#especially since they spilled the beans that the Right was already called for in advance

[bluerose5]

I think this is my first time going to the Gallows in Act 3 for this playthrough. Then again, that's from what I remember because I took a break from playing, but this is all sooooo normal. Nothing unnerving here. Kirkwall is just an extreme example, of course. The mage-templar conflict is a morally complex one, hardly a black-and-white/cut-and-dry issue. Let's go consult with Elthina again. Maybe her thoughts and prayers will work this time. 🥺

[missymurphy1985]

The Umbrella Girl (part 7 - final part)

What happened to Cillian's house?

Warnings - mentions of baby loss / angst / smut

Taglist @queenshelby @peakyscillian @ntmynouis @margoo0 @elenavampire21 @janelongxox @noctvrnalmoth

Cillian had flown home on the next flight following Orla's call, you'd stayed home to allow him time with his family, giving him the space he needed. He hadn't called for nearly a week, and you hadn't disturbed him either, when finally your phone rang.

"Cill? Are you okay?"

"The police are still investigating. It certainly looks like arson, but they can't say one way or the other yet. Y/n, I should've been at home last week, and she knew that! That schedule was planned for months in advance, I'd have been burned alive in that house!" You both knew this, but saying it out loud somehow made it more terrifying. "Does she know where you live y/n?" You paused to think back, but no, she had no idea. The address on your records was private, she wouldn't have access to that under data protection laws.

"Where are you?"

"I'm at Orla's, I'm staying here until the house is safe for me to go back to. It's a mess y/n... A complete wreck.." his voice was cracking, breaking your heart. You were desperate to hold him, but he was hundreds of miles away.

"I miss you so much... I so want to be there with you..."

"Is Emily at school?"

"Yes. She breaks up today for half term though."

"Good, I thought I'd got the dates right. I've booked you tickets for the ferry tomorrow morning, I know Emily is scared of flying.. come out here to me? I need you.."

You were stunned into silence.

"Is that okay?"

"Shut up Murphy! That's the best news I've had this week... Yes! We'll be there!"

"Thank god, thought I'd scared you off for a second!"

"You're an idiot sometimes you know that?" You laughed. "I'll see you Saturday morning, yeah?"

You arrived at the docks in Dublin just after midday, Emily launching herself into Cillian's arms as he swooped her up and kissed her cheek. He welcomed you into the embrace, kissing your lips and resting his forehead against yours. A younger lady approached you, judging by her blue eyes you assumed this was Cillian's sister, Orla.

"It's so good to finally meet you, he's told me so much about you! Here, let me help with those bags." She took your suitcase and pulled it along with you to her car. You arm linked with Cillians left, his right carrying Emily who was telling him everything about the ferry ride over and how much she enjoyed it.

"I've got another surprise for you waiting at Orla's, Em," he whispered loud enough for you to hear.

"Cill...." He shushed you playfully with his eyes. You hated him spending his money on either of you - you didn't want people to think that was all you wanted...

Getting into Orla's house just outside the city, she took your bag up to Cillian's room and led you all through to the dining room. A man walked in holding a wriggling toddler.

"This is my brother in law, Damien, and my nephew Leo. This," he introduced you, "is y/n." Damien shook your hand and you cooed over Leo, giggling away in his father's arms. Emily tugged on Cillian's shirt impatiently, generating a scowl from you.

"Emily we've just walked through the door - you need to wait!"

"Its okay, I'll take her." Cillian took her hand and led her into a playroom next to the kitchen area. You heard her squeal and walked through to see the biggest dolls house you'd ever seen, it was huge - fully kitted out with furniture and a family of 4.. it was breathtaking.

"Cillian... I can't..." You mumbled.

"It isn't for you, it's for her!" He laughed, and smiled watching Emily begin to place the furniture in the house and set her dolls up for what looked like a picnic in the little living room area.

He turned to face you, bringing you close to him.

"Thank you.. thank you for coming out.. and being here.."

"Together, hand in hand, remember?" You touched your nose against his, both of you smiling into each other.

The police called round later that evening. You were sat in the dining room, hand in Cillian's under the table, as they explained.

"We found petrol cans littered around the outside of the house. Three had been thrown through the letterbox, and set alight. Fortunately, your neighbour has CCTV cameras, and we caught images of the person who did it - take a look, see if you recognise them?" One of the officers opened the laptop and played the video. Cillian squeezed your hand, preparing himself to watch his home be destroyed. You could make out the image of a person dropping the cans, and the police froze the screen on the clearest image they had. They zoomed in, and Cillian's mouth dropped.

"I know him..." Your eyes widened. You did too...

"The fuck is he doing there?" You gasped. The Assistant Director of Peaky Blinders, James, was staring right back at you from the screen.

"We have him in custody - he's admitted everything. He'll be charged in the morning. We think you know he has a connected with Lisa?" The officer nodded to Cillian.

"He does. But why's he involved? He's got nothing to do with any of this?

"He's been in on this since the beginning. He's given us Lisa's location in London. The Net Police tracked her down this morning. Y/n, you need to know.. she was about half a mile from your house.." you gasped again.. James must have had access to your records... She must have seduced him to get close to them.. Cillian pulled you close and kissed your head.

"Thank fuck I got you away... Where's your mum?"

"She's gone to her sisters place in Manchester for the weekend.. Cillian she'd have killed us!"

"But she didn't, did she? And she's locked up.. fuck.. this might be over?" He turned to the officers. "Is it over?"

"They've not mentioned anyone else being involved, and James was more than happy to spill the beans - we'll continue to keep an eye on you for a while, just to be on the safe side."

"Thank you... For everything... Thank you." You whispered to the officers, barely able to form a sentence. You were still worried, but you felt safe for the first time in weeks.

Once the police had left, you fell into each others arms, holding on tighter than you ever had. The relief flooding you both.

"Where's Emily?" You asked, as he was kissing your neck.

"In the garden with Orla... You'll have to control yourself a little while longer Cillian, it's nearly dinner time..." You groaned, feeling his lips gently nibbling at your earlobe.

You felt his hand trail up your thigh, over your backside as he pulled you into him.

"You have no idea how much I want to bury my fingers inside you against this wall, right now y/n..." You turned your face to kiss him deeply, before pulling away winking and walking towards the garden, a sexy little sway as you walked, chuckling to yourself.

Dinner was a Chinese takeaway, Orla's insistence even though you'd offered to cook them all a meal to say thank you for having them. Once it was all cleaned up and the little ones were in bed, Emily set up in a small single Batman themed bed (another treat from Cillian) in Leo's room, the four of you sat in the living room with a bottle of wine. Your body was wrapped in Cillian's on the sofa, Orla looking over at the two of you.

"You two are like lovestruck teenagers, you know that?" She laughed, watching the two of you stealing glances at each other and stroking each others hands.

"Too much PDA from your older brother, Orla?" Cillian pulled a face making Orla laugh.

"No, it's so lovely seeing you happy, especially after everything that's happened these last couple of years.. it's been a tough one hasn't it?"

"It's been difficult, but it's over now. I can focus on picking myself back up now. I'll finish Peaky, and take some time off, I think," Cillian yawned, kissing your hand. "I'm beat. Orla, Damien.. we can't thank you enough." He stood, taking your hand in his and leading you out the room.

"What are family for Cillian, you're welcome here as long as you need to be," Damien smiled.

Within minutes you were in his room against the wall, jeans round your ankles, his fingers knuckle deep in your core pulling forward against your walls. His hand covering your mouth to quieten you so you didn't wake the kids up in the next room.

"Fuck... Cillian don't stop..." Your orgasm was already building following the constant teasing between the two of you that evening, and he increased the speed on his movements inside you. Your hand sneaking underneath the waistband of his jeans to grip his erection firmly, making him hiss slightly at the sensation as you pumped him slowly under his jeans, the fabric not allowing for too much movement.

"You gonna cum for me y/n? Let me feel it..." He whispered in your ear, making you shudder. You nodded, before moaning deep into his hand, your orgasm washing over you like a hurricane. Your hand gripped onto his cock a little tighter as his fingers came to a stop, before bringing them to his lips to taste you.

You kicked off your jeans from your ankles and sank to your knees, pulling his jeans down with you. He looked down at you and watched you tease the tip of his cock with your tongue, lightly licking around the head and down his shaft. He rested forward, one hand against the wall, the other in your hair, groaning as he watched you take him inside your mouth painfully slowly. Inch by inch, sucking gently, before he felt the back of your throat.

"Fuck yes..." He closed his eyes and controlled his breathing, trying not to blow his load down your throat. You started bobbing your head back and forth, your teeth scraping the underside of his cock as you did making him grip your hair tight. You really wanted to make him come in your mouth but your core was screaming for him. Standing up and pulling both your t-shirts over your head you led him over to the bed, pushing him onto his back. Crawling over his legs, you hovered over his cock, bringing your fingers down to you core and running them slowly over your wetness.

"Want this, Cill?" He groaned watching your fingers running through your folds and nodded quickly. You sank onto him, making both of you gasp, and started rocking your hips back and forth. He held onto your hips guiding you, and you leaned back, finding your rhythm. His fingers toyed with your clit as you rode him, and you could feel a second orgasm approaching. Sensing it, he flipped you over to lie on your front on the bed. Pushing your legs together, raising your hips slightly, he moved over them and started pushing himself back inside you, his chest now on your back as he started thrusting into you. You clawed at the bedframe, the new angle hitting your g spot perfectly.

"Fuck you're so tight... This feel good baby?" His voice was back in your ear now, his lips kissing and biting over your shoulders and neck as his thrusts became more powerful. You had to muffle your cries of ecstacy into the pillow. "Good girl... you gonna cum again for me huh?"

You couldn't stop it if you tried, you came hard, your walls clenching every inch of him. His thrusts slowed slightly, before he pulled out of you and lifted your hips up so you were on your knees, your face still in the pillows. Lining himself you, he thrust hard into you, making you bury your face again and grip the bedframe as he fucked you hard and fast, the only sounds being your skin slapping together and the wet sounds where your bodies were joined.

"Fuck... Shit... Gonna come y/n..." He grunted softly as you felt him spurt his seed deep inside you, panting as he came down from his high, before pulling out and laying beside you, stroking your face gently.

"I love you.. y/n.." he whispered softly, taking your face in his hands and kissing your lips. You froze, gasped softly and pulled back. Was it too soon? Probably. Did you care? Nope. You saw a flash of panic in his eyes and smiled.

"I love you, Cillian. I do.. I've not felt this way for anyone else. Ever." He grinned, and pulled you into his arms.

"I've been thinking.. I need a change of scenery. What would you say if I moved to London? Permanently?" You leaned up on your arm and trailed your fingers over his chest hair.

"What about Ireland? All your family are here?"

"Yeah but they've had more than 40 years of me. You and Emily are in London - and that's where I want to be."

"Cillian I'd never make you leave your family - please know that?"

"No ones making me do anything anymore y/n. I'm doing this for us - there is an us, right?" You punched him lightly on the arm making him chuckle. "I've already started talking to estate agents. There's a beautiful 3 bed townhouse in Kilburn. It looks stunning y/n, you'd love it."

"What do you need a 3 bed house for? There's only you?" He looked down at you and raised his eyebrow - you felt your core throb slightly, that eyebrow raise was sexy as fuck... And you were certain he knew it.

"Well, Emily's gonna need a room. And us. And a spare room for guests maybe.. or..." Your stomach flipped.

"Cillian.. If you're asking me what I think you're asking me.."

"I'm not asking for anything y/n, I'm not even asking you to move in, unless you want to obviously... I just.. I just want to be near you. All the time. I know it's early days still, but we've been through more in a short time than most couples go through in a lifetime. I can't ever see myself with anyone else, ever.. what do you say?" He was stroking your face, and you were lost in his eyes.

"On one condition."

"Name it."

"I'm in charge of the decorating. I've seen the photos of your last house Cill, your taste is shocking.." he laughed and tickled you until you were back underneath him, and you groaned at his hardness pushing against your thigh. Kissing him deeply, he was soon back inside you, slotting in like a jigsaw piece finding its other half.

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

Epilogue - 1 year later

You and Emily had spent the afternoon tidying and cleaning, waiting for Cillian to come home after a month back in Dublin onstage at the Gaiety Theatre performing in Enda Walsh's latest production - Cillian's first work since finishing Peaky Blinders 8 months ago. The show was due to go live any time now. You'd moved into his Kilburn house 6 months ago after realising you were spending 5 days out of 7 there every week anyway. Lisa and James were in prison for a fair few years, being found guilty for arson, slander and harassment.

"Mum, he's here!!" Emily ran from the window after hearing a car pull up and you both went into the kitchen - Emily sat at the table pretending to do her homework and you at the counter on your laptop.

"Hey girls? I'm home!" He called, and you walked into the hallway smiling before embracing him tightly. He kissed you and dropped his bag on the floor and his keys in the bowl. Emily walked through and hugged him right, before standing as straight as possible in the hallway. You winked at her, and looked at Cillian who was staring at Emily.

"How've you both been? What have I missed?" He moved into the kitchen and put the kettle on, desperate for a home made cup of tea.

"Nothing much really.. Emily and I went shopping this afternoon and she's got herself a few new t shirts, I bought a few things I think we'll need soon." He looked at you and smiled, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Look at my new t-shirt Cillian!" Emily danced in front of him, twirling round in circles making him laugh.

"I can't see it while your spinning like a merry-go-round Em, stand still!" She stood still and you bit your lip. "What's it say on the front... Hang on.." he gently held Emily's shoulders and read the slogan. He paused, then read it again, before turning sharply to you.

"Big Sister?!" You nodded, grinning.

"Mommy's having a baby!" Emily yelled, pretty sure your neighbours knew now!

"You're pregnant?!" He moved over to you and placed a hand over your belly - no bump yet, but it still made you glow inside.

"Six weeks. Found out yesterday, wanted to surprise you..." He lifted you off the floor and kissed you, before reaching for Emily and pulling her into the hug. You felt safe, secure, and most importantly, loved.

And now with baby Murphy on the way, your family would be complete.

[goddessofthundathighs]

INTERLUDE I: NOLA MEETS ERIK

July 2003

“Are you sure you want to go to school all the way in Los Angeles?” Papa Simon asked from my doorway as I began packing up my room.

“Dad, we’ve had this conversation already. This is my dream school and they gave me a full-ride scholarship. How could I possibly turn it down?”

“I know, Skybear, but Papa Ruben and I are gonna miss you so much. You’ve never gone this far away before.”

“You’re right, I haven’t but that’s all the more reason for me to go, right? I have dreams and things that I want to accomplish and unfortunately, I can’t accomplish them here.”

“Simon, leave that girl alone. She knows what she’s doing and we’re only a phone call and a plane ride away should she ever decide she wants to come back home, right baby?” I smiled wide, knowing my Papa Ruben would always come through with the defense.

“Right, Daddy. I love you both.”

“And we love you too, sweetheart. Let’s get these bags packed.”

----------------

Present Day

“Sky!”

“What?!” My head snapped up quickly, completely distorting the design I was currently working on. I was testing a 3D dildo generator for my website. The tool would basically allow potential shoppers to design their own dildo or strap-on and it would be 3D printed and shipped to them. Thanks to Shea and her outburst, mine was now a whopping 15 inches long.. whoops.

“My bad, didn’t mean to scare you, you just didn’t answer my question.”

“Repeat it, I was working on something.”

“I asked how you and Dr. Nigga met. Y’all strike me as failed lovers.” I laughed at her comparison. She was partially right, but there was more to it than that.

“We weren’t lovers, but we have messed around. We went to the same college, The Sigmund Freud School of Psychology and Psychosexuality in LA. He was a sophomore, and I was technically a freshman although I had already taken all of my gen-ed classes thanks to a dual enrollment program at my high school. He was helping the underclassmen move into their dorms and as soon as my dad laid eyes on him, he goes ‘He looks like his dick ruins lives’.” O’Shea cackled, nodding her head in agreeance.

“Was that Papa Ruben? I feel like Papa Ruben said that and Papa Ruben is never wrong.” I nodded, because she was right. One thing about my dad, he could always spot a snake in the grass and his accuracy was unmatched.

“That was definitely Papa Ruben and all me and Papa Simon did was laugh because although it was hot outside, he still looked like a super fuck nigga. He had on a black muscle shirt, body and tattoos gleaming because of sweat, black and red basketball shorts with matching Jordans and that damn Cuban around his neck.”

“Wait that nigga got tattoos?!”

“Yesh.”

“Did he have the fronts back then too?”

“Yes ma’am, but he had top and bottom ones. A bitch was hot!” I explained, fanning myself. “Anyway, he comes over and introduces himself to my dads before taking my trunk of clothes from Papa Simon. He smiled that pretty ass smile at me and in true Erik fashion, tried to flirt. Now mind you, I definitely thought this nigga was fine as fuck, but back then I was still figuring out who I was and what I liked so I lowkey dismissed him. Not on purpose, but it happened. To my surprise, he simply laughed it off and continued helping me take my stuff to my room. He even mounted my tv and showed me where my classes were. Like he was a genuinely nice guy. Fast forward to the second semester of my freshman year, we have the same psychology class because, again, I had already taken all my gen-ed classes. We were almost always paired together on projects because of our intelligence, another reason his ass stayed trying to holla. One day he asked me why I never responded to his advances, seeing as how it was clear that I was feeling him. Which I was, but I was also feeling someone else too, I just didn’t know how to tell him. I avoided him and the question for about a week until he cornered me in the library and demanded that I give him an answer. I smiled sweetly, looked him square in the eye and told him that I wanted to fuck his girlfriend.” I looked over at O’Shea and she looked back at me like I had grown 3 heads.

“Bitch no you didn’t tell him that!”

“What? He asked, hell. This was like the second semester of my sophomore year and by this time I had had a few girls and boys and I realized that I preferred women because they were softer and I understood them better. I didn’t and still don’t have time for the fragile ego of a man.”

“So what did he say to that?” I paused briefly, thinking back to that night in the library.

“Did you seriously just tell me that the reason you don’t wanna fuck wit a nigga is because you wanna fuck my girl? What kinda shit is that, Nola?”

“You asked. I figured you wanted my honest answer.” He kept me pinned against the bookshelf, his eyes searching mine for any hint of a lie. He finally let me go once he found none.

“You something else, Nola.”

“My parents named me Skylar.”

“And your best friend named you Nola. See you in class.” He winked at me, flashing that million dollar smile and walked out of the library, leaving me a little more than hot and bothered.

“He laughed and told me that I was something serious and let me go on about my business. At some point during my junior year we developed a friends with benefits type relationship because 1.) We were both single and wanted to remain single and 2.) His dick was very bomb. I even taught him how to eat pussy.

“You taught him that?!”

“Yes ma’am. At first all he would do was rub and suck the clit aggressively. I was the one that taught him that he had to lick every part of the pussy, get it nice and wet and flick the clit with his tongue.”

“Ok, you can stop talking now. I haven’t talked to this nigga all day and I intend to keep it that way,” Shea interrupted, crossing her legs.

“Papa Simon was kinda disappointed that we didn’t end up together, but he also loved my ex, so I guess it balanced out.”

“I was meaning to ask, what happened with that?”

“That’s another story for another day,” I concluded, not wanting to take a dive into my feels especially since I had so much to work on.

“Ok so tomorrow then?” She tried again. I shook my head, knowing this conversation wouldn’t die until I spilled the beans about Monica.

“Fine, I’ll tell you tomorrow, now tell me about your date with Fathead.” Shea rolled her eyes, as she had been actively avoiding this conversation, not wanting to relieve the horrific incident that she was sure almost ended whatever it was she had going with Erik.

“It started off fairly well with him teasing me about how much I love ice cream and him calling me a child because I wanted to watch Hercules.”

“Fuckin’ child,” I responded out of habit.

“Shut up! That’s the same thing he said!” O’Shea pouted, crossing her arms over her chest for further emphasis of her point.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Please continue,” I coaxed, rubbing her arm to let her know I was done being an ass.

“Anyway, we basically had a whole Disney marathon. We watched Hercules, then Mulan, then The Emperor’s New Groove and were getting dummy high the whole time. So midway through Kuzco’s shenanigans, I tried my luck with him again because I saw how mellow he got when he was high. Like I was even able to fully appreciate how good he looked when he wasn’t in a suit and tie. Your best friend is a work of art, sis.”

“Oh, I know,” I said with a smirk.

“So I’m just sitting there, practically drooling over the bulge in his pants and this nigga looks at me with the straightest face and asks if I’m gonna suck it or just stare at it.”

“And I oop! That wasn’t Erik, sis. That was Killmonger.”

“Who?”

“Don’t worry about it, finish the story.”

“So, not one to back down from a challenge, I dropped to my knees and started doing the Lord’s work. He’s loving the shit, too. He’s cursing and moaning and praising me, telling me how much of a good job I’m doing. The shit was great. Then just as I was finding my groove, I fucked up.”

“What you mean you fucked up?” O’Shea paused and I could tell that she was having a hard time continuing, but she did anyway.

“I’m not sure how it happened, but his dick got caught in my braces.” I didn’t want to, but I simply could not help the screech that left my lips at the mental image of Erik losing his shit about his dick being caught in her braces.

“Did he cry?” I managed to choke out through my laughing fit.

“No, but he was pissed. Like so pissed that he got up and left.” I stopped laughing then. How dare he leave her in such a vulnerable state knowing what he knows about her little personalities and how they operate. Shea must’ve caught my mood change and quickly came to his defense.

“He made up for it, though! He came and picked me up and we talked about it and then we went and got ice cream.”

“Of course he made up with ice cream.”

“Aaand he took me to Disneyland and got me this.” She held up her wrist so that I could see the charm bracelet in all of its glory.

“Oh that’s beautiful. I’ll be back in a little bit, I have a 12:00 meeting with Dr. Nigga.” I quickly grabbed my bag and keys and headed out the door. Dr. Stevens and I had a few things that needed discussing.

TAGS:

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[forkanna]

[AO3 LINK] [EF LINK]

WARNING: Very mild sexual content.

NOTE: Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this fic, please toss a little appreciation my way. Helps keep me from becoming that "starving artist" thing everyone keeps talking about! By the way, be on the lookout for a PERSONA 4 fanfic coming to this space soon! See you all!

Jessex

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"None of your business!"

Despite her protestation, Makoto couldn't seem to keep the grin off her face as she loitered around outside the haunted house ride. No matter how many times she had been badgered to enter, she had resisted; scary movies and things like that always stuck with her long after the initial "thrill", and she therefore stubbornly refused to be forced inside. The wait time had seemed best spent catching up with a friend.

"Girl, you keep ducking my questions," Eiko's voice tittered on the other end of the call. "You killed my relationship with Tsukasa, so the least you can do is let me feed off gossip!"

Smirking as she nibbled at the Jack Frost-shaped melon bread, she told her, "He was a host. You didn't have a real relationship; he was just using you for your money. Where's my 'thank you' for setting you straight?"

"I did thank you! But like, you also didn't find me a new boyfriend, either!" They both giggled for a few seconds. "So…"

"So?"

"Who are you on a date with? Still that Ren guy?"

"N-no," she said, grinning like a fool as she turned away - as if anyone were listening. They weren't. "And I never said I was on a 'date'. Stop living vicariously through me, it's not healthy."

Eiko's voice got higher and whinier. "You can't make meeee!"

"Maybe not, but there's nothing to live vicariously through. Besides, you're pretty and sweet, and funny. It won't take you that long to find someone. And in the meantime-"

"Yeah, yeah," she cut her off. "I know. I should be figuring out the rest of my life instead of just working in a maid cafe. But it is good money…"

Rolling her eyes, she hissed, "They don't have to be mutually exclusive! Just… figure it out while you work. And don't be afraid to love again."

"God… I mean, my judgment is obviously wack. You sure I shouldn't die an old maid? Pun intended."

"YES." Just then, Makoto spotted a wobbling figure and hurriedly said, "Oh, I gotta go. But I'll call you later, okay?"

"Who are you there with?! MAKO-CHAAAAN!" But she didn't answer her. Just thumbed the 'end call' button and turned back toward the incoming patient.

Sadayo Kawakami looked distinctly ill for having bragged so staunchly that she was going to be "just fine on her own" on the ride. She hung onto the railing near where Makoto had been waiting, taking a few deep breaths. "Oh… oh, I really regret that…"

"Hashtag yolo?" she asked bemusedly.

"Hash-what? Yo-low? You know I don't keep up with you kids and your silly internet lingo."

Makoto grinned wide and offered her bread to her girlfriend. After only a moment's hesitation, she took a big bite. "It's okay, doesn't really matter. Did you not enjoy yourself?"

"Well… it was fun and it wasn't, but there was a part at the end that really got me. So scary how their heads come off like that, floating all over the place!" She shivered and rubbed her arms, and they shared a little laugh. "But um… your choice of vacation spots was…"

"Was what?"

"Destinyland?! I already feel like a creep, taking a girl so much younger than me on a vacation, and you literally had me take you to a children's amusement park."

Holding up her index finger, she corrected, "It's a family theme park. Not just for kids. And I didn't make you do anything; I only suggested it because I had so much fun with my friends. Besides, you were the one who was so excited to finally take me somewhere now that I graduated."

"Yeah, yeah," she handwaved - literally waving her hand around and making Makoto giggle. "Then why didn't you invite the prosecutor if this is supposed to be for family? Hmmmm?"

"W-well, um… I think I've forced my poor sister to have to deal with my sexuality enough for one lifetime. Maybe it would be cruel to persist." Flashbacks of that ill-conceived lapdance haunted her, even now. Though she knew it was fairly harmless and she had only done it to prove a point, it was still distinctly un-familial and poor Sae had seemed a little more awkward around her ever since.

"Sure, sure. Still… I'm surprised you didn't ask your friends along. Didn't one of them get you these tickets?"

"Yes, my friend Haru. As for why they aren't with us… well, I wanted to spend a special day with my special friend. Aren't I allowed?"

Sadayo couldn't keep the huge grin from spreading. "Okay. Don't get me wrong, I'm more than glad to have my little Master all to myself. Just wondered why you chose this spot."

Instantly, Makoto's ears were turning red, and she started hiding her face behind her melon bread. "Stop that! You know it embarrasses me when you call me 'Master' - and besides, you quit that job!"

"I did," she giggled, locking arms with her. "But it's fun watching you get all ruffled about it."

"I'm not 'ruffled', I'm mortified. I do not want to be in charge of my girlfriend!"

The elder woman bit her lip and began to pet up and down Makoto's upper arm as they started strolling through the gathered crowds. Luckily, they had picked a day Destinyland was not incredibly busy, but neither was it a ghost town; too many people would have sucked all the fun out of the trip, but too few would have made their date that much more conspicuous. No matter how much they wanted to be out and proud, just enough of Japanese society still looked down upon lesbian relationships as 'immature' to make them uncomfortable; they simply didn't want a bunch of snide looks and whispering behind their backs. Maybe one day, things would be different.

"Maybe I want you to be in charge of me."

"What?! Stop saying things like that - you sound like you've been to Shinjuku."

"Nothing wrong with Shinjuku, you know; those are our people. I guess." Despite her words, now Sadayo looked a little worried.

"Oh… I know. And I've been there, and you're right; they're just people living different lives than we're used to knowing anything about. But I like figuring it out on our own."

Now Sadayo looked surprised. "You went to Shinjuku? Why?!"

Before she could answer, the conversation was suddenly shattered with an outcry of "HEY! MAKOOOTOOOO!"

At first, she felt a spike of fear that it was was Eiko, tracking her down like a bloodhound. Instead, she saw a pair of fluffy blonde pigtails bouncing over most of the heads in the crowd as they weaved toward their location.

"Ann?!"

"Hey!" the blue-eyed font of youthful excitement exclaimed as she came to a stop in front of them. "Wow, what are you guys doing here?! Are you on a date - is this a legit date?!"

"Shhh!" Miss Kawakami shushed her, cheeks rouging. "So this is the one you spilled the beans to…"

"I didn't! Well… I only told Ann so she could help me setup that nice evening we had together. Remember, your outfit? Plus she's one of my best friends, and she's also-"

"She's one of the former Thieves," she said in a much quieter voice. Makoto could see shock flicker across Ann's features but she didn't say anything right away. "Of course you trust them. I just wish you had filled me in as much as you filled her in."

Now Makoto looked just as embarrassed as she did regretful. "I… forgot?"

"A lot happened," Ann put in with a shrug, scratching the back of her neck. "So no duh you'd forget to mention it. You saw the whole thing, right, Kawakami-sensei? In Shibuya? We were fighting a literal god!"

"No, no, you misunderstand." Their teacher reached out to rest a hand on Ann's shoulder, smiling softly. "I'm not mad! Especially not about you saving us from that madman and the evil spirits pulling his strings." It seemed Kawakami had decided it was easier to think of them as 'evil spirits' being controlled by a megalomaniac than to fully absorb that the god in question had been doing its best to keep the entire population enslaved within their own complacency. Even Makoto herself wasn't sure how to feel about that, and she had a front-row seat to the near disaster. The Phantom Thieves had changed the heart of all of Japan and it barely made a difference, but at least they had hope for the future now.

Sadayo continued, pulling her from her self-reflection. "Anyway, I'll get over it. More like, I wish I knew so we could have been talking about it before now, and I could keep track of who we're 'out' to. That's all, I promise."

That made her flash one of her patented Takamaki megawatt smiles. "Really? I mean, I'm just some dumb girl in your class, you don't have to talk to me about anything."

"Ah, ah!" She held up an admonishing index finger, and both girls ducked their heads instinctively. "You're a very important person in my girlfriend's life. That trumps your grades - which really aren't that bad, all things considered. Not compared to Sakamoto-kun's."

As they shared a laugh at Ryuji's expense, another figure pushed through the crowd to their sides. "There you are! I finally got our tapioca drinks and I turned around, and you were gone! Where… did you… oh."

We were all still staring openly at the dark-haired girl as Ann smiled and took her drink, seemingly not noticing that the girl fell silent when she noticed they weren't alone. "Thanks. And I'm sorry I ran off - I didn't go that far! Just to say 'hi' to these guys."

"Suzui-san," Sadayo breathed in mild surprise. "It's… been a while. How are you?"

That higher-than-usual level of concern made sense. The last time Kawakami had seen Shiho Suzui, she had just jumped off the roof and was being escorted to the hospital in an ambulance. Now she almost looked back to her usual self, even if she seemed as sickly as she had before Coach Kamoshida's unwanted advances drove her to the suicide attempt.

"F-fine, Sensei," she answered haltingly, bowing politely. "I'm… sorry to interrupt."

"You're fine," Makoto told her warmly, keeping her smile small and polite. Trying to set her at ease.

"Yes, of course!" Sadayo joined in. "So you're here with Takamaki-san? That's good; I'm glad to see you're out and about. Really, I mean that; after that bastard… well, nevermind. Forget him."

Even while Shiho stared at the ground, starting to sink into her private pool of anxiety, Ann grabbed her by the arm and shook her just enough to jostle her out of it. "Yep! We're all about moving forward, remembering the good times and aiming for the future! Ain't that right?"

"Ann!" she whispered shyly, but at least she was starting to smile again. She had always been a bit mousy and meek around anyone who wasn't Ann; at least, Makoto had thought so.

"What? You ashamed of hanging around with the weird gaijin?"

"Don't say that, you know I'm not. I… always want to hang out with you." Then she bit her lip, looking away shyly.

And it clicked. Makoto prided herself on being able to analyse a situation, and this one was telling her something extremely specific.

"Oh." Glancing up at Ann's face, then back to Shiho's, then back to Ann's, Makoto asked, "You two are here for the same reason we are. Aren't you?" Ann bit her lip even harder and nodded - but in her case, the lip-biting was to prevent her grin from being huge enough to be visible from the International Space Station. "Wow…"

"What?" Sadayo blinked at Makoto a few times, then glanced between the other two girls. "Oh, really? Wait - that can't be true. That would be crazy!"

As Shiho started to edge behind Ann, as if she could legitimately hide there, Ann turned to whisper to her, "Wait, Shiho, you don't have to do that. These two are cool."

"Wh-what do you mean? 'Cool'? I… how do they… do they know we're…?"

"It's okay," Makoto hurried to explain, picking up Sadayo's hand and raising it as they laced their fingers together. "You don't have to hide who you are around us."

Then it finally clicked for the former volleyball star. "Oh. You two… you're lesbians?"

"I'm bisexual, I'm pretty sure," Sadayo chuckled nervously. Though the nervousness didn't make her drop Makoto's hand. "Since I used to date men and I didn't hate it that much. But those jerks had their chance; my Mako-chan takes way better care of me."

"Stop!" she hissed back at her girlfriend, and both she and Ann giggled. "But you're right, I try to."

"And you succeed." Then she turned back to Shiho. "So how long have you and Ann been… seeing each other?"

Completely red-faced, Shiho whispered, "N-not long. A few weeks."

"Ren and I took her to the roof of the school again," Ann explained as she managed to get Shiho to stand next to her again, then slid an arm around her waist. "Before he moved back home. So she could, y'know, make peace with what happened. And while we were up there, like… all the feelings came out. Things we wanted to say to each other before but couldn't, and then I wanted to while she was going through physical therapy but thought it would be too weird to do it then, and… I dunno. The time was right."

"Yeah," Shiho whispered, finally looking somewhat at peace as she wrapped both arms around Ann and leaned into her side. Makoto felt her heart skipping a beat; they were so adorable together! "Maybe I wasn't very um, perceptive, but… all those weeks of her visiting me, cheering me on even when I felt like I'd never walk again… how could I not love her? Just took me a while to see it."

"I can relate," Makoto hummed. Sadayo turned and kissed her cheek.

"Same here, Master."

Shiho's eyebrows furrowed, and while Makoto was trying to recover she said, "But is it alright? Her being your student - won't you get in trouble with the faculty?"

"Well… not anymore," Ann giggled. "She was a third year, remember?"

"Oh? Ohhhh, that's right; she's off to university now. So Kawakami-sensei is no longer her teacher." Reserved as it was, her smile started to grow. "You're really dating? It's not just us?"

"Not just you," Sadayo reassured her gently. "But you have to give the Queen the credit for being the initial pioneer."

"Huh?"

"She's the one who flipped me, dressing all butch and putting on that mustache. The rest of us were hopeless after that."

Makoto's face was almost as red as Shiho's now. "Hey! Cut that out, I am not a pioneer!"

"You totally are!" Ann cackled as Shiho was polite enough to do her giggling behind her hand. "I mean, if not for you crushing on Kawakami, I'd never have even thought about dating a girl. So y'know, my feelings for the best girl in the world would have been stuck behind that wall of, of… straight-ness. That makes you a lesbian leader! Hero to us all!"

"You're so cool with this," Makoto half-accused. "Why? I thought you were still looking to date boys - how did you change your mind so easily?"

That got the blonde shrugging. "What can I say? Shiho's amazing - and when I thought about my life without her in it, that sucked so much that I slowly realised I never wanted to be away from her again. That's about it; love won."

"Very true," Shiho whispered with bunched cheeks of joy. "She's my Ann. Forever."

"So simple," Sadayo giggled as she approached to hug them. Shiho did jump in surprise, but still allowed herself to be squeezed by the older woman. "I'm happy for you two, though. After all the both of you have been through… you deserve this."

It only took Makoto a few seconds to join in the group hug. "Agreed. I'm so happy and proud to call you my friends!"

Ann's laughter could have filled a stadium. "Right back atcha, Queen!"

                                                              ~ o ~

The four of them found a ride to go on together, and had a lot of laughs before parting ways. Ann and Shiho only had day passes, and they wanted to feel out their new romantic connection - which was best done one-on-one. But Makoto and her former teacher had booked a room in the hotel.

"You're sure you want it to be here? Even though it's a 'children's park'?"

Sadayo smiled over her shoulder as she tossed her blouse onto the dresser carelessly. "The hotel isn't a children's hotel. I mean, I didn't see any 'no sex' signs in the lobby, so we should be alright."

Getting up from the bed, where she had been lounging, Makoto slid her hands up Sadayo's back to begin toying with her bra clasp. There was a brief instant where the woman froze, unsure of how to react… and then it passed. But it was enough to merit a response.

"Are you sure you're ready?"

"No," she groaned, head dropping back so she could gaze up at the ceiling as if praying for a deity to ease her suffering. "I mean, yes, I'm ready to do this. But I'm not. God, I sound like a little kid."

"I'm the kid, remember?" When that only prompted a louder groan, Makoto laughed and hugged her around the middle from behind, nestling her face against her former teacher's neck. "It's alright. I'm nervous, too. We can wait if you need more time."

"I don't need to wait. Well… I mean, we'll see," she amended with a soft laugh, and Makoto smiled even wider against her skin. "Either way, it's nice to- oh!"

The gasp was accompanying her bra coming off. Makoto's hands slid up the plane of her stomach to begin tripping very lightly over the sides of her breasts, avoiding her peaks for the time being. Clearly, Sadayo appreciated that, because she breathed a sigh of relief.

"You sure you don't want to slow down a little?"

"No. I want to see… how we work together. In bed. Since I've only been with men, and you haven't been with anyone. If…" She swallowed hard, voice growing soft and apologetic. "If I can't handle doing the deed with a girl, I'd like to find out before you end up trapped in a relationship with some woman who isn't, um… sexually compatible? If that's a real thing?"

Makoto's brow creased as she pet down Sadayo's sides to rest her hands on her hips. "Oh. Um… I hadn't considered that. I guess I just… like you so much and am getting so comfortable with you that I kind of… assumed it would be fine? But now, that seems pretty stupid."

"It's not," she breathed as she turned to face her. The girl's cheeks were clearly rosy at getting the full view of her, and Sadayo smiled softly. "I'm actually jealous it's that easy for you. Maybe I'm overthinking this whole thing, huh?"

"You think this is easy?! No way! I'm still scared! Just…" She shrugged and kissed the corner of her former teacher's mouth. "It's you."

That kiss led to a dozen more. Which led to further clothes being shed, hands wandering. Makoto was surprised at how much she liked the feeling of nails raking down her back, teeth nipping at her earlobe. How wet it made her, how much more she craved. It was as if she had been aching for this for years, not a few scant months.

"How does this even work?" Sadayo whispered once they were very nude beneath a very thin bedsheet. "You don't have anything I'm used to working with! Well… I mean, on myself, but even then I use a vibrating egg most of the time, so it's not the same…"

The former student's smile was as playful as it was bashful. "Don't worry, I'll show you."

"You'll show me? Wait - how will you show me?!"

"So… I may have looked up a few things…" When Sadayo looked alarmed, she dipped her head in chagrin. "Shhh, I know, it's shameful. But I was curious, because everything I learned in sex education barely even covered how this works for um… penetrative sex with male and female organs. It certainly never covered this."

Her girlfriend cringed, looking squeamish. "Don't say it all clinical like that, it makes me feel creepy."

"Sorry," she whispered.

"No, no, it's okay. I just… you're almost more grown up about this than I am. Doesn't that seem… backwards? At all?"

"It seems fair, actually. You get to be the adult about some things, and I get to about others. That's how relationships work, right?"

Rolling her eyes, she muttered, "Yes, Master," before kissing her again.

"Good, Becky. And as your master, I order you to stop calling me that and just… be here with me." She bit her lip for a second before whispering, "Sadayo."

"Ughhh, you know it gets me weak when you say my name like that!"

Not that it caused her to slow down at all. Makoto was more than happy to begin using every trick she had gleaned from the reluctantly-clicked links for the sole purpose of making her girlfriend sound as beautiful and unfettered as she had ever heard her. The fingers worked better than her mouth - which earned a startled outcry and a lot of shoving away, both of them laughing afterward. She had never had so much fun in all her life.

Afterward, they lay in bed staring at the ceiling and humming when they weren't panting for breath. Too afraid of what they might say to manage saying it. Then Sadayo finally broke the silence.

"I can't believe we just did that."

"I can't believe it took us that long. Well… I can, but only for specific reasons."

Rolling slightly to face Makoto, a lock of hair falling into her eyes, she whispered, "Still doesn't seem real, y'know? You and me… even if I did know I was a lesbian before, even if I was going to date a student - which I wasn't, ever!"

"I was the last one on your list?" she guessed with a smirk.

"Yeah. Just… I didn't think you could ever… you were the student council president. Right?"

"No, no, I know what you mean; I'm not offended. Trust me. But…" Sliding a little closer, she pet up and down the soft skin over her ribs, watching Miss Kawakami suck in a breath of gentle surprise when one finger moved down to dip into the well of her navel. "I'm happy."

"Mmm… couldn't be happier you took my heart. Even if this is crazy, I'm glad we didn't screw it up somehow."

Giggling, she leaned in to peck her chin. "Came pretty close, pretty often. But at least we're here now. Together. And… we can be together in Okinawa, too."

"Really? You still wanna go, even after Destinyland?"

"Of course. We don't have anywhere to be; not for a million years."

"We sure don't, my Queen."

They lost themselves in passions again, lips and hips colliding and arms tightening around sweating backs. And Makoto Niijima vowed anew that she would never let Sadayo Kawakami out of her sight again.

                                                              THE END

[mooleche]

A Tale of Ink and Venom

Chapter 3 - The Encounter

A/N - This one’s quite chonky so apologies in advance! Also light gore/violence near the end, for forewarning. If you’d like to be tagged in future chapter updates let me know! Enjoy! （*´▽｀*）

By the time I made it back to the labs most of the lower level was barren of people. A few stragglers lurked here and there to finish up what work they had while poor Barry struggled to stay awake during his patrol around the halls.

“Oh! Evenin’ Miss Knight,” he called, jolting awake as I passed. I shot him a hurried wave before continuing my brisk walk to Renato’s lab, caught up in the conversation Mr. Lee and I had shared. He had planted a seed of motivation in me that I hadn’t felt in ages and now that it was here I wasn’t going to let it disappear.

“Hey, I’m back! Sorry for being so late, I got caught up with Mr. Lee. Also, I wanted to run something by y- Bam?” I started as I walked into his lab only to pause short when I saw her full figure leaning against one of the tables. Renato pushed his glasses up and sauntered towards me with hand outstretched for the signatures like he did every time I returned. I obliged, too caught up in seeing my best friend to finish my sentence. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, you know. Needed some downtime to work on my projects and thought you could use some company. But I also nabbed us some free dinner!"

“I would hardly call the guilt-trip you gave me ‘nabbing free dinner’,” Renato muttered under his breath as he returned to his desk, fully ignoring Bam’s eyes following him the entire time.

“Did it not work?” she asked smugly.

“A little too well. Surprised you’re not following in your father's footsteps with how well you persuade people," he retorted.

"Ugh, way too drab. I wanna be the one that takes the scandal photos of the politicians. After all, how else was I going to get daddy to pay for my college tuition?"

Renato shared a look of suspicion with me and went silent at this, knowing he couldn’t beat Bambi at her own game. You see, despite her name being so innocent, she was not . To give context, the Banks were a family of politicians, and after her father had made the unfortunate decision of voicing interest in a bill to out mutantkinds identities during talk at the dinner table both Bambi and Benni had made it their god-given right to give him absolute hell. All it took were a set of scandalous photos taken of the parties involved and the super-sleuthing computer skills of Benni’s and the two had not only gotten the bill vetoed but also gained a full ride to college to keep quiet.

They didn’t. But that was another story for another day. All I can say is that I was glad that she was on our side because gods help you if she wasn’t.

“Anyway,” Renato sighed as he fished out his wallet from his back pocket, carefully removing some crisp bills to place in my hand, “Hate to send you right back out but we thought you’d be back sooner. You still like Mr. Basils, right?”

“Hmm, hard to say since we eat there every day,” I teased as I felt Bambi loop her arm around mine and drag me towards the door. “You got me my usual, right?” I called as I struggled against her pull, but Renato’s response was lost to the low hum of the machines whirring amidst the other rooms.

“Yeah, yeah, he got you something spicy. You like that, right?” Bambi answered as we headed back out into the streets once more and I nodded softly. Now that the sun was beginning to set the air grew cooler and I dove my hands into my hoodie. I felt her grip on me grow a little tighter as we walked in casual silence, noticing now that she had sacrificed warmth for style. She donned a light loose cardigan over a lace tank top where an array of different necklaces that jingled with every step we took. Her lower half consisted of shorts and chic ankle boots that made me wonder how in the world she thought she could manage in this weather. I had no time to properly question this before she cocked her head to the side and grinned. “So what’s the scoop? What you were going to ask Renato?” she inquired curiously.

I shrugged in response.

“It’s nothing serious, just some hypotheticals…” I admitted, feeling my stomach twist with hunger as a familiar smell wafted through the air. We had arrived at our destination sooner than expected, a Thai restaurant that was quoted as ‘The most lively hole in the wall in town!’, and I was inclined to agree. While it was small in size it almost never held an empty seat, and that was no different today as we shuffled into its busy entrance.

This didn’t matter to Bambi though, who’s eyes to lit up with curiosity at my words as we shuffled past a small group of people to get to the register.

“I love a good hypothetical. Go on,” she urged, but my attention had been fixated on the short double swinging doors that hid behind the counter. A small set of doors that had a smaller man burst through with arms that shot up in excitement at the sight of us moments later.

“My favorites, Pinky, and the Brain!” he greeted us warmly.

“Hi, Mr. Basil,” we chimed in unison, though Bambi’s grip grew slightly tighter around my arm at the nicknames. Mr. Basil was an elderly man who had opened this restaurant up with his wife many years ago. No one knew their real last name, only that they shared a love for basil so much that they made a business out of it, and it worked . Can’t fault someone for that logic. Especially when he was so warmhearted about it.

He hummed softly as he rang us up, disappearing back through the door before I could ask how business was doing.

Bambi, however, dropped her smile and rolled her eyes.

“Honestly, does he always have to call us Pinky and the Brain? I'm the one with the higher GPA."

"Why don't you tell him that sir brags-a-lot," I asked smugly while pointing to the pink poking from under her beanie. She scrunched her nose up in response.

“You still didn’t answer my question, by the way,” she added, the determination in her voice growing the longer I avoided talking about my earlier inquiries. “Spill the beans, Knight.”

“Okay, okay . It honestly wasn’t anything big I just..I was going to ask Renato if maybe he could pull some strings so I could visit Xavier’s School…” I admitted in a hushed tone, my hands wringing together nervously that others would overhear. I had never seen Bambi’s face light up as fast as it did when it clicked.

“No shit? Nina, that’s huge!” she grinned before wrapping her arms around me and squeezing tight. I smiled as I sank into her hug, a feeling of relief filling me at her support. As hard as I had tried to live a normal life I missed the days when I could be myself, and Bambi knew this all too well. It’s why she pushed me so hard to go back so I could spread my wings a little more, and after the pep talk I had gotten today I felt it was finally time to fly.

She separated herself from me as Mr. Basil reappeared, this time with a large, neatly wrapped bag and a smaller, more colorful wrapped bag beside it.

“Sorry for the wait! For Little Levi, Mrs. Basil’s special treat!” he whispered warmly and I blinked in surprise. Little Levi was short for Little Leviathan, Renato’s pet cuttlefish The Basils had fallen in love with after seeing one of many proud pet owner photos Renato carried with him at all times. I’d tease him mercilessly for this if I wasn’t absolutely taken by that adorable crustacean myself.

I just make fun of him for everything else instead.

We thanked him and Bambi and I both took a bag, her face set in a small, pleased smile as we set back for the lab.

“Why are you smiling like that?” I asked suspiciously, her pleasant silence causing me to grow curious.

“This sudden change of heart wouldn’t have anything to do with that video we saw this morning, would it?” she asked, her smile growing wider as I stopped abruptly and frowned. I hadn’t even thought of the video since we had watched it. Not even once.

Alright.

Maybe once.

“What? No! No. What video?” I laughed nervously before Bambi stopped as well, nudging me with a sly smirk.

“I’m kidding. But I am proud of you, Neeners. I know this is a big step for you and…” She was saying something to me, something that sounded borderline encouraging, or so I thought, but my attention was drifting elsewhere.

A trickle of people had begun rushing past us, voices of worry weaving in and out of my range of hearing before a low rumble broke through the air.

“Bambi,” I interrupted softly, the hushed voices I had been hearing now growing louder, footsteps growing more rapid as the trickle turned into a mass of panicked bodies running past us in the street. I watched as a wide-eyed man ran head-on into her before he picked himself up and continued running away unabashedly to both of our surprise, but Bambi was not having it.

“Asshole!” I heard her shout as she tried to recollect herself, drifting into the street to try and get a look at the man that had knicked her, but he had already melded into the group of other panicked people. My stomach began to dance like I had just unleashed a wasps nest inside of it, like something very bad was on its way and we needed to join them. “What’s going on…?” she asked, but I had no time to answer.

I saw it before she did, a giant piece of debris flying straight where she stood and I ran forward.

“Get out of the way!”

I yanked her back against the wall and we listened in stunned horror as it scraped against the ground with a terrible screech and slowed to a stop. Once the fear of almost having a decapitated best friend wore off my eyes adjusted to the scrap, a disfigured car door that had been ripped off its hinges as tossed aside.

Bambi’s eyes made her look like a deer in headlights before she turned to me in horror and gripped my hand that was visibly shaking.

“You saved me…”

“I…”

I tried to answer, but a low menacing roar rang through the air that made my voice catch in my throat. Every inch of my body told me to run the other way, to find safety and wait this sudden disaster out while the real heroes came to save the day. But somewhere deep down told me they were never coming, and my curiosity was too strong not to see who, or what was causing all of this chaos.

So I went forward.

“Wait up!” Bambi called as she joined my side, hand still glued to mine as we rushed against the current of panicked civilians. Together we stood at the corner of a nearby street while the screams around us continued. Ahead of us smoke blocked any sign of what was happening, like a final warning to leave while we still could.

Then, like a veil lifting, I saw it.

A hulking black silhouette getting up, the same hulking black mass I had seen in the blurred news photos earlier this morning. Renato’s worried speech rang through my head as if pleading me to turn back, but my feet stood rooted to the spot.

The one time I didn’t listen to him and now we were in the thick of it.

“That’s him, that’s the villain!” Bambi whispered in horror or disbelief I couldn’t tell, but we watched as it released another bone-chilling roar and she looked around in worry. “Where the hell are the Avengers?”

I don’t know, I wanted to answer. They were international now, hell it wasn’t too long ago that they had fought off aliens from our planet. Brooklynn was now small time for them, and it was more apparent than ever in this moment.

But then a flicker of red caught my attention as if sensing my doubt. My jaw went slack with awe as we watched the smoke settle just in time for the mystery assailant to lay a devastating blow against the monstrous figure's chest that sent him staggering back.

“I don’t believe it…” I whispered when he landed, masked appearance revealing who I had never expected to see saving the day.

“Is that Captain America…?” Bambi whispered back in awe and, despite the circumstances, I whipped my head to look at her in disappointment.

“Are you kidding me right now? That’s Spider-Man!”

“What? They both wear blue and red, give me a break!”

“WHAT? Captain America wears almost all blue and white and uses a red shie-You know what, I'm not doing this right now." I announced, having to stop myself from going on what was probably the nerdiest tangent I would ever have in my life.

I knew superheroes like she knew famous politician drama. The drama on Spiderman was that while he had once been your friendly neighborhood vigilante, no one had seen nor heard from him in months . Tabloids had suspected maybe he had finally bit the big one. Others assumed maybe he finally just craved a proper getaway after being worked to the bone saving people all day.

To see him now felt like I was watching a unicorn fight crime.

Bambi had already clocked out as soon as I had opened my mouth but now stared intensely forward, reaching for my face to direct me to join what she was watching.

“I definitely know who THAT is,” she grinned as my sights settled amidst the debris.

No freaking way.

There picking a wedgie out of his ass as if he wasn’t about to square up to something three times his size stood Deadpool, ex-trainee disaster himself. I blinked in surprise, unsure if I was seeing this scene correctly. I knew next to nothing about him, only the recent chaos he had caused and that he, and I quote, ‘Was right all along and everyone could blow me!’.

He was a real character if nothing else.

I felt like I was dreaming. This team-up was as uncanny as it was to even see them in the first place, and we had just gotten a front-row seat to them saving the day.

That was until the creature caught Deadpools leg and sent him colliding straight into Spiderman like he was the last bowling pin in the lane.

Bambi and I winced.

Then we both said something very unexpected.

“You have to help them!”

“I should help them,”

“Wait, what?” we said in unison as the words processed fully. I couldn’t believe I had said that. I couldn’t believe SHE had said that.

“What in the world makes you think I can do anything to help them?” I asked, still in disbelief at my own words while watching her begin rummaging through her bag with a newfound purpose.

“Are you kidding me? I’ve seen what you can do, and this is what you wanted right? Look at them,” she added, another wince leaving us as Deadpool was tossed into the air like a ragdoll. “They can use all the help they can get.”

She wasn’t wrong. They were fighting a losing battle, and even though I hadn’t done this myself in a long while I knew deep down what the right choice to make was.

Deep down I still wanted to save the day.

“...Alright.” I agreed softly as I dropped my bag to the ground, a newfound determination in me that had not been there moments before. I slipped my gloves off before plunging into the contents of my bag only to retrieve a bundle of papers. Various drawings and schematics of weapons I had worked on in my spare time, all drawn in ink, all ready to be summoned at the drop of a hat.

“Hello? You just walk around with these willy nilly??”

“Not exactly…” I admitted sheepishly before choosing a particularly feisty looking sledgehammer and sprawling the paper down across the concrete. While I usually kept these for a rainy day, I had wanted to test them with Renato to see how they faired. There was no time like the present to test that theory out yourself though. And that’s exactly what I did as I rubbed my hands together and slapped them down on the sheet.

My nerves were on edge. It was risky to do such a thing out here while so many people were running about and my body was quickly realizing this as my hands shook with anxiety while I struggled to work my magic. But desperate times called for desperate measures and the sounds of the two superheroes continuing to get pummeled in the background was enough to push me through.

I watched with anticipation as the inky black sludge that pooled from the paper and my hands merged to form a solid black sledgehammer. It was weighty, reeked of ink and had a good swing to it, but would it be enough?

There was no time to make sure. I stood and smeared my hand across my eyes for a very hasty attempt to save my identity with an even messier attempt to tie my hair back. In the time that it had taken to do this Bambi had successfully retrieved a camera that I was sure was more than both my kidneys combined and beamed at me.

“I just want you to know you look super badass right now,”

“O-oh. Thanks…” I smiled weakly, feeling my cheeks grow warm. That feeling soon died down as a deafening crash sounded off nearby, my innards squirming with fear as another violent roar echoed into the air. Bambi's hand squeezed my shoulder as if to snap me from my fear.

“Relax. You’re Nina Fucking Knight, you can do this.”

“I can do this,” I whispered in confidence. I didn’t believe myself, but I believed in Bambi and her belief in me, and at that moment that was all I needed to step forward. One encouraging slap to my ass later I was stumbling, trying not to trip over myself as I got closer to the carnage that lurked ahead.

My heart began pounding like a drum. The dizziness from the sudden use of my powers was quickly catching up to me before I could properly shake it off, and I kicked myself for not putting that into consideration before diving in. It was too late to focus on that now though. My attention snapped forward and the creature towered above me as it admired its prize that was a battered and bruised Spiderman, now trapped within its grasp and unable to fight back.

I had to act fast.

“H-hey! Ivan Ooze!”

The words left me before I knew what I was saying and I readied myself, not giving myself time to realize this was an extremely bad idea before swinging my entire body into the hit in an attempt to stun him. I felt the contact, and for a moment I was excited, but instead of sending him falling over himself like I had hoped I listened to what can only be described as the most horrifying noise you could ever hear in a situation like this.

My sledgehammer shattered.

I stood in stunned horror looking at the shards of broken ink below me as the monster turned and faced me, completely unaffected by my embarrassing blow. The first thing I saw were teeth. Long, sharp jagged teeth that ran up into a gnarled grin as it looked down at me with white, milky eyes.

“I’d like to apologize,” was all I could muster before watching Spiderman get flung onto the concrete like a toy. I spun around to make my quick exit, realizing in that moment that this was quite possibly the worst mistake I had ever made. In the distance, I saw Bambi’s horrified gaze as I struggled to walk quickly towards her in an attempt to flee, only to feel a large clawed hand wrap around me and yank me back.

“Where do you think you’re going?” it asked, voice deep with malice as a long tongue slid out from between its teeth. I grimaced as it ran along my face, the hot sticky sensation leaving a chill of fear running up my spine as a deep chuckle emerged from its throat at my disgust. "Two meals for the price of one? Today must be our lucky day."

From below I heard a groan of pain and we both looked to find Spiderman struggling to stand. There was fury in his eyes and my heart jolted with hope as he looked ready to continue fighting the good fight.

“Leave her alone. Your fight is with me,” he called, but my hope soon died as I watched him stagger and fall once more. I began to struggle like my life depended on it. Hell, at this point my life DID depend on it. The monster's grip only grew tighter at my efforts until I felt the stabbing pain of its claws begin to sink into my skin and I winced.

“What? No witty banter for your last moments? Pity.” it asked as its face grew close to mine. All I could do was close my eyes and pretend I was somewhere else. Somewhere where I wasn’t about to be mincemeat to Flubber’s roided up cousin.

“Yeesh. Can you believe this guy? I asked for tall, dark and handsome, I'm gonna give you a guess on what they missed in this request.” a new voice called out now. I opened one eye to find Deadpool a few feet away standing on top of a car with a gun at the ready to the creature who roared in response.

“Don’t you ever die?!”

“You know I ask myself that every day? Hey there, thanks for that distraction, by the way. The name’s Deadpool, and you are?” he asked me now, completely ignoring the 7 ft villain that looked ready to tear him in two.

The question caught me off guard and I answered as well as one would in that situation.

“I’m Nina, I-I’m a big fan!”

Smooth.

“Well Nina,” he started while pointing a girthy looking gun to the angered creature, “This has been a real treat, and I appreciate you saving my man over there, but I think it’s my turn to save the day if I wanna get that victory kiss.”

“By all means,” I winced as its grip against me grew tighter, the feeling of claw cutting through my skin beginning to grow stronger. Only the mention of ‘my man’ and ‘victory kiss’ had caught me off guard, and I shot him a look of confusion at his words only to be met with horror. While Deadpool had been ready to fire point-blank at it, he realized all too soon that he had no ammo and looked frantically from his gun to us in confusion.

“Well that’s not great,” he muttered before it released a furious roar. My heart gave a jolt of fear, convinced that this would be my final moment and I began to struggle with a newfound determination. It was then that I realized I had still been white-knuckling the remnants of my sledgehammer this entire time and I twisted my arm painfully out of its position. I closed my eyes, knowing I only had a few seconds to focus on sharpening the broken pole to drive it deep into its hand in one last hail mary.

And boy did I deliver.

The noise it made was deafening, but the feeling of being flung into the windshield of a car was even worse as I felt the impact hit my back with brute force. I could do nothing but groan in pain and hold my head as the world spun around me, like getting a look into a cartoon characters life when they got a mallet to the face.

“Nina! Nina, oh my god,” Bambi's voice filled the air and I rolled haphazardly off the car to try and find her voice. I jolted in fear as I felt hands wrap around my arm, but the soft reassuring touch told me it was her and I sank against her weakly.

“Hey there! You’re a gentleman and a scholar for your efforts, now let me handle the rest!” he called as my vision began to stop spinning. We watched as he somehow had hitched a ride on the back of this monster via katana to the shoulder blade and now flailed on it’s back like a cowboy at a rodeo. "Y'know I have to ask, WHERE IS THE HULK IN THIS SITUATION? CAN'T SPARE AN AVENGER FOR THIS?" he yelled while desperately held on for dear life, though we were unsure who he was directing his words at this point.

“That’s what I said!” Bambi called, but the way he snapped his attention back to us seemed a clear indication that he was not speaking to us at all.

"As much as I enjoy your enthusiasm I feel like you should be running!" he called to us, but we were rooted to the spot in fear at the chain of events that had begun in that same moment.

It all happened so quickly, and yet it still felt like an eternity.

All it had taken was a slip of his foot and he was in its range of reach, who now took the chance to grab his leg and yank him violently forward.

“We won’t let you run again,” I heard it growl menacingly before gripping Deadpools upper and lower halves and pulling hard. My eyes grew wide with terror as I heard his bones pop and skin tear before he began wailing a series of ‘ows’ that grew more frantic with each passing second.

And then suddenly he was in two pieces.

Bambi emitted a shriek of terror as his blood hit us, yanking my frozen figure back as I tried to process what had just happened.

But I knew all too well what had happened.

I had just watched Deadpool die and I had done nothing to stop it.

I had failed as a hero.

[pamphletstoinspire]

The New Primitives

When a man ceases to believe in God, observed G. K. Chesterton, he becomes capable of believing in anything. It looks like we may now have reached the “anything” stage of human history.

As faith in Christianity recedes in the West, a strange thing is happening. Having shaken off belief in God, people are not becoming more rational, they’re becoming more gullible. They believe that babies in the womb aren’t really human beings, that same-sex “marriage” is the equivalent of real marriage, that there are roughly 52 varieties of gender, that boys can become girls, and vice versa. In general, they believe that wishing makes it so.

Rejection of God does not lead to a flowering of civilization, but rather to a primitivization. Many of the ideas that are now current are pre-scientific and even anti-scientific. Science is solidly on the side of those who say that babies are babies, and that boys cannot become girls, yet when science comes into conflict with today’s magical beliefs it is rejected out of hand. For many, the ultimate source of truth is not reason, or science, or God, but feelings.

It was belief in a rational God who created a rational and ordered universe that provided the main impetus for scientific study centuries ago. Christian and Jewish scholars thought it worthwhile to study the nature of things because the nature of things was considered to be rational and discoverable. Thus, the scientific revolution was a product of the Judeo-Christian world.

But suddenly all bets are off. For many, belief in the imperial self has supplanted belief in God and a rational world. The wants and desires of the individual self are paramount. If your 12-year-old daughter decides she’s a boy, you’d better go along with her desires because the reigning doctrine holds that her gender is a matter to be decided solely by her and her doctor.

Of course, the imperial self is not really imperial at all. Now that God is considered dispensable, the state has become the ultimate authority. As a result, the wishes of the individual are only considered legitimate if they coincide with the wishes of the state.

So what we really have is not simply a regression to magical thinking, but a merging of the primitive impulse with the modern totalitarian state. The mumbo jumbo ideology of transgenderism can only survive if it is backed by state power. But the new primitives don’t know enough history to realize that they live in an increasingly unfree society. Moreover, as long as they get their daily dose of sex and “soma” (marijuana, fentanyl, etc.), they don’t really care. However, there still remains a sizable number of Christians, Jews, and other believers in Natural Law who can see that the new normal is actually quite abnormal. Unless they spill the beans, the lies about the facts of life will be made mandatory. Everyone must be forced to believe. And liberal progressive primitives and their allies in the state will move to crush those who don’t comply.

Thus:

Police in the UK are investigating individuals who challenge gender ideology on social media.

A Canadian judge allowed doctors to give hormone treatments to help a girl “transition” to become a boy against her father’s wishes. The same judge later forbade the father from referring to his daughter as a girl.

UK authorities threatened to take an autistic boy from his parents when they objected to sex-change treatments proposed by doctors.

The state not only reserves the right to decide your child’s sex, it now, apparently, thinks it has the authority to decide his religion. A regional court in Schleswig, Germany, imposed a fine on parents who refused to let their son go on a school trip to a mosque. Meanwhile, in neighboring Denmark, state authorities have threatened to take away the eight-year-old foster daughter of foster parents who had raised her from infancy. Their crime? The mother had expressed criticism of Islamic terrorism on her blog. The authorities said this showed poor judgment, and they called into question her ability to parent.

The rapid ascendancy of Islam in recent times is itself evidence of social regression. Though Muslims believe in God, he is not the same God that Christians believe in. Rather, Allah is a willful God who is not bound by the laws of reason. Like an absolute and capricious tyrant, his laws are arbitrary and subject to change. The remarkable lack of scientific progress in the Muslim world is simply the logical consequence of belief in this erratic God.

Because it borrows from Christianity and Judaism, Islam is an advance over most primitive religions, but in comparison to Christianity it is a decidedly primitive faith. It sanctions beheadings, amputations for theft, stoning for adultery, polygamy, subjugation of women, and even sex slavery. One might think that the new primitives would be appalled by Islam — especially because they consider the subjugation of women to be a great evil. But some taboos are more important than others, and one of the supreme taboos of our times is the injunction against judging other cultures. The sins of Islam can be wiped away simply by repeating the incantatory chant “They have a different culture.” The villager may now be a part of a global village, but he still thinks like a villager. The village chiefs and elders have decided that Christianity is a thing of the past, and that Islam is a vital part of the coming multicultural future. The villager nods his assent because he has no other points of reference. He is willing to believe anything the authorities say.

A society that elevates Islam over Christianity is a society that is taking a step back in time, yet that is the direction in which large parts of the West are headed. Churches in Europe are largely empty, but mosques are full. Many cultural observers predict that Islam will be the dominant religion in Europe well before mid-century. The ultimate irony of rejecting the Christian God is that you may end up with the God of Muhammad in his place.

In any event, our society seems to be taking the fork in the road that leads to a dark and superstitious past. For several decades now, educators have claimed to be teaching youngsters to think critically. Increasingly, however, the thought processes of Western citizens resemble the thought processes of their tribal ancestors in the bush and the savannah. More and more, you are encouraged to think of yourself as a member of an identity group — your tribe. You are not expected to think for yourself; you are expected to think as your group thinks.

This tribal thinking is not confined to college students and Democratic politicians. It has also infected the professions. Most professionals, after all, are graduates of group-think universities and doctrinaire graduate schools. So it should come as no surprise that they might have difficulty thinking for themselves, even when it comes to such basics as the differences between the sexes.

There is, for example, hardly any research evidence to support the use of hormones and surgery to help confused youngsters “transition” from one sex to another. And there is certainly no biological evidence. From the biological perspective — that is, from the perspective of factual knowledge — the whole transgender project is an impossible one. Moreover, most of the research that is available shows that the “treatments” used in transitioning carry great risks to the physical and psychological health of children and teenagers.

Yet doctors and therapists continue to plow ahead with the transgender project despite its grave risks. Transgender ideology is the newest and most fashionable ideology. It is what the “best” people in the tribe attest to, so it must not be challenged. If you dare to oppose their agenda, they may well come after you or your child — not with pitchforks and torches, but with a court-issued summons.

The “brave” new doctors who recommend pumping children full of hormone blockers or mutilating their bodies are like the witch doctors of old. They mutter incantations (such as “social construct” and “gender dysphoria”), they wave their hypodermics to ward off skeptical thoughts, and, since they are considered the experts on everything from emotions to ethics, parents feel they have no choice but to let them go ahead with the ritual.

The word “primitive” is not necessarily a pejorative term. When applied to people who lived long ago or to people living today in isolated tribes in remote regions, it is simply a descriptive anthropological term for those who have never developed a civilization. But it’s another matter when civilized people fall back into primitive modes of thought and morality. In that case, the pejorative meaning is well deserved. They are, as Saint Paul said of those whose minds are darkened by sin, “without excuse.”

William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, gives us a picture of a rather rapid descent from civilization to savagery. Marooned on an island, all but a few of a group of English schoolboys are soon painting their bodies, wielding spears, and making offerings to an imaginary beast.

In the conclusion of the 1963 film version of the story, Ralph, the sole holdout for civilized ways, is being pursued by the pack of savage boys. Exhausted, he falls face down in the sand awaiting his fate. But when he looks up, he sees, towering over him, a British naval officer dressed in a dazzling white uniform — the personification of civilization, order, sanity, and security. And because Britain had not yet entered its post-Christian stage at that time, the officer might also be seen as a representative of God — the Christian God of justice and mercy.

Ralph begins to cry — presumably, for what has been lost and found again. So might we all cry over how much has already been lost of our Christian heritage. After we dry our tears, we must set about to regain it. The alternative is a rapid descent into darkness.

BY: WILLIAM KILPATRICK

From: www.pamphletstoinspire.com

[mikotyzini]

What Defines Us - Ch. 31

One of my favorite chapters - and it’s a long-ish one.  Here’s a link.

Also, I’ll be out of town next week, so I don’t know when I’ll be able to post the next chapter.  Hopefully, I’ll have an internet connection and can do it from my phone.  For those on Patreon, I can schedule the post in advance so no worries there!  (I know I can do that on Tumblr too, but not ff.net and I like to post coincidingly on both)

One - it wasn’t very fair to spring monumental decisions on Weiss with very little notice.  History already proved that she was ill-equipped for rational thinking under a great deal of pressure, especially when Ruby was involved.

Two - well, the first reason should be good enough.

Had Blake and Yang seriously expected Weiss to tell Ruby about their history within a matter of days?  What a ludicrous expectation to place upon her...when they knew full well how her base personality required far more time to analyze and plan out an appropriate course of action.

It was an unreasonable expectation.  As such, of course she hadn’t been successful.  It was a failing endeavor from the start.

It was nice that they put so much faith in her, but what they failed to understand was how difficult it would be for her to set foot on Beacon’s campus - let alone spend an entire day surrounded by old friends and familiar faces.  The prospect of coming clean to Ruby at the same time was another level of emotional dilemma.  

Could she spill the beans, so to speak?  Maybe.  

Did she want to?

That was the most problematic part of this entire predicament.  She didn’t know what she wanted to do, and she couldn’t figure out an answer no matter how much time she devoted to weighing her options.  

To tell Ruby - or to keep it a secret...at least for a little while longer.

She’d yet to make a decision, and the day of the Beacon Invite arrived.  She’d let time slip away as she fell into the all-too-familiar habit of avoidance - trying to escape overwhelming uncertainty.  With so very little time remaining, she’d declined Blake’s invitation to meet her team at their house to travel to the airship station together.  Instead, she opted to focus on a series of small victories she set up to trick herself out the door.

Because she would go to Beacon - no matter how badly she wished to stay away.  That was a promise she’d made to Ruby, and she was going to do everything within her power to fulfill it.

Out of bed, get dressed - two small victories.

Small breakfast, out the door - more tiny victories.

Into the waiting car, to the airship station - small, yet growing victories.

Arrive at the station, get out of the car, allow the driver to leave her behind - victories she should congratulate herself for if she wasn’t paralyzed by fear.

Honestly, she was surprised she’d made it this far.  Beacon was so far off limits that when the word came up, she buried it underneath mounds and mounds of work.  To her, Beacon symbolized everything she’d built with Ruby - the foundation of both their friendship and their relationship.  It was at Beacon where her life truly began...and she didn't want to go back yet.  She wanted to leave the past in peace.

But she’d promised.  So...this morning it wasn’t Beacon she was heading towards.  It was Ruby.  Whatever came next -

“Weiss!!”

Turning towards the sound of her name, excitement tingled down Weiss’ spine when she caught sight of the source.  Ruby was geared up in her combat attire - the boots, the skirt, the red cloak - with Crescent Rose hung on her back and Thorn adorning her hand.  She looked prepared for battle - however big the fight might be.  She looked dangerous and extremely capable.    

She looked like a huntress.

It was a sight Weiss never thought she’d see again, yet here it was - racing over before crashing into her for a hug.

“You made it!” Ruby called out, holding Weiss at arm’s length while silver eyes twinkled brightly.  The eager expression was enough to make Weiss temporarily forget her reservations.

“Of course I did.  I promised, didn’t I?”

While Ruby grinned, Yang walked past and clapped one hand down on her sister’s shoulder.

“Come on, kids.  Let’s get this show on the road!”

Watching the full huntress versions of Blake and Yang walk over the ramp and into the waiting ship, Weiss remembered the trepidation laying upon her mood ever since she woke up this morning.  If it wasn’t for Ruby grabbing her hand, she might not have followed her teammates aboard at all.  

But Ruby did grab Weiss’ hand and, whether she realized it or not, provided enough strength for Weiss to board the ship with her teammates.  As she did so, she reminded herself that there would be no real enemies today - only simulations.  No one would be in any physical danger.  The only thing in danger was her relationship with Ruby, which seemed to have recently reached a new level of closeness.

“You wore your combat stuff too!” Ruby pointed out while picking a pair of seats in the row behind Blake and Yang.  Pausing in the aisle so that Ruby could have the window seat, Weiss sat down and clutched her hands in her lap.

“I wanted to blend in,” she answered calmly, utilizing the excuse she’d come up with yesterday after spending hours deciding how she might broach the subject of her past affiliations with Beacon.  If she was to fight today, wearing her combat outfit was essential.  And Myrtenaster was stored in a locker, waiting to be called if needed.

That was a pretty big ‘if.’  

“You look great!” Ruby replied, hopefully failing to notice the blush the compliment dusted across Weiss’ cheeks.

“You do too,” she managed to whisper in reply before glancing away and watching the doors close.  Her pulse beat faster as her mind tried to wish herself back out the doors.  It was too late - there’d be no turning back now, as the ramps drew away and a soft melody announced their imminent departure.

The next second the ship gave a small jolt as it detached from the landing pad, causing her to flinch in surprise.  In no time, they were rising rapidly into the sky before blasting away from the station - destination: Beacon.

Ruby’s face was practically glued to the window as the ship zoomed into the air, remaining there until they’d ascended above the cloud cover and the city below was no longer visible.

“How far are we?  Yang!  How far are we?” she asked, standing up in order to look down at her sister in the row ahead.

“Not far, Ruby.  Won’t take long at all.”

Plopping back into her seat, Ruby examined Thorn for a half second before turning her gaze elsewhere.

“Are you nervous?”   

The answer to Weiss’ question was abundantly obvious - Ruby’s knee bounced nonstop while her right hand subconsciously played with the ring around her neck.

“A little, yeah…”

With a soft ‘hmm,’ Weiss hesitantly dropped one hand onto Ruby’s hopping knee.  The gesture temporarily stopped the bouncing...until the other one started up.

“I don’t know what to expect!” Ruby continued, her hand still spinning and spinning her ring in anxiety.  “Or who to expect.  And I’ve never fought in front of anyone but you guys before and there’s gonna be a whole crowd of people plus it’ll be on TV and I really, really don’t want to make a fool of myself!”

Taking a deep breath, Ruby finally focused on Weiss.

“There’s just...a lot,” she surmised with a quick smile.  “I think my mind might really explode this time.”

“You’re going to do great,” Weiss replied, squeezing Ruby’s knee in encouragement at the same time.  They shared a smile before Ruby looked down at the ring in her hands, and her mouth curled into a slight frown.

“Do you think she’ll show?”

When bright, silver eyes found Weiss, they gleamed with unconcealed hope.  The expression reinforced what Yang had said and what Weiss already knew - how could anyone possibly want to disappoint Ruby?

“I think she’d be stupid not to.”

The answer seemed to reassure Ruby, but her knee kept bouncing and her ring kept spinning.  Weiss could only imagine what must be going through Ruby’s mind right now - between seeing Beacon for the ‘first time,’ potentially meeting her long-lost partner, competing against a group of full-fledged huntsmen and huntresses...as Ruby had so aptly put it - it was a lot.

But for every ounce Ruby was nervous, she was also clearly excited.  As usual, she ran towards a challenge with a smile on her face and a hop in her step.  She embraced adversity.  No matter how big this moment may be, she’d rise to it - and then above it.

“Have you been to Beacon before?” Ruby suddenly asked, breaking the silence while turning away from the window.

“I - yes, but a long time ago,” Weiss fibbed, unprepared for the question.  However, Ruby accepted the answer readily - bobbing her head before staring out the window and falling back into silence.

Weiss’ stomach jumped into her throat when the ship began its rapid descent, amplifying her pulse as they fell into the clouds.  Reaching over, she clasped one of Ruby’s hands in her own - much more for her own support than for Ruby’s.  Glancing at their joined hands, Ruby grinned and moved closer to the window as they dropped below the clouds - and she gasped when the ship was finally sailing through clear skies again.

There it was.  Beacon.

When Blake stood and looked over the back of the seats at them, Weiss dropped Ruby’s hand and then immediately cursed herself for being so modest.  Once upon a time, she hadn’t cared so much about what others thought, but today...it was as if she and Ruby were starting new - and that meant nerves and modesty were back full force.

“Are you ready?” Blake asked - although Weiss wasn’t sure if the question was directed more towards her or Ruby.

Giggling, Ruby leaned into Weiss’ shoulder.

“I’m super pumped!”

Speechless, Weiss responded to Blake’s inquisitive eyes with nothing more than a small nod.

Ready?  No, she wasn’t.  But it didn’t matter if she was ready or not - they were already there.  In a matter of hours, Ruby would be fighting in the tournament...with or without Weiss.

The slight bump of the airship docking made her wince while her heart climbed higher into her throat.  When the other passengers began standing up, she remained glued to her seat, her nerves shooting like livewires through her veins.  It wasn’t until Ruby stood and tapped Weiss’ shoulder that she persuaded her limbs to carry her off the ship and towards the entry to Beacon’s grounds.

The atmosphere was filled with excitement as large groups of attendees emptied from a series of airships that had arrived nearly in unison.  Undeterred by the crowds, Ruby raced ahead - shooting down to the bottom of the ramp before letting out another gasp.

“Wowww!!”

From here, the view of Beacon was quite awe-inspiring.  The sparkling buildings, many recently rebuilt.  The sprawling walkways, the towering trees, the green forest in the distance...and the people.  Crowds and crowds of people walked or gathered around the edges of the paths.  Most of them appeared to be spectators, but more than a few students milled about.  And, standing out amongst the crowds, were one or two other huntsmen - easily identifiable by the weapons they were hauling around.

“I mean, I’ve seen pictures and stuff, but wow!” Ruby continued with an excited hop as they followed the flow of people away from the airship.  “Look at this place!”

Reaching the first break - where the new arrivals began to disperse in all directions towards their ultimate destinations - Ruby raced a few paces ahead and spun in a slow circle, her lively eyes taking in all of the sights before she turned back to them and waved.

“Come on, guys!”

While Ruby raced ahead, pausing every few feet to take another good look around, Weiss watched from afar and willed her feet to carry her further.  Feeling a warm presence by her side, she turned and found Yang standing beside her - lilac eyes following Ruby with a small smile on her lips.

“You’re gonna tell her today, right?” she asked quietly.

The question made Weiss swallow thickly while her heart continued to beat wildly in her chest.  The ride here had done nothing to help her make a decision.  If anything, it only reinforced that she didn’t possess the courage to broach the topic today.  

“Right?  Weiss?” Yang asked again after too much time elapsed, turning that purple gaze in Weiss’ direction.  Swallowing again, Weiss nodded once and attempted a smile.  

“I’m just...waiting for the right moment...”

Yang let out a gentle laugh, as if that was the response she’d expected.

“It’s Beacon, Weiss.  I’m sure there’ll be plenty of ‘em,” she commented before walking ahead to join Ruby, who was again waving at them to hurry up.  Taking Yang’s place by Weiss’ side, Blake remained behind for a second longer.

“Are you going to tell her?”

“Of co-”  Halting the lie before it fully appeared, Weiss sighed and shook her head.  “I can’t decide.”

Blake’s ears twitched in concern, but her eyes showed nothing.  

“Do you want us to tell her for you?”

“Thank you, but it should come from me, shouldn’t it?”

“It should...but if you don’t feel like you can -”

“I can do it,” Weiss cut in resolutely before feeling the courage quickly fade away.  “I just...need to decide if that’s the right thing to do.”

“You don’t have much time left to make up your mind…” Blake whispered before moving to rejoin Yang up ahead.

Only after briefly closing her eyes and sighing did Weiss move to follow, clasping her hands together to prevent them from openly shaking.  The crowds weren’t helping her nerves.  If anything, they were only amplifying her anxiety by their presence.  Thankfully, it looked like the paths up ahead thinned out as everyone moved to the arena at their own pace.  That’s where Ruby was already waiting for them, hopping from one foot to the other in excitement.

Weiss could do it - she could tell Ruby.  If she wanted to.  

If she wanted to, she could do it.

While making her way back to her team, she did her best to ignore the people surrounding her.  In some instances they were far too close, stepping into her personal space or jostling her.  At other times they were far away, but she could feel the looks - the second glances at her outfit as if trying to place her.  And the whispers…Ruby, Ruby, RWBY, RWBY…

Outside of this place, when Ruby was in nothing but street clothes and absent a spectacularly eye-catching weapon, most people would fail to connect her with the legend she’d created.  But here...at Beacon...at a competition for huntsmen…

“Is that -”

“Do you think -’

“Was that really Ruby Rose?”

Fortunately, those who noticed were content to keep their distance - gawking but not attempting to approach.  Ruby probably wouldn’t have minded if they did, but the potential for them to ask about the entire team - including Weiss - could be catastrophic.  Not that it had ever happened to them before, but there was a first time for everything...

“This place is huge!” Ruby was saying when Weiss caught up to them.  

With every sentence Ruby spoke, she added a joyful hop at the end for emphasis.  It was adorable and would’ve been thoroughly enjoyable if Weiss wasn’t entirely preoccupied with the large open space they were approaching.

“This is where the new students make their way into Beacon for the first time,” Yang announced, using grand gestures to wave towards the pillars while they passed beneath them.  “Pretty cool, right?”

Watching Ruby intently, Weiss tried to read the reaction - or, more realistically, to see if there was any flicker of recognition in those wide, silver eyes.

“Really cool!  And big!” Ruby answered, turning around and giving Weiss a grin she couldn’t return.

This was where new students made their way into Beacon for the first time.  This was where they’d first met.  As inauspicious as that meeting had been, it was a milestone in Weiss’ life.  It was one of those moments she could point to and say - ‘Right there. That moment changed my life for the better.’

But it was nothing to Ruby.

“What do you think, Weiss?” Yang asked while all three of her teammates looked at her with varying degrees of expectation.  

How was she supposed to respond to that question though?  ‘Yes, this looks exactly like the place I met Ruby years ago?’

“It’s lovely,” was all she managed to mutter before walking on - voluntarily leaving that part of her past behind.

Because it was gone.  She’d already known that, but somewhere she must’ve held onto the hope that Beacon had survived...if only in a glimmer of recognition.  But Beacon hadn’t survived - just like Weiss hadn’t survived, or Blake, or any of the years of memories they’d shared together.

The absence was only another heartache to add to the pile.

“Think we can sneak into our old dorm room?” Yang asked after a passing moment of silence, throwing a wave towards a group of students who immediately began to whisper excitedly amongst themselves.

“Of course we can,” Blake replied.  “The question is, why would we?”

“To mess with the freshies!”

Taking Yang’s hand, Blake shook her head and led them away from the rows of dorm buildings whose mere sight tore at Weiss’ composure.  Inside that building - that one right there - was the first room she’d ever shared...and it had been one of the most surprisingly enjoyable experiences of her life.  Staying up late studying for exams (or helping those on her team who’d failed to adequately prepare), watching scary movies all weekend when it rained, trying and failing to make their own soap...all of those memories were bundled up in that unassuming building.

Where they would stay.

“Which one was ours?” Ruby asked as they walked by, her eyes lingering a moment longer.

“That one right there,” Yang answered while pointing it out to Ruby, who merely nodded and then turned away.  That was it.

Meanwhile, Weiss’ eyes flitted back to the building until it was out of sight, but not out of mind.

This was something like taking a walking tour through her most painful memories - hurting more and more with every subsequent building that was passed without a hint of recognition.  It was as if they were acknowledging that the past didn’t exist anymore.  Even though Weiss remembered it vividly, it was gone.

Unfortunately, it would get worse before it would get better - if it would get better at all.  Next up was the dining hall, where she refused to allow her eyes to remain for too long.  Food and Ruby would always be intertwined in her mind...  

“That’s the dining hall.  They’ve got some good food.  And some not so good food,” Yang explained with a chuckle.  “Oh, and there’s a classroom building.”

Pausing, Weiss looked up at the slanted roof and felt her heart clench.  

That wasn’t just any classroom building.  That was the building Ruby had climbed on top of to shout her feelings for Weiss - and practically the rest of Beacon - to hear.  It had been one of the most utterly embarrassing yet greatest moments of her life rolled into one.

‘Ruby, get down here right now!’ she’d yelled at her partner in vain.  

‘Not until you say you’ll go out with me!’

‘Sure!  Fine!  Whatever you want, just get down here!’  

When Ruby had gleefully jumped down, to much applause, Weiss had pretended to be angry, but she’d secretly been...ecstatic.  All of the feelings she’d been unable to express to Ruby had been returned tenfold.  It only took Ruby’s courage and lack of social etiquette to finally bring them together.

Who would’ve thought that what Weiss needed was someone to love her so loudly...so unabashedly...that they’d literally shout it from the rooftops?

Feeling someone step beside her, she hastily wiped a tear from her eye.  

“Weiss…” Blake whispered.

“I’m fine.”  The response was so automatic, Weiss could only shake her head after.  “I’ll be alright,” she corrected, shooting a worried glance towards Yang and Ruby.  The last thing she wanted was for Ruby to wonder why a classroom building was worth so much emotion.  

“We should probably head to the arena now,” Blake called out to the other two, giving Weiss’ shoulder a gentle squeeze.  “We don’t want to be late.”

Yang looked their way before nodding and throwing on a smile for Ruby.  

“Come on, Ruby.  Time to show you the best part of the campus!”

Glancing at the buildings one more time, Ruby smiled at Weiss before happily following her sister away.  Passing between several taller buildings and making it through a small square, they turned a corner and suddenly the arena came into view - towering in the distance down a long avenue that was crawling with people.

This was where all of the action was happening.

As they joined the fray, Blake remained by Weiss’ side until Ruby glanced over her shoulder and paused for them to catch up.  Only then did Blake seamlessly move ahead to walk with Yang, sliding her hand into her partner’s to announce her presence and earning a grin in return.

“You doing ok?” Ruby asked, giving Weiss a concerned expression.

“Yes, why?”

“You seem kinda quiet.”

“It’s...all the people,” she answered, diverting her eyes from a group of rambunctious students who’d just pointed their way before talking amongst themselves.  “I’m not a huge fan of crowds.”

Ruby immediately slid closer to Weiss, as if to provide a physical barrier preventing anyone else from getting too close.  

“Gotcha.  But you’re still having fun, right?”

“Of course.”

Satisfied with that answer, Ruby grabbed Weiss’ hand and led her through the groups of people.  The arena towered over them as they neared the entrance, while the sounds of many voices mingled in the air to create one loud drone filled with anticipation and excitement.

A wide pathway led directly to the main entrance of the arena - a several-stories-tall, hundreds of feet wide, gaping opening with gates thrown open to accept the throng of spectators inside.  But this wasn’t the entrance they would use.  There were multiple smaller entrances located around the side of the arena for huntsmen and other staff.  It was when Yang and Blake led them off of the main walkway towards one of these entrances that Ruby suddenly gasped and dropped Weiss’ hand.  

“Oh my godddd - look at those!!” Ruby squealed, pointing out Fox and Yatsuhashi’s rather intimidating swords.  Although...for as intimidating as the weapons were, the two members of Team CFVY looked far less dangerous toting along what had to be Coco’s fashionably-pink luggage.

“Do you think I can even hold that thing?” Ruby asked, gesturing to Yatsuhashi’s sword.

Pausing to see what Ruby was gushing about, Yang chuckled at her sister’s zealousness.

“Why don’t you go ask?” she suggested.

“Really??”

“Yeah.  Introduce yourself and ask,” she said, giving Ruby an encouraging nudge forward.  “I’m sure he’ll let you!”

Ruby’s hesitation lasted for only a second before she smiled and skipped over to Team CFVY on her own.  Upon noticing her approach, the entire team stopped and listened Ruby to intently before Coco started laughing at whatever was said.  For his part, Yatsuhashi didn’t hesitate in setting down Coco’s bags and removing the sword from his back before handing it over to Ruby.  As soon as he released it, the weight dragged Ruby’s hands straight down and the tip clanked into the ground.  Weiss smiled, and Yang chuckled while they watched Ruby strain to lift the weapon and hold it in something resembling a proper fighting stance.  Thankfully, Ruby didn’t try to swing it - and gladly handed it back to the boy, who lifted it like a feather over his head to hang on his back.

It was impossible to hear from this distance and with this many people around, but Velvet said something next and pointed to Thorn, most likely asking about his purpose.  It was the perfect question to ask, immediately sending Ruby into excited chatters about her newest accessory.  She then offered Crescent Rose to the team, and Coco nodded for Yatsuhashi to take it.

With a nod, he accepted the scythe and drew it back before launching it through the air.  It had already traveled at least fifty yards before it jarred to a stop and flew back for Ruby to easily jump and catch.

Ruby’s latest parlor trick made Weiss smile.  It was as handy as it was unusual - and Team CFVY seemed to agree from their respectful nods.  Velvet, of course, immediately asked to take a photo of Thorn, which Ruby graciously obliged.  As the interaction wrapped up and Team CFVY prepared to continue their way to the arena, Coco patted Ruby on the back and Velvet sent a small wave their way.

With a huge grin on her face, Ruby bounded back to them.

“They’re super nice!  And that sword was heavy.  Did you see me try to hold it?”  As Ruby imitated her struggles, Weiss smiled again - happy that Ruby had enjoyed re-meeting Team CFVY so much.

“They won last year, ya know,” Yang added while they walked on, succeeding in making Ruby’s jaw nearly drop to the ground.  

“What?!  No way!  Really?!”

“Yup.  All five rounds - time to spare.  Helps with four people though.”

“But you can finish with three!” Ruby answered, sending a grin Weiss’ way.  “I’ve seen it happen before.”

“Totally doable,” Yang responded.  “It’s just hard to win with three.”

“I don’t care about winning!” Ruby quipped.  “But I want to finish the rounds!”

Catching Ruby’s optimistic grin, Weiss couldn’t help but feel her spirits lifted by the fact that Ruby was already having such a great time.  If nothing else good happened, Ruby’s happiness made coming here worth the trouble.

Mid-stride, Blake’s posture suddenly stiffened.

“Here comes trouble,” she muttered at the same moment Weiss noticed Cardin Winchester standing with his team up ahead.  Unfortunately, the boy had noticed them - more specifically, Ruby - and was already striding over with a smirk on his lips.

“I got it,” Yang replied confidently, smiling while Cardin walked up to Ruby.

“Well well well, if it isn’t little miss - oomph!”

The boy doubled over before he could finish the sentence, his hands clamped over his stomach where Yang’s elbow had just landed with a painful thump.  While he was still hunched over, Yang leaned down and whispered something into his ear - something that made Blake’s eyes widen in surprise.  Nodding enthusiastically, he straightened slightly before hobbling off at a fast pace, never looking back.

Noticing Ruby’s bewildered expression at what just happened, Yang merely shrugged.

“He owes me money,” she explained before continuing on as if nothing had happened.  

Violence was never the answer...but well-placed intimidation worked wonders on a bully like Cardin.  As long as it kept him away from Ruby, Weiss was willing to endorse Yang’s methodology.  Otherwise, there was no telling what he might say or do just to cause trouble.

As one of the side entrances loomed up ahead, Weiss picked out a crowd of students and several huntsmen gathered around Professor Oobleck - who seemed to be holding court of some sort, which wasn’t surprising given his popularity as one of Beacon’s best professors.  He was the one who let students try to take down an Ursa in their first class - or allowed them into sections of the forest that were off limits.  There likely wasn’t a single student who didn’t try to get on his good side, if only to be allowed the opportunity to test their skills against a foe that was potentially way too powerful.

To be a student again...blessed with a sense of invincibility and a good dose of naivety...

“Oh, hey!” Yang suddenly remarked while pointing towards Professor Oobleck.  “Blake and I will check us in.  You two wanna hang out here?”  

When Ruby nodded, Yang winked at Weiss before leading Blake over to the crowd of students.  Clearly, this was a pre-designed moment to give Weiss the opportunity to speak with Ruby in private...as if the wink hadn’t made that entirely obvious...

Shuffling her feet and glancing over, Weiss found Ruby’s eyes darting from one spot to another - trying to soak in as much of the atmosphere as possible.  In particular, her attention was drawn to every weapon she found.  Knowing Ruby’s mind, Weiss had to assume that a catalog of wants and wishes was being created with every sword and saber that passed them by.

“How do you like Beacon so far?” she finally asked, failing to think of a better question to spark a conversation.

“It’s great!  Really big.  I just wish I could remember what these places were.”  

“But I thought you didn’t want to know your past…” Weiss replied, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“I don’t!  But I do.  It’s a really weird situation going on in my head right now.”

Regardless of whatever mental turmoil Ruby was experiencing right now, she grinned  That had always been one of her strengths.  No matter what the world decided to throw at her, she always found a reason to smile.

“It’ll be better once I’m fighting,” Ruby added, her gaze flitting from one person to the next.  “Then I can focus on the fight and not…everything else...”

“You’ll be out there soon,” Weiss replied, although she wasn’t sure if her reply was reassuring or distressing.  The closer they drew to the arena - and the walls were only a matter of feet away from them now - the closer they grew to revelation or disappointment.

After scanning several other faces, Ruby finally turned to Weiss with an embarrassed smile.

“I keep thinking I’ll recognize someone,” she admitted while reaching up to touch her necklace - the action all but saying who she was trying to find.  “Kinda dumb, right?”

“No, Ruby…” Weiss immediately replied before struggling to find the words she wanted to say next.  

That was a wish she’d made so many times...that Ruby would just remember - as if it was as easy as that.  Like flipping on a light switch, all of those memories would return.

It was something she wished for, but knowing that Ruby sometimes felt the way only filled her with regret.

“That’s not dumb at all,” she continued, giving Ruby an encouraging smile.  “I think that’s a pretty natural response after what you’ve been through.”

“Yeah...let’s hope everyone else is as understanding as you!” Ruby quipped before finding another smile that somehow put Weiss at ease even though it was Ruby in need of comfort.  “Oh wow - look at that!”

Distracted by a neon blue crossbow, Ruby practically drooled as the weapon was carried past.

Grateful that Ruby had such a short memory when it came to difficult situations, Weiss watched the crossbow until she spotted Blake and Yang out of the corner of her eye.  From the look of it, they were having a serious conversation - Blake speaking quickly, her ears slightly flattened while Yang listened intently.  Yang’s brow was furrowed, but she was beginning to nod in agreement with whatever Blake was saying.

What were those two up to now?

“You’ll stay with me until we go in?” Ruby asked - the question so openly earnest and hopeful that it tugged strongly at Weiss’ heart.

“I’ll stay until you want me to go,” Weiss replied with a gentle smile.  

Even though Ruby smiled back, she couldn’t know that that moment might be closer than either of them realized - that she might have reason to ask Weiss to leave and never come back.  Until then...Weiss would stay by Ruby’s side.

Seeing Yang and Blake walking back to them, Weiss dropped Ruby’s gaze and turned to face the rest of their team.

“Turns out they need you to go over yourself,” Yang said while joining them.  “Wanna run over there and get checked in?”

“Sure!” Ruby replied, racing to Blake’s side to head over to Professor Oobleck.  When Weiss moved to follow, Yang stuck out an arm to stop her - allowing Blake and Ruby to move on without them.

“Hey, hold on a second,” Yang said, gently turning Weiss towards her and lowering her voice.  “How’re you doing?”

Sighing, Weiss glanced at Ruby and Blake before turning back to Yang.

“I’ve been better.”

Nodding, Yang’s eyes also flitted to Ruby before fixing on Weiss.

“Listen, it was too much to ask you to come here and tell Ruby,” she said, her voice soft and full of understanding.  “So don’t worry about it, ok?  We can tell her later if you want.”

“But...what about her partner?” Weiss asked in surprise.

“I’ll make something up.  She’ll be disappointed, but she’s survived worse.”  Giving Weiss a hopeful smile, Yang patted her once on the shoulder.  “We’d rather you didn’t have another aneurysm.”  

Stunned by the change of events, which Weiss now knew must’ve been the topic of conversation she’d just witnessed, she had no idea how to respond.  This took a tremendous amount of pressure off of her and meant that she wouldn’t be letting Yang down if she (most likely) failed to tell Ruby the truth.  She hated the idea that Ruby would be disappointed, but this might be the breath of relief she needed to survive the day.

Trying to smile in acceptance, she nodded.

“Thank you…”

“Yang!”  

Hearing Ruby’s voice, both of them turned in that direction at the same time - finding Ruby throwing her arms up in exasperation.

“What’re you talking about?  They’re not even doing check-ins!”

“They aren’t??” Yang asked with nearly-genuine surprise.  “Then who did Blake and I talk to??”

Quickly understanding that it had been a joke, Ruby pouted while Yang laughed.

“Ruby!!”

There wasn’t time to find the source of the voice before an orange missile slammed into Ruby and lifted her feet right off the ground.  Weiss’ initial shock quickly dissipated into familiarity - which morphed into concern in a heartbeat.

Nora.

“Rubyyyy!  I’m so happy to see youuuu!” Nora sang cheerfully, keeping Ruby’s arms pinned to her side while swinging her in the air like some prized doll.  For her part, Ruby didn’t seem too concerned, but was dumbfounded by what was happening.

“Uh...hi?”

Dropping Ruby to the ground, Nora took a half step back.  “Hi!” she said with a grand wave and giant smile.  “Long time no see, silly goose!  Look at you all up n’ attem - oh cool glove!!”

Nora - the epitome of unpredictable.  Taking a slow step back, Weiss tried her best to disappear and not draw Nora’s attention lest the girl completely blow her cover.   Thankfully, Nora’s focus was centered squarely upon Ruby while grabbing her hand to peer over Thorn.

“Ruby, this is Nora,” Blake explained, nodding to Nora before gesturing to the stoic boy only now catching up to them.  “And this is her partner, Ren.  They’re members of Team JNPR.”

When understanding showed in Ruby’s expression, it dawned on Weiss as well.

A stranger running up out of the blue - Ruby could’ve thought that Nora was her long lost partner.  Thankfully, Blake cleared up that potential misunderstanding seamlessly.

“Are you competing today?” Ruby asked with a friendly grin.  If she was disappointed, it was impossible to tell. Was she disappointed?  If she was disappointed that Nora wasn’t her partner, what would she possibly think of Weiss?

“I wish,” Nora replied with a pout.  “Pyrrha dragged Jaune off on some hunt somewhere, so we can’t fight.  But we asked to be the hosts!”

“‘Asked,’ Nora?” Ren drawled dubiously.

“Fine!  Begged!  Whatever, they still agreed!” Nora shouted, adding a giggle at the end before suddenly frowning.  “If only Pyrrha hadn’t agreed to that hunt!” she wailed.  “We were gonna crush it this year!”

The disappointment was gone as soon as it appeared.

“You really don’t remember anything?” Nora asked instead, dropping Thorn in favor of looking through Ruby’s eyes and ears as if she might be able to see straight through Ruby’s brain.

“Some things,” Ruby answered, ducking her head out of the way when Nora tried to pull at one of her ears.  “From a long time ago.”

“Then you don’t remember that time I threw a pie in your face?”

“Nora,” Ren gently scolded his partner.

“Why did you throw a pie in my face?” Ruby asked in confusion, but Nora just scratched her chin.

“Who said I threw a pie in your face?  Hey, do you wanna eat a lot of olives??”

“Uh...sure?”

The response made Nora burst into uncontrollable, elated giggles.

“Alright, Nora, we’d better get going,” Ren said, taking her by both shoulders and steering her away.  “We don’t want to be late.”

“Goodbye Ruby!  And team!” Nora yelled back to them before disappearing inside the arena doors.  Jaw still unhinged, Ruby stared at the door before giving Yang a look of incredulity.

“So...that’s Nora…” Yang said with a little chuckle.  “But we should get going too - it’s gonna start soon!”

“And people say I have a lot of energy!” Ruby replied before bouncing over to Weiss’ side - taking Nora’s unique personality in stride.  

Taking a deep breath, Weiss tried to smile at Ruby when she hooked one arm around Weiss’.  But it couldn’t have been close to a true smile - not when this was it.  This was the moment she’d been dreading ever since Yang told her about the fateful invitation Ruby intercepted in the mail.

Blake and Yang led the way towards the entrance being used by the other huntsmen, traveling a more narrow path that took them to a normal-sized door.  Ruby’s head was on a swivel as they walked - looking at every huntsman she could find.

Soon they’d be in the arena waiting area.  And after that...

When they walked through the open doorway, moving from the bright sunlight outside to a dim-by-comparison corridor, they almost immediately bumped into Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch.  The two leaders of the school were welcoming the huntsmen with nods of recognition and respect, but as soon as he saw Ruby, Professor Ozpin walked over with a warm smile.

“Miss Rose,” he said with a whimsical smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.  “It’s wonderful to see you again.”

“You too...Sir,” Ruby replied, dipping her head in respect.  It was clear from her expression that she had no idea who he was, but knew enough to respond politely.  

When Professor Ozpin turned towards her, Weiss’ breath caught in her throat.  If he greeted her by name, Ruby would wonder how he knew Weiss when she hadn’t gone to school here.  But he only smiled at her and made to move by them.

“I look forward to seeing what you’re capable of this time,” he added as he walked away.  Professor Goodwitch gave the four of them a hint of a smile and a soft “Good luck,” before following the man towards the interior of the stadium - likely heading towards the stands where they’d watch the battles unfold.  

Ruby watched after them carefully, as if willing her brain to give her back memories of the two.  When nothing happened, she shook her head and smiled.

“He seems nice!” she surmised.  “Has that whole ‘mysterious uncle’ vibe going on.”

“He’s pretty cool,” Yang replied, her relief at the interaction only briefly showing.  “Professor Ozpin - he’s in charge here. And Professor Goodwitch - she’s not quite as ‘good’ as the name implies.”

Yang’s assessment made Weiss roll her eyes as they continued towards the bottom of the arena - where everyone would wait until they were called upon.  

Professor Goodwitch was a great teacher and an avid disciplinarian.  It was the last trait which led to more than a few encounters with Yang while they’d been in school.  And who had Yang always dragged along for her nefarious plans?  

The sisters had the best intentions when it came to pulling pranks, but Grimm help them they couldn’t master the art of plausible deniability.  That’s where Weiss stepped in and...cleaned up the operation a bit.  Less trouble meant less detention for her teammates, which meant they could train more and rise in the ranks amongst their class.  It was a good enough cause for Weiss to get behind.

Voices drifted out of the room up ahead, where Weiss already knew the rest of the huntsmen were waiting.  It was impossible to keep her hands from shaking while they walked towards the open doorway and turned to enter the room.

This was it - the Invite had officially arrived.

“Ok, kiddo...welcome back,” Yang said, holding Ruby’s shoulders and leading her into the room.

The waiting area was located in the bowels of the stadium - several long hallways away from the fighting platform that lifted combatants into the arena.  The tournament had yet to begin, so the room was currently filled with huntsmen.  Most were clustered with their teams discussing last-minute strategies or goals, but some of the more social were flitting from group-to-group saying hello and exchanging stories of hunts that had happened since the last time they’d all been together.

Weiss looked to her side when she heard a muffled squeal come from Ruby - whose eyes were huge and flitting in every direction.  The anticipation and excitement in the air were nearly palpable, which Ruby was obviously feeding off of to the nth degree.

“Weiss -” Ruby whispered while her eyes refused to stop moving from one person to the next - or, more likely, from one weapon to the next.  “This is amazing.”

“Yang!” someone suddenly called out before waving Yang over.

“Come on, Ruby,” Yang said, leading Ruby by one shoulder to the center of the room - where the rest of the team captains were gathering.

“I can’t believe they still draw straws,” Blake commented while she and Weiss watched each of the captains shake hands before pulling a single stick from Yang’s hand.  Yang made sure to let Ruby pull first, although she was so star-struck at the moment it looked like she was confused by what Yang was asking her to do.  A couple of the captains laughed good-naturedly at Ruby’s wonderment before choosing their own stick.  Some groaned, some cheered, but the results and order were set by the time Yang and Ruby walked back to them.

Or, more accurately, Yang walked while Ruby nearly levitated off the ground.

“Third!” she announced, brandishing the small stick in her hand.

“That means we’ll get to watch teams after us!” Yang said before giving her sister a high five.  

What they didn’t mention, but what Weiss immediately thought to herself, was that going third meant there wasn’t much time until they’d be called in.

“Come on, let’s sit down,” Yang added before leading them to a relatively quiet corner of the room.  As they walked, Weiss kept her eyes trained on the ground and avoided eye contact with anyone she knew.  She didn’t want anyone to approach her with Ruby around.  Although it shouldn’t be too difficult for her to be seen as ‘unapproachable’ - she’d spent her entire pre-Beacon life as such.

“I’ve never seen so many huntsmen!!”

Ruby’s adoration was refreshing - even if it was a little misplaced.  Sure, there were many amazing huntsmen here at the moment, but Ruby was better than most of them now - and she’d been better than all of them in her prime.  From the healthy amount of interest she was garnering, no one had forgotten how good she was, but they were keeping a respectful distance.  Everyone knew what had happened, of course.  When one of Remnant’s most treasured huntresses falls, word spreads quickly in the aftermath…

When Weiss looked at Ruby - whose eyes still moved from one huntsman to the next - she felt a pang of guilt run through her chest when she noticed that Ruby was once again holding onto her ring.  And she was still searching...because if her partner was going to show up, it would have to be any minute now.

A loudspeaker suddenly buzzed to life - calling for the first team and causing everyone else to let out loud whoops and claps while giving out high-fives to the first combatants.  The team walked confidently out of the room towards the series of hallways that led into the belly of the arena.  It wasn’t long after they’d left that a far-off crowd roared to life - the spectators giving a warm welcome to the first of many huntsmen who would be competing today.

With the Invite officially underway, the video screens placed around the room flickered to life and the remaining teams congregated around them to watch the feed of the events from up above.

The Invite wasn’t set up to be impossible - it was meant to be a spectacle of their capabilities.  What set teams apart was time rather than the ability to move forward, something they’d always had a significant advantage at with Ruby around.

A total of eight minutes was given to complete five rounds, with each subsequent round more difficult than the last.  Round five was always some colossal machine or Grimm that teams were usually left with only a handful of seconds to take down.  There were short pauses between the rounds while the stages were set and replays were played for the crowd, but, beyond that, the clock ticked fast.

“Let’s go!” someone called out, earning a “Whoop!” from another huntsman in response before many of the voices faded away in favor of watching the screens.

Weiss couldn’t watch though.  There were far more pressing matters that her mind was latched onto - like the fact that Ruby still hadn’t let go of her necklace.  

The expectation had been removed - Weiss no longer had to tell Ruby - but it still felt like she had to.  What had she been telling Ruby all day?  Of course her partner would show up.  She’d be an idiot not to.  

Well...who was the idiot now?

“Making it through the rounds is important, but you also want to be impressive!” Yang said while Weiss avoided looking at any of the screens.  “There’s a lot of people here and they want to see the coolest things we can do, so pull out all the stops - k, Blake?”

Blake rolled her eyes.  “I’m not one for showboating.”

“Come on!  You have to be a bit of an entertainer!  People are watching!”

“That’s what I have you for.”

“But I’ve seen you do some insanely cool stuff!  I only want everyone else to see a teeny, tiny bit of how amazing you are.”

When Yang smiled - that disarmingly genuine smile - Blake pursed her lips and half-heartedly tried to conceal how pleased the comments made her.  

“No promises,” was all she said, but Yang grinned as if it was a big ‘yes.’

A resounding chorus of “oooooh”s swept through the room before a smattering of laughter and shakes of heads.  From the reactions, someone must’ve just been eliminated by knockout.  Essentially, if any team member’s aura was fully depleted or if they exited the arena boundaries, the team automatically lost.  It was an embarrassing way to exit the tournament - it was far better to run out of time than to be defeated.

When the loudspeaker buzzed to life and called for the second team, the members were already ready and waiting by the door - heading out to test their skills as cheers sent them on their way.  As they disappeared into the hall, Weiss felt the mood in the room relax now that the Invite was underway.  They all knew the drill from here, minus the newly-graduated teams and Ruby.

When Weiss glanced over, she found that Ruby was still searching around the room while biting at her bottom lip.  Reading the expression of uncertainty at the same moment Weiss did, Yang stood up.

“Hey Ruby, come here a second.”  

When Ruby obediently stood too, Yang gave Weiss a small smile before wrapping one arm around Ruby’s shoulders and leading her off to the side for a private conversation.  Unable to hear what they were saying, Weiss nonetheless watched and attempted to figure out how it was going from their postures.

Yang was being supportive and one hand never dropped from Ruby’s shoulder, while Ruby nodded every few seconds in understanding.  When Yang stopped talking, Ruby said some brief words, smiled, and gave Yang a long hug before they came back.  Unsure of how Ruby had received the news, Weiss shot a glance at Blake, trying to read her expression, but she wasn’t giving anything away.

“Since we don’t have any moves planned,” Yang began while Ruby quietly returned to Weiss’ side.  “Let’s do this a la CRDL - kill as many things as possible on your own and ask for help if you need it.”  

The game plan made Blake scoff.

“And they wonder why they never win…”

Weiss was too busy shooting glances at Ruby to join the conversation.  Was Ruby upset?  If she was, it was difficult to tell.  How badly had she wanted her partner to show up?  Would this ruin her time at the Invite?

Reaching up, Ruby briefly touched her necklace before catching Weiss’ eyes.

“Are you alright?” Weiss immediately asked, unable to bear not knowing any longer.  

“Uh, yeah, I guess, but...could I talk to you for a second?” Ruby asked in return, offering a hand that Weiss gladly took before being gently led away from Yang and Blake’s prying eyes.  The other huntsmen didn’t seem to notice them either - their eyes were glued to the video screens while watching the battles play out.  Every once in a while laughs or gasps of admiration were added to the distant sound of cheering that seemed to echo throughout the building.

Weiss’ palms began sweating when she realized that this could be the moment.  If she was going to tell Ruby, now would be the time.  Forget whatever Yang had just told her - Weiss could tell Ruby the truth right now.  She could look Ruby in the eye and say ‘I’m the one you’ve been looking for’ - potentially destroying everything they’d created in the process.

Before making any decision, she needed to listen to whatever Ruby wanted to say.  Because there was clearly something Ruby wanted to say - made all the more apparent by the thoughtful expression she wore.  

“Thank you for coming to watch,” she said with a smile that didn’t linger long.

“Of course, Ruby.  I’m glad I could be here with you,” Weiss replied, feeling like a boot was pressing down on her lungs when she watched Ruby’s gaze sweep the room one more time before falling to the ground with a downcast air.

“Yang said she couldn’t make it...”

“Ruby -” Weiss began to say, but her voice cut off before more words could make their way into existence.  

She was afraid.  She didn’t know if she could tell Ruby the truth.  What if it made Ruby hate her?  What would be worse - for Ruby to not remember Weiss...or to hate her?

“It’s ok,” Ruby replied with a quick shrug.  “I kinda figured it was short notice, but it’ll still be fun to fight in front of all these people!”

No matter what the world threw her way, Ruby always found a reason to smile…

Glancing over her shoulder at the other huntsmen, Ruby suddenly seemed far more fidgety than usual - and that was saying something.  But when she turned back to Weiss, it was with a big smile that didn’t fit with the jitters.

“She didn’t show up, but you did.  That means a lot to me, Weiss.”

Smiling weakly, Weiss tried to ignore the feeling of her heart painfully throbbing in her chest.

“Of course, Ruby,” she whispered.  “Anything for you…”

The gratitude wasn’t deserved.  What had she done to earn it?  She’d come to Beacon, only to become a ghost when she was needed.  She’d returned to Vale, only to hide behind anonymity.

How could she possibly go through with this?  How could she let Ruby enter that arena without her?  

“Team RWBY - please report to the arena lift.  Team RWBY - up next.”

Staring at the nearest speaker, Weiss opened her mouth but found she had no words to say.

Time had run out for them, just like it had the first time.  She wanted so badly to be that person for Ruby again - the one who’d always be there - only to fail and fail and fail to find the courage.  Every choice she’d made since that fateful day in the forest had proven it over and over again - she was a coward when Ruby needed a hero.

“That’s us!” Ruby announced before rubbing her palms together nervously.  “This is it.  I can do this.  I can be a huntress, right?”

Hopefully, Weiss’ smile was encouraging and didn’t betray the multiplying distress threatening to overwhelm her.

“Of course you can.  You can do anything, Ruby.”  

Pausing for a second, Ruby bit her lip before suddenly leaning forward and planting a soft kiss on Weiss’ cheek.  The action had hardly registered in Weiss’ mind before Ruby rushed back to Blake and Yang - sending a wave over her shoulder as she went.

“Wish me luck!  I’ll see you right after!”

Weiss stood rooted to the floor for several seconds, her cheeks burning while her heart struggled to find a steady rhythm.  

Had Ruby just...that had been real, hadn’t it?  Ruby had just...

The other huntsmen were particularly rowdy for Ruby, whooping and hollering while walking over to offer her high-fives by the exit - which she gladly whizzed around the room in a swirl of petals to collect.  Walking past Weiss, Yang managed a meager thumbs up while Blake simply wore that concerned expression she had.

It hadn’t seemed real until this very moment, but as her teammates’ left her behind, reality began to sink in.

They were going to fight without her.

Knees weak, Weiss sat down on one of the benches and struggled to breathe as the raucous sendoff died down.  No sooner had her teammates disappeared through the doorway could she feel eyes on her - their thoughts practically audible.  

They all wanted to know the same answers - Why wasn’t she following?  Why was she staying behind?  Was it true then?  Had she left her team?  How could she quit on her team?  A huntsman never quit on their team.

Abruptly standing, she raced towards the exit without another thought.  Someone called her name, but she ignored whoever it was and kept running.  And running, and running.  Not even seeing the halls and corridors she sprinted through - just knowing that she needed to be anywhere but there.  

It was only when she shoved through a door and found herself back in fresh air that she finally stopped - doubling over to put her hands on her knees while huffing out jagged breaths that felt like the beginnings of sobs.  It hadn’t been a long run, but her chest was constricting in fear and panic - hampering her ability to breathe.  It felt like something was trying to crush her, while drowning her in the realization that she’d failed yet again.

But Ruby had kissed her.  On the cheek, but Ruby had kissed her.  They were close to recapturing a piece of what they’d once had.  It would only take time.  

For what cause though?  Any relationship they had now would be built on lies - lies that would be impossible to keep forever.  One day, Ruby would find out the truth.  One day, Ruby would learn that Weiss had stood idly by and let them walk forward without her.  

Focus.  She needed to focus on taking deep breaths.  Steady breaths.  One long inhale, hold it until her lungs burned - let it out in one long, shaky exhale.

One…

Another deep inhale.  Exhale slowly.

Two...

Straightening up, she continued to take slow breaths while trying to figure out what to do next.  Briefly closing her eyes, her hand immediately went to the ring Ruby had made for her - the smooth metal sending a tendril of love through her veins.  It was a ‘just because’ gift.  Just because Ruby was sweet and considerate and selfless unlike anyone else Weiss had ever met.

A breeze kicked up outside - cold enough to raise goosebumps along her arms while she struggled with her internal demons.

She didn’t want to lose Ruby.  

She didn’t want to lose what they’d managed to rebuild - like a phoenix rising from the ashes of their past life.  

She didn’t want to hurt Ruby be revealing the past, and the mistakes that had been made.  

She.  

She she she.  

All of her reservations were based on what she wanted and what she didn’t want.  What about what Ruby wanted?  What about what Ruby needed?

Ruby had such an easy-going nature that her needs and desires were often pushed aside in favor of the more vocal.  When they’d been together, it had incensed Weiss whenever that happened. She’d gone out of her way to make sure Ruby got whatever she wanted, but this time Weiss was the one actively avoiding Ruby’s wishes.  Even Yang had given her a pass.  Ruby would be disappointed, but as long as Weiss was alright…

Ruby would think her partner didn’t care about her.  Ruby would think that someone she’d spent four years training with couldn’t be bothered to show up for a couple of hours on one day.

But Weiss would be fine.

The realization made her stomach turn.  

When had she lost sight of what it meant to be selfless?  When had Ruby’s wants become secondary to her own?

Ruby needed her now.  Not the person she was today, but the person she’d once been.  Ruby needed her partner to be here.  For once, Weiss needed to put aside her doubts and do something for Ruby - something that scared the living daylights out of her.  She appreciated Yang and Blake’s concern, but…

She wasn’t that broken.

Seconds later, her weapon locker crashed into the ground by her feet.  Grabbing Myrtenaster, she turned and sprinted back the way she’d just come, bursting into the waiting room and racing through to the other side without acknowledging anyone there.  Flying into the hallway beyond, she followed the arrows leading towards the platform underneath the arena floor.

Mistakes don’t define you.  Your reactions to them do.

She’d made mistakes - more than she cared to count - and she’d run from them.  But that wasn’t who she was.  That wasn’t who she had to be.  She could choose her own reaction - she could choose how she would be defined from here on out.

She wouldn’t live a lie.  If Ruby wanted this piece of her past to come back, then it would come back.  Weiss would come back.

Sliding around a corner, she found her team up ahead - already standing on the platform that would raise them into the arena.  They were looking away from her, with Yang wrapping one arm around Ruby’s shoulders and holding Blake’s hand with her other.

You’re running to Ruby, Weiss reminded herself as a line of glyphs shot her down the hallway at breakneck speed.  

Ruby needs you right now.  Don’t think about anything else - Ruby needs you.  All those times she needed you, and you weren’t there - that will never happen again.  Because that’s not who you are.  That’s not who you’re going to be.

Nora’s voice blared over the speakers, chattering away while Ren’s low drawl paced in between.  The audience laughed at something they said - the rolling sound coming from right above their heads.  

Ruby needed Weiss before, and she hadn’t been there.  She wouldn’t let her partner down again.  She would do anything for Ruby.  Which meant she would do this.  

A loud clunk echoed off the walls as the platform unlocked and began to rise.  Springing off the last glyph, Weiss catapulted herself onto the edge behind her teammates - her chest rising and falling with deep breaths of apprehension as they were lifted towards the arena floor.

The crowd cheered louder - their team had just been announced - but the noise was a distant din compared to her heartbeat in her ears when her teammates noticed her presence and turned towards her.  Spotlights suddenly hit them from above, but her eyes were flooded by silver.

“Weiss?”

[dailydoseofbuckybarnes]

The Third Party FINALE

SERIES; Bucky’s been gone for too long and he’s been missing out the most beautiful moments in life he could have had and now that he’s back, revelations started to happen.

read Chapter 1 here

read Chapter 2 here

read Chapter 3 here

read Chapter 4 here

word count: 3k

warnings: .....

author’s note: suck at doing endings, thanks for reading anyways~ 

It wasn’t supposed to end like this. Hurting you was the last thing he would ever do but he failed and Bucky just ruined his chance of winning his family back. It was very wrong of him, he thought. A dick move in short and Bucky was left alone again, being despised by the love of his life.

For sure, his son’s heart will shatter too once you confess the news to him.

He didn’t mean to spill the beans to you too soon. He was trying to spare you but it seems like the other way around that happened. “I’m such a jerk,” he cursed, wanting to vanish from this world. Bucky was surrounded with guilt and torment and all he wanted to do was to run back to you and apologize even if you didn’t.

Bucky wants to heal you but how can he do that when he can’t even fix his self, his own life.

He was just a man of chaos. A monster and nobody would ever want that. Bucky’s thoughts were then filled with suicidal ones but he needs to be strong. You still needed someone by your side and knowing that Steve’s gone already, he remembers the promise that his best friend told him. No matter what, Bucky needs to fulfill that in the future with you.

“If ever I don’t come back from the mission, I want you to look after them especially her,” Bucky rereads the message again just to make sure he’s seen it properly.

Bucky’s still not used at this whole phone thing so it took him awhile to reply. “What are you trying to say?” he could only stare at the phone, waiting for his best friend’s response.

Steve gave him a phone as an advanced birthday gift from him and telling Bucky that he should get used with the modern technologies and ditched the old ones. Bucky knew to his self that he still got a lot to learn.

Steve was also aware that he can’t be mad at him for too long. If someone’s going to be, it should be Bucky but they’re like brothers.

It was just Bucky who was trying to throw a fit at him, getting all jealous from the attention you and your son were giving Steve. He was filled with his insecurities that he had forgotten about their precious friendship.

But all is well. The two have talked about it already but Bucky wasn’t expecting this out from him.

“You know what I mean.” Those were the last words of Steve that left Bucky dumbfounded till now.

It was a few weeks earlier when he saw the newspaper. There was a huge headline of Steve passing away. He finds it hard to believe at first, knowing that Steve got this super soldier serum within him. It was odd in many ways possible.

Bucky didn’t believe it of course. He thrashed the newspaper in the bin then shook his head in disagreement. “That punk…” he mumbled then returned to his old shack, tons of conclusions running through his mind. He was debating whether to go to you or not but he ended up going anyway at your house.

It was night time when he visited you off and you were taking out the garbage from your house as Bucky manages to take a small peak over his son who was busy eating popcorn.

“Oh god…” he said, hesitating. He had his hands in his jacket pockets then stood near the lamp post, hoping at least that you would notice.

“Bucky?” you said, looking startled as ever. “—you have to stop scaring me like that or else-,” Bucky didn’t care anymore as he just ran to you then embraced you within a tight one.

He’s wanted to do that for so long and never even wanted to let go at that very moment until you had butted in a question.

“What are you trying to do?”

“Just… missing you two.”

Bucky’s going to hell and he was sure of it. “Stupid,” he repeatedly cursed under his breath while kicking stones on his way back to his house. He could never even call it a home when in fact; home was always you and your son.

But this time’s different. You weren’t going to accept him any time sooner especially now that the incident occurred. “I should die,” he grunted then thought of you once more. He just can’t get you out of his mind. You were his remedy and you were the only one who could make him feel this way.

He tried his best but you weren’t seeing it since you were so in love with his best friend that you forgotten that he even existed.

You two shared tons of memories way back till he vanished for his own reasons but now he’s ready and willing to take up the consequences even if it hurts him.

Maybe the death of his buddy means something else and Bucky was up to know the reason behind it.

-

You hated this feeling, you tried to cheer yourself up but you always end stumbling hard to the ground and making you look pathetic. Your son was crying too upon hearing that his so called daddy had passed away.

“Is he really gone, mommy?” he panted heavily between cries.

“I don’t know, baby. I d-don’t know.” Your lips quivered in horror, wishing that it wouldn’t hurt so much.

Bucky’s right. It was indeed all over the news.

You didn’t expect that it would all lead to this, you were even planning on telling Steve once he gets home that you’re pregnant with his child but perhaps that wouldn’t happen anymore. Might as well just abort this kid by any means just to forget the pain you’re having inside you right now.

You wanted to scream, rant over it. Your feelings were messed up and you needed someone to talk to right now and handling this alone was killing you already.

“Why…” you sobbed, getting a hold of yourself but it didn’t work out.

You were going to live with it, always ending up with in tragedy. The ones you always end up loving gets taken away from you and it sucked and you know to yourself that this pain might take some time to heal.

-

It’s been three years and there was nothing but anguish, depression and longing for Steve. It broke your heart truly and as much as you tried to move on from it… you failed miserably. You wanted to end your life back then till your friends and his were there to support you all throughout. They were there to show you the brighter side of life, on how to find contentment even if you didn’t have Steve beside you. They were even there to take care of you and the baby you’re carrying.

It got them surprised when they first heard you say that you were getting an abortion but Natasha had reminded you that this one’s going to be a blessing and she added that if Steve was alive, he wouldn’t be so glad about you pursuing the bad intentions you plan for the baby.

At first, you thought that doing it would be the best thing to do, to just make your heart forget from the pain but you were convinced enough and opt to listen and go with her suggestion instead because Natasha’s right. You were consumed up badly that you were having hard time making right decisions by yourself.

“Someone’s here to visit you,” Wanda said and from the looks of her expression, it was the person you hated the most.

“Tell him that I don’t want to see him, ever.”

“Alright.”

You know that seeing Bucky too soon wasn’t the right choice. You weren’t ready to face him again. Heck, you can’t even stand imagining the look on his face. For sure he’s just devastated as you are. Both of you lost a best friend and a lover.

Natasha was in the corner with your son and you were busy chatting up with Sam over until a voice barged in.

“Y/N please.” Bucky appeared, his face stained with tears already.

Wanda was behind him as you glared at her. “Seriously Wanda? What part of ‘I don’t want to see him’ don’t you get?”

“I know I have no rights to meddle but Y/N… you need to hear him out. He’s in pain too, I saw it.” she said.

You close your eyes then tried to calm yourself first before you approached Bucky with lips pursed and arms crossed over your chest. “Just make it quick,” you told him when he held your hand and slowly drag you away from the crowd.

The two of you stopped by your room as he first trailed off, “I’m sorry. I know I’ve been saying that to you ever since I came disrupting into your life. I just feel so bad and it’s killing me. You may not see it but I’m dying inside.” he held your hand then guided it towards his chest.

“This. My heart can’t take it, the pain’s too much. I swear… I have never felt this before. It’s much worse than what’s HYDRA’s been doing into in my mind and I’m not playing around anymore Y/N. Please stop pushing me away.” His voice was filled with such sincerity and it tore you into bits to hear those words coming out from him.

No reply.

“You have to give me one last chance, one last shot.” He now kissed your knuckles as he cried in front of you. He couldn’t care less anymore if he looked desperate and pathetic. All he ever wanted was to have this last chance to prove his self right.

“Bucky… stop.” You said, attempting to remove his hands away from you.

Bucky didn’t let go yet then held it tighter. “Please,”

“I’m sorry Bucky but I’m just not ready for this…”

But that didn’t stopped Bucky. He was stubborn, like you said and he never missed a day to visit you outside your house just to check if you were doing fine and indeed you were. You had over your close friends with you who were trying to cheer you up.

Unbeknownst to you, he came every day.

There was one time when your son came out of the front door with Sam. Boy did your son was happy to see his so called uncle. “Uncle Bucky!” he instantly shouted as Sam turned back around to check if you heard what your son said but unfortunately, you didn’t.

Your son ran over to him then embraced his leg tightly. “Where were you all this time, Uncle Bucky?”

“I’ve been busy, I’m really sorry if I didn’t get the chance to visit your daddy’s funeral last time…” Bucky was referring to his best friend while caressing his son’s back.

Everybody was present during his funeral. It’s like every single entity in the world were there to mourn for the loss of a superhero with a gold heart.

Sam then interrupted. “What the hell are you doing here, dude? Do you seriously want Y/N to hate you forever?”

“Not you too Sam,”

“Hey no hard feelings dude but you can’t come here; I swear if she sees you she’ll throw a tantrum! You know how pregnant woman acts like right?”

“I know and that makes me want to protect her even more!” Bucky spat.

“Well we don’t need more help. We’re here!”

“Most obviously not all of you will always be! I’m just making sure she stays healthy and that her son’s doing okay too…” Bucky eyed his son who was holding his hand.

“Uncle Bucky, don’t you want to come in?” he asks, still naïve of what was going on around him.

Bucky shook his head. “I’m good. I got things to do; it’s nice seeing you bud.”

“For sure mommy wants to see you,” he said, making Bucky’s heart race from your name.

“I’m good bud. Promise me to look after her okay?” Bucky was now kneeled down to face him one on one as his son nodded obediently.

“Please come back tomorrow Uncle Bucky if you can. Mommy’s still sad,”

“I will bud, I’ll try my best.” And Bucky didn’t break that promise, he did visit but he only stayed outside your house. More days passed and Bucky noticed your tummy growing bigger. You were talking to Wanda and seemed to be so intent about it.

“Did you read his mind?” you opened up the topic you were trying to avoid as Wanda eyed you.

“Do you really want to know?”she said.

“Yeah. Is it a good thing or bad?”

Wanda pressed her lips thinly. “I thought you’d never ask but he blames his self for what happened. He’s in pain every single day and just wished that he could turn back time and never appeared in front of you.”

“Oh.” That was all you could manage to say when you saw someone outside your house. With brows furrowed, you then wondered if you’re starting to see things. It’s Bucky again with a gloomy aura surrounding him.

“Why is he here?” you asked Wanda as she stood up.

“What do you want me to do?”

You were actually neutral about what you’re feeling right now and you’re blaming your mood swings by the way. Being pregnant was tough and so you shrugged off your shoulders.

“I don’t know.”

Wanda sighed then holds your hand. “Maybe it’s time.”

As much as you hated the idea, Wanda convinced you to talk to him.

“Bucky…” you called him off by his first name that ever sounded so nice to him as soon as he entered your house.

“Y/N…” he gulped after saying your name, somehow trembling. “Thank you…”

“Oh don’t thank me. Thank Wanda since she managed to brainwash me to talk to you…” you retorted as his smile falters down.

Bucky then gazed towards Wanda then mouthed his gratitude to her. Wanda cleared her throat then excused herself for awhile then said that she’ll take over first to look after your son.

Bucky has never been terrified to have come to meet you again like this. He stayed silent until you say a word as he exchanged glances towards the floor then to your tummy. “I bet Steve’s over the top happy if he’s alive. He’s always wanted a family of his own back then.” he stopped only to realize that it came abruptly.

He didn’t know where he got those guts from but something tells him to just say it to you. “I’m sorry,”

“No. I’d like to hear more. Enlighten me.” You had a calm expression in your face.

“I’m really sorry Y/N for the shitty things I had to make you go through.”

You didn’t respond and waited for more. “For all the past and present mistakes I committed. For all the troubles and heart aches I gave you… Heck, I could hear you cursing me to death by you just looking at me. I know you despised me a lot but I just want you to know that even after all of those complications, I still love you.” he said then added subsequently.

“My mind may have forgotten but my heart doesn’t. It’s looking for you and for your son,” he was being very careful with the words he’s saying. “—for our son.”

No reply still but this time, you can’t help but cry over it.

“I can be your old Bucky Y/N, your Bucky… only if you would let me. I know I’m asking too much but I don’t want you to be sad and always blaming yourself always for what happened to Steve. When you’re ready, I’ll be here… outside your house… waiting.”

After that confrontation, you thought about it. You even talked about it with your friends and asked their opinions. Some of them said that you should give him one more chance, some couldn’t just agree to it but in the end, it was your choice.

It was all up to you.

More months passed and your due was near. Tony decided to move you in a more secluded place, a safe house wherein the team knows your whereabouts. You were grateful of Tony though for his kindness to give you everything you needed.

Also, you have decided to let Bucky finally come back into your life without throwing a tantrum or what and he indeed proved his self. He was there the entire time. The team would rarely come since they were often onto their missions so it was just you, your son and Bucky at the moment.

You saw the change in Bucky when you agreed to let him come with you in the safe house. You saw how eager and excited he was. Technically, to start a new with you and your son and with the baby he’s going to treat like his very own. It was just like he pictured but no more danger this time.

He swore that no harm will come to any of his love ones.

In the end, it all turned out well. You still missed Steve though but you have to live with the present and not dwell on the past. All that matters to you now was your two sons and Bucky in it.

Steve and James.

Yes, it was a boy and you named it after Bucky’s first name.

Bucky was overwhelmed about it knowing that you named it after him. Despite the past troubles you encountered with him, your relationship with Bucky grew. Not intimate but it was getting there, almost per say.

“Don’t worry Steve, I’ll take good care of them,” Bucky’s gaze was focused onto his tomb stone as he rubbed your side arm in assurance.

“But it does suck without you punk…” he added subsequently before tilting his head to face you. “We’ll be waiting by the car…” he said as you nodded before dragging your sons away.

Bucky then left you some lone time to talk with Steve. “I hope you’re at peace, Steve. Don’t worry we’ll visit you as much as we can, know that you won’t be forgotten. You will always stay forever in my heart.”

END. THANKS FOR READING!

[otomegamaholic]

KBTBB Jealousy Lingerie ~Ichinomiya Eisuke~

Jealousy Lingerie ~A Thoughtless Love Affair Night For Him~ Ichinomiya Eisuke

Without being able to spend some couple time with Eisuke due to his busy schedule, the lonely you yearned to see Eisuke... or so you had thought, as you wake up on an unfamiliar bed!

“It was just for a week, and you couldn’t even stay at home... you still call yourself my woman?”

You received a present from a jealous Eisuke.♡ Moreover, the highly popular ‘His POV for Playing With Something Dangerous’ has been restored! To read or not to read... it’s all up to you.♡

Review:

This was one interesting piece of work. I can't comment much about the change in Eisuke that we see in this side story because I have only played up till Chapter 1 including His POV. What I can definitely say is that Eisuke is definitely in too deep towards the MC.

Imagine the woman whom you are to be wedded to pushes you away from your advances while clearly exuding the aura of 'I am hiding things from ya' when you finally get to see her after many days of zero communication. And now throw Eisuke into the picture. Yep, that's it.

Although Eisuke was suspicious and dying to know the truth, he didn't corner the MC and force her to spill it out. He didn't do anything that we all know he could, but he didn't. Instead, he chose to be some FBI agent and get to the truth himself after laying the trap. Right after the truth was revealed, he was so cute about how to ensure the MC doesn't make the same mistake ever again.

I would still highly recommend the Love Hotel story for Eisuke. I think that is the most memorable side story for me. And I had no regrets purchasing it. <3 But feel free to give this one a try too, for anxious Eisuke lol.

PS: For this time, I just so happened to have the feel of typing out while reading the story. I’m putting them in the same post as my short review. But... I won’t finish all the chapters. Then again, I believe Voltage will release the English version very soon lol...

Read on for spoiler review and translation of some parts.

WARNING: SUPER LONG POST + IMAGE HEAVY (kinda)

SPOILER:

To everyone who got excited from the title, I understand you. But I've learned to not trust what Voltage puts up in the description because it's not 100% true to the plot. Or, so I thought that some steamy scenes are going to happen after knowing the MC spent the night in another man's room just because she got too wasted while he wasn't around.

Although there weren't many scenes of them doing their usual adult exercises... we can clearly see how Eisuke gets anxious and annoyed in his own way. He was definitely livid and shocked when he got to know that the MC's weird behavior had something to do with Soryu. I especially like how the two followers of Soryu got caught by Eisuke to spill the beans. That was so cute, to be honest. They just spilled everything they know to Eisuke, up and go, like a hurricane that does damage and leave as it pleases. Of course, they apologized to Soryu profusely and left right after lol.

Now, I understand what did Voltage meant by “To read or not to read, it's up to you.” Because in His POV, Voltage made Soryu have an interest in the MC, which Soryu tried to get closer to the MC (literally, like you know, kabedon her and tried to kiss her) in order to make that weird feeling in his chest understood. He couldn't understand how Eisuke could fall in love with someone as plain as the MC. Eisuke caught Soryu and the MC in that position. Soryu backed off naturally.

Then we got to know that he actually thought it was quite out of him to think of using the women earrings that were prepared for his work as an excuse to get away from the mess (kabedon and attempt kiss) that he got himself into. The MC took the wrong earrings on the dressing table and fled after seeing Soryu in the bathroom that morning. He used this reason to excuse himself for getting close to the MC in that manner.

In the first place, this whole mess started because the MC got wasted, but also Soryu's policy.... lmao.

Soryu: ‘There’s no way to step into Eisuke’s room in his absence... is there nowhere else to return her to?’

And he was confused as to why the MC intrigues him.

Soryu: ‘Why is it that, this woman piques my interest this much?’

In the end... too bad for Soryu. Because this is Eisuke’s story so.... not today, bro~ ;P

Episode 1

It’s been 4 days since Eisuke went abroad for business matters. He would only be back in 3 days. Apparently, he went to a place with no reception, so there weren’t any calls made or texts exchanged. The MC was feeling lonely without Eisuke’s presence.

Baba who heard the MC sigh teased her. Also, because the back view of the MC looked really lonely to Baba. “So that’s why you have a face that says ‘I’m lacking Eisuke’ huh.” The MC being honest asked “...was it that obvious from my expression?” And Baba being himself, replied “It’s because you’re so easy to read. Don’t worry, Baba-san loves this aspect of you.”

Baba: “The leader went to a secluded region for a preliminary inspection of the new plan right?”

MC: “I’m not sure if it’s some secluded place, but the phone calls and mails cannot be received and sent.”

Baba: “So that’s why you had the ‘I lack Eisuke’ expression on you.”

Baba invited the MC to have a meal with the rest of the guys, the reason being that when one is alone, he/she feels lonely the most when having a meal alone. So it’s best to eat with people when feeling lonely. And the best way to cheer yourself up is to eat good food. In the end, they had a mini party at the hotel hall on that night.

During the mini party, the usual guys gathered without her knowing, or it could just be Baba who called out to everyone.

Ota: “It feels fresh to have a party without Eisuke-san”

Ota mentioned that it feels quite fresh to attend a party without Eisuke. Luke, however, disagreed by saying that it’s lonely without Eisuke. Soryu questioned it. Luke double confirms and threw the question to the MC. The MC could only agree. No doubt. Eventually, they decided to enjoy as much as they can and toasted.

Hishikura: “Can you guys stop it, making such a gloomy face especially during mealtime?”

Hishikura: “To me this is a comfortable space.”

Baba: “Well, well, those who feel lonely and those who feel relieved in the absence of the leader, it’s all the same.”

The MC took a liking to the alcohol that she kind of drank too much despite Soryu warning her not to. Ota added, “Isn’t it fine if she over drinks once in a while? When Eisuke was around, he would order you here and there, right? So when you’re alone, why don’t you just let yourself go?” Baba agreed and said it’s also important to let yourself loose. The MC took their advice.

Soryu being the smart one, told the MC to go at her own pace and that it’s not something that outsiders can comment about. Baba then countered by saying that Soryu who’s like that should also let himself loose once in a while. Ota agreed and joked that having his hair swept to the back too much will result in being bald. Lmao Soryu was like “Just leave me alone.” Watching their interaction was entertaining for the MC and that she had lost count of the number of glasses she had that night.

Baba: “Come to think of it Sou-chan too, isn’t it better for you to act without restraint once in a while~?”

Ota: “I agree. You’ll get bald for having an all-back hairstyle too much.”

Soryu: “...leave me alone”

Fast forward. The next morning, the MC woke up to find herself on a bed. She had a bad case of a hangover, all because the apricot alcohol was so tasty that she drank too much. As she presses on her temples on an attempt to soothe a headache, she sat up and realized something was amiss in the room that she just woke up in.

MC: This... isn’t Eisuke’s penthouse!

Well, we all know whose room this belongs to. ;)

The MC started to look around the room anxiously while trying to figure out which room was it. That’s when she finally looked down to get a shock out of her life. She was clad in only her underwear. Her clothes were left on the floor by the bed. The MC hurriedly got down from the bed to put on her clothes. She heard the sound of water coming from the bathroom. She was afraid to find out who was in the bathroom, but there was no way she’s not going to find out. Hesitantly, she opened the bathroom door to find... SORYU!!!!

Panicked, the MC’s mind short circuited and fled from the room at once at the sight of Soryu.

“It can’t be... Soryu and I? But, I had my underwear on...” There wasn’t anything off about her body, but the MC understood that just by looking at the situation there’s no ruling out that the mistake didn’t happen. The only way to understand the whole situation was to ask Soryu directly but... “Did anything happen? I just can’t ask that! I was told that it’s good to let myself loose but, this can’t be happening...” She realized that she’s totally in deep trouble and clutched her head. That’s when her phone rang. Oh no. A call from Eisuke telling her that he would be back right away.

The MC asked, “Won’t you be back the day after tomorrow...” Eisuke replied, “There are some changes to the schedule. I’ll reach in about 30 minutes. Wait for me at the penthouse.” HAHAHAHAHAHAHA omg this was so interesting I can’t.

The MC thought, ‘Up till yesterday, I would have been so elated to know this.’ Now, she’s just in too deep that she had no idea how to answer for that mistake. Eventually, what actually happened last night was still left unresolved... while Eisuke had already returned.

“W-welcome back. Did your work finish earlier?”

Eisuke: “Just some changes to the schedule. I’ll be setting off again the day after.”

Eisuke asked the MC if she felt bored without him around as he guided her towards him by the waist when she brought his favorite coffee over to him. ‘I don’t remember taking any shower, but it would be bad if there’s any soap scent that’s different from the usual coming from me.’ Being this close to Eisuke, she flinched back slightly as she recalled what happened last night.

Eisuke noticed but chose to observe her first. Like this:

“Eh... rather than being bored I was really lonely. We couldn’t get in contact at all this time round so...” And Eisuke in all seriousness said...

Eisuke: “It was a right thing to return.”

Eisuke: “Since it’s you, there’s no way you could’ve been able to withstand that long.”

Eisuke: “I’ll satisfy you now.”

And then they kissed. Eisuke pushed her onto the sofa and just when his long slender fingers reached her clothes... the MC felt that even though she wasn’t sure if anything happened last night, it didn’t feel right to let Eisuke have her in this manner... So, the MC pushed Eisuke away with all her might.

“W-wait a minute!”

“What is it?”

“I have work today! I need to go now... I’m sorry!”

She couldn’t meet his gaze. She felt that if she looked into his eyes, she wouldn’t be able to move based on her experience and knowledge. The MC got herself up from underneath Eisuke without looking into his eyes.

“Please have a good rest Eisuke-san! We can continue this tonight...”

Just when she was about to leave without looking at him...

“Did you forget?”

“Eh?”

The MC felt a strong grip on her wrist and before she knew it, she was being pulled back by a strong force. This time around, Eisuke pinned her down as though he wasn’t giving her any chance to escape.

“Your answer can only be ‘Hai’ or ‘Yes’.”

The MC was frozen in fear from the silent fury that was held in his cold looking eyes.

Just look at this I-don’t-give-a-shit face lololol.

Episode 2

(Rejoice! It’s Eisuke’s POV from hereon.)

Right after progressing with the work at the outback of South America for the sake of the new business. Due to the sudden changes in the other party’s schedule, there were only 2 days of free time being made.

“I could go to the nearby hotel to stay for the moment but...”

The business trip this time is a place where the infrastructure equipment isn’t that well-developed, so the communication can’t be done with the MC. There shouldn’t be a problem if I go back to the hotel, but just in case I’ve decided to return.

MC: “W-welcome back. Did your work finish earlier?”

“Just some changes to the schedule. I’ll be setting off again the day after.”

MC: “I see. Good work.”

When I look at her, her gaze waivers.

Eisuke: She’s acting differently from the usual. Did something happen?

As I hug her close to me when she brings over the coffee, her hand rested on my shoulder and leaned backward. This is something that she normally will never do which confirms my thought of before that something must be up.

MC: “Eh... rather than being bored I was really lonely. We couldn’t get in contact at all this time round so...”

She replies while her gaze never meets mine, gently pushing me away and got away from underneath me. This can’t be called as an act of rejection, but it is something that definitely can’t be pardoned.

Eisuke: ‘For her to run away from me...’

I reached out and grabbed her by the wrist. This was done with a strong force without much awareness.

“Your answer can only be ‘Hai’ or ‘Yes’.”

Her eyes widened, with shame and bewilderment swimming in her eyes.

Eisuke: ‘Does she truly not want to be held by me?’

My grip tightened as though to suppress the rising irritation.

“Answer me.”

MC: “Like I  said, I have work...”

Eisuke: “Do you want me to educate you again from scratch?”

In order to prevent her shifty gaze from getting away, I held her chin. Fixing my gaze on her with proximity, I could see her lips trembling as her breaths were short and quick.

Eisuke: ‘During those times when I kept her by my side... she used to make this kind of expression.’

He dropped a line saying that enough of running away, and he doesn’t care about it anymore, just enjoy the ahem for now. So they did it. And from that, Eisuke confirmed that the MC didn’t sleep with anyone that night. Next, he went to find out the truth and...... eventually presented the MC a set of lingerie a few days after the incident when he finally came back from the work in overseas.

The MC found the lingerie to be too skimpy for her to feel decent. When she told him her thoughts, he was like “What? Are you unhappy with the gift that I've brought back for you?” Unbeknownst to her, this was actually Eisuke's ploy to prevent the incident from happening again. Reason being, if the MC wears such a skimpy lingerie, she would be more cautious of how she lands herself in the situation where someone other than him sees her in that lingerie. SO CUTE RIGHT! That smirk he had on his face when he thought of that. <3

[askmissthunder]

It was very lovely!

I always seem to underestimate how homesick I tend to get as I turned into a blubbering wreck as soon as I saw my parents at the airport on Good Friday. The ride from the airport to our country home was long but pleasant as I took in all the familiar sights and breathed in that fresh air, the scent of approaching rain never too far away.

(Okay, maybe my home isn’t quite that idyllic but it is very pretty in the Spring)

When we pulled onto our driveway, I was surprised to see many of my family members standing outside and a large banner hanging above the front door, reading "Welcome Home, Penny!!!".  As many of my aunts and uncles gathered around me, I heard a familiar little voice call my name. Spinning my wheelchair around, a small form crashed onto my belly, clinging tightly. I smiled as I saw it was my youngest cousin, Kayla, now 6 years old and with a grin like a rugby player due to missing some of her baby teeth.

She wasn't the only one eager to greet me as Sam, our family corgi, came sprinting from behind the house, yipping with excitement.  His stubby legs could only reach so far as he tried to jump up on my tummy.  As I picked him up, he licked my face, making loud whining noises. "Oh, I missed you too, Sammy!", I told him, kissing his wet nose.

The small crowd of relatives parted as I saw my Nan headed my way, her face beaming with pride. I was a bit taken aback as I could tell that she's certainly shrunk since I saw her last Christmas, her weight now somewhere in the 30 stone region and maybe just barely hitting 180 cm. (That's roughly 400 pounds and 6 feet for the yanks). It felt a little bizarre hugging her as I've always known her to be, well, my size ever since I was a little girl. Now, since becoming the Avatar of the Goddess, the roles had reversed.

Nan and Mum led me inside the house to show me "a surprise". They led me to my old bedroom and opened my closet. Tucked away far in the back, in a cardboard box, was our exotic shorthair cat, Missy. I gasped loudly as I saw she was nursing three tiny kittens. My cat was a Mummy!

"Missy! Congratulations!", I exclaimed. "When did she have them?"

"Just the other day!", my Mum answered, peeking over my broad shoulders, "She was acting odd, just roaming around the house, like she was looking for something."

"She was looking for a place to nest.", Nan said, "so I found an old cardboard box and a blanket and....well, in the heat of the moment, I forgot you were coming over, so I put it in your closet. Sorry, dearie."

"Oh, no worries, Nana! I'm just glad she had a nice safe place to have her babies!"

We then left Missy alone to rest and tend to her little ones.

Before the day was done, all the ladies in the family planted a sprig of parsley in our garden for good luck and we made sure to eat freshly baked hot cross buns.

Saturday was pleasant, I mainly just relaxed, not having to worry about going on patrol or schoolwork. Of course, all my relatives wanted to know about what it's like living in the States. The food, how the people were, all that good stuff.  But my face must've gone bright red when my Auntie Megan asked, "So, you have a boyfriend now, I hear?".

(I confronted Mum about it who admitted she spilled the beans about Eli. "What, do you think I'm not gonna brag about my daughter's charming wrestler boyfriend?". It's not that I mind talking about Eli, it's just that Auntie Megan wanted to know every juicy detail about our relationship.)

Come Sunday morning, we were all getting ready for Easter Mass. Mum had a beautiful yellow dress made just for me which I couldn't help but twirl around in in the privacy of my bedroom. It's tradition in England that getting new clothes on Easter is good luck. (No such thing as too much good luck, I say!) While the Mass was lovely, it felt a little odd as it was the first time I had actually gone to church since I received my powers. Not to mention the theological confusion of celebrating Easter at all when my powers come from a pagan goddess but I think that's a discussion for another time.

After church, the nearby town put on an Easter parade complete with floats, Morris Dancers and a Jack in the Green! There were also several maypoles that my younger cousins participated in, clad in white dresses and twirling about, definitely reminds me when I used to do the same when I was younger.

When we got back home, my Dad went right to work, hiding Easter eggs all over the yard.  He told me he had already planned out the hiding spots over a week in advance. I asked him why he was always so eager to hide the eggs year after year.

"Well", he said, tucking an egg on a low hanging tree branch, "Finding eggs was always my favorite thing to do on Easter. But as I got older, I found I liked hiding them even better because I always liked seeing my little brothers and cousins get so excited when they found them.  I don't know why. I just get so pleased to see the wee ones enjoying themselves. I especially remember my little princess enjoying the hunt too."

I remembered all too fondly of peeking in logs or looking under bushes, eager to fill my basket. I made sure to give Dad a kiss on the cheek for all the wonderful memories.

After the egg hunt (which took nearly an hour and got my little cousins covered in grass stains), we settled down to a proper family feast with roast lamb and lots of veggies grown in our garden. As in English tradition, we had Simnel cake for dessert to celebrate the end of Lent, a fruit cake covered in marzipan and topped with 12 marzipan balls, representing Jesus and his disciples. (Not Judas, though, for obvious reasons)

I was about to laze about on the couch to let dinner digest when my Mum tapped me on the shoulder.

"Sweetie, we were wondering if we could hear you play your flute? To be honest, I really miss hearing you practice in your room. It feels so quiet without you here."

I giggled at her eagerness , "Well, if you're gonna twist my arm about it, Mummy..."

She then ran to my room to fetch one of my spare flutes (one of the few that managed to survive my grip back when I was still learning to control my strength).

Since it was Easter and Spring was fully in bloom, I decided to play "Spring" from Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons". To give you an idea of what that sounds like, here's a recording by one of my favorite flutists, James Galway.

After my performance, wee Kayla tugged on my Mum's dress, clutching my VHS copy of The Wizard of Oz.

"Auntie, can I watch this? It's my favorite movie!", she asked, hopping up and down.

Mum laughed, "Of course, luv! You know, that used to be one of Penny's favorite movies when she was little, too."

As Mum flipped on the telly, Kayla sat by my side on the couch, squishing herself between the couch arm and my giant hip.

"Are you comfortable there, Kay? I'm not squashing you, am I?", I asked.

She shook her head, patting my tire-thick love handle, "Uh-uh! You're nice and soft like a pillow!"

The two of us watched in silence for some time, sharing the chocolate bunnies from Kayla's Easter basket, but by the time Dorothy was about to start singing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow", I looked around and saw that the rest of my family had settled down around us, either sitting on a chair brought from the kitchen or sitting on the carpet.

I couldn't help but smile at everyone, feeling very blessed to belong to such a wonderful family.

....You know, come to think of it, maypoles, Morris dancing and Jack in the Green all started out as pagan traditions to celebrate Spring. Hmm....