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wanderinginksplot · 3 years

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Rex + Engineer!Reader

This is the prequel to the Rex + Blanket Fort + Kisses one-shot found here on my masterlist. As this is a prequel to that story, you don't need to have read it for this to make sense. And as you could probably tell from the picture, this takes place during the Onderon arc.

Rex x gn!reader: intended to be early romance, but could be read as platonic.

Word Count: a bit more than 3,400

Warnings: canon-typical violence, including spoilers for the Onderon arc (S 5, E 2-5) of Star Wars: The Clone Wars

---

"And Captain Rex will train everyone in the encampment on basic combat skills and maneuvers," General Skywalker announced.

You didn't pay overly much attention to that. The general was younger than you had anticipated, but he was clearly used to combat and had the kind of authority usually honed through commanding large groups of soldiers. Still, you knew his order didn't apply to you and moved to slip away from the area. Your schematics needed a lot more work before the rebels could attack without bringing buildings down.

"And where are you running off to?" a muscular man with light hair asked, stepping into your path.

You gave a tight smile. "Classified, sorry."

The man nodded toward the general. "General Skywalker says everyone needs combat training."

"Oh, not me," you reassured him. "I'm a contracted engineer, not one of the Rebels. I'm just here to make sure they destroy as little of the infrastructure as possible while they take back control."

"And do you live in the encampment?" he asked.

You narrowed your eyes at him, feeling sure this was a trap. Eventually, you gave a short nod.

"Then you'll be training with me," he said firmly. "Captain Rex, 501st Legion."

You reluctantly shook the hand he offered and introduced yourself, finishing with, "-but I'm strictly an engineer."

"We're worried that this isn't likely to end without one or several attacks on this encampment," the captain told you. "A few hours of training could save your life."

"And a few hours of work on the city's schematics could save the lives of countless civilians," you argued. Sending that he would continue trying to convince you, you shook your head. "The Gerrera siblings are the ones who hired me. I'll let them make the final choice."

"And I'll leave it to the Generals," Captain Rex agreed.

Clearly not taking chances, he marched off toward where Steela Gerrera and Lux Bonteri were talking with Generals Skywalker and Kenobi, as well as a Togrutan female you vaguely remembered as being a commander.

"Generals, Commander," Captain Rex greeted with a crisp salute. You rolled your eyes. Soldiers. "We were hoping you could settle a difference of opinion."

"A difference of opinion?" General Kenobi repeated with a frown.

"What opinion would that be, Rex?" General Skywalker asked.

The captain explained the situation while you stood in silence. Steela met your gaze at several points during the conversation, looking concerned each time.

"We're only here to train the rebels," General Skywalker said after Captain Rex had finished talking. "Not anyone else."

"All of us are rebels," Steela argued, ignoring your signals that you didn't want training at all. "Just by being here in opposition to the Separatist forces, we are all considered a threat to their power."

"A contracted employee is different than someone who joined your cause because they believe in it," the commander countered, wrinkling her nose. "We aren't offering training to mercenaries."

"We're talking about an engineer, not someone hired to perform assassinations," Lux contributed. "What could it hurt?"

"Generals, Commander," Rex said, his quiet voice somehow drawing their attention. "I think every member of the rebel group needs to be trained. I think it's important."

"Rex…" General Kenobi sighed, but Skywalker interrupted before he could expand on his thoughts.

"I trust Rex's instincts," he told the older general. "If he thinks everyone needs to be trained, we'll make it happen."

You made a frustrated noise before you could stop yourself. "I don't need training. I'm an engineer. I don't work in combat situations."

"That's the thing about combat," Skywalker said with a shrug. "You don't always have to look for it. Sometimes, it comes to you. Especially in wartime."

The group split up immediately afterward, seemingly having come to an agreement. You followed Steela, determined to make your case and get back to your schematics.

"Steela, you know I'm not here for fighting," you said, jogging to catch up to the young woman who had hired you. "It isn't part of my contract."

"It isn't, you're right," she agreed. "But I would think carefully before I turned down a chance to learn such a valuable skill considering how dangerous the galaxy is right now. Surely this could be helpful as a freelancer traveling the universe alone?"

You didn't have an immediate answer to that. Steela clearly noticed, nodding solemnly at you before turning away. "The choice is yours to make."

You gritted your teeth, but your feet refused to move from the spot. To your left was the strategic tent and your unfinished set of schematics. To the right, the Jedi were helping the rebels set up some kind of training ring.

"Well?" a voice prompted. You already recognized it as belonging to Rex.

You stood still for a beat longer before giving a loud and heartfelt groan as you turned toward the freshly constructed training ring.

---

You were bad at fighting.

It wasn't really a shock to you. You had never been particularly graceful or good on your feet. That was why engineering had been such a draw - all mental work, almost no physical.

Rex, to his credit, turned out to be a surprisingly good teacher. He had kept everyone basically together as they learned new skills and practiced as a group. Still, he was determined that you would learn to defend yourself and here you were, fighting to shoot targets in the dying light, long after everyone else had scattered.

"I'm sorry," you apologized yet again as you missed. You were half an hour into intensive shooting lessons with Rex and you had yet to hit a single target.

"You don't need to apologize," he assured. "We'll just keep working until you get it down."

"I don't know if I can," you admitted, lowering the heavily modified blaster pistol until it was resting on the table in front of you. "We're losing the light and it's a bad idea to illuminate any more of the jungle than we have to."

"That's true," Rex agreed, rubbing at his neck while he studied the unharmed target. After a moment, he took the blaster pistol from your hands and holstered it at his side, then removed the holster belt as well.

You nodded sympathetically, hoping you could call it a night and put in a few hours of work on your schematics so the day wouldn't be a total waste.

Rex sighed, removing the subtly armored jacket he had been wearing during that day's training. "I guess we'll… we'll just have to switch to something less impacted by visibility."

"Wait, what?" you had time to ask before the stoic captain flat-out tackled you.

You were aware enough to know that Captain Rex had twisted to take part of the impact himself, but you still hit the ground hard enough to knock the breath from your lungs. In that moment of hollow gasping, Rex had pushed you onto your stomach and pinned your hands behind your back.

"The first rule of unarmed conflict is that you can't let anyone surprise you." Rex paused for a moment. "Actually, that's the first rule of any kind of conflict."

"Is the second rule that you shouldn't suffocate your sparring partner?" you croaked out, turning your head slightly so your face wasn't actively being pressed into the dirt anymore.

Rex laughed. It was the first time you had heard anything other than firm orders from him and you paused. It was a nice laugh. You were forced to gather your thoughts a moment later as he released you and helped you to your feet.

"You probably won't see a lot of hand-to-hand fighting with droids, but the armies aren't capable of anything beyond following orders. The armies are commanded by sentients, and those sentients are often closer to the armies than you would think."

"I have no intention of going after Grievous without a weapon," you joked. "Preferably more than one."

"You should stay away from Grievous no matter how many weapons you have," Rex advised. "But this is good to know, anyway."

"Actually, I agree with that," you said, surprising you both. "I'm a freelancer. Anything that helps me defend myself in a potentially hostile situation is a good thing."

"Okay, let's work on your hits, then," Rex suggested.

What followed was two full hours of unarmed combat practice. Rex was always the target, letting you throw punches and kicks against his open palms. When he realized that you were pulling your strikes because you were afraid to hurt him, he found a padded guard among the assortment of equipment the Republic had sent along.

Eventually, though, you were panting and bone-tired. Rex seemed to realize that without you saying anything.

"One last set of strikes and you're done for the night," Rex told you. It was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said to you.

But as you punched, Rex moved the guard you had been aiming for. You shot him a look, but he only held the guard up, wiggling it slightly. You set up again, but Rex pulled away at the last second, dodging your fist to bop you on the shoulder with the guard.

"What are you doing?" you asked, exasperated. "You said this was the last set."

"It is. Or, it will be as soon as you actually manage to make contact."

You grimaced at him. This time, when he twisted the guard away, you turned with it. You were focused on keeping your footwork correct and your hit strong. You never even saw him move his foot between your ankles, but with a light tug, you were on the ground again.

"Seriously?" you asked from your spot in the dirt.

Rex laughed again, and this time, you didn't enjoy the sound at all. "Do you think your opponents are going to stand there and let you hit them? They're going to fight dirty - they always do. You just need to-"

As it happens, you never did learn what you needed to do. Rex had stepped too close, and your engineering experience told you that his ankles were at an angle that made him vulnerable to a hit. You kicked his ankle lightly, barely making contact, but it was enough to send one of his feet careening against the other. Rex stumbled, failed to regain his balance, and fell.

All of this was done on instinct and you felt as surprised as Rex looked when he landed on his butt in the dirt next to you.

"Good job," he said, breathless but sincere.

"Thanks," you accepted with a grin. "Does that mean I surprised you?"

"Not a bit," he denied, deflating your ego a bit. "I knew you were capable of it. You're an engineer. Engineers like angles and math. That's all combat is, adjusted for whatever you think the other side is going to do."

"Wait, that's… that's a really good point," you mused slowly. "Can I see your pistol again?"

Rex didn't move. "If you shoot me, you'll surprise me in the wrong way."

You snorted. "I'm not planning on shooting you, Captain. I just want to test how the application of math might help me."

After eyeing you for a moment, Rex stood in an enviably graceful motion and hauled you to your feet as well. Wordlessly, he handed you one of his blaster pistols. He had warned you before you began shooting that he had made numerous alterations to them, but you were still surprised by the weight of the weapon in your hand.

This time, instead of relying on instinct - point, aim, shoot - you worked to apply some logic. When you were sure about your angle, you squeezed the hyper-sensitive trigger and watched the resulting beam of weaponized light hit the target.

It wasn't a perfect shot, of course. Math couldn't fix everything. Still, you had hit the target and you cheered aloud, echoed by Rex's congratulations behind you. You had the presence of mind to set the pistol down before you turned, then Rex was grasping your forearm in the odd way warriors shook hands.

"Great job!" he told you warmly. "You're getting better."

"Thanks," you accepted, trying to vocalize your gratitude. You probably could have been offended by the tone of surprise in his voice, but you chose to overlook it.

"Now we just have to dial in your aim and get you comfortable with firing at moving targets, especially during chaotic situations."

Despite your best efforts, you felt your expression fall at that. Rex laughed again. When had he gotten so cheerful? "I'm kidding. That can be done tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" you repeated doubtfully.

Rex folded his arms across his chest and stared at you steadily. "In one session, you've gone from unable to shoot a gun or throw a punch to knocking me down and hitting a target. If you can keep that pace of improvement, you'll be a force to be reckoned with."

"Or at least be able to stop clients who try to cop a feel," you added.

Despite his darkening expression, Rex's tone was unconcerned. "I'm sure you could break the hand of any di'kut dumb enough to try it now. With some training, you'd be able to tear that hand off completely."

And so you continued to train with Rex after everyone else had finished learning to disable tanks and other intense activities. During the day, you finalized schematics, studying holoimages of Onderon’s capital city of Iziz. Your goal was to record your best guesses for the most and least structurally-sound sections of the city.

The dedication the rebels showed for the safety of the Onderonian people was a big reason you had agreed to take this job. Despite what the Jedi seemed to think, you weren't actually a mercenary. You chose your jobs very carefully, and if something didn't match your morals, you would respectfully decline.

Between schematic work in the day and training at night, your time with the rebels flew past. Captain Rex continued to be patient and helpful as you worked to master the combat moves he taught you - ones decidedly more focused on self-defense than the moves he taught the rebels. The first day you had beaten him in a grappling situation, he had beamed up at you with dirt on his face and told you how far you had progressed. The squeezing of your heart at the praise warned that it was probably good that the captain and both Jedi generals were withdrawing from Onderon shortly, leaving Commander Tano to assist with the remaining rebel efforts.

Despite your determination to stay out of the conflict, you had eventually been forced into it when the Separatist armies had attacked the rebel base. One of the rebels you had known by appearance if not by name had been hit by blaster fire before he could use the rocket launcher held in his hands. He had held it up to you, begging with his eyes that you take out the ship that had fired on him before it could do more damage.

You had accepted, and the ship was a roiling ball of flame before you could make yourself nervous about shooting anything other than Rex’s now-familiar blasters. You tossed aside the rocket launcher and found a discarded blaster. From that point until the combat had ended, thoughts of schematics or building solidity were gone from your head. You were as much a part of the rebel group as anyone else, and you watched with the same horror as Steela Gerrera fell to her death, despite the best efforts of Commander Tano.

The funeral was lovely. Onderonians didn’t believe in mourning for their dead. Instead, they truly celebrated all that the departed had done to create a better society… and Steela had done a great deal.

When things had ended, you were sitting on a raised set of stairs overlooking the ceremonial area. The dais holding Steela’s cloth-draped casket was filled with people far too important for you to bother. You were glad to see Saw speaking with King Dendup. After he had handed you the agreed-upon payment for your services - despite your many attempts to refuse the credits - Saw had left, ignoring the sympathy you tried to offer. He needed to speak with someone, and if that someone was the man he and Steela had worked so hard to save, so much the better.

“Nice ceremony, huh?” someone asked from behind you, and you twisted a bit to find General Skywalker standing there with Captain Rex beside him.

You nodded, but you could feel that it was a half-hearted motion. “Steela was so young. She had a lot of promise.”

“She died fulfilling the mission she set out to finish,” Captain Rex countered. “She knew the risks and thought Dendup was worth it. Her choices were her own. All we can do is respect them.”

With a joyless smile, you said, “Doesn’t make it any easier.”

“It never does,” General Skywalker admitted, sitting next to you. Rex’s comlink chimed and he stepped a respectful distance away before answering it.

Skywalker sat beside you in silence for a while. Normally, you would speak first just for sake of politeness, but you weren’t feeling that generous. You let the silence linger while you watched the activity on the dais.

“Have you ever thought about using your talents for the Republic?” the general asked eventually.

“I thought I was a soulless mercenary?” you asked before you could think better of it.

“And I thought you didn’t work in combat situations,” Skywalker countered. “But I’ve seen the battlefield recordings. You handled yourself well.”

You glanced over at him in surprise. “Are you trying to contract me on as a soldier?”

“Force, no,” he denied quickly. “As an engineer. I sent samples of your work to a friend of mine who works as an engineer in the private sector and they were impressed. The GAR is struggling to find good engineers comfortable working in combat. The pay is a bit lower than you’re used to, but it’s steady work.”

Ah, he had cut straight to the heart of your problem with freelancing. The fight to survive between jobs meant that anything extra you were making was eaten up by the time you were hired on again. And your morals meant that jobs weren’t nearly as frequent as you would like them to be. But being in constant combat… Yes, you had survived this time, but that didn’t mean you were rushing to repeat the experience.

You grimaced. “I appreciate the offer, really, but I don’t know if it’s for me. Combat engineering isn’t really my specialty.”

“I think you’re selling yourself short,” General Skywalker told you seriously. “I’ve seen samples of your past work, and a lot of it is on worlds that have a lot of fighting. I’m sure you know that none of your structures have sustained extreme damage, no matter how much combat was happening around them. That’s an impressive record.”

“You researched me?” you asked, feeling a little stunned.

“Well, the Republic likes to know who they’re hiring. But honestly, I’m not the one who did the research,” Skywalker said, looking past you. You followed his gaze to Rex, who was suddenly very intently looking at his comlink. With a mischievous grin, the general added, “I think my captain has taken a liking to you.”

You fought back a grin, turning away from the captain, and your eyes fell on Steela’s casket once more. Suddenly, keeping a straight face wasn’t as much of a struggle. “If I said yes, what would my official job duties be?”

“You would oversee a group of construction experts - both civilian and enlisted - using maps and satellite footage to find the best possible choices for locations to build bases, bridges, or other structures to help us complete campaigns,” he answered easily. “Preferably, to win campaigns, but that’s more on us than you.”

“And would I work with your group?”

“The 501st?” Skywalker asked, sounding surprised. “I’m not sure, but probably. We’re a planetary landing battalion, so we always need someone who has the knowledge of places to build. You might have to stay behind on some planets to supervise base construction, but you could always catch back up with us. Is that something you would want?”

“Yes,” you said firmly. “If I did agree to that-”

“I’m no good at negotiations,” he interrupted with a self-deprecating smile. “You speak clearly about what you want and I’ll do what I can.”

“I’ll work for the Republic,” you said, feeling the nerves twist in your belly. “If you can make sure I’m permanently attached to the 501st.”

“Deal,” General Skywalker accepted immediately, holding his hand out for you to shake. “Welcome to the 501st.”

---

A/N - I assure you that there is no timeline of any sort happening in my writing, so don't think too hard about where this should fit into the narrative. It won't end well.

Thanks for reading!

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jonathanvik · 3 years

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Starlight Dream - Chapter 8

“Yes, suffer more!” A girl hiding behind a pillar said, watching her evil plan coming into motion. Emiyo watched from the sidelines expectantly, curious.

Emiyo waited and waited, but still, nobody screamed or howled in pain. She scanned around the packed food court and saw people going about their usual daily lives, laughing and having fun. Everything seemed normal, making Emiyo furrow her brow in confusion.

“Yes! Their suffering is so perfect!” The girl said again, her fairy partner smirking in satisfaction. The girl was a tiny thing, standing shorter than most pre-teen-aged girls. Her hair was bright pink, cut into a quick bob.

“Am I missing something?” Emiyo intensified her search, but found nothing but an average day at the mall.

“I don’t see anyone dead or unconscious.” Nyx flew around, searching for anything out of the ordinary. “It must be so subtle it’s invisible!”

“What, come on!” An annoyed teenage boy with pimples said behind a counter at a burger place. “I just filled that!”

“Hey, what gives? Where’s the ketchup? I’m in a hurry!” A customer said. “My movie starts in ten minutes!”

The boy winced. “Sorry, sir. I’ll get some right away.”

“Victory!” The girl said, her fist pumping upwards.

“Victory in what, exactly?” Emiyo asked behind the girl, who yelped in surprise.

“Emiyo, uh, hi! You aren’t usually out in the field.” Himari said, wearing a nervous grin on her face.

“Yeah, it’s nice to see you!” Liam, her partner, gave a reassuring smile.

“You never answered my question.”

“You know, magical girl stuff!” Himari said. “Causing all the suffering I can.”

Emiyo gestured to the calm food court, her patience thin. “What suffering?”

“Lots of it! We stole all that store’s condiments.” Liam replied. “Remember how annoyed that man was? He might miss the beginning of his movie! Now that employee needs to refill the condiment stand! What a bother, right?”

Himari gave an emphatic nod. “Right! And that worker got yelled at! No one likes that!”

Emiyo fought the urge to rub her temple, feeling a headache coming on. “This is your idea of suffering? Really?! Suffering is having your body crushed and living in never-ending agony. Suffering is losing everyone you’ve ever loved and having nothing to live for. Suffering is living in a nuclear wasteland!”

“That boy seemed pretty miserable to me,” Himari muttered under her breath.

Himari coughed, regaining her confidence. “I think you’re a little confused. I’m actually playing the long game!”

Despite herself, this piqued Emiyo’s interest. Perhaps she’d misjudged the girl?

“Yeah, nuclear wastelands are great and all, but it’s tacky and too easy.” Himari puffed out her chest. “I’m destroying worlds with a thousand cuts!”

“Sorry, what?”

“It’s simple. I’m causing countless small instances of suffering so they’ll build into something greater and more explosive. People will bottle up their frustration until they burst and cause untold havoc!”

Emiyo’s eye twitched. “This is your brilliant plan, really?”

“Totally evil, right?” The girl and her partner gave an emphatic nod.

In her head, Emiyo’s headache intensified. “No wonder the suffering levels in your universes have only increased by .00000000001 percent.”

“I’m playing the long game.”

“For two hundred years?!”

“The very long game.”

You incompetent little! Emiyo wanted to throttle the girl but kept professional calm. An outburst would be unseemly. “If this is the caliber of sector 8’s magical girls, no wonder the suffering levels haven’t increased much.”

Of sector 8’s magical girls, Himari is one of the few remaining who still lived. Emiyo had found the others dead, killed by the rebel. Why didn’t she save Emiyo the trouble and kill Himari too? It’d be so easy!

“Look, I’m currently assessing the entirety of Sector 8. When I get back, your universes’ suffering better increase by at least twenty percent!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll just accelerate my plans somewhat.” Himari pulled out a small vial, smirking. “I plan to put this into the water supply!”

Hope sparked in Emiyo’s heart. Poisoning water was an excellent way to spread fear and panic!

“It makes the water taste funny. Not horrible, but still unpleasant.” Himari said. “It will force people to buy bottled water instead! What a needless expense, right?”

Emiyo put her face into her hands and screamed.

---

Takako howled in pain as her opponent tossed her onto the padded mat.

“Are you okay?” Seina asked, concerned.

“No, it’s fine.” She said, rubbing her bruised arm. Even without her magical girl powers, Seina hit like a truck. Takako returned to her feet, determined to go again. Her pride refused to leave until she’d scored several points against her rival.

“Darn it.” Takako cursed as her back struck the padded floor once again. “I’m much quicker than you. Yet, you keep beating me!” Somehow, the girl seemed more like a wall than a person, deflecting back everything Takako threw against her.

“That’s because you aren’t sticking with what I’ve been teaching you.” Mr. Kiyojiro said. “You always go for the dirty move rather than the practical one.”

“But it’s totally predictable and lame!” Takako waved a dismissive hand. “Not my style at all.”

Seina smiled. “I suppose, but you always leave yourself wide open. You aren’t working on your defense enough.”

Takako turned away. “Whatever. My genius is too brilliant for you to understand.”

Seina sighed, but a slight smile appeared on her lips. “Okay, Maeko. Fine. Want to go again?”

“Always, best out five?”

Despite her best efforts, Seina still won most exchanges, moving with lighting precision. Yet, Takako didn’t mind it. Instead, it only pushed her to work harder. She hadn’t been this excited in decades. Usually, she found her magical girl duties dull, but she enjoyed the challenge Seina presented. The fighting made her feel alive. It’d be a shame when Seina inevitably died in days ahead, but Takako would enjoy her company until then. They chatted as they walked across town, enjoying the scenery. People were working hard to rebuild, invigorated with a new purpose after the vampire’s fall. Despite herself, their grit and determination impressed Takako.

“Is that the new school?” Aiko looked down towards the skeleton of a building from their vantage point.

Seina flinched. “Yes, Lotus High School.”

“No way! The Prime Minister named a school after you?” Aiko beamed with pride.

“Yeah,” Seina replied, with little enthusiasm. “They wanted to call it Kamiyama High School, but I vetoed that idea. And the statue.”

Aiko rolled her eyes. “Please, you deserve some recognition! You saved the world!”

“I guess.” Seina said, still unhappy. Uncle Kenji is adamant I should attend it once it’s finished. Isn’t that the worst, going to a school named after you?”

“Don’t worry, I'll be by your side if anyone bugs you about it.” Aiko puffed out her chest. “Never thought I’d ever attend high school. I’m so looking forward to it. Do you think it’ll be anything like those mangas Maeko likes?”

“I hope so,” Seina said. “Clubs, romance, lunch on the roof, meeting with friends every day. It sounds nice.”

Takako rolled her eyes. The dullest, most ordinary things always infatuated Aiko and Seina. What next? Wanting to attend cram school too? Even thinking about it gave Takako bad memories.

“How about you, Maeko?” Aiko said. “What are you looking forward to in high school?” The two girls looked at her expectantly.

Shows what you know. I’m too old to care about things like high school! She paused, realizing, despite being several hundred years old, she’d never attended high school. Soon, both Seina and Aiko would have a much higher education level than her. Takako had run away from home long before high school age. Not that she cared, of course. Takako was smart enough without it.

“Eh, seems boring if you ask me,” Takako said, not impressed..

“How can you say that after the vampires basically starved us of any education?” Seina said, irritated. “I had to learn basic reading and math in secret! Uncle Kenji had to risk his life to teach me how to add!”

Takako took a step back, surprised by the usually meek girl’s angry outburst. “Okay, okay. Sorry,”

“I’m sorry too.” Seina said.” I lost my temper. It just frustrates me what basic things the vampires denied us. We were just things to them, not even people!”

“I know what you mean,” Aiko said, nodding. “But the vampires can’t stop us now! Humanity can’t be stopped!”

“Right! Oh, I can’t wait for high school to start!” Seina said dreamily. “Mr. Kiyojiro’s tutoring is great, but I want to learn from a real teacher! Uh, no offense, Mr. Kiyojiro.”

“I’m not offended.” Mr. Kiyojiro said, finally joining the conversation. “Teaching from random textbooks is awkward.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not a great teacher.”

“Oh, I don’t mind. Any chance to learn!” Seina replied, trying to reassure her bodyguard and tutor. “You’re doing an excellent job teaching me Japanese. It’s my favorite subject. And I’m not too shabby at English either.”

“Private tutor, you’re lucky. I just wish I could understand half of my lessons.” Aiko rolled her eyes. “Ms. Inouye still hasn’t created a coherent study plan yet.”

“Hey, the adults are working hard to teach you youngsters.” Mr. Kiyojiro said. “A few kinks in the plan aren’t unexpected. You’ve already lost too many years. How can you become proper adults without the proper education?”

“No argument here.” Aiko said, and Seina nodded.

“Sure, but being a proper adult means getting a job and paying taxes and rent.” Takako said, piping in.

Mr. Kiyojiro coughed into his fist. “Well, yes. But, that’s part of growing up. You can’t stay a child forever.”

“Except, Seina will stay a child forever,” Takako said, pointing out the flaw in the bodyguard’s logic.

“Not in my heart. I can get a job anyway!” Seina said, retorting the point.

“You actually want a job?” Takako asked in disbelief. It sounded like such a needless bother. “You’re a magical girl! There’s nothing stopping you from doing whatever you want.”

“Yes, actually,” Seina replied, puffing out her chest. “I’ll still be an adult, even if I appear ten!”

Colten’s eyes lit in awe. “You’re so responsible, Seina!”

Takako snorted. “Stupid if you ask me.”

“Trust me, Maeko,” Seina said. “Being a magical girl isn’t as appealing as it sounds.”

“Whatever. Well, I better get going.” After all that hard training, Takako wanted to gorge herself on shaved ice and watch some anime.

“Later!” Seina and Aiko waved as she left.

“You’re too comfortable with those two,” Lilha said from an alleyway. “You’d almost think you’d become friends.”

“Friends? Not likely.” Takako was too evil and hardhearted for such nonsense.

“Good,” Lilha replied. “Come. There are matters we need to discuss. It won’t be long until we’re ready.”

“You’re acting already? I’ve barely learned anything. Mr. Kiyojirois still teaching us the basics!”

Lilha raised an eyebrow. “Are we meant to wait years while you play with Seina?”

“We are both immortal.” For someone who was ageless, Lilha certainly was impatient. “Is it that important for you to return to your nightmare world?”

“We are vampires. We rule.”

“Okay, but why ban schools? Why make children work 70-hour weeks?” Takako couldn’t resist asking these questions any further.

“The humans needed to know their place. My husband was always adamant about grinding them down as much as possible.”

“Why? Aren’t these policies more likely to cause humanity’s extinction?”

“It wouldn’t get that far. We’d keep them alive. They are our pets.”

“You didn’t answer my question. Why?”

“You’re a magical girl. It’s your job to make people suffer.” Lilha gave her a pointed look, making Takako hesitate. It was true. Why was she caring about this?

“Well?”

“Have you lost your nerve? Don’t you hate Siena as deeply as I do? I’ve seen how she humiliates you. Are you happy always being her inferior?”

Takako stood straighter. “I’m the strongest. Always will be. We will kill Seina.”

“Good. I see no further use in having you train with Seina. You’ve learned enough. I fear you’re getting too cozy with her. It’s time we enact our plan.” Lilha shone with excitement. “By tomorrow, Seina Kamiyama will be dead!”

Takako nodded, realizing her doubts were foolish. This was what they’d agreed upon. She glanced back, watching Seina talking and laughing with her friends without a care in the world. It left a strange bitterness in Takako’s heart. But no, for the sake of the magical girls and Starlight Dream, Seina’s death was necessary. After giving the girl a final look, Takako focused on the task at hand. No more useless doubts or distractions.

---

“A day out? Sounds great!” Seina said. Mr. Kiyojiro had given them the day off, and they were debating how to best spend it.

Aiko beamed. “I know this cute little place that’s becoming really popular. It’s super trendy!”

“Clothes shopping?” Colten sighed from his perch on Seina’s head. “Okay.”

Seina patted her fairy friend on the head. “It won’t be long, then we’ll get some ice cream.”

Colten perked up. “Really?”

Aiko snorted in amusement. “You spoil him too much. Yes, I promise it’ll be quick. I haven’t forgotten you, Colten. I have some activities planned for you too. There’s this street performer I heard about that might interest you. He does Kamishibai.”

Colten’s eyes lit in excitement. It also piqued Seina’s interest. Since DVD players and working TVs were still rare, the art form had reemerged on Osaka’s streets to entertain people. Though because of her training, she hadn’t caught one yet. The art form used still pictures accompanied by the performer, who narrates the story. Her fairy partner bounced on her head, unable to contain his excitement, making Seina giggle.

“Kamishibai?” Maeko said, showing genuine interest. “I haven’t seen one of those in forever.” Mr. Kiyojiro nodded in agreement, also genuinely interested.

Seina blinked. “Really? How?” The vampires were strict about punishing anyone who dared defy their edicts. Even singing could get you killed. Maeko’s past was so bizarre. Did her taskmaster even do his job?

Maeko coughed into her fist. “When I was really young. You know, before the vampires.”

Seina nodded, embarrassed by her misunderstanding. Unfortunately, most of her memories before the darkness were scarce and blurry. Worse, they consisted of people she’d rather not consider. Their presence tainted her childhood worse than anything the vampires had done. It sent blazing furious hatred through her and almost brought tears to her eyes. Why had her parents’ betrayal hurt her so much? Despite trying to forget them, thoughts of them returned at random moments, hurting her all over again. Sensing his partner’s distress, Colten rubbed her back, calming her.

“Are you okay?” Maeko said, worried by Seina’s sudden change in mood.

“It’s fine.” Her parents didn’t matter anymore. Besides, she had a new family and they wouldn’t hurt her as they had.

“There’s this ramen stand that recently opened up. I’d like to try. Would you mind having lunch there?” Mr. Kiyojiro said.

“Sounds great. Is there anywhere else you’d like to go?” Seina felt guilty for dragging her bodyguard around town without his input. Was he as bored by girls shopping as Colten was? But Mr. Kiyojiro only waved his hand, indicating his wishes didn’t matter. After some consideration, Seina decided she’d at least allow him to pick where they’d eat supper too.

“I have a suggestion.” Maeko had been quiet throughout the entire conversation, drawing everyone’s attention. “Before going anywhere else, there’s this manga shop nearby I’d like to try. I heard it sells brand new manga. I’m curious if the rumors are true.”

“Sounds fun.” Aiko replied. “It will give Colten something to read while he’s waiting!”

Brand new manga? That sounded interesting. It brought a smile to Seina’s heart. Little by little, humanity was reclaiming their lives. The vampire’s reign was becoming a distant memory.

“Is this the right place?” Aiko glanced around, eying their surroundings with curiosity. They’d entered a part of Osaka that still remained mostly abandoned. The streets were empty, but Seina couldn’t help but feel she was being watched. Yet, when she looked, she spotted no one around. Odd.

“Just down this alley, and we’ll be there,” Maeko said, pointing towards a colorful sign that showed the shop’s name, Shinobu Manga Emporium. Seina peeked down the alley and saw an open door, seeing shelves of colorful manga ready for purchase.

A sense of wrongness overcame Seina, and she stopped her step. The feeling of being watched intensified, but she still couldn’t locate its source. Aiko picked on her anxiety.

“Is something the matter?” Aiko glaced around, a worried expression on her face.

Maeko snorted. “Nothing’s the matter. It’s just a manga shop.”

She gave her bodyguard a meaningful look, and he nodded in agreement. He’d also sensed the prevailing wrongness. “How about we go somewhere else? This place seems kinda sketchy.” Before Maeko could offer a retort, Seina jumped aside as a humongous axe flew towards where her head had been a moment earlier. It flew past and crashed into a nearby building leveling it with a resounding crash.

A large vampire emerged from literally nowhere, brandishing an axe almost larger than his body. “You got lucky. Next time I won't miss.” Several more muscular vampires emerged, surrounding them. Aiko screamed in terror and hid behind Seina.

Maeko rubbed her temple. “Jentin, you idiot! Your eagerness alerted her to the trap. Never mind. We do this the hard way instead!” Much to Seina’s shock, her friend pulled out a brooch similar to hers. “Change Change, Magical Love Genocide Dress Up!”

What the heck was happening? The veil of illusion disappeared, revealing a face she hadn’t expected. “Takako?”

The dark magical girl smirked. “Is it that shocking? Now be a good girl and die.” She pointed her black pistol point-blank towards Seina’s midsection and fired

#starlight dream #parody #humor #anime #anime stories #vampires #story #stories #written story #fiction #Adventure #magical girl

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new2otomelol · 4 years

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Maid to the Rescue - A KBTBB Fanfic

I have not posted in a looong time, but miss it! I will be going back, fixing some of my older posts (fix my writing, lol) I’m still not a great writer and being a teacher takes a lot of work, but this is a nice escape from the world every once in a while. This is for one of the awesome people that have read my stuff and liked it (a thousand thank yous!)

This story is developing and this is the first part. I don’t own the rights to Kissed by the Baddest Bidder, Voltage does. This is a fanfic for fun!

It has been a year since that fateful day in the lobby. God, my life was so different back then. I was always at the beck and call of “the boys” as I called them. My saviors as well as my proverbial pains in the rear. There are times I miss them, and others when I wish we could have all met under different circumstances.

You see, more than a year ago I use to be a maid at a famous hotel called the Tres Spades. A hotspot in Tokyo and one of the many business ventures of my former supposed boyfriend, Eisuke Ichinomiya.

My life was put in danger more times than what I would’ve liked during our pretend relationship; a situation that also opened up backlash from some of the employees at the hotel. Eisuke decided he didn’t want to see me suffer and thus ended our affair in grand-fashion in front of the staff and clients. This gesture alone successfully put an end to relentless bullying in less than a few seconds.

Even though I completely understood the situation and told myself countless of times that I was fine, it still hurt. Eisuke and I had gotten close during our time together and even felt like barriers he had put up were beginning to cease. But enough was enough, I was tired of being labeled “plain,” “stupid,” and other things by people. I wanted to feel like a person of worth that could stand on her own two feet. I took Eisuke’s breakup announcement as my chance to run and do what I have always neglected to do, self-care and growth.

That day, I stood up my co-worker on a date, packed my bags with only my essential needs, emptied my savings jar and fled. I tried to be smart about it, ditched my identity, left the money Eisuke had deposited in account untouched, destroyed my phone, you name it. I knew the boys would eventually seek me out, but I needed time.

I had made a friend through Chisato who helped me create a new identity and assisted me with finding a small place to live in that was well hidden. Eventually, Gage, as he called himself, had me join a few of his friends. Together we formed a small “gang” of sorts. Our activities may have not always been on the legal side of things, but they are just and necessary.

We have become a family and enjoy working with each other, but I know that eventually I have to go back to my old life and start anew. I’m no longer that shy girl who followed others blindly and gave up so much of herself. I’m strong, in fact, I always was; I just never could find the time to build my confidence. Those days are gone and I’m ready for what I must face.

I wipe the sweat off my brow as I wait on top of this old, dilapidated roof and stare at my computer screen. Enough reminiscing, time for action. “Siren! It’s time!” I hear the command through my earpiece and enter a code in the computer. “Entered, security systems are down, including firewall. Lucy, begin download.” I give the command and hear “roger!” from my friend Lucy. A beeping sound goes off on my computer 2 minutes later and I know our time is up. “Alright everyone, it’s 2:00 a.m. and as planned they have caught on. My location has been made, initiating cleanup sequence, let’s roll!”

I pull a tab on my computer that I had installed to a small little bomb, which I had put together and crafted into my laptop’s hard drive earlier in the day. My 20 second countdown begins as I reconnect my harness to the rope and slide down to another rooftop across the way. I enter the stairs through the roof access and quickly make my way down. Through the windows of the stairwell. I can see dark figures running towards the building I just had been in. Goodbye jerks! I’m gone and out of sight.

I take dark alley ways and finally make it to my scooter and drive away. I’ve gotten so used to the adrenaline rush of it all that I don’t panic anymore. A few minutes later I make it to the warehouse with all the others.

“Siren! Great job girl! We got the assholes!” Gage comes up to me and high fives me as I dismount my scooter. I take off my helmet and breathe in the air, letting that wonderful feeling of accomplishment settle in.

“I can’t believe that we were able to pull it off this time! Did Lucy download all the files we needed?” I ask and Gage smiles widely, “that and more my friend. We found that the company has a connection to a crazy cult-like organization called AID. We will unleash the company’s doings to the media and let that fire start and take over. We have finally avenged Nyx!” He starts to do his little victory dance around my scooter as the rest of the gang shows up.

Nyx is a fellow member of ours that had been employed by a major corporation. She was great at her job and handled the accounting for her employer. Unfortunately, the corporation went under new leadership and things went awry quickly. Looking for a scapegoat, they shifted the blame on our friend that we refer to as “Nyx” and she was arrested and charged. Tonight, we took the information we needed to clear her name and set her free.

We all move to the day room area and take a beer in celebration relaxing on our old worn-out couch. “Siren, I think it’s time for you to also clear your name and face your destiny.” Gage whispers to me as he takes a seat next to me. Of course, the others pick up what we are talking about and quickly get excited. “Yes Siren! It’s time for you to conquer your love!” Lucy states happily. I laugh and throw a pillow at her from the couch. “I know, I know and I feel ready to go back and face it all; but remember, I must do it on my own."

We continue to talk about plans that we’ve all made since we got to the sanctuary. Gage is a computer programming specialist and professor in real life. He took us in, taught us everything we know about computers, hacking, etc. Some of us in the group specialize in other things and so we learned from each other how to fight (thanks to "Net”), weaponry (thanks to “Lucy), languages (thanks to "Nikia”) and the hotel industry/customer relations, thanks to yours truly.

We’ve kept our names a secret from each other in order to teach ourselves to protect our identities. Not once have we ever revealed our real names, except to the professor, Gage.

Each one of us had a rough patch in life and ended up here. Once we solve our past issues and restore our names, we move on with our lives with the promise to help others along the way. A “pay it forward” if you will.

After an hour of celebrating we begin to head out to go home and rest. Gage taps me on the shoulder and asks me to stay behind to talk. “Lisa, listen, it’s been a year for you already and I agree with the rest of the family, it’s time for you to face your past.” I had a feeling he wouldn’t let the topic slide. “I know Gage, and trust me, I’ve been working on it.” Gage smiles and motions for me to follow him to the kitchen area where he makes some coffee for the both of us. “I’m sure you have researched your friends plenty and have prepared."

"Yes, I sure have. With the information from tonight, not only do we have evidence to free Nyx, but I have evidence to help out one of my friends and expose some of the corruption in his workplace. I also have found some other information about my ‘ex’ that tells me there is danger up ahead.” Gage sits back and sighs. “Oh sweetheart, there’s so much going on with each one of those men. In fact, I just found out something…” he’s cut off by the sound of the ringer coming from my burner phone. I gasp and look at the professor. “Answer it, quickly!”

Chisato’s ID appears on the screen and I immediately pick up. “Siren! Listen to me please. They’re all gone. Eisuke, Mamo, Baba, Soryu and Ota. We all thought they were on a trip, but it’s been two days!” The news hit me like a cold shower. “Chisato, please, calm down. I’ll be there tomorrow afternoon. Take the chip out of that phone, break it and the phone and throw it away. Don’t worry.” The call ends abruptly and I take a deep breath and look at Gage.

“Told you Lisa, it’s time. Do you know who you are up against?” Without a doubt I do. I feel my blood rush and my fists tighten. “Gage, I can do it. The masked man, AID, many of these people that the guys have come up against have one person in common, the Prime Minister.” Gage smiles and leans forward holding my hands. “We’ll help you with the evidence to take him down. Your friends won’t see the connection because they’re dealing with the middle-man again.” “Gage, I don’t want to get any of you in trouble…” he pats my hands. “Lisa, you know we’ll be completely anonymous when releasing the information and helping you. We’ll all be worried about you going in to the line of fire, but you’re the most skilled in sneaking around and fighting. I know you can do this!” The professor stands up, gives me a kiss on the forehead and puts up our empty coffee cups.

“Gage, I can’t ever begin to pay you back for everything you’ve done for me. Thank you, thank you so incredibly much for taking me under your tutelage and helping me grow.” I bow to him and he laughs. “Lisa, you’ve helped many people while being in this group and this isn’t goodbye dear. I may be in my 50’s, but I’m not dying yet.” I laugh and attack him with a hug. “No one will die, I’ll make sure of it.”

He pats my back and releases me from the hug. “Okay sweetheart, go get some rest and get ready, tomorrow is another day!” ************************************ Back in Tokyo…. “Eisuke! Wake up, come on! Shake it off! Damn this shit!” Soryu curses as he struggles against his tight restraints. “S…Sor… what the fuck is going on?” States Baba as he begins to wake up from his drug induced stupor. “I don’t know, but it looks like we were all drugged at the party and here we are. Who the fuck could havd done this?”

“Maybe it was one of your gang rivals Sor” said Ota as he licked his dry lips and shook his head in an effort to re-stabilize his sight. “Not one of mine; this is not their typical ammo.” Rustling noises come from one of the corners of their dark enclosure. “Nah kid, at this stage, it could be either Baba or Eisuke’s enemies. What the actual fuck did they give us? My head is 'bout to rip the fuck open!” Groans come from the center of the room as Eisuke comes to. “What the fuck?” Soryu rolls his eyes, “we just established that part. Do you have any bad deals going on right now? Anything we should know?” Eisuke shakes his head and tries to re-moisturize his dry mouth. “The usual. Maybe that masked freak is at it again? Whoever it is, I wasn’t anticipating this, and usually I can see it a mile away. This is bigger.”

“For sure it wasn’t me. I’ve been in France for a month” said Baba. “Well, whoever the fuck it is, they have a flair for the dramatic. They should have just taken us out of the equation if they were able to get all of us.” stated Eisuke. The lights turned on and the mens’ eyes sting with the introduction of the harsh brightness. “So you are awake, perfect! I’ll notify the boss soon.” Said a man with a familiar voice as he entered the large warehouse area. The men re-adjust their sight and look upon their captor. “I called it! Masked dude it is!” said Ota. “Oh buddy, I’ve been nothing but a pawn in this and will continue to be to fulfill my boss’s every desire. Unfortunately, he’s been a busy body, so I will entertain you until he’s ready. Continue to enjoy your accommodations men, you’re here for the long haul.” The man laughs and quickly walks away leaving the bidders in their metal chairs with what seems to be mechanized handcuffs, the likes they had never seen before.

#kbtbb #kbtbbfanfic #eisuke #soryu #mamoru

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lady-of-all-cards · 4 years

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Ikemen Revolution: Alternate Ending (Zero)

One-Shot Statictis: Pages: 8 Word Count: 3485 Characters: 19253 Characters (without spaces): 15886 (This is a lot longer than I originally anticipated, but I wanted it to both make sense for people who don’t mind spoilers, but still want to read, and also give context to those who have already gone through Zero’s route.)

Fandom: Ikemen Revolution Characters: Lancelot Kingsley, Edgar Bright, Zero, Harr Silver, Loki Genetta, Amon Jabberwock, Dalim “Dum” Tweedle, Alice the Second. Pairings: Zero (Ikemen Revolution)/Main Character Summary: Hazy sky blue eyes, clouded over with magic, facing off against bottemless jade-green eyes. The Jack versus the Ace, and the King as their witness, only one would walk out with his life, the other would die as the King’s one true protector.

Notes: SPOILERS!This is an alternate universe ending based on Zero’s main route. If you don’t want the main points of Zero’s route being spoiled, don’t read this. I highly recommend downloading the game if you already haven’t and experiencing Zero’s route for yourself.

“I will stop your plans to rule Cradle, even if it costs me my life!” Lancelot swore, his eyes glowing crimson in the dim lighting of the room. However, he stumbled back, drawing his sheathed scabbard, just barely repelling the dagger that had been flung at him out of nowhere. He looked to the entrance, only to find a blank-eyed Zero standing there. “You-- why?”

“Even failed experiments sometimes have their uses.” Amon smirked in Zero’s silence. “Zero, kill the traitor Lancelot!”

“Yes, sir.” He muttered at the command as he and Lancelot both drew their sabers. Only the cold, ruthless sound of scraping metal cut through the silence.

“So, Zero, you’ve fallen into Amon’s hands.” No response. “If you stand between me and Amon, I will show you no mercy.” Again, no response. Verbally anyway, as Zero had darted toward without hesitation.

“Stop, Zero!” Alice screamed from where she stood. The sound of her voice made him freeze on the spot, arm still raised and poised to reach its target.

“Alice?” Edgar and Alice had been listening in on their conversation from behind a pillar, but there was no way she could have stayed hidden any longer.

“King Lancelot isn’t the enemy, can’t you see?” She begged, stepping forward, but Edgar was quick to dart in front of her protectively.

“That’s not good, Zero.” Though she was feeling frantic, Edgar sounded perfectly calm as he stepped forward. “The Ace of Hearts can’t turn his blade on his King.”

“Edgar, what are you doing here?” Lancelot demanded, looking to him, but Edgar’s gaze remained on Zero as he answered.

“If my student is going down the wrong path, it is my job as his teacher to correct him.” Edgar gracefully slid his sword from its sheath as he stepped in front of Lancelot. “I await your orders, King Lancelot.”

“How much of the situation are you aware of?” Lancelot asked in response, looking at his trio of enemies over Edgar’s shoulder.

“The leader of the Magic Tower plots to take control of Cradle, and our King will do whatever it takes to stop him, as far as I understand it.” He spoke smoothly, not even glancing at him.

“Yes, that’s basically the gist of it. So--” Lancelot pointed the tip of his sword over Edgar’s shoulder at Amon. Edgar glared determindly at it’s tip as his King gave his command. “As the King of Hearts, I command you! Arrest Amon Jabberwock, leader of the Magic Tower, for plotting to take over Cradle.” Edgar smirked, turning his gaze back on his enemies.

“Yes, sir.”

“You think one extra ally will be enough to stop me?” Amon growled, stepping back between Zero and Dalim. “Kill everyone but Alice!”

“As you command.” Dalim purred, but still, Zero remained silent. Alice’s breath caught in her throat as the tension mounted.

And then Zero made the first move. Leaping into action, he swung his sword toward Lancelot with expert precision.

“Whoa there, King Lancelot’s not your opponent.” Edgar’s voice was light and airy, but it grew dark as he continued. “I am.” Raising his saber, Edgar stepped in and blocked Zero’s blade with his own.

“Out of the way.” Zero sneered blankly, pushing against Edgar’s defense.

“Come now. Is that any way to talk to your teacher?” His cheery tone was back, teasing his dear student once again. They both pulled away, and then clashed again, initiating a heated sword battle. Before, during their sparring match, they looked like they were having fun, but now... the teacher-student match she was watching now was a life or death battle, and as she watched with bated breath, she noticed slight swelling a short distance away from them...

The blast of magic shot toward Lancelot too fast for Alice to stop it, but Lancelot immediately summoned his own blast of red light and the two magic spells cancelled each other out.

“So, Dalim, the time has come for us to clash.” Lancelot spoke, turning properly towards his opponent, standing between him and Alice.

“Looks that way. I am a scholar at heart, so I’m not great at this sort of thing, but I will see my idea of justice carried out.” Dalim’s magic clashed fiercely with Lancelot’s once again, and Alice wanted to lend her support, but with both battles raging, she just couldn’t get close enough, and they were exchanging magic spells so quickly that there was no way she could step in with her power.

“Isn’t being a passiver observer the best? So entertaining.” While her attention was focused on the two waging wars, the man in the differently coloured robe had snuck up right beside her. “Once those two are taken care of, it’ll be your turn, Alice.”

“And what do you plan to do with me?” Her shaky voice asked as she stepped away from him.

“Don’t you know?” He smirked, taking a step forward for every step she took back. “We will use you in our experiments until you’re nothing but a dried up husk.”

“Just-- what are you researching?” She probed, looking around for help, even though she knew none would come.

“The power to break spells. That power is a threat to my ambitions. I need to make sure nothing can get in my way when I use magic to invade the Land of Reason. So, first, I need to understand what it is that gives you the ability to break spells.” It was an incredibly bold and selfish ambition. “Your sacrifice will lay the foundations of our future. You should be honoured.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! I won’t let you get away with any of that!” Alice finally snapped.

“I look forward to seeing how long that defiance will last before you break.” She clenched her hands into fists as he sneered in her face, but just then, she caught sight of someone from the corner of her eyes. A figure hiding behind a pillar was pointing a glowing Magic Crystal at Edgar.

“No!”

“Alice?” Edgar gasped in shock as she rushed to where they were fighting, shattering the magic before it could do any harm.

“Why you--” Amon growled. “How dare you get in the way! Zero! Teach Alice a lesson! Make her hurt until she doesn’t have the strength to fight back!”

“Yes, sir.” Zero responded mindlessly, batting Edgar’s sword to the side, kicking him in the gut.

“Edgar!” Alice gasped as Edgar lost his balance, but Zero was already darting towards her. But she wasn’t going to give up and Zero. Pushing her fear aside, she spread her arms wide as Zero raised his sword. And he froze in place.

“What are you doing?” He muttered in a low growl.

“You have to remember! You are Zero, the Ace of Hearts!” Alice declared, staring him down.

“I am--”

“The Zero I love would never use his sword to do harm!” Her voice was laced with both pain and hope, and behind Zero, Edgar was pulling his deprived body towards his fallen sword.

“What are you-- talking about--” Zero’s wavering voice asked as he gritted his teeth.

“Oh, geez--” Edgar chuckled, one arm wrapped around his bruising midsection as the other loosely gripped his saber. “You must be the most troublesome student ever!” Zero gasped in response, but he was still too late to react as Edgar ran over and hit Zero with a merciless roundhouse kick. Once he was on the floor, Edgar held the tip of his sword to Zero’s throat. “Zero, why do you wield your blade?”

“Why?” Zero questioned, still trying to process what happened.

“Is it to kill? To destroy? No, that’s not your reason. You have always given great thought to what you can do with just that one sword. You’ve suffered and struggled desperately to carve out a place to belong and to get people to accept you. And you swore that you would use the power you gained by doing that to protect others.”

“I--”

“Your sword has saved countless people. Your sword is the sword of justice! As your teacher, I have always been so proud of you for that.”

“Mm--”

“You are my pride and joy, the best student in the world. It doesn’t matter if you’ve lost your memories, or are being controlled. You are still the Zero I know. So, think about the reason you wield that blade once more. Is Alice really the person you should be pointing your sword at?”

“I-- Mm--”

“Zero, what are you doing? Take care of the Jack of Hearts and Alice this instant!” Amon commanded coldly, his voice echoing.

“I’m not-- I want to-- protect-- protect something-- something that’s important to me--” his breathing ragged. Zero doubled over in anguish, and something tumbled out of his trouser pocket. The earing! “Mm-- Alice--” She gasped, looking back at Zero, “Alice--”

“Zero! I’m right here! Please, come back to me!” Zero’s face contorted in pain as he struggled to take a step towards her. Just then, she saw an ominous light swelling on the edge of her field of vision

“Puppets don’t need freewill! Have you forgotten the lesson I hammered into your body?!” Amon sneered, and suddenly, Zero’s sword was left to clatter to the ground as he clutched at the tattoo on his neck, screaming in pain.

“Zero?!” Alice screamed in confusion, but the tattoo continued to glow, and Zero continued to cry in pain. “Zero, hang in there!” She wished with all her might, but the light that was hurting Zero didn’t fade.

“What did you do to him, Amon?” Edgar demanded, turning a sharp, cruel gaze on the robed leader.

“That tattoo is proof that he is property of the Magic Tower, and therefore belongs to me. Everyone associated with the Magic Tower had one, but Zero’s tattoo is extra special. That tattoo ink was made with crushed up Magic Crystals. So, I can use it to make him suffer like this.” Another pulse of magic brought Zero to his knees as a scream left his throat. “The moment you try to use that sword on me, Zero’s life is forfeit.”

“Uh--” Edgar’s gasp made Amon smirk, and the way his body froze before stumbling back made him chuckle darkly.

“You-- you’re absolutely evil!” Alice screamed in anguish. By this point, Zero was laid on his side, crying as he clawed at his neck so hard with his nails that he was beginning to bleed.

“It’s none of your business what I do with my property. Zero has been trained this way since he was just a babe.” He turned his attention to Zero, “If you want the pain to stop, then you will end these two!” She couldn’t let Zero suffer any longer. She grabbed hold of the hand that he was using to scratch his skin and placed her other palm over the tattoo.

“Mm-- Alice?” Zero whimpered.

“Remember what I promised you? If you have to scratch something, scratch my hand instead of your neck.”

“L-let go--”

“I won’t!” She snapped determinedly, ignoring the fingertips that dug lightly into the back of her hand. The faint stab of pain was nothing compared to what Zero must have been feeling. “Zero, you’ve already suffered enough. More than enough. Now, let me take on any other pain that comes your way.”

“S-stop--” his breathing was strained and sweat covered his forehead, but he grit his teeth instead of digging into her hand.

“Zero, you knew from the start what fighting against the Magic Tower would mean. You knew what it would do to you, yet you still chose to protect me. Thank you. Thank you for always protecting me.” She spoke earnestly.

“Alice--”

“What are you doing, Zero?! If I can’t use you, then I might as well kill you!” The most broken and horrific scream left Zero as he writhed on the ground. It seemed to shake the whole tower, but Alice still held his pain-racked, sobbing body as tightly as she could.

“Don’t worry, Zero.” She whispered, hugging him even tighter. “I’m going to protect you this time! I will keep you safe!” When she willed it with all her might, the light coming from his tattoo burst apart. The Magic Crystal lost its luster.

“What?!” Amon screeched, looking from the dead stone in his hand, to the quivering body of Zero and finally to Alice. Zero’s breathing gradually became stable again.

“Alice, thank you.” He whispered, his face setting determinedly.

“Zero?” She asked, looking at him in relief and concern. After he had finally caught his breath, Zero stood up. He picked up his sword from the floor and glared at Amon with clear-sky eyes, sparking with the light of the sun.

“I’m sorry about all that.” He spoke, addressing Edgar and Alice. “But you don’t have to worry any more.” He showed Alice a bright smile that was as full of confidence and strength as when they first met. “I promise that I will keep you safe!”

“Oh--” Alice gasped in relief. He was finally back! Sword in hand, Zero stood beside Edgar.

“Don’t you have something you want to say to me, too?” Edgar smiled, as relieved as Alice to have him back.

“Uh-- I’m sorry.” It seemed like it physically pained Zero to say it. He really, truly was back to react like that, react like his old self, towards Edgar.

“It’s okay, I forgive you.” Edgar responded in a cheery tone. “When we get back to headquarters, you can make it up to me by being my servant for a week.”

“And this is why I never ask you for favours.” Zero responded in a long-suffering tone, but an amused smile tugged at the corner’s of Zero’s mouth despite his words.

“Why you-- You’re awfully brazen for something that’s not even human!” Amon hissed at Zero, but the Ace stared him down with a straightforward gaze.

“My origin is certainly different from most people’s. I was created in this tower and treated like a puppet. But now I have a teacher who taught me the way of the sword. I have a king who accepts me. And I have a woman, Alice, who taught me what it means to be happy.”

“Zero--” Alice breathed.

“When I ventured into the outside world, I met all kinds of people and learned all kinds of things. I became more than a prototype. I became human. And so, for as long as I am alive, I will wield my blade for the people who helped make me a real person.” Taking a deep breath, Zero exchanged a look with Edgar. “I am now Zero, the Ace of Hearts!” His shout acting as a signal, the two of them swung their swords at Amon in unison.

“Lord Amon!” Dalim cried, and before their blades could make contact, Dalim leapt between the two fighting factions, sending Edgar and Zero flying backwards with a gust of magic wind.

Alice’s gaze snapped to Lancelot, who was leaning breathlessly against a wall, and their eyes locked. His face was pale, his lips drained of all colour, and he was struggling to even stand.

“Are you okay?!” She gasped.

“Yes. Dalim must be worse off than me. He should be well past his limit by now--” Alice looked over to Dalim as Lancelot spoke.

“Dalim! Forget about Lancelot! Use all the magic you have left to blow them away!” Amon ordered.

“As you-- command.” Dalim groaned.

“Wait! If you make him keep fighting, he’ll die!” Alice gasped, looking between Amon and Dalim.

“Huh? Are you worried about me? You truly are a kind lady. But you mustn’t forget that I am a villain.” From the depths of his hood, his eyes glowed brighter than ever before, and an instant later, a wild gust of wind blew through the hall, nearly knocking her off her feet.

“You okay?” A new voice and strong arm supported her when she started to fall backwards. She looked up with a start and met the gaze of a single, grey eye.

“Harr! You’re okay!” Alice gasped in relief.

“Yes.”

“That’s because Harr has me!” Loki said cheerily from behind his teacher.

“Loki!”

“I contacted Loki as soon as they locked us up.” Harr explained.

“And wasn’t I a big help?” Loki smirked triumphantly.

“Yes, you were. Thank you.” Struggling against the wind, Lancelot came over to them.

“We don’t have time to stand around and chat.” Lancelot spoke as the whirlwind that had Dalim at its center was growing stronger by the moment. Alice started to step forward, but Zero held up a hand to stop her from the other side of the room.

“It’s too dangerous, Alice! Stay back!”

“But--”

“It’ll be okay, just stay there!” She closed her mouth, giving him a curt nod. “Edgar. I’m going in. You stand down.”

“You think you can win?” Edgar asked, raising his eyebrows at him.

“Yes.” Was Zero’s firm response.

“Well, okay then.”

Flashing Alice a quick smile, Zero started walking toward Dalim. Edgar, meanwhile, hurried over to their side.

“Don’t worry. Just trust in Zero.” Edgar reassured.

“I do.” She responded, her tone filled with hope and belief in Zero and his goal. He promised that he would come back, so she knew it would be okay. It just had to be.

Inside the wild storm winds, Zero quietly readied his sword.

“This ends now, Dalim.” Zero spoke, gripping his sword tighter.

“Yes. Will your justice prevail?” Dalim’s eyes glowed brighter as the colour grew deeper. “Or will mine? Time to settle this once and for all!”

Surrounded by a blinding light, wild winds whipped around all presences in the room. The tower shook and parts of the ceiling began to crumble from the force of the magic.

“Lancelot!” Harr called through the thick, dust-filled air.

“Yeah!” The King responded, and with their combined magic, they shielded them from the falling debris, but at the center of the storm, light and dust kept the fate of the men inside hidden from them.

Chunks of the crumbling ceiling buried the floor, and finally, the light began to fade, and the dust began to settle, but she still couldn’t make out either of their figures.

“Zero--” she breathed. The blood drained from her face as she tried to go to the pile of rubble, but Edgar held her back.

“No! It’s too dangerous!” He snapped.

“But--”

“Don’t worry. It’ll be okay.” He said, but he didn’t sound so sure himself. It was okay. It was all going to be okay. Zero was fine. He was alive.

“Zero--” she breathed again, her voice broken and shaken. “Zero!” She screamed, tears beginning to stream down her face as she leaned heavily into Edgar, who held her close to his chest.

But there was no response...

Once the room was clear enough to see the floor, Edgar gently pushed Alice away from him, letting Harr take her hand as he stepped beyond the protective barrier the wizards upheld. His steps were cautious, and he looked closely, before his whole body stiffened, frozen in time.

“Zero...?” His voice was full of panic, shaken as his pace increased. “Zero!?” He called, kneeling by a pile of rubble and roughly beginning to pull the fallen stone off of the crushed body beneath...

The remaining rocks began to float as Loki’s tear-filled eyes glowed crimson, but Edgar didn’t pay mind to it. He couldn’t! He took Zero’s bloodied body in his arms, stroking the blood-matted hair from his face, but it didn’t rouse the Ace from his slumber. Edgar didn’t want to, but he slowly trailed his shaking hand to Zero’s neck, pressing against where a beating pulse should have been.

“Edgar?” Alice’s voice was quivering, begging the Jack to tell her Zero was fine, that he was okay, but all Edgar had to do was turn around. He had tried to keep his smile, but the grief over his expression was enough- the knife that drove into their hearts. The shaking of his head twisted it, and Alice screamed in denial, falling to her knees.

The Ace lay in the arms of his teacher, who held him close. One’s heart beating wildly, forcing tears to drop onto the fallen student, to force a strangled choke from his throat. The other’s had stopped, never to beat, felled in service of his King and country.

The whole of Cradle mourned the death of the most honest and trustworthy Ace of Hearts to ever grace their presence, and that day forevermore was used to celebrate his life, and strangely, the hearts of those in the Land of Reason also felt heavy, and pain graced their eyes and throats, on the day a great human, a great man, was taken by an evil plot to rule over the universes in tyranny...

#lancelot kingsley #edgar bright #zero (ikemen revolution)#harr silver #loki genetta #amon jabberwock #dalim dum tweedle #alice the second

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stevenuniversetanzanite · 4 years

Text

The Angel Among Us (Cordelia X reader) Part 2

(This chapter has been rewritten/ edited since original post)

General Notice: I’m trying to get more works out during this time that is rough for all of us. That being said I am trying to keep it’s quality up.

This is technically a prequel to Fallen Angel (Work in progress), however it can be read as a stand alone series.

Summary:

If your reading as a stand alone: A witch heads back to Miss Robichaux's 20 years after she left in hopes of being a teacher there. The only problem is she hasn’t aged a day.

If your from Fallen Angel: The event’s leading up to Y/N joining Michael and the Cooperative.

I’m trying something with this and I’m not sure how it’s going to work so any feedback will be appreciated whether through comments, or anon asks. I did something similar in my Gone and left your world series were it had ~~~ in it and it either jumped, went to a flashback or dream. I did that here and it’s for the past/dream.

This was originally going to be three different small chapters but wanted to reduce the number of chapters and decided to explain stuff I couldn’t through the ‘present’ basically context and junk.

as these parts are split up I can make a post where there all together and link it here if anyone wants.

Also they are so many parallels from my other series and some weren’t intentional.

Warnings: Slight smut, nightmare, murder and all that good stuff. (Everything is tame)

Parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 , Part 4(will be added when done)

She gave you the job without a second thought, thrilled to have her friend back in her life. This time around, it was different. The way she interacted with you, there was more behind every touch, every word she said. You had danced around your feelings for her from the second you fell for her. You didn't know you were gay; you had never liked anyone before and haven't since. Maybe you weren't. Maybe it was just her. She was the only thing your heart desired. No one else seemed appealing. She was straight, she got married to a man and a vile man at that. No one liked him in Cordelia's close circle, but you were all nice for her sake. However, her mother was always vocal about how he detested the man. She wasn't the hugest fan of you either, but you had something worth wide in her eyes, power.

You weren't one to force your feelings upon people, you didn't want to burden her with the knowledge that her long-time best friend was in love with her. Knowing how she was back then; she would blame herself for you falling for her. You didn't want that. Keeping it a secret was better.

She asked you about your time away, but you were reluctant to tell. It was a blur, nothing notable ever happened or at least that's what you told her. "I spent most of your time at your flat." And some ramblings on about jobs so she didn't grow concerned.

You were offered a job here a few years back by her mother about the time Cordelia was blinded. You jumped at the opportunity but as you went to take the job, the balance of the world shifted. Something dark was living on our earth and growing with power. You tasked yourself with discovering it before it discovered your fellow witches or any other good on the planet.

Something told you that the answer to some of your woes would be found with the source of power. The self-appointment job was a failure and you found yourself at the place you ditched it for.

It had been a couple of weeks since you got hired. You sat cross-legged in Cordelia's room on the love seat marking some of the girls' work. Papers scattered on the ground and the couch you had been sleeping on. Cordelia had yet to give you a bedroom.

"Are you sure you're comfortable on the love seat? Wouldn't you prefer sleeping on the bed?" She would say. Her desire for you to join her on the bed masked in such a way that your tired brain couldn't register as her quietly begging for you to join her. In your head, she was still married. She had mentioned multiple times that her and her ex broke up but a month or two doesn't rewrite years in your mind.

You had finished your marking an hour ago and had moved onto Zoe's to ease her workload. She managed to get behind, having double the classes you had that day as well as having to plan her work next week. You thought it was a nice thing to do. While, you were trying to distract your brain. Stopping working forced you to think and that hadn't gone well for you in the past. Countless nights spent in denial, regretting what could have been if only you had spoken up. Stayed away from the school. Ignored your mother's letter. Those thoughts were less common now. Instead, your mind flooded with thoughts of what was wrong with your body. Why your growth had remained preserved at the ripe age of 18- if that.

You threw another log on the fire before heading back to the marking. You focused on the flames using your pyrokinesis to refuel the fire. You smiled at a successful job done. Another hour passed and you were struggling to keep your eyes open. Strong hands gripped your shoulders.

"You're still up Y/N/N?" You looked over your shoulder to face Cordelia. "It's nearly 3."

You checked your watch. She was right, you didn't notice the time pass.

"I'm marking-"

"Zoe's work. I know, she informed me." Cordelia gathered some of the work on the seat moving it to the floor.

"Don't put them near the unmarked ones," you call out as she does so. She moved them instantly away from the unmarked ones. Taking the seat next to you, she removed the paper and pen from your hands and set it with the other papers. "Delia?"

She shushed you, pulling you closer to her. The two of you stared at the fireplace, the crackling of fire was the only sound in the room. The students were long asleep as the two of you should have been. She shuffled even closer to you. She eased your head into her shoulder, her hand finding it's place in on your head, playing with your locks.

"I appreciate that you offered to help Zoe with her work, but you do need a break too-"

"I get breaks-"

"That don't involve studying magic?" Okay maybe not. She knew you too well. Magic was your life, what else do you need? "You barely get any proper sleep. You sleep on this uncomfortable chair which is too small for you to sleep on."

"It's fine-"

"No, it's not. You're sleeping on my bed tonight. No question."

"Where will you sleep?"

"On my bed."

"But-"

"It's big enough for the two of us and it's not the first time we've shared a bed." You blushed thinking back on the few times you've shared a bed with her. Cordelia chuckled at your reaction. "You're too cute." You got redder. You begged her to stop but she kept going. She eventually ended it when you got too loud but not before she attacked you with tickles. You both were dying of laughter, you were surprised no one came to see what was going on. "Okay, bedtime." She patted your leg before rising from her spot. She laid a handout for you to take it. You yawned. "Come on captain sleepy."

"That was stupid."

"Shut up."

You yawned again, "A goodnight's sleep does sound nice and your bed is really soft."

Cordelia led you into her wardrobe, forcing you to rest on an ottoman while she retrieved pyjamas for you. She came back to you half asleep propped up against the wall. She chuckled not wanting to wake you up. She ended up shaking you awake lightly, handing you the a long sleeve shirt and pants. Without complaint, you changed into the clothes as she got herself ready for bed.

Once tucked comfortably into her bed, you wiggled about to get comfortable. She hopped in beside you, pulling you closer to her before she covered herself in her sheets. You stilled and cleared your mind for a peaceful slumber. As the night progressed you found yourself growing closer to the warm body beside you.

~~~

"Catch her! Stop Y/N!" People shouted as you ran through people's heaven's gate crashing and accidentally destroying them in the process. You jumped from room to room, hiding amongst people's belongings to lose the guards chasing you.

The group zoomed past. You sighed before stepping out of your hideaway. The air was musky, you got the sense you weren't home anymore. Your powers were unhinged, unable to control them was becoming more dangerous than ever. Accidentally transmuting into an unknown location was never good.

You've stepped into the devil's den.

You wandered, getting your bearings. It was all too new to you, how where you expected to follow along?

You stumbled into him, the man you were designed after.

~~~

You screamed, bolting upright in the bed. Your legs bend and move closer to your chest. The think sheets flopped off the top part of your body, pooling at your lap. Your upper torso and head drenched in a layer of sweat. Your hands flew to her head, covering your eyes from the monstrosity you saw in your dream.

The light on the bedside table closest to Cordelia switched on.

It wasn't the first time Cordelia had woken from someone having night terrors. In a school with a wide range of ages, it was more common than you'd think. The younger girls had them the most, as you would expect. Their minds were more active but even the older ones had them from time to time. Some of the girls were unfortunately exposed to trauma while growing up, being unaccepted for who they were as a witch. What she didn't expect was for the reaction to be so jarring. The sudden snap from unconsciousness to conscious was difficult for her body to handle. She needed a second to wrap her brain around the situation which was something she didn't want to do.

"Y/N, look at me."

You shook your head, beginning to rock back and forth. You mumbled out incoherently, describing the beast you saw. It was horrifying.

She asked if she could touch you when you didn't respond she slowly reached out until she made contact. You didn't flinch away (which she took as a good sign) nor did you move towards her touch. Ever so gently, she eased your hands away from your face, revealing your blotchy face and irritated eyes.

Your eyes flickered open, taking in the room around you. The face was gone. Feeling the weight of a hand on your shoulder, you turned Cordelia.

The door opened revealing three girls checking in on their headmistress and her roommate. They heard screams and wanted to make sure nothing bad happened.

"What happened?", "Is everything alright?" the girls asked.

"Nightmare. Can one of you head to the bathroom and run a hot bath?" Mallory sneaked past to fulfil the request. Delicately, Cordelia moved you closer to her. If there was any sign of apprehension, she would stop and resume once you were comfortable. "Shh, everything's okay. You are safe. Nothing's going to hurt you."

You sobbed, occasionally choking while trying to get a breath in.

"I-I s-saw evil," you stuttered out. "H-he greet-ed 'e w-ith o-open-"

What scared you the most was how you felt when gazing at evil itself. There was a void in your soul and bearing witness to the being began the healing process. The wound like while was tender but the pain that came along with it was gone.

"Shh. Take a moment to catch your breath."

"I-I was in hell-"

"It must have been terrifying but your back now, with us," Cordelia said. You knew wasn't trying to be condescending but you felt like she was.

Mallory notified Cordelia when the bath was finished. The supreme thanked the girl. You had calmed down significantly since then. Zoe and the other girl, information anyone who was awoken by your screams that you were okay, and it was safe to go back to bed.

The bathwater was warm against your skin, relieving you of the dirty feeling you can only get from being drenched in sweat. Cordelia remained by your side as you begged her to be though she was reluctant to leave herself.

The times were few and far between when you would freak out as you did tonight. At least in Cordelia's eyes, she rarely had you complain about any major problems or come to her for some level of consolement.

"It felt so... real."

"Dreams usually do."

"I guess I can't get a good sleep even on a good bed."

"So, you liked the bed?"

"I said I liked it before."

"Yeah, you did, didn't you? Would you consider moving to it permanently?"

"You want me to share a bed with you?" Cordelia nodded. You chuckled. "I don't know how you expect me to keep my hands off you- I mean-" Cordelia looked up at you grinning. "Wait, have you purposely not given me a room?"

"You know as well as I do, there are beds to spare."

"You're evil. You forced me to sleep on that couch."

"You chose to sleep there, darling."

"'Darling', what are an old married couple now?"

"Weren't we always?"

"What the fuck Cordelia?"

~~~

You, the 2.0, crafted in his likeness with the removal of his ill-intent. You knew what you were, they didn't bother hiding that. You knew him to be pure evil, corrupter of God's plan.

Free will, something you weren't allowed to have. We were all meant to be subservient to the Lord. He, the morning star, was the first to be cast out of heaven. He was defiant, not agreeing with god. All he would've had to do was simply said "I sinned, I submit, please forgive me", and the matter would've been resolved. But he was too arrogant, feeling too proud to bow down. He used his own logic and blamed God for misguiding him. Why would God give them knowledge if they weren't meant to use it?

~~~

Cordelia had been going on a lot of emergency meetings through your time at the school. Some appeared to be beneficial, like the time she first went and returned with two girls (Queenie and Madison) whom you were informed later on had died under her care. Unbeknown to you, you were replacing one of their jobs.

You heard about the boy's school from the woman who attended but remained in the dark about the specifics, being told it was council business and to "not worry you pretty little head," by Cordelia. You reckoned you had a right to know if it concerned the students or Cordelia's (as your unofficial girlfriend) wellbeing in any way but she denied that it did. You stupidly accepted her answer convinced that she would tell you when something goes awry.

You got on incredibly well with Queenie. You had some of the same favourite tv shows and she had many interesting stories to tell about her time trapped as a ghost in the Hotel Cortez. You happened to be a supernatural nut which explained your love for everything magical. You may have bombarded her with way too many questions about what it was like to be a ghost, people had to pull you away in order for you to leave her alone. She filled you in on her side of attending the school, adding in all the juicy gossip that Zoe and Cordelia left out.

Madison was hesitant to interact with you. You were the young hip teacher that happened to join after she died. You mean she didn't have to be stuck with Cordelia holding them back the whole time? You hadn't interacted with her until the fifth night after your initial introduction. She was in the kitchen raiding the liquor cabinet.

"I wouldn't drink that one if I were you. Cordelia will have your head if you open that one."

"Like I care," she said breaking open the bottle of expensive white wine.

"At least pour me a glass if you aren't going to listen to my warning."

She groaned, pulling out two wine glasses and pouring you both a lot. The two of you talked about everything and nothing. You'd finished the bottle by the time you'd retire for the night. You made sure she made it to bed safely before retiring for the night. You were all giddy by the time you stumbled into Cordelia's room. The woman was bundled up under the blankets with a book in her hand. She took one look at you and shook her head, "Madison?"

"Madison," you confirmed, flopping onto the bed giving Cordelia little time for her to move her legs out of the way. "She drank your wine."

"All of it?"

"I had some too."

"I noticed."

"Told her I'd pay you back for it." You scrambled up, crawling on top of her. "I never told her how," you purred, leaning down and taking Cordelia's lips for yourself. Your tongue tasted of the wine. You took no time building into the passion of the kiss. She moaned, re-adjusting how she rested beneath you. You pulled away, murmuring "Would you like that?"

"Yes," she moaned.

You made your way down her body, removing any fabric that got in your path. You paused, seeing the wound on her abdomen. The skin surrounding it was irritated and bruised. What you assumed was a scab concaved into her. Cordelia whined asking why you had stopped. In need for more she forgot about the mark of her fading on her body. She'd hidden it well from you this far, always having that area dressed.

You shook off all the questions you wanted to ask her, instead giving her what she is owed. No reason to ruin the night for the sake of feeding your curiosity. You took your time liking and sucking the right places to turn her into a bumbling mess beneath you. She cried out for more attention. She recalled hearing the click of the door locking but knowing it wasn't her to do it. She wondered if you were going to soundproof the room too.

"Scream for me baby. Scream so the whole coven can hear."

In the little time the two of you had been a thing, you'd kept any PDA behind the close door of your shared bedroom. Anything fun you had, the noise was kept to a minimum or the room was soundproofed in advance. All those times, Cordelia had been in charge. She didn't want to ruin her reputation and didn't want any of the girls to know what she does in her spare time. You, in your tipsy state, was overcome with a newfound level of confidence. It was as though you were someone else feeding off your need to please the woman you'd been in love with for years.

The next morning you were down bright and earlier. Your chipper self poured a cup of coffee before making your way to where Zoe, Queenie and Madison were. They all turn their attention to you the moment you walk in. "I paid her back," you said, directed to Madison as you took her seat at the table. Madison looked slightly horrified (and maybe even impressed?) at you.

"How long do you think it will take her to come downstairs?"

"She's already late."

"I wouldn't expect her to be down any time soon, I wore her out last night."

"Too much detail," Zoe said. The other two laughed.

Fifteen minutes before the students were expected to be getting up, Cordelia rushed into the room. She tried to play it off as calm and collective but she was stressing about being behind schedule.

"Sorry about being late, I slept through my alarm."

"Didn't you get much sleep last night?" Queenie asked, her and Madison were trying to suppress their laugh.

Cordelia deadpanned to you, "You told them, didn't you?"

"Didn't have too, we heard it all," Madison said.

"Oh God, the students. Y/N, what were you thinking?"

"Delia, they're all old enough to know about sex."

"It doesn't mean they should be forced to hear that." You got up and headed to the kitchen before she could scold you any further. "Where are you going?"

"To get dressed, students will be up soon."

~~~

You resonated with his actions and logic, maybe because you were him in some way. That's the problem with the likeness, the blurred line between who you are and who you are seen to be. If he betrayed then so would you?

Human's fascinated you, the ability to come back from sin and earn there place in the holy kingdom. It wasn't forced but advised. Sin still existed and you could choose to break the 10 commandments. Choice. You wanted to choose your life not be bound to a memory of someone else and forced through the wrongdoings as if it were prophesied.

He wasn't like you expected, rude or demeaning. He was cunning, motivated by ill-intent, but who's to judge if it's morally good or bad? Those concepts confused you, bad could be good in another's eyes.

The man knew who you were exactly, rumours of your creation spread fast in the spirit world. "Sister. I didn't expect to meet you so soon. I would have prepared for your arrival." He offered his land to you, to help rule his throne. He had bigger plans for the end times than he let on. He fed into your desire, the same confusion he had experienced at the beginning of his rebellion.

He offered you whatever you could have wanted in order to steal you from the grips of your creator. "I want to understand the purpose of all of this. Why are humans so important? Why are expected to follow subserviently?." A life of my own.

"Then go, seek out your own answers and when you get bored or don't like the answers that you find, there's a place for you here."

"How do I get there? I don't have control-" You'd gotten there by mistake, you couldn't your powers yet. The angels expected you to which is how the ruckus in heaven began.

Think of suddenly being were you want to go and step forward. You'll be incognito unless you want to be seen. No angel has had long term exposure to humans, who knows the damages it could cause.

~~~

It was the first time Myrtle Snow had gotten some time alone with Cordelia after their arrival back from their council trip. She wasn't happy about Cordelia's decision to allow a male student at Hawthorne to compete in The Seven Wonders. Cordelia informed her that she'd seen the future and it appeared grim. At some point she knew she would have to identify her successor but she needed to buy herself some time to figure out who.

Myrtle mentioned Mallory, and how she witnessed the girl completely reversed the wounds of a dead doe and brought it back to its youth. They couldn't deny Langdon's power and though she doubted he was the next in line, he could be what brings the end.

Cordelia admitted her powers are growing weaker and feeling herself dying. She told her Aunt that she hadn't told anyone about her dwindling power except her.

"It's sooner or later Y/N is going to figure it out," Cordelia said. She feared telling you, you already noticed the markings her sickness brought along. You knew too much about magic, sooner or later you'd question her and her state. One of the perks of being the supreme was perfect health. Those mysterious marks don't match that. "I've tried to keep her out of all of this- I don't want her to get hurt." She knew you were more than capable of looking after yourself, but she still felt obligated to protect you from the world.

Myrtle brought up how painful it was to watch you swooning over her for years and it was nice to see that you get a break. The underlying threat that it will be cut short hung in the air but remained unsaid. Cordelia never having mentioned you two being together assumed she'd heard from one of the others.

Mallory interrupted them and told Cordelia that her two o'clock is here to see her.

You hadn't seen Cordelia much that day, having back to back classes, a doctor's appointment then marking once you got back. You'd worked through dinner, not realising what time it was until it was eight and your stomachs rumbling snapped you out of your concentrating state. You had one paper left on witch history. As much as you loved the history of Salem witches, you knew none of these girls cared enough to write a paper on it. There all here to improve their magic ability, history isn't going to help with that. You tossed the paper onto the rest deciding dinner was in order. Marking can be left until tomorrow.

You found a tupperware container full of left overs in the fridge. You scooped a helping of the pasta onto a plate before shoving it in the microwave. You felt two hands wrap around your waist. You chuckled and relaxed slightly.

"Missed you today baby," Cordelia said snuggling into your back. You told her you missed her back. You yawned. "Were you asleep?" she said referring to the robe you changed into when you got home from the doctors as well as your yawn.

"Had a doctor's appointment and had to mark after so I decided to get comfortable."

"Doctor's appointment? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it was a checkup. I needed to see if my medication was working. They're giving me a higher dosage."

"I don't remember you being on medication."

"I've been on them for years. Some problem with my blood. I can't remember the specifics on the top of my head." You changed the topic, the last making you uncomfortable. "You're being more cuddly than you usually are in public. What happened to keep it in the bedroom."

"That went out the window when they heard us having sex."

"You have to admit you enjoyed it."

"I did," Cordelia admitted. "You could say, I owe you."

"Not tonight. I'm worn out. I'm going to go to bed after dinner."

"I might have to finish off my work early so I can have a cuddle session before bed."

"Sounds like a plan."

"I'll see you soon."

"See you soon."

Cordelia ran off to complete any work she had remained so she could spent her night with you.

You finished your meal and headed up your bedroom. You yawned as you entered the room. The ground felt muddy. Your eyes snapped open. You stood frozen in a forest of trees. A lone gas station stood with a mile of road on either side. "What the fuck-" you rubbed your eyes. This couldn't be real. A man stood there pumping gas into his car, nothing out of the ordinary. You reached for your pocket. You had none. You're in a robe. Outside. With nothing underneath. This hasn't happened before and hopefully never again.

You shouldn't be here, how did you get here? No level of teleportation would have gotten you this far without harm, this place wasn't near the school.

You step forwards to make your way towards the gas station. Maybe he could help you, tell you where you were so you could call Cordelia and explain what happened. A glove hand slipped over your mouth, another around your waist. You were tugged towards a body. You thrashed about trying to escape when the person spoke.

"I'm not going to hurt you Y/N." You said something but it was muffled by the hand. "I'll let you go in a second but you need to see something first."

Another car pulled up and a woman stepped out. The two interacted before the woman ended up cutting his Achille's heel. He collapsed onto the ground and she slit his throat as well. To finish him off she poured gasoline on him and set him on fire. The woman pulled away in her own car. You watched as the man's flesh, burnt to dust. You screamed, cried out watching the scene unfold. You were helpless to do anything but watch on in horror.

"That man's name was John Henry Moore. He taught at the Warlock school, you know the one. He was going to rat out his brother warlocks for treason. His key's are unharmed by the fire. You have one of two choices, drive back to the school and tell your precious supreme that a warlock was murdered and have to explain why you were out here in the middle of the night or you could drive away, dump the car and not tell a soul." Both hands let go of you.

"Why did you make me watch that? Who are you?"

You spun around but no one was there. You decided to test what the person said was true. You crouch by the pile of ash. John Henry Moore, you never heard of him. That wasn't surprising, he taught at a warlock school. You weren't familiar with too many, you were always taught you were superior to them so you never bothered to look into them. You hovered your hand above the ashes, concentrating on who they used to belong to. Come on Y/N, you can do it, you repeated in your head. You took a deep breath in and out.

Information filled your mind along with snippets of the man's face. The person was right.

You snatched the keys from the pile of ash and hopped into the car. What were you doing? You can't steal a dead man's car. He isn't going to need it, you reasoned. You start up the car, listening to it rev. The camera's, they would have seen you hop into the car. With a flick of the wrist you erase any record of you being here before speeding away. You didn't know what to do. How were you meant to explain why you were in the middle of nowhere. You didn't even know where you were going.

"Where did you go so late?" Cordelia asked as you stumbled through the front door.

"Grocery store."

"In your robe?"

"Yeah."

"How did you get there? The van's still parked-"

"You ask too many questions," you snapped. She was taken aback. "I've been through hell today. Can we just leave it there?" You didn't give her a second to respond before you headed towards the back of the school. She followed you, stopping when you did. Your back faced her.

You'd changed energies since you entered the academy. You were no longer the sweet and tired woman she was planning on spending her night with. Now you were agitated. You rarely found a reason to snap at her, she worried something happened to you. She let your behaviour slide, not wanting to push you any further and cause a scene at one thirty in the morning.

"We have a new student, Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt. I put her in your class and organised a one on one with you and her today to get her comfortable being here."

You hummed fiddling with a pack of cigarettes you picked up along the way. You never smoked before in your life but the urge was all too tempting tonight. "Hmm~" you hummed, your mouth around the stick of death that was between your lips. Your hands fumbled about for the lighter you bought. Seemingly misplacing it, you groaned.

"I'm glad you're safe," Cordelia mused. "When you disappeared after you said you were going to bed, I worried." When you wouldn't pay her any attention, more focused on what you were doing she circled you. "What are you- Where did you get those?" She tried to take the cigarettes away from you but you moved away. "You don't smoke- how? Why?"

"I'm sleeping on the couch tonight," you said around your unlit cigarette, stepping outside and shutting the door with your powers.

You sat there until the sun rose. The birds chirping sounded like ringing in your ears. Visions of the man burning was all you could see. The hand around your waist and mouth, holding you in place. The helplessness you felt. What kind of witch were you? You had the chance to tell Cordelia where you were, what you say and you decided against it? Who were you? Not yourself.

Your robe slipped off your shoulders revealing your back to the cold day and showcasing your white ink tattoo of angel wings. You got paid 50 bucks to do it back in the day, now it's just scarring of the tattoo you once got.

You were on your third cigarette. You took another puff, missing the sound of the back door opening under the screams in your mind. A tap on your shoulder sent you zapping elsewhere. Landing on the other side of the garden, you quickly adjusted your robe, covering up your back and naked front. Your robe must have untied itself during the night. You dropped your cigarette butt stumping it out with your bare foot.

"Mal? What are you doing up so late?"

"It's 9 in the morning," she notified you. "Cordelia told me to talk to you after you didn't head up this morning."

"I told her I was going to sleep on the couch," she probably assumed the one in her room. Mallory walked up to you sitting down beside where you teleported to. "We don't need a mediator-"

"Go and talk to her. Assure her that there is nothing to worry about. She spent the couple hours you were missing tearing the place to shreds." You chuckled at the last bit. "She also wanted me to remind you, you had that class with Coco."

"Who?"

"The new student."

"Crap, yeah. When's that start?"

"Three minutes ago."

"Shit- you distract the girl, I'll quickly freshen up."

She nodded. You grabbed your belongings before teleporting upstairs to clean yourself up. You scrambled through your belongings looking for something quick to change into. You opted for a long maxi floral dress with your platform boots. You douse yourself in perfume before sprinting downstairs. You ran past Cordelia on her way to her office, she went to speak when you said, "Meeting late." and continued on your way.

You found Mallory sitting alongside another girl. You apologised for your tardiness, and greeted the girl with a handshake.

"Your hands are cold," she commented.

"I'm well aware. So as you're aware I'm meant to so you the ropes. If you are scared, it's normal."

You dreaded the time your class your one on one would end but when it did, you were happy that the new student was at least a little more comfortable being here. She reminded you of yourself when younger. No you weren't rich, you were scared of being in a place you didn't belong and not wanting to waste the teachers time. Any witch no matter how little their powers are deserved to be here.

Once you were done you were requested to go to your girlfriends office. You didn't bother knocking as she expected you. The door squeaked, "Your door needs some oil," you commented.

"I'll make sure someone does that later-"

"Oh, I can do it. It's no problem. I'll do it now-" You deflected.

"Leave the door. It's not important." Cordelia rose from her desk chair and moved to the set of chairs in front of her desk.She chose to do this to show you were not in trouble and to remove the desk from between the both of you. You'd both use it as a barrier to hide behind. She gestured you to take the other chair. You slowly shuffled to your designated spot, your platforms scraping across the floor. Normally you would have earned a look of disapprove from your girlfriend for ruining the school's flooring. Today was different, her pet peeves were tossed out the window, replaced with an emotion you had yet to determined.

She didn't speak until you were settled in your chair. Your eyes floated everywhere never focusing on one place and definitely not on her. She realised she wasn't going to get your undivided attention, it was for the best, you never made eye contact when you were in a stressful situation. The woman allowed you to get away with pushing her away far too long. She'd let you escape from her for years during her marriage or the nights back in high school were she'd gotten a smidgen to close. She saw why now, it was as clear as day. You'd pushed her away to save yourself heartbreak. It took her until she had the sight to figure out she was being cheated on and still she couldn't figure out how strong your feelings where for her. You were pushing her away again but this time she couldn't understand why, it wasn't like the last time you did so, you haven't left her yet. It was similar to moments in high school were she was getting a little experimental, bi-curious even, but you weren't having it. You didn't want to be second, you wanted the gold. Had you figured out her secret, that her days were numbered. You'd seen the markings. You could be bracing yourself for the pain, cutting off the ties before they were snapped from you. Self induced pain was easier to deal with.

"How did the session with Coco go?" It was best to ease into the conversation, make it seem normal, Cordelia thought. You both knew it was coming so there was no point in delaying the inevitable but scaring you off wasn't the end goal.

"The Vanderbilt girl is super nice. Is Vanderbilt or Pierre a better nickname? Pierre is a masculine name and she isn't very- Vanderbilt it is." You rambled on. "I think I did a pretty good job at convincing her she belongs here."

"I knew you'd be the perfect one for that."

"Yeah~"

"I want to talk about last night-" you went to interrupt but you were silenced. "I know you don't want to talk about it but that's what couples do, they communicate so we can move past it."

You nodded, your focus now stilled on the left leg of Cordelia's chair. There was a paper clip resting next to it, bent slightly out of shape. You wanted to pick it up and put it with the rest or at least fiddle with it to distract your mind from what she was asking you to do. Talking was a chore, why would you need to talk, can't she just read your mind, or the energy you're radiating? Her idea wasn't a good one. Emotions are meant to be expressed outwardly and if not, they should remain to one's self.

"You said you were going to bed. You could have given me a heads up or texted me that you had to go out."

"I did head to bed." Your voice was small. Your hands fiddle with the light fabric of your attire. "I didn't plan on going out... It kind of happened."

"You going somewhere doesn't usually just happen. You have to actively seek out doing it."

"I-I teleported- I think. Whatever happened wasn't intentional."

"You teleported? Where?"

"I don't-" Should you tell the truth? "A park, an hour away. I went to the grocery store on the way back and picked up-"

"The cigarettes. You know what I'm going to ask you to do with them." You shook your head. She laid her hand out. You pulled them out of your clothes pocket and handed them over. "I don't want you to get addicted to these. They ruin lives and I love you too much to watch you waste it away on this." You nodded in recognition. "Did anything happen while you were out?"

You shook your head, "Nothing happened-"

"You transmutated far, are you sure you didn't get hurt?" You nodded. "Can I have a look over?"

"You just want an excuse to see me naked, don't you?"

"Always, but it is strange that you are developing new powers now or at least of that strength."

"Developing them now? Are you calling me old?" you joked.

"You're older than me." Yeah, you were. "What are you, like 905?"

"Hey! I'm not immortal."

"You could have convinced me otherwise."

"We both know that wouldn't be a good thing. We both know the story of Scáthach. "

"Are you talking about My Roanoke Nightmare? I thought you hated that show."

As much as Cordelia hated horror, you were a fanatic- not because you enjoyed the film, you loved critiquing it, ripping their use of the supernatural. You often referenced horror movies and how they were wrong in class or when casually talking to Cordelia. Then the show My Roanoke nightmare was popular, you'd binged watch it and won't shut up about the show for weeks. Cordelia knew everything about the show without seeing it. She eventually did, so she could better understand what was irritating you so much.

"I do, but Audrey Tindall is hot."

"I hope neither of us ever met her." The both of you chuckled.

"No, but seriously. She's real or at least what they say about her is. She gained immortality from ancient gods. We both know you don't make deals with ancient gods, we teach that as part of the curriculum. You don't accept gifts from deities and all that jazz. It's witchcraft 101. All I know is if I had a choice between being normal and being immortal, i'd choose normally any day. Hell I'd probably give it up. Imagine living a life where you couldn't get attached to people because you know that one day they are going to die and you'll be alone. You can met new people but you know that they are going to die too. It's a long circle of death until the world explodes or hell raises over maybe even after that. It would get lonely. Plus, I'd lose you and I couldn't handle that."

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." At least not for now, not today, Cordelia thought.

#cordelia x reader #cordelia foxx x reader #cordelia goode x reader

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skzoologist · 4 years

Text

He warned him countless times.

Even he himself lost count of it.

‘Don’t strain yourself too much.’

‘Take care of yourself.’

But the boy never listened.

Whenever he made the young male promise him that he will not break anything, that he will be careful, when it came to actually upholding that promise, the small boy never succeeded in it, as if an unseen force was preventing him from it.

It always happened like that.

A never-ending circle.

Just like now.

It was Izuku’s match against Shouto in the tournament.

Of course, he was against Izuku taking any part of the whole ‘festival’.

The young boy couldn’t control his quirk, and his mentor should not have let the boy fight.

But his words weren’t heard, he had no power.

He could only take part of it as a safety precaution, if the students or the fight needed to be stopped.

That is the reason for why he was standing next to Cementoss, on edge, his senses heightened, ready to take action.

Izuku was doing it again.

And he knew the boy was going to go_ beyond_ that.

“Izuku Midoriya, if you break one more bone I will have to disqualify you and stop the fight. Shouto Todoroki, the same goes for you. If you won’t step back on the offense, the fight will be over.”

He knew Cementoss and Midnight was thinking the same. Or to be exact, he warned them, to get ready to stop the match at any given moment. The teachers agreed without a word.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that! Not now! Forgive me!” - shouted back Izuku, readying his quirk.

“Same here. Sorry.” - replied back Todoroki.

It was obvious the boys wouldn’t back down, but he had to try, just to be sure.

With a heavy sigh, sounding just as tired as he was mentally, he prepared his quirk and transformed his legs in an instant, and took out the string he always used to tie his hair together.

His face hardened, his aura changing with it. The always kind and helpful man nowhere to be seen.

His eyes reflecting the emotions he felt, as if it was a window looking at his heart.

Anger.

Disappointment.

He gave the sign for Cementoss to create as many walls between the students as he could just as the two young, reckless boys took action.

But he didn’t just stand there either.

No, he was just as reckless.

For he jumped into the arena, his muscle bound legs flying him towards Izuku, his long hair reaching towards Shouto.

It was a stupid plan, he knew that too. But that is all he had.

Most of his hair, if not all will be burned down due to the extreme heat and explosion that will happen in a moments notice, making it hard for him to reach the boy with it.

But he knew Izuku will get more damage from this attack.

So he had to go and shield him, and Cementoss’ walls make him no choice but to use his hair on one of the teenagers.

But at what cost?

He will have to jump in the middle of the fight, where the two unstoppable power will meet.

He had to do it.

He couldn’t watch them destroy themselves anymore.

So, as he arrived in front of Izuku, carefully took the boy’s extended arm and directed it upwards, and with the same momentum, he embraced the boy, shielding him from the fiery quirk that was ever so fast approaching them.

Of course, before his hair burned into ash, then nothing, he was able to redirect the other boy’s quirk upwards as well, lessening the damage.

But the explosion from the sudden heat still happened, it still reached them.

He only heard a quiet gasp from the small boy in his arms as they flew towards the wall of the building, hitting it full-force.

As the dust started slowly disappearing, the viewers checked the arena with much anticipation.

They first saw the half-half quirked boy standing in bounds, a shocked expression on his face as he lowered his extended hand from the sky.

The next thing they turned their attention to was the soft clinking of rubble as it hit the ground.

His battered and scorched form was standing there, his back facing the broken in wall, the boy in his arms, unconscious.

A dark look in his eyes, as he looked at both Endeavor and All Might.

#bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #story snippet #OC #my OC #Male oc #Izuku is feral #and self-destructive #somebody stop him

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pinetasticapple · 4 years

Text

What if we had known each other first and fallen in love second: Mr Pigeon

Also on ffnet and ao3!

"Have you ever wondered why the English musical of "Les Miserábles" is more popular when the original is a French work and the French musical of "Romeo and Juliet is also more popular than the original English version?"

Marinette raised her eyebrow, her arms still crossed on her chest while she waited for Adrien to finish eating, although he was more interested in debating than finishing the carrot bits on his plate. Well, that settled it, she was going to strangle that mangy cat.

Adrien offered a smile and plucked one of the carrots in his mouth. He had told a little lie in order to stay around school for lunch just to watch Marinette struggling to not shake him right there in front of everyone. Oh the power to have a secret. Well, another secret. One that he was savoring to keep from Marinette as long as possible.

"Woah, why is Adrien grinning so evil? That's so not like him" Alya joined them on the table, giving Marinette her fruit on the way in exchange for the jello container Marinette had saved.

"Beats me" Nino said, who had been looking at the conversation for a while "he knows something that will happen and won't tell Marinette about it."

"Just that I'll find it interesting" Marinette took a bite out of the apple Alya had given her "and he's gloating on it!"

"How dare you Adrien, making my girl suffer" Alya patted her shoulder "but if it's information you want…"

"You didn't sneak into a locker again, did you? "

"Hey, I learned my lesson from last time" she raised her hands "but I do have some intel that principal Damocles will give an announcement in our class later on, about what? I still need to dig a little more."

"Or you could just wait five more minutes and hear it live," Adrien shrugged "I swear you'll like it."

Marinette squinted at him but gave up on trying to pry it out of Adrien. She knew by now it'd be a lost cause.

"Remind me to never get on your evil side," Nino said once the bell rang, earning another smile from Adrien.

"Oh this is not my evil side,"

"No, that one is way worse" Marinette said and walked ahead of them so the boys couldn't see her face. She had met that side once when an akuma fight happened at 4 in the morning. Adrien was not so happy about losing precious sleep hours.

They went to their seats and Marinette looked almost impatiently at the front for Mme. Bustier to arrive. Adrien did say it was going to be an announcement before class so she had to be here already. She still ignored Adrien's subtle glance at her and amused smile he threw at her.

She didn't get a chance to stare at him as the door opened with the teacher and principal Damocles arriving to the classroom.

"Good afternoon," he addressed them just as Mme. Bustier set up the projector to show a slide that said 'Design Contest', the principal speaking about the increase in school extracurricular activities to promote and incite students to do beyond the academic walls and just like that it was as if many pennies dropped on Marinette's head.

Oh that sly cat.

"You only have one day to work on your fashion piece and it must be your own design," the principal looked at the class "and tomorrow first thing in the morning your finished presentation will be judged by none other than the great fashion designer Gabriel Agreste, the father of our own student Adrien Agreste."

There were many sounds and gasps floating in the classroom, but Marinette's mind was already checking all her ideas and projects. As much as she disliked Adrien's father in how he was with his own son, a part of her was still at guilt in admiring the man as a fashion designer, a leader in the field.

"In fact, Adriel will model the winning design in his next photoshoot!"

Oh, Marinette knew his measurements by heart from countless cosplay requests. Most of them hidden in Marinette's room because if Adrien's father ever found out well, that would be disastrous.

Hm, Marinette had to rethink her perspective on Gabriel Agreste again.

"And now to announce this year's theme: derby hats!"

Adrien tried not to snicker. Why on earth would they choose that to begin with? But he was glad to have kept it a secret. He knew first hand Marinette was more than good when it came to fashion and this contest was like the perfect fit to her. Oh he couldn't wait to see what his father would say about her designs. Not like he could show him beforehand because the possibility of him thinking it to be biased since Marinette was his friend.

He was practically feeling her energy buzzing from behind and he couldn't wait to see what she would come up with, even if it was something like a bowler hat.

At least it's not a fedora.

The class went on as normal as it could be, with Adrien staying behind to pack his stuff while Marinette nearly ran to the locker room, no doubt to pick her sketchbook.

"So, you going to give it a go?" Adrien asked Nino on his way out, smiling at Nino's face.

"Oh no, fashion design is not my thing" he pointed at where Marinette and Alya were "leave that to Marinette."

Adrien smiled and looked at his friend pacing front and back in front of Alya, babbling something he couldn't quite understand from where he was. Well, time to go do some reassurance.

"Liked the surprise?" Adrien leaned against the wall just as Marinette jumped out of the bench in surprise. For a superhero Adrien enjoyed sneaking up to her like this.

"I'm going to fail so bad" she rubbed her face "and this is how my career ends without even beginning."

"Oh come on" Adrien patted her shoulder "your designs are amazing! You totally have a chance in this."

"You really think so?"

"Cross my heart" he smiled "I can't wait to see what you come up with."

He waved at the girls goodbye and went on his way back home to his piano lessons. Adrien was pleased with how it had gone and he was honest when he said he couldn't wait to see the project Marinette would bring to the table.

He also knew it was best not to bother her until she was done so he just dedicated himself to practice and then work on his assignments, only to find out the latest akuma that was terrorizing the city.

"Pigeons have taken over Paris,"

Say what now?

Adrien looked at the news, baffled at the amount of pigeons that surrounded the buildings, the streets, even on the Eiffel tower.

He looked at the akuma, Mr. Pigeon, calling out the city in name of the blasted birds and Adrien was seriously wondering if Hawkmoth was that desperate or plain bored.

"This is going to be a nightmare" Adrien stood up, already dreading the idea to go after this particular akuma. He transformed and jumped out of the window, making his way to the Eiffel tower across the rooftops when he heard Ladybug's voice.

"Now this is weirder than weird,"

"Birds of a feather flock together," he smiled, only for his nose to itch as a jet pigeon flew above them, sneezing so hard he ended up rolling off the rooftop.

"I'm allergic to feathers" he rubbed his nose, already feeling his eyes watering.

"That's helpful" Ladybug offered him a sympathetic smile.

"Hah, tell me about it" Chat sniffled "so much for surprise attacks this time."

"We could always run to a pharmacy and get you antihistamine- "

"Nah," Chat shook his head "feather allergy isn't that common and we don't want people to put two and two together, I'll be fine, besides, we have more important things to deal with."

He caught up Ladybug with what else was happening, both coming up with a plan to lure Mr. Pigeon –he still was not used to that name- towards them and deal with the akuma.

Which ended in Chat with a police cap at the park.

"An uniform would have been better," Chat glanced at the tree Ladybug was using to hide.

"Just act like a park ranger or something."

"This park is way too small to have a ranger" Chat snickered, soon bored from standing still.

"So," he glanced at Ladybug "how's the project going?"

"I'm missing some parts but I will have it ready" she grinned "but don't think I won't forget you keeping this secret from me."

"You wound me bug" he placed his hands on his chest "and here I was thinking I had done a good de-a-achoo!"

Ladybug turned to see a giant ball made entirely of pigeons surround Chat, the poor cat sneezing as the pigeons lifted him up and away from the park.

"Hey!" she chased after the ball, leading her to the top of the Grand Hotel, where even more pigeons waited on the rails and parasols.

"You know, this is how a horror movie can start,"

"You are not making me watch a horror movie" Ladybug glared at the pigeons, her yo-yo at the ready. The cooing was unnerving and there was no sign of Mr. Pigeon anywhere nearby, she couldn't help but think they had fallen into a trap.

And she hated to be right when a whirlpool of pigeons surrounded them, blocking the sight of the giant cage that fell on top of them, trapping them for good.

"This is just grea-choo!" Chat sniffled "I hate birds."

"Too bad you can't eat them," Ladybug glanced around "look!"

They glared at Mr. Pigeon throwing the usual villain monologue of demanding the miraculous from them, only this time they were surrounded by pigeons who were all ready to throw…

"Ew no" Chat's voice sounded stuffy already "no thank you."

"Chat, the bars!"

Chat didn't need to hear it twice as he summoned his Cataclysm to destroy the cage. His eyes were really watery but they barely managed to escape the sudden swarm of pigeons launching at them, the blunt too hard to dent a metal door.

"Is it wrong that I don't feel bad for the blasted birds?" Chat wiped his nose for the umpteenth time "they'll be fine after you cast the cure."

"Don't be mean to the birds" Ladybug helped him up and pointed at the stairs so they could get out of the hotel.

Chat ran behind her, the beeping in his ring growing insistent.

"I have to find a place to hide before my identity is reveal,"

"Yeah" Ladybug couldn't help but to grin "you wouldn't want to let the cat out of the bag."

Chat squinted at her. Oh, he so understood the timing of the situation.

"Ha, ha, very funny."

The lobby was packed with panicked guests and the mayor, but Ladybug could only stare amused at Chat sneaking his way to a suite in order to feed his kwami. She wasn't going to admit it but sometimes the akumas provided funny situations for her to witness.

Even if this one was scaling up the ridiculous list.

"Why are they all flying to the same direction?"

The ding of the elevator made her turn to see Chat ready to continue their fight.

"So we know he's taking all the park keepers somewhere" Ladybug said as they took a lower route.

"Bird food perhaps?"

"That would be too gross," Ladybug looked at the feather trail that led to a big building, both sticking to the wall to observer.

"The Grand Palais?" Chat frowned "I guess if he wanted a big cage this could be i-a-a"

Ladybug plucked his nose before he could let out a sneeze. The last thing they needed was for them to be caught.

"Let's get this over with" Chat stepped forward only to be held up by Ladybug.

"Ah, it's too easy" she squinted at the gate "we don't want to end up caged again, come on" she pointed to the other side "I have a plan."

It was a good plan, Chat never doubted Ladybug's plans, no matter how farfetched and crazy they ended up sometimes, they always seemed to work out. The problem this time, as Chat would later point out, was his damn allergy that blew up the element of surprise.

The fight was pretty much nonsensical for some, for Chat it just felt like a regular Thursday. But oh was he glad when she finally casted the cure above them, sending the blasted pigeons away from him and giving him a chance to breathe.

"Pound it!" they smiled as their fists bumped.

"Ahh!" she suddenly gasped "I have less than twelve hours to finish that hat!"

"Go, go" Chat smiled at her and made his own way back. He made sure to take a long hot shower to clear out his nostrils and waited until it was late to transform again and pay a late night visit to Marinette.

Chat jumped across the rooftops, happy after a well won fight, and not surprised to see lights coming from Marinette's room despite being almost midnight.

He landed without making a sound and gave a few taps on the trapdoor to announce his arrival. Even if he knew Marinette would be in the zone, he had to make sure she was not going to push herself too hard.

"Chat," she blinked surprised to see him "what are you doing up here?"

"Well buginette, it is quite late and you should be sleeping."

Marinette rolled her eyes but went back down to her room, leaving the door open for him to sneak in.

This was something they didn't do that frequently, what with risking too much of their identities if they frequented each other while one was with the mask. But Chat was curious and this was a special occasion. At least that's what he told himself.

He saw pins and cardboard on the floor, pieces of fabric and loose thread in a pile near her sewing machine. And on the desk was the masterpiece, or at least Adrien thought it was.

"I'm having a struggle with it" Marinette slumped on her chair and showed him the original design "if, and this is still a big if, I win and you model this you will be sneezing nonstop and then the shoot will be ruined and they are going to hate me for ruining hours of work and-!"

"Woah, woah" Chat held her shoulders "I think we can agree that when you win we can solve my allergy out, it wouldn't be the first time I had to use a feather somewhere, we can use synthetic ones!"

"Your dad will certainly think less of the hat if I do that."

"But you can keep the original for the showing and then switch it for me to wear" he smiled at her but noticed her eyes still looking at the hat "Mari… do you regret entering the contest?"

"W-what?" Marinette turned her eyes to him "what makes you say that?"

"It's just…" he rubbed the back of his head "I can't help but see you worrying and maybe this was too much pressure?"

He was surprised to feel Marinette holding onto his hand, squeezing it tight as she gave him a small smile.

"Chaton," she looked at their hands "thank you for worrying about me but" she sighed "you know me, I over think almost everything."

"Hm, yeah" he shrugged "but they turn out into great plans, like today."

She giggled.

"I appreciate you worrying over me" Marinette hugged him "and you know what? You're right, I was worrying too much over this detail. If you say it'll be fine for the showing, I can keep the feather on it."

Chat responded to the hug, his stomach suddenly feeling funny inside him. Huh, maybe he shouldn't have had chicken salad for dinner.

"Alright!" Marinette pulled away and smiled "I still need to finish the embroidery so- "

"R-right!" Chat smiled back "do you need me to wake you up?"

"I'd gladly appreciate it just in case" Marinette waved at him as Chat climbed up the ladder to the trap door "but no singing."

"I could start right now, one more day before the storm~"

"See you in the morning Enjolras" Marinette rolled her eyes and swirled back on her chair to work on the hat.

Chat waved and closed the trapdoor to make his way back home. He didn't indulge in why the weather suddenly felt warmer than when he had left.

The next day arrived and he was nervous for the contest, even if he wasn't participating at all. When he reached the courtyard he saw some of his classmates that had decided to join and work on quite interesting designs. He even saw a steampunk one and he was tempted to try it on.

Adrien waited next to the principal while Nathalie arrived to introduce herself, holding the tablet that had the camera showing his father from his office. Part of Adrien was disappointed he wasn't here in person but it was better than nothing. He looked at the end where Alya was trying to call Marinette to not avail but he knew she was on her way.

Him blasting 'Do you hear the people sing' as an alarm was proof enough of that.

In fact, just as they were observing the steampunk hat that Adrien saw her dashing past them towards her stand, holding her precious hat with care. He still let out a sigh of relief.

Too bad it was short lived as he saw Chloe's entry for the contest. An exact replica of the hat Marinette had designed. He looked at Chloe and shook his head. There was no way he was going to let her get away with it, especially when his father noticed the fact they were the same.

"I apologize for the situation Mr. Agreste but I can prove that this derby hat is my original design," Marinette said with a tone of voice that reminded Adrien so much of Ladybug he thought he didn't have to say anything after all.

He smiled in delight as Marinette showed off her work, without stuttering or tumbling in her words, even showing the stitching that he had seen her working on during the night, that revealed nothing else than her name when turned upside down.

Adrien was proud of her.

"Very exquisite creation, you definitely have the laboring hands of a hat maker miss…"

"Marinette" Adrien provided, standing next to her with a smile as he watched her eyes go wide at being announced the winner of the contest.

"What about we celebrate with a crepe" Adrien said once Nathalie and his father left, him and Marinette the only ones left in the courtyard.

"That sounds great, but" she looked at the hat Chloe had brought and picked it up "can't believe she would try to steal my work."

"It wasn't correct," Adrien sighed "but we can also say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery… it's going to take a lot with her, isn't it?"

"Adrien" Marinette looked at him "it's not your job to fix Chloe."

"I know," he frowned "but I guess I can't give up on her yet."

To his surprise Marinette only placed the hat on his head, having removed the feather from it to avoid him sneezing.

"I'll hold your bargain on that crepe after class" she offered a smile "now come on derby boy, you don't want to be late."

Adrien tipped the hat and walked with her to the classroom.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #fan fic #fanfiction

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authorsofparadiseroleplay · 4 years

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James/Melody: Of Journeys and Destinations

Thread transfer for @summerxmelodies

James

Meme response: send 💕 to just grab my muse & kiss them!

James would be lying if he said he hadn’t wanted this. Stars above, he had wanted it. Wanted her.

That was why he had taken such great care to keep a certain emotional distance. He already cared too much. He couldn’t go through this again. It had nearly destroyed him before. No, it would have destroyed him if not for that damnable curse. He gave his heart too easily, too fully, and if he permitted himself that luxury, he would be lost.

He caught Melody by the shoulders and stared down at her, his heart hammering in his chest. Every cell of his body, of the Dragon within him, urged him to reciprocate, to lock her to his body with his arms, lower his head, and crush his lips to hers. To stake his claim on her. To make her his.

But he couldn’t. He couldn’t.

“Melody…” he murmured, but couldn’t say the words. He growled a curse in old Akkadian and closed his eyes.

The Dragon raged inside him, and he forced it back down. Firmly, he pushed Melody back a couple of steps, then slowly released her shoulders. “We don’t have time for this.”

___________________________________

Melody

A foolish part of her had hoped James felt the same way she did. She’d nearly convinced herself that he did; reading into small actions. However, she’d been wrong and while he did nothing so cruel as to strike her or shove her away in disgust, she wished he would have. It would have hurt less, she thought.

Shame colored her cheeks a deep red and her chest tightened painfully, smoke curling up from her nostrils as she took another step back from him.

She’d never kissed anyone before, despite having wanted to countless times. She shouldn’t have been surprised that when she finally got up the courage to do so, that the other person would want no part of it.

“Right… sorry,” she muttered, voice weak as she’d nearly choked on the words. She shuffled back yet another step, gaze cast to the ground as she rapidly blinked several times, doing her best to keep her tears at bay.

Should have known better.

Clearing her throat, she forced her attention back to him, expression neutral as she shut him out. “So… where are we going next?” she asked, steering them back to the matter at hand and firmly ignoring the mistake she’d just made.

___________________________________

James

“Melody…” Mother Night, he was already too damnably connected to her. He could feel her tears starting to well up, her valiant attempts to keep them at bay, the knife-edge of heartache that twisted inside her, and his Dragon snarled from somewhere within him, furious at the one who had caused her pain.

Of course, an obnoxiously rational part of his mind reasoned, his Dragon was him, and he was his Dragon, so in reality he was just angry at himself.

It was possible he had a few issues. He was working on them. Not very well, maybe, but working on them.

When she turned back to him, her face a deceptively placid mask, and asked him where they were going, he slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans and gave a small shrug of his shoulders, meeting her stoicism with his own. “We’re going on the road. Towards California. I have a place that will be safe for you. It’s hidden, protected there, in the Sierras. You’ll be safe.”

Placing one hand on her lower back, he began lightly steering her towards the old, rusty Chevy Coupe. He had bought the car for this purpose, certainly not his usual flashy sports car, but something old, unassuming, and reliable. It wasn’t aesthetically pleasing in any way, but it would serve its purpose, hopefully attracting as little attention as possible as they traveled. They would take cheap hotel rooms where the proprietors asked no questions, took no license plates, and accepted cash payments.

“One more thing,” he said, stopping by the back of the car and unlocking the trunk. He removed a plastic shopping bag that contained a cheap wig, chestnut-colored and shoulder length, and handed it to her. “Your hair– you should cover it.” He heard the gravely roughness in his voice and cleared his throat, making effort to speak more gently. “It’s too memorable. We want to be as forgettable as possible.”

___________________________________

Melody

She tensed at his touch and shied away from it as discreetly as possible, hands sliding into the pockets of her jacket. “How long do you plan on babysitting me?” she asked mildly, wondering if their current situation was going to be permanent or not. She couldn’t imagine that she was the only dragon hybrid in the world that needed his help and she certainly didn’t want to be stuck with him forever; she wasn’t interested in torturing herself further.

Taking the bag with a little hesitation she looked inside with a frown. “Right,” she muttered, taking the wig out with a sigh. Without a word she got into the vehicle and started the process of putting the wig on. She actually had some experience with wigs and managed to make it look believable with little effort.

Once the wig was in place, she turned her attention to the world passing by them, not bothering with trying to create any small talk. She didn’t see the point.

___________________________________

James

James drove, the silence stretching to uncomfortable lengths between them, despite the music playing on the radio. They had left Baltimore behind, its monoliths of glass and concrete slowly replaced by autumn-kissed trees, endless stretches of fencing, quaint country houses, and grazing livestock. His jaw tightened as he remembered how Melody had shied away from his touch, a reaction that was no more than he should have expected, or that he had deserved. In truth, the touch had been purely instinctive, a reflex that had surfaced with only a cursory conscious awareness. His hand had dropped to his side, then slipped into his pocket for his keys.

“Only as long as necessary,” he had replied. “I can help you get off the grid and start over, but you should learn how to protect yourself, how to stay hidden. You attract too much attention, and I don’t just mean with your appearance. Our kind have a distinct sort of aura that rings out like a clarion bell for anyone with a lick of sensitivity to energy. There are ways to conceal that, dampening tools that can be made and worn as jewelry, that sort of thing.”

The early dusk had long ago darkened to night when they drifted past a sign proclaiming food and rest areas at the next exit, and James leaned forward to turn down the volume on the radio. They had been driving for about six and a half hours, with only a quick convenience store stop along the way, and had entered Ohio a short while ago. “Are you hungry? We could stop for dinner here.”

___________________________________

Melody

She never looked at him, even when he spoke. She kept her attention trained to the world beyond the car, lost in her own mind. At one point she began to doze of, emotionally exhausted, but the low rumble of his voice dragged her back to the waking world.

“I wasn’t exactly advertising what I was,” she mumbled, eyes cutting over to him briefly in a defiant glare. However, as much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She needed his help. Absently her fingers lifted to toy with the wig, gaze shifting to the foreign color strands as she wrapped a bit around her fingers. She’d given up wearing wigs for a while, but it seemed she’d have to make it a permanent part of her life now. That thought didn’t sit well with her; she just wanted to live her life.

Was this order he was so scared of really so bad? What were they even planning on doing with her? She thought to ask, but decided against it. She was too tired to fight with him.

“Guess there isn’t an instruction manual I can just buy?” She was only half kidding; after what had just happened between them earlier in the day she was ready to move on with her life and put as much distance between them as possible.

Head resting against her window she was ready to tell him to stop if he wanted, that she wasn’t hungry, but her stomach chose that exact moment to loudly make its presence known. “Uh… apparently,” she huffed, briefly glancing at him before shifting in her seat.

She was ready for this little trip to be over already.

___________________________________

James

James snorted. Gods knew he could have used an instruction manual in his youth. His mother had been killed when he was very young, and his father hadn’t exactly been a stellar parent, even though in the end he had laid down his life for his son. He had spent years traveling, searching, learning everything he could from mage and monk alike, before he had found the cloisters and the hybrid that would become his teacher.

“Haven’t gotten around to writing it yet,” he told her, a dry note of humor in his voice that would probably fall flat to her, given her mood. A mood he was responsible for, thanks to his insensitivity. “You know how it is. Never a free moment. It’s been on my to-do list for about five hundred years.”

It was the first time he had dropped a hint about his age, and he wondered how she would react. Maybe she would think he was just joking. Maybe she would realize the gravity of her situation. As a Dragon hybrid, Melody would not share the functional immortality that had been “benevolently” bestowed upon James by one of the doñas de fuera so long ago, but she would live an exceedingly long time in comparison to the humans she likely knew. Hundreds of years. He well knew the toll that could take on a heart.

He pulled the car across three lanes of sparse traffic and took the exit, then navigated a handful of cross streets, slowing down so he could enter the restaurant’s parking lot. The sign in front of the diner read “Jimbo’s Eats and Treats” and featured a faded illustration of a rotund man in a white apron and chef’s hat bearing a platter of food in each hand. He had taken this route many times before, and was familiar with the rest stops along the way. Jimbo’s wasn’t fine cuisine, but it wasn’t terrible either, and the old man kept it clean and stocked with fresh ingredients.

Cutting the ignition, he glanced over at Melody to make certain her wig was in place. Her fine, delicate features were still unmistakable to anyone who knew what they were looking for, but it was late and the diner was quiet and off the main highway, so hopefully they could safely take time to safely enjoy a meal here before finding a motel for the night. There was a privately owned establishment a few blocks over that didn’t ask too many questions. Its mattresses were like concrete slabs, the vending machines ate coins and only occasionally surrendered cans of soda in exchange, and the heating always seemed to be in disrepair, but they would make do.

“They have good fried chicken here,” he told her as they walked towards the low-slung, glass-fronted building. “And a fantastic cheesecake, if you like it.”

___________________________________

Melody

The little tease about his age drew her attention and she frowned, stormy eyes studying him. How long could they live? She had no clue, but that seemed the norm for her. She knew nothing about her heritage; only that her father had raped her mother and she hadn’t survived Melody’s birth. She was alone in the world and had never tried finding others like herself; she preferred pretending she was normal.

That’s a lie.

She studied him for a moment longer, but said nothing on the subject of his age. It was frightening to think how long she’d live. How long she’d have to spend hiding, running, and alone. It wasn’t a cheery thought.

She slipped from the car without a word, her mind in a dark place. She was often there, trapped in the darkness of her mind. She nodded absently, still not sure she had an appetite, no matter how loudly her stomach claimed otherwise. She hesitated a moment when they stepped inside before selecting a booth with a view of the entrance and the kitchen’s door. Part of her didn’t care if this Order got their hands on her, but she wasn’t in the mood to hear James complain about her lack of self preservation.

She picked up the menu without really seeing it, eyes distant as she looked straight through it. “Why do you care what happens to me?” she asked suddenly, meeting his gaze. “What’s in it for you?”

#summerxmelodies #The Dragon Inside (James)#Of Journeys and Destinations #It's my turn on this thread too so posting and drafting!

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queermediastudies · 5 years

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Defending Gay Rights: A Hard and Lasting Fight

Milk is a biographical film, telling the story of gay politician Harvey Milk, released in 2008. This film received eight nominations for the 81st Academy Awards, and Sean Penn (act as Harvey Milk) won the Best Actor.

This film tells the story of the 1970s, Harvey Milk met Scott Smith on the subway and they fell in love at first sight. They decided to move to San Francisco and started a photography equipment store together. Gradually, their store became a gathering place for gay couples. With more and more gay people came, Milk and Scott found that people in the U.S. are still conservative and discriminatory toward homosexuality, and the government and police were really rude to gay people, so Milk decided to run for city supervisor to change the unequal situation. Because he spent all his time on politics, Scott finally left him. Milk was defeated many times, but with the help of a lesbian assistant, he was elected as a city supervisor and became the first openly gay politician in the U.S. history. Milk used media and public speeches to express his political views and got the support of the mayor. Since Milk took office, he constantly fought for gay rights and promoted the act of legalize homosexuality. Soon after, Milk was murdered by conservative member Dan White. His death awakened local gay people and made them start to fight for their own rights.

In the 1970s, the U.S. was in a turbulent time, under cultural, commercial and political reforms. Many traditional ideas were questioned, and people started to rethink about homosexuality. The lesbian and gay movement that seemed to appear “spontaneously” across the country shortly after the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City (Gross, 2001. p.21). Several years later, in 1977, San Francisco politics was taken by storm when gay rights activist Harvey Milk was elected to the Board of Supervisors. Milk was the pioneer of gay politics, he woke up the street, the city, even the nation, and gave gay people powerful voices. His election was a triumph over anti-gay stereotypes and inspired a new generation of civic activists across the U.S. However, the process was extremely tough and he even lost his life. Until nowadays, there are still lots of prejudices and abuses on gay people, and only 28 countries in the world recognize same-sex marriage. The fight for gay rights has never stopped. The issues Milk fought for forty years ago are still being fought over today, it’s a hard and lasting struggle.

There were countless people who devote their lives to gay rights movements, and also sacrificed for it. They held beliefs, fought against political machines and tried hard to change society. Milk was never discouraged after campaign setbacks. He didn’t only focus on win and rights, instead practicing his belief "equality before the Constitution". He believed that homosexuals should not just rely on liberals, but should bravely "step out of the closet" and insist bottom-up struggle. They have to support each other, strengthen their momentum and fight against all discrimination and inequality. When several States passed the proposition that dismiss homosexual teachers in schools, Milk blocked this proposition in California through his own efforts. He spoke to the public, “All men are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights”. The film ends in tragedy, but the scene that countless people walking on the street, lighting the candle to memorize Milk really moved me. The bullet shouted on him also destroyed every closet door. It was not an end. “The movement would continue, because it’s not about personal gain, not about ego or power, it’s about the ‘us’ s’ out there.” Milk's death symbolized the irrational retaliation of the conservatives for the change of ideas and society. The director combined Milk's murder and Jack’s suicide, setting off the tragic atmosphere of the ending, while metaphorizing the inevitable outcome of resistance to power or mainstream society.

Harvey Milk’s Speech

youtube

In the film, the director Gus Van Sant used a lot of real interview materials and news clips of the 1970s, and the color of the whole movie was blue and gray, many scenes were made with retro effects. Harvey Milk uses his life to fight for Proposition 6, which was about equal employment of gay people. Milk was released in 2008, and in the same year, California passed Proposition 8, which prohibits gay marriage. Over 30 years, society seems to have improved a lot, but gay right is still an unsolved problem. There is no compromise between religion and politics, and homosexuality is the biggest victim between them. It's a tragedy that the most basic civil rights of gay people still need to strive for. Although Proposition 8 was quickly overturned shortly after its entry into force, this incident still hurt many gay people. The U.S. always claims to be free and equal, but sometimes, it’s just a name, because they’re only for those who have enjoyed the “freedom and equality”.

Castro Street in San Francisco is the most famous gay community, all people can live openly and enjoy their life. When I was in New York, I saw lots of stores hang on rainbow flag, gay couples can hug and kiss on street. After almost fifty years fight, the U.S. indeed make lots of changes, and become more inclusive about queer people. Of course, such open-mindedness does not apply to the whole country. For many gays and lesbians, coming out of the closet still risks familial banishment, the loss of friendships, or even violence. In many places it’s still dangerous to be gay. Homosexuals continue to face higher rates of depression than heterosexuals, and gay teenagers attempt suicide more frequently than their straight peers (Kirchick, 2019).

The situation is much worse in worldwide. For non-western countries, “queer” lacks social recognition and understanding, and for religious countries, same-sex love is still considered as taboo, and some even have death penalty about homosexuals. In Kenyan, homosexuals mean abnormal, confused, and depressed, and same-sex desire is tied to perversion, inverted natural desire, and unnatural compulsion. From a religious perspective, resistance to identity is further complicated by the sedimented narrative that homosexuality is seen as a mental disorder in need of treatment (Goltz et al, 2016. P.112). In China, only 3% of gay and bisexual men and 5% of lesbians and bisexual women identified themselves as ‘completely out’. I have several Chinese friends who are gay. I know how hard for them to struggle against the mainstream culture and family pressures.

Go back to the U.S, despite the rapid progress of the gay rights movement, members of the LGBTQ community continue to be targets of violence and hate crimes. The Trump administration has rolled back a number of transgender protections at the federal level and emboldened a conservative base pushing for religious liberty. Haider Markel said, “Even for the gay and lesbian community, rapid progress in a short period of time doesn’t mean victory, and attitudes about same-sex marriage have remained mostly frozen since 2017” (Schmidt, 2019).

Lots of people devoted their lives to fight for gay rights over the past fifty years. Challenging traditions and mainstream culture are really hard and I appreciate that things are go toward to better direction, but there’s still discriminations and prejudices about queer exits in different fields. Many great activists like Milk have made a good start, we cannot just stop here. In addition, I feel that the film Milk is not just about gay civil rights movement. Milk’s experience has brought inspiration to all minority and disadvantaged groups. It’s not an end, but a start. Milk passed down his hope, brave and idealism, more and more people will join in this hard and lasting fight.

References:

Goltz, Dustin Bradley et al. (2016). “Discursive Negotiations of Kenyan LGBTI Identities: Cautions in Cultural Humility.” Journal of International and Intercultural Communication 9, 104-121.

Gross, Larry (2001). “Ch 2: Coming Out and Coming Together.” Up from Invisibility: Lesbians, Gay Men, and the Media in America, 21-39.

Kirchick, James. (2019). “The Struggle for Gay Rights Is Over.” The Atlantic. Retrieved October 31, 2019, from https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/06/battle-gay-rights-over/592645/

Schmidt, Samantha (2019). “Americans’ views flipped on gay rights. How did minds change so quickly?” The Washington Post. Retrieved October 31, 2019, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/americans-views-flipped-on-gay-rights-how-did-minds-change-so-quickly/2019/06/07/ae256016-8720-11e9-98c1-e945ae5db8fb_story.html

#queer studies #queer movies #queer media #harvey milk #gay rights #gay movement #Castro #gay politicans

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raphaelaan · 5 years

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Gintama Chapter 703 Translation

Spoiler warning

Right Eye

Utsuro: Two years ago, I told all of you who rejected me such: as long as you are alive, tragedy will keep repeating itself. This is the answer of the path which you chose. Whether it be your teacher or your friend, none of them are here no longer.

Utsuro: The only thing here, is Emptiness (Utsuro)

Utsuro: I must thank you for working together with Takasugi who took in my blood and helped him to get this far. Without ever knowing that I exist in his blood.

Utsuro: And not only inside of him. Inside all who took in my blood, I waited for the sprouting ivy to entangle and become one. For it to retake me. And to do that Shouyou’s blood was needed.

Utsuro: Once again, the time has come for the flower of the end to bloom upon the world. Soon, the world will be swallowed by the dragon and come to an end. The only one who can stop that, Shouyou, no longer existed. But the you right now would be able to accept that fate, can you? You, the man who once killed your master to save your friend, and the man who forced his friend to kill his master, both of you knows each other’s pain very deeply.

Utsuro: This tragedy forced even your struggle to repeat itself. In the end, none of you can change anything, none of you can do anything. I can hear Takasugi’s voice vividly. I can hear his wish, to end everything.

Utsuro: And you feel the same, don’t you?

Gintoki: Aa. I feel just the same. With this, let’s put it to an end.

Gintoki: Utsuro, even without your grand lesson, we already knew since long ago about our own powerlessness. That’s why I swore; to retake what we lost that day even if that means combining the powerless swords that has clashed countless time before. And I will not go back on that vow.

Utsuro: You still draw your sword? In this world that would soon be destroyed, long has the meaning to fight disappeared. Even that vow has since been broken by none other than your friend’s hands. Or at this last moment, do you wish to end by ending the enemy of your master? Cutting your friend after you cut your master.

Gintoki: Sadly, we’re not that kind of friends. But there’s one thing only he knew much better than anyone else. That no matter how much tragedy he must face, he wouldn’t say something as weak-willed as wanting to end everything. At that time, this is what he will say–

Takasugi: Utsuro, i will simply destroy this rotten world where you can still do as you wish.

Utsuro: This is….

Utsuro: Why do I– at this time–

Utsuro: This is… This is..!

Oboro: Utsuro, you are not the only one that exist in his blood.

Utsuro: Sho-Shouyou…. where is his corpse…

Gintoki: Utsuro, what have you been seeing. There’s no such thing here from the very beginning. The one who’s been lying there was none other than you, Utsuro.

Utsuro: At that time… he defied me and stabbed himself…! The corpse I’ve been seeing was none other than my own…?

Takasugi: Sensei… forgive me. Please go on ahead. It seems like your no-good student still has homework to do. The sensei I must accompany seems to be this sensei (Utsuro). But you don’t have to worry, we are not the only disciples of Yoshida Shouyou. The people who carry the torch of our feelings are right here. We must entrust the future to them.

Utsuro: ku..! To think he suppressed me and at the same time allowed Shouyou to–!

Utsuro: But he is now a mortal, with that wound he wouldn’t last very long. No, before that could happen I would destroy him along with his disciples.

Gintoki: You are no longer going anywhere. No matter how much you bathe in Shouyou’s imperfect blood, re-growing that arm would have taken all of you. You are no longer an immortal monster. Your fate was sealed the moment you entered his body, as both Takasugi and I will not let go escape.

Gintoki: As you wished, I will put an end to both you and this ridiculous tragedy.

Utsuro: ……..

Utsuro: Are you capable of cutting me down? You wish to protect him, don’t you? You wish to save him, don’t you? I was there with you along the way so I know.

Utsuro: You cut your master for your friend, and cut your friend for your master. Then what is left in you? Emptiness. What exist there would be no other than an empty void. Do you have the resolve to keep on living inside that void?

Gintoki: Utsuro. I will not be empty. Because what I want to protect exist in my soul.

Utsuro: I… see…

Utsuro: human…. are empty… but precisely because they know that…. they shape a person… and lives inside them…. without ever breaking despite bearing grief…. and always exist… inside the soul…

Shouyou: ….why would you extend you hand to me…?

Shouyou: This existence that gave birth to Utsuro and became the origin of all calamity…?

Shinpachi: If there’s a person in need then we extend a hand and ask for payment. We have been taught that by Sakata Gintoki. That’s how your disciple has been living, that is how we Yorozuya are.

Shinpachi: Moreover… Utsuro was not the only thing you gave birth to. I always wanted to talk to the master who gave birth to Sakata Gintoki.

Shouyou: No, the opposite of that is true. If I never met them, I would have stayed a void. They are the ones who made me Yoshida Shouyou.

Shouyou: However, my existence became nothing but shackles to them. If they never met me, they would not have been forced into this cruel fate. In the end… I was unable to either protect or save them, I was always the one being saved. I no longer have the right to call myself their teacher…

Shinpachi: Even so. Even if that’s true, we can meet Sakata Gintoki because you existed. Because you met Gin-san, it paved the way for many connections to emerge. That’s why, even if this is how the world will end, I want you to let me convey my gratitude.

Shinpachi: I’ve always wanted to say to you… Thank you.

Takasugi: 266 wins, 267 loses. Ah, it seems like I’ve lost my edge. To think in my final fight, I allowed someone else to snatch the victory from me.

Takasugi: *cough cough*

Gintoki: Takasugi!

Takasugi: The likes of Utsuro won’t be able to defeat you. As I thought, the only one who can kill you is me.

Gintoki: Takasugi, it was your sword that cut Utsuro.

Gintoki: The one protected sensei. The one who protected me, that was all you. Seems like this time, you stole a win from me.

Takasugi: hee… There’s nothing more wretched than a victory freely given out of pity. But I guess I’ll have to borrow it and hold it to the other side, huh? Because I can’t allow you to cut sensei again.

Takasugi: Compared to sensei I’m much easier to cut, aren’t I?

Gintoki: …

Gintoki: Yeah.

Takasugi: Because there’s no other face so hated, you can hit it easily.

Gintoki: It’s always been like that since we’re kids, we always fought whenever we see each other. We believed that it would become better once we grew up and become adult. But it seems like we’re brats to the bones. I mean, look at you, you didn’t get taller at all.

Takasugi: yes, I did.

Gintoki: Maybe that’s just how the planets aligned when we were born. That’s not so bad, though. But Takasugi, I…. I….

Gintoki: I don’t want to just cross sword with you. If possible i want to take half of that to share sake.

Takasugi: hee… that’s so unlike you. If I have so much free time, I’d rather steal one more win. But I’ll stop here, so you just hurry up and go. You are not empty because you have a future your sword must protect.

Takasugi: *cough cough*

Gintoki: Takasugi!

Takasugi: ….Gintoki. This crushed left eye of mine… had the last thing it saw was the scenery of that day. It was branded in and then closed forever. I had to live while staring at your stupid face in my left eye until I’m sick of it. So don’t you show such an idiotic face until my right eye close.

Takasugi: The man… who stood before me that day. the man who I always wanted to defeat. The man…. whose back I always chased….is not that kind of man.

Gintoki: Wash your neck down in hell and wait for me, Takasugi. I’m not going to let you go off with that victory, you hear me? Next time I will definitely take it back.

Takasugi: Bring it… on….

#gintama #gintama spoiler #704 #sakata gintoki #takasugi shinsuke #yoshida shouyou #utsuro #translation #shimura shinpachi #kagura

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balancingdiet · 5 years

Text

Every Friday

Pairing: Kaito & Aoko Word Count: 2000+ Alternate Reading Site

Summary: It was like a custom, that every Friday Aoko would invite Kaito over for dinner.

"Are you free this Friday?"

Kaito looked up from his phone, his lips pursed just enough to hide his surprise. He hadn't realized Aoko was standing in front of his desk, hands by her hips as she stared down at him with a questioning look. Aoko's stealth had been slowly improving ever since she became a regular at his heists, but it could also be the news on his phone's fault, allowing himself to be so distracted and dropped his guard.

Nonchalantly, he exited his news app to check the calendar. "What's happening on Friday?"

"Nothing. I just want to ask if you want to have dinner."

"Isn't it too early? It's only Monday today." A grin slowly spread across his face. "Do you actually need four days of practice just to perfect a dinner?"

Aoko huffed and crossed her arms. "Just answer the question."

Kaito looked down at his calendar. It was blank, of course, but he'd already remembered all the dates for his upcoming heists. The next one is going to happen on Saturday, which was the night after her invite… But it was fine anyway, he already had everything planned, and there was no harm to spare a little time for a dinner date—

A dinner. Just dinner.

"Yeah, I'm free."

Aoko smiled and clapped her hands. "That's settled. I'll see you this Friday!"

Kaito was about to retort how he'd be seeing her every damn day actually, but she already left his table and went back to her conversation with her friends at the other side of the classroom.

Shaking his head, he continued reading the news on his phone

xxx xxx

It was Omurice with curry, and as much as Kaito was reluctant to admit, it had been one of the best dishes he ever eaten in his life.

He wondered if Aoko really used those four days to practice and perfect this.

"So how is it?" Aoko grinned over the dinner table.

Kaito grunted in response and pretended his mouth was too full to speak. But actions were always louder than words, and Aoko came up with her own interpretation of his response before she began on her meal.

xxx xxx

"Kaito!"

Kaito blinked and looked over his shoulder. He would recognize the voice even if he turned to ash, but he didn't expect to hear it while he was going back home after school today.

"Don't you have your math club meeting?" Kaito questioned after Aoko caught up to him.

"Yeah, but it was just a short one." Aoko said before they started walking together. "But even so, shouldn't you already be back home at this timing? You're walking quite slowly today."

Kaito could easily answer with something sarcastic or argument-provoking, but when he glanced to his side, Aoko was looking at him with eyes filled with genuine curiosity, and nothing in her previous statement was hinted with tease too.

In the end, he decided otherwise, allowing his original retort died in his throats and shrugged.

"It's a Friday today. There's no hurry to go home."

Aoko simply nodded to his answer and said no more, thankfully.

It was true, there was no hurry to go home; all his homework that were given over the weekends were already finished before the teachers left the class, and there wasn't a need to plan any heist for now when he just finished one yesterday (sadly it wasn't Pandora).

But that, was the reason why he was slow.

He had sprained his ankle when he missed a step on the stairs while escaping from the guards.

Although he had managed to put up a good enough act to pretend his feet were fine for the entire day today, this was where the limit ends.

He just hoped Aoko wouldn't notice.

"Are you free today?"

Kaito blinked out of his little trance and raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Do you want to have dinner over at my place?"

Oh. At least it wasn't to go out to watch a movie or whatever. Dinner would still be fine for his ankle.

Kaito leaned towards Aoko with a grin. "It's tonight though, no need for practice?"

Aoko jabbed a fist into his shoulder. "Just a yes or no would suffice."

"Yes, yes." Kaito scoffed and rubbed his arm.

"One yes is enough."

Kaito rolled his eyes. "Yes, master."

xxx xxx

Instead of going home, Kaito went straight to Aoko's house. They did a bit of homework (Kaito had to pretend to be doing it since he already finished.) and talked a whole lot more during those few hours before Aoko had to start preparing for dinner.

Kaito volunteered to help at first, but she refused and shove him out of the kitchen even before he could attempt a second try. He was then abandoned in the living room with the TV for company, and the first channel that came up when Kaito switched it on was the evening news.

"The Blue Sapphire that was stolen last night by Kaitou Kid has been returned. Appraisals will be conducted to ensure the jewel is genuine before the millionaire returns to America and—"

Kaito switched to another channel.

The sound of chopping from the kitchen continued.

Dinner was served an hour later.

It was spaghetti with white sauce.

And again, Kaito loved it.

"How is it?" Aoko asked after she set the plates on the table (Kaito helped with the utensils).

This time, he nodded back in reply as he slurped onto the creamy spaghetti.

A small smile spread across Aoko's cheeks, and she began digging into her dinner as well.

xxx xxx

Kaitou Kid raised his gloved hands in the air and shone the emerald under the moonlight.

He counted to ten (Ten was too much, but he just needed an extra bit of hope).

When the count finished, he sighed and put down his hand.

Not Pandora, of course.

Almost nothing could have been.

It was just a myth.

But if he didn't believe in it, chase after it, and continued whatever he had been doing, why did he put on the monocle in the first place?

What were all those sacrifices for?

"Kaitou Kid."

Kaitou Kid—Kaito—froze, but luckily his slightly oversized costume (it was tailored after his father's size) and flapping cape did wonders to hide that flinch. He slowly turned, suave and all, and stared at the girl he knew all his life across the roof.

Her stealth really had been improving.

"Hello, Nakamori-san. Fancy seeing you here." Kaito kept the jewel in his pocket. He'd decide on the methods of returning it later.

She glowered. "Fancy."

"It's a Friday night. Don't you have plans somewhere else?"

"He couldn't make it." She said simply, though her scowl was still plastered on her face.

Kaito blinked. He? Who was that he? It definitely wasn't him since she didn't ask him out today, much less having the chance to reject her invitation.

His gut gave an annoying twist, and he lowered his hat to hide that slight grimace that almost slipped to his features. "What a pity, Nakamori-san. I bet he's missing out."

She didn't answer.

He stepped onto the roof's ledge. "I hope your date will work out in the future." Of course he didn't wish that date to work out in the future, no way in hell, but he said it, just because it was necessary to end this conversation.

"As long as you don't hold it on a Friday." Aoko spat.

It was a little too late to question what she meant as he had already free-fall off the roof, allowing the wind to take control before his wings took flight into the night.

But it didn't matter; Kaitou Kid had no rights to ask her anyway.

xxx xxx

Kaito went back home, clearly exhausted. He dumped the tools that required fixing in his basement, took a quick bath and slumped onto his bed, all ready to hit the sack. But as a habit, he would check his phone for some Kid's update and reply some texts he couldn't see when he was busy thieving.

There was a text from Aoko. Just ten minutes ago.

He sat up on the bed and opened the message.

'Are you free next Friday for dinner?'

Kaito frowned at his phone screen, the short conversation he had with Aoko as Kid came back to him and hitting his stomach with that awful twist again.

//"It's a Friday night. Don't you have plans somewhere else?"

"He couldn't make it."//

Kaito crafted a reply, his thumbs hovering over the screen. But he stopped and sighed. What could he ask or even say about her failed date when the person that knew about it was Kaitou Kid? This was truly one of the worst dilemmas he ever faced, perhaps a close second after wanting to tell Aoko the truth about everything.

He slumped back onto his bed and decided what he should reply instead.

'Yeah, I'm free.'

This was the only thing he could say.

xxx xxx

When Kaito entered Aoko's house (they both had each other's house keys), the strong aroma struck Kaito so hard he swooned, literally. He stumbled a few steps and entered the kitchen.

"What on earth are you making?" He gasped.

Aoko turned around in her apron and tied-up hair. "You're early!"

"Well, for once I'm glad I am." Kaito sniffed the air.

She chuckled. "Stop being a moron."

"Can I help with anything?"

"You can set the table."

"Ok."

It was Tempura for dinner on that Friday night, and there were of all kinds that Kaito could ever imagine, from prawn to mushroom to pumpkins…

But no fish, thankfully. At least Aoko remembered not to cook that.

In actual fact, she never once used any fish for all these past countless dinners.

"How is it?" Aoko asked as she watched Kaito munched over the crispy, battered mushroom.

His mouth was full, but he swallowed them all and nodded. "It's delicious." He said.

It really was.

Aoko smiled and picked up her chopsticks.

She left most of the mushroom for Kaito to finish.

xxx xxx

It wasn't Pandora, again.

Kaitou Kid then retired for the night

Kaito ditched most of his costume behind Jii's bar, leaving in just his blue shirt and white pants as he staggered home like every other heist. In this aspect, change was never constant. Exhaustion was constant, same with disappointment and bitterness.

The wish to destroy Pandora just all seemed so bleak.

He tried to push behind all those thoughts as he continued his way home. The streets became familiar again, and he passed by some blocks of houses he recognized, especially the one at the end.

Aoko's.

It was dark and empty. Of course, Inspector Nakamori must still be hard at work somewhere, and Aoko… she didn't come to the heist today.

Tonight was a Friday night after all. She must have had her plans.

He thought back about the night she told him of her failed date that happened months ago. Strangely (not really), the twisted-gut feeling bit him back as though it happened only yesterday.

He glowered and shut his eyes, stomping past Aoko's house with quick steps.

Kaito reached his home a couple of minutes later.

He slotted the keys and went in.

Beside his secret basement, there were many mechanisms in his house, like the ability to draw the curtains with a few claps and switching on the TV just by telling it to do so. But this, the ability to switch on the lights when he opened the door, wasn't part of the mechanism installed.

So when the house lit up after Kaito closed the door, his hand went straight for the secret pocket that kept his card gun.

What barely stopped him from whipping it out and firing the shots were the bright blue eyes that stared at him a few steps away.

Kaito breathed.

"What are you…"

And it was the last breath he took.

Aoko left the light switch and slowly ambled towards the entrance. From the distance he could tell her eyes were moist, but with a few blinks, those tears were gone.

"We're supposed to have dinner every Friday." She huffed, with a slight tease in her voice that Kaito couldn't understand. "And you just have to hold the heist today. Didn't I already tell you about it?"

//"As long as you don't hold it on a Friday."//

Kaito gaped. "You…"

"I know, Kaito. I know." Aoko said, her eyes suddenly droopy and… and shaped into something Kaito disliked.

"But— How…"

"The how doesn't matter. I've decided to do what I can do, even if it was the bare minimum." Her gaze dropped to his body, and she looked all much sadder despite the small smile etched on her lips. "You always look so skinny in your suit, like you've never eaten enough. You look slightly better without it. "

His heart sank with a mix reaction of relief and confusion, but it was more than enough to allow him to breathe again. "Aoko—"

"But as for the why…" She looked back up at him. "You have to tell me everything."

Kaito couldn't nod any harder in his life. "Okay." He managed a croak.

"I cooked Ramen today." Aoko tugged onto his hand and led him into his house. "Are you free to eat it?"

"Yeah, of course."

Her fingers curled into his palm as she glanced at him over her shoulder. "Good, because I put in a lot of effort on the broth."

"I can't wait." to tell you everything too.

She nodded, already understanding his implications, before her face split into a perfect grin. And it was one that was enough to answer about anything in the world.

The world that only existed for him and her.

#kaiao #detective conan #kuroba kaito #nakamori aoko #balancingdietwrites #dcmk

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shoujax · 5 years

Text

You can survive, you can endure

The following is not a happy tale.It is not written with the intent to garner pity, sympathy or retaliation for the parties involved. This is a story about child abuse both the psychological and physical variety. This is not a story of revenge, malice or spite. I do not forgive the parties involved, but I bear no ill will. There is love to be sure, as you always love your family, regardless of how mad or crazy they may drive you. I forgive many things in my life. But I will never forgive the overlook, ignorance and at times allowance of my abuse and in later years the callous disregard when I finally began to voice what happened.

This is a story of healing; acceptance, coping and even enduring . I am a survivor of physical and psychological abuse, and to some that statement may seem or come off strong. But that is the phrase I will use: Despite everything, I survived, endured and am healing. There is zero doubt in my mind when my family learns of this they will refute or attempt to explain this in their own way. This is not about them. For the first genuine time in my life, this is about my healing. Not them. They had their chances countless years, and failed me. My siblings, if they remember, probably never will admit these things happened.

So, here I am. 33 years old finally telling a story that should not have needed to be told. There were so many things that could have been done to stop this story from ever needing to be told. But as I said, in order to fully heal I tell this story as it is: true and direct. I must stress under no circumstances must my mother be considered the villain. She DID raise 3 children through 2 very difficult marriages and endured abuse that is never my place to speak of. But she did enable horrible abuse from the age of 8 to 16: the psychological horrors of my father notwithstanding. That I do not forgive because he never has felt remorse or allowed me to talk about it in depth.The reading subject from here on will be graphic. The end of this tale will I hope shed some light and show my true goal for telling this tale.

The earliest memory I have is Kieth, my biological father and my mother again getting into a screaming and physical fight. My mother had a trailer on my grandparents property because that monster was an abusive, horrible person and my grandfather was truly the one person who scared him more than anything.I would have been about 3-4 at the time. I was smart enough to know something very bad was happening and didn't hesitate, i ran crying to my grandparents house on top of the hill, scared to death I wouldn’t make it in time to get help, but I did. He never could hold down a job.

The next few years saw us move from apartment to apartment to just hide. By this point my brother and sister had been born. When I got old enough to understand better, I found out he violated restraining orders left and right but they never did catch or hold him for very long. There nights I remember consoling my baby sister and little brother trying to keep the noise out because he would find us again. Screaming and banging on the doors and windows for hours. Police would come, he’d flee before they got there. This cycle would repeat more than I ever cared to admit.

The greatest shock of my life was the age of 4-5 was I’m not sure if he did it out of love or fear, but Kieth saved my life: albeit he caused what happened next to occur. They fought yet again and i left with him to go to a nearby gas station for...I’m not even sure what to be honest. He got angry again as we were heading back to the car and he opened the door..and i knew nothing but pain. Somehow he had opened it hard and fast enough that he had busted my head open. He took me to the hospital and the one thing I know I remembered was him holding a towel on the wound as i lay in the front seat. There was a look of worry. I will never know if it was for me or if he was scared for himself. I would like to think there might have been SOMETHING akin to a shred of honesty. I don’t know. I never will.

I had to of been about 6 or so when finally my mother left us with our grandparents and she fled to hide in california.I didnt know at the time, and I dont know what she told my grandparents, but she later admitted to me in my late 20’s Kieth tried to sell me off to a child sex ring for money. She knew her children were in severe danger, and my grandfather was the one person on earth he was scared of. My life was calm….until she returned with her new husband when i was 7-8. His name was Tom. And Tom would begin the longest streak of abuse no child should ever have to endure.

There was shouting here and there but normal family things. The first true horror began in 3rd grade. I was in the bathroom with my brother brushing our teeth and I don’t know what conversation led him to coming in and getting angry to be honest. Maybe I said something, I don’t know, but whatever it was did not justify what happened next. I was spun around, grabbed by my upper arms, lifted and put firmly against the wall. He had this look of a very angry animal on him...it wouldn't be the first time I ever see “The look” Anger, fury and rage filled him. He told me to knock my shit off and hurry up or i was gonna make everyone late for school. I was...shocked. I didn't tell my mother. But I did tell a teacher. I thought surely it’s gonna help. How utterly wrong and stupid I was. I was picked up and told not to say a word. We went straight to my grandparents house. I couldn't comprehend why I was in trouble until my family rounded on me. How dare I make up a story to hurt him. This was a man who loved you as his own and this is how you repay him? My family was very authoritarian so arguing back or talking in defense was completely shunned. I knew if I said anything it would get it worse. So I sat there dumbfounded and in silence. For the next hour I was berated, talked down to and said what a bad child I had been. And finally the words that burned into my brain. “His heart is like a sheet of paper. You took it and bundled it up and crumpled it. It’ll smooth out as he heals, but there will always be wrinkles.” We went home afterwards and when my mother left, he took a belt and beat me. Spanking me hard, and how dare I embarrassed him like that and if I told anyone about this punishment it would be worse. Small things happened here and there but nothing noteworthy until we moved to south carolina and ohio. The spankings got progressively worse to the point I had bruises and learned to accept the pain.

Ohio I dont remember much except for one incident. It was the day I had a school play. He gave me a black eye for I dont even know what reason. My mother put makeup on it to cover it up and told me not to say anything. I never did until now. That was the first time I never spoke out when I should have...maybe I could have stopped it before things got much worse. I was a fool. We moved into a trailer in a new area and my brother and I had to help him make a driveway and clear the land because they had no spare money. A barely teenader working like an adult. I let that go but not what happened next. The spankings kept getting worse, but I guess he thought he’d do worse. He didnt like how thin i had helped make the limestone roadway and told me so. I must have said something to voice how miserable I was. He grabbed a shovel and with the flat side hit me on one side near my chest. The pain was unbearable. I was knocked on my back and while i was down he stomped the other side of my chest. Kneeling down he got as close as he could while I was frozen scared and hurt. He said I made him miserable and I deserved this as I needed to be more of a man. If I told anyone, Hed do worse.I never did and hid the pain well. To this day, my ribs ache if touched wrong. Somehow I held onto hope that maybe finally if my mother saw me miserable and he didn't notice I could stop this pain from ever happening again. Weeks passed and she worked long days while yet again he could never really find solid long term work. I had no chances to do so, and I was growing depressed but never showed it. Finally he hit me as hard as he could in the back of the head when I turned away from him. I made it to my bedroom and laid down. Crying. And at last my mother returned and she must have heard me and walked into my room and said “Josh What’s wrong?” I looked at her almost beggingly and said” My head hurts.” I didnt elaborate. She got angry because she had worked a very long shift and told me if i had a headache go get some medicine out of the cabinet and deal with it. As she left I finally stopped crying staring as an acceptance grew in me. She was NEVER going to help me. She was never going to listen unless she saw it herself. That’s when I realized I could never trust her to tell her any of the bad things that were happening. I suffered in silence for another year. During that time more beatings, more hopelessness and in general a life of what i felt was true genuine fear and hopelessness. I had no clue what was going to happen next. It would get worse.

The older I get, like some, the harder it is to pinpoint exact dates but the tragedy of these next two incidents occurred during my fourth and fifth grade years While seemingly unimportant to some these two singular events will stay with me forever. To set up the story, my brother had messed up our closet door, naturally we shared a room and all the joy of privacy i got. I was desperately trying to fix it because I didn't want HIM to hear. I had finally succeeded and was about to collapse with joy...until my idiot brother pushed it back inwards and laughed and i let out a yell….HE heard because of course he did. He came in, didn't ask for an explanation, saw what happened and hit me. Then proceeded to stomp and destroy a cherished toy that was my world. Now everyone needs to understand, i was a very introverted child. I didn't make friends easily and had few. I loved to play by myself and had wonderful fantastic imaginary adventures. His reasoning for doing this act was simplistic in his words “You wreck my stuff I wreck yours.” I didn't realize the nightmare wasn’t over yet.

My mother picked us up from school two days later and genuinely looked upset. She explained he burned everything. I got there and went out back and sure enough, the charred remains of a large bonfire were still smoking. He went after all my stuff first. My brother barely had anything touched and my sister, thankfully, was spared the majority. Of course my mother as always did nothing but say she was sorry it happened.

Thanks mom. I can always count on you to make me feel better. A shame you chose misery over your child. As always.

The second event was the court ordeal. Long story short because this one wasn't so traumatic as it was, what I believe, caused a wedge between myself and my brother because we were forced to change schools.They spanked me at school and my mother was outraged. I believe solely because she believed punishment should be handled at home, which I find insanely hypocritical at this point. The paddle they used stung yes, but it did not hurt as much as what step-douche did to me on a weekly basis. I wish she cared enough to go to war with him as she did when she took the school to court and sued. We had to switch schools but honestly.the true problem was what happened before.

See the punishment for what i did ASIDE from that was a day of suspension or sit in a small closet like room all day. No supervision and total isolation. My mother, of course, was not there when we spoke to the principal…step-douche was.He flat out told me if I picked suspension I would regret it. Happy birthday to me, cause thats right, my punishment was carried out on my birthday. Total isolation. And once again no one helped me. Honestly how I never acted out is baffling to me.

That night when I got home and everyone was asleep, i got out of bed around midnight and went to the kitchen and grabbed the biggest knife I could find. I sat down and rocked and i wanted more than anything to end the life of the person who was causing me pain and inflicting hell on me. I’m not sure why, to this day, I never acted. Eventually about 4 am after sitting there and reflecting I went back to bed. Im not sure why I didnt. I’m glad it passed but I will never know what stopped me that night.

All of this before I was 12 years old and it still wasnt over yet. 6th grade we finally moved back to Florida. Nothing really changed. Except now we enter middle school…

I wish aspergers had been more readily diagnosed and doctors didn't just slap an ADHD label on everything. I was teased, bullied and picked on. I had no sense of humor and couldn't understand things like sarcasm or jokes. Life at home was hard...life at school was hard. My family never listened to anything if it disrupted the status quo. I felt genuinely alone and isolated. Now this wouldn't be a happy story unless I added in a life altering event that actually changed things. It was ironically during a shop class and once again I was being bullied, but for the absolute first time...I retaliated. A detention and oddly...the guy and I actually became friends...I didn't know it at the time. But between being hurt by others and the punishments at home for the weirdest infractions...i came dangerously close to considering suicide. In fact the day this next event happened I had already started planning how I wanted to end it all. The kid who bullied me in shop came up and struck up a conversation about Pokemon and we to this day share a friendship. I told him last year finally, he’s the reason I'm still here. If he had not come up and given me that one act of kindness I wouldn't be here.

I was still bullied all through 10th grade but had friends here and there.It made it tolerable. Junior year is where I hit my lowest and to this day my family does not know what happened.

3 football players ganged up and raped me in a locker room after school. This had nothing to do with my sexuality because at the time I hadn't given it any thought yet. Because my mother always said, “Don't ever do anything to embarrass your grandparents” ad religiously restated this, I decided to be quiet on the whole thing. The sole saving grace being i wasn't too traumatized by this experience as a whole. I did not consent this is true, but it was at the time I was beginning to think about it and maybe that’s why they did what they did. I thought I could trust one of them, and told them, apparently I was mistaken.

There are other things of course, the usual stuff teenagers go through, but the final absolute straw that broke the camel's back was I refused to feed animals my brother and sister wanted. I finally after 17 years told my mother no. I wasn't caring for animals that they should be taking care of and I was tired of everyone else shoving responsibility on me. They had some stupid sporting events after school they were doing. And I was finally sick of it. Its shocking on one level that something so ridiculously mundane as pet care made me finally snap. We argued and I moved out. I couldnt take it anymore. My grandparents, finally, took me in.

Now some of you are probably wondering: why I would I write this down? Is it pity? No I don't want pity. Im now 33 and I have a wonderful, if not always easy, Life I wouldn't trade for anything. There are some updates. The 3 who assaulted me in high school I have forgiven. One is dead and if there is justice he got what he deserved. Another apologized and he actually meant it. He begged for forgiveness and has done good with his life. I bear him no ill will. We all do stupid things, but if we actually are repentant and try to do good, i can honestly forgive. The last has a wife and kids so I won't ruin their life because of my pain and he knows that. He's never apologized but he does worry occasionally if I'm ever going to spill the beans. I have but I haven't named him.

As for my family....Im not sure if I can heal right. They dont want to listen to me. “You’re 33 years old, Grow up and get over it.” “Stop causing drama” “It happened so long ago, what do you want us to do about it?” That last one actually DOES stick with me. I think at the core I want some compassion. I want them to feel bad. My mother isnt an evil woman, there were many good times, but they are completely overshadowed and eclipsed by so much negativity, I cant say she was a good mother. She has never once listened to me and if she reads this I’m going to tell her the same thing I finally worked up the courage to tell my grandmother: “This is not about you. This is about me trying to heal, trying after decades to heal so I CAN move on. For the first time in my life this is entirely about me.” My family remains to this day the greatest source of my stress because they genuinely believe, because they refuse to listen to me and not dismiss what I say, they loved me and supported me financially growing up. You may have, but you failed at making sure your child and grandchild was happy. That I was safe and felt loved and supported. You failed as my guardians and maybe that’s why I’m still trying to heal because you all will never thing you did wrong.

So we come full circle. When I started writing this I borderline thought it would be longer. But it’s ok, it was hard getting through just to this 8th page. And there are other things I can't talk about and probably will never be able to go into because I don't want to deal with being ridiculed and teased as an adult about some aspects. I’ve come to terms with those issues and people who matter know about hidden parts of me.

This wasn't intended to shame, although there is a sliver that hopes maybe if they read this they will feel something, this is about sharing a story. I’m not the only one out there to have a bad childhood. Many do, but it takes courage to talk about it. That’s the point of all of this. Talk to someone. It may take years, but seize the courage and get it out. Dont let it sit there because you have to “tough it out.” That's a bullshit answer older generations have said because they don't want to deal with issues like mental health. And yes it is hard to finish writing this as I just told a friend while I write. But before I finish I have some people who deserve to be named specifically for making my life better. And they deserve to be known by name because of the profound impact they have had. This is only people from my childhood.

Fred Eirman. You saved my life in middle school and I have never forgotten it.

David Coburn. My uncle. You were the only one who listened at times. And indulged my likes and hobbies.

Harry Webber. My second cousin. The only person in my family who cared enough when I was at my lowest points to be there for me. While the rest of my family hated you for stupid, pointless reasons.

This isn't a story seeking pity. This is a story that I want to say the following words if it affected you and you also had similar experiences of abuse. I offer the following words and please take them to heart:

You can survive. You can Endure. You can recover.

Reblog and share and even comment. Get this around so MAYBE it can help someone.

#childhoodabuse #healing

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fanders-fic-awards · 6 years

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One Short Day (Summer Fic Comp 18)

Summary: Patton has a really bad day, so Virgil tries to help.

Trigger Warnings: The Q and F slurs. To skip them, skip the from ’“Okay,” Connor said’ to ‘Oh. Oh.’

Word Count: 2059

Ballot

Patton was having a very, very bad day. First, his coffee maker broke, spilling coffee everywhere and probably ruining his favorite sweater. Then his car wouldn’t start; thankfully, however, he had listened to Logan and gotten a portable jump starter kit that didn’t require a second car.

He pulled up to school, barely in time to start his first class of the day, which was senior-level Honors English. The bell rang, and 30 tired and unenthused seniors walked in the door.

“Good morning, class!” His greeting was met with mumbles, so he tried again, with even more pep he wasn’t at all feeling.

“What is up, everybody?”

“Hi, Mr. Sanders” came the ever-so-slightly more energetic response.

“Now, kiddos, I know it’s early on a Monday, but you can do better than that! I be-leaf in you!” Patton held up the plastic maple leaf he kept on his desk, eliciting 29 groans and 1 giggle.

“Ayy, you got me, Thomas!”

“Yeah, because you tell the same joke every day, Mr. Sanders.” The entire class laughed at Thomas’ quip, Patton included.

“Good point,” Patton ceded, pointing at him, “Get it? Good point? Also, valid observation.”

“You have cat to be kitten me. It’s too early for this bull-”

“Hey now, language! But you definitely deserve a Patt on the back for the excellent dad jokes today.”

“Was… was that a self-referential pun? To a crowd that usually doesn’t know the first names of their teachers, when you only just told us your first name last week?” Joan, Thomas’ friend, spoke up.

“Well, yeah! Why do you think I told you guys? Before that,” he said with a mischievous glint in his eye, “I was Patton pending!”

“I never thought I’d say this, but can we please get to actually learning things?” Talyn, Joan’s datemate, called from the back of the class.

“Right, as usual, Talyn,” Patton laughed, “so who has thoughts they’d like to share on the chapters of The Picture of Dorian Gray you all read over the weekend?” Silence fell, with the exception of a murmur from a boy named Connor.

Patton knew it wasn’t right for teachers to have favorite or least favorite students, but Connor was by far his least favorite. Connor was the kind of student who put no effort into understanding the material and then complained that he didn’t get it, that it was boring. Patton frankly couldn’t understand why he was taking an honors course, and nothing he said or did seemed to get through to the kid. And that’s what bugged Patton the most. Every no-effort paper, every barely passed test, felt like a personal failure to Patton. He was responsible for his students and their success. At the end of the day, however, he knew that learning is communication, and communication is a two-way street. He didn’t dislike Connor as a person, of course, he was simply sad and frustrated by his apathy towards his education.

“What was that, Connor?”

“N- nothing, Mr. Sanders.”

“Now, kiddo, we both know that’s not true. Your thoughts are as important and valid as anyone else’s. So, please, share them with us.” Patton’s voice was firm, making it clear he wouldn’t accept ‘no’ for an answer.

“Okay,” Connor said, a challenging smirk on his face, “I think that this book is a waste of our time and that no one cares what a dusty old queer had to say about other faggots over a hundred years ago.”

Oh. Oh. Patton’s chest got tight and he briefly saw red before he remembered where he was. He noticed at least five students flinch at the slur and realized he had been presented an opportunity to make a real difference in his students’ lives. Patton took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts before beginning.

“Thank you for your honest input, Mr. Williams. While your phrasing was incredibly offensive, and we will have a serious conversation with the principal after class about your use of those slurs, you bring up a point that warrants discussion, one that has occurred in countless English courses.

Why should we care? What did this novel add to the world, and does the author’s background add or remove weight from their work? I was going to discuss Oscar Wilde’s sexuality and the homosexual themes throughout the novel after we finished reading it, but since Connor brought it up, this seems like a perfect time.

Before I start lecturing, I want to know if any of you have things you’d like to add to the discussion. Yes, even you, Connor, provided you phrase your comments more carefully.” Patton paused, giving his students time to speak up if they wanted to. He was immensely relieved when a usually very quiet girl named Samantha rose her hand.

“Yes, Samantha, the floor is yours.”

“Oh, um, I just wanted to say that I think it was really brave of Oscar Wilde. I feel like the book is about vice and, um, how it destroys people, even if you- if you can’t tell by looking at them. The fact that it’s Basil Hallward who is explicitly gay is really important. Other authors might have added being gay to the list of 'sins’ Dorian Gray is guilty of, but Wilde makes Hallward something of a tragedy.

The portrait is basically the product of Hallward’s sexuality, a representation of it. Gray destroys it and then kills Hallward, which by could be interpreted out of context as a 'punishment’ for Hallward being gay. And while killing the gay character is a tragically common trope, that’s not what Wilde wrote. Because it’s Gray who killed him, it can be argued that acting the way he did is yet another example of the debauchery that causes not only his death but in the end makes him as ugly as he always feared he’d become.

Sorry, I know you hadn’t assigned that far, but I really liked the book and needed to know how it ended. And, uh, sorry for talking so much.”

“Samantha, please do not apologize for any of that. That was very well put and almost every point I was going to make.” Patton wanted to comment that he noticed her voice getting stronger and more sure as she talked, but he didn’t want to embarrass her.

“Oh, um, thanks, Mr. Sanders.”

“Mr. Sanders, what are the 'other points’ you wanted to make?” Joan asked, who had been giving Connor a murderous glare the entire time.

“Before I answer, is there anything anyone else would like to say?” Patton waited for anyone to speak up, but when no one did, he continued, “I want to discuss the larger picture. But we’ll have to table that for another day since the bell is about to ring. If you want to read ahead, please do, but I’m not going to assign another chapter for tomorrow- all I ask is that you come prepared for a discussion of notable LGBT+ authors and how their identity shaped their works, such as William Shakespeare, Truman Capote, Emily Dickinson, and Tennessee Williams. Wow me with what you bring in and there are extra credit points in it for you! Have a wonderful day, and I look forward to our discussion tomorrow. Connor, a word, please.”

—-

Virgil came home to complete chaos. There was a mess of tangled fairy lights on the couch, and it looked like there was an explosion of flour in the kitchen.

“God, Pat, you are lucky I love you. What’s up with all the messes?” Virgil called out, laughing fondly at his chaotic energetic boyfriend.

“Oh hi, my love! I meant to have it all cleaned up by the time you got home. Time flies when you’re having fun, I guess! How was your day?”

“It was really good. Got a really big breakthrough with the couple I told you I’ve been struggling so much with- I think they’re gonna get somewhere really healthy.”

“Oh my goodness, that’s so great! We have to celebrate- as it so happens, I made chocolate cake, and was gonna make stroganoff for dinner.”

“Pat, it’s my turn to cook, remember? You spoil me too- shit. I can’t believe I missed it. What’s wrong, sunshine?”

“Nothing, Virge. I just wanted to do something sweet for my sweetie!”

“Please let me in, love. Can I help?”

“I- I don’t know, and I didn’t want to worry you. It’s just been a really rough day.”

“Let’s make a deal. Let’s make lasagna together while you tell me what’s up, and then I’ll draw you a bubble bath and we’ll watch 8 Mile?”

“Not 8 Mile, not tonight. Make it the 2005 Pride and Prejudice, and I’m in.”

“As you wish, Patton-cake.”

“I love you too, dork.”

The two men got busy making lasagna, singing and sort-of dancing as they cooked. When they put the dish in the oven, Patton started talking.

“V, it was a hell of a day. The coffee pot broke, and I spilled coffee all over my sweater, and I really need to call your brother and thank him for the advice about the jumper kit. Without it, I wouldn’t have gotten to work on time. But that was little stuff, and you know me, I brushed it off and was really excited to talk with my kiddos about The Picture of Dorian Gray. And class started really well, you’d have died at how they kept the pun train rolling. I love them all so much. I’ve talked to you about Connor before, right?”

“I think so. Total slacker, could be one of the best students in the class if he gave a damn?”

“Yep, that’s the kid. He dropped the f and q slurs a couple of times complaining about the book.”

“Oh my god Patton are you okay? What happened? Did the kid get his ass handed to him like he deserves?”

“Breathe, Virgil. It’s all okay. He’s got detention for 2 weeks, his parents know and are pissed, and I was able to turn it into a good teaching moment. Well, technically, Samantha did.”

“Quiet Samantha?”

“Yeah, she had some incredible insights into the book and how it deals with sexuality and morality. She apparently read ahead and finished the book, so she was able to tie in Gray’s death too.

It was incredible to watch. She’s so quiet and started out so unsure, but by the end, she was so confident, I almost cried.”

“You cry at everything, Pat. Don’t argue- you cried last week because snakes don’t have legs. For real, though, that’s amazing. You are amazing.”

“It was all her!”

“No, it wasn’t. I was just like Samantha in school. I had so many things to say, but I was terrified of being wrong, so I said nothing. Except in classes where I completely trusted the teacher, where I knew my ideas would be really heard, not just listened to, and respected. Teachers like that, teachers like you, change the world. I guarantee that Samantha will never forget today, and neither will any LGBT+ kid in that class.

God, Patton, you change lives. You are the most incredible person I’ve ever met, and it blows my mind that somehow you think I’m worthy of your love. Every day, I try to be someone you can be proud of, and I want to keep doing it for the rest of our lives.” Virgil slipped out of his chair and onto one knee, pulling a small velvet box out of his jacket pocket.

“Patton Sanders, at the risk of sounding cliché as hell, will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?”

“Virgil… my sweet and sour misunderstood shadowling, I couldn’t do any of what I do without you. You’re as important to me as air or puppies. You make me want to be the best version of me, and there is nothing I want more than to marry you.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes! Virgil Raine, I absolutely will marry you!” Crying, Patton pulled Virgil up and kissed his fiancé. “Now, let’s have some engagement lasagna and take an engagement bubble bath!”

“You’re such a dork. I love you so fucking much.”

“I hope you do, 'cuz we’re getting married!”

“That we are,” Virgil chuckled, tears in his eyes as well.

@mystrangedarkson

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bubblepunk99s · 6 years

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Amara

Dust motes danced in the airy light of Anis’ study as he shifted through a storm of essences.

He had called his desk an ‘aromatic apothecary’. Amara had dubbed it a ‘scent bench’. Racks of essence bottles curved around him as he furiously scribbled formulas on to wafers of paper. Occasionally he would un-cork one, releasing a burst of scent that filled the room before dissipating just as quickly- rose oil, hyacinth, slowly burning sandalwood, even that metal stench Amara had always associated with the Void gates back home. Anis would take stock of it then return to his scribbling.

Another uncorking. A fierce note of burning pepper-bush flooded Amara’s nostrils. Then it was gone. More scribbling.

“That was a good one.”

“Hmm.” Anis sounded unconvinced. “Bit too overpowering, might need a modifier, maybe a citrus ester or a floral one. But that’s in my rayiha so I’ve been told and I don’t think it’s very becoming of me to aim for a signature just yet...”

He continued on in this manner. Amara really didn’t mind. She’d learned a lot over the past week thanks to Anis’ ramblings- his role as a student in the school of extracting (itself part of the house of sciences) the nature of his craft, the Soljin’s nature as part of a greater whole- one of four peoples that had split apart from days spent as Void-wandering nomads, different in many ways but bound by the faith that had united them so long ago- the faith of midãd, the pursuit of the divine substance. Anis considered his work to be the greatest expression of that history, crafting multi-layered scents from countless differing essences.

“So, how’s your work coming along?”

“Oh.” Rising herself from her stupor, Amara glanced back at her sketches. Though Anis had provided a desk to study at right next to a disused alembic, her mind had been elsewhere. It was with Tia and the others now searching for ingredients in the shops and markets. Ingredients for Met’s...treatment.

“Something is in you.” She had said to her, sitting her down in the lovers’ small home. “Call it a baran, call it kaba, call it whatever you like. Just know it isn’t getting out unless we force it out.”

“A...” Amara remembered. “The bolt.”

“Yes, the bolt. The one you were struck by. It came from the god-grounds.”

“You knew about that?!” Tia had been aghast

“I sensed something in her when we shook hands. You telling me about the storm destroying your district confirmed my suspicions. Why do you think I chose to let you stay after your friend’s treatment?”

“So, you were keeping things from us.” Udana said. “Why should we trust you now?”

“It’s not about trust. It’s about necessity. You think the wights you met in the desert were bad? Whatever’s in you now is far older, far darker. I don’t know how it got into you but I know I’m the only one in this city that can get it out. You need more than a doctor, you need someone who understands the dead.”

Silence. Then Khedes had spoken up.

“We can help you.”

“Amara?”

Amara blinked. “Sorry... just thinking about-”

“About your condition?”

She nodded. Setting his work aside, Anis came up and laid a hand on her shoulder. Thankfully he wasn’t shocked back 10 meters.

“I’m sorry I can’t help you more. That way you wouldn’t have to rely on that frightful pair.” He rubbed his neck. “If only I could be more like En-Kindi.”

“Who?”

“En-Kindi, the founder of the school of extracting, part of the house of sciences first master’s council. He could do everything: perfume, metallurgy, astronomy, cryptography. A true polymath! He once said that “time exists only with motion. Body with motion, motion with body. If there is motion there is necessarily body, if there is body there is necessarily motion.”

“How does that relate to all my problems?”

“It means if you keep moving forward then things will definitely work out in the end!”

They both chuckled at that. Then awkward silence resumed.

“You know” Anis continued. “He also said we should devote ourselves to the truth. Always keep looking for it, even if it came from peoples distant and nations different from us. I think he approve of you coming all the way out here...and that he would want me to help you.”

Amara gave a gentle, tired smile. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

Anis smiled back. He was about to say something more when suddenly there was a wrapping at the door. Perplexed, he went and opened it. He returned with a small wooden box. Lifting its lid revealed 4 small perfume bottles and a note with 4 words in the Soljinn script written on it. Amara recognised them as street names.

Anis’ smile faded.

“Come on. Time I showed you the other part of my job.”

Kuru’s house of sciences was an alternating mix of interior and exterior spaces. Shadowed hallways would lead to fragrant courtyards bordered by rounded pillars of Aban-Sad stone. Its student body a mix of promising young scholars swelled by the patronage of established academics and those who had been sent by less established families to rise through scholarship and intellectual endeavour. Anis was one such student.

“Wish you could have seen things when everyone was here. Boys would wear off-world jeans under their work robes. We dared each other to flip them up when to get a glimpse of what style they were trying out.”

“Did you really?”

Anis blinked. “Please don’t assume every strapping young Soljinn man is as socially awkward as me.”

That of course had changed with the Corvus’ arrival. The school was backed by public funding, along with that of the social elite- bankers, merchants and military officers. When the Corvus assumed command that wellspring quickly dried up. Students and teachers alike dropped out, some seeking to get jobs as translators and scientists, others hurling themselves against the walls of the Nest in protest.

So now the school Amara walked through was a ghost of its former self. A time when the sound of scratching pens on paper and all manner of scientific, philosophical and theological discourse that fell under the banner of falsafa- Natural studies- filled the air. A time when so many Rayihas joined together it was hard to tell when one person’s soul ended and another’s began.

“That’s one sad story.” Amara said sympathetically, as they head out through the school’s main embossed arch.

“Not half as sad as where we’re going, I’m afraid.”

Where they were headed was a street in the city’s old quarter. En-Yaqut it was called, the birthplace of some of the city’s finest biographers and renowned for its scroll-stores, literary cafes and abundant collections of ornate manuscripts. After all, was it not said that the ink of the quill was holier than the blood of the martyr?

Amara couldn’t see that beauty now. As they followed the street downhill, the air began to smell of smoke. Shutters covered the front of shops, emblazoned with graffiti of a bird spreading its wings between two trees. A young boy flicked rocks at these shutters, which quickly burst into flames, alighted by security lasers.

“Oh no...”

Amara turned to see what Anis was looking at. Standing at a bend in the road was a charred husk of a building. It looked like it had come from Amara’s ruined district, though it stood alone instead of being surrounded by others like it. A crowd had gathered, some dousing the charred walls with water jets.

“Not Shaba...”

“You!” An old woman cried, in black robes with embroiled cuffs. “You from the house?”

“I am... I am.” Anis confirmed. “Please Shaba...the owner of this place...he isn’t...”

The lady shook her head. “Some of his clients were translators for the Corvus. A fight broke out over it and then the fire started. He didn’t survive.”

Anis fell to his knees, his breathing ragged. Amara knelt with him.

“A friend?”

He nodded shakily.

Amara didn’t need to know any more. But she needed to snap Anis out of this.

“Anis, we came here to do something. Do you remember?

Another nod. With trembling hands, he took out one of the vials and poured its contents on to the ground, murmuring what sounded like a prayer under his breath.

Slowly a rayiha surrounded them. It smelled like drying paint and fresh parchment. Amara almost thought she saw it, as a hazy silhouette of a man standing before them.

Anis seemed to glimpse it to.

“You always were so accepting, Shaba.” He turned to the woman. “Make sure the Clerics find his body and give it the rites. We have others to see to.”

He then swerved back up the way they had come. Amara nearly had to run to keep up with him.

“Perfumes are an accompaniment to someone’s soul. Naturally they can be used to guide and heal lost ones. When a body is prepared for the rites, we provide perfumes to guide the rayiha back to it.”

He gave Amara a gentle, tired smile.

“The house of sciences may be fading, but that line of work keeps me occupied a lot nowadays.”

Why had they come?

To dethrone tyrants of course! The rulers of Kuru had become depraved and needed removing. Had they not rounded up dissident scholars, removed them from public office? Had they not charged exorbitant fees for the stone of Kuru, exploiting them over the years? Had they not acted to the detriment of every non-Soljinn in the city and punished those who practiced tolerance? Men like Shaba?

“Well that was a fucking lie.” Anis growled.

The Corvus’ defeat of these men- the feared mihna lawgivers- had been like something of out of a legend. The air had suddenly filled with white light. Spears of it leapt down to strike the lawgivers palace. Then ship after ship had floated down to continue the assault.

Such talk there had been! Anti-regime cells had gathered in the coffee shops whispering of plans that would never see fulfillment. Some wrote and translated advisory letters to the Corvus, others hoped that translation schools would be built to speed negotiations between the people and the invaders.

Such dreams- of translation, of communication- had died swiftly when the Corvus demonstrated how they translated with their first routine survey.

So, the days went on. Anti-Corvus groups making a scene, the Corvus themselves appearing out of nowhere to make a bigger mess of it. Men like Shaba- known for his tolerance of all peoples and the generosity of his spirit- killed in the crossfire, while others like Anis trailed after the violence, hoping to help in whatever way they could.

“So, you still don’t know why they are here?” Amara asked. By the time they reached the House of Science’s entrance the sun was setting. A day spent attending similar sites to the one on En-Yaqut street had left her drained. She would need to talk to Tia tonight.

“Don’t know don’t care.” Anis’ voice had seemed to age over the day, becoming as rough as Met’s at times “I’m just trying to survive.”

Just trying to survive. Made her little treasure hunt seem silly by comparison. Then Amara reminded herself she was doing it to help her own people survive as well.

Turning to the path to Met’s house, Amara thought about the violence she had seen here- how it could spread so easily to her own home, how many homes it had already taken. She thought about the artefacts lying discarded in the God-grounds and the wreckage of Shaba’s slowly burning shop.

As she did, the taste of electricity filled her mouth and goosebumps spread across her skin.

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