#but yeah. I was told they died and after a minute I was overtaken with grief and started to cry

[thevoidstaredback]

Enough Caffeine to Kill an Elephant

Listen. It was an accident. He didn't mean to! It just kinda happened.

So maybe he brought a drink with enough caffeine in it to kill an elephant within a few minutes, and maybe he forgot to put the sleeve on his cup so he could tell it apart from the others, but it's not his fault! He didn't think anyone else was going to have the exact same Yeti cup as him! It's not like he'd seen any of the others carry one before. Besides, he worked with superheros. They should be smart enough to check before drinking someone else's drink.

Danny had been summoned by the Justice League Dark a few years back in order to help with a world ending crisis and he just didn't leave. It's not like he could go anywhere anyway. His ghost half hadn't grown past fourteen and his human half had stopped visibly aging at eighteen. He'd had to leave town as Danny Fenton, but he'd stayed in Amity Park as Danny Phantom. When his parents died of old age, thank god, he'd closed down the portal, stuck around for a few more years, before traveling the world as Danny Fenton.

Anyway, he'd taken up residence in the House of Mysteries after the JLD had summoned him. Constantine, at first, had been wary, but he and the rest of the JLD had grown to accept him. He was an honorary member of the team.

At some point, just after Robin had become Red Robin, Danny had been introduced to the Justice League. He liked those guys, too, and worked with them sometimes. Though, he usually only went to bug them.

Red Robin had been very interested in the fact that his was fourteen and working with grown heros, like he was one to talk, but Danny hadn't explained anything other than saying that he had died and come back. The following conversation was an interesting one that lead to Danny knowing that Nightwing was the Batman he'd met and that Batman was lost somewhere. He'd confirmed that the man was not dead, but he hadn't offered to help look for him. He probably should have, in retrospect.

Back on topic! Everyone in the JLD knew not to touch Danny's drink. They'd all seen him make it before and had been horrified on varying degrees. It's not like it could kill him. He's already half dead! So long as he only drank this specific brew as Phantom, he'd be fine.

The Justice League, apparently, didn't get the memo. He blames Constantine because Zatanna and Raven can do no wrong. No, John, he's not biased.

The point is, Red Robin just had a sip of Danny's drink. The horror he now felt was akin to the fear he held when he'd told his parents he was Phantom. (An interaction that had gone very well, thank you very much.)

Danny knew the exact moment that the vigilante realized he grabbed the wrong drink. His eyes widened to an astonishing degree, and, if he'd been able to seen his eyes behind the mask, Danny knew that the man's pupils would've completely overtaken the irises. His hands started shaking, too. Oh, no. The man's already addicted to hellish amounts of coffee. This is only going to make it worse!

Quickly, and without drawing any attention, thank the Ancients, Danny rushed over. "You, um, you okay, man?" Obviously not, but he tends to talk when he's anxious and he was certainly anxious right now. He could've possibly just killed a man via poison!

"What the fuck is in this coffee?" Red Robin asked, going to take another sip.

Danny pulled the Yeti from his hand and gave him the proper one. "Enough caffeine to kill an elephant."

"Obviously not, seeing as I'm still alive."

"Yeah, I can't tell if that's a good thing or not."

"Excuse me?"

"I-I mean-! I didn't-! You know what I mean." Caffeine is poisonous in excess, and his drink was way beyond excess, but it's the only thing that works for him as a ghost! Superpowered metabolism and all that.

"Do I?" The laugh in his voice answered for him. He took a sip from his drink and frowned at it. "I don't think any coffee will ever be enough again."

"And that's my cue to get my drink very far away from you." Danny turned, fully intent on moving to the other side of the room. Besides, the meeting was going to start as soon as the Flash and Kid Flash arrived, which would be soon. Something about one of their Rouges getting out?

"What?" Red Robin asked, "Why?" If he was a little desperate to get another sip of that coffee, he'd rather not acknowledge it.

"Because you don't need anymore lethal coffee," he muttered, "The sip you took will already keep you awake for three days at least, and it probably jump started an addiction. Best to stop it now. Besides, I need to go have my crisis on how the hell you're still alive after even a sip of this stuff."

"Again, rude." The bird themed vigilante crossed his arms as best he could while holding his cup. "If it's so dangerous, why do you drink it?"

Danny took a deliberate sip as he locked eyes with the technically younger man. "I'm dead. I don't need to worry about my heart stopping or having a seizure."

"Excuses."

"No, it's not 'excuses'. I'm saving your life."

"You're a kid. If I can't have that coffee, then you shouldn't be having it."

"First, I'm older than you. Second, I already told you: I'm dead. This isn't going to hurt me. Third, you can't tell me what to do."

"There's no way you're older than me. You're like, ten."

"I'm thirty-eight!" He balked, "I only look fourteen because I died when I was fourteen. We've been over this."

Neither noticed the entire Justice League looking at them. The two they were waiting on had arrived a few minutes ago and everyone was ready to start the meeting, but they'd been distracted by the two's conversation. Was that true? Had Phantom really died so young? They'd all been made aware he was not living, but they didn't think he'd died so young! Though, that was probably the denial speaking.

The Justice League Dark had been fully aware of this and didn't really bat an eye. Though, someone should probably get this meeting started. A potentially world ending threat was the topic, and that was a pretty important thing to discuss.

Captain Marvel was the first to pull himself together, though that was only after Atlas and Zeus had mentally slapped him out of his stupur. "As, ah, riveting as this conversation is," he stepped between the two boys- er, boy and man? "we really need to start this meeting."

Batman did not clear his throat because he'd not lost his voice in the first place. "He's right. Everyone take your seats."

Storyboard Part 2

[sovonight]

Sovo you mentioned Xandri Rapunzel au exactly one (1) time-

(I think only one time, at least, Tumblr loves to hide things from me)-

And I’m already obsessed, would you tell us more?

yeah ofc! it's kind of a melissan-raised-radri-instead au--gorion was unable to get candlekeep to accept radri, so he and radri drifted from place to place until he unexpectedly died, then melissan stepped in to take his place. radri's told that she's cursed/a danger to others, that gorion and all those deaths she's seen were her fault, and that melissan alone is immune and good and kindhearted enough to take care of her, so radri lets melissan lock her into a tower, isolated from the world. radri could escape, but she doesn't want to, she's too afraid of what death she could cause and afraid to be alone

(on melissan's side, she immediately recognized radri as a bhaalspawn and saw how she could be easily manipulated. she waits patiently for radri to come into her powers, secretly trying to accelerate radri's progress over the years, ultimately planning to unlock radri's slayer form and turn radri into a weapon for her bhaalspawn hunt)

radri spends her days staring out the window, watching the forest, and sometimes getting to see the occasional traveler pass through. the tower is under an illusion to look broken down and worn, with the top floor just completely decimated and overtaken by nature, so no one ever sees her; travelers occasionally use the tower as a landmark or a convenient spot to set up camp. adventuring parties are the most exciting, as they'll have the best stories to tell by the fire (radri has long since exhausted all the books melissan has brought her), and solo travelers are often boring, like the elf wizard in the grey cloak who has just arrived to rest by the tower and mainly just sighs to himself. radri watches him idly and just leaves the window when she realizes that yes, he really is just going to flip through his spellbook for an hour

he's gone by the time radri goes to sleep that night, but she wakes in the early morning with an odd feeling and looks out the window to see rustling leaves--and, with the expiration of an invisibility spell, that same wizard appears, now limping and bloodied and leaning heavily against the tower wall. radri watches to see if he's going to heal himself, but he just sits and slumps in pain and unclasps his sword from his belt and just looks at it, mumbling something depressing to himself, like he's expecting death. melissan left a few health potions in the tower--for melissan's own use, of course, in case of emergency--but radri can't ignore the dying man outside and after much turmoil finally ties a string around the neck of one of the potions and lowers it down to him. she has to swing it slightly to tap him on the shoulder as he's too focused on his impending demise to notice it at first, but he takes it, drinks it, and to radri's relief, succumbs to exhaustion before he can wonder where the potion came from. She tries to stay awake to watch over his safety, but falls asleep there by the window; when she wakes, he's gone

1 year later, radri is surprised by the sight of the same wizard again, spotting him by his unchanged cloak and distinctive sword; outside of a handful of locals who pass through the forest on a regular basis, travelers are generally seen once or twice and then never again. the wizard glances up for a moment, as though looking for something, and radri fights the urge to hide, knowing that melissan's illusion must still be in place--but then he just sighs to himself, and sits down, opening his spellbook again. radri finds herself watching him again, but as the minutes drag on and he shows no sign of doing anything interesting, she retreats from the window. this time, she really doesn't expect to see him again

that night, however, she's woken by a sound--and a familiar rustling of leaves, the sound of someone dragging their robes clumsily through the branches/undergrowth. she looks out, and he's slumped against the tower again, clutching his side. again, he behaves as though he's close to death--and although it had taken her 2 months to get back on melissan's good side after pretending that she had broken the health potion last year, she strings another one up and lowers it down to him. as she's wondering if perhaps he should pick his fights better if he faces death with such regularity, he grabs not the potion, but the string, and looks straight up--into her eyes, she thinks--and in a panic, she releases the string and drops to the floor, out of sight. she waits, and hears nothing save for the forest and the breeze, and waits again for him to leave, but a step is heard on the windowsill and she looks up to see him standing above her, staring down at her from the open window. the moment their eyes meet, surprise and confusion show on his face, then wariness. she jumps to her feet, backing a few paces away while keeping him in her line of sight; xan makes no move.

X: You weave a powerful illusion. R: I-It's not mine. (Then she clams up, never having had a stranger visit her before, knowing Melissan will be furious with her if she finds out, but not knowing how to get rid of him.) X: Then whose is it? (Radri stays silent, and Xan, having had a moment to look at her and her room more closely, now appears somewhat concerned.) X: Your captor's? Are you a prisoner here? (She shakes her head--she's no prisoner, really, she's making a noble sacrifice, she's here by choice--and backs away, thinking she'll reach for her sword and knock him out, but Xan's eyes widen and he approaches her--to touch her. Panicked, she backs away faster, and trips over the vase and stack of books he'd been trying to prevent her from stumbling into.) X, holding out a hand: Are you-- R: Don't touch me! (She cringes away, and Xan backs off immediately; Radri reaches her sword, holding it out before her, not entirely sure she's actually ready to use it. Xan gestures to, but makes no move to draw, his moonblade.) X: I am a moonblade wielder. If you are in need of help, I am bound by oath to help you; I am not going to hurt you. R: No, I'm going to hurt you! X, somewhat bemused by how that sounds more like a warning than a threat, but ready to cast a spell anyway: You can certainly try. R: No, I mean--anyone I touch meets a horrible death! You should stay far away from me. (X is skeptical of this, but R seems to truly believe it, so he meets her where she's at) X: And so you have locked yourself away in a tower, and commissioned a skilled spellcaster to create an illusion to hide your presence from the world? R: Yes--no! Melissan-- X: Melissan? R, realizing with dread that she's spoken Melissan's name to an outsider: No--I-- R, overwhelmed: Please just leave! Don't come back. Don't tell anyone I'm here. And--and--if you're not going to use that potion, return it. X: Or this "Melissan" will notice, I take it? (R doesn't say anything more, just firmly shaking her head with her mouth shut, and gesturing with her sword for him to leave through the window. Xan steps back up on the windowsill, and raises his hands to cast a spell; Radri eyes him nervously.) X, explaining: I am only casting feather fall. R, still staying resolutely silent: … X: I will return the potion once-- R, over his talkativeness: Hurry up and go! (Xan steps over the edge, floating back to the ground below. The potion soon rises to the windowsill, settling there with a gentle clink. Radri returns it to its place in the cabinet, and finds that her hands are shaking, with nervousness--adrenaline--fear--exhilaration.)

xan ends up coming back to offer his help again later--he feels a debt towards her, and he can't ignore her strange situation. once xan sufficiently convinces radri that something is odd about melissan's story, she sets out with him to investigate more

the no touch thing leads to radri always wearing gloves/high collars/masks/multiple layers to be safe (and eventually to xan kissing her gloved hand as radri blushes just as hard as if he were kissing bare skin). some point later radri is nearly dealt a killing blow/almost falls to her death/faces some other huge risk and xan just manages to save her, but touches a sliver of her bare skin in the process. they both assume it's a death sentence for him (xan is continually skeptical that radri's "curse" is real in the way that she says it is, but at the same time always feels that something is very doomed about her, and he is still himself so he takes to the idea that his death is now extra imminent very easily) and it's sad and all but at the same time the touch thing no longer matters if he's already cursed, and after much tension they share a tentative kiss. despite how he's usually the more apprehensive one, xan is soon ready to share reverie & more with her (what does caution matter when he really is a dead man now?) but radri holds back and promises she'll find a way to save him first

anyway the truth of what radri is comes to light, and in the final battle, melissan's like you stupid girl, you can't kill me, the world will soon know that you're a bhaalspawn and you'll be hunted and all your companions will be hunted too, so just come back to your cage and let me give you the ignorance and purpose you used to have. radri kills her.

of course, radri then tries to leave xan since he'll be doomed if he stays with her--

R: I suppose this is goodbye. X: Radri--? X: No. No, do not do this now. R: What else am I supposed to do? I should have stayed in that stupid tower. I'm right back where I started. R: There is a bright side, I suppose. You're not cursed anymore… you never were. You can return to your life. X: What is the point, if it is without you?

--but during their post-boss-battle rest he'd been thinking about the consequences of the reveal and how he's been living like a soon-to-be-dead man for the past 2 months (well, more so than usual) and how he would rather stay with her and die protecting her than leave now and go back to his old life, so they talk and they stay together :) and now bg1 can start lol

[nat-without-a-g]

Last night I learned I can cry in my dreams. Not just sobbing, full Wails, struggling to breathe and snot and tears and everything. No one else seems to surprised, but I feel like I always have to check after I saw people’s reactions when I told them I’ve died in my dreams before and they kept going without me. Turns out most people don’t die in their dreams (or nightmares! That one surprised me), and when they do they wake up.

I also entered sleep paralysis without waking up recently. I just collapsed into the position I was sleeping in within my own dream. I don’t even know how that’s possible. I am an anomaly to life.

[vro0m]

vro0m’s rewatch - 84/299

2011 Italian GP

Round 13, 7 races to go. Bla bla bla ferrari home.

Quali report : Maldonado crashed. Nico qualified on hards to save the softs for the race. He's 9th, while his teammate Schumacher is 8th. Alonso is 4th, Massa is 6th. Webber struggled with gear ratios and KERS, he's 5th. Seb literally drifted which isn't the quickest way around but both Mclarens outbraked themselves so he still ended up on pole while Jenson is 3rd and Lewis is 2nd.

Oh my oh my TWO DRS ZONES, revolutionary! Jordan doesn't like it, he thinks it's artifical and he thinks there's gonna be "too much passing" which is fucking hilarious because when has that ever been a problem? (never.)

Formation lap.

And they're racing!

Oh my god! Lewis is wheel to wheel with Seb but Alonso overtakes them both while they make slight contact! Massa also comes up to them but can't take position in the first corner. OH SHIT! one car spun from the back and slid all the way to the corner taking out two other cars in the process! Loads of contacts now. At least three cars out. Lewis is overtaken by Schumacher. And the safety car is out obviously. I don't even know how yeah as I was about to write, the first corner is completely blocked! First of all there's four cars there but also now a couple of trucks. So it's Liuzzi, Rosberg, Petrov, Barrichello is trying to go again because he didn't crash he just got stuck and Ricciardo is being pushed in his car on the track by marshals. He's out I think. Kobayashi is getting a new front wing so he was also impacted apparently.

So it was Liuzzi who caused the chaos. DNF obviously, along with D'Ambrosio, Petrov and Rosberg. Barrichello recovered but had to pit. Daniel is still racing.

SC in on lap 4. Oh Lewis is back in third? Nope passed again. Ah no, now we see actually Ricciardo is also out. So Alonso is leading in front of Seb, Schumacher and Lewis. And Seb attacks Alonso in the straight, he's very very fast! OH Massa and Webber made contact! Webber lost his nose and Massa is facing the wrong way. Seb attacks again and that's it! He overtakes Alonso for the lead. Jenson overtook Webber. Lewis is attacking Schumacher. Oh. While we were watching the replay of that contact, Webber ended up in the barriers. Well that's that. Schumacher is fighting Alonso for P2 while Lewis is attacking him for P3! DRS enabled. Let's go.

Massa is still on track in 8th after overtaking Di Resta. Even with the DRS Lewis can't catch up to that Mercedes with the KERS! Lewis calls his engineer "why are we so slow in the straights?" and he's told "our speed is okay, Schumacher's just very high". Lewis is 0.2 seconds away, it's crazy. He might be having issues with the DRS because it doesn't open every time... Massa is back in 6th position. Yellow flags, what now. Sutil is out. They barely mention it they're so busy with that fight. Phewww it's crazy racing. Beautiful. We don't see cars able to follow that well for that long anymore. Oh here we go! Lewis overtook him finally! But of course Schumacher comes back and overtakes him. Now Jenson is getting into it too. Both McLarens have DRS and KERS and Schumacher still maintains his position. These three are centimetres apart, it's unbelievable. Attacks after attacks. Schumacher radios in that his tyres are starting to go. Jenson overtook Lewis who was pushed on the grass by Schumacher! And now he overtook Schumacher too! Schumacher pits. Lewis was about to pit too but so he stays out. It's Jenson who pits. Now it's Lewis’ turn. We're 20 laps in already. Great stop. Oh no. He's just behind Schumacher again...

It's getting tricky, Schumacher is overdefending. We're expecting a radio call anytime to warn him. The issue is Lewis’ setup was planned to race RedBulls, not Mercedes. The McLaren is quicker than the Mercedes but for some reason I don't understand because I don't know anything about cars, his maximum revs per minute was limited for qualifying and he just can't get fast enough. Indeed Lewis tells his team Schumacher is doing more than one defensive move, which is forbidden by the rules. His engineer tells him they saw it and the FIA is aware.

Jenson is now a second behind Alonso but Seb is way ahead and Lewis still can't get ahead of Schumacher. Lewis is losing so much time. OH FINALLY. Lewis overtook Schumacher right when we weren't watching anymore lol. So he's up in 4th, over 7 seconds behind Jenson, halfway through the race.

Lewis sets the fastest middle sector of the weekend and fastest lap.

They're talking to Webber and he agrees with Jenson earlier in the fact that they're all fighting for second place now. It’s clear seb will get the WDC. 

Alonso pits as there are yellow flags for Perez’ Sauber who DNFd as well. Lewis also comes in immediately. Oof. Lewis is 6th now. Seb comes in. Jenson overtakes Alonso who doesn't give up but the McLaren is faster. Schumacher pits from P2. Lewis is ahead this time thank god.

Massa pits from 5th so Lewis is up in 4th. 10 laps to go. He speeds up, as he's been told he can catch Alonso for P3. With 3 laps to go it doesn't seem to be happening though. Lots of traffic. Final lap. Lewis is only 1 second behind. It's tense. Not close enough for the DRS. Now he's under the second come on. Here we go! KERS. DRS. Ahhh he can't.

It's the end of the race.

Seb wins, Jenson P2, Alonso P3.

Let's hear from Lewis who's wearing the most ridiculous glasses ever. He says it was still a good race as he got some points and finished the race but he makes that face he makes when he's disappointed. He admits he was caught sleeping on the restart but he had fun chasing down Alonso. Lee asks if he thinks Schumacher was fighting fair and clear, as it seems he pushed him on the grass at some point.

He tilts his head and smiles. "Yeah. It's racing.” He's really keeping his answers to a couple of words now so you can tell he's pissed lol. He looks forward to the next races and going overseas, he hopes they'll at least get a couple more wins for the team. Lee asks if McLaren was focusing on the wrong team in this race and Lewis says they weren't focusing on anyone, it was just as fast as they could go. He still thinks it was pretty good.

[cacti-are-like-flamingos]

Wished by Anonymous

Request: Hi! I love your blog! I hope you have a nice day and I got through your rules and I hope this is within what you are comfortable with! Can I request a Marco with a reader that is literally a real phoenix? Like she doesn’t show her powers but when someone (Izo) gets hurt very badly, she just burst out into this bright red phoenix and start heling everyone while hurting the enemy? Thank you!

...

None of them could believe their eyes.  

Not even when they could feel the very heat from your flaming feathers as you flew past them.

Not even as they watched you, from the very corners of their eyes, jump off from the wooden railings of the ship and transform into the very fiery bird they see before their eyes. Clawing away at the enemy as you flapped your enormous wings, the winds produced with every wave being the equivalence to those produced by some of the strongest hurricanes.

It was magnificent you see. To be in the presence of such beauty, surrounded by the warm glows of golden embers and wisp of red. The glow so bright that it blinded all, the hue so vivid that it bathed the blue skies into a deep vermillion. No more could clouds be seen, no more could the sun be seen --- everything was bathed in red and gold, no other hue existed.

“You dare hurt my friends? My brothers and sisters?” Your voice boomed through the battlefield. Your presence was strong, stronger than even those given the title of Yonko. But how could that be? You hadn’t held the ability of the Conqueror’s Haki nor had you yet to take a bite of the Devil’s Fruit ---  by all reason, you were supposed to be an ordinary person, err, pirate at the very least. Yet the question remains, how was this possible?

It was then at the middle of watching you battle the foes, tearing them down by the tens and disintegrating them with the mere look of the eye, that the Whitebeard Pirates had begun to feel a strange sensation course throughout their bodies. A sensation that began as a warmth of sorts before settling into a sort of coolness. They watch in awe as their wounds, licked by your flames, disappear as though they had never been inflicted in the first place.

“Uh, did you know about this?” Ace inquired, landing right beside his brothers, his own flames licking the soles of his feet.

“That (Y/N) was a freaking phoenix? Hell no. Never even saw it coming to be honest.”  Thatch admitted, a chuckle rumbling out from his chest. Scratching his strangely formed beard, he sent a smirk over to his blond brother,” What about you, hm Marco? Knew that the love of your life was of bird kin too, eh?” Said man rolled his eyes, yet his gaze never left your figure. He watched with great pride as you defended the crew with swiftness and grace unlike anything he’s ever seen before. He watched as you made your way over to the badly injured Izo, your figure hovering carefully over his battered body. And with a single wing, you laid it just inches above him, the feathers gently caressing his wounds. With every lick, the open skin would mend itself back to a close, the skin blushed with newly found life. Izo’s jaw slackened, eyes widening in shock upon your arrival.

“(Y/N)? I-Is that really you?”  He asked. His voice shaken and hoarse. He could still taste the iron of his blood in his mouth.

“Hop on, you idiot!” You yelled out,  stretching your wings away to expose your back. Seeing this, he, with his replenished energy, found himself strong enough to haul himself up from the ground and onto your back. His hands, bruised and calloused, gripped tightly onto the flesh of your neck. “Hold on tight cause I’m gonna burn these fools to the ground!”  It was a simple line of dialogue as it was a simple line of truth.

There wasn’t much after that, everything was as you told. 

Nothing but scorched grounds and shadows of those who once stood.

They dared not to speak of the screams that still lingered in the air.

Returning back towards the ship, you were greeted by a merry sight. Everyone stood by the railings of the Moby Dick, smiles upon their blushing cheeks as they roar in applause upon your arrival. If you were in your human form they would be met by the shake of your head and the sight of your smile. Hovering just above their heads, you made way for the middle of the deck, your crewmates backing up as to not get caught by your wings. Hopping off your spine, Izo stumbled as he regained his footing, his hair breaking away from their bondage and flying wildly as you body was overtaken by yet another blinding glow.

As the glow died down, you gracefully landed upon the wooden planks, the fire that once surrounded you now overwhelmed by the nip of the sea’s freshness. No longer did you smell the addictive scent of smoke, but did you smell the equal addicting scent of sea salt. Turning around, you look up to the Gunner, a worried fold upon your brows.

“Are you okay? They didn’t hurt that bad right?” You inquired, voice dripping wet of worry.

 An angry vein popped out from his forehead.

“Fuck off! What I want to know is when were you going to tell us about...about THAT?!” He yelled angrily at the top of his lung, earning a small pout from you. 

“Well if we’re gonna be like that, your makeup is smudged.” If looks could kill... Raising your hands above your head, you made a face as you slowly backed away from him. Putting your hands into your pockets, you spoke, “I was gonna tell you...eventually.” Clicking his tongue, the Gunner’s gaze softened. Walking up to you, he hesitantly placed a hand upon your head, a smile slowly erupting upon his painted lips as he whispered a small thanks before moving way. And with that, the festivities began.

By the time the afternoon sun was no more, every one had gone below deck to enjoy a swell meal prepared by their favorite chef, Thatch. You could even hear their loud cheers and singing even from where you stood. Their joy breathing into the very cold sea air she breathed, their energy running course through her veins as she felt a warmth blossom upon her bosom. A warmth caused by familial love. 

“So, when were you planning to inform me of your...abilities-yoi?” A familiar voice spoke from behind you. It was then that you felt another’s chest press firmly against your spine, their breath right beside your ear. You felt his arms wrapped around your waist, the muscle rippling under his bare skin. Leaning back into your wall of muscle, you breathed out a sigh. Feeling as all the tension in your body quickly faded away. He always did have that affect on you strangely enough.

“I don’t know...I mean you never asked.” He grunted, finding dissatisfaction with your answer. You sighed, “I really don’t know. It’s just something I don’t really talk about. Well mainly because if it were a known fact that I was an actual phoenix, the World Government would be even hotter on my trail.” Humming, he held you in silence for just a few minutes more before kissing your temple, his lips chapped but soft.

“At least now we know for a fact that we’re going to have baby chicks-yoi.” You chuckled, gazing out into the sea with a soft expression. “Yeah I guess so.” “Then let’s go.” You froze, “Huh?” 

Shifting in his arms, you tilted your head upwards. Your eyes peering through your lashes as you gave him a look of disbelief. But you were only met by the sight of his usual expression of half-lidded eyes and that lazy smirk of his. 

“I hate to admit it, but watching you turn into an actual phoenix and slay the enemies really got me hot and bothered. So let’s get going.” You had no time to react for he quickly threw you over his shoulder, a hand sitting on your ass.

“Whoa, whoa! Wait! What?!” A few men still hanged around the upper deck, so upon seeing your situation they couldn’t help but laugh. Wolf-whistling as they watched Marco take you in the way of his room.

“Can you believe that? Soon enough, there’ll be mini-Marcos and mini-(Y/N)’s running around the Moby Dick!” Haruta jested alongside Vista, a mug of beer in his hand.

“Gurararara~! I’m going to be a grandfather!” Exclaimed joyously Whitebeard, a grin on his face as the rest of the men cheered you and Marco on. Smirking, the pineapple man pated your rear,

“See-yoi? Now we gotta meet everyone’s expectation-yoi. There’s no escaping tonight-yoi~!”

Fuck.

...

Original Request 

(A/N): If you’re going to request something, read the rules. 

Hope you enjoyed!

[thevoilinauttheory]

Fire

[ FFxivWrite2021 Prompt 2: Aberrant ]

The Five Part “In the Dreams of Ashley” series is done! Go read the others here! {Prelude} {In the Dreams of Ashley: The Wind} {In the Dreams of Ashley: The Fire} {In the Dreams of Ashley: The Water} {In the Dreams of Ashley: The Earth}

[ HEAVY CONTENT WARNINGS - THIS PIECE IS TO EXPLORE ONE OF MY DEEPEST FEARS CONTAINING: mentions of death/blood, regrets surrounding said death, nightmares, detailed suffocation, detailed description of burning to death, suicidal ideation ]

[ also decided to do a music theme this month and all of these will have musical accompaniment lol ]

To dream that you or someone is being burned alive suggests that you are being consumed by your own ambition. To dream that you are being burned by fire indicates that your temper is getting out of control. Some issue or situation is burning up inside you. If you are setting a fire to something or even to yourself, then it indicates that you are undergoing some great distress. You are at the brink of desperation and want to destroy something or some aspect of yourself.

==

“So how did you even get here?” Ashley shoved a dumpling into his mouth, having yanked it from the pot as soon as he realized it was ready. Ruta had set up a fire, a large heavy pot on top of it, filled to the brim with broth and vegetables. He didn’t question where she got it, or even how she carried it - though common sense dictated that she borrowed the pot from the fishermen in Isari, as well as bought the food; they *were* set up right outside it, of course.

“Hm?” Ruta had her mouthful already, slurping up what noodles were left in her mouth. It took her a good minute to finish chewing so she could talk; and in that time, Ashley had already taken to swishing thin slices of fish around until they were cooked enough to eat.

“Y’know, get here. Back in the cells, you said you were from Kugane… but, uh… no offense, but.” “Because I’m Xaelic?” “...Yeah, sorry. That’s rude of me to point out.” Ruta only laughed. “Yeah… I left that part of me in the Steppes. I was capable, but… I thought, as a kid, if they’re gonna leave me tied up to a tree, I might as well go my own way. What’s to say that it’s not going to happen again?” “Tied to a tree? Oof, that’s rough.” “Made it all the way to Kugane and ran into some nice folks who thought ‘who in the hells let this child run around on her own!’.” She laughed. “They adopted me. Real nice people.” “They still with you?” ”Hope so, it’s been a few years.”

He stared at the flames, leaning back on his hands after he filled himself up on food - thinking about her words, how everyone he knew would have moved on with their lives without him. “Where’re Colette ‘n’Hunter? They’ve been gone a while.” “I think they went ahead to scout for a boat. We gotta leave in the dead of night, if we want a chance at getting past those pirates. You know how to swim?” “Uuhh… I’m gonna say “I’ll figure it out”.” He laughed. “Grew up in a desert, don’t really have time to learn to swim.” “You might have to! If we have to jump off the boat and swim our way there. I’m sure Hunter wouldn’t mind dragging you with him - guy loves to swim.” “Does he?” “I mean… he’s told me as much, at least.” “Hm.” That grin on her face only told him how much she was judging him. “What! Leave me alone! Stop staring like that, gods, it’s weird.”

==

“Don’t y’think you’ve been “retired” long enough?” Ashley leaned back in his chair and kicked his legs up on the table in front of him; he stuck the tiniest crumb of paper under his tongue, then closed his eyes. “Nope.” “Kid, you have to *move on*. Shite like this? This happens all the time - you’ve been sheltered way too long--” “Who died and made you th’boss of my life, huh? If I’ve been sheltered, then y’leave me to be the little bitch I am until I’m *ready* to “move on”. You haven’t experienced what I have. I haven’t experienced what you have.” “How’re you going to make any money to live with an attitude like that.” “Off my savings? My life ain’t your business - you can either sit here and enjoy a drink with me, or you can piss off. I don’t care either way, I ain’t working yet.”

==

He didn’t really need the road down memory lane - but it helped ease the pain, just for a little bit. His boots crunched over the shells and rocks that made up the shores of the Ruby Sea, staring at the water as he strolled. He had always questioned why they had referred to it as “ruby”, there was nothing as brilliant or red about it… back then, of course. He had taken its beauty for granted. The crimson kelp that made up the depths against the sparkling reflections from the sun, everything was so… peaceful. To a degree. He couldn’t account for the Garlean control over the area, and had to be on his toes because of it, but it was nice.

He wished his friends were around to witness it - it was dark when they were able to see it, if one could even call it “seeing”, as much as it was a black pit of unknown they were diving into.

He made a stop in Crick - he wasn’t necessarily welcome, but he wasn’t unwelcome either. They regarded him with impassiveness there, letting him relax as he wished or needed to - which happened to be in front of a fire with a pot attached to it, boiling water. How much longer could he stand to be here? The memories were starting to hurt now, they ached, and suddenly he felt ill to his stomach. That was when he decided it was best to leave, standing up to turn back the way he came - watching the ocean once more with the unevenness of the shore beneath his feet yet again.

There was a fisher’s boat floating in the middle, a small Auri woman casting out a line with a basket of fish next to her. Living a carefree, or… mostly carefree life. Living life as she could, and it seemed she was doing well enough. She turned her head and made accidental eye-contact with him-- those eyes, that face.

“Ruta?” He questioned softly, then smiled brightly and waved. “Ruta! You’re safe! Gods be!” As he watched the woman wave back, his vision blackened - flashes of the body of his fallen friend bleeding out on top of her girlfriend’s, looking behind him as he ran.

The next he knew were flames - and only flames. His whole body was searing, the heat too much for his skin. He tried to pull his foot from the ground, to try and run for the ocean, but he could not move. He stayed in place and it only seemed like the relief of water got further and further away the more he longed for it. It started with his legs, that’s where his eyes turned to next. One foot stood solid in the slowly creeping fount of lava, threatening to take the next one over. What happened? How did he get here? There was no way he would have done this of his own volition, was there? But no, he did - he stepped right into it, a wonder, no, a *knowing* of what the consequence would bring. A solace in knowing that this would be the price he paid for his inadequacies.

Even as he tried to change his mind - tried to scream for help that could not hear him, the fire climbed only higher. All he could do was cry out in pain as he watched his clothes set ablaze, and his skin begin to blacken and peel. The pain of it all, the searing pain of his skin melting from his bones wasn’t even the worst of it; it was the agony of seeing it happen slowly - the scent of the hairs and flesh charring; the popping, bubbling, cracking noises that followed until he was swallowed whole by it. Each scream, each breath, he was forced to swallow the flames until they choked him - then each cough cooked his lungs; his vision was nothing but reds and oranges until it had gone black, and what was left of him could only fall to try and drag itself to an escape out of pure need for survival. Only to be overtaken by the slow and searing pain of pure fire covering the entirety of his body - the last he heard was not the crackling of his bones like tinder, but the paddles of a boat hitting the still water as it passed right by him.

==

His awakening was a slow one this time, feeling the tears that had dried against his cheek. He woke up next to the flames of the dying fire, left alone by the people of the town around him. He was disoriented, confused. When it finally settled that it was a nightmare, he let out a heavy and relieved sigh.

Not quite the same as the last, but no less painful and terrifying.

[tuiccim]

Terrigenisis (Part 1)

Pairing: Avengers X Inhuman!Reader

Words: 3870

Summary: Your life is torn apart after undergoing terrigenisis unwillingly your life is turned upside down when you are deemed too dangerous to return to civilian life. You are put with the Avengers team to train and rebuild your life.

—————————————

“Charlie, the car’s packed. Are you ready?” You called. Your first vacation in two years ahead. A rock climbing trip to Arizona. 

“Almost. Come here.” Charlie called from the apartment kitchen. 

“What’s up?” You smile as you walk into the kitchen and see Charlie holding out a small medicine cup. “What am I taking today?” You smile at your husband who is currently on a vitamin kick. 

“Magnesium, fish oil, vitamin d, and a multi.” He smiles as he picks up his own cup and clinks it together with yours. 

You both take the vitamins and then you lean in for a quick kiss. “Okay, good lookin’, vacation time.” 

You turn to head for the door but Charlie’s voice brings you back around, “What’s happening?” he says in a panicked voice, “(Y/N)!” You turn to see his body being covered by rocks. 

“Charlie!” You reach out for him. 

“Don’t touch me!” He yells, but then you feel something strange yourself. Looking down you see the rocks beginning to cover you, too. 

“Charlie!” You yell again. 

“I love you!” He says just before the rocks cover him completely. 

“I love you!” You cry and then are overtaken. 

Fourteen months later.

“So, you’re just gonna spring me on them?” You look at Nicky Fury as he drives to the Avenger’s compound. 

“Not like we had a lot of time. Coulson's team had to move. This will be the safest place for you and you can be trained as an Avenger here.” Fury states.

You roll your eyes. Not like you hadn’t been training for the last six months with Coulson’s  team, but apparently you can’t even tell anyone about them. Now, you’re supposed to join this team and everything will be all better. You put your earbuds in.

You’re brought into the conference room and face the Avengers team. Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Wanda Maximoff, Vision, Sam Wilson, and Bucky Barnes. 

“Avengers, meet your newest trainee.” Fury states. 

You keep your gaze down not wanting to see the anger on everyone’s faces. 

“What is this, Fury?” Captain Rogers is the first to speak. 

“Look, we need a place for her to train and become mission ready. Right now, here is the safest place for that. I’ll let you get acquainted.” With that, Fury leaves. 

You stare after him as he leaves you to the team’s mercy. You turn to look at Captain Rogers, apprehension clear on your face. He seems to take some pity on you. 

“You’re an agent?” He asks. 

“Fury didn’t give you my file?” You ask quietly. 

“What he just said is what he gave me on you.” Captain says, not unkindly. 

“Great.” Your quiet, sarcastic reply. 

“Why don’t you sit down and we can figure this all out?” Captain Rogers motions to the chair at the head of the table. You felt like you were sitting in front of a jury. 

You looked around the table slowly at each solemn face. Miss Maximoff offers you a small smile and it bolsters a bit of courage in you. 

“Okay. What’s your deal, then?” Mr. Stark questions. 

“I guess it’d just be best to lay it all out for you from the beginning, huh?” You look to Captain Rogers. 

“That would make things easier.” Agent Romanoff says. 

You look at her and nod. “Fourteen months ago, I underwent terrigenesis.”

“Where did you get a terrigen crystal?” Dr. Banner asks. 

“My husband, Charlie, handed me our morning vitamins. One was a new fish oil we were trying.” You say. 

“Oh my god. You were one of the accidentally exposed?” Miss Maximoff says sadly. 

“Yes.” You nod. 

“Your husband?” She asks.

“He was not an Inhuman.” You look away for a minute to compose yourself. The loss of Charlie was still painful. You swallow and continue, “I, however, am. I emerged from the chrysalis with the ability to understand any vocal communication.”

“You mean verbal communication?” Dr. Banner says. 

“No, I mean vocal. A dog barks and I know what it’s communicating, not exact words but the meaning. Eventually after hearing any human language for a time I can speak it also. I was fluent in English and Spanish before, but since I’ve become fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese, and I have working knowledge of a few others. I’m basically a universal translator.”

Agent Romanoff speaks then in Russian “You can understand anything said to you even if you don’t know the language?”

“That’s correct. I actually don’t know any Russian. If you could speak it to me when we talk I’ll pick it up eventually. If any of you know other languages, it would be helpful for me to learn to speak them.”

“I would be happy to help you with Sokovian.” Miss Maximoff says in her language. 

“Thank you. I’m grateful for whatever I can learn.” You smile at her. 

“And that’s it? You can’t go back to your life because you can understand what everyone says?” Mr. Stark snarks. 

“No. With being Inhuman comes additional strength and stamina, my gifts also include increased hearing and I can, um, warg for lack of a better term.” You give a half shrug. 

“Warg? Like embody animals?” Agent Barton says. 

“Yes. I can see, hear, feel through them. I have a Red-tailed Hawk who I’ve built a relationship with. I use her often to train.”

“Where is she?” Agent Barton asks. 

You warg into her for a moment turning your eyes yellow as the hawks. “She’s in a dogwood tree on the north side of the compound.”

“Did you just…?” Agent Barton raises his eyebrows.

“Yes.” Turning back to Mr. Stark you say, “To answer your questions, Mr. Stark, the combination of my Inhuman abilities with the fact that I am a black belt in Krav Maga and Karate, an expert level climber, and a computer programmer put me in the threat category.”

“Programmer?” Mr. Stark smirks, “You mean hacker?”

“No. I mean programmer. I was not a part of anything clandestine… Until SHIELD.” you roll your eyes and a few of the team chuckled. “I could already kill someone with my bare hands, add in extra strength.” You shrug again. “Anyway, I’ve spent the last six months training with another Inhuman to hone my skills. They needed the full team to be field ready and Fury decided to move me here.”

“What are you lacking for field readiness?” Captain Rogers asks. 

“Firearms training mostly.” You reply. “I have control of my abilities. My hand to hand is more than sufficient.”

“Do you have any experience with firearms?” Sergeant Barnes asks. 

“Kinda why I got a black belt in Krav Maga and Karate was hoping to never need one. And if I do, I’ll take one.”

“Family?” Captain Rogers asks.

You shake your head, “My mom died when I was three. My dad raised me. He was a Coast Guard pilot. Died five years ago in a helicopter crash.”

“I’m sorry.” He says sincerely. 

“Thanks. Any other questions? Anybody?” You look around the table. 

“I think you’ve given us enough for now. Do you have bags or boxes we can help you move into a room?” Captain Rogers asks. 

“Just those two. I’ve got them.” You pick up the large duffle and backpack. 

“Why don’t you take an hour to settle in and then we’ll meet to start training.” 

You nod, a little surprised he wants to start training so soon. 

“I’ll show you to your room.” Miss Maximoff says. “Where’s she going?” she asks the Captain. 

You see a cloud come over Captain Roger’s face for a moment before he says, “There’s a free room on my end.”

You realize he was trying to figure out where to put you and decided to keep the newbie nearby. You didn’t mind. 

“Thank you.” You say to Captain Rogers and you nod to the rest of the team before you follow Miss Maximoff. “Thank you for showing me to the room, Miss Maximoff.”

Wanda giggles, “You can call me Wanda.”

“Thanks. Please call me (Y/N). And I thought you were gonna speak Sokovian to me?” You give her a small smile as you walk to the elevator. 

“Oh, of course.” She says in Sokovian while hitting the elevator button. 

“I wonder how good her hearing is.” You hear the whisper in the conference room. 

“Good enough I can hear you from out here, Agent Barton.” You call back and grin at Wanda. 

“Thanks!” He calls back. 

“Not so loud! Geez” You and Wanda giggle together as you get on the elevator. 

“What did he say? I couldn’t hear anything from where we were.” Wanda asks. 

“Oh, he just wondered how good my hearing is.” 

“Is it really sensitive?” 

“Yeah. I have to sleep with earplugs and I wear headphones a lot to block some of it out. It’s taken a while to get used to it. At first, it was super overwhelming.”

“I understand. It was very brave the way you told everyone what happened to you.” 

“Seemed fair. I got the chance to read all of your files, so I know about everyone else.”

“Here we are. Do you want help unpacking? I can stick around for a little bit.”

“It’s okay. You don’t need to do that. I’ll see you at training?”

“Yes, I’ll be there. If you need anything ask FRIDAY she can direct you where you need to go and answer your questions.” Wanda waves as she leaves you alone in the room. 

The room is nicer than what you expected. A queen bed, desk, bookshelves, tv, walk in closet, and your own bathroom. You would definitely need to go to a store soon to pick up a few things. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be a problem with Captain Rogers. You empty your duffle bag, put your clothes away, and place your toiletries in the bathroom. You unwrap the two framed pictures and place them on your desk. One is you and Charlie smiling in a waterfall grotto after a long hike. The other is your wedding day, you in a short lace dress, him in a white button down and khaki pants, with the sun setting behind you on the beach just after you said your vows. You gently touch the photo, “Love you, Charlie.” you whisper. 

You decide to change and head to wherever training would be. You stop at the panel by your door, "Uh, FRI...FRIDAY?"

"How may I be of assistance, Ms. (L/N)?"

"Where would I go to meet the others for training?"

"The training room is located on the first floor." She says as she flashes a map up. 

"Thank you." You feel kind of sheepish talking to the AI. 

Once in the training room you look around at the well equipped room. Every type of weights, machines, a boxing ring, mats, weapon lockers, and even a rock climbing wall you saw with excitement. Looking up at the ceiling you see it's criss crossed with beams and you get a wicked idea. You grab a climbing rope hanging down at one end of the room and shimmy up it quickly. You're able to swing yourself to the beam fairly easily from there and then walk the beams towards the entrance to the room. You take a seat with your back to a joist and stretch your legs out in front of you. It's not long before Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes come in together.

"Wonder if she’s as skilled as it sounds.” Sergeant Barnes says. 

“Black belts in karate and krav maga? I’m sure she has some skills but getting her to Avenger status may be a challenge.” Captain Rogers says. 

“Guess the question is, is she up for it?” Sergeant Barnes scoffs. 

“I certainly plan to try, Sergeant.” You say from your perch. 

“What the hell?” Sergeant Barnes looks up at you and you give a little wave.

“What are you doing up there, (Y/N)?” Captain Rogers says. 

“Waiting.” You say simply. 

“You felt the need to do that twenty feet in the air?” Captain Rogers scoffs.

You shrug, “Felt like climbing.” Getting up, you walk along the beams. 

“Can you come down, please?” Sergeant Barnes says. 

“Sure.” You walk back towards the climbing rope, once close enough you jump to it, and slide down. 

Sergeant Barnes is right next to you when you turn around, “What would have happened if you’d fallen?” 

“It’d hurt,” you say and look up to the beams, “A lot.”

“Might want to reconsider using the beams as a waiting room.” He snarks. 

“Nah, I like being up high. I’m pretty sure-footed.” You look back to his face and he is scowling down at you. “What?”

“Nothing.”  He says, “I’ll take that to mean you're warmed up. Let’s do some sparring and see how you do.”

“Okay.” 

You follow him to the mat. Captain Rogers is standing to the side watching. You take stance and Sergeant Barnes begins. You can tell he is holding back and you go harder at him. After sparring with Melinda May for months you weren’t about to let him patronize you. You were holding your own and noticed the rest of the team filtering in and watching. He grabbed your arm and you used the leverage to jump up, throw your legs around his neck, and  throw him to the ground. He rolled to his feet immediately and came right back at you. After a few more minutes, Captain Rogers called out, “Alright. Let’s switch it up.” You stopped but kept your eyes on Sergeant Barnes until he retreated. 

“Not bad.” Sergeant Barnes says to Captain. 

“Natasha.” Captain Rogers looks at her and she nods. 

“Agent Romanoff.” You incline your head to her as she approaches. 

“Natasha’s fine.” She smiles. 

“(Y/N). Thanks.” You smile back and Natasha throws the first punch. You manage to hold your own for a while but in the end Natasha managed to pin you to the mat. 

“Well done.” Natasha says. 

“Not well enough.” You say with a mirthless chuckle. 

“Who or what is next, Captain?” You say looking at the super soldier. 

He looks over to Sergeant Barnes, “Bucky, can you take her to the range and gauge her abilities there?”

“Sure.” He eyes you and then makes a motion for you to follow. 

As you walk out of the training room and turn down a hallway towards the range, you say to him, “I don’t have a lot of experience with guns, Sergeant Barnes.”

“Bucky.”

“What?”

“Call me Bucky.”

“Okay. I don’t have a lot of experience with guns, Bucky. I’ve shot a few times, but the last year has really been about my abilities and honing hand to hand.”

“Well, we’ll see what we have to work with and go from there.” Bucky says as he holds the door to the range open for you. You slip in past him and watch as he goes to the locker and pulls out a Glock, a clip, and a box of ammo. He then sets it all down in front of you with protective gear and stands back with arms crossed. 

You reign in a smirk at his demeanor. He really is testing you. You pick up the clip, add the ammo, load and cock the gun. Clicking the safety into place, you put the protective gear on, pick the gun back up, and move to aim at the target. You take the safety off, aim, and fire. When you’ve emptied the clip, you set the gun down and turn to Bucky while removing the headphones. “It’s still loud even through these things.” 

Bucky actually chuckles and hits the button to bring the target up for inspection. “You at least know how to load and shoot, but your aim needs work.”

While you had hit the target with each bullet, the rounds were dispersed throughout the torso. Yeah, your aim was lacking. 

"Yup. Want me to go again?" 

"No, just trying to get an idea." He gives you a tight smile that you return. 

When you return to the training room, Captain Rogers takes you through a workout and then brings you a bottle of water. "Good work today."

"Thanks, Captain. I know it was awkward having me sprung on you." 

"You can call me Steve. We all go by first names around here." He says.

"My, uh, my dad always required I called people by their title until invited otherwise. Old habits." You shrug.

"Yeah, I get it. Go get some rest and I'll show you around later."

"That would be great. Thanks." 

An hour later you had showered and changed. You went to the common room to see if Captain Rogers, erm, Steve was around for the tour he had offered. Sam Wilson looked up from the couch. 

“Hey, newbie.” He smiles. 

“Hello.”

”I’m Sam. So, you have a hawk friend? What’s its name?”

“Doesn’t really have an English translation. It’s kind of a mix between a squawk and screech so I just call her Redtail.” You say. 

“I’m trying to figure out if you're kidding.” Sam eyes you. 

“The first part, yeah. But I really do call her Redtail.” You smirk.

“So, you can… what did you call it?”

“Warg. Warging.” You say. 

“You can warg into her anytime you want?”

“Generally. I try to be respectful of her. She’s not a pet. She’s a companion that has chosen to befriend me and allow me to use her. Would you like to meet her later?” 

“Yeah. That would be cool.” Sam smiles. 

“(Y/N).” Steve strides into the room. 

“Captain. Sorry. Steve.” You give him a small smile. 

“Ready to take a tour?” He asks. 

“Yes, thank you. Would you care to join us, Sam?”

“I’m good, but don’t forget about introducing me to Redtail.” Sam says from his spot on the couch. 

“You got it.” You say as you go to follow Steve. 

“Redtail?” Steve asks.

“The hawk I mentioned.” You say. 

Steve shows you around the compound, explains FRIDAY’s functions, and talks a little bit about the team. He’s very kind through the whole process but you can tell he has some concerns about you becoming part of the team. 

“Steve, can I ask you something?” You finally work up the courage to say.

“Yeah.”  He turns to look at you. 

“How does everyone feel about me being dropped on you? There’s bound to be some resentment.”

“I wouldn’t say resentment. Everyone’s just a bit guarded when it comes to new people. You must have done something right for Fury to put you here, though. Most of them know that.”

“Any helpful hints?”

“They’re all good people. Just give them time. They’ll warm up. And, seriously, don’t ever steal Natasha’s cookies.” He says. 

You laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind. Would you like to meet Redtail?”

“That’d be great.” 

“FRIDAY, will you let Sam know to meet us at the North entrance?” 

“Getting used to FRIDAY already, huh?” Steve smiles.

“I can see how useful she is.”

A few minutes later Sam appears with Bucky following behind. 

“Hey Buck.” Steve greets, “Wanted to meet Redtail, too?”

“Uh, yeah, if that’s okay, (Y/N)?” Bucky asks.

“Sure.” You give a small smile and head outside. “Gimme about 15 feet of space, guys. Don’t want to scare her.”

The guys move back as asked and you put your hands around your mouth and let out a loud “CAW CAW!” You look back at the bewildered expressions of the three and start laughing. “Just kidding. Sorry I couldn’t resist.” They all chuckle. 

You reach in your back pocket and pull out a falconry glove. Slipping it on, you warg into Redtail turning your eyes yellow and ask her to come to you. Redtail makes a graceful arc from the dogwood tree she had been resting in and landed on your upheld hand. “Hello there, sweet girl. How do you like your new spot?” Redtail looks at you tilting her head. 

“Does she understand you?” Sam asks.

“No, we can communicate when I warg, but it’s more like an exchange of images than it is talking.” You warg for a moment to ask Redtail if she can bring her closer to the three curious men and once you receive her consent you release the warg. “I’m going to bring her closer but please keep your hands down, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” Steve says. 

“So, she’s your pet?” Bucky asks as you walk closer. 

“No, I don't take care of her. She’s not my pet. She’s my companion, my friend.” You say petting the bird's chest. “Would you like to pet her?”

Bucky nods and you take his right hand in yours and bring it up to Redtail’s chest allowing him to pet her. She makes a small chittering sound and you smile at Bucky, “She likes you.” He smiles sweetly. 

You move to Sam next and Redtail immediately starts chittering again. You take Sam’s hand and bring it up to her chest like you did with Bucky. Redtail leans into Sam’s hand and tilts her head back and forth studying him. She starts to reach a claw out to move to his hand but you warg to her and show her her talons tearing his skin. “Wow, she really likes you. I guess she sees a fellow bird.” You laugh.

“I do have a way with the ladies.” Sam grins. 

You move to Steve last and allow him to pet Redtail. When you look at him he’s grinning and you can’t help but smile at the reactions each of the guys had to her. You look at Redtail, “Thank you, my friend.” You lift your arm in the air and she takes flight. 

“She’s beautiful.” Steve says. 

“Yeah, she is. I’m so grateful for how she’s stuck with me. I try to always give her the respect she deserves.” You say. 

“So, you warg into her just whenever you want?” Bucky asks.

“I can. I usually warg into her and ask her permission. She’s rarely denied me. She was always curious about humans and she feels safe with me, but she’s still a wild animal and I don’t want her to lose that. I want her to always be free, ya know?”

“Yeah, I get it.” Bucky says with a smile. 

“Why don’t we head in and find some dinner?” Steve suggests. 

“Sounds good to me. I’m starving.” Sam says. 

As you walk in, you remember you have no food here and need to go to a store. “Hey Steve. Is there a vehicle I can use?”

“What for?” He asks. 

“My grand escape plan.” You deadpan, “I’d like to go to a store and pick up a few things. Or am I confined to the compound?”

“No, of course not. You can use the SUV in the garage. Keys are in the locker. Scan your thumb to access it.” Steve says. 

“Great. Thanks. You guys need anything?”

A round of no’s from them, you head to the store to pick up some essentials and food. The rest of the night is spent settling in.

Part 2

Masterlist

[sanshinexx]

— of windy evenings and everlasting promises

It was an evening like any other. The setting sun had painted the horizon with different shades of red and orange, and the fallen leaves swirled and danced around in the rising wind. Phil was absently frying eggs on the stove, his mind running through the events of the day when the front door opened. Phil instinctively turned his head toward the direction of the door, although he couldn't see it from around the kitchen corner. He could only hear the wind howling outside and the small footsteps that rapidly marched inside the warmth of the house.

“Techno? That you?” Phil called out, turning back to his eggs and expecting to hear his eldest son’s gruff voice answering him. When that answer never came, Phil glanced back in the direction of the hallway.

“Techno?” Phil repeated, now a little confused.

It wasn’t Techno. Instead, his second, now five years old son Wilbur appeared around the corner, his gaze fixed on the floor. 

“Will?” Phil asked, surprised. “I thought you were in bed already. What are y-” He stopped in the middle of his sentence. Wilbur had raised his gaze from the floor and was now staring at his father with wide, teary eyes.

“Dad…?” He said in a small, shaky voice. 

Phil looked taken aback by the young boy’s appearance. His clothes were torn and partly soaked with mud. His hair was a mess, his face bruised and scratched. It looked like his arms and knees were even bleeding. Despite his shock, Phil managed to form a response.

“Will?”’ He said again. When Wilbur sniffed quietly but didn’t answer, Phil abandoned his frying eggs and went to kneel in front of the small boy. “What happened?”

Wilbur looked hesitant for a moment, as if pondering whether to tell the truth or not. After a moment his expression changed from thoughtful to miserable. “Dad, am I a bad guy?” He blurted out and looked like he instantly regretted it. 

Phil blinked and looked at his son’s teary face, clearly horrified. The black feathered wings on his back fluttered slightly as a response to his roaring emotions. “Who told you that?” He asked slowly.

“It was…” Wilbur looked hesitant once again, but then seemed to decide that he might as well tell the whole story since he had already begun. “It was Dream and, uh, the other kids. We were… playing ‘Kingdom’ again... you know, the game we came up with, some time ago?”

Phil nodded in understanding. Wilbur swallowed, sniffed again, and went on with his story. “They… they made me be the bad guy, again. I got angry and told them that I was already the bad guy last time and that I didn’t wanna be the villain again. But they said that it’s the only part I’m good at and that all the other roles are already taken. So they wouldn’t let me change it.” He finished and angrily wiped a couple of tears that had escaped his eyes off his cheeks. Phil wondered what might be the most efficient way to murder a couple of children.

“Why do I always have to be the bad guy?” Wilbur asked miserably and turned his broken-hearted gaze at his very upset-looking father. Phil sighed shakily and suddenly felt much older than he really was. He tiredly ran his left hand down his face in an attempt to contain the anger he felt towards the idiotic kids who had dared to hurt his son in such way. He closed his eyes and stayed silent for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Will, remember what your mother used to say?”

Wilbur startled a little and looked at Phil with wide eyes: he usually didn’t talk about their late mother. Even after all the years gone by, it was still a sore topic for Phil to talk about, for the grief never diminished. “... Yeah?” Wilbur answered uncertainly. 

Phil opened his eyes and locked them with Wilbur with newfound certainty. “‘You get to write your own story.’” He smiled fondly. “You get to choose the part you want to play, and no one else can change that. Okay?”

“... Okay”, Wilbur whispered.

Phil smiled again and spread his arms wide open. ‘’C’mere.”

Wilbur threw himself into the hug, and as the strong, loving arms of his father closed around him, he felt the corners of his mouth turn slightly upwards. Phil gently wrapped his wings protectively around the two of them, shutting out the rest of the world. The world that could be so vile and unforgiving toward its people, but also full of such beauty and wondrous things.

“Did you know that people used to call me the bad guy as well?” He asked in a low voice after a few minutes had passed in comfortable silence. Wilbur rapidly bolted away from the warmth of his father’s chest to stare at him in the eyes, clearly shocked and mouth hanging wide open. The sight seemed to amuse Phil, for grinned widely before continuing. 

“Now, don’t look so shocked”, he chuckled, “what else would you expect from a guy with wings like these?”

It was a fair point. Because as it was, Phil did indeed have two enormous wings sticking out of his back, from right between the shoulder blades. They were black as soot, but he carried them with pride and would always take good care of them. For those who didn’t know him, the wings struck them with fear and the feathers acted as a silent threat for those who would dare to oppose him.

But for those who he knew and held close, the wings were an emblem of strength and safety, the soft feathers carrying a certain promise of warm hugs and comfort within themselves. Which is exactly why Wilbur now looked so confused. Phil just kept affectionately gazing at him with a smile on his lips.

“People used to fear me because of my wings. They thought I was a demon sent from the underworld, or, I don’t know, something else just as silly. Some would even call me Lucifer, and thought I’d come on earth to bring destruction to all its inhabitants.” Phil looked like the thought was very amusing to him. “They used to call me ‘The Angel of Death’,” he chuckled. Wilbur, however, didn’t seem to find this funny and looked even more frantic and wide-eyed than before.

“But that’s stupid!” Wilbur cried, sounding almost offended for his father’s sake. “You… you aren’t a bad guy! Or… or Lucifer!’’ He went on, now agitated. 

“Yes, yes, I know”, Phil reassured him. “But do you see what I’m trying to teach ya here?”

Judging by the boy’s expression, Phil assumed the answer to be a ‘no’. He sighed again, and the tired look flashed on his face again for a small moment, before a defiant expression took its place.

“Will, you can’t let other people define you. They don’t know who you really are, and they don’t get to decide what part or role fits you the best. That”, He poked his finger at Wilbur’s chest, “is all up to you.’’ The smile had fallen from Phil’s lips, but the fond look still persistently lingered in his eyes. 

“And I want you to know that no matter what part you choose for yourself, I will always be proud of you. Just remember that”, Phil finished and grabbed Wilbur, who looked like he was about to start crying again, back in his arms.

Wilbur stayed quiet for a long while but eventually managed to get the one final question out of his mouth.

“Promise?” He breathed in an oddly squeaky and high-pitched voice. Phil smiled.

“I promise.”

.

.

.

It was an evening like any other. The biting wind was blowing somewhere afar, its mourning song echoing along the walls of the murky tunnel. 

A lanky figure of a young man took shape in the middle of the dimly lit underground room.

Wilbur stared hollowly at the small wooden button in front of him. The sound of his friends and companions celebrating could faintly be heard from somewhere outside, as if they lived and existed in another world of their own. A world where the war was over, where they could finally be happy.

How could they be so stupid, so naive? thought the man bitterly. Why should they celebrate and live happily ever after, when he was left suffering. Why couldn’t they understand? The man laughed. Nay, this story didn’t have a happy ending. He supposed happy endings didn’t exist for people like him.

“This is it, father”, the young man whispered. And that was it. His last confession, his last atonement, which only the empty walls were there to receive. The calm before the storm had passed, and all that remained was him, the cold room, and the wooden button.

“This is the story I have written.”

He took a step forward.

“This is the path I have chosen.”

Another step.

“I wonder…”

He smiled.

“Does that promise still stand?”

And all that remained was the ringing in his ears, the scorching heat of the explosion, the screams of agony echoing across the land of once very big and not blown up L’manburg.

His story, his great unfinished symphony,

now forever incomplete.

.

.

.

It was a night like any other. Except it wasn’t. The wind had long since died down and the sound of rain had overtaken the smoking land. Soil and rocks occasionally fell from the roof of the secluded underground room, which now had a gaping hole where there had been a wall just moments ago. The ground was wet. Falling from the sky, the water now had access to the room for the first time in forever, and it seemed to relish on the given opportunity. A couple of black feathers were laying on the ground, but no one seemed to notice nor care that the feathers were left lying there, soaked and forgotten.

There were many things amiss on that rainy night. A nation brought down to its knees, its people left without a home, hopelessly gathering its broken forces. A young boy crying out for their lost friends, injured and afraid. The memory of a fallen tyrant, wiped out of everyone's mind in the midst of the chaos and the pain. A lone son, yet unaware of the knowledge it had just become an orphan.

A father, clutching the cold and frail body of his son in his strong and warm arms. The angel of death caring for a broken soul who so entreatingly sought for its company, for the comfort of eternal rest and peace.

A silent apology, a final goodbye, an everlasting promise.

A promise left unbroken.

[jokertrap-ran]

(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Main Story Chapter 3-3: 海水与火焰 Seawater & Flames Translation

“Secretly snapping shots of me again? What, was last time not enough?"

*Light and Night Master-list *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Join the Light & Night Discord (＾▽＾)~ ♪ *Main story tag will be #For Light and Night

The original plan for Lin Yao’s fitting session was postponed by her agency at the very last minute. After busying for a couple more days, the weekends were here in a blink of an eye.

Following Evan’s suggestion, I’d selected a new apartment that was small, but pretty good in every other aspect, and moved in without a hitch.

It was coincidentally sundown by the time I’d finished decorating my new home. The setting sun was lazily snuggled up high amongst the clouds that touched the building. Guangqi City was dyed in a beautiful pinkish-purple, assimilating into the very glow of the sunset itself.

I was nestled up comfortably on my sofa, admiring the beautiful scenery and enjoying the rare moment of peace.

Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang.

Delivery Man: Hello. Fresh flowers for you.

MC: ?

An’an had sent me a huge bouquet of baby's breath. It had a card attached to it, wishing me a smooth move into my new apartment.

❖☆———————————★❖

An'an: Got the flowers yet?

MC: Yeah! They're especially pretty~

An'an: You're welcome! But, seeing as you've already received them… I have a teeny-tiny request~

MC: Why do I have a bad feeling about this already…?

An'an: Aw, come on, man. Didn't I tell you that I was going to be interviewing my idol's race team next week?

An'an: It’s their test run tomorrow and it’s also a Sunday, so I’m asking you to come and check them out with me!

An'an: Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with a cherry on top? You know I love you best, baby!

MC: ...Fine.

An'an: I’ll send you the location later and see you at their training location at 10 AM tomorrow! Be there, or be square!

❖☆———————————★❖

Hence, I woke up early the next day due to the location being somewhere out in the outskirts of the city.

MC: Turn left at 998 Sunset Street and go straight till the end…

MC: Then you’ll see the Glitter Bullet race team's name… Oh, here it is.

A real race track was much more of a spectacular sight to behold compared to what I’d seen on television.

The long and winding race track was akin to that of a python’s body; so long that it seemed never-ending, surrounding a square plot of grass. The dark red tented fabric canopy bearing the team’s name stood right in the centre of the racetrack like an open umbrella.

❖☆———————————★❖

MC: What a spectacle…

Everything about the racetrack marvelled me, almost as if I’d accidentally stepped into a whole new world.

Training racecars raced past me, roaring as they went. The visceral heat and the deafening roars of the engines as they zipped past were so exciting that they made everyone's heart race.

I walked to the auditorium, finding a shaded area to sit.

Down at the tracks was what was probably a mock competition. The roaring of the racecars that zipped past was sometimes high-pitched, and sometimes low.

❖☆———————————★❖

The one at the head of them all was a red racecar that was both steady and equally speedy. After a couple of laps, it had firmly locked its place as No.1 on the racetrack.

I stared at the skull pattern on it. It looked really familiar…

I whipped out my phone and zoomed in on it using the camera and confirmed it. My eyes weren’t fooling me after all.

MC: The pattern on it looks exactly just like the pendant Osborn wears!

❖☆———————————★❖

Is that his racecar? As the thought flashed past my mind, I was compelled to raise my phone and press the button on the shutter.

Suddenly, a sharp sound rang out in the chaos of noise.

The yellow racecar that had been snapping at the red one’s heels the entire time had suddenly started accelerating, just like a lion that had just woken up, radiating an unstoppable and unrelenting aura as it went. It swerved with astonishing speed and a sharp screech of its tires, perfectly bypassing the bend in the road before swiftly overtaking the red racecar!

It was like a dash of gold light in the middle of a group, making everything in the surroundings lose out in comparison.

In a blink of an eye, that racecar put a huge distance between itself and the others.

MC: The red racecar got overtaken!

Only the last lap remained before this competition was over. I couldn't help gripping tightly to the railings as I silently rooted for the red racecar.

However, it was the yellow racecar that had been first to cross the finish line in the end.

MC: He still lost out…

I sighed, growing increasingly curious about just which godly being was behind the wheel of the yellow racecar.

MC: ...Osborn's so good at this; I wonder who won against him?

A tall and big figure came out of the yellow racecar, removing his helmet and reaching a hand up to somewhat fix his helmet-mussed hair.

MC: ...Osborn!? That red racecar isn't being driven by him!?

❖☆———————————★❖

It was at that moment that my phone vibrated to life.

An'an: I needa tell you something very important… Please don't smack me!

An'an: A last-minute issue cropped up with the latest issue of the magazine I'm on, so I've got to rush back to the publishing company right now...

MC: I'm… already here, though…

An'an: I'm so, so, sorry for making you go there for nothing…

MC: Don't worry about it. I don't have any plans for today anyway. Besides, I just saw their test run.

An'an: For real!? Did you snap any pics of my idol? Can you send them to me!?

MC: Sure thing. I snapped one aplenty…

Suddenly, I recalled the big, horrid, and terrible screw-up that had transpired earlier. My voice had never died that quickly right then and there. Not only did I fail to get a single shot of her idol, but I'd also taken pictures of EVERYTHING but him.

MC: ...Err, I'll snap a couple more and send them all to you later.

An'an: You're really the bestest bestie! Gotta go, the editor-in-chief's after my arse. Bye bye~

After hanging up, I immediately fell into a moment of depression as I stared at the stream of pictures of the red racecar in the gallery. Is there a second mock competition, by any chance? Otherwise, how am I going to explain this to her…?

??: And whose fangirl is this? What are you squatting here for?

MC: !

The sudden voice that came out of nowhere startled me. I shot up immediately only to meet a pair of eyes that had been half-narrowed into a smile.

I didn't know when he came here, but Osborn was now standing by my side. There he stood under the dazzling sunlight with both hands in his pockets, leaning lazily against the railings with his eyebrows raised.

I felt a little light-headed. Perhaps it was because I had my head down for too long and had gotten up way too quickly, but I abruptly stumbled two steps backwards.

He grabbed onto my arm with a small chuckle.

MC: ...Thanks.

Osborn: Secretly snapping shots of me again? What, was last time not enough?

He leaned down, his gaze landing on the camera interface that was still open on my phone, the smile playing at his lips never once falling.

MC: As if! I’m helping my friend take some pictures. She needs to use it for her interviews!

Osborn: Oh? So what did you take?

MC: Uh, well…

MC: I just casually snapped a couple of pictures of things like your racecar and… the red one… and all…

Osborn: Really? Then what do you think of my driving?

MC: Amazing! Never thought that you'd clinch first in the end like that!

MC: You drove fast and furious during the last lap, but you were also very steady at the wheel! And the part where you finally overtook your opponent at the very last moment was also way too brilliant!

Osborn: Then why'd you only take photos of one who came in 2nd?

I froze. That was when it finally hit me that he'd already seen the camera interface that had been on my phone display earlier.

Osborn causally folded his arms, awaiting my answer with a playful look on his face.

I could only look to the side ever so awkwardly, softly muttering in response.

MC: Because they were leading at the start, so I thought…

MC: Plus, the skull pattern that was on it was just like your pendant, so that's why I...

Osborn was stunned for a while before he let out a laugh.

Osborn: That was the pattern for the last season.

Osborn: I never knew that you'd done your research on me that well.

There was an obvious teasing lilt to his voice. I flushed red, immediately snapping in denial.

MC: I only take extra notice when it comes to patterns! I blame my work habits!

MC: Who told you to be so slow at the start…

Utterly amused, Osborn narrowed his eyes into a smile, leaning down towards me.

Osborn: Do you know that you should never say "slow" to a racer?

MC: ……

I subconsciously shook my head. Osborn nodded moments after he'd leaned in closer.

Osborn: Boy, you sure are easy to intimidate.

Moments after he backed away, he casually placed his hands into his pockets, his smile growing bigger.

Osborn: Come on.

MC:

...Where to?

Osborn: Don't you wanna snap some shots? I'll lead the way.

❖☆————— ⊹ For Light & Night⊹ —————★❖

Previous Part: (Chapter 3-1) | Next Part: (Chapter 3-5)

[obnoxiouslylongandboring]

My Tunnels Are Long and Dark These Days

Featuring snapshots of the three most important road trips in Zemo and John's journey of working together.

To love is to pretend, don't try to love yourself again That is the worst kind of pain We're not those kinds of freaks, amen We're a different sort of breed of men

KARAKORAM HIGHWAY, CHINA-PAKISTAN

Zemo sat slouching in his seat, one hand hanging out the window of the truck, another draped on the steering wheel. The road stretched out in front of them, disappearing into the shadows of the mountains and forests. The sun was not up yet, it was early morning. 5AM, where no one rose out of bed but the office workers, the labourers, the soldiers coming out of their blanket shells. And where no one entered into slumber but the gravediggers, the night-shifters, the soldiers retreating into their blanket shells. The truck had been trotting along the road for hours, a small brown beetle with its headlights shining pale yellow, framing the one-meter radius ahead of it. Twenty-four hours ago had been when they first kicked the ignition into its churn in the region of Kashgar (a former trading town along the Silk Road), and when the prospects of a proper ceramic toilet had bit the dust. Twenty-four hours come and gone, with Zemo quietly helming the operation.

From Kashgar, they had traveled to Karakul under the cover of night, a journey that had taken them six hours. There had been no scenery of note but white moonlight glinting off the peaks of the two tall snowy mountains, Muztagh Ata and Mount Kongur. The shimmering scales of the Karakul lake had enraptured Zemo for hours, greeting him whenever a sharp jolt in the road woke him from his slumber.

And now, after resting a few hours at a local abode, they continued on to Tashkurgan, where from there they would go right into the borders of Pakistan.

A small muffled sound came from the lump beside him. “What’s the situation?” John mumbled blearily, poking his head through the covers. Zemo cast him a sideline glance, frowning at his sleep-mussed hair and squinted eyes. “It’s not your turn yet.”

With a snort, John closed his eyes again and rolled over, facing away from Zemo. He settled into another deep sleep.

A big, military-looking truck drove by them, momentarily blinding Zemo with its headlights. Heartbeat quickened in his chest, Zemo sat up straighter and observed the truck through the rearview mirror, hoping for its retreat. He glanced quickly towards his small driving compartment, doing a mental catalog of the materials there: a driver’s license, a forged visa to pass the border customs, fake passports with cover identities for himself and Walker… good, very good. All according to plan. Zemo rolled down the windows of his truck slightly, listening intently. The roar of the military truck did not fade into a distant hum. Instead, there was the screech of tires and the sudden whirring which indicated only one thing- Walker had better practiced the cover story that Zemo told him to, or the ensuing events would be catastrophic.

The urgent, piercing honking behind them startled John into wakefulness. He bolted up, then as if realizing that there was nowhere to go, settled back gingerly into his seat. “Zemo…”

Zemo tightened his grip on the wheels. Flexed his knuckles once, twice. Gently, as if petting a startled cat, rolled the ball of his foot over the brakes. “Anderson, don’t panic,” he says with practiced calm. “Remember what we rehearsed?”

“Yeah, Niki,” John replies. Though his face was carefully composed, the telltale twitching of his leg told Zemo otherwise.

All John had to do as Anderson was play the part of a slightly confused USA diplomat, heading from China to Pakistan over some matters of a proposed trade deal. Niki was to be his driver and translator, a man who had been an exchange student in China briefly where he picked up some basic Mandarin. Zemo had learned barely enough to get the both of them through a ten, fifteen-minute exchange. For the rest of his persuasion, he’d have to rely on the forged documents and the facade of confidence. If all went well, they would be sent on their merry way very quickly, and deliver all eight billion dollars worth of SHIELD information straight into the hands of Contessa. Of course, Zemo had taken an innocent, ‘accidental’ look at the confidential information, and deemed it useless enough to give to the woman. If it were anything that he found potentially dangerous, he would dispose of it immediately. Dry kindling could turn into a wildfire in Contessa’s hands, and that was the kind of risk he would never take.

“Stay calm. I will settle it quickly. The officers don’t want to make a big deal out of this either- we will be on our way soon,” he hissed to John as soon as he heard the crunch of boots on the tarmac.

Zemo rolled his window down to the silhouette of a heavily-clad soldier, who was covered head to toe in military gear. His eyes seemed to be narrowed, whether it was from suspicion or simply fatigue.

“有签证吗？” (Do you have a visa?)

“有。” (Yes.) Zemo reached into the compartment and retrieved the documents. The soldier took a quick look at them via the torchlight and passed it back to him. Then, tipping his chin at John- “他是你的朋友？” (Is he your friend?)

“他是我的老板。” (He's my boss.) Zemo struggled to recall the words for a moment. “我帮他翻译。” (I help him to translate.)

“对于游客来说，这时间挺早的。你们从卡拉库尔来的？” (This time of day is quite early for a tourist to be travelling. Are you coming from Karakul?)

Zemo blinked, processing the words. “可以…重复吗？” (Can you... repeat that?)

The guard sighed, then said slowly- “你们从，卡拉库尔，来? ” (You came, from, Karakul?)

The pieces slot into place in his head. 卡拉库尔 - Karakul. You… from… you came from Karakul.

“对，对。抱歉，我的华文不好。” (Yes, yes. Apologies, my mandarin isn't good.)

The guard laughed, but there was no condescension or meanness in it. “对于老外来说，发音挺好。” (For a foreigner, your pronunciation is pretty good.)

He continues, “好，好，谢谢。打扰你了。不多说了，你们走吧。” (Yes, yes, thank you. Sorry for the disturbance, you can go.)

Zemo, displaying the kindest smile he could, nodded and bade the man farewell. He turned off the lights in the car and smirked, knowing John could see it- This is how a professional works.

Another voice rang out, different from the one earlier. “先别走。” (Don't go yet.)

Zemo’s foot froze at the pedal. John’s expression was one of pure confusion and panic, his calmness now barely held together. Through the conversation earlier, Zemo had already sensed him vibrating with stagnant energy, and now it was manifesting in dangerous, careless ways. Zemo quickly reached out to touch John shoulder and calm him down- he's learnt that the other man responded best to physical contact, something he himself detested.

John’s wild gaze lifted to a point above his shoulder and lingered there.

The sharp rapping at the glass behind him are like bullets to his ears.

Zemo turns around, “为何…” (Why...)

His voice died in his throat. Standing there outside the car, equally shocked- Karlen Constantine.

Zemo could recognize that face anywhere. The rounded jaw, the brittle mouth, and that hateful, hateful look in his eyes.

The same look he gave when Zemo framed him for murder and left a two-million-dollar bounty on his head in Madripoor. Eight years ago.

Zemo takes quick stock of the situation. Judging by Constantine’s badges- high ranking. Heavily armed. A long, long road ahead of them. Walker has no shield, not yet. That was still in the process of being manufactured in Romania. Car chases weren’t an option. Evasion wasn’t an option. Anything other than negotiation would lead to their death. Zemo swallowed the saliva that rested heavily on his tongue.

“Karlen, please,” he says. John inhaled loudly behind him, he ignored it.

“You son of a bitch,” Karlen laughed gleefully. “Oh, this has made my day. I’m going to enjoy this.”

“What the fuck is going on, Zemo?” John snarled, ditching the pseudonym. He knew the game was up, the only question was how they were going to get out of this situation.

“Karlen, I’m invaluable to you,” Zemo continues carefully. His heart is pounding wildly in his chest, and it’s taking every iota of energy in him to keep his voice steady, to prevent the wave of panic from engulfing his mind. Any wrong word, any wrong move, and he would be dead within minutes. The car was bulletproof, but at such close range… with a shotgun, no less… Zemo knew the specs of the glass well, but he loathed taking risks. “I can-”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Karlen screamed, spittle hitting the glass. “Both of you, get the fuck out. Hands where I can see them. Slowly. Fucking do it slowly, or I’ll blow a hole in your leg.”

With steady breaths, Zemo complied. He could feel the adrenaline rushing up to his brain, reducing everything to a frantic pulsing in his muscles, the instinctual urge to run or fight. He got out of the car, hands raised to his shoulders, holding John’s gaze steady- don’t do anything rash. Follow my lead. And surprisingly, John did. He followed without a single word of protest, even though Zemo knew he was aching to throw a punch, to smash his fist into someone’s temple, or feel the satisfying recoil of a gun vibrating against his bones.

Zemo felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed between his eyes, at the same time that John jolted forward and cried, “No!”

“Don’t FUCKING move!” Karlen roared again, clicking off the safety. “Stay where you are or I’ll fucking kill him. Zemo, he answers to you, right? Tell him.”

Zemo glanced away to catch John’s horrified stare before his head was painfully yanked back by the roots of his hair. “Hey. Eyes on me. What did I say?”

“John, don’t move,” Zemo said slowly, grimacing as Karlen’s grip tightened.

“Now kneel.”

Zemo complied, breathing heavily. He could feel the fur of his jacket sticking to the back of his neck, and how hot his entire body felt, alight with energy. The aching of his scalp and knees had faded into a dull buzzing, overtaken by the hyperawareness of Karlen, his every movement, and Walker’s unyielding presence at his back.

As if sensing the same, Walker leaned forward carefully to place himself in Zemo's peripheral vision, discreet enough that Karlen wouldn't notice.

"Three years. Three years, I had to run and run and run. All because you stabbed me in the back, like the fucking coward you are. We were friends, but that didn't mean shit to you, did it? I'm glad your fucking wife and kids died. I hope they suffered. Oh yeah, I hope they screamed. I'm going to make this very painful for you too, Zemo."

Zemo's hands were trembling with the force of keeping them from Karlan's throat. It was taking everything he had to restrain himself. He tipped his chin up, looked straight into the matching pair of hateful eyes, and spat at Karlen's feet. "Fuck you."

It barely sounded like his own voice. The hate was thick sewer sludge, bubbling past the broken glass in his throat. A blinding burst of red splattered across his vision- Zemo flinched from the force at which the rage slammed into his mind. I will kill you. I will peel your skin from your bones, bit by bit. You're going to be screaming like a pig by the time I'm done. Constantine, you'll wish you were dead-

Karlen punched him so hard his entire body collapses to the side. Zemo tasted blood on his tongue, and god, it was pouring out of his nose. It wasn't broken, however- he turned his head just in time to prevent that. The lights look blurry- his eyes were watering.

Another kick connected with his stomach and Zemo cried out in pain, curling up into a ball.

Stop, stop, fucking stop, someone was shouting. When his head finally stopped ringing, he realised that it was John.

"You're friends with this guy?" Karlen laughed. "Oh, come on. He's just going to stab you in the back too. In fact, I'm sure he's already plotted multiple ways to kill you or fuck you up."

"He's tried," John laughed mirthlessly. His voice dropped into a low growl, a voice meant for spilling dirty little secrets- "Many, many times."

"And guess what, I'm still here. You aren't. A word of advice? Don't take yourself so seriously. You don't mean shit to him if you can't keep yourself around," John continued.

Zemo struggled to push himself back up, panting hard. He can't gather enough air to shout, stop talking. Those words laid like a brand against his skin, spelling out the name John Walker, a possessive claim.

I'm special, John Walker practically crowed.

And Zemo hated that he was right.

"If you like him so much, you can join him." Karlen laughed, raised his gun to John Walker, and fired.

He was fast.

John was faster.

The bullet buried itself harmlessly into the ground. The soldiers startle, reaching for their guns. One shot, Karlen's body dropped. The muffled thump launched Zemo's body into action. His fingers found a gun, and without blinking he whirled and pulled the trigger three times.

A few more shots rang out, and two more men are down.

Zemo swayed on his feet, but before he could collapse, there were strong arms around him, leading him to the car. He's shoved into it in a daze. John Walker entered through the other side, at the wheel.

"Shh. Shh. Hey. Hey, princess, look at me." A damp cloth was pressed into his hands, and he instinctively brought it up to his nose to staunch the bleeding. They're both breathing harshly from the fight. Gunpowder blue eyes stared back at him, brows furrowed. Light glanced off the mirror, staining John's hair a warm golden. Zemo was reminded of his vintage brass rulers, the beautiful old smell they had...

Wait. Light? He lifted his head to see the sunrise, then the time on the electronic clock. 6.05 AM. The tourist buses would be moving out soon, which meant-

"Drive," he whispered, and John kicked the car into high gear without a word.

"I'll text Contessa to put a roadblock on both sides and clear up the scene as quickly as possible. Once at Tashkurgan we'll leave the car, take the tourist bus, and blend in with the rest. I will arrange for Contessa to meet us earlier than was planned. When we arrive in Pakistan, we need to get past the border security. Even though we're compromised, this will not be risky. It's broad daylight and there are too many people at the border to cause a scene. The congestion will be in our favour. Clear?"

"Crystal."

"And the next time, I'll tell Contessa that travelling at night is a bad idea."

John frowned. "Hey, don't blame yourself. No one knew this was going to happen."

"We were nearly killed, John."

"Yeah, what's the big deal? Do you know how many times I've nearly been killed, Zemo? More than I could count. And trust me, this does not even come close." John laughs brightly. "We got outta there fine, yeah? Trust me. Not even close. It was a team effort."

Zemo looked down, and saw the slight quivering of his leg that John tried to hide. He dragged his eyes up to John's face, and recognised the tiny, near-imperceptible strain in his eyes... something you would not catch unless you were specifically looking for it.

You can be a really good liar if you tried, John.

"You're special to me, you know." the words came out in a rush, stumbling over one another. It sounded like a confession, and Zemo hated how it made his heart stutter, how his hands tingled, how the pain and the anger faded away into a schoolboy-nervousness.

The entire world, bottled down to a single response.

And he waited for an answer with bated breath, though he was uncertain of the question he had asked, if any at all.

My ending thoughts:

John Walker tells Zemo about love, like how a parent tells their child about the unobservable universe, about the untouched depths of the ocean, as if whispering: don't fear the unknown, for we'll explore it together.

Inspiration and images were taken from:

Zion National Park, United States (Utah)

Black Canyon of the Gunnison, United States (Colorado)

Trollstigen, Norway

Transfăgărășan road, Romania

Karakoram Highway, China-Pakistan

Images were taken from Google, not owned by me.

[chucklegigglechortlesnort]

“Levi’s”

👉👈 i wrote this a while ago and... it’s been sitting in my drafts for a few weeks bc i’m not really sure about it but i mean it’s something right???

this concept popped into my brain after i bought a levi’s hoodie and connected the dots a little later

i hope it’s enjoyable

warnings: minor angst to fluff

Shoving open the door to your room, you flopped onto your bed with a dramatic huff.

You had spent the day in the human world, having accompanied Lucifer and Diavolo on business and the days events had left you completely drained.

Well, almost completely.

You still had enough left in you to spend some time with Levi, who you had promised earlier that day that you’d at least start a new anime that he’d been excited to watch.

You were exhausted and running on fumes but you couldn’t bring yourself to cancel on him last minute. He was just so excited about it and you didn’t want to ruin that by going back on your plans.

You pushed yourself up with a huff, rummaging through the bag of belongings you had managed to convince Diavolo and Lucifer (more so Lucifer - Diavolo was actually curious to see where you lived and therefore easy to convince) to let you snag from your apartment before you returned home to the Devildom.

You quickly shed your daytime wear for an over-sized hoodie and a pair of pajama shorts. Vastly more comfortable, you stepped in front of the mirror - more out of habit than anything else - to check your appearance. The hoodie you had chosen had a large “Levi’s” logo displayed on the front and you snickered to yourself. It was by pure coincidence that you had it, but you couldn’t help but snag it when you saw it hanging in your closet. It was too perfect to pass up and you figured you’d wear it as a joke, even if it wasn’t that funny.

You completed the look with a pair of fuzzy socks before leaving for his room.

When you reached his room, you knocked three times followed by two taps and a jiggle of the doorknob.

“What’s the pass-code?”

“No matter how deep the night -”

“- It always turns to day eventually.” 

There was a click and the doorway opened a crack. Levi peers out, looking around before yanking you into his room. You roll your eyes at his theatrics but allow a smile to creep onto your face as he shuts the door behind you.

“Ready to get this party started?” You asked.

Immediately his face lit up in excitement. It was cute how enthusiastic he was about every new anime or game he started and you couldn’t help but share it. He launched into rambling about how many rave reviews it had gotten, and how it was animated by one of his favorite studios and written by one of his favorite manga authors.

A giggle escaped you on accident and Levi glanced up to defend himself, but any retort quickly died in his throat as soon as his gaze landed on your hoodie. 

A flush rose to his cheeks as he stared at the Levi’s logo splayed across your chest. 

“Levi? Hello? You-”

“Y-your shirt- it- why does it have my name on it?”

You glance down, having momentarily forgotten about your little joke. You let out another giggle, much to Levi’s dismay. 

“Oh, yeah! It’s a popular brand up in the human world and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Funny right?”

Funny.

Levi guessed one would consider that an amusing coincidence, if they weren’t him. 

Or if they didn’t have a massive, ugly crush on you.

Or if the fact that you were basically wearing an item of clothing that declared you as his didn’t nearly send them into a cardiac arrest.

Then yeah he guessed that maybe ‘funny’ would be a way to describe this particular coincidence.

“Y-yeah. Sure.”

The oddly curt response caught you slightly off guard as he turned to stiffly stride over to the gigantic bean bag stationed in front of the obscenely large flat screen that sat opposite of it. You were slow to trail after him, hesitant after the rather cold exchange.

You plopped yourself down beside him on the beanbag moving in to cuddle up to his side, as usual (it had taken him a while to get used to this in the beginning, but luckily he had warmed up to the affection and was often reluctant to let go at the end of the night). However, he not-so-subtly scooted away from you, much to your disappointment.

Had your joke really been that bad?

You knew he may not have found it that funny but... still. You had at least expected a ‘dumb normie’ comment or something.

The terribly familiar concoction of anxiety and shame crept up on you as you settled into your seat, grabbing a pillow from nearby and hugging it to your chest to try and muffle the feeling. You crushed the cushion against you and wrapped your arms around your knees as Levi grabbed the remote and started the anime.

Unfortunately, you couldn’t bring yourself to pay attention, your brain was too occupied with picking apart and replaying the scenario. The soft flashing images only encouraged this hypnotizing lull of negative thoughts and none of your efforts to snap yourself out of it seemed to work. Somewhere in your mind you knew you should stop and that it was ridiculous to get so worked up about such a small issue - if you could even call it that - but the mindset to put that into action eluded you.

At some point your gaze had drifted over to Levi, who was seemingly fine, as well as completely engrossed in the show.

It must’ve been just you then. 

Levi must’ve felt your gaze burning into the side of his skull, because his own eyes flicked over to meet yours and his face went crimson.

“What are you staring at?”

The bite in his voice only managed to strike you deeper.

You felt a tightness in your throat and a stinging sensation beginning to rise behind your eyes.

Nonononono this wasn’t happening. Not over something this freaking stupid.

‘It’s not a big deal.’ You told yourself. ‘You’re reading way too much into it, just stop you idiot.’

However, much to your further disappointment in yourself, you couldn’t manage to hold back your tears.

You tightened your hold on the pillow and buried your face into it in order to muffle your sniffles. The patheticness of your situation did absolutely nothing to improve your mood and all you wanted to do was leave and go to bed so you could cry yourself to sleep like a loser and forget about it in the morning. And probably never where this hoodie again.

This stupid hoodie.

You could feel your sinuses plugging up with mucus and the urge to sniffle came once again, except this time you forgot to hide it with your pillow.

Levi’s gaze fell on you once again at the sound. How were you crying already? You were only on episode three and nothing major happened- it was a slice of life for hell’s sake. It took him a second to register that your eyes weren’t even on the screen and that they were glued to somewhere on the floor and as soon as he saw the welled up tears in your eyes, he panicked.

“_-_____? W-what the hell are you crying for?!”

That’s it. You were absolutely mortified.

“I-it’s nothing, I’m fine, Leviathan. I’m probably overtired. I think I’m just gonna call it a night, okay?” Your voice came out rushed and cracked as you uttered ‘fine’ but you didn’t waste any time dwelling on it as you slid off the bean bag.

Oh. Oh no. You used his full name. You only ever used his full name when you were upset. With him. Oh god oh fuck what had he done.

You were already halfway across the room when he had finally worked up the nerve to chase after you. 

“Wait! _____, I-”

“-Was my joke really that bad?”

Levi froze as you turned around to face him, eyes glossed over with tears and directed anywhere but back at him.

“Huh? No!”

“Well then are you mad at me because we had to postpone tonight a bit because I went to the human world? I thought you were fine with that.”

“No that’s not-”

“Then, why?” Your eyes finally met his, but Levi wasn’t sure if he was relieved or if he just felt worse.

The avatar of envy’s mouth snapped shut and he thought over his next words carefully.

“Why... what?”

Nice. Good one Levi.

Your shoulders dropped and you stepped away.

“...Never mind. Goodnight, Leviathan.”

Levi flinched at the use of his full name, watching as you turned toward the door and crossed the rest of the room.

You placed your hand on the door knob, gently turning it with fatigue that showed in your every move. 

The way your shoulders sagged and the hecitance in your step caused a heavy dread to settle in Levi’s gut and in less than a second he had crossed the remainder of the room, wrapping his arms around you from behind and tugging you into his chest. His face settled in the junction of your neck and shoulder and you had to keep yourself from shuddering when his breath hit your skin.

“Levi-”

“I’m sorry.”

It was barely a whisper but you had heard it perfectly clear.

“I’m sorry for being mean, and for not laughing at your joke, because it was really c-cute and you’re really cute and- um I guess I just didn’t know how to react but that’s because I’m just a stupid shut in and I don’t want you to think that I’m an icky creep or something even though I’m probably not doing that great a job of convincing you other wise and I’m sorry about that too- “

“-Levi.”

“Y-yeah?”

“You’re not just a stupid, creepy shut-in, okay? And I definitely don’t think you are.”

His grip loosens around your shoulders and you wiggle around in his grasp to face him. Your eyes are glazed over and tired, but despite that he can see sparks of something akin to adoration shining in them.

“You don’t?”

“Mm mm.” You hum, shaking your head.

It’s at this point that Levi realizes that your faces are inches apart, and the entirety of your body is pressed flush against his. His face is immediately overtaken with red and he slowly eases away from you. His large hand wraps around your smaller one and he grazes his thumb back and forth over your palm.

“D-do you... want to stay the night?”

You nod softly, a smile gracing your features once again, much to Levi’s relief.

“Yeah, sure.”

He’s quick to tug you back over to the plush bean back in front of the TV, figuring it’s a bit more spacious than his bathtub. He plops down and pulls you into his lap before he can chicken out, wrapping his arms around your waist so you’re pressed against his chest once again.

There are a few beats of silence before Levi’s voice rings softly in your ears, mumbling groggily as he drifts off to sleep.

“...You should wear that hoodie again.”

“...Hm... mabe I will.”

. . .

“Oh, and Levi?”

“Hm.”

“Apology accepted.”

The next thing Levi feels is a pair of lips ghost across his neck, but not a second later you’re out like a light.

You were certainly, with out a doubt, going to be the death of him.

[startwithbrooklyn]

THE GREAT ND REWATCH OF 2021 / OCTOBER 3, 2019 // the trial

(TW SUICIDE)

it's the reveal!!!! love that for her hope shes thriving (shes not) again w the two minutes of the next episode to sync the dates

-lmaoooo so i honestly wonder why they went for the full pulling-it-out-the-throat thing but idk (an interesting foil to her getting sick for more stereotypical reasons ie s2 "people find out theyre grandparents every day"

-I LOVE THIS GEORGE HAIR

-"i'd do anything for nancy" okay but....why 👀bit of an odd reaction imo

-bess with spilling the truth again 😂and gets shot down. tragic #shetried

-wait sooooo nobody tested the fingerprints on the knife when this shit happened?? or that tech didnt exist in 2000? i mean without a body how could they even call it murder? and who told the police?? like if the drews took the baby, the dress, and said nothing, who tells the cops shes missing or even dead? how did they know to search the bluffs? who told the media/public? it had to have happened that same night because ryan said when he got there later there were already rumors she was killed. after the baby and bloody dress, only her crown, a knife, and tire tracks were left. how did anyone find anything at this remote bluff without some kind of tip off? and why on earth would they think murder and not suicide with so little evidence?? thats gotta be like suicide central, sorry for the trigger

-"a little help, lucy?!" lucy seems unable to disobey a direct request from nancy (ie "lucy, stop" from later in the ep) when nancy speaks directly to her. so maybe if nancy had spoken aloud/engaged more lucy could have appeared more? nancy said she only comes around when she wants to but what if nancy herself could do a bit more, being the last thing lucy touched and all

-so in ep 2 when nancys in jail carson says "great grandma rosalind buried her valuables in the trunk" including the knives shown here. did carson and kates families even know about nancy? how did they explain not announcing a pregnancy or birth?

-"oh." john lmfaoooo

-BESS lmaoooo and ace's looks in the background and then at seeing nick approaching lmfaooo oh no / also why on earth is she apologizing?? he dumped her but she has to be sorry he found out she fucked someone else? someone nicer pls explain to me bc i dont get it. she dont owe him shit

-george is SO CUTE lmfaoooo and so forward and he was so shook but then he was like "oh hell yeah"

-"is he a vampire?!" ik nobody i knew got that reference 😂

-this entire search of the claw is a sham. what are they even looking for. clearly a set up by tamura but why/what does he suspect them of. esp w karen as accomplice, story should be airtight so why are they still investigating?

-john + ace dream team 💙

-god ace is such a yes-man. why is he so fucking loyal?? people like him are insane. how are they real. i suspect they arent. and no matter what you do you are never worthy of their unending loyalty anyway.

-so in the Good Place nancy was the one who had the key but in reality its ryan

-wonder if lucy's listening to ryan here talking about his love and grief for her

-"you were throwing away your future on a nothing girl" - nancy & ryan - their fathers dont want them to see "troubled" kids, want them to focus on school instead --> which they both struggle with and eventually do not achieve (maybe bc they want their kids to leave horseshoe bay?) for nancy its an interesting vice for someone whos really a goody two shoes/for ryan its subverted bc karen actually did worse than him ie committed real crimes

-"stay away from my family" surprise bitch bet you thought youd seen the last of me 😉

-interestingly, ryan probably would have agreed with karen about switching the ballot boxes but he wouldnt have really understood the social consequences. both josh and karen are determined to see ryan as the bad guy when actually he didnt do anything, they did. 🤔

-karen is such a ride or die friend. again w the loyalty. if someone swapped ballot boxes for me i'd be touched. im sure going into active labor made lucy a bit upset but damn. what a friend.

-wonder when nancy starts calling her "Lucy" instead of "dead lucy"

-lucy primarily haunting her own house/love seeing this house overtaken by nature

-the concept of writing things down : starting from the first ep, nancy's journal (then and now), writing out simon cards, similar cemetary cards in the Good Place, "beautiful minding it," culminating in lucy's journal / writing it down to help figure it out/when theres too much going on to keep it inside

-"i'll make a salad" NICK LMAOOO

-wonder what happened to carson's old lawyer?

-"my testimony begins in the summer of 1999" because your story always starts with your mother's story

-lmfaoooooo this shit taking the stand is soooo never allowed but oh well

-"she stole a knife" and carson's face lmfaooooo he knows its not true but what could he fucking say?? no?

-"i love you mom, i hope you never find this." ironic bc nancy didnt want her dad to find her journal either

-lucy never wanted anyone to find out how she died d/t shame- but she didnt want carson to go to jail for it so she finally allowed it (or just couldnt refuse nancy asking)

-"i'm sorry for what you lost"/"i'm never gonna be free from them"

-awww ace/mcginnis goodbye / i wonder if ace is nervous thinking about tamura --> ace's dad since chief mcginnis covered for ace out of respect for his dads sacrifice but tamura would throw both ace and his dad under the bus just to get at nancy (get at her via ace? since he was already used as the blackmail plot device? they kinda touched in this in s2 but not fully)

-okay sooo why are they still doing this forensic analysis thing? like the whole things over so whats the point. i wonder if john had packed up and gone home what coulda happened

-nancy/carson - interrupted moments:

•family dinner interrupted by nancy's accsations

•being home after finding ted interrupted by carson's arrest

•celebration of dropped charges interrupted by nancy discovering the truth about her parentage

-"i cooked your favorite to celebrate" ironic bc shes upset that hes not her "real" dad but he IS because he knows her best. like theyre literally proving it right in front of her. vs ryan whom she doesnt really want anyway AND rejects requests to get to know her. like come on sis. his 20 years of parenting you arent going away, ever. deal w it.

-carson's little smile before he said "'mom never hurt lucy" like he knows this is the end / scott's acting here just kills me

~~~~~~~~~

-why did the drews come back at all? and why did kate really keep the dress? carson says she did it as a link to lucy, but did kate want to keep it to be connected to lucy? or did she bury it to keep lucy repressed? is this a positive or a negative? +keeping in attic - did lucy start to haunt kate, so she unburied the dress?

and lastly:

-why doesnt lucy haunt everett and celia hudson? she kind of does ie painting but only when nancy visits bc shes actually haunting nancy. isnt everything the hudsons' fault?

[mxltifaves]

Dear Brother

 I’ve had this written a while ago but I wasn’t to sure about it but I decided to post it anyways. I hope you like it. (Sorry if it’s bad)

Prompt: It's the anniversary of Derek's death, Amelia goes to visit her his grave. Amelia talks to Link about Derek. 

Amelia was laying on her bed wide awake, her hands on top of her stomach. She knew what day it was and she felt a bit numb. Derek had died 5 years ago. Link was sleeping next to her, not wanting to wake him she slowly got out of bed, grabbed some clothes and went to take a shower. She stood in the showers as the hot water burned her skin, all she thought about was her brother. She missed him but today he was all she could think about. After she finished her shower she changed and went to the kitchen to make some coffee. She could hear the water being turned in, she guessed Link had already awakened and was taking a shower. A few minutes later she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

“Good morning,” Link said smiling at her

“Hey, good morning,” she said giving him a small smile.

“You woke up early this morning,” he said grabbing a mug

“Yea, I couldn’t really sleep this little peanut kept moving all night,” Amelia said placing a hand on the top of her belly

“He should know that you need to sleep,” he said placing a hand on her stomach

“I don’t think our child likes to sleep. Imagine when he actually comes out, we will never sleep again,” she said letting out a chuckle.

“Well we better get enough sleep now,” he said smiling

“Are you ready to go?” he asked her

“Actually you go ahead, I have to take care of something before going in,” she responded

“Everything okay?” he asked her worried

“Everything’s fine, I just have to go do something,” Amelia reassured him. After Link had left, Amelia grabbed her bag and got in her car. She stopped at a flower shop before she got to the cemetery. She hadn’t visited her brother in so long, because every time she did all she felt was pain. Derek was her favorite person in the entire world and he was taken from her.

Amelia was 8 months pregnant and the closer she got to her due date, the more she wished her brother was there. She wished he would have been able to see how much she’s grown in the last few years. Amelia got out of her car and made her way over to her brother’s grave. She started at the headstone and placed the flowers in front of it.

“Hey, I really miss you, you know,” she said attempting to sit down on the grass.

“Also you should know that I’m seeing someone, his name is Link and you would definitely approve of him. I think you two would’ve become really good friends,” she said lowering her head looking at the ground.

“I’m pregnant, and it’s a boy. I wish you could be here to see this. I am super pregnant I feel like I’m about to pop at any moment but I couldn’t be happier,” she felt sadness overtaken her but she was also happy.

“Also just so you know, Mer and the kids are great. Zola is so smart and picks up everything we say,” she laughed “Bailey has been saying the word funny before everything, it’s so cute and Ellis is just a bundle of joy, she happy all the time, I wish you could’ve met her. I’m not the only one missing you,” she said as tears started to gather at the corner of her eyes.

“I saw mom, Nancy and Kathleen, they’re doing good. Everyone’s good, we just miss you so much. I miss you so much,” she said letting the tears roll down her cheek. She sat there for a few minutes before getting up to leave.

“I’ll be back, I love you Derek,” she said as she turned around and made her way to the car. Amelia drove to the hospital, her brother still on her mind.

Amelia got to the hospital and changed into her scrubs. She had two surgeries scheduled for the day, one in 30 minutes and another one later that day. She got prepped and headed to the OR. After the surgery, she went to check on the rest of her patients and was at the nurse’s station when Link approached her. She hadn’t talked to him since he had left the house. Link saw that something was bothering Amelia.

“Hey you okay?” Link asked seeing her facial expression, he knew Amelia had something on her mind

“Yeah I’m fine,” she lied

“Amelia I know you’re not okay, what’s wrong? You can talk to me,” he said as he caressed her arm

“I’m fine Link, really,” she lied again. Amelia knew she could talk to him about anything but she knew the moment she talked about Derek she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from crying. Link could see hurt in her eyes, he grabbed her hand and took her to their spot, the plant room.

“Amelia, I can see something is really bothering you. Please talk to me,” he begged her

“Today is the anniversary of Derek’s death. Today marks the day that my favorite person in the entire world died,” she said holding off the tears.

“Amelia I’m so sorry I didn’t know,” he said pulling her into a hug. He wrapped his hands around her, trying to comfort her.

“I went to visit his grave this morning. It’s been so long since I’ve been because I can never bring myself to go. But today was different, I wanted to tell him I was happy and that I wished he was here to see me, and to meet our little peanut. I miss him so much, every day,” she said letting out the tears she fought so hard to keep in.

“Amelia he would be so proud of you, for everything you’ve accomplished. I know I didn’t know him but I know he would be so happy to see everything you’ve build for yourself,” Link told her.

“I just wish he could be here. I wish I could go back to that day and at least get to say goodbye to him. That’s what hurts the most, that I didn’t get to tell him I loved him and I didn’t get to say goodbye,” Amelia said crying even harder. For so long she blamed Meredith for not allowing her to say goodbye but she knew it wasn’t her fault because the love of her life had died.

“He knew you loved him, and he’s looking down seeing you have the life you’ve wanted,” Link said. He was right, Derek would be proud of her for the life she’s built for herself. She missed him.

[turning-dreams-into-chaos]

Banished (Part 20)

*Not my Gif*

Summary: When the 100 was sent to the ground, Y/N Y/L/N was one of them. Having been locked up for almost 8 years, how will she react to surviving on Earth? Especially when she gets banished…

Post Date: 10-18-19

Paring: Bellamy Blake x Reader

Word Count: 2.8K

~Banished Master List~

~Master List~

~WIP’s~

*Based on episode 2x07 of the 100 “Long into an Abyss”

Bellamy and Clarke walked in silence to the drop ship. Clarke kept taking glances towards him but he remained unfazed, looking only ahead into the trees and not returning any of her looks.

“Bellamy can we talk about-“ she began before Bellamy shook his head. Since he found out you were still alive but Clarke banished you his speaking to Clarke had been minimal, only occurring when necessary. Clarke felt even more guilty than she had before when she saw Bellamy’s face, she knew she had no right and Bellamy’s withdraw from her just proved it. It seemed like everything was changing. Finn massacred a village, Bellamy wouldn’t talk to her, her mom was actually down on earth, and she had no idea if you were alive or not.

When they got into the drop ship Clarke went into shock at the sight of Lincoln unconscious in front of them.

“It’s okay. He’s restrained.” Bellamy assures her before moving to his sister, only giving Clarke a side eye.

“I knew Mount Weather was controlling the reapers but I didn’t know they made them.” She whispered as she got closer to the restrained man, being careful not to make matters worse as Bellamy grunted.

“If they are doing this to grounders, what are they doing to our friends?”

—

It wasn’t long after they took Kane out before they brought him back in, chaining him up not far from you. He looked exhausted, his shirt held sweat marks and he had bags under his eyes. He looked older than when you last saw him and his hair was slightly longer and more tangled. It was silent in your cell and you wondered how long it would’ve lasted. Apparently not that long.

“I thought you were dead.” He whispered as a shiver ran through your body. You peeled your eyes off him and stared at the dark ceiling.

“We’ve been over this Kane.” Your voice sounded foreign to him, a coldness behind it he knew he deserved. He knew the child he practically helped raise had changed but he couldn’t help think she was somewhere in there.

He pulled himself to his feet, a slight limp in his step before he leaned against the wall next to you, his hands still chained up to his old spot. “I thought you died.” He repeated again, only this time softer as his voice cracked making you scoff.

“Would you care if I did? No one else does. Not even...”

Me

You let the thought settle as you dropped your head, laughing bitterly. Kane stared incredulity at you.

“I care Y/N.”

“Really?” You spat so viciously he flinched. “Where was that 10 years ago? You left me Kane. You don’t deserve to care about me.” You continued to yell at him and he sat there taking in all your words until you stopped. It stayed silent for a few minutes until you moved to stand up, approaching the door with clenched fists.

“Lexa! Or Commander! Whatever! Just let me out!” You shouted and pounded on the door until your fists ached. You rested your head on the door, feeling the coolness of it against your skin before leaning on your back on the wall next to it and sliding down on the ground, now farther from Kane than before. He hadn’t taken his eyes off you as you curled up into a ball, pulling your knees up to your chest and wrapping your hands around your torso.

“You’re not wearing your necklace.” He pointed out as your stomach dropped.

“Yeah.” You whispered, not really wanting to tell him but knowing if you didn’t he’d try to talk about other things. “I was taken to Mount Weather. They wouldn’t let outside objects in or some shit. Took it off me when I was unconscious.”

Kane furrowed his brows, shifting in his spot. “You were unconscious?” Your eyes were looked to the ground as you found yourself frozen. You could feel your hand pressed against your stab wound and bandaging, still a little sore from basically everything you’ve been through since. You nodded and slowly closed your eyes as you thought back to the last time you were at the drop ship. And the last time you saw Bellamy.

“Y/N!” You heard as you spun around seeing Bellamy staring right at you from the other side of the camp. The sound of the drop ship doors closing caught your attention as you realized you were both stuck out here. You were about to take a step towards him before a sharp pain in your stomach stopped you. You looked down as a spear pierced right through you from a grounder. You felt like you couldn’t breathe as Bellamy screamed your name and you fell to your knees. You closed your eyes, trying to mask the pain as the grounder fell, some delinquent you never met standing over you. The sounds of the fight was drowned out as everyone around you started screaming to run. Bellamy tried to come closer to you, but you shook your head, trying everything you could not to pass out right now.

“Go! It’s okay.” You mouthed to him as he started to cry before Finn grabbed his jacket, pulling him away from the ship. It took only a second before your legs started working and you managed to push yourself up. The spear stuck out of you, making every step dangerously close to being your last as you held onto the wall for support. You knew it was only a matter of time before the ship blew and you knew if you had any chance of staying alive you needed to not be in the vicinity. You hobbled past the gate a few feet before your legs gave out and you fell to the ground with a scream. But the sound was overtaken by the drop ship, lighting up and barbecuing grounders. The heat of the flames burned on your face as you closed your eyes, letting the warmth wash over you before darkness.

You didn’t know Kane was shaking you until you snapped back to reality, pushing his arms off you as you winced. “Let go of me!” You sneered before realizing you weren’t alone. Lexa and Gustus stood just in front of the door, staring down at you when you while you were in your daze and you scrambled to your feet.

“Take her with us.” Lexa told the man who nodded, moving out of her way before guiding you out of the room.

—

Lincoln’s condition was getting worse, he was convulsing and Clarke didn’t know how to help him so Octavia turned to one last person.

She entered the drop ship, Nyko following behind her as Bellamy moved for his weapon.

“He’s Lincoln’s friend! He’s their healer!” She shouted, assuring Bellamy he meant no harm. Bellamy looked reluctant but complied, keeping his gun pointed at Nyko but allowing him to come in and help a seizing Lincoln.

He pulled out a vial as Clarke watched, asking him what it was only to receive silence in return.

“Yu gonplei ste odon.” He said before tipping the vial gently. Clarke scrunched her face in confusion at the words, trying to find the familiarity of it before it hit her.

“Stop!” She yelled, catching the drop of ‘medicine’ before it landed in Lincoln’s mouth. “Yu gonplei ste odon.” She repeated, emphasizing each word. “They say that before death.”

“How do you know?” Octavia asks weary of the fact that if she was wrong Lincoln was going to die. Clarke swallowed thickly, glancing up towards Bellamy before meeting the raven haired girls eyes.

“Because that’s what Y/N said after we escaped Mount Weather.” She didn’t miss the way Bellamys jaw clenched at the mention of you, or the way Octavias mouth slacked open and turned to face her brother as Clarke focused on Lincoln and Nyko. “He not trying to save Lincoln. He’s trying to kill him.”

Nyko began to explain that death was the only way to be free of being a reaper, something none of them wanted to believe before Finn came up. “You! Ripa!” He screamed at him as Everyone pointed their guns at Nyko, keeping him at bay. He proceed to threaten Finn, saying blood must have blood and saying he’ll pay for the slaughter of his people. Lincoln began seizing before he stopped breathing, making Octavia choke in sobs and Clarke act fast. She preformed CPR on Lincoln as Nyko watched astounded.

“He was dead. How did you do that?” He asked Clarke after Lincoln took a breath again. It didn’t take long before Clarke realized that the Grounder didn’t know how to properly bring them back.

And she also realized she had something to offer the Grounders.

After Clarke left, things at the drop ship calmed and Octavia grabbed her brothers attention.

“Why didn’t you tell me Y/N was alive?” She whispered as Bellamy closed his eyes, trying to get his head off this situation.

“I don’t know.”

“Bellamy.” He looked down at his sister who started to remind him so much of his mom. The same strict tone Aurora would always use with him coming through right now and he couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

“Clarke banished her again. Even if it did matter if she was alive she isn’t going to want to come back.” He watched as she took in his words, trying to get over the fact she just found out her best friend was alive before she smirked.

“What’s going on between you two?”

Bellamy’s stomach knotted as he told the truth. “I don’t know.”

“Do you love her?” She asked bluntly as Bellamy’s eyebrow rose, a small scoff rolling off his mouth.

“I don’t even know her.” He argued.

“Come on Bellamy!”

“What do you want me to say O? We started off fighting and I literally dangled her over a grounder death trap then she risked her life for me. I don’t know what happened. She was just in my head. All the time.”

She was silent as Bellamy fell against the wall, siding on down to the floor and staring at it. “Does it scare you?” She questioned quietly as she joined Bellamy, resting her head against his shoulder as she looked at her barely breathing boyfriend.

“She said I don’t even know her. And maybe I don’t but it doesn’t matter.”

“Bellamy you can’t hide from your feelings.” She told him, turning to look at him as he pressed his head back onto the wall, closing his eyes.

“Why? Why can’t I just because I’m getting feelings for someone I barely know!” He didn’t know if he was yelling or just talking loudly but what he did know was every time he closed his eyes that smirk you gave him on the first day on this ground and the fire you had always held in your eyes played on repeat in head.

“So you do have feelings for her.” Bellamy didn’t say anything else after that, choosing to glare at his younger sister but little did he know, not saying anything told Octavia basically everything.

—

It was silent as you followed the commander out of the room you’ve only ever seen the inside of for the past few days. You didn’t waste time looking around and taking in as much as you could before you were stopped. Lexa continued walking towards a throne before sitting down and staring at you. A woman by Lexa’s side started to talk in their language but nothing she said made any sense to you.

“Shof op Indra ” Lexa ordered as the woman, Indra, talked talking and instead glared at you. You didn’t cower under her gaze, instead you stood taller, returning her glower before looking at Lexa.

“I’ve watched you Skai kiler.” Lexa declares as you felt your gaze falter, dropping to the floor before returning. “You only killed those who posed as a threat to you. Those who attacked you first. You gave them a way of backing out first.”

“And none of them took it.” You tried your best to sound intimidating, but Lexa just smiled at you. Indra seemed to have enough and she took a step forward you only to be stopped by the commander.

“Bants osir.” Lexa ordered but Indra made no move to leave and Lexa stood up, coming behind Indra who stood between you and the throne. “Leave us.” She repeated once more in English, making Indra suck in a breath and push past you, exiting the building in a swift motion. Lexa took the opportunity to clear out the room, leaving only you and her. “You fight with honor Y/N of the sky people.”

“I’m not a sky person.” You sneered and Lexa looked slightly surprised but nodded.

“Like I said before, I’ve been watching you. You fight with honor. Y/N. And I want you to fight for us. By my side.”

You took a sharp breath. Out of everything you expected coming into this room being asked to join the grounders, much less fight by Lexa’s side. You didn’t know what to say as you stared at Lexa, trying to figure out what you wanted, but you were interrupted before you had to figure it out.

“Heda. It’s time.” Indra told her and left but not before giving you one last narrowed glare.

“What’s your answer Y/N of the- Y/N?” She corrected herself. And for some reason that was all it took before you nodded, joining the grounders in their travels to Camp Jaha.

—

When you heard Clarke had came to talk to Lexa you were nervous but you were even more nervous as you watched her exit the tent set up with Lexa following behind. The grounders following all stopped when Lexa ordered and she made her way over to you. Clarke had found your face in the crowd of grounders and sat in shock. You had to have been the last person she expected to see at a Grounder camp. Lexa told you to come with them and you did, choosing to ignore the hatred and anger bubbling up in you when you looked at Clarke.

Before you knew it you were arriving at the drop ship. Clarke led you upstairs and your heart started to speed up as you looked up the stairs towards the closed hatch. You could feel Clarke’s eyes on you as you turned to her, arching a brow. She opened her mouth to speak before commotion from above pulled your attentions and she went up first, Lexa following with you behind her.

Bellamy watched as Clarke came up, seeing her help her mom with an unresponsive Lincoln, but everything about Lincoln and Clarke went to the back of his mind when he saw you pull yourself up. You hadn’t noticed him yet, instead you watched the man who protected you when you were lost lie on the floor almost dead. After Lexa had pulled you back you finally looked at the rest of the room. A woman Clarke had called mom was helping her with Lincoln, doing chest compressions and anything she could really as Octavia was sat on the floor next to her and Clarke, holding Lincoln as much as she could. When you finally landed on Bellamy, all the air was knocked out of your lungs and you couldn’t pull your eyes away.

He was alive.

He was standing right in front you.

Bellamy was alive.

“He’s gone.” Abby announces as the drop ship becomes quiet, the only sound was Octavia’s sobs as she clung onto Lincoln who had stopped breathing. The room became tense as Clarke stood up, looking at Lexa as you finally tore your eyes off Bellamy and saw the anger in Lexa’s eyes.

“You lied.” She said as everyone drew their weapons. You didn’t have anything and Bellamy saw, subconsciously taking a step in front of you to protect you.

Lexa noticed.

But you didn’t catch on because you were too busy staring at the shock baton in Abbys hand. You grabbed it, ignoring the yells from around the room as you pressed it to Lincoln’s chest.

“Hit him again.” Clarke said as you followed her order, pressing the baton into Lincoln chest as he reacted to the electricity shooting through his body. He gulped in a breath and you felt relief wash over you. The entire room was staring at you besides Octavia and Lincoln who were holding each other. Lexa was staring at you as well, but you didn’t notice that either. Because all you were looking at was Bellamy.

Thoughts?

All Taglists Open

****Reblogging with Banished Taglist****

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[demiboydemon]

Iroh’s Gourmet Teas and Teapots

What if Zuko had stopped chasing the avatar sooner? What if he realized that his father was oppressive, and that the only one who could restore his honor was himself?

Notes:

I’ve had this in my drafts for almost a year now, and I finally decided to stop nitpicking the details and post it.

Zuko sighed contently. It had been exactly one year since his banishment, and six months since he had stopped caring.

His uncle had been a big help in making Zuko realize that the whole avatar thing was a wild goose chase. He had been upset at first, but then he realized that Iroh was right. It was a wild goose chase.

Even if it was possible to find the avatar, why would he want to?

It’s not like Zuko wanted to rejoin the fire nation. Iroh has made him realize that, too. He was much happier without Azula or his father. The fire nation was oppressive, and he was better off being banished. Ever since his mother had died, his home had become a house of abuse and painful memories. Azula was the golden child, and Zuko..... Well, Zuko was closer to flying buffalo dung in his father’s eyes.

After he decided he was done chasing the avatar for his father, Zuko felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He had never felt so free.

Even when Zuko heard about the avatar being found in an iceberg, he stayed out of it. He was busy working in his uncle’s tea shop.

It was a cute, small shop, built into the ship that had once belonged to the fire nation. Now it belonged to Iroh’s Gourmet Teas and Teapots, a quaint shop in an Earth bender colony, one that hadn’t been overtaken by the fire nation.

It was a nice life, not being involved in his father’s pointless war. Being free to be himself without the fear of not being enough. He had a peaceful life.

The ladies were all over Zuko, but he wasn’t interested, no matter how much his uncle tried to get him to get a girlfriend. He wasn’t sure if he wanted a boyfriend instead, or if he’d rather be single, or if he just hadn’t met the right woman yet, but he didn’t really care.

“Zuko!” Uncle Iroh called out.

Zuko poked his head out of the closet he was hiding in. “Yes, Uncle?”

“A very nice girl came to see you. Her name is Zi Lee. She’s a tailor. She was very disappointed that you weren’t here. Where were you?”

“I was hiding in this closet.” Zuko replied.

Iroh looked taken aback. His brow furrowed. “Why were you hiding?”

“Zi Lee is a great girl,” Zuko explained, “She’s smart and pretty, and her family is fairly respectable. But I’m just not interested in romance at the moment.”

Iroh shook his head, but he was smiling. “Oh, Zuko. Why, when I was your age, I wanted nothing more than to conquer nations and charm beautiful women. But not everyone is the same. You’ll meet someone one day, and they will be wonderful.”

Zuko noted that his uncle said ‘they’ And not ‘she.’ He wondered if this was a conscious decision made, or if his uncle had simply had a slip of the tongue.

“Anyway,” Iroh said, “It’s time for dinner. I made cabbage soup and rice.”

Zuko lowered himself out of the closet. “That sounds great, Uncle. But why cabbage soup? You hate cabbage.”

Iroh nodded. “Yes, but the cabbage vendor looked so sad. He said his cabbages kept being knocked over. I wanted to make him a little happier, so I bought a cabbage.”

“That was very nice of you. I hope it made him happy.”

“I hope so, too. It’s always nice to brighten someone’s day.”

Zuko was taste-testing tea for his uncle the next day when the story broke.

“Hmm.” Zuko said, “I think it needs something. Maybe a little bit more ginger?”

Iroh nodded. “Ginger. Got it. Does it need any more lychee?”

“No, it’s good lychee wise.” Zuko replied. “Maybe some tapioca would give it some texture, but then again, it’s tea, so it doesn’t really need a text-”

“The avatar!” A voice from outside cried. “He’s back! He was freed from an iceberg, and now he’s back to defeat the fire nation!”

Zuko rolled his eyes. “Another rumor starter. People need to stop believing everything they hear from some random guy screaming in the streets.”

“And he’s here, in our little colony!” The man outside yelled. Zuko rubbed his hand to his forehead, willing away the headache that came with thinking about the avatar.

“He’s searching for someone to teach him firebending!”

Zuko sighed and shook his head.

“Probably a tourist, trying to stir up trouble,” Iroh sighed. Zuko nodded in agreement.

‘Even if it was the avatar,’ Zuko thought, ‘My days of chasing an impossible goal are over.’

The next day, Zuko went out to the marketplace. He needed to get something for him and his uncle to eat for dinner.

He was looking at some buying elephant koi when someone bumped into him from behind.

“Agh!” Zuko said.

“Sorry!” A boy’s voice said.

Zuko turned around. Behind him was a short, bald boy in air Nomad clothes was behind him. He had a blue arrow on his head.

“No worries,” Zuko responded, “Where’d you get your clothes? They don’t look like they’re from here.”

The boy smiled at him. “Oh, they’re from the Southern Air temple.”

“Oh, cool. You get them from an antique shop or something?” Zuko wasn’t sure why he was asking. He didn’t really care. He guessed he was trying to be polite.

“No, I got them before the fire nation destroyed it.” The boy said.

Zuko shook his head. Kids and their sarcasm. “Sure, kid.”

A guy ran up to the boy. He was tan and lean, with hair pulled into a small ponytail. He was handsome, and he was carrying a man purse. That took a few points off his total attractiveness tally, but he was still cute.

“Aang, there you are. Kartara was looking for you, she wants to practice waterbending with you.”

The bald boy, Aang, Zuko assumed, turned to the other guy. “I’ll go find her in a minute.”

“Waterbending?” Zuko asked.

The unnamed boy looked at him. “Yeah. What’s it to you?”

“A little far from the Southern water tribe.” Zuko said, narrowing his eyes. If this guy was going to be rude to him, he was going to be rude right back.

“Yeah, no shit.” Said Unnamed boy.

“What’re you doing so far North?”

“Um, you ever heard of the avatar?” The unnamed boy leaned against the stand selling elephant koi.

Zuko rolled his eyes. “Who hasn’t?”

“Well, Aang here just happens to be him. And I’m Sokka, his mentor.”

Aang looked up at Sokka. “You’re not my mentor.”

Sokka glared at him. “Aang,” He whispered through gritted teeth. Zuko was pretty sure that he wasn’t meant to hear what Sokka was saying, but it’s not like Sokka was being quiet. “Aang, I’m trying to impress the hot Earth Nation boy. Can you not ruin it for me?”

Zuko looked around, wanting to see the hot guy. The marketplace wasn’t too crowded, so it shouldn’t be too hard. The only problem was, there were no hot guys around them. Everyone surrounding them was either really old and saggy or female. One person was both.

‘Wait,’ Zuko realized, ‘Am I the hot guy?’

“Yeah, so,” Sokka said, “I’m traveling with my sister and the avatar. Also this girl named Toph, who seems mean at first, but she grows on you.”

‘The avatar?’ Zuko thought, ‘Uncle was right. When I stopped looking for him, he found me. But I don’t even want to find him any more.”

After a moment of consideration, Zuko said, “Good for you.”

Sokka raised an eyebrow. “You don’t seem impressed.”

Zuko shrugged, “I’m pretty much over the avatar. He’s way overhyped these days.”

He looked to the avatar, Aang. “No offense.”

Aang shrugged. “It’s fine. It’s not as fun being the avatar as people make it out to be.”

Zuko nodded. Then he walked away, because he didn’t care about hunting down the avatar anymore, and he didn’t want to get drawn back into that mindset. He went back into his and Iroh’s house, which was attached to their tea shop.

“I got some diced elephant koi.” Zuko gestured to the bag in his hand. “Also, I met the avatar.”

Iroh dropped the kettle he was holding. Hot water spilled over the tile floor. “What?”

“Yeah. The rumors were true,” Zuko said, “He’s in our town. I talked to him a little, but then I left.”

Iroh got a mop and began to mop up the spilled water. “I’m proud of you, Zuko. I know how hard it is to give up something you once wanted so badly.”

Zuko shrugged. “Thank you, but you were right all those months ago. The Fire Nation isn’t something I want to be a part of.”

Zuko went out on a walk late that night. He needed to clear his head. He kept thinking about the avatar.

‘No,’ Zuko thought, ‘I’m not thinking about the avatar, so much as the guy who was with him.’

Zuko looked around the square. It was dark and empty. The street lights weren’t lit. He sighed and rolled his eyes. The town officials weren’t very good at remembering to light the lanterns at night.

It was getting darker by the minute. Zuko looked around the square. He didn’t see anyone.

Cautiously, he lit up his hand. Just a small flame, so if anyone saw him from their windows, they would assume he was holding a candle.

From behind him, Zuko heard a gasp. He turned around and saw the bald arrow-headed boy from earlier.

Zuko quickly extinguished his light. “I can explain,” He stammered.

“Didn’t I see you earlier?” The boy, Aang, Zuko remembered, interrupted him.

“Yeah,” Zuko said, “But listen, I didn’t-”

“You’re a good firebender!” Aang said excitedly. He grabbed Zuko’s wrist and started pulling him, “I told Katara they still existed. C’mon, you gotta meet my friends.”

Zuko yanked away his wrist. “Woah! Sorry, Avatar, you seem like a nice kid, but I’m not getting wrapped back up in this war.”

Aang looked disappointed. “But we’re fighting for good, and I need someone to help me learn firebending.”

Zuko shook his head. “I’m not your guy.”

“But what about the greater good?”

“I work in a tea shop. That’s the greatest good I ever want to get.”

Aang sighed. “Just come meet my friends. Please?”

Zuko realized that he wasn’t going to be able to make this kid leave, and he probably couldn’t outrun an airbender. “Fine,” He relented.

“Great! I’ll take you to our camp site.” Aang said, dragging Zuko behind him.

The campsite was on the edge of town, on the beach. There was a girl making shapes in the air with water, and another standing with her feet in the ocean. The guy from earlier, Sokka, was sitting on the sand shouting out guesses to what the water bending girl was trying to make.

“Beaver-duck!” He shouted.

The girl shook her head.

“Platypus-pigeon!”

“Nope!”

“Come on, Katara,” Sokka whined, “Give me a hint.”

“It can fly,” The girl, Katara, Zuko assumed, said.

“Appa!” Sokka yelled.

The water figure dropped from the air back into the ocean when Katara saw Aang and Zuko walking toward them.

“Hey, guys!” Aang said. “I found a good firebender.”

Zuko watched in amusement as both Katara’s and Sokka’s faces took on expressions of shock.

“The guy from the elephant koi stand?” Sokka asked, waving his arms around indignantly, “No way he’s a bender!”

“Is too!” Aang argued.

“Is not,” Sokka countered.

“Is too.”

“Is not.”

“Guys,” Katara interrupted, “Even if he is a firebender, how do we know he’s trustworthy?”

Everyone looked to Zuko, as if he had wanted to be here in the first place. He shrugged, “I never said I was.”

Aang made a sound like a betrayed child. “Wha- But I saw you firebend! Now you’re saying you’re not a bender?”

“I’m just saying that I never wanted to come here in the first place. I already told you that I’m not teaching you firebending. I’m not getting caught back up in my father’s war.”

“Your father?” A new voice asked. Zuko turned to see a girl with black hair who had walked up to them way too quietly.

“Yeah,” Sokka said, “What does your father have to do with this?”

Zuko mentally cursed himself. ‘Well, at least after they know, they’ll let me leave.’

“My father is Emperor Ozai,” Zuko declared. A gasp rang through the gathered people. “I am Prince Zuko, and I have no intention of ever fighting on either side of this war.”

No one said anything for a few seconds. ‘Finally, I can go home,’ Zuko thought. He turned around and started marching back up the beach, toward the town.

“Idiots,” The unnamed black haired girl said. “Zuko is the banished prince. Emphasis on banished. Have you guys never been to a party? Or even read a newspaper?”

“You’ve never read a newspaper, either, Toph,” Sokka pointed out.

“Yeah,” The black haired girl, Toph, replied, “Because I’m blind. But you guys aren’t, so none of you have any excuse to not know about the banished prince.”

Zuko started walking away faster. ‘Maybe if I walk fast enough, I’ll be gone by the time they get to the embarrassing bits of that story.’

“He got banished for standing up to his father. It was a big scandal,” Toph explained as Zuko further picked up his pace. “My parents would talk about it whenever gossip was low.”

Zuko broke into a run. Maybe if he got away fast enough, they wouldn’t be able to follow him.

Unfortunately, sand is hard to run on and airbenders are fast.

“Hey, Zuko!” Aang shouted across the beach.

Zuko pretended not to hear him.

“Zuko!” Aang said, now much closer.

Zuko groaned and rubbed his temples. “What?”

“I know you don’t want to get caught up in this war, but it’s really important that I learn to firebend before Sozin’s comet. If I don’t, I won’t have any way to save the world.”

Zuko wanted to say that that wasn’t his problem, but deep down, he knew it was. After all, he lived on the world. If the fire nation took it over, (only a matter of time, really,) then Zuko was as good as dead.

“Why can’t someone else teach you firebending?” Zuko asked. Surely there was someone else who this responsibility could fall to.

“Because you’re the only one who’s willing to,” Aang responded.

“What part of ‘no’ screams ‘willing’ to you?”

“If you don’t teach me, no one will,” Aang said, “And then the world will all be taken over by your dad and we’ll all die.”

Zuko considered this. The kid made a compelling point. He sighed.

“Fine,” Zuko relented, “But as soon as you get it, you’ll leave me alone, okay? I don’t want to fight in this war. I just want to work in my uncle’s tea shop.”

“Deal!” Aang shouted.

Zuko groaned. He glared at the avatar. “You’d better be a fast learner.”

Uncle Iroh took the news surprisingly well. “You’re going to teach the avatar firbending?”

Zuko nodded. “Unfortunately.”

“That way he can defeat the firelord.”

“I know what you’re thinking,” Zuko said, “But I didn’t want to do it. The avatar wouldn’t stop pestering me until I agreed.”

“I was going to say that I support you, Zuko,” Iroh said. “I am proud of your for doing what is right.”

“Plus,” Zuko said, hoping he sounded casual and nonchalant, “There was this really cute guy with him...”

Iroh sipped his tea with a happy look on his face. “A cute guy, huh? Tell me more.”

Zuko grinned upon hearing his uncle’s support. He hadn’t wanted to get involved with the avatar, but he supposed it would be fine.

After all, like his uncle said, destiny is a funny thing. You never know how things are going to work out.

[jeonchristineimnida]

Jungkook - Forbidden Love pt. 2

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Masterlist

Genre: angst, sfw, au university students

Rating: PG13

Warning:  N/A for this chapter iz a fluffly chapter :”)

Word count: 2657 

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Chapter Summary: Jungkook lost the resolve to act on his feelings. He tried to avoid Y/N as he tries to keep his emotions in check but Y/N wasn’t having it. She gave him a piece of her mind. 

Y/N POV

9PM in Y/N's room

The books are scattered on my desk, lampshade on and laptop's screen showing an empty word document, but I failed to start anything as my mind keeps going back to what happened awhile ago. I look at my hands, still feeling the warmth of how Jungkook held my fingertips as his eyes beg to be understood.

What is it, idiot? Why did you look at me like that?

I feel heat creep up to my cheeks. I shook my head and slapped myself, reaching out to my phone to text him.

Hey idiot, you up?

I placed down my phone, fooling myself to get on with writing my reports as I anxiously wait for his reply.

However, it never came.

He'd always reply to me 10 minutes the latest, but as it's now 4 AM and I finally managed to finish the 3 papers due for this morning. I try to shrug it off, getting 2 hours of sleep before I get ready for my first class at 7:30. I'll probably be running again later, but I need to sleep.

Stupid Jungkook.

What the heck was that look yesterday huh?

You holding my hand can be something we have always done in the past as kids, but pairing it with that look in your eyes just made my heart skip a ---- WAIT NO.

Idiot. You've been friends for this long.

Don't ruin it now, Y/N.

Forcing my eyes shut, I tried to drift into my needed-sleep.

1 week later

I wasn't having it anymore.

If he has a problem with me, why not just face me head on?

He's lucky I don't know where he lives, nor do I know his father personally because if I did, I would have showed up in his house announced and hit the crap out of him.

"Oh! It's Ms. Childhood Girlfriend!" A guy with a boxed smile points at me as he exits the business building. I tried to look away, minding my own business as I sat on the bench near their building. I didn’t want to assume that he was talking about me because as far as I'm concerned, I'm single.

"You're Y/N, right?" Another guy with the biggest eye smile said now in front of me with the boxed-smile guy beside him.

"Yeah? You are?" Confusion cannot be wiped from my face.

"I'm Taehyung. This is Jimin. We're Jungkook's friends." The boxed-smile guy introduced himself and the friend beside him before the two sat on either of my side.

"He isn't telling us about how it went so maybe you can fill us in?" The guy called Jimin leaned towards me, his smile radiating a loud 5-year-old innocence. Even before I could answer, the Taehyung guy had already started blabbing.

"I can't believe that Jungkook would call to ask me how to ask you out. I mean, with that face of his, shouldn't he be so used to girls now? Or perhaps, he really doesn't have any experience with girls. Are you his first girlfriend, Y/N?" He looked excited but my face was blank.

What.

He wanted to ask me out? Me? Y/N? He wanted me to be his girlfriend?

"Hey!" As soon as Jungkook spotted the three of us sitting in one bench, he quickly sprinted to where we were as he grabbed me by the hand, pulling me away from the two. "What the hell guys?"

"Wow, calm down dude. We ain't here to steal your girl. We just wanted some details cause you wouldn't spill." Jimin answered as they both had their hands up as if they got caught doing something wrong.

"Why are you mad?" Taehyung asks with one eyebrow raised.

If I didn't know any better, I'd ask the same question as Taehyung did.

But I know better. He wasn't mad. He worried -- no, panicked. What was he panicking about?

"We need to talk." I tugged on his hand, making him face me. "If you boys could excuse us for today, I'll need to have a serious talk with this idiot. Don't worry, I'll knock some sense into him. It was a pleasure meeting you though, Taehyung and Jimin. Let's hang some time soon." I smiled at them and they took their leave, waving at me and clapping Jungkook's shoulders.

I was now looking at Jungkook and as much as I want to get mad, seeing him made me want to apologize. He looked so worn out, like he's been having sleepless nights.

"Has it been rough? Classes and all?" I asked, pulling him down to sit beside me on the bench where Jimin and Taehyung once were.

"Kind of" He shrugged as he kept his eyes down.

I sighed, getting the file case he was holding and placing it inside my backpack. He simply looked at me as I continue to fix my stuff before I stood up, slinging my bag on my shoulder and pulling onto his hand.

"Follow me." I smiled, pulling onto his hand. As he reluctantly stood up, I started dragging him out of the campus into our favorite arcade in the district.

It only took a little resistance from him before he caved into his own competitiveness. A little provocation got him fired up to beat me in almost all of the games -- except the virtual shooting game.

"I'm winning!" Jungkook perked up when I got hit, loosing 1 of the 2 remaining lives while he still has all three. For the record though, this is the 3rd rematch and I'm letting him win. "Ah, no! Don't hit my y/n!" He shoots the villain aiming at me as we fight in co-op mode.

In an instant, I felt my cheeks warm up as I remember what Taehyung and Jimin told me before Jungkook popped out of no where.

"Feeling better?" I asked after I won the third game since he died within 30 seconds after facing off with the boss.

"Yeah" Jungkook smiled, showing off his dimples that I've always loved seeing. I poked the dent on his cheek, smiling along with him. "But I need to let off more steam." He says, catching my finger as he held it 'til he took both of our bags and led me out of the arcade.

Even without him saying, I already knew where we were going as he practically skipped going there.

"Do you see my bags, do you see my bags, it's hella trophies and it's hella thick!" Jungkook sang as I hyped him in the background.

"Yeah yeah yeah! Whatcha think bout that watcha think bout that" I sang along, jumping with him.

"I bet it made my haters hella sick!" We sang together, banging our heads to the air like metalheads in a concert.

We barely heard the knock from the staff that was delivering the food that we ordered. I was quick to abandon singing(?) as I charged straight for the mozzarella sticks, dipping it in some marina sauce before taking one to Jungkook. He took a second to bite but resumed singing afterwards as he jumped along with the beat.

I went back to the food, took my seat and just sat through Jungkook letting out whatever that was bothering him through singing these tiring songs. I mean, they're dope to dance to, and they're dope to sing to, but doing them both is hella tiring. You have to be legends to do that. (A/N *wink*)

After the song, Jungkook sat beside me, eating the last mozzarella stick that I was holding and then shooting me a look.

"We ordered 10 pcs. I only got 2 bites." He complained but I just shrugged and smiled. He chose a random song to have it as a background music, letting it play as we take some rest. He stuffed what else was left, claiming that he paid too so he needs to eat before I finish everything. I laughed and let him.

"I missed you, idiot. Why were you avoiding me?" I now say, catching his attention. His eyes shows that he understands it was a serious question, but his stuffed mouth just made me chuckle as I took a napkin and wiped the excess sauce at the side of his mouth.

"I wasn't avoiding you." He now says after swallowing the lump of food he placed in his mouth. "I was just… occupied." He trailed off, breaking eye contact.

"Hmm, was it because of a confession?" I asked, his head snapping right back to look at me with eyes wide. "I think Taehyung and Jimin mistook me for someone else." It was now my turn to look away as it suddenly felt hot.

When I wasn't hearing any teasing on his side, I took a peak and saw how he bit his lower lip deep in thought. His fist was clasped tight as he make a conflicted expression.

"Jungkook? Is everything alright?" I softly ask, gently guiding his chin to look at me. "You're hiding something."

"If I'm going to be honest, I'm really just holding back. I've been wanting to confess since high school, but I realized a boyfriend was not what she needed back then. Til now, I'd like to prioritize her happiness over anything else." He answers now, taking my hand and he held it in his.

I can't believe that Jungkook would call to ask me how to ask you out

Taehyung's word resounded as Jungkook spoke. I remember the conversation we had in the roof top 2 years ago. The person he wanted to confess to… was me?

"So I decided---" I cut Jungkook off with my own words surprising me.

"I like you, Jungkook." My heart pounded hard as if it wants to jump out of my chest. I've closed my eyes, trying to steady myself. I've always been scared to tell him the truth, not wanting to jeopardize the friendship we had. However, Taehyung's words gave me a little confidence.

I hope I didn't make a mistake.

I slowly opened my eyes to see his reaction, but his face showed an expression I wasn't expecting.

There was a hint of surprise, however it's easily overtaken by pain. His hand tightly holds mine as a tear escapes his eyes.

"Fuck" Jungkook mutters, eyes closed as a few more tears fall.

"You d.don't have to be bothered by what I just said. I'll cheer for you--" I was stuttering, thinking maybe Taehyung had it wrong and I really wasn't the one he had liked. Thoughts such as making a big mistake was suddenly wiped away when Jungkook pulled me into his embrace, burying his face on the crook of my neck.

"I've always loved you y/n." He softly whispers. "But this... this love of mine just wants you to be happy, and I don’t think you'll be happy with me." he slowly backs up, holding my shoulder at his arms length. His voice was dejected, his face tear-stained. "I'm sorry."

Without much thought, I cupped his cheeks and lifted his face before closing the gap as our lips collided with each other. It wasn't long until Jungkook kissed me back, his hands holding onto my waist as he pulled me closer to him.

"Whoever makes me happy is my choice. Don't go deciding on it all by yourself, idiot." I tell him as our lips part. I catch my breath, not sure if it was because of the kissing or is it my heart rate can't keep up. My eyes can't seem to face him as I did something I never thought I could, but he chuckles and presses me close to him, my face firmly pressed against his chest.

My eyes grow wide at the erratic heartbeat that I thought was mine, but as I look up, Jungkook was looking away with his ears red and cheeks flushed.

"Never imagined you’d be this bold, dumbass." He says with a smirk before looking down as he meets me eyes. I covered my face, not knowing what to do next. "Gah, you're killing me." He laughs as his nose scrunch up before kissing my forehead.

And at that moment, I've never felt more at ease.

As we walk towards my home, our hands were connected together. It wasn't the first time we held hands, but this was the first time our finger were intertwined together. As I look at our hands, I felt him tugging. As I look up, he tilted his head to the side, wordlessly asking me what's wrong.

"It just feels surreal." I answered, biting my lower lip. 

"I know what you mean" His voice was shy. Looking at him, he looked the other way with his free hand over his nape. 

"Taehyung told me you asked him about how to ask me out," I started teasing, his head snapping towards my direction as his face flush deep pink. "I guess he'll be disappointed to know I had to be the one to ask you out because you chickened out." I was quick to let go and started running ahead.

"You--" Jungkook quickly ran after me. My squeal echoed the empty park as we run, laughter soon filling it. As he caught me, he lifted me up and spun me around. "How dare you make fun of a maiden's heart." 

"Such muscular maiden," I commented, holding onto his firm arms. He playfully flexed his biceps, making me laugh as I shake my head. 

"Do you know why I built up my muscles in the first place?" He asks, gently placing me down as he guides me to the bench.

"To keep up with your karate, right? Which you're already a black belter if I'm not mistaken." I say with pride even if I didn't do anything. However, knowing the Jungkook from before, I couldn't help but be happy at how much this little boy grew up to be such a fine young man.

"The only reason why I took up karate was for the instance that some dumbass decides to step into a guy's fight again." Jungkook starts, pinching my nose as his scrunches up while his dimple shows. "I can't have that dumbass get hurt for my sake the second time." 

My heart swells in happiness as I hear those words. 

"You idiot, I could protect myself." I say, wiping my tears of happiness.

"Says the dumbass who trips and hurts herself on a flat surface. In fact, I feel like you're more likely to hurt yourself than other people. Hmm how do I use my karate skills to protect you from yourself?" He says, playfully putting on a 'thinking-hard' façade. 

"Such a bully." I muttered but he just firmly takes my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine as his eyes turn into thin lines, his bunny smile prevailing. 

"I'll take you home. You're getting cold." He says, standing up. 

I didn't want to leave yet. I wanted to spend more time together. 

"Y/N?" he called my attention, snapping me back to reality. I looked up to him, getting lost in those eyes. He chuckles shyly, taking my hand. "You can look at me all you want, but let's get you warm first okay?" He teased, his smirk not leaving his face. I rolled my eyes and scoffed but it was a façade. No matter how cold it was getting, my face was the warmest it has ever been. 

And at that moment, I've never felt more at ease, not knowing it was a the calm before the storm.

Part 1 | Part 3

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