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lanitalay · 4 months

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Among Flames and Starlight Chapter 2

a/n: a little bit more exposition but it will be worth it I promise!!

word count: 2.3k

warnings: none

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The chill in her bones was beginning to get old. Irene was balled up on her bed, drowning under a mountain of blankets, trying to work up the nerve to walk from her bed to the hearth. Her heart nearly fell out of her chest when the door burst open and Victoria appeared. Only the princess’ face was visible as she too had many blankets draped over her body to stay warm.

“I don’t know who pissed off my father but making the rest of us freeze is totally unfair” she grumbled as she hopped onto the bed and snuggled up to Irene for warmth.

“Your toes are like icicles, Vic” Irene hissed while kicking her friend’s foot away from her. “You know I can’t fall asleep wearing socks” Victoria presses her feet against Irene's legs, searching for warmth.

“Stop that!” Irene attempts to stay serious but when she feels Victoria trace a line from her knee to her ankle with those freezing toes she can’t help the cackle that escapes her “you are ridiculous, Victoria!” Both girls burst into laughter, kicking each other under the covers.

“You could have lit a fire before getting into the bed” Irene said, poking Victoria’s cheek.

“I just could not wait to cuddle,” the princess answered, batting her lashes.

“Oh shut up.”

Rhysand heard the giggling from the other side of the door. He cursed his sister for beating him to Irene’s room. This was the first night in a week she had not knocked on his door. His bed felt far too big without her in it. He was cold too, his father had taken away the weather shields for some reason. But he stayed in the hall, listening to the two girls whisper to each other and something in his chest warmed. He adored both of them and during the war they had been each other's only company. Rhysand, Cassian and Azriel had been at war and so had Irene’s parents. So during those years they had grown to depend on each other. He was grateful to Irene for being there when he wasn’t.

When morning came, Victoria and Irene woke up in a tangle of blankets, pillows and limbs. Someone had been kind enough to light the hearth while they were asleep. So when they got up the cold was no longer paralyzing.

“I mean it, you need to see the world Irene. Keeping you in Velaris is not good for you. You’ll grow to be an old hag with no stories to tell” Victoria was now fixated on the Summer Court Ball. “I’ll tell my children about your morning breath as a cautionary tale” Irene teased.

“I’m serious! I’ll convince my father, don’t worry.”

“Vic, it’s really ok. Let’s not upset anyone because of a silly ball. I can wait until Starfall for a nice party.” It really was in the best interest of everyone if she just stayed in Velaris.

“Starfall isn’t until Spring and you deserve fun. Just leave it to me.”

“I really rather you n-”

“No, don’t even worry about it.” Irene sighed, her friend was stubborn as a bull and arguing would lead to nothing. She made the bed and forced herself to not think about the ball or the High Lord. Victoria went to her own rooms to get ready for the day.

Pine and night reached her before he did. Irene was in the library at the House of Wind, helping on a project the priestesses were working on when she felt a familiar presence behind her. Two hands came to rest at her hips and warm lips inched close to her ear.

“You look divine in this light, darling” he continued to roam her torso, slowly inching lower when she turned around, eyes wide.

“What are you doing? Someone can walk by at any minute!” His hands raised back up to her hips and stepped forward, pushing her against the wall of books.

“If you’re trying to deter me, that won’t work” he was leaning towards her face when she pressed her hands against his chest, halting the motion.

“You’ve gone insane” a frown morphed his face. She stretched her arms, increasing the distance between them. “I’m working on something right now, I’ll see you back at the house.” Irene sidestepped and neared her cart, Rhysand watched her for a second before leaving, as he walked past her he kissed her cheek, a pink hue crept over her face and she spent the rest of the day fighting a stubborn smile.

Azriel flew her to the townhouse that evening. The quiet soldier had been a comforting presence in her life since she could remember. They were kindred spirits in many ways, bonded over their knowledge of life as a prisoner. He had offered many times to winnow her away to Vallahan or to the Witches’ Isle. At one point or another he had even suggested the Spring Court, claiming she would fit right in with their strange creatures. Irene always said no. But every now and then, he would offer again. The shadowsinger was meticulous in his escape plans, he would detail how and when they would do it so she could get away safely. But she could never live knowing she would be on High Lord of Night’s hit list or being that far away from her mother. She had not seen Avalon in decades but “she’s alive and she’s in this Court, Az” Irene would always counter.

He would take her flying. Avalon would sore through the skies with Irene strapped to her back when she was small. Eventually she got too big and her mother told her that once she was old enough she would teach her how to fly. Irene never knew how her mother did it, though. Neither of them had wings so she assumed it was magic or some form of wind manipulation. There was no way of asking her now. But the harsh wind on her face and the distant lights below gave her brief reprieve from… well, from everything.

When they arrived at the townhouse Irene thanked Azriel and went to her rooms, wanting nothing more than to soak in a scalding hot bath. The flight had been beautiful with views of snow covered mountains, glittering stars and a full moon. But it had been brutal, cold biting into every inch of exposed skin. She thanked the gods and the Mother that the High Lord had returned the weather shields to the house as she stripped from her clothes and walked towards the tub. Steam was visible as she lowered herself into the water. She laid there for hours. Scrubbing every inch of herself, washing and rinsing her streaked hair until her fingers were pruny and her stomach growled.

She had always debated coloring her hair one shade, as of now it was mostly a pretty brown with white streaks framing her face. But every year the white bits got bigger. Soon, she suspected that the white would spread all over her head. She dreaded that day, her brown hair had been inherited from her father. It was the only part of him that remained in this world and it was fading.

Once out of the tub and wrapped in a plush robe she moisturized her body with oils and lotions that Victoria and Celene had gifted her. Then she detangled her hair and wrapped it in a towel, hoping it would help it dry faster. After her hair was out of her face she applied a relaxing mask, walked out to her bedroom and dropped on the chair of her desk. There was still work to be done.

Because she lacked an official title, Irene’s purpose in the court was to handle miscellaneous tasks that were beyond the scope of the other’s roles. This week it was helping Clotho with some research. The week before it was aiding in the stables. The week before that she was helping Celene archive some of the gowns she had made and wanted to preserve. There was a span of a few months where Irene was Rhysand’s appointed chaperone in the Illyrian camps, since he had found a way to make trouble with every visit.

But tonight she had to finish reading. Clotho had asked for summaries of several books regarding the most recent wars. She was reading an interesting passage about the innovation in warfare when ash weapons were introduced when pounding on the carefully carved wooden door rattled the room. Irene jumped and clutching her chest yelled “gods above, what is it?”

“Open the door!” Victoria’s voice boomed, Irene could practically see her friend bouncing in a happy dance. “Hold on” she stood from her place in front of the fire and walked over to the door, preparing herself for whatever it was that Victoria was about to tell her.

The princess rushed into her room and turned to face Irene while she closed the door again. Victoria bounced on the balls of her feet, biting her lower lip to control a toothy smile that threatened to slip, her arms fixed behind her back. “What is it?”

“You won’t believe what I have in my hands right this second.” Irene tried to think of something that would make her friend this excited “tickets to the ballet?”

“Nope” her smile was in full display now and Irene wondered why she always tried to hide it, often choosing to smile with closed lips. “Will you just tell me?”

“Alright! I can’t wait any longer. Here!” She shoved a stiff envelope in Irene’s hands and urged “Open it!” It was a rare occurrence for Irene to receive correspondence. This envelope was even addressed to her, not to the house or the court but to Irene Vallier. It was a pristine teal and the wax seal was dusted with specs of gold. The sender was Tarquin of the Summer Court. Irene’s brows furrowed. She had heard of the new High Lord of Summer but had never met him, and now he was sending her ornate envelopes. “What is this?” Victoria rolled her eyes and repeated “Open it!”

Irene breathed and carefully ripped the seal open to reveal pearl colored paper. The borders were decorated with crystals that resembled drops of water and a fine calligraphy sprawled across the page. “How did you get this?” Her throat was dry and her eyes were watery as she raised her gaze from the paper to her friend. “I told you I’d find a way to get you to go!” Victoria jumped to Irene and wrapped her in a hug. Irene clung to her. Inside the envelope was an invitation for the grand ball in the Summer Court. She was invited. She did not know how Victoria managed to get a direct invitation but she did. “I get to go?” Victoria nodded “I had to bribe a few fae but you deserve this, you deserve to see the world. I can’t let you stay hidden away in Velaris forever.”

“But your father won’t let me go.”

“He can’t afford to upset the Summer Court right now, you know with the new trade routes and everything and keeping their guest of honor hostage would do just that.” Irene’s eyes were wide and watery. “I can actually go?”

Victoria laughed “yes!”

There was no moon that night. Through the window Irene could make out every star speckled across the sky. She thought herself frivolous for being so emotional about an invitation. But she had never been past the Ilyrian camps, had never seen another court, another country. In the research she had done she had read about hundreds of different territories. Victoria would use her daemati abilities to show her the places she had been too and for a second she believed what she was seeing was real. That she had been in the Spring Court swimming in a pool of starlight or making snow angels in the Winter Court or even exploring the libraries of the Dawn Court. Now though, she could dream about the white beaches of the Summer Court. Could wonder about the breeze, the sun and the sky and see for herself in a few short weeks.

At that her heart twisted, she would be far from her mother. It had been decades since they had seen each other and Irene worried that the delicate thread that connected them might snap if she went too far. Maybe it was in her head, that force that she felt kept her close to her mother. She thought she was going crazy when something would pull on her chest causing a wave of warmth and despair to crash into her. Maybe it was grief. Still, the thought of anything else keeping her separated from her mother hurt. Irene wondered if Avalon had aged at all in the years she had been kept away. Witches rarely showed signs of aging, but a few truly ancient ones had crinkles around their eyes and freckles in the places where they caught the most sun. She supposed Avalon hadn’t seen the sun in ages. But maybe she had wrinkles now, markers of the torment she must be feeling.

Irene’s throat tightened as she pictured her mother in a windowless cell. That was why reminiscing was dangerous. That was why it was important. She could never allow herself to forget. While she was in a luxurious room with all the food and things she could ever want her mother was rotting in a rock and her father was ashes. She could love Victoria, she could love Rhysand, she could love Celene but she could not forget for one second that they held the key to her cage. Maybe they too had their own cages. Her freedom was restricted and her actions monitored. Irene closed the blinds, closed the books and fell into a dreamless sleep.

taglist: @sidthedollface2 @acourtofbatboydreams

#acomaf #acowar #acotar #acosf #azriel shadowsinger #acofas #acotar fanfiction #rhysand #eris vanserra #eris acotar #a court of thorns and roses #a court of mist and fury #a court of silver flames #a court of wings and ruin #rhysand x oc #oc

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jigujellee · 2 years

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THROUGH WITH YU -> karina yu hates your guts and you don't really know why. | read part 2 here!

karina x reader angst word count: 3.8k warnings: there might be a swear word or two, nothing crazy

a/n: wow, another fic in less than 2 weeks? who is she? lol i'm jk but the first part to the karina enemies to lovers college au is here! there's only two parts, so hopefully, i should be able to get it out soon. don't worry, i'm also working on the requests you've all sent me so please look out for those. take care everyone, thanks for reading!

smu was home to numerous intelligent and hard working students who were slowly losing their sanity every day in order to achieve their future. if they weren’t burying their faces in their laptops or textbooks, students were drowning themselves in caffeine as they desperately try to work through the hell known as university. it’s definitely not easy for most, but then there are people like karina who make the university life look so easy.

karina yu graduated from kwangya high as valedictorian and received a full grant scholarship at smu where she is now a biomedical student with a dream to pursue a career in medicine. she also manages to maintain the top spot in the entire school while being the captain of the swim team and balances a part time job. the girl’s credentials are unmatched, you’d think she doesn’t have a social life but no. everybody and their grandmothers know exactly who karina is, and with a god given face, brain, and talent like hers, who wouldn’t be drawn to her? dubbed as the campus goddess, she captures the hearts of anyone who glances her way. karina could care less about the title though. she was nice to everyone she encountered and remained humble despite being treated like royalty at school. so when everyone’s attention is focused on something else, or rather someone else, karina suddenly becomes intrigued.

“alright class, that wraps it up for today. don’t forget, your assignments on DNA mutagenesis are due next Friday so i hope most of you have at least started on it”

as soon as the campus goddess finished typing up her last few notes, she sets a quick reminder for herself to finish the references for the assignment. karina’s work ethic was something every student dreamed to have in a perfect world, hence why it isn’t uncommon for students to ask her for help every now and then. her best friend ningning is a perfect example of these said students.

“so you’re going to help me with my assignment, right?” the blonde says, not even sparing a glance to karina as her eyes remained glued on her phone.

“ning, why do you still have to ask? i’ve been helping you with your assignments since we were in high school. but let me remind you that you’re smart enough to do it on your own. maybe if you spent less time on your phone, you would’ve gotten it done early”

“thanks for the ted talk but you know i gotta stay updated with the tea around here”

“right, so what’s new gossip girl hm?”

“well, jeno recently got injured after their last basketball game so he’s sitting out for the next few. then there’s yeji and ryujin who got into a pretty nasty fight and people are saying they still haven’t talked it out”

“isn’t it gonna be their 3 year anniversary in a few weeks? i hope they resolve things soon”

“well well well, would you look at that? seems like someone is fairly updated too” ningning chuckles and finally tears her eyes away from the phone to find karina putting her stuff away into a tote bag.

“you live and breathe tea and drama, and unfortunately, i’m the only one who has to hear all of it since i’m pretty much the only friend you have,” karina jokes.

“you make me laugh miss yu,” her best friend says dryly as rolls her eyes and continues to scroll through her phone once more. “oh, and there’s a new student coming in today. apparently they’re coming all the way from canada,” ningning turns off her phone and grabs her bag before sticking her arm out so that karina could link arms with her. the latter didn’t care much about the new transferee, not with her empty stomach practically ringing in her ears.

“yeah yeah whatever, let’s go grab lunch. i’m starving” she links her arms with ningning and the two make their way to the campus cafeteria.

they were greeted with crowds of students, which wasn’t a new sight to the two. almost all of campus knew karina ate in the cafeteria during lunch so they would always have an audience as they ate in peace. what was surprising to karina was that the students weren’t swooning over her like they usually do. instead, they were running right past her and making their way to the table where karina and ningning usually sat. confused, karina looks over at her best friend.

“why is everyone rushing to get over there? we’re not even there yet”

“you think i would know? i was beside you this entire time. but it looks like someone is sitting there already, i can’t see who it is though”

a girl in front of the two overhears their conversation before realizing who it was and immediately moves out of the way to let them pass. everyone else followed suit and the two manage to get a clear view of who was causing such a big crowd. they walk towards the table, but even as they get closer, they are unable to put a name to the face sitting in their usual spot.

as soon as they approached the unfamiliar person, ningning doesn’t hesitate to speak, “hi! i’m ningning and this is my friend karina!” the purple haired girl’s eyes widened at her friend’s sudden introduction, but not wanting to be rude, she just smiled and gave a small wave.

“hello! i’m y/n, it’s nice to meet you both” you say with a big smile plastered on your face.

“ah! you’re the new student, right? from canada?” you eagerly nod your head and continue to answer ningning’s never ending questions about your home country. meanwhile, the girl beside her stayed silent and just stared at you. you couldn’t tell what she was feeling, her face remaining stoic the entire time you were talking with her friend. you open your mouth to address her and try to include her in the conversation, but another student calls your name and invites you to eat lunch with them.

“karina and ningning usually sit here, so just sit with us for lunch” the student then whispered in your ear. you look back at the two girls and realize that they’ve been standing this entire time, so you immediately get up and allow them to sit at their respective table.

“well i’d be glad to answer your questions about canada some other time ning,” you chuckle. “i hope to see you both around more! sorry about taking your seat,” you say as your gaze lands on karina, who just quickly bows her head out of respect before taking a seat at the spot you were just in. ningning quickly hands you her phone for you to put your number in before letting you go. as you leave, you turn to take a look at the purple haired girl one more time.

you now understood why she was called the campus goddess.

funnily enough, the campus goddess wanted nothing to do with greek gods and goddesses, or any greek mythology in general. she hated history classes. the only reason she was taking it is because she needed an elective that wasn’t related to her major, so she chose ancient greek mythology and apparently, it was a really easy course. but even if this course was super easy, she got bored so easily. it was the only class that she rarely paid attention in and it made her want to fall asleep.

it doesn’t help that this class was a dreaded 3 hours of her professor going on and on about information that had nothing to do with what karina wanted to do with the rest of her life. oftentimes, her thoughts loved to wander off during class, and to her surprise, you are the one currently taking up space in her mind. karina couldn’t help but think about your smile, your dark brown eyes, your soft voice, the way your hair sat perfectly against-

“miss yu?” karina shakes her head and brings herself back to reality. was i really just thinking of the new student just now?

“sorry sir, what were you saying?”

“i asked which two groups fought during the battle of cynoscephalae?”

karina couldn’t bring herself to answer. she should know this, she did her readings on it so why couldn’t she remember? oh right, because some new girl was distracting her, that’s why.

“it was fought between the romans and the antigonids,” you spoke up after minutes of silence from karina. she looked back in shock, finding you three rows behind her. great, the person who’s been wrecking my train of thought is also in the same class as me.

you shoot her a wink with a smile, causing karina to immediately turn back around to the front, hoping you wouldn’t see her cheeks heating up out of embarrassment.

“that’s correct y/n, thank you. pay more attention karina, this isn’t like you”

“yes sir, it won’t happen again” karina sinks into her seat and groans internally for letting herself get distracted and embarrassing herself in front of you… and the class.

and now, she despised you for making her feel this way and decided that she wanted nothing to do with you.

so any attempt you made in trying to be her friend, whether it be buying her snacks, coffee, cup noodles, and even a whole cake, or trying to follow her on instagram and her other socials, karina shut all of it down. she couldn’t afford to be embarrassed like that anymore and she tried her best to avoid you, but she quickly learned that you were stubborn and you weren’t going to stop until you two were at least acquaintances.

“hi karina! i grabbed you a triangle kimbap and a choco pie in case you were hungry,” you hold out the snacks in front of her, hoping she’ll actually take them this time. but as usual, she just stares at them and her hands remain still by her side.

her eyes shift from your hands to your own eyes, and you could feel a bitter coldness being emitted from her dark brown orbs. “i’m going to make this very clear, y/n. i do not care who you are or where you came from, but i do not need you around me. buying me snacks is not going to get me to be friends with you, so drop the act. we are never going to be friends,” she says, words hitting you like a knife. your hands that are filled with snacks drop to your side as you watch the campus goddess walk away from you. from that moment on, you do your best to avoid her, hoping that you are finally giving her something she actually wants.

it’s only 9 in the morning, and karina is already having a horrible day.

“what? what do you mean i’m failing? that’s nearly impossible-”

“calm down karina, you’re not behind by much. with a little tutoring and some catch up assignments, you’ll be able to bring your grade up in no time,” her english professor says.

karina huffs in frustration. how could this happen? she swore she handed in all her essays on time and they were all done very well, so she had no idea how could she be failing the class.

“i asked the student who will tutor you to come in today so that i could introduce you two,” and as if on cue, there was a knock on the door.

“perfect timing. come in!”

karina doesn’t bother turning around to see who it was, still trying to rack her brain over how she could possibly be doing badly in english class.

“you wanted to see me professor lee?”

the purple haired girl’s eyes widened and her mouth falls slightly agape. she didn’t need to look at who it was; the voice said it all.

“thank you for coming, y/n! i wanted to introduce you to karina, have you met before?”

“yes, we share a few classes together” you say dryly.

you were aware that you had to tutor someone, but you didn’t know it’d be her. from where you were standing, you could see that she didn’t want to be in this setup either. she was avoiding your presence, putting all her attention onto the stack of papers on the professor’s desk and studying it as if it were the most intriguing thing in the world right now.

“with all due respect professor lee, i’m sure there are a number of other students who would be willing to help karina out. not to mention countless other students who speak english at a much higher level than i do, such as aeri, chaeyoung, jennie, yunjin, jisu, seungkwan.. need i list more?”

for the first time since entering the office, karina looks at you with a confused expression; she didn’t expect you to turn the opportunity down, not after all the nice things you’ve done for her just to be her friend. your focus remains on the professor as you wait for a reply, ignoring the other girl beside you who was trying to figure you out, the stack of papers on the desk now long forgotten.

“nonsense y/n, what better way to learn english than from someone who’s just transferred from canada? besides, english is your first language, correct?” you nod your head, unable to lie because the records were right there in front of the prof.

“then it’s settled! think of it as a way to get closer to one another. karina, i promise you won’t regret this and your grade will improve in no time! you two are dismissed, i’ll see you both on wednesday”

both of you bow your heads, and karina is the first one to get up and leave. you follow suit, rolling your eyes once you’re at the door because she didn’t even have the courtesy to hold it open for you. once you’re both outside of professor lee’s office, you’re about to retreat to your own dorm but karina stops you.

“hey”

you say nothing and just turn to look at her, waiting for her to continue what she wanted to say.

“2pm tomorrow at the library. don’t be late,” she says sternly.

with no ounce of emotion on your face, you turn around and leave the purple haired girl standing in front of the prof’s office.

you hoped this tutoring session will go somewhat smoothly.

no, it’s not going smoothly.

karina was the one who said not to be late, yet she’s the one who came almost 20 minutes late. she blamed it on ningning for asking her to accompany her while she talks to one of their other professors.

and now, karina hasn’t spoken a word to you since she got here. she didn’t bother asking for any clarification or any questions and just began working on her assignment, but you couldn’t care less. if she didn’t want to fix her grade, then so be it. you allowed yourself to enjoy this quiet time by catching up on your favourite book, but unfortunately, it doesn’t last long.

“here, check this for me”

you scan the paragraph writing assignment she had to do. with a pencil, you lightly circled her mistakes and even wrote down some comments on things that could be improved. when you hand it back to her, you watch as her eyes scan over the paper and she huffs in frustration. you continue to watch the campus goddess scribble onto her paper, erasing and rewriting things every other second. your eyes move to the paper and you notice her making the same mistake again.

“you did the same thing aga-”

“shut up, i got it” but even after she erases it, she does it again. this time, she realizes what she wrote.

“not a word, y/n”

“rina look, i just-”

“first of all, do not call me that. we’re not close, okay? and second, i don’t care that you were asked to help me. i just need to pass english and then i’m through with you,” without missing a beat, she continues writing her assignment.

you won’t lie, it hurt whenever karina dismissed you like that. you don’t even understand why she hated you so much. was it because you answered for her in class? or was it because you stole her seat on the first day? whatever it was, it still hurt. but if she was going to be like this towards you, then you figured you should be the same back.

and that’s how the rest of your tutoring sessions go. you both arrive at the library, not uttering a single word to each other. you immerse yourself in your book or in other school work, and you only say something if karina asks you. as you meet up more and more, however, you notice karina is slowly starting to ask more questions and actually initiate conversation but you always gave her a dry reply, not even bothering to look up at her as you answer. why should you? you were just here to help her.

after one of your tutoring sessions, you were walking back to your dorm when you suddenly receive a phone call. the caller ID was enough to make you decline the call, but you answer it anyway. you don’t bother saying hello, and just wait for the other party to say something.

“not even a hello? wow, who do you think you are?”

“what do you want?”

“jeez, what’s gotten into you? i just called to check up on you”

“i never asked you to check on me”

“god, you’re unbelievable. you should be thankful i’m even checking up on you even after what you did to your-”

“stop trying to act like my mother. you are not her and you will never be her, so just shut up and leave me alone,” you angrily say as you hang up, not letting her get a response in. you shove your phone back into your pocket and stormed off to your dorm, but you don’t notice the girl behind you who heard everything.

she didn’t mean to eavesdrop. if anything, she blames you for stopping in the middle of the hallway and answering the call, and even putting it on speaker phone. but she heard it either way, whether she wanted to or not. karina watched as you stomped away and she felt a heavy feeling in her chest - it was guilt. she’s been rude to you all this time when all you wanted was to be her friend. you even agreed to tutor her (though it was pretty much forced) and she was still acting like such a bitch to you. but after hearing the conversation, she couldn’t help but feel sad. she didn’t have the best relationship with her mom either, so in a way, she kind of related to you. she starts thinking that maybe you weren’t so bad after all.

a few more tutoring sessions and three assignments later, karina manages to get her grade back up. once she hears the good news from professor lee, she immediately goes to find you.

“y/n!”

you turn around to find an ecstatic and smiley purple haired goddess coming your way. she crashes into you and wraps her arms around you, but you just stand there and look straight ahead, leaving your arms glued to your side.

she finally lets go of you after what seemed like minutes of hugging, and she shoves a paper in front of your face.

“look! i got my grade back up, and it’s all thanks to you!”

“good. now we can go our separate ways,” you try to walk pass her, but she grabs your arm to stop you.

“wait! let me treat you to something to eat! as a thank you for helping me”

“i’ll pass,” and you try to walk by her again. she doesn’t stop you this time, but she starts following you instead.

“how about tomorrow? or next week? i’m free whenever, just let me kn-”

“what’s your deal, hm? why are you so nice to me all of a sudden? just because you got your grade up or what?”

karina’s smile fades and a nervous expression appears on her face, scared to tell you why she was acting this way. she fidgets with the paper in her hand, avoiding your gaze and biting her bottom lip.

“so what do you want?” you ask, trying to get an answer out of her.

“i..” she starts. “i overheard your phone call with your mom. i didn’t mean to, it’s just you were right there and you even put it on speaker phone so i just happened to hear everything..” you say nothing, and you wait for her to continue.

“i feel bad for how i’ve treated you all this time. the truth is, i get it. i know what you’re going through, and it’s okay to-”

“stop,” karina looks at you, and she looks scared but she’s not scared that you were angry, she knew you’re probably pissed at her. what was scaring her is the lack of emotion you were showing. she wanted you to scream at her, to cuss her out for being such a bitch, but instead you’re as calm as ever and it terrifies her to her core.

“she’s not my mother. that was my stepmom who tries way too hard to be my mother,” you say calmly. you start making your way to her, making sure that she hears what you have to say next loud and clear. once you're right in front of her, you continue.

“don’t act like you fucking know me just after hearing one phone call. if you’re being nice to me because you feel bad for me, then just save it. i don’t need your pity and i don’t need you around, got it? i’m through with you” you’re close enough to feel her breath on your lips, but you back away as soon as you’re done talking to her and you leave her in the middle of the hall with people were staring, but you didn’t care. you didn’t need karina or her pity, and the campus goddess got that message loud and clear. but it still hurt her. it hurt enough to make tears fall from her eyes, and karina rarely ever cries. she wipes away whatever tears were on her cheek and starts making her way to meet with ningning.

karina didn't want you to be through with her, but she deserved it. especially since she's the one who said it first.

#kpop scenarios #girl group scenarios #kpop imagines #gg scenarios #gg imagines #aespa #aespa karina #karina yu #yu jimin #karina angst #karina scenarios #karina imagines

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imeanwhynotbruv · 1 year

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Hi! I saw your Soldier Boy AU and I really liked the concept! You mentioned that Spider wouldn't know how to not act like a solider. I'm curious as to how do you imagine this would crop up? It's such a sad thing for a child to go through, and I wonder how the revelation that this kid doesn't know how to be a kid would strike the other kids and adults. I also wonder if Spider even recognizes his upbringing as something abnormal, as kids who grow up in abusive situations typically don't know something is wrong until they find a point of comparison or someone to explain to them.

I look forward to seeing what you do with this AU concept! It's so interesting! :)

Soldier boy Spider Au

AAAAA! I’m so happy you liked it! Im also looking forward to how this au will change but here’s what I think the answers would be so far

I don’t think the other adults would really realise it at first when Spider is still technically their captive. Like they know he’s a bit of a weird kid but they assume it’s just him being worried after practically being kidnapped.

I love Jake, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think he’d notice it right away even when Spiders is interacting with his kids, he’s probably just assume Spider was a well behaved kid (which he’s not really, he’s just scared to get into trouble because they’ve all been really nice to him for the most part) he’s also really busy with his duties as Olo'eyktan and doesn’t have as much time as he’d like even with his own kids, let alone Spider.

I think it would take Neytiri to notice and point it out to him, like she wouldn’t want to notice because she doesn’t want to like this kid, but she just can’t help it. She sees the way Spider won’t hesitate to do what he’s been told even if he clearly didn’t want to, even if he’s doing something else. She watches the way he gets nervous when he hasn’t been given exact, to the point, instructions or how worried he gets when he can’t figure out something that would be simple.

Neteyam would definitely notice, his big brother instincts just on overdrive all the time with his siblings, and because Spider now spends so much time with them that extends to him as well. He sees the way Spider can go from smiling and laughing to cold and professional when an adult (especially his parents) try talking to him.

Kiri would notice and just decide that yeah, she’s going to drown him in her friendship and there’s nothing anyone can do about that.

Lo’ak wouldn’t notice at first, or at least he doesn’t know why Spider acts the way he does. I can definitely see him not liking Spider at first (something he later feels guilty for) especially when after they let Spider outside, Jake is like “why can’t you listen to me like Spider?” “Why can’t you just behave like Spider” Jake doesn’t mean to but he causes a bit of a strain between the two of them in the beginning mainly because Lo’ak thinks Spider is trying to make him look worse, and Spider doesn’t know what he’s doing to make Lo’ak mad and that makes him mad to.

Tuk definitely gets attached to Spider quickly, he’s always willing to indulge her and play with her. However she quickly realised Spider doesn’t really know how to play anything, even hide and seek to her horror, so she takes it upon herself to teach Spider all the games she loves. So she doesn’t know why Spider is the way he is, but she definitely wants to make him happy and by making him play with her, she’s accidentally giving him everything he’d missed out on and he doesn’t understand why he’s enjoying it so much.

Ronal notices almost instantly that Spider is weird, but at first she just try’s to pass it off as a human thing. The more she watches Spider sound the village the more concerned she gets. Spider is too willing to do tasks and not willing enough to ask for help. Maybe he hides and injury (because he’s not aloud to be a problem)or something and she decides enough is enough and talks to Tonowari.

Tonowari also notices quickly, he’s too much of a protective dad not to notice, like Ronal he thinks it’s a human thing but when his wife comes to him to compare notes they realise it’s quite a problem so he decides to talk to Jake.

Jake and Tonowari then have to give a very confused Spider a ‘your not a soldier’ talk, at first he doesn’t understand but they don’t let him leave until he does.

Spider definitely didn’t know his upbringing wasn’t normal, he didn’t have other kids for reference with until the Sullys and a lot of the adults wouldn’t talk to him. Spider is definitely worried the first time he sees Lo’ak talk back, when Tuk throws a tantrum, he doesn’t understand that what happened to him wasn’t just the norm.

He doesn’t understand the strange looks he gets when he asks them weird questions he thought were normal. He’d definitely shocked when he’s woken from a nightmare by Neytiri and comforted, when Jake doesn’t get mad at him because he can’t master the bow immediately, when Ronal explains to him that yes, even a scratch (it’s really not a scratch) deserves to be looked at, when Tonowari doesn’t get mad at him for being tried from work and instead encourages him to take breaks.

He’s shocked at the reactions of other kids when they look at him horrified when he’d talk about his childhood. How their stories are so much different to his own.

He definitely has a good cry when Tonowari and Jake really explain that no, that was not normal and was not his fault.

•••

Anyway those are some of my ideas!

Thank you for asking!

Let me know if you have any suggestions/request/questions I’d love to answer them!

I hope you enjoyed❤️

#avatar 2 #spider soccoro sully #spider soccoro #avatar twow #tonowari #ronal avatar #jake sully #neytiri #sully kids #SoldierBoySpider

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euphorajeon · 1 year

Text

a/n: you = jeongguk, i = reader

You are known as someone who always dresses in dark, cold tone of the color spectrum. Black, grey, navy, maroon, you name it. So imagine how surprised I feel when you show up in front of me looking like a nice, warm day in the middle of summer.

“Hi!!” you say, grinning like a child in a candy store. You let out one of your adorable giggles through the smile, crescent eyes barely visible under the strands of your hair. It still baffles me how you make my heart skip a beat by doing just the bare minimum.

Maybe my questioning gaze is too obvious that your grin dims a little. “I look weird, don’t I?” And your inquiry makes me splutter out a rushed no so you don’t entertain that thought further. How could you think that, when all I could think about is how radiant you look?

“You look like a sunflower,” I say around a smile, relishing in the way the corners of your lips start turning up again.

“Because of the yellow jacket?” you say, hand reaching mine to entertwine our fingers together.

You’ve always liked the entertwine-kind of handholding, instead of the holding-kind handholding, I don’t know what it’s called but yeah, you know my point. You said it makes you feel safe, lets you feel my fingers in between yours, reassures you that I’m not going anywhere. I wish you’d stop worrying about stuff like that because I’m here to stay.

“Yellow jacket, black hair, blue jeans.. all that makes me think of a painting of sunflowers with the sky as the background.”

“Does that mean you think I’m beautiful?”

The wide grin is back, and it’s obvious that you’re only teasing, but I do.

I do think you are beautiful.

You don’t need to wear bright clothes to be beautiful. You don’t need to give me big grins to be beautiful. You don’t need to hold my hand to be beautiful.

Because everything about you is beautiful, from the way you scrunch your nose to the way you talk to the way you think to the way you love me to the way you let me love you even when you think you are the worst version of yourself.

You’re beautiful for so many reasons but I decide to keep it to myself and only give you an affirmation on your statement earlier.

“You’re beautiful too,” you whisper, hand tightening its hold on mine, and I don’t correct you this time, letting you think for a while that I agree with you even though my mind says you’re lying and only saying that because I said the same thing about you before. No. You made an effort to be different today, so I should too, right?

I never told anyone but my favorite thing about you is your smile. It literally looks like an emoji and it just lights up the dark corners of my brain whenever I see it. Sometimes your smile is so wide it makes your eyes form into crescents, crinkles appearing around your eyes. Sometimes your smile is accompanied by a nose scrunch. Sometimes it is with a hearty giggle, and sometimes it just appears as a simple, close-mouthed one. Either way, I will still like them all.

Right now, though, your smile is the shy kind, partially hidden by your ginormous yellow jacket that you managed to drown yourself in. It hides part of your cheeks too, but I can still see the beginning of a blush coming.

Even your shy smile can wake up the heart of a dying star, can you imagine what your wide smile would do? It could light up an entire galaxy, and the universe would be grateful to have a human being like you to exist within its arms.

For now, I’ll just let you know that I like your smile so that I can continue watching it appear on the pair of your lips. One day, a star would be re-awaken and you’ll realize that it’s because of you.

“I like your smile.”

And you grin, bright as a star, and I fall in love all over again.

august 20th, 2019

masterlist | secreto

#bts #bts jungkook #fanfic #bts fanfic #bts fic #bts au #jungkook #jeon jungkook #jungkook drabble #jungkook au #jungkook fic #jungkook fanfic #jungkook oneshot #jungkook scenarios #jungkook fluff #jungkook x you #jungkook x reader #jungkook imagine

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busterheadspace · 1 year

Note

brett protects reagan from a bad guy (idk) and nearly dies but reagan there to heal him and he confess his feelings to her

Reagan doesn’t exactly heal him ans the story might be off but uh here we go!

Note: I’m open to request, just checked my Fic rules before requesting

—-

Collapsed

"How the hell did we end up lost in an endless tunnel with mole people chasing us!"

Brett shrugged. Reagan let out a frustrated sigh as they climbed a slope. . Meeting thousands of feet in the earth wasn't exactly fun. But today they had some union with all the mole creatures. They built government buildings and helped with some of the natural disasters or cover ups. While not as big as the Reptiod, they were very important to the company.

Reagan and Brett were sent to go. Glenn came too however he was more interested in the gold and other jewelry they had.

Everything went fine for the few hours. The mole people were very nice. Offering various forms of food and alcohol. The insect foods were gross but a nice gesture at least

However it was their king that was such a pain in the ass. He made racist jokes and rude remarks about them. The other moles had to laugh with him or else they'll be a meal. Glenn was about to explode from anger so Reagan told him to wait at the lift.

She and Brett talked about money, projects, benefits until a mole approached and told him about missing gold. The King's eyes widened and before they could defend themselves he pointed and said they should be exiled. No mole people said anything as they grabbed weapons and chased them.

That led them to the dirt tunnels to hide with nothing more than one helmet on Brett’s head and Reagan’s phone flashlight. They had no signal and no way to communicate with anyone outside the tunnels.

“Well there are worse places to be,” Brett joked

“Like what?”

“Being squished to death, drowning, eaten alive… THE MOLE PEOPLE BEING RIGHT THERE”

Reagan turns around as the mole people charge toward them. The ground was shaking as Brett grabbed her hand and they started running. Going into up, down, left, right tunnels, the panic of being killed was in their mind that they didn’t notice the sign that read “Unstable Cave. (Don’t be an idiot and go in)"

Their backs were against the wall as the mole people ran past them into another tunnel. They sigh with relief.

“That was too close.” Reagan mumbled annoyed, kicking a small rock. It hits the wall and a crack forms quickly. Their eyes widen as the crack grows on the wall and the ceiling starts to tremble. Brett notices a huge piece just about to fall on her."

“Watch out!” He yelled before tackling her down. His helmet falls off as the ceiling fall on top of them, knocking both of them out.

—-

“Nnngh..”

Reagan groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. She winced at the soreness. She felt something drip on her face and looked up. Her eyes widen

Brett was on top of her. His head was cut open from a rock stained red beside them, The blood was coming out quickly and Reagan felt panic rising.

“Shit! Shit!” She sat up quickly, holding Brett in her arms. Their surroundings were full of broken rocks and earth materials. The entrance of the tunnel was blocked. Oh god, who was going to find them?

She’ll worry about that later! Right now, Brett was bleeding heavily and getting pale. Quickly, she took her lab coat off and wrapped it his head. The blood stained it instantly but she couldn’t care

“Brett! Come on! Wake up!” Reagan shook Brett gently. He limply moves with the shaking. She shakes him a little harder.

“Brett! Please! I need you to open your eyes!” She begged. No response. Reagan felt her heart beating rapidly. She might be losing Brett. The only person that stayed with her. The only person that could make her smile everyday. The only person that could make her heart flutter and feel something

A soft groan comes from the unconscious man, five minutes later. Reagan held her breath as Brett weakley opened his eyes.

“Mmm.. Rea..gan..?” He mumbled. She nods, grabbing his hand. He tried to smile before wincing“Hurts..”

“I know Brett. But just keep your eyes open. Don’t you fucking dare close them” Reagan pleaded. She hated how she was feeling. Tears were forming in her eyes.

“Shh.. it's okay..” Brett tried to comfort her. He felt the darkness starting to cave in and the slick wetness on the side of his head. That was blood wasn't it.. A hand goes to her face and wipes a tear rolling down. “I love.. you… so much..” He mumbled before going limp.

Reagan gasped. Her grip tightened . She wasn’t about to lose Brett. She wasn’t about to lose him when he. Dammit! Why didn’t she just move when the ceiling was about to break! Why did Brett have to be the selfless idiot and get himself hurt instead of her.

His blood sticks to her arms and hands. She didn't know how long Brett could hold for. Screaming would get them killed but not screaming will kill Brett.

Screw it

"Glenn! If you can hear us! Get us out of here!”

—-

Glenn found them. He somehow turned the moles against the king and they had a new leader. The union was completed and they would continue to help the company. Glenn stated they listened to him as he didn't look too human compared to them. One of the cockroaches working at the lift sniffed them out and hurriedly brought Brett to the lift.

The ride up was very anxious. Reagan didn't want to see Brett but the quick glanced made her feel sick. As soon as the lift hit surface level, they run into the medical department and the doctors get to work.

She couldn't tell how much time passed but now Brett was lying on the hospital bed with stitches and bandages on his head.

"Lost quite a lot of blood.. able to replace it. Concussion..Maybe he'll wake up sometime? Not too sure”

She sat in the hospital chair beside the bed. The Gang visited from time to time but she sat in that chair for hours. Her mind was too occupied with how Brett could have died.. and the words he managed to say.

"I.. love you.."

Did he mean it romantically or platonically? Did he feel the same way? It made her head and heart hurt yet she could get no answer

Eventually she fell asleep on the chair. She didn't want to leave Brett. It wasn’t the most comfortable position although she barely cared,

—

Brett wakes up very late in the night. The beeping sound freaked him out as he sat up quickly. His head really hurts as he looks around

"Oh Cognito Hospital.." Brett mumbled.That calmed him down. He noticed Reagan sleeping on the chair. Her lab coat was missing and her gray shirt stained with faint red "Aww.. she stayed...”

Hearing him talk, Reagan stirs and lifts her head. Her face was full of sleep until she saw Brett looking at her. Her breath hitches and she gets up from her chair.

“Hey, Reagan.. Thanks for staying here. Hope it wasn’t much troub-'' Brett's sentence is cut short by a hug. Reagan buried her face into his hospital gown.

“I’m so sorry. God.. I should move or… done something. Now.. you’re injured and.. fuck.. I’m so sorry.” She said, a few tears rolling down her face

Brett looked at her sadly. He gently grabbed her head, and made Reagan look at him.

“That wasn’t your fault. It was mind., I shouldn’t have been an idiot and let myself get hit.” Brett replies. “I’m alive.. and that’s what matters. Right?”

Reagan nods.

“Besides, I’ll get a sick ass scar. Wouldn’t that be cool?“

It made her snicker and Brett smiled. However Reagan looked away, thinking about something

“Did you mean it.. when you said you loved me?”

He froze for a moment. He remembered saying that because he thought he would have died. Brett did have romantic feelings for Reagan, however he buried them so it wouldn’t ruin their friendship.

“Because if you mean romantically.. I Feel the same way”

Brett felt his heart thumping. The heart monitor beeps a little more quickly. Slowly he reached for Reagan’s hands. She looked at him as he moved toward her face. His head bent slightly as she felt herself blushing knowing what this could be

“Can.. I..?” He asked. She nods, and their lips come together. Warmth fills the both of them as they kiss. Reagan had kissed many people in her life but.. this felt better than of them. Brett never really experienced a good kiss, he would consider this the best one he’s had.

They broke apart and looked at each other with a smile.

“That felt.. nice”

“Yeah.. I liked it.” Reagan replies

“Guess we’re no longer BFFs.” Brett said. “We’re something more, right?”

“Yup. We’re together.”

They cuddled in the bed. Reagan snuggled into his side and Brett’s arm grabbed around her waist. They sigh happily as they drift off to sleep

Maybe being stuck in that tunnel wasn’t too bad afterwards

#inside job fanfic #inside job #reagan ridley #brett hand #Reagan ridley/Brett Hand #breagan #tw: injury #tw:blood #angst #fluff #kisses

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robotstrategy · 2 months

Text

Recalled • Part 6 • 47 - Roland

TW: Gore descriptions and silly writer bologna bullshit.

Previous • Series Masterlist • Part 6 Masterlist • Next

Roland peeks his eyes open as he yawns and stretches himself out in his bed. He looks around, he’s never been here before yet he has the sense that this is his bed. He looks down beside him seeing that the covers have been folded over. Someone shares this bed with him. Roland covers himself back up in the blankets, afraid of whoever will suddenly pop into his vision. Someone softly hums a tune as they come closer. Roland hears them straighten out the blankets before tugging at the blankets covering his head. He looks up at Hayden softly smiling at him.

“Hi hon, did you sleep well?”

“Huh?”

Hayden laughs. “Still groggy huh?”

Roland nods, confused. The soft smile never leaves Hayden’s face as he lies down beside him. Roland watches Hayden put his hand under his shirt, rubbing his back.

“I still can’t believe you got that big of a tattoo on your back, and it’s a giant hibiscus flower!”

Roland takes a breath. “It’s a managed trauma.”

“Yeah?” Hayden mumbles. Hayden keeps talking but his voice is drowned out by the sound of an alarm.

Roland wakes up to the sound of his alarm clock going off, he turns it off. He yawns. looking around himself. ‘What a weird dream.’ He looks down, troubled by the sight of a tent in his bed. ‘It wasn’t sexual, IT WASN’T SEXUAL WHY IS MY BODY DOING THIS?’ He panics. He speedily makes it over to the bathroom, grateful that Nero stayed in her dorm last night. Roland sits on the toilet trying to fix himself. ‘Why the hell did Hayden make me get a boner? I haven’t even seen that guy face-to-face yet. Was it even Hayden who did it for me, or was it his actions? The way he looked at me was nice, it was soft… and c-caring…’

Roland stares out at the blank wall, disgusted at himself for masturbating to the thought of his friend. ‘Maybe it was based on something I watched, and my brain just filled it in with Hayden, yeah! That’s it! I wonder what I watched though…’

Roland puts on his aviation uniform and pins the front of his hair back, he grabs himself a toasted bagel with butter on the way out to school.

He makes it onto campus in a matter of minutes. Roland stares mesmerized at the slow-falling snow, before he knows it he’s bumped into the person in front of him.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!”

The person looks behind them. “Hey no worries, wait… Are you the guy who was screaming the other night in the dormitory hallway? Were you on drugs or something?”

Roland is suddenly embarrassed, and he nods. “I was definitely not on drugs though,” His voice gets quieter. “I don’t really want to talk about what happened that night.”

The person gives their friend a worried look before turning back to Roland. “Umm, there are support groups held in the main building after classes if that’s what you’re looking for?”

Roland raises his head, “Oh, umm, thanks.”

Roland keeps walking to class, careful not to bump into anyone again. He gets into the classroom and stands next to Nero, who stares out the window, she looks over at him and smiles. “How was your first night permanently living in the apartment?” She asks.

“It was good, it’s a pretty short commute in the morning.” He replies, leaving out how the day started.

“That’s good, ‘cause you don’t want to be out of breath today!”

“Why’s that?”

“Because we’re doing breath exercises! Gotta counteract them Gs too!”

“In weather like this?”

“The propeller on the top usually pushes all the falling snow away.”

Gs, Nero had mentioned, stood for G-force, which was a gravitational force both of them would have to deal with. Anything sustained past 6G was fatal, but they had learned that for a second or two fighter pilots could go up to 9G.

“So you’re going to be doing a lot of training right?” Roland asks her.

“Oh yeah, of course. They won’t let me go up to nine until they’re absolutely sure I’m ready.”

Roland worries sometimes about Nero's choice to be a Fighter pilot, then again he went more for emergency medical services.

“Ironic isn’t it?” He told her.

“Don’t try sending more kids to be unwound, got it?” She laughed.

Roland looks around as more people come in, he then squats down to one of the counter shelves to get a first aid kit.

“Is that for me?” A familiar voice asks, Roland doesn’t answer it.

“You can’t ignore me forever.” It keeps taking. The boy grazes Roland's hand. “I’ll be needing someone like you soon.” He whispers into Roland’s ear.

“Fuck off Trevor, nobody wants your glutton ass!” Nero snaps.

Roland scowls as he turns to face Trevor. “I don’t think a pilot and a first aid kit could fix your lack of balls or your lack of brain for that matter.”

“Oh? I don’t have a brain? Is that really what-”

Roland talks over him. “Well, you thought a pilot and a first aid kit could give you new balls. I’m pretty sure an unwind surgeon could help you better.”

Trevor scoffs as others laugh at his dismay, Nero smirks. “I guess he didn’t have the balls to talk back.” Roland laughs and playfully boos at Nero’s joke.

Roland hears someone speed walking down the hall, he turns his head on a swivel to see one of the other junior medical pilots he trains with. “Hey Roland, we’re going down to another class in the building for more first aid training.” They tell him, using their hand to usher him over. He walks over to them whilst scanning all the confused faces in the room. “I thought we were doing breath exercises and g-force counteracting.” He says. The trainee shakes their head. “Ours will be moved to other days, because the other pilots don’t have to do what we’ll be doing,” They wink. “Now c’mon, we’ve gotta go strap robots to gurneys and put them into helicopters.”

Roland helps the nursing students fasten the robot to the gurney and thread it into the helicopter’s floor. He squeezes himself into the tight tunnel and then weaves through the equipment, making his way up to the front of the helicopter. The students and their teacher get themselves situated, and the teacher gives the flight instructor the thumbs up. The instructor gives them a weird look.

“They’re not set to be getting off the ground yet are they?” The instructor asks.

The teacher looks befuddled, “I thought we weren’t doing this training day anymore.”

“No we are, we still need to see if the pilots will be overstimulated by all the noise,” The instructor turns to Roland. “We won’t be doing any flying today, you’ll just be sitting around as I analyze you. My apologies if that makes you uncomfortable, but that’s just basic procedure.”

Roland grimaces at the thought of it, he grits his teeth. “It’s fine.”

The teacher starts putting code into the robot, it springs to life and the students connect it to the machines. A few monitors start going off as the students try to pick apart what conditions the teacher programmed into it.

Even though many alarms are going off now Roland seems unfazed by it. He glares over at his instructor, who looks like he’s trying to find the moment Roland will crack.

The robot screams out every once in a while, it’s the hardest part of this one-hour session. It’s not so much that it scares Roland, but rather that it annoys him, it’s not a real being. It’s not the real deal, the robot annoys him so much because it reminds him of himself. He’s not the real deal, he’s not the true Roland. He counts as nothing more but a clone of himself.

The one hour is up, and Roland climbs out of the helicopter the normal way this time. The instructor comes out looking over his sheets.

“You’ve been the most non-reactive student in a long time, I thought I was going to have to switch you into another field.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, I expected a trauma response because of the unwinding.”

Roland shakes his head. “You don’t hear much but a nurse, the surgeons, and the noises.” He shivers.

“The noises?”

Roland takes a deep breath. “The buzzing of a laser bone saw as it cuts through you, and the slimy sound of the skin being peeled off. Then there’s the even grosser noise of the muscle being pulled off the bone.”

The instructor clears his throat. “I can’t imagine how horrible that must’ve sounded.”

Roland shrugs. “If the nurse was doing a good job distracting me I wouldn’t have noticed at all. I only started hearing it after I looked down and saw my legs were gone.”

“Referring to the paperwork, from my understanding you were never reunited with those legs, correct?”

“Correct. They went to Nero.”

“Nero who?”

“The girl here, named Nero with no last name.”

“Ah, how’d that even happen?”

“She was a ward who didn’t pick a name in time.”

“Hmm, well she's going to have to think of one, that pilot’s license might be her first official form of ID.”

“Really?”

“Well If her health card has no last name then yes.”

“I see.”

Roland walks back onto the training ground with a sandwich he bought in the campus cafeteria. He watches a fighter jet zoom through the air, he can only assume Nero is in the co-pilot seat. He sits down with the others on the benches as he finishes his sandwich. Roland puts the first aid kit he still holds onto in his lap, he opens it up to inspect the insides. Seems like there’s not much inspecting to do, someone’s already been in here and has put sticky notes everywhere. Roland picks up the different items as the others converse with each other, though something in their conversation sounds familiar.

“Did you hear about Trevor and Clara’s crazy ex, I hear he stomped out Trevor’s nuts because he was jealous.”

“Wait Trevor was in a polyamorous relationship?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Roland realizes he’s the one who’s been dubbed the “crazy ex” and that he’s the one being blamed for Trevor’s lack of balls.

Roland turns his head behind him. “Where did you hear that from?”

One of the people recognized him. “Oh Roland, it’s just something we heard through the grapevine. Wait, you stopped hanging out with Trevor after the accident, do you know anything about this?”

Roland takes his chances to see how much he can get away with. “Yeah I’m a friend of the ex, I’m going to keep him anonymous though. Let’s just say that my friend didn’t even know Clara existed.”

They look at him bewildered in unison “What?” They say.

“Yeah, Trevor never told him about Clara, he just thought it was him and Trevor, no one else.”

“Oh, so Trevor was lying to him.”

“Yeah, and when he found out and wouldn’t go along with it Trevor told him that all he was good for was anal and threesomes.”

One of them smacks their palms against the table. “That jerk!”

“Yeah, and by the way my friend wasn’t the one who mutilated Trevor, we’re still trying to find out who that was. Apparently, according to Nero Trevor sometimes lurks in the dark so anyone who chose fight over flight could’ve done it to him.”

One of them turns to another, “Do you think Clara knew about the ex?”

The other one rolls their eyes. “I got the information from Clara.”

“Then do you know the ex’s name?”

“Yeah, it started with an R and an o, and,” The person turns to Roland, “You’re not the friend are you Roland? You’re the victim.”

Roland stays silent but his face says it all.

Another one speaks to him. “Hey, I’ve been through a shitty break up too. I know how you feel.”

The main one talks again. “We won’t say you were the ex, but we’ll make sure to get the facts straight to everyone. You’ve got our word.” He smiles.

Roland's face softens. “Right, if that shit comes back to me you’re the first person I’m going to.”

“That’s fair, hope you’re doing better.”

“I’m doing as good as I can right now.”

As Roland looks back at the fighter jet a fact becomes evident to him. ‘The sooner I’m outta here, the sooner this drama will all be over.’

#unwind #unwind dystology #unwind fanfic #unwind series #sequel fic #roland taggart #unwind oc #hayden upchurch

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juliettedunn · 8 months

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“I know what I have to do now” (Part 2)

Part 1 is here

Several months after dealing with suicidal thoughts while trapped in the human realm, Luz opens up to Eda about her feelings, and asks for help.

CW for discussion of suicidal ideation

***

“I almost killed myself,” Luz whispered. At first she wondered if she had even managed to say out loud. If she hadn’t, and only spoken it in her head, she doubted she’d be able to correct the error. The effort of even saying it once was so great, she wanted to retract the very idea.

Emerald smoke curled from her cauldron and she hunched over the potion, stirring vigorously as if she could outwork whatever was said, drown it out with stimulus. If her brain was too enveloped in smell and color and bursts of idea, then whatever she was afraid of didn’t happen.

But no, Eda stood from her seat nearby, where she had been offering helpful guidance as Luz devoted more earnest study to potioneering, and looked at Luz with…but that wasn’t shock. Luz had been expecting surprise, screaming, uproar and outrage at the idea that she would throw her life away like some coward.

Especially with how sudden her statement was. Not that the prior conversation had been light, exactly. In between babbling about potion ingredients and where Luz could track down better ones, they had been discussing life. The new norm, as it was.

Luz’s return to human realm school, after a break of a couple months to get her bearings. The strange experience of disdainful treatment and struggle in the human realm, while she was subjected to constant publicity in the Isles. How nice it was to have potion lessons as this little escape, slowly gaining back confidence in her identity as a witch, as she learned new ways to work around her lack of magical ability.

She didn’t mean for the conversation to turn so serious. She didn’t mean for the topic of her near-suicide to ever get brought up, to anyone, but as she talked to Eda about her feelings now, about the confusion and anxiety and the pull between her double lives, the effort it took to get out of bed some days, she knew there would never be a better chance. And now the words were spoken, and it was too late to turn away.

“Before I returned,” said Luz, quickly. “When I got separated from you for a few months. I wanted to kill myself.”

“Oh, kid…”

“I’m sorry,” Luz mumbled. “I’m really sorry. I know that sounds so stupid, especially after what happened. It doesn’t even matter now. Obviously I didn’t do it, and then I died for real, and I didn’t want it. I came back. I’m sorry to bring it up, I’m sorry-”

“Hey.” Luz broke off as Eda held out her arms, and she didn’t hesitate, letting Eda wrap her in a hug. “You don’t need to apologize,” Eda murmured. “It’s okay. I thought maybe something like that had happened.”

“What?” Had she really been so unsubtle? So mopey and fretful, even in the demon realm? “You didn’t see me at my worst, in the human realm. How could you have known? I was so happy around you. Did it show?”

“You weren’t that obvious, if that’s what you’re worried about. But you forget how alike we are. I know all the tricks.” She smiled sadly. “I’m glad you told me.”

Thank titan Eda kept in control. Luz thought she might respond differently, panic and hold onto her and ask her incessantly if she ever planned to do something like that again. Eda was calm. She understood.

“I…I thought…I don’t know. I thought everyone would be better off. Because I messed things up so bad. Because I’ve always messed things up. I knew people would miss me, but I thought eventually they’d just be better off. And I…I got up to do it one night. Did this stupid little goodbye kiss to Amity while she was sleeping and everything.”

“What stopped you?”

“Amity had a nightmare and I had to wake her up and comfort her.”

Eda made a dimmed version of her snorting laugh. “Girlfriend duties, huh?”

“Yeah,” Luz tried to chuckle. “Sort of. But I did realize, it was more of an excuse. I really didn’t want to die. I was so scared, I just went numb. I feel like I would have done it and not felt real until I started choking and then I would have tried screaming for help. I would have changed my mind. But then it might have been too late. And I’d have been actually dead. And I’d never have seen you again.”

Luz’s heart pounded as she imagined it, the fantasy scenario interspersed with her actual death. The way she had actually seen her body crumble, the feel of her head rotting and hollowing out, as she could do nothing but try to reassure her loved ones. To think she had almost willingly done something like that. And to think part of her had thought that maybe, rotting away from Belos's mold might be an acceptable end. That sinking down into that peaceful lake, vanishing into nothing was fitting for her.

She clutched Eda tighter. “But I don’t want to die. I never did. Not really.”

Eda gently brushed Luz’s hair away from her face. “Kid, you’re the most spirited person I’ve ever met. Of course you wouldn’t want to die.”

“But you said you weren’t surprised.”

“I know what running can look like. Now I don’t like to talk about it much, I think we both know that. But...I’ve had those feelings too."

“Really? What - I mean, you don’t have to talk about it.”

“I almost made some serious mistakes because I thought the same thing as you, that somehow people would be able to just ‘move on’ without me. And that sacrificing myself was going to make a bigger impact than staying alive. I didn’t want to wait around to find out what else there was because I thought it would always be lonely, and I’d just hurt more people. And because I had stupid thoughts like that, I almost missed out on all this. You and King, Raine and Lily and all my family. And…and knowing what it’s like to lose you, even for a few minutes…” Eda’s composure threatened to break for a moment and Luz went to hug her. “That’s something I could never heal from. You could cause all the damage in the world and I’d rather that than ever have something like that happen again.” Before Luz could reply, she added, “And don’t take that to mean you do cause too much trouble. I know what you were thinking.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“No more sorrys unless you think I should start apologizing too.” Luz shook her head vigorously and Eda smiled, ruffling her hair. “There’s nothing to apologize for. You’re safe, and you told me what was going on. Don’t let those guilty thoughts get you.”

Luz nodded. “The, uh, the Titan gave me a choice, when I died. It’s like he knew, too. He told me I had to choose myself, and I did hesitate. I wanted life, but some part of me thought it might be better if I just sunk down forever, in that water I told you about. But I chose to live.” Luz wiped away the beginnings of tears. “I thought sacrificing myself was the way to go, but it wasn’t. I’m so glad I chose myself, instead of just…letting that happen.” She hesitated, wringing her hands together. “But even though I did that, I still...I still need help. I’m not better. I’m really struggling.”

Now she could see how much Eda was fighting to maintain her composure; this was why she hated to bring up the event at all. But she had to get the rest of this out, and after a pause where she didn’t know what to say, Eda encouraged her. “Yeah? What’s been going on?”

“I don't want to die anymore. Not like that. But I'm also not feeling okay. I should be happy. We defeated Belos. I’m alive! But I feel the old feelings coming back, especially when I’m at school, and I’m having so many nightmares, and I still just feel empty, and I don’t want to get close to doing anything like that again. I’ve been trying to just push through but I really, really need more help. I think I need to talk to people more, and I need you to check up on me. And I'm not clicking right with my therapist, I think I need someone different. And I want to do a project, not for rebuilding the Isles or school or whatever, but just for fun, no expectations. And I want to rest. I'm trying to do all these things but also I don't think I can do it alone. I want to get better. It's like I beat the suicidal thoughts but I'm still in a weird state and I don't know how to get out of it."

Eda’s eyes shown with pride. “Look at you, only fifteen, admitting what I couldn’t in my thirties. You’ve got so much to be proud of. Me, Raine, your mom, we’re going to get you the help you need. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but we’re going to get you through this. Okay?”

“Okay,” Luz said softly, as Eda scooped her into a hug. A gesture of affection Eda would never have dared to do a year ago, she now did with such comfortable ease, and Luz readily snuggled back. Before, Luz would have said it was a miracle of prophetic design, that two people set on destroying themselves could manage to keep going until they found each other like this. But it wasn’t. They continued because as much as they’d like to deny it, they wanted life, and they chose it. They chose to be here even when their minds screamed it was necessary to leave, to destroy themselves, that life would descend into greater emptiness if they stayed. They chose to stay, and somewhere on the painful journey, they found each other, and so many others, and they started to get used to feeling comfort alongside the despair. Luz couldn’t say whether it outweighed the hardship yet, but it was easier to see, and hold onto. Maybe it would shrink again, but it never left. As long as she kept choosing life, it could never leave entirely. And if staying alive meant she could experience love like this, she would try to choose it forever.

***

Note: Wow, a second part! I know a bunch of people asked for a continuation and I never did it, but almost a year later, I felt the urge to do this. So here we are. The original part was the first TOH fanfiction I ever posted, and it had such a positive reception. I was so grateful for that as I was quite nervous. I'm glad I waited until after the show was over to do a second part, because I loved what happened with Luz's death in Watching and Dreaming and how it plays into this. Luz sacrificing herself but then being presented with the choice to live, and having to make that decision to believe in her own worth and value in being alive, is so special to me. She chose to live, and that took far more strength for her than choosing to sacrifice. I know she would still struggle with it, even if she's not actively suicidal anymore. And that's what I wanted to portray here.

#my fics #the owl house #toh #luz noceda #eda clawthorne #toh fanfic #the owl family

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robynmizore · 7 months

Text

Redemption Special Halloween Chapter 11:

Give Up to Ghosts

“Someone’s approaching the castle!” the excited whisper woke Takumi from his doze by the fireplace, the scent of his morning tea hitting his nose, and he immediately felt embarrassed. Robyn had told him it would take several days or longer to recover from the severe blood loss, but he didn’t realize just how frustrating it would be, especially with the weakness and shortness of breath he’d kept experiencing. And now there was a potential intruder at the castle. Eyes narrowing, he picked up his bow and moved towards the castle entrance. Weak or not he could still fire an arrow or two if need be.

“It’s the old man from the village!”

The excited shout piqued his curiosity, and he hurried to the doors, just in time to see the man hand Ricken a guitar, saying

“Give this to the lovely young lady who sang for our village. Consider it a thank you for defeating Múspell.”

”Y-yes sir!” Ricken responded, and with a nod, the man departed, leaving Ricken gazing in awe. “Awesome!” he gushed as he admired the instrument. “Hey, anyone know where the Summoner is?”

”Beats me. Probably holed up in some place with her books.” Gaius replied, leaning against the wall with a lollipop in his mouth.

Probably in her room.. Takumi thought with a smile, stepping forward. “I know where she is. I’ll take it to her.”

”Nice to see you looking more lively, Pineapple Longshot.” Gaius grinned slyly as Ricken handed it over. “You had us pretty worried for a bit.”

Takumi felt his cheeks redden, a little surprised.

“T-thanks..” he managed to mumble, heading for the stairs.

He hadn’t realized how much the army had actually valued him until he’d gotten hurt. Members he wouldn’t have normally conversed with would check on him from time to time. And then there was Robyn. She had hardly left his side since it had happened. When nightmares woke him, she’d welcome him into her room with tea and mochi, and they’d sit by the warm fire reading books or just talking until the moon was high in the sky and he felt safe enough to sleep. And now he was knocking on her door, grinning ear to ear as he waited.

“Who’s there?” a soft voice called.

“It’s me. Can I come in?”

With her consent given, Takumi stepped into the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click. The Summoner’s back was turned, her beautiful long, pink hair cascading down her back, and Takumi couldn’t help but be mesmerized by it for a few moments.

“Something wrong?” she asked, stacking some papers as he slowly made his way over to her.

“No. Just brought you a little present.”

”What is it?” She turned, violet eyes lighting up as they fell on the light brown instrument in his hands. “No..”

”Yep. Now you can add music with your singing whenever you want.”

”Takumi, you’re amazing!” she cried, tackling him into a hug. “Oh, thank you!”

“Whoa!” His heart soared as the prince caught her quickly, chuckling as he barely managed to set the guitar down in time. “Don’t thank me, thank the old man from that village. He dropped it off just now as a thank you.”

”I’d better not let him down then.” she laughed. “I’m going to write so many songs..”

There was a dreamy look in her eyes, and Takumi was opening his mouth to say something when the breath suddenly left his lungs, and a crushing tightness gripped his chest. The Summoner was still talking, but her voice sounded far away, like she was speaking underwater.

I can’t breathe..!

Panic set in as he gasped desperately in attempt to draw in air, but no matter how many times his lungs heaved, the drowning sensation persisted.

“Takumi?!”

In his haze of dizziness and terror, he felt the gentle hands on his shoulders, violet eyes staring worriedly into his own, his hand gripping his throat as she asked him if he was alright, but he was too breathless to reply.

“Sit down, Takumi.”

Her voice was calm and authoritative, easing some of his panic as he shakily complied. He was faintly aware of her leaning over him and the light pressure of her pressing on his wrist, then rustling noises and the cool tip of a medicine vial being pressed against his lips.

“Drink this.” Robyn whispered encouragingly.

It tasted like sweet lavender, easing some of the crushing sensation, but his throat still felt constricted, a dry sob leaving his lips.

“Shh.. it’s okay.”

Soft fingertips dusted across his face, drying his tears.

”It’s just a panic attack, Takumi. I know it’s scary but we’re going to get through this together, okay?”

His chest and lungs still felt as if someone was squeezing them from the inside, but he trusted Robyn as she removed the scarf from around his neck, exposing a bit of his chest and neck to the cool air in the room as the scent of lavender hit his nose again.

“Just take a deep breath in and count to four before letting it out. I’m going to apply this to your chest and neck. Breathing it in will help too.”

Takumi was dimly aware of his heart pounding in his chest as something cool touched his skin. He breathed deeply, only able to hold it for two seconds before releasing, gasping.

“Try again.”

Came the calm reply, and he clung to it, able to count to four this time. The relief was immediate, and some of the powerlessness faded.

“That’s it.. keep going. You’re doing really well Takumi.”

The Summoner finished applying the soothing aromatherapy medicine and put his scarf back on, tucking it in with care as he repeated the exercise over and over until he could breathe normally again, the terrifying tightness and rapidly beating heart dissipating. She cradled him against her, his head resting on her chest as she rubbed small circles into his back. A wave of lightheadedness flooded over him, his eyes half-lidded as his mind tried to process what just happened to him. The word “panic attack” was foreign to him, but whatever it was sounded bad.

“Are you alright now, Takumi?” Robyn asked gently.

“Wh-what’s wrong with me?” he rasped. “Am.. am I sick or something?”

”Not exactly.”

The Summoner sat back a bit so she could nestle him more comfortably against her. Takumi curled himself gratefully into her embrace.

“You experienced an extremely traumatic injury. One that was supposed to be fatal. While your body may be recovered, minus the anemia, your mind may need longer to recover. The severe nightmares probably aren’t helping.”

His mind reeled from the new information, his heart sinking. Cherche had been badly hurt, but she didn’t have similar symptoms. Fjorm had lost her sister, and Robyn herself had experienced many hardships. Yet only he suffered from this ailment.

“Am I.. broken?” he whispered.

“Of course not!” the Summoner exclaimed, the shock in her voice adding to the shameful tears that burned under his eyelids. “Why would you think that?”

”Because how will anyone in the army take me seriously now? They’ll be ashamed to have such a weak minded archer who they can’t even rely on because he can’t control his own emotions!”

The words ended in a sob, his eyes flying open with a start when Robyn shifted unexpectedly so she was now face to face with the prince. She took his face into her hands, her violet eyes burning with intensity as she seemed to he staring him down.

“..Repeat after me.”

”Wh-what?”

”Just do it!”

”O-okay..”

Taken aback by the fierceness of her tone, he hastily agreed.

”You can blame me, shame me, gaslight me, and frame me.”

Perplexed, he hesitantly repeated back

”Y-you can blame me, shame me, gaslight me, and frame me..”

”But I am stronger than you know!”

A faint flush covered his cheeks.

“B-but I am stronger than you know..”

Her eyes carried such conviction as she went on, like she truly believed in every word that she was saying.

”I’m just like thunder from lightning, more then what’s behind me. And I will never give up to ghosts!”

Takumi felt his confidence waver a bit, but he pressed on for the Summoner’s sake as he forced his voice to remain steady.

“I’m just like thunder from lightning, more than what’s behind me. And I will never give up to ghosts..”

As he finished speaking, Robyn pulled him into a tight embrace, all the previous tension in his body dissolving quickly as he leaned into her touch.

“I’ll remind you as many times as I have to, until you can believe it too.” she vowed in a fervent whisper.

”Thank you..” he murmured gratefully.

A sudden wave of exhaustion hit him, and he sank further into her arms.

“..Tired?” He nodded. “That’s perfectly normal after a panic attack, plus the meds.” she said, helping the prince to his feet and slipping her arm around his shoulders.

“Come, let’s get you to your room so you can rest.”

They headed towards his room in an amicable silence, the lavender scent making Takumi feel at ease, a stark contrast to the horrifying panic attack that had gripped him earlier. Robyn had known just what to do, the memory of her patiently walking him through it warming his heart as he lay down in his bed, Robyn closing the door softly behind him. He was already drifting off as he felt the soft blanket covering him.

“You should be alright now, but if it happens again, come and get me okay? I won’t let you feel alone in this.”

Takumi nodded, a faint smile gracing his lips as he fell into a deep, peaceful slumber.

Poor Takumi.. Robyn thought as she sat down on her bed.

The troubled young man already had enough to deal with without the added stress of a health issue no one else in the army seemed to have. It was only due to the strange knowledge that she somehow retained from her past life that she had even known what to do.

This war really is taking a toll on everyone.. she mused with a frustrated sigh. How long before the entire army is plagued with mental health issues?

Moving to her favorite view by the window, she rested her chin on her arms, closing her eyes to savor the cool fall breeze that washed over her, the cool, crisp scent of fall leaves hitting her nose. It intertwined with the scent of the fire, making the Summoner feel oddly nostalgic.

“That’s it!” she exclaimed out loud. “I know exactly what everyone needs!”

Throwing up her hood, Robyn shot out of her room at a speed that would make one think the Emblian army must be chasing after her.

”..You want to have a fall festival..?” Startled, Alfonse set down his papers. “While I’m not against it.. where is this coming from? You’re not usually one for social events.”

”I thought it may benefit the army.” Robyn responded calmly. “Like the beach trip. The war has taken a massive toll on the army. And we never know what the next battles may bring. It would do well to improve everyone’s morale.”

”And it would be great way for the heroes to bond.” Sharena exclaimed , clasping her hands together as she gave her brother a pleading look.

Alfonse looked thoughtful, but Commander Anna was frowning.

“How.. much is this going to cost?” she asked uneasily.

“We can invite the villagers and sell food at stands to cover the cost.” Robyn countered, and the red head’s eyes immediately lit up.

“I’m in!” she beamed, and Alfonse chuckled.

”Alright alright.” he relented. “We’ll have a fall festival.

“Yes!” Sharena whooped.

Robyn hurried through the castle halls, her cloak breezing out behind her. The previously quiet castle was now bustling with life as the heroes excitedly helped to set up the fall festival on the castle grounds outside. Luckily, her and Takumi’s hall was still quiet so the prince wouldn’t be disturbed by the noise.

Takumi’s in for a wonderful surprise when he wakes up! she thought excitedly.

The wheels in the tactical Summoner’s mind were now spinning full force, and she already knew what she wanted to do for the festival. The guitar was in the same spot where Takumi had set it, as if waiting for her. It felt all too natural as humming, she picked it up and turned towards the parchment and quills sitting on her desk.

”Nnn..” Takumi sat up slowly in the bed, glancing outside. It’s late afternoon.. he mused with a sigh.

He was tired of sleeping, and longed to be wandering the lush archery fields training. Takumi stood up carefully, catching the sight of his face in the mirror. The color was back in his cheeks, his hazel eyes shimmering back at him in the setting sunlight. While he didn’t have his full energy back, he felt more like himself than he’d ever felt since being injured.

Maybe a bit of training couldn’t hurt.. Takumi thought as he picked up his Fujin Yumi.

His hands no longer shook as they gripped the heavy bow, and the calming scent of lavender that lingered on his scarf made him smile, a flush creeping up his cheeks as it reminded him of the gentle way the Summoner had cared for him. He wasn’t used to being cared for like this, but it wasn’t unwelcome either. The Hoshidan prince’s hair swayed gently against his back as he made his way down downstairs with purpose, surprised to see how busy the castle suddenly was. Was there an invasion?

No..

The heroes were far too cheerful for that. As Takumi rounded the corner, he barely stopped in time before almost crashing into the Summoner herself. She spun around, her lips parting when she caught sight of him.

”O-oh.. Takumi.. y-you’re awake already?”

”Y-yes..” he frowned. “Am I supposed to still be asleep?”

The Summoner seemed uncharacteristically nervous as she suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him back upstairs.

“H-hey now!” he protested as he was pulled along.

“I need you to come back to your room real quick!” she fired back, only adding to his bewilderment.

“Why?” he inquired suspiciously as they halted in front of his door.

”I need you to change into something nice! Right away!”

Takumi blushed profusely at her forwardness as he stammered

“R-right here?!”

”N-no, dummy! I meant in your room! Now no more questions! Just do it!”

”Wha-“

Anymore protests he could have made were silenced immediately as he was thrust into his room, the door promptly closing behind him, Robyn’s footsteps retreating down the hall as she called

”Come downstairs when you’re done!”

What..

The prince stood in the middle of his room in a stunned stupor for a few moments before he turned his gaze to the wardrobe.

”I guess.. I’d better do as she says?”

She’d told him to dress in fall themed attire.. whatever that meant. Takumi wasn’t even sure he had anything like that, feeling slightly homesick. In Hoshido, for special occasions, Oboro had always chosen his outfits for him, and always knew just how to make him look his best. He wished his retainers were here.

What, can’t manage without your retainers? his thoughts jeered, making the Hoshidan grit his teeth. I can do it too!

He rummaged furiously through the outfits, his eyes landing on a teal kimono with shimmering gold leaves on the sleeves and bottom, and hair ties to match. He grinned.

Perfect.

He knew Oboro would approve too. It was a bit difficult to put on by himself, but the prince was determined to not have to ask for help. As he finished fastening the hair ties into place, his eyes stole to the mirror, widening slightly.

Whoa.. I actually look pretty nice! he thought.

Having dealt with too much war already in his lifetime, he rarely had the chance to dress up, and his smile only grew as he descended the stairs, Robyn doing a double take when she caught sight of his attire.

”Do.. do you like it?” he asked hesitantly as a shy blush crept up his neck.

“Y-you look nice.” she murmured, then offered her hand.

“So.. what exactly are we doing?” Takumi asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer as he accepted her hand and she led the way to the castle doors.

Robyn paused for a moment, her hand resting on the knob and a small smile on her lips as she glanced back at him.

“Just a little thank you.. for you and everyone in the Order of Heroes!”

As she finished speaking, she opened the doors, and Takumi gasped in disbelief at the sight that greeted him. The entire courtyard was lined with food stands and decorations, the sky lit by the lanterns that were strung from the tops of stands and the trees. Villagers and heroes alike frolicked amongst the stands, and the soothing music from bards filled the air. It was truly an enchanting sight, so much so that he wondered if he was dreaming.

“A.. a fall festival?”

”Isn’t it great?” Sharena’s excited voice sounded beside them, donning a wolf costume. “It was Robyn’s idea. She said it would be good for the army’s morale.”

Giggling, she skipped off to greet Gaius, who was lingering one of the dessert stands.

“Wait.. you did this?” Takumi exclaimed, taking it all in.

Robyn lowered her head a bit, seeming sheepish.

”I.. I really wanted to do something nice for you. As a thank you for everything you’ve done for this army, and for me. Plus.. after what happened in Múspell, you deserved a chance to just relax for a night and not worry about anything. And since it’s fall, I thought a fall festival would be perfect!”

All of this.. for me?!

It was almost enough to make him cry as Takumi gazed at her, speechless and touched. No one in his life had ever done something like this for him. As of on cue, before the tears could fall, Robyn excitedly grabbed his hand.

“Come on, don’t just stand there! Let’s seize the moment! You never know if we’ll get a night like this again!”

”A-alright, alright, I’m coming!” he chuckled, letting himself be pulled along. “Where to first?”

”Fan making!” the Summoner said proudly, skidding to a halt in front of a stand. Intricate fans hung from the top, the stand covered in parchment quills, and other decorative supplies. Other heroes and villagers were gathered at the tables, decorating their fans.

“I thought you’d appreciate some Hoshidan style food and activities.” she explained as they grabbed some fabric, parchment, and other materials and sat down at one of the tables.

“Th-thank you..” he managed to say, taking in the breathtaking atmosphere, then turned to study the materials in front of him. “Um..so what kind of fan are you going to make?”

”Hm..”

Robyn seemed to be considering carefully, pausing on some fabric with a sakura flower design on it.

“I think I’ll make one with this. In honor of your sister Sakura.”

Takumi couldn’t help but smile as Robyn selected her fabric and set to work. He was close with his sister, and missed her quite a lot.

She would have loved this. he thought fondly, a sudden idea coming to mind.

“I’m.. going to make one in honor of Mother.” he decided, selecting her favorite colors.

The Summoner paused for a moment, her tone soft as she murmured

”I think she would have adored that.”

The Hoshidan prince had never made a fan before, but he found the activity surprisingly easy and soothing. The Summoner was faring well too, and he glanced over from them to time to see her handiwork. Without ever even meeting Sakura, she somehow managed to capture his sister’s gentle personality in the lovely fabric and personal touches.

I need to introduce her to Oboro one day. he mused as he put the final finishing decorations in his fan, and held it up to the lantern lights with a satisfied hum. Robyn had finished hers as well.

”Yours is beautiful.” she said admiringly as she rose to her feet. “Mikoto would be proud of that.”

”Yeah..”

While the thought was bittersweet, it also brought a smile to his face. They fell into step beside each other, and once more, Takumi’s hand found its way into Robyn’s. She stopped for a moment to look at him, and even under her hood he could see the smile that had made its way to her lips. She ran her thumb along his hand briefly, the fleeting motion sending butterflies fluttering in his stomach as they continued on their way. When they passed Cherche and Sumia, he noticed they paused in their conversation to stare at him and Robyn as they started whispering.

Is there something on my face? Takumi frowned, looking around.

Some of the villagers milled in groups or were walking hand in hand, and when he glanced down at him and Robyn’s interlocked fingers, the realization hit him like the ocean’s grey waves.

We look like a couple..

His heart thudded in his chest as he could feel his face slowly turning more and more crimson-

“Robyn!!!”

Caledori’s excited voice sounded behind them, nearly making Takumi jump out of his skin, coughing awkwardly to cover up his embarrassment as Robyn’s friend hurried up to them, Ricken in tow. Caledori donned a witch costume while Ricken was in a more exaggerated version of his normal mage attire with a white beard attached.

“Have you two checked out the haunted house yet?” she asked excitedly. “I heard Henry’s running it and it’s absolutely terrifying! Ricken and I were about to check it out.”

“Y..yay.. haunted house. My favorite.. heh.” Ricken mumbled, looking a little pale.

Takumi was about to turn down the offer, but Robyn seemed excited.

“Let’s go! Are you okay with that Takumi?”

“Y-yeah that’s fine.” he mumbled as he forced down his growing unease.

He wasn’t very fond of “haunted” things, but he wasn’t about to admit that. So reluctantly, he turned towards the haunted house.

As Caledori and Ricken fell in beside her, Robyn didn’t miss the knowing smirk written all over her friend’s face when she saw Takumi’s hand in hers, and she knew the second the festival was over and Takumi wasn’t around, the romance fan was going to be all over her, interrogating her. Even with her hood concealing her features, it was getting harder to hide her rapidly blossoming feelings towards the prince. She had a feeling he might feel the same, and wanted so desperately to tell him, but every time she tried to summon the courage, anxiety fluttered in her stomach, silencing the words she so badly wished to say. They were from different worlds after all, and Robyn’s mystery origins and lack of memories only complicated things further. How could a relationship possibly work between them? The thought made her chest ache. So she swiftly pushed the thought away so she focus on tonight.

Seize the moment.. her mind reminded her as they reached the “haunted house,” which was a spookily decorated section of the castle.

“Good thing admission is free for heroes.” Ricken remarked. “Why would anyone want to pay to be traumatized?”

”So you are scared.” Caledori concluded, and the mage blushed furiously.

“N-no I’m not!” the mage blustered. “I’m not a little kid who gets scared of dumb things!”

”Uh-huh.. sure.”

They pushed the webbed curtain aside, stepping into an eerily lit hallway, the candles on the walls being the only light source other than the moon peeking from the windows.

“Whoa.. they really went all out on this!” Caledori exclaimed, and Takumi nodded in agreement, looking impressed.

The walls were covered in fake spider web, a trail of bloody looking footprints leading down the hall.

“I.. guess we go this way?” Takumi murmured.

He was starting to look uneasy, more so as a steady fog rose around them the deeper they went, and Robyn had to stifle a giggle at the revelation.

Was Takumi.. scared?

The prince’s eyes were darting around anxiously, but Robyn knew if she tried to comfort him now, especially in front of the others, the proud Hoshidan prince would never live that down. The fog rose higher, until the group was forced to huddle together as they pressed on, hardly able to see each other. Takumi jumped suddenly, his head snapping around.

“W-what is it?” Ricken yelped.

”N-nothing!” Takumi stammered. “It just felt like something grabbed me, that’s all.”

”It diiiiiiid..”

A voice hissed creepily behind them, causing the group to whip around as a cloaked figure looked eerily over them, holding a bloodied knife.

“Askr requires sacrifices to sustaaaaaaaaain.. nehehehe..”

”D-DON’T KILL ME!” Ricken shrieked, darting behind an equally petrified Caledori.

”What are you doing?!” she exclaimed, peeling him off of her and shoving him forward. “Y-you’re the man here! You’re supposed to be protecting me!”

“I thought you said gender stereotypes were stupid!” Ricken fired back.

”NOT IN THIS SITUATION!”

”Come on, quick!” Takumi whispered, pulling her along. “We can escape while it’s distracted!”

They made it safely out of the hallway and into the next room, where a little girl dressed in tattered clothes was sitting in a chair, her hands covering her face as she cried.

That’s definitely a trap.. Robyn mused as Takumi looked conflicted, then groaned.

“I’m probably going to regret this..” he muttered, stepping forward to confront her. “Wh-what’s wrong little girl?”

”Famous last words..” Robyn whispered.

The girl didn’t lift her face from her hands as she whispered incoherently.

”Grandma was so nice to raise me.. But I just got so hungry..”

”You.. huh?!”

Takumi took a step back just in time as she finally raised her head, face covered in blood, a crazed look in her eyes as she hissed

”I ate her!!!!”

Takumi was frozen, hazel eyes wide with horror as he stared at the bloodied child as she got up from her chair, stumbling towards them, arms outstretched. In a moment of genius, Robyn threw herself into the prince’s arms, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

“T-Takumi, she’s scary! Protect me!” she wailed.

Takumi blushed furiously, his mouth opening and closing a couple times. Then he softened, embracing her protectively and holding her trembling frame close.

“I-It’s okay..” he mumbled, nestling her face into his chest.

Robyn smiled triumphantly to herself when she felt him relax against her, his attention off the child completely as he herded her gently out of the room.

“I think I found the exit.” she heard Takumi say.

Niles smirked as he heard his prey drawing near.

Ah yes.. Prince Takumi. One of my favorites.. this’ll be just delicious..

Just as they crossed under him, Niles dropped upside down from the ceiling, donning a bat costume as he hissed eerily into the prince’s ear.

”Looking to get naughty.. or bloody?” he sneered.

But to his utter astonishment, Takumi walked right past him, smiling as he said

“Look, see? It’s the exit. Let’s get some Hoshidan style food from the stands. That’ll cheer you up!”

”Wh-what the hell?! They’re IGNORING ME?!” Niles fumed as the couple departed, seeming lost in their own little heart shaped bubble.

“Daaaaaamn, that’s rough Pirate Man.” Gaius remarked, sucker in hand. “They were so busy flirting, they didn’t even notice you. You’re more of a sucker than me, and that says something.”

”Shut up!” Niles seethed as he retreated back into the ceiling, still hanging upside down.

”Made it!” Takumi exclaimed, pushing open the door as the cool fall air greeted them.

Robyn was more than a little distracted with Takumi’s arms still around her, the atmosphere and their closeness sending her heart fluttering, and feeling a bit disappointed when he stepped back.

“You um.. you okay?” he asked, a shy blush on his cheeks.

“Y-yeah I’m fine!”

”Shall we then?”

Robyn accepted the outstretched hand with a smile, and they were on their way. They found a stand selling rice dumplings, vegetable tempura made with fresh harvest vegetables, and simmered Kabocha squash.

“I missed these..” Takumi sighed as they shared the food between them. “You really thought of everything didn’t you?”

”Yep!” Robyn beamed as she sipped some of the savory broth, closing her eyes in bliss.

She couldn’t help but steal glances at the prince. He was breathtaking as ever, sitting under the glowing lanterns, his eyes reflecting the lights. Takumi was beautiful inside and out, and Robyn wished there was a way to capture this moment forever. As if on cue, Anna’s voice drifted from somewhere up ahead.

“Step right up to our first ever Snapshot Tome Booth! Where you can capture your favorite moments forever!”

”A photo booth?” Takumi inquired, seeming interested as they finished their food. “Do you.. want to go?”

She nodded enthusiastically, pulling the prince behind her as they hurried over to the booth.

“Slow down!” Takumi chuckled. “It’s not going anywhere!”

”You two look like you’re having fun.” Anna said, taking in their interlocked fingers mischievously. “Right this way. And don’t worry, it’s completely private. Alfonse’s orders! Have fuuuun!”

The tent flap closed abruptly behind them, and Robyn gasped, taking in the beautiful lanterns that were strung around the tent, pumpkins surrounding the bench that rested in the middle.

“This is amazing!” Takumi exclaimed as they made their way over to the bench to sit down.

And romantic.. Robyn added dreamily, and Takumi turned towards her hesitantly.

“..Robyn?”

”Hm?”

”Since.. Anna said it was private.. can.. can I take off your hood?”

Robyn felt her face heat up as the question registered, but she nodded nonetheless as he gently eased her hood off, her long hair cascading down her back. The azalea flowers in her hair only looked more ethereal under the lanterns, Takumi’s lips parting slightly as he caressed one of the flowers.

”Beautiful..” he breathed.

Robyn held his gaze for a long moment, happiness bubbling in her chest. The tome blinked, indicating it was about to take the shot. She turned towards it, lifting her fan so it was next to her face, the sakura design sparking under the hue of the lanterns. Takumi unfolded his teal fan as well, letting it rest under his chin so it wouldn’t obscure his features. He’d managed to recreate the design of his mother’s headpiece out of glittering gold fabric in the middle, so it could feel like he was carrying her with him wherever he went. The tome flashed, two copies of the photo materializing on the table beside it.

”Oh, did it take it already?” Takumi asked curiously.

“Let’s go look!” Robyn exclaimed, leaping to her feet, the sight in front of her making her tear up a bit with a quiet sniffle.

“..Are you crying?” There was worry in his voice as he hurried over. “If it’s bad we can just take another.”

Cheeks flushed, and holding the picture to her chest where her heart beat, Robyn turned to face him as he whispered breathlessly.

“It’s.. perfect.”

As Takumi glanced at the photo, she saw an unknown emotion enter his gaze, intermixed with softness. “Perfect” was an absolute understatement. The glow of the lanterns captured the sparkle of their fans and reflected in both their eyes. Robyn faced the snapshot tome, smiling cheerfully. But Takumi’s eyes weren’t on the tome, but on her, filled with such serene tenderness as he gazed at her, his hand still outstretched towards her hair.

“You’re right.” Takumi stooped to pick up his own copy, tucking it into his pocket with great care. “I’ll never forget this moment.”

And Robyn knew that neither would she. They exited the cabin hand and hand, breezing past Anna, completely oblivious to her asking if it went well or not. But she didn’t need to ask. The answer was already evident in their demeanor. The lively music grew louder as they reached what seemed to be the center of the festival.

“Ah.. the music’s amazing!”

Takumi nodded in agreement.

“Seems like a good place to unwind and let some stress out. I’ve definitely had too much of that lately”.

Is that so..?

A sly smile made its way to her lips, an idea coming to mind, making her halt, causing the Hoshidan to look over curiously.

“You know Takumi, sometimes when you’re stressed you’ve just gotta-“

Robyn struck a dramatic pose in sync with the music.

“What?!” Takumi sputtered out a laugh, which only made her grin more.

“You know! You’ve just gotta..”

This time she spun three times before striking another overly exaggerated pose, which only made the prince snicker harder.

“What are you doing?!”

”Letting my stress out! What else?” Robyn giggled, continuing to make silly, dramatic motions until Takumi was doubled over with laughter.

”You’re such a goofball! Don’t you care that people are watching?”

”Oh, are they?” Robyn asked innocently. “I’ll just have to do it more then. And if they don’t like it then that’s fine, I probably don’t like them either. In fact, they’re probably a boring old hag who yells at children as a hobby. So why should I care what they think?”

”Haha, oh yeah? Hm..”

m.youtube.com/watch?v=4bob1KzjYQA&pp=ygURc2h1dCB1cCBhbmQgZGFuY2U=

Takumi’s eyes narrowed in mischief.

“So, like this huh?”

He spun around and struck a pose of his own.

“Not bad for a beginner.”

They circled each other, bantering light heartedly back and forth.

“Who said I was a beginner? Maybe I secretly dance after training! Maybe.. I can even dance better than you!”

”Oh, is that a challenge?”

”You bet it is! I’m gonna dance circles around you!”

”Bring it on!”

The other villagers and heroes all watched in a mixture of amusement and amazement at the sight of the second prince of Hoshido and the Summoner of Heroes dancing freely without a care in the world, their laughter filling the night sky as their antics continued, only stopping when the song finally ended, and a more peaceful tune began to play. The crowd that had formed erupted into chuckles and applause as Robyn did a bow, Takumi following suit, his shoulders still shaking with amusement.

“How do you feel?” she whispered to him.

“Amazing!” he panted, hazel eyes shining.

They explored more of the stands, a pair of white azalea decorated cat ears catching her eye.

“Ah.. those are so pretty.” she remarked, a trace of longing in her tone. “Looks like whoever wins the archery game gets to pick a pair.”

”Ha, that’ll be easy!” Takumi scoffed good naturedly. “I meant to get some training in earlier anyways!”

”You’re going to play?”

Takumi’s eyes gleamed competitively and he nodded. The Fujin Yumi hummed to life as the prince removed it from his back and took aim, his eyes narrowed in concentration, then he fired. The teal arrow struck true hitting the target right in the center with such force that it toppled over. The passerby’s that witnessed the spectacle whooped, and the elderly woman running the stand congratulated the prince, gesturing grandly to the accessories. Takumi selected the cat ears without hesitation and strode back to Robyn, looking quite pleased with himself as he handed them to her.

“Talented as always.” she chuckled, then plunked them onto his head.

“W-why are you putting them on me?” he stammered his face turning scarlet as Robyn giggled and patted his head.

“Because you looked so cute in them!”

He indulged her for a moment before taking them off and mumbling bashfully.

”Actually.. I got them for you.”

”M-me..?”

”W.. we could get some chestnut cakes and mochi from the dessert stand. Then go to the gardens to you can try them on.. If- if you want.”

He broke off with a startled yelp as the Summoner tackled him into an embrace.

“Takumi, you’re the best!” she cried.

“O-oh yeah?” he chuckled, spinning her.

The warm scent of the chestnut cake and mochi filled their noses as they bought some, then escaped to the quiet garden where Takumi had first seen her fully for the first time. They were still close enough to enjoy the sound of the festivities but far enough from any prying eyes. Robyn was happy to let her hood down, letting her hair flow freely in the wind as Takumi placed the cat ears on top of her head, nodding approvingly.

“They look good on you.”

”Thank you..”

Illuminated by the moon, the ethereal fireflies, and the soft glow of Robyn’s flowers, they split the mochi and the cake between them.

”Have you heard the story of Princess Kaguya?” she asked. “I read the story last night and it was really good, but also kinda sad.”

”Hm.. I don’t think so.” Takumi said thoughtfully. “Tell me about it?”

”Well.. One day in the bamboo forest, an old bamboo cutter called Taketori no Okina comes across a mysterious, shining stalk of bamboo. Upon cutting it open, he is surprised to find an infant the size of his thumb inside. The old man and his wife, having no children of their own, decide to raise the infant as their own daughter, and name her Nayotake-no-Kaguya-hime. From that moment on, every time the man cuts a stalk of bamboo, he finds a small nugget of gold inside. The family soon grows rich, and within just three months, Kaguya-hime grows from an infant into a woman of ordinary size and extraordinary beauty. At first, the old man tries to keep news of Kaguya-hime away from outsiders, but as word of her beauty spreads, she attracts many suitors who seek her hand in marriage.”

“Among the suitors are five nobles: Prince Ishitsukuri, Prince Kuramochi, Abe no Mimuraji, Ōtomo no Miyuki, and Isonokami no Marotari. They eventually persuade the old man to have Kaguya-hime choose from among them. Uninterested, Kaguya-hime devises five impossible tasks, agreeing to marry the noble who can bring her the item specified for him: the stone begging bowl of the Budda, a jeweled branch from the mythical island of Hõrai, a robe of Chinese fire rat skins, a colored jewel from a dragon’s neck, and a cowry shell born from a swallow.

Realizing the impossibility of his task, the first noble presents a fake stone bowl made from a blackened pot, but is exposed when Kaguya-hime notices that the bowl does not glow with holy light. The second noble presents a branch created by the country's finest jewelers, but is revealed when a messenger of the craftsmen arrives at Kaguya-hime's house to collect payment. The third noble is deceived by a merchant from China, who sells him a robe that burns when it is tested with fire. The fourth noble sets out to find a dragon at sea, but abandons his plans after encountering a storm. The fifth noble falls from a great height while reaching into a swallow's nest.

After this, the Emperor of Japan comes to visit Kaguya-hime and, after falling in love, asks her hand in marriage. Although he is not subjected to an impossible trial, Kaguya-hime rejects his request for marriage as well, telling him that she is not from his country and therefore cannot go to the palace with him. She remains in contact with the Emperor, but continues to rebuff his proposals. Three years pass as they continue to communicate by letter.

That summer, whenever Kaguya-hime views the full moon, her eyes fill with tears. Though her adoptive parents grow very worried and question her, she refuses to tell them what is wrong. Her behaviour becomes increasingly erratic until she reveals that she is not of the Earth and that she must return to her people on the Moon. It is said that she was sent to the Earth, where she would inevitably form material attachment as a punishment for some crime without further description. The gold was a stipend from the people of the Moon, sent to pay for Kaguya-hime's upkeep.”

”As the day of her return approaches, the Emperor sends his guards to protect her from the Moon's people, but when an embassy of heavenly beings descends upon the bamboo cutter's house, the guards are blinded by a strange light. Kaguya-hime announces that, though she loves her many friends on Earth, she must return with the beings to her true home on the Moon. She writes sad notes of apology to her parents and to the Emperor, then gives her parents her own robe as a memento. She then takes a little of the elixir of immortality, attaches it to her letter to the Emperor, and gives it to the guard officer. As she hands it to him, a feather robe is placed on her shoulders, and all of her sadness and compassion for the people of the Earth are apparently forgotten. The entourage ascends into the sky, taking Kaguya-hime back to Tsuki no Miyako and leaving her earthly foster parents in tears.”

“The old couple become very sad and are soon put to bed sick. The officer returns to the Emperor with the items Kaguya-hime gave him as her last mortal act, and reports what happened. The Emperor reads her letter and is overcome with sadness, and asks his servants, "Which mountain is the closest place to Heaven?"; in response, one suggests the Great Mountain of Suruga Province. The Emperor then orders his men to take the letter to the summit of the mountain and burn it, in the hope that his message would reach the distant princess. They are also ordered to burn the elixir of immortality, as the Emperor does not wish to live for eternity without being able to see her.

Legend has it that the word for immortality, fushi, became the name of the mountain, Mount Fuji. It is also said that the kanji for the mountain, which translates to "mountain abounding with warriors", are derived from the Emperor's army ascending the slopes to carry out his order. It is said that the smoke from the burning still rises to this day.”

Takumi had taken in the story with rapt attention, leaning thoughtfully against the tree trunk.

“I don’t think I could bear living life without the one I love.” he remarked. “I’d go insane.”

Robyn nodded in agreement.

“I’d much rather be here with them than in the moon.”

They were quiet after that, finishing the warm cake and soft mochi. Robyn’s heart began to flutter nervously as the final stage of her plan neared.

“..Takumi?”

”..Yes?”

“I.. I have a gift for you.”

”F-for me? What is it?”

Gathering her courage, Robyn met his wide hazel eyes steadily.

“Can you meet me at the stage near where we danced?”

He looked perplexed, but nodded nonetheless. Robyn smiled and hurried off to get ready.

“There you are!” Sharena, who was in on the plan exclaimed, handing her the guitar. “Anna and I have already gathered the other heroes!”

Now that the moment was here, Robyn couldn’t shake off her nerves.

“I..I don’t know if I can do this..” she confessed quietly, earning a quiet chuckle from her friend.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Yes you can. Do it for him!” she said the last part in a whisper, and Robyn felt her face heat up a bit at the knowing smile her friend gave her.

Takumi..

The memories of their shared night flooded her warmth as she lifted her chin determinedly and stepped towards the stage.

“What the..”

Takumi took in the crowded stage with wide eyes not sure what to make of this. When the Summoner said she had a gift for him, he certainly wasn’t expecting this. Sharena spotted him hovering and gave him a bright smile.

“Aw, what are you doing there, silly? Your spot’s over here.” she exclaimed, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the front of the stage.

“W-wha..?” he stammered as he was pulled along, the crowd falling silent as the Summoner stepped out to greet them, her guitar in hand.

The air was thick with anticipation, and even Takumi was starting to feel excited, his heart thrumming steadily in his ears as he waited.

“I’m sorry.. I’m not used to addressing large crowds like this.” Robyn admitted, her voice ringing out over the still air. “I don’t even know where to begin. I.. I guess I’m just really grateful to have met all of you, and to serve as your Summoner and tactician. These past few months have been an unforgettable adventure. To be with all of you here now is truly an honor.”

Takumi’s chest swelled with warmth at her words, and the raw honesty in them. His mind flashed back to the day he saw her face for the first time, the way he held her as she cried. He knew firsthand the burdens she carried, so hearing such words from her filled him with enough happiness to make his heart burst as the Summoner went on.

“I wrote this song not just for myself, but for someone dear to me. A constant rock in my life, grounding me in my most vulnerable moments. This is my reminder to them and to everyone else here, not to Give Up to Ghosts.

Me! She’s talking about me! Takumi realized with a jolt as she began to strum on her guitar, Takumi leaning in and listening with rapt attention as she began to sing in a breathy voice, different from her usual songs.

www.tiktok.com/t/ZPR7wUWro/

“Wish I could sleep, but there’s a gaslight..

Inside my brain it’s burning so bright

The memories inside of my mind

Making every rewind, feel like a hate crime

I can’t explain why I’m not alright

I’m getting static on the phone line

Been sorting out the mess for some time

But there is no sign, of any sunrise

But when it does appear, I’ll still be here..”

The Summoner’s words felt as if they’d been plucked directly from his mind, out of everyone in the Order of Heroes, Robyn was the one who understood him. Accepted him. Inside and out, and Takumi felt his heart soar when she hit the chorus.

“So you can blame me, shame me

Gaslight me and frame me

But I am stronger than you know!

I’m just like thunder from lightning,

More than what’s behind me

And I will never give up to ghosts!

No..”

I know these words!

He remembered so clearly, as if it was happening right now. The Summoner’s hands resting gently on his shoulders, her violet eyes staring intently into his own as they repeated the words together. The crowd seemed to fade into the background as Takumi stared, spellbound. Robyn may have been singing to a crowd, but in this moment, it felt like she was singing just for him.

“The more I run they’re getting heavy

The more I hide ‘em more they’re deadly

I pay the price, they’re living rent free

Won’t let it end me!

Done being friendly!

I’m sick of killing my emotions with this medication

I’m sick of doubting myself,

I need some validation

Its time that I unlearn all the indoctrination

This is my revelation

Its time for confrontation..”

Takumi closed his eyes for a bit, letting himself sway to the beat. While the hood obscured her features, he could picture it now: the flowers in her hair illuminating the stage, her hair moving with her body as she danced. Takumi’s eyes snapped open again as he gazed at her longingly, not for himself, but because he longed for her to be freed fully from that hood. Free to dance, live, and move without restraint.

“So you can blame me, shame me,

Gaslight me and frame me

But I am stronger than you know!

I’m just thunder from lightning,

More than what’s behind me.

And I will never give go to ghosts

No!”

The emotions in Robyn’s voice rose, until she was practically shouting the lyrics at this point.

“Even if I tremble!

Even if I cry!

Its time to face my demons!

And look them in the eye!

Even if I panic!

Break down and fall apart,

I refuse to be a slave to all the scars!

They’re only scary if they’re kept inside the dark!”

Even shouting, the beauty in that voice was unspeakable. He wished he could stay in this moment forever and just listen to her emotions laid bare. Before, he’d been embarrassed or felt weak whenever she found him in a vulnerable state. But right here, right now, Takumi could see the brightness of it, giving the concept a whole new meaning. Vulnerability wasn’t shameful no.. but a flawed perfection. The Summoner’s voice lowered to a gentle murmur, and he could feel her eyes on him even with her face covered.

“You can blame me, shame me

Gaslight me and frame me

Do your worst.. I won’t let go!”

Her voice turned fierce again, seeming to challenge the gods themselves with her lyrics.

“I’m just like thunder from lightning,

More than what’s behind me!

And I will never give up to ghosts..

No,

I will never give up to ghosts!

No, whoa-oh!”

The powerful lyrics and swirling emotions that had gripped Takumi during the performance seemed to at last let him go. He drew in a shaky breath as his heart finally slowed, unable to take his eyes off her as the crowd roared around him. One thing was clear now, the Summoner wasn’t just their tactician. She represented light and hope, and in this moment, Takumi realized he loved Robyn more than anything.

Note from le Authoress:

My new Headcanon is that Robyn and Takumi totally had a dance off to a medieval version of Shut Up and Dance. And there you have it, the spectacular, record breaking Halloween chapter! This is by far the longest chapter I have ever made, 25 pages. In addition, I’ve got a little surprise for you: the first ever Redemption merch! Unfortunately I only have one available, so whoever grabs it first gets it. It’s nothing crazy, just the same hair ties Takumi wore in with his Halloween kimono. Shoutout to the band Citizen Soldier for making such a banger of a song.

fatesflower.etsy.com/listing/1585844508

So for the update schedule, the next chapter is going to be three weeks from now to give me a bit of a break since these chapters are loooooong. But there’s going to be an extra special surprise for the wait, so you can look forward to that ;3 Until next time! Happy Halloween!

~Robyn

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