#Please stay safe if you're going to the protests today

[littlemissaddict]

Assistant!Reader x John Price fluff

I've well and truly been drawn in by the tf141 men, this short drabble was inspired by my Friday at work and how I wished I had Price (or any of the 141 really) to comfort me...

Warnings: Mentions of periods, cramps, reader being in pain

Being Price’s assistant on base, her own little desk just outside his office. Greeting him every morning with a freshly brewed cup of tea for him and a wide smile. Today was no different, or so she tried to pretend it wasn’t except the smile was forced and didn't quite meet her eyes. Price, of course, noticed and made a point of asking if she was okay as he thanked her for the tea. She brushed him off assuring him she was fine as she left his office to go back to his desk.

She buried herself in her tasks for the morning, hoping that the distraction would take her mind off the cramps in her lower tummy. She was still hunched over her desk as Price left his office at around noon for his meeting with Laswell and she forced herself to sit upright as he stopped at her desk.

“Are you sure you’re okay, you can take the rest of the day if you need to” his worried eyes bore into hers as she once again brushed off his concerns, unsure of how to broach the subject with her boss as it didn’t feel right coming out with ‘Oh you know it happens every month, I’ll get over it’ so instead she settled on an appreciative smile as she waved him off to his meeting.

He’d been gone around half an hour where the pain seemed to steadily increase and she almost regretted not taking Price up on his offer to take the rest of the day. Instead she rummaged through her bag in search of some painkillers, anything to take the edge off of the pain, quickly downing them with the water she always carried with her. Dropping her head down against the desk as she wrapped her arms around her tummy, she figured she’d be safe like this until the tablets kicked in as everyone on base was probably down at the mess hall for lunch until Johnny’s voice came around the corner.

Sitting up quickly to avoid being caught in the awkward position she could tell by his face, the same worried look that Price had given her earlier, that she’d been caught.

“Ya okay Bonnie? D’ya need me to grab the Capt’n or a medic?” he asked cautiously, his movements slow and his voice soft as if worried she’d startle like a wild animal.

“Johnny I’m fine, please-” she grimaced, gritting her teeth as another cramp hit her, “Please just leave me be” she all but pleaded with him. Thanking whatever higher being there was that he’d gone without fuss as she resumed her earlier position.

Little did she know Johnny had gone straight to Price, sprinting through the hallways looking like a madman as he tried to find him. When he did, he skidded to a stop in front of a confused Price and a very unimpressed Laswell. “Ya bird needs ya” he panted, ridiculously out of breath from the chase, it'd be almost comical for a trained soldier if he wasn’t so worried.

Price didn’t even stop to ask where she was or even correct Soap for his comment of her being his, just headed in the direction of his office as he figured she wouldn’t have left her desk. He knew she was a stubborn one but not when it came to her health, now though she was going to listen to him even if it meant he had to stay with her until she was better.

She hadn’t even heard Price come back, not until he was right there, scooping her up into his arms as if she weighed nothing even despite her protests. He headed carefully into his office, kicking the door shut behind him before sitting on the old couch in the corner of the room and bringing her down with him. She sat across his lap, one of his hands gently rubbing across her lower back as the other rested on her knees.

“Now I know you said you're fine but tell me, what’s wrong?” he hums, his chin resting on her shoulder as his hands continue to gently rub back and forth against her skin.

As strange as it feels to be sitting like this in her bosses lap, to have his hands against her skin and even just to be this close to him, she can’t help the way her body relaxes against him, finding comfort in the warmth of his body that has even managed to help her cramps subside to a dull ache. Or maybe the painkillers have kicked in she doesn’t know but it feels good not to have the constant pain anymore.

The hand that’s still resting against her knees squeezes softly in silent encouragement for her to speak as she remembers he asked her a question. “It’s nothing really, just the perks of being a woman” she mumbles in hopes he gets the gist of what she was trying to say without her having to have a full blown conversation about periods with him, not that there would be anything wrong with that she just doesn’t have the energy for it at the moment.

He nods in silent understanding, slowly moving his hand from her knees to her tummy as he carries on the gentle movement there in hopes that it will help ease her pain. Judging by the way her body somehow relaxes further into him and her head drops to rest against his shoulder he figures it does as she mumbles out a soft thank you. As she falls asleep against him Price plans to put together an emergency pack to keep in his office just in case she ever need anything, pain killers, pads and tampons (he plans to ask some of the female medics the most popular types to get just so he’s covered all bases), heat packs, chocolates (and if his team ever find them, they have a habit of getting into places they shouldn’t, he’ll make it clear that they are none of their business and are specifically for her and whoever disobeys him will be running laps until they drop) and whatever else he can come up with that will make it easier for her.

[dreamescapeswriting]

Stray Kids Reaction || You Have Asthma And They're Protective

⤜Copyright: © DreamEscapesWriting - July 2024

⤜MASTERLIST

Please remember to stay safe guys and keep your inhaler with you at all times!!! Make sure someone is always around you that knows about your condition and is there to help if you need it! Sorry for any mistakes made <3

CHAN:

You could feel the intense tightening in your chest that made you pause, your hands reaching out for Chan who had frozen the second he noticed you trying to take in deep breaths. But it was like a weight was pressing down on your lungs. Before you even had a chance to signal to Chan that you needed him to go in your bag he'd already dove his hand into his pocket and retrieved an inhaler for you. Scrunching your face up a little you took it and stared at him the whole time.

"Are you going to tell me why you have an inhaler of mine?" You laughed softly as you coughed into your hand a little, eyeing up your boyfriend who appeared to be turning a slight pinkish colour.

"I have them...sort of, stored everywhere." He scratched the back of his neck as he realised his secret was going to come out sooner or later.

"Everywhere? What do you mean?" You laughed weakly and linked your arm with his, the two of you walking toward a small bench and sitting down together so you could catch your breath some more.

"Well, I know how much you struggle with them so I took the chance to make sure I was constantly prepared...in case you ever needed me," There was a slight shyness in his voice that made your body burn for him,

"You're very sweet, Channie." You breathe out, smiling as you place a gentle kiss on his cheek his cheeks now flaming red. 

"I wanted to make sure you felt safe around me, because no matter what. I've got your back," He smiles proudly of himself,

"And at least if I run out I have yours as backups," you giggle a little.

MINHO:

There was an ungodly amount of masks all over your boyfriends apartment and when you'd asked Minho about them he'd merely stated that they were  "left over from COVID" and that they didn't matter. But refused to throw them out whenever you brought up the topic.

"The pollen is high today," Was all that he stated before producing a mask from his bag and handing it to you before you could get outside of your own apartment door.

"Minho, I don't need-" You tried to protest but he merely held the mask up for you to take once again, refusing to move it until you took it from his grasp,

"You're so hangry it's insane," You giggle a little as you slide the mask on and turn to your boyfriend for his approval. Minho simply smiled and tucked the mask behind your ear properly. It might have been a little more overprotective than what you wanted but it was what he needed.

Ever since he'd found out about your asthma he'd been up late into the night sometimes researching everything, from possible triggers to something to help lessen the chances of one.

"Pollen is known to induce an asthma attack, the mask will help you...Please," You could almost hear the pain in his voice at the thought of you suffering an attack and you nodded, sliding your hand into his.

"I'll wear it, baby, don't worry," You whispered, Minho's smile only grew before he kissed your cheek softly through the mask.

CHANGBIN:

You coughed into your hand a little, panic starting to creep in as you felt the heavy weight pressing down on your chest, the air refusing to go in the way that it should and you reached out to grab your bag but it wasn't by your side.

"Fucking idiots!" Changbin suddenly yells, rushing around the dorms opening every single window and turning on the fans to get the deodorant fumes out of there as soon as possible.

"How could you be so stupid?!" He rants, rummaging around in a drawer before fetching you a spare inhaler kept around in case you ever needed it. You took it from him, staring at him as he continued to yell at the guys for having the audacity to spray while you were trapped in the room with them,

"Shit, Yn, we're sorry. We didn't even think." Minho waved the deodorant away from you as you took in a deep breath from your inhaler and shook your head, trying to tell them it was okay but Changbin cut you off.

"it's far from okay! What if you'd hurt her? What if I didn't have a spare inhaler? What if-" You could already see the panic in your boyfriend's eyes so you grabbed his hand and squeezed it softly.

"I'm okay, and it won't happen again. Right?" Your eyes went over to the boys who were nodding their heads, looking a little pale after what they'd done.

"Right." All of them said in unison making Changbin's shoulders ease slightly.

HYUNJIN:

You were more than over the moon about today's date with Hyunjin. You'd found a fake ice skating ring that was in the city for the night and you'd decided that was what you'd wanted to do with your day.

"You ready?" You giggled excitedly as Hyunjin walked over to you, holding two pairs of skates and frowning when he saw you standing there in nothing but some jeans and a simple t-shirt.

"Where's your hat and scarf?" He asked making you roll your eyes at him.

"It's fake ice, Hyunjin, I don't need it." You laugh softly but he shakes his head at you, retrieving a hat and scarf from the bag on his back.

"I don't care, you need to stay warm. The doctor said that the cold is a huge trigger for you." You were already starting to regret taking him to your doctor's appointment two weeks ago, now every time something happened that could trigger you he was on you like a fly on shit and you loved that he was so protective of you but at the same time, you just wanted to have fun and relax.

"Come on," He smiles as he wraps the scarf around you and helps you into the skates, you shake your head at him with a small smile knowing better than to fight him on any of this.

JISUNG:

Today was supposed to be a nice calm day, you were watching the boys practice for their next comeback one second and the next you were in a panic as you rummaged through your bag. Your eyes are wide as you couldn't find the inhaler you knew you'd packed that morning, you never left the house without it. You kept trying to get your breathing under control, your hand resting on your chest,

"Babe?" Jisung called out in a panic, rushing over to you and grabbing something from his pocket, setting it down in your hand. It was one of your inhalers. You didn't have time to question him on it as you took in some puffs from the inhaler. The tightness was still there, but it's starting to ease a bit. You could feel the medicine working, opening up your airways just enough to let a bit more air in.

"Better?" He asks as he kneels down in front of you, his hands resting on your knees as you nod slowly, your breathing slowly returning to normal as you try to calm yourself down.

"When did you get one of my inhalers?" You whisper, your voice is a little hoarse from how dry it was.

"He has them stored all over the place, one in every room at the dorms." Felix laughs making Jisung's cheeks turn bright red as you look at him and smile at the thought of him being so protective over you.

FELIX:

"I honestly don't think Felix clean this much in my whole time of knowing him," Chan said as he watched Felix fluttering around the dorms with a duster in his hand, wiping down every single surface he came into contact with,

"Really? He does it a lot whenever I'm around." You laugh a little as Felix turns around to look at you, his cheeks flushed deeply as Chan begins to put everything together

"Oh, I get it." He smirks, Felix's blush only seems to deepen as he shakes his head at his leader, 

"Please, Hyung."

"What?" you laughed looking between them both but Chan's smirk continued to grow as he looked at you,

"He cleans when you're around to stop it from triggering an asthma attack," You glanced at Felix who was now a crimson shade as he nodded his head at you.

"I did some research and it said that dust can make your asthma a lot worse, so I just thought I would make sure there was never any dust around so you feel comfortable here," Your heart was practically putty in his hands right now and you smiled warmly, rushing over to him and hugging him tightly. No one had ever put in that much effort for you before and you could feel your heart racing.

"Thank you, Lix." You whisper, kissing his lips softly and making him stutter a little.

SEUNGMIN:

After what felt like an eternity of sitting there, your boyfriend holding you in his arms, your breathing begins to return to somewhat normal Seungmin snapped his fingers over at Changbin who looked a little offended that he was being snapped at like a dog.

"Go and get Yn a warm cup of tea." He grumbled, his arms still wrapped around you tightly as Changbin stared at him completely taken back by the order from the younger male.

"Please. It helps soothe their throat after an asthma attack," He whispered, his voice pleading as you stared at Seungmin a little taken back by how he knew that.

Ever since you'd told him about your asthma he'd done every single bit of research he could on how to handle you after an attack, deciding he wanted to make sure he could properly care for you if the time ever arose. 

"You don't have to do that," Your voice sounded croaky but Seungmin nodded and Changbin left to go and make you a warm cup of tea.

"You're so hot when you order people around," you laugh softly as Seungmin tightens his hold on you, his heart racing. It had scared him to see you gasping for air and he wasn't going to let you go until he knew you were fully okay again. 

JEONGIN:

"You have to stop fussing," You giggle as Jeongin dragged you back into the safety of the house, shutting the door so you could watch the bonfire from the safety of the house instead of being out near the flames and smoke.

"I can't help it, the smoke will hurt your lungs and irritate your asthma, I don't want anything to happen to you," He ran his hands over your cheeks as you slowly leaned into his touch. All night long Jeongin had been trying to get you to back out of the bonfire he was having with the boys, promising you that the two of you would have your own fun without needing to be close to the smoke.

"Baby, I can handle a little smoke," you whine at him but he shakes his head, pulling a chair up to the glass doors so the two of you could simply watch from where you were.

"What about when the fireworks happen? How are we supposed to watch?" you smirked and he looked at you,

"We'll sit upstairs in the bedroom window, that way you can see the sky too." He smirked already having an answer for everything. There wasn't a damn thing you'd change about your boyfriend, except maybe how protective he was over your health.

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[banj0possum]

ooooh!! im wondering how the zombie hord would deal with the FTM reader who's on his period and cant function due to how much pain he's in??

Zombie Horde x FtM Reader on His Period

CW: period. mentioned period sex (doesnt happen)

an: vyn if you see this, i can explain.

💀 YOU'RE DYING

💀 They come back from one of their hunts and you're curled up in a ball holding your stomach.

💀 Ribs screams and everyone turns to see a bit of blood on your sheets, it smells like you too.

💀 Bo and Screw rush over to you and check if you're ok, it doesn't help that the smell of fresh blood is all over you.

💀 You try to explain to them that you're just having your period and your cramps are just a bit more unbearable today.

💀 "BUT YOU'RE BLEEDING! DID SOMEONE GIVE YOU YOUR PERIOD?! ARE YOU HURT?! DID THEY HURT YOU?! I'LL KILL THEM!!" Ribs rambles

💀 "Nah you dolt! It's a normal thing humans do! like uh..peeing?" Bo somewhat explains.

💀 They try their best to keep you comfy as you're going through your period.

💀 Bo is always with you, making sure you're alright. He'd mumble to you about how strong you are, how good you were being and how much he loved you.

💀 "It's alright baby boy, I'm not leavin' ya, stay strong ok? You're gettin' through this great!"

💀 Soda tried 'reading' up about periods through old books in the bookstore (which was him staring at the pictures and trying to piece together words that he knew) and accidentally came to the conclusion that you're internally bleeding

💀 He came back crying to you and the horde that they might have fucked you so hard your insides are fucked.

💀 Please comfort him.

💀 Screw is bundling you in all your cushions, sheets and blankets.

💀 He thinks of you like a fragile treasure that will break from the gentlest touch, he can't have his mate suffering like this!!

💀 Any packets of tea or sweets he finds, he brings over to you so you can feel better.

💀 If you have bad moodswings, you have to reassure them that you don't mean it if you accidentally snap or raise your voice at them, especially Ribs and Screw.

💀 They dare not ask you to mate. They might deal with blood almost every day but seeing how much it hurts from just cramps, they don't want to strain your body further.

💀 You're not leaving your bunker while on your period. They'll do all the hunting and you can stay nice and safe in your nest.

💀 Stand up even once and you're being pulled back down and kept in a tight cuddle until you stop protesting.

💀 "Screw please, I need to pee.."

💀 "But...you're hurting.."

💀 "I'm fine now, c'mon I gotta go!.."

💀 "...no."

💀 "...Fine.."

💀 Congrats! You have very protective and internally freaking out zombies that are willing to take good care of you during your periods!

[cutecatlov3r]

𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

izuku midoriya x reader ! (fem)

synopsis: when an innocent religious boy comes into your hands the only thing you can do is ruin his pure mind.

word count: 3.5k

warnings/tw: all characters are 18+, no quirks, college AU, corruption, mentions religion, a little bit of disrespect about religion, praise, oral (m!), hickeys, masturbation(?), facial, finger sucking, hair pulling, piv, unprotected sex, and... I'll let you figure it out.

a/n: gah this is a virgin izuku book >///<... stay tuned for the end... trust me, you want to read it. oh and please like, comment. and re-blog ily ! don't copy my work. not proofread. who wants a part 2 ?…

song: HEAVEN AND BACK [Chase Atlantic]

You yawned, moving through the crowded party. Sighing, you tried looking for your roommate, Mina Ashido. You must admit, you already have had a couple of drinks so you were pretty buzzed, walking around all the flashing lights didn't make your mind feel any more at ease.

"Y/n?~" a voice asked you. It was a feminine voice, a voice you knew way too well.

You turned around to see your roommate. She looked drunk off her ass. Her hair was frizzing up, her shirt covered in alcohol, and her eyes barely open. You shook your head, snapping a picture of her to show her in the morning.

You giggled, watching her stumble into your arms.

"Mina, are you ready to go home?" you asked, only a bit concerned for her well-being. She can get a little crazy at parties

"Y/n~ Noooooo, I don't wanna go home yet~ *hic* Plus you still haven't even met my *hic* friends~" she slurred, furrowing her eyebrows.

The whole reason you were at the party is to meet Mina's 'Out of town' friends. Oh, trust me, you've met her main group, sleeping with all of them whenever you feel like it. You couldn't help yourself! You regularly call Bakugou over to fuck you whenever you want him to, but that's a whole different story.

"Mina? Oh! Mina! There you are," a familiar face said, sighing in relief. The familiar face was none other than Shoto Todoroki, you've met him a few times, he didn't go to your university. Not to say that you two fucked or anything but you guys definitely did some hand stuff not too long ago.

Shoto is from a Christian school, he doesn't believe in the ways of God but he is forced to go. Every weekend he comes to your university's parties to disobey his father and obey his own beliefs. He is an atheist, not caring for religions, you can say the same thing.

"Aw, Shoto! I didn't know you were here," you teased, giving the boy a tight hug. You adored his sensitive reactions to your slightest touch. He hugged you back.

"I didn't see you here, glad to know you're here though," he smiled, holding on to your waist. Was he being more bold today? You rolled your eyes, taking his hands away from your waist, the only thing on your mind was making sure Mina got home safely. You shouldn't get distracted by Shoto's charms.

"Where's *hic* Zu... Zuku... And Chako?" Mina cried, shaking Shoto's shoulders. Shoto looked at your calm face, pausing his train of thought before turning back to Mina.

"He's upstairs, he needed some air. You know how he gets around crowded places. And Ochako is with Jirou and Hagakure," Shoto replied, shrugging.

Mina shook her head, too dazed to say anything to Shoto.

"Zuku?" you questioned. You were unfamiliar with the name. You knew Ochako, only due to her relations with your girl friends.

"Izuku," Shoto corrected. "He's a friend of ours from my school, could you go and grab him? I think he's ready to go home, he doesn't do so well around big crowds. I'll try and get Mina out of the house too, she looks really... Not well..." he muttered.

Mina whined, protesting against him. Of course she wanted to stay but she needed to leave, she was well over being blacked out.

"Don't make us call Sero, you know he will whoop your ass," you commented, sternly.

Mina shut her mouth, quickly. "Yes ma'am," She was ready to comply with whatever you guys said.

"He's in the last room down the hallway," Shoto explained, picking up Mina. He tossed her over his shoulder, trying to get through the crowd.

You nodded. All you have to do is grab Shoto's friend, you trust Shoto enough to leave him with Mina. You know he'd never do anything to make a woman uncomfortable, ever.

You made your way upstairs. The bass of the music made the entire house shake. You were surprised the party hadn't gotten a noise complaint yet. Moans and groans filled the hallway you walked through, horny adults probably filled every single room available for access. You made a mental note to call Bakugou over tonight for some fun.

Eventually you reached the last door of the hallway. Slowly, you opened the wooden door. The room seemed empty from the looks of it, you decided to look around. A huge bed was in the middle of the room, furniture organized around. The room did have a nice color pallet, white and gold. The two colors that embody purity, you loved them.

"Izuku?" you called out, exploring the dim lighted room.

The door to the balcony opened, stepping into the room with you was a fluffy green haired boy. The darkness of the room was hard to really see any features of him. The moonlight from outside did let you see the little freckles displayed on his face though.

"U-um... Who... Are you?" the male asked, shutting the door behind him quickly.

"Are you Izuku?" you asked, wondering if you might have gotten the wrong room.

The boy nodded his head.

"Oh, Shoto wanted me to come and grab you," you conversed. You walked over to a bedside table, turning on the lamp that was on it. You didn't really enjoy being in the dark. Once you turned around you finally saw the man you were speaking too. His eyes averted from your figure, you were in a proactive outfit that showed all of your natural curves. He wore a regular shirt and jeans but what had your full attention was the silver cross that dangled from him neck. One word... Innocence.

A sinister smirk appeared on your lips. "Or we can stay here and get to know each other," you suggested, shrugging. You sat on the bed, waiting for Izuku to join you. Izuku was flustered by your boldness. He took a deep breath, thinking back on what Shoto had told him about meeting new people. He never really came out to parties, usually the only places he went that had lots of people is church.

He made his way to your lustful energy. Izuku sat on the bed with you. "I'm Y/n," you greeted.

"I'm Izuku Midoriya," he said, giving an unsure smile.

His emerald colored eyes were a sight to see, they were beautiful. You shook your head, snapping back into reality. Izuku just stared at your own hypnotizing gaze.

"I heard you go to Shoto's school. You believe in God?" you asked, curiously.

"W-what?! Of course I do! God is my ruler. He is my only God," Izuku rambled. You thought his little ramble about God was adorable. He seemed very passionate about his religious beliefs.

All you could do was shrug. "I can't relate but I respect your beliefs,"

"Why can't you relate? Do you not believe in our lord and savior?"

You shook your head 'no', earning an audible gasp from Izuku.

"What? W-why not?"

You began to feel annoyed by the way he was talking. "Izuku, don't you ever have temptations?" you questioned, trying to explain how you feel.

Izuku began to look off to the side. "We aren't supposed to..."

"Well! We are human! We can't help how we feel," you interrupted, laughing.

Izuku cocked his eyebrow. "I never follow my temptations. They must be kept away, giving into them is a sin,"

You rolled your eyes at the word 'sin'. It rolled off his tongue so smoothly, you were buzzed from the party earlier so maybe that's why you decided to say...

"Have you ever sinned?"

Izuku looked at you, his mouth hung agape. You bet he never expected you to ask him such a personal question.

"O-of course not!" he said, furrowing his eyebrows. He seemed offended by the question.

You hummed to yourself, leaning close to the poor boy's face. Suddenly, you found yourself straddling his empty lap. He didn't dare touch or look at you, he was easily embarrassed. His face was a beet red hue. His hands nor face paid attention to the temptation of your body.

"You've never..." you thought. Smirking, you leaned into his ear, "Touched yourself?" you finished. Your breath was close against his neck, making him shiver underneath you.

Izuku's heart beat felt rapid. He had no words, seemingly. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head. He did not partake in such sinful acts.

You almost laughed in his face thinking he was joking. But on further inspection, he seemed dead serious. This made you excited. You loved sleeping with virgins. They always had the whiniest moans and the warmest cum. You loved taking advantage of them, making sure to make them feel pathetic.

Your hand crept up to his face, grabbing his cheek. "Do you want me to show you how to touch yourself, Izuku?" you asked, as innocently as you could.

And with that, you felt something hard underneath you, this boy had gotten a boner, a boner that you wanted to get rid of.

"I...I shouldn't," Izuku mumbled, feeling as if he were spinning.

Your lips found their way on his neck, sucking on his soft skin softly. He let out a whimper, his whimper made you want to go insane. But! You know you should take it slow, it is his first time after all.

"Do you want me to touch you?" you asked, feeling your core already to start to burn.

"N..N..."

"It's a sin to lie, isn't it?" you teased, not really knowing if it was a sin or not.

"Touch me,"

With that being said, you smashed your lips against his. Izuku let you kiss him. But what got him more interested was when you slipped your tongue into his mouth. He seemed like a natural to you. Your tongues were in sync, making you want him even more.

After releasing your kiss to breathe in some air, you looked into his eyes. Lust. He was being lustful in this moment with you. It made you eager to ruin him.

"What do you want me to do to you?" you asked, pushing his back on to the bed. He laid under you as you sucked on his skin, making sure to leave purple marks. They way he crumbled under your touch felt so sexy to you.

"D...Do w-whatever you want to me," he moaned, finally having the courage to put his hands on your waist. They ran up and down your hips. grinding your body slightly on his hard clothed cock.

You smiled, removing your clothes, only having a bra and panties on, this would be his first time seeing a woman naked. You felt excited knowing that. You helped Izuku get him own clothes off, leaving him in his boxers. The tent built up in them almost had you drooling at the sight.

He couldn't look you in the eyes, he stared at the ground, holding his cheeks to relieve them as they were burning. You were stood up, Izuku's legs draped over the bedside, he was anticipating for more.

Getting on your knees, you made sure Izuku kept his eyes directly on you.

"I'm going to show you how to please yourself, kay?" you said, pecking his lips.

"H-ow do I do that...?" he asked, almost stuttering.

Instead of explaining, you grabbed his hand. You wanted to tease him before touching him. You let your warm tongue touch the pads of his finger tips. You noticed his dick twitch due to your action. You began to suck softly and slowly, Izuku was in a trance, wishing it were his cock instead.

"Let me see it now, Zuku,"

Izuku felt his blush come back to him, he must've felt too embarrassed to pull out his cock, he kept stuttering and rambling on and on. You rolled your eyes, playfully, finding your own hands to be the one to reveal his dick. His dick was long and thick, you've never seen such a perfect one.

He whined as your soft hands started pumping his dick slowly.

"This is how to please yourself, give me your hand," you ordered.

Without any thought Izuku gave you his hand. You wrapped his own hand around his dick, making him pump it himself.

"Does that feel good baby?" you asked, ready to make him feel even more relieved.

"Y-yes," he moaned.

You grazed your thumb over the tip making him feel jolts of pleasure.

After watching him pump his cock in front of you a few times, you were ready to wrap your lips around his length. You wanted him to cry out your name- No- You needed him to cry out your name.

You took off Izuku's hand from his own length, giving him your full attention.

"Keep your eyes on me Izuku," you said, in a serious tone.

He nodded his head, fast.

You stuck out your tongue to lick the tip of his dick. He tossed his head back, making you feel more heated. In an instant, you took his whole tip in your mouth, sucking on it soft and slow. He groaned, trying to stop the urge to grab your hair. You noticed his hand hovering over your head, was he trying to be respectful? You rolled your eyes, grabbing his hand and placing it in your own hair.

"You can pull my hair baby, don't be shy,"

Izuku blushed at your words but found his fingers gripping right where your scalp is. You loved it, he's learning so easily.

Your wet tongue ran up and down his shaft, earning moans and groans from Izuku. He started to gain more confidence, moving your head down further. He wanted you to take him fully but he was too shy to say.

After a few minutes of pants, moaning, and suckling noises, you felt Izuku get more tense and sloppy as he moved your head. He was close to cumming.

"This... Feels so good," he moaned, his hips rutting upwards on instinct.

"You're such a good boy, does the good boy wanna cum?" you asked, rubbing his dick in your hands. Both of your hands rubbed him in all the right ways.

"C-cum?" Izuku questioned.

Oh of course! He is a virgin, he doesn't know about these things. The cross around his neck was connected to his chest due to the sweat. You laughed in your head, knowing you're stealing one of God's little angels.

"You'll understand when it happens, for now, just lay back and let me make you feel good, hm?"

Izuku understood, laying back down, propping himself on his elbows to look at your face.

You continued to suck on him, anticipating to feel his warm cum on your face.

"W-wait!" Izuku shouted, a look on his face signified he was unfamiliar by the feeling.

You knew what this meant, you kept using your hands and tongue faster.

"A-ah no! Something... Ah~ No I think I'm going to-"

You took out his cock from your mouth, rubbing it up and down while he shot his hot cum on your face. He felt ecstasy.

"S-so good!" he praised, panting.

You licked up all of the cum you could off of his dick, making sure he watched. His face was red.

"That was too good," Izuku said, sitting upwards. He got up to grab his shirt off of the floor. You sighed, understanding he was ready to leave.

"What? Leaving too so-"

He wiped the cum off of your body, feeling embarrassed that you have his sperm all over your cute face. Your cheeks burned up, no one has taken care of you after doing something like that.

"S-sorry about that," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck.

You gave him a smile, feeling an unfamiliar sensation deep down in your heart. "It's no problem," you said, taking a seat on the bed.

Izuku sat next to you.

"T-thanks for that... I've never done anything like that before," he sighed.

"You think we're done?" you giggled. Of course you weren't!

"Are we not?" Izuku asked, confused.

You shook your head, straddling Izuku's lap. This time instead of being so shy, he seemed less anxious, comfortable, and familiar. His hands gripped your waist, guiding your hips to grind against his dick, causing him to get hard once again.

"Let me ruin you Izuku," you whispered, kissing him passionately. He kissed you back, wanting everything from you. He needed you.

"Please y/n... Ruin me,"

All you could do was smile at his words, he was ready for you and only you.

You got off Izuku, slowly removing your panties. After removing them you sat back down on Izuku's lap.

"What are we doing next?" he asked, fiddling with his hands.

You honestly didn't need foreplay, you were ready for him. You were ready to ruin him, to make him connected to you by soul ties.

"Izuku, lay down," you demanded.

Izuku did exactly what you said, laying down right in the center of the bed, his body propped into the soft, silky pillows.

You crawled over to him like a hunter stalking its prey. You had no hesitation to pounce on him. You hovered yourself over his dick, wanting to see his facial expressions as you put it in. Though you weren't a fan of riding, you always were when it came to virgins.

Your eyes landed upon the cross around Izuku's neck. God can't help his poor soul now.

Slowly, you began to sink down on Izuku's cock.

"Warm... So good," he whispered.

Your gummy walls held onto his dick tightly. The lewd noises you were making were beyond comprehension.

"I can't... Too much," Izuku whined, closing his eyes, holding on to your hips.

"You can take it baby, so big and ready to fill me up," you said, finally pushing yourself on his dick fully.

He let out a moan.

You allowed him to get familiar with the sensation of your walls, not wanting him to cum so quickly.

You began to move yourself up and down, Izuku's hands attached to your hips as you rode him.

His dick filled you up, hitting all the right spots. You moaned, sinking down on his cock.

Moans and whimpers could be heard throughout the room. This feeling is one that you could never give up.

Over time you began to pick up the pace, Izuku was huffing and taking deep breaths as you sped up. He was so sensitive after you made him cum earlier, he wanted to try and make you feel good too, which is why it's taking everything in him not to cum right then and there.

"F-fuck Izuku~" you moaned, feeling the knot in your stomach ready to be released.

You felt yourself moving faster, wanting to chase your own orgasm.

"G-god! So good! I can't hold it in," Izuku whimpered.

You smirked at his words. "God can't help you Izuku," you said, slyly.

For some odd reason that turned Izuku on even more, rutting his hips upwards. He hugged your waist, slamming you down on his cock. You were surprised by his actions but didn't care, he was eager, it's his first time, of course he was.

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, feeling your orgasm near closer and closer. You couldn't help your eyes rolling back, it all was too much!

His dick hit your favorite spot, earning loud moans.

"Right there Izuku~" you panted, almost sounding like you were whining.

Izuku understood, moving your hips faster. Fucking into you as much as he could, hitting your spot over and over, continuously.

"Gon-Gonna cum!" you cried, ready to become undone.

Izuku just couldn't contain himself, his dick went in as much as it could, his hot seed pumping inside of you. The warmth of his cum made you reach your climax.

You both panted for air. You got off of the boy, laying beside him. That fucking session was a pretty damn good one.

"Thank you Y/n. I've never felt so alive," Izuku said, turning to face you. He had a smile plastered on him. His smile made your heart flutter.

Your stamina was all used up, you could barely look him in his eyes. You were happy to be of assistance for him.

"You were such a good boy," you said, leaning into kiss him.

He grabbed your cheeks, kissing you until you fell asleep. He wanted to take such good care of you after you helped him out. He placed a cover on top of you, admiring your cute face.

"Asleep already?" Izuku asked.

You didn't hear a word he said, already fast to sleep. You were insanely worn out.

He giggled slightly, kissing the top of your forehead.

...

"Fucking idiot," he muttered, rolling his eyes and getting off of the bed in search for his boxers. "When Shoto said it'd be this easy... I didn't think he meant this easy," he commented, ripping off the cross necklace from his neck. He threw it somewhere in the room, not caring for things like 'God'.

Once he found his boxers, he walked over the the dresser, taking out his phone, hidden behind some perfumes, which was recording the whole scene between the two of you.

"Too damn easy," he smirked, checking the video quickly to see if it captured everything, and trust me, it did.

3 Missed calls from Ochako <3

Izuku scoffed at his notifications, dialing the missing call back. He didn't want to deal with her bullshit right now, he wanted to smoke a quick cigarette before having to be by her side all night. The phone number answered quickly.

"Where are you babe? You've been missing for awhile now," the girl said, sounding worried.

"I just needed some air, I'll meet up with you in a bit,"

"Okay honey, bye, I love you,"

"I love you too,"

-

[grandlinedreams]

what about ace waking in the night with you sobbing quietly in his arms, still trying to deal with the fact that he is here, with you, despite the marine ford incident? idk but just the idea of being so emotionally overwhelmed after seeing your partner almost die, and then him trying to comfort you warms my heart <33

PLEASE yes i can I was in my ace feelings today :')

[Heads up!: mention of Marineford, hurt/comfort]

"Thank-you for loving me."

You wake with a sharp inhale, cheeks wet and lips parted around a silent scream of Ace's name. It takes a long moment for you to register where you are, the room dark save for the spill of moonlight through the window.

You're not alone, either ㅡ there's a familiar set of arms wound around your waist, anchoring you to a body that always runs far warmer than your own.

Ace.

You stare at his face, relaxed in sleep ㅡ unaware that you've been woken from another nightmare about his death. A death narrowly avoided ㅡ you trace unbroken skin, shuddering at what could have been. He'd gotten lucky. He's here, alive, safe.

And yet you can't stop crying. You try to stay quiet, keep the shuddering hiccups soft ㅡ but either you're louder than you think or Ace isn't sleeping as well as he says he does, because he stirs.

"That nightmare again?" He asks softly, heart aching at the shine of tears on your cheeks, wondering how long you've been awake. You nod, reaching up to scrub at your eyes.

"I'm sorry," you mumble, voice wobbling. "I woke you up."

"Shh," Ace soothes, moving to tuck you further against him, humming as you cling to him. "It's okay. You're okay, I've got you."

Ace lets you cry. He hates it, hates that you're hurting like this ㅡ but he lets you cry until you have nothing left, rubbing your back as you shudder.

"It was just a bad dream, okay?" He kisses your shoulder, murmuring against your skin. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

"You don't know that," you protest weakly, even as you cling to him as tight as you can.

"No," Ace admits softly, adjusting enough to kiss your cheek, then your temple. "But we'll take it day by day, okay? We can do that."

You pull away enough to look at him properly, and his heart twinges at how tired you look. "I'm scared, Ace."

"Me too." He kisses your forehead. "We can be scared together." His lips ghost along the bridge of your nose. "But as I said, we take it day by day, step by step. Let's start by getting some sleep, okay?"

"Okay." Your voice is soft, a barely there whisper. But it's still an answer, and Ace rewards you with a proper kiss, soft and slow. "What if I have that nightmare again?"

"Then I'll be here to help you feel better," Ace answers, cuddling you him, bodies slotted together like puzzle pieces. "I'll be here for as long as I can, for as long as you want me."

[pavosnoctua]

feast

cw: mdni, minors dni, dub-con (non descript/fade to black), obsessive and possessive behaviors, afab reader, implied kidnapping, forced marriage, imprisonment, yandere content, dd:dne.

happy belated birthday, diluc

It's his birthday, you tell yourself as he softly kisses you - it's the only way you can bring yourself to even mildly accept this type of affection from him. He never even allows himself to touch you most of the time, only ever watches with longing, hunger, much like a predator towards it prey but he never pounces. You always expect and wait, on edge for the day he becomes hungry enough to ignore you when you protest. It's his birthday.

You wish he wasn't tender when he kisses you, you wish he wouldn't ask you and that he wouldn't hold you as if you would shatter in his touch like glass the moment he got too rough. And you know he would be a great lover, if he were not the way he is.

Diluc is warm and you can't help but lean into him a little bit - these last few days have been dreary and cold, that his body heat is a welcome change. As much as the man tries to keep the fires going, they cannot run all night, and you cannot stay curled up in bed all day (as much as you would love to because the bed seems to be the only safe place from him, your room a sanctity of holiness where he fears if he crosses, he may corrupt it with his sin).

He's tender when he moves further down your neck, a clear need growing in him to touch you more, to take more, to want more - a greed that he always denies himself. And you know that he will masturbate to this later, you know that he finds shame in his actions but yet, cannot stop. This man is addicted to his own suffering.

It's his birthday, you have to keep telling yourself this as he pulls you closer and you can feel his erection pressing against you, the way his gloved hands feel against the soft curve of your hips, sneaking underneath your dress that was specifically chosen for today (who knew, really, that he'd lose his mind over some cleavage?). He squeezes your thighs, before moving up. Just let him do this today, and he'll leave you alone for the next week.

Diluc finally has to pull away from the kiss, his hands edging along your bloomers and there is hunger and guilt and shame and need on him. He smells of firewood and expense cologne.

"Please." he rasps. "I'm sorry." He nips your neck, temptation a bit too strong for your liking.

You lick your lips - outside of his room, you hear maids scurry about. They are preparing for tonight's feast. Even if Diluc is not a cruel master nor a picky one, his servants always work to go above and beyond to impress him. You're never sure as to why. If he were not like this, you would have loved to be his wife - you would have agreed to allow him to marry you. But that's not the case, not now.

And if you allow this - at least he's asking because you fear one day he may not do so - you know that dinner can range from good to mildly pleasant and he will be absent from your life for the next week. (And if that's the case, you wonder if it'd be easy to steal his Pyro vision from his thigh because maybe it could give you a source of warmth during these cold, rainy days)

So you sigh and you relent - surrendering yourself to a choice that may or may not hurt.

"Happy birthday." You mumble, hating that you, yourself, had become the gift for him. "Just don't rip the dress, I don't want Adelinde to lecture me about having to sew it back up."

That's all he needs to easily lift you up and lay you on his bed - looking up on you as if you were his feast for tonight.

"I promise," he whispers as he starts to pepper wet kisses along your thigh. "You won't regret this. I love you."

It's his birthday.

[ironychan]

Scary Monsters

@dysphoria-sweatshirt @30spiders @sweatersexual @angrylittlesliceofpizza @writer652

Part 1/? - Rocco’s Closet

Part 2/? - School for Monsters

Part 3/? - The Waternoose Family

Part 4/? - The Terrifying Humans

Part 5/? - Hiding Places

Part 6/? - Nobody’s Fault

Part 7/? - Edge of Disaster

Part 8/? - Caged Monsters

Part 9/? - The Journey Home

Part 10/? - Portorosso

Part 11/? - A New Family

Faustina Visconti was in her early forties, with a tower of bottle-blonde hair and a fondness for bright-coloured dresses and deep red lipstick that made many of the more conservative types in Portorosso look askance at her. Giulia had always found her polite but rather condescending, as if she believed Giulia to be only six or seven years old.

Today was no different, as the woman opened the door and smiled down at her guest. “Why, thank you, Giulia,” she said, taking the box of fish from her. “Have they found your little monster friends yet?”

“Yes, Signora Visconti,” Giulia replied. “They're just fine.” Hopefully, she could finish this interaction quickly, before Harry had time to do anything.

“Oh, that's a relief,” said Signora Visconti.

“Yes, it is,” Giulia nodded. “But I've got lots to do today so I can't really stay and chat. I'll...”

It was too late, however. Harry had heard the woman's voice, and abandoned Ercole to his Vespa. He scuttled up next to Giulia and looked at Faustina hopefully.

“Are you Ercole's mom?” he asked.

Giulia held her breath. How would Signora Visconti react? Would she scream, like several others had done? What would Harry do if she did? Would he finally realize he didn't belong here and needed to go home, like Luca and Alberto said?

“Oh, my goodness!” Faustina exclaimed. “What kind of monster are you?”

She was clearly startled, but she did not use the word monster in a pejorative way. As when she'd referred to Luca and Alberto a moment ago, she seemed to use it the way sea monsters used land monster as an alternative word for human, as a way of describing something that was clearly a person but not like themselves.

“This is Harry Waternoose,” said Giulia, trying not to sigh. “He's the kind of monster that hides in little kids' closets.”

“He is?” asked Faustina with a frown. “When Ercole was little he thought he had a monster in his closet, but he grew out of that.”

“I never had a closet,” said Giulia. “Although one of my friends at school used to think he had a monster under his bed. Are there monsters under beds, too?” she asked Harry.

“Of course not,” he replied, “don't be silly.” Harry directed a sharp-toothed smile at Faustina. “I came here with Luca and Alberto. Alberto told me his dad was terrible, so he found a human to be his new dad. My Dad said he'll never be proud of me, so I decided I also needed new parents. Do you want another son?”

“We... we never considered it,” Faustina admitted. “How old are you, Harry?”

“Eleven,” the little monster replied. “I'm in the sixth grade.”

Faustina nodded. “What do you eat?” she asked.

“Candy,” Harry said immediately.

“He seems to eat whatever we eat,” Giulia said, not about to let Harry get away with that.

Ercole had made sure his Vespa was safe, and now came up the path to see what was going on.

“Giulia said you're the people in town with the most money,” Harry said, “so I figure you can afford to take in another child.” He did his best to look adorable. Giulia was not convinced.

“Oh... I don't know,” said Faustina. “I'd have to talk to Aristide.”

Giulia's mouth fell open. She wasn't actually considering it, was she?

“Could you please?” asked Harry. “I've been staying with Signor Marcovaldo, but they don't have much room and I don't like to be in the way.”

“I will,” Faustina promised. “Ercole, what would you think of having a little brother?”

“You can't be serious, Mamma!” Ercole protested.

“I always did want a big family, but life has a way of intervening,” Faustina said. “He's a rather cute little fellow, isn't he?”

Harry beamed.

“He's not cute,” said Ercole, disgusted. “He's just a bug.”

“Well, bugs need mothers, too,” said Faustina. “Thank you again, Giulia, and Harry, so nice to have met you! Perhaps you could join us for supper tonight, and we can get to know you.”

“I'd love to!” Harry chirped.

Giulia couldn't believe what she was hearing. “Aren't you having guests?” she asked, pointed to the fish she'd just delivered.

“We've got some people coming in from Milano tomorrow,” Faustina told her, “these are lunch with them. Harry is welcome to come tonight.”

Giulia knew she should just be polite, but she couldn't resist poking at the situation like a loose tooth. “I thought you didn't like sea monsters,” she said. Ercole himself certainly didn't, and his parents had always seemed like they considered sea monsters to be sort of less people than they were... although they did tend to treat everybody else in town the same way.

“They're our neighbours, we're supposed to be polite to them now,” Faustina said firmly. “Anyway, this little fellow isn't quite so... fishy... as the rest. Not so slimy.”

Sea monsters were not slimy. Giulia bristled, but Harry beamed.

“You must be joking!” Ercole protested. “Mamma, look at him, we cannot have him at our table! He looks like an entree! Can you even sit in a chair?” he asked Harry, looking dubiously at his many legs.

“We'll find him some cushions or something,” Faustina decided.

Giulia shook her head. “Come on, Harry, we'll let them argue,” she said. “Let's go see if the boys have gotten anything done.”

Harry fell into step beside her, looking smug. “I was starting to think it was gonna be hard to find a new family. What with everybody here being scared of me, including you.”

“Ercole's not scared of you,” Giulia pointed out. “He just doesn't like you.”

“I think his Mom likes me better than him already,” said Harry.

“That's not hard. Even I like you better than him.”

On their way back over the hill, Giulia counted up the extra money she'd made. It was less than she'd hoped – quite a few people had been in too much of a hurry to escape Harry and hadn't given her a tip. She was pondering how she might earn some more when they spotted Luca and Alberto.

The boys were sitting on the porch of the house belonging to the two old sea monster women, Pinuccia and Concetta Aragosta. They were not working. They were drinking lemonade and eating cookies, and Alberto was stroking one of the women's pet cats.

“Working hard, huh, ragazzi?” Giulia called out to them.

“Hey! We're taking a break!” Alberto informed her.

“They said we should have some lunch, and then we can finish weeding the garden,” Luca explained.

“We'll be able to work even harder after we've had a rest,” Alberto agreed.

Concetta Aragosta opened the door and waved to Giulia. “Won't you join us, dear?”

Giulia hopped the low stone wall and headed in. Harry scurried after her, and she wondered if the women would cry out. Scares weren't supposed to be good for older people were they? What if one of them had a heart attack? Fortunately, however, they didn't seem startled at all.

“This must be your friend from that other world,” Concetta observed. “Enrico, wasn't it?”

“Call me Harry,” the monster boy said. Concetta offered her plate of treats, and Harry stuffed a pizzocato in his mouth. “Guess who's going to have dinner with the Visconti family tonight?” he said as he chewed.

“What?” asked Alberto, spitting crumbs – his mouth, too, was full. “Really?”

“Ercole's Mom thinks he's cute,” said Giulia. She took a cooking for herself.

“Lemonade?” asked Concetta.

Giulia nodded, and made a point of swallowing before she spoke aloud. “Si, grazie.”

“Me, too!” said Harry.

Alberto swallowed his mouthful. “What does Ercole think of this? Or has he met him yet?”

“They've met,” said Giulia.

“He's no problem,” said Harry firmly. He found a padded basket that had been set out for the cats, tipped a sleeping animal out of it, and settled down inside. The orange cat made a startled noise and looked around, not sure what had just happened to it. It turned in a circle, then seemed to forget the whole thing and sat down to wash its face.

“You must not have met him for very long,” said Luca dubiously.

“I can handle him.” Harry was confident.

-

Back at the Pescheria that evening, the kids counted up the money they'd earned. It was enough for two children's tickets, or one adult. If all three were going, they would need more,

“You really want to go on the train, Mom?” Luca tried. “I thought you didn't like things that moved.”

Daniela had never been on a train. She'd ridden in a car exactly once and had felt ill the whole time, but apparently she could not be budged. “I've talked it over with Helena,” she said, “and we've both agreed that you're not going back there without a grownup. She has things to do, so I have volunteered.”

Luca nodded glumly. “Then we're gonna need more money.”

“Maybe we need to check out some of the shipwrecks,” Alberto suggested. “There might be something down there we could still sell.” Most possible salvage had been cleaned out by him and his father over the past ten years, but they couldn't have found everything.

“Or we just need to do another day of work,” sighed Giulia.

Luca shook his head. “The longer it takes, the more likely something awful happens to Louise and the others.”

A clattering on the stairs made them raise their heads. Harry was not built for human-sized stairs, and the ones in the house above the Pescheria were particular steep. He'd nearly slipped, and had finally settled on descending them backwards. The kids watched as he made his way down step by step, and then strutted up to them. Helen had put his sailor suit through the laundry, so it was now clean and white and newly-pressed.

“I'm off to dinner with the Visconti family!” he said cheerfully.

“Good luck with that,” said Alberto.

“Thank you,” Harry replied, smug. He headed out. “I'll be back later, unless they decide to keep me.”

The door closed behind him.

“He's really serious about this,” Daniela observed.

“He is,” agreed Luca, grimacing. “What if they do keep him?”

“They won't,” said Alberto.

“They might,” Giulia warned. “I told you, Ercole's mom thought he was cute, and he was very polite to her. He might pull it off.”

Alberto shrugged. “Then let them have him. He and Ercole deserve each other.”

“That's a really bad idea,” said Luca. “He's not gonna be so cute anymore when he gets older. What if he grows up to be huge and venomous like his dad? He won't fit through doors.”

“I told him about Ercole's reign of terror and he didn't sound like he was worried about it at all,” Giulia said. “He kept saying he would have this town in the palm of hand.”

The boys considered that. Ercole had been bad enough. The idea of somebody taking up a similar type of bullying, while that someone also had sharp teeth and many legs and might grow to be seven or eight feet tall... that didn't bear thinking about.

“There's no way,” Alberto decided. “Once they actually get to know him, they'll realize he's kind of a jerk, and after the way Ercole turned out they won't want another one of those.”

“And he won't want anybody else adopting him because he thinks we're all peasants,” said Giulia with a scowl.

Luca could only hope they were right.

Daniela had other concerns. “How are you going to get into this museum?” she asked, and nodded across the table at Giulia's mother. “Helena said it wasn't open.”

“Not to the public,” said Helena, “but they're doing restoration work, so people are going in and out all the time. The security guards know me,” she added. “Like I said, I've been in there working on the frescoes before. They'd probably let me in.”

“What about the rest of us?” asked Luca.

“Daniela can come with me if I say she's my assistant, but I don't know about you.” Helena pursed her lips, thinking about it. “They won't want children running around.”

“Unless we're there for school!” Luca suggested. “What if we tell them we're doing a school project on the history of the building?”

“It's summer,” Giulia protested.

“But we go back in a couple of months,” said Luca. “I heard some of the older kids get assigned summer projects. Maybe they'll believe we did, too!”

“That might work, but not if it's a surprise,” Helena decided. “I'd have to give them some warning. And now are we going to get Harry in? They probably won't let me take the pram.”

“Do you have something you bring supplies in?” Giulia asked. “Maybe we can hide him in a cart or something.”

“Then there's the question of staying in,” Helena went on. “You'll need to be there at night, because you said when it's night here it's daytime in the monster world. They like to get everybody out by sunset, and they patrol the place at night so they won't have squatters.”

“We'll have to be very careful,” said Luca.

As well as insisting that she accompany the kids, Daniela was also firm about Luca coming back to the house in the bay to have dinner with his family. He grudgingly did so, but afterwards hurried right up onto the land again to talk to his friends. He looked very worried when he did.

“Mom keeps trying to talk me out of it,” he said miserably, sitting in the treehouse between Alberto and Giulia. “She keeps saying that what happened to Louise and Curtis and Sullivan isn't our responsibility, and it's Louise's fault for dragging us out of Rocco's closet in the first place.” He leaned on his knees, face in his hands. “And maybe she's right, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to help! They wouldn't be in all this trouble if Harry hadn't slammed the door on them!”

“We could just sneak away without her,” Alberto suggested.

“No way. She'd be so mad,” said Luca. “She'd send me to the Deep, or at least never let me go back to school again.” He sighed heavily. “Where's Harry? Is he still at Ercole's?”

“I guess so,” said Giulia with a shrug. He was taking an awfully long time about it, wasn't he?

“I wonder how dinner went.” Alberto snickered as he pictured it. “Him and Ercole probably fought the whole time. They're too much the same to get along.”

That was when the door in the yard below them opened, and Massimo leaned out of it to look up at them. “Bambini,” he said, “Signora Marsigliese says you have a telephone call.”

“What? All of us?” asked Albert, startled. The only time anyone ever asked for him on the telephone was when Luca and Giulia called from school.

“Yes,” said Massimo.

The kids exchanged some confused looks, then climbed down the ladder to meet Signora Marsigliese, who was at the front door. “It's your friend the crab,” she told them. “He wants to speak to you.”

Confused, the kids trooped across the piazza to the grocery shop, where the nearest telephone was. All sorts of possibilities were running through Luca's mind. Maybe Harry was hurt or in some other trouble and needed them to come rescue him. Maybe Ercole or even his father had tried to harm him. Whatever it was, Luca was pretty sure it would make this situation worse.

Signora Marsigliese handed him the phone receiver, and he put it to his ear and said, “hello?”

“Hi!” said Harry. “I'm calling to tell you they're keeping me. I told you they would! Ercole and his Dad are a little scared of me, but that's okay because it means I'll get my way.”

“Really?” asked Luca. That was better than Harry being lost or hurt, but still made for an awful feeling in the pit of Luca's stomach. They couldn't just let this happen... could they?

“Yep! Mrs. Visconti says I'm a nice young man, and Mr. Visconti says he can't deny her anything and it's not the weirdest pet he's seen!” Harry sounded very proud of himself. “And Ercole complained a lot, but it's not his house!”

“What about your own Mom and Dad?” Luca tried. “I mean... you're really never gonna see them again?”

“Nope!” said Harry. “Tell them I've found better parents in the human world – and make sure you tell my Dad that they're gonna be proud of me!”

Luca had his doubts about that. “Uh... okay,” he said. “If you change your mind, let us know. It's gonna take another day for us to earn enough money for that train trip, so if you...”

“I won't,” said Harry, and then his voie became muffled and Luca heard him call, “hey! New Mom! They need some money for the train – can we give them some?”

They couldn't hear Faustina Visconti's reply, but a moment later Harry spoke again.

“Yeah, my new Mom will hire you to pick some grapes tomorrow morning,” Harry said.

That made Luca stop and think for a moment. He knew that Alberto had done chores for the Visconti family before, and they paid very well because they wanted to continue being thought of as 'the rich people' even if that wasn't strictly true. Surely picking grapes for Signora Visconti would get them enough money plus a little extra.

“What's going on?” asked Alberto.

“Harry says Signora Visconti will pay us to pick grapes,” said Luca.

“Oh,” said Alberto, weighing up the pros and cons. The Viscontis did pay well, but then, Ercole was always around to be a pain. “Is it worth it, though?”

“Yes,” Luca insisted. “We need to rescue Louise and Curtis!”

Alberto made a terrible face, and looked at Giulia for a third opinion.

“We have to do it,” she said. “Harry doesn't belong here. We need to get him to go back to his world and we're not going to convince him over the phone. We'll have to go see him anyway, so we might as well earn some money.”

Alberto groaned.

Luca uncovered the mouthpiece of the telephone. “Okay,” he said, “we'll be there first thing tomorrow morning.”

“I'll tell my new Mom!” said Harry cheerfully. “Good night! Or... how do you say it here? Bwana naughty!”

“Good night, Harry,” sighed Luca.

-

The next morning, bright and early, Luca headed back to land. He and his friends put on work clothes, then headed over the hill to the Visconti vineyards. None of them were very enthusiastic about it. Alberto grumbled to himself the whole way, and Giulia knocked on the back door of the big house, where she'd delivered her fish yesterday, as if expecting bad news. They were worried it would be Harry himself who answered, but instead it was Faustina, with a smile on her face.

“Oh, Harry's little friends!” she said brightly. “He told me you'd stop by today. I'm going to have you bring in some of the Bosco that have ripened early. You'll want to be careful not to bruise them.”

“Yes, Signora Visconti,” Giulia replied, polite. Luca nodded. Alberto just grunted.

“Follow me!” said Faustina.

She led them up to the section of the vineyard where they'd be working, on an east-facing hillside to catch the rising sun, and provided them with baskets and clippers. All three kids had picked grapes before, and knew the proper way to do it – cut down the whole bunch and lay them carefully in the basket so as not to damage the delicate flesh. Alberto had once tried to eat a few, but had found them so sickly sweet he'd had to spit them out. When she'd finished laughing at him, Giulia had explained that wine grapes had much more sugar than food grapes, to help the juice ferment.

Faustina left them to their work, and for a little while it was quite pleasant. The shadows cast by the vines on the trellises kept them cool, as did the nice morning breeze, and they were far enough from the house that neither Ercole nor Harry could watch them. Of course, that would not keep.

Harry was the first to arrive. He was carrying a big pillow and a glass of lemonade, and wearing a pair of sunglasses that he was having trouble keeping in place because he had neither a nose nor ears. Without any sort of greeting, he shook his pillow a bit to fluff it up, then sat down on it and sipped his lemonade through a straw.

The kids continued to work, waiting for Harry to say something, but he remained silent except for the slurping sounds as he drank. He seemed content to watch and know that they were working and he was not, which in his mind was apparently how the world was supposed to be.

“You're not gonna make your new parents proud by just sitting there,” Alberto said eventually.

“I'm supervising,” said Harry. “I'm making sure you're not slacking off. I wouldn't want my new Mom to pay you for doing nothing.”

“What happens when you get bored?” asked Giulia.

“I have a magazine.” Harry held it up.

“Can you even read it?” asked Alberto. He still found reading difficult, although he'd gotten much better at it with the incentive of understanding Luca's letters from school.

“Of course I can,” said Harry. He opened it and pretended to examine the pages, perhaps unaware that it was upside-down.

Giulia rolled her eyes and moved closer to the boys. “How are we gonna convince him?” she whispered.

“I have an idea,” said Alberto. He stopped and stretched before resuming his grape-picking. “Man,” he said, “now I wish I'd taken one of those eyeball pops! I guess if you're staying here, I'll never get another chance.”

“You're right,” Luca joined in. “They had some really strange food in the other world, Giulia, like the three-eyed fish.”

“He mentioned the three-eyed fish,” Giulia said, nodding.

“Some of them have four or five eyes,” said Harry. “The four-eyed ones are always the most delicious.”

“There aren't any four-eyed fish here,” Luca said, “only the two-eyed ones.”

“What a shame,” said Alberto.

They glanced over at Harry. He was watching them over the top of his magazine.

“You really want to live here where you'll never have a four-eyed fish for dinner again?” Alberto asked.

Harry pushed his sunglasses back into place. “You just want to get rid of me,” he accused.

Giulia decided to try honesty. “You don't belong here, Harry. There are no other people like you in this world. Sooner or later you're going to want to go back.”

“They don't,” said Harry, pointing to the boys.

“We are back, though,” said Luca. “I live with my family underwater during the summer, remember? And even if Alberto lives most of the time with humans, there are still lots of sea monsters around here so if he has a problem the humans can't help him with, there's somebody nearby who does. What if you get hurt or sick, and the doctor doesn't know what to do about it?”

“I'll be fine,” Harry insisted. “I'd rather have a Dad who'll be proud of me.”

“Has Signor Visconti said he'll be proud of you?” asked Alberto. He'd only met Aristide Visconti a couple of times, and he'd always seemed to be arguing with Ercole, not proud of him.

“He bragged about how his other son won the Portorosso Cup race five times,” said Harry. “I can do that, no problem.”

“He only won because he cheated!” Alberto protested.

“And you'd need a team to do that, because you can't ride a bike,” Giulia said, bristling.

“I'll figure it out,” Harry vowed.

The conversation was cut off then, as Faustina Visconti arrived with a picnic basket. “How's everybody doing?” she asked. “Oh, looks like you've made wonderful progress! And you're so gentle with them, that's lovely.”

“I've been supervising,” said Harry. “I'm making sure they do it right.”

The other kids glared at him.

Faustina set down her basket and began unfolding a blanket. “I've made you some lunch. Why don't we all take a bit of a break? Ercole!” she called over her shoulder.

“I'm coming, Mamma!” came Ercole's voice.

He arrived a moment later with a second basket, and helped his mother to lay out a torta di verde with stuffed artichokes, fresh bread, and fruit from the garden. Luca, Alberto, and Giulia came and sat down while Faustina passed out food and offered each child a very small glass of wine.

“This is what we make from the grapes you're picking,” she said proudly. “Our Bosco.”

Alberto and Luca sipped it carefully, to be polite. Neither of the boys particularly liked wine, finding it tasted quite sharp even when the humans promised it would be sweet. Giulia tried it and smiled. Harry and Ercole both swirled and sniffed it in the way they'd seen adults do, trying to appear refined. Giulia was about to say something to tease Harry about this, but Harry himself spoke first.

“Are we billing them for this?” he asked.

“Billing them?” Faustina echoed, confused.

“Yes. At the factory, if employees don't bring their own lunch, they have to get it from the cafeteria,” Harry explained. “We take it off their paycheques.”

“Don't be silly,” said Faustina. “We want them to come back and work for us again sometime, don't we? We're going to be welcoming. It's not as if we can't afford it. Would you children like some soda pop?”

“Yes, please!” said Luca and Alberto eagerly. They liked that much better than wine.

Faustina pulled out the bottles and opened them, while Harry sat there, looking surprised but thoughtful.

They finished up with tangerines for dessert, and then Faustina directed Harry and Ercole to help her bring the grapes already picked back to the house. Harry, with his low-slung, wide-set body, was able to heft one and carry it along mere inches above the ground, which Faustina told him was very good. He grinned toothily at the other kids before scuttling away.

“Ercole, try to be very careful, could you?” she asked. She took one basket in each arm, balancing them on her hips, and followed Harry.

Ercole was in the middle of lifting one, but he didn't straighten up. Instead, he waited until his mother and new adoptive brother had vanished between the vines before putting the basket down and gesturing for Luca, Alberto, and Giulia to come closer.

“You have to get rid of him,” he ordered them.

“Why should we?” asked Alberto, who had strong feelings about Harry returning to his own world, but possibly even stronger ones about Ercole suffering inconvenience.

“Because Mamma treats him like one of her precious Bologneses!” said Ercole, referring to the two small dogs Faustina doted upon. “It makes me sick. And they let him sleep in my room. I woke up in the middle of last night and he was three centimetres from my face! I screamed, and he laughed at me!”

Giulia snickered.

Ercole glared at her. “Besides, he's already planning to enter the race this year, and neither of us need more competition.”

“You don't have to worry about it, because you're too old to enter,” Giulia pointed out.

“We agree he needs to go back,” Luca put in, before an argument could develop. “He's going to grow up to be really big and he'll probably bully everybody, but what are we supposed to do? We already tried to talk him out of it, but he doesn't want to go back.”

“Then you have to make him,” Ercole insisted. “How do you get back to that monster world?”

“We've got a plan,” said Alberto.

“We're going back to Genova tonight, we hope,” said Luca. “We can do it from there.”

“Good,” said Ercole. “The last train leaves late, like nine o'clock, right? So after we go to bed, I will let you into the house, and you can grab him and take him with you.”

“Like... kidnap him?” Giulia was startled.

“Yes,” said Ercole. “But you'll have to gag him first or he'll yell, like he did when one of the employee's children put a spider down his back.” He snorted. “I don't know why he shoudl be afraid of spiders. He's more likely to be mistaken for one. Mamma scolded the other child terribly.” He scowled. “She used to do that when people were nasty to me.”

“Ohhh,” said Giulia. She grinned. “You want to be the baby again.”

“I am not a baby!” huffed Ercole.

“Yeah, but you're your Mom's baby!” Alberto said.

Ercole pouted. “She used to say I always would be. Then she got the dogs. And now this.”

Giulia nodded – although she couldn't help but wonder what Ercole had done to try to get rid of the dogs when they'd first arrived. There must have been something. “Okay, ragazzi,” she said to her friends. “We'll come back after dark with the pram, and tie him up and put him in that.”

“We should probably trap him in a net,” said Alberto. “That way it'll tangle up all his legs and we won't have to do them one by one.” He knew from unpleasant experience that escaping from a fishing net was harder than it looked.

“We've got lots of nets,” said Giulia. “All right – we'll come get him tonight after bedtime.” She offered Ercole a hand.

He took it as if it were a dead fish, and gave it one quick shake. “I hate having to make a deal with you,” he said, “but I must think about my own future.”

“Don't worry, we don't like making a deal with you either,” said Alberto.

“But we've got a lot of people to think about,” Luca agreed.

[zeroducks-2]

Sladedick 5 “Say my name“ A bit of context if you like: Vampire!Dick would give EVERYTHING for a drop of blood. He knows he's close to stasis by now. He just hoped that damn hunter would take that damn muzzle off of him. Slade, one the other hand, didn't really meant to starve Dick. He just happened to be very busy after he captured him and closed him in his dungeon. Now he's asking himself why Dick isn't trying to fight him

Hi darling dearest ♥ sorry it took me a while to get to this. Here you go, you can imagine this is set in the same timeline/universe as Sell Me The Infection

5. "Say my name" - Vampire!Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson

(WARNING: dark themes, noncon, evil Slade and little bird locked in a dungeon. Please proceed with caution)

He tends to find the creature huddled up in a corner of his cell these days, less talkative than normal. In the sense that if normally he hisses and snarls, lately he just grunts quietly.

In fairness, Slade did manage to have a couple of conversations with the captive vampire. He knows his name appears to be Richard, and that other vampires - those who can speak that is - call him "Dick". It might be a human habit carried over to his undead state, it might be something else entirely, and Slade aims to find out. Capturing vampires and using them for their blood is his trade, but finding out more about their society and structure is his latest hobby, and learning through "Dick" is convenient enough.

Moreover having a vampire as a pet comes with a lot of perks, namely the fact that the creature possesses a crystalline beauty that makes Slade want to own every part of him, and sometimes feel the urge to smoother what light there is in his eyes. He could; the strong and proud creature is at his mercy and that also never fails to get his blood pumping.

Dick's head twitches as the door opens to let Slade in, and he tries to pull himself on his knees. His arms are bound behind his back and his mouth safely occupied by a muzzle, and so Slade confidently steps closer to card a hand through the black thatch on his head.

«Hello, Richard.» He says, not minding to be gentle as he lifts the creature's head up by his long curls. The vampire makes a sound behind the gag and Slade steels himself, expecting a fight of some kind, but the other just lets his eyes slip closed. «I'm not here to hurt you today.» He adds, wondering where that lack of fire is coming from, it would be a first. «Rather, if you're a good boy I'll take your gag off without binding you with silver.»

There isn't a strong reaction this time either, Dick just frowns but doesn't protest. He stays up on his own legs but his head is limp in Slade's hold, and when he's let go it heavily hangs down. There's a tremor to the creature's shoulders, maybe he's finally getting to his breaking point. Slade is eager to test it. He's done this already but the kicking, roaring and thrashing had made for a very brief if extremely intense experience. This time the vampire lets Slade turn him around and press him against the wall, displace his clothes and just trembles between him and the stone when Slade pushes two fingers between his buttcheeks and past the rim of his muscles. He makes a harrowed sound and shakes his head but doesn't really fight otherwise, and the shushing noises Slade makes on the side of his head seem to work in making him accept what's going down.

His body obediently yields in such an uncharacteristic way, and soon enough Slade is holding him from below the chin with a palm, moving into him as he likes while the creature's lithe form moves according to how he prefers, nearly limp in his arms. He makes another sound and his passage grips him, making Slade realize he has to have moved in a way the creature liked.

«So you can enjoy this,» Again he whispers to the side of his head, feeling down for his sex. It's not full but by no means it is limp either. «of course you can. And you're being so good for me today...» He rolls his waist and starts pumping, and Dick tenses up and quivers, mewling behind the gag. «Look how much you like it.»

Soon enough he's towering over the other after laying him down, in order to be able to see his pretty red eyes. They're hazy and circled with exhaustion but they glisten now, slightly rolling up when Slade bottoms out and grinds into him. He knows he's being reckless but he gives in to the temptation and unlocks the gag from Dick's nape, pulling it away to hear his voice come out unobstructed. And it's the gentlest whimpers, small gasps and choked out moans that make Slade grit his teeth and hold him down as he resumes chasing his own pleasure.

It's once he's done that he fully realizes how abnormal it is, that the creature didn't try even once to go for his neck, or even just his wrist. His eyelids are open but just a crack, enough to show how dull the normally scarlet red irises looks, the shade almost brown.

The root of the issue finally clicks with him, and Slade carefully picks him up and hoists him against his own chest. He doesn't cut his neck or his wrist - that's still too dangerous - just his palm. A few drops of blood are not enough and so he presses his hand to the limp creature's mouth, and it takes a minute but then he can feel Dick starting to sip, his ice cold lips pursing up against the slash.

His eyes open more and he makes a small sound, weakly trying to sink his teeth into Slade's hand, but he holds a palm to his forehead and keeps him, albeit still allowing him to drink in small laps. Eventually his body resumes to quiver faintly and that seems to be a good sign, he's not slipping into a twilight state anymore.

«You don't lose your mind like the other vamps. You just shut down.» Slade observes, softly like he was truly speaking to a lover. «Look at me, Richard. Do you see me?» Cloudy eyes shift up to his face. He can likely barely see anything and he doesn't make an effort to verbalize a reply. «Come on, little one.» Slade stresses his hand more open in order for the cut to bleed more, and Dick resumes slowly lapping at it. He keeps shivering and he still feels icy cold, but his eyes slowly grow more focused.

«Look at me.» Slade says, pinching his chin up and smearing more blood on his cheek. «I know you can see me now. Say my name.»

The creature blinks at him slowly, like he's trying to makses sense of the request. «Slade.» He whispers with barely any voice, his eyes slipping closed.

«That's good enough.» He replies, not really keeping himself from leaning down and nuzzling the top of his head. «You've been really good today, Dick. Keep it up and I'll get you out of this dungeon. Wouldn't you prefer to be in a room from where you could see the night sky?»

Dick makes a harrowed sound and a wince, but then nods, holding his eyes closed. Poor thing must be actually at his limit, unless he's trying to play Slade for a fool, but he has ways to play this safe anyway.

-

Oh wow look at this long ass post! For whoever got here and is wondering the fuck is going on, the context for this comes from here.

Thank you for asking BT ♥ I know, I should just update Sell me the Infection lol. I promise I will at some point.

Here's the prompt list for whoever wants to peruse it, or send me another prompt :)

[queen-dahlia]

𝐆𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐯𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧

𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬

I'm sticking to the 'proxy' bc 代理 is representative; deputy; substitute; agent

Note: Translation is not 100% accurate. Expect grammatical errors.

// : alternate translation | ⫘⫘ : flashback | 4:4 answer

A week after Emma left for Obsidian—

There was a respite in Rhodolite, at least ostensibly, for the hostages and the price they had paid.

Yves: "That girl... I hope she's doing well."

Yves, who was walking down the hallway, suddenly stops.

The roundtable meeting of the eight princes had just ended, and they had all left the room.

Luke: "It might be better for her to stay over there unexpectedly."

Luke, who happens to be walking by Yves, looks out the window.

Luke: "Rhodolite is not a safe country right now."

Licht: ". . . . . ."

Yves: "I agree. An agreement between the four countries should be pleasing, but..."

A large number of people crowd around the castle gate, which can be seen from the window.

Not only today, but since it was widely announced that the signing ceremony would be held soon, protest demonstrations by some people have continued.

Licht: "It's unnatural."

Yves: "What?"

Licht raises an eyebrow as he watches people in the distance.

Licht: "They claim that it is impossible to make peace with an enemy that has trampled on our lands."

Licht: "They have mistrust about the non-aggression pact and the lifting of sanctions."

Licht: "One day a country suddenly agrees to a settlement after not hearing from them for 10 years."

Licht: "Under such circumstances, it's understandable that it would lead to mistrust."

Licht: "But their protests are only emotional. It's baseless mistrust."

Licht: "It's spread like... like an epidemic, and more and more people are coming in every day."

Luke: "What's unnatural about that?"

Licht: "... It wouldn't happen that way unless someone deliberately instigated it."

Licht: "Maybe there's someone out there who is trying to verbally instill mistrust and cause things to explode..."

Licht: "It's just speculation, but I just thought."

Luke: "I think you're overthinking things."

Yves: "I hope so... There's a signing ceremony coming up soon."

Yves: "If an unfriendly atmosphere prevails in the country toward non-aggression pacts..."

Licht: "It's more likely that something will happen."

Licht: "... The kings of the four neighboring countries will gather that day. If any problems arise, there will be no way to recover."

Despite the serious looks on their faces, Luke shrugs his shoulders languidly.

Luke: "Well, it's going to be like that."

Yves: "Aren't you overly optimistic!? You are also a member of the royal family, so you should have at least a sense of urgency."

Luke: "I don't know about that..."

Licht: "There is one more concern."

Licht: "His Majesty the Emperor of Obsidian... his presence cannot be ignored after all."

Yves: "The blood-crazed king... was it the "King of Trampling"?"

Luke: "Is that what they call him?"

Licht: "Yeah. He's the world's aggressor. He's also the one leading Blood-Stained Rose Day."

Licht: "I think the public sentiment will probably be even more "unacceptable" than Gilbert's."

Luke: "... Hmm."

Yves: "I'm sure he'll be at the signing ceremony."

Luke: "... But maybe Gilbert will come. The emperor has been nowhere to be seen in recent years, right?"

Yves: "Well. In the last 10 years, there have been no rumors that he has even been seen on the battlefield, let alone in diplomacy."

Licht: "Signing by proxy would only add fuel to the fire of animosity."

Licht: "I don't think he likes to come here because it's obvious he doesn't feel comfortable."

Yves: "... Somehow, I really feel like a riot is about to happen."

Licht: "Maybe we should review our security arrangements."

Yves: "Then we'll have to recalculate the budget—"

???: "What a gloomy face you guys have."

Jin appears from behind the three and taps Luke and Yves on the shoulders.

Jin: "Here, Jin will give you candy."

Luke: "... I don't want it."

Jin: "... Oh."

Luke roughly brushes his hand away and walks away without looking back.

Jin: "Luke?"

Luke: "I just remembered being called by Chevalier."

Yves: "... You don't usually go even if you're called."

Luke: "Sometimes I'm in the mood."

The three look at each other as his back disappears in the blink of an eye.

Licht: "Jin, what did you do?"

Jin: "I don't know, but... We haven't been able to get along lately."

Yves: "He's obviously avoiding Jin."

Jin: "... Have I messed up his adolescent troubles?" **

Licht: "Maybe worse."

Jin: "... I can't say anything."

Yves: "You need to catch up and make up with Luke... That boy went in the opposite direction to the office of the foreign policy faction."

Licht & Jin: ". . . . . ."

Jin: "Haa... what can I do?"

Outside the window, the commotion is as usual, and the atmosphere in the corridor is heavy.

A calamity was surely creeping into the Land of Roses.

══════════════════

Emma: "Lord Gilbert, may I put this here?"

Gilbert: "Yes, thank you."

When I put the flowerpot next to the desk, Lord Gilbert, who was writing, suddenly laughed softly.

It had been a week since I arrived at Obsidian — I was getting used to life here in my own way.

(I was bracing myself for what it would be like in a country of deceit and corruption...)

(This castle is kept in order by Lord Gilbert.)

It is more comfortable than the Rhodolite court because, as far as I can see, it is surrounded by a healthy environment, and there is no one who is hostile towards me.

(Not that I want to fit in at Obsidian...)

The people I pass in the court treat me as a guest of Lord Gilbert and never glare at me or trip me over.

I think it was because of the tension in the air that they would be executed if they did so, but ironically, I felt as if I could breathe more easily now.

(... Let's not think about it any further.)

I shake my head and carry the next flowerpot.

This place seems to be some kind of laboratory for Lord Gilbert.

There are many samples related to the selective breeding of food, and it is the only place surrounded by plants in the castle built with black stones.

In the past few days, besides making sweets for Lord Gilbert, I have been doing a lot of little things like this.

Lord Gilbert helped me a lot since we were in Rhodolite, and I wanted to return the favor here.

(And...)

Gilbert: "Hehe, you're strong, aren't you?"

Before I knew it, the pen had stopped moving, and Lord Gilbert was staring at me with his chin resting on his hand.

Emma: "I train at the bookstore."

Gilbert: "Even so, I wonder where the strength comes from in those slender arms."

As I put the flowerpot on the ground, Lord Gilbert's hand reaches out and grabs me by the arm.

His cold fingers rubbed my upper arm, and it tickled me.

(I was wondering if things would get awkward after that night... but it didn't last long.)

It's hard to keep my anger at Lord Gilbert, who doesn't change his attitude, so I put the gun in the room for a while and said what I wanted to say and forced myself to make peace with him.

(Although I'm actually still a little hazy on that!)

Gilbert: "... And it's so squishy."

Emma: "Oh, did you just pick a fight?"

Gilbert: "Why? I just thought it felt good. See, I'm hard, you know?" // "Why? I just thought it felt good. You see, I'm tough, okay?"

(I'm curious when you say that.)

I also reach out and grab Lord Gilbert's second arm.

Emma: "... It's true."

(It's so firm! I had an image of Lord Gilbert not being very strong...) // (He's really tough! I had an image that Lord Gilbert isn't that strong, but...)

Emma: "This is clearly training, isn't it?"

Gilbert: "Well, it was an environment where I had to say hello to assassins every day, so it was inevitable that it would turn out like this."

(... I knew that Obsidian Castle "was" that kind of place.)

Gilbert: "I'm reasonably strong as long as it's not a long-term battle."

Emma: "So you're the kind of person who could endure if I were to hang on to your arm?" // "Then, perhaps, are you the kind of person who can stand me hanging on your arm?"

When I unintentionally mentioned a scene that a muscular person would do well in, Lord Gilbert was dumbfounded for a moment and then burst out in a loud burst of laughter.

Gilbert: "Ahaha... we'll never know until we try."

Gilbert: "Because no one dared do that to me in the first place... Ahaha!"

Emma: "It's a metaphor!?"

Gilbert: "Oh, what the heck. I thought the little rabbit wanted to do it."

Emma: "I don't."

(No need to laugh so hard that tears well up in the corners of your eyes...)

After laughing for a moment, Lord Gilbert stands up from his chair and, for some reason, picks me up in his arms.

My vision suddenly became higher and this time I blinked my eyes.

Gilbert: "Well, I can hold you, so let's just do this, okay?"

Emma: "I'm sorry... but you have to put me down!"

Gilbert: "I don't know what I should do." **

(I don't know what to do... I wonder if this person wants to embarrass me.)

Lord Gilbert's beautiful face is right there, as beautiful as if it were built.

It was impossible not to be aware of it, and I covered my ears for the inexplicable beating of my heart.

(Because everyone would be surprised if someone did something like this...)

When I tried to hide my blushing face as much as possible, Lord Gilbert laughed and sat back in his chair.

... I was held in his lap.

Emma: "Please... let me go."

Gilbert: "Nope."

Emma: "But I think it will be difficult for Lord Gilbert to work in this way."

Gilbert: "Not really?"

Emma: "Your legs will go numb."

Gilbert: "... You know, Little Bunny."

When I turn around with a sliver of hope, Lord Gilbert also greets me with a refreshing smile.

Gilbert: "Why not just give up?"

(... Right.)

Lord Gilbert reaches for his pen again, with me in his arms.

My gaze inevitably turned to the notebook spread out on the desk.

Emma: "What is that?"

Gilbert: "You probably wouldn't understand even if I told you."

(I had a feeling that was it.)

The notebook is filled with mathematical formulas that I have never seen before.

I understand that Lord Gilbert seems to be doing some kind of calculation, though.

It is not at all clear to me in layman's terms whether the calculations are related to plant breeding, engineering, or something else.

Emma: "Lord Gilbert is an amazing man after all."

Gilbert: "Hehe... Are you in love with me?"

Emma: "Why is that?"

Gilbert: "You've been blushing for a while now."

Emma: "Of course, it's embarrassing for anyone to be subjected to this!"

Gilbert: "No, no, if it were me, everyone would turn pale, so it's just Little Bunny. I've never done this before."

(... It's getting uncomfortable.)

I am aware that this is a strange thing.

The opponent is the king of the enemy country of Rhodolite, the disaster of the world, a great villain who kills and tramples people without hesitation.

I know it's not the kind of reaction I would show to such a person, but I can't help it.

(Since then, embarrassment has outweighed fear.)

I also remember the sight of a white rose dyed black.

(I—...)

Emma: "... I just remembered that the signing ceremony is coming up soon!"

I force myself to cut off my emotions and change the subject.

What immediately came out of my mouth was about something that had been bothering me recently.

Gilbert: "Yeah, right."

Gilbert: "You know, we even got it approved through the Obsidian Parliament, right? It's great that you did what you did."

Emma: "So even the Emperor has to go through Parliament."

(Obsidian has a strong streak of tyrannical monarchy, so I thought there was no parliament...)

Gilbert: "Well, it's a parliament like it wasn't there. Everyone blindly believes in my decisions."

Emma: "Blind trust?"

Gilbert: "To have no doubt that it is right. Apart from the fear of being killed if they disobey the royal family..."

Gilbert: "Everything I do is the right thing to do."

Gilbert: "I put it that way. ...Hehe, it does come in handy, though."

(... This is a face that doesn't think it's a "good thing".)

(It should be the right way for the trampling beast.)

Gilbert: "Anyway, it was decided to proceed with the conclusion of the non-aggression pact with the consensus of Obsidian."

Gilbert: "It's just that I'm in a bit of trouble."

Emma: "What is it?"

Gilbert: "I don't think I can go to Rhodolite."

Emma: "I see. That's tough..."

Emma: "... What!?"

(Lord Gilbert... can't go to Rhodolite!?)

The signing ceremony is essentially a gathering of the heads of state of each country.

In order to conclude a non-aggression pact, it must be signed by His Majesty the King,

Benitoite and Jade will be attended by the kings of both countries,

And even Rhodolite should be making arrangements for the new king I have chosen to attend.

However, when the main character of this signing ceremony, His Majesty the Emperor of Obsidian, does not participate in the ceremony,

We will not be able to conclude a non-aggression pact after all, and it will be meaningless for me to be here as a hostage.

Emma: "... Are you lying to me?"

Gilbert: "No, I'm not. It's just really unforeseen circumstances or something..."

Gilbert: "But don't worry. I'll set up a proxy."

Emma: "The signing ceremony is not something a proxy is allowed to sign."

Gilbert: "I'll just have to convince them. It's better than not participating, isn't it?"

Gilbert: "But it's not easy to set up a proxy. People don't want to go."

Emma: "... Is it because of the responsibility?"

Gilbert: "It's simpler than that. What would people think if a representative who is not the Emperor showed up at the signing ceremony?"

Gilbert: "I'm sure they would be angry that Obsidian looked down on them and wouldn't give them hospitality."

(That... might be true.)

Not only Rhodolite would feel offended, but even Benitoite and Jade would.

In the first place, as long as it is a "proxy," even the effectiveness of the non-aggression pact becomes doubtful.

The deputy must go to Rhodolite, prepared to take all the blame.

Emma: "Lord Gilbert, are you really sure you can't go?"

Gilbert: "I'm sorry about this...?"

(. . . . . .)

There is a reason I couldn't say anything.

The reason why I can't help swallowing words is—

Gilbert: "Haa... Here's the Emperor's mandate."

Lord Gilbert lifts the notebook to reveal a parchment lined with letters that seem to be in a hurry to come to life.

(When did you...)

Gilbert: "If only someone would go, that would solve everything."

Gilbert: "Otherwise, the long-awaited non-aggression pact will be ruined."

Gilbert: "It's sad that world peace will end here..."

Emma: ". . . . . ."

Gilbert: "The proxy can be anyone I approve of."

Gilbert: "I think I should prepare a dress and accessories for you now."

Gilbert: "... I mean, actually, I've already hired a tailor to do it."

Emma: ". . . . . ."

Gilbert: "All that's left is for someone to say, "I'm going..."

Flickering, flickering, I can feel his gaze on me.

As expected, if he goes this far, I can understand what Lord Gilbert wants from me, even if I don't like it.

Emma: "It's all a joke... isn't it..."

Gilbert: "Hmm? What?"

I feel my blood rush, and I am mindlessly dizzy.

Emma: "I can't be the emperor's proxy."

Gilbert: "Oh, is Little Bunny going? If that's the case, I'm relieved. Good."

Gilbert: "Little Bunny is the emperor's representative... So you are the empress. A proxy empress."

Gilbert: "Yes, here's the authorization form. Nice to meet you?" **

As I froze in his lap, Lord Gilbert made me hold the form for the proxy.

Emma: "Wasn't I just a hostage!?"

Gilbert: "I don't like that. I wouldn't bring a hostage in without a second thought, would I?"

Gilbert: "I've been thinking about making you my proxy when the time comes." // "I was thinking of using you as my substitute in case of an emergency."

(Lies...)

After coming here, I can finally see Lord Gilbert's purpose.

The real purpose for which not only I but even Prince Chevalier couldn't read...

Emma: "I'm not even an Obsidian, am I?"

Gilbert: "I mean, there's only one way for a person from another country to become an Obsidian, right?"

Gilbert: "Once upon a time, an Obsidianiate became a Rhodolitian."

Emma: ". . . . . ."

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Gilbert: "What do you think is the easiest proof of friendship, Little Bunny?"

Gilbert: "Yes... It's love."

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

(I didn't dare to go into it because I kept it under wraps after that, but...) **

Gilbert: "You thought hostages were the only price for ideals?"

Emma: "... The whole thing was meant to be this way from the beginning..."

Gilbert: "Because you want to fill the gap between Rhodolite and Obsidian, don't you?"

Gilbert: "I was curious to see how far you would go."

His innocent smile, with no malice in it, leaves me speechless again.

(... He's testing my resolve.)

In Obsidian, Lord Gilbert is the law. No one is going to interfere with Lord Gilbert.

Even if I were to go there on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor, there would be no one who could object to that.

(Because it is a country where Lord Gilbert can behave freely and even reckless things can get away with it.)

Gilbert: "In Rhodolite, you can call yourself whatever you want. I'll adapt mine to your setting."

Gilbert: "But I don't like lying. When you say your name, you have to take responsibility."

Emma: ". . . . . ."

Gilbert: "Take your time to think about it, okay?"

(... There is no peace that can be obtained with words alone.)

(It is up to me to make the most of the opportunity that Lord Gilbert has given me...)

(Even if this non-aggression pact is meaningless to Lord Gilbert, it is meaningful to us.)

I know, but it's a big decision, like risking my entire life.

I didn't have the courage to make a quick decision, so I kept my mouth shut—

Suddenly, something cold brushed against my lips, and a blood-colored eye covered my vision.

Gilbert: "Hehe, so many openings."

(. . . . . .)

Gilbert: "I'm tired of using my head so much. I think I'll take a rest."

As if nothing had happened, Lord Gilbert picked me up and made me sit on a chair.

Then he went to a nearby hammock and laid down.

(Again......)

(He did it again!) // (I've been hit again!) **

Putting aside the momentous decision, I slam the document for proxy on the desk and stand up.

Emma: "You big villain! You are a scoundrel! I've never done this before!"

(I've never been kissed before.)

To Lord Gilbert, it may be just a greeting, but I can't put it off like that.

Gilbert: "Is that so? We've done it once before..."

Emma: "That's malice, so it doesn't count!"

Gilbert: "Then count that one for now."

Emma: "N-No, that was an accident."

Gilbert: "I see, an accident. No problem then."

(This man...)

There is no sign of being offended.

He doesn't even tell me what the kiss earlier meant.

(... Is he just being mean?)

Gilbert: "... cough."

A cough is heard from the hammock, and the thought bursts and disappears.

Emma: "Are you all right?"

Gilbert: "Mmm... I'm fine."

I heard no more words.

Lord Gilbert turned his back on me and fell asleep.

(. . . . . .)

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Chevalier: "—The last, third, is baseless speculation."

Chevalier: "It's more likely that it's different, but I'm still worried about his behavior."

Chevalier: "That Eyepatch—"

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

(... No, that can't be right.)

I pull out a blanket I found on a nearby shelf and drape it over Lord Gilbert's body.

I try to look at his face gently, but he seems to be sleeping at a very good angle, and I can't see it properly.

(I know I'm overthinking this.)

══════════════════

That night — after I left Lord Gilbert, I still had the document for the proxy in my hand.

After pondering over and over again, I finally made up my mind.

(I can tell him when I see him tomorrow...)

Emma: "Excuse me, Lord Gilbert."

Unable to stay still, I knock on the door of Lord Gilbert's room.

But there was no answer from inside the room.

(I wonder if he's already asleep.... He didn't wake up until the afternoon...)

No matter how much we hurry, what will happen in the future will not change.

I told myself this and was about to turn on my heel when I heard a coughing sound coming from inside the room.

(... It's totally different from coughing during the day!)

It was clearly an abnormal cough. It sounded as if someone drowned in the river was coughing frantically.

Emma: "Lord Gilbert!"

Emma: "I'm sorry, I'm coming in!"

Fortunately, the door was unlocked, so I jumped into the room.

Lord Gilbert was kneeling behind his office desk, repeatedly taking labored breaths.

Emma: "Lord Gilbert!?"

He seemed unable to even speak, and I quickly rubbed his back.

I thought that would calm him down, but after another violent coughing fit, blood splattered on the floor.

(—... No way.)

Emma: "Anyone—"

Gilbert: "Don't... call..."

He grabs my clothes, and Lord Gilbert's voice comes out with his exhale.

He wipes the blood from his mouth, and the look he gives me is filled with murderous intent.

Gilbert: "Don't... call... anyone."

Emma: "But if I don't...!"

Gilbert: "Go back... to... your... room."

Emma: "Don't be so unreasonable!"

(How could I go back as if nothing happened!?)

(At least a doctor—I'm sure he's somewhere in the castle.)

Walter: "What's all the fuss, Lord Gilbert!"

(Ah...)

My voice must have echoed down the hallway, because a man with curly hair — Walter — comes running into the room.

Perhaps he sensed the situation from Lord Gilbert, who was coughing, and moved quickly.

Walter: "It's okay. I'll take care of it."

Walter quickly grabs a nearby jug of water and slowly pours it into Lord Gilbert's mouth.

(... He's used to it.)

Leaning Lord Gilbert against a nearby desk, who was about to lose consciousness with a pale face, Walter placed the case he was holding on the floor,

From it, he took out a bottle-like object with a long, thin needle.

Walter: "... I'm a doctor."

Walter: "I'm Lord Gilbert's personal doctor."

(He is... a doctor.)

(He said he was his aide...)

A lie that is so rare for Lord Gilbert makes my heart race fast.

Walter: "Emma, please return to your room."

With a practiced hand, Walter removes Lord Gilbert's jacket and rolls up the sleeves of his shirt.

(. . . . . .)

His arm was so bruised that it was discolored.

(What's... that...)

Walter sticks the needle into a different vial, makes sure the elongated bottle is filled with liquid, and now sticks it into Lord Gilbert's arm.

It was a treatment scene unlike anything I had ever seen or heard of.

Emma: "... Is there anything I can do?"

Still, I can't help but let my voice leak out.

My legs are not moving, and I understand that there doesn't seem to be anything I can do.

Walter: "No, thank you—"

Walter turns to me and raises an eyebrow.

Walter: "... No, may I still ask for your assistance?"

Walter: "I'd like to carry Lord Gilbert to bed—"

══════════════════

It takes two people to somehow get Lord Gilbert to lie down on the bed.

His breathing seemed to have calmed down, and at first glance, it appeared that he was just sleeping.

Emma: ". . . . . ."

Walter: ". . . . . ."

Emma: "... He's okay, isn't he?"

Walter: ". . . . . ."

Emma: "He's... colder than usual."

When I lightly hold Lord Gilbert's hand, it is as cold as ice.

There was no human-like warmth at all, which made me even more anxious.

Walter: ". . . . . ."

Emma: "Walter..."

Walter: "... I can't answer that question. Confidentiality as a doctor and strict orders from Lord Gilbert."

Emma: ". . . . . ."

Walter: "But... I think you have the right to know."

Walter: "Even if I am ordered to be executed later, I want you to know."

Walter: "I want to entrust my hopes to you."

(... Hope?)

There was a troubled, conflicted silence.

Walter looked at Lord Gilbert, and—

I twisted my face to hold back my tears. // My face distorts as I hold back my tears.

Walter: "... He has one month to live."

Emma: "............ Huh."

Walter: "That was the last time... I gave it to Lord Gilbert before he went to Rhodolite." // "It was the last time Gilbert was given a chance before going to Rhodolite."

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Chevalier: "That Eyepatch... makes me think he has some kind of disease."

Chevalier: "And it's a pretty serious kind of thing."

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

It got dark in front of my eyes.

[soloh]

Reminders and advice for the Wellington protest against "Posie" tomorrow:

-If KJK pulls out, there is still a peaceful pro-trans rally going ahead to show that people don't just show up looking for a fight, and Aotearoa genuinely loves and supports our trans community

-Wear a mask. Please. There are likely to be plenty of disabled and/or immune compromised people in attendance, it's for their health and safety (Also they have the added bonus of making you less identifiable by neo-nazis)

-Do not instigate violence. You absolutely have the right to defend yourself and other protesters, but KJK and her team are already trying to twist the narrative around what went down in Auckland today, and we need to make it incredibly difficult for them to do that here by standing it back and making it damn clear who started the fight if her supporters do start another one

-Bring water and snacks. Even if KJK runs away after 20 minutes again, her supporters will likely linger. You could be there for a long time.

-Wear sunscreen, even if it's overcast (that's general "living in Aotearoa" advice anyway tbh)

-Bring a raincoat. Would not advise an umbrella given that it's central Wellington near the harbour and there's currently a wind watch.

-If you, for any reason, feel the need to take photos or videos, do not include any protestors who have not consented to being in them- blur out their faces after filming if need be. Do not livestream yourself or other protestors, it puts people in danger.

-Have an escape plan, and make sure there is at least one person not going to the protest who knows you are going and can come and get you if something happens. Have something pinging your location privately to an emergency contact (I know Google maps on android allows this via a txt alert, unsure about Apple devices).

-Do not go to, or leave, the protest alone. If you must, meet up at a pre-event beforehand (vic uni are hosting a free sign making session that will conclude with attendees walking to the protest together), and when you leave, follow within another group of protestors until you reach a further away area where you can safely split off.

-Consider bringing a change of clothes to make yourself harder to identify post-protest. I know a lot of people will want to wear pride colours and whatnot, but this will make you stick out more once it's over, so if you're staying in town, you might need to cover up.

[anim3-g33k25]

Forbidden - Cullen x Fem! Reader (chapter one)

Masterlist

Last chapter | Next chapter

Key:

(s/c) = Skin tone

(h/s) = hair style

(h/c) = hair color

                "It's too much! We can't defeat them!" One of the mages says as it tries to put up a barrier but is knocked down by a rage demon. An (s/c) mage looked around at the battlefield to see half of her companions downed either hurt or dead.

"We have to push forward! We are almost there!" She said as she tried to motivate them, but it wasn't working. They were slowly giving up and she had to think fast.

They were currently trying to get to Haven where they heard where the rest of the mages were, but they were attacked by some unknown creatures. She lets out a frustrated yell as she shoots ice at a demon instantly killing it and it went inside some portal.

"Over there!" She heard someone say that wasn't a part of their group. She looked over to see the Herald and his companions and she let out a sigh of relief. She was out of potions and her health was pretty low.

As soon as the Herald arrived, they worked together to get rid of the demons, and the herald closed the portal and everything went back to normal like it didn't happen at all instead of the groaning from her downed mages. She stood up and looked at the rest of the standing mages who were helping out the injured mages. She was relieved that the worse part was over and they can finally make it to Haven especially since the Herald was here.

She turned towards the group as they walked towards her and she gave a slight bow. "(Y/N) Amell. It's finally nice to meet you Herald of Andraste." She said standing back up to stare at the taller male.

"How do you know who I am?" He asked and she looked at him quizically. "Everyone should know who you are. You are the Herald are you not?" And the male rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I wouldn't call myself that. Manuel would be just fine." She gave a slight nod and looked at the other mages with a sigh.

"Mind telling me why are there a bunch of mages out here in the wilderness?" He asked with a small tone as he looked at the other mages.

"We were making our way to the Safe Haven when we came upon the rift and it became too much for us to handle. As you can see." She mumbled as she gestured to her fellow companions. "Wait, why are you trying to get to Haven?" A female voice called out and (y/n) looked over to the voice to see a pixie-haired woman looking at her with a glower.

"We have nowhere to go. We have been with the circle but ever since it has been destroyed, we have been on our own ever since." She answered truthfully then looked back to the mages that were now standing up behind her. "I am their leader now ever since we left and I am all they got." She then looks back at Manuel pleading. "We were hoping to help out the Inquisition. Anything that you need we can do."

He thought about it for a second as the pixie-haired woman cut in on his thinking process. "You're seriously not thinking about letting some apostates stay at Haven, are you? Even if they can help we could get in trouble." She said walking up towards him and the dwarf cut in, "I think it's a good idea for them to join us."

"Please... I don't want to fail them..." (Y/N) pleaded more. She wasn't like this but she was getting desperate and she didn't want to fail them either. Manuel took a second to think about it and looked at Cassandra. "I think that we have enough room at Haven for them. If they give problems, notify me." Cassandra looked like she was going to protest but her lips became a thin line and nodded her head.

"Understood Herald. I hope that we don't regret it." She said with a warning tone. Y/N felt her chest swell with happiness. She can't believe that they were finally going to be safe.

"Many thanks, Herald. You won't regret this at all." She said as she places her hand over her heart and bowed, then turned towards the other mages with a smile.

"My friends! After today, we won't have to worry about sleeping and bandits will kill us in our sleep. We have found the Herald. We will be going to Haven." (y/n) said with a big smile on her face and some mages cheered as some had smiles on their face. She fulfilled the promise that she made to them and she was going to keep that.

Back at Haven

             "Has the Herald come back yet," Cullen asked walking inside Josephine's office as she was at her desk writing some reports.

"I believe not. I did get word that he did pick up a group of mages from the circle." Josephine said not looking up from her work and Cullen's face turned into confusion.

"Mages from the circle? Do you mean apostates?" He asked as he puts his hand against the end of his sword.

"Yes, but the report said that they were running since the circle was destroyed," Josephine said now looking up, and Cullen went rigid. 'Mages from the destroyed circle? Does that mean...' "Is there anything wrong with that Commander?"

"No... I'm just worried about the apostates being in Haven. We just had a problem with them." He partially lied. He was having flashbacks from when he was in the circle and it was not good flashbacks instead of the one girl that he was in love with.

"Will it be better if you met them before we let them in?" Josephine suggested as Cullen snapped out of his thoughts.

"I don't think that is not a good idea. If they were from the circle that was destroyed, then they don't want to see the Templar that was overseeing the whole circle." Cullen suggested and Josephine nodded her head in understanding.

"Understood commander, but I hope that you will come by and give them a chance. Now if that is all, I would like to get back to work please." She said looking back down at her work, Cullen nodded his head and left the room.

He wants to see who these mages were but he didn't want to cause any conflicts between them already.

A few hours later

            (Y/n) walked around the little campsite that was inside the walls of Haven. It was small, and it had some defense but it was better than being outside in the wild. She walked towards the camp where the mages were being held and she smiled. They were in much better spirits than the last fight and getting the rest that they needed.

"(Y/N)!" A young elf mage named Massa came up to her, and (y/n) smiled at her. "Massa! How is everything going with the healing?"

"Everyone is healing well. Some will make it through the night and some will be able to fight." Massa said placing her hands behind her back. "That's good. I'm... uh sorry for everything and getting everyone hurt, and some killed." (Y/N) said the last part quietly, and Messa waved her off.

"It's quite alright. I had more fun than staying in that old tower, but do we trust these people? I heard that they were trying to get the Templars to join them." Messa states with a scared tone.

"What else are we supposed to do, Messa? We can't just keep running forever or stay out in the wilderness," (y/n) states as she stared at the short elf with her (e/c) eyes. Messa looks like she was going to say something but she closed her mouth aced nodded her head.

"Just take the help wherever you can even if it's dangerous. I trust the Herald to keep us safe." (Y/n) said placing her hand on the other woman's shoulder. "Now go help out wherever you can so you can pay back their kindness." Messa's worried face becomes more confident as she nodded her head and walked hurriedly off.

The older woman smiles as she watched the girl run off then starts to head off toward the camp where the soldiers were training at. Haven is such a beautiful place with snowy mountains. She looked around the campsite is saw a blonde tuft of hair for a split second.

She was going to walk over to introduce herself but she thought against it as she thought that no one wanted to see an apostate until she was properly introduced as not the enemy. She turned around to go back to the mage camp when she ran into the Herald.

"My apologies Herald! I didn't mean to run into you." She said apologetically and her cheeks became red. "It's quite alright. I was just coming to get you so you can meet the war council." He states with a smile and (y/n) felt her stomach drop a little. She knew it was coming but she didn't think it was so soon. "Is now a bad time?" Manuel asked as he saw the color drain from her (s/c) face.

"No! I mean, uh... Right now is a good time. I don't want to raise suspicion among your people since you are already having problems with the mages." She said rubbing her (h/c) hair in apprehension. Manuel nods his head and nodded towards the gate that leads inside Haven.

She walked with him slowly toward the temple and she heard what the people of Haven were saying about her and her people.

"Did you hear that the Herald brought in more mages?"

"Yes, I have. But don't you think that's a bad idea if we are going to side with the Templars?"

"If they find out that we have some apostates in Haven they won't help any more than they have now."

(Y/N) felt her blood run cold. They were thinking about siding with the Templars? She thought to herself as she looked up at the taller male. He kept his stare forward as he was used to this by now and it didn't bother him. They walk inside the temple and (y/n) took a look around seeing the different intricate designs.

They came up to a door and the Herald opened the door walking inside with (y/n) following in after him. They sat there in silence for a few seconds before the Herald started to talk.

"If you don't mind me asking, which circle did you come from?" He said suddenly and (y/n) jumped slightly at his voice and he apologized afterward.

"No, it's quite alright. I'm was from Fereldan. Kinloch Hold. I was there when it was destroyed by the rouge mages." She explains not looking into his eyes. She doesn't like to talk about what occurred to her and her friends, and that's why she vowed to get them to safety.

"Oh? Our commander is a former Templar from that circle. I heard about the circle. Luckily they had rebuilt it." He explained but she wasn't listening to him. She was worried about the former Templar that was here. Were they in trouble if they stayed here? She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by the door opening behind them.

She turned around to see two women and a taller man with the same blonde hair. He locked eyes with her before quickly adverting his eyes. Maybe out of fear? Guilt? She doesn't know.

"Oh! Just in time. Meet the consultants. Josephine Montilyet our advisor for politics and diplomacy." Manuel gestured to the woman who had almost silk-like clothing. Josephine smiled warmly and bowed in respect. "Nice to meet you. It must've been hard to lead such a big group through the wilds?" She said looking at her with sadness in her eyes.

"Yes it was hard but we were able to make it this far. With so few casualties." (Y/n) explained with a small smile on her lips. Josephine gave a small nod of respect and smiled back. "Next is Leliana. She is our consultant secret forces."

"It's nice to meet you. Luckily you're on our side because we didn't want to kill you or your mages." Leliana stated with an eerily tone and (y/n) was going to ask what she meant then she remembered that she probably had information on her and the other mages so she decided against it and kept her mouth shut.

"And lastly this is our commander of our troops, Cullen Rutherford." He stated as he gestured to the taller male with blonde hair. The said man made eye contact with her and she was stuck in place as she remembered those hazel eyes back in the circle, when they had feelings for each other.

"And this is (y/n) Amell. We found her in the wilds trying to look for Haven and is prepared to help us during this upcoming war." Manuel stated breaking her eye contact with Cullen to look at him but she can feel the other male's eyes on her.

[sara78]

Family don't end in blood - chapter 6

Summary: Life moves slowly in the Ackles household. Y/N is still struggling with nightmares, but life happens and Jensen is finally able to take it easy and help her, even if she doesn't want any help. But a fight with one of the Ackles might set everything back and will open a lot of new doors to the family...

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x foster!daughter reader

Word count: 3600 and a lil' bit of change

You woke up startled, sitting up abruptly in bed. You gulped as the fog in front of your eyes slowly but surely moved away.

"Kiddo," Jensen whispered, making you jump, "Easy. Just me," he tried, frowning as your eyes landed on his tired ones, "You're okay. You're safe."

"What are you doing here?"

"The neighbors across the street are expecting and the wife went into labor. Her husband had to take her to the hospital and Danneel went there to keep an eye out for the kids through the night."

"That still doesn't explain why you're here."

"Kiddo…" Jensen sighed, "I didn't want you to be alone. I wanna help."

"How many times do I have to tell you that you can't help me? I can't be helped. I can't be fixed, or whatever you think you're doing. It won't help me. I won't ever get better."

"Sometimes what you think is true isn't actually true," he smiled tiredly, hesitantly reaching his hand out to give you a head rub, "Could you try and go back to sleep? I'll be right here."

"Go back to your own bed," you protested, "You shouldn't be sitting in that uncomfortable chair."

"I'll do you one better," Jensen sighed as he quickly moved the covers aside and joined you. You grumbled, turning around and clutching your pillow tightly and nuzzling your nose into your blankie, "Night kiddo," he whispered softly,

"Night."

When you woke up you could smell pancakes. You sighed, throwing some clothes on before joining Jensen and the kids in the kitchen,

"Morning," Jensen smiled, "We feelin' better?"

"Mhm," you hummed, looking around, "Where's Danneel?"

"She has to stay for another day or two to watch the kids. Some complications happened. Could I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure," you shrugged your shoulders,

"I gotta go drop by some of this food for her and bring her some clothes. Could you guys sit down and eat and clean up afterwards? Little ones will help you. JJ knows to load the dishwasher and the twins can take things off the table. Keep an eye out for 'em before I come back and make a plan of what y'all wanna do for the day. I might take them to play with those kids after lunch so we have some free time."

"No problem," you said. Jensen ordered the kids to sit, and JJ grumbled as she did so,

"Where's mom?"

"She's looking after our neighbors. I'll go check in on her and drop by some of this food. Y/N will stay with y'all and when you're done all of you will help her clean the table and load the dishwasher, okay?" the twins nod with smiles, JJ having a pout on her face," Hey, birdie, no pouting," he warned, kissing her cheek, "Be good. I'll be back soon," he said, grabbing the bags on the counter and leaving,

"Okay, let's dive into the pancakes," you said, letting the kids take one before you did.

After everyone was done with breakfast and everyone helped you with the dishes, you let them sit at the counter as you cleaned the leftovers and wiped down the stove,

"What would y'all want to do today?"

"Play!" all three exclaimed,

"That's a done deal, but play what?" you asked,

"Could we play with dinosaurs?" Zeppelin asked, "Shep gave me some of his. They're super cool!"

"I wanna play with horses," JJ said,

"But we always play with horses," Zeppelin said sadly, "Could we please play with dinosaurs today, Y/N?"

"I'm fine with playing with whatever you guys want. We could have some fun and combine horses and dinosaurs. Best of both worlds," you offered, JJ scoffing,

"That's stupid!"

"Hey, don't talk like that," you said, "Zeppelin has rights. I've been here for four days and you guys only played with horses and barbies. Couldn't you give Zepp one day to pick toys he wants to play with? Cars, Legos and dinosaurs are just as fun."

"No. I don't wanna play with him. He's stupid, like his toys!" JJ exclaimed, Zeppelin looking down,

"You do NOT talk like that to your brother," you said sternly, "JJ, app-"

"Don't call me JJ!" she exclaimed,

"Justice Jay Ackles. Apologize to your brother."

"No."

"Justice Jay-"

"You're not my mom!" she jumped,

"No, I am not your mom. You have a wonderful mom and a wonderful dad and I can't be happier to see you grow up with such loving parents and I hope you won't ever see what it looks like not to have them. But I was left in charge of you guys until Jensen returns, and I will not tolerate you talking to your brother like that. You need to apologize to him."

"What are ya gonna do if I don't?"

"I'm not gonna do anything," you said, "I'm not trying to punish you. I'm trying to teach you to respect others and let them have equal rights as you. I didn't even say you had to play with his toys. I offered to mix it up and you still didn't want to cooperate. Two nights ago you played with Tom and his cars but now you won't play with your little brother's dinosaurus? What's the difference?"

"I hate you!" she exclaimed, jumping down from the chair, "I wish you never come back again! You weren't supposed to be here!"

"Your wish will be granted," you said, "Don't worry, I won't be coming back. I'm here because your dad kindly invited me, but since I'm not welcome, I won't be coming back. But just because you don't like me doesn't mean you all of a sudden don't like your brother too. You know for better. Be the big girl you are and apologize to him."

"You're stupid," she said,

"Justice Jay Ackles," Jensen's stern voice broke the conversation. JJ froze as she looked at him, "Come. Right now," she did as told and Jensen let her leave the room, her head bowed down as she walked out. You saw something in his eyes. Something you'd only seen in the eyes of Dean Winchester.

Anger.

"Jensen!" you exclaimed as you ran after him and grabbed his arm. He turned around to look at you, "She might hate me but if you raise a hand on her-"

"Woah, breathe," he tried, making you notice that your breathing was uneven, "I'm not that type of a parent. I won't ever raise a hand on any of you. But she needs to know that what she said is not nice and that she should not treat people like that. You have feelings, no matter how old you get. I'm sorry she said that to you and she will apologize for the whole shit show she threw there, apologize to both you and Zeppelin. We'll take them to the neighbors to play for the day, cool them down. And we'll get to talk about this alone," he said, hearing a sniff, "Could you take care of Zepp for me? You're better with him than I am. And you guys will play alone until lunch. JJ will be in time-out."

"I can. Just promise me you won't hit JJ."

"I won't, Y/N, I promise. Not her, not you, not the twins. Okay?" you nod, letting him go. You turned around and walked back to the counter, seeing Arrow hugging Zeppelin. You frowned as you approached them, crouching down to pry Zepp's hands away from his tiny face,

"Hey big guy, it's okay. Your sister didn't mean what she said."

"It's-It's okay," he hiccuped as he looked up to you, "We-We don't have to play with dino-dinosaurs. We-We can play with horses and-and barbies."

"No, bubba. We're playing with dinosaurus. And cars, and legos, and everything you want to play with. Right Ro?" you asked, Arrow nodding,

"He's sad because you said you won't come back" she then said, her words taking you by surprise, "Please come back. Zepp's sad. I don't want Zepp to be sad," you smiled at her little voice, ruffling her hair playfully, "Please. I want you here too. JJ didn't mean it. She's just been mean a lot. I don't know why."

"Your big sister doesn't like me being here. Which is totally okay."

"It's not that," Arrow shook her head, "She's been mean before you came too. Ever since she started school."

The first thought that crossed your mind sent chills down your spine. Bullies. She could be having troubles with bullies. Your guts were twisting and turning at the mere thought. Even you were a tad bit older when you first encountered bullies. She's 8 years old for God's sake. Why?

You began praying internally that it wasn't the case. That the mood swings and anger was caused by you. You sincerely hoped it was you. Just you, and no bullies.

"Please, Y/N," Zeppelin whispered, "Stay with us forever," he said, making your heart swell,

"Honey, I don't think that's how it works and I don't think your big sister would like me to stay here, whether she doesn't like me or has a bad time in general. Maybe it's for the best for me to stay away for some time."

"NO!" both of the twins exclaimed in union, throwing their arms around your neck and tackling you in a clinging hug which sent you falling and landing on your ass, but you hugged them back tightly,

"Guys, I gotta go back to work with Jensen."

"But-But who's gonna play with me?" Zeppelin asked as he looked up at you,

"Arrow will," you said, Arrow nodding, "And Shep and Tom will play too! Ask mom to invite them over or to go over more often. They love playing with you. And JJ will play with you too. When I'm gone she'll go back to her normal self and you can-"

"Don't go!" Zeppelin exclaimed again, making you sigh,

"Bubba, I'm not gonna go right this instant. I have a few days left before Jensen and I have to go back to work. How about we make most of 'em? And maybe sometime in the future you guys can fly to see me and your dad work and get to play with us there. We'll think of something, okay?"

"Promise," Arrow whispered,

"I can't promise and then break it when I can't make it come true. But can you take an 'I'll do my best'?" the two nod and you squeezed them tightly, "I love you both so much. And your big sister too. Zepp," you said, tugging him back so he can look you in the eyes, "What JJ said back there, she didn't mean it. Sometimes, when we're angry, we say things to hurt others, but she didn't mean a single word of it. She's so happy to have you as her brother, Arrow too. I first of all know I'd be so, so happy to have you as my brother," you said, looking at Arrow too, "Same goes for you, princess. JJ is having some troubles we can't understand right now."

"Can we help her?" Zeppelin asked,

"No, at the moment not. Not until she comes clear to us about whatever is bothering her and then we can all help her," you said, "But that doesn't mean that you should let her use you as her punching bag. You gotta stand up for yourself and fight for what you think is right and for what you want. Don't be too hard-headed though. Sometimes what you want isn't the right thing. But when it's about which toys y'all will play with, every one has the right answer."

"I just want her to be happy again," Zeppelin said, "It's really okay Y/N. We can play with horses and barbies when JJ's back. I don't mind."

"No," Arrow shook her head, "I wanna play with legos. Can we make a park for the dinosaurs you got from Shep?" she asked, Zeppelin's face lighting up, your mouth twitching into a smile,

"We could!" he exclaimed, "Do you want to play too?" he asked you,

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, big guy."

-----------------------

"Hey," Jensen spoke up later that day as he approached you. You were sitting outside in the shade, reading. You hummed, looking up to him for a moment,

"Kids are with Danneel?"

"Yup," he nod, sitting down next to you, "You too deep into that?" he asked and you shook your head, "Okay. Could we talk about today?"

"What's there to talk about?"

"Well, I'd start off with an apology."

"Did you hit JJ?" you asked worriedly, putting the book down,

"No. Never did and never will. Not her, not you, not the little ones."

"Then you've got nothing to be sorry for," you said, looking back to the book as you shrugged your shoulders,

"Kiddo, she yelled at you. That's not what we taught her to do. She made a mistake and she will apologize in the morning."

"She doesn't have to apologize for being honest with her feelings, Jensen. She hates me. I don't see a problem with her having an opinion of her own. And whatever that opinion is, it's hers only. She gets to express it and stick to it. It's okay."

"She is allowed to have her own opinion but she is not allowed to speak to anyone in the way she spoke to you and Zeppelin."

"How do you know what she said to him?"

"I was there. I met Dee on my way there as she was taking the kids out for a walk. I returned back, heard you ask them what they'd like to do. Thought it was gonna be a cute little convo to eavesdrop. It wasn't. But my point still stands. She knows better. But something has gotten into her and I don't know what it is. Me and Danneel both. This was a thing before you showed up here. Danneel was telling me about her throwing tantrums all the time. She was never like that. We both try to talk to her and make her feel comfortable enough to share whatever upset her, but so far we've got square. So no, this is not something you did. Maybe you had a tiniest bit of impact, but you didn't do it."

"The twins told me she's been angry and mean a lot," you said, "Ever since she started school. Is she talking about it a lot?"

"I... No," Jensen whispered, thinking about it, "She doesn't actually. Zepp and Ro are full of stories when they come home from preschool but she's always... Quiet. And she's been kind of possessive over me ever since we came. I mean, she is daddy's girl, but this has been... Weird. And Danneel had been telling me a lot of things are weird with her ever since she went back to school."

"Jensen, I hope with everything I have that I'm wrong, but she might be having some bullies up her ass in school."

"She's... She's only seven," Jensen breathed, looking you in the eye, "You think she could be having that problem?"

"I don't know, man. Kids are wired weird. My first bully was at 10."

"Fuck..." Jensen breathed, "Thanks for... Thinking about her."

"She's a kid and this behavior is not okay for a kid and you both do an awesome job raising them. But bullies have a way of going past whatever you guys do and can, unfortunately, get under your skin to the point where they make you think that telling someone about it will make you weak or it will be bait for more bullies to crawl up your ass. I've been there plenty of times. Her safe place is this home, this family. She sees an unfamiliar face, she gets protective. She's scared to lose one of your guys' love. But luckily, she has both parents who care deeply about her and I'm sure you guys will come to the grounds with her about the whole situation. And please, if it ever takes a physical turn, just... Be there for her. She's gonna need you in these times more than you'd think."

"You think the tantrums might have something to do with bullying?"

"She has defense mechanisms and she's extremely protective of you guys. This is definitely her safe place and she knows that here she can be who she is and you guys will love her unconditionally, which isn't the case when she's in school. And when someone unfamiliar shows up in her safe place, of course she's going to get fussy and throw tantrums. It's okay though, I see where she's coming from."

"Bullied or not, she still shouldn't be doing what she did. She projected her fear and sadness and whatever she feels into anger and threw it at you. It's not an excuse to act the way she did."

"Jensen, cut her some slack. She's just a kid. I don't want her to apologize to me. Especially if this act was induced by a bully. I've been in her shoes and all I ever wanted was my family to be on my side and to help me through that and remind me that they love me unconditionally. Now, I didn't have any of that. But she has both you and Danneel and I want you both to remind her of how amazing she is and how wrong those kids are. She doesn't deserve to be bullied, no kid ever deserves it. Just talk to her and make sure to remind her that she's loved and that she's always going to have a safe place with y'all and we're square."

"We will always love her unconditionally but we will always point her out when she does something wrong like she did today. It wasn't okay to say what she said."

JJ doesn't like me being here, bullies or not. She expressed her thoughts about me being here and I listened. I will grant her wish and I won't be coming back again. As simple as that."

"Kiddo, you can't do that. She's seven."

"Seven or seventy-seven, she's got rights to feel what she feels. If she wants me gone, I'm gone."

"That won't happen," Jensen shook his head, "You'll come here again. You will always have a spot right next to me to come here and have some rest. Not once will you hear me or Danneel turn you down for coming. JJ is going to have to learn to adapt and she will realize someday that she was plain stupid to hate you."

"Jensen, if she hates me, let her hate me. She's not the first and certainly not the last person to hate me and that's okay. I'm used to being the black sheep. I don't care really. My point is that I don't wanna intrude and ruin this harmony you have with your family. I'm enough trouble. I've given you enough headaches. You should spend time with your family and not with me. I'm sorry once again."

"She doesn't hate you. You just said it yourself - she's protective of us. But soon enough she will realize that you're not the bad guy. And you will come back. You love it here, don't you?"

"What I feel is not in question. This is your home, her home. I'm just a guest."

"Hm, well just a guest, Zeppelin asked if you could stay with us forever and Arrow begged me to invite you back over and over again. Danneel and I love having you here so you're outnumbered. Don't get me wrong, of course, if you don't want to come here for whatever valid reason that's okay and we'll respect it, but if you don't wanna come because you're listening to a seven-year-old and whatever's crawled up her ass and what your brain is telling you, then that we do not tolerate. She's going to learn that you're not a bad guy in this home and that you're here because you deserve to be here. She's going to realize it one way or another. This is a place to call home, kiddo."

"I don't need a home. I've been doing just fine without it for the longest time. Thanks for the offer though. I'll go to bed," you said, standing up and leaving the room. Jensen sighed, running a hand through his hair as he left the room as well, going for the bathroom.

When you left the bathroom and went back to the room you slept in, you found a note on the door of it

'Went to pick up the kiddos. Will feed 'em and put 'em to bed. I'll come after that. Night night kiddo'

You sighed, taking the note off and going to the bed.

You couldn't understand why is he so stubborn.

You don't deserve it. A single bit of it. Why would he even want to pull an act of loving you then breaking your heart? Wasn't it too much work? You began to question if that was really his intention. You would never say that he'd want to do something like that to you or to anyone else. Something in your heart told you that he's doing this because he loves you and cares about you.

But your head was louder, as per usual, and has once again convinced you that he hates you and wants to play with you. He might have even been paid to do this to you. You sighed, trying to shake off the voices as you cuddled with you pillow and slowly but surely drifted off to sleep.

A/N - hey there! Don't worry, I didn't forget about y'all! Life has been a mess for me recently but I'm still writing! It's honestly such a relief from all of the things life serves me. Kindly gonna tag @crasmuna, my emotional support and arguably my biggest fan <3

[yellowmagicalgirl]

Cold Hands, Gigantic Heart

While on the run from Edda and the Jutuls, Isolde gets cold.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ragnarok, and I have never been to Norway so there might be some places where the setting details are wonky. I also haven't finsihed season 3 yet, so please no spoilers!

This was written for Jubileen on AO3 for the 2023 Battleship Exchange.

AO3

FFN

SquidgeWorld

It was a long trek from Edda to their destination. It was even longer, since Saxa and Isolde were travelling on foot. They had initially been sharing a bike, but after a recent crash the bike had been wrecked. Maybe, if they had been able to stay in one place for a month, they could have gotten it back from a repair shop. It would have taken too long, though. They were being tracked despite their efforts. They had needed to leave the other Jutuls' sphere of influence so that Isolde would be safe and Saxa wouldn't be dragged back.

It wasn't easy. Saxa's back hurt from sleeping on the hard ground. She missed her nice, large, fluffy mattress. Maybe she had gone soft, but she was not looking forward to sleeping on the ground again tonight. Maybe, if they made enough progress on the hike today, they could stay in a hostel tomorrow night.

Saxa knew she wasn't the only one the walking was hard on. Isolde's shoes were wearing thin. Isolde would protest and claim that she was fine, that they didn't need to dig into what savings Saxa could take with them. Isolde didn't usually complain for herself, just other people. As it was, right now her teeth were chattering.

Saxa wrinkled her nose in confusion. Wait, what?

"Are you cold?" Saxa wasn't cold.

She's human, and humans are weak and short-lived, Vidar had said after Saxa had intervened, after she had told Isolde to run. We're the only ones who understand you, and you're going to give all that up for her?

Isolde turned to her. "How are you... right. You're not human."

Saxa took Isolde's freezing hand, listening to her girlfriend sigh at the warmth. "Yes, well, I'm sure you're happy for my nonhuman hands right now. Come on, let's go find a place to set up camp."

"Are you sure? There's still a few hours of daylight.

"It's just going to get colder. If we keep walking in the cold, you might get sick."

"Okay, okay. Beans for dinner?"

"I'll gather firewood."

An hour later, they were laying down together between two blankets that did little to keep Saxa from feeling every single piece of gravel. She didn't know how Isolde managed to fall asleep so quickly. As frustrating as the gravel was, at least Isolde wasn't cold anymore. Saxa's hand trailed up Isolde's chest, resting over her heart and feeling its steady beat. If Saxa hadn't been there, if she hadn't intervened, then it wouldn't be beating right now. She hadn't meant for their relationship to grow so close. It had just a way of keeping an eye on a potential threat to Jutul Industries. Now Saxa was a threat.

Isolde was human, and like all humans she wasn't as strong as a giant, nor was she as long lived. And yet, she was the strongest person Saxa knew, with a heart big enough to fit both the planet and Saxa in it.

And no one but time would take Isolde away from her. Not even the cold.

A/N: Fun fact: the alternate title to this was The Soles of Your Shoes Are All Worn Down (the Time for Sleep Is Now). I felt that it was too long, and more importantly, using an "I Will Follow You into the Dark" lyric for an AU where Isolde lives gave off the wrong tone.

[wiingssauofficial]

WIINGSS P1: DISCOVERY

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HEY HELLO IF YOU'RE HERE FROM INSTA AND OR THE OLD AU!! AND HI IF YOU'RE NEW!!

As stated before this is something a little different this time around because it's also got writing to it! This is mostly to relieve some of the stress for me this time around, plus filling in any gaps panels might not be able to depict

ALSO! Tumblr is a temporary spot for the writing portion while I wait to get an ao3 account set up, but depending on how well this blog does I may keep it up too since it nicely combines the writing and drawings!

That being said welcome to the OFFICIAL wiingss reboot and enjoy the introduction!!!

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It was a quiet night.

A rare kind of evening, at least for the household Wilbur lived in. Considering it was constantly filled with Techno and Tommy bickering if not trying to duel each other, or Phil trying to get everyone to stop wrestling with each other, to the absolute chaos whenever Tubbo came by to visit and Tommy had his best friend with him, it was safe to say the silence was quite…odd.

But Wilbur happened to be enjoying it.

He was sitting in one of their chairs in the living room with a book in hand, skimming through the pages. Outside the window next to him, he could hear the sounds of crickets chirping, but that just added pleasant white noise that contributed to the peace. Safe to say…he was content.

He was about to turn the page when a voice chimed in with a hesitant,

“Wilbur?”

So much for the silence.

The brunette looks up, adjusting his glasses to peer toward the source of the voice- Tommy. “Tommy? What are you still doing up?” He questions, leaning forward to set a bookmark in the page he was on before shutting the book and setting it down on the table nearby. “I would’ve thought after today you’d be out like a light!”

“Aha…yeah, it was quite a chaotic day, wasn’t it?” The teen appeared nervous, fidgeting with his sleeves, which was exactly when Wilbur noticed he was completely dressed. He even had one of Techno’s old cloaks on with the fuzziness long gone that had been given to him as a gift. Before he could question why, Tommy answered for him. “I was going to go for a walk.”

“At this hour?” Wilbur looks toward the clock. It was well past midnight at this point.

Tommy offers a nervous grin. “Yes…?”

The brunette heaves a sigh at the blonde, shaking his head before standing up. “If that’s the case, then at least let me come with you.”

He jolts at the offer, his nervous energy only seeming to rise. “Uh- no! You don’t have to!”

“Oh, please.” Wilbur scoffs, crossing his arms. “You and I both know Phil would kill me if I let you go out there alone.”

The teen’s shoulders slump slightly, seemingly defeated. “Yeah…I guess.”

“Then it’s settled! Let’s go, ponytail!” He ruffles the other’s hair who lets out a shout of protest, objecting with a,

“DON’T MOCK THE PONYTAIL!”

Tommy usually kept his hair long for reasons Wilbur couldn’t exactly describe. It almost felt like whenever the teen cut his hair, it grew back overnight, staying the length that it was previously. As such, he tended to keep it up in a ponytail if it was getting in his way, which it currently seemed to be doing.

He paid this no mind, however, reaching for his coat and meeting the blonde at the door. Tommy, being the typical menace he was, proceeds to kick the door open with a loud SLAM, and Wilbur quickly grabs the other’s sleeve, pulling him outside before kicking it shut again. No point in being quiet now, right?

“WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!” He exclaims, though the blonde only grins at him, sticking his hands in his pockets and sticking his tongue out.

“That’s what The Blade gets for trying to beat me in a fistfight! I hope it woke him up!” Tommy declares, causing the other to shake his head.

“Oh come on. He totally won that fight, you cheated!” Wilbur objects, though they both laugh in turn.

They started on their way down the path, staring up at the sky as they wandered. It was a surprisingly quiet night even despite Tommy’s initial racket- even the two didn’t really speak with each other, though Wilbur noticed the other seemed to be getting increasingly more jittery the longer they walked, gaze darting around as if looking for something.

“Uh…you alright there buddy?”

Tommy jumps at the question, a small chirp-like noise escaping him in turn. He instantly pulls a hand to his mouth, peering toward the other with wide eyes.

Wilbur squints for a moment, pausing. “That was a damn good bird impression. How’d you do that?”

“I’ve been…practicing?” Tommy drops his hand to his side, pulling his cloak further around himself. Something was clearly wrong. “Bird calls and shit. They’re useful!”

“We live nowhere near a jungle biome, how on Earth would a bird call benefit you?” Now he was just being weird.

The teen shuffles his feet, taking a few steps backward. “I mean, you never know when you’re gonna find yourself in one, ey? Better to be safe than sorry…?”

“Okay, ponytail. hatever you say.” He muses in turn, continuing on his way. He’d hardly even noticed the pathway had gotten darker the further into the woods they’d gone- had they already reached the dark oak? They’d have to watch where they step–

Immediately the thought was forgotten as he abruptly lost his footing, the ground beneath him seemingly disappearing as he yelled a loud, “ShIT–”

“WILBUR!”

He hadn’t even NOTICED the ravine’s drop! What was he supposed to do?! He tried to find a grip on the walls but his hands came up empty- he hissed in pain as his hands scraped against rock uselessly, and he just continued to fall. Was this going to be it for him?

And then suddenly he wasn’t falling.

There was a WHOOSH of wind, and Wilbur stopped falling as something grabbed his arms, pulling him up. It wasn’t hands, though, no- there were TALONS around his shoulders, and he let out a loud yelp of shock, swatting at whatever had grabbed him. Why didn’t he bring his sword?!

“What the fu-”

He stopped mid sentence.

He was dangling above the ravine, and barely refrained from a high-pitched scream because his focus wasn’t on that, no- it was on the person who had just saved him:

Tommy.

But Tommy wasn’t himself anymore. He had taloned feet that kept his brother safely gripped as they headed for flat ground again, and feathers stuck out of his fluffy, long hair. Most important of all, however, was the fact that the blonde didn’t have normal arms anymore…

He had wings.

[the-letter-horror-lover]

BORUTO ALTER: Last Shinobi by SongofVedas

Anime » Naruto Rated: T, English, Adventure & Fantasy, Naruto U., Sasuke U., Boruto U., Sarada U., Words: 112k+, Favs: 48, Follows: 49, Published: Dec 2, 2020 Updated: Jul 19

21Chapter 33: THE EXAMS BEGIN!

BORUTO. ALTER

BORUTO ate ravenously, quietly finishing the breakfast Mom prepared. Beside him Himawari sat, slurping ramen with messy abandon.

Hinata watched the both of them eat-

For the first time in a long time, Mom looked happy.

Though there was an air of concern around her-

Today was the commencement of the Chunin Exams.

Hinata had sat with them both the previous night, warning of the dangers they could face.

"No matter what, protect each other." Hinata's voice, unusually stern, echoed within Boruto's mind.

Two days ago, Boruto and Himawari had received something- a box containing an electric wristband with a blank circular panel, and a piece of cloth with the character "8" drawn on it in thick ink.

There were instructions as well-

They were to wear the wristband on their left, and the cloth on their right. Further, the two of them were directed to the Forty Fourth Training Grounds..

Otherwise known as the Forest of Death. Boruto's instructions ordered him to go to gate Taishi. Himawari's instructed that she report to gate Suihe.

I wonder what the difference means.

Boruto placed down his eating utensils, resting them across a now empty bowl.

"Thanks, Mom. This was the best meal I've had in months." Boruto gave Hinata a smile.

Himawari concurred, drinking the remnants of soup and then crashing her bowl against a wooden table.

"I can tell you made it special for us. So sentimental.." She said with an annoyed grin that matched Boruto's.

"Of course. This is a special occasion.. for the both of you." Hinata looked at Boruto for a moment-

It seemed she wanted to say something.

Hinata gazed downwards at her own unfinished meal.

"I want you both to stay safe. The Chunin exams aren't as dangerous as they were for your father and I.. still, you need to be vigilant of everyone and everything." Hinata cautioned.

"It's not too late, Hima." Hinata added, giving a pleading look to her daughter.

Himawari laughed cynically.

"I told you already mom, I feel great- more than great, actually. My chakra.. its-" Himawari tensed.

Boruto gave his sister a shadowed, worried glance.

It feels more like dad's.

"I.. just want you to be careful, Hima. Don't get caught up in the exam.. if you feel anything strange, please ensure you're taken care of. Even if it means dropping out." Hinata's smile slowly turned into a frown.

"You as well, Boruto." She added.

"There's no chance I'm dropping out. I've wanted this for three years." Himawari's sharp eyes narrowed.

"I almost died. There's no way.." Himawari's eyes grew harsh-

almost as if she felt the pain of what she suffered again.

"No matter what, I'm staying in until I can't fight anymore." She whispered.

Hinata laughed quietly, gracing both of her children with a face that silently whispered of loss.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Hinata rose then, taking the bowls from Boruto and Hima.

"What do you think is going to happen? All those names.. I didn't think there'd be so many genin.." Himawari turned to Boruto, blue eyes widening in excitement.

Boruto nodded, taking Hinata's bowl and placing it by her at the sink while answering his sister.

"Shikadai said this is the first time incomplete teams are competing too. Even some Konoha genin entered alone." Boruto returned to his seat, chair squeaking in slight protest.

A ledger of names were included along with their wristbands. Boruto had first looked for Mitsuki's name, wondering if Mitsuki had dropped out of the exams-

I looked everywhere for him when I came back three days ago.

Boruto closed blue-silver eyes, regret painting over them.

Mitsuki's name was on the list. Boruto was hoping to speak to Mitsuki privately before the Exams begun-

Though now it seems that he lost that opportunity.

He hoped at the very least Mitsuki would be at the same gate Boruto was assigned to. He had also noticed Sumire was taking the exams as well-

Sarada and Himawari visited Sumire two days previously. They both said she was doing better and seemed far more normal..

A knock politely sounded at the door three times.

Himawari leapt from her seat, flashing to the door in the seconds between the first knock.

Boruto and Hinata both turned to see who it was-

"Sarada, Shikadai." Himawari greeted, opening the door fully for the pair.

Himawari smiled, moving aside as the two genin strode into Boruto's home.

"Lady Uzumaki," Shikadai bowed, Sarada doing the same.

Shikadai turned back around to face Hima.

"Himawari- it's great to see you doing better. I'm sure I don't have to tell ya what you looked like when I first got back.." Shikadai scratched the back of his head, earrings dangling.

Himawari waved her hand in dismissal, leading Shikadai and Sarada fully into the kitchen.

"I found out Shikadai and I were both assigned to gate Taishi. It would be a good idea for us to go together." Sarada said.

So they're at Taishi too, huh? Does this mean we're on the same team?

Himawari sighed.

"You guys too? Hijikata is going to Taishi. Iwabe and I are Suihe."

Himawari laughed.

"If it's Taishi against Suihe.. you all better watch out. I won't be holding back." Himawari gave an evil, violent grin.

"I wouldn't want you to. I've always wanted to fight you for real, Hima." Shikadai eyes flashed to Boruto.

"You too, Boruto. We're friends..Like Himawari said though.. There's no holding back."

"Save that friendly bravado for when the Exams actually start. We're already a little late. We should get going." Sarada said brusquely.

Shikadai laughed.

"I'm fine being late. I'm nervous." He admitted with a shrug.

"We all are. Even Hima, though she won't admit it." Boruto nudged his sister, the both of them leaving the kitchen. Sarada was already at the door, Shikadai close behind.

"Bye, Lady Uzumaki. Wish us luck." Sarada waved. Shikadai nodded, bowing again.

"Bye Mom, love you." Himawari gave Hinata a hug, then rushed to meet Shikadai and Sarada outside.

Boruto watched Hima until the door closed behind her.

"I'll keep an eye on Hima, if I can. I kno-"

"Boruto." Hinata's expression changed.

"Wait there. I have something for you."

Boruto stood in the hallway.

Hinata returned with a strange arm brace-

It was black, and tied with white buckles from the forearm to above the wrist.

"Naruto..sent this. He doesn't want you using the Rasengan, and neither do I. If, for whatever reason.. you're forced to use it.. this will help absorb the shock." Hinata said, handing the sleeve over to Boruto.

Boruto took it- anger slowly brimming underneath his curious glance at the sleeve.

"Where is he right now?" Boruto's voice softly rasped.

Hinata.. looked away.

"He's meeting with the Shu Boeigun. He wanted to be here with you both. You know that." Hinata answered.

State Shinobi? They're still here?

Their appearance had caused somewhat of an uproar in the village, despite the fact Boruto hadn't seen either agent yet.

Boruto knew that one of them was Naruto's only genin pupil.. a man named Tangura.

"I understand." Boruto said quietly. He gave a cynical smirk, raising the sleeve slightly above blonde hair.

"I'll accept this as his proxy."

Hinata laughed. Then, she gave Boruto a hug.

"Stay safe, Boruto. For the both of us. And Hima too."

"What is it, Mom? You're shaking." Boruto noticed then Hinata was crying.

Hinata separated from Boruto.

"I.. I haven't wanted to talk about this, Boruto. I still haven't told your Father."

Hinata met Boruto's eyes, a terrified but controlled sternness returning to her voice.

"When you were on the roof.. when you fainted.." Hinata started.

Boruto's mind felt as if it froze.

Ninurta.. Amakushiki.

Cursed eye..

Boruto's skin went cold.

Before Hinata could continue, the sound of their front door slamming open filled the house.

Himawari's voice hissed behind Boruto's ears.

"Come on! We're officially running late." Hima tsk'd, dragging Boruto out the door by his collar.

"Bye again mom-" Himawari said, pushing Boruto out into Konoha.

Boruto felt almost as if he had just been shaken awake.

I can't.. I can't deal with this right now.

Boruto's thoughts were focused on Hinata's words, the fear that was nearly palpable within white, featureless eyes.

The young Uzumaki swallowed harshly, forcing himself again to bury the questions that had no answer.

Boruto shook, sighing.

The group began walking through Konoha. It was getting colder, but a warm breeze still wafted through tall, wooden buildings. Shikadai asked about the sleeve Boruto was carrying-

Boruto explained its purpose, to which Shikadai gave him a wry grin.

"Seems like using it would still be a bad idea though. From what you're saying.. It's a technique that has risks that far outweigh any benefits, at least for now." After this, the youths traveled in comparative silence, each of them ruminating on the trials that lay ahead.

Finally, it was Himawari who broke that somber crypt.

"I guess this is where I leave you guys." Hima said.

Boruto nodded. The gates were at polar opposites of the training grounds, meaning now it would be faster for Hima to go another direction

To reach Suihe.

"Good luck. Don't embarrass me," Boruto raised his fist to Hima.

Hima scoffed.

"I was gonna say the same thing," she said, bumping her fist against Boruto's while forming jutsu signs with her free hand.

Then, Himawari vanished in a wisp of smoke.

"MIZABËSHIKI…" URASHIKI cackled.

"An idiotic name." Urashiki sneered.

Momoshiki sighed- its eyes had been closed- grinning in the caress of Mundane's wind.

Momoshiki found it an exhilarating sensation, one worth pausing and cherishing-

Much to the annoyance of Momoshiki's drole servants.

Momoshiki sat underneath the embrace of two dying trees, themselves within a forest nestled amongst lonely mountains. Momoshiki gleaned from the nighttime stars that Mundane seemed to go through seasons, the environment itself changing to reflect the will of power that would soon..

Be mine.

Momoshiki nodded a pale face forward, white eyes tracing the faraway rivers that cut through a forest of orange and red.

"You've grown rather bold since arriving here, Urashiki." Momoshiki hissed.

Urashiki's laughter ceased.

Momoshiki turned its head sideways towards Urashiki, silver hair falling beside high cheekbones.

"Though I'm sure you're the same as I. The sensations here.. despite your lower creation, it makes you drunk with joy, doesn't it? Even Kinshiki.. bore that one is.."

Momoshiki's attentions turned back to the autumn heavens below them.

"I will allow you this grace, Urashiki. Though do not forget your place."

Momoshiki paused for a moment, closing its eyes.

Then, it laughed.

"Mizabëshiki is a horrid name. It is a name of weakness. One of failure. It is the perfect moniker for a leader of beasts."

Urashiki's footsteps gingerly approached closer.

"Ah.. I see. So there's another Mizabëshiki. A first one." Urashiki intoned coyly.

The Successor's eyes opened.

"Yes. Kaguya's forebear. It's because of Mizabëshiki that Usurper.. Isshiki, stole fate itself." Momoshiki's eyes watered- out of sadness and silent rage.

"Kaguya's forebear? That would make Mizabëshiki your-"

The Successor's eyes widened in instant fury. It spun to a snarling turn, pointing a long nailed finger at Urashiki's bewildered expression.

"You have spoken far too freely, Warad Sin!" Momoshiki bellowed, using Urashiki's true name.

Urashiki instantly fell to the ground- clawing at an invisible fire that ate away at white skin.

"Stop Master! Please!" Urashiki pleaded between gibbering sobs.

Momoshiki stepped over the writhing creature, trees curling away from the alien chakra.

"Mizbëshiki's purpose is to redeem my legacy. To reclaim a name is everything to our kind. As tantamount as the Tree itself. A name..contains creation." Momoshiki said, striding away from Urashiki.

"Wait!" Urashiki screamed desperately.

Momoshiki paused. It turned, giving Urashiki a disgusted, bored glare.

"The burning- I'm begging.. make it stop!" Urashiki cried. Tears were visibly falling down both of its cheeks.

Momoshiki chuckled.

"Perhaps on the morrow, Urashiki."

"No! Please Master! Please! Momoshiki!"

It truly is an animal. Pitiful creature.

The Successor left the mountainwood to Urashiki's sobs.

BORUTO AND THE OTHERS walked upon a dirt road that cut between farmland interposed with random trees. Boruto noticed run down homes amongst them, realizing that they belonged to Konoha's unseen lower middle class-

People who lived outside the relative safety of Konoha's walls and chakra barrier. With that said, these lands were still well regulated, and not prone to bandit attacks like more remote villages within the land of Fire.

As they came closer, the trail led to a large, grassy field. In the far distance, gigantic trees with thick trunks and sprawling branches rose above a steel gate. The forest was almost like a city itself, and seemed to span dozens of kilometers in each direction.

Below the trees however, Boruto saw a group of small figures in the distance. There were dozens of them. As they moved, Boruto saw their headbands shine under the light of the early afternoon sun.

"Well," Shikadai walked ahead of Boruto and Sarada.

"I guess for now, we wait with them." He said with a shrug.

Boruto narrowed his eyes- from this distance, he couldn't tell if Mitsuki was here or not.

"Let's get closer." Boruto said softly.

Sarada nodded in silent agreement.

Shikadai led the way for them, silent buzzing of conversation was now heard.

They approached the outside ring of waiting genin-

Some turned, but none gave them any attention. Boruto recognized some genin from the village- not by name, but mostly by appearance. Others, he had no idea who they were. They bore headbands from the various hidden villages.

"Sarada, Boruto." Shikadai whispered.

He came between them, nodding his head forward.

"That's Shinki." He said, pointing. Boruto followed Shikadai's finger.

Shinki was short, though his thinness made him seem taller than he was. His head was completely shaven- while his skin was lightly tanned by Suna's sun.

He stood slightly away from the other genin, staring into the darkness of the forest beyond.

Shinki wore a simple black tunic, fishnet undermesh stretching past his tunic's shoulder length sleeves. On his chest a strange metal mask of some sort seemed to be tied. It was large, nearly covering his entire torso up to the edge of his exposed clavicles.

"What's he carrying?" Sarada asked in a hushed tone.

"That.. is his jutsu. Iron Sand. The mask.. it melts away, and covers him in Iron Sand from head to toe." Shikadai's voice wavered.

"Don't forget what I said Boruto. His jutsu is a costly one. If you cross him, you'd be better off running."

The easygoing confidence in Shikadai's speech returned.

"If you can't run, you need to do all you can to exhaust him. We know the Chunin exams will be broken into two stages. Shinki might not want to go all out here. I imagine no one will."

Boruto remained silent. Shinki turned his attention from the forest-

Noticing for the first time the three watching him. If he cared, he didn't show it.

"Let's hope we don't cross him." Sarada said.

I haven't seen Mitsuki yet-

Boruto stood on his tiptoes, scanning the genin-

"I'm going to look around for Mitsuki." Boruto announced.

Shikadai sighed.

"Judging by the amount of people here, he's probably at the second gate. I won't stop ya though." Shikadai replied, giving Boruto a smile.

"Don't get lost. Find me if you catch him." Sarada spoke as Boruto nodded to them both, then ventured deeper into the sea of genin on his own.

He analyzed the different groups-

Before his eyes fell upon a fully cloaked genin that was seated in meditation. It wore the dressings of a warrior monk. A Suna headband was tied to its upper arm, while an angelic mask that bore two faces obscured its true visage. It was strange though- the monk seemed to be female due to her body but..

Boruto found himself staring at the monk's chest.

"It's weird, right?" A voice quipped beside Boruto.

Boruto jumped, blushing as he turned to regard a boy somehow shorter than he was.

The boy had long brown hair, and wore a blue mask over his lower mouth. He covered one eye with his headband in the same fashion as Kakashi sensei's.

"What is?" Boruto frowned.

"Her boobs. They look weird. Like, they're not boobs at all." The boy replied thoughtfully.

Boruto sighed.

Leaving this conversation-

Boruto turned on his heels, continuing his search for Mitsuki.

"Wait!" The boy scampered after Boruto.

"I know you. You're Boruto Uzumaki!" The masked boy said excitedly.

Boruto stopped, annoyed that his polite nature urged him to do so.

"My name is Hōki. Hōki Taketori!" Hōki grinned underneath a blue mask.

"Nice to meet you, Hōki." Boruto said flatly.

Might as well take advantage of the situation.

"Hey, have you seen a genin named Mitsuki? He's super pale, has slit pupils like mine, curly white-blue hair.." Boruto scanned the genin around him as he spoke.

Hōki looked away from Boruto in thought.

"No, I don't think so. And I was one of the first ones to arrive here."

Boruto frowned.

Damn it. So he is at Himawari's gate.

"It's fine though, I-" Hōki began just as a loud siren blared from within the forest.

The genin turned their attention to popping plumes of smoke, jonin attendants rising from within them.

At the forefront of them was a woman dressed in a fishnet tunic covered by a black jacket. She stood some meters away from Boruto, bearing a cruel, cynical grin that reminded Boruto of Himawari.

"Welcome, future Shinobi!" The woman's voice was louder than Boruto expected- as she spoke, he realized she was magnifying her voice with chakra.

"I'll make this quick. We're running behind schedule since so many of you were late." The woman said.

Boruto's wristband suddenly beeped.

The once blank panel lit up, though the color of it was entirely black. Other genin looked at their wristbands too-

Beeps surrounded Boruto.

"Let me see yours," Boruto asked Hōki.

Hōki raised his wristband to Boruto's narrowed eyes.

It wasn't a color- it was an image of a swan.

The woman's voice yelled over the sound of murmuring genin.

"On your left wristbands, you will find either a color, or an animal. On your right, you see a denotation of.. eight."

The woman gave the assembled genin a violent smile.

"Your teams for this Exam will be designated by your wristband color or animal. Each genin will have seven days to accrue 70 points. Obtaining the colored wristband will give you five points. The cloth wristband, obviously, will give you eight."

The woman stepped forward.

"However, the color wristband will change states at random. And those with the same color or animal cannot attack each other… after the second day. The cloth wristbands can be taken anytime there's an opportunity to. If you lose both wristbands or you're unable to fight further, you're disqualified."

Hōki and Boruto gave each other knowing looks.

So.. he gets it too.

Boruto narrowed his eyes in thought.

They're encouraging betrayal within teams during this first day. There's no rules, other than getting the wristbands. It will be up to each individual team member if they want to keep their squad, or simply get more points early on.

The woman's instruction continued.

"Once your teams are announced, you are to go to the jonin holding your corresponding flag. They will lead you to the starting area. Once you're there, you'll wait until you hear that same siren- that is when the Exams begin."

"Well, good luck, Boruto!" Hōki offered cheerfully.

Boruto ignored him, focusing instead on the lead proctor.

"First up.. is Black team!" She declared.

"Boruto Uzumaki.. Eu-Mi Lee.. and Akadou Xuezhi!"

Eu-Mi?! That's right! Shikadai said to watch out for her!

Boruto stepped forward, watching for his new team as their jonin waved a black flag.

He saw Eu-Mi first.

She was tall, wearing a cropped striped shirt that exposed her muscled stomach. Her legs were adorned in military slacks that were stuffed into two-toed anbu-style boots.

Around Eu-Mi's neck a bandolier of small scrolls curled, acting like a makeshift scarf. Her hair was black, tightly braided in four long tails that fell from each corner of her head.

She walked past Boruto with a smirk, looking down at him.

Boruto then saw another figure shift through the crowd. He wore standard shinobi attire, a Kusagakure headband tied around his forehead.

The genin carried one visible weapon-

A simple wooden staff that bore no decorations nor inscription.

The Kusagakure genin's head was shaved on one side, while curly blonde locks fell down the other. He had sharply slanted eyes that were almost closed, and as he strode closer, Boruto noticed the boy's pupil's were red.

And this must be Akadou.

Boruto stood between his newly adopted team, none of them offering any conversation.

The flag carrying jonin nodded at each of them.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

Eu-Mi answered instantly.

"Of course."

"Follow me," The jonin ordered.

As they were led into the forest, Boruto heard the proctor's boisterous voice.

"Next.. is team Green! Sarada Uchiha.. Shikadai Nara.. and Usen Yotsuki!"

Boruto gave an annoyed sigh.

Of course Sarada and Shikadai are on the same team. And Usen Yotsuki.. is he from the same clan as Iwabe?

Boruto's thoughts vanished as the gate separating him from the forest was slowly pulled open by their jonin guide.

The darkness of the forest seemed to be in almost violent reprisal of the sun, shadows bold underneath the protection of undying green leaves.

"Your starting point isn't far from here." The jonin said, taking the lead ahead of the trio.

"As you heard, you are to wait there until you hear the starting siren. Remember the rules, and do your best. The future of your villages depends on your success." The jonin said somberly.

Boruto looked up at Eu-Mi, then turned to give Akadou a glance.

I can't really get a read on either of them. What are they going to do once the exam starts? Should I just run away?

Boruto curled his fingers into a tight fist.

The exams were already growing more complicated than he anticipated..

But there was no going back, not now. The only option Boruto had.. was to go forward.

"I WANT TO KILL THEM NOW! NOW!" Tomaniputra squealed. It banged its hands on stony ground, shaking its head as foam flew from a snarling mouth.

Clouds covered the land here, while wayward strikes of lightning seemed to slash at the fog in random intervals, lightning up sections of their surroundings with violent seconds of visibility before the fog once again curled over.

Garuneshka found it interesting that such a powerful force could be quelled by something as benign as fog. There was something else too- despite bearing the Byakugan in one of its hands, Garuneshka couldn't see through the fog.

Surely our quarry doesn't have the ability to circumvent our Lord's power?

Tomaniputra rose to a kneeling position, rocking itself back and forth while sucking on its fingers.

Garuneshka smiled almost lovingly at Tomaniputra.

Garuneshka felt compelled to protect Tomaniputra, even though the being bore an intellectual disability that made it little more than a child.

Though all of us are flawed.. us of the False Three.

Garuneshka gazed into the fog once more, wondering when Mizabëshiki would give them the signal to strike.

KOĪE looked into the fog. Lightning crashed all around-

Though Killer Bee slept peacefully. It was Koīe's duty to protect Bee. Yes, it was the very reason for Koīe's existence, and that of the Tenno Ban'nin.

However, something felt wrong. Koīe looked back at Bee. The man still slept soundly.

With a crash of lighting Koīe rose, exiting their shared tent as Sharingan glowed underneath flowing blonde hair.

Koīe walked forward-

He drew his katana with honed efficiency and speed, deflecting a strike that was aimed for Koīe's neck-

The strength of the blow sent Koīe sliding backwards.

An enemy?! I can't sense them!

Koīe's Sharingan bounced within their sockets until-

A tall, lithe figure marched from the murky clouds.

It wore a strange peacock mask around its mouth, while long black hair bordered pale, featureless eyes.

Byakugan..?

It was dressed simply, wearing an onyx hakama and a purple half cape around slender shoulders.

The figure wielded a strange sword-

The hilt of it was like a katana, but the actual blade was curved, not unlike a crescent moon.

"I was trying to kill you." The figure called.

Its voice was deep-

"Who ar-"

With speed that not even Koīe's Sharingan could trace, the figure erupted beside him. Koīe turned, slashing his katana downwards in a defensive arc.

The figure pounced backwards…

As blood trailed from Koïe's right hand, which now.. was missing three fingers.

Koïe winced, ignoring the pain.

Better not reveal my abilities now. Whatever this thing is.. it's strong.

And the fact that it was able to find us means only one thing..

Chakra welled up within Koïe. Slight reverberations shook the fog.

"If you abandon what you defend, I will let you live." The attacker offered.

Koïe gave a smile, remaining silent.

The attacker nodded.

"Very well."

The figure threw its sword into the air-

the sword twirled midair of its own accord, before rigidly pointing downwards. Koïe stepped forward-

Only for his body to collapse onto the stone below, an invisible force holding Koïe's body in place.

I can't..!

The figure burst into existence above Koïe, sword slashing for Koïe's exposed neck.

The sound of cold steels meeting in lethal embrace met Koïe instead of his death.

"Killer.. Bee!" Koïe stammered.

Killer Bee grunted, two of his swords holding the Figure's death blow only a gasp away.

"Who in the hell.." Killer Bee flourished his swords into a spin. The figure disengaged, landing some meters away.

The pressure upon Koïe's body ceased.

"..is this fool?" Killer Bee asked, swords crossed defensively. Koïe coughed, rising to his feet.

"I have no idea. But he's after you." Koïe answered.

I almost died there. What sort of power is behind this guy's jutsu?

The attacker threw his sword into the air-

"Watch out, Bee! This is how he activates his Ju-"

Koïe coughed- blood sputtering free between clenched teeth as the figure's full weight bore into him- no, it was more than that. It was almost as if..

Is he controlling gravity..?

The figure was drawn backwards, pulling its sword free from Koïe's stomach as it dodged two slashes from Killer Bee.

Koïe steadied himself, breathing haggardly.

Lighting struck behind their mysterious attacker.

"You're the one who needs to watch out. You okay kid?" Killer Bee asked.

Koïe smiled.

"I guess I should've gone all out from the start." Koïe formed a jutsu sign with both hands, dropping his weapon.

"Sorry if you get caught up in this.. Bee." Koie's Sharingan flexed-

Before evolving into an entirely new design.

"Mangekyo.. Sharingan!" Koïe shouted, his voice now louder than the lightning beyond.

The figure laughed softly, lifting his sword as Koïe's chakra shook the very stone they all stood upon-

Stone that soon may become their shared and final battlefield.

NEXT TIME: AN AUDIENCE WITH JIGEN..!

[katiemcgrath]

SHUKRI ABDI WAS 12 YEARS OLD. She was born and raised in a refugee camp. I can't imagine how her mother must have felt when she landed in the UK, when she sent her child to school, there must have been hope in her heart. Her babies would grow up safe, away from the conflict. And then to have to it all taken away.

That little girl was murdered. She was murdered by her classmate. Child one told her if she doesn't get in the water that they would kill her. They intentionally left her in the water, despite the fact she couldn't swim. They laughed as she drowned. They laughed as other children tried to save Shukri. They laughed when the other kids realised she was dead and called for help. They laughed until police arrived. The police are wrong, it was not an accident. What happened to Shukri, a little Somalian girl who deserved to grow up and live a happy life, was murder.

I'm tired of white children being coddled and told it's okay, they'll learn. This wasn't an accident, they were hurling horrific racist abuse at her for months.

Her dearest mother and siblings deserve justice. Shukri Abdi was murdered. Manchester needs to be in the streets screaming about this.