#ahhhh i almost have all the memories and its killing me to get them

[esmeralda-juniper]

[shyrose57]

Admittedly, you have outstamina'd me on the long posts, hahaha. Your creativity and organizational skills are most impressive! Good call on the read more, and thank you for patience! Might not be able to reply paragraph-for-paragraph, but know that all your thoughts are so cool and inspiring to read, my word.

Man, that final confrontation is so fun to think about. You totally hit the nail on the head - all of 3rd Life, it was the greens and yellows vs the reds (and Grian), with everyone in their factions pitted against each other. And once they were free of the corruption, they still had to fight against Tubbo to save him. So when, this time, they all have their memories and their wits about them at once, of course they cling to the fact that all they have to do is escape and beat the server together! That wither fight is such a chilling shock - Grian and Tubbo telling everyone they've found some crucial breakthrough, maybe, gathering everyone together at the center of the server, and then not even giving so much as a goodbye, let alone an explanation, before setting the wither loose.

Also the idea of the server always wanting to kill Tubbo in the end, that is so good. Of course it'd favor its creator and champion over the one who almost destroyed it! Ahhhh, such a cool insight. The second season of Last Life almost certainly results in a huge bunk-together for all the participants to rest and recover, to learn how to trust and care for each other again,, but especially for Tubbo and Grian. Falling so deep to the corruption left its mark on them, too, the awareness of how far they're really willing to go if they're only properly motivated. Lots of midnight talks for those two, I think.

And gosh, this AU and the way you think and talk about it just resonate with me in so many ways - like, everyone is so irrevocably and undeniably changed by their experiences in Last Life! And no matter how much they may want to, they can't go back to how they were before, to who they were. So instead, they all have to move forward, learn how to exist in a world that hasn't changed as much as they were forced to. But they're all in it together, so they always have that to fall back on, despite what the game would have them believe.

That whole thing, with Ranboo being a new fae and how that affects how everyone sees him and how he values the tiny things Tommy gave him because they were from Tommy? I would like to wrap that up as a full ficlet, please, I'm taking it to-go and consulting it later, because it's!! Lovely!!

Oh, gosh, Tommy protecting Ranboo from Tubbo? What a fantastic inversion, especially in the time where Tubbo is still charming the heck out of everyone he meets! Ranboo would just be so happy that Tubbo seems so normal, so well-adjusted, somehow, apparently unaffected by the paranoia and bloodlust that's gripped so many on the server? It's a side to Tubbo Ranboo has seen so infrequently, of course he'd take the chance to be around him more - and then with Tommy's mistrust of Tubbo, Ranboo would have such a hard time reconciling that, trying to figure out why on earth they aren't just clicking? Tubbo seems open, so why isn't Tommy?

That makes Seablings content!! Even when neither of them have anything to do with the sea at the moment, Lizzie would have to feel so right getting Jimmy into the Court. Lizzie and Grian would really end up with sort of a rivalry, huh? From Grian's perspective, she keeps taking in his strays, picking scraps from his table like some kind of vulture and then throwing them back at him. He could definitely point the Southlands as very anti-Fairy Fort because of it - if he could paint them as negatively impacting Tommy, he might even be able to win Puffy back over! Oh, imagine if it led to a quiet, early schism of the Southlands; Grian vocally against the Fairy Fort, Martyn secretly with them, both trying to win over as many as they can for when it inevitably falls apart.

Make that two to-go boxes now, my gosh, your exploration of Pearl struggling with her apathy?? I would read a whole fic of just, Last Life but in this AU, you talking about what they'd all feel. Makes me want to give her a big, grounding hug - she definitely gets lots of Hermit Huddles once they all escape.

Hmmm... My first thought, based on what you said, is actually that Boogey!Tommy might go for Grian. He's got the same sense of wrongness as Tubbo without the same closeness, and he's actively wronged Tommy. And no way is Tommy risking going down to red, so I can see him making the calculation - get rid of Grian, a threat to his new home and to the whole server, cure himself, win-win! I... do also feel like he'd definitely win against Grian, though, so maybe it would have to be early enough that Grian isn't red, or someone is able to stop/redirect him somehow?

Ooooooh, getting all the fake memories crammed into their head is such a good idea!! That makes tons of sense, too - the corruption gets a foothold and tries to shape them into what it wanted them to be, but it still can't actually remove anything. So, say, Ranboo still knows everything he came here for, but he also knows he's fae in a way he didn't before - remembers a lifetime, short for a fae but so much longer than he knew before, of being with the Court. Possible to overcome, but definitely a much stronger struggle than it was when it was all foreign instinct. Now, they've got the muscle memory to go with it, so to speak.

What can I say, it's really fun bouncing off what you've got!

Oh, can you?? Imagine?? That'd be so devastating, like, morally? It'd be one hell of a blow. Tubbo and Grian, the ones who kinda did the most to defeat the server last time, calling the others in for a 'breakthrough'? Like, they'd be so hopeful, excited, and just ready.

And then it just turns out to be a trap? The wither(the one they swore they would keep from being used, promised to guard for them, just let them take some of the load off, they can help-), unleashed upon them, in an area where it's likely all the harder to fight in, while they're all so very unprepared, nearly led to their deaths by the very trust they placed in their friends.

And those friends just leave?? Not a word, not a glance. No explanation for it, just. Nothing.

Then again, they don't really need to say anything, do they? Their actions speak for themselves.

And the aftermaths effect on those two, especially, is a very good point. Like, logically, they know that they're both dangerous. Forces of nature, brilliant and vicious should it be needed.

But they were never supposed to be that to their friends. And maybe they'll forgive them, but it'll be a long time before they can forgive themselves-can trust themselves again, knowing how close they came to destroying the people they care for, for nothing but hollow crown, with smiles on their faces.

The clashes with the before and the after?? Are just?? Gonna be so interesting?? Not just for each other(with who they used to be, what they thought they were, and what they've all become), but also for those outside of it all. Empires, Dsmp, Hermitcraft, ect. They see all their friends returning, and, everything they thought they knew to expect, is ripped apart when they find them.

Like, just the aftermaths of it all?? Literally so good. Everyone readjusting to the changes, from the game and from out of it. Inside and outside perspectives, close and far. Pixl's allies seem so strangely tight-knit, and though the protection extends to him, their trust does not. Michael's parents come back to him so strange, and new. Fiercer, sharper, bigger.

Ranboo goes from enemy number one to exploitable number one, and it probably gives him whiplash when it happens. Also, just?? It's adorable?? Imagine that coming out? Everyone probably originally assuming Ranboo was working around his instincts, but no, those things were genuinely considered valuable to him because Tommy gave them to him, and just!!!

Ranboo just wants his friends to be happy! Like, he's not pleased with the whole thing in general, but seeing Tubbo seem to genuinely relaxed and trusting, so genuinely happy and cared for is a rare silver lining in this whole mess, and one he clings to wholeheartedly. And Tommy seems a bit lighter-not as much as the other, but still somewhat, and-

And he is dead set on keeping them apart?? Tommy seems to bristle at the mere mention of the person who should be his best friend-who's regarded as one of the kindest people on this server.

Makes you wonder how he didn't catch on earlier-but then again, ignorance is bliss, and he had to have something to hold onto, right?

And oooohhh, that'd be so cool? Like, Grian and Lizzie?? They're totally rival courts. Though I don't know what Court Grian actually is from-Summer, or Sun, perhaps? Or maybe something a bit more subtle? Would Grian's group be considered his Court, even if he's just using them? Because that would absolutely amp up the tension for when Lizzie seemingly starts stealing his Court members from under his nose.

Even if he thinks of them as you've said-would that make it even more infuriating? Lizzie steals the things he threw away, and they thrive. They become some of her greatest assets. Not even just Jimmy or Tommy, but Ren too, even, seeing as he turned him away when he originally sought to join them. Oh, and when it comes out that Martyn's with them? Puffy doing who knows what, wavering between sides? Mumbo, who was technically with them from the very start? The people who he actually kept at his side? Willingly straying?

He must've been furious, a slight like that.

Pearl needs so many hugs, and a good couple of blankets too. With dragons on them. She's going through it, and it's not easy to deal with when the idea of doing so just keeps getting shoved further and further back.

Oooh, Tommy going after Grian?? So very fun? Someone to stop or redirect him sounds cool, but who?? Puffy, maybe? Impulse? Someone from his new alliance?

A whole new life of memories makes them even more Other in ways they weren't quite before. Close, but not quite. That's just going to be so confusing for them-because, in these lives that never were, they're still them!! But shaped by different circumstances, changed by different factors.

And those memories, well.

I don't think they exactly go away when they defeat the game.

[tthankstoyou]

Assign glee characters songs from Taylor's Red album if you want. It can be because you'd think they'd sound good or because it just fits

Ahhhh thank you so much for this ask!!!! I literally love this ask so much, answering it was a lot of fun💖💖💖

I didn’t give every glee character a song & I gave a few people/ships multiple songs. Also! I hope you don’t mind that I added a few non-canon ships <3

I put everything under the cut since it got hella long, it’s hard for me to shut up sometimes 😳

• State of Grace: I feel like this is a really good Finchel duet. Finn and Rachel loved each other so much and left a lasting impact on each other’s lives (especially Rachel). I can see them singing this after Rachel heals from from their s4 breakup (so Finn’s still alive). Hmmmm I’m thinking they sing this at the failed Wemma wedding when they reunite.

• Red: Ok get this, Pezberry duet after their s5 fight (but like a romantic relationship, not platonic). But like when they’re at the stage before they make up & they realize how much they miss each other. They switch the male pronouns for female ones tho.

• Treacherous: This doesn’t fit any storylines for her, but I think Santana would sound beautiful if she sang this song. I don’t know any singing terms, so stick with me here. I think that Santana should’ve sung more soft songs (you know, like ‘Songbird’) & I think ‘Treacherous’ would’ve utilized how soft her voice can sound, but also how powerful it can be. Like since the song goes from slow paced and builds up to something faster and more powerful (this prob makes no sense)

• I Knew You Were Trouble: Quinn sings this after she see’s that Puck was s/exting Santana at their sleepover! She was ready to raise a baby with this man even though she knew about his reputation. Quinn thinks that she should’ve known better, but it’s too late for that and now her heart has been ripped out of her chest.

• All Too Well: Kurt sings this after Blaine tells Kurt that he cheated. I think he should sing this in the breakup episode when he should be sleeping, but his thoughts are keeping him up. Like how he tells Finn that he barely slept. I think Kurt singing this would be kind of like why Taylor wrote it, he’s trying to understand where and why everything went wrong.

• 22: I would LOVE for Madison and Kitty to sing this during the party in Rachel’s basement in s6. I chose that pairing since they all had to sing duets in that episode and I would kill to hear those girls sing a song together. Also I can totally see everyone having a great time on the dance floor, kind of like how everyone was partying during ‘Somebody Loves You.’ I think this would be a good song to keep the energy up.

• I Almost Do: I want Marley to sing this so bad. Not for any particular reason, I just think it would go really well with her voice.

• We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together: (Jarley endgame my beloved BUT) Marley sings this after her breakup with Jake. I think she’d sing this after she opens her locker and a whole bunch of flowers that Jake put in there fall out. She’s starting to get fed up with Jake begging for her to come back & she decides that the best way to get her feelings across is to sing this song to him in the middle of glee club.

• Stay Stay Stay: I don’t have a specific situation I want her to sing this in, but I think Tina would sound AMAZING on this song. Like it’s such a fun song & I can so see her singing it because it’s underrated just like her.

• The Last Time: Rachel sings this when she’s on her way back to Lima in the breakup episode to talk to Finn.

• Holy Ground: I feel like this would be SUCH a good song for Mercedes about her relationship with Sam. Like she’s being her pop star self and sees something that reminds her of Sam while on tour. She’s filled with nothing but good memories. She’ll always have love for him in her heart. AND omg the line “And I see your face now in every crowd” because Sam was her biggest fan and always will be.

• Sad Beautiful Tragic: This would be a good song for Blaine to sing after the s4 Klaine breakup. Like I think this would fit perfectly w/ how the song is about how distance tore them apart in the long run. The whole bridge fits their situation so well, especially the lines “Distance, timing, breakdown, fighting / Silence, the train runs off its tracks / Kiss me, try to fix it, could you just try to listen?”

• The Lucky One: This song is deadass about Rachel. It would be wrong to assign it to anyone that isn’t her. Like she was a star who moved to L.A. to make her name even bigger. She quickly learned though that Hollywood life wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. She had to leave town to save face. Here are some lines that fit perfectly imo: “You had it figured out since you were in school” & “And they still tell the legend of how you disappeared / How you took the money and your dignity, and got the hell out”

• Everything Has Changed: I feel like this would be a super cute Hevans duet. I have no real explanation, I just want them to sing this soooo bad... maybe during duets week...

• Starlight: This would be such a fun group number at the end of an episode. I want the leads for this song to be Artie, Tina, and Unique. I think they'd make this number a lot of fun and I would love to hear the three of their voices in a song together.

• Begin Again: Quinn sings this song about the first girl she dates, mainly because there's nothing more gay than meeting someone in a cafe. The other man that she’s comparing the person she’s with to symbolizes all the men she’s dated. The line "I've been spending the last eight months / Thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end” is about how Quinn isn’t the best at relationships. All she wants is to be loved, but she hurts everyone she’s with. But with this girl, it’s like none of that matters.

• The Moment I Knew: Kitty sings this about Artie when he forgets about her while she’s in New York. I don’t think it would fit any specific canon event, but I can imagine something similar to the song happening to them & Kitty just knowing that this was the end.

• Come Back...Be Here: Brittany sings this because of how she wants nothing more than Santana to be there with her. Like she said before they broke up that she feels like she’s suffocating with Santana & I think that this song would help Brittany convey how she feels.

• Girl At Home: I don’t know why, but I want Artie to sing this. I just think he’d have fun with it.

[code-otome-game]

Completed otome games, my thoughts, along with my fav characters (last updated: August 22nd 2021)

1. Code Realize - August 2021

Saint-Germain instantly caught my eye, along with Lupin ofc. I was curious about Impey but my friend who lent me her collection of otome games said he was shit. Code Realize was my reintroduction to otome games, and plummeted me into otome hell once more. As soon as I saw Herlock Sholmes, I wanted him as a route, and loved his Future Blessings route.

Saint Germain was my absolute favourite, and his route hurt me in all the right ways. His VA was amazing at conveying the emotion behind certain scenes.

2. Café Enchanté - August 2021

After completing Code Realize, I felt a little lost and didn't know what game to play next. I figured after the pain of some of the stuff in Code Realize, I'd go for something I thought would be a little more fun and a little lighter. Cafe Enchante was next on my list. I was instantly drawn to Misyr and Il, with Il being my first route. I absolutely loved Il, and was traumatized from having my fav boy be the one who was hurt the most again. Although, Misyr is definitely a top contender for most hurt fav as well...

3. Piofiore - August 2021

I continued on with Piofiore right after Cafe Enchante, and instantly knew I was interested in Dante and Yang. I went with Dante first, and was absolutely enamored by him. I was absolutely heartbroken to find out that I didn't get his best ending at first, and contemplated not playing the game for a while. But I decided against it and carried on, using a guide this time. I didn't think anyone else would surpass him in my mind, but boy was I wrong. I quickly fell in love with Yang once I started his route, and his route was the first to make me feel butterflies again in years since I played my last otome game.

However, after playing through all the routes and getting to the finale, I absolutely fell in love with Henri, and I'm honestly shocked that Nicola has left such an impression on me considering I didn't think much of him right after his route. Now it's hard *not* to think about him. But overall, I love all the men pretty equally. I'm super excited for 1926.

4. Collar x Malice - August 2021

I was definitely curious about this one and was tempted to start it multiple times when choosing which game to play next, however I put it off because I didn't like the protagonist being a cop.

The characters are honestly all super loveable, and I think I love them all a bit more equally then I do the Piofiore guys. I was surprised Saeki wasn't a route, until while I was playing Kei or Shiraishi's route when my friend spoiled he was Adonis' leader.

I fell in love with all the characters quite gradually through their stories, with the exception of Shiraishi. I knew he'd be the one I was the most curious and interested in. I was so excited when I finally unlocked his route, and I absolutely loved every single bit of the early half of it. His comments and interactions were hilarious, he was adorable *and* hot.... and he loves cats. What the hell more could I want from a guy? He makes me want to introduce him to my own cats and also makes me want to do mundane and sweet things with him just because he's so sweet and I love him.

I was absolutely heartbroken at his "best" ending, and thinking about his tragic ending hurts my heart. I legitimately only want the best for this man- I only want him to be happy and healthy and not confined to some stupid prison or Adonis...

It also feels strange, but I think I love him best *before* he got a little soft with the protagonist? His quick retorts and harsh comments were hilarious and I loved that so much about him, so I was a bit sad when he grew a bit soft later on.

At the time of writing these past 4 entries, CxM is the latest game I've played, so Shiraishi's story is still super fresh in my mind. I was as obsessed with most of the other men mentioned above as I am with him right now. I'm sure the following entries will contain more love-ramblings like this as I complete more games and add them to the list.

5. Amnesia: Memories - August/September 2021

Toma! Toma! Toma!!!

My first experience with ✨ the cage ✨. I went with Ikki at first, got his normal ending (thaT SHIT WAS SO SAD WTF ;-;) and then went back with a walkthrough for his good ending. But... his route was kinda underwhelming tbh. I liked it as I played it, but looking back now... it really was quite underwhelming. So was Shin's route, who I played after Toma. I was interested in who the culprit was, and was shocked with the reveal tbh. Buuut after playing Toma's route... it was understandable. Although I really wish that Shin's route had more affection in it... it felt more like a mystery with a little bit of romance rather then an otome game.

I played Toma's route after Ikki's, and omfg... Toma was truly an unexpected fav. Hated his good ending tho, idfk why you would be ok with just returning to normal after all of that... but whatever. I would willingly go in that cage I s2g. I LOVED his eyes too! When he gets dark and super possessive, those eyes are just... UGH. Yes please. ❤

I skipped the entirety of Kent's route because I really just don't give a fuck about him. Hes absolutely not my type. I felt bad skipping it, but... in the end I don't really care.

Ukyo was also an unexpected fav- I wad super curious about his route and suspected that all of the "interesting" and bad stuff that I had heard about would happen during his route buuuut... nope. Nothing of the sort. He was so damn sweet, but I will say that uh... insane side of him is kinda hot too. 👀 but omg, the fact that he's a photographer AND so damn dedicated to you and sweet is just... ugh. My heart. Ukyo and Toma definitely became my favs for this game, and I think this is the first time where my first route didn't end up being one of my favourites.

I love how sharp Toma is as well! That he knows so much about you and can easily find out things and such... but also- I really like how dedicated and caring Ukyo is. He's so protective and adorable! I really did feel bad for him during his route. I haven't gotten his normal ending yet, but the title of it is so fucking sad and I don't know if I even wanna go for it.

"Do you know Ukyo?"

6. Bustafellows - September 2021

Honestly, when I started playing Bustafellows I didnt expect to like many characters, if any at all. None of them were particularly appealing to me, at least visually... however, as I played the game, I was drawn to Shu and Mozu, as I found Shu to be the most attractive one of the bunch, and Mozu was interesting to me as a coroner. However, the first character I ended up with was... Crow. I was honestly a little surprised, but didn't care too much. I didn't know who I wanted to go with first, and honestly, as the common route progressed... I found myself liking Crow more.

Crow was the one I liked the least out of everyone, at least visually at first. I really didn't like his hair lmao. But as I read the common route, he really grew on me, and I couldn't help but be sweet to him, so ofc I ended up with his route first... and god, I really love him. He's so stupid and adorable. Like seriously.

I went with whoever the game would give me after Crow, and it gave me Helvetica. With Crow, I really loved his character, but didn't care much for his story. It was the opposite for Helvetica. I enjoyed his story a ton, but not his character. I then carried on with Shu, who I loved entirely. Both his character and story was really really good, and his bad ending... phew. Damn dude.

Mozu came after, and I honestly have mixed feelings about his route. I feel like there really needed to be more romance between him and the MC, but the end of his route where he finds his sister is.... oof. I literally went "thats rough buddy" in my head lmao. I felt so bad for him.

I liked Limbo a lot more then I thought I would as well! He was super adorable and sweet, and the story was pretty good too, so I really enjoyed his route. But overall, I believe Shu and Crow are my favs this time around. I can't believe I didn't like Mozu as much as I thought I would! But I feel like I would have liked him a shitton more if there was more to his route then there was.... smh.

Nightshade - September 2021

I almost immediately jumped right into Nightshade, although with doubts of enjoying it in my mind, as I wasnt in the mood for a historical japan setting. However! I loved the characters, and the story! By the end of it, I was thoroughly angry with the antagonists for hurting my BOYS like that...

The first one I went for was Kuroyuki, who I LOVED. I felt a little bit confused throughout his route, but I still quite enjoyed it. A sweet yandere. Babey boy. I love him.

Next was Chojiro, and oooohhhhh boy.... yeah. That was a little rough. BUT I feel like the story was very well suited for him!!! After that I went with Goemon, who was SO SWEET. For a moment, the "plot twist" had me, but then I realized there was no way he was wasn't trying to trick his old clan/the council.

Hanzo was second last, and definitely an unexpected fav! I didnt find him very attractive at first, but seeing him more and more throughout the routes had him growing on me. And I LOVED him! But... I don't like Ieyasu's treatment towards the end of the route; ordering Hanzo to kill the MC after making us thoroughly believe he was a kind man in every other route.... sigh. But I'm happy that he was able to take just the MC's sash instead of her head. I do like that he also told Hanzo to "go get a wife and come back" hehe.

GOD that scene in the cave with Hanzo where youre both naked... YES. And his hair when its wet!!! Hes so adorable AND hot at the same time???? I love Hanzo. Tbh, I love all of them.

Gekka was the last one I did, but I wish I reversed Hanzo/Gekka's positions. Cause I really, *really* didnt like ending on such a sad ending.... dear god. I really thought I got the bad end or something for a hot minute there. Then Gekka comes in! Ahhhh, honestly I didn't like him much at all at first which is why I saved him for last, but his route.... FUCK man. His route was heart wrenching. And he's so damn sweet. I still don't understand how/why he doesn't try to kill the MC in the other routes after the "protection" "curse" is lifted but whatever. Still, the ending... dear god. And all of their graves being dug up... the box of everyone's hair... jesus christ that was morbid. Even that made me mad. I didnt care much for the blonde haired kid who died first, but everyone else after that had such a good part to the story...but I wonder why Kuroyuki lived in every route?

Either way, Nightshade was a lot better then I thought it would be! I loved it!!! I honestly might go back soon and replay Kuroyuki's route now that I know whats going on and I know the characters.... also wanna replay Hanzo's route! Babey ❤

[jwillowwolf]

Magic and Miracles - Chapter 14

Sanders Sides Big Bang fic, Final Chapter!

< Previous Chapter | << Prolouge | Masterlist

Summary: Instead of speaking, Virgil simply pulled Logan in for a hug. Logan froze in shock for a moment before he hugged him back. He felt the tension leave Virgil’s body and just barely heard as he whispered.

“It’s finally over.”

“Yeah. It really is.”

“Thank the gods. It’s over.”

Warning/s: food mention, minor violence.

Characters: Logan, Virgil, OCs, Roman, Remus, Patton, Janus, Remy, Emile.

Tag List: @theimprobabledreamersworld @remy-please-come-back

Read on AO3

14 | Finale

“After the spell is performed, you should be able to make a porthole into the fae realm yourselves without going to the pixie gate. You would still have to make it outside of the fae city to avoid magical interference of course.” Nitya stated as the group followed it through the halls of its home.

Janus frowned. “That sounds like a big spell.”

“It is. In fact, it’s not normally used by anyone, but you should have enough magic to do it afterwards… Just double-checking, you’re all one-hundred percent sure you want to go through with this?” Nitya asked.

Virgil nodded. “We came to the agreement that this is what we need to do.”

“I asked if you wanted to do it.”

The group exchanged some glances and Logan spoke for them. “We want to help people and this is a way we can. We have to go through with it.”

Nitya smiled softly. “Well, whatever happens, I hope you all find success against your foes.”

It led them to a room that looked very much like a library, with the walls from floor to ceiling holding leather-bound books.

“This is my study. All of my notes from over the years are kept here. Since it won’t be of any use to me anymore, I suppose I’ll leave it to you all to do whatever you want.”

Everleigh’s eyes lit up. “I’m in heaven.”

Nitya chuckled. “You can look at them later. First, I need to explain the spell to you all.”

“About that, will we need to participate? Because Everleigh doesn’t know how to use magic,” Logan explained.

“Ah. Well, I’m going to need to teach you all what to do, so going into a little more depth for newbies won’t be too hard,” Nitya shrugged. “You do at least understand the basic concept of what magic is, right?”

Everleigh nodded. “It’s the essence of the world itself. Of the life that flows through all things in existence.”

“Correct,” Nitya grinned. “Ever present, never seen. Feared and admired by all beings. The life that bursts from the earth, the secrets hidden in stone. It dances in the fire’s flames; it gives the wind its mournful tone. Here it is, this is it. Defined yet unexplained. In the depths of the ocean, and of your own mind. In the veins of all creatures, including humankind. For magic is in everything, yet unknown all the same.”

“Woah, is that an old poem or something?” Willow inquired.

“Hmm, simply something I learnt from another strange being,” Nitya stated ominously. “But never mind that. I need you to stand in a circle for this to work.”

The group stood in a circle formation around Nitya, just as they had been directed. Unfortunately, due to the high-risk level of this spell, I can not explain the intricacies of it to you. But I will do my best to give you a description of what happened next.

Nitya looked around to make sure everyone was ready then held a hand over its head and began to chant in an unknown tongue. The light on its fingertips steadily changed colours, fading from one into the other as Nitya drew a myriad of interconnected glyphs. As the colours began to brighten, Nitya’s voice became… strange. It seemed to echo at different pitches. Almost like its voice was not its own, but rather that many different voices were speaking from its mouth at the same time.

The teens took this as their signal to begin drawing their own runes. And as they all finished, in unison they said, “Solhart.”

The runes and glyphs turned stark white before bursting like tiny fireworks and fading from existence. Logan looked around at his companions and thought that perhaps the spell had been unsuccessful. But then at the centre where Nitya had been standing, he saw that there was nothing left of it. No clothes or feathers or anything. Just an empty space at the centre of the room.

“Did it work?” Patton asked.

Willow shrugged. “Well, I suppose there’s only one way to tell. Everyone ready for status checks?”

“You’re going to need to talk me through that,” Everleigh said.

“Oh, right, uh here I’ll show you.”

Logan checked his own status and did a double-take when he saw it.

Logan Picani

Titles: Divine Friend, Legend Wizard, Wind Tamer, +...

MP: 500 - full

HP: 200 - full

Skills: Bond-Link, Wind Tamer, Magic, +...

“Uh, is anyone else seeing a way higher status than they had before?” Roman asked. “Because I swear I only had twenty mp.”

“It worked! We’re all at like master magic level now,” Remus said excitedly.

“This is definitely going to give us an edge for going back into the fae realm,” Willow commented.

Virgil nodded. “But first, let’s discuss a plan…”

---

On his stolen throne, Ynclementia sat with a deep frown gracing his features. “What do you mean she’s still resisting the poison?”

The alchemist gulped fearfully. “S-she’s wearing down, s-sire.”

“She should already be dead.”

“I’m sorry w-we miscalculated a step. But she’ll be gone before sunset.”

“She better be. Or I’ll have your heads.” Ynclementia snapped.

Just then, a guard burst into the room. “Sire! There’s been an attack.”

“Kill them off then. I told you if anyone tries to rebel, show no mercy.”

“It’s not rebels, sire. At least, not normal rebels.”

“What do you mean, ‘not normal rebels’? Are they too much for you idiots?”

“Well, sire-” the guard was cut off by static from his walkie-talkie.

“They’re on the tenth floor! We’ve lost six men! We need backup! The d- holy f-!”

The speaker on the other end was cut off by what sounded like a roar and multiple screams before the transmission cut out.

“What is that?” Ynclementia questioned.

“That’s what I was trying to explain, your majesty. A dragon, a wolf, a human, and two elves have stormed the tower.”

“Prince Virgil’s entourage,” Ynclementia muttered before his eyes widened in realisation. “The Prince, did you see him with them?”

“We’re not sure, sire.”

“Kill them all and bring the prince to me.”

“That won’t be necessary,” a familiar voice said from the doorway.

The alchemist, the guard, and Ynclementia all looked up to see Virgil standing there with a dark look on his face.

“Kill him!”

The guard ran forward first, unsheathing her greatsword to slam down onto Virgil. Vi was quicker than her though and moved out of the way before the blade could even graze his hair. He took advantage of the moment that the guard had her sword down, and threw a potion at her. She gasped and released the sword before falling limp to the ground.

“I’m paralysed!”

The alchemist then snapped out of their frightened state and pulled out a potion to throw at Virgil. He easily dodged it though so that the alchemist instead hit the guard.

“Gah! It burns!”

“I’m sorry!” While the alchemist was apologising, they had left themselves open, giving Vi the perfect opportunity to throw another paralysis potion. “Eep! Going down.”

“You useless wretches,” Ynclementia growled. “You couldn’t even handle a child.”

“How about you face me yourself, coward,” Virgil taunted.

The earl grinned devilishly. “Gladly.”

Ynclementia rose from his seat with his grin seeming to grow wider. Virgil’s eyes widened in horror as he watched the man before him morph into a creature that could barely be considered human, let alone fae. His limbs seemed too long in certain places while too short in others. His eyes had turned completely white -no pupil or anything- and his hair moved as if it was a fire burning him.

“You took a contract with a demon. That’s how you gained so much power.”

“Finally figured me out then, your highness? Well, you weren’t always the fastest to catch onto things. Hopefully, your death will be quicker than your mind.”

Virgil just barely got out of the way as the Earl shot a surge of hellfire at him. He ducked and dodged as Ynclementia sent beam after beam at him like a slew of large fiery arrows. Except the fire was the arrows and his mouth was the bow. Finally, the Earl reached a point where he couldn’t use the hellfire anymore and switched to hurling himself at Virgil.

While he was able to run just out of the fae-demon’s reach, Vi could feel his energy wearing down, and decided instead to turn around mid-run with his dagger raised to slash at him. Unfortunately, Ynclementia had seemed to anticipate this move and caught Virgil’s wrist before he could swipe at him.

Virgil could see the hellfire building in the back of his throat. In an instant, his life flashed before his eyes. His family, his childhood, his schooling, his school, his classmates, his friends, the memories hit him like a truck. He felt like he was about to die in that very second and all he could think was-

“AHHHH!” Ynclementia screamed as water hit his chest.

He released Virgil and fell to his knees in agony. Virgil stared dumbfounded at the fallen enemy then looked to the doorway where the stream of water had come from. Standing there he saw his grandmother and a very concerned Logan who immediately rushed over to him.

“Oh my gods, are you okay? Did he hurt you? Did any of them hurt you?” Logan questioned.

Virgil stayed silent.

“Why won’t you answer me? Did they put you under a spell? Virgil, please, speak up.”

Instead of speaking, Virgil simply pulled Logan in for a hug. Logan froze in shock for a moment before he hugged him back. He felt the tension leave Virgil’s body and just barely heard as he whispered.

“It’s finally over.”

“Yeah. It really is.”

“Thank the gods. It’s over.”

“Ehem,” the boys looked up to see Valeria smiling at them. “Do I get a hug too, or do you two want some space.”

“Nana! I’m so glad you’re alive!” Virgil declared, rushing over to hug her.

“I’m glad we’re both alive,” Valeria replied. “But what on earth possessed you to fight a demon?!”

“I didn’t know he was a demon.”

“Wait until your fathers hear about this.”

Virgil frowned. “Nana, they…”

“I can bring them back, dear.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Yes! … Oh, I am going to be in so much trouble…”

---

“Hurry up, kiddoes. The carriage is waiting for us outside,” Emile called.

“We’ll be down in a minute!” Everleigh yelled. “Does my hair look right?”

Logan rolled his eyes. “For the last time, Ev, yes.”

“Don’t roll your eyes at me. This is my first time in high society, you know.”

“Firstly, I’ve got about as much experience with this as you do. And secondly, we both know that you just want to look nice for your girlfriend,” Logan teased.

Everleigh blushed. “Willow and I aren’t official yet.”

“Yet.”

“Oh, stop. Also, you totally have the upper hand here. You’ve met two queens and a prince!”

“You’re friends with the prince and have met one of those queens. Under better circumstances than I did too.”

“Well, you did that magical license test thing publicly. Gods, I’ll still have to learn all the magic stuff you did. And in a more polished school too.”

Logan nodded. “That’s a good thing. You’ll get to make friends and have more than just Remy to teach you.”

“I don’t need any more friends, I think. Also, it’s totally unfair that you and the others got to learn everything before me.”

“I did offer to teach you.”

“You weren’t even sure you could teach yourself,” Everleigh pointed out. “Huh, you’ve actually come pretty far, haven’t you.”

Logan paused for a moment to think. In just under a year, he had gone from a struggling self-taught mage to an expert wizard with noble-born friends and hero status. Just two weeks ago, he’d snuck away from home with his friends to find a magical miracle and then ended up going to the fae realm and saving the fae queen from the brink of death. Saying he’d come a long way may have actually been understating it.

Just days before that he’d been worried about losing his friends to their high-class lives, and now they were all going to a ball hosted in their honour where they’d be officially receiving their hero titles and full magic licenses.

“Done! You look fabulous, if I do say so myself,” Everleigh declared.

Logan looked at himself in the mirror to double-check the make-up she’s done. It wasn’t too complex, just some eyeliner, blush, and blue lipstick to match his azure suit. Normally make-up gave him dysphoria, but since he’d completed the transition spell, he simply felt like a handsome young man.

“Wow.”

Everleigh grinned. “I know right.”

“Kids, come on- Woah,” Emile said, staring at his son from the doorway.

“Hey, dad. How do we look?”

Emile smiled. “You both look absolutely stunning. Gods, how did you grow up so fast?”

Logan rolled his eyes. “I’m only sixteen.”

“That’s too old already. What happened to my baby boy?”

“I’m still here. I just got taller.”

“Not by much,” Everleigh muttered.

Logan pouted. “Hey!”

Everleigh laughed. “Come on, let’s go! We’ve kept the carriage waiting long enough.”

The ride to the castle was short, smooth, and full of growing anxiety. Especially when Logan noticed how many people were out trying to get a glimpse at them like they were some kind of nobility themselves. The carriage stopped inside of the castle’s inner courtyard, where other carriages of nobility and foreign royalty were already parked. Remy came over to help them out of their carriage.

“There you guys are. Ready for the party?”

“Golly, there are a lot of people here,” Emile stated.

Remy shrugged. “Well, Thomas and Nico did invite everyone. Honestly, though, even I’m surprised at the turnout considering Thomas’s aversion to large crowds.”

“Perhaps it’s because Virgil’s finally making a public appearance,” Logan said, eyeing the people who looked to be around his age.

Many of them would probably be here to make a good impression on the crown prince. Perhaps a few of the bolder ones would even try to befriend him. A few may even attempt to romance him. That idea gave Logan a sick feeling in his stomach. Even worse than the anxiety of being at a high society event.

“Everleigh! Logan!” Willow called out as they ran over to them. “Hi!”

Everleigh giggled. “Hi to you too. Is it normal to run to your friends at these kinds of functions?”

Willow shrugged. “Who cares. This is kind of our party anyway. You look breathtaking by the way.”

“Th-thank you. You look lovely as well,” Everleigh stammered.

“Thanks. Your make-up looks really cool, Lo.”

“Thank you,” Everleigh did it. “Did you run away from Janus or are you here with your family?”

“Oh, my family is here, but I was just with Jan and Roman. I can take you to them then we can all hang out together.”

Willow led Logan and Everleigh away into the castle, to the huge ballroom where the majority of the party-goers were socialising. They found Janus and Roman at a table, looking as if they had just been dancing and were now resting their feet.

“Hey guys, great timing. Would you please tell Janus that I was indeed the first to confess my feelings?”

“Liar. I was the first to confess, and they’ll tell you so.”

“This is why I left them,” Willow whispered to Everleigh and Logan. “I swear, they’re an old married couple reincarnated or something.”

“It’s rude to keep secrets,” Janus commented.

“I said you’re both insufferable.”

“But I was the first to confess though. Right, Willow?” Roman prompted.

“You were not, you forgetful elf.”

“Forgetful, I have never forgotten a thing in my life, oh darling dragon.”

“Double D’s, an interesting nickname, bro,” Remus said as he popped up.

“Gah! Remus! Don’t do that.”

“Aw, but you look so funny when you’re spooked.”

“Weren’t you supposed to be with Patton?”

“I’m right here,” Patton said as he approached with a darker haired boy who looked quite similar to him, beside him. “Everyone, this is my brother Morgan. Morgan, these are my friends Janus, Logan, Everleigh, Willow, Roman and well you already met Remus.”

“Hi! Did you guys really defeat a demon?”

“Technically, Queen Valeria killed the demon. Everleigh, Janus, Willow, Roman, and Remus all fought its subordinates and I only snuck by to get to Queen Valeria,” Logan stated.

“Still, we’re all awesome,” Remus declared.

Roman grinned. “Agreed. We are indeed true heroes.”

“Speaking of, when is this ceremony supposed to start?” Janus asked.

As if to answer their question, there was a sudden sound of trumpets silencing the crowd before an announcer spoke. “Presenting, King Thomas the Just and his dearly beloved husband Prince Consort Nico.”

Everyone looked over as the King and his husband entered the room in their dazzling royal attire. They walked arm in arm to the dias at the end of the room, where three magnificent thrones were standing. As they turned around to look at everyone, the people bowed and curtsied respectfully for them.

“Thank you, all. You may now rise,” Thomas declared. “And another thank you to everyone for attending tonight’s ball. While we had originally planned for this only to be our son’s debut, as you know, things happened and now we have a lot more to celebrate tonight. But first, we’d like to proudly introduce to you our son; Prince Virgil of Srednas.”

The crowd looked back to the top of the stairs from which Thomas and Nico had descended. Now standing there they saw Virgil. Dressed elegantly in a deep purple suit with light purple makeup underneath his eyes and a gentle smile on his face. He walked with confidence and purpose down the stairs and to the dias where he joined his parents.

The people bowed and curtsied for him as well, and he said. “Thank you. You may rise.”

Everyone did, and then stared at the royals, waiting eagerly for what they would say next.

“As I was saying before. We have many things to celebrate. One being, my son, and the other being the valiant rescue that he and his friends did only a fortnight ago-”

Thomas wasn’t interrupted, but I figured you don’t want to sit through a retelling of events that you’ve already heard. Basically, Thomas retold everything that had happened from when he, Nico, and the council disappeared, up until when the teens stormed the tower, healed the queen, and defeated Ynclementia. The crowd was of course, quite captivated, and Logan found himself feeling quite flattered at how heroic the king described them all to be.

“-so, as thanks for their service, the young heroes shall of course be given the appropriate titles. Roman and Remus Leafstone, Patton Lilyhart, Janus Embryn, Willow Redrunner, and Logan Picani. Please come here,” Thomas requested.

The friends exchanged nervous/excited glances then went and stood in front of the royal family.

Thomas turned to Virgil, “You can stand with them if you want.”

Virgil nodded and joined his friends in front of his parents. He stood close to Logan and whispered. “You look enchanting.”

Logan blushed but didn’t have time to even say thanks in reply as Thomas continued talking. “As King of Srednas, I acknowledge your great deeds and grant you all the titles of Knights of the Miracle Order. May you carry your titles with the same honour and valour that you have earned them by, and let all your future escapades be just and victorious. Cheers to the Miracle Knights!”

“Cheers to the Miracle Knights!” The crowd echoed as they applauded the eight young heroes.

Logan and his friends turned around to face the crowd with bright smiles. The cheering and clapping went on for a few minutes still as they stood there. Once the cheers died down, Thomas spoke again prompting the party to continue. The musicians began to play again and everyone returned to socialising.

Before Logan could decide what to do though, Virgil had taken his hand and was motioning for him to follow him somewhere. Curious and still slightly dazed from the earlier compliment, Logan went willingly with him, away from the large crowd, outside the ballroom, to what seemed to be an empty veranda that looked out over the royal gardens.

Virgil released Logan’s hand and turned to face him. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Logan replied in the same soft shy tone. “Thank you. For the, um, compliment. Earlier.”

“Well, it’s the truth. You look absolutely mesmerizing,” Virgil declared.

“I suppose I have Everleigh’s makeup skills to thank for that.”

“No. Your enchanting beauty is your own, Logan. It’s something that you’ve seemed to have ever since I first saw you. Something that could outshine even the stars.”

“Well, you’re much more handsome than me. The first time I saw you, I nearly lost myself in those stormy grey eyes.”

As silence fell over the pair, Logan found himself getting lost in those eyes once again. Tonight, they didn’t reflect any firelight. Instead, they shone purely with Virgil’s emotions. That same bright ‘fondness’ that had been in his eyes the night they had talked about their futures. It seemed to be even stronger now somehow.

“Logan, I… I wanted to ask you something.”

“Yes?”

“Okay, so, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. A very long time honestly. And I’ve made up my mind on it, so I can only hope you’d at the very least stay friends with me if you don’t like this. Of course, I would totally understand if you never wanted to see me again. I wouldn’t dream of forcing you to stay my friend. I also don’t want you to just say yes because I’m the prince or anything like that. Nothing will happen if you don’t want this. Or, if you really don’t want me to ever come near you again, then I-”

“Virgil, please breathe.”

Virgil shut his eyes. “I’m sorry. I am just really nervous. So nervous I forgot even my anxiety about being introduced to the public earlier.”

“Well, you made a very elegant entrance. You looked quite fearless to me.”

“Glad I learnt to hide my fear early on then,” Virgil laughed as he opened his eyes. “I still need to ask this question though.”

Logan nodded.

“Here it goes then. Logan. Would you please consider, maybe going out with me and, um, being my boyfriend?”

…

“Logan? Oh, geez, you ha-”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“Yes, I’ll go out with you. And be your boyfriend.” Logan stated. “May I kiss you?”

Virgil’s eyes widened. “Please.”

Without a moment of hesitation, Logan closed the distance between himself and Virgil and kissed the prince squarely on the lips. It was a sweet kiss. One that signified the beginning of a beautiful romance and the ending of our tale.

The tale of how Logan Picani went from being a simple baker’s son to a master mage, Miracle Knight, and the boyfriend of Prince Virgil. From being the underdog he rose, learning magic alongside those who outranked him, befriending his classmates and rising with them to become great magic users. From choosing to trust a friend and keep the secret of his heritage to later helping that friend save his grandmother and two entire realms from the greed and tyranny of a fae-demon. From making pseudo stars in the throne room to this moment where he was kissing the crown prince on a veranda. It had been one heck of a journey.

And Logan wouldn’t change anything.

---

A/N: Tada! The story has come to an end, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm done here of course. I have really enjoyed writing this story and getting comments during this past week of posting it, so I might make a sequel or at the very least some spin-off one-shots. If you guys would like that then please let me know. Thank you for reading! Here's hoping you have a magical day 💜

[kumeko]

A/N: For the @fewriterszine! I have so many things I want to write for post canon, ahhhh. My partner  cebrys_ @ twitter/instagram drew an amazing piece to go with it!

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…

…

Victories weren’t supposed to feel hollow. They were supposed to fill Corrin with pride, like when she landed a strike on Xander during training, or the rare times she beat Leo in chess. They were supposed to fill her with joy, like when she won one of Elise’s parlor games or snuck up on Camilla. There were many feelings that came with victory, but none of them were supposed to be negative.

 Yet, as Corrin stood in front of the Nohr throne, her sword hilt deep in the man she’d once called father, all she could feel was emptiness. His wrinkled hand gripped the blade, the metal cutting into his hand until blood slowly dripped down the edge. Garon looked at the blade, then at her.

 “You,” he breathed.

 Corrin didn’t say anything. She stared at him, though she knew he couldn’t see her back. His sight was gone now, his hearing too most likely. Blood dripped down his lips as he gurgled his last breath.

“We did it!” Hinoka yelled from the center of the throne room, her voice echoing through the vast hall.

So focused had she been on Garon, Corrin had almost forgotten that she wasn’t alone. Around her, various soldiers cheered, victory finally at hand. Despite her booming voice, Hinoka leaned against her lance tiredly, no doubt done with all the fighting.

 Armour clanked as Ryoma climbed the steps to the throne. Corrin watched as her brother slowly approached her, as his heavy hand rested on her shoulder. The touch burned. Xander used to squeeze her like that.

 “Good job,” Ryoma praised, his stern expression softening as he smiled. “We couldn’t have done this without you.”

 Still, she said nothing. Behind her, her kidnapper dissolved into water, his life finally gone. Xander would have inherited the throne next. This hall would have been decorated with the fanciest flowers Elise could convince their older brother to buy. Camilla would have picked their outfits for the coronation and Leo would have rolled his eyes at the spectacle of it all.

 None of that could happen anymore. Corrin looked around, at where Sakura was healing the wounded, where Takumi was helping Azura stand, where the Hoshido soldiers were clapping each other on the back. Camilla and Leo were nowhere in sight.

 She didn’t know if she should be relieved or cry about that.

 -x-

 Corrin stared at the Nohr Royal Castle. In the night, she couldn’t see it all that well, the torches barely outlining its shape, but she’d observed it long enough to memorize the half-mast flags. The interior was no doubt covered in black. Xander’s and Elise’s bodies had to have been moved by now, their clothes prepared for a public viewing before the state funeral.

 “Couldn’t sleep?” Ryoma asked, sitting down next to her. The log next to the firepit was barely wide enough to fit them both, especially with his imposing frame.

 Corrin tore her eyes away from the castle and back down to the tent city around them. The Hoshidan army was still camped outside the castle gates, gathering provisions slowly before the long march home. She still hadn’t figured out if she would join them. She still didn’t know if she could stay here.

 “No, I…” Corrin trailed off before rubbing her arm. “Azura…I should have stopped her from singing.”

 Even now, she could feel Azura’s hand in hers, hear her weak voice. They had barely celebrated Garon’s death before Azura had collapsed, her body disappearing like dew in the morning. Corrin curled her hand and closed her eyes. “We should have found a way to win without her powers.”

 “Maybe. Azura is—was very stubborn about helping others. Even over herself.” Ryoma gave her a weak smile. His voice cracked slightly, but somehow stayed strong. He reached out, squeezing her shoulder. “She would have sung either way, if only to save us from getting hurt.”

 “This hurts more than a cut would,” Corrin mumbled, resting a hand on his as she soaked in his comfort.

  The fire flickered, shadows dancing across Ryoma’s face. Without his armour, he didn’t look as imposing as he normally did. He looked like a man, not a king, not a warrior. “It does.”

 Xander had looked like that too, when he had tea with her, and Corrin swallowed the lump in her throat. “I should have tried.” She was proud how her voice didn’t crack. “She should be here with us.”

 Instead, she had disappeared like the rain, not even leaving her pendant behind for Corrin to remember her by. All that was left was a memory to mourn and Corrin wasn’t sure if it was easier that way, if having no body was better than having one. As it was, her siblings were taking it hard. Hinoka looked small, frail, and Takumi radiated regret with every step. Corrin had watched as they’d comfort one another, their hugs barely keeping the tears at bay.

 It took all four of them to handle Azura’s death. Corrin looked up at the castle again. Just what hope did Camilla and Leo have with two?

 -x-

 Corrin stood in the grand hall, an anxious ball of nerves. This room had always been imposing, all dark corners and large swathes of shadows. The pillars are a cold grey, the décor menacing. It had been less than a week since the war ended and if she looked, she could see the blood stains on the ground, barely scrubbed away.

 When they’d snuck into the palace, they hadn’t gone through this room. For that, Corrin was glad, it was hard enough to breathe in here as it was. She could still see Iago and Garon at the top of the stairs, all cruel words and cold eyes as they told her to kill the prisoners. Corrin’s heart constricted, a helpless and trapped sensation flooding through her.

 After all that happened, it could be Camilla and Leo standing there next, accusing her of war crimes. Around her, she heard the guards’ whispers and felt their angry stares. She was the traitor princess, after all. After killing Xander and Elise, she shouldn’t be here at all.

 “It’s okay, milady.” A warm hand slipped into hers, jerking her out of her thoughts. Corrin looked to her right. Jakob offered her a reassuring smile as his fingers interlaced with hers. His grip was firm.

“Jakob.” Corrin tried to smile back. Her chest still felt tight.

 “They’ll meet you.” Jakob lowered his eyes slightly. “They adore you.”

 Corrin almost laughed. “After all I’ve done? I rejected their hands so many times, waged war against their country, killed Xander and Elise—”

 “You didn’t kill them,” Jakob interrupted in a rare burst of anger. His jaw clenched, the way it would whenever he’d reprimanded her for being too reckless. “Pride and stubbornness killed Xander. Ideals without the strength to uphold them killed Elise.”

 “Jakob!” Corrin hissed, yanking her hand out his. “They—”

 “I mean no disrespect with that,” Jakob replied, cutting her off once more. “Just the truth. It is a tragedy what happened, but it is no more your fault than theirs.”

 Corrin glared at him. “And if I hadn’t attacked Nohr?”

 “Then Garon would have conquered Hoshido and the world would have been worse off for it,” Jakob replied quietly, his anger dissipating. Now he only looked sad. “Xander and Elise would have been no safer in that world than they were in this one.”

 Corrin opened her mouth, ready to argue, but what could she say in response to that? He was right. It was a harsh truth, but he was right. Garon hadn’t seen them as more than pawns, and he would have disposed of Xander and Elise the second they weren’t needed. Camilla and Leo would have died too. At least they were alive here. She pursed her lips, her hand curling into a fist.

 “I…”

 Before she could apologize, doors on the second floor opened. A man walked to the rail and announced, “Her Majesty Camilla and His Highness Leo have arrived.”

 His voice echoed through the room. Corrin looked up to find Camilla and Leo at the top of the stairs, looking down at her. For a long moment, they stared at each other. Corrin wasn’t sure she remembered how to breathe. How long had it been since they’d seen each other? Only days, only weeks, and yet it felt like years. There was a before Xander’s and Elise’s deaths, and an after.

 The room was oddly silent. Not even the guards made a noise, no murmuring or the clank of their armour. Corrin swallowed, waiting for judgement to fall on her, when Camilla hurried down the stairs. “Corrin!”

 That was all the warning she got before her elder sister rammed into her, her arms wrapping around her tighter than rope. Camilla squeezed her tightly, resting her head on Corrin’s shoulders. Her long purple hair tickled Corrin’s neck.

 “Camilla,” Corrin managed, slowly hugging back. Her sister felt thinner, bonier. Resting her hand on Camilla’s back, she couldn’t feel the muscles she was used to, the strength that allowed her to pick up her favourite axe.

 “I’m so glad you’re back,” Camilla murmured softly, as though she’d crack at anything louder than a whisper. “I…I’m just…so glad.”

 “Me too.” Corrin’s eyes watered and she clutched her sister tightly. It had been too long since they’d last hugged, since they hadn’t faced each other across the battlefield. She wanted to drag Leo into the hug, to hold both them as close as possible, but he still stood at the top of the stairs.

 Corrin looked up at him, their eyes meeting. He wore an unreadable expression, his lips a straight line. His jaw tightened and he whirled around, leaving them.

 -x-

 “It’s getting late,” Camilla muttered, staring out the windows that lined her bedroom. The sun had just set, the last vestiges of light barely bright enough to outline the city sprawling around the castle. Servants had already lit the candles, small pools of lights in every corner of the room. Seated on the bed, Corrin could just make out the city.

 She hadn’t seen the capital like this. Before, she hadn’t been allowed to, and after, they’d been at war. Unlike Hoshido, Nohr was a darker place, one of moonlight and not sunlight. There was a desolate beauty to it that she knew her Hoshidian siblings couldn’t see.

 “Yeah,” Corrin agreed, her eyes moving to their faint reflection in the window. Camilla hadn’t left her side throughout the day, her hand often neatly tucked into Corrin’s arms to keep them glued together. Even now, Camilla was braiding her hair, allowing them no more than a foot’s space between them. She hadn’t had the heart to pull away, and to be honest she wasn’t sure if she wanted to.

 She felt like the castle was holding its breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop, and she didn’t want to face the storm alone. Corrin stared at Camilla’s reflection. “I guess it’s time for bed.”

 “Bed…” Camilla trailed off, her hands freezing. She stared at the door, as though she expected someone to burst in.

 When she didn’t continue, Corrin leaned back, resting her head on her sister’s chest. From this close, her sister looked worn and she frowned as she looked up. “Is something wrong?”

 “No, I…” Camilla tore her eyes away from the door. Smiling down at Corrin, she gently pushed her back up into a seated position. “Darling, you’re messing up the braid. You can’t sleep until we’re done. How about…” Her voice cracked. “How about a sleepover? For your first night here.”

 “A sleepover?” Corrin could almost hear Elise’s voice there, hear the exact lit as she pleaded her case.

 “Y-yeah.” Head bowed, Camilla busied herself with unbraiding Corrin’s hair. “We must have one—your room hasn’t been prepared yet! Why, in the morning you could choose one yourself, there’s so many here.”

 “I…” Corrin didn’t know if she was going to stay. She didn’t know how to, after all the misery she’d caused. Yet, hearing the crack in Camilla’s voice, the way her hands trembled, she didn’t know how to leave either. “A sleepover sounds fun.”

 “The maids are making tea and…” Camilla tugged Corrin’s hair into a tight braid. “We were supposed to have a ball when you arrived, darling.”

 “A party?” Corrin turned around but Camilla firmly pushed her jaw back.

 “You’ll ruin the braid,” she fussed, weaving Corrin’s long locks into a single braid. “And yes, a party for you. Elise…” Her voice cracked again but she pushed forward. “planned all of it. The food, the music, the decorations. Xander rejected all of it.” Camilla laughed, a bittersweet sound. “It was too expensive, so Elise kept cutting down things and trying again. He couldn’t get her to stop all together.”

 Corrin felt a bump on her back. Turning her head slightly, she could see Camilla’s head resting against her back, her hands tight on Corrin’s shoulders.

 “Despite his words, he was just as excited as she was. He even got a room cleaned up for you.”

 Corrin could just picture it. She closed her eyes. “He always hid his kindness.”

 “He is—was adorable like that. Though not as adorable as Leo.” Camilla laughed wetly. “He helped Elise change her plans, even though he kept calling it a waste of time.”

 It was strange. The room was empty, save for the two of them, but Corrin could feel her siblings around her. Elise sitting on the bed, Camilla braiding her hair as she rattled off her latest frustrations. Xander and Leo arguing over budgets. Camilla and Xander would exchange a knowing look, the two eldest working together behind the scenes.

 Nowhere in that picture was her and Corrin felt a lump in her throat.

 -x-

 For the past two days, Corrin hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Leo. To be fully honest, she hadn’t seen his or anyone else’s retainers either, and she didn’t know if that was because they were avoiding her or if they’d been ordered away. Either way, she was glad—she didn’t know how she could look at Effie or Arthur after what’d happened.

 And she could never look at Laslow or Peri again.

 Yet today he stood in the hallway, staring out the windows to the private gardens. Her heart constricted at the sight of him, her body stock still as she figured out her next move. He hadn’t noticed her yet. From his profile, his gaze was locked firmly on something outside. Steeling herself, she marched to him.

 He still didn’t move, not even when she came to a stop right next to him. Corrin looked at him, then out the window. There was a dirt patch outside, one that showed signs of digging, but there were no obvious hints as to what had been dug up or buried there. The rest of the garden was filled with thorny roses and sharply-trimmed bushes.

 “What’s there?” she asked, unable to stop herself.

 “It’s…” Leo caught himself before he finished the sentence. Tearing his eyes from the dirt, he turned to her. “What’re you doing here?”

 Leo had never been a cold person. Despite his attitude, he’d always been warm, giving. Corrin couldn’t help the shiver that ran up her spine at his stare, at his eyes that looked like they could pierce through her. Even when they’d been at war, he hadn’t looked so icy.

 “I…” Corrin swallowed, forcing herself to smile. “I wanted to talk to you.”

 He didn’t say anything. She wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not.

 Clasping her hands, she continued, “I…I know that it’s hard…that I did something unforgivable…but…”

 Camilla hadn’t wanted or allowed an apology, no matter how many times Corrin wanted to give one. Now that she had the chance to say it, she didn’t know where to start, what words to use. Xander had died by her hand, whether he wanted it or not. Elise had sacrificed herself. A kingdom had been invaded, and she had led the charge.

 “I’m sorry. For everything. I—”

 Leo’s jaw tightened. “Don’t.”

 Corrin looked at him owlishly. “What?”

 “Don’t,” he repeated before turning on his heel and leaving.

 Corrin didn’t chase. She didn’t have the right to.  

 -x-

 Castle Krakenburg had never been Corrin’s home. No, hers had been the Northern Fortress. She knew the ins and outs of her fort, the rooms her siblings lived, the places they liked to play. The castle was a blank canvas to her, the history of it invisible to her alone.

 It was easy, though, to guess which spaces belonged to Xander and Elise. There were rooms Camilla’s eyes would just slide past, areas where she’d step around as though she could see Xander’s ghost. Leo could be found in only certain sections of the library and the study and some items were left with a layer of dust on them as though even the maids weren’t ready to face them.

 Corrin had no such compunctions. She snuck around in the middle of the night, when Camilla wasn’t watching, when Leo didn’t have to be avoided. A candle in hand, she mapped out a castle that had once been as foreign as Hoshido.

 Xander’s room was sparsely furnished. She sat down gingerly on his hard bed, on the ever so practical grey blankets. The pillowcase was bright blue, flowers embroidered on the edges, and that had to be a gift from Elise or Camilla. Maybe both, Elise had never been patient enough for sewing. There was a stack of papers on his side table and Corrin hesitated before reading the top one. It was a report on the country’s food supply, and of course he’d read that before he slept. He’d ever been the work-a-holic.

 Even now, Corrin remembered his profile in the night, his sword glinting in the moonlight as he practiced his swings. Her brother had cared deeply for his country. Too deeply. Tears pricked her eyes and she left his room before she could cry.

 On another night, she explored Elise’s room, all pinks and yellows. There was only a musty scent now, but Corrin liked to imagine it smelled floral at one point. Despite how flowers were hard to get here, it was hard to picture Elise without them. Her closet was filled with dresses, the fanciest of which looked hardly touched. Instead it was the simpler ones that looked thoroughly worn, with small patches hidden here and there to keep clothing together.

 Elise had always been wiser than she’d acted, though Corrin hadn’t realized just how much. It was disquieting to realize she didn’t know her siblings as well as she’d thought. That she might never know, her sister taking her secrets to the grave.

 Night after night, Corrin explored the castle, sitting in Xander’s spot in the study, reading from Elise’s alcove in a tower. Despite how strong their presence was for Camilla and Leo, Corrin couldn’t feel them.  A chair was just a chair, a book a book, and all of these little pieces didn’t make up a person as much as she pushed them together.

 -x-

 The Hoshidians were gone, her family with them, and Corrin wasn’t sure if she shouldn’t have left as well. Just as much as Camilla needed her, Leo didn’t. Even their meals were separate, Camilla eating with her. If she’d gone, maybe they could have grieved together.

 “Maybe you should eat with Leo?” Corrin suggested finally, turning to her right. The Nohr dining table was overly long—even with all of her siblings, they could never have filled in all of the chairs.

 Camilla raised a brow. “What do you mean, darling? I always eat with him.”

 “Huh?” Corrin blinked, thrown off kilter.

 “I eat with you, and then with him.” Camilla reached over, squeezing her arm tenderly. “You are both precious to me and I would never leave either of you alone.”

 “Oh.” Corrin looked down at her plate, not sure what to say. She hadn’t thought of that possibility at all.

 “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll eat together soon.” Camilla smiled sadly. “He just needs some time.”

 “Does he? I think he hates me,” Corrin admitted, her shoulders sinking at the memory. Even now, she could feel his icy stare. All of their encounters lasted three seconds.

 Camilla wrapped an arm around her. “No, he doesn’t—”

 “It’d be stranger if he didn’t.” Corrin leaned against Camilla, soaking in her warmth. “Why don’t you? After I…” She couldn’t say the word killed, it stuck in her throat. “After all I did.”

 Camilla fell silent. For a moment, Corrin wondered if she’d finally succeeded in driving off her last sibling, if she’d have to pack her bags and head to Hoshido sooner than she’d thought.

 “We weren’t great either,” Camilla finally uttered, resting her cheek on Corrin’s head. “And more importantly, I’m tired of hating. It hurts too much. Elise…Elise wouldn’t have liked it. Leo, he’ll come around. He just needs time.”

 Nestled like this, Corrin could believe anything. She closed her eyes and listened to Camilla breathe. “I hope so.”

 “He will.” Camilla sighed. “Hopefully by the coronation. I need both of you there with me.”

 “The coronation…are you ready?” she asked.

 “Not at all.” Camilla laughed dryly. “Xander had always been the leader, the strong one. He always had a plan.” Her voice grew pained. “I…I don’t know how to do that. I’m not a leader. I never have been.”

 “I’m not one either.” Corrin pulled away, looking Camilla in the eye. She smiled encouragingly. “But I think we could do it together.”

 Camilla’s eyes grew wide before she hugged Corrin. “Yes, we can.”

 -x-

 The clock struck twelve, large metal gongs ringing through the night. Corrin stood next to a window, listening to the chimes. Yawning, she had to admit that it was late. She’d done enough exploration for the day.

 Heading back to her room, she paused as a small light to her right caught her eye. Someone was out in the garden. Quietly, she approached the window, peering out to make out who it was. They weren’t moving, the lamp in their hand, and she could just make out a familiar cape.

 Leo.

 Now that she was looking, she realized this was the same window as before, that he was standing in front of that dirt patch. Quickly, she opened the window and hopped outside. Just like the last time, he didn’t hear her, his gaze fixed firmly on the dirt. It was dark, so she couldn’t see much, but the plot looked as empty as it had before.

 Before she could voice her question, Leo murmured, “Elise wanted to grow sunflowers here.”

 Corrin snapped her attention at Leo, but he didn’t look at her. She held her breath, afraid of breaking the moment. He might run away again like a scared rabbit.

 “They never grew. No matter how many times she planted them. Elise never studied for anything, but she read every book on flowers and gardening she could find.”

 Corrin reached down, grabbing his hand tightly.

 He didn’t react. “The soil was dead the entire time.”

 It was scary, how monotone his voice was, but his hand was warm and she intertwined their fingers.

 Finally, he turned to her. “Sometimes I wonder if all of Nohr is as dead as this lot.”

 “It isn’t,” she replied firmly.

 “What do you know?” he snapped back, but he didn’t pull away from her touch. For once, his argument was feeble, his sharp words deserting him. “You were always trapped in that fortress.”

 “I saw a lot on my way here,” Corrin replied, her eyes locked on his. It was strange, the words just came as she thought of the underground city, of Elise guiding them there. “Nohr is alive, its people are alive, despite everything Garon did to them. They just need a little help, a little kindness, and they’ll flourish.”

 “Elise was kind.” A tear slid down his cheek. “Xander had a vision. Camilla and I…we have neither.”

 “You have each other.” She reached up, wiping his cheek. “You have me.”

 “I…” More tears fell, like a dam bursting open. “I could have saved them.”

 Corrin didn’t bother to ask who. “You didn’t do anything.”

 “That’s just it!” he shouted, grabbing her hand, sobbing silently. His voice broke. “I didn’t do anything. I didn’t help them. I didn’t help you. I just walked away from it all and Elise…I could have saved her. Maybe not Xander, but at least her.”

 He fell to his knees, weak, his hand still wrapped tightly around her wrist.

 “Instead, I did nothing.”

 “You didn’t do anything wrong.” It was too much and Corrin collapsed to the ground now. Wrapping her arms around Leo, she hugged him tightly. “I killed them. My sword cut through them. Their blood’s on my hands, not yours.”

 “But you weren’t wrong,” Leo mumbled, hugging her back, his hands clenching her shirt like a lifeline. “Garon had to go and you weren’t wrong. And if I…if I’d joined you, maybe Xander would have stepped down. Maybe none of this had to happen.”

 “And if I’d asked or tried harder or—”

 It was too much, thinking about all of the what-ifs, the lost possibilities. She wailed, like she hadn’t since she was a child. Leo crumpled, sobbing, his hand still in hers.

 -x-

 Unlike Ryoma’s coronation, Camilla’s was not one of pomp and celebration. It was a solemn event. The halls were draped in black and gold, with the occasional red highlight. This was both a goodbye and a greeting, an ending and a beginning.

 Xander and Elise rested under marble tombs, joining their ancestors. Camilla stood on the balcony overlooking the crowds of watchful citizens, their words a dull murmur compared to Hoshido’s energetic cheers. The fur-trimmed purple cloak she wore swallowed her entirely, and the hand that held her scepter trembled. She looked small. Lost.

 Standing behind glass doors, Corrin watched as her sister slowly stepped toward the railing. Leo was already standing there, announcing Camilla’s presence. Corrin couldn’t hear them properly, the glass muffling the sound, and suddenly she was in the Northern Fortress, watching as her siblings left for the castle. Most of her childhood had been spent like that, watching, waiting, always apart and never with.

 “Corrin.”

 Corrin blinked, hearing her name, and looked out the window. Camilla and Leo were turned toward her, their hands outstretched. Confused, she poked her head out the door. “What?”

 “Didn’t you say we’d rule together?” Camilla smiled, beckoning her to come closer.

 “But—”

 “You’re our sister, you have to suffer through these functions with us,” Leo added impatiently, but he was smiling too.

 Corrin stared at their hands, at them. At the ghosts of Xander and Elise that stood behind them. That was right, her time in the fortress had never been lonely. Her family, her friends, they’d always opened the door, calling her out.

 It was the same now, even if now there were only two hands reaching for her instead of four. Corrin pushed open the door and stepped outside.

 Whatever the future held now, they’d handle it together.  

[onthepageoftears]

Hold Them Closer ~ Ch.12 [Jaskier x assassin!reader] || Witcher

A/N: okay I lied about there being two chapters left, now after this one there are ACTUALLY two chapters left lol (well, one and an epilogue). it's seriously going to be so weird not writing this y/n x jaskier story ahhhh okay im just not gonna think about it lol enjoy!

Your kind words and reviews mean a lot to me, so please don’t afraid to leave a message/comment!

Summary: Reverting to your old ways never brings peace.

Warnings: language? angst, self deprecation, conflicted reader, lots of gore, violence, mentions of death/killing/blood, again lots of gore so read at your own risk!

Words: 2,713 (longer chapter you’re welcome hehe)

Please Don’t Plagiarize My Work!

Your heart was stuck in your throat as your mother pulled away from Theo. Her daughter. Your mother’s daughter. Her other child.

“Oh, thank the gods.” She said, patting down Theo’s hair where she had just kissed it. Your stomach dropped — that used to be you. The child in your mother’s grasp used to be you. Now, it was Theo. Your…sister?

“Sorry, Mom.” Theo’s voice was sheepish, strained. It wasn’t like you had ever heard her — not the usual condescending or sarcastic tone she carried. But you supposed everyone acted differently around their mothers.

Theo’s mother — your mother — clicked her tongue. “If you ever do that again…"

The first words you spoke weren’t the ones you expected. “Theo did well. She’s a fighter.”

Your mother’s eyes cast over you, absent of any flicker of recognition. “That’s what I’m worried about.” She smiled at you, but in a polite way. Your stomach churned as she reached into the front of her apron. “Well, here. Your reward.”

She stepped toward you, her relief-filled smile not the one you were hoping for. You stared at her for a moment too long, making her frown. After clearing your throat, you shook your head.

“We can’t take that,” you said, almost surprising yourself.

Your mother frowned, pushing the pouch out again. “You must. You helped my daughter. I can’t let that go unrewarded.”

You blinked, taking a sharp breath in. Part of you felt distant from the conversation as if you were watching it from the outside, like a memory, or a dream — or a nightmare.

Again, you cleared your throat, trying with every muscle in your body to keep your composure. “Your daughter didn’t need any of our help, ma’am. Like I said, she’s a fighter.”

Your mother tilted her head, a pleased smile finding its way on her face before she nodded, “I appreciate that.” She looked at you a second longer before turning around, shoving the pouch back in her apron as she made her way behind the counter. It was then that you noticed this wasn’t any shop — it was a bakery. As your stomach churned once more, your mother spoke, “Here. At least take some food with you. I can only imagine how hungry you must be.”

This time, you let Geralt step forward, his eyes casting over you for a moment before taking the loaf of bread from your mother’s hands. Jaskier thanked her gently, nodding to her and Theo and taking your arm in his hand. You kept your eyes locked on her, only moving them when Jaskier led you out the door.

As soon as the fresh air hit your face, you felt like maybe you could finally breathe. That feeling wasn’t enough; you blinked at the brightness around you, taking very shallow breaths as Jaskier led you further away from your mother’s shop.

Geralt walked ahead, grunting about meeting you and Jaskier at the inn. His eyes stopped on you before leaving, but you were too focused on the harshness of your breaths.

Jaskier stopped in front of you, his eyes flitting over your face. “Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a wraith.” You flicked your eyes to him, and as if he were a mind reader, his jaw dropped. “No— that’s not—“

You cut him off, casting your eyes on the ground, “My mother. Yes. That’s her.”

Jaskier stuttered, his head shaking in confusion, “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Julian—“ You looked at him, your eyes full of regret. “I can’t.”

“What? Why not?”

“I can’t…I just can’t. I can’t face her, I can’t—“

“Alright, hey — hey, it’s okay.” You let him engulf you in his arms, his comforting scent filling the space around you.

“She has another kid,” you mumbled into his chest, eyes still open despite their sudden heaviness.

Jaskier sighed, his chin resting on your head. “She does.”

—

“How do you feel today?”

You turned your head from the window, letting your eyes rest on Jaskier. He must’ve been standing there for a while without you noticing, as he was now leaning against one of the chairs in your shared room.

In response to his question, you shrugged.

It had been nearly two days since you came back with Theo — two days since you found your mother. In two days, you could have caught up with her, cried with her, told her the countless stories you had under your belt. Instead, you were cooped up in your room at the local inn, barely saying a word to anyone. You were thinking, quite a lot, about how you were going to build up the courage to reveal your identity.

Jaskier sighed, looking to the quarter loaf of bread left idle on the table. “You haven’t eaten?”

You turned back to the window, silently shaking your head. You didn’t even have to answer him — your mother baked that bread, and one taste would have you…well, you didn’t know what you would do. You didn’t want to find out.

“Love,” Jaskier said, his voice gentle as he walked up behind you, placing a hand on your waist. “You have to talk to her. We won’t leave here until you do.”

You frowned, eyes still focusing on nothing in particular.

Jaskier continued, “I can go with you. We can talk to her together if you want.” At your silence, he kissed your shoulder, “I’ll be around. Let me know if you need me.”

You didn’t watch as he left.

—

It was the early afternoon when you found yourself standing in front of your mother’s shop. Eyes trained on the shop door, you frowned. You had just gone out for a walk to try and clear your head from its constant whirring, but you ended up here. It wasn’t exactly a helpful place to stop — in fact, it was the exact opposite. Maybe your brain was trying to subconsciously force you to talk with your mother, to just get it over with. And maybe you should have.

Standing in front of the shop doors, you thought of what was happening inside. Your mother — her hair now greyed but still just as luscious as you remembered it — setting up the pastries of the day, finally owning the shop she had always dreamed about. Her favorite recipes now perfected, welcoming regulars into the shop doors every day. Someone helps her man the counter on especially busy days, sometimes even helping her bake — except, that person, that child helping your mother — it’s not you. It’s Theo. Theo is the one with your mother. Theo is the one who has been with your mother for the past sixteen or so years.

You feel yourself step back from the shop, a frown forming on your face. While your mother and her daughter have been living in Velen, working in their small shop — you were a trained killer. You killed countless innocent people, sliced dozens of throats, stabbed even more hearts. The blood on your hands, the guilt on your back…how could you ever think your mother would want to know you again? You weren’t the child she left behind. You were no different than Rauf, no different than those endregas you slashed through the other day.

You were a cold-blooded killer. An assassin. A monster.

Your breath was shaky as you walked backward away from the shop. You didn’t belong here, or anywhere of the sort. You belonged in a battle, in the way of a dozen blades. You were meant to kill — built to kill — so that was what you would do.

Your feet stomped their way over to the nearest notice board. No thoughts echoed in your mind as you searched the loose parchments, eyes searching for anything to get your hands dirty. They landed on big letters — BANDITS. You skimmed the page, the location being the only thing you needed. Without thinking, you unsheathed one of the knives from your boot and stabbed it into the notice board, on the very job you were about to fulfill. You would get your knife back when you were done, and only then. You didn’t even care for the money — you just wanted to do what you were meant to do.

Kill.

—

The ride to the bandit’s hideout was nothing for you and Buttercup. You practically hopped off her back, barely stopping long enough to tie her to a nearby tree. Without an ounce of hesitation, you slid your sword from its sheath and made your way down the narrow pathway and into the depths of the forest.

It was just barely getting dark, the sunset casting a warm glow over the horizon. You thought of Jaskier for a moment, but just a moment, as you shook the thought away immediately. He was another person who you didn’t deserve, not after all you’ve done. It didn’t matter if you loved him, or if he loved you — love wasn’t enough. It never was.

You didn’t even bother sneaking down the pathway — leaves crunched under your feet, your sword held tightly in your hands. The sound of laughter echoed in the forest just as you caught sight of smoke from a fire. You grit your teeth, eyes narrowing as you walked faster towards the sound of the bandits.

They had no clue what was about to happen to them, and that made you shiver.

As you neared the small camp, you counted the heads you could see: five. Your shoulders nearly dropped from disappointment. You wanted a real challenge.

Better than nothing, you thought as you rolled your neck in a circle, stretching your muscles casually as one of the bandits finally noticed you.

“Hey! Who the fuck are you?”

You smiled as the bandits stood from their tree stumps, grabbing their weapons and immediately pointing them towards you.

Swinging your sword in your hand, you looked one of them in the eyes, “I’m your worst fucking nightmare.”

Without waiting for a response, you let out a battle cry, charging the nearest bandit with your sword held high. He blocked your sword with his mace, pushing it so you stumbled backward. One of the other bandits jumped towards you in your state, slicing into the side of your stomach. You grit your teeth, glaring at the man who just cut you.

“You’ll regret that,” you said, and immediately lunged your sword into his leg. He screamed as you removed your sword; you quickly brought it up again and sliced it into his stomach this time. He fell to the ground, his screams fueling your adrenaline as you looked up at the rest of the bandits. They seemed to be in shock for a moment before their wide-open mouths became gritted in anger.

“Get the fucker!” One yelled, making three of the others rush towards you. You immediately dropped down, causing all of them to tumble over your body. While they were on the ground, you unsheathed a knife, throwing it towards the bandit on the opposite side of the fire. The knife lodged right into his throat, blood immediately squirting out from the wound.

By then, the other three bandits had gotten up, one of them slamming you in the back with a bludgeon. You yelled out, hands catching your body on the ground beneath you. You felt another blow, this time knocking the breath out of you and forcing your face down into the dirt.

“I’m gonna enjoy this one,” one of them sneered as he dragged his bludgeon on the ground. You cursed, just now realizing your sword was no longer in your hand. “Looking for this?” The sneering bandit asked, holding your sword up tauntingly.

You looked up, bringing your own face into a sneer. Within a second, you unsheathed another knife and reached up to stab the bandit in the gut: once, twice, three times before one of the others grabbed the back of your collar and threw you in the opposite direction.

You coughed after you hit the ground, trying to use one of your arms to lift yourself up. Before you could, the bandit with the mace kicked you in the stomach — hard. You blinked through the pain, a satisfied smile filling your features at the sight of the sneering bandit writhing in pain on the ground.

“You think this is funny?” The mace bandit kicked you again in the stomach, then placed his foot on your wrist. You yelled in pain as he reached down and took your knife, throwing it into the growing darkness. “What are you gonna do now, huh?”

For a moment, you just blinked. In hindsight, you were pretty much screwed. Only one knife left, your sword a few feet away. But instead of panicking, you laughed.

“What the fuck are you laughing at?” The other live bandit said, who was now standing up from the dead sneering bandit’s body.

“This.” You spoke, before clamping your teeth down on the mace bandit’s ankle.

He screamed out, immediately trying to slam your side with his mace. Before he could, you rolled out of the way, sitting up just as his mace made contact with the ground. In one swift movement, you grabbed his wrist and kicked it with as much force as you could. The mace fell to the ground as he cradled his now broken wrist, giving you the perfect opportunity to pick it up and slam it into the side of his head.

You didn’t bother trying to take the mace out of the bandit’s head — instead, you stood up slowly, keeping eye contact with the last bandit. He shook in his spot, holding his small sword towards you, gulping as you walked over to him. His eyes widened as you grabbed his wrist, sliding the sword from his grasp. For a second, the fear in his eyes made you stop. But then, you shook the feeling in the pit of your stomach away, throwing his sword to the side and bringing your knee up straight into his groin. He fell to his knees in front of you, a groan escaping his lips. As he struggled in his spot, you stepped behind him, giving him a moment to catch his breath. Then, after a second of contemplation, you unsheathed the last knife from your boot and grabbed the last bandit’s chin, lifting it up so you could slide your knife across his neck.

His choked breaths echoed in the growing darkness, the sound making you wince. For the first time in a while, you thought of your old friend.

The memories flooded you like the blood that spilled from the bandit’s throat — for a moment, instead of a nasty bandit, you saw Joneta. You saw her confused eyes after you slit her throat, the blood coating your hands as you tried to seal the wound.

“I told you to stop.” You said, falling to your knees, eyes brimming with tears as you relived the memory. Joneta looked back at you, her eyes glazing over just as they had not long ago.

As you blinked through the tears, Joneta's face turned back into that of the bandit. You slumped the bandit’s body to the side, a sob escaping your throat. Your hands were covered in blood, as they were that day — as they were so many other days, from so many other people. You hadn’t just killed a dear friend, you hadn’t just killed the only family you really knew — you killed so many people. So many innocents. How many more? How many more were you going to kill? How could you ever be the person you wanted to be — how could you be with Jaskier, a charismatic, friendly bard? How could you be with someone not as evil as you? As monstrous as you?

Your eyes welled with tears as you stared down at the blood coating your skin, your mouth wide open as you tried to breathe. Instead, loud sobs escaped your throat, seemingly echoing in the darkness falling over you.

You couldn’t move. You couldn’t breathe. So you sat there, in the middle of the bandit’s camp, their bodies littered around you to remind you of all the death you were the cause of.

———————————————————————————————————

:(((( let me know your thoughts!

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hi! So I’m rewatching TAB atm and it’s giving me feeeels. Do you have recs for after the get off the plane where John deals with Sherlock and specifically his overdose? I wish we’d had a part 2 where the show went into it, but I’m hoping you can give me some amazing fanfic instead! And Johnlock as friends is good as well as slash!

HI NONNY!!!

AHHHH I love TAB SO MUCH. It’s my favourite Sherlock Ep, and I wish I had more fics related to it :( I don’t have anything new since then, but all these fics are from my S3 / TAB / S4 [FIX IT] Fics list from last March, but because I love y’all, I’ll separate it on its own because it’s pretty far down and hidden, and I know other people would like to read some separate, so here you are!

And friends, if y’all have any TABlock, PLEASE give them to me!! I need more!!

THE ABOMINABLE BRIDE (TABlock) (APR. 2020)

See also: 

S3 / TAB / S4 [FIX IT] Fics (March 2019)

Victorianlock 

ACD Canon

The Two of Us Against the World by slashscribe (T, 1,617 w., 1 Ch. || Post-TAB, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Drug Addiction, Anxious Sherlock, Angsty Fluff) – John is there to take care of Sherlock as he comes down from his overdose in The Abominable Bride. Set immediately after the tarmac, back in 221B.

Loudly Unspoken by Mount_Seleya (M, 1,871 w.,  1 Ch. || Post-TAB, Love Confessions, Vulnerable Sherlock, Frottage) – John confronts Sherlock about the words he left unsaid on the tarmac. Set immediately after TAB.

Stay by sussexbound (M, 2,067 w., 1 Ch. || Post TAB, Suicidal Ideation Mention, Implied / Referenced Drug Use, Kissing, Love Confessions, Frottage, Coming in Pants) –  “Why? Why did you do it? Hmm…?” He takes a deep breath, waits, lets it out again. “Look at me.” There’s no denying him when he takes this tone. “Why did you kill him? Hmm…? For her? After…” A muscle twitches in the corner of John’s eye, and he clamps his jaw down tightly, swallows and sniffs a little before continuing. “For her? After everything she’s done?” “For you.” Before he can even stop himself. Just like that.

Journal of Truths by Goddess_of_the_Night (T, 2,317 w., 1 Ch. || Post-HLV / TAB, Pining, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, Love Letters, Declarations of Love) – When John escorts Sherlock back to Baker Street from the tarmac, he discovers a journal that Sherlock has kept secret...that he has kept secrets in.

Green Carnation by glenien (T, 2,616 w., 1 Ch. || Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Meta-Fic, Angst and Fluff, Communication, Post-TAB) – John takes Sherlock home. Part 1 of It’s No Longer Eighteen Ninety-Five

The Trial of Sherlock Holmes by jenna221b (G, 3,015 w. across 3 works || TAB!lock, Metafic / TJLC, Victorian AU / 1895, Christmas, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Oscar Wilde) – Scripts based on speculation that Sherlock will be put on trial in The Abominable Bride to parallel the Oscar Wilde Trials of 1895.

I Love You (Is All That You Can't Say) by theSeventhStranger (T, 3,147 w., 1 Ch. || Post-TAB, Post-Tarmac Scene, Fix-It, Dev. Rel., Retrospective, Angst and Fluff) – “Sherlock. On the tarmac. I got the feeling that you were going to, um. To say something else.”

five times sherlock holmes lied to john watson (and one time he finally told the truth) by miss_frankenstein (G, 5,948 w., 1 Ch. || TAB Compliant || Homophobia, Pining Sherlock, Oscar Wilde Trials, Happy Ending) – Set in "The Abominable Bride" universe, this piece adopts a familiar format to chronicle Sherlock's quiet suffering in the wake of the 1895 Oscar Wilde trials and the particular way they affect his relationship with (and feelings for) John.

Drawstring by May_Shepard (E, 7,412 w., 1 Ch. || Friends to Lovers, UST/RST, Fluff and Smut, Post-TAB, John POV) – John is bothered by Sherlock’s slowly-falling jim-jams… as in hot and bothered and he is trying to deal with a sexy dishevelled Sherlock while also keeping his pining in check.

Never Been This Swept Away by estalita11 (T, 8,531 w., 1 Ch. || Post-TAB, Mary is Not Nice, Drug Use, First Kiss, Love Confessions) – Set immediately after TAB, Sherlock visits his brother to definitely not apologize about earlier and ends up finally learning a few things that would have been nice knowing about months ago. Mycroft never wants to deal with lovestruck idiots ever again.

Out of the Darkness by Irrevocably_Sherlocked (M, 12,165+ w., 2 Ch. || WIP || Death, Overdose, Heavy Angst, Whump, Mary is Not Nice, Post S3/TAB Compliant) – John Watson has long assumed Sherlock Holmes is immune to sentiment, “doesn’t feel things that way.” Sherlock, however, would do anything for the person he loves most in the world, including putting himself in danger while keeping John in the dark in hopes of keeping him safe. Tired of being left behind, John is running a strategy of his own. Unfortunately things do not go as planned for either of them. And as John lays bleeding, Sherlock finally allows himself to say the things he’s always meant to… This is the story of love, forgiveness and finally making right all the wrongs in these two men’s lives.

Wars We Fought, Things We're Not by blueink3 (M, 55,204 w., 10 Ch. || Post S3 / Post TAB, Parentlock, Fluff & Angst, Kidnapping, Whump, Post-TAB, UST/URT, 3G, Mild Peril, Slow Burn, Couple for a Case, Protective Mycroft, Infant Death Pre-Story, Friends to Lovers) –  Five months after John's world has fallen apart, Mycroft sends the consulting detective and his doctor on a case that neither is prepared for.

The Adventure of the Silver Scars by tangledblue (NR [M], 142,458 w., 41 Ch. || S3 Fix-It, Post-HLV/ Post-TAB / Canon Compliant, Case Fic, No Baby, Angst, Humour, UST, Slow Burn, Angry John, Reconciliation, Not Nice Mary / Leaving Mary, Dependent Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Caretaker John, Fist Fights, It’s An Experiment, Virgin Sherlock, Dancing, Drugging, John Whump, Pet Names, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Scars) – It’s been thirteen months since Mary shot Sherlock and John finds he’s still pissed off about it. Sherlock had thought everything was settled: John and Mary, domestic bliss. But when John turns up at Baker Street with suitcases, the world’s only consulting detective might not be prepared for the consequences. A new case. Some old scores to settle. Certain danger. Concertos, waltzes, and whisky.

MARKED FOR LATER

Stay for Me by Itsallfine (M, 17,310 w., 7 Ch. || Post-TAB, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Drug Withdrawal, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss/Time, Bed Sharing, Mental Health Issues, Not-Nice Mary, Divorce, Angst with Happy Ending, Parentlock) – 221B was packed into boxes and bins, and that was when John knew, really knew—Sherlock had planned to be gone forever.

Crimson Hymns by brilliantlyburning (E, 48,982 w., 9 Ch. || Post-S3/TAB, Angst,  Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Drug Addiction, Unhealthy Coping Methods, Demisexual Sherlock, Boxing, Pining, Sensory Processing Issues, Drug Use, First Kiss / Time, BDSM, Mary is Not Good, Parentlock, Proposal, Happy Ending, Beekeeping, Violence, References to Addiction, Poetry) – He laid his head over John’s heart, eyes level with his silver-rough scar, and listened to the crimson hymns beating beneath the surface. He imagined flowers blooming in his own chest: veins weaving intricate patterns on petals of thin muscle engorged with blood, sinew for stems and tendons for roots—the flowers would be poppies, maybe (addictive) or foxglove (deadly yet useful)—twining gleaming blood-red around the porcelain bone of his ribs. In his mind’s eye the gruesome bouquet all tied together on the left side of his chest, the stems bound together in heartstrings and the flowers fed by the rhythmic contraction of ventricles. It’s yours, he imagined saying to John—from the vena cava to the mitral valve to the arteries it is yours.— Or, the Love Song of W. Sherlock S. Holmes.

NO! by Tildathings (M, 50,043 w., 36 Ch. || Homophobia, Bed Sharing, Military Uniforms, Past Abuse, Jealous John, Stalking, Violence, First Kiss/Time, Fluff, Pillow Talk, Coming Out, Sherlock’s Past, Shower, Cuddling, Grief and Sorrow, Hugs, Character Death) – Sherlock has been in a coma in over 8 months after he overdosed on the plane at TAB, during which time Mary and Rosie were killed by Vivian Norbury.  This story starts 3 weeks after Sherlock has woken up. John is asking to move back to Baker Street.

The Summer Boy by khorazir (T, 94,706 w., 6 Ch. || Post S3/Post TAB/Alternate S4, Friends to Lovers, Flashbacks, Sussex, Bullying, 1980′s Kid Sherlock, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Inexperienced Sherlock, Grief/Mourning, Pining Sherlock) – About half a year after the fateful events at Appledore, Sherlock and John embark on a private case in Sussex. For Sherlock, it’s a journey into his past, bringing up memories both happy and sad that he has locked away for almost thirty years. For John, it means coming to terms with the present – and a potential future with Sherlock. Part 1 of the The Summer Boy series

[blackmissfrizzle]

Hey Hey! Just wondering if you have any Klaus Mikaelson x Black reader fics?? They're like non existent along with Kol fics with a Black reader. But if you're doing requests, can you do one where the reader is long time friends with benefits with Klaus and he's always wondered how she's never loved him back or had feelings and finds out that she had someone compulse her to not have feelings for him in fear of being hurt by him? Thank you love!

Ahhhh! My first request!!!! Thank you for this request!!! I’ve been racking my brain for a plot for a Klaus x black!reader, but couldn’t think of anything. Also, sorry for posting it so late after the request. I struggled with the ending but I hope you like it! @ourquicksilvered

Title: Beauty and the Beast

A/N: Fluff. Some angst. And then back to the fluff.

A/N:I really hope I got the characterization of Klaus right. 

“Stay,” Klaus ordered as you rummaged the room for your discarded clothes. It was becoming more frequent that Klaus would ask you to stay after hooking up, but you couldn’t or more like you wouldn’t. No sleeping over unless you had feelings for them, was one of your personal rules and you wouldn’t break it for anybody, even Klaus Mikaelson. However, you did wonder how you didn’t fall in love with Klaus, he was exactly your type. Bad boy who secretly had a heart a gold. It had to be that he could be a raging, murderous psychopath at times that stopped you from developing feelings for him.

Shimming your jeans over your wide hips you answered your former enemy turned best friend. “You know I can’t Klaus. Sleepovers only for boyfriends. Anyways, I’m meeting with Marcel. He’s helping me with a history paper.”

Klaus clenched his jaw, struggling to keep his anger at bay. Why would you leave his bed just to visit another man? He thought you had to be the most infuriating woman and he was hopelessly in love with you.

The day he met you, he was occupying Alaric Saltzman’s body and you were an aide delivering something to his class. It was the way your brown skin gleamed against the sunlight and your melodic voice that had caught his eye, and when you were the first person to figure out that he was Klaus and not Alaric, he was intrigued. That was why he had you along with Stefan agree to come with him in exchange of his blood to cure Damon from a werewolf bite.

He knew he fell in love with you when you unsuccessfully tried to thwart every one of his attempts to turn werewolves into hybrids and he didn’t try to kill you. It was your fierceness, bravery, and kindness that you displayed that made him open up. With each little tidbit of information about himself and how horribly his parents treated him, you understood him more and your heart began opening up to him, until one night you both were craving the touch of someone and you ended up in his bed. Thus, began your friends with benefits relationship.

When you got back to Mystic Falls you noticed you were falling in love with the notorious hybrid, but when you noticed how Klaus paid no regard to your feelings in his choices, you had Damon compel away your feelings for him.

Now it’s almost been three years and there was no change in your dynamic. The two of you would text while he would try to distract you from whatever diabolic plan he had going on, you find out about the plan and try to discourage him from going through with it, sometimes you succeed and sometimes you don’t, and when you don’t, you fuss at him for being an asshole then you two end up in a screaming match only for you to end up face down ass up in Klaus’ bed as he goes to pound town. Klaus was tired of it, he wanted more. He wanted a relationship, but he knew if he pushed you, he would lose you altogether.

“I’m hurt, love. You know I’m older than Marcel, I can help with that pesky paper of yours.”

You took in a gasp of disbelief and clutched your invisible pearls. “What? Klaus Mikaelson wants to help with homework? Hell must’ve frozen over.” Klaus gave you a fake chuckle as he dangled your shirt. You snatched it from him and worked its way over your torso.

“When I need help over Viking history, I’ll call you. But if you have a first-hand account on how black men were used as cannon fodder on the front lines during the war, then by all means help a girl out.”

He rolled his eyes, because he knew you needed Marcel’s help and had to accept defeat. “Please be careful. You know my psychotic parents are on the loose. And remember last time you didn’t fair too well against Michael.”

You grabbed one of the pillows that fell onto the floor and threw it at Klaus, but thanks to his vamp speed he caught it. “Asshole.”

“Don’t be a sore loser, love!” He called out as you exited the room.

--

Klaus and Elijah were standing before the woman they hated the most, Esther Mikaleson. Currently, she was occupying the body of a local witch, Lenore and she once again was trying to convince her sons to become human.

“Give it up, mother. We’ll never change our minds.” Klaus exhaustedly stated.

“Not even for your precious, Y/N, Niklaus?”

Rage consumed Klaus at the mention of your name and grabbed and lifted Esther by her throat. “What have you done with her,” he bellowed as he threw his mother across the room.

With the flick of her hand, Esther had Klaus on his knees agonizing in pain. “I’ve done nothing. I just gave her a little potion to get into that mind of hers. And by the way son, that was a struggle, she’s strong. You’ve chosen a good one.”

“The theatrics are unnecessary, mother.” Elijah rolled his eyes, obviously wanting to be done with the little game his mother was playing.

“Ah, yes back to what I had to say. Like I was saying, I went deep into Y/N’s mind and found a buried memory. She’d been compelled.”

Clenching through his teeth, Klaus responded, “Impossible. She wears a vervain bracelet and mentally trains herself against it.”

“But what if it was her choice to be compelled, my dear boy?” Klaus stood there in silence, he knew you hated the thought of compulsion, because it took away control. “I found a memory of her asking Damon Salavtore to compel her. You want to know why?”

“I’m sure you’ll let us know either way,” the boredom filled Elijah’s tone.

“My dear sweet Niklaus, she asked for him to make her forget her feelings for you. She’s afraid that you would break her heart, because you would never change, and she wouldn’t be able to survive. The poor girl is in love with you.”

“LIES!” Niklaus yelled, he refused to believe Esther. You were not one to shy away from your feelings and wouldn’t agree to such a thing.

He tried to attack his mother again, but she incapacitated him with her powers. “I suggest you take my offer, Niklaus. I doubt Y/N would have hesitated to confess her feelings if you were human, just remember that.” And just like that Esther disappear.

Noticing he was on the edge, Elijah preemptively tried to calm Klaus down. “Brother, she was lying. Don’t do anything rash.”

“Get out of my way, Elijah. I have a trip to Mystic Falls I must make. I’ll be back within a day.” Klaus turned his back to his brother and went out in search for the truth.

--

After threatening the life of Elena Gilbert, Damon finally told Klaus the truth. You did in fact ask Damon to compel you to forget your feelings about Klaus. Now, Klaus was in a mix of fury and joy, mad that you had your feelings compelled away, but happy that you had feelings for him in the first place.

“This isn’t gonna work. You actually think Y/N is gonna let me compel her to break a compulsion. You’re delusional.” Damon tried to convince Klaus from the passenger seat.

Thankfully, the ride to Marcel’s place was short, because Klaus was seconds away from ripping Damon’s heart out. He and Damon were welcomed to the sight of you sitting next to Marcel, a little too close for comfort for Klaus. Both of you were too focused that neither one of you noticed the two new guests. Klaus loudly cleared his throat to gain your attention.

Lifting up your head, you saw two of your best friends standing next to each other.

“Damon! What are you doing here?” You ran over to him and pulled him into a tight hug.

“Helping out your psychopathic hybrid friend.”

“Careful Salvatore, I could easily rip out your heart if need be.” Klaus threatened through gritted teeth.

Damon wagged his finger at Klaus, “Except you need me.”

Tired of their pissing contest you got in between them, putting a little bit of distance between the two. “Ok that’s enough. What’s the problem? Is it Esther or Michael?”

“Esther. She somehow got a hold of you and revealed a secret you had Damon compel away.”

Laughter bubbles from your throat. There’s no way Esther could’ve gotten to you and you let Damon compel you.  “You’re joking right?”

Klaus stepped up towards you and gripped your arms to grab your attention. “Luv, it’s not a joke and I need you to let Damon undo the compulsion.”

Soon your disbelief turned into worry. How the hell did Esther get ahold of you and why can’t you remember. But a more important question you had to ask yourself was, what was so damn important or secretive that you had Damon compel you.

All three in the room could sense your panic. Each knew you were a control freak, especially being the human friend of a bunch of supernatural creatures. So, for you to not know anything had your anxiety on the rise.

“Listen, Y/N. I know if you had yourself compelled you had it done for a good reason, but if you want that control back that Esther took from you, I think your best option is to reverse the compulsion.” Marcel offered.

You stared at your friend’s warm brown eyes and shook your head yes. Even if you didn’t agree, someone else knew a secret of yours that you couldn’t recall on and you didn’t want to give anyone that power.

“Okay, Damon let’s do this.”

“You sure,” Damon asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

“Yes! I can’t let that bitch have something over me.”

Damon had to remind you to take off your vervain bracelet and let all of your mental guards down, since you were so easily resistant to compulsion. To help relax your mind you took three shots of Marcel’s good bourbon, which annoyed him a just a little.

Once you felt your guard slipping, you gave Damon the go ahead. His blue eyes peered into your brown ones as he commanded you to remember.

One word. Three syllables. That was all it took for all the feelings to come rushing back. It was bittersweet. You remembered the immense love you have for Klaus, but you also remembered knowing it would never work out.

Tentatively, Klaus walked over to your hunched over form and reached out to you. “Luv, are you okay?”

Instantly you slapped his hand away from you. Feeling betrayed by his dubious act. “Get away from me.”

Finally gaining your strength, you stood up to your full height. “You knew, didn’t you? You knew exactly what you were looking for?” You accusingly asked the love of your life.

Klaus didn’t trust his voice, so instead he just shook his head yes.

“And you had to have threatened Elena’s life, huh? Because Damon would have never done this if you hadn’t.” You could feel yourself getting angrier as you put the pieces together. “Did Esther even kidnap me or was that part of the lie?”

“It was the truth! I just needed to know if your feelings were true!” Klaus yelled back at you.

Old insecurities bubbled up and you responded, “Why? So, you can make fun of me or use them to manipulate me?”

“No! You completely oblivious and infuriating woman. Its because I LOVE YOU!”

That proclamation got you to shut up. The only thing that broke the silence was Damon whispering a ‘finally’.

“We’ll let you have the room. I just ask Y/N, if you do decide to kill him be mindful of the furniture,” Marcel said as he and Damon exited his loft.

Awkwardly you stood there staring at Klaus in disbelief. Did the original hybrid you’ve been secretly pining for have feelings for you? It couldn’t be.

“Stop overthinking, luv,” Klaus called out, interrupting your inner dialogue.

“I wasn’t overthinking.”

“Sure, you were. Its what you do best. Anyway, your face scrunches up when you’re thinking too much. It’s cute.”

You looked at Klaus as if he grown a third head. “How do you know that?” You asked skeptically.

“Because I love you. I loved you ever since our first summer together.”

“You mean the summer where you held me hostage as you killed multiple packs of wolves trying to sire hybrids?”

Klaus shrugged his shoulders, “Not the ideal beginnings of a love story, but yes. And I do remember you coming on your own free will.”

“That’s because you were gonna let my friend die if I didn’t go with you!”

Again, there was another moment of silence. Both of you retreating into your own minds, remembering that summer. It had to be one of the best worst summers ever. On one hand you were falling in love and on the other you were falling in love with a homicidal maniac.

As you reminisced on that summer, you began to laugh at a random thought you had.

“What’s so funny, little hunter?” Klaus asked, curious of your sudden outburst.

“I just realized I probably have a worse case of Stockholm syndrome than Belle,” you responded between giggles.

“Belle?”

“From Beauty and the Beast. C’mon I had you watch that movie like a thousand times.”

Disregarding you describing your relationship as Stockholm syndrome, Klaus horribly joked, “Well you’re the Beauty to my Beast”

“Wowwwww. That’s was horrendously corny. I thought Kol was the only Mikaelson with such horrible jokes.” You replied as you looked up to the man of your dreams.

“Besides we wouldn’t work anyway,” you said, steering the conversation in another direction.

“How,” he asked in a whisper, pulling on one of your tight coils.

Knowing Klaus was using his closeness to you as a distraction, you moved towards Marcel’s tumbler to pour yourself another drink. “Most likely, you’ll be a manipulative asshole or go on one of your psychopathic tirades without any regards to my feelings. And I’m a hunter and you’re a vampire.”

“Well, luv, I hate to break it to you. You’re not a very good hunter, considering almost a good portion of your friends are vampires.” Klaus pointed out.

Automatically you flipped the bird at Klaus, and he responded by throwing his head back in laughter, causing the butterflies to flutter around in your stomach. It was one of the most glorious sounds you heard, and it was one that you didn’t get to hear too often.

“I’m serious, Niklaus. It’ll never work. No matter how hard I try to get you on the straight and narrow, somehow you still end up doing something devious and breaking my heart in the end.”

Klaus knew the conversation was getting serious when you used his full name. He took every word you said in consideration, but he was ready with his rebuttal. “Y/N, I’m trying to change. If Damon can change for Elena, then I damn sure can change for you.”

Smacking your forehead in frustration, you argued back. “That’s the problem, Klaus. I don’t need you to change for me. I need you to change for yourself.  Change for Hope. Don’t use me as your emotional and moral crutch. You have to do this on your own.”

You were walking to the door when Klaus vamp ran in front of you. “No. You don’t get to leave until you hear me out. Then you can decide if you want this to happen or we can just remain friends.”

Following Klaus as a sign of agreeance, you sat down on the couch. You at least owed him this explanation.

Klaus grabbed your hands and encased them in his. “What I meant is I do want to change. I want to be a better father for Hope, and I want to be a better friend and lover to you. You deserve that. Hope deserves that. It just helps to have that reminder when your right by my side. I can’t promise to always be the better man. I’m still working on that temper of mine. But I promise to you and Hope, you’ll get a different Niklaus Mikealson than the one from centuries ago. Hell, a different one than from a year ago. Just let me love you the way you deserve until you tire of me, please.”

By the end of his speech, tears were on the cusp from falling from the both of you. Klaus was right that he was a different man than he was a year ago. So, how different could he be in another five? Also, you were pretty sure that if you really hated Klaus’ decisions you wouldn’t be friends with him, and you would’ve been long gone.

“I could never get tired of you. I love you too much for that,” you admitted, finally declaring your love to Klaus.

A smile crept on his face and he leaned his forehead against yours. “Really,” he whispered against your lips.

“Yeah, really. You’re my always and forever,” you whispered back, quoting the Mikaelson family motto.

Klaus pulled you into a kiss, marking you as his. Promising you a future full of love and passion.

When his lips did release yours, he replied back, “I love you, too. Always and forever.”

@twistedcharismaaa

[acidproofnotebook]

One-Punch Man Chapter 84, Update 125

As published online

Date:

Translator: u/hdx514

Rough page by page translations for those who don't want to wait. I'm skipping most pages with only sound effects.

Title page

Not lonely, but a solitary one

Pages 2-5

Bang wrecking Garou

Page 6

Genos: perfect moves that combine attack and defense into one

Ge: even though both use the same water stream rock smashing fists, the difference in master is night and day

Ge: the battle about to reach its conclusion

Page 7-11

Garou continues to get wrecked

Page 12

Garou: w…what is this

Ga: these vicious attacks are nothing like damn geezer’s style…

Page 13

Ga: bad…this is bad

Ga: my consciousness is…

Ga: it means…death…

Ga: Ahhhh

Page 14

Bang: what is that strange movement

Ba: where did he learn it?

Ba: he’s moving like a beast

Ga: I’m not done yet!

Page 15

Ga: if I use the fallen heroes as hostages, there might still be a way out!!

Bomb: I won’t let you

Page 16

Monsters get sliced up

Page 17 Bomb: Bang, we finished the monsters from the hole in the ground

Bo: it’s just Garou now

Page 18

Genos: life signals from monsters still remain

Ge: not sure why, but I cannot accurately assess their location or numbers

Ge:if we go down that hole, will we find the Monsters Association hideout?

Pheonix man: The Monster Association members were all killed? Damn, they really are unreliable.

Page 19

Phoenix man: even though we deployed significant forces to capture Garou alive

Ph: that Demon Cyborg…the power he possesses is unbelievable

Ph: even Silver Fang is here, there’s no chance we get Garou away from here

Ph: but if I leave empty handed after this crushing defeat, I might get eaten by Orochi

Page 20

Ph: regardless, I can only hope Garou can escape on his own …

Ph: ...what a desperate situation… Ph: does this mean I have to plan an exit strategy from MA…?

Ba: (referring to Bomb) if you were this badly injured, could you still be standing?

Bo: …if I were 60 years younger, I might be able to tough it out

Bo: …maybe

Bo: we’re almost there!!! Let’s finish him before the other heroes arrive!

Ba: roger

Page 21

Ga: can’t even move my wrists…

Ga: attacking your former number 1 disciple when he’s at his weakest, how despicable of you, Bang

Page 22

Ga: this other geezer, isn’t he Bomb, master of the whirlwind iron cutting fist?

Ga: to think the two reclusive masters of the martial arts world would gang up on me, shameless

Ga: even if I pretend to beg for my life, Demon Cyborg still won’t spare me

Ga: If I want to survive this crisis, I have to kill all three

Page 23

Ga (or Bang?): it’s impossible

Ba: do you know how much pain you have caused my number one disciple Charanko

Ba: Garou!!

Page 24

Garou flashback

Kids: let’s play a hero game!

Kids: you too, Garou

Kids: c’mon let’s play

Garou: huh, sure

Page 25

Kid: drum roll~~

Kid: justice man is here!

Kid: justice kick

Kid: aah it hurts!

Page 26

Ga: hey that’s dangerous

Kid: huh?

Ga: I feel bad (for the kid playing monster)

Kid: …how about you play the monster

Kid: justice cross

Ga: waa (steps out of the way)

Kid: what’s wrong with you?

Ga: s…sorry, Tatsu

Kid: I almost had you

Kids: what’s your problem, you’re a monster, you’re not supposed to do that

Kids: let’s pin him down

Kids: okay-

Page 27

Kid: justice man kick!

Kid: monster Garou defeated~

Ga: what is this, pre-death flashbacks?

Ga: these memories disgusts me

Ga: that kid…right, I remember him…Tatsu, that popular kid

Page 28

Kids: hey, what’s going on? Why are you fighting?

Kids: shall I call the teacher?

Kids: Garou is being violent

Kids: we were only playing, but he got mad! What’s his problem

Ga: I….I can’t take it any more!

Ga: come Tatsu, me vs. you, let’s figure it out

Tatsu: ha? What are you talking about, I thought we were just playing

Page 29

Ga:  I DON’T want to play monster! It’s no fun at all!

Ga: let’s duke it out, if I win you stop bugging me, that’s the deal!

Tat: Sabu, Yotsu, hold Garou down

Ga: despicable….stop…let go! I…

Ga: aah…damn it!

Kids: he’s crazy, let’s call the teacher

Kids: run Tatsu

Kids: pin him down, pin him down!

Kids: what happened?

Kids: you guys should come and help

Kids: Tatsu was being nice and Garou took advantage of him

Kids: he’s the worst

Kids: Garou got serious with Tatsu all of a sudden while playing the game

Kids: what’s this guy even thinking

Kids: I feel so bad for Tatsu

Page 30

Tatsu is a king among the kids, Tatsu is a bully, Tatsu is nasty

I’m in the dark, always alone I have no friends

Tatsu is a good athlete, Tatsu is popular

I despise the popular ones

not sure of the order of the following dialogue

Teacher: why did you get violent?

Te: I heard you got mad while playing a hero game, is that true?

Te: can you not even tell the difference between a game and reality!

Ga: no teacher, it’s because Tatsu is so popular that everyone is badmouthing me

Te: you were the violent one, weren’t you? What if a window got broken, how are you going to pay for that!

Ga: Tatsu always…always treats me like a monster

Ga: NO!

Page 31

Ga: I don’t dislike playing the monster

Ga: am I holding a grudge against Tatsu for playing the hero?

Ga: no, that’s not it either

Ga: it’s just that playing the hero game has made me realize how absurd it is

Ga: the one who’s popular can bully the one who’s hated however he wants

Te: you are in the wrong, apologize now

Te: call your parents

Ga: this is not just bullying, this is a faithful, real life adaption of a kids’ game that is accepted by the public.

Ga: you are free to choose your role, but the ones who ends up playing hero must have the support of the people, how could that ever be me.

Ga: naturally, the script in which the one playing monster scores the victory doesn’t exist in the first place. I was destined to lose.

Page 32

Ga: what is justice! What is evil!

Ga: at the end of the day it’s just following the will of the masses, and the masses wants me dead!

Ga: unforgivable! There is no logic!

Ga: I can’t explain the reason behind it, but it makes me mad!

Ga: I will make you understand! Ga: I will deliver my punch on behalf of the disenfranchised!

Ga: and I reject your notion of good and evil!

Page 33

Genos: he fell

Bang: it’s over

Page 34

Ga: no way it ends at a place like this!

Page 35

Garou shatters earth

Page 36

Bang/Bomb: what?!

Page 37-39

Garou lifts tree and swings it

Bo: this is bad, his body…

Ba: what’s with this burst of power?!

Page 40

Bang: don’t you realize it yet Garou!

Ba: if you keep going like this, you really will die!

Ge: Bang, above you!

Page 41-42

Phoenix man lands and grabs Garou

Page 43

Bo: more monsters!?

Ba: there’re still a few left!!!

Page 44

Ba: !

Ba: Genos-kun

Ge: Bang, you saw that just now, didn’t you

Ge: that thing has become monster, it even befriended one

Ge: I trust that you won’t object if I shoot both of them down

Page 45

Phoenix man (calling to Elder Centipede): Can you hear me!!?

Ph: I have Garou

Ph: just finish these guys off!

Ph: I’m leaving the rest to you!!

Bo: ???

Page 46-47

Ge: spiral incineration cannon

Ph: Elder Centipede

Page 48-50

Elder Centipede emerges and tanks Genos’ cannon fire

Page 51

Bo/Ba/Ge: What was that!?

Page 52-53

Elder Centipede breaking ground

Page 54-55

Disaster level: dragon

Giant monster insect Elder Centipede

Page 56

Bo: w..what…

Bo: is this a living thing!!?

Ba: damn, we must protect them (the fallen heroes)

Page 57

Ba: up you go

Page 58

Bomb using whirlwind iron cutting fist to save the fallen heroes

Page 59

Ge: those life signals must have been caused by it…

Ge: it’s not that I wasn’t able to pinpoint its location, it’s simply too massive

[very long -- rest under cut]

Page 60

Ge: completely unharmed after taking the cannon fire

Ge/Bo/Ba (not sure who said it): an opponent that can easily break my wrists…

Garou (I think): that centipede…

Page 61

Ga: why did you come here?

Ph: don’t worry, Elder Centipede will handle the rest down there

Ph: that guy is a literal natural disaster that swallows everything

Ph: his indiscriminant power of destruction is truly shocking

Ph: an anti-climactic “hero hunt” as usual, wouldn’t you say?

Ph: you  can’t just knock them out, they must be eliminated permanently

Ph: heroes who are knocked out will be always come back bouncin’

Page 62

Ph: …you just rest easy

Ph: Elder Centipede will end it all

Ga: ! (starts struggling)

Ph: stop wasting your energy

Ga: those heroes are my prey

Ph: yo yo, stop moving!

Ga: damn you, let me go! Unforgivable!

Ph: hey hey, don’t get angry

Ph: it’s your fault you didn’t finish them off after all

Ph: plus, this is a golden opportunity for us to off 2 S-class heroes

Ph: the S-class heroes are the biggest threat to the Monsters Association

Page 63

Ph: you experienced it firsthand, didn’t you

Ph: there is such thing as battle compatibility

Ph: if our advisor Gyoro is right, in the entire Hero Association, there are only four who could take on Elder Centipede

Page 64

Ph: The wielder of unparalleled supernatural power, “tornado of terror”

Ph: The sole commander of a military force that’s beyond even HA’s control, “metal knight”

Page 65

Ph: The strongest human “King”

Ph: And…the one who almost killed Elder Centipede, the strongest hero, “Blast”

Page 66

Ph: Elder Centipede is working with Monsters Association in order to seek revenge against Blast

Ph: he just can’t wait to lure the hermit Blast back onto the battlefield

Ph: unfortunately…those two down there (Bang and Genos) do not possess the power to turn the tides in their favor

Ph: Silver Fang has obtained unmatched power through martial arts, but that only works on opponents of a similar size

Ph: Demon Cyborg’s capabilities are terrifying

Ph: but he carries nothing on-board that will threaten a monster of this size.

Ph: He cannot go beyond the destructive firepower of his weapons

Ph: that is the limit of Demon Cyborg

Page 67

Ph: with a lineup like that, they are surely doomed

Ge/Bo/Ba: It’s coming!!!

Page 68

Page 69-70

Elder Centipede charging against the three

Page 71-72

Ba/Bo: Whirlwind water stream air-blasting sky-splitting fist

Page 73-75

Impact, Elder Centipede cracking, Bang and Bomb posing

Page 76

Ge: what a technique (flashback of Bang and Bomb talking about their technique: it’s a killing blow, but it has openings, my understanding is they needed Genos’ attack to act as decoy in order for their combo to land, because it’s not yet perfect)

Ge: it even shattered such hardened shell…

Ge: this must be

Ge: the pinnacle of technique/skill

Page 77-78

Ba/Bo: it’s not over yet x 10

Page 79

Elder Centipede pushes Bang/Bomb back

Page 80

Ba: ouch…that was careless

Bo: but we got it

Bo: the impact will ravage its body

Bo: turn into powder, monster

Ba: for two old folks like us, using this grand technique once is our limit

Ba: great thing we landed

Ba: a little help, Genos

Page 81

Ba: it’s over

Page 82

Elder Centipede molting

Page 83

Ba: it can’t be

Page 84

Ba: this guy just molted!!!

Ba: and it’s even bigger than before!?

Ba: how could this be

Page 85

Bo: we cannot defeat that thing…!

Bo: and we need to protect the unconscious heroes…

Bo: what shall we do!? Bang!

Ba: it’ll catch up to us if we tried to run

Ba: this forest park is just outside the city limits …

Ba: if we leave we’ll get civilians involved

Page 86

Ge: Bang, I will fight it

Ge: try my best to lure the centipede over here

Ge: you guys grab the injured heroes and get out of here

Page 87

Ba: Genos kun

Ba: you want to go alone

Ba: can’t say I agree with this plan…

Bo: I know there’s little chance of success, but don’t be reckless

Bo: the future belongs to the youths

Genos’ flashback of Dr. Kuseno: whatever you do Genos, don’t be reckless

Page 88

Ge: am I really going to…

Ge: leave this monster be

Page 89-90

Ge: That is not

Ge: possible

Page 91-92

Genos fighting Elder Centipede

Page 93

Ba: this is madness

Ba: cannon fire cannot harm it

Page 94

Ge: whether it’s this thing

Ge: or the monster from yesterday (Gouketsu)

Page 95

Ge: or Garou

Ge: they’re all part of the Monsters Association

Ge: this fight

Ge: is unavoidable

Page 96-97

Genos attacking Elder Centipede from above

Page 98

Ge: Dual Blade Rush

Ge: that’s what you have to do to fight them

Page 99

Ge: I’m participating

Ge: destroy

Page 100

Ge: if this is me being reckless

Ge: !

Page 101

Ba/Bo: Genos kun!!!

Ge: at this rate, I’ll…

Page 102

OUT OF THE FIGHT

Page 103

Genos recombines

Page 104

Ge: Jets drive arrow

Page 105-106

Genos kicks Elder Centipede tooth, which cracks

Page 107

Ba/Bo: he’s inside its mouth

Elder: it’s over…

Page 108

Ge: ! digestive acid

Elder: I’ll melt you in a few seconds

Ge: it’s you who are going to melt

Page 109-110

Ge: Super Spiral Incineration Cannon

Page 111

Aftermath of Super Spiral Incineration Cannon

Page 112

Bo: …!!!

Ba: he finished it!!

Page 113

Elder Centipede tanks the hit, is fine

Page 114

Ge: at the end…

Ge: I am unable to…defeat…

Ge: nor able to protect…

Page 115

Ba: let’s get out of here

Ba: Bomb!

Ba: grab the rest of them!!

Elder: futile struggle

Ph: what’s the matter

Ph: you were still responsible for taking out half of the heroes, it can’t be that bad

Page 116

Ga: not like that!

Ga: This is not what I had hoped!!!

Ga: I…I wanted to beat them with my own strength!

Ga: only then I can be a symbol of terror…!!

Ga: that’s the purpose of the hero hunt!!!

Ph: symbol of terror? You? Hahahaha…

Ph: in your current state, if you went back there, you’ll just end up getting trampled to death with the rest of the heroes

Ph: right now, you do not possess the strength to disobey Elder Centipede or executive members of the Monsters Association

Page 117

Ga: crying…

Ga: sooner or later…I’ll show you what I’m capable of…

Ge: how could I…

Page 118

Ge: what am I missing…!?

Ge: are there several others like that?

Ge: in front of those monsters…

Ge: what can I do, besides look on with envy…?

Bo: Bang! This is bad

Bo: at this rate it’ll get outside the forest park!

Bo: there will be casualties in the city!!

Page 119

Bo: at this rate…I won’t be able to walk

Bo: how old do you think I am

Ba: I’ll leave it to fate…

Ba: brother

Page 120

Ba: for the last time in my life, I’ll give it my all

Page 121-122

King: Elder Centipede~!!!

K: yo! Pest!!!!!

K: I’ve brought your target – “Blast”!!!!

Page 123

Ba: !?

Ge: that voice…King!!?

Ge: Blast!?

Ba: what…!

Bo: !!!? Look!!

Bo: it’s stopped chasing and is going towards another direction

Page 124

Elder: Blast…?

King: thaat’s….riiiight!

K: the very one that beat the crap out of you and made you wet yourself, the hero Blast!!

K: if you want to fight him again, come over here!

K: why are you so scared you can’t move?! Straighten up!!! Hey, if you’re about to shit yourself you should go home!

K: a bug like you, you must want to run back underground and suck on your mom’s tits!!!!

Page 125

Association staff: King arrived at the location near S city where Elder Centipede has reemerged!!!

Staff: thank god! It’s King, he’ll have a solution…

Staff: …there are several other heroes onsite

Staff: when I warned him their battle might cause collateral damage and injure the innocent, he told me “I hope you could give me information that can provoke Elder Centipede”

S: he might have wanted to lure the monster to him and fight it one on one.

Page 126

Staff: it sustained grave injuries at the hands of Blast in the past, but escaped with his injuries underground

S: it would be great if we could finish it off this time…

S: even though it’s top secret information, I still told king the past between Blast and Elder Centipede

S: and explained to him if the battle were to become dragged out or increase in scope, it might causegreat disaster for the surrounding areas …

S: what did he say?

S: he just said “understood”.

The roar of the King Engine……

Page 127

K: luring it here so no one else gets involved…

K: finish it off with one shot before it escapes underground

K: damage must be contained…blowing it back into the city is not an option…

K: there’s very limited time to make your decision

K: that’s it

Page 128

K: …

K: …Saitama?

Page 129

K: Saitama~!!!?

K: it’s about to

Page 130

Shot of Elder Centipede charging

Page 131-138

SERIOUS PUNCH

Page 139

Saitama: ah

Page 140

Sai: Genos, is that you?

Page 141

Sai: you really are here

Sai: just like King said

K: by the skin of my teeth…that was a close call…

Sai: it’s all good, we’re here aren’t we

K: huh? Saitama, you sound…happy?

Sai: I feel awesome for some reason

Page 142

Sai: it’s a great stress release after getting owned by you in video games

K (thinking): it’s still bothering him …

K: that’s not it…I thought I told you it’s because of your inflexible, singular approach towards battles

Ge: Saitama sensei, can I ask you a question

Sai: what?

Ge: what am I missing?

Sai: huh

Sai: power, I guess?

Page 143

Ge: …!!!!

Ge: thank you very much

K: aaaaaaahhhhhh…that’s no good Genos…

K: you cannot use Saitama as reference

Ge: sensei has guided my path with his battle

Ge: the symbol of great strength, that is my goal…

Ge: I will be there

Page 144

Ph: Garou…he has finally lost consciousness

Ph: rest easy

Ph: we’ll soon be with Orochi

END

[kittinoir]

Echoes of You ch. 24

Read on Ao3

Chat Noir watched silently as the battle began in the plaza below.

His heart ached to be down there with them, but his head knew he had to stay where he was and maintain the course. He froze when Marinette attacked Felix, but his cousin stayed the course, saving his one-time ability like they’d planned. 

“Nervous?” Red landed silently to his left, her gaze trained on the plaza as well.

“Angry,” Chat Noir answered, the words clipped. “Where is he?”

Red snorted. “He’s letting Marinette do as much damage as possible before he risks it. I have to say, I didn’t know it was possible for her to get akumatized. She always seemed so…level-headed. It used to drive me crazy, like she was somehow better than the rest of us, and it was worse because she didn’t even seem to notice. I thought one day it might happen and I’d feel smug about it, but all I feel is…sad.”

“Who’s the last person you’d ever expect to get akumatized, Chlo?” he asked, dropping into a crouch as a sent-monster burst into the plaza. He tensed, but the team responded quickly. “The last person who could afford it? The only person who could fix whatever an akuma did?”

A crease appeared between her brows. “Who could fix… Well, I guess…Ladybu - ” Understanding dawned on her face. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng?”

“I’m sure she had help,” Chat Noir said. He watched with amusement as a riot of emotions shot across Red’s face. Had he been so expressive? No, he’d been too stunned. “How many times has Tikki coached you to calm down or take it easy?”

Red scowled. “More times than I care to remember. No wonder she wouldn’t eat anything that wasn’t from her bakery.”

Chat Noir snorted. Loyalty went a long way with a kwami. He was about to say something else when she latched onto his arm, squeezing.

“He’s here.”

Chat Noir followed her gaze into the plaza. Hawkmoth had finally appeared.

“Let’s go.”

Adrenaline surged through his veins as the two of them scaled the Eiffel Tower down to the plaza. By the time they reached the ground, Tigress had stepped up to fight him, bagh nakh’s in her fists. Chat Noir and Ladybug split and surged towards Hawkmoth from opposite sides of the plaza.

Don’t look. Don’t look. Don’t look. Chat Noir chanted the words to himself as he leap-frogged over the senti-monster, giving it a whack with his baton as he passed by. He’d worried about letting Marinette distract him; it had never mattered more than it did now. And if he let himself look, he knew he’d change course. Now in the thick of it, he could hear Kele trying to reason with Marinette. He felt a twinge of guilt; it was a rookie’s mistake, and part of him wondered, not for the first time, if giving Miraculouses out to first-time users was an advantage or a needless risk when he knew he wouldn’t be able to provide the necessary training. At the time he’d reasoned that any one with a Miraculous and good intentions would be an advantage.

Of course, that was before the akuma he’d known Hawkmoth would bring with him would be his Lady and their former fearless leader.

It could have been anyone in all of Paris. Why did it have to be her?

But then he was clear of the senti-monster, and he found himself face to face with his nemesis just as Hawkmoth landed a blow that sent Tigress staggering back. They shared a brief look; she nodded once and leapt into the battle with the senti-monster.

“Ahhhh,” Hawkmoth sighed, smirking, “Of course you’re still alive.”

“Nine lives,” Chat Noir hissed, squaring up. “Remember?”

“Surely you must be down to the last three by now,” Hawkmoth said. “Although Lady-brat’s luck finally ran out, didn’t it?”

“Now that’s wishful thinking!” 

Hawkmoth staggered as Red’s yoyo struck him in the back of the knee, but he regained his composure in seconds. Worse, he didn’t look as surprised as Chat Noir had hoped he would, almost as though Chloe hadn’t been who he’d been talking about. But of course he wasn’t.

Instead of fear, Chat Noir leaned into the one emotion he’d been afraid of for over a year and a half, the one thing he’d never dared to fully realize: hope.

He let it straighten his spine, let it light up his face, let it make his eyes glow. He leaned into it, let it obliterate the pain and misery and rage of the past few weeks, and was rewarded when he saw a flicker of doubt in Hawkmoth’s eyes. “Did it?”

Hawkmoth snarled and lunged with his cane. Chat Noir blocked it as Red’s yoyo swung around the villain’s ankle, but Hawkmoth managed to avoid them both, sending them on a collision course into each other. Red barely managed to dodge him. Their shoulders jostled roughly but Chat Noir didn’t even feel it. 

This time he went low, baton first. He swung for Hawkmoth’s feet. The shaft whistled through the air, the momentum nearly toppling him when Hawkmoth managed to avoid the attack. Red lunged next. Pride burst in his chest as she landed a blow. Maybe she didn’t have Ladybug’s experience, but she made up for it in determination - or maybe that was plain spite. Either way, they were holding their own. It was a small victory. A good start to the only acceptable outcome of the night.

And then it was his turn to back-peddle as Hawkmoth’s elbow nearly caught his eye-socket. Chat Noir dropped to his knees and was rewarded by a kick to the chest that sent him flying and left him winded. The fall was hard, but the Miraculous absorbed the damage. He grit his teeth as he slid across the stone plaza, looking up just in time to see Hawkmoth seize Red by the throat and reach for an earring - his Lady’s earring.

In that moment, the plan turned to dust in the wind. “CATACLYSM.”

But even as he surged towards them, he could tell he wasn’t going to make it. A burst of pink sparkles exploded across Red’s body as one stud was removed. Desperate, Chat Noir flung his baton across the distance. Hawkmoth ducked at the last moment, throwing a glare over his shoulder that quickly evaporated when he, too, noticed the considerable distance between them. 

Chat Noir reeled as a concussive wave swept over him. The force of it threw him to his knees, but instead of dissipating, it seemed to suffuse his body and wrap a fist around his heart. He could swear he felt it stutter in response. Frustration seeped into his bones, and on its heels, despair. What had ever made him think he could win? What had ever made him think he could do any of this without Marinette? He hadn’t even been smart enough to see her when she’d been right there with him the entire time. He couldn’t save her. He’d never been able to, and he never would. Hawkmoth was going to win. 

But not without paying for it.

Chat Noir climbed to his feet, shaking from the effort. Hawkmoth was only a few feet away now, staring at Marinette vacantly as a single tear slipped down the side of his mask. Chat Noir risked a glance of his own and staggered to stop.

His team had surrounded her, but all of them had sagged under her destructive power. Even the senti-monster had ground to a halt and was whining quietly. She knelt in the middle of the ring of heroes, eyes closed, arms wide, back arched, her hair a dark banner behind her. 

Go to her.

The words tore through him, and he took one unsteady step towards her. His Lady. After all this time. So close, in so much pain. He could help her. He could save her. He could shoulder the burden for her. He could be her light. She’d always been his.

Go to her.

The weeks of wondering. Of searching. Of feeling angry, of feeling betrayed, desperate, afraid, guilty. All over. He’d found her. He’d accomplished the impossible. He didn’t want to look away, as though she’d slip away like the remnants of a nightmare if he risked it. He could free her. 

Go to her.

He’d never wanted anything more.

“Ironic.”

Chat Noir jerked to a halt, twisting to face Hawkmoth. He wasn’t sure where Red had disappeared to, but neither she nor her earring were in sight.

The villain smirked. “Without you and your little plan, I never would have been able to twist that girl. My akumas never seemed to be able to find purchase within her heart, until you opened the door for them, little hero. I guess I should thank you.”

Him? Had their fight really been so bad?  Had he really hurt her so - 

No. No, no, no. Felix’s plan. His alleged demise. He’d been so focused on this fight, on strategizing and recruiting. He hadn’t realized it could hurt her this badly. He suddenly understood what he was feeling, this draining misery. It was her misery, too much for any one person to bear. She was drowning in it, clinging to any lifeboat she could find, only to discover none of them could withstand the storm.

“All this time,” Chat Noir snarled as he stalked towards Hawkmoth, “All these months, all these defeats, all these poor people, and you still don’t get it. Without you, none of this would have happened. And now I think it’s time to make good on the promise my Lady made you on day one.”

Chat Noir channeled all the rage and pain from Marinette’s spell into his attack. Hawkmoth managed to block his attack and tried to land a kick. He dodged it and swung up through Hawkmoth’s guard, his claws headed straight for the man’s chest - and stopping at the last second, hesitating as the memory of being hit with his own power washed over him. It hadn’t killed him, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t.

It was all the time Hawkmoth needed. he landed a blow that made Chat Noir’s head spin. He landed on his side, his vision blurry. He heard Hawkmoth coming towards him, his steps echoing in the plaza, interspersed with the agonized moans of his team. He felt Marinette’s pull, felt her tugging the strength from him. He was powerless to stop it. Worse, he didn’t want to. A small voice was screaming at him to get back up, but it was growing quieter and quieter with every passing second.

He felt more than he saw Hawkmoth come to a stop beside him. “Paris’s heroes.” He laughed. “Pathetic. If only your Lady could see you now. She should have just given you up when she had the chance.”

“You know what your problem is? You talk to much.”

Chat Noir flinched as his cousin lunged out of a shadow, stinger in his fist. It was a good attack. Sharp. Clean. Efficient. Impressive. It would have worked if Hawkmoth had been standing just a little bit closer.

But he wasn’t, and his Miraculous-born reflexes enabled the villain to stagger just far enough away that the stinger only grazed his shoulder. It was enough. Chat Noir shoved himself to his feet one last time. This time he didn’t stop. 

His palm made contact with Hawkmoth’s chest. The villains eyes went wide as the Cataclysm exploded through his chest. He grunted, teeth grit, jaw locked as he absorbed the damage, his gaze locked with Chat Noir’s. Hate burned there. Maybe it had started out as a simple quest for the Miraculous, but he could see it had become personal for the villain a long, long time ago. 

Hawkmoth stumbled back, clutching the still-flickering wound over his chest. He swung his cane in a  wide arc, just enough to keep Chat Noir and Vespa at bay. “Save your precious friend if you can, you mangy fleabag. She’s beyond even my reach now.”

Before Chat Noir could rip the Miraculous from Hawkmoth’s throat, the senti-monster lurched between them and he stumbled back. It let out a pained roar and reared as Hawkmoth leapt on its back and let it carry him off. Chat Noir snatched up his baton, but Vespa’s hand on his shoulder kept him from hunting the man down - barely.

“You’ll get another chance,” Vespa said shortly. “Red needs your help now.”

“Red?”

The sounds of fighting finally broke through the fog in his head, and he turned to see Marinette was no longer in the centre of the ring of prone heroes, but battling it out with Red. Marinette reached for his partner again and again, but Red managed to dodge, slipping out of her grasp each time, but he could see she was slowing down. Her yoyo was no where to be found.

“Marinette.” The name slipped off his lips, unbidden. He was afraid, he realized. Afraid to face her like this. Afraid to look into the black pools of her eyes and discover she was gone, finally, truly beyond his reach. “Marinette!”

Marinette staggered to a stop, turning to face him. As she did, Red dropped to her knees, exhausted. “Chat…Noir…”

He made himself take a step. And then another. And then another. She knew him. Even now, she knew him. Maybe…she wasn’t all gone. Not yet.

He was barely aware of his cousin keeping pace with him as he crossed the plaza to where she waited. He wasn’t sure if she was surprised to see him or failed to really recognize him beyond his name. He found he didn’t care. He could fix this.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he drew closer. “I…I’m sorry for all of it. I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. I’m sorry we fought. I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean it. You were never a distraction; you were my destiny, Marinette, and I was too blind to see it. But I’m here now. I won’t lose you again. Not to Hawkmoth. Not to this sorrow. Not to anything.”

“Chat…Noir…” She took one staggering step towards him, her head tilting as though trying to puzzle through his apology.

“Got a plan here?” Vespa muttered, his eyes darting between the two of them.

“Get the akuma,” Chat Noir instructed. He glanced at his ring; the pad on it flashed slowly. He had seconds left. “I’ll distract her.”

“Distract her?” Vespa repeated. “Adrien - ”

A bright green flash erupted as Adrien’s transformation dissolved. Before Plagg could scold him, he slipped the ring from his finger and pressed it into his cousin’s palm. “For safe keeping. Just in case.”

“Dammit, Adrien , you - ”

“Chat…Noir… Adrien…?” Marinette interrupted, blinking. “Adrien…”

“It’s me, Marinette,” he said. He continued toward her, reaching out, one palm upturned. 

“He calls me…Zouyu…” she breathed, her eyes drifting down to his hand. “Marinette…is gone.”

“No,” Adrien said firmly. “She’s not. Let me help you. Take my hand.”

“Still alive…” A crease appeared between her brows as her expression twisted. “Then why does it…still hurt…? I can’t…make it stop… I can’t…. I can’t…

He took another step. “Take my hand, Marinette.”

“Yes…” she murmured, stretching out her own hand. “Yes. There is…so much light in you…so much.”

“Take it,” he offered. “You don’t have to bear this alone. You’ve never had to. I’ve always been here. I always will be. You and me against the world.”

Her gaze snapped to his as her hand finally slid into his upturned palm. Adrien gasped at the direct contact, his knees buckling under the force of it. She came with him, maintaining the contact. She was pulling from him. He’d felt it before, but this…it was a riptide and he was a piece of driftwood against the jagged rocks of her grief. He’d known that Hawkmoth’s powers amplified the victim’s emotions, giving him control, but this… 

She’s beyond even my reach now. Hawkmoth had known he’d do this. He’d tossed him the warning, knowing he’d miss it altogether, that he’d never realize that Marinette was stronger than anything he’d ever faced before, that she would eat him alive without meaning to, and that he would let her.

His vision blurred as her face drew closer to his. He could feel her breath on his face, ice cold. She smelled wrong, like lilies. Her free hand cupped the side of his face as she leaned in. Her lips were only a breath away, but he couldn’t help but lean in, even knowing his own destruction was seconds away. He wouldn’t survive it. He didn’t care. He wouldn’t leave her like this. If he couldn’t save her, then…then…

The acute agony of Marinette’s infectious despair evaporated as quickly as it had come. Adrien felt her jerk and heard her gasp, his own vision clearing as Red snagged the akuma from Marinette’s broken hair ornament. She shuddered as Hawkmoth’s magic dissolved, bleeding from her gown into the plaza stones. 

“Adrien…” Marinette murmured, drinking in his face. “Chat Noir…? You’re alive. I’m so relieved. Thank…goodness…” 

Adrien wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she collapsed, pulling her close. Vanilla and cinnamon. Relief flooded his entire being. A small laugh escaped, followed by another that caught in his chest. He tucked her head gently under his chin, threading his fingers through her loose hair. “It’s all ok now,” he murmured, pressing his cheek to the top of her head. “I found you, my Lady. I know I took…I took too long. But I’m here now. I’m here. It’s ok.”

“Adrien.”

He looked up at Red and found the entire team staring at them, some with wide eyes, other with blank stares, and one particular fox with a knowing smile. He glanced back to Red, and it was only then he noticed what she was wearing.

“…thanks, Chlo,” Adrien said slowly, tightening his grip on Marinette as whispers raced through the assembled heroes. “But I can take my ring back now.”

It was her smile that terrified him. It wasn’t malicious, but instead sad. 

“I have one last thing to do,” she said. “One last task to set things right. I’m not exactly sure what the price will be, but I know I’m willing to pay it.”

Chills raced down Adrien’s spine. “What are you talking about?”

“Thank you for giving me another chance,” Chloe said, “Even when I didn’t deserve it. You’ll always be my best friend. Tikki, Plagg, unify!”

Adrien had to shield his eyes from the bright white light that erupted from Chloe. He heard her wish in his head as much as he heard her say it out loud, felt it zip along his skin like a thousand little miracles: ‘I ask that Marinette’s memories of the Miraculous and her life as Ladybug, the protector of Paris, to be restored to her. This is my wish. I choose it of my own free will, and willingly pay the price.’

[nitephoenix]

Second Chance Confessionals

Warning: Desperada Spoilers (some small Refekdoll references too), some angst, few curses, and longer than I intended .

Notes: so i basically re-wrote the episodes ending some. I'm on mobile so forgive any bs mistakes. This is also my first fic for any fandom ever, but I'm a sucker for reveals. Anyways, enjoy my trash writing!

******

He was on his 25,903rd try.

He knew it would probably fail. Just like everytime before. Maybe it was his selfish need to succeed, save her, have her praise him, Adrien, as her savior. Maybe it was the fear of being anything less than perfection, instilled in his head from his father. But he just couldn't give up yet. They always succeeded someway or another when he was Chat Noir. So, why wasn't it working as Apsik?!

He knew. Oh, he knew it would fail yet again. So, what the hell? Might as well get a practice confession in there, right?

"You know, Ladybug?" Her beautiful blue eyes turned to him as they ran for their lives yet again.

"I'm also Chat Noir, and I've been in love with you ever since our eyes met-".

A number of emotions flashed on her features in those few milliseconds. But upon the love declaration, her eyes blew wide and she tripped over her own feet. He stopped in his tracks as a golden shot from Desperada just missed the fallen Ladybug.

Thinking quickly, he jumped a top of her, rolling them under one of the parked vehicles on the road. Just before Desperada fired off another shot. Ladybug was still staring at him with wide eyes.

Well, this could have gone better.

Right next to them was a man hole cover. Before he could process it, Ladybug threw off the cover and dragged him into the sewers. Above them the car disappeared as they started to run to a more secluded area. In reality, Ladybug ran and dragged him behind her. His mind all the while screaming, "Danger! "Danger!". She all but chucked him into a supply room, slamming the door behind her. Her back was facing him, both hands on the door and as tense as a coiled spring.

Boy, was he royally fucked.

Fidgeting with the lyre, he began, "La...Ladyb-".

"Don't. Speak."

She finally turned to him. Her hand up commanding he pause. Her face appeared void of emotion, but he knew that fire burning in her eyes meant he was in for it. All through, why were her cheeks red?

She closed her eyes. "I'm...I'm about 100% certain I heard you correctly." She took a deep breath and exhaled, finally opening her eyes and looking dead into his. "But, I need you to repeat what you said...one more time."

"Ladybug, I really don't think that's necessa-".

"Aspik."

"I..I can j-just reset everything and it'll be-".

"Adrien."

"R-really it's no biggie! Just let me use my powe-".

"CHAT NOIR! ENOUGH!"

He flinched away from her. She had her fist clinched, face still flushed, and eyes that could kill. "Repeat what you said. Right. Now."

He sighed, dropping his head, and slowly repeated his untimely confession. "I said, 'I'm also Chat Noir, and I've been in love with you since our eyes met.'..but really, it's been since you told off Hawkmoth on the Eiffel tower when we defeated Stoneheart." He didnt dare look up at her. He still had a little time before his transformation gave out. If he timed this right, he could get it all off his chest, use Second Chance, and this could all just be added to the bad memories from today. He lifted his head. Just as she was about to open her mouth, he let it all out.

"You chose me. Adrien. You trusted ME with helping you, saving you. And I..I just thought that maybe...since Chat Noir can't have your love, maybe Adrien could? But I failed. I failed and I failed and each time I had to watch you die and start all over. O-only for you to just die in front of me again! But I couldn't give up, because what good is Adrien if he can't keep you safe! What would there be about me to love if I fail as your partner?!" At that point he had tears blocking his vision, and he couldn't see the tears falling from her eyes aswell. He was too far in to stop now.

"No matter what I do, I'm just a screw up! I can barely be a good friend as Adrien, I can't save you as Aspik, I need you to guide me as Mister Bug, and I'm n-nothing but a-a clown as Chat Noir!" He was heaving from the outburst. Eyes pouring with all the held back emotions. She stared back at him with tear streaks etched down her lovely face.

Now she seen him for all he was. A failure and screw up no matter the mask he paraded around in.

"I don't deserve you to love me. Not as Chat Noir, and definitely not as Adrien. I'm going to stop pursuing you. You deserve someone better than me to love you and protect you. I hope that boy you love is everything you need him to be, that I can't be. You wont have to worry though. I won't let you remember my identity, or just how much I've really let you down." He reached for the Miraculous, about to turn back the clock once again. A whizzing sound filled the room. Ladybug's yo-yo konked him in the center of his forhead, causing him to stager back a bit and reach up.

"OW! What the heck was that for?! I was about to fix this!"

Her yo-yo was on the ground, string slack, and she had a panicked look in her teary eyes.

"Y-you ridiculous..snake. Cat. Cat-snake, boy. Whatever! How..how DARE you!" She was trembling. Her voice was cracking and laced with hurt. But she did her best to hold steady to anger.

"How could you possibly thin-". She started speaking when teal sparkling light engulfed Aspik, returning him to Adrien. Sass landed in his palms, clearly exhausted.

"I'm sorry Sass. I shouldn't have kept trying. All I have is some camembert." He reached in his shirt and handed the cheese to the exhausted Kwami.

"Thank you, Adrien. I understand." Sass began to nibble the smelly cheese. Plagg, having witnessed everything, floated down from his perch a top the lockers next to Sass.

Seeing Plagg was like a bullet to the heart for each teen, but for different reasons. Adrien began silently berating himself. How could he have pushed Plagg aside so easily? Just for a love he could never obtain? He really was the absolute worst.

Unaware that across the room, Ladybug was having an internal crisis. Seeing him turn back to Adrien made it real. Seeing Plagg in his hand however, made that reality sink in.

"Oh my god...oh god..", she whispered to herself. Falling to her butt and leaning back on the door. She just stared across the room. What was she supposed to do now?

Adrien looked over at the shell-shocked Ladybug. He sighed and sank down to the floor, moving the Kwamis so his lap. He gave a humorless chuckle, "I guess I really messed up this time. And I can't turn back time so you'll forget it. But, before you take Plagg, can I help you beat Desperada and tell him goodbye?"

That got her attention.

"Wait...t-take Plagg? Why would I-".

"I blew my secret identity. I'm a lousy Snake and obviously don't deserve to keep being Chat with my identity comprised. Like Chloe with Queen Bee. It would be too dangerous with you knowing, right? And I...I can't put you in anymore danger. Just please, this one last mission and a goodbye?"

He thought- no. He couldn't possibly think she'd do that...right? But his speech replayed in her head. How little he thought of himself in all his forms. How undeserving he felt of love and how much he felt the need to prove his worth. Had she done this to him? All the rejections? Unknowingly crushing her own crush? And then there was his damn father. She swore if she could she'd tie Gabriel up and dangle him over the Seine until he vowed to treat Adrien like an actually son. Not some over glorified employee. She slowly dragged herself over infront of Adrien, sitting on her knees. He looked broken and bewildered. She noticed his hand cup against Plagg ever so slightly. Maybe he did make a huge mistake, but she needed to help him see not all was lost.

"Adrien, I'm not going to take Plagg."

"W-what? But..I..".

"Yes, you messed up. You revealed your identity and now that can't be fixed. But you didn't fail, Adrien. Your power was to turn back time when something went wrong so we could fix it. And that's exactly what you did. You still saved me. So you messed up a few times, it-".

"25,903."

Ladybug stopped. Furrowing her brows she asked, "What?"

"This was the 25,903rd time I tried. I would of probably tried about 10 more before finally giving up. It..its been months, and I still failed." He looked up at her. He seemed so fragile and small though she knew he wasn't. He tried for months. Months?! Oh dear god. She had to get him to see it was okay. That she was okay.

"An-and you still saved me."

He looked at her skeptical for a beat, "How?.."

"I'm here, right? I tripped and Desperada almost got me, but you rolled us under that truck and saved me again!" She held out her hand for his. "See? I'm right here and safe. Thanks to you."

He tentatively took hold of her hand. He knew she was alright, but feeling her there made it so much better.

"Besides, it wasn't all your fault. I was so caught up in the fact that you were, well, you." She gestured to him with her free hand, " That I got a bit distracted and wasn't on my A-game."

Wait. What? Why would he distract her? He narrowed his eyes. She was a whole lot more responsive and, well, "un-Ladybug" like around him versus Chat.

Ladybug could see the gears in his head turning. Damn her blabbering mouth whenever he was around. Oh god, she just realized again that he was ALWAYS around. She looked down at Plagg, who wore the biggest shit-eating grin she'd ever seen. Amusement twinkling clearly in his acidic eyes. He had to know about her crush. He knew, and the little cheesy bastard was having the time of his life. She prayed to Tikki for any extra Ladybug luck and back pedaled as fast as she could.

"Ahhhh hehe well... you see what I meant was-".

"ADREIN! LADYBUG! Where are you guys!?"

Their heads whipped to the door. Luka was looking for them. Ladybug got to her feet, thanking Tikki for the distraction. "We need to let him know we're okay." As she reached for the handle, a large hand took hold of her wrist. She turned and, since when did Adrien get a whole head taller than her?

"Ladybug, I know we still have alot to talk about, but I think I know at least one way to fix some of my mess. Brave, determined, and kind? I think Luka would make a much better snake than I did." She started at him for a moment. Her brain almost failing to process what he meant.

"What about you?"

He smiled softly and looked over to Plagg sitting on his shoulder. "I think all black suits me much better, wouldn't you agree M'lady?" Her jaw dropped. She knew it now. But every little detail just concreted it more into her head. The boy she'd been so hopeless for was also her partner. And apparently, just as hopeless for her. She had to get out of her own head and get back into "Ladybug mode" if she wanted any chance to beat Desperada. She looked up to him and nodded. "Okay, Luka it is, Kitty." His smile could've lighted up the room.

"I, uh, I guess I'll suit up first? Plagg, Claws Out!" Before she could object, a green flash burst through the room. When she was able to see, there in Adrien's place, stood Chat Noir. He pulled the Snake Miraculous from his pocket and placed it back in its box, "we um...we better get going if we want to beat Desperada fast." All she could do was nod and watch as he opened the door and called for Luka.

"Luka! Over here!" The guitarist rounded the corner, spotting them and came to their sides.

"I'm so glad you guys are alright but um...where's Adrien? He was supposed to be hiding in the lockers with me but wasn't there." Chat put a hand on his shoulder and told him, "Adrien's fine. We hid him somewhere else so you would'nt be found at the same time. But we do have a favor to ask of you."

"If it's anything I can do to help my family and friends, just name it," Luka said with a smile.

Chat held out the box, " Luka Couffaine, this is the miraculous of the snake, it grants the power of second chance. You will use it for the greater good. You'll return it to Ladybug when the battles over." He looked down at Ladybug smiling, then back to Luka. "Can we count on you?"

Luka took the box from Chat with a determined, "Without a doubt!"

***********

Desperada was finally defeated. Luka returned the snake to Ladybug. "Thank you for helping us today, Luka. I hope we can count on you if we ever need Viperieon again."

"You sure can, Ladybug. But don't we need to go get Adrien out of his hiding spot?" Before she could reply, Chat stepped in, "Don't worry. We'll go get him and send him up sssssupper quick," and gave Luka a wink. With that Ladybug grabbed Chat before he could protest, and they swung off. Luka cast them one last knowing look before heading back to the ship.

In an alley near the Couffaine ship, Ladybug landed, letting go of Chat and hugging her arms around her self.

"M'lady, are you okay? I know we need to talk, but we only have a few minutes left." She looked up at him stunned. "You aren't going to ask about my identity?"

Chat shook his head and lowered it. "I messed up today, bug. I know you didn't want to reveal ourselves to each other, and...I disrespected you. I knew you didn't want to and I did it anyways. I should of known that even after 25,903 times it could have possibly worked, but I took the chance anyways assuming it wouldn't. And here we are. I'm lucky enough you're letting me keep Plagg. I don't deserve to-".

"ENOUGH!" Ladybug erupted with fury. "Don't you DARE say that you don't deserve to stay a hero or deserve something like love, or respect, or attention or..or anything! Don't you dare say you're not worthy of those basic human things! You shouldn't have to fight for someone's love or time! You aren't a clown or a screw up! You save me everyday. Every. Single. Day. You're the one person I can always count on. Sometimes even out of the mask! You're not useless or a failure! And...and I," tears started to fall from her mask, " I'm so, so sorry if I've ever been one of the people who made you feel like that, Adrien!" She jamed the balls of hands into her eyes trying to stop the tears. Meanwhile, Chat's body went rigid at the sound of his civilian name. Still trying to think of what she meant by "out of the mask", bright pink light flowed down Ladybug's form, leaving a crying Marinette Dupain-Cheng in her place. Tikki flew into her purse, knowing this would have come sooner or later.

Chat about had a stroke. Of all the people, he would have never imagined he'd be lucky enough to find Marinette under the Ladybug mask. Before his heart could soar, it crumbled. She was with Luka, wasn't she? He must be the guy she talked about being in love with. He could see why. At least he got to be her friend, right? "Marinette...?"

Her face whipped up twoards him, then down to herself. "Oh no. Oh my god. Master Fu's going to be so upset! Hawkmoth is going to win cause now you know an-".

"Marinette! It's okay!" Chat took a hold of her hands, bringing her back down to earth. "Just breath for a minute. In. Out. In. Out. Better?" She nodded up at him. "It"s okay, I..I didn't mean to upset you," he looked up to the sky, "I just can't stop messing up today." He looked back down at her. "We need to get you back to Luka. I'm sure he'll make you feel better. We can sort all the rest of this out later if you want."

"Why do I need to see Luka?"

"He...", it was killing him to say this," He's your boyfriend." Marinette stared at him like he had a second head. He felt his transformation give out, leaving Adrien Agreste standing in an alley, holding hands with Marinette, who looked like she just seen a ghost.

"Cha-A-Adrien. Luka isn't my b-boyfriend."

Oh.

"Oh...okay, s-sorry. Still...everyone is probably wondering where we are. And I have to get back to my house soon since 'practice should be over'. Ya know?" He was about to let go of her hands when Marinette's grip tightened.

"Adrien, I know you to need. I-I mean need you to know! UGH!" She dropped her head, taking a deep breath. She picked her head up but kept her eyes closed. Picturing she was just talking to Chat. "I need you to know that I never meant for you to feel unwanted. I meant what I said when we fought Anansi, you're irreplaceable to me. As a f-friend, as a partner, as...as anything more." He seen a blush spread across her cheeks. "You're never a failure to me. As Chat Noir or as A-Adrien. You're brave, kind, compassionate, smart, and you are actually pretty funny...you just have terrible timing." She finally opened her eyes and looked up at him. "I'm really glad you're my kitty."

He started at her, a goofy smile stretched across his face. "I'm the luckiest black cat in the world to have you as my lady." Both of them stared at each other for a moment. Cheeks red, and small smiles adorning thier faces. Marinette felt a bit bold, so she let go of his hands and cupped one of his cheeks. She lifted up on her tippy toes and pressed a small kiss to his other cheek. Much like she had the day of their class picnic. "Everday Ladybug", he had called her. Boy, if he only knew. She backed away a step while he was still in awe. She looked so shy and embarrassed. He thought it was absolutely adorable.

Adrien decided to break the silence first, "So...um, what do we do now?"

Marinette looked up at him, cheeks still a rosey shade. "I guess, maybe we go speak to the guardian later. He needs to know we know about...each other. We will also have to be more careful now, I think. We..we can talk more tonight, on patrol. I don't want your father or Ms. Tsurugi to to be upset with you or...Kagami."

His hand went up to the back of his neck. "Yea, me either. So, we can talk more tonight?"

"Tonight." She smiled up at him. They both turned and headed for the Couffaine ship. Wondering if this second chance was what they both really needed.

***********

And end. Part 1 of 2 maybe? I guess if enough people like it I'll make a second part. I suck at endings. Feel free to leave any tips or helpful criticism. I literally winged everything after she brought them back into the sewers cause that was all i had planned out. Thanks for reading! :)

[yellowsugarwords]

Walking Dead Game FanFiction - “Anxiety”

Title: Anxiety Characters: Clementine, Javier, Gabe Summary: While in the tunnels, Clementine goes through an anxiety attack knowing that The New Frontier is close. While in mid break-down, Javi has to calm her down. Author's Note: okay omg I hope this turned out okay ahhhh Requested By: Anonymous support me with ko-fi ♡ ---------♥️♥️♥️----------

She recognized this tunnel.

The moment the thought entered her, it made her skin crawl. She paused her walking, her palms going clammy and her eyes bulging. Goose-bumps littered her skin, her gaze crawled every inch of the tunnel, and her heart stretched against her rib-cage wailing to escape.

“Clementine?”

Her skin crawled hearing the familiar voice — the friendly voice — because she was too lost. She was too drowned in her mind, recalling the memories of her crawling out of this tunnel months, maybe even years prior.

This was the same tunnel she’d escaped through. This is where she had run for her life after she’d been thrown to the wolves.

“Clem?” Javier tried again.

Hearing her name sound for a second time, Gabe turned to see what the commotion was about. All he spotted was Clementine staring dead ahead, frozen in place. Her eyes were wide, her skin was pale and, despite the dim lighting, Gabe could see that her hands were shaking. “Clem?” He voiced. “Is everything okay?”

Somehow, Gabe’s voice was the one that rattled Clem from her thoughts. She blinked, her body jolting, shot back into reality. “What?”

Javier stared at her, gaze quizzical and hesitant. While they hadn’t known each other for long, he wasn’t blind. He could tell something was bothering her. Whether it was something regarding the group’s overall safety was what he was concerned about. “What’s going on?”

Clementine said nothing, her lips parted and frantic, her eyes darting between Javier, Gabe, and the ever vanished crew up ahead. They were slipping out of sight. They were getting closer to them. Them. And once they got there, they wouldn’t be able to turn back. She took in a shaky breath.

“Clem?” Gabe pressed. He took a few steps closer. “What’s happening with you?”

There was no turning back now. There was no way she could explain to them what was ahead without her being put at risk to be killed by them or the New Frontier. No matter what she was going to do, she would lose.

“Clementine, come on. We need to keep moving.” Javi said.

Javier wouldn’t let her slip away easily. If she made a break for it, he’d come after her. He’d demand answers, and no matter what she said it wouldn’t end well for her. It never did. She didn’t know these people. She barely trusted them, if even at all.

There was no use. This was the end of the line. She was done for.

All thanks to this stupid tunnel.

She hadn’t realized that her breathing was rattling until she felt hands on her shoulders. She jumped, swatting the hands away, her eyes darting to meet Javier’s. His hands raised in surrender, watching as she frantically tried to collect herself. “I don’t know what’s going on Clem, but you’re freaking us out.”

“I’m fine,” she wheezed, not realizing how raspy she was until then.

Javier blinked, his brows knitting together and untangling themselves, trying to understand what was happening.

The room was spinning, her clammy hands reached up to adjust her hat and exposed just how badly her hands were shaking. She closed her eyes, feeling her chest pain from how badly her heart was slamming against it. “I--” her body managed out without her realizing. She turned, pivoting, trying to gain a grip on reality.

It didn’t work. She was slipping away.

The floor felt like it was caving and the walls felt like they were tightening in on her. “I don’t know what to do.” She whispered, so faint and soft, dancing on a breath she didn’t have, that Javier almost didn’t hear it.

Almost.

“Clem--”

All of a sudden, there was a wheeze, and Javier saw just how badly Clementine’s hands were shaking as she kept their back to them. Fearing that, Clementine curled them into her chest, settling them onto her chest and feeling how erratic her heartbeat was.

“Gabe,” Javier said, waving a hand behind him before turning to speak, “keep up with the group. Tell them we’ll catch up.”

“What?” Gabe scoffed. He started forward, reaching out to tug at his uncle’s arm. “But Javi--”

“Please,” Javi said, swivelling around, his eyes wide and panicked. He needed to calm what was happening before him without embarrassing Clementine. Keeping the boy that liked her in arms reach might only escalate her panic.

Gabe bit down on his inner cheek, his gaze darting past Javi’s arms to try to catch a better glimpse of the girl. He watched her hunch over, heard the wheezing escaping her, and closed his eyes. “Fine.” He said, turning away. His pace quickened the farther he got.

The second Gabe’s back was turned, Javi started for the girl. “Hey, hey,” he said softly, darting to her front, settling his hands against her shoulders. Clementine jumped, swatting him away. Doing so exposed her face to him, and only resulted in Javier’s fear growing. “Clem--”

“I’m fine,” she wheezed.

“You’re not.”

She whimpered, trying to pivot herself as to not face him. She didn’t want him seeing how contorted her face was. She didn’t want people worrying about her. It opened the gateway to caring, to dependence, to relying on others again.

She hated that. It had never worked out for her before.

“Clem?”

Finally, hearing the tone in his voice, she dared to turn toward him. Staring, she saw just how immense his concern was. Her eyes were tense, his shoulder tight, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides; panicked and frustrated as to what he could do.

As much as she didn’t want to do it, she couldn’t help it. She was desperate, and terrified, and needing something to stabilize her. And here was Javi: willing and able.

So, she caved.

She took in another shaky breath, her voice wavering and tight; constrained and fighting with the oxygen it was trying to take in. “It’s hard to breathe,” she finally forced out, her hands pressed into her chest and neck.

Javier immediately leapt into action. Darting forward, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he hushed, pulling her closer. “Follow me, this way.” Clementine felt like she hardly had control of her feet. Luckily, Javier guided her entirely on his own to the edge of the tunnel.

Carefully, he sat her down and knelt in front of her. “Look at me,” he said, tilting up her chin and planting his hands on her shoulders. She listened, and only then did Javier see the tears she had been pooling in her golden eyes. He swallowed the lump in his throat, adjusted himself, and continued. “Breathe with me, okay?” He said. “Follow my lead.”

Keeping his hands on her shoulders, Javier guided her. One breath in for five, then out for five. Clementine obeyed, her eyes stuck on his, although still welling.

The longer she followed however, the better she felt; the more the exercises worked. Her eyes remained locked on Javier, her hands pressed to her chest, feeling her heartbeat rattle inside her rib cage. Javier was holding her stable, keeping her grounded, holding her in reality.

“It’s,” she began. Her breath was stable enough that she could speak, even if her voice rattled with each word. “It’s them.”

Javier was going to ask questions, but didn’t. He feared it would provoke only more fear.

“Them. The New Fron--” she couldn’t even finish her sentence. Already, her breathing began to hitch again. Even thinking about them was sending her into another spiral.

“Okay, it’s okay,” Javier said. Moving slowly as to not frighten her, he sat himself down beside her. He tossed his arms around her and pulled her into his side. He settled one hand on her arm, the other on the side of her head, and hushed her. Following the rhythm of her breathing, Javi rubbed her arm up and down, breathing with her, keeping her stable and present.

“You’re here.” He said. “You’re okay. Nothing’s going to happen out there.”

He didn’t know that, and she knew that he didn’t know that, but something about the way he said it made her believe it. She felt like he really did have her back. Like she was safe. Like she had someone to rely on.

“You’re okay,” he said gently, his one hand settling on the top of her head, patting her hat down into its normal position. “Nothing's going to happen.”

So, why did it not feel as terrible as she thought it would? Why did she not feel as on edge as she thought she would? Why was it so easy for her to trust Javier?

“I got you. You’re safe here.”

She didn’t know. Maybe she never would.

Clementine could feel her racing heart begin to slow, closing her eyes and relishing in the feeling of someone holding her, keeping her still, helping her feel safe.

“Okay,” Javier said, peeling away.

Clementine felt a wash of cold, her eyes opening and adjusting to reality again. She blinked back the tears resting in the corners of her eyes and glanced around, the world coming into focus around her.

Suddenly, a water bottle was held out. “Take some,” Javi said, “and take your time. We’re in no rush.”

Clementine took it and, as instructed, took small, shallow, careful sips. Once she was done, she sealed it and passed it back. “Thank you.” She said, giving a faint, hesitant smile. The weight of what had just happened crashed over her; the embarrassment for how frantic she’d become from something as simple as a tunnel.

Javier smiled, pocketing the water and standing. There, he offered his hands to help her to her feet. “Don’t mention it.” He said. “This is what teammates are for.”

Teammates. Somehow, she found comfort in that. So, she took his hands, and let him help her.

He smiled as he released her hands, taking in her now-composed form. He found comfort in it. “Ready?” He asked gently, settling his hands on his hips.

Clementine bristled, but not severely. It was enough to prompt a concerned gaze from Javi, ready to leap back into comforting action if need be, but her words wiped it away. “Yeah. Let’s get out there.”

Javi gave a hesitant smile and, slowly, started on his way out. He was careful to ensure he was walking in front of her, casting his gaze back to make sure she was following, and close, and keeping her breathing stable.

She knew why he was doing it: it was so she felt like he had her back. It was to help her feel safe and untouchable, and it worked.

At the end of the day, she knew she could take anything The New Frontier tossed her way. She was capable. She’d escaped from them once before and could do it again.

But it might be easier now that she had a team.

Now that she had Javier looking out for her. ---------♥️♥️♥️----------

[fanficsrusz]

My Obligation Final Part - Keanu Reeves Mini Series

A/n: since this was a mini series, i didn't want to do a lot of parts so i feel like 3 parts is the perfect amount. Requested by @ringa-starr.

__________

Keanu practically wore away the floor with all the pacing had done that night. He felt lost, numb, not knowing what to do, not knowing how to save his wife and his unborn baby. 

As the hours went by and the police dwindled away, he was soon left alone in the house. He dragged his body upstairs, the floorboards creaking under each step he took. He made his way past the pictures of Deidra hung on the wall, unable to look at them fearing the guilt of not being able to protect her would eat away at him. 

He found himself stood in the middle of the nursery, the only source of light came from the full moon outside. Shadows danced across the walls and the once happy room was now a constant reminder of how he was a failure of a husband, a failure of a father. 

He dropped to his knees, his heart heavy in his chest as he unleashed the tears he had been holding in. His sobs echoed through the empty halls. He sat there for ages as the tears poured from his eyes, until his sadness turned to anger.  He had to find her and he would do anything to get her back.

~

Deidra jumped awake, her vision taken away by a thin piece of material. Only a blurred outline of a light was visible. She let out a soft whimper as memories flooded back to her.

The first thought that rushed through her head was making sure the baby was ok. The baby must have known what she was thinking as it kicked letting Deidra know it was ok. 

She relaxed for a second before realising she was still in danger. 

She tried to remember as much as she could but her head hurt. She raised a hand to remove the blindfold slowly, scared of what it hides. 

The light blinded her momentarily but she blinked away the pain. 

She expected more than a bedroom. She expected cells with torture devices placed around but all there was was a bedroom. A small bed with a few teddy bears, a side table, a vanity and posters. If anything it was a normal bedroom.

Deidra looked around as she slowly stood from her spot on the floor. Her back hurt as she used the wall for support. 

"I wouldn't move if i was you" a soft voice came from the dark doorway and Deidra jumped 10 feet into the air. 

A young girl, maybe 19, came into view. She was slim, tall, an average girl. Straight brown hair was slick to her head, a sharp contrast to her pale skin and piercing blue eyes stared at her. Deidra knew just by looking at them that they held so many secrets. 

The girl stepped deeper into the room and Deidra felt small in comparison to her. The light in the room bounced of something in her grip. A small knife clutched in her hand. 

"please" Deidra whispered sinking back to the floor "i just want to go back to my home". The girl continued to walk closer before stopping inches away from her. 

"I think you mean my house" the girl looked down at Deidra's stomach and extended her hand. 

Without thinking Deidra swatted her hand away, not wanting the psycho anywhere near her baby. 

The girl pulled away angrily before standing. 

"I never understood what he saw in you" she stood and moved over to a TV that hung on the wall. Turning it on before stepping back. 

She flicked through the channels and Deidra felt a tear slip down her face. 

"why are you doing this?" she whimpered, the only response she got was a hush. Deidra turnt to the tv as the girl turned on the news. 

“Tonight, shock and horror as Keanu Reeves pregnant wife Deidra Reeves has been kidnapped by a deranged fan known as Samantha Clerk. Samantha is known to the police for having stalked Mr Reeves 3 years ago. She was arrested for breaking and entering and given a 2 year sentence. More on the story later. '' Samantha's picture flashed onto the screen and Deidras eyes went wide as she realised who had taken her.

“See you're finally becoming famous by yourself. No need to steel Keanus light anymore” she turned to stare at Deidra. 

“It's you. You're the fan that Keanu told me about”  Deidra tried to stand again and samantha stormed her way over, stopping once centimeters from her face. 

“We would have been together by now if you hadn't got in the way. We love each other. It should be my Obligation to keep him happy, not you” samantha poken deidra’s chest as she spat through her teeth. 

Deidra just cried “ please just let me go. I don't understand what you want from me” the girl begged as she felt the baby move inside her, something it did whenever its mother became scared. 

“Why would I let you go? You’re a one way ticket to him. As long as I have you, i have keanu” her eyes lit up as she spoke of the man but darkened as she turned back to her hostage.

 “Please. I- my- im pregnant” she stammered out and samantha just smiled. 

“Oh I know. You see…” she stepped closer and leaned down to the bump, Deidra turned protectively but Samantha grabbed her arm harshly as she pushed her back into the wall stopping her from moving. Deidra let out a pained moan as the girl continued to talk. 

“I got out of prison 2 years ago and by that time he had already married you. At first I just planned on killing you, getting rid of you the easy way. But then you got pregnant and i had an idea. Why not take the baby as my own instead and then kill you that way i would have a family instantly.”  the knife she was holding was bought up and held inches from Deidra's eye. Deidra could do nothing but cry, she couldn't run or she would be caught within seconds. She had no other choice but to play along with the insane game of the girl. 

“You should get comfy. You're going to be here for a while. Don't worry, I'll take care of the baby” 

~~~~~~

Hours turned to days, days turned to weeks and soon enough deidra had been missing for 2 months. Keanu was a mess, his once welcoming eyes were now sunken. His face gaunt and his frame weak.

He had spent many sleepless nights searching for anything to lead him to where Deidra was. He was becoming more and more worried since her due date was approaching and she had missed so many hospital appointments. 

The police had half given up, moving on to other cases saying that with no trace of her there was not much they could do. 

Keanu was enraged at the polices lack of help and so took it upon himself to hire a private detective. He didn't care how much money or time was spent on this, he would find her. 

There was not much to work with since there was hardly any clues as to where samantha had taken Deidra. 

But that had all changed a few weeks ago when he had received a lock of Deidra's hair in the mail with a note. A single word written across it. "soon" 

Keanu gave it to his private detective immediately. They were able to find out what type of paper it was, where it was bought from and then they had found cctv footage of samantha buying it. They had found her. 

~

“Wake uppp” samantha sang as she walked into the room, carrying a tray of food. 

True to her word, Samantha had taken care of Deidra, giving her fresh clothes and plenty of food daily. 

Maybe it was the lack of  being able to talk to other people but Deidra was beginning to care for the girl and samantha had come to enjoy talking to Deidra, finding solace in her company. 

With not much else to do apart from sit in one room, Deidra had found herself asking questions about samantha's life. She felt sorry for her when samantha told her of how her mother would abuse her and sell her off to men for money. 

Her father was no better, he would often burn her with cigarettes or beat her for no reason. 

Samantha has spent hours telling Deidra various stories of her childhood and deidra noticed something, she did not have one good story. She felt bad for the girl, all she needed was help. 

Deidra remembered one sentence that the girl had told her, saying “ I wish I could have my own child so I could treat it right, give it the life I never had. but i can't. I'm- i can't have children"

Samantha looked broken when she told Deidra this, she didn't know what else to do but hug Samantha as she cried. maybe it was insane to think but somehow samantha doing all this made little sense to Deidra. 

All she wanted was a child, to give it a good life, to have had a good childhood without all the pain. 

She was misguided, lost, all she needed was professional help. 

"how are you today Deidra" samantha asked as she helped her stand. "ive been better" deidra lied as she stopped herself from pulling a pained face. 

samantha helped her over to the sofa in the room as she sat. 

Samantha had an unusual look on her face and Deidra noticed it straight away. She had become a sort of mother figure to Samantha. 

"Samantha whats wrong?" samantha just sighed and Deidra moved closer waiting for her to answer. 

"I don't know what to do anymore" 

Deidra had almost forgot that she was being held hostage here.

"I think you know what you need to do samantha. I can get you the help you need" deidra placed a reassuring hand onto her shoulder and Samantha smiled. 

"Deidra im so sorry. For all of this really i am. I should have never done this" deidra smiled and moved to sit back as she felt pain in her back.

"look let me just sort out a- are you alright?" samantha leaned over to look at Deidra as she let out a moan of pain. "oh God Samantha i'm sorry. I think- AHHHH- i think i've been having contractions all night" samantha jumped up. "WHAT. why didn't you tell me. Oh my god what have i done" samantha pulled her hands to cover her mouth. 

"samantha sweetie its ok- AHHHH CHRIST- ok" deidra breathed out as she tried to control her breathing. "ok you need to get me an ambulance". Samantha stood up straight "no. I cant. I'll go back to prison" samantha began to pace as she thought of what to do. 

Suddenly she shot her head up as she formed an idea.

 "Deidra wait 5 minutes" She ran out of the room before Deidra could protest. Leaving her to deal with the pain alone.

After what felt like an eternity, Samantha returned with an elderly women following her with towels and water. 

Samantha rushed over to crouch next to Deidra. "this is Christine. She's my neighbour, She used to be a nurse. She will help you. '' At this point Deidra could hardly keep her eyes open, the pain becoming too much as she began to fade in and out of consciousness. All she could see was Christine moving over in front of her. 

Deidra couldn't see anything, couldn't move anything, she could only hear. She could hear the cries of a baby and maybe from the loss of blood, but she swore she could hear keanu's beautiful voice calling her name. 

~

 Keanu has spent hours tracking Samantha. He hated her, hated how she took Deidra from him and hated how he couldn't have stopped her. 

Watching CCTV footage of the streets, he had finally tracked her to a small little house just outside of New york. Hopefully, where he would find Deidra. Taking the information to the police, they all prepared to break it.

 Keanu stood outside of the house and waited for the police to move in. Eventually, they broke through the windows, keanu following hot on their heels. 

"DEIDRA" keanu shouted, his voice carrying through the halls. The police moved through the house, searching for any sign of Deidra. Finally, keanu heard the words he had wanted to hear for months. "WE GOT HER". Keanu pushed past various police officers, rushing into the room. 

Deidra laid on the floor, her face pale and blood pooled around her body. 

Keanu dropped onto his knees next to her. "nononononono" he whispered, pulling her body into his arms.

Paramedics rushed over to him, pulling him away as they began to work on saving her. 

Keanu then heard something, the sound of a baby crying.

 He turned to see Samantha in the corner with a baby in her arms. His baby. He stormed over to her as he took the baby from her. 

"Im sorry. Im so sorry. Is she ok?" samantha pleaded and keanu shot daggers at her as police put her in cuffs. "you've taken her from me." he whispered as tears ran down his face, the threat of losing his wife becoming more likely. The baby settled in his arms as another paramedics looked over the little girl. 

Samantha tried to resist the police dragging her out just so she could she if Deidra was still alive. She cried as she saw the paramedics had began CPR on her. 

~

Kenau sat in a white room as he smiled down at the baby girl in his arms. He laughed as she cooed up at her father. 

"keanu?"a weak voice called for him and his heart skipped a beat.

Looking up he met Deidra's beautiful eyes. Her face was full of colour again and her smile was warm.  " oh God. Deidra. You're finally awake" he rushed over to the girl in the bed and helped her sit up. 

Deidra stopped moving, tears welled in her eyes as she noticed the baby girl in keanus arms. 

"is-is that-" Deidra couldn't form the words she wanted to say and keanu just nodded as he handed the baby to her mum. 

Keanu walked out of the room to get a doctor to check over his wife. 

Deidra stared at the little girl in her arms, tears falling down her face. 

" Hi" she whispered as she stroked her daughters face, smiling as the baby giggled. She couldn’t believe that she was finally there in her arms. Happy and healthy. 

"Hello Deidra. I'm Dr. Monrow. Would you mind?" an old man stood in the doorway as he gestured to the room as a way of asking if he could enter. Deidra nodded and watched as he began to make his way over. 

He picked up her wrist as he took her pulse. He watched as the new mother stared at the baby, to busy in her own thoughts. 

"have you decided on a name yet?" Deidra looked up at the man, his smile was contagious.

 Y/n nodded and made eye contact with keanu who stood in the doorway.

 "Aurora" she said simply and the baby giggled as if she agreed to the name. " That's a beautiful name for a beautiful little girl". 

Keanu walked over and took the baby into his arms, allowing the doctor to check over his wife properly. 

"ok you're perfectly fine. I would like to keep you in just for one more night and I will be happy to let you go home tomorrow" Dr monrow smiled before walking out. 

Keanu gave Aurora back to Deidra as he sat down next to her bed. 

"how are you doing?" keanu asked as he held onto Deidra's  hand. She continued to stare at Aurora as she thought about how close she had been to losing her daughters. 

"im ok actually." she smiled as she looked into her husband's eyes. 

Keanu leant forward as he placed a kiss onto Deidra's check.

"what happened to Samantha?" her voice was quiet as she asked the question. As much as she felt like she should hate the girl for what she did to her, she couldn't bring herself to.

"she was put into the psych ward for analysis. She's not safe to be left alone" Deidra sighed as she sat back. 

"if im honest, I felt sorry for the girl" keanu jaw dropped at the words his wife said. "what? She kidnapped you and our baby Deidra. She's mentally unstable. How could you feel sorry for someone like her?". 

Deidra looked at her husband with pity in her eyes. This was something she did, always taking pity on people.

 "she was broken, all she needed was some help. I mean she didn't hurt me in fact she took good care of me." keanu interrupted her with a sigh "sure, nearly let you bleed to death but ok". 

Deidra grabbed his arm and he looked into her eyes

"you know what i mean. I'm just happy she will finally get the help she needs". Keanu knew that Deidra had a good heart, always looking to find the good in people. "ok. Well she can get all the help she needs at the hospital. I'm just happy you two are alright. Isn't that right my little baby girl" his baby voice made Deidra laugh as he began to pull faces making Aurora laugh with glee. 

~

4 years later

Deidra stood in the kitchen as she watched Aurora play with her sandwich. "baby, don't play with your food" she smiled as her daughter looked up at her "yes mummy".

Deidra heard the doorbell ring and looked up as keanu walked over to the door. "I got it" his deep voice called out. 

After a moment, Keanu walked back into the kitchen with a small frown on his face. Deidra looked up at him and he stepped aside revealing samantha stood behind him. 

"hi" Deidra smiled, a little shocked at seeing the girl after so long and keanu moved to stand next to his wife. "hi- I - ummm im sorry im probably the last person you want to see".

Deidra moved forward to hug her. "no sweetie it's ok. Please sit. What are you doing here?" she asked as she sat opposite to Samantha. 

"I came to apologise to you first keanu im sorry. I took all my pent up father issues and became obsessed with you. You are so kind and everything I wanted in a father. I just didn't know how to act and so I became obsessive. im sorry" keanu took in the words and extended his hand to the girl. 

" I appreciate that Samantha. I really do" he smiled and samantha returned it. 

"and Deidra. Words are not enough for what i did to you. I will forever regret what I did" samantha let out a tear and Deidra rushed over to the girl. "its ok. I forgive you i really do. It seems like you have sorted out your life?" samantha nodded "yeah the hospital helped me realise all my issues and now i feel free. I no longer hold onto the past. I just look forward to the future now" deidra smiled knowing that she had finally gotten the help she needed. "I also have this to look forward to" samantha placed a picture onto the table. 

Deidra picked it up. "whats this?" she examined it for a few seconds before jumping excitedly. 

"you're pregnant? Congratulations." deidra hugged Samantha once again "if you need anything don't hesitate to ask".  Samantha shook her head. "no its ok. Umm that's another reason i came here. I'm moving to Germany with my boyfriend. You will no longer have to worry about me".  Deidra smiles as she accepted what the girl said. She introduced her to Aurora quickly before Samantha left. 

"I guess everything sorted itself out" keanu smiled as he hugged deidra from behind as they watched samantha drive off. Deidra just smiled as she realised how lucky she truly was.

The end

____

Taglist

@gwenebear @celestiaelisia @blondieee-me

[shikai-the-storyteller]

ALRIGHT HERE WE GO

AT LONG LAST: STEVEN UNIVERSE THE MOVIE WATCH

I’m staying up so late to watch this but Tumblr and Twitter already gave me three screencap spoilers so I gotta watch it now or I’m Gonna Die

Omg the opening curtains looks so official and cute!!!

I just tried to turn on subtitles rip

Aw this feels like some kind of musical! How cute. And this opening is so beautiful! I love the style

“What a revolution, a gem that loves and grows” Ahh part of this song sounds like the Diamonds singing it. It reminds me of a disney song

OMG THIS REALLY IS LIKE A DISNEY FAIRYTALEOPENING that’s hilarious. I love it! This is so beautiful. Man I’ve missed this show so much :’)

AW STEVEN’S VOICE IS SO MUCH DEEPER I LOVE HIM....BABY BOY GREW UP. he’s 16!!!

I love that the Pearls were running the news feed, that’s so cute

Aww his Diamond aunts, that’s so cute :’) They really do feel like super overbearing loving aunts. “Don’t forget I’m not Pink Diamond!” POOR STEVEN

This is such a cute screenshot 

“We’ve been so good! Please stay with us Steven!” Aww they all miss Pink so much

MAN THE ANIMATION IN THIS SHOW IS SO GORGEOUS I can’t get over how beautiful everything is. And AW EVEN CONNIE IS BIGGER I love her hair style! And dang they got such a huge high-tech upgrade

WHO PAINTED THIS I LOVE GARNET

OH SNAP SHE KISSED HIM ON THE CHEEK awh these kids are really growing up aren’t they *sobs like a proud parent*

“Nothing to fear, no one to fight” Oh don’t say that now Steven, we’ve still got over an hour to go

Ohh I wonder if Jasper is going to show up some time in this movie, I’d like to see her again! I miss her

ITS PEARL AND GREG!!!! I’VE MISSED THEM SO MUCH I MISS ALL THESE CHARACTERS

GARNET’S SINGING....I MISSED GARNET’S VOICE

THERE SHE IS...THE LOVE OF MY LIFE....THIS IS MY FAVORITE SCREENCAP EVER

“LITTLE HOMEWORLD” OMG THEY HAVE A LITTLE COLONY CITY THERE, THAT’S SO CUTE AND AHHH IT”S ALL THE HEALED GEMS!!! OMG OMG OMG

I LOVE WORM GIRL’S DESIGN

BABY AMETHYST....I LOVE HER LITTLE MESSY HAIR STYLE.....

THE LITTLE SELFIE THEY’RE SO CUTE, I FORGOT HOW MUCH I MISSED THIS SHOW...

WAY TO JINX IT STEVEN

“NICE PARK JOB DINGUS” AMETHYST PLZ

gosh I love the animation they use for this gal Spinel, she’s such an old-school villain, I love it. AND SHE’S GOT A GREAT SINGING VOICE

sHE”S GOT A FRICKIN SCYTHE GEM OH MY GOSH THE GEMSONA COMMUNITY IS GOING TO LOSE THEIR FRICKIN MINDS

HELL YEAH CRINGE CULTURE IS OVER!!!!!!!! GIVE YOUR OCS THE EDGIEST WEAPONS EVER!!! I LOVE IT

WHOOPS WELL. NEW OUTFITS FOR THE CRYSTAL GEMS I GUESS

OH SHOOT SHE ACTUALLY HIT HIM AND HIS LINES GOT ALL WEIRD

UH OH WHAT DID SHE DO TO HIS GEM AND POWERS

STEVEN GO TALK TO LITTLE HOMEWORLD AND TALK TO A GEM ABOUT THIS, STEVEN COME ON THIS ISN’T SEASON ONE

“I just have no idea what’s going on!” “Well son, now you know how I feel almost all the time” Lmao Greg I missed you so much

Uh oh is Pearl going to come back messed up. UH OH WHY IS SHE A SEA SHELL

OH NO SHE RESET ALL THE GEMS OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO

OH NO SHE’S ATTACHED TO GREG NOW THAT’S HORRIFYING

SPINEL IS TERRIFYING she’s essentially a home-made best friend. No wonder she was trying to reset everyone, she wants Pink back to be reset

Steven WHY DON’T YOU JUST GET THE REST OF THE GEMS COME ON

Spinel’s heart hair works the same way as Mickey Mouse’s ears do that’s so funny, really leans into the Disney aspect of it.

You guys really gotta get the injector out of the hill, this is killing me

“Wow. Quick turnaround” “It took me a month to quit trying to kill him” “I’m still on offense” GUYS PLEASE

“I COULD’VE LOST ALL MY CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT” PERIDOT PLEASE

I like Bismuth’s new overalls. And that was so sweet that he went to Bismuth for advice when Garnet’s not there (BUT ALSO OUCH WHEN HE SAID “Garnet would know what to do”)

“As long as one of us is standing to brandish that star” GOSH THAT’S SUCH A GOOD LINE

Oh no wait if they send Steven to space he won’t be able to breathe gUYS NO

THE HEAVEN AND EARTH BEETLES ARE SO CUTE

SAPPHIRE SAVED HER AWH...THIS IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL MAGICAL GIRL TRANSFORMATION

GARNET IS SO CUTE IM WEEPING I LOVE GARNET SO MUCH

“PEARL YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THAT, I OWN A CAR WASH” LMAO

Well Spinel’s super freaky, definitely gives me a Disney vibe for sure. I do feel kinda bad for her though since she’s obviously just a very lonely little girl BUT STILL

I love that Ronaldo’s still trying to capture weird stuff going on in Beach City despite the fact that they literally have an alien civilization living next to them

AW Peridot put little sunglasses on her orbs

Peridot: Amethyst, get away from me, I can’t stand to see you all vacant and bereft of personality Amethyst: Yo I’m back you dip Me: *HIDEOUSLY LOUD SNORTING LAUGH*

lmao Peridot’s machine is a microwave, I love that

Maybe the Cluster can help with the poison leaking into the spoil????

FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE STEVEN JUST GO ASK THE DIAMONDS FOR HELP

NOOOO NOT YOUR NICE NEW JACKET STEVEN

“We’re going to die anyways” Thanks Peridot

AW GEMS ARE GOING TO THE ROCK SHOW TOO THAT’S SO CUTE

“This has got to bring Pearl’s memory back! It’s all about quitting a crummy service job!” LMAO

OH SNAP AMETHYST IS REALLY GOING TO HIT HER WHERE IT HURTS

“As long as you exist” Steven: “OH HEY LET’S KILL GREG”

OH SHOOT ARE THEY GOING TO FUSE!??!

AHHH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH

AHHHHHHHHHHH IM SHRIEKING 

HE HAS A FRICKIN SIX PACK

HE”S A FRICKIN JOJO ROCK STAR IM LOSING MY FRICKIN MIND

AW GARNET IS WEARING STEVEN’S CUTE LITTLE JACKET

I’m screaming, Greg and Steven’s fusion is literally a god of music that’s so cool, I wonder who his VA is, I love him

PEARL’S TRANSFORMATION SEQUENCE IS SO BEAUTIFUL....And Amethyst and Pearl’s dance...that’s so beautiful AHHHH OPAL!!! OPAL OPAL!!!! SHE”S SINGING OMG OMG OMG

Aw I do feel bad for Spinel, she’s so lonely....

OH NO...THE POISON IS LEAKING INTO THE OCEAN

You know that one scene in Toy Story 2 where Woody is having a nightmare? Andy says “I don’t want to play with you anymore” and he drops Woody into the garbage bin? I feel like Spinel’s been living that nightmare for the past 6000 years.

“Just this morning things were perfect. Why did everything have to change?” I feel like Spinel’s probably thinking the same thing, except wrt Pink Diamond

OH NO...SHE REALLY HAS BEEN WAITING IN THE GARDEN FOR 6000 YEARS....I knew those were her shoes we saw at the very very beginning of the movie

“And then she smiled, that’s what I’m after” OH MAN........this show is still so good at ripping my heart out....Pink Diamond really messed a lot of stuff and a lot of people. She was really young and didn’t realize the effect she had on other people :(

Heart shattered yet again

Hmmm I rewound this a little bit and I’m thinking about stuff I’ve done in the past, and if I’ve ever made someone feel that way without meaning to because of some careless action. I really hope not.

I just thought about that “When She Loved Me” song and legit felt some tears well up but I HELD THEM BACK

I wonder if the Diamonds are going to adopt Spinel as their new Pink

CONNIE DOING A TRIPLE FLIP OUT OF LION I love her

I really love the type of villain Spinel is

AND IM REALLY GLAD STEVEN SNAPPED THAT OVER HIS KNEE that’s what I wanted to do too

HER WEDDING RINGS....AND ALL HER DIFFERENT FORMS...GARNET I LOVE YOU

OH NO GREG’S ARM!!! Steven’s healing powers better get pumped up to max by the end of this episode otherwise everyone’s gonna be in trouble

OH WOW STEVEN’S ACTUALLY BLEEDING we’ve never seen that before

“There is no happily ever after. I’ll always have more work to do” Man that hit way too close to home

GO KISS THE WHOLE PLANET STEVEN

“Staying hydrated is very important when it comes to smooching” I love Garnet

I can’t believe I called The Diamonds adopting Spinel holy heck

WELL

I will say that movie wasn’t what I expected at all but I wound up loving Spinel so much more than I anticipated. I felt my hyper-empathy kicking in so hard it made my heart ache. I really loved Spinel’s song, I think that was my favorite song in the entire movie! AH SHOOT I JUST REALIZED WHY PEOPLE WERE TALKING SO MUCH ABOUT THAT “Let’s go in the garden” SONG FROM ADVENTURE TIME TODAY, HECK. But anyways I’ve been listening to Spinel’s song on repeat for the last 20 minutes, the topic and the kind of character Spinel is really struck something in me. I might try and rewatch this tomorrow again if I have the time.

The movie reminded me of just how much I love and miss Steven Universe. I want to rewatch the entire season now, I miss the memories I have attached to the show. I love how much love is put into this series. I’m glad it exists.

[waikuuu]

Capture of You (H.RJ)

A Greek God AU Series

By: @waikuuu

Requested: Yes by Anon

Member(s): Huang Renjun (NCT Dream)

Pairing(s): Huang Renjun X Reader 

Genre: Fantasy//Greek Mythology//Adventure

Plot: Y/N comes to the biggest gala of the year only to meet one of the most handsome God’s ever, Huang Renjun. The son of Eros. 

Warning(s): Mild Violence, Cussing and Mention of Blood & Weapons

Word Count: 3234

A/N: 

Hello guys, welcome to the first part of Greek God AU !! I hope all of you enjoy this first part of the Greek God series featuring all the NCT Dream members, I also promise there will be NCT127 and WayV and even all of NCT AU’s it just this one was requested so props to anon. Okay enough of me rambling, I hope you like it. 

Y/N. A quiet kid who loved books and theories so much. She was raised by Percy Jacksons mother and treated like a sister to Percy. She knew she was adopted but what she did not know who she was the daughter of, y/n always thought that her real biological parents didn’t want her but really she was the daughter of Zeus, the God of the sky. 

The Jacksons knew but they didn’t want to tell her until her 18th birthday. But by that time, it was way too late. 

As Percy, took out his sword and Y/N took out her bow and arrow. The monster ran towards them as Y/N shot her bows into the monster, making the monster weaker but it still kept running towards them and Percy runs forward and kills the monster once in for all and proceeds to rush Y/N home. 

This was just another day in Percy’s book but in Y/N’s she was horrified and she couldn’t take it, Percy’s mother also felt like Y/N before but she had gotten used to it. Percy opened the door as Y/N trailed behind him closing the door to their home as they took off their shoes and Y/N proceeding to go to her room. While Percy went to his mother’s room.

“Mom, when are we going to tell Y/N?” Percy asked whispering sitting on his mothers bed. “I don’t know how about as long as possible we don’t say anything.” His mom replies with. “Mom, our lives are endanger because of this, we need to tell her and get her to Mount Olympus to go live with Zeus.” Percy whispers with a worried look on his face. “Fine, we’ll tell her at dinner today.” Percy’s mom said while sighing and heading to the kitchen to cook dinner.

Percy took out the plates with the forks, today’s dinner special was Steak, Y/N’s favourite. They didn’t want to break it to her, but they had to. The spell was getting weaker and all the monsters could track her down. Which would put all the Gods in big danger. Which was a big no no since they just recently had a war. 

Y/N rushed out of her room to find a beautiful steak shining on the plate. She rushed to her regular spot in the dinner table, after they all followed and sat down and grabbed their own slice. Dinner was usually loud filled with jokes and laughs but today it was silent. Percy’s mom wanted to keep it a secret and not tell Y/N but maybe it was time. Before she spoke, Y/N interrupted.

“Why is it so quiet today?” Y/N asked as you put steak in your mouth.“Y/N we need to tell you something.” Percy’s mom said as she looked down. “What? It’s not bad right?” Y/N asked confused. “Y/N, you’re the daughter of Zeus.” Percy’s mom blurted out, making you freeze in your spot and dropping your fork and getting up to go to your room and closing the door behind you. 

You leaned your body against the door and crawled into a little ball, tears streaming down your face. You knew you were adopted but why did it have to be the sky king? You had a rough past of being in foster homes and being treated badly. He could have given you a better life up in the Heavens, so why did he banish you to earth? Where you had a worse life? Why did he do it to you? Did he hate you that much to banish you? All these thoughts surrounding your head making you feel worse than you already have.

After a bit of crying, you heard knocking on your door, you opened it to see Percy Jackson. He opens his arms for you to hug him and you gladly accept as you fall into his arms still crying, and suddenly you cough and cover your mouth, and you removed your hand off of your mouth to suddenly find blood and your vision getting weaker and weaker. It felt like the world was suddenly spinning around almost like gravity was lost. You end up closing your eyes and falling to the ground as blood surrounds you and Percy Jackson’s left their in worry and fear as he screams for his mother. 

You wake up to your eyes being matched with a light above, with paintings above that looked like Greek Mythology. You stood up looking around, not knowing where you were. Gold laminate and paintings of Greek God’s surrounded around you. You felt weak but you didn’t care, you just wanted to go home. Suddenly the door opens to reveal a centaur, half man/half horse.

“AHHHH, who are you?” Y/N screamed out looking frightened. 

“Don’t worry I won’t hurt you. Here let me introduce myself, I’m Chiron.” The Centaur says bringing up his legs to shake your hand as you took your hand and shook back. 

“Where am I?” You asked with a confused look written all over.

“Ahh, where are we? We are in Zeus palace.” Chiron said smiling

“Where is Zeus?” You ask Chiron giving him a small smile

“Zeus is in a meeting with Poisedon but he’ll be right with you after you’re done. I will be taking care of you for a bit, but Y/N, he’s missed you so much.” Chiron says heading over to you and sitting beside you on the bed. “Why did he banish me to earth to suffer even more?” You ask, your eyes watering up again. “That’s his place to tell but I promise it’s not because he loves you, Zeus loves you very much.” Chiron said hoping you’d feel better. “Thanks Chiron.” You say giving him a hug. “You’re very welcome, let’s go feed you breakfast now.” Chiron said smiling and standing up telling you to come follow him. 

As you follow him to the grand master dining room, seeing all the painting and how big the palace was, it amazed you. You never lived in something bigger than an apartment, and this was so grand to you. You finally arrived in the dining room which was bigger than your whole apartment. You look at the dining table to find, so much food. Sausages, bacon, eggs, pancakes, waffles, chicken and etc. You quickly rushed to the table which made Chiron chuckle. You grabbed all the food you could get and munched on it as fast as you could. 

After you finished your food, you felt like santa clause because of all the food layed out for you, you wanted to go back to your room but Chiron ended up disappearing which left you all alone, trying to find your way back. The way back for you was a mess, running into Gods you never knew you even existed and interrupting certain meetings with important Gods. But you ended up finding your way up to the room you were in and ran to the bed, lying face plant onto the bed. Falling fast asleep.

You woke up to somebody shaking you really hard. You turn to the shadow to see, the sky king himself, Zeus. “Hey, wake up kiddo.” Zeus said shaking you as you stood up and laid on the headboard. “Good Afternoon to you too.” Zeus added laughing. “You’re finally done with your meeting?” You whispered feeling awkward. “Yes but hurry and get up because we have a gala tonight.” Zeus said pulling you up. “Wait there’s a gala?!” You said screaming. “Yes now come on, we need to get you ready.” Zeus said dragging you to the grand closet leaving you shocked.

He left you with 10 professional God designers to dress you. They took you to the dress section and pick a dress for you. You ended up getting a long dress that has baby blue highlights but mostly white. You get pushed into the changing room as you put on the long dress, looking at yourself surprising how pretty you looked. You walked out receiving surprised stares and stares with awh.

The leading lady went up and gave you heels and a little bag. You opened the bag and it had a phone and a lot of cash with a wallet filled with credit cards. You looked up at her and she said “This was orders from Zeus, now let’s do your makeup.” She said smiling at you and leading you over to the makeup station. You didn’t take long since you already looked beautiful so they just put some some finishing touches like lipstick, mascara and eye liner. While all of them stared at you in awh. Zeus came through the door as you finished, looking at you.

“You look beautiful darling, are you ready to go?” Zeus asks. “Yes.” You say walking over to him. “Okay let’s go, but warning I have to go first, since I have some special guests coming.” Zeus said leading you to the car. 

You both ended up taking different cars because he had to arrive earlier than you to welcome them. During the car ride, all you could think about what all of this was. Was it a dream? Was it reality? You could never figure out, its been a crazy 24 hours for you. The last thing you remember was reality was when you were sitting with Percy Jackson and his mother eating your favorite food. As you pass all the statues built giving you past memories which made you almost tear up, leaving you feeling sadder than ever.

The car stops and parks. “We’re here Mrs.Y/N.” The driver says as he opens the door and helps you get out with your long dress. He lead you to the door’s of the gala and opened it, revealing all the God’s. You walked into the gala, getting glances and rude stares from everybody, you weren’t from here. You were from earth, but from what you recently found out, you have been lied to your whole life. You were a daughter of the sky king, Zeus. You never wanted to be here, but you were forced to since it was too dangerous for you and the whole palace, if you were in danger. You enter into the main hallway to see a big bright chandelier right in the middle with all these Gods talking to each other. You saw your step-brother Apollo playing a song keeping all the guests entertained. It was the biggest gala of the year, where all the Gods would come together and enjoy. You look around finding all the Gods you read about, this was an amazing but horrifying experience. 

“Y/N, come here darling.” Zeus calls out as he looks at you smiling. You walked over to him and stood beside him. You looked around at the Gods right in front of Zeus, there was it seems to be an older man and one that seemed to be around my age. His jawline was prominent, his nose was narrow, his lips were full and his hair looked so fluffy.

They all looked at you smiling, especially the boy. He looks cute when he smiles,you thought to yourself. “So everyone, this is my daughter Y/N. I actually banished her onto earth to protect me, but recently major threats have been trying to attack her, so I decided to let her live here.” Zeus said. They all greet you, shaking your hand, but the handsome guy held your hand for sometime causing Zeus to land a glare at him, and pulled away. Everyone called you beautiful and pretty, but you never thought so, but the guy who stood right in front of you was a whole another level of different. “Hello Y/N, I’m Eros and this is my son, Renjun.” Eros said smiling at you and Renjun smirking right at you. You never fell in love with anyone. All the guys who had a crush on you, always got rejected.

But Renjun made you feel this weird feeling in your stomach. You never felt this before, it felt like you were about to throw up and you felt nervous too. You soon left trying to find food, you look beside you to see Renjun. “Ahh you scared me, why are you following me?” You say glaring at Renjun. “Don’t flatter yourself too much sweetie, I wanted to get food too and I ended up being beside you in the line.” Renjun said smiling deviously at you as you gave him a fake smile back. You both got your food and headed to find tables, and you ended up seeing a group of boys who looked your age so you decided to go sit and talk with them. Little did you know, Renjun was best friends with these boys too. 

“Hello, mind if I sit here?” You asked smiling. “Sure.” All of them say as they smiled at you. Renjun followed behind and sat in his saved spot by the dolphin laughing boy. “What are your names, if you’re comfortable telling me.” You ask. “Hi, you already know my name, and if you forgot, you’re an idiot.” He said laughing as you also laughed along with the other boys. “Hi, my name is Jeno.” Jeno said finishing off with his signature eye smile. “Wow, has anyone told you, you’re so cute and you’re eye smile is so pretty.” You say to him amazed. “Yes but thank you so much anyways, you’re really pretty yourself.” Jeno said turning red, as you flushed red too. “Can y’all stop flirting? You guys just met.” The guy with the brunette hair said chuckling. “Anyways, I’m Jaemin, the cute one.” He said adding on. “No you’re not.” Renjun adds on and earns a slap from Jaemin. “I’m Haechan, the brightest sun in the sky and the savage one.” Haechan said as he flips his non existent long hair. “Hi, I’m Chenle ! The responsible one out of my twin here, Jisung.” Chenle said smirking and earned a glare from Jisung. “Hi I’m Jisung, the youngest and the most calm here actually.” Jisung said to you smiling and then glaring at all his older friends. “Now it’s my turn I guess, I’m Y/N.” You say as you smile at them. 

You all talked for the rest of the night and it was so fun, you ended up getting each others numbers and ended up making a group chat with you in it. You all ended up getting closer, even to Renjun. When it came to you, he was a big flirt which made you always turn red and you ended up getting teased by Renjun and Haechan. Jeno and you have been especially really close. Which made Renjun secretly jealous, because little did you know, he’s had a crush on you ever since you walked into that gala and got introduced by your father. But the reason why Jeno hung around you is because he needed love advice, because he was in love with Jaemin. When Jeno told you he was gay and liked Jaemin, he looked so scared but you will always support him no matter what which made him happy. You also started to develop something for Renjun too, with all those cheesy comments and the sweet things he did for you. How could you not fall for him? Of course only Jeno knew this and would always tell you Renjun won’t stop talking about you and he loves you so much, but you didn’t want to believe him, you didn’t want your heart to broken by a guy.

You’re dad called you to his chamber, as you walked in feeling the tension in the air and you walk up to him kneeling as he sat on his thrown. Feeling really stressed and tensed. 

“Y/N I have a duty for you.” Zeus said in a serious tone. “What is it father?” You asked him feeling worried. “We need you to fight off one of Hades’s demon’s.” Zeus said looking down. “Why father?” You ask him confused of the order. “We tried to get rid of him and kill him, but the demon ended up killing our guards and won’t step off our kingdom palace unless you and the demon fight.” Zeus said. “But aren’t I weak father?” You say to Zeus looking at him. “You’re more stronger than you know, anyways, I’m letting Renjun come with you because he’s also very strong.” Zeus said as he gives you a bow and arrow. “Now go and make me proud.” Zeus said smiling sending you off. .Why did it have to be Renjun? I mean he’s better than Chenle. 

As you walked out of the doors being greeted by the one and only smirking Renjun. “Are you ready princess.” He asks you looking straight in your eyes. “Sure.” You said as you walked away towards the location of the demon and Renjun trailing behind you. As you arrive at the location, you see no one there and you walk towards the middle of the location or ‘pit’. “WATCH OUT, BEHIND YOU.” Renjun yells out, as you effortlessly turn around and shoot it in the head. As Renjun takes his special gun out and starts to shoot the demon and you proceed to keep shooting with your bow but it wasn’t working. “RENJUN IT’S NOT WORKING, WHAT DO WE DO?” You scream out. “PLAN B.” He yells out. “WHAT IS PLAN B?” You ask screaming out. “I HAVE TO SEDUCE THE MONSTER.” Renjun replies yelling back. “WHAT THE ACTUAL RIGHT MIND ARE YOU THINKING? THAT’S SO DANGEROUS, YOU’RE GOING TO DIE.” You scream. “Y/N TRUST ME.” He yells. “FINE JUST DO IT.” You say. “OKAY ON THE COUNT OF 3. 3, 2 ,1.” Renjun yells out as he uses his best lines on the monster which ended up the demon being distracted and having all the heart eyes for him. You went on top of the demon, and shot it on the head, arms, legs and the heart which caused the demon to disappear in thin air.

“YAY WE DID IT Y/N.” Renjun yelled out happily and ran to you to give you a tight hug. As you hugged him back making you both turn red. After you let go of each other, you were about to walk away until Renjun dipped you and said,  “you’re so beautiful, would you give me the honor and be the one who captures my heart once again?” As you chuckled, “that was such a cheesy confession but yes I like you back and I would do the honors of stealing your heart, Mr. Flirt. You said as you crashed your lips onto him, catching him off guard as he kissed back and it felt like your lips connected, like you were soulmates and for once, you felt like time stopped, you felt those butterflies once again, as you broke the kiss. Looking over to you, to see the 5 boys cheering for you and looking over at Jeno who was holding hands with Jaemin. “Finally you confessed, that means I don’t have to hear you talk about Y/N anymore.” Chenle said teasing Renjun as he ran away before Renjun could catch him and Renjun chasing after him as fast as he could causing you all to laugh. And from that day, you and Renjun were known as the power couple of this generations Greek Gods

@neowritingsnet