#and then you get rescued by a guy who uses you as a test subject for his evil machine

[lord-squiggletits]

I think the key component to my personal reading of post-Delphi Pharma is that he's trying to be a horrible person on purpose. Not "on purpose" in the way that people have free will to exercise their own choices, but in that Pharma's "mad doctor" persona is a performance he puts on to deliberately embrace how much everyone else hates him. Basically, if people already think you're a "bad Autobot" and a horrible doctor who just kills his patients for fun, why try to prove otherwise to people who have already made up their minds about you? Just fully embrace the fact that people see you as an asshole. Don't try to change their minds. Don't plead for their forgiveness or understanding. Just stop caring. If you're going to be remembered as a monster, you might as well be a memorable monster, and eke as much pleasure and hedonism as you can out of it before karma catches up to you and you inevitably crash and burn.

I mean, I guess you could just go the route of "Oh, Pharma was always a fucked up creepy guy and Delphi was just him taking the mask off," but I really don't like that interpretation because, for one, it feels really wrong to take a character like Pharma becoming evil under duress and going, "Oh well clearly he did the things he did because he was evil all along," as if somehow Pharma breaking under blackmail/torture/threat of horrible death was a sign of him having poor moral character. As opposed to, you know, suffering under the very real threat of horrible death for himself and everyone he cares about while being manipulated by a guy who specializes in psychological torture.

The second reason is that it just doesn't make sense to write Pharma as having been evil all along. I mean...

Occam's Razor says that the best argument is the one with the simplest explanation. Doesn't it make way more sense to take Pharma's appearances in flashbacks, his friendship with Ratchet, his stunning medical accomplishments, and the few we see of him speaking kindly/sympathetically (or in the least charitable interpretation, at least professionally) towards his patients and conclude "This guy was just a normal person, if exceptionally talented." Taking all of these flashback appearances at face value and assuming Pharma was being genuine/honest is a way simpler and more logical explanation than trying to argue that Pharma for the past 4 million years was just faking being a good doctor/person. I mean, it's possible within the realm of headcanon, but the fact is Pharma's appearances in the story are so brief that there simply wasn't room in the story for there to be some sort of secret conspiracy/hidden manipulation behind why Pharma acted the way he did in the past.

I just can't help but look at things like Pharma's friendship with Ratchet (himself a good person and usually a fine judge of character) and the fact that even post-Delphi, pretty much every single mention of Pharma comes with some mention of "He was a good doctor for most of his life" or "He was making major headways in research [before he started killing patients]" which implies that even the Autobots themselves see Pharma's villainy as a recent turn in his life compared to how for "most of his life" he "used to be" a good doctor.

And although Pharma doesn't know this, we as the readers (and even other characters like Rung) know about Aequitas technology and the fact that it actually works, so... if Pharma really was an unrepentant murderer, why couldn't he get through the forcefield too? The Aequitas forcefield doesn't require that a person be completely morally pure and free of wrongdoing or else how could Tyrest get through, just that they feel a sense of inner peace and lack feelings of guilt. Pharma has murdered and tortured people by this point, and put on quite a campy and theatrical show of how much he sees it as a fun game, so why then can he not get through?

It circles back to my headcanon at the start of this post that the "mad doctor" persona is just that-- a persona. Delphi/post-Delphi Pharma's laughing madman personality is just so far removed from every flashback we saw of him and everything we can infer based on how other people see/saw him before that, to me, the mad doctor act is (at least in large part, if not fully) a persona that Pharma puts on to put his villainy in the forefront.

To avoid an overly simplistic/ableist take, I don't think Tarn tortured Pharma into turning crazy. To me, it's more like the constant pressure of death by horrific torture, the feeling of martyrdom as Pharma kept secret that he was the only one standing between Delphi and annihilation, the physical isolation of Messatine as well as the emotional separation from Ratchet, being forced to violate his medical oaths (pretty much the only thing Pharma's entire life has been about), etc. All of that combined traumatized Pharma to the point that the only way he could avoid cracking was to just stop caring about all of it. Because at least then, even if he's still murdering patients to save Delphi from a group of sadistic freaks, Pharma doesn't have to feel guilty and sick about doing it. As opposed to the alternatives, which were probably either going off the deep end and killing himself to escape, or confessing to what he did and getting jailed for it.

In that light, Pharma becoming a mad doctor makes sense. It avoids the bad writing tropes of "oh this character who was good his entire life was actually just evil and really good at hiding it" as well as "oh he got tortured and went crazy that's why he's so random and silly and killing people, he's crazy" and instead frames Pharma's evil as something he was forced into, to the point where in order to avoid a full psychological breakdown and keep defending Delphi, he just had to stop caring about the sanctity of life or about what other people might think of him.

Then, of course, the actual Delphi episode happens, and Pharma's own lifelong best friend Ratchet basically spits in his face and sees him as nothing more than a crazy murderer who went rogue from being a good Autobot. Then Pharma gets his hands cut off and left to die on Messatine. At that point, Pharma has not only been mentally/emotionally broken into losing his feelings of compassion, he's received the message loud and clear: He is alone. Everyone hates him. Not even his own best friend likes him any more. No one even cared enough about him to check if he actually died or not. He will only ever be remembered as a doctor who went insane and killed his patients.

So in the light of 1. Having all of your redeeming qualities be squeezed out of you one by one for the sake of survival and 2. Having your reputation and all of your positive relationships be destroyed and 3. People only know/care about you as "that doctor who became evil and killed his patients" rather than the millions of years of good service that came before.

What else is there to do but internalize the fact that you'll forever be seen as a monster and a freak, and embrace it? People already see you as a murderer for that blackmail deal you did, so why not become an actual murderer and just start killing people on a whim? People already see you as an irredeemable monster who puts a stain on the Autobot name, so why beg for their forgiveness when you could just shun them back? You've already become a murderer, a traitor, and a horrible doctor, so what's a few more evil acts added to the pile? It's not like anyone will ever forgive you or love you ever again.

Why care? Why try to hold on to your principles of compassion, kindness, medical ethics, when an entire lifetime of being a good person did nothing to save you from blackmail and then abandonment? Why put yourself through the emotional agony of feeling lonely, guilty, miserable, when you could just... stop caring, and not hurt any more?

[calumsrockstar]

Chemistry - Calum Hood

Calum was always a straight A student, but when he failed a test, you came to his rescue

Word count: 1.4k

Contents: protected p in v, oral (f and m recieving) virginity, minimal cursing, overall just cute vanilla sex, calum is a sub if you squint hard enough.

nerd!calum x reader (fem)

this is set in high school (both characters are 18)

Calum had never gotten less than an A on his tests, since he was a child, he prided himself in always being the best, spending his weekends studying and reading, knowing that would guide him to excellence.

But now, his last year in high school, things had changed. The subjects were getting harder and harder, and he was struggling to keep up, especially in chemistry class.

He´s always loved chemistry, but now, it felt like a drag.

He studied like a madman for his recent chemistry test, but when he recieved it, it was like his mind went blank, he couldn´t answer any of the questions, even the easiest ones.

A week later, he got the test back. The result was an F. He had never felt more defeated in his life. He looked up at you, showing your test to your friend. You had gotten an A! You were squealing with happiness.

You were another student in his advanced placement class, you were the only one who could compare to him. You were popular, and everybody liked you, you seemed to have a perfect life, unlike Calum, who spent his weekends at home.

He was a very handsome guy, he was tall, had beautiful brown eyes and amazing hair. The only problem is that he was insecure, feeling like nobody liked him.

He had always had a crush on you, since he could remember. Your y/h/c hair flowed in the wind, you always looked effortlessly beautiful even with no makeup on, and you wouldn´t hurt a fly. He always caught himself staring at you in class, or in the hallways, his heart skipping a beat when you smiled at him.

He heard that you were offering tutoring as a part time job. This was his chance, he thought. It was innocent, just asking for a tutor. No harm in that, right?

The next day, he finally worked up the courage, walking up to you. "Hey y/n, um, I was wondering if you could tutor me? I did really badly on his chemistry class." He spoke softly.

You looked at him. You had never heard him speak, so you were suprised by his accent. "Yeah, of course, is today after class okay with you, Calum?"

He was shocked you remembered his name. "Um, yeah, yeah! Totally cool..." He rubbed his hand on his forehead. "I´ll give you my number for us to get in contact." You told him.

The school day went slowly, he was checking his watch every 10 minutes, waiting for the bell to ring.

He finally got a message from you.

y/n: Hey, do u wanna come to my house or I go to urs?

Calum: We can go to mine, i can take us.

y/n: cool 😎 see u in a bit, outside gate

Calum had the biggest grin on his face, he could not believe the cutest girl in his class was going to his house.

Calum waited outside the school, checking his watch. You finally appeared, with your backpack, holding some books. "Let´s go?" You asked, smiling at him. "Come on, let´s go." He laughed awkwardly.

You both got into his car, it was run down, but cozy. "Sorry, this car is a little old." He rubbed the back of his head with his hand. You smiled. "I think it´s vintage."

You got to the front door. "My parents are in the living room, I think we better go to my room." Calum said. "Yeah, it´s no problem."

You answered. You took his hand. "Take me?" You smiled. Calum winced at the touch, not because he didn´t like it, but because he liked it too much.

He took you upstairs to his room. It had dim lights, the wallpaper was dark blue, he had vynils hanging from his walls, and a guitar propped up on the wall. "This is a cool ass room Cal!" You said. He blushed at the nickname. "Thanks." He said in a soft voice.

You pointed to the bed. "Can I sit down?" You asked. "Yeah! Sure!" He coughed and asked himself if he sounded stupid.

You sat down and patted the bed next to you, signaling him to sit. He did so, but a little far away from you.

You laughed. "I don´t bite, come closer. How am I gonna help you if you´re all the way over there?" Calum smiled and scooted closer to you. The mere touch of your legs together was making him hard.

He looked into your eyes. You´ve never really realized how beautiful he was. His glasses framed his face perfectly, and his fluffy black hair sat just in the right way.

You both looked away quickly.

You coughed. "So, what can I help you with, Calum Hood?" You asked him. "Um, I was just having some trouble understanding this topic." He pointed to a word on the textbook.

As you started to explain it to him, your words started becoming muffled, he could not pay attention. The way your lips moved were making him go crazy, and that low cut top you were wearing just made it worse.

"So, you understand?" You said this, breaking Calum out of his trance. "Um, yeah, totally." He said, still looking a little dazed. You laughed, and teased him. "Oh yeah, so repeat what I said!" You said, touching his shoulder.

He grabbed your face with his two hands and gave you a kiss. You opened your eyes. "Fuck y/n. i´m so sorry, um, I shouldn´t have..." You smiled. "That was embarassing, i´m sorry." He continued.

You said nothing, but started straddling while he was sitting down, taking off his glasses you said "You´re cute, you know that?" His jaw dropped, and he started blushing, looking at you with those adorable brown eyes.

You grabbed his face with your hand and your tongues started intertwining. You laid him down on the bed, putting your book on the floor, going on top of him.

His heart was racing. "y/n, i´ve never done this before..." he cooed on your neck. "It´s okay Cal, let me make you feel good."

You took off your shirt and your bra. His jaw dropped, this was better than anything he could ever imagine. "You´re so beautiful..." He said.

You started to unzip his jeans, and pull them off, and traced your hands through his boxers, feeling his cock twitch in your hands. He adjusted his hips, whining.

He was already sweating. You took off his boxers and put your mouth on his tip. He tried to push himself into your mouth. "Easy there, we still have time." You told him. You started licking, and bobbing your head up and down.

He put his fingers through your hair, squirming, and throwing his head back. "Fuck, y/n." He breathed. You stopped, "Does that feel good Cal?" You continued. "So fucking good..." He said, while breathing hard.

You licked all the way up his torso. "Do you wanna fuck me Cal?" You asked. "Wanna eat you out first..." He said, breathing heavily. You smiled "Wow, didn´t expect that."

It was your turn to lay down. "You wanna make me feel good?" You asked and he nodded.

He unzipped your pants and quickly took off your underwear. His lips made contact with your wet cunt, he started licking and kissing, like he was starved. "Fuck..." You said while his toungue rubbed circles on your clit.

"I´m about to cum..." You said. He said nothing, but just kept on going. You finally released yourself on his toungue, your pussy throbbing.

He resurfaced and kissed you with your own fluids.

"You got a condom?" You asked. He said yes, and went to his nightstand and ripped one open. You smiled at him. "Well, it was bound to happen." He laughed.

You helped him put on the condom. He was still rock hard. He slid inside you, you both gasping at the sensation. He pumped in and out, and you were relaxing into his rythym.

You felt that familiar feeling inside you, and so did Calum. "y/n, I´m close.." He said, in deep breaths. "Cum for me Cal." You said, he finally realeased inside of you, and you cumming all over his dick.

Calum rested his head on your neck, you both panting. He kissed your forehead, looked at you and smiled.

He rolled over, took off the condom and discarded it in a little trashcan he kept next to his bed, he laid next to you.

"Damn, Cal, never knew you had it in you." You giggled.

"Yeah, to be honest, me neither!" He laughed, pulling you in for a kiss.

[margarine-archives]

Henlo! hope you ain’t to busy when i request this but, can you do a (platonic) expresso cookie x dragon! teen! reader, like all of a sudden expresso cookie is requested to aid in a research project of the reader? everything else is up to you! thanks so much in advance ^^ srry if it is a tad bit specific

An Injured Teen Dragon!Reader (Hybrid) with: Espresso Cookie !

notes: omg omg my main my dearly beloved. I've always wanted to write for mama espresso

- he was requested for an expedition, to look for a certain dragon who's in need of aid. Espresso saw less importance of it, also because anything with dragons isn't in his field of study

- so naturally, and because he already has a few projects due, he denied the request at first

- eclair told him to expand his knowledge on other fields other than coffee magic, and should try history once in awhile ! that was not the reason he accepted though (primarilly because he has lower interest in history, therefore less prioritized the subject)

- why should they need him in an expedition such as aiding a dragon though ? He has less knowledge about dragons and figured that eclair should have been more than enough for the mission, so naturally he lacked interest

- though eclair was already part of the mission, they needed him too.

- What caught his interest though, is that you are a hybrid from an old doughline thats gone extinct ! The knowledge of your existance only exists in books and old scrolls now

- ur a hybrid from a powerful doughline, your kind existed even before the dark flour war until a research group have been targeting your family for more knowledge, to research your kind and to make multiple test experiments on them

- now the same research group had found you, and has tried capturing you, and by the divines you were able to escape their trap. Now, you are currently in hiding

- word got out to parfaedia and while they are intrigued with your kind, abusing such power over innocent creatures is the least of what they want, hence, the council has decided on an rescue expedition alongside professional healers.

- espresso himself even despises this, and, after hearing the full story, agreed to go (also because he's willing to see the said hybrid cookie)

- when they had arrived, the same research team got to you before they did, and lets just say it was an hourly long battle..

- espresso carrying you to the balloon while the healers try and heal you as quick as possible, while latte is sheilding you guys from the front, trying to distract them simultaneously, eclair and the others are in the frontlines attacking the researchers, any sneaky researcher that dares sneak up near the balloon will face the wrath of coffee magic !

- though normally espresso would be in the frontlines fighting aswell, he was really more concerned about you rather than letting his anger out on those pesky researchers, you didn't deserve what you went through ! not your fault you're rare though

- despite the pity for you being used for the sole purpose of research, he can't help his own curiosity too. He's heard of such kind in historical scrolls but he's never met one !

- he thinks you are still young to even be used as a test subject, you have so much ahead of you and for that to be taken away by researchers is cruel !

- He wants you to live like any other cookie, not to die and just become part of history. You and your family don't deserve what you went through, if it werent for those researchers your kind wouldn't even go extinct !

- he knows its far too unsafe to let you go after you are healed, and the researchers basically know where your home is too. With this, he's taken you in under his care (he knows you still have potential too ! hes willing to make you strong again)

- he doesn't know what dragons eat, all he knows is that you eat star jellies too, thats about it. He's willing to hear you out on what food you like (so he can get them the next day)

- months after taking you in under his care, he got attached, only to find out that you're quite literally the only one in your family that isn't in a cage right now, so despite his busy schedule, he's your new parent now

- would probably train you with dark magic aswell

- his only break from coffee research is to take care of you, due to this, not much bonding time happens with the two of you. If you express how you feel to him then he'll be sure to make spare time for you from now on (admittedly you were kindof scared at first)

- madeline thinks this is good opportunity for him to take a break and get some rest, he tells you in private to take good care of him too, as he heavily neglects his own health

- quite embarassing that an adult is being taken care of by a teen hybrid

- you still have your dragon insticts, and you dont enjoy staying in one place for too long, so most of the time you ask him if you can go out, he agrees but comes along with you to ensure that you don't end up in a cage.. though on occasions where he's REALLY busy, he declines (he'd be far too worried about your safety than focusing on his work, and espresso hates distraction)

- mama espresso loves you very much and hopes that you can grow up and be just like him, powerful and strong ! he's willing to do anything in his power for you to atleast be able to defend yourself, because god forbid he'll start panicking if you've been gone for too long (and he wants you to go out in your own free will, and he wants to be able to NOT worry when you're outside

[jinconda]

Hustlers | 1

masterlist: TBA

pairing: Jungkook x Reader, (ft. Yoongi)

summary: When Jeongguk's girlfriend, Jihyo is taken by the Daechwita gang, everyone's friendships are tested as Jeongguk does anything in pursuit of getting her back. 

not so much a summary: im tired of weak, annoying y/n characters that are helpless and need jk to save them. that being said, reader is an explosive, temperamental, badass. jks girlfriend has the lovely title of being the annoying y/n.

warning: violence, I mean like some serious ass shit, killing left n right, graphic themes, dark themes, swearing

important note: play "nate growing up" by labrinth while reading / i deleted my account, saved this username in the case that i wanted to come back and boom boom who wouldve thought, here i am, this had chapters 1+2 in it, as you keep reading you’ll see the split, ty for ur support n once again i apologize for leaving without as much as a note

wc: (11.8k in total for both parts)

“They got Jeongguk’s girlfriend,” Yoongi said upon entering through the front door. He shrugged his bomber jacket off and tossed it onto the empty loveseat in the corner. The thump of the material hitting the chair caused you to avert your gaze: Yoongi’s forehead was covered in sweat, his hair spiraled in different directions and within one minute he’d checked his phone six times.

“They got what?”

“His lil girlfriend, y’know the lil goody two shoes he—“

“I fuckin’ know who, I’m asking how the fuck did they get her?” Taehyung stood from the couch, taking out a purple lighter from his back pocket and using it to light the blunt he finished rolling moments ago.

You tilted your head, not really sure why this was exactly your problem. Or why Jeongguk expected you guys to willingly come to rescue what he tried to keep so far away from all of you. He never talked about her, and when someone did bring her up he’d tell them to shut the fuck up and expect the subject to be changed without any further questions.

It had become an unspoken rule between the nine of you to completely avoid her presence when she was around. Jeongguk didn’t want any of you near her, which was incredibly fucking ironic since she was around during quite literally everything. There hasn’t been a time within the past eight months where you’d seen Jeongguk without her by his side.

Besides being Jeongguk’s girlfriend all you knew was that her name was Jihyo and she went to an Ivy— at least that’s what Taehyung told you. Jeongguk unwillingly entrusted him in dropping her off one morning, warning him to not speak a word to her or he’d cut his balls off. As usual, Taehyung didn’t give a shit about what Jeongguk told him. So, first thing he did in the car was ask the goody-two-shoes what she was majoring in. Law. She was studying to be a fuckin’ lawyer— how ironic. Taehyung laughed in her face.

“N’ where’s Jeongguk right now?”

Yoongi bent down grabbing the armrest of the loveseat he just threw his jacket on and hauled out the black briefcase you guys kept hidden in case of emergencies. Guess this was an emergency, then. “Going to get her. Joon, Rhea, and Hobi are already there. Seokjin n’ Jimin are waiting for us in the car.”

“Us?”

His hands fiddled with the lock for a moment, sweaty hands fighting the slippery metal. The locks eventually budged and opened with a pop, Yoongi grabbed one of the compact pistols and shoved it into the waistband of his jeans. He grabbed a similar pistol and threw it at Taehyung, who caught it with ease, joint held in place with his lips. His eyes locked onto yours and you raised a brow at him.

“Don’t be difficult,” he warned.

“Tell me why all of us need to be there.”

Yoongi groaned, he knew this was going to happen. When Jeongguk called him and uttered the words “They got her, Yoongs” he knew there was no way around this. They had no other choice, no negotiating, nothing. Jeongguk would fucking kill him if he didn’t haul you and Taehyung to the Daechwita house— pronto.

Truthfully, he didn’t even know Jihyo meant that much to Jeongguk. The first time he brought her to the house— sure, they were all surprised, really fucking surprised. Jeongguk didn’t bring girls to the house. But, that didn’t make her automatically special. Jeongguk could’ve just been high, fucked up, or maybe he didn’t wanna fuck in his car. He doesn’t know the details, never bothered to ask for them. But then he brought her over for a second time, and then a third, and then she was there when they made plans, she was there when they did business.

And Jeongguk was fucking impulsive. They tried to warn him, countless times. This girl wasn’t like you, or Rhea, she didn’t know how shit worked around here. Would she be able to kill someone if they pulled a gun on Jeongguk? Would she snitch to the fuckin’ police? Has she seen Jeongguk kill? Jeongguk didn’t care, didn’t fucking listen. Because to Jeongguk, he knows best, he’s the only one that's always right.

Quite honestly, he could kiss Yoongi’s left ass cheek right now because now they were all fucked. All of them. Jeongguk took her to one of his fights four days ago. One of his underground fights. It was an opening. She was a fucking opening for the rest of you to get fucked, all because Jeongguk was too fucking soft for some girl. He took her in backstage even though Yoongi begged to take her back to campus. No, no. Jeongguk said they’d be good. Because no one fucks with Jeongguk— another lie. Yoongi pushed it, kept persisting that she shouldn’t be allowed in. Then Jeongguk took his gun out, turned the safety off, and pointed it directly at him. Twelve years of friendship almost ended that day, all for a fuckin’ lil girl Jeongguk’s known for one year. Needless to say, Yoongi dropped it.

From what he gathered through Jeongguk’s rushed and rambled words over the phone, someone from Daechwita saw her go into Jeongguk’s dressing room. And just like that, years of hard work down the drain. Yoongi had almost laughed when Jeongguk said it. You’re a fucking idiot, Jeongguk. Not one of you had faltered publicly, shown a weakness. Don’t get him wrong, the other gangs were well aware that you guys could serve as weaknesses for one another, the problem with that is you all weren’t fucking weak. There was never an opening for the other gangs. Now though, there was. She was. She is. Daechwita struck fucking gold that night.

So here he was, annoyed and beyond pissed that his Saturday was now ruined. The one time in a fucking week where he could do whatever he wanted. No business, no drugs, no guns, nothing. He was planning on spending the weekend with his dog, Holly, who was recovering from a broken leg at his nanny. Yes, his dog had a nanny. He hasn’t seen Holly since Sunday, and fuck did he miss his furball. To add the cherry on top, you were starting to piss him off even more. He didn’t need this right now, it was the last fucking thing he needed— especially from you.

“Listen, she hasn’t done shit, she’s innocent, and we—“

“Hasn’t done shit? He pulled a fucking gun on you? Are you—”

“Alright alright, nows not the time to fight over this dumb shit. If we don’t go and something actually happens to her Jeongguk’s gonna kill us all.” Taehyung sighed, taking one last hit off the joint and then smushing it against the ashtray. “Is it ideal? Nah, it’s not. But we don’t have a choice, so grow the fuck up. Both of you,” he tucked the glock into the waistband of his trousers, his favorite pair of white Gucci underwear tugging down as the metal of the gun rubbed against his tanned skin, securing it into place.

You stood up too, adjusting your two favorite guns— a GSR Granite and a PK380— that were secured on either side the holster that hung from your shoulders. “Yeah, yeah, let’s help the princess,” you darted toward the coat rack, careful not to “accidentally” punch Yoongi on the way, and picked up the leather jacket Jeongguk gave you a few years back to hide your holster with. Not to mention it was mid-February and Long Island was cold as fuck, the last thing you wanted was frostbite.

When you swung the door open you could hear Yoongi sigh in relief, followed by him telling Taehyung to shove the suitcase under the loveseat again. You walked down the stairs, careful not to bust your shit on some black ice while simultaneously eyeing Seokjin who sat in the Cadillac SUV, the one you guys specifically used when shit went wrong. He immediately saw you, a tight smile formed on his face. He shook his head slowly. Looks like someone isn’t happy either.

You walked up to the car, grabbing the cold door handle of the backseat but changed your mind last minute to move to the passenger door instead. Fuck Yoongi, I’m getting shotgun.

“Hey!” You heard Yoongi yell from the top of the stairs, you raised your arm into the air and flicked him off, peeking over the hood of the car to make sure he saw. And see he did, you watched him roll his eyes and yell something to Taehyung again.

You slammed the door shut and slumped into the very heated chair, “Damn Jin, you got this thing at a hundred degrees? How is your ass that cold?”

“How badly did he piss you off?” Jimin asked from the backseat, a mischievous smile forming on his face. You shrugged, not bothering to answer but knowing damn well why you did it. Because you were being a petty little shit, because fuck Yoongi right now, and above all, because fuck Jeongguk. Next time you saw him you might actually take him by the balls and rip them right off his fucking body.

You didn’t want to help her. You didn’t feel like it. It was twelve degrees out for fucksake. You and Taehyung were supposed to get high and binge-watch season two of Kingdom on Netflix. Was she innocent and didn’t deserve to be taken against her will? Sure, that you can admit. But, you didn’t know her. Never talked to her. Didn’t care about her. Jeongguk suddenly wants you guys to help her? Possibly talk and actually touch her? Now that it’s convenient to have his “friends” there? The list goes on. You weren’t a complete bitch, though, you were here, weren’t you? That ought to account for something.

Yoongi didn’t comment on you taking his usual spot. He entered the car, followed by Taehyung and with a quickened pace he immediately dove into a sloppy word vomit. He went over the plan a total of six times before you guys even pulled out of the driveway. Was it a good, well-thought-out plan? Fuck no. Fuck no, it was not. Yoongi had put in about forty minutes of thought into it, thirty of which were immediately after Jeongguk hung up on him— the other ten he thought of while explaining the first thirty to the three of you.

Daechwita was hosting an annual birthday party for their leader, Cha Eunwoo. Not that any of you ever went, with the exception of three years ago. The one and only time you went turned out to be a truly scarring night. Sweaty, gross gang and mafia members all around you. Preying on you. You shuddered at the thought.

Why they would kidnap Jihyo tonight of all nights was beyond you. Your most reasonable conclusion was that there will be civilians, friends— non-gang affiliated individuals present. And who’s evil enough to shoot up a party full of innocent civilians? As of right now, you were eerily close to crossing that line.

Yoongi went over everyone's individual roles too. Jeongguk had notified Eunwoo that Joon, Hobi, and Rhea were coming with him, for safety measures, obviously. He however didn’t mention that the four of you will eventually show up too— no, that had to remain a secret. You and Yoongi would go in through the basement window in the backyard. The house was like twelve-thousand-square feet, so, there was no fucking way anyone would notice one single window shattering.

Taehyung and Jimin would go in through the South-side balcony, climbing their way in. Directly into Cha Eunwoo’s room. You guys didn’t suspect that they hid Jihyo there, but, you weren’t going to take chances in checking the heavily guarded room. Once everyone was in, you’d all signal to Jeongguk, who by that time will already be meeting with Eunwoo and discussing a deal to release her.

Jeongguk was going to kill Eunwoo. You knew it. Yoongi knew it. Everyone knew it. It didn’t need to be said. Jeongguk pulled a gun out on his childhood best friend for her, there was no way he wasn’t plotting to kill Eunwoo. That's right, let your true colors shine, Jeongguk. You wanted the little lawyer to see him, to really see him. Not the fake “I only deal with the business side” fasad he had been showing her.

She hadn’t seen him kill someone, grip their fucking throat until all the air in their lungs depleted and they were left a lifeless corpse, all while he stared into their eyes, never faltering from their dying gaze. One thing about Jeongguk was, he respect anyone deserving of it in their final moments— never looking away from them. To him, it was the least he could do. The business you were all in was tough; people died, whether it was at your hand or not, it was another normal day.

You wondered if she’d cry, if she’d leave him. How she could watch Jeongguk sign off a deal worth one million in narcotics and then go to her fancy Ivy university the next day and pretend to be something she wasn’t. She was a liar— that’s for sure, but, hey, you were too.

The Daechwita mansion was mesmerizing, to put it lightly. It was a traditional Italian mansion, engraved and extravagant old stone. It had two fountains— yes, two separate fountains upon entering the circular driveway. In a way, it resembled the White House- minus the ugly and the legal politics. The front of the house, had about thirty symmetrical windows, fifteen on each side and another thirty in the back. A grand staircase that led to the golden double-entry doors. Daechwita was fucking flashy. A little too much, for your taste.

The problem was, you couldn’t drive in. They knew your faces, and by now, Eunwoo had probably issued a notice to look out for the missing four Bangtan members. So, simply driving in was out of the question. You would have to park outside the metal gates, climb the South-side of the fence and pray that the electricity wasn’t on, and then proceed with the rest of the plan. If the electricity was on, you’d go with Plan B. Kill the two guards in front and sneak in that way. Personally, that was the plan you preferred, the last thing you wanted to do was climb an eight-foot fence and pray you don’t get electrocuted on the way up.

Then again, Plan B had its own flaws. Seokjin would have to stay in the SUV and hack his was into their security camera database. If he managed to get through, that is without notifying any of the Daechwita members, it’d give you guys about thirty to an hour of time before someone would eventually notice the breach. Once they did, it would endanger everyone and possibly get Jihyo killed. Not that the last part mattered to you.

Climbing it is.

Seokjin had parked the car so frantically that you were surprised Jimin and Yoongi hadn’t flown out the back and directly into the front window. “My bad,” he muttered as everyone tried to catch their breath.

“No worries, next time, don’t break too hard,” Taehyung said patting Seokjin’s shoulder then opening the backdoor and being the first to hop out.

Seokjin nodded, embarrassed for letting his nerves get the best of him. Shortly after, you followed Taehyung out of the car, hopping out of it with a huff, until everyone was out. “Fuck that bitch is huge,” Taehyung commented on the top of the mansion peering through the tall bushes. Within the cracks of the bushes, you could see the lights glistening from the home, dancing against the fountain's waters.

“Hell yeah, it is,” Jimin agreed, being the first to start walking toward the towering fence.

It was a short walk, four minutes max if you had to guess. The dread of having to climb the fence was beginning to settle in. Not that you couldn’t do it, you could. But it was fucking huge. Seven feet? Ten? You can’t fucking tell in the darkness. There was a pause, no one uttering a word as you all gazed at the obstacle ahead of you. Fuck it. You weren’t going to sit here and be a crybaby, the longer you stood the farther away episode one of the Kingdom became.

“I’ll do it,” you heard the sighs of relief around you. Fuckers. Jimin even began to laugh, muttering something along the lines of being happy that he was happy he wasn’t the first one to go up. At that moment, you promised yourself that you’d punch him in the gut when this was all over and done with.

The fence had black borders, in it were white engravings that you couldn’t quite make out in the darkness. The fence was separated with a line in the middle, making your job of climbing it, much easier. The white engravings twirled to the top, leaving no pointed edges for one of you to cut yourselves with. Easy. This is going to be easy. You got this. You coached yourself through the waves of anxiety that began to riddle your body.

You wiped your sweaty palms against your pants and ran at the fence. Grabbing the black borders with both of your hands and hoisting yourself upwards. Once you lifted yourself from the ground, your foot lodged itself between one of the twirled engravings. You gave it a push, making sure it wasn’t going to break under the pressure of your weight. It didn’t. You were good.

You repeated the actions until you made it three-fourths to the top. Stopping yourself to examine the curved black border at the top for any electrical wires. It was dark, but you would be able to see the reflection of the wire against the visible moonlight. It didn’t look like there were any wires so, with a final deep breath you grabbed the top of the fence. Fuck. Fuck.

“Zzzzzzzzzz…” You could hear repeated noises coming from the bottom. You were going to kill them, all three of them. Yes. You’d kill them right after you manage to jump this fence. One by one.

“Fucking dicks,” you muttered as you took the final leap across the fence. Once you managed to rotate your body, you flipped them off, smiling proudly at yourself. Ha. Ha. You guys are pussies.

The route down the fence was easier than the one to the top. Not to mention, knowing you weren’t going to die from electricity certainly helped. By the time your feet hit the ground with a thud, the three rabid-infested animals you called your friends had already begun climbing the fence.

“Alright, we needa’ split up,” Yoongi said, landing lightly against the soiled ground.

"Sounds good, send the signal once ya’ll made it,” Taehyung swung his arm around Jimin, ushering him forward. He stopped in his tracks a few seconds later and looked back to you and Yoongi, “and please be safe. I don’t wanna have to finish Kingdom by myself.”

Taehyung’s smile didn’t meet his eyes. The severity of this mission hadn’t settled onto any of you, yet. You guys were like lambs in a house full of wolves. Nine against what— fifty, hundred? You know Taehyung didn’t mean to get sentimental, but, the fear was always there. Especially now. You nodded and smiled at him, sending him and Jimin off with a wave and thumbs up.

You turned to Yoongi, who had his lips caught in between his teeth, “Listen, I-“

“Not now, Yoongs. We’ll talk about it at home,” you grabbed his shoulder, squeezing it gently and telling him you two should get going.

The walk to the back-end of the mansion was long. Long as fuck. Who needs this much fucking space for a house? Not you, that's for sure. They probably haven’t explored every room the mansion had, no way. Who knows how many rooms there were, fifteen? Twenty? Thirty? One for every window? Not to mention, it was almost below freezing and if you and Yoongi didn’t hurry the fuck up and get there in five minutes you both might die from hypothermia.

“My ass cheeks are freezing,” Yoongi muttered from behind you.

If you weren’t on the brink of death, you would’ve laughed. The both of you were crouching slightly, enough to be able to run through the tall bushes without being spotted by the guards while simultaneously hiding. The first few minutes were fine, you both ran effortlessly, at ease, you were one with the wind— or whatever track athletes say to convince themselves they enjoy running. But then, the cold began to pinch at your throat, then your lungs. About halfway there, Yoongi said he couldn’t feel his fingers anymore and you couldn’t either. And right now, your toes were beginning to give out. You couldn’t feel them anymore, the tightness of your combat boots might actually be killing you. Fuck Jeongguk for recommending these to you, and fuck Prada.

You approached the end of the bushes, out of breath and shaking from the cold. You peered over the corner of the bush to check if you could spot anyone— anything. Clear. Fuck yes, the coast was clear. You sighed in relief and gave Yoongi the go.

Whatever energy he had left, Yoongi mustered it from the pits of his soul and ran toward the backside of the house, grabbing a stone on his way over and shattering the glass of the window with so much force he temporarily paralyzed himself from the sheer shock. You peered the corner once more, making sure no one was approaching the side of the house from the sound of the glass shattering.

No one, again. Fuck was this your lucky day. Thank you universe, you mighty, beautiful, ball of matter. You followed Yoongi’s path, when you turned the corner, you saw him kicking the remainder of the glass to ensure you both didn’t cut yourselves on the way in. Diiiing. A vibration in your jacket. You take your phone out, wincing at the brightness you forgot to turn down, and read the notification.

tae: we’re in, this guy has a sick obsession with hentai

hobi: be safe. also wtf? eunwoo wanted jk alone so we’re outside some weird fuckin door in the basement,  should be a backdoor so try to go through there.

hobi: ps dont text too much theyre gonna start tweaking

hobi: also they took all of our shit, we have nothing

Hentai? Eunwoo likes hentai? What the fuck? They don’t have weapons? Fuck. Fuuuuuuck. This was going to be a bitch. “Hobi gave us the go. They’re somewhere down here, let’s hope they didn’t hear that,” your eyes avert to the broken window.

Yoongi nodded, bending down and swinging his legs through the window. “This is small as fuck,” he ushers his body through the tight space, wincing as his body accidentally grinds against fragments of broken glass. Although you knew his jacket was taking most of the heat, rather than his body you still cringe at the sight.

Yoongi hopped onto the floor with a groan, checking the surroundings for any loose Daechwita members. He then popped his head through the frame and gave you the stupid smile you adored so much. You shoved your phone back into your jacket and bent down, one hand planted against the wet grass while the other grabbed the rough brick wall. You placed both of your feet through the frame and slowly slithered in. About halfway in Yoongi grabbed your waist, whispering, “I got you,” and aiding you onto the floor. Once your feet safely touched the floor you thanked him, telling him he just wanted an excuse to touch you. Yoongi rolled his eyes at the comment, his cheeks, however, shined a bright pink. Cute.

“Did Hoseok say where they were exactly?” You shook your head, taking out your phone and checking Hoseok’s message once more, “we’re outside some weird fuckin door in the basement.” Well, that wasn’t helpful. Pretty useless actually, besides the basement part.

“Nope. Weird door and basement, that's it,” You flipped your phone so that the lit screen faced Yoongi. He scrunched his nose and squinted at it, eyes following the text of Hoseok’s message. He hummed and turned away from you, dismissing you. He lifted his jacket and shirt in a swift motion and grabbed the pistol, bouncing it in his hand a few times to adjust to the weight of it.

You did the same, lifting the side with the zipper of your jacket and grabbing one of the Italian Stiletto Knives you kept hidden in a pocket on the holster. If shit hit the fan you’d take out your gun, until then, you can’t go guns blazing and make a ruckus. Knives will do.

Yoongi peeked over the corner, then he quickly retreated back in. His eyes jumped around eventually settling on your confused gaze, “Two of em’. Once I go, you follow. Get the one on the left, just knock him out,” you nodded at the command, watching Yoongi twist around the wall to check again.

His hand lifted upwards, motioning for you to follow. You crouched down and followed him out of the room. The two guards were walking towards the end of the hall, backs faced to you both. It was a few seconds of you both crouching until you lunged forward and pressed your knife against the guy's throat, not enough to slit it, but enough so he got the memo, your other hand covered his mouth. He stuttered, trying his best to bend his back forward and flip you over. You kept your feet planted against the concrete restricting him from doing exactly that. You moved your hand that held the knife so that your arm could swing around his throat, snuggling it like a snake would to its prey. You kept the knife close to his ear, just in case. You looped your hand through the opening of the one that held his mouth and tightened your grasp, not enough to kill him. He struggled in your grasp, arms flailing, trying their best to grab you in any way possible. Two minutes later, he passed out.

You placed his limp body against the wall, upright, then turned to Yoongi who had copied you, the other man laid in the same position as the one you knocked out. Neither of you spoke. You couldn’t. There could be another two, or however many guards around the corner. Body language it is. Yoongi was breathing heavily, gun held tightly with his slender fingers. He tilted his head to the right, motioning toward the end of the hallway.

You nodded, creeping your way toward the end of the hall. You paused, allowing your ears to do what they evolved to do. Nothing. You relaxed, pressing your back against the wall and peeking over the wall. Nothing. Just moldy grey, almost black walls, but no bodies in sight. You used your left hand to shoot Yoongi a thumbs up and proceeded down the dark hallway.

This hallway split into two. One, from what you could see lead to a dead end with a simple vent in the middle of it, the other, a bit further was still unknown. You moved up the hallway, telling Yoongi to start unscrewing the vent in case, and pressed your body again the wet wall, repeating the same actions. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

How many is that? Six? Seven? Ten? Probably more that you couldn't see. Your eyes dart over the Daechwita members. You could see the black and gold jackets from here, the way the gold symbol of their gang, a dragon, shined against the white bulbs that hung from the ceiling. You kept looking around, until a figure cut the corner, looking into your direction. You held your breath, not quick enough to retreat, your eyes met the strangers. Hoseok. Hoseok. Oh fuck. Hoseok’s right there.

You retreated knowing you couldn’t stare at him too long. The Daechwita’s could get suspicious and look your way. Jackpot. If Hoseok was here, it meant Jeongguk was too. You ran back to Yoongi, who had unscrewed the vent and placed it next to him. “Let me guess.”

“I just saw Hobi, we’re close. But we’re also gonna,” you crouched down, looking into the dark vent, “have to go in there.”

Yoongi bit his bottom lip, fiddling with the flesh. Contemplating if it was worth going into the vent. Logically, they couldn’t just barge into the hallway and gun everyone down. You guys didn’t know how many of them there were, or if Jeongguk and Jihyo were safe with Eunwoo. You didn’t know anything. So yes— vent it is.

“I’m going to puke,” you sat on your knees. It reeked of weed and from what you could tell— shit. Real shit. Yoongi gave you a pat on the ass and whispered good luck.

“You have to go in too, y’know.”

You looked back to Yoongi, who was smirking directly at— your ass. No shit he was enjoying this, if you got to stare at your ass, you’d be enjoying it too. He nodded, “I know, I’m just going to be enjoying my view on the way.”

Idiot. You rolled your eyes, ignoring the heat forming on your face. You placed both palms against the cold, slimy surface and trudged forward, doing your best to keep the bile down while limiting your breathing as much as possible. The vents were hot, despite the cold metal. You figured it would be hot, mid-winter and all.

As you crawled forward, you heard Yoongi enter the vent behind you. Heavy steps reassured you of his presence. Left. Straight. Right. Another left. There you are. “You know what I fucking want.” You immediately recognized the voice— you could never forget Eunwoo’s sweet, sweet voice.

A pause.

You ushered forward, doing your best to see something, anything through the cracks of the vent. From what you could make out, you and Yoongi were on the right corner of the room. Jeongguk was sitting on a couch in front of you while Eunwoo sat on the other one, Jihyo by his side. Hoseok had told you guys in his text that they didn’t have weapons. That, however, didn't mean Eunwoo didn't have a gun hidden on him.

“What is that, Eunwoo?” Jeongguk spoke, leaning forward, pressing his arms against his thighs and tilting his head at Eunwoo. He was testing him.

“Don’t play with me, Jeongguk. I’ll kill her,” Eunwoo smiled, index finger grazing over Jihyo’s cheek. You could see the tears, the fear on her face when Eunwoo touched her. For a moment, you felt bad for the girl. Sad that she had to go through this. But, she knew the price of being with someone like Jeongguk. Now’s she’s just paying for it.

Jeongguk’s hand twitched, you caught it. He was trying his best to not leap over the couch and strangle that fucker with his bare fucking hands. “__.”

You blinked. Unsure if you heard the name correctly. You? What the fuck would Eunwoo want with you? Jeongguk would never. He would never give you up this easily for a mere girl. Someone he hasn’t even known for a year. You’ve known him for a decade. There was no fucking way. No. No. No. He wouldn’t do that to you.

“What else?”

Huh?

Else?

Jeongguk’s gaze didn’t move from Jihyo’s. At that moment, you realized he would give you up. He’d give you up if it meant he could have her back. Anger. Nothing else besides anger surged through your body. You shoved the knife back into the holster and grabbed your gun. Something touched your calve, causing you to flinch.

Fuck, Yoongi was here. He was gripping your calve, stopping you from breaking the vent and shooting Jeongguk in the face. “Breathe, baby, breathe,” his hand rubbed your back. He heard it, too. He almost wish he hadn’t. The way Jeongguk so effortlessly grazed past giving you up and onto whatever else Eunwoo wanted. Typically, Yoongi knew Jeongguk would use rather, sporadic means of plans if it meant it’d get the job done. He knew they were all hear-say, that Jeongguk would never actually betray any of you. This, however, Yoongi wasn’t so sure about.

“And 60 million. I know you’ll pay it.”

“Deal.”

You were going to strangle Yoongi if he didn’t let go of your calve. Deal? What fucking deal? He was going to give you up for some lawyer bitch? Some bitch that will rat him out once she’s done with college? Once her high of drug-lord mafia romance fantasy was over? You were seeing red. This was unforgivable, you’ll never forgive him.

“Hand her over, Cha,” Jeongguk rose from the couch and pointed to Jihyo.

“Not so fast, buddy. You give me, __. I give you your little plaything back.” Jeongguk’s hand balled into a fist. You secretly hoped Eunwoo sliced her throat, let the blood spill in front of Jeongguk. Watch his face squeeze into pain as he watched his lover die. You’d love that.

“They’re already here, I sent them a notice right after Mark called me.”

A setup? Was this a fucking set-up? Did he know that Eunwoo would want you? Had he planned to give you up when he called Yoongi? This wasn’t the Jeongguk you knew. No.

Jeongguk ran his hand through his hair, “I’ll call her now. Let her know you gave me Jihyo and,” his hand fell to his side, he pondered for a moment, like he couldn’t believe what he was about to say, “then you can have her.”

Jeongguk took his phone out of his hoodie, shuffling through his contacts until he eventually found your name. You saw the hesitation. It was there, for a split second. Until he pressed your contact info and your phone buzzed in your jacket pocket. Oh my god. Oh my fucking god.

The world stilled, you slowly grabbed your phone, tugging it out of your jacket and in front of you. The photo of you and Jeongguk as teenagers smiling at the camera, cheeks smushed against one another. You declined the call. All eyes fell onto the vent. Your cover was blown. This was it. You didn’t look back to see Yoongi’s expression, instead, you rotated your body until your legs were facing the vent, then, you kicked. Kicked fucking hard. The metal cover of the vent flew forward, exposing you and Yoongi.

It felt like a blur like you weren’t the one in control of your body. You kicked the vent, got up, avoided Jeongguk immediately, and turned to Eunwoo, not giving him the chance to take out his hidden gun before putting a bullet in each of his thighs. You spit in his face, avoiding his screams, and grabbed his hair, roughly turning his head upwards, “Be glad I didn’t shoot your cock off.”

You let go of Eunwoo’s hair and lifted his suit blazer, revealing a holster similar to yours with two pistols, you grabbed them both. “Yoongi, kill everyone outside,” you turned to him, throwing both pistols at him. He shoved his gun into his waistband and caught both of the guns, immediately nodding and shoving the door open.

“Eunwoo! No fuckin’ way, you killed that fuck—“

One. Two. The guy fell to the ground.

Yoongi gave Hoseok the first gun, throwing the other at Namjoon who sat in the corner, and briefly apologized to Rhea for not having a third. He then took out his own and for the first time tonight— he felt relaxed, in control.

You faced Jeongguk and for the first time in ten years, you saw fear. Fear that was directed at you. He knew you heard what he said, heard him fuck up. And he was fucking scared, scared because in so many ways you were a direct reflection of himself. Chaotic, lost to anger, all of it. And right now, you looked at him with so much anger and hatred in your eyes he feared for his life. He feared for Jihyo’s life.

You didn’t shoot him. “If I see her again, I’ll kill her. I’m not fucking kidding.”

You didn’t acknowledge her. She was a mere memory in your world, one that you would make sure you’ll never see again. Jeongguk looked at you with hurt eyes, you knew he loved her. He cared for her. For the first proper time in his life, he loved someone romantically. Cherished them.  

What Jeongguk did tonight was unforgivable. He betrayed you. That, you’ll never forget.

You walked out of the room, ignoring Eunwoo’s screams of pain and the way Jeongguk’s expression tugged at your heart. Fuck you, Jihyo. You grabbed the PK380 and shot the first Daechwita member you saw.

You didn’t consider yourself a killer, it happened to come with the job. The guilt was another aspect that wasn’t included in the job description but came anyway. It didn’t disappear as time moved forward, it slowly descended into nothingness you learned to ignore. On occasion, you could feel it prick your heart, hoping you don’t pull the trigger, taking another life. How could you not, though? It was your main job in Bangtan, other than Jeongguk, you were the fastest, the most apathetic— you were evil. You killed without mercy, without a second glance, because it was your job— it was expected of you.

Sometimes— often, when you were borderline blackout drunk— you’d look back at your first kill. The way the gun shook in your hand as you pointed it at the man, watching the fear in his eyes grow rapidly by the second. The sweat bubbled on his forehead, the tears forming in his eyes, how he fought against the ropes that binded him to the chair. The way Jeongguk gripped your shoulders, trying to steady you. The way he whispered in your ear, his warm breath making contact with your neck. You could still hear it, the softness in his voice, the adornment, “You got this baby, I believe in you.” You shot him in the head, nice and easy. At the time you were still young and foolish, you hoped the man didn’t suffer as the bullet you shot lodged itself through his skull.

It was also during that time your viewpoint on Jeongguk began to change. He was always there for you, always there when you needed someone to talk to, someone to cry to. You never meant for it to happen, you wanted to see him as only a brother, as family. But then he’d sneak into your room late at night and hold you, placing soft kisses on your shoulder and neck as you lulled to sleep. You couldn’t fucking help but get attached to him— fall in love with him.

He was different, unlike the other guys. He didn’t want you to see him as a brother, he wanted you to think about him, he wanted you to love him. He wanted you to stay up at night and fantasize about him. Yet, Jeongguk never loved you, he couldn’t, it was something he fought with for years. He tried desperately because he wanted to love you. You were like a missing puzzle piece to him, perfectly fitting into the hollow space in his heart. You two were so similar it often scared him, and maybe, just maybe, that’s why Jeongguk couldn’t love you the way you loved him— because he didn’t love himself. It ate him alive for years, sometimes still does.

He knew you loved him, you fucking admitted it to his face and all he could do was reject you, watch your face drop, and pretend like you were okay with it. He had to do it for your sake and for Bangtan’s, he couldn’t lie and pretend to love you. He knew it was his doing, he was the one that made the conscious decision to come into your room every night. You were beautiful, he was still young at the time, careless, and wanted to get his dick wet by his pretty friend— nothing more, nothing less. He was terrified that you’d leave after that, pack your bags and never talk to any of them again and it would all be his fucking fault. The other guys would kill him for losing someone like you. You were important, not just because you excelled at your job but because you were family to them. They’d take a bullet for you, even if it meant killing him to get you back.

“__, can you chill? Please!” Someone screamed from behind you, footsteps banging against the pavement of the Daechwita house like a bull. You didn’t bother to turn around, didn’t care enough to. If they tried to stop you right now, you’d shoot them too.

You were seething, completely ignoring the little voice in your head telling you to calm down, collect yourself, and get the fuck out of this damned house. You knew you were fucking up— that you fucked up the second you kicked the vent open and shot Eunwoo in his thighs. Should’ve been his cock, he deserved it. You’ve shot, twenty, thirty, you have no idea how many Daechwita members. If you saw a hint of gold on their jacket, a dragon anywhere on their skin, they were dead scum to you. Eunwoo crossed the line tonight, and as they all work for that sick fuck it meant they are just as liable.

The guys were going to give you a bitching, not tonight, or tomorrow, maybe in a week, when you’ve calmed down. The only person who knew what Jeongguk said as of right now was Yoongi, and you were going to make sure they all fucking knew it too. That if you saw Jihyo again after tonight, you’d kill her, and then you’d kill Jeongguk and whoever else let that bitch into the house. Logically, you knew it wasn’t her fault. After all, Jeongguk was the one that fucking said it, not her. But, it was because of her and that was good enough of a reason for you to never want to see her again.

What if you weren’t in the vent? What if you went in blindly, protecting him and her just to get fucked? What then? What fucking th—

“Please, just listen to me—“ You were pulled back by the collar of your leather jacket. You stumbled for a second, quickly gathering yourself and rotating your right arm backward, firmly pressing the gun against the person’s ribs. This is uncomfortable. The stranger’s hands gripped your shoulders, spinning you around, you raised your other gun, swiftly pressing it against their temple, index finger teasing the trigger. “I need you to calm down.”

Hoseok? Fuck. Fuck. You almost shot Hoseok. What the fuck? He let go of your shoulders in a panic and grabbed your face, bringing it closer to his. His hands shook against your skin, is he crying? “We need to get out of here, please, you need to listen to me.” His forehead touched yours and he didn’t blink, eyes begging you to listen to him.

“Yeah, okay. Yeah.”

“You fucking bitch!”

Fuck. You pushed Hoseok off of you, letting him fall back and away from whoever was coming at you. Boom. You stepped back, looking down if there was blood spilling anywhere from you. Good, you were good. Calm the fuck down. You were in a hallway, close to the main entrance. You had been mindlessly shooting, not considering where you were or how many of them were there. A big bald guy stared at you from the end of the hallway, gun pointed directly at you. Clearly the fucker can’t shoot because you were a straight shot away and he still fucking missed. And unlike the baldy, you don’t miss.

You lifted your gun and shot him, it came naturally to you— the aiming. You never missed the exact location of where you wanted the bullet to shoot. It was second nature to you now, ten points for the bullseye. His brain scattered across the walls, painting it red. His large body slumped to the ground, head cracked into two. He deserved to die with his blood spilling out, but you didn’t have time for that right now.

“Hobi?”

You turned to your friend, who stared at you with an unreadable expression. It made you uncomfortable, like he was trying to make you understand the severity of what you did. Like you should be ashamed for what you’ve done, what you did right now. “Do you know, what he said?”

He sighed, lips pursing and eyes pointing to the ground below him, ashamed in his friend. He knew what Jeongguk said. Yoongi screamed it to him after you hauled out the room, killing five of the Daechwita members in thirty seconds, scaring the literal shit out of everyone. He’d never seen you like this, this was another level for him. Hoseok was in charge of the sniping on missions, he was never on the battlefield, far away from watching everyone turn into animals. He would only shoot if it was the last resort. Tonight was all types of fucked up, he shouldn’t be here. No one should, you shouldn’t be doing this.

He couldn’t blame you, though. After hearing what Jeongguk said to Eunwoo, he paused, unsure if he’d heard it correctly. Jeongguk had to have had an alternative motive, giving you up would be the stupidest thing he’d ever done— and that was a long list. He wouldn’t give you up, even if it meant giving his girlfriend up. You were an asset, you were important, without you, they wouldn’t be who they are now. As disappointed he was in Jeongguk, he knew there was more to his plan, there had to be.

“I do.”

“And?”

“We need to get out of here, __.”

You were angry, trying to press him into an argument where he defended Jeongguk. He didn’t want to fight with you right now, you were hurt and upset. He wasn’t going to add fuel to the fire, even if you wanted it. Much to his surprise, you turned around and headed for the entrance without another word. He winced when you shot the bald guy again, completely unnecessarily if he said so himself.

You swung the front door open. Everyone was there, all three cars. Seokjin’s, Namjoon’s, and Jeongguk’s. Silence. No one spoke as you walked over to Seokjin’s SUV and swung the door open so harshly you were surprised it didn’t fall off the fucking car. You didn’t check if Jeongguk was there, if she was there. You didn’t want to get more upset. You couldn’t cause any more damage.

You settled into the cold leather chair, looking down at your leather jacket, oh my god. Oh my fucking god. You hadn’t noticed. Everything was red, completely fucking red. You were covered in blood, none of your own. Your hands, shirt, jacket, pants, shoes, fucking everything, there wasn’t a spot on your fucking body where you weren’t red. You opened the car’s mirror panel, moving the plastic so that the rectangular mirror allowed you to see your reflection. You nearly gasped, red, red red. In your hair, on your cheeks. Your eyes were red too, were you fucking crying?

You felt filthy, disgusting. This was fucking disgusting. What did you fucking do? Holy shit, what the fuck did you do? You closed the panel, turning the safety back on and shoving your guns into the holster. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. This was too much. From the moment Yoongi busted the window in, up until this very moment with Seokjin. It was overwhelming, you felt suffocated. The walls in the car felt smaller, like they wanted to crush you. You could feel their eyes, watching you have a complete fucking breakdown. You bent down, letting your elbows jab against your thighs, the smell of iron hit your nose with so much ferocity you had to hold down a gag. Fuck you, fuck you. You were a fucking murderer, no better than Jeongguk. You killed them. You did. You, you.

Seokjin’s hand rested on your back, wincing from how slippery the leather had become. “Take me home,” you sounded so broken. He bit his lip, wondering if it was appropriate to comfort you or if he should just fucking drive.

“Please,” you whispered.

He took one last good look at everyone, they were all staring into the car. He’d be too, they were worried. They saw it— saw you break down. Saw you notice the blood, the reality of the situation. He didn’t know what happened back there, no one spoke as they left the house. It was uncomfortable, the tension that was surrounding everyone, oozing off of them. No one spoke, they just waited for Hoseok to come back with you, hoping you won’t shoot him. Then, Yoongi punched Jeongguk in the fucking face, startling everyone. Jeongguk let him, didn’t fight back. Something bad happened in there and to be fair, Seokjin was afraid of what would happen once they were home.

You didn’t speak again, drive it is. He wasn’t going to push it. You were strong, didn’t need his pity right now. He didn’t hesitate to send Namjoon the signal to get the fuck out and shifted the car into reverse, leaving everyone behind.

Yoongi had driven with Namjoon and Hoseok. Jimin, Taehyung and Rhea went with Jeongguk. They didn’t know, meaning they won’t kill Jeongguk on the way home, that can wait until they were home. He’d kill that fucker with his bare hands.

They were close to the house, Yoongi’s hand shook against the metal of his gun. He wouldn’t put it down, no matter how much Namjoon begged him to. He was upset, didn’t care about Jeongguk’s explanation right now. The rest of them weren’t there to see him dismiss you so lightly, like you were nothing to him compared to Jihyo. They weren’t there to see how the second you kicked that vent open, Jeongguk looked at you for a second and then immediately to Jihyo. He never looked away from her. Never. It was as if she was the only one in the room. It angered him, how Jeongguk ignored the both of you after you two saved his fucking ass.

“C’mon, Yoongi, you can’t shoot him.”

“And if I do?”

Yoongi looked up to the rearview mirror, Namjoon was already staring at him. Eye’s angry but pitiful, he felt bad. They all did. He wasn’t going to shoot Jeongguk, he couldn’t, it would complicate the situation more. He’d leave that decision to you, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try and scare the fucker. Yoongi looked away, slumping into the car seat. He let his head fall back against the leather, trying to ignore all the illogical thoughts penetrating his mind.

“Yo guys, JK is going to stay with Jihyo. Jimin just texted me saying he’ll drop them off and leave.”

Yoongi’s hands gripped the gun, knuckles turning white.

Namjoon sighed, “That’s probably for the best.”

What a pussy. What a fucking pussy. Yoongi sighed, looking down at his gun, and turned the safety back on with a click. He swore he heard Hoseok sigh in relief from the passenger seat. He felt like a child throwing a tantrum, he was angry, sure, but there was nothing he could do about it. He could beat the living shit out of Jeongguk, and he already punched him earlier and it did absolutely nothing for him. There was nothing he could do, not even if he wanted to. He’d kill Jeongguk and then what? Fucking nothing. They’d crumble.

He’d have to wait until you calmed down, and then talk to you. Listen to what you’d want to do, if you wanted to leave. Fuck. That hadn’t been an option for years, not since the last time you and Jeongguk had a falling out. This wasn’t like that though, this was another level, this was betrayal. If you wanted to leave, there was nothing they could do to stop you. Jeongguk was still their leader, they needed him as much as they needed you.

Then there was Jihyo. He wasn’t even sure how Jeongguk would go about that. Daechwita knew of her now, knew her name, probably where she lived, where she went to school. Normally, in a situation like this, Jeongguk would have her live with the rest of them. It was the safest, smartest option. Daechwita wouldn’t dare to penetrate their house, no fucking way. But there was no way you’d let her step into the house, even if they snuck her in and you found out, god knows what would happen then. As bad as he felt for Jeongguk, he set himself up for this. His explanation would have to be fucking amazing. Something so miraculous the rest of them would bow on their knees and thank him for being such a genius.

“We’re here,” Namjoon’s finger tapped his knee.

Yoongi looked out the tinted window, they were home. The SUV Seokjin had been driving was parked near the stairs, empty. Seokjin sat on the stairs, head hanging between his knees with a cigarette in between his fingers. He heard the engine and looked up, relieved to see them here, quickly getting up from the stairs and tossing the cigarette into one of the bushes.

He jogged up to them, “Are you guys good?”

Namjoon nodded, “Jeongguk here yet?”

Seokjin shook his head, looking to the front gates, “Nah. Jimin texted me saying he’s going to stay with Jihyo tonight.”

“Yeah, he texted us too,” Hoseok shut the car door, joining the circle.

“What happened with them?”

Yoongi got out too, they were looking to him to provide the explanation. He was the only one there, besides you, Hoseok only knew a few details so he wasn’t of much help. With a deep breath, he explained it to them, not letting the anger wash over his body again. “Eunwoo wanted her and money in exchange for Jihyo. Nothing more, he breezed past her like she wasn’t shit to him.”

“You don’t think he was just trynna’ stall?” Hoseok asked, not intentionally trying to piss him off.

“No.” Yoongi sighed, “I mean I don’t fucking know, man. He wouldn’t stop staring at her, even after __ shot Eunwoo. I get it, he’s in love, scared of losin’ her. He looked terrified, I’ve never seen him like that, I think he was being deadass bout’ it.”

“As fucked up as it is, we need to hear him out. Not today, but someday, we’re in deep shit with Daechwita now.”

Namjoon’s words caused a shudder to spread throughout them. He’d almost forgotten about Daechwita. About the fact that you might’ve paralyzed Eunwoo, that they killed so many of their men. Eunwoo wasn’t going to let it slide, he’d kill Jihyo the first chance he got, then he’d kill you and the rest of them. It might not be a problem tomorrow, or next week, but eventually, it will be, and an internal conflict between all of you is the last thing that was needed.

The sound of another engine roared through the front yard. The gate opened quickly and Jeongguk’s red Mercedes pulled into the driveway. Namjoon looked at Yoongi, warning him. He wanted to be calm, he did. But he looked at Jeongguk’s front window and he was staring at him. He was looking him dead in the fucking eye. Everyone quickly spilled out of the car, and Yoongi charged forward. Taehyung and Jimin caught him, bodies colliding against his, holding him back.

Jeongguk's brows furrowed, he looked upset. Yoongi knew Jeongguk was aware that he fucked up, but it didn’t matter right now. “Easy there, tiger,” Taehyung spoke into his ear, “let's not do something we’ll regret tomorrow.”

They grabbed his arms, hauling him backward. Jeongguk broke eye contact, reversing his car and speeding away from him, from his family. For some bitch. Yoongi scoffed, releasing himself from his friends and screaming, “Man the fuck up, Jeongguk!”

It’s been three days. Three long fucking days of you sitting in your room. Someone would knock three times a day, leaving food out for you and then leaving you the fuck alone. You silently thanked them for the privacy, for not pushing you to come out. You weren’t sure if Jeongguk came home the night you did or if he went with Jihyo. You heard everyone screaming in the living room, not directly at him so you came to the conclusion that he wasn’t here. Still isn’t.

You weren’t even sure as to why you were holing yourself up in your room. They didn’t do anything to you, there was no logical reason for you to not want to face them. Yet, you couldn’t. You didn’t want to face the responsibility of what will happen with Daechwita. You caused it, you had to fix it. For all you could know, Eunwoo might be paralyzed. You killed so many of them, the blood was on your hands.

You thought of the situation with Jeongguk too, what you wanted to do. You didn’t want to leave and even if you did, where the fuck would you go? Eunwoo had probably already placed a hit on you, you were a target, so that was out of the question. Jeongguk couldn’t leave either, he was the leader, you guys needed him to survive, as much as it pained you to admit that. You were going to have to live with it, with the hurt, the betrayal, with the fact that he didn’t love you. That he never did.

It didn’t dwell on you until last night, just how much you blindly loved him for years. Eight to be exact. You’ve loved him for eight years, like a deranged dog, blindly loving your owner who could give you up at any moment. And give you up he did. It angered you so badly. You’d never give them up, plan or not. It was out of the fucking question. You watched him fall in love with her, even though it pained you. You tried to fall out of love with him, tried to find other guys. Tried to sleep with them, let them take you out on dates, it was all to no avail.

You never wanted to see her again. Never wanted to see the reminder of why Jeongguk will never love you. The reminder of Jeongguk giving you up, betraying you. You were jealous, knowing fully well you had no right to be. He wasn’t yours, never was, never will be. Fuck you, Jeongguk. Fuck you. Fuck him for making you fall in love with him, fuck him for kissing you so many times, and most of all, you wanted to slap yourself for losing your virginity to him.

You hadn’t been with anyone else. Your one and only time, how fucking depressing. You were pathetic. This situation was pathetic. You were twenty-four years old for fuck sake, crying over a guy that hadn’t kissed you in seven years. A guy that rejected you seven years ago. You almost laughed.

You needed to get the fuck out of this room, it was eating you alive. Making you think of things you’ve ignored for years. It was becoming unbearable, having to live with yourself.

There was a knock. Then another.

You sighed, it was probably Taehyung or Jimin leaving you food again. You waited for a minute, then rushed to the door, unlocking it and swinging it open. You fully expected a plate of food waiting for you, not Jeongguk.

Before you could knee him in the dick and throw him out the balcony, his hand covered your mouth, the other pushed you back into your room. He kicked the door close with his foot, moving you forward to quickly lock it. You were tossing and turning against his grip, doing anything to get his hand off your mouth, you licked it, tried to bite, but Jeongguk was fucking strong. Stronger than you, even if you didn’t want to admit it.

“You need to hear me out,” he said, body pressing further into yours to get a better grip of control. He kept pushing you back. Then, your back hit the wall and Jeongguk pushed himself into you. His right knee enveloped your leg, preventing you from even attempting to knee him in the dick. You groaned against his hand, trying to speak, scream at him. It pained you seeing him, he was staring into your fucking soul with his pathetic eyes. You wanted to kill him, you would the second you were free.

His body was entirely pressed against yours, you couldn’t move an inch even if you tried, he bent his neck down, trying to get a better look at you. “I need you to hear me out, __. It’s killing me.”

You squinted your eyes, fuck. You didn’t expect this to be this difficult. You missed your friend, no matter how much you hated him at the moment. He was still someone you had spent the majority of your life with, he was your family. Jeongguk sounded out of breath, he had to have snuck in without anyone noticing him. There was no chance any of the guys would willingly let him talk to you, not without your permission.

“I panicked, okay? I fucking panicked. You need to understand that. Even if you came in before or after I agreed with Eunwoo, I wouldn’t. I fucking wouldn’t. You think I’d really give you up?” You tried to break free, he was hurting you. Watching his eyes twinkle against the moonlight wanted to make you cry. He looked sincere and you hated him for that, for looking like he was actually fucking sorry.

Jeongguk was beautiful. You wanted to punch yourself for thinking of it right now. He had always been beautiful to you. Even right now, after what he’d done, he was beautiful. He was so much older, so much more mature, he wasn’t the same Jeongguk from seven years ago. He caught his bottom lip between his teeth— a nervous habit he had— and stared at you. His ears were red. He was nervous. You didn’t know what to do, you felt suffocated with his body against yours like this. You couldn’t think straight no matter how hard you tried.

Jeongguk’s head sunk lower, forehead touching yours. “I would never give you up, I’d die before I’d do that to you.”

Jeongguk was becoming blurry, you were crying, letting the tears fall from your eyes and onto the top of his palm. “You’re my family, please, I would— I can’t live without you, I don’t even know how I could fucking make it up to you, I’ll do anything. Anything, please,” he choked, out, letting his hand fall, releasing your mouth.

Should you scream? Let everyone know he’s in here so they could beat the shit out of him? Should you just beat the shit out of him? No. You couldn’t. Not with the way he’s staring at you, looking like you’re the only person in the world to him. Jeongguk raised his hands, thumbs wiping the tears from your face.

You couldn’t stop them, they were spilling out, waiting for Jeongguk to clean them up. He was crying too, “I love you,” he said it so quietly you could barely hear it. You think you’re imagining it, are you fucking hallucinating? Had you gone crazy from being alone for three days, that you were hallucinating him? You know how he meant it, that he loved you as a friend. Right now, you didn’t care. He said it, that was enough for you. He hadn’t let go of your face, holding it upright so that you wouldn’t look away from him.

“Say it,” he leaned closer, “please, say it.”

He hadn’t been this close to you in years. The last time was six, seven, years ago? It had become an unspoken rule after he rejected you to not get too close to each other, for your sake. This, however, was testing all of it. He was so close you could smell his cologne, the muskiness you were so familiar with. You could see the scar he got with you when you both were fifteen, you even caught his new lip piercing, this was cruel. Was he playing with you?

Jeongguk pushed himself into you, “Fucking say it, __.”

“I-“ Just how many times had you imagined this? Fifteen? A hundred? Fifteen-hundred?

Jeongguk looked desperate, is he fucking okay? Why did he want to hear you say it? He didn’t love you, he had a fucking— he had a—

“Stop, stop getting in your head,” he was way too fucking close. You could feel his breath on your lips, he was inches away, maybe less. Maybe more, you couldn’t fucking tell, you might pass out. “For fuck sake, tell me—“

“I love you, Jeongguk.”

Jeongguk looked like a deer caught in headlights. Your heart pounded against your chest, like it was trying anything to get the fuck out of there. You wanted to get out too, embarrassed for what you just fucking said. What the fuck are you two doing?

“Thought so,” Jeongguk closed the distance between you two, lips molding into yours. You were frozen from the shock, is he fucking kissing you? Why the fuck is he kissing you right now? This had to be a hallucination, there was no fucking way this was real.

“Kiss me back, dammit,” he growled against your lips, diving back in. You didn’t need to be told twice, you kissed back. It had been years since you last kissed someone. Jeongguk kissed as passionately as he did seven years ago. The metal of his lip ring grazed against your lip. He rolled his hip into yours, you could feel it. He was hard. How was this turning him on? Is he a fucking masochist?

Jeongguk’s mouth left yours, he moved to kiss your neck, hands bracing on either side of your head. He was licking and nipping at your neck, moving lower. You didn’t know what was happening, why he suddenly wanted to do this with you.

“Jeongguk,” you moaned, what the fuck? Fifteen minutes ago you were determined you’d kill him if he ever showed himself to you. Now, here you were, about to have sex with him. Is this what it was leading to?

Jeongguk only hummed against your skin, hands cupping your breast, giving it a harsh squeeze. Fuck, fuck, fuck. It felt good, too good. You wanted this so badly, you’ve wanted it for years. He has a fucking girlfriend. Snap the fuck out of it.

“Jihyo—“ Her name slipped out of your mouth.

He stopped. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Jeongguk released you, turning around without another word. You watched as he gripped his hair, bending over and muttering something you couldn’t catch.

“I’m so sorry, holy fuck,” Jeongguk began to pace, unsure what to do. You didn’t know what the fuck was happening, why he did what he did. Was he manipulating you? He’d fuck you good so you forgot about him betraying you? Is that what it is?

“What the fuck are you doing Jeongguk?”

He shook his head, hand bouncing in the air, “I’m sorry. I just came to apologize, seriously. I am fucking sorry, I don’t know what happened to me. When you said it, I just couldn’t—“

It. When you said it. When he said it.

“Are you still together?”

His brows furrowed, unsure of why you were asking him that, “It’s complicated.”

It’s complicated was code for yes, dumbass, we are still together. You wanted to puke at how easily you folded for him. He said a few sweet words and suddenly you were ready to forgive and forget.

“Why’d you say it, Jeongguk?”

“Huh?”

“Why’d you tell me you love me, Jeongguk?”

He blinked, body tense, “I do love you.”

“You don’t tell someone you love them and them dry hump them because you see them as a sister.”

He knew you were right. If you did have sex, what then? Would he suddenly love you? Would he break up with Jihyo to be with you? You didn’t even have to ask to know the answer to your own question. His heart was with her, regardless if his dick was not.

“It felt right, __. I—“

“You what? Thought you could love me because of how badly you wanted to fuck me? Is that it? You don’t love me, Jeongguk, you don’t.”

Jeongguk sat on your bed, frustrated. His palms rubbed at his face as he tried to come up with a good enough explanation. “Do you love me?” The question came out muffled, his palms obstructing his mouth.

“You know the answer to that.”

A sound erupted through the house. Jeongguk got up in a flash, body blocking yours from the door. “What the fuck was that?”

You didn’t know. How the fuck could you know? You were too busy trying to solve your love crisis.

“Jeongguk, get the fuck out of her room or I’ll kill you, I swear it.”

Yoongi. It was Yoongi.

[autumnshighlady]

I’ve Always Liked to Play With Fire (part 8)

NESTA ARCHERON X ERIS VANSERRA X FEMALE!READER

summary: you finally meet Emerie and Gwyn, but an argument between Cassian and Nesta spirals out of control and you come head to head with the High Lord

warnings: the usual IC slander

word count: 6k 

DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE

a/n PLEASE READ: so the vote was almost 50/50 between doing a time jump and not doing a time jump, so I decided to meet y’all in the middle. There will be small time jumps, especially in the next chapter, missing a few important ACOSF moments but they will be mentioned briefly. I hope this is ok! Also this is sort of a filler chapter but I think you guys will like it. I’ve put out like 3 chapters in one week I’m exhausted haha

feedback is appreciated, just no hate pls! these are just my opinions, i’m more curious to see how you all like the writing and characterization and storylines!

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

part 5

part 6

part 7

read on ao3

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“Are you even listening?”

“No, not really.”

Azriel rolled his eyes at you for what was probably the fifth time that hour. You were sitting in an office area of the House, a map of the Night Court laid out in front of you. Scrolls and manuscript were strewn across the desk messily, as if whoever had been in here last had not bothered to organize it. The soft glow of lanterns illuminated the table in an otherwise dark room, the window nearby facing the mountains rather than the vibrant city below. Azriel had followed through on his promise to teach you about the Night Court before your other training resumed, actually letting you sleep in for once.

Just this one time. He had promised, and you knew he’d meant it.

You had covered Illyria so far, to your distaste as much as Azriel’s. It was interesting how much he loathed his own people, but after delving into their practices you could see why.

“And Rhysand just lets this happen? He allows females be crippled and used for breeding?” You had asked when the spymaster told you about the wing-clipping practice.

“Illyrians are slow to change.” Was all Azriel had said. You pointed out that oh-so powerful Rhysand could simply make them change, or use his mind control abilities to influence the Illyrian leaders. But Azriel had only glared at you, ignoring your comment before moving onto the next subject – the Court of Nightmares.

Which led you to where you were now.

“So let me get this straight,” You said after Azriel rolled his eyes. “The Court of Nightmares is in the Hewn City, and that’s the side of the Night Court that the rest of the world sees and views it to be.”

“Correct.” Azriel huffed, blue siphons reflecting strange casts of light from the lanterns.

You straightened your back. “So my same point as Illyria still stands. Females are suffering there too – you said the Morrigan was rescued from her own family from that very court. But why’s she the only one being saved? What about all the other females in there being sold off into marriage like cattle?”

Azriel’s scarred knuckles tightened in annoyance. His voice was clipped and tense, as you were clearly testing his patience. “Like I said twice already,” He said through gritted teeth. “Change does not come easy. And besides, they have an agreement of sorts. Rhysand lets them do what they please, in exchange for recognizing his authority and providing an army if needed.”

“But you said they have the right to refuse.” You pointed out.

“Yes. The Court of Nightmares has autonomy within the Night Court. It’s the best way to keep the peace.”

“Except for the females.” You muttered, fiddling with a scrap of paper and tearing it up in your fingers. It wasn’t fair how Rhysand and Feyre had the power to help so many people, yet choose to keep things the way they are. Nesta had told you that Feyre often shifted into an Illyrian form – wings unclipped and able to fly her through the sky, above all the female Illyrians down below who were crippled and kept for breeding. The thought of her flaunting those wings when half of the Illyrian population had them taken away simply for being born female made you sick. But it was something to consider for your long-term plan.

“I know it’s hard for you to understand,” Azriel said lowly. “And I know it’s hard for you to hear this as a female. But we help out where we can with the resources we have.”

“No you really don’t.” You scoffed, and then spoke again before the shadowsinger could object. “But if that’s what you have to tell yourself to sleep at night then by all means.”

Azriel huffed, and you felt another twinge of guilt. It wasn’t entirely his fault – he had no authority over the High Lord and Lady, he couldn’t go behind their backs or tell them what to do. You wanted to like Azriel, and a part of you did. But the other part was resentful that like the rest of the Inner Circle, he did nothing to challenge their ways.

“I am trying to help you.” Azriel said slowly, turning his hazel eyes to yours. “I wasn’t lying when I told Rhysand that you had potential. You’re a quick learner, and you’re extremely clever. I want you to succeed and find your place in this court, but I can’t help you do that if you fight back with snarky comments every chance you get.”

“Have you considered that maybe adjusting to your court is difficult for me considering where I came from?” You challenged, meeting his gaze with your own. “Forgive me if it takes some time for me to come to terms that I live in a court where if I had wings or was born in the Hewn City my only purpose would be for breeding.”

“You haven’t been here for long,” Azriel said cooly. “Give it time.”

You sighed, dropping the remains of the paper onto the desk. “If you say so.”

Azriel stared at you for a minute, unblinking. It was impossible to read his expression, as usual. A strand of dark hair fell onto his forehead artfully, contrasting with the golden light and making him look like a painting. “What?” Your tone came out snappier than intended.

“I think you should spend some time with people from this court who aren’t part of the Inner Circle.” He suggested slowly, as if waiting for you to lash out. “Instead of just training with me, you can join the sessions with Cassian and the others. Would that be something you’re interested in?”

You paused, weighing your options before considering his words. Would that be something you’re interested in? He was giving you a choice – your first real choice at the Night Court that wasn’t coerced or scripted. If you wanted to say no, there would be no consequences. But then you thought about Nesta, and the friends she had made. You’d be able to meet them this way and get to know them – spending more time with Nesta was a bonus. You’d have more of an excuse to be around her now, and to coordinate your plan.

The fight. You mentally cursed yourself, remembering last the Inner Circle checked, you and Nesta were on the outs. You didn’t want to have to keep up the argument act, but maybe you could stage something else, something that made it seem like the two of you were on the mend. They’d think it was Nesta ‘healing’ because of them and pat themselves on the back, but you’d have to forgive it and let them have this temporary victory before you pull the rug out from under them.

“I guess I could give it a try.” You said hesitantly, nodding at Azriel.

His lips twitched in a small smile. “Good, be ready at 8 tomorrow.”

*********************

You groaned, rubbing your eyes as you stepped into the training ring. Sleep was scarce for you last night, leaving you groggy and tired as you dressed yourself in the leathers laid out for you. You hadn’t seen Nesta yesterday, but you sent her a mental note about planning for today.

The two of you agreed that you would be distant, but not outright avoiding each other to make it seem more real – Nesta would apologize to you, and you to her, making sure Cassian overheard. Everything was set, now all you had to do was survive the grueling training.

As you entered the ring, your eyes scanned for Nesta. She was sitting down near the corner, stretching alongside a pretty redhead and Illyrnian woman. Her eyes were clear, devoid of the empty hauntedness that had resided in them as she recounted the past few weeks. Hair neatly braided back, she snorted at something the Illyrian female had said.

Taking a breath, you nodded to Cassian and walked over to where Nesta was. The general nodded back, glancing towards Azriel who shrugged his shoulders.

You approached hesitantly, making sure to look nervous. You could practically feel Cassian’s gaze boring into the back of your head, analyzing your every movement like a hawk. “Hey,” You said quietly to Nesta.

“Hi.” Her voice was quipped, yet soft. She looked up at you, expression unreadable. You hated having to play these roles, but you pushed that aside.

“Can I join you?” You asked, fiddling with the loose strap on your leathers.

The other two females glanced at Nesta, one of them raising her eyebrows knowingly. You wondered what Nesta had told them about you, how much they knew.

“Actually,” Nesta cleared her throat and stood up, and you could feel Cassian’s gaze shift to her. “I was hoping I could talk to you. Come grab some water with me.”

You followed her, Azriel’s eyes now on you as well. The two Illyrian males tracked your every movement as you headed over to the water station, grabbing a cup from the table. You stood in silence as you took turns filling it up, waiting for Nesta to speak. Finally, she did.

“I wanted to apologize.” Nesta said, swishing the water in her cup. “For how we left things. You were nothing but kind to me, and I lashed out. You were my only friend, and I was cruel to you. For that, I am sorry.”

You bit your lip, resisting the urge to watch Cassian’s reaction. “I’m sorry too,” You said after a few moments. “For what I said about everyone hating you. It was mean, and I didn’t mean it. I’d like to move past it, if we can.”

“Me too.” Nesta’s lips twitched as she spoke to you mentally. Don’t look, but Cassian just broke out into the biggest grin. He’s watching us.

I bet he’s proud of you for apologizing – thinks it’s all because of him.

Well, it’s not.

I know.

You smiled, following Nesta back over to the group. You glanced at Azriel, who gave you a nod of approval. It was working.

“So why did Azriel drag you here?” Nesta spoke up, interrupting your thoughts.

“He thinks it’ll be good for me,” You said, stopping to pick up a mat from the racks. “To spend time with others from the Court.”

Nesta hummed, sitting back down on her stretching mat as you unrolled yours. “Well, this is Gwyn,” She said, gesturing to the redhead. “And this is Emerie.” The Illyrian female raised her hand in greeting.

“I’m (Y/N).” You said, offering a friendly smile. Gwyn’s large, teal eyes gleamed, the freckles on her pale skin were like stardust in the sunlight. She seemed shy, but courageous. You knew she was a priestess in the library, meaning she had likely been through the unthinkable – the fact Nesta was able to convince her to come out of the library made your heart swell with pride.

Emerie glanced up and down at you, a smirk pulling at her lips. “We know,” She said. “We’ve heard all about you.”

You chuckled as Nesta fixed the Illyrian with a stern glare. You’ve told them about me, now have you? You said to Nesta.

Shut up. Her reply was just as stern as her gaze, but there was some lightness to it. Her cheeks were flushed red with embarrassment – it was adorable.

How much do they know? You quickly asked her.

They know we had a fight. They don’t know it was fake, but I think they suspect something. I trust them though, they won’t say anything unless I tell them first. They’re good people.

Works for me.

“We wondered when you’d be joining us.” Gwyn quipped, extending her other leg and reaching down to touch her toes. Nesta turned the other way, focusing on stretching her hip.

“Yeah, well Azriel knew I’d go crazy only seeing his face for the next while so he decided to chuck me in here with you guys.” You said, making Gwyn giggle. “He needs Cassian’s alliance to deal with me sometimes.”

In the distance, Azriel snorted. He’d clearly been listening, which was good. You wanted him to hear everything. You turned to look at him, and he shook his head and sighed. Emerie laughed, missing nothing. “Mother above, what do you do to him?” She said.

You shrugged, clasping your arms behind your back and stretching them behind you. “I make his life hell pretty much, isn’t that right?” You called out the last part loudly.

The shadowsinger walked a few steps toward you, hauling a large mat across the floor. “You certainly don’t make my job easy.” He muttered, setting it down in the middle of the ring.

You rolled your eyes, turning to ask Gwyn about how her training is going but stopped. Gwyn was watching Azriel, teal blue eyes following the movements of his muscled arms as he shuffled equipment around. She caught your gaze, blushing and quickly looking away.

“So,” You said, turning to Nesta. “What are we learning today?”

“More strength exercises, apparently.” Nesta huffed, groaning and clutching her stomach. “My abs are still killing me from yesterday.”

“Are we ready to go, or just going to sit there complaining all day?” Came Cassian’s loud voice. The four of you exchanged a glance, huffing as you stood up and kicked your mats to the side.

You liked Gwyn and Emerie. You could tell Nesta was relaxed around them in a way she wasn’t with the others in the court. You found no jealousy churning in your gut, only pride. Nesta having friends was a huge step, but then you realized something – eventually, you and Nesta would leave the Night Court. Gwyn and Emerie would have to be left behind, unless somehow they were okay with your plan and snuck away with you. But two females fleeing the Night Court was already risky enough, let alone adding two others to the mix.

We’ll worry about that later. You said to yourself, taking a deep breath and extending into the position Cassian was demonstrating.

*********************

“Nesta,” Cassian said after the four of you collapsed onto the mat, panting from exhaustion. “If you were to name a sword, what would you call it?”

Gwyn answered, though she hadn’t been asked, “Silver Majesty.”

Emerie snorted. “Really?”

Gwyn demanded, “What would you call it?”

Emerie considered. “Foe Slayer, or something. Something intimidating.”

You laughed. “That’s no better!”

Nesta’s mouth tugged upward at their teasing. Gwyn looked to her, teal eyes bright. “Which one is worse: Foe Slayer or Silver Majesty?”

“Silver Majesty,” Nesta said, and Emerie crowed with triumph. Gwyn waved a hand, booing.

“What would you call it?” Cassian asked Nesta again. You paused, confused as to why he was so persistent. Apparently, Nesta was the same because she glanced to you before speaking up.

“Why do you want to know?” She asked.

“Humor me.”

She lifted a brow. But then said with all sincerity. “Killer.”

His brows flattened.

Nesta shrugged. “I don’t know. Is it necessary to name a sword?”

“Just tell me: If you had to name a sword, what would you call it?”

“Are you getting her one as a Winter Solstice present?” You asked.

“No.”

“Then why keep asking?” You pressed, eyes fixed on Cassian suspiciously.

Cassian scowled. “Curiosity.”

But his jaw tightened, but you knew it wasn’t that – there was something else.

Why would he want you to name a sword? You asked Nesta.

No idea. She replied. I went to a blacksmith with him a few days ago and helped forge some blades. But that’s it.

“Back to work,” he said, clapping his hands and interrupting your thoughts. “For all that sass, you’re doing double time on the Valkyrie lunge hold.”

Emerie and Gwyn groaned, but Nesta surveyed Cassian for another moment before following their lead. You glanced at Azriel, puzzled, but he averted his gaze. You immediately grew even more suspicious – normally he’d just stare at you with that blank expression, revealing nothing. But his avoidance made you question what he wasn’t telling you.

Just over an hour later, you were back on your stretching mats cooling down. Legs shaking from the grueling exercises, you took a sip of your water before realizing it was empty.

“Here, give it to me.” Emerie said, extending her hand and taking your cup. “Gwyn and I are going to get more water before we all die of thirst.”

“Thanks!” You called out as the Illyrian female and the priestess headed over to the water station. Nesta glanced towards you, and you heard her voice in your head.

I’m going to talk to Cassian.

Before you could stop her, she stood up and stomped over with her arms crossed. You  glanced at Gwyn and Emerie, who were too deep in their own conversation to notice. Continuing to stretch, you listened in the direction of Nesta and Cassian.

“Why were you pestering me about naming a sword?” You heard her demand.

Cassian’s voice sounded in return, trying to sound nonchalant but failing. “I just wanted to know what you’d name one.”

“That’s not an answer. Why do you want to know?”

He crossed his arms, then uncrossed them. “Do you remember when we went to the blacksmith?”

“Yes. He’s giving me a blade for Winter Solstice?”

“He’s given you three. The ones you touched.”

Silence.

You heard the general tapping his foot on the ground. “When you hammered those blades, you imbued them—the two swords and the dagger—with your power. The Cauldron’s power. They’re now magic blades. And I’m not talking nice, pretty magic. I’m talking big, ancient magic that hasn’t been seen in a long, long time. There are no magic weapons left. None. They were either lost or destroyed or dumped in the sea. But you just Made three of them. You created a new Dread Trove. You could create even more objects, if you wished.”

“I Made three magic weapons?” Disbelief rang in her voice.

“We don’t know yet what manner of magic they have, but yes.” You turned towards the water station to see Emerie and Gwyn halting their chatting, as if they could see or sense the shift in Nesta. You turned towards her and Cassian, and you didn’t have to see her face to know anger was rising in her eyes.

“Who is ‘we’?” Nesta hissed.

“What?” Cassian said.

“You said ‘We don’t know what manner of magic they have.’ Who is ‘we’?”

“Rhys and Feyre and the others.”

“And how long have all of you known about this?”

He winced as he realized his error. “I ... Nesta ...”

“How long?” Her voice became sharp as glass. Everyone was watching now.

“This isn’t the place to talk about it.”

“You’re the one trying to coax a name out of me in the middle of training!” She gestured to the ring.

Cassian’s face grew pained. “This isn’t coming out the way it should. We argued about whether to tell you, but we took a vote and it went in your favor. Because we trust you. I just ... hadn’t gotten a chance to bring it up yet.”

“There was a possibility you wouldn’t even tell me? You all sat around and judged me, and then you voted?” You could feel something deep in Nesta’s chest cracking, to know that every horrible thing about her had been analyzed.

“It ... Fuck.” Cassian reached for her, but she stepped back. Everyone was staring now. “Nesta, this isn’t ...”

“Who. Voted. Against me.”

“Rhys and Amren.”

You sucked in a breath. Rhys was not a surprise – he hated Nesta and everyone knew it. You personally were not surprised by Amren, but could tell by the way Nesta froze that she was hurt. She had told you briefly that she shared a sort of friendship with the female once, before it all went to shit.

Cassian’s eyes widened. “Nesta—”

“I’m fine,” She said coldly. “I don’t care.”

She rolled her shoulders and strolled back to where you all were watching. Gwyn and Emerie looked at her with concern, but she did not acknowledge it. She left the ring without looking back at Cassian, or any of you.

Emerie was on her heels instantly, trailing her down the stairs. “What’s wrong?” You heard her say.

“Nothing,” Nesta’s reply came. “Court business.”

“Are you all right?” Gwyn asked, a step behind Emerie.

“Yes.” Nesta said before vanishing down the hallway. You wanted to go after her, but held back, remembering that Cassian and Azriel had to think you two were still only on your way to making full amends.

Talk to me. You begged, but no response came. You heard nothing but felt the roaring in her head. Nesta had gone silent again.

*********************

It had been hours, despite your searching Nesta was nowhere to be found. You looked in every corner of the House you could think – the library, her room, your reading nook, nothing. Nesta had not reached out to you either, but you hoped once she calmed down she would.

Your mind wheeled from earlier. Nesta had made a new trove, and the Inner Circle didn’t even tell her – Cassian wasn’t even going to tell her, he only did because it slipped out by mistake. It was apparent they felt entitled to not only Nesta’s autonomy, but her powers as well.

Stomach churning, you crawled into bed and tried to sleep.

*********************

The next day came, and nothing was heard from Nesta. Azriel had not come to check on you either. Something was wrong.

*********************

Nothing the next day.

*********************

On the third day, you stood on the balcony. Your eyes were puffy from lack of sleep, hair unkept. You hadn’t slept once since Nesta disappeared, and nobody had told you anything. Training was suspended temporarily with no explanation, and worry nagged away at your gut. You had no idea where Nesta was.

Please, You begged her for the millionth time. Let me know you’re okay. I’ll do anything, Nesta. Just… please tell me you’re ok.

You felt a sudden gust of wind behind you, cooling the sweat on the back of your neck. You turned around, seeing Azriel. A few feet behind him was Rhysand, which filled you with dread. The High Lord looked haggard, his raven-black hair disheveled and his black shirt wrinkled. Azriel didn’t look much better either.

You stormed over. “What the hell is going on?” You demanded, not caring who you were talking to. Rage took over, that familiar sea of anger rose inside of you.

“(Y/N)...” Azriel began, taking a step towards you.

“Where have you been?” You cut him off, glaring. “What the hell happened that everyone disappeared for over two days? Where is Nesta?”

“Let me explain–”

“You…” You hissed at Rhysand, pushing past the spymaster. You stormed to the High Lord, who looked defeated. “This is all your fault.”

“What are you talking about?” Rhys’ voice was flat.

“I heard Nesta and Cassian arguing,” You hissed. “She made some sort of magic weapon accidentally and instead of telling her and letting her help decide what to do, you voted about it without her? What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

The High Lord’s violet eyes sharpened, and he glared at you. You felt his presence surrounding you, pushing you to submit to him, to his power. Instead, you ignored it, staring down the male who you hated so much.

“Nesta is fine.” He said sternly.

“Then where is she?” You demanded, cocking your head. “Why did she just disappear?”

Rhysand growled. “She’s with Cassian, they’ve gone away for a couple of days.”

“Rhys…” Azriel’s deep voice sounded from behind you. The High Lord’s simmering violent gaze went glassy for a split second, but enough for you to know that he was telling his spymaster something.

“No,” Azriel said firmly, striding over to face his High Lord. “She deserves to know.”

You furrowed your brows. “Know what?”

Rhysand hissed. “Quiet.”

“No,” Azriel growled. “You put your trust in me to supervise her, and I say that she deserves to know what’s going on.”

“I’m with the shadowsinger on this one.” You said, folding your arms across your chest. Rhysand had not moved, just continued to glare down at you.

He didn’t trust you, that much was easy enough to detect. He still judged you for being from Tamlin’s court, as if you were responsible for Tamlin’s actions against Feyre. No matter how hard you worked, no matter if 500 years went by of you proving your loyalty over and over again to the High Lord, he would never trust you. He would always watch you from the corner of his eye with doubt.

“Fucking tell me.” You growled, fists curling. A scarred hand clasped your shoulder and squeezed, urging you to calm down.

“Come, I’ll explain.” Azriel said softly before glaring at Rhys. “I’m telling her, Rhysand. And if you want to stop me you’re going to have to use that mind control of yours.”

The High Lord’s jaw clenched, darkness filling the area. “I think you’ve grown too close to the matter, Azriel.” His tone was commanding and lethal. “Let’s go.”

“No.” You interjected, yanking your shoulder out from under Azriel’s hand. “You’re going to tell me what happened, right here, right now. And he’s going to shut up and give answers.”

Azriel bit his lip, possibly worried that Rhysand would strike you down there and then. He placed himself between you two. “Okay.” He said firmly. “You know how Feyre is pregnant, right?”

“Yes.” You said, caught off guard for a moment. Azriel’s voice sounded distorted as you got lost in your own mind, recalling Nesta’s words. That’s when we also found out Feyre was pregnant, although Rhys later told us that the pregnancy would kill her since the baby has wings.

“...so he decided to keep it from her until a solution was found.” Azriel continued, recapturing your attention.

“Let me guess, you haven’t found one and Feyre doesn’t know.” You stated, looking at Rhysand instead of Azriel. The High Lord said nothing, only continued clenching his jaw and glaring at you.

“Not yet,” Azriel said calmly. “But she does know now. In her anger from the vote, Nesta decided to storm into the city and tell Feyre about what everyone else knew – that the baby would kill her.”

“Good.” You shot back, furious – while Feyre was far from your favourite person, she was a female who deserved to be able to make a choice about what to do with her body and the baby that was killing her. “Feyre deserved to know, you idiots. How could you keep this from her?”

“Nesta told Feyre to hurt her and to spite me,” Rhysand growled. “Not because she had her best interest in mind.”

No shit, You thought. Nesta owed you nothing. She had all her choices taken from her, and she wasn’t about to let that happen to her sister.

“Shut up, Rhys.” Azriel growled, causing the High Lord to blink in surprise. “But yes, she told her out of anger. Everyone got mad, and Cassian grabbed her to get her out of Velaris. They’re staying in the mountains for a few days until everything calms down.”

Your blood stilled. Something didn’t make sense – you understood taking a few hours apart, but days? Either Azriel wasn’t telling you something, or Rhysand was withholding information from his shadowsinger. You heard stories of the heightened emotions that went along with having a mate. If Feyre was upset and Nesta had been the cause of that, Rhysand would have been angry as hell. Possibly angry enough to….

“You threatened to kill Nesta, didn’t you?” Your voice was barely above a whisper as your gaze landed on the High Lord.

He didn’t answer, so you spoke again, louder. “Didn’t you? That’s why Cassian had to stay away for a few days with Nesta, because he was worried that you’d kill your mate’s sister.”

Azriel furrowed his brows, the first time you’d ever seen him confused. “That’s not true,” He said, but his voice was flat, as if he was trying to convince himself of it as he turned to his High Lord. “Right Rhys?”

The High Lord of the Night Court gave no answer, darkness curling around his fingertips as he stared you down. You could tell he wanted nothing more than to mist you on sight – you laid him bare and tore him down in front of his most trusted friend, exposing him for what he really was. And he hated it.

“Rhys?” Azriel’s voice lowered.

Rhysand finally spoke after a few seconds. “I’m not going to hurt Nesta.”

“But you threatened to?” You challenged.

“Yes.”

Azriel sighed. “Are you fucking kidding me, Rhys?”

A rage that you hadn’t felt before bubbled up inside you. The High Lord of the Night Court, who let the females in Illyria and the Hewn City suffer and be used as breeding cattle, had threatened to kill Nesta, his mate’s sister. Despite how much he claimed to love Feyre, he still treated her like any female of his court by not giving her a choice – he could offer sanctuary to the females in Illyria or the Hewn City like he had with the priestesses in the library, but he didn’t. This male insisted that the monster facade he put on for other courts was purely for show, but you knew that at his core, that’s just who he really was.

And he chased Nesta out of the city because she did what he was too afraid to do.

“This is all your fault, Rhysand.” Your voice was steady, cold as the edge of the sharpest blade. “You didn’t tell your mate that she was going to die, and you threatened to kill Nesta because she let her sister have a choice. You locked her up here because you couldn’t control her like you do the others, pretending like it was for the sake of helping her. You let two thirds of your court live in suffering, then wonder why they hate you. You’re a terrible ruler and an even worse mate, Rhysand. And you will get what’s coming to you.”

The High Lord said nothing as you turned on your heel and strode back into the House, leaving him and Azriel alone on the balcony.

*********************

The next few hours felt like a blur – part of you expected Rhysand to return and rip you to shreds for threatening him. It was stupid of you, but you didn’t regret it – you could tell by the way Azriel’s demeanor changed as he found out Rhys neglected to mention his threat to Nesta’s life that he was shocked, and mad that he was not informed of it. Maybe seeing you stand up to Rhys would give him a backbone after all.

You drifted into sleep, hoping that you wouldn’t wake up in a cell.

*********************

A gentle hand on your shoulder woke you. Your vision was blurry as you lifted a head from the pillow, the sunlight casting a golden glow on the female sitting on your bed.

Nesta.

All sleepiness was gone and you bolted upright, not caring that it made your head spin. Before you could say anything, her arms wrapped around you and held you tight. In your grogginess, you yelped and fell back, head hitting the pillow once again. Nesta followed, still clinging to you as her weight landed on top of you but you didn’t care. The hole in your chest from the past few days swelled as you held the eldest Archeron in your arms again, clutching her as if she would float away.

Tears flowed down your cheeks as Nesta nuzzled her head into your neck, her shoulders shaking, indicating she was crying too. The two of you laid there, Nesta laying on top of you and clutching onto your frame as if you were her lifeline. A white, soft glow began to shine from your sternums, merging into one beautiful light. It filled the room as you held each other in the embrace – life and death entwined into one beautiful force.

“Nesta…” You sobbed, bringing a hand up to cradle her head.

“I’m here.” Her voice was shaky as she spoke into your neck. “I’m here, darling.”

“Azriel told me everything,” You choked out between sobs. “About Feyre and the fight. And the mountains. And Rhys… he threatened to kill you….”

“I’m so sorry…” Nesta’s voice was muffled. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“Shh.. It’s not your fault.”

“I wanted to reach out, I really did. But I couldn’t. I just broke out there, I wanted to die. I couldn’t do it.”

Fresh tears washed out the dried ones, and you held her closer. You wanted to burn Rhysand and his inner circle to the ground for this, for breaking Nesta down until she truly believed she was unworthy of life and love.

“It’s okay,” You said quietly. “You’re here now. You’re safe.”

Nesta took a deep breath, but didn’t lift her head from your neck. She just kept holding you. “We hiked through those mountains for two days.” She whispered, voice hoarse. “Cassian was so mad at me. He had me haul the backpacks, he didn’t notice when I fainted. He didn’t speak to me unless it was to order me to eat or drink. Then when I broke, he held me. I thought he was going to stand up for me, say what Rhys did was wrong, that all of this was wrong. But then he wanted to fuck me just a few hours later. That’s all I am to him, isn’t it? Something to fuck but not enough to love?”

“Did you…?” Your voice trailed off, embarrassed for asking. You felt bad, regretting the question even though it had not fully formed.

“No.” She said quietly. “He was surprised. He tried a few times, but didn’t push it. He respected my decision, but I think he could tell something had changed.”

You inhaled deeply, letting her scent fill your nose. You missed it, craved it while she was gone in a way you couldn’t quite understand. Everything you did, every move and plan you made to escape the Night Court at its core was for Nesta. The female who laid on top of you, curled into your arms, had fought so hard and been through so much. She had been forced into a life she didn’t want, and would have to live in it for the rest of her immortal life. You wanted to get out of the Night Court not just for yourself, but so Nesta could have a chance to truly live.

“Besides,” Nesta said, lifting her head and staring down at you with grey eyes glistening with tears. “Cassian isn’t the one I wanted to do this to.”

Nesta leaned town and pressed her lips against yours. Your eyes fluttered shut as you melted into the kiss, grabbing the back of her neck and pulling her closer. Her soft lips tasted as sweet as you remembered, but this kiss was different than the last one. Last time, it was all fire and desperation, but this one was sure and intimate. Nesta’s weight on top of you was comforting, her legs tangled with yours as she tried to get as close to you as possible. Your lips broke apart for air. Your heart fluttered as she tilted her head and kissed you again, stroking your tear stained cheek with her hand. It was passionate, but not rough or overly sexual like you were pretty sure she was used to with Cassian – it was a kiss that came from the heart, just sexual desire.

The drums of time slowed down as your lips melted together. The glow between your chests continued to shine like starlight, shutting off the outside world. There was no Rhysand to threaten you, no Troves or death gods – it was just you two.

Needing air again, your lips broke apart. Nesta took a shaky breath, pressing her forehead into yours.

“It’s you.” She said breathlessly. “It’s always been you.”

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[endlesslystarlitskies]

Lost and Found - Part 16

A/N: And here it is! The final chapter. I hope you guys like it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please let me know what you think, and thank you to everyone who followed the story all the way to the end. You guys are awesome! 

Also, I do not speak a lot of Spanish, so forgive me if the Spanish Title I put in here does not make sense and feel free to correct me! 

Genre: Horror, Action, Adventure, Romance, Slow-Burn,  

Pairing: Leon Kennedy x Named Reader (Named but not Described)

Summary: Ella was one of the missing hikers who was kidnapped by the villagers. She narrowly escaped being sacrificed, but her friends weren’t so lucky. Managing to survive out in the woods with her previous skills and knowledge, she runs into Leon, and that meeting begins the longest, most dangerous adventure of her life as she tries to help him save the girl she saw being taken into the church. What will happen along the way? Only one way to find out.  

Warnings: Canon typical violence and gore, Death, Murder, Monsters, Suicidal ideations mentioned

Word Count: 5,429

Chapter 15  Alternate Ending  Story Masterlist

xXx

Leon watched as the sun began to rise above the mountains, feeling the warmth hit his skin as the breeze gently brushed his hair from his eyes. It was a peaceful morning. One that made everything happening out in the world seem so far away for just a few, quiet moments. 

The events of Spain had been over six months ago, now. Leon had succeeded in his mission to rescue the president's daughter, Ashley home safe and sound with her family. Leon returned back home after being praised and congratulated by The President, all his words meaning nothing to him as he just wanted to be left to himself for a bit.

His mind drifted to Luis’ lab, and of a file that had been on one of the tables that hadn’t been there the first time he had gone to the room. It had a purple marking on it, which suggested it was from The Merchant, who was nowhere to be found as they escaped from the Island, Leon having the file securely in his possession.

Inside the file were research notes labeled “La Plaga Durmiente”, as well as notes from Castro himself. The notes spoke of a parasite that had been engineered under Saddlers approval and Castro’s direction. The parasite would remain dormant inside the host after being injected, undetectable and giving the host no symptoms as its hold grew stronger with each moment it was there.

However, engineering the plaga this way had it and Saddlers hold on it weakened, meaning it would take much longer for the parasite to gain enough control over the host to take over their mind and body, and Saddler’s power over it was unpredictable and unreliable if the parasite wasn’t fully connected. This made Saddler doubt its validity and halt its experimentation. 

Researchers worked tirelessly to figure out a way to strengthen the plaga without its normal symptoms becoming present within the host, and after a while, they had. Taking a tiny piece of the section of the Amber the plaga had been inside, they determined the strong connection between the two to be the perfect way to give the parasite the strength it had lost, plus more, allowing it to take over the host’s mind and body with Saddler’s influence in seconds, provided the parasite had enough time to completely bond with the host. 

The piece of Amber was then placed inside a red casing, which gave it an ethereal glow. To further hide the piece of the Amber for its protection, it was inlayed into a necklace, giving it the appearance of a gem and hiding its true nature. This engineered parasite was then put to the side, waiting for the perfect test subject to use it on. 

Castro found that test subject in a female hiker, who was on a trip with her three friends to get away from the stress of the real world. He was intrigued by her strength of will when villagers kidnapped the group of four to sacrifice for the ritual, and it was then, as he watched her fight against her attackers and do everything she could to save her friends, that he knew she would be perfect. 

Being overwhelmed by the numbers and the surprise of sudden attack, the girl was knocked unconscious after reaching for the others, and it was then that the plaga was injected into her body. Keeping up the guise of the ritual, the woman was taken with her three friends to the Altar, where Castro allowed her to escape after sacrificing the others, watching her run and disappear into the forest. 

He watched over her for four days, and when news of an outsider who came to rescue the President’s daughter reached his ears, he knew he had the ideal test to show Saddler that his idea- his creation- would be useful to them in ways they had not originally foreseen. Castro had been prepared to artificially set up a way for the outsider to stumble upon the girl, and take her with him on the journey, but there ended up being no need for him to do that. 

The woman found the outsider all on her own, and without influence, offered her aid to him, refusing to sit idly by as a young girl was taken. 

It had been perfect, in Castro’s mind. The outsider would get attached to the woman, and little would he know, she would be the very thing that would destroy him and prove the Parasites usefulness to Lord Saddler.

The two initial meetings after that were Castro checking in to make sure the woman was not showing symptoms of having the plaga within her body, as well as a way to test what would happen if the plaga was within close proximity of the Amber inside the red casing, wondering if he could use it to speed up the plaga’s progress within its host, though he had no way to know if it worked. However, the plaga did remain hidden, neither the woman nor the outsider aware of what resided inside her. 

Unfortunately, the girl became a nuisance to Lord Saddler, who didn’t hold confidence in the engineered plaga and feared the risks of letting her roam free when his control was not guaranteed, and Castro was ordered to kill her. Deciding to do the ritual out of symbolism and respect for his creation, he took the woman to the altar, where he regretfully prepared to sacrifice the host, and in turn, the parasite. 

Castro’s faith was restored when the outsider came for the woman, abandoning his mission and leaving the President’s daughter vulnerable in order to save her. With that proof, he was able to convince Lord Saddler to keep her alive, to be insurance in the event they were unable to take care of the outsider themselves. 

After his success, and despite the doubts of those around him, he followed after the woman closely, keeping an eye on her and making sure that she continued to remain undetected. A wolf in sheep's clothing. 

Castro became arrogant, however, believing that enough time had to have passed and he could use the necklace himself to make the parasite show itself, giving him control over the woman and taking care of the outsider to impress his Lord. 

That was where Castro’s notes ended, but Leon could fill in the rest. 

Ella defeated Castro, killing him and temporarily weakening the connection between the Amber and the Parasite, slowing its progress within her. She continued to fight hard against horrors she had never faced before with a smile on her face and a quip ready at the tip of her tongue to bring light to an impossible situation, not once letting fear stop her as she worked towards her goal to save both Ashley and Leon. To make up for her belief that she had failed her closest friend.

Even once the parasite made itself known, Ella defied all odds as she fought it and Saddler’s strong hold on her, giving Leon the opening to inject her with the medicine given to him by The Merchant, temporarily weakening the parasite long enough for Leon to defeat Saddler once and for all. Ella had done what she had set out to do, saving both Leon and Ashley and making sure they could return home, despite only being an unassuming civilian- a baker- who had been thrust into the middle of something she could have never expected, or truly understood. 

She was a rarity in the world; A bright light that didn’t go out even when faced with horrors that could bring even the strongest to their knees, and Leon hadn’t been able to help himself as he grew closer to her in ways he hadn’t known was possible for him anymore.

Leon was brought from his thoughts when his cell phone went off, and he pulled it out of his pockets, looking at the caller ID. He smiled softly, before he answered it. 

“Hey, you almost done?” He asked, her voice filling his ear as she responded excitedly. 

“Yup! Just finished finalizing the sale of the bakery and getting my mo-ney!” He chuckled, turning away from the view he had been focusing on for the past few minutes as he gave his full attention to her.

After getting rid of the parasite, Ella had almost died, but like she had time and time again, she fought to survive. If Leon hadn’t destroyed the Amber inside the necklace, he knew she wouldn’t have made it, as the parasite would have been too strong. 

The combination of the broken Amber, the medicine the Merchant had given him, and Ella’s strong will, were the only reasons she had survived the procedure. 

The explosion Ada had mentioned had gone off soon after, and then it was a race to get off the island, Leon carrying an unconscious and barely breathing Ella in his arms as Ashley stayed close behind them. Everything that had happened after leaving the island ran through Leon’s mind right then, remembering how close he had come to losing her.

xXx

Using the jetski Ada had left them, Leon raced towards land, Ella fighting against unconsciousness once more as she leaned against the blonde’s back, her arms weakly wrapped around Leon’s waist. Ashley was right behind her, the young girl's arms caging her in with her hands gripped onto Leon’s body armor to keep Ella from falling into the water. 

Ashley did everything she could to keep her awake, afraid if Ella fell asleep, she wouldn’t wake up again. 

Ella had managed a smile when Ashley pointed out the island they had just left, explosions going off and completely destroying everything on it. At least if Ella didn’t make it, she would die knowing that the parasites couldn’t hurt anyone ever again. 

She wanted to take a minute to watch it burn, but she had a feeling Leon wouldn’t go for that idea, just focusing on Ashley talking about how much she was going to change her life when she got home. How she was going to appreciate the little things more and do everything she had been too scared to do before. 

Ella wished she had the strength to respond, but she was also happy to just let Ashley talk, her words making Ella’s heart warm. They had done it. Ashley would get to go home, and while the events of Spain would forever haunt her, she’d get to live her life, and move forward. It was everything Ella had fought for, and Leon had fought for, as Ashley had stopped being just a mission for him a long time ago, even if he didn’t show it very well. 

It was obvious if you knew what to look for.  

“Look at the sunrise! Isn’t it pretty?” Ashley exclaimed after a moment, and with her help, Ella sat up, feeling the warmth on her face as she looked at the beautiful view. 

“Yeah. . .it is.” She murmured. She loved sunrises. They were always beautiful and had the ability to make everything seem to stop for just a moment. It was peaceful. 

Resting back against Leon, she did her best to stay awake, but she was exhausted, and she couldn’t help herself as she fell asleep. 

xXx

Leon sat in the chair by Ella’s hospital bed, listening to the consistent beep of the heart monitor as he leaned forward with his elbows resting on his thighs. 

Ashley and Ella were both admitted, Leon refusing to let them admit him as well. He didn’t need it. 

Ashley had convinced him to let them at least check over him, and while he was pretty bruised up and had a few cuts that needed cleaning (especially the most recent ones), he was relatively fine. 

Ashley was checked out and given fluids for dehydration concerns, but she received a clean bill of health an hour or so later. Leon had already contacted Hunnigan and informed her that Ashley was safe and in the hospital, and they would be arriving at their location at any moment. 

Ashley was getting much needed rest in the room she had been given, it being right next to Ella so she wasn’t far. 

Ella was hooked up to an IV and covered in fresh bandages, her body having almost completely shut down after the procedure, but she was stable now. 

Leon couldn’t describe the feelings that went through him when he felt her already weak hold around his waist loosen and heard Ashley’s panicked calls of her name as she tried to wake her once more. They had probably given the hospital staff a good scare when he rushed in with her limp body in his arms, Ashley screaming for help, but they had moved quickly despite it.

The nurses and doctors had been worried about the many injuries she was covered in, as well as the dehydration and signs of malnutrition, but their biggest concern had been her weak pulse and shallow breathing, and she was rushed behind the door and out of her companions' sights. 

After getting Ashley admitted and checked out, Leon waited for an update on Ella, every second that passed by furthering his anxiety and making him fear the worst. It took a while, but eventually the doctor arrived with an update, and now here he was, waiting beside her bed and watching the steady rise and fall of her chest. He knew it would be a while before she woke up. After everything she had been through, he wouldn’t be surprised if she was out for a week as her body recovered. He just needed a minute to really accept that she was alive after all the close calls. 

He now knew how she had felt after he had been thrown down the hole, and why she had needed to embrace him when she woke up. That fear and worry didn’t go away easily, even when you knew they were okay. He had gotten a taste of it when he arrived at the cell and saw her lying there unmoving, but it was nothing compared to the way he had felt now. He was scared that at any moment, her heart would stop, his ears tuned into the heart monitor.

“How is she doing?” Leon was brought from his thoughts when Ashley’s voice sounded, and he looked towards the door to see her standing there, sitting up. 

“You’re awake.” He had figured she’d be out until her father, or his men arrived, as she had needed the rest just as much. 

“Yeah, I couldn't really sleep.” She admitted, and Leon nodded in understanding. Ashley took a seat beside him, looking at Ella for a few moments. 

“She’s going to be okay. The doctor said she just needs to recover and get her strength back.” Leon explained in simple terms, remembering the doctor’s update word for word, but not thinking it was necessary to go into all the details. 

“That’s good.” Ashley breathed as she seemed to relax, having clearly been worried herself and needing some positive news. She was quiet again after that, though she broke the silence a little bit later. 

“Mission accomplished, right?” She chuckled softly, and Leon looked at her. 

“Mission accomplished when you’re home safe.” That had been his mission all along, after all. It was one Ella had taken on too, and he knew if she was awake, she’d be saying the same thing. If he didn’t make sure she got home, Ella would scold him. 

“Thank you for saving me.” She murmured sincerely, looking between him and Ella. 

“Don’t mention it.” It was his job, after all, though he knew it had become more than that. 

“You know, I could put in a word with my dad. Have you assigned to my detail, if you’re interested?” She offered, having gotten closer to the blonde and almost thinking of him like a protective older brother. 

“You don’t need me. You proved you could handle yourself. Even if you could use a lesson in knife safety.” He joked, making Ashley laugh lightly. She appreciated how caring Leon was. “But Ella might want you to put in a good word for her.” He remembered the look she had on the lift, recognizing it well. It was one of someone who had been forcibly made aware of the horrors out there- somehow who couldn’t sit idly by and do nothing as they continued to happen. 

“You think so?” Ashley asked, having not thought about it before. She could see it, though. Of course, someone who would put their life on the line over and over again for someone they didn’t know, despite having no reason to, would want to make a life out of helping others. Ashley would remember to do as Leon suggested. 

When her father’s men arrived, Leon had to leave the room and give them a debriefing of what happened. Watching Ashley refuse to leave, and then explain why, had been quite entertaining, the girl daring them to try and take her by force as she crossed her arms and stared them down. 

“I’m clearly safe with Leon, so there’s no rush, right? She helped save my life. I’m sure my father will understand.” And that was how there were secret service men posted outside of Ella’s room where Ashley was sitting inside, all wearing annoyed expressions but having no choice but to wait. Leon had been amused, smirking to himself as he watched the scene and giving the men a shrug when they looked at him, not knowing what it was they wanted him to do about it. 

They didn’t have to wait long anyway, because a couple of hours later, Ella woke up. She had been disoriented and confused, but once she saw Leon and Ashley beside her, she relaxed a little, the two explaining what had happened after the nurse checked her out.

“What do you mean you didn’t let the doctor’s check you out more thoroughly? Are you crazy?!” Ella asked in disbelief. Leon needed it just as much as she did after everything. 

“That can’t seriously be what you’re most concerned about right now.” Leon deadpanned, and Ashley was laughing behind her hand to keep from being too loud, though it wasn’t working, especially as Ella continued. 

“Of course it is! We’ve spent the last few hours being attacked by horrifying monsters and infected with guns and rocket launchers, a crazy cult trying to take over the world with parasites- that we all had by the way- and you’re too cool and badass to let the doctors make sure you don’t. . .I don’t know, have any internal bleeding, or a serious concussion?! I can’t believe I ever let you call me reckless wh-” Ella had been cut off by a kiss, Ashley’s laughs halting immediately as she turned around with wide eyes, before a smug grin came to her lips. She knew it. 

“Is that going to become a habit? Not that I’m complaining, but I rant a lot.” Ella murmured after a moment, only receiving a smirk in answer. 

“Okay, well. I hate to interrupt but I’ve got some angry agents standing outside and I don’t think we can keep them waiting much longer. I just wanted to be here when you woke up.” Ashley spoke up, turning back around to face Ella who looked up at her. 

“I’m happy you were. Take care of yourself, and promise me you will go after that intern position you were too scared to apply for before.” Ella remembered everything Ashley had told her on the ride to the hospital, the young girl smiling before she nodded. “Good. You’ll do great.” Ella didn’t have a single doubt about it. Ashley leaned down then, pulling her into a tight hug, and Ella happily returned it. 

“Thank you. For everything.” The blonde murmured as tears welled in her eyes, wanting Ella to know how much she appreciated how she had always made sure to comfort and reassure her, being one of the only reasons she was able to be so brave throughout everything. 

“Of course. I’d say anytime, but let’s not ever do this again, okay?” Ella joked, making Ashley laugh lightly as she nodded in agreement. She definitely wasn’t planning on it. 

“I almost forgot-” Ashley stated in excitement as she pulled away. “I managed to keep this hidden from the hospital, but here.” She held out a cloth, Ella’s brows furrowing as she took it from her. She realized something was inside, and Ella unwrapped the cloth, before her eyes widened. 

“My knife!” She exclaimed excitedly. It was broken, but she could get that fixed easily. 

“Yeah, I grabbed it after I went down there. I figured you’d want it after. A memento.” She shrugged, and Ella gave her a grateful smile. 

“Thank you.” She hummed, as Ashley had been right. The Merchant had helped save her life, after all. This was one of the first things he had given her, and it had saved her life quite a few times on its own. She was happy to have it back. 

“I’ll give you guys some more time, okay? The guys will get over it.” Ashley assured, and Leon nodded appreciatively. “Hey, we’ll keep in touch, alright?” Ashley told Ella, who nodded, happy to hear that. She wanted to make sure Ashley got home safe too. 

With that, the blonde left, leaving the two alone. 

“Here, let me hold on to that for now.” Leon offered, and Ella looked at him as she handed it over. She was sure he would do a better job of keeping it hidden than her considering she was now wearing a hospital gown. He didn’t have his other weapons, and she assumed they had been taken by the hospital staff. 

As she watched him pocket the knife, her eyes took in the bandages on his cheek and forearms as she remembered it was her who inflicted those, and more, on him. 

‘I’m sorry about-”  

“Don’t. We both know that wasn’t you.” Leon didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t want her to feel guilty over something she had no control over. 

“But I should have known that I was infected! It had to have happened when I was captured by Ramon, right? Or maybe Castro did it when I took him out? I mean, how did they do that without me knowing? I just feel so stupid. . .” She sighed, before looking at Leon. It was then she saw something in his eyes, her brows furrowing. 

“What?” The man was quiet for a few minutes, before he reached into his pouch, pulling out folded papers. 

“This was in the lab. I think the Merchant left it.” He told her as he handed them to Ella. Leon had read it while she and Ashley were sleeping, and he knew its contents were going to upset Ella. He hadn’t known whether he should give it to her or not, at least not for a while so she could recover, but he knew that would be wrong. She had a right to know. 

Ella unfolded them, before taking a few minutes to read their contents. She was silent as she processed, her eyes full of tears that threatened to spill over at any moment.

“The whole time?” Her voice cracked, and she swallowed the lump in her throat. “I was a pawn the whole time?” That was what Castro had meant when he tried to say she wasn’t as clever as she thought she was. She didn’t escape. 

He had let her go. 

She had done exactly what he had wanted her to do. Even meeting Leon, going with him, and getting close to him, had all been a part of Castro’s plan to kill him if no one else could. And she had almost succeeded. If it weren’t for Ada and Ashley, she would have killed Leon, who had refused to fight back. 

“Hey,” Leon started, gently taking her chin and making her look at him. “You killed him, all on your own, and that wasn’t part of his plan.” He reminded her. 

“Yeah but Saddler still controlled me and I a-” 

“You fought it.” He didn’t let her finish, because it wasn’t important. She had enough unnecessary guilt as it was, and he wouldn’t let her add to it. “It was there for five days, and you still fought it. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t be here right now. Don’t forget that.” His words were sincere, and Ella looked into his blue eyes as if searching for a hint of doubt. She didn’t find it, and she nodded, appreciating Leon immensely. 

“Thank you.” She murmured, Leon giving her a small smile in return. She didn’t have anything to thank him for, but he wouldn’t argue. Ella looked back down to the papers in her hands, and after a moment, she ripped them up. Once she was done, Leon held out his hand. 

“Feel better?” He asked her in a soft voice, and she nodded, putting the shredded pieces in his palm. “Good. You should rest some more.” He suggested as he crumpled the pieces in his fist. He wanted to stay, hating leaving her by herself, but that would just cause problems with his job and he promised Ashley to stay with her until she was home. “They said you’ll be here for a few days. I have to make sure Ashley gets home, but I’ll be back, I promise. I left my number as an emergency contact, so you can call me if anything happens.” 

“You don’t have to-” She started, but Leon didn’t let her finish. 

“You have no phone, no money, no ID, and no way home.” Ella was left without an argument, because he was right. She had nothing on her.  “I’ll be back. Just get some sleep.” He told her, and Ella relented.

“Fine, but get some rest yourself, okay? As you’ve so kindly pointed out, I’m not going anywhere.” She couldn’t believe he had refused in the first place. He needed it just as much as her, if not more.

“I’ll get some rest when you’re home safe.” Ella had to refrain from rolling her eyes. He always had to come in with those cheesy action hero lines, acting like he wasn’t human. She was sure he’d pass out on the plane, deciding not to argue it. 

“Sure. Just get Ashley back home already.” She chuckled, though her appreciation was shown through her tone, and he nodded, before reluctantly leaving. 

xXx

After that, Leon did as he had said and made sure Ashley got home, going through the motions of being thanked and congratulated by her father, before he went home himself. He cleaned up and got into a new change of clothes, before he made the trip back to the hospital, where he stayed with Ella until she was discharged. 

It was in front of her apartment after he had gotten her home, where they split ways, both deciding to go no contact for at least a little while. It was Leon who had suggested it, because he had been through something like this before and knew that ‘the after’ was the hardest part, and that it was something you needed to go through by yourself for a bit.

Ella hadn’t argued, having already been thinking along the same lines and knowing it was for the best. She was glad Leon had been the one to suggest it. Ella needed time to really process what had happened and grieve Alice and her friends. She had to decide where her life was going afterwards, and whether it included Leon, and in what way. 

Leon had to give himself time to do the same.

He had given her his number, telling her to give him a call if she decided to. Ella had pulled him in for one more kiss that he had happily returned, before he left, the interaction possibly being the last with her. 

When he was finally home and had gotten some much needed rest, he thought about everything that had happened. He had thought of what Ada had said when they were on the boat, about him only thinking he had changed, and he wondered if she was right- if Ella was his way of learning whether there was any truth to that- and he decided to explore that possibility if he was given the chance. 

That chance came four months later, and he and Ella had been in touch ever since.

“Hey, Earth to Leon. Are you there?” Ella’s voice sounded from the phone, and Leon was pulled from his thoughts once more. 

“Yeah, sorry. Just thinking.” He admitted, coming back to the present.

“About what?” She asked curiously as he heard her get into her car.

“Nothing. I’ll-” Leon was cut off as his phone beeped, and he looked to see who was calling him. Seeing it was Hunnigan, he paused, before decidingly hitting the ignore button. Whatever it was was going to have to wait. 

“Where’d you go this time?” Ella asked exasperatedly. 

“Sorry, that was work.” 

“And you forwarded it, right?” Her tone was suspicious.

“Yeah, don’t worry.” He assured her with a small chuckle. 

“You better have. Plane tickets are expensive, you know.” 

“I offered to come to you, or pay.” 

“Yeah well, I’ve got to move there anyway when I start my training for the D.S.O, so I figured I might as well get introduced to the area beforehand, and I didn’t need you to pay.” Ella had decided that she couldn’t sit by and do nothing as B.O.W.’s continued to wreak havoc around the world, and with Ashley’s recommendation and praise, she was able to earn the President’s favor, getting assigned to the division that dealt specifically with those situations, after her training of course. 

Leon didn’t know how he felt about it, as he didn’t want Ella to be put into the same situation as him, but it wasn’t his choice, and he knew she could handle herself. She had proved that much. 

“Anyway, I just called to let you know I’m right on schedule. I’ll see you around four?” She questioned hopefully. 

“Yeah, see you then.” He confirmed, a small smile on his lips as the call ended and he looked at the phone.

This time, it had been different.

xXx

Leon opened the door to his apartment, barely having time to react as Ella suddenly launched herself into his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck. He had caught her on instinct, taking a moment to steady her before fully returning the embrace. 

“Sorry, I just missed you.” She hummed, pulling back to look at him. “And your emotionally stunted facial expressions.” Leon gave her his signature unamused look that she had missed just as much, and she laughed, before leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. “Are you ready for me to drag you around this entire city so I can get a feel for it?” She hummed after pulling away just a bit, an excited smile on her lips. 

“Hm.” Was all he gave before he lifted her up by the back of her thighs, returning his lips to hers as he moved over to his couch and laid her down on her back, leaning over her.

“This is not getting you out of it, I hope you know that.” Ella chuckled, but she was in no hurry to move from that spot as he looked down at her. 

“That’s fine. I’m just glad your breath smells better this time.” He joked with a smirk, and Ella gave him an incredulous look. 

“Hey, you kissed me, thank you very much! And you knew very well that all I had were mint leav-” He cut her off with another kiss, Ella’s words being muffled just like their first as she returned it, her chest exhaling in a sigh. 

“You did that on purpose.” He seemed to like working her up just to cut her off with a kiss,  and she knew it was going to become a habit.

“It worked, didn’t it?” She glared halfheartedly. He knew that if there was anything left of his old self, it would be Ella who helped bring it back.

End 

 A/N: Sooooooo I am going to be posting an Alternate ending, and I’m sure you can guess it’s going to be sad. Check it out if you’re one for angsty endings! See you guys! 

[foxsoulart]

Raph and Ali get rescued and Ali gets her name. aka chapter 2

>>>>>>

"Geez, why is it so freezing?"

"I'd give you an answer if I thought you actually wanted an answer"

"FOUND HIM"

"Is that..Shredder's attack cat?"

"Um..guys? They're both really really cold"

"Not good, we hafta warm them up, let's hurry and get them back to the lair"

--

"Awwe, she's so cute! Look at her"

"Mikey-

"Can I keep her?"

"Mikey you can't just keep a mutant"

"Especially not if they're one of the enemy's"

"Leo's got a point, besides we brought her here for questioning not to make friends"

"Good luck with that, Hello Kitty there doesn't do much talking" Raph snorted as he awoke to his brothers bickering. "Raph! You're awake!"

"Uh-huh, and how's your 'hostage' doing?"

"Um...good? She kinda just has been sitting there, quietly." Leo pointed over his shoulder. Raph leaned over to see around him. "So, my brother's annoy you to death yet?"

"No"

All three of his brothers jumped "OMYHOLYCHALUPA! SHE SPOKE"

"not fair We've been trying for ten minutes and she responds instantly to you?" Raph smirked. "Too bad, I tamed her first." "Am I clear to move, Don? I happen to be starving, and I'm sure Hello kitty is too."

"Wait, you wanna feed her?"

"I thought making friends was Mikey's thing not yours"

"Who said anything about friends? I just thought she looked hungry-you know what nevermind I'm just gonna go get food, cmon hello kitty." Raph pushed past his brothers, leaving the medbay and heading for the kitchen. 'Hello kitty' hopped of the cot and followed Raph without a word. "Seriously!? Raph she tried to kill you!" "Then how come you didn't tie her up?!" Raph shot back over his shoulder as he rummaged in the fridge and cupboards. "So we got three options here, rice, noodles, or scrambled eggs, watcha want?" Silence. Then a quiet hesitant voice "Eggs?"

"Eggs it is then" Pulling a fry pan from the cupboard Raph cracked some eggs into it while turning the burner on. "I know I've been calling you Hello kitty, but you've probs got your own name; mind telling me what it is?"

"Name?"

"Yeah, mine's Raphael, most people call me Raph though."

"   prototype   test subject    failure   dissapointment is what called" Raph turned around in disbelief. "None of those are a name, I knew Shredder was a jerk but this is a whole  new level. Erm, how about you choose your own?" A head cock. Great, based on her 'names' she had no say in anything before. "How bout I list some and you pick what you like?"

"I have always thought Elicia to be a beautiful name" "Dad! You gotta stop sneaking up on us" Raph grumbled. "Elicia?" A tail twitch "Ali" Splinter smiled "Ali it is then. Raphael I believe the eggs might be burning" Shell. Raph whirled back to the eggs quickly turning off the burner. "Eugh yeah don't let Raph cook"

"Move over bro, I'll make the food" Raph relinquished the pan to Mikey. "You probably should, scrambled eggs don't seem to be working for me today"

"Raphael why don't you show our guest around while I have a word with your less welcoming brothers"

"Cmon Ali, I wanted to grab something from my room anyway"

--

"There, you should be less cold now, yknow your furs not very insulating is it?"

Raph stepped back from helping her put on one of his extra hoodies. She seemed surprised by this gesture. Examining the hoodie with interest. "Ya like it?"

"Ali likes"

"Good, you can keep it"

Leo appeared in the doorway

"Raph...and Ali, foods done"

~~

Previous Chapter

Next

Summary

[enkisstories]

Predictably Principal Peddler sees to it that Rey and Hux get locked up - for the time being in the bar’s upstairs employee room.

Armitage: "It's probably for the better. I mean, we are a risk factor, with the backdoor Godmother has installed to our minds."

Rey: "You can't mean that!"

Armitage: "Back home we'd gotten shot dead to eliminate the risk."

Rey: "And that you can mean even less! Calling the First Order your "home"!"

Just before a serious argument can ensue, Ben enters the employee room. Ironically being under observation for trying to steal a keycard, Ben is able to move more freely into and out of the Resistance base than Rey’s squad of actual Resistance members. He hears a lot this way, too...

Ben: "I’m only allowed to talk to you briefly, so sit and listen! The Ryloth government plans to relocate everyone touched by Godmother to a secure facility beyond the Jixuan desert. Using the Falcon as transport, no less."

Rey: "To detention?"

Ben: "Worse. The destination is a research center, where the Twi'lek want to study the infected in the hope of gleaning information on how to kill Godmother."

Armitage: "No, that’s going too far! We have to get out of here!"

Rey: "And rescue the prisoners!"

The first step to that is to overpower the guard on the other side on the door. It turns out to be none other than Principal Peddler.

"Whoa, looks like she really has a deeply personal grudge with us...", Rey comments upon recognizing the guard. Then something turqouise and red speeds past her and pounces Peddler.

Armitage: "That was for every propaganda leaflet on the New Republic you made me read in prison!"

Peddler: "So you are agents of Godmother, after all..."

Rey: "Talk about a broken record... Listen, Principal Peddler, the government is shipping prisoners to a research lab. Not soldiers, what would be bad enough, but regular townsfolk, who were unlucky enough to breath in Godmother's spores. There's no telling what experiments they'll get subjected to there!"

Peddler: "Weeeell, yes, that's true. But we were assured that nothing bad would happen to the test subjects."

Armitage: "Don't tell me you believe that! You guys can't be that dumb."

Rey: "She knows full well she got lied to. She wanted to get lied to."

Ben: “Lying to onesself is crutch for weak minds. It is our duty to protect the weak, but we don’t have to understand them.”

Rey: "This isn't what I saw in Resistance, and why I daydreamed of joining you every evening on Jakku. The people I looked up to wouldn't let something like this happen. It's exactly the kind of abuse of helpless people that to end we took up arms."

Peddler: "...you're right." *sighs* "Alright. I can give you information about the transport's schedule and route and I also have the codes to unseal the Millenium Falcon. Do with that what you want, just don't wear your Resistance uniforms during the operation. We must not risk losing the favour of Ryloth government."

[terephintik]

Unbound(Illumi zoldyck x reader) Chapter 2

You were sitting on the edge of the cliff looking over the horizon, eyes back to its normal (e/c). You have sitting here for two hours after killing all the employees of the firm you can get your hands on. Now, you were waiting for Illumi to show up.

After few minutes of waiting, you turned your head around as you sensed his aura despite him using zetsu. He was covered in his victim's blood, evident that he had just killed hundreds of men. But he didn't looked fatigue owing to his harsh training since birth.

"You're here, finally. "He wasn't shocked to see you this early as he has already gotten used to your inhuman strength and nen ability. "Now as you said you'll be answering my questions,"Illumi stated, he was a bit relaxed to see you, as your eyes were now (e/c) and you were surrounded by a soothing aura around you, which he could sense without his gyo.

"Alright, you may ask, but I may not be able to answer all your questions, as you see I have recently been acquitted." you said sitting down on the grass.

"Fair enough, "he also sat down beside you, "Why are you here?"

"You may already know that this island and firm is infamous for conducting numerous experiments on human beings, I was a lab rat of one of their experiments."

"Which experiment was a part of?"

"I was exposed to unfavorable condition, harmful gases and was injected with chemicals, which as far as I can remember were composed of minerals from a place called, 'beyond the continents'. These things were brought to this side of the continent through unofficial voyages." You told him truthfully as this assassin is the reason you are able to talk freely.

"How do you know about all this, despite been a lab rat?" he asked while staring emotionlessly at you.

"People love to gossip," you smirked, closing your eyes and remembering how the guards outside the cells were used to talk.

"Okay. So are you the one they call 'Hela'?'

"Yes," you said with annoyance.

"What was the occasion for yesterday's party? I was only told that there would be a party, but they themselves didn't know the cause, "he asked trying to gather more information.

This party was special, this was one of those parties were all the board members and the higher-ups were supposed to be present. You knew that all the questioning Illumi was doing was for the sake of the mission, but you answered knowing that the secrets of this place would remain a secret, that you would remain a secret from the rest of the world because of the arrangements you've made. So it wouldn't hurt telling Illumi as he was someone who remains in the shadows.

"This party was thrown in-order to celebrate me, their first successful experiment."

"Why were you experimented on?"

"Now that I don't know, that information was extremely confidential, only the doctor and board members knew."

Illumi was now thinking, trying to come up with a revelation to solve this mystery. He was snapped out of his thoughts by your voice.

"Hey, look Illumi! Hunter association's blimp. "You pointed in its direction. Those were still faraway, only the blinking light of the logo can be seen. There were only two airships.

"Did you call them?" He enquired.

"Yes, so they can rescue all the test subjects."

"You will be going with them, right?"

"No, I've had enough of this experiment game."

He hummed in response, taking out his family communicator, to call his father and inform him about the soon to be arrival of the hunter association. He informed him about the experiments, the party and reporting him about everything except you. His father told him to stay put and not say a word to the association until he arrives.

"Why did you ask me if I was the one who killed that guy?" This question caught you off-guard, as you were expecting mission related questions. Truth be told Illumi was curious about you, and he was masking his curiosity by asking professional styled questions from both you and him.

"Until he was alive, I didn't have the freedom to act on my own free will, I was like a puppet but with emotions on which I wasn't able to act upon." you paused for a minute to look up the early morning sky, the sun was rising slowly.

"But you got rid of him, finally freeing me, so I guess, I owe you big time" you turned you head around, smiling softly. Your eyes met his; they were already staring at you.

"I have one last question for you, why were your eyes glowing green last night?"

Your smile turned into a sad one as you answered, "I don't know."

You didn't even know your own nen ability, heck you didn't even knew what nen really it. You were only told to do things without any explanations.

So you did know how to do things but not how.

The blimp was nearing as the sun was now visible. Illumi phone rung, alerting him that his father can arrive any minute now.

"I want you to have this, so I can contact you in the future, "he handed you a spare phone. You looked at him with wide-eyes, accepting the device in the process. Looking at your expression, he realized what he said.

"For that favor, don't get any funny ideas, "he said turning his face to look at the blimp, which wasn't so far away. You giggled a bit at his antics, also looking but not at the blimp rather you were looking at the male sitting you.

You had an urge to kiss him so; you leaned quietly and pecked Illumi's cheek, giving him a chaste kiss. His body tensed up and he looked at you, who were giving a sweet smile.

"I wanted to thank you for freeing me. I didn't know a better way to so, sorry." You said sheepishly.

You looked at the blimp, which had already landed on the shore. You immediately stood as this was your cue to leave if you didn't want to get caught. Illumi was just sitting there dazed, his hand on his cheek, still registering what happened.

You went to the edge of the cliff, seeing the ship that was docked by the harbour. You turned around to look at the boy one last time.

"Hey, Illumi," he looked up at you, dropping his hand." My name is (y/n) so don't call me Hela next time we meet."

With that you fall off the cliff, landing successfully on the ship, and Illumi was left with his thoughts all alone, as he saw the sun-rise.

[strawberryblondebutch]

How do you think Kirby ended up with the FBI and in the place she generally is when we meet her again in Scream 6?

Oh hell yes, strap in, buckos~

The first person who comes to see her in the hospital isn't her mom or dad, or any of her friends. It's Sidney Prescott. She feels like shit -- the number of painkillers in her system is making her groggy. "Where's Jill? Did she make it out?"

She expects the worst when Sid sits down. She soon realizes that there's an option worse than the ones she came up with in her head.

The rest of the school year is a slog. Her guidance counselor tells her that there's nothing wrong with taking an extra semester, but she can't do that. She can't stick around in Woodsboro even a second longer than she has to. The name of the game is to get her degree, move out, and never think about this place again.

Kirby goes to USC without much of a plan. She's lucky they don't ask about her. She's not Sidney or Jill, not even related to them, so she's mostly passed over. Decides to study English on a whim; it was always her favorite subject, might as well try that one out. She likes it well enough, but there aren't exactly a lot of jobs that come with it. Ironically, after about six months of couch surfing and waiting for a break, she books her first job, as a production assistant on the Stab television series that spun out of the seventh movie.

Sidney comes to see her, wants to check in, see how she's holding up. She doesn't live in a nice part of LA, and while out at lunch, a man tries to rob the counter at knifepoint. Sidney pulls her under the table, tries to protect her. They don't talk about it at the time, but later that night, over a couple drinks in Kirby's shitty apartment, she asks Sidney if it's always going to be like this. Running and hiding and hoping for the best.

"You get used to it. Especially once you're outside of Woodsboro. Trouble follows a lot slower away from that place."

She thinks about that for a few weeks. On set, they start working on a scene that feels familiar. "It's a great twist," the director says. "We're flipping the script, right? Normally the girl goes out, rescues the guy, gets stabbed because she's not looking over her shoulder, but this time, what if it's the guy she's rescuing? What if it was all a ploy?"

She goes home early, locks herself in her room, and she thinks about what Sidney said. Just hold on and survive and hope for the best.

Fuck that.

Cops are useless. They're basically cannon fodder, and their reach is municipal at best, but the FBI? Those are the guys who put the work in.

You need two years of professional employment post-college before you can even apply for the agency, so she can't quit her job yet. This fuels her. She goes home and practices: for the test, for the physical, for the interview. The polygraph is where she's sure she's tanked it. She tells them everything -- how could she not?

Three months later, she gets her invitation to Quantico.

The job isn't often what she expects. Sure, she's out in the field, but it's not serial killers as often as it is gang members, drug mules, and white collar criminals. After basic training, she's asked where she would like to be assigned, and she says as far away from California as possible, so Atlanta it is.

The Stab subreddit doesn't fall under the FBI's investigation until after the attack in Woodsboro. She gets stuck trawling through message boards, starts to uncover what Jason and Greg are planning. Her supervisor taps her on the shoulder one day, pulls her into their office. "Those kids you've been looking at, they just got butchered by someone in a Ghostface mask. I know you've been taking point on this, but we're going to need people on the ground. Do you think you're up to it?"

Did she ever.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

so let's compare our notes

we know subject 5 was kept in the lab and had medical tests done which unintentionally gave him super strength, Junko's level of bloodlust which means that he has no trouble killing people, should be around 20 as of right now and most likely has blue eyes

and we know someone in the main cast who has had medical tests done which unintentionally gave him super strength, doesn't give a shit about taking lives and almost seems to enjoy killing people, is around the age of 20 and has blue eyes

subject 5 is Kuripa I'm calling it now

...

Well Shuichi? What's your verdict? You were the one saying that Kuripa was little more than a psycho that tries to justify blatant murder.

Yeah...well...It is true that Kuripa is crazy, but...

To be honest...I don't think it's him.

Really? Why not?

Well, aside from his appearance not matching the books...given that his hair is a very unusual color compared to most examples...

We're looking for someone who has been infected by a virus that has altered their personality and changed them to make them more like Junko Enoshima.

Yes...Kuripa is ridiculously strong, and if he's always been this way, then it adds up that he could have massacred lots of people even as an 8 year old. He's also got no qualms with taking lives and in fact, often takes a sadistic joy in doing so.

But somehow...I really doubt that Kuripa fits the bill...

And why is that?

...He's too nice.

I'm sorry?

I know how that sounds, especially given all the things I said about him but...

You were saying earlier that I relied on the strength of others to get me to where I am now. Kuripa is one such person.

Early on, he showed me the ropes, helped me with small tasks and...genuinely cared. I'M the one who spat on HIS contributions, and really, he was just trying to discipline me as my senpai. I forgot that...he means a lot to me, despite everything he's done.

Not to mention...all the good he's done for everyone else. Rescuing Makoto, training Kaede, helping Kokichi and his staff members with little to gain in return...Even if he is blunt with his words and has a sadistic side...

Kuripa...is a good guy. I just...didn't appreciate that.

So...you don't think he could be Subject 5...simply because you believe he's not?

Belief is a strong thing...and I always took it into account before...I just...lost myself in this case.

But if you want logistics and evidence, I have those too. Unless all his life documents are somehow forged, which as things stand seem unrealistic, he has accounts and alibis for his childhood from when he was a child to his induction into Hope's Peak and the Future Foundation.

How'd you come across that?

Kuripa rose quickly up the Future Foundation's ranks. He became Makoto's right hand guy in Branch 14 within the space of a week because of his contributions and the fact that he could seemingly do anything that was asked of him. When he did, the Foundation naturally took an interest in him and started documenting his life.

I'll admit...Kuripa's life before the Foundation is not a complete puzzle. There are many things missing. But none that can't be explained through logical thinking and reasoning.

When he was registered to Hope's Peak, he actually skipped his first year, only attending class in the second. This was odd to me, but it turns out this was because he was taking care of his sister, Kotoko, who was transferring and getting used to a new school. Since Kotoko didn't have any parents, Kuripa served as her guardian, and devoted most of his time to her. Makoto confirmed this with me.

I see...So...Subject 5 couldn't be Kuripa?

No...Kuripa is definitely one of our top suspects. Too much matches up for him not to be...

But...I wouldn't be surprised if we turned out to be wrong. That's all.

[mewtonian-physics]

why of course anon!!! i would be happy to fulfill your request which i most certainly did not edit to say exactly what i wanted. (hey, i already did the rest of it. :p)

anyway. to my eternal sadness raiden does not have a lot of healthy relationships in canon and even the ones he does have mostly don’t show up until revengeance. (and people say it isn’t technically canon. IT GAVE HIM FRIENDS. YOU WOULD TAKE AWAY HIS FRIENDS?) [coughs] however he DOES have some and i am going to talk about them now. (some of these are more subjective than others. and some are more ‘potential’ as well. shhh, i can do what i want.) i’ll start with the potentials.

Emma Emmerich

yeah, yeah, i know, she barely existed, but you have to take note of their canon interactions. (i do not consider the interactions they can have if the player chooses to be a jackass to be canon. if i did that things would get insane in so, so many ways.) although they didn’t get much time to get to know each other, what time they do have is bizarrely sweet even under the tense circumstances.

emma is... to put it mildly, enough to try anyone’s patience, although her terror of water in particular is very understandable considering what she’s been through. despite how much she’s slowing him down, raiden is nothing but gentle and kind with her (unless the player chooses to be a jackass, but that one’s on them). he could just knock her out and drag her along, or any other more cruel methods, but he doesn’t. he comforts her and figures out a way for her to get through the water. during all this, she trusts him enough to go along with it, and even opens up a little bit, telling him about her childhood. (she also questions the authenticity of his hair, but let’s be real, with hair that fabulous, who wouldn’t question it?)

they don’t get to interact much, but what interactions they do have are some of the healthiest he has in the entire game. given more time, i think they could have been friends.

Olga Gurlukovich

yeah, this is another complicated ‘potential’ one. although the motivations behind everything are complicated to say the least, she does help raiden, and in the end even sacrifices herself to save him and her child. meanwhile, he tries to keep her from doing so, and is openly horrified and saddened at her death, to the point that that, not any of the awful things he’s been through over the course of the game, is the trigger that finally causes him to completely break down. he also puts in a great deal of effort to rescue her child, who i’ll have a great deal to say about later on in this post. again, had they been given more time, i firmly believe they could have been friends. 

(‘why do you forgive her betraying him, but not snake?’ you might ask. easy. she did it for her child, and on top of that, she didn’t spend two entire games treating him like dirt. what actions she took against him were for the sake of protecting her child, and he certainly didn’t hold them against her after that. ‘but he didn’t hold snake’s actions against him, either!’ one of these relationships had hero worship clouding his perceptions. the other didn’t. he had no emotional connection that might make him feel obligated to forgive her, yet he did. i think that speaks volumes.)

Naomi Hunter

yeah, this one hurts. like... a lot. i’d be remiss if i didn’t point out that the care she shows him is almost certainly due to him being a painful reminder of what her brother went through, but i like to think that she cared about him as his own person as well. either way, she’s one of the only two people in the game to show this much concern for his wellbeing. this is another case of ‘they didn’t get to interact much before she died’ but oh, if they could have.

“Doktor” (Wilhelm Voigt)

okay so this guy’s just a weirdo. but! despite his cluelessness about what NOT to say to a man who has been forcibly used as a test subject for horrible experiments (i’m pretty sure his brain is too full of Science Thoughts to have room for tact), he’s pretty decent to raiden! he shows genuine concern on several notable occasions (when raiden demands he turn off his pain inhibitors while he has a sword shoved through his stomach, when raiden falls from the helicopter) and raiden seems to enjoy talking with him when he’s not being completely bizarre. hell, doktor even gets a smile out of him!

Kevin Washington

we’re getting into the Best Buddies category! woohoo! kevin has some moments where i want to throw rocks at him, but by and large he and raiden get along really well. kevin worries about him when he’s saying or doing concerning stuff, gets on his case in a good-natured manner, and they have some genuinely nice conversations. 

N’mani

if i’m ever not sad about this one, take that as proof that i’ve officially lost my mind. dear god. the mutual respect and trust between them. the way that he’s the only person in the series to give raiden a nickname, and raiden doesn’t even mind! (well, he does when kevin’s getting on his case about it, but that’s a different sort of scenario.) the amount of guilt raiden feels after his death. the way that he talks about n’mani in general. the fact that they barely actually interact on-screen but you can tell just from the little time they do have that raiden feels comfortable around him in a way that you don’t see often. those few minutes manage to convey that the past three years have been enough to develop a lasting friendship... one that should have lasted much, much longer. 

Courtney Collins

yay, courtney! my undisputed favorite of the maverick crew! (you know. aside from raiden.) their friendship is so cute. in this case it’s mostly raiden doing the teasing, but it’s all 100% good-natured and courtney knows it. she doesn’t push raiden’s boundaries, either--any sensitive information discussed is freely offered by him. he’s actually very open about personal information with her, so you can tell he trusts her. and they have some of the funniest conversations--i love when she gets excited about food and he takes genuine interest in what she’s saying. she wins every award for being one of the best friends he has!

George

and now we’re getting into my favorite part of the list: the kids! the way raiden absolutely transforms when talking to george really just says so much. he’s barely met the kid and he’s already attached, to the point that when he hurts george in the process of trying to save both him and the countless other kids in the lab, he’s crushed by guilt despite not only saving george’s life but even making him happier with it! and george is just as attached to him--absolutely in awe of the ‘robot-ninja-man’. people seem to find george annoying, but i don’t get it. how can you find him annoying when his first line is seeing raiden and making a teenage mutant ninja turtles reference? that’s fucking adorable.

still... for the sake of his sanity, i hope raiden never finds out about the whole ‘hot for days’ thing. that’d just be painfully awkward for everyone involved.

John

it is time for the most important healthy relationships in raiden’s life: HIS FAMILY!!! LOOK at him and his son. this scene practically brings me to tears because he’s so happy and i’m so happy for him and i think we should have had more content with the two of them because they are so important. i love when raiden talks about him in revengeance. he is such a good dad. and john thinks he’s the coolest... he has a little toy sword... they’re everything to me

Sunny Emmerich

i can’t put in just one picture of her. i can’t. i am physically incapable. because this, this right here is my favorite relationship raiden has with anyone. he saved her. he protected her. and when she got the chance she did the same for him. she stood up to solid snake in order to protect him. she supported him when no one else would. he asked her for permission to go and fight. he apologized to her before cutting off his own arm because he knew she didn’t want him to get hurt. he was so proud of her for working at solis. she dropped everything to help him. she couldn’t stop smiling talking to him. he gave her the softest and most genuine smile in the entire game. he talked to her so comfortably and casually. he even got on her case a little. she encouraged him and got upset when he got hurt. he reassured her. ‘come on. let me see a smile.’

they’re siblings, okay? i don’t care what anyone else says, i don’t give a single fuck, if you think they don’t love each other then you weren’t paying attention. they’re family. that’s a fact. and if you disagree then you’re just objectively wrong. now you know.

[theshippingcorner]

Remember how before I went to sleep I mentioned how much I love Portal? Yeah so I'm combining my hyperfixations and making Resident Evil think with portals.

This is under a readmore because I'm going to ramble okay thanks.

I think I mentioned once in tags from a post but I used to roleplay on tumblr, don't much anymore beyond @we-are-in-the-fog yaknow? Yeah well I still do privately with my husband and like nobody else so he gets the full force of my wacky AU ideas there (Villain Leon for example, and now Umbrella being Aperture Science) so because of that I get to really think about these ideas and test them by another person!

I sort of thought of this AU idea on a whim but basically Umbrella is Aperture or at least it's the stand-in since they both do wacky shit that isn't necessarily humane yaknow? So then that brings us to a divide.

In general with Portal I don't think we actually 100% know the identity of Glados beyond theories (unless this is just the canon and I'm dumb) but like fanbase wise Glados tends to be theorized as the wife of Cave Jhonson that they put into a computer so she would never die and Chel people think is their daughter? Which I mean I agree but man is the lore and theories for 2007 & 2011 shaky at best.

Taking that idea and running with it there's two diverging paths I can't decide on:

A) Claire and Chris were sent on a mission to the facility to stop some experiments they were running only for Chris to die and Claire to be turned effectively into our Glados here, though more of a human body than the original of course. Claire despite her sweet and gentle nature would have been hurt, scared, and pretty fucked up from being experimented with to make her into a half-machine and so after obtaining something to ensure her own safety she flooded the lab with neurotoxins to prevent the scientists from hurting her or anyone else further. In this process though someone manages to flip an emergency switch that would force Claire to act as Glados does, sending subjects through tests even well after all of the scientists are gone as well as making anyone who should come to try and save her into a test subject.

B) Wesker taking the position as big boss, because I refuse to agree that he's canonically dead, finds out Ada was playing double agent and makes her become our half-machine Glados stand in this time, Ada being a strong, firey, and resourceful woman would try her hardest to rebel and escape before similar to Claire ensuring her safety and setting off the toxins, only for the same emergency switch to subdue her and make her a testing drone.

You see how it's hard to decide between ideas lol they're both cool as fuck to me, and then you might ask "who's the Chel stand in then?"

Leon.

Hear me out because obviously I'm not using the family dynamic thing just the human turned robot for science thing. Leon is a strong resourceful and sometimes smart guy, it's why he's an agent in the first place. Regarding both ideas up top he also has slight differences too!

A) He was sent to search for Chris and Claire early on, and upon arriving and looking for them he was knocked out and registered as a test subject. He was put into a sleep stasis like many other subjects and when the supply of humans finally ran out he was pulled from his slumber for testing launching us into a very sleepy and disoriented Leon with slight amnesia running through these tests until he could find and rescue Claire at the end.

B) in this scenario it's not like he would know Ada is there to save so he would be going to investigate the facility on government orders, searching the building until he reaches a point where he's again knocked out, same situation after as above but this time he's saving Ada in the end right?

And then this raises even MORE PROBLEMS because the ending of Portal 1 Chel is launched out of the lab after destroying Glados and the both of them are dragged back inside for more. This one is easy to fix, Leon and whatever girl he saved try to leave and get pulled back, whatever, that's fine. But then the biggest problem for addressing portal 2...

Wheatley.

I love him so much, him and SpaceCore are my favorite characters, but shit if I don't know what character to put in his shoes. Because the problem here is he's a personality core that was supposed to be part of Glados which makes me lean to Chris because in the Claire situation it works with same blood but then Wheatley is also a friendly idiot for most of the game and Chris is anything but. Besides that also doesn't work out for the Ada s8de of things because I can't think of anyone for her unless I just kinda...keep Wheatley? Like just keep him as a character but just like. Human Wheatley as if he was supposed to be an assistant for the girls but was kind of put away into a sleep because he was a failure? Honestly I don't know. That has me stumped. Everything else feels solid though.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

hi yes im still alive

DON’T MIND ME, I’M JUST--

HAVING A MOMENT TO PROCESS ALL THE LORE AND STORY CHAPTER 6 JUST DROPPED ON US, I CAN BARELY WRITE

AHHHHHHH, I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS 😭 kjdbbaufbiafafvoaybo LEMME PUT ON MY THINKING CAP AND THROW SOME STUFF OUT ASDYUBUASDLI;AGVUOQIB;VI You’ll understand why I used Leona’s face here even though it’s Idia and Ortho’s chapter after you read my thoughts--

***Chapter 6 (and other main story) spoilers below the cut!***

Okay, just to keep it simple, I’ll try to keep things in chronological order!

First is a bullet point list of my thoughts on chapter 6 so far, then all my questions and theories (mostly a biggish theory on Ace) are at the end of the post.

Expectation: Idia cowering in his room, Vil and Rook busting down his door using Epel as a battering ram, dead Ortho theory confirmed

Reality: SWAT TEAM RAID ON NRC, DORM LEADERS (sans Kalim) AND JAMIL GET KIDNAPPED

Admittedly, I’m disappointed to see that the injury Grim inflicted to MC was basically just a cat scratch and nothing more. I thought it would be a lot more impactful if MC had to deal with juggling the realization that Grim has betrayed their friendship and trust while also on the verge of death (or at least while being severely injured)... And given how MC reacted to the attack at the end of chapter 5, I would think whatever struck them was much more substantial than just a cat scratch. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say either the script got scrubbed by Disney, or the intent was that MC was still woozy from VDC / OB Vil, MC felt so betrayed that it shook them emotionally, or that MC was just that weak by default that they can’t defend themselves against cat claws.

Hey, Ramshackle’s finally getting renovated! Proceeds to immediately get destroyed again--

I feel like????????? They tried to retroactively explain why Neige won to try and mitigate the uproar over how VDC ended. There’s some dialogue between the VDC group about how they didn’t perform at their peak because of having just walked out of dealing with OB Vil, and how Neige’s fans were going to vote for him anyway because they resonated with his background. Honestly, I think they should have moved on from that sore spot instead of bringing it up again, even if how chapter 5 ended didn’t personally bother me.

BOOM, HERE COME THE TWST TERMINATORS--

NOT GONNA LIE, THOSE STYX GUYS LOOK HOT SO COOL

AAAAAAND IT’S KIDNAPPING MONTAGE TIME, KIDS

JOABSFHUPAUABDBADB CALM DOWN, RIDDLE??????? YOU’RE GOING TO COMMIT ARSON IN BROAD DAYLIGHT--

Okay, I know this chapter’s focused on Ignihyde and Grim, but the standout part to me (so far) has been the scene where Leona’s being kidnapped. Historically, Leona has not been a character that I like (excluding that one time I had to pretend to like him for a game). I feel like he’s one massive missed opportunity (he didn’t show up much in chapter 2, he’s pretty similar backstory-wise to his Disney counterpart compared to the other Dorm Leaders, he didn’t seem to learn anything or become a better person even a LITTLE after chapter 2, etc.). I’m not a fan of his lazy and arrogant attitude either (even if it is justified by his backstory). But here? THIS IS THE LEONA I ACTUALLY LIKE AND WANT TO SEE MORE OF. 

LIKE????? I CAN’T DESCRIBE TO YOU HOW MUCH I LIKE THIS SCENE???? Yeah, we have Leona fighting STYX at first, but as soon as he realizes who they are, he wises up and surrenders because he knows better than to resist arrest. AND NOT ONLY THAT, but he uses King’s Roar in a smart way--to turn the falling greenhouse glass panes into sand so they don’t hurt anyone nearby (namely him and Ruggie).

And after he turns himself in????? LEONA TELLS RUGGIE TO TAKE CARE OF SAVANACLAW FOR HIM!!! THIS is what a real leader would do. He looks after himself and his people, but he knows when to surrender, AND he leaves his “kingdom” (the dorm) in good hands while he’s away. THIS is the Leona I want to see.

AJBDUASHPFBUABFIABIYFBIPFAAFIAF I ALSO REALLY LIKE HIS SASS WHEN HE JUST THROWS HIS HANDS UP AND ASDBIASBIABAIODDAYOFAIPPADAIDB SAYS “I’ll go with you, but be careful while escorting me, okay? Despite my looks, I'm a precious prince. I’ll get sick/dizzy if you drive recklessly.” SARCASTIC SASSY SMARTASS??????? IF YOU HAD MORE LINES LIKE THIS, I’D LIKE YOU MORE

I love how Azul’s still talking about capitalism/how he can profit from Idia (apparently the Shrouds are like the TWST equivalent of Google??????) as he’s being escorted away by the agents?????? IF I WERE HIM, I’D BE PISSED OFF THAT THEY INTERRUPTED MY BOARD GAME????? At least let the man finish first--

Damn, everyone’s being tasered???????? And apparently all the STYX agents are equipped with anti-magic plates? I guess Bind the Heart can just eat shit then--

Lilia’s ringtone is cute, period.

CROWLEY CALLED STYX TO CAPTURE GRIM???? GRIM IS OFFICIALLY A SCP THAT NEEDS TO BE CONTAINED????

WAIT WHAT CROWLEY’S BEING KIDNAPPED TOO??????? Oh well, the school is probably safer in Trein’s hands anyway--

askhlbfbilhidbabbidasb RIDDLE WAKES UP POST KIDNAPPING AND HE’S USING LEONA AS A LAP PILLOW?????!

How does it feel to be held in a room against your will, Jamil? Yeah, don’t like a taste of your own medicine, do you?

OH HI IDIA, NICE YZMA MAD SCIENTIST GETUP YOU GOT THERE

Wait, what????? THAT’S IT?????? SERIOUSLY???????

MAN.

I have so many questions??????? Specifically about STYX and what they do, and how the Shrouds are tied into all of it.

So they say STYX is a specialized unit called in to quell serious Overblot cases. And if Crowley called them to deal with Grim... well, bad times ahead for Grim. STYX has also been studying Overblot for a long time, which is why (I think?) they captured Riddle, Leona, Azul, Jamil, and Vil. 

There’s been some allusions made between Grim and Stitch in a lot of fan art and fan theories I’ve seen, since their struggles have some parallels: that being them struggling to decide if they are “good” or “bad”. I don’t know if this was intentional on the part of the TWST writing team, but regardless, it’s a really good concept that plays into the themes of TWST itself. There’s no good, there’s no evil, no black and white--most of the characters we see may be BASED on villains, but that doesn’t MAKE them villains. They are good, and bad, in their own ways--and now Grim is dealing with that crisis as he fights to keep his sanity and avoid completely succumbing to Overblot.

Though Idia seems to be involved with STYX’s research, it doesn’t sound like he personally gave the order to retrieve those test subjects (or at the very least, he’s not happy about roughing up the test subjects), it sounds like the orders came from other people in the organization. His parents, perhaps?

They mention briefly that Idia’s parents are asking him to “come home”, so it must be for something urgent. Are they worried about his safety? But Idia’s lines at the end of chapter 5 lead me to think he is estranged from his family, since he straight up rejected a job offer linked to them (Olympus Corp is owned by the Jupiter family, and the Shrouds are a branch family of Jupier), and says something like “I’m not welcome anywhere”. Has Idia done something to disgrace him from the rest of the family? Or is it more of a self imposed/self inflicted statement, given that he always says he’s “cursed” and acts like he’s guilty of something that deserves scorn?

Why is Idia participating in STYX research, even if it means experimenting on his fellow students (and fellow board game enthusiast Azul)? People are speculating that he wants to use blots to fully revive Ortho (if dead Ortho theory is true), or that Idia actually has heroic intentions (he wants to know more about blots to prevent OBing from happening?), but at this point??? Literally anything could happen?!

In future parts, I’m guessing Pomefiore, MC, and Adeuce will team up to break Jamil and the Dorm Leaders (except Malleus, Malleus got left out again www) out? And HOPEFULLY we get to see Rook’s Unique Magic or at least more screen time, since I feel like he got so little in chapter 5... Another thing I’d like to see is Ace and/or Epel getting their Unique Magic, or at least starting to develop it. It’s really mostly Ace I want more details for.

A theory I’ve been holding onto for a long time is that Deuce getting his UM will spur Ace on to become jealous (since he has always seen Deuce as an idiot/”lesser” than him), and that will cause a rift in the friendship, or for Ace to throw himself into a dangerous situation to prove himself (he has done it before with Riddle)... and has his ass rescued again. This would make Ace even angrier, since he feels like everyone is treating him like a little kid or rubbing it in that he isn’t “as good” as they are. I don’t know where it would go from there (I’m sure TWST would get creative), but ultimately it would culminate in Ace making amends with everyone and rushing in to save them from either Grim or Idia OB.

I don’t think Ace would discover his UM in a similar manner as Deuce (Deuce had to embrace his own stubbornness and straightforwardness, but as the term “Unique” Magic implies, the way a magic develops and manifests is “unique” to the user). While Deuce has to learn to accept his own way of thinking, I believe Ace is already sure of his own way of thinking and has totally accepted it. I think what Ace has to deal with instead is coming to terms with his fickleness. We’ve seen him time and time again treating his loved ones kind of callously, from constantly bullying MC, Grim, and Deuce to ghosting his own girlfriend and flaking on people when they are counting on him to do a task.

The issue with Ace isn’t that he isn’t aware, it’s that he is aware and he seems to think this behavior is totally okay. He demonstrates little to no remorse in what he does and says, and he doesn’t seem to care about the consequences either (how many times does he get punished by Riddle, yet he keeps doing the same dumb things over and over?). Ace appears to operate under the mindset of always being in the right, or (if he’s in the wrong), he won’t really acknowledge it, or he will wave it off as “no big deal”--and I think that’s his greatest weakness.

In the scenario I described earlier, I mentioned that Ace’s jealousy will cause a wedge between him and his friends, and I think this will play into him realizing the error of his ways. When he has finally driven away all of the people that supported him, what will he have left? Nothing. Then maybe Ace suddenly finds himself relating to Idia, or to Grim, who have Overblotted and are in a similar emotional state as he is. Confused and lonely... and that energizes him to pitch in again, even if all he has is wind magic up his sleeve. Everyone could be shocked that Ace has returned, and in that moment, he could finally realize his true potential and unlock his Unique Magic!

(Maybe that’s too specific, but that’s a scenario that I’ve had playing in my head for a long time!)

... Buuuuut given that Ace has gotten little to no spotlight so far in chapter 6, I’m not sure if they’ll lean into him developing his UM yet (unless they pull a chapter 5 and really start addressing Ace in the latter half of the chapter like they did with Deuce). Seeing as chapter 6 is dealing with a lot of heavy topics (death, Grim lore, Overblot lore), I’m thinking maybe the TWST team will push off Ace’s UM development to chapter 7???? The only way I can see it happening in chapter 6 is if the chapter is SUPER long, or if the writing is REALLY good or really bad. 

Anyway, I’m keeping my fingers crossed!!! I’m so excited for the rest of chapter 6... I hope that we don’t have to wait too long for it!

[h50europe]

Why the myth about Steve's PTSD doesn't add up and other inconsistencies

In the last few episodes of H50, PL tried to sell us a mentally broken Steve suffering from PTSD. Only the whole thing came a bit too late. The clip you see is from season 4 and ended up - no, not in the series - but somewhere on the floor of PL's editing room. And why? after Kurtzman and Orci departed, along with their writers, PL took the helm and started turning Steve into a super-soldier. He stylized him into something that wasn't meant to be. Instead of developing the characters, PL began to incorporate more and more hair-raising action sequences into the series and then let Steve fight on the front lines. There was no mention of Steve's mental state, and a lot was explained by PL with: it just happened "offscreen." Yeah, sure. PL can't create a decent character. He can only produce stereotypes and one-dimensional beings. Like Adam. What potential would that character have had had he been turned into Five-0's antagonist? But no. So his role remained diffuse and monotonous. Sometimes even tragicomical.

Back to Steve. When SEAL Team started on CBS, PL also lapsed into SEAL mania. If someone who writes fanfiction were to produce as much garbage as this man did, he would be chased away from every writers' platform in disgrace. PL's Super SEAL also had to rescue his team members from a blazing inferno. Not man by man, no, he flew a helicopter right into the danger zone and lifted a whole cabin out of the burning jungle. If lunacy had a name, it would be PL. While the action became more and more exaggerated and unrealistic, the same happened to the protagonists. After the departure of Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park, PL completely lost his mind. And please, don't blame the writers for the nonsense that was thrown at you. A series stands and falls with the showrunner. He dictates what he wants and passes it on to his staff.

And so, lovable Steve became a soulless robot who only showed feelings here and there. Danny diminished more and more into a sidekick. McDanno became a ship that drifted anchorless through a stormy sea and threatened to capsize again and again. From season 8, it became a reboot of the reboot. PL tried an ensemble show and failed more than miserably. Often the actors just stood around bored. At least that was the impression. The only highlight was episode 8.10. A feast for all McDanno fans. But even here, the outcome of "who shot Danny" was more than insubstantial.

Wait, there was something about SEALs... Oh, yes. Junior appeared on the scene and became Steve's lapdog. I really wondered when there was going to be an episode where he would fetch sticks for Steve. Luckily we had Eddie for that. And because he thought he was so clever, PL invented the episode speed dating. How many subplots can you squeeze into one episode at the same time? In some episodes, you couldn't even take a look at the bag of potato chips without losing the thread.

The case of the week became the yawn of the week. There were so many loose ends that PL then came up with something called retconning. That's what you do when you're no longer satisfied with what was once established in the series years ago, or it no longer fits. But PL went one step further and did the same with the characters. The more the series was dragged out, the more the characters deteriorated and became OOC. It means, often, they were not recognizable at all. And that's where we come to Steve. Because PL, in his desperation, didn't know what else he could do to Steve, and so he killed Joe White. He did it in such a cheesy way with a fake sunset that it made you sick.

Of course, one episode later, there had to be another gig of PL's favorite Barbie. He stuck a fake beard on poor Steve/Alex, so he couldn't even hug Danny/Scott properly. The episode also raised more questions than it answered any. And Steve? He still didn't suffer from PTSD, even though he had now lost Joe White and a fellow SEAL. Everyone is dropping like flies, except for Steve, who is standing like a rock. No matter what. He doesn't need in-depth talks with Danny, nor psychological care, nor any sleeping pills. No, he's doing great. He also opens a restaurant with Danny because apparently, the carguments are already getting on PL's nerves. Unfortunately, this plot device leads into nirvana. The idea was nice, but nobody thought it through to the end. And the merry-go-round continues. Until we get to season 10, where it gets even more absurd. Now PL is almost bombarding us with McDanno episodes, or at least it should seem that way. Oh well, he's already planning for season 11, so a new character has to come on board quickly. While in the beginning, Steve's mother, Doris, dies.

Alex was allowed to take on the subject. Of course, only under the strict eyes of PL. He then nullifies Alex's idea that Steve kills his mother. Because a good soldier and Super SEAL won't do that. Little does PL know. THAT could have been the opening of a PTSD scenario for Steve. However, apart from that, this episode would have had any potential for a multi-arc. Just imagine Steve chasing his mother across multiple episodes. Again, PL stepped in and butchered Alex's episode. You can really feel sorry for the guy. PL at his best or worse? He just can't help it. And then, on the very last meters of the series, he brings someone new, who is allowed to cruise around with Steve most of the time. Because Danny was kidnapped by Wo Fat's widow, PL also invented quite late to have some villain at his disposal. This wannabe mastermind must really have been living under a rock somewhere if she wasn't even mentioned by her husband or appeared earlier.

Because towards the end, PL obviously ran out not only of steam but also of ideas, everything culminated in a wildly illogical scenario. Steve has to live through a dramatic day with Eddie, who stands as a metaphor for Steve (as I said, PTSD was never a thing for Super SEAL), Danny bangs his brains out in a ladies' room with a complete stranger, who dies shortly after that in an accident with Danny's rental car. Apparently, there was no budget to turn the Camaro into scrap metal. Danny then also goes home alone, ignoring the incoming emergency vehicles. Everything remains open at the end of the episode. While Steve expresses his gratitude to Tani and Quinn and says, he would be just as lost as poor Eddie without the dog and all of them. The strange thing is that you never notice anything until that sentence. A few forced dialogues are supposed to make the drama visible, but they all happen way too late or are so poorly written that you miss them.

PL had decided early on to make Steve a Teflon hero. That also means he didn't need to put much substance into the character. Which you can clearly see if you compare the first three seasons to the rest of the series. But towards the end, PL wanted to turn the tide and forcefully rewrote Steve's past. There is a huge difference if you compare Steve from seasons 1 to 3 with Steve from season 10. It is only a sparse remnant of what made this character so great. This change in Steve's personality also affects his relationship with Danny. The witty, affectionate banter degenerates into a snappy, humorless bitch-fest that takes all the joy out of it.

The final two episodes could have been written for any other crime show. As mentioned, we have Cole, who even gets a book'em Cole from Steve, which can only be described as out of line. And it begs the question, was that what Lenkov originally had in mind? Danny out of the show and Cole in? Was the last episode, which mainly featured McCole, something of a test run? Did all the McDanno moments happen only to tear the two apart eventually? Was the real final scene the one where Steve and Catherine take Danny's coffin back to Jersey? Was Danny not supposed to survive? Was that the real reason Steve wanted to get out of Hawaii because he wanted to pay his respects to Danny? And would he really have returned to Hawaii later? Or would he have turned his back on Hawaii? To me, this ending is more plausible than what PL served us. Then, Steve handed over his credentials to Cole instead of Danny, his second in command. Honestly, you can't make the end of a series any more sloppy and dumber than that. And I won't even lose a word about the last 1:30 minutes because I think everything has already been said.

No PL, mission absolutely not accomplished. You created Teflon-Steve. You never wanted him to show any weakness. You turned him into a superhuman who can survive anything. Only to pull the rug out from under him on the last few meters to the finish line and spit on his legacy. How can you dismantle such a great series and its characters like you did? How much do you have to hate something to do that? In the final interviews, the showrunner didn't exactly cover himself in glory either. Everyone who grew up with the series from day one knows that its end was wrong on all the possible levels and that the showrunner is solely to blame for that. It takes a fair amount of egoism and carelessness to drive 10 years at full throttle against the wall. Not many people can do that. Whether you can be proud of that, however, I doubt.

My respect if you have made it this far. Each of you gets 10 extra brownie points for it.

[7-deadly-simpin]

Oh My Diavolo

How the Demon Brothers would react to MC casually replacing "Oh my God" with "Oh my Diavolo"

Ya girl is back with more crack. I apologize for being slow with getting out writing lately.

 Let me know if you want a part two with side boys reactions!

Lucifer-> This man demon forms instantaneously. How dare you use Dia’s name in vain?! The man upstairs and him are on shit terms anyways so screw that guy. Use his name in vain all you please, but Dia?! *Burning a hole through you with his eyes* He has to keep Lord Diavolo from finding out! *Sudden fear*

Mammon-> Surprisingly helps Lucifer in trying to get you to stop. Completely missing the actual reason the elder brothers 2ant this to cease. He’s not jealous or anything that you keep saying another demons name even though he’s definitely reminded you The Great Mammon was your first, no-OI! Stop repeating his name! *pouts furiously when you pat him on the head and explain*

Leviathan-> *Catches him completely off guard* What now? ....Nope, nu-uh, he’s not dealing with the repercussions of this as much as he cares for you. *scoots you out of his room and yells for Mammon knowing he would be the fastest to rescue MC* Tells Mammon what’s going on so someone else can deal with it, he does NOT have the mental capacity today. He put all his AP into getting a very rare Ruri-chan body pillow.

Satan->*Tries to stifle his laughter but nearly chokes* Oh my, this really IS too good. He knows Lucifer is bound to lose his absolute mind when he hears MC say this. Runs off to tell Belphie immediately. Of course he'll rush to your side if anything goes wrong. Becomes an avid user of Asmos new hashtag for things he dislikes.

Asmodeus-> Thinks it’s the new trendy thing and doesn’t want to admit he had no idea. Starts using it as much as possible, and he loves it. Sounds cuter and sexier than the alternative in his mind. Ends up turning it INTO a trend. It’s even a popular hashtag on devilgram now. You and Asmo are in some deep shit.

Beelzebub-> Hmmm? Oh is Lord Diavolo around? That means Barbatos is near with possible test snacks, right? When you explain it to him, he thinks it's cute that you changed your wording. Thinks its because you don’t want to offend anyone, since mentioning celestial realm entities are still a bit of a sore subject in the Devildom. Head pats ensue.

Belphie-> They WHAT?? Wasn't particularly happy to hear MC is saying Dias name so much until he hears why. Oh....OH....this is fantastic. Starts plotting with Satan to get MC to say it in front of Lucifer as much as possible. After all, nothing beats a livid Lucifer who wouldn’t scold ‘his dear sweet MC’.