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rosesisupposes · 6 years

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Watch Them Run

Part 5 of Another Goddamn Hero Story

read on ao3

Chapter Pairings: Platonic & Romantic Analogical, Romantic Royality, Pre-Romantic LAMP, Romantic Remceit

Chapter Warnings: Violence/fighting; allusions to smut; some miscommunication

Word Count: 4,981

Taglist: @residentanchor @royally-anxious @bewarethegrammarpolice @jemthebookworm @arandompasserby @sparkly-rainbow-salt @astral-eclipse @thelowlysatsuma @monsterinatophat @turtally-pawsome @um-yes-hi-hello @idkaurl

Chapter Notes: Can you tell I love writing the boys as gay disasters? Can you also tell that I am in love with Remy? Fun fact: I have a playlist for this AU of 24 songs, 11 of which are Panic! at the Disco. I regret nothing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Air rushed by Virgil’s ears as he flew over Harmony City. It was truly lovely in the twilight, when the first pricks of silver light were appearing in the indigo sky and the last rays of the sun were glinting off rooftops. And the moon had risen early tonight, shining bright and full above his head. He was flying slowly, making the rounds of his regular patrol. He was currently somewhere in the southwest, near Sycamore Heights, and knew Logan was in the north covering his quadrants. He was alert and aware, but not on edge - tensed to move and defend at any moment, but passing birds and bats didn’t make him jump.

What did make him jump was a sudden buzzing at his wrist.

The coordinates flashing from the HATCH alert sent him wheeling north. It could just be one of the ordinary villains they faced on a regular basis - all the supers in the region seemed to flock to the city sooner or later. But some sixth sense told him it would be the terrifying pair from the week before. He hoped Logan would arrive at the same time - he didn’t want the speedster to go up against both villains alone.

The coordinates led him to the middle of the city, right on the street that divided the north and south. There was a construction site here, some government-funded building, but Virgil couldn’t remember what. A children’s hospital, or a school, something along those lines.

He stayed in the air, hovering, blending in with the darkening sky. He didn’t have enhanced vision, but unlike his bespectacled partner, he had pretty decent eyesight naturally. He peered into the shadows of the building skeleton that was slowly being built up in the crater of some past super fight. There. Movement. And occasional flashes of red light. It was them.

He flew down slowly, scanning the streets. No sight of Logan yet, but he couldn’t be more than a few seconds away. And they’d devised strategies for situations just like this. It was Virgil’s responsibility to start them off before Logan arrived.

He flew down and alit silently on the tallest beam to watch more clearly what the villains were up to. Gale Force said something to the Marauder, then floated away to the perimeter. The Crimson Marauder was creating constructs again - another bomb, by the look of it. What was it with these villains and wanting to blow shit up?

He landed heavily and knocked the red-and-black-clad man back with a single blow to the chest. The Marauder fell back, his constructs immediately vanishing as he stumbled. Virgil froze for a moment - had he used too much force? He didn’t want to be cruel, not even to an attempted saboteur. But the man rose with a grown and sent a huge ruby fist the size of a small car hurtling back at him. Virgil crossed his arms and braced, letting the impact hit and dissipate without harm. He straightened again, and made eye contact with the villain. The Marauder stared, open-mouthed.

“What the hell, that didn’t even phase you?” he asked.

Virgil shrugged, a cocky smirk playing on his lips. “I mean, maybe you could actually try this time, Princey.”

The Marauder stiffened. “What the fuck did you call me,” he snapped.

“Oh, sorry, was that rude? Didn’t mean to pop the whole ‘reinvention’ bubble you’ve got going on here,” Virgil offered with false sincerity. “Though I gotta say, love the new outfit compared to the old one. Very Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.”

Virgil was answered with a yell as psionic constructs came flying towards him, accompanied by the villain himself. Swords, bats, and what looked suspiciously like a keyblade flew harmlessly passed him as he dodged swiftly and grabbed the Marauder by the front of his uniform. He pulled him close, halting the villain’s momentum, then pinned him up against a partially-built wall. The Marauder seethed, scowling at the hero who kept him trapped as constructs blinked into existence and faded again.

“You know nothing about me, you posh-ass hero-boy! With your fancy suit and your cushy support of the city and your beautiful hair!”

Virgil cocked an eyebrow. “Aw, you dig the purple? Always nice to be appreciated by my fans. And I’m sure I’ll be getting to know you very well, once you’re all cozy and locked up.”

“You’ll have to catch us first!” a voice rang out. Gale Force was hurtling towards hero and villain, winds funneling around him as the pressure knocked Virgil entirely out of the way.

Virgl landed hard on the ground. It didn’t hurt, per se, but the shock left him almost winded.

Gale Force patted the Marauder’s cheek. “You all good, Roman?”

“Yes, my dearest Patton. Go get him.”

Roman and Patton, Virgil thought, fixing the names in his brain as the wind manipulator sent a small hurricane whistling towards him.

A dark blue blur came into being around Gale Force, a matching tornado that spun faster and faster. Virgil smirked. Logan’s timing, as always, was impeccable, and the speedster was turning Patton’s trick from HEARTS against him.

The villain stumbled and started to choke, then toppled over. Logan came to a halt just in time to catch the villain in his arms.

Excellent, caught him, he thought to himself, when his thoughts were suddenly diverted by an entirely new train. The villain’s blue eyes fluttered open under ginger curls that appeared to be constantly bouncing in the wind. Partially passed out, the man’s freckled face looked so… open, and vulnerable, and lovely, and what was happening to him?

It was at that moment that a huge excavator arm made of glowing red light plucked the grey-and-blue-clad villain out of Logan’s arms as the Marauder recovered his partner. Logan scowled, mind back on the task, and sped towards Roman. The construct holding Patton didn’t disappear as a ramp sprang into being right in Logan’s path, sending him running straight into open air. Without hesitating, he used his momentum to land on a beam of the partially-constructed building, then leapt across to another. The Crimson Marauder, still holding Gale Force, began flying up, but that only brought him to Logan’s level. The speedster leapt across from beam to beam again, landing a blow on the villain’s cheek. It sent the man spinning and caused him to drop the just-waking Patton. The wind-raiser caught himself before he hit the ground and threw himself once more at Virgil. Prepared this time, Virgil leapt into the air to dodge the attack, then came slamming down with a punch to the villain’s jaw. Patton staggered back and tripped, but remained conscious.

“Getting a little hot, Pattycake!” Roman cried from where he dodged and weaved around Logan’s quick jabs.

“Just like you, Romano Cheese!” Patton called back. He took off into the air, spinning a wall of air to knock Logan back. The moment gave Roman enough time to gain altitude above where Logan could reach from the growing building. Virgil flew up, ready to follow, but Logan shook his head. Instead, Virgil hovered in the air by his partner as the two villains flew off once again, much slower this time.

“We got them away from their target without anyone else getting hurt. That’s what matters,” Logan commented. He looked up at Virgil. “Is something the matter? What did Gale Force do to you before I arrived?”

“Lo, you might not believe this, but this Patton guy is actually tough enough to match me. I didn’t hold back at all.”

Logan looked worriedly at his partner, but was surprised to see some mix of awe and excitement on Virgil’s face.

“V? You okay?”

“I’m great,” the hero replied with feeling. “For the first time ever I don’t need to worry about pulling my punches. I can just… cut loose.”

And over the following weeks, he did just that.

The villain duo were tricky - they never seemed to go for the traditional targets of huge gatherings of people or grand openings of buildings. They continued a string of sabotage attempts around the city, along with a host of thefts and small vandalisms. Logan and Virgil had officially become the on-call heroes for them. All the others on the HATCH call were too easily flustered by Gale Force’s unnerving dichotomy of viciousness and wordplay or by the Crimson Marauder’s distracting showboating and flattery.

Patton was loathe to admit it, but he was growing accustomed to their recurring opponents. They weren’t friends, of course not, but they were… familiar. Almost comforting in that familiarity. There was Reflex, powerful, huge, and yet Patton could tell he consciously chose to not punch the less-durable Roman with all his strength. The ginger man may have needed glasses, but he’d have to be fully blind (not to mention deaf) to not be aware of how attracted his partner was to the hero despite their opposition. And Patton… was not unmoved. He wasn’t one to lie about his feelings, even when it was an impossibility. A hero with a villain? Particularly this hero, the strongest one the city had, with these villains, the scourge of City Hall?

And then there was Doctor Vectorious. The speedster. Curse him and his muscled thighs and the way his forehead crinkled when he was frustrated with their latest scheme. The tiny sighs and barely-concealed smiles whenever Patton told yet another pun. It was incredibly rude of the hero to be this endearing when he was the worst of his kind. Maybe it was his black-and-white goggles that gave him such a dichotomous view of other supers: either active hero, or villain. No in between. Which was rich, given that the ‘active’ heroes were never enough to save everyone. How many times had Patton wished he could have been just a little faster that fateful day, and now a man who could have been thought he was in a position to judge?

Patton had thought he was alone in his frustrating attraction to the short hero until the villains were relaxing in their home one lazy evening. Stretching out dramatically over Patton on the couch, Roman had proclaimed, “These heroes will be the death of me.”

“No they won’t, my Crim-sunshine. Because I’d kill them first!”

“No, my love, not actual death. Just… gay death.”

“Oh, yeah,” Patton hummed sympathetically. “That last time Reflex pinned you, I knew I had to get you free before you started moaning. They don’t need to know how loud you are.”

Roman flushed. “It’s just so rude. His nickname is ‘Flex and that’s all I want to see him do.”

“It’s okay kiddo, you’re a gay disaster. I love you anyway.”

“It’s not okay!” Roman wailed. “Because the Doc was monologuing the other day and he pushed his goggles back and his hair was all windswept and I tripped over my own construct.”

Patton flushed. “You… think he’s pretty, as well?”

Roman looked up from where he’d face-planted into a pillow to make eye contact with his partner. “Pat! My dear Gay-le Force, hater of all speedsters, finding our resident Doc Vectorious pretty?”

“No!”

“Ooohhhhh, you totally have a crush on him!!” Roman teased.

“No more than you do!”

Roman giggled. “Darling, you said it yourself, I’m a disaster, that means nothing. My influence has been grand. You’re officially a gay disaster, too. Although in your case, maybe you’re a gay natural disaster. Like, Hurricane Gay-trina.”

Patton grinned brightly at the pun, and kissed Roman on the cheek. “You have more experience with this, what do we do now?”

“Oh my dearest Pat,” Roman said with a smile, “now we scheme harder.”

“Why will that help us with the fact that we now both have crushes on the heroes who fight us on an almost-daily basis?”

“Because,” Roman declared, standing into a dramatic pose, “now we will scheme with debonair grace! We won’t just steal riches, we will steal their hearts!”

At that moment, the police scanner in the corner crackled to life. It had taken many tries, but Roman had finally found a way to tap into the hero channel, real-time reporting of the system they used to summon heroes in response to villain activity. And now, even through the static, the current report made him frown.

“...respond...Reflex…-torious...Antiques…Shadow…” a voice read out through crackles and pops of a shaky signal.

“Flex and the Doc?” Patton confirmed aloud.

“Sounds like it, my sweet summer breeze.”

“But they’re our nemeses!”

“Well, we should go join them then, shouldn’t we.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ever since he’d been notified by the Mayor’s office a month ago, he’d been awaiting this moment. Logan sped through the city, focus narrowed only on his speed as he arrived at Something Borrowed Antiques in seconds flat. He knew Virgil was coming as well, but this was a case where it was Doctor Vectorious who was truly needed. As strong and powerful as he was, even Reflex wasn’t immune to the unique powers wielded by the villain known as Moonshadow.

Logan came to a halt at the corner across from the storefront and adjusted his goggles. He’d built them up to include tech of his own invention, including, on this occasion, binocular focus, night-vision, and heat signatures. He peered across at the building. Moonshadow was likely inside, but had they brought a lookout? A small movement above the door answered that question for him. It looked like a lizard - a chameleon, perhaps? - was crawling inside.

“Ah, so you’re looking out for them again,” Logan murmured to himself. He adjusted his goggles back to regular distance and sped across the street, entering the building and zipping through the grand halls in a barely-perceptible blur. He zipped and zagged through glass cases filled with dainty porcelain and around stately showrooms of gilt-encrusted furniture. He knew where he’d find the villain he sought, and it would be…

Ah yes. Right there. On the actual throne of some bygone ruler.

The villain was lounging across the velvet seat of the throne, admiring the jewel-encrusted rings that adorned every finger. There was a lot of them to lounge, though at least half their height was made up by impossibly-long legs. An antique tiara perched on top of their head in sharp contrast to their artfully-mussed hair and ever-present leather jacket. Today, the jacket was paired with form-fitting leggings and a crop top that read “Royalty” in bedazzled purple and gold letters. As he ran closer, Logan could see the glinting rhinestones and jewels reflect in the sunglasses they wore even now, indoors and at night.

God, they were so- what was the word Virgil had used?

They were so goddamn extra.

Without letting his attention waver, without a single pause in his speed, Logan raced up to the reclining form and pulled them up roughly, pinning their arms behind their back and holding their torso pointed firmly away from himself.

“Good evening, Remy. Having fun?” he asked politely.

“Doctor, babes! How’s it been?” Remy asked, twisting as they tried to look at the hero holding them firm.

“In the month since you broke out again? Adequate, for the most part, but Corbin, of course, misses you.”

“Aww Corbie, what a sweetie. I knew he cared under all that bluster of ‘No I can’t let you out’ and ‘Do the crime, serve the time’,” Remy drawled. “I suppose I’m going back to visit him again?”

“Yes, Rem. As a reminder, not that it ever makes a difference, this,” Logan said, free hand gesturing to the stately room, “is theft. That’s when you take something that isn’t yours without asking or paying for it. Much like that bank heist you pulled off last month.”

“But Logan,” Remy said earnestly. “No one’s using it, why can’t I have it? Finders keepers, right? C’mon, just let me take some bling. It’ll be funny.”

Logan used both hands to hold the villain now, rolling his eyes. He supposed that it was only fair that the one villain who knew part of his secret identity was the one he’d been capturing and re-capturing for three straight years now.

“Rem, put the rings back on the throne. All of them.”

“But Lo, baby, honey, sweetie,” Remy pouted. “I look so good in them, right? Like, I know I make the tiara work, but hun. You should see me in a crown.”

Logan sighed pointedly as the villain fidgeted in his grip.

“C’mon, it’s not like anyone told me to leave,” they complained.

“Remus, I truly do not know how to explain it more clearly than I did last time: if you use your ability to make people forget they’ve seen you, that does not count as consent for you to continue doing whatever you’re doing.”

“But consider this: it’s funny.”

Ignoring him, Logan adjusted his grip, freeing one hand to send a message to City Hall. “Is Damon here tonight? I thought I spotted him outside.”

“You know I would never break our national no-snitching policy, babes.”

A clatter from outside, followed by an angry hiss that dissolved into a string of swears, made Logan quirk a smile.

“Ah, I see Reflex has arrived. That must be him and Damon now.”

The villain in his grip sighed contently. “I love our little catch-ups, Lo, but you know I always love to see my boi ‘Flex.”

“I will have a hold on you, so you will not be seeing anyone. Don’t you try anything on him,” Logan warned.

“You never want to share anything,” they pouted. “Or anyone.”

“Reflex, we’re in here!” Logan called, ignoring the captive villain. “I’m holding them away from the door.”

“Thanks, Doc!” Virgil called back. He entered the room, carrying a skinny man of medium height over one shoulder. “How’re they?”

“Better now that you’re here, ‘Flex,” Remy called, unable to turn towards the hero. “Are you manhandling my boyfriend again?”

“No, I love being carried like a sack of potatoes,” the man replied from Virgil’s shoulder. He wore a yellow and black bomber jacket. Unlike his partner, he actually wore a mask that covered his eyes and half his face and was attached to a black bowler hat. The eyes underneath it had reverted back to their normal hazel, but scales were still visible in spots on his face and hands. The multi-colored chameleon scales still matched the wall color, sticking out starkly against the puffy burn scars that protruded out from under his mask.

“Put him down!” Remy complained. “No hands on the boyfriend unless it’s an open invitation for us both.”

“Yeah this is definitely the time and place for that offer, babe,” the man drawled.

“Doc, is containment on the way?” Virgil asked, ignoring the couple’s back-and-forth.

“Yes, they should be arriving… just about now, actually.”

The two heroes towed their captives towards the front of the building, where Logan’s sense of timing had not yet failed him. A green truck was parked outside, labeled ‘City of Harmony: Enhanced Ability Containment Unit.’

A tech in green coveralls approached the heroes cautiously. “I’ve got the stasis cuffs, Doc, you ready?”

Logan nodded, and shifted his grip to hold Remy’s head towards the building. The tech came forward and snapped cuffs around their wrists. Virgil deposited the man he’d been carrying on the ground.

“Does he need cuffs too?” the tech asked.

“Technically, as a lookout only, he’s not guilty of any crimes-” Logan started, but was interrupted.

“Yes, I definitely do, I am very much guilty. Send me to lockup. Preferably right next to that one,” he said, gesturing towards Remy.

The tech frowned. “That’s… not really how this works?”

Virgil shrugged. “I mean, we could say he abetted an attempted burglary. Even if the real crime is just watching out after his partner’s dumb ass.”

“I heard that,” Remy called out. “And I’m flattered you’ve finally noticed my ass.” A tech had cautiously removed their sunglasses, revealing eyes that looked like marble orbs. Finally able to move on their own, they turned to face the heroes and their boyfriend.

“What can I say, when the man’s right, he’s right,” the boyfriend in question replied with a shrug.

“Damon, you love me, right?”

“Nope, not at all,” Damon replied, walking up to his partner. He cupped the villain’s cheek in one hand that was still dotted with slowly-fading scales. “Love is definitely not a term I would use.” He kissed them softly on the nose, and then on the lips, smiling as he did so.

“Well that’s gay,” Gale Force commented from the building’s roof.

“Not as gay as me,” the Crimson Marauder pointed out as he landed on the other side of the small group assembled by the truck.

“Fuck,” Virgil said with feeling. “Quick, get Rem- get Moonshadow into the truck,” he told the techs.

“What about the Viper?”

Virgil quickly glanced behind him to see Damon kissing Remy firmly, than suddenly shrinking as he transformed into a chameleon once more.

“Let him go, he’ll turn up soon,” Logan called out as the reptile skittered off into the shadows. In less than a breath’s time he was back-to-back with Virgil, both keeping eyes on the two newly-arrived villains. Without needing to speak, both heroes moved out into the street, away from the civilians.

The Marauder strolled closer, towards Logan. “So, less than two days from our last encounter and you’re already hanging out with other villains?”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Sorry to break it to you, but it’s true. There are others. So many others. It’s almost like it’s our job to stop acts of violence from anyone who tries it.”

“Are we just not enough for you anymore? Have our schemes lost their charm? Do I need to scheme harder? I swear by Barbra Streisand I will scheme harder!”

Virgil caught himself smiling fondly when he noticed a slight movement and heard the rush of air coming from Gale Force. He was moving immediately, grabbing Logan as he leapt away. The targeted gust hit the pavement where they’d been standing hard enough to dent.

“Look at how fast you move!” the ginger villain beamed down at them. “This is why we’re so well matched, kiddos!”

Virgil set Logan back down on his own two feet before whirling to face the air manipulator again. “What do you want? You two don’t usually drop in on us, we just stop you,” he demanded.

In a flash of red, the Marauder was lounging on a floating platform just above Virgil’s head. “Would you believe me if I told you it was to just to get your attention?”

“You’ve had our attention,” Logan remarked drily. “You’ve yet to retain our interest.”

Roman sat up with a gasp, one hand splayed on his chest, the other draped gracefully across his forehead. “Cads, the lot of you. My honor has been besmirched, my loveliness impugned, my-”

“Wow, you really are unbelievably extra any chance you get, aren’t you.” Virgil said, deadpan. He flew up into the air to dodge another wind attack.

“That appears to be a theme today,” Logan commented, casually side-stepping Roman’s recovery as he lunged at the speedster with a glowing red sword. “I believe I used the word correctly to apply to Remy earlier.”

“See, I told you the flashcards would help,” Virgil said earnestly, grabbing both of Roman’s arms with one hand and pinning him to his own platform.

“Wait, you have flashcards?” the villain asked, incredulous. He lifted his head from where Virgil casually held him trapped. “What a Microsoft nerd!”

“Now Ro, we don’t need to be mean,” Patton admonished. Roman let the construct platform disappear so that he could fall out of Virgil’s grip, and Patton sent a breeze swirling through to buffet the tall hero back, allowing his partner's escape. “There are just so many new terms these days, what with the kiddos and their ‘moods’ and ‘yotes’ and ‘wiggles.’”

“Looks like I’m not the only one who needs vocabulary cards,” Logan muttered, running past Patton to spin the man’s body into dizziness.

Roman was just standing from his cushioned fall when a force pushed him back down. He was knocked flat on his back as Virgil’s weight trapped him there. Before he’d processed the fall, a hand grabbed both his wrists and pinned them above his head. He looked up into Virgil’s masked face, only a foot away from his, eyes boring into his own. All his constructs promptly faded as his fighting mind went blank.

“‘Flex, darling, you could have just asked,” he murmured. It appeared the only brain function remaining was Excessive Flirtation. “It’s not like we haven’t both been thinking it.”

And Reflex… didn’t immediately scoff. A slight smile quirked at one side of the hero’s mouth. Roman wasn’t sure what he’d done right, but he was not above trying to press his advantage.

“You know, the city may label me the villain, but it’s clearly you on the wrong side of the law.” Letting his eyes travel very obviously up and down the hero’s body, Roman continued with a grin. “It must be a crime to look this good.”

Virgil snorted, his free hand coming up to cover his smile. “Really? Pick-up lines? That’s where we’re at now? I thought-”

A sudden cry of pain ripped his attention away. His head snapped up in time to see Logan sliding to the ground from the wall Gale Force’s winds had thrown him into. Without thought, Virgil was in the air, streaking towards the villain to keep him from hurting his partner again. His fist crashed into the grey-clad man, knocking him back ten feet in a single blow. Eyes blazing, he followed after, ready to strike again.

Gale Force whirled, sending twin tunnels of wind from each hand. One sped towards Virgil’s chest, the other towards where Logan shakily stood up once more.

“NO!” Virgil yelled, his voice booming out in a shock wave around him. Gale Force suddenly froze, his eyes wide. The Marauder, too, was frozen, but in mid-air as he flew towards standing hero. Logan, twice as far away, was unaffected as dusted himself off. Virgil raced over.

“Lo, are you okay? Any broken bones? Is your back alright? God, that was such a hard blow, I’m so sorry, I was distracted, I wasn’t protecting you-”

“Virge, I’m okay. It’s okay. I’m fine. A little bruised, but I was able to cushion the impact.”

Virgil grabbed the shorter man to him and hugged him, holding him tight. “Thank god. I’m still sorry. I should have been over here. Gale Force is clearly the bigger threat, and I let myself get distracted.”

“Distracted?” Logan asked, raising a single eyebrow. He glanced over at the still-stunned Crimson Marauder, and back at Virgil.

The tall hero flushed under his mask and released Logan. “Oh wow, look at the time, better get containment here before the freeze wears off,” he muttered, tapping at the communicator on his wrist.

“Gentlefolk of all genders, observe carefully,” Logan said, smirking. “You’re witnessing a truly historic event. Virgil ‘Reflex’ Skylar appears to, for the first time ever recorded, have been affected by another man the way he affects everyone who likes men.”

Virgil’s blush deepened as he nudged Logan with an elbow. “Very funny. You know it’s not the first time.”

Logan’s eyebrow rose again, this time quizzically.

Virgil half-smiled, still blushing furiously. “You know. You.”

“What?”

“Wait, did you not know?”

“Know what?”

“Lo, I’ve had a crush on you since the moment we met. I thought I’d been, like, pretty fucking obvious?”

Now it was Logan’s turn to blush as his brain, normally so quick, struggled to catch up. He opened his mouth to reply just as the same green trucks from before pulled up.

“I- we can discuss this later. Once we’ve gotten these two safely secured.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

D.R.E.A.M. Index #337397

Classification: M.2.ii [Secondary Tier Neutral, Acquired Powers]

Name: Moonshadow

Status: INACTIVE

/////////Reason: Incarceration

Civilian Name: [CLEARANCE: CONFIDENTIAL] Remus “Remy” Dormions

Affiliation: Villain

Partners/Sidekicks: DI#337500 - The Viper

Primary Foes: DI#337255 - Dr. Vectorious

Powers: Short-term memory manipulation

/////////It was previously thought they had invisibility powers, but security cameras have shown us that they can just cause onlookers to forget seeing them until they’ve passed from view

Costume: N/A

/////////They just wear a leather jacket and sunglasses even when it’s not necessary, like when it’s raining or nighttime or indoors

Age: 25

Height: 6’5”

Pronouns: They/Them

H.E.A.R.T.S. Class of ‘15

Note: Started neutral - more chaotic than evil. In the words of DI#337255 - Dr. Vectorious, “They’re not motivated by evil, but they just don’t seem to understand you can’t just take whatever you want.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

D.R.E.A.M. Index #337500

Classification: M.2.ii [Secondary Tier Neutral, Acquired Powers]

Name: The Viper

Status: ACTIVE

Civilian Name: [CLEARANCE: CONFIDENTIAL] Damon McLeggan

Affiliation: Neutral

Partners/Sidekicks: DI#337397 - Moonshadow

/////////Less super-partners in the traditional sense, more he’s occasionally dragged along with them and tries to keep them out of jail

Primary Foes: N/A

Powers: Shape-shifting [reptile forms only]; Poison secretion

/////////While shifting to reptilian forms can happen almost instantly, some quirk of the mutation means the shift back takes much more time. We’ve recorded a lag of over 24 hours after a shift.

Costume: Black and yellow bomber jacket, bowler hat with attached mask

Age: 23

Height: 5’7”

Pronouns: He/Him

H.E.A.R.T.S. Class of ‘12

Note: Inciting incident: some memory loss regarding exact details, but apparently was forced to be bitten by a snake that had been genetically manipulated by DI#265333 - The Mystic Magician; Rescued in the raid on MM’s lab, but sustained severe burn scars from MM’s attempt to blow the lab as the heroes invaded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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talesofealdancynedom · 4 years

Photo

Dragon King on his kingdom’s tallest mountain, with his Queen Quellelthan; both in beast form. Note the shadow veil side of the Dragon Gate, at the peak.

Tale 17: Calliope Cwenfyre, Amadeus and Andromada Rosethorn (chapter 5 - No Debt Owed 5/5) part 3. Stories of True Love

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After a long international apprenticeship trip, Calliope, Andromeda and Amadeus, were happy to be back in their little home town. Amadeus dropped off Calliope personally, and gave his mage journal to Morgan. Morgan translated and archived everyone’s mage journals, if they couldn’t do it themselves, and posted them in an online database. Amadeus’s journals were a treat for everyone, because of the tapestry mixed media style of his illustrations. He was a fan of gold leaf and intricate details. He made those dragons, and Andromeda and Calliope, look like depictions of in ancient manuscripts. The nice ones.

“Quite the adventure you all had,” Morgan said, looking at each page as he scanned them into his computer. In the background, Calliope was telling her mother about their quest. Her mother Emilia, was now having regrets about asking how her daughter’s trip went; Calliope dumped so much information about the dragons and Andromeda, Emilia zoned out a few times. She was used to it from Morgan, but there is only so much lore a non-seer can take in. Emilia did like the part about the antique rooster Amadeus got in daze. Calliope then started showing off The Cup of Gales, as no study trip would be complete without her coming home with a new beverage container. Emilia, was relieved for once; it actually was a genuinely cool mythical vessel.

Amadeus watched Calliope provide story time for her mother, little brother and sister. Meanwhile, Morgan continued performing his favourite task; reading other people’s magic diaries, for historical and magical tidbits.

“Ah, yes. If Emilia is actually taking interest is any indicator; the trip was indeed, an experience…. In the end, me and my big girl brought Calli back safe and sound; as I promised.” Amadeus said.

“What promise?” Morgan asked. He had started working on the computer, but still mostly paying attention. Digitizing records was second nature after so many years. Morgan’s tone of voice was surprisingly casual, instead of inquisitive. Amadeus became incredibly confused.

“The one I made years ago? To protect you, and all our families, as a paladin? Remember? When I got enfayed and we became friends…”

“Wait…You don’t need an oath to do that Amadeus.” Morgan said. He stopped working and looked at Amadeus in bewilderment. “Enfeyment pacts are important, but I don’t think you agreed just to be a Warg; And I certainly didn’t ask or expect anything of you. If your protector mentality was souly out of obligation, you wouldn’t have worked so hard in spite of it; nor agreed to quickly.”

“It was a stressful situation. The Wolf King gave me a gift out of nowhere; and the second Wolf King again. Both times with the intention to help me uphold my oath to the people I care about….”

“Your personal oath. Which is why you’ve been doing a great job protecting everyone. Warg or not, it wouldn’t have made a difference. I think you’re just a really talented mage paladin, and a motivated caring person. But I’m glad you kept my girl out of trouble. She’s a bit like me…” Morgan laughed. “I can tell that’s why she’s your favourite out of my four children. Which is bad, because favouritism causes unfair bias.”

“Well, you may want to hold your tongue a second; in regards to ‘kept her out of trouble’. Calliope may have… May have lit the camp on fire from going dark, due to sleep deprivation, trouble working, and me setting her up with Andromeda. I got carried away. It almost cost the mission and that offensively quant tourist town.”

“Oh no… That’s not like you at all.” Morgan said. completely forgetting about the fire. “Is that why you have that kitchen rooster? If you need to talk….” He comforted.

“The thing is, you see, my daughter is my apprentice, so when I took the quest to care for Calliope, Andromeda came with me. I thought they would be happy to go as friends. Then I saw my girl light up, when she saw Calli was going to be on the team. Apparently, they’ve been crushing on each other since school. It was so sweet, I thought I’d help them along a little…” Amadeus confessed.

“That’s so cute! I guess Calliope really is bad at saying things. Like me. Emilia is the one who had to say ‘I love you’ first; because I was frozen every time I was in her presence. Calli comes by it honestly.” Morgan said. “Wait… You fixed the fire right?” Morgan said clicking the post button on the database. He was multitasking the whole conversation. Then Morgan then turned to Calliope;

“Amadeus says you and Ann are an item; That’s so cute sweety! I’m so proud of you for finding a true love! I hope you get a happily ever after together forever! Marrying your parent’s best friend’s child is like a time-honored tradition!” Morgan yelled across the room. Calliope stopped dead and blushed; she had forgotten if she was out of the closet or not. Morgan and Amadeus giggled from warm fuzzies; Like they were young boys again. Once again, even in endearment, Emilias palm slowly met her face.

“As you say, Calliope really is the most like me isn’t she. Not that each of the kids didn’t inherit something unfortunate from my side. Cadence is also a feinter, and Patrick is a Sisyphean task to slow down. I bet it was Callie’s looks, and career goals, that led you to give her special treatment. Even though my little boy adores you more?” Morgan chirped. Amadeus gave a nervous smile. Morgan’s innate intelligence was near omniscience. If anyone asked, it was because he was well read.

A week later, Amadeus was seeing off his daughter, by fixing the wrinkles in her shirt. She had a date tonight.

“Calliope had asked nicely for a recommendation from Professor Hara Fyrastan, to be a head seer of fey studies in the capital.” Amadeus said. Andromeda drooped a bit. “Don’t worry I put a recommendation for you to Melida Daigendun, so you can go with her. Though, I suspect home will call you both to your father’s posts. You’re still the only heir to Rosethorn manor, and Calliope loves Tiberius Gate too much to leave forever. We might also hold it against you if you never call or visit your famlies.” Amadeus said with cheer. “That aside, I know you will take good care of her for us.” Amadeus smiled. Andromeda felt mildly insulted; it felt like he was projecting his duty onto her. She gave him a look that could kill.

“Have you let go of your ‘sworn oath’ complex yet? Or am I to inherit that too? Based on your story about how you met Morgan, I’m guessing you keep following Calli because she’s not much different from him. That’s why you keep signing up to be a paladin whenever Morgan or his kids have an adventure.” Andromeda snapped.

“Or maybe I grew up since I was fourteen, and now I just care that everyone’s happy and safe. I would also like to inform you; the latter is actually what we call my job. Just like tending Rosethorn Manor” Amadeus laughed. “Maybe my oath complex includes everybody now; and is out of love instead of obligation. Oh my, I didn’t even notice…. I think I may genuinely want to protect people on their magical adventures, and my dream was to be a paladin this whole time.” Amadeus joked. Andromeda didn’t appreciate the sarcasm. She smiled to humor him.

“Calliope is going to take me to all sorts of lands, and we’re going to find all sorts of cups. Don’t worry dad, I won’t let anything happen to her. And I’ll be fine too. Also, my oath, will not be fulfilled until me and Calli have tried every bath bomb Aunt Reggie sent us… for some reason….” Andromeda said. “Also, thank you father. For forwarding my post, so I can be with her. That means a lot.”

“Don’t forget you two will come back here. Whether it’s for a wedding, or because you love this place, and miss us.”

“Only if she decides to come back with me. Because the place I love is right next to her. No offense; I love you and mom too…” Andromeda smiled. Calliope had just arrived at the doorway, looking over dressed, with tears in her eyes. She hugged Andromeda.

“I love you too. So many cups. So many Adventures. He’s right; we will have to crawl back eventually…we have property to inherit, and need somewhere to rest and tell our tales.” Calliope cried into Andromeda’s shirt. Crinkling all the smoothing Amadeus had done. Andromeda hugged back, and led Calliope off, arms locked. But she couldn’t wait for all of those things to happen. Amadeus couldn’t wait to hear about it when they come home safe and sound.

Then everyone remembered this was just a date, to visit the Dragon King and finish a research paper. Calliope had a magic string that allows mages to take common folk safely into the shadow veil; which Aunt Reggie had made years ago. Though Calli wanted to go alone, Andromeda insisted she meet the mighty force of magic that named her girlfriend. The Dragon King might also have tips on where to find more inanimate chickens she could send her father while she was away.

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#art #tales of ealdan cynedom #story 17 #fantasy #short stories #calliope #andromeda #amadeus #morgan #emilia

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kuroast · 7 years

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18 and Kuroo, maybe angst with happy ending? Thanks😊

Here you go! It ain’t that angsty but I’m not exactly experienced with it.. I hope it’s enjoyable nonetheless!

“I shouldn’t be in love with you” + Kuroo + Soulmate au in which the first words that your soulmate tells you are written on your wrist + angel/devil au—————————————————————————————————————————————“Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” were the words written on your wrist for as long as you could remember. In the beginning you were worried that it was meant in a literal sense, but your mother assured you as soon as possible that your destined soul was probably a human. Apparently, it was a common thing to say in a situation in which the male would attempt to court a lady because it would strategically lead to the notion that the woman before him is as beautiful as an angel.

Ever since you had grown to love humans- by observing them you discovered that while they may be self destructive and fragile, they possessed incredible potential. Those creatures of intellect and creativity stole your heart and you were more than prepared to vow yourself to protect them.

Your ultimate goal for years has been to become a guardian; you admired their work from afar for the longest of times. Now that you were finally one, you felt like a complete fail. You didn’t even get to your first mission, you were thrown out of heaven and marked as a fallen for turning on your comrades.

Allow me to elaborate.

After years and years of longing to join the humans, you finally had the opportunity to do so. In order to fully experience the joy of being able to go into the human world, you went out with your friends into a bar even though it was absolutely forbidden to do so. You paid no heed to that—I mean, how much damage can one night cause? In the beginning, all was well. You were dancing, drinking… and it all took a sudden turn when the words you were longing to hear were finally uttered.

The male who you met at the bar was quite handsome; he had rich brown eyes and gorgeous brown locks to match, he looked picture perfect. You could hardly contain yourself when he began talking, “Did it hurt when you fell from heaven? Because you must be an angel.”

You were absolutely overwhelmed, a wide grin spread across your features as you found yourself unable to respond. Jesus Christ he was everything that you had ever hoped for! Things couldn’t get better, you thought. But fate was cruel. It could and it did get worse.

A group of devils walked in and they seemed to be all but friendly. They didn’t even try to conceal the fact that they were clearly otherworldly creatures but then it dawned upon you—you walked into a trap! Before you had a chance to call out for your colleagues, your soulmate put his index finger over his lips as he instructed you to keep quiet.

“What’s this? A bunch of angels in our bar?” the tallest mused, narrowing his eyes into mere slits as his gaze remained steady on your friends in the crowd. They immediately halted with their actions. You’ve never before felt as afraid as now.

“Is it Christmas already? These gifts are a lot better than coal, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I’ll protect you, stay behind me,” the male ordered, pushing you behind him. Just then had you noticed how buff he was; his layered clothing only added onto that fact.

“I can handle myself,” came out your best attempt at being brave, “They’re low-life scum and Earth is no place for such.”

The tallest of the bunch heard you. He was everything that you expected a devil to be; handsome to the bone with an air of arrogance surrounding him. His horns were hardly visible through his scruffy black hair and his icy blue-eyed stare was enough to make you tremble.

“What did you just say?” he let out, taking quick steps towards you.

Scared for your life you took a step back before you sensed your destined one behind you. You clenched your fists—you just met your soulmate and thanks to these dipshits waltzing in you didn’t even get to know his name!

“(Name), shut up you’ll get us killed!” your friends hurried towards you, slapping an arm over your mouth.

“Even though you should listen to your friends, we’ll kill you off either way,” the raven sneered, grabbing you by your collar as he smacked away the hand clasped against your lips, “So, tell me again about how I’m a low-life, sweetheart.”

“I don’t think there’s much to add onto that,” you spat, slamming your fist into his face. It was enough to make him drop you but it only meant war from then on. The screams you got in response were enough to make you cry. They were no guardians and that fact just came crashing down onto you.

Oh, how reckless you were. It was enough to lead yourself into trouble, but to sign up your friends for death as well? Stupid, stupid, stupid! They were new guardians, as were you- had Oikawa not stepped up, you would’ve been dead as well. That’s right, the one who was supposed to be your beloved for the rest of your life was called Oikawa.

But it was all a game. He was a devil and he lived up to that title; he did what was in his nature, he deceived you. He was no soulmate of yours; he was no soulmate of anyone’s! He wasn’t born with a tattoo, as it was the same for most devils. It just proved how incapable of love they were.

“Why not just let me die?!” you remembered struggling, your throat sore form yelling and your eyes red from crying. Your friends were dead. It was your fault. It was your fault. Had you not dared them to leave the Angel realm with you they would’ve been alive.

“Because a destiny worse than death is going to catch up to you,” Oikawa replied as he took off his jacket, throwing it over you. By that time you had gotten out of the bar. While the rest of the devils were determined to get rid of the bodies and the blood inside of it, Oikawa was told to take you outside.

“Don’t throw it away because you hate my guts at the moment,” he added, “When Raphael comes you’ll need something to cover your bloody back with.”

“Ra-Raphael?” you stuttered, your eyes widening in realization. You broke the law of your world and caused the death of four angels; the next time you were to see Raphael it would be the moment of your fall. Your wings would be ripped out.

“Aren’t you going to thank me for the jacket? It was pretty thoughtful of me, right?” he tried to keep the conversation going, making you wonder if he was being such an ass on purpose.

You shooed him away, “I think you should just leave now. It’s not like I have a place to run to. Congrats, you’ve single-handedly ruined me.”

“Is that really all that you have to say to someone who did such a thing?” the leader mused, sending away the rest of the gang, leaving just the three of you.

“I think you shouldn’t tempt her to use her last bit of dignity on low-life scum such as yourself,” came out the strong and all-too-familiar voice of Raphael as you released a sigh, closing your eyes. His warm presence and the light that he radiated off bore no resemblance to that which he came to do.

“She’s about to become something worse than a devil though, isn’t she now?” the raven mused, ordering Oikawa to leave, “You came here to rip her wings off and mark her as a fallen. Do you not deem that to be worse than a life of a devil like me?”

“I hope that you aren’t picking a fight with me, Gale.”

“Why, I would never. I was just chatting but I can tell you’re clearly not in the mood. I guess seeing me for the tenth time this week is more than enough for you,” he purred, winking at the blond as he turned away, gracing you with his gaze for a mere second.

Once you were left alone with Raphael, you moved away the jacket that Oikawa had placed on you as you turned your back to him. You could feel his warm palm grip your wing and you braced yourself but you were quite aware of his hesitation.

“(Name) I really don’t want to do this—“

“I know, but you have to. I will never hold it against you,” you whispered, tears staining your vision as you began shivering. Would it even matter to him if you were to say that you didn’t want this to happen?

“Forgive me,” his lips touched your wings as you remained still, a blood curling scream escaping your mouth as you felt the excruciating pain coming through you.

After that, you had no idea about how long you were laying on the filthy ground, covered in your own blood, sweat and tears. All you knew was that Oikawa’s jacket has served its purpose. No matter how much blood you had lost, death was no longer an option for you. Fallens were immortals; set to live for eternity of being reminded of what they’ve lost.

What time was it even at that point? The sun was about to rise, that much you were certain of. You hoped that warmth would follow the rising day.

You were half-conscious when you heard keys clanking against one another above yourself. As you tried to raise yourself up, you heard a scoff followed up by a mocking statement which broke the only bit of hope that you’ve had left, “Hmph, did it hurt when you fell from heaven? Because you must have been an angel.”

Your head immediately shot up only to meet a raven haired male looking down at you with a sneer. He was in his human form but you had become an expert at recognizing a devil in his human form during the last 24 hours.

As a broken chuckle escaped your lips you muttered up a retort, “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear those words?”

Kuroo took a step back as his world came crashing down as well. From a young age he had considered himself lucky; he was one of the very few devils who had a soulmate and to think that those words that he had caressed ever since his childhood, those words that made him feel secure, those words that comforted him in the darkest of times because they made him certain that someone out there was made for loving him had been uttered by an angel with such regret that it made his head spin.

“I feel like this is all just a cruel joke,” you proceeded, noticing how your eye lids had became heavier, if that was even possible. Before you were completely out, the male had taken you in his arms as he made sure to stay away from your wounds.

He clearly wasn’t the happiest about you being an angel, but he had to give it a try. He absolutely refused to give up his only chance at love because of his pride, even though he dearly hoped that Lady Fate knew what she was doing.

Once he managed to get you to his home, he spent a long time on debating about whether or not he should take care of your wounds himself. He sure hoped that you wouldn’t throw a tantrum once you get up, but he had to wash off the blood on you.

He was reluctant to give you a bath but the stench of blood was too much for him; he’d rather risk you getting mad than risk you stinking up his entire house. He had to hand it to you, though. You’ve lost a hella lot of blood.

After he was finally done, he put you in some of his clothes as he tended to the wounds—as sad as it was, he couldn’t heal them on his own accord. While he was a devil, he was the lowest branch out there, his abilities were nothing in comparison to those of a pureblood. No matter, he’d stick to human medications.

They’ve proven themselves worthy enough the last time.

——–*****——-It took you three days to wake up; he counted. You were such a handful, he wanted to cry out in frustration.

“For crying out loud, will it kill you if you just stay with me?!” he raised his voice, trying to keep you inside the bed as you struggled against him.

“Might as well! I’m not staying with you, I don’t want to!” you argued, surprised that you could barely feel the pain on your back.

The male before you released a scoff before he raised his brows, “Okay, then, missy. How do you plan on surviving?”

You scrunched your nose up as you stopped fighting back, pulling the covers closer to yourself, “I’ll just… get a job. That’s it.”

“Really now? With which qualifications?” the raven mused, appearing to be optimistic about your resolve.

“I’m an angel! I can have any qualification that I want.”

“Correction though, darling —you were an angel.”

The words made you flinch as you realized that he was indeed right. He hit the nail on the head.

His palm reached out for your palm as it made his tattoo visible, “I took care of you for the last three days, I tended to your wounds and I made sure no harm comes to you. Why can’t you just give me a chance? I know that angels believe that devils with soulmates have a chance at redemption, that love can change them. “

You remained silent which only got him more frustrated.

“Listen, I can give you as much time as you might want but please, all I’m asking from you is a chance.”

A meek nod was his only reply. And a meek nod was all that it took.————-*********————Physical recovery was easier than you thought, especially with Kuroo’s help. Mental recovery… That was a completely different story. In the beginning you were hesitant on everything—Kuroo’s home had been full of many wonders of human technology that you had no idea how to work with but as it turns out, the raven was a very patient man, just as he promised.

Lately, however, he had been working his ass off in his company so he would get home late, leaving you all alone to wander throughout his house during the day. You were definitely fascinated by the materials he had at home, especially the movie stash that was of impressive genre range. Guilt would eat you away every time that you would see him.

While you’d be on the couch reading a book, he would try to place his head onto your lap but you’d always deny it. In fact, you’d deny any of his advances even though you knew you were being mean. He’d never say anything, though. He’d just sigh, shake his head and ask you how your day was.

It occurred to you that he’d literally work hours upon hours for you—he clearly had enough money on his own but he mentioned that he wanted to get you a house so you wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. It made you feel terrible… he asked for a chance and you weren’t giving him one.

You would make up for it, and that was a promise!————–************————“I’m home,” Kuroo called out, taking his shoes off as he turned around, shocked to see you in an apron with a smile on your face.

“Welcome home! Are you hungry?” you questioned, helping him take off his coat as well.

He hummed in response, raising up a bag with take-out food. A frown crossed your features as you shook your head, “You can’t live on take-out food. Come, I made us something. It’s not the best but it’s edible.”

Saying edible was an understatement, you were an amazing cook! You prepared a traditional Japanese dish which you hoped would suit his taste, and thankfully it did. You laughed at the fact that he remained absolutely speechless.

“I didn’t know you could cook,” he commented while stuffing his face, “Well, I mean I had a hunch but I didn’t know that you were willing to cook for me.”

“I wanted to thank you for taking care of me. I know I’ve been difficult and I know that you expected much more from your soulmate, especially because you’re a devil, but I was afraid that I wouldn’t be in a position to be the one you need whilst broken.”

“You’re not—“

“Let’s not kid anyone here, I am. I have however, gotten over it. For the most part, and now I’m ready to give you a chance. I won’t be indifferent to your advances anymore and I’m honestly sorry that you had to wait this long.”

The male grinned, a spark of happiness lighting up in his heart.

“Do you want to watch a movie with me?” he asked, looking towards the television to which you nodded.

“Can I suggest one?” you countered, offering him a sneer.

“Of course.”

While you were watching the movie, Kuroo tried to put his head on your lap again and, much to his surprise you let him! You even stroked and played with his hair as the movie went on! If you were to ask him what the film was about he wouldn’t have a clue- he kept glancing at your amused expression as he’d take in any comments that you made.

He caught himself smiling once the movie was over and you were begging him to watch another.

He was definitely beginning to fall.——–Weeks have flown by and even though he could still feel that you were hesitant, you’ve been having the time of your life.

“(Name) I will kick you off the bed, get yourself a sweater or something, you can’t walk around like that!” Kuroo shouted out, his cheeks tinted pink as he tried his best to look away. You were in a shirt which kept your back bare and the sight of the scars on your back made him feel uneasy.

They reminded him to much of… urgh! He didn’t even want to go there.

“I just dried my hair, I’m hot!” you complained, leaping towards him as you placed your head on his lap.

“Damn right you are,” he whispered, trying to remain a gentleman.“What did you say?”

“Nothing! I… I asked you if I could comb your hair?” he repeated, running a hand through your locks.

Once you gave him a confused glance with a raised brow he went a hand through his own nest of a hairdo, “I always wanted to know what it’s like to be able to smoothly run a comb through your hair. No matter what I tried such luxury was never an option for me.”

“Sure thing, do you have a comb nearby?”

You received a hum in response. A smile found its way onto his features as he ran the comb through your hair; to be honest, it wasn’t his first time combing your hair.

Call him a weirdo but whenever you’d fall asleep on his lap he’d do it. It was incredibly calming and it would give him a chance to look at your serene expression.

“Kuroo, I forgot to ask. Do you by any chance have a cat?”

His blood ran cold as he released a chuckle—when you first got there and were still pissed at him he transformed in order to see what you were like when you weren’t uneasy due to him being a devil. To be fair, if he could pinpoint a moment in which he felt that he began falling, it was when you took him in your arms and began showering him with a lot of sweet talk.

“You know, we didn’t have any creatures like you back where I’m from. And are you aware of the fact that they associate black cats like you with witches? You’re far too adorable for that. Hmm— you seem pretty hungry, do you want me to make you something?”

In that moment he wondered if he should just stay a cat for the rest of his life. And that was the first time he tried your cooking, hence why he wasn’t surprised that you were able to cook.

“I was catsitting one for a friend, but no.”

“I’d like it if we could get one, they’re adorable. Also, I’ve heard of this game called 21 questions. Are you up for it?” you suggested, out-stretching your arm as you began playing with his fringe, a small grin playing on your lips.

“Sure. How about you start? I want to see what kind of things you’re interested in,” he purred, winking at you as he bobbed his head a bit so it would be harder for you to toy with his bangs.

“For starters, what kind of a devil are you? I mean, you do have your moments, but why are you working in the human world?”

“It’s a long story, but let’s just put it shortly and say that I’m no longer a pure demon. You see, while my friends and I were out I turned against them because they wanted to harm a human friend of mine. His name is Kenma and from an early age, he was a lonely kid who accidentally summoned me on a certain occasion and it made me realize that humans aren’t that bad. Satan wasn’t that pleased with me turning against my own.”

You found yourself unable to respond. Kuroo was sly, cunning and quick on his tongue but he was caring and loyal beyond measure… You honestly should have known better than to judge him.

“Aren’t you gonna ask me if it hurt when Satan himself kicked me in the ass and out of his realm?” he joked but stopped smiling when you reached out for his forehead, poking two areas near his hairline, ”If you’re wondering, yes, that’s where they were.”

“Does it hurt? How bad are your scars?”

“That’s three questions in a row I believe. It’s my turn now if I recall, my lady.”You tsked at him but nodded as you sat up, crossing your legs so you could hear him out.

“Do you… Do you regret falling? Do you regret me?”

His words struck you hard. You’ve never openly told him that you love him but the difference was, he knew that he fell for you. The devil always falls first, doesn’t he?

“I regret being the cause of my friends’ death and I do regret falling, but I do not regret you. I will never regret you, I love yo- your cat! I mean your friend’s cat, yeah! Without you I’d never meet the cat. I love it, such a cute little creature.”

He laughed, content with the answer, “Your turn.”

“I’ve never seen your scars. Are you afraid to show me?”

“No, I just feel that they’re a part of a past that was never meant to be mine,” as he trailed away, he shot you a toothy grin, “But it made me obtain the future that I’ve always dreamt of.”

At that point, you were both leaning in. Every sound other than the one of your own ragged breathing had long disappeared. You were afraid that your heart was going to pop out of your chest…

This was so wrong. This was so wrong but it felt so right. Lady Fate was such a messed up woman.

Once you got close enough you chickened out, leaning your forehead onto his, “I shouldn’t be feeling like this, Kuroo. I shouldn’t be falling in love with you.”

The raven released a scoff as he cupped your cheeks, “No worries, I already fell—you should know by now the nature of us devils, it’s on us to fall first. I’m ready to wait for as long as needed for you to fall completely, but when you do, fear not because I will be right there to catch you.”

You swallowed hard as you took in a deep breath, “I do hope that your reflexes are fast because I was just knocked down.”

It was his only heads up before you finally finished what you started; you pressed your lips against his as you both gave in to your desires and despite the fact that you were both ridden of your wings, you had reached cloud nine without flying.

Indeed, Lady Fate was a messed up woman. But you loved her just the way she was.

#kuroo #kuroo tetsurou #haikyuu #hq #haikyuu!!#one shot #soulmate au #angst #happy ending

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sogytits · 6 years

Text

What Are Titles?

“Hey wait up you know I hate being left alone in the woods at night” I shout after my friends. We were out ‘looking for Sasquatch’ more like Ben just wanted an excuse to make us wander around the woods after dark.

“Well then stop getting distracted by random things Mari and keep up” Margot called out over her shoulder giving me a smirk that had brought many women to their knees. Margot was the shortest of us and her short bright blonde hair stood out against the night. She also had the best luck with women because of her killer smile and confidence. That’s how we met, she started flirting with me at a bar and oblivious me didn’t realize, which she took as me not being interested, which had been very false, but I seemed nervous and was all alone so she told me to come sit with her and her friend. That’s how I ended up in the forest at night with a couple of assholes about a year later. I call them assholes because they are but I wouldn’t trade them for the world. “See just what I was talking about that big brain of yours gets a topic and you disappear inside of it” she teases turning completely around to wait for me.

I jog to catch up. “I’m not that bad.” I defend “at least I don’t have to jog to keep up with Ben” I retort. Ben is the tallest he’s about 6’2”, he’ll even make me feel short, but I can make his feel short right back in the right heels. He’s trying to grow his hair out into an Afro because he claims the seventies are making a come back.

“Will you two stop chattering I’m trying to hear” Ben calls from in front of us having no reservations about leaving us in the dark without the compass. He was the friend that was with Margot that night and his slender silhouette was all that was visible with the flashlight held in front of him.

“Hear what? Bigfoot isn’t real and even if he was he wouldn’t be in a forest in central Minnesota” I counter knowing Ben’s just giving us shit. “ I vote we find a clearing and look at the stars instead” I compromise. “Walking around after dark makes me super uneasy but I don’t want to head back to the car just yet it’s a beautiful night.”

“Seconded” Margot agrees “looks like Sasquatch will have to wait for another night.”

“Oh come on spoil sports, he’s close I can almost smell him” Ben makes his way back to us just to be over dramatic and sniff right above our heads.

“I don’t think you’d want to smell him he’s supposed to smell awful, like a foreskin” I inform as I put my shoulder length curly brown hair up in a ponytail it was actually a pretty warm humid night. They both turn to me and look at me like I’m crazy.

“How could you possibly know that?” Ben asked sounding as flabbergasted as Margot looked.

I saw my opening. “I’ve meet him.” I reply nonchalantly trying my hardest to suppress a giggle, hoping the dark will help cover my face, which would have been a dead give away. Too bad Ben had the flashlight and decided that was the perfect time to shine it in my eyes, luckily the sudden shift in light caused me to scrunch my face and look away hiding my previously very guilty expression even if just for a second. “Do you have to?” I complain shielding my eyes

“He must you can sound convincing but your face always gives you away” Margot consoles. “It’s why we almost always facetime you instead of call”

I look Ben straight into his dark brown eyes using my hand to cover the flashlight so I could actually accomplish it without going blind. Mediocre acting skills don’t fail me now. “I have meet Bigfoot” I say using almost all of my energy to keep my face straight.

Ben doesn’t say anything for a second before leaning back and exclaiming “LIES” before all of us break out in laughter. “Now you ladies wanted to go stargazing, I think I remember a clearing back a little ways”

We backtrack, according to Ben a former boy scout and self proclaimed compass extraordinaire. We were going in the wrong direction, I knew it. How I don’t know, I’ve just always had a good sense of direction, to the point where I used to freak my family out when we traveled because I knew which way to go to get to a place I had never been to before. So there was no shock when Ben all of a sudden whispered oh fuck.

“What do you mean oh fuck?” Margot asked visibly shaken.

I put my arm around her shoulders and take the compass from Ben, not that I needed it but for appearances. “ The car is that way” I use the hand holding the compass to gesture because we had been heading too far east. “I don’t know how far so why don’t we just head that way until we find a clearing and rest for awhile” I rub Margot's back and start off in the direction of the car.

“Okay there Bear Grylls where has that been all this time?” Margot half teases half actually curious.

“Yielded to the compass extraordinaire” I say turning around to bow at Ben with a huge grin on my face.

“Hey night navigation is hard okay and we never learned it.” Ben defends himself as we continue towards the car.

I just smirk to myself and slowly lead us towards the car trying not to exhaust us and not to lose anybody. It actually didn't take long to find a clearing that was actually big enough to see the sky. “Rest here? I don’t think the car is that far.” I explain and after I get sounds of agreement from both I flop down in the middle of the clearing close my eyes and take a moment to enjoy being away from the hustle and bustle of the cities. The cold dewy earth grounding me and the gentle breeze rustling the leave creating a soothing white noise that was only overpowered by the occasional snap of a twig or dry leaves crunching from both my friends and the few creatures out and about at this late hour. I open my eyes to watch my friends flop down on either side of me and the absolutely flawless night sky.

“Enlighten us with your wisdom oh wise one” Ben exclaimed nudging my shoulder.

“What knowledge will you be so kind as to impart on us about these beautiful constellations.” Margot continues Ben’s line of teasing.

“Nothing, I’ve got nothing. I could never distinguish constellations” I confess not taking my eyes off of our own little strip of night sky.

They both take in an over dramatic gasp of shock

“What? Are you saying that there's actually something you don’t have random facts on?” Margot rasps out. I can feel her smiling at me.

“Oh wise one you have failed us” Ben mocks throwing a hand to his forehead, looking away sighing and no doubt would have theatrically crumpled to the ground had he been standing.

“Oh shut it assholes I also know jack shit about physics so take that.”

“Oh no you must stop my heart cannot take anymore of this blasphemy” Margot joins Ben in his fake faint.

I wasn’t going to dignify them with a response so I just let them lay there and be over dramatic. As I was staring waiting for my friends to stop being farcical there was a tiny shooting star, it was gone before I could even think about getting their attention so I made a silent wish for everything to work out and let it be a secret between me and the sky.

Margot was the first to break the over dramatic faint “so does the boy scout know anything about the stars?” she asked peaking up on one arm to look over at Ben, who quickly took his hand off his face.

“Well now that you ask he does.” he replies and starts going on and on about how the stars have been used for navigation for centuries, but never explaining how they did it or naming a single constellation. I tuned him out and just relaxed into the moment of comfort of nature and being surrounded by the best friends I had ever had. It wasn’t long before the night caught up with us and we ended up asleep in a cuddle pile. But of course I couldn’t sleep what was left of the night through. I carefully rolled Margot off of me and closer to Ben to make sure they didn’t wake up. I had to get up and stretch, something was making me anxious more than just waking up in the woods at night and I wasn’t sure what it was. I was just standing up from trying to touch my toes when I heard it, a faint feminine voice from the forest. I walked over to the edge of the clearing, making my first mistake, cautious about going too far from my friends.

“Mother” it whispered almost softer than the first time.

“Hello is there anyone there, I won’t hurt you, I can try and help” I whispered back fearing it was lost child. I wasn’t going to try and find it I may have a great sense of direction but it didn’t work well when I was panicking.

“Come follow me mother” it breathed, sounding like it was right next to me.

“Oh please don’t let it be a ghost or some shit that thinks I’m its mother.”I mutter to myself chin against chest.

“Mother please we need you” it called sounding more desperate this time and like it was right in front of my face.

“You have me confused I’m no one's mother but I can help you find her” I explain to the disembodied voice, hoping that it wasn’t some mythical creature that was trying to eat me, I really don’t want to be just another conspiracy theory.

“You are our mother, and we need you” it sounded almost angry now but never losing the almost airy quality of the voice.

I dropped my face into my hands “why do you need me?” I ask hoping I could out stubborn it, which was my second mistake

“We are dying mother do you not care?” all the anger seemed to wash away and was replaced with utter defeat

“I would probably care if I knew who you were” I confess making my third mistake.

“Mother do you not remember us?” it asked “I will show you” it grabbed my wrist and suddenly my mind was assaulted with thoughts of tornadoes and gale force winds. Before I could scream I was getting dragged through the woods by the unseen force gripping my wrist. All I could hope was this was one vivid dream.

Part two Part three

#story #urban fantasy #fantasy #writing #oc #original #part 1 #not beta read #im trying #please enjoy #not scary #creative writing #creative #modern fantasy #writers

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newstfionline · 7 years

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First for Chicago’s skyline: Open floor to cope with wind

Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune, July 24, 2017

The engineers for Chicago’s future third-tallest skyscraper had issued a warning: Wind tunnel tests showed that the plan for the building, three thin, interconnected high-rises designed by star architect Jeanne Gang, had a flaw: High winds would push it around, making people inside feel like they were on a storm-tossed ship.

According to the engineers, the design for the Vista tower “would result in building occupants feeling ill and possibly afraid for their safety,” Chicago’s zoning administrator, Patricia Scudiero, wrote in an April 26 letter to Jack George, a lawyer for project’s developers.

To prevent that, the developers requested--and the city OKed--an unusual change to the already-approved plan for the building: The 83rd floor of the 98-story, 1,198-foot East Wacker Drive tower will be an empty space that Chicago’s famous winds can blow through. If all goes as planned, this so-called “blow-through floor” will ensure that the riverfront tower’s residents and guests of its hotel won’t be grabbing for motion-sickness medicine.

Such measures have started to pop up among the supertall, superslender skyscrapers that are altering skylines in Chicago, New York, Dubai and other glittering city centers where the super-rich and the merely rich choose to live. Although experts say the Vista tower’s blow-through floor will be the first of its kind in Chicago, structural engineers here already have adopted other measures, both inside and outside buildings, to steady ultrathin skyscrapers against the wind.

The skinny towers put residents where they want to be--near a window with knockout views. Yet like reeds in a marsh, these skyscrapers are prone to bend when the wind blows hard. Ideally, that bending is imperceptible. So today’s engineers battle not only the force of gravity but the whirling pockets of wind, known as vortices, that can cause towers to shake or vibrate. Failure to do so would make the motion of the building--or “acceleration,” as engineers call it--uncomfortably noticeable.

“Chandeliers would be swinging. There are jokes about whitecaps in toilets,” said R. Shankar Nair, an engineer at the Chicago-based architecture and engineering firm EXP and a former chairman of the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, which monitors skyscrapers worldwide. “If you’re just sitting there, you can feel dizzy or sick.”

People who have been in tall towers when the breeze blows hard have vivid recollections of the experience. “I recall being in a high-level apartment in the (John Hancock Center) during a gale. The water line in the toilet was disconcertingly off level,” Terence Riley, the former architecture curator at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, wrote to me on Facebook Friday. On Twitter, another person wrote: “When I worked at 900 N Michigan (on only the 6th floor) we could hear the building creak on high-wind days.”

At the Vista tower, the decision to introduce the blow-through floor came with a financial catch: Originally, the 83rd story was supposed to be a full-floor penthouse that would fetch at least $8 million for the project’s lead developer, the Magellan Development Group of Chicago, and its investment partner, China’s Dalian Wanda Group.

The need for the blow-through floor blew away that possibility, though it is not expected to eat significantly into the developers’ profits. The building, which will stack more than 400 condo units atop about 190 hotel rooms, is already more than 35 percent pre-sold. So Gang does not appear to be in hot water with her clients.

“I’m sure they would rather have sellable space in there,” she said of the blow-through floor. “(But) they understood the need for it. It has to be.”

While the drive to lessen, or “damp,” wind-whipped movement in skyscrapers is decades old, engineers are always adding new techniques to their tool kit. Besides facades with rounded, notched or sliced corners, recent innovations include massive arms of steel or concrete that extend outward from a building’s core and grab high-strength structural columns along the perimeter. Chicago architects and engineers Skidmore, Owings & Merrill used this method, which works like ski poles and is known as “core and outrigger,” in the Trump International Hotel & Tower, the city’s second-tallest building. Such measures weren’t necessary in earlier skyscrapers, like the Empire State Building, which were stabilized by stone exteriors and larger floor plates.

Now comes the blow-through floor--in essence, a facade opening that serves as a vent to relieve wind pressure. The prime example is the cigarette-thin 432 Park Avenue, a gridded monolith by Uruguayan architect Rafael Vinoly. Open floors at different levels let the wind slip through the 1,396-foot high-rise. Vista, by contrast, will have just one blow-through floor.

The recent shift to supertall, superthin residential skyscrapers has made wind tunnel testing an essential part of the effort to “confuse the wind,” as engineers say, and tweak initial designs. Such a midcourse correction happened in the design of the world’s tallest building, the 2,717-foot Burj Khalifa in Dubai, when Skidmore, Owings & Merrill consulted Canadian engineers who specialize in wind analysis.

A wind tunnel test showed that the Dubai tower should be turned 120 degrees, lining up its most wind-prone face with the direction where it would be least likely to be buffeted by desert windstorms. As part of this shift, the upward progression of the tower’s setbacks was reoriented, from counterclockwise to clockwise.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been surprised by the results” of wind tunnel tests, said Skidmore structural engineer Bill Baker.

“You come up with a concept,” said Dave Eckmann, a senior principal in the Chicago office of Magnusson Klemencic Associates, the Seattle-based firm that is the Vista tower’s structural engineer. But “you never really know until you get into a wind tunnel.”

#Chicago #Vista Tower #Chicago winds #open floor in skyscraper

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