#i can go so much further if i continue strengthening myself from the inside

[baskervilleacademia]

A plea to stay

First fic so if you see this, please give some feedback!!!

Summary: You are from a city that has fallen into ruin due to an addictive virtual reality technology causing people to abandon their physical health, belongings and jobs. Together with the doctor you have destroyed the technology and taken the first steps in liberating the city. The Doctor wants to leave but you have relied on each other so much and you need him to stay. After all, you have gotten so close while you saved the city.

The Tenth Doctor x reader / OC

Note: this is in first person, but I gave the reader the name Christine because it felt very British and idk why I don't like to read y/n it pulls me out of a story. So, congrats! I hereby rename you Christine. lol

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We emerge from the slums, onto High Street and I imagine it as it once was. Beautiful, clean, bustling, and alive. It is certainly not shining now. The street is occupied by rusted tin shelters, and makeshift mats of old carpet and cardboard. A small crowd sits on the damp floor with their lost sunken eyes, and I feel my determination strengthen.

The Doctor has continued walking further ahead and I gaze toward him. Out ahead the street leads onto rolling green honeyweed hills, and a strange looking blue box.

God the sunrise. I haven't seen one in so long. The golden tendrils of light paint the hills in pale gold, and The Doctor a dark silhouette. ‘Like walking toward hope.’ I think to myself.

 I hurry to catch him again.

I link my arm in his and he gives me a wide wonky grin that makes my heart flip inside my chest. After a few paces I pull us to a stop and look at the broken city.

“I'm gonna do it, doctor, I really am. I am going to live and be present in the world. I am going to learn to sit and hear it again, the way the world sounds. Life echoing everywhere all around.”

“Good.” says The Doctor, and puts a hand on my shoulder.

“Live. And bring as many people with you as you can.” With a deep sigh he looks over my head at the city, nods sternly and turns away.

Before he can get far, I yell out at him. 

“Wait! Doctor, wait! aren't you-” 

I glance at the large crowd of curious eyes and jog away to stand in his path. 

“Aren't you going to stay? You could see everything come back to life!”

I look intently at his eyes. And when he frowns; god how tired they look. So burdened.

“I never really stay. It's just not what I do.”

“Well, I can change. I did so too. You said I saved a whole city!” I exclaim, and he gives me this unbearable gentle smile.

“You were brilliant Chris…But-

“Can’t you just stay a while?” I interrupt hastily, feeling jittery and wringing my hands together.

The Doctor shoves his hands into the pockets of his huge coat. 

“Christine. I'm just a traveller. I'm a nomad. No home… don't even have any money.”

I step forward and grab his shoulders. 

“Money isn't a problem! You helped save the city!”

“I just can't.” His face is pained, and my stomach drops.

“You can't stay, but you can leave? Easy as anything? After all that happened?”

He says nothing.

I reach a hand slowly to his face. The both of us seem to hitch our breath, as my skin touches his. “I just… I want more time.”  I stroke his temple and bring my fingers up to touch his hair. He searches my eyes, then his lips twitch in a smirk. I frown in realisation. 

“No. No, I've heard enough about that bloody TARDIS.” 

We have been inching closer now, our breaths mingling in the cold.

“...I didn't say anything.” He whispers.

“Well you were about to.” I protest, and lift my chin into the air.

“Hmm. maybe.” His voice rumbles quiet and low… and I feel it even lower.

He smirks wider now, “but it is a time machine.”

I wack his chest lightly and step back, breaking our contact.

“You know that's not what I'm trying to say!” I whine.

He stares deadpan at me, his deep brown eyes locked intensely on mine.

“Isn't it?”

I open my mouth to respond but I feel mute. All I can think about is the way he looks standing there. His stare. His hair. His eyes… his lips. So demanding.

“Tell me then. Christine.”

He takes his hands out of his pockets and closes the gap between us, so that I am looking up at his face.

“What do you want?”

He is so close now. He copies my action, moving a hand to cup my face. My eyes flutter closed and I melt into his warmth. 

“I want..” I swallow. “I want more.”

I feel his other hand reach under my jacket and shirt, sliding over my hip and resting on my back. We are both breathing heavily, our lips so close together, testing each other. 

My body pulses, and my head is spinning.

I break first, reaching desperately up to his neck to pull his lips onto my own.

His grip tightens on my back, his free hand roaming down my neck, to my breast, then my hip, and my arse. With one hand I grip his hair, the other I explore his neck and chest, scrunching the fabric beneath my palm as his hands caress my body. Suddenly he pulls back, and I loathe the lost warmth. His hair is a mess and his parted lips are deep red. We both gasp for breath.

“Public.” He gets out. And takes a step back, one hand running through his hair. 

He’s probably right. But that doesn't mean I can't hate it. There’s also nowhere to go, the city is a mess. The Doctor grabs my hand “Come on!” he grins, and we run toward the hills.

[ssscentral]

One More Time

Summary: Your touch was addictive, your scent intoxicating. He wants that back so badly, but he needs another chance. Just one more time.

pairing: Seokjin x female reader

rating: GA

genre: angst, mild fluff

warnings: pining, heartbreak, only mentions of sex, but everything very sfw

wc: 3k

member: Rid || @taegularities​

a/n: Hello! Back with the second fic in the Bouquet Collab series. Each one of us chose a flower and wrote a fanfic around the meaning of it! These were just 2 out of 6, so please look forward to many more awesome stories! I also want to thank my amazing betas @biaswreckme and @missgeniality, and further @birbdae for this wonderful banner!!!! 💕 And now let’s dive into the angst!

A single ray of sunshine illuminates the room.

Conveniently, it shines directly onto that one particular plant that stands in this whole apartment, still healthy and green as it refuses to die. Seokjin is fond of it, given the fact that it was you who had gifted him it many weeks ago.

You always used to say that his place is gloomy, grey, in urgent need of redecoration, so he could actually invite someone over and make them feel somewhat homely. After he’d declined all your offers due to laziness, you’d given up - except for the little present that you’d brought him that one significant day.

He remembers it so vividly, the memory still so painfully clear.

At that time, spring was just approaching, birds returning and beautiful flowers blooming. You were a sucker for nature and all its aspects - which was probably the exact reason for the distaste that you felt whenever you entered your friend’s apartment. His way of handling his place was dull, tasteless.

So, when you decided to surprise him with the odd choice of giving him an aloe plant as decoration and present, you weren’t expecting more than a pleasant evening that you’d spend together.

What you didn’t know was that he’d been a nervous wreck for days now, ripping out several strands of his hair before he’d finally decided to tell you the truth about what he caged in his mind. But when he saw you that day, wearing this beautiful sunflower dress, your hair in a bun with only two strands framing your angelic face, words failed him immediately.

Instead, he froze, eyebrows furrowing in fear of what you’d say or do if he confessed to you. And it didn’t take a lot from your side, no - one brush of your finger along his arm, an intense and loving gaze addressing only him, and a beautiful, mesmerizing smile were enough for him to snap before he pulled you in.

When you first felt his full lips on yours, you stared at the way his eyes closed, relishing in and welcoming the moment right away. You needed a second to comprehend what was happening, but once you understood, you felt yourself give in fast, the world becoming blurred and silent.

All you heard were the sweet words he uttered, all you saw was his glistening skin, and all you knew was that you wanted to bathe in this euphoria forever without ever having to let go.

But when you both found yourselves in each other’s arms, covered by nothing but his blanket, you still hadn’t addressed why this had happened and what it meant for you now.

Seokjin didn’t regret this - how could he, if it was with you? But the same old insecurity that plagued his heart and made his chest burn had eventually come back now. Despite having no real evidence or reason, he assumed that you didn’t want what he wanted - you’d never see him as more than a friend that you’d slept with in the heat of the moment.

In that sense, you’d woken up to a pressing awkwardness, him offering breakfast and coffee, but portraying distant nonchalance otherwise. And when you felt like none of this was going to go anywhere, you told him you had to go, finding some kind of excuse to leave.

Since then, an uncomfortable radio silence had found its way between you, and the only thing he had these days to remember you was the pink-orange flower that slowly bloomed on top of his desk.

Lying across the bed, Seokjin opens his eyes with a smile on his face, remembering how he’d looked at you in confusion when he’d first seen you standing at the threshold of his entry, smiling wide with Ally in your hands. Yes, you’d named the plant Ally - always one to give non-living things names.

Wrong.

Ally is very much alive. You’d made that clear that day. Plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen - yes, that’s what you’d lectured him with when he’d joked around. His apartment needs some freshness, you’d told him.

Now that he’s inhaling the air around him, it almost feels like he can smell Ally, which is total nonsense of course. He has honestly grown to love this small, spiky thing, especially after finding out the meaning behind it.

Affection.

Something he has felt for a long time now. Affection for the way you scrunch up your nose when you’re annoyed. Affection for the concentrated gaze you adopt when you’re reading a good book. Affection for your words, for the sound of your voice; he loves the sweet, honey-coated, soft tone that he swims in every time you speak.

Seokjin gets up, stretching his limbs and getting dressed when he looks at the clock, noticing that it’s time to go. There’s this boring gathering this evening, organized by some of your colleagues who thought it might be a good idea to come together and strengthen your bond as a student body or whatever.

The only reason he’s going is because he knows you’ll be there. He doesn’t care about getting himself drunk or talking about philosophical theories today - all he wants is to make right what he ruined back then. He just needs to tell you what words float inside his heart, hoping for you to reciprocate his feelings the way you’d responded to his kiss that night.

Gathering all this ardor for you, with only your name on his tongue, he closes his door behind him, summoning all the energy his body can deliver.

You’re easy to find in the small crowd. The room isn’t too filled, the atmosphere peaceful and pleasant when he steps in, running his hand through his soft, brown hair when he sees you. Breathing in and out in a steady rhythm, he approaches you, trying to mask his eagerness, hands pocketed to exude a relaxed demeanor.

When you finally notice the tall figure come closer, recognizing him as none other than the man you’re so in love with, your heart beats just a little faster and you tilt your head in wonder. After barely sparing you a glance in your classes, he has apparently finally decided to give you some attention.

Memories come crashing back; images of your last encounter flooding your mind as you press your tinted lips together, still feeling the phantom touch of his mouth on yours. He still looks the same, but his hair has gotten a little longer, almost covering his eyes entirely before he brushes the bangs away.

“Hey,” he greets, breathing in deep as he sits down in front of you, “long time no talk.”

You nearly counter with a sarcastic remark, but then contain yourself, only shooting him a breathtaking smile. “You’re right. Busy lives. How have you been doing, Jin?”

“Good!” he answers way too fast, clearing his voice before he continues. “I’m doing good. And you?”

“All good. Been writing some more lately.”

Seokjin nods as his eyes widen and his mouth forms an ‘O’, glad to hear that you’ve picked up your hobby of creating beautiful poetry again. He’s even read some of your poems, and you’re truly talented, working around words so easily as if they were his own heart.

“Oh, wow! I- um… I took care of Ally. Do you remember her?” he stumbles over his words, ears growing increasingly red. He’s such a dork and you can’t help but smile a little.

“That’s nice to hear. I bought one of these myself a few days ago. Reminded me of you.”

“That’s great! T-that’s…” What is he trying to say? There must be something that he had prepared, but for the life of his, he can’t remember anymore. All he knows at the sight of you is that he wants to grab you by your waist again, pull you in to press you against him. He wants to feel your lips, move against them in soft, then needy motions.

He just wants you as a whole, if not forever, then once.

Just one more time.

And when he sees you wait for him to speak, fumbling with your fingers with your eyes far away from his, he whispers the word “courage” to himself once before his hand reaches out to grab yours and settle on your palm.

Your gaze shifts to him immediately, his abrupt action causing confusion in you as your heart rate spikes up. But when you see the expression on his face, you feel like you know.

“Y/N, I- we… we need to talk,” he finally declares, his thumb gently ghosting over the skin of your hand, such a simple gesture sending shivers down your spine.

Yes, he doesn’t have to say much. You know what he wants to talk about; after all, there aren’t that many possibilities of what he could want at your first encounter after being somewhat estranged all this time.

“I’m not sure I want-”

“No, please,” he interrupts, squeezing your hand tighter in his. A few weeks ago, his warmth would’ve felt like a safe haven for you, pulling you out from the dark grounds of an ocean if it needed to - but right now, you feel like you’re drowning, like you’re sinking instead of swimming up. “There’s so much I’ve been wanting to tell you and there were so little opportunities to do so.”

Half-fearing, half-anticipating what he’s going to say, you search for the walls you’ve managed to pull up, accepting that Seokjin will never want you in that way. You think you’ve moved on, but now that he’s so close, on the brink of either confessing or rejecting you, you feel tense - and both options aren’t ideal for you right now.

You wait until he’s ready to talk, watch his chest rise and then fall, his eyes meeting yours, but looking like they’d rather not before-

“I’m in love with you,” he finally breathes - and as he mutters his last word, the air around you becomes suffocating, the sounds muffled and his touch heavy.

Is that better than being rejected? You don’t know. You really do not know; and the shake of your head and furrow of your eyebrows show him that something is plaguing you that he might not want to hear.

“Y/N.” His tone is calm, steady, different from your hazardous heart that’s breaking right in front of him, and he doesn’t even see it.

“Why did you not tell me that back then, Jin?” you inquire, pulling your hand away and settling it on your lap. “We slept together. Why did you let me go?”

This… this is awkward. It’s ridiculous. Seokjin shouldn’t have decided to talk about this in a crowd, surrounded by people who know nothing about what’s going on between you two. But now that he did, his heart sinks, his mind in a painful fog, and he puffs out some air, calming himself.

“Let’s leave,” he suddenly suggests, and you think you can see the faintest glint of panic in his dark eyes, “clear it out somewhere else. At my place?”

Again, you shake your head, chuckling lightly but not decently. “I can’t. I’m sorry, I can’t. There’s someone…”

Jin is quick to cut you once again, his breathing suddenly erratic. He’s been in love with you for years - no, he can’t take the thought of you having a boyfriend now, choosing someone over him. “Someone else? This fast? Y/N, why did I never-”

He stops mid-sentence, and it happens just timely as you were going to hold out a hand to silence him anyway.

“Jin. Listen,” you start, leaning in closer, “there’s someone who offered to guide me through a scholarship. Not here - in a different city. And as much as I’ve always wanted you, I can’t do long-distance relationships.”

Your words ease the pain inside him, his mind suddenly relaxing as he takes in your confession. You want him. You’ve always wanted him. Is all of this real?

“Where- where are you going?”

“It’s too far away. I wouldn’t see you more than a handful of times a year. I can’t do this,” you admit, your eyes stinging as you swallow the lump in your throat.

You see him tilt his head with a sigh, and you’re on the verge of breaking when you see his mouth twitch, that familiar movement that mostly means despair. This always happens when his grades are worse than he expects. It happens when he talks to his little brother who lives miles away. Mostly, you see it when you watch - or used to watch - movies together, especially Pixar and Ghibli ones tearing him up in no time.

And now, it’s happening because of you.

“Is there no way for you to stay?”

You bite your lip, chewing on it until you taste your lipstick. “I don’t think so. And it’s… a big chance for me.”

Seokjin’s jaw clenches and he nods, relief turning into sorrow as his expression shows understanding on the surface while his blood is boiling with pain on the inside. He’s angry with himself - he truly is. But he’s also sad about the fact that you never approached him.

And while waiting for the other in silence, phones in your hands, but the courage to message each other so far away, you missed it. You both missed it and he hates it.

“Then I hope you’ll get everything you want, Y/N,” he finally says, standing up as he grabs his thin jacket. It’s probably not that fresh outside yet, he can carry it - maybe hide his fumbling hands that clearly show his nervosity and distaste to this whole situation.

All he can think of is to get away before he breaks.

Yet, he comes closer to you, hovering above you before he leans down. Not caring about your surroundings, only seeing you, his heart only beating for you, he presses his lips onto your forehead first, wanders to your nose, both your cheeks and your earlobes as he says in between each kiss, “whenever… you decide… to come back… I’ll be here…”

Then, he cups your face, looking at your beautiful, full lips, missing how they feel on his before he kisses you gently. His mouth moves delicately, sweetly against yours, bittersweet memories and feelings streaming back as you internally forbid yourself to cry.

“Waiting for you,” he finally whispers, lips brushing yours, and every fiber in you tries hard to hold back. To not pull him into another room, kiss him more fiercely and bring back the fervent heat that you’d indulged in the last time.

His thumb brushes your cheeks softly, his eyes registering you gulping hard as he says his goodbyes, so he can leave. There’s just no way he can stay here any longer. “Don’t cry. I’ll be here, sweetheart.”

And then, his warmth is gone.

Fighting the urge to follow him, you watch him walk away, mind going crazy as you see him face the ground. You can’t falter. You need to focus on your studies before anything else - you don’t want to regret your choices; and if what he says holds true, you might just be able to wrap him into you forever when you come back in a year or two.

Maybe it’s not over yet.

The sun has set by the time Seokjin arrives home. All the sunshine from today morning has vanished, warming someone else, somewhere else now, leaving him in the dark as he lets himself fall on his bed.

An absolute disaster, all of this. And what an idiot he is. Why did he not insist on inviting you over? Ask you if there was any way you’d spend this one last night with him? The lingering feelings of your soft lips strengthen his despair tenfold, and he hates himself for not fighting for a night or a day with you. After all, you’re not going away just yet.

But deep down he knows why he did what he did: being together again would just hurt you both further, the small flame that both of your pain is becoming a searing wildfire. At least he knows for sure that this is what would happen to him. He knows it’d be near impossible to let you go if he woke up beside you.

What if Seokjin searches for scholarships, too? Your grades are similar - if you can get one, why not him? The picture of having you around, falling asleep next to you, studying together and bantering over food and movies - it’s so intriguing that he knows what he’ll search up tomorrow. 

Then again, you have your people; he doesn’t know anyone who can guide him through this, give him a fast opportunity to study somewhere else, be near you.

He doesn’t know. Not how to get you back, not how to feel you again; his brain comes up with nothing helpful, no plan he can actually execute successfully.

Slipping out of his pants, he lingers at the corner of the bed, his arms leaning on his thighs as his fingers tangle between them. Seokjin shakes his head as he physically feels his heart break, each broken piece fighting the other and torturing him, no matter how much he tells them to calm down.

And despite not knowing what to do, what to feel, how to erase the image of you and your face from his mind for the time being, he remembers something else.

When he’d looked for the meaning of the aloe plant, he had found many sources, some beautiful descriptions, and some poetic definitions that connected it to an emotional feeling. While the flower holds the meaning of affection, the memory of another word comes flooding in, ironic to the fact that aloe is supposed to heal, used to mend injuries and pain.

And thinking of this particular word, all he does know at this agonizing moment is that he identifies with your plant’s meaning.

He knows that all he feels is grief.

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[lost-in-yujikiri]

Top 3 personal favorite YujiKiri scenes for SAO anime/ LN/ manga/ games

Hi anon, I don’t forget about your question, I just want to wait for after the dub finished that important episode of YujiKiri in WoU haha. Here it is my ranking:

ANIME

3) This scene when Kirito saw Eugeo coming to help him in WoU, that parallels with a similar one of Eugeo in Alicization 1st half. Look at their teary faces full of happiness and undescribed emotions

2) The header of this blog since forever, I love the beautiful animation where both of them fairy dancing in space and Eugeo gave him inspiration talk

1) This one scene where Eugeo “spirit” jogged Kirito’s spirit up from his 6 months long coma. His girlfriend Asuna, sister Suguha, friend and PTSD confidant Sinon came first to talk to Kirito out of this but he refused to wake up, blocked them and tried to kill himself by taking out his own heart, and then Eugeo showed up and he finally listened and was able to forgive his own self-proclaimed sins, took back his sword with his scarred past and fought again. It’s a very strong emotional YujiKiri scene

LIGHT NOVEL

3) This Kirito’s monologue when Kirito was resting after climbing outside the Cathedral with Alice, it’s the first time he was ever separated from Eugeo over 2 years and he already missed his partner, below is just a trimmed version with some of my comments because it’s too long:

And what was he doing now…? Now that I thought about it, in the two years since I’d met him near Rulid, there had never been a situation in which I couldn’t see him immediately if I wanted—until right now. We slept outdoors on our long journey to Centoria, complained about sharing a cramped inn floor, and even shared dorm rooms the entire time we were at Swordcraft Academy. It was simply a given that we were always together, and although I didn’t always think about him, I felt oddly lonely now that we were apart. ... Before I’d been trapped in the deadly game of SAO, I considered all the other boys at school to be childish. I was reserved in my interactions with them. That standoffish nature of mine didn’t change much once I was trapped in that virtual floating castle. I’d met men like Klein and Agil who were good, well-adjusted souls that I found common ground with, but we never reached that level of true friendship when you bare your secrets to the other. Even with Asuna, the deepest relationship I’d ever had, I wasn’t able to confess my inner weakness until just before the moment Aincrad crumbled and our minds were about to vanish. ... After I gained my freedom from SAO, my reputation for strength in VR had to be continually upheld, lest I lose that valuable image. I was trapped by the knowledge that others knew me not as the weak, mortal Kazuto Kirigaya, but as Kirito the hero, champion of the game of death. And I couldn’t deny that I had been leading them (and myself) to that conclusion, even though I knew deep down that the more layers of that artifice that built up, the further I got from the truly important things. So when I first realized after meeting Eugeo that I didn’t have to pretend to be anything, I was amazed—and wondered why.

You know, Kirito, I think because for the first time you can ever forget about all the burdens you have been carrying and be the real you around Eugeo. Do you know how heart-wrenching and lonely it feels when the world around you worship you for your heroic deeds in the past, and you can never be seen as the real “you” (before Kirito met Eugeo)? That you feel like you can’t help but keep strengthening yourself and threw into more challenges since you can’t just lose that image? I’m sure everyone around Kirito means well, but everyone’s lowkey putting Kirito on a pedestal even unconsciously and he can not really see them as real equals. My thoughts around Asuna’s case is... a bit complicated and I think it’s a bit situational unfortunate for her, but that is a topic for another time when I will go back and discuss Mother’s Rosario LN & WoU.

... If my fluctlight’s battle processor was a current-model silicon CPU, then Eugeo’s was a next-generation diamond CPU. I was still playing the role of instructor to him, but it was only because I had more experience and knowledge. If Eugeo kept improving at his current pace, it wouldn’t be long before our positions were switched.

... If I could solve all the problems afflicting the Underworld and escape safely with Eugeo’s fluctlight intact, I wanted to have him dive into ALfheim Online instead—I was certain that the lightcube was capable of interfacing with all Seed-based VR worlds equally—so that he could meet Asuna, Leafa, Klein, and all the others. Here’s my first pupil and best friend, I’d say to them.

Kirito thinks Eugeo has a lot of potential, he’s proud for it and part of his reasons for fighting is to bring Eugeo to real world with him. This is really sad when we know the outcome.

2) That time when Kirito gave Eugeo a pep talk when they were taking care of Zephyria flowers. The anime scene is very beautiful, but I like the depiction in the LN more simply because of this Kirito’s thought:

Eugeo trembled again under my palm. I willed strength into my hand, wishing it would flow through my fingers like it had just done for the plants. ‘You are strong. You are. You’re the one who made the decision to leave your home, in this world bound by laws and rules.’

Kirito never thought of Eugeo as weak, he even admired Eugeo’s desire to change, thinking that it’s his strength, and that’s why he gave Eugeo the mental boost.

1) Eugeo’s monologue when he saw Kirito came for him on the 100th Floor of the Cathedral

‘Kirito…there you are…’ Something deep inside him throbbed with an emotion he couldn’t even name. But that pain wasn’t an unpleasant one. It was certainly much gentler than the suffering he’d felt when the Piety Module was jammed into his head—and more wistful and sweet.

Eugeo felt so loved, so grateful to the boy who came for him right then. It’s on the reader to think what that emotion is, but it can’t be simple. Right?

MANGA

3) Kirito used Eugeo’s elbow as his pillow in Lycoris manga:

2) The adaptation of the iconic half hug in “I’ve been waiting for you in this forest for 6 year” from the LN that the anime cut

1) Kirito’s euphoric tears when Eugeo is still alive after Admin fight in Lycoris manga:

GAMES

3) That time Kirito waited for Eugeo all night to go back from some business:

2) That time Kirito missed everyone in the real world, Eugeo doesn’t know the truth but he wanted to cheer up Kirito, so they talked about their emotions in midnight and it got weirdly blushy:

1) At near the end game of Lycoris, a tragedy happened that made Kirito devastated, Eugeo is the first one to ask if he’s OK and even ran to hug him tightly. Now you know I’m a sucker for this kind of comfort and assurance

[diavolodigitale]

Stare

So... there’s this. I wrote most of the text like half a year ago and I was reeeeeally happy about it, but then I finished reading the novel and just kind of dropped it. Anyway, I came across this story among some other trash in my folders some time ago and decided that I was strongly determined to finish it as it would be a shame if I wasted so much work.

Me: the beginning was so good, I am upset about the way I finished it :C well, nobody’s going to read it anyway, so who cares.

AO3: psst, you wanna 1000+ hits on this?

Lately, Lan Xichen had been feeling uneasy all the time. No matter where he went, he would feel apprehensive and tense, as if something threatened him, pricked him in the back. Perhaps, it was high time for him to finally turn around and face what had been lurking in shadows this whole time.

Genres: Romance, Fluff, Comfort, Eventual Romance

Pairing: Lan Xichen/Jiang Cheng

Characters: Lan Xichen, Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji, Jin Ling, Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi

Rating: G for God why is it so long

Size: whopping 16000 words (all 5 chapters are in this post)

Chapter 1: Aggressive 

Standing in the doorway of the Cloud Recess reception hall, Lan Xichen slightly turned his head to face the inside of the spacious room. The feeling of uneasiness he had been experiencing for the last couple of minutes reached its peak, which made him resolute to find out what exactly seemed so wrong to him. It was the time of what one might call a sporadic celebration held by the Gusu Lan sect together with the Yunmeng Jiang sect every once in a while with the purpose of strengthening the bonds between the two sects. The guests had already gathered and now were merrily chatting around him, yet from the very beginning of the ceremony he had been feeling as though something was odd, and this feeling did not let him be at ease.

His gaze slid swiftly from one corner of the room, passing the members of both clans resting at their tables, each on their respective side, and stopped abruptly at the face of Jiang Cheng, who was sitting stiffly, holding a cup with liquor in his hand, and fixedly staring at him with an unusually grim expression on his face. The moment Lan Xichen caught him doing that, he tried to avert his eyes as if he hadn’t been looking that way at all, and gulped everything that was in his cup at one go.

Not unlike Jin Guangyao, Lan Xichen was very much concerned with the well-being and comfort of his guests, so he immediately thought that something must have happened that angered the leader of the Jiang sect, who was, in addition to everything, quite infamous for his short temper. With Jiang Cheng diligently hiding his gaze, the atmosphere, to which Lan Xichen was quite susceptible, lightened quite considerably, so he concluded that his feeling must have appeared because of Jiang Cheng’s dissatisfaction with the Gusu Lan sect’s ceremony.

His smile as kind and genuine as ever, Lan Xichen elegantly but promptly approached the table at which Jiang Cheng was sitting.

“Sect Leader Jiang,” he greeted and bowed politely, joining his hands in front of himself.

“Sect Leader Lan,” murmured the greeting Jiang Cheng, standing up from his mat and also bowing in respect.

Despite the fact that Lan Xichen would frequently personally greet all of his guests, he had been unprecedentedly busy before this particular celebration and hadn’t had the opportunity to welcome the disciples and members of the Yunmeng Jiang sect when they had just arrived. He was wondering if that might have become the cause for Jaing Cheng’s displeasure.

“Are you enjoying the ceremony, Sect Leader Jiang?” he asked, his eyes slightly squinted because of the smile blooming on his face. He was sure the ceremony would satisfy the needs of all of his guests as Lan Wangji had personally attended to all of the matters that concerned its organization. In spite of that, he still wanted to make sure nothing out of the ordinary had happened that might have spoiled the mood of his guests.

“Yes, I am,” nodded Jiang Cheng, taking a seat on his mat again. He abruptly turned his eyes to Jin Ling, who, he had noticed earlier, was frantically spinning and turning at his own table beside him. Sending him a condemnatory look, he turned back to Lan Xichen and added, “Do not bother, Sect Leader Lan. You could not have held a better ceremony.”

Lan Xichen bowed lightly in gratitude. Jiang Cheng was a difficult person to deal with, so he, of course, would not have let it out even if something had really displeased him, especially to the sect leader’s face, so Lan Xichen decided to stick around for a little longer and entertain the Yunmeng Jiang sect leader with his presence, just to be on the safe side.

“I sincerely hope you do not mind me joining you,” he said politely, kneeling beside Jiang Cheng’s table.

Jiang Cheng’s eyes widened a bit from surprise as it was not common for a sect leader to sit beside their guests instead of taking their seat at the head of the main table.

“No… not at all,” he replied, trying to make his voice seem emotionless and rigid.

Jin Ling stared at them with overt interest, having abandoned the food he indulged into only moments ago. Jiang Cheng sent him another killing stare, reminding him to watch his manners, and the young man was forced to mind his own business yet again. He was extremely bored to sit there all alone with nobody to chat with, but even more than that he was afraid of a future scolding, so in the end decided not to test his uncle’s patience.

“How do you find the liquor from Gusu, Sect Leader Jiang?” asked Lan Xichen, carefully filling his cup from the liquor bottle standing on his table.

Jiang Cheng accepted the cup and looked into the clear liquid inside of it, reflecting on the question. Not a single muscle on his face twitched as he gulped it and set the cup on the table with a quiet tap.

“It is to my liking,” he said briefly and threw a quick glance at the bottle in Lan Xichen’s hands.

The man in front of him smiled vividly and busied himself with filling his cup yet again.

Some visitors of the Cloud Recess felt quite uncomfortable when served the liquor there as the Lan sect members wouldn’t join them in drinking it, and Jiang Cheng was definitely one of them. Yet he could not admit it as it seemed impolite for him to refuse a drink offered by the sect leader himself.

“Young Master Wei mentioned quite a few times that he preferred it to the liquor from Yunmeng,” said Lan Xichen, offering the filled cup to Jiang Cheng once again.

“I am sure he did,” murmured Jiang Cheng and pouted for reasons unknown to his interlocutor. He took the cup from Lan Xichen but did not down it and instead continued to hold it in his hands, as if warming it.

To avoid the uncomfortable silence that arose after mentioning Wei Wuxian in the conversation, Lan Xichen sighed with pretended disappointment and said, “I myself was never able to try it, so all I can do is believe Young Master Wei’s as well as Sect Leader Jiang’s words. Could you, perhaps, describe the taste to me, Sect Leader Jiang?” The smile not fading from his face for even a second, Lan Xichen tilted his head a bit and added, “If it would not be too much of a bother for you, of course.”

“It is...” started Jiang Cheng, still looking into his cup instead of lifting his head to face Lan Xichen, and squeezed his lips.

Jin Ling was gawking at them again, leaning a bit on the wooden surface before him, his puppy eyes gleaming at the sight of something even slightly more interesting that the plates on his table he was rearranging this whole time. Jiang Cheng only sighed at the annoying youngling’s behaviour and continued after a short pause.

“It is sweet with a bit of spice in it. It does not sting like some other wines I have been lucky enough to sample and because of that it is quite easy to be tricked by its mildness and drink more than one should.”

After blurting out the last part of the sentence, Jiang Cheng hurried to drink the wine in his cup, this time savouring the taste.

Watching him drink, Lan Xichen nodded a few times as if understanding what Jiang Cheng meant.

“Has Sect Leader Lan ever felt like tasting the wine himself?” asked Jiang Chen, not giving him back the cup for refilling. Immediately, though, he seized the question, not letting Lan Xichen even consider his answer. “My apologies if I am being disrespectful, asking such a thing. Please, disregard my question.”

La Xichen shook his head, smiling.

“I was curious. There is no shame for anybody in wanting to try the unknown. I am only inquiring about it because, if I am being completely honest, I still am curious,” he squinted his eyes in a guilty smile, his hands lying flat on his knees, not able to get a hold of the cup to fill for his guest. “It is the fragrance, you see,” he continued. “I can feel a very strong fruit aroma enveloping the room every time we hold a ceremony in the Cloud Recess, and it piques my curiosity.”

“It must be tough for the Lan sect disciples if even Sect Leader Lan feels this way,” exclaimed Jin Ling surprisedly. Jiang Cheng immediately turned to him with his whole body, the sight of his clenched fist silencing all further remarks of his nephew.

Lan Xichen laughed softly, taking the cup from Jiang Cheng’s tight grip and startling him with an airy touch on his fingers. He seemed to hear the fragile porcelain almost crack in Jiang Cheng’s hand and decided to save his guest from likely injuring himself, even if it came at the cost of him looking a bit insolent.

“Indeed, it is tough, but they have many other things to enjoy here,” he said, filling the cup yet again. “Sect Leader Jiang, do not be angry at Young Master Jin. Let children be children, as inquisitive and restless as they can be. At least during such festivities.”

Jin Ling’s eyes lit up when Lan Xichen himself stood up for him. He glanced at his uncle, awaiting his reaction, and felt satisfied, seeing how Jiang Cheng ended up following the advice of his senior and only sighed again defeatedly, accepting the cup.

“Children are not easily entertained during such events. Perhaps, Young Master Jin would like to leave the reception hall and join the Gusu Lan sect disciples who right now happen to practice archery in the training yard? Of course, with the permission of his sect leader,” said Lan Xichen, glancing kindly first at Jin Ling, and then at his uncle.

Hearing the proposal, Jin Ling grew even more agitated and pressed his hands hard on his knees, silently praying for Jiang Cheng to let him go.

As soon as Jiang Cheng gave him a short nod, he sprinted out of the hall, thanking both him and Zewu-Jun as he ran towards the exit.

“Running is prohibited in the Cloud Recess!” rang the voice of Lan Qiren from somewhere on the other side of the room, but Jin Ling was already too far to care or even notice.

Lan Xichen gracefully covered his mouth with his long white sleeve, letting out a short laugh. Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue, his brows furrowing as he looked in the direction Jin Ling ran in.

“I will bring the brat back and make him apologize for his behaviour,” he said through gritted teeth.

Fearing he would really stand up and follow his nephew, Lan Xichen rushed to stop him.

“No need to worry, Sect Leader Jiang, Young Master Jin will be able to make amends for it later. I am sure it is not the last time you are in the Cloud Recess after all.”

Having been positively influenced by Zewu-Jun’s wish to keep the ceremony as peaceful and tranquil as possible, Jiang Cheng seemed to quickly calm down, and for once stopped thinking about how his nephew always allegedly brought him trouble and shame in the eyes of the surrounding people.

Lan Xichen noticed that Jiang Cheng still did not drink the wine he poured him previously, so he tried to redirect his attention to that instead.

“Ah, now that I think of it, Sect Leader Jiang has just mentioned that it is quite easy to drink more wine than one should, and I am now hurrying him to drink even more without offering a single bite of food. How improper of me,” he said and bowed slightly, feeling a bit foolish.

“Please, do not apologize, Zewu-Jun, I am treated well, and I have everything I need here,” awkwardly replied Jiang Cheng and took a grape from one of the small plates standing on the table in front of him as if to assure the host he was really fine. “What is more important,” he muttered, “I feel like I am stealing the attention of Zewu-Jun from the other guests. Please, do not feel obliged to entertain me exclusively, I do not require others to keep me company at all times, Zewu-Jun.”

His words sounded a bit harsher than he wanted them to, yet there was no going back, so he just sat and looked at Lan Xichen. The expression of the latter one, however, did not change the slightest, he only shook his head again with the same mild smile.

“Sect Leader Jiang is our most important guest, so there is no other person here today more entitled to get my attention. Moreover, I do not feel forced, so Sect Leader Jiang has nothing to worry about. Only if my presence burdens him, will I take my leave,” he said, screwing his eyes. One might say the words would sound somewhat shamelessly if it was not for the person who uttered them.

Having felt the air in the room become significantly livelier and lighter after he came to keep Jiang Cheng company, Lan Xichen decided it would be best to stay and personally make sure his guest did not need anything and felt comfortable and satisfied, thus, the condition he put forward.

“No-no! It is not that… I did not…” blurted Jiang Cheng, gravely afraid to offend or anger his most powerful ally who also just happened to be the calmest person ever known to the cultivation world. He managed to quickly compose himself and went on, “I would not want Zewu-Jun to have sore knees because of me.”

He looked at how Lan Xichen had been sitting on the bare floor this whole time and clenched his teeth and the jawbone below his temples jutted.

“Then I will take a cushion not to trouble the sect leader and join him shortly,” answered Lan Xichen, not leaving Jiang Cheng any other choice than to comply.

Lan Qiren shook his head, disapproving of the sight.

Wei Wuxian conspiratorially leaned to Lan Wangji sitting beside him and whispered to him, covering his mouth with his hand.

“What are they even doing there? Lan Zhan, why is Zewu-Jun not sitting at his table today?”

Lan Wangji did not answer and only continued to look at how his brother was arranging a seat for himself near Jiang Cheng.

Wei Wuxian hmphed and mumbled to himself.

“Well, if Hanguang-Jun doesn’t know, then there is nobody in this room I can possibly ask apart from Zewu-Jun himself”.

Watching intently as Jiang Cheng was constantly huffing and puffing, his face shifting from grim and pale to anxious and bluish, while Lan Xichen was smiling, and smiling, and smiling his warm and amiable smile, filling his cup again and again, Wei Wuxian couldn’t help but chuckle at how helpless his shidi looked.

“Wei Ying, stop staring,” whispered Lan Wangji, his glance pricking Wei Wuxian as he reproached him for his inappropriate behaviour.

“Lan Zha-a-ang,” uttered Wei Ying slowly, giving Lan Wangji a few reassuring pats on the back, “don’t be such a bore. Even if you don’t want to look, I do, because this is truly a sight I do not indent to miss even a second of.”

Chapter 2: Threatening

Another eerily similar episode happened to Lan Xichen in a few weeks’ time, during the nighthunt under the supervision of the Yunmeng Jiang sect. Both of the sects participated in it by mutual agreement.

The hour was late and the night air was fresh. No animals or any other wildlife could be seen active in the proximity of the cultivators’ makeshift

camp situated on the clearing in the woods. Long arms of trees reached out far and intertwined, creating the illusion of closed space around the clearing, but the area in the middle of it was brightly illuminated by the moon light on a par with many lanterns brought by the cultivators. The atmosphere was calm enough, despite the fact that many people were agitated and anxiously looking forward to the grandiose fight, some of them making practice swings with their swords while the others fought their urges to start a bonfire and nestle cozily beside it, falling asleep, surrounded by dark wilderness.

“Brother, the beast has fled from Young Master Jin’s trap,” uttered emotionlessly Lan Wangji, having approached his brother. Zewu-Jun was graciously standing near a tall branchy tree at the side of the clearing and watching the cultivators roam around and try to find the track of the beast they came to hunt down.

“As expected,” he said knowingly, “having been wounded by it, it is now enraged and will soon come to seek its revenge.”

Lan Wangji nodded agreeingly. They knew it was not the best idea, to put a trap for such a huge beast, as it was clearly not able to hold it back, much less kill it. Nonetheless, they chose not to raise their concerns as this time they were only the guests of the Yunmeng Jiang sect. Jin Ling’s methods differed from those used by their disciples, but he seemed to have quite a lot of fun, nighthunting using all of the means provided to him by his uncle, and there was enough of adult cultivators around to take care of the situation in case something went wrong.

Hearing Jin Ling, Lan Sizhui, and Lan Jingyi happily chattering over the enormous footprints the beast had left along a narrow path in the woods, Lan Xichen smiled. His goal had always been to discipline his disciples so that he could later let them wander around the world without having to worry for their safety. It was achieved by teaching them to control themselves, be careful and aware of their surroundings, and putting as much knowledge into their heads as it was humanly possible. Nevertheless, at such moments he wanted to give them as much freedom as he could, understanding how thousands and thousands of rules of the Gusu Lan sect could impinge on the young minds such as theirs.

He looked at Lan Wangji standing proudly beside him, his face so similar to his own, yet so different at the same time.

“Wangji, where will you go after the nighthunt is over?” he asked inquisitively.

“Don’t know. Let us catch the beast first, then think,” he answered with no emotions colouring his voice.

“I will be glad to see you in Could Recess, but if you have other plans…” Lan Xichen hesitated before smiling with the corners of his lips as he looked at Wei Wuxian, who pretended to teach something extremely valuable to the juniors standing with their mouths gaping, and continuing, “I do not mind either.”

Lan Wangji bowed to him in gratitude, knowing that it was not easy for his brother to let him go and take all of the responsibilities of leading the sect onto his shoulders. Anyway, he did not intend to leave before the beast was dealt with, and Wei Wuxian’s extreme desire to glance at how big and wild it was was only one of many reasons for that.

It was rumoured that the beast was a giant scorpion with a head of a snake coming out of its tail instead of a sting. As tall as four horses stacked atop of each other, it supposedly could kill a negligent passer-by in more than a hundred different ways: crush them by its weight, swallow them completely, strangle them with its wriggling snake body; and those were only the methods mentioned briefly in the tavern of the nearby city by its owner, who was so eager to discuss the beast, the cultivators did not even have to pay him for his tongue to loosen.

Nobody knew where such a beast could come from or where it could possibly be hiding at, as nobody ever lived long enough to see it leave. In any case, tales told by common folk were rarely to be trusted in such circumstances, as quite frequently the beasts that were frolicking around the forests and killing hundreds of men turned out to be mere animals that grew a bit too large in size and scared one or two villagers on their way home. What one misheard, the other one overexaggerated, and so the stories of hellish demon spawns were born to reach the ears of the members of the cultivation sect that was the closest to the infested area.

Experienced cultivators knew not to hope too much to encounter what they were promised, but the juniors still held a youthful lust for adventures, the tales of which they would be able to share with each other afterwards as a part of their competition for the title of the bravest and most talented swordsman. They wandered around the area of the forest not too far away from their seniors and tried to determine what was the beast’s movement pattern, veering, as Wei Wuxian was lazily sitting on the tree branch and pointing with his flute to the spots they should inspect, his leg swinging casually.

Should the beast really be as incredible and mighty as it was described by the villagers, the amount of negative air enveloping the members of the two sects would be overwhelming at best. Despite that, the only thread of threatening energy Lan Xichen felt was the one directed solely at him. It was far too weak to affect him in any way, but its pricking still made him

feel uncomfortable and a bit twitchy, even though he did not display it. The energy was not scattered all over the place and instead bothered only him, which made him think it must not be the beast who was emitting it.

As he was pondering over where this energy could possibly be coming from, he noticed his brother standing quietly, directing all of his attention at a particular spot on the other edge of the circular clearing the cultivators were occupying. He followed his gaze, but could not see what he was staring at.

“What is the matter, Wangji?” he asked.

“I thought I saw someone,” replied Lan Wangji with notes of concern in his voice, only discernible by Lan Xichen.

“Behind that tree?” asked Lan Xichen, seemingly not worrying even a tad.

Lan Wangji nodded, clenching the hilt of Bichen.

Lan Xichen put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head lightly before rising noiselessly up into the air with the intention of flying over to the other side and not scaring away a person that stood there, hiding. His snowy robes and ink-black long hair fluttered in the wind when he suddenly stopped and descended back down, hearing a familiar voice ringing out further in the woods.

“Uncle Jiang! What are you standing here for? I almost didn’t notice you!” yelled Jin Ling, slamming into the tree Lan Xichen previously wanted to approach to stop himself from passing by Jiang Cheng.

Without saying anything, Jiang Cheng came out from behind the tree, his fists clenched, eyes bulging, and lips pouting. He couldn’t make up his mind as to how we could scold his nephew for what he had done, so instead only stared at him, hoping that the stare would be as effective as the words he was now at a loss for.

Jin Ling did not understand why in the world his uncle was angry already since he did not yet do anything to cause this. He did his best to ignore this sudden fit of rage and continued as if nothing happened.

“I was looking for you everywhere! Uncle Jiang, Uncle Wei showed me how we can track the beast’s way starting at my trap. Will you go in search of it with us?” he beamed, not being able to stand still from the excitement that filled him.

“Uncle Wei?” mocked Jiang Cheng, the corner of his lip twitching. “If he is your uncle now, what do you even come to me for? Next time we are in Lotus Pear, why don’t you collect all of your belongings and join him on his journeys instead of staying?” he raged.

Jin Ling’s eyes reddened a bit and lips started to tremble. The situation seemed so unfair to him. Having lost one of the few relatives he had and suddenly having found another one only to be chided for it by the closest person he had, he felt like running away immediately and never speaking to Jiang Cheng again. He was used to his uncle yelling at him left and right, but the topic of family had always been his weak spot, and he knew that Jiang Cheng was well aware of that.

“Maybe I will!” he shouted with a wobbling voice. “If you don’t want to see me in Lotus Pier, you can just say so, you don’t have to look for excuses like uncle Wei!”

Everybody directed their attention to the two yelling at each other. The disciples of the Yunmeng Jiang sect were, of course, long accustomed to such squabbles between their leader and his nephew, but this one in particular seemed to be a tad worse than most of the previous ones.

Fairy ran towards its owner, barking loudly, as it sensed how upset he was. It sat close to Jin Ling’s feet, flattened its ears against its head, and pushed its black snout into his hand in between his trembling fingers.

Jin Ling, being almost on the verge of crying, carefully petted it with his hand and fearlessly looked Jiang Cheng in the eyes.

Looking at them sticking so close to each other in search of support, both confused and distressed, Jiang Cheng felt extremely guilty. He knew that he shouldn’t have said what he had, but it was also incredibly hard for him to admit his mistake, especially in front of so many people that included his own subordinates as well as the prominent cultivators from the Lan sect. He was breathing heavily as the feelings of remorse and spite fought inside of him. As always, spite won.

“Jin Ling! You-”

“Sect Leader Jiang,” interrupted Lan Xichen, appearing out of nowhere beside him. Everybody was so focused on the argument that didn’t even notice when he managed to approach the two. The expression on his face was gentle, yet he was not smiling, feeling it would be completely out of place at the time.

“Sect Leader Jiang,” he repeated to get Jiang Cheng’s attention, “please, let us consider this incident a misunderstanding. Both you and Young Master Jin need some time to cool off, so why don’t you speak again after we finish the nighthunt together?”

Lan Xichen wanted to lay his hand on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder, but it seemed to him that he would get a scorch from how furious he was, so he dared not. He gave Jin Ling a sympathetic look and nodded encouragingly,

taking his chances to persuade at least one of the sides to settle for a temporary peace.

Jin Ling sniffed, trying his best not to let a single tear slip out of his eyes, crossed his hands on the chest and turned away, showing his unwillingness to continue the talk.

“Fine,” roared Jiang Cheng and determinately fled deeper into the forest, not to be bothered by anybody else. Lan Xichen, however, did not agree with his decision, so he followed him, waving his hand for others to stay away. Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian gingerly approached Jin Ling, pushing Lan Wangji to the front as he went to get an obstacle between him and the huge spiritual dog panting at Jin Ling’s feet. He was not yet ready to overcome his fear, but seeing his shijie’s son at such a state was more than he could handle.

“Sect Leader Jiang!” called Lan Xichen, almost catching up with Jiang Cheng. “Please, wait.”

Jiang Cheng stopped abruptly and sighed, still clenching his fists.

“I know that my behaviour was ill-advised, Sect Leader Lan. I apologize that you had to witness it, but I cannot make up for it right now. Maybe, it would be best if you joined your sect members and defeated the beast for the nighthunt and everything about it to finally be over.”

“Sect Leader Jiang’s disciples are all extremely skilled and talented, I am sure that my help is not needed at the moment,” said Lan Xichen consolingly and couldn’t help but let an awkward smile slide onto his face.

Jiang Cheng turned around and faced the only person that had the audacity to follow him. Other cultivators having stayed behind, there was nobody to hold a lantern and illuminate the place, so his face was completely submerged into darkness. Despite that, Lan Xichen still managed to discern what a guilty and upset expression he was wearing. One single ray of moonlight managed to slip through thick branches above, and for a second it seemed like Jiang Cheng’s eyes were shimmering.

“Sect Leader Jiang,” started Lan Xichen again, seeing how Jiang Cheng could not find any suitable words, “lately, I have noticed that something is bothering you. Has anything happened?” Similarly to Wangji’s, his robes possessed a peculiar feature of giving the effect of shining in the darkness, even without a proper light source nearby. His hair descended in soft waves onto his lapels and blew in the late-night breeze. Holding his hands behind his back, he was the epitome of tranquility.

Jiang Cheng had always envied such people and how they never lost control over anything.

“No,” he uttered, raising his head to feel the wind roaming up in the tree branches and rustling the leaves above them.

Lan Xichen was drawn away from gazing onto his tired face by the sudden gust of hateful energy brought about by the wind. It was indeed strong, stronger than what he had expected to find in the forest that night. Immediately he became more alert and reached for the xiao hanging on his waist.

“Seems like we are not alone anymore,” smirked Jiang Cheng, stroking the ring on his index finger.

For a moment, complete silence fell onto the forest. Then the beast emerged.

Should the other cultivators be with them at the moment, Wei Wuxian and all of the younger disciples would be glad to learn that at least the tales of it having a hideous snake head instead of a sting were true. Its eyes were dangerously gleaming in the darkness as it menacingly approached the two sect leaders. Its size was truly terrifying, even though it was quite difficult to determine if it was really as tall as rumoured. The cloud of resentful energy it produced was so overpowering that both men were taken aghast. It was impossible to understand how such a large beast with this much dark power managed to sneak up on them.

Not taking even a second of delay, Lan Xichen grabbed Liebing. The sound, cold and clear, enveloped everything around them, and the beast immediately staggered on its way to attacking him. Lan Xichen took a few careful steps back, still playing his xiao. The beast roared and squelched because of the melody piercing it right to its essence, but still followed him. It would not be a difficult fight for the leader of the Lan sect, seeing how he was able to take control of the creature at the very start of it, but it wasn’t meant for him to finish off the monster that night.

With a low growl, Jiang Cheng made an abrupt movement of his hand, and a neon-purple whip traced its pattern, hitting the ground beneath his feet and making a dent in the soft undergrowth. The beast turned its ugly head to the startling sound and took a giant step towards Lan Xichen, wanting to escape the newly emerged threat. With no hesitation at all, it sent his tail with a snake’s mouth wide-open towards Jiang Cheng in an attempt to drive him back.

Engulfed in the ghostly sound of the flute, Jiang Cheng glanced in the direction the beast was advancing to, and his body moved without him even having to make a conscious effort. He dodged the bite of the giant snake, almost completely dropping to the ground, and instantly rose up to press on the creature. He hit the ground with Zidian a few times on both

sides of the monster, scaring it and not letting it use any other route to escape.

Disturbed by the flute’s lethargic melody and blinded by Zidian’s glare, the beast cried again in despair before Jiang Cheng raised his whip one last time, swaying it high in the air for the hit to gain force, and landed it with a crack dead on the center of the beast, cutting both of its heads together with its body into two perfectly even parts. Lan Xichen hurriedly jumped away, hearing how the tree behind him snaped in half, also stricken by the whip.

Still holding Liebing in his hand, and for some reason holding his breath, he glanced at Jiang Cheng. His heart was pounding loudly as he continued looking, enchanted by the sight.

Zidian glared with vivid purple light and crackled, sparks flying all around its owner. Even the fresh nigh air seemed to feel crisp as small flashes of lightening pierced it here and there, making it impossible to even approach Jiang Cheng. With his face austere, chin slightly protruding upwards, and eyes full of resentment and haughtiness towards the fallen opponent, he stood there, amid the dark chilly woods, illuminated by the ghastly glow of his spiritual weapon. His combed hair seemed to be the colour of a ripe dark plum while his face resembled a light and tender thistle, in addition to its paleness remaining unmoved and, thus, making him look more like a ghost than human. Without moving his head, he slowly turned his eyes to Lan Xichen who was breaking a certain rule of his own sect, still staring at him, and pierced him with his scornful glance in return.

After what seemed to Lan Xichen as eternity, but, in reality, turned out to be a mere few seconds, they were approached by a noisy crowd of cultivators, rushing from the camp to the sounds of a battle. Hurrying at the head of the group was Lan Wangji who understood something was wrong hearing the first notes of his brother’s xiao ringing in the distance.

“Brother, have you been hurt?” he asked, examining the destructive aftermath of the whip’s work around them.

“I am completely unharmed, thanks to Sect Leader Jiang,” answered Lan Xichen slowly, taking his time to regain his composure. He added, still looking at Jiang Cheng, “Sect Leader Jiang, I am much obliged for your help.”

Holding Liebing, he locked his hands in front of himself and took a deep bow to Jiang Cheng, staying in this position for a few more seconds than needed.

“Wah, how scary,” whispered Lan Jingyi either to himself or to Lan Sizhui, who, as always, was standing not too far from him. They were afraid to even look at Jiang Cheng at the moment.

Jin Ling only pouted more, throwing furtive looks at the body of the beast he wanted to catch so badly and at his uncle who was at the centre of everybody’s attention. He was proud more than disappointed, but did not want to admit it even to himself.

Fairy happily wagged its tail a few steps behind him.

Jiang Cheng’s whip vanished, and he bowed to Lan Xichen in return.

“Zewu-Jun has nothing to thank me for. The nighthunt was a joint venture, and both of the sides have put in an equal amount of work,” he concluded, straightening himself up.

“Then it is my delight to pronounce this nighthunt successful,” said Lan Xichen for everybody to hear. “Now the Lan sect will take its leave and-”

“We shall all return to Lotus Pier and rest. Let us leave long travels as well as cleaning up the mess for tomorrow, Sect Leader Lan,” said Jiang Cheng in a tone that did not condone any dispute.

“Then we will avail ourselves of your hospitality once again,” yielded Lan Xichen and smiled politely, lowering his gaze.

Wei Wuxian sighed.

“He could have at least been more respectful and not interrupted Zewu-Jun,” he said for only the juniors around him to hear. They happened to be shielding him from Jin Ling’s Fairy who was peacefully minding its own business.

“Mn,” agreed Lan Wangji, and the others actively nodded, as always devotedly supporting the opinion of their seniors.

Everybody having departed in the direction of Lotus Pier, Jin Ling was the last one to leave the scene. First, because he had to drag away Fairy that already started nibbling on one of the beast’s many legs, and, second, because he did not want to walk in depressing silence all the way home. After all, his place was always beside his uncle. He decided to keep his distance and lagged behind on purpose, but no matter how hard he tried, there was still another person that just would not leave.

Wei Wuxian leaned against a tree a few meters away from him and toyed with Chenqing in his hand.

“Are you still angry at him, Rulan?” he asked quietly.

Jin Ling hmphed, hearing his courtesy name being used.

“Don’t be. You know how stupid your uncle is sometimes, and he’s generally not very good with words. Don’t learn from the worst, learn from the best,” he grinned and pushed himself up from the tree. “And call me your martial uncle, that way he will not find fault with you. Now, send your dog away, and let’s go.”

Jin Ling stood, not granting Wei Wuxian his request, and waited.

“A-Ling, don’t be like that!” shouted his martial uncle and stamped his foot onto the damp grass.

Jin Ling smiled mischievously and slapped Fairy’s butt a few times.

“Go, find uncle Jiang. Follow him all the time until he gives you food,” he murmured to it, and the dog sprinted off, obeying its master’s command.

The dog having increased the distance between them significantly, Wei Wuxian came to Jin Ling and pulled him with one arm around his neck right into his bear hug.

“Now that is my shizhi! I will treat you with my favourite pie when we return.”

“For this,” grumbled Jin Ling, struggling in his grip, “you will have to make it at least two, Wei shishu.”

Chapter 3: Unreadable

Down in Lotus Pier all of the guests were let back into the rooms they were residing in the day before the nighthunt and fed richly to commemorate the hunt’s successful outcome. Even though most of the cultivators clearly understood that their contribution to the nighthunt was close to nonexistent, nobody refused the late-night dinner or, as some called it, the early-morning breakfast.

Along with spicy, but, nevertheless, quite delicious food, they were treated with the news that what the leader of the Jiang sect meant by “tomorrow” was, actually, the day after tomorrow. The nighthunt ended almost at dawn, and by the time they arrived at Lotus Pier, the sun had already risen. It was only natural for them to assume that they would take a short rest before setting off for their journey home, but Wei Wuxian was kind enough to explain to them that it was not how they did it here, in Yunmeng. Sect leader’s guests came a long way to participate in the nighthunt and helped the local dwellers by making the roads safe again, so the least he could do was express his gratitude in such a way. It goes without saying that nobody dared to disagree.

Despite his body being tired and mind telling him he was long late according to his sleep schedule, Lan Xichen felt like neither eating nor resting. He looked out of the window of the vast guest residence he was granted. It was already light outside and birds chirped loudly in the crowns of the trees growing in the inner yard. He hanged Shuoyue on his waist and ventured outside to enjoy the beauties of the region he bitterly regretted visiting so rarely.  

He strolled down a wooden bridge that stretched over a small pond with countless lotus flowers blooming on its surface, remains of morning dew covering their light-pink petals, and marveled at how different everything here was from misty and brisk Cloud Recess where he and his brother grew up. There it had always been eternally peaceful and predictable, calm and lofty, as not even animals dared to disturb the ever-present air of tranquility. Here he never knew what expected him behind the next corner. The nature of the region and the city of Yunmeng looked almost exotic and breathtaking in their untamedness. It seemed to him that this really was the only place that could bring up such people as Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng. They went through their lives like wild mountain streams, not contemplating, not doubting, acting on their impulses and doing the way they saw fit. Even when looking back or faced with regret, it was not for the foreign eyes, but only for themselves. Never did they let out any word about what they really cared for or were bitter about, instead holding it deep inside of them, carrying it in their proud hearts.

Lan Xichen smiled with the corners of his lips, unwillingly comparing himself and Lan Wangji to the people who called this place home. They were the extremities, two different sides of one coin, but, perhaps, such people really got on best.

“When I see such a smile on Zewu-Jun’s face, I can rest assured that he is pleased with the time spent in Lotus Pier,” said Wei Wuxian confidently and grinned. He was squatting down on the broad steps leading to the clear surface of the pond. Jin Ling was submerging his feet into the lukewarm water beside him.

Lan Xichen approached the skillfully carved railing of the bridge, his hands as always locked behind his back, and smiled again at Wei Wuxian.

“I enjoy it here a lot. Perhaps, even too much. This feeling always makes leaving incredibly difficult,” he replied with a meditative look on his face.

“Then why not stay here for longer? Uncle Jiang will always find a room and some time to spare for Zewu-Jun,” said Jin Ling and quietly yawned, exhausted by the nighthunt’s occurrences and lack of sleep.

“Maybe, someday,” answered Lan Xichen kindly. After a moment of silence, he inquired, “Is Young Master Ling feeling better now?”

Jin Ling nodded and splashed the water in the pond with his dangling foot.

“I know it might look strange for Zewu-Jun, but my uncle…” he inhaled more air, struggling to utter what he had in mind, before continuing, “he is not that bad. At least, not always. I don’t know what got onto him, but it will not apply to the Lan sect in any way.”

Wei Wuxian beamed proudly and dragged Jin Ling closer, squeezing his forearm.

“A-Ling is right. Sect Leader Lan should not worry about Jiang Cheng’s temper influencing his stay at all. He will come around sooner or later. He always does. And if he doesn’t,” he squinted his eyes threateningly, “I am here to help him come to his senses. After all, that’s what family is for.”

Lan Xichen looked down, his face full of understanding and contentment.

“And Wangji is…?” he asked, not really intending to finish the question.

“Sleeping, of course,” waved his hand Wei Wuxian. “He still has half an hour or so left before this creepy habit of his will tell him to rise and shine.”

Having made sure his brother was fine, Lan Xichen had only one more thing that bothered him at the moment, so he directed his thoughtful gaze at Wei Wuxian.

“Young Master Wei, I wanted to ask you…” he started, but lost his confidence mid-sentence. Instead of continuing he looked at Jin Ling, who, having been listening to them only moments ago, was already peacefully snoring on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder, clenching the hilt of Suihua in one hand, and an unfinished pie in the other one.

“Yes, Zewu-Jun? Is there something I can do for you?” urged him Wei Wuxian with enthusiasm.

Lan Xichen shook his head slowly, reserving the question. Maybe for later, maybe for himself.

“If Sect Leader Jiang is awake at the moment, I will pay him a visit. He may be too busy for us to speak during the day,” he said instead.

“He is resting in the pavilion on the other side of the residence, contemplating about his behaviour. At least I hope so. Does Zewu-Jun want me to show him the way?” asked Wei Wuxian. He did not move a single muscle of his body and sat in quite an uncomfortable position with a hunched back, afraid to wake up Jin Ling.

“There is no need. Please, take care of Young Master Jin and have some rest as well, Young Master Wei,” said Lan Xichen and bowed respectfully before departing.

Wei Wuxian watched him leave, awkwardly covering his eyes from the bright morning sun. Jin Ling produced a quiet growl of displeasure, so he hurried to move the hand back where it belonged. He knew it was too early for the question to be voiced. The time would come later.

On his way to the pavilion, Lan Xichen barely encountered any other people. The cultivators of the Yunmeng Jiang sect rarely woke up so early, so it was uncommon for somebody to practice at such an hour. He stumbled across one of his own disciples, who could neither fall asleep nor fully wake up and instead only sat all alone and played on his guqin. It did not take Lan Xichen long to recognize the sounds of his music and determine that it was Lan Sizhui. Not wanting to wake anybody up, he carefully plucked the strings, barely even touching them, but the melody was still as precise and smooth as it had always been when he would be playing in Cloud Recess. Zewu-Jun complimented him and advised to try and meditate if he could not fall asleep, to which Lan Sizhui readily agreed.

The pavilion stood solitary amid the clear waters of the lake, with only one narrow wooden bridge leading to it. Fluttering in the warm wind, ribbons of different hues of purple hung down from the beams while semi-transparent curtains protected the inside from the sunrays. The figure inside was sitting with its back to him, facing the view of the placid lake with only a few small ferries crossing it.

“Sect Leader Lan,” uttered the figure, still looking into the distance.

Lan Xichen entered the pavilion with careful gracious steps, not a single wooden floorboard creaking beneath his feet.

Jiang Cheng turned around and offered him a seat at the opposite side of the table that stood in the middle of the pavilion. Lan Xichen sat down and adjusted his robes, never disregarding his appearance.

“I apologize for bothering the Sect Leader. I do not have any pressing matters, so I shall leave if Sect Leader Jiang is willing to be alone now,” he said despite already having taken a seat.

Jiang Cheng offered him a plate of lotus seeds he had been mindlessly peeling while sitting in the pavilion for some time, the expression on his face milder than the last time the two saw each other.

“Please, be my guest, Zewu-Jun. I do not want to limit you in any way when you are visiting Lotus Pier. You are free to go wherever you like whenever you want,” he said.

Lan Xichen nodded and accepted his offering, taking a few seeds from the small porcelain plate decorated by lotus ornaments.

Hearing quiet breathing coming from below the table, Lan Xichen looked down and saw Jin Ling’s spiritual dog sleeping tight beside Jiang Cheng. It laid its head on one of his feet. He did not seem like he wanted it to move away.

Following Lan Xichen’s gaze, Jiang Cheng smiled with the corners of his lips and rolled his eyes, scratching the dog behind its black floppy ear with his slender pale fingers.

“It followed me all around the place and I could not get rid of it no matter what I did. It has always preferred Jin Ling over me, but today it seems to have set as its goal not leaving me alone for even a second.” His smile faded, and he spoke again. “Sect Leader Lan, I am truly sorry for what you had to see in the forest. My behaviour was inappropriate. I hope it will not diminish the relationships between the Lan sect and the Jiang sect. I also hope you will be able to forget this incident,” he said calmly.

Zewu-Jun looked at him, and their eyes met.

“It is not my task to judge if Sect Leader Jiang’s behaviour was wrong, so, please, do not trouble yourself with such thoughts. We are here to support the Jiang sect, be it on the nighthunt or beyond it. If Sect Leader Jiang wants me to feel comfortable, then my only wish would be for him to settle his relations with his nephew. We never wanted to disturb the peace in Lotus Pier with our arrival.”

“It is only fair for you to ask for that,” agreed Jiang Cheng and petted Fairy’s huge head that was now resting on his knees. The dog was drooling a bit on his neat clothing, but he did not mind.

“In fact, I came to Sect Leader Jiang with a proposal. I humbly ask for him to lend me his ears and see if it might interest him,” said Lan Xichen and laid his right hand atop his left hand on the table before him, not saying a word before Jiang Cheng agreed.

“It will be my honour,” replied Jiang Cheng with a nod.

“I understand that Sect Leader’s way of cultivation and of seeing the world is different from mine, but I cannot help but worry for his well-being,” started Lan Xichen carefully, checking if Jiang Cheng got upset over his words. No negative reaction followed, so he continued. “No matter the cause, Sect Leader Jiang seems to worry a lot lately. I am not here to annoy him with questions, of course, only to offer a helping hand. Even if Sect Leader Jiang is not experiencing any major inconveniences concerned with his accumulated emotional and physical exhaustion at the moment, the consequences of the qi deviation…” he gulped, gasped for air, and forcefully continued a bit louder to stop his voice from shaking, “the consequences might be dire. The last thing I would want to see is another person suffering from it because of my noninterference.”

“And Zewu-Jun’s proposal is…?” asked Jiang Cheng, his eyes opened wide and voice more curious than angry or displeased.

“The song of clarity. I could play it for Sect Leader Jiang once in a certain period of time if the offer does not seem too impudent,” finished Lan Xichen, looking up with tiny sparks of hope twinkling in his amber eyes.

“Could Sect Leader Lan play it on the xiao for me?” asked Jiang Cheng, turning away nonchalantly.

“I tend to play it on guqin, but if Sect Master Jiang prefers the xiao, then I will consider his wish,” replied Lan Xichen, his face lighting up.

“Then so be it. When shall we start?”

“Why not start today?” asked Lan Xichen, gently stroking Liebing.

Jiang Cheng laughed sonorously and leaned back against the wooden pillar behind him.

“Is Zewu-Jun afraid I will reconsider and refuse his offer if given the time? I would not take such a risk after I have already agreed out loud.”

“If Sect Leader Jiang says so, then I dare not have even a sliver of a doubt,” said Lan Xichen softly and took the white jade xiao in his hands, getting ready to play. In a matter of seconds, his weariness after the nighthunt seemed to disappear completely.

With a delicate musical instrument caressed by his fingers, snowy white robes of outmost cleanliness lightly tugged by the breaths of wind, and a cloud patterned ribbon coiling around his forehead and sliding down with the waves of his hair, he looked completely out of place. He eclipsed everything around him, and the surrounding looked duller when juxtaposed to his presence. And so, the gaze of an observer could only be directed at him, as nothing else was able to compete with the sight.

Jiang Cheng sat straight and closed his eyes. It was time for him to meditate.

Chapter 4: Intense

A few months have passed and not a single session of meditation was called off by either of the sides. What Lan Xichen defined as a “certain period of time” at first turned out to be two weeks due to him worrying that he might be too persistent, then gradually dwindled to one week, and finally ended up being only five days. As much as Jiang Cheng tried to persuade him not to come so often, worrying that he had to travel from Gusu to Yunmeng and back each time they arranged for a meditation, Lan Xichen was unshaken, seeing how Jiang Cheng did not really mean what he said. He wasn’t a very good liar and only said it out of courtesy, perhaps, not even trying to sound convincing.

Each time Lan Xichen mounted his sword to go to Lotus Pier, his disciples circled him in the yard and wished him good luck on his way there. They strongly believed their sect leader to be the most righteous and unselfish person to ever exist and were simply lost in admiration to him. Lately he tried to spend more time with them and dedicated every free minute he had to their teaching so that they wouldn’t miss their Huanguang-Jun so much. As Zewu-Jun was known to be an extremely kindhearted and gentle person, it did not take him long to make them cling to him every time he had to depart to play the song of clarity to the leader of the Jiang sect.

As much as Lan Xichen enjoyed staying in Lotus Pier, he still always tried to return as soon as he could, remembering that in his dear Cloud Recess there were these younglings that demanded constant attention and care. He would often hurry back without even giving the sect leader the honour of dining with him.

This time was no different.

He hung Liebing back on his waist, noting with delight that Jiang Cheng seemed much calmer after their regular meetings. He would still roll his eyes in irritation when Jin Ling suddenly barged in with his dog at his feet and a stupid question on his tongue and interrupt their session, but it was just a part of who he was. Notwithstanding, he never let himself repeat the nighthunt incident.

Zewu-Jun wanted to bid farewell and leave so as to get to Gusu before the sunset, but Jiang Cheng called to him, seeing how he had almost fled the main hall already.

“I know that Sect Master Lan is incredibly busy and already makes me a great favour by coming to Lotus Pier so often, but there was one more thing I wanted to ask of him,” he said, still sitting in his lotus throne on the dais.

Zewu-Jun turned around with overt curiosity in his eyes.

“I am anxious to hear what it might be,” he uttered.

“Jin Ling prepared some tea for Zewu-Jun and really wanted him to stay for a little while longer. Between the two of us, this child has never previously tried to do something for others out of his own volition, so I thought this opportunity could not be missed. Is there any chance that Zewu-Jun will find another hour to spend in Lotus Pier before departing? I am afraid, I will not be able to join in, but Jin Ling will surely keep the Sect Leader company.”

“If that pleases Sect Leader Jiang, then I will not refuse it this time,” bowed deeply Lan Xichen.

A sect disciple entered, greeted him politely, and proceeded to lead him to the chambers in which Jin Ling was awaiting their arrival.

The youth already squatted at the table behind a beautifully painted screen. His dog sat at the door as if guarding the room from intruders. It barked playfully when Lan Xichen entered.

“Zewu-Jun,” greeted him Jin Ling, bowing down with the sword in his locked hands. “Please, take a seat here, I will arrange everything. Why isn’t uncle Jiang with Zewu-Jun? Is he going to be late?”

“Sect Leader Jiang is unable to take part in the ceremony, Young Master Jin,” replied Lan Xichen, confused by Jin Ling not knowing about that.

“Wha-?”

Jin Ling stood with a teapot lid in one hand and glanced at Lan Xichen.

“Did he…? How unfair!” he muttered indignantly.

Remembering who sat before him, he pulled himself together and continued brewing the tea, annoyed at his uncle’s behaviour.

While waiting, Lan Xichen looked at a small exquisite object lying on his side of the table.

“Young Master Jin, could it be that this is one of Jiang sect’s clarity bells?” he asked, touching it gingerly.

“Yes, it is! Does Zewu-Jun like it?” asked Jin Ling in return, discarding the first brew and preparing the next one.

The bell looked fragile and sophisticated, with lotus petals of extreme detail carved on its surface. It was similar to the bells worn by Jiang sect disciples, but looked much more intricate and very carefully put together. When shook, it produced a clear sound that was pleasing to the ear, and, as known by many, due to the abundance of spiritual force inside, could easily clear the mind of its owner and help them regain their balance. Strangely enough, this one in particular had light-blue tassel attached to it instead of a purple one usually worn in Yunmeng.

“It may very well be the most beautiful one I have ever seen,” replied Lan Xichen, involuntarily starting twirling the tassel around his finger.

“What a relief! Uncle Jiang was worried Zewu-Jun would not see it fit,” said Jin Ling with enthusiasm and offered Lan Xichen a small cup of clear steaming tea.

Lan Xichen looked at him, his eyes testifying that he absolutely did not understand what Jin Ling was talking about.

Jin Ling mirrored his facial expression, his hand having stopped half the way to the bell on the table.

“Did he not even…? I…” he lowered his eyelids and let out a tired sigh. “I am sorry. Sect Leader Lan, this is a gift from uncle Jiang. He really appreciates your help and feels obliged to express his gratitude in this way. This clarity bell was made specifically for you, so not only does it hold more power than the regular one, but it also is a sign that you are a friend of the Jiang sect and to be respected all around these lands.”

Cursing his uncle for the fact that he was the one who had to say all of this, he took the bell and offered it to Zewu-Jun on the palms of his hands.

Lan Xichen silently took it, the long light-blue tassel so soft to the touch dangling as he held it. He thought that he could not accept such a gift, but Jin Ling was looking at him with eyes so full dignity for the quality of the object entrusted onto him, that he simply could not utter the words of refusal. After all, it was not the youngster’s decision to offer it.

He cupped the bell in his hands and bowed. After he hung it on the belt on his waist beside Liebing, he took the cup with tea that was now acceptable to drink, and made a small sip.

“Was there anything that Young Master Jin wanted to ask me while I am staying in Lotus Pier?” he asked, wanting to show how appreciative he was of the gift. He remembered that Jiang Cheng said something about Jin Ling wanting him to stay, and assumed it was for some particular reason.

Jin Ling’s eyes rounded in astonishment as it sounded as if he once again did not know of something necessary to understand the meaning of the question. Having realized the reason, he clenched his fist under the table, similarly to how his uncle would do it, and forced himself to smile.

“It is good that Zewu-Jun asked. There was this one thing about, eh, hm… about guqin that I do not quite… do not quite comprehend…” he began. His attempt was so feeble that was it not for how Lan Xichen always rejoiced over the younger generation seeking his wisdom, he would definitely understand that something was wrong.

“How interesting! What is it?” he asked, carefully sipping the tea.

“Well, um… so, there are these strings, and…”

Fairy yawned with its mouth open wide and stretched its front legs before lying down. It felt like letting down its guard for once.

Taking such a valuable and thoughtful gift, Lan Xichen, of course, was not able to not give anything in return. Being in Cloud Recess, he meandered around the disciple housings and chambers of the residence for the next day, musing over what he could give as a gift as worthy as the one he had received. His disciples followed him like little ducklings follow their mother, thinking that he had a complicated dilemma on his mind and wanting to be there when he would finally ask them for help.

Since the clarity bell was a very symbolic object for the Jiang sect, the only other thing of similar significance he could think of was the Lan forehead ribbon, but it was not even an option worth mentioning. Some sect members would consider even thinking about this to be unacceptable. Discarding it, he tried to remember what the leader on the Jiang sect liked.

The young disciples noticed the troubled face he tended to have every time he was thinking deeply about something, and exchanged worried glances.

It was certainly dogs, he thought to himself. Dogs and fighting. Also eating traditional Yunmeng dishes. For sure, not having to deal with other cultivators’ clans and being able to stay in Lotus Pier, watching over his sect. What he enjoyed occupying himself with while staying was training, spending time with Jin Ling on the nighthunts, some more trainings, and…

Suddenly, Lan Xichen’s face brightened up. He abruptly stood up from the bench, and his disciples stood up with him. They waited for him to finally say something to them, but all he did was leave them hastily without any explanations.

Lan Jingyi sighed disappointedly and followed the others to the library pavilion. There was nothing else for them to do at this time of the day other than study.

A few days later, Zewu-Jun yet again arrived in Lotus Pier, carrying a light oblong wooden box in his hands. The box looked elegant, but it was difficult to guess what was in it.

He came across Jiang Cheng in the training yard, exactly when he was teaching his disciples the sword stances. They repeated the movements in unison while he corrected every motion that seemed wrong to him.

“You, raise your hand higher! Are you holding your sword or a plough?” he yelled at one of them, hitting with his stiffened hand the shoulders and legs of those who stood too awkwardly or did not follow the guide with enough precision.

His disciples did not whine or cry for him to stop, only thoroughly obeyed his commands as best as they could.

Lan Xichen did not want to interrupt their lesson, but Jiang Cheng had already noticed him arrive.

“Sect Leader Lan,” he said and bowed, “I am sorry to keep you waiting, but I need to finish the training before I can join you in the great hall.”

He threw a quick glance at the bell hanging on Lan Xichen’s waist and hastily turned away so that his guest wouldn’t notice. However, the white box in Zewu-Jun’s hands immediately drew his attention back, and he started examining it with interest.

“It goes without saying, Sect Leader Jiang,” replied Zewu-Jun.

Jiang Cheng was not able to hide the curiosity in his eyes, so Lan Xichen spoke again before he got the chance to ask anything.

“This is just a little something I brought for Sect Leader Jiang,” he said and smiled, his eyes adopting the shape of crescents.

Jiang Cheng gulped and nodded. It was so obvious that he wanted to immediately find out what it was, but since he asked nothing, Lan Xichen just proceeded to the great hall, not to disturb the training with his presence. He expected having to wait for at least half an hour, but Jiang Cheng joined him about five minutes later.

“I sincerely hope the training is over not because of me arriving so early today,” remorsefully commented Lan Xichen, sitting at one of the tables in the hall.

“Absolutely not. We were… already finishing anyway,” murmured Jiang Cheng and halted a few steps into the room as if musing about something. He then took a seat on his throne, unable to hide his excitement.

Zewu-Jun stood up and approached the dais. He held up the box in his hands and bowed his head ever so slightly, presenting his gift to Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng hesitated before extremely carefully opening the lid. Inside on a soft white pillow laid a long xiao made of lavender jasper. It looked unusual due to the colour of the stone being uneven and at places pierced by white and yellowish veins.  

Confused, he did not find anything he could say to such a gift, and only took the xiao out of the box with his slightly trembling fingers, for some reason being infinitely scared to drop it on the floor. It looked like it would instantly break to pieces from taking such a fall.

“I was reflecting a lot upon the gift I could give to Sect Leader Jiang, and having remembered all of the sessions we have conducted so far, I realized that the best gift I could give to him was this,” said Lan Xichen proudly.

It was true that he had put much thought into the gift he decided give to the leader of the Jiang sect. After carefully considering all of the possibilities, he arrived at the conclusion that xaio was indeed the most meaningful and symbolic of all of them, as he intended it to become his display of trust, sincerity, and care. Despite the instrument being so similar to his own, it actually was only recently created by skillful masters specifically for this occasion. The material, the carvings, and even the shape was chosen by Lan Xichen personally with him taking into account peculiar personality and likes of its future owner.

Jiang Cheng smiled awkwardly and inspected the instrument in his hands.

“Now that I can learn to play myself, I will not have to bother Sect Leader Lan and ask him to come to the sessions…” he mumbled unconfidently.

“That is certainly a possibility,” replied Lan Xichen, still smiling, “but the song of clarity is infamous for its difficulty, so I wouldn’t expect that to happen in the nearest future. If the Sect Leader is willing, I could try and teach him to play something, be the moment suitable.”

“If I am willing?” asked Jiang Cheng and raised his eyes from the xiao. “I thought, Zewu-Jun gave me this gift so that I could learn how to play and…” he finished uncertainly, not knowing what was it exactly that he wanted to say.

“I only thought Sect Leader Jiang enjoyed these meetings, and wanted to give him something that would remind him of them. It also seems like Sect Leader Jiang finds pleasure in listening to the sound of xiao, so I would be eager to teach him if he decided that he wanted to play on his own someday,” said Lan Xichen, a little upset by Jiang Cheng’s rection.

Jiang Cheng positioned the xiao as if he wanted to try and blow in it, but then decided not to. He noted that it was quite nice to the touch, the stone being smooth and cool. He put it back into the box and took the box from Lan Xichen’s hands, bowing deeply.

“Thank you, Sect Leader Lan, I will treasure it. I don’t think I am ready to learn yet, but, please, know that I view this as a very thoughtful and useful present.”

“Does… Sect Leader Jiang really like it?” asked Zewu-Jun, unconsciously tugging on the bell on his waist, unconvinced by his words.

“Its beauty is unparalleled and it is remarkably strong as a spiritual weapon. Much to my displeasure, it would simply be disrespectful towards such an instrument if I used it before giving it a proper name,” answered Jiang Cheng and smiled, this time more sincerely. There was kindness in his eyes, so it seemed like he did not make up what he was saying anymore.

Lan Xichen sighed with relief. When it came to Jiang Cheng, one could never be sure of what his reaction would be to anything he was presented with, at least if it was not puppies he was gifted.

“Shall we begin the session then?” he asked.

“It is high time,” replied Jiang Cheng. He went back to his throne and sat down, putting the box close to him.

As their meetings passed, they gifted each other a few more other things, though, less significant than the clarity bell and the xiao.

Chapter 5: Charming

Lan Xichen knew that he might not get another opportunity like this in a very long time. It was quite a lucky coincidence that Wei Wuxian just happened to be visiting Lotus Pier again when he himself felt like he could not keep the unanswered questions in him any longer.

“Young Master Wei, may I take a few minutes of your time?” he asked, running into him near the same pond they spoke at a few months back.

“Of course, Zewu-Jun. I am all ears,” answered Wei Wuxian and curiously peeked at Lan Xichen’s worried face.

“I wanted to speak to you about… Sect Leader Jiang. If you have nothing against it.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, Zewu-Jun, but doesn’t one of the Lan sect core rules prohibit discussing others behind their backs?” asked Wei Wuxian mockingly.

Lan Xichen barely ever felt like the rules of his sect were unfair or obliging them hindered him in any way, but it was really starting to become a much bigger problem when the outsiders knew of them as well.

“It looks like I have been exposed,” he said and let out a nervous laugh. “But if you know me well, Young Master Wei, you realize that I would not have asked, had it not been something of utmost importance.”

“That is true,” agreed Wei Wuxian. “I will answer your question with all honesty and I promise not to tell anyone of your secret,” he said and jokingly raised three fingers as if taking an oath.

“Very well. Did something happen to Sect Leader…” Lan Xichen stopped mid-sentence and shook his head – no, that was not it. “Did I do anything to Sect Leader Jiang?” he tried again. “Did I say something insulting? Was it that he considered some of my actions unacceptable for some reason?”

Wei Wuxian frowned in an exaggerated manner and put a finger to his lips.

“I cannot think of anything Zewu-Jun could possibly do to offend Jiang Cheng, only the other way around. What makes Zewu-Jun think something like that has ever happened?”

Lan Xichen sighed. There was no other possibility for him to get the answer he so desperately needed other than sharing his observations. It was incredibly hard for him to partake in a conversation of this sort, but he managed to persuade himself that he was doing it for the greater good.

“I noticed how Sect Leader Jiang was looking at me. It might be nothing and I might worry for no reason, but I felt like he was deeply insulted by my mere presence. He just looked so enraged and unhappy. It happened a few times, and each time I felt the same resentment coming from him. Unfortunately, I cannot arrive at any conclusion as to what makes him behave like this without any help from the outside.”

“So, Sect Leader Lan is telling me that Jiang Cheng has been staring at him constantly, looking like he is on the edge of bursting?” concluded briefly Wei Ying.

Lan Xichen did not answer as this paraphrasing of what he had said seemed too crude to agree to.

“Well,” blurted Wie Wuxian, not really needing any answer at all, and stuffed his mouth with a bunch of lotus seeds before continuing, “then he must have fancied you.”

“I beg your pardon?” asked Lan Xichen dumbfoundedly. Wei Wuxian found it incredibly amusing and thought that never before had he seen the leader of the Gusu Lan sect having such an odd expression on his face.

“I said that he had taken a liking to Zewu-Jun,” he explained, taking pity on his interlocutor. “But he is probably so undecisive in his attraction that he just struggles with it all the time, and it is reflected in his appearance.”

“But…” stumbled Lan Xichen, failing to finish his utterance.

“He has always been like that as a child – too proud to go the easy way. Always pretends not to care for something he wants for himself so that others would not notice his weakness. Some people just prefer to suffer, I guess. Although, I must admit, never before have I seen him this agitated about something.”

“But…” ventured Lan Xichen again, but still wasn’t able to find any suitable words.

“But what do I know?” laughed suddenly Wei Wuxian. “I haven’t been beside him for so many years, it’s not like he couldn’t have changed during this time, right?”

Lan Xichen did not know if he was to protest or quietly sigh at such a remark.

“Please, Sect Leader Lan, disregard what I said if it makes you feel better. In any case, there is no person that can give you the right answer apart from Jiang Cheng himself, so if he is not talking… You can always make him,” said Wei Wuxian instructively and grinned.

Lan Xichen stood silently and kept looking at Wei Wuxian who was still nonchalantly stuffing his mouth with peeled lotus seeds. He had heard his every word but still somehow felt as if nothing made sense to him. He was confused, but very quickly his confusion started to evolve into something else, something restless and almost raging. All this time he was worried sick that he somehow offended Jiang Cheng, that he was careless enough to say or do something unforgivable, something that made this person hate him so much that it was difficult for Jiang Cheng to be in the same room with him. He would certainly have called this situation ridiculous, had he not spent so many hours contemplating on his own attitude and behaviour because of all this.

“Just give it a try,” said Wei Ying, tired of Lan Xichen standing there, unable to utter a word to him, and pointed to the entrance to the great hall. “He’s in his quarters now, reading one of the books Sect Leader Lan gave him.”

Lan Xichen thought that he would try. There was no point in beating around the bush anymore. After all, he wasn’t sure if he should believe Wei Wuxian. On the one hand, he would gain absolutely nothing by lying about this, on the other hand though, he could still not be trusted so easily. The only natural solution to this problem was speaking to Jiang Cheng, and Lan Xichen already regretted not having done it earlier. Maybe, it would’ve made his life much, much easier.

Not stopping for any distractions on his way, he rushed inside to find Jiang Cheng and finally clarify the relationships between them. He was in such a hurry that he even forgot to thank Wei Wuxian for his help which was something the latter one never expected would happen.

His heart skipped a beat when he finally came across Jiang Cheng’s figure resting with a book in his hand in his private chambers. He took a few deep breaths, seemingly being able to calm down considerably, and entered without even a knock or a cough.

“Sect Leader Jiang,” he thundered, startling Jiang Cheng, “I came here to talk. I hope you will be able to spare me a minute of your time as I consider the topic I want to discuss to be of great significance.”

Jiang Cheng threw a puzzled glance at him, but still closed his book and carefully put it away. He would’ve agreed to whatever Zewu-Jun wanted to do anyway, but seeing him so agitated really convinced him it was a matter that was not to be taken lightly.

“Of course. Whatever it is that Sect Leader Lan wanted to discuss, I will be glad to provide my assistance and insight,” he replied and motioned for Lan Xichen to sit down with him, but Xichen couldn’t be less bothered by that, so he remained standing.

“It is about the feelings of a certain person present in the room. Lately I’ve been experiencing… difficulties understanding them, so I decided to come and ask directly. Please, tell me, Sect Leader Jiang, what do you think of me? I cannot help but become frustrated with your behaviour and… find myself cornered. Is there, perhaps, something you would like to tell me? Something, that would make it all clear to me? I just find continuing like this… really hard.”

Immediately after saying that Lan Xichen felt easier already. Even though he did not yet get any explanation whatsoever, venting about the feeling of frustration that accompanied him for quite some time now made his head clearer and his heart lighter. Now he only needed to hear what Jiang Cheng had to tell him, and everything would fall back on its places, everything would be easy and definite for him, just the way it should be.

Jiang Cheng’s shoulders suddenly curved forward. With a brooding expression overtaking his face, he fixed his eyes at the book on the table and thought that it was all over for him. Nothing would be the same anymore, no matter how hard he tried.

“I am sorry, Sect Leader Lan…” he began, and Lan Xichen already got his hopes up only for them to be shattered by his next words. “I really have nothing to say. It pains to hear me that you felt this way for some reason, but I have nothing to share with you. Now, if you don’t mind…”

All the lightness disappeared from Lan Xichen’s chest. The energy that was flowing out of him suddenly got tied in a tight knot, and he thought that it really was unbearable. Dealing with such a person, constantly guessing what was on their mind, trying to piece together what they told you and what they displayed on their face… One had to be in possession of a constant supply of patience and understanding to be able to put up with it. He realized that he probably wasn’t the one capable of that.

“Jiang Wanyin! Do you think I will not know what you have on your mind if you do not speak up?” he thundered, looking Jiang Cheng straight in the eyes. There was no other way for him to proceed, at least he saw none at the moment when he decided to raise his voice.

Jiang Cheng’s eyes rounded at first, but then screwed as he smiled almost mischievously. He almost felt like letting out a grin despite the situation he was in seemingly being quite serious.  

Lan Xichen immediately regretted asserting himself and tried to retreat. Under Jiang Cheng’s mocking glance, he did not know where to hide, and the tips of his ears reddened a bit from embarrassment for how he behaved. Hearing his own voice being so loud and forceful when addressing somebody who probably also struggled with their thoughts and feelings for some time, he immediately became upset and realized that he shouldn’t have poured everything that he had on his mind with little to no consideration about the effect it would produce.

“I… I did not mean to say it like that, Sandu Sengshou. Please, forgive me,” he muttered and pinched his lips.

Jiang Cheng produced a few harsh laughs and tilted his head to the side, derisive attitude not disappearing from his posture. It was surprising how fast he could go from upset to self-righteous with almost no effort.

“Oh, please, Sect Leader Lan, do not ruin my impression of you with apologies. Seeing this side of you is not something many can brag about. How can I even be mad?” he asked in a frivolous way. He thought many times about how this conversation would go, and he had no doubts that it would take place someday, but not even once did he imagine such an involved reaction from Lan Xichen’s side. Everything was not happening as he had expected and it made him feel excitement mixed with a pinch of fright in regards to what could follow next.

The blush from Lan Xichen’s ears slowly crawled to his face. For a person like him it was a completely disaster, losing control over himself in such a manner.

“Nevertheless, I am truly sorry for using your courtesy name so carelessly when I did not have the right to do it. For us to be even, the only thing I can do is tell you mine, so that you could also-”

“Lan Huan,” said Jiang Cheng hoarsely, purposefully interrupting Lan Xichen and thoroughly articulating every syllable. “Here you go,” he added, delighted at Lan Xichen’s confused face. “I also said it, now Zewu-Jun does not have to worry about being disrespectful.”

After the man before him called him by his courtesy name, hearing “Zewu-Jun” again felt strange to Lan Xichen. Realizing that, he said, almost whispering, “It sounded good.” Everything started to make sense for him suddenly. It turned out that this whole time Jiang Cheng was not the only one perplexed and unable to express what he was feeling.

A smug smile slowly faded from Jiang Cheng’s face. Light pink covered his cheeks, and he sat there, completely lost.

“What?” he finally managed to mumble, frowning to hide his own daze now.

“You calling my name,” said Lan Xichen quietly, beginning to understand. It was probably still a long road for them to go, but with him now having a vague idea of what he wanted to hear and what he wanted to say in return, it would undoubtedly become an easier journey for both of them.

“Lan… Huan?” ventured Jiang Cheng again, this time not confident at all.

“Yes?”

“I thought, maybe we could… practice playing the xiao together?” asked Jiang Cheng carefully. The instrument gifted to him by Lan Xichen was lying in its box on a special display in his chambers.

If it was how he tried to escape the topic, thought Lan Xichen, then it was quite an entertaining attempt. Not that there was even the slightest chance it would work, though, no. He just found it somehow sweet, and so decided to play along, not to rob his interlocutor of his temporary safe harbour.

“Have you already given a name to it?” he asked with sincere interest in his voice.

“I have not. But I also thought… if I continue to do everything the same way I did, nothing will ever change for me,” said Jiang Cheng, and Lan Xichen immediately realized that there had to be more to his words. He also realized he had been standing this whole time, so he hurried to sit down and stop trying to intimidate Jaing Cheng with his erect posture.

“And you want something to change?” he asked gingerly.

“I think so.”

Lan Xichen almost wanted to go ahead and ask what exactly Jiang Cheng had on his mind, but it took him too long to gain the courage for it, so Jiang Cheng spoke again.

“Will you help me find a suitable name for the xiao?” he asked in such a voice as though it was something he had been wanting to ask for a very long time.

“What makes you think I am the right person to ask?”

Jiang Cheng threw a quick unreadable glance at him before shaking his head and turning away.

“…It is nothing, I will do it myself.”

“I do not refuse!” said Lan Xichen, perhaps, more eagerly than he would want to admit. “I am just… curious.”

“I cannot say it,” answered Jiang Cheng, still carefully examining the wall.

“Why?”                      

Lan Xichen felt his heart pounding like never before. He was afraid to admit that he hoped for some specific outcome of this conversation. The atmosphere became so peculiar and tense that he simply did not know how to calm himself down anymore.

“It might change everything for me,” said Jiang Cheng quietly.

“Didn’t you say you wanted something to change, Jiang Wanyin?” asked Lan Xichen. For some reason, he couldn’t stop himself from being persistent in his inquiries.

Jiang Cheng sighed uneasily and frowned again as if overcoming some internal struggles.

“Why is it that you have to suddenly be so pushy today?” he asked, trying to avoid giving any direct answer again.

“I thought you liked it when I was like this,” said Lan Xichen, feeling the wave of heat hitting his cheeks. It was a new feeling to him, wanting to say something like that despite his mind doing its best to prevent him from doing that.

“Mn,” only let out Jiang Cheng.

“Will you answer me?”

“No,” said Jiang Cheng, shaking his head. He stood up and turned away. He felt like his face was burning. He could neither stop this conversation nor suffer through it, so made a decision to go for the door in a very foolish and desperate attempt to escape the room and flee to the corridor which was flooded with people among whom he would feel safe again.

“Why is it that you suddenly turn out to be such a coward?” asked Lan Xichen with a tone of minor annoyance in his voice and grabbed Jiang Cheng by his wrist, reaching out over the table.

Jaing Cheng clenched his fists and stopped.

“I am many things, but I am not a coward,” he said resolutely.

Lan Xichen took away his hand, fearing he had already overdone it and wounded Jiang Cheng’s pride. During those few seconds he held his wrist, he felt a quickened pulse, as quick as his own, beating under tense skin.

“Why don’t you face me when we are conversing?” he asked, trying to make Jaing Cheng stay and bring it all to a least some sort of conclusion.

“I thought the talk was already over,” uttered Jiang Cheng, but still did what Zewu-Jun wanted him to.

“Do you remember what I told you earlier?” asked Lan Xichen.

“That it pleases you when I call you by your name?” asked Jiang Cheng in return. He had to force himself to say that, of course, but he simply could not remain the only one cornered because he had to listen to something that was so embarrassing for him.

“N-no, not that,” stumbled Lan Xichen and sighed, covering his forehead and eyes with his hand. “I said that even if you didn’t say what was on your mind aloud, I would still know.”

Jiang Cheng had a vague idea of where that knowledge could come from, but decided not to voice his suppositions. It was no use bringing it up now, he would still not escape the problematic topic and only enrage himself.

“If you already know, then what else do you expect me to say? Maybe, you just also find making fun of me amusing?”

“You might have noticed that I am not laughing. And I would not call your behaviour amusing at all,” answered Lan Xichen with a truly straight face.

“Then what would you call it?”

“Charming.”

As abruptly as it came, all the arrogance disappeared from Jiang Cheng’s demeanor and he silently gasped, not knowing how to react or where to hide from Lan Xichen’s gaze. He would give everything to be in his yard, training his disciples, or in the forest, stalking a prey with his nephew. He would take anything, but not this.

“I… I do not know what we are talking about anymore,” he honestly admitted. He was perplexed at how they arrived here, trying to remember how such a conversation could have started.

Lan Xichen unfastened the clarity bell from his waist and displayed it on the palm of his hand on the table for Jiang Cheng to see.

“We are talking about your feelings,” he said more calmly. He realized he had to take the situation into his own hands or else they would never be able to resolve what they both got into. “If you really have nothing to say to me right now, then you can take this bell back.”

“And then what?” asked Jiang Cheng, expecting the worst.

“Nothing, I will just give it back to you. That is all.”

“But it was my gift to you,” muttered Jiang Cheng and Lan Zewu-Jun noticed how hurt he sounded.

“How should I know? You did not give it to me,” he shrugged his shoulders.

“But I… ugh.”

Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth. He could not say that he left the bell there for him and intentionally did not come, hoping that Jin Ling would do all the talking for him. There was really no way out for him anymore.

“It was me who carved it. A certain person once taught me how to do it, so I… I carved it for you. That is why I want you to keep it,” he finally admitted, realizing how funny and unnatural being so honest with someone felt.  

“Thank you. For the bell, and for telling me,” said Lan Xichen and bowed slightly. He attached the bell back where it belonged with a look of contentment as if he did not want anything else.

“That is all?” asked Jiang Cheng. He unwillingly expected that he would have to say… more than that.

“All that I needed to hear,” nodded Lan Xichen.

He reached to the back of his head, where his forehead ribbon entwined with his hair, and untied it, letting it slide.

Jiang Cheng shook his head in disbelief and slowly backed away from the table. Before, it was all just talking, but now he knew how serious it was. He was absolutely not ready to bear the burden of such a responsibility.

“No, I cannot… I cannot…” he mumbled.

“What?” asked Lan Xichen as if completely oblivious to what was happening.

“I cannot… touch it.”

Lan Xichen smiled amiably and laid the ribbon on the table between them. Seeing him exclusively with his forehead ribbon on, Jiang Cheng felt almost uncomfortable looking at him without it, as if it was something too personal, like watching a person bathing. There was no drastic change in his appearance, of course, but something about him still seemed different.

“I made you feel vulnerable, and now I understand that. This is my way of showing you that I realize that and am willing to endure it with you. But it doesn’t mean I am going to let you touch the ribbon,” explained Zewu-Jun.

Jiang Cheng felt his body relax. He suddenly felt very light, but also very empty, as if something abandoned his chest without him agreeing to it. He quietly exhaled.

“I see,” he only uttered in return.

“…As that you will have to earn first,” added Lan Xichen. He tried hard to stay serious, but his lips involuntarily curved into a smile.

Jiang Cheng opened his mouth, but could not say anything. A peculiar mixture of emotion displayed on his face as he was trying hard to figure out if it was him understanding the occurrences correctly or just his wishful thinking tricking him into believing that.

He rose up from the floor yet again, his chest heaving. His eyes were staring intently at Lan Xichen and his top lip twitched a few times. Lan Xichen felt that it was almost the same look that haunted him previously, threatening, aggressive, unpredictable. But it wasn’t scary at all. Charming was still what he thought of it.

Jiang Cheng bent down with determination in his every movement, grabbed Lan Xichen by the lapels of his robes and leaned in for a kiss. He could not tolerate that smile on his face and that confidence in his words. He still felt like he was teased and ridiculed, and so he grabbed the lapels tighter, almost pulling Lan Xichen up from his seat. Their teeth clanked a couple of times because of Jiang Cheng’s vigour, but he did not even care. His only concern was the emotions that he was not able to get rid of for so long, so he clung to Zewu-Jun as if it was the last time he saw him.

When the latter one managed to steady his position in Jiang Cheng’s grip, he slowly stood up, trying to use the fact that he was a bit taller than the leader of the Jiang sect as an advantage, even though the table between them remained quite an obstacle.

He finally made up his mind and touched the side of Jiang Cheng’s pale face with his fingers. He caressed it lightly and moved his hand further, passing the ear and the braid that was neatly stuck into the bun on the back of his head. He touched the ink-black hair airily a few times, as if afraid to ruin the perfect hair-do. His heart was loudly pounding in his ears. He put his other hand on Jiang Cheng’s waist and slowly pulled him closer.  

Feeling the grip on his side, Jiang Cheng sprung away from Lan Xichen as if electrocuted. He adjusted his clothes nervously and laid his hand on the side of the neck, avoiding direct eye contact.

“You…”

“My hand slipped. I am sorry,” muttered Zewu-Jun, a bit disappointed that everything ended as suddenly as it had begun. Sorry was the last thing that he was now.

Jiang Cheng pouted either at what had happened or at how shamelessly Lan Xichen tried to lie to him.

“Isn’t Sect Leader Lan late to Cloud Recess?” he asked with indignation in his voice. “I am sure the Gusu Lan disciples are already waiting ardently for his return.

Lan Xichen closed the distance between them in a few swift steps. There was no table to separate them anymore, and he found himself not even caring if somebody walked in on them right now as he slid both of his hands on Jiang Cheng’s waist, drawing him closer.

“Right now, I have some more pressing matters to attend to. I am sure they will understand,” he whispered and leaned for another kiss.

[bjy-on-ao3]

Fic Friday: Idle Hands

(As usual, you can find the AO3 version of all my uploads [and some things I don’t post here to tumblr] via my Masterlist blog page.)

No real meaning behind this one. I just wanted to write some smut that was light and sweet. And Zenkichi feels like he could fit into something like that very nicely. So enjoy I guess what is effectively a sexy slice of life scenario. Also decided to go with one of the shower stall type bathrooms, rather than a tub/shower, despite it being a smaller space.

Thank you to Petaldances for beta'ing and catching as many errors/typos as possible!

Summary While taking a shower together, Reader gets a little handsy with Zenkichi, leading to no one really getting any cleaner.

Tags/Warnings Creampie, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Reader-Insert, Shameless Smut, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Shower S*x, Vaginal S*x

Idle Hands (F! Reader/Zenkichi Hasegawa)

You waited patiently in the bathroom while Zenkichi bent over into the shower, adjusting knobs here and there. You watched him tentatively stick a hand beneath the flow of water to test it. He was taking his time, but you didn’t mind, content for him to take however long he liked, given the pleasant view of his backside you were privy to. Nothing steamy had been on your mind when you had decided to take a shower together, though the opportunity to take a peek while you stood there doing nothing was a hard one to pass up.

After a little while fussing and fidgeting with shower settings, during which you continued to gawp at the expanse of bare skin you couldn’t resist, Zenkichi straightened up. He turned back to look at you. “Alright, should be good to go,” he informed you.

You nodded in acknowledgement. “We should get in then,” you insisted.

He didn’t need to be told twice, stepping into the shower, immediately caught in the showerhead’s steamy spray. You took one more - hopefully inconspicuous - look over Zenkichi’s frame before you joined him, sliding the shower door shut behind you carefully.

Right away you were overtaken by the haze of steam and heat generated by the hot water, and the warmer temperature made you sigh contently. You would need to take turns with direct exposure to the water, but fortunately you didn’t have to be cold while you wait. Not to mention your eye candy from before hadn’t gone very far.

Not wanting him to catch you in the act - it was a little embarrassing even if you had a feeling it wouldn’t bother him - you reached for a washcloth. You reached past him briefly to wet it, but paused before lathering it up with soap. Zenkichi’s washing process was going considerably quicker than yours already, apparently not nearly so distracted by your nudity as you were by his. He had been quick to soap himself up using another cloth, and the motion drew your eyes, following each stroke.

Fortunately, he remained unaware of your intent gaze, his head tipped back to soak his hair and wash the soap in places he had already scrubbed himself. His eyes were closed, letting you indulge in the sight for far too long. Maybe you should have chided yourself for taking full advantage of the chance to leer at him, but you couldn’t resist. Standing there, taking up the water, Zenkichi cut a pretty picture you could hardly tear your eyes from.

Everywhere you looked was slick with soap, or spattered and streaked with rivulets and beads of water. It flowed down steadily, drawing your attention over and down his shoulders, along the fit planes of his chest and torso and the patches of slicked down hair that dusted them. His skin beneath the water and suds was pleasantly flushed, and you longed to touch it with each passing second. Perhaps showering together hadn’t been your greatest decision for the day, even if you were enjoying the show. Of course, you certainly weren’t accomplishing what you had meant to.

Unable to contain yourself anymore, you reached forward once Zenkichi had nearly finished washing away the last of the soap, and ran your hands gingerly over his chest. To his credit, he didn’t flinch away or seem at all started by the abrupt touches, almost as if he’d been expecting them. Instead, he stopped, tipping his head forward and opening his eyes to look at you. You didn’t bother to still your hands, trailing them down his torso and sides, and back up, pausing to absently massage his waist and hips.

A small, wry grin drew itself on across his lips. “Y’know, the whole reason for taking a shower was to get clean , not dirty,” Zenkichi half-scolded, half-joked, and you rolled your eyes cheerfully, a slight smile dawning on you, too.

“Ah, I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t stop myself,” you apologized, though you weren’t really sorry, a sentiment that showed plainly in how your hands rested over his skin, still stroking delicately.

Of course, you hadn’t meant for the touches to incite anything, merely you had longed to touch him, so you had. There was no course of action beyond that.

“Mm hm,” he hummed, “and that’s why you still haven’t let go?” His tone was light and teasing, and his focus was trained on you.

At his remark, you started to pull your hands away, fully intending to behave and actually shower up, as had been the original plan. But Zenkichi stopped you, his fingers wrapping around your wrists and preventing you from moving them back. Your glance flickered once, back and forth. From his hands trapping yours to his handsome face, and you stared wordlessly for an instant. There was a cheekiness to his grin, a bit of teeth showing, though the expression was warm and made your heart flutter in your chest.

“But I guess if we’re giving up on cleaning up…” Zenkichi’s words trailed off into nothing, and he pressed your hands more firmly to his skin.

He coaxed you back slowly until your back hit the cool surface of the shower wall. The reaction was instant, and you shuddered, though you weren’t sure whether it was the cold tile or the way he moved closer still. He stopped, his skin brushing against yours, and finally freed your hands. He raised both of his own, leaning in and cupping your face in them. You lifted your arms, eagerly looping them around his neck and waiting with bated breath as his lips drew nearer.

When Zenkichi’s lips sealed over yours, after an instant that felt like forever, it was a languid and gentle affair. Your cheeks beneath his palms were hot, and your heart was picking up speed, accompanied by a warm comfort rising low in your stomach and chest. You kissed back, trying to match his relaxed pace and the passion simmering just below the surface.

For a while the kiss, despite the ardor smoldering within it, remained reserved, almost lazy, restricted to your lips molding together and barely parting before coming together all over again. His lips, though, weren’t your only distraction, and his thumbs stroked across your cheeks, the touch featherlight and almost ticklish. His length grazed the soft skin of your inner thigh, only half hard, though rising as time ran on. But he didn’t seem to pay his growing erection any mind, far too enamored with your lips.

The tender kisses continued even longer, interrupted only when one of you needed to catch a breath before coming back together, as if the both of you were compelled to do so. You weren’t sure how long it lasted, but it couldn’t have been too long, judging from the steam pouring into the shower around you from the stream of water that had yet to cool. Not that you really cared much about the water temperature then, shielded from most of the spray with Zenkichi to distract you.

The kiss escalated when Zenkichi’s tongue swept over your bottom lip, turning from gentle and casual into something far more steamy, the smoldering intensity from before making itself known far more clearly. You were in no mood to deny him, parting your lips to invite him inside. His tongue swept up your own swiftly, and a small, unbidden moan tried to escape, muffled by the steadily more searing kiss. He pushed himself harder against you, and his length twitched further to life against your thigh.

Even so, the pace remained slow, a trickle of passion growing surely, strengthened with each fleeting caress and small, pleased sounds rising from either of you. Zenkichi’s hands drifted away from your face, migrating down, and his fingertips skated over your neck and past your collarbone. A startled sound alike to a squeak broke from you, smothered by the kiss, when his hands found purchase on your breasts, confidently but softly engulfing each. He massaged them leisurely, alternating between handfuls and teasing, light pinches and brushes with the pads of his fingers. The contrasting sensations made you shiver and squirm, squeezing your thighs together unconsciously, and you couldn’t help but whine into his mouth.

You felt his lips twist up against your mouth, a sign of how he delighted in your reactions, just as much as he did in touching you and knowing you were enjoying it. He leaned harder into your make-out session, his tongue moving more eagerly against yours, his beard rasping against your chin. He withdrew for a moment to worry and suck your bottom lip before diving back in to meet your tongue again.

You were torn between enjoying the slow, smoldering heat of the moment and wanting more. You hugged him closer, tightening your arms around his shoulders and responding to the kiss with more vigor. You wiggled your hips impatiently, though it did nothing but press his erection a little closer between your thighs.

“Zen, please,” you murmured, parting from the kiss.

You bent your head to his neck, trying to persuade him with small kisses and bites. A small shiver rolled through him, and then a laugh, soft and amused. But as entertained as he sounded by your impatience and plea, he didn’t give in, only mirror the small affections you had left on his skin.

One hand abandoned your chest, the other remaining where it was, gently tweaking and squeezing. His wandering hand slipped down your stomach, rolling over your thigh until it hooked beneath it. Tentatively, he directed you to lift one leg up, and hardly needed to do much coaxing otherwise to get you to hook it around his waist. You tried to buck against him, a motion he quickly stalled by pressing them into the tile with his hand. You made a plaintive sound, your lips trying to curl into a pout even as you kissed him.

“Hey, easy, just slow down. We’ll get there,” Zenkichi whispered in your ear after breaking the kiss once more.

You took a deep breath, attempting to calm the rolling boil of desire rising far too quickly in your gut. Sometimes it was worth taking things slow, yes, but sometimes as well it was so difficult, and you got worked up too fast. But if Zenkichi wanted to take it slow and tender, you had little chance of convincing him to change his mind.

Stopping to gather yourself helped, even if it didn’t stop the thrum between your legs or the flush of heat creeping through your neck and chest that had nothing to do with the steam. Though how long that restraint would last, you weren’t sure. You became even less sure once Zenkichi’s lips latched onto your throat again, sucking several spots and marking a sordid path down your neck and over your collarbone. He rocked his hips against yours before pressing them more tightly against you, pinning them in place that way instead. He ground against you at an agonizingly slow pace, though even that added friction was enough to make the pulse between your thighs surge.

“Zen, mmph, that’s not, aah, fair,” you insisted, your complaint interrupted by a sharp pinch on one nipple.

He shushed you softly, ghosting his lips over the shell of your ear and making you shudder again when his hot breath touched you. “You started this, y’know,” he told you, punctuating his words by casually worrying your earlobe between his teeth.

“F-fuck,” you cursed, half at him, half from him, noting knowing how to respond wittily when all his small, slow attentions had your brain melting away to goo. The rich, low sound of another pleased chuckle didn’t help your thought processes.

You squeezed the leg wrapped around his waist tighter, forcing him even more flush to you, longing for the hard press of his erection just a little closer to where you craved him most. But Zenkichi seemed insistent on giving you no quarter, despite your desperation and the new wave of whimpers and gasps floating from your mouth.

He moved on from your chest completely, the lingering hand repeating the same motion as the other previously, catching your other thigh in his hold. You were grateful for him literally sweeping you off your feet in that moment, as the leg that had still touched the ground before had been growing shaky and weak. With both legs twined around him, he fit so perfectly against you, yet was still so far from where you wanted him you could nearly weep. Weep, or perhaps try to beg for him to indulge you. But would that really do you any good?

Though his weight pinned you easily enough against the shower wall, he cupped both hands beneath your rear, supporting you further, and bent his head down more. His lips and teeth turned to leaving love bites and marks over the swell of your chest, down and down, until his mouth met each nipple in turn, and then back again. You murmured his name with a breathless gasp; the noise turning into an airy moan when he scraped his teeth gingerly over one nipple. He lingered for a second, soothing the smart of his teeth with his tongue, before switching to the other and repeating himself.

You dug your fingers into his shoulder, loosening your other arm from over his shoulders and neck to muss his wet hair. You threaded your fingers through the soaked strands plastered to his skull and gave a soft tug. It wasn’t so much another sign of impatience - even if his new affections stretched thin what little patience you had left - but instead an effort to distract yourself. An effort to ground yourself as you took another deep, shuddering breath while Zenkichi’s mouth on your skin nearly overwhelmed you. You hooked your heels harder into the small of his back, despite having him already pressed so securely to you. It was a wonder he could get any closer. Though of course, you knew he could, and it was the fact that he hadn’t yet that was driving you so crazy.

Zenkichi glanced up from your chest, mouth enveloping a nipple again, and when you met his gaze, it was hard to hold it. There was a hunger burning there, yes, but also more second-hand satisfaction at seeing you in such throes of pleasure. More intense even was the look of affection that made your stomach flip and tumble, rather than simply fill it with lusty heat. A needy whine escaped as you battled with the new, softer and more comforting feeling that melded with the desire.

He straightened up, pulling away from your chest, though his grasp on your thighs remained until he shifted again. He moved one hand into the cramped space between your bodies, both slick from the shower, whether direct or residual. Your hips twitched against him when his fingers brushed over your mound, sliding down until they slid delicately between your lips. They slipped away just as quick as they had come, wrapping around his erection and guiding it. A more desperate whine broke free when the head of him brushed through your soaked folds and met your entrance.

Your eyes laid shut, and with your hand tangled in his hair, you pushed him back to you, meeting in another fervid kiss, clenching your fingers tighter. Zenkichi groaned against your lips, the sound muffled, deep and satisfied, and his hips just barely pressed forward. Slowly. Far too slowly. You opened your eyes and broke the kiss, though he remained so close the sight of his dark eyes, flushed face, and drenched hair filled your vision, and his breathing tickled your skin.

“Zen, I need you, now. Please?” Your words were quiet, breathless, and questioning, as if you were unsure if he would finally oblige them.

Seeing you stare so unabashedly back at him, eyes half lidded and lips parted, the heat of your body threatening to swallow him up, Zenkichi found he couldn’t resist any longer. His fun had been had, taking his time and playing things slow and sensual, enjoying each noise you had to give. But the time for games was past, and the time for him to give you where you longed for had come.

Your lips rejoined once more, and you let your lashes flutter down over your cheeks again, basking in the sensations surrounding you. Zenkichi pushed forward, still slow, but steady, a pace enough to satiate the boiling need in your gut and make the more pure feeling fluttering accompanying it take greater hold of you. A low, stifled sound, almost a growl, drew your attention when he had buried himself within you completely, and waited unmoving for a moment after.

Your lips separated, and Zenkichi’s attentions shifted elsewhere as he languorously rocked against you. Your head fell back against the tile, cool and slick from the steam. His teeth and lips claimed your throat again, peppering bites along it and your jaw, pausing sometimes to leave quick kisses among them. His breath beside your ears sounded ragged and thick, as if the buildup had worn on him as well, even though it had been his game.

With both hands moving back to hold your thighs, he was able to maneuver you with little effort, shifting you against the wall until he reached a new angle where his length stroked your sweet spot and made you gasp and groan.

“Zenkichi, god, please don’t stop,” you panted, massaging his scalp and stroking your other hand along his shoulders and back as if to encourage him.

You rolled your hips to meet him as best you could, so tightly pinned to the wall. Your answer was another erotic growl, and a hum of acknowledgement against your skin, before he placed a particularly zealous lovebite on the curve where your neck and shoulder met. Your sounds of delight pitched a little higher, and you reflexively dug your nails into his back in response to the bite that would surely discolor.

Each pant and moan fueled him, as did the sting of your nails, and Zenkichi’s hips rocked faster and harder. His kisses grew sloppier and less gentle as he went on, as if each time he sank back into your heat, a bit more of his control was eroded away. Once small, affectionate nips became much less tender bites that made you cry out in surprise, only to moan when he soothed the abused skin with a searing stroke of his tongue.

Before long, the sounds of your coupling and the chorus of moans, mewls, gasps, and growls reached a crescendo, the acoustics of the bathroom making them sound as if they echoed so much louder. You weren’t responsible for all the obscene sounds, though. Several of them came from Zenkichi between kisses and bites, more guttural and primal the closer he came to coming.

When he pressed to lips to your ear and spoke again, the strain in his husky voice was crystal clear. “So close. Not yet, fuck,” he cursed, as if admonishing himself.

Another wave of shivers wracked your body from his words, and your walls squeezed around him more desperately. One hand moved from your thigh, leaving support by one hand and the press of his body. Like before, it snaked smoothly between your bodies, seeking the vee at the apex of your thighs, searching. In no time, he found what he was looking for, rubbing your clit in short, frantic swipes that you couldn’t help but grind into.

Your breathing hitched sharply, the change strangling some moans. The burning heat in your gut wound itself tightly, more and more, until you nearly forgot to breathe for an instant. And then, the coil of heat burst, radiating out from your center and to your limbs, your breath returning to you in a series of louder, airier, and more lewd moans as you came.

Your body grasping him so tightly, as well as your renewed and much more wanton cries, was the catalyst for Zenkichi’s own orgasm, and he followed you past the point of no return. He drove himself harder against you, though slower, each thrust inside filling you with a familiar hot, wet sensation.

For a time, while your orgasm flowed over you, you thought of nothing except his body molded to yours, of his length and his filling you to the brim, and of the ripples of ecstasy that made your walls clench and your muscles ache most deliciously. As the throes of passion and pleasure ebbed, and you came down from your high, anew sense of warmth overcame you. Zenkichi had lain his head on your shoulder, panting heavily as he came down from the peak of bliss, too, his softening length sometimes twitching inside you.

Bereft of the searing desire from before, left only with the gentle, fluttering warmth, you bent your head, resting it atop his. You pressed several gentle kisses to his hair, once more massaging his scalp. A softer, more relaxed hum drifting from his throat amidst his heavy breaths, and you grinned. You let out a soft, happy sigh, feeling exhausted, but satisfied and full in many ways.

Eventually, you and Zenkichi came back to your senses, finally becoming aware again of the sound of the water beating down around you. Zenkichi, receiving the lion’s share of the stream, seemed to notice just how much the water temperature had changed. He carefully withdrew, and helped set you back on your feet, one leg at a time, grimacing at the suddenly cool spray of water plastering his back.

“I think we’re done for now,” he said sheepishly, and you couldn’t help but mirror the feeling.

“Next time I’ll behave so we can actually wash up,” you promised meekly, feeling your face heat all over again. Though you hoped you could actually keep that promise.

[fichtner-fics]

My Hero (Alex Mahone)

Request: Can you do a Alex mahone x reader where she's his wife, adn he saves her from T-bag something like that?

Warnings: spoilers from 4x21, bad language, abuse, mention of rape, (basically I should mention T-Bag himself as a factor to be warned about), anxiety attack, crying

A/N: Of course I’ve written this based on 4x21, the episode called Rates of Exhange. And, to be honest I’m quite happy with this one. Not exactly the first part (some lines I’ve borrowed in whole from the serie😬), but the ending! I hope you’ll like it too! ✨

Sorry for it took so long (meaning here every request I’m indebted to you with), but I’m so so thankful for your patience and request and feedbacks ofc!! 

[gifs are not mine; I can’t get over how they complete each other😆]

Basically, the whole team minus T-Bag and myself was out on the field, trying to fight against Krantz and Michael’s mother at the same time. It turned out that it wasn’t just a coincidence that we were the ones left alone in our temporary flat. Because what we all had no idea about was me being the bait and the motivation for them to be successful – or at least in Krantz’s opinion and give the Scylla to him.

I was so naïve, believing T-Bag could ever be capable of a complete turnaround. He was so co-operative in the past weeks, so generous, so helpful… of course he had a hidden motivation back then, too, he always had. But it wasn’t at least me dead or the Scylla in Krantz’s hands.

I realized that it’s going to be not so okay, when the General phoned Michael, giving him an ultimate. Of course, it turned out shortly that there weren’t going to happen any bargain at all, and finally Kratz threw me in front of Theodore just like that. He left us alone in the flat, letting him (even urging him) to do anything he liked with me.

I was shaking, trembling all my body while T-Bag pushed me leaning to the door. I couldn’t see any solution what could save my life or get me out of here. I needed Mahone, only him. I truly desired to cry out his name, but I knew I had to stay focused and calm as long as I could. So, I just let him to handcuff me to the handle.

“Theodore, I promise you, if you let me go, I will stand by your side at the court. I’ll tell them you saved my life. Even Alex will be so grateful… just take me back to him” I started pleading desperately, but with a fairly strong voice. I couldn’t help but wincing when he suddenly stepped close in front of me, with his face inches from mine.

“You know, all these past times, I’ve always been so… so jealous! You get what I mean, right? Look at you, precious little girl” his eyes nearly scanned me through as he stopped for a moment, disgustingly licking his lips, “being married to that… dull, fuddy-duddy policeman. Don’t ya really think I won’t have myself a little fun, when it’s only the two of us?”

“I know that you don’t have the best relationship with Alex” I said immediately. I felt I had to talk, unless he would touch me or do even worse things to me. “But if you let me go, if you take me back to him, he won’t be ungrateful, trust me.”

“Oh, I don’t wanna hurt you. I wanna hurt him. And unfortunately, the only thing which can be hurtful for him is you being hurt. But don’t worry. You’ll be returned in one piece. Only in a little… used… piece” he winked at me, and my stomach flipped.

“Please, Teddy” I whispered. All my strengthen flew away in a second. My thoughts were rattling in my head, I was panting, sweating. He decided to walk past me, and as he took a few steps, he sniffed my neck. Cold, disgusted feeling ran down my spine, but I relieved when I couldn’t see him, even if it lasted only for few minutes.

Suddenly I felt the warmth of his body behind myself. He uncuffed me for a brief moment, only to separate my two arms, and cuffing them back to the two sides of the door so I faced him forward. I tried to fight him, but my weakness could do so little against his manly strength.

“We’re gonna finish sooner than you would recognise, my dear” he whispered straight in my ears, before stepping a bit further from me. My panting, heavy breathing echoed in the small room. I tried to detach myself from the situation. I started a mantra inside. Alex will come soon. Alex will save me. I must be strong just until then.

“Oh, look at that” Theodore smirked suddenly. At first, I hadn’t even had any idea, what could he see. I glimpsed at my trembling hand, and realized, just when he spoke again. “Look. At. That. What a beautiful wedding ring. Well, you know, it’s actually so good to see that Mahone has feelings too. But tell me, my dear little bird, has he been man enough to… go there?” he asked in a low voice, husky by the suppressed desire. He moved his hip and if I weren’t lucky enough to be able to back a few inches, our skin would join.

His eyes jumped back and forth between mines and my lips. My stomach was spinning, and I truly fought not to burst in tears. Somehow, I managed to strengthen my voice to retort.

“Alexander’s more a man than you could ever hope to be” I breathed through my teeth, managing myself to look him straight into the eyes.

“That was mean” he said in a pitying voice, backing a step. “I wonder if you’d be so harsh if you knew how long I’ve waited for this. Our little shared private moments. You wouldn’t behave like this, am I right?”

I didn’t answer, only turned my head as sideways as I could.

“What if we… take this off?” he teased. “As I see, this is only distracting you. I’m afraid you won’t enjoy… me… enough if it keeps disturbing you” he said, and after that he truly pulled the thing off.

“You can take my ring, but you never can make me relish anything you do” I said suddenly, even surprising myself with the strength of my voice. “You’re a disgusting human being, and if you’ve ever wondered why nobody loves you, let me enlighten some things. You’re incapable of love, Theodore Bagwell. Not with your body, not in your mind. Every touch of you is filled with brutality, violence, and you’re nothing but a filthy rapist who…”

I could continue, using even stronger and uglier words, but he slapped me so strong I banged my head in the glass, and if it wasn’t for my handcuffs, I would surely fall to the ground. “Listen here carefully” he hissed. I could barely hear him because of the blood rushing through my veins so loudly after the hit. “Now I’m going to show you, how functional and tender I can be.”

I heard the zipper of his pants opening, but I wasn’t strong enough to prepare for the next minutes. I couldn’t even open my eyes, only relying on my hearing. But instead of feeling fingers pressing on my neck or hands ripping my clothes off (as I imagined the next things would be) … I heard a crash. A crash like when you break something wooden. Steps, shouting, skin slaps skin. Alex’s voice. Alex’s voice!

I forced myself to open my eyes. It was Mahone, who searched for something around T-Bag. He was lying on the floor with a closed eye and a ripped eyebrow. Just in the same second, Sucré rushed into the room.

“Get this pig out of my sight” Alex hissed to him just before he could get surprised by the unconscious Theodore Bagwell. Mahone’s voice echoed firmly in the frozen air. Fernando nodded quietly, while Alex stood up and turned all his attention to me. “I’m here, Y/N” he stated, while his shaking hands found the closure of the handcuff, put the key into it and freed me. “Are you hurt? Are you bleeding?” he kept asking.

I couldn’t talk, not yet. When my loved one freed my hands, he immediately pulled me close to him, as I burst in tears. Luckily, he kept me by holding my waist, otherwise I would fall to the ground. All the suppressed tension surfaced, and all I was capable of was crying, unstoppably.

“Can you put your arm around my neck?” Mahone asked me softly. “I’ll take you out of here.”

I did as he asked, simply let him to carry me anywhere he’d like. Honestly, those few minutes are just blind spots in my mind. All I can remember is his strong arms holding me, tears leaving burning trails on my cheeks, the spicy, aromatic and so familiar scent of Alex’s fragrancy, and his soft tone whispering my ears: “I love you. I love you so much, and nobody could hurt you, ever.”

He found a bedroom empty which we could chose as a temporary shelter. Alex carefully placed me on the sheets, then sat in front of me. My sobbing subsided as I slowly realized that he is the one holding my hand, he is the one breathing with me, and if this is so, nothing else matters.

“Y/N, please tell me just one thing” he asked as he wiped the tears under my eyes. “Did he touch you? Even with one finger?”

“No” I breathed so quietly I wasn’t even sure if I said out lout. “No, he was just… playing” I added. Then I realized, what else happened, and the tears which just disappeared a second ago fogged my sight again. “But Alex, he took my ring” I looked into his eyes scared. “He took it off my finger, but I didn’t see his hands and I have no idea what he did with it.”

“It’s okay” he smiled, lifting my chin up. “You’re fine, and I don’t care anything else.”

As I was fighting with guilt and Alex just wanted to pull me close. When I leant to his chest, he placed a long kiss on my forehead.

“Can you forgive me?” he whispered suddenly. I furrowed my brows, but he continued before I could ask what he meant. “I let this monster… to be alone with you, to do anything to you… and if it wasn’t for Michael, he would have done anything.”

“It’s not your fault, Alex” I ensured him, hugging his chest even closely. “You couldn’t have known. It was a part of their sick game” I continued with slightly breaking voice. “You’re my hero. Truly.”

I felt him taking a deep breath, but the silence remained still. Before any of us could speak again, we heard the door opening. I snapped, stood up frightened, but it was just Sucré smiling shyly.

“I bet this is yours” he said and came inside to place some tiny in Mahone’s hand. He nodded happily and wide smile started to form on his lips, but I was too dizzy yet to realize what is that.

When Fernando left us alone, he looked at me and offered his palm for me as he would ask something.

“Show me your hand.”

I did as he asked, placed my hand upon his, realizing what did our friend find. Alex put the not-so-long-lost ringlet on my finger, just as he did back at our wedding.

All kind of feelings were swirling in my head, but there were two eternally sure thing. Alex by my side and his undying love for me.

[iluvyou01]

for monstadt

tw for violence, death, and possible spoilers for some

a/n: word vomit with plot

•••

The biting cold was not like the gentle winds of Monstadt. Lisa was not sure where Rosaria was, but she prayed she got a cloak before she went off to the front lines. It was horrible, the sky was dark, smoke and ash burning her throat as she tried to relax, her calm facade not once leaving.

Yet the crying, screaming, another disaster has befallen Monstadt, and this might take all of Lisa’s power. And she’s seen it. She’s seen this power in others, how it consumed them, what they have become. Or what they never did become, lives cut short in exchange for their ambitions. She did not fear death, she feared loss, yet the loss of Monstadt outweighed her life.

“Lisa!” Jean cried, breaking through a hole in the wall. “There you are, we’ve secured the Northern walls, Rosaria is at Dragonspine-“ Jean’s words were cut short as Lisa crushed her in a hug, laughing breathlessly.

“You’re alright!” Lisa exclaimed. “I wouldn’t want you getting hurt,” she wiped some dirt from Jean’s face, smiling softly. “Where am I needed?” Jean, placing a hand to Lisa’s face sighed, shaking her head.

“Everywhere. The Honorary Knight can’t hold off in Windrise by themself forever-Kaeya and the Calvary captains are spread far and wide.” Another loud explosion alerted them to a wall being broke down by the monstrous being. Lisa bit the inside of her cheek.

“Go to Springvale, they’ll need help. I’ll take care of Monstadt,” she smiled. Jean’s eyes widened, her hand reaching for Lisa’a and squeezing it.

“It’s dangerous-“ the monster roared once again, Lisa narrowing her eyes in annoyance. “Lisa...”

“Jean, you know very well I can handle myself,” the former grand mage winked, Jean nodding.

“Just...Run, okay? Promise me we’ll meet by Venessa’s tree when this is over.” Lisa nodded, smiling before kissing the cheek of her companion.

“I promise. Off you go now,” Lisa waved her away, a purple shield blocking yellow energy that flew towards her. “Albedo...Did your master never teach you how to treat a lady?” She chuckled, a familiar sound that seemed foreign. She blinked out of the way of a sudden rise of earth that stormed her way, purple and yellow energy clashing as the being roared once more, sending her flying into a wall.

She was trying to control herself, but the feeling of energy buzzing at her fingertips and the prickling sensations was all too addicting to stop, her eyes glowing as she tried with all her might to suppress this energy.

“Now Razor, do be careful not to use too much of this skill! It might leave you with a nasty shock,” Lisa smiled warmly at the younger boy, tending to his slightly charred hands which were still buzzing with energy. She chuckled, being reminded of her days when she worked in Sumeru, her hands were always adorned with strange, veiny like burns from her over use of lightning.

“Miss Lisa, what is Mother’s Day?” Razor asked after a moment of silence. Lisa pressed a finger to her chin, humming.

“Well, it’s just a day to appreciate women who are mothers or those who are like a mother. Usually you get them a gift or treat them out, why do you ask Razor?” He took a second to process her words, nodding.

“Bennet told me about it.”

“Ah, well. Enjoy your day, need me to walk you back to Wolvendom?” He shook his head, as Lisa smiled and put away her supplies.

Lisa grunted as she was thrown to the ground, a purple lantern illuminating the area as the beast was shocked multiple times. She channeled more energy from said lantern, the beats crying out as it fell back. She wiped the blood gushing from her mouth, if she survived tonight-Morning would be hell.

Lisa yawned, wiping her eyes as she sat at her desk and found a dark wicker basket with slightly crushed wolfhooks and valberries. She raised a brow, taking a look at the letter.

She pushed the card to her chest, smiling to herself as she prepared a thank you letter, using only her finest pens and handwriting. She cared deeply for the young boy-But she would’ve never thought he would’ve cared back. She never thought anyone would’ve cared for her.

“Damn!” Lisa exclaimed, sliding across the ground as she dashed towards the creature once more, trying her best to prevent the destruction of Monstadt. The city was evacuated, but if this thing left the city-more people would be hurt. “You ugly thing,” she hissed, blinking backwards to avoid a violent explosion from a geo blossom.

“Jean darling, I made you some coffee,” Lisa beamed, draping herself over the knight’s shoulders. “You’ve been working so hard lately.”

“You know I don’t have a choice, Lisa.” The witch giggled, nodding her head.

“Maybe when you’re done with all that paperwork we can enjoy dinner at Good Hunter?” Jean chuckled, taking Lisa’s hand and pressing a soft kiss to the back of it, nodding her head.

“Sounds like a plan.”

The sky darkened further, Lisa’s body sore and aching as she felt her heart beat quicken, summoning lightning from the heavens. It struck the being, sending even more geo blossoms to shake the earth below. If this thing was a product of alchemy...It would be best to destroy it from its core, where it begins.

Lisa’s knees seemed to buckle under her in fear. She would lose so much if she died tonight, but she won’t. She’ll live and meet Jean under the tree, she’ll teach Razor all she knows, she’ll apologize to Klee for never playing her games-

Lisa dodged a strike, running forward to see the glimmering blue stone embedded into its flesh. It roared, trying to get her away as she grabbed the shining pendant, hot to the touch and burning her hands. She furrowed her brows with focus, it would not want to be destroyed, so it certainly will put up a fight. She silently prayed, as it began to warm even more-Tears burning at her eyes from the pain.

“Lupical?” She turned back to see Razor, greatsword in hand staring at her with wide eyes and parted lips. “Lisa!” He yelled, running towards her. Lisa shook her head, her other hand casting a purple shield to keep him away.

“N-not now, Razor,” she beamed weakly, hissing as she continued to channel all her energy in order to overload the stone. “Lisa’s taking care of some business.” It got agonizingly hot, it was on the edge. It would explode, she would die. Lisa was going to die, and she was so scared. She was so scared of losing everything, she is scared of becoming like the insane wizards who hide in the corners of Teyvat, she’s terrified-

“Lupical!” Razor cried once more, Lisa turning back and letting her tears run freely.

“Live for me.” The barrier strengthened itself. As a bright purple glow illuminated the city, sending everything in the vicinity flying back.

“Lupical...” Razor whispered to himself, before succumbing to darkness.

[mimssides]

Never Met You

Chapter 3: Healing

Time will heal their pain, they say. It will not. It is the time they give themselves to heal which will make them feel better. Be patient. Be understanding.

More than two weeks had gone by since Green had joined the court. He had been trained, sworn the oath of secrecy to not tell whatever he heard while he was with the king and was now steadily by His Majesty’s side.

Janus had gotten used to it far quicker than he had expected. Green was louder and chattier than the other guards were with him. He soon had also begun to talk with the king, exchanging little comments about how he felt and why he wanted to do things the way he had them done. Yet whenever other people where around or Green had to escort Logan from place to place, the guard became still and observant. Sometimes, Janus even believed that he noticed things quicker than Janus himself did. And he had a magical eye to help him with that while Green had nothing of the sorts.

“Life doesn’t allow for you to be inattentive. I cannot allow myself to miss any detail no matter how unimportant it seems. We will only know afterwards which one has been crucial and which one was not, so everything is important right now,” had Green’s explanation been and Janus felt many feelings about this very statement.

Yet today this was not one of his worries. Today he was focused on making sure that everything was perfect for Roman’s arrival. The kitchen was instructed to cook his favourite meals, the prince’s wing had been cleaned a decorated to the t and Janus had most likely not slept more than three hours in the last three nights. So, Janus was feeling perfect.

“Are you sure you want me to be there during their arrival?” Green asked as he and Janus walked towards the foyer where Logan was already waiting for Roman to arrive. “His Royal Highness’s guard will be there and he is said to be more than enough protection for both of them.”

Janus shot Green a look. Green did not want to meet Roman. Janus had realized that soon after the return had been discussed and he had reacted rather subdued to the whole conversation. Janus had tried to gauge what issue Green was having but the man’s lips were sealed about the topic except that he had sworn that he had no ill intent against the prince. It was enough reassurance for Janus at the moment and he really had no nerves to deal with Green’s insecurities right now. He just wanted to see Roman.

“One more word of you not attending,” Janus hissed sharply and watched as Green’s eyes go wide, “and I will have you thrown into the dungeons and let them pull out every single hair on your body one by one. I’m I clear enough for you?”

“Yes, sir.”

Janus grunted and Green opened the door for him to enter the foyer. Quickly both found their respective places by the king’s side, Janus to Logan’s right and Green to Logan’s left by the wall. Logan greeted them both leisurely and let his eyes linger a little longer on Green who shot a few quick glances towards Janus. Then for a moment their eyes met. Logan nodded and turned his attention towards Janus.

Subtly, because subtility was one of the things Logan had had to learn from Janus when he started taking over more important functions in court, Logan tapped against Janus’s sleeve and glimpsed at his friend. Janus glimpsed back and lifted his chin a bit in defiance.

“I don’t think that Roman will be too happy to see that you have overworked yourself,” Logan whispered barely moving his lips.

Janus scrunched his nose a little and retorted just as quietly: “The situation is tense. I cannot make a mistake even if it upsets the prince. You know I am still more than capable to do my work.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

The but hung between them in the air and both knew it would be coming next as Logan added: “But Roman does not just care about how well you are able to do your work. He is worried about you as well. And I am the one who will never hear the end of it if he thinks I made you work too much.”

Janus didn’t say anything to that and Logan took it as a small win. Sometimes an argument with Janus was better set aside than completely won and this was one of those instances. Besides, Roman’s arrival was finally announced and they didn’t have time left to get into the topic any further.

There was bustling behind the door, muffled voices and finally the doors were opened. Marching steps could be heard as Roman Thea walked inside. He was wearing a dark red jacket with golden ornaments and a blood red sash, black pants and shoes, his usual attire. Logan felt a weight fall from his chest and watched his old friend approach with a smile. Roman returned it lightly and whispered something over his shoulder to Virgil, who was following him like a shadow.

“Salutations Roman. I hope your journey has been enjoyable and without incidences,” Logan greeted when Roman had walked up four feet in front of him.

A smile, brilliant and shining, took over Roman’s face and he greeted with a little bow and flourish: “Good day to you too, Your Majesty! My journey has been very pleasant but I am happy to be home again even if the circumstances are quite dire.”

“Indeed.”

Logan felt his stomach turn once more, suppressed the urge to groan and instead turned halfway to the door leading further into the castle. Elegantly, he pointed towards the portal and eyed Roman for a second.

“Would you like to continue this conversation in a more private setting?” Logan said and hoped Roman would accept quickly.

Luck seemed to be on his side as Roman gave a quick nod and took his usual place between Logan and Janus with Virgil shadowing him silently. Well, almost silently. When the four men began to walk towards the portal Virgil abruptly stopped both Roman and Logan from walking by holding them back by their shoulders. Both stopped rapidly and looked into the direction where Virgil was glaring at.

“Who is that?”

Virgil’s deep voice resonated in their ears, his stunning aura keeping all of them in place. The only one to react was the man who Virgil was talking about. Green was looking right up to Virgil. He had come closer to walk besides Logan but now had stopped a good few feet away from the king.

“This would be my personal guard, Green,” Logan finally said and pushed Virgil’s hand off his shoulder.

Logan decidedly dodged Virgil’s glare and squared his shoulders. With a fluid motion he asked Green to step closer. Green complied and lowered his gaze the moment Roman made step forwards to see him better. Green’s hands were clenched tightly and if the others could have seen his face, they would have noticed how he had pressed his lips together. But they didn’t and that was how he wanted it to stay.

“Since when do you have a personal guard?” Roman asked sceptically.

“Royal Advisor Celer has long since your departure insisted on me getting one and now, I found a fitting candidate,” Logan said smoothly, defiantly sidestepped Virgil and approached Green. “Green has proven to be attentive, observant and trustworthy. The Royal Advisor himself can attest to it.”

Logan now was standing to Green’s right, his left hand placed nonchalantly on his shoulder. But as nonchalantly as it looked as much did it take the breath out of Green’s lungs. As much did it make his eyes sting. As much did it strengthen the yearning in his chest. And yet there was nothing for him to do.

“Janus? You approved of this?” Roman said and turned to look at the smaller man.

“What on earth, Celer! This guy could be from Ragan’s secret forces as far as we know! What were you thinking?!”

Janus snapped back viciously as Virgil accused him of paying too little attention to their newest member to court. Logan watched them and crossed his arms with a raised eyebrow. Sometimes their quarrelsome relationship was quite entertaining to watch but today he felt differently about it. He just wanted to sit down and move on with their discussion, even if it meant for the day to simply pass. Life was tiresome at the moment.

“It might be a good idea to move this discussion out of the public ear, Your Majesty. Shall I break the conflict apart?”

Logan looked to the side. Green was not looking up to him, eyes still trained on the floor. But there was something in the way he slightly tilted his head to the side, that made it obvious to Logan that he was on high alert. That made him aware of how much Green feared for someone to be listening into their conversation.

“I do not think it to be wise for you to get in between them,” Logan said and watched the three argue. “It would be better if I tell them to stop.”

“You don’t need to shield me, Your Majesty. I am your guard and here to help you with whatever you wish. And if it means that the poncho pole will fight me, I will accept my fate gracefully.”

Why exactly that nick name was so funny to Logan he did not know. He also didn’t know when the last time had been that someone had made him laugh so strongly that his tummy pleasantly hurt and he had trouble to get air. What he did know though was that he was glad to have Green by his side, who lightly supported him as he was wheezing with laughter.

Logan needed a few moments before he could breathe normally again. He felt shaky and the hand Green offered him was very appreciated. Hastily, he caught Green’s look and found unfiltered concern and a tiny smile in his face. It made Logan try to compose himself and he turned fully towards Green away from the others.

Over Logan’s shoulder Green looked to Janus. He had dropped his fight with Virgil the second Logan had begun to laugh. He had known his king for over a decade now, and what he was seeing was a completely stressed-out Logan. And it needed a lot for Logan to actually show signs of his state.

“I propose we go to the prepared room in His Majesty’s quarters? Do you agree Royal Advisor Celer?” Green said swiftly.

Janus simply nodded. Both Roman and Virgil went quiet as well and followed as Janus took the lead and guided them towards the king’s quarters. Virgil and Green were flanking Roman and Logan in between them and observed their surroundings with sharp eyes. Guards were following behind as an escort but neither of the personally chosen guards trusted their abilities as much as they trusted their own. Their highest priority was the safety of their prince and king and their resolve to ensure that was far higher than those of the usual guards.

They arrived at the room, Janus opened the door and entered to make sure it was as he had requested it to be. After the short check, Roman and Logan followed and Logan took a seat on the divan. Roman placed himself on the armchair next to him, while Janus remained standing. Green and Virgil, after telling the guards to stay on lookout on the outside, took a place on each side of the door and watched as the royals and the advisor exchanged several glances.

Logan sighed and massaged his temples as he finally broke the silence and spoke up: “Please excuse my outburst. I – I don’t know how to explain it.”

Janus shook his head and stemmed his hands on his hips.

“You are running on your last leg, Logan,” Janus said for Logan. “We had three new conflicts at the boarders to Ragan in the last five days and it’s only a question of time until there are the first casualties. I know you do not want to let it go so far, but as a military man yourself you must understand that we have to prepare for a battle, don’t you? I do not see how we are going to talk this out with King George.”

“Three in the last five days? I didn’t hear any of this!” Roman said and got up from the armchair while gesticulating towards Janus.

“We decided to keep quiet about it as long as no one got seriously hurt. We weren’t sure if the situation would grow more tense and wanted to prevent an unnecessary panic from spreading. But now...”

“You expect. You actually expect a war to break out? Over a few villages and some disagreements over the alliance talks with Sictes and Kainen?”

“George is a petty man,” Janus snarled at Roman’s disbelieve. “And he had it out for us in ages. He had it out for you too, Roman. I remember what he said at -”

“We are over this, Jan! You have asked him and he didn’t lie that he didn’t know anything about the – the assassination. He wasn’t responsible for this.”

“That doesn’t mean he didn’t have anything to do with it! He could have phrased it in a way that I couldn’t catch the lie! He might have been the one to- to do this to you!”

“Stop it you two! This isn’t leading us anywhere. We are not to think about personal grievances but about our people! And I need you to realize that it’s not our people King George wants to fare war against. He specifically stated that my methods as well as my court are not to his liking and he wants to claim the villages close to the boarder to “save” them from our politics. If we can reach a compromise with him, all of this might be avoided.”

Logan’s voice was firm but tired. Both Roman and Janus looked down to him. His hands were folded in his lap and his head hung low, completely unlike the otherwise always confident but kind demeanour he would display. Smoothly, Janus sat down next to him, made sure to don’t catch him off guard when he put his hand on his back.

“Logan, he will not listen to you. He never wanted to listen to you since the Coronation,” Janus said sadly and Logan’s shoulders sunk deeper.

Seeing Logan shrink down like this, awakened an old and heavy anger in Roman. It flared through his mind and loosened his lips.

“It’s been eight years! How can he still be hung up on this?!”

“Because he is elitist and believes that you are the only one who is supposed sitting on the thrown!” Janus retorted angrily.

“Maybe we should consider...”

Logan had taken off the crown and was looking at its golden shimmer. His thumb was running along the simple decorations and the few blue sapphires imbedded in the metal. Roman had given the crown in commission for him, so he didn’t have to wear the crown of the late King or Queen. Logan had thought it to be quite excessive to have a new crown made for him but in the current situation he found himself missing it already. But he would sacrifice whatever necessary if it meant that his people would be spared from a war.

“I don’t want the crown, Logan.”

But then of course, there was that. Logan looked up to Roman and sighed. He nodded dismissively. The position and status he took had not only come because he was capable but also because Roman couldn’t bear the weight on his shoulders. It had taken him years to admit it and find the courage to present him as the King of Theana.

“I didn’t think of it as stepping back completely,” Logan said and looked to the side. “It would only be a representative measure. You as the official king and I as the acting regent. He accepted me before you completely denied the throne, so it might be a viable solution.”

“NO!”

***

  █████ was pacing along the hall. His mind was restless and he could feel Janus’s eyes on him. Of course, Janus’s eyes would be on him now. Roman would finally return and █████ was desperate to see him again. He just wanted to be sure that he indeed was alright and that everting had truly worked out as well as everyone had claimed. The reports he had gotten from the messengers were far too stellar for his taste to be true; Roman having befriended the cold-blooded Queen and even getting her to watch a play with him, just sounded too farfetched to not be a lie.

 “████ ███████,” a servant called form the door and both █████ and Janus turned towards them, “the Crown Prince has arrived and will be here shortly.”

 It wasn’t a second that █████ needed to walk towards the door and be on his way to meet his ███████.

 Janus was following him like a shadow and shot him a chiding look as he rushed past the worried servants, to which █████ simply retorted: “Fuck the protocol. I just need to know that he’s fine.”

 With that Janus let it slide and let one of the servants go and get Logan as soon as possible. In silence they continued walking down the halls and eventually reached the foyer to the courtyard, which was promptly opened.

 With proud and loud steps Roman entered. A broad smile was plastered over his face, his eyes were shining and immediately met █████’s gaze. With a high held head and a skip in his step Roman steered towards his ███████ and greeted with a booming voice: “Good day to you █████! It is a joy to be home again!”

 █████ froze. Something fell in his chest as his ███████ came closer, eyes still on him and already recognizing and acknowledging the fear in his eyes. Because Roman was loud. Roman’s posture was straight and proud. Roman’s voice was voluminous and strong. Roman’s eyes were clear and determined.

 Roman was like he had been before and for once it didn’t seem to be a dream or a nightmare.

 There was no moment for █████ to think about it any longer as Roman had reached him and pulled him into a firm hug. The whole room stopped breathing. They watched as their ████ melted into Roman’s arms, as Roman cradled him and held his ███████ close.

 Quiet words were spoken, but no one but the ████████ could hear them. No one but them needed to know of them. Something was mended and they both knew that a new time had come for them.

  Swift steps in synchronic pace and they parted. █████ was smiling widely with a common mad glint glimmering in his eyes as Roman smiled back with his head held high and mighty. Power was shining underneath their skins, energy at the tips of their fingers. Every person in the room could feel it and more than a few guards were close to start shivering.

 But for one person who was standing slightly in the back to Roman’s right side. █████ noticed them only now and his brows furrowed at their sight. The person was tall and the lower half of their face and upper body hidden beneath a shawl and a loose poncho. A batch of light brown hair was falling over one side of their face and █████ found himself intrigued.

 “Who have you yet to introduce me to, Roman?” █████ asked and lightly pointed with his chin towards the figure in the back.

 Roman’s eyes lit up and with a flourish he twirled around and waved for the figure to walk towards them. They promptly complied and approached. Their movement was near silent and their presence almost non-existent. What a fascinating person.

 The ████████ looked at each other and █████ recognized Roman’s passion within a blink and began to smirk even before Roman explained: “This is Virgil Tessaro! We met on my way to Queen Caroline and he has proven to be quite an impressive companion. A perfect guard even.”

 “One moment please!” Janus intercepted and wrestled his way between █████ and Roman.

 With a chuckle █████ stepped back and watched Janus tell Roman off for simply having a stranger come into the castle and having the preposterous idea of having him become his personal guard. Roman took it with a smirk and told him that he could do as he pleased since he was the Crown Prince. They bickered more but █████ paid it no mind as Logan finally entered the foyer and steered towards him. Quietly Logan took his place to █████’s left and eyed the spectacle in front of them. Most people would have been surprised how seemingly unaffected Logan was but █████ could see the deepening of the ceases between his brows and the way how he slightly pressed his lips together as he was looking at Roman.

 “You can tell me outright if you want me to go, gold eye.”

 Virgil had straightened his posture and most likely crossed his arms under his poncho. The rest of the servants had gotten death silent the second he had talked back to Janus and even dared to call attention to his magical eye.

 Janus pursed his lips and clenched and unclenched his fists several times before he raised his voice with a cutting edge and told him: “I forbid you to talk to me in such a tone! I am a high-ranking member of the Theanian Court and deserve to be treated with respect!”

 “Aha,” Virgil deadpanned with raised eyebrows, “I’m not Theanian though and your court interests me not.”

 “One more reason for you to leave!” Janus cried.

 Nothing of Janus’s words seemed to be able to bother Virgil in the slightest. Instead, he turned around and looked to Roman. Curiously, █████ observed the shift in Roman’s amused expression to something softer. He definitely needed to have a word about that with Roman at some point in time.

 “Do you wish for me to leave?” Virgil asked Roman dutifully.

 Roman stepped close to Virgil and put his hand on his upper arm. This time even Logan raised his eyebrows and Janus looked like he would soon collapse on the floor in anger. But Roman paid them no mind. He smiled at Virgil and shook his head.

 “No, I do not wish for you to leave. I want you to stay.”

 Virgil bowed his head. Turned to look back down at Janus. Raised his eyebrows at him and shrugged.

 “I guess you have to accept that, since you have to listen to him.”

 It took them ten minutes to stop Janus from trying to murder Virgil in the foyer. The whole thing only calmed down, when Roman himself pulled Janus to the side and exchanged a few hushed and possibly very dramatic and sappy words with the Royal Advisor.

 █████ was laughing through the whole ordeal and Logan sent for the servants to fetch Roman’s luggage as well as the possessions Virgil had brought with him. Quietly Logan spoke with Virgil after that, made sure he knew what he was getting into and the group finally left the foyer and went into a smaller conference room where they could privately talk for a while without being observed by all the guards. On their way Virgil and Janus were already bickering again, the former never quite letting Roman out of sight and constantly scanning the area for any potential dangers.

 Walking in between the █████, Logan observed the behaviour of the new court member and side eyed Roman for a moment. The Crown Prince noticed and shot him a curious look.

 “What do you want to say, Advisor Rayne?” Roman said with a teasing smile.

 Logan looked once more back to Virgil before he answered: “There is a story behind you and this man. And you will have to tell us about it, Your Royal Highness.”

 “Like you have to tell us about what is hanging on this necklace I have never seen you wear in the whole time since you are here?”

 It was a good thing that blushing made no noise, otherwise the whole castle would have known that Logan had turned rather red. It didn’t help that █████ snickered and put his arm around his waist as Logan’s cheeks turned darker by the second. Roman laughed lightly as well and for once Logan decided to let it pass.

 Because there was no black. For the first time Logan saw Roman wearing no black since he had joined the court. For the first time since the King and Queen’s assassination Roman was not wearing black but white.

***

Roman’s voice died. Janus and Logan looked to the door. Virgil stared to Green next to him. And Green spoke.

“You cannot let him have this! You cannot stand down, just because he threatens you! He will see it as a sign of weakness and will try to blackmail us even more! You are better than him, you don’t need to play his game to beat him! You are Theana’s King without doubt! No one but you can lead this kingdom as well as you do and you shall pride yourself with it and show him what you are capable of!”

Heavy silence hung in the air. A moment passed and another one. Janus watched Green’s passionate expression drain away and observed dread taking its place. Hollowly he put his hand over his mouth and stared at Logan in horror. Subtly, Janus glanced to Logan who looked like he was holding his breath. He couldn’t focus on him though as Roman completely turned towards Green and caught the guard’s gaze.

“You are speaking out of line,” Roman said and Green visibly pressed his hands closer against his lips. “You are not allowed to take part in our conversations if not asked to directly or address your king so casually.”

Roman held his chin high and his lips were pursed. Janus knew that look well enough and put his hand on Logan’s shoulder. Beneath his shawl Virgil began to grin.

“But by the gods, you’re totally right! Logan is so much more capable of ruling than I could ever be! His planning is succinct and well thought out and he looks stunning in a crown,” Roman said and shot Logan a teasing look over the shoulder.

Logan furrowed his brows in a chiding manner and told Roman: “Me looking good in a crown has nothing to do with anything you have been talking about.”

“I disagree.”

This time Green and Roman looked at each other and fell both silent. Roman raised an eyebrow and Green looked to the floor. Roman looked Green over. He knew nothing of this man, not even his full name. He didn’t know what story laid behind this stranger with the wavy hair and weird moustache. He didn’t know how he happened to become Logan’s first personal guard ever. The first one for whom Logan stepped over his own pride and accepted help from.

Automatically, Roman’s eyes darted over to Virgil. He looked into the deep blue and remembered the defiant way he had fought off the hooligans who had tried to hurt those sheep. He hadn’t even known the owner nor been tasked with taking care of the animals but had still fought for them. It had stopped his carriage. It had caused their first fateful meeting.

With a little huff Roman put on a smile and turned back around to Logan and Janus. Janus’s look told him exactly how he felt about this coincidence and Logan’s eyes were still set on Green. Roman could not help himself but chuckle.

“I never met this man but I know there is a story behind him and you will have to tell me about it, Your Majesty,” Roman said in a slightly teasing but not unkind tone.

Unease settled over the group. Logan turned his attention back on the prince and Janus kept an eye on Green. He had tried to hide it before, but when Roman had begun to call him out on his intolerable behaviour and Green had pressed his hands over his mouth Janus had noted that Green had started to smile. He had known that Roman would not be mad at him and Janus had a lot to consider now.

But it had to wait for the moment. Now they had to finish this discussion.

“A talk will be had,” Logan said and placed the crown back on his head. “But everything has its time. Now you and Virgil should go and rest for a bit. I will have an official meeting tomorrow with the military council where we will go into detail. Until then I would ask you two to rest after your long journey. Janus, please make their stay as pleasant as possible.”

Janus blinked. He still had his duties to fulfil and he couldn’t just go off with Roman and Virgil and have a free day with them.

Just when he was ready to talk back Logan leaned towards him and said quietly: “I am not the only one on their last leg, so to speak. Take a break. I have at least slept last night. Green will accompany me for the rest of the day.”

A single nod and Logan got up. He walked to the door and Green opened it for him even though no one but Janus had heard what Logan had just said. One last time Logan looked over his shoulder to Roman and lastly to Virgil.

“Good luck with them. Try to keep them from planning another masquerade ball,” Logan joked.

Under his shawl Virgil grinned and gave Logan a little wink. Next the door closed behind Logan and after a moment Virgil walked up to Roman and put his hand on the small of his back, as he led him over to the divan and waited for him to sit down. Roman did so and Virgil lowered himself to the ground in front of both Roman and Janus.

“Still unable to sit correctly on a proper piece of furniture?” Janus teased tiredly and leaned against Roman’s side.

Janus almost let out a pleased gasp when Virgil put his hand on his knee and Roman draped his arm around his shoulder. Their presence and warmth had grown on him over the years. Roman had been a constant in all of his life but only thanks to Virgil’s presence they had finally developed the dynamic and relationship they shared now. They had needed something new. Roman had needed something new. And Virgil had brought it.

“Is Green the something new for Lo?” Roman asked as if he had read Janus’s mind.

Janus sighed and buried his head in Roman’s shoulder. He felt their surprise in the way Roman’s hand on his back tightened and in the soft strokes Virgil brushed over his knees.

“I don’t know.”

Roman and Virgil shared a look. Virgil got up and closed the blinds by the window. Janus’s recognised the small rustling of Virgil’s shawl being removed.

“Talk Celer. It seems we need to know more about this man,” Virgil said seriously.

Janus sighed and pulled his face away from Roman’s neck. With pursed lips he looked up to Virgil standing in front of him. His scarred face was stern. Janus’s eye lit up in gold and he found himself telling his two partners about this strange man, who had entered his and Logan’s lives over two weeks ago.

___

Link for AO3, Taglist, Masterlist, and next Chapters are in my first reblog!

[zrtranscripts]

Home Front, Mission 1: Zombies, Stay Inside!

Lockdown workout

~

[paper rustles, microphone creaks]

SAM YAO: Hello, runners. Sorry, that didn't sound very friendly. Everything's fine. Sorry! I'm trying to sound less terrified. Hello. No, wait. That... Well, that just sounded sinister. Okay, I'm going Sean Connery. [imitates Sean Connery] Hello. [own voice] Ugh... Okay. Maybe I should just move on from saying hello. How are you all doing? I'm not amazing.

To recap, in case you've been stuck in a hole for the past week... Although maybe some of you are stuck in actual holes, in-in which case, I hope your hole is not full of water. And if it is full of water, I hope the water is drinkable.

Anyway, yes. To recap, there's a horde. Well, you all know that. You can see the horde out there. What happened was - we think - some runners got a huge warehouse open just south of the city. It had been sealed up since Z-Day and not a peep from inside it, so everyone thought it'd be full of useful supplies.

Well anyway, it was full of about 18,000 zombies and now they're surrounding Abel. Um, yeah, that's just an estimate. Janine was trying to tell me about modeling population numbers, but I couldn't really understand what she was going on about. She sort of rambles when she's anxious, have you noticed that?

[sighs] Well, we've all been caught unawares by this. Whether you were outside when the horde arrived or stuck inside like me, you'll be there for quite a while. So um, all right! My job is to keep morale up! Does it help keep morale up to say this is a really crappy situation, but one day it will definitely be over? Also - also, you know what helps keep morale up? Dancing! So I'm-I'm just going to put on a tune and uh, well, if you can, get up and dance while it's on. Or chair dance or wiggle your eyes. Yeah, okay. [laughs] This one always gets me moving.

~

[paper rustles]

SAM YAO: Okay, okay, I do have something here! I have Ministry guidelines on exercises that can be done at home. So I tell you what. I'm in the comms shack, so while I do the exercises myself, I'll read out their instructions and time them, okay? And then if you're also stuck inside, you can do them along with me. Hey, even if you're not stuck inside, you can do them. It'll be fun, or at least distracting.

Anyway, after I've explained every exercise, I'll play a song, and if you're tired, you can use the song to rest. But if you've got loads of energy, use the songs to continue the exercise, or I don't know, just dance around. Obviously, you must judge for yourself how you're feeling. Don't push yourself too hard and don't do it if it hurts. Okay? Okay. We can do this.

[paper rustles] Okay. Um, first exercise is step ups. We're gonna step on and off a stair for 30 seconds with each leg. Now if you're near some stairs, use the bottom one or whichever stair is furthest from the zombies, I guess. If you haven't got stairs, use something sturdy and stable to step up onto. So like, well, not a wobbly box. It also says here, uh, yeah. If you can, try not to use your back leg too much to push off with and don't let your knees go over your toes. This exercise will strengthen your thighs. Hmmm.

Okay, I'm going to use the step down into the comms shack. [chair creaks, cloth rustles] Okay, let's do it for 30 seconds. First leg. Ready, and... [breathy sounds from doing exercise] Wow. That is burning more than I thought. 15 seconds to go. Okay, time to change legs. Another 30 seconds, and go! Ow. 15 seconds to go. Right, that's it. If you feel like that was too easy - too easy! - you can do it more during this song, or even hold a weight next time. Maybe a tin of beans? Now if you need a rest, here's a song that always makes me think of long summer afternoons.

~

SAM YAO: You know what? I actually can feel that in my thighs. Also, building those muscles will come in handy for running up stairs away from zombies, so you know, life skills?

Whoa, man. Now I don't know where you all are, but it looks really weird out there. Like, I'm used to seeing the streets empty, the fields deserted, but now, just all the zombies. The crowd of them is like swirling. I'm starting to see patterns in it. Like there! There, look! Those two gaps have opened up in the horde like eyes. Oh my God, there! That gap under the eyes, it's like totally a smiling mouth! 

You see it right? Uh, well, I-I guess if you can see the same horde as me. Anyway, time for another dance break. Make sure you throw some good shapes to this song, and have a good time imagining me going wild to it as well.

~

SAM YAO: I don't know about you, but I'm getting a pretty good workout here. Janine popped her head round the door to say if you don't like dancing, you can always run on the spot during the music breaks. But who doesn't like dancing? Dancing is what separates us from the zombies. Even Janine likes dancing, as long as there are loads of rules she can learn about how to do it properly.

All right, next exercise. Oh, [laughs] this one sounds fun. Dead bug walking. The instructions are lie on your back with your arms and legs in the air like a dying bug. Wow, that's kind of sad for the bug. Maybe we can lie on our backs with our arms and legs in the air like a puppy asking for a belly rub. Okay? Right. Sorry. Then we walk our arms and legs in the air for one minute as rapidly as we can. Okay, that sounds interesting. Right, down on the ground. [chair creaks, cloth rustles] Okay, now I'm going to do it... One minute. Ready? Go!

[breathy sounds from doing exercise] Anyone else getting their arms and legs a bit tangled? Because I... 30 seconds to go. [mutters repeatedly] Buggy buggy bug, buggy buggy bug… puppy puppy pup. puppy puppy pup, buggy buggy... [out loud] Okay, that's that one! [microphone creaks] And if you're feeling tired out, take a rest. Otherwise, carry on with the buggy buggy exercise or dance or yeah, jog in a military fashion during this next song, which I happen to know both dogs and bugs really enjoy. Hmmm.

~

SAM YAO: Amazing! I can feel my blood pumping again. Oh man, just sitting down has not been good for me. Okay. Hey, this-this does feel good, actually. Someone should look into whether exercise improves your mental health or something. [sighs] Yes, yes. Janine is letting me know that before the apocalypse… I-I know, Janine! I know.

It feels nice to be connected to everyone, too. I don't know where you all are, but thinking of you all doing this with me, it's almost like we're together. And you know, my runners are like… [sighs] I mean, you mean a lot to me, that's all. Now if you're stuck at home, please come and tell us where you are on Rofflenet, or send us a message. That way, I can imagine you all as we're exercising together. I could even do shout-outs, like a real DJ! 

And like a real DJ, I'm gonna put on another song! Use it to dance to, or to jog on the spot to. Or if the space you're in is looking incredibly messy, you could use it to tidy up. Janine said I should say that one. I don't… [scoffs] Anyway, here's a song to clean up your space to.

~

SAM YAO: Okay. I have to say, it is nice that the shack doesn't have, well, so many piles of papers lying around. Here's the final proper exercise of the day. We're going to do some bodyweight squats. Here's the Ministry's instructions. [paper rustles] I'll read it slowly.

Stand upright with your arms by your sides and your feet hip distance apart. Okay, done. Now squat down as if you were about to sit in a chair. That's good, because I'm right next to my chair. [paper rustles] It says here take care that your knees don't come out further than your feet as you squat. Your bottom should be sticking out. Okay. Hang on. Now this is important. If you need support, you can slide down a wall. Amazing! Okay. We're going to do this for one minute. Ready? And go!

Oh my God, my legs are going to fall off! Only 30 seconds to go. Oh boy! Ah, that's it. One minute of squats. Good work, everyone. I'm gonna take a break, shake my legs out, and then maybe do some dancing. Janine doesn't appreciate my Electric Slide, but she just has no taste. If you have stronger thighs than me, carry on doing squats. Or dance, or have a rest. Here we go. Music to ignore the zombie horde by.

~

SAM YAO: Oh my God, that song takes me back! [laugh] Right, I was at college, and this bloke in the room next door just could not stop playing it. Literally. Set his alarm to play it every single morning. Now turned out his boyfriend also couldn't stand it, so we decided to make up an internet story that listening to that particular song on repeat had been linked to bleeding from the eyes.

I mean, he was a really great guy, Gadney, but not the smartest. And me and Dill paid for Facebook ads targeted at literally only him about the mystery music illness. And he believed it! We both said we'd heard about it, too, and we were really worried about him. 

I bet you think this story is going to end with them both going zom, right? But no! They're in a commune in Sunderland. So if you happen to have heard this, Gadney, I'm sorry. That song won't actually make your eardrums burst. It's great - in moderation! 

Anyway, we're nearly done. It's time for cooldown. Do some gentle stretches or dance - but like, less energetically? - to this next mega hit.

~

SAM YAO: [sighs] Ah, that was a good one. Chill. Like hopeful at the same time, you know? Okay. Hm. This has been fun. Now I know some of you runners are far enough away from the horde to be able to run outside without getting close to any of the zoms, but doing these exercises has really made me feel better. Hopefully it's made you all feel better, too. 

We're going to do it again soon, with more exercises and maybe other things. I might even take requests! Come and talk to me on Rofflenet. Send me a message, let me know what you'd like to hear. And I think a few other runners out there have microphones, so you never know who you'll hear from next!

Yeah. My dad said zhàogù hǎo zìjǐ every time me and my sister went away. Hmm. So that's what I'm going to say, too. Zhàogù hǎo zìjǐ, which means take care of yourself. And I've never meant it more. Stay safe out there.

~

Thanks to Aaron (themalaysiamerican on Rofflenet) for help on this transcript!

[ktenvs3000f21]

Relationship Status with Nature

Growing up my parents would limit the amount of time my sisters and I would be able to watch television programs, except on animal planet. At first, we were upset and angered by this decision, constantly wondering why we couldn’t watch as much Franklin or the Berenstein bears as all of our friends. But as time passed, when given the choice we began to become more and more interested in the shows the nature channel had to offer. Eventually, we forgot about the other shows altogether. I remember watching countless documentaries on exotic and endangered species as well, shows like animal cops that dealt with the rescuing and rehabilitation of domestic animals. Those days I was like a sponge, absorbing all the information those shows would offer me. Not only did these shows help me develop an appreciation and admiration for nature but they inspired me to share what I had learned with others. I was constantly sharing what I had learned with anyone that would listen. This included teachers, classmates, siblings, other family members, and sometimes even strangers. I remember convincing my parents to take me to the zoo so that I could guide them around and tell them all the information I had learned about each animal there. Learning so much about these animals made me feel connected to them and as a result, I loved going to visit them at the zoo. The zoo provided me with a sense of place because of my connection and passion for all of the animals there. Writing this has made me realize that back then, these shows were a form of interpretation that helped me understand nature’s complexities while keeping me engaged and inspiring me to continue my interpretive quests.

If I had to describe my relationship with nature today, I would say we are on a break. Not the classic Ross and Rachel break, but a real break. Lately, I haven’t had the best connection or relationship to nature which is saddening because I used to be so passionate about it. The reason for this is that during the summer I worked an office job inside from seven in the morning to six at night which left little time for leisure. During the leisure time I did have, I found myself drained from a long day of work and extremely unmotivated to do anything but sleep. However, nearing the end of summer, I set myself a goal to interact with nature at least once a day. Usually, this meant I would go for a walk before work or on my lunch break. Although this helped make me feel more connected to nature, I haven’t been able to strengthen my connection to the extent of how it was before. However, I’m not working this semester so I hope that I can take some more time to re-discover my love of wildlife. Beyond walks or hikes does anyone have any suggestions on how I can further develop my relationship with nature? Let me know, I’m open to suggestions.

[utterlyhopeful-fics]

Nightmare

Request from Anon: I’ve been suffering really bad dreams and nightmares that are leaving me shaken the next day and all. And basically, I would really like and appreciate Ezekiel comfort post these dreams. He doesn’t know what the dreams are, so possibly he feels angry and sad on behalf of the s/o when she reveals the truth. The dream topic is quite triggering (bluntly, it’s sexual assault).

If I keep tagging you and you’re not interested or you’d like to be tagged; please let me know!

MASTERLIST

Translations:

Eres mia y yo soy tuya --  You are mine & I am yours.

Siempre.Yo también mi amor. Yo también. --  Always, me too my love. Me too.

Ezekiel Reyes (Ez) x Reader

Word Count:

Warnings: TRIGGERING TOPIC, extensive mention of sexual assault, language, angst, mention of self-hatred. PLEASE don’t read any further if this is upsetting in any manner or form to you!!

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

        ---FLASHBACK---

It was always the same nightmare, the same abandoned alleyway, and the exact same strange man following her for the last ten minutes. She’d just left Lettie’s surprise birthday. Nothing could’ve wiped the smile off her face that day, unbeknownst to Y/N. Her heart accelerated uncertain of what to do next as her feet sprinted a second faster. Her skin tinged with heat; her eyes dilated in trepidation. She remembered that disturbing night like the back of her hand, never forgetting a spare detail. Nausea trounced through Y/N as she turned the next street corner.

Her vision soon blurred into shapeless blobs the nearer Y/N traveled home but the pitter patter of blatant footsteps haunted her. It was the world’s fucked adaptation of Groundhog’s Day dooming Y/N to repeat her horrid deliriums. Of course, details change a time or two but never enough to ease her panicked heart. Her own screams troubled her subconscious. 

With her body aching for rest and her mind preoccupied elsewhere, Y/N begged for one peaceful night of sleep. But when her eyelids shut, another tale came to life lurking beneath the shadows. She never knew his name; the asshole who so vehemently manhandled her in a very public and humiliating tactic.

Her purple nails slashed ferociously at his skin imprinting shallow cuts against his shaggy suntanned skin. His grotesquely bulky hand gripped her neck temporarily blocking her airways, lifting Y/N momentary levitating. Fuck, fuck, fuck, Nooo. Rapid sobs clawed at her throat in a forceful manner. She gawked in horror as he devoured her every inch by creepy inch. 

A predator claiming his kill.  She’d loathed the sickening grin playing on his edge of his lips until he smashed the back of her head against the red-bricked wall.  An unwillingly imprint stamped in her disturbing memory.

This time her vision embarked into dusky darkness similar to that of a curtain collapsing. Black spots prickled her advantageous points of her sight. Goosebumps trickled down her arms in response to the howling wind hitching her dress dangerously high. His callused fingers rubbed harshly stroking the outside of her lace underwear. Once the shock deteriorated, Y/N glowered blankly at the devilish black irises. A burst of energy tingled the tip of her fingers migrating within her muscles and bones protesting a final shout of defiance. Her ears resonated tortuously, her voice reverberated from her windpipe, and her knee left the ground in haste connecting perfectly with his groin.

“Ooof, you fuck---ing bitch.” The man coughed violently falling to the paved cement.

She planted her hands trivially atop his chest pushing with every ounce of strength thrusting him away from her.

Y/N gritted in pure fury. “Fucking asshole!”

Without a second glance Y/N ran, she sprinted until approaching Lindo’s ice cream parlor two three away. She’d never been so thankful for high school cross country in her entire life. Replaying her phone call to Ez overwhelmed her countless times a day, listening to the spooked man on the other end. The only man she’d grown to trust since the incident. It was also a call Ez couldn’t erase from his head listening to the dead tone. Never in a million years did Ez conjure hearing her disconnected tone. He found her easily enough sitting on the plastic chair near the window.

Her back hunched sitting far from human contact. Still, the moonlight reflected off her in the most radiant of ways. Effortlessly magnificent. The bell hummed as the door closed behind Ez. Y/N didn’t look up until two brown boots met her penetrating stare. The rest was history. Ezekiel was more committed and in love with her than ever. He placed a kiss on her forehead resting his chin on her head. There was no hiding the flinching shudder that overtook her before Y/N leaned into his touch.; calming and familiar. He brought her into his tattooed arms, his comforting fingers ran along her spine. He’d never hated silence so much than in that very moment.

        ---PRESENT---

Ez awoke from his slumber when Y/N started to mumble incoherently, her body whipped back and forth riddled with unreleased anxiety. Perspiration glistened along her exposed skin falling into droplets on their indigo/cobalt sheets. Her eyeballs bounced around her shut lids further worrying Ez. His left hand gently shook her arm hoping to stir, to throw him a damn sign, anything to know she was okay. Her nightmares were becoming a nightly occurrence. Just like lightening, Y/N bolted up chest heaving for fresh air. Her eyes scanned their room grasping she was home, with Ez. She whimpered burying her face into his neck. Wet streaks shot down his neck as tears specked her cheeks.

“Baby, Y/N; can you hear me?”

Y/N continued to glare straight refusing to glance at the angel by her side. Her room shifted into familiarity exhaling boisterously. Blood pressure returned to normal levels allowing her a moment of vital clarity.

A meek ‘Yes’ stumbled from her quiet lips.

“What’s wrong, Y/N? What’s eating at you baby girl?”

To this day, Y/N never mentioned what happened that night, the assault. Whether it was shame or humility, Y/N was still working through the motions. Past experiences taught her to maintain an open heart to healing but the impenetrable wall inside stopped her. obviously so, he knew something was up when he picked her up, but he never asked any questions. Shortly after they became lovers, their friendship strengthened far greater than either prepared for.

Soon, they became inseparable entangled in each other’s lives, and they were simply happy. Y/N was a hard book to crack, keeping her emotions in check, embracing rational thinking for any and all decisions. She was the only other woman to beat his GPA, challenge his testimonies, and explode into contagious laughter at the drop of a hat. Falling in love with Y/N was the easiest decision Ez made in the last ten years.

“I’m here. I’m here” chanted repeatedly, a whisper in the calm of night.

“Almost a year and a half ago…. I—” Y/N shuttered as her courage began to waver.

Ez cupped her face bringing them to eye level. His amber orbs calmed her, oozing protection and unconditional love.

“Go on…or well, don’t? The choice is completely yours.” Internally, his blood boiled with concern. Y/N was the bravest girl he’d ever encountered, it wasn’t like her to stay hush hush. Ezekiel swore he’d kill whoever scared the living shit out of her, to the bastard who rattled her bones. And, he definitely wasn’t a man to fall back on his promises.

Y/N’s rolled her eyes at his cuteness, Ez was the ying to her to yang. She’d never trusted someone the way she treated Ezekiel.

“I was aa-a-attacked. After Lettie’s 18th bday.”

Ez ripped the sheet from his body standing up, quickly pacing. How the fuck did he let this happen? Why hadn’t she opened up to him earlier? Question after question poked at his fragile ego breaking him all the while enraging him. Y/N scooted to his side engulfing into his fading heat. She remained quiet sulking in the suffocating silence of the room. Ezekiel stayed speechless.

“Don’t blame yourself, E.” Y/N quipped. “I know that look Ezekiel Reyes…” a hint of a smirk came out of the darkness.

“Blame myself? Of course, I do! I’m fucking furious!” His voice broke into heart shredding quakes; “I wasn’t there to protect you. The one thing I promised to fucking do. I’m so sorry, so sorry querida.”

“He didn’t—he almost raped me but didn’t. I kicked him in the balls and he dropped. If it hadn’t been for those few additional seconds, I’d be a goner. And that’s terrifying.”

Ez sat on the mattress, his knees brushing hers, his hand guided to the outskirts of her thigh squeezing lightly.

“If anything were to happen to you…I—I refuse to think about a life that doesn’t involve you. That fucking prick had the audacity to disrespect the Mayans unknowing of his repercussions. Did you recognize him? Any distinguishing features?”

“Not really… Caucasian with hideous gelled tips? Breath reeked of barbecue and he smelt of pleather and whiskey. Hideous snake tattoo draped on his forearm. He followed me from the restaurant. He was watching, waiting to get me alone. I’m just ...dealing with it. Finally getting around to the processing bit and it’s scary. This shit’s complicated and I didn’t want you think I was this weakling. So, I buried it so deep within me that it’s beginning to eat away at me edging closer to the surface.”

Ez leaned in finding her lips with ease kissing her with fervor. They stayed like that a few kisses longer before faintly parting. The space between them was minimal but enough to be grateful for.

“You are the opposite of weak. In fact, you’re the most determined and brilliant person I’ve ever laid eyes on. There is only one Y/N for me and I will stand diligently alongside her for as long as she’ll have me.”

“I love you, Reyes. Eres mia y yo soy tuya. Siempre.”

“Yo también mi amor. Yo también”

Ez and Y/N understood the difficult road ahead of them, Y/N’s agonizing memories, but he was proud of her. Proud of the woman who took a stand and fought like hell, choosing to share the comfortable pieces of her past life.

Her tone excluded downhearted sadness; “I’m sorry for coming in and fucking up your life.”

“Stop that. Stop right there. Goodness can be found sometimes in the middle of hell.”

Discreet snores told Ez she’d long fallen asleep. He laid them down holding her determinedly. Y/N cuddled into his warmth nuzzling his shoulder sheepishly sighing. His mahogany eyes grew heavy joining Y/N in a serene slumber. The crickets chirped at the summer’s heat worshiping the moon. The fire blazing in her dark and injured heart seemingly glowed around them like a moth a flame. To be alive at all is to have scars. But to love openly regardless of said scars; now that, that was life’s truest miracle.

~~~~~~~~

Tags: @ifoundmyhappythought​ @angelreyesgirl89​ @carlaangel86​ @imagineredwood​ @mayans-mc​ @reaperwalking​ @prospectfandom​ @emmaveale123​ @peaky-marvel​ @kind-wolf​ @scorpio4dayzzz​ @starrynite7114​ @breanime​ @whyisgmora​ @thegirlwhowritesfics​ @star017​ @threeminutesoflife​ @gemini0410​ @ly-canthrope​ 

[welcomethefears]

The Captain’s Bride - Steve Rogers x Reader - Chapter 9

Chapter 1 || Chapter 2 || Chapter 3 || Chapter 4 || Chapter 5 || Chapter 6 || Chapter 7  || Chapter 8 || Chapter 9 (This is it)

“Steve and (Y/N) raced along the ravine floor, grasping onto the other’s hand tightly,” Scott narrated.

Steve paused for a moment as he gave your intertwined hands a squeeze, a small smile on his lips at the knowledge that you were back with him. While (Y/N) longed to feel the same, she felt anxiety and fear bubble in her throat at the sounds of horses above the ravine, threatening to take her love away from her again. Upon noticing this, Steve gave her a warm smile to try and quell the worries so obvious on her beautiful face, wanting nothing but to see the smile that had kept him going these many years.

“Aha! Your fiancé’s too late. Just a couple more steps and the two of us will be safe and sound in the fire swamp,” Steve assured, a lopsided smile on his face that soon drooped as a result on your own face falling in despair even more.

“We’ll never survive,” the words falling from your lips without a second thought as you turned your head to look at the looming greenery that was bathed in shadows. You forced the lump in your throat down, before jumping a little at feeling Steve’s warm touch on your cheek as he moved your (h/c) hair out of your eyes. He captured your gaze, your (e/c) eyes glistening with fear and yet a touch of determination, a need to stay with Steve no matter what.

“Don’t worry (Y/N), you’re only say that because no one ever has,” Steve tried to comfort you, only for your legs begin to shake completely like jelly. Not much could scare you, and yet the thought of dying in swamp was only quelled slightly by the thought that at least you’d die side by side with your true love.

~*~

The growls of creatures filled the air as leaves and twigs crushed under foot despite the dampness of the swamp. If it had looked intimidating from the outside, the inside put it to shame ten times over. You could barely call the trees green, the heaviness of the air turning it a black only tinged with green it seemed. The trees were so thick and dense you could barely see twenty feet in front of you without once again getting lost in the thick of the swamp. Sweat built up on your dress as the humidity from the swamp bared down on you, your hands slick from where you clutched onto Steve’s now thick muscles. Holding you back with his arm, sword in other hand, Steve walked slowly with you through the maze that was the swamp, high on alert, determined to protect you.

“It’s not that bad,” Steve tried, only to receive a glare from you before you shuddered at another low guttural growl coming from somewhere in the swamp. Steve back tracked before clarifying, “well, I’m not saying I’d build a summer home here. The tree’s, however, are quite lovely.”

After a small huff from you in reply, the two of you kept going forward slowly. You sniffed the air softly, the smell of gas overwhelming you suddenly before you heard a popping sound. Flicking your head around to try and identify where the sound was coming from, only for a strong heat to overcome your face, a bright flame filling your vision. With a scream you panicked as your dress caught fire, heat trying it’s best to crawl up your leg and latch onto anything it could. Steve pounced in a second, smothering the flame quickly and efficiently before taking your face into his hands once again.

“Well now, that was an adventure wasn’t it? Were you singed, hurt in any way?” He asked, moving your face around to inspect it. You pushed his strong hands away softly with a small smile on your face, your heartbeat now evening out. You shook your head softly before reaching down and intertwining your fingers with his to feel even more comfortable in this otherwise hostile environment.

“You alright?” You asked in reply, just as worried for him as he was for you. He shook his head just as you did, before pulling softly on your hand to start guiding you further through the swamp. You tensed a little as you heard the same popping sound again, only for Steve to gracefully grab your waist and hoist you into the air, twirling you in a dance like motion. The flame lit up beside you, but this time you barely cared as you were settled snugly into his side.

“You been dancing since I last saw you?” You teased, “Another woman, maybe?”

“Not a chance!” Steve chuckled in reply as he tickled your side, causing you to burst out giggling.

“Been dancing on Captain America’s ship with some crewmates, waiting to do it with you,” He supplied, watching as your cheeks flushed slightly at his words. The popping sound filled both your ears once again, but this time you placed your hands-on Steve’s broad shoulders as he twirled you once again, the singed end of your dress fluttering in the air as you dodged the flame with ease.

“Well, one thing I will say; the fire swamp certainly keeps you on your toes. Hopefully, this will all soon be a happy memory,” Steve assured, giving you that boyish grin that always managed to lift your spirits in the darkest times. The vines in front of you both fell at the lithe swish of Steve’s sword. You couldn’t help but watch as the muscles in his arm tensed and released at the movement. While you had always loved Steve for who he was, you couldn’t help but admire this change in him as well.

“Captain America’s ship from SHIELD, the Helicarrier is banked at the far end of the swamp. And as you know, I am Captain America,” Steve informed, only for you to pause for a moment, trying to piece a timeline together in your head.

“But how’s that possible, SHIELD has been sailing with Captain America for 20 years, and you only left me five years ago?” You questioned, looking at Steve who could only smile at your constant inner workings.

“I myself am often surprised at life’s little quirks. See, what I told you before about saying please was true… it intrigued the head of SHIELD, Nick Fury, as did my descriptions of your beauty. Finally, Fury decided something. He said, ‘Alright Steve, never had a valet, you can if you’d like. I’ll most likely throw you overboard in the morning.’ For three years he said that. ‘Good night Steve, good work, sleep well, I’ll most likely throw you overboard in the morning.’ It was a fine time for me – I was learning to fence, fight, anything anyone would teach me. Fury and I eventually became friends. And then… it happened,” Steve explained before pausing, watching your face as you (h/c) brows knit together in both fascination, contemplation and excitement.

“What happened. C’mon Steve you know I can’t stand to be patient,” You pleaded, grasping his hand tightly as your (e/c) eyes sparkled in anticipation.

“Well, Nick had grown so tired of secrets and spies, he wanted to retire. He took me to his cabin and told me his secret. ‘I am just the head of organisation, infiltrated by Hydra,’ he said, ‘I have a plan to strengthen SHIELD, keep it running so I can make it up to the previous head, Ms Peggy Carter. You will lead SHIELD when I’m gone, so I can retire like the real Roberts has been for 15 years, living like a king in Patagonia.” Steve paused his explanation as you pulled strongly on his arm, dragging him away from another flame spurt in the swamp.

“Thank you,” Steve smiled before continuing. “Then he explained that this plan involved an experiment and new name, a necessity for inspiring fear in Hydra. You see, no one would surrender to little old Steve. So, we sailed ashore, where I underwent this strange ‘super soldier’ experiment that turned me into this,” He informed, signalling to his now huge muscles.

“After that, we took on an entirely new crew and he stayed aboard for awhile as first mate, all the time calling me Captain America. Once the crew believed and the rumour spread, he left the ship and I have been called Roberts ever since. Except now that we’re together, I shall retire and hand SHIELD over to someone else. Is everything clear to you?” He asked, watching as you nodded your head slowly as you finally understood what had happened to your beloved.

Feeling confident, you softly let go of Steve’s hand and stepped forward, only to be sucked into a pit of quicksand, swallowing you whole as a scream barely escaped from your mouth. The air stilled for a moment as Steve couldn’t breathe, trying his best to figure out what to do in this moment of panic. Looking around at his surroundings for anything that could help you, anything at all, he caught sight of a long vine and quickly cutting the vine a little and wrapping it around his waist before plunging into the sand after you.

All was tense in the swamp as the two people struggled under the sand, nothing but the trotting and growling of a rodent sniffing around the hole before suddenly sand started flying around everywhere. It scuttled away as two figures came out of the sand, Steve pulling on the vine with one arm as the other clutched you tightly to his side as if you might disappear. Both of you gasped heavily as you dragged yourselves away from the pit, trying desperately to fill your lungs with humid air that once seemed like a curse.

“We’ll never succeed, we might as well die here,” You gasped, feeling dread settle in the pit of your stomach. At least if you gave up now, you could build that summer home Steve had joked about before, it would be better than this hopeless trek. Steve only shook his head in reply as he stood, reaching out a hand to help you to your feet. He pulled you to your feet, and for the umpteenth time that day you were pulled strongly into his side. You continued to walk forward, the only assurance that everything would be okay was Steve by your side.

“No, no,” Steve gasped out, trying to smile and bring out your strength once again. “We have already succeeded. I mean, what are the three terrors of the fire swamp? Once, the flame spurt – no problem – there’s a popping sound preceding each. We can avoid that. Two, the lightning sand which you were clever enough to discover what that looks like, so in future we can avoid that too.”

“Steve, what about the R.O.U.S.’s?” You asked after you shook off the glare from his mention of the quicksand you had fallen into. Steve shook his head, trying to smile in amusement, but not quite being apple to.

“Rodents of unusual size? I don’t think they exist,” Steve tried, right before a giant rat came out of nowhere, hitting him in an almost fly kick and knocking him to the ground. The two struggled on the ground as you watched in horror, the giant teeth of the rodent gnashing in Steve’s face. If only you hadn’t just nearly suffocated in the quicksand, you would have sprung into action immediately to help him. Your trance was suddenly broken when Steve cried out after the rodent bit his shoulder, and you raced towards him, stepping on the beast’s tail to stop him from biting your farm boy any further. Unfortunately, it wasn’t your smartest move, and it quickly turned on you, causing you to back up quickly to try and get away. You tripped on the way backward, falling on your behind as you refused to break eye contact with the beast, scared it would pounce the second your attention was elsewhere. Your breathing quickened as you tried to think of an escape, before Steve came barrelling past you and tackling the rodent into the mud of the swamp. Now that the adrenaline had truly hit you, you grabbed the closest thing to you, which happened to be a large tree branch. You ran over to Steve who was still wrestling the beast on the ground, clubbing it on the side to try and get it away from him. Yet it didn’t let go of Steve no matter how hard you hit, it’s claws stuck into Steve’s arms and legs with no prospects of letting him go. The popping sound alerted you to what was about to happen, and you stepped away as Steve rolled over, letting the rodent fall right into the flame that spurted up from the ground. The rodent squealed in pain as it let go of Steve, who immediately rolled away from the heat.

“Shit,” You breathed, watching as the rodent still somehow got up, trying it’s best to hobble away into the depths of the swamp. Steve didn’t let it get far however, with an agile swing of his sword, the rodent fell dead to the ground, Steve panting and wiping sweat away from his forehead, only to smear blood on it.

“Language,” He scolded, out of breath from trying to defend you.

~*~

You held Steve with his arm over your shoulder, hobbling out as his blood dripped and stained the once beautiful, now torn, dress you were wearing. You cared little however, catching his tired and worn gaze of ocean blue, a smile overtook your (s/c) cheeks, eyes wrinkling at how happy you were. You were together, free.

“We did it!” You exclaimed, barely containing your excitement as you kept Steve steady on your shoulder. Steve chuckled at this, so in love with the fact that he was here with you, looking at your excited and beautiful face, just like how he had left you at the farm.

“Now, was that so terrible?” Steve joked, leaning in to try and capture your lips in his once again, longing for your warmth. Just as you closed your eyes to reciprocate, the thundering of hooves broke the moment, broke the future you had believed you were about to reach. You barely cared to contain your affection however, knowing that the person who had found you wouldn’t discover anything he didn’t already know. Prince Zemo rode up to the two of you, his entire guardsmen accompanying him as they surround you and Steve.

“Surrender!” Zemo declared, his critical eyes watching you carefully as you finally looked up at him, almost in your own form of surrender. It felt almost hopeless, and you scolded yourself for ever thinking you would escape him, or that you’d live happily with Steve until the day you died.

“You mean you wish to surrender to me? Very well then, I accept,” Steve sassed, still grinning with confidence to try and intimidate the sad excuse for a prince.

“I give you full marks for bravery. Don’t make yourself a fool,” Zemo threatened, his eyes however still lingering on you as you tried to straighten your back and stand tall, all for Steve.

“Ah, but how will you capture us? We know the secrets of the fire swamp. We can live there happily in our summer home for some time, so whenever you feel like dying, feel free to visit.” Steve boasted. You could only inhale a sharp breath in as he did this, watching as Zemo flicked his gloved hand lightly. All the guard’s had cocked their crossbows, all aiming directly at you and your love. Feeling their strong and deadly gaze, you clutched tightly to Steve in an attempt to ground yourself the best you could. You already knew, there was no way you could get out of this with Steve unharmed.

“I tell you once again, surrender, or you’ll be shot,” Zemo yelled, at least, yelled in the only way the calculated man could. You felt Steve’s arm around you tense more, a fire suddenly lighting his eyes as his calm and controlled façade dropped.  

“It will not happen!” Steve assured firmly, drawing his glittering sword from it’s holster and holding it out. You reached an arm out after him, attempting to pull him back from doing something stupid and life-threatening. You knew Zemo better than he did, and the likeliness that he’d take well to a threat like this? Well, it was very, very low.

“Don’t,” You hissed harshly under your breath, glaring at him with more poison than you ever thought you could muster towards your once little farm boy. It was all you could do though, to stop him from doing something that would get him killed. Zemo saw this warning however, and you watched his fingers twist in impatience, obviously wanting nothing more than to shoot down the man who had taken you away.

“For the last time, surrender,” Zemo stated, barely raising his voice as he stared the two of you down.

“Death. First.” Steve gritted out through his teeth, and your eyes widened as he went to push you behind him, all while Zemo looked to his soldiers, his hand about to signal your death. This idiot was going to fight, he was going to fight and get himself killed. You had already lost him once before, and knowing he was alive, well… right now it was enough. Shoving him away, you stood in front of him, blocking him from moving forward to be his usual rash-self.

“Will you promise not to hurt him,” You yelled, desperately trying to save him, your love. You closed your eyes for all but a second, but it was enough for a tear to form and start sliding down your face.

“What was that, princess?” Zemo hissed, his head turning back to you as he slowly lowered his hand, the crossbows starting to lower along with it. Oh, how you hated to do this, to lose him once again.

“What was that?” Steve asked as well, clasping your hand in his. You refused to look back at him however, closing your eyes to try and gather your feelings. It was always hard around Steve to put a mask on, but this time you had to. Feeling bile rise in your throat at the thought of going back to Zemo, you let go of Steve’s hand and faced Zemo the best you could. You could feel the tears falling down your cheeks faster and faster.

“If we surrender, and I return back to Florin with you, will you promise not to hurt this man? Please?” You practically pleaded, trying desperately not to let your thoughts return to that humble farm, the one where you and Steve could have been together.

“May I live a thousand years and never hunt again!” Zemo promised, and through your desperation, it seemed like he wasn’t lying. You knew he needed you to marry him, so you thought you could push this deal even further.

“He is a sailor on the pirate ship Helicarrier. Promise to return him to his ship,” You demanded, eyeing Zemo carefully through your blurry, tear-soaked vision.

“I swear it will be done,” Zemo assured, enough so for you to turn back to Steve. His eyes held a look of betrayal and disbelief, but all you could do was try and shush him like he was the one crying. Your heart hurt like hell, but you couldn’t have him die.

“Once we’re out of sight, take him back to Florin and throw him in the Pit of Despair,” Zemo whispered, as he leaned towards Bucky. Bucky could only nod like a robot in response.

“I swear it will be done,” He responded monotonously.

“I thought you were dead once, and it almost destroyed me. I could not bear it if you died again, not when I could have saved you. Now please farm boy, enjoy your life,” You smiled through the tears that Steve tried to wipe away, his own sad and lopsided smile barely hiding his own despair at having to leave you once again. Just as Steve went to respond, your face was pulled from his hands as Zemo lifted you onto his horse, bolting away faster than any wind Steve had felt on the sea. He watched after you, watching as you couldn’t bring yourself to even turn back and look at him. He knew what you had sacrificed, and yet he knew the type of man Zemo was. He wasn’t safe, but as long as you were, it would have to do for now.

“Come, we’re going to your ship,” Bucky grunted out, turning his horse around as Steve turned to face him. Recognition washed over Steve’s face at seeing Bucky, and yet he kept his mouth clamped shut. Now was the not the time.

“We are men of action, lies do not become us,” Steve chuckled, trying his best to shake the feeling at seeing his old friend again.

“Too true,” Bucky replied, short and sharp with no emotion at all. Bucky motioned for the guards to grab Steve, the sun hitting his metal hand and temporarily blinding Steve.

“What is it?” Bucky hissed, annoyed at Steve’s focus on his hand.

“You have a metal arm, someone was looking for you…” Steve started, before Bucky quickly pulled his sword from its hilt, hitting him over the head and knocking him out.

[avionvadion]

More of my old pokemon drawings! Since... I’m apparently back in that obsession now. Frick. Oh well. These were for chapters 10 and 12 respectively. The Underground Hideout and The Taste of Freedom. 

Basil: Bulbasaur. Belladonna: Weepinbell. Ansem: Eevee. 

There is a lot of dark topics surrounding this story, such as kidnapping, trauma, and abuse, so... if that makes you uncomfortable please don’t keep reading. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22998952/chapters/54987940

Grunt, the girl, is  thirteen. Various factors such as stress, depression, and malnourishment had caused her growth to be greatly stunted so she looks like a small child. One of her hands is crooked from an injury she received growing up in Team Rocket, the majority of her arm numb as a result of poor healing. She met Steven YEARS ago, which is the very start of the story, when he was ten and she was four. They made a promise over a broken dawn stone to meet again after she was taken in by social services, but then Team Rocket happened. Because of her lack of a name they called her “Grunt” to mock her future as a Team Rocket grunt. 

As a result of learning from the news that his very new friend got taken, Steven makes it a goal to track them down. Several years pass with no luck and everyone convinces him to give up, so he focuses on his career instead. But then... the headquarters blows up, because a certain legendary pokemon was told the truth and escaped. And he picks up where he left off, aiming to avenge the friend everyone is convinced is long dead or a member of Team Rocket, with Wallace and Winona’s help. (This is where the conspiracy theorist Steven drawing desire comes in, since he has all these old newspapers and stuff for all the Team Rocket sightings and missing children/pokemon) 

Meanwhile, Grunt- having recently escaped due to the explosion- ends up journeying, very reluctantly might I add, with Brock and eventually Blue, to strengthen her pokemon by taking on the gym leaders, heading back to Hoenn, and freeing all the children/pokemon being held captive by Team Rocket, and hopefully reunite with that friend she can no longer truly remember- the dawn stone being the only thing she had that reminds her that he had once existed. 

The man antagonists in this story are Richard (Rich) and Velga, Giovanni, and all of Team Rocket. (Jesse and James will make their appearance in ORAS) 

Chapter 10 Bit: I had been more than prepared to defend myself against anything the adult could have done. The battle went by easier than expected, especially compared to Rich and Velga, and his tactics reminded me more of those random goons found lurking about in Mt. Moon when Brock and I had been searching for the fossils. What neither of us had been expecting, however, was what happened after I defeated him.

"Wh… What!?"

"I told you before," I growled, starting to feel the familiar sensation of frustration as my words continued to fail in being understood by this person, "I'm not joining you."

"But… with your skills you could totally become a top leader!" He protested. "Your pōkemon and leadership are incredible!" When he saw I was not being swayed he faltered, taking several steps back. His teeth ground together and his eyes lit up with rage, frustration on his face. "You and that boy… damn it all! Do you realize what you're turning down!? You selfish, spoiled little kids will never understand what it's like to be part of something great! Not like this! So I guess… I'll just have to show you."

"Explain!" Brock frowned deeply when the adult started to cackle, the teen stepping forward and readying to summon a pokemon at a moment's notice. "What are you trying to do? Why does Team Rocket want to use kids so badly?"

"Hm?" He tilted his head, blinking. "Oh, you haven't figured it out? You really are just a child."

I closed my eyes, expression growing empty and solemn. It was such an obvious answer, one I had learned a long time ago. Considering how he's acted so far, I knew my travelling companion would not like the answer. Ignorance, in cases like these, was complete and total bliss. But when living under such terrible conditions like I had for so long ignorance was a curse and knowledge was power. With his view of the world, I knew the truth would only enrage him further should he find out.

"Brock, don't…"

The boy looked back at me, confused when he heard my voice trail off and go quiet. "But you want to know, right? You deserve to know! Grunt, you-"

"Grunt?" The adult echoed. Realization dawned on his face and he whirled around, staring at me with big eyes. "You can't be… no, no, no- hold on. Yes, of course! How did I not realize!? You were there that day, weren't you? The day the headquarters blew up…"

The hate on his face intensified and Brock tensed, chills going down his spine as he took a fearful step back, holding a shaky arm up in front of me, the boy bravely pushing me behind him. His actions no longer surprised me, though the logic behind them did. "It wasn't her fault!" He protested, defending me. The way he said it made it almost sound like that sentence would solve everything; that it would make all the hurt go away. Brock, despite his fear, spoke with confidence.

Unfortunately, he knew nothing. I still haven't explained everything to him.

Him believing that I didn't know why children were being used was proof of that. I knew all too well why kids like me were targeted; I just… found it hard to speak about it. I think I just didn't want to upset him anymore than he already was over my situation, which was weird. He shouldn't be so upset about it; it wasn't like my life was something particularly special that should be deserving of attention, and yet… here we are.

He said I was the one who cared too much, but it was so obviously the other way around. This only showed more with Brock's kind words.

Unfortunately, the person across from us did not care to listen. He was bristling with rage, only hearing and focusing on what he wanted to. "It was… It was you! You little brat- my friend died in that fire!"

I flinched at those words, the guilt washing over me like a tidal wave. It was suffocating, the weight of the lives taken crushing me inside. My head ducked down as he continued to scream, Brock's back being the only thing blocking him from my view. The boy kept me behind him as best as he could as we started to become surrounded- all the trainers from before crowding around us and removing their disguises, revealing the large red R that was plastered over all of their chests.

"That's not on you," I heard Brock say firmly, speaking to me and momentarily snapping me out of my darker thoughts, his attention never leaving the evil trainers around us, "you didn't mean for it to happen."

But... I still caused it. I freed the legendary pōkemon that exploded the building.

Their deaths were on my hands. I murdered them.

And these people… those that were little kids had actually been wearing well-made masks, revealing very small adults. They were all Team Rocket. In my panic to rescue Blue I made a very grave mistake; I stopped observing. If I had paid the slightest bit of attention to their attire or appearance anymore than I had then this could have been avoided. I knew their tactics inside-out and yet I let this happen.

I… I screwed up. Frick.

Why do I keep making the simplest of mistakes? Was it because this was the outside world?

It was so much larger and vast than I had ever expected it to be, and despite my reluctance to trust strangers I still found myself letting down my guard, fooled by the kindness that had been shown to me by so many. This was going to cost us dearly.

The people started to grow closer and I tensed, watching as Ansem and Basil growled at the Team Rocket members. There were so many of them; I could handle one or two of them easily, but six? The leader yelled at me, cursing my existence, and without realizing I found myself grabbing onto the hem of Brock's jacket, scared as the consequences of my foolishness caught up with me, clinging onto the newer light shining before me in desperation for comfort.

I… caused this.

I failed. Just like back in the caves, I… couldn't protect anyone.

We were totally trapped.

Brock glanced over his shoulder at me before turning around, wrapping his arms around me. I was shaking, barely breathing as horror and guilt took over, the older teen keeping me pressed close to his chest protectively. He called out to my pōkemon, catching their attention as I started to shut down and surrender to my darker emotions. "Ansem, Belladonna, Basil! Get us out of here!"

"Oh, no you don't! Aerodactyl, go!" The violet-haired man raised a hand outwards, eyes flashing dangerously. A large gust of wind appeared, nearly blowing us all off our feet. Suddenly a big pōkemon appeared from a pōkeball, flying high into the air, beating its wings. An ear-piercing screech erupted from its throat, making it difficult to hear the goon speak. "If it weren't for the boss wanting you alive, I'd kill you myself! So instead, I'll have you all suffer! "

The ground began to shake, and Brock stumbled sideways- being forced to let go as I staggered backwards. Basil panicked and leapt into his arms, scared of being seperated, and Ansem started to bark again and dashed towards me, Belladonna right behind him.

Just where was this earthquake coming from? It wasn't from his Aerodactyl; it was coming from…

...underground?

Oh frick, oh frick, oh Arceus, oh gods-

I'm so sorry-!

We're going to be killed!

I screwed up!

This is all my fault!

Why did I escape so soon!?

The ground itself began to open up, shifting as two metal slabs drifted apart, and as I sat there frozen in terror Brock was shouting, calling out me as he stumbled over, trying to get to me and the rest of my pōkemon. Basil wailed loudly, tears in his eyes, and in my shock it took me a second too long to notice Brock's outstretched hand. I struggled to move, constantly knocked back down by the violent shaking of the earth, and in my desperation I reached out for him.

This was all too familiar.

In the recesses of my mind, buried deep into my memory from a time long ago, I remembered. It wasn't the first time I bore witness to such a thing, but I was certainly never on it when it happened. It was just like how the Hoenn base opened up when I was first stolen away and… when I left to Kanto on that cursed helicopter Rich and Velga made me ride.

And, deeper still, I had the feeling that I once reached out like this for someone. Who, I wasn't sure, but the sensation of a memory was there- trying to claw its way to the surface and tearing at my brain, forcing my skull to throb even more than it already was.

The Team Rocket goon raised his voice, shouting at us with a crazed grin, rage in his eyes. "Your pōkemon, your supplies; they'll all be ours!" He declared. "And you, Grunt, traitor to our kind, will suffer alongside your foolish companion!"

That was when the ground beneath me gave way, crumbling to pieces, and as I fell through the trap door I saw a quick flash of green-and-brown as Brock leapt after, following me down into the underground like a fool.

"Together forever! Trapped in the underground maze we've created!"

Rather than air, I thought of water- cold, freezing water that was filled with debris, and skies that seemed to boil with heat. Falling deeper and deeper, sinking below the surface.

Stuck… in the terrifying abyss of darkness.

As we tumbled deep into the black I muttered not so much as a word, not even able to scream, only watching with wide eyes as the light above us vanished. For a moment, as the trap doors closed and we continued to fall, all hope was lost. I found myself wondering if this was truly the end.

"A-Are you okay? What's wrong?"

It was still there- buried in the recesses of my mind. As much as I felt I should start ignoring it, I couldn't help but find that the traces of connection still held strong. My heart just couldn't let go. Everything always went back to that one person, after all, and I spent so long surviving on the pure hope of seeing him again. Even now he was haunting me, the memory of that promise keeping me rooted to this earth.

Earth…

So many years I spent living on this planet; obeying orders, acting as the puppet I was groomed to be, and plotting schemes that were only doomed to fail. Everything I ever dreamed of or desired to obtain was just too far out of reach, and they were all centered around that boy I had met so long ago. As time past my goals did shift, focusing more on the rescue of the other children, but the fact remained- I wanted to see him again.

To thank him for saving me so many times.

But… it was all an illusion. Even this freedom I have now is false.

I'm still trapped by Team Rocket.

And now… I've never felt more useless. Falling endlessly through nothingness, mind and heart slowly giving up as everything went downhill once more. It wasn't as if I truly desired to go on this journey in the first place; all I wanted was to find the police, inform them of the hideout, and then go on my way to find that mysterious boy whom I made a promise to. Yet… those plans failed too.

Everything I come up with just… fails.

Perhaps this was the world's cruel sense of justice- to get back at me for causing such a tragedy. Team Rocket was full of cruel and terrible people; they were evil beyond belief. But that didn't mean the deserved to die. Those evil enough to kidnap children and torture them, stealing them away from their families, and even go so far as to experiment on innocent pōkemon…

They needed to be imprisoned. That fate, that kind of suffering, was far worse and more befitting.

But… I was starting to believe that there was no such thing as justice. Only karma, the world making twists and turns to toy with the lives of those that lived on its back.

"Don't forget about me, you hear!?"

I'm sorry. I did. I remember your words, though the voice that once accompanied them is long gone. It was thanks to you that I became so good at surviving, yet I'm afraid that that itself was a grave mistake. My existence only ever seemed to cause others to hurt. Whether it be by putting them in danger or inadvertently hurting them with words…

I'm starting to think you should have let me rot on that street.

"Veeevaa!"

That cry snapped me back into my senses.

The world around me seemed to recollect sound and my eyes slowly opened, vision taking a while to adjust to the dark. In the distance, somewhere nearby, I could hear Ansem barking. Brock was screaming- calling out to me and trying to locate where I was. The guilt hit full force as I thought about the family that was waiting for him. They had told me to protect him, to keep him safe, and here he is falling to his death because of me.

There's… no way I can just let him die, can I?

Not like this.

Basil, Belladonna… they were all so innocent. Like the kind strangers I've met, they've only done things to help me. The pōkemon chose me as their trainer.

Did that… Did that condemn them to this fate? Because they outstretched their hands to me?

I don't… want that. I don't want them to suffer because of me.

Too much blood has already been spilled.

I can't help people; I'm only ever good at endangering them. My only real accomplishment was staying alive- so, that means… I just have to figure out a way to extend that to those I surrounded myself with. The determination to reach my goal, the willingness to do whatever it took to reach the finish line. The reluctance of falling back into the arms of those who would hurt me, to accept those who would gather me.

Obligation, obedience. Fear, guilt. Cowardice, courage.

Hate… and love.

My eyes squeezed tightly shut, burning with tears as so many emotions welled up inside me, mixing together and creation a concoction that was far from healthy. As they bubbled up, some strange sensation rising in the back of my throat, I opened my mouth and out came a cry- a scream full of rage and frustration, aggravating my still-not-quite-healed vocal chords. A howl echoed out afterwards, coming from the ever loyal Ansem, the pōkemon reacting quite intensely to my overflowing emotions. My arms shot out and I reached blindly in the direction I heard them, body coiling around a large and soft body, fur tickling my face.

It was so dark I couldn't see anything and it hurt so much to keep my eyes open, but I have to get us through this! I have to survive, so they can survive! It's the only thing my foolish self is good at!

I had no idea how much longer we had before we splat against the ground, as we had been falling for quite a while, and as a result of this knowledge adrenaline started to pump through my veins, causing my heart to race as I hiccuped and choked, mind reeling with ideas and solutions to the problem we found ourselves in. That goon said we were heading into an underground maze, which meant it could very well be a Team Rocket hideout they've created. Our pōkemon, our supplies- he said they would be theirs.

This trap was most likely designed to capture those who refused their offer to join the organization, made with the intention of stealing their money and pōkemon.

That meant that there had to be some sort of safety mechanism at the bottom- or maybe they expected us to call the pōkemon back into their pōkeballs to save them, leaving us humans to splatter into goop at the bottom. Regardless the reason, the design, or their plans, we couldn't risk just falling forever until we became sludge on the ground. We had to take precautions. And, as someone who grown up learning how to plot and scheme by the very criminals that were entrapping us, they were greatly underestimating me.

No… they were underestimating us.

I'm not alone anymore. Brock, the pōkemon… we're all here working together. Journeying together. We're friends.

And Brock just so happened to be a retired gym leader, who owned a pōkemon that was so large that he could easily stop our fall if he so wished.

If memory served correctly, and I'm praying it did because I'm panicking so badly right now that it was rather hard to think straight, Onix was a pōkemon who liked to burrow in underground places. He could even evolve naturally into some kind of steel-type pōkemon once deep enough, becoming embedded with either crystals or diamonds, or maybe both.

It might hurt a bit, but… we could use him to our advantage here. Feeling Ansem nuzzle his face into the curve of my bandaged neck, I called out as loudly as I could, ignoring the sensation of what felt like glass piercing the inside of my throat. "Brooooock!"

"Grunt!?" The boy was alarmed. It sounded like he was coming somewhere from my… left… yet higher up. He jumped in after me, so it makes sense that I'm farther down than him. "Grunt, where are you!?"

"O-Over here!"

Ansem started to bark, sensing my pain as I started to cough. Frick- I seriously needed a drink now. It felt like needles were stabbing my neck from the inside. It was almost as if the pōkemon was trying to alert the others to our presence, so that I wouldn't have to.

Still, if we couldn't reach each other… the plan might not work. "Can you hear me!? G-Grab my hand!"

"Where!?"

I reached out above me, following the sound of his voice, trying to grasp some part of him.

Something brushed my fingers and, before I even had a chance to latch on, his hand grabbed onto my wrist and suddenly I was being pulling forward. I barely had time to let out a yelp before his arms were around my back, holding me and Ansem to him, the boy cradling the back of my head as if to shield my skull from anymore injury. I wasn't quite sure when it happened, how it happened, but sometime during the past few days his touches were starting to become less anxiety inducing and more comforting.

"I've got you!"

I didn't flinch away as much in the hospital when he was braiding my hair back then, either, so I could only assume it was because of something during my wretched stay there. Something that was actually making me reach out for touch. Keeping one hand on his shoulder and the other wrapped around Ansem so not to drop him, I was about to suggest my idea when Brock yelled again.

"W-We need to do something quick!"

"I-I know, just- where's Onix!?"

"Onix? Oh, of course!" Keeping an arm around my waist, Ansem wailing as his claws dug deep into my shoulder, Basil clinging to Brock's backpack while Belladonna cried from somewhere nearby, Brock reached out to his belt. Snatching a pōkeball and enlargening it, he held it up into the air and yelled, "Onix, come out! I choose you!"

Chapter 12 Bit: 

I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, bringing the dawn stone up and resting my knuckles against my lips. My voice was muffled, but I didn't care. Everything just hurt so much, yet somehow not enough all the same. The cold, the numbness- it was all there. Amplified. Suffocating. Choking. I could barely think.

"H-he gave… he gave me the stone… t-to remind me. To remind him in case he… he forgot about me."

"...I see." Brock gave my shoulder a light squeeze, seeing how hard I was trying not to break down. "I'm glad he found you, then."

Yeah. But…

"I-I don't remember." Brock's eyebrows shot up, alarmed when he heard the sudden crack in my voice. I looked up at him, bottom lip quivering as a fresh wave of tears welled up. "I-I don't remember him, Brock. H-His face, his name, I- I can't… I can't r-recall…"

I can't recall anything.

Before he could say something to that and before I could say anything else, the woman suddenly spoke up- near flinching back when Ansem snarled at her. "W-We're here! T-Take this staircase and go through the teleporter, and you'll find the control room. See? I-I'll… I'll show you!"

Inhaling sharply, trying to distance myself from my emotions long enough to get through whatever the next encounter was, I pulled away from Brock and picked up the pace, moving my short legs as fast as they would go. I waited until the woman was through the teleporter to go myself, Ansem still being carried and stone back in my pocket, and Belladonna and Basil followed suit. Then it was Brock, then Machamp and Blue, and gradually the rest of the pōkemon…

But we weren't the only group here in the room. Without a word Machamp lowered Blue to the ground, leaving me to struggle in holding him up alone until Brock came over and grabbed the teen by the shoulders. Then the large muscular pōkemon stepped forward, standing in front of us three with Ansem and Umbreon on either side of him. Basil and Belladonna released the woman we were holding captive and she stumbled forward, rushing to the group of Team Rocket goons and… their pōkemon.

They were expecting us.

I mean, I can only imagine how much word got around about us kids when Brock was tending to Blue back in the lab- the people Belladonna knocked out must have woken up and alerted the higher-ups. These people, the adults, were more than ready to fight.

Or, rather, more than ready to have innocent pōkemon do the fighting for them.

The woman we had released whirled around with a gasp, striking the pose every goon had been forced to memorize. It took everything I had not to cringe at the sight of it, instead focusing on making sure I didn't topple over from Blue's body weight. "To infect the world with devastation, to blight all people in every nation! To denounce the goodness of truth and love, to extend our wrath to the stars above! We are Team Rocket circling the earth day and night, and you are just a bunch of brats in our way! C'mon, everyone- group attack!"

Oh no. Okay. Here we go.

A Tauros lowed and stomped a hoof against the floor, a Meowth residing atop its back. Two Zubats flew around them, flapping their wings as they stared at us nervously. Brock scowled, clicking his tongue and using one hand to reach to his belt. "Of course there are several here… Geodude, go! Help out the others!"

"M-Machamp…!" Blue began, voice hoarse from coughing. "Get them!"

"Ansem-!" I was unable to finish. Machamp was suddenly storming forward, locked onto its targets, swinging with all four fists at the Tauros when it charged. I cringed and ducked my head down upon hearing the bull-pōkemon's cries of pain, knowing full well it was fighting against its will. I hated this violence so much. "Belladonna, Basil…"

"Bulba!"

"Weeeepin!"

Vines erupted from their bodies and swung towards their foes, catching the Zubats before they could unleash a devasting flying-attack upon them. Meowth leapt up from the defeated Tauros' back, landing atop Machamp's head and using it to boost itself up again, and slashed at the vines. Basil cried out and loosened his hold, allowing a Zubat to escape, and the pōkemon hurriedly let loose several blades of wind.

Aerial Ace.

Belladonna was sent flying, several cuts lining her body as she crashed into the wall, vines retreated back into her body. Basil let out a concerned shout, but barely had time to recover himself when the second Zubat slammed itself right into him, head ramming into his side. No…

"Stand up!" My voice was panicked. Blue looked down at me in surprise as Brock ordered his Geodude to defend Belladonna as Meowth approached her. He never heard me sound so desperate and scared before. "Stand up now!"

Don't do this.

Don't you dare die.

"Basil!"

We haven't lost a single battle, so there was no way it could happen now. I won't let it.

Bulbasaur struggled to push himself up onto his feet, red eyes watering from the pain. Cuts now lined his legs from Zubat using Aerial Ace on him after the headbutt, but his expression was a determined one.

Ansem, seeing the way his companions were harmed, let out an angered roar, deciding to leave Meowth and Belladonna's Zubat alone for now, Geodude taking care of it with Machamp's help, and targeted Basil's Zubat instead. Stretching out his claws, Ansem jumped into the air as high as his legs would let him, and he caught his front paws on the pōkemon's wings, knocking it greatly off balance.

"Vaaaa!"

As they fell to the ground Ansem rolled over, biting down hard into its wings and tearing them. He was furious. The woman from before- the one we had guide us here- was glaring daggers at us, shaking with her fists held to her side in a rage. The other Team Rocket goons were both startled and very much angry, unable to believe they were now losing the battle. Worse of all, it was to a bunch of kids and their pōkemon.

Feeling Blue's weight increase I shifted in place, standing on my toes in an attempt to straighten my back and keep Blue from leaning over too much. Unfortunately, that was quite difficult as I was the smallest human in existence and these two were hecking towers in comparison. I could feel the heat coming off of Blue's face due to his fever- his heart pounding desperately in his chest in an attempt to keep him breathing. It was very unnerving.

"W-Weezings!" I glanced behind me as best as I could, trying to get a look at the other pōkemon, but auburn hair was in the way. "C-Can you help? Please?"

"Weeez?" They looked at me, surprised. "Weezing?"

The many Weezings looked at each other. If memory served right, these pōkemon had a variety of very useful moves- assuming they've already learned them, of course, and Belladonna was a bit too hurt to use her Sleeping Powder special on them.

"Weez…"

"Weez, Weezing!"

"Weez!"

"O-On the Team Rocket members!" I continued, voice cracking a little. Brock stopped issuing orders and looking back at me, alarmed. Then a bright grin spread across his face.

"Grunt, you're a genius!"

That was the wrong thing to say. The higher-up Team Rocket members shared a glance, their faces paling and somehow becoming disbelieving and enraged all at once. "Wait, what?"

"Grunt?"

One of them pointed at me, narrowing his eyes. "You're the escapee from headquarters? You? I knew you were a child, but… how old are you!? Eight?" The gaped, dumbfounded, and I tensed upon hearing their words. I was starting to believe that maybe going by my old title was a bad idea, and that maybe I should just go around titleless and nameless. "The fuck? Holy Arceus- if we bring you back to the boss…"

"We'll be promoted again!" A female Team Rocket member gasped, pressing her hands to her face. The woman from before looked exasperated by their behavior, her main goal being revenge for how we treated her. "And their pōkemon… they might be ours!"

"Who cares about that?" Another exclaimed. "Think of the pay raise!"

"Wow," Blue choked out, trying to joke, "you're famous, huh?"

My expression went blank at that, disliking the attention I was receiving. A flash of purple in the corner of my eyes snapped me back into attention, and I raised my head with wide eyes to see the many Weezings floating forward, Machamp carrying Belladonna and Basil back to us while Ansem removed his fangs from a fainted Zubat.

The Weezings continued forward, not stopping until they were past our pōkemon and residing over the fainted ones, facing the Team Rocket goons with a strange look in their eyes. The poison-type pōkemon looked angry, hurt, scared… and very fierce. "W-Weezings?"

Suddenly, and without warning, they all surged forward- flying over the crowd to the goons and headbutting them as hard as they possibly could. On impact the Weezings let out huge clouds of grey and purple smoke, causing the Team Rocket goons to start coughing as the smoke filled up the area. The many Zubats behind us, the ones we freed, decided they wanted to help out as well- swinging their wings forward and causing air blades to shoot towards them, slicing at the goons and tearing up their uniforms.

I tried not to flinch away this time upon hearing their screams, but it was too much. I just… couldn't not close my eyes. Machamp setting Basil and Belladonna by my feet, he dashed back into the action with Geodude, Ansem following behind. Together they all attacked the goons, knocking them out hard as they collapsed onto the ground. I think I heard a nasty crack from one of them, probably from the one Machamp punched in the ribs, but…

No. You know what? I'm not…

I'm not going to think about it. I cringed and shook my head, eyebrows knitting together as pain temporary flickered onto my expression. I tightened my hold on Blue's arm and waist, shifting once more as I nearly lost balance from standing on my toes for so long. "Um, frick. Okay. Uh- Brock, I-"

"I'm on it."

"Huh?" I blinked, eyes opening and turning to see him walking over there where the adults and pōkemon were, the Weezings' smoke clearing. He still had to hold part of his hood over his mouth so he wouldn't start coughing, since there was quite a bit left, but it was otherwise okay for him to head into it. "What are-"

Oh.

He knelt down, patting the adults down in an attempt to find what I could only assume to be a keycard or remote, or anything that would help us get out of here. He tossed whatever pōkeballs he found onto the ground, leaving Machamp to stomp on the empty ones- while freeing the others that remained inside. Brock also rummaged through their bags, pulling out several super potions and berries, and used those on the fainted and injured pōkemon.

Blue and I slowly waddled our way over there, and upon seeing the pōkemon's confused stares and the way the boys were looking at me… I had to greet the previously abused pōkemon. It was very awkward and uncomfortable, and it was only thanks to the other rescued pōkemon jumping into the conversation that the newly freed ones calmed down. It was mess.

Meowth looked especially lost.

"Meow…?"

A Weezing floated down and spoke to it. Understanding dawned on its face and relieved tears welled up in the pōkemon's eyes.

"Mrrooooooow!"

Haaaah, I need to get out of here. Brock shoved the remainder of the supplies into his own backpack, deciding that Team Rocket didn't need these supplies if they were just going to use them for villainy, and he slid the straps over his shoulders. Standing, he let out a heavy sigh and looked up, smiling softly at Geodude as he floated over. "Hey, buddy. You did great out there!" He raised a hand, petting the pōkemon lightly on the head.

"Geooo!" Geodude beamed, proud of himself. Shortly after, Brock recalled the pōkemon back into its ball. The boy turned, staring at the large array of computers behind him.

"I… think this might be the control panel you were talking about, Grunt."

Yeah. Yeah, he calls me by my title way too often.

He was a stupidly nice person, but every time he called me by that title it always sent whatever Team Rocket goon we were battling into a fury. And while, strategically, it could be a good thing as that meant the opponent would stop thinking clearly and act on impulse… it mostly depended on the person we were dealing with. And while deciding not to go by it anymore would prevent that from happening, chances are Team Rocket will now recognize me no matter what since so many have seen what I look like.

So… what should I do?

I bit down on my lip, thinking deeply as I glanced around at the many screens and buttons. They were all so familiar to me, yet strange all the same. How come? It wasn't from the Hoenn base, though I have seen many adults work with the computers there. I watched as Brock began to fiddle with the buttons, Basil marching up and nuzzling his leg, Belladonna and Ansem sitting at my feet. I've come to the conclusion that Basil really liked Brock, which just goes further to show what a kind person he is.

I'm surprised he didn't choose him as trainer instead.

[tsipasce]

Same Difference ch. 15

A/N: this thing fluffier than mf pancakes

That first night Nanami was awoken by the sound of the front door and a heavy sigh from a familiar voice. She glanced at the clock to see it was 2:30 am, a feeling a bit of empathy as she remembered all the 12-hour shifts she pulled, only to return to an empty place and heat up leftovers from the night before. He was probably doing the opposite of ~*saving lives*~ during his long shifts, but the sentiment remained. She heard him walking into the kitchen as the steps on hardwood turned to tile and he opened the pantry then subsequently the microwave. By 3:15 am she heard his shower going as she fell back asleep, wondering how he kept up with this schedule, his consistent grumpy mood suddenly making more sense.

By morning Nanami’s alarm for 5:30 am began blaring and she hurriedly shut it off, knowing they were only a room apart, but not how heavy a sleeper he was. Hoping she hadn’t awoken him, she quietly went through her morning routine and slipped into her workout gear. Since her training, she’d gotten back into running, and morning jogs were the only ones she had the time or energy for. On paper, any kind of jogging sounded tedious, but she found a certain peace in being able to clear her mind and get the blood flowing before beginning her day. Grabbing her headphones and phone, she quietly opened the door to her room before gently closing it. She crept down the hallway, looking back to his room to find the door still closed. He must be asleep still. Better make this quick. She thought before continuing down the hall. The sun was streaming in, but the kitchen and living room lights were off, further strengthening her confidence. As she rounded the corner, she sa— “Aggh!” There he was with his back turned, leaning on the counter. He had on a baseball cap, dust mask, sweatshirt and gym shorts with compression tight underneath, all black.

Overhaul calmly turned his head at the sudden noise as though he’d been expecting it, “You didn’t really think I wouldn’t notice you leaving, did you?”

“Wha—no, way. I was just gonna…” his bored expression let her know that whatever half-baked explanation she planned on selling, he wasn’t buying it, “Ok, you caught me.”

“You cannot be outside alone. What part of ‘there’s a price on your head’ are you not getting?”

A defeated look crossed her features as she realized he was right. For at least a couple weeks, she needed to lay low. It wasn’t an unreasonable request, and she knew it. “You’re right…” She began as she turned to go back to her room.

“Where are you going?”

The question caught her off-guard as she turned, confused, “To change?”

“I had plans to go on a run myself. You can join, if you behave.” He said plainly, as he headed to the doorway to put on his shoes. In any other circumstance she’d complain about being treated like a child, but considering she’d literally just gotten caught trying to sneak out like a teenager, she thought it best to spare him the retort and herself the hypocrisy.

“…Fine. Lead the way~”

“And leave the earphones, you need to be alert.”

“Yes, sir.” She responded simply.

He stopped, quickly turning to her, a dark look in his eyes. Seemingly coming back from wherever his mind went in that moment, he cleared his throat before turning back and adjusting his hat to cover more of his now-flushed face. “Let’s… let’s just go.”

Note to self: The magic words are not ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, but ‘yes sir’. She gulped.

They walked out of the main door and past the courtyard to the street. Looking at his watch he set a timer and they began their jog. The sun was still rising, and the air was fresh as it filled her lungs. The neighborhood was quiet, and the streets were empty, the only sounds being the morning birds and her own breath as they began their third mile.

 Hold up, where is—she thought as she looked over to see him still there. She knew he had to be in better shape than her given the fact that he fought so frequently, but he was running as though they had just begun, not a shred of fatigue on what was visible of his face. It was slightly off-putting seeing someone she knew had a whopping 2 hours of sleep run a couple miles without breaking a sweat. She on the other hand was beginning to tire. Slowing down she breathed heavily as he raised a brow at her questioningly.

“You’re…” She breathed, her hands above her head as she continued, “you’re like an electric car or something… How?” She panted, trying to cool down.

“None of that made sense.” He deadpanned, still jogging in place.

“Ugh, I’m trying to say, how are you not tired yet? I haven’t heard a peep out of you this whole time.”

“Practice and overhaul. Get through 5 miles without being this winded and I’ll consider teaching you.”

“Nothing is ever easy with you, is it?”

“Says the woman who makes a game out of defying me.”

Gasping, she dramatically put her hand across her chest, “Just because it’s true, doesn’t mean you have to say it! Besides, you invite confrontation.”

“I what?” He asked incredulously.

Just as they were about to continue bickering, a voice cut them off. “It’s a bit early to be carrying on like this, isn’t it?”

Seeing the old man from the day before, Nanami immediately felt embarrassed, having shown the stranger a less-than-flattering side of herself twice in such a short span of time. “We’re so sorry for the noise, that was my fault.” She bowed trying to apologize. Just as she was about to check for Overhaul’s reaction, she saw him doing the same.

“My apologies. We won’t be a bother again.” There wasn’t a trace of sarcasm or irritation in his voice and it sounded almost foreign to her.

Well, he does have manners, so I guess it’s not that surprising… she reasoned to herself.

“That’s quite alright, for someone my age, it’s nice hearing you young folk being so spirited.” He looked between them before continuing, “How would you two like to have a morning cup of tea with me?”

Before Nanami could find a way to wiggle out of it, Overhaul responded, “Of course, we’d be delighted.”

They stood back up, the older man already turning to go inside. Nanami turned to him mouth “what the hell are you doing?” as she didn’t want to get the man involved, not knowing how misplaced her concern was. He simply sighed, seemingly resigned to this tea break as he motioned for her to go inside. She could tell he knew something she didn’t, but reluctantly went ahead as he followed close behind through the front gates of the house.

The courtyard was very similar to that of the front house used to enter the base, except it felt homier upon entering. It was quiet and serene, as the melodic clank of the deer scare echoed and a stream of water ran into a small pond, the morning birds sparing an odd note or chirp in the background. Now cooling down from their run, she could feel the fall air crisp in her lungs once again as she took a moment to appreciate the scene.  The wrap-around porch had cushions and a tea set laid out as though he was expecting guests. Nanami was suspicious of the coincidence but couldn’t bring herself to feel threatened with her partner being so calm. At the end of the day, she was confident she and Overhaul could handle an ambush between them, but this didn’t feel like an attack, at least not for her.

“Please, have a seat.” The man smiled warmly as they obliged. Nanami was still unsettled at seeing her lab partner so placid and cooperative with another person. Must be trying to keep up a cover or something… I’ll have to be a barrier to make sure Mr.NoseyNeighbor doesn’t dig too deep and get himself in trouble with bird brain over here. This sweet old man has no idea what he’s gotten into…She thought to herself. The man poured them their cups and she clasped it with both hands, savoring the warmth as she sipped. “So, do you spend this much time with all of your patients or just the ones that are ‘particularly needy’?”

Nanami almost choked, registering the question and possible insinuation. Ok, what the fuck. Not-so sweet, after all... She used the cup as a shield, drinking as she regained her composure to answer, “I’m not sure what you mean, but I take care of all my patients equally based on what their condition demands.”

“Ah, I see. I wish I had a doctor as involved as you. Tell me, what hospital did you say you worked for again, Dr. Watanabe?” He asked innocently sipping his tea, but maintained eye contact.

“I didn’t. It’s funny, I also didn’t mention my name either. People in this neighborhood usually keep to themselves from what I’ve seen.”

“And I assume you’ve seen a lot.”

“No more than someone of your tenure has, I’m sure.” She smiled easily, determined not to lose this quasi-confrontation. She could feel her grip on the teacup tightening until Overhaul cut in.

“I think that’s enough, Pops.” He said, a tinge of exasperation in his voice.

Her head snapped to look over at Overhaul, wide-eyed. “POPS”??

The older man’s stern face and calculating smile were replaced with one of genuine amusement and a hardy chuckle. “Oh, I just wanted to test her mettle a bit. I’ve heard so much about her, but we’ve never had the chance to formally meet.”

“POPS” LIKE A DAD? LIKE HIS WHOLE ASS FATHER??

“Well, here we are. Boss, Dr. Nanami Watanabe. Dr. Watanabe, Boss.” He motioned between them. Her heart still finding time to skip a beat at the sound of him saying her given name for the first time.

Wait, Boss too? I’m… it’s too early for this. She lamented inwardly at her growing confusion before gathering her face, trying to seem unsurprised and unbothered by the introduction, though she was still hesitant. Is this another manipulation tactic?

“It’s alright, please relax, doctor.” He assured, seeing the skepticism on her face, ”I’m fully aware of your involvement in our organization. Though I do appreciate your caution. It puts me at ease knowing your prudence when discussing the Shie Hassakai extends even to me.” He chuckled.

“Oh, my apologies. It’s a pleasure to meet you sir,” she replied, her shoulders relaxing slightly as she realized there wasn’t a crisis to be averted, at least not the one she thought.

“No need to apologize, I’m just grateful to have you over. Chisaki speaks so highly of you, it’s nice to be able to put an in-person face to the name.” At this she cautioned a glance only to see him very preoccupied with watching the deer scare. “Chisaki” huh…

“Oh, does he now? He’s usually so quiet when we’re working together.”

“Except for the occasional smart remark, I’m sure.”

She tried to stifle a giggle, “You really are his father then. If it’s not that, there’s certainly a ‘can’t you be serious for one second?’ thrown in there if I even attempt a joke myself.” She said in her best Overhaul impersonation voice.

The Boss let out a hardy laugh, “Well, we’re not related by blood,” at this a look of surprise crossed her face. “But that does indeed sound like my son.”

Realizing her expression had been misread, she clarified, “Oh no, I didn’t— what I mean to say is that my parents adopted me too, so I understand what you mean.” She smiled sincerely, though there was a fragment of sadness in her features Overhaul noted as he glanced over at her when she wasn’t looking. Wanting desperately to change the subject, she looked around the courtyard, “Anyway, you have a lovely home. I’m impressed your hydrangeas are so lush during this time of year, I’m having a real hard time with mine.”

He perked up, more than happy to explain the ins-and-outs of his gardening techniques. He rose to show her around, the both of them crouching and inspecting the plants in the courtyard as pops gave her the life story and history of each plant. It was odd to think that she was having a casual conversation with The Boss himself, but figured it was best to play it cool and keep things light and genuine. She made sure to maintain a healthy level of respect while addressing him, but the interaction flowed easily. For a moment she was able to forget her situation and just enjoy a morning tea while listening intently as he spoke about all matters horticultural.

Still on the porch, observing the pair, there was a warmth creeping into Chisaki’s chest. Bloodshed, murder, brutality—those were familiar, but this… was different. Not in the mood for self-reflection, he pulled his mask down and sipped the tea, enjoying the view without questioning it. Her hands gently grazed the petals, her gaze soft as the rising sun illuminated her features, a warm smile across her face. He cleared his throat, careful not to articulate the thoughts that crossed his mind. Careful not to acknowledge just how nice it would be to become used to this visage. He made a mental note to create a garden of his own to help facilitate this new wish, but for now, there was work to be done. Like clockwork, his phone rang, stirring him from his thoughts and he knew it was time to go.

After a brief call, he pocketed the device, standing up and walking over to them. Pops noticed and took the cue, “Well, it looks like duty calls. It was lovely to finally meet you, Dr. Watanabe.”

“The feeling is definitely mutual. Thank you for the tea and gardening tips, I’ll be sure to update you on the progress of my green thumb, whenever it shows up.” She gave a small laugh as she rubbed the back of her neck, a bit embarrassed at telling him how many plants had gone to die at her place.

“I look forward to it, and to seeing more of you around here. I know others feel the same.” He glanced over to Overhaul who averted his gaze like a reticent child at the remark.

They gave courteous bows before leaving, heading back in the direction of his house. There was a marked silence between them as they jogged this time. She had a million questions but couldn’t bring herself to ask even one as they arrived and entered the house. Lost in thought, she continued walking until she almost bumped into him as he stopped in the hallway. Looking over his shoulder, he addressed her “You know, there’s no turning back now.”

“I think we crossed that bridge a while ago,” she tittered before looking up to see his gaze soft and almost anxious to hear her response.  “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.” She assured, referring only partly to her commitment to keep a low profile until the bounty could be resolved. If she was being completely honest with herself, there was an insinuation she hoped he wouldn’t miss; that he wouldn’t reject. Both exhaling a long-held breath, he nodded, heading down the hallway to his room, a faint smile forming behind his mask.

[dailyaudiobible]

07/22/2021 DAB Transript

2 Chronicles 6:12-8:10, Romans 7:14-8:8, Psalm 18:1-15, Proverbs 19:24-25

Today is the 22nd day of July, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible, I’m Brian, it's great to be here with you today. Wonderful to come around the Global Campfire and take the next step forward together in our week, in our month and in our year. This week we've been reading from the New Living Translation which is certainly what we plan to continue to do for the rest of the week. We have begun the book of 2 Chronicles this week and so that's where we find ourselves 2 Chronicles chapter 6 verse 12 through 8 verse 10 today.

Commentary:

Okay, so as we continue our journey through the letter to the Romans, we see Paul being really vulnerable and deeply confessional about his own life by telling us he does the things he doesn't want to do and the things that he wants to do he doesn't do, that he’s in a battle. So, lets zoom out just a little bit and understand that this is part of an ongoing conversation about the law and sin and how the law reveals sin. But if the law wasn't there, then how could you sin, you wouldn't know you did anything wrong. It's the law than that reveals you have transgressed. And, now Paul’s kind of talking about this dichotomy of when you die with Christ and are raised up, the law that had claimed, the law of sin that had claimed to you, no longer has any claim to you. There's this dichotomy that we still choose to do what we know is not right. So, the question is, is the law bad then because if it didn't exist then we would never be able to do anything wrong. We can do whatever we wanted, and if we have died to the law and are resurrected in Christ and the law of sin has no more control or claim to us than we can do whatever we want because we’re free in Christ. This is the type of argument or the type of conversation that Paul is systematically leading us through. So, as we begin our reading today, he says so, the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good, right. The law itself isn't the problem. It's there to show you not to transgress against it, because if you do, you step into spiritual sin. Same things apply in laws of our lands. Right, I mean, if you're in like a subdivision and there's a speed limit of 20 mph and you decide you, you're not…you're going to not obey…obey that law, you’re going a hundred. Then you are going to be jeopardizing people and you could kill someone so, you can break that law and maybe get away with it, but eventually that law is going to get you because it's there to protect people, to protect things. So, Paul’s like the law isn't the problem. The law isn't the bad thing. It's transgressing, it's choosing to break it which is what leads us to Paul's confessional language and some now I quote…I quote this because Paul's saying it from thousands of years ago, but I believe it pretty much nails every single one of us. Paul says “the trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. I don't really understand myself for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I'm doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good, so I am not the one doing wrong. It is sin living in me that does it.” So, what Paul is saying here is, if I do what I know is wrong then I am affirming the law because if it wasn't there, what I'm doing, that I know is wrong wouldn't be wrong because there'd be nothing to disobey. But then Paul acknowledges what a challenge this is and he almost kind of gives sin a personality or personifies in some sort of way like it's an entity of some kind, as opposed to a concept of some kind. He’s like, if I do what I don't want to do, I'm not really the one doing wrong. It's sin living in me that does it. And let’s continue, I have discovered this principle of life, that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind this power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. What a miserable person I am. Okay, so that's very confessional and very vulnerable and very much, pretty much I believe all of our story. This is what we’re experiencing. But, how can we be free from the claims of sin and the power of sin still resides within us? Well, that's because we have a choice. In some ways it's almost as if we have been made free and we have been given permission to live free. A claim of sin no longer has a hold over us and the primary implication of that is we are not separated from God. We can have an intimate, ongoing, always on, never off relationship with God directly. Not to sacrifice animals or any of the rituals, we are restored to God through Christ Jesus. In the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruits, they were in right standing with God. Everything was as it was supposed to be and even in that state, they had a choice and they made the choice. So, even in that freedom from sin state that we have in Christ Jesus. We still have choice. Sin is kind of like a squatter. Sin has no right to be here. We don't have a contract with sin that allows it to have certain access to our hearts at certain times of the day, and it pays rent. We already understand that the rent or the wages that it's going to pay is death. So, when we choose it, that's what we’re choosing. It doesn't have a right to be here. We just let it squat for free and bring death, which is weird when we think about it in those terms. Weird. So, what are we supposed to do? According to Paul, and I quote Paul “who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God the answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So, you see how it is, in my mind I really want to obey God's law but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.” So, in so many ways, Paul is saying, sin was a perpetual state. Christ came and set us free from the claims, the power of sin. We still can enter into sin any time we want. We can allow it to squat in our lives and bring the destruction that it brings. And it's a constant battle, but we are free from its claims through the Lord Jesus Christ and we do not have to participate. Paul says it like this and its famous “so now, there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus, because you belong to Him the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The Law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So, God, did what the law could not do, He sent His own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have and in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.” So once again, we circle back to the fact that we are utterly dependent upon God. We can't do this but He has done it. We can choose to enter into sin and suffer the repercussions of it, but it has no claim to us. It can entice us so that we become a slave to it because, as Paul told us, we’re slaves to whatever we obey. But we are under no obligation here to allow this stuff to squat in our lives anymore.

Prayer:

So Holy Spirit, we invite you into that, so often we just we just try to make peace with some of this stuff, we know it's not helpful, we know it's harmful, just kinda always been there, it’s just kinda how things are done and how we cope, how we get along. But You've invited us to raise the bar. We continually ask You to help us grow and to open our eyes. We’re showing up here every day to allow the Scriptures to speak into our lives and so we have determined, at least in some part of our heart, we need to go further and that we need to go deeper and then this needs to matter more in our walk, in our journey through life. And so, You’re gonna continue to go after the big and little things inside of us. And sin, sin leads only one place and it's not at all where we’re going and so there may be squatters in our lives that keep tripping us up and that we keep obeying and enslaving ourselves that just need to be evicted, just permanently evicted. They don't have a right to be here. Help, help us Lord, help us Lord, we are utterly dependent upon You because we can't in our own strength do much of anything. So, come Holy Spirit and help us make moves in the right direction we pray in the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.

Prayers and Encouragements:

Hello Daily Audio Bible family, this is a Treasured Possession. My husbands out mowing the lawn and he’s getting a new job on Monday and my grandkids, I’m no longer watching them and he’s actually gonna go back to work, we’ve all been vaccinated and he’ll be wearing a mask and be safe and stuff. But, for the first time in a while I will be completely alone. And I gotta say I’m kind of scared about it. And so, I’m being outrageously brave cause I don’t normally ask for prayer because if…if you know a heart, a hope deferred makes the heart sick and I’ve experienced a lot of that in my life. So, I’m coming to you and I’m asking for prayer please help me. Please ask God to help me and really strengthen me. So, I don’t go down a weird rabbit hole. So that I can get my own schedule cause I’ve been so dependent on his schedule because we’re autistic. And I know you don’t know what that means but it…suffice it to say we’re just wired differently and we work together really well as a unit. But it’s just a bit odd. And I know that…I know I may come across as a bit odd but I’m hoping that as the Spirit in Christ is the same amongst all of us you guys can understand and hear…hear me. But I love you, I listen to you. You basically keep my life smooth. And thank you so much. God Bless you and thank you.

Hello fellow DABers. I want to let you know that I pray for you every day on the prayer line and on the weekend community prayer. Let’s do what God expects of us and leave Him to do His part. All He expects is that we believe He is able to handle all that we’re experiencing. My call today is for Vincent Walking in Love in Connecticut. Vincent the promise Jesus made in John 10:10 abundant life is absolutely true. If this was not the case then Jesus would be a liar and he is not, however, there are conditions we must abide in him. John 15:4 for starters. I gave my life to Christ Jesus while I was a teenager in school and I've continued to walk with him ever since. Now, I'm in my 60s and I've never regretted for one moment, committing to my life to Christ. Someone said when God saves you, He not only save your soul but your life and as I look back I can see how God take care of me even when I made decisions that led me into sinning. I repented and got his forgiveness. God has indeed been gracious to me over the years. I have peace of mind, a family, a career, a good paying job and resources so I can share above all His presence. David said unless I had belief to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, I would've fainted some Psalm 27:13-14. God is faithful and you…He can be trusted to make His abundant life a reality for you. Just get to know Him. Randolph from Toronto.

Good afternoon DAB family today is July 18. Tomorrow marks a year when my sister found me unconscious in her room and I am just so incredibly grateful and that God saw fit that should still be here. That I can celebrate this occasion, this moment with my sister and just look back at what I've overcome and I couldn't be more thankful, grateful now to my sister who was my rock during this whole ordeal. That I had gone through different transfers of hospitals and rehab. Not once did COVID touch me and I had some setbacks but nothing so serious that my life was in danger and I’m just so incredibly thankful. And I just feel so blessed and I had to share this and it seems so inconsequential to just keep saying thank you Lord, thank you but that’s…that’s all I have. And to just say I am just so blessed to have family and friends who prayed for me and who hung in there with my family and just stayed in the fight with us and I’m just so thankful. I just had to say this. Thank you for allowing me to have this forum. Thank you, Brian and I love you DAB family. Take care.

Hi everyone this is Souring on Eagles Wings from Canada on Sunday, July 18th. __ from California you’re battling things in your mind you are doing things you don’t want to do and you want freedom from the strongholds that are seeming to overpower you, your right knee needs healing and your children and grandchildren you’re asking for prayers. I am praying for you and I and I am praying with you. Mike from New York you're also being bombarded with in your mind with feelings of death and I'm taking both of you to the throne of grace this evening. Ephesians 6 verse 11 through 12 says put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the whiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. So, I am praying for both a you as you wrestle with these things that are wanting to overpower your mind, that our heavenly Father through his Holy Spirit would deliver you from that which is wanting to take you down and you will focus on our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us some authority to tear down strongholds in his name and I tear down the strongholds over both of you so that you would have freedom to enjoy the life that the Lord has given you and in service to Him. I pray for your children and grandchildren too.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family, I’m Zack and I was gonna call to ask for prayer for guidance for me and my wife. We’ve been through a lot and we’re trying to find, just guidance through a rough patch but I want more so pray for the woman that says she's been shipwrecked. I just want you to know that if anyone understands how you're feeling or going through, it’s the Lord who sees you. It’s the Lord that that hears you. It’s the one that knows you and is acquainted with all of your ways according Psalm 139. And when you talk about that like this place, you’re at it reminds me of Psalm 42 like this pit that you feel like you came from this miry clay that you can’t get out. And one thing I love about…about the Lord is the passage where it says cast your cares on the Lord for, he cares for you. Another translation is cast your anxieties on Him for He cares for you. Many people in this life, ask us how we are doing multiple times a day without really carrying how you're actually doing. But God is the one person you don't have to explain or worry about misunderstanding. He’s the one person that when you actually pour out your heart to, He casts your cares Him, He actually cares for you and how beautiful that is. And I hope that your…I hope you know that God sees you and I pray that God restores you and comes alongside you, and if anything, that you would not feel alone, because I know…I feel like I can relate to you if anything, maybe you can pray for my wife and I where we felt stuck. But if anything, I just pray God responds with his perfect love.

[amethystpath-writes]

Part 2: Leader x Hero

A continuation (here) as requested by @silverwhisperer1 !

Assuming another continuation is requested, I will be naming these characters, and when I do, I'll make a key as to who is who so there's no confusion!

******

"So I see you had a nice time running off again," Teammate commented, not bothering to even look at Hero as she cooked bacon on the stove.

"You can't just assume that I went off and got myself-"

Finally turning with a raised brow and cruel smile, Teammate said, "I heard you hissing in the bathroom. Leader, make sure to change her bandages daily. You don't want any infections, Hero."

Hero took a seat on a high stool behind the long island. The team's base was located in an old refurbished bar on the coast of a more or less private beach. It wasn't so private that rebel teenagers didn't stop by and graffiti the walls before taking prideful selfies with their work. It was those times that Teammate 2 got the team's Rottweiler riled up and barking viciously.

There were many aspects of the team Hero loved, but there was always the nagging piece of her that wanted to be alone. Alone was comfortable. Being alone meant she didn't have to rely on anyone but herself, which she would admit now, was becoming a little rocky. But that just meant she needed to work out more, right? Work out, get a harder shell. And maybe she could work on strengthening her powers, or capabilities as the team called them.

Once upon a time, Hero was the only person she knew with powers- capabilities. Even the people she fought weren't able to counter Hero's attacks. She moved so quickly, she could hardly be seen. But now...now everyone was adapting. Hero had actually been caught the one time, and not only was she caught, but she was rendered- well, she was rendered human. When you use powers for so long, you begin to rely on them. Simply sprinting isn't helpful anymore.

That was perhaps one thing Hero was grateful for about the team. The reason they called powers capabilities was because it made the idea of not using them easier. If you are simply capable of something, you can acknowledge that it's maybe not necessary to use them nonstop. Hero was getting to the point that she used her speed to run to the bathroom. She could have walked to the bathroom no problem, but she had powers and what were they worth if she didn't use them for anything? But that was exactly why she came to rely on them. She'd forgotten how to walk normally.

A hand landed on Hero's shoulder and she followed the arm attached to it to look at Leader. "You alright? You're spacing out again."

"Yeah, yeah. I was just...thinking." She added, "About how things were before the team. In a positive light though. I still run off and do things you say are foolish, but I'm learning." She explained her previous reliance on her capabilities, and how on her last runoff she didn't use them at all. It was likely the reason she got so injured, but it was exposure, she thought. Hero needed to get used to not using them, to only use them when absolutely necessary.

"You're doing great, my sweet." Leader acknowledged her troubles, her struggle with reliability and trust. It was something he took note of often, because it came up often. He would reassure her whenever she needed though. It wasn't a bother. Leader loved Hero and just because she was going through a tough time didn't mean he loved her any less. In fact, it was her struggle that made him even come to fancy her at all. Or rather, it was the strength she had in fighting those struggles that he admired. Despite the stressful things Hero did- like trying to fight new crime on her own- he knew that it was somewhat necessary. He only wished she would at least take backup with her from now on. She didn't even have to use the backup unless it was absolutely needed.

"Bacon's done!" Teammate hollered, despite the majority of the team already being in the kitchen. "If ya want eggs, you can make 'em yourself," she declared before plopping down on another stool and already shoving a piece of bacon in her mouth. Teammate made a face then explained as she saw Hero's amused look, "That piece was burnt."

Teammate 2 pushed the doors open from the sleeping quarters' hall. "You burnt it?" Then, "Yes!" He didn't wait another beat before sliding in front of the stove, stealing the most blackened pieces of meat. Now it was Hero who made a face of disgust. Teammate 2 was odd like that; he loved everything burnt. Popcorn, bacon, hamburgers, caramel. He claimed he loved the tang and that it did 'funny dances on his tongue'.  Teammate liked to joke that he had a 'hidden stash of some loopy stuff' under his bed.

The final member of the team strolled in slowly, holding a newspaper. He released the paper with a hand to push his thin-framed glasses up.

"You know, you'd probably learn about the news much faster if you watched it instead of read it," Teammate jested at Teammate 3.

His response was to recollect his paper in both hands. "Maybe for you," was all he said. Teammate 3 had the capability of, easily said, speed reading. He took in information- words and numbers- faster than a machine. He could finish an entire newspaper, images included, in just seconds if his hands could only move that fast. Hero offered to help him turn pages, but he always said he could 'manage on his own'. He reminded Hero of herself, but in a more cold and callous way.

The speed-reader slept most of the day. He had alarms set so that he could eat and read his newspapers. He read more than one each day- some in different languages, specific to differently cultured cities within the states- so that he had a very large idea of what was going on, what could potentially need the help of the team of heroes. The mass amounts of sleep was to throw away the trash, like silly rather than political cartoons, and only retain the important information he read.

Hero hadn't realized Leader left his stool until he was now returning with two plates of bacon. "Thank you." She smiled big, cheeky.

"Of course, m'love."

"Now why can't you bring me plates of bacon, Teammate 2?" Teammate huffed.

He laughed. "Because you have legs and I have no use wasting mine. They're already deteriorating. They won't do so more at your expense." Teammate 2's capability was a little more harmful than everyone else's. Every other hero on the team could use their capability whenever, no consequence. Teammate 2 had the unfortunate trait of having thin blood. And no blood thickening medication helped, most likely because he had capabilities that counteracted what the medicine did. Whatever the reason, medicine didn't help. When Teammate 2 used his powers, his blood thinned further, his skin shriveled, and sometimes it didn't always return to flushed skin. His feet were practical bones; it's why he always wore shoes, even in his sleep.

Teammate huffed. "Teammate 3?"

"No," he said, not looking up from his paper. He'd already turned the pages various times. Hero figured he was probably reading a completely different paper at this point.

"Alright, fine. Guess I have to get my own second plate of bacon."

There was the sound of a crash on one of the televisions in the bar. The whole team turned around, even the speed-reader, who said shortly after turning, "I could have told you that was going to happen if Teammate hadn't been distracting me."

"Hush it!" Teammate said quietly and worked to mute the other t.v.'s.

On the news, there was a building crashing, pieces falling off and undoubtedly meeting the ground crushing whatever- whoever was beneath and couldn't get out in time. It was only a matter of time before the whole building fell and who knew how many people were inside of it?

Leader said hurriedly, "Hero, go. Use your capabilities. Go, go, go." She didn't wait to hear the other orders, to know what her teammates would be doing. She ran.