#again none of my anger is directed towards you i am just fully ready to shit on kr/alsei at any given moment

[the-meme-monarch]

Wait, why do you dislike kr/alsei so much? Especially given Ralsei's unrequited crush is borderline canon nowadays? (No judgement)

noelle saying ralsei looks like asriel, and susie saying he looks like toriel, and ralsei being an anagram of asriel, and kris pretty consistently being put off by/uncomfortable around ralsei and honestly I'm just hoping we see in later chapters we've looking at ralsei's interactions with kris all wrong like He doesn't even see it as romantic he's just Awkward or maybe he's just infatuated with the player and if not i hope to fucking god Mr Robert Toby Radiation Fox has an good explanation for ralsei maybe seemingly having a crush on someone who thinks he looks like their brother

[frenchrebelfries]

Fury’s Daughter

AN: Idk wth I just wrote... I just got this idea so yeah... Happy Reading!

.

You are the adoptive daughter of Nick Fury, when you were 5 he adopt you when your parents died on a plane crash that was cause by Hydra, your parents and Nick were good friends that’s why he took you in.

You were a smart kid, always analyzing things, Fury told everything to you and never lie. To protect your identity Nick made you a new one as you volunteer to be an agent of Hydra to gain information and was branded by the organization. You did dangerous mission and always getting out alive.

You were then sent back to and joined the Avengers initiative but the avengers were suspicious of you as you came out of nowhere, no files, no nothing but a name and Fury’s trust.

No one knew who you are to protect your identity in recon so the avengers treated you coldly but you didn’t care, you didn’t tell it to your father about the situation you are in because you were train to adapt and you did. You were kind to them and all as you and Natasha got closer… like really close. Out of all Natasha Romanoff is the one you have trusted the most.

.

.

You got out from the elevator after a short report you did to Nick about the information you got for the Winter Soldier when you heard the laughing of the team as they sat in the living room with pizza on the table as they talked and laugh at each other.

The laughter halted when they all noticed you and silence came… you knew you were never welcome her but your father trust them so you really had no choice but to put up with it, sensing their discomfort you just gave them a nod greeting them.

“Good evening Avengers” no one answered as you expected and left and went to your room, you heard a light foot steps following you and a hand holding your wrist and seeing a familiar red head you have fallen with for the past few weeks.

“Hey Y/N, I’m sorry about the boys you know how hard headed they are” she sincerely apologized to you as you gave her a soft smile

“it’s ok Natasha, I know they still don’t fully trust me and I understand why, so it’s cool” you replied to her as she looked at you suspiciously searching your face for any lies but you being good at hiding your emotion she immediately gave up when she didn’t find one.

“So… Movie night?” she asked cheekily at you as your brows furrows

“what about the others?” you asked her as she started pulling you towards her room as she shrugged

“they can take care of themselves, come on!”

.

.

One day when you were alone practicing in the gym at 6 am of the morning you accidentally took off your clothes leaving you in your sports bra forgetting that Steve Rogers is always awake at that time and saw your Hydra mark on your chest and thought of you as an enemy and told the team as they planned to eliminate you on the next mission.

To eliminate the Hydra scum.

.

.

“can I get a hand over here?” you heard Clint said in the coms as you took down the last guy from your floor inside a hydra base that you’ve been recon last week

“I’m coming on your way” you answered running to Clint’s direction knowing the base like the palm of your hands as you shot a Hydra soldier who was sneaking behind him

“Thanks” you nodded at him you continue your pursuit taking down agents as you skillfully glide yourself on the battle field.

The battle had stop when Clint finished the last guy as Steve and Natasha immerge from the control room with a case on hand.

They must have gotten the information

“Mission complete, how’s the perimeter Tony?” Captain said on the coms as you get close to Natasha scanning her for any injuries and sighted in relieve when you found none.

“Perimeter is clear as the sky Steve were ready to go home” you smiled at the thought of home… Fury promised you a dinner with Maria and Coulson when you get back since things have been busy these couple of week and you were really excited about it since it’s going to be your first dinner with them again since you got back from recon.

“time for phase 2 then, Romanoff” you frowned at Steve’s word

Phase 2? You never heard about it when at the briefing

You were still in confusion when Steve called Natasha and you felt a searing pain by your side

You wiped your head to your side seeing a knife… a knife you gifted to Natasha lunge by your side.

You looked at her eyes full of betrayal and so as Clint and Steve who was in there with you.

“Phase 2 complete, were leaving, now die you Hydra scum” Steve said voice full of spite hearing a ‘good job’ from Tony and a ‘let’s go’ from Clint as you fall down on your knees looking at their retreating figure leaving you.

The last one you saw was the red headed assassin taking one last look at you as they close the door as your whole body fall down on the cold ground.

You shakily grabbed your phone dialing your father’s number as he answered rather cheerful

“Y/N why are you calling me? Is your mission done?” you heard your dad’s voice making you tear up a bit

“D-dad…”

“get your ass here kid Maria and Coulson just arrived here and im about to finish cooking these turkey”

“c-can I have a rain check on the dinner dad… I kinda messed up…” your voice was now shaking and you are feeling colder than usual the blade may have a poison as you felt a burn and getting light headed faster than normal.

Fury must have sense that there is something wrong by the way your voice sounded

“Y/N what happened? Are you ok?” you can hear his voice full of worry as you heard Maria and Coulson from the background asking what’s wrong.

“I-I think I was the p-phase 2 of S-Steve’s plan dad… it’s really g-getting cold here ya know” blood tricked on the ground from your wound

Your vision darken as flashes of memories filled your eyes.

You can hear the shuffles from the other line saying they are tracking my call and will be sending medical help

“I’m s-scared d-dad… I still d-don’t wanna go” you cried,

“Help is on the way Y/N keep holding on I’m here for you kid” you can hear the shakiness of your father’s voice, you kept trying to keep your eyes open and now seeing dark spots forming.

“T-thanks for everything dad… tell Maria and Coulson I love them…” your voice was barely audible hearing their cried for you to wake up.

“Keep your eyes open for me kid… please”

“I-I think a need a nap… l-love you dad” and you were gone.

They kept calling for you but you never answered back.

.

.

Fury along with Maria and Coulson with a medical team arrived at the base eyes redden because of crying as they found you on the cold ground with your phone by your side and a stab.

Fury cradle you like a baby as the medic announced your death with Maria and Coulson crying by the side.

.

.

“Did you check the monitors?” Fury’s cold voice echoed in a quinjet as your cold body layed beside him with your head on his lap stroking the hair that is covering your face.

“you’re not gonna like it boss…” Maria said with blood shot eyes as she played the video of Steve ordering the Phase 2 and Natasha Romanoff stabbing you as they left you.

“call them up at SHIELD… they would pay for what they did to her” Nick ordered as Coulson took his phone out to call them.

Nick glanced at you as he swiped some blood by your mouth hugging your corpse closer to him.

.

.

.

They avenger’s arrived at SHIELD seeing Fury holding Y/N’s hand as she lay dead on the table with Maria and Coulson by the back holding back their anger.

“what is this Fury?” Steve stepped out in confusion to why they got the body of Y/N

“What is the phase 2 Captain” Nick’s voice was colder than usual

“… to eliminate the Hydra-“ Steve answered as the other’s stayed silent

“and who is the Hydra?”

 “Y/n…”

 Then there’s silence, the team were uncomfortable with the silence but Steve was getting impatient with all of it.

“Look I don’t know what is your point here but you should thank us for killing the mole here Fury”

Fury looked at them as Coulson held Maria who was about to attack Steve as Fury spoke…

   “I see no dead mole here Rogers… all I see is my dead daughter”

  The team’s eyes widen as they froze from there spot

“W-what?” Bruce asked

“Y/N Fury... is my daughter who you called a Hydra scum”

“B-but she had the brand-“

“She had the brand because she was undercover inside Hydra that gave her the mark to extract information for your missions that is saving billions!” Fury angrily shouted making them all flinch.

All of it dawned to them as Natasha fall into her knees realizing she killed a hero… she killed her friend who trusted her… she killed the person who loved her…

“I pulled her out of the recon to keep her safe knowing her all her covers were blown, I put her into your team so she can be protected thinking after all those years of being away we can have a normal dinner like she wanted for years, I trusted my daughter in your hand yet you are the one who killed her…”

Fury stood up tears streaming down on his face

“Avenger Initiative’s termination is effective immediately, all of you would be put in maximum security prison for killing Y/N Fury” Agents entered taking their weapons and cuffing them

 “Nick… I’m sorry” Steve’s voice filled with regret rang out as Fury looked at him coldly throwing a file on the ground in front of him as the content spilled revealing pictures of the Winter Soldier.

 “Y/N wanted to give you this information from the last recon she was put in to, James “Bucky” Barnes is alive and now known as the Winter Soldier who is working for Hydra and has killed thousands”

Steve’s face was full of shock knowing his best friend Bucky is alive…

“Nick-“

“I’m sorry to cap…” Fury cut him off and coldly apologies to Steve who is now confuse to why as everyone in the room looked at them in silence.

 “you took someone dear away from me… and now I’m taking yours, Good Bye Avengers and thank you for your service” before Steve and others could react they were all tranquilized knocking them out cold and only waking up in a glass cell with Ross smirking at them as they sat there in silence thinking the things that they have done for you.

“welcome to your new life Avengers…in prison!” and a loud laugh erupted from Ross as he walked out as ex-heroes gazes followed his exit.

[raggaraddy]

your writing is amazing 🥺

could i ask for a yoongi version of the reader being shot because of them? your other ones are so good!!!

Family affairs

@dramaclub-thin

A/N: Thank you, sweetheart! I'm glad you're enjoying the series. This one has a bit of OT7 and I hope you like it too. 💜💜💜

If anyone else wants to request, you can here.

Other parts:

Namjoon

Jimin

Taehyung

Jungkook

Summary: You'd tried so hard to hide your relationship with Yoongi from your father. You knew when he found you were dating someone from a rival club that he'd kill you. You just didn't think it would be literal.

Trigger warnings: Violence, Filicide, Blood, gun usage.

Yoongi

Mafia! Yoongi

Mafia! BTS

"Yes Daddy," you poke your head through the door to his office with a little knock. Normally you would never bother your father while he was working, but one of your brothers came to your room to let you know he was calling for you.

"Ah, Darling. Yes, have a seat." He stands up from his desk, gesturing to the chair ahead of him. "I need your advice on something."

For a moment you get a flutter in your stomach. He never asks you for anything. Your his pretty princess on a pedestal. And he never involves you in anything that a woman wouldn't have been responsible for in the 1950s.

"Of course," you smile, shifting comfortably.

"I know you're tech-savvy, so maybe you can explain this to me. I had some photos printed, but I think there must be something wrong with the camera. Have a look,"

Reaching into his desk drawer as he speaks he pulls out a stack of A4 photos. As he lays them out your eyes jump straight back up at him. Checking for his reaction, a sharp pang of absolute fear hitting you. They're pictures of you and Yoongi, his arm around you when you were coming out of the Bangtan clubhouse.

"I know the camera has to be faulty, because that" he tapes your image, "looks like you. And I know my one and only daughter wouldn't be socializing with those Bulletproof scum."

"Daddy, I-I," you stutter with no idea what to say.

You thought you were so clever, so careful that there was no way he'd ever find out. Even when Yoongi would worry about you possibly being caught you would shrug it off. Your love was invincible and meant to be, and you were smart. No chance your family would ever know you're with Yoongi, and no way his family would ever know you were from a rival gang. As far as they knew, you were just Y/n Brown, the hairdresser from one district over.

But clearly, you weren't careful or clever enough.

Your stark silence is loud enough for your father and he nods a sombre confirmation. "How long Y/n?" He questions.

"Daddy, I don't-"

"How long?!" He's quick to anger, making you jump.

"A few months," you lie, your eyes dropping to your lap. Telling him it's been closer to 18 months is only going to enrage him further.

Slumping back into his office chair he lets out a heavy sigh.

"You think you raise your kids right. To know loyalty and family." He derides looking at you fiercely. "But then you find out your own daughter will open her legs for any cretin. In complete disregard of everything she should know."

You knew it would be awful if he ever found out, you know he is a terrifying dangerous man, but hearing your father's derogatory comments are harder to take than you ever expected.

"What did you tell them?" He sits forward. His demeanour, his expression going from disappointed father to cold mafioso.

Your mouth going dry, you swallow hard. Shaking your head softly. "Nothing."

"Bullshit!" He yells. "You expect me to believe they just let the daughter of Bastille get all cosy with one of the 7 without you giving up something."

This is so bad. You knew your parents, your brothers, the entire Bastille would disown you for this, but they'll actually kill you if they think you've sold them out.

"No. I didn't tell them anything. None of them knows who I am. Only Yoongi knows. And I didn't tell him shit. You know I wouldn't." You defend yourself trying to reign in your distress.

"Well, there's a lot of things I wouldn't think a daughter of mine could do." His voice is so detached. He's stopped looking at you. This is so so bad.

"Dad. I didn't say anything." You restate, fighting to convince him. Feeling like you're trying to prove the case for your own life. "I know the rules. Don't talk to anyone. Not cops. Not friends or enemies." You repeat the words that had been drilled in your entire childhood. You knew nothing, you saw nothing. Those are the rules.

"I don't believe you." He says bitterly.

Your hands are trembling, you're panting heavily. You know being with a rival club member is a stupid thing, but the clubs are in a truce.  And despite your father's opinion, you would never be so stupid as to actually say anything. And Yoongi would never let you, even if you decided to. You did one thing wrong, but you made sure you did everything else right.

Leaning back, he opens his phone book. Searching for a number.

"Dad," You plead for his attention. Raising the phone to his ear he shushes you, placing a finger over his mouth.

You have no idea what to do. You've seen him decimate people for so much less than what he's accusing you of. You don't know how to prove your innocence.

The call answers and you can hear a distant 'hello'.  Putting the phone on speaker he puts the receiver down.

"Warren L/n here. I believe I have something of yours," he says.

"What are you talking about?" You inhale a staggered breath, hearing the familiar gruff voice of Kim Namjoon.

Your dad's plan was simple. If you were telling the truth about Bangtan not knowing who you were, their leader would be confused and concerned that you were with the leader of Bastille. But if they knew who you were, this would be a much more straightforward issue. Namjoon would understand right away why he was calling.

And if you were lying about one thing, he could assume you were lying about more.

"Say hello Y/n." Your dad prompts, his look daring you to refuse.

"Hi," You squeak, nervously chewing the inside of your cheek. Your own safety aside, Namjoon was going to kill Yoongi.

There's a brief pause. The background noise on Namjoon's side disappearing. "Kidnapping women? I didn't realise you were handling that personally now."

"Who said kidnap?" he leads the conversation.

"Then maybe you want to explain what one of our girls is doing with you?" Namjoon growls, sounding protective.

That was enough confirmation for your father. The leader didn't know what was going on. But he was about to.

On Namjoons side of the line, he was pacing back and forth in a closed meeting room at the entrance of the clubhouse. Your father was revealing the secret that you and Yoongi had fought so hard to keep.

The phone call ending, Namjoon was in a rage. Marching across the bar he stormed at the table with other members around it. His maddened expression drawing Yoongi's attention. But the older member didn't have any reason to think this fury was directed at him and so he doesn't react quick enough as Namjoon punches him in the face, knocking him from his chair.

The other boys instantly becoming alert, Jungkook jumps to Namjoons side holding his arm out in front of him, looking ready to intervene. Jimin standing between the floored Yoongi and the enraged leader.

"Hyung, what the hell ar-" Jimin snaps.

"You fucking idiot! Bastille's daughter?!" he roars trying to push through Jimin. Jungkook stepping in to help keep him at bay.

Climbing back to his feet, nursing a split lip, Yoongi's eyes go wide. Completely caught off guard by Namjoon's revelation. "How did you-" he gapes.

"Everything she's seen, everything she knows! Do you have any idea how much you've exposed this club?" He lunges again, bowling the mediating members out of the way. Diving through Yoongi, the two men trade blows as they scuffle on the floor.

The scene quickly gets out of hand, and as Yoongi throws Namjoon through a table, Jin and Hoseok come from a backroom to step in also. The four of them now working to pry the two battling men apart. Jimin and Hoseok holding back Yoongi. The oldest and youngest members trying to keep Namjoon at bay.

"Enough!" Jin scolds with a firm shove to Namjoon's chest. "Someone explain what the hell is going on!"

"Just Suga thinking with his dick, instead of his brain." Namjoon spits.

Shirking off the boys, Yoongi barges forward infuriated by the provocative comment. War breaking out again with a solid hit at Namjoon, a gash opening over his eye. Another difficult struggle beginning for the members, grappling and clawing them apart. Having to fully restrain them to have them stop. Being held as they bleed.

Grabbing both of them by the collar, Jin demands their focus. "The next man who throws a punch leaves here with a bullet in his leg!" He growls. "Am I clear?!" His fist tightens, stiffening their necklines.

"Yes,"

"Yes, Hyung."

The two of them conceded, their energy dropping as their eldest releases them. "Good. Now sit down so we can talk this shit out."

It takes several minutes and a round of drinks, but the room calms down enough for the members to sit down. They send the few 2nd levels out and the 95's girlfriends. The bar remaining with only the 7 original members. Taehyung coming back just as the disclosure began.

Namjoon starts, passing along the information your father had given him. The 6 of them all sharing disappointed, worried or angry glances towards Yoongi.

"She wouldn't have said anything." Yoongi insists, after explaining his side also. Trying to defend his decision. To defend you.

"You can't know that," Jimin argues, flumping back in his seat. Taking a sip with a pissed-off scowl on his face.

"Yeah, we've all been pussy blinded before. You're not thinking clearly." Jungkook snips.

"Maknae-" Yoongi warns. Getting tired of the disrespect that keeps getting thrown his way.

"Hey, watch it." Jin interrupts, correcting Jungkook's blunt attitude. The youngest shrugging, downing the last of his drink.

"Look, if she was giving information to L/n, then why would he call to tell you that he knows." Yoongi disputes. Hoping to bring reason back into the debate.

"He wants to trade. The latest shipment of horse for Y/n." Namjoon answers with a frustrated scoff and a roll of his eyes.

"That's close to 500 K. That's not happening," Hoseok jumps in. The rest of them firmly nodding in agreement.

"Okay, but if that's the case. If he's trying to sell her off, that means she's not working with him. Right?" Taehyung backs Yoongi's point.

"Idiot," Jimin shoves his friend, "It could be a part of the plan. A way to rip us off for half a million."

"Or it could be a set-up," Namjoon adds. "Let's say Hyung's right, and she isn't working with her old man. If we're willing to sit down, if we try to buy her back, it confirms that she knows enough that we're concerned about it."

"I'm telling you, she doesn't know anything. She didn't want to know anything. And even if she did, she's not gonna give it up." Again Yoongi vehemently defends you.

"Well if she doesn't give him anything then L/n kills her." Namjoon finalizes. "To hurt the club, and as retribution for her betrayal."

"What I don't understand is why you would let her go back? If you trust her and you know how ruthless Bastille is, why would you let her keep going back to him?" Jin asks, genuinely baffled.

Standing up Yoongi can't take anymore. He's furious. He's upset. At himself most of all. Feeling to blame for allowing you to be in this situation, he leaves in anger. Needing some time to himself to think.

"I don't know, she seemed pretty cool," Taehyung mutters, leaning into Namjoon. "You don't really think he would kill his own daughter, right?"

It's been 2 days and you've been locked in an empty storage shed at the edge of the property like a captive. Your father turned your world upside down looking for information. His people went through your computer, your phone, your car, your room. Everything that was yours he and his men had raided. And just like you said, there was nothing there. No information about Bastille, and nothing about Bangtan.

"Suga. I'm guessing that's Min Yoongi? Unless you're cheating on him." Your dad muses holding up your phone. That is so humiliating. So many nudes and dirty texts are in that chat. There may not be revealing information, but there was still plenty of personal stuff.

"You know Darling, I don't like to admit when I am wrong, but it looks like you were telling the truth. I can't find any proof that you gave up any family details." He smiles softly, your heart lifting with relief for a moment. "But then I was looking through your camera roll and, in the pictures where you actually have clothes on, it's just full of Bangtan." He comes further into the empty shed, leaning on the wall alongside you. Showing you the screen as he scrolls through. The only entrance being blocked by one of his more grizzly looking men. "See here, there's you and a bunch of them at a restaurant. There's you and the leader. You and the crazy one. Here's a family-style photo, isn't that nice."

He keeps scrolling through shot after shot, exhibiting an entire album full of Bangtan family pictures.

"I'm sure you never expected anyone else to see these. I guess I should have been teaching you not to put the same password for multiple devices." He scoffs. "But the interesting thing, when I'm going through these photos you seem to be really close with all of them. Some of these even go back to last year. Which makes the timeline you gave me a little off."

He shows the details of one of the pictures to you, the time stamp from when you had already been with Yoongi for 6 months.

"This one is from May 2nd. Last year. On the 10th those bastards stole one of my shipping containers. With nearly 100 grand worth of merchandise. Did you know about that?"

"You mean people." You sneer, his characterization of human trafficking as 'merchandise' making your skin crawl.

"So you did know." He smiles coldly.

"I found out- I knew after," you justify. Even as you continue to defend yourself, you have a sick feeling that it's all for nothing.

"I'm really curious what else you know." He hums, walking around the front of you to get back into your eye line.

"I don't know anything," you tell him for the 1000th time with an exasperated shake of your head. Moving away to the far side of the shed.

"Darling, I'm your father and I'm telling you we need to reconcile this. Your mother is worried sick. I'm here losing sleep over this. I'm giving you a chance to repay all the damage you've done. A chance to forget all this. You tell me everything you know about Bangtan, and just like that," he snaps his fingers, "you get to return to your comfortable life."

You don't trust his change in tone or his promises for a minute. You may not have known the darkest parts of who he is, but that's how you can be sure that his offer to forgive and forget is rubbish. Not even the father in him would let you forget a mistake. Especially one this major, not with the way he is reacting. And he's so much more brutal when it comes to Bastille.

"And if I don't?"

"Then you've betrayed your family. And we'll find out what we want to know in other ways." he taps the back of his hand in the other, symbolizing a beat down.

You shake your head hard. You might love your dad. But you don't like him. You've known for most of your life that he was a bad guy. And Yoongi, Bangtan, they might not be the good guys, but they've been the family you've always wanted. There is no way you were telling him even the most insignificant detail.

"Hit me all you want dad, I still don't know anything." You snarl.

"I could never hit my own daughter." He taps his heart, a feigned pained expression on his face. Nodding his head in your direction, he trades places with his man who advances on you.

Breathing hard you step back only to hit the wall.

The tall, square-built man swings. The back of his hand slapping your cheek, the force so strong that it smacks you into the corner sidewall. His hand, like a vice, grabs ahold of your head and mightily slams it into the steel beam running down the sheet metal wall. Pushing your hands against his chest, you weakly attempt to fend him off, but he ends your efforts with another solid wack against the frame.

As blood streams down your head, his focus switches. The majority of his attacks landing on your torso.

With you curled up on the floor, wheezing and gasping for breath, the assault finally stops. But not out of mercy. Even through the ringing in your ears, you can hear the outburst of gunfire in the distance.

Both your dad and his man rush out, leaving you locked away. While it's for an equally terrifying reason, you're thankful to have this time to catch your breath. Although every laborious intake brings agony.

After some time, light floods back into the room, your father standing in the doorway outlined by the setting sun. "I'm sorry Darling. If I had to do this, I hoped it would be a bit more ceremonious. But we don't have the time for that now."

You gasp at him raising his gun at you. He shoots three times. One in your chest, one in your shoulder and one in your stomach.

The shock, the impact takes the breath from you. And you can't draw it back in. Your eyes glassing over, your head filled with nothing but white noise. Feeling a fleeting moment of relief as everything goes quiet and dark.

"Fuck. No!" Yoongi howls. He, Jin and two 2nd ranks had chased after your father as he fled.

Bangtan's siege on his property was highly successful till that point, and he had run downhill to the storage garage. Looking to make a getaway.

The other's continue after him as Yoongi stumbles into you. His steely outer shell crumbling away the moment he sees your body limp and bleeding out.

Falling beside you he leans over shaking and in tears. Kissing your lips gently with heartfelt pleas "I'm sorry Y/n. I'm so sorry. Please don't do this. Please."

Jin doubles back, watching distraught from the entrance as his brother falls apart.

Lifting your head up, Yoongi brings your forehead to his. The movement making you splutter blood. The first sign of life that either of the men had seen.

"Holy fuck, she's alive." Jin gawks, jumping in beside Yoongi pressing on the hole in your stomach. The bullet in your shoulder and chest had both hit bone, stopping the slug from going through, blocking the wounds from severe blood loss. The bullet in your torso shot through your bowls and thankfully not through your vital organs. Meaning your chances of survival were much higher. It was either 3 highly unlucky shots or three precisely placed ones.

"I'm so sorry Y/n." Yoongi's in shock. Devastated and guilt-ridden, and unable to make himself function.

"Dude, get your shit together or she's not gonna make it." Jin smacks the side of his brothers head, snapping him out of his grief-stricken daze.

"Can you save her?" He asks rubbing the tears from his eyes.

"Not a chance. But I can keep her alive for a minute until we get to the clubhouse. Call the doc, tell him to meet us there." Jin orders, having much more clarity at this moment. "And get the boys to bring the car around. We're going to need a few of us to move her."

Yoongi follows Jin's lead, wiping the blood from his hands onto his pants to dial.

"Think of it this way," Jin smiles shortly, trying to soothe Yoongi's fear and panic with an ill-timed joke. "If she survives, at least she'll have proved she's Bangtan."

[heyiwrotesomethings]

Feeding the Weary Traveler

Mitsuri Kanroji x She/Her Reader

A/N: Warnings for this one are homophobia and a mention of physical assault. Let me know if you think I should mention anything else. It’s a relatively light story considering. I usually like to keep the sexuality of the reader undiscussed so it could be anything, but this time around reader doesn’t seem to be interested in men in the slightest. It’s only a couple of lines but just a heads up. Hope you like it! Sorry if there are more errors than usual. My internet is painfully slow and it makes uploading a chore and a half. Word Count: 6,388

Mitsuri hummed happily to herself as she surveyed the various food stalls lighting up the night around her. She wasn’t sure where she should begin, it all looked so good! She was so lucky to have stumbled upon this bustling little village, and during a festival no less! This dinner was going to be legendary! Hopefully there would be an inn nearby where she could rest between missions and take some time to enjoy it all.

Mitsuri decided that the sweet dango stall was calling her name so she made her way over there first and purchased four skewers. She chewed happily as she walked around and tried to decide what to try next. The dango tasted so good she had half a mind to go back and get a couple more.

The Hashira was about to approach a yakitori stall as she finished her last dango when her crow landed none too gracefully in the dirt beside her. She flapped her wings frantically, her little clover shaped crown slightly askew.

Mitsuri whined as she chewed the last bit of dango before swallowing it down. It looked like dinner was over before it really even started. Well, when duty calls...

She cast one last longing glance at the sizzling meats and followed after her crow out of the village’s well lit valley and into the dark mountains above. Lives could be on the line, dinner could wait.

Mitsuri scaled the rugged terrain, hopping from tree to tree. Her crow flapped erratically just ahead, guiding her to whatever demon was wreaking havoc tonight. Her fingers wrapped tightly over the hilt of her blade as the air became heavy with an overwhelming dense dread that could only be brought on by the demon’s bloodlust.

Mitsuri unfurled her blade and kicked off of the next tree branch particularly hard as a scream ripped through the craggy boulders. A few more leaps and bounds.., she did not slow, a scream could mean many things, it wasn’t over yet. They could still be alive!

Her crow cawed in alarm just as Mitsuri’s eyes locked onto a struggle in the brambles below. Almost on instinct, she cracked her whip-like blade over the demon’s grotesque form, causing it to shriek. The Hashira twirled in the air to land in front of the beast and the young woman trapped and writhing  beneath it.

“Get off of her, you miserable fiend!” Mitsuri commanded, readying her blade to lash at the demon again.

The demon wailed again in anger, crushing the dirt beside its hostage’s head before tearing off into the forest in an attempt to get away from the powerful newcomer.

“Oh no you don’t!” Mitsuri called after it, cracking her nichirin blade over its retreating form. The blade sliced into the tendons in the back of one of its legs, causing it to tumble to the ground. Before it could skitter off to heal, Mitsuri swung her blade around again. The specially forged metal curled around the demon’s neck and with one clean yank, it’s head came clean off.

The slayer stayed alert, scanning the area for any other nearby threats. An exhausted caw from her crow alerted her that it was safe to let her guard down. She quickly turned on her heel to asses the young woman’s condition, observing her as she shakily got to her knees.

Her kimono was ripped and dirtied. Blood seemed to be seeping through her cloth of her shoulder. Her eyes were wide and frightened while her breath came shallow and quick.

“Are you alright?” Mitsuri spoke gently, slowly moving into the girl’s line of vision. She didn’t want to scare her anymore than she already had been tonight.

“I don’t know,” she said between gasping breaths, “I, I’m alive. That’s something.” She tried to get to her feet, but something twinged in her ankle and she fell back to her knees.

Mitsuri knelt at her side in concern.

The girl would need some medical attention. “My name is Kanroji Mitsuri. What’s your name?”

“(L/n) (Y/n).” She shakily replied.

“Let me help you home, (L/n)-san. Do you live in the village down below?” Mitsuri asked, helping (Y/n) to her feet, carrying most of her weight for her.

“No,” (Y/n) answered quickly, almost as if the insinuation pained her, “no, I don’t. I live here, in the mountains. My cottage isn’t too far from here.”

“I’ll help you get home, (Y/n)-san. Don’t worry, you’re in safe hands.” Mitsuri assured.

“Thank you, thank you so much.”

Mitsuri eyed the young woman sympathetically. The poor dear was still shaken, but managed to direct Mitsuri in the direction of her home while the Hashira carefully held her up, guiding her through the tough terrain.

Mitsuri frowned at the sight of the worn down shack as it came into view, this couldn’t be it, could it?

“There, I live there.” (Y/n) proclaimed, her voice laced with exhaustion. She must have been able to feel the shift in Mitsuri’s mood at the declaration because she then added, “It’s not much, but it’s home. I built it myself even.”

“Do you live here alone?” Mitsuri couldn’t help but ask, slightly horrified.

“I do.” (Y/n) affirmed, missing Mitsuri’s open-mouthed, wide-eyed shock when she stumbled towards the weathered door. “Thank you again, for saving me and bringing me back home.”

“You’re welcome but...” Mitsuri tried to find words but none would come finally she just shook her head and followed (Y/n)’s stumbling form to the door. “Do you have any medical supplies? Let me help patch you up.”

“I have some things. I’m not sure how helpful they’ll be. You needn’t concern yourself. You’ve done so much for me already, Kanroji-san.”

“Your shoulder could get infected without proper care and your ankle looks sprained or even broken. Let me see what I can do. We might need to take you to the village, there’s got to be a doctor down there.”

(Y/n) shook her head furiously, wincing a bit and grasping her head soon after, “I’m not going into town for anything. I’ll invite you to do what you can here, but that’s where I draw the line.”

Mitsuri was concerned by the girl’s reluctance to go to the village, but she took (Y/n)’s offer and entered the small shack. She was surprised by how homey the inside looked once (Y/n) lit a few lanterns. Not only that, but it smelt heavenly inside.

(Y/n) cursed under her breath as she hobbled over to some kind of makeshift oven and carefully peaked inside before sighing in relief and opened it fully. “It didn’t burn! Thank the gods for small favors I guess.”

“What have you got there, (L/n)-san? It smells very good in here.” Mitsuri said, holding a hand over her stomach in an attempt to quiet its rumbling.

“Bread. Please, help yourself. It’s the least I can offer for all of your help tonight.”

“Really? Thank you!” Mitsuri was practically glowing at the invitation before she remembered why she was here in the first place. “Later! First, let’s check you over.”

(Y/n) gestured to another corner of the space to a wobbly, rustic shelf next to a futon so flat it couldn’t possibly be comfortable to sleep on.  Mitsuri’s heart went out to this girl. She couldn’t be too far off from her in age, this was no way to live, and alone no less.

Mitsuri recovered the tin sitting atop the bottom shelf and motioned the girl to sit on the ground as she noted there were no chairs. She kneeled beside (Y/n)’s injured shoulder. A pained grunt rumbled at the back of the hermit’s throat as she painstakingly loosened and lowered the fabric around her shoulders, baring the bloody claw marks to the Hashira.

“Oh you poor dear...” Mitsuri cooed as she gently probed the torn flesh. At least it wasn’t too deep.

“It’s fine,” (Y/n) shivered and looked away, “could you wrap me up now please. Try to be sparing with the bandages if possible.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Mitsuri frowned. She disinfected and wrapped the wound as Shinobu had shown her during her first aid training and managed to only use about a third of the already meager roll. “There,” she gently patted (Y/n)’s shoulder, “that’s all set. Now I just need a look at that ankle. Oh my, it’s swollen pretty bad. We’ll need to elevate it and you should really lay down.”

“I am pretty tired,” (Y/n) sighed wearily, pulling her kimono back up over her shoulders. “Could you help me up?”

“Of course!” Mitsuri eagerly replied, easily scooping (Y/n) up in her arms and standing to her full height.

(Y/n)’s hands scrambled for purchase on Mitsuri’s uniform from the sudden movement. Once she realized Mitsuri’s hold on her was solid and unwavering she relaxed a bit before pulling her hands back to her own chest and jerking her head outwards away from the pale expanse of the demon slayer’s chest. If at all possible, she was sure steam would roll out of her ears like active geysers.

Mitsuri didn’t notice anything amiss and took the few steps needed to lay (Y/n) down in the sad little bed. Then she paid careful attention to (Y/n)’s leg, tilting and rotating it while getting feedback from the girl.

“Well, I don’t think it’s broken, but you should definitely stay off of it for awhile.” Mitsuri informed, feeling anxious. “So you know anyone nearby? Someone that can assist you with your recovery?”

“I’ll be just fine, trust me.” (Y/n) had said.

“That um, didn’t really answer my question.” Mitsuri smiled a bit tightly as more worry settled in her heart. “Do you have family nearby, friends, close acquaintances?”

“If you must know,” (Y/n) weakly spat, “there isn’t anyone. I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for nearly two years now.” She finished bitterly.

Mitsuri flinched back at (Y/n)’s tone and the bedridden girl immediately felt bad. She was only trying to help after all. (Y/n) would have been dead without her.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh.”

“It’s alright. You’ve had a hard night,” Mitsuri patted (Y/n)’s hand reassuringly. “I’ll just have to watch over you then.”

“Cawww!”

Mitsuri looked over her shoulder at her crow, flapping and comically sweating buckets from her uneasy perch on the windowsill.

“I can take care of myself,” (Y/n) voiced her stance once more, “besides, it looks like your work isn’t over yet. Take a couple loafs for the road as thanks. You’ll need to keep your strength up.”

“I couldn’t.” Mitsuri shook her head. The girl already had so little, it would be a crime to take advantage. She was already paid plenty as a Hashira, she could hold out for a few more hours.

“I insist. I make more than I know what to do with. Quite a bit gets thrown to the wildlife.”

“Well, if you’re sure...” Mitsuri’s resolve crumbled like loose gravel. She was hungry, and the bread smelled really, really good. If (Y/n) was going to insist, how could she say no? Then Mitsuri straightened as an idea formed in her mind. (Y/n) startled as Mitsuri loudly smacked her hands together.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, tomorrow before the sun sets!” Mitsuri said with conviction.

“What?” (Y/n) blinked, watching Mitsuri pack three loafs of bread into a rucksack before giving it back to her crow to fly off with.

“I’ll come by tomorrow to check on you.” Mitsuri said before taking a bite out of a fourth loaf of bread. “Mmm, this is so good!”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I have to get going now, but I’ll be back! Keep your weight off that ankle and don’t strain yourself!” Mitsuri called as she opened the front door.

“No, wait, Kanroji-san!”

But she was already gone, the door closed tightly behind her before she ran off headlong into the dangerous night.

“And she’s gone,” (Y/n) sighed, “just who is she anyway? She’s practically superhuman,” she covered her face in the crook of her good arm, “and she’s really pretty.”

***

By morning Mitsuri was halfway through her last loaf of bread and standing before the familiar sight of the Butterfly Estate. After seeing the state of (Y/n)’s medical supplies, Mitsuri thought it prudent to visit Shinobu and procure a kit for the girl.

“Mitsuri, hello.” Shinobu greeted upon looking up from her microscope. “What brings you here today?”

“Shinobu, you have to help me,” Mitsuri immediately started in, “I saved a girl last night and she got a roughed up a bit before I got to her. Can you help me make a medical kit for her?”

“Of course I’ll help you,” Shinobu smiled, “but I must ask, why not just take her to a civilian doctor? Surely they would be able to provide the help she may need.”

“She lives alone in the mountains. She seems to have a bad relationship with the village in the valley below, but I don’t know why.”

“Just be careful then,” Shinobu warned, “who knows, you might be dealing with a criminal.”

“No way!” Mitsuri gasped, waving the last couple bites of bread in front of Shinobu’s face, “Could a criminal make bread this good? I think not!”

“Please stay vigilant regardless,” Shinobu giggled before switching gears, “now, tell me what happened last night.”

Mitsuri explained the situation the best she could, detailing (Y/n)’s injuries and what supplies she had left. Shinobu helped her pack up a new med kit that would not only replenish (Y/n)’s supplies, but give her some other helpful medicines that she didn’t have initially. Mitsuri thanked Shinobu with a tight hug that forced her fellow Pillar to dangle in the air for a few moments before being lowered to the ground once more. Then she made her way off the property, running off into the woods. She had a lot of ground to cover before sunset.

After a few hours of travel Mitsuri was feeling peckish. She had unfortunately finished the last loaf of bread before leaving Shinobu’s estate and didn’t have time to replenish her snack sack that her crow carried for her. If she was lucky, maybe the festival she had stumbled upon last night was a multiple night event and she could stalk up once she checked on (Y/n).

With an excited hum, she practically flew up the mountain, making her way in the general direction she knew (Y/n)’s shack to be.

“Oh dear, was it a left at this boulder or a right?” Mitsuri mumbled to herself. The forest was more inviting in the evening light but it looked so different. Cautiously, she tried the left path and scoured her surroundings for anything that looked familiar.

Mitsuri had begun to grow a bit anxious, worried that she had taken a wrong turn. She took a deep breath through her nose to calm herself which was quickly followed by a few more testing scentings of the air. Something smelled delicious. She couldn’t be sure, but it was the best lead she had so far. She followed the hearty aroma and cheered to herself as the rundown, misshapen hut came into view.

The Hashira wasted no time hopping up to the door. She gave a courtesy knock and announced herself before letting herself inside. She smiled to herself as she imagined how happy (Y/n) would be to have such an arsenal of medicinal goods. That smile quickly became a shocked, open mouth of light horror upon seeing (Y/n) up and moving about her small home.

“Ah! I thought I told you not to put any weight on that ankle, you’ll hurt yourself!” Mitsuri worried. She quickly went up to (Y/n) with her arms out in front of her like (Y/n) would collapse at any moment.

“I couldn’t just lay in bed all day.” (Y/n) tried to reason. “You said you were coming back so I felt the need to make dinner for you. You know, to repay you for all you’re doing for me. A little ankle pain can hardly keep me down.”

Mitsuri was touched by the gesture, it made her heart flutter with appreciation, but (Y/n) needed to follow her instructions or who knows what long term damage she would cause herself.

“It smells wonderful, (L/n)-san and I thank you endlessly, but please, lay down right now!”

“I’ve been taking breaks. I’m fine—ah!“

Ah, swept off her feet by the strong and beautiful demon slayer once again. As embarrassing as being doted on in this manner was, (Y/n) was definitely going to revisit this tender care in her dreams. Gods, she was touch starved.

“Really (L/n)-san, don’t be difficult. Let me check on your shoulder, okay?” Mitsuri didn’t even sound strained as she slowly placed (Y/n) down on the futon.

“Oh, okay.” (Y/n) fought through the fuzzy tingles, shaking them from her body as she slid her sleeve off her shoulder.

“Aw, it looks a little infected,” Mitsuri whined as she softly prodded the tender flesh, “but don’t worry! I paid a visit to a dear friend today and I’ve got everything you’ll need!”

“Kanroji-san, this is too much.” (Y/n) gaped in awe at the tightly packed tin Mitsuri presented to her.

“Not at all! Now, hold still while I apply some of this cream.” Mitsuri beamed before swirling the cool salve over the cuts. (Y/n) flinched a bit but the numbing chill soon soothed the pain.

“Wow, that feels really nice.”

“Right? I can always trust Shinobu for the best!” Mitsuri proudly proclaimed as she finished re-wrapping (Y/n)’s shoulder. She then took care of (Y/n)’s ankle the way Shinobu had suggested and looked at her handiwork with pride. “There all done! Shinobu said you’ll want to keep it elevated and free of strain for at least two weeks.”

“Okay, I’ll rest where I can. Thank you.”

“No no,” Mitsuri made an ‘x’ with her arms and pouted, “none of that, you have to rest!”

“I can’t afford to rest. It’s not easy living in the mountains alone.” (Y/n) informed, her eyes shifted over Mitsuri’s shoulder at the burning embers in her ‘kitchen’, “Could you take that off the heat please?”

“Yeah, I can do that.” Mitsuri shot up and stole to the dingy pot, her eyes shined upon witnessing the rich, golden broth up close. “Wow, this looks amazing!”

“I’m glad you think so, the mountains are harsh but there are plenty of resources if you know where to look. Please, help yourself.”

“Thank you so much! Here, let me get you a bowl as well. Food always tastes better with company after all.”

Mitsuri tried to prepare another bowl for (Y/n) but quickly discovered she only had one. It seemed like the more she looked at the place, the sadder it made her. (Y/n) seemed to notice the sudden downtick in the slayer’s mood and spoke up.

“Hey, I’ve got a tea mug I’ll happily drink from if you don’t mind my bad manners.” She laughed, provoking a smile from Mitsuri.

“Of course I don’t mind.”

They ate the broth and fresh bread together as they made small talk and Mitsuri was having a great time. It was rare to get to know someone she rescued like this and being able to see (Y/n) while the sun had not yet fully disappeared she got an opportunity to have a really good look at her.

Mitsuri’s face heated as (Y/n) laughed at something she said and she silently praised the forces at hand that allowed her to make it to her in time. It felt good, so very rewarding, to know such a beautiful soul’s time was not cut short by a cruel end. She wanted to keep it that way.

“Something on your mind, Kanroji-san?” (Y/n) asked, breaking Mitsuri from her thoughts with a start.

“Oh! I, um, I was just thinking about how good your food is! You know, the village down below was having a festival yesterday. I bet you could sell a lot of what you make really quickly if you set up a stall there.” Mitsuri exclaimed before diving back in.

(Y/n)’s face soured a bit at the thought, though she sighed wistfully and a sad smile crossed her lips.

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” She said before taking another sip from her chipped cup.

“Why don’t you go down to the village, (L/n)-san?” Mitsuri asked, her pastel-green eyes gazed at (Y/n)’s downcast face.

(Y/n) stayed silent for a few moments, debating with herself if it was worth delving into her strife with a girl she had only just met the night before and probably wouldn’t see again. At least, she definitely wouldn’t see her again if she were to explain her situation.

“It’s not something I’d really care to discuss. Sorry.” (Y/n) curtly replied.

“No, I’m sorry,” Mitsuri frowned, “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s fine. It was an innocent question.” (Y/n) assured, giving Mitsuri’s knee a friendly pat before withdrawing once more.

They continued to talk about anything until the sun disappeared and the stars lit up the night sky and the lanterns were lit to illuminate the hut.

Mitsuri needed to go. The Hashira was reluctant but she wasn’t going to leave (Y/n) completely on her own just yet. She told the mountain dweller she’d come back to check on her in three days time, giggling at the girl’s surprise at the declaration. Mitsuri reasoned that (Y/n) would still need help while she recovered and although she was busy with her duties, she couldn’t in good conscious leave (Y/n) completely on her own. Especially when the girl had a tendency to skip out of much needed rest.

Mitsuri filled her rucksack to her heart’s with (Y/n)’s blessing and set off into the night. She hoped to see improvements in (Y/n)’s health when she returned in a few days.

***

The next visit went well. Mitsuri still had to scold (Y/n) for moving about, but she still, albeit a bit guiltily, heartily ate the meals (Y/n) would prepare for her upon her arrival.

Even after (Y/n) had completely healed, Mitsuri didn’t stop visiting. (Y/n) would always laugh when Mitsuri would show up unannounced, joking that feeding Mitsuri was like feeding a stray cat, she’d always come back for more. (Y/n) was happy for the company though. Very happy.

Mitsuri would also bring little things to make (Y/n)’s shack more bearable, starting with an extra set of dishes so they could properly enjoy a meal together. Before long, they considered themselves close enough to be real friends.

One night Mitsuri came by so late, she had awoken (Y/n) when she knocked on the door. (Y/n) let her in and Mitsuri nearly toppled them both over in her exhaustion.

“Hi,” Mitsuri whispered both shyly and with great exhaustion, “sorry for coming by so late. It’s just been a really long night and I think I’m about to crash any minute now. You were the closest to where I was so...”

“You know better than to think you ever need have an excuse to stop by.” (Y/n) lightly scolded. “Come lay down, are you hungry?” She asked, laying the Hashira down on the new futon that Mitsuri had brought for (Y/n) a couple visits prior.

“I could never say no to anything you make.” Mitsuri smiled, causing a prickly heat to swirl over (Y/n)’s cheeks.

(Y/n) heated up her leftovers and presented them to Mitsuri who ate them with the same vigor she would have if it was fresh.

“So good,” she sighed happily, “really, if this is what you can make in this little hut, I would die of happiness to see what you could do in a proper kitchen.”

“You flatter me, Mitsuri.” (Y/n) smiled shyly. It still gave her butterflies to speak to the demon slayer so familiarly, but it was a good feeling.

“I’m serious, (Y/n)!” Mitsuri swore, “I still maintain that I think you would do very well in the village.”

(Y/n) pursed her lips, which Mitsuri noticed straight away and mirrored before fidgeting with the now empty bowl in her hands.

“Are you ready to talk about that yet? It’s alright if you aren’t.” She hesitantly asked.

(Y/n) would be lying to herself if she thought she wasn’t nervous at the prospect of telling Mitsuri her history with the village, but she found herself wanting to share that part of her story with the sweet woman. Mitsuri had never done anything to hurt her, but that’s what made the aspect of sharing so much more frightening. What if Mitsuri became disgusted with her? Accused her of befriending her with alternative motives? But when (Y/n) met her eyes those doubts quieted and she took a deep shutters breath before blowing it all back out in one harsh breath.

“Are you sure you’ll be able to listen? It might be better if you sleep for the night first.”

Mitsuri seemed more alert already, sitting up fully in the bed and giving (Y/n) her full, undivided attention. “No, I can listen! I want to be able to understand you better and support you in anyway I can! Tell me whatever you are comfortable sharing.”

“Okay,” (Y/n) took another breath, taking a moment to decide how to proceed.

“I was born and raised in that valley, actually. My family owns an inn that doubles as a restaurant to boot.”

“That explains a lot.” Mitsuri commented with a small smile, patting at her full stomach. That earned a chuckle and a nod from (Y/n) before she continued.

“Yeah, my mom started teaching me almost as soon as I could stand on my own. She was strict, but with food that good, she was entitled to that attitude. My father took care of the inn side of things and when he wasn’t doing that, he was drinking his weight in saké.” (Y/n) took note of Mitsuri’s concern and patted her hand while flashing her a reassuring half smile.

“It wasn’t ideal, but that was just life. Incredibly, the business didn’t suffer and he never treated us badly so we saw no need to address it. I didn’t know of any other way of life so I was content where I was. Until...”

“Until what, (Y/n)?” Mitsuri cocked her head to the side.

“Until my parents arranged a marriage for me to be wed to the blacksmith’s son. The union would have brought a large sum of money to my family. The whole village seemed to know about it before I did.” (Y/n) chuckled humorlessly and shook her head while Mitsuri listened, holding herself back from jumping in to ask questions.

“They would talk over me about what I’d wear, who would be invited, even as far as when I should bare a child. I felt like everything I thought I knew was crumbling around me. I hadn’t even talked to the blacksmith’s son before. Even now I don’t recall his name. All I knew was that the idea of marrying him terrified me.”

“Did you tell your parents this?” Mitsuri couldn’t help but blurt, her eyebrows had upturned and creased her forehead.

“Yes,” (Y/n)’s eyes shadowed over as she peered down at her lap, “I admit, the middle of town wasn’t the best place to air my reservations, but they wouldn’t listen to me. They would tell me it was just cold feet or that I was overreacting. Then I had finally had it, and two days before the wedding, I screamed at my mother that I didn’t want to be married to some boy I had never talked to and made a big scene.

She had said then, since I was making such a fuss, that I must have been handing myself out to some other boy while her back was turned and it just made me so mad. I told her there was no other boy, that I didn’t want one.” (Y/n) sighed and pressed her head back against the wall.

“I told her that the only people that I had ever thought of marrying were either the grocer’s eldest daughter or the seamstress’ apprentice who had helped me at my fitting the day prior and then my mother slapped me in front of the whole village.”

Mitsuri gasped, covering her mouth. She was no stranger to the disappointment of a parent, but her parents had never laid a hand on her for any of her failed engagements.

“She was disgusted with me and word traveled fast. The blacksmith called off the arrangement, not wanting his son to have anything to do with my... perversions I think he called them. The grocer refused to sell his produce to my family and kept his daughters inside.

My father, once greatly respected, was humiliated by me and shunned by the whole village. He was furious and drunk which made for a very bad combination as you may imagine. I was severely... disciplined and locked away.

Later that night, I could hear him and my mother discussing selling me to a brothel to be trained as a courtesan. Needless to say, once I believed they were asleep I tore through the paper wall of the room I was trapped in and packed up what I could carry before I escaped into the mountains. I’ve been surviving here ever since.”

As (Y/n) finished her story, Mitsuri sniffed loudly and hiccuped, startling (Y/n) from her memories to try to comfort the demon slayer as she cried for her. Mitsuri pulled (Y/n) into her chest with such ferocity that it cracked the poor girl’s spine.

“I’m sorry that happened to you. You didn’t deserve such treatment!” The Hashira blubbered. “It was awful of me to ever suggest you go back to that terrible place devoid of love and compassion.”

(Y/n) struggled to breath and patted Mitsuri’s back. “Don’t be hard on yourself, you didn’t know. It’s okay.”

Getting all of that out there, having someone to listen and not judge her for her tale, it made (Y/n) feel so much lighter. Mitsuri kept her close and rocked their bodies side to side and how was (Y/n) not going to cry when she hadn’t been treated so tenderly since she was little. Before long, they were both sobbing messes in the corner of a dingy shack in the middle of the mountains.

By the time their bout had subsided into the occasional sniffle or the loud, gross honk of mucus being sucked back up someone’s nose, the girls had migrated to spooning on the futon with one of Mitsuri’s arms wrapped securely over (Y/n)’s side while the the other alternated between lightly scratching at the nape of (Y/n)’s neck and between her shoulder blades. The fit on the futon was tight, but neither seemed to mind.

“You know,” (Y/n) sighed, “the night you saved me I was out because there is a cliff that you can see the whole village from. I knew the festival lights would be up and I really wanted to feel the warmth I used to feel at festival season. Figures I’d be attacked by a demon before I even got there.”

“You’re going to make me cry again.” Mitsuri said, her voice coming out a tad nasally because of her stuffy nose.

“I didn’t mean for that to make you sad. I was just going to say I was glad for that night for nothing else other than I got to meet you. Thank you for sticking around, Mitsuri.”

“Now you’re being so sweet I’m gonna cry again!” Mitsuri sniffled, weakly batting at (Y/n) and making her laugh as she apologized.

“I’m glad I met you too,” Mitsuri whispered softly once they calmed down again. Then they finally went to sleep as the sun was rising.

***

“I just— mm! I don’t want her living in that rundown shack anymore. I never did! But now, I think about it all the time and I just can't stand it!” Mitsuri complained to Shinobu as the Insect Pillar tried to concentrate on the medicines she was measuring out.

“I see.” Shinobu answered simply, making a note before giving Mitsuri her full attention, “Well, if she’s as good of a cook as you keep telling me, I’m sure Aoi would be happy for another pair of hands in the kitchens.”

“What?” Mitsuri blinked.

“You know me, Mitsuri. I have a history of taking in young girls who have nowhere to go. I assume that’s why you have been telling me all of this.” Shinobu smiled mischievously, “besides, you make her sound so cute, how could I say no?”

That got a rise out of the Love Hashira.

“You—! You already have a girlfriend!” Mitsuri sputtered her face as pink as her hair at the possibility of Shinobu trying to woo (Y/n). Worse yet, the very real possibility that it would work! Mitsuri knew just how charming Shinobu could be! But thankfully, Shinobu laughed and diffused the state Mitsuri had worked herself into.

“I was only teasing, but she really can live here. I have plenty of room. I just figured you would want to keep her closer. I didn’t realize your estate was operating at full capacity.”

“Wait, say that again.” Mitsuri said, the wheels in her head turning as she tried to work backwards herself.

“(L/n)-san can live here?” Shinobu tried.

“No, after that.”

“I didn’t realize your own estate was running at full capacity. I thought you would want (L/n)-san to live with you.” Shinobu reiterated.

“Ah!” Mitsuri shrieked, making Shinobu wince ever so slightly. Then Mitsuri roughly grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her around a little bit, “You, Kochou Shinobu, are a genius! I can’t believe I hadn’t realized sooner! Thanks for the talk, bye!”

“Take care!” Shinobu saw Mitsuri off, fixing her tousled fringe as she watched the blur of pink, green and white run out of sight around the corner. Deciding she was due for a break, she wandered down the opposite end of the hall to find out what her girlfriend was up to at the moment.

***

By now, Mitsuri knew the mountain like she knew the back for her hand. The delicious scent of sizzling vegetables and meats never hurt either of course. She didn’t even bother to knock before letting herself in.

“I had a feeling you’d come by today.” (Y/n) smiled as she checked over her shoulder, “I’m not sure what it was, but I’m glad it proved true because I definitely made too much food.”

“(Y/n), live with me.” Mitsuri blurted before shyly hiding her face in her hands. How could she ask that so suddenly? Never mind ask, she definitely didn’t even phrase it as a question!

“Huh?” Was all (Y/n) could get out before she forgot how her voice worked.

“Would, would you maybe, possibly consider maybe living with me?” Mitsuri tried again, her voice raised almost to the point of cracking with every word.

“...I wouldn’t want to impose.” (Y/n) nervously replied after a few moments, busying herself by stirring a pot that was in no need of attention.

“You wouldn’t be!” Mitsuri said with more conviction. “I really want you to come with me. I know you are proud of what you have managed to do for yourself, it’s better than anything I could ever make, but the more time passes, I can’t help but hate how you still live in this rundown, rickety, shack that I can clear in four strides!” Mitsuri demonstrated her point by walking from one wall to the other before turning back to (Y/n) with pleading eyes.

“Please, come live with me. I love you and you deserve more than this.”

“La, la, lalala, lov, love... love me?” (Y/n) quickly turned back to her cooking as the fire cracked so loud it made her jump. Why was she acting like this? Mitsuri loved a lot of people, she obviously meant a friendly, platonic kind of love and now she had just made it even more awkward!

But then (Y/n) jolted again when Mitsuri’s strong arms wrapped around her middle and her chin rested against her shoulder. The Hashira hummed an affirmative as she slowly began to rock them side to side. Between the heat of the low fire and the heat of Mitsuri’s front pressed against her back, (Y/n) was sure she was going to pass out.

“Please (Y/n), live with me?” Mitsuri asked softly. She kissed (Y/n)’s jaw as she moved.

“?!??!!” (Y/n) short circuited, lost in Mitsuri’s softness. Mitsuri merely giggled and rested another to (Y/n)’s cheek, then her ear, her temple, until—

“Oh dear!” Mitsuri gasped as (Y/n) fell limp in her arms. “(Y/n), are you alright? Are you sick? Why didn’t you say something? You shouldn’t be up!”

“I, I’m not sick,” (Y/n) mumbled, smoke rolling off of her like a steam boat, “It’s just a lot of touching that I’m not really used to yet.”

“Oh! Should I stop?”

“Gods no.” (Y/n) sighed and gripped onto Mitsuri’s haori so she couldn’t back away.

Mitsuri beamed brightly before resting a kiss over (Y/n)’s forehead and rubbed her back. “Come with me?” She asked again.

“I’d follow you to the bottom of the ocean if you asked.” (Y/n)’s eyes slipped shut as she enjoyed Mitsuri’s scattered kisses.

“Great! I can’t wait for you to meet all my friends! Iguro-san and Kabumaru will love you, Kyoujirou-san too! He’ll love your cooking. Just watch out for Shinobu though, she’s flirty.”

“Okay, I’ll stay vigilant.” (Y/n) laughed.

“Good girl,” Mitsuri nodded, “now let’s pack up all that you hold dear. We should be able to make it to my estate by dinner.”

“Yes, ma’am.” (Y/n) nodded excitedly in return. She took the little pail of water from the floor and doused the low flame, “maybe you’d like lunch first though? I’d hate for it to go to waste.”

“Yes! Lunch first and then the beginning of the rest of our lives!” Mitsuri amended, skipping over to the meal (Y/n) had prepared.

As they are together (Y/n) couldn’t help but grin. Mitsuri was right, food really did taste better when sharing it with people you love. The kisses and nuzzles throughout the meal didn’t hurt either.

[dogbearinggifts]

What are your thoughts on tua S2? Did you feel like the characters grew? What did you like? What did you not? I’m interested in your perspective. Your analysis are super thoughtful and interesting!

Aw, thanks, Anon!

Overall, I really enjoyed S2 and thought it was a solid follow-up to S1. I do have my quibbles about it, so I think (for ease of reference and because my thoughts are a little scattered today) I’ll list some of my personal highlights (in no particular order) before getting into what I didn’t like as much.

Big spoilers ahead.

Allison. I thought they handled her storyline especially well. Of all the siblings, I think she had the most difficult obstacles placed in her way (not only is she a Black woman landing in 1961 Dallas, but she’s a Black woman landing in 1961 Dallas who can’t even speak in her own defense for a year) and they sugarcoated exactly none of it. The writers pulled no punches when showing what civil rights protesters went through, which just made their nonviolent response all the more breathtaking. Allison’s fear and anger during those scenes were palpable even as she kept them hidden. But along with that horror, we see the kindness and warmth of the Dallas Black community, the women who take her in simply because she needs their help, and her love for Ray, perhaps heretofore THE most thoughtful husband ever portrayed on screen. I loved him, and I loved him and Allison together. While I understand and respect his choice to stay in 1963, I wish they’d gotten more time together. They both deserved it.

Vanya. We got to see how much the baggage from her past affected her by glimpsing what she might be like if it were taken away. It’s an interesting philosophical question, and it was explored well, in my opinion. She finds it easier to love and be loved, and she stands up for herself more readily—but she also doesn’t hesitate to use powers she can’t quite control and threatens Five without fully realizing how dire her threat is (or how it might dredge up traumatic memories she doesn’t know exist). The moment where Ben finds her curled up, fully convinced she’s a monster, was heartbreaking. I loved watching her find happiness with Sissy, even if that was fleeting (and dear god, Sissy deserved her happy ending with Vanya, dammit, I don’t care if it would fuck up the timeline). Her patience and sweetness with Harlan were just beautiful. And the way she used the confidence she gained during her amnesia to fully come into her own not to exact revenge on her siblings, but to save them, was fucking phenomenal.

The humor. There was a lot more humor this season, and it was awesome. So many iconic scenes—Olga Foroga, Luther babysitting two homicidal Fives, Elliot awkwardly lecturing his guests on the history of Jello, “NEW TIMELINE NEW ME,” “Your vagina needs glasses,” AJ the fish gobbling up the cigarette bubbles, Five getting to say “fuck”….this season was a lot funnier than the previous one, and I think that was one of its strengths.

Klaus’ cult. It was played for laughs, which I both expected and thought was the best way to handle it. He didn’t want to start a new religion with himself at the center; he just wanted to not get thrown out of any more diners, but Destiny’s Children had other ideas. The “I too am a fraud!” scene was hilarious and tickled the question of whether or not a religion founded on false pretenses can still help those within it find meaning.

Luther. Getting him away from his dad, his siblings, and the Academy was exactly what he needed to become the pure of heart and dumb of ass genius we always knew he was, but his first major step in that direction was heartbreaking. We all knew he’d be rejected once he got to the Academy. We all knew Reginald would rip his heart out and stomp on it in his admittedly fashionable shoes. It gets Luther out on his own and forces him to become his own person apart from his dad, but that doesn’t make it any easier to watch. He got the positive character development he needed, but the catalyst was tragic.

Diego. We see, for the first time, exactly how Reginald kept him in line—not with meds or with PTSD-inducing torture, but with words. Even when he knows Diego as little more than a stranger, Reginald is able to rip off his skin and fling it in his face with a single diatribe; and even at 30, with years away from his dad, Diego is left unable to speak, feeling as if all of his accomplishments up to that point were the work of a dumb kid who thought he was smarter and more capable than he actually was.

Luther and Diego sharing a braincell. Luther has bad ideas. Diego has bad ideas. When they put their bad ideas together, they get terrible ideas. I loved watching them work together as a team, rather than being at each others’ throats for most of the season, even if I’m left hoping Olga Foroga had a pleasant and quiet day after that phone call.

Reginald. At first glance, it may look like the writers were trying to make him likable so they could parade him around as your average abusive-parent-with-a-soft-side. But it’s more nuanced than that. Abusive parents (and abusers in general) often fly under the radar because they fool outsiders into thinking they’re good people. They’re active in their communities. They give to charity. They have friends who attest to their virtue, significant others who think they’re the greatest. And that’s what we see with Reginald. We see him as the rest of the world did: an intelligent, eccentric man with a sharp sense of humor who cared deeply about scientific advancement. That’s how he evaded suspicion—because there were stories from years past of lively parties at his mansion, of what a gentleman he was to Grace and of how he did everything he could to save little Pogo. But those stories would all have come from people he considered his equals. When he’s with people he considers his inferiors—aka, the Umbrella kids—he’s openly condescending and demeaning. We get to see how he fooled the world, and it is chilling.

Elliot. He deserved better, and you can ship him with any one of the Hargreeves kids and get the cutest thing ever. 

The Swedes. They said so much while speaking very little.

Ben. He got more personality and screen time, and it was glorious. His love of his family and resentment toward Klaus practically leapt off the screen. The way he says “I’ve missed you all…so much” once they’ve all left was one of those right-in-the-feels moments; and watching him get so much of what he’s wanted for years when he possesses Klaus was beautiful.

Now, as for things I took issue with….

Ben. I understand why they ended his arc the way they did. I get that they were probably afraid the Klaus/Ben dynamic would grow stale if they didn’t change it somehow and wanted to give him a larger role in S3. His death(???) was heartbreaking and extremely well-done. But it also wasn’t foreshadowed. We never got any sense of what ghosts in the TUA ‘verse are, so the fact they can be destroyed by a ton of sound-turned-energy or by going too far into someone’s psyche or whatever happened….it’s not that it doesn’t make sense so much as there’s not enough evidence to determine whether or not it makes sense. It feels like the writers just kinda made that up so they’d have a reason to change Ben’s relationship dynamics, but if that’s the case, couldn’t they have done it another way? Couldn’t they have made it so the immense energy or psychic woo-woo or whatever gave him a power-up instead of destroying him? Vanya transferred some of her energy into Harlan and brought him back to life. Couldn’t something similar have happened with Ben? And if it tied him to Vanya as well as to Klaus, great! More fodder for angst and humor! (”Vannyyyyyyyy, stop hogging Ben!” “You got him for 17 years, Klaus, you can part with him for 20 minutes.” “Guys, don’t I get a say in this?”) I’m glad they didn’t write him out of the series entirely, but I still wish they’d kept him and all the character development he’d gotten throughout S2.

Episode 10. It looks like they tried to cram half a season’s worth of developments into 45 minutes. Twenty minutes in, I’d already said “Wait what the fuck” half a dozen times. A lot of those moments were explained later on, and I was able to make enough inferences to fill in any lingering plot holes, but…still. Too much stuff, too little time. E9 was a perfectly satisfying ending to the season. Yes, it leaves the siblings stranded in 1963, but they could’ve tied up those loose ends in the S3 premiere.

Lila. She’s an incredibly fun character, but her arc is kind of a mess. Most of that is due to E10, and I do feel that more time to let her arc breathe would’ve worked wonders, but I’m left feeling like her turn from “Handler is the best mom ever and I lurve Diego too” to “KILL DIEGO AND HIS EVIL FAMILY” to “Handler is a bad mom and Diego is right” happened too quickly.

The Commission. Okay, so, the Handler announces the entire Board has been killed, and she’s stepping in as director even though everyone appears to know she’s been demoted (and demoted pretty severely—she went from having an office bigger than some apartments to being a case management drone). There’s suspicion and lots of it. But then, La Resistance is….ten or so people in a single room? And when she calls the temps agents to her side, thousands of them show up ready and willing to fight and die? I dunno. Just seems like there should’ve been more splintering going on there. Again, I think they needed more time to tie everything up.

Aside from those complaints, I loved the season. I set aside most of a day to binge it, and I do not regret that decision at all.

[oliverwxod]

Where he stood (Bucky Barnes)

Pairing: Bucky x reader

Summary: Giving away the shield leads to more than Bucky and Y/n being angry at Sam, but leading to unsaid things and hidden feelings. ITALICS ARE FLASHBACKS.

 "Sam, how could you? How could you do this?" Y/n was not happy, following after the man as he walked away from her, not wanting to hear it. "Do not ignore me Wilson" she cried, following closer behind him now as he tried to tune her out. Sam was sick and tired of hearing it. 

 "God damn it Y/n" Sam spoke angrily, coming to a stop and finally turning to face her, finally looking her in the eyes. "I had to" he replied.

 "That shield was Steve's! then HE gave it to you. He gave it to you Sam! You can't-" She huffed a breath in anger as she tried to find the words to say "you can't just give it away"

 "It's done now Y/n." He grit out through clenched teeth. "Now leave it, I've got more important things to do" 

 "More important things to do? What's more important than this? Than some wanna be captain America taking Steves place, taking Steve's shield! Why aren't you even bothered by this? It should be Steve there!" She was getting worked up now. 

 "Yeah- well if you hadn't noticed y/n, Steve's not here and he's not coming back" he knew it was harsh to say, especially to her after how delicate the subject normally was, but he didn't have the time and he already felt bad enough.

 "Sam" the angry voice of a new person now echoed around the room. Sam rolled his eyes, he really couldn't deal with one angry person, but now Bucky had decided to also pay him a visit. 

"Bucky" Sam spoke "long time no see" 

 "How could you?" Bucky asked, seething in anger, his eyes glowering in hatred, jaw clenched extremely tightly as he stared him down. “you had no right”

 "I'm not dealing with this now, from either of you" Sam grit out. It was only then that Bucky realised he wasn't the only one there. He was taken aback when his eyes landed on her, y/n. 

 "Y/n" Bucky spoke quietly in surprise. 

 Sam cocked an eyebrow at the way they were staring at each other. 

 "Bucky" she said politely before looking back to Sam.

 They hadn't seen each other since that night. A night of heartbreak when they both couldn't find the words to say after Steve had left them earlier that week. Instead they spoke through their bodies, allowing each other to take the pain away, the pain of Bucky losing his best friend when he had only just gotten him back. And Y/n, the pain of losing the man she was in love with, who chose a life he had always dreamed of over her. 

 She had left in the morning, watching the soldier sleep peacefully next to her, a white sheet as pure as snow doing little to cover his naked body from her view. She had decided she couldn't be vulnerable to anyone anymore. Especially not another super soldier.

 "You need to get it back" y/n spoke to him, Sam only turning back to walk away from her. Both her and Bucky followed him either side, both hounding him with questions 

 "Shut up" Sam finally raised his voice. 

"You didn't think that this wasn't hard for me? It was. It was one of the hardest things I've had to do, but I did it and it's done, now end of" 

 "No. It's not end of" Bucky spoke distressed.

Y/n assessed the situation, Sam looked really tired and Bucky looked intensely angry. Nothing good was going to come out of this, constant arguing back and forth. 

“okay guys, let’s just stop and talk this out without getting any more angrier” she said putting on her calmest voice and trying to breathe through her nose to push back how she was really feeling. 

“there’s nothing to talk about Y/n” Sam sighed deeply. “I've got things to do” 

“well... we will come with you then” she spoke. 

“no” 

“Barnes?” she spoke, eyes glancing over to him for a silent cry of help, he seemed to understand exactly what she was thinking and how she was thinking. He alway could with her.

“we’re coming with you” he spoke, voice less angry now. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

it was silently awkward on the jet. None of them saying anything, it had been a while since they had all seen each other, even longer for Y/n who hadn’t had contact with either of them since a few weeks after Steve left for good. 

Y/n hated the tension but hated small talk even more, she couldn’t find the words to say, opening her mouth every couple of minutes to speak, but deciding against it. 

Bucky watched her in slight amusement while still managing to send glares Sam’s way.

“I can’t take this” Sam said staring at Bucky. “You look like you’re trying to kill me with your eyes.” 

“I am” Bucky replied bluntly.

“great” he spoke. “and you?” he asked directing his gaze towards Y/n who shrugged. 

“it crossed my mind” she said. 

“Nice” he spoke “so I'm stuck here with two assassins who both are thinking of murdering me. I feel so safe” he smiled sarcastically.  

“why did you do it?” she asked genuinely. 

Sam sighed, staring at her with complete honestly. 

“It didn’t belong to me. It didn’t feel right” he said, but he couldn’t meet her eyes, neither Bucky’s. 

“He gave it to you for a reason” Y/n said, slightly bitter. 

“where have you been?” Sam directed the questions at her now. She had fully disappeared off the face of the earth on that fateful day, to only show up out of the blue and somehow knowing exactly where to find him. 

“around” she shrugged brushing it off. “just trying to live a normal life” 

Bucky scoffed, chuckling under his breath. She narrowed her eyes at him in irritation. 

“something to say?” she asked. 

“you’ll never live a normal life” he said giving her a stare so plain it almost hurt. 

“I’ve realised” she huffed in annoyance at the fact. 

She realised the minute she turned her TV on and saw a knock off Captain America, proudly holding a shield on live television. She had tried so hard to forget about Steve, forget about her life but it was impossible, of course it was, she couldn’t believe she ever thought she could move on. 

She remembered seething in anger, teary eyes watching this stranger grip Steve’s shield. She had run to the bathroom to throw up, the overwhelming rush of emotions was too much. She wasn’t ready to move on just yet.

She sat in silence again, listening to Bucky and Sam bicker. She stared at the side of the super soldiers face, her thoughts drifting to the last time she saw him. 

“make me forget” she whispered “please”

“I’ll always make you forget” he promised, brushing a stray hair from her face, thumb catching the tear from the corner of her eyes before it had a chance to fall. 

As if Bucky knew what she was thinking he turned to meet her eyes, an unreadable emotion on his face. 

Why did it have to be Steve that brought them back together, he thought. How could he ever be honest about how he felt when she would never be over him. 

“so you’re still going on missions?” Y/n spoke up, directing the question very obviously at Sam. She had no idea what Bucky was doing but she had kept tabs on all the Avengers whose files were easily accessible. 

Bucky’s file had nothing on his previous where about or job. 

Sam nodded, passing her a phone with a video already pulled up on screen. She pressed play watching as a group of people were running from the police, it zeroed in on a particular muscular looking person, Y/n gasping as she saw him throw a police officer into a lamp post with extreme force. 

“super soldiers?” she gasped, looking up at Sam before glancing to Bucky with wide eyes. 

“super soldiers?” Sam spoke as if he hadn’t considered the possibility. 

“I uh- this person is built exactly like one” she spoke almost embarrassed. She had experience with not only one, but two super soldiers, she knew exactly how they were built. 

Bucky blushed slightly, his thoughts going back to that night like hers had just minutes ago. 

Soft hands grabbed gently at his shoulders, exploring a path down his scarred arm, he shivered, easily manhandling her onto her back as his weight pressed down against her, lips pressed softly to the skin of her neck as his body melded to her own.

“Bucky” 

He often found his thoughts drifting back to that night. Sometimes when he was having trouble sleeping he tried to remember every single little detail and word whispered intimately into his ear and it calmed him down. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Y/n had no idea how a simple intended talk to Sam ended up with her thrown back into the field, fighting alongside the stranger that tried to call himself Captain America. She hated every second, not sparing her distaste for him at all. Bucky seemed to be doing the same, even Sam had joined in with glaring at him

Y/n had caught the shield, holding it in her hand for a few seconds longer than needed before throwing it back, hitting the person next to the new Captain, it had skimmed him too just as she had intended, a small unsaid threat lingering in her glare. 

Sam had disappeared, Bucky too, she thought maybe this would be a great time to take the shield and run but he had caught on, overly suspicious of her from the start, the man standing in a suit not made for him threw the shield at her hitting her straight in the side as she fell from the moving truck.

Bucky heard a scream, watching as she fell off the side of the truck, without thought he jumped after her, catching her in his arms and turning them so she fell onto him when they hit the ground; he winced briefly before checking she was okay. 

“I'm going to kill him” she spoke angrily trying to get up but Bucky held her down, arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her close as she thrashed around.

“shhh”

“that smug son of a bitc-”

“calm down” he soothed, but she carried on kicking at him.

“let go of me” 

“doll” he spoke and she froze before she stopped resisting completely. 

Bucky let out a breath of air and relaxed too, mindlessly running his hand up and down her back to calm her more. 

Her mind once again drifting to somewhere else. 

Buckys hand trailed gently down her naked body, soothing over the dips of her collar bones before skimming the side of her ribs, a soft soothing pattern that lulled her to sleep, her breathing evening out.

“sweet dreams doll”

“there you are” Sam’s voice was loud as he ran to them out of breath. 

Y/n stood up, shoulders squared as she glared at him. 

“did you see what that son of a bitch did?” 

“who? Bucky?” Sam asked confused. 

“no, that asshole” she huffed “he hit me- he hit me with the shield” 

“look” he sighed  “we’re in the ass end of nowhere right now, lets go find somewhere to sleep and figure out a plan, its getting dark” Sam tried to reason, Y/n knew it was a pleads because he was extremely tired. 

“no. I’m going to find him and -”

“Y/n” Bucky spoke, a stern tone reminding her of the voice Steve used to use when she stepped out of line on the field, her heart lurched painfully as she gave in following behind the two men who had started to walk along a dirt trail of road. 

Part 2 anyone? I have some good ideas for some more bits that will be more exciting

[laceymorganwrites]

Shallow love

Word count: 2,128

Pairing: Nacht x reader

Warnings: SPOILER ALERT, swearing, teeny bit of gore, insecurities, I probaby butchered his character >.< I´m so sorry, baby

A/N: NACHT APPEARS IN TODAY´S EPISODE SO OMG I HAD TO POST THIS!!!!

okay so

Nacht is my second favorite Black Clover character and yes, I am currently: freaking out. also he has Dabi´s VA so: perfection. 

I will definitely post more about him in the future! I just wanted to get this out today since it just fit so well <333 I´ll be back to regular posting in April

You didn´t think that you would ever be able to feel peace again and go back to your normal life after the attack of the Diamond kingdom.

And yet here you were, in the calm after the storm.

It was weird. Everything was in chaos, the villages and overall buildings were even more destroyed than when the eye of the midnight sun attacked.

Everything was as per usual at the Black Bull´s base, nothing out of the ordinary except for Yami forcing Nacht to stay now.

You´ve known him for a long time now, being the first member of the squad, and you never could read him. He always intrigued you.

And yet he also always made you distance yourself from him.

Nacht was the type of guy who was too blunt for his own good. You appreciated honesty, but he just always made it hurt.

You knew full well that you weren´t an innocent little lamb, but who was?

What irked you most about him was how badly he thought and spoke about his own squad, to this day you asked yourself why he even joined in the first place, he could´ve just as easily denied Yami´s order.

Sure, Yami could be persistent, but that wouldn´t stop someone like Nacht.

There had to be more to the two of them but over the years you learned that you just didn´t want to know.

Every time you approached Nacht about it he just shut you off and reminded you of all your flaws again.

Like he always did. With everyone.

Except for Asta, like everyone, he took a liking to the little guy.

Though, you had to admit Nacht seemed more open and approachable after the war. And yet you didn´t.

Instead you watched him at first reluctantly, over time without any hesitation, becoming rather friendly, talking to the rest of the squad.

In all those years you have known him you always asked yourself whether you really did. You highly doubted it.

You just couldn´t figure him out. Did he just wear a mask? Were all of his infuriating smiles for show? Was it all a game to him? What were his goals?

And why…

No. You didn´t want to think about that.

What was the point anyway? Anyone got a crush at some point, the only difference was that crushes usually didn´t last this long.

Especially if said person didn´t pay you any mind unless they were insulting you.

Nacht mostly stayed to himself, making it known he didn´t want anything to do with the rest of the squad.

Though like anyone else who stayed with them for a long amount of time, he warmed up to everyone. Still, he had his moments and didn´t exactly change his opinion. Because in his world people couldn´t change, they just didn´t.

And that made you sad.

Because deep down you just wanted him to acknowledge you, to tell you that you weren´t as bad as he thought, that you were a good person.

But at one point being around him just hurt. You cared too much, thought too much about him, it kept you awake at night.

If only you went out of your room into the kitchen where he would stay because of the same problem.

Especially since that day…

You were surrounded. Everywhere you looked you saw black, greedy eyes. The devils were everywhere and all hope seemed lost. You couldn´t rely on Asta only anymore, he already went through enough. He shouldn´t fight your battles for you just because he had strong powers, he was just a little boy.

And yet there he was, fighting ferociously, once again defeating the devil that came to slay everyone that day all those centuries ago.

It was hard to keep at least somewhat of an overview, everything seemed in shambles and the screams and cries of everyone were deafening.

You really shouldn´t be focusing on Nacht right now, now was not the time. Not that there ever was an appropriate time for that anyway.

But of course you just couldn´t help yourself, your eyes wandered to him frequently even as you told them to stop.

Though in this instance it might have not been that bad. Your eyes went wide as you realized what he was about to do, everything around you faded away, you felt numb and your body moved on its own to prevent him from going through with his plan.

“Please die with me” were the last things that left his lips that shut your brain off and made you move automatically. They weren´t uttered to you, Nacht didn´t even look in your direction, it was none of your business.

Even still you couldn´t just stand by idly and watch him die, watch one of the only chances you had at winning die, watch the man you hated to love die.

The little devil on his shoulder looked scared as your gaze met him and honestly, you could understand it all too well.

You were scared too but now wasn´t a time for fear, you needed to stop him at all costs.

“That´s the stupidest thing you ever said!” you screamed out as you were still running towards him.

Finally his head turned to you, he still had that infuriating smile on his lips, though it was so sad this time.

“It´s the only way…” he replied.

“You don´t know that! You can´t know that! You can´t just throw you life away like that, it won´t change anything! In fact it will… we will lose. We will lose so much more than just the fight, don´t you understand that? You´re not more or less important than the rest of us and you´re our vice captain, so it´s my duty to stop you from sacrificing yourself!” you said, grabbing his shoulders and frantically panting, you looked at him aghast, shocked, eyes wide and searching for something...anything in his eyes that wasn´t dull.

“Then we´re all going to die, but it´s so typical of you to be so selfish” he told you, his tone as entitled as always.

“You´re selfish too, you know that?” you whispered, averting your eyes.

“You can´t just run away from your responsibilities. It isn´t right” you stood your ground, balling your fists in anger and frustration.

“It´s the only way, why do you even try to stop me?” he sighed, looking at you. He was feeling quite frustrated now too, what were you trying to achieve? If he didn´t make this sacrifice so many more people would die, didn´t you care about them? Wasn´t it your job to protect everyone? So why were you trying to desperately to save him out of all people?

“Because I care. A lot. We all do. And yes it´s selfish, you´re right about that. We´re all selfish losers and assholes but you know what? We do it best and we´re goddamn proud not to be as picture perfect as all the others. That´s what defines us. And you don´t have to agree with that, but I´m fucking stubborn so don´t think for even a second that I´ll let you go through with your stupid plan!” you looked at him with such emotion, such passion, it made his heart ache with a foreign familiarity.

Nacht never paid you any more mind than he did the others, just thinking all of you were useless. That was why he was so surprised that someone would voluntarily want to save him.

He treated you like shit, sure it was more out of a defense mechanism cause he couldn´t bear leaving people behind, having people worry about him, he already had enough guilt to carry.

But hearing your words was like a revelation to him.

Maybe he still had a role to play in life, maybe his story wasn´t over yet and just maybe could he live his life without having to fulfill anything, but solely for himself and the ones he cared about.

Maybe it was finally time to start caring more than he was ready to admit, to take a step into the unknown and discover it with…

You.

It had always been you, he realized as he saw your desperate face, your hands on his shoulders, all dirty from fighting and yet feeling warmer than any fire ever could.

“Yes, maybe living might not be that bad” he tilted his head, smiling at you.

You felt an intense amount of relief wash over you as you gave him an exhausted smile back.

That was the first time you ever smiled at him, Nacht would never forget that moment, the moment in which you broke down his walls without even knowing it.

He would have to thank you later for that, when he fully comprehended what that meant.

Asta and you were training together again outside while the others were inside going on about their daily ruckus. Some were on missions already but some, like Asta, who were wounded and exhausted still needed to rest properly.

Though it was no use. Asta would never rest like he should unless he was knocked out.

And you tried that the first week, you each took turns but eventually you just couldn´t keep up anymore and let him train like he wanted.

Nacht also kept training with him, though he himself was new to everything going on and needed time to properly accommodate to things.

You stretched a bit, sitting down to just enjoy the sun for a moment.

“I can´t wait to go on missions again! I´m as good as new, I´m ready, I promise!” Asta beamed and showed off a bit but you only sighed.

“It´s not my call, kid” you apologized.

Asta pouted and kept training.

“You got a mission” Yami announced as he joined you outside and Asta practically jumped up and down with excitement and energy.

“Just the usual, rebuilding a town and fighting some magic beasts that escaped” he explained and Nacht slowly appeared behind him.

Asta´s eyes were beaming right now, he was excited to learn even more about the devil´s powers although he got quite the hang of it and even made a new friend.

Nacht smiled and waved at you, you just looked away as always and stood up to go back inside.

Nothing had changed anyway.

Until Yami stopped you in your tracks.

“If you get going now you´re gonna return by nightfall” he said and you nodded.

Asta sighed in frustration.

“I wanna go on a mission too!” he cried out.

“Not happening” all three of you said at the same time, shutting him up for a bit.

Both you and Nacht didn´t say anything as you made your way to the town in question.

Nacht because he didn´t know how to approach you and you because you thought there was no point in it, he wouldn´t think of you any differently.

And so you started your mission, once again fighting alongside each other and even though the task was dull Nacht´s presence gave you an energy that was unmatched, you just couldn´t help but smile.

When you were done you went deeper into the town to help the people rebuild it.

“Do you wanna go on a date with me?” he said out of the blue, making you turn around in confusion.

“Why would I go on a date with a guy who hates my guts?” you asked, making him sigh sadly.

“I´m sorry if I left that impression on you. I really don´t hate you… it´s quite the opposite actually” he explained.

“Did you just… I swear I never heard you apologize in all those years I´ve known you” you chuckled, not quite processing the second half of his statement.

“I never saw the point in it. All my life I always watched from afar, I always wanted to save people but you know, I´m just operating in the shadows. I´m good at spying and gaining information, saving people. Not so much making friends with them. I never saw it as my role. After all I lived my life for the kingdom and its people and not for myself. Why would I care if anyone liked me? In fact it would be the worst thing that could happen… death was always part of the job description and I was always willing to take that risk if it meant you could live longer. But now… ever since that day, I just want to live with you” he confessed, leaving you at a loss for words, so you did the only logical thing to you in this moment: hug him tightly.

“Of course I´d like to go on a date with you, Nacht. And I will keep protecting you” you smiled.

[sinnaminsuga]

Title: Bookkeeper

Summary: How you became a bookkeeper to the city's most infamous crime lord was sort of a “right time right place” situation. You used to work in the cash handling office for the local grocery store and even leaders of organized crime operations need to grocery shop right? Right.

Pairing: Henry x Reader

Word Count: 1,445

Warnings: none (if i missed anything let me know!)

A/N: hello! i had this idea a few days ago and have been struggling with bringing it to life. it's pretty lame and based mostly on my dumb ass job so i'm sorry if it's trash! 😂

*if you'd like to be removed from my tags just let me know!*

Tags: @october505 @infinite-shite @hope-to-hell @inlovewithhisblueeyes @littlefreya @viking-raider @wolvesandhoundshowltogether @foodieforthoughts @raspberrydreamclouds @dancingwendigo @oddsnendsfanfics @its--fandom--darling @the-soot-sprite @connieisland @feralrunaway

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

- 8 months ago -

The day you met Henry, he was the next customer in line at register five. The cashier Sarah, a petite shy wisp of a girl, was getting ready to leave for the day and had used the intercom system to page for a drawer count before handing off her register to the next cashier. Henry stood patiently in line just watching the employees scurry around. And that's when you appeared. A door across from the front end flew open and you came rushing out, a separate till braced on your hip and a set of keys dangling off your wrist.

“Good afternoon folks, sorry for the delay. I just have to count down this till real quick and we’ll get right back to scanning your orders alright?” you said to the few people in Sarah's line with a gentle smile. They all seemed to hum or grunt in response as they were absorbed in their phones anyway. Henry however, locked eyes with you and made it a point to say “Take your time sweetheart.”.

You tore your eyes from the hulking man in front of you, fully aware (as was everyone else) of who he was. You pulled the till from the register and popped open all the little spring loaded arms that held the cash down. You set to work pulling each stack of money from their respective slots and began counting. You'd always been good with numbers, especially related to money, so it was easy for you. Your hands flew as you counted and in no more than five minutes you had the drawer counted and reset to its original $200 set up. You were so focused on the task at hand that you didn't notice Henry watching your every move, in awe of your speed and accuracy. The gears in his brain began to turn, coming up with an idea. You patted Sarah on the shoulder and told her she was good to go as you ushered the new cashier up to take her place. Grabbing the till you brought with you from the office, you flitted back to the room and disappeared from Henry’s sight as the door slammed closed.

After making his purchases, Henry stalked over to the door you vanished behind and knocked. He could hear muffled sounds of shuffling paper and rubber bands being snapped, no doubt tying together stacks of money. The tell tale sound of a safe slamming shut was the last sound before the door flung open and you appeared once again with a hand on your hip.

“Can I help you Mr.Cavill?” you asked, your tone a bit stern, to help mask your attraction to the beautiful man. Henry chuckled to himself before offering his hand to you, a business card wedged between his index and middle finger.

“Call me. I think i have a job for you.” was all he said before he turned and walked out the automatic doors at the front of the store. Damn. “I could bounce a quarter off that ass.” you thought to yourself.

You turned the card over in your hands and mumbled “Well, the pay cant be any worse than what I make now.” and the rest was history.

-Present Day -

The room in Henry’s home that you worked in was large with a heavy door that contained a high tech locking mechanism, and a large security guard right outside of said door. The big redwood table you did your work at was covered from end to end with stacks of cash. Henry had stocked the room with everything you'd need to keep his money in order and to balance the books of his “operation”. You didn't know what the operation was and you never cared to ask, as long as your direct deposit hit your account by 8 am every friday morning. His business was none of your business unless there was a money issue. And today, for the first time, there was a money issue.

You ran the numbers in your head over and over and over as you banded the bills together. There was money missing, you were sure of it, but you couldn't figure out where it had gone. You had triple counted every bundle of money that was given to you and it all added up to be about $100,000 short of what it should have been.

You set to counting the money for the fourth time just to be sure when you heard the muffled yet distinct voices of Henry and his two closest “employees” (if you could call them that) coming down the hall towards your room. You paid them no mind as the door opened, and kept working at the task at hand.

“Good afternoon sweetheart! How are we today?” Henry greeted you with a lighthearted tone. You two often playfully bantered, him swearing that if he wasn't such a bad man he’d sweep you off your feet and make you his wife one day, and you responding with “You wouldn't know what to do with me Cavill.” before going about your separate days. But today, you had no time or patience to entertain the bear of man.

“Someone is shorting you.” You said as the money continued to fly through your hands. “E-excuse me?” Henry questioned with a scoff. “You heard what i said. You're $100,000 short.” You continued without looking at him, focused and zeroed in on your task. “You're wrong. You've got to be wrong!” he bellowed at you, hands braced on the other side of the table, his lackies trying and failing to calm him.

You stopped counting. Your eyes snapped up to meet his as you slammed the stack of money you were counting onto the shiny wood of the table. You rose from your seat and matched his stance, palms flat on the surface of the table. Leaning forward you hissed, “I’m wrong? I'M wrong? I’m gonna tell you why i'm NOT wrong. I’m not wrong, because I'm NEVER wrong. I can’t afford to be wrong. More importantly YOU can't afford for me to be wrong. If i had a track record for being wrong, I wouldn't have a fucking job. So maybe have Crabbe and Goyle over there, ” you jabbed your finger in the direction of the two men with him, “look into it.”

Henry cracked a small smile as your chest heaved and your skin burned with anger. How dare he doubt you?! You would never make such a monumental mistake! And now he was smiling?! This bastard really had a penchant for pissing you off today.

“Crabbe and Goyle? Does that make me Draco Malfoy then?” Henry asked lowly, smile spreading across his stupid beautiful face. You couldn't help it and you started to smile too, but you bit your lip to stop yourself. “Tsk tsk tsk, no no no dear. None of that.” He murmured reaching across the rest of the distance between you two to brush the pad of his thumb over your lower lip, tugging it out from between your teeth. The action only stoked the fire building in your belly.

“I'm sorry I doubted you. I should have known better, that you would have been smart enough to double even triple count the money before coming to me about the issue. I'm sorry love. I am.” He apologized, hand over his heart as he came around to your side of the table, leaning against the edge. You crossed your arms over your chest and rolled your eyes as he tutted at you and extended his arms to pull you toward him by your waist.

“Crabbe. Goyle. Out.” Henry snapped without turning to look at the men who were now scurrying out of the room. As he drew you in closer you planted your hand against his chest. The confusion in his eyes evident, assuming he read the energy of the room wrong. You quickly rectified his confusion by leaning in and planting wet open mouthed kisses on his neck, all the way to the shell of his ear.

There was no mistaking the groan and shudder that ran through that dangerous man’s body when you spoke softly into his ear. “Now. Let's talk about your punishment for doubting me. You'll be a good boy for me, won't you darling?”

THE END

[elivanah-writes]

Wired

pairing: Juice Ortiz x reader

sum: coming back home after a long time away brings it’s challenges, specially if you’re the daughter of Gemma and Clay. what if she sees someone she tought she’d never see again?

warnings: fluff, implied smut and a small bit of angst

A/n: this was actually a requested by someon on my main blog @evanstanwrites​ but sadly I can’t remember who did and I can’t find the original message with the request.

It felt amazing to y/n to finally pass the sign that stated “Welcome to charming”, for her it was more of a welcome home. y/n had previously studied and worked a few years in New York, at first she was happy to get away from home, away from the always busy place full of bikers. Then she met a certain brown eyed Puerto Rican from Queens, they fell in love, hard and fast. Time spent together was heavenly and she couldn’t get enough of him, he even promised her to marry her one day. God, they were young and stupid. They were together for most of her college time but then one day a few weeks before she graduated she got a panicked phone call from her boyfriend, he’d done something very stupid and now people were after him. He told her he’d ran but couldn’t take her with him. So they broke up, still loving each other. She could have gone home after she graduated, it would have been easy to just get in that car with her mom but she didn’t want to face everyone and their questions. She had told her mom she was seeing someone, that they’d get married someday and her mom in time told everyone back home. It was already hard enough how she had to deal with the phone call from her father when he had heard, man was he pissed that his little girl found a guy he didn’t approve of beforehand. Her father finally made peace with it as long as the guy treated her right. How the hell was she gonna face him after her heart was broken, he’d look for him and kill him himself.

So instead of going home, she found herself a job that paid pretty well and tried to build herself a new life, after some time her father did found out that she and her guy broke up. Her new life only lasted for a few years tho. She kept worrying, thinking back to her brown eyed man, she hadn’t heard from him anymore and she felt so lonely in New York. So when she got the chance to be transferred to a place of choice she took that chance with both hands and went home. She didn’t tell anyone she was going back home so nobody was expecting her and no welcome back party would be waiting for her, She hated surprise parties but she loved to surprise people.

It wasn’t long before she reached the long driveway of the Teller-Morrow garage, as she drove up the driveway and parked her car. A few guys were hanging around on the benches in front of the clubhouse, only a few of their faces seemed familiar to her others were completely new to her. One of the familiar faces was Jax Teller, her half brother. Jax sat on the bench smoking a cigarette talking to who she remembered as Chibs and Tig and a few new faces. None of the guys had seemed to notice her yet, maybe they just thought she was just another customer of the garage and didn’t paid mind to her. But even if they did saw her she wasn’t so sure they’d even recognize her, over the last few years she changed so much. She didn’t look like that little cute girl that left this place to go to college, now she was a fully grown up woman and not so little anymore. It was only when she got out of her car and shut her door that the group of men looked up to her and just like she thought it seemed like they didn’t know who she was. Jax did hold a look of recognition in his eyes but also seemed to be unsure.

She just winked at the group of men with a small smirk and turned her back to them and started to walk in the direction of the small office of Teller-Morrow just as she heard one of the guys whistle at her. Not even a second later she could hear the sound of a punch being thrown, a curse, and then the voice of Jax calling out to her.

“Y/N!” 

So he finally did recognize her, his baby sister. With a wide smile, she turned back around seeing Jax throwing away his cigarette and running at her. 

“Hey Jax,”

And then next thing she knew she was wrapped up in Jax’s arms as he lifted her into the air just like he’d always do with her back in the day when they were younger.

“What are you doing here, I thought you’d made a new life back in New York?” Jax asked when he placed her back on her feet.

“Nice to know I’m welcome back here,” she joked

“This is your home y/n/n, you’re always welcome here. We just weren’t expecting you. You’re here on holiday?” he chuckled 

It seemed that their reunion had drawn quite the attention, as she saw people spill out of the clubhouse.

“That’s the point of a surprise brother, and no I’m not here on a holiday”

She just finished talking when she heard the voice of her mother calling for her and not a minute later she appeared next to Jax together with my father at her side.

“Babygirl, my babygirl is home.”

And jet again I was wrapped up in a pair of arms.

“Hey mama, hey daddy,” I said once she released me from her hold and I could give my father a hug too. 

“Hi princess, you’re home for good?” was the first thing that left Clay Morrow’s lips as he held his daughter close.

“Yes daddy, I’m here to stay”

It didn’t take long before they had lead her inside the clubhouse and started up an impromptu welcome home party. For most of the night, she sat with Jax, a few of the other guys, and her father. Her mother went home early so she could make her room ready for when she’d come home.

It was a quiet night up until the door of the clubhouse opened and 3 club members walked in, two of them she remembered as bobby Munson and Opie Winston but what shocked her was the third person that walked in behind the two: Juan Carlos Ortiz, her Puerto Rican ex boyfriend.

She was so shocked to see him there that she forgot all about who sat with her and stood up and walked towards him calling out his name.

“Juice? What are you doing here?”

it seemed like Juice was just as shocked as her when he heard his name being called and saw her stand there in the middle of the clubhouse.

“Y/N? I could ask you the same thing” he said surprised not noticing all the eyes on them.

But y/n did so she grabbed him by the arm and led him back out the door and went to sit on one of the benches.

“So, you ran off to Charming?” y/n started as she looked at the man standing before her wearing a kutte with the sons patch. 

“Yeah, I drove around a lot. Jax found me, that’s how I got here,” he explained before taking a seat next to her.

“Did you knew that Clay’s my father?”

“Not at first, but then I noticed pictures of you on the walls, they talked about you. But then I heard Clay and Jax talking about you, about how there had been a guy you were seeing and that he’d broken your heart,” He said taking a breath before leaning his elbows onto his knees.

“I knew I was that guy, I broke your heart. I can never forgive myself for that but I also knew it was better if they didn’t know”

“Well, I bet they figured that part out just now,” y/n sighed before continuing

“You may have broken my heart in leaving Juice, but I knew it was for the best. You don’t need forgiveness because there’s nothing to forgive, I knew you still loved me when you left. It’s not like you wanted it to happen like that” She finished and she softly bumped her shoulder into his.

“The kutte suits you,”

“Thanks, I like it here. Got a new family now” he smiled

He’s seeing someone? She wasn’t prepared to hear him say that, she still loved him, she didn’t know if she could see him with another woman. Unconsciously she scooted away a bit from him which of course he noticed right away why.

“I meant the club you know, I’m not seeing someone. I haven’t since I came here, since you,” he pointed out.

“Why?”

“Because, because I still love you y/n,”

And before she knew it they were making out and dry humping with her in his lap like two horny teenagers.

“This can’t be serious, tell me this isn’t what it looks like!” Clay yells filled the almost empty house. Only he and Gemma were home while y/n was at work the following day. It wasn’t a secret that the two of them had been fighting for days so it wasn’t a big surprise that they were at it again. 

“Calm down Clay, they’re two grown up people,”

“I won’t calm down Gemma! Juice has his filthy hands all over my little girl, and to top it all off he broke her heart before he came here! I should have never let him patch in!” Clay went on in fury.

“Let them be, they love each other”

“That’s not love! Nobody touches my little girl!”

“She’s not your little girl!” suddenly Gemma screamed back at her

“what? What the fuck did you say?”

“She’s not your daughter Clay, I lied, she’s John’s daughter. I was already pregnant when he died”

“I can’t fucking believe it! I rased her, I am her father. Did you tell her that bullshit?”

“Of course not”

“I can’t fucking believe you woman”

Clay was more than furious, y/n was his daughter, he was sure of it. And then seeing the hands of Juice all over his daughter only added to his anger. He was so angry that he had threatened Juice to cut off his dick if he even saw one hair out of line on his daughter or a tear on her face. But then sometime later he had what he thought the best idea, he was going to bribe Juice into getting the information he needed from y/n, he needed to know if Gemma had told y/n he wasn’t her real father. So he made Juice a deal if Juice asked if she knew anything about john Teller and if he had another kid with Gemma, then he’d make peace with the fact that he was dating his daughter. Of course, Juice jumped at the chance of getting Clay’s approval so he agreed. Clay seemed happy with his answer and hugged Juice goodbye. But what nobody had seen was that during the hug Clay had dropped a small device into his pocket.

“Okay, where were we baby?” Juice smirked as he closed the door of his dorm room behind him. 

“What did my dad want?” y/n asked as she got up from his bed in nothing but her underwear.

“Just some club business, nothing to worry about. now let’s get back to where we left off,” Juice said while removing his kutte and walking to her.

“You gonna make me feel good, Juicy?” she blushed as she helped him remove his shirt.

“Even better, baby, I’m gonna make you scream my name,” he growled before he connected his lips to her neck making her moan at the feeling as she ran her hands over his defined chest.

“God, you got even more handsome with time”

“Thanks, babe, I always thought you’re the most gorgeous woman I ever saw, you still are. now lay back on the bed and give me a taste of that sweet pussy of yours”

Clay was cooking in anger, he wanted nothing more than to march op to the dorms, kick in that door, and fucking kill Juice. But then again this was his own fault, he could have known this would happen when he wired Juice. He didn’t even think about the fact that he may hear the two of them going at it like rabbits. He wanted to be able to unhear the moans of his precious little girl that was clearly not so little anymore.

Clay sat at his table alone in chappel growling things to himself when suddenly the doors to the room closed with a bang. When he looked up he saw y/n standing there with her arms crossed looking straight at him but surprisingly not in anger.

“You could have just asked me, dad. I would have truthfully answered you,” she said as she walked closer until she was right next to him and placed the wiring device on the table in front of him.

“I’m not gonna say I’m sorry kid”

“I know, but you didn’t need to wire him. He’s loyal to the club and he loves me, treats me right, what more do you want dad? Did you just wanted to test his trust now you know we’re together?”

Clay took a deep breath, normally he wouldn’t discuss these kinds of things with someone who wasn’t a member.

“No princess, I wasn’t testing him, it was a good bonus, I’ll give you that. But I just wanted to know if your mother told you that I wasn’t your father, I didn’t want to lose you,”

“Oh daddy, It doesn’t matter if John Teller is my biological father, to me you’ll always be my dad. Hell who thought me to notice when someone was wired, who thought me to fight, to stick up for myself, and many more things? You did, now be a man and make things right with mom” y/n chuckled before giving her father a kiss on his cheek and made her way out of the room.

“Who taught you to be this vivacious?” He called out after his daughter with a laugh.

“You and mom did!” she responded before she joined Juice who was waiting for her at the bar.

[thisisawonderfulusername]

let’s save the world

season one, episode five

five hargreeves x reader

summary: finally explaining what was going to happen to luther, as well as making a deal with the handler

trigger warnings: cursing,

word count: 6k

flashbacks are in italics

a/n: i’m sorry that this one took a bit longer than all the other chapters, i’ve just been busy with a bit more schoolwork lately lol. but i hope you enjoy it! i had fun writing it *3* plus it’s the longest thus far, so maybe that makes up for the time gap lmao

you couldn’t remember how long it’d been since you got stuck here. years. lots of them. years since you had last seen five- seen anyone at all. the seasons changed and all you were doing was surviving. it wasn’t what you wanted for yourself, but you were too afraid to just give up and die. so you kept going, hoping that one day you would escape this nightmare or just fall to the ground, the life finally drained from your body.

most of the days were spent alone. you remember the day you first saw another living being. a dog. a beautiful german shepard. you weren’t sure how she had survived the apocalypse, but you didn’t care. she was like a ray of light beaming down on you after you had been left alone in the dark for too long, the pitch black being all you remembered, until you saw her.

she was named miracle, for obvious reasons. she stayed with you throughout many years, as she had been just a few months, at most a year old. in the hot summer, where ashes blew through the air in the wind, you found her some of those doggy goggles, to protect her eyes from the smoke and ash. in the winter, when it was freezing cold and snowing almost every day, sometimes to the point of not being able to travel at all, you would wrap her in as many blankets or put as many clothes made for dogs that you could find just to keep her warm. sometimes, you even carried her for hours, sometimes even a whole day. you swore she was the reason you kept your strength- both physical and mental.

she had been your delores. but you didn’t fall in love with her, of course- and she was actually a real, living thing. you were extremely lucky to have found her.

when she inevitably died and you were left alone again, you were beginning to think it was the end of your days. your hair had grayed, and you felt tired. tired of searching for your next meal, for a place to take shelter in a storm or a blizzard that was impossible to navigate.

you were ready to give up at that point. your fear of death was dwindling. you had given up hope of finding five again. who knew where he was? if he was dead? if he had went back to your time and totally forgot you? every once in a while, he would pop up in your mind, and you would think about him for hours, just wondering. but never hoping.

you remember the day you got everything back. it had started with fear, but ended with you getting a nice haircut, a shower, and some new clothes. the world was even kind enough to give five back. you thought it was all a dream and you had finally died, but you hadn’t.

it was when you were walking, yet again. your hiking pack that you were lucky to have found slowed you from all of the weight it held, but every last bit of that burden was important.

you thought you were seeing things at first, when you noticed the figure of a woman in the distance. you had pulled your pistol out of the holster resting against your thigh, prepared to shoot if it happened to be real. you didn’t know what it would be. a monster, some other survivor who may try to steal your supplies- you didn’t know, but you also didn’t care. if it was living, it was a threat.

as you got closer, the hand gun clutched tightly in your hand, you saw that it was a woman. certainly, she hadn’t been surviving in this apocalypse like you had. she was well groomed, hair in perfect curls with makeup done to perfection and a nice dress adorning her body. no, this was your eyes playing tricks on you. it was impossible for her to exist.

you had finally gone truly insane, after all these years.

-

you had awoken to a pounding headache and a terrible pain in your thigh, groaning as you buried your face into the pillow beneath your head. there was a conversation happening around you, but you tuned it out, trying to focus on the pain slowly dulling and everything you felt around you.

you were laying on a bed, that much was obvious. another obvious thing you noticed was the fact that your arm was wrapped around something- or, someone.

finally lifting your head, you squinted as you saw five’s back to you. your arm had been wrapped around his waist. sitting up, you quickly remove it, feeling a bit of heat on your face which you ignored.

“finally, you’re awake.” five interrupted the exchange between him and luther, turning to look at you as you scooted to sit by his side, running your fingers through your messy hair to fix it up.

after yawning softly, you nod, “i sure am.” you mumble, thankful that the pounding in your head had dimmed to a slight ache that you could easily ignore. your leg still felt like it was on fire, but you felt that you could suck it up and deal with it for now. “what’re you guys talking about?”

luther seemed serious, and you had a feeling you already knew, you just needed some confirmation. “the end of the world.” he states simply, and you nod, your suspicions correct. “so the eye’s a dead end?” he questions, handing the glass back to the boy, who nods.

before you can even get a word in, the door slams open, causing you to practically jump out of your skin, standing from the bed as diego storms in. “you have any idea what you two did?” he questions loudly, and just before he can do anything to either of you, luther grabs him, his feet dangling over the floor. he yells at him to put him down, but he doesn’t back down, waiting until he calmed down.

“wanna tell us what the hell you’re on about?” you ask, eyebrows furrowed as you take your seat once again, fully awake now from the scare.

diego looked at the two of you, the anger he held clear. you would be scared if you didn’t have the ability to burn him to a crisp, but, you did. “these two have been pretty busy since they got back.” he points a finger at you guys accusingly, and you roll your eyes, “they were in the middle of the shootout at griddy’s, and then at gimble brothers, and when those guys attacked the academy, they were looking for them.”

“actually, i wasn’t a part of the gimble brothers one. that was all him.” you wave a hand in five’s direction, but it doesn’t change the fact that diego is pissed. “and either way, it isn’t of your concern what we’ve been doing.”

“it is now.” diego breathes heavily, shaking his head, “they killed my friend.”

now that, you weren’t totally expecting. sure, the commission was ruthless and did whatever it took to carry out a mission, but how did his friend get into the middle of all of this? luther turned back to look at the two of you, urging you to explain.

sighing softly as he looked to the floor for a moment, five gave them what they wanted. “they work for our former employer.” he begins, lacing his fingers together in front of him, “a woman called the handler. she sent them to stop us.”

nodding slowly, you lean back on your hands, “soon as your friend got in the way, they were fair game.” you shrug.

“well, now they’re my fair game.” diego speaks lowly, “and they’re gonna pay.” he turns to leave, already making his way to the still open door.

five tries to stop him, explaining that it would be a mistake, which you fully agreed with due to the extensive training all the assassins went through at the commission. he didn’t listen, simply closing the door behind him.

it was silent for a moment, before luther spoke again. “former employer?” he questions, an eyebrow raising, “what's this really about? and don’t give me the ‘it’s none of your business’ crap, okay?”

“it’s a long story.”

-

the woman waved. you still couldn’t believe this. it took you all these years, and you thought you would be able to keep your sanity, yet here you were.

“who the hell are you?” you yell out, slowly walking towards her, the pistol still ready to fire if she tried something. if she was even real. which wasn’t possible. “tell me why i shouldn’t shoot!”

“i’m here to help.” she tells you simply, also walking forward with the both of you stopping a few feet away from each other. you wanted to keep enough distance in case she had some sort of melee weapon, or if she made a move, you could shoot and run. “if you shoot me, you wouldn’t hear the offer i’m about to make.”

your eyebrows furrowing in confusion, you gesture for her to continue, which she does. “i work for an organization. the commission.” she begins, taking off the shaded glasses that she wore and sticking them in the pocket of her dress. “we are tasked with the preservation of the time continuum through manipulation and removals.”

lowering the gun a bit, you purse your lips. “what the hell do you mean?”

“sometimes people make choices that alter time.” she explains in more simple terms, crossing her arms, “when that happens, we dispatch one of our agents to... eliminate the threat.”

hearing that, you’re immediately on guard again, raising the pistol in a heartbeat. she waves a hand, chuckling as she dismisses what you had thought. “no, no, you misunderstood. you’re not a target, y/n.” you don’t remember giving her your name, which worries you, but you ignore it for now. “i would like to recruit you. i’m offering you a job.”

lowering the gun, you drop it to your side, not knowing what to say for a moment. that doesn’t matter, because she does.

“we’ve had our eye on you for a while, and you have potential. survival skills, fire manipulation... we’ve even found another like you, who’s been here for just as long.”

your eyes widen at the mention of another who’s been here, and your heart leaps. “five?” if he was actually alive after all your hope was gone... you didn’t know what you would do.

“well, what a surprise, you know him.” she smiles, “it will be a happy reunion, then. but, you will have to give five years of service, after that your contract will end. you’ll be able to retire to the time and place of your choice.”

you had many questions. you could feel your heart beating out of your chest at the thought of being able to get out of this nightmare, to see five again. looking at her, you don’t even think. “i’m in.” you tell her breathlessly, and she grins at your agreement.

that was how you became one of the best assassins at the commission. a decision you weren’t sure you regretted or not.

-

“we were partners.” five tells him after explaining everything about the commission, even how the handler had found him. you didn’t bother with your story. it was practically the same. “the whole time i was trying to find out the right equation to get back. to stop the apocalypse. save everyone.”

looking up from the floor, where you had been lost in thought being brought back to those times, you clear your throat. “when he figured it out, we broke our contracts. but of course he got the equation wrong.”

rolling his eyes, five hits your arm. “so you two were hit men?” luther questions, earning a shared nod of confirmation. “well... you didn’t just kill anyone, right? you had some code?”

“no code.” five tells him, “we took out anyone who messed with the timeline.”

“what about the innocent people?”

“that was the only way we could get back here.” you mutter, your gaze fixed on the floor as you played with your fingers.

luther seemed surprised. “but that’s murder!” he contests.

“jesus, luther, grow up.” five responds, and you could tell he was starting to lose his patience with him. “we’re not kids anymore. there are no good guys and bad guys. there’s just people, living their lives.”

you purse your lips, “when the world ends, those people die.” you add on, your tone softer, “including your family.” luther looks at you, quiet and still taking in everything. you sigh softly, “time changes everything.”

-

the tapping of chalk against the walls was something you had quickly learned to tune out over the past few hours. at first, you wanted to rip your head off because of the constant sound, but staring out the window at everything outside helped take your focus off of it.

when the scribbling stopped, it was easy to notice, even if you weren’t listening in the first place. it’s a hard thing to explain. the difference between the sound of something and choosing not to hear it and the absence of that sound was just... different.

“i think i found something, delores.” five mutters to the mannequin, and you roll your eyes as you stand and move to look up at all the equations that now covered the wall.

crossing your arms over your chest, you try to make sense of everything, but it’s way too complicated for you to understand- plus it was scribbled everywhere over the wall and you weren’t sure what gave him what he needed. “sure, tell her but not me.” you grin as he turns to look at you.

“it’s a habit.” he says simply, shrugging and looking back to the blackboard the equations littered.

footsteps out in the hall catch your attention, and you turn to see luther standing in the doorway, just as confused as you by everything on the walls. “what is all this?”

you move to sit on the bed next to where five stood, sighing softly. “a probability map.” he still looks just as confused as before, and you nod, “i understand just as much as you do, buddy.”

“a probability map of what?” he questions, looking to five for the answer now. that much you hadn’t cared to ask. you figured he would explain it when he figured it out, as that was just how he was.

he continues to mark different things on the map, only taking a glance towards the large man. “of whose death could save the world. i’ve narrowed it down to four people.”

of course he had found some way to get a clue on what might stop the apocalypse. he was just that smart. “so, you’re saying one of them ends the world?” he asks, and you and five both sigh in exasperation.

“no, luther.” you lay back, looking at one of the equations by your head and trying to understand at least a little bit of it. “he’s saying their death could save the world. they probably don’t have anything to do with the actual event.”

the man breathes out an “oh.” watching for a moment, before leaning in slightly. “i’m not following.” he mumbles, and you roll your eyes.

“the slightest change in what happens can alter the outcomes in the time continuum.” you explain, glad that you understand one thing as you sit back up to look at him. “the butterfly effect, basically.”

five nods, motioning in your direction. “exactly. all i need to do is find the people with the greatest probability of impacting the timeline, wherever they may be, and, well-” he finally turns to look at him. “kill them.”

apparently finally finished with the complicated map, he gets off of the bed and places the chalk on the small table beside it, grabbing vanya’s book he had been using for notes and presumably writing the names down.

luther moves to look at the four circled, eyes squinting a bit. “milton green.” he reads off, looking to the younger- well, younger looking, “is he a terrorist or something?”

“i believe he’s a gardener.” five corrects, setting the book down once he was finished and reaching under the bed, pulling out a gun and pulling the zipper to open it up.

“wha- this is madness.” luther says, turning to look back to him, his eyes widening when he saw the gun, “where did you get that?”

he glances up at him, “dad’s room.” he picks the gun up, examining it. “similar to what i used at work. nice shoulder fit, reliable.”

“you can’t-” luther stumbles for words, surprised by what five was planning to do, “this guy, milton, he’s an innocent man!”

you groan softly as you stand up, looking up at the significantly taller man. “it’s basic math- to five, at least,” you shrug your shoulders, “his death could potentially save the lives of billions of people. he’d be dead in four days anyway. the apocalypse won’t save anyone.”

“we don’t do this kind of thing.”

“we are not doing anything, luther.” five argues, glaring at him, “i am. with y/n’s help, of course.” you smile slightly.

luther was clearly not going to back down, and you were beginning to get annoyed. he was wasting precious time. “i can’t let you kill innocent people, no matter how many people it saves.”

five shrugs, “good luck stopping me.” he turns to leave and you do the same, but luther is quick to try and do exactly that, grabbing delores and holding her out the window.

when you turn to see what he’s doing, you cringe, “not a good idea.” the gun is already pointed at him. sure, it was a bit overkill, but when it came to delores, five was ready to do anything. you still weren’t sure why, especially when you were back here and he had actual people around him. years of sanity were lost, though, so you assumed that was why he hasn’t gotten it back.

“i suggest you put her down.” you lace your fingers together, rocking on your heels slightly. you definitely didn’t want to see five blow his brother’s brains out over a mannequin.

luther doesn’t seem phased by the threat. “put the gun down.” he counters, nodding towards him, “you’re not killing anyone. don’t make me do this. it’s her or the gun.”

ultimatums. you’ve always hated them. what good was making someone choose between two things?

when five didn’t choose, luther didn’t hesitate in moving to throw the fake women, and the gun clatters to the ground as five jumped to save her. luther had moved towards the gun, quicker than you thought he could move. when he picks it up, you sigh softly. this time, five working on that map, luther stopping you two. you couldn’t get that time back.

“i can do this all day.” luther states, and you roll your eyes as you snatch the gun from his side.

he moves to grab it back from you and you glare at him, “don’t even try it. unlike your brother, i won’t hesitate to shoot you.” you take a few steps towards the bed, putting the gun back in it’s case after unloading it.

five was having a weird, tender moment with delores. honestly, you felt like you shouldn’t have been in the room to see it. “i know you’re still a good person, five.” luther tells him, while you zip the case back up. “you wouldn’t have come back here to save us all if you weren’t.”

you hated him, but the monkey man had a point. of course five didn’t care about the whole world. he just cared about his family. who wouldn’t want to save the people they grew up with?

“you’re not alone. we can help you.” well, that kind of hurt your feelings. it was as if you didn’t exist to him.

five sighs, looking back towards him. “there is one way.” you whipped your head towards him, slightly surprised. what was he thinking? “it’s close to impossible, though.”

“more impossible than what brought you two back here?” he raised an eyebrow, and you looked down at the plain covers on the bed, tapping your fingers against the fabric for a moment as you thought.

maybe it would work.

-

the car rolled to a stop on the old, empty road. you sat in the back, in the middle of the seat, leaning forward with your elbows resting on your knees. your foot tapped against the floor, almost without you realizing it. you were paranoid. this could get the both of you killed, if it all went south. you just had to hope that it didn’t

“i never enjoyed it.” five states, causing both you and luther to look at him in confusion. the whole ride had been silent, which you found incredibly uncomfortable, but maybe it was just the anxiety. “the killing,” he explains at your confusion, “i was good at my job, took pride in it. but it never gave me pleasure.”

pursing your lips, you look to your foot, which continued it’s tapping. “it would take a freak to enjoy that job.” you mutter, shaking your head and sighing softly, “i’m sure some of them did, though.”

five nods slightly, glancing back at you for a moment, “i think it was all those years alone.” he theorizes, “solitude can do weird things to the mind.”

tell that to delores.

luther hums slightly, “yeah, well you were gone for a long time. i was only on the moon for four years, but that was more than enough.” you never would have thought you would actually have something in common with the monkey man. sure, your experience was much worse, but he knew what you felt all those years ago. “it’s the being alone that gets you.”

there’s a moment of silence, before luther speaks again. “well, do you think they’ll buy it?” soft moment over, apparently, as he pats the case that sat between them. it was close enough in resemblance to the commission cases, so you assumed from far away, it would be believable.

“well, they’re desperate.” five tells him, and you nod, though they don’t see it since neither of them were looking towards you.

“losing that case is like a cop losing his gun.” you tell him, sitting up slightly, “the commission finds out, they’re in deep shit. plus they’ll be stuck here without it.” you shrug.

luther pulls the case to his side, “i should hold it. in case they try to make a move on you.”

five hesitantly nods, “okay, but be careful.” he tells him, “i’ve lived a long life. you’re still a young man, you have your whole life ahead of you. don’t waste it.”

you can’t help the short laugh from what he said. seeing who looked to be a thirteen year old boy tell a man in his late twenties, maybe, you weren’t totally sure, to not waste his life. it was hilarious.

his eyebrows furrowed together, five looks back at you. “what are you laughing at?”

a grin on your face, you shake your head, still giggling a bit. “nothing. just so wise beyond your years, five.” you laugh even more as he rolls his eyes, leaning back into the seat as you calm yourself.

once you had gathered yourself, you noticed the car that was coming towards where you guys had parked along the side of the road, and you sighed softly. fun time is over, now to get back to business.

you all got out of the car as they drove past and parked a little ways away. the wind blew your hair into your face and you quickly pushed it away, scrunching your nose up as you watched them get out of the car, their masks on.

“if this all goes sideways,” five turns to tell luther, also catching your attention, “tell delores i’m sorry.”

rolling your eyes, you slap his arm, “c’mon, mannequin lover. nothing will happen. hopefully.” you shrug, sticking your hands in your pockets and quickly moving to meet the other two half way, him quickly following behind you.

as you got closer, five motioned to the masks covering their faces. “are those really necessary?” he asks, and without saying a word, they both take them off, throwing them to the side. if you didn’t have to make a deal with them, you would shove a piece of glass in their leg, show them how it feels. but no, right now you have to play nice.

“where’s the case?” cha cha asks, getting straight to the business.

sighing, you shake your head. “that’s how you’re gonna start?” you raise an eyebrow, glancing back to where luther stood, “you know, we can leave, get back in the car and drive off.”

the woman is quick to pull out a gun, and you roll your eyes. these recruits, always so quick to resort to violence. “you won’t even get halfway.” she threatens, and you simply roll your eyes.

“maybe. but as i’m sure you already found out,” five speaks, his eyebrows raising slightly, “my brother is not your average giant.”

hazel leans to the side slightly towards her, “he’s right. dropped a chandelier on him, got right back up.” your lips press together at the mention. you definitely did not get right back up. well- you did, but you were actually injured, unlike the larger man.

“he’ll smash your precious briefcase before you can even take him out.” you imitate an explosion with your hands, quietly making the sound that would accompany it. they didn’t seem as amused as you were.

“probably us too, right?” hazel speaks again, motioning with the gun he held, “so how do we help each other out here?”

of course, five was ready to tell them what you two needed. “get in contact with your superior. we need to have a chat, face to face.”

cha cha looks slightly confused by the demand, tilting her head to the side for a moment, “about what?”

“what does it matter to you?” you raise an eyebrow, “you need the briefcase, so just do it.”

she purses her lips but sighs, shaking her head. “just don’t tell her about it.”

five shrugs, “fair enough.”

finally putting the gun she had pointed at the two of you down, the woman turned around, walking over to an old pay phone along the side of the road near where they parked. hazel followed, but didn’t turn his back on the two of you, and you did the same as you followed five’s footsteps.

when you got back to the car, you stood next to five, who leaned against the hood of the car. luther moved to stand next to the two of you. “what happens now?” he questions, all of your gazes trained on the commission workers who stood by their own car after getting in contact with the boss.

“now, we wait.” five tells him, one of his hands stuck in his pocket.

it felt like hours that you stood there, just having a staring contest with the two contracted to presumably kill you both. it was really only a few minutes, and the silence that hung in the air was broken by the sound of a light melody playing in the distant, and all of you finally looked away from each other to look for the source.

having to squint slightly, you saw an ice cream truck in the distance, slowly making it’s way towards you. why the hell would an ice cream truck be in the middle of nowhere? you knew it wasn’t the handler, so you didn’t know what or who it could be.

when it got closer, you saw klaus at the wheel, a grin on his face as he waved at all of you. you managed to catch a glimpse of diego in the seat next to him, and your confusion only grew.

“what the fuck? why are they here?” you ask, watching as the truck sped up a bit, “how did they even find out where we are?”

before you can get an answer, the two assassins had already lifted their guns and started shooting. eyes widening, you swung the car door open, as it was the closest and first thing you thought of, jumping behind it to avoid the bullets. a sharp pain shot up your leg and you hissed slightly, but ignored it.

after only a second of the shots ringing out, everything went silent. you had your knees to your chest, head tucked between them and your arms, and you were totally confused from the sudden pause.

“shit.” you muttered to yourself, not wanting to lift your head and see what had happened, “did i die? am i fucking dead right now?” you weren’t ready for death yet. you thought you were, but you are certainly not.

your cycle of thoughts was interrupted when you felt someone yank at your arm, and you jumped slightly, finally lifting your head from it’s place. you sigh in relief when it’s five, “you’re not dead.” he deadpans, and you roll your eyes as you grab his hand to pull yourself up, wincing at the burning of your thigh.

once you were up, you turned to face the music and see what the hell had happened. your eyebrows furrowed when you saw that everything was... frozen.

slowly walking by five’s side towards the two adults stuck in the air, you glance at him for a moment. “are you sure?” you mumble, before another voice cuts in.

“neat trick, right?” you both turn and your shoulders slump as you see the same woman from all those years ago, when she felt like a savior, taking you out of the apocalypse. as the two of you take a few steps towards her, she takes the glasses she wore off, holding them in her hand and having that same, awful smile on her face.

“hello, five. y/n.” she motions to your thirteen year old selves, “you two look good. all things considered.”

sighing silently to yourself, you decide you’ll let five do the talking for a bit. “it’s good to see you again.” he speaks, and you look to the road as you scrunch your nose up. it definitely is not.

“feels like just yesterday i met the two of you.” she hums, and you roll your eyes to yourself, “of course, you guys were a bit older then. congratulations, by the way,” she points to you guys, circling her finger a bit, “on the age regression. clever of you. threw us off.”

you snort, “if only he had done that on purpose.” you grin, sticking your hands in your pockets as you glance to the boy, who was clearly annoyed with you. “he got the equations wrong, if you can even believe that.”

“i just miscalculated the time dilation projections.” he shakes his head, “not like you could have done any better.” you shrug your shoulders, not having an argument for that. he was absolutely right on that front, because you sure as hell didn’t understand a single thing he ever did with all the crazy equations and probability maps and everything like that.

the handler waves her hands to the side, “you realize your efforts are futile.” she states, putting her hands behind her back, “so why don’t you tell me what you really want.”

“put a stop to it.” you say almost immediately, lacing your fingers together, “the apocalypse.”

she shakes her head slightly, “you realize what you’re asking is next to impossible, even for me.” her eyebrows raise as she speaks, “what’s meant to be, is meant to be. that’s our raison d'être.”

five lifts the hand gun he had been keeping close, his expression showing no emotion whatsoever. “how about survival as a raison?” he raises his eyebrows in a mocking way, the smallest smirk tugging at his lips.

she isn’t threatened by it, dismissing it. “i’ll just be replaced. i’m but a small cog in a machine.” she twirls her finger, “this fantasy about summoning your family, five, to stop the apocalypse,” she starts to step closer, and you stiffen slightly, “it’s just that. a fantasy.”

the handler manages to make you so angry without even genuinely insulting or seeming rude in any way. she says everything in such a light voice that you would expect to be saying anything that’s only kind, but she said the opposite. small jabs at you two without outright calling you out.

“i must say, though,” she continues after a moment, continuing her slow steps, “we’re all quite impressed. your initiative, stick-to-itiveness... really something.” she smiles slightly, “which is why we want to offer the both of you new positions back at the commission. management positions.”

five is just as muddled as you are by the offer. there must be some ulterior motive to this. “sorry, what was that?” he raises an eyebrow, letting out a small, breathy laugh.

she straightens slightly, “come back to work for us. it’s where you belong, we both know it.”

“didn’t work out too well last time.” you assert, tilting your head as you raise your eyebrows. you weren’t about to agree to something like that. unless five seemed to have some idea about it being a good idea, you wouldn’t do it. not in a million years.

the woman seems set on getting you back, though. “but you wouldn’t be in the corrections department anymore.” she explains, expressing with her hand, “i’m talking, the home office. best health and pension, and an end to all this travel. you two are distinguished professionals in,” she looks the both of you up and down, “school uniforms.” she chuckles.

finally being only a few feet away, she pushes the gun five held down. “we have the technology to reverse this process.” she tries to convince, “you can’t be happy like that.”

five’s jaw is slightly clenched as he stares right into her eyes. “we’re not looking for happy.”

her smile is soft, but you feel like she’s trying to deceive you- she always gave off that vibe, though. “we’re all looking for happy.” she looks between you two, “we can make that happen. you guys can be yourselves again.”

five lets out a short breath, finally fully putting the gun down, “and what about my family?” he questions, gesturing around to his siblings who were still frozen in their place.

“what about them?”

you can’t help but glare at her, “you know what. he wants them to survive.”

she takes a deep breath in, looking over to luther, his arms raised in the air with the fake briefcase in hand, before to the ice cream truck, where klaus sat in front of the wheel, his eyes wide, and diego looked to be in pain or as if he was cursing for some reason. she finally looks back to five. “all of them?” she questions, and you hold back another eye roll.

“yes, all of them.” five tells her, stating the obvious.

she nods, starting to put the sunglasses back on, “well, i’ll see what i can do.” she then holds her hand out, an eyebrow raising from behind the shaded lenses, “do we have a deal?”

the boy grabs your hand, ready to accept, but before he can, you glance to the side. “wait.” you hold a finger up, pulling away and walking towards the two corrections recruits. they both watch as you grab the gun that hazel had dropped when the truck had hit them, pulling the magazine out of it and throwing it as hard as you can to the side, before doing the same with the now unloaded pistol to the opposite side.

as you start to head back, five notices the bullet that had been frozen as well, heading in luther’s direction. silently, he walks towards it and moves it so it wouldn’t actually hit him.

you two meet back in front of the handler, hands already reaching for each other as you take a deep breath to prepare yourself for what would happen.

the next moment, you’re all gone, time continuing on it’s own.

-

taglists

main: @horrorklaus​

tua: @rasberrymay​

five: @anapocalypseinmymind @five-hargreeves-official​ @insatiable-ivy​ @coffee-e-addict​  @xplrreylo

let's save the world @aspiringwriter1 @thetrashypanda423 @lilacs-lavender​ @academy-umbrella  @xplrreylo @ohmyitsfaith @onedollarduck​ @sleepygal124​ @fandomfreakff​

if you’d like to be added to any taglists, just ask!

[victoria-daydreams]

Of Vices and Virtues

Chapter Fifteen: A Love Supreme

AN: Anyone stay up late to watch The Falcon and The Winter Soldier on Friday, because I did with pride.

Word Count: 4.9k

Trigger Warnings: none

Taglist: @azayamari

Chapter Sixteen: Tensions Run High

The room that surrounded me was incredibly unfamiliar, the walls were a dark shade of cherry wood and not the serene blue I have in my own bedroom. The sun seeped through the curtains, the light reflecting off the silver tray of empty plates that once had breakfast on it on the table by the window. This didn't look like a bedroom, it appeared more as a hotel room, a five star hotel at that. Large, royal blue satin curtains, a canopy bed with matching bronze and blue comforter to the curtain, and a bronze carpet.

I stretched out, feeling content as I remembered the events of the previous night.

"What happens now?" I asked, shifting my body in a comfortable position.

Charles wrapped his arm around my waist, something I tensed at first but relaxed into. It felt nice to have him holding me. I leaned back against his shoulder, wrapping my arms around his.

"What do you mean?" Charles asked backed, starting to play with my fingers.

"Where do we go from this?" I clarified, leaning my head back to look at him.

"I think that we're now a 'couple', as Raven would put it," Charles chuckled, tucking his chin into my shoulder. "I quite like the sound of that," he added, his lips curving into a smile.

"It's funny, I never thought I'd see myself with a white man," I commented, closing my eyes. "Not after James," I breathed out, reopening them.

"No one special in college?" Charles asked curiously, peering down at me.

"There was," I answered, nodding my head. "His name was Benjamin," I remembered. "He treated me well, he didn't run to the nearest exit sign when I revealed that I was a mutant. We dated for a few months, and I thought all was going well..." I trailed off.

"What happened?" Charles questioned.

"He just couldn't take it anymore," I answered, shaking my head.

It was a warm day for the spring, as I walked to the park looking around trying to find Ben. The park had a few people in it, mainly kids playing over by the baseball diamond or younger kids at the playground. There were a few teens but not many. Then I saw him and made my way to Ben for our outing. Ben Hughes was sitting on a bench off away from everyone by a tree in an olive green button down and brown slacks. I smiled at the sight of him, the green complimented his complexion quite nicely if I do say so myself. I walked up to the black-haired and brown-eyed man.

"Hello," I greeted smiling.

"Hey," Ben greeted back, but his smile was more nervous then happy and I got a bad feeling in fact I was unintentionally picking up on a few of his emotions and I didn't like what I was feeling.

I sat down next to him, "What's wrong?" I asked placing my hand near his.

Ben's face fell and took my hand gently. "It's...I...I'm sorry I can't keep doing this," he looked away and I suddenly got a very terrified feeling that he was talking about us dating.

That and I sensed that Ben didn't like this either.

"But why? I thought...I thought we were happy?"

"I was...for the most part...but Claudia...you're wonderful, but I'm not ready for this," Ben ran a hand through his conk styled hair looking over the park. "I'm just not ready to date someone like you...I mean we both know how people treat others that are different, we face it all the time...and...I don't want that to increase tenfold...at least not until I know I can handle it. I figured you would want to be with someone that could be open with you in public," Ben explained lamely.

I thought about it, and looking back on it Ben always did act like we were just friends or something in public while we only kissed or anything simple as holding hands, unless we were at each other's rooms or no one else was around.

"Are you ashamed of me being what I am? Cause there's nothing wrong with it," There was a hint of anger in my voice, but I didn't care.

"I...I don't know...that's one of the reasons I don't want us to get to serious and...there's another reason,"

"What?" I asked him, I was sensing something from him but I wasn't sure. "Come on, I know there's something that's really bothering you so what is it!"

"That's it!" Ben exclaimed. "I hate the fact you know what I'm feeling all the time...it's creepy! I mean I don't want my emotions known," he explained, throwing his hands up.

"I can't help it! I mean I'm still learning how to keep my barriers up, I don't mean to, this isn't easy for me either you know!" I snapped slightly raising my voice, and feeling my eyes water up.

Ben looked at me in sympathy, "I know, I know, you've told me and I wish you didn't have to go through all that and that you had control...but it feels like an invasion of privacy to me...I...I just can't handle it. You know how much of a private and shy person I am and this...this just makes me feel uncomfortable, I'm sorry I don't mean to make this sound horrible I'm trying not to I really am...but I can't," Ben repeated sadly.

I could feel the emotions running off of Ben and knew he was hurting just as much as I was and I tried to shut off the surge of emotions, but I was having trouble doing so.

"So...you don't ever want to see me again," I stated coldly.

"No, I didn't say that...I just can't date you...at the moment. I thought I was ready, but I'm not. I'm just not ready,"

Charles softly placed his hand on the side of my face and captured my lips with his own. A shudder went through me as I was snapped out of my memory, but I smiled into it, kissing him back. His hands traveled down my waist and flipped me over to fully face him, pulling me on top of him. The two of us continued kissing until he pulled away for a short moment. Charles stared at me, moving a lock of hair from my face simultaneously caressing my cheek.

"His loss, love," Charles declared, pressing a kiss to my head causing my smile to widen further.

"I'd better take the tray down," I sighed, wiggling my way out of Charles grip.

"Or you could just stay here if you'd like," Charles suggested tightening his grip around my waist.

"Easy, tiger," I laughed at his forwardness, softly pushing his hands off my waist.

"Maybe next time, then?" he questioned, releasing me so I could stand up.

"Oh, there's a next time?" I asked, making Charles flash me a grin. "Next time," I agreed, lifting the heavy, silver tray from the table and walked across the room.

I opened the door with a flick of my hand and walked out, a cold draft rushed through from the open window in the hallway, making my body shiver. As I closed the door behind me, I heard footsteps coming toward my direction. I saw Erik down the hall, his blue eyes completely fixated on me, standing outside the door of Charles' bedroom. Erik shut the door to his own room, my pulse began to pound furiously within me as Erik came toward my direction.

"Good morning Erik!" I greeted cheerily, attempting trying to break the awkward silence.

Erik responded by sending me a frosty glare and something akin to a scowl, as he walked past me without a word. I released a breath I had no idea I was holding in. Erik clearly knew something was going on, but chose not to say anything outright.

Today was going to be interesting.

~~~x~~~

From the distance I could see Erik and Charles talking amicably, but their body language told a different different story. While Charles body was relaxed, Erik's was tense and rigid.

"Ah, Claudia it is nice to see you have joined us!" Charles chirped as he came over to me.

His hand quickly found mine while his other hand rested on my lower back and led me closer to the table that he had set up with a pigeon thrower next to some clay disks.

I moved away from Charles and ran my hand along the table, "What do we have here?" I asked, studying the equipment on the table.

From the corner of my eye I saw Erik staring at me, maybe he was waiting for me to return his gaze. I don't think he was too pleased at how relaxed Charles was when he took ahold of me. It probably had something to do with the fact that yesterday Erik also held me similarly. If he only knew what his touch did to me. I tried very hard to not look at Erik and concentrated my attention on Charles.

"Well, I figured since your already adept at your telekinesis I'm not going to ask you to move a pen, or a book. It seems that you have grasped the notion of moving small and large items and have expanded on this. The shield you created, is an example of this," Charles explained, now beside him again I crossed my arms over the grey sweatshirt I had changed into. "So, I thought some target practice would do you some good. The energy you use for your telekinesis can be molded and projected into various forms," Charles continued.

"So what? Skeet shooting?" I guessed, looking around for the rifles. "Where are the rifles?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"Skeet shooting with a twist, Claudia," Charles corrected, moving in front of me. He grabbed both my hands and lifted them up to eye level. "You don't need a rifle love, your hands are more than enough," Charles reminded, letting go of my hands. "Erik, when you're ready," he called, looking over to him as Erik loaded up the trap thrower with a clay disk.

I shook my hands out before lifting them up in front of me as violet aura formed around my hands, "Pull!" I called, Erik fired off a clay skeet. I aimed my hand and fired, a purple bolt hitting the clay skeet, and shattering it.

"Nice shot, Claudia!" Charles smiled, as I dropped my arms.

"Did you ever doubt me?" I laughed, glancing over at him.

"Never, I'm just trying to keep your skills sharp," Charles answered, as I raised my arms up again.

"Pull!"

Erik fired off another clay skeet. I aimed my left hand this time and fired off a purple sphere. The sphere from my palm contacted the clay skeet, and it exploded into a little million piece.

"Excellent!" Charles exclaimed again. "Wasn't that fantastic Erik?" he asked excitedly.

"Yes, it was a fine shot," Erik replied, a tight smile on his face.

"Thank you, Erik," I said, flashing him a quick smile in an attempt to make things less awkward. It didn't, if anything it just made him shoot an icy glare at me. I darted my eyes away from him and went back to focusing in front of me. "Pull!" I directed, trying to now avoid the metal bender's stare.

The clay skeet sailed through the air, and I aimed my hand at the skeet, and fired.

The skeet then shattered.

~~~x~~~

I collapsed onto the grass off the side of the mansion, my chest heaving. It had been awhile since I had exerted this much physical energy. My lungs were screaming for oxygen and the muscles in my legs and feet were begging for mercy. Not too far behind me was the sound of three thuds falling next to me. I lazily turned my head to the right to see Hank, Sean, and Alex in a similar state of fatigue.

"The...Professor...needs...a...smaller...mansion..." Sean said in between breaths, his face the color of his hair.

A chuckle managed to seep through my gasps for breath, "Nonsense," I called, pushing myself up to rest on my arms. "You just have terrible stamina, Sean," I corrected smiling.

"What did we do to deserve four laps around the mansion?" Alex groaned, before sitting up.

"Hey, your lucky I didn't make you all run five like I originally planned to," I pointed out.

"She has a point," Hank agreed, copying Alex's movement.

"Shut up Bozo,"

"Now, now. Knock it off," I called in a motherly tone, pushing myself up from the ground, "Alright boys we're done for today," I stated, stretching my arms out over my head. "Last one back at the mansion has to do the others washing for a week!" I announced dashing off towards the mansion.

As I sprinted away from the boys I could hear their cries of displeasure because of my head start towards the mansion. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, already envisioning not having to do my washing for a week. But the sound shoes nosily slapping the gravel behind me told me that the boys were quickly catching up with me. Suddenly, a flash of red hair surged past me and I looked to my side to see a newly invigorated Sean in the lead of our little race. Sean looked back at me and gave me a wink knowing that he was mere meters away from the back door, but fate would prove otherwise.

Unfortunately for Sean he didn't notice one of the larger rocks that were strewn across the ground and tripped right before the backdoor. I easily sped past him and reached my hand out touching the door first panting heavily, but with a smile on my face. Hank and Alex followed shortly behind me just as I opened the backdoor, I looked back to see Sean dusting himself off and slowly heading to the door.

"So close, yet so far," I commented, slightly laughing as I held the door open for Sean.

"Very funny Claudia," Sean replied dryly, as he entered the mansion.

"Aren't I?" I quipped, closing the door. I walked beside Sean as we made our way down the hall and towards the kitchen. "Come on, you gotta admit it was a little funny," I suggested, pinching my finger close together.

Sean smirked at me, "Alright, it was a little funny," Sean agreed, nodding his head as we stepped into the kitchen.

"By the way I'm going to enjoy watching you do my washing this week!" I informed, mirth simply rolling off me.

I went straight for the cabinets where the cups were stored so I could quench my thirst, if I didn't get something to drink I was sure to die from a dry mouth. On my way to the cabinet I lightly hit Alex on his leg.

"Get off the counter, you're all sweaty and disgusting," I stated, walking past him and onto the cabinet.

"Yes, mom," Alex said mockingly, sliding off the counter.

"Be like Hank, he sitting in a chair at the table," I pointed out, a grin appearing on my face as I opened the cabinet door.

Reaching on my tiptoes I grabbed a cup and went to the sink to pour myself a glass of water. After I took a deep, long gulp out of water I hastily wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Just as I went to put my glass down onto the counter Erik and Raven had walked through the doorway of the kitchen, Raven was clinging onto his arm with a grin on her face which made me raise an eyebrow. Erik mirrored Raven's expression as if they were just laughing from a joke he told before coming in here, but as soon the two of them saw me their grins vanished.

It was as if a black hole had opened in the room, sucking in all the warmth, leaving cold and emptiness. What was once a friendly atmosphere turned tense and uncomfortable. I looked at Erik and I could feel an angry bitterness swirling beneath his calm demeanor.

"What were you two doing?" I asked, breaking the silence that had blanketed over the room.

"Erik and I were training," Raven answered simply, and I just gave a nod also noting that Erik still hasn't said a word to me. I lifted my glass back to my lips to take a sip of water and just as I went to swallow Raven spoke again. "He was teaching me the best way to use my body while in combat. He said that I was quite the challenge," Raven continued, with a challenging glint in her eyes.

I nearly choked on my water and subtly spit out my drink back into cup due to the innuendo that Raven made. I set down my water, my eyes flashing dangerously and resentment coiled like a small little snake in my chest, I was getting too worked up. And then a sudden realization hit me, oh dear God. I was jealous. I know that I needed to calm down, but I couldn't hold my tongue.

"How surprising," I began, staring right at Raven. "I've always known him to take a vested interest in things he considered nice and easy," I quipped, arching my brow in response to her challenging stare.

If looks could kill, Raven would have butchered me right then and there, as she visibly flushed before turning stony and a glint of hate appearing in her eyes.

"Let's go Erik," Raven ordered, storming out the kitchen and dragging Erik along.

The silence in the kitchen was deafening, you could hear a pen drop. I looked at the shocked faces of the boys that remained in the kitchen, all of their mouths forming an 'o' shape from witnessing what just transpired.

"We're going to pretend the last five minutes never happened," I stated, before taking a sip of water.

~~~x~~~

I sighed and fell on my queen-sized bed after changing into a fresh t-shirt and sweatpants. I snuggled against the coolness of the pillows, my body relaxing against the softness of the bed. I cherished the silence in my room letting my eyes drift close as I prepared to meditate. All was well, I was at peace as my chest rose and fell with each breath I took. That was until my thoughts felt clouded and muddled, my heart flooded with a myriad of emotions, spinning in a thousand different directions. A sudden spike of self-loathing and reproach plowed through me, and returned me back into reality, trying to sort out my emotions.

I had to lower my barriers to pick apart my own feelings. A wave of uncertainty, affection, and fear sent my mind spinning. Sweat beaded my brow. I felt even normal emotions with an unnatural strength, but these threatened to render me unconscious. From somewhere below me, I stumbled out the bed wearily stood and headed toward the strangling emotions.

Being the empath that I was, I responded to those emotions even as they tried to block them out. I ventured outside my room. It was quiet in the hallway, however as I came closer to the staircase I heard a faint sound of piano keys. The melody was quiet at first but then it began to escalate further up. A crescendo and then it began to descend as I came down the stairs.

Claire de Lune.

The music did not stop as I almost stumbled down the last stair to see where the music was coming from. I finally reached the sound and slightly pushed open the door to see Erik completely engrossed in the music. I could not quite see his face as he was looking down at the keys. My heart began to race within my chest as he continued to play oblivious to me watching him. Without warning, the melody was gone and instead all I heard was a slam of keys. My head snapped up to see Erik staring right at me.

He didn't look too happy.

"I'm sorry," I whispered as I turned around to head out, but before I could reach for the door knob the door slammed shut right before me.

"Why are you here?" His voice was menacing as he stood from the bench.

My stomach flipped as he came closer to me, "I...I heard the music," I stammered, before I cleared my throat. "And I felt a spike of emotion from my room. You could kill an empath without ever coming closer than six feet, you know that, Erik?" I quipped, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere.

"Shouldn't you be with him? Shouldn't you be with Charles?" Erik asked, spitting out Charles' name like it was venom.

I lowered my head slightly and raised an eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?" I questioned, placing my hands on my hip.

"You know exactly what that means! I saw the two of you last night! “ Cautiously, I moved back to the wall as he inched closer and closer. He prowled toward me as if I was his prey. "The two of you dancing, kissing?" Erik hissed, he had me cornered.

A chuckle of disbelief bubbled me and that only made Erik angrier, "If all you wanted was a dance with me, then you should've just asked," I pointed out simply, my playful expression vanished when Erik slammed both his hands down on the wall behind me, literally trapping me.

"Is everything a game to you?" he hissed.

"Depending on the situation. Sometimes, I just spin the wheel and see how many spaces I’m supposed to move," I answered, cocking an eyebrow and Erik's anger rose even more, which almost suffocated me. "You're angry at me, that much is clear. As to why, I'm not sure," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"What more do you want from me to do? Get down on my knees and confess it! Erik stared at me, emotion churning inside him.

"So, you admit it?" I could no longer keep my facial expression neutral and a small triumphant smile appeared on my lips. I ducked from underneath from Erik's arms and laughed. "Finally!" I laughed, closing my eyes and spinning around. "Oooh, Mr. Lehnsherr, is that resentment I feel burning in your chest?" I giggled, twirling once more.

The shock that radiated from Erik caused me to open my eyes again to look at the German. Erik was staring at me in astonishment, before he lurched forward and two strong calloused hands closed over my arm and my mind was flooded with emotion one particular emotion, anger.

"You've been purposefully toying with my emotions this whole time!" Erik growled, his expression livid and his blue eyes ablaze.

I scoffed giving him a once-over, "I didn't toy with your emotions. We've been flirtatious with each other since we got to the mansion," I reminded, attempting to free myself.

"So what, your affectionate embrace with Charles last night doesn't qualify as toying with me?" Erik questioned incredulously.

I leaned my face closer to Erik's, "No," I answered, pulling my face back smirking and he narrowed his eyes at me. "If you wanted to kiss me you had your opportunity yesterday in the woods," I pointed out. "If you wanted to kiss me then you should've of been a man about it and pulled me back when I went to walk away," I continued, lifting a finger to his chest. "Because you wanted to kiss me...just as badly as I wanted to kiss you," I admitted, watching the anger in his eyes briefly eclipsed as he processed what I had told him and his grip slackened.

I held his gaze a little longer, my brown eyes meeting his blue, "But you chose to pursue Charles' affection over mine. Why?" Erik asked.

"Because Charles didn't shy away from me," I answered, staring at him.

"That can be corrected," Erik remarked.

"Oh really," I retorted, cocking my head to the side, before I freed my self from his grasp and pulled away. "Erik, do you want to know another reason why I pursued Charles?" I asked, walking backwards slowly.

"I am all ears Claudia," he responded sarcastically.

"Charles has never been insincere with me, he's never tried to manipulate me," I explained, continuing to move away from Erik and ending up on the other side of the room. "I never had to second guess what his motives were," I added.

"Oh, this again?" Erik asked annoyed, frustration joining the list of emotions that emanated from him.

"Yes, this again!" I repeated. "That stunt Raven pulled in the kitchen earlier," I recalled. “The way you let her cling onto your arm with that hopeful gaze in her eyes. You’re using her massive school girl's crush on you against her," I explained, folding my arms together.

"Claudia, you would think so low of me?" Erik questioned, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"No, I just know the wicked games men can play," I answered simply, staring into his eyes searching for signs of deceit.

"Claudia, you are an assertive and observant woman, but I'm afraid you'll find no mastermind schemes here," Erik assured with a smirk that said he wasn't going to give away a thing. "You can take my word," he added.

I turned on my heel, my back facing Erik, "I am going to need a lot more than just your word, Erik," I replied with the same light tone and slight smirk.

"And what do you suggest, Miss Walker?" Erik asked right into my ear, his chest pressed up against my back.

I bit down seductively on my bottom lip, "How about you do what you were to afraid to do yesterday, Mr. Lehnsherr," I suggested, pushing off his chest and spinning around to face him. "I'll have you know second chances like this don't come by often," I breathed, staring up at him.

The two of us were so close to each other, Erik gently grabbed my face and tilted it up and as he leaned closer my heart felt like it was going to explode out of my chest. My eyes slid shut and I waited to finally feel his lips, all our flirting and dancing around each other finally leading to this. I felt breathing against my lips and then a slight pressure...but then there was a loud slam.

"Erik, Charles is looking for...you..." Raven trailed off.

I turned my head away feebly in an attempt to not show that Erik were about to kiss. I lifted my hands swiftly, palms facing outwards, softly pushing him away from me.

Erik, continued to stare at me, "Fine," he growled and moved away from me. I watched him as he ran his hand through his fine brown hair.

I nodded as I dared not look back at the man who had my heart pounding against my chest furiously.

Chapter Seventeen: Everything Falls in Place

[agustdiv1ne]

the snowball effect — wkh

pairing: wong kunhang (hendery) x reader

genre: s2l au, fluff

wc: 2k

synopsis: one snowball started it all.

warnings: none

note: i am whipped for this man, enjoy

part of my christmas bash 2020 | main masterlist

all you could see was snow.

snow beneath your boots, snow blanketing cars, snow resting on roofs and benches and hats and pets and-

you took a deep breath, your exhale visible in the frigid air, as you tried not to slip on the icy sidewalk below you. it's not like you hated the white fluff that coated every nearby surface, it was quite the opposite. really, you loved the snow! but you didn't love it when you had to trudge home through three feet of it.

you walked towards your apartment complex as quickly as possible without falling on your ass. all you could think about was the warmth that awaited you inside, the soup in your fridge that you were going to heat up for dinner, a hot shower to take the chill off of your bones. you were expecting a relaxing rest of the evening, your stressful shift at the cafe down the street now done and over with (you never wanted to hear someone utter the words 'chestnut praline latte' ever again).

what you weren't expecting was a snowball to the face as you neared the entrance to the lobby.

the first thing you felt was the impact of the icy ball from hell against your cheek. then, coldness hit you as some of the snow made its home in your hair. your head whipped towards the direction it was launched from, a glare hot and ready on your face with choice words already running through your mind for the culprit. your fiery eyes met those of a pink-haired boy behind the bushes in front of the complex, a sheepish expression painting his features.

you would have thought he was cute if you weren't so angry.

"i'm so sorry, i was trying to hit my friend whose in the car behind you-" you glanced behind you to find another boy laughing his ass off in the driver's seat, his smile impossibly wide, before returning your attention back to the offender, "and i accidentally hit you instead. i swear i didn't mean to, you have to believe me!" his voice held a panicked tone after taking in your visibly annoyed expression. 

you sighed. he obviously didn't mean to, and he seemed genuine in his apology. you shouldn't take out your annoyance from your shift on an innocent person. your anger quickly simmered down to a low boil as he stepped out of the bushes onto the sidewalk next to you, a hand coming up to lightly brush the snow out of your hair. depsite the frost that nipped at your face, a warmth found its way to your cheeks. with your vision no longer painted red, you were able to take in his features fully. he looked like a prince, even with the glaringly pink hair — he somehow pulled that loud color off.

"it's- it's fine, really," you shot him a tight smile, wishing you could just disappear into thin air. you wanted to get back to your apartment as quickly as possible now. the situation was embarrassing enough, and your awkward self didn't feel like staying out in the cold with a, admittedly cute, stranger any longer, "i'm just, uh, gonna go now. bye."

you turned away from him and continued your short journey to the lobby, hands rubbing against your cheeks to drown out the nagging voice in your head that told you over and over that you just made a fool of yourself. 

stupid stupid stupid-

"wait!" he exclaimed behind you, making you stop in your tracks. you turned back around as he spoke again, "maybe you could come to my apartment for some hot chocolate? as an apology?" 

he looked hopeful, making your heart pump a little faster than normal. and so, you panicked.

"o-oh, i wouldn't wanna intrude! it was no big deal, really, " your adorably wide eyes stared up at him, and he hoped you couldn't see the red hue creeping up his own cheeks. 

"c'mon, i feel bad, at least let me give you some hot chocolate? you look like you're freezing." he seemed nice, genuine, maybe even a little funny, contrary to the boys you'd tried to date before, and you'd be damned not to take him up on his offer. 

"i- sure," you conceded, "lead the way." 

a jolt shocked your form as his hand found yours, the contact startling yet oddly welcomed. his warm fingers contrasted your chilled ones, as you had forgotten to bring gloves with you to work. you initially regretted it, but hey, if the cute stranger wanted to hold your hand, then so be it.

he guided you to the elevator, finally releasing your hand as he examined your somewhat startled expression. "sorry, uh, i can get a little excited sometimes," he chuckled, but he didn't seem too sorry. his pretty eyes widened, "i didn't introduce myself! my name is kunhang."

the elevator opened as you replied, a grin painting your face, "i don't mind. and it's nice to meet you, kunhang, despite the circumstances. i'm y/n."

the ride up to his floor was quiet, but it was far from awkward. his hand gripped yours again once the doors opened, pulling you excitedly down the hallway until he reached his door, where he gestured for you to go in first.

as you stepped past the doorway, you took in the room. it definitely looked like boys inhabited this apartment. an xbox was hooked up to their flat screen tv, random items were strewn across the couch, posters of marvel comics and video games littered the walls. and then the christmas tree…

"why is there a throwing star on top of the tree?" you asked, one eyebrow quirked up in amusement. he was already in the kitchen, grabbing the hot chocolate packages from the cupboard. 

he continued his actions, acting as if it was normal to have a throwing star taped to the top of a christmas tree, "it's all we had, and we're too lazy to go find an actual star from the store, so we had to make do. water or milk?" 

"milk, duh," you answered, "so i'm assuming by 'we', you have a roommate?"

"yeah," he chuckled, "yangyang, the guy i was throwing a snowball at?" you nodded, "that's him." 

you hummed in response, taking a seat on one of the chairs next to the kitchen counter to watch him heat up the milk. he leaned against the counter, puffy jacket now discarded to reveal a hideous christmas sweater. from what you'd seen from him so far, this was fitting.

he handed you a mug after a few more minutes, marshmallows floating along the top of the cup. you blew on the steaming liquid before taking a small sip, humming at the sweetness coating your tongue. he sipped from his own mug on the other side of the counter before suddenly asking, "do you wanna go watch christmas movies?"

"sure," you got up and followed him to the couch. he cleared the random items off of them before plopping on one side of the couch. you sat on the other, not wanting to push the boundaries too far. you had just met him, after all. 

he put 'elf' on before getting comfortable in his seat. you did the same.

the movie passed quietly, only a few giggles coming from both of you at the particularly funny parts. you glanced over at him, the flickering light from the tv highlighting his features perfectly. he looked even more princely in this light, and you couldn't take your eyes off of him.

he glanced over, finding you staring at him with a look he couldn't quite place, "you good?"

you snapped out of your trance, "o-oh, yeah! i just started spacing, sorry." you laughed awkwardly afterwards, trying to save face.

nice going, idiot.

he nodded, turning his head back towards the movie. you followed suit, heat spreading down your neck as embarrassment set in.

another movie began, your hot chocolate now long gone. a chill ran down your arms as you grew colder again, the hot liquid was only a temporary fix. a hot shower sounded heavenly right now.

he glanced over at your shivering form on the other side of the couch, noticing how cold you looked, "hey," you glanced over at him, and he patted the vacant space next to him, "c'mere, you look cold."

you decided that you might as well. he seemed good-natured, he could've done something before this, and he hadn't. so you scooted over next to him, allowing him to sling an arm around you and pull you into his body. he was oh so warm, his presence comforting. a blanket found its way in front of your face, and you placed it on your lap to gain more heat. 

"thank you," you mumbled. an 'mhm' rumbled his chest below your head, and you bit your lip before returning your attention to the movie once more. 

maybe half an hour passed, the sky now growing darker, when his roommate, yangyang, slammed open the door. he spotted you two cuddling on the couch, a mischievous smile painting his face.

"see you got the girl you've been pining after for weeks. your little plan worked, then."

kunhang's expression morphed from comfortable to panicked as he looked back at his brat of a roommate, who was now walking away smugly. he was going to kill him later. 

you frowned, shifting to sit up and face him, "what plan?"

"w-well, uh," he grinned nervously, "i saw you a few weeks ago, and you justlookedsoprettybutiwastoonervous-"

"woah, woah, slow down," you grabbed his hand, squeezing it, "i'm not mad, i swear. just tell me."

"i saw you a couple weeks ago, and, uh, well, you looked so pretty and i wanted to talk to you, but i couldn't figure out how. yangyang came up with the idea of throwing a snowball at you to catch your attention and i was just so desperate that i agreed and now here we are and i'm so sorry because it was weird-"

the giggles bubbling in your throat interrupted his rambled confession, your form doubling over as your laughs grew louder. he glanced down at you, a smile growing on his own face at your reaction. you really didn't care. 

"that — oh my god — that was the best thing i've ever heard. you could've just talked to me, but i appreciate the effort," you cackled, "i don't bite, y'know."

he laughed, "i know, i was just so nervous and it was the first idea that he came up with it. i don't know why it was so nerve-wracking to approach you."

"it's okay, just don't throw a snowball at my face next time."

"i didn't mean to!"

you two broke out in a fit of laughter, it pittering out into a comfortable silence after a few minutes. you stared up at him, your smiles slowly fading as you stared at each other. you bit your lip before leaning forward and planting a chaste kiss on his cheek, pulling back to see his shocked face. you giggled as a bright grin stretched across his lips before he placed one on your cheek too.

you glanced at your phone briefly to check the time. 11pm.

"i better go, i have work tomorrow morning," you both stood up, and he guided you to the front door before he stopped in his tracks.

"hold on," he said before he rushed back to the kitchen, returning with a folded scrap of paper in his hands, "open this when you get back to your apartment."

"alright," you grinned, "see you tomorrow, maybe?"

"yeah! maybe we could go do something tomorrow? like a date?"

"yes!" you cringed at your overly excited tone, "i mean, yeah, that sounds great."

"great," he smiled charmingly, squeezing your hand.

you kissed his cheek one more time before stepping through the doorstep into the hallway, "see you tomorrow, kunhang."

"see you tomorrow."

when you got home, you opened the note he had handed you before he left, finding a short message:

'text me if you ever wanna go throw snowballs at yangyang with me ;) xxx-xxx-xxxx' 

maybe a snowball to the face wasn't all too bad if this was the outcome.

© to agustdiv1ne. do not copy, repost, steal, and/or translate.

[nightshade-minho]

-Nightmare- (6)

Warnings: You’ll lowkey want to slap both Minho and Y/n for being oblivious idiots

Over the next few days, things went by as normal as they could. Out in public, the two of you held hands, kissed cheeks and foreheads and went on fake dates. By the time Saturday rolled around, almost everyone on campus was aware of your relationship.

It was a dreary morning. You sat in your room, watching a movie on your laptop as you munched on some strawberries. You could very well watch said movie in the living room- but you didn’t want to run into Minho. When in private, the two of you now barely said a word to each other. 

Meanwhile, Minho didn’t know what to do. He wanted to apologize to you, but he never got the chance to. As soon as the two of you reached home, you would immediately walk into your room and slam the door shut.

He knew he had been an asshole, but he’d also gotten used to you forgiving him easily. He knew he deserved every bit of anger that you were directing towards him.

He was sitting on the sofa, scrolling mindlessly through his phone when he received a call. He checked the caller ID and realized it was Mera. Frowning, he answered it and pressed it to his ear.

“What the fuck do you want?” He sighed. 

“Are you actually dating that skank? For real?”

He felt anger boil in him. “Don’t fucking call her that. She’s my best- I mean, girlfriend. If you’re just jealous and sore that you can’t have my dick anymore, there are plenty of other guys here that would be willing to fuck you. So leave me alone.”

She tsked. “Always so hot-headed. This isn’t a booty call, I’m just calling you so that I can warn you.”

“Warn...me...?”

“Yes. You haven’t always been very nice to me, but god you were good at fucking.”

He sighed, frustrated. 

“Rina’s still pretty mad at you. She’s also desperately trying to prove that Y/n’s not your girlfriend. You two seem pretty genuine to me, but she’s convinced that you’re faking it...which is why she invited you and Y/n to her party.”

Fuck. He’d completely forgotten about the stupid party she’d invited them to. 

“How exactly..?”

“I don’t know. Just be careful. Bye.” 

She cut the call, and Minho grunted in annoyance as he walked over to your room, knocking.

You looked up from your laptop, frowning. You elected to ignore it, but then the knocks grew so loud that you pushed the bowl of strawberries aside, opening your door with an exasperated expression on your face.

He sighed. ‘Look, I know we’re not exactly on good terms right now. But, we have a crisis. I think Rina’s onto us.”

You exasperation melted away, replaced by confusion. “What? How?”

He explained what Mera had told him, watching as your expressions contorted.

“Can’t we just...not attend the party?”

“Are you mad? I go to every party. She would immediately realize that something’s up. We have to attend. We just have to be extra alert, okay?”

You sighed, rubbing your forehead, letting out a tired ‘Okay.’

He exhaled, shoving his hands in his pocket. “I’m sorry, Y/n. I really am. I don’t have any excuses. You’ve been doing nothing but help and I’ve just continued being a complete dickhead...”

You shook your head. “It’s fine.” You went to close the door. “Which time should I get ready?” 

“About 10? And wait-”

You closed the door in his face. He groaned. 

***

You didn’t come out of your room till about 9:45. Minho was still in his sweatpants when you came out, nonchalantly fluffing up your hair. 

He groggily looked up, eyes widening when he saw you in your grey graphic halter-top and black ripped jeans. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out, opting to just stare instead. 

You turned around, your eyes landing on him, eyebrows knitting in confusion. “Why aren’t you dressed yet?”

Minho cleared his throat as he tore his eyes away from you and stood. “I like being fashionably late. Also, where’d you get your outfit from? I’ve never seen you wear anything like that before.”

You shrugged. “Back of my closet. You were the one who told me that I had to match your aesthetic more, right?.

He nodded. “Well, you look hot.”

“Thanks.” You grinned.

He gave you an awkward smile before going to his room, finding a random grey turtleneck and leather jacket to throw on. He came back out, watching as you sat on the sofa, tapping your foot as you waited. There it was again...that feeling.

He grabbed his car keys, walking to the door. You looked up when you heard his footsteps, heart thumping at how good he looked. But then again, it wasn’t really anything new. 

***

When you reached Rina’s sorority house, you grimaced at the loud music blasting through the speakers. There were people making out even on the lawn, and the place was fully packed. You fought the urge to cover your ears and curl up into a ball on the floor. Glancing at Minho, you rolled your eyes at how he looked completely at ease. This was his habitat, after all.

You stayed by Minho’s side, silent as he was continually greeted by a lot of people you barely knew. You recognized Chan and Jisung, but none of the others. Soon, the two of you were finally able to enter the heart of the party, and you were already exhausted...by the end of the night, you were pretty sure you’d drop dead.

Minho made his way to the kitchen, grabbing your hand so you wouldn’t get lost in the crowd. He filled a red cup with liquid before handing it to you. You shook your head with a look of disgust and he shrugged, chugging it down and quickly replacing his cup with more. You watched uncomfortably as he was greeted by yet another guy, who gave him a high-five before chattering excitedly. Looking away, you tiredly scanned the room, boredom quickly filling your mind.

An hour went by, and you finally gave up. You snatched Minho’s half empty cup and tossed the liquid back, wincing at the taste. He gave you a look of surprise. “About time.” He said, before turning his attention to yet another person who’d come to talk to him. Hyunjin was his name. He looked nice, you noted. You crossed your arms, internally groaning, the music giving you a light headache and the alcohol burning your throat. You couldn’t fathom how this could be enjoyable in any way.

Suddenly, your eyes became aware of the redhead in the very center of the throng of dancing people. She was grinding up against a boy you thought looked familiar. In a second, you realized her eyes were on you. She smirked at you before looking away.

You poked Minho’s arm lightly. “I just saw Rina. I think she’s dancing with Juyeon.”

“Ju-who?”

“The guy at the coffee shop? He was the waiter?”

“Oh, him.” Minho scowled. His eyes searched the crowd before he found the two. He shrugged, finishing his cup before glancing at you with a glint in his eye. “Hey, wanna dance?”

You shook your head firmly. “Don’t push it. I’m still mad at you. The only reason I’m here is because of this stupid lie we’re telling everyone.” You looked back at the crowd, wrinkling your nose at the way everyone danced as if they were in a strip club. So many skimpily clad girls...you almost felt bad for Minho, having to stand by his introverted ‘girlfriend’ instead of join in on the action. You could almost sense his longing, coming off of him in waves.

You shook your head, reminding yourself that it was you helping him, and not the other way around.

***

Minho hated that for some reason, parties didn’t give him the same buzz that he used to feel. When did his definition of fun change? The amount of people coming up to him and greeting him was no longer contributing to his liveliness...instead, it tired him. He glanced at you from time to time, noting your crossed arms and curled lip, regarding the party in complete contempt. For some reason, there was a part of him that could relate.

A few hours went by, and Minho couldn’t take it anymore. He was about to grab your hand and leave, especially because the party was thinning out. A majority of the people had already left with their respective hook-ups, or were passed out on the floor.

“Hey, guys!” He groaned at the familiar voice.

You turned around, smiling at Rina.

“Where do you think you’re going? Minho, you never leave a party this early...your ‘girlfriend’ is really changing you.” She hummed. “I’d like to invite you to a little after-party with my close friends.” She gestured behind her. There were about nine people in all, excluding you and Minho. You recognized Juyeon and Mera, and the two girls from the coffee shop, but that was about it. You looked over at Minho, before sighing and nodding.

***

Half an hour later, you were sat on the floor next to your best friend.

Truth or Dare.

You were gagging internally at it. You weren’t high-schoolers anymore...surely college demanded more maturity than this? You really didn’t want to participate in this stupid game. 

Judging by the infuriating smirk on Rina’s face, you had a feeling that Mera had been right. You could feel a sense of dread surround you, and when you looked over at Minho, it was evident on his face as well.

Rina placed the bottle in the middle of the circle, spinning it eagerly. It spun around and around, coming to rest on Mera. Rina chuckled excitedly, pulling up her phone. “Truth or dare, Mer?”

She paused, feigning concentration. “Dare,” She said with a smirk.

Rina squinted at her phone. “Ah! It’s a good one. Take a fruit and eat it in the most sensual way possible.”

Mera rolled her eyes with a smile. “That’s tame as fuck.” She got up and disappeared for a while, returning with a banana.

She plopped on the floor, peeling it and getting to work. Disturbingly, she kept looking over at Minho as she did so, lewdly sucking on the phallic object while keeping eye contact with your boyfriend. (Well, fake boyfriend, but still!)

You pursed your lips, looking away...only to see Rina’s eyes on you, carefully gauging your reaction. 

“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s move on to the next one.” 

As the bottle was spun again, your mind drifted away. You weren’t thinking about anything in particular, but your brain was yearning for your soft bed and your plushie. 

“Minho! Truth or dare?” You snapped back into the present, eyes wide. 

Minho thought for a while. “Truth.” He said simply. 

Rina tapped her chin with her finger as she read off her phone. “Ooh~ What’s the most unusual place you’ve ever had sex?”

He chuckled wryly. “There’s way too many answers for that, unfortunately...too many for me to count.”

She cocked her head to the side. “Fine. Let’s narrow the possibilities down a little bit. What’s the most unusual place you’ve had sex...with Y/n.”

A sudden coldness settled itself in you as Minho sputtered in response. “Uh...sex? Um...”

The silence that followed was too heavy for comfort. Slowly, one of the girls you didn’t know the name of spoke up. “You two...haven’t had sex yet....?”

Minho cleared hIs throat. “Uh...not yet. We’ve only been dating for like, a week...” 

A dude in the corner of the room sniggered. “Come on bro, you can’t expect us to believe that you, Lee Minho, haven’t dicked down your girlfriend yet.”

Minho met your gaze uncomfortably.

“Wait...have they even kissed?”

Rina giggled. “Oh, they have! I saw it. It’s just weird because...”

She made eye contact with you. “I distinctly remember Minho pushing her away when she did it.”

You buried your head in your hands. Everything was swimming slightly, and you felt a little sick, perhaps from the alcohol you’d ingested earlier. 

“Anyhoo, let’s move on shall we? Their relationship problems are none of our business.” Rina went to spin the bottle once more. “That is, if they even are in a relationship.” She added under her breath.

The rest of the room whispered to each other as you avoided Minho’s eyes, choosing to stare at the spinning bottle. 

“Juyeon...okay Truth or Dare?”

“Dare.”

Rina tapped away on her phone before guffawing, a wide grin spreading across her features. “The dare is...you have to kiss the person right across you.”

It took you a few seconds to register that the person sitting right across him was you. Juyeon smirked and winked at you, before crawling closer, taking your cheek in his big hand and leaning in as you sat there dumbfounded. 

What occurred next happened so fast, that you’d miss it if you blinked.

Minho pushed Juyeon away, grabbing you and pulling you to your feet, his lips slamming against yours. You squeaked in surprise, the shock quickly giving way to a neediness that threatened to swallow you whole. You quickly melted into the kiss as he licked your bottom lip, asking for entrance. Opening your mouth, you let his tongue dance with yours as you made out passionately, choosing to ignore the flurry of whispers around you. Minho pulled away, still holding you by the waist. His eyes were burning into yours, an inexplicable emotion shining in them. Your lips felt sore and tingly, and you breathlessly leaned back in, wanting more.

The kiss that followed was softer, yet every bit as sensual as the last one. His soft lips insistently moved against your parted ones, wetly sucking and biting as your limbs felt like jelly. He nudged his nose against yours as you seperated, lips swollen and kiss-bitten. 

“I love you.” He whispered.

At that moment, Minho’s heart thudded loudly, feeling trapped in his ribcage as he realized that what he’d just said was true. He’d fully meant it. He loved you. He was in love with his best friend.

But all you could feel was pain. Cause there were those words again, those words you’d convinced yourself was a lie for Rina’s benefit, just as false as your relationship. You realized that you’d been stupid to think that this had ever been a good idea. Now that you finally got a taste of Minho, you don’t think you could ever go back... and it scared you. The kiss had been beautiful. It had felt like your whole life led up to this moment. But it was fake...spurious, like the rest of it.

Minho saw the tears in your eyes. He didn’t know what to make of them...or how to interpret them. It felt like feelings he’d been holding down and trapping for years were finally freed...yet he wasn’t happy. He had no idea how you felt about him. He wouldn’t blame you if you hated him. He deserved it. He hadn’t been a good best friend, so why would you want him to be more?

He grabbed your wrist, tearing his eyes away from yours and looking at the people still sitting on the ground, all wide-eyed and with expressions ranging from shock to confusion. His gaze traveled from Juyeon’s face to Rina’s. 

“We’re going to be leaving now. Enjoy the rest of the night.” And with that, he dragged you out the door.

[allthingskakashi]

could you do a hc where kakashi’s s/o gets kidnapped by zabuza and team 7 + kakashi has to go get them??

HC for Kakashi’s s/o Kidnapped by Zabuza & Team 7 on Rescue Mission

okay whew I wasn’t entirely sure how to write this, i feel like this became more of a scenario than a HC but umm i really hope it fulfills your expectations, anon!

a/n : This is mostly aligned with the actual Zabuza fight time period but here, Tsunade is Hokage and Sakura has basic medical ninjutsu skills. 

Kakashi has just returned from a mission and he and his team of jounins report to the Hokage’s office upon their arrival, as per usual norms

But upon entering the office, Kakashi can tell something is not right. The atmosphere in the room is tense and Tsunade’s face looks grim

She orders all the other members but Kakashi to leave the room. She has something important to discuss with him, she announces.

Kakashi is sure by now that something is wrong and yours is the first face that appeares in his mind

If something happened to you, he’d never forgive himself.

He feels his heart starting to pick up pace as he waits in uncomfortable silence for the Hokage to speak

“Kakashi, I need to tell you something. and I need you to be calm.”

He can feel the thump of his heart in his ears. He waits, numerous questions swarming in his head. Where are you? Are you okay? What if something has happened to you?

“I’m afraid y/n has been kidnapped”, Tsunade’s voice booms. “The kidnapper has been identified as Zabuza, the demon of the Hidden Mist—

Kakashi doesn’t wait for her to finish the sentence before he whirls around, sprinting for the door, ready to leave immediately in your pursuit

“Kakashi, WAIT.” Tsunade stands up from her chair, her voice firm.

Kakashi stops, the palms of his hands balled into fists now. “Think with your mind, not with your heart. I will allow you to go, but not before you assemble a team. You’ll need back up. So, assemble a team and go. And Kakashi- “, she continues speaking to the copy ninja’s back, “--Don’t be reckless. I am certain that you will bring Y/n back safe and sound”

Within 5 minutes the original team 7 is assembled and they leave for the rescue mission

Kakashi’s blood is boiling within him but he knows he has got to keep a cool mind to be able to come up with a strategy

Naruto is worked up, fully ready for fight. “Who the heck does this clown think he is, kidnapping y/n sensei? I am Naruto Uzumaki and I give my word to you Kakashi sensei that we WILL bring Y/n sensei back safe”

This makes Sasuke let out a ridiculing “hmpf” but he doesn’t say much other than that.

Sakura has never seen her sensei so quiet and anxious. It worries her but she offers whatever words of comfort she can find

Unfortunately, the encouraging and comforting words of his students do nothing to make Kakashi feel better. He remains quiet as he tries his best to strategize

He keeps blaming himself in his head, bashing himself for letting this happen. Fear of losing you and anger towards the man who dared to kidnap you pools in his stomach.

Once in the Hidden Mist village, Kakashi sends his ninken to look for you while team 7 continues to search for you themselves

Pakkun comes back soon enough, having found a trail.

The impatience in Kakashi grows, but he’s ready for anything that will come his way. It’d be a lie to say that he isn’t scared but he knows he’ll put himself through the depths of hell before he lets anything happen to you.

Everyone follows Pakkun and they’re led to a large field, with a water body flowing right beside.

Kakashi’s eyes fall onto the stream of flowing water and there you are, imprisoned in a large bubble of water, which he can identify as the Water Prison jutsu.

His heart roars in his chest, he wants to run to you and free you but despite his instincts, he’s a ninja, and he knows better than to just run to you carelessly.

He surveys the surroundings. There’s no one around the prison, but that doesn’t mean there’s no one keeping an eye, watching them, waiting to make a move. A ninja must see through deception, he knows that.

He knows that to get to you he first needs to defeat the man who has imprisoned you. The sight of you in a water cage disturbs him, he wants to simply get over with whatever battle he must fight so that he can get to you.

But at least, he’s here now. You’re where he can see you and you’re safe. He’s here and he won’t let anything happen to you.

“Zabuza Momochi, you call yourself the Demon of the Hidden Mist? Stop hiding behind the shadows then and show yourself”, he bellows, the blood thirst in his voice palpable to anyone around. It sends a shiver through all three genin.

A booming voice appears suddenly behind in answer, reverberating through the thin air.

“Ahh…If it isn’t Kakashi Hatake, the copy ninja.” “I thought you’d never come”, the voice mocks.

The man behind the voice is none other than Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist himself.

He has a sturdy build, the look in his eyes just as chilling and blood thirsty as Kakashi’s. The three genin watch in awed horror.

Kakashi turns around, facing his opponent, their eyes meet and now the air is red, bubbling from both ninja’s intent to kill.

“Let Y/N Go.”, Kakashi demands, the ferocity in his voice concealing the growing fear in him.

“Or What? What will the copycat ninja do?”, Zabuza snickers.

“Or I will kill you”, his voice is unwavering, it is not an empty threat.

Suddenly there’s a dense mist blanketing the surroundings, and there’s nothing but thick white fog all around. So thick that the genin huddled together cannot even see each other. Their young minds are swaddled with curious questions, having never witnessed battle before.

“Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura!”, they hear their sensei’s voice permeating through the blinding fog. “Follow Pakkun to Y/n and stay there. No matter what happens, do not come between this fight. Go.”, he orders.

Sakura obeys, following the ninja dog to where you’re imprisoned, unconscious. The other two however, do not oblige, choosing to ignore all of Sakura’s insistent pleads.

Sakura stays beside you, dutifully keeping an eye over your unconscious body.

She struggles to try to see the battle that has ensued but the fog is so thick, her vision is obstructed.

She waits, for who knows how long, hours perhaps, worry growing inside her. She wants to know what’s happening, whether her teammates are okay, whether her sensei is okay.

Just when she cannot take it anymore, she notices the opaque white fog starting to fade, slowly becoming translucent.

She sees two figures far ahead, sprinting towards hers and your direction, Kakashi at the very front, followed by the blonde ninja, and Sasuke sauntering behind them, not in any particular hurry.

The water bubble beside her bursts with a loud boom, spilling water all over her and all around, as your unconscious body falls to the ground with a thud.

Sakura immediately hunches over you, her medic ninja instincts kicking in

Kakashi is by your head now, crouching down and pulling your head into his lap.

“Y/n! Open your eyes.”, he speaks between wheezing breaths, his throat dry from exhaustion.

Sakura jumps to action, putting her hands on you as a green glow emits from her palms. “Don’t worry Kakashi sensei, Y/n sensei is alright.”

Your eyes open slowly, first in flutters and then fully wide.

Your vision is blurry at first but you can make out a man with silver hair hanging over his head, stooped over you—Kakashi.

Your mouth is dry, you can’t form words. Your eyes slowly fall upon the other three ninja around you—Kakashi’s team.

“Y/n!” Kakashi says, pulling your limp body close and hugging you to him, one arm around you and the other on the back of your head, holding your upper body up. “You’re okay…Thank you, Sakura.”

Sakura moves on to heal the other two, both of them wounded, although not as much as their sensei

Kakashi himself is covered in wounds of all kinds, cuts and scratches; blood and dirt smeared on every part of him, but he denies all offers of treatment for the time being. Right now, he’s just glad to have you back

Guilt and relief flood his heart as he holds you tight, silently thanking some supreme power for returning you safe to him, while vowing to himself never to let anything happen to you ever again

Sasuke mutters a clearly audible “disgusting” under his breath at this sight as Naruto and Sakura let out a collective “awww”, making Kakashi suddenly aware of his genin audience as he releases you of his hold to help you up, slinging your arm around his neck.

Once everyone’s healed, you set out, the entire squad and you, back on the way home to your village as Team 7 completes its first successful mission.

[tomtenadia]

Island Dreams - Chapter 3

Hi all and welcome to chapter 3.

So, thing are starting to happen and, alas, angst has decided to come and pay a visit. I used HoF for a bit of inspiration.

Some Gaelic for you: suidh sìos - sit down

The light issue at the very beginning: Yes, in Scotland, in the summer, it can get quite difficult to sleep. Day are super long and it's easy to have light until late and back again at 3am.

I have read it twice before posting. But I had a very long day at work and if I have left some typos I apologise.

Happy reading!

------

Aelin had woken up early that morning. She had forgotten to close the curtains the previous night. She had gotten home quite late from her trip and she was grateful that the supermarket stayed open until late because she still had to buy food for the house. She had whipped up a quick dinner, a shower and then she had tucked herself on the chair in her room. It was so bright outside that she could not force herself to go to bed. Eventually tiredness caught up with her and she gave up. Because she forgot to close the curtains, now it was broad daylight even if it was just 4am. She rolled on the other side and tucked her head under the pillow and went back to sleep. She awoke again two hours later. Apparently the adrenaline of being in a new place was too much. So she got up and decided she could go for a run. She donned her running clothes and she left the house. She had spotted a place called Lews castle and from the map it seemed the perfect place for a run in a park. Aelin followed the marina cut through the town centre, passed Rowan’s shop and ended up near the river. Then crossed the small bridge to reach Lews’ castle grounds. Quickly she took a mental note of the fact that the place was a museum and added it to the list of places to visit, which by the way was getting longer by the minute and kept running a good hour until her body started to protest. The day was gorgeous again and they were blessed with a stunning blue sky. Aelin ran found her way back to a road that took her on a pier along the sea. Finally decided to sit at the bench and relaxed a bit, taking a full mouthful from her water bottle. In London she had little chance of running in parks so she had to use a gym but here… she could run in the nature and it made all the difference.

A few elderly people greeted her as they passed the bench and that was something else that stunned her. Complete strangers greeting her. She removed the headphones from her ears and decided to listen to the sounds of the place around her. She had always considered herself a die-hard city girl. Someone who could never leave the hustle and bustle of the big city. Her soul craved the frenetic life that London gave her. And now, in her early thirties, with her life completely upside down and on pause she was starting to realise that things had changed so much from when she was young. All of sudden her priorities had turned and a quiet life was all she wanted. She needed to slow down. Her ambition had helped her to secure a position quite high in her job. But that ambition had not helped her to reach the top. She had literally given her life to her job. She had sacrificed so much and it had been all for nothing and came to the realisation that she felt lost. For the first time in her life she could not see the path ahead. And that was why she had left. To try and live day by day for a while and learn to enjoy life again hoping that life in a quiet place like Stornoway would give her purpose again. “Oh Aelin, stop maudlin.” She told herself, getting fed up with the dark twist her thoughts had taken. She sighed and stood and started running again, tracing her path back to the town centre. Eventually went back to the house, took a shower and an hour later she was ready to head off to Maeve’s for breakfast. She was quite eager to taste her cakes. The woman had given her a slice of a chocolate cake the day before and Aelin had admitted it was of the best cakes she had ever tasted.

Twenty minutes later she reached the coffee shop and was happy to see that it was open. It was just about 9am and wasn’t not sure yet when life on the islands actually started. “Madainn mhath” she said, feeling like an idiot for her horrendous pronunciation. Once she noticed the shop was empty she felt better. At least she did not embarrassed herself in front of an audience. “Oh, Madainn mhath, a Aelin.” Said the woman from behind the counter “Are you here for breakfast?” Aelin took a seat at a table near the counter “Yes, but not Scottish breakfast this morning. I don’t think I can survive it tow mornings in a row.” Maeve laughed “I made some lovely apple turnovers, fancy one?” Aelin’s mouth began watering. If they were as good as the cake… “Make it two. I went for a run and I am starving.” Maeve disappeared through the back and came back a bit later with a tray with a mug of coffee and the apple turnovers. “I am going to get so fat.” She said out loud and then began tackling her breakfast and listened to the music in the background. It was a female singer and she sang in what Aelin was positive was Gaelic. Rowan was right. It was such a beautiful language and sung was even better. “Who is the singer?” “She is Julie Fowlis. She is from North Uist and sings mostly in Gaelic. She is a great singer.” The tune was slow and it seemed quite sad. “This song is called Mo Dhòmhnallan Fhèin, and it means My own Donald. It’s a sad love story.” “It’s beautiful.” She commented and corrected herself quickly “The language, I mean, not the sad love story.” “Ask Rowan and he will give you plenty of suggestions of bands you can discover if you want to listen to locals or Gaelic singers.” The woman explained and took a seat in front of her sipping her own cup of coffee. Aelin had such good vibes from the woman. She was very maternal to her and towards Rowan as well. She was curious to know more about their relationship. Something told her that it was deeper than it seemed. “And if you are still here in July you cannot miss Heb Celt. It’s a wonderful festival of Scottish music. It’s a three day event but it brings people from across all of Scotland and oversea as well. “It sounds wonderful.” “You just have to stay a bit longer.” Aelin sighed “I have been here only a day and I already feel as my soul has been stolen by these islands. I…” she paused, she felt like she could talk to Maeve. “I left my life in London for now. I needed a break before crumpling down for good.” Maeve put a hand on Aelin’s arm “As I told you yesterday, this is the perfect life. Island life here is a cure for the soul.” Said the woman squeezing the arm gently “Want to talk about it?” Aelin took a sip of coffee to gather her thoughts “Big job delusion and a bad divorce.” She did not have the mental strength to go into too much detail. It still hurt too much and Lysandra was the only person with whom she could fully talk about her life. “I feel lost and stuck.” A flicker of deep tenderness appeared in Maeve’s eyes “Sounds like you and Rowan could help each other.” Aelin whipped her head in the direction of the woman and stared at her. “He is stuck too.” That’s all Maeve volunteered. The woman stood as soon as a customer entered the shop. She greeted the man and they began a conversation in Gaelic. Aelin was staring at her empty plate and was still pondering about the comment that Maeve made about her nephew. What did she mean by they could help each other? And why was he stuck? She wanted to know more but could not ask him. He seemed like the very reserved type and she had no intention to pry. Once her plate was clear and breakfast over, she stood and was about to leave when Maeve reached her and gave her a take away cup “Could you please bring this to Rowan? He should be opening his shop now.” “Of course.” Aelin said her goodbyes to the woman and left, taking the path to Rowan’s shop. She had to buy the next books in the series anyway so she was just catching two birds with one stone. Once she got to the shop she noticed it was open. She entered and Rowan was at the counter working on the computer. “Madainn mhath.” She tried again. He looked up and noticed her and a brief and quick smile appeared on his lips but not genuine enough to reach his beautiful green eyes. “Morning to you.” He replied almost annoyed. “I bring coffee. Courtesy of your aunt.” Aelin offered him the cup but the reaction she got from him was unexpected. He glared at her “What did you say?” “Coffee from your aunt?” “How do you know Maeve is my aunt?” His tone was now tinged with anger. “She told me.” He ignored the cup of coffee and continued working as if Aelin was not even in the shop “She shouldn’t have.” “Is that a secret?” “It was not her place. And it’s definitely none of your business.” Rowan was mad. It was clear from his facial expression, but she could not understand why such a statement would make him so mad. Aelin placed the cup on the counter with a bit too much force “Don’t worry she did not reveal any big secret. Your fucking perfect life is safe.” He slammed the pen on the desk at her tone “What do you want? You delivered the coffee, your job is done.” Aelin was now fuming.”What do I want?” Her tone dripped vitriol. If he wanted a fight, she was giving him one. “I was being nice.” She put the backpack on her shoulder, ready to leave “I was here to buy the next books in the series I got yesterday. I came here to thank you as well for the suggestions you gave me yesterday because I loved every place you recommended." she took a deep breath and tried to calm her fury "And while I am here how do you say asshole in Gaelic?” She noted his reaction and she knew she had gone too far. That was her bloody problem, she had no filters and sometimes she struggled to connect brain and mouth before speaking. Something she had become pretty good at doing during her many fights with Chaol. Not her proudest moment. He left the counter and went to the shelf where she got the book the day before. He came back a moment later with three books in his hands “I don’t have the last one. I can order it.” “Leave it. I’ll order it on Amazon just to piss you off.” She really had to learn control herself. She took another deep breath “Fine, order it.” He didn’t comment and started typing on the computer. “It should be here in a week. I’ll let Maeve know. You are best chums now.” There was irritation in his voice. He was actually mad at her. “You should expect to see us skipping arm in arm around Stornoway singing bawdy songs pretty soon.” He did not like the joke. Definitely the wrong crowd. “Try and get laid. It helps the mood.” She added and hated herself seconds after it once she remembered what Maeve said. He was stuck too. “I am sorry…” Apologising right away for her horrible comment. She was a bloody idiot. “It’s £21.50” he said flatly and with no emotion in his voice. His eyes were cold and it looked like he could kill her with a stare. He kept the bag with the books for a moment and leaned forward on the counter “Don’t you dare to comment on my life ever again. You are a customer. Nothing more. You are nothing to me.” Aelin felt like crying. Yes, she had been nasty but Rowan was being cruel to her on purpose “There is nothing I can give. Nothing I want to give you.” He added when he noted her hurt expression. Then Rowan finally passed her the bag with the books “Now get out of my sight.” Aelin took the bag in silence and left the store. She walked away and left her feet to lead her. She did not notice she was back at the marina. She found a quite spot on the pier and sat down, her feet dangling. And then the tears came. And she cried. And the tears turned into heavy sobs. She took the phone and called Lysandra, but when the woman did not answered she hugged her legs to her chest and dropped her head on the knees as if to try and hold the pieces together. She was tired. And for a moment she just wanted to disappear.

Rowan was fuming. How dare she? She didn’t know anything about his life. How dare she make such a comment? He closed the store and walked quite angrily to his aunt’s coffee shop. She loved to gossip a bit too much and wondered what she had told Aelin. When he reached the shop he was glad it was not busy, that conversation did not need and audience. “Good morning, darling.” Maeve said in a cheery voice, unaware what was about to hit her. “What did you tell her?” His aunt looked at him with a confused expression. “Aelin. The new girl. You told her you are my aunt. What else did you tell her about my miserable life, eh?” “Rowan, suidh sìos.” Her tone had a hint of command. Her face lost the loving and caring side and Rowan knew he was in trouble. So he obeyed her and sat down at the table like she commanded. “I did not tell her anything. I just told her that you are my nephew. I did not know that was a secret.” She was definitely not happy about him. Maeve sat down in front of him “What did you do?” He looked away, shying away from the conversation. Maeve sighed “Rowan, she is going through a tough moment in her life. Be nice to her. Be nice to each other. She seems like a lovely woman. Why don’t give yourself a second chance?” He still did not answer. “She is just as lost as you are. If you only stopped being mad at the world all the time, she might be the person to show you the way back, both of you.” He was stunned by his aunt’s words. It sounded like Aelin and Maeve really had become good friends already and that his aunt already knew a good deal about the woman. But there was no way he was letting anyone else in again. Not after… he pushed the name away. Even after almost a year it still hurt too much to talk about her. No, he was going to live the rest of his life on his own and on his own terms. “Don’t interfere.” He finally managed “It’s my life. I’ll decide what is best for me. And if my destiny is to become a lonely, grumpy old man, so be it.” He gritted his teeth and fisted his hands cooling down his anger. “I know you still hurt because of what Lyria did. But it has been almost a year…” “Don’t…” he hissed “Don’t ever say her name in front of me. Ever again.” “Rowan…” Maeve put a hand on his arm but he pushed her away. Maeve stood and looked at her nephew stone faced “Mrs MacIver asked me if you can order these for her grandson. It’s his birthday quite soon.” And she passed a note to him. “Fine.” He took the note and stood. “Find the way back, my darling.” Maeve said to him once he was at the door. He ignored the comment and left without a reply.

[hellowkatey]

Febuwhump Day 20

Prompt: Betrayal

Read on AO3

Shattered... (from a Certain Point of View)

Never in Rex's short life did he think he would ever betray his Jedi. None of them. Not General Kenobi or Skywalker. Certainly not Commander Tano. To follow orders was part of his programming, but not only that. He would follow his leaders to hell and back if they asked him-- if he considers Umbara or Zygerria and Kadavo hell, then he truly did. The Jedi have become honorary brothers in his mind. They put their lives on the line right next to him and the others, most of the time more-so. They've saved his life more times than he can count, only to be rivaled by the number of times they've gotten him into trouble.

They earned his respect. His friendship. And the respect and friendship of the other men.

Which is why, when the hooded figure shows up on the holo and utters a phrase Rex has never heard before, but suddenly just knows what to do...

"Execute Order 66"

He feels a part of him snap into place, and another part of him shatter into pieces.

"Yes, Lord Sidious," he replies, a surge of adrenaline and anger coursing through him. The door behind him opens, and Rex tightens the grip on his blaster.

But when he hears her voice...

"Rex!"

So familiar, tugging at memories so fond.

"It's Anakin."

Another name he knows too well. Too closely. The hand holding his helmet begins to quiver.

"I feel like something terrible has happened."

Something terrible is about to happen. It's the strangest sensation. Like his mind has been split into two and both sides are fighting for dominance. One side is telling him to draw his blaster and shoot Ahsoka Tano before she has a chance to do a thing. He's a quick shot, and if he misses there are guards at the door.

Good soldiers follow orders.

The other side is screaming at him. Pleading him. No! This is wrong! You can't do this!

His helmet slips from his grip and clatters to the floor. She's still standing behind him, and he can hear the confusion in her voice as the commlink tones of the other troopers begin to chime in.

"Rex?"

He knows the sound of blasters being aimed far too well. The two guards have received their orders. In a moment Ahsoka Tano will be dead. Rex draws in a breath. The mere thought of that as a truth, makes his entire body feel numb.

"No," he says firmly, but the shake in his voice is undeniable. He turns around, taking in the sight of the two troopers with orange and white painted helmets ready to fire. "I'll do it,"

"Rex? What's happening?"

He doesn't even remember picking up both his blasters before he's raising them, both pointed straight at her head. Staring down barrels, Rex finally looks at her. Looks her in the eye. All he can see in her big blue eyes and young face is the look of utter confusion and alarm. A kid! She's only a kid!

"Stay back!" he yells. His hands have never shaken like this before but now they won't stop. He's taken countless lives in this--this war for the Republic. Or for the Separatists? Who is winning now? Was anyone ever winning? He has no idea. What he does know is his hands have never shaken and he hardly ever misses a shot, but right now it is looking like both of these things are his reality. A part of him is frustrated and a part of him is praying to whatever higher power that may be listening that he misses this shot, please. "Find him," he says, feeling that his free will is quickly being overtaken. Like a parasite invading his brain, the good memories of Tano, Skywalker, and Kenobi are being pushed out by force. "Find him. Fives."

He can't take it anymore.

"Find him!" he screams and then fires his blaster wildly in the wrong direction. It's all the warning she needs. Ahsoka bolts into action, moving faster than his eyes can even perceive. Faster than he can react to her body slamming into his and cracking the back of his head into the console. White-hot pain flashes through him and he crumbles to the ground with black spots dancing before his eyes.

Execute Order 66, the shrill voice echos in his mind. Kill the Jedi. Good soldiers follow orders.

He groans, pushing through the haze of pain and blaster shots to get back on his feet. He hears his name being called, sounding faraway, but he can feel that it's near.

Rex starts to fire again. And again. Not really knowing where he's aiming, just knowing that he needs to kill the Jedi.

And when she disappears, the urge only grows.

__________

They search the ship. Tirelessly. Frantically. Like nothing else has mattered this much the entire war.

Except it has. Everything has been an uphill battle and we have done it every time with the help and guidance of the Jedi.

He grits his teeth. Nearly slams his fist into the wall of the lift he's in. Their orders are to execute her.

When have the orders of this Lord Sidious ever mattered before?

Rex's shoulder slams into a doorframe he wasn't paying attention to. He hisses at the blunt pain, shakes it off. A squad of troopers passes him in a steady jog.  Headed to their sector. They will find her if they have to tear this ship apart.

He starts to run, but is caught by troublesome droids blocking his path. He slams into one, taking an opportunity to kick it.

"Hey! Hey, out of the way." The droid seems to laugh at him, and he has half a mind to run his blaster through it instead. Then the blast doors shut around him, locking him in the hallway. "Are you cross-wired?"

A holographic Commander Tano appears from within the droid. "Rex. I think I know what's happening. I saw your report on Fives,"

Fives. Rex's entire body shutters at the remembrance of his death. How he fell limp in his arms.

"It isn't your fault." There's a surprising amount of sympathy in her eyes to be looking at the man who just tried to murder her. "You were programmed. Your mind was altered to do this when you were very young. I can help you."

Good soldiers follow orders.

You were programmed.

The hologram dissipates. His eyebrows slant. Another surge of anger from a place deep with him. He points the blaster at the droid as if it could tell him anything of use. "Where is she?"

"I'm right here," as he turns, a burst of electricity shoots through him, and the world goes black.

__________

The sound of battle wakes Rex up better than any alarm. His heart is already pounding with adrenaline, but when he opens his eyes he finds he is much less prepared for battle than his body seems to be.

His head is pounding. Lights too bright. He tries to process what's going on around him.

Medbay. Lights in medbay. Blasters. Stretcher. Injured? Lightsaber.

Lightsaber. Ahsoka.

Rex pushes through the wave of nausea and finds himself on the receiving end of an endless stream of blaster shots. He'd be more blaster wounds than man if it weren't for Commander Tano crouched at the end of his bed, the bright blue of her lightsabers moving at an impossible speed. She blocks every single blast with perfect precision, but Rex realizes none are being aimed back at the troopers.

The troopers are trying to kill her. He reaches for his guns as a blast manages to strike her shoulder and she staggers back. He aims them as she screams for the droid to respond, her energy obviously waning.

Rex remembers the last time he picked up both his blasters. They were pointed at his Jedi. Armed to kill. But the feeling is suddenly gone from his system. The voice no longer echos in his mind.

He aims. He shoots. This time, he doesn't miss.

Four brothers cry out as his shots hit as they always do, their bodies falling as the door finally shuts. In the sudden silence of immediate ceasefire, Commander Tano turns around and looks at him with those big blue eyes. Her young face is full of confusion and alarm..,. but also hope.

And to see her look at him with hope is the worst possible way she could have looked at him because. when he looks at her all he can see is the reflection of his own betrayal. She shouldn't be staring at him with such concern, moving toward him instead of running away.

His hands start to shake again. He's still pointing his pistols at her, but his fingers aren't even on the triggers. He is just too shellshocked to know what to even do right now. If she ignited her sabers and took him out, he wouldn't blame her in the slightest.

She should hate him. She should kill him. She has every right to that.

Instead, she asks if he is okay.

No, I am not okay... but hearing her voice calms him. Snaps him out of the haze of waking up to such a shock, and he slowly lowers the blasters.

"Yeah. Yeah, kid, I'm okay."

The pounding in his head begs to differ. He reaches up to the source, feeling a thick bandage on the side of his head. You were programmed.

They put a chip in his head to control him when they needed him. To control all of the clones.

"I was framed because I know the truth... the truth about a plot. A massive deception... A sinister plot in the works against the Jedi!"

Shame courses through him at the judgment he cast upon his friend. The disbelief at what he was saying. Fives knew. Fives was right.

"It's in all of us. Every clone."

Every clone.

It sounded crazy at the time. He thought Fives had lost it the way he'd seen countless other brothers descend into madness.

"It's bigger than any of us. Than anything I could have imagined."

Now Rex sees it. The entire plan in action with no way of stopping it. The clones have their orders to kill their Jedi, and he knows for a fact that on their own, the Jedi don't stand a chance against their battalions of thousands.

"I just wanted to do my duty... The mission... the nightmares... they're finally... over"

Fives' last words hit him like a speeder to the stomach. All this time they were put here not to fight and die for the Republic, but to act as sleeper agents until they were needed. Mere pawns created for Lord Sidious's master plan that Rex doesn't even fully understand. What scenario constitutes a purging of an entire religion? It's a war crime at the very least. Their duty was always what they were told to do... but no more. He is tired of being a pawn. He doesn't have anything forcing him into obedience hidden within his mind.

Now, he has a new duty. To stay by Commander Tano's side, and try to stand by those who fought alongside them the last few years. Good soldiers follow orders, but better soldiers do what's right.