#Road Warrior Tires

[evilminji]

You know what I never see explored?

"Not on MY watch!" Superfan Dash Baxter. The young, limnal, quarterback built like a tank and willing to hit like one.

Because let's be real here. Imagine that scenario: Dash, heading to practice with his Bros. His best friends. The team. When? Oh shit! It's PHANTOM! Best day EVER right?

Except it's NOT.

Somethings wrong. He's not as graceful as he usually is. There is no clever comebacks. He looks beat up, man. What HAPPENED? Everyone looks confused when Dash looks around. But before he can call up to him?

Phantom is Shot Out Of The SKY.

Hits the football field HARD. The entire team is already running. Full sprint. It's those fucking GIW. Already driving onto the field and tearing it up. Jumping out, weapons primed.

Phantom's not... oh god, he's not getting up.

He looks hurt. Really hurt. Those bastards are closing in.

Dash's team? Has his back. They're also fans. Friends of his. Not a single one hesitates. They put their BACKS into it and welcome these sick fucks to Tackle Practice. With a follow up of "Taste Your Own Teeth". Amity special, coach would be proud.

But Dash... fuck, he can't wail on these guys AND protect Phantom at the same time. Kwan tells him to go. Throws him his keys. His car is least shit. Dash owes him SO many pizzas for this. First pick on movies for LIFE, man.

It hurts to leave his team behind. His best friend. But Dash has to GO. He can already hear the Fentons closing in. He grabs Phantom, his HERO, and runs for his life.

Barely manages to peel out of there in time. Floors it. Calls Paulina, obviously. She and Star are doing a spa day thing. She picks up because she KNOWS he wouldn't bother her if it wasn't serious. And-!

Oh...

Oh fuck.

In the rear view mirror. The Fentons and GIW just screeched onto the road behind him. Closing distance FAST. What does he do? Paulina he can't... he WON'T hand Phantom over!

And of course she understands. For God's sake, she in LOVE with the guy. He's never heard her sound so scared and furious. They'll get phantom over her twice dead body. She and Star are making some sort of noises, chanting, and...?

Giant Amazons with swords? GHOST Amazons. Suddenly in the road, jumping over his car to attack the cars behind him. Paulina what the FUCK?? She been talking to her Abuela, APPARENTLY. Who's friends aunt's "roomate" was particularly good at communicating with the dead. So OBVIOUSLY Paulina got her to send notes and studied them in secret.

Gotta be able to speak to you future husband's family in their native language. You win brownie points. Gives her a step up. "Not the point"? It's kind of a point! Giant warrior women! Who-?

Paulina made friends while practicing.

Of course she did. Why is he even REMOTELY surprised she chose the giant terrifying Amazons to be beasties with? He's know her for years. He should know better by now.

.....he feels small asking. Hates that his voice shakes. But... but what do they DO, 'Lina?

What he hates even more is the little shake in his childhood friends voice, even though she's trying to sound certain and strong. What they Do? What they DO is Dash drives his ass the her house, gets in her BETTER car, which she is going to load up, and they leave Amity.

She has LOADS of money. All sorts of jewelry. They're very last season. Frankly, she.. she can't WAIT to pawn them if they have too. They just have to drive. Get Phantom as far away from those freaks as possible. Get help.

And? It could go so many ways from there? Paulina LOVES Phantom. How will she reconcile that with her views on Fenton? How will Dash? Seperated from their roles as "the popular ones" and "the crazy people's son". Knowing that... that Danny likes her TOO.

But she's been AWFUL to him. She said so much. DID so much.

Do the even? LIKE each other? Or just the IDEA of each other? The person they made up in their heads.

They're afraid, tired, on the run. But free from school, the expectations of others, the baked in histories of a small town. Who ARE they as people? Do they like each other? COULD they?

I want to believe that Paulina really means it. That no one is at their best in middle and high school. They say and do stupid, mean, shallow shit. Because the world presses and presses and tells them it's all they are worth. Because they don't know who they ARE yet. Because she is a child. Not yet eighteen.

And Danny isn't perfect either. He saw a pretty, pretty face and got distracted by it. Didn't see how HARD she works. How smart she is. How ambitious and brilliant at reading people.

Are they trying to get to an Embassy? To Paulina's extended Family to the south, who would most certainly take them in, and would gladly fight gods for them? Or is this a crossover? Are they going towards other Heros? Older ones?

Is Paulina planning to pull a Lois Lane and Cause Problems On Purpose? Is Dash HAUNTED by "oh fuck, Wes was right." And now knows he's gonna have just... just WALK UP TO THEM. Broad ass daylight. Like "hello, I clearly know your secret identity! Please don't kill me!"?

Whatever the plan? Danny is in the back row of Paulina's once nice, now beat to hell car, bleeding irresistibly damaging acidic ecto-blood all over the seats. Wrapped up like a mummy. Texting Tucker.

The live tweets from Amity are... An Event. A Spectacle for the ages. His parents KNOW now, have speed run their grief STRAIGHT to RAGE, directed that rage at the GIW, and gone to WAR. Once a Fenton, always a Fenton. Jazz was right. "Anti-ghost" sentience testing once a week DID pay off.

Was it a pain in the ass? Absolutely. But results don't lie. He clearly passed. Is clearly sentient, emotional, and their son. All in hard numbers they ran themselves. Will it stop them attack FULL ghosts? Jazz has no idea. But it sure did convince them to put the GIW in a hole and fill it with concrete.

Danny's getting reports of "you SHOT MY BABY!" Being shouted in public. Sam has decided to channel her frustration at being unable to help him into Full Goth Dramatic Shit Stirring. Non-waterproof mascara, disheveled hair. Clutching a picture of him. Dramatic howling and weeping in the arms of her parents.

Apparently now that he's presumed DEAD, the Mansons ALWAYS loved him. Like a SON to them. A sweet, innocent child. Their daughters friend! The GIW are monsters and child killers, they decry.

And the Red Huntress is... Oh, yikes. Yeah he should call her. Val is one more bad thing happening from her villian origin story. At least she... PROBABLY... has killed anyone yet. Note to self: when Danny can actually move torso again, buy Valerie soothing anti-stress...everything. All the things. She responds to stress by punching. Deliver from safe, non-punchable distance.

All in all? My Dash? Needs more Dash! Give the popular kids a chance to prove they aren't just cardboard cut outs! That they can grow beyond the roles high-school and society has pushed them into! Give them some trauma! Why only Danny? Spread the psychic damage!

@stealingyourbones @hdgnj @the-witchhunter @nerdpoe

[volklana]

Cursed Eyes Don't Lie

Request: Could you do something where in season 4 when they're escorting the children, that they encounter a woman on the travels they adopt into their band essentially to help with the children but she despises Sihtric because when he was one of Kjartans men he plundered her village and she never forgot him? Does that make sense and then somehow through all that angst make them fall in love?

Warnings: Mentions of past trauma associated with SA, I do not go into detail at all, it's just alluded to that it happened. If that isn't for you, please don't read, protect your peace and you can catch me next time xx

For some parts I have replaced things that Eadith did in the show with reader.

It was Finan who had spotted the little flicker of a fire in the distance that he insisted on following, he and Sihtric leading the way until they were brought to the ruins of an old Roman building at the edge of the woods.

They shared an unsure look, with Uhtred who looked to Eadith for reassurance.

“The children are tired, we need rest,” she urged and so he nodded at his companions to proceed.

They crept forward, up along the ridge of the broken ruins to try and decipher how many men were camped inside but to their shock and amusement they could only make out the silhouette of one woman, warming herself beside the fire, completely unaware that she was being watched. 

“Just a woman?” Uhtred tilted his head in shock.

“I should go first,” Eadith offered, “If a band of men wander in demanding refuge you may startle her.”

Uhtred nodded in agreement and so Eadith made her way inside the ruins, ensuring to drag her feet a little to announce her arrival.

You swung around dagger in hand ready to attack and paused when she raised her hands in surrender, but not putting down your dagger.

“Please, I am with a group traveling with children, all I ask is that we may share your fire for the night. No harm will come upon you and we will leave at first light in the morning.”

You looked behind her to the small band of warriors and children clinging to their sides.

“I have no provisions or food, but there is a stream, you may wish to bath and collect water from,” you finally relented, placing your dagger back into its sheath around your waist and allowing them to pile in around the heat of the fire, while one of them announced they would try to hunt some food.

Introductions were made and you shared a little of your water with the children, while still remaining a little cautious of the men in the group. Eadith came to sit by your side and she bumped you gently with her arm.

“I know why you are wary. Us women have no choice but to be wary but I assure you these are some of the best men I have ever known, you have no reason to be worried. I promise you.”

“If you had seen the things I had seen lady you would be wary too,” was your only reply but you were reassured enough to loosen your guard. 

Eventually as dusk was beginning to turn into the night the last of the men, the Dane Sihtric returned with two rabbits much to the cheer of his friends who immediately set about preparing them to cook while Finan, you had learned was his name, brought more wood to keep the fire going.

You went down to the stream to collect more water to give to the little Aelfwynn who seemed to be struggling the most with the conditions of the road, so much so you had parted with your furs for the night in an attempt to keep her warmer.

Uhtred’s man Sihtric, the Dane was washing his hands and face in the river and so you moved more upstream to collect the water.

You eyed him suspiciously, as he bathed but when he turned to face you, two mismatched eyes set a fire burning in your stomach and before you had time to think your actions through, you flung the animal hide you were using to store water with at him and it connected to his chest with a thud, as you fumbled for your dagger.

Your chest rose and fell in fury as you seethed, and he put his arms up in surrender, face a mixture of terror and confusion.

“You were one of Kjartan’s men, do not deny it!” you spat.

“Lady please,” he begged but made no move to stop you pressing the dagger to his neck.

“You sacked my village. You murdered my family.”

Sihtric’s eyes swam with emotion, his Adam's apple bobbing when he swallowed.

“Please, it was a different life, I had no choice.” 

“No I had no choice,” you spat “No choice but to endure while your men took what they wanted from my village and from…me,” you refused to look away at the last part, the shame was on them and not on you and you refused to allow it to shame you now.

“And when I think back on that day I see your eyes. Eyes of the devil looking down on me, leaving me there amongst the burning embers of my life. I swore I would never forget those eyes. I have cursed those eyes and I would have my revenge one day.”

There were tears in the Danes' eyes and you did not care.

“Then have your revenge, I won’t try to stop you. But know this,” he pleaded “I never willingly served Kjartan a day in my life, all I did was to survive his cruelty. He killed my mother, he would have killed me too had I not proven myself useful as a warrior but I never ever relished in destruction. And I never forced myself upon any woman, not then, and not now and I have served Lord Uhtred faithfully, especially since he killed my father.”

You cocked your eyebrow in curiosity and Sihtric sighed.

“I am Kjartan’s bastard,” he spat “And the world is a better place for him not being in it.”  

You hated yourself for loosening your hold on the dagger ever so slightly, but Sihtric made no move to escape, “I am sorry for what you have endured at the hands of the men I was with, and for my part in it. I will receive punishment in whatever way you see fit.” 

You pushed the knife further into his skin again, watching a trickle of blood run down his neck to his collarbone and disappearing under his vest, tears pooling in your own eyes.

“I’ve waited for this day for years. Night after night remembering those eyes, imagining what I would do when I had you in my grasp, it is what kept me going all these years, and now I’m here and I can’t do it. I can’t do it,” you cried, dropping your dagger at your feet.

You stood facing each other for an eternity, chests rising and falling, looking into each other’s eyes, before Sihtric knelt down before you, “On Thor’s hammer I offer you my protection for as long as you will allow it. Travel with us, the road is no place for a woman on her own and I will never allow any wrong to fall upon you at the hands of another man again. This I swear until you release me.” 

You examined those two mismatched eyes once again, ones that had many moons ago offered you his hand and pulled you from the table you were hiding under, pressing an apple into your hand as he gathered the few possessions he had plundered, and watching you with sad eyes before he mounted his horse.

“Coward,” you had roared after him, in the midst of your burning village, but now it was you who was the coward. 

You considered him carefully, and could see that he was sincere.

“I accept the offer of your protection. But make one unwanted move on me and I will have your balls for earrings,” you promised. 

He couldn’t help but smile as he rose, and you ordered him to pick up the discarded hide of water to bring back to the camp, which he hastily fumbled for.

“And the curse?” he shouted trying to catch up to you.

“Remains until I see fit to lift it,” was all you offered, not giving him the chance to fall in step with you.

“What happened to your neck?” Finan asked as you walked back together.

“Ah, must have nicked in on a branch,” Sihtric dismissed but Finan warily eyed the dagger on your waist, and you cocked an eyebrow in challenge but thankfully he let it go.

You tossed and turned but could not find sleep. Every time you closed your eyes all you could see were Sihtric’s eyes. Those mismatched eyes you had grown so accustomed to hating. Sympathetic eyes, pulling you from your hiding place of fear and smoothing you down but making no attempt to force himself on you. And accepting eyes as you held a dagger to his throat, willing to allow you to hurt him, this made you feel more conflicted than you had in years. 

Sihtric in turn could not sleep. He had earned two black eyes and a swollen lip once Tekil had informed Kjartan that he had refused to take his turn with you, but he could never admit that to you now. You had said you had cursed his eyes and maybe you had, Sihtric was no fool, he had seen the damage a curse could cause, maybe his curse was to have found the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on and never be granted the opportunity to earn her love. To see her but never to touch or hold.

The next morning Finan woke everyone up and the scramble to collect everything began.

Sihtric was by your side in an instant as the camp made to leave.

“She comes with us,” he announced, causing Finan and Uhtred to step toward him in bewilderment, “She comes with us. She comes with me.” was all he offered in terms of explanation and began walking, to which you simply followed behind. 

Life on the road the next few days were a blaze of walking as far as possible in the light and hunkering down for the night wherever Uhtred deemed safe. Finan and Sihtric always took the nightwatch whilst you and Eadith tended to the children. Little Athelstan had taken a real shine to you, always opting to sleep by your side or holding your hand in the dark, but by day he only ever wanted to be by Finan’s side. 

“Horses!” Uhtred warned and you all took to running. Sihtric grasped your hand in his.

“Keep running,” he urged, pulling you alongside him and you grasped his hand for dear life running as fast as you could. Only halting when you nearly fell into the lake with bodies of the dead from the sickness, Sihtric gripping you to stop you falling in.

Deciding against Sihtric’s suggestion to swim through, you had no option but to surrender to Eardwulf and his men’s approach, Sihtric ushered you behind him, one hand in front of you in an attempt to protect you. 

“Protect the children with your lives,” Uhtred commanded as Eardwulf’s men dismounted their horses and you reached for your dagger, while Sihtric gave his own dagger to Athelstan. 

As Edith revealed the truth of her brother’s treachery and he fled away into exile, Sihtric once again took your hand in his, squeezing it gently three times, for reassurance. 

At Wollerton, you found horses and provisions for the next part of your journey, Eadith and Osferth were to remain with Aelfwynn, to try keep her alive, and Young Uhtred and Sihtric were to find Aethelflaed, you lingered awkwardly for a moment having received no orders.

“You will ride with me?” Sihtric announced but it was more like a question, and you nodded, before mounting his horse and he climbed on behind you. You were both awkward with the proximity, you wanted to put more space between you two but Sihtric’s strong arms encased you and in the end you had to relent to the fact that you could not escape his touch. 

“Woah,” Sihtric  jolted forward to catch you, it had been hours worth of riding and you hadn’t felt yourself falling asleep, but Sihtric caught you before you fell from the horse.

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled feeling embarrassed.

“It’s okay I’ve got you,” he shushed “We will rest soon I promise, but lay your head back on me, that way you can close your eyes and I’ll keep a stronger hold on you,” and even though you didn’t want to, exhaustion overruled and you obeyed as his left arm locked around your waist. 

He tried to ignore the hammering of his heart and for a long time he wouldn’t allow himself to look at your peaceful face, but when he did his breath caught in his throat and he had to force himself to look ahead again. 

When you finally caught up to Aethelflaed and Sihtric relayed the news, you were almost dead on your feet. 

Sihtric agreed to take Aethelflaed to where Osferth and Eadith were caring for Aelfwynn, and you delayed a moment.

“Leave me here,” you urged, “I will slow you down.”

“No,” Sihtric shook his head furiously, “I will not leave without you.”

“Sihtric,” you sighed.

“No y/n I am sworn to you and I will not abandon you. Where you go, I go.” 

You knew him just well enough to know you were not going to win this battle so reluctantly you climbed back onto his horse. 

When you finally reached Aegelesburgh to the news that Uhtred was to be named the Lord of Mercia, Sihtric went to go drinking with Finan and Osferth, but you went to catch some sleep. Promising you would meet him in the alehouse afterwards. 

You arrived to a very solemn, very quiet group of soldiers, lamenting the fact that Uhtred had given up his chance to rule Mercia. Stiorra moved up a space to allow you to sit beside Sihtric and he bumped you reassuringly with his shoulder despite his sour mood. Finan returned with two jugs of ale and Eadith and you all settled into a heavy night of drinking. So much so that when the time came to depart for bed Osferth was sick outside and you were unsteady on your feet, so much so that you had linked arms with Finan while he sang some merry tune. Sihtric could not deny the fiery jealousy that was burning in his stomach as he watched you walk ahead.

He watched you throw your head back in laughter as the Irish man spun you around, “I’m going to slip,” you giggled and the sound was devastating to Sihtric, he would never make you laugh like that, and you would never allow yourself to be this carefree around him. Forever, you would be guarded and wary of him. That was the real curse. 

He huffed and stormed past you both, refusing a glance at you both and you scoffed “What’s up his arse?” 

“Can’t you tell?” Finan laughed “He’s soft on you and in all fairness I’ve been hogging you all night.”

It was like you were sober in that instant. Sihtric was developing feelings for you and you had sworn to hate him forever. 

You couldn’t sleep, and you certainly couldn’t stay, so you made up your mind to leave at first light. You would gather enough provisions to make it on your own. Your heart was sad because you had grown accustomed to the company, to Sihtric in particular. His reassuring touches, his gentleness and the way his eyes seemed to always be on your. Those eyes. “Curse those eyes,” you spat but you couldn’t quite bring yourself to mean it.

At first light you began to pack your things together and startled when a gentle knock on your door pulled your focus away from the task.

You opened it fully surprised to see Sihtric standing sheepishly outside.

“We’ve been tasked with escorting the Lady Aelswith safely on her way to Bedwyn- Are you going somewhere?” he asked eyes frantically inspecting the items on your bed.

“I’m leaving, yes.” you answered defiantly.

“Leaving?” he rushed “But where will you go? Why are you leaving? I am sworn to you. We should stay together, no?”

“You are sworn to Lord Uhtred, you go wherever he commands,” you quipped.

“No. No!” he huffed stepping foot into your room before you come stop him, “You can’t leave, where will you go? Back on the road? I won’t allow it!” 

“You won’t allow it?” you scoffed “And what on earth makes you think you have any say in what I do or where I go?” 

“I have sworn myself to you, on Thor, until you release me, or have you forgotten? Your safety is everything to me. All I have done is try to keep you safe. Can you not see that?”

“If your concern is your oath I release you, there you are free from your bond and I am free to take leave of you,” you turned on your heel and began hastily pushing things into your travel bag.

“You would dismiss me so easily?” Sihtric sounded crestfallen, his mind was scrambling a thousand miles a minute trying to comprehend what was happening and trying to find something, anything to say to make you stay.

“Sihtric, I’m not entirely sure what you think we are to each other. Did you think us friends? Lovers? I never agreed to either of those.” 

“So what if I did love you, y/n is that so terrible? I have tried in so many ways to show you that I am not the man you thought I was. But you are intent on hating me forever aren’t you? It’s hopeless, I will always be the heathen who plundered your village to you. Nothing more.”

Your heart was pounding in your ears because it was quite the opposite, you could not hate him.

“It is hopeless,” you repeated, “And you should not be prevailed upon to look at someone you love, who does not love you back every day.” 

“Could you,” he looked down at his feet, unable to meet your eyes, “Could you not love me, some day?” 

You wanted to burst into tears right there and then, throw yourself into his arms and tell him you loved him already, Sihtric could see your resolve melting and it was enough to spur him on, he took your hand in his and squeezed it three times. You had long suspected he did it to reassure himself more than you and this moment confirmed it.

“Sihtric, how could we ever be?” you cried “Look at how we began. I can’t look into your eyes and promise you that I will never not harbour resentment for what I went through at the hands of your men.” 

“And I can never make that up to you, even though I would give my life to do it,” he replied. You sniffled and allowed him to pull you to him as he embraced you tightly.

“Let me go Sihtric,” you mumbled against his skin, “Let me go as I have released you,” he nodded slowly and when you broke apart you noticed there were tears in his eyes.

“I lift my curse,” you nodded, tears falling from your own eyes“Go forward and know that I wish you no more ill.”

Sihtric looked into your eyes for what felt like hours, before finally with a firm nod he departed your room and you briefly considered running after him before making your mind up resolutely to let him go, for his own good. 

And so you departed Aegelesburgh before Uhtred’s band had even gathered their belongings to leave. 

After you had been walking for hours, you came across a band of Danes, careful to jump off the road and remain among the trees but it was unmistakable, a hoard of Danes were making their way along the road you had just traveled and it did not sit right in your stomach. 

“How much further to Winchester?” one of them complained and your stomach dropped.

Uhtred and Sihtric were going to walk right into this trap and without even thinking your actions through you took to running back in the direction you came from, you were hoping against hope you could intercede them and warn them before the Danes got to them. Your heart racing in your mouth with each step, if something happened to Sihtric and you never got to tell him how you felt you would never forgive yourself. 

You had lost track of the Danes along the road, but you no longer heard them and that worried you immensely. Still you ran as fast as your legs would allow you. Until you came to the remains of what would have been a camp for the night and you carefully made your way among the trees, you had to cover your mouth with your own hand to stop yourself screaming at the sight in front of you, hanging upside down from a tree was Uhtred, Finan, Osferth, Father Pyrlig and Sihtric. You had to fight the urge to be sick, but they were guarded by two Danes you did not have a hope of defeating alone, so you needed to act quickly, it didn’t help that you could visibly see Sihtric was not doing well and he was in trouble. 

Everyone startled at the bloodcurdling scream they heard from within the forest, and when it was followed by another more pained, one of the Danes went to inspect.

You made quick work of him with your dagger, stabbing furiously until you were sure he was dead and then you stole his ax, and silently crept back up to the camp, avoiding the second Dane who ran into the woods calling his friends name. 

“Y/n, quickly, go to Sihtric!” Uhtred urged in surprise and you made quick work of the binds tying his hands together, trying your best not to panic as his arms hung limp beside his head, and then you swung wildly at the rope tying his feet, grunting under the strain as Finan shouted words of encouragement, as he fell you grapsed his face in your hands “You’re alright, you’re alright,” you assured but Uhtred shouted for you to release Pyrlig and so you sprung into action while Sihtric attempted to regain composure.

As you were working on Pyrlig, the second Dane returned and you watched Sihtric grapple with him and when you finally released Pyrlig the two of them took him down, Sihtric stabbing wildly until he Dane finally fell.

You made quick work of Osferth, Finan and finally Uhtred. 

When all were finally free you ran to Sihtric graping him into your embrace.

“I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry,” you kept repeating while he placed kisses to your head and face, anywhere his lips could land. “It’s alright, I’m alright,” he repeated in  between kisses. 

But you did not have time to revel in the moment as Uhtred had commanded you all to run, the Danes had Stiorra and you were going to make the journey on foot to Winchester, and so you found yourself hand clasped in Sihtric’s once more running through fields in an attempt to keep up.

Not stopping once until you reached Winchester, but Sihtric never once let go of your hand.

When you volunteered yourself to go in disguise to check on the captives, Sihtric wanted to be sick. If the Danes in Winchester were preparing for a siege you were going to be stuck inside but you were certain on your path. 

And you surprised even yourself with the gumption you had found, as the guards cleared you to enter the city.

But it did not take long before you found yourself in Haeston’s hands as you had tried to enter the castle using Eardwulf’s execution as a distraction. The moment he grasped you, you knew you were in trouble.

“What do you want with me?” you cried as he dragged you across the courtyard but you already knew what he wanted, as he pulled you up to the loft of a building and you prayed that you would have no need to use your dagger on him, because you would in a heartbeat.

Thirty days passed under Haeston's control with the city under siege. He tried each night to lay with you for the first two weeks but each night you rebuked him with warnings of gouging out his eyes whilst he slept. He brought you morsels of whatever food he could find and as you weakened, he relished in your lack of strength. He was the worse kind of predator, the one who strikes only when the prey is too weak to defend itself, but you would not allow yourself to become his prey. 

But when he frantically came up to grab you, telling you the battle had come, that he did not want to face it, your heart hammered excitedly at the prospect of seeing Sihtric again. 

He pulled you along until you finally found your strength lashing out at him until he relented and released you.

“Stay here and you will die,” he spat and you stood fast.

“Die then ungrateful bitch,” he shot before turning his back and fleeing.

You ended up in the midst of the fighting, with only your dagger for protection, but in the chaos you fell and were being trampled on, worsened when both sides shouted for a shield wall. It was Finan who had heard your groans of pain, breaking the shield wall in order to pick you up and carry you to safety. 

As soon as the negotiations began Sihtric was by your side, mismatched eyes searching every part of your body for injury. 

“My love,” he cried “Oh my love,”

“Sihtric,” you mumbled, allowing him to pull you to him, you hand flew up to trace the scar on his face and you ran your thumb across his lips “Your eyes that I have cursed a thousand times were the only thing that kept me going. Each night I would dream about your eyes and I would find the strength to endure. I was wrong to tell you I could not love you Sihtric, you are the only man I could ever love,” you cried and he shushed you, gently bringing his lips down to meet yours and you whimpered at his gentleness. 

That night you stayed with Sihtric. He tended to your wounds with delicate hands and shaking fingers. He was afraid that you were going to disappear at any moment, but he stilled all actions when he felt you begin to cry in his arms.

“My love? Did I hurt you?” he almost shrieked and you shook your head vehemently.

“I was so wrong about you, Sihtric. I feel I’ve been cruel. I shouldn’t have tried to dismiss your feelings back in Aegelesburgh.”

“None of that matters,” Sihtric shushed you, cupping your face in his rough, tattooed hands “What matters is you know how I feel about you, and you know that I am yours for as long as you want me.”

“I want you forever,” you cried, placing your own hands over his, and turning your face to press your lips to the palm of his right hand. 

He was gentle laying you down on the bed, pressing sweet wet kisses to every inch of skin that became exposed to him as he undressed you, and you eagerly pulled his clothes until they too were a discarded mess on the floor. 

Sihtric’s groans were delicious in your ear and the gentle pace he set, had you gasping for air as he teased you.

“I’ve changed my mind,” you panted and Sihtric’s mismatched eyes, flashed to yours in worry “I reinstate my curse on your eyes,”

“Oh yeah?” Sihtric laughed rolling his hips with a flick that had you gasping.

“I curse them to only love me for all your life,” you grinned, trailing your hands along the sides of his torso.

“In that case I am happy to be cursed love,” he grinned, picking up speed and not relenting until you came apart in his hands, finally reaching his own high as he bit down on your shoulder. 

“I will love you from here to Valhalla," he panted "And cursed eyes don't lie,” he chuckled before collapsing down beside you.

Tagging: @canyonmoon-2 @sihtricfedaraaahvicius @whitedarkmoonflower @shamrockqueen @thenameswinter99 @foxyanon @acdassenza @thatawkwardlittlefangirl 

[starsreminisce]

“The Illyrians are pieces of shit,” he said too quietly. I opened my mouth and shut it. Shadows gathered around his wings, trailing off him and onto the thick red rug. “They train and train as warriors, and yet when they don’t come home, their families make us into villains for sending them to war?” “Their families have lost something irreplaceable,” I said carefully. Azriel waved a scarred hand, his cobalt Siphon glinting with the movement as his fingers cut through the air. “They’re hypocrites.”

It's not exactly a secret that Azriel harbors deep-seated issues related to his Illyrian heritage. Both his brothers are keenly aware of his feelings toward them, bordering on hatred. When HOFAS was released, revealing their rebellion against the Daglan and Enalius to align with High King Fionn, it shed light on a forgotten history. The blood rite, once a means of honoring Enalius, had devolved into a deadly competition. Against this backdrop, the Valkyries' victory in the Blood Rite stands out, with Nesta assuming the role of Enalius to protect Gwyn and Emerie's ascent to the mountain peak.

Gwyn didn’t flinch. “I have. And I am tired of it.” She surveyed the blood-soaked leather along her thigh. “I don’t want to take the safe road.” She pointed to the mountain, to the slender path upward. “I want to take that road.” Her voice thickened. “I want to take the road that no one dares travel, and I want to travel it with you two. No matter what may befall us. Not as Illyrians, not for their titles, but as something new. To prove to them, to everyone, that something new and different might triumph over their rules and restrictions.” A cold wind blew off Ramiel’s sides. Whispering, murmuring.

Gwyn's connection to Azriel extends beyond mere companionship; she represents his journey toward self-acceptance and a desire for change within the Illyrian community. It's noteworthy that Gwyn, not Nesta, is the inaugural Valkyrie and the first non-Illyrian to hold the Carynthian title.

This choice underscores Gwyn's pivotal role in Azriel's narrative and the broader arc of cultural evolution within the Illyrian society.

[hwaightme]

Burning

(masterlist) (taglist)

🔥 pairing: best friend!mingi x gn!reader 🔥 genre: fluff, healing, friends to lovers, slice of life 🔥 summary: down winding roads, through the golden fields and into the shimmering night, you and mingi embark on a journey to live and love once again 🔥 wordcount: 5.5k 🔥 warnings/tags: editing??, language, indie film style, loosely inspired by murakami's 'barn burning' + youth mv, injuries/scabs, band aids/treatment, escapism, restarts, running away, love through hardship, healing, implied trauma, food/eating, reflecting on the past, mingi would do anything for you, arson 🔥 taglist: at the bottom of the fic 🔥 a/n: happy birthday to @byuntrash101!! my most wonderful cat, i love you, thank you for every moment and here is to many more <3 hugs to everyone, all reblogs, notes and comments appreciated! 🔥 playlist: the last stop of our pain - hanroro, the setting sun - the poles, bye - car the garden, summer night - jeon jinhee, 14:30 - damons year, silence - sunwoojunga, so life goes on - heo hoy kyung, dear my all - mingginyu

You looked down at your hands, spreading the fingers out and relaxing them again, watching the movement of every line and wrinkle. Band aids bent and took on the shape you commanded; the one in an off-white shade after having taken on the brunt of the physical burdens, - a ring that was wrapped around the middle finger of your right hand was frayed at the edge, having had to through the test of the elements and of haphazard lugging of items in and out of the white car on which you were sitting. The other, skin toned, sturdy and strictly not letting anything dare infect you, hugged the side of the same hand and spread a little to your palm. The markings of a person who ‘could’, and a person who ‘did’. 

Gaze travelling downwards led you to a leather bracelet with a silver charm - a simple accessory, but one that held years of history, meaning and memories that tied you to the original owner. You were never one for big celebrations, having gotten used to treating every day the same as the rest - a uniform, dark reality where you were nothing but a little cog. The only mission you had ever had before this moment was to keep on turning. This bracelet was a promise, and a hope for a new beginning. 

Golden fields and a warm grey sky blending into a hazy blend of yellowish green and burnt sienna. A tired breeze that had long lost its fight reminded you that you could still feel, running through your hair, dancing across your skin. The sweater you had borrowed was much too loose at the shoulders, and thus offered little to no protection from the elements. Nonetheless, the comfort it offered, along with the aroma that had permanently intertwined with the threads of the cotton fabric brought more than enough warmth to your heart, and caused a blush to rise on your cheeks. It was a considerable contrast to your still slightly tear-stained, exhausted eyes around which the signs of last night’s terrors were still remaining. But even then, the despair that had come with the sensation had been washed away by a caring thumb, a loving hand, a single impression that solidified that you were never going to be alone.

You moved to run a finger across the plasters, curious as to how the cuts beneath were healing. Little scars of a warrior. You had fought for your way and for your life and for your right to smile and breathe and enjoy the earthly wonders. The last days before your final decision to escape were somewhat of a whirlwind, tainted by persistent insomnia, demons that haunted you day and night and the yelling of far too many people, projects and parasitic ponderings. Even the things that had been under your control grew minds of their own and searched for ways to destroy you, be it in hiding a mistake in a word, an error in a table or a fiendish administrative problem. Those days were a countdown, until in one last effort to survive, you cried out for salvation and admitted that it was all too much. And in that chaotic flood that was threatening to swallow you whole, one person had been waiting, and before you knew it, you were safe, had someone cheering for you, sharing your anguish.

“Hey don’t do that. We don’t have any band aids left and I’m not about to go Rambo mode and go picking grass to wrap you up,” you turned to follow the sounds of the low, raspy voice, smiling softly as you met your friend’s mildly concerned expression. Black hair, softly tousled; you barely could restrain yourself from reaching out and ruffling those locks. Beauty marks like stars on that wonderful, charming face. Slightly parted lips that appeared to be holding back sagas and everlasting tales. Lips that you could watch move forever.

“It’s fine, Mingi, I was just checking.”

“That was some intense checking you’re doing, refrain from it,” he retorted and crossed his arms while pinching the sleeves of his black knit sweater so as to not let them slide up.

“Says the person who keeps picking at their face like no tomorrow. Without bandages, mind you. At this rate-”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll sort myself out, alright?” Mingi winced as his tongue darted to the scabbed over gash on the side of his mouth, making you exhale sharply, bemused. You could sense him taking his words back with a shake of the head. One step back, another, and in a quiet mumble he added: “...at the next rest stop we’ll fuel up the truck, fuel ourselves and maybe get a proper first aid kit.”

“Sounds good.”

Turning one of the many rings on his fingers, your friend could not hold your gaze and resorted to studying the ornate silver patterns and precious embedded stones. It had been the same when he had first offered this way out for you. A man, supposedly tall and impressive in physique, but appearing so small as he stumbled over his words, one idea pouring and drowning another out until they connected like a puzzle and formulated a vision that was somewhat concrete. Though, even if there was no final agreement in his mind, you would have agreed anyway. All that mattered was that each sentence carried a ‘we’. And with that, you were more than happy.

Was it long ago that you had met him? It felt like eternity. You could not imagine any other life, at least not one where you had a chance at happiness. Sure, you had your fights and squabbles. It would be a big lie if you were to say everything was sunshine and rainbows. Both snappy and hot headed at times, you had each said a fair share of things you did not want to say. But it was the awareness and growing from mistakes that had led you to where you were now. You had both walked through some dark times, and ended up in the golden hour, surrounded by an equally glowing expanse of flora, reaping what you two had sowed.

“What are you looking at me like that for?”

“Hm?”

“I don’t get it, I know I have the thing on my cheek but… hate to break it to you, you don’t have healing powers,” ever so logical, Mingi was, once again, trying to establish a chain of thought. You had gotten better at explaining your thinking out loud, as did he, but in times where you were particularly wistful, words escaped you.

“I don’t know…”

“As if I do. Are you hungry?”

“I’m not a cat-”

“Then why?” he chuckled, lips automatically stretching into a toothy grin as you chuckled.

“‘Cause I can.”

“Okay then,” a breath escaped you as you stared at his hand, suddenly falling to meet the car’s surface and looked up to see him leaning over, staring intently at you. Through you. Like he could read you. Any courage you had disappeared, and you shook your head in defeat.

“Fine, fine,” how could someone put into words the feeling of wanting to picture an individual in everything and everyone? 

How could you say that even in the grass that surrounded you, in the long winding roads, in the cloudy skies you were glad to be able to see Mingi. It had been a lifetime indeed. A lifetime of seeing him without realising it, a lifetime of looking forward to being together with him and falling apart when you weren’t, and now, when you were side by side with only the sun, moon and empty fields to bear witness, you were scared to blink. Like all this time would disappear. Priceless seconds. Mingi was merciful enough to note a tinge of nervousness, and backed away. It was obvious enough that he did not quite let your reaction go, but neither you nor him were ever ones to push further than necessary and beyond the other’s personal limits. 

“Right, time to get going if we want to make it to the barn by midnight.”

“Okay.”

“Want to ride in the back or-”

“With you,” you did not mean to sound so ambiguous, but thankfully as Mingi was busy opening the door to the driver’s seat, he did not catch on, or courteously did not pry.

“Ah, you’re right. It’ll be getting cold pretty quickly, won’t it?” 

As if you were not wrapped up and huddled in the bunch of blankets, backpacks and crocheted pillows just last night when you were parked at the last rest stop, silently accepting your friend’s reassurance as you mourned a past you were not going to miss. He knew what you were going through, and so he stuck beside you instead of heading for those plasters when he technically could have. 

“A few hours won’t change these little cuts, but they can change you, and I’d rather be here so you’re not alone.”

The phrase resonated in your heart as you took your place beside Mingi, staring out at the windshield. With a quick glance to your left you could just catch his reflection in the glass, and with another tilt, the man himself. His plush lips, the beautiful curve of his nose, how the black-framed glasses that he had fished out of the cupholder between you suited him so well. Focused, he turned the key until a satisfying rumble consumed the vehicle, signifying its awakening. On instinct, Mingi’s arms flew to their respective positions, and he drove out of the improvised parking spot back out to the infinite line of cement - the one sign of civilization that had the ability to assure you that you were indeed going in the right direction. Since Mingi was familiar with this part of the country, however, you would not have minded even a sudden, more wild change in the scenery. 

Choosing to not surf the radio stations in search of something remotely tolerable, you drove to the sound of your musings and let the last of the grey haze wash over you before the sun that was concealed by the thick cloud would inevitably fall into a slumber. For the first time in a while, you could enjoy the quiet without it being interrupted by a cacophony of inner qualms and disturbing rage. You could catch the occasional note from Mingi’s humming - a habit of his that you had grown to love. Every time, it was something unexpected. Be it a tune he was making up on the spot or one that you were familiar with, you never tired of how his thoughts travelled, and were delighted by the soundtrack which he was subconsciously crafting for the life you just so happened to share. Serendipity, writing a future that Mingi was taking you towards.

The idea he had proposed might have been radical, but it was the only one that made sense. Besides, it was not going to cause any harm. At the end of the day, the property belonged to a distant relative, said relative had no use for it, so… the conclusion and final decision basically made itself. The act to mark an entry into being your new self had to be grand, a lot more grand than what you had already done, and Mingi, being a creative mind, of course could be trusted to invent a performance of the century. Just for you.

A dreamlike day turned into an equally surreal evening as you halted at the gas station attached to the last rest stop of your adventure, with Mingi’s call dragging you out of your thoughts. You confirmed to him that you were fine with a quick smile and followed him out of the trusty Dodge. Patiently, you idled about as Mingi unscrewed the opening to the fuel tank and reached for one of the nozzles, rolling a stray piece of gravel under your shoes. Crickets, a myriad of crickets hidden under the cover of nighttime launched into a crescendo of their trill song, so much so that the buzz of the fluorescent lamp that illuminated the lonely station was almost completely drowned out. A light touch on your upper arm alerted you that Mingi was done, and you promptly followed him to the convenience store.

As though by newly found habit, he gravitated towards the bright red canisters lined up by the register, while you gave him a wary glance before ambling towards the ready to eat meals. Soon enough, Mingi joined you, satisfied by his quick perusal, and with a basket in his hand. Without a word, he picked up your favourite snack and was about to toss it in:

“This one, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

It never failed to be amusing how, despite the innumerable occasions when you two had eaten together, Mingi still liked to check with you that your favourite foods were, in fact, still your favourite foods. You had to admit that it was very endearing and comforting to you. Without even considering it, he always gave you room for change, in every way you could imagine. Or maybe you were exaggerating and letting your fantasies speak for themselves. You could not help but dart your eyes at Mingi when he turned his back to you, spotting the two beaded necklaces you had made for him some time ago still being a part of his usual outfit. And so, you wondered, how large was the room for transformation? What could this brand new future of yours include?

“Ah… wait… band aids… should we get that… What was it? Antiseptic-”

“You said a whole kit.”

“Right. Let’s go try and find it… wait what if they don’t stock one?” eyebrows weighed down with doubt, Mingi looked at you like he was about to apologise. You sighed, moving to run a hand down his back. The gesture startled Mingi, but he did not stop you, instead choosing to wait it out and see your intentions. You noticed him lightly biting his lower lip as he stared back at you, perplexed.

“We’ll find the essentials then. It’s not like we are disappearing from society for the rest of time, yeah?”

“Yeah…” had he continued, you swore he would have expressed his wish for what you had joked about to be the case. Luckily, you were pleasantly surprised by the wide selection of items to pick from, and left confident in the remainder of your trip.

In the fluorescence of the small store, and then inside of the parked car as you devoured your pre-made dinner, you were suspended in pure bliss. To your right was your partner in everything, friend or however your silly racing heart wanted to call him. Above you, the stars - a vista worth driving further out from the rest stop for. Propped up on the cushions, this was your definition of heavenly and healing. Colours had regained their vibrancy, and finally, you were no longer too fatigued to notice the intricacy of things that had previously passed you by. Who could have guessed that the packaging of the sandwiches you used to buy before work to throw in the office fridge had changed? And apparently a bit of time ago, too? What else have you been missing? For certain, you had been missing out on times like this, where you could hold a comfortable pause with Mingi, simply enjoying each other’s company while digging into your meals. It was astonishing to think how many breakfasts, lunches and dinners that you could have had with the one person who always believed in you were ripped away from you by obligation and unwanted routine. Not for longer. 

“Mingi.”

“Hm?” he hummed while chewing, eyes widened as he turned towards you. Quickly enough, he swallowed the bite, and waited for you to continue.

“I’m glad… that we can be here like this.”

“Oh… I…” at a loss for words, he let himself swim in your spontaneous confession.

“I am just… happy. Very happy. Thank you. Thank you for being the one who I can trust, thank you for sticking with me through complete and utter chaos, thank you for being you,” the words came naturally, buried under layers of hurt that needed time to evaporate. But now, the ritualistic expedition was wondrous in combating your inner demons, and in turn, let you speak for yourself, for your own feelings rather than those of illusory authority that had previously spoken for and was in charge of your every action, whether you were aware of it or not.

“No biggie. Things get in the way sometimes, but we’re here now, aren’t we?”

“Yes, that we are.”

“It’s going to get even easier soon, just you wait.”

A hand in midair, waiting for you to lift yours and meet it. Confused, you did so automatically, yelping when Mingi moved it closer to himself, and in a swift motion planted a soft, almost shy kiss on the back. He was careful to not put any pressure on the cuts which he had just re-cleaned and covered, along with the miniature wounds that only found themselves under the stinging alcohol solution, but kept on holding onto you, debating whether you would let him stay like this to his heart’s content, or if you would pull away. The tips of his digits reached the bracelet, and you could imagine a thrum of kindred energy reconnecting the item and the man. Shock prevented you from acting rashly, and so you simply read the fire in Mingi’s sparkling eyes, your favourite blaze that helped you out of a chasm, one that you would protect with your entire being until the world collapsed on you. And even then, you would stand up and try again.

Relief was evident in his features, from the curling of his lips to the relaxing of his shoulders. Clearly, an unfathomable pressure was lifted from his exhausted body. Every mile travelled, you were making revelations, it seemed. Venturing into the unknown, you were not quite sure who you were looking at anymore. Of course, you were confident in his name, in his presence, in his significance, but the many roles which he played in your years on this tiny planet left you struggling for words. Who was Mingi to you? Who were you to Mingi? Long gone were the days where you two had been moderately content with a distant and rapidly cooling friendship separated by glass and busy schedules. You were close. So close, that if the recklessness of acting on instinct caught up with you, you would get burned. 

Burning, like your hand despite Mingi having let it float in solitude some time ago to stand up and hop out of the back of the pickup truck. Set ablaze like your heart and soul that were feverishly awaiting a shining dawn. Your tired eyes could only watch your one wish turn the key in the ignition again, determined to help you start over. Could he be your sun? If you were to say anything more than a hollow whisper to the moon, would you fall away and lose him? You were about to bring the fingers of your left hand to run over the other, but you stopped, remembering Mingi’s comedically stern words. Instead, you imagined him pressing his lips against it again, heat rising to your cheeks upon recollection. A quick glance to the driver’s seat, and you could swear you caught the ghost of a smirk dancing across your so-called friend’s face, but chose not to comment so as to not spark a conversation you knew you would not be able to continue. 

“We’ll be there soon. There’s a neat shortcut we can take so it shouldn’t take us more than an hour.”

You nodded, trusting his judgement. Your thoughts were elsewhere, anyways and could not offer many suggestions in terms of the journey. These parts were foreign to you, and your decision-making here was as good as whenever you had a professional point to prove or a dream to follow; both flew out of your hands to be smited. At least in the case of the meandering roads, you had Mingi to shield you, letting you wander in your own mindscape for as long as you needed. The mind was a mysterious place, traversing memories both from years ago and ones that documented your most recent escapades much the same, though, maybe now they were all in brighter hues. The last of what was tying you down was packed and stashed right behind you and Mingi, both in the tiny space between the seats and the back of the cabin as well as in the exposed trunk outside. The monochrome madness stuffed into rucksacks, swaddled in sheets like a crying infant manifesting your prayers for the noise of a prior existence to cease demanding your attention. You were ready to let it all turn to ash, and be reborn.

It was fascinating how quick Mingi was to jump into action. Part of you wondered whether it was due to the times you had helped him, and he wished to somehow repay you. Or was this a genuine devotion? As the road turned into an unruly dirt path, you were certain it was the latter.

‘It’s our journey. I might not know everything that’s going on behind your forehead, and you would not know that about me, but the least we can do is stick through the worst storms.’

The grumbling of the engine turned into a roar as Mingi’s heavy combat boot pushed down even stronger on the accelerator. When people spent enough time together, they were bound to become more and more similar; such was the case with you and him. Parts had been exchanged, parts blended, and it was hard to think of a picture where there was a lack of the other’s presence in some form. Be it in behaviour or in little bits of jewellery. Mingi was driving selfishly, because he was driving for you and for the few breaths of air you had remaining in your lungs after holding up boulders of others’ opportunities at the cost of your own passions. There was experience, there was development, but there was also a need for self-preservation and a necessity to stop for the sake of health and mental clarity, and Mingi was not about to lose you. 

“D’ya want to roll the window down? You…” used to do that when you and him were teens. He did not have to say it. No matter the weather, even if for a few seconds, you wanted to be one with the air, a flightless bird that finally got a chance to glide with the wind, pleasantly lost in the elements. Maybe one day you could return to that same carefree nature. You shook your head.

“It’s a little cold outside.”

“How about this…” while slowing down a little to not lose control of the car, Mingi reached around and behind his seat, fishing for something. Finally, having found what he was looking for, he flashed a triumphant grin and produced his dark grey denim jacket, letting it land on your lap.

You raised an eyebrow, unsure of what your friend was implying. But as soon as the first hint of a breeze hit you and you saw the window start its slow descent under Mingi’s command, a chuckle escaped you. So it was not a question after all, but an encouragement, perhaps even a challenge. Giving in, you pulled the jacket over yourself like a blanket, and stared at the all-knowing constellations that decorated the cosmic expanse - the best reminder of just how small you really were, and to what priceless insignificance your troubles amounted to. In the grand scheme of things, nothing really mattered, and so, you did not see anything as ‘too out of pocket’ anymore. Might as well enjoy life instead of letting it race past you for once.

It was a mystery to you when you fell asleep; you could only recall the ghostly pale silver and ashen blue that spread over the wheat fields and another serene, barely audible serenade hummed by Mingi. But just as quickly as you had drifted into a dreamless slumber, you jolted awake at the sound of your name being repeated once, twice by your best friend. Momentarily lost, you waited for your vision to focus before following the sounds of the truck door clicking shut and of rubber soles hitting gravel by fumbling for the handle. As soon as you opened the salon, you were embraced in full by the omnipresent hum of wildlife and distant rustle of leaves and tall grass, the field at which you stopped having been long abandoned and left barren, with only dirt to present as a fruit of labour.

Stepping onto the soft earth, you could feel the cool dampness beneath your shoes, a tactile reminder of the quiet countryside that surrounded you as far as the eye could see. Mingi, his presence like a comforting shield in the stillness of the night, paused in his search for the tools he had packed. A profound hush settled over the landscape, prompting you to tilt your head and look on further, to spot the target barely a couple hundred metres away. So this was it. The promised sacrifice. The place where the past could finally quit holding on to you and tearing you apart. The abandoned barn loomed ahead like a relic from another universe and a time long gone.

The moonlight painted the barn in ethereal shades, casting a melancholic beauty upon its worn facade. Mingi's eyes held the weight of a thousand untold stories and observations, and in the quiet exchange of glances, you detected a shared understanding – a recognition that you had the right, and more than deserved to forgive yourself, and throw away the hurt you had accumulated over the years with a light heart. He stood beside you, holding onto the sacks that you had stuffed full of items that haunted you, mutely berated you and induced agonising ruminations. Papers, trinkets, utter garbage that you had never been able to throw out on your own, all collected like nightmare capsules and you were more than elated to bid them farewell.

He had not yet taken off his glasses, eager to move onwards and upwards. One of these days you might muster up the courage to tell Mingi just how handsome he was in whatever style he chose, but that was a mission for a more courageous you. From tonight into the myriad of tomorrows. Your partner in self-revolution stretched his arms towards you, gingerly passing the hefty items over and waiting for you to get a better grip. To think that there were clouds of buzzing paranoia and dread attached to either one - suffocating, persistent.

While regarding Mingi’s tranquil resolve, you discovered a sliver of a near-boyish excitement, so characteristic of him before growing pains had changed your relationship and all that came with it, that your heart ached, and a prickly sensation made itself known on the back of your hand where he had left a solitary peck. And yet, he still was not giving up on you. From the pocket of his jeans - appearing to take on the shade of a washed out chrome under the shining skies, Mingi produced a box of matches, and upon leaning closer to the truck, grasped the handle of a stick protruding from a miniature canister. More than enough to carry out the impending transformation. Mingi’s stunning orbs met yours, and without words, he conveyed a mixture of determination and sorrow, a silent promise and cheer for the grand finale.

"Here’s to letting go, and to holding on to the things that make us right," he uttered, his voice carrying the power of a truth that echoed in the night air.

“Then… I’ll be right back.”

“I will be here. Cousin said everything’s unlocked. Put things in places where the fire’ll reach.”

One step. Another. Walk turning into run, you chased after who you wished to become and propelled yourself with unprecedented pride. You could do this. With one quick push the door to the barn creaked open, and you made haste in lining the walls with who you used to be. You could taste ash on your tongue and see the fire in your pupils even though you were consumed by pitch black; here, you had the final say. Upon throwing the sacks into whatever direction, you felt your way back out, and returned to Mingi who, apparently, had the time to reposition the car a little to have the back be facing the barn. With a mischievous grin he greeted you, and pulled you into a quick embrace before giving you a matchstick and the box and leading the two of you to the structure one last time.

This had been an agreement between you - you were the one to light the first flame, and he was the one to do the rest. Though this was a journey of healing, he did not wish for you to delude yourself into a guilt-ridden state. Mingi could bear the brunt of that for you and wear it like a badge of honour. As though patrolling the grounds, he went in a circle around the barn, leaving behind the acrid stench of splattered gasoline. Suddenly, the act felt more and more real. A yelp caught in your throat as Mingi shoved the empty canister inside through a loose wooden board, now only holding onto the unlit torch. Gazed at you, awaiting the monumental execution. 

Trembling just a little, on the third try you managed to light the match, and stepped to the building full of your painful memories. the flames danced in the blackness like whispers of farewell. As you approached the ancient barn with Mingi in toe, the match's glow illuminated the grains of wood that had weathered countless storms. The night seemed to draw its breath, as though it sensed the profound act about to unfold. Outstretching the judgement between your fingers, you hesitated for a fleeting moment. The gravity of the act hung heavy – the acknowledgment that setting fire to the past was a painful necessity for new beginnings. Nevertheless, you were certain. The barn, with its history that you will never learn, became a symbol of surrender, resilience and perseverance. Holding your breath, you dropped the match, but when the result did not satisfy you, you sensed a wave of rage. You wanted more, you needed it all gone from sight and experience. 

“Mingi.”

“Hm?”

“The torch, please.”

“Oh?”

“Please.”

With a silent understanding, Mingi raised the torch, the flames licking eagerly at its edges, and passed it to you. The blade that would slash through it all. The full stop at the end of this turbulent chapter. As you touched the fire to the barn, a crackling symphony echoed through the night. The dry wood, with the base generously coated in gasoline caught quickly, and soon the barn was ablaze, a kaleidoscope of oranges, reds, and yellows against the backdrop of the moonlit fields.

The flames danced with an insatiable hunger, consuming the old wood with a fervour that mirrored the intensity of emotions in the hearts of the witnesses. Shadows flickered and danced on the ground, casting ephemeral images of what once was, each crackle of the fire a poignant reminder of the release happening before your eyes. Mingi turned to you, his eyes reflecting the blaze that mirrored the intensity of his and your emotions. In that poignant moment, the warmth of the fire contrasted with the chill in the night air, echoing the bittersweet nature of letting go.

"We are making room for something new," he whispered before pulling you into a long-awaited kiss, as searing and filled with longing as the soaring flames that illuminated your bodies. The crackling fire served as a cathartic release, and in its glow, you saw promise. As soon as you parted, the two of you rushed to the truck, climbing to take the front seats to admire the masterpiece, not daring to sit apart, holding onto each other through it all.

As the fire continued its dance, the night bore witness to the act of relinquishing the old, a solemn ritual that paved the way to more and more. Together, you and Mingi stood amidst the mesmerising spectacle, your hearts intertwined with the rhythm of the burning, ready to step into the unknown and shape a destiny yet to unfold.

🔥 perma-taglist: @acciocriativity @justhere4kpop @starrysvn @shakalakaboomboo @uwuheeseungie @frankenstein852 @charreddonuts @miriamxsworld @innsomniacshinestar @foxinnie8 @preciouswoozi @wooyoungjpg @nebulousbookshelf @wowie-hockey @hongjoongs-patience @jaehunnyy @kitten4sannie @maddkitt @ren-junwrld @pyeonghongrie-main @marsstarxhwa @pocketjoong-reads @yeooclock @yeonjunnie @asjkdk @lucky-cat-cafe @northerngalxy @my-loves-my-life @http-gyu

thank you for reading. please do consider leaving a reblog if you enjoyed!

[splasharooni]

KittypetFirefam Au!

A lil au thats been bouncing around in my brain for a bit! Instead of joining ThunderClan, rusty stays a kittypet who roams the ThunderClan border for many moons- often getting into spats with ThunderClan apprentices SandPaw and DustPaw. As they grow older, SandStorm and Rusty find that they actually have a good time together when they aren't tussling around in the dirt. Enough time passes that they get together in secret- just as TigerClaw puts his plan into action, dethroning BlueStar in the night away from watchful eyes. SandStorm falls pregnant with Rusty's kits, quickly growing afraid of what TigerStar will do if he finds out the litter is a kittypets; though, luckily, the unspoken law that all monarchs (queens) are entitled to privacy regarding their litters sire holds up strong enough to protect little SquirrelKit and DandelionKit (Leaf!). [Since Sand and rusty never meet leafstar, who I hc Leafpool is named after, I figured sand would pick a dif name!] TigerStar is VERY suspicious of them but since the other Monarchs seem protective of the two tiny kits, he backs off for a while. SquirrelKit is eventually named SquirrelPaw and is apprenticed to DustPelt, and DandelionKit is named DandelionPaw, and is made a healers apprentice, something that has been needed by ThunderClan for some time, after SpottedLeafs near death expereince (no yellowfang since there is no firepaw to find her, no cinderpelt because she remains a warrior, as TigerStar doesn't try to lure BlueStar to the road, killing her in a different way further in the timeline than he had tried when FireHeart was there). SpottedLeaf, near constantly on deaths door, trains DandelionPaw as best she can in her condition, badly injured from a ShadowClan attack. I HAVE MANY THOUGHTS on this au but am too tired to put them together rn, will probs post about them later!

[artemistorm]

Sicktember day 17: Brain fog/spaced out (Wind)

********

“Let’s take a break,” Time called.

“Finally,” Four groaned and flopped onto the ground. Sky sat down heavily beside him. Legend and Time quietly stepped off the road on opposite sides to use the latrine—or la-tree-n as Warriors liked to call it.

Wind sat on the ground. He was tired. Tired-er than usual. Exhausted even. He just wanted the day’s trek to be over with. Wind took a drink from his waterskin; the water felt unexpectedly icy in his throat and he flinched in surprise.

“How much farther are we going?” Twilight asked.

“I dunno,” Warriors answered. “Until the Old Man is happy with the distance we’ve traveled. I can’t imagine we’ll go too much farther, we had an early start. We’ll ask him once he gets back.”

“I’m okay to keep going!” Hyrule said cheerfully.

“Do you ever run out of energy?” Sky laughed.

“Him and Wild, our little rangers,” Warriors said.

Wind crawled so that he was in the sun—the shade was too cold for him. He lay down and stretched long.

“You’re like a cat,” Twilight said with a grin.

“Meow!” Wind replied. He crossed his legs and draped an arm over him eyes, blocking out the sun. The conversation around him faded into an indiscriminate droning, he began to doze. It felt like only a few seconds had passed when Time’s voice jolted him awake.

“Alright, is everyone ready? Let’s go.”

Wind groaned to himself. He was just getting comfortable! He sat up and then stood up. Time passed and he realized belatedly that he was just standing there staring at the ground. He rubbed his eyes. He must not be fully awake yet. Why was he so tired? Why was he so foggy?

And then suddenly, the ground became the sky. Brown faded into blue, so bright it hurt his eyes, and he squinted, eyes watering.

Suddenly, Sky was there. Wind? He mouthed.

“Wh… why is…” Wind started. Why is Sky laying on the sky? Why is the world upside down? Why is Sky flying? He knew none of those questions made sense. The world didn’t make sense.

“—onfused, give him—” As the buzzing in Wind’s ears faded, he heard Sky’s voice.

Why did his head hurt? Why did he feel like he was made of bees? Buzzing and vibrating under his skin.

Something grabbed his ankles, startling him. His heart leapt with fear as his brain screamed something about monsters trying to drag him off. Wind looked down but instead of monsters, it was Wild. He held Wind’s feet up and then sat cross-legged under them, resting Wind’s feet in his lap. Why would he do that?

A hand on his face, on his forehead. If felt cool. It was nice. But all too quickly, the hand left.

“Hey Wind, you with us yet?” Warriors asked, kneeling next to him. When did Sky leave? When had Warriors arrived?

“Hi,” Wind answered.

“How are you feeling, buddy?”

Buddy. Being called buddy annoyed Wind an inordinate amount. He wasn’t a little kid! But Wind swallowed the biting replies that bubbled up within him.

“Gross,” he said. He was nauseous, his heart raced, and he felt weak.

“You fainted. You’re sick. You’re running a fever.”

“Oh… that explains things,” Wind admitted.

“Just take it easy and rest here. We’re going to stop traveling for the day,” Sky said. “Some of us are going to work together to try and cook up some medicine for you.”

“Whatever,” Wind murmured. It wasn’t his problem. He had no interest in being vertical or doing anything at all. He didn’t care what any of the other heroes did.

Four draped a blanket over him and he closed his eyes again. Finally, Wind was allowed to nap.

[medusapelagia]

23 Meet me at Skull Rock

written for @steddieangstyaugust (prompt: Skull Rock) and @augustwritingchallenge (Prompt:Musician ), @aug-kissed (prompt: Using Tongue) Rating: Mature Relationship: Steve/Eddie TW: no one Words: 1403

(Did Tumblr eat my fic... AGAIN?! Yes! It did! But now I'm smarter and I have copies! Lol XD)

The car is parked down the road, hidden behind a thick bush and a big tree, the same place Steve used every time he hung out at Skull Rock. Nobody could see it from the street and that gave him all the privacy he needed.

Steve has been to Skull Rock so many times by now, but every time was different from the time before.

There was a time when he was still King Steve and he used to come here with the girl of the week. There was a time when he was just Steve, and he drove Nancy here just to look at the stars and intertwine their fingers. There was a time when he was a warrior, ready to fight, and he came to save a friend.

But this time...

This time is different from all the other times.

This time is a goodbye.

Eddie hasn’t really told him, but when he asked him to meet at Skull Rock Steve immediately got it. The road is close enough to the highway. They can share a joint, drink a beer or two, and then Eddie will drive his car far away from Hawkins. From the place that was never home to him. And Steve will remain. Because his roots are deep and strong and he can’t move. Not when the boys are still there. Not when Robin has promised to take a year off to help him figure out what he wants to do with his life. Not when his parents finally came back to take care of him even if he doesn’t need it anymore.

“My liege! Come! Sit down! I already started a fire and brought some s’mores.”

Steve sits on the ratty blanket Eddie has laid down on the ground to protect his royal ass from the bumpy rocks, grabbing a marshmallow and stabbing it with a stick, roasting it on the flame.

Crackers and chocolate are waiting for him at Eddie’s side when he puts the hot candy out of the fire.

“So, you’re going to try?” Steve asks, squishing the marshmallow between the crackers and the chocolate.

“I have nothing to lose,” Eddie mumbles, his mouth full of crackers and some chocolate dripping down his fingers.

“Musician. That’s a cool career.”

“That’s the dream: playing my songs in an arena full of people who sing along with me. And there are other benefits. Like groupies, free stuff, and money. So much money.” Eddie adds in a dreamy tone.

“Yeah. It sounds, nice.”

“I know I’m dreaming big, but you should try it sometime. It really changes your day.  And even if I won’t make it, I will be far from this stupid town anyway, so that’s a plus. In a big town like Los Angeles, I could get lost in no time. No more angry parents threatening me or Wayne, no more slashed tires. No more spray paint on the trailer. Yeah. It sounds like Paradise.”

“The boys?”

“Jeff is coming with me, he is going to attend college in California anyway, And next year Gareth and Frank will graduate too so we’ll be reunited. And maybe we’ll finally make it big. If not, there are so many bars where we could play. I'm not worried at all.”

Steve nods quietly while inside him his feelings are bubbling like a hot soup. He reaches out to grab another marshmallow, and his hand bumps into Eddie’s. The metal head smiles brightly, “Didn’t know you had a sweet tooth,” he says, offering him the bag to grab another candy, but that seems to be Steve’s breaking point. He drops the bag of candies, not caring about ants or other insects, and pushes Eddie with his shoulders to the ground.

“Tell me to stop,” he whispers on Eddie’s lips, “tell me you don’t want this and I’ll leave.”

Eddie’s eyes have always been big, but right now they are huge pools of chocolate brown staring at him in astonishment.

He doesn’t ask Steve to stop, he doesn’t push him away or scream against him, he grabs the back of Steve’s head with one hand and drags him toward himself. Eddie tastes like chocolate and candies with a hint of cheap beer, that’s what Steve will remember about his first kiss with a man. His hands are strong and his long slim fingers are curling on Steve’s back, urging him closer, and closer. They’re chest to chest, Steve practically crushing Eddie with his body, and then Steve’s tongue pushes a little bit harder and Eddie grants him permission to kiss him deeply. Their tongue meets halfway, as if they couldn’t wait to finally touch each other. Steve’s tongue twirls and moves faster into Eddie’s mouth and Eddie follows his lead, obediently. It’s not so different from kissing a girl, the only difference is Eddie’s chapped lips and a hint of beard growth brushing against Steve’s chin, but Steve doesn’t startle at the realization that he’s kissing a man. He just makes himself softer and kinder, not wanting to leave Eddie with a bad memory of their first kiss.

Steve doesn’t know how long they keep kissing, he hasn’t made out for so long in months and he’s somehow surprised when he finds Eddie straddling him, their hard dicks brushing one against the other behind their jeans.

But then Eddie retreats, crawling backward on the blanket.

“What was that?” he asks, cleaning his mouth with the back of his hand, and Steve knows he fucked up, he really did.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Is that so? I don’t know what I was thinking?! You fucking kissed me, man!” Eddie yells, “You… you stole it from me!”

“I didn’t steal anything.” Steve replies tiredly, “I kissed you, I made a big mistake, and I’m sorry. Shouldn’t have done that.”

“No, you should have not!” Eddie insists, and now he’s standing, touching with his fingertips his plum lips, “Why did you do that?”

“I don’t know Eds. I wanted to, okay? You’re leaving anyway, why does it matter? It’s not like you have never been kissed before!” Steve sighs, brushing a hand through his hair, and then the realization hits him. “It wasn’t… it wasn’t your first kiss, right? You… you have all those dirty magazines you bought in Indy, you always talk about that stupid hanky code. You… you have never been kissed before.” Steve whispers, pinching his nose, “Listen, man, I’m sorry, ok? I didn’t mean it.”

“You didn’t mean it? Thank you, Steve! That makes things so much better!” Eddie complains, his arms crossed in front of him, “Hey Eddie, I stole your first kiss because I was drunk and sad. I don’t even like boys but you were here so I just did it. Sorry. But we’re fine right?” Eddie yells, mocking Steve’s voice.

“That’s not… It’s not like that, ok? It wasn’t…”

“It wasn’t what? An experiment? A test?”

“I do like you, moron!” Steve finally yells and his voice reverberates in the quiet of the woods, then he lowers his tone, “I do like you. I have liked you for quite a bit but I never gather the courage to say anything. And now you’re leaving and I won’t see you again, and maybe you’re right, I’m sad and drunk. But I did mean it, Eddie. It wasn’t an experiment. I swear.” Steve almost whispers, avoiding staring at Eddie in the eyes. 

The metalhead is still standing in front of the fire, his silhouette dark and ominous.

“You did? You really meant it?” Eddie asks, and this time it looks like his crossed arms are pulling him together instead of shielding him.

“I did. I do.”

Very slowly, Eddie sits back on the blanket, “I’m going to leave anyway,” Eddie reminds him.

“I know. It’s the right thing to do.” Steve agrees.

“But maybe… you and Buckley could think about joining me next year. Or the year after.”

Steve reaches out with one hand, caressing Eddie’s arm.

“I’d love to.”

“So… maybe we can try again? Practice makes perfect, you know?”

Steve chuckles, “Yes. Yes, we can. Come here, babe.”

They kiss until the sun rises and when they get back to their cars Eddie’s last promise is that he’ll call him as soon as he’ll find a place to stay. And if Steve is already waiting for Eddie's call, sitting next to the phone, is none‘s business.

[shadedheart138]

I'll Be Here Until You're Okay

Legend was fine when they landed in Skyloft. It'd been ages since Sky had seen Groose or Sun, and he quite literally cried when he saw them again. Sky deserved to see his partners, deserved to see his Loftwing, his home. It was a blissful few days of rest, before they had to leave due to hearing of a group of black blooded monsters nearby.

Legend was fine when they landed in Outset, even with the memories of the waves, the sand, a girl and a dream. Wind had missed his grandma and sister so much, and he'd screamed as soon as they hit the sand. He ran faster than Legend had ever seen him run. Wind had smiled more than he had in a while too, and Legend got really sunburnt and quite miserable.

Legend was fine when they landed in Four's world. It was good to see Four's Grandpa again, to trade stories and fix some of Wild's broken weapons. Four had been excited to see the Minish again, and get a chance to talk to Dot.

They were fine when they landed in Time's. The ranch was quiet and felt almost like home. Malon was kind as always, and they had good places to sleep. Fighting was easier, almost, with the knowledge they'd have an actual bath and mattresses to sleep on when they were done.

Fine in Wild's. Flora had been ecstatic to see her partner again, and Wild relaxed a good bit around her. Seeing Farosh had been a rare treat, and the hot springs Wild had brought them all to were heavenly.

Fine in Twilight's. Ordon was just as quiet as the ranch had been.

Hyrule's. Good to see Hyrule acting confident for once.

Warriors'. The bars were good.

But they were most decidedly not fine once they landed in Wild's again, after only a couple of months away from it. ***

Legend stepped forward out of the portal, Hyrule right behind them. They blinked in the bright sunlight, expecting to see a familiar landmark, the house they shared with Ravio...

When none of that was seen and instead they were greeted by an open field, Legend froze. Why Wild's Hyrule again? Why? Hylia must really hate them if she won't even let them go home. Legend hated her just as much, she never let them rest, not even after all the adventures. No matter how many times Legend did her bidding, she was never satisfied. Legend clenched a fist, angry. They wanted to go home.

Home.

Oh, Ravio.

Legend's eyes watered. They let their hand unclench, suddenly gripping the side of their skirt instead. It'd been almost five months since Legend had seen Ravio. Legend bit their lip and didn't notice their name had been called until the entire Chain was watching them with worried expressions. Legend took their hands from their skirt and clasped them together instead, with a sort of finality. "Wild. This is yours, right?" Fuck, Legend's voice broke. Legend took a shuddering breath, watching Wild. Wild nodded, expression sad. Legend nodded stiffly right back, before turning around and beginning to walk, shaking. They didn't care where they went, not right now. If the road didn't lead to home then Legend didn't care.

"Legend-?"

Legend ignored Warriors, continuing to walk. The longer their mind dwelled on home, on Ravio, the worse they felt. Legend was quite tired of feeling sad already.

Ravio. Legend missed him so much. The space between his teeth, his scarf. Sheerow. His laugh. The feeling of his hands against Legend's. The gentle curve of the back of his neck against Legend's hand. The stumble when they danced together.

Legend hadn't even received a letter from their husband in what, three, four weeks? Almost a month? (Married for tax purposes, Legend always insists. Lies.) What if Ravio was hurt? Worse, what if Ravio was dead? Fuck. The thought alone... Legend choked, giving a soft whine. They brought a hand over their mouth, trying to stifle it. Tried not to cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't-

A soft hand came down on Legend's shoulder, encouraging them to turn. Legend turned, eyes squeezed shut, biting their lip hard to try and make the pain there worse than the pain in their heart. Legend was gently pulled forwards into someone's chest- Time, only Time had that height -and Time's hand came up behind Legend's head to cradle it close. Ravio had always held them the exact same as Legend was being held by Time right now. It hurt.

"I'm sure the next portal we go through will be yours, Legend." Time said quietly. Legend gave a soft sob- the way they were being held, how much they missed Ravio, the soft tone, it was all too much- and that was all it took for them to lose the tiny bit of control they had over their emotions. Legend shakily put their arms around Time, fisting the back of the man's shirt tightly.

"I miss Ravio." Legend whispered, crying harder as soon as Ravio's name was out of their mouth.

"I know, Legend. You'll see him again soon." Time soothed, hugging Legend for an undetermined amount of time. By the time they were done, the rest had set up camp most of the way and Wild was making lunch. Legend sat down next to the fire, close to no one.

Warriors offered Legend whatever Wild had made for lunch. Legend refused, staring into the fire. An apple was put into their hand.

Legend looked at it, and reluctantly took a bite. It wasn't long before Hyrule was pressed to Legend's left side, trying to comfort. The soft tingle of magic against Legend was soothing, even if only a little. Wind quietly came to rest against Legend's other side, small hands fiddling with a seashell. Legend tiredly watched the fire, tuning everything out.

Ravio, Ravio, Ravio. Every heartbeat pressed Ravio's name into Legend's head. If they closed their eyes they could see their home. The place they put their shoes. Where they packed up their gear. The rocking chair. A table with a cup Legend had carved out of wood, when their hands didn't shake. A blanket that Ravio had crocheted, at the end of their shared bed.

Legend hugged themself, bringing a shaky hand to an earring in their ear. Enchanted with both a minor protection charm and a resistance to lightning. Ravio had given them to Legend for an anniversary. Legend took a shuddering breath. Their anniversary had already passed, and Legend didn't even get to spend it with their husband.

That night, Legend slept away from everyone, and poorly. They were grouchy all the way to the nearest stable, and then some. Warriors didn't jab at them even once the entire trip.

xxx

A week passed in Wild's world. A week and a half.

Two.

Every day, Legend was worse and worse. Everyone was quiet around them, lest they shatter whatever fragile state Legend was in. They cried, and frequently. No further words from Ravio, no reassurance that he was okay.

Three weeks.

Four.

xxx

They spent a month and a half in Wild's world. When the next portal appeared, everyone cheered. No matter how pretty Wild's world was, blood moons were no fun and neither were the guardians. Legend stepped through the portal first, and even chanced a prayer to Hylia. Another one to Lolia for good measure.

Please, let this one be mine. Let me be home.

They landed in an apple orchard. Legend rubbed their eyes and turned around to help Sky through, then Wind. When everyone was through, Legend put a hand on one of the trees, thumbing an engraving on it. L + R.

Link and Ravio. They'd engraved their initials in every one of these trees, after an escapade with a good bottle of wine.

Legend was home.

Legend started stripping themself of their gear, much to the Chain's surprise. They got their boots off, ignoring the questions, and started pulling on the Pegasus Boots. They started cursing up a storm when they had to untie the left one. As soon as they were on enough to stand, Legend clicked their heels and fucking bolted.

It didn't matter that they ran into a tree on the way there. All that mattered was the man in the purple button up, sleeves rolled up and hands in the garden soil. What mattered was the way he hummed and the way his fingers moved and the wedding band on a cloth beside him. Legend wrenched the boots off their feet as soon as Ravio was in their sight, and yelled for him.

"Rav! Ravio, I'm home!" Legend had tears in their eyes, scrambling to get to Ravio.

"Link?" Ravio's head whipped around, and he dropped whatever he had been trying to plant. He'd barely risen to his feet before Legend barreled into him, hugging almost tight enough to bruise.

"Link-? Oh, honey." Ravio whispered, as Legend started crying hard.

"I missed you, I missed you so much, Rav. I love you. I was so worried when you didn't send any letters, I thought you could've been dead and-" Legend whispered, the rest of the words lost against Ravio's skin, holding so tight as if Ravio would disappear like the girl on the island. Legend wouldn't be able to take it if that happened again.

"Breathe, dear. I missed you too, and I love you just as much. If not more. I was equally worried, since I haven't heard word from you in months." Ravio said softly, and even though his hands were covered in dirt, he brought one of them to cradle the back of Legend's head very firmly. Even though Time had held them like this more than a month ago, it hadn't felt the same.

This was home, and it smelled like lavender and apple soap. The other hand landed on Legend's back. They were still swaying lightly together when the rest of the Chain caught up. Sky flopped down onto the grass, wheezing. After a few moments, both Hyrule and Four joined him.

Legend whined very audibly when Ravio tried pulling away, tightening their grip.

"Link, we've got visitors."

"Don't care. Please, stay, please. Just a little bit longer, Rav. It's been so long. I was so scared." Legend's voice was soft, barely heard, whispered against skin.

Ravio sighed, and kissed Legend on the forehead.

"A little bit longer, then." Ravio sniffled, tightening his hold.

Link's wedding band glittered on their right hand, the only ring that Legend had brought themselves to wear for a while. They'd polished and fiddled with it a little obsessively. Sheerow twittered about, pulling at Legend's hair, nipping at his ear tips, his own little way of saying, "Hello, welcome home, missed you."- no matter how irritating. Sheerow was gently told something by Ravio, and after a moment, Ravio's right hand had the same ring resting on the designated finger.

"You're alright, honeybun. I'm here." Soft, whispered against Legend's cheekbone.

"I'm real."

Legend sobbed, squeezing tight.

Ravio was here, and he was very, very real.

fin.

[skyward-floored]

The cat’s out of the bag chapter 5

Even more plot, but mixed in with kitty things and dumb conversations aplenty <3

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52017334/chapters/144519979

Chapter 4 | Next

————————————————————

Wind fell asleep sometime while he rode on Twilight’s shoulder, the rancher’s steady gait lulling him to sleep. He didn’t wake up until sometime in the afternoon, stomach rumbling, and twitched his nose as he caught a whiff of something... tasty.

Wind looked around with a yawn, and realized the others were eating lunch on the road while they followed Sky’s tracks. Wild was handing out fruit and some skewers, and Wind recognized them as leftovers from a meal they’d had the other night. His stomach growled again as he watched Wild take a bite, and he shifted up into a sitting position in Twilight’s shoulder.

That... smelled really good.

Twilight obviously heard the growling, and passed Wind some chunks of meat with a smile. Wind happily chomped them up, unable to stop himself from licking Twilight’s fingers as well.

Twilight chuckled a little as he finished, and Wind gave his fingers a light nip in response, still just a little annoyed at the rancher for earlier. Twilight wasn’t fazed by the nip in the slightest though, and he gave Wind’s ears a scratch as they continued onward, Wind settling down with a small twitch of his tail.

Having rested for a while, and his stomach pleasantly full of meat, Wind felt a lot more energetic again. He barely even felt sore anymore, just a little twinge in his feet, but he knew Twilight probably wouldn’t be willing to let him walk around by himself.

...Even though the ground was sloping more downward again. And it looked a lot less treacherous then it had before.

And also had way less rocks.

But whatever.

Wind had agreed to being carried if he got tired, so he would hold to that, even if he would rather be walking around by himself.

...though he hadn’t said who he would ride on when he made the agreement.

Wind looked around the group for a minute, weighing pros and cons, then picked out his first target. Time was conveniently walking right beside Twilight, and Wind waited for him to draw closer, watching carefully. Then he slunk across the small gap between him and the rancher, relying on the surprisingly good sense of balance his cat body possessed.

Time welcomed him with a smile, and Wind sat perched on his shoulder with a pleased purr rumbling from his throat. Sure he was a cat, but he was riding on the Hero of Time’s shoulder. This was awesome!

...Unfortunately, Time’s armor was really hard and uncomfortable, and Wind’s claws couldn’t grip them at all.

After nearly falling off three separate times, Time having to grab him on one of them, Wind reluctantly admitted defeat. He decided he’d try Four’s shoulders next, since he was also nearby, and he always got along well with the smithy. But he only ended up staying there a moment, since Four tensed the moment his paws touched his shoulders. Four was too small to really sit on properly anyway, not without Wind draping himself around his neck, so Wind moved on to Wild.

Except Wild moved around an awful lot, gesturing widely when he talked and crouching down to check random grasses and mushrooms and just generally forgot he had a passenger. Despite Wind’s good balance, made better with cat reflexes, it was impossible to hang on.

Wind stayed there a little longer then Four since Wild was fun to be around, but soon enough the uncertain motion was too much, and he debated who to jump over to next.

Let’s see... Hyrule and Legend are busy... Sky isn’t here... that leaves...

Wind looked over to where Warriors was walking slightly ahead of Wild, and the Captain smiled when he saw him looking at him. Wind stepped over to his shoulders when he drew alongside Wild, and greeted Warriors with a squeak.

“Hey kid, how’re you doing?” Warriors said as he brushed some stray dirt off of Wind.

Wind meowed a fine in response, and busied himself with finding the best spot to sit. Warriors had a bit of armor, but not nearly to the extent that Time did, and his scarf more than made up for it. The threads were nice and soft under his paws, and Wind quickly got himself settled with a purr, pleased with where he’d ended up.

Warriors chuckled and gave his ears a scratch, Wind content to sit with him in silence for a while. He was feeling a bit drowsy again, and the steady sway of Warriors’ shoulder underneath him was really soothing. Maybe another nap wouldn’t be so bad...

“Ouch, hey, ease up there sailor.”

Wind blinked his eyes open, and realized he’d been kneading Warriors’ shoulder with his claws, in a spot his chainmail didn’t reach. He meowed a hurried apology and pulled his claws out of Warriors’ shoulder, making the captain wince.

“You can keep doing it if you really want, just try not to claw my skin off,” Warriors smiled, and Wind nodded, a little embarrassed.

Legend snickered from nearby, and Wind gave him the stink eye before tucking his paws underneath him so he wouldn’t be tempted to knead again. Warriors pointedly moved away from the veteran, and Wind stuck his tongue out at him before they left, ignoring any further laughter. Sheesh. Legend sure seemed awfully amused he was a cat.

Hmph. Well I hope whatever he turned into when this happened to him was just as small and cute as this.

Warriors’ hand rubbed along his head, and Wind quietly purred, appreciating the familiar hair-ruffling motion. If he focused really hard, it almost felt normal.

...Almost.

The idea of another nap floated back through his head, and Wind glanced out at the tracks they were following. Things hadn’t changed much in the few hours since he’d found them, and they’d seen no further signs of Sky. Maybe he could take another nap, and if anything changed, Warriors would probably wake him up.

Wind had resolved to do just that and was curling into a tighter ball when Warriors shifted a little, turning his head to look at him.

“So Wind... that item you touched... it really didn’t hurt you, right?” he asked, eyes full of concern.

Wind shook his head. It had hurt at first, but he really wasn’t in any pain right now. Apart from his slightly sore paws, but that had been the fault of walking, not any magic. He could still feel a faint throb of magic where he’d touched the crystal... but it wasn’t bad.

“That’s good,” Warriors sighed, sounding relieved. “I’m glad to hear it.”

Then he glanced around as if to make sure they were alone, his voice lowering.

“...Twilight is Wolfie, isn’t he?”

Wind jumped a little, his tail puffing up in surprise. Wow that was fast! ...Ha, so much for Twilight keeping it a secret.

“Based on that reaction it looks like I’m right,” Warriors said with a faint smile, and Wind twitched his whiskers. “It wasn’t too hard to figure out. I’d suspected something was up for a while, but all of this confirmed it. You should’ve heard the rancher last night trying to avoid telling us, it was agony.”

“It was pretty suspicious,” Hyrule said in a lowered voice beside them, and Warriors and Wind both looked over at him. “Uh... Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear.”

“It’s all right,” Warriors said with a shrug. “I have a funny feeling we’re part of the few that didn’t know. Seems odd he’d keep this a secret...”

Hyrule looked thoughtful as the conversation paused. “Maybe. Magic isn’t always... appreciated, by some people. Especially not the kind that this feels like. Maybe he wasn’t sure what our reactions would be.”

Warriors hummed, eyes narrowing. “That may be true, but it would make sense to reveal it when it came to Wind. Keeping it a secret could have, and could be dangerous for him.”

Dangerous? How is this dangerous? Wind thought in disbelief, looking at his fuzzy little paws. I can’t so much as kill a miniblin like this. And the damage has already been done, it’s not like I can be more of a cat.

Hyrule shrugged at Warriors’ reply. “Maybe. But I think he just didn’t want to. We’ve all got our secrets, and revealing them all willy-nilly just... isn’t...”

Hyrule trailed off as he pulled to a stop, looking up at the trees.

Wind let out a questioning mrrp? as Warriors stopped walking as well, but Hyrule seemed too lost in thought to notice.

“Traveler? What’s wrong?” Warriors asked, and Hyrule looked around, swiveling in a slow circle.

“I think... I think this might be my time,” he said, Wind and Warriors both perking up as he kneeled down and put a hand to the grass.

“Really?” Legend asked from nearby, having noticed them stop. Hyrule nodded as he kept looking around, standing back up.

“Yeah, I... I think so? There’s a forest like this kinda near the coast, which would explain the ocean Twilight and Wind came out by. But I don’t know for sure.”

“Can we look at a map?” Warriors asked.

“Oh. No, I uh... don’t have any maps of my Hyrule,” Hyrule said with an awkward grin. “But if we’re where I think we are, I can lead us around. There aren’t any towns nearby, but I can think of a few places where Sky might’ve ended up.”

“You don’t have any maps?” Legend asked in disbelief, and Hyrule shrugged.

“Not on me. Never needed one. Though I still have some dungeon maps in here, at least I think anyway...”

Wind snickered at Legend’s face as Hyrule began to rummage in his bags, the veteran aghast at the thought of not having a map. The extreme reaction was funny, but he didn’t really get it. He liked maps and all, especially while on land, but you could always find your way by other means, like the stars or sun. Though admittedly, it was helpful to have something to draw on and make notes with.

...Legend would probably scream if he saw the state of some of Wind’s maps.

“...a river not far from here, and Sky’s tracks head in that direction,” Hyrule was saying, and Wind checked back into the conversation. The others had gathered around, and were listening intently to what Hyrule was saying. “And it’s a hotspot for river Zora. Sky is amazing, but it’s a dangerous area. I don’t want him to have to fight all of those by himself.”

“Why would he fight Zora? Are yours hostile to Hylians?” Wild asked in confusion, and Hyrule blinked.

“Yeah? They’re... as hostile as any other monster,” he said, looking at Wild like he had two heads. “Why wouldn’t he fight them?”

Wild bristled. “Zora aren’t monsters, they’re—”

“Whoa, timeline differences, Champ,” Twilight interrupted, putting an arm around his shoulders. “Cool down a bit there.”

“What’s a Zora?” Wind meowed. The name was familiar to him, but he couldn’t remember where he’d heard it. Warriors just idly petted him though, not understanding, and Wind grumbled. “Fine, don’t tell me.”

“Okay, fine. So what’re your Zoras like?” Wild asked, crossing his arms. “Since I’m going to have to assume ours really aren’t similar.”

“River Zora are water monsters, they spit fireballs and try to drag people under,” Hyrule explained, and Legend nodded. “They’re sort of greenish, with these ugly fish faces and red fins. And while I’ve met some friendly monsters before, never one of those. They’re vicious.”

“Well that’s the complete opposite of mine,” Wild said, sounding less offended and more confused. “I mean they can fight, but they’re nothing like monsters, they’re a lot like you or me. Just... fishy. They’re our allies.”

“Friends,” Twilight added.

“I was once engaged to one,” Time said idly.

The conversation stalled, and the other Links stopped and stared over at Time.

“Are you... going to elaborate on that?” Four asked, and Time’s expression flickered with barely-visible amusement as he shook his head.

“Well it obviously fell through, otherwise Malon would be a fish,” Legend said as he scratched at his hat, a smirk on his lips.

“Yeah. Too bad, maybe Twi would have gills,” Wild said with a smile, though there was an odd look in his gaze. Twilight elbowed him with no small force at the jab.

“Not that this isn’t interesting, but can we maybe keep going?!” Wind meowed loudly, catching everyone’s attention. He pointed a paw in the direction of the tracks they were still following. “You guys can walk and talk you know. Remember Sky? Remember the hero-stuck-as-a-cat situation? Let’s go!”

“Someone’s impatient,” Legend snorted, and Wind flattened his ears at him and let out a little hiss. He was seriously going to let Legend have it one of these times.

“He’s right though, back to business. We need to find Sky,” Warriors said, and started walking, the others following. Wind shot one last foul look at Legend, then settled back down on Warriors’s shoulders, tucking his paws in.

The conversation switched to a different topic, and Wind listened in silence. He wished he could contribute, but he was mostly okay with just listening, even if he really missed being able to talk. Especially when Legend and Hyrule started arguing about the benefits of maps, Wild soon getting in on it as well.

Wind sighed as well as a cat could, and settled in to watch and listen.

(...)

Sky’s tracks ended up swerving up and away from the river in the end, a fact that more than one of them were relieved at. Wild seemed mildly disappointed though— he’d seemed curious to see what river Zora were like.

Twilight at least was relieved they weren’t headed towards a definite battle. He was fine with a fight, and if they ended up in one it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but keeping Wind safe and out of the way during a battle? Somehow he just knew the little sailor would end up in trouble.

And yes, he’d promised to take it easy and not be so overprotective. But this was just normal protective. Common sense.

Cats didn’t belong in battles.

A mew caught his ears, and Twilight looked up, gaze settling on Wind. The sailor had left Warriors’s shoulders at some point, and was now settled on Hyrule’s instead, the traveler smiling as he petted him. Hyrule was asking him simple yes and no questions, and Wind seemed to be enjoying the conversation, tail happily swaying as Hyrule walked.

Twilight smiled to himself at the sight, relieved Wind was in a better mood. He’d been so grumpy earlier... Twilight had started to worry. Spirits knew he’d been moody when he’d first been stuck as a wolf, but to see the normally cheerful sailor be in such a mood was strange.

He seemed to be back to his peppy self now though, and Twilight was glad of it.

Twilight felt eyes on the back of his head, and he glanced behind him, locking gazes with Warriors.

The captain had been shooting him funny looks all day, and Twilight had, admittedly, been avoiding him. He knew the Captain was suspicious of his explanation of events, and he knew he really needed to just... admit everything with Wolfie. But it was hard to not let years of being pointed and shrieked at, cursed and spat on, trusting gazes turned scared at the sight of his wolf form taint his view of things.

He still had scars from people he loved. Why should this group be any different?

Twilight rubbed the bridge of his nose, and heard footsteps come up beside him. He tensed, but then Time walked up, giving him a slightly amused look, and Twilight relaxed.

“The Captain is giving you quite the odd face,” he mentioned casually.

Twilight glanced back at Warriors again, then gave a little shrug, unsure of how to respond. Things were silent between him and Time for a moment, and then a hand landed on his shoulder.

He looked over, and saw Time giving him a steady look.

“Rancher. The time for this secret is past,” he said, voice soft enough not to be heard by the others. It was somehow equally gentle and firm. “More of our number is aware of your ability than not; continuing to obscure it will only lead to further strife, and make helping our Sailor more difficult in the long run. It’s still your decision, but I highly suggest you explain.”

His face softened a little.

“They will not hate you for this, pup. They may not approve, but they will not hate you. We all have our secrets.”

Twilight sighed. “I know.”

He knew it was only a matter of time, ever since they’d all joined together, but that didn’t make explaining any easier. And Warriors already seemed so suspicious, Twilight had no clue how he was going to react.

The scar on his back itched.

A noise from in front of him drew his attention, and Twilight looked ahead to see Wind suddenly sit straight up, ears pricked and nose in the air. Hyrule looked over at him in confusion.

“Wind? What’s up?”

Wind twitched his tail, and when Hyrule stopped walking, began to shimmy down his arm. Hyrule crouched so he could easily drop to the ground, and Wind put his nose to the grass, sniffing.

“What’s going on?” Time asked as he and Twilight walked over, and Hyrule shrugged, watching as Wind sniffed around.

“I don’t know. I think he smelled something? That’s what it seems like anyway,” Hyrule said, and they watched as Wind followed the tracks a little further ahead, to the top of a small rise.

“Mrreow!”

Twilight jumped at the sharp meow, and he hurried over to Wind, the sailor’s fur all fluffed up. He looked out at where the land dipped back down again into a small clearing, and Twilight’s stomach clenched as he saw what Wind had found.

The remnants of a battle.

The other Links joined them at the top of the small hill, and went abruptly silent at the sight below.

The grass in the clearing was flattened and burnt, gouges torn in the ground and a few nearby trees. Crushed flowers were dotted around as well, petals trampled and stems snapped, and one small tree near the middle of the area had been entirely knocked over.

But worst of all was the smear of blood Wind was sniffing at, his eyes wide and fearful.

“...That’s not good,” Wild said in a quiet voice, and Twilight immediately crouched down to look at the blood. He couldn’t tell if it was a human’s or a monster’s, but with the way Wind’s fur seemed to only further stick up as he sniffed, he would guess it was the former.

The Links moved down the hill and into the small clearing, hands hovering near weapons as they looked around at the destruction. Twilight stayed kneeled by Wind as the rest of them spread out, studying the carnage, and he gave into the urge to pet the sailor a bit as he looked at the mess.

“Sky definitely fought here,” Warriors said, studying the marks in the grass. “His prints are scattered around.”

“I don’t know that he won, though,” Time said gravely, running a hand along some marks clawed into a tree. “If this destruction is a measure of anything, then...”

“This is Sky we’re talking about, of course he won!” Legend snapped, his boot tapping anxiously.

“...against black blooded monsters though?” Twilight said quietly, looking at a different smear of blood. This one was the familiar black of the infected, and Legend went quiet when he saw it, foot tapping faster.

Wind let out a quiet meow as he finished sniffing, looking up at Twilight. The rancher could see the worry in his eyes had brightened, his ears slightly flat.

Twilight gently scratched his head, unsure of what to say.

“Well... we must be getting close, right?” Four spoke up, breaking the silence. The Links all looked at him. “This blood is fresh, and all this destruction obviously didn’t happen more than a few hours ago. Sky must be somewhere nearby.”

“And he’s almost certainly hurt,” Hyrule said, glancing at the blood with his face creased. “He couldn’t have gotten far.”

“Unless he was captured,” Four said grimly.

“Or worse,” Warriors murmured.

Wind gave the Captain a look, and marched over to him, slipping past all of the destruction. He lightly swiped at his boot, and Warriors looked down at him, Wind meowing with a determined look on his face.

“I think he’s telling you to try being more positive,” Wild said with a smile, and Wind nodded, making Warriors’s grim expression ease just a little.

“All right,” he sighed. “I’m positive Sky is in trouble.”

Wind meowed something that sounded an awful lot like “hey!” and began trying to climb up Warriors’ pant leg.

“Hey, ouch stop that! You’re going to rip them!” Warriors scolded, but there was no real heart in it as he tugged Wind off his leg and picked him up. Wind looked completely unapologetic, and Twilight wasn’t the only one who laughed. “All right, all right, I get it. Maybe Sky killed all the monsters and is perfectly fine.”

“Well we’ll never know if we don’t look,” Legend said dryly. “Can you sniff out where Sky’s scent went, Wind?”

Wind nodded as Warriors set him back down, and began sniffing, working his way around the clearing. Twilight watched him go, nose wiggling, tail twitching, and did his best to ignore the returning urge to scoop Wind up and snuggle him.

Now was not the time.

Wind sniffed around the clearing for a long while, the other Links examining the debris for any further clues while they waited. Orangey sunshine spilled into the clearing, making Wind’s fur look like it was glowing as he sniffed. Twilight thought he was starting to look a little sick from the reek of monsters and blood in the air as he went, but he kept on sniffing, pacing carefully around the area as the sun slowly set.

He’d gotten more than halfway around when his head jerked up, ears swiveling to the side.

A noise had come from somewhere in the woods, not clear enough for Twilight to make out, but apparently Wind had. He meowed, quickly scampering back to the Links with a frantic look in his eyes.

“What was that, Sailor?” Twilight asked, and Wind batted at his extended hand. “Okay, okay. Something important?”

Wind meowed again, long and loud, and walked over to the edge of the clearing, gesturing as well as he could. His tail lashed aggressively, and he had a determined look on his face— at least, Twilight thought he did. Cats were a bit hard to read.

“He wants us to go that way?” Time asked as the rest of them came forward, and Wind meowed yet again, loudly.

“Well, that answers that. Let’s go,” Warriors called, and Legend gingerly picked up Wind before plunging into the bushes. Twilight jogged after them, the rest of the Links following, and he glanced back once at the torn-up clearing, a smear of blood catching his eye.

Then he sent up a prayer to whoever was listening that Sky was okay.

[mothfables]

♡ Bunny Flops ♡ - Part Three

Here we are at the end! I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I loved writing it &lt;3

The third time it happens, they’ve found themselves in the Veteran’s home era. Several hours of walking mixed with dodging knights (making Sky and Warriors scowl) later and everyone is all too eager to crash at Legend’s house with its’ numerous soft blankets and pillows that the Vet insists he has no use for but keeps around anyway. Warriors teases him for being a hoarder but they all know how soft the seasoned hero is inside.

(Warriors also has the suspicion it also helps with Legend’s chronic pain and bad joints, but Legend would literally rather be hit over the head with a moblin club than admit such a thing. That’s fine. He’ll just ask Ravio.)

Finally, the house is in sight and Legend speeds up as much as his aching joints will allow. He can’t wait to see his orchard and his garden, to coo to Sheerow and talk with Ravio, to lay in his own bed and drink his own tea, to get up when he wants and not some ungodly hour of the morning, and and and-

And the door is opening and Ravio is there, dark curls catching the afternoon sun as he turns to see who’s coming up the road. Legend’s speedwalk turns into a half-hop, half-jog as he hurries towards his partner. Ravio gives a shout of delighted surprise and copies him.

(Legend is sure it must look very odd, to anyone who isn’t them, but they’ve always done this - since they first began to like each other as people, since they became actual friends, since they agreed to be partners, not just best friends.)

Ravi likes to joke that it’s just another bit of proof they’re each other’s mirror. ‘Rabbits in a burrow,’ he’d tease as Legend pouted.

Then Ravio is reaching for him, checking him over and tutting as he notices the newest accumulation of injuries and overall exhaustion. Legend simply leans into him, relishing in the sensation of his partner’s care. After a moment he jerks a thumb over his shoulder at the group still coming up the road behind him.

“Got room for eight more, Rav?” He smirks tiredly. Ravio titters, gently taking his arm and waving to the Chain as they make their way towards the couple.

“We’ll just be inside! You know where things are; make yourselves at home,” he calls. Then, more quietly, “Come on, bunny. Let’s get you off your feet, yeah?” Legend gives a token grumble for the show of it but follows Ravio’s lead as his partner tugs him through the door and into the house.

Once inside, Ravio leads him over to one of the plush chairs by the fireplace, waiting until Legend lowers himself into it before busying himself with lighting the fire and setting their beat-up old kettle on the stove. He pulls down Legend’s favourite mug: a slightly misshapen thing painted with apple blossoms. It had been a gift, given to him years ago, and something he treasures to this day. As the water boils, Ravio comes back over to check on his partner. Legend greets him with a tired smile before glancing at the fire, then at Ravio, hoping he’ll get the hint. He does; giving a dramatic sigh, the merchant gathers an armful of pillows and blankets and arranges them into a small - but cozy - nest before the fire.

The kettle whistles and Ravio scurries back to the kitchen, leaving Legend to drag himself out of the chair with a drawn-out groan. His limbs shake from the effort but before he can collapse Sky swoops over and catches him. The other hero helps him stumble over to the nest and down into it, then not-unkindly swats his hands away from where they fumble at the laces of his boots.

Once his boots are off Legend moves to get comfortable, rearranging the blankets to his liking as he scoots closer to the fire. At the same time, the rest of the Chain scatter around the living room as they finish settling in. Sky and Warriors sit near the nest, sharing a smile when their tired younger brother accepts their presence with nothing more than a glance and a roll of his eyes.

It doesn’t take long before Ravio reappears from the kitchen with a now-steaming mug in his hands. He hands it to Legend - making sure the other boy can hold it without trouble - before circling the nest a few times. He fluffs pillows and readjusts blankets before giving a happy hum and toes off his shoes to join Legend in the center of it.

Legend immediately leans into him, giving a contented hum of his own at the extra warmth. Ravio presses a kiss to his hair and the Vet’s eyes slip shut. “Ah ah, drink your tea first, love,” Ravio chides. Legend gives a tired whine, the sound pulling on Sky’s heartstrings. “I know, but it’ll help your joints. Come on, bunny, no falling asleep just yet.” Legend huffs grumpily at the order but complies.

Sky can see the stress and exhaustion leaving his little brother’s body as he sips at his tea. As he drinks, his eyes droop and he leans more and more heavily into Ravio. For his part, the merchant bears the added weight with ease, as if this is something that’s happened many times before. Sky gets the feeling it has.

His ear flicks at the sound of Wind’s pictobox. He turns to shoot a Look at the Sailor, who has the grace to look sheepish at his actions. (Sky will be getting a copy of that picture later, but now is not the time. He doesn’t want Legend getting embarrassed and forcing his aching joints to move because of it.) Luckily, the Vet doesn’t seem to notice. He’s done with his tea by now, barely holding onto his mug as he inches closer to sleep with every second.

Ravio reaches to grab it but Wars beats him to it. Gently taking the cup from limp hands, he gives the merchant a warm smile. “I’ll take care of it, you just let him sleep, yeah?” After a moment Ravio nods before turning back to the sleepy hero on his shoulder, leaving Warriors to stand and make his way to the kitchen unimpeded. He glances at the mug in his hands as he walks; it’s a simple thing that’s easy to hold and decorated in lovely pink blossoms. Apple blossoms, if he remembers correctly. It’s something that’s obviously been used and loved for a long time. The thought brings a smile to his face.

Returning to the living room, Wars is just in time to see Legend sliding off of Ravio’s shoulder to land face first in the mass of blankets, where he squirms for a moment to get comfortable before relaxing again. Ravio gives a fond sigh, slipping off the hero’s hat and placing it to the side to press a kiss to strawberry-blonde locks.

Legend purrs quietly at the action, and Ravio’s cheeks glow softly in the firelight as he beams. Turning to Sky, he whispers, amazed and proud, “Link almost never lets himself get so relaxed. He must really trust you.”

And if that doesn’t hit Sky like a shock arrow to the heart. From the sudden intakes of breath and muffled sniffling behind him, he’s not alone.

Warriors retakes his seat beside Sky with a thump. “We will do our utmost best to continue to deserve that trust,” he swears solemnly, and Sky catches the glisten in his eye. Ravio glances at him, startled, before catching his gaze, suddenly serious. The Captain holds it calmly. For a moment neither moves before the merchant nods and looks away.

Sky lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

The matter settled, Ravio stretches his arms over his head with a sudden jaw-cracking yawn. He adjusts the blankets around them one final time before curling over- no, on top of his partner. Legend’s purring gets marginally louder at that; after a moment a second, deeper one joins in. A few minutes later both boys are fully relaxed, comfortable and warm and appearing near-boneless as they fall asleep curled up together.

The house is warm, and safe, and Sky lets himself drift off in the knowledge that his brothers are right where they need to be.

Click! goes the sound of Wind’s pictobox.

<<<<First : <<Previous

[day-drawn-blog]

Part V: I feel your heart beat in my soul, our futures bound, our bodies known. - I want to live

Pairing: Astarion x Reader -- This is set in Act I

This is part 5. The rest are linked below.

Tags: angst, fluff, eventually smut because I do love that

Part I. Crowned light moon of mine - I found you too soon

Part II : Lace your heart with mine Let your sleeping soul take flight

Part III : maybe tonight I'll rest in peace

Part IV: There is more to do and I still want to live

Part VI: These ain't my sins, I broke my chains

Part VII: You are not mine and am I truly yours?

Part VIII: Your blood like wine, I wanted in.

Part IX: I'll welcome my sentence and give you my penance

Part X : I can't go yet...don't let me die

_____

The day after, you all wandered through the mountain road. You were feeling better. Halsin had ensured you were healing. So did Shadowheart. Laezel looked at you with pride in her eyes. You walked slower than the others. Supported by karlach sometimes. Sometimes Shadowheart. Sometimes carried by karlach. 

Astarion would turn to look at you every now and then. You would look away if he did. It made you blush. 

Did he really tell you those things?

You wanted to talk to him about last night. But there had been no opportunity yet. Everyone was wary. Everyone was tired. everyone was covered in dust and blood. Yesterday had taken a lot out of all of you. You all prayed for a safe journey and looked forward to setting camp. It felt like you had been walking for an eternity. 

So when you found a place at sunset next to a pool of water, everyone was collectively overjoyed. Not only could you all rest, you could all finally feel clean. Karlach and Wyll volunteered to clean everyone's clothes, you were all very grateful. Karlach said she he can dry them real fast. You were curious.

You were looking forward to getting into water.

At nightfall. Laezel dragged you to the pool. Halsin was already there. Everyone had stripped down to minimum inner wear. So you did too. Embarrassing at first but quickly you went in and all was okay. Laezel was very close to you. Lately she has been. It was both flattering and intimidating. But you didn't mind. You liked being liked. Maybe everyone was warming up to you. You enjoyed the feeling. 

Shadowheart appeared with Astarion. 

She was always beautiful. She looked like a goddess right now. Her long dark hair emphasized by her pale bare skin even more. Her body was immaculate. So was yours, you knew. You were all warriors after all. But something about being wanted, made her more attractive you thought. She was confident. She did not yearn. She had it.

Astarion got into the water as well. 

He went to the other side - a little away from you. To join Halsin. Gale joined them too. Shadowheart came next to you and La'ezhel and smiled. "I'm slightly afraid of water. Did you know". Her voice was so melodious. You thought. No wonder she is loved so much.

"Then shouldn't you not be here. I mean, what if you drowned?" Laezel joked or maybe not. You could never tell. "Oh come now. Waist deep water doesn't scare me". Everyone chuckled at the banter. 

You stole a glance at Astarion. 

He was looking at her, smiling, as if proud that she got in the water. Your mistake. What did you expect. Just like any of the other countless times. The only difference was that shadowheart was on your side of the party. She had her arms around you. Maybe they all, got worried yesterday. You appreciated the loving gesture. You felt included and wanted. 

You decided to be kind to her too. 

You would not take away, that which belonged to her. That would be cruel. She was your friend. And ally. And like the others on this journey to salvation, needed your help too. And so you would not turn your back to her. No matter how much it hurt. And it did. It hurt just thinking about it. Familiar pangs. Sharp. Cutting. 

You didn't realize how sad you looked right then. But Astarion did. And he frowned. 

Soon after, among the chatter, you decided it was time to leave. You needed rest. Your aching body was catching up. You expressed that, and got up to leave. Halsin called you out. "let me put the medicine on your wounds before you sleep. Let's get Karlach." You turned to look at him and noticed Astarion looking at you. What was that stare? It was not nonchalant. Searching... fixating.

Odd. 

You suddenly felt acutely aware of how little you were wearing. You felt really vulnerable, and you hurried away. To get Karlach. 

Back in your tent, after Halsin and Karlach had gone, you were finally able to take off your wet clothes. You decided it was a warm enough night to sleep with no clothes under the covers. So you did. 

No one in camp went in anyone's tents without knocking first so you were certain you could get away with such wanton abandon for one night. You could still feel the tingling from the cool waters. You were almost asleep. 

"I got your dry clothes karlach sent" 

Astarion came traipsing in carrying warm dry clothes that karlach had tasked him to take to you. You jolted up. You grabbed the covers and clutched them hard around you. How could you forget?! This guy comes and goes to your tent as he pleases. And that's your own doing! 

"Could - could you give me a moment!!"

He stopped, stared, shocked, blushed and turned around. "Oh yes! Terribly sorry! My apologies. That was very impolite of me" he stood with his back to you "where do you want these?" You gestured to next to him, he placed them down still looking away. You pulled the covers all around. 

"My apologies, again. I will see you later".

"Wait" 

"Hmm?"

"Last night... You said .... " 

He turned to look you in your eyes. Very solemn. You couldn't understand his piercing unwavering gaze. 

"I will.... I promise" 

"Are you really... That grateful to me ...?" 

"More than grateful." His voice was low. 

"You don't need to be. I... don't expect anything in return. I do it because I want to help, you. Everyone". 

"And I want is to repay your kindness." 

You looked down. And smiled a little. It was just that. You helped him. He returned the favor. It was sweet. You should be happy with this. Very happy. This is what you wanted after all. To be needed. To save someone. To help. 

There was silence. 

He approached. "How do you feel, today?" And he took your hand in both of his and kissed it. The way he usually does. A reminder. Of your unspoken contract. You thought. 

"Almost as good as new". 

He was waiting. You knew. You sat down. To get comfortable. He sat in front at the foot of your bed. He kissed your hand again as if he was impatient. Then he kissed the palm of your hand and looked at you. Straight in your eyes, with his lips on your palm. He will not wait anymore you thought. His stare was somewhat threatening. Or maybe you were timid. When he was concerned. 

You decided to tease him. 

You said nothing. He kissed a fingertip of yours and you bit your lip. Enough. You could feel yourself tense up. Down there. Throbbing and pulsating. Curse him. He is truly the devil. But you persevered. You wanted to test yourself. 

When it failed to get the permission he wanted, he decided to make a move. 

He leaned forward and moved closer to you. You were so startled you fell backwards. Down on your bed, propped up by your elbows. He put one arm next to your head and pinned you down while looking down at you. You stared at his beautiful face, blankly.

What is happening?

"You know", he smiled, seductively, "if you keep teasing me like this, I might want.... more ...". He said the last word very softly. But it rang through your body. You felt a pulsation. Another throb. You stared at him in your shock and surprise. Unsure what to do. This was not your plan. Who is this man.

Is this what he does to Shadowheart at night? 

"More?!" Your desire to play the game had heightened. 

He smiled again - a beautiful smile, charming and happy. 

"Why yes, darling. I'm talking about that lovely neck of yours, of course". 

What?! 

All this time, all he wanted...was to bite your neck?! Your neck.... His lips would be ....to your neck...you would feel...his face, next to yours.... It was very... frighteningly.....tempting....

What happened to your aversion of being bit in the neck? Why do you crave it now? What has this man done to you? Robbed you of yourself and your reason it seems. 

You stared at him in disbelief. 

"May I"? 

"I promise to be gentle. I promise....it will feel good." 

For you!!! You thought. What?!

But you were losing yourself in the honey from his words. He is too close. Breathing on you. You could smell him. Feel him. He was slowly getting closer and and closer. You may be getting used, but perhaps you may get something out of this after all! You bargained.

The opportunity to touch him. 

You could touch his hair, his face, maybe even his back.... You felt lust overtake every part of your body as you closed your eyes and looked away, exposing your lovely neck to him. Praying he wouldn't hurt you. 

He lowered himself. One leg between yours. His face fit closer to yours. And you felt his warm breath on your skin. The anticipation was painful. He touched your skin with his lips. You sucked in air and gasped. He kissed your neck lightly like he would your hand. Shivers ran down you. Was this really happening? Your pulse quickened. You were throbbing.

He kissed it a few more times. Soft, gentle, as if savoring it. You bit your lips to stop yourselves from moaning. Why is he doing this? You clutched the bed and the covers tight. You had stopped breathing.

Then he gently pierced his fangs in you. Very slowly. And settled in. You moaned. You knew it no longer matted - he would not notice anymore. Bliss. Because you could now let go of the covers. You grabbed him with both hands. Clutching the shirt on his back.

Fair exchange. You thought.

As he drained you, you let you several breathy quiet moans. And you arched your back. You so wished to be touched. But you knew, he was not making love to you. 

You lifted your leg at one point. And realized, as it grazed him. He was, very hard. He was a man after all, and this was very intimate. Or maybe, feeding made him so happy. You didn't care... your brain was fuzzy. It was pleasurable. You couldn't believe that it was him you were sharing such a pleasure with. You wished this would last a bit though not much because you did love your body. 

Eventually you tugged his hair sharply. And he finally stopped. He let out a sharp gasp of air. Then proceeded to lick the wound. Like he always did. It was not helping. Several times, your throbbing self, your leg brushed past he hard self. It only made you want him more. You tugged at his shirt with both your hands now. He kept kissing. 

His kisses got wetter, louder, till he was obviously just a man savoring his lover and no longer a vampire savoring his prey. He kissed and licked under your ears. Then kissed your ears. Too much. Too close. His face was too close. He kissed your cheek. And licked it once.

Stop. What are you doing. 

But he didn't. He held your face and licked the other side. Kissed your other cheek. It was as if he was so euphoric he had lost control. You moaned louder and louder. Stop. You begged him mentally.

But also, not to.

He continued to kiss your other neck, and ear, down to your collarbone now. And came back up to your chin. Your head was tilted all the way back. You dared not open your eyes lest you lose control too. You were in his complete embrace at this point.

But then, he finally did stop. 

He paused and looked at you. Searching for something in your eyes. You looked at him then his lips. Then his eyes again. He was so close. His nose was almost touching yours. You must be going crazy. You didn't want him to leave yet. And he was right there. You had to. You just did. 

You reached up and kissed him. 

Surprised at first, he kissed you back. Hard. Your head was back in the pillow. He took charge. Moved your hands away and dragged your cover away. Your nipples were probably very hard and visible you thought.

He paused. As if something had just brought him back to reality. He then looked at you. your uncovered half, your nipples. He looked at your naked half body for a second. Then sat back up. Covered his face in his hands for a few moments. Then he got up and ran out. 

Part VI: These ain't my sins, I broke my chains

[oneiroy]

Then Let Me Be Evil

You never wanted to hurt anyone, but the world never gave you a choice. You did the best you could with what you had, but every innocent mistake you made was held against you when it counted, every crossroads led you down the wrong path no matter which way you went. No matter what you did, the odds were stacked against you. It wasn't fair, and you are sick and tired of being told what a monster you are for things out of your control. Well, fine. They want a monster? YOU'LL GIVE THEM A MONSTER!

Fornax (@verysmallcyborg) and Ryss got the same answers, so we decided to answer that one together. They are certainly not villains in their WoL-verse, and I wouldn't quite say that pirate captain Ryss and her devoted hunter / guard dog Fornax are evil but... they certainly have looser morals than their WoL selves >:)

And the answer does fit, since it's more or less the road they would take if odds had been against them, and they could never become warriors of light. It's not the path they wanted to take at first, but the world's hardly fair, is it? They'll become the most feared duo on these seas if it's what it takes.

Tagged by @the-white-snake, thank you!

I feel like everyone has been tagged already... but if you want to do it, here's your cue!!

What type of villain are you? Here's the quiz.

[austenpoppy]

Comparison of Ron and Hermione's contributions in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I will willingly admit this post was written out of pure spite, tired that I was of seeing people claim Ron had barely contributed to anything in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, or at least way less so than Hermione.

So you know me, what do I do in this sort of case ? I decided to analyse closely what exactly Ron and Hermione did in the book, on different levels and in different ways to completely understand what went on.

Edit: I changed some scores slightly by adding or removing points, and had to recalculate everything, though it didn't change anything to my conclusions; changes are highlighted in bold

List of Ron and Hermione's accomplishments/contributions in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

So of course, to begin my analysis, I needed to list all of their concrete contributions and accomplishments. To be absolutely fair to either of them, I did not take into account feats of bravery that did not ultimately directly help or save anyone (so I did not count Ron begging Bellatrix to torture him instead of Hermione), but I did count elements in which one or the other protected, helped, or saved someone else.

I also listed any Duelling Feat or any fight Ron and Hermione had with Snatchers/Death Eaters/others that had to do with fighting against dark forces or people (I therefore did not include the fact that Ron punched Draco Malfoy during the Battle of Hogwarts).

Anything that helped Harry in the Horcrux Hunt or in getting Voldemort down was taken into account, however small, even if it was just knowledge regarding the Trace (this bit of knowledge allowed the trio to dispel the theory that Death Eaters had found them because Harry still had the Trace) or the location of the Lovegoods, or conjuring up a flask to get Snape's tears. I however omitted intelligent remarks that didn't move the plot forward directly (so for example, I did not include Ron's shrewd comment after he read Mundungus Fletcher's mind).

As Ron and Hermione's feats had to be concrete, I also omitted moments during which Ron was the buffer between Harry and Hermione, or during which one or the other recomforted/or tried to recomfort Harry/the other. I however judged that Ron leading the Horcrux Hunt for months was worthy of being listed, because he took on a major responsibility that helped the trio as they tried to move forward with the Hunt.

To make you understand how I proceeded, each point listed is a thematic element; so several actions from the same event can be listed as separate elements. The chapter in which the element listed happened/was referred to is mentioned after each element.

Ron

1. pretended to be Harry with the help of Polyjuice when he was part of the “Seven Potters” operation (“The Seven Potters”)

2. stunned a Death Eater right in the head from a flying broom (“Fallen Warrior”)

3. saved Hermione in the Tottenham Court Road Café when she didn’t notice that Rowle and Dolohov were going to attack the trio by lunging across the table and pushing her sideways (“A place to hide”)

4. cleared up the café on Tottenham Court Road with Harry after the fight, at Harry’s command (“A place to hide”)

5. gave information to Harry and Hermione regarding the Trace (“A place to hide”)

6. rugby-tackled Mundungus Fletcher when he tried to dive for the stairs (“The bribe”)

7. spied on Ministry workers with the Invisibility Cloak and heard that only the most senior Ministry members could connect their homes to the Floo network (“Magic is Might”)

8. convinced Harry and Hermione that Stunning three Ministry officials was not a good idea because a pile of unconscious bodies would be suspicious, and therefore suggested to use Fred and George’s products (“Magic is Might”)

9. snatched Red Cattermole’s bag without the latter noticing it before Reg Cattermole went back home (“Magic is Might”)

10. pretended to be Reg Cattermole with the help of Polyjuice Potion and convinced Albert Runcorn to take Nosebleed Norgat to ultimately take hair from his head (“Magic is Might”)

11. warned Harry and Hermione that Ministry officials knew there were intruders in the Ministry and that the trio had five minutes at most to leave the place (“The Muggle-Born Registration Commission”)

12. made the most of an uproar cause by the colleagues of some balding wizard to size Mrs. Cattermole and get her out of the Ministry through the fireplace, saving her and getting her away from the real Reg Cattermole – trying to deter other Ministry officials from scrutinizing the situation (“The Muggle-Born Registration Commission”)

13. prevented Harry and Hermione from saying the Taboo (Voldemort’s name) many times, after noticing that it felt like a jinx (“The thief”, “The Goblin’s Revenge”)

14. escaped from a gang of five Snatchers after being captured by them by hitting the one holding him in the stomach and grabbing his wand before Disarming the one who has his wand and Disapparating (“The Silver Doe”)

15. managed to steal a wand from Snatchers and brought the spare wand with him when he came back, which ended up replacing the one broken by Hermione (“The Silver Doe”)

16. saved Harry’s life by jumping into icy water to retrieve Harry who was drowning and by cutting the Horcrux to stop it from strangling Harry; also retrieved the sword of Gryffindor from the icy pond (“The Silver Doe”)

17. faced mental torture at the hands of Voldemort but won against Voldemort’s taunts, resisted possession and destroyed the locket (“The Silver Doe”)

18. learned about the existence of the Taboo during his time away and alerted Harry and Hermione that there was one (“Xenophilius Lovegood”)

19. knew approximatively where the Lovegoods lived (“Xenophilius Lovegood”)

20. led the Horcrux hunt for months while Harry obsessed over the Hallows, not only to search for the Horcruxes but also to gather the team’s spirit (“The Deathly Hallows”)

21. subdued Wormtail with the help of Harry, and took his wand (“Malfoy Manor”)

22. imitated Wormtail to reassure Lucius Malfoy that nothing particular was happening (“Malfoy Manor”)

23. Disarmed Bellatrix Lestrange with Wormtail’s wand (“Malfoy Manor”)

24. saved Hermione by pulling her from under the wreckage caused by the collapse of the chandelier detached from the ceiling by Dobby, and Disapparating after catching a wand thrown at him by Harry (“Malfoy Manor”)

25. was the one who suggested the trio should double-cross Griphook by swapping the real sword of Gryffindor with the fake and give the fake to Griphook to buy enough time for the trio to escape (“Shell Cottage”)

26. pretended to be Dragomir Despard during the trio’s break-out at Gringotts (“Gringotts”)

27. stunned a wizard who was lunging for Hermione’s throat (believing her to be Bellatrix) (“Gringotts”)

28. Stunned Goblins with Harry and Hermione (“Gringotts”)

29. helped Harry cast gouging spells to blast the ceiling apart and facilitate the trio’s escape from Gringotts, after they observed Hermione do it (“Gringotts”)

30. was the one who suggested that the students who were in the Room of Requirement could help them find the other Horcruxes (“The lost diadem”)

31. designed a plan to destroy the cup of Hufflepuff, by remembering the Chamber of Secrets had Basilisk fangs; told Hermione that she should destroy the cup of Hufflepuff (“The Battle of Hogwarts”)

32. managed to imitate Harry saying the word “open” in Parseltongue to open the Chamber of Secrets (“The Battle of Hogwarts”)

33. saved Gregory Goyle’s life by hoisting him on Hermione and he’s broom when the Fiendfyre conjured up by Vincent Crabbe engulfed the Room of Requirement (“The Battle of Hogwarts”)

34. grabbed Hermione with Harry to put her to the floor so she wouldn’t be hit with spells (“The Elder Wand”)

35. threw spells that collided with Harry’s and were cast to repel an Acromentula trying to get inside Hogwarts (“The Elder Wand”)

36. told Harry and Hermione to get back so they wouldn’t be hit by the galloping desks of Minerva McGonagall (“The Elder Wand”)

37. prevented Hermione from casting a spell on Grawp; had she done so Grawp would have crushed “half the castle” (“The Elder Wand”)

38. cast “Wingardium Leviosa” on a twig and waved it into the air to stop the Whomping Willow from moving around; he was spurred on by Hermione’s remark (“The Elder Wand”)

39. broke Voldemort’s Silencing Charm by standing up to him and yelling “He beat you!” (“The Flaw in the Plan”)

40. took down Greyback with Neville (“The Flaw in the Plan”)

Hermione

1. pretended to be Harry with the help of Polyjuice when he was part of the “Seven Potters” operation (“The Seven Potters”) (note: I did not consider that Hermione fought off Death Eaters - or managed to - during that operation because in my opinion, Kingsley Shacklebolt was clearly referring to his own actions when he reported what happened)

2. stole books about Horcruxes from Dumbledore’s study and told Ron and Harry what she had learned about Horcruxes from reading them (“The Ghoul in Pyjamas”)

3. packed elements that could be useful for the Hunt, including a batch of Polyjuice Potion that she stole from Mad-Eye Moody, clothes, the Invisibility Cloak, Essence of Dittany, Puking Pastilles, Nosebleed Norgat, Decoy Detonators, Muggle money, and the tent (“The Ghoul in Pyjamas”)

4. Apparated the trio to Tottenham Court Road (“A place to hide”)

5. Stunned Dolohov while she was underneath a table and out of Dolohov’s sight (“A place to hide”)

6. Obliviated Rowle and Dolohov at Harry’s suggestion (“A place to hide”)

7. cast “Diffindo” to free Ron from the ropes holding him, though she left a deep cut (“A place to hide”)

8. dragged the waitress from the café on Tottenham Court Road’s body out of sight of the windows at Harry’s command (“A place to hide”)

9. cast an “Hominum Revelio” at 12, Grimmauld Place to check whether the trio was really alone or not (“A place to hide”)

10. remembered that the locket was in the cabinet in the drawing room of 12, Grimmauld Place when the Order was cleaning the house (“Kreacher’s Tale”)

11. Disarmed Mundungus Fletchers at 12, Grimmauld Place (“The Bribe”)

12. put Phineas Nigellus’ portrait inside her bag as she remembered he could travel from Grimmauld Place to Hogwarts (“Magic is Might”); later cast a black blindfold with the spell “Obscura” on him to prevent him from seeing inside the tent (“The Goblin’s Revenge”)

13. spied on Ministry workers with the Invisibility Cloak and heard information that indicated where Umbridge’s office might be (“Magic is Might”)

14. Stunned Mafalda Hopkirk using a non-verbal spell (“Magic is Might”)

15. pretended to be Mafalda Hopkirk with the help of Polyjuice Potion and convinced Reg Cattermole to take a Puking Pastille, before yanking hair from his head when he started throwing up (“Magic is Might”)

16. pretended to be Mafalda Hopkirk with the help of Polyjuice Potion and convinced Albert Runcorn to take Nosebleed Norgat to ultimately take hair from his head (“Magic is Might”)

17. duplicated the locket with a “Gemino” spell so that Umbridge wouldn’t notice the locket was gone (“The Muggle-Born Registration Commission”)

18. cast a Patronus, though with difficulty, to help Harry deter Dementors from coming near the group comprised of Harry, Hermione and Muggle-Borns (“The Muggle-Born Registration Commission”)

19. Apparated the trio in a forest after casting a Revulsion Jinx on Yaxley because Yaxley had got hold of her and Hermione had unwillingly get Yaxley in the Fidelius Charm cast on 12, Grimmauld Place (“The thief”)

20. saved Ron’s life with Essence of Dittany after having Splinched him (“The thief”)

21. was the first to cast protective enchantments around the tent (“The thief”)

22. noticed that the locket was having a negative influence on Harry (“The Goblin’s Revenge”)

23. figured out with Harry that the sword of Gryffindor could destroy Horcruxes because it was Goblin-made and Goblin-made swords imbibe only that which strengthens them, in this case Basilisk venom, and that Dumbledore had made a fake sword of Gryffindor because he knew the Ministry wouldn’t let Harry have the sword if he put it in his will (“The Goblin’s Revenge”)

24. saved Harry’s life after Hermione cast a spell on Nagini to force the snake to get away from Harry; dived aside to avoid it from striking her and one of her spells smashed the windows; cast a Blasting Curse charm that “flew around the room, exploding the wardrobe mirror and ricocheting back at them, bouncing from floor to ceiling”, though it also broke Harry’s wand (“Bathilda’s secret”, (“The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore”)

25. took care of Harry by getting the locket, stuck to Harry’s chest, away with a Severing Charm; she also cleaned the wound caused by Nagini and put some dittany on it (“The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore”)

26. understood that the symbol of the Deathly Hallows was important after seeing it around Xenophilius Lovegood’s neck at Bill and Fleur’s wedding, on Ignotus Peverell’s headstone at Godric’s Hollows and in The Tales of Beedle the Bard (“Xenophilius Lovegood”)

27. designed a plan so that the Death Eaters who were at Xenophilius Lovegood’s house could see he was not lying about Harry’s presence: she got Ron to put on the Invisibility Cloak so that his presence wouldn’t be known, waited for Xenophilius to appear at the top of the stairs before Obliviating him and destroying the floor so that the Death Eaters could see the trio right before Hermione Apparated them away (“The Tale of the Three Brothers”)

28. cursed Harry’s face to make it unrecognizable so that the Snatchers wouldn’t see it was Harry (“Malfoy Manor”)

29. lied under torture done at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange that the sword of Gryffindor was fake (“Malfoy Manor”)

30. cast Glamour Charms on Ron to modify his appearance so he wouldn’t be recognized during their break-in Gringotts (“Gringotts”)

31. pretended to be Bellatrix with the help of Polyjuice Potion (“Gringotts”)

32. had to do most of the talking in trying to convince Travers and in trying to get the different Goblins to let the trio access Bellatrix’s vault (“Gringotts”)

33. cast a Cushioning Charm to soften the fall of the trio after they were thrown off the cart (“Gringotts”)

34. cast a Shield Charm to slower the people trying to catch the trio (“Gringotts”)

35. used “Levicorpus” to help Harry get the cup of Hufflepuff (“Gringotts”)

36. cast “Impervius” to protect Ron, Harry, the goblins and herself from being too badly burned after spells were cast on objects in Bellatrix’s vault (“Gringotts”)

37. Stunned Goblins with Harry and Ron (“Gringotts”)

38. was the first to cast gouging spells to blast the ceiling apart and facilitate the trio’s escape from Gringotts (“Gringotts”)

39. destroyed the cup of Hufflepuff (“The Battle of Hogwarts”)

40. Stunned Gregory Goyle in the Room of Requirement (“The Battle of Hogwarts”)

41. cast “Glisseo” so the trio would escape two masked Death Eaters (“The Elder Wand”)

42. cast “Duro” on a tapestry so the two masked Death Eaters pursuing the trio would face a wall (“The Elder Wand”)

43. cast a spell to blast Fenrir Greyback away from Lavender Brown (“The Elder Wand”)

44. conjured a flask and gave it to Harry so Harry could retrieve Snape’s tears (“The Elder Wand”)

Conclusions

From this you can see that in terms of sheer numbers, Ron and Hermione's contributions are roughly equal (40 for Ron, 44 for Hermione). Considering that depending on the way I managed the two lists I could have added some elements for Ron (e.g., telling Dobby to bring Dean, Luna and Mr. Ollivander at Shell Cottage in "Malfoy Manor") or removed items for Hermione (e.g., casting the "Diffindo" spell on Ron at the Tottenham Court Road café), I consider a 4-point difference to be negligible. For reference, I would consider a point difference above 8 (1/5 of Ron's contributions) significant.

Weighting-analysis of Ron and Hermione's contributions

Of course simply listing their feats and contributions was not enough, since all of them are not as impressive, were not as important, had unwanted consequences, or were the result of negligence, a mistake, or something else. So I also had to weigh on each of the items listed. To be fair to Hermione, I also added two "mistakes" for Ron that were not part of his contributions.

My point system is of course very subjective, but I think most will consider it fair. I calculated Ron and Hermione's points separately and only did the total in the end to try to be as unbiased as possible (though I did check that the number of points I would grant to one was equal to the number of points I would grant to the other for a contribution of similar nature).

Point system

+ 0.25 = small contribution

+ 0.5 = medium contribution; small duelling feat; small or medium element pertaining to the protection of others and/or reaction time in a dangerous situation and/or evaluation of a dangerous situation and/or defence or escape against unwanted forces

+ 1 or + 2 = important contribution; duelling feat; important element pertaining to the protection of others and/or reaction time in a dangerous situation and/or evaluation of a dangerous situation and/or defence or escape against unwanted forces

Bonus points

+ 0.5, + 1, + 2, or +3 for skill or particular display of intelligence or creativity (more bonus points can be added depending on the situation)

+ 1, +2 or +3 if the situation is risky and/or required particular bravery (more bonus points can be added depending on the situation)

+ 2 or + 3 if the element listed had to do with saving someone’s life, protecting someone from danger, or taking care of someone else

+ 5 for destroying a Horcrux

Malus points

- 0.25 or – 0.5 for a small mistake (especially one that hurt another person or could have endangered them)

- 1, - 2, or – 3 for a bigger mistake (especially one that really hurt another person or could have really endangered them)

Ron

1. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was very risky; Tonks and Ron were continuously and furiously followed by Bellatrix Lestrange)

2. + 2 (impressive duelling feat) + 3 (the situation was very risky; see above) + 3 (for skill)

3. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (he saved Hermione and sacrificed his own safety to do so) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 0.5 (for his rather quick reaction time)

4. + 0.25 (small contribution)

5. + 0.25 (small contribution)

6. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

7. + 1 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was risky)

8. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (for the creativity and intelligence shown in the design of the plan); however - 0.25 (the plan backfired slightly due to Reg Cattermole's dedication to being present for his wife, though it's very likely this would have happened even if the trio had stunned him, since Stunning Spells wear off)

9. + 0.5 (medium contribution) + 0.5 (for the skill it took to take steal somebody else's bag without them noticing)

10. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

11. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 2 (for his ability to get the information to Harry and Hermione rapidly)

12. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was very risky) + 1 (he got Mrs. Cattermole away from the Ministry) + 2 (for his quick-thinking)

13. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (this is one of Ron's very underrated contributions to the Hunt; think that literally every time Ron prevented Harry or Hermione from saying the Taboo, he prevented the Trio from being captured: what's more, it happened at least three times on screen, but there were undoubtedly dozens of moments like this one) + 1 (Ron's intuition told him something was off with Voldemort's name because his brain had picked up on a pattern even though he couldn't pinpoint what was amiss exactly)

14. + 2 (he escaped from Snatchers on his own) + 2 (the situation was very risky) + 3 (for the mad skill it took to escape five assailants, retrieve your wand and steal one of theirs)

15. + 2 (I already counted Ron's skill in the item above, but this was for having thought about bringing the spare wand)

16. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (he saved Harry's life) + 3 (he did so at great risks to himself) + 2 (for thinking about taking the sword of Gryffindor at such a moment)

17. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (had to endure mental torture and had to show great bravery) + 3 (he had to resist possession) + 5 (for destroying a Horcrux)

18. + 2 (important contribution)

19. + 0.25 (small contribution)

20. + 2 (important contribution)

21. + 2 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was risky) + 1 (for his synchronisation with Harry and for thinking about taking his wand)

22. + 2 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was risky, considering Lucius Malfoy suspected something was wrong) + 2 (for his quick-thinking) + 2 (for the skill it took to credibly imitate someone he'd barely heard)

23. + 2 (impressive duelling feat) + 3 (the situation was very risky) + 3 (for the skill it took to Disarm Bellatrix Lestrange; another underrated moment for Ron because people dismiss this considering Bellatrix was surprised, even though she had time to turn toward Ron...what do people think duelling is, exactly ?)

24. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (he saved Hermione's life) + 3 (he did so at great risks to himself, considering that he didn't have any wand at that point and had to quickly take Hermione from under tons of broken glass)

25. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (because this was a great plan)

26. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky)

27. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (he protected Hermione from being attacked and hurt) + 2 (the situation was dangerous) + 2 (for his quick reaction)

28. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky)

29. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

30. + 1 (important contribution) + 1 (because this was a good idea)

31. + 2 (important contribution) + 5 (for designing the plan that ended up with the destruction of the Horcrux) + 3 (the plan was brilliant)

32. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (for the skill it took to credibly imitate a word he had heard twice in a foreign language he didn't understand)

33. + 3 (the situation was very dangerous) + 2 (he saved Goyle's life and he alone made that choice since he was holding the broom, but other people influenced or could have influenced his decision) - 2 (he risked Hermione's life in doing so)

34. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky, spells were flying everywhere) + 2 (he prevented Hermione from getting hurt) + 1 (for his quick reaction time)

35. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky and he had just lost his brother) + 2 (for his quick reaction and skill)

36. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (he prevented Harry and Hermione from getting hurt) + 2 (for his quick reaction)

37. + 1 (important contribution) + 1 (he probably protected people from terrible unwanted consequences) + 2 (for his quick reaction and his quick-thinking)

38. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

39. + 1 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was very risky) + 3 (for the sheer nerve of standing up to Voldemort)

40. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was very risky) + 2 (Greyback was a tough opponent, but Ron was not alone when he took him down)

Supplementary malus points:

When he Disapparated after he left the Horcrux Hunt and ended up in a gang of Snatchers: - 1 (and reminder for everybody that the person writing this does NOT hold Ron responsible for what happened with the Horcrux and for leaving the tent); it could have had very negative consequences for Harry and Hermione but effectively it had none

When he nearly yelled Dobby's name at Malfoy Manor: - 0.5 : it could have had terrible consequences had the other Death Eaters head him but effectively it had none

Total: 183.5

Hermione

1. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was very risky; Kingsley and she even got followed by Voldemort for a short while)

2. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the information was essential, getting her hands on the books required creativity on Hermione's part and required for her to plan ahead and think about what the trio would need)

3. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (all the elements that Hermione took in her bag ended up essential in the following months and demanded that Hermione plan ahead and think about what the trio would need; stealing Mad-Eye Moody's whole stock of Polyjuice Potion also required creativity on Hermione's part)

4. + 0.25 (small contribution)

5. + 1 (duelling feat, but she was out of sight) + 2 (the situation was risky); however - 1 because her slow reaction time forced Ron to push her aside, which means he didn't have time to defend himself) - note: if you want to know more about why I say that Hermione had a slow reaction time, I suggest you take a look at my analysis of Hermione's flaws in the last book

6. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (for the skill it took to succeed in doing a spell for the first time)

7. + 0.25 (small contribution); however - 0.5 because she cut Ron deeply

8. + 0.25 (small contribution)

9. + 0.25 (small contribution) + 1 (Hermione's caution was warranted and wise)

10. + 2 (important contribution)

11. + 0.5 (small duelling feat)

12. + 1 (important contribution) + 3 (for the intelligence shown in having thought about it)

13. + 1 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was risky)

14. + 0.5 (medium contribution) + 2 (for skill, considering she used a non-verbal spell)

15. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

16. + 0.5 (medium contribution)

17. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was very risky) + 3 (for the intelligence shown in having thought about it)

18. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 2 (this helped protect others)

19. + 0.5 (medium contribution) + 0.5 (small duelling feat) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 1 (for her quick-thinking); however -0.5 because the reason Yaxley got hold of Hermione is in my opinion because her reaction time was too slow to begin with; Harry was the one who had to take her hand to get away in the first place

20. + 2 for saving Ron's life (I'm only counting +2 because what really helped Ron was to have thought about packing Essence of Dittany, and I already took that into account) + 2 (for not completely losing her wits) ; however - 3 for having Splinched him in the first place

21. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (though Harry and Ron might have thought about it, those Charms were really important in protecting the trio and she was the first to think about it)

22. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (had she not realised it, who knows what could have happened ?)

23. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (deducting those elements were essential for the next part of the Horcrux Hunt, and showed great intelligence)

24. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (she was faced with Nagini) + 3 (she directly saved Harry's life) + 2 (though not a duelling feat, her knowledge of spells and quick-thinking ought to be rewarded); however - 3 for breaking Harry's wand

25. + 2 (took care of Harry when he was delirious)

26. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (for having made the link between the different elements she had found)

27. + 1 (important contribution, but didn't have to do with the Hunt directly; the trio could have left without it impacting the Hunt) + 1 (the situation was risky, though the trio could have gotten away before it getting risky) + 2 (her plan probably protected Xenophilius Lovegood) + 3 (the plan was brilliant)

28. + 0.5 (medium contribution, it ultimately had very little impact since the trio was brought to Malfoy Manor and Bellatrix Lestrange recognized them anyway) + 2 (the situation was pressing) + 1 (this helped protect the trio if only a little) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

29. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was awful, and she had to endure torture) + 3 (for her quick-thinking) + 3 (for the sheer nerve of lying to Bellatrix Lestrange)

30. + 1 (important contribution)

31. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky)

32. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 3 (for having pulled off the Bellatrix impression)

33. + 1 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was dangerous) + 2 (she prevented the Trio from getting hurt) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

34. + 2 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was pressing) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

35. + 2 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was pressing) + 2 (for creativity)

36. + 2 (important contribution) + 3 (the situation was dangerous) + 2 (she prevented the trio and goblins from getting hurt)

37. + 1 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky)

38. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was pressing) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

39. + 2 (important contribution) + 5 (for destroying a Horcrux)

40. + 0.5 (small duelling feat) + 2 (the situation was risky)

41. + 2 (this helped the trio get away from Death Eaters) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

42. + 2 (important contribution) + 2 (the situation was risky) + 2 (for her quick-thinking)

43. + 2 (important contribution) + 1 (the situation was risky, but she was under the Invisibility Cloak) + 3 (she probably saved Lavender Brown's life)

44. + 0.25 (small contribution)

Total: 170.75

Conclusion

While factoring other elements such as the importance of the contribution in helping taking down Voldemort or fighting against dark forces in general, the level of dangerousness in which the contribution happened and the levels of bravery and/or sacrifices required to accomplish the feat, the level of intelligence or creativity involved, quick-thinking, quick reaction time, the level of skill involved to accomplish the feat, mistakes... You can see that Ron and Hermione's contributions are still roughly equal (according to my point system, Ron has 182.5 points and Hermione has 171.75... This is probably due to the fact that Ron not only destroyed a Horcrux but was directly responsible for designing the plan that allowed Hermione to destroy another -granting him + 10 points directly-, and to the fact that Hermione made more mistakes with rather terrible consequences - so Hermione has more malus points), and the point difference between them may seem important, but as I said I consider a point difference to be significant when it hits the bar of 1/5 of the lowest score (here 1/5 of 171.75 = 34.35, yet the point difference between the two scores is 12.75).

Nature of the Contributions

Ron and Hermione are different, and contributed differently to the Horcrux Hunt. I decided upon 8 categories: Strategy/Tactical Thinking; Research, Planning, Knowledge; Deductions; Duelling Feats and Fights; Quick Thinking in dangerous scenarios (which does not correspond to situations requiring a quick reaction time, those are counted in different categories depending on what it ended up doing, but is more akin to "presence of mind"); Resistance against Evil; Protection of others; Leadership. I thought that to really understand Ron and Hermione's profiles, I would put each item listed above in one or more of the categories but also count the points I attributed to each item in my weighting-analysis. There are in the end certain items that did not fit any of the category and that I thought best not to include.

Ron

Strategy/Tactical Thinking: 8 (4.75 points), 25 (5 points), 30 - knowing how to use people to one's advantage - (2 points), 31 (10 points), 37 - spatial reasoning - (4 points) = 25,75 points

Research, Planning, Knowledge: 5 (0.25 points), 7, (2 points), 11 (3 points) 15 (2 points), 18 (2 points), 9 (0.25 points) = 9.5 points

Deductions: 13 (6 points) = 6 points [reminder: this is not a representation of Ron's capacity for deduction, since there are many intelligent remarks I did not include in my analysis; this category only shows deductions that moved the plot forward)

Duelling Feats and Fights: 2 (8 points), 6 (0.5 points), 14 (7 points), 21 (4 points), 23 (8 points), 27 (5 - 2 points - I deduced the points granted to him for protecting Hermione for that category = 2 points), 28 (1 point), 35 (6 points), 40 (7 points) = 43,5 points

Quick Thinking in dangerous scenarios: 3 (5.5 - 2 - I deduced the points granted to him for saving Hermione for that category = 3.5), 9 (1 point), 11 (5 points), 12 (6 points), 14 (7 points), 16 (10 - 3 points - I deduced the points granted to him for saving Harry's life for that category = 7 points), 21 (4 points), 22 (7 points), 31, (10 points), 32 (5 points), 34 (7 - 3 - I deduced the points granted to him for saving Hermione for that category = 4), 36 (5 - 2 - I deduced the points granted to him for saving Harry and Hermione = 3), 37 (4 points) = 66 points

Resistance against Evil: 17 (13 points), 39 (7 points) = 20 points

Protection of others: 1 (5 points), 3 (5.5 points), 12 (6 points), 16 (10 points), 24 (8 points), 27 (8 points), 33 (3 points), 34 (7 points), 36 (5 points) = 57,5 points

Leadership: 20 (2 points) = 2 points

Hermione

Strategy/Tactical Thinking: 27 (6 points), 34 (5 points) = 11 points

Research, Planning, Knowledge : 2 (5 points), 3 (5 points), 6 (5 points)- I'm referring to her knowledge of spells -, 13 (2 points) 14 (2.5 points) -idem-, 21 (4 points), 26 (4 points), 30 (1 point) -idem- = 28.5 points

Deductions: 10 (2 points), 12 (4 points), 22 (4 points), 23 (5 points), 26 (4 points) = 19 points

Duelling Feats and Fights: 5 (2 points), 11 (0.5 points), 19 (3.5 points), 24 (7 - 3 points - I deduced the points granted to her for saving Harry's life for that category = 4 points), 37 (3 points), 40 (2.5 points), 42 (6 points), 43 (6 - 3 points - I deduced the points granted to her for saving Lavender's life for that category) = 24.5 points

Quick Thinking in dangerous scenarios: 17 (6 points), 19 (3.5 points), 27 (7 points), 28 (5.5 points), 29 (11 points), 32 (7 points), 33 (8 - 2 points - I deduced the points I granted to her from preventing the trio from getting hurt for that category = 6 points), 34 (5 points), 35 (5 points), 37 (7 points), 38 (5 points), 41 (6 - 2 points - I deduced the points I granted to her for allowing the trio to escape for that category = 4 points), 42 (6 points) = 78 points

Resistance against Evil: 29 (11 points), 39 (7 points) = 18 points

Protection of others: 1 (5 points), 18 (5 points), 19 (3.5 points), 20 (1 point), 21 (4 points), 24 (7 points), 25 (2 points), 36 (7 points), 41 (6 points), 43 (6 points) = 44.5 points

Leadership: 0 point (I did not count what happened at the Lovegoods as "Leadership" because trusting one person at one given moment to carry out a plan does not show, to me, that they are "the leader"; otherwise I would also count other plans made by Ron as examples of him being a Leader).

Conclusion

This to me so clearly shows what Ron and Hermione's strengths are. In terms of "Resistance against evil", both have roughly the same amount of points, while the point difference in "Quick Thinking in dangerous scenarios" is not significant according to my arbitrary cut-point (above 1/5 of the lowest score), showing that both Ron and Hermione are strong-willed and are quick-thinking in dangerous situations.

Hermione is in the lead in the categories "Research, Planning, Knowledge" (with a 19 point difference, the 1/5 of the lowest score being 1.9) and "Deductions" (with a 13 point difference, the 1/5 of the lowest score being 1.2). For the first case, the reason is obvious: out of the three members of the trio, Hermione is the one who thinks about what kind of knowledge, what tools, what objects they will need. She's also generally better at casting spells/ doing magic. The second case offers a bit less insight, because Ron's observations that did not directly make the Horcrux Hunt progress/had no real impact were not included even though many of them were brilliant. However, I think it does show that between Ron and Hermione, Hermione is the one who makes deductions that help move the plot forward.

Ron is in the lead in the categories "Strategy/Tactical Thinking" (with a 14.75 point difference, the 1/5 of the lowest score being 2.2) and "Duelling Feats and Fights" (with a point difference of 19 points, the 1/5 of the lowest score being 4.9). Again, not surprising. Despite people's inexplicable tendency to think Ron only showed his Strategic skills in Book 1, Ron is a very good tactician and strategist (Hermione is a good strategist when it comes to politics, but not war). Ron, unlike Hermione, is a fighter/soldier, with quicker reaction time and more impressive duelling feats. It shows in the sequence at Malfoy Manor when Ron and Harry are fighting together; the two are completely synchronised.

Ron being ahead in "Leadership" is only a reflection of the fact that Ron is Harry's second-in-command.

The category that I was most interested in was "Protection of Others" since Ron ended up being slightly ahead, too (with a 13 point difference, the 1/5 of the lowest score being 8.9). I think it mostly reflects the fact that Hermione has knowledge that helps protect people and or save them while Ron goes above and beyond to protect people in the heat of the moment (which means Ron got more bonus points).

Overall conclusion (for now...)

The hypothesis presented that Hermione contributed much more to the Hunt than Ron is quite absurd indeed.

[happyk44]

A doctor rushing to a small town on horseback, praying diligently to Hermes for safe and speedy travel so that they may make it before the patient is too sick to help. Hermes hearing this - and curious by it. People often ask for safety from thieves. Thieves ask for luck amongst the roads, potential targets to snag and steal. Merchants request shortcuts so they may sell their wares quicker. Rarely does he ever hear prayers for safety, for speed, for luck so that someone may help another.

So he follows silently, a little sparrow soaring above. Slips down from the air to the ground, as tiny as a mouse, and darts rapidly behind running boots. Watches from the corner of a room as a child weakly breathes and a doctor patiently attends to them.

It's interesting to him, the care. He's not yet seen it much in travelers - seen it in families, of course, in friends. But never in strangers. People are wary of those they meet on roads. Strangers on hidden paths, far away from helpful eyes and warrior swords, prickle with potential danger.

And yet...

It's interesting to watch the colour rise back to a pale face, cheeks flushed, lungs drained of fluid and now breathing clearer. A medicinal paste is rubbed into a lanced wound. Clear words, clear instructions.

The doctor stays for a few more days, attending to small ailments, checking in on the child. And then they're off to the next town, praying for safety and speed so they may help those who need it before it's too late.

He follows. He watches. He learns.

It fascinates him. Healing, helping. Traveling roads endlessly to take care of others. Even at cost, it's baffling. The effort, the drive - how do they manage it? Aren't they tired?

All travelers settle down eventually. Nomadic lifestyles run thin as age impacts movement. Energy. And yet on and on this doctor roams. And others soon follow.

Please, Lord Hermes, they whisper into rushing wind, please let me make it in time. Before someone falls prey to Death's cold scythe. I just want to help.

Okay, he whispers back, inaudible to their ears but not to their growing spirit. Run, my child. You will make it. You will help.

[redux-iterum]

Charred Legacy: Chapter Twenty-Five

(AO3 counterpart here.)

Cloudpaw was the first awake the next evening—when Fireheart opened his eyes, his nephew was tip-tapping in place, staring into the warrior’s den. He had the good sense not to shout as Fireheart got to his feet and stretched, but he could barely keep himself contained when his uncle approached him.

“Are we seeing the territory tonight?” Cloudpaw said, catching his volume on the second word and loudly whispering the rest.

Fireheart yawned out his half-sleepiness and looked at his nephew with blurry amusement. “We are, but—” he lifted up his paw just as Cloudpaw bunched up to jump around “—we should go with your siblings, so let’s wait for them to wake up. Have you had breakfast already?”

This did not seem to have occurred to Cloudpaw. He shook his head, blinking in surprise.

“Then get yourself something.” Fireheart cocked his head towards the truthfully dismal prey-pile. “We’re going to be out all night. I don’t think you’ll eat before we get home.”

Cloudpaw looked back the way Fireheart had gestured, then nodded and bounce-trotted off. Fireheart watched him go with a purr, sitting down to the side and grooming out his messy pelt, grateful that his nephew had such puffy and long fur to keep him warm.

The rest of the Clan roused just as Cloudpaw was finishing his meal and Fireheart was picking up a mole to eat himself. Aspenpaw and Ashpaw darted out of the apprentice’s den, forgetting to shake the flakes of moss off their bodies. Soon after came their mentors, Darkstripe as sour as usual and Speckletail looking quite exhausted already. Darkstripe nudged hard past Fireheart—really a push—to pick up one of the last pieces of food without a word. Fireheart steadied his breathing and moved away to eat.

“The whole territory,” Ashpaw said, in preemptive awe. “We’ll see the whole thing.”

“Well, mostly the borders, I think,” Aspenpaw corrected, swallowing a chunk of the squirrel she was sharing with Ashpaw. “But it’ll still be nice. All the way from the Houses to Sunningrocks.”

Cloudpaw didn’t say anything. Something dimmed his face into a strange neutrality.

They barely had a chance to finish their meal before Darkstripe, still licking his chops from his bird, started to walk for the entrance and called, “Ashpaw, come on. We’re doing the tour.”

Ashpaw stood up, caught off-guard. “What about Aspenpaw and—”

“They can go their own way whenever.” Darkstripe flicked his tail in annoyance. “Now come on.”

Ashpaw frowned, glanced at his siblings, and then hurried to follow his mentor. The pair disappeared through the entrance, leaving Speckletail and Fireheart to watch them go.

Speckletail sighed. “Well, I should’ve expected that. Aspenpaw, we’ll be ready in a moment. I just need to order some patrols…”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Aspenpaw said, her pretty face lighting up again. “I can wait.”

“You could come with us,” Fireheart suggested. “We’re heading out now.”

Cloudpaw whipped his head around. “We are?”

Fireheart nodded.

Aspenpaw shook her head. “I’ll wait for Speckletail.”

The deputy was still tired, but she gave Aspenpaw a warm look. “Just a moment, then. Fireheart, go ahead on out.”

Fireheart dipped his head respectfully before setting off at a trot, Cloudpaw at his side in an instant.

Snowy ground welcomed them once they were outside, the night sky clear and glittering. Fireheart took a deep sniff and let out the air happily, excitement bubbling in his chest.

“You ready?” he asked Cloudpaw.

Cloudpaw, to his surprise, was a little subdued in his response. “Ready. Which way are we going?”

Fireheart thought for a moment on the best path to take. “The road first. We’ll head down past the Houses after that.”

Cloudpaw nodded silently.

The pair set off north, Fireheart trying to find a good way to ask Cloudpaw what was muting his happiness. Cloudpaw was unusually quiet, looking around at the charred trees, sometimes climbing them with his eyes.

“Here we are,” Fireheart said at last, as they stepped out of the woods and on the border of the rocky slope. He climbed up it with marginally more grace than usual, Cloudpaw struggling after him.

“This is the road,” Fireheart said with a sweeping gesture down and up the endless black path. “I know you’ve heard about Snakerocks, but I consider this the most dangerous part of the territory. You remember that car in the Barn? Well, there’s cars much bigger than that, and they move really quickly along this road. Cinderpaw broke her leg here, and other cats have been hit and killed beside.” He fixed his nephew with a serious look. “You don’t have any reason to come here, especially not alone. Remember that a car could just not see you, even in daylight, and it’ll be too late to stop when it does.”

Cloudpaw nodded again, eyes over the road. “Whose territory is that?”

“That’s ShadowClan’s.” Fireheart lightened up a little. “They’re the small cats we saw when we escaped the fire. They’re very kind and stick to their side of the road. We should, too.”

“Okay,” Cloudpaw said quietly.

Fireheart looked at him for a long moment, contemplating, then turned and led him back down the gravel. Once they were on safer ground, he turned to his nephew and said gently, “What’s bothering you, little guy?”

The response he got was instant, blurted and accompanied by wide, anxious eyes. “Are you really my uncle?”

Fireheart blinked, caught off-guard. “Of course. Why?”

“It’s just…” Cloudpaw fidgeted, took a breath and said nervously, “It’s just, you and mi weren’t family, right? And, and you don’t look anything like her anyway, and I don’t look like you– I don’t really look like Aspenpaw and Ashpaw either, but…”

Fireheart’s eyelids lowered sadly. How long has he wanted to ask about this?

“So… so are we really family?” Cloudpaw finished, head slightly lowered like he was expecting to be yelled at. “Or did you just make that up?”

She never told him where he came from, Fireheart thought. Did she want me to do it?

He carefully picked his most kind voice and spoke softly. “We were waiting to talk to you about that.”

Cloudpaw, the poor thing, looked frightened, like Fireheart was about to drop a horrible secret.

“You and I are really related,” Fireheart said. “By blood. But you’re right; Brindleface and I weren’t blood-family. You weren’t with her, either.” Fireheart took a quiet breath. “She was your mother, and she still is, but she adopted you. You and I were both born kittypets.”

Whatever Cloudpaw had been expecting, it clearly wasn’t that. His eyes bugged out.

“Your birth-mother is in the Houses,” Fireheart went on. “Her name is Rosy, and she’s my sister. She gave you to me to come live with me in ThunderClan.”

There was a long moment of silence, until Cloudpaw ended it, his voice very small. “Why did she do that? Did she not want me?”

Oh, and how Fireheart’s heart broke hearing that. “No, Cloudpaw. She wanted you. But the thing with kittypets is that they get separated from their families at a very young age. It happened to me and to her; we were lucky that we found each other again. She was afraid of losing you and all your siblings forever—” Cloudpaw stared “—yes, you have siblings in the Houses too—and so she wanted to know where you were and that you were being loved and cared for. She trusted me and the rest of ThunderClan to do that. It hurt her a lot, but she loved you too much to lose you.”

Cloudpaw said nothing to that. He gazed at the ground, mulling things over.

Fireheart gave him a moment before gently tapping him with a paw to get him to look up. “Come on, let’s keep walking. We can talk along the way.”

Still silent, his nephew nodded and followed after him as they walked along the gravel. They reached the corner of the border and turned, trotting along the west edge of the forest.

Cloudpaw finally broke the quiet after a small distance. “Why didn’t anyone tell me I’m a kittypet?”

Fireheart sighed. “The Clans have some weird thing where they think kittypets are lower than them. Loners, too. I had to do a lot of work to earn their respect.” He looked back at his nephew. “You were barely a newborn when I brought you in, so they accepted you easier. But I was apprentice-aged when I joined, so some of them thought I was too used to an easy life to be a good warrior.”

“Oh,” Cloudpaw murmured. He raised his voice tentatively. “Then, then I’m not as good?”

“You are,” Fireheart said firmly. “The Clans are wrong. Every cat is as good as the next. I don’t care where they come from; there’s nothing wrong with being a kittypet, or a loner, or a warrior. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.”

Cloudpaw’s expression cheered up a little, then it turned puzzled. “So why are you a Clan cat instead of a kittypet?”

“The lifestyle appealed to me. I didn’t like living as a kittypet. It was soft and easy. Maybe it’s for other cats, but I’m happy to be a warrior.”

Cloudpaw seemed content with that. Fireheart let him continue thinking, simply slowing a bit to walk alongside him and offer a friendly blink when he looked up.

The forest along the Houses’ border was still alive and thick with healthy trees. Even if there were no leaves to shield them, or ferns to push past, it still was immeasurably more comforting than going through the burned part of the woods. Fireheart could even smell the trees themselves, if he focused. He noted, to his own amusement, that the grass they were approaching on the outside was still green and clipped up a ways.

When they reached the fenceline, Fireheart stopped and pointed with his tail. “That’s my old house right there. See the fence, where it’s chipped?”

Cloudpaw squinted and leaned forward. “Uh-huh.” He looked up at his uncle. “You got to see the forest every day.”

“I got to see what I was missing out on,” Fireheart said with a small chuff. “You’ll feel it in the springtime; the forest gets so rich with so many different scents. When you first go out there, it can be overwhelming. It was spring when I walked into the forest, and, wow…” His eyes lost their focus as he recalled that night. “There wasn’t anything like it that I had ever experienced. It was incredible.”

Cloudpaw regarded him thoughtfully. His head turned to the street around the corner. “Where does Rosy live?”

“Down that road a bit.”

“Huh.” Cloudpaw hesitated. “…Can I meet her, some day?”

Fireheart purred softly to get his nephew to look at him. “You will. She’d love to see you again.”

Cloudpaw brightened. “Okay. When?”

“Well…” Fireheart tilted his head, thinking. “Let’s get you trained up a little first, so you can show off to her. How you can hunt and climb, and all that. You’d like to do that, right?”

Cloudpaw nodded. “Yeah. Okay.” His fur itself seemed to brighten up a little. “I’ll make her proud of me.”

Fireheart tapped his side with his tail. “She already is, I can promise you that. Let’s get going.”

Not without a little reluctance, and a last glance down the road, Cloudpaw trotted after his uncle. Again, quiet, until Fireheart’s old house disappeared from view.

“So who’s my father?” Cloudpaw asked.

Some deadbeat loser who doesn’t matter, came the snippy part of Fireheart’s mind. Out loud, he said, “His name is Onion. I don’t know where he is now.” He looked back. “He looked a lot like you, actually, just grey instead of ginger. Very fluffy, too.”

Cloudpaw blinked. “Well, that’s lucky. I’ve got long fur like everyone else in ThunderClan.”

“You’re a puffball, you mean,” Fireheart teased.

Cloudpaw squawked and swatted snow at his hind legs. Fireheart’s legs leaped away of their own accord, making him pick up his pace so he didn’t trip. They both trilled and Cloudpaw sped up to walk alongside him again.

“Do you go to see Rosy?” he asked.

“Sometimes, yeah,” Fireheart replied. He sighed. “I haven’t had a chance recently. There’s been a lot going on since you came to ThunderClan.”

“You mean with the fire?” Cloudpaw tilted his head.

Fireheart paused, then nodded. “Among other things, yeah. We were…” Dealing with a lot of murder and pain, losing friends and family, hiding secrets we shouldn’t be hiding. “…really busy before you first left the nursery.”

To his partial relief, partial frustration, Cloudpaw accepted that and looked forward again. “Well, I get to be a part of that now. I like that.”

“Yeah?” Fireheart tilted his head.

“I mean, since I’m from the Houses,” Cloudpaw elaborated. “I wasn’t a warrior yet. Now I’m an apprentice, and I can be a real Clan cat.”

Fireheart looked at him fondly. “You’re already a real Clan cat. We’re not more or less worthy, we’re just worthy. That goes for everybody, not just us two.”

“Well, still,” Cloudpaw said. “I’d like to hunt and protect the Clan, and help around camp. That’s what a good warrior does.” He beamed up at Fireheart. “That’s what you do!”

Fireheart returned the beam, still feeling a little sheepish. “I just do what I can, same as everyone else. We do our best, and that’s good enough, whether or not it’s as much as the rest of the Clan.”

Cloudpaw had an odd look of relief, to Fireheart’s satisfaction and mild surprise. His fluffy tail lifted higher, its ginger tip curled, and he trotted with more purpose than before.

“Did I tell you I have a friend in the Houses, too?” Fireheart said after a pause. Cloudpaw looked up at him and he continued. “His name is Smudge. He was my first ever friend, before I moved to ThunderClan and met Ravenwing and Greystripe.”

Cloudpaw’s eyes widened. “Really? Is he big and fluffy too?”

“I mean, he’s wide, but he’s about my size.” Fireheart’s eyes creased as he thought about the patched tom. “And he’s quick-witted. You’d like him. Maybe we’ll get to see him someday, too.” Something occurred to him. “Just remember, we have to keep it to ourselves. ThunderClan doesn’t like us talking to kittypets, even if they are family.”

Cloudpaw’s face fell a little, but he nodded. “I can’t tell my sister and brother either?”

“Not yet,” Fireheart said kindly. “If we have to, we will. But I can already hear our Clanmates scolding me for taking you to see Rosy.” He jokingly shuddered. “Just imagine the look on Dustpelt’s face…”

Cloudpaw shuddered in turn. “Yeah, okay. We’ll keep it a secret.”

Fireheart gave him an affectionate nudge, and the pair continued on down the border’s path. They were quiet again, but this time it was a lot more comfortable.

[some-messed-up-writing-for-you]

Short Prompt #1205

"And remember: if you at any point encounter a man-eating plant, DON'T RUN," the captain said, putting great emphasis on their warning. "They may not have legs to chase you with but once their roots sprout from the ground and wrap around you, you're done for."

One of the warriors nervously spoke up, "S-Sir, I thought this was just a retrieval mission...?"

The captain sighed with a tired look. "Yes, but nobody said the road to our target would be safe."