a slimy way. Sweet. You know how when you’re around someone talking and they go out of their way to make eye contact with everyone around? That’s Crosby.

He’s also humble, always introducing himself like those he’s meeting don’t already know. Holding a hand is no issue. And Crosby is the rare 20-something pro athlete without kids who acts every bit like he does.

“It is not an easy situation to talk to someone with terminal cancer,” McMillan said. “A lot of people couldn’t do that. He has an amazing ability to do that and make that person feel good.”

Crosby has welcomed several Make-a-Wish kids and tries, if at all possible, to schedule such events for practice days — to maximize the time he’s able to spend.

He’s developed a special friendship with Patrick McIlvain, a soldier who nearly died when he took a bullet to the head in Afghanistan. McIlvain actually does physical therapy with one of Crosby’s sticks.

A former club hockey player at Cal U, McIlvain comes by every year, and the Penguins don’t even bother to tell Crosby. Either he already knows or immediately stops what he’s doing to come say hello.

“He’s not doing it to leave a legacy,” said Terry Kalna, Penguins vice president of sales and broadcasting. “His numbers leave the legacy. He’s just a down-to-Earth, good guy.”

Before a visit, Crosby has Bullano email him what is essentially a scouting report on who he’s going to meet. He likes to learn about them, their situation and what they’ve been through. As much information as he can ingest. Crosby never just swoops in, shake a hand and leave.

“As much as anyone has ever seen, he accepts the responsibilities of being not just a professional athlete but a star professional athlete,” McMillan said. “He views it as part of the job. Like coming to the morning skate. That’s just what you do.”

Put another way, “he owns those moments,” says Kalna.

Said Bullano, “He’s just a good human being.”

-When it comes to giving, Sidney Crosby does as much as he can, Feb 2017

6. When Crosby received a generous signing bonus on his Reebok deal, he wanted to share it with everyone.

“He gave everyone on the bus gifts,”  says Oceanic radio commentator Michel Germain. “Him sharing his bonus with all the people he’d been travelling with for two years, that impresses me greatly. I think the most important thing about Sidney Crosby is his personality and the kind of human being he is. What he exuded. The inner richness he’d already developed.” 

-Superstitious and generous, Dec 2006

7. also this simply because it makes me ;w;

Even in defeat — no, especially in defeat — Sidney Crosby proved why he wears the "C" for the Penguins.

After the game, with his heart sinking and his season over, the Penguins’ captain bent over, sank to the ice to pick up the puck, took it to linesman Tony Sericolo and then skated to his team’s handshake line.

I immediately thought of a View from Ice Level I’d written on Crosby making sure a retiring official was sent away from PPG Paints Arena properly. I knew picking up the puck wasn’t for the same reason that was, but I also knew, in some way, it was connected to Crosby’s awareness and respect of the game.

“It was for the Islanders,” Crosby told me after the game, his eyes swollen from a first round exit – by way of a sweep to make it worse. He told me how the winning team always wanted the puck, and it was his way of providing it for the Islanders.

Crosby looked me right in the eye as he told me this, just as he did with every other member of the media to come to him after the loss.

I could tell from those swollen eyes and the way he sat at his stall, by himself with his hands folded as he stared blankly, that Sidney Crosby is much more used to being on the receiving end of a puck when a series ends than he is at retrieving it for the winning team.

That scene. His swollen eyes. Staying in the locker room until most had left – talking to anyone who needed him. Most of all, though, picking up the puck that prompted my question in the first place and making sure the right people got their piece of their own history.

It all adds up to one thing: In victory and in defeat, Crosby respects the game above all else – just as he’s always done.

-Even in defeat, Crosby shines, April 2019

[arty-shadow-morningstar]

Graveyard Siblings (5)

[Masterlink] (PART 1) (PART 4)

-----

Mari and Cass sometimes switch their suits as they have the same body type. Cass would sometimes go out in full Hellbat gear and give the appearance that Hellbat is out more often than she actually is.

So Orphan/Black Bat also sometimes uses guns.

This also helps with concealing secret identities. Maria was rescued by Hellbat from Joker’s Henchmen. (Vicki Vale was getting sus of the new Wayne and Hellbat.)

Unfortunately since Hellbat rarely comes out and she had already made all of her appearance for the month and it wasn’t a busy weekend, the public had come to the conclusion that Hellbat has a crush on the newest Wayne.

Basically everyone thought that Mari has a crush on herself. Which led to some teasing and escalated to Mari announcing that Jason had a crush on Red Hood on live TV.

It didn’t help that a video of Red Hood and Jason re-enacting Romeo and Juliet with Jason on his apartment balcony and Red Hood on the roof was posted on the internet a few days later. (Thank you, Trixx and Tim’s awesome video editing skills)

Sadly, it was taken down 24 hours later. (Tim and the others have multiple copies of it, on the cloud or hardware, hidden around in the manor and their respective safehouses in the US.)

Some people kidnapped Jason to hopefully gain leverage over the Red Hood and to their dismay and nightmares for years to come, Hellbat came instead.

One lucky and incredibly brave reporter asked why she was there instead of her brother.

Mari being a little shit, “Red Hood may be a tough and scary guy but when it comes to his feelings, my brother is a chicken.”

Pictures of Jason tackling Hellbat somehow never made it into any papers.

The criminal underworld hasn’t taken a hint and Jason has been kidnapped a few more times.

Other times Jason was kidnapped:

Robin: Red Hood made a fool of himself in front of Todd recently and he doesn’t dare to show his face.

Spoiler: He was taking too damn long checking his hair even though I told him that no one was going to see it under his helmet and he was so offended that he is currently sulking in the bathroom.

Red Robin: Red Hood can’t think straight when he is around Jason. I mean have you seen the dude.

Arsenal*during a rare visit to Gotham*: Red Hood owes me one now.

Dick finally ends it by going out as Red Hood and rescuing Jason. Gotham is happy that Redson (Red Hood x Jason) ship has finally sailed.

-------

Kate, Babs, Cass, Steph and Mari were out on Mari’s first girls’ night since her move to the manor.

This is set a little after she came back from Paris with Jason.

They watched rom-com movies, did hair and nails, gossip about the superhero community and bitch and vent to each other.

Marinette off-handedly mentioned the crazy shits she had done during her stint as Ladybug. It started with asking about the T-rex in the Batcave and she mentions jumping into the mouth of a live one before.

Everyone in the room was shocked and after a few more questions, it was obvious that she was very reckless and self-sacrificing. Yep, she was going to fit into this crazy family just fine.

And Holy Shit. There is so much trauma packed into this kid. She needs lots of therapy.

Babs finally decided that they all needed to get out and have some fun. All in their respective suits and they went out.

Joined by Harley, Ivy and Selina.

Plagg came along because I want Plagg to meet Selina.

It was a chaotic night and it was a miracle that Bruce didn’t find out about what the girls did.

-------

Batman and Red Hood were on patrol together when Selina jumped in front of them.

“Hello, Boys”

“What do you want, Catwoman?”

“I want to meet my new prodigy, Kitty Noire.”

Cue Marinette jumping down from her hiding spot, transformed with the Black Cat Miraculous. “Hiya.”

Red Hood carries her like a potato sack and points his gun at the other two.

“Nope, she’s my sister and I called dibs. I adopted her. She’s off limits.”

“Legally, she’s mine.” Batman coughed out.

“I did it first. Emotionally. She’s my emotional support sister. You have plenty kids already, B and Selina, get your own.”

“Hey, I am still here and can hear you.”- Maria

-------

Alya was worried for Lila. She had been acting weirdly for the past month.

She looked very out of sorts. Her clothes weren’t in order and her hair was in disarray. She had bags under her eyes and her eyes looked wild. Lila didn’t look like herself at all.

She jumped at any sound and flinched at really sudden movements.

Alya tried to find out what was wrong with Lila and received vague answers.

One time Lila said that Marinette is to blame.

Alya reaches the somewhat right conclusion that Marinette was haunting Lila and hurting her because Lila used to come to school with bruises and claims that Marinette did it.

Alya goes to Marinette’s grave to desecrate it. (Yeah, go anger the ghost that is haunting someone.)

Unfortunately, the moment she tries to do something, the sky turns dark, clouds appear and the wind begins whipping. A Lightning strike near her and there was a cloaked figure beside her with a scythe.

All Alya saw from the figure was the blood-red lips in a very sharp grin and glowing blue eyes, raising the scythe high before she ran away. The scythe swiped the air where her head once was.

Alya didn’t get far before she tripped and blacked out.

When she woke up, she found herself in the hospital with no idea how she got there.

She was told that somebody found her with a concussion in the park and took her to the hospital.

------

The next one on Mari’s hit list was Natalie.

She wasn’t as involved in the whole thing like Lila, Adrien or Gabriel but she still did it anyways.

Her punishment is a little mild compared to the others and was more of a warning to Gabriel.

Natalie woke up in the middle of the night to see a not-so-dead Ladybug sitting on her vanity chair with the moonlight from the windows illuminating her body and her neck. Her suit was torn exactly like the day of that battle with blood dripping down her arms and from her open wounds. The shadows kept her face hidden but glowing blue eyes stared at her.

Natalie was scared at first. But she regained her normal cool composure.

“I assume you are here to extract your revenge for aiding in your unfortunate demise. But before you kill me, I regret my part in my entire thing and I apologize for everything I have done against you even though I knew it was wrong.”

“At least you show remorse over what you have done. Visiting my grave when even my parents didn’t and leaving flowers. I love those purple hyacinths by the way. Did you know that they mean sorry in the language of the flowers?”

“Why are you stalling my death? Just kill me already.”

“Madam Sancouer. You just played a minor role in my downfall compared to what Adrien and Lila Rossi did to me. And you showed more guilt over your actions than they ever did and Adrien claimed to have loved me. And like I have told the Bats, Death is too swift of a punishment.”

“Who are the bats?”

“None of your concern. You should be more concerned about yourself.”

“Lila sees the ghosts of her past and they haunt her. Adrien is in a living nightmare and has no control over his actions and is despised by everyone. What are you going to do to me?”

“Well, since you show some guilt over your actions, let me tell you a little secret. I am not dead. Not really. I mean I did die. But there was a spell in the grimoire that revived me. It took a few days to work.”

Marinette changed to her normal form. It was a little jarring to see an older Marinette Dupain-Cheng sitting on her vanity chair like it was a throne. The Ladybug suit and the wounds were gone. She looked a little familiar.

“Why are you telling me this? What was the point?” Natalie faltered as she wondered why the girl looked familiar. Marinette moved closer and her face was fully illuminated by the moonlight.

“I intend to take everything by which I mean everything from Gabriel Agreste for what he did.”

“M. Agreste just wanted his wife back. You just gave him your Miraculous, you would still have everything.”

“What difference would it make? Sure I had friends and family before but they turned out to be disappointing. I might have become a famous designer like I dreamed of and can't achieve because I died. Besides, he never said about wanting his wife to come back in his tedious monologues. For all we knew back then, he wanted them for world domination. He showed that he would end the world for them. For kwamis’ sake, he nearly started World War III, just for a pair of earring and a ring. He was willing to kill me to have her back. No wait, he did that too. If he actually read the translated grimoire or asked the Guardian or at least someone with magic for help instead or maybe used his head and made some who can heal as his champion using the Butterfly, we wouldn’t even be in this mess. Face it, Mme Sancour, your boss is a power-hungry and very controlling maniac who is also thankfully an idiot.”

“But- he- he just-. You are just a child, what do you know? M. Agreste knew what he was doing.”

“A child who had a normal life up until he tried to ruin it with his idiotic schemes and hiring Lila to do it. A child who had to fight a war on her own.”

“I am sorry you had to go through that but I doubt you and your little revenge rampage is going to solve anything.”

Ghostly Chains wrapped around Natalie’s body, squeezing tight like it was squeezing the life out of her.

“I was all for sparing you, you know. If you had actually listened to my side of the story, you would have spared from my ‘little revenge rampage’. This is going to be a little painful. Sorry about that.” In a tone that was definitely not sorry.

Pain coursed through Natalie’s body. Her skin crawled and itched as pitch back feathers grew out of it. Her bones turned to dust and reformed.

Where Natalie Sancour once was, there was a raven.

An omen of death and destruction for one Gabriel Agreste.

Marinette leaned down towards the raven. Natalie tried to peck her eye out but Marinette held the beak in a firm grip.

“Ah. ah ah. Luckily for you this is temporary. Mostly. Every night, you will assume this shape and each night the longer you will stay in this form. Slowly counting down the days until Gabriel’s downfall. Since you love helping him so much, you are going to help him know how long he has to live. The night you are a raven from sunset to sunrise, that sunrise starts the day Gabriel Agreste will be utterly destroyed.”

She released the beak and headed towards the window.

"Send him my regards."

With that, she was gone.

(Part 6)

[haik-choo]

karasuno first years out late w/ their s/o

request: Could you write how 1st years (yachi too pls🥺) going out with their s/o late at night ?

a/n: this is such a cute little concept i -- 

[KARASUNO FIRST YEARS OUT LATE AT NIGHT WITH THEIR S/O]

-tsukishima, kageyama, yamaguchi, hinata, yachi

tsukishima kei.

not gonna lie, he’s often awake late at night. he’s a night owl and doesn’t mind sacrificing his sleep to watch some youtube videos

occasionally, he even goes out late at night, slipping past his parents and brother’s room and softly closing the front door with his headphones covering his ears and his hands stuffed in his pockets

so when you text him at 3am and ask if he can go out with you to the convenience store, he agrees in seconds to meet you at the halfway point between your houses

wastes no time in putting on his sneakers and a hoodie; he wants to get there quickly so that you aren’t left out by yourself

tsukishima knows there’s creeps out there, which is exactly why he jogs to the halfway point and is relieved when he’s the first one there

as soon as he sees you in the distance he fast walks to catch up to you, and slips his hand into yours

he totally brings bluetooth earbuds so that you two can listen to the same music instead of his wired headphones <3 uwu

is always on the lookout for any weirdos, and if he spots someone eyeing you up he shoots them the nastiest glare

eventually wraps his arms around your shoulder while your hand is sitll in his and its that cute little thing where your arms is across your chest holding his hand </3

pays for whatever you get at the store, ignores your complaints and tells you to shut up when you continue to insist on paying

“im trying to be a good boyfriend for once, for the love of god PLEASE shut up”

secretly takes a candid photo of you at some point in the night and sets it as his home screen -- NOT his lock screen, and when you see it he outright denies having taken it

tsukishima: you told me to take a picture of you

you: stop lying i know you’re a closet hopeless romantic 

convinces you to stop at the park and eat the snacks you both got there, music still humming in your ears as the moonlight washes you both in cool tones

tsukishima when he’s alone with you is so soft -- he literally kisses your hand and temple and mutters very softly “love you” 

all in all, tsukishima kei is the perfect night-owl boyfriend to go on snack-runs with 

kageyama tobio.

"why would i go out right now. do you know what time it is. i have practice in the morning”

kags really out here kinda hurtin’ your feelin’s ngl boy doesn’t understand the vibes LOL

honestly you probably woke him up, he’s asleep at like ten every night (even tho he still has homework to do he just flat-out ignores it LOL) 

only agrees to go out walking with you because you said he could bring his volleyball and you’d toss a few for him....and also because he’s a little worried because it’s so dark out

doesn’t walk with you to the park but meets you there LOL

he deadass has his wholeass duffel bad with the ball, two waterbottles, two towelettes, volleyball sneakers and everything

“you know,,,,we’re not playing a game, right, tobio?”

“yeah???? and??? what’s your point”

acts nonchalant but is totally having fun and is lowkey glad you asked him to go out so late because it’s cool out, there’s no one to bother him, and you just look...really good under the stars

he’s not a cheesy person but...god you just take his breath away sometimes. not that he’ll ever say that though

you ask to take a break like thirty minutes in because you are LITERALLY dying meanwhile he hasn’t even broken a sweat (”you’re already tired? maybe you should workout more” “shut UP kageyama”)

you both sit on the bench, and you’re lowkey waiting for him to reach for your hand but they’re just folded in his lap as he stares out in the nothingness of night

kageyama can’t take a hint. we know this. he’s incapable of knowing what you want unless you flat out tell him; so you have to be a very honest person

he doesn’t even really initiate skinship, not because he doesn’t want to, but just because it never really crosses his mind

plus he doesn’t feel the need to constantly show affection because he thinks it’s obvious that he likes you

despite this, he is good at spotting weird people, and he’s pretty protective of you, so you’re completely safe with him. trust him, he’ll keep you safe

all in all, have patience and stamina because kags will play volleyball with you until you pass out. also, he loves you 

yamaguchi tadashi.

is in bed by 11pm but doesn’t actually go to sleep until two am because he’s scrolling through tiktok on his phone

sees your text about wanting to go out for a late night walk and maybe go through the little forest near your house and automatically sends a text that says “ill meet you at your window! can you pack some snacks? :)”

he walks all the way to your house, even if it’s more convenient to meet halfway because he wants to protect you! he’s not the strongest nor is he the most intimidating, so all he really has to offer is his presence

despite not being strong nor scary, yams literally has eagle eye. you can’t tell me that he can’t read people in a heartbeat -- he’s extremely perceptive 

also texts you to not bring a jacket because he’s bringing on of his own for you !!! so sweet what the hell

he waits at your front door and when you step out he automatically pushes his volleyball jacket into your hands and he takes the bag of snacks from you and sticks out one of his hands UGH such a gentleman

lets you ramble about anything and stares at your side profile as he listens 

joins in with a few quips here and there but ultimately is pretty quite and lets you speak or lets the silence cozy into the conversation

sees that there’s a guy sitting on a bench up the road and he switches places with you so that you’re further away from the stranger 

also wraps a protective hand around your waist until you both are past the random dude but yams will glance behind yall every once in a while

when you two reach the mini forest he ends up taking the lead claiming that he knows a good spot

and damn, he’s right

it’s a little clearing that is illuminated solely by the moonlight and he sets the bag of snacks down beside him before sitting down himself, apologizing for not bringing a blanket that you two could sit on 

pats the spot next to him so that you sit right beside him and he leans back with his hand on yours ONGMIRG 

is the super cheesy type and tells you that you look really pretty and that,,,he kind of wants to kiss you

you: *experiencing heart palpitations* and you did this for what. 

yamaguchi: ...because i love you?

you: *K.O*

all in all, yamaguchi is the boyfriend that completely indulges your late-night escapades <3 

hinata shoyo.

is either completely fast asleep and doesn’t see your text or was awake and not planning to sleep for the next five hours, no in-between

but if he’s awake and sees your text, he agrees right away and asks where you want to meet up and what time because homeboy probably has to bike to get there AgAGAGAGA

literally doesn’t even show up in sneakers. he’s wearing sandals and shorts with a short sleeve top 

“i came in my pjs”

“i see that.”

asks if you two can bike around instead because he doesn’t want to have to wheel his bike around for like an hour 

he tells you to hold on tight because the bike was built for one person, and when you press against his back his warmth is literally so,,,comforting 

has no sense of awareness and will scream going down a hill in the middle of a neighborhood, no fucks given

so, no, he doesn’t notice any weriod people even if there are some around

you always end up running into some weird people and you get new interesting stories every other day because let’s be honest hinata is a magnet for crazy shit and crazy people (usually crackheads) 

you both just ride around as he talks about his day, usually his sister always comes up in the conversation( “she asked me to marry you the other day” “doirhgAEROIHFGRE SHOYO WHAT” “what? i told her i would. i keep my promises!”)

after like thirty minutes he begs for a break and you stop at a little 24/7 ice cream store that is run by the sweetest elderly couple

you share a sundae because you don’t want to eat too much this late at night

he plops on the bench right outside the store with his bike leaning against the metal handles, and h snuggles up to you and watches you scroll on your phone

he talks a little here and there, but for the most part, he goes quiet, and it’s during this time where you’re unaware of his gaze that he just takes his time drinking in your features in the yellow light of the lamppost 

he can’t read the mood most times, but this time he does, and he stays quiet, and he thinks to himself

that he really will marry you one day

all in all, hinata gives you the impulsive young teenage experience of late night bike rides while eating his fair share of ice cream

yachi hitoka.

another either or, except this time she’s either fast asleep or stressing over homework and the nine tests she has the next day

when you ask if she can go on a walk with you she’s hesitant because she doesn’t want to get in trouble with her mom and she’s a total goody goody and terrified of doing anything reckless; but then she remembers that her mom was on a business trip and so she, very cautiously, says yes

you: good. i’m outside your door btw

yachi: i never had a choice did i

you have to meet her at her house because she’s way too scared to walk by herself at night; she might even make you factime her as you commute because she’s worried for you

jumps at every little thing, even the crows cawing make her shit herself

instictively grabs onto your sleeve and nervously look around the entire time, to the point where she doesn’t hear what you say

so you offer to go to a little cafe that’s still open and right away she nods

she’s so adorable, she bows really deeply when you two walk into the store and apologizes for it being so late

and finally, because you two are safe, she’s calm and smiling as she sips at her strawberry smoothie

awkwardly and very shyly reaches out for your hand on the table and gently lays her palm on yours

canon: yachi totally has freckles and you can’t convince me otherwise 

her face is red and her freckles are just on display you can’t help but coo at her and tuck some hair behind her ear because god could she get any cuter?

you two end up staying for like a hour and a half and very shyly she asks if you could walk her home 

and this time on the walk she’s not overly cautious and seems to enjoy the nighttime breeze and your hand softly clasping hers

does that cute thing where she lays her head on your shoulder or arm while you both are walking and looks up at you through her eyelashes and asks if you could give her a kiss on the cheek </3

you: stop. please. im going to die.

when you’re at her door she literally just stands there awkwardly for a few seconds before tilting her head upwards and pressing her lips to yours and then promptly running inside

video calls you three seconds afterwards to make sure you get home safely 

all in all, you might need to be the impulsive one, but yachi enjoys spending late night time with you more than she admits. also please kiss her thanks      

[crowdedimagines]

Make Her Jealous - Harry Styles

this has been sitting in my drafts for ages! so here ya go:) 

“I will love you forever if you can do me one favor?” A voice whispers in my ear. The sound of the club gets a little more quiet as I focus in on the voice that's successfully captured my attention.

“Hmm, eternal love seems like a big promise.” I grin.

“It’s kind of a big favor.”

“So, I guess it depends on what it is.” I smile, turning away from the bar. Harry Styles smiling down at me. I had noticed that he was here tonight. Hard not to. Lots of celebrities are spotted coming to this club, it’s a favorite of all of ours in LA.

“My ex girlfriend and the man she left me for just walked through those doors. Normally I wouldn’t care about that sort of thing, it’s just I basically wrote an album about her and how she destroyed me completely. So, will you pretend to be my girlfriend for the night?”

Harry rambles out his explanation, and I feel pity for the situation. Facing an ex after a breakup is never easy, but alone and after you’ve publicly dated someone it’s ten times worse. I know how he’s feeling, it’s complete shit.

“You’re serious?” I question, my brows raising.

“Completely.”

Harry and I have had a few near misses in meeting. Once or twice, as big as Hollywood is, the industry is small. I’ve never had the pleasure before tonight though.

“Harry Styles is asking me to make his girlfriend jealous? You didn’t come here with anyone?” I look over to where his group hovers, watching us both.

“She knows my friends well enough to know that I’m not with any of them. I just don’t want to have to see her for the first time after a couple embarrassing phone calls alone in a club.”

“Alright, you’ve guilted me into it.” I smile.

“You don’t have to!” He suddenly tries to defend, “It’s just been hard, I’ve seen her only a few times since we split, and she’s always all over her boyfriend in the most obvious way. At least if I had someone with me, it feels a little less like gloating.”

“Don’t worry, I get it. I’m on your side. I will let you be the gloaty one for once.” I smirk.

“You have no idea how good this is going to feel.”

“Alright, let’s go then.”

He leads me back to his group and we make a few introductions, they knew what he was doing and were glad to find me going along with it.

“This is really nice of you.” Sarah leans in with a hushed tone, “She’s been a right bitch to him, he deserves even the smallest of wins.”

“She’s been that bad?” I question, Harry’s arm is resting low on my waist at the table we’re sitting at, but I’m angled closer to Sarah while we talk.

“Oh yeah, as if it wasn’t bad enough that she ended it to be with him, she drags him through the mud again every couple of months claiming to miss him, only it never lasts more than a day or two. He can never move on, she pulls him back in.”

“That’s awful.” I peek over to look at him while he’s busy talking to Jeff.

“Yeah, he knows she’s bad news, but just needs to stay out of her traps. She always manages to dig her claws in once she gets him alone.”

“Well, it seems like that won’t be happening tonight.” I laugh nodding down to Harry’s grip on me.

We continue talking, I get to know the group better. I almost forget the whole reason I’ve been brought into this. I haven’t even seen her the whole night, not that I’m upset, it’s been amazing getting to know everyone.

“Devil spawn, three o clock.” Mitch announces, a few chuckles leave everyone at the table and I look up to see the woman he’s referring to. It looks like she’s bold enough to come over to the whole group.

“Hey, you guys.” She greets. There’s a chorus of half assed responses, but it seems she only cares for Harry’s anyway.

“Hey.” He smiles tight lipped.

“This is Y/n my girlfriend, I think you remember everyone else.” Harry gestures to everyone else at the table and she nods.

“Hi uh-” I reach out my hand towards hers while waiting for a name.

“Um, Camille.” She smiles, shaking my hand, seemingly surprised that I asked her name. I can see Jeff who is fortunately facing away bite back a laugh.

“Nice to meet you.” I grin, I give her the friendliest smile I can muster, she doesn’t even try to hide her grimace.  

“We’ve actually met before.” She clears her throat. “We worked together on a shoot a couple years ago.”

Harry’s grip tightens around my waist, obviously not expecting that. I faintly remember her from that shoot, and not for good reasons. It was still fairly early in both of our careers, but she already had the ego of someone with ten times the experience.

“That’s right! Well in that case, it’s nice to see you again.”

She fakes the smallest smile and nods.

“Sorry, we haven’t exactly gotten to the whole ex’s chat. We’re still in the phase where we just about want to rail each other on every horizontal surface we can find.”

Harry audibly chokes and tries to cover it with a cough of some sort. He turns towards me to hide the smile, still coughing.

“Right.” Camille says, trailing off at the end. “Harry, can I actually pull you for a quick chat?”

The table gets fully quiet now. It makes me think of Sarah’s comment from earlier about her seeking him out to dig her claws in. Surely, this is her repeating her actions, now everyone is just waiting to see if Harry will fall for it once again. Harry drops his gaze from her to me and I raise my brow in a quirk. Isn’t this kind of what he wanted? He grins at me before picking his head up again to face her.

“Actually, I think I’m doing just fine here for now.” He smiles, “Maybe some other time.”

She seems obviously shocked by the rejection, but covers it quickly.

“Next time.”

She waves a quick goodbye to everyone before leaving our little corner of the club. As soon as she’s out of earshot, it’s like everyone lets out a sigh of relief and a couple chuckles.

“Holy shit.” Jeff looks over all of us.

“I like this one.” Sarah pulls me in for a hug and I laugh.

“Too much?” I ask, looking for Harry’s reaction.

“Not at all.” He smiles.

“This has been a long time coming for her.” Mitch raises his glass in cheers.

We all share more drinks, and a couple dances. Camille stays for a while too, her eyes falling on the group often enough for us to all notice.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Harry whispers in my ear.

I simply nod and we get up to excuse ourselves. I say my goodbyes to the group, and make a promise to Sarah that we will meet up again for drinks again.

Camille sees us walking out hand in hand and seems to attempt one more hail mary.

“You’re leaving?” She questions.

“Yeah.” He looks over to me, our hands linked, “We’re going home.”

“We never got a chat.” She smiles.

“No, I told you next time.” He starts to walk away, “Have a good night Camille.”

Instead of bringing me home, like he had told Camille, we go to a small 24 hour diner not far from the club that Harry knew about. We look a little out of place considering our outfits, but no one questions it. There’s only one other customer seated at the counter. Harry and I take a booth close to the corner.

“So, this is where Harry Styles goes after clubbing?” I ask with a grin. He lets out a laugh before the waitress comes over to take our orders. Harry gets a black coffee to start.

“Trust me, some night it’s needed. These pancakes are great for soaking up any remaining alcohol.” He smiles.

“Sounds like a good idea.” I smile back.

We both order a stack of pancakes and talk while we wait.

“You could’ve told me that you know Camille.” He smirks, taking a sip from his mug.

“Well, where’s the fun in that?” I smirk back, “No, but in all honesty it wasn’t a great experience. It was a few years ago too, I didn’t know that she was the ex you were dodging.”

“Was she rude?”

“Not to me specifically, but those around her. I think it says a lot about a person in how they treat the people around them on set. Sorry.” I apologize, remembering that I am talking about a person he once considered himself to love.

“No, I agree completely. I’ve seen her act like that, and I’m ashamed to say I used to make excuses for it.” He shakes his head in disbelief of himself. 

“Love will make you do crazy things.” I smile softly. 

“True, although I don’t love her anymore. The rose colored glasses are all gone, it’s just harder some days than others.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. Or you just associate the happiness of having someone rather than them specifically. Definitely been there before.” 

We continue talking until our pancakes are gone and the coffee gets cold. We both order separate vehicles and continue the conversation while we wait. My car manages to pull up before his and we both walk over. 

“Well, that was a fun night, Styles.” I grin. 

“Yeah, better than I could’ve ever expected.” 

“Goodnight, Harry.” I open the door to get in. 

“Wait.” I turn to look at him, “Can I kiss you?”

“Harry, I think you’re still healing from your last relationship, tonight just proves that. You’re not ready for this, which is perfectly alright.”

He nods and takes a step back to give me space. 

“Call me in a couple months and I will happily say yes to that question.” I smirk, I press a kiss to his cheek before finally sliding into the car and pulling the door shut behind me.

~

“Can you believe it was over three years ago?”

“I told you that I’d love you forever.” Harry grins, he takes my hand from across the table, the diamond ring on my left hand captivating his attention.

“We should thank Camille for bringing us together.” I smirk.

“Oh, I’m sure she would love that.” He rolls his eyes.

“Honestly though, maybe I should send her flowers.”

“You’re just as evil now as you were then.” Harry laughs.

“If I remember correctly, that’s what made you ask me out for a real date.”

“That’s not why.” He shakes his head. “I saw you that night, and I was glad to see you again.”

“Again?” I question. 

“Do you remember a couple years ago there was that New Years party thrown by Columbia?” Harry asks, his focus now on his mug while his cheeks tint pink.

“Yeah, barely, I think I got really drunk.”

“You did.” He laughs, “We talked. Briefly, but you managed to make me smile on a rough night.” 

Surely I must be drooling at this point since my jaw is hanging slacked. I can’t believe I have been dating this man for years, engaged officially, and he never told me that we actually met once. Even if it was only ten seconds. I had no clue, but I’m glad it was enough to make him come up to me in the bar those years ago. 

“I can’t believe I’m engaged to you and didn’t even know that you had a little crush before that night!” I lean back in the booth shocked.

“Why do you think I asked you to help me out?”

“I don’t know, I have quite a nice ass.”

He simply shakes his head, “You do, but there was more to it than that. Mitch knew, he was the one that encouraged me to actually go up to you.”

“Well, it looks like Mitch is getting flowers too.”

[justkending]

Moral of The Story. Chapter One.

Summary: Marrying too young out of highschool leads to a naive and failed marriage. Now 10 years later, word comes that the divorce was never actually completed. Bucky and Y/N have to come back together after all these years to settle what wasn’t all those years back. Passive attitudes, miscommunicated endings, and reminiscing of an old love all comes back for the two.

Pairing: Bucky x Y/N

Word Count: 2600+

A/N: Ok, here is the first chapter! If you have not already listened to the song that evoked this idea from my imagination land, I suggest giving it a go! Moral of the Story by Ashe. I’m excited for you guys to see what this story brings and I really hope I do it justice! As always, comments and thoughts are welcome as they help me grow as a writer and let me see what you guys notice:) ENJOY MY LOVES!!! <3

(The posting will be once every other day until I have finished the series. If I finish early, I will post an update once a day:)

Read the Prologue here first!

Chapter One:

"You already got the flight?" Nat asked, perched on Y/N's couch as she ran around frantically packing. "Don't you have a huge meeting next week with that new business? What was it called? Bee's Knees?"

"Yes, but it's not until Monday evening. I highly doubt I will be there longer than a weekend to sign a few divorce papers. I'm planning on coming back early that afternoon, so I shouldn't miss it," she answered, not even stopping to look at her as she ran through the rooms and bathroom in the apartment.

"How soon did you book that flight?"

"As soon as I hung up the phone with Murdock," Y/N sighed. Nat sent her a questioning look not knowing that name. "New lawyer. The guy who took over for the sleazeball known as Justin Hammer," she rolled her eyes.

"Right," Nat nodded. "So, are you staying at your dad's house?"

"I would take my dad's house over my mom and Jerry's any day. You know this," Y/N paused in her actions, sending her a bitch face.

"I know. Just didn't know if you'd be all fancy and rent a hotel room to escape the smothering that is bound to happen from good ol' Mr. Y/L/N," Nat grinned.

"It's been so long since I've seen him not via facetime. And we both know that's barely seeing him as he doesn't know where the camera is even after a hundred calls," she laughed.

"Parents. Either they're technologically challenged or know how to work it better than us. Never in between and it's weird." Nat watched as Y/N froze in her stance and looked lost trying to think of something else to pack. Deciding she needed a distraction, Nat changed the subject some. "Hey, did you get Melody to go on that date tomorrow?"

"Yes!" Y/N answered proudly. "I know your aunt wants grandbabies from her daughter, but that girl just needs a night on the town more than anything. She's in her early 20's and holes herself up at the office almost more than I do, and I'm the boss."

"Cousin's got my work ethic. What can I say?" Nat shrugged smugly.

"Well, she needs to get your spirit in living some too."

"Touche," Nat pointed. "I need to have Yelena take her out. She's the real party sister out of us two."

"That is true. How she's able to party for 48 hours straight and still wake up at 8 am for mimosas, blows my mind," Y/N commented on Natasha's younger sister. "She's only a few years older than Melody, right?"

"Yeah, Yelena is 24, and Melody is 22. They were best of friends growing up, but once they got to high school, they kinda went different routes about life. Lana, the party gal, and Mel the studious bookworm."

"I'm not surprised by either of those," Y/N shook her head before collapsing next to Nat on the couch. A loud breath and sigh escaped her body.

Nat watched as her mind escaped back to the original issue at hand.

"What's going on in that brain of yours, Y/N/N?" she said, softly touching her shoulder. "Not that I don't already know, but maybe letting it out will help unscramble those thoughts."

Y/N lazily rolled her head to the redhead next to her.

"How is he?" she asked.

Nat was a part of their friend group from middle school through high school. She kept up with all of them still, whereas Y/N kept up with all of them except one.

"I actually haven't talked to him in a while. Steve on the other hand..." Nat nodded. "From that source, it sounds like Barnes is just as surprised and freaked out as you."

"He's freaked out?" Y/N asked, a hint of interest peeking out.

"Who wouldn't be? You get a call from a lawyer saying your marriage is still intact after 9 years of breaking it off, I would be freaked out too."

"He deserves it. I hope he's just as freaked out as me, if not more," she responded bitterly, crossing her arms across her chest like a pouting child.

"Y/N," Nat sighed.

"No. Don't. Don't defend him to me, it's pointless," she put up a hand. "I know you're still friends with him, but you guys still don't understand the pain that that man brought on me."

"He fought for you, Y/N. He didn't mean-," Nat countered.

"Again, you're wasting your breath. Defending him now does nothing to change the past," she said stubbornly, getting back up and carrying on with her packing. "You can still take me to the airport tomorrow, right?"

Her best friend wanted to keep pushing, knowing she had harbored this heartbreak for too long. Sure what had happened between them sucked and was a horrible chapter of their lives, but neither made an effort to talk it out and understand the other's side of the story. Faults of being young, immature, and not knowing how to handle a grown-up decision.

"Yes, I'll pick you up at work at 10. Flights at 11:25, right?"

"Yes, and you know California traffic. That will probably get me there 10 minutes before my gate closes. I had to get an early flight though because that time difference is going to kick my ass. It'll be close to 5:30 in my head and 8:30 there by the time I land... " Y/N huffed, rolling her bag to the front door for tomorrow. "You mind taking this tonight and keeping it in your car for now? That way I don't have to lug it to work?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll grab it on my way out. But we're still having a girl's night, right?"

Y/N laughed some before going to the kitchen to grab beers. "I Survived is already recorded and ready for us."

___________________

"Shit man... When's the last time you talked to her?" Steve asked, sitting across from his best friend in the chair diagonal from the couch, leaning forward on his knees after listening to the new news.

"Since I was supposedly signing our divorce papers. And even then, we didn't really talk. She sat there quietly straight-faced until it was signed and then rushed out the doors," Bucky sighed, still trying to wrap his head around the situation. "She was out of the state within the next hour."

Steve nodded before falling back into the single seat.

"So, do you guys have to see each other again, or is it one of those situations where you can sign separately?"

"I don't know. I just got off the phone. All I know up to this second is that Y/N and I have been married for the past 9 years without knowing it," Bucky said somewhat harshly. Steve didn't flinch at the tone knowing it wasn't directed at him. "I'm sorry. I-I just can't wrap my mind around this."

"It's ok. This is crazy shit, Buck," Steve waved off. There was a long pause before Steve decided to ask the question he was sure anyone would want to know. "Do you want to see her?"

Bucky slowly looked over to the blonde. God, he had been asking himself that question for the past 10 minutes himself.

On one end, yes. He wondered where she was now in life. How she was doing. What accomplishments he knew she would be making. He knew a few small things just by the whispers and small talk of her with their shared friend group that he still hung out with, but a majority of the time, they didn't bring her up around him. They knew what it did to him.

On the other end, he never thought about facing her again. I mean maybe for the year after their divorce, but when he never heard anything back from her all those times he still tried to reach out and she blocked him on almost all forms of social media, he gave up any hope of them falling back into good terms again. He hated it, but he wasn't going to push her when she clearly hated his guts.

And honestly, he deserved it. His young, stupid, college self was not a smart guy when it came to relationships. Even ones that had been there from the beginning of time practically.

Yet again, she wasn't perfect either. She made some mistakes of her own that pushed him to act the way he had.

"Hey, you both are older and more mature now. I'm sure you if you guys do have to see each other again, you can handle it like adults," Steve reassured, seeing Bucky's face turn to a soft frown. "Ok, so she may be a little stubborn..."

"A little?"

"Ok, a lot. But she's older now. She's not the 19-year-old girl that you remember," Steve defended.

"I believe that but I'm sure she still holds a grudge that is very, very, very, very-," Bucky was going to go on about 10 more very's before ending with BIG, but Steve cut him off.

"You don't know that," Steve shook his head.

"Really? Because usually when you no longer hold a grudge against someone, you might just reach out to that person and reconnect possibly," Bucky argued. "I mean that's what mature people do, right?"

"Not always..."

"So she's either not mature or still just as stubborn. Hell, for all we know, both," Bucky shrugged, pursing his lips.

"If you go into this with that mindset, nothing good is going to come out of it." Steve pointed an eyebrow at him.

Bucky rolled his eyes not replying to Steve. He knew he was right, but he was still bitter after all these years about how Y/N handled the situation. Sure, he messed up, but she had to. Yet she made him into this big bad wolf that was at 100% fault in the downfall of their relationship. It made him feel like shit, and though he tried to make amends knowing he did some fucked up things, she acted like she was Miss Perfect and didn't do anything wrong the entire time.

Damn, even after all this time, it still lit a fire in his chest with annoyance and hurt.

"When's the meeting?" Steve once again interrupted his thoughts.

"I guess Saturday morning. They said they were coming in on their off hours to fix up a few cases they found like ours," Bucky answered.

"How many cases were there?"

"Eh, I think he said it was single digits, but there were a shit ton of other cases in different areas that were worse off. The divorce ones are a small number compared to those."

"Damn. That sucks for all the couples who got a call today then," Steve huffed, running a hand down his face.

"Yeah, you're telling me..."

"Hey, we were going out with Wanda and Vis tonight. You still up for that, or...?" Steve stood up.

Bucky looked back at the beer on the coffee table and then at the TV still playing I Survived stories quietly in the background.

"You know what? I'm going to need a stronger drink than an IPA to get me to sleep tonight," Bucky nodded, standing and wiping his hands on his jeans before walking to his room.

"Looks like I'm the DD tonight then..." Steve sighed.

___________

"Vis," Wanda motioned to her fiance as he came back from the bar. "Nat just texted."

"About what? How is she?" Vis smiled as he sat next to her with Sam across from him. Sam tagged along at the last second since his other plans got canceled.

"She's good, but it's not about her," Wanda waved off, still reading whatever lengthy text was sent her way.

"Wow, that looks like a novel," Vis noticed with wide eyes as he looked over her shoulder.

"Wait 'til you hear what it's about." 

Sam shook his head as he took a sip of the beer Vis had brought over.

After reading the rest of the text out loud from where she had left off, everyone at the table looked at each other with shock ridden faces.

"They're still married?" Vis said softly as if it was a secret.

"Apparently..." Wanda nodded with wide eyes.

"So that Hammer guy was a sham?" Sam questioned.

"I told her not to go to him. He had some shady hole in the wall kind of establishment," Wanda chided. "But she said they needed something cheap and fast. She hated his guts and wanted it out of it then and there. Plus, they were 19. They didn't have much money anyway."

"Why didn't they just ask their parents for help?" Sam questioned. "Isn't Y/N's mom loaded?"

"Yes, but she refused to help her. She said it was her own fault for getting married so young and that she had warned her. Told her she had to get out of the mess on her own," Wanda answered.

"What about her dad?" Vis jumped in.

"Bucky and her dad were close. She was off in Colorado for school and didn't want to put her dad through that or make him have to help her in cutting him off. Bucky was like the son he never had and they were bonded at the hip. No matter how much Y/N hated Bucky, she wasn't going to ruin or take away his relationship with her father. That would have been cruel, and Y/N is anything but that."

"Weren't Bucky's and Y/N's dad's best friends?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, they were old-time war buddies. They're the reason Bucky and Y/N had known each other since birth. But Bucky's dad died when he was about 13, and Y/N's dad, Thomas, kinda took him under his wing. Growing up a teenage boy without a father figure messes with you, and Bucky was on the edge of a bad path after losing his father."

"He's still rather close with Thomas, but I'm sure Y/N doesn't know that. Unless Thomas has said something, and with how everything came to an end for the two, I'm sure he doesn't bring it up knowing how tender of a subject Bucky is to her," Vis added.

"Makes sense..." Sam nodded. "I only knew you all from the start of college, so I'm still a little lost in all the beginning stuff."

"All good. It's complicated with those two. Their past and upbringing are so interconnected with the other, it makes their downfall all the more intense and messy," Wanda sighed. "God, if this is the news, he's going to be a wreck tonight..." She looked up worriedly at her fiance who shared the same concerns.

"It could go two ways. Either he comes in all solemn and says three words all night, or Steve's going to be the DD and he's waking up with a head-busting hangover," Sam noted with a small grin at the thought. "I'm going to go with the latter though."

"Poor guy," Wanda sighed, taking a drink with a sad face. Ever the sympathetic one.

"We'll be here to listen if he wants to talk. If not, we act like we have no idea and don't bring it up," Vision spoke up, throwing his arm over her and running his hand up and down her shoulder.

"I'm going to tease him still most likely," Sam shrugged nonchalantly. Wanda sent him a warning glare. "Fine, mama bear! I'll be nice... Until he starts making a fool of himself." He added the last part quietly.

Moral of the Story Taglist:

@taylormobley @ximaginx @vicmc624 @leyannrae

Marvel Tags:

@thejourneyneverendsx @death-unbecomes-you @heyiamthatbitch @lizzymacy555  @srrymydood @xa-dia @redhairedfeistynerd @morganclaire4 @connie326 @captain-asguard @mollygetssherlockcoffee @teenagedreams-bucky @shower-me-with-roses @pham-tastical

My Lovelies forever:

@natura1phenomenon @lauravicente @kakakatey @traceyaudette @notyourtypicalrose  @laneygthememequeen @awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce @sandlee44 @thorne93 @thefaithfulwriter @essie1876 @greyeyedsmile14 @capsiclehan  @xostephanie @averyrogers83 @awesomenursingstudent @gh0stgurl @cs-please @carls1022 @jjlevin @rainbowkisses31 @anise-d-castle6 @deannotmoose @their-bibliophile @kitkatd7 @willowbleedsonpaper @mariaenchanted @snffbeebee @couldabeenamermaid @rebekahdawkins @alyispunk​ @princess-annna

Bucky Barnes Tags:

@chloe-skywalker @charmedbysarge @jbarness @bellamy-barnes @katiaw2 @aikeia

[laurie-stark]

Unwanted-Peter Parker

Summary: Y/n Stark gets more than she bargains for when she joins her Pops, Captian America, for the civil war of the century.

Pairings: Tony Stark x Daughter!Reader, Natasha Romanoff x Daughter!Reader, Steve Rogers x Daughter!Reader, Peter Parker x Stark!Reader

Warnings: swearing, fighting

A/N: Just so you don't get too confused, Y/n is Tony Stark's biological child, however, she was raised by the Avengers and refers to Natasha and Steve as Mama and Pops. Also I wrote this a year ago LOL. Enjoy x

Part Two

New York, 2016

This was bad. Very, very bad. I had seen the secretary come in the compound over the screen of the security monitors. He marched into my home, unannounced and unwelcome, holding himself with purpose. I followed him over the screens, tracking his movements. I watched as he was led through the building, up the elevator and into...the conference room? Oh this was bad. Very, very bad.

I raced as fast as I could. By the time I got the to conference room, the whole group was already sitting in front of the secretary. I saw Wanda first. Her back was to me, but I could see her rigid frame and I knew something was happening. My  father saw me approaching through the glass walls. He shot me a look that said "Don't do it. Don't come in here." I didn't obey.

The secretary stopped speaking abruptly when I walked through the doors. He gave me a quizzical look, did a once over and immediately looked at my father. Surely I don't look that much like Tony.

"Sorry I'm late, no one informed me about this team meeting," I gasped, short of breath from all the running. Of course, this was pushing it. As much as I wanted to be a part of the group, fighting was not my style, so I often got left out of important Avengers activities. I got to live with them, but that was it. Tony rose from his seat. He mumbled an apology to the secretary and gently ushered I out of the room. I would have fought back, but seeing the look on my father's face was enough to shut me up. And I never shut up. The secretary resumed his story. Something about golf and a heart attack.

My dad turned to face me. "Look kid, I get that you want to know what's going on, and you will, but today isn't the day."

"Okay," I said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it's okay to be curious," he replied, walking back into the meeting. "Stay upstairs, okay hun?" I nodded and started the trek back up to my room. I shut the door and flopped onto my bed. Out of my long list of pet peeves, this was number one. Sure, I didn't want to fight, but come on family, I should at least get to be in on what's going on! Maybe I could help. I have powers for God sake. I am more than capable of helping the Avengers. But they always saw me as the little girl who needs protection.

"April, pull up security footage of the conference room please," I asked. April, the AI I built, that was modeled after Friday, projected the video surveillance from the ceiling. "Volume up." The group was in the same position as from when I left. The secretary was passing around the room. There was a thick white book being passed around the table.

"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place," Steve said quietly. "I feel we've done that."

The secretary looked down at him. "Tell me Cap, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?" What? You were so confused. Why did the secretary care where my uncles were? No one answered the secretary's question, so he kept talking. I racked your brain to find the answers on my own. "...this is the middle ground." The secretary pointed at the book, now lying untouched on the table.

"And if we come to a decision you don't like?" Natasha asked.

"The you retire," the secretary responded. With that, he left the room and I scurried back downstairs.

Everyone was in the living room. I sat in the stairwell, again being uninvited to this group discussion. I listened to them fight. I figured out what was going on. The United Nations were being ungrateful little bitches and hated that they didn't have control over my family. So they gave an ultimatum: give in or give up. From the sounds of it, Uncle Rhodes, Vision and two of my four parents were in agreement with the accords. Steve and Sam were against it. Wanda hadn't said a word. Tension was growing high, I could feel it. I heard my father conclude that he won and a thud of the accords being tossed on the coffee table. Someone got up and left. Before I had the chance to act, the door to the stairwell was torn open. Steve pushed through and nearly stepped on me.

"Eavesdropping?" He smiled.

"You kicked me out, what else am I supposed to do?" I retorted. I noticed the tears welling in Steve's eyes. "Pops, what's wrong?"

Steve's glance fluttered to the ground. "Peggy. She, um..." was all he said. All he had to say. I  was smart enough to read between the lines. I stepped forward and hugged Steve. He smiled, grateful that he had me. I knew how much Peggy meant to him. When I was little, he'd always tell me the story about how they met, how they never got that dance. And every time I would make him dance with me. He even took me to visit her once. I was ten and it was Christmas time. Steve told me that he wanted his favorite girl to meet his favorite niece. Now that was all but a memory. I held him tight before telling him to go. It was okay, I could handle the others. He left without a second glance.

Within days the team was scattered. Steve and Sam had gone to Peggy's funeral. Natasha was off to the signing of the Accords in Vienna. And then all hell broke loose when the bombs went off at the signing ceremony. As always, I  were left home. I had no idea what was going on. At first this break in the team was about the Accords, but somehow Steve's old pal Bucky got involved. I didn't know what to think. The next thing I knew, everyone left for Berlin to rescue Steve and Sam from jail, leaving myself, Wanda and Vision at home.

When night fell, I was in my room, sulking as one would say. I was spending my evening flipping through Tumblr. There was a new superhero everyone was talking about. He called himself Spider-Man. New York based, focused on small neighborhood crimes. By YouTube footage alone, it was obvious he was a rookie. Soon enough, though, I accidentally conducted a full fledged search on this guy. He seemed shady. Sure, he's helping old ladies cross the street and all, but he just has a vibe. I couldn't put my finger on it. April broke me out of my research when she told me that there was a security breach in the compound. I pulled up the security camera footage and saw Clint Barton in my living room with Wanda levitating a knife at his nose.

I rushed downstairs. When I got to the living room Vision was holding Clint by the neck. I watched in silence as Wanda used her powers on Vision. She made it look easy. Slowly, Vision sunk to his knees. Wanda pushed further and the floor gave way. Vision was pushed through all seventy-four thousand levels of the compound. Wanda and Clint were about to turn to run out when you revealed yourself.

"Now was that really necessary?" I smirked. "We just had the floors waxed."

"Y/n," Clint warned.

"I'm not sitting on my ass," I said. Clint smirked and nodded. He knew he couldn't stop me anyways.

One car ride, plane flight and van trip later, I was in Germany. As it turns out, Steve wanted Clint and Wanda on his side, along with some ant dude named Scott. Scott was cool. Him and I sat together on the plane ride and watched Die Hard. He was asleep in the van when we pulled over in the airport parking lot. Clint told me to stay in the van. For once, I listened. I heard voices belonging to Steve and Sam. Clint slid open the van doors abruptly, shaking Scott awake. I chuckled to myself as he fangirled over my Pops. A voice over the intercom said something in a language I didn't know. A voice I didn't recognize said that the airport was being evacuated.

"Stark." Sam muttered.

Scott looked puzzled. Clearly he hadn't been filled in either. "Stark?" he asked.

I step out of the van. "Yes?" Steve and Sam look at me with wide eyes. Clint gave Steve a sheepish shrug. Behind their little blue car stood Bucky Barnes. I knew who he was. I learned about him in school. I knew he was some evil super soldier that attacked Natasha and Steve. He looked scary. He looked exactly like the type of guy to hurt my Mama and Pops. I held his glance until Steve spoke up.

"Y/n, what are you doing here?" Steve whisper-shouted. His voice always got quiet when he 'yelled' at me.

"I hitchhiked." I replied, knowing that at this point Steve didn't have the time to argue with me. He shook his head in defeat and took a deep breath.

"Suit up."

The airport was huge. Our group got suited up and started for the runway. I didn't know how Steve knew where to find my dad, but I followed him anyways. Before I could get any closer, Bucky held me back.

"It's, uh, not gonna be safe. You should stay here and keep low," he said. I frowned. I did not come all this way to not fight. But even still, I nodded. Bucky scared me. He and Sam took off in another direction to find the getaway jet. I laughed. This whole thing was ridiculous. My attention turned to the sound of my father and Rhodey flying down from the sky.

"Ross gave me 36 hours to bring you in," Tony started. "That was 24 hours ago. Can you help a brother out?"

"You're after the wrong guy," Steve replied nonchalantly.

"Your judgement is askew. Your old war buddy killed innocent people yesterday-"

"And there are five more super soldiers just like him. I can't let the doctor find 'em first Tony. I can't."

"Steve," Natasha approached him slowly. "You know what's about to happen. Do you really wanna punch your way out of this one?"

I took this as my cue. "No, but I will," I said, emerging from my hiding spot. I looked at the faces of your family. My gaze fell on Tony and my smile dropped. He looked angry.

"You brought my daughter into this?" Tony yelled, turning to Steve.

"Technically, I brought myself," I said. "You really think you were gonna leave me out of all the fun?"

Tony pinched his brow. "Y/n, this is serious."

"No it's not," I objected. "No, this got personal the second you thought you were gonna loose Pops to Bucky." No one moved after I said that.

"Alright, I've run out of patience," my father finally spoke. He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Underoos!"

Before I had a chance to process, a red and black blur whipped past my head. It landed on top of a nearby van. It was Spider-Man. As in the Spider-Man. He had taken Cap's shield from him. I said nothing. My father could have recruited me, but instead he chose this little neighborhood nobody. That hurt a little. The Spider-thing and my father bantered for a minute. So he's never even been in a real fight before, I thought.

"You've been busy," Steve smirked.

Tony turned back to Steve. "And you've been a complete idiot. Dragging in Clint and Y/n, rescuing Wanda from a place she doesn't even want to leave, a safe place. I'm trying to keep-" he paused, sighing. "I'm trying to keep to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart."

"You did that when you signed." Steve kept his cool. My father did not.

"Alright, we're done. You're gonna turn Barnes over, you're gonna come with us, now, because it's us! Or squad of J-SOC guys with no compunction of being polite. Come on."

Everyone stood still, waiting. Steve put his web-cuffed hands in the air. Clint shot them free from a mile away. I saw Scott -or a tiny version of him. Spider-Man noticed too, right before Scott grew and kicked him in the face. My dad flew off to retrieve Wanda and Rhodey was ready to take on Cap.

"Hey Mr. Stark, what should I do?" Spider-Man asked. He sounded young.

"What we discussed, keep your distance, web 'em up!" My father barked, as he flew towards Clint and Wanda.

"Okay, copy that," Spider-Man replied. He shot a web at me first. It caught my arm and I got whipped to the ground. I glared at him.

"Really?" I hissed.

"Just following Mr. Stark's orders," He said before swinging off after Bucky. I was left on the ground once everyone dispersed. I tried pulling my hand out of the sticky material that was shot at me, but it was stronger than glue. I was forced to watch the action unfold and wait until Natasha ran past me.

"Mama, a little help here?" I called out to her.

She stopped for a second. "Sorry honey, I really don't want you getting hurt." She ran off and I groaned. No one ever wants me to get hurt. I suppose I should be grateful, but in a moment like this, gratitude is hard to find. I started toying with the web. I wondered if I could break down the molecules. Surely there had to be some sort of H2O compound in it somewhere.

My power surged through me, the current flowing to the hand webbed to the ground. I managed to manipulate the water out, just as I predicted I would. The substance melted off my hands. Gross, I thought. I wiped the remaining web on my pants and got up. The water from the webbing fell to the ground with a splash.

I stood up and examined my surroundings. Natasha was on the ground fighting Scott, who shrunk down and flipped her over her own head. The Black Panther was on the other side of the roof, battling Steve. I didn't move. As much as I wanted to be included, I couldn't bring myself to fight. Not now at least.

The two teams assembled, divided by a line on the pavement. How cinematic. I was on Cap's side. I never meant to fight against my father. If anything, I thought it was funny. I looked out at the team in front of me. They were all lined up, Rhodey, the cat, Tony, Nat, the Spider-brat. Vision hovered above them. A bead of sweat trickled down the back of my neck. I were scared. I wasn't made to fight.

"What do we do Cap?" Sam asked.

"We fight." Steve moved first. We followed in suit. My dad's team mimicked my team's actions and walked closer. We  broke into a jog and then a full out run. This was really about to happen. I hoped that my family would go easy on me. I knew what I was doing. I reassured myself of that. I have done a bunch of training, especially with Wanda. I could move the freaking elements with my mind and manipulate gravity! As if the Spider-Man could beat that. I am Y/n fricking Stark. I can do this.

I put a smile on your face, contrasting everyone else's bitter looks. "I call the spider!" I yelled, just as everyone began the battle. Spider-Man heard me and slowed down just a bit. I cocked an eyebrow. He resumed his pace and ran straight for me. I ran headfirst towards him. He threw out his arm to web me, but I was faster. With a swish of my hands, I changed his gravitational pull and made his feet flip out from under him. He landed on his back with a hard thud. As gently as I could, I morphed the pavement under him to trap his hands. "Careful there, Spider-boy. Don't wanna get stepped on." I walked away. I made it about ten steps before I heard the sound of concrete cracking. I turned around and saw that Spider-Man was breaking free of his restraints. I was shocked. He has super strength. Great. I should have moved out of his way because the second he got one hand free, I was webbed against a truck.

"For the record," he said, getting up in my face. "It's Spider-Man." He swung off into the airport through a glass window. I watched the glass rained onto the ground. Taking a deep breath, I quickly removed myself from the webs. I needed a plan. A strategy. I thought about at the opposing team. Everyone was scattered around the airport. I thought about who would be easiest to fight. But then I realized, the strategy wasn't about how they'd fight, but who. There was no way in hell that my parents or Uncle Rhodey would even think about fighting me. The Black Panther didn't know me, so he was a threat. The worst Vision could do was pick me up and fly away, so he was in thr safe zone. That left the spider. I smiled to myself. Rematch time.

By the time I found Spider-Man, he had already webbed Sam and Bucky to the floor. He was perched on top of a light post, saying something about impressing my father. Sam's mini falcon whizzed past me and grabbed Spider-Man by the web. He got pulled out a window, banging his side into the pane on the way out. I ran over to Sam and Bucky. Quickly, I destroyed the webbing and helped them up. They both gave me a quick "Thanks kid," before running back out. I followed them, staying loose on their trail.

Once I got outside my eyes scanned the area for the Spider. I saw Wanda piling cars on my father and Natasha fighting Clint. Then I spotted him, fighting Cap. He was underneath a jet bridge . Cap threw his shield at the support beams and the whole thing fell on top of Spider-Man. He caught it of course, but Cap ran away. I formed my plan.

"Hey!" I called out. I walked around the collapsing jet bridge. I stood in front of the struggling boy. Or man, I didn't know. "Remember me?"

"Heh, how could I forget such a pretty face," he grunted, starting to fold under the weight of the jet bridge. "You wanna give me a hand?" I glared at his face comment, but lifted the jet bridge anyway. He ran out and I let it fall. Both of us stopped for a minute, gasping for breath beside the rubble. He was close enough to hit. So I did. Without warning I threw a punch of air at him. It hit him right in the chest and he got blown back into the side of a van. "What the hell man?" He got up and shot a web at me. I dodged and threw another gust of wind. It shot him out of the air. He webbed at a pole and swung past my face. I redirected his gravitational pull, but not before he got a kick to my face. We both got thrown in different directions. I landed hard on the ground, pain shooting up my spine. I got up first, now angry. Forgetting about my powers, I lunged at him and threw a punch. I missed and he shot webs at my feet, holding me down. Immediately, I dissolved them and Spider-Man's eyes widened. Well, his mask's eye holes did anyway.

"How did you do that?" He yelled. "What kind of witchcraft-"

"Its not witchcraft," I spat. "It's called manipulation of the elements, look it up. I figured there had to be some water compound in this and I was right. All I had to do was remove it."

"That's so cool! And how did you do the foot thing earlier? Was that just the wind you do or do you have telekinesis too? Are you like the Scarlet Witch?" He rambled on. I took this to my advantage and caught him off guard. I used the van he'd hit earlier to become his gravitational pull and yanked. He went slamming into it and groaned. When he tried to get back up, I was already five steps ahead of him. Morphing the earth metals in the van, I contorted it into a shell that crushed Spider-Man until he was covered and stuck.

I heard Scott say that he was gonna tear himself in half over the earpiece. I got distracted from holding Spider-Man down and turned to see a giant Scott. Spider-Man broke free. He tore the shell off himself and threw it at me. I was wacked across the side and fell the the ground again.

"Holy shit!" he says, looking at Scott. His back was to me and I gave him one last wind push. He fell on his face and I laughed. "Oh come on, don't you have some dolls to play with or something?" I just scoffed and walked past him, stepping past his hand that was on the ground. He let out a yelp and you kept walking. Dolls, I thought. I'm thirteen I don't play with dolls. I watched as the rest of the battle went down. I wasn't quite sure what to do. I jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

Natasha was standing just behind me. "Come with me." We started jogging off. It was natural for me to listen to her. I realized about five seconds in that technically she was my enemy right about now, but I shrugged it off. I ran through the fight, past the big Scott and towards a warehouse. I could see the outline of a jet get bigger as I approached it. Natasha stopped behind the entrance. She was waiting.

"So what do we do?" I asked.

"We wait to fight," She replied, not taking her eyes off the horizon. I came to realize this probably means I would be fighting her. Maybe she wanted to use me as a hostage or something. No, that's silly. Right?

Steve and Bucky got closer to the building I was in. They nearly made it until Vision laser beamed the shit out of a nearby communications tower. Wanda caught it before it fell, giving the two men time to race towards the jet. I stepped out to help Wanda. The both of us were able to hold the rubble long enough for Steve and Bucky to get through. I panted, proud of myself for getting this far.

A searing pain sliced through my brain. Both myself and Wanda fell to the ground, screaming. I could barely look up to see that Rhodey was sending some sort of wave through the air. The tower fell and Natasha was quick to haul me out of the way before I got crushed. I might be better than Spider-Man, but I definitely don't have his super strength.

Steve and Bucky still managed to get through the falling paces of metal and concrete. Natasha left my side and marched swiftly towards the two men. I couldn't hear them, but I could sense the tension from a mile away. Natasha lifted her arm, taser aimed and ready. Steve held his shield up in defense as Natasha shoots....the Black Panther? I guess she's on our side now? The jet started to take off and you watch an Natasha continues to battle the Panther. I fell to my side, wiped out.

My father flew into the warehouse just as the jet leaves. You thought maybe he was going to fight Natasha for betraying him. I was wrong. He was coming for me. He landed beside me and dropped to his knees. His helmet closed and I could see the worry plastered on his cut up face. He knelt beside me and gently held me up.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded, not really able to make words. He looked over at Natasha, who was looking at us. She had an apologetic look, but I know she doesn't regret letting Cap go. My father let me go and charged off after the jet plane. I lied down, enjoying the feeling of cold concrete against your skin. I closed my eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I paced around the living room, driving Nat crazy. I knew that the second my father got home I would be in deep shit. So when Friday alerted me that Tony was home my heart rate went up 29373%. The battle, this fight, it ended worse then I could have imagined. Natasha told me that my father could have died. Rhodey was paralyzed from the waist down. I had no idea if I'd ever see my Pops again. This was bad. Very, very bad.

I slowly walked down the main hall towards the front doors. I was scared. My hands and the back of my neck were sweating. I knew exactly what was coming. Every time I had asked my dad if I could be an honorary Avenger, I got the same lecture. That it was too dangerous, I didn't have the proper training and it's too much for his little girl to handle. Even when I asked to just be a part of the business side of the team, Tony laughed and said no. I've broken a lot of my father's rules, but this was the line. And I had gone so far over.

As I approached the front door, I could hear my father speaking. I heard another voice too. My heart dropped. It was Spider-Man. Why was Spider-Man here? I ducked behind a wall and listened in to the conversation.

"...outstanding job kid. Your fighting technique was on par. And, listen, I know we're not allowed to have kids on this team, but if we need you again, we'll call." I heard my father say.

"Thanks Mr. Stark. This was so cool," Spider-Man replied. I wondered if he had his suit on or not. I wanted to know who this guy was. I revealed myself from behind the wall. The two looked at me. I looked at my father first and fought the urge to burst into tears. He looked awful. His face was all cut up and the black eye he got was still a little swollen. I glanced at the figure beside him and frowned. Spider-Man was a kid. He looked like he was my age. He had a mop of curly brown hair and doe eyes. He was almost equally as beat up as my dad and I gracefully took credit for that.

"Y/n, this is Peter. He's, uh, one of my interns. Kid, this is Y/n," Tony said. My annoyance turned to anger. Now my father was lying to me?

"How old are you?" I asked, eyes narrowing. I knew that I sounded rude, but this kid had kicked me in the face twice. I didn't think he deserved my manners.

"I'm fourteen," Peter gulped. A year older than me. And I kicked his ass, I thought. "You gave me quite a fight back in Berlin."

"Yeah and I beat your ass doing it."

"Speaking of which," Tony spoke up, "I have to talk to Y/n about that. Happy will take you home Peter." Peter nodded and said goodbye to my father. He said goodbye to me, to which I didn't reply. Peter frowned at that as he walked out the door.

My dad turned to me when the door shut. "What," he began, "were you thinking?"

"Well I-"

"No. This is where you listen. Do you know how dangerous that mission was. Do you know how many people got hurt? You saw what happened to Rhodey, that could have been you!"

"But it wasn't" I retorted.

Tony's frown deepened. "That is not the point. You put yourself in serious danger, and for what? So you could feel a little more included? You could have died. This was my one rule, my one ask of you, and your broke it."

"Oh, come on now, I'm a Stark, it's in our blood to not listen to our fathers." My father gave me the coldest look and I shut down. I took a deep breath. "Look, I didn't know that it was gonna be this bad. You know me, daddy, I'm not a fighter, I'm not some hero. You think I would have gone if I knew it would turn out like this? I thought this was just gonna be another one your you and Pops' stupid fights. And yes, I could have gotten hurt, but I think I handled myself pretty well. You saw what I did you that little protege of yours. I beat him to the curb."

"Y/n you were reckless. Peter was prepared for this, he was ready."

"And I still beat him."

"Y/n you're not listening to me. This is why I chose Peter over you. I would have taken you if I knew you wouldn't do something stupid. But you did anyway." And with that he walked away, leaving me, teary-eyed in the front hall.

Tony came by my room later that night to apologize. He said that he was sorry for being harsh, that he just cared about me and I scared him. I knew he meant it and I forgave him, because that's what we do. Besides, it wasn't Tony I was angry with. This is why I chose Peter over you. Tony's words echoed through my head. I knew that he loved me more, I'm his daughter, he had to. But I were jealous. Jealous that stupid Peter Parker got the praise for the work I've wanted to hear for ages. And mad at that stupid spider for being stupid.

This is when I decided that I hate Peter Parker.

[miedemamadness]

Vivianne Miedema Helden Magazine Interview

You recently starred with Lieke Martens in a peanut butter commercial. Is a new career beckoning?

Viv - Laughing: “My acting wasn't very strong. It was way out of my comfort zone. Oh, those things are included. It's nice that boys and girls who are fans of ours see this on TV."

When you walk down the street in London, are you recognized?

Viv- “That's starting to come now, and it's mainly because I've kind of become the face of the English league. We regularly go to London with a few girls from the team. As a group we stand out a bit more anyway, of course we also look sporty. Then people can put a face to the name. But it is not as crazy in England as it is in the Netherlands.”

Do you think your fame limits your freedom?

Viv- “We were the first to shout: 'We want to make women's football big and known.' It comes with a price. I don't really like that attention, it still takes some getting used to after all these years. Last year I was back in Hoogeveen after the lockdown. I hadn't been to my parents' house for a long time. I went out for a night with my brother Lars and had a beer. Two minutes later it was on the internet. I couldn't play games for a holiday and six months because of corona, is it also allowed once… But yes, that's part of it. Fortunately, it is still not that bad in sports, artists are being monitored more closely. I don't have such an interesting life."

You have been playing for Arsenal for four years, are only 24 and already the all-time top scorer in England and of Orange.

Viv- Laughing: "They say you have to stop at your peak, right?"

You're not going to announce your retirement now, are you?

Viv- Laughing: “No, really.”

Are you someone who remembers every goal?

Viv- “I sometimes forget something because of the adrenaline. The list of goals is also getting longer, thankfully. When we were in lockdown last year because of corona and couldn't play football, I did look back on some special matches, such as those of the European Championship won in 2017 and the World Cup in 2019 when we reached the final. It's nice to see your own goals again."

Do you value those lists?

Viv- "It's not that I'm hugely into it, but I like being at the top of a few lists."

You have also been chosen as Player of the Year 2019 and Best Player of the Decade in England and included in FIFA's World Team of the Year 2019.

Viv- “I have some of those cups at home and a few at the club. It's definitely an honor to be named, don't get me wrong, but I play football because I want to win trophies with the team. I think it's more important that I have developed over the past few years and have not only been a scoring striker, but also showed myself as number 10."

Vivianne the mouthpiece

“I have an exemplary role when it comes to certain topics and I am not afraid to give my opinion to help women's football move forward. I've created the platform for that and I think I've earned the respect of being able to voice my opinion too."

Has that also become some kind of mission for you?

Viv - “I am now one of the most famous strikers in the world in women's football, so I also think I should stand up for what is happening in women's football. We are still so behind in men's football. We must fight for equality. It's not just about money, it's also about opportunities."

It was recently announced that the format of the Champions League is changing. There will be a group stage and the prize money has been increased to 24 million. A step in the right direction?

Viv- "Absolutely. The Champions League in women's football is big, but it wasn't what it should be. The club that currently wins the Champions League is even losing money. Hopefully, clubs will now also have something to do with it.”

Before the World Cup in Canada in 2015, you said in an interview in Helden: 'Hopefully parents will one day say: 'My daughter plays football like Vivianne, that seems very special, if that is ever said.' That is only six years old. ago.

Viv- “And that remains bizarre. I was only eighteen at the World Cup. Two years later we became European champions. In my day there was no figurehead in women's football. I looked at Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Robin van Persie, dreamed that I would stand between them in the field. Now we see girls say: 'I want to play football like Miedema or be like Shanice van de Sanden.' That is a super step. We all contributed to that.”

Every interview you give is about the development of women's football. Do you feel that it is enough about the successes?

Viv- “That development could go a bit faster, you know, then we don't have to talk about it anymore. But we should also consider our achievements. To be so successful with a small country that is relatively new in women's football is special.”

Vivianne the world improver

What does your ideal world look like?

Viv- “That boys and girls grow up in a world in which they are given the same opportunities. Not just in football, but in all of life. That is why I became an ambassador for War Child. There are also many musicians and artist ambassadors. Music brings a lot of joy to the world, but so does sports. Unfortunately I can't travel yet due to corona. Instead, I did a lot online; tried to set up projects with schools in the Netherlands and recorded films for children in distant countries. When life is somewhat back to normal, I also hope to be able to go to war countries and children.”

What do you want to mean for the world?

Viv- “I wish I could change the world, but I don't have that illusion. I have been so lucky in my life, had a great childhood in Hoogeveen. If I can give a little happiness back to children who are having a hard time, it's included. If I can improve a day in the lives of thirty kids by playing football with them so that they can forget for a moment that they are having a hard time, then my goal has already been achieved at that moment. A year and a half ago we were in a township in South Africa with the Orange Women. Every minute we were told by those children how wonderful they were that we were there. Such a day only increases my will to help.”

Where does that feeling of 'wanting to do good' come from?

Viv- “I already had that as a little girl. When I used to watch TV, I was drawn to social topics and my primary school in Hoogeveen worked together on various projects. When actions needed to be set up, I was the first to raise my hand to help. I also made sure that my old football uniforms ended up with poorer children in the Netherlands. I still do.

Every two months we receive five pairs of new football boots. Via Instagram I make sure that my old shoes end up with Dutch boys or girls or they are sent to a good cause via the club. Last year, our entire team's clothing went to children in Jakarta.”

Vivianne the sober Dutchman

You have been playing at Arsenal for four years. Your girlfriend Lisa Evans is Scottish and you study in English. Are you half English now?

Viv- “It's really not that I forget Dutch, that will never happen, but sometimes I make a sentence or I write something down and I think: Viv, what the hell are you doing? In fact, I often hear that I speak English with a Scottish accent. I hang out with the Scottish girls a lot, then you pick that up. I think Scotland is a great country; nature, the way of life and the people.”

And what about your Northern Dutch roots? You played for Heerenveen for three years and grew up in Hoogeveen, in Drenthe.

Viv- “I don't think it's very likely that I'll ever live there again. But the Netherlands has done many things well. So I'm not saying I'll never go back, but I don't think I'll go back to Hoogeveen. I did get the soberness from the Northern Netherlands. I will always keep that.”

You and Lisa have been together for years, and teammates for years. What makes your relationship so good?

Viv- “We played together for two years at Bayern Munich and now four years at Arsenal. We are complete opposites. That seems to work. I'm quite calm and I'm fine with moving in the background. The moment Lisa enters a room, everyone becomes happy and she transfers her happiness to other people. I can enjoy that immensely. She's also crazy. It just clicks between us. Lisa and I have been living together for a while. Some will think: how complicated that you are also on the team together. I don't think so. She makes me better every day. We are the two fastest in the team and I like that I can beat her in sprints every now and then. We develop each other both on and off the field.”

And you don't think: it is sometimes a lot of Lisa around me?

Viv- “Oh, of course you do. Go to the bedroom and keep your mouth shut, I think regularly. But that will also be the case the other way around. I'm actually quite apprehensive that I won't be seeing her for a long time during the Olympics. We are normally together 24 hours a day. But sometimes being away is also part of football.”

Vivianne the thinker

“I'm quite an overthinker in life. I was eighteen when I went to the 2015 World Cup in Canada. There was a ten hour time difference and I could barely make contact with home. I had a really hard time that tournament, I thought everything was terrible. But that tournament made me mature quickly in the football world. First I became big as a football player in the Netherlands, then in Europe and at the moment I am big in the world. I do feel the pressure that comes with that. I always used to think: I don't need a psychologist. But as I got older and started going through things, I realized I can't do it alone and I need help. People I can tell my story to. Football is certainly not always fun. There are definitely moments when I think: what am I doing all this for?

After that first World Cup, I also thought about quitting. If people can't appreciate you, what are you doing it for? I play football for myself, but also to make others happy. Top sport is beautiful, but also mentally very tough.”

Do you find your support mainly in family and friends?

Viv- “The friends I have outside of football are never going to fully understand what I'm going through. The same goes for my parents. My brother Lars also plays football, first at FC Den Bosch and since this year at Vélez C.F. in Spain. He knows what I'm going through, he helps me a lot. But sometimes others don't get it. When I'm at home, I really enjoy talking to my mother about things in life other than football.”

Is the top sport life ever too much for you?

Viv- “Last year's lockdown came at the right time for me. I spent five months with my in-laws in Scotland. I enjoyed not feeling pressure for a while. The first week I thought: what should I do with my life, I have nothing but football. But the second week I enjoyed doing other things; for walking and enjoying nature. And in the third week I felt free. I woke up and could be who I wanted to be, I didn't have to pay attention to anything.”

So that lockdown has been your salvation?

Viv- "Maybe. Before corona, there were nine girls at Arsenal who had to play all games because we had a lot of injuries. There was a lot of pressure on us. I was occasionally in training with tears in my eyes because I had to play football again.”

And how did you feel this season?

Viv- “We football players are in a privileged position, I am well aware of that. We were still allowed to play soccer, while many people couldn't leave their home because of corona. But the mental consequences for girls who could not or cannot go home should not be underestimated either. I have seen my parents once in the past few months, the time before that was in July last year. I didn't go home for Christmas either. Mentally, this has been the toughest season of my football career so far.”

You now hear many stories of athletes who end up in a burnout due to the high pressure and overcrowded schedules.

Viv- “I discussed that with Lisa. During her studies she is now learning about mental problems in sports. Depression is common in athletes. I have the idea that girls are open about mental problems among themselves. But bringing it out also goes a step further. Not that there is a taboo on it, but it immediately leaves a mark on you when you tell your story. Especially in men's football. There, players have to move in a certain box to be accepted. They don't feel the freedom to say: I don't feel okay for a while. I hope that in the coming years it will become normal for athletes to speak out about this and that we can help and support each other in this. When I was still playing for Bayern Munich, I studied psychology at university the first year. I couldn't combine that with football and I stopped, but it's still in my head to do something with that later. I would like to help young girls make the transformation from youth teams to first teams. When I was fourteen, I got into the premier league to play in the women's team who were 32. That wasn't always easy. Hopefully I can help young talents in this area.”

Vivianne De Feyenoord

Feyenoord announced that it will start with a women's team next season. When will we finally see you in that Feyenoord shirt, the club you are such a fan of?

Viv- “It's great that it's possible now. But I'm just a little too young. At Arsenal we have a number of girls who have the club running through their veins. I also think Arsenal is a great club to play for, but I don't feel that intense love. When Feyenoord came out with the news that they will play with a women's team in the Eredivisie next year, I suddenly felt that warm feeling inside. That feeling of club love, of: wow, there will come a day when I can play for this club, the club that I have always been a fan of. Feyenoord needs time to become as good as Ajax, PSV and Twente, but I have every confidence that it will succeed in the coming years. One day I will play for Feyenoord. But for now I can still be found abroad.”

Vivianne the trainer

"I am following the UEFA B training, but I am not allowed to give training now because I am not allowed to get out of my 'Arsenal bubble' because of corona."

You also study Football Business. What are your ambitions after your football career?

Viv- “I have already completed a number of trainer diplomas, a psychology course and I am now studying Football Business. A nice combination that will come in handy later on. In what way I don't know yet, but once I've stopped I'm sure I want to return to the football world after a break."

Is there a national coach in you, a 'Sarina Wiegman plus'?

Viv- Laughing: “We did talk about that. Also with Arjan Veurink, the assistant. Tactically, I assert myself, the staff and the team see that too. Jokes were certainly made: 'Stop searching, we already have Sarina's successor in house.' In women's football there are simply not many top coaches around. And yes, I might want to be one in the future.”

Talking about Sarina Wiegman: she will become England national coach after the Games and Mark Parsons will succeed her. Do you regret having to say goodbye to her?

Viv- “Under Sarina, we became European champions, we played a World Cup final and we are at the Games for the first time. But in the end I think a new impulse, a little refreshment, is good after five years of working together. I think Sarina will do very well as England coach. For her and hopefully for us, it will be a positive development. And of course we will miss her.”

But first to Tokyo.

Viv - “The Games have always been my big dream, even though the World Cup is a bigger tournament for us. Despite the fact that it will now look different than usual, I am very excited.”

Vivianne Miedema in Tokyo group matches

Wednesday 21 July Netherlands-Zambia from 13.00

Saturday 24 July Netherlands-Brazil from 13.00

Tuesday 27 July Netherlands-China from 13.30

Quarter-finals Friday 30 July

Semi-finals Monday 2 August

Battle for bronze Thursday 5 August Final Friday 6 August

[blossom-hwa]

pirate!ateez |1|

So uh. this is what we get from the kingdom wonderland performance, watching too many wonderland stages as a result, and yelling to mai + javi?????? here we go I guess??? This is only half the members - the other half will be in a separate post later this week!

(credits to mai @wingkkun​ for the ideas that sparked san, mingi, and yeosang’s stories!)

Pairing: Ateez x gender neutral!reader

Word count: 8.7k (total)

Genre: some fluff, mostly angst, pirate!au

Triggers: cursing, blood, death (sometimes semi-graphic), like one implication of sex, implied physical abuse in one part - specific triggers for each section are listed below the headers!

Part 1 (Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang) | Part 2 (San, Mingi, Wooyoung, Jongho)

Ateez Masterlist

hongjoong (captain)

warnings: cursing, death, some suggestive themes but absolutely nothing explicit (just implied sex)

oh good lord here we go

hongjoong is the captain of this ship. perfect captain, really - he’s got a knack for discipline while also taking care of his crew

he really does care for them, like after all he’s been through they’re basically his family at this point. he’s got nothing but them, this ship, and whatever they’ve managed to pillage from other crews - if he lost a single member, hongjoong isn’t sure if he could handle it

actually that’s a lie. he knows he could handle it. but it’s already happened several times, and the pain he feels but has to hide sometimes makes him want to just throw himself into the waves

(especially with a certain person, but i won’t elaborate on that just yet)

anyway his crew respects him even if they don’t always act it (looking at you wooyoung), they like to fool around and hongjoong will lovingly deal with it 

however when they’ve really messed up....

let’s just say no one ever likes being called to hongjoong’s quarters

most often it’s one of woosan or both for fooling around a little too often but everyone’s been there at least once

even seonghwa like???? what did seonghwa ever do

(he’s never elaborated. neither has hongjoong. that somehow just makes everyone even more afraid ksjdngsdh)

but sometimes! the turn tables!! and people will call hongjoong to their rooms

i say people like it’s more than one person 

i mean it technically is?? seonghwa and you??? but people feels like it implies many persons when in reality it’s just you and seonghwa and seonghwa comes in much later than you do

the first time it happens is when hongjoong almost fucking passes out on deck because 1. the sun is out and it’s hot as balls and 2. he’s been up for over twenty four hours straight after a battle trying to make sure everything is in order

which no one realizes - i mean even if your captain is motherfucking kim hongjoong you’d assume this dude at least took like an hour nap during that 24 hr+ period of time but NO this motherfucker is stupid when it comes to himself - until you’re heading belowdecks with him and hongjoong takes ONE FUCKING STEP down the stairs and almost keels over right then and there

you drag him to his room and even half collapsed he’s trying to say he needs to do something or the other but you just stand over him with your arms crossed n shit and hongjoong’s like okay never mind yes i will sleep

(he sleeps for fifteen hours straight)

anyway after that you went up on deck and called that motherfucker to your room in the same tone of voice he uses to call the others to his room and gave him the beatdown of his fucking life

maybe hongjoong’s a masochist because that’s when he realized he was head over heels in love with you

like?? in the middle of you yelling at him to take care of himself because kim fucking hongjoong what do you think is gonna happen if you die??? huh???? you think woosan can handle themselves????? you think I can deal with them?????? and good fucking lord if you’re going to die at least let it be of something badass you dumb piece of shit not like FALLING DOWN THE STAIRS BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO TIRED TO SEE WHERE YOUR FOOT WAS GOING -

and halfway through hongjoong isn’t even listening to you he’s just trying to figure out how it took so long for him to realize this

you’ve been together like... forever. literally almost as long as hongjoong can remember

you two got your first ship together, recruited the others together, decided to find the treasure you’ve now been seeking for YEARS together, literally everything started with you so why is it only now that hongjoong is realizing just how much he’s in love with you

he kinda blurts it out a couple of months later when you’re aggressively forcing him down to the medbay because he wanted everyone else to get treated first before the ship’s doctor looked at his wounds and you just say ‘confessing your love isn’t going to get you out of a doctor’s visit now i don’t care if you hurt your leg i’ll carry you if i have to so mOVE YOUR ASS’

he falls even more in love with you after that

and you don’t leave him hanging - you’ve been in love with hongjoong for as long as he’s been in love with you, it just... didn’t really manifest in a visible way?? like you’ve always been aggressively caring with him. it got a lot more aggressive when you realized your feelings but hongjoong just thought that was like. a normal thing

lmao you thought

but yeah so everyone’s like WE BEEN KNEW when you start spending more and more time in hongjoong’s room instead of the quarters you share with the other crew members

they don’t even care they’re just like HELL YEAH MORE SPACE

also they (read: woosan) love teasing the two of you but then you just hit them over their heads and ask if they’d like to be called to your room

they shut up immediately and you just go back to hongjoong’s room

(he kisses softly, by the way, but with so much passion it feels like one of the storms that mother nature uses to buffet your ship around. when hongjoong kisses you like this it feels like everything in you is breaking apart and reforming all at once, like he’s taking your life and breathing it back into you at the same time, and if your hands begin to move and someone gets pushed onto the bed who’s gonna say shit?)

but a pirate’s life is a pirate’s life and everyone is literally risking their neck to sail the seas the way they do - no one is safe, ever. not during battles, not even when you’re standing around on the ship’s deck

and certainly not when mother nature decides to wreak havoc on the water that you and hongjoong have begun to think of as home.

they’ve seen the storm coming all day, literally everyone is prepped and serious and no one’s fooling around because yeosang has been watching the clouds for hours and there’s no sign of the storm passing them by

so when the wind and water begin to toss the ship around, they’re ready. everyone’s ready. everything seems to be going smoothly until a couple of hours pass and the storm is only growing worse

hongjoong can’t see in the darkness, not with clouds covering the stars and the moon, not with water pounding over the deck in waves higher than yunho and mingi combined, he’s soaked and shivering but still yelling orders to anyone who can hear them and he’s just praying they’ll make it through the night, make it through the few hours left until morning

the few people on deck are mostly tied to stable things with rope so that no one goes overboard

but what no one expects is for a section of rope to snap, taking san with it

people start screaming and grabbing for him and yunho literally lunges for san but the wind doesn’t care, it slams him against the railing so hard hongjoong feels his own teeth chatter in his jaw with the power behind that hit

a wave crashes over deck at the same moment and everyone thinks he’s lost.

until a literal banshee screech tears through the wind and waves and you grab san, dragging him away from the railing and back toward jongho, who seizes onto a limp san with strong arms

and you turn around but you turn around too easily, like there isn’t a rope tying you to the mast -

because there isn’t. it snapped when you ran forward to get san

you come to this realization at the same time hongjoong does and he sees the panic in your eyes just as he reaches out to you - now there’s nothing tying you down, nothing to keep you from being swept away by the next wave, nothing but his fingertips just touching yours -

but it’s too late. water crashes over hongjoong and salt stings his eyes and when he opens them, there’s one less shadow on the deck than there should be

and there is no sound of screaming from the water below.

for days afterwards the only thing hongjoong can see is the look of terror in your eyes just before the wave stole his sight and your outstretched hand away

and all he can think is how he should’ve been stronger. faster. braver. literally anything

you two always joked that he’d be the first to go because he never took care of himself but death caught you first

and it isn’t fair

it isn’t like hongjoong hasn’t lost crew members before - he has. but the loss of someone so close, someone who’s been with him for over a decade, someone who knows him better than he knows himself almost breaks him. there isn’t even a body left to burn or bury. you’ve been lost to the water that hongjoong thought of as home

it still is his home. the movement of water comforts him far more than solid land ever did, but there’s a new fear, a new respect for mother nature whenever he stares at the shining blue waves that killed you

eventually he recovers with the help of his crew, and they go on to look for the treasure. there are adventures along the way and throughout each of them, hongjoong thinks of what it would be like if you were there, fighting by his side

and then they find the treasure, after years of pillaging and exploring. they find the treasure and when hongjoong approaches the center of the island, the only thoughts running through his mind are of you, what you would do if you were here, what you would say, how you’d look at him with pride and that little smirk he loved to kiss off your face

he attempts to open the treasure trove and an apparition appears, the apparition that guards it. hongjoong’s ready for the wisp of smoke

until it turns into you.

but it isn’t you. bitterness twists your familiar eyes and a deep, betrayed frown downturns your lips and hongjoong is paralyzed - it’s you but at the same time it isn’t -

then you open your mouth

and with the same voice that used to remind him to take care of himself, the same voice that used to remind him you loved him

you ask why he wasn’t faster. why he wasn’t stronger. why he didn’t manage to pull you out of the wave and save you, why he failed when it came to you

it hits him like arrows to the chest because these are all thoughts hongjoong himself has had. they plagued him for days, months, years even after your death, and even now, they still do - but his crew has managed to help him keep those thoughts at bay recently, because deep down, they know and he knows that you would never think that way

yet here you are, expression bitter and angry, speaking those same thoughts seonghwa reassured him you would never say

he can’t open the trove that day. he comes back again. and again. and again and again and again but every time he breaks down at the sight of the loathing in your face and it isn’t until seonghwa and jongho literally drag him back to the ship and set sail again that he stops

but the apparition haunts him now, mixed with visions of you disappearing from his fingertips as the wave tosses you overboard

and this time, hongjoong doesn’t know if he’ll ever recover.

seonghwa (boatswain, later quartermaster)

warnings: cursing, death, blood, implied physical abuse (nothing explicitly described)

so seonghwa didn’t live on the streets from the start like hongjoong or san, he actually came from nobility

look at his face and tell me it isn’t noble. yeah you can’t that’s what i fucking thought

anyway yeah, he was born into a noble family and pretty much lived that way until like his late teens or something when pirates ransacked his town, killed his family, and took him hostage

but we’re not going to unpack all of that yet so let’s go back in time to when seonghwa was still a member of nobility

his family was famous for being kind. like a lot of other nobles in other towns were snobby assholes who didn’t give two shits about the common people

and maybe it’s just because seonghwa’s family was nobility in a smaller town and as such knew a lot of commoners/peasants more closely plus the fact that they were never really rich rich, their title just comes from some wealthy ancestor and they’ve managed to keep it throughout the years

but yeah, seonghwa’s family isn’t universally hated among the peasantry because they’re actually decent fucking people and they protect those under them

so seonghwa learns from a young age to be kind and pleasant and as he grows older, he learns how to run the estate, how to play politics with the kingdom and the town, all that good stuff

and with all of that comes marriage, too

it might’ve been a problem if there was no one around that he liked but luckily you’ve been a fixture in seonghwa’s life since he was very young

your family is also nobility in a nearby small town and it’s actually perfect - you’re the younger sibling, so you don’t inherit the estate, but you do have a sharp mind and qualities that a family would be looking for when they try to find someone to marry their son off to

what makes everything even better is that since you’ve been around for a long time, seonghwa is head over heels in love with you and you’re head over heels in love with him

classic childhood friends to lovers

when you visited seonghwa’s town, he’d take you to the marketplace to meet people and you’d do the same for him

at balls, you would dance with each other as much was deemed appropriate by high society

someone’s kid got lost one time and seonghwa had carried her around with you, singing softly as you asked around for the kid’s parents until they were found

needless to say at this point your villages know the two of you very well and it isn’t just your parents rooting for this marriage lmao

so you get engaged and all and you aren’t going to marry until a few years later, you’re too young at the moment and both of you would prefer a little more freedom before you have to settle down

but at the engagement ceremony you exchanged rings and you two haven’t taken them off since, so it serves as a reminder of your bond

not like you need a reminder anyway - seonghwa is a dream come true, and there’s no way you would ever voluntarily leave him. ever. 

except nothing ever goes to plan especially in my universes so pirates attack just a year before you two are supposed to be married

you’re in seonghwa’s town visiting his family when the attack happens and both of you have just witnessed both of his parents being cut down before your eyes and you’re pulling seonghwa out of the estate, hoping to escape in the flood of screaming and fleeing people

but someone knocks you down as seonghwa yells your name

his hand loosens from yours and you try to grab at him but he just gets further and further away

you scream for him but someone else is already dragging him in the opposite direction and that’s the last you see of him

somehow you escape and manage to get back to your own village but seonghwa’s entire family is dead

there’s no reason to believe he survived either

and from that day on you grow a hatred of pirates so strong that you leave your family to join the navy just so you can take your revenge on those who took seonghwa and his family away from you

most of the navy recruits are children of former or current members, you’re the odd one out with your noble manners and method of speech

but you adapt quickly and desire for revenge fuels your motivation to keep moving, to keep getting better no matter how many times people knock you down

it’s for seonghwa and his family. always for them. 

you finish training with high honors and when you’re assigned to a fleet, you actually make a bit of a name for yourself - pirates don’t know who you are, exactly, but they’ve given you a nickname based on your appearance and it gets passed around in hushed whispers whenever it’s rumored that a navy fleet is coming to port

anyway that’s you. let’s move on to seonghwa

seonghwa isn’t dead (obviously), he was taken hostage because he’s young and strong and the pirates who took him thought he’d be a decent cabin boy or something, or maybe even a sailor

so seonghwa ends up working on that ship

the pirates really do not treat him well, the only moments of respite he gets are in sleep or when they dock sometimes

there are nights where seonghwa just wishes a huge storm would crack the ship in half and leave them all to drown, he has nothing to live for anymore - his parents are dead and he doesn’t even want to think about what might’ve happened to you

but spite fuels him and keeps him alive

seonghwa isn’t all that much of a goody two shoes after all - he knows how to use a sword and learns quickly. he also acts well and adapts

which is why eventually, he gains enough tentative trust from the crew that he won’t run away, so he’s allowed to explore the towns a little before the ship makes their attack wherever they are

but little do they know seonghwa is patient, observant, and has always been looking for the right time to slip away

so when the pirates do attack, seonghwa runs off and hides in the next town, where he meets hongjoong + his partner who have just gotten themselves a ship

so seonghwa joins the tiny crew of hongjoong’s pirate ship

he has reservations at first about the whole pirate thing, given who offed his entire family (and you - he thinks you’re dead and who can blame him?), but seonghwa quickly learns  hongjoong isn’t a mindless pillager or killer. he protects his crew and he has a purpose that he’s driven to fulfill - find the treasure and have a few adventures on the way. that’s all

he’s the first of the crew to join hongjoong besides his partner, and the three of them grow very close as the years pass

seonghwa starts out as the ship’s boatswain, keeping track of supplies and the ship’s general maintenance - he’s good at that, seeing as he has a sharp eye for detail and things that seem off, so he knows when people have been sneaking food (read: wooyoung)

hongjoong may be the captain, but the crew likes to joke that seonghwa is the one who actually keeps the ship running

he’s always there to listen to the newer members’ fears, their stories, or just to sit with them in comforting silence so they know they’re not alone

because if there’s anything seonghwa knows, it’s the horrible feeling of being completely alone, cut off from all those who once loved him

when hongjoong’s partner dies, seonghwa takes on the role of caring aggressively for hongjoong (aka asking the captain to come to his room)

albeit it’s in different ways because no one could ever replace the captain’s quartermaster. even if seonghwa technically holds the title now, it’s really in name only. yeah seonghwa fulfills the same duties, but everyone agrees - even him - that a void was left when hongjoong’s partner died, a void that’s closed up a little but will never fully leave

so time passes like this, seonghwa as a pirate, you in the navy, both completely unaware that the other is fully alive

until your crew receives word that a small pirate ship is going to be docking in a nearby port and you rush to meet it there

the fight is bloody and dirty, neither side playing fair

but you keep fighting, not stopping until you corner a pirate in an empty alley of the town

both of you have your swords out and there’s so much blood and grime on your faces that you can barely see

but there’s something familiar in the pirate’s expression. something in his eyes

something that makes you pause.

and then the bloody afternoon sunlight catches on something metal on his finger

a ring. a very familiar ring

identical, actually, to the one still on your hand. 

seonghwa reaches the conclusion at the same time you do and for a moment it’s kind of funny like that spiderman meme 

you two are just staring wide-eyed at each other while individual battles rage around you

seonghwa’s reeling - yes, the nickname that his crew had tossed around did get at some of your features, but never once in his entire life did he think that the navy fighter everyone feared so much would be you

somehow, even with all the dirt and blood caking your skin, you look as beautiful as ever

but the shattered look in your eyes is nothing he’s ever seen before.

meanwhile you’ve just gone slack with betrayal, betrayal at the knowledge that pirates killed seonghwa’s entire family yet he ended up on a pirate ship anyway, fighting battles for the fucking ship

he looks the same - a little older, a little more mature, his lips are still full and his eyes still beautiful with that same nose you loved to kiss so many years ago

but god, every cell in your body aches to scream, to rip him apart for this betrayal he made to everything you two stood for

(deep down you know there must be a reason for this - seonghwa doesn’t make decisions lightly, if he joined a pirate ship and is fighting for them, there has to be some reason why)

(but in the moment you can only feel the fury and betrayal that your former fiancé and the love of your life, the same person who was kidnapped by pirates and whose family was killed by pirates, has joined a crew)

except you can’t kill him. you know you can’t

and neither can he. you’re standing in front of him, his literal enemy - he’s trained over the years to become ruthless to those who aren’t members of his crew, to show no mercy

but at the sight of your eyes and the ring still on your finger, all of that training just shatters

you barely even exchange words. all you do is look at each other and then at the rings still on your hands, a promise unwillingly broken

it crosses your mind to take it off and throw it in the dust, show just how much that ring means to you when seonghwa’s betrayed you so badly

but just like you can’t kill him, you can’t take off the ring, even if it feels like it’s choking the circulation out of your finger

because even after all this time, you still love him. you still love seonghwa as much as he loves you

seonghwa just watches you level your sword at him, the blade positioning itself over his throat

he can’t kill you. he won’t. he knows that and he’s willing to accept his death at your hands

but you don’t do it. you just say, in a voice that’s broken beyond repair

if i see your face ever again, i swear on every god that exists that i will kill you

and you storm out of the alley, leaving a shaking seonghwa behind

(he doesn’t see it, but you can barely hold your sword steady either)

the fight ends a few hours later, seonghwa helps carry the injured back to the ship and set sail

it isn’t until hongjoong pulls him aside and tells him to wash up that he realizes just how tired he is

but even then, he can’t sleep. he ends up on deck, sitting against the rails, looking up at the night sky full of cold, twinkling stars as the ship bobs in the waves

hongjoong’s steering and asks him what’s wrong

seonghwa doesn’t say anything. it isn’t because hongjoong would throw him overboard for knowing a member of the navy, seonghwa’s proven himself loyal many times over and hongjoong knows that

but because even though hongjoong knows about his past and even about you, seonghwa doesn’t know what to say

he doesn’t know how to verbalize the vision of you, bloody and dirty, carrying a sword and wearing the ring he put on your hand so many years ago

he doesn’t know how to explain the achingly vivid picture of you painted in his mind, clearly older and more mature, having grown into your features over the years and still as gorgeous as ever

but worst of all, he doesn’t know how to describe the absolutely shattered look in your eyes, broken shards of glass fragmenting your expression as you took in his face, his body, the clothes and look of a pirate

seonghwa knows he couldn’t give up this life now, not after all that hongjoong has done and sacrificed for him, maybe he’d have tried to explain that to you if time had allowed it. he might even have asked you to come with him

but something tells him you wouldn’t have cared because in your eyes, he betrayed you, betrayed his family and yours

and it hurts. it hurts knowing he pained you this badly because after all this time, seonghwa still loves you

it’s why he never took off the ring, after all.

right now he honestly doesn’t know which is worse - thinking you’re dead and that he’ll never see you again, or knowing you’re alive but that you hate him and will kill him on sight the next time you meet

moonlight glitters mockingly on the ring on his finger, once a reminder of you and a promise of love

now a reminder of that same promise broken, and a new promise made - one that secures his death, should he ever come face to face with his love again.

yunho (able-bodied sailor (ABS), later boatswain)

warnings: cursing

ah yes yunho. resident teddy bear who the new recruits think is just very soft - like why is he even on a pirate ship?

then the first battle comes around and they see yunho tearing around like a demon

and suddenly it all makes sense

anyway yunho really is a teddy bear most of the time - along with seonghwa, he’s the one that new recruits go to the most when they don’t know what’s happening because he’s kind and willing to explain if he’s got a bit of time

however if you come for anyone this man cares about, you’re fucked with around ten capital Fs 

yunho knows how to handle the sword at his belt, plus several other types of weapons as well

honestly probably only san and hongjoong are more skilled at fighting than yunho is

but moving on! yunho started out as one of the able-bodied sailors (that’s what they’re called on the site i’m using), essentially semi-skilled but not really specialized in specific roles of the ship

however when hongjoong’s partner was swept away in the storm, seonghwa became quartermaster and chose yunho to take over his previous boatswain duties

because yunho’s responsible and he knows what he’s doing, he also followed seonghwa around a lot when he was a bit younger so he’s learned more or less what a boatswain does - plus, he’s a quick learner, so anything he doesn’t know already seonghwa can teach him quickly

and because yunho’s now boatswain and is in charge of supplies on the ship, he spends a lot of time in the towns at every port where they legally dock because supplies!

which is how he meets you

you’re a commoner just trying to run your little grocery store, and times have been tough until yunho passes by your place and buys some fruit

throughout his brief stay in the town he comes by again and again and gives you enough business on his own to kickstart your life again

(but like let’s also not forget that a bunch of kids - boys and girls alike - start crowding in to see what this hot older dude is doing at this little grocery store)

so you’re eternally grateful to one jung yunho for helping you get back on your feet even if it was unintentional

and the next time the ship has docked in this port, you make sure to thank him effusively for it

because it isn’t just you that you’re trying to support - you have family too and you were never exactly the wealthiest, so the added business really means a lot to you regardless of whether yunho intended to have such an effect or not

yunho just blushes and says he’s happy to have helped, then tries to wave away the small bundle of groceries you give him for free

you think you’ve succeeded but yunho is Smooth and drops a small sack of coins into your front pocket just before he disappears into the market crowd

which is the start of your crush on the handsome guy named jung yunho who smiles like a teddy bear and has the sparkling eyes to match

meanwhile yunho has had a fucking crush on you since he passed by the grocery that first time

which is why he came back a second and a third time during that first visit

and why he keeps coming back, visit after visit until he’s staying in the store way past the time he should be returning to the ship and eventually kissing you in the moonlight just outside the store before he walks you home

you feel like you’re on cloud nine after that first kiss - yunho is everything you’ve ever wanted in a partner

your family loves him too, based on the encounters they’ve had the few times he was around when they were there

the only thing that worries you is the fact that he spends so much time... elsewhere

you’re well aware of the fact that he doesn’t live here, not even close by - you’ve seen the ships docked in port and yunho’s told you enough for you to understand that he travels for his living

but ateez is skilled at camouflaging themselves as not pirates, but something more benign - traveling merchants, things like that

and with yunho coming to town every so often with the purpose of restocking the ship, it isn’t so hard to believe

but as time goes on you start to grow a little suspicious

you’ll never take traveling away from yunho, as much as you’d like to settle down with him you know that the sea is his first love just as he’s yours, and you would never force him to choose

you can satisfy yourself just knowing he’ll come back to visit, no matter what

but sometimes you prod a little more and it’s uneasy the way yunho just clams up

because normally he’s happy to talk about anything and everything

but out of wishful thinking + the desire to pretend nothing is wrong, you just ignore it

until one night you’re out on a walk and you hear a familiar voice discussing routes and paths with a different, unfamiliar voice

but the first one you know

because it’s yunho

they’re talking about treasure and ships and how much gold they have and what they need

pirates

you try to reason it all away, try to spin their words in a way that makes them out to merely be the traveling merchants you always assumed they were

but then you realize - yunho never said that to you. it was always just your assumption

he never lied, but he never told you the truth

and now you have to face it on your own - yunho is part of a crew of pirates and there’s no reasoning it away

especially when you see the blades strapped to their sides glinting in the moonlight

the night is long and yunho doesn’t come by the next day, so you have time to think

and by the time he does come around, you’ve made a decision

that day, stone cold and unwavering, you tell him you want nothing more to do with him. even as your heart cracks at the dawning horror and shame and pain on yunho’s face, you tell him that on no account can you be found dealing with pirates

if it were just you, you might risk a little more, consider keeping this relationship with yunho a little longer

but you don’t live in a place that’s known for its sympathy to pirates - it isn’t a royal navy haven, exactly, but it isn’t lawless either

and you have a family to protect, too. the grocery store is all you have and if someone found out you were having a dalliance with a pirate, that might be taken away from you

yunho is crushed, absolutely crushed when he hears you and sees you speaking this way

part of him wants to get angry because you’ve been together for this long - what changes just because you found out he’s a pirate?

but he understands, even though he doesn’t want to. he understands that you have a family you need to protect and that a relationship with a pirate will only jeopardize that

it’s what he would do, right, if his own family, his crew mates, were also in danger? if he had a relationship with someone who would put them in harm’s way, he’d cut it off just as you did

so that day, you both part ways. neither of you expects to see the other ever again

and for several years, it seems that way

your family stops asking about that nice traveling merchant who looked at you with the sweetest smile

and seonghwa helps yunho out of his stupor. he understands, after all - his own love swore to kill him if they ever met again

broken hearts eventually heal, cracks still visible but no longer gaping wide, and life goes on

until yunho bursts into your little store one day, eyes wide and face white

you almost don’t recognize him at first - besides the fact that it’s been several years, you’ve never seen him look this frazzled

but once you do recognize him it’s like all those years fall away and you’re in love with him again, reaching out to touch him and ask him what’s wrong, despite the words you spoke that last day

yunho grabs your hands in a vice grip when you reach out and in the most serious voice you’ve ever heard him use, he tells you to get out of here with everyone you love

because other pirates are coming to attack. 

it takes you a second to register his words when he first says them because what - pirates? what would they ever want to do with your little village?

but the fear in yunho’s eyes makes it clear he’s telling the truth

so all you do is nod and squeeze his hands unconsciously, maybe, before picking up your things and running down the path back home

yunho doesn’t follow, not at first. he stays back a little to warn the other families he grew closer with during his visits to you, the kind people who welcomed him when he was here

some believe him, some don’t, and they all have the same look of fear in their eyes once they realize what yunho truly is

he doesn’t care, though - it doesn’t matter how much that fear hurts him, as long as they get out safe, that’s all that matters

yunho catches up to you just as you’re leaving the house. your family starts raising questions but you cut them off with a glare, and one of the older members of the family just herds everyone away to give you and yunho a last moment of space

except you don’t say anything. neither of you do

it’s half not knowing what to say after so many years apart

but it’s also half knowing exactly what the other is thinking, even after so many years apart

at some point yunho took your hands and now your touch just makes it painfully clear that even though he loved you, still loves you, none of this was ever meant to be

maybe in another lifetime, in a more perfect universe, but not this one

and the same thoughts are running through your head as you squeeze his fingers, rough and scarred from all his time on the sea

he pulls you close, presses a kiss on your forehead

you rest your head against his shoulder and whisper thank you as you squeeze him one last time

when you pull away, there’s apology in both your gazes - you for breaking things apart so painfully, yunho for having the profession he does

but there’s also acceptance and gratitude for years well spent in your love

(and of that love, much of it still remains)

you return to your family, who’s still waiting, leaving yunho behind

and one more time before you leave forever, you look back

he’s still there, watching you go

you let yourself smile again, once more

yunho lets himself smile too as he waves goodbye

it’s the goodbye you should have had the last time you parted, instead of the forced coldness and biting words you used to cut your relationship apart, and regret pinches deep in your chest

but you can only be grateful for the second chance to say farewell, so you wave too, exchanging one last smile before you disappear

neither of you sees the other ever again.

yeosang (sailing master)

warnings: cursing, death, semi-graphic depiction of blood, implied drowning

hehet

guys i love this dude he’s so fucking cute i want to pat his head all the time

not in a bias way he’s just v cute and i adore him

ok this is supposed to be a pirate au not me yelling about how beautiful one kang yeosang can be so let’s start

yeosang is sailing master of hongjoong’s ship, which means he’s in charge of navigation and following the maps and all

and he’s very good at his job! yeosang’s very smart and knows what he’s doing, also is very observant so if he sees something’s wrong in a map or something he will actually make notes and fix things so next time the crew is prepared

spends most of his time up in the crow’s nest because that’s the best vantage point from where he can see other ships and/or land

except sometimes he speaks a little too softly so he has to yell like five times for whoever’s steering to hear him

(wooyoung likes to joke that he should be the one up in the nest because he’s loud as fuck but then yeosang reminds him of that one time he tried to read a map but it was upside down and yeosang was the one who managed to put them back on course)

(wooyoung then shuts up)

yeosang was born in a relatively well-off family, not nobility or anything but they had some money which meant he was educated

and he ended up being pretty good at math n stuff and really like screwing around with the maps he’d find in his parents’ small library

except his parents died of a plague when he was little, and he got sent to live in an orphanage

he took the maps and books with him and that’s where he grew up until wooyoung came around

you know that video where yeosang says he was v innocent and didn’t know how the world worked and his parents were worried about him until he became friends with wooyoung? yeah that’s essentially what’s at play here

before they met yeosang was pretty much just in his own little world. didn’t interact much with the other orphans and the orphanage owners really did not give a shit so he just sat in his corner reading and rereading books n shit that he’d taken from his home

but when yeosang turned idk let’s say sixteen he met wooyoung on the streets

and for some reason??? wooyoung took a liking to yeosang despite the fact that yeosang would barely give him the time of the day

in fact yeosang liked wooyoung’s partner much more

(which made wooyoung a little jealous but we’ll talk more about that later)

(i’ll just say it wasn’t romantic but wooyoung can be a blind little shit sometimes so you see where this is going)

but eventually woosang + woo’s partner become good friends

woo + partner have avoided the orphanage their whole life, just making their own living on the streets

until one day they come to yeosang with news that there’s a pirate ship willing to take them on

and they want yeosang to come with them. 

to yeosang it sounds like half a dream and half some ludicrous fantasy - first of all it’s a pirate ship, what can he even do there?

second of all IT’S A PIRATE SHIP, THEY’RE ALL GOING TO DIE

but because wooyoung is wooyoung and his partner is his partner they manage to convince yeosang to give up his half-life at the orphanage - he’s not doing anything there anyway, and at least now he might be able to travel and see the places he’s only marked on maps

and hongjoong is actually ecstatic to have yeosang on board because even though seonghwa can do some navigation, he was never the best at geography n stuff even when he was taking lessons as a noble so having someone who knows maps and details of different lands, even if he’s never seen them before, is a blessing

they all settle in on the ship together and for a while, life goes somewhat well for yeosang. the ship is small and they haven’t really built up a major reputation yet so a lot of the other pirate ships either ignore them or just literally don’t see them

which gives yeosang time to learn swordplay and other skills he needs as a pirate

and as time goes on, the crew grows larger, they gain recognition on the seas, and one night as he sits drinking on the deck with woosan + woo’s partner under the stars, he admits to himself that he feels happy

but then you come along

ateez has just won a battle against a smaller ship that you happen to be the sailing master of

except unlike sailing master yeosang, you fucking hate it there because everyone’s a bitch and willing to stab someone in the back in order to get in the captain’s good graces

and get this: the captain is still fucking alive after the battle and you just want to be anywhere but there

so in a fit of desperation you’re like LET ME ON YOUR FUCKING SHIP I HATE IT HERE MY CAPTAIN’S A BITCH I WISH HE’D DIED

which... impresses hongjoong

and it’s like?? it leaves the other ship without a sailing master so mayhaps they’re even more fucked than hongjoong intended

so you get welcomed onto the crew!

and of course it takes a few weeks/months to actually feel your welcome, ateez will give chances to newcomers but they have to prove themselves too

but you end up doing that when you almost beat mf jung yunho in a mock sword fight on your fifth try - which is basically unheard of in the crew since literally only san and hongjoong are better fighters than him

so everyone pretty much accepts you after that

except yeosang

it’s kind of stupid - he’s really just jealous that you’re also a sailing master, he’s afraid that he won’t be seen as useful anymore now that you’ve come along (and with better sword skills too)

and it doesn’t help that you get along so easily with woosan + the others, who are supposed to be yeosang’s friends

so this dumb fucking rivalry now exists between the two sailing masters of hongjoong’s ship, one jealous and the other just confused but going along with it

it gives seonghwa many headaches and hongjoong even more

but despite everything, no matter how much the other crew members try to talk you too out of it you both just point at each other and are like he/they are a bitch. you expect me to get along with a bitch ???

(jongho: i mean yeah you both get along with woosan so)

(woosan: ready to fight but not really because jongho has Strength)

so yeah you two are enemies in the loosest sense, like you try not to let the rivalry get in the way of actual pirate business but otherwise you’re either arguing or giving each other the cold shoulder

hongjoong wants to fucking cry because you two actually work very well together when the time calls for it, but you just refuse to deal with each other otherwise

until his partner dies in the storm.

the entire crew is in shock, the mood dampened for the next few months as hongjoong grieves

san is also blaming himself even though it isn’t his fault that his rope snapped, even less his fault that their rope snapped

and everyone is miserable

after a few days, you walk up to yeosang and are like. hey. we need to put whatever this is behind us, at least for now - hongjoong doesn’t need to deal with our bullshit on top of what he already has, and san needs as much support as he can get

yeosang agrees and a truce is formed

it’s awkward at first - you’re used to tossing around jabs like nobody’s business and you’ve kind of forgotten how to interact with each other without hurling insults

but after a few weeks you and yeosang are at least on normal speaking terms

no one says anything but you can see seonghwa’s eyes sparkling in relief whenever you two are seamlessly navigating the ship together, or when one hops into the crow’s nest to take over from the other without a word

and during that time, you and yeosang grow a little closer, whether you realize it or not

telling the other to go take a break, i’ll watch for a little while or this map looks a little off, wasn’t the mountain a little closer to the next kingdom?

one night, yeosang almost collapses of exhaustion, and you make him drink water before carrying him to bed

another night he finds you poring over maps at ass o’clock in the morning and forces you to sleep

small things like that help you grow closer over time, and eventually, you start going back to insulting each other - except it’s not really insulting, just teasing

you two will banter when working together or yell at each other to go the fuck to sleep you dimwit

and you’d like to think that it makes hongjoong feel a little better, too, when he eventually pulls himself out of his stupor and begins acting a little more like his old self again

san too - the cracked glass look in his eyes eventually fades, and he starts to smile again

life goes on - the search for the treasure never stops

and as the years go by you maybe start to see yeosang as more than a crew mate, then more than a friend

yeosang feels the same

but beyond small touches and banter and reminders to take care of yourselves, you never say anything because you two are COWARDS

which is something you will regret for the rest of your life. 

one day you end up in a battle with a ship bigger than you’ve fought before

hongjoong had tried to steer you out of the way, but the ship just followed and eventually a fight was inevitable

it’s bloody and horrible, you and san are fighting back to back while wooyoung and yeosang are occupied somewhere closer to the crow’s nest

and you don’t even have time to think, it’s all just slash and stab and kill if you can

so at first, you don’t realize it when wooyoung goes down with a pained yell and yeosang is left alone

you cut down one pirate who’s been giving you trouble and spin to help wooyoung but then you catch sight of yeosang scrambling up the crow’s nest, out of reach of the pirate trying to cut his ankles

and your blood freezes. because though yeosang is a good fighter, if he’s trying to escape rather than fight...

something has gone very wrong.

you see it in his dangling leg and yeosang’s face contorted with pain as he hauls himself into the nest - his ankle is hurt, broken or twisted or something 

but the other pirate doesn’t have such an injury. and just as yeosang falls into the nest, he begins to climb up

you ry to go over to help but another pirate blocks your way and you’re forced to forego helping yeosang because the stupid enemies just won't stop coming

you try to believe that he’ll be fine even as blood coats your vision, as you try to fight your own battle against a seemingly endless enemy

until there’s an earsplitting yell from above and you look up to see yeosang double over in pain

both you and san exchange a single glance before trying to push through the throng to climb up, even though the sinking feeling in your chest tells you it’ll be too late

the pirate fighting yeosang stabs him, eliciting another yell - you swear you feel yeosang’s blood spatter all the way down onto your head as you rush over

but you stop, eyes wide with horror when the pirate lifts up yeosang’s limp body, streaming blood

and throws him out of the nest. 

later, wooyoung will tell you that your scream was what stopped the battle. he isn’t even joking, he’s deadly serious - people stopped fighting because you screamed so loud

you don’t even remember screaming. you only remember watching yeosang’s body sail through the air and racing to the ship’s edge, hand reaching out in a futile effort to catch him before he falls

for less than half a second, you meet yeosang’s eyes, blown wide with terror and pain

and then his body crashes beneath the ocean waves

someone holds you back from jumping over the railing. you kick and thrash but they don’t let go

your throat is raw from screaming yeosang’s name over and over and over because he can’t be dead, he can’t be - yeosang can swim, you know he can

but he had horrible injuries, and the pain mixed with seawater very well could have killed him before he even had the chance to drown

you keep screaming until your voice dies and your yells turns to sobs and you start begging, begging for him to come back

but his familiar blond head never resurfaces.

yeosang dies that day, dragged beneath the waves

taking a piece of your heart with him, too. 

If you enjoyed, please don’t forget to reblog and leave a comment to tell me what you thought! Thank you for reading and have a lovely day <3

(1 reblog = 1 prayer for me I'm going to need like 10 years of rest after this much angst)