#and once he dies for good he has to return to the dark forest

[heliads]

hi!! Can I request Harry Potter x f!reader, where Harry and y/n are dating and during the battle reader gets severely injured almost dead by Voldemort and Harry doesn’t know until after he defeats him he goes looking for reader but can’t find her, getting scared he goes looking for her and finds her under a pile of rubble realizing she’s about to die he uses the resurrection stone or wand to bring her back to life/heal her. Sorry if it’s really I’ve never requested before!

just read manacled so i'm desperately craving to write some hp angst so this request was perfectly timed thx anon xoxo

'someone take me home ' - harry potter

masterlist

The air is dark, choked with the ash and smoke of Harry Potter’s only true home.

Although he is not the one setting fire to the turrets, sending trolls in to demolish the stone parapets, or hurling curses through glass windows, Harry still feels responsible for the destruction. He is the one who challenged Voldemort by trying to hunt down his Horcruxes. He is the one who has brought this needless death and destruction into the castle. When Voldemort made his pronouncement that all of this fighting could cease if they would only turn Harry over to the Death Eaters, Harry had felt the weight of that guilt settle onto his shoulders like a cloak. It is his doing, all of this. He is the one to blame.

The only way he can make up for it is to end this, once and for all. If he does not kill Voldemort tonight– if he cannot end this war quickly– every life lost, every shred of memory and pride lost in the broken castle’s rubble will have fallen because he could not get the job done. Harry is responsible for everything that happens here tonight. He has to be responsible for winning it, too.

Harry is close to the end. So close. He has already died once tonight. He does not want it to happen again. For a moment there, when he went into the woods alone to meet his soon-to-be killer, armed only with a wand, a wish, and a deeply seated terror that would not leave him, Harry had not thought that he would come back. Dumbledore had not had the chance to specify that in his memories, that Harry would survive the Avada Kedavra curse for the second time in his life.

Harry had not known at all. Through Snape’s memories, he had seen that he would have to die for Voldemort to be killed, but there was no guarantee that Harry would come back. When Harry came away from the Pensieve burdened with that terrible truth, he had assumed that the blinding flash of green light would be all. When he said goodbye to Ron and Hermione, he had left them thinking that he would never return. Walking away from them was horrible, the price of seven years’ worth of incredible friendship. The only thing worse than that was leaving Y/N.

Y/N L/N. Harry’s girlfriend. They started dating during their fifth year, coasting on the thrill of sneaking around behind Umbridge’s back to run the DA. He’d liked her for longer, of course, he swears half the boys his year had a crush on Y/N at least since their second winter at Hogwarts, but Harry was the one who got to keep her around. He never forgot how lucky that made him. And, leaving her behind in the ruins of Hogwarts Castle to end his life, Harry reminded himself of it then, too. Even if he was going to die, he had lived a properly good life before the moment the Killing Curse was spoken aloud. He should have no reason to mourn all of the moments he would never have when he already experienced and enjoyed so many.

To distract himself in those cold, empty woods, Harry had reached into his pocket for the small, dark stone left to him by Dumbledore in the shell of a Golden Snitch. It’s probably not wise to carry a Deathly Hallow through the Forbidden Forest in search of a Dark Lord, but Harry was, after all, headed towards his certain death, so he figured that a little bit of risk was acceptable under those circumstances. Turning the Resurrection Stone over in his pocket, Harry had let his eyes flicker closed as he thought of something– as he wished for it, more than anything, more even than he needed to be alive– and then his eyes had opened, and he had seen his parents.

His first thought was that they looked just like their photographs. They smiled at him, reaching out wispy hands to guide him onwards. Remus and Sirius had joined not soon after. It was easier to be brave when he wasn’t alone, and it must have just been his mind imagining it, because he swore that just before he emerged into the clearing containing Voldemort’s camp, Harry saw Y/N there too, smiling and calling out to him.

He just wanted to think of her one last time, that was all. It meant nothing. Y/N was alive with Ron and Hermione. The one-hour truce had probably ended by then, so they would all be fighting again, but his two best friends would keep the love of his life alive. Of course they would. He made them promise.

Harry had removed that worry from his mind, and then he had died and subsequently come back to life. When he was lying on the cold ground, when Narcissa Malfoy had bent over him and asked him as quietly as she dared if her son was still alive, Harry has to admit that he was not thinking about the good of the mission to kill Voldemort, nor how he could keep up that crusade if he stayed alive. No, he thought about seeing Y/N one more time, and so he told her that Draco was still living. Harry didn’t even know if it was a lie or not, it didn’t matter, it worked. It could be true. Harry had no way of telling if Draco had passed away. All he could do was survive, clawing inch by inch until he could make it back to the grounds of the castle and tell for certain who was dead and who was alive.

The ruse, however misguided, had worked, and then Voldemort had crowed with sickly joy and dragged Harry’s body back to the castle. Harry was forced to remain stock-still, terrified to move so much as a muscle lest he give himself away and incur a second Killing Curse.

Now he is back, back here, back in the present moment, back in the castle. Harry is alive and everybody knows it. Harry heard the cheers erupt when he flung himself away from Hagrid to stand opposite Voldemort again, but he dared not look back. One distracted glance gives Tom Riddle a chance to kill him, and Harry cannot– he will not– give himself away like that after everything. His friends need him. Y/N needs him. Harry must do this, he must win.

Harry is no stranger to dueling, both with friends and enemies. When Voldemort points the Elder Wand at Harry, the wand that technically is under Harry’s control, Harry feels the moment thrumming in his veins like a bloodlust even before his opponent casts the spell. His wand hand rises of his own volition, the spell rising to his lips by reflex alone.

Two incantations are chanted at the same time. Avada Kedavra, Voldemort shrieks across the dusty courtyard, his voice like a death rattle. Expelliarmus, Harry shouts back, his heart leaping into his chest. He has never meant a spell like this before, and he swears he never will.

For a moment, all is still, all is quiet. The Death Eaters and students alike watch with bated breath as the two spells arc across the courtyard, but then Voldemort’s bright spark of green rebounds the second it comes into contact with Harry’s, sending both tumbling towards the Dark Lord. The Killing Curse hits Voldemort, and just like that, with no pomp and circumstance, no drama befitting the one who has caused them all so much violence and grief, Tom Marvolo Riddle dies.

Harry doesn’t believe it. Truly, he doesn’t, until he forces his limbs to walk over to the body of Voldemort and stand, staring, at the corpse until he is certain it does not move again. Slowly, surely, the Death Eaters peel away, and the students and members of the Order of the Phoenix come back again, surging around him like an ocean wave, rejoicing in their victory.

Ron and Hermione reach him first, one at each side. They embrace him, half crying, half beaming. Hermione’s saying that he’s done it, he’s won, and Ron is grinning at him proudly, telling Harry that he knew he could do it. Harry waits for the fourth person to join their party, but for some reason, she never does.

Harry pulls back slightly from their embrace. “Guys,” he says uncertainly, “Where’s Y/N?”

Ron and Hermione exchange confused looks. “She was just here,” Ron says vacantly. “Wasn’t she, Hermione? I swear I saw her a minute ago. We were fighting together, then a bunch of Death Eaters split us up. I got back to Hermione as soon as I could, but–”

“But you didn’t see her?” Harry interrupts. His voice sounds harsher than he intends, but a sudden, icy panic is beginning to flood through his system, and he cannot think about anything– he will not think about anything– until he is certain that this fear is unfounded.

He looks desperately at Hermione, the reasonable one, the one who always comes up with answers in times of crisis like this one, but she shakes her head quietly. “None of us have seen her since the fighting started up again,” she whispers. “I’m sorry, Harry.”

“No,” he says forcefully, “No, that’s not right. Y/N is alive. We just lost her in the crowd, that’s all.”

It must be true. Harry won’t look at either of them, won’t see the slow rush of guilt that’s creeping into both of their faces. Y/N has to be here. She wouldn’t just leave him like this.

Harry pushes past the two of them, fighting his way back through the crowds. He scans every face he sees, ignoring friends and professors the moment he’s sure they aren’t her. When he doesn’t see her immediately, Harry looks not at the crowds but the grounds, the walls, to see if she’s lying down somewhere. She could still be resting, or maybe she has a broken leg or something and can’t move. There is still a way that she could be alive. There is still a way that she could come back to him.

No sign of her. Harry is about to leave the courtyard and try searching somewhere else, and then he sees a hand crumpled near a pile of rubble. The hand, bloody and streaked with dust, is connected to an arm, an arm which lies limp from a shoulder, which leads to a chest which leads to a face, a face he knows, a face which is Y/N’s.

Harry is kneeling on the ground in a flash. The body of a fallen Death Eater is somewhere to the side, and Harry has the brief, proud thought that Y/N managed to kill one of them before she– He cuts himself off just in time.

Y/N seems perfectly fine by all accounts, were it not for the ash beginning to tint her face a lifeless shade. It gets everywhere, that stuff, but it won’t matter, they’ll have time to clean up later, once it is all over. It is all over, he realizes belatedly, but not quite yet. Not until she sits up again and smiles at him like she always does.

Harry waits for this to happen, for her chest to rise and fall, for any sign of movement. Nothing comes. It is only sitting here, waiting, watching for nothing, when he realizes at last that Y/N is dead. He missed his chance to save her. Y/N is dead because Harry couldn’t beat Voldemort fast enough.

The grief crashes over him in spasming attacks. He cannot lose her, not like this. It was easier to be the one dying when he knew she would go on to live a long, happy life, but this is wholly different and much worse. Y/N deserved far more than a death at seventeen. She deserved far more than Harry letting her down in this final way.

He can’t allow this to happen. Harry has killed the Dark Lord, he has freed the Wizarding World from death and destruction, he will save his girlfriend and it will be his last victory. Harry claws at his pocket for the Resurrection Stone– he almost lost it in the Forbidden Forest, but not quite, and now he has it still– and presses it with shaking hands against her heart. Harry closes his eyes and wishes with everything he has that she would come back.

He doesn’t want to open his eyelids. If it doesn’t work– he can’t look at her again, fallen and still. He stays in the darkness until someone tells him in a light voice, “You can look now, Harry. I’m alright.”

Harry opens his eyes and almost sobs again. There, sitting up, is Y/N. She smiles at him. “Don’t look so surprised. You know what the stone does, don’t you?”

“I do,” he croaks, “but– I was so afraid, Y/N. I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t have to,” she whispers back. “We’ll always be together now.”

He wants this. Harry reaches forward and embraces her. He can hardly feel her hug him back, but she’s probably still injured from the fight. She’ll have to get up to the hospital wing as soon as possible, Madam Pomfrey can make her as good as new in a second’s flash.

Harry steps back so Y/N can stand up, and then he starts to lead her back through the courtyard. Ron and Hermione have caught up to him by now, and they stare at Y/N with undisguised shock.

“She’s back,” Harry says exultantly, as if they couldn’t tell that already.

Hermione nods faintly. “Harry…”

Her voice trails off. Ron lays a comforting hand on her arm, then turns to Harry. “You found her, then?” 

For some reason, he doesn’t seem nearly as happy as Harry thinks the situation deserves. He’s just found out one of his best friends is alive, after all, but instead he seems as if he’s just come from a funeral.

“I did,” Harry confirms. “I’m going to take Y/N to the hospital wing now, just in case.”

Y/N nods in agreement, which makes Ron and Hermione exchange knowing glances again.

“What?” Harry asks, somewhat cross.

“Nothing,” Hermione says a little too quickly. “It’s just– Oh, Harry, you have the Resurrection Stone, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Harry says. “Why do you ask?”

The look in her eyes is deeply sorrowful. “You have to let go, Harry.”

He shakes his head. “What are you talking about? I just got Y/N back, I have to make sure that she’s alright.”

He moves to brush past them, but Ron holds out an arm. “Here, I’ll take Y/N to the hospital wing. How about you stay and talk to Hermione for a little longer?”

Y/N looks unhappy about this, and although Harry doesn’t quite want to be parted from her yet, he can’t technically see any problems with this, so he agrees, and watches mournfully as Y/N trails away behind Ron. She’s moving slower than usual, but again, that must be due to injury.

Hermione takes him by the arm and steers him away from the quickly burgeoning crowds. “Harry,” she begins slowly, “Do you remember what Xenophilius Lovegood said about the Deathly Hallows, about the Stone in particular? How it drove the second brother mad because his bride came back from the dead, but she was never really the same?”

“I do,” Harry says vaguely, not entirely sure what this has to do with him, “But that’s not the case with Y/N, though, she’s fine. I reckon it’s because I have the Elder Wand too, you know?”

Hermione sighs. “Harry, that’s not the Y/N you lost. She’s different. I think she’s closer to a ghost than a person.”

“No,” Harry says unsteadily, “She’s just like I remember, honestly. I don’t know what you’re talking about. She’s nothing like a ghost.”

Hermione takes a slow breath in and out. She’s obviously fighting tears. “That’s because she hasn’t been herself lately, even before she– even before she died, Harry. The war has been hard on all of us, but her especially. It’s taken quite the toll on her, so much so that you would see a ghost of the girl you knew and still think it was her.”

“That makes no sense,” Harry protests, but a persistent feeling of doubt is starting to shadow his mind.

“I can prove it,” Hermione insists, and reaches into her pocket to pull out a photograph.

Harry holds it in his hands and stares. He remembers the moment this photo was taken more than he recognizes the actual people inside of it. This was one of the last days they had to themselves before the war broke out in earnest and everything went to hell. It had been in the spring, all four of them in the Gryffindor Common Room. Colin Creevey had taken the photo while they were unawares and to punish him, they’d confiscated it. Harry had no idea Hermione had held onto it, but now he’s pressingly grateful that she had.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all look the same, albeit a little younger, a little less beaten down, but Y/N– the Y/N in this photograph is nothing like the girl he’d just seen. This Y/N is vibrant, laughing uproariously at a joke one of them has just told. The version of her in the photograph turns with a start when the photo is taken, but she’s still grinning up at him, still happy. Harry feels as if a saturation charm has been cast upon the photo, it’s the only thing that would explain why she looks so bright and alive here.

Alive, unlike how she looks right now, because she isn’t. Harry had tried to bring her back, but it hadn’t worked completely. Just like in Lovegood’s story. He thinks back to the past few months and he remembers how Y/N had been, how the light had slowly drained from her. The constant running had been hard on all of them, but it was worst of all on Y/N. She was the one forever thinking of new places to go, new things to try, wearing the locket for the longest, never putting up a fight. Slowly but surely, it had coaxed the life out of her, so much so that Harry couldn’t even tell when she was just a shade he had brought back from the dead.

Hermione nods slowly, seeing that Harry understands at last. “I’m sorry, Harry. I’m so sorry.”

“So am I,” he murmurs bleakly.

“Are you going to end the enchantment?” She asks him.

Harry feels like he’s drowning, engulfed in the ash and flame surrounding him. “I will. Just– let me say goodbye first.”

“Of course,” Hermione says. “We’ll be here when you need us.”

It’s more than he can ask of her right now, both to pull him out and to support him when he’s reeling from the shock of it all. They must be devastated too, Hermione and Ron, both of them have friends here who have died in this final battle and throughout the whole war, but they’re putting him first again. He’ll never be able to thank them enough for that, but he can try.

An idea occurs to him as he walks over to Y/N. He’s still got the Elder Wand in his pocket. He hadn’t needed it for the Resurrection Stone, he hadn’t even been touching it, but maybe– just maybe–

He casts a quick summoning charm to bring his invisibility cloak over, then pulls the Resurrection Stone out of his pocket. The Elder Wand in his other hand completes the triad. All three Deathly Hallows, all together at last. Dumbledore had wondered what having all of them together might do, how one might finally become a Master of Death. He had mused once that perhaps one had to accept the inevitability of one’s own death, to brush it off and greet Death as an old friend, as the third brother had done in the tale.

Harry has done this already. Died. He accepted it then. Facing Y/N, he accepts it now. He may die from doing this, but it would be alright. Y/N deserves to live. Harry embraces his fate, whatever it may be. He has the Hallows, but he would give them up for her, he would give up anything. Even himself. He has not meant a spell like this before, except once, and he swears he never will.

There’s a sudden rush of wind around him that forces Harry’s eyes shut, just for a moment. When he opens them, Y/N is still there, but she’s a shade no longer. This time, when she surges forward and hugs him, he feels the embrace completely. 

“It’s really me,” she laughs, shocked, “I don’t know how you did it, Harry, but I’m really back.”

“You promise?” Harry gasps, half choking on his own surprise.

“I promise,” she smiles.

Harry glances back over his shoulder to where Hermione and Ron are watching with dropped jaws. One look at his friends is all he needs to know at last that yes, this is real. He’s finally won. The Dark Lord is dead. His love is alive.

At last, at long last, the last of his burdens disappear into the faint light of morning. Harry Potter is free.

harry potter tag list: @rogueanschel, @cameronsails, @neewtmas, @lovesanimals0000, @with-inked-solace, @sher-lokid7, @eclliipsed, @frenchgirlinlondon, @23victoria, @ilovexavierthrope

all tags list: @wordsarelife

[kaylatoonz]

Evil grows in the dark and heroes bloom in the light

This idea feels more of an AU than a possibility of this happening in the SCU but it is fun to write/draw nonetheless.

This idea is inspired by the Sonic Fleetway comics, tangled, and Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride.

(I made this before I knew if Jim Carry was returning as Eggman in any future installment, just to let you know)

After the events of the third movie, Eggman is defeated once again this time at the cost of his life. Agent Stone is devastated at the loss of HIS doctor and wants vengeance against Sonic and his friends. Unfortunately, he would have to bide his time and lay low until the heat died down. With the ultimate weapon loss, he scavenges G.U.N base one last time in search of anything from Eggman or the government to use against Sonic in the future.

During the search, Stone discovers a brown hedgehog in a cryo-chamber similar to the one Shadow was found in. After looking into some files, he learns the subject, Project Rose seems to be a failed attempt at re-creating a more docile version of Project Shadow (to control better) years after Shadow was deemed too dangerous. At first, Stone was appalled by the idea of using another alien mutant to progress his plans for revenge, it hadn’t worked out the last two times! Not having a lot of options he took his chance with this creature, deciding that he would play his cards carefully this time and dispose of the beast as soon as possible if necessary.

Months later, Agent Stone, discovered like Shadow she has a connection to chaos energy, though a lot weaker and more unstable. Similar to when his doctor wielded the master emerald power, she can create anything from the material she’s offered. She also has supernatural strength, enhanced athletic/acrobatic, an unexplainable sixth sense, and cloaking abilities.

The only downside is that her powers are more limited compared to Shadow or Sonic and even seem to put a lot of strain on her body. He predicts that her body will expire in a matter of months or a year at best. Not that he cared as long as he got his revenge on Sonic, she would be one less problem to deal with once he was done, anyway.

Since Agent Stone doesn’t have the vast intelligence of his beloved doctor he settles with using Amy to create complex machinery. By night he causes trouble for Sonic heroes making sure they never forget the doctor (the team doesn’t know Agent Stone is the one causing trouble). By day he brings back material and blueprints he managed to scavenge during his nightly ventures.

Each day, Rose would create machinery, and weapons, unbeknownst to her that aided him in his conquest to destroy the blue pest and his friends. Unfortunately, for him, despite having many of the doctor's glorious blueprints and plans at hand, none have come close to destroying his foes.

Rose could easily see Mr. Stone’s frustration whenever he returned from his “night job”. Wanting to cheer her guardian up, she decided to sneak out and gather some material to make Mr. Stone happy. Rose, never having been outside, is quickly enamored by the luscious forest and flowers. So much so that she didn’t notice a blue blue until he was right on top of her.

Stone had relocated his base Of operation from the coffee shop to the depth of the forest of Greenhills. so it was a matter of time before Rose was at the “wrong” place at the “wrong” time resulting in her encountering the blue blur.

After untangling themselves they get a good look at each other and both are shocked. Sonic was in shock due to meeting another hedgehog who had hauntingly familiar eyes, leaving him gawking at the girl like an idiot. While Rose is shocked to meet another creature like herself but with such beautiful quills. Rose is quick to excitedly shoot questions out to the shell-shocked hedgehog. Before Rose could get a response from the blue hedgehog she sensed Agent Stone returning to the base so cut the meeting short. She quickly grabbed one of the daisies she dropped early and suggested they meet here again sometime to get to know each other better. Again before Sonic can respond the hedgehog girl disappears before his eyes (literally).

Upon returning to the base Rose decides to keep her meeting with the mysterious blue hedgehog secret for now, not wanting to get in trouble for sneaking out. She didn’t think a two-petal daisy would cheer up Mr. Stone or make up for running off. Things progress like usual with Mr. Stone, bringing in material and blueprints of bots to practice her creation ability. The session goes on like any other until Rose’s mind can’t help but wander back to the blue hedgehog. And unbeknownst to her it influences her powers to create the head of a metallic blue hedgehog instead of a plain android like the blueprint. Noticing her mistake, Rose quickly tries to apologize and explain herself though Stone calmly brushes it off. Stone smiles at Rose for the first time in a while (if ever) and tells her that she is on to something and this may be her best work yet. So before Rose could exhaust herself for today, he excused her from their session for today and sent Rose to her room.

Behind closed doors, Agent Stone was a bit furious that the insolent creature had shown its first sign of disobedience and interacted with the blue menace nonetheless! But that didn’t matter for now her day would be numbered soon enough. Now he had the perfect plan to destroy that hedgehog in the best way possible thanks to his little rose. He would build that robot in that blue rat likeness, using any information gathered from Rose and Sonic’s meetings ( assuming the ungrateful girl will sneak off to see the blue rat again). Then when the sonic bond with the rose reaches its highest, Stone would tear it away from him(just as Sonic did to him) using Sonic's image. Then his friends and family before lastly the blue hedgehog who would most likely be more than broken when Stone strikes the final blow.

Unfortunately for Stone, his plans don’t go exactly as planned. With each meeting, Sonic and Rose's bond grows stronger, and Rose learns and grows. Through Sonic she learns what real healthy love (familial, platonic, and romantic) looks like which eventually helps her realize something up with Mr. Stone. Sadly by the time she comes to this conclusion, Stone has initiated his plans leaving Sonic to believe that she betrayed him. Wanting to right this wrong Rose lends her aid to team Sonic to defeat the metal monster of her creation. With the chaos emeralds and Rose's help, they were able to defeat Metal Sonic and Agent Stone, but at the cost of Rose's life. The battle she had put herself through, pushed her body to the limit, exhausting all the chaos energy that was meant to keep her alive and stable. Devastated sonic kneels down to his rose, holding her close begging, her to wake up. Stone takes satisfaction in the fact that despite his failure he had given Sonic a taste of how he felt when he took his doctor away.

As Agent Stone is taken in by the G.U.N agents Sonic pays them no mind as he desperately tries to offer up as much chaos energy to Rose’s body in hopes of reviving her. It seemingly has some effect on the hedgehog girl as her quills go from brown to pink and when her eyes eventually open they are a bolder green compared to his own.

Bonus context:

Agent Stone is the type of man who would take satisfaction in a loss if it means, he leaves his enemy physically or mentally scarred. (in the IDW pre-quill comic. He was pretty intimidating so I wanted to go the extra step). he doesn’t care about ruling the world like Eggman (nothing matters if Eggman can’t be the one on top in the end). He just wants to hurt Sonic and his friends/family as much as he can.

In the beginning, Sonic keeps his meeting between him and Rose secret for selfish reasons. Sonic loved his brothers but sometimes he wanted some things or someone to himself (sonic still adjusting to sharing with his brothers). After the ordeal with Shadow, sonic also wanted some semblance of peace or escapism from the trauma. It isn’t until Sonic starts to notice that Rose’s home life might not be so great that Sonic starts to get his brothers and parents involved. Because of this sonic still feels guilty that he could’ve done something sooner.

After watching Disney’s Tangled with the Wachowskis, Amy teasingly calls Sonic her Rapunzel while Sonic insists that it’s the other way around.

Agent Stone is basically mother Gothel to Rose, so she has experienced a lot of gaslighting and guilt-tripping from Stone.

Rose takes up the name Amy as her first name a few months after she leaves Stone's custody. Despite her name coming from a dark place (Project Rose) she wants to keep it while adding something new to it representing the start of her new life as Amy Rose.

Sonic thinks Amy looks beautiful before and after her transformation.

After spending some time at the Wackowski‘s recovering, Amy takes off on her own leaving a note to Sonic explaining how she is going to explore the world for herself and promising that they’ll meet again. Sonic is a bit sad at first but lightens up in the hopes of meeting her again.

If Shadow is still alive and crosses paths with Amy, he would consider her his little sister and do anything to protect her after learning about her connection to him.

Agent Stone would be on Shadow’s kill list after finding out what that man put his sister through.

Shadow would probably gatekeep Amy from Sonic.

[levis-coffeecup]

chapter 29| Turning Page

WC-6.5k

Summary

The underground is filthy and dark. Dim lights, dull alleys, and desperate hearts. A place Levi knows as well as the back of his hand, and a place he would do anything to get out of.

Chapters of life roll by and with the turn of a page, things drastically change. In front of him is the opportunity to live on the surface. And the flimsy bridge that he has to cross. From an uncivil criminal to a disciplined soldier.

But life on the surface seems tougher amidst all the mockery, civilities, and the gaping hole left in his heart, after the demise of his dear friends Isabel and Farlan.

Content/Warnings

canon- compliant, canon-typical violence, spoilers for No Regrets OVA, descriptions of PTSD, grief, depression, heavy angst and themes, strong language, self-hate, physical assault.

Author’s Note

OMG hiii guysss!

Can't believe that this is the last chapter!! There's so much gratitude in my heart right now. This has been a long long (irregular🤡) ride, and I'm grateful to everyone who's sticked around!

I've tried my best to write an amazing chapter since its the last, which is why this got so delayed. (And I might also have been overworked to the core at work lol ) But there's going to be a long ass note at the the end of the chapter about everything!

Song for the final chapter is by Turning Page by Sleeping at Last!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

Chapters

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Masterlist | Playlist | Other Works

APRIL 857

It’s an hour past 12, and Levi sits on his balcony looking at the midnight sky.

The thick veil of pollution prevents the stars from being visible. Instead there's street lights and high beams from cars, twinkling on the ground.

He misses the stars from Paradis. It was the first thing he fell in love with once he came to the surface. And he wonders, whether Mae is looking at the stars and thinking of him as well?

The world outside the walls is beautiful.

There are soaring cathedrals that almost reach the sky, and beautiful temples with the most intricate architecture. There’s snow capped mountains and beautiful cherry blossoms. And everyday, from his tiny balcony, he gets to see the sun sink below the sharp silhouette of the towers.

He’s getting to experience the world his comrades died for.

But as beautiful the outside world is, it isn’t home

The development of technology seems unfamiliar. And the people around him haven’t lived their entire lives caged in fear. These people don’t know the cost of freedom.

It has been so long since he’s been back home.

It’s been so long since the Rumbling too.

The earth was left razen. Mountains crumbled to dust and forests burnt to ashes. Countries had simply been wiped off the face of the earth. Years of civilization and developmentsnuffed out in an instant, with no one to record their names.

But against the odds, humanity managed to survive. Traumatized and beaten, but still alive.

Miraculously Levi made it too.

Jean and Connie found him half dead, on the foot of Fort Salta. He was lapsing in and out of consciousness. Devoid of the strength to even stand up.

Tents were made into makeshift hospitals, food was meager. And his first few months were spent on a wooden cot,bed ridden with the stinging pain of his knee and his yearning for Mae.

He yearned to see her when he was trapped with Zeke for a month, he yearned to see her when he woke up with searing pain and bandages all over his face. And now the war was over, but he couldn’t get back to her.

The Rumbling destroyed everything humanity had ever strived for. Rail tracks, roads, ports, farms… everything was abolished as an aftermath.

It was impossible to get to the other side of the world.

Gradually Levi recovered, it took him almost a year. But his strength never returned. The tiniest task would turn him breathless, and the sight in his right eye was gone for good.

The doctors diagnosed him a plethora of health problems. And he was never allowed to look weak, but now he was in a wheelchair, needing help to pick things up from the floor. Life dealt him one blow after another.

Armin, Jean and Connie became busy, making peace with the remaining nations. Mikasa never returned. And Levi found himself, all alone. With a chaotic mind, and too much time on his hands.

Soon the Allied Nations rescued all the survivors from the Titan Waste Lands. Marley was no more, so most refugees ended up taking asylum in Hizuru.

And by the courtesy of Kiyomi Azumabito, Levi was gifted an apartment in the center of the city hall, and citizenship. A tiny apartment in between a lush square, in the city center.

It was tiny, but homely enough. And he would love sitting on the balcony and watching the outside world.

Life got more comfortable and Levi got to see the sights his comrades died for.

But there were still days where he barely had enough strength to pick his remaining fingers. Those days were the worst. And he felt like the walls of his apartment would swallow him up.

The purpose of his life was over. Hange was gone. Erwin was gone. Life came crashing down.

And sometimes, under the flicker of a candlelight, at his tiny desk, he would close his eyes, and imagine that he’s back in Mae’s old house. Learning the alphabet, listening to the soft scratches of her pen as she corrected his writings. It seemed like lifetimes had passed since then.

Mae was always with him, through all his hurdles he faced on the surface. And now he had to face an awfully big one, without her.

So he decided he’ll start to learn writing again. With two fingers of his right hand gone, he had to re-learn how to hold a pen again. He told Onyaknapon to get him books, so he could trace over letters, trying to perfect every curve. Just the way Mae had taught him.

It gave him a sense of purpose, and it also made him feel close to her in some way.

It took three years for the Yeagerists to finally agree to a cordial discussion with the Alliance. Historia sent letters to everyone. And this morning the Alliance left, back to their hometown.

Armin did extend an invitation to him too. But Levi didn’t want to be associated with the world anymore. He didn’t have the strength for it nor the will. His job was done.

“Captain,” A voice pulls him out of his thoughts. Behind him is a sliding door that leads to his room. And on the bed sits Onyakapon.

He points at the three thick journals that take up most of his space in his briefcase.“Are you sure you want to take these back?”

And Levi contemplates. Paper doesn’t spoil, and he should rather carry some spare clothes to keep himself clean.

“Leave the journals there.” His voice comes out gruff, and then it turns wispy. Everything he’s ever felt in these years without her and his limbs, is penned in these flimsy sheets of paper.

“It’s letters I have written to her.” There is no need to clarify. There’s no need to carry his journals all the way back either. But he does it either way. The war has changed him. And Levi realises he doesn’t have to torture himself anymore.

“I’m surprised you never got her to meet us.” Onyakapon smirks. He could have never guessed the captain had a lover.

And a faint smile appears on Levi’s lips as the curve of her smile plays on his mind. He wonders if she found the pearl ring and his letter. He never found the courage to directly hand it to her.

It’s been three years. Three long painful years. Perhaps, she’s forgotten all about him.

“Tch, as if I’ll let you filths near her.” He brushes his feelings off. Masking his thoughts with harsher words. Some things truly never change.

A flight passes over his head, he’ll probably sit in the next one.

“I hope everything is safe out there, hope there’s no hostility.” Onyakapon mumbles as he closes the briefcase.

And Levi gets off from his wheelchair, limping towards his bedpost. “No harm from a guy in a wheelchair.” He tries to joke, but there’s a prick in his heart.

He can’t pick things from the shelf. Some Days he also needed help to get to the toilet. And even though he’s returning back to Mae, there’s nothing he can do for her now.

And while happiness was never a part of his destiny. He hopes she’s happy. At least one of them must be.

“Well if things are bad, you can always come back here captain.” Onyakapon’s voice cuts through the constant torture of his thoughts.

The words bring him enough solace to take him through the night. A rare smile tugs on his lips. “Thanks Onyakapon.”

It’s going to be a long trip.

_________________________

It’s 10 am, and it’s sweltering hot in Mitras. Sweat clings to Levi’s skin, and he wipes it off with the back of his hand.

His briefcase sits on his lap. And he pushes his wheelchair through the dirt road,

Vast meadows stretch in front of him. The air is fresh, and a plethora of apple trees border the sides of the road. Its shade is very welcome in the sun.

Farmhouses are scattered at a distance, crops grow in structured rows. And Levi taps his heel, as he moves past them mindlessly. His thoughts are only set on one.

Historia told him Mae’s house was at the end of the apple plantation. Luckily the terrain is flat, and he’s able to maneuver his wheelchair with ease.

Nonetheless, it’s been a tiring ride.

The royal guards did offer to escort him to Mae’s house, but he declined the offer. The moment approaching was too personal to share with a bunch of strangers.

Soon, what he’s searching for comes to vision, and eagerly he moves forward.

100 meters away from him, down the mud path, is a humble home. Its stone walls are smooth, worn out by time. And the roof is thatched with wood and straws.

There’s a small garden at the front, with saplings that are beginning to sprout. And a few meters away from it all is a park. The sight of which bubbles a bittersweet feeling in Levi's chest.

“This is it.” He exhales, cherishing the cold air on his lips. It’s a breath that he’s been holding in for too long. A yearning that has been living in his heart for years now.

His mind jogs back to a small trip they took 5 years back, on Mae’s birthday. She had booked a small cabin nestled in the middle of farmland.

He still remembers the smile on her face, and the way her eyes crinkled in the sunlight.

Her hair flowed in the wind, and he thoughtlessly followed it. Too enamored by the happiness she radiated.

The birds sang, and the lillies seemed to beam.

Stories were told by the fireplace, and they would stargaze from the flower field. Cuddling under the sheets of the stiff bed, and eating lunch under a tree's shade.

She laughed, then he smiled. And for a fleeting moment, Levi had escaped from all his responsibilities.

He realized he could spend his entire life this way, under the shadow of the sun, and the warmth of their love. He couldn’t care less about saving the world, or his tea shop even…

He just wanted to be here with her.

Forever.

But time stopped for no one. And Levi’s prayers had a habit of going unheard.

And now, 5 years later, life has brought him here again. In a secluded countryside so full of beauty and peace, and so unlike him.

This is the kind of life Mae had always wanted to live. Away from the bustle of the city, where she could spend countless hours looking at the stars.

The door to her house softly clicks. And Levi leans forward, with his breath caught in his throat.

He has felt her caress in the warmth of the sunlight. He’s heard the faint echo of her laughter in the rustling of the leaves. Every breath, every movement, was just in the hopes that he’d get to see her again.

Seasons passed by like shadows, and now finally he’s finally here, moments away from her. The journey has been staggeringly hard.

Time passes at a lumbering pace, and Levi feels like he can almost hear the creaking of the door, as it gets swinged open.

Out steps a man with a basket in his hand. He’s well built and tall, and donned in a casual attire.

And Levi’s heart drops to the floor as a sickening feeling of jealousy takes over. All of a sudden the blood is thunderous in his ears.

He feels like he can’t breathe And his heart burns at the thought that her gentle smile turns to a man who isn’t him.

A moment later, a toddler comes out, chasing behind the man.

And Levi clutches the sides of his wheelchair so tight, that his knuckles turn white.

Fuck

He feels like he’ll vomit.

Like salt to his wounds, the man picks up the child. And she smiles so bright, he can see her sweet giggle, even though it's barely audible in the distance.

The man kisses the toddler’s cheeks, and takes her to the park. And Levi watches the scene with a sting in his eye.

He was her lover once but now he's a mere bystander. A powerless man who can do nothing but just watch. The realization is like a punch to his gut, and a bittersweet memory comes to Levi’s mind.

On their last night in the cabin, he told Mae he didn’t have the time to get her a birthday present. And then she shed a silent tear, telling him how she felt like she’s carrying the entire relationship.

It wasn’t too far from the truth. He had too much on his mind as a soldier. And life was not easy when the weight of humanity rested on your shoulder. Some days he didn’t even have the time to think of her.

And Levi knew he was being selfish by keeping her chained to him, but his heart didn’t know a way of living without her.

He asked what he could do to make it up to her, and she asked him to run away to a peaceful place.

All she had ever wanted was to stay next to him.

The decision was clear in his head then, but now he wonders if he should have just eloped with her… It's not like all the wars he’s fought have turned this world into an ideal place.

The impermanence of life… It’s something that he still can’t comprehend.

What is born shall die, what has started shall end. People come and go out at their own pace. The good moments turn stale, and eventually everyone ends up alone, with only memories to comfort them. Time is truly a fickle piece of shit.

The man places the toddler on the swing, before he heads the other way. And Levi gets consumed by his thoughts.

He had people who he once held close too. Erwin, Hange, Isabel, Farlan. But they left.

He wasn’t prepared for their deaths, but somehow he made his peace with it.

But he's not ready to let Mae go yet.

Not when her name is etched in the depths of his heart. Not when her thoughts have troubled him day and night. His heart yearns for her so deep, it doesn’t know another way of living.

It was supposed to be his kid, she was supposed to be his wife. He wanted to start his tea shop too. Life just had some other plans after all.

There were days when he didn’t have the strength to get out of his makeshift bed, there were days where his injuries hurt so much, he thought he’d prefer death over the pain of living like this. But he pushed and pushed.

Because at the end of this tunnel, he saw her.

The sweet end of his tiresome journey, The reward for his unyielding perseverance. His home after years of loneliness.

But it’s been three years now. And she’s not his anymore.

A part of him wants to throttle this man, for laying his hands on her. And a part of him wants to hate on her too. But it isn’t her fault as well.

His heart has been placed in the palm of her hand for far too long. And if she decides to break it, then he’ll just have to disseminate.

He guesses he’ll just have to live with the weight of being all alone.

The silence consumes,

And Levi taps his heel in frustration.

Time passes by painfully slowly. And one minute turns into fifteen.

The man and toddler are long gone now, but Levi still continues to bleed on the edge of his seat. He continues to sweat in the heat. Too nervous to move forward, yet too regretful to turn away.

Old habits die hard, he guesses.

The strength to move forward wanes from his body and every breath he takes only shatters his composure into pieces. He never thought he’d have to taste defeat, after winning over the entire world.

There’s some shuffling in the woods, and he swivels around aghast. His reflexes are not as sharp as he used to be. And he’s too exhausted to put on the act of a stone cold person.

He tries honing on the sound of movement but what use would that even be?

Back in the day he had the strength to beat any person to a pulp. But now with his crippled leg, he’s more of a burden, than a lover.

His hands trace back to his scars, a habit he has recently developed. And insecurity floods his mind.

He feels stupid pondering over something as trivial as his appearance. He wouldn’t even pay it a thought when he was in the Survey Corps. But he’s on the way to meet the love of his life and there’s these scars on his face that make him look fucking hideous.

The pit he's falling into is not unfamiliar. It’s something that bothers him everytime he looks into the mirror.

And in the haze of his insecurities. A sweet voice finds him.

“Dadd-a?”

He gasps, slowly turning towards the voice.

A little girl peeks at him from behind a tree trunk. He can’t see much of her, as she’s a few feet away, partly covered between the dense layers of trees. But he recognises her as the same child, who stepped out of Mae’s house a few moments ago.

The silence stretches, and she continues looking at him. With her eyes all wide and beaming. And Levi sighs, not knowing how to react.

He decides he doesn’t have it in him to see Mae or her happy family. He’ll just come back another day, when his heart hurts a little less.

And so he turns his wheelchair around, almost taking a U turn. But the same innocent voice stops him again.

“Dadd-a,” the girl squeals, and her tiny shoes squeak as she waddles towards him.

And Levi feels stumped, when she wraps her tiny body around his leg.

He’s always been quick to react to situations, but now he’s frozen.

He wonders why this little girl is hugging his leg, and how she’s not scared of how scary he looks with the huge scars on his face.

And as much bitterness his heart holds at the cruel turn of fate, her purity washes it away. Slowly, gently, deliberately. His features soften, and he decides the least he can do is drop her back home to safety.

He huffs, bending down to pick her up. And as he lifts her up by her armpits, his eyes are met with the same shade of silver.

Her skin is pale, papery white in complexion and her hair is the same shade of midnight black as his. Everything from the shape of her face to the shade of her lips comes from him. And there’s also a little cravat tucked inside her red polka dot dress.

“Daddaaa,” she chimes as if she recognizes him.

And a shuddered breath escapes his lips. Her smile… It comes from Mae.

She is his. Theirs. A part of him and a part of Mae.

And Levi has faced strong emotions before. He’s had his stomach churn with anxiety, and he’s had his heart overrun with grief and loss. He’s always anticipated all the things that could happen in his future, trudged every moment with caution. But no amount of preparedness could prepare him for the moment in front of him.

His hands tremble, as he puts her down on the floor. He’s a father now… he’s been a father for the past 3 years. It's too much to process. And his heart beats so fast in his chest, he’s afraid it will break out of his ribs.

“Lilly, Lilly,” A familiar voice cuts through the moment and his heart skips a beat.

“How many times have I told you not to-” Mae steps out of the trees, panting and worried. But the sight in front of her makes the words on her tongue scurry away.

Levi is a few meters away from her, in a wheelchair with 2 long scars running down his face, just the way the Queen had foreseen in the paths.

Everyday, she has stared at this road for countless hours, waiting for him to show up. It feels like she’s waited a lifetime to see him again.

The years of separation pass by her eyes.

Countless nights were spent crying into his shirt and every breath felt like a burden.

Everyone was ecstatic about the liberation of their island. And Mae was condemned to be alone, with her dwindling will to live.

Then she met Samuel and Claus, the soldiers who showed empathy to her, in a world that had become too hostile for anyone who supported the alliance.

They took her to the Queen, and the Queen recognised her instantly, as the doctor who helped when Trost was breached.

And as a Survey Corps Soldier who was once a part of the Levi’s squad, the Queen made it her mission to protect and provide for the ones who were close to the Alliance.

That’s when Mae moved into the peaceful countryside, with Jean and Connie’s mom.

Living with people who dealt with the same grief surely gave some solace, but life was still painful. And in the midst of her pain, like a beam of light into stark darkness, her baby came into this world.

And Mae never thought she’d get to see Levi’s eyes again, but they were right in front of her. Resting so peacefully against her chest.

That night she cried tears of gratitude. Life crashed into her as peacefully as it could.

“Mama mama, dadd-a has come back,” Her daughter squeals, with her tiny finger pointing towards Levi. Her grasp on her leg is still tight, and her eyes sparkle with joy.

And Mae tries to smile, but it gets dissolved in the trail of her tears.

This moment has haunted her every second, wrecked her entire being. And as she steps closer to the dream of Levi she’s had, every night since she was pregnant, the details of him come to life.

Her eyes follow the strong curve of his jaw, chiseled as if it has been carved by an artist. The ridge of his nose is sharp as always and his thin eyebrows are slightly disheveled.

She caresses him with her gaze, before her touch can even come close.

Two different Levi’s look back at her now. On the left, his face is marred, with two long scars running down his face. He is hurt and hidden away. And she can never see him through his cloudy iris.

But in his other eye, there are flecks of hope. The black of his pupil has expanded, and his iris shines blue in the sunrays. He wears his heart on his sleeve, Mae swears she has never seen him this vulnerable before.

And she might have lived without him for 3 years, but he has lived inside her every second, in her every thought. Her hand extends towards him out of deprivation.

Life hasn’t been the kindest to her.

But when the pads of her fingers reach the hollow of his cheek, her heart steadies itself. Whenever her eyes met his orbs , her ears met his voice, and her body met his touch. His familiarity always envelopes her. As if the hearth of a warm house, always welcoming and open.

Her hands reach to his lips, the shape of which she can trace on paper, even with her eyes shut close.

And Levi closes his eyes in alleviation.

There’s a search for words. Words for the longing, words for the separation.

And Mae shudders, as the pads of her fingers skim over his skin. They trace over his scars, the old and the new. From the top of his forehead, down to the edge of his chin. From the curve of his necks down the length of his arms.

Three years have passed by, but his features are still as strong.

Her caress reaches the end of his arm, and her fingers find the indents of his knuckles. Gingerly she takes his palm into hers,

And Levi is quick to wrap the 3 fingers that remain on his hand, around her.

Her touch feels both foreign and achingly familiar. He has craved this so much.

Mae’s eyes widen at the gesture, heavy with tears. And she kisses the spot where his 2 fingers once used to be. Levi is as real as ever, she can feel every divot of his skin against her lips.

The realization breaks her, and she drops to the floor. With her head on his lap, and her arms sprawled all over his thighs.

There’s disbelief, there’s elation. The feeling can never be put into words. Her shoulders wilt, heavy with the pain of separation, and she cries into his lap.

“I missed you… You weren’t there.” Her voice is muffled against his skin. “I thought I’d never see you again.” Her sobs pierce through the quiet of the farmland.

And he stares wide eyed, biting back his tears as well.

The pain she has carried with her all these years, is right in front of him. Laced into the heavy sobs that rake through her frame.

And Levi knows he should pick her up and kiss the shit of her, but he’s frozen. For his gaze is stuck on the familiar pearl ring that rests on her ring finger.

Words fail him, and his heart spasms in his chest. “D-did y-you ? He can only stutter, as his touch lingers over the pearl. ”A-after all this time?”

The question hangs in the air, but the answer is right in front of him. In the grief that occupies her heart, in the love that still brims in her eyes. And in the tiny girl who looks exactly like him.

It feels like all the sacrifices he’s made in life have finally come to fruition. His directionless quest has finally found its destination. His exhausted soul has found its shelter.

There’s such mercy in this moment, all he can do is shudder and let out an exhale. Maybe in exhaustion, maybe in fulfillment.

And Mae looks up at him, her eyes tinged red with tears. “I was only going to wait one more year, good that you came back in time.”

He puts his hand on her head, and her body trembles beneath his touch. All the grief she has held onto for so long, slows paroles in the form of her tears.

The scene is as heartbreaking, as it is rewarding.

“Ma-ma,” Lilly babbles, her voice as bright as sunlight cutting through storm clouds. And Levi looks at her as she tries to fit herself in the space between Mae’s hunched frame and his legs.

She settles into Mae’s lap, and Mae is forced to look into her eyes full of wonder.

“Mama…” she coos, and her tiny hands wipe the fat tears that roll down Mae’s face.” Dad-da’s back, don-t be sad.”

And Mae smiles at that, certainly she takes a lot from her father.

“You’re right, my love…let’s take Dada home shall we?” Her voice turns gentler, and she gets up with Lily in her arms.

“Levi?” Mae questions, gesturing towards his lap.

And Levi hesitates, a little too afraid that he’s too scary for the delicate human being.

“You’ll be a great father, don’t worry.”

The second time he looks at her, he knows he’s doomed. Her cheeks are round and full, as if there’s food stuffed inside them. And her eyes are just like his, but there’s a brightness in them that he never had.

She settles on his lap. And as he wraps his arms around her waist, she places her tiny palms on his scarred forearms. And Levi realizes there is nothing he wouldn’t do for this tiny person that he’s just met a few moments ago.

His heart feels full of love.

Mae starts pushing his wheelchair forward. And he closes his eyes, as he feels the wind against his face. It’s a moment that makes him feel grateful to be alive.

In a span of a few minutes, they’re already outside the veranda to her house. And Levi can smell the Lavender she has planted in the front garden.

“It’s not a big house but it’s enough. I stay here with Jean and Connie’s mom… Luckily for us though, they’ve gone to Trost for a bit.” Mae speaks, as she picks Lily from Levi’s lap, and places her inside the house.

“It’s a very sweet place though. All the farmers staying around often visit. It’s like a big family. Borris was here too, half an hour back. You might have seen him…he wanted to take some cookies for his son.”

“Ahh,’ Levi drawls, as if he didn’t spend fifteen minutes hating on that man. “I don’t think I saw him.”

She takes his briefcase in one hand, and hooks her other arm around his waist. Slowly helping him up the short flight of stairs. And he wants to do nothing, but melt in her embrace

“I can walk for a few minutes.” Her murmurs, almost embarrassed.

“You’re not walking anywhere until I check your leg myself.” She reprimands, but the softness in her eyes contradicts her strict tone.

As it turns out, Mae’s house is very much a home.

The interior is simple and modest. There’s a couch, two wooden chairs and a table in the front room. The wooden floor creaks as he steps in. And the walls are filled with the crayon marks.

“I’ll get your wheelchair inside.” Mae mumbles as she seats Levi on the couch.

And when Mae comes back in again, Lilly has already managed to climb on the couch. She’s standing on Levi’s lap with her hands on his cheeks. The faintest of smiles plays on Levi’s lips, and he holds her by the waist, making sure she doesn’t lose balance.

The sight makes Mae’s heart swell. Her entire world is now in front of her. Her heart feels so full and so heavy at the same time. And her eyes turn misty again.

“Oi oi, don’t start with all the crying again?” Levi mutters as he notices her standing by the door.

And Mae sniffs, overwhelmed. “I’ll make you some tea?”

“Yaa- Da-dda love teaaa.” Lilly squeals, before Levi can even respond to Mae.

And Mae smiles. Her family is finally complete... a few years back she would have never believed she’d get the privilege of experiencing this.

And just as she’s about to turn towards the kitchen, Levi stops her.

“Mae…” His voice drawls, and he pats the spot next to him. “Tea can wait.”

_________________________

The world outside fades into a quiet hum as the bustle of the morning stretches into the lull of the afternoon.

The sun has draped itself over the earth, like a soft blanket. And Levi rests on the bed. He’s just finished his lunch, and he allows himself to sink into the mattress.

Time seems to have been caught in the gentle sway of the trees, and Levi takes his sweet time looking at the things around him.

Lily's soft toys are stacked on top of the cupboard. And there's a wooden cabinet, filled with all of Mae's favorite books.

The curtains are made of colorful crocheted patchwork. And somehow Mae has managed to bring most of her things from her house in Trost here.

But it's not just that. Levi's stuff is here too.

There’s a cupboard next to Mae with his clothes folded and organized just the way he likes it. His favorite novels and teacups are kept in a separate cabinet. And right in front of the bed, there's a wall with paintings of the three of them together.

It feels like nothing has changed, like he was never away.

And everytime he closes his eyes, his heart begins to race. But for the first time, the adrenaline that flows through him isn’t nerve-racking. It feels exciting

The curtains above his head billow softly with the wind. A mild breeze enters the bedroom and Levi tilts his face to bask in its warmth.

His whole world now lies in his arms. Snoring peacefully, with her hand wrapped around his finger. She's so tiny, that all of her body fits on his torso.

And he lets out a sigh as he feels the subtle rise of her tiny chest against his own.

“Are you not able to sleep, because all of a sudden there’s a child on your chest, and you don’t know where she came from?” Mae steps into the room, quietly shutting the door behind her.

“I can clearly tell where she comes from.” Levi comments as he looks at his dear daughter. “Is this why you were crying so much the day I was leaving for Marley?”

“Mhmm… “ Mae nods, as she rests her back against the door. And Levi closes his eyes, listening to her voice.

“You had to save the world Levi, you had to give it your all. And you would have died hating yourself if you knew you had a child coming into the world, that you weren’t going to be there for… As much as I was dying to tell you about my pregnancy, I thought it was best to keep it from you…” It’s an uncomfortable topic that defines the rest of their future, Mae’s eyes fall to the ground.

If only she would look up, she would see Levi with the faintest of smiles, thinking of how he can actually see her instead of imagining her.

“I know a child was never something you wanted… So I understand how complicated this situation can be for you.” Mae goes on and Levi lays still with his eyes shut in contentment, hoping for time to slow down.

“What?” She gasps, finally looking up at him. “Say something? I’ll never know how you’re feeling if you don’t tell me about it.”

Finally his eyes flutter open, and he looks at her through the curtain of his lashes. A faint smile plays on his lips, and his cheeks turn pink as he stretches out his other hand towards her. “Come here.”

In an instant, her features soften, turning into one of relief. And she smiles as makes her way to him.

She rests her head on his shoulder.And he drinks in every detail. As if he’s a parched man, dying of thirst. His heart pounds in his chest, and then his gaze falls towards her lips.

It doesn’t take too long for their lips to fuse together. It’s a simple kiss, but it’s been years.

They part in bliss.

And Levi brings her hands to his lips, pressing a doting kiss on her skin. She’s his to keep, his to salvage.He can’t put his gratitude into words.

“Thank you.” His voice is heavy. “ I-I…” He wants to tell her how happy he is to be next to her. He wants to tell her how exhausting it was without her. And that he can’t believe she’s all his. He wants to tell her about all the letters he’s written to her. But his heart is lodged so deep in his throat that he can’t squeak out the words he desperately wants to say.

“Rest my love.” She keeps her thumb on his lip, tracing his bottom lip. “We have time.”

His eyes flutter shut at her words, and her hand reaches to the top of his head. She starts combing out the hair that falls on his forehead.

His old scars have faded, almost blending into his skin. And the hard muscles on his chest have been replaced with soft dimpled skin. The lines in the corner of her eyes run deep.

He’s softer now. Marked by age, but just as beautiful.

Her finger traces down his cheek, following the scar that runs across his face. The feeling of his skin dipping under her fingers almost feels overwhelming.

“Levi,” she calls, caressing the side of his face. And he responds by leaning into her touch.

“I can’t believe you’re real,” She murmurs.

The silence is blissful.

And Levi feels his heart flutter, just like it did when she held his hand for the first time.

“Mae…” his voice trails off and he gulps. “How did Lily recognise me?... It feels like she knows so much about me?”

And Mae tilts her head up. “She’s heard stories about you ever since she was in my womb, of course she knows a lot about you… We even got someone to draw a portrait of you last year, because she wanted to see you for her birthday.”

“She thinks you’re some kind of hero Levi.” Mae yawns, “A few months back, she was trying to eat food by herself, and she ended up making a mess… which was fine because she was just learning, but she started crying frantically, and I asked her what happened? She said Dada wouldn’t like her, because she made a mess and Dada hates messes.”

Mae’s eyes trail to the way her daughter sleeps, with her cheek squished against Levi’s chest, and her eyes are shut close in peace. “She thinks you’re some kind of hero.”

And Levi remains silent. Afraid the words will ruin the tender moment.

It might seem like he’s dozed off, but the pink crawling on his cheek tells otherwise.

And Mae looks at him with the softest of smiles. For the first time in a long while, her heart feels complete.

“Actually she is right… you are a hero.” She mumbles as she closes her eyes in peace.

And a single tear slips past his eye.

He’s finally home.

Thoughts? Thoughts? Thoughts?

I know its a very simple, cliche, happily ever after ending, but I really REALLY wanted Levi to have a family of his own, and experience a normal, happy life, which is why I made Mae pregnant lol.

To anyone who has made this far. I would love to know your thoughts on the entire story. Things you liked, didn't like. Your feedback is crucial.

I'm going to start editing this fic from now on, and whatever you say will be considered. So I would love to know your thoughts on what could get better and be improved.

Something else, I'm very excited about is designing and illustrating a book cover (since I am a graphic designer lol) and get a few hardcopies printed for myself!! I'm assuming I'll be done with it by DEC 25th, so right now I do plan to post an Epilogue/ bonus chapter and share the book cover designs on Dec 25th. (I don;t know if anyone is interested in this, but I'm just doing it for myself hehe)

I would like to thank the many people who have been a constant support while writing this. I don't think I can tag everyone since they are on different platforms, so I'll just mention their names here. @Alexandra218943 , Cupidcup, @musumusuhasi and Abha , I wouldn't have completed this without you, so thank you <3

And to all the people who have commented, and interacted with the story at any point. I want to let you know that I've had a shit month at work, my self esteem has been at an all time low , and the only thing that's made me feel capable of something are your comments, and I keep going back to them! So thank you for that, I am immensely grateful!

[bee-the-loser]

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₊ ⊹☼ Pairing: The8/Xu Minghao x reader ₊ ⊹☼ Synopsis: Multiple chance encounters across lives, with a soul somehow fated to yours throughout ₊ ⊹☼ Genre: Reincarnation au, slight fantasy/historic au ₊ ⊹☼ Word count: 1.67k ₊ ⊹☼ Warnings: Mentions of death, loss and grief. Minor character death mentions ₊ ⊹☼ A/N: This has been sitting in my drafts for a while as I didn't feel that the story was done yet. However, it's at a good point right now to post. Maybe I'll return to add to it further at one point though.

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Loss is an emptiness that eats away at the soul, a metaphorical knife carving it’s design on the surface but leaving behind wounds deep enough to bleed. And the strange thing about loss is you let it. In a sense it’s a sickly beautiful thing to experience as the blood pours out staining over the pure memories and taints them to be forever red. A crimson red that’s the same as the heart that somehow still beats inside your chest, because while it feels like everything should be still, time moves on. Time still encourages hearts to beat and wounds to bleed.

And bleed they do…

Your first loss shouldn’t be considered that actually. There are so many factors that completely contradict it as “the first loss you experienced”. For a start, you had lost people before. A woman who never had the chance to be a mother, your mother, passing away before she got even a second with her child. A young boy, who once you considered a brother, starved under the night sky with his eyes locked onto the moon. After all, Grief was no stranger to your soul. He visited often and settled in your bones like a heavy sick reminder of life.

No, none of these was your first loss. A kind of deep grief, yes, but they felt inevitable somehow.

Your first loss came in a form you never expected. A loss of opportunity and the questions of what could have been. Leaving the first scar of many dotted over your skin.

You didn’t know his name the first time, you barely got to know him at all actually. It was a fleeting moment that stopped the world if just for a second. Even if it was just for you.

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The makeshift grave you created when Chan died was positioned out in a forest glade on the edge of town, giving him the privacy and peace he deserved. An ideal place for him to continue watching the night sky like he did when he was tangible, and now as a star, a place for him to look down on from above. It seems childish now thinking that was how the world worked, that he would stick around for you.

You know better now.

You had been spending the afternoon visiting him, after collecting flowers for your little stall, coming to rest up in the willow tree sheltering the glade from the outside view. The branches allowing you a raised position to look down below, which is how you spotted him initially. This dark haired beauty dressed in clothes that didn’t seem typical for that of normal adventurers. You assumed that’s what he must be, no one else tends to come out that far. Somehow, he had stumbled onto Chan’s clearing though, only the fates may know how, and came to a pause in front of the poorly carved headstone you placed on the first death anniversary. It didn’t matter that there was no body to bury, his memory would live on.

Something about that resonated in this figure’s mind. It wasn’t obvious at first but moments later when you got the first glimpse at his soul-bearing eyes and the way they scanned the words told you all you needed. He was memorising the words, breathing out his very essence into the world and immortalising this time. The phrase you had heard many times before bringing tears to your eyes as it was spoken out loud after a year again.

“The moon sure is lonely tonight”. He was just reading out loud that time, but maybe that’s why it left such an impact. There were no deeper connotations or commitments that suffocated the moment. It was raw and real.

If given the chance of every lifetime, you would chose to return to this moment eternally.

He left not long after that with a new print on his soul in the name of Lee Chan and the fleeting thoughts of a phrase once whispered. It wasn’t until afterwards that you saw the carefully placed bundle of forget-me-nots. Flowers that symbolise memorises and the concept of thinking of loved one ones while one is away. You don’t remember ever have crying as hard as you did that night as you allowed yourself to break down after having repressed everything for a long time. The hope that someone else would continue to think of the young boy and maybe one day return providing a sort of comfort you never realised you needed.

You continued with your routines and visits but never once saw the stranger again. Your first loss came unexpectedly and you couldn’t help but think of what could have happened if things were different. Had Chan been alive to greet him? Had you spoken out to him? Had you got to know him? But you didn’t and so the opportunity passed by and life continued until death came to claim you too.

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What you didn’t expect was the life that came after and the memories that flickered back to you slowly. You could remember it all clearly at first but the more time progressed and lives were lived, the hazier things became. So you wrote to remember. Diary entries inked across pages depicting and detailing each moment and connection you continued to share.

It took you a total of three lives to realise you and your stranger were somehow connected. You seemed destined to spot him under the moonlight over and over again, each time bringing something new for you to note.

However, it was your fourth life that something truly changed, with an opportunity for the two of you to introduce yourselves. A night-time balcony overlooking the palace gardens providing a shared relief from the noise of the party inside. You had yet to see your stranger that lifetime and you certainly weren’t expecting to find him approaching you from behind on his own escape from the ballroom.

Your eyes had found comfort in the solitude of the starlit sky, with a faint recollection of a young voice discussing constellations in great enthusiasm. Your body curled up onto the stone edge with the coldness contrasting to the heat radiating from the party inside. There had been no mention of the balcony being off limits but it seemed abandoned in that moment similar to how you felt. Maybe that is why when you heard the small thuds of footsteps approaching you assumed it was a guard coming to bring you inside. However, as you turned around to face them, your breath stalled inside your throat.

There he was…

Face to face, the moments that followed allowed you both to subtly scan each other’s figures, sharing a second of joint solitude. His clothes reflecting his obviously high social status, yet you naturally found yourself focusing on his deep, knowledgeable eyes. The ones that both equally haunted and comforted your thoughts. Then he spoke and his light voice rung out in a whisper like he was afraid to break the silence.

“I’m sorry for interrupting you, but I needed some time away from the chaos and couldn’t help but notice you out here alone with only the moon for company. You both seemed rather lonely tonight. Would you mind me joining you?”

The paraphrasing of the familiar line rang in your ears as you couldn’t help but tear up and turn back to the full moon in an attempt for comfort.

“Not at all, feel free to join us.”

His figure stepping closer as he approached the balcony edge himself and admired the view before the two of you. It was a comfortable silence that followed, neither of you feeling the need to fill it with meaningless chatter at first. However, as you turned to gain another glance at him, wanting to capture every detail for your writing later on, your gaze fell onto the baby blue flowers that lay in his pocket.

“Forget-me-nots?”

As he turned to meet your eyes, he saw the way they lingered onto his flowers and then noticed the similar ones decorated into your own outfit.

“Hmm, there is something special about the resilience of these little blossoms which bloom in clusters throughout marshy harsh terrain. In a sense I admire the way they manage to preserve and grow with those tough conditions. It’s something I often see reflected in humanity, although, unlike the flowers, not often do people manage to make it full bloom I find.”

The philosophical answer was not one you had expected from him, but certainly wasn’t unwelcome. You had your own greater meanings to the flowers that you shared back with careful consideration, still unsure of if your stranger retained his memories like you. It was something you noted in a previous life where you tried to speak to a different Chan and was left alone once more, that not everyone had the privilege, or was it a curse, to remember like you do.

“For me, they symbolise remembering those who once were but no longer are. A promise to keep the memories of them alive for as long as you live. The stories you experienced and the thoughts you shared allowing a part of them to stay.”

Silence settled back down between the two of you, which is why you could hear the song that started to play out by the band. A slow dance of sorts. In some twist of destiny, he reached his hand out and asked for your hand before the two of you spent time twirling across the balcony. This moment shared only by you two and the sky.

As you came to a close and the clocks chimed to signal an hour passing, with you settled in your stranger’s arms, two names were breathed out into the universe before you parted ways and he disappeared back into the ball.

“Xu Minghao.”

A name meaning brightness and vastness, one that seemed to fit the person you came to spend time with perfectly.

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[thefirstknife]

Hey Bel, I was wondering if you or one of your followers might be able to give me a rundown on the Nine, specifically as related to Prophecy; I just recently read the Ishtar entry on Eris and Drifter’s dialogue that (used to I guess) play throughout, and I’m pretty lost as to how Orin became the Emissary, how Eris knew her, why the Nine made her their Emissary, what their answer to the questions posed by us might mean now that we know so much more about Light and Darkness, that sort of thing? You’ve probably answered something like this before so feel free to kick me in that direction if so lol. Thanks for all you do for the community! 🩷🩷

No problem!

You can still get all dialogues in Prophecy! You get some at the start, and ofc at the end, but when you return to the big deserted area after defeating the second encounter, you can get dialogues. However, you have to find the little copy of the Emissary just floating around on each of the areas.

So, "the wasteland" (the big desert area) has 5 locations that are from the planets that were taken by the Pyramids at the end of Arrivals (for some reason, two for Mercury). When you get back to this area after the cube encounter, the Emissary will spawn in a specific order. It's always Titan first; if you don't go there first, you won't see her on other areas. After Titan, it's Mercury (Infinite Forest gate), then Io and then Mars. You can watch them all here: there's several per location. Alternatively, if you have the time and patience in-game, you can listen to them once, then kill yourself before you proceed to the next encounter. That will wipe you and restart you in the area and you'll be able to listen to them again. Sometimes you'll get repeating lines, but sometimes new ones will play.

Orin's story is detailed in her lore book, Ecdysis! In short, she was one of the passengers on the Yang Liwei, so the original Awoken in the Distributary. She was friends with Sjur! After leaving the Distributary, she left to Earth where she ends up dying and becoming a Guardian (Titan). Later down the line, after Mara met her again (this time as a Guardian), Mara tasked her with helping figure out how Sjur died. This is the start of her connection to the Nine.

Sjur "died" mysteriously and only a strange coin was found on her body. A strange coin is the little relic that is associated with Xur and therefore the Nine. In her search, Orin found Xur (and got terrified, resulting in breaking his back with her hammer; this is why Xur is standing that way, his back is broken). Her meeting with Xur left her somewhat changed and she started experiencing weird things that were pulling her to the Nine. Over time, she also met the Drifter and after realising that he lied to her about his identity, she snapped and went to look for the Nine full-time. She found them and became the Emissary.

I don't think it's ever specified how she and Eris knew each other, but it is most likely through Mara (if there's any piece of lore that explains this, feel free to share). But yeah Drifter confirmed they were friends "back in the day."

The whole conclusion to Prophecy is really interesting for us now because it shows that it was essentially... well. A prophecy. The Nine used it to tell us that the Light and Darkness are not some sort of moral opposing forces (confirmed now) and that they're both just tools that can be used in different ways, for both good and bad (also confirmed). This idea is also present in the mechanics as well, as we have to utilise both light and dark to progress and get things done.

It's a really cool dungeon! Though a lot of the context is now missing. It came out in Arrivals as a sort of precursor to the planets leaving, which is why there's a lot of imagery about them, especially the wasteland. It was also a sort of an intro into how we'll eventually need to use stasis, by showing us that Light and Darkness are tools we can use and that we shouldn't be rejecting the Darkness on the idea that it's inherently something bad (or that the Light is inherently good).

[crazylittlejester]

(I apologize in advance because this'll be a long one for I have so much to say)

Malon proposed to Time and it was the cutest thing ever and it made Time so red he thought he caught a fever.

Warriors may look thin, but that man could easily carry both Time and Twilight (with their armor on) without breaking a sweat. My man swings a huge ball and chain around that could easily be a few hundred pounds, he's shredded beneath those clothes.

Twilight has both the triforce of courage and power, and often uses the blessing from the triforce of power more often.

Hyruke has all three segments of the triforce. He uses the blessing from the triforce of wisdom the most.

Wild does not have a triforce price, neither does Flora, as in their era the triforce has been hidden away in the sacred realm.

All the Zeldas are taller than their Link. Even if by an inch, they are taller (With the biggest height difference being between Time and Lullaby, as she towers him by a good foot. The hardest to see is Sky and Sun, as she is only an inch taller.)

Four has a fear of every insect except for spiders, which makes him the only Link to not have arachniphobia.

Legend has fist fought a child before. No I will not elaborate.

If sleepy or pissed off, both Twilight and Warriors shift into their native tongues (I like to think Ordon is based in an Eastern European country, so I will happily be spreading my Hungarian Twilight agenda thank you very much.)

The most passive aggressive person in the group is Sky, as he gets tired of being all nice when somebody is being a prick but doesn't want to be outright rude.

Wind thinks Time's and Twilight's facial markings are cool and wants his own.

Time is short and his boots make him taller. He is around the same height as Sky without them, and Malon is taller than him too. It's because the lost forest didn't really have enough food for him to grow properly, so he's short now.

Wind, Warriors, and Time all have some sort of PTSD relating to the FD mask. (Warriors nearly died during battle because a possessed young Time didn't realize he was a friend and not a foe. Wind was forced to wear it once during battle and doesnt want to be near it after the pain it cause him. Time is basically fusing with the Deity with how often he wore it in his youth.)

Wild is not fully mortal and is considered half dead, so certain beings either like him or hate him more for it. (Fairies tend to avoid him while spirits tend to trust him).

Four can still see the Minish despite being considered to old to. They sometimes help if the chain gets lost.

Hyrule is not the field medic, it's actually Legend and Warriors.

Sky talks about Sun so much that everybody assumed they were already married. It surprised everyone when he revealed they weren't engaged yet.

During the events of the story, Malon is pregnant with her and Time's first child. The child is born after Time returns permanently, and it is Twilight's mom!

Everybody has cuddled Twilight, either it be when he was Wolfie or not, he has been cuddled.

Warriors is his Ganondorf's son, and the only ones to know is Time, Wind and Twilight. Wild somewhat knows due to the ruins he and Flora once found from his era, though he isn't quite sure.

Wild is not the only foodie in the group. All the boys can eat their own weight and not gain a single pound afterwards. They all love food and love trying different dishes from all places.

Certain Hyrules have myths and folklore about monsters we know about (such as ghouls, vampires, werewolves and such). For example, Hyrule thought Twilight was a werewolf after learning he was Wolfie and kept placing silver objects on top of him while he was on bedrest. (Which did nothing since Twilight isn't a werewolf.)

Hylia heavily favors Wild and Sky the most out of all the boys. (Since I like the idea of BOTW and TOTK being direct sequels to SS instead if further down the timeline)

Dark Link is an amalgamation of all the Link's darkest desires. He also has the ability to shift into any of the others if he focused enough of his energy to do so.

Twilight has committed cannabilism before. His wolfish instincts got the better of him, and the guy was trying to hurt Legend. Legend hasn't spoken about it since the incident, and only they know.

All the Links have eaten something inedible and every time they do it infront of Malon she does the clutching her pearls gesture and it's really cute.

I have so many more but I'm to tired to continue. I hope you're taking care of yourself ♥

You have no need to apologize I absolutely LOVE reading people’s headcanons, feel free to stop by my ask box and tell me ur headcanons whenever you’d like :)

1. I firmly believe this was the case, Malon absolutely proposed to him. I also believe she can pick him up and carry him around

2. I have a post I’m planning on making soon about body types but I am a FIRM believer that just because Warriors is thin doesn’t mean that man isn’t strong. He’s incredibly thin looking, the kind of guy you’d assume you can see his ribs, and people underestimate his strength because of it. Yes, physically there isn’t a whole lot of him, but that’s because he has very low body fat because it’s all muscle. To me he has a build similar to female ballet dancers. Very small and you wouldn’t assume he’s capable of much if you just saw him out and about, but when he’s in his element, NO ONE doubts his strength

3. EVERY ZELDA IS TALLER THAN EVERY LINK REAL. Personally I think Sky and Sun are like the same exact height from a distance, but if you look real close, she’s taller

4. The concept that Four is the only one who wouldn’t scream and absolutely loose it at the sight of a spider made me laugh. I wholeheartedly agree with you on that one

5. Legend vs. Child (chid won)

6. Hungarian Twilight is super cool! I really like that headcanon :)

7. Sky is FOR SURE the most passive aggressive because all the others would probably get at least a LITTLE snappy but Sky would whip out a customer service voice but there would be no light in his eyes

8. Wind absolutely asked for a face tattoo and Time definitely had to shut him down.

9. THE IDEA THAT TIME IS WALKING AROUND WITH LIKE 3 INCHES OF HEEL IN HIS BOOT IS HILARIOUS. I personally think he’s about 5’8 and roughly Malon’s height in Jojo’s au, but for my own interpretation of him He Is 5’5.

10. I have a headcanon that Wild’s eyes are more of a glowly sheika blue since he was brought back. I think there’s probably something slightly off about him that gives people and animals an uncanny sense about him, even though he’s very sweet and nice, something about him just feels odd

11. Four can always see the minish, I firmly believe that

12. WARRIORS IS THE FIELD MEDIC AND I’LL DIE ON THAT HILL. Sure the others know basic first aid and such, but Warriors has the most medical knowledge and training, though I like to think he teaches what he knows to Hyrule because Hyrule is curious

13. My personal headcanon is that Twilight is Time’s great grandson, but Time lived long enough to be able to meet his son’s daughter, who is Twilight’s mom. I like to think Twilight’s mom would’ve sung him songs she learned from Malon

14. Twilight is definitely one of the more cuddly members of the group, he’s definitely down for hugs you just gotta ask him first

15. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a headcanon that Wars is Ganondorf’s son but that’s cool! I headcanon that his father died in the army💀💀💀 He just gives me absent/dead father energy

16. I think Hylian folklores and myths are definitely wildly different throughout the eras, and it probably extended to the heroes as well! Like imagine an ‘Old Hylian Myth’ and it basically says that Sky is a giant or something and the others all meet this great hero of the skys and he’s 5’4

17. I can imagine Malon being like “Wild what are you making?” and he just goes “Monster parts stew :3”

I loved reading all of these! I hope you’re taking care of yourself as well :)

[kidcataldo]

wip based on this post

Dark clouds gather as he ventures forward into the forest. A plant opens and Kratos throws his axe before it spits out the poison. Thunder rumbles in the distance and an all too familiar bickering echoes just around the corner. He pushes on with a reluctance in his step. The commotion ceases when he reveals himself, jumping from the ledge onto the dirt path where the children await his axe to lower the nearby bridge. A hard shove follows an ignorant scoff as the pair race forward when the bridge drops; twenty years since Ragnarök and war still rages within the most mundane moments.

A nest of Nightmares awakens at their hurried steps. Kratos summons his axe as the creatures charge. Gersemi hits a few with the fire from her hands while Býleistr, in a nervous panic, attempts to ready his bow. Kratos destroys the nest easily with one hard throw, and the Nightmares evaporate. But a lone Nightmare remains and spits poison at Býleistr, who remains distracted by his bow. Gersemi shoves him roughly to the ground, then kills the Nightmare with a small puff of fire. Long gold hair and two eyes: one the color of fire, the other of the sea; she is destruction.

“You did that on purpose!” Býleistr, the youngest of their litter, yells out. His hair is curly and the color of coal with dark skin and a short stature, unlike his sisters.

Gersemi rolls her eyes. “You mean, save your life? Yeah, I can honestly say that’s a bad habit I’m looking to break.”

His bow now with an arrow, Býleistr shoots at her. Kratos stops it midair, then throws it to the ground. “Enough.” He brings Býleistr easily to his feet. “Gersemi, do not be aggressive when assisting your brother.” At that, the boy sticks out his tongue to vocalize this small victory. And Kratos yanks the bow from his hand. Lightning strikes. A soft rain begins. “You must be more vigilant. If your bow is not at the ready”—he pauses—“if you are not ready, the enemy will have the upper hand.”

He releases the boy and returns his bow. Býleistr hesitates, then looks away.

“I just… I don’t have an instinct like you guys do.”

Gersemi laughs. “That instinct is called being a God, meinfretr.”

Býleistr growls with clenched fists as thunder grumbles somewhere behind them. Kratos is quick to guide them back along the path. He jumps and begins his ascent up the cliff. “You do not need the power of a God to have good instinct.” His children follow, racing for second place with Gersemi earning the title. “You need only discipline.”

“And a brain,” mumbles Gersemi.

“Then how do you have it?”

Kratos hums at their sibling babble as his feet are planted once more on solid ground. A plant nearby expands but he hits it with his axe and it explodes prematurely. “You will learn in time, Býleistr,” he assures after a moment. After all, it is only recently that Freya allowed him to have the responsibility of owning his own bow. He still has much to learn.

The wind blows harder and the rain grows heavy, so they quicken their pace. Home is just past the closed gate locked by a magical palisade, but the Celestial Altar is on the other side.

Býleistr attempts to climb up toward a small gap in the gate. He slips on the wet metal, then falls indelicately down onto the palisade.

“Working on your instincts, huh?” questions Gersemi with crossed arms and a mocking tone.

“Shut up.” He rolls off it and onto the ground, rubbing the soreness away. He stands, once again assuming a climbing stance. “Just give me a boost, would ya? I’ll change it to night, so you can lift the gate.”

“I… do not think it wise,” says Kratos gently. The boy can not yet hold his own against a nest of Nightmares. He is not ready for such independence, especially with a locked gate separating them. “We will take the longer path.”

“Let’s just do it his way,” says Gersemi. And Kratos turns to her for clarification. “What? If he dies, we can just get whatever kills him to use the altar in his place. The creatures here in Vanaheim aren’t as dumb as they are in Midgard.”

“Yeah—wait, no,” interjects Býleistr. “I’m… I’m not gonna die, okay?”

Kratos sighs. The storm grows heavier with each passing moment. The longer path may not be the safest option in this weather. He gives in, as there are no other options. He hands the boy the scepter and then lifts him up to squeeze through the gap in the gate. “Go straight to the altar,” he instructs, keeping a careful eye on the boy through the closed gate. “Do not delay, boy.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

He disappears into the heaviness of the storm. Even Gersemi looks worried at losing sight of him. “Býleistr, do you hear me?” Kratos grips his axe when there is no answer—he will freeze these metal bars and shatter the gate open, if he must; he awaits for the scream.

To his relief, there is a howl and the palisade disappears as the sky darkens. And the boy’s voice echoes under the storm, “See, I told you I—”

A harsh pop silences him.

“Ouch!”

Thunder roars.

“Býleistr!” Kratos opens the gate and they hurry after him. He lays on the wet ground, clutching his arm. His clothes are ruined now with mud and plant guts. “What has happened?”

“It’s that stupid plant. I thought you killed this one yesterday.”

“They grow back, dumb-dumb,” says Gersemi, lifting him up off the ground. “Maybe it’s not the right time to bring this up, but having good instincts include knowing when you’re about to walk into deadly plants.”

Býleistr sticks out his tongue in retaliation, but winces in pain once Kratos begins examining his injuries. Gooey, red bumps now mark his arm. Poison, in its most ugly form. “Come—we are nearly home.”

He calls to Freya when they reach the house: a creaky wooden structure formed around a glorious tree. She and Hnoss are at their side in an instant, guiding them inside. “What’s happened?”

“What’ya think?” says Býleistr, clutching his injured arm. Hnoss forces him to sit—and he cries out in pain as her cold hands make contact with the poison.

“Is anything broken?” Freya asks Hnoss.

“No,” Kratos tells her.

Hnoss’s hands glow as she begins the healing process. The girl is the opposite of her twin sister in every way, despite looking identical: while Gersemi creates fire and represents destruction, Hnoss represents healing and soothes pain with water.

“Kratos, what happened?” Freya asks again with a sternness only meant for him.

“Those dumb plants! That’s what happened,” Býleistr tells her. The storm still rages outside, matching the boy’s own anger with its chaotic howls.

Freya is at his side in an instant. She kisses his uninjured hand and lets him squeeze her own as a release.

“You must be more careful, vennen,” Hnoss tells him in her gentle tone as she continues to work on clearing the poison from his arm.

“Let it be known that I hate those poisonous plants. And I hate Vanaheim,” declares the boy, still blinded by his ailment. Tomorrow, Kratos is sure, the boy will be praising it. “I hate it!”

“All of this could have been prevented, I am certain,” claims Freya. She looks up at Kratos with eyes of rancor. It never truly goes away. “Where were you when this was all happening?”

He sets his axe down on the wooden table between them. And time feels suddenly frozen as their silent battle begins. “Behind the gate.”

He hears mumbling from the other end of the room—Mimir, trapped beneath a cloth probably thrown carelessly in the moment.

[shirshik72]

BiTomas week

Day 4. Marking

Author's notes: consider this a fanfic on "Mortal Kombat II"

The purple sky of the Outworld is rapidly darkening, plunging the thickets of the Living Forest into darkness. So in these places night comes. In the short time that Kuai Liang and Tomas have been monitoring this bizarre and strange land, they have already learned to determine the change of day here.

— It’s time to eat so we can go to bed, — Tundra announces, breaking the silence that has hung between the travelers over the past few hours.

— Are you sure, you want to sleep here? — Smoke asked in bewilderment, looking around the dark forest. Of course, there was nothing suspicious here yet, but Tomas felt that it was only a matter of time.

— Where else?

— I don't like this idea...

— Me too, — Kuai Liang nods, placing his hands on his hips. —But we don’t have much choice.

— No, you don’t understand what I mean, — the guy resists, crossing his arms over his chest. — Let's make a stop when we get out of here.

— I don’t think we’ll be leaving this forest soon. Our powers are aiming for the end, and we don't know what awaits us next. You can’t neglect rest when there is relative peace and quiet around.

— I won’t sleep here, — Smoke remarks briefly but confidently.

— Then you’re first duty today, — Tundra grunts, spreading his arms to the sides.

There is no use arguing with him. Tomas knew this well, so he gave his consent to this unpleasant adventure. He still didn't like the idea of spending the night here. There was something dark and unpleasant hovering in the atmosphere of this damned forest, and at the same time, it felt like something close and dear... Tomas didn’t like this combination of qualities: it never boded anything good.

“If Bi Han were nearby, we would move on,” Smoke thought to himself as he watched some canned food warming up on a makeshift fire. The memory of Bi Han made him shiver from some kind of internal pang. A lot of time has passed since his last mission, and he still hasn’t returned... But he promised so much. He said that as soon as he fulfilled it, he would receive the money and immediately take them — Kuai and Tomas — from the Lin Kuei*, he promised a calm and such a good life.

Escaped? No, he could not escape. Not his style. Died. He died.

Tomas had no confirmation of this, but his inner feeling never let him down.  Tomas even saw his corpse once in a dream... A terrible sight, however. Remembering this vision again, his whole body trembled.

— Help yourself, — Kuai Liang says briefly, handing dinner to his dumbfounded friend.

— Thank you, — Tomas nods, taking the food. — Bon appetit.

— Mutually, — Tundra responds, noting Tomas’s depressed state. — Don’t worry. Everything will turn out fine.

Smoke just nods, looking somewhere past Kuai Liang. In the depths of the dark thicket, he clearly sees two bright blue lights of some unnatural origin. This view has a strange effect on Tomas: he wants to come closer, to find out more. Their mysterious charm attracts and beckons.

The ninja shuddered again. Reminding himself of how dangerous and mysterious a place they are in, he forcefully overcomes the desire to study it, forcing himself to eat the damned canned food. Chewing vigorously on the unleavened porridge, he tried to distract himself from the thought of these mysterious lights. He felt cold behind his back. Strange, considering that Kuai Liang is sitting in front of him. What was even stranger was that Tomas felt light touches on his skin. Looking around, he saw nothing but dense darkness. Trying to calm himself with the specifics of this place, Smoke continued to eat, when he suddenly felt his touch. Two fingers, as if teasingly, lightly and unobtrusively stroked the back of his head and neck. Only Bi Han allowed himself to do this. Freezing from a strange sensation, Tomas did not even find the strength to turn around.

Wake me up in 3—4 hours, — Kuai Liang remarked, trying to attribute his comrade’s strange behavior to his excessive nervousness. — I'll replace you. Get some sleep. Then we will continue our journey.

— Okay — Tomas nodded.

Tundra quickly fell asleep, leaving Smoke alone with his thoughts. Putting the porridge aside, he looked around, as if trying to find Bi Han or something that pretended to be him. The eyes couldn’t see a damn thing — only the shadows were thickening around — but the body... The body felt that he was very close. Having heightened all his senses, Tomas tried to find at least some sign of his presence here.

It was a lost cause, but Tomas did not give up on it until the very moment when something pressed him to the ground with its weight. The cry that never escaped his throat was quickly silenced by the rough kiss. There was something in these hungry, imperious gestures that was reminiscent of Bi Han's mannerisms. It was he! Tomas shuddered at the thought, allowing the strange creature to touch him.

— Did you find out? — whispered the distorted voice of his lover right next to his ear.

— How can you not find out? — Tomas responds more confidently, trying to feel the dense darkness that made up this mysterious creature.

— So the sorcerer and his god did not lie... Our souls are bound by power of Netherrealm.

— What? — Tomas asks in bewilderment, trying to comprehend his words.

— It’s a long time to explain, but we already have very little time.

— Explain something, — Smoke asked worriedly, digging his fingers into something dense, which was probably Bi Han’s new body. — Where are you? What happened to you?

— I... found my true form, ― Bi Han said streamlinedly. — Remember, I told you about my curse**?

— I couldn't forget about it.

— After I died on a mission, it turned me into this.

— Oh, — Tomas said thoughtfully, trying to somehow organize all this information in his head. — This was unexpected.

— I briefly escaped from my new owners to you. We won't be able to see each other often until you die, but know... You and I are soulmates. One whole. While you are alive, do not limit yourself in love, because then I will not give you to anyone.

— I don’t need anyone except you, — Tomas mutters. — Especially if we are connected by fate.

— As you know, — Bi Han grins contentedly, leaving another kiss on Smoke’s lips.

The ninja's heart began to beat faster. He wanted to dissolve in this passionately strange kiss, enjoying the sudden, but so desired intimacy. Smoke wanted this moment to last forever, until his death, but everything was interrupted suddenly. An unbearable pain burned his hand, and Bi Han himself disappeared into thin air.

“Our time is over,” thought Tomas, looking around in confusion. The thick darkness dissipated, as if it had never been there. Now only thousands of eyes of the trees of the Living Forest looked at him. The hand was still itching from that sudden flash of pain that forced him to turn his attention to it.

On the back of his hand there was now a large and ornate letter “N”.

*The ending of Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat (1992) tells that after receiving a wax reward for the murder of Shang Tsung, he would have left his profession and left Lin Kuei

**The curse Bi Han is talking about was mentioned in his spin-off "Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero" and implied the blackness and deep degradation of his soul

Postscript: I am not an English-speaking person and this is my first experience in writing a literary text in a foreign language. I apologize in advance for all my mistakes in this text and ask you to point them out in the comments or personal messages. Thanks a lot in advance to everyone!

Thanks to @bitomas-week for organizing the event and the impetus to write a work on the old idea.

[andiwriteordie]

perhaps season five apocalypse vibes for the prompts?

(btw i love your writing so so SO much like you are such an inspiration to me anyway bye <3)

AWWW okay first that's so sweet tysm <333 sending you a big ole hug

and second, i LOVE my s5 apocalypse vibes, so here you go. have some byler in a (new and improved) castle byers together.

—

built to fall apart (then fall back together)

If Will had a nickel for every time he has been forced to hide inside a little fort made of branches and twigs from a deadly monster hunting him down and wanting to eat him alive… he’d have two nickels.

And look. Okay. Two nickels? Not a lot of money. You really can’t buy anything with two nickels, not like you probably could when his mom and Hopper were his age or maybe even younger.

But two times hiding inside a Castle Byers from a demogorgon? 

That’s two times too many.

This isn’t fair by any means, but then again, nothing about Will’s life has been fair since November 6, 1983. Ever since that first encounter with the demogorgon, it’s been one bad thing after another, and well… ending up back here feels annoying but also not surprising in the least.

At least this time, Will isn’t alone, and this time, he’s not technically in the Upside Down—though nowadays, all of Hawkins might as well be the Upside Down. It… it’s gotten bad these past two years. As One has been recovering, the Upside Down has been growing, reaching further and further into Hawkins, and transforming Will’s hometown into something ripped right out of an apocalyptic movie. 

Everything is coming to blows, and Will can feel it. He can feel him, ready to soon return and put and end to all their planning and preparing. One is just waiting now and biding his time—simply looking for the perfect opportunity to strike, to come back, and to put an end to humanity once and for all. 

It’s only a matter of time now.

Hell, for all Will knows, this could be the beginning of the end, and wouldn’t that be funny in the world’s least funny way? To end right where he began—running and hiding for his life from the same type of monster that kidnapped him all those years ago. Because right now, there’s a demogorgon sniffing around the abandoned forests right outside Will’s old childhood home, desperately seeking out its meal, and hoping to finish what it’s already started, and right now, Will is seventeen but feels twelve years old again—terrified for his life and wondering if this might be how he dies.

Will takes a shuddered breath, his eyes wandering down to the blood gash on his ankle. The strips of cloth that Mike had desperately tied around the wound are already soaked, dark maroon tainting the soft green fabric of Mike’s bandana. Bile rises in the back of his throat, but he forces it down.

Sooner or later, the demogorgon is going to find him. It always does, doesn’t it? Castle Byers – it’s not such a good place to hide. The demogorgon found him there, in the Upside Down, anyways, and the first Castle Byers had been torn down by Will’s own hands in one final act of self-loathing, right before the Mind Flayer had returned.

This hiding spot’s probably the worst place they could be right now.

And yet, despite the fact that they could be moments away from death, Will can’t help but look around at their silly little hiding spot.

It’s bigger than the original Castle Byers was, which is definitely a good thing in this instance. Will’s not so sure that the both of them would’ve been able to cram inside the original Castle Byers—not with Mike Wheeler’s gangly limbs and with the rifles and other supplies they’d both brought on patrol. But still, though this new fort is larger than the original one was, it’s not that much bigger, so both Will and Mike are pressed against each other, close enough that Will can hear his best friend’s unsteady breathing and feel the way he’s trembling. 

Will’s hand twitches, brushing up against Mike’s hand, and in the silence, it’s easy to hear the way Mike’s breath catches. Neither one of them says anything, and Will’s never been more glad for the darkness and how it conceals how red his face must be right now. 

The darkness, however, also makes it a little bit harder to take in the rest of this new Castle Byers. All Will knows is that there are little pictures and drawings and posters taped to the walls of the fort, just like in the old Castle Byers. On the little table beside Will, there are a few books and other trinkets, but that’s not what catches Will’s eye.

No – what catches his eye is a picture, a little difficult to see from far away, but luckily close enough that Will can reach out and grab it. Sure enough, it’s exactly what he thinks it is: the old pictures of the Party that he had ripped in half, right down the middle before the destruction of the original Castle Byers. The picture is a little faded and there’s a piece of tape holding it together, but it’s here.

It’s here, and Castle Byers is here too, and Mike is here, his hand clenched tightly around Will’s own.

“Come on!” Mike had yelled, his arm wrapped around Will as the two of them limped through the forest. “I know a place we can hide!”

He knew this place was here.

Mike knew that this new Castle Byers was here.

Which means… 

Will looks around again, taking in as much as he can of the rebuilt fort. His heart pounds inside his chest, and outside, a monster lurks, waiting for the right moment to strike and to kill them both. 

Inside? Inside, Will is reeling—overwhelmed with a dozen different emotions and thoughts swirling around inside his head. Mike… Mike rebuilt Castle Byers for him. At some point or another, after their fight, after Will destroyed his childhood fort, Mike must have come back to the forest and rebuilt this place to be nearly identical to the one Will grew up with.

Why? Will thinks, and he dares to look over at his best friend. There’s worry written all over Mike’s face, but when he catches Will looking at him, his expression softens. Why would he rebuild this place?

Mike’s gaze flickers to the walls of their shared hiding spot; then, he scoots in closer, so there’s no space left between the two of them. “You probably have a lot of questions,” he whispers, just barely loud enough for Will to hear.

And honestly, Will can’t help but laugh, both because that is the understatement of the year and because this is the worst possible time to find out about this. If they slip up even just a little, then they’ll end up dead—demogorgon dinner in the middle of the forest, miles away from their family and friends. 

“Yeah,” Will breathes, and he glances over again, meeting Mike’s eyes. “Probably… probably not a good time to ask them though.”

Something like a laugh escapes Mike’s lips. “Probably not,” he echoes back and scoots closer. Neither one of them says anything else, and so silence settles over the two of them once again like an old, unwelcome enemy. The only thing that Will can hear is the nervous thumpthumpthump of his own heartbeat, joining in with Mike’s careful breaths taken every few seconds. In and out. In and out. In and out. In and—

“Will?” 

Will flinches and turns back around, so he and Mike can meet eyes once again. It’s a little difficult to see in the darkness, but there’s hesitancy written all over Mike’s face. He looks like he wants to say something—something that’s urgent and something that he’s been waiting forever to say and something that Will simply can’t figure out just by studying his best friend’s face. But whatever it is… it’s important to Mike to say this.

Important enough that he’d risk being heard and found by the demogorgon to say it.

“Yeah?” Will whispers back. He scoots closer too, and maybe it’s the blood loss or the fear or the adrenaline talking, but Will thinks he sees Mike’s eyes wide and hears his breath catches and notices the way Mike’s gaze flickers downward for one, two, three moments too long.

Oh, Will thinks, somewhere distantly in the back of his mind. Maybe that’s the answer to his question. 

Why would Mike rebuild this place?

It feels a little bit ironic, but Will thinks that maybe, just maybe, the answer might just be the same reason he tore down Castle Byers in the first place.

(Because I love you.

Even though I shouldn’t.

Even though it’s supposed to be wrong.

I’m in love with you.)

Mike swallows the lump in his throat. His gaze has returned to Will’s eyes now, instead of his lips—his lips—and he reaches up with a trembling hand to cup Will’s cheek. This time, Will’s breath catches, and he watches with wide eyes as Mike thumbs away some of the dirt on Will’s cheek, taking special care to be as gentle as possible.

“I…” Mike starts to say, but he stops again, lips pressed together nervously. He looks away again, this time glancing out at the world beyond the shared hiding spot. It takes another moment for him to look back at Will, but when he does, he seems a lot more at ease, that familiar determination returning to his face. “We might not make it out of here.”

Will winces. Truthfully, a small part of him had almost forgotten about that, but yeah… that’s the unfortunate reality of the situation they’re in. There’s a monster outside of Castle Byers, and it wants to kill both of them. Will’s ankle is currently bleeding through, and any moment now, the demogorgon might catch onto his scent and come have both of them for dinner.

Romantic. So romantic.

“Right.” Will nods slowly and swallows the lump in his own throat, looking down at their intertwined hands. It feels like some sick joke from the universe that this would happen—that the two of them would finally find the courage to confront everything that has been going on between them, to finally acknowledge the path they’ve been stumbling down together for quite some time now—only when they’re about to die.

Leave it to the universe to give him a shred of happiness and a taste of a happy ending, only to rip it away. 

Mike takes another breath, and he squeezes Will’s hand tighter than he ever has before. “I-I guess,” he whispers nervously, “I… I just wanted to say—”

“Don’t,” Will blurts out.

Mike freezes. In the darkness, his eyes go wide, and he stares back at Will in complete shock. “W-what?”

Will takes a deep breath, glancing at the entrance to Castle Byers, then back at Mike again. “Don’t,” he repeats, softer this time. “Whatever you’re going to say… don’t say it… not if you’re only saying it because we’re about to die.” 

He pauses here, swallowing the lump in his throat and looking away, unable to meet Mike’s eyes. “If you really mean it,” Will says quietly, “then… just wait. Wait until we’re out of here or… or at least until we know we’re safe. Okay?” 

For a while, Mike is quiet, and he grows tense beside Will, like he’s not sure how to take this request. The silence is dreadful, and it makes Will almost regret stopping him from saying this. 

But… if Mike is really going to say what Will thinks he’s going to say, then he can wait. He can wait until the two of them are safe, until they don’t have to hide from a monster trying to kill them, until they both can actually focus on what’s been said to each other, instead of fearing for their goddamn lives. They’ve waited this long. They can wait a little bit longer.

“Okay,” comes Mike’s response, a whisper barely audible in the silence. He shifts closer again to Will and moves, wrapping an arm around Will’s shoulder and pulling him close. “But… but I do mean it, Will. I swear I do.”

Thumpthumpthump goes Will’s nervous heart, and despite the circumstances the two of them are in, Will can’t help but smile. “Good,” he whispers back and looks up at his best friend, meeting his gaze in the darkness. “Then… I’m excited to hear what you have to say. You know… if we don’t die.”

A quiet huff of a laugh escapes Mike’s lips, and he rests his head on Will’s shoulder, hugging him close. “We better not die,” he mumbles. “That would really, really suck.”

“Yeah,” Will whispers back with a laugh of his own. “It really, really would.”

Neither one of them says anything else after this. True to his word, Mike doesn’t say what he had tried to say, but at the same time, he does. The two of them… they’ve never been big on words, anyways. Actions have always spoken louder. So, in the darkness of Castle Byers—that was rebuilt by Mike for Will—the words I love you are never spoken aloud, but they’re said to one another anyways.

Mike holds him closer,  and he gently runs his hand up and down Will’s arm, keeping him calm and reminding him that he isn’t alone. I love you, Mike says, when he lets Will lie against his chest, and when he wraps an old blanket around the two of them. I love you, I love you, I love you.

I love you too, Will thinks to himself, arms wrapped around Mike’s waist. He listens to the quiet sound of Mike’s heartbeat and forces himself to breathe. They’re going to make it out of here. 

They have to. 

[constance-beckman]

Heartache

Pairings: Mihawk x Fem!Reader

Summary: Mihawk's longtime lover died

Warnings: Angst, implied death (no specifics), character death, alcoholism (ambiguous), ooc Mihawk

Stepping onto the weathered dock felt different this time, compared to many times before for the golden eyed swordsman.

This time there would be no warmth welcoming him back to the castle, no fire burning in the dining hall, no sweet humming in the kitchen along with the savoury smell of her cooking. There was no warmth in his life since she left, it's been almost a year since she left and the swordsman hasn't stepped foot in his castle since.

There was no use calling it his home anymore if she wasn't wrapped in his arms in the library, snuggled up on a couch, in front of the fireplace enjoying their favourite wine, each other's company and a good book.

He has attempted many times before to walk through the large doors, but every time before he turned back around with a heavy heart, promising that one day he would return and walk through the doors.

The first time he tried 10 months ago he didn't even get within a kilometre of the island's waters, just staring at the menacing castle in the distance that was no longer his home. Every few weeks he would come again and again, everytime getting just a bit closer. He would get to the end of the beach then turn back to his boat, walk through the forest...turn around, walk through city ruins...turn around...walk to the gothic metal gate of the castle...turn around...and finally walk up to the front doors but he would still turn around, until one day he held the door of the castle open just a crack but still turned around, leaving the heavy door to shut by itself.

Every attempt he made in the past 10 months rushing through his mind a mile a second, it all mushed together into a blur until finally he noticed he was finally in the castle once he heard the doors close shut behind him. Tears gathered in his eyes when he smelled your perfume still hanging heavily in the air, oh god how he missed it so he thought to himself as he gathered up as much courage as he could and walked through the large foyer towards the kitchen.

Once he stepped in his mind was engulfed with memories of himself and his lover, cooking together and trying a new recipe, some better than others, he even cracked the smallest of smiles when he remembered the time where they got a little too distracted with each other and let the food burn, both claiming it was the others fault it happened, in the end they made do with what they could salvage and spent the rest of the night in eachothers arms in the library exchanging sweet words and light kisses between each other until they fell asleep, with sickly sweet smiles on their faces.

Breaking out of his trance, his honey golden eyes as she once described them, glassing over as his tears finally fell leaving tear stains to dry on his face shortly but they would only disappear as more and more kept coming, desperately did he need a drink, but not to savour it like he used to with her, but to make him forget his pain and even the love and happiness because all it did now was bring misery that would leave his heart aching to be with it's other half again. Struggling with tear blurred vision he pulled open the cork from a wine bottle, but the second the bottle reached his lips and the red liquid flowed he knew his once favourite was now soiled, tasting bitter and sour like everything that revolved around her, everything he once loved and enjoyed was taken along with her as nothing was the same without her.

In the rest of his living days he was no longer the world's greatest swordsman, he was no warlord, no pirate, and he became a nobody, he disappeared off the face of the earth where everyone thought he had died but, he lived, he lived for her but he could not truly live without her as she was the one who put the stars and the moon up in the night sky to lead him straight in the darkness of the night.

One night in his old age before sleep took over he knew he would not wake the next morning he remembered the words people would tell him "they're in a better place." He always hated that sentiment when she belonged there with him, but she would finally be his arms once more where they belonged.

The End

This made me tear up when I proof read

[blue-the-octoling]

Cleansing of the Weaver household

This is for everyone who wanted a Tim story. once again I am not good at writing so I’m sorry if it sucks. (Art at the end) cw description of death

“Come on! You said you’d race me!!” Caleb whines ever since Tom and their mother left Tim hasn’t left their shared room. When Caleb  banged on the door to his and Tom’s room and so rudely interrupted Tim’s reading… right when it was getting good too! “Dang it Caleb, go find someone else! I know Lillian would be happy to race you.” Tim says in his signature irritated tone that his siblings have become so accustomed to hearing. It made Caleb roll his eyes in annoyance and say with another few bangs on his brother’s door “oh come on! Lillian’s too slow! You’re the only one that can actually give’s me challenge!”

Tim groans setting his book page side down on his bed and get up not even worrying about his mask walking to the door and opens it. “Fine. I’ll race you this once.” Caleb can’t help but smile and let out a little laugh “that’s what you say every time. You’re a sore loser and you know it.” Tim lets out an over exaggerated gasp pretending to be hurt by Caleb’s teasing but knows it. He is a sore loser, “you have me all wrong!” He says in an over exaggerated prissy voice making Caleb laugh Tim soon following suit not being able to keep up this fake butt hurt act of his. His and Caleb’s laughter soon dies down and they go outside together so they can race. It’s about sundown when their mother returns Tim and Caleb thoroughly exhausted and out of breath from their many races.

When tim spots his mother he’s confused when he doesn’t see Tom… “mama, where’s Tom?” Tim asks walking up to their mother. “Where he belongs..” she simply answers before pushing past Tim and goes inside to presumably start dinner. Tim doesn’t know what she means but knows that his questions will only make her angry so he holds his tongue Caleb coming up to his side “hey… where’s Tom?”

Caleb asks being thoroughly confused himself. “I-I don’t know…” Tim says softly sounding more nervous than exhausted like before. The day goes on as normal their mother makes dinner and their father comes back from town but still no sign of Tom. “He’s… ok he probably is just out in the forest… he’ll come back for dinner…”Tim says softly sounding more nervous than exhausted like before. The day goes on as normal their mother makes dinner and their father comes back from town but still no sign of Tom. “He’s… ok he probably is just out in the forest… he’ll come back for dinner…” Tim says to himself the sun had set and the homestead was now shrouded in darkness his siblings already inside eating and he reluctantly joins them.

But an hour passes, then two, Tim goes out and looks for him against Benny’s warnings Tom comes before himself. He looked all over the homestead, staying outside for hours in search of Tom. Looking high and low checking each spot once… twice… three times over. When he returned home his sibling long since went to bed he finds his mother in their room…. She’s… SHES BURNING TOMS STUFF… “Mama! What.. what are you doing!? What happened to Tom? Where is he?” Tim yells at his mother his mother snapping back “what has to be done! If I want the lord to forgive my sins I must remove all traces of them. Cleanse them in fire. You devils will never see the light of day again and if I have to die to be forgiven then so be it.”

With that she lights the pile of Tim and Tom’s clothing, bedding and personal belongings on fire with the candle she used to light the way to her terrible mission. Tim drops to his knees finally realizing what happened to his brother, tears run down his face as he comes to terms with the fact that his bother is dead. Though it doesn’t last long as his sadness melts into pure anger as he stands to his feet, his knife now tightly clutched in his hand as he lunges at his mother, his knife plunging into her side as she’s knocked to the floor beside the pile of spreading flames. A loud shriek comes from her as she feels his knife be pulled from her flesh before harshly plunged in again, her hair and dress starting to catch ablaze, her screams continuing on and on as he stabs her not even realizing he himself is also catching ablaze. Tom was all he had… the only person who cared… not his mother nor his other siblings… “YOU WITCH. YOU DARE CALL US DEVILS WHEN YOU DO THIS  TO YOUR OWN CHILDREN…!”

He growls in pure distain and hatred, the flames spreading from his room to the rest of the house. His mother dead from blood loss he finally stops realizing his situation, the deep burning in his skin, he can barely breathe from the smoke. As the fire spreads more finally overtaking both him and the house completely. He screams with what little strength he has left clawing at his clothes, his skin, but especially his face feeling a hot liquid run out of his eye sockets. He can’t see… his lungs feel heavy and smothered and his skin feels like liquid. He can’t feel… he can’t… he passes out.

Outside Benny does a head count, one, two… Tim. Tom. They aren’t there. He holds out hope that they’re just in the woods together. For now making sure that Lillian and Caleb are ok. He couldn’t wake up their father, nor find their mother for now he only care about his siblings. Lillian stuck to his side in fear and Caleb doing the same. For now the only thing Benny can do is calm his siblings down and hold out hope that the other two are ok. 

Tim redesign everybody! This is the second one out of the five and this is how I interpret this character in an AU me and @kiw1-qu33r have made together! Next redesign/ story: Caleb (sneak peek)

It’s a beta design, don’t come for me because of the face I know it’s bad😭😭😭

[nevereverlandboys]

White Crow Part 1

A/N: This is part one of my Felix redemption arc I am starting! Sorry for taking so long to post it on Tumblr too

What if Regina took Felix's heart instead of Pan?

Summary:

Felix, Peter Pan's right hand man was given a second chance to live in an orphanage. With a strange bond to Y/N he tries to reconnect to the world and find a purpose again.No matter the effort, people will think of him as a villain. He  has a hard time breaking out of his cycle, hoping to become someone good that deserves a happy ending.

Felix took a sharp breath. He felt a stinging pain from inside of his chest, overwhelming him in waves as if his heart was being pressed together too tightly by the weight of his own flesh. Only that there was no such thing like a heart beating inside Felix's chest anymore.

"Now it belongs to me. You see, when you take a heart, it becomes enchanted. Stronger than a normal heart. You're not hurting the beast. You're controlling it." Regina had said when she took it from him. Felix was smart enough to tell she had copied the exact phrasing from the dark one. She had been a student of his, a good one so he was aware of, for  that he never underestimated the dark queen. Besides, he never held a personal grudge towards her. After all, it was Peter who truly betrayed him, and if it was not for Y/N's idea to let the evil queen take his heart first, he would have probably died that night. Something inside him had already told him that Peter wanted to kill him, so Y/N only proved a point with that, but also made him lose the only friend he ever had. The empty feeling afterwards was enough reason to want his heart back. Felix knew that something inside him was missing, now it was even clearer to him. With it, he would have this amazing warm feeling of being free, but with an empty chest to walk around, there was not even a little spark glowing up. It would give him hope. Felix brought his hand up to his chest, just to check one more time for a sound of a beating. Nothing. He just felt like an empty shell. He felt no difference after tricking Pan, and maybe it was exactly that disturbing him the most. He puzzled about an eventual deeper meaning to it, assuming that he was that cold to begin with. 

I killed my only friend. 

"Come back!" He felt that stinging pain once more, and just like a soldier in trance he strutted all the way back through the cold forest, leaving the spring behind. He tried not to look down onto his hands, knowing that he should not expect to see anything else but red. With Peter raging about the missing heart Felix could barely fight against his magic, so he had to grab for that edgy stone. He was just glad that he was not in Henry's body anymore.

Readers P.O.V.:

The second Felix returned, Y/N's eyes widened. His face was sprinkled in blood, and his hands were fully covered with it. He had this empty look in his eyes when they met Y/N's. They instinctively searched for the most familiar face, before his eyes darted to the evil queen.

"I am done with Pan." Felix said with a deadpan face. "Now return my heart, witch." 

Regina's face twitched at his tone, " And why would I do that?"

Felix pressed his teeth together, his jaws visibly tightening. For a second he just glared at her through squinted eyes, no words crossing his lips. Y/N looked over to Regina, holding his heart with a satisfied grin. It was just then that Y/N finally realized that he did not respond because he was not able to.

"Give it back to him." She said pleadingly. "Please."

Regina huffed and let her arm sink before she turned to the girl, "Are you for real? After everything you want to let him go without punishment?"

"Didn’t he suffer enough? Pan used him and tried to kill him. He has no reason to harm us!"

"Mom look, it's all red!" Henry pointed out, sharing the entreat. "He is not a villain."

Villains and heroes- good and evil.  This had to mean something. At least it did to Y/N and Henry. 

"If you want it to be returned so badly, do it yourself." Regina mocked with a teasing undertone. Her eyes darkened with each step towards Y/N. She grabbed for her hand and shoved Felix' heart inside it. The girl widened her eyes and darted her eyes down to her hand, then back to Regina, shaking her head in disbelief. 

"All you have to do is push it inside his chest." 

Y/N locked eyes with the second in command who gave her the same startled expression. His heart was pulsating hot against Y/N's fingertips, reminding her with every pump that she had the ultimate power over him. She could make him do whatever she wanted, but with each second holding it, she was overwhelmed by strong emotions coming from it and flooding her mind.

She approached the boy in a trance like state, not once breaking eye contact. Felix looked at her in anticipation once she came to halt in front of him. 

"Please." Felix whispered impatiently, slightly leaning forwards. "Give me back my heart and I promise-"

He stopped his sentence with a painful growl when Y/N interrupted him by pushing his heart back inside his chest. The pain came in waves, stinging him behind his eyes down to his toes, worse than having it ripped out in the first place. Felix felt his knees weaken, but he was not ready to show weakness, so he pressed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth while he fought against his own body. 

A few seconds later the pain disappeared completely, instead, there was this slow and steady pumping of his heartbeat. Felix reached for his chest and opened his eyes. A short glimpse of Y/N was enough to fasten the rhythm, overwhelming him like waves. Felix did expect strong emotions when he got his heart back, but never had he pictured anything warm like this. 

"Let's go back." She said and rubbed her arms. Felix looked up into the sky. It was snowing. Back in Regina's house, Felix sat motionless on the staircase, letting Y/N clean the blood off of his hands. 

"Why are you doing this? I can do this myself. " He suddenly said and glanced over to her. The girl stopped and looked back, feeling somewhat caught. She had questioned herself all the time what was running  through his head, and if he felt forced to end it like this. If Felix wanted to talk about it, he probably would do it on his own, there was no need to bother him further. Giving him some space now would be smart

Y/N rose and just as she started to walk off, she felt him grab her wrist.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I'd like some help." He said timidly, letting go of his gentle grip. Y/N gave him a faint of a smile, sitting  back down beside him and grabbed for the wet towel once more. 

"Thank you." Felix smiled back, showing her a rare sight. He looked so innocent when he showed her his dimples. 

"I think your idea of letting the evil queen take my heart worked. It turned out Peter did want to use it and kill me. You saved my life."

"I am just glad Henry got his body back before you… you-"

"Smashed his head? With a rock? If you want to ask me how I did it, don't fret."

Y/N swallowed hard. She painted herself a picture of the act, and could not help but feel sorry for Peter. With scarce resources of magic, Peter had no chance against this giant of a boy.

"How do you feel?" She then asked and placed his hand on his. Such an innocent move of hers, but it made Felix feel the heat rise in his face. Her touch was warm and gentle, he did not mind it at all, the opposite, Felix liked it. He looked at her and she found herself drawn into his gaze, unable to look away. She did not see a monster in him like the others. When the boy suddenly smiled at her, Y/N could not help but smile back.

"So where else should he go?" They suddenly overheard the adults obviously talk about Felix in the other room, caughting their attention, so they both exchanged a look filled with curiosity, before they  decided to investigate. Stepping inside, everyone in the room went silent, darting their eyes into the direction of the intruders. The adults looked at them not for long before returning completely unbothered back to their discussion.

"We can't let him go to Neverland or else he will start plotting something." Regina grumbled with crossed arms in front of her chest. She clearly talked about Felix. David and Hook were on her side, nodding in agreement.

"Aye." The captain said with a glare towards the boy, "That shall be unwise. Who knows what he could be up to there."

"We could let him live with us in storybrooke." Snow chimed in and stepped forwards.

"Sure.'' We just play happy family." Hook said sarcastically and put on a fake smile. The second in command moved his eyes into the pirate's direction without turning his head, the annoyance written all over his face. "There is already no space for all of us."

"We can't keep them here, that's  true." Emma agreed with Hook on this, pressing her brows together in a serious manner.

"What else do you have in mind?" Y/N chimed in, after all it was also her they needed to find shelter for. She looked up to Felix, waiting for him to speak up as well. He said no words but seemed to be intrigued by the conversation. In the end they had no choice but to comply after everything they did. 

"I suggested the orphanage,  where the rest of the lost boys were put up." Regina answered. That was the second Felix face started twitching, obviously not being fond of the idea. Still, no word crossed his lips. Y/N on the other hand tried to stay optimistic, after all, how bad could it be?

"We can't!" Emma's voice shrill through the room. "We protected them to be save from Felix!"

"You act as if he is vile and untamed!" Y/N glared at her. Felix felt his heart warming up when she defended him, well aware that she had witnessed him back on Neverland. He had treated the lost boys cruelly and barely showed mercy. No matter how much he told himself that it was Pan, it would always remain to be a lie.

"I don't trust a teenager that almost killed my son-"

"He helped you protect Henry!" Y/N interrupted. "If you put him in an orphanage you might as well put me in there!"

"So be it." Hook said with a shrug. He could not stand anyone from Neverland, not even Y/N. The pirate was convinced that not Pan himself was the source of evil, but rather the island itself. Felix had once mentioned that Hook liked to name them "the offspring of madness".  The further away he was from them the better. Y/N waited for the others to say a word, but it seemed like the argument was over with that. An orphanage it would be. The girl looked over to Felix, but he was already staring at her. His face said nothing, Y/N could not read it like that. How much she wished she could.

Felix's P.O.V.:

With this clattering swaying of the car, Felix feared that this short drive would be the end of him. Y/N next to him did not look less terrified, shortly exchanging a look with him before she would look away again. His eyes darted down to her hands on the seat, and he longed to touch her hands once more, hold her and assure her that he would make sure everything was okay. On the other hand he had never been really close to her back on Neverland, rather seemed to avoid her instead. He knew that Pan loved games and that he would play with her too, so getting close to her was never an option before. Felix had to admit that the small gesture of her taking his hand earlier showed him how badly he had Felix gentle touches. Everyone around him saw him as the bad guy, so it was probably something he would not receive so quickly.

Perhaps, but eventually he had the chance to prove himself now, to show Y/n and the others that he can change and be a better person. Neverland was the past, and there was nothing holding him back, opening new possibilities for a better life. Felix wanted to change and become a better person, so he knew that he had to keep the girl safe from anyone that might cause trouble in their new start. 

"Thanks for helping me back there." Felix whispered into Y/N's direction, trying to make him inaudible as possible for David. He did not want to show him his weakness.

"I wish I could help you sooner. That must have hurt." She whispered back.

"had it worse." he chuckled and leaned back into his seat. There was no way back, so  Felix tried to stay optimistic. Y/N did not say anything in response, so they sat in silence as they drove down the road. At the arrival Felix stiffened up before he got out of the car. The building reminded him of a high castle, combined with the aesthetics of a church. Y/N by his side did not look less nervous. Still, he was glad to have her by his side. Felix was not fond of the idea to move into an orphanage with all the boys back from Neverland. No one liked him for good reasons. After what Henry told him, Felix came to the realization that all this time he had been a villain, and that there was no space for evil in this world, his fate being a life with no happy ending. It did not matter how hard it would be, the former lost boy wanted to be good. To do that, he needed to prove that he was no danger and that there was more than violence leading him on. Even if he would straight up apologize to the former lost boys, he strongly doubted that any of them would accept him or spend time with him. Felix used to be on his own back in Neverland, so what had changed? Why did he need to prove something and to whom? The heroes? Y/N? He took another glance at her, asking himself why she stood up for him. She had never been close to him on Neverland, barely talked to him before, but now he was fascinated with the girl. Maybe he did want to convince her especially after she even made it possible to prove himself. 

"I told the staff to have a close eye on you." David spoke to Felix as the boy stepped out of the car. "Make trouble and you're in a less comfortable facility. I am talking about supervised living. It won't give you the freedom you're being granted right now. " 

Felix replied with a resistant nod. He was far too tired to force a smile and even if he did, the man would know that it was a lie. He turned to get his backpack from the backseat and faced the old building. It was a huge estate with huge towers and many windows, clean from the outside besides some toys laying on the grass. There were the sounds of chickens nearby that must belong to the house. It was welcoming and less scary than Felix had imagined.

"Do you hear that?" Y/N said with a smile, closing her eyes for a second. "I hope there are more animals." 

"Maybe they do." Felix gave back and raised his brows, leading the way up to the doorsteps of that building. "Maybe they have sheep or goats." 

"What about sheep AND goats!" 

He nodded and faced the door to knock, heavy and loud, maybe a little too loud. They waited a moment, then another one and another, until Y/N lifted her hand to knick again. Just as her knuckles were about to touch the wood, the door was finally being opened. The people behind the door were two gaunt nuns, none of them showed any efforts to properly greet them or make them feel welcome in their new home. 

"You," One of them pointed at Felix. "Boys section."

"And you," The other one said with a voice naturally softer than the other one's. "Girls section."

Inside the building Felix immediately got separated from Y/N to be escorted to his new room. He had to walk up a large staircase and left down the hallway,  and Y/N followed a staircase opposite to the other one, vanishing out of the boy's sight. 

"That's it." The nun who escortes him said disdainfully, her meager finger pointing towards the wooden door. "Don't expect much." 

Felix looked down into her wrinkled face. She was an old, scanty, time worn woman, ghoulish with pale skin and gray eyes, colder than his own. Her teeth were yellow with brown stains, and given away the scent of coffee, Felix assumed she drank it regularly. With that, she turned, slowly shuffling wearlily down the hallway. Felix already could not stand her, wondering if those emotions came naturally or if there was more than a simple bias behind it. Nevertheless this nun was an unpleasant woman. Opening the door, Felix followed her advice and kept his expectations low. The room was kept simple: There was a bed in the corner with a desk next to it, right underneath the window, a mirror next to the door and a dresser parallel to the bed. Much space left. If Felix owned something personal, he would see it as space to embellish it, but now it was just an empty space.

Felix stepped in and sat down onto his bed. He could not look into the mirror. Not yet. Not after what he had done to Peter  Was there true obedience with a heart being under control, or was there not a single move coming from himself? Felix was not sure if he wanted to do this, but in the end he killed his only friend. Did Peter trust him like Felix had trusted him? Now there was no way of telling anymore, so he needed a way to go past this, just like with all the other nasty things he did back on Neverland.

Felix did not see Y/N again until dinner, but by that time she was sitting close to Wendy. Felix was surprised to see the girl here as well, but questioned it not any further. Where else should she be? When she first saw him, the Darling girl froze. It was like her whole body told him to stay away- so he did. While he ate, she seemed to notice his gaze, so she avoided looking in Felix's direction all together. He could not help himself but felt disappointed that Y/N was not accompanying him, but it was understandable that she craved female companions after all. The boy would try to talk to her the next day, noticing how all the boys around him stiffened up and tried to keep their heads to themselves- just like on Neverland. Felix did not like that. He had never felt lonelier, knowing that there was not a single person to talk to. With the mood that bad, Felix decided not to bother any of the others with their presence, swaying onto his feet before leaving the room. Just as he was about to turn and leave, someone stretched out their leg, causing Felix to trip and Fall into the ground. During the sudden crash Felix bit harshly onto his lip and he could feel a small amount of blood mixing with his saliva. When he heard a quiet chuckle, Felix turned around and looked at the boy that had caused him to fall and bite himself. The boy was his age, not much shorter than Felix, golden locks and piercing blue eyes. With those angular cheeek bones Felix felt like looking at someone relative. The pretty boy wore a smug grin and looked down at Felix in full contempt. Felix's eyes burned in anger at the taste of his own blood, picturing a million ways to get revenge. It was not worth it, Felix thought, it only would bring him trouble. Raising to his feet once more he wiped off the blood and glared at the other boy before he walked off. This was not worth a fight, especially in front of the others. Sooner or later he would receive a payback, and the former lost boy never forgot a face, especially not if the other looked quite similar to himself. On the way back to his room, Felix crossed ways with the nun from earlier again. By listening to the conversations at the table he had learned that her name was sister Tilda.

"Have we been in a fight, mr.?" She stated so scornfully, raising her spare eyebrows in a judging manner.

"No I haven't, someone pushed me-" The nun shook her head and kept walking past him. This was useless. All they saw was Pan's pav dog, not a person. They had made their mind up to him and now he was stuck with this impression until he had the chance to prove him otherwise.. He had no idea how to do that, so Felix felt hopeless and frustrated. Laying down onto his bed he contemplated his regrets. During the first night, Felix was constantly tormented by gruesome nightmares. It was as if there was something that was ought to get him, haunting him even when he opened his eyes back open again. Rethinking his life, he came to conclusions that living on Neverland had been a nightmare and Peter Pan was made of them, just like a greenish personification of the devil. Felix hated himself for sticking to him until the very last moment. It gave him the realization that he never had a true friend after all, everything was shallow and built on lies. Felix had no one but himself. He needed to see Y/N again and ask her why she saved him and why she thought he was worth being saved. After all  it was her who even thought about him and created a plan, using all her energy to convince the other heroes to help. She must have had a reason for her actions, doubtful she acted on sympathy alone. The next day she went into the city along with Wendy, so Felix kept his distance. He wandered through the corridors, exploring the building when he suddenly crossed the boy from the day before, the one who caused him to trip. Felix wanted to beat him up, show him his place, but he knew that this would be a ticket to get thrown out immediately, far away from Y/N. It was reason enough to care

"So you're the leader of those dirty  savages?" He asked with a disgusted expression plastered over his neat face. 

"No." Felix shook his head with a deadpan face. "Peter Pan is dead." 

Jimmy scoffed and tilted his head. "Wouldn't that make you the leader?" 

"No." Felix said again.

"So you're just a savage loser like the rest of you newbies?" He looked disgusted up and down, scanning every little detail. "Your face sure kissed a blender." 

Felix felt his blood rise and he gritted his teeth, trying to control himself from not jumping at his throat right away. There was this strong urge to just throw him into the ground and choke the boy until his face turned blue. What a pleasant daydream. He had done worse to boys for even mentioning his scar, but after some time he learned to restrain himself. Not now. Not here. Felix was above this, way too smart and cunning to be tricked into violence like that, not after years being teased by lost boys that tried to get a reaction.

"Dude what is your problem? Have you ever been in a fight? How about you let your fists talk?" Felix gave back snarkily.

"Why should I go down to your level? You will see, sooner or later the nuns will throw you out either way. Some animals just can't be tamed. You newbies are a pest and if it were up to me they should have never let you in that easily. "

"Ah," Felix said with a smirk. "Lost boys can be little devils. Are they giving you nightmares?" 

The blonde boy yanked his head away, rolling his eyes and wiping some of his curls behind his ear. "Pathetic to assume any of you would scare us first-arrivals!" 

"Because mommy's early  abandonment was traumatizing enough already?" Felix chuckled out. The boy gritted his teeth and formed his hands into fists, giving Felix the impression to be attacked any second, so he got in position himself. 

"I'll have you out of here quicker than you can think. Wait for it." The boy snarled and gave him a dirty look before he would leave the direction he came from. After the boy stormed off, Felix returned to his room, taking an afternoon nap. When the boy woke up again, he was surrounded by darkness. Searching for the switch of the nightlight, he turned it on, darting his eyes to the watch on the wall. It was past ten already, so he had overslept the dinner and his chance to talk to Y/N again. Felix heard his stomach growling and seconds later he felt a wave of hunger pulling painfully inside him.

"Shut up already!" Felix whispered to himself as he sneaked through the corridors and heard his stomach rumbling again. Inside the kitchen Felix was surprised to still see some light on, and he prepared for an excuse to be in the kitchen, when he suddenly froze in place. 

"What are you doing here?"

"Same question." Felix gave back startled, but inside he was happy to meet no one else but Y/N. She looked tired,  still she kept doing the dishes.

"Wendy has a headache. It's our turn to clean up."

Y/N stood in front of a pile of dishes, no wonder why she was still awake. Felix stepped closer, grabbing a towel to help without saying anything. It was not needed and he would not even let her fight him on this. Fortunately she said nothing against his presence, instead she let out a small, satisfied hum. This reaction warmed him from deep within his chest after such a rough day. 

"What happened to your face?" She asked worriedly and touched his chin. Felix never wanted this to stop. 

"I fell." He lied, not wanting to admit that he made an enemy on his first day. It was not like this was on Felix though, there was no reason for the other boy to simply hate him just because he was from Neverland. There had to be more behind it, or else he would treat the girls the same way. 

"Be careful." She said out warmly, a soft smile forming on her face.

"I will." He gave back, and with that she removed her hand, making him miss her touch in an instant. Since she returned his heart to him, being with her felt like a dream. Maybe he had created a weird connection to her, or the evil queen enchanted him, or perhaps, this was all just in his head. Nevertheless, her company suddenly started to make him feel nervous like never before, making him believe he was sick or some sort. 

"Have you slept well?" Y/N then asked, continuing to wash the dirty plates. "I have looked for you, but sister Edith chased me out of your room and the boy corridor."

Felix giggled at the picture of that, but at the same time he was surprised that Y/N looked after him. 

"I felt pretty tired after everything that happened. I am pretty hungry too." 

"There is some roasted chicken and potatoes in the fridge." 

Felix nodded thankfully, interrupting his assistance for a moment as he warmed himself a plate from the previous dinner. When he was done eating, Y/N had finished cleaning up. She reached for his plate at last while he grabbed a towel and dried the plates.

"Thanks." 

"I am the one that should be forever thankful for what you did for me." Felix said, looking over to her. "I just wanted to ask you why you were willing to help me. Everyone thinks I am too dangerous." 

Y/N chuckled lightly, shaking her head. It made Felix impatient for her response. "I saw that he only used you when all you wanted was a friend. " She replied and stepped closer to him. He had the urge to just grab her and embrace her in his arms, to tell her how happy he was to have met her and how scared he really was to die. Instead, he looked down at the girl, his eyes glued onto her as he waited for her to continue. Suddenly they both heard some footsteps nearby, so Felix took a step back, curiously watching the door. No one entered, but the motions in the hallway made Felix uneasy enough to return to his room. He had enough troubles for the start.

"Have you seen the chicken yet?" Y/N asked before he could even make the choice to leave. She ignored the footsteps altogether. Felix shook his head. 

"Franklin showed them to me. You should meet him, he was very kind and maybe you will find a new friend."

"I will think about it if I meet him." 

"I haven't seen him at dinner, so maybe he roams around, too." 

Felix did not know who Franklin was, what he looked like or what age he was, but for a second Felix felt a sting when hearing that name a second time. He lied to himself that it had to something else than jealousy. He listened to the sounds behind the door.  The footsteps walked past them, but they were too fast for a nun, too many, so the boy assumed it must be the other kids. Maybe even Franklin.

It made Felix feel uneasy. He had no intention to meet the others again or learn to know new faces, so he was glad that Y/N suggested he go outside.  Felix rather went out into the cold than get into another uncomfortable situation. The boy finally managed to relax after a long evening, smiling down at Y/N as he followed. 

Just as they were to leave the house, Wendy suddenly entered. When she saw  Y/N she stopped and stared, her smile quickly fading as he moved them to her side.

"Y/N-" At the sight of Felix she made a horrified face, and he read it as a "shit, not him."

"Wendy-" He started and she widened her eyes, bending her head cautiously aside.  

"You should rot in hell. This is not what you deserve after Hell-land." She used his short gap to speak first. She quickly hushed past both of them, not giving Felix any chance to talk.

"She never told me why she hated you so much." Y/N followed the girl with her eyes until she vanished upstairs in the hallway.

"Because I was one of the people that kept her from her family." Felix suggested an idea, looking down at the former lost girl. 

"She doesn't hate Devin or the other boys." 

"Truth be told, most of them were just harmless morons."

With that he turned and left the building, quickly followed by Y/N. Outside it was freezing and without proper clothes they just took a quick peak around the house, assuming the animals were fed by someone. With a quick glance they saw that there were indeed some goats. It was too cold to stay any longer, so both decided to go inside quickly. On the way back Felix was surprised to see Devin. He remembered him well, so he raised his hand to wave. The boy froze at the sight of him, eyes widened in disbelief. He did not look pleased to see the former second at all. Just like Wendy.

"I really hoped he had killed you." Devin said, his eyes wandered up and down. With that he turned on his heels as if he changed his mind and walked back where he came from. Felix stood and stared. He was silent for a moment before he shook his head and turned to Y/N.

"I think I will head back to my room." He said dryly. 

Y/N said nothing but she did not have to. Her eyes were full of disappointment, as if she did not want him to go. Felix did not want to leave her like that, not that soon, but it was late and even though he had slept the whole day he still felt tired and drained. Besides, he could not bear facing any of the other boys right now. 

"Can I give you something before you go?" Y/N suddenly said as Felix was about to leave. He looked at her expectantly and gave her a confirming nod before he walked behind her to her room. When they arrived it took her only a few moments to receive a small paper bag with some black fabric inside. 

"I saw it and thought about you. It was always warm in Neverland so I thought you would need something warmer." She smiled at him while giving him the bag.

"Thank you." Felix showed his teeth while smiling. He had never received a gift before.

[yibeimolihuacha]

Slavic-folklore-inspired Zoyalai AU Prompt

AU in which Nikolai is a prince who returns home to find that his family had fallen ill with some strange disease and died, and now he is the one who should become the king, but his officials and people are not happy to give their country into the hands of a man who spent most of his life in faraway lands. So his traveling buddies and wise advisors Tolya and Tamar suggest asking for the hand of one of the noble maidens - Alina, who is also known as The Bright for her kindness and good nature, and therefore, if Nikolai marries her, then the people will accept him better. Nikolai agrees and rides out to pick up his bride. However, the lands of Alina’s father are the farthest in the kingdom, and therefore the path before him lies long and difficult.

Nikolai is a prince who can't become the king until he marries the right bride.

Alina is a noble maiden.

The Darkling - Koschey, an ancient immortal sorcerer who lives in the Underworld. Because of Baba Yaga's ancient curse, he cannot set foot on the surface until he has the one the sun loves most (Alina). He already has two brides - The Beautiful and The Wise, and now he is trying to get the third, the most important one - The Bright.

Genya (The Beautiful) is The Darkling’s first bride, she is a witch famous for her unearthly beauty. He kidnapped her when she was a child, and since then she serves him and keeps an eye on what happens in the real world for him. To get Alina, The Darkling tells Genya to gain her trust and lure her into his kingdom.

Zoya (The Wise) is his second bride, she is also a witch, but despite her name she is not famous for her wisdom, but rather for her bad temper. The Darkling named her The Wise because she came to his kingdom by her own will and wished to become his bride (of course she had her reasons), and he thought her desire for power and strength was the best manifestation of wisdom. Zoya lives in The Dark Forest, in the old hut of Baba Yaga, whom Koschey locked for her curse in the Underworld. While Genya is trying to lure Alina into the underworld, he sends Zoya to take care of Nikolai and lead the prince astray.

Both Genya and Zoya wear The Darkling's shackles - Genya has a bone necklace, Zoya has bone bracelets, he also has a bone crown waiting for Alina. The Darkling's shackles maintain the connection between him and his brides and prevent them from disobeying him, and also enhance their natural witch powers. Genya and Zoya apart from Baba Yaga are the strongest witches in the kingdom.

Bagra is Baba Yaga duh.

Mal is an archer in the service of Alina’s father, he is in love with Alina, just as she is with him.

Kaz is The Crow, a criminal who can shapeshift into a crow, he helps Nikolai once on his quest for a pay.

Maybe all of the crows could be some kind of shapeshifters, Mathias could be a wolf, Inej could be a black cat etc

here are some of Bilibin's and Vasnecov's artworks for the VIBES

[yuhuozero]

NARUTO: THE SPECTATOR

01: The Arrival

"A Spectator, the audience of play, a person who watches the show, the observer of stage"

In the deepest part of the forest, an unusual occurrence is happening. With so much density of chakra that can now be seen with the naked eye, a boy aged between 9-10 appeared as if by magic! The sun shines even brighter as if illuminating the boy, the leaves flutter, the earth rumbles, the wind roars, and nature awakens as if rejoicing the arrival of the chosen one.

And a moment of silence, the boy opened his eyes, the dense chakra dispersed, the sun returned to its original brightness, the leaves stilled, the earth calmed, the roaring wind vanished, and nature slumber once more. And everything returns to normal as if nothing happens, as if nothing special arrives in this world.

Huh? Where am I? Everywhere I look, I see only trees, small trees, and big trees! A bird? Rock?

Where?

Help! Did I get kidnapped? Who? And for what?

And I remember a kid and... I died.

Sh*t, I'm sure, I died...

Where could I be? Hospital? (Surely not),Heaven? (I will gladly accept it, open arms!), or Hell?? (No way!), I need to find something—civilization or any information.

*****

In a large, open area, a burial ceremony is happening. Some people are digging with shovels, and some are carrying caskets to be buried.

"Cease you crying, Itama! A Shinobi must never show any weakness," a stern old man said to his own sons.

"But father," was immediately answered by one of his sons, to protect his youngest brother.

"Your weakness will get you killed! A path to a world that is free of battle is not easy to pave!" As the old man walked away, he added, "Sometimes sacrifice is needed for greater good. Raising one's children to become full-fledged is the sign of parents love!" 

Unaware of their knowledge, a boy aged 9–10 is observing them.

"Hashirama, Tobirama, Itama, and Butsuma? Confirmed, I'm transmigrated into the Narutoverse!" 

After 2 weeks of wandering around, I came to the conclusion that, seeing them, I'm sure this is the warring state period before the Konoha is built. Only thanks to this strange energy I can feel around, I learn to hide and manage to protect myself in case techniques misfire in my direction. Is this chakra? No, it's different from what I remember; chakra came from a body combination of physical and spiritual energy, while this strange energy came from everywhere, like trees, mountains, and rivers. So what is this? Maybe I'll remember it later...

*****

"Mom..."

"Be sure to eat healthy food and remember to sleep and rest; don't overwork yourself. We know that you're already an adult, but for us, you'll always be our baby boy. Mother will always love you."

"Father..." 

"Son, be strong; that's the path that you wish to take. With your mother, we'll support you. Our little angel, spread your wings and fly. I love you, son."

"Brother..." A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Little bro, wish anything you want; your big brother is super strong; this big brother will raze anything that blocks your path, so... so you'll be safe, and remember to be always happy. I love you so much, little bro."

In the clearing inside the forest, a little boy was sitting on the ground and hugging his knees as if hiding away his grief, his anger, and his sadness. He wails. He cries until his tears dry up. Only the comfort he has is his own.

The world is truly unfair; why does this pure soul need to suffer? A sheep is thrown into the pack of wolves, waiting to be slaughtered.

Sometimes the darkness needs a light to see the truth; where's the darkness, The light will Arrive.

[scoundrels-in-love]

1, 11, 39 for the fic ask thingy? 🐝

Thank you for asking, bbee. <33

Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?

Truly, nothing scares and overall upsets me more than having to write multi-chaptered fics. I finally managed to break my curse of never having finished one earlier this year and I am gritting my teeth and chanting that I can and will finish the ones hovering in my WIPs as well. One shots is where my heart is at, even when I link them together in long collection.

11. Link your three favorite fics right now

Oh boy, I am not good at picking favorites, especially such limited number. But okay. *cracks knuckles* You're definitely getting more than just three, though.

sometimes it's heaven sent (we kiss, make up on the way) - a Mashwood Pushing Daisies AU by @dingusttmax that has been living in my corner of my heart and my mind. Painful, sweet and hot all at once. Absolute perfection. His through the deep dark forest long aka Mashwood Princess Mononoke AU is also just. SO GOOD. Fuckin' fantastic. Emotional, creative, stunningly described.

blended in measure the Mashwood series by @tardisready is just superb, fantastic, devastating, cleverly plotted and told, stunningly hot. Can't give it enough praise, truly. Also, ace Vash rep!

maybe my heart needs to break to be sure a Mashwood piece that comes with several warnings that absolutely should be heeded, but whew. The emotions, the love in this are absolutely fantastic, devastating and will stay with me for a long time. Forever, I suspect.

Mycorrhizae a Mashwood piece that left me just! Mouth ajar in the best way possible. Leaning into cryptid/inhuman Vash all the way in, absolutely fascinating and left me in awe and sick with writer and brain envy.

get your hopes up a Stryfewood focus Mashwood piece but Vash is very much present. Hot, emotional and just all around winner for me.

"Always" is in the eye of the beholder a VashMeryl piece and insight in Vash's immortality and the lifespan of love versus loved one.

Sister of Bandits by @ladymaliwan a VashMeryl piece about Meryl finding Ericks and Meryl is so delightfully badass in this, just everything about this is so good. I love the expansion of Meryl's arc that feels so natural that the author is making.

Bluebells by @needle-noggins is a VashMeryl fic in progress that has me captivated and not just because I've had the privilege of few sneak peaks of what's to come. Dealing with Meryl's very reasonable trauma after well... Everything. And navigating a life in the after. Which is a theme that I absolutely love to see explored.

for reasons wretched and divine a VashWood smut piece that comes with suicidal ideation warning. Trans Wolfwood and stone top Vash. The way this Wolfwood is written, it won't leave me alone. If I could do him this beautifully fucked up just once, I'd be happy.

Research Findings a Vashwood piece by @bienchanter short, funny as all hell, sweet. What's not to love. Like Smoke Through your Fingers by them as well - amnesiac Vash with synesthesia, which I think is such a winning combination. And it's not because I am biased, it's really a great zombie apocalypse Mashwood AU: what's it really for (if it's not yours and it's not mine)

There are several more I want to link, but I can't find them quick in my history, goddamit. I've been lax about bookmarking things lately. T_T

39. Share a snippet from a WIP

From what I have lovingly deemed Demi fic - a VashMeryl post Trimax piece.

“I thought you had died.” 

I almost did. Everyone else has. 

But it’s not true - she is here, hugging him so tight it almost hurts. So he does not say that, does not say anything at all, just holds her in return. Her shoulders tremble softly, because there's few things he's as good at as making her cry, it seems.

Vash doesn't count minutes holding her (comforting her, comforting himself), lets the few stray stares drip off of him, them, until Meryl is ready to pull away a little and look him in the face properly. There is an instant urge to turn his head away, duck out of her gaze, as if she could read all his recent failures in his features.

He doesn't, because he didn't come here to run away again. At least not the moment they've met. (He is tired of running. He is more scared of staying.)

Send me fanfic writer ask?&lt;3

[cleocatrablossy]

Okay okay okay. So like… we have an art project in art class(wow) where we do a bunch of drawings and for one I decided “hmm what if Fire family twin sisters?? Because there are PARALLELS TO BE MADE” as in Squirrel and Leaf and Ivy and Dove. And then I thought “Actually all the fire family sibling duos where they were essentially raised as twins wether or not they had other siblings that died almost immediately or were still born actually are really interesting constructed to eachother” because like!! They all are set up perfectly to be so similar to eachother but there’s always something there in how they treat eachother.

Like Squirrelflight and Leafpool are there for eachother no matter what, Squirrelflight would do anything to try and make her sister happy and Leafpool would literally die to save Squirrelflight and reality checks her all the time. And they are put through so much shit together and come out closer at the end only to be dragged apart again(funnily enough all 3 times this happens is due to StarClan. The journey, the ‘follow your heart’ thing, and death). And they’re super close to a point that for a little they had a psychic link. And with the whole three thing, they have eachother’s backs no matter what and will face against everyone they ever know together. And they’re always talking to eachother whenever they can. It’s explicitly stated to be WEIRD when Leafpool is avoidant towards Squirrelflight when she’s seeing Crowfeather. Even if everyone else hates them, they have eachother and that’s enough. But they do have friends other than eachother.

Ivypool and Dovewing start out super close just like Leaf and Squirrel, but in comes StarClan again. Dovewing is cast as one of the three and pretty much immediately after they’re apprenticed she’s dragged away to the beaver dam. Sure Ivypool gets a bit jealous there, but they can still talk. But Dovewing keeps getting dragged away and gets extra attention and importance and the moment Ivypool gets a chance to feel as important and takes it. And slowly they end up talking less and less, despite Dovewing trying to reach out. But Ivypool at this point she’s full of it and doesn’t pay her any mind. And eventually it gets to a point where despite Dovewings efforts even after the great battle, they do end up being friendly to eachother though. They end up on alright terms but are more like old friends from school. Dovewing notably has a good support system in ShadowClan and Ivypool has one in ThunderClan, but before the great battle Ivypool just had the dark forest that she wasn’t actively turning away and DoveWing had their mom and the ones putting pressure on her and Tigerheart. They probably could have ended up on much much much better terms if Ivypool had a better support system than the dark forest since then she’d have people to talk to.

Sparkpelt and Alderheart again start close, and with how great at warrior stuff Sparkpelt is Alderheart is in a perfect position to get jealous. And he does! Especially once he’s forced to be a medicine cat. But they still do talk, and Sparkpelt helps keep his spirits high. And while due to Alderheart’s quest they’re separated they’re still close. And they’re there for eachother if needed, and can also lean on others if needed. Sparkpelt treats Laderheart with nothing but joy and care, and so he returns that- all be it in a much quieter way.

And then… there’s Finchflight and Nightheart. Finchflight has the same(if not much more) pressure put on her than Nightheart does him, but still tries to treat him kindly. Nightheart has nothing but vitriol to spew towards her. But Finchflight keeps trying to talk to him, then he leaves to find catmint and comes back angrier. Finchflight does make a bigger deal out of the naming ceremony that needs be and keeps pushing at him to take the name Flameheart instead, which is a bad thing, but this is the only negative thing she’s ever done to him. And he HATES her and then just leaves and pretty much goes “no fuck you. You want me to do CHORES” when she asks him to come back to ThunderClan since he left without even saying goodbye. Finchflight should have some level of anger but she doesn’t. She still cares about him and WANTS to be close siblings but he absolutely despises her, not for the one thing she’s done but for everything else. And he blames everyone around him for him being a fucking idiot, but is treated with nothing but compassion by his sister.

Like in alternating order they’re duplicates in how they treat eachother but on the religion it’s far more strained. So compressing it all down you get:

Squirrelflight & Leafpool: They have eachother’s backs, care for eachother, will die for eachother, and reality check eachother if needed

Dovewing & Ivypool: Strained, but friendly. They respect eachother and care about eachother but more so as friends than sisters. Seperated but they talk plenty.

Sparkpelt & Alderheart: They care about eachother and cheer eachother up, they’re super close and got past any amount of jealousy there. They’ll step on eachother’s tails time to time, but it’s all fun and games.

Finchflight & Nightheart: They barely even talk, Finchflight wants to be close siblings and cares and Nightheart despises her pretty much just for existing. Nightheart is just gone, and still spews vitriol.

And that, is why on the art project I have Leafpool and Squirrelflight, Dovewing and Ivypool, Sparkpelt and Alderheart, and Finchflight. Because everyone despite everything still talks and has that connection, besides the newest duo. Only Finchflight still wants to be siblings, only Finchflight is there.