#They’re gonna bite some ankles and cause chaos.

[welcome-to-green-hills]

The way Knuckles and Tails are looking at Shadow XD

They do NOT like him 🤣🤣🤣🤣

New live reaction images😈

They’re definitely going to scratch and claw!

[elisaphoenix13]

Debut And (Minor) Fall

Commission for @wombatking! I'm amazed at myself for getting this out so fast! I hope it's to your liking!

"Nonono! Don't hork it down you animal!" Cassie laughs and takes a bite of her own cinnamon-sugar pretzel.

"What? I'm hungry!" Peter says with his mouth full.

"You're always hungry." Cassie shakes her head and tears off another piece of her pretzel as Peter fumbles for his phone when it pings.

He taps away at it after unlocking it to read the message, and then he points it away before directing Cassie a different direction.

"Mom asked us to pick up some things for Lucy." Peter explains and Cassie nods.

"Diapers and formula?" She guesses.

"Yup."

"Do you even know what to get?"

"Nope. He said you would know."

Cassie shakes her head in exasperation. Of course she knew what exactly Stephen got for Lucy because more often than not, she was with him whenever he picked up the baby supplies. She didn't mind though. It gave her a little more alone time with Peter before they were both pulled back into the chaos of the tower. Something she always missed because she learned during those five quiet years that she shouldn't take it for granted. There was a lot she didn't take for granted anymore.

When she sees Peter eyeing her pretzel she holds it away. "You had yours! Three in fact! Let me have my one!"

"Aww come on babe! They're so good!" Peter practically begs.

"No!"

Peter grins and reaches for the last bit of pretzel. "Come on it's just a--"

He suddenly freezes and Cassie yelps in surprise when Peter pushes her away and then her eyes widen when something blasts into sidewalk where she had been standing just moments ago. As the sidewalk smolders, she and Peter look into the direction the fireball came from and find what looked to be another psychotic villain with a grudge.

Fucking fantastic.

"Not cool." Peter says before tapping his nanotech bracelet to suit up and webs toward the villain after telling Cassie to find somewhere safe to hide.

For a moment she considered it, but when Peter was almost immediately blasted away when he got close enough to the attacker, she decided that it was probably time to reveal her powers. Tony had made her her own suit just in case, and Cassie hadn't even asked for one but she was glad for it. It was more subtle than the bracelets that Stephen and the boys had for their suits, and it still amazed her how Tony managed to fit a whole suit in a ring. It was like the others though and all it needed was a tap before nanites covered her body and formed a suit similar to her father's.

The moment she was completely covered, she grew to a large size and stopped Peter from hitting asphalt by catching him with one of her hands. Cassie hears him mumble to himself in confusion and then he looks up and the eyes of his suit widen.

"Holy shit!" Peter shouts.

He clearly had a default reaction to seeing people grow for the first time.

"You okay?" She asks.

"I...I will be when I have time to process...this," Peter motions to her. "That will have to wait. Do you mind?"

Peter points back toward the approaching villain and Cassie nods before tossing her boyfriend back towards him. As Peter webs what looks like a custom flamethrower away from the villain, Cassie shrinks back down and runs up to assist. Having his weapon ripped from his hands was enough of a distraction for Cassie to reach the villain and deliver a blow under his jaw, and he stumbles back in surprise.

The training Cassie went through was finally worth it as she continued to help Peter try and restrain the villain who had pulled out another weapon that was definitely alien. She wasn't even surprised to see one anymore. Like Hydra, alien weapons were always hidden in the cracks and came out at the most inopportune times and there was likely no chance of finding them all. Especially when people dismantled the power sources for use in other weapons. Peter had experience with that.

Cassie gets blasted back by the weapon and lands with a groan on the ground. This was still better than being tossed around by a celestial. While Quill never actually used his full strength while helping her train, he only pulled his punches just enough for it to hurt but not actually cause any damage to Cassie. Basically how he trained with Scott was how he trained with her. Quill pulled his punches but it still left some nasty bruises.

Cassie sits up and glares at the villain as she lifts one of her wrists. "I can do that too." She then sends a bio electric blast at him hitting both him and his weapon.

Peter webs him to the ground as he swings down to Cassie, and he helps her to her feet. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Papa has done worse if I'm gonna be honest."

"Ugh. I know what you mean. I think your dad is a masochist."

"I try not to think about it. Thanks."

The two walk over to the unconscious villain and look down at him.

"What do we do about him?" She asks.

"Ping the cops." Peter shrugs. "They'll come take care of him."

"That's it?" Cassie asks in surprise. "Seems a little…"

She trails off when she hears a soft beep over the noise around them and she looks closer at the villain. Peter looks as well and when Cassie looks at the weapon, her eyes widen when she sees a light on the weapon start to flash rapidly in tune with fast beeping.

"Run!" She yells.

But it was too late. The weapon exploded and the force of it sent both Peter and Cassie flying back in different directions. Cassie was sent into an alley and she groans when she lands into a pile of boxes and old wood, and she was pretty sure she felt something...snap? When she tosses the garbage off of her and tries to get to her feet, she cries out in pain when her ankle throbs and sends her to the ground.

"I believe you have fractured your ankle Miss. I suggest you lie still. I've already paged the doctor." Victor says and Cassie blinks in surprise.

"Victor? You're in my suit?"

"Yes. It was decided that I would help you whenever you felt the need to use your suit." The AI explains.

"Cassie!" Peter runs over just as a gateway opens and Stephen steps through.

"Victor says I broke my ankle and I'm inclined to believe him." She tells them and Peter carefully picks her up.

"Leave your suit on until we get you to medbay." Stephen says and motions for Peter to follow.

Stephen changes the destination of the gateway to the medbay and walks back through with Peter following close behind with Cassie. The sorcerer directs Peter to an empty bed and he carefully lays Cassie on it who hisses a little when her ankle is jostled. When Stephen asks her to, she retracts the suit and the nanites crawl back into their core in her ring and he carefully pushes up her pant leg to assess the damage. It was already swollen and purple and Stephen barely had to touch it for more pain to flare up.

"Ow!"

"I think Victor is right but we'll still take some x-rays." Stephen says.

While the doctor moves around getting things ready to x-ray Cassie's ankle, Bruce arrives with Scott and Quill and Cassie smiles sheepishly at her parents.

"What happened?" Scott asks as he rushes to her bedside.

"She kicked ass." Peter says. His suit had also been put away during her exam and now he was just standing by as support.

"A weapon self destructed and kind of rudely threw me into an alley." Cassie explains. "Broke my ankle."

Scott turns to Quill immediately. "Can you heal her?"

"Uhhh...I'd rather not. Bones are a little more finicky than flesh." Quill says.

"I'm okay." Cassie says as she rolls her eyes.

"Are you sure? No head injuries?" Scott asks when he returns his attention back to her.

"Tony made the suit. I'm sure I would have had a few if he didn't."

"That's not funny."

===========

Stephen's AI was right. Cassie had broken her ankle and Bruce had to put a plaster cast on her which she was required to wear for at least six weeks. He would monitor it closely during that time and much to Cassie's annoyance, Scott rarely let her move around. Which made sense, but he and Quill were disasters with housework and she was afraid to watch them attempt laundry. The few times they did it themselves, only twice it went without a hitch and the other times were too painful to recall.

"Ugh!" Cassie groans when Scott keeps her from getting up from the couch. "Are you going to help me pee?!"

Her father immediately holds his hands up. "Oh. No. That's all you peanut."

"Thank you." She sighs and gets up with her crutches and makes her way to the bathroom.

To be fair, going to the bathroom was a little bit of a struggle but at least it gave her some feeling of independence. Her dads barely let her do anything except go to the bathroom, and there was only one time she fell and needed help. She never told them that of course because she had been up with Peter and it happened to be in his bathroom. When she asked for his help, he was so calm about it and to her surprise he didn't even blush or sputter when he saw her with her pants halfway down. He just helped her up and looked away while he kept her up so she could pull them back up.

In fact, Peter had been a huge help ever since she got her cast. He got her whatever she wanted that he was capable of making (which wasn't much; he was almost as bad as Quill), he sometimes helped her change or get ready for the shower which was also something she didn't tell her dad's because they would blow a gasket, and he kept her company whenever Diana didn't. Diana was helpful too. She helped with bathroom stuff too if Cassie needed it and her parents knew about the little girl's help.

After she finishes in the bathroom and washes her hands, she opens the bathroom door and proceeds to leave, only for one of her crutches to get caught on the door jamb. She yelps and falls forward and fortunately gets caught by Quill who she had fallen against. He helps her straighten and uses a small amount of his powers to pick up the crutch she had dropped and returns it to her.

"You alright?"

"Yeah. Thanks. I'm gonna go upstairs." Cassie sighs.

"Let me help you to the elevator." Before Cassie can argue he points over in the direction of the elevator and she finds Emir sleeping near it. "He's kind of a big obstacle." Quill laughs.

"Oh, right." Cassie nods and accepts Quill's help, which consisted of him picking her up and carrying her to the elevator and he puts her back down as the doors open. "Thanks Papa."

Quill winks at her. "I'll distract your dad."

Cassie makes a face when she catches his insinuation and Quill cackles as the doors close. She was pretty sure he was taking advantage of her inability to run away by torturing her like this. She was half tempted to return the favor by insinuating that she and Peter were doing things but she was pretty sure that would backfire and her dads would try to kill Peter. She liked her boyfriend thank you very much.

When the doors opened again, she was immediately greeted by Peter who was the next to scoop her up. "Movie in bed?"

"I want to watch Moana and I want a shoulder massage. These crutches are killing me." Cassie pouts and Peter laughs as he carries her upstairs.

"Your wish is my command."

[crimsoncityhq]

The night has been advertised by multiple commercials in the civilian’s homes, and even dead bodies littered on some residence lawns. It’s dusk on a Thursday in February. The gates to the Fire and Ice Festival are lowered after hours of waiting in the biting Chicago tundra, and the crowd, over 4,000 strong, rushes in. Most are expecting a night of drunken freedom, cozied up by the outdoor heaters that promise a warm welcome, but some foresee the chaos bound to erupt across the lawn.

The first act takes the stage, and anyone who isn’t inebriated, courtesy of the open bar, is perceptive enough to realize that, no, that’s not Kanye West. Instead they are mesmerized by the lyrical lip syncher Dante Yeast—he looks enough like him, it’s better not to question it. One would think that the O’Sheas, Vasiles, and the Fausts all gathered in one spot would spell disaster, yet the evening rolls on without a hitch, despite the tensions slowly building in its periphery. Fausts members, too, are scattered across the ocean of bodies, but some faces are missing, figureheads who pull the strings.

 Maybe they’re absorbed by the crowd; maybe they thought better of attending, but there’s a sense of unease that settles in the air. It’s not quite right, but no one can put a finger on why. Another beer, and the thought is lost is the swell of the music—if they didn’t know any better, they’d think the bass replicates the sound of distant explosions.

You’re free to start plotting. You can start posting starters/threads tomorrow, February 20th, 2020 at 7:30PM CST !  Part II coming February 24th ( Plot Slots can be found below the cut ! )

We’re going to allow each person to choose two plot slots for two characters max .If there are any leftovers, we’ll let members know when they can sign up for thirds.

You’ll notice that some of these plots are public, so feel free to have your character react to them/ notice them even if they aren’t happening directly to your character. However, if something feels like it happened privately to another character, please check in with their Mun to see if it’s okay for your character to know.

To be clear: these are not the only things that happen to your character during this plot drop and you are more than welcome to cook up your own trouble.

To sign up for a plot slot message the main! You can start doing that as soon as right now!

CHARACTER A, CHARACTER B, CHARACTER C, are approached by the venue to play as impersonators for the opening act of the show. However, it turns out…they are the show along with other noteworthy impersonators. 

CHARACTER D & CHARACTER E end up camped out at the ticket box office on the other side of the lawn seats. They want a refund for the musical event after their cards were erroneously charged the next day on ADAM & EVE. Much to their surprise they come face to face with CHARACTER F( Faust ).

AUTUMN DAWSON is shitfaced prior to arriving at the music festival. They try to crowd surf before the opening act, and would get immediately dropped if NATHAN BURR didn’t catch their fall. 

CHARACTER I & CHARACTER J purchased tickets to meet the bands backstage. They are led by the security detail of the event to two tents filled with a scent of gunpowder. Upon further inspection, they find a crate of fireworks. Do what you will.

CHARACTER K jumps on stage to hijack the mic and accidentally falls and breaks their ankle.

CHARACTER L & CHARACTER M are dosed with PCP by a stranger serving up “free” cocktails. Everything is a blur and they both snap back to reality an hour later, but they’re in the middle of an intense fist fight.

EFFIE FAUST & CHARACTER O engage in a mud wrestling contest that is being judged by no one whatsoever. 

CHARACTER P & CHARACTER Q make out in a port-o-potty, but realize shortly after they’re locked inside. It’s up to CHARACTER R to either let them out...or tip them over.

CHARACTER S is mistaken as Pat Benatar. ASLI DEMIR drunkenly convinces them to go on stage to sing LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD.

 CHARACTER U & CHARACTER V go hard on the alcoholic beverages & psychedelic treats  at the start of the festival, by the end of it neither of them know where their shoes or wallets are. 

CHARACTER W finds their soulmate in a drunken stupor and grinds on them for the better half of two hours, only to realize the grindee is ZHI ROU, who has been uncomfortably shifting away from them this entire time. 

CHARACTER Y breaks all of their glow sticks and covers themselves in the liquid. It’s all fun and games until that shit starts to burn. CHARACTER Z does their best to quench CHARACTER Y with every bottled water they can find.

 CHARACTER A1, CHARACTER B1, & CHARACTER C1 are hired security guards for the event. They have no clue who hired them to do it. 

INGRID VASILE  starts to overdose on COCAINE. LEV VASILE notices their struggle and assists them to the med tent. DOMINIC MURPHY is around the med tent and notices the commotion. 

 CHARACTER  F1 tries to charge their phone using the musical equipment & gets electrocuted. Also it starts to play the most recent song listened to on their phone which is SONG OF THEIR CHOICE. 

GRIFFIN DYER is held up at security when they try to enter the venue, because they tried to smuggle in a small animal. CHARACTER H1 isn’t really security and jacks the animal instead.

SERENITY MICHAELS starts to question their sanity when they see a small animal run in circles in front of them and jet off towards the direction of the port-o-potty. 

RACHEL BYRNE feels something small and furry scaling the back of their dress, and, assuming it’s someone’s hand, slaps DAHLIA CAVALLI in the mouth before the small animal scurries away and they have to apologize.

CHARACTER L1 chases the small animal and just when they are sure they’ve caught it, the animal bites them on the neck. CHARACTER M1, who is higher than a motherfucker and hallucinating, sees CHARACTER L1 cradling their neck and automatically assumes a vampiric transformation is happening. CHARACTER L1 has to survive the following attack from a stranger with a pocket knife.

CHARACTER N1 is on their fifth drink at the venue. They hear a loud slurping noise, only to find the small animal lapping their beer in hand. Out of surprise they scream which causes the animal to shit on their hand and run away. CHARACTER O1 looks on in amazement, wonder, and terror as CHARACTER N1 wipes their hand on an unknowing CHARACTER P1. CHARACTER O1 is conflicted if they should say anything but takes a Snapchat video of the whole scenario anyway. It goes viral on Tik Tok the following evening.

The small animal finally gets caught by SANTIAGO PEREZ in a battle that lasts 10 minutes. The small animal is then given to CHARACTER R1 whom they assume is the owner. 

CHARACTER S1 is lost to the world, and passes out directly in front of CHARACTER T1 that had just spent twenty minutes in line for a cup of water. The cup of water is spilled on top of CHARACTER S1.

NAOMI WASHINGTON & CHARACTER V1 become instant buddies when they chant to the sound of “SHOTS” around the crowd. IRINA KOSHKIN takes this literally and pulls out their gun ready to fire. 

CHARACTER X1, CHARACTER Y1, CHARACTER Z1 all show up to the venue wearing the same exact outfit. You have declared them your number 1 enemy for the entirety of the music festival. 

CHARACTER A2 is high as fuck and thinks they’re making a flower crown for CHARACTER B2…..except it’s a crown of shrooms instead. CHARACTER B2 wears the crown, but has to swat CHARACTER C2 away who keeps trying to eat them. 

CHARACTER D2, CHARACTER E2, CHARACTER F2 suffer from dehydration. They try to find help at the med tent, but they can’t find where it is. 

ROSA LEON gets handsy with the bartender at the open bar and leads them away for a quick fuck, allowing RYAN HAYES and CHARACTER I2 to raid the bar freely.

 CHARACTER J2 is the aforementioned bartender and realizes a moment too late their station is being cleared out. Instead of returning to their position, they throw on some neon bracelets and join the party.

 CHARACTER K2 is doing some sick backflips in the middle of the crowd and are called out by the currently performing act mid-set for drawing attention away from the stage. CHARACTER K2 does another backflip to retaliate, but accidentally kicks CHARACTER L2 in the face.

JESSE VALENCIA hijacks a ELECTRIC BLUE STRATOCASTER from the backstage, and they are not caught. 

DAVUT DEMIR feels like they’re being watched and finds a silhouette with a rifle narrowed in on them perched upon a nearby building. They quickly retreat to find OPHELIA O’SHEA and P2 and warn them about the occurrence, who realize there are multiple snipers surrounding the pavilion. 

CHARACTER Q2 swears they heard a sound of explosions over the music, being in front nearest to the stage. They grab the microphone and scream, “WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE.” CHARACTER R2 & CHARACTER S2 start to openly panic. 

CHARACTER T2 (O’Shea) gets into a physical altercation with CHARACTER U2 (Vasile). They don’t stop until one or the other is knocked unconscious. 

ANDREA REED & BIRDIE MENDOZA try to leave the event, but notice that they’re trapped in the auditorium. CHARACTER X2 makes it to their vehicle, but is stuck in place by the surrounding vehicles around them. Unable to escape fully, they return back to the venue. 

CHARACTER Y2 hates their life at this music venue, because they’re stuck behind a rather sweaty individual. Their sweat keeps hitting them in the face, and at one point, they catch it in their mouth. It incites a ferocious bout of vomiting, and CHARACTER Z2 is trying to help, thinking they’ve been drugged, but CHARACTER Y2 can’t even explain what it is that made them sick.

 TATIANA BLANTER is hit with a spare bullet, but no one is able to find where the source is. As no one around seems to have their gun out. CHARACTER B3 conceals their weapon perfectly. 

 NOVA DEVERAUX suffers a panic attack due to the crowd gathered, and clings onto CLARA DAVILLA who is unable to get them to the med tent.

 CHARACTER E3 feels something warm splash on their face. They are unsure if it’s warm beer or urine. They’re pretty sure it’s warm beer, but remain conflicted the rest of the festival. CHARACTER F3 offers the shirt off their back for CHARACTER E3 to wipe the liquid off their face. 

 CHARACTER G3 is doing photography for the event, but realizes midway through the show that the performers aren’t who they say they are. They spot a face they know to be Faust affiliated in the crowd and scurry off toward the exit, only to be stopped by CHARACTER H3 (Faust) at the door.

MILES ST CLARE is the first to notice the lack of Fausts at the start of the music venue. They make their way to the police station in hopes of figuring it out, but instead they encounter burning police cars and chaos.

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Blow By Blow ch.3 (baon)

Summary: Set the day after ‘With Brotherly LV’. Jeff is having his first day working at the Embassy, Stretch is having a bad anxiety day, Red is having a bad text day, and Edge is just having a day.

Tags: Spicyhoney, Established Relationship, Prejudice Against Monsters, Angst, Injury Recovery, Hurt/Comfort, LV Issues, Brother issues

Notes: My timeline is getting a little wonky due to a few drabble sets and shorts. So this chapter directly follows With Brotherly LV

Part of the ‘by any other name’ series.

Chapter One | Chapter Two

~~*~~

Read Chapter 3 on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

Two hours and another coffee later, Edge had worked his way through most of the folders and had a brief web conference with the Economics and Global Affairs. He was starting to think absently of lunch when he heard the commotion from the outer room.

It was only raised voices so far, Janice’s sharp and very likely protective. Edge couldn’t make out what she was saying, but the other voice came through the door clearly with, “…my fucking brother!”

Perfect, may as well add to the chaos of the day. It was his brother who’d taught him trying to avoid unpleasantries only led them back to haunt you. Edge pressed the intercom button. “Let him in.”

Of course Red would have to make a grand entrance. He could have teleported in and no one would have been the wiser. That meant he wanted Janice to see him, as well as anyone he passed in the hallways. Trying to fathom Red’s reasoning for the things he did was a fool’s game, but all too often it turned out that he was right.

It didn’t mean Edge couldn’t be aggravated about it.

The door opened allowing Red to shuffle in and Edge frowned. His brother looked tired. His clothes were more rumpled than normal, his jacket pulled close around the same t-shirt he’d been wearing the night before. Dark reddish circles were embedded beneath his sockets, but his endless grin was as wide as ever. That grin had stopped fooling Edge long before he’d been out of striped shirts.

“When did you get in this morning?” Edge kept the question light. It made it more likely for Red to answer than if it were a demand.

True to form, Red only shrugged. “never left last night.”

He bypassed the guest chairs, coming around the side of the desk and when he took Edge’s chin in two sharp fingers, forcibly turning his head, Edge didn’t protest. Using his injury as an excuse to manhandle him was getting to be a habit of the people around him, anyway; his own brother at least should be allowed.

Unlike any of the others, Red only studied the bruises impassively. “got you good, didn’t i. coulda given you a matching crack.”

No apologies and Edge did not expect one. Instead, he pulled away from his brother’s grip with a scoff, saying dismissively, “Not a single one of your attacks came close to the force necessary to break bone.”

“no?” Red wandered back around to flop into one of the chairs with enough force to send skittering back an inch. “might hafta try harder next time.”

It was incredibly difficult to keep from smiling at that. He shouldn’t be as darkly amused as he was; every other person he’d met today was upset by the bruise, including his husband who was likely still fuming at home. But his brother whom Edge knew loved him, who had sacrificed a great deal for him over the years in so many ways, his Underfell brother, only suggested that perhaps he should try to up the damage.

He really did love Red.

But thinking of his husband— “Where is Stretch?”

“hm?” Red’s bland confusion at the question was one of the worst lies he’d ever told. “you askin’ me about your liability? dunno, probably at your place.” His grin widened even as one sharp fingertip scraped over the wooden arm of his chair. Edge stifled a wince as he silently mourned the loss, watching curls of wood shavings fall to the floor. But demanding Red stop might tempt him into dangling answers rather than being direct, if only to be aggravating. “see, that’s a good question because it’s been a helluva morning. first, the honey bun shows up on my porch and when he sees i ain’t there, i start getting these interestin’ texts. dusting off some old threats, if you get my meaning.”

He did, all too well. Edge could have done without knowing Stretch already tried to see Red before Edge secured a promise from him and that sheer chance prevented it. Ah, the barriers against peril this morning were conspicuously thin, weren’t they.

“Let me see them.”

He didn’t hold out much hope on that and it was no surprise that Red only grinned wickedly. “nah. s’between me and him.” Red shifted to lay sideways in the chair, his feet dangling over the newly shredded arm. “your liability has a hell of a mouth on him,” Red said, contemplatively. “or fingers, i guess. does pretty good with those languages, think i learned a coupla new things. his science needs a brush up, though. some of the shit he suggested ain’t physically possible, there’s no way in hell my skull is gonna fit where he wants to shove it.”

And there was a field of landmines to tread carefully over. “He was only worried about me.”

Red slanted a glance his way, his eye lights brightening. "you think i’m mad at him?" He laughed, raucous and loud, pounding his fist on the cushioned seat as if Edge had told a joke filled with offensive references to bodily functions. “for trying to protect you? nah. he’s like a tall version of one of them little weenie dogs who thinks they're a rottweiler. thinks he can do some damage. ‘course they can still give you a hell of an ankle bite. bet your pretty little liability would give it a good ol’ try.”

There was something boastful in that, a sort of pride, Edge realized. Red was terribly smug that Stretch would try to threaten him over his own brother.

Of course he was. He was probably patting himself on the back for ‘helping’ Edge secure such a perfect spouse, the little shit.

Some of Red’s humor faded. “you, now. you might’ve stayed home.” It was mildly said but Edge knew a rebuke when he heard one. “and not just 'cause you look like a walking ad for a new fight club. he’s awful wound up about lizard lady’s tests.”

“I know,” Edge sighed. “I’m not sure why. I’m worried myself, but he’s had lower HP.” And if those thoughts were keeping Edge awake at night, a memory of the last time Stretch had been down to a base of four HP, well, he wasn’t about to bring it up.

Red sucked on his teeth loudly. “wanna know what i think?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“i think that it ain't about the tests. it’s that he thinks all this shit’s his fault.”

Edge stilled. He blinked once, slowly, breathing in against the sudden raw magic thickening in his throat.

“he’s thinkin’ about how stupid he was to use their little machine alone,” Red went on, and each word stung, “and now he’s let you down, let his bro down, let the whole world down. he’s been stewing about it for a while, i’m bettin’. he gets out of the hospital again, starts doing better, then finds out his hp’s dropped. every time he just gets that little voice in his head to shut up, here it pops up again, like some kinda nasty yo-yo remindin’ him how he fucked up.”

“and then we’ve got you here,” Red waved a careless hand at Edge’s face, “lookin’ like i belted you, and his brain latched on to that shit. this's his chance, right? all ready to protect you from your mean ol' big brother, that'll make it up to you, for sure."

"That's ridiculous, he has nothing to make up for."

Red shrugged. "didn’t say it made sense. honey bun has issues, you knew that before you ever saw what he keeps in his pants."

"I'll thank you to not talk about his pants in any capacity." But Red was wrong about one thing; it made an upsetting amount of sense. Stretch had been trying to avoid telling him about his HP from the beginning because of Edge’s reaction at the hospital. Frightening as it was, he’d kept this to himself, even dragging Red and Sans along to keep quiet about it, though that probably hadn’t taken much persuasion. All because he was afraid of making Edge angry. If this was anyone’s fault, it was Edge’s; in trying to protect Stretch from his temper, he’d hurt him deeper than he’d realized and the memory of Stretch begging him not to leave was still painfully sharp.

Enough. Assigning blame wasn’t going to help anything, but now he needed to think about what would. Point blank was not going to be effective for Stretch, that much he knew.

Red was still lying in the chair, his hands folded over his chest as he contemplated the ceiling with unnecessary interest, and the urge to needle that blatantly rude calm was nigh on irresistible. “If only you were as apt at dissecting your own issues as you are others.”

His brother only snorted loudly. “oh, i got myself all dissected, don’t you worry about me, little brother. diagnosis: complete fuck up.”

Edge shook his head, reluctantly amused. “I stand corrected. Have you seen Jeff yet today?”

The chair squeaked as Red turned his skull towards Edge, his sockets narrowed, but he accepted Edge’s reorientation, “not yet.”

“It’s his first day. He was very nervous when we drove in this morning. He’s been through a lot lately. I don’t want him worrying that if he’s a little overwhelmed, his job will be in jeopardy.”

“like you’re gonna fire him?” Red laughed with more honest amusement, “after all the work you put in gettin’ him here?”

Edge allowed a reluctant smile. “Exactly.”

“your side liability is doin’ fine—”

“Don’t call him that!”

“—they’ve had him reviewing press releases all morning, makin’ sure they sound right to a human audience. shit gets lost in the translation, sometimes. he’s not bad, got a decent eye for detail.”

“Good.” Jeff would likely discuss his first day with Stretch later, hopefully with excitement, but it was good to confirm he wasn’t struggling.

“welp, can’t say i enjoyed the chat,” Red sagged out of the chair to his feet, already fumbling into his jacket for a cigar. “fuck me, you all are exhausting.” He paused, the slender cigar clenched unlit in his teeth as he dug around for matches. “paps? you need another workout, you call me.” It was not a question and Red waited until Edge nodded. “i’ll try and avoid that pretty face next time. oh, and maybe check your phone.”

“Brother, don’t you dare…!” Edge started, irritated, as Red lit a match with a flick of his thumb, holding it to the cigar. The first foul curl of odor filled the room even as he shortcutted out, lingering behind him.

“Asshole,” Edge sighed to no one at all. That pointed little reminder would be hanging out for hours. He started to reach for another folder and paused. His phone was sitting where he’d dropped it, dark and inconspicuous, and he picked it up, unlocking the screen. The last text wasn’t from Red as he’d assumed.

i’m sorry

Edge exhaled slowly. That had been over two hours ago, and he could easily picture Stretch curled up miserably on the sofa, waiting for a reply.

His fingers hesitated over the screen, ready to type out an answer. Instead, he opened the phone app to repeat his last call. The line picked up, but there were no words, only a damp, shuddery breath. He’d been crying and Edge closed his sockets, pained.

“You don’t have to say anything, love,” Edge told him quietly. “I’m sorry, too. I know you’re worried about, well, a great deal right now. Listen to me, no matter what Alphys has to say, we’ll handle it together. I love you. We can talk about everything else later, anything you want, and I won’t try to lie about any of it. That’s a promise.”

There was no reply, and Edge considered disconnecting, giving Stretch some time to gather himself. But before he could came a single word, “wait.” Small and soft, almost too low to hear. He did, patiently, listening to hitching breaths and sniffles that ached in his soul, until finally there was a faint, “i love you, too.”

It was enough for now. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“okay.” Still too quiet, too subdued, but this time Edge disconnected the call. He held his phone a moment longer until he could force his fingers to uncurl before he broke the glass. The temptation to go directly home was difficult to resist, but he did it anyway. He needed a little time to think, to settle his thoughts and his soul. Stretch might well still be miserable and worried, but going in without a strategy was only going to make things worse.

And strategy was his strength.

His door suddenly opening caught him off-guard, halfway to forming an attack before he saw it was only Antwan, likely taking advantage of Janice getting coffee to sneak in. “Hey, can we talk a min…what the fuck happened to you!?”

Edge groaned.

~~*~~

tbc

[hbwbyniall]

Number 2 for the writing prompt pleeeease and thank you!!!

HEEEY!! so I don’t know if you had read my b99 au before but this is kind of a sequel to it!! I hope you enjoy!

MORE PROMPTS

***

Harry was undercover for almost ten months trying to dismantle a drug operation that turned into something even bigger, the Italian mafia from that part of Brooklyn.

Niall was reassigned to work with this guy Tom that no one really likes. His cases had been slow and, even if he doesn’t want to admit it, boring. It’s not like he misses Harry, because he doesn’t, he can barely stand the guy. Harry is too charming and too confident to the point of irritation, he acts without thinking of the consequences and drags everyone into his messes. But he’s also pretty smart and funny. So when Niall is stuck in a car with Tom hearing him talk about peanuts and reality shows, he can’t help but think about Harry.

It’s not entirely his fault. It’s Harry’s. The day he was picking up his stuff, just moments before infiltrating into the mafia, he went to Niall’s car to say goodbye and said a couple of words that had been haunting Niall for ten months since he walked away.

“I kinda wish we had been more.”

He didn’t understand it at first. Niall just stood there, his mouth open wide as Harry smile to the side and walk right next to him. More than what? He asked himself for about five minutes and by the time he finally turned around, Harry had left and there was no way to contact him.

Maybe he just said to mess up with him, maybe it didn’t mean anything. Could have been the perfect joke. He left Niall wondering and imagine what if for ten entire months, he took away nights of sleep recreating every interaction and conversation they had since they meet, trying to find the exact moment Harry change his feeling about him, the moment he started liking him too. Because even if he won’t ever say it out loud, Niall likes Harry, he has for a while now, even before the whole undercover operation thing.

But here’s the thing, he could also have been saying the truth. Maybe he really thought he wasn’t coming back, at least not in a long time and he needed Niall to know. But there’s no certainty in that and Niall can’t work with uncertainty. He rational, he’s always prepared and organized, most of the time, he can’t be caught in surprise, but Harry always does, he always surprises him and he is always pushing him far from his comfort zone, and usually it’s not a bad thing.

So when Captain Basil got the call, the one coming from Harry to give him green light to the operation, Niall put his bulletproof vest and ran to the van faster than ever before.

And to be honest, everything was going great. They bust into Lorenzo’s wedding when every guest was eating the cake so they couldn’t get far away when the squad kicked down the door. A pile of money, which according to Harry could be easily be linked to the fire of rival gangs’ lab that occurred three days ago, was on display next to the dessert table, as it was a present for them.

Harry was sitting on the other side of the room, next to the honor table with his hair way too short on the sides and wearing long earring coming from his left ear. The shirt halfway open and he has now a couple more tattoos in his arms and his chest, not like Niall could notice that from where he’s standing arresting Maurizio Monticello nor he could see the side smiling Harry was throwing at his way as Zayn pretended to arrest him, slapping his body to the table, thing that Niall was pretty much enjoying.

But Harry is allergic to play by the book, it’s an actual condition of his, not being physically capable following orders. He likes to be dramatic, he likes the theatrics so when everything was going so smoothly, Niall should’ve known that something bad was about to happen, something like Harry yelling “I rather die than going with you!” at Zayn’s face and then a mafia friend lifting up his hand to make his wishes come true.

Niall heard the shot, it was loud and it made everything go slower, even in the middle of the chaos happening around them. He saw the guy pulling out the gun from his ankle and pointing at Harry, screaming “Fino alla morte, fratello” but it was too late, Niall throw the handcuffed guy to Liam and try to run to Harry but Basil hold him by the waist and took him out of the building.

His captain keeps repeating tohim that Zayn has Harry, he is going to take him to the ambulance and he will be alright and Niall, for the last two and a half years has trust blindly in Basil, but right at this second, with the air filling up his lungs and somehow making it hard to breathe, with his eyes slowly watering, everything coming out of his mouth was just numb noise. He needs to see Harry, he couldn’t just trust in Basil’s words, so he broke the embrace and ran to the other side of the building only to see Zayn going into the ambulance.

When he tried to approach the doors, two officers try to stop him.

“He’s my partner, get out of the way.”

So he knocks, louder than the police sirens and the screams inside the building, he knocks till his knuckles are blood red and he yells Zayn’s name until he finally opens the door. The look on his face is not good, Niall doesn’t like it, he’s concerned, but the second he sees Niall, he smiles, just a little and Niall knows it’s bad.

Zayn steps down and Niall goes into the ambulance as he hears the doors closing behind him and the vehicle starts running. Harry is laying in a litter, his abdomen is covered in blood and he’s having some trouble to breathe. The paramedic is holding some texture to apply pressure on the bullet hole when Harry lays eyes on him. He opens the mouth to say his name but he starts coughing blood.

“I’m right here, okay? You’re all right.” Niall runs to his side, taking the paramedic’s place holding the texture with one hand and Harry’s hand with the other one.

He didn’t realize he was crying until he feels Harry’s fingers running through his face, making a mess more than cleaning it up.

“So,” Harry smiles. “How you been?”

“You’re such an idiot!” Niall yells at his face. “Everything was going well and you just had to make a dramatic exit.”

“You’re ruining my cover, Horan.”

He says, and Niall notices how the words tremble on his lips and how pale he is right now.

“There’s no one here!” Niall looks up to his vital signs trying to figure it out how long is left to get to the hospital.

“Hey.” Harry whispers and Niall gets near him, his lips almost touching his ear. “Remember what I told you when I left?” Niall swallows and then nods. “Well, that’s not true, I was just joking around.”

Niall clears his throat and sits still, letting Harry’s hand go.

“We don’t need to talk about thatright now, Styles,” Niall says, nodding at the paramedic as she starts to give

Harry some morphine. They’re close now. “Or ever again.”

“I’m just saying,” He says, looking at the wall next to him. “I don’t want the brick wall you have for a boyfriend to cause me some trouble.”

“Bressie and I are no longer together,” Niall says, not knowing exactly why, but it’s the truth.

Niall knew they weren’t a good match, and after that night, he could feel it more than ever. Everything with

Bressie was so plain and boring, he never made him laugh, at least not genuinely. And when he found himself comparing him to Harry, he knew he had to end up things. It’s not like he was waiting for him; it was just not fair. He also knew that this was a very plausible scenario, he just has to live with it now.

“What?!” Harry says, turning his head so fast Niall fears he could actually stretch a muscle. “Then I take it back, I mean it.” He reaches for Niall’s hand and he lets him hold it. “I really mean it.”

Niall shakes his head trying to bite down his smile. He shouldn’t put this so easily for Harry. So when he tries to free his hand from Harry’s embrace, he holds on tight.

“That was so stupid, I’m sorry.” He coughs again, but it’s bloodless this time. “I just didn’t want you to hurt me, but I like you, I really do.”

“What makes you think that I like you,” Niall asks as the ambulance parks in the hospital.

“Your eyes.” His eyes are getting tired and his smile his fading.

“You’re gonna be so embarrassed when you wake up.” Niall laughs and hears the doctors screaming outside.

“If I wake up! I’m dying, Niall!” The doors open and they take him immediately. “I need an answer!” he screams from behind and Niall steps outside the ambulance, following the doctors.

“At least the bleeding is not internal, right?” Niall laughs as they enter the emergency room.

“That was one time!” Harry screams back before they take him to operation and Niall pretends his heart is not rising.

At the time the squad gets back, he has bitten all of his nails and his shoes keep tapping the floor. But when Liam puts his hand on his shoulder, he knows everything is fine, it has to be. They still have a lot to talk about.

[elasianstar]

R #13 Accidental anger (Angst fic)

“I think I want to try for a degree in physics and mechanical engineering, oh but chemistry….”

“I can get you all the necessary paperwork Don, it'll be pushing it but we might be able to even get you in for the fall semester. You just have to decide on a major.”

“But there are so many choices! Physics, mathematics, engineering, psychology, chemistry… I can't choose!”

“Well can you narrow it down to your top 3? A double major and a minor is doable in 5-6 years if they're all in similar disciplines.”

“Ok, I think I'll stick with physics and engineering…. And a minor in inorganic chemistry.”

“Are you sure?”

“mmmmmmm! Yeah just put it down before I change my mind again. I can't believe you got me in, I'm going to be an actual college student!”

“Yep, as soon as we send these enrollment papers in and get your classes finalized you will be an official Columbia college Cougar.”

From where I stood in the tunnel outside the lab I heard it all.

I couldn't believe it, Donnie was going off to college with Elasia in the fall…

That evening Elasia’s POV

Raph has been acting really strange today, I mean not entirely out of the ordinary, but I haven't seen the red banded brother this irritable in months. He was stalking around the lair and bouncing from thing to thing in an attempt to keep himself in check, beating the snot out of his training dummy, cleaning random spaces, he even started knitting after a bit but his restless mind wouldn't let him relax. I tried approaching him to see what was wrong but he just brushed me off without a glance.

“Don't worry, Raph just gets like this sometimes, let him work off the steam and he’ll be fine. This is nothing like the explosions we endured as kids, Raph was a real live wire back then. This is most likely nothing that won't blow over.”

“I don't know Leo, I've never seen him quite this steamed, not even at you. He's been so good at keeping himself in check recently, he's been so proud of his self control. This isn't normal, something is wrong and I know it.”

“Guys! Fajitas are ready!!!”

Mikey's voice brought us all running to the kitchen, the chaos of flying plates being caught and the chatter between the brothers feeling normal and comfortable compared to the funk of the rest of the night. Then Raph made it to the kitchen and the atmosphere chilled almost instantly as he roughly snagged a plate and plopped into his normal spot on the bench between me and Mikey. He didn't make eye contact or even spare a kind word just started serving his portion of food and eating in a fuming silence. The others acted like nothing was wrong and soon the usual chatter started back up.

“And I helped this old lady with eyes all over move a futon we found out at the dump into her apartment. I think her name was Sicily if I remember right, her son is coming home from serving with the coast guard soon and she needed to set up a place for him to stay until he could get situated. She was really nice, afterwards she brought out homemade cookies and showed me a few of their old photo albums.”

Mikey was chattering away, he's been so much happier since he started volunteering at the small mythic community. His eyes were brighter and he seemed more willing to express himself.

“The scrappers are treated like heroes over in the compound, I don't see why you guys don't stop in and help out some time.”

Leo smiled a bit between bites of the delicious roasted peppers the younger had prepared, gesturing with his fork as he talked.

“Things are going pretty good at the market actually, selling my extra fresh produce is working out. I even have a few return customers, there's this older guy with hooves, Devin, who comes up every week from new Jersey. He cleans me out of hot peppers every time I take some down. I can't believe we lived down here our whole lives and never knew they were over there. Feels good to actually help people who are like us, who can look at us without seeing a bunch of freaks.”

“Oh and Don, your gadgets are actually selling pretty well. The kids love your little tin toys. You could start up your own shop and do nicely, or I bet I could convince Tobias to set up a little section for your stuff at the toy counter in his shop.”

“I might actually consider that Leo, making them does give me a nice break from upgrading our stuff and my lab projects.”

“what's the point.”

Raph's comment was almost too quiet to hear as he shoved off from the table.

“What's that all about Raph?”

“I said what's the Damn Point! You'll just end up leaving and then what! You'll be too busy with your stupid degrees to do anything else!!!”

His plate went whizzing past Donnie’s head and crashed into jagged shards that littered the floor. Something broke in behind Donnie’s eyes and soon he was launching himself over the table to get in his larger brothers face. Bo staff caught between twin sai as they struggled against eachother.

“Well sorry if I want my chance to better myself! You know more than anybody that I've always wanted This, to actually have a chance to be a part of the scientific community!”

“Well whoop de fuckin do! Donnie’s the smart one, he's going to make something of himself!”

Raph managed to throw Don away, his sai still buried in Don’s staff. But his anger was growing, all his wards were down and his eyes glazed over white as he lost himself.

“IS WHAT WE DO NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU DONATELLO, HUH! IS PROTECTIN PEOPLE AND HELPIN PEOPLE TOO DEMEANIN FOR MR. EINSTEIN! YOU'VE GOTTA ABANDON YOUR BROTHERS TO BE HAPPY HUH!”

“Raph honey calm down no body is…”

“DON'T YOU OPEN YOUR SLY CONIVIN LITTLE MOUTH! YOU WERE FUCKIN IN ON IT! I HEARD YOU! IT WASN'T ENOUGH FOR YOU TO JUST LEAVE, YOU HAD TO TAKE MY BROTHER AWAY TOO! GET YOUR HANDS OFFA ME!”

“He flung me of of his arm like i weighed nothing, sending me flying across the kitchen to crash against the steel cabinet. I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder and warmth running down my chest from where the edge of the cabinet had bitten into my flesh. I couldn't process anything else in that moment, he actually hurt me.

“DON'T YOU DARE TREAT HER LIKE THAT!”

Mikey swung on his older brother, his smaller form not allowing him to do much more than further anger his behemoth of a sibling when his punch glanced off Raphael's jaw. A whirlwind picked up, grabbing heavy iron cookware and flinging it at Raph in an attempt to fight him off as the enraged turtle charged the perceived attacker. Mikey's arm was caught in the larger’s grasp and a harsh pop was heard as his shoulder was wrenched out of place and he was tossed to land beside me on the floor.

“RAPH COOL IT. YOU'RE HURTING YOUR FAMILY, IS THIS REALLY WORTH IT? WE CAN TALK THIS OUT!”

Raphael was past getting loud, his anger turning his voice to embers, a low crackle to match the fury in his eyes. He had his oldest brother pinned high up to the kitchen wall, trying to fight back would only lead to more injuries.

“You were in on it to werentcha Leo? Sendin MY brother away. you never thought Don was a good enough fighter, drove him to spendin all his time in that damn lab to try and earn your approval. Now you're sending him away and he's never gonna come back.”

Raph's scales were starting to glow with heat, the edges turning black as the air around him started to shimmer like the mirage over the highway in summer. Tongues of flame started to flick over his fingers, climbing the thick columns of his arms as he reached for his eldest brother's throat.

“ENOUGH!”

Donnie’s voice shook the lair like an earthquake, causing a shower of dust to overtake his brothers flame, and smother the oxygen from him. The sound of the two falling to the floor and Leo’s harsh coughing gasps signalling for Donnie to stop.

When the dust cleared, the level of chaos became extremely apparent. Mikey was trying to use the counter to push his shoulder back in, my own blood had stained the floor as more seeped from the deep gash in my shoulder and I was sure my collar bone was broken. Kitchen utensils were embedded in the wall and a thick layer of dust covered everything. Leo was regaining his breath in the corner, burns in the shape of Raph's hand and forearm across his chest and shoulder. In the middle of it all was Donnie, on his knees looking absolutely shell shocked. His glasses were missing and blood trickled from the side of his head where he had been struck as Raph charged Mikey. He had Raph’s head in his lap and he was wiping the dust off of his unconscious brother’s face as he checked to make sure he was breathing.

“this is all my fault…”

Stopping the flow of blood i hauled myself up off the floor with my left arm just as Mikey managed to snap his shoulder back in. A small whisper of pain the only sound in the room as he approached his brother with cold yet worried eyes.

“No Don, this is as much my fault as it is yours. But I don't understand what the problem was.”

By now Leo had gotten himself up off the floor and was helping Donnie haul Raphael's limp body to the needle room.

“Whatever it was I think the two of you owe us all an explanation. But after we get everyone patched up. Elasia, do you think you've got it in you to help out?”

My calm mask wasn't fooling anybody, my ankles were shaking and I was holding my arm funny to ward off the pain in my shoulder.

“Yeah but I'll need Mikey to go get one of the bags in my fridge upstairs. Do you think you can manage it MC?”

“Y-yeah, but why?”

“Don't question it, just go get it please.”

Donnie’s wounds were the most troubling so I tended to him first. Having Leo check to see if his skull was cracked from the blow while I checked his eyes for sign of concussion and readied the disinfectant.

“Here, I don't know why you needed this but…”

Biting into the bag I ripped off the corner and drained the entire contents in front of all of them, sighing when the quick release of energy flowed into my shoulder to repair the broken bone.

“Works faster than solids, I needed the energy to heal myself before I could help any of you. Couldn't wait the three days for the bone to re-fuse. Now Donnie hold still, this is going to sting like a big bitch but I have to clean the wound before it's healed.”

Pouring a thin stream of disinfectant over the wound to wash out any dirt Donnie just set there, staring at the turtle charm hanging around my neck as I dabbed clean gauze over the wound before sealing the flesh in gold light.

“Mikey are you ok?”

“Yeah, just a little sore but I think my arm is ok.”

“Could you try and find Donnie’s glasses? Come on Don let's get you laid down, try and close your eyes for a bit. Get calmed down.”

Mikey left to find Donnies specs as i moved on to help Leo. His burns weren't severe enough to warrant an emergency but he had to get cleaned up soon or risk infection. His plastron was discolored and he had several blisters along his shoulder and forearms.

“I have to wash the hide before I drain the pustules.”

“Just do it. I can handle a little pain Ane.”

The cleaning cloth accidentally popped one of the larger blisters while I was cleaning and Leo gripped my free arm to steady himself. His grip got stronger as I lanced each obtrusion to his hide and flushed the whole area with anesthetic. I would surely have a bruise for a few minutes, but what was another bruise. What was another scar.

Mikey returned with Donnie’s glasses, miraculously without damage and I had him help both of his brothers to their quarters to let their bodies continue healing on their own. Now to deal with Raph.

There were no burns to deal with, just a few superficial cuts to be cleaned. He was breathing fine and a dark bruise was forming on the side of his head where he had been struck with a chunk of concrete. I cleaned him up and left him there to heal. Keeping my emotions controlled and sterile until the boys had left the room.

I placed my hand over Raph's chest, feeling the familiar tug of our bond as I drew his energy from his body. As it coalesced into its solid form I cupped the softball sized soul in my hands. The surface of it blazed with fire but it did not burn me, it refused to hurt me. I felt my chest tighten and my throat swell as I dropped the thing back into his body and turned to face the mirror. The cracked glass obscured my figure somewhat but there was no missing the new scar slashed cleanly across my shoulder. The edges of the tight silver flesh were pink, signs of my body fighting an infection due to the wound being sealed uncleaned. My skin was covered in coagulated blood, flecks of gold making the macabre sight seem alien in the flickering fluorescent light. My eyes were blown out gold and my teeth were sharp, body wound tight and ready to fight. Though I had been unable to land one blow against him to protect my friends, he had flung me without a second thought

I leaned my forehead against the shattered mirror and just stared back into my own eyes for a while. I didn't move, I tried not to think, i just let my mind and my emotions run their course until I was too exhausted to hold back anymore. My eyes welled with tears and my knees gave out as I fell to the floor. For the second time in as many hours I couldn't move of my own volition, my body just sitting there, rocking back and forth as I was forced to stare at my pathetic self in the mirror.

“You call yourself a warrior, but you didn't even try and do anything. You could have shut it all down but you just sat there and watched. You're pathetic, you're weak and spineless, you don't deserve to carry their name. You aren't the Elasia, that mark on your arm holds as little value as you do. You're nothing but a coward, a guinea pig, a worthless animal. J.4.2.2. J.4.2.2 J.4.2.2. J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2

J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2.J.4.2.2…..”

I didn't feel the hands on my shoulder, I heard voices, but they sounded far away, through deep water. In a different time, past heart rate monitors, past the whirring of drills and saws, past dripping IV’s that made my blood run thick in my veins and my lungs heavy with fluid.

“Elaaaaaa…...elasiiiiiii….Elasia!....JAZZ!”

J.4.2.2

I started breathing again, my eyes wide with panic as my body thrashed and clawed at my binds, thick leather wrapped tightly around my wrists and waist holding me in place. Unable to fight, unable to protect those who looked up at me through thick iron bars. Wide innocent child's eyes, bright blue…

I came around to bright blue eyes filled with tears, to a bear hug squeezing me tight.

“Come on Elasia, Jazz, wake up please. Come on..”

“lemme go.”

The words passed my lips as a hoarse whisper but they felt like panic. My body moving to scramble away from my binds despite the hurt look on my friend’s face.

My vision cleared as I allowed myself to breath, the smell of antiseptic fueling my fearful visions never leaving but being overtaken by visions of my friends as they watched over me from a short distance.

“What's happening, what's wrong jazzycakes?”

The green souled one put his hand on the blue eyed one’s shoulder.

“Panic attack Mikey, just let her breath.”

Mikey, Don, Leo, …., My friends, safety, home.

My heart rate slowed and I was able to get up off my knees and forearms to sit comfortably again. Mikey slowly got closer and I held out my arm for a hug. Safe, my friend, I was safe.

“Mikey….”

“Yeah Elasia, it's Mikey. I'm right here.”

“Donnie, Leo.”

They moved as if they had been holding their breath, moving closer to comfort me as well. One hand on each of my shoulders. I was crying again, little hiccup skene sounds bouncing out of my fluttering ribcage.

“I did nothing, i couldn't protect anyone. I, I, I…”

“You did nothing wrong, things just got out of control. It was all a massive misunderstanding. Donnie explained everything.”

“Leo?”

“Yeah?”

My face must have said what I meant because I couldn't find the word. I felt his hand tighten slightly around my shoulder for a moment, a small twinge in my collarbone helping bring me back to clarity.

“You're welcome. Sis.”

It was then that the sound of coughing from the cot across the room caught all of our attention. Donnie and Leo left to take care of the issue, leaving me with Mikey as he continued to stroke my wings to keep me calm and grounded.

“Raphael.”

“Yeah sounds like he's finally woke up, perfect timing as usual.”

Mikey sounded less than pleased as we listened to the conversation behind the curtain.

“How bad was it?”

“You dislocated Mikey’s shoulder, threw Elasia across the room, almost gave Don a concussion, and I'm wrapped up with 2nd degree burns. How bad do you think it was.”

“I'm sorry Leo, I don't know what came over me I just…”

“Its nothing we haven't gotten through before, wounds heal. No permanent damage was done.”

“You didn't tell me what happened to Elasia. Is she alright? I didn't hurt her did I?!”

“Raphael, sit down.”

“No I want to see her. I have to see her!”

“She is in no state of mind to see you.”

It got really quiet. Raph’s voice getting more dejected.

“What happened.”

“We think she had a panic attack, she wasn't breathing when we found her. When we got her around she kept mumbling a string of code on rapid repeat looking like she was lost in another world.”

“J.4.2.2.”

“Yes, what does it mean. We have to help her... without you.”

…

“It's her identification code, her name JAZZ, from when she was a child. She was kidnapped, taken to a lab. Held there for years, they did things to her. I'm not telling you any more without her, I promised.”

“We still need to know how to help her, Elasia is our friend too.”

“There's really nothing you can do, just don't leave her alone with her thoughts until she gets back to normal.”

“Hey, Leo.”

…

“How bad is she? I don't remember much past Don coming over the table at me.”

“You broke her collarbone and sliced her up pretty bad, but she's resilient. She patched us up, all of us.”

When they came back around the privacy curtains I was standing, my hair rebraided and my skin washed as well as I could manage in the needle room sink.

“How is he doing?”

“He’ll live. But for now I think it's best things stay a little distanced between you two. Go on with Mikey, He’ll help you get fixed up and help you keep your mind off things while Don and I straighten this out.”

Once we got most of the way down the hall I heard the fighting start, no screaming like last time but the tenor of their angry voices echoing down the corridor had me shaking slightly.

“Come on jazzycakes, let's finish getting you cleaned up. Then we can play some Spyro while you get back to normal.”

“Thanks Mikey.”

“Hey you did the same for me when that hurricane blew through the city. I've got your back girl.”

…

That night after I'd gotten tucked into bed I heard a light knock on the door.

“Come in.”

It took a minute but the door creaked open slow and Raph stepped through. His bandana was wrung between his hands and his eyes were on the floor. i could see the edge of Leo’s shell around the edge of the doorway. he was obviously behind Raph’s sudden burst of apologetic courage.

“I said come In Raphael.”

He just nodded, closing the door behind himself before sitting in the chair by the bed.

“Are you not going to look at me?”

“I don't want to see the damage I've caused.”

“Then leave, because living stuck in the past is no way to spend an eternity. We must all learn to move past our mistakes and better ourselves for the ones we love.”

He lifted his head and I could see that one of his eyes was nearly swelled shut. A big purple bruise taking up the entire side of his face from his temple to his jaw. His good eye was puffy from tears.

“Tell me Raphael, what damage do you see?”

“You've got a new scar.”

“Yes and on this body what is another scar.”

“You're favoring your left arm.”

“I am still sore, my collar bone was snapped. But it’s whole now, the pain will have completely faded by morning.”

“Your eyes are cold. I can feel mistrust like slime running under my shell. I hate it. I hate that i made you feel like this.”

“Then know it and just realize the consequences of your actions. Learn to talk to someone instead of stewing in your own mind and letting a situation spiral out of control. I don't believe Donatello enrolling in an online program with a few supplementary night courses demanded the events that transpired earlier today.”

“No it didn't, i’m sorry. I feel sick, I can't even bare to be alone with my own thoughts knowing I hurt you the way I did. If there's any way I can earn your forgiveness…”

“Raphael… Raph, baby. There is no forgiveness to be earned, it is already given. I know in your soul that you would have never intended to hurt me had you been in your right mind. Yes trust may become bruised, but it heals quite easily in the right circumstance.”

A choked sob broke from his throat as he reached for me, only to stop himself, harshly withdrawing in fear his advance would be unwelcome. 

“Raph, hun. set up here on the edge of the bed next to me.”

He moved like anything he touched could shatter in an instant, his hands still wringing the fabric of his bandana. I reached out and touched one of his hands, causing him to completely freeze. He hardly even breathed.    

Taking his hand in both of my own I moved it back and forth in my grasp, running my fingertips over the uniquely shaped bone structure and tracing the lines in his palm. I did this a lot when we were alone together and it helped soothe both of us. There were no blocks now, everything was shared between our bonded souls. When I was content I took his hand again and held it to the side of my face. it nearly enveloped my skull in its breadth and the hide was rough and battle worn, but it felt cool and safe against my skin. His eye shifted from his hand to my own face as we simply held eachothers gaze for a moment. From there i felt him trace over my new scar, fingertips grazing from the crest of my shoulder nearly to the upper swell of my breast and back. My own hand having slid down his arm to trace over his bruised face.

“Scars are nothing more than marks of trials you were stronger than.”

My hand grew warm as the energy flowed between our skin, restoring his eyesight on his right side but no more. After some time we both withdrew, hands tucked into laps and words left unsaid to hang in the mindspace unneeded. We knew what the other was thinking, the looks on our faces and the emotions flowing along our bond were more than enough.

“I had better let you get some sleep.”

“Yeah rest does sound pretty good after such a stressing day.”

He stood to leave but before he could turn the handle of the door I spoke.

“Did I say you could leave?”

“No ma’am.”

“Red….”

“Yeah?”

“Get your scaley ass in this bed before I have to get up and drag you over here myself.”

Without another word he climbed up into the bed, resting on his plastron as I tucked myself against his side to lie on my own stomach. The feeling of his arm draped over my lower back was safe, nothing could harm me like this and even our minds lay still. His breath slowed to the rhythm of sleep and I wiggled upward to be on the same level as his head. Gently pressing a kiss to his bruised temple I whispered in his ear before falling asleep.

“Even though I may leave your side, I'm never gone from you. I promise.”

[mickey-milkovichs]

to survive in peace and harmony ch. 1 - faith/buffy

~As the Scoobies are preparing for the battle with The First, Buffy is also dealing with her own problems such as 1) training the potentials and trying not to die, 2) Faith being back in town and 3) a never before heard of demon that is somehow able to kill her every night in her dreams. But what happens when Faith is apparently the only one who can slay the demon? Will they be able to move beyond their past in order to help each other? And what about the weird feelings they have to deal with when they're forced to share a bed...

(Season 7 shameless, angsty forced bedsharing AU!) ** warning for canon typical violence **

also on ao3!

*

He—or it—is coming at her again. The gelatinous blob rolls itself forward in a heaving motion and another mass bubbles up into existence right next to her. Its electric green tentacle, dripping pus from its many open orifices, swipes at her, narrowly missing the soft skin on the front of her neck. Buffy swings her sword at it again, but as usual, it passes through the being without causing even the slightest damage whatsoever. The green thing (monster, demon, God Buffy has no fucking idea) is spilling towards Buffy at rapid speeds now, looking almost like a giant sized river of green jelly running down someone’s giant sized cafeteria tray. Except Buffy knows better, and she knows what’s coming next. But not this time. She drops the sword and runs.

She runs and runs and runs, through the unfamiliar, empty city, so creepy and devoid of life, so far that her lungs feel like they’re about to burst and her legs are quivering. She almost thinks she’s made it this time, until she feels the icy cold goo run over her right foot and grab hold. It yanks her ankle and she pitches forward instantly, just managing not to smash her face on the asphalt highway as she catches herself with her hands. She can feel the wet mass slinking up over her back, slowly now, now that it knows that it has her, and she gives up. She allows her body to sink into the road and rest, finally. It’ll be over quickly. The slime slowly covers her form. It spreads out over the pavement until she’s completely encased, and then slowly, almost with a grotesque attempt at seduction, it starts filling her mouth. Even though Buffy knows that nothing will work, her body can’t help but try not to be invaded. Her stomach convulses as Buffy attempts to spit out the disgusting fluid, and when it doesn’t work she starts choking and coughing, trying to force the disgusting stuff back out of her throat. That doesn’t work either, and soon she can feel her entire body swelling, being consumed with and by the neon sludge. She’s growing light headed as her airway is completely cut off. Her head grows fuzzy and her eyes become clouded with black spots, and she feels the by-now familiar death spams beginning. It’s different from her other deaths. More violent, more visceral, more violating. The pus starts burning her organs away, but thankfully she’s unaware as her eyes roll back in her head and her chest stops moving. Buffy is dead.

Buffy stifles a scream and shoots up into a sitting position in her bed. She’s gasping for air, shaking as the memory of the dream runs through her mind over and over. She pulls the white sheet down off of her hot chest and wipes her trembling hand over her face, finding it damp with tears.

Well this is getting really freaking old, she thinks sarcastically, even as she’s trying to get control on her body’s outward signs of terror. She allows herself a few minutes to catch her breath, then hops out of bed, determined to clean up and scrub away any traces of the dream off her body before she goes back downstairs. They still have an apocalypse to deal with after all. Plus everyone will worry if they see her all freaked, especially Dawn. If there’s anything Buffy can do to ensure that her sister is not more scared then she has to be during this shit storm, she’ll do it. As she steps into the shower she notices that her right ankle is throbbing. Buffy looks down and sees that it’s puffy and swollen. It feels fractured, maybe broken, and the vaguely sick, achy feeling that her body’s developed over the last few days has gotten worse. Great.

Once Buffy’s washed and dressed she tip toes down the stairs, and takes a deep breath before plunging into the dire atmosphere of the living room. Even the fearless leader gets intimidated during let’s-all-discuss-how-we-can-possibly-not-die-y times. The group is huddled over some books that Giles has brought over. Willow is murmuring quietly in a worried tone, Kennedy standing behind her with a comforting hand on her shoulder. Xander is hunched over with his hand covering his mouth and chin, with Anya pretending to study a book while sneaking peeks at him.

“Buff! Nap time over?” Xander asks as he shakes himself from his worried state and notices her walking into the room. Buffy takes care not to limp or show any signs of pain.

“Yeah…. I’m rested enough for now,” Buffy replies as cheerfully as she can as she lowers herself into an armchair in the circle. “I figured I needed to stop slacking and come back down here and get cracking.” She frowns at her unintentional rhyme.

“You’re a poet!” Dawn crows as she laughs at Buffy’s embarrassed frowny face.

“I don’t think so. More like an...rhymey-word-user-person,” Buffy tries to quickly divert attention away as Dawn keeps laughing at her. “Anyway. Willow, what were you talking about just now?”

“Um...well, another potential’s dead. Her name was Jessica, she had almost made it to us...but they caught her running on foot just outside of Sunnydale. And Spike found a giant underground nest of ubervamps. He couldn’t take care of it himself, so he thinks we should gather up a group and go later. But...what about you? Any...dream wigginess?”

“There was...a little bit of dream wigginess,” Buffy answers reluctantly. She hates making people worry about her. She really wishes she had better news, and that Dawn wasn’t here to hear this right now. Sure, she may be as old as many of the potentials, but she’s her little sister, her responsibility.

Willow’s brow wrinkles anxiously. “Did you...die again?”

“Yeah. Same old, same old. They’re just dreams though, Will. Definitely not more pressing than the impending apocalypse. I’m almost getting bored of them actually. This guy’s gonna have to whip up something a little more original if he wants to get to me.” She hopes she’s hiding how scared and tired and defeated she actually is. She hasn’t told them about the aches and pains. Now’s so not the time to be Drama Buffy, she has to be Army Leader Buffy. Maybe she should have stayed with Riley. Aren’t boyfriends supposed to pick up the slack for their significant others, or is that exclusive to normal girls?

“Yes, of course, however it is concerning, Buffy,” Giles states as he rubs at the lens of his glasses. “Even in dreams, a monster defeating you over and over is quite unusual, and worrisome. The coincidence of the timing cannot be overlooked. If The First should have something to do with this, it could prove to be...extremely dangerous. And once we figure out what it’s plan is it might be too late. It bears looking into.”

“We’ve looked into it, Giles. And we can’t find any information on a giant gooey green demon thingy that can kill people in their dreams anywhere. If it is The First attacking, we have to focus on it’s more pressing forms of attack first: the ubervamps and the bringers. Girls are dying. And if it’s not The First, then the dreams can definitely wait. I’ll be fine.” General Buffy was out, and she wasn’t about to argue.

Giles purses his lips and adjusts his glasses on the bridge of his nose, but neglects to reply. Willow bites her lip and glances around the group uneasily. Dawn crosses her arms over her chest and sticks her bottom lip out in the patented Summers’ Pout, staring at Buffy with big blue eyes that seem to say you’re being dumb and an idiot.

“Look, Buffy, I’m gonna say what everyone else here is thinking,” Kennedy speaks up in a loud voice. “Don’t be a martyr. You want to make sure you do your job and that girls stop dying on your watch and that we kick this bitch in the ass, cool. But don’t go hurting yourself to make it happen. ‘Cause if we end up taking a fall ‘cause our de facto leader is compromised because she feels the need to crucify herself, that’ll be really stupid.”

Buffy closes her eyes and blows her breath out, trying to tame her annoyance so she won’t snap at the potential. “That’s not what I’m doing, Kennedy, but thanks as always for your input. We have no leads on this dream stuff. We do, however, have leads on the other stuff. So that’s what I’m suggesting we focus on. If you come up with a better plan, make sure to let me know,” Buffy looks intently at Kennedy, who just stares back. “Great,” Buffy turns her gaze to Willow, “now, where’s Spike? Let’s come up with a plan for taking out this vamp nest. And...Faith? She should probably be here if she actually wants to help.” Buffy’s still having a hard time with this whole Faith being around thing, but she’s trying to hide it, or at least not make it super obvious. It probably isn’t working though. But Jesus, Faith just waltzes back into her life, bringing all of her usual chaos along for the ride and all of Buffy’s old negative feelings back up to the surface, basically throwing gas on the forest fire that is this entire situation, and everyone just expects Buffy to be totally cool with it?

“Spike will be back soon. He’s checking that any stray ubervamps from the nest haven’t wandered too close to camp. He said he’ll take out any individual ones he sees, and come get us for groups. I sent Faith grocery shopping—or more like grocery looting—with the potentials. They should be back soon too.”

“I bet she’s having fun with that,” Buffy cracks a small smile thinking about Faith trying to manage dozens of rowdy teens in an abandoned shopping center. Serves her right.

[mariequitecontrarie]

It Must Be Magic: A Gold Family Fic

Summary:  Neal receives an unexpected morning visitor—his six-year-old brother, Gideon—landing him smack in the middle of a family drama. Rating: G Word Count: 5,775 A/N: For my Missy, @beliza-fryler. Happy birthday! Written for @a-monthly-rumbelling: icee, pixie, doctor. This takes place about seven years after the events of Passing Inspection, which DOES NOT need to be read first. Rumple never dies and neither does Neal. Gideon is born and a few years later, their sister Isabelle (Missy) comes along. It's basically giant Floof Family feels. You're welcome.

{ON AO3}

It Must Be Magic

Rat-tat-tat. Rat-tat-tat. “Psst! Hey, Neal! Neal!”

The whispering, coupled with the insistent tapping on the bedroom window, disturbed his pleasant dream. He heard his name whispered again, and snorted himself awake, blinking up at the ceiling fan.

Still the whispering continued, getting louder and more demanding. A flash of red entered his peripheral vision, and he became aware of a small yet powerful presence hovering outside the master bedroom window.

“Gid?” Neal squinted at the dreamcatcher through the sun-streaked glass. “Kiddo, is that you?”

Grumbling under his breath, Neal threw back the covers and rose to open the window. His little brother scaled the siding and hopped over the windowsill with the exuberant grace of youth.

“It’s five o’clock in the morning and all decent people are sleeping,” Neal said around a yawn. “What are you doing?”

Gideon peered over his shoulder at the smooth, empty side of the bed and ignored the question. “Where’s Aunt Emma?”

“On her back in a field of wildflowers, till you woke me up,” Neal complained.

“What?” The boy cocked his head to the side, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Never mind.” He rubbed a hand over his face, flicking the sleep out of each eye with his thumb and sighed. “Moms’ weekend with Regina and Henry. What happened this morning? And why can’t you use the door like normal people? You could have broken your neck!”

Gideon twisted his mouth and moaned. “Aunt Regina’s not here either?”

Neal chuckled. The kid wasn’t the only disappointed one. “Sorry buddy. You’re stuck with me.”

“Where’d they go?”

“New York.”

“Ohhhhh! Statue of Liberty?”

“Prob’ly.” “I wanna see the—”

“Yeah, I know.” The kid had been obsessed with the monument for months. He probably wanted to see if he could make it disappear or something; he was always plotting his next magical feat. “Maybe in a couple weeks, if you’re good. Now quit changing the subject. How did you get here?”

The kid rolled honey brown eyes that were far too discerning for his six years. But what else would he expect from the son of Rumplestiltskin and Belle Gold? Shrewd like his father, resourceful like his mother, and with the combined stubbornness of both. “Walked.” Gideon puffed out his little chest and crossed his arms. “It’s not that far, Neal.”

“Is everyone ok? Your mom? Missy?” Neal asked, heading toward the en suite bathroom to relieve himself. Gideon followed, watching his every move, and Neal shrugged. Guys had to pee first thing; it was a fact of life.

“Yeah, she’s good…now.” Gideon stood behind him, rolling his eyes in the mirror.

Fighting back laughter, Neal decided to wait a while before unpacking that statement. Missy, whose birth name was Isabelle, was Gideon and Neal’s baby sister. When she was born, Gideon started calling her ‘Issy’ because he couldn’t pronounce Isabelle. From there the nickname evolved to Miss Issy, until everyone in town referred to Belle and Gold’s infant daughter as Missy.

“Do Pop and Belle know you’re here, kid?”

Eyeing his sleep-deprived reflection, he washed his hands then scratched his whiskered cheek. Shaving could wait till tomorrow.

“No.” Gideon pulled a pout, his little mouth drooping. “Papa’s mad at me.”

Neal was unsurprised. The oldest and youngest Gold men had been crossing swords a lot lately. “How’d you get past his wards?”

“He forgot about the window.”

Neal smiled thinly. It was rare, but when Pop was angry, his magic sometimes got sloppy. “What’d you do, shimmy down the drainpipe?”

“Nope.” Gideon’s grin was cheeky. “Tree outside my window.”

Neal shook his head and plunked back down on the bed. He looked longingly at Emma’s smooth pillow, wishing she was here to do the maternal stuff. He had a bad feeling Gideon’s visit must be about magic, and that was his wife’s department. Or Regina’s. He’d welcome either one of them at this moment with open arms. “You and windows. Thank the gods you didn’t fall! You’re lucky we’re not driving to the hospital right now to see the doctor. So what happened, Gid?”

His chin wobbled and he cast his eyes to the floor. “Alls I wanted was for Missy to stop crying. Mommy was upset. She said Missy’s teeth hurt. I made it better.”

Neal huffed out a breath. “That doesn’t sound too bad.”

“Papa said it was. He said I had no bidness, uh, innerfacing.”

“Interfering?” Neal corrected gently.

The kid tugged one of his pixie ears, identical to their dad’s. “Yeah. Ok.”

“What did you do?” Neal leaned back against the pillows and crossed his arms behind his head.

Gideon plopped down at the foot of the bed, bouncing lightly on the mattress. “I sang her a magic lullaby, but I guess I did it wrong.”

“How’s that?”

His cheeks turned as red as his t-shirt. “All Missy’s teeth came in at once. Big ones. She looked like a bunny.”

Neal smothered a chuckle at the image of their six-month-old baby sister with a mouthful of twelve year molars and giant frontal buck teeth. “I think this conversation calls for food. Come on, let’s get some breakfast.” And coffee. Lots of coffee.

The boy shook his head and scratched at the comforter like a sad puppy. “Not hungry.”

“Awww, come on.” Neal raised his eyebrows. “We may not have New York City, but we have New York bagels.”

“Blueberry ones?” Gideon sent a hopeful glance in the direction of the kitchen.

Neal looped his arm around his little shoulders. “Would I steer you wrong? I even have blueberry shmear.”

Ten minutes later they were seated side-by-side at the breakfast bar with bagels and cream cheese. Gideon was cramming bites of bagel into his small cheeks like a squirrel, and with his large, brown eyes and soft brown hair, Neal chuckled at the comparison.

“What about your mom?” Neal asked, pouring a glass of milk for his brother. “Was she mad?”

Gideon sipped his milk and frowned. “She laughed, then Papa acted mad at her, too.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “D’you think they’re fighting ‘cause of me?”

Neal’s heart tugged, understanding the root of his little brother’s misery. “No way.” He swiped at the kid’s milk moustache with a gentle finger. “Listen, Gid, it’s never your fault when adults argue, ok? Besides, no one loves your mom more than Papa does. Even when he’s angry, he still loves her.”

“Papa said Mommy’s tired and I need to make things easier. I try to help, but Missy…she’s such a baby,” he spat the last word, an expression of disgust creasing his small forehead. “She can’t walk or talk or cast a spell. She ain’t no fun!”

“Isn’t.” Neal shuddered. “Gods, don’t let your mother hear you say ain’t!”

“Better than Missy. She can’t say isn’t or ain’t!” Gideon flicked his fingers. “Watch this!”

The kitchen exploded into a whirling dervish of gold and red nuggets, popping and flying, until Neal was ankle-deep in Captain Crunch Cereal. “Whoa!” He bounced on the barstool, then gripped the edge of the countertop to keep from landing on his ass.

He looked at his brother. Gideon’s eyes were wide as he scanned the room, his face contorted with horror. Crunchberries littered his hair. “Oh no! Neal, I’m sorry!” The sheen in his eyes told Neal tears weren’t far behind.

Neal brushed bits of cereal off both their bodies and smiled. “Forget about it, buddy.”

If shenanigans like this were regular occurrences in the Gold household, it wasn’t too hard to decode why Papa and Gideon were at odds. The old Victorian where they lived, once filled with knick-knacks and antiques, had been cleaned up and childproofed after Gideon’s birth. Even his father’s shop, cluttered and dusty as it could be, was a shrine to organized chaos.

Truth was, he felt sorry for the kid. It hadn’t been easy growing up with such a powerful father, and Neal wasn’t even magical. He couldn’t imagine the burden of being in the shadow of the one of the greatest sorcerers who had ever lived; of being born with abilities you had no idea how to use.

“But…aren’t you gonna tell Papa?”

“You know me better than that.” Neal winked and stomped his feet in the piles of cereal, producing a satisfying crunch. He grinned. “We’ll wait for Aunt Emma and Aunt Regina to come home and fix it.” That will teach them to go off on a fun city weekend and leave me alone to deal with all this magic. He kicked some cereal into the hallway for good measure, laughing as it skidded across the floor.

Instead of joining in the fun, Gideon frowned at the mess. “Everyone likes Missy better ‘cause she’s normal. You like her better, too.”

“That’s not true,” Neal said, his heart clenching at the kid’s woeful tone. “I love you both the same, but for different reasons. You have a special gift.”

“Papa doesn’t think so.” He chewed his lower lip. “Mommy laughs when I do tricks, though, even when they make trouble. How come?”

Neal stroked his beard. Belle had never been phased by magic, unless Papa was using it for wrongdoing. His father was the one who had a hang-up about it, especially where his younger son was concerned. Papa knew the dangers, the consequences to magic; more than anything, he wanted to protect his family from its often harrowing price.

That fear was something that Neal understood all too well. He’d spent his childhood railing against his father’s curse, then later watched him subdue the darkness for the sake of his loved ones. Now Neal was married to the Savior and close with Regina. He’d always loathed magic, but living with it was the consequence of being part of this extraordinary family. And if there was one thing Neal had learned from Belle and his father, it was that if you loved someone, you had to accept all the things about them, good and bad.

Neal pushed his empty plate away. “Your mom—she has this incredible ability to see beyond people’s actions to their intentions. She always sees the good in everyone, even when they don’t deserve it. Even me.”

Gideon’s eyes were as wide as Frisbees. “For real? You were bad?”

He smiled grimly, recalling his jealous rage toward Belle, and how he’d called her a colossal mistake who would only steer his father down dark paths. But Belle had done the opposite, bringing light and love into his father’s life and making their family whole. “Yeah. I remember when we first met. I was totally wrong about her. Actually, I wasn’t a very nice future son at all.”

“You weren’t?”

“Nope, but look how great everything turned out.” He ruffled the kid’s dark crop of hair. “As for your sister, cut her some slack, ok? You didn’t do a thing but cry and eat and poop for years and we still loved you.”

“You said poop!” Gideon broke into a fit of giggles.

Neal grinned at him. Children were so resilient. Resilient and easily distracted.

“Can I have some of your coffee?”

And impertinent.

Neal yanked the mug closer and rescued a soggy bit of cereal before it sank to the bottom of the cup. “Not a chance. We’re not stunting your growth on my watch, pal.”

xoxo

“It has to stop, Belle.” Rumplestiltskin jostled Missy on his knee, trying to soothe the hungry infant while Belle stirred together rice cereal for her breakfast. “Last night it was the business with Missy’s teeth. On Tuesday, he made her bark like a dog. Last week, he brought her stuffed animals to life and made them fight to the death!”

Belle stopped mixing the baby food and looked out the kitchen window. Her shoulders were shaking and Rumple narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“Stop laughing, Belle!”  

“I’m sorry, Rumple. It’s just listening to you talk about dueling teddy bears…” Another burst of laughter, then she turned toward him, wiping a tear of mirth from her eye. “I can’t seem to help it.”

“Giving his sister scales so the animal rescue van would come and pick her up?” He shuddered as he shifted the baby on his lap, thinking back on his own reptilian ugliness. “We have to get Gideon’s magic under control.”

Belle’s eyes flashed with mischief. “I’m rather fond of scales, myself,” she said, then returned to hulling strawberries as though nothing was wrong. “Can you put Missy in her highchair, please?”

Rumple strapped the baby into her seat, irritated that Belle wasn’t taking Gideon’s waywardness seriously. “Mommy’s not listening to Papa,” he complained to the infant, who in turn bopped his nose with her wet, chubby fingers.

Two pairs of identical blue eyes blinked at him. Rumplestiltskin sighed; he was well and truly outnumbered. If only Neal were here, then someone could side with him.

“I hear everything you’re saying, Rumple.” Belle started spooning cereal into Missy’s mouth. “But Gideon’s only a little boy and adjusting to a baby sister is hard after having all the attention for so long.”

“Giddy!” Missy gurgled and Belle gave her a fond smile.

“See? It doesn’t bother her,” Belle reasoned. “She loves him.”

He snorted. “Yes, well, a diaper full of crap doesn’t bother her, either. She’s an infant.” Rumple nuzzled his daughter’s rosy cheek and brushed a dark curl off her forehead. “Surprised he’s still asleep, it’s nearly seven. I expected he’d be howling at me to remove the wards.”

Belle pressed her lips together. “He’s not here.”

“Not here?” Rumplestiltskin tugged on his earlobe. “Where is he then?”

Belle studied the little plastic bowl of cereal and fed Missy another bite. The baby smacked her lips. “He’s at Neal’s.”

“Since when?” he asked, clenching his teeth until they squeaked.

“Since he snuck out this morning.” At last Belle met his eyes, her lips quaking with the effort not to smile.

“He knows how to break my wards?” Rumple flung his hands in the air, and bolts of lightning exploded against the ceiling. Missy pointed and laughed, waving her plump fists at the brilliant lightshow.

“This reaction? This right here is why I didn’t tell you,” his wife said calm-as-you-please, and swooped her arm in a wide arc to deliver another spoonful of cereal to the baby.

He sputtered. “You knew? Stop making airplane noises and listen to me. I’m his father, Belle!”

“Yes, my love, you are. And if you weren’t here to remind me, that vein throbbing in your neck certainly would,” she said, setting down the spoon. “Gideon is with Neal. He’s safe.”

“How can you be so calm?” he snapped.

“Because this problem has a simple solution.” She walked to the stove, poured him a cup of tea, and set it on the kitchen table.

“Oh, I see. Simple. Why don’t you illuminate the situation for the rest of us, please?” He tossed four lumps of sugar into his cup and stirred violently, sloshing tea all over the table.

Belle sighed and mopped up the mess with a burp cloth. “One of us happens to be a very powerful sorcerer, and it’s not me. You want our son to control his abilities? Teach him, Rumple. We’ve known he has magic since he was three months old, but you haven’t nurtured his gifts. Why is that?”

He shook his head and gripped the back of a kitchen chair. Belle didn’t know what she was asking. “He’s just a boy.”

Missy squawked and waved her arms for more breakfast, her mouth gaping like a baby bird.  

“Yes. And he needs his Papa’s particular brand of guidance.” Belle started shoveling mashed strawberries into Missy’s mouth. “Rumple, don’t you see? He’s trying to be like you. You have to teach him how.”

“Baelfire never…” he pinched his nose. His oldest son had wanted to be anything but like his father.

“That was Baelfire, love. Gideon is unique. All our children are.”

As she fed and cooed at their daughter, Rumplestiltskin studied his wife’s profile. He felt a stab of guilt at his outburst. A six-year-old and a six-month-old were a handful on the best days, and the dark circles shadowing Belle’s eyes revealed how hard she was working to care for their family. He shouldn’t be adding to her stress. And Neal? What would he say when he brought Gideon home?

They were doing their best, weren’t they? Belle certainly was, but he seemed to be striking out at fatherhood. Doubts plagued him, that nagging feeling that he was missing something vital.

He dropped into a kitchen chair and wiped his hand over his face. “I thought we wanted Gideon to be good. Light. Like the hero in that book you’re always reading to him at bedtime.”

There was a brief silence, then Belle pulled out the chair beside him. She sat down and covered his hand with hers. “I think I’m beginning to understand.”

“Do you?” he pleaded, his voice like gravel. “Because I don’t know…I can’t…”

“Rumplestiltskin, you are a good man. Time and again you’ve turned darkness into light. You always put the people you love first. Me. Baelfire. Henry. Gideon. This sweet girl right here.” She tugged on Missy’s chubby toes, eliciting a drool-filled giggle. “You can show Gideon how to do the same.”

“What if his magic is dark?” he whispered, closing his eyes. The idea that he may have passed a cursed form of magic onto their boy...he couldn’t bear to think on it.

“Harmless pranks aren’t evidence of dark magic. You’ve said so yourself.” Belle stroked the back of his hand with her fingertips.

“And what if I fail?” Gods, he felt helpless and stupid and utterly out of his depth. He had been a disappointing father to Neal in every way, and now he was failing all over again—a veritable house of cards, ready to collapse at the slightest wrong move.

“Stop that,” Belle said, squeezing his hands. She shook her head. “You’re wrong about yourself.”

“How am I wrong?” he challenged, trying to yank his fingers out of her grip. But she only tightened her hold.

“So you had a disagreement with Gideon, and this time he got the best of you.” She shrugged. “It wasn’t the first and it won’t be the last. I’ll have my share of struggles with him, too. With both of them,” she said, nodding toward Missy. “Don’t you remember when I first met Neal? How difficult it was for all of us? But we learned how to love each other. We grew together and we became a family.”

“This is different,” he protested. “I’m—”

“Wonderful,” Belle finished for him. She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around his waist. His heart pounded as she lay her head against his chest. “We all fall short; we all make mistakes. I’m far from perfect, myself. But you won’t fail in this. I believe in you, Rumple. I believe in you, and our son does, too.”

“The last time I tried to teach someone magic, it was Regina. I nearly destroyed her life, twisting her pain, teaching her to channel hate.” He swallowed past the lump in his throat. “I-I’m afraid.”

“I know, but you’ve changed since then,” she said, squeezing him so tight he could scarcely breathe. “You’ve worked through your pain and recognized your mistakes. So let’s make a deal, ok? I’ll be the brave one, and you be the resourceful one. We can do what’s best for Gideon, but we have to do it together.”

“You’re right.” Rumple smiled down at her, cupping her cheek. She turned her head and kissed his palm. Gods, she was a wonder! She would be brave for all of them, and he would teach Gideon how to use his magic for good. But first he needed a plan.

“Sweetheart,” he said, standing up and bringing her gently to her feet. “I might be centuries older than you, but you have all the wisdom of the ages.” He brushed a kiss to her lips as he turned to leave.

“Where are you going? It’s Saturday,” she called out as he strode toward the back door that led outside to the basement.

“I won’t be long, my darling. I’m going…I need to spin.” With a deep breath, he stepped outside into the humid summer air.  

xoxo

After Neal and Gideon had filled their stomachs with bagels and played a couple of rounds of Minecraft, it was time to take the kid home. With one arm slung around Gideon’s shoulder, he was about to knock on Papa and Belle’s door when the kid wriggled free of his grasp.

“Neal, wait!”

“For what?” He squinted at the doorknocker. “We’re here. This is your house.”

“Can’t we go to Dark Star Pharmacy for an icee?” he wheedled.

Neal sighed, knowing a stalling tactic when he heard one. “You mean one of those sickly sweet cherry slushies?”

Gideon nodded. “They have blue raspberry, too.”

“You know, whenever Henry does something wrong, he tries to buy time by begging for hot chocolate,” Neal said.

Huge brown hopeful eyes stared at him, that cherubic face stretching into a winning smile.

Neal snorted. He’d seen that puppy dog look before. Hell, he’d used that puppy dog look before. “Gold Family Charm doesn’t work on me, pal.” He waggled a finger. “You snuck out. Now you’ve had your fun, and it’s time to face the music.”

“You sound like Papa,” Gideon complained.

Oh gods, it was happening. He was turning into his father.

“Hello!” Neal called out to Belle and Papa above the roaring in his ears and unlatched the front door. Seizing Gideon by the hand, he led him through the foyer into the living room.

The room was empty, but Neal heard footsteps upstairs. Belle was mostly likely with Missy, putting her down for her morning nap. Suddenly, his father appeared in a swirl of crimson smoke.

“Papa! Hey!” Neal moved behind Gideon to rest his hands on his shoulders. Yeah, the kid had done wrong by taking off this morning, but he needed an ally. Especially if their father was still pissed off.

“Gideon!” Papa crossed his arms over his chest, emotion softening his sharp features. “We’ve been worried, son.”

“Papa?” Gideon’s voice quivered. “Are you still mad at me?”

“Actually…”

Neal could tell by the look on his father’s face that it was regret, not anger, that dogged him. Good. Pop could take over, and he could go back to bed. It was Saturday morning, for crying out loud.

“Well, here he is,” Neal interrupted, relaxing his grip on Gideon’s shoulders. “Home, safe and sound. I even fed him. See you guys soon.” He waved and spun on his heel to leave.

“Oh. No, no. You harbored the fugitive. You’re staying.” Rumple jabbed a finger toward the living room.

Neal closed his eyes. “C’mon, Pop…”

“Sit down, Baelfire,” his father said with a grim smile. “I’m calling a family conference.”

He groaned. There was one non-negotiable rule in their family: if there was an argument or a dispute between two or more family members and you were involved, you stayed and talked the problem out until it was solved.

“But this isn’t…I’m not…” He backed toward the door, a pointless attempt to postpone the inevitable.

His father hiked a dark brow. “He came to your house, and that means you’re involved. Besides, you’re raising Henry, and look how well he’s turning out. I could use the moral support.”

“Fine,” Neal grumbled. A smart man knew when to give in. “I’ll stay.”

Satisfied, his father nodded, then pivoted into the hallway. “Belle!” he bellowed up the stairs.

“Already here, Rumple,” she said from behind. She thrust Missy into Neal’s arms with a wink, then leaned down to hug Gideon. “Mother’s intuition.”

“Morning, Belle.” He smiled at his stepmother then settled on the sofa with Missy cradled in the crook of his arm. “Hey, angel.” He crooned to her, then kissed the baby’s auburn curls. Her sweet scent carried a magic all its own. “Come on up, Gid,” Neal teased, patting the spot beside him. “She won’t bite you; she only has a few teeth now.”

Gideon scowled at their sister, but climbed up on the couch, squirming toward Neal till their thighs were smashed together.

xoxo

Rumplestiltskin’s three children looked at him, expectation etching their features. He glanced at Belle, whose gaze was also fixed on him. All of them were waiting for him to do something. Anything. Even little Missy was quiet and attentive, her wide blue eyes gleaming with innocent hope.  

Gideon looked fearful, and was pressed as close to Baelfire as was possible. He was grateful for their bond, but he wished his sons felt as comfortable with their father as they did with each other. How could a heart thrill and ache at the same time?  

He paced in front of the fireplace. He’d spent two hours at his wheel, trying to weave a plan as he would a fine fabric or delicate strands of pure gold. But now, facing his family, he felt no closer to a solution than he had last night when he’d shouted at Gideon and barricaded him in his room. Everything in him wanted to cancel this farce of a family meeting and disappear into the basement again. But running away from problems was never an acceptable solution—he’d learned that the hard way.

He squared his shoulders. “Do you know why we’re here?” he asked at last.

Gideon nodded and piped up, “You hate my magic. You’re good at it, but I’m bad, so you don’t want me messing everything up.”

Rumplestiltskin flinched. Leave it to the child to cut straight to the heart of the matter. “Gideon, no…” He sighed, searching for words. All the feelings inside of him were locked away; when it came to expressing emotion, he lacked eloquence, and uncertainly fed his despair. He sought Belle’s gaze again and she nodded, encouraging him. “That’s not strictly true, son. I do want you to develop your talents. What I don’t want is for you to be like I once was—someone who used magic for the wrong reasons, or even for the right reasons in the wrong way.”

Gideon chewed his lip, considering.

“What Pop means is, magic is something we have to be careful with,” Neal said, putting a comforting arm around Gideon. “It’s not something we can take for granted. With great power comes great responsibility.”

He nodded at Neal, grateful for the clarification.

“But Papa’s a hero.” Confusion filled Gideon’s face as he looked at each of them. “You all are.”

“No. At least I wasn’t always,” Rumplestiltskin said. “Your mother thinks I am, but I’ve never believed it.”

“That’s silly.”

“No, it’s far from silly.” He sat down on the couch and faced Gideon. “Long, long ago, centuries before you were a glint in my eye, I became the Dark One. My inability to control my magic cost me everything—I lost your brother because of my weakness. Through the grace of the gods, he came back to me. But I will never make that mistake again—not with you or anyone else I love. Fathers, good fathers, want better lives for their own children than they build for themselves.”

Shame washed over him, and he met Baelfire’s gaze over Gideon’s head. He would never be able to apologize enough for making his firstborn believe that power was more valuable than he was.

“It’s ok now,” Neal said, patting Gideon’s knee. “Papa and I are fine. I didn’t always understand and accept his powers. Magic has scared me ever since I was young. But because I know he loves me, that he’s using his magic to help people, now I know it’s ok.”

“That’s why you don’t want me to use magic, Papa?” Gideon asked. “You’re afraid, like Neal was?”

“Yes, and it’s my own fault.” Admitting it was hard, but it wasn’t too late to change. “I’ve been remiss in your training. That’s why you’re going to start coming with me to the shop after school. We’re going to look at some spell books, mix simple potions…”

“For real?” Gideon’s eyes glowed with excitement.

“Yes,” He smiled a bit, relieved that Gideon was warming to the idea of learning.

“Awesome!”

“It won’t be easy.” He rested his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “Light magic isn’t driven by hatred or anger. It’s fueled by love.”

“So if I want to do magic the right way, like you, I have to use love?” Gideon edged closer to him. “How?”

“By channeling your energy toward someone important—someone you care about.” He turned toward Belle. “For me it’s your mother. She makes me a better man.”

“What about me?”

“It’s your choice, but I thinl you should use your love for someone that you sometimes have a hard time loving. What do you think?” He looked at Missy, who was cooing at Baelfire as she stroked his beard with her tiny fingers.

“Missy?” Gideon echoed, sounding outraged. “But she stinks!”

Belle snorted and Baelfire wheezed a laugh then covered it with a cough. Rumplestiltskin prayed for patience—apparently the room was filled with children of all ages.

“Gideon,” he said, “your sister is a part of this family. As important as anyone else. We understand you might be jealous sometimes of all the time and attention that Missy needs, but you don’t really dislike her, do you?”

He scrunched his face like a prune. “ I guess not.” His tiny shoulders slumped. “I…I’m sorry, Papa. I wanted to help you and Mommy.”

“That’s all right, my boy. We know you mean well,” he said with a smile. “You’ve been trying to help us in the only way you know how. I’m sorry for doubting you.”

“That’s right,” Belle said, kneeling in front of Gideon. “We know you don’t mean to hurt Missy with your magic. Spending time with Papa at the shop is going to be good for all of us. While Missy’s learning to walk and talk, you’re going to be growing up in your own special way. There’s no one better than your father to show you how to use all those feelings and abilities, and do you know why?”

Spellbound, Gideon shook his head. Rumple couldn’t blame him; he was as enthralled by Belle as his son was.

“You are so much like your Papa.” Belle stroked Gideon’s brow; her eyes shining with mother love. “He’s the best man I know. The best husband, the best father, that anyone could ask for. Because you remind me of Papa…that’s one of the reasons I love you so much. He’s always been my handsome hero and now you are, too.”

Tears scalded Rumplestiltskin’s eyes. Each time Belle praised him, his underserving soul swelled with happiness. Right now he thought he would burst with pride.

Gideon hurtled into his arms, making the moment all the sweeter. “Papa, can we start my training today?”

“Yes,” He stroked the boy’s narrow back and closed his eyes, savoring the warmth and softness of his child. “I love you, son. I couldn’t be more proud, do you know that?”

“I love you, too, Papa,” he whispered.

His boy trembled in his arms and he held him close until he squirmed. Rumple chuckled and released him, and Gideon scampered off to play.

Missy, who had been content in Baelfire’s arms, grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking hard enough to make him yelp. His cry startled the baby, and she started to sob.

Belle rushed in to rescue Bae, scooping their daughter up. She patted Missy’s bottom, rocking and shushing her with a gentle sway of her hips until the baby nuzzled into Belle’s shoulder to chew on her blouse.

Neal ambled toward him and cleared his throat. “So, uh, that was interesting.”

“Yes,” Rumple replied, giving his oldest son a grateful look. “Thank you for being what Gideon needed this morning. And for staying.”

“No problem.” Neal patted him on the shoulder and nodded toward Gideon, who was digging through the toy box, his tongue wedged between his teeth in concentration. “You did good, Pop. You did real good.”

xoxo

“Feel better, kiddo?” Neal asked, launching a matchbox car across the coffee table with his free hand. Gideon was engrossed in his toys, and Missy was in his arms once more, babbling happily around the teething ring in her mouth.

“Yeah.” Gideon reached out to touch Missy’s dimpled hand. “Papa’s going to teach me magic, and Missy’s gonna help. I guess she ain’t so bad.”

“What did I tell you before about that word?” he asked, low and urgent. He glanced at Belle to make sure she hadn’t heard Gideon slaughtering the English language, but she was across the room with Papa, her arms wrapped around his neck and her eyes bright with joy.

“What are they doing? Ewww. Gross,” Gideon wrapped his own hands around his throat, pretending to choke. “They’re in love.”

Missy dropped her toy and giggled at Gideon’s expression. He gagged himself again, encouraging laughter.

“They used to do that to me, too, buddy. They still do. Last week, I ate lunch with them at Granny’s and I think they forgot I was there.” He chuckled, remembering his first hamburger dinner with Papa and Belle. Belle had been so nervous that she started playing footsie with Papa under the table—and had accidentally come on to him instead.  “Some things never change.”

“Did you get to eat their fries?” Gideon asked solemnly.

He laughed. “Do you ever think of anything but food?”

“Yep. Cars, magic, games. Can we go for icees now?”

The pleading look on the kid’s face undid him. He was getting soft in his old age. “Why not? Get your sneakers. We’ll put Missy in her stroller and take her along so Papa and Belle can have some time for just the two of them.”

“Neal?” Gideon asked, slipping his small hand into his as they headed toward the door. “Does love make magic? Or does magic make love?”

Floored by the perceptive question, he eyed the kid askance, then glanced back at Belle and Papa. They were snuggled on the couch together now, murmuring endearments, content to bask in each other’s presence. No matter what happened in their world, the love between them was a constant, a reminder to Neal that hope always had a home.

He smiled at his brother. “Both, Gideon. Both.”

###

[failureoftheyear-blog]

I will go down with this ship: Chapter 2

"Ello' love" The pirate greeted, but it did not feel welcoming, Sasuke stood in frozen terror as the golden-haired pirate stood over him with a smirk. "Well, aren't you a beautie?" He chuckled, Sasuke shivered at the implications and tried to turn around to run, but the pirate held both his hands behind his back as Sasuke turned. He held him in a grip that Sasuke couldn't escape from, Sasuke desperately looked around to find an escape but was met with evident defeat. "Hey, Karin, what's the beautie's name?" The pirate asked, Sasuke looked at Karin, who was currently taking off the heavy accessories.

"Sasuke" Karin answered, Sasuke tensed when he felt the pirate go close to his ear.

"Maybe I'll just call you baby" He purred, but Sasuke was a stubborn soul.

"I am not your baby" Sasuke hissed, making the pirate laugh.

"This one got some bite" He noted with a smirk, yet it didn't settle Sasuke. The pirate turned his attention to Karin, "This is the one we need, right?" The pirate asked, making Sasuke's heart thud and his mind swirl.

Need? As in they're going to take me…Sasuke realised, he gasped and managed to elbow the pirate in the stomach, not hard enough to make him let go. Sasuke tried to escape anyhow, but failed.

"Let me go!" Sasuke cried out, the pirate took in a ragged breath and chuckled.

"Feisty" He remarked, taking this time to bind Sasuke's hands together, "C'mon Karin, get outta that drag and let's go" The pirate ordered, Sasuke was shocked to see Karin rip the bottom half of her dress off, revealing her legs and thighs. Sasuke gasped and closed his eyes, turning his head away from the sight. The pirate raised an eyebrow at his actions and scoffed, "Did he really just look away?"

"It's the way the brat was raised, honour and shit" Karin responded, Sasuke's breathe hitched.

I've never heard anyone use a curse word before...Sasuke thought, he was suddenly throw over the pirate's shoulder and gasped.

"H-Hey! Put me down this instant!" Sasuke demanded, but they ignored him and slide down the rope that was out of the window. They landed in the green foliage and hid. Sasuke began to kick and fuss on the pirate's shoulder, screaming at him, "I'll have your head for this! You'll rot in the dungeons! You'll be hanged!" Sasuke threatened, but the pirate was unfazed.

"Eh, shut yer yapping" He responded, giving a slap to Sasuke's ass. Sasuke made a horrified gasp at the contact and struggled even more.

"You brute! Don't you dare touch me in such a manner!" Sasuke shrieked, the pirate rolled his eyes and looked over to Karin.

"Alright, what's the plan?" She asked, the pirate smirked and nodded forward.

"We make a beeline for the lost harbour, our ship is waiting there" The pirate answered, Karin looked ahead at the not so far harbour and spoke.

"There's arrowmen all around the sides, we'll be shot" Karin pointed out, the pirate shook his head and gestured towards Sasuke.

"Not with princess here" He stated, they ran as fast as their feet could carry them. It was a green blur to Sasuke as he suddenly seen a row of arrowmen in the distance; his brother at the front. He made a small gasp and called out.

"Nii-san!" Sasuke cried out, Itachi's eyes widened and held his hand up.

"Hold fire!" Itachi ordered.

"But sir-"

"They've taken my brother! Get the battle ships ready, round up all the army men we can find, they are not getting away with my brother!" Itachi yelled, Sasuke looked helplessly towards his brother in the distance, but he become smaller and smaller with each passing moment. Sasuke felt his eyes water in fear of never seeing his brother again. They eventually left the green area and entered a more rocky, stony place. Sasuke heard their footsteps crashing against the cold stone, he recognised it to be the harbour; the abandoned place. He was panicking about what to do, even more so when he saw they were on wood. Meaning one thing.

A ship.

Sasuke gasped, he saw fully that he was now on a ship. He was shivering from terror, to his core feeling petrified. He managed to look around while on the pirate's shoulder, only to see other blood-thirsty pirates. He gulped at the nasty grins and leers sent his way, though he didn't have much time to analyse it as he was taken below the deck. He was thrown into a dark, empty room. Filled only with some hay and a few barrels. The pirate gave him a wink before smirking.

"Don't worry, love, just need to lose your brother then we'll be off" He promised, but before Sasuke could respond the door was shut. He was panting as his heart beat was erratic, he felt so close to death at the moment. He shivered as the room offered no kind light nor warmth. He looked around to see the mildly spacious room, he hated how the scratchy hay beneath him made his skin itch. He shifted, but made a small gasp when he saw the nasty bugs. Sasuke was trembling at his situation. Made worse when he heard the sound of death and war above. Sasuke couldn't handle it anymore and began to cry, sobbing quietly to himself as small tears left his obsidian eyes. Through the noise, through the boat rocking, through all the chaos; it was an unanswered cry of help that pierced that sky.

…

Sasuke groaned slightly as he heard a small thud, he attempted to sit up but was met with aching bones. Not surprising since he fell asleep with his arms behind his back, due to the binding ropes. He rolled his shoulders and attempted to sooth his pained body. He let out a sigh and let his eyes gaze up, they shot open as he saw the cause of the thud. The pirate that had kidnapped him was standing there. Sasuke gasped and tried to move away, but it was no point. The pirate came down the small stairs with his loud, brown boots. It was at this point that Sasuke was able to fully see what he looked like.

It was a young man, no older than 20, with spiky, golden hair. Slightly hidden by a battered, black cocked hat (showing that he was the captain). With three whiskers on each side of his face; tanned skin and azure eyes. Wearing an orange button down shirt, halfway buttoned to reveal his smooth, muscled chest. Messily tucked into his black leather pants, with a blue stone necklace. Wearing a long, brown coat that met his ankles. His feet wearing dirty, brown boots. He was giving a big smile to Sasuke, but Sasuke found it mocking.

"Ello' love" He greeted, Sasuke shifted uncomfortably with a lack of respect.

"My father won't approve of this!" Sasuke snapped, making the blonde man raise an eyebrow, "The entire Konoha army will be looking for me, there is nowhere that you can go that you will be safe, you'll die a horrid death and I'll watch!" Sasuke hissed, the pirate looked unimpressed before chuckling.

"How about we just get to know each other first" He joked, Sasuke stared disbelievingly at the man as if he was crazy. The pirate knelt and gave a smile, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, captain of this ship" Naruto introduced, Sasuke stared warily at him with no attempt to play nice. "Look, er, I know you must be feeling confused and whatnot, but we ain't gonna hurt ya, we just need you for a bit of ransom money" Naruto explained, Sasuke had thought as much anyway, but that didn't mean he was happy about it.

"I don't care, release me immediately" Sasuke ordered.

"Sorry, love, no can do, your daddy is gonna want his precious Ojo back, so we'll guarantee your safe return when he coughs up 50,000 ryo (£94,595)" Naruto responded, Sasuke gasped and shook his head.

"What an absurd amount of money, what could you possibly spend that on?!" Sasuke exclaimed, Naruto chuckled.

"You know, booze, ramen, the simple pleasures of life" Naruto replied, Sasuke gave him a disgusted look.

"You pirates, always stealing other people's hard earned money to waste on such sinful activities" Sasuke accused, but Naruto shook his head.

"Nah, love, it's not a waste, besides, we only steal from those who can afford it" Naruto corrected, Sasuke huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you get a job? Be a somewhat use to society?" Sasuke hissed, Naruto scoffed and shook his head.

"What? Working for your prissy arse? Taking orders and living life without adventure, I don't think so love" Naruto smirked, Sasuke glared at him, Naruto looked at him for a moment before speaking, "Listen, love, I got a deal for you" Naruto started, gaining Sasuke's interest, "How about you play along with us, you act all scared in front of your brother and we get as much gold as we can, then you come with us and spend it however you like, sound good?" Naruto offered, Sasuke gave him an appalled glare.

"How dare you…" Sasuke whispered out in a repulsed tone, "How dare you fathom the thought that I would betray my own brother for wealth and…and…pirates!" Sasuke spat out, glaring defiantly towards him, "I would never consider it, I chose death" Sasuke stated, Naruto stared at him for a few silent moments before smiling, catching Sasuke off guard, "What? Why are you smiling?" Sasuke demanded, Naruto chuckled.

"You're loyal, I like that" Naruto answered, Sasuke blinked a few times before Naruto stood and went back up the stairs.

"Wait! This room is akin to the ice queen's! You could at least hand me a duvet!" Sasuke requested, Naruto looked at him for a moment before picking up some rags off the floor and tossing them at Sasuke, Sasuke gasped at what was handed to him, "You can't seriously expect me to use these?!" Sasuke exclaimed, Naruto just gave him a smirk.

"That's right, love" Naruto winked and leaving Sasuke who was more than angered.

"And stop calling me love!" Sasuke screamed.

"Alright, love!" Naruto called out, Sasuke let out a cry of frustration and collapsed on the rags. He was moping about until he saw a sharp piece of glass in the rags, he scoffed.

"The dobe couldn't even get me safe rags, hn, dobe, yes, that suits him nicely" Sasuke said to himself, deciding that was the name that he would regard Naruto with. Sasuke aimlessly stared at the glass shard until an idea came to mind. He sat up instantly and shifted, he wiggled so the shard was behind him. He manoeuvred the rope and shard so it rubbed against the rope. He did this rigorously for the next 10 minutes until he was able to snap the rope. He smirked and slipped his hands from imprisonment. Even though he was an Ojo, he was smart, he knew how to think fast and on his feet. It was useful in a situation like this. "Now I just need to escape this ship" Sasuke said to himself, he looked up at the door above the wooden stairs and took in a deep breathe.

Sasuke stood and crept up the stairs to the door, he slowly creaked open the door and peeked out. He saw pirates and calmed his breathing. There was no use of panicking, he wouldn't be able to escape like that. He gulped and realised that he would have to run pass all of them, but he was quick and swift, he had the element of surprise on his side. He gulped and readied himself to sprint pass them all, one last breath and he burst through the door. The pirates were too startled for a moment to even register Sasuke dashing pass them, when they did they called out to grab him. Sasuke managed to duck and avoid some attempts to capture him. A figure no bigger than him jumped in front of him, he was about to slide past them when his eyes shot open.

"Sakura…?" Sasuke voiced quietly, the pink-haired girl looked surprised back at him.

"Sasuke…" She voiced in the same tone, Sasuke was brought out of his shock and ran past her. He got past most of them and was happy until he looked back in triumph, meaning he didn't see where he was going and bumped right into Naruto. He gasped and looked at the care-free expression on Naruto's face.

"You're a funny one" Naruto chuckled, Sasuke glared at him and ran past.

"Captain!" Sakura called out, Naruto shook his head.

"Let him be"

"But-"

"Just watch" Naruto interjected, his crew was confused, but they did as they were told and watched Sasuke go up the second stairs to the highest floor on the ship. Sasuke ran to the edge and stopped, he ran to the other and stopped. A smirk made its way on Naruto's face as well his crew as Sasuke realised one thing.

He was stuck on the boat.

They were in the middle of the sea; Sasuke looked left and right to see nothing but the deep, blue sea. He slowly turned around to look over the smug faces that smirked at him, quickly glancing at Sakura's conflicted one. He ignored it and decided there were other things to consider.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but you're stuck here with us, until we say so anyway" Naruto chuckled, small laughter erupting from behind him. Sasuke was horrified as he stared at Naruto's amused expression, Naruto let out a laugh at Sasuke's expression, "Welcome to the Caribbean, love" Naruto smirked, Sasuke stared dumbfounded before effectively fainting.

Oh yes, it sure as hell is going to be a wild ride for the young Uchiha; whether he liked it or not.

Yeah, chapter two. Whoo.