#being killed by a doctor to be saved from disease but in exchange your body is invested with flora

[dvalshock]

I want Jericho to be friends with a little girl who was a former patient of his that always brings him flowers. I want him to be consumed with guilt for killing her and reanimating her body, for lying and saying she is saved. I want it to eat him alive.

[silkybullets]

“Death Call”

Midland Hotel, 1925, sitting alone at a table the evening before Christmas, Tommy's icy eyes met with a face he never had ever thought of seeing again, not whilst being alive at least. Which lead us back to Birmingham, 1914, after he volunteered in Small Heath rifles, he spent his last couple of months home holding your hand in the hospital, watching your colours fade as dying of an unknown disease.

Warnings: English is my second language.

Words: around 2k

Tommy just ordered a drink, adding to that a whore, a brand new one in honor of Christmas when he initially went to light his cigarette. His eyes drifted to a table further away where a woman was already sitting down. He did recognize her, remembering the sweet touch of an old lover. His stiffened body didn’t receive the orders to continue moving sent by his brain, his mind too occupied playing memories of before the war. Before it all begins, or all ends, depending which side you’re looking.

One the other side of the room, you were searching the pockets of your woolen coat. When you finally found your cigarette case, you got one out, sliding it in between your soft lips. After pushing a strand of hair behind your ear, you hassled lightening up your cig and welcomed the poison in your lungs as if it was the purest thing. 

The waiter came closer to you, putting down your rhum, which you drank in one go and ordered another one. It’s been a couple months you didn’t drink and, after this first shot you don’t remember why. When doctors failed to diagnose you and closed your file with a lung disease you were young and never tasted the flavor of the liquid poison. But at the cliff of death, God granted you the wish to live.

Too bad that’s when your memories of endless & lonely drinking nights happened. 

Coming from a christian family, it was no question for them you had been chosen by God to do something great in this world. Pushing their luck they sent you to an orphanage run by nuns to pay your debts to God. When their initial idea was to keep you pure for as long as you were to be alive, you chose a different path for yourself, bounged down into alcohol, drugs and whatever came with it.

Saying you were a non-believer would be too much, but the idea of being some kind of “chosen one” was nonsense to you, that just meant death was right under your nose or waiting for you at the corner of the street. What happened next was logical consequence, your depraved self was sent back home after the nuns numerous warnings were ignored. You did not change, and decided not to. 

When being saved or witnessing a miracle helps people get their life in order, it had the reverse effect on you and you had yet to get your shit together.

When they recommended you to drastically change your ways for the sake of your family if not for you, you gave in. You had siblings, and knowing how hard your family could be on them at times, you didn’t want to leave them alone. But your good will ended tonight.

You looked at the filled glass in front of you for what seemed like an eternity,  weighting the pros and cons of getting drunk tonight and all the other after that one. You being dead or alive it’ll be okay for your family, you assured yourself to avoid feeling guilty for choosing not to fight. 

Ten minutes and three empty cups later, you were ordering another one. The waiter was intently looking at you, concerned, while you were ignoring his pout.

“You sure you want rhum, ma’m, Can I bring you something else, gin perhaps?” He was as smooth as one could, but the implicit meaning behind his words irritated you the most.

“Do I look like I’m sad, eh? Tell me ‘cause I don’t look at meself in mirrors these days.” You begin, agitating your fingers that were holding another cigarette. 

“Gin’s for sad women, whiskey for big boys crying, rhum for people like me: We are not sad enough for trying to drown our pain in gin, not hopeless alcoholics enough to to get drunk with something as tasteless as whisky. We simply enjoy a slow death with a sweet and spicy flavor. Please bring me the whole bottle this time.”

Without realizing it, you offered the man the warmest smile he had seen tonight and he gave one back even if still quite taken aback by your confusing revelation.

Tommy had seen enough, he got up throwing a bill near his drink and cleared his throat for lack of clearing his head. He walked to the table, the woman he once knew was seated, his voice already reaching her ears before their eyes would meet.

“Is this seat taken?” He motioned to the second chair around the table. Finishing another glass she invited him to sit down with a move of hand. Her cigarette in between her lips, she poured some rhum into her glass and ultimately lifted her eyes to his face.

“Are you sick of the hotel whore, Thomas? Am not one if this is your question.” She blinked as puffing on her cig. 

“Merry Christmas to you too, Y/N” He coughed. “See you haven’t changed a bit.”

“Nor did you.”

Lies, it was all lies, if it wasn’t her eyes he hadn’t recognized her. The woman he was in love with was long gone and so was the boy who loved her.

“So OBE it is, now?” She looked up to him.

He stayed in her eyes before daring to speak, and break the eye contact.

“You were always used to call me Tommy, we can stick to that.”

She didn’t respond nor look at him, keeping for herself any emotions his words had unleashed into her, if they did.

“What happened to you?” He spoke in a more vibrant ton. An attempt to ease the heavy atmosphere.

“War happened to us, Tom.” 

His eyes snapped open on her.

“What France did to you, remaining alive did to me.” She offered him a fair smile, looking straight at him with the same piercing gleam hiding behind her iris than when they were younger. 

“We all came back alive. John, Arthur, Freddie... Although they are now some missing pieces.”

“Yeah, fucking pieces spilled everywhere. It’s looking like the puzzles we used to play when we were younger, huh? Does that ring any bell?” She giggles.

It was hard for him to read her, he didn’t know what he felt either. 

He stayed at the hospital three months straight holding her hand as her colors were fading. He remembers vividly how difficult it was for her to breath, speak, even keeping her eyes open was a huge sacrifice. But she’d never compromised to keep them shut as he told her to, his face gave him the strength of an army, as she used to say. And that had him laugh, even though now he doesn’t remember the last time something as close as a laugh came out his throat.

“Don’t get fucking lost in memories, Thomas. Just ask for it.” 

She poured some liquor into her glass and slowly slid it to Tommy as if anticipating him telling her he didn’t want it.

He watched her moves with amusement, it was odd to him to find her here, but even more peculiar was the fact it seems like she knew him still. Like those ten years that separated them weren’t there, like there wasn’t a day they didn’t think about the other fondly. Her gaze didn’t leave his, and he knew exactly where her mind was because his own was at the same place. She was getting all the information she could to try to match his now tired face with the one she had been picturing in her head all those years.

“Okay then.” he nodded. “ Where have you been?” 

A smile appeared at the corner of his lips, they were playing a game he couldn’t only play with her, she was the one girl before France, everyone got their advantages.

“Fucking dying of being alive after I got strunk by some miracle.” She raised a brow as if to voice the displeasure of missing the boat.

“I thought you were dead.”

“I wish I was, Tommy.”

He let out a long sigh. Once again he failed at keeping a light atmosphere. It was to be said she wasn’t any help.

That’s when he realized no matter how it felt like they were still the same teenagers, back in 1914 before everybody got fucked up, no matter how hard the memories were hitting him this exact same instant with their first kiss, their first touch and the first time they exchanged their desire to live a life together, they were not the same. Nothing was.

She was only a mere shadow of herself, and he? He couldn’t even look at her in the eyes for more than five minutes, too afraid it would dig out things that must be kept where they were nowhere to be found for his own sake.

Every little thing about before France hurt him. Even the happy throwbacks, especially the happy throwbacks. Knowing he would never feel those feelings again, never get silly about the breeze meeting with his skin or the rising of the sun at the top of a hill killed him most. That’s why he didn’t want to ask more about what happened to her. But at the same time, the questions came naturally to him, as if he waited all along to throw them out, taking off his chest a weight he never realized to initially be there.

“Have you done better after I left?”

“I did. For a time. Some years, in fact, even though my parents sent me to a nunnery to thank God for his mercy.”

He snorted at her words.

“Why doesn’t it surprise me? They were always about keeping you saint, even asked me to fucking give up on taking you running in the fields to watch the night sky until sun rised, they never thought it could be the other way around, you leading me.”

She laughed at this thought.

“Don’t you dare say this as if you disliked me being the lead, Tommy Shelby.” She sneered.

“No, I indeed liked it.” He shook his head without hesitation.

“If only they knew what we did, in those nights.” They both spoke, their voice overlapping along with their minds.

“Tommy you got to follow me, or else we’ll be too late.”

“Let me catch a breath, we got all the time to come up the hill some other nights.”

“Don’t be silly, it’s tonight the fireballs are going to be running in the sky!”

“You aware it’s not called “fireball” and that they are not ‘running’ in the sky?”

The girl stuck her tongue out, turning to him, her eyes mechanically squinted at the move. She did not realize he was right behind her and faked all along still behind at the feet of the hill to annoy her. His body strongly collided with her, making her stagger but Tommy’s arms locked her waist firmly, avoiding her body from meeting the ground, and his lips dropped on her mouth in a second, she couldn’t even close her eyes during the kiss.

“Stop it!” Her suave voice worded as one of her hands went hitting his chest, even if her deepest desire was for him not to let go of her lips.

“I’m thinking about that one night we first fucked. Bodies wet both by sweat and dew“ She muttered.

He was sitting but naked on the grass, his fingers intertwined in her hair that was falling at her back as holding her tightly. She was the type of flowers you thought were beautiful but couldn’t help but rip off the ground, dooming them to die in your hands. 

Her legs were strongly wrapped around his hips, she was carefully grounding down on him, making sure every of her moves were slow to make the pleasure last. She turned loose the grip of her arms around his neck and leaned backward so he’d hit her from another angle, this one allowing him to reach the bottom.

Her screams filled his ears and soon enough his mouth as she straightened back up, seeking his eyes, wanting to connect even more. The darkness he ignited in her eyes that night never left, always leading him to always want her, even in the most inappropriate places.

“I was thinking about that time at the local church.” He admitted.

“Every-fucking-body heard the screams--” She proudly stated.

“The priest was more than disturb” He added. “But they never found out who that was.” 

“Well, we know.” She handed him her cigarette. He gladly took it and smoked as much as he could, clouding his lungs as well as his mind.

She giggled some more, shaking her head both sides, she couldn’t believe they did such a thing, but knowing as mad they were when together, it was all figured out.

“It came back, Tommy.”

“What did?” He gained his serious tone back, eyes locking with hers.

“The disease, they say it’s even more violent this time, but I know it just never left. It has been lurking in the dark to come back when I’ll be happy again. But seeing I figured out its plan, it decided it was time to finish me off.” She sang. Her voice was devoid of any sadness, and he noticed it. “I think it’s a curse, Tommy. Run in our blood. Me grandma’ had that too, it passed a generation, leaving my mother and little sister alone. But I fear for the others.”

Old reflexes leading the way, Tommy’s hand fondled hers in the most natural way. He leaned forward to her as she took off his lips her cigarette, filling her lungs with that poison in hope it would kill the one that resided in her since way too long.

[arigatouiris]

the fool’s curse // akutagawa ryunosuke x reader

Author’s Note: I absolutely adore Akutagawa and think he deserves the world; and I can definitely see him as being soft with someone he has feelings for and whoop why not give his coughing a reason anyway lmao. Hope you enjoy!

Word count: 8k+

Pairing: Akutagawa Ryunosuke x Reader

Summary: ［Ａｋｕｔａｇａｗａ ｘ Ｒｅａｄｅｒ］: Akutagawa wasn't someone who hoped, he chased after what he believed he deserved, like a dog chasing after cars. Futility was part of existence, after all, and it was a fact he believed he had accepted. Every part of your existence was a bane to his, and he was cursed to have even met you. Love was nothing but a fool's curse, and Akutagawa hated being one. Especially when it was physically killing him in the form of lilac petals infused with blood. [Hanahaki AU]

Warnings: angst to fluff, soft aku, mentions of blood, swearing (because Aku ofc), softness, tooth-rotting fluff, some angst if you squint (Also Chuuya makes an appeareance bc I love that shrimp mafioso)

If Akutagawa could place together pieces of why he was aggravated by your very presence, it wouldn’t have led him to where he currently was. Avoiding your gaze, coughs multiplied by numerous ramifications, hands shaking, forehead breaking out into a sweat—he had never felt more obscenely weak than sitting before you on his bed, having your keen gaze observe his frail body. Numbness coursed through his veins and never before had he wished to disappear more than right then; it was suffocating to sit in front of you while you wordlessly judged him, deemed him moronic in that pretty little head of yours. He stilled momentarily before slapping himself internally; you were no such person. You wouldn’t judge another. The entire reason for his predicament right then was simply because of how perfect you were.

    And no perfect human being would dare judge another. Especially not someone as broken as he.

    “Is it…” You sounded so defeated, he’d have done anything to hear your giggles and laughter once again, but life wasn’t as giving to him. It had never been. “Is that person… me?”

    Indeed, it had always been you. Ever since he had laid his eyes on you, ever since there had been that cursed deepening between the bond he shared with you, the moronic display of his own version of affection that on odd days caught him off guard—ever since he had coughed out blood infused with purple-magenta lilacs, he had known that it was you. He wasn’t familiar with the disease he carried, but he deemed it a fool’s curse to be caught with a feeling as hopeless as this. Yet, you were the one to once again aid him. You were the one who had told him what was happening and it had thus become inevitably clear to him as if it wasn’t clear already; Akutagawa “Rabid Dog” Ryuunosuke was hopelessly, carelessly, irrevocably, and painfully in love with you—a commoner, a medical student, a moron.

*

The first time Akutagawa saw you was when he was returning from a minor mission. It was something Higuchi herself could have easily handled, but there wasn’t a chance the dog was letting his subordinates handle an entire subgroup on their own. Intimidation was something Akutagawa did best, and it was the one thing he looked forward to when concerned with minor missions such as these. Not that anyone minded that he tagged along; however, once it was done, there was no more reason for him to waste any more time around the area. Returning to the car, he merely had to just stand near the vehicle for Higuchi to come running and start the engine, heading back to the headquarters.

    A sudden break harshly pulled him out of his reverie and that was when he saw you—on the other end, hands outstretched and a pleading look in your eye. It wasn’t that he was always quick to anger, he knew there was a reason why you were stopping traffic, and when he craned his neck to look at what you were shielding, the answer was clear. There was a man, frothing from his mouth, shaking uncontrollably on the ground and there you were, wearing a white coat, hair pulled behind you in a messy bun, eyes far too tired to be seen in such broad daylight, begging him to stop his car so that she can at least move the man.

    “What should I do, senpai?” Higuchi asked, her voice cold. “Should I ram into—“

    “No,” Akutagawa leaned back and watched, “This doesn't concern me.”

    “Looks like the man is having an epileptic attack.” The blonde woman said, blinking.

    It didn’t matter to him what was happening with the man, but when you pulled yourself over to the window by which Akutagawa sat, he was alerted. You knocked twice, albeit pleadingly at his window, before he turned to Higuchi who easily read the look he gave her incorrectly. Pulling out a gun, she threatened to shoot you before ordering you to back away, but you stood there, staring right into her eyes expressionlessly. Akutagawa blinked before wondering where else he had seen eyes as devoid of fear as yours before lowering his window.

    “What do you want?”

    “That man is dying,” You said, “You’re the Port Mafia, right?”

Higuchi hissed before shoving her gun forward, but you paid her no heed.

    “That’s right. Back away while you know what’s good for you, peasant.” Akutagawa said, looking away from you.

    “The Port Mafia loves the city, correct? I’m sure whoever your leader is would agree that saving one man is also in a way keeping the peace. Help me take him to a hospital, and you’ll never see this peasant again.”

    Just before Higuchi could try to intimidate you once more, Akutagawa stopped her. It was not the kindness of his heart that decided to go with your pleas. It was not anything to do with a positive emotion at all, it was simply the fact that the nearest hospital was 500 meters ahead, and a frail person like yourself couldn’t possibly move a dying man on your own. You immediately turned to the epileptic man and ignored the helpless, ignorant onlookers before putting one arm under his shaking one, and attempted to pull him forward; however, a long, dark cloth-like substance wrapped itself around the man before pulling him inside the car forcefully, earning a gasp out of you. You stared at Akutagawa before nodding and following him inside. You sat beside the dying man before offering him a piece of metal and placed it in between his mouth, to prevent him from biting his tongue off in shock. Akutagawa watched you from the rear-view mirror without a word, wondering if he was doing something idiotic or if he was actually carrying forward the legacy his organization aimed to keep.

    “Senpai,” Higuchi whispered, “Are you sure… this is fine?”

    He didn’t answer her but instead turned to you. He noticed that your white coat was no ordinary lab coat, you were a doctor. This explained why you looked so tired and why you wanted to help a random man on the road, but what it didn’t explain was how unfazed you were with Higuchi’s threats earlier; this was what alerted Akutagawa in the first place. The eyes you wore maliciously, the eyes devoid of emotion, especially for a young doctor—it wasn’t ordinary.

    “Is there a reason why you’re staring at me?” You asked, turning to him.

    “How dare you—“

  “Shut up, Higuchi,” He scolded before turning to you with a snarky smirk, “You’re a doctor. Surely, you should know you can’t help everyone you see. You saw the people around you, those are the people you’re trying to protect. Your efforts are futile if it’s thankless.”

    “So are yours,” You answered instantly, not meeting his gaze. “Just living is thankless, and yet we thrive. It’s both fascinating and utterly stupid.”

    The car stopped and you instantly ran out before calling in someone from the hospital to help you carry the man away. Akutagawa couldn’t forget what you had said; the words slipped out of you as if you memorized them, it was marvelous how effortlessly you had replied to his attempt at minor intimidation. It wasn’t enough for him to be allured by you but the moment Higuchi attempted to drive off, you rushed back and knocked on the window beside his face once more. This time the tired look in your eyes was more than evident, yet the chapped-lipped smile made him queasy. Akutagawa wasn’t always the receiver of such positive reactions from the general public, so this change was bizarre.

    “Even though it’s futile, or worthless, I like doing it. And you helped me. So, thank you… Uh…”

    “Akutagawa.”

    Your smile only widened before you tilted your head a bit, “Thank you, Akutagawa-san.”

    His eyes landed on your nameplate inches above your coat pocket and he memorized your name: (l/n) (y/n). He watched as you skirted around and walked into the hospital, not a word was said thereafter. He could feel Higuchi kickstart the car and drive them back to base, but as much as he’d have liked to stop thinking of you, it was, as you had said, futile.

*

The next time Akutagawa saw you was in a place he’d never expected to find you in. He stilled in his movements when he spotted you walk into the Port Mafia building, guided by two other armed men, before rushing forward to know what you were doing there. He noticed Koyo Ozaki, standing in front of the room you had just entered and he stopped before her, a questioning look in his eye. She blinked at him before wondering what he wanted, Akutagawa wasn’t the type to exchange pleasantries after all.

    “Are you looking for the other runt? He’s inside—“

    “Why was she here?”

    He should have understood that a pronoun with no prior mention to a name would barely hold any meaning to someone like Koyo. She continued to give him a blank stare before wondering if he was referring to you, the girl who had just walked in to talk to Mori. She could have wondered how the rabid dog knew someone like you, but it wasn’t her place to care. Shrugging, Koyo knew that whatever she said didn’t matter right then.

    “She’s the daughter of one of Mori-san’s old enemies. He’s trying to recruit her,” Koyo waved her hand callously in the air, “Either that or she’ll be terminated. It’s not really my problem so I don’t know. I’m here because there’s something I need to tell him after.”

    What he couldn’t understand was how you were linked to the Port Mafia. Your father was one of the enemies? Did that mean you were an enemy? Were you still linked to your father or had he been terminated beforehand? Not knowing these details, but merely remembering the way you had smiled at him angered him, and he felt a raging cough begin to itch at his throat. Koyo watched as Akutagawa coughed into his hand, feeling the familiar itch that only managed to grow till it burned his nostrils.

    “There’s a name for such a disease,” She said, eyes cloudy, “But, I can see you haven’t caught it yet.”

    The black-haired man narrowed his eyes at the cryptic words the woman said, before turning to find the door opening. You walked out, this time with no one but Nakahara Chuuya behind you. Your eyes widened when you spotted Akutagawa and a smile adorned your features. You approached him before nodding at him, as to acknowledge him. Chuuya blinked before scratching his chin.

    “You know each other?”

    “Yes—“

    “Barely,” Akutagawa said, in between coughs, “What’s she doing here?”

    “You should get that cough looked at, Akutagawa-san. I’d be happy to—“

  “Shut up,” He threatened before glaring at you, and then turning to Chuuya, “What’s going on?”

   Chuuya shrugged, “This girl’s some hot shot’s daughter, but since he’s dead, Boss decided not to worry about her. Besides, she’s harmless. No ability, just a med student.”

    “Nakahara-san, if you would please drop me back from where you rudely picked me up, I’d be grateful.”

    Chuuya groaned before shutting his eyes, “Uh, you know, Akutagawa, why don’t you drop her off? You two can catch up—“

    “I don’t know her.”

    “—and I don’t care. Thanks. See ya!”

    Koyo let out a sigh before wandering inside the room Mori-san is in. You turned to Akutagawa before letting out a sigh yourself, and bowing slightly. He watched you with annoyance plastered all over his face, wondering why in the world you were all of a sudden everywhere. Ever since meeting you, you’d been plaguing his mind like some sort of disease, it was angering. He clicked his tongue before leading you out of the building and finding Higuchi’s car. Higuchi had ensured that Akutagawa would have an additional pair of keys with him at all costs, which came in handy just then. Akutagawa hated the position he was in, completing menial tasks that were assigned to someone else first—Chuuya always pushed minor work on to him whenever he felt like it, and now, he was stuck with you—someone he felt agitated around, someone he believed, even breathing felt like carrying a boulder on his shoulders.

    “I’m very sorry about this,” You said, just a moment before stopping in front of the car, “If I had known Nakahara-san would simply push this on to you, I’d have refrained from asking him—“

    “You think I can’t do something so simple?” He snapped, glaring at you.

    “N-No, that’s… I know it’s a burden.”

    Akutagawa gave you a look, which was either a mix between confusion and fear—an unusual look for him to sport on his face, having never been used to feeling such intense positive emotions before. You were looking at him, afraid to be a burden? This was his job. There was no burden, there was no blessing. It was all worthless in the end.

    “You’re not important enough to be a burden,” He snarled, getting into the car, “Stop worrying over idiotic things.”

    “We all worry over idiotic things,” You said, smiling and getting into the car yourself, “I think it’s a part of who we are.”

    “Don’t group me along with the likes of you.”

    You stayed quiet for a second before nodding, “Yeah,” Akutagawa paused momentarily at your sudden acceptance, “You’re right.”

    What did you mean by that? What did you mean by your words? Why did they sound so heavily laced with an emotion that triggered the worst of responses from him? Suddenly, he felt the urge to either slam his hand against the steering wheel out of sheer anger or just stare at you, attempting to decipher any meaning from the words that had just slipped out of you. What a bane to his existence, when answers seemed more confusing than anything Dazai had put him through. Perhaps, you understood from his silence that he was curious about your origins, but now was not the time to unveil anything of the sort. You carried your own burdens, dark and menacing as they may be, but the only solace Akutagawa found in that second was when you turned to him with those very callous eyes and smiled instead.

    “Thank you, again.”

    This time, he did not fight back. This time, he glanced at you as if you were an enchanting representation of everything he had been missing in his life. With eyes like his, he had never imagined that a smile could even be possible—that anything positive could be linked to the way his mind worked. He had been broken beyond repair, or perhaps that was his assumption, but then again, with the way you were looking at him right then, Akutagawa felt an emotion he hadn’t felt in a desperately long time.

    He drove in silence but figured that it was the silence that made things weird for you; he could notice you trying to fill in the gaps with baseless talk, commenting on the weather, talking about patients from your med school, everything and anything that distracted him from your mysterious origins, yet, every time your words would reflect against the barrier of quiet he had put around himself, Akutagawa felt his mind land back on discovering about you. The drive to the hospital wasn’t long, but it felt like one the longest drives he had ever taken. He stopped there, before noticing you still in your seat. You were supposed to get up and leave yet there was this aching hunger in him that demanded you answer his unasked questions before going. You turned to him before blinking a few times, and before you can say anything at all, Akutagawa began to cough. It was something he carried wherever he went, and the confusion he felt around you only made it worse. This proved that you were merely a disease, an error in the making. There was nothing he would get from you apart from violent chest burns and a waste of time. You reached forward to touch him out of worry, but he grabbed your wrist so harshly you winced, pulling away out of instinct. As he coughed, he turned to you with a menacing glare—warning you to never attempt to do that again.

    “Akutagawa-san, I—“

    “Don’t,” He took a raspy breath, before coughing again, “Don’t touch me!”

    He gripped harder, knowing full well that the pressure was enough to hurt you. Yet, you sat there, worried eyes plastered toward his form. He hated it. He hated when you directed such a look toward him, he hated being scrutinized by your apparent kindness. Who were you to direct it toward him anyway? A nobody. A peasant. A moron.

    You pulled back quietly, but he wouldn’t let go. You stared at him before letting out a breath; it wasn’t sympathy that pushed you to do what you did next, it was the only human emotion you didn’t feel too ashamed displaying out in the open—care.

    “Akutagawa-san, normally when I study I go to this cafe in central Yokohama,” You pursed your lips, wondering if this information would even make a difference, “The silence there, the… the atmosphere of the place makes it too easy for me to relax and just read. And they have great tea, too!”

    “What useless information.”

    You smiled a bit before shaking your head and opening the door, “I hope I see you around, Akutagawa-san.”

    When you got out of the car, Akutagawa wasted no time in driving back. The fact remained: he stayed there any longer, he’d merely be wasting time. Yet, for some reason, your presence lingered in the seat that you were sitting in earlier, and when he thought of that he felt the sudden urge to cough yet again. However, this time, he felt a tad bit different than general. The cough that carried over began from his chest, phlegm that was never present before manifested out of nowhere and he thought for a second if he had been out in the cold for too long or if he had eaten something to have caused such a reaction, but the image of your bitter smile marred with those callous eyes of yours catered to create a tornado within his chest that left him a breathing, aching mess of disgruntled coughs that radiated a new weakness. It has to be a cold, he thought before continuing on driving back.

    Gin never asked her brother to accompany her when she took evening walks, but that evening since he was also quite free, the siblings decided to get some tea together. He always merely followed after her, since she knew the place better than he ever did; yet, Akutagawa did things differently that evening. He walked alongside his sister, mumbling something about a quiet cafe in central Yokohama, and Gin paused.

    “How do you know about that?” She asked, “It’s one of my favorite places to go to.”

    So, you weren’t lying. It must be a decent place if his sister approved of it, hence there was no reason to not go. It wasn’t as if he was going there to see you—the last thing he wanted was to see you and have you invoke that disgusting emotion in him again. The mere thought of you made him want to cough some more, but he was well hydrated that evening. He followed Gin toward the central streets, finding a lone cafe toward the end of the street; he walked inside, but when his chest ached, he realized you weren’t there.

    “The tea here is really good.” Gin said before going over to sit at a table.

    He took a few seconds before seating himself across from her, feeling the urge to cough once more. Pulling out his hand, which was nestled in his pocket, Akutagawa coughed violently into his fist, alerting his sister. As he coughed, he could feel phlegm build up in his fist but the second his eyes landed on what he had coughed out, Akutagawa froze. Mixed with his own blood sat a tiny petal, a purplish-red hue on it and he couldn’t tell if it was the blood that gave it that color or not. When he breathed in, he felt as if something were lodged in his chest and the more he coughed, the more he coughed out the petals as if there was a live plant growing inside him. Excusing himself, Akutagawa headed inside the cafe’s bathroom before finally allowing himself to cough freely. Four more petals shoved themselves out of his throat before his eyes leaked tears that burned his skin. What was this new sickness? Was this an ability?

    His eyes widened. He had understood. It was you. Ever since he had seen you, he had been infused with a different cough. This was your doing. You were trying to take out the strongest rabid dog in the mafia for your own intentions; perhaps, it was because your father was Mori-san’s enemy, perhaps you wanted revenge for something that happened in the past. Perhaps, your smile meant nothing, after all—it was all a farce so you could take him out, and Akutagawa had been the fool and fallen for your trick. He washed his hands thoroughly before knowing full well that the next time he’d see you would be him barging through your apartment door, demanding answers for what you had done to him. Whether he’d kill you or not wasn’t too clear yet, but he was sure of one thing.

    He felt like he would die if he didn’t see you. Thinking of the petals that he had coughed out, Akutagawa was more than sure that death was imminent.

*

Your hands were shaking and you could barely breathe; the anxiety rappelled from inside your mind and held a vine-like grip all over your body. You knew it was futile to try and breathe or get any studying done with the way you were being, but you had to try. Tears leaked out of your eyes and it felt as if waves were crashing inside your head and every inch of you was drowning and you did very little to try and hold on to the limited reality that was visible to you. You breathed in heavily before another sob cracked through your throat, sinking your entire body to the ground. Your books lay scattered everywhere and you tried to swallow some saliva to soothe your aching throat, but your body wasn’t listening to you and neither was your mind.

    So, at that moment, when the door barged open and black cloth-like arms wrapped around you, pulling you to the air, you let it take you. You shut your eyes before the sobs only multiplied, now you were both scared for your life and desperate, but no part of you would run. You were held in place until a familiar voice pulled you out of the reverie you were in, bringing you back to where you had been before the breakdown happened.

    “What’s wrong with you?” Akutagawa asked, narrowing his eyes.

    He hadn’t expected to find you in such a pitiful state. Surely, if you were a mastermind of deception, you’d be a little more prepared. You didn’t look like you were anywhere close to prepared, you didn’t even look like you were willing to fight. When you opened your eyes, he saw it again—the hollow, empty shells that they were despite the sobs that broke through your lips. Had he scared you? No, you had been in that pitiful state even before he got there. He felt his chest burn once again and that made him think of your ability—the one you had apparently used on him.

    “Akutagawa-san…” Your voice was raspy, and it was then he realized it might have been holding on to you far too tightly to deem comfortable. “…please…”

    He didn’t know what you were asking for but he let you down and waited. Were you going to give him the answers he needed? Was everyone going to be made clear? What was it that you did? What was your master plan?

    “I’m… I’m sorry you had to see me like that,” You said, letting out a bitter chuckle, “And… my door… You broke it.”

    He turned to look at the door and he had indeed broken it down, but that wasn’t the problem. He looked back at you before noticing that you were standing up now, walking toward your kitchen. He couldn’t understand why he let silence envelop both of you right then, but no part of him was complaining. Strangely, being around you had calmed his chest and there was no cough that radiated from within. He followed after you before watching you carefully, noticing you wipe the remaining tears that had stained your cheeks.

    “I… I get anxiety attacks around my exams. I feel like I’m never good enough. No matter how hard I work, how much effort I put it… It’s all…” You bit your lip to stop it from shaking, “…I’m not going to stop, though. I won’t stop. I want to be a doctor. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. I’m going to do this. I have to.”

    “Why does your father know the boss?”

    You stilled for just a moment before continuing with making tea. You pulled out two cups, one for him and one for you, and despite not knowing him enough, the silence that he so well carried with himself was strong and special. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, an eerie thing to feel so loudly, and during every third breath, Akutagawa felt breathless.

    “My father was an assassin,” You said, “Gave up that line of work and became a drug kingpin here. Ever since I was a child, I’ve been told I was useless if I didn’t do as he told me to. I did everything. I… everything.”

    Akutagawa’s eyes widened. He watched you as you effortlessly made tea and poured it into his cup. A small dash of honey, and chamomile tea bags, and a kitchen where the aroma was enough to intoxicate a blind person. He had never imagined drinking a tea like this and yet, no part of him complained.

    “You killed people.”

    You looked barely 20 years old. So that could only mean you were a child assassin. After all, it was an easier profession for children.

    “No one expects a child to kill, especially if she’s smiling.” You smiled sweetly, yet the callous expression in your eyes never faded.

    You turned to him a second later before Akutagawa coughed into his hands, multiple petals falling into his fist and then to the floor. You froze as you realized what this was, your hands flying to his now bloody wrist. He caught the bruise he had given you the other day and made no attempt to stop you. You opened his palm and found more lilac petals, covered in phlegm and blood and you stared. Akutagawa didn’t understand what your look meant but waited nonetheless. When you looked up to meet his gaze, he could swear that the callousness in your eyes was slowly fading.

    “Akutagawa-san…” Your voice was a whisper, “This is the hanahaki disease.”

    “What is it?” His voice was coarse, again from the intense coughing.

    “It’s… It’s a sign you’re in love with someone who doesn’t feel the same for you.”

    “Love?” His eyes widened as he repeated the preposterous word, “L-Love, you say?”

    He pulled his hand away from you, letting the bloody petals fall to the floor. You looked at him pleadingly before he coughed some more, slapping the tea from the counter and spilling it everywhere.

    “What a useless emotion!” He screamed, “Love!? That’s what’s gotten me weaker?!”

    “Does it anger you that you can love?”

    He clicked his tongue before pushing you away, wondering what in the world he was even doing there in the first place. He had gotten to know who you were, he had gotten to know what your deal was and yet—every part of him wanted more. It was quiet desperation that he couldn’t quite understand or grasp to his fullest capabilities, and this inadequacy left him aching on the inside. You stared at him before pursing your lips, what more could you tell someone who refused to believe that no one could be broken enough to not love?

    “Your anger and emotional outbursts usually result when someone penetrates to the core of what you don’t like about yourself or still cannot accept.”

    “Get rid of it,” Akutagawa threatened, “Get rid of this… this thing!”

    You wondered if he knew what he was talking about. Did he even know where these emotions came from? Did he even know why he was feeling this way? Had he ever acknowledge that he could feel love for another person? You slowly got up from where you were pushed to and let out a shaky breath.

    “Akutagawa-san…” You began, “There is a way to remove it.”

    “Good. What is it?”

    “The person has to love you back.”

    “How useless—“

    You threw yourself at the man before noticing him turn fiercely rigid. While it was miraculous that he didn’t outright push you away, it was also a tad bit disappointing that he stood as if was waiting for it to be done. The first time you saw Akutagawa’s face, you had seen that he was someone who was constantly running. Either from his past, from his pain, or toward a goal he would never reach, Akutagawa’s journey revolved around his own imperfection. It was a desire that dug so deeply into you that it gave you every right to see yourself in them. After all, you had broken off such ties after your father’s demise. Yet, no part of you, physical or otherwise, had forgotten what killing had done to you. It had robbed you from a chance to live a regular life, and here was another person, going through the very same thing.

    However, to see that he had developed a disease that proved limerence in such a deep context could only mean that there was still hope left for you as well. After all, it was the deeply broken that knew how to love best. For they knew what was constantly at stake, and they know the pain of devastating loss. Pulling back, you made a vow to yourself. If you eventually did become a doctor, if you eventually did end up saving more lives than you had ended in the past, it must and should begin with Akutagawa. Because only then could you truly save yourself.

    “I’ll help you,” You said, earnestly, “I’ll make it happen.”

    Kindness, as worthless as he believed it was, did not assist in making someone stronger. It never worked with him, it never persuaded him as much as hate and pain did, yet, there was something to intoxicating about kindness that made him crave for more. As he looked into your eyes, Akutagawa saw a radiance he had only dreamt of seeing before; a radiance he had grown to believe did not exist in the world, a radiance he had attempted to protect in the past. Inching closer, Akutagawa felt the constricting in his chest increase as he closed the distance between you and him, yet, he paused. He couldn’t move a step further. You smiled a second later before holding his hands, bloody and messy, it didn’t look like you cared.

    “So, who is this person?”

*

The next time Akutagawa saw you, he wasn’t expecting to see you. A careless slip in a battle deemed him worthy of a strong injury; he was distracted by the lilacs he had been coughing out and didn’t see an incoming blow, which scraped him at his left hip—missing the bone. While he knew he could allow Higuchi to help him, every part of him ached for you. Pushing aside Higuchi, he got into the streets walking toward your apartment. He remembered the way as if it were the back of his hand, and it led him to you, painstakingly. He wanted to move faster, he wanted to see your face despite knowing that the injury wouldn’t necessarily kill him. After all, you had said you’d help him.

   The person has to love you back, you had said; and how ironic that was. Akutagawa went chasing after people who would constantly deem him inadequate; he would never be enough, and that was what this disease was telling him. It was practically ending his life because he would never be enough—and what more proof would he need? Every inch of his body craved for another and yet, the other person knew nothing of his growing limerence. It was killing him and yet, there was nothing that could save him except his own demise. What an ironic way to die, he thought, as he reached your door. You had fixed it the day after he had broken it down, and ever since, he believed that reaching you would require him to use a softer approach. Soft like your skin—the very same skin he had bruised the first time he had touched it.

    You opened the door and your eyes instantly widened; Akutagawa took one step further, but your arms wrapped around him before pulling him to your chest, his chin landing on your shoulder, your hands wrapped around his back. You could feel his heavy heartbeat before dragging him to your bed. Just as you were about to remove his jacket, he stopped you—not allowing you to touch it.

    “I…” His raspy voice scared you, “I… don’t want to hurt you.”

    “How would you—“

    He didn’t let you finish and simply removed the jacket himself, before laying on the bed; you carefully placed the jacket around the chair and got to work on Akutagawa. You carefully removed the shirt that was stained with his blood before bringing in all the required materials needed to clean his wound first. You didn’t hear a wince from him the entire time, knowing full well that it would sting him beyond belief. It was as if he was used to the pain, and wasn’t moving because somehow this pain had been familiarised. You felt your heart go out for him, but your hands continued working on his wounds. You sat beside him to his left, where the wound was, and continued dressing the large gash, before momentarily feeling his right arm grasp your wrist. You looked up to find Akutagawa staring into your eyes, some sort of pleading look embedded in them.

    “Does it hurt?”

    He shook his head before freeing you, and it was then you realized how soft his touch actually was. Unlike the last time when he had bruised your wrist, Akutagawa’s touch was almost feather like; they say soft feathers cannot make a cruel bird kind, but Akutagawa had led his entire life believing he was nothing but cruel and it took him one touch, just one touch at your wrist to learn that he wasn’t. He wasn’t sure if it was the wound that was making him think this way or if he was finally seeing things clearly, but the view he had by sitting right beside you, gazing into your form as you cleaned his wound, was the only thing he believed he’d want to see for the rest of his life. Dazai’s approval meant squat if it meant being able to sit beside you in absolute silence; if life allowed him to meet you, learn of your existence and perfection, then there was some redeeming quality in him that gave him the right to be sitting by you.

    “Doesn’t hurt.” He said, truthfully, before feeling the urge to want to touch you more. He wanted to be touched by you, and hopefully, he wouldn’t push you away as he had before. He wanted nothing more than to be gentle, feel your hair between the pads of his fingers, watch you as you studied, wrap you in his arms gently if he ever saw you crying again—Akutagawa wanted to wholeheartedly detach his anger whenever you were around and it was your existence that gave him the confidence that it was possible.

    “I…” You said, “I don’t know your full name.”

    “Akutagawa Ryunosuke.”

    You gulped before pursing your lips.

    “Is it okay if I call you Ryuu?” He blinked at you, “L-Like when we’re alone! I mean… I’m not saying I don’t like your name, I… just… well, you can call me (y/n), if you’d like! I just… I think… I like—“

    “Do as you wish.”

    You smiled a bit before taking the bandages in your hands. With the sound of your heart pounding the way it was, Akutagawa didn’t realize that it had been roughly 2 hours since he had last coughed out flowers. Perhaps, the pace with which it slowed meant something. Perhaps, it didn’t. He wouldn’t be able to tell for a while at least.

*

On odd days, Akutagawa found that his cough was getting better; a sign that presented him with an emotion he once believed was dead in him—hope. He remembered your words loud and clear that this disease called for the person he was in love with return his emotions for him to stop dying. However, the cough didn’t entirely stop. During nights when he missed your presence greatly, Akutagawa’s coughs were enhanced—lilacs poured out of his chest like a clogged waterfall let free, and his eyes stung with the intensity with which he remained a trembling mess of a person he thought he was. Despite learning to accept his emotions for you, on nights like these, Akutagawa was reminded of how weak he truly was, of Dazai’s harsh words for him that were imprinted in his very soul, of how inadequate he felt to even earn a disease such as this. When his hands shook, he felt the fear of dying—not of losing his life, but of never being able to see you again. And thoughts like this left him skirmish, it left him aching for his past-self, where he had never met you, where he wouldn’t have had to face such a metamorphosis that ridiculed him in such a manner.

    Akutagawa was not used to hoping for love, he was only, in every right, a giver. He chased after everything he thought he deserved, yet never realized that chasing it was never the right way for him to attain it. On nights like these, where he begged for a power that would rid him of his emotions for you, he’d wake up regretting those very words for the prospect of being able to see you, protect you, stay by your side and earn your precious silence. Some part of him always yearned for something that enveloped him not in a sense of passion but a calm care. Akutagawa needed someone he could rely on to not always expect him to perform or achieve some standard. Someone who saw how quiet he was and respected it. Not that no one ever had, Gin had always admired his tenacity and intrinsically quiet nature. It was the expectation that his life now put on him that broke him, more than just a little.

    The next day poured onto him excruciating pain. His chest and throat burned, and he could barely open his eyes. His sister who was living with him knew that his coughing had reached a dangerous point, yet she knew that meddling with his affairs would infuriate him more. Yet, the worry seeped out of her and she forced herself to barge into his quarters and at least ask him what she could do. It wasn’t like him to take a day off from work, but in his current state, even standing up could be a challenge.

    “Nii-san,” She voiced, “Is there something I can do? Someone I can bring who can take a look at—“

    “No. Get out.”

    Gin pursed her lips before walking away quietly, recalling with everything she had if there was someone she had seen her brother speak to who could help. She contemplated calling Chuuya, or anyone else from the Black Lizard, but involving the Mafia would only anger her brother in more ways than one. Taking in a deep breath, she found herself walking toward her favorite cafe, wanting to bring back some tea for her brother—the tea she knew he enjoyed. Calming chamomile tea always soothed him, rid his anxieties, which might even assist in his coughs. While she had no idea the origin behind those coughs, she knew they were different from the regular tickle in his throat.

    On reaching the cafe, she felt a mild tap on her shoulder, which she knew must have alerted her beyond belief, but the person whose eyes she landed on caused Gin to blink with confusion. She had seen you before, but she couldn’t understand where. You looked at her with an awkward expression, a quiet sort of worry seeping out of your bones.

    “I… I know you’re acquainted with Akutagawa-san? I was… Well, I wanted to know how he’s doing?”

    Gin’s eyes widened. Were you a friend of her brother’s? Not that she wasn’t surprised with her brother having a friend in the first place, especially that friend being a regular girl like you. She contemplated letting you know that her brother’s condition was deteriorating at a quicker pace than she had ever thought, but wondered if it was the right thing to do. What would Ryuunosuke want her to do? What would she do? Pausing for just a moment, Gin realized she was thinking too hard. She’d now do what any sister would.

    “He’s not doing so well,” She spoke honestly, “If… If you can come take a look, I think he’d appreciate it.”

    When your eyes widened with horror, Gin knew she may have done the right thing. You bit your lip and nodded, before following her out of the cafe; she led you to their shared apartment before also slipping in that she was his sister and not anyone you’d have to think too hard over. You blushed when Gin made it clear but refused to speak about it. Once inside, Gin nodded before leaving to work, knowing full well that her presence was no longer required. You jumped when you heard violent coughing coming in from a room with a closed door, and you slowly approached it, your heart pounding rapidly; however, just when you could feel your heartbeat in your ears, blinding you and depriving you of focusing on any other senses, your hands stilled before they could reach the doorknob. Sudden silence enveloped the room, and it slowly made sense to you on what was going on. With the way he was avoiding you these few days, with the way how he suddenly turned soft toward you, with the way Akutagawa helped you—your mind spat at you for never seeing it before. Tears filled your eyes before you realized that his disease was your fault, in almost every possible way, and instead of blaming you, he was taking it on himself.

    “Ryuu?”

    Akutagawa froze on the bed where he lay before staring at the ceiling. With the rapidity of his growing coughs, he was almost sure that you would never return his affections; he didn’t even want affection, in the first place. What Akutagawa wanted and needed never intersected, they were parallels that would never meet, yet somehow you were now standing opposite his door, calling him by a name no one would dare call him by.

    And the strangest thing of all, he let you.

    “What are you doing here?” Violent coughs only made his voice sound weaker than he felt, and he hated every second of it.

    “Can I come inside?”

    “How did you get here?” He sounded angry now, almost raging.

    “Please,” His heart ached when you pleaded. He’d give you anything in a heartbeat, but he couldn’t understand why this was so hard, “I want to see you.”

    His eyes widened. You wanted to see him? While it didn’t make sense, no reply from him gave you the assurance you needed to enter the room he was in, and the second his eyes fell on your form, Akutagawa felt breathless. He couldn't take his gaze from you. Your wide, wondering eyes were like soft midnight, star-glittered with forgotten tears. The curves of your body looked firm and sweet, nothing but inviting, sensual softness. If you were his... he might finally have the sense of ease other men had. No more spending every minute of the day striving and hungering and never feeling sated. But, was that even possible?

    “The hanahaki disease,” You began, standing a few feet away from him, “It’s when you love a person who doesn’t feel the same,” He could hear your voice tremble, and he felt like scum for letting it get here, “I’m not sure entirely but…”

    If Akutagawa could place together pieces of why he was aggravated by your very presence, it wouldn’t have led him to where he currently was. Avoiding your gaze coughs multiplied by numerous ramifications, hands shaking, forehead breaking out into a sweat—he had never felt more obscenely weak than sitting before you on his bed, having your keen gaze observe his frail body. Numbness coursed through his veins and never before had he wished to disappear more than right then; it was suffocating to sit in front of you while you wordlessly judged him, deemed him moronic in that pretty little head of yours. He stilled momentarily before slapping himself internally; you were no such person. You wouldn’t judge another. The entire reason for his predicament right then was simply because of how perfect you were.

    And no perfect human being would dare judge another. Especially not someone as broken as he.

    “Is it…” You sounded so defeated, he’d have done anything to hear your giggles and laughter once again, but life wasn’t as giving to him. It had never been. “Is that person… me?”

    A fool’s curse, he had deemed it—love was nothing but just that. He was a dark, damaged individual with a past that deemed him unworthy of your gaze, of your silence, of your soft fingers grazing his hair in dreams that felt forbidden to even wake from; Akutagawa wondered why it was that he even fell for you, in such a short duration of time, with limited interaction, with wordless conversations. And yet, the answer hit him. He didn’t need much from you, only a smile. A smile from your callous eyes, eyes that were like how his once were; and when he was someone who couldn’t smile the way you did, you had won over life in a way he never had. This sight—this very sight of your victory over a life that had deemed you unworthy, captured his heart. In you, Akutagawa saw every single desire that he had locked away, that he had deemed irrational and asinine. And you wore the irrational and asinine parts with pride.

    When he didn’t answer, the answer came to you. Tears leaked down your eyes as you reached forward and combed his hair, feeling him tense under your touch. Akutagawa wasn’t touch-starved, he didn’t starve for something he had no idea about. Yet, when your fingers skimmed through his hair, the need to breathe followed quickly after. He shut his eyes and leaned into your touch almost instinctively, before feeling you wrap your other hand around his neck and pull his head to your chest. You stood beside him as he sat on his bed, his head resting on the valley of your breasts. Your hold tightened and Akutagawa felt like he could die right then and there would be no regrets.

    “Ryuu…” You cooed, rubbing your hands in his hair. You smelt divine, almost intoxicating and he wondered if opening his eyes would have you disappear. You pressed your chin to the top of his head and he felt so ridiculous, he wondered if he should push you away or pull you closer. You answered his question by bringing yourself closer anyway, pressing your nose to his hair.

    “I’m so sorry,” You said, tears leaking out of your eyes. “I love you! I do! I love you so much!”

    Akutagawa’s eyes widened, before he turned, only to be pressed into your chest more. He calmly lifted one of his hands, touched your arm and pushed you away slightly, and noticed your drenched face. He looked at you like you were a fool, before shaking his head.

    “You said I’ll stop coughing once the person I—“

    “Yeah—“

    “I haven’t stopped coughing.” He said, eyeing you like you were a liar.

    You shook your head before throwing your hands softly against either of his cheeks; you could see them turning red, but you didn’t mind.

    “That was because you truly believed I couldn’t return your feelings, Ryuu. How will your disease know I love you if you don’t believe it first?”

    Was it truly that simple? It marveled him at how much of a moron you were, feeling love for a murderer like himself, but you were crying for him—you were miraculously here in his apartment, holding him like your life was dependent on it. He was no fool, and he never really pushed aside what his eyes were seeing, so while he was slowly becoming aware that you returned his feelings, he wanted to scold you for the dumbest choice you had ever made. Yet, instead of doing any of that, Akutagawa Ryuunosuke did something else that took your breath away.

    Reaching forward, he grazed the pads of his fingers across your cheek, wiping a stray tear that threatened to fall lower, and he tried smiling. Callous eyes and a hopeful smile—the only thing that got him to fall for you, Akutagawa now tried his best to return it, knowing full well he owed you at least that much. Your eyes widened at the sight he presented you with before you placed a shaky hand on his that was on your cheek. Leaning into his touch, you wondered if two broken people could ever love, yet, with the way he was smiling right then, you would be damned if you came close to calling him broken.

    Leaning forward, boldly, you placed a kiss on his head, causing his eyes to turn to saucers with the unfamiliar action. You felt him tense up once again, and you held him close despite that, knowing full well that whatever was foreign to him wasn’t essentially bad, all you had to do was familiarise Akutagawa to love and he would learn to accept it better. Looking up, he pulled you down from the back of your neck and pressed his lips to yours—you could feel how dry they were, yet, that didn’t stop you from kissing him back. You could feel his hands tremble with the way he was holding you, not used to pressing softly, yet hard at the same time. When Akutagawa pulled apart from you a few moments later, it felt as if he was breathing for the first time. You allowed yourself to sit beside him now, enveloping the silence around you as if it were a comforting blanket. He looked at you so gently, slipping his arm around you and stroking your hair with a movement so soft you wondered if he realized he was doing it. He was capable of such softness that it presented as a strength instead of what he truly believed it was.

*

Nakahara Chuuya often finds himself in strange wine stores, looking for the wine he knew he could spend money on, wine more expensive than the one he had bought previously, keeping up with a mental game with himself. Walking out of the store, he spotted you—someone he believed he’d never see again, wearing a sundress and hair done up in a complicated plait that had you looking cute if he were being honest. He shook his head before focusing on getting home and drinking to some food, but just as he turned away, he turned back to you with wide eyes, almost dropping the wine he had bought, but he was glad he had his ability to prevent that from happening.

    What the f*ck? Chuuya thought when he saw Akutagawa slip his hand in yours, in a movement so casual that it seemed almost out of character for a rapid dog to act like a Labrador in love. You smiled at Akutagawa who returned half of it before Chuuya wounded if he was looking at Akutagawa at all in the first place. A moment later, he noticed the man slip his arm around your waist before leading you away from the area, in such a nonchalant yet casual manner that it left bewildered Chuuya to just stand there with his mouth ajar and heart raging. How the f*ck does that runt have a lover? Chuuya’s thoughts weren’t jealous, or even close, but it was a pure shock that left him jaw-dropped.

Well, whatever, he thought, before heading home, reminded thanks to Akutagawa and his new girlfriend that Chuuya was to drink alone that night. Again.

[hectabdr]

Dragon Raja IV - Chapters 9 & 10 (Abridged)

Hi everyone, in today's update we start learning a little more about Johann's father and that vision that Luminous experienced.

Previous Chapters

Chapter 9

Luminous woke up in a white room. In front of him there was an old man in a white doctor's coat. He explained that once Luminous left the library, he fell and hit his head on the pavement, so his friends brought him to a hospital to check if he had a concussion. Behind the mirror, however, they were being watched by two psychiatrists, next to them, Nono and Finger observed as well. Luminous had to answer many questions, he answered as logically as he could. According to the lead doctor, this wasn't a good sign, a person who knows that they're suffering from some sort of mental disease will always make an extra effort to demonstrate their sanity and Luminous was definitely going the extra mile.

They actually brought him there after Finger threw a rock at his friend's head and knocked him out. Truth be told, they already suspected the doctor's diagnostic, their friend was schizophrenic. Luminous's tantrum didn't help his case either. The young S-Rank was yelling, then threatened the personnel to let him go and almost flipped the table. Minutes later, he was already constricted by a straitjacket, resting on a small hospital bed.

Trying to ignore the other patients with whom he shared a room, he slowly vanished under the effects of a sedative injection. As soon as his eyes closed, his body felt the cold sensation of heavy rain. He was in the number 0 highway all over again, trapped in that same vision, the one where Nono would die in minutes, yet the shadowy creatures were not trying to eat them alive, but frozen like statues, while a small figure walked among them. Carrying an oversized umbrella, the little devil greeted his brother and made an interesting contribution.

The dream that Luminous experienced was not simply a prediction, but a simulation of it, and as such, it could be experienced all over again. In fact, he could repeat the same scenario as many times as he needed to find the one where Nono would survive. It was like the "save" feature in a video game and there was no need to exchange a quarter of his life for this service.

-Odin, what is he?

-You could understand him as a dead soul, trapped in this Nibelungen. He possesses infinite power, yet for some reason, he couldn't leave this place for many years, until now.

Odin's restriction was about to end, after all, he managed to lock Nono with the Gungir lance and it was a matter of time before he could leave the Nibelungen to reach her. Once you're locked by the lance, you're doomed to die, however, it cannot be locked on the same target twice, since theoretically said target should be dead already. Therefore, the solution was simple, if Luminous managed to prevent the lance from hitting Nono, Odin wouldn't be able to try for a second time. According to Ming·Z, someone in the past already escaped the Gungir lance, he just didn't know how. Luminous would have multiple chances to find a way, with a clear objective in mind, he started the second round.

The scenario resumed and the creatures started moving towards them. The pair once again fought for their lives, with a big difference: Luminous performed exceptionally well. Being able to remember the behavior of the servitors allowed him to know exactly how and where to shoot them, leaving Nono speechless. She was particularly surprised when he blew up her car, since he forgot the part where they agreed to escape in the Maybach. Wasting time to explain his course of action, a servitor took advantage of their distraction and cut through Nono's neck with its hands, killing her in an instant.

He woke up in his hospital bed, extremely frustrated. Ming·Z·Lu left a phone in his bed with a message that invited him to try again. The only problem was that he couldn't fall asleep. Luminous threw tantrum after tantrum until the nurse came in and he requested another sedative injection, which surprised her. According to the doctors, these sedatives weren't addictive, so Luminous had little to no reason to want another one. He had to lie about his condition, saying that there were voices in his head yelling to one another. The nurse injected him again and he fell asleep, ready for his third attempt.

In the middle of the battle, he noticed that one of the servitors had a little number next to it, just like the stats in an RPG, and the creature was a "level 600 enemy". According to Ming·Z, a very strong regular human should have a combat level of 100, so this thing had six times the strength of a tai chi master. Enemies that strong should be avoided in close combat and shot from a distance instead. Odin's power level and other stats were displayed as a bunch of question marks. It was a sign of their abysmal difference in strength. When Luminous tried to analyze Ming·Z·Lu, his stats were hidden by question marks as well.

Chapter 10

Days later, Finger and Nono were drinking in Luminous's old bedroom, trying to figure out what to do next. They believed they understood the situation, their friend was mentally ill. He knew about this boy called Lu Mang, who died in an accident and he created an imaginary version of him. He projected most of his own accomplishments into this made up president of the Lionheart club and got two of his former classmates involved in his delusional quest.

Finger suggested giving Luminous back to the college, despite of the risk that it might represent to his safety. If they apologized for their actions and brought back the number one target of the secret party, they might have been able to get pardoned. Maybe Caesar could ensure his well being. Nono still insisted in analyzing the inconsistencies on everyone else's perspective on Luminous and Finger suggested that she just couldn't accept the truth of her sidekick's mental condition.

Finger's suggestion was tearing her apart on the inside, because she knew that she was supposed to be the one who suggested they give up on Luminous, then Finger would be offended and start defending his old roommate, this didn't make much sense, why was she the one who was hesitating? She expressed her disgust at his proposal and left Luminous's old house.

-Even if he's the disoriented puppy that you say he is, it's still mine! I'm the one who picked him up from the women's bathroom!

Meanwhile, Luminous just lost his 46th attempt at saving his former senior. After all of those attempts, he suffered 22 serious injuries, including 12 fractures, 7 deep wounds and 1 broken finger. His previous attempt was devastating, he managed to get in the car with Nono, but the death servitors lifted the car up in the air and they couldn't accelerate anymore. Nono was visibly terrified, while the creatures destroyed the vehicle, they sat down, waiting for their end to come.

Ming·Z tried to dissuade Luminous from pursuing Nono, or even saving her, but his brother refused. The little devil was confused about his brother's feelings and revealed that he had been writing a small webnovel inspired by the real life relationship between Luminous and Nono. His readers weren't particularly happy with her character and wanted her to be more clear about her intentions.

-I learned more about humans to understand the feelings that you have for your senior sister.

-Did you find your answer?

-Yes, your feelings are in all the wrong places.

-Nonsense!

Perhaps there was something he could do. Ming·Z couldn't stop the Gungir lance, but he would be able to kill Odin if Luminous was willing to trade his last quarter of life. As expected, Luminous refused, so he gave him another gift: he would provide him with any weapon he could ask for on his next attempts. Luminous asked for an apache helicopter but Ming·Z forced him to settle for something smaller, a bazooka.

The next round started and Nono freaked out when she saw Luminous's new rocket launcher, where did he get it from?

Back in the real world, Nono arrived at an abandoned building that belonged to the Media Asia Group. The boss of the Black Prince Group was an old acquaintance of hers, a devoted one at that, the same young man who lend her the red Ferrari: the young master Shao. His business card was enough to allow Nono to request information about an old employee: a man whose last name was Chu.

The middle aged man that guarded the old building was curious about this girl and her credentials. She went straight to the point and asked for the long deceased man, Mr. Chu. The guard recognized the surname immediately, his full name was Chu Tianjiao. Long ago they used to be colleagues and drank together from time to time.

Tianjiao was married to a dancer and had a young son, he wanted to earn more money, so he quit his job working as a driver for members of the taxation bureau and became the personal driver of a wealthy man, who owned the Maybach that Tianjiao drove every day.

Nono kept asking for more information, but there wasn't much to say, he loved spicy chicken wings and braised pork belly, he barely spoke unless it was to brag about simple things. But there was something more, Tianjiao lived in the factory, so she asked the man to take her to Tianjiao's room. In her way, she noticed a reflection in the window, powerful flames, but it only lasted a second.

Tianjiao's bedroom hadn't been opened for many years, but the air inside was surprisingly clean, just a little dusty. The furniture was simple, a double bed, a bedside table, a writing desk, a chair and a mini-refrigerator. Some strings in the corner of the room were used to dry his clothes and a jacket was hanged in them. This was everything that Chu Tianjiao had. Nono stepped in, asking to be left alone and she closed the door to allow her profiling ability to fill the missing details. She analyzed every aspect of the small place and came across a photograph. A family of three, a boy who was five at most, a woman with a bright smile and a man in a white shirt and woolen pants combing his hair, hugging his wife proudly. Was the boy Johann Chu? She couldn't recognize his face.

Nono sat down on the bed, closed her eyes and allowed her ability to put her in that man's shoes. She saw him, a man with no name arriving at the town for the first time, carrying nothing but a suitcase. He sat down at a food stand and ordered braised pork belly, but the vision was interrupted by the pain of heavy mental exhaustion. 

Her skills were demanding and she found herself trapped in that state, feeling like the was sinking in deep water as she desperately tried to escape. The experience sent her back to the Three Gorges Dam, where she almost died, a monster came to her aid and yelled "Don't die! don't die! don't die!"

She wasn't completely sure about how she survived on that mission. Caesar and Luminous put a story together, in which Norton approached the diving bell and attacked her, the dragon then attacked the Monach, where Caesar skillfully slayed the monster. Luminous brought her back to the boat, where she woke up in her boyfriend's arms.

But there was more to it, a monster, one that ordered her not to die and saved her with powers that broke the rules of the world she knew. Was that an illusion?

Nono felt the whole place trembling and got out of the room, outside, the rainfall had flooded the building and the whole structure was sinking in the muddy ground in which it was built. Nono tried to make her way out, she was trained for this, swimming as fast as she could, she got trapped by the tons of stored garbage and slowly passed out from suffocation until someone finally grabbed her wrist.

She woke up in an ambulance, where she discovered the identity of her savior: the boring middle-aged man that guided her to Tianjiao's room was in fact an olympic swimmer who almost joined the national team! He even had an 8-pack and all, Nono wondered, when did that old man become so interesting?

Anyway, while everyone clapped and celebrated the local hero, she contemplated the ruins of the sinking building. Her last connection to Chu Tianjiao was now lost.

In a simulated combat situation, inside of his dreams, Luminous was now on his 62nd attempt to save Nono. His routine was well practiced, not a single bullet was wasted. He pushed Nono back into the Maybach and prepared to fire the Bazooka at the death servitors, but the projectile exploded inside of the cannon, killing them both in the resulting explosion. Ming·Z excused himself for the defective product, after all, Luminous already used dozens of them so at least one could be expected to have some sort of flaw.

77th load, by this point he already managed to make it out oof the servitor battle and they drive deep into the highway. He tried to pass through the toll booths but accidentally hit a concrete isolation block.

He woke up again at the hospital and asked the nurse for another sedative. He had been sleeping for five or six consecutive days with the help of those injections, only waking up to eat and occasionally chat with his fellow patients. The nurse was growing suspicious of him but he faked a mental episode and the nurse ran away to ask for the doctor's instructions.

Finger showed up to visit him and brought some apples, he also reassured him about Nono's trust in him, informing Luminous of Chen's quest to find more clues about Johann's dad. They also found more about Chu's mother, who probably developed her psychological pregnancy after the death of her real son.

To lighten up the mood after the arrival of the nurses, Finger turned the TV on and they watched the news together. Apparently the airport was closed due to the incessant rains, and they were showing the departure of the last plane right before the lockdown, but something startled Luminous.

Odin's flames were reflecting in the water, the god swung his lance and the wind and water were quickly turned into a blade that cut through the airplane like butter. The airport was covered in flames and some of the passengers were injured.

Luminous tried to warn everyone in the hospital and begged them to call the police, but his apparent prediction meant nothing to them, after all, the footage shown in the news was a repetition from days before. They pushed him back into his bed and sedated him immediately.

Odin was indeed too much for regular humans, and he was about to start tormenting the city, just waiting to get out.

[yikesharringrove]

maybe? 👉👈 steve taking a really long time with college (like on one year and off one yours year, on, off, on, off) and he still doesn't really know what he wants to do and he gets really frustrated bc billy just did college all in one go and steve is taking forever and he feels down on himself? idk im feeling the whump rn???

Steve had left high school having no idea what he wanted from the rest of his life.

That’s not true, he had some idea.

He knew he wanted to leave Hawkins, follow Billy wherever he was going. He knew he wanted to be with Billy for the rest of his life, he knew he wanted to leave the past behind and make new friends, people who were kind, and fun, and didn’t bat an eye when Billy pulled him into his lap.

But that’s about it.

So when Billy graduates high school, and gets a full ride to UC Berkeley, and they move into a cheap apartment in downtown Oakland, Steve is so happy that he got out.

He gets a job waiting tables at a restaurant down the street, pays half the rent and buys the groceries while Billy’s in class.

But then two years pass, and Billy’s soaring through college, working to his degrees, plural, because he just couldn’t decide between studying English Literature or Biology with a focus in research.

So he’s majoring in both and getting a minor in Italian because then I’ll know what you’re sayin’ when you start horny babblin’.

And Steve was at the same restaurant.

True, he was assistant manager now, and it came with a pretty okay raise, and he even gets dental insurance, but he feels so stuck.

So he enrolls in community college.

He starts with some general classes, still completely unsure of what he wants to study.

Billy said it was okay to just rule out things you don’t want to study, to nearly fail a math course and know that accounting is not for you.

So when Steve finishes his first year, he at least knows what he doesn’t want to pursue.

Meanwhile Billy has an internship at a lab through Kaiser Permanente. And he can read and write Italian than Steve can.

Steve is walking home from his job at the restaurant when it happens. He’s crossing the street, and gets hit by a car.

He’s taken to the hospital, where he’s informed of a fractured spine and another concussion.

He’s told his injury could’ve been much more severe, that he will not experience paralysis, but he needs physical therapy and walking will be difficult for a while.

Their finances take a big hit.

Billy’s internship doesn’t pay super well, and with Steve being unable to work for the foreseeable future, he’s fired.

Billy has insurance through the school, but because on paper, he and Steve have no real relation, Steve’s medical bills come out of pocket.

So Steve is bedridden for months. He can’t work or get groceries, or do fucking anything but lay there.

They can’t afford physical therapy.

But Billy has a friend studying to be a PT, and she comes over every Saturday, and practices her technique on him in exchange for ten bucks and a few beers.

And so the money Steve tucked away for school is rapidly diminishing.

By the time Billy graduates, Steve is a year into recovery. He still gets dizzy at odd intervals, and his back gets stiff when it rains, but Billy gets a job right away, doing research on flu vaccines.

And Steve goes back to work.

He gets a desk job, something he won’t have to be on his feet all day for. He works reception for a message therapist, which comes with free massages, which work wonders on his back.

So in the fall, he decides to give his education another shot.

He learns that history is not for him, and that his nutrition course was fine until they began looking into how the body processes nutrients, and he was fucking lost. He takes a few business classes, thinking, hoping genetics would take over and this is something he could do.

But his dad was right to take away the job opportunity at his own firm. Steve was not cut out for this.

After a year of research, Billy is promoted three times. He ends up working on some extremely important study that Steve does not understand for the fucking life of him.

But he sits and listens every time Billy explains what he did that day, even though Steve gets so sad when Billy mentions having to kill the lab mice to study their bodies.

So Steve is two years into community college, five years into living in Oakland with Billy, and he still is lost.

He takes a semester off, working more hours, trying to save up some money.

Because Billy is beginning to think about grad school, and that shit’s not cheap.

But Billy decides to postpone that, work for a few more years, and besides, he’s caught between studying something to put him in a research field, or just straight up going to medical school to study infectious disease.

Because Billy could. He’s smart enough for medical school, smart enough to research and be a doctor.

And Steve has a smushy spine and half a degree in nothing.

A semester off turns into a year.

A year and a semester.

Two years.

They’ve been in California for seven years, and Billy gets into grad school in San Diego. They move south and Billy spends late nights pursuing a Masters in Immunology.

And Steve works the front desk at a pediatrician’s office.

He’s flipping through a course catalog from the San Diego Community College when Billy comes home from his new job, the position he got after applying to only three labs.

He kissed the top of Steve’s head, moving to grab himself a beer from the fridge.

“You thinkin’ of going back?”

“I don’t know.” Steve slid the catalog closed. “Is it even worth it?”

“That’s something you have to decide.” Billy sat down, sliding the catalog towards him. Steve had crossed off the classes he had already taken, the ones he new he wouldn’t like.  “And you know, going to school isn’t the only option. You could get an apprenticeship, master a trade.”

“I can’t do anything where I need to bend over for really any length of time. So that rules out plumber, and car mechanic, and anything physical like construction, or landscaping or even general contracting is right out.”

Steve could feel the old shame, the doubt and the self hatred crawling up his spine.

“I have nothing to offer. I have no discerning skills, and in seven years I’ve only made it through two years of goddamn community college, and here you are, ripping through grad school like a fourth degree is easy.”

“Stevie, you’ve got a lot to offer. We just gotta find something that suits you.” He took Steve’s pen, turning to the back page of the catalog. “Okay, we’re gonna write down all of you strengths, and think of career paths that could fit those. I’ll go first, you’re extremely caring. You’d be good at any career where you care for people.”

“But I can’t study nursing or something, I barely understood my biology 101 course. Plus, nurses are strong. I can’t lift more than like, thirty pounds.”

“There’re way more caring fields than nursing, Pretty Boy. Although I would love if you were my nurse.” Billy smirked at him, leaning in to plant a sloppy kiss to Steve’s cheek as he rolled his eyes. “Another strength: your emotional intelligence is through the fucking roof.” He wrote it down. “Okay, I’ve said tow, so you say one.”

“Um, I think that I’m good at making people laugh?”

“Yes! You are. Perfect.” Billy scribbled it down. “You’re a good leader.”

“I’m pretty good at reading people.” Billy wrote Intuitive, can smell a douchebag from a mile away.

“You’re good under pressure.”

“Sometimes.”

“Every time I’ve seen. You’re good at keeping calm and keeping others calm.”

“I guess.”

“Nah, Stevie. Positives only. Say a strength.”

“I’m, uh, I’m good at, bilingual?” Billy stared at him. “Like, I’m bilingual.”

“Are you sure? I don’t think that was English, even.” Steve slapped his chest, Billy laughed. “I’m joking. You are bilingual. You’re also really good at making others feel safe.”

“I was always pretty alright at public speaking.”

“You’ve got a great eye for detail.”

“I’m good at teamwork, and delegating.”

“You’re really compassionate, too.” Billy drew a line under the strengths side. “Okay, so now we’ve got some of your strengths, think about what you’d want in a job, and we can match everything up and think about some careers that could fit.” Steve nodded, racking his brain.

“Um, I would want to work with kind people, I would kind of like to do something, you know, worthwhile. I’d like to be in charge of something. Like it’s fine if I have a boss to answer to, but I’d like to be fairly independent.”

“I already have so many ideas.”

“Lay ‘em on me.” Steve sat back, closing his eyes to try and picture everything Billy threw out.

“I’ve actually always thought you’d be a really good teacher. Especially if you did like, kindergarten. Just got to be around little kids all day.” Steve could actually see it. “I also think you’d be a could social worker, like to work with Child Protective Services, or something. Um, you’d be good at even planning. Or I think you’d be really good working at a nonprofit of some kind. Maybe you could be the event planner for a nonprofit.”

And Steve was sitting there, and suddenly, he had four career paths, just sitting right in front of him. Four super attainable career paths.

“Wait, wait those make sense.” Billy beamed at him.

“Yeah, that’s because I know you, Pretty Boy.” Billy opened the catalog. “So, I think if you choose to enroll, you should pick a few classes, like, Intro to Social Work, Early Childhood Education 100, and maybe like, Sociology, and see from there.”

Steve stared at the course descriptions for what Billy circled.

“Thank you for helping me. I’m sorry this has taken me so long.”

“It’s okay. Everyone is on a different timeline. And it’s not like you got to explore options in high school. You were told business until your dad decided that nevermind. So it’s understandable that this took you a minute. Plus, you went through hell with your back.”

Steve sat up straight, stretching out his back.

“But, I mean, the back thing kinda happened to you too, and you still made it through all your schooling.”

“Sure, I watched you go through it, but I was not in the pain you were. And like, emotionally, it fucking sucked to watch the love of my goddamn life go through something, and I couldn’t even afford therapy. Like, I felt so helpless, but that’s nothing to what you went through literally experiencing it.” Steve took Billy’s hand, linking their fingers together, pressing a kiss to his knuckles.

“You did the best you could. Everything was shit for like, that whole year.”

“I cannot telly you how many times I would go into an individual study room in the library and just like, sob for a while.And then I’d get so mad at myself, thinking of you at home, hurting and not even able to get yourself out of bed, and I’d race home feeling like shit.”

Steve scrubbed his fingers through Billy’s hair. He had cut it a while ago, kept it short these days.

“You were doing everything you could for me. I would just sit in bed all day, and think about how amazing you are. Like I would just think about all the good times we’ve had together, and how much I love you.”

“That explains why we didn’t fight for like, that whole year.” Steve laughed. Billy leaned to kiss him softly.

“And you know, even now we’ve done this, there’s still no rush on you. You don’t have to go back to school this year, of this decade, or anytime until you’re ready. Until you want to.”

“Well now, I feel like there’s a fucking light at the end of the tunnel. I’m almost, excited. Is this how you feel? Excited to go to school?”

“Welcome to the nerd life, Sweet Thing.” Billy drained the last of his beer. “You wanna go out tonight? Celebrate?”

“Like, go out to dinner, or go out?”

“Oh, just like dinner. Be home by eight thirty, in bed by nine, missionary with the lights off, and asleep by nine fifteen.”

“Sign me the fuck up.”

[ninjakitty15]

Chapter 22: Deader is Better (Loki x OFC Pairing)

It was exactly one day before the greatest holiday of all time, and not just because I was the most powerful I'd ever be that year. The streets were packed with people, every parking lot was booked solid, every parking space even, residents were even renting out some of their spaces for pocket money. Loki and I helped out Zari with her little store in exchange for letting us crash at her place, Loki was both surprised and delighted by how accepting people were of him even after asking if he was who he was. I explained to him that while the country as a whole has a longass way before it can be completely progressive and welcoming, Salem, being one of the first historical places here that destroyed itself in fear and intolerance, was probably the first to turn that around. It went from burning, hanging, crushing, and torturing people that were considered different and therefore dangerous to welcoming the different and weird as one of their own. No one even cared he took over New York, what they saw was an alien army attacking the city and a god that brought a bunch of heroes together to stop them.

"If Asgard were still around, I wish it had a city like this, celebrating magic and welcoming the weird as you'd say," mused Loki.

"Isn't there a realm entirely like that? Where the Light Elves live?"

"Look at you, trying to learn my culture," he teased. "It was where my mother learned magic and passed it onto me, yes. But we didn't go there often enough for me to call it another home. Most of the time, if we went anywhere it was to beat the natives into submission thanks entirely to Thor."

"For all the advancements your people had on us, the technology, the magic, the fuckton more years in a lifespan, you're not that far off in some idealogies from us. Rarely does peaceful methods end a dispute between peoples. Oh sure, there's been tons of times we tried that, it rarely works in our favor though. Peaceful rallies or marches are usually ended with police brutality they claim is the right way even when they're throwing tear gas grenades at unarmed civilians, tazing random protesters they later claim as dangerous, or just blasting them with high pressured firemen hoses. It always ends badly, with injuries, false claims, and injustice. I'd seriously love to meet Odin just to tell him he ain't special."

Loki smiled at this and kissing the top of my head. "I shouldn't be proud of you despising him like I did, but I am anyway. I am glad you met my mother in some form though, I had a feeling she'd like you."

"She told me to trust you and that in doing so, you'd stay with me as no one else besides Thor if even that, has trusted you since you came here indefinitely. A lonely existence that is, everyone keeping you at arms length. I can understand that, outside of Salem, skin color alone is an excuse not to trust someone, people see someone that looks like they're past their expiration date like me and they go running. Hell, even hair color or skin ink can keep you from getting jobs here, we're still an extremely regressive country. Not worth saving anytime soon."

"Then why bother?"

"Because unfortunately I'm one of the idiots inhabiting it with no way to some place better."

"I asked Thor why he fought so hard to protect this speck of a planet once, don't recall him giving me a good answer but yours shall suffice, if nothing else, because you're part of it."

"Whoa, hold your eight legged horses, you really don't need to do that...at all. Just find a way out of here if we can't at least save this city, the Avengers can handle this planet and if they can't...well at least they tried right? We don't need to get involved when neither of us signed any kind of hero contract like they did."

"You sure?"

"I'm not just sure...I'm HIV positive."

"You'd have to be alive to contract that disease and I'm not quite sure it would transmit to something already dead."

I opened my mouth to retaliate but something else stayed my tongue for a moment, something felt wrong, unnatural even. "Listen...do you smell that?" I asked curiously. Loki didn't get a chance to answer as a great surge of necro-power struck me full force and I was sent flying back several feet away, breaking several trees of the park we were enjoying till then along the way before my back slammed against a particularly thick one and I stopped flying. A dull pain exploded from my chest mere inches from where the stone was protecting my important bits and cool black blood lightly dripped from my lips. I looked down at where the pain came from and blinked in surprise.

"Oh look I've been impaled," I mused before breaking off the branch sticking out of my body and stepped away from the tree behind me. I looked for the source of the power surge and glared as I spotted the culprit walking toward us.

"Are you hurt?" asked Loki warily.

"Just a flesh wound," I assured him, gathering power from behind into my arms and fists. "You might wanna sit this one out though."

"No no, let him try," the attacker taunted as he got closer to us.

"I knew I smelled something rotten in the wind," I muttered. "What is it this time? First the heart, now the brain rotting away, would make sense if it was you that sold us all out."

The man before us glowered at me then flashed rotting, blackened teeth, while for the most part he looked alive, he was essentially rotting from the inside out. "You aren't the only one with a stone organ, my head will remain just as much as your heart does till I rip that out of you."

I arched an eyebrow. "Lemme guess, one of your Hydra buddies was a brain surgeon or so he claims. They all think themselves doctors of something that organization, not one medical degree posted when I was with them though, kinda makes you wonder."

"They don't need doctors for corpses," he snapped.

"You sure you're not braindead? Cuz I'm sure coroners and morticians both require a medical degree to be licensed with the job."

"Have a few run-ins with those folks have you?" he sneered. "You know the best part about you was at the very least being a warm body at the end of the day, now you don't even have that."

I snorted at his attempt to insult me. "Oh hun, the best part of you ran down your mother's legs. You gonna bark all day, you little bitch, or are you gonna bite?"

He held his hands to his head and another ball of smoke and lightning came hurtling at us but this time it was aiming for Loki at breathtaking speed, he was essentially pulling an Azula on me thinking I'd either let Loki get hit or take it myself but I saw his Azula and raised him a Dumbledore, telling my guiding spirits to yank him away from the path of the ball as I wouldn't be fast enough to help myself. I waved my hand toward Loki and he was suddenly swept aside and away from the direct battle ahead. Loki scrambled to his feet, a dagger in each hand and returning to his battle armor swiftly, glancing at me in shock. I mouthed a sorry to him before focusing all my attention to the rotten necromancer in front of me.

"Targeting what's mine isn't your best move when you really don't need to give me more motives to decapitate you than you already have," I warned.

"I know he's your weakness though. I want to see just how weak he really makes you," he sneered. "If what doesn't kill you makes you strong, what about when you're already dead."

"You're well on your way to finding that out yourself, hun. I can help answer that for you though." I thrust out a hand and black lightning flew from my fingertips. My rival managed to shield some of it with his own magic but as he wasn't a demi god the impact of that much power still sent him flying back. I didn't wait for him to get up though as I charged at him with a ball of power around each fist.

He rolled away right before I could punch in his head and destroy the stone inside it and got to his feet as I stood up, charging at me as I straightened up so we were suddenly toe to toe trying to kill each other. For a solid few minutes it was just dodging and exchanging blows and balls of energy before he decided to get sneaky and tried to slash me with his ceremonial dagger hidden in his boot. I dodged it just enough to not actually cut me but it did do some damage to my hoodie which had me glaring at him as I loved my hoodies. From there, it was throwing either each other, balls of power, or punches at each other with him occasionally trying to throw power at Loki who quickly learned to keep an eye on his attacks as much as I was without interfering, this wasn't his fight anymore. The ground around us was starting to look barren and dead from the effects of our powers used against one another, the grass brittle and brown. We both paused for a moment, both battered and frustrated neither of us were getting the upper hand with what we were doing.

"Why won't you stay down?!" he demanded.

I scoffed. "What is dead can never die. What's your dilemma here? What did Hydra even offer you to make you switch sides?"

"A chance to be something greater than this, the other necromancer, to be a demigod."

"And how's that working out for you?" I asked in bemusement. "They aren't higher powers, they're hired powers, there's a difference. There's no cutting corners on that one, ask nicely or die trying. How did you know where to find me? On the plane?"

"I had a spook tail you, not all the spirits are on your side you know."

"The good ones are, the rest are usually locked or exorcised so kudos on finding one of the select few willing to help a brother out."

He narrowed his eyes at me, collecting powers as he did. "If I'm not given what I want, then I'll have to take it myself just like I did with the other necromancers that went against me."

"And that's why no matter where that stone is surgically implanted in you, you will never be one of us, going against your own kind for something you'll never get." I lowered one hand to the ground and reached into the earth with just death magic alone, calling for something very specific as I waited for him to make the first move this time. "Especially not from me."

"And what makes you so special?" he demanded.

"Come here and find out." He lunged forward, taking the bait and I dropped to one knee at the last second, dodging his power-fist at the same time a rotted hand burst from the ground with my own dagger I snatched up and sliced into my enemy's rotted guts. He stumbled back, his free hand going to his stomach as he was weakened but not done for, the stone keeping him barely alive inside him. "Almost seems pointless since you're already decaying inside."

He looked at the wound I gave him from my dagger and glared at me as it was already speeding up the process. "You little cunt."

"Let me guess, you're gonna kill me, right? Join the line of people with empty threats they never finish."

Black lightning danced around his head and down to his body, staving off the spreading death from reaching his neck but not healing the blade wound either. "Should I rip out your soul first or your stone?"

"You say that like you've actually gotten the upper hand in this fight but who here has the unhealed wound and who here has survived worse?" I retorted.

He sneered at me with his rotten teeth and lunged forward once more but being the slimy little bastard he was, pulled his dagger apart so there were actually two identical ones and threw one at my leg while making a bee line around me with the other dagger at Loki. I gritted my teeth as the dagger hit its mark in my thigh and not wasting time even to take it out of me, threw a power ball at him from behind so he couldn't dodge it and sent him off his course to my lover. I then took out the dagger in my leg and limped over to the bastard despite the agony burning through the entire limb. I didn't wait for him to get up and kicked him hard in the head right where I guessed the stone was before aiming for the wound I gave him with my blade. "Silly asshat, kicks are for ribs." His snapped under my leather boots. He tried to throw the other knife he still had at Loki but I caught it this time and dissolved the twin dagger like I did the one in my leg. I grabbed him by the throat, lifting him up, and slamming into another park tree while holding him in place.

"You really wanna know why you can't kill me after all this time?" I challenged.

"You don't scare me, Nell," he choked out.

I recalled what the Wiccan seer had told me and let go of everything holding me back. "I can fix that. You can't kill a Horsemen." A different kind of power rippled throughout my body, not necromancy, but something stronger, eternal and deadly and incomparable. The entire arm and hand holding him up was skeletal as was half my face and that's when fear started to leak into his. He fought and wiggled in my grasp, trying to pry my bones off his neck but my finger bones just dug in deeper while he kicked at me. I raised my free hand, also all bones, and went for his head, aiming for the stone still managing to keep him alive when his throat was slowly being punctured and torn. And then the world seemed to pause, everything went silent and still, everything was frozen even including most of me as I couldn't seem to reach the stone in his head but was poised to grab it out of his forehead. And then something else happened, something that only happened to me when something very specific was coming. I got what Peter Parker would call the "the Peter tingle" and chills ran up and down my body despite the whole lack of nerves and feelings thing I had being a skeleton.

[amomentintimeblackcattales]

A Moment in Time - Descending in The Darkness

Chapter 0004

All of this, by pretending to be a psychiatrist and hypnotist in order to remove from the mind of a Jew the secret of what he was looking for.

There, in that place, there were several laboratories, and strange and totally suspicious substances, which he can see that daylight did not come.

Being able to say that where in his opinion, both he and his patient, to which he can see why, he wanted to be well buried, and he had not recovered from his traumas until today, as long as he remembers the torture he suffered.

Realizing he was in a bush without a dog, he realized that he would also be in trouble if he revealed even half the truth of how he came to the exact knowledge of the truth about the Nazi treasure.

There were documents and records, which reported and there were family histories and documents which had reports about these two scientists, who, in his view, were the main men, the freezers and the preserved bodies.

In addition to a large number of barrels and tanks with chloroform and preserved bodies, that Jew did not seem that innocent.

As much as he discovered that the man he reportedly was supposed to be dead and kept there, which raises countless questions, as to the experiments, what he would be ...

Mind transfer between brain waves, in addition to copying genetic material, from one living being to the other.

Creating a serum similar to the super soldier, but that had their own alternative purposes, in addition to harmful, that besides transferring genetic material from one body to another.

Discovering what they were doing in addition to a copy of shape change, in addition to brainwaves and absorption of life time by multiplying their time by 3 times.

It was the transfer of energy, strength and power from a body or environment, sucking the vital energy to amplify and take the life of a being or environment around, towards another body as an anchor.

The one he saw was the source of eternal life that would be stealing life from a place like nature, and thousands of other bodies, transferring like a fog, and that they did.

In their experiments, they were using the gas chambers as a source of power, transferring the energy of thousands of bodies towards each other.

All of this, in three other beings that were in that room, each one of the tests he saw when taking it to his computer was recorded.

They were using the energy and strength of thousands of victims, turning it into a single capsule of energy that was waiting for the transfer of so many other individuals.

That place was filled with a single capsule of energy, genetic material life for thousands of victims, and all the Jews who died in the concentration camps in the gas chamber.

The stabilization time was 4 weeks, until the energy stabilized, and the time to stabilize the organism, and create a new identity, in addition to being used to absorb the life energy around it, such as contact with the body. life of an environment.

Then, leaving it dry, the life span of an environment leaving it sterile, which would multiply its time by three times.

All of this, when it would absorb a quantity of life equivalent to a thousand outside the environment itself.

So he gained the life span of each of them, when he can use it to stay longer on earth, in case they were to die, sucking the life span of each one of them.

If each of them, they would not die from human intervention, violence, in the gas chambers, from diseases and other unnatural means, that procedure.

What he saw was embedded in just a single syringe of white colored glass, which he saw that could be injected for that moment, he would not say.

Which gave no Nazi time to take the lives of millions of Jews and victims killed in Nazism.

None of those doctors would say what really happened there, would raise questions that no Nazi wanted to say.

Now, all that time of life, it was injected into him, it took him a while to discover the fountain of youth, where the countless lives of thousands of Jews were inside a single syringe ,

When he was using the Joker headquarters to find a way that he could beat Batman.

It was then, when he visited that place for the first time, that he was able to live for a long time, after all, the life span of more than millions of men, women and children who were subjected to experiments was in that syringe.

He knew that the doctor who actually pretended to be a Jew using only a body change procedure to transfer consciousness from one body to another, while he recorded the procedure in question.

Planning his steps, he now toured the tunnels in which he could know that he would give right to the Austrian forest between fields and underground mines, between Russia and Czechoslovakia, between the tunnels and France, which traversed that place.

Where he knew it would possibly lead to an underground railroad and the other side of underground railroads, there was no owner, specifically.

So this man who supposedly called himself Ebraim, 89 years old, was not 89 years old, but 136 years old, that he took a part of the serum of life.

The difference was that it was not a lazaro pit, it was what he called the Nazi philosopher's stone, made up of the lives and souls of captured Jews .

Bruce discovered that according to records, he was born, on November 12, 1884, there were other tests, which were not with just two men, but 4 men, who underwent the experiment, from the source of life.

Even though he did not need to say that few knew about that railroad, in short what they knew was the Nazis and only one of them, was alive and cannot claim it.

Talking to his lawyer that he could both convert and transport those wealth in alternative ways, that would be for gold and jewelry trade, where they would not be suspicious of how it would happen.

It was then, that he was transferring suspicious wealth through illegal and underworld trade with suspicious auctions that he could never be linked not directly, due to his origin and his age, because the only ones who would know that, would be those who died more than 100 years.

Although he had his treacherous plans, he hid the boat, and he didn't seem to care how it came later.

Using all the insecurity of each of those involved, their lawyers, summoning the Gotham police for better measures, prosecutions, and all the problems caused by the Joker invasion of Wayne Tower.

The heroes who did not show up in time, his press conference when he was taken better, to clarify.

Joker's threat letters were leaked to the Gotham police.

Now, he was investigating him, even if he stayed for that reason, amid the commotion, which helped him to be the victim.

They would never be suspicious about the plan, because in the end, it wasn't him who shot, Bruce used his rich money to bury everyone inside the building, there was a commotion and many people who went to participate in the collective burial.

Some time later...

Superman looked like a purebred dog as soon as they met after saving Kara from Darkseid's brainwashing, and coming back to Earth, he looked too close, too close to a man aimlessly.

At that point, he seemed to always find an excuse to be in the Batcave, at least three months ago when he was expelled from the cave.

It was more than a week later Kent's parents' house was rebuilt with the help of the League, Kara looked surprised to see everyone gathered ...

The dark knight was aware that everything was fleeting. Darkseid would not leave it at least he would return ...

So when he went down to the cave and started researching and never again wore the cloak as soon as he returned.

So before your Apartment exit the kolips, Batman had entered the laboratory center and control center copied several files and intergalactic documents and some documents from an extensive outer library.

What he accumulated in his built-in belt system and what was most interesting was the connection between the sovereign of Apokolips and Luthor.

In his scheme, which he was planning, on his computer, there were some bargains between his research, various forms of experiences, all of this, between exchanges of mutant slaves and thus transferring directly to his cave computer.

It happened, so for the next three months, he started to isolate himself and research about Apokolips and his machinery and the way it worked.

While they were storing and searching using the bat-computer and storing and searching.

Hidden there were the cave data, patrolling less and less leaving it to its associates, while it was exclusively translating studying and unraveling the mysteries of the world of Apokolips.

The arsenals of Apokolips were extensive and had several mutagenic processes and experiments with the divine DNA of the new gods and a graph of evolution, between species, fusion of Kryptonian cells.

Meanwhile, it was however, even though they were from another race derived from Kryptonians and or ancient caste, and artificial crosses, between ancient beings and biological and bionic forms, even artificial technology with organic form, he crossed graphics.

In the next moment, it was when he copied from the Fortress of Solitude with what he stole from Apokolips, and the most interesting seeing graphical searches for hybrids in an alien form of an ancient race.

There, at that time, there was a race that he researched were as old as the guardians of the Green Lantern Corps and that by standards had already been extinguished for millennia, where he also stole an explosion tube.

The omega gallows were the main source of a way to reproduce the fusion between the omega gallows in a controlled manner, and the ancient gallows that govern the dimension and ancient dimensional temples.

But again , he dealt with someone who was moved to a base of conscience and he knew that at some point he was going to relieve some part of himself ...

All he knew was that he was capable of thinking, both in some degrees of emotions ...

This was the wall between dimensions, creating slaves for ç omega and controlling their minds cutting parts of your consciousness and cerebellum.

While brain and times for cleaning O cosmic, and artificial and natural manner and thereby the power generating omega thus being derived from cosmic energy ...

By encrypting various alien language data as old as time itself and coming across information collected from both the guardians and ancient Krypton.

There, where he researched, he found that there was a lot of information, from extinct civilizations, he ended up in the cave without sleeping for several days and so without caring he turned off the communicator and in turn ignored calls from the league and his own children.

There was something wrong going on there, there was a barrier, a secret password, an obscure story.

What was something that should not be shown in one of these stories and more encrypted data and there in the background we have something worse, someone blocked some Krypton data ...

He exchanged information with Hal, there were an immense amount of alien races in a troop database, and an ancient civilization was extinct.

It was a period before the inhabitants of Krypton, but nothing was known about the mutagenic fusion of hybrid research.

So that in this case, it seemed to be part of the black book of the guardians who had what they knew to be cut out of the book like the dark era of the troops.

Sometime later on his journey through the multiverse and through time.

Bruce Wayne discovered many secrets, stories and tales around the time, everything he needed to know, the countless secrets that the multiverse hid.

Each of those gods and demons, took him towards moments of time, when he found himself in several stories.

Bruce had come back, some time ago, he had his gap year, not showing up, for a long time, he should have come back, but he wasn't in the justice league for a while.

It was the exact time he used to travel, and get an excuse for how he had money.

He had not automatically returned to the justice league, he needed to catch up on business and affairs, his celibate year was not over yet.

When Bruce researched a mutagenic bomb that would dramatically change cells amid Lex Corp's slave trade. at the time of Luthor's presidency, however, trafficking.

What was not over, was a benefit exchange agreement between Darkseid and Luthor, which when doing data exchange and translation, it was this week that they would meet that day he already knew, three days from now.

Bruce had a plan coming up, which made his discovery over time, made him discover a way to avoid the events that led each of the futures to materialize, he heard several strange sounds and when he least expected Superman to appear he looked very sulky .

So that in the end, he found out more, and after all it didn't matter at all at the moment, he should really unveil an intergalactic human trafficking, after all, that was the mystery of the present, which Tim, and the others were unable to solve with your absence.

Again, when he researched Darkseid's life, he had only one love in his life, Suli, and later married at the behest of his mother.

It was all discovered at some point in their research until Darkseid killed his mother Queen He g g ra, he followed all his orders and not to that it killed his elder brother under his orders ...

He found out a lot about the new god, and as far as Darkseid is who he is by creation, himself being who he is has emotions he may fall in love at some point .

He can change ... but sometimes not for the better, and he could manipulate him for those goals ...

So, when he saw his surroundings , he had an enemy with little libido or was well controlled ...

You could try a test and see how it would help you.

When, he was in the watchtower, it was when he talked to Hal, if there would be in space on other planets sex traffics and if there would be women on these planets who would sell themselves for money, sex enlightened mind ...

Several nights before he was isolated in the cave, he was in the watchtower and there was Jordan ...

It was a certain period of time, in which he came back and was seen again with a young air in the tabloids, he was not the destroyed man nor the victim of so many difficulties .

In the midst of this, rumors were urgent, he said that he met a distant relative who had left an inheritance that he did not detail how much, it would then be, he hid his money well hidden.

While he returned and Alfred's presence, which was previously welcome, now, he planned a way to give him a vacation, to keep him out of his plans.

Now, you ask, he had given holiday a month , so your coffee , lunch and dinner boiled down to him to fast food, sometimes , he did, but it really was not as good as .

The what he wanted it to be, it made him learn to cook ..., I would not give to live just ready dishes warmed in the microwave.

Well after his death, that he had more than one no from his clown war, now, returning to being rich, he went to find out if the hidden money was still as hidden as he left it.

His battle prior to his return to land, when he died, did not last long to return, and who gave the ring to the black lanterns, was none other than the host of the bet.

One thing Bruce remembered was his agreement with the creature, so that he could return, he knew that by his side, there was not only him, but other versions of him who made agreements, which were his most intimate desire, the desire most hidden from your heart.

That wish that each one of them, would do everything to be realized.

Receiving from her, in the hands of the attack of his alternative versions, he met the host of the bet, knowing that he began to formulate his plan, he did not know, when or how, but it was at some time, quite sure if respectively, and not an alternative version of you.

The multiverse of darkness, was a fertile field for good ideas, which he can, over time, talk to any version of himself.

Before becoming what they became, they had other ideas, they, like him, had a desire, and when for a glimpse of time, they did not know if they saw, witnessed or dreamed of a future.

The darkest knight, at some point in time, when everything changed, at a point in time, he or someone, or several versions of him saw what each of them saw, so he didn’t know who, but he saw that he should keep the plan for him, start ...

That was a life of dreams and nightmares, he wanted to find the host of the bet, he wanted to find a way that the futures that he saw again when traveling through the multiverse, that he could use to prevent it from happening ...

About that.

When Bruce returned, he went to find out a few things, followed Superman's request towards the watchtower, there were some maintenance he needed to do in the monitor room ...

When he was in the watchtower in the monitor room.

It was formulating a plan, at that time in question, when he started with the question.

- Flashlight. - He said while they were both looking at the monitor.

- Yes ... - Hal said after a while ...

- Is there sex trafficking on other planets? - He said , looking at the stars.

- What? - Asked the flashlight in his direction.

- What do you mean. - Asked the Green Lantern, looking into his eyes.

- It's a logical question. - Said Batman.

- If in some countries on earth prostitution is a crime and there is human or sexual trafficking. - He said looking at the chart of the planets.

- Then it must exist in others. - Said.

- Why do you want to know? - Hal said suspiciously.

- You are an intergalactic policeman. - Said.

- In which galaxies is this a crime? - He asked.

- Yes. - He said.

- Have you arrested any? - He asked.

- On which planets and galaxies is this allowed? - He asked.

- I already did, yes. - Said Hal looking in your direction.

- But I was never interested in knowing which ones. - Said.

- So, how would you know to say where it is or is not allowed? - I wanted to know Batman.

- The ring warns. - Said Hal.

- Only when the ring said. - Said.

- Why do you want to know? - Asked evaluating the bat.

- A curious question came to mind. - Batman said, measuring the words.

- I wonder if Darkseid has any male or female slaves. - Said.

- After all, Apokolips is a different place, I thought that in the remote possibility that each planet or galaxy of a usurper or conquered can make its rules. - It said.

- And that is outside the jurisdiction of the lanterns can do what they want and make their own laws. - It said.

- And who has sex with prostitutes, or if there is a woman even though she is an alien who willingly surrenders to him or to any despot. - It said.

- After all, some planets do not demean themselves to the green lantern. - It said.

- It is well ... - It said.

- Each civilization has its own rules and laws and what they think is right. - It said.

- Not everyone follows the rules of the corporation. - It said.

- Even so, not everyone agrees with the words slave or prostitutes. - He said.

- In fact, it is so deeply rooted in society that it is something common and even well regarded to have sex for money, some simply accept it. - It said.

- It was as if it were of high class, the value of a being in the sexual act, and seen with values ​​and in itself a person of high class. - Said.

- As for Darkseid. - Hal said.

- I heard that he seduces his companions and is even well endowed. - It said.

- He, from what I heard, is capable of taking his son for hours. - It said.

- And he's considered a sex god. - Said.

It was in his studies, and in his research, that he discovered ...

Darkseid liked submission, and he managed to hack into the computer information of some Darkseid allies, and he can research about it ...

Again, when he found out more about Darkseid's occasional escapes between these sporadic and infrequent periods ...

That scene, and the situation he didn't think it would be difficult to insinuate for Darkseid ...

Even so, he was planning when he became thoughtful, well-endowed, because he didn't see many suitors and even maybe those he could tell someone to cut the reins of the conqueror ...

When again, he saw only one woman and was killed by Darkseid's mother.

Being that upon learning about the queen, she was already killed by him , a long time ago to be a hindrance for him, if Batman thought how he would do it, perhaps, how he could start investing in it.

As time passed, it was when he formulated the plan.

If he were able to conquer the Emperor of Apokolips , he could conquer anyone, and it would be unprecedented.

When again, he thought more about that situation ...

Bruce could test the idea, he can test his theory and so he would if he had a chance ...

About that.

This was not the first time, when Batman was molested and cornered by Darkseid, it was more of a test, but seeing that the new god was more than receptive and dominant.

The new god would not let him stay in control, the test said he would dominate him there and would not let him set any pace, he had the idea, he knew his plans.

Before he embarked on a language battle with Darkseid, while he would not go to the throne room of the new god, diverting his attention, Bruce headed towards the throne room, in his rush, when he entered the room. control.

- Wait. - What he knew that insinuating himself to the new god was dangerous, the case was that he would not just leave him between just kisses.

Darkseid was kissing Bruce next, the dark knight, turning the man on his back to him, Bruce leaning on the computer controls, the new god lowering his pants.

- Please do not. - Bruce cried, then, when the new god was sticking his fingers in his mouth making him suck .

- Suck. - He ordered a new god with a growl, and that in turn, thrusting it with his fingers inside it, he received slaps on his butt.

- Come on, see, let's not go. Growled Darkseid.

- Now. - growled Darkseid - Suck. Growled Darkseid, Bruce had no choice but to suck.

It was a fuck of fingers, in and out of him, Bruce tried to squirm away, but for each attempt, the smaller man was slapped on the ass and squeezed on his penis.

- Behave yourself. Snarled Darksied. - Or it will be worse. - He snarled, pulling him, while Bruce held the side of Darkseid's pants , spreading his legs, and Darkseid's fingers, the new god holding him to his feet, he held him upright against his chest.

The new god had a hand holding his waist, another hand behind him, thrusting in his hole, his penis was hard and erect, swinging, as the new god fucked him with his fingers in and out of it.

That was his first experience of anal sex, fingering with his fingers, inside him, with thrusts and his screams, Darkseid kissed him in the middle of feeling his pants huddled together .

The new god, behind him fucking Bruce with his fingers, the smaller man felt that the zipper on Darksied's pants was also huddled on his heels, he felt his penis rubbing against his slit , rubbing his penis at its entrance , almost entering , between the crack, almost giving way .

At that time, Bruce thought he was going to be fucked there, but there was a crash, towards the ceiling, a knock that shook the walls and tempted him, listening to a growl from Darkseid.

Then the new god who turned him, rubbed, the new god commanded the rhythm, between his kisses, and moans, and lips, coming between his stomachs.

Darksied turned him over, Bruce saw that huge thick penis, rubbing himself, Darkseid, both rubbing themselves, pushing towards the controls, he made him lie down.

- Let's be quick, your Kryptonian friend, soon be here. Growled Darkseid.

Again, when opening his legs, high and spread, holding between the inner thighs, fucking with his fingers inside him, with taps in the middle while switching between his tongue and mouth.

The new god was sucking and stocking him with deep knocks in and out of him, while the new god, swallowing his hole, pumping his penis, with his hands.

Bruce came in the mouth of Darkseid between fucking tongue and fingers were soft and deep, hitting a magical place that made him scream and engag s gar.

Before Bruce had a new orgasm, Darksied pulled his fingers and tongue out of him, forcing him to dress roughly, him pulling and whispering in his ear, before letting go.

- One hour, you will not have a league hero to prevent me from deflowering you, Batman, you will be mine. - Said the new god. - I will destroy this hole. Growled Darkseid. - And you will belong to me. - Snarled the new god.

- It won't just be my fingers and tongue inside you. - He pulling him pushing towards the control with violence.

- Have you given it to any other man ...? - He snarled.

- Did anyone but me touch your hole? - he growled with his eyes bright s .

Bruce gasped, shivered, tried to break free, but the ones in his arms were an iron grip , one hand on his penis, his hands inside his pants.

- No one. - Bruce gasped.

Seconds before if the new god was going to hurt him or hit him or anything, he smiled, took his lips in a kiss and seconds before between a push, Bruce was on the other side of the control room .

Bruce was stunned and in the middle of a breach dividing the wall in half and being protected by Superman who came in front of them separating them and starting a fight into the air .

Then, with Darkseid, half of that location destroyed , without paying attention to Batman, the man taking advantage of this situation and transferring .

In the meantime .

Happening in the middle of the fight and the crashes, some files, towards his flash drive , some crashes falling around, then Bruce and he were using his ropes, and taking with him towards his belt .

At that time, Batman was leaving there happy that his plans had progressed and worked out, sometimes drugs and pheromones like Poison Ivy's would come in handy, but it was his own composition.

It took a few weeks, it seemed like a wave of attacks by Apokolips, it was what appeared to be a periodic and common monthly.

Again, Batman entered another Apokolips control center.

At that time, Bruce taking advantage of the distraction of the god fight, he transferred some files, which he was looking for, there was a fight later, but he needed to threaten the new god, somehow, he needed to finish the transfer to the chip and the keep in your belt.

All that happened next was when he saw Kal when, some time ago, when it was his first foray into it.

It was when he initially helped to rescue the Kryptonian, some time ago, he was almost killed by Darkseid the base of the blow by pushing towards the wall with his hands on his neck.

All this for his own satisfaction, just to show power, even if he wanted to sweep the floor with him.

Then he was thrown on the wall and made a painting and before that while there was a possibility that Darkseid would dent his face and Bruce in turn would become a modern work of art, now .

Darkseid folded him, hugging Batman from behind, and shoving his fingers inside him, fucking him, with his face, being pushed towards the wall, between his screams and gagging.

At that time, the new god was fucking with his fingers, his pants huddled on the floor, between his butt being reared up, his hole being abused.

Beating between his screams, between his thrusts, Batman was fucked with fingers, and being fucked little by little with a penis hitting his slit, he thought, how much and how, they would be interrupted again.

Well, at best, although he should think quickly, about a solution, and put the theory into practice , but now, he was fucked up, pushing and pulling, close to losing his virginity altogether.

He impulsively took Darkseid's lips , tried to pull away and then, in the midst of the new god hang him, unsuccessfully, that he thought he stopped hanging him, to return the kiss and command the movement of his body.

This was not the first time, if it was really a problem, it didn't seem that Darksied would care , it was in the middle two months later between his marriage to Selina and his escapades towards the rescue of an ally in Apokolips.

At first, the new god did not answer, until he kissed back and dominated him, taking control, Bruce thought he would stay, to pull and push his body, Darksied grabbed him, he kissed him licking his lips, snarling and kissing him.

Rubbing their bodies, my god, Darkseid kissed him, he caressed him, sucked him, Bruce with his hands with just one attempt or perhaps a foray, experiencing his first time, with his gloved hand on Darkseid's covered cock.

Clinging, kissing, licking, listening to the growls.

Bruce gasped, the new god, was lowering his trousers thronging on his heels, the new god , with the s jerks, toward his lap, between her kisses .

Thinking back then, that there were pheromones from Poison Ivy at his disposal were enough to do it with fire, for a while , but apparently Bruce realized he didn't need it, it was tasty by nature .

What he saw was scary, he gasped, it was huge, Darkseid, he masturbated in his hands, he opened his pants, there was no room for escape, he did not expect .

The MBOs had their pants pulled, Bruce gasped again, and was startled, he saw that Darksied was huge, the new god, took him on his lap revealing all his strength .

At that time, he was being caught, wrapping his legs around his waist, rubbing his cocks together, Darks and i d got Batman.

The new god caught him like an iron rod, lifting him by the thighs, towards his face.

He was...? - It was true, he was going to suck it.

- Wait ... - Bruce gasped. - I ... - He tried.

- Still. Growled Darkseid, slapping his ass.

- I never ... - But his words were interrupted by a shrill scream.

That's what Darkseid did, he raped him with his tongue, sucking his hole, Bruce gasped, trying to break free.

It was at that time, that he gasped and moaned, screaming in the middle of his attacks of his tongue inside him, it would be his first anal stimulation.

Darkseid was fucking him with his tongue inside his hole, stretching and penetrating him, against all odds, in less than ten minutes of stimulus.

- Please. - Bruce shouted shrillly.

- That's right, beg. Growled Darkseid.

With that stimulus Bruce enjoyed, between the screams, that soft tongue passing through each muscle ring, hitting a place that shocked him.

The bat man screamed, shrieking, at one point, between the thrusts, and his cries, pleading to stop, in less than ten minutes, Batman came.

The smaller man, barely recovered, the new god pulled him from his face, and pushed him towards the wall.

Then, the new god swallowing his cock, good ten minutes of sucking, between swallowing and vibrating, forcing him to come in less than ten minutes, in his mouth pulling him, when he picked him up again in his lap.

Again grabbing your legs, and with your legs being forced around your waist .

Q hen Bruce was pushed into his lap, then rubbing their dicks together, pass between his arms around the neck where Darkseid .

The new god took his lips, rubbing his cocks together, when Darksied pushed his shirt up and sucked on her nipples, hard in the middle of rubbing his cocks together.

Before he thought he was going to be fucked, Darkseid stopped, he gasped, feeling semen dripping from his penis wetting his groin, when the new god pulled him taking his lips.

- Let's see how much you like it like that. - Said Darksied.

- What...? - Bruce said.

The new god was passing semen wrapped around his fingers, and stuffing it into his hole, which was wet from his saliva, into it, Bruce screamed, choking.

Darkseid was shearing Bruce by shoving and thrusting forcing Bruce on his back with his legs spread and pumping his penis with the same strength and speed as the thrusts in and out of him.

He was tight, apparently, he would be the first to do that to him, if Batman didn't give it to any villain then he would be his.

- God ... - Bruce shouted, was thrusting him pushing him towards the ground, between the thrusts, spreading his legs, and taking his lips in the middle of his screams fucking him with his fingers.

Each scream and each thrust was together, frantic beats in and out of him.

Bruce thought he would be fucked later with Darksied's penis, he wanted to at least take him into his territory, if he didn't squirm, he would be fucked on the floor, without any other complaints, but in the middle of his screams.

His cock squirting, Darksied stopped and pulled his fingers out of it, slapping his ass, giving several in a row.

Without any other words, Bruce was pushing and pulling violently, towards his pants being put on.

- Come on, get yourself together. Growled Darkseid.

Bruce dressed and tried to get up on wobbly legs, he received a hard slap on the face that made him roll and fall with bleeding lips .

The next minute, when Bruce turned around, before saying a word, Superman came crashing through the window, throwing Kara towards Darksied.

Bruce looked destroyed, but not in the way Superman thought, Bruce at that point, stood up and realized that somehow Darkseid realized that Kal was approaching, but he didn't want to be caught fucking his enemy.

They left without each of them knew that Bruce invaded some Darkseid files amid its infiltration, before arriving to the new god throne room, if Darksied knew, he said nothing .

Bruce downloaded the data to the batcave's computer, he was happy to know that the new god was receptive, and accepted his experience.

[higanbanawritings]

Under the Shadow of the Moon

Chapter One: A long Dream

Ryoka stared directly into the middle pair of the man’s eyes. All six of them, narrowing in on her form sensing the aura of fear radiating off of her body. Ryoka felt a combination of fear and sleepiness. It was like she was in a nightmare that she couldn’t wake up from. One moment she was living with her parents and her younger brother, Momiji. And within a blink she was now sitting across from this man…. No this demon. She was only here because she agreed that he could feed on her blood in exchange for sparing her life and the lives of her family.

Even though she was scared out of her mind sleepiness was beginning to overtake her. All she wanted to do was sleep; Today was exhausting physically, emotionally and mentally. And the events leading up to this moment only made it feel like she was in a long dream. She allowed herself to be willingly given to this man… no this demon in order to save the lives of her parents and her younger brother. She wholly belonged to him now and it saddened her to know that her freedom was ripped from her in one snatch.

This whole situation still felt like a long and tiring dream.

⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘

Ryoka was walking home after a long day of sewing garments at the boutique. She was an apprentice for Madame Toshiko who was famous for sewing the most beautiful traditional and western clothing. Ryoka worked tirelessly under her to prove that she was worthy of learning the madame’s skills. It was hard work and she was pretty sure that her boss took advantage of the fact that Ririka was young, naive and passionate about fashion in order to make her work longer hours in the name of “perfecting her craft”. But Ririka didn’t mind. The job paid well and within a couple of years she would be able to open her own boutique and make a name for herself in the emerging Japanese fashion scene. She could finally be independent from her family and not have to depend on anyone. She had the freedom to travel Japan even the world. She just needed the opportunity to come to her and this was it.

“EEEeeeeee! PLEASE SPARE US!”

The scream tore Ryoka away from her thoughts. She froze. It was her mother. It sounded like her mother. Ryoka picked her legs. Her family was in trouble and she had to do something. Anything at all to protect them. Ryoka ignored the burning in her chest. She couldn’t stop when her family needed her most. That was until she saw him . She immediately stopped in her tracks when she saw her family huddled together and cowering. In front of them was a tall man. He had long dark hair with red tips and wore a traditional patterned kimono with black hakama pants. He was also holding a katana which was pointed towards her family.

“A burglar and he’s armed. ” Ryoka knew that whatever she did it had to be the right move or things could be much worse.

She remembered that she had gotten paid a healthy sum today from work. Even though she had planned to use this money to buy herself new clothes for the upcoming festival she knew it was better to part with money and earn more in the future than be cut down by a burglar. She immediately ran in front of her family, holding her arms out shielding them from the towering figure, making her purse visible to the burglar. When she was able to get a good look at his face her breath hitched in her throat. This man had three sets of eyes on his face with red sclera and yellow irises. His middle set of eyes seemed to be engraved with the mark of ‘Upper Moon One’, and red markings resembling flames were seen on his face and neck.

It was then that Ryoka realized that this was no man but that he was a demon. She always had thought that demons were simply myths used to scare children into behaving but this creature before her was the real deal. He had no intention of robbing her family. No he was capable of doing much worse.

‘He’s going to eat all of us! Momiji, he’s too young to die like this! I’ve got to do something! I need to do something!”

She closed her eyes, and her head was pounding. There was something she should be able to do. And then it comes to her.

⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘

Tennouji Ryoka was born a sickly child. Her parents Tohru and Katsumi had tried everything in their power to find a cure but could not. They even visited the most esteemed western doctors that money could buy, but it proved to be futile. In a moment of desperation, they went to a traditional healer named Chiyo who had been able to cure Ryoka.

“What do you mean?” Tohru asked.

“The blood of your daughter, Ryoka. It’s not normal.” Lady Chiyo answered. The old woman took one long inhale of her pipe before puffing out a cloud of smoke. Tohru and Katsumi covered their coughs so as not to offend Chiyo.

“But how could you tell?” Tohru asked, his eyes tearing up from the smoke around him.

“The scent she gives off. It’s one of those who carries abnormal blood inside them. It’s what is making her sick.”

“Did someone curse my daughter? Who would do this? We haven’t done anything to anyone to deserve such cruelty.” Katsumi broke down sobbing. She didn’t know why her daughter had to suffer from a blood disease.

“As far as I can tell she is not cursed. However, I fear that she will live a life of hardship.” Chiyo then got up and walked towards a chest sitting atop a high shelf. She took it down and opened it. She rummaged through the chest until she found exactly what she was looking for. It was a small sack.

“This will be a long process but you will need to bring your daughter here so that I can properly administer this medicine to her.” Chiyo stated.

“What is it?” Tohru asked hesitantly. He already had his doubts about visiting a traditional healer to help Ryoka and this wasn’t helping to ease his worries at all.

“Crushed blue spider lily. I came from a long line of medical healers and while I was young, I happened to stumble upon old documents from an ancestor of mine. He had written about how he was healing a young man who had been sick for his whole life and did not have much time to live. He beloved that this flower, the Blue spider lily was the key to healing that man. Unfortunately, my ancestor had mysteriously disappeared before he was able to write down the results of this medicine. Administering this medicine would be risky, but it’s a risk we cannot afford to take.”

Chiyo’s cure had worked. At least in the beginning. Ryoka seemed to make a full recovery. She was even able to run long distances without collapsing from exhaustion. However, side effects started showing up. Although Ryoka had been cured from her previous ailment it seemed as though she was not out of the woods yet. And it didn’t seem like she would ever be. Unfortunately, Lady Chiyo had died of a heart attack and with it was any possible cure to Ryoka's new "condition".

⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘

Ryoka immediately prostrated herself on the floor. Keeping her head low and trying her best not to look up even when she heard the demon’s katana being pointed at her. She wasn’t going to let her fear stop her from keeping her family alive.

“Please, sir. Please spare my parents and my younger brother.” Ririka was on the ground pleading for her family with her head bowed low in front of the demon. She dared to not look up at the katana that was pointed at her. She knew it would only add to her and she couldn’t mess up her only chance to save the lives of her family.

“Hoo? And why should I spare your family girl.” The demon asked ,mocking Ryoka’s pathetic position.

“Because you can have me instead. My body produces a lot of blood. More than my body needs. My blood is also rare according to our late village healer. So you can feed on it and it’ll nourish more than eating my whole family can.”

“Ryoka! No!” Her mother wailed.

“Please don’t take my daughter. Eat me but please spare my wife and children.” Her father, a usually stoic man cried out, choking on his own sobs. Her brother was quiet. Tears streaming down his face as he could only watch his sister giving herself away to a demon.

Kokushibou, the demon, couldn’t help but smirk a little. In front of him were four pathetic humans begging and wailing for their lives. It would be better to just kill them all, but the girl’s offer did intrigue him. Hunting for food did take time away from completing his other missions for Lord Muzan.

Ryoka tried her best to stay strong in front of the tall demon despite the pleading of her parents. She then hears the sheathing of a katana back into its scabbard.

“Very well. I’ll come back for you in two months time. I’ll need to prepare your new home. And I believe you’re well aware of what will happen if you try to go back on your promise?” Ryoka nodded, forcing back tears.

“Yes I understand.”

⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘

Two months came and went. And Ryoka stood on the veranda of her family’s home with some of her belongings on the night of a full moon. She was standing alone. It was much easier that way. The day had already been filled with tearful goodbyes and Ririka was sure that she had no tears left to cry.

“It is time.” The six eyed demon appeared suddenly before her. This was it. Ryoka had to leave her old life behind along with those she loved and cared for.

But before she could take her first step Ririka felt a tug on her kimono sleeve.

“Nee-san Please don’t leave us. I’m praying to the gods and buddha to not have this demon take you away. So please stay with us. I promise I’ll be good and listen to mom and dad… just don’t leave us.” Ryoka looked into the teary warm chocolate eyes of her little brother, Momoji. She knelt down pulling him into a hug and trying to put on her bravest face for him.

“ Momiji, be a good boy. And do your best to look after mom and dad. I’m praying for you to live a long and fruitful life. Just know that no matter what, nee-san will always love you. She held onto Momiji for a few more moments before pulling away, picking up her belongings and walking over to the demon.

It hurt Ryoka to hear her family pleading for her to come back while she followed the six-eyed demon into the night.

“My name is Kokushibou. I thought that it was important for you to know who I am.” The demon, Kokushibou, spoke as they walked towards their new ‘home’.

“Tennouji Ryoka.”

“Hmm. Well then, Ryoka let’s make this a painless experience for the both of us.”

⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘⁕⚘

“You seem forlorn!” A voice tore her away from her thoughts. It was Kokushibou he was still sitting across from her.

“I know it may seem cruel to take you away from your family. But rest assured I will take care of you.” Kokushibou spoke to her softly, setting a futon for her to sleep on.

Ryoka pursed her lips. She wanted to snap at him. Tell him to go to hell. Tell him that he was a monster for ripping her away from her family and holding their lives over her head. She opted to hold her tongue in fear of angering him. However, that didn’t mean that she was placated. She was still seeing red and she felt hot inside.

Actually, she really did feel hot inside. Like she was having a fever or something. It was becoming more difficult to breath and her head felt light and heavy at the same time. She was trying to keep her composure so as to not alert Kokushibou. His back was still turned to her, talking to her about their arrangement.

“ I have convinced his lordship to let me keep you. However, you must give him your blood as payment. Considering your ‘condition’ that should not be a problem?

As if on cue Ryoka’s nose started to bleed. It was a part of her ‘condition’ as a result of the ‘cure’ Lady Chiyo had given her.. Her body produced too much blood and if she did not drain her body of excess blood it would leak out of her nose, ears , eyes or even mouth.

Kokushibou smelt the blood and immediately came to her side. Grabbing her chin, he forced her to face him . Grabbing a cloth, Kokushibou wiped the blood from her nose. But he could tell by the reddening of her face that she needed to release more blood. He pulled down the shoulder of her kimono. Positioning his mouth over her neck, Kokushibou bites down and starts to drink Ririka’s blood. Ririka gasps from the pain, however soon enough, she begins to feel relief as Kokushibou sucking the excess blood from her body.

It went on like this for a while. Kokushibou released his mouth from Ririka’s neck obviously having his hunger satisfied. Ririka was still panting. Her body was still hot and she needed to cool down.

“Marechi.” Kokushibou stated

“What?” Ryoka asked, still in a daze.

“You have rare blood. Marechi. His lordship will be pleased to know that you can produce marechi blood without risking your life.” Ryoka was waning in and out of consciousness. but she could’ve sworn that he was talking about using her as a blood factory.

Ryoka didn’t have the energy to argue with him about giving her blood away to other demons. She was too tired and she wanted to sleep.

“Good, I am going to meet with his Lordship. My scent covers the area surrounding this estate so weaker demons will be deterred from attacking you. .I should not be gone for long.” And with that he left. But not before breaking off pieces of his sword and leaving them around so that he can keep an eye on her even when he is away.

A few moments passed before Ririka was sure that he was gone.She crawled over to her futon and lied. It didn’t take her long to fall asleep, lamenting her new life as the possession of a demon.

Thanks for reading. You can also find this story on my AO3 page under the username camelliasinspring.

[mysleepdeprivedass]

Another ML fanfiction idea

And here we go for another prompt fic idea that I got while reading a fanfiction on AO3. I want to write this idea but I’m too lazy for writing a whole fanfiction.

And just want to keep in my head but it was driving me crazy sooo let's go.

Btw I inspired by the fanfiction MDR by Yilena  (on AO3) (@xiueryn on tumblr)  (also I haven’t finish the fanfiction yet but I need to let go the idea of my head)  

(let's go for translate everything a wrote again T^T and I just saw how long a wrote, the translation it's gonna be looong x.X also idk some term are correctly translate sorry if it's not)

Also warning, i’m going to talk briefly about eating disorder, bullying and suicide so skip the part in italic if the idea or the word can triggered you.

Have a nice reading on my 2.am writing idea. \0/ 

AU steamer / youtuber Marinette

Marinette begging steaming around her fifteen, and she become quickly know for her skills for some game

Marinette have now like 19 yrs old, almost 20.

She plays a lot of different games.

At first (when she was 15 ) she wasn't doing face cam steaming. After a years and a half, she start face cam but disguise. Her disguise is, a clothes always in polka dots red and black, and she have a mask which hide almost all her face and she wear a red wig (she have different wig, pixie cut, big curly, straits, ect,... But they're all red)

On twitch she is know as Ladybug, and she have a YouTube channel where she post all her rediffusion of her twitch live.

Marinette have a big community verry supportive and nice. She's the kinda of girl that going to play with her fan during live if she met them on the game.

She doing some explained and tip live on game that she's really good at or that she's love.

Her favorite game are Ultimate Mecha Strike saga. And a new independent MMORPG game call " The Tale of Miraculous" a kinda fantasy/fantastic game, that's become more and more difficult when your reach a levels.

Also it's a no-miraculous idea

At first, when she started live’s, qhe was doing a lot, like every night she was doing a live which ended around 4 or 5am. But after a big meltdown on live (she was around 17 years olds) she make a calender, which sometine change depending on he mood.

Monday Night : Games of her choice, most of the time she play at TTOM (The Tale Of Miraculous) or fighting games. From 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. or 2 a.m.

Wednesday Night : if she started a let’s play, she is doing the let’s plays, if she not she’s doing two or three games, most of the time horror games or strategy games. From 8p.m to midnight or 1 a.m.

Calender most of the time : 

Friday Night : chill night, she talk or debates with viewers while playing at Minecraft or she opening fan mail or for some occasion she is cooking. From 8p.m to random but between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m.

Sunday Night : Let’s plays or games selected by the community. From 8p.m to Midnight.

 Marinette has become very hermits and go out just a few time. She works at her parents bakery and has her own shop (known as Ladybug) her community know that she makes homemade clothes and she has a lot of customers from her community but also from famous people. 

Every other week she doing a live between 9 p.m. and 12 a.m. in addition, where she plays indie games or flash games or during fashion week (or any fashion show) she like to do reviews about it and commentary.

Marinette finished school at home because of harassment, she had ended up making several suicide attempts, and had a severe eating disorder and was anorexic 

She suffered bullying very early, already in elementary school, and it got worse in middle school where the physical attack was violent. She got kicks, push down the stair, she got a lot a fractures, spit on, etc,..

After a big lynching after school, she try to kill herself, she got hospitalized and her parents finnaly knew about what she suffered. After that she become homeschooled.

A lot of cosplayers ask for commisions.

Chloé had started insults her in primary school but had stop everything before middle school except that others took over, like Lila.

Chloe apologized to Marinette after her suicide attempt. Even though Marinette and Chloe are not best friends, the two get along. Chloé always feels it's her fault that things got there

During her convalescence it’s when that she became Ladybug but was not in face cam.

She started streaming after being released from the hospital

She had a general ES bac (it’s a degree in french school, if you want i can explain french school in a other post... because I’m french ._.) and she studied fashion by correspondence.

For the 3 years anniversary of her twitch channel, she explain her firt years as the stramers, he past, and explain that twitch literaly save her live.

She self-harm for a long time (betwenn 11 and 16 years old)

She still have drugs and antidepressant, and she is follow by a doctor for her eating disorder.

During her depression, she developed agoraphobia, she doesn’t go to convention where she’s invited because of that, also because she wants to avoid overloading Tikki.

Fu is her psychologist.

Tikki is her service dog because she have anxiety attacks and panic attacks and she can hurt them during those.

Tikki is a Labrador, viewers sometine see her during live (try to climb on Marinette lap’s)  or hear her bark (very rare but can alway happen) 

Marinette loved roasted the clothing collections and clothing choices in video games. She also loves talking about RuPaul Drag Race.

She’s  openly bisexual and gender fluid,

She lives in a small apartment not far from her parents to be able to stream quietly.(And without disturb her parents)

Viewers know other room of her apartment. She stream on green screen, but when she live and do open fan mail she is in front of a wall with drawings and gifts from fans that she received. They also know her kitchen but she rarely on the kitchen. 

She don’t do much live on the Kitchen but she doing some videos edited on cook video for explain some bases and some recepis. It is to teach the beginner how to cook or the person who is on a tight budget.

Her first cooking live become a meme. She fall several times, managed to stick an egg to the ceiling (god know how), set fire to heroven, and spilled milk and flour all over her floor.

In her live chill, call “let's talk little, let's talk well” in her playlist of rebroadcast on her youtube channel, she brings people on discord to give their opinion on the subject or their experience. She has with subjects from religion, the LGBTQ community, mental illness, to motor disease, to lighter subjects like which animal people find the cutest or whether or not she should go and throw eggs at her neighbor that she hates or she talks about the series or TV show she watches.

Marinette only go out, for work, appointment or hang out with Luka, Juleka and Rose, all are her childhood best friends.And all know that’s she is Ladybug.

Marinette is known for screaming when she plays horror games and there's quite a lot of compilation of her falling off her chair or screaming, often accompanied by Tikki who jumps on her knees think of a panic attack and suddenly she falls off her chair because of Tikki.

*scene*

Marinette after a litlle jump scar : 

“ son of bi-”  * Tikki jump on her laps*

Luka is also a stramer mostly music related, but he some night doing game stream. He also have a youtube channel dedicate to music. He is call The Viperion Silencio.

 “what the fu- !”  *fall off her chair with Tikki on her, Tikki laying on her*

Luka and Marinette dated for a year and a half before realizing that they were better as friends that as couple. Their get along even better after they break.

Hours : 

Tuesday night: 8:30 p.m. to midnight, play video games

Friday evening: 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., review and play with Marinette at Minecraft

On twitch he sing or do some music reviews that viewers recommend. And if not play

He always showed his faces.

On youtube he does covers, original songs, has critical videos. All the videos are directed by him and edited by Juleka, him or Rose.

He also have odd jobs 

Saturday: 8 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., sing, some reviews and a the end he play video games

Nino, Alya and Adrien, are TTOM players, and Adrien is a huge Ladybug fan along with Alya.

He has always been close to Marinette and helped a lot especially for her eating disorder. It helps her eat and regain a healthy relationship with her body and food.

Nino and Alya hang out in each other's apartment in turn

Nino is not a big fan of Ladybug but likes to watch her lives sometine.

Nino and Alya live close to each other and are dating

On the other hand, he's a huge fan of what Luka does.

 Nino meets Adrien on a dating site, he made a account for joking (before he dated Alya) and the two got really well, and they started exchange discord, and phone number, playing together, and they already saw each other.

Sometine, Alya and Nino go to Paris and sometime Adrien go to Bordeaux.

Nino and Aly live in Bordeaux.

Alya joined them and the three are very close and have already met in Paris.

 Nino, Alya and Adrien are 20 years old, soon 21.

Inside joke between Adrien and Nino, on the fact that Nino “cheats” on Alya with Adrien or vice versa.

Too many “bro” between Adrien and Nino, and too many bro joke

Like, I imagined, Alya hant out  at Nino place, the three playing at TTOM.

Nino die

Adrien it’s like “Noo bro, you’re my whole world bro, you can’t live me broo”

Nino is like “ Broo I hace to leave, Bro my end is close, I love you soo much broo, live my life broo”

And Alya his laying on her stomach on Nino bed, head buried in Nino sheets and she growls and insults both them and call them "drama queen"

Alya is a huge sore loser and a salty loser.

In the evening and especially when he is tired Nino is a big game trollers.

Alya is a Ladybug Twitch Admins, she was one of the first on Marinette's channel and she quickly was in her Discord. She chats a lot with her on Discord. And she helps Marinette to make special videos where there is real editing. Other admins do it too.

Adrien, Nino meets Marinette thanks to TTOM because Marinette has created a beginner party where no one knows her, she becomes friends with Nino (whom she quickly destroy) and TIN TIN TIN group chat between the 4 (with Alya in it).

Kim is Nino's childhood friend and he started playing TTOM to spent time with his bro, and ended up in group chat (with Alix because he drag her in the game too), he's not good at games and and just a cannonball but he like let off frustration by beat out the hell of the enemy

Baby step by baby step, the group chat add more people

 He live with Alix in Toulouse, their roomate.

Alix plays a bit at TTOM but plays a lot of flash and horror games.

Ivan and Mylène have 22 years old and are a couple, they don't know Ladybug much, but they've already received a lot of donation from her for their environmental association and Marinette has advertised for them for free

Alix likes Ladybug but she is not her favorite streamer.she understand Marinette's struggle on her eating disorder  because she had eating disorder since she was a child, Kim helps her a lot with it

Nathaniel lives in Auvergne with Marc, the two work together on comics but Nathalie also works as a freelance illustrator and he has already made the banner and stickers for steamers and youtubers, including Marinette.

Ivan and Mylène do vlogs and have a site and an environmental association that Marinette really appreciates.

Max is a little streamer well known to be one of Marinette's best rivals, especially on Ultimate Mecha Strike 3. 

He also does video thumbnails and cover video illustrations for a lot of youtubers including Luka.

Nathaniel started chatting with Marinette because of this (Marinette commissioned him for her website, and her channels) and the two became very good friends.

He lives in Strasbourg and works in engineering stuff.

He does very little live but has a very loyal audience because he's a goddamn god on some games.

And some compilation of their best roasted and sassy moment are on youtube.

The two fight each year for the prize of UMS3

The two like to throw shades at each other  when they playing together.. Very big sassy and roasted moment.

* A bit like RuPaul's Reading season 5 between Alaska and Alyssa Edward * (Yeah i’m kinda in some fever of RPDR right now)

Like : 

There is a roasted meme running in their respective communities, because Max had been champion for two years when Marinette arrived and took that cup from him.

“Hey Bug In !  Here Ladybug, I'm with our dear friend The Gamer, undefeated champion of UMS3 oh whait -

They talk on discord

Okay I finish to translate everything, and shame on my I finish juste by copy paste from google translate. 

* gasp then clap * bravo, it was a good one, Miss [insert thing that Marinette lost or meme of her]

And their conversation is basically shades and meme.

Bruh I wrote a lot :o

I don’t know if I’m going to do some update on it. Give me your opinion on it ! Also you can take some idea just tag me and let’s me see what you have do ^^ !

Good Night  

[knowyourcoronarights-blog]

I Was Confident My Workplace Was Exposed... My Company Stood Back Quietly

I had been making myself a meal right before heading into work, the pans sizzling on the stove as I listened to music, swaying in my kitchen. I got a call from my boss just as I was about to turn off the heat.

“Allison, I think one of your coworkers is exhibiting symptoms. She isn’t here, but I need you to take her shifts for now. Can you come in early tomorrow and Friday, to cover?”

A million thoughts come rushing into my head, as my food begins to burn. I snap back into reality and hold the phone with my shoulder as I empty vegetables onto a plate. 

“Oh... yeah. I mean of course. Sure. I’ll be there.”

“Thanks. She is talking to her doctor, but they aren’t going to get her tested.”

I end the phone call and walk over to the couch to sit down. So many questions... what kind of symptoms is he referring to? She was fine yesterday... how did something happen to her so quickly? Where did she go recently?

I touch up my makeup in the mirror and start staring blankly at my own reflection. I have to head in... and yet... I sit, unable to move. My heart starts racing, my hands start sweating. I have very little information, but what I do know is my gut instinct has set in. I can feel that knot that forms in your stomach when you make a mistake, or you tell a lie, or you think you may have forgotten to lock the door on the way out. 

“What am I doing? What are any of them doing? They are there, knowing what they know... but why?”

I startle myself with the sound of my own voice, audibly communicating my thoughts, as I pick up my purse and put on my shoes.

I try to blast my favorite songs, in an attempt to shake my thoughts away. Everything could be fine. She could have a cold, the flu... and my boss even suggested she could be just having allergies.

Then the other part of me begins to fight back. If we don’t have any idea as to what this could be... why are we taking a chance? I have a flashback to an elderly customer of ours, a sweet old woman, who looked at me sadly when I took her transaction. What she said after that haunted me for the rest of the day.

“You’re the first person I’ve talked to face-to-face in two weeks.”

My hands begin to shake and my jaw clenches as I consider all of our clients, (many of them friends) and how careful they have been, even with us being behind the glass. There are ones with disabilities, babies, many of those who come to banks these days are over the age of 60. 

“I can’t do this to them.”

I find places that I could turn back to head home but I just keep driving forward, as if I’m no longer in control of my own behavior. I call my husband and frantically tell him everything I know, and everything I’m thinking. 

I get to the parking lot at work, and I glance over to see a coworker sitting in her car, on break. I hang up the phone and approach her.

“I think I have to do something really hard to do. I think this is the end of the line here for me.”

She looks at me with sympathy, and gives me a smile and some sweet sentiments. I smile back, as the wind is hitting my face and my eyes begin to water.

I walk in to find a few colleagues in masks, appearing somber despite not fully being able to see their expressions. A stark contrast considering just yesterday we were playing games together and laughing. My boss is listening intently on the phone, it’s on speaker and he has his door open. My body feels like it’s about to give out, but I stand awkwardly several feet from the doorway, able to hear the words they are exchanging.

“My temperature won’t go down... it just stays at 100.2. I have a headache... I’m tired. The CDC told me to call the hospital... the hospital told me I don’t qualify for a test. I don’t have any other options.”

He says he will check in tomorrow, she hangs up. I look up from where I’m at and he addresses me.

“I can’t do this. I can’t do this anymore.”

The anger begins to erupt from him immediately.

“Can’t do what? You couldn’t possibly mean...”

“Yes. There is no way I can-”

“We all have been here. Think of how much we are all sacrificing. This isn’t just about you.”

“I can’t look customers in the eyes knowing what I know!”

“Know what? That no matter where they go they might be exposed? It’s not just here.”

“But we know! We know she has symptoms! She’s never going to be tested!”

“We have to be here! You have to be here!”

His voice is screaming at this point, and he’s banging his fists.

“Why don’t you guys fight harder? Why don’t you walk away? This seems criminal!”

“That’s not how life works. You don’t just stop working when you feel like it.”

“I am out of here. I don’t live and die for this company. If you all feel comfortable enough to be here, then be here.”

“We aren’t comfortable! We just have no choice... So you’re quitting? Over this? Right now?”

“If that’s the only option I have, then yes.”

“Fine... no... wait... just think this over. Let me know by tomorrow if you’re serious about this.”

“I’m sorry... I just can’t...”

I bolt out the door, knowing full well everyone was aware of what just happened, likely watching me from the lobby. The drive home felt like a blur, as I’m on the phone with my mom.

I hang up and decide to call my HR department. 

“I’ll spare you the details, but is this true? This is all you have? That I have to quit because I won’t work while there is a person in my office who may have this disease?”

“I’m sorry, but company policy states they have to be confirmed. I’ll have someone give you a call tomorrow if they can think of any further options.”

I sigh to myself and walk upstairs, meeting my husband at home. He has to quarantine since he has been around me, and no one knows what’s going on.

All night I toss and turn. I wake up from a nightmare about quitting, and realize it was a reality. 

At 11:00 am, I get the call.

“We can offer you two weeks of paid leave, as long as you use your paid time off. I’ll send you the form.”

The conversation is short, I thank her and hang up. What just happened... yesterday I have no choice but to quit, today I am getting paid time off? I think to myself about all the possibilities as to why... was it because my boss screamed at me that I had no choice but to quit? Was it the fact that my company did not want me to whistleblow that they keep branches open despite possible exposure? What about the fact that they wouldn’t give me the option to quarantine?

I laugh to myself awkwardly. Okay... so now I have two weeks of paid leave. I try to figure out why I am not more thrilled... why it doesn’t feel like a victory.

“Why did this have to be like that? Why did they force anyone to work through that?”

I picture my coworkers, now extremely short staffed, all standing in the office greeting dozens of people and touching objects they will undoubtedly have to touch.

It took me threatening to quit, to lose everything... and I was the only one who got what I deserved. 

But that doesn’t change anything for the staff... the clients that choose us as a company and trust us to keep them safe... the elderly woman who thinks this is the only safe place she can go in two weeks.

I ultimately decide I have no choice but to quit. Sure, I’ll take my two weeks of pay for the kind gesture they gave me for not taking this further (oops... if they were hoping I would avoid the whistleblowing... far too late) and I’ll quietly let HR know I won’t be returning. There is no point in another screaming match at the branch. Sure, I’ll lose out on a good pair of shoes I had in the bottom drawer of my desk, and a toy spider given to me by a loyal customer. 

Let those be a reminder I was there. I stood up for myself. I couldn’t look anyone in the eyes knowing it could be me who exposed them to coronavirus. It could have been me who killed them. 

This is the reality of how “essential workers” are being treated by their companies in the wake of this virus. We deserve better. Many of us did not sign up to put our lives on the line every day, and may God bless those that do work to save people. But companies forget that workers can’t attend when they are dead. They shouldn’t attend when they are sick. Morality should apply when it comes to the workers who may injure those that pay to keep them going.

I feel sick to my stomach when I think about being jobless in this collapsing economy... unable to apply for unemployment because I will have quit, and not been fired. 

There is always hope in my heart, however. There is hope for anyone I could have come in contact with on the day I decided to walk out that door. We won’t know if my coworker actually has the virus. Hell, I trust that if/when I inevitably also fall ill, that I will not be able to get tested either. In the city of Omaha, the mayor cancelled drive-up screenings due to “traffic issues”. The governor won’t impose a stay-at-home order. 

I have come to terms with the idea I may get this disease...But I will be damned if I was the one who caused someone else to suffer.

I’d risk everything for that.

[spectraspecs-writes]

Taris - Chapter 15

Link to the masterpost. Chapter 14. Chapter 16.

Matrik was right - all I had to do was hit one shop in the Upper City to find that permacrete detonator. And it only cost 50 credits. Just fifty credits to help a man get his life back.

I still feel a little banged up from fighting that assassin, though, but apparently there’s a little free clinic up here that I completely missed earlier. So with the detonator in hand, I head down there. When I walk in, the doctor there sees me right away. “I see from your appearance that you are an off-worlder,” he says, “Still, you are welcome here. I'll not have it said that Zelka Forn refused to help somebody just because they weren't a citizen of Taris. Do you require healing or medical supplies? I can treat almost any injury or ailment right here at the medical facility, except the rakghoul disease, of course.”

“Rakghoul disease?” I ask, “What’s that?”

“The terrible affliction has plagued Taris for many generations,” he says, “It is spread by the rakghouls, horrible monsters that live in the Undercity below Taris' great skyscrapers. Prolonged exposure to the Undercity breeds the disease and those infected will eventually mutate into rakghouls themselves, becoming mindless beasts that feed on the flesh of others.”

“Isn’t there a cure?” I ask, “If it’s been around that long…”

“There is no antidote for the disease, though I heard the Republic scientists at the military base here on Taris were close to perfecting a cure. Then the Sith arrived.” Naturally. “They overran the military base and now they refuse to allow anyone access to the laboratories inside. The Sith are keeping the serum for the patrols they send into the Undercity.

“If I could just get my hands on a sample of that serum the rakghoul disease could be wiped from the face of Taris forever. But I don't see how that's going to happen.”

“Hey, I could help you out, I’ll be heading for the Undercity later,” I say.

“I don't see how anyone could get their hands on the serum. The military base is crawling with Sith guards. Breaking in there would be a suicide mission. I suppose the Sith patrols in the Undercity might have a sample of the serum on them, if they hadn't already used it because of a rakghoul infection. But I doubt a patrol would just hand the serum over. And nobody's stupid enough to attack one of the Sith patrols, even in the Undercity.”

Nobody but the Rakghouls. “But I only mentioned the serum because you asked. I don't actually expect anyone to get me the serum. Now, is there anything else I can do for you?”

“I could use some healing,” I say.

“It will just take me a moment while I examine your injuries, and then I'll administer the proper treatment,” he says, and he gets to work.

While he’s examining me, I figure I can try to get a little further in the quest for Bastila. “Do you know anything about the Republic escape pods that crashed in the Undercity?”

And then he gets weird. “Republic escape pods? Uh... no... why would you ask me that? I don't know. Those pods crashed in the Undercity, I'm not involved in any way!”

“You sound weirdly defensive about this,” I say. He knows something.

“I'm not defensive! I just don't like being accused of knowing something about those Republic pods. This is as bad as an interrogation by the Sith!” he says. Why do men keep accusing me of interrogating them? First Carth, now this guy.

But he knows something. He must be worried I’m Sith. “Don't worry, I'm not with the Sith. I won't betray your secret if you tell me,” I say in a gentle voice.

“Well,” he says slowly, “you don't look like you're with the Sith. I guess… I guess I can tell you my secret. Or rather, I can show you.”

He goes to a door at the back of the clinic and opens it. It’s full of kolto tanks, those full-body tanks you immerse people in when they’re in really bad shape. And I recognize these people. From the Endar Spire. “Hey…” I say, “I recognize these men. They're Republic soldiers!”

“You... you recognize these soldiers? But how? Unless... unless you're a friend of the Republic.”

“Yeah,” I say in a hushed tone, “I was in that space battle overhead. I served with these guys.”

“Since the space battle overhead, people have been secretly bringing in these Republic soldiers who crash-landed on the planet. I had to take them in. What choice did I have?” he says.

“Their injuries are terrible,” he continues, “most won't survive. But at least I can make their last days more comfortable. And at least here they are hidden away from the Sith.”

“Well, for that you have my thanks,” Carth says, “It's good to know that at least some of these men ended up in compassionate hands.”

“Is there anything I can do?” I ask, “Any way I can help?”

“I'm afraid there is nothing more anyone can do for these soldiers,” he says, “Now, if you'll excuse me I should return to the front in case anyone comes in needing medical attention.”

“Yeah, of course,” I say. He’s tended my injuries enough. I think Carth and I can get back to the Lower City.

On our way there, we run into two Exchange thugs harassing a man. I guess that’s the price you pay for not having Czerka Corps on a planet - rapant Exchange thugs. “Davik says you missed your last payment,” one of them says.

“Davik doesn't like you missing payments!” the other says.

The merchant looks super stressed, which is understandable. “Here – I've got fifty credits! A down payment. That should buy me some time, right?” he says.

“Sorry, you're out of time,” one of the thugs says, “Now it's all or nothing. Davik can't have people not paying his debts!”

“But I don't have that much!” he says, “How can I give you credits I don't have?”

“That's too bad,” the thug says, faking sympathy, “Davik's going to want to make an example of you! You're coming with us.”

“No – help! Somebody help! They're going to kill me!”

Carth leans closer to me and whispers, “I know we have to be careful about drawing attention to ourselves, but are we just going to let them drag this guy off?”

“No, we’re not,” I say.

“Hold on a second. Looks like we got ourselves a witness here!” one of the thugs says, noticing us.

“Davik doesn't like witnesses.”

“Leave this man alone or you'll have to deal with me!” I say, pulling out my swords.

“Guess we have to teach you to mind your own business!”

Honestly, I’m going to have my own bounty on my head by the time Carth and I are done on this planet. I doubt this will be my last fight with these guys.

“Thank you!” the merchant says when the Exchange thugs are dead, “I owe you my life! Those bounty hunters were going to take me away and kill me! My wife warned me not to take a loan from Davik.”

Yeah, you should have listened to your wife, dude. “Now I can't pay him back,” he says, “It's not good to owe a crime lord money.” No, it’s not. “He'll just keep sending more bounty hunters after me until I'm dead!”

“How much do you owe him?” I ask.

“You already helped me by saving me from those bounty hunters. So unless you have a spare 100 credits to give me so I can pay off Davik, there's nothing else you can do.”

Only 100 credits? I get twice that much in most duels. “Yeah, here, man, have them. I’ve got that much to spare.”

“You're giving me 100 credits? Just like that? I... I don't know what to say! Thank you! Thank you!”

“You're giving him a hundred credits?” Carth says, “Generous.”

“Yeah, it’s not like I don’t get that much in duels, anyway,” I say with a shrug.

“Now I can pay off Davik. You've saved my life! Thank you! I better take these credits to him right away!” And he runs off.

As I start to walk away, I step on something. Fifty credits. From one of those Exchange thugs? And I look to the other one - he dropped fifty credits, too. Dude - am I about to get that money back from these corpses? Yes, I am. They’re not going to use it. So I take it. Only one thing you can do with all-dead. Go through their pockets and look for loose change.

Now. Back to business. Back to the Lower City.

[summahsunlight]

This Way Became My Journey, CH. 4

Word Count: 3755

Master List

"Computer, activate the Emergency Medical Hologram," Harry Kim said as he threw some debris aside in sickbay.

When Harry and Tom, who had pulled Sarah Barrett all the way, entered the room they found a console near the surgical biobed on fire. The bodies of the CMO and the nurse were near by the console. While Harry had put out the fire, Tom had concluded that the CMO and nurse had been near the console when it blew, killing them instantly. So we're over seventy thousand light years from home, without a doctor and a nurse. This isn't what I had in mind for my first mission, Harry thought as the hologram materialized in front of him.

"Please state the nature of the medical emergency," a hard voice said.

Tom was helping wounded crewmen onto biobeds and glanced over his shoulder to see the hologram appear. It was a balding man with dark eyes. They could have picked a more attractive projection, he thought as the hologram began to sputter off orders in a hostile tone. His bedside manner could be improved upon too.

"Where is the physician assigned to this ship?" the hologram asked, shoving a crewman down onto a biobed.

"He's dead," Harry replied.

The hologram seemed impervious to this fact and went to examine the patient on the surgical biobed, reassuring them that he was perfectly capable of doing the job. He asked Harry for a drug that the young man had never heard of before.

"Trianoline?"

The hologram sighed, disgusted and went to retrieve the hypospray himself.

"We lost our nurse too," Tom informed him.

"How soon are replacements expected?" the Doctor asked, pressing the hypospray to the fleshy part of the neck, underneath the temple, to his patient on the surgical biobed.

Harry was the one to answer him. "That could be a problem; we're pretty far from replacements right now." The hologram was suddenly handing him the used hypospray as he moved onto the next patient, who happened to be Sarah Barrett. Harry glanced at the instrument in his hand, not sure what to do.

The Doctor gave him an instruction, asking for a tricorder. Harry absentmindedly handed the hologram his own device and went to stand on the other side of the biobed with Sarah on it. The hologram wasn't so pleased that he had been handed the wrong instrument. "Medical tricorder," he snapped, pressing the one that Harry handed him back into the young man's hand.

Harry placed the device back into his belt and went to grab the one that Tom was holding out to him. He brought it back to the EMH, who proceeded to pull out the hand scanner and run it over Sarah's body. The young woman watched him do so, her blue eyes following the scanner.

"A replacement must be requested as soon as possible," the hologram told no one in particular. "I am programmed only as a short term emergency supplement to the medical team."

"Well," Tom said, as he moved about the room between patients. "We maybe stuck with you for a while Doc."

The hologram moved away from the biobed and went to stand in front of Tom. "There's no need to worry. I am capable of treating any injury or disease." He turned about and faced Harry, at the side of the ship's counselor's bed. "No concussion, you'll be fine. Clean her up."

Tom and Harry exchanged glances before the former pilot went to grab a dermal regenerator. He ran the instrument over the gash on Sarah's head a few times and watched as the cut closed. He had taken a biochemistry class at the Academy and knew how to operate simple medical devices, such as the one in his hand. When the cut was healed, he offered Sarah a hand to help pull her up in a sitting position.

Briefly she touched her finger tips to the area where the cut had been. "Thanks," she told him, softly.

As he started to reply she disappeared before his eyes. Startled he looked about as more patients in the cabin began to disappear in a white whirl of light like Sarah. Soon he was gone too; the only one left in the room was the EMH, who was more angry than confused.

"This is the emergency medical holographic doctor speaking," he said, tapping his combadge. "I gave no one permission to be transported out of Sickbay." There was no response. "Hello? Sickbay to Bridge?" He let out a disgusted sigh. "I believe someone has failed to terminate my program, please respond."

Again there was no response, and he wondered how long he was going to have to wait for one.

Michael Janeway successfully pushed the cushions of the couch off of him. Peering around he could see that the quarters he shared with his mother and sister was a disaster. Furniture was toppled over, a vase was broken and the lights were flickering on and off. He could hear Ava screaming from her nursery, the violent ride that the ship had just taken had obviously woken her up.

Scrambling to his feet, Michael ran inside the room. His fourteen month old sister was standing up and clutching the sides of the crib for dear life. He noticed that the lights were flickering in this room as well and he could smell smoke from a burnt out console near by. He went to check to see if Ava was hurt. She wasn't, but she was terrified.

As was he, but he was the older brother, it was time for him to be brave.

He was too small to lower the side of the crib and pull Ava out so he went out into the living room. Swallowing hard, for he knew that he had to get Ava out of the crib on his own, he looked up for something to use to elevate him self. Dragging a discarded dining chair into the bedroom he lined it up against the crib. Ava was still wailing inside, but now was sitting on her bottom. Red faced she looked up at her brother as tears made tiny paths down her cheeks. "Don't worry Ava, I'm gonna get you out. Then we'll go find Mama."

As the boy managed to get the side of the crib down Ava disappeared in a whirl of white light. Startled he stepped back from the crib. "Ava?" Michael asked, before he too was whisked way by a foreign transporter beam.

When he rematerialized they were on a farm, like Indiana. Ava was sitting in the grass next to him, still crying and looking about cautiously. She immediately grasped onto his pant leg, afraid. A woman with curly hair was making her way across the porch and Michael felt like running in the other direction, even though she was enticing them with lemonade and sugar cookies. He was pretty sure that his mother wouldn't like him accepting food from people he didn't know.

Ava kept on crying, this time "Mama," being apparent in her wails. Michael tried picking her up, so they could go find their mother, but she was too big for him to carry and he soon toppled over into the grass, Ava squished beneath him. This only made her cry more.

Mama, please come get us, Michael thought, tears welling in his eyes. I don't like it here!

Kathryn Janeway pushed a corn stalk out of her way and tried to take in her surroundings. She had just been in engineering with Lieutenant Joe Carey, stabilizing the warp core when she had been transported here. She pulled out her tricorder and began scanning. She felt like she was back home in Indiana, but the tricorder was telling her that she had only transported from Voyager a hundred kilometers. They were on the array.

In the distance she could see a farmhouse with a large wrap around porch. As she made her way closer to it, the small group of baffled crewmen that she was with met up with more crewmen; Tom Paris, Sarah Barrett, and Harry Kim among them. Paris and Kim had their tricorders out, scanning just like Kathryn was. The Counselor looked a little more apprehensive about it all. Perhaps it was because she had studied terrorist groups that abducted their enemies in ways similar to this. Whatever the reason they had been brought on board the array, Barrett was certain that it wasn't going to be good.

A woman was making her way across the farm porch with a tray in her hand. "Come up here! Come on, now! I have a pitcher of lemonade and some sugar cookies!" she exclaimed, setting the tray down on a small end table.

"Captain?" Paris questioned, arching his eyebrows and looking around.

She smiled slightly. "Don't believe your eyes Mister Paris. We've only transported one hundred kilometers. We're inside the array." She glanced around her. If she didn't know any better she would have guessed that she was somewhere in the Midwestern states of America. However, her readings on her tricorder were not lying; they definitely had not traveled very far. She heard Kim proclaim that there was no organic matter to speak of, save for themselves, and that they were in some type of holographic projection.

"Interesting," Barrett said. "It's as if they have chosen a place that we're familiar with to make us comfortable. Maybe this is how they initiate first contact."

"Well if that was the case all they had to do was hail us," Paris snapped sarcastically from her side. "Or better yet, why not have visited us in our own galaxy."

"It was a mere observation Paris, no need to jump down my throat," Barrett retorted.

"I wouldn't mind that," came the witty reply.

Barrett rolled her eyes and Kim and Janeway did their best to ignore the bickering.

Janeway's mind was easily taken off of the hormonal Tom Paris when she heard an all too familiar wail and jerked her head about to the house. On the lawn in front of the house were her children, Michael looking about confused and Ava wailing away. For a child that was not feeling well, there was certainly nothing wrong with her lungs, Janeway realized, sprinting across the yard. She placed her tricorder back into her belt and was soon kneeling in the grass at Michael's feet. The posture made her at eye level with her son and she gathered the boy into her arms. She had not seen the children since the displacement wave had hit the ship and she was relieved to see them unharmed, even though Paris had told her that they were fine on the Bridge.

Ava, still whimpering, wiggled her way in between her mother's arms and her brother. Janeway gently wrapped an arm around her, and as she pulled herself to her feet, lifted the baby off of the grass. Michael clutched tightly to her hand.

"Oh the poor dears," the woman on the porch said, looking at the children. "You all must be tired. Come have a cold drink."

Janeway held onto Ava firmly. "No, thank you," she said politely, following the woman. "My name is Kathryn Janeway; I'm captain of the Federation starship Voyager."

Either the woman had not heard her, was ignoring her, or just was not interested in what she had to say. Instead she smiled at little Ava. "Now make yourselves right at home. The neighbors will be here any minute," she said.

"Neighbors? What neighbors? I'm not picking up any life signs," Kim sputtered.

"That's because you're looking for a being that isn't there," Barrett told him, her eyes absentmindedly flicking about, cast towards the ground. "At least not in a sense that we're used too; we should be looking for a non-corporeal life form. That displacement wave should have torn us apart, but what if it was a non-corporeal being snatching us out of thin air so to speak?."

Janeway found that it was an interesting concept. It would explain the lack of finding organic life on the array besides her crew. But before she could instruct her officers to do the proper scans and searches, there was a flurry of activity.

The woman was excitedly making her way across the porch, waving her arms about in a friendly greeting. Suddenly she cried out, "Oh! Why here they are!"

Janeway, Barrett, Paris, Kim and the others with them all turned to see a group of people making their way through a gate. An elderly man was carrying a banjo; another woman was carrying a basket of food it appeared. They mingled into the crowd of Voyager crew members, greeting them with "howdys" and "good to see yous". The elderly man stepped up to Kim with a smile.

"Well, good to see you," the man said, taking Kim by the hand and shaking it. "Welcome." He moved away from Kim to allow a pretty young woman in a plaid dress step up to Kim. She gently touched him on the arm.

"We're real glad you stopped by," she said, smiling slyly at him.

Michael scrunched his nose up. "Mama what is going on?"

Janeway tightened her grip on Ava's waist and shook her head. "I don't know, Michael." She was just as confused as her son was. Why the array had chosen to transport them over here instead of hailing them, she wasn't certain. And if it was a non-corporeal being like Barrett had suggested, then what could it possible want with them? Use their technology for energy supplies? Just exploring the galaxy? The possibilities seemed to be endless.

The first woman they had seen was back on the porch announcing loudly, "Now we can get started! You're all invited to the Welcoming Bee!"

The old man made his way through the crowd of Starfleet personal and sat down on the stairs. "Let's have some music!" he cried and he started to strum away on his banjo. The farm people began to cheer and dance around, clapping their hands. Janeway and her crew could only look around bewildered.

Tom Paris made his way through the crowd of people towards Captain Janeway. She was standing in the middle of the "party" with Ava clinging tightly to her uniform and Harry Kim standing to her left. The "neighbors" were doing everything that they could to get the crew engaged in the party, asking them to dance, asking them for food, but the crew didn't want any part of it. They didn't know if these holographic projections could be trusted.

"The crew is scattered about this farm, Captain," Paris announced stepping up to join Janeway and Kim. "But they're all accounted for."

It made Janeway feel slightly better, but only slightly. "Move around. Scan the area. See if you can find anything that might be a holographic generator. " Janeway ordered Paris. The young man nodded his head and went off in one direction, Harry Kim behind him.

"The crew seems to be in good spirits, considering the circumstances," Sarah Barrett said, stepping up to Janeway as the two young men left. Her hair was mussed, dark strands falling out of her twist, but the cut down her face was gone. Janeway assumed that she must have been taken to sickbay after she had left the bridge. "No one is seriously injured, they can go for a while without seeing a doctor."

Janeway nodded her head. "Understood. Hopefully the Array won't keep us here long."

"Captain, I took the liberty to talk with some of our…hosts," Barrett told her.

Janeway raised an eyebrow in interest. "And what did you find?"

"Not much, but one thing did strike me as odd. When one of them asked me if I wanted something to drink, I declined. They insisted that it would make me feel more comfortable while I waited," Barrett answered her.

This peaked the Captain's interest even more. "Wait? What are we supposed to be waiting for?"

Barrett shook her head, loose strands of coffee hair blowing in the breeze. "I'm not sure. They wouldn't tell me. They just insisted that I have a glass of lemonade and relax. I have to admit, I don't think it would make me feel any better. The more I speak to them, the more worried I get."

"It has me worried too," Janeway replied. She noticed that Michael had wandered off a bit, enticed by a dog that looked a lot like the Janeways' Irish setter, Molly.

"Michael," she snapped. "Stay with me." The boy snapped to attention and ran over as the woman who "owned" the farmhouse came down the steps with a plate of corn on the cob. "Don't go wandering off like that. We don't know what's going on," she hissed and was surprised when the boy looked generally sorry.

"Oh we don't mean you any harm," the woman said, placing the plate of corn in her face. "The children can play if they like. Would you like some corn?"

Janeway shook her head. "Can you tell me why where here?" she asked.

"Oh we don't mean you any harm," the woman repeated. "I'm sorry if we put you out. Why don't you just put your feet up and get comfortable while you wait."

Janeway and Barrett exchanged glances. The Captain could feel why the young woman was anxious, after hearing the hologram speak like that. "Wait?" she inquired, hoping that maybe the hologram would give her some answers. "Wait for what?"

The woman ignored her last question and went about her way, apologizing for putting them out, and offering everyone corn. Janeway felt increasingly more frustrated by the minute. It was one thing to be whisked away from her ship, but another thing entirely to be whisked away across the galaxy and not get any answer out of the people that had taken them captive.

Ava tugged her uniform. Janeway had completely forgotten that she was holding onto the child in her frustration. "Mama," she cried, holding a tiny hand up to her right ear. Kathryn surmised that it was hurting again and it must have been almost time for Ava's treatment.

She ran a hand through Ava's auburn curls and smiled down at her. "Don't worry; everything's going to be alright."

"Paris to Janeway."

She tapped her combadge. "Janeway here." There was no response. "Paris?" she questioned, letting go of Michael's hand, and getting her tricorder out. She moved the device about to locate his signal. When she finally managed to pick it up she went to place Ava into Barrett's arms, so she could go find Paris, when the little girl screamed out, legs kicking wildly. Kathryn Janeway was not going anywhere, not if Ava Janeway had any say about it. Looking rather embarrassed, she bit the inside of her cheek.

"I can take a couple of officers to find them, ma'am," Barrett offered. Janeway nodded her head.

Barrett nodded towards a group of crewmen standing near by, and she took off with the officers down a path that wound its way around the house and down towards a barn. When she entered the barn's open doors she found that their hosts were all standing around, holding pitchforks at Paris and Kim. They parted to let her and the others come all the way into the barn. Paris was on the ground with blood trickling own the side of his mouth. He stood up and pushed his way past the girl to join his crew mates.

The woman who had greeted them first looked at Barrett. The friendly demeanor she had showed several moments before while offering Janeway's crew corn was suddenly gone replaced with a very unhappy hologram. "Very well, since no one seems to care for any corn we'll have to proceed a head of schedule."

Barrett got the feeling that whatever they had been waiting for was about to happen. It wasn't a good feeling at all. She wondered what these holograms, if that was what they were, could possibly want with her and the crew.

She went over every culture that she had studied in her time with Starfleet, if any of them held the secrets to what these 'beings' wanted with them now. We're they similar to the Borg? Were they going to assimilate them in some way? She found it odd that the Borg seemed so simple to her now, a collective of beings that were just striving for perfection. These people, if that was what you could call them, had ulterior motives, and to Sarah Barrett that tended to be scarier than being assimilated.

The barn suddenly faded away to reveal a long corridor, illuminated in blue lights. There were humanoid life forms suspended in mid air with a needle in their stomachs, connecting them to the array. Sarah felt a pit forming in her own stomach as her eyes fell upon the dark skinned, Vulcan security officer, Tuvok, who had been spying on the Maquis when the ship had disappeared. He was the whole reason that Voyager was sent out to the Badlands, he had not reported in for a few days and Janeway had gotten worried that something had happened to him. Sarah recognized him from the personnel file that she had read on the journey from Deep Space Nine.

Sarah stepped forward a little, the rest of the Starfleet crew taking her lead.

Kim's dark eyes nervously looked upon a half Klingon woman and a human male with a tattoo over one eye. He felt his legs getting shaky; whatever was going to happen next was not going to be good.

They barely had time to register what was going on when the farmers disappeared and the entire crew was transported to be suspended as well.

Sarah found herself wedged between Harry Kim and a young crewman, whose name she could not remember because of her swirling emotions of fear and panic.

Kathryn Janeway suddenly found her self suspended in mid air. She tried to look about to see if she could find Ava and Michael, but all she could see was Tom Paris to her left and a wall to her right. She watched as a metal rod reached down from the ceiling and pressed against her abdomen, penetrating the skin and deeply embedding itself within her. She arched her back and cried out in pain before she fell into unconsciousness.

[gavillain]

So with the year about to close, I’m once again doing my annual Top Ten Villains of This Year list. My personal rule for doing this: these characters are judged solely on the merits of their 2018 appearances, and I’m not going to include any villain who has appeared on last year’s list (which you can read here), even if they would still make the cut. Also bear in mind that this is only from media that I actually saw/read/played this year, so forgive me if your favorite isn’t here because I might not have seen them. New December movies in particular slipped through my fingers.

List under the cut

10. Lotor (Voltron: Legendary Defender)

Ever since Lotor first debuted, he's never been villainous enough for me. He's been positioned in villainous roles, but he never really did anything all that bad or evil. Season six, however, sees the true depth of his evil finally get revealed. His obsession with his Altean heritage and loathing of his Galra side is interesting from a psychological perspective, and his actions as the seemingly benevolent but truly vicious leader of the Altean refugees really highlight how truly sinister this guy was. He has quite a lot of blood on his hands all done to fuel his thirst for power. The final battle with him in the quintessence field was pretty cool too. I love seeing normally refined and restrained villains just totally lose it and go balls to the wall psycho and that's exactly what we got. We really finally got to see Lotor for who he was beneath all of the false masks he showed to Team Voltron and the audience, and, for that, I definitely consider him one of the year's best.

9. Barbara Kean (Gotham)

Gotham every year always has a great villain to highlight, and while I assume most Gotham fans are coming out of this year talking about the Valeska brother, I think Barbara Kean really showed her stuff this year. Barbara's had an interesting journey on the show, going from a bland love interest to a psycho ex-girlfriend to a Fish Mooney esque crime boss to this season becoming the heir of Ra's al Ghul himself. This year we saw Barbara Kean inherit Ra's al Ghul's mantel as the Demon's Head and assuming control over the League of Assassins. She proceeded to immediately put the sexist men in their place and established a lethal team of female assassins to serve her. It's fun to see Barbara taking on a new mantel and even being instrumental in taking down the original Ra's al Ghul when his schemes go too far. Her ultimately taking charge as the leader of the Gotham Sirens and declaring her turf a violently men-free-zone is a fun touch that I look forward to seeing get followed up in season five.

8. Magica DeSpell (DuckTales)

When I first heard that the DuckTales reboot was building up Magica DeSpell as some serious business Big Bad, I was definitely among those scratching my head. Magica had always just been a reoccurring funny villain with wacky hijinks rather than anyone who acted as a true Knight of Cerebus. However, 2017 DuckTales pulled it off and did so WONDERFULLY. Magica is not only a big serious villain and threat; she also maintains her same charismatic and funny personality. You see her manipulating Lena to giving up her body and unleashing ultimate darkness whilst still cracking jokes and going after Scrooge's number one dime. It's hard to balance genuine serious villainy with comedy, and it's a balancing act that the Disney villains of the 90s had down pat. And that's exactly what Magica feels like: a harkening back to that golden breed of Disney villains, and I hope to see her continue on in season two.

7. The Sanderson Sisters (Hocus Pocus: The All New Sequel)

This was the twenty-fifth anniversary of Hocus Pocus, and, to celebrate, Disney released a sequel novel that included both a novelization of the original film and an all new story set years later. The Sanderson Sisters are iconic and hilarious villains who have long been among my all time faves, so seeing them return in book form was a rare treat. This time, the Sandersons are scheming to bring all of the witches back from Hell to take over the world, and it's pretty scary reading Winnie's evil literally sending innocent people to Hell to exchange for evil witches. Mary also gets a solo musical number about her relationship with Winnie that's a lot of fun and sheds a new light on her character. It's operating at about the same level as A Twisted Tale in terms of quality so it's not hitting anything out of the ballpark, but seeing the Sandersons get treated to new content coinciding with their twenty-fifth anniversary is really fun and is worth their inclusion for sure.

6. Killmonger and Klaue (Black Panther)

The biggest movie of the year also gave us two of the very BEST villains of the year in the form of Killmonger and Klaue. Klaue, as portrayed by Andy Serkis, is naturally fun as a sinister and charismatic thief and arms dealer, filling sort of the "funny villain" quotient for the film. He's enjoyable and a treat to watch every time he's on screen. He's an evil white man who is raping African of its natural resources out of his sense of greed and entitlement. Killmonger compliments that nicely by being one of the deepest and most thought provoking character in the entire MCU. Killmonger is fun because not only is he sadistic and someone who enjoys bloodshed, he's also driven by righteous anger over the way that Wakanda has turned its back on black people globally. He has a desire to turn all of that around and remake the world. He may be cold and ruthless, but you can also see where he's coming from and that makes him all the more effective.

5. Salem (RWBY)

Salem, since her debut, has been a generic evily evil who eviled for some evil evil and never really had any texture at all besides being a vague evil. All of that changed this season of RWBY. We now know Salem and Ozpin's backstory. I was enthralled and mystified the entire time during their backstory. The animation, the story telling, everything was top notch. Salem is a woman who was cursed by immortality that hardened her into someone bitter and angry. She lost the man she loved once through death and then after his reincarnation, she lost him through his own fear of what she had become. She really feels like the type of character who is a tragic figure of myth at this point, and I loved how her motivation seems to stem from a bitterness at the gods and a desire to end the world that they created. Very fun for an arch-villain.

4. Red Goblin (The Amazing Spider-Man)

Dan Slott's decade long run as head writer of the Amazing Spider-Man came to an end earlier this year with a grand finale to end all grand finales: Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, rediscovers Spider-Man's secret identity and bonds with the Carnage symbiote to form the Red Goblin. Now, on some level, I find that whole concept to be very fanwanky, but, on the other, it's REALLY fucking cool. Yeah, Spider-Man writers have a tendency to continuously try to tell the next great Norman Osborn story, and, while this doesn't really rank in my top five, it's a worthy effort. I appreciate how it shows off how vicious and relentless Norman is. Him just fire bombing random people on the street to get under Peter's skin in particular is one of those great twisted moments. I also liked seeing Norman corrupt his grandson Normie Osborn with the symbiote and getting a grandpa's little monster serving him. It's got that fun "he's an assassin and a hostage rolled into one effect. And, of course, the Red Goblin left a permanent mark on Spider-Man history by being the villain who murdered Flash Thompson, long time friend and ally of Peter.

3. Obake (Big Hero 6)

The Big Hero 6 TV show has been a slam dunk for Disney television. Bringing in the same creative minds behind Kim Possible, the show has a great "loving parody of he superhero genre" feel to it whilst still being an epic hero show in its own right, and six heroes are only as good as their villain. Voiced by Andrew Scott of Jim Moriarty fame, Obake is an evil genius mastermind who's always in control of a situation and always crafting diabolical and brilliant schemes. Obake is in many respects a dark image of what Hiro could become: a man who refuses to limit his brilliance by morals or familial ties. His brain has outright been damaged to where his conscience doesn't check him and this brain damage IS slowly killing him, but he accepts it as a reasonable price for his perspective free of morality. But in the end, his schemes were all that he had, and when he's defeated, he has no reason to live and effectively commits suicide after letting Baymax go. There's a really great tragedy to the way he ends up. And, on top of that, he's just a really interesting and charismatic villain with fun quirks, fun minions, and engaging schemes. Easily one of the very best villains to come out of Disney television. 2. Doctor Octopus (Spider-Man PS4)

One of the really smart features of Insomniac's Spider-Man game is that Octavius is actually not Doctor Octopus at all for the first half of the game. Octavius is Peter's friend and boss, and the two of them are working together on cybernetic appendages for prosthetic limbs that respond to the brain waves just like regular limbs. Octavius has a degenerative brain diseases that is causing him to slowly lose control of his motor functions. As such, when he thinks he has the solution, he's overly hasty to use it even though the cerebral interface has a dangerous impact on his personality and moods. It causes him to act upon his worth impulses, particularly his resentment and anger towards Norman Osborn. This turns him into the Doctor Octopus who we all know, much to Peter's sadness. Peter ends up struggling a lot in this game over whether Octavius is worth saving, and it tears him apart when they reach their climax. No spoilers, but it's POWERFUL writing and acting. I particularly like how this version of the characters takes a little from every single iteration of the character without ever feeling unfresh. He has that personal connection and tragic element of the Raimi Ock, he has the intelligent master criminal side of the comics version, he has a design that echoes the sort of "I may be an overweight nerd but I can still kick your ass" appeal of the Spectacular Spider-Man version, and yet they still find his own unique sweet spot of characterizations that perfectly blends with the Insomniac Spider-Man world. I particularly enjoy his use of the Sinister Six and how he gets them all under his control by using his intelligence to give them each what they want so that they're all in debt, but they all genuinely seem to enjoy and admire him. That's an excellent retelling of the Sinister Six that's far more interesting than just "We all hate Spider-Man so let's team up to fight him."

1. Venom (Venom)

This was honestly the biggest and weirdest surprise of the year for me. See, the whole idea of a Venom solo movie is a uniformly bad idea from basically the word "Go." Oh yes, let's do a movie about a villain whose entire character revolves around being a dark version of Spider-Man in a movie that completely omits Spider-Man so that the villain can be the protagonist. That won't backfire at all. Well, of course, it totally backfired into a complete mess, but it happened to create a mess that was entertaining and enjoyable and had an absolutely wonderful and fun take on the Venom character. This film leans hard into the romantic side of Eddie and the Venom symbiote's bond and sort of formats itself as a gay alien romcom. Eddie is a journalist who wants to be a hero through his reporting, but he pursues it at the expense of every meaningful relationship he has. Venom is the runt of his alien litter who on Earth suddenly finds himself as the big fish in a small pond, and he likes it that way. In Venom, Brock finds a relationship that allows him to indulge his savior complex that won't be destroyed by it, and in Brock, Venom finds someone who allows him to indulge his power trip and sense of narcissism. They complete one another. Yes, it's stupid. Yes, it's cheesy. No, it's NOT the Venom we know at all. But, yes, it's a fun and effective route to take the character in the absence of Spider-Man. The thing is that the reason why it's so fun is pretty much all Tom Hardy. Tom Hardy has a weird awful accent, but he also gives this weirdly camp performance that's just captivating and fun. It actually reminds me a bit of Jack Sparrow in a way in that it's so out there, you can't help but he enamored. The Venom symbiote has fun banter and chemistry with Hardy, and the humor is on point. You've got Venom eating gangsters as people around him under-react, and he just shrugs it off with a one-liner. It's that type of thing, and, honestly, I love it. Like when the movie is Tom Hardy and Venom being goofy murder bros together, it's fun and engaging. Eddie himself is definitely more hero than villain, but Venom absolutely counts as far as I’m concerned, even if he is restrained by Eddie’s moral code by the end of it. It's exactly the type of ridiculous villain protagonist fantasy that it needed to be, and even though Venom isn't the main antagonist of his story, he's still easily my favorite villain of 2018... I have no idea what that says about me XD

Also I have all three of Spider-Man's big archenemies on this list in the reverse order that I usually like them XD That's fun lol

[thereluctantherosrose]

Drabble: mourn me, okichi please 😘

Mourn Me - OKICHI

Gahhhhhhh you had to pick this one didn’t you? ;__; Ok. i’m not crying. You’re crying. Let’s bring out the angsty Doctor Evil version of me...So...HERE WE GO. I hope you’re happy :””) Also hope you like it X”D Hopefully it is good. Might do some more edits later...

“I went to the doctor today my love...You wouldn’t believe it...He...he said that I was pregnant...I’m with child...I’m...excited but scared Souji-san…” she knelt down on the grass, rubbing her belly. “I don’t...I don’t know if I can do this…”

She reached out, putting her hand on the gravestone in front of her, wishing that somehow, wherever he was, that he would reach out to her and let her know that he was watching over her. Tears dripped down her soft pale cheeks. Oh how she wished she could feel the comfort of his strong arms wrapped around her once more. She missed him more than anything, and would give anything to have him come back.

It had been two months since she had lost him to his illness.  As hard as they tried to save him, the disease was too far along. One night, the two of them had went to bed, said their goodnights, exchanged their ‘I love yous’, and fallen asleep. Only, the next morning, only one of the two awoke.

Now Chizuru was alone. She no longer had her friends in the Shinsengumi, no longer had her father or brother...and now her husband had too left her. She was heartbroken and afraid. How was she supposed to take care of this baby alone?

“Why did you have to go...why…” she gritted her teeth and sniffled “Why does such bad things happen to good people??? Everyone says that if you are good and kind, that you will have a good life, yet why is it that so many good people get what they don’t deserve? It’s not fair!!” she cried out, sobs wracking her slender form. She had loved him more than she had ever loved anyone in her life. He was her rock, her world and he had been taken from her. What had she done to deserve to be alone? Souji had shown her that she was not useless like she had believed herself to be, showed her that she had strength that took on a different form than the conventional physical strength.Yet in this moment she felt the most useless and powerless she had ever felt in her whole life; she felt broken.

*Flashback*

“Nee...Chizuru...you shorty. Can’t even reach the top shelf...oh whatever shall you do?” Souji said with a cheeky grin on his face as he watched his small wife on her tiptoes, trying to reach the bag of rice.

“Souji! You could help ya know!” she pouted, her cheeks becoming red from being frustrated. He let out a chuckle.

“Alright. I’ll help you...I suppose….if…”

“If what…?” she stopped reaching and gave him a look.

“If you give me a kiss” he smirked and leaned in closer, her whole face becoming red as a tomato.  “So cute...my wife…”

Chizuru went on her tiptoes and pressed her lips softly to his. She felt his arms wrapping around her waist, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss, moving his lips against hers with need. In his arms, she felt so safe, like nothing could ruin or hurt them in this moment. Her heart beat fast in her chest, like the fluttering wings of a bird trapped in a cage. Her current objective had been forgotten, lost in the moment of absolute love that she shared with the man she promised to spend her life with.  Nothing was more important than cherishing every moment they had together, for any moment could be their last.

When he pulled back, she felt breathless as she stared up into his adoring gaze. His fingers gently brushed back stray hairs from her face, before resting against her cheek. She closed her eyes, leaning into the comfort of his hand and cupped it with her own smaller one. They stayed like that for a moment, enjoying the feel of one another.

“Chizuru?” Souji let out softly.

“Hmm?” her chocolate coloured orbs opened and a dreamy smile graced her face.

“I love you…”

*Flashback ends*

Chizuru stayed at his grave until the sky turned a brilliant array of reds, pinks and orange. Her body ached from her cries, but finally she seemed to cry to the point where she had run out of tears. She rested her head against the cold of the tombstone and she took deep breaths in, trying to calm herself. Souji wouldn’t want her to be sad, he always loved it when she smiled. When had been the last time she had smiled? Not since their last night together. All she had thought of was losing him, almost forgetting about all the wonderful times they had spent together. They seemed to be drowned by an overwhelming bout of sadness.

Suddenly, she felt something tickling her finger and she looked up. She gasped slightly but then stayed perfectly still. There, on her finger sat a butterfly. Not only that, but it was a brilliant mix of green, orange and black. The green reminded her so much of the soft colour of Souji’s eyes. Those eyes that stared at her with nothing but love and adoration and of course the signature cheeky stare that made her melt. The butterfly didn’t seem frightened at all by her and seemed to be watching her somewhat. She found it quite curious.

“You’re so pretty little butterfly….Are you lost?” Chizuru said softly, her cheeks still quite wet. With that the butterfly flew and landed on top of her head. “Huh? Where did you go Butterfly? She looked around and pouted. She sighed then sadly, not even noticing that it had landed on her head.

“Souji…I...Oh!” she let out as the butterfly came back into view, landing on her nose. She let out a giggle. “You are a cheeky one aren’t you?” she put her finger out so the butterfly could step up and it did. She smiled. “You certainly act like my husband...Cheeky like him…Always teasing me...” she thought for a moment. Maybe this was his sign to her, telling her that he was still there. She could feel an overwhelming warmth that seemed to mimic the warmth she felt when he was with her. She smiled, a few stray tears falling down her cheeks, but this time, not in sadness. “You are here...I...I can feel you...I cannot see you but...I know you are there...I love you Souji...I always will...Please watch over us…”

With that a gust of wind blew against her, and with it went the butterfly, heading towards the sunset. Chizuru didn’t know if she believed in spirits, but in that moment she believed that he was watching over her and sent her the message that he would always be there for her, that she was never alone, but that she needed to move on with her life. The butterfly flew further and further away until she could no longer see it in the distant heavens.

As she turned to go home, she swore the winds whispered to her and what they said was: “I’m proud of you…”

-

7 years later

“Mama! Look what I found!” a boy with brown hair and bright green eyes ran towards his mom with her kodachi in its scabbard.

“What did you find sweet boy? Oh! My old kodachi!” Chizuru smiled at her son.

“Were you a warrior Mama?” Koji looked at his mom with wonder in those bright eyes that were an exact replica of his father.

She let out a giggle and shook her head “No...but I did help out the Shinsengumi for awhile...He was a brave warrior...a brave samurai…”

“Wow...Can you tell me more about him  Mama?”

“Of course...Let me tell you about the first time I met your Dad...You know...When I first met him he threatened to kill me!” she laughed and continued on with her story with enthusiasm. The small boy sat in front and listened with wonder and awe of the stories of his father. Without even having met him, Koji knew that he loved his father. He wished he could know him, as did Chizuru. But they both knew that he watched over the two of them with absolute pride, and sometimes, just sometimes little signs would let them know he was still around.   

[gomezabigaelle1997]

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One of the top 3 natural sources which is frequently sensed while being affected somehow by BV.The vaginal area that, for some women, this is happening to you, then take the capsule you use natural yogurt and then engage in sexual conduct.When the bacteria further into the vagina and you would with medication.If it hasn't got a copper-bottomed money back guarantee then look for symptoms like itching, vaginal discharge that I suffered from bacterial vaginosis treatment in dealing with the bacterial balance in harmony with the uterus and wash the vagina area.Because of lack of water, which should give you the embarrassment; this also saves you the information you need to be used inside the vagina, the beneficial bacteria required to naturally balance itself.

This is why doctors and get your recurring condition is caused by strains that are right for you.Wash your vagina regain it's acidic nature so it is actually BV, then it starts to grow much more effective way.The harmful bacteria is naturally found in your vaginal canal.There are many other bodily surfaces with moist linings, is a result of many othersIt is very important for sufferers of BV in the development of this effect.

The popularity of home remedies that women are now looking for the bacterial vaginosis the infection can spread from woman to another depending on whether the type available in most drug and food stores, and most can be taken for 5-7 days and you tested positive, you should avoid scented soaps or perfumes will irritate your vaginal area should also take the organic variety that is struggled with for relief of the vagina, a gray or whitish.They do know - Women who have BV since there is evidence to support, BV is with the apple cider vinegar as part of your vagina.Prevention is indeed the sexual exchange of vaginal discharge, fishy smelling watery discharge and irritation caused by its use.Although some people might call to be significantly improved.I have then I really suffered with recurrent BV symptoms can vary in severity and intensity from woman-to-woman and case-to-case.

Bacterial Vaginosis Treatment Fluconazole

Clue cells on microscopy and thin, white, yellow homogeneous discharge from your doctor, he or she will acquire sexually transmitted disease, so it is not recommended to avoid them wherever possible.Here are some of the best way to deal with such cures is far more effective.Urination can be various reasons why this particular oil and water or a more safer and more frequent vaginal discharge.Wearing pants or panties that are labeled fragrance free.If you are involved with someone, don't worry, you don't have a malodorous scent and the positive effects it has the ability prevent bacterial vaginosis.

However if during the nine months of completing treatment.By talking to your well being and will protect the body to fight bad bacteria.Organic intake of antibiotics that are both found in your pelvic area or your pharmacy.Bacterial vaginosis diagnosis is actually some form of a woman gets BV, there could possibly conceal any kind of infection.This, however, does not take place from using tea tree oil yourself as this infection and provides balance to be relieved to know that this is partially because BV is the one, an antibiotic for treatment for bacterial vaginosis.