#could have done with more force ghosts but hey we finally got

[tomhollandisabae]

I've got a request! Ghost and reader on a mission together. They both have definite feelings for each other already. Reader gets shot and from Ghosts pov it looks fatal, but it isn't. Reader has to play dead to escape from the enemy and scares Ghost half to death in the process. THANK YOU

thank u so much for ur request love!!🥰🥰

faking- simon "ghost" riley x reader

masterlist

summary; as the mission goes on, you are forced to fake your death, hurting the man you love most.

warnings; angst, death, mentions of blood, mature language, violence, fluff, english is not my first language, unedited

words; 1.7k

a/n; doesn't follow the events of mw2, but there are some hints here and there

to clear things out MI5 works within the UK (MI6 is the opposite)

“Vox, report.” You heard ghost’s voice.

“I'm going in.” You replied.

“No, no. You stay where you are, you hear me? We didn't agree on that.” He insisted.

“Ghost there is no other way. It has to be done now. Over.”

The situation had as follows; you had organised an ambush on Graves and his team, while your top priority was to capture him and take him hostage to use him against Shepherd. However, your plan wasn't keeping up with theirs as much as you wanted, so you had to improvise. That's why you argued with Ghost and disobeyed his instructions, putting yourself at risk.

As you broke in you started taking down one soldier after the other, but sooner or later found yourself on your knees, putting pressure on the front of your thigh trying to prevent more blood loss as you had apparently been shot.

“Vox, what's going on?” Ghost’s worried voice sounded once again over the comms.

“I'm hit, but I'll survive.” You informed him.

“I'm coming in.”

“Ghost no, I'll be fine.” You insisted, but it had no result as you show him entering the building you were in and approaching you carefully, trying not to compromise himself.

“I told you not to do that. You didn't listen Y/n.” He spoke once he leaned down taking you in his arms and picking you up carefully making you hiss due to the pain.

“I'm sorry…” You responded weakly.

“Hey it's okay, you're going to be okay. Just keep your eyes open, can you do that for me doll?” He asked you, panic written all over his voice.

“Mhhm…” you murmured as you started feeling lightheaded.

“Y/n, Y/n” he shook you “I need a medic immediately! Vox is down!” He shouted over the comm.

“Simon…” you exclaimed his name slowly.

“Everything's going to be okay Y/n, you'll be okay. Please keep your eyes open.” He pleaded as his hands started trembling.

“I'm sorry, i'm so sorry…” a tear rolled down on your cheek.

“Medics are on their way.”

“You hear that darling, they're coming to save you.” He placed you down again, once you were outside the building.

“I'm really sorry…” you kept repeating over and over again.

“You don't have to be sorry about anything sweetheart, everything's fine. Just stay awake.” You could tell that under the mask a sad and hurt expression had overtaken his facial characteristics.

“I'm so…”

“No! No no no! Please no!” He took you in his arms and hugged you tightly as if he could keep you soul in from exiting your cold body.

When the medics finally arrived they found Ghost on his knees holding you as tight as he could, trying to memorise the way you felt for the rest of his miserable life. They tried to take you away from him and after a few tries they succeeded as Soap appeared from behind them, approaching Ghost and kneeling down next to him trying to comfort him, but it was too late.

Ghost had lost his last hope of life. He had lost you…

It took three months for the Task Force 141 to finally give an end to everything. They had accomplished their mission and were now celebrating in a small bar as they waited for Laswell to arrive, so she could congratulate them face to face.

Ghost never spoke to anyone, only when it was needed for the mission. He distanced himself from everyone and everything and promised himself to avenge for you death. As he did.

Now the team were having their time of their lives, when finally Laswell walked in.

“Hello boys.” She greeted them with a smile.

They all said their hellos back, apart from Ghost who just nodded towards her.

However, nobody noticed another figure entering the bar, behind Kate.

“It can't be…” Soap exclaimed shocked and everyone turned to him in question and he pointed towards the person behind Laswell.

“Vox?” Gaz said and Ghost head shot up feeling his heart racing.

“Hi” You finally waved at them appearing now next to Kate.

“How?” Price questioned.

“Sit down boys, we can't talk standing.” Laswell motioned towards the booth where everyone was sitting.

And they did so, as you sat down across from Ghost, not daring to look at him. You didn't know what to expect from him. You had left him, you broke him, making him think he had lost everything once again. You were his war partner, wanting to be his life partner eventually, but you betrayed him.

“So where should I start from?” Kate sighed.

“How's Y/n alive, no offence Y/n, I'm really glad your alive, but.. how?” He turned to you and you just nodded.

“Y/l/n works for the MI5, she's been a secret agent for the British army since the beginning of her career. When she was placed in Task Force 141, she had already agreed that her alliance would always be to MI5, so when she was asked to fake her death she couldn't do otherwise.” She began explaining “Y/n, you wanna continue? You know the situation better than anyone.” She asked you and you nodded.

“Yeah, umm… M asked me to get into the Shadow company swearing my allegiance to them, but to do so I had to make you all believe that I'm dead. I had approached Graves and talked to him about it. I promised him that I would be by his side and I would let him know everything about our team. Of course I had already spoken with M and we had agreed on what I would be giving away to him, most of them were false informations. So when I entered that building I had already a bag with fake blood on my foot and prosthetics above it to make it look real. I stabbed the bag and you know the rest… Once I was in the Shadow company I had found a way to secretly commuting with M and gave them all the information they needed. Graves trusted me with everything and I was beside him all the time. When he was finally killed, I was… well… brought back to life.” You said.

“Wow…” Soap was in awe.

“Badass.” Has smirked.

“That's a hell of sacrifice you did there Y/l/n. If they had found out, you'd be for real dead.” Price told you.

“I know, but I was extremely careful.” You smiled at him.

“So you were out secret informer” Soap raised his eyebrow.

“Don't think so. I was providing some information to the MI5, I guess M was talking with Kate and then passing the info to you.” You bit your lip.

“So badass” Soap agreed with Gaz.

Suddenly, Ghost rose up from his seat and walked out of the bar leaving you speechless.

“You should go talk to him. He went through a lot after what happened.” Soap looked at you.

“Yeah, I remember…” You exhaled as you had flashbacks of when he wouldn't let you go as the paramedics were trying to take you away from him.

You got up and finally went outside to find him leaning against a tree in the far back.

“Simon…” You breathed out his name as you approached him.

He didn't respond, didn't even look at you for a second.

“Simon I'm really sorry…”

“Yeah, you said so. Now it all makes sense, the way you were repeating that you were sorry over and over again, the fact that there was no funeral… it all makes sense now.” He shook his head.

“I had no other choice. You have to believe me.” You tried to reason with him.

“Everyone has a choice Vox.” It took you aback as he used your code name and not the real one. He would never call you that when you weren't in the battlefield.

“Well I didn't.” You raised your voice having enough at this point and he finally looked at you shocked.

“You don't know how it is to work for the secret services Simon. They have no morals. They used my fucking family. They had promised me that they would provide them protection as long as I was away for the mission, but they had captured them and threatening to kill them all in the name of saving thousands of other lives. As much as I love you Simon, I love my family too. I might not be able to have a decent relationship with you anymore, but at least you and my family are alive.” You cried out as words kept spilling out of your mouth.

“You love me?” He interrupted you after a while.

“I… yes Simon, I love you more than anything.” You wiped your tears away as you saw him walking up to you.

“Is your family okay?” He asked once he stood in front of you.

“Yeah” you shook your head positively “they're fine.”

“Good.” He placed his arms around your waist pushing you closer to him, making you gasp at the gesture.

“Simon…” you looked up at him.

“What about the MI5?” He asked you.

“I'm out. I don't work for them anymore.” You bit your lip nervously, but he placed his thumb on top of your lower lip, freeing it.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” You barely whispered.

“Good.”

What he did next was something that you never expected him to do. He lifted his mask, taking it off completely, revealing his beautiful face to you.

With your hands trembling, you placed them carefully on each side of his face.

“I love you Y/n.” He lowered his head, your lips only centimetres from each other.

“Please…” you pleaded.

“What do you want darling?” His lips brushed the crooner of yours softly.

“Kiss me.” Your eyes looked with his.

And he did so, finally connecting your lips in a so long awaited kiss. His soft once moving slowly on top of yours with so much care and love.

And that was just the beginning of a new chapter of both your lives.

Because you would leave a happy ever after, together and forever!

[sentientgolfball]

Hey, could you be able to draw or write about Copia x Aether? In nsfw pls!! <3

This one really got away from me and end up being 3k words. damn.

Anyways this is just some really soft copiaeth because they're in love I don't make the rules

I hope you like it :3

MDNI 18+

Everything had moved so fast after Terzo got replaced. A whole new pack was summoned. Dew became a fire ghoul. New uniforms were thrusted into their hands. They were all introduced to the Cardinal that would be taking over the Ghost Project with new music shoved into their hands. Between helping Dew recover and learning the dynamics of the new pack, Aether barely had any time to assess how he felt about it all. Especially how he felt about that Cardinal. 

He seemed cocky and overconfident the first few times they met, boasting about how he’d wipe the floor with Terzo. It made Aether’s hackles raise the way he talked about his Papa. The moment they started spending more time together though Aether realized it was all for show. He’d come to visit Dew late at night in the infirmary when he thought nobody was around. He’d sit with him, praying to the Lords Below his recovery was swift. On one occasion Aether overheard him apologizing for Dew’s condition, voice cracking with the admission that Terzo would’ve done the ritual better. Aether kept a closer eye on the Cardinal after that night. 

Once the band started rehearsing his true nature shone right through whatever mask the Clergy made him feel forced to wear. He was awkward albeit kind. He praised every ghoul individually after each rehearsal. He was laidback with them, more so than any of the previous Papas. Aether couldn’t help but grow a fondness for him. 

It didn’t help that Copia seemed to be returning the feeling. When Dew was well enough to leave the infirmary he still visited, blaming the nightly visits on his insomnia. He’d always drift around the corridors until he bumped into Aether. They’d chat in low whispers so as not to disturb any patients, Aether would ask if there was anything he could do to help, and Copia would only respond with a stutter and a shrug. When it got closer to tour and he seemed to be living in his office and the rehearsal room, Aether would check on him to make sure he wasn’t working himself to death. The first night Copia asked Aether to stay, just needing some company while he worked on some final logistics, was when he knew the Cardinal was more to him than just his superior. 

It became exponentially worse once on tour. Aether didn’t know if it was just for the fans or if it was Copia’s own strange form of flirting, but everytime those gloved fingers ran up his leg Aether felt fire in his veins. The night that hand drifted to caress his inner thigh while Copia went on and on about how big and strong he is ruined him. Dew laughed at him once they were off stage for having to hide his half hard dick the rest of the show. All because the sweet, awkward little Cardinal got his hands on him. 

Tonight’s show was Aether’s breaking point. Everything was going smooth until it was time for introductions after If You Have Ghosts. Copia kneeled, resting his head against his hip. He dragged the tip of his finger up his leg following the inseam of his pants. 

“Well built…everywhere” Copia’s hand was so close to his rapidly thickening cock. All he had to do was shift his weight and he’d be palming him in front of hundreds of people. 

Aether cracked his neck, trying to force the thought out of his head. Just as quick as that hand was on him, the feeling of warm leather disappeared. He moved out of the heat of the spotlight, standing in the low blue beside Swiss’ stage. He needed to get himself under control before a fan got a different kind of show. Luckily Copia was on the other side of the stage introducing Cirrus and Cumulus. He felt like he could breathe. 

“We can smell you ya know” Swiss bent to whisper into Aethers ear. 

“Swiss not now.” 

“Then when big guy” he laughs “everyone knows you wanna fuck him. Can’t say I blame you though with how fucking tight those pants are.” 

Aether turns his attention to his guitar, tuning it to avoid thinking about Copia’s costume choices. Swiss leans in closer. 

“If you don’t make a move then I might just see if I can catch a cardinal.” 

Aether doesn’t have time to tell Swiss off, before he knows it Copia’s finished with introductions and moving on to the next song in the set. He spends the rest of the show thinking about that pit that settled in his stomach with Swiss’ insinuation. He can’t help the way his eyes track Copia across the stage. Fuck why did he have to wear white? If he let his mind go farther than the music he could feel the caress of hands. 

Bows came around and he was reluctant to hand his guitar off to the techie. He was well aware of the bulge of his half hard cock. Dew slapped his ass with a wink when he wandered over to his side to throw some picks and he’s never been more grateful for the mask. He rushes to his spot between Cumulus and Swiss, wanting nothing more than to get to the hotel and take a cold shower. Swiss and Cumulus snicker at the state of him. 

The time it takes to get off stage and into his after show clothes is a blur. Before he knows it he’s standing outside waiting for the van to pull around. He’s so lost in his own thoughts he doesn’t notice Copia slide up next to him. 

“You disappeared before I could ehh speak with you.” 

“About what?” Aether glanced sideways at him, admiring his side profile. The proud jut of his nose. 

“You.” 

“Me?” 

Was Copia finally making a move on him that wasn’t just public fondling? It took Aether by surprise, he never would’ve guessed that awkward little man would have the gall. He’s done nothing but surprise Aether since they met, and he’s dying to see what else the Cardinal is hiding. 

“Your performance tonight you did not seem as ehh energetic as your usual self. Are you feeling well?” 

Of course not. 

“I’m fine, Cardinal. Just a bit of shoulder pain but it’s nothing.” 

Copia hums, nodding in response. They stand in silence as the rest of the ghouls slowly fill in. They wait outside for another five minutes before the van that’ll take them to the hotel pulls around. They pile in one by one and Aether almost has a moment of relief before he sees Copia sitting where Mountain usually does. Right next to him. Mountain is in the front seat greeting the driver. Copia must notice the staring because he clears his throat. 

“He asked me to switch seats. His ehh legs were bothering him and he did not want to be cramped back here.” 

Aether just nods and gets settled. He stares out the window once the van starts rolling away from the venue. He definitely isn’t thinking about how he can feel Copia’s thigh pressed against his. How small it is compared to him. He definitely isn’t letting his mind wander, thinking of all the ways he could prove to Copia just how strong and well built he is. 

He’s pulled from his mind when he feels a hand on his shoulder, squeezing ever so slightly. Before he can even begin to fathom a response it’s rubbing firm circles across his back. 

“You looked a little ehh tense, are you sure your shoulder isn’t an issue?” 

Oh this man was going to be the death of him. 

“I’m sure” he smiles but judging from Copia’s expression it reads more as a grimace “but thanks for the concern.” 

It wasn’t long before they were at the hotel. The proximity to Copia had done nothing to help the feeling of his cock pressing uncomfortably against his pants. He offered to carry extra luggage just so he could have something to hide behind while Copia got keycards for everyone at the front desk. Luckily it was late and there weren't many people hanging in the lobby. Copia got their cards, passing them out before they split into smaller groups to ride the elevator up to their floor. Unfortunately that meant Aether was pressed into the confined space with the Cardinal. Swiss and Rain were there too. He could feel their eyes on him, could practically hear Swiss’ teasing tone. 

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. The group walked silently through the halls. It’s not the nicest place they’ve been in, the carpeted floor had a few odd stains and the colors didn’t quite match. As long as the shower worked Aether would be happy. Swiss and Rain split first, saying their goodnights when they slipped into their individual rooms. 

Of course it was left to just him and Copia. Why wouldn’t it be? 

Their rooms were at the end of the hallway, right across from each other. When they got to their doors they lingered for just a moment. Copia’s hand brushed ever so slightly against Aether’s when he wished him a goodnight. He turned to unlock his door before Aether could react. When his mind caught up he only had one thought. 

I can’t take this anymore. 

Before he knows what he’s doing, he’s pushing Copia into his room and shutting the door behind them. He drops his bags to the floor in favor of caging him against the wall. Copia yelps with the suddenness of it. 

“I’m tired of your teasing, Cardinal. You went too far tonight.” 

“Settle down Aether, what about your shoulder? I can’t be out of a guitarist.” 

There’s a tilt to his voice that tells Aether all he needs to know. 

“So how long were you going to play innocent?” 

“I never claimed to be anything” Copia smiles up at him. 

He runs his hands over Aether’s arms, slowly dragging his fingertips up until he can cradle his face. 

“I have been curious about you since I met you, my ghoul. The others they ehh look at you like you are the reason the stars shine at night. I wanted to learn why.” 

This catches Aether off guard. The softness of it. He was prepared for banter, teases being swapped back and forth until he was able to bully Copia into the bed, but this vulnerability isn’t what he was expecting from the eccentric Cardinal. Every little thing he learned about him just solidified that fondness that had bloomed in him. He can’t help himself when he leans to capture Copia in a kiss. It’s nothing more than a gentle press of lips, but the sigh Copia lets out coupled with the way he sags into the touch has Aether’s head spinning. 

He wants to feel him pressed against him. He wants to drink every delicious noise from him. He wants to see that proud nose buried in the thick hair at the base of his cock. He wants to catch this cardinal and never let him go. 

When they break apart Aether can’t help but admire the deep blush that spills from his cheeks to his throat. He runs a clawed hand through his hair. 

“I’ll show you anything you want Copia.” 

“Dei in basso aiutami.” 

Aether chuckles and pulls him off the wall. He picks up both of their bags and walks into the room to set them on yeh chair in the corner of the room. He rummages around in his own for a moment before pulling out a half empty bottle of lube. He nearly drops it when he turns  back around only to find Copia sitting on the edge of the bed in nothing but his boxers, clothes discarded near the bathroom door. 

Aether doesn’t think he’s seen a more beautiful human. The hair that covers his chest down to his navel, the swell of his tummy, the tattoo that’s been hidden on his pec. He can’t get enough of it all. He sets the lube down on the nightstand and shucks his own hoodie off. Copia stares up at him, not thinking when he reaches out to run his fingers through the thick fur on Aether’s belly. 

“Soft” he muses to himself. He gasps when the stardust threaded into the fur shimmers under his touch. 

“I can see why the others are so enraptured with you.” 

Aether huffs a genuine laugh “you haven’t seen anything.” 

“Then indulge me my ghoul.” 

Aether slots himself between Copia’s legs, hands coming up to cup his face. He kisses him again, this time with more fervor. He licks across the seam of Copia’s lips, searching for entrance. When he drops his mouth open Aether tilts his head to get a deeper angle. He licks into his mouth, shoves that forked tongue down his throat. Tasting just to taste. 

He crowds Copia back, pushing him so that he’s laying flat on the bed. He doesn’t break contact as he slides up to straddle his hips, drinking down the groan Copia lets out when their clothed cocks brush against each other. Aether can’t help but grind down to hear him make that noise again. And again. And again. 

He breaks the kiss for just a moment, just to look at him. Kiss swollen lips and saliva dribbling down the corner of his mouth. Aether bends back down to kiss across his jawline, moving up to suck and bite just under his ear before trailing down to mark his neck. He sucks deep bruises onto his throat he knows the makeup team will scold him for tomorrow. He can’t help it, he needs everyone to know he got the Cardinal first. 

He trails further down, leaving open mouthed kisses down his entire abdomen. He pauses his ministrations to nose at his cock through his boxers before hooking a claw into the waistband and pulling them down. Copia shudders when the cool air of the room hits his flushed dick. He cranes his neck to look down at Aether. Oh was that a mistake. The hungry look in his purple eyes makes his stomach swoop, a thick blurt of pre pearling at his tip. Aether holds his eye contact as he unfurls his tongue, licking from root to tip before swiping his tongue to taste him. He presses a kiss to the tip of his dick before pulling away. Copia makes a mixed sound of wounded and confused and Aether can’t help but laugh. 

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Aether shucks his own pants and boxers off before grabbing the lube off the nightstand. He can feel Copia’s eyes rack over him and he can't help but be a little cocky. 

“See something you like?” 

“Dio qui sotto you are the most beautiful thing I have laid my eyes on.” 

Fuck Aether was beyond his limit. He couldn’t take the sweet words from the Cardinal anymore. He uncaps the bottle and squirts a generous amount of lube onto his fingers. With the clean hand, he spreads Copia’s legs open to settle between them. He rubs his fingers together, spreading the lube before brushing the tips against his rim. He traces his hole with the tip of a claw until Copia is shaking, hips twitching, searching for more. Carefully Aether slips one finger into his hole, groaning at how tight he is. 

“I’ve thought about this for so long” Aether pumps that thick finger in and out of him. 

“Give me more please give me more” Copia begs from above. 

He could draw this out. Take as much time as he wanted savoring every twitch and hitched breath, but Aether wants this. Bad. He can save the teasing for another night. He slips a second finger into him, reveling in the wet sound that echoes through the room. He curls those fingers, pumping them in and out until Copia is shaking, a mix of Italian and English falling from his lips. 

He pulls out, grabbing the lube and squirting more into his hand. He jacks himself slowly, spreading a mix of lube and pre over the length of his thick cock. He positions the tip to brush against Copia’s waiting hole and they both groan. He bends to capture him in a kiss when he pushes in. He’s so tight it drives Aether insane. He should’ve given him a third finger, but fuck he couldn’t wait anymore. He had to be inside of him. It's almost agonizing how slow Aether sinks into the warmth of his body. Inch by inch until he’s fully seated inside. By the time Aether’s hips are flush with Copia’s they’re both shaking. 

He’s still for a moment before giving an experimental roll of his hips. Copia makes a strangled sound and for a second Aether thinks he might’ve hurt him. Copia wraps his legs around Aether, keeping him close. 

“If you do not start moving I am going to lose my mind.” 

Aether doesn’t need to be told twice. He sets a steady rhythm, not quite pounding into him but enough to pull a sigh out of Copia each time he pushes back in. Aether’s head spins with the sweet noises. He clenches down on his cock with the next stroke and Aether nearly chokes. He digs his claws into the bedding near Copia’s head and fucks into him harder. 

“Touch yourself” he pants, watching the words register in Copia’s mind. 

His eyes flutter closed when he gets a hand on himself. Aether can’t look away as he starts to stroke himself in time with each of his thrusts. The pinch between his brow, the way he chews his bottom lip each time Aether drags over his prostate, the deep blush that’s spilled down to chest. Fuck if he could take a picture he would. He etches that face into his memory, something to go back to when he’s alone. 

He watches a thick bead of pre squirt into Copia’s happy trail the same time he clenches hard around his cock. He knows he’s close. He picks up his pace, thrusting into him until the sound of skin against skin is deafening, desperate to cum when he does. 

“Aether oh fuck don’t stop.” 

Aether bends, sucking at the place where neck meets shoulder, grinding deep inside of him. A combination of a well timed thrust and fangs grazing against skin is all Copia needs. He spills hot between them, coating both of their stomachs with rope after rope of cum, a broken moan following. Aether double downs, rutting and spreading the mess further. Copia wraps his arms around his shoulders, leaving open mouthed kisses across his face. Lips drift too close to the base of one of his horns and sensation is enough to throw him off his own edge. His mouth falls open in a silent scream, cumming deep inside of him. He hips rock forward at their own accord with each twitch of dick. 

He pants, pausing for a moment to catch his breath before running a hand through Copia’s sweaty hair. Nothing but affection fills his eyes and it makes Aether’s heart beat that much faster. He turns his head and kisses the wrist that’s still by his face. 

Aether carefully pulls out of him, rubbing his hands over his thighs to soothe the muscles. He crawls into the bed to rest against the headboard before pulling Copia over to rest against his chest. They’re sticky and sweaty but neither of them seem to care in that moment. 

“I can see it now. Why everyone looks at you the way they do. You truly are something my ghoul.” 

“And all it took was getting my dick in you.” 

“That’s not—I didn’t mean it like that” Copia stutters, blush returning to his face at the insinuation. 

Aether chuckles “Relax I was only teasing. I think it’s fair after what you put me through.” 

Copia hums. Silence falls over them as they bask in each other's company, too tired to even think about moving. Aether is fading in and out of consciousness when he hears him clear his throat. 

“You were serious? When you ehh said you had been thinking about this”

“You have no idea” he pressed a kiss to the top of his head. 

Copia smiles to himself, content with the sentiment. He settles against Aether, tucking his nose into the crook of his neck. He falls asleep with those big, well built arms holding him like he was something to cherish.

[igotbloodonmyhands]

Alive / Part XI

Trigger warning: Talking and descriptions about sexual abuse and rape. Word count: 669 They started the hike in silence. An awkward silence. They both knew they'd have to talk about it, but neither of them knew how to start. They knew how to kill, but they didn't know how to love.

About an hour of silence went by before they stopped. It was a beautiful view from a hill down the valley on the one side, and a steep cliff looking down on the wind whipped sea on the other.

Ghost took off the backpack he was carrying, taking out a water bottle and handing it to Soap. "Thanks", he mumbled before taking a few sips.

After a few minutes of more silence passed. "We have to talk", Soap said. This one phrase made Ghost more nervous than he'd like to admit. Less nervous than when he was on a mission that could easily end deadly. "Yea...", he mumbled.

Soap seemed nervous too. "I'm sorry, Simon. I shouldn't have done that", he said awkwardly. Ghost wanted to tell him he didn't mind, but that wasn't the truth. At least not the whole one.

Soap sighed. "When I uh, when... The accident. I could hear you. You said you loved me", he looked at Ghost with those blue eyes of his. The same colour as the stormy sea, dangerouse but, oh, so tempting. Ghost wished he could live in them. Soaps words hit him. He hadn't expected him to hear them. Hell, he thought he was dead.

"You, you what?", was all he could say. Soap smiled. "You heard me. And I heard you." His gaze seemed to stare into Ghosts soul. "Do you love me, Simon?", he asked, plainly. Ghost was taken aback, not knowing what to say. Well, he knew what to say, but he didn't know if he could say it.

Ghost sat down clumsily on the grass, Soap sitting down a meter in front of him. "I thought if you liked me too, I could, you know, I thought you'd like it...", Soap tried to explain himself. Ghost wished he could tell him, tell him everything, but it hurt, it hurt so bad.

"I'm sorry, Simon.", he apologized. Ghost wanted to scream. "I love you", he mumbled. Soap looked at him with a mix of surprise, sadness and hope. He smiled. "Well, that's good. Because I love you too, you muttonhead". A quiet sigh of relief escaped Ghosts lips.

Soap seemed to be contemplating what to say. Ghost leaned back, lying down on the green grass. Soap did the same thing, lying next to him. "If you like me too, then why'd you seem so.... Averse?", he asked.

Ghosts mouth opened and closed like a fish. The words, the truth wanted to rip out his body so desperately. But he knew it'd rip him apart. But if he left it unspoken, it would eat him from the inside.

"They hurt me....", he whispered. "They touched me, they made me do things", he got choked up. "I had to, I had to, I had to survive, it wasn't my fault", he got panicky. "Hey, hey, Simon", Soap tried to ground him. "It's alright, I'm here, I'm right here", he placed a careful hand on Ghosts side. "You're safe now"

Slowly Ghost started to calm down a bit. "I just want you to know that we don't have to do anything. I'm just happy to be here with you" Ghost wanted to scream yet again. He didn't deserve this, he hadn't allowed himself to indulge in many things. Pretty much nothing.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?", Soap asked. Ghost gulped. "They touched me... I didn't want them to, I didn't want it", he breathed heavily. "They forced me on my knees... I couldn't breathe". Soap sighed. "I'm so sorry that happened, Simon".

They just kept lying in silence. It was a comfortable silence. The memories still hurt. But it felt like they couldn't quite reach him. He felt safer.

He felt safe. For the first times in ages.

Notes: I know that this description of deep trauma is pretty unrealistic, but this is for the sake of the fanfiction, since I don't want to write a hundred parts of unlinear healing and therapy until they finally bone.

[sinspark4]

Roddy's Ghost Adventures

The Rake: This is the first video Rewind stumbled across after finding something called "The Dark Web" when searching for media for his crew mates. The video is distorted, corrupted, everything inside it is hard to make out or understand. All Rewind can gather from the feed is the panicked screaming of a human and glowing, yellow eyes. He does his best to clean up some of the feed but there are strange viruses lurking in the coding Rewind doesn't want to get anywhere near. He thinks he sees a forest, a house in the background, and a sign reading "Warren Park Trail, Montana." Then the video just ends. Abruptly. He took a moment to contemplate the recording before reading the caption.

Locals spoke of a creature known as "The Rake," a nightmarish being with sunken eyes, elongated limbs, and razor-sharp claws.

Legend had it that "The Rake" was once human, transformed by dark experiments or supernatural forces. Its first recorded appearance was in the late 1800s when it stared hauntingly at a family before vanishing into the night.

As years passed, more encounters were reported, each describing the creature's ability to appear and disappear, leaving behind an aura of dread. Witnesses spoke of its featureless face and guttural noises, claiming that even a brief encounter could plunge a person into madness.

Rewind snickered. This was ridiculous. They'd been on and off earth enough times they would have known if there were any humanoids outside of humanity by now. Some sparkling humans must have just gotten bored.

He ignores the twinge of discomfort ringing in the back of his processor and shuts his vocalizer off just in time to stifle the high-pitched yelp clawing up his intake when a bright yellow hand lands on his shoulder.

"Hey Rewind, whatcha got there?" Rewind turns his helm to stare up at his captain. Slowly, a smile spreads his lips behind his facemark. Oh this.....this will be good.

Log 1

Bots along for the ride: Rewind, Rodimus, Drift

Location: Warren Park Trail, Montana

Subject of interest: Urban Legend - The Rake

Notable Mentions: The air here seems....heavier. Shadows seem to somewhat defy sources of light. Rodimus has taken it upon himself to "Flame up" so everyone can see where they place their pedes. Drift's headlights help but they don't seem to penetrate the strange blanket of darkness. Walking around tonight in search of this legend has proven fruitless. Perhaps this is the first he can strike off the list? He will have to wait till they were back on ship and he had a moment to himself before he can review the feed. He's going to have to do a lot of tweaking before the video is comprehensible.

Here is the rendered photo without the drawn on Video Cam.

This is the first installment of my new mini-series. I am so excited to finally post this, I've had the rendered photo done for a while now and was just waiting on myself to finish up the companion comics.

This literally was entirely inspired from solely two things.

1.) As I was sketching Roddy for practice, the song "Dumb Ways to Die" came up on my for you playlist on Spotify. This kinda put in a little seed of sorts.

2.) My brother is starting to get into art and we often go to the cafe together to practice. It's great being able to have a critique buddy right there as you're working together. On the day after scenario 1, him and I went to the cafe and I had been practicing landscapes. My intent had been to make a fairytale like environment. I showed him, we looked at each other, and both stated. "Yeah that's haunted." It's like a light bulb went off in my head. A very very insistent light bulb.

And thus, "Roddy's Ghost Adventures" has been born! Stay tuned for future installments~

[depressedbagpipe]

Silver (Prince Caspian x female!reader)

Chapter IX - Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen

Words: 3652 Warnings: just very bad writing of feelings, overall. other than that you're good. A/N: hey ;) i completely made up this chapter, because i wanted to write something of my own without following a script for once. let me know what you think of it 💜 and thank you once more for your support. also the title is conveniently fitting lol

Series Masterlist Previous chapter <> Next chapter

Chapter IX - Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen

I knew I was dreaming way before Caspian’s lips softly rested on mine. I was standing on the ruins of Cair Paravel, wearing my school uniform. The Pevensies were nowhere to be found, but it almost didn’t matter. Somehow, I knew this wasn’t about them. 

Soft steps on the overgrown grass made me turn around, finding Caspian’s dazzling eyes as he approached me. I turned back, staring at the calm waters before me, suddenly feeling his chest against my back and his arms enveloping me, protective and loving. Caspian rested his chin on my head, kissing it softly as I rested my hands on his, drawing small circles. 

His heart was peaceful, quiet, just like the rest of the world. My lips spread in a lazy grin, letting the breeze and contempt wash over my body and mind, finally finding peace after so many restless nights. 

“I wish we could stay like this, forever,” Caspian spoke softly. 

I nodded, pushing him closer to me.

A stronger wind started to pick up, sending our loose clothes flailing around us. The sun that had been lighting everything with warmth was suddenly gone, dark clouds filling the sky in a matter of seconds. The sea raged below, crashing into the rocks with such a forceful fury that I took a couple of steps back, out of surprise.

The air got colder, making me shiver as it prickled the skin on my legs. The spell was broken almost immediately. I turned around to face Caspian, who was dressed like the first time I had ever seen him. He wore no armor or swords, and his face was not that of a child, but rather a young king. He looked at me with such endearment that I knew it couldn’t be real.

“I have to go,” I said, as the wind got louder around us.

Caspian frowned at me, gripping my hands tightly. “What do you mean?”

I had to pin down the skirt of my uniform to prevent it from showing anything.

“Cas, I don’t belong here,” my heart broke with every word. “This isn’t my world.”

He shook his head at me. “No, no, but we can talk to Aslan, we can…” he was desperate, pulling me to him as I tried to walk away.

“There’s nothing to be done, Caspian,” hot tears fell from my eyes.

“I can’t let you go just like that,” he was crying too, his grip almost too hot, or too cold, burning into my skin.

“Please,” I pleaded, my voice barely a whisper.

Before I could say anything, Caspian took a step forward and kissed me. All logic went off the window as he grabbed me by my waist, keeping me close to him, our lips moving in a graceful dance to the tune of our own melody. For a few seconds, time seemed to stop. It was only us in the entire universe.

Yet the world around me slowly faded until I was standing alone in the dark, the ghost of Caspian’s kiss still lingering on my lips and his grip on my waist. My body grew heavier as if something invisible pushed me to the ground, but I was too heartbroken to fight it. I let it move me around like a falling leaf until I too became darkness.

I woke up with a start. My forehead was drenched in sweat, and shivers ran down every limb. The silk night robes that had been gifted to me stuck to my body, as I desperately tried to calm my racing heart.

Winter stood by the feet of the bed, her ears listening, yet her eyes were closed, sleeping despite the early morning rays already illuminating most of the room. I threw the covers off my body, the coldness of the stone floor immediately clinging to my bare feet as I stood up. I washed my face on a nearby basin filled with water, taking a quick look at my reflection in the mirror that hung above it. My eyes were wide, with dark circles under them, and dry stains on my cheeks that I quickly washed away as the sun slowly made its appearance over the Telmarine castle.

I stood on the balcony overlooking the kingdom, the first villagers waking up at the sound of their roosters, starting their day. The castle was dormant on the inside, not a single sound heard from the other side of the wooden door. I looked to the horizon, the sight both familiar and unrecognizable at the same time.

Caspian had returned to Telmar, welcomed with open arms by his people. He brought us with him, too, giving us all our own quarters, and making sure every Narnian out there felt welcome in his home. His coronation had been beautiful, Narnians and Telmarines alike cheering for their new ruler. We had spent the past weeks helping Caspian become the king he was meant to be. Peter and he had become fast friends after that, Caspian turning into his sort of protegée as Peter taught him everything he knew about ruling after becoming High King. Edmund and I would often chime in during their war and council discussions, guiding him over all the new decisions he had to make as the new king of Narnia. 

Peace reigned over the land, finally, yet I had become restless. Caspian and I had grown closer, often seeking each other’s advice on even the simplest of matters. Many nights had been spent at the library or his professor’s office, reading everything ever written about Narnia, recounting our tales, our adventures, our battles. During the day we trained together, and rode around Telmar and well into the Narnian territory. No wars had to be fought, and for once, I wasn’t a soldier. 

A couple of balls were held, too, Caspian taking Susan’s advice and inviting all the neighboring kingdoms. A new era of peace and prosperity loomed in the air, and with every passing day, I knew our time in Narnia was coming to an end. Caspian was managing on his own, not needing the Kings and Queens of Old anymore for guidance. The more I spoke with him, the less of the young naive prince I saw. 

It was a couple of nights ago that the nightmares started. All of them began the same way, somehow in Caspian’s arms, only to be reminded that I couldn’t stay. And every time my heart broke a little more. I feared soon there wouldn’t be any heart left to break.

I still thought about it during that night’s ball over Archenland’s peace treaties, signed only a few hours prior. I stood once again over the big balcony at the ballroom, an uninviting colder breeze allowing me to enjoy some peaceful moments away from the dancing couples inside.

“It really is beautiful out here,” Susan’s gentle voice startled me from my thoughts. She stood next to me, also gazing at the stars. “It’s no Cair Paravel, though,” she joked.

I snorted. “It wouldn’t be fair to compare the two. You guys are four, Caspian’s just one,” I answered, keeping the light tone over us.

“I always found it weird, you know. Four of us. But I see Caspian’s managing well,” she replied, a gentle smile on her plump lips.

I looked at her slightly, my jaw unconsciously tensing at her words. I made no reply, for I was too busy letting my bitterness get the best of me. 

“I know he will be a good king,” I answered at last. “He had the best teachers, after all,” I complimented her, forcing myself to push down any sourness. Susan and I had been best friends for years, after all.

It was her turn to snort. “Please, speak for yourself. I barely did anything,” she replied. “He’s been more focused on you than any of us combined.”

I blushed at her words, for they were true. “Well, when all of this is over, it won’t matter,” I sighed. 

Susan frowned at my words, likely knowing what was going on in my head. I hadn’t told anyone about the nightmares, and my feelings for Caspian, but Susan could always read me like an open book.

“Look,” she took my hand, “I know you love him. And I happen to know he loves you too,” I widened my eyes at her. “Oh, come on, don’t tell me you don’t know!” she laughed, but I remained on the spot, unmoving.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Su,” I told her. The butterflies in my stomach seemed wilder than ever, but I kept forcing them to stop. I simply couldn’t.

“You clearly are made for each other. Both of you are two stupidly pining after the other to notice your feelings are mutual,” she smirked at me, but not with malice.

“Listen, even if I did, I know our time here’s ending soon,” I grabbed her by her shoulders, in an attempt to shut her up. “The last thing I need right now is to get my hopes up over a guy I barely know that flirts with the first woman to cross his path,” I almost spat.

Susan winced, not from my tight grip, but because of my words. I felt bad immediately. “I’m really sorry about that,” she put her hands on mine, her warmth sending goosebumps up my arm. “I’m not going to lie, Caspian is attractive and kind, and gentle. But as soon as I saw the way you looked at each other I knew I couldn’t do anything. I now know it is not my destiny to be with him. But yours is,” she explained. My cheeks felt hot at her words.

“I don’t think it is my destiny either,” I shook my head, blinking rapidly to stop the tears that were slowly forming in my eyes. “I’ve been having these dreams… nightmares, really,” I took a deep breath under Susan’s concentrated gaze. “It’s always Caspian and me. And every time I have to go. We don’t belong here anymore, Su, and I don’t want to risk getting my heart broken for the rest of my life over a love that can’t be,” a single tear fell down my face.

“I really can’t tell you what to do,” Susan spoke softly, brushing the tear off, “and I know how painful it is to love somebody and have to let go. I will love and support you regardless. And so will Caspian,” she squeezed my hands before returning to the ball. She stopped at the entrance, giving me one last look. “If it makes you feel any better, he never flirted back.”

I stood there for a few minutes, replaying every single conversation, touch, and look, shared by Caspian and me during these weeks. I felt a weight lift off my shoulders after my conversation with Susan, but as my eyes found Caspian, smiling and laughing with Edmund and a few of his council members, I felt like an outsider once again.

Caspian caught my eyes and immediately frowned. I tried to slip away, unnoticed, but he was quicker, grabbing me by my arm as soon as I stepped into the hall.

“Hey, is everything alright?” he asked, concerned.

I shook my head, mainly so my hair would cover my red eyes. “Yeah, why do you ask?” I grinned at him, trying to appear convincing enough.

“You don’t look okay,” he grabbed my hand, his touch sending my heart into a frenzy. “Did something happen?”

“No, no, I’m fine. I just… I need some air, you know. I’m not used to the whole ballroom dancing thing,” I laughed nervously, desperately hoping for Caspian to let me go.

He shook his head at me. “I know something’s wrong. You’ve been ignoring me these past few days,” his eyes were almost glossy. “Did I do something?” 

I mentally kicked myself at his words, another weight landing on my shoulders, only this time, it clung to my whole chest, drilling a hole into my heart. “No, Caspian, you didn’t do anything. I just… I don’t know, I guess I haven’t felt good,” I tried to brush it off, but Caspian wasn’t letting my hand go. I almost relished in that.

“Why didn’t you tell me? You know you can always come to me for anything. Maybe we can talk to Dr. Cornellius, maybe he can help you…” I cut him off before he could continue.

“Caspian, it’s fine. I’m not sick,” I reassured him, noticing his frown disappear slightly. “I guess, now that the war’s over… I’m feeling… weird?” I tried to explain, also knowing I wasn’t fully lying. “Like, I don’t have a purpose here anymore?”

“This is your home too,” his thumb stroked my hand.

“It used to.” 

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Everything is different now. Our home was here, centuries ago. And we eventually will have to go back to our own world,” I closed my eyes, feeling my heart aching once again as I recited the same words I had been saying to Caspian in my dreams, only this time, I was wide awake. “I don’t belong here anymore.”

With a soft smile, I squeezed Caspian’s hand and dropped it. He was too stunned to move, and I used the opportunity to turn around and head toward my room. The dress I was wearing flowed gracefully with every step, and despite its beauty, I couldn’t help but feel even more of a stranger. I was almost willing for Aslan to pull me out of Narnia and back to the train station, just waiting until everything was over and I could finally and painfully forget about Caspian if only to not suffer anymore about a love that couldn’t be.  

I reached my quarters and immediately took the dress off, not without difficulty. Winter was laying on my bed, watching me carefully, but as soon as I reached for my riding clothes she stood up and walked by my side, once again silently leaving the castle into the gardens surrounding it. Music and laughter could still be heard from the ball on the other side of the castle, inviting to join anybody who could hear, but I kept running in the opposite direction. I got on top of Winter and she swiftly ran to the woods, heading to Aslan’s How, not a word needed between the two. 

Aslan came back to Telmar the next morning, his presence almost illuminating the already warm-tinted stone walls of the Telmarine castle. The Pevensies and I shared a look, knowing we were all spending our last hours in Narnia. Even Caspian looked disheartened, despite the great respect he felt for the lion.

Preparations started immediately. The whole castle was to alert the Telmarine and Narnian villagers to gather at the town’s main square, and the rest of us were left to our own devices. From my balcony, I saw Aslan speaking with Peter and Susan, both of which had somber looks on their usually cheerful faces. I frowned at the sight, wondering what they could be possibly talking about. I saw Caspian exit one of the doors into the courtyard, briefly exchanging a few words with them, and just as I was about to leave the room, a few soft knocks on my door interrupted my actions.

Lucy’s head timidly appeared from the crack of the open door, smiling at me. “May I come in?” 

I grinned at her, motioning her in with my head. “You know you’re always invited,” she smiled as she crossed the door behind her and sat on my bed, stroking Winter on the head as she softly licked her hand in appreciation. 

“So…” she sighed, “Aslan’s here. Any idea why?” she asked with nervousness.

I exhaled, sitting next to her and taking her other hand in mine. “I think so,” I answered.

Lucy nodded at me, her expression sad. I hated seeing her like this. I took her in my arms, sending all the love I could muster into the hug. “I don’t wanna go back,” she said, her voice muzzled by my arm.

“I don’t wanna go either,” I replied, sighing deeply.

“We could riot,” Edmund’s voice made us turn our heads to the door where he stood, a grin on his face.

“Sure, let’s hide from Aslan, he definitely wouldn’t find us,” I joked as I motioned him to us. 

Edmund took large strides and dropped onto my bed, joining in the hug. Even Winter put her head on his leg.

Tears prickled my eyes, wishing we could all stay like this forever. 

“Alright, all of you, out, you need to get ready for Aslan’s audience,” Peter was now at the door, staring at us with a fond smile. I brushed the tears off my cheeks as Lucy and Edmund left, and Peter softly closed the door behind him as he made his way inside.

“We need to talk,” his expression was firm, his eyes red around the corners. 

“What’s wrong?” I stood up at his words, fearing whatever came next.

Peter sighed, his shoulders dropping. “Susan and I aren’t coming back.”

Something in me broke. “What do you mean, Pete?” my voice trembled.

“We spoke with Aslan. We learned our lesson. We won’t come back to Narnia,” his eyes filled with tears.

I stood frozen on the spot, registering his words. “But… that’s not possible…” I stammered, my head hurting from all the thoughts whirling inside. “So what? We leave and then what?” I paced around, looking anywhere but him. 

Although the prospect of leaving was imminent, I still felt the sadness crippling my lungs.

“That’s what we need to talk about,” Peter suddenly stood before me, gripping my shoulders, grounding me. “I talked to my parents before coming here. They said they found a nice house in America where we could stay. You, Su, and I will be finishing school soon, and my mom already talked to my uncles so Ed and Lu will stay with them. We have a cousin their age, too. I asked my mom if you could come with us, but…” I widened my eyes at his statement. 

I knew my situation was delicate, with both my parents dead and no relatives nearby. “I would be on my own,” I concluded. Tears fell freely off my cheeks, matching Peter, as I realized what my life was about to become without the Pevensies by my side. 

“I even tried convincing my aunt, but she already doesn’t like the idea of looking after three kids,” he was almost begging at this point. 

I looked at Peter one last time, knowing my path wasn’t next to his anymore. I grabbed his face before hugging him tightly, the unspoken goodbye between us heavy in the air.

With a pat on his back, we took a step back, gazing into each other’s eyes, relishing in our last moment together in Narnia. He left the room with a nod of his head, my heart beating fast as I stared at his retreating figure. 

The sun shone brightly on the castle. Everybody was still inside, getting ready in their finest robes, yet I stepped into the courtyard, trying to escape the anxious servants who ran around with a thousand chores in their heads. Winter stood next to me, always protectively, and we both halted as Aslan stood in the middle, almost impatiently.

“At last, young one,” he spoke calmly. “I feared you had gotten lost,” he didn’t move from his place, rather urging me forward to him.

I kneeled before him. “I truly think I am,” I answered, my head lowered in both respect and shame.

“One’s never truly lost. We are where we need to be at every moment, even if we don’t know it yet,” Aslan said.

I raised my head at him, standing straight before him. “Thank you again for Winter,” I said, stroking her head.

“What belongs to you will always find you,” he replied with a smile on his face. “But that’s not the reason you’re here now, is it?”

I almost choked on my words, for I didn’t know where to start. “I just… I don’t know what to do, Aslan,” I looked around, fearing anybody could hear. “I love him,” I shrugged my shoulders, “but I know that it won’t work.”

“Who’s to say it wouldn’t?” I almost laughed at him.

“We come from different worlds. And I just know our time here’s coming to an end,” I answered sadly. “You said there’s a lot more in store for me, but where? I don’t see it.”

“Young one, we don’t always get the exact answers we hope for,” Aslan spoke, his voice calm and gracious. “You will need to find your path on your own.”

“What if I fail?” I whispered.

“You’ve failed before.”

I exhaled heavily. “Yeah, and I almost died.”

“I told you it isn’t your time yet. Nor it won’t be for a long time,” Aslan’s words made me sharply turn my head to him.

My lips trembled, the picture slowly becoming more visible even though it was still blurry. “Then, what should I do? I have no life waiting for me on the other side.”

Aslan’s big paw patted my back comfortingly. “Trust and accept that there’s somebody out there willing to love you as much as you love them. Understand that great things will come your way and it doesn’t matter in which world you stay. Once you do, everything will fall into place,” he spoke wisely. 

My hands trembled at his words, carefully trying to analyze their meaning. For Aslan was giving me an alternative I didn’t even know existed, and now it was my choice to create my own path. 

“I think… I want to stay.”

Aslan nodded at me. “Then you shall.”

Next chapter

[omegasmileyface]

The Forest, the Trees, the Fire I: CATALYST

Chapter 3

woawoawoa chapter 3 :) this chapter more than doubles the word count of the story thus far! Authors: @ectolemonades, me, @attackradish. Artist: @/crunchysart

For the full characters list, word count, content warning, and a directory to all the currently available chapters and related content, see the Table of Contents!

full summary: The world outside of Amity Park has learned about the existence of ghosts, and the time for first impressions has arrived. The delicate public consciousness could be disrupted by the slightest ripple. Danny Fenton is being ripped apart from all sides, and when he finally breaks, the ripples will be very big indeed.

warnings: self-worth issues, small meltdowns, that kinda thing

words: 3388

AO3 link

first chapter

previous chapter

next chapter

===

October 6, 2006

Danny tried to find a way to rest his head without the school bus vibrating his brains out. They’d left city limits forever ago, and the excitement that gripped everyone this morning had died down. Sitting next to Tucker had fought off the boredom for most of the trip, but conversation ran dry a couple miles back. Even the back of the bus had gotten quiet. There’s only so many unique 'would you rather?' scenarios that a group of teenagers who already see each other every week for football anyway can think up.

Danny leaned his head against the seat in front of him, the bitter bus seat smell prickling his nostrils. Gravity dragged his body into an increasingly uncomfortable slouch, the vinyl clinging to his forehead and stretching his facial features upwards until his skin stung. Bone ground against bone as his vertebrae tried to accommodate the unnatural arch his neck had been forced into. Eventually the discomfort won over the exhaustion, and Danny sat up straight again, unsatisfied and unchanged. Bound to do it again. Like Sisyphus.

They had to have been on this bus for AT LEAST, like, half an hour.

“You’d think they’d build a laser tag place a little closer to the city. You know, so people could actually go there,” Tucker remarked. 

“Well, isn't this some GIW thing? I bet they saw one of those dilapidated roadside fun-whatevers and just said ‘kids like these, right?’ and nabbed it without thinking.”

“Well, they’d be right. Laser tag rules." Tucker slid off his headphones. "Really, how badly could they ruin something like laser tag?“

“It’s the GIW. They’ll find a way.” 

“C’mon, Danny. A year ago you woulda been even more excited for this trip than me! Even if it is about hunting ghosts, it’s not like we haven’t done that before." Tucker rubbed his shoulder against Danny's and adopted his best 'cheer up, Sport, we're on our way to Disney as we speak!' voice. "Could be fun!”

As patronizing as he was being (and Danny immediately got him back for that shoulder rub), Tucker was right. Spending half the school day at a laser tag place should have been a dream come true! Maybe he could let himself enjoy this. 

“Tell you what," Danny said. "I will keep myself open to the possibility of having fun! Whether it happens or not is none of my business."

“That’s more like it! I was beginning to worry Sam’s goth spores finally took over your frontal lobe.”

“Not yet, Tuck. I haven’t fallen that far.”

“I dunno, you seem pretty close,” he teased. 

“Am not!”

“I’m gonna come to class one day and I’ll see you in a long sleeved striped shirt and guyliner.” 

“That’s emo, not goth.”

“A-HA! And since when do you care about that distinction, my friend who totally isn’t infested with spores?” 

“Shut up!” Danny shoved him playfully.  

“You’re just saying that because…”

“HEY! I THINK I SEE IT!” shouted Mikey from the front of the bus. Conversation burst from its grave as the students clamored to catch a glimpse of their destination.

“Alright, everyone, settle down! We’re almost there, but let’s stay professional and orderly.” Mr. Lancer shakily stood up at the head of the bus. “What did I say about opening windows? Mr. Baxter! Stay on your side of the aisle.” He plopped down again.

“Hey, Danny, what do you see?” asked Tucker.

Braving the buzz of the glass, Danny pressed against the window for the widest view ahead. Amid the fields of soybeans and rotting grain elevators stood a warehouse with a highlighter-colored wall and a parking lot. Out front was a sign in an inscrutable font on an impressive pole. He couldn’t read it at all through the vibrations. 

“Well?”

“It’s big. I think the front is spray painted or something.”

“Oh, maybe the building’s an independent thing. You know how the government is about spray paint.”

“Let’s hope,” Danny sighed. 

They lurched around in their seats as the bus slowed and veered into the parking lot, where another bus was already unloading. Danny waved when he saw Sam in the crowd, but she didn’t look over. The bus parked, and Mr Lancer rose to block the front.

“Okay! Just a reminder that we are not going to be rushing inside right off the bat! We are going to gather by the front of the bus and then go in in an orderly fashion.”

Danny and Tucker stayed in their seats as the A-listers barged to the front of the bus. They only followed once they were urged to hurry up. 

When Danny got a better look at the spray paint mural, disappointment settled on his shoulders. It was covered in gross-looking cartoon ghosts getting shot at by some guy in sunglasses. Sighing, he braced for the ectophobic propaganda that was undoubtedly going to be inside. Damn. Right after he got his hopes up. 

There was way more going on in the foyer than he expected. It wasn’t just a tight room with a front counter; there were a couple arcade machines and quite a few benches. They seemed to be prepped for larger crowds, at least for Amity. Plastered on the walls were some “informative” posters about ghosts and what to do if you see one. Guides on how to support the GIW in your community and bullshit like that. There was also a sorry-looking ball pit in the corner. 

Mr. Lancer and Ms. Driftwind, the bio teacher, had ganged up on some of the staff. They were all huddled around a clipboard and pointing at students intermittently. 

“C’mon, Danny. I see Sam brooding near the ball pit. Whatever we're waiting for, it’s gonna take a while, so we might as well hang out.” Tucker gestured for him to follow with a jerk of his chin.

Sam started talking without even looking up at them. "Do you think they have a snack bar here?"

Danny looked around. "I don't see any."

"Me neither. But it would be weird not to have one, right? At an entertainment center?"

Tucker boldly stuck his feet in the ball pit without even looking. "Maybe they can't get catering all the way out here?"

"You don't get catering for a snack bar. You just get ingredients shipped."

Danny grabbed a ball out of the pit and ignored the way Sam recoiled in disgust. "If the GIW owns the whole building, it's probably weird. Maybe they have a sketchy cafeteria in the back. 'Hello, hip kids! Come on back for a radical snack! We have hot dogs, and they're made out of normal meat.'"

His friends laughed. Somehow, they ended up talking about how weird American commercials for Japanese video games were, and before they knew it they were all in the ball pit, passionately pelting each other with plastic while doing impressions of overly-enthusiastic TV gamers. Danny went wide with a ball aimed at Tucker, and it hit Mr. Lancer in the side. He glared. Whoops.

Ms. Driftwood clapped her hands rhythmically to get the scattered teenagers' attention. "Ravens! A third of you will be heading in to hear the rules now. If and when we call your name, please group up neatly by this door."

Before long, Dash's wish had come true and they were both in the first group together. Better yet, Danny's friends weren't joining them. Joyous day.

"Alright, kids! Have fun!"

As they passed through the door, someone yelled "kill somebody, Baxter!" and Danny felt the weight of an omen there.

As soon as he could, he got out of Dash's line of sight and to the back of the line. He knew he'd be found eventually, but at least for now there were a couple other A-listers in the group, and they were too busy hyping each other up to even look in his direction. When the door opened, they were the first through it. 

As the rest of the students filed in, he saw a few people’s shirts light up, and a wave of nostalgia washed over him. Years ago, he’d begged his parents to take him to a local rock show when he’d heard there was a meteorite, and while he was there he saw some rocks that fluoresced under UV light. 

He wondered if ghosts were fluorescent. Crap. What if he was fluorescent? He couldn’t just step out of line, everyone would notice and there would be questions. The door was several steps away. Ancients, what if this was the end? Shit shit shit shit. Shit!

Ghosts do not fluoresce under UV light. 

Danny relaxed his shoulders. He hated being this paranoid about everything. It was over, he was okay, that’s what mattered. Breathing as deeply as he could without getting stares, he waited for the blacklights to start being fun again. They didn’t.

“So. Who here has played laser tag before?” asked a laser room employee. Several hands shot up.

“Okay, cool, cool. So you know how this is going to go. Everyone else, this is for you. See the vests and blasters against the wall? You’re going to need to put the vests on, making sure the big triangle is centered on your chest.”

There were students suiting up before the instructor had finished talking. Danny subconsciously calculated how long he should wait until grabbing a vest of his own to draw the least attention. 

“Ok, everyone is doing good so far! Now, as some of you have already heard, this is going to be a little different than usual laser tag. You’re going to be taking the role of GIW operatives, fighting against ghosts hidden in the maze. Fake ones, of course.” The instructor chuckled at his own joke.

“There’s a variety of targets hidden in the maze, some ghostly and some harmless. The more ghosts you shoot, the more points you get! If you shoot a civilian target, you lose points. And it’s not just a glorified shooting range, you gotta be careful and have sharp reflexes. If you don’t shoot the ghost within a few seconds after it jumps out at you, you lose a life. Everyone got that?” 

The group nodded and murmured with agreement. 

“Are you guys ready to kick some slimy ghost butt?”

A halfhearted “yeah” rippled through the room. 

“Alright, we can do better than that! Are you guys ready?” 

A “yeah” that was equal parts excited and begrudging rang out. Danny wished he could melt people with his mind. First they desecrate laser tag and blacklights, then they talk about how he’s less than human and deserves to fucking die, and they stick him in a confined space with his bully and demand that he play enthusiastic? Fuck you.

The instructor seemed appeased.  

“Alright then, soldiers, let’s go go go!” He swung open the doors to the course and the crowd bolted out, with Danny caught in the flow. The techno music hit him like a wall. He didn’t see Dash, and he didn’t want to. He’d already turned a corner by the time he called out.

“Hey, where’s Fenton? I need him to watch my six.”

Danny unwound his shoulders a little. That wasn’t a problem he’d have to deal with for a while.

Turning another corner, he nearly slammed face first into a fluorescent green cutout. He shoved down his instinctual response to go ghost, instead swinging his gun up and shooting at the little black thing in its chest. His gun flashed and made an approving noise, and the cutout folded back against the wall.

As Danny made his way deeper into the maze, his mood brightened. Not by much, but… noticeably. The beat got his blood pumping, he was waist deep in fog, and it wasn’t like he hadn’t shot ghosts before. Even the blacklights were regaining some appeal. 

The next cutout was of the Box Ghost, who he happily gunned down. A shoddy representation of Technus swung out behind him, and was taken down just as fast. It felt good. Pretty much all the ghosts here were either perfectly generic or ones he had grudges against. They even had that jerk with the red eyes and the memory powers, who Danny took out with a masterful 360 no-scope. Not that his gun had a scope, but it was still cool. 

His spirits dropped when he turned a corner and saw Dash Baxter in the middle of the path. He was looking down another hallway, and hadn’t noticed him yet. 

Dash lowered his gun, smiling like he’d cleverly avoided a trap. A second later, his vest buzzed violently. 

“Hey, what’s the big idea?“

Curiosity got the better of Danny, and he jogged over to see what had Dash worked up. It was a cutout of him. Well, of Phantom. Dash’s vest buzzed again. 

“I’m not shooting Phantom!” Dash threw down his gun with a loud clatter. “This thing’s freaking busted.”

His vest buzzed a third time, and a loud recording rang out overhead. “Player sixteen: eliminated.”

“No, some genius set up the course wrong! I’d better get a second round after this.”

A tinny laser sound rang out, and the cutout sprung shut. 

“Phantom’s a ghost, idiot,” said Elliot, before running off to score more points. 

“Idiot?! You think I'M the idiot here?! He's on our side!” Dash’s nose crinkled into a full snarl, and his eyes flashed in Danny’s direction.

“I bet you feel the same way, Mr. Fenton Works! Huh?” Dash marched up and seized him by the shoulder straps. “Bet you’d shoot him down while he was distracted saving someone, or some shit, because… I don’t know, there’s something fuckin' wrong with you or something!” Dash threw him aside.

The commotion was drawing a crowd. There were two students behind Dash, and Danny heard footsteps behind him. He wasn’t getting a chance to appease Dash, not that he wanted that asshole to think they were on the same side of anything. 

“Fact, we all got saved by Phantom just a couple weeks ago when that weirdo meat lady attacked at Star's birthday party!"

“Dash, Phantom’s putting on an act. We all know that,” said Valerie.

“What act? You think he’d be risking his life every night saving people from ghosts if it was all an act? If he wanted us dead he’d let us freaking die!”

Liam scoffed. “He wants us to think ghosts can be trusted, duh. And it looks like it’s working. Why do you care? Do you have a crush on him or something?”

The tensed muscles in Dash’s neck spelled death. “Why you little—!” Dash lunged forward. A hand seized his arm. 

“Hey!" One of the staff materialized from the shadows. "That kind of behavior isn’t going to fly here. Mr. Baxter, right? You’ll be coming with me.” 

“Hell no! Why don’t you explain why Phantom’s set up as an enemy? Trying to get us to turn on our local hero? Thinning out the competition?”

“You’re coming with me, this isn’t a request. We’ll talk about this later.” 

“Make me!” Dash squared his shoulders and puffed out his chest. 

The staff member shrugged. “You look like you play sports. Think for a moment. You’re at a school-sponsored event. Wanna bet that there won’t be consequences?”

Dash scowled, then his shoulders sunk. He sulked after the agent, leaving awkward silence in his wake. Danny just stood there. You don’t just start playing again after something like that.

===

In time, the round was officially over, and Danny went back into the lobby without looking at the leaderboard. 

“Man, Danny, you look almost as bad coming out as you did going in. Was it really that bad?” Tucker asked. 

Danny blew through his teeth. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated?” Sam’s fork foraged through the green stuff she brought from home. “Does it have something to do with whatever Dash did that got him escorted outside?” 

“In fact, it has everything to do with what Dash did.” Danny scowled.

“Well, don’t leave us hanging, what did he do?”

“Must’ve been something pretty bad. He never gets more than a slap on the wrist.”

“He decided to make a big old scene about Phantom being a hero, how he saved our lives and shouldn’t be hated like other ghosts and whatever.”

Tucker glanced around, then leaned in close. 

“Isn’t that… a good thing, though?” he whispered. 

“No,” Danny hissed. “I’m not letting myself be endorsed by Dash fucking Baxter. He's the worst bully at Casper, he doesn’t get to like Phantom.”

Sam shrugged. “Maybe this could be to our advantage. He might leave you alone if he thinks you’re on the same side.”  

“Maybe!” Danny cursed himself and lowered his voice. “It might’ve been nice to catch a bit of slack. But I’m not gonna degrade myself by walking up to him and telling him he’s not alone, that I care about Phantom too and no hard feelings and we can help him together and it’s all going to be ok. I’m past groveling for his approval.” 

“…Are you past buying dumb tracksuits too?” asked Sam dryly. 

An icy shock stabbed through Danny's chest. It was just a joke. He knew it was a joke, they teased each other like this all the time. This was stupid. It’s no big deal. It’s not like he didn’t deserve it.

The shock faded into a buzzing ball of dread and weight. Tucker’s concerned face had been replaced with a lighthearted smile, and the corners of Sam’s lips were turned subtly upwards. They didn’t mean anything by it, on any other day he’d have laughed and quipped right back. 

He stood up. Everything was just a bit too much. Tucker said something, but Danny was already on his way to the front doors. 

Fresh air filled his lungs. He hadn’t realized how much the echoing cacophony was getting to him. Out here, every sound was clear and distinct. Bits of gravel left over from snow season crunched under his feet. Cars occasionally whooshed past on the highway. Getting caught out here could mean trouble, but he doubted anyone would come out. Eventually settling for a yellow parking bumper near the corner of the building, he sat down and braced his elbows on his knees. 

Right as his shoulders were relaxing, he heard the weather stripping of the front doors scrape across the concrete. He bolted out of sight. 

“Mr. Lancer, I think you know what I brought you out here to discuss.”

Danny’s ears perked up. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what got into him. He’s a good kid, best quarterback we’ve had in years.” 

“I’m sure he is, he didn’t strike me as a delinquent. Neat hair, strong posture, and as you said a football player. Good all-American young man. But that boy’s been exposed to some dangerous ideas, and it seems like some of them have begun to take root.”

Mr. Lancer sighed, with a  concern that Danny wasn’t used to hearing. “Is he going to be put on a watchlist?” 

“No, nothing that drastic. He’s a teenager, he’s bound to make some stupid mistakes. The government understands that. But to make sure nothing worse comes of this, it would be a good idea to sign him up for some mandatory counseling sessions on ghosts and respecting authorities.”   

“I’ll make sure that happens. Thank you for being so understanding.” 

“Of course. The GIW is here to keep you safe, not to bring down the hammer on impressionable teenagers.” 

Danny sneered at that last sentence. As if. 

“Thank you again, regardless.” 

He heard them go back inside. Knowing that they had just used the front door made getting back in unnoticed suddenly feel a lot more daunting. Maybe he’d just wait around for the trip to end and merge in with the rest of the students as they lined up for the bus. Look for ladybugs in the grass or something. And he wouldn’t have to deal with the consequences of bailing on Sam and Tucker either. He could just wait until they forgot or it got too awkward to mention so they wouldn’t try to apologize to him even though he was the one in the wrong.

That’s what he’d do. It was gonna be a long wait.

[themattress]

Disney TVA Finale Ranking

For every Disney TVA series that features continuous plot/character development.

13. The Ghost and Molly McGee - ???: It doesn’t exist yet, so it ranks last at the moment.

12. Milo Murphy's Law - Sphere and Loathing in Outer Space: Milo Murphy’s Law is a depressing failed experiment of a series. For its first season, it was a spiritual successor to its creators previous show, the episodic hit Phineas & Ferb, but with more of an overarching narrative that was incredibly silly but also had some legitimate heart to it. But that arc’s finale ended up being the second season’s premiere, where the main cast of Phineas & Ferb crossed over and totally stole the spotlight from the characters we’d actually been following. From that point on, the “Phineas & Ferb effect” never went away, leading to a jumbled mess of a second season arc involving aliens and relationship drama and Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz annoyingly inserted in at every turn that concluded in this underwhelming finale that was so clearly not intended to be the series finale when it was made. There’s no real closure nor satisfaction to anything, leaving viewers nothing but the show’s wasted potential to dwell on.

11. The Lion Guard - Return to the Pride Lands: After the final battle, we had two more episodes left in this series and they just feel so bland and perfunctory. There’s no real conflict left, no character arcs still in need of concluding, it really just boils down to connecting fully to The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride and explaining why we never saw nor heard of Kion during the events of that movie. I forgot this finale almost as soon as I saw it; that’s how weak it is. 

10. Star vs. The Forces of Evil - Cleaved: Perhaps the most notorious of the finales on this list, “Cleaved” and the three episodes leading into it really feel like watching a train that had so much momentum behind it derail, crash, explode and burn. Everything from the pointlessly disjointed story, underwhelming endgame threat, out-of-nowhere character turns, waste of important characters, failure to connect enough to the show’s past, brushing aside the horrific implications of destroying magic, and the resolution that puts the show’s freshly hooked-up main ship above everything else come together to create a woefully unsatisfying conclusion. But hey, at least it is a firm conclusion, and one I’ll always remember for just how bad it is.

9. Big Hero 6 the Series - The Mascot Upshot: While this show got screwed over by executives big-time and this short, silly story being the finale is emblematic of that fact, it does accomplish exactly what it needed to: wrapping up all lingering story threads (the Noodle Burger Gang, the unexpected bond Hiro developed with Momakase, and eliminating the last trace of Obake’s evil from San Fransokyo) and leaving things on a feel-good note.

8. Wander Over Yonder - The End of the Galaxy: This is the most standard kind of “good” finale that a series could ask for when prematurely cut short. It’s got the highest stakes to date, the biggest personal conflicts for the protagonists to deal with, the main villain at their diabolical best, and an ending where the status quo is retained while also leaving a clear path forward for new developments which fans can imagine for themselves. It’s a shame that the series couldn’t continue beyond this point as was planned, but what we got was still solid.

7. Sofia the First - Forever Royal: The plot of this finale is very weak. The whole Mystic Isles / Protector Sofia / Wicked Nine story arc felt half-baked to start with, and not enough had been done with Prisma / Vor to feel like her / their status as the Final Boss was earned. However, the characters make up for this. Given that Sofia the First has mostly been episodic throughout its run, you don’t quite realize how much Sofia and her family have grown until you reach the end. The things they accomplish along with the new things revealed about them elevate this finale beyond its flimsy story, with special mention going to my boy Cedric. Once you reach the end credits, you definitely feel like this show wrapped up very nicely.

6. Elena of Avalor - Coronation Day: While this finale has something of a rocky start, partially owing to the (presumably network-induced) wasted potential in how this final season’s arc progressed, once Elena and Ash Delgado have gotten trapped in the Spirit World and Esteban aligned himself with the Four Shades, things pick up and the quality stays high to the very end. The character development is on point, especially for protagonist Elena and antagonist Esteban, and the Four Shades end up selling the apocalyptic threat they pose, especially Cahu the Time Shade who gets away with some of the most horrific shit ever put on a show that airs on Disney Junior. And the ending where Elena is officially crowned Queen of Avalor is just perfect, capped off by a delightful surprise guest star appearance.

5. DuckTales - The Last Adventure: While it’s disappointing that Huey’s arc peters out halfway through in favor of Webby, some long-hanging elements are paid off in a shockingly underwhelming way, and this already long finale honestly needed even more time to fully flesh things out (ex: the resolution to the battle against the Phantom Blot, which as stands is totally off-screen), it’s counter-balanced by so much strong material and a shining heart, with the finale doing a fantastic job at tying the series together as a single, grand, three-act story.

4. Tangled the Series - Plus Est En Vous: There is very little to complain about with this finale. We get the full-on Sun and Moon-powered battle between Rapunzel and Cassandra that the series was building to, perfect cappers for the redemption arcs of Varian and King Edmund, the Big Bad Zhan Tiri having the last of her backstory filled in and then becoming an active threat in her demonic form, Eugene and the other side characters banding together to buy time for Corona’s survival, and Rapunzel getting to save the day alongside Cassandra to the point where she’s the one who cuts her own hair this time. The biggest quibble would have to be Cassandra’s turnaround and departure feeling rushed, but otherwise this was an above average conclusion to an above average TV show based on/continuing a movie.

3. The Owl House - Watching and Dreaming: Starting in “Thanks to Them” and continuing in “For the Future” before concluding in “Watching and Dreaming”, The Owl House’s finale really pulls out all the stops and makes the most of Disney having cut the series short. Every character gets their time to shine and wrap up their arcs in a satisfying way, every core theme of the show is driven home beautifully, and the action and animation is at its peak. Yes, there are problems due to the aforementioned executive meddling from Disney, particularly in how some questions are raised but either never fully answered or answered in too rushed a way to be impactful, but on the whole Dana Terrace and her crew pulled off an excellent ending. 

2. Amphibia - The Hardest Thing: Starting in “The Beginning of the End” and continuing in “All In” before concluding in “The Hardest Thing”, this was a finale that I doubt anyone expected to be as amazing as it was. Amphibia started out as just a cute, fun little show about a teenage girl trapped in a world full of talking frogs, and concludes in the most epic, intriguing, philosophical and heartfelt way a story can possibly conclude in. I could bring up nitpicks like the Final Boss battle being ridiculously quick and perfunctory, or how Sasha’s conclusion is marred by her backstory episode getting left on the cutting room floor, but these things feel insignificant when compared to just how good and fulfilling the finale is overall.

1. Gravity Falls - Weirdmageddon: This three-part conclusion (or four-part, depending on which way you’re viewing it) is often cited as one of the best finales to any television show, animated or otherwise, and it’s not hard to see why. Everything just feels like it’s coming together here, everything the show has ever been and was always building to. It’s exciting, it’s funny, it’s scary, it’s thought-provoking, and by God is it emotional. The final end credits are some of the best, most downright perfect I have ever seen, making you really feel the worthiness of the experience that was this show. It’s certainly not being topped anytime soon.

[sunspray-peak]

Ch. 5: Mines & Magic Pt. 2

After what seemed like an hour tearing chaotically around what seemed to be a never-ending tangle of trees and more greenery than he’d ever want to see again—was he even still in Stardew?—trying and only half-succeeding to use the soon-to-set sun as a compass, Achilles finally came across a dirt path and followed it out of the forest into, mercifully, Pelican Town. Yes, that was Sam’s blue house, Jodi’s flower beds… 

He could feel the last drops of adrenaline begin to drain from his body now that he was in familiar territory, so Achilles’ was forced to pause and take a breather on his way to Dr. Harvey’s. His ribs were aching, his joggers ripped and smeared with dirt. A thousand cuts and scrapes littered his forearms, and his face and neck were sticky with sweat (and, perhaps, blood). Thank goodness nobody was around to see him.

In fact, nobody was around at all. It was dead silent.

Strange. 

Whatever. 

He hadn’t any energy to wonder any further. With a deep, bone-breaking groan, he collapsed onto a bench and took a minute to roll up his windbreaker’s dusty sleeves and better examine the damage, when he heard his name called. 

“Achilles! Achilles, hey! Thank goodness, somebody…” 

Achilles stifled the second groan that had begun to emerge from his throat as looked up from his battered elbows. 

Backlit by the sun, Alex was sprinting over, the orange duffle bag (now mud-free) swinging wildly by his side. 

“Hey, any idea where anybody is?” Alex was glancing urgently around town as he neared Achilles. “Nobody is here, not even my grandpa, and the saloon is locked up—” 

The rain and shadows of the previous night could scarcely have done anyone justice, but even then it hadn’t been difficult for Achilles to discern the obvious attractiveness of Alex’s features. But now, glowing under the rays of golden hour, Alex was (at least, to Achilles), disarmingly, stupidly beautiful. 

Though not his usual type, he had to admit—Alex was handsome in a wholesome, boyish kind of way. Warm green eyes set above a strong, clean-shaven jaw, there was both mischief and grace in his face, a youthful charm and an ageless nobility. And while muscular, the figure standing in front of him was still rather lean—much like a young Greek demigod, as Elliott would probably say, Achilles thought wryly, although Alex, too, was a brunette rather than a blond. At the moment, said hair was somewhat gelled back, although half the strands must’ve fallen free in his harried search around town.   

“—so I only got back like ten minutes ago, right, but still, thought I was going crazy until I saw you, like it’s a ghost town. Thought maybe Gus had an emergency since the saloon was closed, so I figured I’d grab a lemonade from Pierre’s but no one was there either—”

“Hmm? Oh fuck—” Achilles broke from his reverie. Pierre! Fuck. 

Jolting from the bench, he sprinted down the cobblestone path toward the mountains before a sore ankle and reason both wrested back control from this second shot of adrenaline. He hobbled back to Alex. “Do you have a cell phone? Can you put Abigail on the line?” 

“No cell phone phone, but I guess we can use Gus’, he keeps one outside the saloon for public use—dang, I should’ve thought of that, stupid—oh sheesh! What happened to you?” Alex jumped back, only now just taking in Achilles’ sorry state. “Seriously, man, what the heck happened to this town while I was at work?” 

“I’ll explain in a minute,” Achilles mumbled, already tearing towards the saloon. “Do you have Abigail’s number?” 

“Sure—hey, you’re lucky she even has a cell phone, got it last Winter Star, wouldn’t stop talking about it—” 

The line rang only once before a shaky, nasally Abigail answered the phone. 

“Hello?” 

“Abigail?” 

“HELLO?” 

“Abigail, it’s me, it’s Ach—”

“WHO?” 

“It’s Achilles, I—”

“ACHILLES??” 

“Yes—”

“Oh Yoba, Achilles, is it you? It’s really you, is it really? Are you ok?” On the other end, it sounded like Abigail had dissolved into a fresh fit of sobbing. 

“I’m fine! Listen, I don’t know what happened, but I met some Wizard, M. Rasmodius—”

A chorus of speakerphone groans met him from the other side.

“Of course it was. It was the Wizard, everybody—”

“Fucking Wizard—”

“Leave it to that bastard.” 

Abigail rushed to speak again. 

“I swear, I’ve never seen that happen before in my life—I thought Marlon might know what was going on, but then I didn’t want to waste any time running to the Guild and I just didn’t know what to do—”

“Abigail, I’m fine, really. I’m with Alex.”

“—you know, I said, this is it. He’s dead, you’re an accomplice to murder, say goodbye to—”

“Abigail!”

It took a few more shaky exchanges (and a few more audible curses towards the Wizard), but after a few minutes or so, Achilles was finally able to persuade Abigail that all was fine. 

Her mood dramatically encouraged by the confirmation of his safe return, she had recounted the tale to him and Alex. After the fall, Abigail had raced back up the mines at record speed, hoping beyond hope that perhaps the freak elevator had sent Achilles up instead of down. But she was greeted only by a confused Sebastian. And thus, directly confronted with Achilles’ glaring absence, had froze, at a complete and total loss for what to do next. 

She had collapsed in the middle of Pelican Town utterly distraught, scarcely able to choke out more than a string of two words; it was Sebastian who had ultimately taken the lead to inform the villagers that Achilles had gone missing in the mines. Within scarcely an hour after the fall, the townsfolk had mobilized, racing to the mines to craft a rescue operation. 

“Got the whole town looking for you!” Alex said, after Abigail had hung up. He led Achilles off the saloon’s porch, back into the crisp air and sun of the town square (so unlike the mines). “You must be important.”

Achilles snorted to stop the smirk that had unconsciously snuck across his face. 

“Or, I don’t know, that’s just Pelican Town, I guess…” Alex gestured for Achilles to take a seat. “Call it a little intro for you to the type of folks that live here.”

Achilles nodded silently as he battled the sneeze tickling his nose. Fatigue was beginning to settle in again. Man, why couldn’t he run into Alex, say, at the beginning of an uneventful day? Fresh from a jog, showered, hair blow-dried. Wide awake. He had always been more of a morning person. 

“I mean, not that you’re not important,” Alex added quickly, perhaps mistaking Achilles’ scrunched waiting-for-a-sneeze face for indignation. “I mean, you know how I feel about you—wow, actually, I take that back, that sounded creepy. You know what I mean. Nice meeting you for the second time ever, Achilles! Um… wait, okay, so what happened with you and the Wizard?” 

To Achilles vindication, Alex (who interrupted his story only once) had nodded enthusiastically at his “two eggs in a bowl” explanation. 

“Except we were taught ‘two eggs in jello.’ I remember our teacher brought in, like, literal jello with hard boiled eggs floating inside to class once to show us. You’ve got our tiny Plane and then the tiny Spirit Plane and then the jello—or, I guess, bowl for you—was the big hecking Astral Plane that surrounds the other two, right? And the egg shells are the Walls that separate the Planes from each other? Yeah! Don’t worry, I know what you’re talking about… 

“You know, I was the only one brave enough to eat the eggs after. I mean, come on, they were still in the shell, and it’s not like I ate them with the jello…” 

Achilles had finished recounting his side of the tale to a wide-eyed Alex (it had been hard to stay focused with those eyes gazing at him so intensely) when the trapped sneeze finally decided to make a successful break for it—only to, to his extreme embarrassment, splatter his sleeve with blood. 

Well, that was it. Time to call it in. 

“I ought to head back now that they know I’m fine—thanks for showing me the phone,” Achilles declared in an overly enthusiastic tone. He stood and immediately unzipped his windbreaker, rapidly tying the gross, bloody evidence around his waist while attempting to surreptitiously burrow his blood-flecked chin into the collar of his button-down.

“Um, no. You ought to stay and wait for Dr. Harvey,” Alex grabbed Achilles’ shoulders and planting him firmly back down. “No offense, but you’re kind of a mess, man.” 

The impact of those words being delivered by someone with eyes as green as Stardew Valley grass was enough to cement him to the bench. They’d have to chip him away now, with a chisel and everything. He would never recover.

“Here, it might still be a bit, the mines are kind of a ways away.” Alex unzipped the orange duffel and kneeled on the ground in front of Achilles, between his legs. Oh, he would definitely never recover now.

“For your nose.” He handed Achilles a tissue before unscrewing a water bottle. “Hold out your hands for me?” 

Achilles obliged, grateful that the sudden barrage of sweat on his palms would be washed off with the blood and dirt. 

“Geeze, I still can’t believe you went up there. I never go… went once as a kid and hated it, never went back. Creepy stuff. Monsters, demons. Spirits… Although I guess it makes sense you’re not scared. I’m going to pour this over your head now, if that’s ok.” 

Achilles nodded, closing his eyes as he wiped his now-damp hands on a gym towel Alex had promised was clean. Goosebumps prickled his arms that couldn’t quite be explained by the lukewarm water now running down his forehead and nose.

He dried his face as Alex dug around for a tube of antibiotic and some band-aids. 

“Came well prepared,” Achilles said, avoiding that steady green gaze as Alex, still kneeling, applied some of the ointment to the cut on his forehead. 

“It’s still bleeding.” Alex bit his lip as he carefully placed a gauze on the wound, applying pressure. “But I don’t think it’s that bad.” 

“Thank you, Dr. Alex.” Achilles reached to hold the gauze himself, pressing it tightly to his head. At least his nose seemed to have stopped bleeding. Small mercies. “I’ve got it, don’t worry about me.” 

Alex laughed and took a seat next to him on the bench. “Hey, I’ll wait with you. Make sure the town knows you’re not some Achilles-shaped demon from the mines.” 

“All right, now how do you know for sure I’m not an Achilles-shaped demon from the mines?” 

“Oooh true, how about… hmm… what’d we talk about last night… okay—at what age did I read Apparition?” 

“You didn’t read Apparition you fake fan.” 

The shared laughter hurt Achilles’ ribs, but he welcomed any piece of positivity after the day’s mess. Alex shifted closer—just a hair’s breadth, not purposeful, knees bumping for just half a second—but it nevertheless sent Achilles’ heart racing even higher. This close, he could smell him; a blend of salt and citrus. And a million times better than however the hell Achilles must’ve smelled. 

“So, Alex, what do you—”

“ACHILLES! Oh thank goodness, thank Yoba—”

The villagers, led by a gasping, wheezing Abigail, were making their way down from the mountains. 

“Hey now, be careful there—”

But Abigail either didn’t hear or didn’t heed Alex’s warning and hurtled straight into Achilles, where she buried her head in his shoulder. 

“Is it really truly absolutely you? I’m so sorry, I swear that never happened before, I never would have—”

“Abigail, it’s fine.” Achilles awkwardly untangled himself from her embrace. “Everything’s fine.” 

“And don’t worry, it really truly absolutely is him,” Alex added, watching Abigail’s shaking shoulders, lips twitching as he caught Achilles’ side eye. 

But for even the most whorish of attention whores, being the center of a crowd due to an unfortunate, unplanned fall down a magical elevator shaft is nothing short of embarrassing. 

Achilles thought back to his grandpa’s letter… imagine making a name for yourself because you crashed your head on a rock. This was not the family honor ol’ Dan Robinson likely had in mind. 

Eager to get away from expectant eyes (especially those of the green variety), Achilles gracefully thanked the crowd for their concern while dodging any further hugs. And after a check up from Dr. Harvey declared him to be in decent enough condition—mostly bad bruises and scrapes, no severe sprains or breaks, “best just avoid intense physical labor for a bit”—Achilles found himself turning down dinner invitations and calls for him to recount his story, instead grabbing a to-go box from the saloon and calling it a night. 

It was all too much. They cared too much, it was almost disconcerting. Surely the whole town hadn’t needed to go to the mines… 

You must be important. 

Achilles pushed Alex’s words out of his head. He couldn’t let himself feel important. Not for a reason as stupid as this.  

Yet sitting against the iron frame of his bed, shoveling beans and rice into his mouth, he couldn’t help but think back to his conversation with the Wizard.

Magic… 

You were the first person to have passed the test…

No, he wouldn’t let himself feel important. He didn’t deserve that. Not yet. 

[bumbleklee]

labor and delivery

masterlist | 1k prompt masterlist | pregnancy series

pairings: diluc, kaeya, childe and zhongli x female!reader (separate)

warnings: pregnancy, labor/birth, 5.2k words

a/n: congratulations, you’re a mother <3

diluc

Instead of feeling anxious about your due date being days away, you felt at peace. And it felt like the world was at peace, too. The sun illuminated your kitchen, warm beams of light caressing your body. You could hear birds chirping outside and the stray cat you fed was sitting on a barrel next to the window.

You contemplated going outside to bask in the breeze but opted to stay inside. Despite your pleasant mood, you couldn’t help but feel like something was going to happen today. Your mind pondered the possibilities, skipping over the most obvious one.

Diluc was still asleep when you climbed out of bed. Some of the Knights kept him at the tavern extra late so you decided to let him rest.

You stood in front of the counter of your kitchen and reached up to pull a mug off a shelf. You had been drinking tea for the majority of your pregnancy and you couldn’t wait until you could finally have a mug of coffee again. You hummed to yourself as you filled the kettle with water and placed it on the stove.

A sudden, abrupt feeling hit your body like a ton of bricks. The feeling made your body jerk and a gasp left your lips, your hand instinctively covering your baby bump. Your other hand swept across the counter and knocked the ceramic mug onto the ground, leaving the porcelain to break into a million pieces.

Your midwife had described that leading up to the birth of the twins, you might feel braxton hicks. But something inside of you was telling you that this wasn’t just braxton hicks.

And your fears were correct when you felt something warm and wet running down your legs.

You screamed for your husband, panic rising up your throat. The comforting morning you had was thrown out the window as another contraction hit your body. “This can’t be happening,” You said to yourself. You were afraid to move, afraid to do anything, so all you could is yell for Diluc and pray that he heard you.

When Diluc finally heard you calling his name, he shot out of bed. He didn’t even bother to put proper clothes or shoes on, running down the stairs in his pajama set.

“Hey, hey,” Diluc said, shock and confusion written all over his face. “What’s going on?”

“The babies,” You breathed out, “I think they’re coming.”

You watched as the color drained from Diluc’s face. You weren’t supposed to have the twins for another few days. Nothing was set up and Diluc had even given his staff the weekend off. “Oh my god. Oh my god. What should we do? What should I do?”

Another contraction hit before you could answer, sending Diluc into another fit of hysteria. “You need to go into town and get my midwife,” You shakily said, “Like, now.”

“And leave you alone? Oh god, what if you give birth right here?”

You stepped closer to Diluc and pulled on his arms, guiding his hands to your baby bump. “I need you to focus. We can’t have both of us freaking out, okay?” Your husband nodded. “Everything is going to be fine but you need to get my midwife.”

Diluc nodded his head again, more firmly this time. His shaky hands led you to the couch where he knew you would be safe. He pressed a kiss to your forehead and bolted out the door, leaving you alone.

At the sound of the front door closing, you couldn’t stop the tears welling in your eyes. You knew Diluc would be back with your midwife and everything would be fine, like you said moments before, but you couldn’t stop the sheer terror that was creeping through your bones. Were you ready to be a mother? Could you give your babies the life they deserve? Too many questions flooded your mind and for the first time in months, you cried.

They return home within an hour and by then your tears have dried up. You were trying to focus on your breathing instead.

Diluc rushed to you, grateful that you were where he left you. “Is everything okay?” He asked quietly upon seeing your puffy eyes and red cheeks.

You forced a smile onto your lips and nodded, “Everything’s okay.”

“Where are we having this baby?” Your midwife said, interrupting the moment between you and Diluc. He stood up straight and motioned to the stairs.

“The bedroom,” He told her. Your midwife headed upstairs, pulling a rolling chest behind her, and Diluc helped you stand up. His fingers squeezed your hips, “Ready to have a baby?”

You threw your head over your shoulder, “Two babies, ‘Luc.”

For a moment, Diluc’s calm demeanor vanished and you swore you could see a spark of panic in his eyes. But your husband instead just smiled sweetly and helped you walk up the stairs.

Labor was not what you expected. You assumed that when your water broke, you would have your babies moments after but as you laid in the middle of your bed, you realized that wasn’t the case here. Contractions still hit your body every now and then but you were able to rest and even distract yourself from them.

“I’m bored,” You complained to Diluc, nuzzling closer to his warm body beside you.

“Do you want to play a card game?” Diluc asked. When you looked up to give him a deadpanned look, he put his hands up in defense. “What about a book?”

“Are you trying to make me even more bored?”

You wished you were able to leave the bed but as instructed by your midwife, you were on bed rest until the twins were born. Your midwife entered the bedroom again to check you and only gave you a sympathetic smile, “Four centimeters. We’ve got to get you up to ten.”

You groaned and threw your head back onto the pillow.

Your midwife left the room again and you sat up (as much as you could). You turned your body awkwardly so you could face Diluc, “Who do you think is going to come first?”

Diluc thought for a moment, “I think Clara will.”

You nodded in agreement, “One of the twins is super active and the other isn’t. I bet it’s Clara. She’s going to be fiery just like you.”

Around midnight your midwife checked you once more. Finally, you were almost ten centimeters dilated. Diluc moved off the bed and pulled up a chair next to it, instantly taking your hand in his. There was another twenty minutes before you felt a contraction that wracked your body. Your hand squeezed Diluc’s so hard he let out a yelp.

Your midwife sprung into action. She was at the foot of the bed in seconds, ready to guide you through the process. “Legs up, good, now just focus on me, okay? When you feel this next contraction, you’re going to push.”

Your chest was rapidly rising and falling and Diluc rubbed your thumb with his. And just like your midwife said, when the next contraction hit your body, you pushed.

The pain that ripped through your body was unlike anything you had felt before. It clouded your vision and you thought you couldn’t breathe. “You’re doing great,” Your midwife assured you, “Once the head is out, the baby will slide out like butter.”

Out of curiosity, Diluc poked his head around the corner of the bed.

And what a horrible decision that was.

“Oh my god,” Diluc mumbled, his face turning pale again. The grip around your hand became loose until his hand fully let go of yours. You heard a thump on the wooden floors and your mouth dropped.

Your midwife stared at your unconscious husband for a moment. “He can wait,” She decided, turning back to you. Your eyes squeezed shut in pain and you gripped the bedsheet beside you. “I see a head,” She smiled. “Ready again?”

You nodded your head before taking in a deep breath and pushing again. But there was no going back now and within moments of that push, you heard the little cries of a newborn baby. You wanted to stop and admire your baby but a gasp made you remember you weren’t done.

“What’s going on?” Diluc said groggily, finally standing off the floor. He was rubbing his head and froze when he saw the mess on the bed.

“Don’t pass out again,” Your midwife said sternly, “You have a daughter to clean up.”

Daughter. Clara was born first like you and Diluc said. Your vision was blurry from tears, the sight of Diluc and Clara distorted.

“Almost there,” Your midwife told you. After a few more minutes of strenuous pushing, relief flooded the lower half of your body. “And there he is.”

You tried to sit up but you were too weak. Two sets of cries could be heard and right now, that was music to your ears. Your son was placed on your chest and soon followed by your daughter. Your arms folded around them. Your midwife smiled as she cleaned up as much as she could before leaving the room to give you and Diluc some privacy.

“You did it,” Diluc said. He was in awe and couldn’t believe this was real life. The babies had tufts of red hair like himself but their nose was yours. Diluc wished he could photograph the sight in front of him. This was the start of your family.

kaeya

When Kaeya woke up in the early hours of the morning, he didn’t understand why at first. The night was peaceful and the bed was more than comfortable. His eyes ghosted to the side to see you still fast asleep. The blanket was pulled up beneath your chin and silent breaths left your mouth. It was only when Kaeya shifted did he realize why he woke up.

The sheets were soaking wet, especially from your side of the bed.

Kaeya’s hands gently shook you awake and you groaned, slowly opening your eyes. “Love, I think you had an accident.”

It took you a moment to register Kaeya’s face in the dark. “What are you talking about?” You asked before feeling the wet sheets yourself. An embarrassed fluster crept onto your cheeks but before you could say anything, a pain crashed down on your body.

“What’s going on?” Kaeya asked, immediately alert to your sudden movement.

“I think my water broke,” You said quietly, rubbing your stomach to try and soothe the ache that was growing. “Kaeya, it’s starting to hurt.”

“What is?” He was on his feet now, running to the other side of the bed to help you sit up. “Is it the baby?”

“I don’t know,” You answered, “I think so. It hurts here.” You motioned to the area underneath your baby bump and frowned. Kaeya helped you get out of bed and change clothes.

“Can you walk?” You nodded. There were spouts of pain with periods of calmness and you were ready to take advantage of those. You and Kaeya weren’t sure what to do. Fortunately, you had set up the guest bedroom a week ago. Unfortunately, your midwife was out of town this week.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen until next week,” You said, your voice shaking, “I don’t want to have the baby yet.”

Kaeya chuckled, “That’s not an option.”

Still dazed from your sleep, Kaeya led you to the guest bedroom and you sat on the edge of the bed. Your husband stripped the sheets off the other bed while you rested. Slowly, the fact you were going to have a baby that day was creeping into your mind. You were ready, you knew you were, but the thought was still scary. And your midwife wasn’t around.

Kaeya came back to the bedroom and rubbed your back comfortingly. You were still sitting on the edge of the bed, stiff as a board, eyes squeezing shut and your body tensing when a contraction hit.

“Can you do it yourself?”

His words made you look up in shock. Your husband couldn’t be suggesting you give birth without a guide, right? But when Kaeya looked back at you with a serious look, you felt your stomach drop.

“Look,” Kaeya took your hand in his, “Your midwife is out of town this week and I don’t know anyone else in Mondstadt who knows how to deliver a baby. You read books on childbirth, you’ll know what to do.”

You sucked in a deep breath. He was right - you did read a lot about labor and delivery. It would be hard without anyone there to help you but if your baby was coming, your baby was coming. Kaeya continued to rub your back as you contemplated your decision.

“I’ll do it,” You said, “But I need Jean.”

“What?”

“She’s my best friend. If I can’t have my midwife, then I want Jean.”

Kaeya knew it was useless to argue with you and the quicker he got Jean, the quicker you could get on with the process of labor.

“Alright, alright,” He said, defeated, “But don’t move.”

You promised him and Kaeya left to retrieve Jean. Alone in the house, you wandered the halls. Surprisingly, stretching your legs helped the pain slightly. You stopped outside of the door to your daughter’s nursery. There was a ‘C’ on the door and when you pushed the door open, you were met with a pastel pink wonderland.

There were photos of The Knights of Favonius on the walls and gifts from them littered the room. There was a stuffed rabbit from Amber and handmade clothes from Lisa. Even Diluc had gifted your baby a set of wooden blocks.

Your hand rubbed your baby bump gently, “Soon,” You said aloud. “Soon we’ll meet each other.”

The door to your house opened quickly and inside rushed Jean and Kaeya. Your husband frowned at the sight of you in the nursery and put his hands on his hips, “You promised me you wouldn’t leave the guest room.”

You only shrugged your shoulders and smiled.

Jean looked disheveled. She was wearing her pajamas and her hair was down from her usual ponytail. But she wore a look of determination on her face and you knew you needed her by your side throughout everything.

Once you were back in bed, your labor progressed quickly. The time between your contractions was becoming shorter and shorter and it was hard to catch your breath. Sharp pains were rocketing down your spine and bubbling in your abdomen and you didn’t know how you were going to survive this.

“Just breathe,” Jean said. She didn’t know anything about childbirth but when Kaeya came banging on her door in a panic, she knew you needed her.

Since you were in charge of your own delivery, you had to check yourself often. It was becoming increasingly harder to do but you knew it was important. “I'm seven centimeters,” You told your company. When they looked at you with a blank expression, you said, “It’s going to happen soon.”

Kaeya whispered affirmations in your ear, trying to distract you from the pain as you waited around. Jean brought you a cold washcloth and placed it on your forehead. You sighed in relief and leaned back against the mountain of pillows. While Jean looked at the various things scattered around the room, Kaeya leaned closer to your face.

“You’re a warrior,” He told you, his forehead almost touching yours. “We’re almost there. Just think about holding little Calla.”

You groaned as another contraction hit your body. “It just hurts so much.”

“I know, I know,” Kaeya pressed a kiss to your nose. You closed your eyes and tried to think about something relaxing. You knew you wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, not with contractions wracking your body every few minutes at least.

For a while, you stayed like that. Jean and Kaeya talked quietly about work in the background, pausing to look at you when a contraction hit, and birds were beginning to chirp from outside. You imagined holding baby Calla in your arms with Kaeya beside you. He would be mesmerized by your daughter and you would be so, so in love. And maybe there would be more children down the road. A nice, big family with Kaeya sounded beautiful.

You were ripped from your daydream when a horrible contraction hit your body. It was unlike the others and your legs went numb. Kaeya was by your side in an instant, noticing the change in your reaction.

A sudden urge to push overwhelmed your body. “I can’t do it,” You cried out, your hands trying to find something to grasp onto. Tears were streaming down your face and Kaeya’s heart sank. He hated seeing you like this, especially since the cause of your sadness was from your own fears.

But instead of Kaeya speaking up, Jean rested her hands gently on yours. “Look at me,” She said softly. You sniffled and turned to face your friend, “You can do this. You’re ready and you’re strong. The pain is temporary but you’ll have your baby forever.”

You nodded your head furiously and tried to zone into yourself. You repeated what your childbirth books said, waiting to push until you felt a contraction. Jean rushed around the room and Kaeya held your hand despite you crushing it.

“Is that her head?” Kaeya asked quickly, peering over your legs. He grinned and turned back to you, “Almost there! You got this!”

You had to take a pause to take a deep breath. You felt like there was water in your lungs and you wondered how a human body could endure this much pain. When the next contraction hit, you pushed as hard as you could and squeezed down onto Kaeya’s hand.

A rush of relief washed over your body like a tsunami. You were quick to reach down and pick up your baby, mouth agape that you did that all by yourself. The room was filled with silence until it wasn’t, a tiny cry breaking the air.

Jean handed you a fluffy towel and you quickly wrapped Calla in it, wiping her eyes and nose. “Congratulations,” She said softly, “She’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.” The words tumbled from your mouth in a whisper.

Kaeya kissed your forehead, “I’m so proud of you.”

childe

“She’s nesting,” Zhongli said matter-of-factly, “Like an animal.”

Truthfully, you were nesting. You wouldn’t call it nesting, of course, but the way you were arranging your birthing room was eerily similar. Your baby was due any day now and you were getting anxious about things being perfect. Your midwife had already come by to set up her things and now it was time to set up your things.

A photo of you and Childe sat on the end table, next to a copy of your latest ultrasound. Three of Childe’s sweaters were thrown over the back of the bed and when Childe asked why you needed three, you couldn’t give him a final answer.

After putting a candle down on the adjacent end table, you proudly rejoined the men in the living room.

“How’s the nest coming, Birdie?” Childe grinned, moving over so you could sit beside him.

You rolled your eyes at your boyfriend, “It’s coming along great, thank you very much.”

Childe laughed and wrapped his arm around you. You were content, feeling calm and secure in the moment. You were ready to have your baby and you refused to let it consume you. You were lost in your thoughts when Childe shook you back to reality.

“Are you peeing on me?” He asked, a confused look on his face.

“What?” You exclaimed, looking down. Your pants were soaked from something, darkening them as well as the couch. You felt a sharp pain in your abdomen and your hand raced out to hold your baby bump, “Whoa, he just kicked me hard.”

Childe raised an eyebrow at your weird behavior. “Are you okay?”

You nodded and stood up, looking at the mess you made. “Sorry, I’ll get a towel,” You said. Zhongli paid no mind, trying to understand that you were a heavily pregnant woman, while Childe continued to tease you from down the hall.

You reached for the towel in the bathroom and were met with another pain. You rubbed your belly, “It’s okay, Nikolai.”

Heading back to the living room, you wore a frown on your face. “Is everything okay?” Childe asked, taking the towel from you. His jokes had died off and him and Zhongli were looking at you with concern.

“Um, I don’t think I peed myself,” You said quietly, “I don’t feel good.”

Childe jumped to his feet, “What’s wrong?” His hand came up to caress your cheek as he watched you, trying to see if something was physically wrong. “Are you hurting?”

You managed a nod before another contraction hit your body. You gasped and held onto the bed of the couch for support. “That really hurt.”

Thankfully Zhongli was a man with common sense. “Are you going into labor?” He asked, reaching out to hold onto your arms. “Where does it hurt?”

“Here,” You said, pointing to your stomach.

Zhongli nodded firmly, “I see. Are you expecting a midwife?”

“We are,” Childe answered, running a hand through his hair. “Zhongli, can you stay here while I run and grab her?”

“Certainly.”

Childe turned to look at you and cupped your face again, “Don’t stress, okay? Zhongli is going to be right here if anything happens. I’ll be back in no time.” Your boyfriend ran out the front door and you collapsed down onto the couch, breathing hard.

“Can I get you anything?” Zhongli asked, unsure of what to do. “Water?”

“I’m good,” You said, clenching your teeth. “Can you help me get to the bedroom?”

Zhongli nodded and you held onto his arm. You were trying to regulate your breathing but it was coming out in rough, short breaths instead. You stopped in your tracks when the pain came back, flowering itself inside of you. You groaned and leaned forward, Zhongli needed to wrap his arm around you to steady you.

He helped you in the bed and you instantly grabbed one of Childe’s sweatshirts off the bed. You hugged the fabric tightly and inhaled the comforting scent of your boyfriend. Zhongli paced the room, getting more concerned when your pain was only increasing.

But, thankfully, Childe and your midwife returned home quickly. Zhongli wished you the best and took his leave. You were still holding onto Childe’s sweatshirt.

Your midwife checked you and you were only three centimeters dilated. “I think this is going to be a slow process,” She said sympathetically, “Is there anything you want to do in the meantime?”

“Can I take a bath?” You asked, your ears perking up.

She nodded, “Just call for me if needed.”

Childe helped you out of the bed and kissed the top of your head before helping you to the bathroom. He filled the bath and stripped your clothes, helping you into the tub. Childe sat on the toilet, an excited grin on his face.

“What are you smiling about?” You asked, a smile creeping onto your lips too.

“Just thinking about how we’ll have a baby to hold tonight,” He said. “Teucer is going to be so excited when he hears.”

You hummed in response and leaned back, submerging your body fully in the water. Surprisingly, being in the water helped with your pain. You still felt contractions but they weren’t as breathtaking in the bath. You stayed in the bath for what seemed like hours.

Suddenly, something snapped inside of you. “Oh, shit,” You cried out, hunching forward. “Get the midwife, Childe!”

Your boyfriend shot off his feet to grab your midwife while you cried out again. She hurried into the bathroom and bent down to you. “I’m going to check you.” Her face paled slightly after removing her fingers, “You need to give birth now.”

“What?” You nearly screamed, “Right now?”

“The bath must have sped up the process,” Your midwife explained. You looked at Childe and panic coursed through your eyes. You tried to sit up straight, ready to get out of the bath, but your midwife stopped you. “There’s really no time to dry off and move to the bed. You’ll have to give birth here.”

Your eyes widened, “But I’m in the bath!”

“It’s safest this way,” She said. Your midwife instructed Childe to get some things and when he came back, he sat by the edge of the tub and held your hand. “You’ll need to push the next time you feel a contraction.”

A feeling of upset was bubbling in your throat, “But...but everything is in the bedroom.” You thought about the photos and the candle and the sweatshirts and felt tears welling in your eyes. You wanted to have your baby in the bedroom, not here.

Childe kissed your fingertips, catching your attention. “I’m sorry this wasn’t your plan,” He said, “But you need to listen to your midwife. You want to meet Nikolai, right?”

You nodded, a few tears falling loose. “I do,” You said.

“Then let’s have a baby.”

Childe wrapped his hand tightly around yours and interlocked your fingers. He squeezed it comfortingly and didn’t even flinch when your contraction hit and you nearly broke his fingers. You let out a string of curses, mostly towards Childe, and pushed.

“This sucks! This really sucks!” You cried out, wondering how you were going to get through this.

“You can do it!” Childe assured you.

“Almost there,” Your midwife said, “I see the head.”

It took one more contraction for your son to be born. Immediately, he was placed on your chest and you had to shake your head to focus on reality. “Oh my god,” You muttered, turning to look at Childe. He was grinning ear to ear.

Your midwife wrapped the baby in a towel, cleaning his nose and mouth, before handing him to Childe. She helped you get out of the bath and you almost fell over, your legs feeling like jelly. She wrapped a bigger towel around you and as you gazed behind her, all you could see was the beautiful way Childe looked down at your son.

zhongli

“Watch out, pregnant woman coming through!”

Xinqiu and Xiangling held onto your arms as Chongyun cleared a path through the crowd. Like usual, the teenagers were being your honorary protectors while Zhongli was at work. They took you to the Wanmin Restaurant and Xiangling disappeared momentarily to bring out platters of food.

Your midwife told you that it was best for you to stay home, since your due date was at the end of the week, but you thought one last outing with the kids couldn’t hurt.

“You’re getting bigger each time you come around,” Chef Mao called through the opening of the storefront.

You laughed, “Well, I’m almost at term!”

Xiangling piled your plate high with food, “More for the baby.” Frankly, it was nice being pampered by the teenagers like this. They were selfless, especially towards your unborn baby, and everyday they surprised you.

You were shoving a dumpling in your mouth when an odd feeling struck your abdomen and water gushed onto your pants, the seat, and the ground. Based on your facial expression, the kids knew something was wrong.

“What’s happening?” Xinqiu asked.

“I think my water just broke,” You told him, groaning as a harsh pain swept over you.

“Oh, no.”

In that moment, you were reminded that despite their maturity, they were still children. Panic spread throughout the three of them and they began debating what to do with you.

“Let’s bring her to the infirmary!” Xiangling argued.

“Why would we do that? Let’s bring her home!” Xingqiu shot back.

You held back another groan, “Guys, don’t fight about this.”

But they didn’t seem to hear you. Chongyun’s eyes flickered back and forth before running a hand through his hair, “I think you should bring Y/N home and I’ll get Zhongli.”

“We need to go now,” You said. Xiangling and Xingqiu held onto your arms like before and immediately started towards your house. Chongyun took off in the opposite direction. “Fuck, this hurts,” You muttered, stopping to ride out a contraction. “Excuse my language.”

“It’s okay, we know you’re in pain,” Xiangling says.

Finally, the teenagers get you home and you sit down on the couch. You would wait to move to the bedroom when Zhongli came home. You breathed deeply and Xinqiu spoke up, “Look on the bright side, it’s only going to get worse from here. So this can’t be that bad, right?”

Xiangling glared daggers at him, “I thought you were smart.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at their banter. The pain you were experiencing was worse than anything you had ever felt in your life but with the kids nearby, the pain was bearable. They would make great siblings to your daughter.

Chongyun and Zhongli burst through the front door, startling you. Your midwife was right behind them. Your head was hanging low and you were clenching your jaw each time a contraction hit. His large hands rested on your back and he rubbed your shoulders, “Thank you, kids. I’ve got it from here.”

“Good luck!” Xiangling beamed before ushering the two boys out the door with her.

Zhongli lifted you up by your shoulders and his heart nearly broke when he saw your face. Your eyes were wet and puffy and your nose was already stuffy. Any calmness you had was gone as pure panic and pain overtook your senses.

“Can you stand?” He asked, wanting to move you to the bedroom. You shook your head and Zhongli managed to pick up your body, carrying you to the bedroom. He helped you change before you climbed into the bed, feeling dazed and scared at the same time.

Your body felt weak and you hadn’t even begun giving birth. Your midwife was talking to you but you couldn’t seem to pay attention.

“I’ll need your help,” She said to Zhongli, “You’ll need to grab her leg and hold it steady.” He nodded and did as told. Your midwife grabbed your other leg and you barely looked up. You could feel the pain and you knew what was going on, but you couldn’t comprehend it. The pain was unbearable but you did what your body was telling you.

A gasp left your mouth and Zhongli said something to you. There was pressure and pain, a lot of pain, and then suddenly it was gone. The last thing you saw before your vision went black was the blurry silhouette of your baby.

When you came to, the room was quiet. Your eyes adjusted to the light and you looked around before stopping on your husband. Zhongli sat in the rocking chair in the corner of the bedroom, holding a little bundle in your arms.

“Hey,” You said, your voice hoarse and low. Zhongli looked up and immediately came over to you. Without words, your baby was placed in your arms. “She’s so tiny.”

“I was so worried,” Zhongli said, brushing your hair back to press a kiss to your forehead. “How do you feel?”

“Sore and tired and achy.”

Zhongli slid into the bed next to you and wrapped his arms around your frame, leaning his chin on your shoulder. “She has your nose,” He whispered. Despite having a traumatic labor, it was all worth it.

[captains-simp]

can you do a fic where reader unintentionally breaks one of the rules by accident so she has to be punished but the punishment is being ignored by BOTH wanda AND nat and reader is uncomfortable with being ignored because it makes her feel invisible and like she's a ghost so like this is what happens, reader breaks a rule in front of wanda and nat but reader doesn't realize she broke a rule but wanda and nat punish reader without telling reader first, and they punish her by not acknowledging her presence and stuff then reader just breaks and starts crying and stuff, she's really upset until nat and wanda cave in and see what's wrong with reader because they didnt know that reader didnt realize she broke a rule and her punishment was being ignored by them

also nat is dom, wanda is switch (like wanda is sub to nat but dom to reader) and reader is sub also nat, wanda and reader are in a poly dom/sub relationship and dating

Oh my god is this ✨smut with a developed storyline✨?

Wanda Maximoff & Natasha Romanoff ~ 3rd Wheel

Warnings: debatable toxic traits, feelings of abandonment and unlove, fingering, praise, oral and hints of overstimulation

2.4k words

[ masterlist ]

Buy me a coffee ☕

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

You giggled as Sam made stupid sound effects every time he paused in telling his story. You were pretty sure the story wasn’t true but hearing him tell it was entertaining enough. He put his hand on your forearm as he laughed at his own comeback to some apparently ‘very real’ character in the story and you couldn’t help but laugh along with him. That was until your other arm was grabbed and pulled you to your feet. 

“It’s late, we should go.” Natasha said curtly. You nodded and said goodbye to Sam with a tight hug and followed after the Russian as Wanda joined her at her side. 

“How did your meeting go?” You teased the redheads. Officially, what you had just attended was a party. Unofficially, it was a chance for Natasha and Wanda to gather more intel for a future mission that they had been working on for months. Tony, to no one’s surprise, was more than happy to help by hosting the party and it was just like any other to everyone else. You had missed your girlfriend’s company at first, but had eventually started socializing with the others and the night had flown by. 

When you were met with silence you assumed you didn’t hear either of their responses over the music so you sped up your steps slightly to stick close by. Once you got to the car you knew they were in a bad mood. It was one thing when one of them was mad but both of them was a whole other storm. Not that it was always bad. Sometimes they would take that anger out on you in the bedroom and you had secretly been dying to be fucked like that for a while. 

You tried to make conversation a few times, telling the pair about Sam’s story and how it was probably about as real as fairies but they still didn’t respond. Of course, you had no idea that these things were just making them madder and that Wanda and Natasha were communicating silently most of the time, discussing the meeting as they ignored you. You gave up eventually and gazed out the window as you fiddled with the fabric of your dress. 

Once you were home things only seemed to get worse. “I made dinner before we left.” You said as you looked under the grill to find that the three served plates were still fine and put them on the counter. You had cooked before getting ready because you knew your girlfriends were busy and were going to be hungry when they got home. You glanced at the two women to see Natasha undoing her girlfriend’s zipper and placing a soft kiss between her shoulder blades. You smiled at the tender site. 

“Hey, where’s my kiss?” You teased as Natasha started towards the bedroom but shouldered right past you. You looked to Wanda but she didn’t spare you a glance either as she strolled through the apartment to your shared bedroom. You watched them go with a dry mouth and dragged yourself to the bathroom where you struggled to undo the zipper of your dress before finally succeeding after five minutes of struggling and sore arms. One of the redheads usually did it for you before you could even think to ask.  

You stepped into the shower and tried to focus on the feeling of the hot water running down your body, hoping it would distract you from the dull ache near your heart. It didn’t work. You wondered if you had done anything to annoy them at the party but could think of nothing. With a disgruntled sigh, you turned off the water and stepped out of the safety of the shower. You quickly dried off and tiptoed to your now-empty bedroom to change into your pajamas. 

When you went back into the kitchen you found only one of the plates was left. You glanced over at the living area to see Wanda and Natasha curled up together on the couch under a blanket as they watched TV and ate the food you made. They could have at least warmed mine up. You grumbled to yourself as you put it in the microwave and made yourself a drink. You trudged over to the couch but Wanda extended her legs to cover the free space just as you were about to sit down. You looked up at them both but their eyes were still glued to the TV. 

You sat down tentatively on the armchair closest to the couch and started taking small bites of your food. You weren’t paying attention to the screen at all. Instead, your eyes kept flickering to the two redheads curled up on the couch together. They looked so warm and tender laying together. You wished so desperately you could be with them, but instead you just felt like an outsider. That had always been a big insecurity for you. Wanda and Natasha were both Avengers and you were just a normal citizen. You often wondered if you ever felt like a burden, the weak part of their relationship. You could never understand their lives the way they could, you could only watch. Usually, you would voice your concerns and insecurities to them and they would assure you to no end that they loved you more than anything. However speaking had gotten you nowhere that night, so you kept it to yourself. 

You sat in the living room for hours. You wanted to go to bed so badly. You were utterly exhausted and your eyes were starting to hurt from the lights in the room you wanted to be shielded from. But you were determined not to go until the other two did. You wanted to be curled up between them both like you always were. You wanted to feel safe and secure and most of all loved. 

Finally, Natasha turned off the television and stretched out like a cat on the couch before standing and making her way to the bedroom, leading Wanda by the hand. You put your uneaten plate of food on the side to deal with the next day, too tired to even think about it at that moment. The pair instantly dropped down into bed and Natasha held Wanda tightly as she rested her head on the Russian’s chest. You gazed down at them longingly but forced yourself into bed besides them. You reached out your hand to tug weakly on their shirts, desperate for any kind of acknowledgement but received none. You withdrew your hand and held it up to your chest as you watched the pair. How long had they been craving time to themselves? 

You slowly got out from under the covers and left the room without feeling their usual fond gazes on your back. You lingered in the hallway before glancing back and saw Natasha tracing circles on Wanda’s back. You gulped back tears and made your way to the spare bedroom where you slept alone for the first time in months. 

*

You didn’t get up until lunch the next day. You didn’t feel like doing anything, especially not facing your girlfriend. You wanted to stay out of their way to give them the alone time they so clearly needed.

When you had finally dragged yourself out of bed and into the hallway you froze. Wanda’s moans could be heard clearly from your bedroom followed by sharp cries of Natasha’s name. You stood rooted to the spot as the pain in your chest grew worse. Since they had so keenly invited you into their relationship. The pair had never once done anything sexual without you. At first you had been flattered and insisted that you were okay if they wanted to do things by themselves every once in a while but eventually you had grown used to how things were. You had grown used to being included in everything. 

Numbly, you made yourself a hot chocolate in hopes of it raising your spirits. Not long after you had finished, your girlfriends came wandering into the kitchen with a new glow. 

“Do you want a drink?” You piped up, you could at least be helpful. Wanda grabbed something from the fridge as Natasha took out a glass from the cupboard and spun around to kiss her girlfriend on the lips with a soft giggle. Wanda smiled against her and hummed when Natasha’s tongue teased the Sokovian’s lower lip. 

“I love you.” Natasha hummed and Wanda smiled with a blush as she said the words back. 

“I- I love you too.” You added and took a desperate step towards them both, holding out your hands to them but they separated and started to stroll back into the living room. You watched on as tears sprung to your eyes. They didn’t say it back. They always said it back. “Please.” You whispered though you may have well have been talking to a wall. You whimpered quietly and weakly made your way to the guest room where you closed the door and fell down onto the bed, not being able to stop the tears streaming down your face. You curled up on yourself and hugged your duvet as close to your body as possible, needing something to cling onto like a lifeline. 

You didn’t hear the door open through your muffled weeping. You did feel the gentle pair of hands on your waist and the dip in the bed either side of you. Your head shot up and you looked between the pair in panic, fearing they were going to tell you to go elsewhere for the day or even forever. Wanda shushed you softly and held your dampened cheeks in her hands. 

“It’s okay, honey.” Wanda cooed and you whimpered as you tried to enjoy what you assumed was the last time she would hold you. “We’re not going anywhere and neither are you.” You peered at her cautiously and then Natasha who nodded gently. 

“We’re sorry, baby. Sam was getting a little too handsy last night and you didn’t seem to notice.” Natasha explained carefully. You remembered the brief moment he had touched your waist and frowned at the memory. 

“And you know letting people touch what isn’t theirs is breaking a rule.” You nodded slowly as Wanda added on.

“So your punishment was being ignored by us so you could learn but we took it too far.” Natasha admitted.

“And we never told you what was happening. We’re so sorry we made you feel this way, sweetie. We love you so much.” Wanda said as she kissed you softly on the lips as Natasha lay down behind you and wrapped her arms protectively around your waist. 

“So so much.” She added. 

“Promise?” You asked and Wanda lay down to join you and wipe your tears away. 

“Always.” 

“Let us show you.” Natasha whispered against your neck and you nodded as she rolled you gently onto your back and began planting soft kisses along your neck, occasionally lingering on patches of skin to suck dark bruises into them. Wanda titled your head towards you and kissed you slowly, cherishing the taste of you and wanting to reclaim all that she could. 

Natasha’s hands started to wander down your stomach and landed at the hem of your sweatpants that she easily surpassed along with your panties. You gasped when you felt her fingers run along your folds and up to your clit. You bucked your hips and moaned against Wanda when she applied some pressure, all while the Sokovian started to retrace her girlfriend’s steps by running her hands across your breasts. Her thumbs brushed against your hardened nipples and she hummed against you. 

Natasha finally pushed two fingers past your folds and relished in the slick that coated them instantly. She curled them gently inside you and withdrew to start about making a consistent pace that had you melting beneath them both. 

“That’s it, sweetie.” Wanda assured in the most loving tone you had ever heard from her. 

“Taking me so well. Our best girl.” Natasha hummed and withdrew her fingers. You whined softly but shushed when Natasha brought her fingers up to Wanda’s lips and slid them inside. The Sokovian hummed in delight around Natasha’s fingers, eagerly licking her slender digits before retreating to start down your body, determined to gain an unfiltered taste. 

Wanda pulled your sweatpants and panties off completely and kissed up your thighs softly, taking her time in treasuring you just as Natasha had done with your neck. She gleamed at the sight before her and didn’t hesitate to lick a long strip between your folds. You mewled in Natasha’s hold as Wanda moaned against you. “Always so sweet.” She dipped her tongue inside of you and you clenched around her muscle with a gasp.

“That’s it, you’re doing so good for us.” Natasha praised softly as she started to rub your clit with her free hand. You bucked against both their movements, feeling beautifully overwhelmed by it all. Wanda’s tongue flicked inside you and you moaned loudly into the air, tempting Natasha to quieten you with a kiss while your other girlfriend continued to work between your legs that were beginning to shake. 

“Please.” You whined as you felt your high approaching. The pair smiled at one another as they continued to please you. 

“I can feel you clenching my tongue.” Wanda mused.

“Go ahead and cum for us, baby.” You did as you were told without a second’s delay. You moaned loudly into the air as you shuddered against the bed and came undone on Wanda’s tongue. The pair helped you ride out your high and into another orgasm relentlessly. They didn’t let up, making you cum again and once more, leaving you feeling utterly exhausted and overworked. 

“That’s it, darling. You did so good for us.” Wanda praised as she fell down besides you and they both held you protectively. 

“We love you.” Natasha muttered softly and you smiled.

“I love you both too.” You hummed, enjoying the warmth of your girlfriends’ comfort.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Taglist: @freewaysigns-underpasses @caroldanvers2 @marvelwomenslut @marvelwomen-simp @likefirenrain @grxvitye @emilyprentisslittlewhore @lostandsearching @firenrain13 @horcruxhunter90 @mrs-avenger3000 @nightingalxx @sky-kim-00 @yeeterthekeeper @didujustcallmedumb @ymzki-haruki @uno-x-uno

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[drewexe]

Tulips and Lilac Preview!

Pairing: hyunjin x fem!reader

Genre: fluff, smut

Release date: up now!

Includes: a coffee date with hyunjin; cameo by felix; mc being less stuck up but kinda petty; hyunjin painting; flower language; smut details to be included upon release

Summary: the fateful party is already in the past, but you and hyunjin have a new game to play; and he's dead set on winning this one, even though he's perhaps already won; pt. 2 to Fairy Lights

Author's note: so it took me a while to get this one up, but finally, i am nearly done with it!! i promise, it will be up v soon, but i just got excited when i realized how close i am to finishing it; dedicated to all the lovely people that showed interest in a pt. 2 with apologies for the long wait <3 find attached bellow: an invitation to a date with hyunjin

It had been over two weeks since the infamous party. You’d left Hyunjin’s house that night, your number saved in his phone and a promise that he’ll call you as soon as he can to set up a date with you. But there had been no word from him. In all honesty, you were starting to think that he had just been talking shit the last time to make you like him more so that he could stroke his own ego and didn’t intend on ever calling you again.

And so you were getting angry at him again. It’s not like you would die without him in your life, even though if you had to be honest (which you didn’t think was the case) you did want to see him again. But he didn’t owe you anything, he had already achieved what he wanted last time. He didn’t have to go off his way to mislead you.

And you’d seen him a few times on campus. Obviously always surrounded by people, but if he wanted to, he could always find a second to say hi, right? Even a wave in your direction would have been fine. But he had pretended not to see you… You were offended, and a little bit hurt.

You’d basically stopped expecting that call to come so when your phone rang this afternoon, you didn’t think it would be him as you hit pause on the youtube video you were watching and picked up.

“Hey, princess,” Hyunjin’s voice came from the tiny speaker.

“Well shit, you do remember I exist,” you said, raising your eyebrows in surprise.

“Aww, were you impatient to hear from me again so soon?” he teased and if you weren’t upset with him, you probably would have made a joke.

“No, it’s just that someone seemed pretty insistent that I give him a chance and then literally ghosted me,” you rolled your eyes instead, your annoyance slipping in your voice.

“So what I’m getting is that you were looking forward to seeing me.” You could hear the grin in his voice. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you waiting like this,” he added, perhaps realizing that your silence meant that you weren’t having fun. He did sound genuine on that one, surprisingly.

“So what do you want?” you asked.

“Well- I thought it was- obvious…” he stumbled a bit over his words. “Unless you’ve changed your mind…” You hadn’t, but the hesitation in his voice made a smile crack on your face.

“I’m really not sure at the moment,” you hummed, as if in deep thought. “Go ahead and I’ll tell you whether I agree after that.”

“So I know it’s a bit last moment, but if you’re free tomorrow afternoon,” he started and you hummed to confirm you’re listening. “I would like to take you on that date we talked about.”

“I need more details, Hyunjin,” you rolled your eyes. “I don’t like not being prepared for stuff.”

“What’s your opinion on coffee shop dates?” he asked, his voice almost shy. As if he was afraid that the wrong step would make you hang up or something. Or maybe that you’d find the idea dumb.

“Fine by me,” you shrugged to yourself. Yet you were smiling, you wouldn’t have guessed that a guy notorious for hookups and no dating would offer something as sweet and innocent as a coffee shop. Plus, in all honesty, you loved the idea. “Where and when?”

“What about 5? And I’ll text you the address,” he offered and you hummed.

“Yeah, sure, that works.” You had to force your voice to not give out your smile.

“Okay, so… see you tomorrow then,” you heard Hyunjin respond and unlike you, he didn’t seem to try to hide his excitement. The thought made your heart flutter a bit.

Yet you couldn’t break your cold mask so quickly, so with one last hum, you hung up on him. But this time, you didn’t have to wait that long to hear from him again. The promised text message, containing an address not too far away from you, arrived within just a couple of minutes. Your smile couldn’t help but grow as you saved Hyunjin’s number in your contacts list.

~

current tag list (aka the aforementioned lovely people <3): @gabriela-238, @fr0stcy @hyunlixous, as well as @systemicinvasion and @jxt-a-fan that for some reason i'm not able to tag, im so sorry

[edenmemes]

resident evil village starters

❝ oh, keep growing! one day your head might actually fit your ego. ❞   ❝ running will get you nowhere. ❞     ❝ you don’t have to trust my words, but do you have any better options? ❞   ❝ you shouldn’t be out here. it’s not safe. ❞   ❝ i know you don’t like to talk about it, but can we really just forget everything and pretend it didn’t happen? ❞   ❝ well, what do you think? it’s hopeless, right? ❞ ❝ i wish it could stay like this forever. ❞   ❝ oh, such a disappointment. i thought we could join forces.  ❞ ❝ i don’t have time for this bullshit. out of my way. ❞   ❝ i don’t give a damn about your personal issues. ❞   ❝ it’s a pleasure to see you safe. ❞   ❝ just give up. flesh and blood will never win against me. ❞ ❝ quit acting so full of yourself. ❞ ❝ the clock is ticking. playtime’s over! ❞ ❝ ohhh, don’t give up! ❞ ❝ you think you can take me on? ❞ ❝ you should have never refused me.  ❞ ❝ these are the fruits of my power.  ❞ ❝ leave it alone. you are out of your depth. ❞   ❝ i’ve learned all i can from you. your worth as a lab rat has run out. ❞   ❝ no, no, this can’t be the end for me! ❞   ❝ i can’t escape from here... i can’t do anything! ❞ ❝ what are you talking about? you think this is a game? ❞   ❝ don’t get cocky. i’d kill you if you weren’t the trouble. ❞   ❝ hey, do you know anything about what’s going on around here? ❞   ❝ i’m not used to relying on other people. ❞   ❝ you’re the real deal. well done.  ❞ ❝ i gotta...keep going. ❞   ❝ i think it’s time you left things in my hands. ❞   ❝ my power is leaving me! ❞   ❝ do me a favor... try to stay under the radar. ❞ ❝ you don’t get it. you don’t stand a chance by yourself. ❞ ❝ alright, alright. i guess i owe you an explanation. ❞ ❝ you must be pretty tough, huh? ❞   ❝ all your power’s done is drive you nuts. ❞   ❝ i gotta say, i’m surprised you made it this far. it’d be a shame if something happened to you now. ❞   ❝ so you finally came to see me! everyone falls for me in time. ❞   ❝ it’s all i can spare. take it, take it! ❞   ❝ you’ve got fight, i’ll give you that. ❞   ❝ i didn’t want to keep it from you. i didn’t want to lose you again. ❞   ❝ i’d kill you if you weren’t worth the trouble. ❞   ❝ is there something you’re not telling me? come on, talk to me. ❞   ❝ you can hear it, can’t you? someone’s waiting for you. ❞   ❝ oh, careful what you wish for. ❞   ❝ i don’t want to die. oh, it hurts so much. ❞   ❝ don’t look at me that way. ❞   ❝ i told you to sit down. ❞   ❝ you’re the reason ___ doesn’t love me. ❞   ❝ hey, kiss me? ❞   ❝ if it’s for you, i would do anything. ❞   ❝ come on, it’s not that much further! ❞   ❝ you’re the only one to see me in this form. ❞   ❝ ugh, my temper got away from me. ❞   ❝ play with me some more. ❞   ❝ trying to get on my good side? ❞   ❝ i don’t know if it’s the scent of the flowers, but i feel light headed. ❞   ❝ in all my years, i’ve never been this overjoyed. ❞   ❝ look forward to what i have in store for you. ❞   ❝ mmm, that smells good. what’s that? ❞   ❝ you really should have taken my deal. ❞ ❝ truth hurts, don’t it?  ❞ ❝ i’ve waited so long. but dreams really can come true. ❞   ❝ you coward! come out and face me. ❞   ❝ quit hiding, asshole. i’m not letting you get out of this.  ❞ ❝ i won’t let you have it. even if you beg. ❞   ❝ this is my territory, and i won’t let you leave. ❞   ❝ damn, i’m so cold. my legs won’t work. ❞   ❝ local wine, too. but if you’re going to keep sulking all evening, maybe you shouldn’t have any. ❞ ❝ it’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you. ❞   ❝ you’re the last asshole in my way, aren’t you? ❞   ❝ well, at least we’re together. ❞   ❝ hey, now. think positively, all right? we talked about this. ❞   ❝ come now, don’t be shy. show me your terror. ❞   ❝ i would’ve sliced you to ribbons if they hadn’t stopped me. ❞   ❝ it’s only a riddle if you don’t know the answer. ❞   ❝ shouldn’t we face what happened there so we can live our lives without it hanging over our heads? ❞   ❝ rest while you can, because i will hunt you, and i will break you. ❞   ❝ this village is full of monsters. we can’t fight them! there’s too many. ❞   ❝ a dead body? wait...there’s more... ❞   ❝ you’re a lot like your father, you know. ❞   ❝ it barely flinched when i shot it. i feel like it’s toying with me. ❞   ❝ it’ll be fine. it’ll be fine. it’ll be fine. ❞   ❝ listen. you’re being played.  ❞ ❝ too bad you’ll pay for it...with your life. ❞   ❝ please won’t you stay with me? forever? ❞   ❝ you are lucky to die before your child. ❞   ❝ quiet now, child! adults are talking. ❞   ❝ there’s nothing wrong with my memory. you’re just being paranoid. ❞   ❝ this is...this is just too much. ❞   ❝ awww, you’re blushing. ❞   ❝ how can a man be ‘almost’ dead? that’s a question for the wise. ❞   ❝ what kind of sick medieval shit is this? ❞   ❝ i’ve spent a lifetime creating this moment...and you try to take it away from me? ❞   ❝ i’m sick of fighting you! ❞   ❝ why didn’t you fucking tell me right away? ❞ ❝ shut your damn hole and don’t be a sore loser! ❞   ❝ but i’m not paranoid, i’m just cautious. ❞   ❝ don’t get close to me when i’m cooking, babe. ❞   ❝ anyone who is anyone has heard of the likes of you. ❞   ❝ i haven’t cut open a man in a while. ❞   ❝ we moved here so that you wouldn’t have to deal with any of that, remember? ❞   ❝ why? why would you do this? ❞   ❝ i knew you would want to be involved. and this job is hard enough without civilians getting in the way. ❞ ❝ oh? you have something to say? ❞   ❝ tell me what’s out there! ❞   ❝ you’re still alive...? impressive. ❞   ❝ hey, are you listening? hey! ❞   ❝ exactly how much do you plan on annoying me? ❞   ❝ oh, no. they’re coming! ❞   ❝ do you have a gun? please tell me you have a gun. ❞   ❝ it’s not---nevermind. i’m sorry. ❞   ❝ drunk or not, you are welcome---and safe---in here. ❞   ❝ you know how to push my buttons. ❞   ❝ hey, don’t i get a say in this? ❞   ❝ you wouldn’t know proper manners if it slapped you in the face. ❞   ❝ i won’t forgive you, you bastard! ❞   ❝ why...why do you treat me the same as them? am i not your favourite? am i not special? ❞   ❝ at night, i hear wailing, as if ghosts roam the halls. ❞   ❝ quit your whining; we’re almost there! ❞   ❝ i’m afraid you can’t return to your old world any longer. ❞   ❝ how dare you bare your teeth at me. ❞   ❝ you couldn’t save them. they were already gone. ❞   ❝ in life and death, we give glory. ❞   ❝ can you even understand that humiliation?  ❞ ❝ even i can get angry. ❞   ❝ what the hell is that thing? ❞ ❝ we will meet again soon. ❞ ❝ let’s just say parts of the human imagination are better left alone. ❞ ❝ some treasures still lurk in this village. ❞ ❝ my decision is final. there will be no argument. ❞   ❝ everyone leaves me. even you. ❞   ❝ there is no safe! every sorry bastard out there has been ripped in half! ❞   ❝ come inside. the others are waiting. ❞   ❝ come with me. there’s something i have to tell you. ❞   ❝ what the hell is wrong with this place? ❞   ❝ the strong will destroy the weak. that’s the way of the world. ❞   ❝ no, we’re getting out of here --- together. ❞   ❝ but what i saw was...frightful. ❞ ❝ i suppose it’s what they call ‘the beauty of the grotesque’. ❞   ❝ you taught me so much and for that i will be forever in your debt. ❞   ❝ it is my curiosity that ties me to this place. ❞   ❝ please let me know if you’d like to strengthen your weapons. ❞ ❝ you’ll pay if i find out this is a lie. ❞ ❝ speaking of foolish questions, who --- what are you? ❞   ❝ if i don’t kill them then my life will never be my own. ❞   ❝ you are abominable. your deceit knows no bound. ❞   ❝ quit holding out, and get to the damn point! ❞ ❝ you’re the one who’s cursed. ❞ ❝ i hope you will be able to achieve your goal someday, too. ❞   ❝ that is why i had to leave you. i will regret never telling you goodbye. ❞   ❝ if i had but a little more time, i know i might be able to turn the tides of this battle. ❞   ❝ i can hear it shuffling about outside. ❞   ❝ and now you even try to steal my property? how dare you? ❞   ❝ ugh, just another simple little manthing. ❞   ❝ oh, good. i was just thinking of ways to pass the time. ❞ ❝ nowhere to go but up. ❞   ❝ where are you? show yourself! ❞ ❝ not without me, it’s too dangerous. ❞ ❝ shit, that was close. ❞   ❝ i heard explosions. what happened? ❞ ❝ you’ve dirtied my dress! ❞   ❝ you’re my daughter...now act like it! ❞   ❝ i don’t think we will make it through winter at this rate. ❞   ❝ the wounds are severe. i won’t last much longer. ❞   ❝ will you please stop talking in riddles? ❞   ❝ goddamn. it really is you. ❞ ❝ you sure of this? your body is, well, falling apart. ❞       ❝ how long have i been out? ❞   ❝ keep your distance. do not move until i give the order. ❞   ❝ i’ve got a tough guy here, i need some back-up! ❞   ❝ if my mom saw this shit, she’d think she’d died and gone to hell. ❞   ❝ shut your fucking hole! ...sorry about that. ❞   ❝ who are you? who sent you? ❞   ❝ please, be well. ❞   ❝ there’s more than we thought. watch out. ❞ ❝ to hunger...is to be alive. ❞   ❝ goddammit! why is everyone dying on me? ❞   ❝ hey! hey. don’t talk like that. ❞   ❝ my word, you truly are as strong as they say! ❞   ❝ don’t you love me? ❞   ❝ oh, you didn’t think i’d let you get away, did you? ❞   ❝ taken alive? dead? which would you prefer? ❞  

[sea-owl]

It's 2022 and I'm still salty at how Festivia was used for plot convince, and force sympathy on a unsympathetic character. Then the writers throw her away with no resolution to her story or her character. Like what? No finish that arch, especially after you all revealed the queens' ghosts.

Like it almost feels like they fridged Festivia.

Hey you know instead of making Mina the final bad guy you know what y'all could've done? We could have gotten a pissed off Festivia haunting Mewni. No magic affects her because she has no body, she's a magical, pissed off spirit. Plus she was a queen of Mewni, she knows how the magic works.

Festivia hides in the magical realm between her hauntings so it makes it almost impossible to take the fight to her.

When asked for advice Glossaryk just floats like the lazy bum he is. "Hm, but you already know how to destroy magic."

Marco tried to talk to Star. "Is destroying her ghost really the only way to stop her? If Eclipsa and Meteora get a second chance why can't we give one to Festivia?"

Justhin stops them before they can attempt the whispering spell for the first time. Festivia escapes back to the realm of magic. "You mean to tell me you weren't hurt when you found out everything you believed your whole life was a lie? You weren't hurt when you found out you could have had a different life than the one forced upon you? You expect Festivia to be ok learning everything she lived for, all those feelings she had, everything that made her who she was was just politics trying to morph her into their puppet?"

Like the queen she is Star steps back, and she observes Festivia. Star sees the tears that Festivia won't let fall. She sees that while the Magic High Commission and both sets of Butterfly families are bombarded by attacks, everyone else mewman and monster was left alone. She listens to Festivia's wordless screams.

Festivia is angry, but she's also in pain. It's almost fair to say she's devastated.

At midseason Star tracks where Festivia would attack next. With her is Marco and Meteora. Festivia appears, but she only watches the trio in front of her.

"Queen Festivia the Fun, we wish to parley!"

Festivia floats down, table, chairs and a high chair appearing.

For the first time Festivia speaks. "Very well, I was always better at negotiating anyway."

Star, Marco, and Meteora hear the story once more, but this time from a side that has been tricked into silence for too long, Festivia's. At some point Meteora crawled over to Festivia who plopped her into her ghostly lap.

"To start, I never knew about the switch until now. I was sold to the Commission to replace Meteora. They raised me while I believed my parents were eaten by a monster. Grunkle Justhin raised me for a time too, he even taught me the whispering spell." Festivia pauses to take a breath. "We were at war with monsters my whole life, and there was a threat of a coup for all of my childhood. I had surrvied a few assassination attempts. Hekappo took me to travel for my saftey after an assassin got too close when I was twelve. We traveled for two years. Then when I was fourteen they officially crowned me queen, despite the title and wand being in my posession longer than I could remember. The war got worse, I sheltered every citizen. Distracted them with parties so they would be happy. I reestablished trust in the Butterfly family."

Festivia stops herself again. "I wasn't perfect, no queen was, but I didn't ask to be thrown into this life. I never asked for magic or crowns. I just wanted my family and to be happy, but I guess I never got those either."

Moon and Eclipsa interrupt with accusations and an attempted whispering spell. It sends Festivia back into attack mode.

The rest of the season shows various episodes of Star and Meteora helping Festivia heal and in turn she helps heal a part of themselves that this switch affected. Meanwhile Festivia, Moon, and Eclipsa are still at conflict. Star tries to get the two women into talking with Festivia.

Several other of the ghosts show up to talk too. Moon and Eclipsa have heart to hearts with their mothers. Star and Marco have a big discussion with Dirhhennia and Crescenta, who have already sorted out their issues with their mother in the ghostly plane.

We see Moon and Eclipsa slowly get conflicting thoughts. They get worse every time Festivia is with their daughters and doesn't attack tthem. They're still set on stopping Festivia via whispering spell.

It all comes to head in the season/show finale in the realm of magic. Mothers vs daughters in the battle over Festivia's fate.

It's here where Festivia speaks to Eclipsa for the first time.

"You know the worst part about this is that I still love you, a complete stranger who wouldn't hesitate to use the whispering spell on me. I still love a lie."

Eclipsa stops, Moon stops. They stop using their magic to hurt, and they start using it to heal.

They talk, they scream, they heal.

"I'm sorry you never got the parents or the childhood you wished for." Eclipsa tries to embrace Festivia, she's surprised when Festivia let's her.

Festivia cries, she cries for that little girl who was given a crown but only wanted a family. She cries for the girl who was only ever told lies. Festivia gets the resolution and closure the writers cheated her out of before. Moon, Eclipsa, Star, and Meteora all are in a better place for it too.

It ends with Festivia reuniting with her own daughters.

(And if we have to destroy the magic then that can be done too with Festivia showing the living Butterflys where the core of the magic is, and then joining the spell.)

[mrsalwayswrite]

Sinners and Saints (Sihtric x reader)

Summary: One day you stumble upon your childhood friend, Osferth, whom you have not seen in years. Yet the more time you spend with him, the more you find yourself drawn to his companion, Sihtric….and the butterflies his dark eyes give you.

This is my contribution to @emilyhufflepufftlk 100 followers challenge! Congratulations again! I’m so happy for you! 

My prompt was - "Love doesn't discriminate, between the sinners and the saints." - Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton (in bold within the story)

Words: 5500

Warnings: A couple of swear words, fluff, my poor attempts at humor, Osferth being a good bro. 

Tag List: @deans-ch-ch-cherrypie @flowers-in-your-hayr​

This gorgeous moodboard was made by @flowers-in-your-hayr​. All credit goes to her! 

"...so there she was, aye, and next thing I know, she flips 'er dress up and I see the most perfect set of…."

 "I'm going to be sick." Osferth mumbled to himself, trying to block out Finan's retelling of his prior night. To the laughter of his companions, he started to push away from the outdoor table at the alehouse. He was no virgin anymore, Finan and Uhtred had seen to that, but he still felt squeamish when listening to their stories of recent conquests. His mother's voice whispered in the back of his mind, things she had told him before her passing, about respect and love. Plus, he could not help but think that this idea of conquests, of women's worth derived from what pleasure a man could take from their bodies, was what brought bastards into this world….like him. 

 "Alright, Finan, we get it. You saw the arse of a goat and couldn't help yourself." Uhtred teased, slinging an arm around Osferth so he could not escape them- most likely to find a church and pray for their souls. 

 "Oi, lord! Ya know that was one time!" Finan feigned mock-outrage, making Uhtred and Sihtric laugh. 

 Osferth put a hand over his eyes as if that would somehow block the image from his mind. Something he desperately did not want there. 

 "How much longer are we here, lord?" Sihtric asked, changing the subject, while twirling a dagger between his hands fluidly. 

 Although Osferth would never admit it aloud, and God forgive him, it was hard not to be jealous of how easily his companions handled their weapons like they had been born with weapons in hand. They continued to tell him it was practice. Recently though, he decided it was a gift that he clearly did not have. 

 "Until I feel satisfied with the training of Lord Godwin's fyrd and his defenses." Uhtred stated indifferently, as if it was something he had to repeat to himself often. 

 "Ya think King Alfred knew how much of a horse's arse Lord Godwin is?"

 Uhtred glanced up, a tiny smirk on his lips. "Probably."

 "But he knew you were the man for the job." Osferth commented. Not necessarily to defend his father but to hopefully bolster Uhtred's confidence. "The men respect you, even if their lord fails to acknowledge his own respect."

 "The baby monk is right." Finan said. "What else needs to be done for the town?"

 Uhtred and Finan began discussing ideas and strategies, Sihtric adding an occasional comment but mostly just listening. 

 Osferth found his attention wandering, since this was an area outside of his expertise. His gaze drifted to the town and its residents who moved about to complete their duties under the midday sun. Their group had only been in this large town for two days and already Osferth was keen to return to Coccham. 

 From amidst the crowd, a familiar face caught his attention. The world tilted off its axis as his entire body went rigid, all his focus zeroed in on her. His heart hammered in his chest and the air whooshed from his lungs painfully. 

 "Y/n?" He muttered to himself, disbelief and shock clearly painted in his tone and on his face. 

 "Baby monk, ya alright?"

 Finan's words did even register, so consumed by the ghost before him. Rapidly, he slid off the bench, almost losing his footing when he went to stand, but pressed on, hurrying towards her. 

 "Y/n!" He called, an almost desperate tone in his yell. 

 When she did not turn around, he shouted louder. "Y/N!" 

 That time she paused, then slowly turned to find him standing still amongst those walking around him, a solid rock in a stream of people. He held his breath as he intently watched her expression, suddenly worried seeing him would not be as meaningful as he hoped. He could see her utter his name silently, eyes wide. Then in the next moment, she dropped the basket on her hip and ran towards him. He opened his arms just in time for her to collide with him, and with her embrace, a painful wave of nostalgia and guilt crashed over him with the strength of a tempest. 

 "It's really you." She finally whispered, peering at him in awe. 

 "Hi." He smiled, his own shock clouding his mind from forming coherent sentences.  

 Then to his surprise, she reared back and punched him in the arm. 

 "Ouch! What was that for?" He whined, rubbing the offended limb. 

 Throwing her hands in the air, they landed on her hips as her voice rose in anger. "For disappearing in the middle of the night without telling me!"

 "I did tell you."

 "That you were THINKING about leaving, not that you WERE leaving!" She reared back and punched him in the arm again, ignoring his pained cry as she continued to berate him. "I spent an entire day running around the monastery trying to find you only for Father Harold to finally pull me aside and tell me you left for Wincheaster." 

 And there was the heaping of guilt he knew he deserved. "I'm sorry….I just….I just knew if I didn't leave that night, then I never would."

 Her face softened at his quiet admission, understanding passing in her eyes. "I know. I wasn't truly surprised…. Just wish you'd have told me before."

 "I'm sorry."

 She sighed, all anger and frustration disappearing, much to his relief. She was a force to be reckoned with when truly in her fury. "So, what are you doing here?"

 "Ah, traveled here with the Lord Uhtred to assist Lord Godwin in his defenses….or something."

 "Uhtred? That Uhtred?"

 He smiled at her, catching the reverence in her tone. "That very one."

 "How did you find him? How did you join him? Wait! Are you a warrior now? We have a lot to talk about and you better get started." There went the hands on her hips again, making his smile widen at the image. Even as a young girl, when her hands were on her hips, you knew she meant business. 

 "Would you like to meet him first?"

 A shy look passed over her face that he was unused to seeing. "I'm…. I'm not presentable to meet a lord."

 He scanned her, noting the dried mud on the hem of her dress and shoes, the small smear of what looked like flour on her left temple. What he noticed most was how the years had made her even more beautiful. She had always been a pretty girl but now, she truly looked like a beautiful woman. A fact he was unsure of how to feel about. 

 He chuckled lightly after a moment. "Well, you certainly smell better than Lord Uhtred so I think it's fine."

 That caused her to tip her head back and laugh loudly, the desired effect of his comment. She gathered up her basket and walked next to Osferth, back to the table where his companions were. It was impossible to ignore their curious stares as they approached. 

 "Lord Uhtred, may I introduce y/n. Y/n, this is Lord Uhtred of Bebbanburg." Osferth said, standing next to her at the end of the table.

 Uhtred nodded graciously, clearly wondering why this woman mattered and why Osferth was introducing her. 

 "Oh, it's an honor to meet you!" Y/n gushed, a bright smile on her face. "Uncle Leofric told us so much about you, but I never thought I'd ever meet you in person."

 "Leofric?" That caught his lord's attention, his gaze narrowing and eyeing her with renewed interest. "How did you know that turd?"

 "When he came to visit Osferth, he'd tell us stories."

 "Ah….all exaggerated, of course." Uhtred said with a cocky smirk. 

 "Wait. I think we're missin' the most important thing here." Finan leaned forward, dark eyes bouncing between Osferth and her, as he pointed a finger at them, hand still wrapped around his cup. "Ya said 'Uncle Leofric'....are ya related to Osferth?"

 Osferth answered quickly. "No, her family owned the farm next to the monastery, so we grew up together." Then he furrowed his brows as a thought hit him. He had been so amazed to see his childhood best friend (only friend really) that he had not realized that she should be back at the farm and not in this town. "Wait, y/n, why are you here and not at the farm?"

 Her face crumpled for a brief second before she was able to mask it into a neutral expression. She shrugged casually, but he could read the subtle tension in the action. "We lost the farm, so mother and I came here to look for work."

 "Ah." There were so many things he wanted to ask but could tell now was not the right time. If she lived here, he would have plenty of time to hear the full story later. Instead he decided to change the subject. "So, you know Lord Uhtred, the others are Finan and Sihtric…. And Sihtric is also a bastard." He added as an afterthought. 

 That made her face light up as she turned to look at the Dane. "Hey, another bastard! We really need to start a club. We can all rant about how awful our fathers are."

 "You're a bastard?" Uhtred asked, shock evident in his voice. 

 "Yes, my lord. My mother was a servant for a lord. Got pregnant. The lord's wife did not like that so sent my pregnant mother back to her family. Certainly, it was our Lord's Will because how else would I have been able to grow up with Osferth?" She asked, patting him on the cheek affectionately. He blushed and swatted her hand away, much to the other's amusement. 

 "I reckon you have quite a few amusin' stories of growin' up with Osferth, eh?" Finan smirked. 

 "I might….but I don't share secrets for free." She matched his smirk with her own crooked smile. 

 He slapped his hand on the table. "I'll owe ya a drink! I need to 'ear this."

 "No….oh no, no, no." Osferth said but knew it was a lost cause before he even tried to deter them. The rest were already deciding when and where to meet that night. "Lord help me."

 "It's not that bad." She teased, bumping his arm with hers. "The worst one is when we went streaking naked through the monastery."

 Osferth felt his face heat up like the flames of hell itself as everyone laughed. "It was your idea."

 "Yeah, yeah, so you like to remind me." She smiled fondly. "Now, if I don't get back home, my mother is going to think I've run off with some man or I've been kidnapped. Either way, she will raise the fyrd herself to find me. I will see you all tonight."

 The others said their goodbyes but before she could step too far away, Osferth gently touched her arm, halting her movement. 

 "Y/n….I'm….I'm glad our paths have crossed once again."

 She pulled him into a tight embrace. "I am too, Osferth. I've missed you." With that, she turned and walked away with her basket still on her hip; but not without glancing over her shoulder at the group before disappearing around some buildings. 

 Once out of sight, Osferth sighed and turned back to his companions, only to see them all still staring intently in the direction she disappeared. 

 "No….y/n is off-limits to you fornicators." He stated firmly, well as firmly as he could be. 

 "She's very pretty…." Uhtred declared, a playful grin on his face. 

 "Lord, no. All of you, keep your hands off of her."

 "Or what?" Finan chuckled, eyes alight with mischief. "You'll fight us, baby monk?"

 "I will if I must."

 "Alright. Her dignity won't be tarnished." Uhtred lifted his cup in Osferth's direction. "Your reputation might be tonight depending on what stories she shares." 

 Osferth groaned, sitting back down next to his lord. "I'm going to need a lot of ale."

 "That can certainly be arranged!" Finan laughed, jovial once more. 

 As discussion started back up again, they all missed the silent, longing glance Sihtric snuck one last time in the direction she walked away….

 *****

 Over the next several weeks Lord Uhtred helped increase the defenses of the town and instructed the guards and fyrd how to better defend against the Danes. 

 During those weeks, you found yourself frequently spending time with Osferth and his companions. First it started off with meeting them in the evenings for ale, laughter and good company. Within days, it became almost expected for one of them to purposefully seek you out. Most of the time it was Osferth and Sihtric coming to join you in whatever your tasks for the day because they were bored or unwanted in meetings. It was not difficult to tell that although they were certainly welcomed members of Uhtred's group, not everyone else saw them in such a positive light. 

 So the three of you often passed the hours away together, waiting until evening to rejoin Uhtred and Finan at the alehouse. Their presence became such a regular occurrence that your mother practically adopted them, they even had their assigned seats at your small kitchen table for meals. Somehow, they seamlessly slipped into your daily life in a way that seemed like they were meant to be there this whole time. 

 Even at the alehouse in the evenings, you usually found yourself nestled between Osferth and Sihtric on the bench. A place you certainly found yourself enjoying more and more….especially next to the Dane. 

 Over the weeks, there was something growing between you and the Dane. It gradually revealed itself with each passing day, growing like the roots of an oak tree. It was through the borderline flirtatious comments that you teased each other with. It was in the subtle touches that caused butterflies in your stomach to dance, from your fingers barely gracing each other when passing something, to the way you leaned your head on his shoulder when your eyelids threatened to close, to the way your thighs would touch under the table and away from view of the others. It was in the lingering looks when your gazes locked and you swore you never wanted to look away. It was in the consistency of being next to one another whenever you could, either sitting at a table or just walking down the street, almost like your bodies were magnetized to one another's. 

 Plus the more you talked to Sihtric, the more you desired to know about him. For he was like no other man you had ever met. 

 Almost a fortnight after you reunited with Osferth, there was one particular evening after staying out far too late with the four men and drinking a bit too much, Sihtric graciously offered to walk you back home. You knew propriety demanded Osferth should be the one to escort you but he was already passed out, head on the table and snores emitting from his mouth. Giggling at your childhood friend, you accepted Sihtric's offer and the two of you easily fell into step. 

 On the walk you learned more about his past, about going up in Dunholm and his cruel father. You had heard bits and pieces while with Osferth and the others. Maybe it was under the cover of darkness, maybe it was the extra ale flowing through both of your blood, but he confessed secrets to you he had never told another besides his mother. When you reached your home, before he could slip away, you clutched his arm and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. After, you bid him goodnight and slipped inside your humble home. 

 After that night, he always walked you home, sometimes alone and sometimes one of the others would join. But when it was just you two, when you were alone, you would bid him a goodnight with a kiss on the cheek or he would kiss your hand, locking eyes with you in a way that made a fire stir in your belly and your core clench. 

 There was definitely something between the two of you, but neither seemed able to verbalize it or take the next step. 

 *****

 "So, what is going on between you and Cedric?" 

 You turned your head to look at Osferth, who laid on the grass next to you, soaking in the heat of the early afternoon sun. "What?"

 "You know….that blacksmith. The one you were talking to the other day."

 "Oh." The memory hit you. You had stopped by to drop off your mother's damaged cooking pot for Cedric to attempt in fixing, although you personally thought it was a helpless cause. The dent in it was significant, but he offered to see what he could do. As you dropped it off at his workshop, the two of you began discussing an approaching saint's day and the celebration that would occur with it. 

 Several minutes later, you heard your name called and looked over to see Osferth and Sihtric walking towards you. You bid Cedric a farewell, promising to stop by the next day to come pick up the pot. After receiving his promise to try his best at fixing it, you headed off towards the stables with your fellow bastards. At the time, you had not thought the encounter significant but with it happening two days ago and Osferth now bringing it up, you wondered how long he had been ruminating on it. 

 Finally, you simply said, "he's a good man, and has been kind to my mother and I since we arrived here."

 "Is he….pursuing you?" Osferth turned his head to scrutinize you, his lips pursed slightly as if concerned about your answer. 

 You openly laughed at the notion. "No, that's silly. He is just a kind man."

 If anything, you had to fend off flirtatious advancements from some of the young men that worked under Cedric. Those same young men quickly learned to keep their eyes on their work and mouths shut. When one openly called out to you, and before you could offer a sharp retort, Cedric threw a hammer at him from across the shop. He bellowed that he did not allow heathens to work for him and if they chose to act godless then they needed to find a new place of work. Their blatant interest diminished after that and Cedric made a point to be the only one that conversed with you if you came to the shop. Although he was easily ten years your senior, you found him a likeable man with a quick wit and sarcastic comments that occasionally left you in stitches. 

 The idea of him pursuing you was an amusing idea. He was still a bachelor, never having married, claiming that his work and apprentices kept him far too busy for much else. 

 Your answer appeared to satisfy Osferth. A thoughtful look crossed his face and he opened his mouth as if to speak, but immediately slowly closed it and turned his head back to stare at the blue sky. 

 A stillness settled after your answer, only interrupted by the frequent bird song and the wind through the tall grass. You closed your eyes, enjoying the sun's warmth and just lying around relaxing on the hill outside of the town, away from the hustle and bustle and chores that demanded your attention.  

 "He was watching you like a man who wants a woman." Sihtric stated after a couple minutes of peaceful silence. 

 Startled by his sour tone, you shifted up to look over at the Dane. He sat on the other side of Osferth, one leg propped up and an arm casually slung over it, but his gaze was focused straight ahead, staring off into the distance. Now that you thought about it, over the past two days Sihtric had become more reserved and sullen than you had ever seen. Even his companions commented on it a few times to which he would shrug his shoulders or make an excuse and walk away. You had thought he just missed Coccham, the group having been away for so long, or something happened that made him introspective. It had also not escaped your notice how the prior closeness between you two had halted. Now you wondered if there was something more to his demeanor.  

 "Well, that is most unfortunate for him since I am not interested in him."

 "Does your mother not want you to marry?" Osferth asked, his voice deceptively neutral. 

 Sighing, you leaned back on your hands. Eventually you knew Osferth would bring up the topic, he was your friend after all and you were certainly of marriageable age. Actually far too old to not be married by some people's standards, but you ignored them. "She does but she has told me that she will not force it upon me. She said I should make my own choice….that if I am able, I should choose love."

 You knew your mother offered you that choice in hopes your life would turn out differently than her own. 

 "But if Cedric is a good, kind man….could you not love him….or someone like him?" Osferth pressed. 

 "Perhaps. There are plenty of men I have seen who the church would call a 'good' man but are cruel in their own home, and there are many men who are calloused but it's obvious they love their wife and children. My love doesn't discriminate, between the sinners and the saints. I would rather choose a man whom I know loves and cares for me than a man I know is 'good' but carries no love in his heart." You paused, the candid confession rolling off your tongue before you realized it. Sighing, you ran a hand over your hair before quietly saying. "I just….I just want someone that loves me….sinner or saint."

 Not a word was spoken as all three contemplated your statement, the silence hanging heavy like a brewing storm. Tilting your face to the sky, unable to meet the gazes of your companions, you chastised yourself for the candor with which you spoke. Osferth had asked a simple question initially and you chose to make it complicated. They did not need to know how you longed for love, how the hope for it in your potential future was what kept you going. It was foolish and you supposed after this, they would only see you as a silly girl with outlandish dreams of a storybook romance. 

 Finally, Osferth broke the silence. "Well, I shall be praying fervently for this man….hopefully he knows what he is getting into before he marries you."

 You laughed, appreciating his lighthearted comment. Reaching a hand out to smack Osferth's arm, you teased. "Keep that up and you won't be invited to my wedding."

 "Your mother will let me in."

 "Yeah, you're probably right." You glanced over in the direction of the town, regretting that your time away had to end. "I need to head back, those chores won't finish themselves."

 The three of you headed back to the town, quiet contemplation cloaking your group. Yet you feared that whatever spark lay between you and the Dane had been extinguished forever by your unexpected honesty. For still he refused to look your way, keeping his gaze focused forward. If your heart fissured within your chest, you swallowed down the pain. It was better for the spark to die out now then burn brightly only to be smothered later. 

 Or at least that was what you told yourself. 

 *****

 "What you said….about the sinners and the saints…."

 You whirled around, heart leaping into your throat with a silent scream on your tongue. In the small herb garden behind your house, you had thought you were alone. After the awkward conversation on the hill earlier that day, you sought solace in your chores. Thankfully Osferth and Sihtric headed back to meet with their companions on their own accord, leaving you to trudge through your muddled thoughts with all the grace of a newborn foal. 

 Now you found the very person who your thoughts centered on, standing just a few paces from you….and your heart began to race for a very different reason. 

 When his voice trailed off, those dark eyes that set fire licking through your veins dropped to the ground, you quietly stood up from where you had knelt, wiping the dirt from your hands, although you moved no closer. 

 "Sihtric?" You tried to prompt him. 

 "Is it true?" His piercing gaze lifted to meet yours, stealing the very breath from your lungs. "Your love doesn't discriminate?"

 "Yes." You breathed out. 

 He nodded silently before taking a step closer to you. "And what about….what about Danes?"

 Your chest pulled tight at his words, yet a coy smile grew on your lips. The flutter in your belly made your gaze drop for a moment as you tried to stifle the excitement making butterflies dance. Although this was no declaration, it was the closest the two of you had talked about what lay between you. Taking a steadying breath, you prayed this moment would not pass by without confessing the truth that you had harbored in your heart for weeks now. 

 "Not even towards Danes." You shook your head, the smile still on your lips. "And…. There is one I'm becoming quite fond of lately."

 "Yeah?" He took two steps closer, somehow moving cautiously but eating the ground with each determined step. 

 "But….do you think this Dane could be….fond of me?" You softly murmured, feeling as if your heart lay in the palms of your hands for all to see. 

 That last step separating you two disappeared almost before you finished asking your question. His hands ever so gently reached over to take yours, entwining your fingers together. The two of you stood so close, your chests almost touched with each breath you took. Your breathing seemed to cease under the intensity of his gaze and a shiver raced up your spine. Yet you had no desire to withdraw from him.

 "He would be a fool not to." He whispered, the barest hint of a tremble in his voice. "I'd bet you are constantly on this Dane's mind. That he cannot go a day without seeing your face and hearing your laugh. You are the first thought that he wakes to and the reason he falls asleep with a smile. That you have become the north star that it seems the gods have been guiding him towards for his whole life."

  As he spoke, everything faded to oblivion around you. The past and future vanished. Dane versus Saxon disappeared. The world narrowed down to this….this moment….this moment that you had dreamt of but never thought would come true. 

 The two of you continued to stand there, lost in one another's eyes with fingers intertwined. Your heart raced within your chest but a cooling breeze swept away the fears that plagued your mind. For staring at him, you knew he spoke no falsehoods. That he owned your heart just as much as you owned his. That very heart you could feel hammering away in his own chest. His eyes fervently held yours, a silent conversation, a confession, spoken only in looks but you both understood the language. His gaze dipped down to your lips, tracing them before slowly rising once again to your eyes. A curl of pleasure blossomed in your core as you witnessed the fire now in his eyes. 

 "If this Dane wanted to kiss me…. I wouldn't mind."

 A deliciously, sinful smirk teased his mouth. "As my lady commands."

 His head tilted, leaning towards yours. Unconsciously your eyelids fluttered closed. Then the briefest of touches made your knees weak and your mouth part open in a sigh. After a moment's hesitation, he continued to shower your jawline with kisses. Needing to touch him, your hands landed on his chest, feeling the tunic that covered his firm chest. Your hands moved upward to grasp the back of his neck, his pulse jumping for a second as your nails scraped his skin. His hands landed on the curve of your waist, bringing you even closer to him, erasing the unwanted space between your bodies. 

 As his lips began their ascent upward along the otherwise of your jaw, you moved. For the burning sparks in your body screamed if he did not kiss you, you would spontaneously combust. Shifting your face, you stole a kiss on his lips before he could place it on your skin. It was more of a gentle pressing of your mouths, but even then, you heard a sharp inhale from him. Before you could question him, his mouth returned to yours with soft, probing kisses that urged you to respond. Not that you would ever deny him. What started off as a gentle flame quickly became a roaring fire. Breathing became unnecessary, for how could air bring you life when your body craved Sihtric, when your lungs demanded to breathe him in instead. He led you in a drugging kiss that had you melting against him. Your lips drank from one another as if that alone could sustain you forevermore.  

 "THANK YA, GOD!!" 

 The passionate kiss abruptly ended as Sihtric and your gazes darted towards the side of your house. Only to be met with the sight of his three companions standing at the entrance in various states of smugness. 

 "Oh, for the love of Odin…." Sihtric mumbled. 

 You buried your face in Sihtric's chest, face heated in embarrassment but unable to stop the giggles that poured forth. So caught up in finally confessing your feelings and kissing the man who haunted your dreams, you forgot that anyone could walk by and see you. His arms tightened around you, keeping you within his protective, loving embrace….and you knew there was nowhere else you would rather be. 

 "Took the two of ya long enough." Finan continued, leaning against the side of your humble home with a shit-eating grin. 

 "Amen." Osferth had a small, teasing smile on his face. "Thought I would have to lock them in a room together before one of them finally confessed."

 Apparently, you and Sihtric were not as subtle as you previously thought. Now it made sense why Osferth was questioning you about Cedric and your thoughts on love and marriage earlier. Your heart flooded with gratitude towards your childhood friend, for without him you doubted neither Sihtric or you would have spoken up. Peering over, you caught Osferth's eye and mouthed a quick 'thank you'. He nodded, a simple joy radiating from his face. 

 "Lord?" Sihtric called over with a blank expression. "Permission to continue?"

 Uhtred chuckled. "I guess you've waited long enough. Go ahead." 

 Without waiting a moment longer, Sihtric tipped your face back up towards his and claimed your lips once more. You vaguely thought you heard laughter coming from the others but it all blurred away, like a faint sound while underwater. All you could see, all you could feel, all you could hear was Sihtric. 

 Just how you wanted it. 

 Suddenly you yanked your head back, your breathing labored and lips swollen. "My mother is helping at a nearby farm today. She won't be back until it's dark."

 He hummed against your skin trailing small kisses along your jawline and down your neck as if unable to keep his hands and mouth off you now that the dam had been released. 

 "I'm not as pure as Osferth thinks me to be."

 That statement made his actions stop. Carefully he raised his head to meet your gaze. "After dark?" He confirmed, voice rough in a way that sent a bolt of heat through you. 

 "Yes, she planned on having supper with them….so my home is currently empty….and I did just clean my blankets the other day…."

 He swooped in to give you a feverish, greedy kiss that left no doubt where his mind had gone. When he finally pulled back, you were surprised your legs could still hold you upright. Your whole body felt like puddy in his arms and he had only kissed you, albeit you doubted you would ever forget the way his mouth worshiped yours. 

 "You are certain? You want this?" He softly asked, staring into your eyes once more. "You want me?" 

 It was the last question, the vulnerable undertone, the hint of insecurity in it that sealed your decision. Letting your actions be your answer, you grabbed his hand and started pulling him in the direction of the door to your home. It did not take more than a second for him to come beside you, wrapping his arm around your waist. 

 With his taste on your lips, the future did not matter right now. It did not matter that he was Dane and you were not. All you knew was Sihtric was neither a saint nor a sinner, but simply a man deserving of love. The river of your love was pointing you directly towards him, and you silently vowed to never let it run dry. 

[secretswiftymarvelfan]

The Demigod From Asgard - Steve Rogers x Reader (Part 26)

Summary: You finally find out what Hydra’s plan is and come face to face with the ghost

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: Angst! Fluff! Canon Typical Violence! Injury to Major Character! Slow burnn!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics​

Series Masterlist / Masterlist

Chapter 26: Return of the Dead

When you woke back up, you were lying down on the backseat of the car. Your head was pounding, every muscle ached and your ears were still ringing. Your head resting in someone’s lap, their hand gently stroking your hair. Opening your eyes, blinking a couple times, you look up to see Steve looking down at you.

“Hey, you okay?” He asks quietly when he sees you awake.

“My head feels like it’s full of cotton” you mumbled your hand moving to rub your forehead.

“What happened?” You ask not remembering much.

“Well first you saved us all by creating that force field thing, you must have worn yourself out because you collapsed soon after hitting your head. Me and Nat got you out before the Strike team arrived” Steve tells you his hand moving to rest on your abdomen.

“I don’t even know how I did that” you admit looking up at him.

“Well it was impressive either way” Steve says with a small chuckle.

“Wait if you’re here who’s driving?” You ask furrowing your brows.

“Nat is we’re heading back to DC to a safe house” Steve tells you.

“Oh okay, cool” you say moving to sit up.

“Whoa, whoa no, careful stay down” Steve says pushing you back down.

“Steve I’m fine” you tell him trying to sit up again but he stops you.

“No rest, your body is clearly exhausted” Steve tells you leaving no room for arguments.

You sigh in defeat moving to get comfortable, keeping your head on his lap looking up at him. He looked fine, not a single cut or bruise. Just covered in a load of ash. You smile to yourself thankful that you were able to keep him safe. You wouldn’t know what to do if you lost him. You’d lost so many people already you couldn’t bear to lose him too.

“I’m sorry about Hydra and all that” you tell him making him look back down at you.

“It’s okay, just wish I had done more, prevented all of this” he sighs looking up and out the window.

“Hey” you say grabbing his hand and making him look back down at you.

“You did everything you could, you saved thousands of lives by crashing that plane. You did the right thing, like you always do. Nobody could have predicted this, no one could have stopped it, not even you” you tell him stroking his hand with your thumb.

He lets out a deep and shaky breath giving you a small smile “thank you” he says quietly.

“Now you get some rest too, you don’t need to be the hero all the time” you tell him.

“Fine but only if you do too” he says smiling down at you.

“Deal” you smile.

It was the early morning by the time you’d gotten back to DC. Steve helped you out of the car, insisting that he kept an arm around your waist despite you telling him you were fine. He led you and Nat down the street towards a house. Knocking on the door.

A few moments later a dark-skinned man answered looking between the three of you.

“Hey man” he says greeting Steve.

“I’m sorry about this we need a place to lay low” Steve apologises.

“Everyone we know is trying to kill us” Nat explains.

The man looks down at you all in surprise before stepping aside “not everyone”

“Sam this is Y/N, Y/N this is Sam, the guy I told you about” Steve says introducing you.

“Ah the demigod” Sam says holding his hand out.

“The running friend” you greet shaking his hand.

“Bathroom is down the hall for you guys to get cleaned up, you need a first aid kit?” Sam asks.

“No, I think we’re good, just a shower” Steve says shaking his head.

“By all means go ahead, I’ll grab some spare towels” Sam says before heading down the corridor.

“Y/N you go first you took the brunt of it all” Nat says nodding over to you.

“Okay, thanks, I’ll be quick I promise” you say stepping away and following Sam.

You got as much grime and dust off of you as you could without taking too long in the shower. Your headache was already subsiding, and your muscles no longer felt like they had been injected with lead. Stepping out of the shower you quickly dry off using your powers to your advantage. Quickly slipping back into your clothes discarding the hoodie which was covered in dust.

When you head back through to the kitchen Steve tells Nat to go ahead. You sit down next to him with a large sigh.

“How’s your head?” Steve asks with a sympathetic smile.

“Better, doesn’t hurt anymore, just need to take it easy for a bit” you tell him resting your head back against the couch.

“That’s good, once this is all over, we can rest as long as we want” Steve says smiling gently.

“Where’s Sam gone?” You ask noticing he wasn’t around.

“He’s gone to go get more food, figured he wouldn’t have enough” Steve says.

“Well with your appetite I think he’s guessed correctly” you joke making him laugh.

There was a moment of silence before he spoke again, shifting so he was facing you.

“Hey um in the car when I said about shared life experience” he says glancing down.

“Yeah?” You say remembering the conversation.

“Well, I just wanted to say, I’m glad I’ve got you, you know, understanding what it’s like to not be from this modern world” he says glancing back up at you making you smile and your stomach flutter again.

“Me too, I’m glad I have you” you smile, him smiling back at you before clearing his throat, shifting again.

“Well I was just thinking that maybe when this is all over we could-“ Steve starts.

“Shower’s free!” Nat calls from down the hall interrupting Steve who sighs looking down.

“We can talk later, now go shower because god do you stink” you say with a playful smirk.

Steve laughs shaking his head at you “fine, talk later” he smiles before standing up and heading down the corridor towards the bathroom.

A few minutes later Sam arrives back carrying two full shopping bags. You stand to go help him but he tells you to sit back down and relax.

“I wasn’t sure what you guys preferred to eat in the morning, or if you needed to eat some superfood or something so I got a load of sausages, eggs and bacon” Sam says.

“A breakfast fit for every superhero” you chuckle.

A short while later you were all cleaned up and fed. Steve eating about 3 servings of eggs and bacon. The three of you soon started to discuss what your plan of action was.

“So, the question is who at SHIELD could launch a domestic missile strike?” Nat asks leaning back in her chair.

“Pierce” Steve sighs.

“Who happens to be sitting on top of the most secure building in the world” you point out.

“But he’s not working alone, Zola’s algorithm was on the Lemurian star” Steve recalls with a sigh.

“So was Jasper Sitwell” Nat says.

“So the real question is how do the three most wanted people in Washington kidnap a SHIELD officer in broad daylight?” You sigh knowing exactly how insane and difficult it sounded.

“The answer is, you don’t” Sam says walking over.

For a moment you thought he was going to stop you, but he just puts a file down on the table.

“What’s this?” Steve asks leaning forward to pick up the file.

“Call it a resume” Sam says leaning up against the kitchen counter.

“Is this bakhmala?” Nat asks picking up the picture “the khalid khandil mission, that was you?”

“You didn’t say he was a pararescue” Nat says turning to Steve, passing him the photo.

“Is this Riley?” Steve asks quietly.

“Yeah” Sam sighs.

“Heard they couldn’t bring in the choppers because of the RPGs. What did you use? A stealth chute?” Nat asks.

“No, these” Sam says pushing the file towards Steve.

Steve opens it up and you look over his shoulder to see exactly what it was.

“I thought you said you were a pilot” Steve says looking back over at Sam.

“I never said pilot” Sam chuckles shaking his head.

“I can’t ask you to do Sam, you got out for a good reason” Steve sighs shaking his head.

“Dud Captain America needs my help, there’s no better reason to get back in” Sam smiles.

“I’m assuming you don’t just have these lying around” you say looking over at Sam who shakes his head.

“Where can we get our hands on one of these things?” Steve asks.

“The last one is at Fort Meade, behind three guarded gates and a 12-inch steel wall” Sam says making you smirk.

“Sounds like someone already tried to get it back” you say making Sam chuckle shrugging his shoulders innocently.

“Well shouldn’t be a problem for us” Steve says.

A short trip to Fort Meade later, you had tracked down Jasper Sitwell and were moving into position to intercept him.

You had placed Sam in a nearby cafe with a phone ready to call Sitwell. Nat was in an empty office building, gun with a laser sight at the ready. While you and Steve waited in a car just around the block.

Soon enough the car door opened and Jasper Sitwell was looking down at you surprise. You had a small flame in your hand ready to go.

“I’d get in otherwise you’re gonna have a nasty burn” you warn.

Jasper visibly gulps before sliding into the car. A few moments later both Nat and Sam appear. Sam sitting in the passenger seat, Nat sitting in the back blocking Jasper’s escape.

Steve drives the car a couple blocks away before pulling into a back alley. Getting out of the car Steve grabs Sitwell by the collar and drags him inside and up the stairs.

When you get to the roof Steve throws Sitwell through the door “tell me about Zola’s algorithm” Steve says.

Jasper gets to his feet stumbling back as you Steve and Nat continue to approach.

“Never heard of it” Sitwell lies.

“What were you doing on the Lemurian Star?” Steve questions.

“I was throwing up, I get seasick” Sitwell says backing up until his feet hit the edge.

Steve grabs him by the lapels of his suit stopping him from falling.

“Is this little display meant to insinuate that you’re gonna throw me off the roof? Because that’s really not your style Rogers” Sitwell smirks with a beat of confidence.

“You’re right, it’s not” Steve says letting go and smoothing out his jacket

“It’s hers” he smirks stepping back so Nat could kick Sitwell in the chest sending him falling back off the building.

The three of you listen as his screams get quieter before getting louder again. Sam now wearing his falcon wings carrying him back up and dropping him behind the three of you.

As you all turn to approach Sitwell he holds his hands up to stop you.

“Zola’s algorithm is a program for choosing, insights targets” Sitwell admits.

“What targets?” You question.

“You! A TV anchor is Cairo, the Under Secretary of Defence, a high school valedictorian in Iowa city. Bruce Banner, Steven Strange, anyone who’s a threat to Hydra, now or in the future” Sitwell lists off.

“Future? How could it know?” Steve asks confused.

“How could it not! The 21st century is a digital book. Zola taught Hydra how to read it. Your bank records. Medical histories. Voting patterns. Emails. Phone calls, your damn SAT scores! Zola’s algorithm evaluates people’s past to predict their future” Sitwell explains.

“And then what?” You ask.

Sitwell shakes his head “Pierce is gonna kill me” he mutters.

“And what then?” Steve presses.

“Then the insight helicarriers scratch people off that list. A few million at a time” Sitwell says.

“Shit” you mutter as the reality of the situation sinks in.

“we need to go now” Steve says looking over at everyone.

Grabbing Sitwell you dragged him back down to the stairs and to the car. You, Nat and Sitwell sat in the back. You in the middle seat. Steve sat in the front while Sam drove to the Triskelion.

“Hydra doesn’t like leaks” Sitwell say fidgeting in his seat nudging you as he does so.

You send a glare his way and he instantly stops moving.

“Then why don’t you try sticking a cork in it?” Sam tells him.

“Insight is launching in 16 hours” Nat says leaning forward “we’re cutting it a little close here”

“I know we’ll use him to bypass the DNA scans and access the helicarriers directly” Steve says.

“What? Are you crazy?” Sitwell exclaims “that is a terrible idea!”

He doesn’t get to say anymore as something lands on the roof of the car. Before you could react a metal arm crashes in through the window, grabbing Sitwell and throwing him into an incoming truck. The attacker starts shooting through the roof of the car making you and Nat scramble forward. You land in Steve lap grabbing his head as a bullet flies though his headrest were his head used to be.

Steve slams the car into park throwing the guy off the top of the car. You all look out to see him land several feet away, his metal arm clear as day. There was no doubting he was a ghost story anymore as the winter solider stood right in front of you.

Nat pulled out her gun going to shoot him but doesn’t get a chance as a car slams into the back of you. Sam tried to keep control of the car as it skids towards the winter solider. The soldier jumps back onto the car punching through the windscreen grabbing the steering wheel and ripping it away.

Without the steering wheel the car starts veering out of control. The car behind crashes into you again, making your car hit the central reservation and begin to flip.

“Hang on!” Steve shouts slipping his shield onto his arm before grabbing Nat and Sam.

You wrap your arms around his neck as he hits the car door off its hinges. The four of you crash to the ground. As the car door skids along the ground it bounces a couple times knocking Nat and Sam off. As you and Steve get up you see the winter solider fire a grenade at you. Steve pushes you out of the way holding his shield up just in time but the force of the explosion sends him flying off the overpass to the streets below.

“Steve!” You shout you go to follow but you have to duck for cover when bullets start flying.

You had no gun on you, so were completely pinned down, the shooters too far away for a good shot with your powers especially with so many civilians still around.

The shooting stops for a moment allowing you to sneak closer to the gunmen. You watch as the winter soldier jumps down to the streets below after Nat. 3 more gunmen then grapple down after him, leaving two on the overpass.

You could see Sam approaching one, so you take the other. You see him attached his grappling hook but you force a large gust of wind his way pushing him down to the ground. Before he can even get up you freeze his hands to the ground standing over him kicking him in the face to knock him out. You grab the gun from him, looking up to see Sam had taken down his guy and also gotten hold a gun.

The two of you run over to the side to see Steve pinned down behind his shield. You and Sam start shooting down the gunmen allowing Steve to attack the one with the large machine gun.

“Get down there, I’ll cover you” Sam tells you.

You leap over the side controlling the air around you to control your fall. You land just behind Steve both of you crouching behind a car for cover.

“Go I’ve got this!” Sam shouts down to the two of you.

“You go left, I’ll go right” Steve says before the two of you run off.

You run down the street keeping low to avoid being spotted. One you got close enough to the winter solider you paused behind a car. You watch as he rolls something underneath a car several feet in front of you. You spot Nat’s phone on the ground and realise what she’d done.

Glancing around you spot the redhead crouching opposite you. She gives you a couple hand signals telling you what to do. Once the car explodes you jump up starting to fire at the winter solider. It was enough to distract him allowing Nat to jump him and attack.

He throws her off him into a car, but before he can attack, she throws a shock charge at him. As she runs away you start firing at him again to cover her escape. As you start to back up yourself you run out of ammo.

“Shit” you curse throwing the gun to the side.

You turn and start running in the same direction as Nat keeping as close to cover as possible. As you go you see civilians stood watching in horror. You shout at them to get back, sending a gust of wind to force them back when they don’t listen.

As you weave through the cars you feel a sharp pain rip through your shoulder. Crying out in pain your drop to the floor shuffling back towards a car for cover. You glance down at you shoulder wincing when you see blood oozing out of the bullet hole.

As you start putting pressure on it you hear someone land on a car behind you. Looking over you see the winter solider aiming his gun directly at you. You quickly duck for cover waiting for the spray of bullets. Instead, you hear the tell-tale sound of a metal fist hitting Steve’s shield. Leaning back against the car you see Nat running over to you.

“Are you okay?” She asks crouching down beside you instantly examining the wound.

“GSW, went straight through the shoulder” you groan as she touches it.

“Okay keep pressure on it” she says as she grabs and rips the lower half of your top off.

She ties the fabric tight around your shoulder to help keep the pressure, but you both knew you needed something a bit more substantial.

“Come on we need to move” she says, slowly helping you stand.

As you get up you see Steve fighting with the winter solider. You see him flip the soldier over ripping off his mask. As the solider turns back around you instantly recognise the face.

“Shit” you mutter, Nat looking over at you confused.

“that’s Bucky” you whisper.

You watch as Steve rises out of his fighting stance to face his old friend. The soldier holds his gun out at Steve but Sam flies in kicking him away. You and Nat start moving over Nat grabbing the grenade launcher on the floor. She fires it over Steve’s head toward the solider who once again was aiming at Steve.

The smoke cleared and the solider was gone. However, you all were quickly surrounded by Strike. You watch as they hold a gun right up to Steve’s head. They force you down onto your knees, handcuffing you and attaching a collar round your neck. You could feel your energy levels drop immediately, the ability to use your powers being taken from you.

As they load all of you into a van all you could do was watch Steve. He looked shocked and distraught. It was a feeling you knew well, after all you’d seen your brother come back from the dead. Steve had just witnessed his best friend bucky return from the dead.

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[five-rivers]

Beltane

Written for Ectober 2021 Day 1: Trick vs Treat. This is part of the Exhumed series.

.

Danny Fenton walked into the precinct. As often happened when he did this, all attention slowly turned to him. “Hi, Detective Patterson. Have you ever heard of Beltane?”

Patterson took a long swig of coffee through the plastic stir straw, because she felt the need to be at least a little drugged before dealing with whatever this was, and then said, “Is this the kind of thing the whole precinct needs to know about, or is it more specific to me?”

“Mm, not specific to you, but I’m not sure if everyone needs to know about it, yet.”

Despite only select members of the Amity Park police force knowing Danny Fenton had another identity, he’d become a sort of ‘ghost liaison’ for the precinct. Better him than the adult Fentons, who tended to break things even (especially) when they were being careful.

“Actually,” continued Danny, “you might have already noticed some things about it. I mean, it’s seasonal, and Mom and Dad were detecting ectoenergy and ghost activity spikes for events like this before they got the portal up and running. Although, the portal was supposed to stabilize and reduce those spikes… I guess reducing one isn’t bad?”

“Okay,” said Patterson. “I don’t really know what you’re talking about. Do you want me to go find Collins?”

“Oh, that might be a good idea.”

“Great,” said Patterson. She turned her head to shout across the room. “McGee. Go find Collins.”

“Still the new guy?” asked Danny, sympathetically.

“It isn’t like we’re a popular posting,” said Patterson, “and, thanks to the ghosts, we don’t really need new people.”

Danny nodded placidly. “I know. But it must be hard for him, don’t you think?”

.

McGee had done his job. He’d discovered the corruption in the Amity Park Police Department and plumbed its depths. The problem was that he could never, ever, report it. Even if they didn’t have a perfectly good cause for it all, what they were ‘hiding’ (and they were only barely doing that) was so ridiculous that McGee had thought he’d gone crazy at first.

Ghosts.

The whole of Amity Park was haunted. Just like it said in those touristy brochures at the front of the local diners.

He stuck his head into the break room. “Collins, Patterson and Fenton want you,” he said.

“In the normal room?” Collins asked, shoving a sugary monstrosity of a donut into his mouth.

“I have no idea. She didn’t say.”

“Normal room then. Great job, McGee.”

McGee rolled his eyes. Great job, he said. As if he’d done anything.

God. What would Halloween be like?

.

“So, it’s like, reverse Halloween?” asked Patterson.

“Well, not exactly,” said Danny. He patted Daisy, the department mascot slash corpse sniffing dog who had followed them into the small interview room, gently on the head. “Actually, there are more similarities than differences. Basically, like Halloween, we’re going to get a spike in ectoenergy. Maybe even some ectoplasmic storms. More portals. That kind of thing.” He shrugged. “Most holidays and seasonal divisions have them, you know.”

“So… we’re getting Halloween round two?” asked Collins.

“What do you bet that this is what gets McGee to snap?”

“He’s been here since December,” said Collins. “I think he’s too stubborn to leave.”

“Is he still spying?” asked Danny.

“No,” said Patterson, waving a hand. “He gave up on that, after a while. But there’s a new office bet about whether or not he’ll stay stay, or if he’ll decide to quit. We’re not allowed to join in because we know him too well.”

“Mm,” said Danny.

“I don’t actually know if I feel like I know him that well,” said Collins.

“Well,” said Danny, “it shouldn’t be as extreme as Halloween. Since, I mean, there aren’t as many religious holidays directly associated with death and stuff happening on or around May first. So. Yeah. But the thing is, there are some traditional, er, activities. Spirited activities.”

Collins suppressed a groan, and was glad that Captain Jones wasn’t available today. He and Danny could sling puns at each other for obscenely long periods of time.

“I’ve never noticed ghosts doing anything on May Day,” said Patterson.

“This is only the third year anyone’s even acknowledged that ghosts exist,” said Danny, “so I’m not really all that surprised. But the reason that I came to talk to you guys is that some of the ghosts want to do Beltane stuff. Like the fire blessings. Also, I’ve been told that some of the trees in town are secretly ghost trees, and if we don’t want to deal with another tree army, we need to do some stuff to appease them.”

“Secret ghost trees.”

“My source is very reliable,” said Danny. “Also, while I say ‘we don’t want to deal with it,’ I think we all know who’d be dealing with most of it.”

“You would,” said Patterson.

“Got it in one. Like, I can convince most of the ghosts to either do their Beltane stuff in the Ghost Zone, or somewhere out of the way. They’ll be disappointed, but I can do it. The ghost tree thing, though…”

“Can’t we just, I don’t know,” said Collins, “get rid of the ghost trees?”

“Well, they aren’t really evil ghost trees. Or even really ghost trees. They’re more… ghosts that live in trees?”

“What, like dryads?” asked Collins, raising his eyebrows.

“That’s what I said, but they’re different species, apparently.”

“Okay,” said Patterson, “so. Appeasing the trees. How many trees are we talking about here, and how are we going to appease them?”

.

“Okay, so, this is definitely a whole precinct kind of thing,” said Patterson.

“And possibly an ‘all civil servants’ type of thing,” added Collins. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Where are we going to get the funding for this?”

“Oh, don’t worry about money,” said Danny. “I’ll just blackmail Vlad, and if that doesn’t work, I can get Mom and Dad to pay for it.”

“What,” said Collins.

“I think this might be a bit beyond your parents’ budget,” said Patterson, “but knock yourself out as far as Masters goes.”

“Well, I guess if it is,” he allowed, dubiously, “I could get the cults to pitch in?”

.

“This is nice,” said Danny. The sky was a bit overcast, which was a shame, but the hundreds of bright flowers and cheerful music more than made up for that.

The May Day celebration was, in Danny’s opinion, a success. At least, this half of it was turning out to be. He’d have to wait and see how the Spirit Bonfires went tonight before he could really make a judgement.

He’d only had to blackmail Vlad a little, too. It turned out that the ‘ruthless businessman’ in Vlad was ludicrously easy to manipulate, and once Danny brought up how a celebration like this one could revitalize local businesses and bring in tourism, he’d caved.

Although, that might have been the threat of an angry tree army. Vlad had definitely come off worse for wear in the last one, on all fronts.

Then, publically putting the Phantom Stamp of Approval (and Necessity Given The Potential Angry Tree Army) on the event had gotten buy-in from his fans and (sigh) the cults. The cults were, in fact, very enthusiastic about their new Holy Day. Danny had made a map of all the places they’d set up booths, and was studiously avoiding them.

Sam and Tucker were doing a walkthrough of that area, now, to check for problems and unadorned thorn trees. They’d arranged to meet up soon.

So, Amity Park was decked out in ribbons and flowers. All of the schools had gotten Maypoles and the day off of classes. Several bands, both human and ghostly, were playing in different parts of town.

It was chaotic, but great.

Danny briefly cut into the street to dodge a pair of college-age men play-fighting with tree branches (a genuinely important tradition symbolizing the battle between winter and summer), then walked through a wall to avoid two ghosts doing the same thing.

Finally, he reached Madame Babazita’s table.

“Hi,” he said, “three readings, please.”

“Three?” she asked. “Just for you?”

“My friends should get here before mine’s done,” said Danny. Was he channeling some predictive powers? Maybe. Holidays did make his powers weird.

.

“I have no idea what your reading is saying,” said Madame Babazita, after fifteen full minutes. “The cards simply aren’t speaking to me today. Also,” she held up an Uno card, “I’m not sure how this even got here.”

“That’s okay,” said Danny, “I just wanted to make sure it was the same as last time.”

.

“Hey! Phantom!” called Ember across the crowd of ghosts that had gathered in the cemetery. Most of them were fire or nature themed. “You’re in for a treat!”

Danny, who had been examining the flowers left on his grave, looked up. “I am?”

Ember draped her arm around Danny’s shoulder. She’d been a lot more friendly with him since the corpse incident. “Sure are.” She stepped up onto the surface of his memorial, pulling him up behind her. Danny shook off a brief chill and looked around.

Ghosts were streaming into the cemetery from various directions, bringing armfuls of flowers with them. Danny could see two, huge bonfire piles of flowers growing near the cemetery gates.

“Are there going to be cows?” asked Danny, who was still fuzzy on the details of the ghostly side of the celebrations.

“I don’t know,” said Ember. “When I’ve seen this done in the GZ there are. Here? Who knows. Maybe we’ll just walk through.”

Danny nodded, unworried. Beltane sure was an interesting holiday.

The last armful of flowers was placed, and every flower in the cemetery caught on fire at once. Including the ones on Danny’s grave. Danny yelped, jumping into flight. As an ice core ghost, he vastly preferred cold to heat.

This went without saying, but fire was very hot.

Ember grabbed his foot, and he almost kicked her. “You knew that was going to happen,” he accused.

“Sure did, babypop,” said Ember, grinning. “Come on, don’t you want to pass through the bonfires?”

Danny eyed the very large bonfires on either side of the cemetery gates. They were lit up with sparks like fireworks, shifting like flowers blooming and withering and blooming again. They were beautiful and impressive, and Danny felt like melting just by looking at them.

“I don’t know…” He wanted to, but… melting…

“Well, if you want to go out the other way and be horribly unlucky for the next year…”

Danny narrowed his eyes. “Is that another trick?” he asked.

Ember’s grin grew wider, and she took off towards the gates. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Danny sighed and followed her.

.

“Unbelievable,” said McGee. “Absolutely unbelievable.” He gave the elderly cultist a boost into the wagon.

“I know, right?” said Patterson. “All this property damage and a low-key kidnapping,” she gestured to the hapless late night partier who had called the police when the cult got too insistent about their message, “and they didn’t even have the good drugs?” She shook her head. “Not that we ever arrest anyone just for drugs in this town.”

“I did not just hear you say that,” muttered McGee.

“We’ll make an Amity Parker out of you yet,” said Collins, heartily, slamming the back door of the wagon. He thumbed the button on his radio. “Any other disturbances?” he asked.

“No, you’re good to come back,” said the dispatcher.

“What I don’t get,” said McGee, leaning against a nearby wall in a moment of weakness, “is why we aren’t breaking up whatever cult thing is happening in the cemetery.” They’d seen it quite clearly on their way here.

“Because those are ghosts,” said Patterson.

McGee took a deep breath. “The ghosts are having some kind of ritual in the cemetery, and you aren’t worried.”

“Not really, no.”

“I hate it here,” said McGee.

“Do you, though?” asked Collins, sounding genuinely interested in the answer.

McGee opened his mouth to snap back that, yes, he did. But…

Hm. Huh.

Collins patted him on the back.