#and their masks stand for their codenames when working under them?

[modgirlyreposts-revamped]

Say what you want about FNaF Michael x Ennard Gachatubers, but I will admit that they tend to have way more interesting AU storylines and characters than those who try to be “canon” with their AUs

[harbingerscry]

John Price x Informant!Reader

Harbinger is the codename of my COD OC and this is technically part of her story I turned into an insert for others to enjoy. Feel free to comment! As this is my first time posting my work; Please be kind. Also, I know absolutely zero German and relied on a translator.

None of Taskforce 141 knew who they were exactly. Laswell spoke highly of their efficiency and quality of intel, but the only inkling they had as to who they were was their call sign, 'Harbinger'. A warning call, a signalling of something approaching.

Normally if a new operator was joining the team it was only Price who dealt with them, so Soap, Gaz, and Ghost were confused but elated when Price told them they were to report at 06:00 for a meeting with Laswell. After all, who didn't love a visit from her?

However, Price seemed a bit out of his element in the meeting room, pacing at the front of it like a nervous dog. It made Ghost sit a bit straighter and caused Gaz and Soap to look at each other quizzically, if Price was like this it meant they might be in for a 'treat' good or bad.

It was 2 minutes past meeting time that Laswell walked in, a shorter figure slightly obscured behind her. (I canon Laswell being about 5'7 as it isn't officially listed anywhere I have looked). As soon as the door shut and grunts and greetings were exchanged all eyes but Laswell's zeroed in on the still partially hidden person within the woman's shadow. 

All it took was a huff of amusement and a tilt of her head for the person to step out. They were most definitely not expecting a short but curvy woman to step out. Standing at only roughly 5'3 and eyes filled with soft mirth. She looked as though she had just stepped out of a coquette mood board on Pinterest. She had to be in her late 20's, possibly early 30's at the max.  

All it took was one look at her for Price's face to go from hard as stone to complete shock. "(Y/N)??" All heads snapped to Price and back to the woman they now know as (Y/N). The mirth in her eyes only seemed to grow as a cheeky smile broke out on her lips, causing her one dimple to shine. "John." The name was said with such a fondness it almost gave everyone in the room whiplash.

Even Laswell seemed taken aback by Price knowing her prized informant, after all, Laswell was one of the few privileged to know her on a personal level, past the call sign of Harbinger and the multiple masks that come with it. "Harbinger, it seems you're...acquainted?" What would normally be a statement was posed as a question in light of the revelation. Harbinger couldn't help the giggle that left her as she smiled. "Yes, though it has been quite a while." She turned her whole body to face Price, seeming to ignore all the eyes on her. "Ich habe dich vermisst, mein Schatz."

Laswell and the boys, excluding Price, looked between the two in confused silence before Laswell cleared her throat. "That will make this easier then, Harbinger, as you know, is one of the best informants I know." As Laswell speaks Harbinger looks away from the still stunned Price to pull out two thick manilla folders and a USB from out of her cross body bag. "She has agreed to work personally with The 141 as we hunt down Makarov."

"That I have. These folders contain everything I have been able to dig up on every shell company working under Makarov. Including their hired personnel, bank records, recent movements, and relations to one another besides Makarov." Harbinger then holds up the USB that had been sitting on the table until then.  "This contains all the information I have on Makarov himself. It is not as much as I would like, but it's what I have for now while I wait for more." 

Ghost, who was seated closest to where the folders laid on the table, looked to Price who seemed to have finally come back to himself. "Right then, let's have a look." Price announced as he nodded to Ghost. Gaz and Soap were glancing at each other, the two looked akin to brothers that just found out their dad has a girlfriend. Ghost, wanting nothing to do with the private conversation beside him, passed a folder and the USB down the table before opening the remaining folder himself. 

It didn't take long for Soap's voice to ring out after reading some of the intel. " 'ow did ye even get this?" "I second that." Gaz quickly said, eyes focused on detailed maps of multiple facilities, even guard rotations were marked. Harbinger's eyes shifted to look at an imaginary point as she thought, not quite sure how to answer without giving too much information. "I know people in both high and low places, I cannot say much else." Gaz and Soap couldn't help but glance at her, but Laswell didn't seem the faintest bit surprised. She likely knew as much as them but didn't question it, so neither did they.

"Why, (Y/N)?" The question rang heavy in the air, Price once again addressing the woman that no one knew his relationship with. It was obviously not a simple ‘why’ though, instead something unidentifiably deeper, to Gaz, it only solidified the connection he had made. "There are many reasons, John. Einige lassen Du am besten ungesagt." Her once mirth filled eyes and smiling lips dimming and lowering, a silent plea to address the question later.

"You know I barely speak German." Price huffed, it was obvious there were many things he wanted to ask, but now was not the time to air out their personal business. He nodded in silent recognition of her plea, looking to Laswell so she could continue with the original meeting. She was quick to take back the reins, not letting the atmosphere stop her, there was a job to be done after all. She was quick to begin explaining the upcoming mission with the intel gathered and announced the date and time they were set to leave out.

It was after everything was said and done that Price looked at the still lingering Harbinger. The boys had filed out, heading off to probably (most definitely) gossip and create a conspiracy about what just transpired. Laswell, understanding the need for them to talk, was likely waiting close by. (Y/N) came with her after all and would likely leave with her too. "Been quite a while, Love...you look well." Price, no, John spoke first. His voice carried a tinge of sadness, but also an undeniable fondness and sense of relief. "Thank you Schatz, you don't look too bad yourself." Her eyes shining as she looked at him, you would have thought John Price hung the moon and stars by the unbridled adoration in her gaze. 

"Thought I'd never see you again,would have thought you were dead if not for your family reassuring me. Where have you been all this time? " John couldn't help but let his emotions show as he crossed the room and closed the distance between them. His eyes filled with desperation, scanning (Y/N), looking for the faintest clue of damage or change. His normally steady heart felt like it would burst out of his chest at any moment. The love of his life was alive, something he had been questioning for the past 2 years.

A sad smile formed on her lips as she watched his movements, not able to bring herself to chastise his worry like she once would have years ago. "Everywhere, and yet nowhere at the same time it feels. You never left my mind." (Y/N) only hoped he knew what she meant, that he could feel the heaviness of her heart and the honesty in her voice as she studied his face. 

John seemed satisfied with his inspection of her, his eyes snapped to her own, those beautiful blues of his she always admired harbored a storm of emotions. Betrayal, anger, worry, relief, love....complex but so telling all at the same time. Seeing that was enough for (Y/N) to surge forward and practically bear hug the taller man, the love of her life. The only man to ever make her feel weak inside and out. 

It took all of a second for John to wrap his thick arms around her in turn, pulling her head into his chest and holding her as if his life depended on it. This is one of the few moments he allowed himself to be vulnerable outside the safety of his flat. The woman felt too much like home for him to be able to slip into his role of Captain. To her he was and ever would be John, possibly Johnathan when she got angry and needed a longer name to call him. 

He knew no matter how angry he was at her, the love they held for one another was everlasting. Through the arguing, the long deployments, the secrecy of each other's work, they always came home to the other, clinging to one another until they each felt whole again and balance was restored. Though now it seemed the secrecy was no longer needed, the thin veil had been ripped off unintentionally, leaving them exposed to one another. The fears and worries they had tried to protect the other from seemed almost silly in this new light. The biggest question was how they move forward from here.

Ich habe dich vermisst, mein Schatz. - I have missed you, my darling.

Einige lassen Du am besten ungesagt. - Some best left unsaid.

[twxins]

🍊 🍋 THE NOTORIOUS TWINS 🍋 🍊

‘Everyone knows they’re twins’, people say. That is until they see them standing next to each other in person, and then they start to ask questions...

But whether people believe their brotherhood to be blood-bound or not is irrelevant to them. They share a birthday, they share a blood type, and they share a bond. An utterly unbreakable bond. All their lives, the pair have not been separated by more than a mile. Biological or not (✨that is the mystery✨), they are twins through and through.

Although, like all brothers, they certainly do their fair share of bickering!

Growing up in the borough of Newham in a working-class area of London, it didn't take much for the twins to fall in with dodgy crowds. And in conjunction with circumstantial exposure to London's infamous criminal underworld, a certain set of circumstances running in parallel led them to their currently questionable profession: a pair of hitmen for hire. Assassins, if you will. And, to put it bluntly, they have gained a reputation in various international underworlds for being a pair of right crazy fuckers!

Nevertheless, the twins operate exclusively within the underworld and dislike it when the lethal events of their lives cross paths with the innocent. They do not carry out hits on civilians and will go out of their way to keep the blameless at a decent distance from their dangerous shenanigans.

That said, sometimes collateral is simply unavoidable...

Of course, to disclose one's real name in such a profession would be more than foolish. As such, the twins are known to operate under the zesty codenames of Lemon and Tangerine.

🍊TANGERINE 🍊

Likes: Bespoke suits, gold jewellery, (English) football, boxing, being right, expensive apparel, high-end liquor, jazz music, punk music, shitty cigarettes.

Dislikes: Being spoken down to, wifebeaters, racists, feeling underdressed, bratty kids, being micromanaged, being filmed/ having his picture taken.

Feisty and fowl-mouthed, Tangerine is without a doubt the more firey of the two. Fiercely protective of his brother, their rough upbringing has led Tangerine to go through life with his fists up. His coping mechanism with his high-pressure lifestyle consists of cursing and kicking the nearest walls - or any readily available object, to be honest.

However, despite being a bit of a loose cannon, Tangerine is as tough as nails. A scrappy little fighter, he is persistent, resourceful and has a brain like lightning when it comes to thinking on his feet. And his endurance is borderline frightening. He should have been killed at least fifty times by now and yet he keeps on kicking. The guy could smash his head through a thick sheet of bulletproof glass and then be back on his feet and ready to roll in the next five seconds - trust me on that.

Essentials for any mission: Gun (x2 at least), bulletproof vest, favourite set of brass knuckles, pack of cigarettes.

🍋 LEMON 🍋

Likes: Engineering, trains, technology, Thomas the Tank Engine, soft textures, snacks, Tetris, honest people, jazz music, punk music.

Dislikes: Piercingly high-pitched noises, bristly textures, big noisy crowds, different foods touching each other, underhanded people, fake people, diesels.

Lemon would likely be described by many as the more laid-back of the two brothers. Without a doubt, he is far better at keeping a level head than his tearaway twin. That said, though, if you give him reason enough to be wary of you, you may find yourself up against a deeply daunting opponent.

An expert marksman and incomparable strategist, his ability to read people and see through their superficial masks makes him a formidable foe and a fierce friend, depending on where you fall on his alignment scale. A scale which he measures using definitive traits from the characters of his all-time favourite and profoundly philosophical show, Thomas the Tank Engine.

Essentials for any mission: Gun, phone, hydrating beverage, Thomas the Tank Engine sticker book.

[gothimp]

glance + favorite for felix, stature + texture + change for mollena and day + canvas for lorcan please? 🫶

Ahh!! TY 🩵🩵

OC character design asks

glance: At first glance, what stands out most about your OC's appearance? What's their distinguishing feature?

Felix’ nose is distinct. It’s a bit narrow and crooked, it’s definitely been broken a few times.

favorite: Does your OC have a favorite article of clothing or accessory? What is it? What's the meaning behind it? Do they wear it all the time or do they wear it sparingly to keep it safe?

Felix is my goth cowboy he would drop dead before wearing any shoes that aren’t leather boots. He has a pair of black and tan leather boots with small flowers stitched into them, those are his favorite. They’re yarrow flowers, which is the plant Molly and Lor used to save his life when he was human. He also calls Molly Yarrow sometimes, they used codenames when they were on jobs.

stature: What's your OC's body type? How tall are they? Do they wear clothing to accentuate their look or do they try to mask it?

Mollena is a little under six feet tall. She has looong legs and slender arms, thicker hips, thighs, and chest. She often wears clothes to accentuate her legs, but usually tries to keep her chest covered/make it look a bit smaller. She has a navel piercing she likes to show off with cropped tops.

texture: Does your OC favor any specific kinds of cloth or textures? Is there anything they can't wear or don't like? What sort of fabrics do they prefer?

Molly is a big fan of leather and fishnets. She likes a good suede piece too. She can’t stand the touch of velvet, though.

change: Has your OC ever drastically changed their appearance? Significant haircuts, big tattoos, complete wardrobe swap, etc? Why? How do they feel about the change?

This is a good one for Mollena because she doesn’t change her style up nearly as much as Lor does. She always has long dark hair and usually dresses in mostly dark clothes of black and shades of blue. She’s a creature of habit.

day: What does your OC wear on a normal day? Why do they default to those clothes? Do they wear similar things, or do they change it up?

Lorcan mostly sticks to neutral colors and wardrobe staples for day to day. An average outfit for him might be jeans and a grey turtleneck with leather shoes, or a black tshirt with joggers and olive canvas shoes. He likes a lot of black, olive, navy, grey, white, and tan pieces. Hardly anything he has is patterned/striped or anything like that, almost all solid colors.

canvas: Does your OC have any scars, piercings, tattoos, or other markings? Do they display or cover them up at all?

Lor has an eyebrow piercing, and I’m working on plotting out getting him a tattoo of excalibur on his thigh. If this man gets a thigh tat he might never wear full pants again.

[averytiredfanfictionwriter]

Sic Semper Tyrannis

A syndicate x Platonic! Reader/ Technoblade x Reader

Warnings: murder, kidnapping, blood, a somewhat graphic depiction of getting stitches

Word count: about 2800

Ao3 Link: wow.

I’m excited to share this. I did write a version with an angsty ending, which is up on my Ao3 account here if you want to read that one as well. Fair warning though, while writing it I found myself dying inside so I don’t know how you guys would feel. It was the original way I wanted to take the story but as I was writing I also created this one which is an alternate, fluffier ending. Reader is a raccoon hybrid in this one. Don’t forget to like and follow for more. Enjoy!

It almost seems to be a mistake, Techno thinks. The woman- no girl- standing in front of him never struck him as the anarchist type. She was always too soft, too nice for any of it. Yet here she stands next to Philza, shivering from the chill of the cave and rubbing her bare arms. 

“This is the new recruit I was telling you about.” The winged man smiles at Techno.

“She seems… soft.” He mutters, taking in her shivering form before handing her a cloak.

She only nods, accepting the cloak gratefully and clipping it around her neck with ease before burrowing into the thick material. 

“Trust me. You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew her how I do.” Phil mutters, rubbing at his shoulder.

“Fine. But do you swear to uphold the values of the syndicate? Do you promise that you’ll help in our mission to destroy the corrupted governments that threaten the freedoms of its citizens?” Techno stands over her, red eyes practically glowing.

She nods hastily under his seven foot tall frame and he seems satisfied as he backs away. “Okay then. Come take a seat. We have a lot to talk about today.” 

Techno makes his way up the stairs to the table behind him, taking a seat facing the entranceway. Y/n looks up at Philza and he only shakes his head. 

“Don’t worry about him. He seems scary but he won’t hurt you. In fact, that’s the nicest he’s been to someone that’s tried to join yet.” Philza says before walking towards the table.

“Wait- what do you mean ‘tried to join’? Phil, what happened to them?” Y/n says in a panic.

“We don’t talk about them.” Ranboo chimes in. “Now, come on. Don’t want to be late to your first meeting.” 

Y/n scurries up to a chair at the table, taking the one across from Phil and next to Ranboo. She sits furthest from Niki and Techno who both seem to be scrutinizing her every move.

“Now, let’s get this meeting started. First things first, we have a new recruit. This is Y/n. You all know her, but she’s going to be joining us. You’ll need a codename.” Techno states, and Y/n thinks a moment as they stare at her.

“Dolos. I’ll go with Dolos.” Techno nods, eyes flashing with an unknown emotion before returning to their usual blankness.

“Okay. Now that that’s over with, is there anything in particular you guys wanted to discuss? Any new information or governments?” 

Phil nods, standing as he stands from the chair and speaks to the group. Y/n zones out a little for the rest of the meeting, nodding along but not really listening. Soon, it’s time to go and they’re all standing, the sound of chairs scraping on the floor loudly and Ranboo’s laughter at something Niki said echoes through the small space.

“Y/n, can I speak to you alone.” It’s not a question, and the woman swallows thickly as she follows the piglin hybrid into a small room that connects to the main one.

“So why Dolos? I mean, of everything you could’ve chosen, why’d you choose Dolos?” He asks, standing against the door to the room, blocking her in.

“Ah, well- you see, I’ve been told I’m good at deceiving people and that I’m so good at it, no one ever knows until I tell them, and even then they don’t believe me. I think that it’s a good codename, that’s all.” She stutters out, and Techno’s eyes narrow.

“I’m not easily fooled. If you’re lying, or you’re here as a spy, I’ll figure it out. And then not even Phil will be able to save you. Do you understand me?” He grunts out, standing over her with his sword held in his hand.

She nods and all but teleports out of the room to get away as quick as possible. He looks after her, seeing the disappointed look on Phil’s face outside and the confused glances from Niki and Ranboo. He steps out of the room as well and leaves the meeting hall without another word. 

It’s a week before anyone hears directly from Y/n again, and when they do it’s not for reason they would have ever expected. 

“I need your help.” Techno takes in the sight of the blood soaked clothing that covers the young woman.

“What happened?” He’s bewildered, the first time he’s been surprised in a long time.

“It’s not my blood. Most of it’s from the people we were fighting, but some of it’s his.” She points behind her where Phil stands, holding up a severely injured Tommy.

“Come on.” Techno grunts, ears twitching. The voices chime in, but he pushes them aside. 

“Set him on the couch.” Phil lays him down gently and gets to work brewing potions for the young boy. 

Y/n sits next to him, clutching his hand tightly with one of hers as she continues putting pressure on the gaping wound in his stomach. Her striped tail swishes nervously on the floor behind her and the large black ears lay back against her head.

“Get his shirt off. I need to sew it up.” Techno has his sleeves rolled up to the elbow as he comes over with a small first aid kit.

Y/n uses her sharp nails to cut away the stomach section of Tommy’s shirt, revealing the ugly looking gash. She pales at the sight of it, getting up and running to the bathroom to most likely vomit. Techno only sighs as he gets to work, wiping off the dried blood around the wound and starting to stitch it up. Tommy shifts uncomfortably on the couch, crying out at the needle threading in and out of his skin. 

Once done, Phil shoves the healing potion in Tommy’s face, which he drinks and then promptly passes out. Y/n comes back from the bathroom, hair tied back from her face.

“What happened?” Techno asks, standing in front of her.

“We were running through the woods, having fun- y’know, kid things- when we came across a small group of people. They started to attack us, and we started to fight back, thinking there weren’t anymore of them. Well, we were wrong. Very wrong. We wouldn’t have escaped if it wasn’t for Phil. Before we got away though, they said something like ‘down with the order’. I don’t know what they meant though. It was hard to understand them through their masks.” Y/n spews out and Techno only stares at her.

“‘Down with the order’? That sounds like they know something. What did they look like? Any distinct markings for kingdoms or anything?” Techno says softly.

She shakes her head. “Nothing that I could see, unless I missed it. I could probably lead you back to the place we fought at. I don’t know if more came to collect the bodies or not.” 

“Take me there. But first, go get cleaned up. We don’t need you walking around drenched in blood.” Techno says, nodding to the bathroom. 

One shower and change of clothes later, the pair are on their way to where Y/n and Tommy were attacked. Techno notices her fidgeting more than usual, constantly looking around them and watching as she jumps at the smallest of noises. He chalks it up to having been just attacked and they continue walking.

She stops in a clearing and he stands beside her. No sign of bloodied bodies is anywhere to be found. In fact, there’s no evidence a fight even occurred here. No blood spots on the ground, no scrapes in the ground, no disturbance of wildlife.

“Are you sure this is the place?” He turns to look at her, but she’s gone. Suddenly, something hits him from behind and the last thing he sees is Y/n, crying softly as someone holds onto her.

Techno slowly opens his eyes, registering the cold metal against his wrists and multitude of people surrounding him. The voices scream out in rage- rage at Y/n for getting them captured, rage at himself for allowing this to happen, anger for not trying to stop him and Y/n from being captured. They’re angry at a lot of things, and he grunts as he feels a headache coming on.

Y/n stirs in the chair across from him, whimpering softly and her tail waves behind her slowly. “Where-”

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you need to tell us who the rest of the members of your little club is, or else you both die. Tell us, and you live. It’s that simple.” A voice speaks out, a young man with brown hair and light eyes.

He rests a sword on Y/n’s shoulder and looks Techno in the eyes. He says nothing, glaring at the man instead.

“Are you going to tell me? If not, then I guess I’ll need to encourage you to do so.” The young man sighs, and takes out a knife, grabs hold of Y/n’s tail and presses the knife against the base of it.

Y/n screams loudly, and Techno hates the sound of it more than any other sound he’s heard. The voices seem to hate it as well, yelling at him to just tell the man the names of the other members to end it.

“Fine.” Techno gives in. 

The young man smiles, dropping Y/n’s tail and wiping the knife off on her shirt. “Oh good! That’s very good.” 

“Don’t do it. It’s not worth it. My life’s not worth it.” Y/n mumbles, tears falling down her face as she clenches onto the armrests of the chair tightly.

“You might know one of them. His name is Zephyrus. Has black wings, wears lots of green. Another one is named Lethe. He’s half enderman. Good luck catching him though. The last one is Nemesis. You might never find her though. She spends most of her time underground.” Techno states and Y/n almost laughs at the use of the codenames.

“You’re lying.”

The young man holds the knife to Y/n’s throat and presses gently, causing a small trickle of blood to run down her neck. “You have one more chance to tell me their names before I kill her and then you. I’ll give you to the count of ten. Ten…” Techno growls at the man before him, the sight of his knife pressed against the woman's throat more than angering.

“I told you. Those are their names. It’s not my fault if you don’t believe me. Now let her go. I don’t even like her. Killing her wouldn’t get me to reveal anything.” Techno says calmly.

The man considers this, pausing his counting. “You’re still lying. I saw you help her and her friend, the blonde. I’m surprised the cut didn’t kill him, to be honest. I think I’ll have to go back to your cabin when I’m done here and finish the job.” 

Steam is basically pouring out of Techno’s ears and his eyes glow a bright red. “Don’t fucking touch him.” 

“Yes! I will, unless you tell me the real names of the other members of your little club.” He releases Y/n’s head from his grip, and pulls his knife away from her neck. 

“Phil, Niki, and Ranboo. Those are their names. Now let her go.” Techno growls and Y/n shakes her head.

“He’s lying. Those aren’t their names. There’s not even more than one other member of the group. The third member of the group is named Dream. He’s currently in prison for killing several people and blowing up a country not once, but twice as well as manipulating kids. He’s the only other member of the group.” Y/n says, hoping that they don’t know she’s lying and buy her bluff. 

The god currently sits in prison, waiting out his days monotonously. They would definitely all die the minute they try and kill him- if they even do get to him, considering Sam would kill them the minute they step foot in the prison.

“Finally, someone here is telling the truth. You’re going to give me the exact coordinates of where the prison is, and then you two are going to stay here while we go kill him.” Y/n gives him the coordinates and the man is almost bouncing in joy. “For your sake, we better not be walking into a trap. Let’s go boys.” They leave the room and Y/n sighs, her head hanging forward heavily, as if her neck can’t hold itself up anymore.

“What was that?” Techno asks and she shrugs.

“I told you. People don’t believe I’m capable of lying to them. They’re all going to die trying to get to Dream, or he’s going to kill them himself.” Y/n yawns.

“Yeah, and we need to get out of here in case some of them survive.” Techno says, struggling against the restraints holding him to the chair and eventually manages to break them.

“Alright, let’s get you out of here.” Techno mumbles, picking the lock on Y/n’s restraints and lifting her up easily in his arms.

The maze of hallways is nearly impossible to escape, but they do it somehow and step outside to a snowy tundra. The wind blows frozen ice shards through the air and it bites at their skin. They were stripped of gear and their cloaks. The cold is no match for Techno, who produces enough body heat to stay warm enough, but Y/n shivers in his arms and presses her face against his chest in an effort to keep warm.

Techno’s communicator beeps as it regains signal, and he works it out of his pocket, seeing the messages from Phil and quickly shoots one back with their coordinates and a request for blankets.

Looking around, the only shelter Techno can find until Phil arrives is the building they came out of but that’s not an option in case the people come back. Techno settles for sitting on the ground and hugging the woman to his chest, doing his best to protect her from the wind and cold. 

“Oh my god…” Phil says as he lands in front of the pair, quickly grabbing Y/n and wrapping the cloak around her.

“Take her back to my cabin. She needs to get warmed up and is going to probably need stitches in her tail.” Phil nods, passing his sword to Techno.

“Will you be fine walking back? I can zip right back here to get you. Tommy’s healed and can look after Y/n while I do so.” 

Techno shakes his head. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. After all, you need to check on Ranboo and Niki. Make sure they’re okay. We’re not extremely far from the cabin, I’ll make it back before the end of the night. Now go already.” Techno says and Phil nods, taking off quickly with Y/n.

He looks back at the building they were in, and heads back inside. If there’s anyone left here, they’ll pay for what happened.

It’s a few days before Techno comes back and Philza spends the time either worrying over it or about the worsening condition of Y/n, who seems to have developed a bad cold or flu or hypothermia or all of it, really, as well as making sure Tommy doesn’t rip his stitches trying to do stupid stuff. When Techno does come back, he’s covered in blood and doesn’t even stop to talk to the members of the syndicate sitting in the living room or even wash up, instead going straight for the room where Y/n is sleeping and peeking in.

“She’s not doing well at all. I stitched her tail up, but she’s developed a fever and is still freezing cold all the time and isn’t getting any better, even with a ton of healing potions. I don’t know if she’s going to make it.” Phil mutters beside Techno and he only nods.

He steps out of the doorway and leaves to take a shower, taking extra care to scrub the blood out of his hair and changes into comfortable clothes. Peeking into Y/n’s room again, he sees her shivering underneath the blankets. Well no wonder she’s sick, she’s still freezing cold, he thinks to himself before opening the door further and stepping into the room. He climbs under the covers and Y/n instantly curls up to him, soaking in his natural warmth.

“Thank you, for getting me out of there.” She mutters, before falling back asleep.

“Anything for you.” He whispers, holding her tighter against him in an almost protective manner. 

Phil watches from the doorway, smiling as he watches Techno fall asleep curled up with her.

Tagged: 

@thegeekisheere

[shivada-jade]

codename: vind

older sibling!reader

characters: diluc, kaeya ➡ mentions: adelinde, crepus, la signora warning(s): alcohol consumption, swearing, and because for some reason, older siblings tend to be shorter than younger siblings. iDK WHY but ugh, yeah you're shorter than diluc and kaeya bc you're the older sibling. ik, i hate it too

like, i wanna be a tall 6'2 woman

diluc's 5'10 so u can still be tall in the story.. just not 5'11 😢 sorry over 5'10 folks

➡ WRITTEN BEFORE 2.1 so uhh :D

notes: platonic w diluc and kaeya, duh bc ur the older sibling. sibling love!!! sibling love !! woop woop !

"Dad, I'm home!" You bellow out to the house, waving a polite hello to Adelinde who looked shocked to see you. You kick off your shoes and slide your way to the long table in the living room, swiftly grabbing an apple before heading upstairs.

Your hands graze the railings and make your way up to find your dad. Upon reaching the last flight of steps, you were suspicious with how the place was very quiet. Granted, your younger brothers are now adults, but it still felt too quiet. Maybe you expected to see your brothers playing a game of chess, maybe bickering and fencing. You were hoping to see your family after being away.

You were a part of the Fatui under the Mondstadt branch. It was and at the same time wasn't a choice to be roped into the Fatui. You got roped into the wrong group of friends and found yourself blackmailed by the infamous group.

You didn't want to join. You didn't want any of it. You've been disconnected from the world. Wiped out from the face of Earth. No one gave information to you, you couldn't learn anything about what's happening currently. The most you could do was send letters, but even those were difficult to send out. You had to do it in secrecy or you'd be in trouble.

Love, the better sibling,

[Y/N]

Or another common send off is:

Please write back soon,

[Y/N]

And your family never failed to send back letters. They asked what you're doing, where you are and how are you, still you never told them your occupation, fearful of what they would think and where your loyalties lie, so you told them you were working under an adventurer.

It's for the greater good. You remember trying to convince yourself.

You're a horrible person.

You were sixteen then. Your younger brothers were twelve. It's been 10 long years since you last saw them, and 6 years since you last received a letter back. You miss them dearly. You often wondered what sorts of adventures they did without you.

But why are you wondering about this? You knew what they did: you knew everything that happened.

You're living under a heavy burden.

"Dad?" You call out again. Maids and wine makers look aghast when they see you, and they're on the verge of fainting when you call out to your father.

Stop the act.

It's strange how the letters were suddenly cut off. The last letter you received was from Kaeya, telling you how you needed to come home straight away. You tried to, but the Fatui prevented you from doing so. A lady called La Signora supervised you directly to make sure you didn't leave.

You know...

Adelinde brushes the dust off her uniform and hurries up the stairs to catch up to you, "Dear, is that you [Y/N?]"

"Did you forget me that easily? I'm offended Miss Adelinde," you chided, but the teasing look in your eyes give Adelinde relief to know you aren't actually offended. "Miss, where's dad?"

You're sickening.

Adelinde takes one look at you and squeezes your shoulders with a smile, "I'm afraid that's not for me to say. Master Diluc should be able to-"

"Oh, where's Diluc and Kaeya?" You ponder, and the corners of your lips curl upwards. "Those two were always attached to the hip. Where are they now? Horseback riding at the vineyard? Ha! I-"

You glance at Adelinde's watery eyes and stop your babbling. "What's wrong Miss Adelinde?" You reach for her hands on your shoulders and hold them. "Ah, has father been making you work too hard? I can request him to lessen your load."

Adelinde shakes her head no. "You don't have a clue, do you? Oh," she sighs. "Please, rest yourself by the fireplace. I'll prepare tea for you." She rests her hands back at her side and scurries to the kitchen.

You frown, unsure why she's jumpy, but you follow her request and sit by the fireplace. The crackle of the fire contrasts the tense air you feel when maids brush past you, offering tea Adelinde made. You thank them, gently blowing on the drink.

After taking a sip, you place it down with a pinky to lessen the noise it makes on the table. You hear the door open, and the choruses of maids greeting someone.

"Welcome home, Master Diluc," you hear and other voices saying, "We've prepared a meal for you and your sibling, would you like to rest yourself?"

You peek from your chair, he obviously hadn't realized you yet.

Diluc's lips make a thin line and shrugs off his jacket, "Why is Kaeya visiting. Isn't he supposed to do his knightly duties?"

You have no clue why he says it like that. The venom in his voice sends a shiver down your spine. You decide this is your cue to give him a warm welcome. You stand from your seat, and open your arms in a grand gesture and waltz to your brother. "Diluc! It's been a while huh?"

You clearly see him tense hearing your voice. His head snapped to your direction with his mouth parted. The maids respectively take their leave, bowing before they do so.

Diluc looks you up and down, still not believing you're there, like you're just his imagination. His hand slowly reaches out to you as if you're a dream.

Your feet lead you closer and you grasp him tightly in an embrace.

He freezes, but slowly relaxes in your hug, reluctantly bringing up his own arms to wrap around you. You feel his grip tightening, and you feel his shake out silent sobs. His face buries in your neck, letting tears fall on your clothes.

You soothe his back, and press a kiss on his hair. "I'm home, Diluc."

He trembles, pushing himself away to look at you clearly. Why hadn't you come home earlier? He wanted to vent, he wanted to yell, shout, he wanted to know how much he missed you in your absence.

He clears his throat and coughs in his fist. "You should have told me about your arrival," he adjusts the gloves on his hands, and looks to the floor like he did when he admitted he accidentally broke your toy when you were 10.

After these years, he still looks up to you as his older sibling. Not a thing has changed.

But you couldn't help but notice one thing. You knew Diluc and Kaeya had matured, you knew they would grow taller, but shit, now Diluc's taller than you.

"I sent a letter a month ago," you began. "It should have been sent to your office in the Favonius Headquarters? That's where I send my mail after you told me about your promotion to Cavalry Captain."

You squish his cheeks with both your hands. "Because I know you're a workaholic and only respond to letters that mean business, so that's where I sent it off to. You never write back, neither does Kaeya," you pause, thinking for a moment. "Neither does dad. Tell me he hasn't gotten sick that he couldn't respond to my letters."

Diluc lifts your hands off his face and frowns. He doesn't know how to break the news to you- not when you look so excited to be home and tell of your adventures to your family, so he asks, "Did you eat yet?"

You note the frown on his face. "'What's got you grumpy," you prod. "I need to find dad first. Told him in the first letter I gave him, I'd give the first gem I find."

Diluc watches you leave him to go to Crepus' room on the second floor. He hears the thuds on the floor and the opening of the door, but does nothing to stop you. You left with a smile, and you come back confused.

"Why is dad's room empty?"

How cruel.

...

Kaeya hums, passing by Flora's shop and purchasing a Calla Lily for the sake of it. He is well aware of the Fatui that stand by corners. Whispers of the wind give him intel, and so does alcohol apparently. He leans on a wall right outside Angel's Share, watching two Fatui members drink some of the tavern's strongest alcohol, imported from Snezhnaya.

"That damn," the one with the red and black mask hiccups, lifting a mug with foam overflowing. "Damn brat's gonna snitch on us to the Knights- *hiCC* boss lady wou- *HicC* would have our heads!"

Thankfully, their more responsible Fatui friend takes the mug and switches it with their drink, water. "You're the one who let Vindicta out of your sight when you know their frequencies to escape. This is all on you, buckaroo."

One of the Fatui escaped? How peculiar.

Kaeya hums, in steady strides he shows himself to the Fatui and takes a seat from another table and sits in front of the two. "My, my, my. If it isn't the wonderful Fatui," he divuldges. He twirls his Calla Lily around his fingers, amused with the Fatui's reactions.

Their mouths drop, knowing who he is and they hastily clean themselves up by sitting straight and wiping away the alcohol from their faces. "Good evening, sir."

"Evening to you too," he places the flower behind the person's ear, flustering them. "Well? Drink up. Everything you order will be on me."

The Fatui look at each other, skeptical with Kaeya's kindness, but the drunken one accepts the offer. Kaeya celebrates in the inside as he slowly gains Fatui intel.

Though, the second Fatui whom he dubbed the "Responsible One," took a while for them to take a sip. Turns out, they couldn't handle alcohol, that's why they avoided drinking it.

"So, my dear friends," he slides a coin on the table and stares both of them down. "A mora for your thoughts? I couldn't help but notice the tense of your shoulders when you first arrived here."

Responsible One raises their mug drunkenly, and gives a pointed look, "You... you know too much. How?..." They stare at their friend and whisper shout, "Don't tell him about Vind or-" They fail to continue their sentence and pass out on the table.

Kaeya feigns a surprised face and looks at Fatui number 2, "Who exactly is Vind? I'm sure you don't mean the storm watcher up at the cliff." He coats his voice with sugar, and it seems Fatui friend fell for his kindness.

"The damn brat," they spit out before hiccupping again. "Recruited them, fed them, saw potential, gave a home, and they escaped."

Kaeya nods and pushes another bottle of wine to the Fatui's direction, urging them to continue.

"Was supposed to be one of the Agents to spy on the *hiCc* to spy on the Ragnvindr family, because *HicC* Vind was one of the best there is. They were about to be promoted Harbinger after an assignment *hiCCUpp* but then Big Boss Lady said 'End the Ragnvindr legacy,' Vindicta left without a word. They escaped."

The Fatui downs another bottle of wine. "But judging from Boss Lady's reaction, Vind did the job: killed him and placed the blame on the Knights."

The Calvary Captain knits his brows and places his hands in front of him. It laced themselves and he watches the Fatui person empty out his wine.

"I'd be careful of what you say if I were you." His lone eye glints dangerously.

"End the legacy?" Kaeya frowns. "Can I ask..." He couldn't ask why or the Fatui would stop talking to him. "Can I ask when your beloved spy did their job?"

The Fatui waves a hand, "Six years ago. After they killed that damn aristocrat's father, they tried escaping. Big Boss supervised them under their watch. 'Potential' the Harbingers always say, but I don't see the potential in them if they don't have loyalties under the Fatui. A wild card, really."

They lay their cheek on the table. The temperature drops quite dangerously. Kaeya's diamond eye glints with coldness before it turns back to warmth.

"Rumours have it," the Fatui sighs, playing with his empty mug. "The training Vindicta went through is rougher, so we were hoping they would tie their loyalties to us. We let them explore once, and they escaped under my watch. Maybe it was their assignment to leave, maybe it's not, because Boss Lady was okay with it, she said 'Vindicta will always return in our hands.' when they first escaped, and surely enough they do return. But either way, I'm fucked for letting them go missing the third time of the week."

Kaeya laughs with no soul and quickly ends the lovely 'conversation.' He pushes himself from the table and stands, "Thank you for chatting with me, it's been interesting." He tucks in the chair and glances at the two Fatui dozing, or close to dozing off.

He swiftly turns away, scoffing when he's out of sight from people. Vindicta is a dangerous card. Not even the Fatui know where their loyalties side.

Vindicta. How peculiar indeed.

One of the best Fatui, which probably meant they were payed well with respect and mora, but why are they labeled as an escapee when they always return? With someone as dangerous as a Harbinger, who do they side with- the Fatui or something else?

Kaeya has a lot of questions.

...

Diluc sits on a cushioned chair and hunches over, resting his chin on his hands, thinking.

Always thinking.

The once lit fireplace is soaked with water he splashed over. The scent of burnt wood wafts nearby. The light chatter of maids go through one ear and leave the other.

How long had it been since he last saw you?

Eternity is his answer. It's been eternity since he last saw you.

He lets out a long sigh, throwing his head back and running a hand through his untied locks.

Too much thinking for today. Diluc groans in frustration and sits back up. He turns his head slightly, seeing you in the corner of his eyes taking out boxes of things you owned from 10 years before.

It doesn't make sense to him. Why come back so suddenly after years of not seeing you? Though, you claim you sent him letters, he never got them because he closed himself off from the Knights.

"Diluc," you set down a small picture of a family portrait you took out from hiding behind many books.

You are taking this oddly well.

You're taking this too well, in fact.

This raises a red flag for Diluc. He told you the fall out of your family, how he quit the Knights, but still you're going around the place like nothing had happened.

Don't you feel any rage? Or even sadness?

He sees too many red flags and hates it- from the way you can hide things like Kaeya so easily, to the way you just suddenly appear back in his life. It feels weird. It's not easy to let someone that in quick, yet you're still his role model, so it's okay, right?

He's always looked up to you when he was younger. You never were at a loss of words and stood up for him. You were the person he can turn to when something wrong happens, but what were you doing for yourself to be gone for so long? Adventuring Teyvat could not have taken ten whole years. Where did you even stay?

"Diluc," you crouch in front of him and talk to him as if he were six again. "I'm okay, okay?"

Diluc takes a shaky breath and sits up straight. His posture resembling a king's. "I have an idea, and I would like you to help me."

You look at him in awe. The realization settles in: Diluc has grown, and you're still stuck trying to make up the past.

"And what do I help you with?"

"Finding who's responsible for father's death."

notes: had this in my drafts for a long time and i was like "wait where was i going with this..." until BAM i have the idea again so im gonna continue it

(part 2)

[fandomwriterstuff]

Rewind

Rick Flag x you

Rated T

~6.5k words (I could not turn it into chapters, it didn't work out right)

Warnings: canon typical violence

I highly recommend listening to this song because it is very epic and I listened to it while I wrote the dramatic end scene.

You were a petty thief, a modern Robin Hood; you stole from the one percent to gave to the needy. And you know what? More often than not, the one percenters never even noticed. And every time you got caught you used your powers to get out of the situation. However, you knew a day was coming when you wouldn’t be able to get out of a nasty situation. A feeling of dread was filling up your nightmares and seeping into your waking life. You were filled with anxiety that your next job would be your last. Of course, it was never an issue with your powers. That is, until it became an issue.

You were doing a job in Gotham, a shitty city if you did say so yourself. Nothing like the country home you grew up in. You knew the ins and outs of the city bank. You knew the guard schedules, you knew the camera angles, you knew the passcodes, you knew which day your target would be inside. Bruce Wayne. Local billionaire who wasted his time and money hosting galas for the rich and famous. You loathed the idea of him. He wouldn’t notice a couple million getting lost in the shuffle. You knew everything that Gotham City Bank had to offer. But what you didn���t know would get you caught and sent to a metahuman prison. What you didn’t know was why you’d been feeling the dread of this job creep up on you for weeks. You had a bad feeling about it, more than the rest. So when you walked in, in disguise, you thought nothing of the exhaustion and weakness that filled your body.

You’d barely slept the night before, so it was normal. And this wasn’t a cash job, it was all wire transfers. But Wayne had to be there for the biometrics to work. Unfortunately, he knew all about your little job. He knew and he had you caught. You were confused, at first, when all you saw when you walked in was an empty bank. It was just the tellers looking at you nervously, but there was a swish behind you and you whipped around, military training coming back to you from your brief time in the army as you took a fighting stance to see… the Batman?

“The Masked Marauder,” he mocked you in his autotuned voice. You scoffed, two could play at that game. You were posing as a man today, trying to throw the trail off of yourself. You turned on your voice modulator and laughed haughtily at him.

“The Batman. Fancy seeing you here,” you were unsure as to how Batman was involved with Wayne Enterprises, but you had no doubt he was there for you.

“Feeling a little weak yet? I can see you straining,” you were on guard as he approached you, coming close enough that you could see the stubble on his chin. If you could turn him around so you were closer to the doors you could use your powers to get out of there and make a quick escape. It was easier to change your own position with your powers and not an entire scene, but you could do it if need be.

But he was onto something. You did feel weak. You were tired, your limbs heavy.

“What did you do to me?” You asked, shifting on your feet but trying to keep the charade up. You were masked and cloaked, but he had a nerve-wracking effect on you.

“It’s new technology. Power blockers at every entrance. You’re powerless inside this place,” at his words you backed up, falling weakly towards the ground as your powers were seeping out of you. You tried to use them to get out of this situation, breath shaking and palms sweaty as the seriousness of the situation dawned on you. You were well and truly screwed.

It was only moments before the GCPD came and fixed you with a power-blocking collar, chaining you up in an armored vehicle and sending you on a long trip to Louisiana. You had no next of kin to notify, no friends to take care of your apartment. You were alone.

Belle Reve was a hell of a place. You were brought in under the cover of nightfall and were only given a brief explanation of the situation. You were in a metahuman prison. You had less rights than normal humans. You were being tried for multiple robberies and the associated injuries that people had gained when fighting back against you. You’d never killed anyone, not since the army, but it didn’t matter. The crimes had stacked up. You were looking at forty years in this place.

When they threw you into the cell you were going to stay in, you were relieved to see there was only one bed and it wasn’t occupied. Solitude, at least, was your friend. You could think. You’d have thought it would be less time in prison since you hadn’t killed anybody, but it didn’t seem like it mattered. You shrugged to yourself. It’s not that you had issues killing people, you were in a special metahuman unit in the army before you became the Masked Marauder. You had a different codename then, but working with them had made you a little crazy. You had to see your close friends and colleagues treated with less respect than dirt because of their metahuman status, and you had to see most of them killed in action. You barely made it out, and you came out with a raging hard on for disrespecting authority figures.

You were only in Belle Reve for six days before you met Harley Quinn.

“Live fast, die hard, baby. You gotta do what you gotta do,” was something you heard a lot out of her smirking mouth. If you were in another life, you’d have been instantly attracted to the beautiful blonde, but you had enough crazy in you to not want any more on your plate. Despite the lack of romance between the two of you, you still got close. “As thick as thieves,” Harley would say with a wry twist to her mouth. She loved puns.

“Chronos?” You whipped your head around at the sound of your military nickname. “What the fuck are you doing here you little slut?” Your eyes widened as you recognized one of your previous teammates. Another bad egg, turned away from the army and towards a life of crime.

“Who’s Chronos?” Harley frowned next to you at the lunch table you were at, she hated not knowing things.

“That’s what they used to call me,” you whispered, standing and facing the other woman. You were small in stature, and the Amazon-like woman towered over you.

“Annie,” you knew she hated being called by her real name. She was one of the cocky ones, thinking metahumans were better than regular old humans.

“You’re wrong,” another voice called. “Chronos is a dude,” that came from Blackguard, a weirdo that you were avoiding. You avoided most people, really.

“Chronos is not a dude,” Annie growled, suddenly looking at the smaller man. “You calling me a liar?”

“I think it’s time for us to get out of here,” Harley dug her fingers into your bicep and pulled you towards the rec yard.

“What’s up with you? You normally love people watching the fights,” you wondered, concerned when Harley passed her favorite guard without saying hi. (It was Colonel Flag, the fucking hottest guard at Belle Reve who you’d definitely formed a crush on. You couldn’t help it, he was compassionate and he didn’t spit on you or throw you around or humiliate you like the other guards.)

“You didn’t tell me you had a super secret past with a cool nickname,” she whisper-shouted when you got to a bench and she could slap you on the arm.

“It didn’t come up,” you shrugged sheepishly.

“What does Chronos even mean?” She asked and you were going to explain, but Colonel Flag sat down at the bench across from you with a warm smile.

“Harley, Y/N, just the two people I wanted to talk to,” he then raised an eyebrow at the bruising grip Harley had on your arm. She let go and he frowned at the angry half moon marks her nails had left there.

“Not now, Ricky,” Harley pouted. “Y/N’s been holding out on me! She has a cool secret life and never told me about it!”

“I doubt you ever asked,” he followed up in a deadpan way and you stifled a chuckle. It was true. She could be forgetful and also unobservant. She didn’t exactly ask you about your life a lot. You thought it might be an act, she did have a PhD, after all.

“She even has a cool nickname. What does Chronos even mean?” She asked again, but side-eyed Colonel Flag when he narrowed his eyes at you.

“Chronos? I thought they called you the Masked Marauder. You’re in here for theft.”

“They must not tell you all the deets,” you raised your eyebrows at the man. “Before I was a criminal I was a part of an elite army group of metahumans. But that went to shit and I’m considered a war criminal in several countries. Never got the pardon for working as a part of the US military because they wanted to keep my unit under wraps,” you frowned. You couldn’t ever leave the country because of it.

“Well you’re not going to like the proposal I have for you, then,” he looked like he was regretting coming over to you and you threw a smile on your face.

“What do you need, Colonel?” You asked, tilting your head, but Harley was bouncing up and down in her seat.

“Oh! Task Force X? Is it a new mission?” She looked so excited you nearly didn’t listen to her words. But you did.

“Task Force X?” You asked him, narrowing his eyes. Maybe that’s why he was so nice to you all this time. He was buttering you up. “I don’t think so. I’m not dying today.”

“You get ten years off of your sentence for every mission you do-” You cut him off.

“You had me at ‘ten years off of your sentence.’ Say no more. I’m in,” you grinned, shark-like, at him. He had the wherewithal to not look confused at your sudden change of heart.

“It’s always fun, like weeding out the weak!” Harley exclaimed as you were ushered out of the briefing with Amanda Waller, a woman who terrified you and chilled you to your core. You felt okay though because Rick was going to be your commanding officer. It had been three weeks since your conversation with him outside in the rec area. Three weeks and your relationship had shifted just enough to make you feel safe in his capable hands. If it wasn’t the genuine human respect he gave you, or the dirty looks and reprimands he gave the guards who manhandled and mistreated you, it was the lingering fingers brushing against your back when he led you places and the warm smile he had just for you.

“Flag,” you smiled softly as you passed him on the plane.

“Chronos,” he smiled back. You knew it was commonplace to call each other by their names (Bloodsport, Blackguard, Chronos, etc), but you felt a twinge of fear. This was your first time using that codename on a real life mission since you left the army. But, when Rick came up with a fancy electronic screwdriver and unhooked your power-dampening collar, you felt such a high. You were ecstatic, your limbs felt light, you felt like you could go a million rounds against Mayweather, you wanted to fuck-

“Am I missing something? Isn’t Chronos a dude?” Blackguard asked, again, and you scowled.

“Chronos is a myth, man. This is clearly just someone with the same name, right?” Boomer nodded towards you and you gave him a tight grin. But before you could respond, Rick did.

“She’s definitely Chronos, and you better hope her powers aren’t mythical,” you grinned at that. He had your back. However, you weren’t sure if you’d be able to save them all if it all went to shit. For several reasons.

You hadn’t used your powers since arriving at Belle Reve, so you didn’t know if you were at 100%

You only had certain amount of power over large situations, so you’d likely only be able to save yourself and a few others

You didn’t care enough about these fuckers and they didn’t care about you. Your priority was to get out alive with Rick and Harley

That’s when Harley made her first appearance to the team. She was apparently good friends with Boomer and you mentally added him to your list to keep alive.

After you set off, things happened quickly for you. You made eye contact with Rick (yes, you were mentally calling him Rick now, because you wanted to fucking date the shit out of him), and made small talk with Harley as Blackguard freaked out about Weasel. But when you dropped and made your way to shore, you stuck close to Rick. He had your back and you had his.

As it turned out, Blackguard had set you all up, giving your location to the enemy and getting his face blown off for his efforts. You watched as your elite team of killers was picked off one by one. Harley had run off and you were panicking that you didn’t have an eye on her. You needed her to get out of this alive.

“Follow me!” Rick shouted, nodding his head towards his intended destination - the forest.

“But Harley and Boomer are-” you shut your mouth as Mongal’s actions finally took their toll on Boomer. But maybe you could fix it, if you could use your powers-

“No, we have to get out of here, or we’re next,” Rick grasped at your arm and dragged you into a full out sprint towards the forest, gunshots echoing behind you. You slapped his hand away once you were deep in the forest, though the sky was darkening you cut your eyes to his.

“Harley is all I have,” you spat.

“She’s my friend too, you know,” he frowned. You’d never used that tone on him before. “She can handle herself,” as much as you were loath to admit it, he was right. She was crazy but she could get out of nearly any situation. You sighed and bent over, hands on your knees as you calmed your breathing.

“I’m sorry for snapping,” you muttered, but you gasped when a sudden pain shot through your right bicep.

“That was a warning shot,” you heard a voice call out in accented English.

“A warning shot?” Rick shouted as he crossed over to you, pulling you close to him and inspecting the wound. It went straight through, but it was bleeding badly. “Warning shots are supposed to be in the ground, not at people,” he spat, considering running but you were in too much pain and losing too much blood. “Don’t use your powers in front of them,” his lips brushed against your ear and you nodded imperceptibly. You wouldn’t want to show your hand.

“Take the colonel,” a woman’s voice called and you glanced at him, wide eyed as they dragged him off of you.

“Hey, hey!” He shouted, reaching out as you fell to your knees, putting pressure on your wound. If you could stifle the bleeding until they left you alone you could use your powers to fix it.

“Leave the girl,” the voice passed by you and you stared at Rick, panicking but unable to stop them as three men held him back and dragged him away. You couldn’t help but think this was the worst case scenario. The enemy was taking your leader but you had lost too much blood to put up a fight.

As the rest of the enemies passed you, you sat back on your heels, but one of them roughly bumped into you, making you lose your grip on your arm. The blood flow was back at full force and the world turned black around the edges. You were alone. You put your left hand face up in front of you, and your right hand an inch above it face down. Your hands were parallel to each other and you tried to gather your strength to use your powers, but you couldn’t. You hadn’t used them in so long and you had lost a lot of blood. The last thought you had before you lost consciousness was of Rick’s panicking face.

You awoke to gentle hands cleaning your wound with what you assumed was water and opened your eyes when you felt a tight bandage wrapping around your arm. It was a young girl, younger than you.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” she smiled softly.

“She’s awake?” A gruff voice came from behind you and you craned your neck to see a team of people behind you.

“Let’s get going then” another man said. “You patched her up, she can go on her own from here.”

“Who are you?” You asked the girl.

“We’re the Suicide Squad,” the dark skinned man growled. “Here to collect our Colonel.”

“No,” you sat up, quietly thanking the girl for patching you up. “I’m a part of the Suicide Squad,” you squinted in the early morning darkness. Was that… DuBois?

“Bloodsport?” You asked cautiously. Were these all other prisoners from Belle Reve?

“Who are you?” The guy in red and white asked you… Was that Peacemaker?

“They call me Chronos, but you might know me as the Masked Marauder,” you spoke cautiously.

“The thief? Why would they have a thief on a mission like this?” Peacemaker asked and you shrugged.

“My powers are useful for other things.”

“Chronos is a myth though, right?” A smaller man walked over to you, in a suit you didn’t recognize.

You shook your head. But that wasn’t the point, you had picked up on something DuBois had said.

“You’re looking for the Colonel?” You stood and approached the group, which apparently included a shark man.

“Yup, Colonel Flag was taken by enemies and is alive at their camp. He is our first mission,” DuBois spoke and you nodded.

“I’m coming with you. Colonel Flag helped me get out of the bloodbath at the beach. The enemy camp people shot me and took him away,” you frowned at the thought and the girl - Ratcatcher 2, she had specified - gasped.

“Why didn’t they take you, too?” She asked.

“I think they knew I wasn’t important. They noticed immediately that Flag was a military officer and took him away.” Likely to be tortured, you thought to yourself but didn’t say aloud.

“Well, let’s get going then,” Peacemaker said brightly and the group of you made your way to the enemy camp. You were lost in your thoughts on the way there. You weren’t sure whether or not you would kill anybody. Maybe hurt them or knock them out. You hadn’t killed since your time with the military. But they’d taken Rick and left you for dead. So you had very little qualms hurting them.

Turns out, it didn’t matter. Bloodsport and Peacemaker made what was almost a competition out of who could kill the most people in the sneakiest ways, but it got bloodier and bloodier as the rest of you approached the glowing tent. You heard laughter and glanced in, borrowed gun pointed in as you parted the flaps of the tent. But you immediately put your gun down. Rick was shirtless and all patched up, laughing with a woman who you’d seen the dark of the night before. You couldn’t help the rising feeling of jealousy, you’d never have that with Rick. The easy jokes, the equal ground. You were a prisoner, and you would likely die as one. But you couldn’t help the breathy “Rick,” that came out of your mouth when you realized that he was okay, and he wasn’t being tortured by enemies. He snapped his head over to you and stood.

“You’re okay,” he made his way over to you in three long strides, as if he couldn’t wait to be near you, and your heart swelled at the thought.

“So are you,” you whispered, and took a moment to look him over and let your body sag a little. You’d been so worked up that you had barely felt the pain of your wound.

“I didn’t know you were important to each other, I wouldn’t have let them shoot you,” the woman sort of apologized with a half smile and stood. “Let me get you something for the pain.”

It was then that she noticed the very silent camp, commented on it, and that’s when you looked down at your feet. Whoops, you’d let Bloodsport and Peacemaker kill an entire camp of rebels. People who were technically on your side. Waller had given you bad information.

Rick brushed a hand down your good arm and gently held you, pressing his thumb into your elbow as if making sure you were okay, that your pulse was strong.

“I was so worried,” he muttered, and you were sure only you heard it.

“So was I,” you looked up into his eyes, and if there wasn’t an audience, you would have kissed him then and there. Alas, you had another mission. Well, two. The first was to get the Thinker. The second one was to get Harley, and that was a plan you were ready for. You were down to clown, as Harley might say. As long as you had Rick by your side, you could do anything you set your minds to.

The Thinker would be frequenting one of his favorite bars, and as you left the shark dude in the bus you felt yourself relaxing a little upon entry. You knew bars. You knew how to blend in. You glanced over your shoulder, you couldn’t say the same for your teammates. So, you slinked away and found your way to the bar. The leader of the rebel camp provided you with a pair of stretchy black skinny jeans and a MCR band t-shirt. You’d fought harder battles in more confined clothing, so this wasn’t too bad.

“Una cerveza, por favor,” you spoke fluently. You grew up in the country, but your family was affluent and taught you several languages so that you could travel safely and easily.

The bartender smiled and grabbed you a bottle, and you watched the team gather around a table. They stuck out horribly, and you shook your head. Maybe with a few drinks in them they would loosen up, you watched as Peacemaker ordered drinks and nursed your own. You used to like drinking with friends, but other than Rick (and the missing Harley) you didn’t consider these people your friends. You had a tentative relationship with the Ratcatcher 2, and you were beginning to begrudgingly like Bloodsport. But, Polka-Dot Man freaked you out, Nanaue had the English understanding of a kindergartener, and Peacemaker was a dick.

“You going to join the team?” You failed to notice Rick coming over to you, and rolled your eyes, taking a sip as you mulled over your answer.

“Only if they start looking more interesting. You look like a bunch of tourists. I’d like to gather intel,” you scrunched up your nose at Rick and sipped at your beer.

“Yeah, you really look like you’re gathering intel, darlin’,” it was Rick’s turn to roll his eyes. “Sitting here, sipping on a beer and staring at us.”

You scoffed. How dare he call you out. But it was true, you were busy judging the team to actually get any good information.

“Fine, I’ll join you,” you swigged the last of your beer and glanced at the bartender. “¡Uno más!” You exclaimed, and the man smiled at you before grabbing you another ice cold bottle.

“You speak Spanish?” Rick raised an eyebrow at you.

“I speak a lot of languages,” you shrugged and took a swig of the drink before making your way to the now empty table. It seemed like your compatriots decided to go dancing. That left you with Rick.

“Oh yeah, and how did you come to know so many?” He seemed genuinely interested, though you were hesitant to talk about your past.

“My parents were diplomats and wanted me to be able to travel with them, so they had me learn Spanish, French, German, and Russian by the best tutors money could offer,” you shrugged, sort of stilted, at his curious glance.

“And I thought you were a thief because you were poor,” he shook his head with a smile. “Waller has very little info on you so I wasn’t sure.”

“My parents were cruel, and utilized their money to help bad people get into power,” you looked down at your lap. “I resent the things they taught me. And I tried my best to right the wrongs that people like them did.”

Rick sobered up and placed a hand on your arm.

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” he frowned and brushed his thumb over your skin. “I knew a little bit about your thievery and who you robbed and why, but it makes sense now. You were trying to help. I get it,” he sighed and took a sip of his drink while you downed yours. You hated talking about your family. You wanted to move on to something else. Anything else.

“I don’t want to talk about me anymore,” you sighed, brushing your hair out of your face and looking up into those beautiful eyes.

“What would you like to talk about then?” he whispered, not willing to break the reverie you were in. You were close, closer than you should be.

“I want to talk about you, Colonel,” you smirked and placed a delicate hand on his thigh. He dragged his eyes from that hand slowly up to your face.

“What do you wanna know, beautiful?” He smirked and blinked those pretty eyes at you. You’d both had too much to drink. It was a little scary making the first move, but you found him incredibly attractive and you were 99% sure he returned your feelings.

“I want to know,” you leaned in close, your lips brushing against his ear. “What those lips would feel like against mine,” you wondered aloud, and his sharp inhale was all you had to go on before a gentle hand was turning your face to his. The kiss was gentle, tentative even, but that’s not what you wanted. You wanted everything that Rick Flag could give you and you tightened your grip on his thigh, hoping to convey your thoughts, when everything went to shit. Peacemaker jerked Rick away from you and Cleo pulled you towards a darkened corner of the room.

“They’re asking for IDs,” she hissed, pulling you towards where you saw Abner had the Thinker.

“But what about-” she shushed you as you glanced back, making strained eye contact with Rick. Maybe you could use your powers to get out of this. But… You looked at the Thinker. This was the mission. You looked back at Rick. Would you get your brains blown out to save him?

You made your way to the exit, finding your way to the van and getting out of there. You were only vaguely paying attention while you were in pursuit of the truck holding your … friends? You panicked for a moment when it crashed, and when you pulled to a stop you sprinted out of the van and over to the fiery wreckage, thoughts racing about what could have happened to Rick when he, Bloodsport, and Peacemaker burst through the doors like some sort of boy band.

You couldn’t care less though as you threw yourself into his surprised arms and pressed your lips to his.

“That was stressful and I didn’t like it,” you muttered against his lips, barely noticing Bloodsport rolling his eyes.

“I don’t know,” Rick smiled and pulled away to look down at you. “This is pretty nice.”

You scoffed and grabbed at his hand, not willing to let go just yet, and dragged him to your vehicle.

“Shut it,” you muttered as you all gathered. All he responded with was a light chuckle.

Your next mission was saving Harley, but as it turned out, she was no damsel. You were on your way into the place she was being held when she walked down the street towards you.

“Hey, guys! Whatcha doin?” She was smiling brightly and you rolled your eyes at the situation before hugging her.

“We’re here to save you, obviously,” you muttered and she looked from you over your shoulder to Rick.

“You came back for me?” She whispered and Rick came over to you, Bloodsport rolling his eyes in the background.

“Yeah, it was a really good plan, too,” Rick muttered, but still hugged back when Harley threw herself into his arms.

“Well I can go back in and let you save me,” she offered and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“Not necessary, Harley. Now that we have you we can get back to the mission,” you patted her on the back and nodded to the rest of your team.

Now, you could say that you acted heroically and saved the day, but you and your ragtag team… You were amateur heroes. It was a shitshow. You were setting up explosives with Nanaue when you had that bad feeling again. The one you had when you were going into that bank in Gotham. Maybe it was your intuition, but you knew some shit was about to go down.

“Keep at it!” You shouted at the King Shark and raced your way down the stairs to where Peacemaker and Rick were headed. If you remembered their part of the plan correctly, they were with the Thinker, but something went wrong when you were about halfway down.

“Fuck!” You shouted as you heard a great BOOM. They’d set off the explosives too early. Maybe you should have stayed… You looked up at the dust coming down from above. Your brain was telling you to get out before the building collapsed on you, but your gut was telling you to make it to Rick.

“Fuckfuckfuck,” you chanted as you raced down the stairwell, crumbling concrete raining down as you danced around to avoid it. Your stomach cramped in warning, and you crouched into a ball as the floor beneath you gave out and you fell several floors. When your falling came to a halt you took stock. There was rubble above you, but not crushing you. Your breathing was heavy and your heart raced as you clawed your way towards the fluorescent lighting. You grunted and groaned as your fingernails cracked and your fingers bloodied, but you were not about to die here.

You crawled out into the open and peered through the dark, dusty hallway. You didn’t see anybody, but you heard a scuffle and made your way towards the grunting and smashing sounds. The alarm bells started going off in your brain again, and you started running. Your feet pounded against the jagged edges of concrete on the ground but you didn’t stop. You whipped your pistol out when you came to the source of the sounds, but you froze.

Your eyes took in the scene very quickly, and you knew there was a decision to be made. You saw Cleo’s figure in the dark corner, eyes shining in the dusty haze. The others hadn’t seen her yet. At first glance, Rick was atop Peacemaker, and your initial thought was that he was winning this fight. But his eyes, wide and shocked, locked onto yours for merely a moment before he collapsed forward, a dead weight, and all of your breath left your body.

You also saw Peacemaker’s eyes shoot to a computer chip that had scattered across the floor right before you came in. Right before they shot over to you.

But you knew this: Peacemaker didn’t know who you were. He had no clue what you were capable of. He roughly pushed Rick’s body off of himself, but you were faster.

You put your hands in front of you, parallel to each other, and green mist started swirling around between them. You hadn’t had to use your powers to alter a scene this big or intense before, usually just using them on your own body, but you could do this. For Rick.

Suddenly everything slowed down, Peacemaker was still lying on the ground, Rick was face-first in the rubble, and Cleo was crouched in the dark, hand reaching out to the chip.

But you were alive as your powers raced through you. You had seen yourself in a mirror once as you used your powers, and you could imagine how you looked to them. Glowing green veins covered your skin as you altered the fabric of the universe itself. A wind picked up in the room, swirling in tandem with the green mist in your hands. You only needed a few moments. You didn’t need to go back and stop the fight, you just had to stop Peacemaker. You contorted your fingers and molded the green mist to your liking before throwing your arms wide, the green mist expanding to encapsulate yourself and the two men. You didn’t need to include Cleo, she wasn’t involved. The wind whipped around, the green mist blinding everyone but you, and things started to go into motion.

It would all happen very quickly for everyone involved. Just a rewind. But for you, you had to painstakingly watch as Rick’s body rose above Peacemaker, and you had to watch as the ceramic in his heart was drawn out. You had handcrafted this reality and you were forced to watch as your handiwork took place. But you had gotten to the moment you needed. They were near the end of the fight, Peacemaker had slammed Rick into a wall, and with a wave of your hand, the mist disappeared and everything was clear.

“Wait, what?” Peacemaker shot his eyes over to you, but he was too slow in his understanding. You had already whipped your pistol out of its holster and shot him twice in the throat. He grasped at his, trying to stifle the bleeding and crumpling to the ground, but your eyes were focused on Rick. A very shocked, but very alive Rick.

“What did you do?” He asked, and you weren’t sure if that was disgust or wonder in his voice, so you turned, walked slowly over to Cleo (who had witnessed the whole thing through a haze of green), and picked up the chip.

“I believe you were looking for this?” You asked, holding it out in front of yourself to him. He gulped, walking over to you, but your strength was draining from with a display of your powers. When he pulled the chip out of your hand and tucked it into your utility belt, you wavered, edges of your vision darkening as you slowly knelt to the ground.

“What are you doing, we need to get out of here?” Cleo shouted at you, but you waved her off.

“I just need to sit for a moment,” but your voice came out as a hoarse whisper.

“No you don’t,” Rick hauled you up by your armpits and lifted you into his arms, princess-style. “Let’s get out of here,” he muttered and followed Cleo out of the rubble and into the daylight. You squinted, the bright sun blinding you after being underground for so long.

“Shit,” you muttered, shoving your face into Rick’s neck to avoid the light.

“So,” he sounded very casual and you tensed up. “I really thought you weren’t going to use your rewind powers at all, what happened to make you use them?” You bit your lip, not sure what to say.

“Peacemaker killed you,” Cleo answered for you and Rick stopped walking. You winced and looked up at his face.

“I panicked,” you whispered, not sure how he was going to react. But when he turned his head to face you, it was as if he was looking at you for the first time.

“You saved my life?” He asked and it was your turn to gulp.

Okay, so maybe you had feelings for Rick. You knew that. He was a hot piece of ass, and he was kind, and he respected you. And you kissed at the bar and after the van chase. So he definitely knew you liked him. But did he know your feelings were deep enough to save his life and endanger your own in the process? Well… Now he did.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t want to lose you to that prick,” you tried to shrug it off, but Rick gently let your legs fall and your feet touch the ground. You weren’t sure what was happening until he reached out and pulled you into the warmest, most all-encompassing hug you had ever experienced.

“Thank you, Y/N,” he whispered into your hair, and you let yourself sigh and sink into the hug.

“Yeah well now you owe me one,” you muttered jokingly, trying to slightly ease the seriousness of the situation. He squeezed you tightly once more before pulling away and smirking.

“Anything you want, you can have,” he smiled that sunlight-bright smile at you and you blinked at him once before returning his smile.

“You can take me on a date once I’m out of prison, how does that sound?” You asked and his smile widened.

“I can do that.”

“That might be a lot sooner than you think,” Bloodsport had walked over to you and (you assumed) Cleo had explained everything to him. You blinked.

What did he mean by that?

Apparently he meant he was going to threaten Waller and keep the information hostage. It wasn’t exactly what Rick wanted, but he got out with his life, and you didn’t have to go back to prison. You were thinking about it as you settled into your new apartment, only two weeks after fighting Starro and killing Peacemaker, your first kill in years.

You were sitting on your comfy couch watching reruns of Adventure Time when Rick called you.

“Hey,” you answered warmly, and smiled at his voice when he responded.

“Hey, yourself. What’s up?” You drew a blanket over your lap and muted the TV.

“Just relaxing. What’s up with you?”

“I was thinking, how about I take you on that date tonight? I’ll pick you up at seven?” If your instincts were correct, and they usually were, he was nervous about it. He was unsure you would actually want him, considering how sheltered and uneven your relationship had been before. You were quick to dispel that.

“That sounds lovely, Rick,” you couldn’t help but bite your lip in anticipation when he hung up a few minutes later. You also couldn’t help the excited squeal you let out and the little dance you did. Things were finally falling into place.

[thr-333]

Just Another Class Trip :) Part 6

Marinette goes on a nice peaceful trip to the pool. Me? sarcasm? how dare you sir!

First< Previous >Next

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“Did you find what you were looking for Marinette?” Kagami asks oh so foolishly.

“Kagami look into my eyes and ask me that again,” Marinette dares, her eyes red rimmed with bags underneath bigger than Chloe's luggage.

“... You found your glasses?”

“Never mind,” She sighs, finishing the rest of her coffee, “At least that one isn't missing,”

“I thought you only wore them as M-you-know-who,” Chloe whispers, a purposeful look towards Lila’s posse leading the way to the bus.

“Just wanted to try them out without a mask,” She brushes off easily, she needed to be able to transport back to Paris at any time after all.

“Oh it was just terrible!” Lila cries, capturing the attention of everyone surrounding her.

“Did she finally hear a recording of herself?” Chloe scoffs, making Adrien shush her and Marinette crack a smile.

“This Starling kidnapped and tortured me for information,”

If only I had

“Luckily Batman was there to save me, but I knew he would be,” Lila croons, the class fretting over her all the while, “He was probably searching furiously the second I didn’t return his call,”

“When did she get Batman’s phone number?” Chloe whispers to her.

“No idea, think she’d give it to me?” Marinette smirks.

“Oh sure I bet it's 3825968,” Chloe laughs at her own joke.

Marinette doesn't get it but Kagami starts laughing, so she moves to stand next to Adrien while they share a moment.

“Any idea?”

“Not really,”

They reach the door going through it to find Gotham in the nice peaceful state it's always been.

Just kidding, lights start flashing in their faces and everyone around them is yelling. Lila of course tries to take this opportunity to get attention. To Marinette's great delight they push right past her, and to her horror opt to shove a million microphones in her face.

“Miss Wayne were you adopted?!”

“Yes but-” the cameras start flashing and the yelling increases tenfold.

“When?! How long ago!?!”

“A baby I guess?” She hadn't known her birth parents after all.

“How have you stay'n out of the public's eye for so long?”

By not being like Lila for one

“Mari I don’t think you’re talking about the same thing,”

“Yeah thanks, I’m getting that Adrien,”

“Adrien Agreste? Are you two dating?!”

“Great,” She ignores them, instead whispering to Adrien, “From now on Buttercup will be your codename,”

“Cool,” He leans in to whisper in her ear, “But I don’t think that’s helping things,”

It’s at this point the cameras are going crazy taking a million pictures of the two whispering in each others ear, while Kagami and Chloe try to push them all back. The class follow behind just as confused. Madame Bustier is trying to reason with the crowd, trying to . They reach the curb, fighting not to be pushed onto the road by the crowd. A limousine  pulls up and for a wonderful second Marinette thinks Liam has come to save her, the wonderful manager he is. Instead Alfred steps out, surprising to say the least. He ushers her inside and tells the rest of the class the bus will be through momentarily. Marinette slides into the car right next to Bruce Wayne… well.

“Hello again, I um…” Marinette thinks back to their last meeting, “I don’t think I actually told you my name,”

“No you didn’t,” Bruce chuckles, “And Selina has been avoiding me ever since,”

“Sorry, well I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng Auntie Selina’s niece,” Marinette shakes his hand, “She didn’t tell me she was engaged,”

“Bruce Wayne, Selina didn’t tell me she had a niece,”

“Yeah, that's a bad habit isn't it?”

“Indeed,” Bruce pauses, both trying to reach for a conversation topic, “So you like fashion?”

She had said she would design her aunts wedding dress. She should probably double check that with the groom, whoops,

“I do I already sketched out some designs,” She takes out her sketchbook which has a good thirty pages dedicated to wedding dresses, “Oh you were probably going to hire a professional designer weren’t you?”

“We were considering MDC,”

“.... I think that’ll work out just fine either way,”

“Hm,” Bruce looks curiously at her as she hides away her sketch book, she would be using those designs either way.

“Anyway!” She changes the topic oh so subtly, “About those reporters…”

“Theres a certain rumour running rampant that you are a Wayne, after someone took a photo of you with my son at the airport,” Bruce explains, switching over to business mode in a heat beat, she could appreciate that, “We’ve been doing our best to contain it, but…”

“At the airport…” She mutters to herself, “Oh! Tim’s your son, that explains Alfred, that must mean Dick is too!... work at Wayne tower, yeah very funny,”

She tries not to roll her eyes at their understatement of the century, wasn't Tim Drake a CEO there?

“Impressive, have you met Damian too?” Bruce asks, a slight smile that would have called Kagami expressive.

“Not yet, but should I invest in a bingo card?”

“Maybe so,”

They fall into silence Marinette would usually hold polite conversation but her thoughts were in turmoil. Lila didn’t seem to know anything about the miraculous then again her interrogation was cut short by a certain someone . However Tikki had advised her against placing all the blame on Lila, she needed to consider other options as well. But who else could it be? she was in Gotham Hawkmoth couldn't reach her… unless he somehow...

“Marinette are you alright?”

Marinette startles look over at Bruce who is blurred by tears. She hadn't even realised she’d been crying.

“I-I’m sorry,” She hiccups trying fruitlessly to wipe away the tears, “I-it just…”

“It’s ok,” Bruce rubs her back comfortingly, but boy did he choose the wrong words.

“IT’S NOT OK!” Marinette yells not looking at anyone in the car, they didn’t matter, nothing else mattered, she had failed and people were going to suffer for it, “I left it behind! It’s all my fault! Now it’s GONE! It’s been stolen and I don’t know where it is!”

“What was stolen?” Bruce presses, getting over the shock of the polite and put together girl melting down into a puddle of sobs.

Now I’ve gone and messed up, time for a classic cover story and some half truths

“A good friend of mine gave me a very important jewellery box,” Marinette sighs, wiping the tears away and rebuilding herself, “It was stolen shortly after arriving in Gotham and I’ve been trying to find it,”

“Do you know who stole it?”

“I thought it was one of my classmates,” Marinette frowns, they should have certainly been there by now, “Still do honestly,”

“Which one?”

“Lila probably,” Marinette tries to keep her tone neutral, tries, “Brown hair that looks like sausages,”

Marinette could almost see the words ‘oh fuck’ written across his face.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng, we have arrived,” Alfred speaks up for the first time, not leaving her time to puzzle over the reaction, “Your class arrived some time ago,”

“How did that happen?” Marinette frowns, they should have arrived ages ago.

“Alfred must have taken the scenic route,” Bruce shrugs, acting like an innocent party in all this.

“Well then I guess I’ll see you for the wedding,” Marinette tries not to rush out of the car, certain her class or rather Lila would have caused some grief by now.

“I’ll make sure to send the invites to your family personally,” Bruce promises, shaking her hand before she can run off.

“And I’ll make sure Auntie Selina doesn’t destroy them,” Marinette smiles back brightly, she can see the concern for her all over Bruce's face but doesn't have time to reassure him.

Marinette walks into the indoor pool, knowing her luck the class was already inside. They were and the owner was not happy about it.

“First your class was late then you waltz in here late as well?” The manager berates her.

“I’m sorry sir,” Marinette tries to seem more sincere but her tardiness falls short on the things she has to worry about now.

“That class mate of yours came an yelled at me that one of our pools were dirty so we had to drain the whole thing,”

“Let me guess, sausage hair?” Marinette raises a bow, it really being all the energy she can put into the action.

“Yes,”

“Sorry sir I’ll talk with her,” Marinette promises, she slips into the changing rooms as they grumble about lazy employees.

There is absolutely no way Marinette was going to talk to Lila. She enters the changing room, a shower running somewhere. She tucks Tikki and Kaalki into her bag, Tikki had insisted she relax today, recharge and get ready to find the miraculous. She couldn’t find enough will to argue not after having to wake up in the middle of the night to fight an Akuma back in Paris.

She slowly changes into a red and orange ruffled one piece swimwear. She honestly just wanted to take a nap in here, hide away from the class and the well meaning questions from her friends. Instead she drags herself towards the shower, they are all open and there's someone towards the back standing underneath the spray in their bathers.

Something fires back at her to be careful, it puts her on edge but with miraculously potentially loose in Gotham city it’s no wonder her instincts are screaming at her. Instead she steps under the spray hoping to loosen up.

She doesn't, after standing there for ten minutes she still can’t relax. Maybe it’s the cold water, maybe its the other person. The were still standing there, they had been in the shower even before she entered the changing room. Marinette peaks over, they are still standing still, with their arm out… the same way they had been ten minutes ago.

“Are you ok?” Marinette calls, no answer, not even a twitch.

Marinette creeps over. They are standing stock still, she can’t see evidence of them so much as breathing.

“Hello,” Her voice echoes off the tiles, not a noise in the empty room besides from the shower running.

She is right behind them, they haven't even moved, arm still raised. She walks around to see their face. Frozen in a look of concentration, not so much as blinking with water running into their eyes. She follows their eyeline to see them peeling off dead skin from their arm, stretching towards their fingertips. There's a faint glow of yellow all around them, concentrated at their back.

Marinette steps away, walking out the showers, she closes the nearest door to find herself in the pool area. Her friends are on the other side. Kagami is dunking Adrien as Chloe waves her over. Marinette sprints over to them.

“No running!” The life guard yells.

But that doesn't matter, all that matters is that there is someone using the bee miraculous for evil, she has to stop them before they get another Hawkmoth. They probably have the whole miracle box! She'll need the back up.

“Mari-”

“Come with me,” She doesn't let them have another question helping Adrien out of the pool.

She pulls them along despite Chloe's protests, pushing them through the door.

“Mari what's-”

“Hush now Buttercup,”

“You were serious?” Adrien gasps, Chloe just giggles.

“Yes,” She walks over to the frozen body, “Look at this,”

“Whats-” Chloe pokes them, immediately recoiling, “The fuck?”

“They’re frozen,” Kagami does the same.

“We have to help them,” Adrien waves in front of their face, looking on in horror.

“We have to hide them,” Chloe pokes them again, getting slapped away by Kagami.

“We have to find the culprit,” Marinette races at the idea that this could be the Bee miraculous.

“We’ll do all three,” Kagami decides, getting their attention, “Now first let's put them in a stall so we don’t alarm anyone or the villain, then we need to look for clues,"

They all nod, Marinette turns the water off. Adrien tries to move their arm to no avail.

“Looks like we have to carry them,” Adrien suggests, he and Marinette each taking an arm.

“Ew, no I’m not touching it Buttercup!” Chloe cringes away, backing up as Kagami lifts a leg off the ground.

“Has that really stuck?” Adrien asks Marinette, as Kagami sends Chloe a powerful enough death glare to get her to help.

“You bet Buttercup,” Marinette grins, as they shuffle through the changing rooms to the toilet stalls.

“Fine then, I’m calling you Cupcake,” Adrien teases, sticking out his tongue.

“As you wish Buttercup,”

“Someone get the door,” Kagami commands.

“I will!” Chloe lets go of the leg, the body becoming no heavier.

They manage to fit them inside the stall without too much hassle.

“Who could have done this?” Adrien looks on sadly at the person, tilted at a slight angle to fit into the stall.

“I’ve been thinking,” Marinette speaks up, “If this is a villain it doesn't make much sense to attack a random person, and if they were trying to be stealthy they would have hidden the body,”

“They aren’t dead!” Adrien says aghast.

“Exactly, why wouldn’t a villain just kill them?”

“That's very dark of you Cupcake,” Kagami says, missing Adrien’s pout, “What’s your theory?”

“This is likely a new villain, one not ready to kill,” Marinette decides, not even blinking at the nickname, “They have something against the pool, they probably want to ruin its reputation,”

“You did say that this was a very safe pool for Gotham,” Chloe closes the stall door, “Minimal murders, so why would someone want to ruin it?”

“Insurance? Sick of their job?” Marinette’s eyes go wide in realisation, “The pool!”

She darts out the changing room the others close on her heels.

“No Running!”

“Where are we going!?”

“The manager said they were refilling the pool,”

“Why- oh my god,” Chloe gasps, overtaking the lot of them, “Run faster!”

They burst into another pool room, the pool noticeable empty with diving boards on the other end. They run to the edge of the pool. A frozen body wearing employee uniform frozen at the bottom the water slowly rising.

“Get them out! Get them out!”

Marinette jumps down into the pool, causing a splash, the water is up to her ankles, barely a centimeter from covering the person at the bottom. She runs over and tries to pull them up. Kagami makes a splash behind her running over to help. They drag the person, frozen in horror the yellow focused on their chest instead. The pool is far too deep to climb out of so they pass the body up to Adrien and Chloe.

“Who would do this?!” Adrien can just reach them when Marinette and Kagami lift the person over their heads.

“I heard the manager mutter about lazy employees,” Marinette gives one last push, Chloe and Adrien pull them up over the edge.

“So we have a suspect,” Kagami says, water rising up her leg, “We should check their office next,”

“Well, they went from no murder to yes murder in record time,” Chloe huffs, the employee safely to the side.

“It’s concerning, but they may have more of a grudge against them than the other person,” Marinette points Kagami towards the ladder to get out.

“More evidence towards the manager,” Kagami nods, letting her up the ladder first, “We should choose codenames if the manager is potentially familiar with us,”

“They did have the class roster,” Marinette nods along, then grins, “You should be Teacup!”

“Fine by me,” Kagami nods, not showing how happy she truly is with the nickname.

“Oh I want to be-” Chloe cuts herself off head snapping towards the door.

They hear scratching at the door, everyone tenses. Marinette crouches in a position to defend her friends. The door slowly creeps open and… a little snout pokes through followed by the rest of the dog.

“Is this what you wanted to see Cuppy?” A person wearing a lifeguard uniform follows in a second later.

“Excuse me is your dog named Cuppy?” Marinette plasters on a fake smile quickly pulling a nearby towel over the body.

“Yes it’s a weird name I know,”

“No! It’s perfect! On another note could we please borrow your dog?”

“Um... sure?”

“Thank you, we have to go! Careful the pool is empty!” She calls as they race out the room, the person tucked away out of sight, “Come on Cuppy!”

"NO RUNNING!"

The dog wags its tail following them out the pool area and through the changing rooms. They come to stand outside the staffroom door, dripping water on the carpet.

“Everyone ready?” Marinette asks, hand on the door, they nod and Cuppy lets out an 'off', the door slowly creaks open.

Marinette looks through to see, nothing, the hallway is desolate and dark.

“It’s safe,”

“You call that safe?” Adrien pokes his head through the door, followed by Chloe and Kagami.

“Be brave Buttercup be brave,” With that Chloe pushes him into the corridor.

They creep along the empty hallway, footsteps echoing around them. The manager's office door could be seen at the end of the hall. Gold color plate glinting in the few stray beams of light filtering through. Marinette could feel every hair stand on end, danger seeming to lurk from every shadow in the dark hall. The pressure of something ready to pounce and immobilise them at any moment hung heavy in the air, dragging them down into a pressure that-

“HIC!”

Everyone jumps out of their skins, Adrien actually hits the ceiling, rubbing his head on the way down. Kagami draws her sword, Marinette falls into a defensive position.

“Hic!”

“Chloe!

“I’m sorry! Hic! It’s not like I can help it! Hic,”

“Thats it! You’re Hiccup!” Kagami snaps, Marinette tries not to snort.

‘What?!” Chloe screeches stamping her foot, “No way!”

“Deal with it and lower your voices!” Marinette shouts, Cuppy barks along, “Not you too Cuppy?”

Another yip

“Traitor,”

“Cupcake stop picking fights with the dog and lets move on,” Adrien implores, still rubbing his head.

Marinette rolls her eyes speed walking to the manager's office before the tension rises again. The reach outside the door, Marinette counts down to three on her fingers and they burst through the door.

Inside is silent, the bright light blinds them for a second, she shuffles in front of her friends acting as a shield, waiting for them to adjust. When she does she sees the desk chair is turned away, Cuppy pads forward Marinette doesn't grab his collar in time.

He starts licking someone's hand, Marinette creeps around the desk, waiting for the hand to snap out and grab her. The others follow, surrounding the chair preparing to come face to face with the villain. She peeks around the edge they are sitting there, she freezes the others following her lead. A beat, another one, nothing. They’re frozen.

“It’s not the manager,” She relaxes, patting Cuppy’s head.

She lets out a sigh, releasing all her tension.

BAM

Turning around the door is slammed shut, a striped villain standing before it. They all drop into a fighting stance watching for the stinger on their right hand. Cuppy starts wagging his tail, trying to approach the villain.

“Cuppy no,” Marinette grabs his harness, bringing the Pitbull back.

“He’s my therapy dog,” The villain growls, Cuppy wagging his tail happily.

“Not a very good one is he?” Chloe sneers, looking the villain wearing her stripes up and down with disgust.

“Wait, you’re the lifeguard at the pool?” Marinette gasps, maybe she really shouldn't have run, “Why did you-”

“I work here, you can’t imagine the horrors I face every day, people are disgusting,” The villain shudders, this was the guy who stole the miracle box?

“Yes, but murder?” Kagami gets a nod from Chloe and hissed at by Adrien.

“My co workers are completely useless and the boss always yells at me,” A sinister smirk crosses their face, “Or at least they did,”

“So you thought murder before you thought quitting ,” Adrien points out, probably not the best time to imply a villain is stupid.

“I didn’t kill anyone,”

“Ah yeah thanks to us!”

“Shut up!” They lash out at Chloe, stinging her in a single strike.

“Run!” Marinette shouts, they all scatter.

Marinette dodges the first swipe, ducking down. They get distracted by Kagami lashing out. Marinette darts around them to get closer to the door, Kagami gets hit. Marinette reaches the door the villain comes after her, they are inches away. Adrien leaps in front of her, getting stung. With the distraction Marinette bursts out the door Cuppy on her heels.

“Traitor,” She sprints down the hall, “Did you know?”

Cuppy happily pants beside her. She can hear the villain banging around the corridor behind her and runs faster. She dodges into a room around the corner, hiding among the pool noodles. She sees the shadow pass under the door. Pause. She holds her breath intently watching the shadow, she has no one, not even Tikki. He heart beat rises, she can feel her breaths shorten, this is it, this is it, this is it, this is-

Something nuzzles her hand, she looks down to see Cuppy. He starts to lick her hand, letting her relax into it, focusing on him as the shadow continues on. With a sigh Marinette starts to take off her skirt, flipping it inside out to the cape side.

“You aren't going to tell anyone about this are you?” Marinette asks Cuppy, right before pulling up her mask, he lets out a happy bark, “Good boy,”

She sneaks out the room, looking up and down the clear hallway. She walks the opposite way of the office. She doesn't need to see her friends paralysed, she just needs to help them, she just needs to fix her mistake.

She reaches the pool area, hiding behind a lounge chair, watching through the slats as the villain gathers everyone together. Starling sneaks closer, Cuppy on her heels. There are several civilians, locals if their calm demeanour is anything to go by, although they do seem uneasy at an unknown villain. Her class is significantly less calm.

She had told them time and again that there was no coming back in Gotham, no miraculous cure. It seems for once they had decided to listen to her. Unfortunately they did not do well under pressure. Lila of course was aggravating the situation, making empty threats. The villain reared up to silence her and man, Marinette could relate.

“I don’t suppose I can wait a minute can I?” She whispers to Cuppy, he settle a paw on her knee, letting out a quiet whine, “I guess that’s a no,”

She runs up behind the villain, signalling the civilians to be quiet. Lila looks down at her, anger flashing over her face. Starling bears her teeth right back, she can just try it. Lila ultimately decides her life is more precious than petty revenge, a hard choice for her to be sure.

Starling stands up to her full height behind the villain tapping them on the shoulder. They turn around in surprise, to find her dazzling smile. But the real thing that makes them see stars is her right hook. As the fall Starling rips the bee miraculously right out of their hair, their transformation falling. Marinette stands above them as they detransform, Pollen hiding behind her. It makes her stomach churn watching them detransform, looking up at her with fear. The twisting of her insides lessens when Cuppy nuzzles up next to her. She busies herself with hiding the miraculous away.

“It’s them!” Lila screeches, ah now she can get to that petty revenge, “The one that kidnapped me!”

“Look what you did,” Staling bites instead, looking down at the villain.

“I had nothing to do with this!” Starling is highly entertained when Cuppy growls at Lila, actually getting her to back off.

“Sure you didn’t,” Starling openly rolls their eyes, grabbing the villain and hauling them up by their shirt, "Where is the rest!"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" She scowls, making them whimper, guess they really didn't know,

Shit

"Where did you get this?" She holds up the miraculous.

"I found it! it was just lying out on the street!"

Shit

"Did you see any others?!"

"No!" the blubber swearing by it and begging for mercy.

Shit

The police sirens can now be heard, Starling drops them and runs from the room.

“NO RUNNING!” She turns on her heel and glares down at the villain, “... sorry, it’s a reflex,”

She nods running from the room to change, grabbing her bag with Tikki and Kaalki on the way. After a small celebration at finding another miraculous and reunion with Pollen, they have to make a plan to find the other miraculous. They are cut short when sirens are heard outside. She wears the Bee miraculous under her ponytail, to keep it hidden from view.

When she is ready she goes to find her friends. They are outside talking to the police. Marinette only gets the chance to signal she’s ok before being intercepted by officers to get her statement. When she’s retold her account of trying to find the pool freezer she is finally allowed to check on her friends.

“Hey Cupcake, glad to see you missed all the fun,” Chloe teases.

“Sorry Hiccup,” Marinette looks her in the eye deadly serious grasping each shoulder, “You were an adequate shield,”

“Shut it,” Chloe pushes her away playfully.

“Teacup, Buttercup are you alright?”

“It was nothing,” Kagami assures.

“Didn’t you guys think their powers were a lot like Queen Bees?”

“You would know Hiccup,” She nudges Chloe playfully, “If it was I think we should keep that to ourselves, wouldn't want that information somehow getting back to Hawkmoth,”

She looks purposefully towards Lila, the others nod along.

“Still some random person now might have the miraculous,” Chloe glares down at the ground, “Can we really trust this Starling person,”

I mean no I'm operating on negative six hours of sleep, but also yes

“I don’t think we have much other choice,”

“Marinette,” She freezes at that familiar, low gravelly voice.

“Batman, sir,” She adds, trying to look like someone who wasn't chased down by him yesterday, “How can I help you?”

“I heard you knew the most about this villain,” How did she get in trouble for interrogating Lila when this is how he talks to civilians.

“Not really I just found someone paralysed and tried to find the culprit,” Marinette shrugs, hoping her friends wouldn't point out that she is lying to The Batman.

“You didn’t call the police,”

Well thats a good point, not that I would have

“... To be honest it absolutely did not occur to me,”

“These abilities were spontaneous and now they seem to be gone,” Batman points out, damn he already knows too much, “Do you know what caused this?”

“I do not,”

“Very well,” Batman nods turning away, “Go to your class,”

“Yes sir,” Marinette walks away far too quickly.

How was she going to search the city with that hunting her down?!

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

Taglist

@smolplantmum @flufflepuffle296 @dawnwave16  @caffeinetheory   @g-arya   @Maribat-2k20   @ladybug-182    @Actual-disaster-human    @fusser90   @messrs-weasley   @soap-lady  @paintedhope7   @zeneralla    @mochegato     @random-nerd-3 @clumsy-owl-4178  @throneoffirebreathingbitchqueen   @too0bsessedformyowngood @certifiedbidisaster  @Purplegeekypanda @awkward0ghostfan @theymakeupfairies @tikki-marinette @insane-fangirl-of-everything @elmokingkong @inarachi02 @slytherinhquinn @moongoddesskiana @dast218 @buginetye @redscarlet95 @biodad-bruce-month @hansa-12 @waiting247 @toodaloo-kangaroo @how-to-fuction-properly @trippingovermyfeet @greekmythgal @whatthefox22 @the-alice-of-hearts @bigpicklebananatree @indecisive-mess-named-me @nalu-ismyjam @deepestobservationwombat

[ship-ambrosia]

Chilumi Week Day 5 - Anything But Ordinary (Domestic)

I know im late on two days lol but im gonna try and get em out now anyway. work has been crazy the last few days. and of course i’ll post a compilation on AO3 once these are all done

Summary: While Lumine enjoys her time in Snezhnaya with his family, he struggles with the doubt that he could ever give her a normal relationship.

   He awakens to laughter, and mid-morning sun shining into his eyes.

   Childe can’t remember the last time he slept in so late. He liked routine, he liked to get his responsibilities for the day out of the way early, so he can indulge himself afterwards. He supposed it was the sense of being in his childhood home that caused him to give in to the lulling clutches of sleep.

   Haphazardly throwing on clothes, he’s still buttoning his shirt as he makes his way toward the kitchen, where he can hear the most noise coming from. Childe leaned against the doorway, watching the three figures mulling about. Tonia, responsible as ever, is the one with the bowl actually in front of her, mixing; Teucer, running around the kitchen with the bag of chocolate in his hands; and Lumine, luminous as ever, has a bright, joyous smile lighting up her face as she chases his youngest sibling around the room. He wonders if there’s ever a time he could make her smile like that.

   And then he remembers who they are, what they’re doing, and he knows that of course he can’t.

   Lumine deserves the world - Childe has become painfully aware of how much he was willing to do for her. As afraid as he is that she will disappear once she’s found her brother, he’s already made up his mind that he’ll do whatever he can to help. That includes treason against the Tsaritsa, apparently.

   Of all the people who could have fallen in love with her, it shouldn’t have been him.

   She should hate him. He was forthcoming about his position in the Fatui, teased her about Signora stealing Barbados’s Gnosis. And he was only forthcoming so that he might trick her to get into the Golden House. He’d fought her - thrown a damn whale on her - and then nearly lost himself and killed her when he thought she’d tricked him. He tried to drown Liyue Harbor by releasing Osial; though he’d known Rex Lapis would never had just sat back and allowed it to happen should the Qixing have failed, the willingness to risk thousands of lives was there.

   “Ch- Ajax, how long have you been standing there?” Her voice breaks him out of his spiraling daydream.

   But he wears a mask easily, slipping it on as though it were a second skin. He chuckles at her mess up, nearly calling him by his codename. He knows that’s who she knows; not this enigmatic Ajax, who he claims is dead, though that’s all anyone in his family calls him anymore. It’s not as though his codename is a secret - Paimon had referred to him as Childe the entire time they were escorting Teucer around Liyue - but he finds Lumine’s effort endearing. Just as he finds almost everything else she does.

   “Big brother!” Teucer cries, throwing himself so hard at him that Childe nearly falls over. “Tonia and Miss Lumine and I are making cookies!”

   “You mean Lumine and I are making cookies,” His sister speaks up. “And you keep running away with the chocolate.”

   Teucer giggles, rushing past Childe and escaping further into the house.

   The smile on Lumine’s face hasn’t faltered. “Hey you! Come back here!” She goes to follow him out of the kitchen, but Childe’s entire frame blocks her.

   “Sorry girlie,” he says casually, leaning against the wall. “I’m afraid I’ve had to take sides in this conflict. And you know the rules, it’s always boys versus girls.”

   She puts her hands on her hips, and Childe’s eyes widen. She’s done that pose, that poured expression to him so many times, he’s begun to think it’s something reserved only for him. But she hasn’t done it once since arriving in Snezhnaya. Almost on instinct his blood starts pumping, fingers itching for the tension of a bowstring.

   “Is that so?” She glances back toward his sister. “Tonia, permission to take down your brother by any means necessary?”

   He watches a grin find its way onto her face as Tonia nods, and Childe suddenly becomes painfully aware that it’s two against one... and he’s never had to take on two of the most important women in his life at the same time before. “Get our chocolate back, Lumine.”

   With a small cry, she charges at him with little other warning, and Childe is not prepared to be tackled. She knocks him back but doesn’t fall with him, instead darting around his tall form. She’s quick, but he regains his balance quickly too, and rushes after her. She’s laughing, and he’s laughing, and he can hear Teucer’s giggles from wherever he’s hidden himself. Any of his thoughts from before have completely disappeared.

   Childe cornered her in the den of his family’s house, lunging for her only once he was sure he would get her. He tackled Lumine to the ground, but twisted himself under her to prevent her from hitting the floor. If he could help it, she’d never end up with a single bruise on her.

   “I win,” he chuckled, arms lingering wrapped around the traveler much longer than necessary.

   She rose an eyebrow in his direction, a strange glimmer in her eyes. “Did you though?”

   He heard Teucer yelp then, and sure enough a couple minutes later Tonia entered the room - in one hand, the bag of chocolate. The other held their younger brother tossed over her shoulder.

   “You were just a distraction,” he was so shocked at being tricked by the two of them he didn’t move.

   “It was the only plan I could think of so quickly,” Lumine stood up, stretching. “Given more time I think Tonia and I could outsmart you without one of us having to take the fall.”

   “It was a noble sacrifice, Miss Lumine,” his sister giggles. “But I have the chocolate, so it was not in vain.”

   He runs a hand through his hair as he follows the two of them back to the kitchen, pulling up a chair and watching them. Teucer declares he’s switching to the girls side and helps them roll out the dough and form the cookies. Childe leans his cheek against his hand as he watches Lumine help his younger brother, admiring the way she is so patient and kind with him. That’s part of what he likes so much about her - how she can be so fierce, so strong, stand toe to toe against him in a fight and then some, but how soft and gentle he’s seen her be. He’s not entirely sure he hates the idea of her being a mother that his traitorous mind cooks up while watching them.

   Some time later, she walks over and pulls a chair up next to him.

   “Your family,” she says, and there’s a smile on her face. “They’re wonderful.”

   “They love you,” he can tell. He doesn’t even need to hear them say it. “I’m not surprised.”

   “I can’t believe they raised you,” she jabs, and he rolls his eyes.

   “I’m a gentleman, aren’t I?”

   “When you’re not being completely insufferable pestering me for a fight, I suppose you have some nicer qualities,” when he doesn’t say anything in response, she continues. “Like how you didn’t let me hit the floor.”

   “You noticed that, huh?”

   “I braced for it. All I felt was your arm on my back.”

   Childe feels his face heating up, knows there’s a blush appearing and does what he can to hide it. He’s a big bad guy in a fight, merciless, laughing in the face of those he’s defeated; he’s cold, downright rude to his enemies that he’s forced to work with, to the other Harbingers. The fact she can break him down to a blushing boy with a crush would be infuriating if he didn’t care for her so much.

   She reaches a hand toward him suddenly, and Childe freezes.

   Lumine brushes his hair out of his face so tenderly, softly, as she’s looking into his eyes. She looks hypnotized, almost, her eyelids drooping, eyelashes fluttering ever so slightly, amber colored eyes swirling like honey as she stares at him with a look he can’t describe; only the warmth it elicits within him. Her thumb brushes his cheek and her hand remains there, holding his face like he’s something to be treasured, something holy. And Childe thinks that if they weren’t who they were - a harbinger and a traveler - if they were just two ordinary people who’d had an ordinary day like today, he would have kissed her.

[imagines-by-rose]

New Recruit - Part 1

Hello, again! Thank you all for the positive responses to my first fic, it means so, so much. I hope you enjoy this multi-part work!

Summary: Y/n is brought into Kingsman as Lancelot after the events leading to Roxy’s death, and Eggsy is furious. As the two work together to stop a notorious jewel thief, however, attitudes change - and feelings develop.

Pairing: Eggsy Unwin x Reader

Genre: Angst w/ a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort

Warnings: Cursing, Mentions of Death

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He hated this. He hated her.

Well -- what she represented, at least.

He especially hated how much she reminded him of her predecessor. God, she even looked like her! This girl -- y/n, he remembered -- was the new Lancelot. Finished basic training with flying colors just last week. Just thinking about it made him scowl. She had no idea who’s place she was standing in. What right did she have to just waltz in with what he could only assume was pride? It was hard enough when Harry was killed. Now Roxy, his Lancelot, was murdered. And not two months since that damn explosion took her life, some new recruit is assuming her place? He just couldn’t stand it.

“Kingsman really doesn’t waste any fucking time, huh?” The bitter thought struck him.

“Galahad,” Merlin’s call of Eggsy’s codename fuzzed with an electric static through his eyeglasses. “You’re to join Lancelot and myself in the briefing room in five minutes. We’ve got a mission for you two.”

Oh, great.

*  *  *  *  *  *

Eggsy stilled when he heard somber voices from behind the briefing room door. Curious, he leant his ear against the doorframe, trying not to make a sound.

“I can only imagine how hard this must be for you, y/n. I want to thank you personally for joining Kingsman on such short notice, given the circumstances. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me.”

“Thank you, Merlin. That means a lot, really.”

Curiosity gave way to frustration. What could Merlin possibly have to console y/n over, of all people? Oh, sorry about the rushed training regimen, usually new recruits get ten days instead of seven. Is he serious? Merlin’s comforting Roxy’s replacement? She didn’t even know her.

Unbelievable.

Having heard enough, Eggsy roughly opened the door, abruptly ending any conversation. Y/n seemed timid at the sight of him, looking to her hands and twiddling her thumbs.

She looked pathetic. Eggsy wondered how someone like her could even become an agent at all.

He sat with a huff, surprised to see an outstretched hand before him.

"You must be Eggsy," she smiled politely. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm y/n y/--" 

"It's Galahad."

Her hand faltered. "I'm sorry?"

"Address me as Galahad, agent." His voice sounded cold, even to him.

A simple "oh" was all she said before taking a seat.

Eggsy didn't miss the look of disapproval on Merlin's face. It made him feel like a scolded child.

Who was he? His mum?

He supposed that was a bit harsh, but Eggsy was nothing if not stubborn. He crossed his arms indignantly and looked away with a roll of his eyes.

The air was awkward as Merlin went over the details of the mission. Eggsy wouldn’t look at y/n in the eye. She was obviously uncomfortable, shifting in her seat whenever her attempts to lighten the atmosphere between them were refuted.

“This," Merlin tapped his clipboard, prompting a photo of a woman to appear on a screen behind him, "is Svetlana Ivanov. She's stolen several priceless jewels worldwide; the rarer the better. Though she came close, Ivanov failed to steal the Hope Diamond from the Smithsonian a few months ago. The Statesman saw to that mission."

Eggsy whistled. "Well that's impressive, innit? Goin’ after the Heart of the Ocean, an’ all?"

Merlin appeared unamused, but the mirth in his eyes betrayed him.

"Do you find attempting grand theft impressive, Galahad?"

Eggsy shrugged, a smug grin on his face.

"We’ve received intel that she plans to steal the Centenary Diamond from the Tower of London. There will be a gala held to honor the 39th anniversary of its unveiling, the guests at which will all be patrons to the exhibit. You two will pose as a newlywed couple whose families contributed handsomely to the museum - anonymously, of course."

Merlin handed each agent a black folder. "These reports contain Ivanov’s photo, as well as those of the philanthropists with whom we expect you to socialize. Attached to each photo is a dossier containing enough personal information about the attendees for you to appear acquainted. Commit them to memory; we don’t need you drawing unnecessary attention. Understood?”

Eggsy made a noise of disapproval, clearly unimpressed with the assignment. “You’re jokin', bruv. Newlyweds? With her?” Eggsy gestured at y/n. “Are you taking the piss, Merlin? She’s only been here a week and you’re gonna make us pose as newlyweds?”

The calmness in Merlin’s voice did little to mask his anger. “As you know, if you’ve got a problem, Eggsy, you may address it to me in private.”

Y/n risked extending the olive branch once again. “Eg--" she paused, catching herself. "Galahad, I know I’m new, but I’m a fast learner. I promise I won’t let the mission down. If you’re uncomfortable, we could get to know each other first? It might help us act more convincing. You’ve been here longer than I have, I’m sure you could help--”

Eggsy shot up from his seat, furious.

“Just fuck off, Lancelot! If you’re trying to chum up to me you can leave it out, yeah? You’re not Roxy and you never will be, so stop fuckin’ tryin'!”

Y/n sank into herself, her gaze falling to the floor.

“For fuck’s sake, Eggsy! Would it kill you to be a decent human being for five minutes?”

Merlin’s outburst grounded him. Eggsy turned back to her, his rage ebbing into a shame that gripped his chest. Y/n wasn’t crying -- she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction -- but the hurt in her eyes was unmistakable. Eggsy suddenly felt very small under her upturned glare. Her face twisted into a snarl, fists clenched at her sides, chest heaving.

She was livid.

“Y/n, I’m sor--”

“Don’t!” she spat. “Don’t you dare talk to me, Galahad.” Her voice growing more severe as tears began to swell in her eyes. “If anyone knows that Roxy -- that my sister is irreplaceable, it’s me.”

Eggsy’s eyes widened, his shame sinking deep and cold into his stomach. Now he’d really fucked up. He could only watch as y/n -- Roxy’s sister. Fuck! How did he not know? -- threw the door open and stormed out of the room.

He had to fix this.

“Care to tell me what the fuck that just was?”

Eggsy sank back into his seat, head in his hands.

“Shit,” he cursed under his breath.

“Aye. A flaming heap of it, looks like.”

Merlin sighed and placed a comforting hand on Eggsy’s shoulder. “I know you miss her, Eggsy. We all do. But the world isn’t going to wait for us to finish mourning. Kingsman has a responsibility to uphold, as I’m sure you’re well aware.”

“I know, it’s just--” he sighed. “Seeing someone replace Roxy so fast…it was like she was being erased. I couldn’t stand it.”

Merlin’s hand gave Eggsy’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I know it looks cold to find someone to assume Lancelot’s position so quickly. But I assure you, Roxy will never be forgotten. You’re a testament to that, just as Harry was to your father.”

Eggsy’s lips tightened.

“What you’re feeling is shared by every Kingsman when an agent is lost. But we have always kept going. No one wants to know what could happen if we don’t press on.”

Eggsy rose from his seat. Merlin was right, as always.

“You’d better go sort this out. The mission is in two weeks and I need you both to be at your best.”

Eggsy nodded, heading in y/n’s direction before stopping at the door.

“Thanks, Merlin. I owe you one.”

“Anytime, lad.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: I hope y’all are liking it so far! Part 2 is currently in the works, so I’ll try to get that out when I can.

‘Til next time!

[raendown]

The next follower milestone gift fic is for @azuzel23, prompt word quisling.

Pairing: KakashiYamato Word count: 1159 Rated: M Summary: Kakashi kicks a random patch of dead body. “The Hokage will want to know what this quisling told us.”

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

I Can’t Lose It All If My All Is You

Maybe Yamato is a dreamer. Maybe he’s never really liked wearing the codename Yamato at all, too attached in a way he’d been trained not to be to a name he chose for himself a dozen years ago with Kakashi by his side. Or maybe he’s just really fucking tired of all the ways his life has changed. It might have been time for him to retire a long time ago and he would, really truly he would have, if it weren’t for the weight of Hokage after Hokage giving their orders without ever stopping to question if he wants to follow. He does anyway because it's all he knows. 

Well, that’s not entirely true. He knows the hot lines of Kakashi at his back and the soul-deep knowledge that if one moves they move together. They’ve always fit like that, right from the very start. Sometimes in the moments between sleep and waking he loses himself to the idea that they’ve always been like this until dreams fall away and he remembers, laughing, that they’d tried to kill each other the day they met. It always feels like a bad dream. Kakashi never seems to want to talk about it and so they don’t, leaving the past in subtle quips about long hair and choosing their own paths. If Yamato knows anything he knows Kakashi. 

Knows the hard set of his jaw standing over a comrade they both thought they could trust. 

“Why did you do it?” Kakashi asks, the tone of his voice almost conversational but for the undercurrent of rage and grief and pain. Yamato wonders if the rest of the world can hear it as loud as he can. 

“You don’t know what it’s like,” the man shrieks. There’s no name in Yamato’s head. He betrayed them, he doesn’t deserve a name or a memory or anything else, and so he is just ‘the man’. “You don’t know! I watched them all die in front of me and where was Konoha? The mighty shinobi who were meant to protect my family?”

“I’ve read your file, I know your story.”

They both have and it isn't a happy story. It isn’t a new one, either. Happiness can be a strength and a weakness both and families, Yamato has observed, are almost always the biggest source of happiness. So easy to tear down for exactly this purpose. The man on his knees is twisted beyond recognition in his memories of loss. 

“Konoha should have protected my family!”

“Is that why you let them in?” 

Closing his eyes won’t make this all go away but oh how Yamato wants to believe it could. Their village fallen, the ruins of a generations old dream left smoking in the aftermath, and why? Because one small family made the choice to live beyond their walls when they should have known help would be too far away when they called? Sometimes he forgets that others have always had the luxury of making choices because it always just feels so ridiculous when they make the wrong ones. Yamato hasn’t been given many choices in life but of the few he knows with a rock steady certainty that he’s chosen right. 

He’s chosen Kakashi every time. 

Now in this moment he chooses the least sharpened kunai in his holster, holding it out to the man who carved a place in his heart the very first day Yamato realized he even had one. When Kakashi chooses to saw his way through tendon and muscle, a slow and messy way to do it, Yamato doesn’t say much. Doesn’t look away. He’s the one who offered Kakashi a choice and he’s not really of the opinion that this is the wrong one. Pain for pain has always been the shinobi way, a cycle of vengeance that can’t stop, won’t stop, none of them even want to stop. Blood over blood in so many layers they can’t see the ledger they’re staining anymore. It takes a long time for the screaming to stop and Kakashi’s movement never falters but the forest is empty around them so Yamato watches with the sort of detachment that makes him feel like he doesn’t belong on this earth. Maybe never really existed. 

A warm hand on his wrist brings him back in to himself. Kakashi has always had a way of grounding him. 

“For everything he cost us that felt a little...anticlimactic.” 

“What, you want me to go back and kidnap someone else for you to kill?” Yamato offers and hopes in the same breath that it won’t be taken. He breathes in relief at the shake of Kakashi’s head. 

“No point. Not really. We need to get back to the rest of the survivors, let them know everything this- this-” Kakashi kicks a random patch of dead body. “The Hokage will want to know what this quisling told us.”

Yamato hums. “Naruto probably won’t like that you already killed him.”

“Maa, we’ll say he tripped and fell on my knife or something.” 

It’s a shitty situation, an unbearable loss, a weight so heavy in being lifted that it threatens to pull him down to his knees with every breath, and yet still Yamato finds it in himself to laugh. The corner of himself that belongs only to Kakashi is somehow, despite everything, so much brighter than every other broken and shattered piece. Yamato clings to it like a lifeline. 

“Do you think we can take it all back?” he asks. Doesn’t elaborate because he knows Kakashi will understand what he’s asking. Konoha has fallen; can it rise again? The silence stretches until he wonders if he even spoke out loud but eventually Kakashi turns to look at him and the fire is there in his eyes. The same burn that Yamato has wanted to reach out and touch since he was a child redefining what loyalty meant to him. 

“I don’t know that I care,” Kakashi tells him. “You’re here. That matters more to me.”

“Oh.”

There’s a body on the forest floor and everything they’ve fought their whole lives to protect lies in the hands of another now; he thinks maybe he shouldn’t find the smile on Kakashi’s face so comforting but he does. He forgets the rest of the world for just one more moment to get lost in the shift of that damnable mask. It’s only when Kakashi lets go of his wrist that Yamato realizes he was still holding it but he doesn’t have time to process the loss before those fingers, dirty and tacky with the blood of a traitor, are tracing circles over his temple. 

“What about you?” he asks. “Do you want it all back?”

“I just want you,” Yamato breathes and the raw honesty of it feels like recrafting loyalty for a second time.

Kakashi kisses him and Yamato thinks that if his world is ending this moment is worth it all. 

[asidian]

Day 5: Raven

February 21, 2038

They get the information out of Egawa, when no one else will give it to them – slip into the hangar late at night, when the guards change, and hit her up while she's running diagnostics on Hurricane.

It's surprisingly easy, considering how thoroughly they've been stonewalled up until now, but all it takes is a couple of circumspect questions on Xia's part and, when that fails, some outright begging on Jacob's.

Egawa doesn't know the room number, but she can point them to the right wing of the psych ward, and honestly? That's all they really need.

Especially because they realize, as soon as they set foot in the hallway, that they recognize the screams.

They barely sound like Shimamura, but there's an edge to them that Jacob thinks he recognizes – that same frantic desperation she displayed while she was busy trying to blow his arm off.

He exchanges a glance with Xia – can see in her creased brow and the set of her mouth the same dread that twists his own stomach. He's just starting to wonder where the staff response is when he hears the footsteps – sucks in a  gasp, and grabs Xia by the arm, and tugs her back into the supply alcove, there in the shadows.

A woman in a crisp white uniform strides by: Dr. Ito, face an emotionless mask, heading for the direction of the screams. From somewhere down the hallway, a door opens and then closes. A few minutes tick slowly by, and the noise at last subsides.

They wait for the click of the door opening up again – wait for Dr. Ito to pass by the other way, and for her footsteps to disappear off down the hall.

Then they share another glance and move as one, creeping down the hallway.

The first room they try is empty; so's the second. But the third has Shimamura's information on a chart outside the door – Shimamura Mami; Codename: Black Whisper; Team Chroma.

Inside is Shimamura herself, and she looks awful.

The restraints are fabric, so they're probably not cutting into her, but they they encircle her arms and torso, holding her to the bed. Her hair's been cropped short, messy strands of raven-wing black that stand out against the stark white of the psych ward sheets. There are dark smudges under her eyes, and the lines of her cheek and jaw are sharper than they were the last time Jacob saw her.

She's not asleep yet, but there's an IV hooked up beside the bed, and from the way she's fighting to stay awake, odds are good there's a sedative in it.

"Hey," says Jacob, voice soft. He hesitates, and then takes a couple of cautious steps nearer the bed, dredging up what he hopes is a reassuring smile. "How you been?"

Shimamura's eyes roll toward him, showing too much of the whites around the edges. Her mouth works, like she can't find any words. Then she says, in a voice raspy from screaming: "I see you."

"Hope so," says Xia, and steps up beside him. "Last thing you need on top of everything's eye surgery, right?"

"I see you both," says Shimamura, a surprising amount of venom behind the words. "You think you're free, but you're not. There are footholds where you close your eyes, and you're not going to touch me. You're not. I'll – I can reach my scope when I'm sleeping, 3,000 meters isn't far enough. You'd better run, I won't let you – I won't let you take me apart –"

It feels like someone kicked the floor out from under him; his stomach gives a lurch, as she starts to talk, and then it just stays in freefall. Jacob's smile flickers and fades.

"Hey," says Jacob, softer this time – gentle. "No one's taking you apart. We ain't gonna touch you. Okay?"

"Yeah," says Xia. Her voice has gone a little shaky, and honestly, he can't blame her. He feels a little shaky. "We're just swinging by. Everyone says get well soon, is all. They wanted us to pass it along."

"I see you," says Shimamura. Her words are a little slurred now, with the onset of sleep – the sedatives kicking in, doubtless. "You think you've got me fooled, but I know better. Peel off your skin and there's nothing underneath, and you never wanted me to win anyway – they always set me up to fall. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair."

Jacob watches the way she struggles against the restraints, and he thinks about how Shimamura used to dominate the shooting range during training. He thinks about the way her long, dark hair always used to be pulled back with butterfly clips. He thinks about her in the cafeteria, scooting her tray over to make room for her brother.

He thinks about her brother's memorial service, a month ago now.

"Yeah," says Jacob, softly. "Ain't nothing about this is fair."

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #234: The Witch’s Tale!

August, 1983

“Seasons of the Witch!”

If Wanda offers you a free Halloween mask, politely tell her no thanks.

A lot going on in this cover. Because this is one of those issues that summarizes a character’s continuity because wikipedia doesn’t exist yet and back issues aren’t super easy to get. 

Last time: There was an Avengers/Fantastic Four sorta crossover where Annihilus tried to blow up the universe. The primary fallout of that is that Vision walked into a null-field and then collapsed. He’s basically in a robot-coma recovering.

This time: the Avengers bring Vision home in a tube.

It looks like the kind of coffin you shoot into space but it’s not. It’s just a life-support capsule that looks like a space coffin.

Now though it sucks that Vision is in a robot coma, this does mean that he and Wanda are back involved with the book again. We briefly checked in with them during the Trial of Yellowjacket arc.

But we’ve been pretty short of Scarlet Witch and Vision since #211 when they left the team to try to have a go at a regular life. I’ll summarize in brief how that’s been at the appropriate time. Point being, that’s twenty some issues with a very low amount of my second favorite comic couple.

She-Hulk and Thor carry the capsule into the basement of Avengers Mansion because that’s where their medical center is. The basement. Of course. Why wouldn’t you put your medical center in the basement. Best place for it.

Wanda thanks Wasp for inviting her (and Vision) to stay at the Mansion when they could have stayed at the Baxter Building.

Wasp: “Nonsense! That place was left in a mess by Annihilus! Besides, the Avengers take care of their own!”

(Tangentially, the Avengers have always been more of a family to Wanda than anyone else aside from Django and Marya Maximoff who raised her and Pietro. The Avengers are Wanda’s family basically.)

Also, it’s not said anywhere but I feel like probably Reed Richards never did do that procedure that was supposed to help Vision recover more quickly as distracted as he was by Franklin’s injuries.

While Wanda hovers (metaphorically) around Vision’s tube, Wasp reflects on how hard this is hitting her.

Wasp: “She and the Vision were such a strange match, but they’ve been so devoted to each other their marriage worked -- !”

Oof, that bold hurts, Jan.

Wanda asks for some time alone with her husband so the Avengers leave the basement level medical center, all thinking thoughts as often happens.

Wasp feels guilty because she’s the one that called Wanda and Vision into action but justifies that they were needed. Even though they didn’t really accomplish much.... Kinda makes it worse.

Captain America asks Thor off to have a private chat.

Captain Marvel laments that they couldn’t destroy the field before Vision was injured. And Starfox muses about the sensitivity he senses from Captain Marvel.

Kinda wondering if Stern is trying to set up a love triangle between Starfox, Captain Marvel, and She-Hulk.

Speaking of She-Hulk.

She-Hulk: Any of us could’ve wound up in a tube... or on a slab. But that’s the risk we have to take!

A very typically She-Hulk of this era kind of thought. She’s very direct.

Wasp calls a rain-check on apartment hunting. Which is what she and She-Hulk were doing before the whole invisible dome thing.

And She-Hulk finds other ways to occupy her time.

She-Hulk: “Hey, Starfox! You have any plans for tonight?”

Starfox: “Well, I’d considered checking out the local sights, but if you have a better offer -- !”

She-Hulk: “Spaceman, I can show you some things you won’t believe!”

She’s very direct.

Over at Captain America and Thor’s private conversation, Captain America catches Thor up on the happenings re: Iron Man, i.e. Tony Stark.

Cap(tain America): “It’s Iron Man, Thor... the Wasp and I paid him a visit to find out why he’d resigned from the Avengers. I... don’t quite know how to say this, but... Tony Stark hasn’t just left the Avengers! He’s given up his identity as Iron Man... turned his armor over to another man!”

Thor: “Eh? ‘Tis most passing strange!”

Cap: “That’s not the only thing that’s ‘most passing strange!’ When we talked to him, Stark was so drunk, I’m surprised he was able to stand up! And when I suggested that he’d had too much to drink, he ordered Jan and me out of his apartment!”

Turns out that off-panel at some point, Tony confided his problems with alcoholism to Thor.

Another example of the close relationship that Thor and Iron Man used to have and lamentably don’t seem to have anymore.

Cap even says that Thor has known Tony longer than the rest of the Avengers. While Wasp has been on the team just as long as Thor has, yeah, Thor has known the man in Iron Man longer.

So Cap asks Thor to try to talk to Tony because maybe he could get through to him.

Thor: “I could try, Captain! But if he rejected your advice, while under the influence, I fear for my ability to do better!”

Cap: “What about your mortal identity? Maybe if you approached him as Dr. Don Blake... man to man...”

Thor: “Mayhap. I shall give this thought.”

Thor then hammer-whirl flies off, leaving Cap to think about whether there’s anything additional that he could do, maybe in Iron Man #172, which was on sale at the same time.

Since this issue is otherwise going to be a lot of recapping Scarlet Witch’s entire life, why not pop into another book briefly for some additional content?

I’m the boss and I’ll allow it.

So over in Iron Man in general and issue #172 specifically, Tony Stark is on hard times. We know about the alcoholism and Rhodey taking over as Iron Man. But a man called Obadiah Stane is also attempting an incredibly hostile takeover of Stark International. He’s bought up all the company’s debt (and it has a lot), he has a bunch of civil suits pending against the company, and he’s secretly been the architect behind Tony Stark’s imploding life. That and Tony himself. Takes two to implode.

The last hope Stark Int. has is a writ that will force Stane to back off for a week or two. It’s not a lot but it’ll be some breathing room. Only problem is that it needs Tony Stark’s notarized signature before 5 PM and they kinda lost track of him after he broke into a museum to put on some knight armor and had to be bailed out of jail.

Rhodey decides to call Captain America for help and that’s how we get the asterisk indicating that you should check out Iron Man #172.

Cap does find Tony but unfortunately, Tony slips away in the confusion when an old Iron Man foe called Firebrand (unfortunately not a gargoyle) sets the hotel on fire because he’s just incredibly pissed off at the idea of Tony Stark.

Cap’s less-nice confrontation with Tony about his drinking is decent drama (but possibly not the right tactic to take) though so have some of that.

Anyway. Back to Avengers.

Meanwhile, over on Long Island and at the Cross Technological Enterprises building, industrial espionage gets aggressive as some men in jumpsuits and balaclavas climb the building to sneak in.

One of them is worried because that Avenger guy Hawkeye is in charge of security but the boss is like pssh Hawkeye is a chump with a broken leg.

Then Hawkeye arrives on a hover scooter because insulting Hawkeye probably just summons him to prove you wrong. He has that kind of contrarian energy at times.

He shoots all of their guns out of their hands and pins them to the wall with arrows all before they can really do anything.

His leg may be broken but his arms aren’t. And those are the limbs that do archery.

Sure, his style is slightly harshed by having only one swashbuckler boot on but that still doesn’t stop him from shooting arrows.

A woman and a photographer show up instantly to take pictures of Hawkeye’s cool victory. Apparently the woman is Sheila Danning and she says that she’s in charge of PR for Cross Technological Enterprises.

People showing up to take pictures of how cool he is makes Hawkeye feel very appreciated so he happily poses for some pictures with the captured intruders.

I feel like this is going to end up related to the Hawkeye solo miniseries that’s published around this time. The events of the miniseries cost Hawkeye his hearing but gain him a wife. So we’ll call it a net positive for Clint.

I’ll possibly summarize the relevant parts of the series when it becomes relevant to Avengers, which I’m sure it will.

Several hours later, back over at Avengers Mansion, She-Hulk wakes up after a night with Starfox.

So let’s discuss a thing.

In a later She-Hulk series, the moral iffyness of Starfox’s ability to shoot pleasure at people’s brains and make them become infatuated with him is explored. In a legal sense. As in, Starfox gets put on trial for sexual assault and accused of using his powers to seduce people.

The question is raised whether he had ever used his powers to seduce She-Hulk in regards to them getting together like this in Avengers. And when he won’t give her a straight answer, she beats the shit out of him.

Eventually, the case goes all the way up to the Living Tribunal, the cosmic judge of all realities because of course there’s one of those, and a mind probe proves that Starfox did not use his abilities to influence She-Hulk’s decision to have sex with him.

They’re both just horny people.

Anyway, Starfox and She-Hulk get on first name non-codename basis with each other. Then Starfox takes off to go explore New York, but he and She-Hulk do make plans to get together again in the evening.

She-Hulk’s post-implied-coitus giddiness is rained on when she learns that Wanda hasn’t slept at all and has spent the whole night at Vision’s side.

So now its time for She-Hulk brand very direct friendship.

She tells Jarvis to go make breakfast and she’ll deal with Wanda.

As we saw in and about the Trial of Yellowjacket, She-Hulk doesn’t really beat around the bush.

So when Wanda says she’d rather stay at Vision’s side rather than get breakfast, She-Hulk grabs her and tries to physically drag her towards self-care.

She-Hulk: “Look, watching your hubby won’t make him get well any faster. You’re coming with me! You’ll feel a lot better with a little breakfast in you!”

It doesn’t go over well.

Wanda blasts She-Hulk away and now Jen and Wanda are angry at each other and Wasp arrived just in time to play baffled mediator.

She-Hulk: “I hope you have a good dentist, Red!”

Wasp: “Jennifer!”

She-Hulk: “She started it, Wasp! I was just showing her some hospitality, and she sent me flying with her crummy hex bolts!”

Scarlet Witch: “What?! You physically pull me from my husband’s side, and you call that hospitality?!?”

Wasp: “Girls, girls! We’re all friends here! I know how upset you must be, Wanda, but you mustn't let worry get the better of you! I think we all need a spot of breakfast! Please join me, Wanda. The She-Hulk will relieve you at watching over the Vision... we all will!”

She-Hulk: “That’s what I was trying to tell her!”

Jen’s heart was in the right place but she lacks much in the way of tact?

Anyway, Wasp and Wanda set up in the library and Jarvis brings breakfast pastries to them, though Wanda refuses any.

Free breakfast aggros Captain Marvel and now she’s here too. That and She-Hulk trying to make up through a proxy.

Captain Marvel: “A little bird told me that you were serving your continental special, and I just couldn’t stay away!”

Wasp: “A little bird, C.M.?”

Captain Marvel, whispering: “Well, a big bird! She-Hulk radioed me that the Scarlet Witch was still a little down, and suggested that I might be of help, cheering her up!”

You have a good heart, Jen-Hulk.

Also, Monica just beams right in through the library window as a sunbeam before forming back into her human shape. And that’s delightful. But would be startling. Jarvis is startled. He’s seen it all but all keeps expanding.

Monica and Wanda briefly bond over both speaking French when Monica praises that Jarvis’ pastries rival the best of the French Quarter. Jan is a bit lost because she doesn’t know any French but Monica and Wanda were just very excited because they don’t get to French very often. The language.

AND with the ice broken, Monica smoothly shifts topics over to asking Wanda about herself.

Captain Marvel: “You know, there’s so much I’d like to ask you. I’ve read all about you in the files, of course -- but they’re so impersonal. You’ve led such a fascinating life.”

Scarlet Witch: “Fascinating? I suppose... but I was too young to appreciate some of the more fantastic moments.”

AND THEN WANDA LEGIT, NO FURTHER PROMPTING, STARTS NARRATING HER WHOLE LIFE STARTING FROM BIRTH.

DAMN WANDA, exposition under pressure?

So Wanda tells Monica about how she was born in WUNDAGORE, a Balkan mountain in Transia with a super-advanced city built on it. The High Evolutionary was making furries for reasons which escape me but it explains why a cow-woman answered the door when Magda, supposedly Wanda’s mom although that has changed, came knocking on the door.

She was double pregnant and on the run from a husband who had developed terrible problems and an attitude problem.

The cow-woman Bova, invited Magda into the city and helped deliver her children Pietro and Wanda. And then Magda walked off into the snow to die, pulling a Padme-on-purpose-but-years-ahead-of-time by dying just after having twins.

Her thought process was that Mystery Husband would come looking for her but if he found her frozen in the snow, he wouldn’t find out that she’d had children? I dunno, this logic is a bit spurious.

I’m glad that Wanda’s current in the year 2021 real mom isn’t someone who walked off into the snow to die because it seemed like a good idea.

Showing what an awful idea this was, Magda left Wanda and Pietro in the care of Bova who had no idea what to do with two babies. So she took the matter to the High Evolutionary who also didn’t want to deal with it and decided to dump the babies on a childless Roma couple.

High Evolutionary: ‘DOES ANYBODY WANT SOME BABIES?’

Except the comic doesn’t say Roma, they say the g-slur. I don’t think Marvel ever stops doing that. Its a weird case where the portrayal is overall sympathetic but tinged with stereotypes and using a slur.

Shape up, Marvel.

I also notice that Wanda’s recap leaves out Fake Dad Robert Frank, the Whizzer.

The first time Wanda’s parentage was Totally Revealed For Real, it was revealed that not only Magda but Robert and Madeline Joyce Frank were hanging around Wundagore waiting to give birth.

I’ve already been into it before but originally it was just the Franks kids but the Whizzer whizzed off in grief when he learned his wife died in childbirth. Then when someone got it into their head to retcon otherwise, Magda was at Wundagore and gave birth to twins and then the High Evolutionary had Bova try to give the kids to Robert but he ran off in his grief so shrugged and passed them off to Django and Marya Maximoff AKA the real parents even if not biological.

To editorialize, the Maximoffs actually raised Wanda and Pietro so no matter what, I’ll always consider them the twins’ real parents.

Anyway, the Franks aren’t part of this retelling. Which is funny because for a while Wanda thought the Whizzer was their dad and treated him like one and now she’s dumped him like raw meat for ease of retelling. Tsk tsk.

So, Wanda and Pietro lived a good life and “better parents could hardly have been found.” Then when adolescence happened, Pietro suddenly could run really fast and Wanda “discovered that strange, unpredictable things would happen if I was in a certain frame of mind and gestured in a particular way.”

That’s a pretty specific mutant power. And she relates that she kept causing accidents by gesturing in the particular way while in a certain frame of mind, it’s like, Wanda, don’t gesture that way? Get mittens or tie your fingers together. Its not hard.

Your powers are so specific!

Stereotypes happen and an angry mob burns down the Maximoffs’ camp.

Pietro ran Wanda to safety and the shock was so great that they got AMNESIA.

Marya, I think, died but Django survived and went a little mad with grief, assuming he lost his wife and kids.

For a couple years, Wanda and Pietro just kicked it around Eastern Europe, Pietro using his superspeed to catch game. Things were going okay but not great up until the time that Wanda wandered into a village and made the fuck-things-up gesture and whoops fucked things up.

I’m telling you, Wanda, mittens.

Anyway, she set a house on fire, WITH HER MIND, and now there’s an angry mob after her assuming that she’s a witch.

As sometimes happens in Marvel Eastern Europe.

The mob chased Wanda to camp where Pietro lost his shit and superspeed tried to beat up a mob but wound up getting pinned down and beaten.

Then Magneto showed up and yanked all the crude farming implements away and told the mob to gtfo.

Magneto: “Come no further, homo sapiens! The two whom you attack are under the protection of Magneto!”

An idiot: “With power such as his, he can only be Satan himself!”

An idiot who has the right idea: “Run! Run for your lives!”

Wanda thanks Magneto for the save and he demands “Let neither of you ever forget what you owe me... ever!”

Cool. Cool cool cool.

Wanda: “He took us in... fed and clothed us... but never did he show us any human kindness. We were supposed to be above that, he said... we were mutants, and under his tutelage, we became Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch!”

What a dick.

Anyway, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were forced to join Magneto and his other agents Toad and Mastermind.

Magneto’s Brotherhood clashed with the X-Men multiple times. And then the Stranger just sorta yoinked Magneto into space.

Early X-Men is a bafflement to me.

Wanda: “Our debt had been repaid to Magneto many times over. We were beholden to him no longer... We were free. And... we were alone. We had just begun to realize the potential of our mutant powers, but we did not know how best to use them. Cut off from Magneto’s cruel exploitation, we didn’t know what to do. I don’t know what would have become of us, had we not been accepted as Avengers! The Avengers gave purpose to our lives, gave us something to be part of.”

Anyway, being on the Avengers meant dangers and foes to fight but it also meant allies, friends, and ROBOT BOYFRIENDS.

Wanda: “Were it not for the Avengers, I might never have met the Vision! He was the product of a laboratory -- and many thought him to be inhumanely cold -- but I grew to love the warm, feeling inner man.”

Of course, if you tell Vision he has feelings he gets mad and insists NUH UH.

And dating Vision pissed off Quicksilver who basically disowned Wanda for a while.

But who gives a fuck what Pietro says, Wanda also learned WITCHCRAFT and (although not explicitly mentioned) how to summon METEORS TO SMASH HER FOES.

And she got married in a double ceremony where the other bride married a tree! That tree part doesn’t get mentioned.

After this, Wanda and Vision went on a short honeymoon but found that the hashtag Avengers life kept them so busy that they didn’t have a lot of time to themselves.

Then Real Dad Django Maximoff showed up and Wanda and Pietro went with him to Transia to learn their backstory.

Annnnnd Wanda got possessed by Chthon. Won’t be the first time ha ha.

Thankfully, the Avengers managed to do a care bear stare to unpossess her. Oh, and Django died. A misstep if you ask me. There was too much character potential to just kill him off after one arc.

Alas, alas.

Anyway, the recap skips over a whole bunch of stuff and doesn’t mention Moondragon’s role but we get to the point where Wanda and Vision quit the Avengers.

Wanda: “When the Vision and I were finally reunited, our thoughts began to turn inward. Our life with the Avengers was fulfilling, but apart from our careers, we had no real private life of our own. Would society accept us on our own, away from Avengers Mansion? We didn’t know -- but we had to at least try to find out. Taking our accrued Avengers salaries, we bought a modest little home in Leonia, New Jersey.”

So a brief recap of their adventures in the first Vision and Scarlet Witch miniseries.

In the first issue, Captain America’s Halloween housewarming gift of a cursed book winds up being cursed and contains Samhain. When Wanda didn’t immediately free him, he got angry and turned some trick or treaters into monster versions of their costumes to attack Vision while Samhain attacked Wanda. She manages to set the cursed tome on fire, ending Samhain’s power. FOR NOW. Then Not-Actually-Their-Father-But-Doesn’t-Know-It-Yet the Whizzer shows up.

In issue two, the Whizzer is looking for Wanda’s help in regaining custody of his son Nuklo the Nuclear Man. With their help, Whizzer manages to get the court to agree to release Nuklo to his custody. But the lead doctor managing Nuklo is secretly ISBISA! ... Y’know, the Whizzer’s old foe from his All-Winner’s Squad days? No? Okay, well he also masterminded the nuclear ‘accident’ that led to Nuklo’s birth in the first place. And now he’s back to finish the job with radiation siphoned from Nuklo. In anger at Wanda being drawn into Golden Age drama, Vision reveals that Wanda isn’t the Whizzer’s kid but it little matters because Whizzer has a massive heart attack and dies. Nuklo helps defeat Isbisa and both of them are drained of atomic power leaving them human. Oh and Vision’s arm gets melted off. That’s kinda important.

In issue three, Vision is in a robot coma and he needs an energy donation from Wonder Man, his brain brother, to recover. Comic books! Vision has a meaning laden coma dream where Ultron screams at him a lot. Grim Reaper attacks and tries to kill Vision and Wonder Man while they’re incapacitated because he has one character beat and its that. But Vision manages to subdue him.

In issue four, is the pertinent one for this issue.

I’m going to say, I think the second Vision and Scarlet Witch series is better. This was a series of loosely related mishaps. The second volume does more with Vision and Scarlet Witch living in suburbia as a concept.

Anyway, in the fourth issue and in this Avengers recap of Wanda’s entire life, after Vision lost his arm, he and Wanda went up to Attilan to get it replaced. Because the Inhumans can casually just build him a new arm that works with his powers.

And people say the Inhumans aren’t good for anything.

While on the moon, Wanda and Vision decide to visit with Pietro and Crystal and their new daughter Luna. Pietro was even not a dick to Vision. It was a nice moment until Magneto barged in and started a fight by insisting he wasn’t here to fight while trapping everyone inside the building. Also, he threatened Bova to get information on who his kids were and frankly, that’s unforgivable. Bova is an angel. A cow angel.

They fight fight fight and then the fight is ended when Luna cries and Magneto realizes he’s doing a big superhero/supervillain fight in the same room as a fragile child and realizes ‘wow maybe i’m the dick here.’

Now the Vision and Scarlet Witch series ends with the internal-reveal that MAGNETO is the father (for now) of Wanda and Pietro. Magneto asking them to accept him as such. And on a confused moment of ‘shit what now.’

The Avengers issue picks up on that and finishes out the scene.

While Wanda is too stunned to know what to say, Pietro has some choice words.

He snatches his daughter away from Magneto and tells him fuck off, you’re no father to me.

Magneto’s argument is ‘hey genetics is the only thing that matters you’re my son like it or not.’

Pietro’s counter argument is ‘nuh uh’ and that Django Maximoff is the only man he calls father. And Wanda agrees.

Its good to see some Django respect.

Magneto tells them they’ll see the error of their ways and flies off.

Which is the wrong tack to take to prove that you’ve changed and are ready to get some good dadding in and won’t kill your granddaughter for being a human.

He’s super bad at this.

After that, Wanda and Vision went home to New Jersey and just stayed at home for a while, Wanda was so horrified by the reveal.

Wanda: “Even now, I can hardly begin to express the horror, the shame! It’s as if I suddenly discovered Hitler lurking in my family tree! Part of me wishes that he is really sincere about tempering his hatred for non-mutant humans. But even if he was telling the truth, that can never excuse his past crimes... Nothing can!”

Its really surprising how ready people are in-universe to compare Magneto to Hitler. From Wanda to Cap to Xorn.

Wasp: “Wanda... you mustn’t torture yourself this way! Magneto has no claim on you, and you’re certainly not responsible for him! I know it must be tough, but you can’t let him ruin the rest of your life!”

These are helpful things to tell Wanda to calm her down.

Less helpful is when Wasp speculates that hey maybe it was okay not to believe Magneto when he said he’s changed because maybe he’ll become worse! Maybe his newfound tolerance of humanity will lead him to try to save humanity from itself rather than wipe it out. In reference to how Moondragon tried to do that on that planet we never heard from again.

Wanda: “Heaven help us, if such a thought occurs to Magneto!”

I’m pretty sure he’s going to be too busy in the near future trying to be teacher to the most death-prone idiots this side of Westchester. And then after that when he decides to be evil again, he’s going to do some nonsense with Asteroid M. But I don’t think he ever hits the ‘save humanity from itself’ point.

Anyway.

Wasp and Captain Marvel reassure Wanda that if Magneto Strikes Again the Avengers will be with her!

The following day, Wanda returns to Leonia, New Jersey to put together a suitcase of stuff since she’s going to be staying at Avengers Mansion for a while.

Wanda: “Jan was nice enough to offer me a few of her things, but they’re all too small for my figure. And that robe the She-Hulk lent me last night fit like a tent!”

Wasp and Scarlet Witch usually look the same size and shape but that’s important canon body shape information for someone, I guess. If they wanted to draw Avengers But Not All The Same Paper Dolls character designs.

Anyway, the issue really ends with Dr Strange showing up to pull Wanda into a crossover with his own book in Doctor Strange #60.

Ergh. This era sure has a lot of stuff going off on the sides.

I’ll synopsize Scarlet Witch’s time in Doctor Strange’s book if it becomes necessary but I’ve already looked at five non-Avengers issue for this post and am probably going to have to cover the Hawkeye series in brief too when it intersects with Avengers.

Follow @essential-avengers​ for grudging contextualization of everything that’s happening in Avengers, when I feel like it. Like and reblog if you liked.

[thepancakeboi]

53. “Were you ever going to tell me?”

Divergence AU Part V

Previous | Next (coming...soon) | AU list | Prompt source

Fanfic under cut

12/10

“Do you really think the others will be okay on their own?”

My question, although probably unnecessary, is a valid one. Queen, Noir, Panther, and Fox are going to deal with the IT president, while Mona, Skull, Joker, and I are going to find the third Will Seed that Mona sensed was nearby. I know that we only have a week left to secure the infiltration route, but the idea of us splitting into two different groups is a little concerning.

“Don’t worry, Crow,” Skull replies. “They got this.”

“They aren’t weak,” Mona adds. “That letter is as good as ours!”

“My apologies,” I say, adjusting my white gloves out of habit. Even if they know who I am and what I’ve done, Joker is the only one who has seen my other outfit. I shouldn’t care what they think of me, but I’ve kept it a well-guarded secret for so long. Force of habit, I suppose. “Shall we continue?”

Joker nods, taking my hand in his as he leads the way. He’s been doing this ever since that night in Leblanc. I’ve stopped questioning it after the first fifty times. It’s...nice. The rest of the thieves haven’t commented on it yet, nor do they seem confused. Maybe they already knew of Joker’s feelings.

The fight to get into the room is all too simple, largely in part due to Joker’s damn Shiki-Ouji, a Persona that I have come to despise. It, alongside Arsène and Jack Frost, is one of his main Personas. Shiki-Ouji, though, nullifies nearly all of Robin Hood’s attacks...as I found out the hard way during our duel last month. Not even Loki would have been much more help against it. That thing has become the bane of my existence.

I’m just glad Joker doesn’t see me as an enemy.

He leads the way back to the large double doors, slashing the rose vines with unerring grace before pushing the doors open. With this task done, the four of us enter the room. We’re greeted by harsh, indeterminate whispers. Their content means nothing to me-

“I trust no one but myself.”

I recognize that voice. Shido. I grit my teeth as his voice rings and echoes off the walls. The others don’t seem to notice, but it’s as clear as day to me. I tune the others’ voices out as Joker takes the Will Seed from its pedestal, straining to hear the inner thoughts of that bastard. For a few seconds, it remains incoherent whispers, until...

“The enemy is coming...in more ways than one.”

It takes nearly all of my willpower to not react to this. These are his inner thoughts, aren’t they? If that’s the case...could he know? Is Shido starting to realize the suicide-murder shtick was faked, that Ren is still alive and currently traversing his Palace? And...oh no.

In more ways than one.

That can only mean one thing...

Shido knows.

He knows I’m not on his side.

Or maybe it’s his normal paranoia? I can’t be certain. It isn’t like I can ask Shido himself. He’d lie and say he trusts me, the action almost as natural to him as breathing. If he does know, what am I supposed to do...?

“Hey, you okay?”

Mona’s query snaps me out of my thoughts. “I’m fine,” I easily lie. “Just a little nervous, I suppose.”

Skull, the dense idiot that he is sometimes, buys it. “Man, you looked like you’d just seen a ghost! Warn us next time, will ya?”

“I will,” I respond, looking at the others to gauge their reactions. Mona doesn’t seem entirely convinced, but it doesn’t seem like he’s going to probe further. And Joker...I can’t read him. All I get is the feeling that he sees through my lie. “Anyway, we have the Will Seed. What’s our next move, Joker?”

Joker thinks for a few moments before answering, “There’s nothing else here. Let’s meet up with everyone in the safe room.”

His hand slips back into mine as we leave the room behind us. This close to him, I can finally see that he wasn’t convinced in the slightest. I know he’d try to get me to open up to him if it weren’t for Mona and Skull. Despite this, his eyes plead with me under his mask, trying to get me to tell him what’s wrong. I refuse to look at him as the last statement I hear from that cursed room echoes in my ears:

“The only thing you have to do is follow my order.”

We arrive at the safe room to find the others already there. “How did it go?” Queen asks as Skull and Mona sit down. I choose to stand a little way back from the group, side-eyeing Joker as he rests his head against my shoulder. What does he think he’s doing? Judging by the cheeky smirk on his face, he’s trying to be as distracting as possible.

“Joker got the last Will Seed!” Mona replies, simultaneously answering Queen’s question and taking my attention away from the menace next to me.

“Aw yeah, and we got the fourth letter!” Oracle says. She is beaming as she holds up the envelope for everyone to see, apparently proud of her group’s accomplishments.

“Sweet!” Skull exclaims. “All that’s left is the cleaner dude! Let’s go find him and kick his ass!”

“Wait!” Panther interjects. “We don’t even know where he’d be.”

“Who cares? Can’t we just cause some trouble again?”

“We could, but...”

“Then-”

“As much as I would like to take the cleaner down now, we should wait,” I say before Skull can get another word in edgewise. “He’s stronger than any of the VIP’s we have fought so far.”

“How about tomorrow?” Noir chimes in. “It’s Sunday, so we won’t have school.”

“I agree,” Queen adds before looking at me. “Will you be joining us?”

I wish I had more time to think things through. If only we could wait a few more days. Time, however, is in short supply. “I should be able to, though if anything comes up, I’ll let Joker know,” I say while gently pushing Joker’s face away.

That smirk from before fades away, replaced with a carefully crafted neutral expression. His voice rings with authority as he says, “Sounds like a plan. We’ll meet up tomorrow afternoon.”

Tomorrow afternoon. That’s when the deed will be done. If my revenge plan is going to work, I’m going to have to kill him, for real this time. There’s no going around it. My mind is so preoccupied with planning how to accomplish this that I don’t even notice everyone else has left until I’m startled out of my thoughts by the kiss Joker plants on my cheek. He looks concerned. “Is everything okay?”

“What makes you think it isn’t?” I ask back, dodging his question.

“You seemed tense earlier. And a little scared. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’ll be fine. Soon, this will all be over.”

Over in ways neither of us would want, yet it’s the only way this could ever end. This is how it was meant to be from the beginning: with one of us dead.

12/11

I tap my fingers idly against my leg as I wait on one of the catwalks in the engine room. Earlier, I had texted Ren saying that I would be running late and to go on without me. He must have bought it because when I had entered Shido’s Palace, the Phantom Thieves were nowhere to be found. I had told them the cleaner would likely be in the engine room. They must be farther inside.

My suspicions are confirmed a moment later when the group comes walking out, celebrating their recent victory. How delighted they must be now that they have the final letter. That happiness is about to be destroyed. Joker is the one to notice me, of course. He halts, looking up at me. “Crow?” he asks. “What are you doing up there?”

I leap down, doing a flip before landing effortlessly in front of the thieves. Damn Joker’s habits rubbing off on me. I expect to feel some level of anticipation, or maybe regret, but I feel...nothing. I don’t see Ren or Joker in front of me. All I see is another obstacle, blocking my plans from coming to fruition. “Did you really think I would let you leave this place alive?”

“Huh?”

My gun is out, pointed at him in an instant. I won’t give Joker the chance to say another word. Time to pull the trigger.

...except I don’t.

What’s stopping me from firing, from killing this menace? My hesitation wastes valuable time, time that the rest of the thieves use to prepare themselves to fight if necessary. I no longer have the advantage of surprise. Why didn’t I just kill him first? “Keeping you alive was a terrible decision.”

“What’s gotten into you, Akechi?” Queen asks. I don’t miss the dropping of codenames. “You were the one who suggested this plan.”

She’s not wrong. I had been the one to plan most of this heist, due to my knowledge of Shido’s Palace. “Nothing has changed. This camaraderie between us has all been an act.” The lies slip so easily off my tongue, and I find that I’m starting to believe myself. “When Joker started to piece things together, I knew I would have to change my plans, and in order to do that, I had to make him aware of my original plan. I’ve been planning this from the start. You all were simply so foolish as to trust me.”

“All an act...?” Joker asks, hesitant. It’s as if he’s trying to deny the words I’m saying.

I refuse to answer his question, instead deciding to say, “I’ve never shown you my true power, have I? Here, I’ll show you...while you die. Persona!”

I can feel Loki’s presence as two Shadows materialize from thin air. A Cerberus and a Cu Chulainn. Perfect. I direct Loki to use his signature Call of Chaos on the two Shadows. Their complexion turns black and red as their true destructive potential is unleashed. I can hear Cerberus growl as it paws at the ground in anticipation, waiting for my command to kill these wretched thieves.

“What was that?” Oracle asks, voicing everyone’s surprise at Loki’s brief appearance. “That wasn’t Robin Hood.”

“You’re right,” I confirm with a grin, “but that’s the least of your concern. You better not underestimate these two.” I leap back, putting the berserk Shadows between me and the Phantom Thieves. In a mad rush, the two Shadows launch themselves at their foes. I don’t expect the Shadows to win; they’re just meant to wear the enemy down.

Mona’s voice rings over the din of the fight. “Go, Joker! If anyone has a chance of getting through to him, it’s you.”

I see Joker nod, and, before I can even react, he’s using his grappling hook, sailing over the Shadows and landing a few feet away from me. The absolute fool. “You just made a grievous mistake,” I snarl. “You’ll need your teammates if you have any hopes of defeating me.”

He shakes his head. Cocky little shit- “I don’t need to defeat you.”

That catches me off guard. Just what the hell is he planning? “Then what is it? Are you going to abandon your teammates, just like you wanted before when I suggested leaving them to work with me?”

“I’m not abandoning anyone.”

“Oh, is that so? Then maybe we should put an end to our duel, striking and striking again and again until one of us is dead! Unless you’re so spineless that you’ll run away with your tail between your legs. Is that your master plan?”

“No,” he replies, his voice firm. “I love you, and I’m not leaving you.”

I laugh. He’s more foolish than I gave him credit for. “Then tell me, Joker. Will you love me for this?” His eyes widen ever so slightly as I point my gun at his face, aiming right between his eyes. It’s a pale comparison to the terror Sae’s cognition of Ren expressed. He’s too naive to be afraid. “There’s no cognitive double to save you this time.”

Joker, the absolute idiot that he is, doesn’t have the common sense to back down. Why is he just standing there? Move, damnit! It’s as if he’s deaf to my silent pleas. He refuses to move. He even has the gall to smile a little as he replies, “Hey, I’ll always love you no matter what. I’ll take a bullet for you, even if you’re shooting.”

I could do it. I could shoot him right now. But now, in this critical moment, I find myself hesitating once again.

Do it.

But he’s the only good thing in my life-

Do it! Watch as the light leaves his eyes!

I don’t...I don’t know if I can do it again...

What about your revenge? He’s in the way!

I tighten my grip on the gun...but I still can’t pull the trigger. Why...why can’t I kill him!? “How stupid are you? Would you really let your irrational feelings get in the way of your goal?” I have no idea if I’m asking him the questions...or myself.

“It seems you let your ‘irrational’ feelings get in the way of your goal. Aren’t you going to shoot?” he adds, almost sounding a little cocky at the end.

How dare he...

“Don’t lecture me!” I yell, whipping the gun away from his face. It clangs against the floor, the sound echoing in my ears. It’s clear I’m not going to shoot him point-blank anyway. “You think you know me, that you’ve got me pinned down. You don’t know anything about me! All you are is some criminal trash living in an attic who thinks he’s in love with an ace detective, a celebrity! You’ve deluded yourself and refuse to see the truth. How foolish you were to think that you meant anything to me, Joker!”

“You’re wrong!” He grabs my hand, the same hand that a few moments prior had been pointing a gun at his face. “I love you, and I’ll always love you. And...I know you love me too. We don’t have to fight-”

“I will get my revenge,” I interrupt as I pull my hand out of his grasp, refusing to listen to another word of his, “against Masayoshi Shido...my father. And you’re in my way.”

That makes him stop. The shock on his face is undeniable. “Shido’s...your father? Were you ever going to tell me?”

“What would’ve been the point?”

“Goro,” he starts; he must be taking this seriously if he’s using my first name, “we can still change his heart. Just let me hel-”

“I’m warning you. Stand. Down.”

“Please. I love y-”

Something inside me snaps. “NO! Just shut up, and die, Joker!”

There is only one way I can think of that’ll make me able to kill Joker. I welcome it with open arms. Loki’s mad power washes over me, my outfit changing in an instant. The world is tinted red, though I’m not sure whether it’s from the intense desire to murder or the lenses in the black mask. Maybe both.

But that doesn’t matter.

Nothing matters.

The only thing I want is to kill!

Destroy!

Massacre anything that stands in my way!

...starting...with...Joker.

A lopsided grin creeps on my face. Oh, this will be fun! I wonder how far I can go with this...

Let’s find out.

With little abandon, I rush straight at Joker with my serrated blade. It’ll tear him into pieces!

My sword clashes against his signature dagger. Somehow, he stands firm. How? How can he...?

Oh, so what!? He can’t possibly last for long! I go for another slash, but he yet again blocks it with that damn dagger of his. Our blades continue to strike against each other, neither of us able to land a hit on the other.

Again.

And again.

And again!

But then, as I throw all my strength into another frenzied slash, he weaves out of the way, kicking the sword right out of my hand as I start to stumble.

No way. How could this attic trash possibly be stronger than me!?

Joker lunges at me, the dagger no longer in his hand. Somehow, he manages to knock me off balance. He tries to restrain me as I thrash while screaming insults at his face.

One of my hands reaches my mask. Perfect.

I don’t even think.

I just act.

Only one thought rages in my mind.

I will kill Joker!

I command Loki to use Maragion. He won’t be able to block this attack. Screw his Shiki-Ouji!

For a brief moment, the flames surround Joker...but suddenly, they turn on me. I grit my teeth at the searing agony radiating through my body. Damnit...of all the times he wasn’t using that Persona-

My mask reforms, but is quickly pulled away from my face. Joker tosses it to the side, once again trying to hold me down. He flinches as my claws rake across his face, but he doesn’t budge.

He’s saying something to me, but I can’t hear him.

I don’t care what he’s saying! He should be dead!

I almost manage to hit him a second time, but now he’s able to use his hands to pin mine down. I try desperately to claw at his hands, but they’re just out of reach.

Damnit!

Joker’s still talking. Now I can make out his words. “...love y...please...it’ll be...”

What is he thinking!?

Even now...

As the seconds slowly tick by, the psychotic rage that overtook me starts to dissipate. Joker keeps on saying the same thing over and over: “I love you, Goro. Please, calm down. It’ll be okay.”

Over.

And over.

He sounds so distraught as I continue to fight against him. Repeating those same words. It’s no use. Joker’s determined to stop me.

Eventually, I stop struggling, panting as I try to catch my breath. I finally manage to gasp out, “What are you doing?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

“I...I didn’t want this.”

“I know. You didn’t want to shoot me.”

“I-”

Our conversation is interrupted by a pained scream. We both look over as Cu Chulainn falls to the ground. Cerberus must have fallen earlier in the fight, as it’s nowhere to be seen. The rest of the thieves look a little tired but otherwise no worse for wear. I turn my attention back to Joker, frowning as I see blood dripping from the thin slashes marring his beautiful face. “It’s fine,” Joker says, noticing where my attention is. “It doesn’t hurt. But are you okay?”

My laughter is strained, forced. “That’s what you’re concerned about?”

“But you got hurt.” He moves his hand to gently caress my face. “If I had known you were going to use that move, I would’ve used a different Persona.”

“Why would you even care? I just tried to kill you, damnit!”

“Because I love you, Goro. And I always will. You could’ve shot me, and I still would have loved you just the same.” Is it just me, or did his voice crack just a little there? “Goro, no matter what happens, I just want you to know I love you dearly, and-”

“Ugh, can we save the cheesy romance for later?” Oracle butts in.

Oh. That’s right. We’re not alone here. And with how things currently look... “Joker?” I start.

“Yeah?”

“Get off me.”

“Aww, I was enjoying this,” he says with a chuckle. He waits a second before moving so that I can push myself into a sitting position. The sudden movement causes me to hiss in pain. “You didn’t answer me earlier. Are you okay?”

“I have been through worse.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“I’ll be alright. Any other questions before we leave this wretched place?”

“Just one. Why did you do this? Did something happen yesterday?”

I almost tell him. My lips part, about to answer, but I realize it might take too much time. “How about we save that question for Leblanc? It...might take some time to answer.”

“Okay. We should head back to the central hall,” he adds, addressing everyone with that. He then turns back to me and, with a smirk, kneels down and puts one arm behind my back and the other under my knees. I realize what he’s doing just as he proceeds to pick me up bridal style with little regard for if he gets jabbed by the pointy parts of my true outfit. The rest of the thieves seem just as surprised and shocked as I am. Meanwhile, Joker grins at me as he says, “Hi, Akeppi.”

“Joker, what are you doing?”

“Showing you how much I love you.”

“You stupid, insufferable-” The rest of what I was going to say is cut off by the soft little kiss Joker gives me. He looks like he would love to kiss me more, but he’s not about to test his luck when I have so many ways to potentially harm him right now. It takes me a few seconds of mulling my response in my head before I begrudgingly finish, “...lovable menace.”

“I know. But I’m your menace.”

That alone gets me to smile. He’s right. It only took me trying to kill him to see it. “Yes, you’re my menace, and nothing is going to ever change that.”

[randombtsprincessa]

Valentine’s Gift!

This down below is my gift for the lovely @re-sugance​! A brilliant writer and this particular fic is a homage to her Shadows in lieu of the Made With Love Project held by @bangtansmutcentral​ <3

A/N: I cut short it till it was just a drabble. The original was loooong lol sorry! I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: References to the original content belong to Original author. The following content and characterization is copyrighted.

The walls were bright white, reflecting lights so harshly you had to squint when you had to. The tight lip of your skirt was uncomfortable around your knees and the heels dug into the back of your ankle but you kept on, pushing your body like you had been for so long.

The work you were a part of had no room for luxuries such as comfort and while you would sometimes dearly just like to sit, you learned early on that sitters were losers and the ones who were willing to keep walking or even running actually ran the operations.

Of course, nobody really told you that the sitters would be getting most of the credit.

You took a deep breath before you were pushing on the handle of the Experiment Containment chambers. Separated into seven glass enclosed rooms or chambers per se, you found the person you were looking for at the far back, near the youngest experiment.

You slowed, your eyes taking in the posture of your boss.

She was leaning completely over safety railing, something strictly prohibited – even if she was the lead scientist. Her forehead and palm was pressed to the fogged glass and on the other side, a black, glutinous mass attached to where her palm was splayed.

Jungkook…or better known as 19970701…

You knew you weren’t supposed to give the masses of black substance originated in outer space Human names but it seems your boss and the Head couldn’t help herself. She had given the seven surviving subjects humanity, training…names.

She was a mother to them, and to the youngest of the lot…it always seemed to you, she was much more.

You caught the quick jerk of the black substance, an acknowledgement to your presence just as you called for your Head’s attention.

“The next trial begins in ten minutes. Should I bring the volunteer in?” You asked politely.

She glanced back at the mass that had retreated to the far back of the room, motionless before nodding her head, leading you out.

You followed quietly, sounds of your steps already echoing in the room, attracting attention from the ones that were far less shy.

Symbiosis; a little hidden project funded by the government, returning from the outer space with symbiotes that had alien characteristics but would be able to merge with humans and live off them, enhance them.

The government wanted soldiers obviously but as you looked at the very front, trying hard not to feel emotional for the seven last remaining organisms that had survived the failures of establishing symbiosis with various contenders, you knew they were not meant for a life of war.

The mass at the very front, 19940712, sitting in a pool in front of Jane Eyre definitely wasn’t going to be much help in a battle field.

Your work as a scientists’ assistant had shown you a lot. You had seen men and women painfully contorting their bodies as black shadows wrapped around them before flickering and dying out within the lifeless eyes of the volunteers. You had personally switched on the incinerators in some of these cases but you had never seen human zeal to liberate alien substances.

“With all due respect, ma’am,” You said, “but you cannot be serious.”

Your boss had her hands deep into the pockets of her white coat.

“It’s a failing endeavor because the symbiotes have come to rely on us. We will have to protect them.”

“They are aliens for god’s sake, ma’am. We cannot just break them out just because we don’t approve what use they’re going to be serving.”

She turned at that. “So, you don’t approve as well.” She shot out immediately.

Your eyes widened as she took hurried steps towards you. “I want you to help me, Y/N. Help me break them out. After me, you are the most close to the symbiotes, even if you don’t want to show it. Help me find better substitutes, people who can hide with them, so no one will ever find them.”

Aside from taking them yourselves, you had no other ways to let them go. You said so.

There was a brief crestfallen look to her eyes before she nodded, dismissing you.

2 YEARS LATER

You kept a steady look down at your wrist, watching the second hand tick down to a minute before standing; eyes fixed across the small bedroom to the bathroom, hearing the lock give way.

A man stepped out, tall, broad, with thick limbs and hair that fell right down to his nose. The simple black tee and sweatpants looked big on him somehow as if he wasn’t used to filling them and life yours had been, his eyes were on his feet and hands as well.

You took a careful step forward.

“1994…I mean, Namjoon?” you chanced, your long habit of referring to them by their codenames having faded into the long time you’d been away from your workplace.

The man looked up, blinking and whipping hair out of his face. His head moved too fast, bouncing off of the doorway painfully that cause the man’s form to haze out, come away black for more than a few seconds before freezing and slowly dissolving back into human.

You blew out a huff, taking another step.

“Y/N,” he grated out, voice whispery and hoarse.

“Yes,” You took another step, hand outreached and his fingers moved, clasping around your pulse, physical contact established after ages of experimentation, research and explorations.

Dimples appeared in tanned cheeks as Namjoon gave you a small smile. “I can do it. I can actually hold form outside of my heat.” He whispered.

“That’s great,” you whispered back, looking up at him, not used to actually talking to him while looking at another body.

He let go of your hand, moving further into the room, arms outstretched to catch him if he fell. You followed closely behind.

“I…I’m big, aren’t I?”

Instead of out loud, you heard him inside your head.

“Yes, Namjoon, you’re big. You’re a person now.” You said.

He turned, still slow before impishly moving in to wrap his arms – carefully – around you. “Sex is going to be easier and more fun now.”

This time, he spoke out loud, his voice still scratchy but adorably shy as he leaned in to press small hesitant kisses down your neck. Of course, this time it being the first time he was in a human body of his very own, he had to bend over quite a bit.

You tried not to roll your eyes, barely masking a moan when Namjoon’s tongue lapped across your collarbone.

“Are you sure, you can…?” You lead him to the bed, just in case he fell over in his excitement and took you down with him.

His eyes glazed, he sat down from your touch, looking up at you in confusion before following your gaze to where his legs were gone, replaced with black huge stumps, clawed toes visible. He closed his eyes, the stump reducing back to human nails, wiggling them at you.

I might explode a few times but that just means I’m enjoying it. He leaned in to give you a hearty kiss.

His hands explored, gripping at your breast through the shirt, his fingers reflexively clenching the fabric before going under the skirt, finding the crotch of your panties.

Without his heat, Namjoon was much more controlled and you waiting patiently as he explored you with his own body, letting him familiarize himself with touch and sensation.

Maybe you were selfish, maybe you wanted him to get used to control so he could hold himself in his newly gained human form long enough to blow your mind, but hey, you had seen firsthand what the man who’d attached himself to you could do and you were hopeful.

So you lay back, enjoying Namjoon’s hands, and then his mouth on your skin.

Once attached to you, he didn’t seem to want to let go as he kept kneading at your flesh with his large palms. He found your breasts, freeing them from your shirt and letting his fingers pull at your nipples, all with an expression of curiosity on his face.

All he wanted to see was how far he could push it before he wavered, he told you, and shedding more of his own clothes then yours, staring at your naked, spread form in front of him.

Not akin to his heats, when he pounced ravenously on you, he was slower, gentler. Every stroke of his fingertips was calculated.

It was at the juncture of your thighs, his fingers dipping to find arousal seeping from you when he first moaned…and simultaneously dissolved into a puddle of black.

“Joon,” You called apprehensively before the strands of black were knitting together again, gaining skin, or whatever comprised of their skin before giving you another impish grin.

“Sorry, I can’t help myself anymore.” He revealed, lowering himself, almost reverently into you.

You let him.

Namjoon bucked, huffed; thrust himself into you with iron hold, precise in his movements, losing form only twice, once when he entered you and then when he was close.

Finally when he exploded, there was nothing over you, even as you felt his climax splash across you.

By the time he collected himself again, ready for cuddles, you’d cleaned up and changed the sheets, snuggling closer to him.

“I’ll practice, I promise.” He whispered.

“I believe in you.” You whispered back.

You did, seeing what you’d seen with Namjoon over the years, you knew that going rogue had been the best decision of your life. Maybe you were never meant for something ordinary.

[myaekingheart]

116. The Protegee

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Get me out of here so I can breathe It's all become so clear What lies beneath your skin, it's thin You're never going to keep me down Get me out, just get me out of here - Get Me Out, No Resolve

               Rei chewed her lower lip as she stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her gaze was focused, sharp, scared. She fixed her gauntlets to her forearms without breaking her gaze. She narrowed her eyes as if her own face was becoming foreign to her, as if there were parts of herself that she no longer recognized. A voice called from behind. “Big day today, huh?”

               Kakashi leaned against the doorway, arms crossed with a tender smile on his unmasked face. Rei’s tense expression faltered as she dropped her head. An airy, tired chuckle broke past her lips. “Unfortunately” she replied.

               “Are you nervous?” Kakashi asked. He strolled closer to take a seat on the edge of the tub. Rei shot him a questioning glare over her shoulder—the kind that said are you dumb? Of course I’m nervous. Chuckling, Kakashi replied, “You’ll do great. Everything is going to be fine.”

               “You say that” Rei said, slumping beside him, “as if I’m not a magnet for disaster.”

               “That’s okay” Kakashi assured her. “You’ll have Yugao there to negate the charge. One to attract”—here, he pressed a hand to her chest, feeling her rapid heartbeat beneath his palm—“and one to repel.” A satisfied grin touched his face, as if he was wildly proud of his little analogy.

               That was, perhaps, the one saving grace of this whole situation: Yugao. They had said nothing more to each other of their new roles but the change was strongly felt. It was present in the way they looked at each other, in the way Yugao would wave goodbye to her in the locker room at the end of the day and help her fix her vest when a strap came undone. They were a team now, there to support and unlift one another. One to attract, the other to repel. If anything was to go awry and Rei felt herself beginning to lose her nerve, Yugao would be there to catch her, to reassure her that there was always a way out. Or at least Rei hoped.

               Yugao did not strike her as the type to be cynical or coldhearted. Faced with this brand new challenge, however, she hoped her lieutenant would at the very least retain the confidence that Rei so sorely lacked. And within that confidence, hopefully Rei would feel far less doomed. As of right now, she didn’t have a ton of faith in all of this. She pressed a hand to her stomach and sucked in a deep breath, trying to swallow back the thoughts of what could have been.

               When Rei arrived at the administration building, Toshio by her side, Yugao was waiting in the hallway. Rei idled for a moment, cursing her own anxiety, before clearing her throat to attract her attention. Yugao met her gaze and even from behind her mask, Rei could tell that she was smiling. “It didn’t feel right to go in there without you, Captain” Yugao replied. Rei gave a single nod, suppressing nervous laughter. If she was going to make this work, she needed to wear a persona. She needed to appear cool, confident, collected. She needed to be tough and intimidating. She needed to be a captain.

               Without another word, the two women burst into the hokage office side by side. One to attract, one to repel. The new recruits were already lined up awaiting their arrival. There was no turning back now.

               “Sorry we’re a little late” Yugao apologized softly as she and Rei stood attention beside Tsunade’s desk. Toshio sat dutifully between them, sniffing the edge of Tsunade’s desk in hopes of finding a crumb of breakfast or a drop of tea.

               Tsunade shook her head. “No, you’re actually just in time.” Her eyes surveyed the batch of rookies standing before her and a sly smile twitched on her lips. “I was just giving your new recruits a rundown of the way things work around here.”

               Rei clenched her fists at her sides, digging her nails into her palms, as she secretly surveyed these young shinobi. Without their masks on, she could clearly see the hope in their eyes. It was the same brand of blind, naïve optimism she had when she first joined, as well. She swallowed back the lump in her throat, willing herself not to be sick. They had no idea what they were getting into. They were so unprepared. Ishoku seemingly had not broken them down enough and for a moment, Rei cursed the entire training division. At the same time, however, a sickening realization was taking root in the pit of her stomach. They were unprepared, but she could use that to her advantage. Destiny had ripped her away from her hopes, had shoved her down the wrong path and the same could be said of these four, as well. They weren’t meant to be here. Destiny had fucked up. If Rei was to have any hope of righting the future, then she would just have to take fate by the scrote and redirect it herself. These rookies would merely be a casualty in her pursuit of utopia. Quite frankly, she was perfectly fine with that.

               Yugao clasped her hands behind her back and chuckled under her breath. “Have you scared them off yet?” she asked Lady Tsunade.

               “Not quite” Tsunade replied. “I was saving that responsibility for their captain.”

               “Good” Rei said, voice low and hoarse. A snarky little laugh bubbled up from deep within her chest. “I’d hate to disappoint them.” She hadn’t expected to sound so sharp, insinuating that perhaps she did her killing before breakfast, but the effect was clear in the way the new recruits looked upon her now. Joke’s on them, Rei thought to herself, I didn’t even eat breakfast this morning.

               An inkling of pride bloomed in the back of Tsunade’s mind at Rei’s sudden haughtiness. As talented as she knew Rei was, that meant nothing in the stead of confidence and for leadership positions such as this, confidence was a hefty requirement. A captain needed to garner respect not just for one’s protegees but for the sake of the mission, as well. An anxious captain made for a much larger margin of error and in increasingly tense times such as these, there was no room for second-guessing. Tsunade was well aware of Rei’s issues in the past, of Naru’s death and the way Rei blamed herself. She knew placing Rei in situations with similar risk was dangerous but Rei was also a different person now. Stronger, smarter, and more outspoken. If nothing else, Tsunade had faith.

               Rising to her feet, the hokage looked to the new recruits with confidence, pride. “These will be your new team leaders” she announced. “Rei Natsuki, codename Aisuru, will be your new captain and Yugao Uzuki, codename Kasha, will be your lieutenant. Together, the six of you will make up Team Ku.”

               Team Ku. There was something so final about the sound of it. To think that they had a name, this ragtag group of strangers. They were a collective, a unit. Team Ku.

               Before Rei could make her harsh introduction, however, a tall girl with choppy blonde hair in pigtails cleared her throat. “Don’t you mean seven?” she asked. Tsunade blinked despondently, following the girl’s pointed finger to Toshio standing guard beside Rei. Toshio barked and wagged his tail in attendance.

               “Oh…right” Tsundde muttered. It was so rare that Toshio accompanied Rei on missions but she understood the logic. Toshio was a guard and a companion, not to mention a shinobi in his own right. His presence was likely on Kakashi’s suggestion. Of course Kakashi had faith in his fiancée’s abilities but that was not going to stop him from worrying. At least with Toshio by Rei’s side, Kakashi knew she would always be dutifully protected even in Kakashi’s absence. Especially in Kakashi’s absence. After all, that was the purpose that the copy ninja had thrust upon himself so many years before: to keep Rei safe at all costs. If that meant extending the responsibilities to Toshio, as well, then so be it. The dog had already avowed to do the same, anyway.

               “What’s with the mutt?” another new recruit, a towering bald man, asked. Meanwhile, a scrawny brunette boy with glasses sneezed into the crook of his elbow, eyes watering.

               “His name is Toshio, and he’s my ninken” Rei snapped. “He’s just as much of a ninja as you all are, if not more, so I expect you to show him respect.”

               “Great!” the blonde exclaimed in frustrated disbelief. “Now we’re being compared to a fucking dog.” Taking great offense, Toshio’s upper lip curled and a monstrous growl vibrated from deep within his chest.

               Rei rested a tender hand on his shoulder to soothe him, muttering with a slight smile, “Calm down, Toshio. You can sic them after they show us what they’re made of.”

               Rolling her eyes, the blonde mumbled a frustrated “Absolutely ridiculous” before Tsunade called order with a sharp glare and slam of her fist upon the desk.

               “Do we have a problem?” Tsunade asked through gritted teeth. The wood began to crack beneath her fist. Legend of Tsunade Senju’s strength was not lost on these new recruits and, sensing imminent danger, they quickly backed off. “That’s what I thought” Tsunade hummed, settling back into her chair.

               “Well!” Yugao exclaimed cheerily, attempting to break the tension. “Seeing as we’re all going to be spending a lot of time together, why don’t we all introduce ourselves?” The new recruits looked to one another suspiciously, unanimous flashbacks of the first day of school running surely running through their minds. Memories of cold sweats and fun facts and underhanded sneers. “You already know Rei and myself” Yugao continued. Toshio barked in interruption, if not wanting to be forgotten. Yugao cleared her throat, adding under her breath, “And Toshio….” Pleased with the recognition, Toshio craned his head around so as to lap at Yugao’s fingers happily. She swatted him away, not unkindly, in an effort to maintain composure. “But we don’t know anything about you and I think we ought to so by all means, please!” She motioned for them to commence with all the encouragement of a kindergarten teacher. Rei stifled laughter—she never expected Yugao to be so upbeat and accommodating. Kakashi’s words from that morning echoed in her ears: You’ll have Yugao to negate the charge. God, was he right. He must have known from conducting missions alongside her during his own time in the ANBU.

               The first to step forward was none other than the outspoken blonde girl. Rei studied her features intently, already getting a rather clear image of the type of person she must be before she even opened her mouth. “Arai Kawakubo” she introduced, “But for codename, let’s go with Dokyou.” There was a certain arrogance to her, an unrefined quality that truly fit her name. She was tall, nearly as tall as her bald comrade, with a build suggesting her discipline in training: broad shoulders, flat bust, muscular arms and legs. Her skin was tan and toned, eyes calm but sharp like aw amethyst. Her face reflected her coarse nature by way of pronounced cheekbones, a squared jaw, and an aquiline nose. Rei could already tell that out of all of them, Arai was going to be the catalyst for the most problems.

               Beside her stood the skittish brunette, sniffling as he wiped his nose wih the back of his hand. Rei wondered whether he was a member of that clan with the snot jutsu, the one she always saw the Third Hokage’s grandson hanging around with. “I-I’m Hitsuji Akado” he announced. “For my codename, I’ll go b-by…by….” He gasped for breath as his watery eyes squinted, preparing for another sneeze. His achoo mixed with his preferred name, however, causing Rei to cock her brow in confusion.

               “Sorry, what was that?” she asked.

               Smiling sheepishly, Hitsuji replied, “Sorry about that. It’s Chishiki.”

               “That should be easy enough to remember” Yugao jested, elbowing Rei comically in the arm.

               Deep down, Rei wondered how old this boy must be. He loked like he could be no older than fifteen or sixteen with big eyes and a baby face. There was no way someone like him would ever last in the ANBU. “By the way, are you sick or something?” Rei asked as HItsuji’s nose began to drip with snot. He panicked a moment, searching the room for a box of tissues, before Arai unenthusiastically whipped an embroidered hanky from her back pouch and shoved it in his face. Hitsuji took it gratefully, blowing into it like a foghorn. When he went to hand it back to Arai, she winced and raised a hand, shaking her head as it to tell him to keep it.

               “No” Hitsuji sniffled in response to Rei’s inquiry. “I just have a dog allergy.”

               Toshio narrowed his eyes, offended. So far, these new recruits werne’t winning his approval. They could all do so much better. If only they knew they were being judged so harshly by a dog.

               The next recruit to step up to the plate was a rather jaunty blonde boy. “Hello, beautiful!” he exclaimed, taking Rei’s hand in his for a princely kiss. “I am Sukui Yukio, your knight in shining armor! But please, call me Kishi!”

               Disgust crossed Rei’s masked face as she gingerly took her hand back and wiped it on her pants. “The pleasure is all mine” she muttered sarcastically. This boy had to be roughly seven years younger than her and, truthfully, seemed far too optimistic and charming to ever have been accepted into the black ops in the first place. Rei glanced to Lady Tsunade and wondered how desperate she had become. Or if she had set them up to fail from the beginning.

               “You know” Sukui said, striking a flirtatious pose, “Some people say I bear a striking resemblance to the sexy actor Keihaku Goman from the Icha Icha films! I’m always so flattered but really, how could I ever compare?”

               “You don’t” Arai interrupted. Sukui glared back at her, offended, before the bald man pushed him aside.

               “Alright, let’s get this over with” he rasped. Sukui stumbled, narrowing his eyes in displeasure. “The name’s Kikkake, I’ll go by Janome, great to meet you. Okay, let’s leave.” His voice was so monotonous, so dull, with a demeanor to match. Out of everyone, he was likely the most prepared for a position such as this. He was clearly older than the others with an age far closer to Rei’s or even Sekkachi’s. The optimistic youths had clearly left him weary and jaded. You and me both, Rei thought to herself. At least there was one person she was beginning to like.

               Arai snickered from behind and Kikkake whipped around to glare at her. There was a fire in his eyes but Arai seemed completely unphased. “Are you sure a more appropriate codename wouldn’t be Cueball?” she asked, stifling laughter. Kikkake’s hand immediately flew to his bald head, a flicker of self-consciousness quickly making way for fury.

               “No, I don’t” he snapped.

               Clearly Arai, however, was not prepared or willing to quit. Shrugging, she replied casually, “Well, sorry, I just thought codenames were supposed to be easily identifiable an Cueball just seems to fit.”

               Kikkake clenched his fists at his side, his temper flaring. “Keep it up and I’ll cue you” he growled through gritted teeth.

               Before they could start an all-out brawl in the hokage��s office, a kunai flew straight between them, sticking in the wall and leaving a monstrous crack. Rei strode forward and shoved the two of them away from each other. “If you both don’t shut the fuck up right now, your necks will be the next thing that kunai hits” Rei sneered, voice low and dangerous. After a moment of silence, Arai burst out laughing. Rei wasn’t a threat in the slightest to her. How could she be? Displeased with her disobedience, Rei whipped another kunai out of her holster and within five seconds, had pinned Arai against the wall with the blade to her neck. “Don’t test me.”

               Arai calmly rose her hands in surrender and smirked. “You’ve got it, boss.” Rei certainly did not appreciate the sarcasm, but she knew her limitations, at least right in front of Tsunade. She slowly released her grip on the girl, who readjusted her pigtails as she sauntered over to the others.

               Turning around, Rei glared at the new recruits and added darkly, “That goes for all of you. Step out of line even once and you’re Toshio’s next meal, guaranteed.” The dog barked in agreement and in that moment, Rei had never been more grateful for her ninken’s support.

               Yugao blinked as she surveyed their new protegees’ faces, unsure what to make of Rei’s leadership skills. Tsunade glanced toward her and it was clear that even behind her mask, all the color had drained from her face. “It seems like you both have your work cut out for you” the hokage murmured.

               Sighing despondenly, Yugao ran a hand through her dark hair and replied, “Unfortunately.” She was beginning to question how capable she truly was in a position such as this. Rei was so crude, so harsh, so different from the way Yugao conducted herself. She had never expected Rei to hold quite so much darkness in her heart but then again, that was likely how she had made captain in the first place.

               Rei tried to remain composed as she returned to her spot beside Yugao, but deep down she was spiraling. She should’ve known that sinking feeling in her gut that morning meant something. If only she had just gotten her period.

               Truly, what had she gotten herself into? This was undoubtedly a recipe for disaster. She watched the four of them bicker and complain as they departed the hokage office together. The day was still so young and yet the introductions alone had already depleted her social meter to near empty. She squinted up at the sun and braced herself for the mind-numbing orientation they would all have to sit through for the rest of the day. Five hours wasn’t that bad, anyway…right?

               As much as she wished she could just sleep through the whole thing, Rei knew this orientation concerned her, too. She pulled a small notepad from her back pouch and idly jotted down some notes—it was the least she could do to remain conscious. Every so often, she’d look up to survey her new protegees sitting at the table in front of her. Kikkake listened intently, arms crossed and eyes focused. It warmed Rei’s heart to know he was taking this seriously. Hitsuji was dutifully taking notes, as well, complaining softly under his breath with every sneeze that Toshio’s presence triggered. Every so often, Toshio would crawl forward to begin licking at the boy’s elbow just to spite him. Hitsuji would gasp and shoo him away every time, his eyes tearing up as he suppressed yet another sneeze. Beside him, Sukui twirled a lock of short blonde hair around his finger as he stared off into space. He was likely dreaming of some romantic escapade a la Icha Icha Paradise. Rei’s stomach flipped at the thought. He really did resemble Keihaku Goman and that was likely where at least half of her hatred for this boy stemmed. As for Arai, she leaned back in her chair with feet propped up on the table, the personification of apathy. If everything was such a chore for her, then why was she even here to begin with? Rei couldn’t comprehend it. Huffing her long bangs out of her face, Rei hoped that these recruits would at least retain something from his longwinded lecture. Or at the very least realize that none of them are fit for this after all and back out altogether. Either would suffice.

               By sundown, Rei was completely drained. She undressed in the locker room silently, her mind wandering elsewhere. It felt so weird to be here now, as a captain. She glanced to her comrades, to Mikazuki and the others whose name she had forgotten who she had worked alongside before. She di’n't feel like one of them anymore. She was above them now, an outsider. Rei raked her bangs back out of her face, caught her reflection in the small mirror affixed to the inside of her locker door. For a moment, she idled there surveying the roundness of her face and the curves of her body. Her hand skated to her stomach and her breath hitched in her throat. I need to get out of this. Get me out of here…please. A tinge of despair struck her chest. She swallowed it down hard. There was no time to sulk or second-guess.

               “So what do you think so far?” a voice asked from behind. Snapped from her daze, Rei stumbled as she turned to face Yugao. There was a sly smile on her face as she tugged her undershirt up over her head, revealing her toned abs and delicate breasts.

               “They’re alright” Rei said bluntly. She shoved her vest into her locker, scrunching it up to make it fit. “I give them two weeks, tops.”

               “Your skepticism is very refreshing” Yugao commented and for a moment, Rei was unsure whether she was being sarcastic or genuine. “You have to admit, though, they have some potential.”

               “Yeah…” Rei muttered. That was a dangerous word: potential. No, they were not allowed to have potential. They were not allowed to have any positive attributes whatsoever. Any promise in them was a threat to Rei’s true purpose, her villainous plan. She slammed her locker door shut, sucked in a sharp breath. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

               “Well, tomorrow will give them the perfect opportunity” Yugao nodded. A shiver ran down Rei’s spine, horror and hope intertwined. Come morning, they would all traverse to the 44th Training Ground for a final exam of sorts. Their last chance to prove now to their captain and lieutenant that they were truly meant to be here. The moment that could make or break their career. Rei toyed with the drawstring on her uniform pants and tried to steady her breathing. She would not let herself think about the repercussions this would all have on their lives if she chose to fail them. She would not let herself humanize these brats in her mind. She needed to keep herself cold and distant, to practice restraint. This was all or nothing. Ready or not, the fork in the road was rapidly approaching. She had to make her choice.

               Forty-five minutes. Since Rei returned home, she had gone a total of forty-five whole minutes without speaking. Kakashi watched her quizzically from behind his book: watched as she shifted restlessly in her seat, brushed her bangs back out of her face, read a few paragraphs of her own book, sighed and then shifted again. “Rough day?” Kakashi finally asked.

               Rei glanced up at him for only a moment. She didn’t want to tal about it. She didn’t even want to think about it. It took every ounce of her mental energy to focus instead on the words on the page, the images they evoked, the syllables of which they consisted. She tightened her grip on the book. “Just tired” she muttered.

               It was clear to Kakashi, however, that there was far more to this than just exhaustion. Setting Icha Icha Violence down, he scooted nearer to give her his undivided attention. “Did something happen today?” he asked. “How were the new recruits?”

               Rei kept her eyes locked hard on her book, attempting to ignore his inquiries, but she couldn’t bring herself to keep up the charade. She knew he deserved an explanation, even if she didn’t want to trudge through all of the complicated thoughts swirling around her head. It was too much. There was no way she could ever possibly organize it all into something even remotely coherent. “Problematic” she finally said bluntly. “They are very problematic.”

               “Oh?” Kakashi asked, cocking a brow. “How so?”

               Rei released a sharp exhale through her nose. She narrowed her mossy eyes, concentrating very hard on a single word in the text as if that was the key to ending this conversation altogether. Kakashi was unfortunately not going to let her slide that easily. Something was troubling her and he needed to know what. With index finger extended, he reached out and tilted her book downward so as to better view her face. She was utterly defeated. She couldn’t ignore him anymore. She slowly lifted her gaze to look at him and in her eyes, he saw exhaustion, uncertainty, fear.

               “Now why don’t you tell me what’s going on?” he asked.

               There was no avoiding it further. With a pathetic groan, Rei buried her face in her hands. “Oh god, Kakashi, it’s so bad” she complained. “I can’t do this. I never should’ve agreed to do this. These kids are…absolutely terrible.”

               “How so?” he asked. “What did they do? Stick a frog in your locker? Ice down your back?”

               Rei stared at him blankly, unamused. “You think you’re really funny, don’t you, Kakashi?” she asked.

               Kakashi shrugged. “I try” he jested.

               Rei shook her head and sighed, resting her chin on her drawn-up knees. “I just don’t think I have what it takes for this” she explained. “There’s only one who I think has some real potential, and I’d hate to ruin it for him, but everyone else…my god, I don’t think I can go through with this. They’re not cut out for this.” And I’m not, either, she thought to herself.

               “Well, they had to have shown some potential to get to this point in the first place” Kakashi mused.

               There was that word again: potential. Why did there always have to be potential? Groaning, Rei threw her head back against the arm of the couch. Her legs extended out across Kakashi’s lap. Toshio sauntered forward to lick at her feet but Rei barely even noticed. “I hate that word so much” she whispered. “There’s not an ounce of potential in any of this.”

               Kakashi sighed. She reminded him so much of when he was first assigned Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. He had so little faith in them. Besides, what made them any different than any other team of spoiled brats he had been assigned? He fully intended to fail them right from the getgo but then…something changed. There was something strange and new about these kids. He had, for the first time, faith. Kakashi reached out and rested a tender hand on Rei’s stomach. Her entire body electrified, sending blaring signal flares throughout her brain. Reminders of what she was hoping to accomplish here. She couldn’t take it. “Maybe you’re just not giving them enough credit” he offered.

               “I’m giving them plenty credit, Kakashi” Rei snapped, flicking his hand away. Dejected, he drew his victim hand up to his chest, his gaze softening. “But I’m only going to give credit where credit is due” Rei continued. “I’m not going to sugarcoat things for them and make them feel like they can do this if they can’t. They have no fucking clue what they’re up against.”

               “Neither did you when you first started” Kakashi sharply reminded her. A kunai to the chest, sharp and stinging. The last straw. Rising from her seat, Rei tossed her book on the table and approached the kitchen. She stood over the sink and let the water run until it was scaldng hot. Steam rose up to warm her cheeks. Kakashi watched her intently from the couch, unsure of what she was planning. “You can’t get mad at me for the truth, you know” he called after her. She said nothing. For a long moment, aside from the sound of rushing water, they stood in utter silence. Then, heaving a sigh, Kakashi rose to his feet to follow her, wrapping his arms around her from behind. She felt his embrace warm and certain around her lower stomach and it took all of her strength not to cry out. “Give them a chance, Rei” he pleaded. “You might be surprised with what they’re capable of.”

               Rei dropped her head, rested a hand atop Kakashi’s against her stomach. “Do you really think so, though?” she asked. “I don’t want to waste my time. I don’t want to put these kids at risk of…of something bad happening just because they’re not prepared for this. Or because…I’m not prepared.”

               “Do you think taking this on was a mistake?” Kakashi asked. She wasn’t sure she knew how to answer. Her heart beat faster and faster in her chest as she tried to think of a proper response.

               “This just…wasn’t the way things were supposed to go” she finally whispered, voice strained.

               Kakashi rubbed her lower stomach, tightening his embrace. “I know” he whispered. “But it’s the way things are. This is the path we’ve taken now. We can’t go back.”

               “How do you know?” Rei asked. A sick sense of hope was bubbling up her throat now. “Maybe we can try again and…and this time we’ll be successful. I can get out of this, and we can make things right. Do things the way it was supposed to be. Have our little family.”

               “Rei…” Kakashi sighed. She could hear the disappointment, the regret, dripping in his voice. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, hot breath against her skin. “You’ve made a commitment to these kids now. You’re responsible for their futures. You can’t give up on them.”

               “There will be other captains…” Rei whispered, though deep down even she knew that was wrong. “I just don’t know how to do this, Kakashi. I’m not prepared. And they’re so…needy. And dumb. They’re not cut out for this. They can’t do this.”

               Kakashi nuzzled her cheek, kissed her jaw tenderly. “I said the same thing about you, and look at you now” he reminded her. She hated when he did this. Mainly because he was always right. “If change is what you want to see, Rei, then you have to initiate it. You’re the captain, remember? You’re the one guiding them. Their success in this relies completely on you. Rei…you’re not powerless.”

               As reassuring as his words were, his reminder was not entirely comforting. With great power there was always great responsibility. She was in charge. Everything relied on her. She held these kids’ futures in the palm of her hand and, much like a flower, she could either nurture them or destroy them. She knew what the right decision, the moral decision, was but…why did it have to be her responsibility? Why was she required to decide their fates when she wasn’t even given the chance to decide her own? Rei swallowed hard and tightened her grip on Kakashi’s hand. At the end of the day, the only one who could change the course of fate was her. She was responsibility for guiding the destinies of herself and now everyone else who was involved in this twisted little clusterfuck. All of this rested solely on her shoulders. If only the weight of that responsibility was easier to swallow.