#i’ve been huddled in my dumpster fire all day

[frnkiebby]

THAT LAST ONE

I DONT HAVE THAT LAST ONE

HES SO FUCKING PRETTY~🎃

[hey-its-roseaurum]

Guilty until Proven Innocent-Part I

A/N: Hey everyone. Thank you for taking the time to look at this story. This is for a collaboration with @lainiespicewrites. She is an excellent writer and I figured it was my turn to stretch my writing muscles and put something out into the world. This is my first Henry Cavill fic, so please don't be too harsh. Anyways, enjoy!

Synopsis: After recent murders in town, You (Olivia) decide to train with Edith in the art of self-defense. In the middle of training, you got a mysterious knock on the door. Sherlock walks in, looking for assistance with his latest case. He offers you to partake in a partnership to help him in his latest case? Do you take it?

Warnings: mentions of death

“You’re progressing nicely Olivia.”  Edith smiled from above me, her elbow pinning me to the floor mat.  There wasn’t a hint of sweat along her forehead.  She had taken me down in less than a minute. The worst part was I thought I was going to land a hit on her this time.

”I’m beginning to think that you’re just saying that to soothe my pride”. I rasped out.  She had eased her hold on me and stood up, extending a hand.

”Nonsense.  Look how far you’ve come since you first stepped in these doors.  Pretty soon you’ll be able to hold your ground with me.”  She exclaimed as I grabbed her hand and hoisted myself up.  My back had long since started throbbing.

For the past few weeks, I have been meeting Edith at her office to train and learn self-defense.  Ever since the first girl went missing and was later found dead in the street I hadn’t been able to sleep soundly.  There were constant, nagging thoughts that made me question if I was going to be the next victim.  It had only gotten worse when they found the next girl a week later in the middle of an alleyway that I frequently visited.  Her throat had been cut. 

In London, it was ill-advised for a woman, especially of noble birth, to consider something as trivial as self-defense.  Women are supposed to be soft, elegant, and passive. All of the trouble and responsibility in making decisions was for the men. 

 Being passive and soft didn’t save those girls from their cruel end.

And I wasn’t going to let myself become like them.  I refuse to be the next girl that falls victim to this.  So I went to my dear friend Enola at her detective agency and inquired about a solution to my predicament.  She sent me over to Edith and had me start training the next day.  I’ve been training every day since then.

I’m still not really good at it.

”Did you say the same thing when you were teaching Enola?”  I inquired as I dusted myself off.  Edith only shook her head.

”Not exactly.  Her response was more witty, thanks to her mother.”  Eudoria Holmes, the mother, the fire starter as people liked to call her.  I’ve seen her wanted poster splayed all across London.  But I didn’t see her as a criminal.  I saw her as the woman who saved my life six months ago.

That morning had been cold and bitter.  I remember feeling my fingers grow numb while I huddled against a mailbox.  Its red paint had chipped away at its base, leaving rust behind.

Which was ironic and poetic now that I think back on it.  And let me explain why.

It all started when my father had recently passed from a sickness that left my mother and me penniless.  With no man in the house and no money to our name, we were cast out of society.  My mother and I were thrown out and the estate that I called my home.   It was sold to another noble family in the south.

We lived off the street after that.  My mother, using what knowledge she had of needlework, had acquired a job as an assisted seamstress.  I was left to salvage whatever pity people gave me and half-rotten food from dumpsters.

Eventually, we were able to afford a small cottage on the outskirts of town.  It was small, run-down, and often had a damp smell to it.  Mother didn’t like to be there for a long period.  She claimed it was because she was so busy with her duties to the seamstress that she didn’t have time to spend there.  I think it was because she missed her life at the estate and living in this small broken cottage was too much for her to bear.

That morning six months ago I decided to go into town to fill my water bucket and get bread before it got too crowded.  When I got there, I sat down by the mailbox to wait for the bakery to open.  I was particularly annoyed when I saw a lot of people around this early in the morning.

I was watching a man get onto a carriage when something shifted from the corner of my eye.  It had been a man, or what I thought was a man walking towards me with a package in their hand.  When we made eye contact I didn’t think anything of it.  I just watched them and noted how stiff they walked. They placed the package in the slot of the mailbox.  Before I knew it, I was grabbed by the elbow, hoisted upright, and pulled away from the mailbox.  

That mailbox exploded, releasing a whirlwind of fliers into the air.

The two of us had run from the police.  I was forced to since they refused to let go of my hand.  We ran until this stranger knew that they weren't being followed.  

When things settled down, the man revealed that they were a woman in disguise.  She introduced herself as Eudoria Holmes and then proceeded to lecture me about being near explosives as if she were my own mother.  All I had wanted to do was bite back, to lecture her on how she shouldn’t be putting explosives where there were people.

Instead, I broke down, not from her lecturing but because of something I couldn’t quite place. All I knew was that I was waiting for a soggy piece of bread and nearly got blown up.

In the end, I told her everything.  I told her my past, my current situation, and why I was even in town in the first place.  One thing kind of led to another.  The next thing I knew I was sitting in Eudoria’s house with a cup of tea in my hand.

I stayed in that damp cottage less and less as time passed and more at Eudoria’s warm, often chaotic home.  That’s where I became friends with Enola, had briefly met her two brothers Sherlock and Mycroft, and felt somewhat happy.  

I don’t know why she pulled me away from that mailbox.  The one time I asked her she said she saw something in me, some sort of fire in my eye.  She didn’t want it to go out along with the mailbox.

I didn’t believe her, but I couldn’t tell that to her.

“So what you’re trying to say is that I still have a long way to go,” I asked as my brain jumped back to the present.  I stepped away from the mat and made my way into her office.

”What I’m saying is you’re doing better than you think you are.  You just began learning.  Give yourself a little credit.”  Following me, she made her way to the table by the window.  A stack of teacups were messily stacked up to one side.  She grabbed two, placed them on saucers, and poured liquid into both.  

“I know.  I’m just…worried.  It’s been a week since the last victim was found and the police still haven’t found the suspect.”  I let out a sigh and sipped some of my tea.  I needed a moment to choose my words carefully.  “I just want to be…prepared.”

A heavy pause filled the air before either of us spoke.  

”Olivia…there’s more to that, isn’t there?” Edith’s words were soft and gentle.

“I mean I-“. My response was sharply cut short.

A knock pulled our attention away from our conversation and to the door.  A tall man entered from the training room and to Edith’s office.  I couldn’t place if he looked tall because of his size, or because of the giant top hat sitting snugly on top of his head.  Dark wavy strands of hair peaked through from under his hat. 

”Have you any sense what time it is?”  Edith interrogated, crossing her arms.  The man took off his hat, revealing thick brown locks.  His sculpted jawline and nose complimented the hair.  Blue, mesmerizing eyes glanced around, investigating.

But the feature that I recognized right away from him was his shoulders.  I knew those shoulders.

”Hello, Edith” His attention briefly shot to me “Olivia”  I curtly nodded, averting my eyes.

”Good evening Mr. Holmes.”  I responded softly.  “With what do we owe the pleasure of your company?” Holmes.  Sherlock Holmes.  One of Enola’s older brothers. One of the greatest detectives I’ve ever seen.

”There’s no need for formalities Olivia.”  I felt something warm begin to grow on my cheeks at his response.  He’s only being polite Olivia.  We are only acquaintances because of Enola and Eudoria.  He doesn’t like you like that.

Or does he?  

I’m not sure.

Sherlock Holmes is a difficult man to understand.

“What are you here for Sherlock?”  Edith asked again, harsher this time.  Her tone quickly pulled me back to the present and away from my thoughts.  

Sherlock cleared his throat, his blue eyes revealing some sort of inner turmoil within himself.  It was an unusual amount of emotion that I was not used to seeing.  I expected it with Mycroft, he practically wore his emotions on his face at all times.  Sherlock never did.  He’s always been composed, and proper.  Before me now he still was, but a layer of some sort had been chipped away.

”I….need your help.”  He struggled to say the words like it was almost painful to him.  A moment of silence clung in the air.  

”Is it about Enola?   Did she get herself into trouble?”  There was a hint of concern in Edith’s voice when she begged the questions.  The only response he gave was a small shake of his head. I watched as realization flashed on her face. 

”There’s something about this case-“. 

”That deduction cannot solve?”  Edith finished his thought.  He slightly nodded, setting his hat down on her desk.  That was my cue. I softly placed my teacup down and made my way to the table by the window.  I began making some tea for Sherlock while listening to the conversation.

”I may need your…skills to get information from a place I cannot enter.”

“What kind of place?”  He listed off a name that I didn’t recognize.  Edith’s face slightly reddened.

”A showgirl theatre?! You cannot ask me such a thing Sherlock, no matter how close we are.”  My eyebrows raised as I grabbed a cup and saucer and poured some tea into the cup.

“I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t have another option.  A woman’s life is at stake.” His tone was calm, but there was something else there.

”But going into this with the possibility of getting murdered is not something I’m comfortable with.  Woman’s freedom and rights is one thing, going after a serial killer is a whole other matter entirely”

”Edith, I-“. I cut them off.

”I’ll do it.  I’ll go instead of you.”  In their arguing, I had made my way back to the two of them, Sherlock's tea in hand.  I had left mine behind.

”Olivia, do you know what kind of place that is, what situations you can get into.  You’re nowhere near ready to hold your ground”. What she said was like a punch to the gut.  

I knew I wasn’t ready, we had that same conversation not thirty minutes ago.  But I knew that if Edith went and something bad had happened to her Enola and Eudoria would be devastated.  I was different.  If I went and something happened to me, Edith would still be here training more girls like me.

”Who else is going to do it?  Enola?  She’s not expendable. I am.  And Edith, what about the other girls you train?” I took a breath, the stubbornness in me growing. “Besides, I know these streets better than anyone.  I’ve lived in them.  I know where to go in case I’m being followed.   And because of the way I look,”. I paused briefly looking down at myself, at my curvy, plump figure.  “No one would suspect me.  They would just see me as a showgirl trying to make ends meet.  I can blend in, go undercover, and get the information that he needs in order to catch this murderer.”

A heavy pause hung between the three of us.

I let what I said sink into the two of them.  I know that Edith is fighting with herself on whether she can let me go.  She believes that I am her responsibility, and I kind of was while Eudoria was undercover.  But since starting to learn to defend myself I told myself that I couldn’t sit and wait.  Sitting and worrying about who the next victim is going to drive me crazy.  If I can help and make a difference, then maybe the suspect will be caught before there’s more tragedy.  

”I promise I won’t let anything bad happen to her.”  Sherlock’s voice broke the silence and my inner thoughts.  “You have my word.”  His eyes met mine at his.  I felt something else there besides the promise.   Edith sighed,  rubbing her temples with both her index fingers.

“Okay, Sherlock.  Just…make sure she comes back in one piece.”   Edith finally concurred.  “You’re going to have to speak to your mother if you don’t.”

A smile tugged at my lips at the agreement.  I finally raised the cup of tea, offering it to him.    

”When do we start?”

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

A/N: Thank you so much for reading. If you want to read @lainiespicewrites story about Paul Atreides from the Dune Sage, here is her link: https://www.tumblr.com/lainiespicewrites/747032352877903872/the-atreides-era?source=share

[crystalas]

Junk Yard Talks

A continuation of the Demon Bull Divorce AU. I’ve never done anything like this before so if you have any questions or prompts by all means go for it.

Takes place after Hindsight.

MK, Mei and Red Son are scrap hunting in the junk yard for stuff to upgrade the tuk-tuk and truck, they run into a certain pair of demons.

Junk yard talks

Mei had never thought of exploring the city’s Junk Yard because if she needed any parts for her bike, she could always buy them brand new from the shop but according to Red Son it was a treasure trove of finds. For her it was a treasure trove of smells.

“Especially for prototypes and if you’re on a budget!” he had explained giving MK and a side long glance, “For me at least if a prototype blows up then at least I don’t have to worry about costs!”

“So, what are we looking for?” MK demanded as he inspected a rusted-out van.

“I don’t know that’s the beauty of looking!” Red Son exclaimed “You never know when inspiration will hit you!”

“Hopefully inspiration will hit us without us needing tetanus jabs afterwards” Mei muttered as she navigated around some sharp looking scraps and then glared at MK.

“Don’t give me that look it was his turn to choose what we did for the day!” MK whispered back at her. “I thought you’d be into this being a motor head yourself!”

“When he said we were going to be looking at machine parts I thought he meant shopping not dumpster diving!” she hissed back. And Red Son had begun to rummage through what looked to be a car that had been hit a train, MK kept his hands in his pockets as he looked around. It was weirdly giving him an idea to draw a monster made of junk maybe with an old digger spade for a jaw and rusty chains for hair…he took out his little note book he always kept on him when such idea struck him and began to sketch down the parts he wanted to use.

Huh maybe Red Son was right about inspiration hitting you here.

“Monkie Kid!” a voice demanded “It’s your worst nightmare!”

“Yin!”

“Jin!”

“The gold and silver demons!” the two voices sang before mimicking a rock solo, only then did MK look up and saw the two demons glaring at him crossly as they perched on top of nearby junk pile obviously hoping for more of a reaction that dumb confusion.

“Oi mate!” the gold one growled “It’s considered common courtesy to at least look at your demise!”

“Sorry I was in the zone!” MK apologized as he took out his staff to fight.

“Yeah, well you’re being very rude!” Yin declared.

“Barging into our home, not even acknowledging our sweet introduction; downright disrespectful I’d call it!” Jin cried.

“Hey MK did you find anything?” Mei asked and MK waved her off. “Hey weren’t those the guys who tried to run Pigsy out of business?”

“Yeah, I gotta fight them so give me a minute”

“A MINUTE??!” the two demons roared “You got some nerve!”

“Need a hand?”

“Don’t ignore us!” Yin shouted and MK looked up to see the two demons leaping down prepared to fight and MK prepared to do battle.

“What’s going on Noodle boy?” Red Son demanded as he turned a corner just to see everyone in mid fight pause and stare at him before Yin and Jin took a step back.

“Monkie Kid! Not Monkey King!” Yin grumbled and smacked his brother around the head “Told you we should have written that down!”

“Kid, King it’s kinda easy to mix up!”

“Hey are we fighting or what?” MK demanded “You wanted this!”

“Nah we’re good!” Jin exclaimed “Hey Red Boy how are things?”

“Not bad all things considered” Red Son said “How are you two doing? Last I saw you were on TV trying to out cook Pigsy”

“Yeah, to be fair that was one of our more thought out plans we had…” Jin muttered.

“You know these guys?!” Mei demanded reminding the demons of the humans in the group. Red Son turned around to face his friends.

“Oh yeah we go waaaay back!” Jin laughed and patted Red Son on the back.

“We are probably the first demons to start mixing Tech and magic, these two are great to bounce ideas off with. Speaking of which, how did that improved calabash idea go? Did you managed to get pass that whole melting the victim problem?” Red Son asked and MK perked up at that last bit and saw the two metallic demons giving him an interesting look that was a mix of “don’t you dare tell him about that” and “Please don’t tell him about that”.

“Nah it kinda went belly-up we had to go back to the drawing board ya know?” Yin exclaimed and hustled Red Son away from MK in case the Monkie Kid decided to remind the two that the calabash did indeed work and he broke it when they tried to kidnap him with it.

“Pity” Red Son muttered “The idea of having an entire illusionary world that you can carry on you sounded like a fun idea. To be able to recreate places from memories or even create new locations entirely… you could have made it like a vacation spot for demons!”

“That’s a way better idea than using it as a holding cell for our enemies!” Jin moaned out loud to which everyone except MK turned to stare at him confused, Yin just face palmed.

“Anyway, you looking for anything in particular?” Yin interjected before anyone could question that statement Red Son pulled out a blue print.

“I’m looking to improve this, which needs better suspension…” he began and Yin looked at the blueprint nodded sagely, before scanning the junk yard.

“Yeah, I think I saw a quad bike over there, the engine is totally buggared but everything else is good to go!” he exclaimed Red Son grinned and trotted over with Yin leading the way. Jin watched the two go before glancing back at Mei and MK who were still on guard, sword and staff in hand just in case.

“So…how’s Red Boy been lately?” the demon asked quietly.

“Huh?!” Mei spluttered.

“I mean what with the whole divorce thing going on…”

“DIVORCE!?” MK cried out before being shushed by Jin loudly, he shot a look over to where his brother and Red Son had gone. “Sorry…but divorce? Red Son said his parents were going through a rough patch not ending it entirely!”

“That’s not what we heard on the ol’ demon grapevine, DBK going the whole nine yard on it. that’s practically unheard of in our community especially royalty. If you’re a king and you didn’t like your wife you just got a consort or something…”

“What did they say about Red Son?” MK asked concerned.

“Yeah, I heard you guys saying about mixing up Monkie Kid with Monkey King” Mei asked, all three scanned the area in case Red Son was in ear shot before returning to the huddle.

“We were told that until the whole thing was sorted out Red Son now belong to Monkey King’s court, turns out they meant YOUR court” Jin explained.

“Court sounds so uptight and fancy, I prefer the word team…” MK muttered before getting back on the topic. “Wait so why did DBK do that?” he demanded to which Jin just shrugged.

“No clue…” he muttered.

“How come he never told us? Does he even know himself?” Mei wondered but Jin couldn’t answer as Red Son and Yin came back easily dragging a quad bike that looked like someone had tried to drive it through a boulder and failed.

“Hey look these are practically brand new and we can use the fourth as a spare!” he chirped happily.

“Good find mate!” Jin beamed, “Why don’t you guys stay for lunch? We’re having toad in the hole!”

MK and Mei blanched at the idea of eating roasted toads or something and the demon brothers grinned.

“Oh, come on we’ll be having some spotted dick for afters!” he chuckled Mei nearly gagged at the idea and Red Son gave a sigh.

“Relax Toad in the hole is an English dish of sausage in batter, and spotted dick is a steamed current pudding” Yin and Jin gave a groan.

“Spoil our fun why don’t you?” Yin growled.

“You know how to cook English dishes?” MK asked.

“We travelled to London during the whole industrial revolution, very informative on the top-of-the-line tech at the time and what can we say? The accent stuck!” Jin explained “you found it fun too didn’t you Red?”

“You went too?” Mei asked and Red Son crossed his arms and looked annoyed.

“He didn’t stick around like we did, not after the Spring Heel Jack incident” Yin chuckled and playfully punched Red Son’s shoulder who gave a half-hearted growl.

“In my defence it was the one time and that old bat deserved getting her eye brows singed off, ‘filthy savage’ indeed!” he grumbled “all the other spring heeled jack sightings were not me!”

 Notes: I love the head canon that Yin, Jin and Red Son hang out and helped each other with their projects. Also, Spring Heel Jack was a Victorian creepy pasta of a being who could breathe fire, leap inhumanly high and vanish in an instant…sound familiar huh?

[lyssismagical]

evermore

Just a Solid Vent Fic 

I wanna do 30 days of Taylor Swift-inspired fics (folklore and evermore) lmao but idk yet we’ll see lemme know tho 

 *

As a compromise for Tony not being able to pay Peter’s tuition to MIT thanks to his full ride, Tony bought an apartment right beside campus for Peter to live in, to ensure no awkward adventures trying to be Spider-Man with a roommate.

Peter’s still adamant about getting a job and paying for his food, phone bill, and any other things like clothing or entertainment.

And balancing classes, patrolling, and a job, isn’t easy, of course. But it’s always been better for him to work hard than to give himself time to think. It’s not like his mental health is on hold, but it’s easier to put it aside when he’s got so much to do all the time.

It doesn’t help that he’s also on the debate team thanks to MJ, and in the robotics club thanks to Ned.

When November rolls around and it brings the final projects, Peter pushes himself to the limit to keep up with everything.

He starts dropping his sleep to only a nap whenever he can squeeze it in, working all afternoon, classes all morning, and Spider-Man all night, and he starts making up excuses for anything that isn’t a number one priority.

He stops seeing his friends, stops calling May back, stops replying to Tony’s worried texts, stops helping out with his professors or the librarian or his classmates. He stops cleaning his apartment, letting dishes pile up on the counters and laundry go unwashed.

It’s bad, and he knows that, rationally and logically, he knows.

But that doesn’t stop him from doing it anyway.

Three weeks, he tells himself.

And he keeps pushing.

MJ shows up at his apartment out of the blue when he’s studying away, and he barely manages to clear the fog in his head to stumble for the door.

“I can’t talk right now,” he says before she can even say hello. “I’ve gotta study for my physics exam.”

“No, you’ve gotta chill the fuck out.”

He shakes his head, leaving the door open as he turns his back and heads into his kitchen for a quick snack so he can get back to his work. “No, I have to study.”

“Oh my god, you live in a garbage dump,” she says, eyes going wide as she takes in the state of his apartment. “When was the last time you washed a dish? Or, gross, your hair?”

He doesn’t bother responding, rolling his eyes and downing a protein bar. “Two weeks, now, and then I’m done for a month.”

“At this rate, I don’t know if you’ll make it through the next two weeks.”

Peter can’t help but roll his eyes again, part of him hating how much he’s lashing out despite wanting help, needing help, but unable to find the strength to stop it from happening as he brushes past her again.

“I know you’re stressed, I know you’re anxious about exams and papers and labs, but, seriously, Peter?” she says, following him to where he’s working in the living room, papers and binders and textbooks strewn across every surface. “You’re a genius, okay? You’ve been getting excellent grades all year. The only reason you might not do well on these projects is because you’re working yourself to death.”

He shakes his head, feeling very suddenly like he might cry. “It’s not that easy. Just… I don’t want to deal with this right now, okay?”

MJ doesn’t take that as a good answer, though, sitting beside him on the old couch. “I know you, okay? I know you better than most people do. I’ve seen you in some of the worst states you’ve been in. I know this. You can’t pretend that this is okay or normal or that this is you doing fine. I don’t believe it for a second.”

He opens his mouth to fight back, to argue, to try to convince her otherwise, or maybe just to kick her out. But he hesitates.

After the Snap’s reversal, she was the one who devoted all her time to taking care of him. He was such a mess of PTSD and depression and emptiness, but she was there. She kept the lights on for him, she brought him food and water, held him after nightmares, talked him down from panic attacks every other day. She was there, despite everything, she was always there.

Tony was too far and he never wanted to bother May, so he regularly would drop by her fire escape where she would patch him up after patrols, and occasionally, let him sleep next to her and make sure to get him to school on time.

She’s always been there.

She’s held him together, kept him sane, helped him through it all.

It wouldn’t be fair to get pissed.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, shoving a hand through his mess of greasy, tangled curls. “I’m such a mess, I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to be a bitch, but I just… I don’t know what I’m doing. I feel like I’m drowning.”

And she nods because she’s always understood, always known what he means. She puts her hand over his. “You deserve a nap. C’mon.”

He goes to shake his head, looking to where his lab is only half-done, he’s only a few chapters into the textbook to get prepared for his exam, rough notes scribbled out for a paper.

“No, c’mon. You’re taking a nice nap. You deserve it,” she repeats, tugging more insistently at his wrist.

But he shakes his head this time, pulling his hand away. “If I stop, I won’t be able to start again.”

“Peter-”

“I’m serious, if I take a nap or a break or take a second to breathe, I will crumble and I won’t be able to put myself back together in time for these due dates. I won’t get back up. I just-” He stops, taking a deep breath and rubbing at his wet eyes. “I need to keep pushing for the next two weeks and then I can fall apart.”

MJ shakes her head, fingers wrapping around his thin wrist. “That’s not healthy. And it certainly wouldn’t be right for me to let you do that.”

“I’ll fail my classes if I don’t do well on these assignments and exams. I need to keep going. I know it’s bad, but if I get into bed, I will fall into a slump and I won’t get anything done.”

Surprising both him and what seems like herself, she nods, holding onto him a little tighter like he’ll disappear before her very eyes. “Fine. But I’m going to stay here with you and make sure you don’t die over the next two weeks, alright? And you have to listen when I tell you to eat or watch stupid reality TV shows with me.”

He hums out an agreement, letting himself slump into her side, eyes focusing in on his mess of homework laid out before him.

“Come on. Step one, is getting you showered and in clean clothes because you smell like you spent the night in a dumpster.”

*

MJ does exactly as she promised she would. She calls it a ‘mental health sleepover’ and they set up camp in the living room.

She calls in sick for him at work for most of the week, telling them that he caught the flu and wouldn’t be back until after his exams, and even then, he’d already booked most of Winter Break off to go home to New York.

There wasn’t much she could do, in all honesty, it wasn’t like she could force him to sleep or take a break without a fight, but she could make him healthy meals and stop him from going out patrolling, which was enough to take a big load off his shoulders.

And she occasionally can convince him to watch those dumb reality TV shows, which occasionally makes him fall asleep on the couch for at least an hour or two.

It helps, of course, but it doesn’t solve any of the problems.

As soon as he’s finished exams, he’s going to drop, he’s going to fall, he’s going to drown, let the waves take him.

And nobody will be able to help him then.

“I booked your flight home,” MJ says over dinner and while he’s finishing up his lab report. “My flight’s a few hours after yours, so I’ll be with you until you board and then the Starks will pick you up.”

“Thanks. I really owe you one,” he says, only half-listening as he starts on his paper.

She grabs him by his shoulder and makes him turn to her laptop screen. “Say yes to the dress time. Your paper can wait a bit.”

“There’s only so much I can procrastinate,” he says but he’s already closing his laptop and tucking himself into her side, and shoulders finally relaxing.

She starts the episode, on a low volume, and presses a quick kiss to his temple.

By the time they’re onto the second episode, Peter’s slurring out his insults to the dresses some of the women pick, making fun of the different styles, and blinking getting longer and longer.

“That neckline?” Peter goes, giggling into MJ’s shoulder. “Especially with those shoes?”

“You’re a bitch.”

“I know, but seriously?” he laughs again, a little window into the person he once was. “I mean the first option wasn’t bad, but the choice of a grey dress in the first place…”

MJ’s voice goes all soft and gentle when she next speaks up, “Come on, go to sleep, you can afford to take a little break.”

And he nods sleepily against her shoulder, tucking himself just a little closer, making himself small against her side. It’s simple, for now.

*

As soon as he’s done his last exam, he can feel the adrenaline wearing off, disappearing from within him, all energy draining from his very veins.

He goes straight home afterwards, ignoring everybody who tries to stop him for a chat. And as soon as he makes it to his apartment, he goes straight to bed, tugging the sheets right over his head.

He shouldn’t do this, he knows. He should call MJ, ask that she drop everything for him again because he can feel himself slipping, but he won’t. He can’t. He doesn’t even know when the last time he saw his phone was, let alone have the effort to leave his blankets and try to find it. He doesn’t care. He doesn’t have it in him to care.

He feels empty and exhausted and strung out. Carved hollow. Putting everything he has into the past few months, he feels like he has nothing left to give.

There’s a knock on his front door, but he doesn’t move.

A few minutes later, his phone rings, somewhere in another part of the apartment. It rings again and again, a symphony for him to pass out to.

*

Time passes strangely when he’s this deep in a depressive episode. He doesn’t know how long he’s been huddled under his blankets, hiding from the world. It could’ve been anywhere between a couple hours and a few days, he doesn’t know.

His phone continues ringing, far away and echoing through his dreams, tears sliding down his cheeks at random intervals, hands trembling where they’re tucked under his chest.

He feels like he’s drifting away, collapsing into himself, fading away into nothingness.

He feels empty, hollow, gone.

He gave everything he had into school and work over the course of four months, and he has nothing left to give anymore. He’s nothing more than an empty well.

And he doesn’t know how he’s supposed to pull himself together, pack, get a flight home, and pretend to be one hundred percent for Morgan.

He’d rather just die here, in this cave he’s built, ghost-like and fading away already, than have to face another soul.

*

When he hears his front door unlocking, he knows he should be worried. Nobody has a spare copy of his key except for Ned, who already went home to New York a few weeks back.

He knows it should be at least a little concerning that somebody is breaking into his apartment, but he can’t find it in him to care. He doesn’t have the energy to move or hide or try to protect himself.

He just curls up a little tighter and hopes that this won’t be his last day.

“Peter?”

He lifts his head, just enough to see over his cave of his blankets.

And standing in his bedroom doorway is Tony.

“Hi,” he breathes, curling up a little tighter, knowing he’s safe.

Tony slips into his room and sits at the end of his bed, one hand on Peter’s ankle. “MJ called when you wouldn’t answer your phone or let her in. She knew something was up.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I saw something like this coming after you finished your senior year and spent two weeks sick and depressed. I thought you’d be home in time before you started feeling so run down, but I guess I was wrong.”

Peter doesn’t know how he’s supposed to respond to that, so instead he lets his head fall into the pillows again.

“I’m not going to make you do anything yet, I think you could use a bit more time here. Though, Morgan thought two days sleeping was plenty, I think another one might do you well. But tomorrow, we’re going to get you fed and showered and your apartment clean, and then this weekend, we’ll get a flight home. Sound good?”

He nods, though he’s pretty sure he would agree to pretty much anything so long as the decisions are taken out of his hands.

“Come here,” Tony murmurs, sliding into the space beside Peter, arms open. Peter finally feels at home when he crawls into the awaiting hug. “MJ mentioned Say Yes to the Dress bingeing, you feel up for making fun of more dress choices?”

Peter laughs half-heartedly against Tony’s chest, tucking himself into him like a child would, and nods, breathing in the soothing scent of motor oil and expensive cologne.

He knows he’ll fall apart again, he knows that it’s not going to be a permanent solution, but the time being, he has Tony’s arms around him, a reality TV show quietly keeping them company, and the relief of having time to feel miserable before he has to pick himself up, it’s enough for now. It’ll be enough.

He’ll be okay with people like Tony and MJ at his side.

He’ll be okay.

Taglist: @littlemissagrafina  @fancyxparker  @romeoandjulietyouwish @c-artara @shadedrose01 @likeaphoenix13 @misskirkstark @you-get-killed-walk-it-off @kitkatwinchester  @emo-girl10 @justme--emily  @hold-our-destiny @imalivebecauseirondad @spiderman-peterman @dykeragee @maryserrao @heeeyitskay @parknerandirondad @lilacsandlilies4 @loveliestdisappointment @joyful-soul-collector @genderfluid-and-confuzled @fallenstar07 @gyurolls @sdottkrames {Let me know if you wanna be added or removed}

[juliandev0rak]

Into The Wild  

Chapter 2: Larkspur

✧ Into The Wild Series ✧ playlist ✧

words: 2042

Willa’s first week at Camp Vesuvia passes in a blur, with new campers arriving every day from all over the country there’s hardly a chance to catch her breath. 

The days rush by with routine activities, but Willa finds that she loves waking with the sun and all of the hustle and bustle of camp life. From the moment she wakes up, there are a million things to do. First thing in the morning she reports to the kitchen to help set up for breakfast, then she rushes over to the arts and crafts cabin to set up for daily activities. By the time she’s returned, breakfast is nearly over and she has about five minutes to scarf down some food before rushing back to do activities for the first round of campers. 

The arts and crafts cabin is where Willa spends most of her day. She’s been trying to find an art teaching job for years, working a variety of part time jobs as a barista in the mean time. Camp Vesuvia is a dream come true, she gets to do art all day and she’s finally doing something she cares about.

Though her day consists of more “Don’t put that popsicle stick up your nose!” and “Don’t eat the paint!” than she’d imagined, she’s begun to love the campers who visit her frequently. A small group of campers come for her art activities every day and she’s started to befriend a few of them. One camper even painted a portrait of her, she has it hung up on her bedroom wall and it makes her smile every time she sees it.  

Willa’s favorite activity to teach is landscape painting. She takes the campers outside by the lake or in the fields where wildflowers grow, and tells them to paint what they see. With only washable non-toxic paints the kids have surprised her with their talent to capture the beautiful scenes of the nature around them. 

She walks through the groups of campers as they paint, offering encouragement or advice, a bit of darker green there as a shadow, an extra flower petal added for symmetry, and watches as the kids bloom into artists before her very eyes. Even the ones who say they “can’t do art” manage to have fun, and that’s what art is if you ask Willa— having fun. 

One afternoon as Willa is cleaning up a paint spill, someone taps her on the shoulder. She turns to find one of the girls who comes back to the art cabin every day looking at her. The girl is a returner, a camper who comes back to Camp Vesuvia every year.

“This is for you,” the girl says, holding out a small sparkly piece of paper. Willa takes it from her, surprised to find a pink smiley face sticker similar to the one she’d seen on Asra’s name tag. “We only give these to the counselors we really like,” the girl whispers, giving Willa a shy smile. Willa accepts the smiley face sticker as a badge of honor and sticks it proudly to her name tag. She really is fitting in here.

After dinner there's always a campfire and s’mores, which is arguably Willa’s favorite part about camp. As the sun sets, the stars come out and the world begins to feel more magical. She hadn't realized how much she missed the stars while she was living in the city. Her childhood had been full of nights like this, huddled around a campfire with her siblings and staring up at the sky. 

As a counselor, it’s her job to make sure the campers stay a safe distance from the fire and to help the kitchen staff pass out marshmallows. When she’s done, she usually sits next to Asra and listens to him joke with the campers as she eats toasted marshmallows, most of which she accidentally burns. As she spends nights talking and laughing and handing out napkins to chocolate covered campers, Willa begins to realize that the empty, searching feeling she’s had for years might finally be going away. 

In the middle of the campfire one evening, Portia calls her name to get her attention, beckoning her over to the kitchen. “Willa, can you take this garbage to the dumpster for me? It’s just through those trees over there.” 

“Sure thing, I’m on it.” Willa accepts the heavy trash bag with a smile, hefting it over her shoulder. 

The sounds of the campers and the light of the fire fades behind her as she heads towards the treeline. The sun has nearly set and it’s much darker in the woods, Willa realizes that she probably should’ve brought a flashlight. It takes her a minute to find the dumpster, and when she does she sets the garbage bag down and struggles with the anti-bear latch on the top.

“Stupid—latch—why won’t you open,” she mutters, resiting the urge to curse at it in case any campers are within hearing range. 

A shuffling noise startles her and Willa whirls around to see a black bear cub pawing at the garbage bag she’d set down. She stifles a gasp and takes a step backwards, trying to remember how you’re supposed to handle bears. Is she meant to keep quiet and sneak away, or should she be loud to scare it off? This is only a cub, but no doubt its mother is nearby.  

An even louder noise from her left draws her attention and Willa holds her breath, praying that a giant, mother bear isn’t about to emerge. A figure approaches through the trees and in the dim lighting she can’t make out what it is. She takes another step back, preparing to run back to camp if she has to. Whatever is approaching seems to be making a strange noise, it almost sounds like two sticks being hit together and Willa turns towards the trees to hear it better. 

The first figure to emerge is a large wolf and Willa yelps as she takes yet another step back. First a bear and now a wolf? Luckily, the wolf looks calm enough, it takes a step towards her in interest but doesn’t seem immediately intent on eating her. The strange noise continues as the other figure steps out and Willa exhales in relief when she sees that it’s just the park ranger, Muriel.

He doesn’t look at her as he approaches the bear cub, and as Willa had thought, he's hitting two sticks together. The loud noise catches the bear’s attention and it scampers off, back into the woods in the direction Muriel had come from. As soon as the bear disappears, he wheels around to face her.

“What were you thinking? Why did you just stand there?” he asks, his voice gruff. 

“I was trying to remember what you’re supposed to do if you see a bear!” Willa folds her arms defensively and meets his eyes, determined not to be the first to look away. Muriel returns her stare for a moment, then sighs and throws the sticks on the ground. 

The wolf moves forward to sniff her hand and Willa lets it, not afraid now that she knows the animal means no harm. The wolf begins to lick her and Willa laughs, taken aback by its friendly behavior. “Well aren’t you just the cutest! I’ve never met a wolf before!”

“Inanna, come here,” Muriel calls, and the wolf gives her one more lick on the hand before trotting back over to his side.

“Is she yours?” Willa asks, trying to be subtle as she wipes wolf slobber onto her jeans.

“She’s a wolf, she’s not mine,” he clarifies, giving Inanna a pat between the ears. 

“Thanks for your help! Nadia said there have been bear sightings in the area, I just didn’t think I’d actually see one.” 

Muriel doesn’t reply and instead picks up the garbage bag to toss it into the dumpster. It takes him mere seconds to get the anti-bear latch open and Willa laughs, drawing his attention back to her.

“You made that look easy, I guess those latches are Willa-proof too!” Willa jokes. Muriel looks at her a bit blankly, the joke missing it’s mark, and she coughs awkwardly to fill the silence.

“If you see a bear again don’t freeze like that, make a lot of noise to scare it off.” His eyes are glued to the trees as he talks, and Willa notices that he’s got his hands shoved into his pockets as if he’s cold. It is rather chilly at night, Willa is wearing a jacket and a knitted scarf and still feels the cold. She decides she wants to knit something for him, it’s the least she can do after he’d saved her from a bear.

Willa takes a step closer and bends down to pet Inanna. The wolf nearly knocks Willa over in her excitement to get her ears scratched and Willa laughs as she takes a seat on the ground. Innana lays down next to her, tail wagging. Muriel looks startled at Willa’s closer proximity but doesn’t move away. 

“You should keep your distance.” 

“From you or from the wildlife?” Willa asks, looking up at him with a grin.

“Both.” 

Willa gives Inanna one last pat and stands back up. She glances up at Muriel and turns her head to the side as she looks him up and down. “Hmm, you don’t look very dangerous to me. In fact, I’d say you look pretty nice.”

Muriel’s expression is startled, and she’s pretty sure he’s blushing under her scrutiny. “Nice?” “Yes, nice! You have a friendly face,” Willa says, resisting the urge to poke his cheek with her finger to punctuate her point. She doesn’t think he’d take well to spontaneous physical gestures. 

“I don’t think anyone has ever said that about me before.” Muriel shakes his head in disbelief, his tone somewhere between confusion and surprise.

“Well it’s true.”

“You’re weird.” 

“Thank you,” Willa laughs, the sound turning into a snort, “I’ll take that as a compliment.” “Yes, definitely weird,” he mutters, shaking his head again, “But you have a… friendly face… too. I guess.” “Thank you,” Willa beams at the compliment.

Muriel moves his hand out of his pocket and pulls a flashlight out. “You should get back, it’s not safe out here.” 

“I can take care of myself,” Willa grumbles, she hates to be underestimated.

“I never said you couldn’t, it’s not safe for anyone to be out alone at night.” Muriel holds the flashlight out to her, “Here, take this with you. So you don’t trip or anything.”

“Are you sure you don’t need it?” She takes the flashlight from him, and his hand dissapears back into his pocket the moment she’s taken it.

“I know my way back.” 

“Alrighty then, I guess I’ll be going.” Willa takes a step to the left towards where she thinks the camp is. She turns over her shoulder to smile at Muriel, “Thanks again for the whole saving me from a bear thing.” 

Muriel simply nods and watches her start to walk away. “You’re going the wrong way,” he calls. She looks up at him in surprise and he points off to the right, the correct direction. He almost looks like he’s amused, but Willa decides that’s probably a trick of the light.

“Right, of course. I totally knew that,” she blushes, thankful for the darkness of the woods. She turns the flashlight on and walks to the right, giving Muriel one last glance as she passes. “You know you can join us if you want, at the campfire I mean. I’ve heard you’re good at roasting marshmallows.”

“No.” Muriel frowns at her and her smile drops. 

“Maybe another time then?” she suggests, not sure why she’s so disappointed at his answer.

“Maybe.”

“Goodnight, Muriel.” She gives him a little wave with her free hand and begins the walk back to camp, hoping nobody has noticed her disappearance.

Muriel remains silent as he watches her walk back to camp. When he’s sure she’s on the right path he heads back into the woods with Inanna at his side.

“Goodnight, Willa,” he says, though she’s too far away to hear him.

✧

[speechlessxx]

Delicate. (Henry Cavill x Reader)

Summary: Following a break up, the reader finds herself in a delicate position as she contemplates if moving on is the right thing to do.

Warnings: exboyfriend!Chris Evans (he’s barely in this lol), mention of cheating, very inaccurate Chris Evans, implied famous (actress)!reader, kinda fluffy, y’all know i love taylor swift and i’m not apologetic about it, very wordy (i haven’t written a fic in like 2 weeks give me a break). this is lowkey a dumpster fire but i’m trying

This was originally a Chris fic, but since Taylor’s man is a brit, I thought it was rather fitting. 

Inspired by you guessed it Delicate – Taylor Swift

Word Count: 2.3k

AHH! My first Henry fic omg

Ko-fi - donations are appreciated but not necessary!

The night sky was a dark grey accompanied by an array of sporadic lightning followed by claps of deafening thunder. Your heels contrasted the roars of the city as they patted lightly against the concrete. Goosebumps painted your skin as the air suddenly chilled and the rain began its descent.

In a matter of minutes, you were drenched, but you paid it no mind. Despite the awful situation and the heavy storm, something told you it would be worth it. 

Your phone buzzed just as you turned the corner. You fumbled with the device, not caring if the storm ruined your clothes or your makeup. A small smile found its way onto your face as you read through the water droplets that decorated your phone screen.

Come here, you can meet me in the back.

You hurriedly but carefully ran in the rain, shrugging off your trench coat to use as a makeshift cover – not that it made much of a difference. You were still soaked.

You began to regret the heels, cursing your friends for convincing you to go to a party where you coincidentally ran into your ex-boyfriend. However, you were convinced it was no happy accident but a horribly planned ambush.

He begged for a moment of your attention, and out of respect for your short history, you obliged. Regret was perfectly painted across his features as he pulled you aside. The lines of his face accentuated his remorse and emphasized his apologies, but they fell to deaf ears. You had pulled your arm from his grip and shook your head.

“It’s over, Chris,” you told him with a steady voice. It startled him. He had expected a stormy rage like the one now in the sky. “I forgive you for cheating, but it’s… it’s over.”

It had been weeks since his scandal – one that inexplicably tarnished your own reputation – but you were over it. It felt good to say it out loud – to say it to him.

The red neon sign illuminated the darkness. The bar’s name reflected in the puddles on the street. You took a deep breath as a fluttering feeling – butterflies – erupted throughout your whole body. This feeling – the nervous tingling that triggered a rush of serotonin – was reserved for one person.

And he was right through those doors.

-=+=-

The scent of various alcoholic drinks hung in the air. Unlike the cold and stormy city, the inside of the bar was warm – it felt as if it were like a home.

The bar wasn’t crowded though it wasn’t deserted either. People were huddled in their respective groups. Despite hobbling in drenched from the storm, no one paid you any attention – something you weren’t necessarily used to, but you could definitely grow accustomed to it – though some did shoot a curious glance your way because of the door suddenly opening and closing. But it stopped at that – just a glance before turning their attention back to their company.

You cracked a smile. You understood why he chose this place. A public place filled with people who were either too drunk to care or too busy to notice you. No cameras flashing, prying eyes, judgmental stares, and whispers. It was a nice change from the overly published relationship you walked away from.

You felt his eyes on you even before you even laid eyes on him. His stare was burning as if he ignited a fire beneath you. 

You cringed, suddenly becoming insecure about the smudged makeup – you undoubtedly had mascara and eyeliner running down your cheeks due to the rain. But nevertheless, you made your way to the back of the bar, keeping your head low.

“(Y/N).” He stood, wrapping his arms tightly around you. You closed your eyes and returned the embrace, savoring the warmth. “Look at you, you’re drenched.”

Yeah and look at you, you thought. Though he wasn’t fancied up – he wore dark jeans and a pair of Nikes, inconspicuous at its finest. – he was easily one of the most handsome men you’d ever seen.

“Kinda happens when you stupidly think you can outwalk the rain,” you chided, and he chuckled in response. The rumbling of his chest vibrated through you. You were the first to pull away, but his grip around your body kept you anchored. Your body flush against his.

He frowned, tilting his head curiously. His hands moved from around you to cup your cheeks. His thumbs gently brushed away the clumped and smudged makeup that collected under your eyes. You stared up into his eyes – god, have they always been that blue?

“Henry,” you finally said, turning your head side to side to escape from his hands. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Likewise,” he nodded as if you two hadn’t seen each other in a long time (it had only been a few days). He took a step back and pulled out your seat for you just before situating himself in the stool next to yours. “So, how was that party?”

You shivered as the bar’s doors opened and closed as a group of friends wandered off into the storm. Just as the door shut, you heard a boom of thunder that rattled the building – glasses shook along with it. Henry immediately took notice and grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and wrapped it around you. 

You thanked him, relishing in his cologne. Your heart nearly jumped out of your chest when he adjusted his seat closer to yours so he could drape one arm over your shoulder, slightly pulling you into him but not so much that you were falling out of the stool.

Warmth immediately rushed through you. You felt it rise to your cheeks. It felt as if you were radiating – glowing.

“Yeah, I really shouldn’t have went.” You admitted before smiling at the bartender and reciting your order – to which Henry added to put it on his tab. “You don’t need to do that.”

“I dragged you out to the east side. It’s the least I could do.” He dismissed. His opposite hand absentmindedly reached over and pushed a wet strand of hair behind your ear. You raised an eyebrow questioningly at him as he unabashedly admired you. 

“You’re so beautiful.”

You gaped at the compliment. It was abrupt and sudden.

Although you and Henry had fluttered around each other like moths to flames for the past several weeks that followed your breakup, neither of you had been so … open. Sure, the secret meet ups were an indication that something else lied underneath, but the sudden “you’re so beautiful” was so forthright that it startled you.

“I look like a wet dog,” you deadpanned, thanking the bartender as he brought you your drink. You carefully took a sip of the bourbon. Your hands were shaking though at this point you weren’t sure if it was because of the rain-soaked clothes or that nervous feeling gnawing at your heart.

“Wet dog, or not. You’re still beautiful.”

“You’re drunk.” You dismissed with a laugh that quickly faded when your eyes wandered to his barely touched pint. “Or not?”

His brows were drawn up. His eyes left no indication that he was even slightly buzzed – and the look on his face told you he was serious. “Why are you so hell bent on pushing me away? Unless you’re leading me on though I don’t think that’s the case. But I think I’ve been very clear that I’m interested.”

Again, his sudden outburst stunned you, forcing you to break eye contact as an embarrassed expression glazed over your face.

You weren’t stupid though. You saw the signs – his very clear signals (ones that you reciprocated though never spoke out about). You both knew that the interest was mutual, but it was a matter of taking that step – having that conversation.

But you were afraid of the backlash. Your previous relationship with Chris Evans had left fans with such a sour impression of you. The relationship was sudden – no implications, nor hints. It was purely out of the blue – tabloids describing it as “a whirlwind romance” – and it truthfully was.

You threw yourself into a relationship with what was a stranger – an actor who was charming and kind but quite the flirt – and got your heartbroken in the process. And because of your blank slate of a dating history – and you, the new blank slate in general – it was easy to paint you as the villain.

You were afraid that jumping into something serious with Henry would fan the flames of your already burning reputation. You saw how the industry portrays women – move on too slow, you’re bitter; move on too fast, you’re an easy slut.

You couldn’t win.

“Because I like you.” It was your turn to be open, to be abrupt, and honest. You took another sip. You needed an extra push – that liquid courage – to look over at him. His raised brows had now scrunched together in confusion as he tried to decipher the deeper meaning to that. “No, Hen, like really like you…”

You felt like you were in primary school again. He was that crush – that best friend you told yourself you didn’t want though it was all just blind denial. You refrained from saying “I like like you” like a child would’ve feeling as if you’d never live down that embarrassment.

“I don’t see how that could be a reason why you’re holding back?” He asked, his voice low. His eyes finally broke away from yours as he nervously glanced around the room. Only to find reassurance that everyone still was off in their own worlds – no care for the intimate conversation that you were having.

“Because I’m afraid that when everything blows up like it did with …” you didn’t bother to say his name. You both knew it anyway. “Like it did with him that … you won’t want me – “

“How would we know if you won’t give it the chance?” It was a legitimate question. One you had no answer to. “From where I stand and from what I’ve seen, we can walk through their fires, we can dodge their pitchforks – they’re witch hunt be damned.” He said, blue eyes wide and staring into yours so intensely. The speck of brown in his iris was so noticeable in this light. “I just want you. I want to be with you.”

“You say that now – “

“I’ll say it now and I’ll say it tomorrow… Then the next day, then the next.” You laughed at his corniness as he reeled his arm from your shoulders to take your hands in his, giving them a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll keep saying it until you don’t want me to say it.”

“You’re dramatic.”

He chuckled. “I’m truthful.”

“I don’t want to lose our friendship.”

“How about I raise you a deal, hm? We try this out, give it a run. If it works, then it works,” he smiled and you couldn’t help but return a toothy grin. “And in the off chance that it doesn’t, then we’ll still be friends.”

“Easier said than done. What if we have a bad break up?”

Henry scoffed and rolled his eyes at your pessimism. “It won’t happen.”

“Henry – “

“I don’t plan on letting you go. So, bad break up is really off the table. What do you say?”

“Anyone tell you you’d make a decent salesman?”

“(Y/N).” His tone became jokingly stern at your attempted deflection.

“Okay, okay!” You laughed.

“Think of all the fun we can have.” Henry continued.

“On the condition, that this is all private, but seeing as you’re you, I’ll take the closest to private as we can get.” You told him. “Last relationship, I was being watched like a hawk. I don’t want that to be us.”

“I can’t make that promise. But I can promise that we can try our best. It’s doable, I’m sure, but everyone has their ways of finding out.”

“Okay.” You nodded. “We’ll give this a spin.”

“In that case, let’s head back to my hotel.”

Your eyes bulged. “Henry, buddy, let’s take it slow.” You said, emphasizing the last word.

His shoulders bounced as he began to chuckle. “I didn’t mean it in that way…” A small blush crept onto his cheeks as the both of you continued to laugh. “I meant … let’s go somewhere private.”

“Doesn’t help your case.” You laughed harder.

“Maybe it’s just your mind that’s in the gutter.”

-=+=-

The night was spent like how all your secret meetings went – laughing at one another, sharing stories and secrets. You enjoyed Henry’s company and getting to know him outside of a screen.

You two stayed up all night relishing in each other’s presence. The laughter was addicting. The happy chemicals in your brain made your cheeks sore from the smiles.

You woke up before he did. The incessant buzzing of your cell phone dragging you out from your sleep. You sent the call from your friends – who were probably wondering where you ran off to after the party – to voicemail before silencing your phone. You wanted to savor this moment – this peace – for a little while longer.

You turned in the bed and smiled to yourself. His face was laxed as he slept. Soft snores escaped him. He was truly a work of art.

You wondered if he was dreaming of you like you were of him. You wondered if his words, his confessions, whatever this would evolve into held any weight. You were always so good at knowing when someone was lying to you, so when Henry looked you in the eyes and told you he wanted to be with you, something told you to believe him – something told you to make him yours.

He suddenly shuffled, startling you once again. He swung an arm around your waist, pulling you closer to him. 

“Yeah, I still want you,” he muttered. 

You grinned. Maybe you won after all.

[stina-is-a-punk-rocker]

disney’s ‘the hunchback of notre dame’, early 2000s kid nostalgia, and other midnight musings

“What the fuck, Stina? I thought this was a blog for book reviews!” you say.

“Books, amongst other things. Hence the -ish suffix,” I say. “And all my mediocre ‘reviews’ are hit-or-miss in terms of engagement, so I’m pretty much free to post whatever the fuck I want.”

I toss my head. My hair whacks me in the face.

The first time I watched Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame was been circa 2006, in the ‘movie room’ of my preschool, huddled around a CRT TV with the rest of my five-year-old classmates. Not much about the film particularly stood out to me at the age.

Fast-forward fifteen years later; I’m cooped up in quarantine, hundreds of thousands of miles away from that first viewing. I’m living my best life, rejoicing in my introverted tendencies and having a laugh at the expense of all the suffering extroverts. I haven’t moved from my bed all day, except for the bare necessities, and I’m bingeing YouTube videos. All is well.

I discovered Lindsay Ellis’s channel quite recently- embarrassingly enough, through her videos on Omegaverse and the whole Addison Cain fiasco. I stumbled down the rabbit-hole of her channel, and here I am, a few dozen videos later, and I find her one on this film.

Which, of course, led me to want to re-watch the film, with the eyes and mind (supposedly) of an adult. And it went far beyond and above my expectations.

The film is dark, much darker than the average Disney film of today- not just thematically, but the graphics too. Except for the first parts with the Festival of Fools and the last scene, the rest seems to have a dark filter put over it all. Obviously, given its themes (I’m pulling these out of my arse; I’m a STEM major and I have zero to no knowledge about film) of freedom and equality, acceptance of those different from us, corruption and lust- all that good shit, in other words- you can’t exactly have sunshine and rainbows. But it’s such a stark contrast from what I’ve been accustomed to from Disney; Frozen has Hans about to decapitate Elsa, but the background remains bright and light; Simba sobbing next to Mufasa’s body in The Lion King is heart-wrenching, but a few scenes later, we have an anthropomorphic meerkat-boar duo singing about eating bugs and farting and all that classy stuff, so it’s not as traumatizing.

The themes are a lot more on-the-nose than a lot of other kids’ movies (forgive me if I err, I am aged and forgetful)- cue la Esmeralda saying, “What do they have against people who are different, anyway?”- you get what’s essentially the same ‘accept others regardless of their differences’, ‘prejudice is bad’ morals from, say, Zootopia, but having given the main characters fursuits makes it less obvious than in this movie.

(Or maybe I’m just a dumbass. I have no elaborate notes for this; I’m high on sugar and deprived of sleep so I might be spewing bullshit.)

Admittedly, the resolution is a bit… unrealistic. The citizens of Paris = sheep, essentially; they go from throwing fruit in Quasimodo’s face because the guards started it, to helping defeat them. Maybe there’s something about mob mentality in there, but I find it hard to believe that people who showed up to watch Esmeralda burn to death were suddenly totally cool with not getting what they didn’t pay for. But then again, this is a Disney movie, and you can’t make kids too cynical too early on. Let them have their innocence and ‘people will be with the heroes in times of peril because humanity is inherently good!’ before they realize that humanity kinda fuckin’ sucks.

The characters are some of the most human from those I’ve seen in Disney (other honorable mentions: the main characters of The Emperor’s New Groove, Moana, Tangled, Anna from Frozen). Quasimodo’s the main character (lol DUH, will I ever say anything not obvious?), and he’s so lovable, but not without flaws- he’s biased against gypsies in the beginning because Frollo’s the literal scum of the earth. To borrow from the K-pop fans’ dictionary: UwU he’s so pure!

Esmeralda sparks a bit of controversy because she’s another POC leading lady from a Disney film of the 90’s (a list including Jasmine, and, sigh- Pocahontas) who’s markedly more sexualized than the white Disney princesses. It’s not something I particularly noticed nor cared about until I saw it being brought up- I mean, the woman shows a bit of cleavage and then dances for a couple of seconds- but. I’m just putting that out there.

She’s an empowering heroine without having to belt in in your face (not me making a dig at Naomi Scott’s Jasmine from the Aladdin live action film), and I also love how her role in taking down the Big Bad doesn’t have to do with her ‘power of seduction’ (the scene in the animated Aladdin film where Jasmine kissed Jafar truly traumatized me as a kid).

Phoebus is… well, he exists. Kind of a Regulus Black archetype, but not exactly. The guy on the bad side who turns good and all is forgiven. Well, at least it’s not the ‘her love made him a better man’ trope. And he is a good guy. Even if he did spend a considerable amount of his adult years on the side of the bad guys.

Systemic oppression? Nah, it’s one or two corrupt baddies. But again, it’s a Disney film, we need everything to work out for the good guys in the end.

Let’s get the gargoyles out of the way. To reference Lindsay Ellis’s video (she’s a lot smarter than I am and breaks this down better than I ever could): yes, the comedy’s oft ill-timed and inappropriate… for an adult audience. And the primary demographic of Disney films, especially princess ones (obviously Esmeralda isn’t a princess, nor does she marry into royalty, nor is she included in the group of princesses in the dumpster fire that is Ralph Breaks the Internet, but I had a book imaginatively titled ‘Disney Princess Stories’ as a kid that included Esmeralda’s story alongside Belle’s and Ariel’s, so I’m calling her a princess), are kids. And kids love fart jokes.

Additionally, I have a theory-that-is-not-really-a-theory-but-a-pretty-obvious-thing-that-happens that the gargoyles are figments of Quasimodo’s imagination, and the, at times crass and ridiculous things they say are just the voices in Quasimodo’s head (THIS IS OBVIOUS, STINA, YOU HAVEN’T STUMBLED ACROSS A STARTLING NEW REVELATION); maybe what he imagines normal townspeople to act like.

And then we have Judge Judy Chrissy Teigen Frollo. This dude is the embodiment of pure evil. He’s bigoted and rapey and abusive and one of Disney’s most successful villains- even better than Mother Gothel, who previously held the crown. It’s rare that a villain genuinely terrifies me, especially a cartoon one. Frollo, unlike your typical fairytale antagonist who wants power/fame/fortune/to overthrow Olympus, is far more sinister; driven from deep-rooted hatred instead of plain greed. He’s so much closer to people in positions of power and authority even in the modern world, and that element of reality makes him so much better as an antagonist instead of a literal sheep who hates carnivores (seriously, Disney, enough with the twist villains- they’re not working out).

Also, Hellfire slaps. In fact, the entire soundtrack does.

Speaking about Hellfire, I love the contrast between that and Heaven’s Light; how Esmeralda is viewed by Frollo (an object to possess, “Destroy Esmeralda, and let her taste the fires of hell; or else, let her be mine and mine alone”) as opposed to Quasimodo (someone with free will, “I dare to dream that she might even care for me”).

Another argument brought up, and admittedly one I had as a child was, ‘but if the whole point of the movie is acceptance and love as opposed to lust, why didn’t Quasimodo get the girl?’ Which, years later, I realize is an extremely misogynistic way to look at it. As Princess Jasmine said four years before The Hunchback was released, she is not a prize to be won. Quasimodo is Frollo’s antithesis; he lets Esmeralda choose, and she chose Phoebus. And Quasimodo accepted that, because he is good and kind and sweet and loving. Severus Snape, take note.

On a sidenote, I’m always kind of caught out of left field when the plot in films moves really fast- I’m really not a movie-watching type; I prefer to read, and books usually indicate how much time passes from one main plot point to another, and there are little slice-of-life, filler parts that tie in to character development and moving the plot forward, but at a snail’s pace. So, whenever I’m watching a movie and it’s one important event after another, I usually haven’t had enough of a refractory period to process it.

Let’s pretend that I segued smoothly into the next part of this (already tedious and long drawn out) review.

The Hunchback is the darkest film I’ve ever seen come out from Disney. Re-watching it as an adult made me pause every so often and wonder why the hell I wasn’t traumatized by it as a kid. I mean, the whole movie kicks off with Frollo about to throw an infant down a well. And then there’s that horrifying shot of the stone renditions of the Israelite kings on the church walls. Frollo falls to his death into fire. I mean, good riddance, but still. I guess it’s because the kids’ shows of today are awfully censored and polished so kids don’t have nightmares forevermore.

Update: tried to watch The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2. Exited just as fast as I clicked on it. Disney sequels really ain’t shit (yes, I’m looking at you, Frozen 2).

[breanime]

s e x with Caspian

I assume this was “first time”, but I’ve done that before in Rewrite The Stars (mah baby!), so I took a different route with this one... I’m combining this request with this one:  seeing each other naked because patching up each other’s injuries with Caspian

No actual steam, though

It felt like you and Caspian had been fighting for days, but in truth, it was only a few hours. The people of Narnia sang praise of the two of you, and there were rumors that Caspian had feelings for you, that he would make you his Queen, but… that was all they were: rumors. You were a fighter, a peasant girl raised to take the place of her lost brothers, and he was a King. And while you loved him, and you were sure Caspian was fond of you in return… It simply could never be. 

Even so, no one could deny that you and Caspian made a good team. There had been a rash of bandits attacking townsfolk recently, so you and Caspian had donned disguises and started knocking off the groups as you met them. It was good work, but this last attack had been brutal, and while the both of you got out alive, you hadn’t gotten out without your share of cuts and bruises…

…which is how the two of you ended up huddled together in a cave, checking each other wounds. 

“I can’t…” Caspian’s dark eyes narrowed as he moved your arm around in his hand. “…The blood is too dark. Can you…?”

Nodding, you pulled your coat off, tossing it to the ground. You watched as Caspian examined your arm, dabbing it with a wet cloth to get rid of the dried blood. His touch was like a feather on your skin, so soft and gentle, yet potent. Your flesh tingled with hear under his fingertips, and every time he touched you, you felt your heart sped up. 

“Does it hurt?” He asked, wrapping your arm in gauze.

You shook your head. “Not anymore. You?” You inclined your head towards his leg. Caspian had taken an arrow to the thigh, and the stain on his pants was making you nervous.

Caspian followed your gaze. “I think I’ll be alright.”

“You think?” You pulled back, frowning. “We need to check the wound and stitch it.”

“I’m fine.”

“Caspian…”

“Take your pants off.”

Caspian spluttered, choking on air, and you laughed. “That’s—I can’t—we shouldn’t… It’s fine. I’m fine.”

“I wasn’t asking,” you said, crossing your arms over your chest, “Pants, Caspian. Now.”

With a blush in his cheeks, Caspian stood up. You tried not to, but you couldn’t help but watch as he slid his pants off of his powerful legs. He sat back down across from you, eyes darting around but refusing to land on you. You leaned forward and checked his leg, cleaning off the blood to get a better look at it. Silently, you prepared the needle and thread, carefully stitching him up. When you were done, you looked up to see Caspian staring at you, his dark eyes unblinking and burning as he regarded you. 

“We should check each other,” he said slowly, his voice deep and low in the closed space, “for more injuries…”

You nodded. That made sense. “We should,” you agreed.

“We need to take our clothes off,” he said. He paused, clearing his throat. “All of them.” Caspian turned his head, scratching his cheek absentmindedly. “I won’t look… I’ll even go first.”

Before you could speak—or even think—Caspian was stripping his shirt off. Your eyes widened as you took in the sight of him; perfect from every angle, even when covered with blood and dirt. Your breath hitched when he took off his briefs, and though you knew you shouldn’t, you couldn’t help but stare. 

He was perfect. There was no getting around it; Caspian was the most gorgeous creature under the sun. Your breaths came out in small spurts just looking at him, and you felt your mouth water. Caspian was staring at you, his features illuminated by the fire he’d lit when you’d first found the cave, his eyes holding so much while his mouth said so little. You wanted him. You wanted him so bad, it hurt. And even worse: you wanted him to want you.

“I…” You licked your lips, unsure of what you were going to say, but knowing it needed to be said regardless. “…I just…” Caspian was still staring at you, and suddenly you saw every moment with him flash before you eyes: your first meeting, his shy smile when he first held you during a storm, the way he laughed when you told a joke, his passionate eyes when he talked of ruling… It felt like your heart would burst with love, it was so full. It couldn’t be contained. “I love—”

“—Don’t,” Caspian was in front of you in seconds, his finger pressed against your lips, “Don’t say it… I have to say it first.” His eyes bore into yours, and you held your breath. “Y/N… I love you. I’ve loved you for some time now, and I wanted to tell you, but not like this, I…. I love you. I love you so much, I—”

You didn’t let him finish. Instead, you launched yourself into his arms, pressing you lips against his in a fierce kiss. Caspian wrapped his arms around you, keeping you close to him, his naked body hard and firm against you. “I love you,” you said, lips against his, “Caspian—”

“—Take your clothes off,” he said, hands already pulling at you, “My love, I—”

“Yes,” you agreed, throwing your head back as Caspian’s mouth descended on your neck and collarbones, “please.”

You let Caspian undress you, his lips fluttering over your skin. Your hands gripped him greedily, pulling him as close to him as you possibly could, mouth working against his. Caspian lifted you in the air, and you wrapped your naked thighs around his hips. He laid you down on the ground, covering you with his warm body as he whispered his love for you. You whispered yours back, nails digging into his back as he pressed against you until the only thing you could say was his name over and over and over again.

Later, much, much later, you lay in Caspian’s arm with a blanket thrown over you. He smiled down at you as his hands absentmindedly caressed your skin, checking you for wounds while also showing you his affection. There was much that needed to be said, things the two of you had to discuss and agree upon, but for now.

…you were happy to simply lay there in the arms of the man you loved and kiss him. And Caspian, it seemed, was happy to let you.*******************************************************************************************Thanks for reading!

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Caspian/Sirius:  @miss-nerd95 @a-jem-found-in-a-papaya @ladyblablabla  @littlemermaidprobz

[doritopaw101]

Arc1, book 2: Chapter 3

When Icebelly opened his eyes again, gray light was glowing at the end of the tunnel. Dawn must be near. Icebelly's bones would have ached from the cold hard ground but he was used to this feeling from living on the streets during his kithood.

He nudged the closest cat to him, Silverpaw, the gray tabby grunted "Morning already?"

"Almost sunshine" Icebelly answered with low purr, getting to his paws. Silverpaw chuckled at the nickname as he stretched and stood up too. The began to wake up the others and shaking them awake in some cases, cough Graypaw cough.

"I think we should head that way" Icebelly mewed, craning his neck away from the blinding light.

"Lead the way then oh great leader" Fogtail replied with a sneer, lashing his long striped tail

They quickened their pace until they were racing up a short, steep slope that led them into a world filled with gray dawn light. They had come up near the edge of a patch of barren, dirty grass. Thunderpaths enclosed it on sides, and another arched overhead. Icebelly saw a camp fire with humans gathered around it.

Icebelly watched them warily, then froze as something else caught his eye: dark outlines that flitted back and forth in front of the flames. Windclan! Icebelly looked at the fire and the cats, and his mind flooded with the memory of his dream-the noise of the Thunderpath, the sight of the flames and the cats.

Icebelly looked over his shoulder "We must find Duskstar and speak with him"

"Is he even alive?" Silverpaw asked "Maybe Deadfoot leads them now"

"Then it is Windclan?" Graypaw asked

Icebelly nodded

"Let's go!" Silverstream braced herself, ready to leap forward.

"Hang on" Icebelly warned pulling Silverstream back by his scruff "We don't want to startle them"

Just then, one of the humans sat up with a jolt and began shouting at the ragged cats around the fire.

"Damn cats, get away!" the human snapped

The noise roused the other humans, who joined in with rough, angry voices.

The Windclan cats scattered. All the caution forgotten and thrown to the wind as Icebelly yowled "After them!" and gave chase.

One of the humans staggered to its feet, looming up in front of him. Icebelly skidded, sending up a spray of dust. Icebelly felt a bottle smash beside him, shards cutting into his pelt but he didn't stop running. They charged into the safety of the shadows beneath the soaring Thunderpath.

"Guys look" Silverstream whispered

Icebelly saw the Windclan cats stop close to one of the Thunderpath's great stone legs. And then, one by one, the cats disappeared into the ground.

"Where'd they go?" Graypaw mewed in amazement

"There must be another tunnel" Icebelly mewed "Come on let's find out"

Cautiously, they approached the spot where the Windclan cats vanished. As they neared, they saw a hole in the earth. Like their resting place on the previous night, the entrance was round and lined with stone, sloping away into utter blackness.

Icebelly led the way, all his senses alert for a Windclan patrol. The floor beneath his paws felt wet and slimy, and the sound of trickling water echoed around them. As the tunnel leveled out, Icebelly pricked his ears and opened his mouth. The damp air smelled rank and bitter-worse than tunnel they had slept in. Here the Thunderpath fumes mingled with the fear-scent of Windclan cats.

It was too dark to see anything, but after a few paces Icebelly's whiskers sensed a turning in the tunnel. Ahead of them, the tunnel was lit by a narrow hole in the ceiling that led to the wasteland above. Icebelly could see many cats huddled together in the gray light-warriors, queens, and kits, all painfully thin. A cold breeze blew relentlessly through the hole in the roof, stirring the thin fur one the skinny bodies. Icebelly could feel the others shudder at the stench of sickness and crowfood.

He didn't because he had to eat crowfood before. Dewflare couldn't always bring back fresh prey, so she pulled what she could from a dumpster and told them to eat it. It was better than nothing then. He remembered Luna complaint of a belly ache but Dewflare told her to deal with it but then tried to help Luna throw it up but then again Luna was one of her favorites.

"How do you tolerate this?" Graypaw asked while gagging, glaring at Icebelly

"I'm used to it, I lived on the stoneplace streets where I had to eat literal garbage to survive another day" Icebelly replied

Silverstream rubbed herself against him "Oh you poor thing"

Fogtail looked annoyed and uncomfortable while Graypaw looked unsure about the gesture. Silverpaw just saw this as normal and rubbed himself on the other side of Icebelly.

Suddenly the tunnel shook as a car roared overhead. The others jumped but Icebelly and the Windclan cats didn't react. They simply huddled with half-closed eyes, numb to their surroundings.

Once the noise died away, Icebelly took a deep breath and stepped around the corner, out into the thin light.

A gray Windclan tom with torn up ears spun around, his fur standing on end as he yowled an alarm to rest of the clan. In one smooth movement , the Windclan warriors formed a line across the tunnel in front of the queens, their backs arched, hissing fiercely.

With a strong feeling of dread, Icebelly saw the glint of unsheathed claws and thorn-sharp fangs. These half-starved cats were about to attack.

Icebelly held his ground. He could relate to these cats. He knew a hungry cat was a dangerous cat.

"Get down!" He hissed and the group obeyed.

The Windclan warriors stood their ground without moving a muscle. They're waiting for Duskstar's orders! It's just like in Bloodclan that aren't going to attack unless the leader says so. If only Thunderclan follow that.

"Splinter Icepaw?" From behind the line of warriors, a black and white tom weaved his way to the front but it wasn't just him who called his old name, Icebelly's eyes widen when he saw Luna and Jake standing beside the Windclan leader.

"Splinter" Luna padded over, pulling him close "I've missed ya fluffball"

Icebelly only chuckled. The others were still, especially Fogtail.

"It's great to see you again Splinter" Jake purred, grooming his son's ears

"Thunders and Rivers" Duskstar murmured "We've been expecting only Shadowclan, I never thought I'd see you again Icepaw" he touched his nose to Icebelly's own.

"Yeah that's all well and good but why are you here?" a gray and brown molly hissed, her amber gaze burning on them

"You need to go back" Icebelly mewed, stepping forward

"Why?" the molly replied

"Because you don't want Shadowclan to win over you do you?" Icebelly asked, playing with pride was always a good choice "Don't want them to think they're all powerful right?"

The Windclan cats gazed at each other.

"I really suggest going, Riverclan and Shadowclan seem eager to take your land for all it has" Icebelly added

"Although, Riverclan certainly won't do well with hunting rabbits, with our short limbs" Silverstream finished

Duskstar and his warriors purred in amusement

"What about Shadowclan?" a gray tom asked "They could just try to trap and kill us"

"They killed Larkfoot, Plumclaw, and Stoneclaw" a tortie molly hissed "They mostly likely killed Whitetail too"

"Whitetail's alive" Icebelly mewed

The clan stared at Icebelly, a white tom with blue eyes stepped forward "She's alive?"

Icebelly nodded "She's in Thunderclan camp, close to kitting in fact"

A gray tabby tom wailed with joy "My daughter lives" he cried

"Should we risk it Duskstar?" a dark gray and white tom asked

"This is not how any clan should live Pigeonwing" Duskstar replied "Not how Windclan should live and Whitetail and her kits need her clan, we shall return"

"Can we travel with you?" Silverpaw asked

"Yes you may" Duskstar replied, he turned to his clan "Are we all fit to travel?"

"All except Morningflower's kits" Jake replied

"We shall take turns carrying them"

"This is Silverstream, Silverpaw, Graypaw, Fogtail and I'm called Icebelly"

Duskstar nodded to his words "The name fits you"

The Windclan cat shuffled forward, eyes dull with pain and exhaustion

"Ready?"

"Ready"

Silverstream and Fogtail led the group out of the tunnel and waited while the Windclan cats emerged blinking into the daylight. Duskstar padded out of the tunnel last and walked to the head of his clan.

"Shall we take you back the way we came?" Silverpaw asked boldly "It seems like a shortcut"

Duskstar seemed to consider this "Is it safe?"

"We had no problem on our way here" Silverstream mewed

"Fogtail take the lead along with Deadfoot, Silverpaw, Graypaw, Silverstream stay near the middle, Icebelly you're with me"

Icebelly saw everyone follow Duskstar's orders. He dropped to the back, Duskstar, Jake, and Luna were there. Icebelly just noticed two little kittens was walking beside Luna.

"How did you mange to wiggle your way into the clans in the first place?" Duskstar asked "Luna and Jake here gave me some idea about it"

"I got curious one night" Icebelly shrugged "Thunderclan's pretty cool and Bluestar leads well"

"Indeed she does" Jake agreed

"Yep, how did you two get here?"

"I got caught by humans and they were going to do the TSR thing to me but I managed to escape thanks to some dogs, I wandered around a bit then Jake found me and brought me here" Luna answered "Some of the clan was wary of me but let me stay because of Marble and Saw here. Anything else happen?"

"Nutmeg" he growled "Is Dewflare, lives in Shadowclan and bore Brokenstar's kits: Roachkit, Beekit, and Flykit. Flame is in Riverclan under the name of Flamepaw" Icebelly suddenly did a double take when he remembered the last part "Marble and Saw's your kit right?"

Luna chuckled "Yeah, screwed around with a kittypet named Simon"

As the Clan made its way under the Thunderpath arch, Icebelly could still smell the fire, but when they padded out onto the patch of wasteland, the humans were nowhere to be seen. Fogtail went straight to the tunnel where they had spent the night. Deadfoot entered first while Icebelly waited in the back along with Luna as the Clan disappeared inside.

Icebelly padded down into the dark hole. He emerged to find the Windclan cats staring across the field that led to the final Thunderpath. Icebelly consult briefly with Silverstream before they set off into the long, frost-crisp grass. Icebelly walked with the rest of the clan, flanking one side while Deadfoot limped steadily on the other.

Icebelly looked over his shoulder and saw some of the cats falling farther behind. Morningflower was among them, carrying two of her kits. Icebelly bounded over to her. She was panted heavily. It couldn't have been long since her kitting.

"I'll carry one for you" he offered "Just until you catch your breath"

"I'll help too" Silverstream mewed walking on the other side of the Windclan queen.

Morningflower looked hesitant but agreed. "Be careful with Gorsekit, he's so small" She set her kits down, Icebelly picked up a ginger and white one while Silverstream, picked up the tortie kitten. A brown tabby tom padded over, he set a kit down "Morningflower, are you okay?"

"I'm fine Weaselwhisker, just tired these two are carrying Briarkit and Gorsekit for me, keep carrying Quailkit for me please"

Weaselwhisker nodded picking up Quailkit and padding along side him and Silverstream. The brown tabby warrior looked strong but Icebelly didn't miss the small limp he carried.

"When we get to a place to rest, see Barkface you don't want a small sprain to be something worse" he whispered

Weaselwhisker's eyes widen in shock at his words, he obviously didn't expect such words from an enemy warrior but seemed to accept his words.

Duskstar slowed his pace, but only a little. In spite of his exhaustion, and the fact that every rib showed under his fur, he burned with a fierce energy that lent swiftness to his.

Icebelly could understand part of the reason for his urgency, The sun was steadily climbing above the horizon. Some of the Windclan cats were sick and all of them were weak from hunger. If they were going to cross the Thunderpath without losing any cats, they would have to do it quickly, before the monsters came in their swarms.

"We cross the Thunderpath here" Duskstar announced above the noise of a car racing past. The Windclan leader squeezed under the hedge. Deadfoot and a white tom followed him.

Morningflower leaned toward Icebelly and took hold of Gorsekit. She had stopped panting now and as she took the kit from Icebelly she brushed her cheek gratefully against his. He dipped his head to the tortoiseshell queen and followed Silverpaw under the hedge.

Duskstar and Deadfoot sat staring wordlessly at the wide gray path.

"We should try to get the clan over in small groups" Deadfoot mewed

"The strongest group will go first" Duskstar replied

"Me and Silverstream will help anyone who needs it" Icebelly stated, earning a nod from Duskstar.

The other Windclan cast began to appear through the hedge. Before long the whole clan was clustered beside them, pressed against the sharp twigs, as far back from the Thunderpath as possible.

Icebelly and Silverstream moved to the edge, watching for a break in the line of cars known to him as traffic. The Thunderpath was much busier than it had been when they'd crossed last night.

Weaselwhisker led the first group forward.

"Do you want us to cross with you?" Icebely offered. He could smell the brown warrior fear. The tabby shook his head. The cats beside him peered along the Thunderpath first one way, then the other. All was quiet, and the group dashed safely over to the other side.

Two warriors came next, accompanied by a pair of skinny apprentices. "Now!" Icebelly ordered as a monster flashed safely past.

The four Windclan cats stepped out onto the empty Thunderpath. The apprentices winced as they padded across on paws raw from the damp tunnel. Icebelly picked up a gray tabby apprentice carried them but tossed them when he heard Silverstream yowl "Look out!". The other cats bounded forward, fur bristling, and hurled themselves onto the other side a heartbeat before raced past.

Two larger groups crossed, leaving just one more. Only once they safely over would Duskstar and Deadfoot cross. Morningflower and her kits stepped to Icebelly's side. Behind her were three other warriors.

"Those three are Wrenflight, Aspenfall, and Crowfur" Morningflower mewed "They're older but I know that Wrenflight is expecting and believe Aspenfall is as well"

Icebelly nodded "We'll cross with you" He turned to Silverstream, who nodded "Tell us when it's safe to go, Silverstream"

He turned back to Morningflower "May I carry one of your kits?, I know you can carry two but..." he knew it's always important to ask before you pick up a kit especially when their mother was right in front of you.

Morningflower looked ready to say no but she did realize he was right. "Okay, carry Gorsekit but be careful"

Icebelly nodded and picked up the ginger and white kitten. The kitten and his littermates bodies looked more sturdy rather than the thin look Morningflower did. They most likely had Thunderclan blood, he would ask her later if he could.

"Now!" At Silverstream's yowl, Icebelly and Morningflower stepped out onto the Thunderpath. The Windclan warriors crept behind them with Silverstream beside them. As they moved Icebelly could feel the vibrations of an incoming car. He quickly made it to the other side, a gray molly called him.

"I'm Ashfoot, I'll take him go help the others" Icebelly nodded to him and padded back to the last group.

"Move move" Icebelly ordered helping nudge the older warriors forward. The noise of the approaching car grew louder and louder. Icebelly grabbed Crowfur by the scruff and dragged him forward, before turning the haul the second closer to the verge. The car raced closer. Icebelly closed his eyes and braced himself.

Nothing could prepare him for the pain.

He let out a screech as the car ran over his leg and an acrid smell that stung his throat, then a fading roar as the monster sped away. Icebelly opened his eyes and looked around. Silverstream was crouching in the middle of the Thunderpath, unscathed, but staring with eyes wide as full moons. The car was hurtling away from them, swerving across the Thunderpath.

"Icebelly!" Silverstream rushed to his side "What hurts?"

"My leg" he whimpered

"Barkface!" Jake called

Duskstar bounded across with Deadfoot and gathered his trembling clan around him.

Barkface bounded over and examined his leg "Looks like a clean break, no blood at all, you're really lucky"

"There's nothing we could use to help him right now?" Graypaw asked

Barkface shook his head "I don't have any herbs, maybe if we keep moving I can find something"

Weaselwhisker touched Icebelly's nose with his own. "You would've died for us" he murmured "For Windclan, I will never forget that"

"Weaselwhisker's right; we shall honor you all in our stories. We must keep going" he continued "We still have a long journey ahead of us"

"Could someone carry him?" Silverstream asked

"I'll do it" a black tom with purple eyes mewed as he padded over "Name's Darkfoot, Hold still Thundercat"

Darkfoot slid beneath Icebelly's front leg and lifted them onto his back "Sorry" when Icebelly couldn't suppress a groan of pain. The black warrior carried Icebelly off the road.

"Barley's den is around here" Silverstream mewed "We can stop there"

"A twoleg den?" Deadfoot hissed

"Barley's a fine cat" Jake mewed

"Juniperleaf just because you know him doesn't mean he can be trusted" the deputy retorted

"Have any better ideas?" Silverstream asked with a roll of her blue eyes "If not, let's go"

As the cats prepared to move off, Darkfoot carried him with ease. Icebelly lifted his head gaze at Morningflower who was busy licking her kits.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly

"All in one piece" she replied "I was worried for you"

"Thought you'd be fresh-kill" Darkfoot added

Icebelly chuckled "I'll bare it for now"

The clan followed the hedgerow along the Thunderpath before turning away to join track through the woods. The scents here seemed to soothe the Windclan cats, but the journey had taken its toll; they were traveling slower than every. And they reached the fence at far side, it took all of Icebelly's strength to help the weakest cats over before Darkfoot carried him again.

The sun had passed its highest point by the time Icebelly spotted the Twolegplace in the distance. He sniffed the air but he didn't catch the scent of Barley. Clouds billowed up over Highstones, growing blacker as they covered the sinking son. A cold wind ruffled the cats' fur, bringing the first drops of rain.

Icebelly looked at the Windclan cats. There was no way they could travel through a long, wet night. He was tired too, and, for the first since he'd eaten at the barn, he was feeling the effects of hunger. A glance at Fogtail, then to Silverstream and Sliverpaw told him the others felt the same way.

"Duskstar" Icebelly called "We should stop soon and shelter for the night" he really wanted to rest his leg and more importantly Darkfoot's back. The warrior wouldn't admit it but he could tell he was getting tired.

The Windclan leader stopped and waited while Icebelly caught up with him. "I agree" he mewed "There's a ditch here; we can shelter in that until sunrise"

"There's a barn nearby" Icebelly mewed "There's some loners there and their friendly, really they are"

Duskstar looked ready to to protest but thought must've entered his mind, reminding him of something.

"Alright" he turned to his clan and announced that they were sheltering in a barn for the night. Icebelly padded closer to the barn with all the others in tow.

"I thought I smelled Thunderclan 'round here" the voice of Barley made Icebelly smile "Glad to see ya" he noticed Darkfoot helped Icebelly stand "What happened?"

"Got hit by a car and great to see you" he mewed "We need shelter for the night, think we could use your barn"

"Sure, Mary and Violet won't mind" Barley purred 

Barley led them through the hedge into another field. In an abandoned corner, among the brambles and nettles, stood an abandoned Twoleg nest. The walls were full of holes where stones had fallen out, and only half the roof was left.

"You won't catch me in there!" a cat spat

"The humans don't come over here much" Barley mewed

"We'll be sheltered from the rain" Icebelly urged

Icebelly heard an apprentice whisper rather loudly "I'm not surprised he wants to hide in Twoleg nest-once a kittypet, always a kittypet"

Icebelly bristled. He heard this comment daily from his own clanmates, he didn't need it now and the ache in his leg didn't help, he hadn't even been a kittypet for fucks sake. He whipped around and glared daggers at the apprentice. "You've spent two moons living in a rotting twoleg tunnel. Does that make you a filthily rat?"

The Windclan apprentice, a gray tabby car drew themself up, ruffling out their fur, but Silverstream stepped between them. "Come on, we're just getting wetter the longer we stand out here"

"We've faced worse than a Twoleg shelter these past moons. One night here will do us no harm" Duskstar mewed

The Windclan cats murmured nervously among themselves, clearly reluctant, but with a glance at Icebelly, Morningflower called Ashfoot to help her pick up her kits and padded into the Twoleg shelter. The gray queen followed after her, nudging her own kit forward out of the rain with Briarkit in her jaws. The others cats gradually followed until every cat was inside.

Icebelly looked around the gloomy shelter. The ground was bare except for patches where weeds had burrowed their way under the stone walls. The wind and rain found their way through the gaps in the walls and roof, but it was drier and sheltered than anywhere outside. He watched the Windclan cats sniffing cautiously around.

"Ya'll be fine" a voice called and a ginger and white tabby molly padded out with three kits in tow. He guessed that was Mary, Violet must be somewhere around here.

The Windclan cats almost looked ready to attack the molly until they saw she had kits.

"That's Mary" Barley called "My sister Violet's 'round here somewhere, rest"

"What about food?" Deadfoot asked

"The barn's crawling with mice and voles" Mary mewed "You'll be stuffed for days"

"Great" Duskstar mewed "Tornear, Cloudrunner, Weaselwhisker, Sorrelflight find as much as you can"

"We'll help too" Silverpaw added as he and Silverstream dashed around the barn.

"Icebelly, come I want to fix your leg" Barkface called

/

He tried to do hunting but he only managed to catch one mouse before his leg gave out and Darkfoot dragged him back to the barn. He padded to where Mary laid with her kits. The ginger tabby molly had a straw piece in her mouth like Barley and her kits were wrestling with each other.

"Sorry for barging in like this" he mewed softly

"It's fine as long as my kits aren't hurt I could care less" Mary replied "My little Rose, Jacky and Joey" Now that he was getting a proper look at them, Rose was an complete copy of her mother. Jacky was a brown tabby while Joey was a bright ginger tom.

"As expected" Icebelly mewed "A dam will do anything to protect the young"

"Right you are young tom" Mary purred, she cocked her head to the side, a smirk appeared across her face "I think that tortie wants ya"

Icebelly turned to see Morningflower gazing at him, looking unsure of herself. He padded over to her, he looked down at her kits resting at her belly.

"Are you all alright?" he asked "You look nervous"

"Yes we are but.." she trailed off

"But?"

"I know I'm asking a lot of you but can you...sleep with me..j..just close by..please?"

Icebelly could see how this could be uncomfortable to any other clan born cat but he was no such cat. It felt nice to be this close to another cat like this. He huddled close to the molly, nuzzling her cheek.

He felt her return the gesture. Though he could feel ice at the back of his head.

"I feel like were being watched" he muttered

"Mudclaw" she replied "He's the sire of these kits, we aren't mates by the way"

From the corner of his eye

"Um excuse me?" Icebelly turned his head to see the white tom and the gray tabby from earlier as well as the tabby apprentice "Juniperleaf said you'd be over here"

"My name is Aspenfall, this is Cloudrunner, this is Webfoot" the older tabby mewed "We're Whitetail's-"

"Family" he finished "Whitetail told me about you"

"What else did she say?" a tortie molly padded over, her pelt looked freshly groomed

"Thrushwing" Morningflower warned

"Relax dear sister" the younger molly replied "I'm just concerned for our clanmate and the kits she carries as this tom has said as they are our brother's kits"

"Yeah, she's due any day now" Icebelly added "She misses you"

"I'd certainly hope the furball did" Webfoot replied "At least she survived the dog"

"She said she'd been hiding out but Brokenstar found her and that's why she came to Thunderclan" Icebelly mewed

Aspenfall just smiled "I'm just glad she's alive"

/

"When were you going to tell us!?" Bluestar didn't so much as wince at her Embereyes's furious yowl, she was calm and still.

She had been cornered in the medicine den by Yellowfang after her patrol had a run in with a coyote. His mother said it bit Bluestar real good in the leg.

Mossthorn, Nettlemist, and Leopardstorm managed to overhear.

Dustpaw knew he shouldn't be listening but he was bored as day since Redtail became deputy and Sandstorm and Chestnutclaw became warriors. He really didn't want to watch Chivekit, Stagkit, Shrewkit, and Hawk-kit again since they've started to become terrors. Robinwing was busy discussing politics with Smallear, he refused to be around Fuzzypelt and his weakness, and Patchpelt...let's not talk about him.

At least Littlekit and Sleetkit became apprentices finally, Leopardfoot to Littlepaw and Nightshade to Sleetpaw. Smokypaw had been apprenticed to Tiger-roar.

It was unfair that he couldn't be a warrior with Cherrycloud and Chestnutclaw, or Sandstorm.

It stung more as that stupid Icebelly got his name before him. That tom was younger than him and he had to be injured during the Shadowclan attack.

And now the tom was missing, as well as Fogtail and Graypaw. Lionheart was in a frenzy worried over his apprentice/cousin, Willowpelt and Cranepaw weren't any better. The queen was worried sick and Leopardstorm and Miststrike had to almost force her to eat, Cranepaw clung to him and Sandstorm and they didn't have the heart to turn her away. Lionheart was blaming Icebelly for this of course, the outsider probably had something to do with this. Sandstorm seemed strange about this event, seeming to care and not caring at the same time.

Dustpaw while worried over his brother knew he'd be back and was alright, Robinwing taught him how to defend himself and his brother wasn't an idiot. 

"Were you just going to wait til it became to obvious to hide or hope you miscarried them in battle" Embereyes hissed, she looked away "You would do something like"

"It wasn't important Ember" Bluestar said simply

"Not important NOT IMPORTANT!" the dark gray and white molly spat "Kits lives are important, Mossthorn Nettle back me up here"

Nettlemist shuffled his paws "Kits are important but Embereyes but it's Bluestar's choice of what to do"

"Are you on her side?" she snarled

"I'm not on anyone's side" Nettlemist mewed, curling his tail over his paws

Mossthorn cutted in "But Mother you shouldn't have started starving yourself"

"Who's the sire?" Leopardstorm mewed, speaking for the first time "I've seen you go to twolegplace Auntie, I've seen you with a tom and molly, does the sire know?"

'Bluestar's mates with kittypets?!' Dustpaw thought with disgust

"He's aware" Bluestar replied

"You can't be in any more battles either" Yellowfang stated "Redtail might have to take over for at the next gathering"

Bluestar rolled her eyes "Fine" she got up and started to walk away

"Where are you going!" Embereyes called

"Out on a patrol"

Bluestar walked over and had no problem pulling Dustpaw from where he'd had been hiding "It's not good to eavesdrop Dustpaw"

"Not honorable to the code to be in love with a kittypet, but then again you didn't learn the first time-" he sneered but quickly clammed his mouth shut. He realized that was way too far.

But surprisingly, Bluestar chuckled "Loves works in many ways Dustpaw"

Dustpaw huffed "Sure and mice fly"

"Redtail!" Bluestar called "I want a patrol near Shadowclan, have you sent any out yet?"

Dustpaw saw his mentor's eyes widen "Shoot, I haven't, I've been keeping track of Riverclan's side and the hunting parties from the moor" he lowered his head "I'm sorry Bluestar"

Bluestar placed a paw over her face "Get some cats, we're going out"

"Umm...are you sure you should go?" Dustpaw asked

"I'll mange Dustpaw, if you ever decide to go with pregnancy for kits, you'll feel your limits as you go along and if not you'll have your healers to drag you away"

Dustpaw flicked his tail and rolled his eyes once more.

"Leopardstorm, Ravenpaw, Darkstripe, Smokypaw, Cherrycloud, Miststrike, Birchstep, come with us" Redtail called

'Great' Dustpaw thought with annoyance 'Stuck with scardypaw'

"He delayed his ceremony for you" Cherrycloud hissed in his ear "The least you can do is shut your trap if you can't even say thank you"

"Shut up" Dustpaw replied "Aren't you ashamed of him, it's great we have more siblings to make up for him"

Cherrycloud can be a difficult cat to read to most but Dustpaw could see though her most of the time, this wasn't one of them however.

"He's our kin, he hasn't done anything to be disowned so he will be treated as kin" she replied

"I won't hiss at him" Dustpaw stated "That's as far as I go"

"I'm here to shut your mouth for you" Cherrycloud sneered "Clearly Redtail can't do it"

Dustpaw jumped back as Ravenpaw rushed forward, his head low. The black tom lifted his head to reveal a squirrel.

"Nice job Ravenpaw" Leopardstorm purred

'hunting doesn't win fights' Robinwing says 'Fighting helps ensure better hunting'

"Could've been better" Dustpaw mewed, he ignored Cherrycloud hitting him in the shoulder "We'll need more so we'll survive leafbare"

"Agreed" Darkstripe lowly growled "We don't want more deaths, remember well Smokypaw" the apprentice nodded, very obedient.

Ravenpaw lowered his head "I can find more, I can smell some birds"

"That's great" Leopardstorm mewed "We'll feast on them"

"Don't hold your breath" Bluestar growled, her tail raised in a way that signaled an attack. Her claws unsheathed and her back fur raised.

"How many?" Redtail asked, thinking the same thing as Bluestar. His teeth bared.

"Six or seven I suspect" Bluestar mewed "Brokenstar's here, Come out and fight me Brokentail, if you have the bite to match that pathetic barking of yours" she yowled

The last thing Dustpaw saw before the fight was Brokenstar leaping out and smashing into Bluestar, teeth in her neck and claws in her shoulder.

[sheewolf85]

Common Grounds ch2

No special notes this time. Just, uh...have another chapter. 

Read it on AO3

or read it after the cut

On your way to the coffeehouse the next day, you wondered if you would see Stretch again. You smiled at the brightly lit sign, remembering how he’d used the name of the place in a pun when trying to placate the old woman yesterday.

Common Grounds was a terrible name, and you would stand by that statement until the day you died. Sure, it was a clever pun, but what kind of coffeehouse wanted to advertise that their wares were anything but amazing and satisfying? People didn’t go to a coffeehouse for common, run-of-the-mill coffee; they went to get something delicious they couldn’t make easily at home or get from a gas station for a fraction of the price.

It was true that you could usually get your drink at the gas station down the road. You’d been doing that for years before a friend of yours had urged you to try the coffeehouse. Theirs tasted so much better and was actually worth the extra cost, which kept you coming back.

Not to mention you had a punch card that got you a free coffee every tenth purchase.

The parking lot was packed when you pulled in, and you couldn’t help but wonder if it was because Stretch was in and the masses wanted to see him perform. You scowled at the thought and got out of your car, huddling into your coat for the short walk to the door.

Inside, you were almost surprised by the amount of people there. Sure, there’d been a lot of cars, but most of them had to have carpooled, because the place was packed.

Some were sitting at tables, some standing around by the wall, even some hanging around the counters, but it was clear that the majority of people in the building were outright staring at Stretch as he worked.

He didn’t look very good today. He looked so tired. His sockets had noticeably dark circles under them and, while you had nothing to judge by, you could almost swear that his grin looked fake like he was doing his best to keep it plastered there.

What the hell? He wasn’t the first monster to get a public job. He wasn’t even the first skeleton to do that. You’d taken a few classes from a very sweet yet stern skeleton professor, and he was a joy to work with.

From the way people were reacting to Stretch, one would think he was the first monster anyone had actually seen. It was disgusting.

Instead of waiting in line, you pushed your way up to the counter where Emily, another of the baristas, was currently making a drink.

“Hey, Em, where’s Todd?”

Todd was the manager, and you really wanted to talk to him about how Stretch was being treated.

“Probably out back smoking. Everything okay?”

You didn’t want to say anything out loud, so you just jerked your head in the direction of all the people gawking. She nodded, and you went out to see if you could find Todd.

You found him outside by the dumpster. He turned to you and smiled. He was a nice man, certainly seemed to put his business over people most of the time, but when it came down to it you knew he did care.

“Hey, Todd,” you called out, huddling in your coat.

Todd raised his half-smoked cigarette in greeting. “What’s up, kiddo?”

“Hey, I’ve got a question for you.”

His smile faded. “Is it about my new employee?”

His gruff, almost protective-sounding tone was a good sign.

“Only sort of. I’m actually more concerned about the crowds watching him like he’s some kind of circus attraction.”

Todd sighed, his stance relaxing. “Yeah, he only started on Monday and it seems like half of Ebott is here every day to see him. Don’t get me wrong, sales are skyrocketing, but he doesn’t deserve that. I’m hoping it’ll fade away after people get used to him.”

You rolled your eyes. “People have been used to monsters being around for well over a year now, Todd. Please tell me you’re planning to do something other than just wait it out. You’re right, he doesn’t deserve that. Nobody deserves that.”

He took a heady puff of his cigarette, the tip burning bright red. His breath exhaled in a cloud of smoke and steam as he spoke.

“What would you have me do? Tell people they can’t come into my store to get coffee?”

“Well, I mean, you could ask the monster embassy for help? I’m sure they had to deal with this a lot when monsters were first getting jobs out here. Or, maybe you could not worry too much about losing business and tell people they can’t come in if they’re going to treat your employees like they belong in a freak show.”

Someone clearing their throat made both you and Todd turn around. Stretch was standing behind you in an oversized orange hoodie. His skull seemed flushed, but whether it was from the cold or what he’d heard, you didn’t know.

“Hey, Stretch,” Todd called out. “Break time?”

“heh...yeah. i can, uh, go smoke somewhere else?” He gestured behind him and took a step back.

“No, stay,” you said hurriedly. “It’s no bother at all.”

Just then, Todd dropped his cigarette butt and smashed it with the toe of his shoe. “It’s time I get back in there. I’ll see you both later.” He bent to pick up the smashed butt and tossed it into the dumpster before heading back in through the side door.

You sighed and turned to Stretch just he lit up a cigarette. As he exhaled the smoke, you realized that you had half expected it to come through his ribs or something.

“you don’t think i should be gawked at, huh?” he asked, something oddly sharp in his voice.

You looked up at him and shook your head. “No, I don’t think anyone should.”

“hmm.” He took another drag, and you watched closely to see where the smoke went. “maybe you should stop then.”

You blinked and realized he was right. You had just been staring at him as if you had any right whatsoever to knowledge of how his body worked.

With a deep sigh, you closed your eyes and put a hand over them. “I am so sorry! Jesus, what the hell is wrong with me?”

“curiosity is a deadly disease, y’know.”

You groaned and put your hand down, determined not to stare this time. “Yeah, but that was really rude of me. I am sorry.”

Stretch waved a bony hand at you. “don’t worry ‘bout it, kid. but hey, seriously?”

You nodded, waiting to see what he had to say.

“don’t get me fired. please? i might’ve applied out of manic boredom, but i kinda like it here. i mean, i like having something to do, y’know? some way to help out.”

“I wasn’t trying to get you fired,” you gasped, horrified. “I wanted to help. I can’t imagine how awful it is to have people watching you like that all the time, like you’re some kind of performing monkey.”

He nodded, taking another drag off his cigarette. “no, you probably can’t. you’re not the only one who sees it, though. amy and em, they watch out for me.”

That was good to know. Amy and Emily had both been baristas there for as long as you’d been getting your coffee there and were both as sweet as could be. They were best friends, both married to good men, mothers of two children each, and worked at the coffee shop to supplement their household income.

There were a few other baristas, of course, but most of them wanted a job while they went to college and then moved on after they’d finished their degree. You had to wonder what Stretch’s story was.

It probably wasn’t appropriate to ask yet.

“I’m glad they do,” you said with a nod. “Anyway, I need to get some coffee and go study. It was nice talking to you.”

Stretch nodded and waved at you with the hand holding his cigarette.

You went back inside and waited in line. By the time you made it up to the register, Stretch was back inside. He was helping someone else, and you smiled at Em as she asked if you wanted your regular. You nodded and handed her your punch card.

“Hey, can’t beat that,” she said happily as she punched out the last hole. “Free coffee, for the win. I’ll have that right up.”

You nodded happily and went to stand near the counter. When one of the other patrons held up their phone like they were trying to take a picture or record Stretch just doing his job, you slid down a little bit to be right in their path and smiled like you were their intended target all along. They scowled at you and tried to move, but you just moved with them.

Eventually, they gave up and left. Either they hadn’t ordered any coffee or they’d only wanted something for the chance to get video of a skeleton making it. Either way, you were proud of yourself for stopping at least one gawker.

Your name was called then, and you thanked Em for your coffee before heading back to your car. One way or another, you’d made it your mission to get people to leave Stretch alone to do his job. Yeah, it was really cool that a monster was working there, but that didn’t mean people had to show up just to shove a camera in his face. Or behind his back.

You sucked in a deep breath and decided that you would talk with him again tomorrow. You’d ask him how he felt about you tossing yourself into the situation. If he was cool with it, then you’d help. If he wanted you to butt out and just leave him alone, that you’d do that.

You found yourself hoping that he’d give you a chance.

[isntfateartistic]

Locket

An original peice by me.  Word count: 1767

I hope you enjoy it! feedback is always appreciated!!

“Do you have a place to rest?”

A boy held his hand out to a figure huddled on the ground.  The figure looked up and grabbed the boy’s hand allowing the boy to pull him up.

“Why are you out here? It’s raining.”

“My parents are always yelling at me.  I had to get out of the house.”

“You can stay with me tonight!  What’s your name?  Mine’s Heldig.”

Heldig looked at the other boy who looked back at him, “My name is Alphonse, but everybody just calls me Al.”

-----

“And here’s your bed!”  Heldig said as he sat down on an air mattress.  Al sat down beside him and smiled.

“Thank you for letting me stay.”

“Don’t worry about it!  Anything for a friend.”

Friend.  Al liked the sound of that.

-----

Al knocks on the door four years later, having been friends for all this time.  The door opened and hesaw Heldig’s mother.

“How many times do we have to tell you, you’re family.  There’s no need to knock, just come in.”

Heldig’s parents were always so nice.  His mom was very gentle and kind, and his dad was very nice and loving, even if Al didn’t know much about him. They had basically become Al’s parents.

“Thank you, Mrs. Dunkel.”

“Call me mom.”

Al blushed, “Thank you, mom.”

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

“Al!” Heldig exclaimed, pushing over his mom and knocking over Al, “I missed you!”

“It’s been two days,” Al gasped, the wind knocked out of him.

Heldig stood up and pulled the other up as well, “Let’s go, let’s go!”

They went to Heldig’s room and sat on the bed.

“We need to practice our magic.  You ready?”

Al nodded.  They put their hands together and closed their eyes.  A fire started between them, and they pulled apart their hands. The fire lingered, now they each had their own.

“We did it!”  Heldig looked up at Al.  Al looked at Heldig, making him lose his concentration and causing the fire in his hand fling out and hit Heldig’s dresser.  

“Shoot.”  Heldig and Al shot up and got water, Heldig taking the water bottle in his room and Al went out to fill up a bucket.  Heldig put out quite a bit of the fire and Al dumped a bucket of water on the dresser for the rest of the flames.  They sank to the floor and sighed, then looked at each other and laughed.  

“Let's not do that again,” Al said, laughing.  

Heldig stood up, still laughing, and started looking around.  He sighed in relief when he picked up a heart-shaped locket, “I would never lose this. Do you want to know why?”

“Why?”  

“It’s got a picture in it from the day we first met.  Do you remember that day?”  he put the locket back on his bed.

Al laughed and nodded, “We were so tiny.  Do you remember the raincoat you were wearing? It was as tall as you.”

“Yeah.  My parents were ecstatic to have you over!”

“I love your parents.”

“I love my parents, too.  I don’t know what I’d do without them.  Probably go crazy!”

-----

A smell filled the house.  A nice, familiar smell.  No, that wasn’t right.  It was the smell of a campfire.  A Fire.  

“Al, wake up! Please!”

Al opened his eyes to see Heldig in a pure panic.

“We need to get out, a fire has started!”

Al stood up and took Heldig’s hand, both of them now running for the entrance.  They ran into Heldig’s parents on the way out, and they all made it out safely.  

Heldig stopped, “My locket. It’s still in the house,”  He went to go back into the house, but Al grabbed his arms.  

Heldig’s parents looked that him, “We know how much that locket means to you.”  Then, without warning, His mom ran in, his dad running after her.

“No!”

But it was too late.

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

   “Come on, Al, we all know that you can’t do this yourself,”  stated Sophie, sitting down next to Al, “Besides, what’s the point?”

Al rolled his eyes and countered, “He’s my friend, Sophie.  I can’t let him keep doing this.”  

“He was your friend.  Now he’s a maniac that goes around destroying cities.”  

The boy  stood up, “He’s coming to this town next.  I can stop him.”  He walked out of the room and into the kitchen, “Do you want some tea?”

Sophie rolled her eyes and sighed.  Damn, was he persistent?  “Yeah, Chai.  No cream or sugar.”  

“I was just going to make a pot of orange pekoe, is that alright?”

“Yeah, I guess.  In that case, cream and sugar.”  

Al put the kettle on the burner, grabbing two mugs off of the shelf.  “I’m going to do it, Sophie.  I will stop him.”

“I’m not letting anything happen to you.  So no, you won’t.” She sighed in annoyance.

The door burst open, and Flare walked in, “What’s up guys?” they walked and sat in the spot that Al was previously sitting in, “Where’s Al?”

“I’m in here, do you want any tea?”  Al yelled from the kitchen.

“No thanks.  You know I don’t drink tea.”

Al walked back into the room and handed Sophie her cup, and sat down on the floor.  

A long, awkward silence.  

“I’m going to confront Heldig,” Al remarked suddenly.  

Flare shot up from their seat, “You can’t! You know how dangerous that’ll be, yeah?”

“Yeah, I do.  But I still see good in him.”

“I’ve told you before, and I’ll tell you again.  You are not going out there,” replied Sophie.  Al stood up sighing and walked into the kitchen.  He put his mug, still half full, on the countertop, then stormed back into the living room.  

His back towards his friends, he spoke, “He’s here now. I’m going.”  He left the house before anyone could do anything.  

“Wait, stop!”

“Al, you dumbass!”

   -----

Al ran through the water covered streets.  It was an incredibly gloomy day; there wasn’t a hint of colour in the sky, only greys.  The town, too, was dull.  Even if there was colour, it was all watered down by the intensity of the sky. The humidity in the air still lingered from the rain, leaving the feeling of dread in Al.

Al looked and looked, but to no avail.  He could not find Heldig.  He was out for hours, hiding behind dumpsters from his friends and running through the streets.  

A familiar voice rang through the air, “It’s time to end this, once and for all.”

Al looked up to a steep hill, covered in big chunks of rocks, and saw a boy standing on top.

“Heldig!” screamed Al, as he struggled up the hill, “Heldig, stop! It’s me, Al!”

Heldig looked at Al, who had just made it up the hill.

“You.”

“Look, I’m sorry!  I didn’t mean to.  I miss you,”  Al said helplessly.

“You ruined my life!”  Heldig put his hands together and muttered a spell, summoning fire, “Now you’ll know how it felt to the parents that you killed.”  

Al looked at the fire Heldig had just conjured, “You’ve gotten a lot better at that.  Better than I could ever be,” he mused.

Heldig took a step forward and Al stepped back.  Heldig shot the fire at Al and he barely dodged it. He felt the heat from the fire on his skin.

“Please, Heldig, stop!”

“No! Not until you’re dead!”

After a few misses with the fireball, Heldig tried a new spell.

“A sword summoning spell, hey?  I can do that too,”  Al said, mimicking what Heldig was doing.  They both held out a sword, but you could tell that Heldig was much better at magic.  His sword had dragons running down the flat of the blade, and a rose on the hilt.  Al’s was just a typical sword, much smaller than Heldig’s.  

Heldig ran at Al, and Al blocked the strike with his sword, making Heldig fall back.  Heldig tried and tried but to no avail.  Al kept dodging, Heldig kept swinging, but Al would not hit back.  

Shing!

Heldig struck a blow, directly to Al’s chest.  Al touched the area, not yet in pain, that had been struck, and his hands were soaked in blood.  Becoming light-headed, he collapsed.  

It only struck Heldig now that he had made a grave mistake.  

He dropped his blade and went to catch Alphonse before his body hit the ground and held him, tears now falling from his face.  

“Al, I’m so, so sorry… I should’ve listened to you…”

With the little bit of strength Al had left, he put his hand on Heldig’s cheek, “I knew you still had good inside of you.”  He dropped his arm and closed his eyes. “I have something for you,” He managed.  Al pulled something out of his pocket with shaking hands and put it in Heldig’s, “I found it for you.”

It was the locket.

Al exhaled and went limp, finally giving in.

“No, stay awake, Al… Stay awake, goddamnit!” Tears fell off of Heldig’s cheeks as his closest friend died in his arms.

-----

“Al! Al, where are you?” Sophie called through the streets.

“Sophie, up here!” A panic-stricken Flare yelled, “I found him! Well, sorta.  It’s not good.”

Sophie ran up the hill to where Flare was and looked at Al, the pale-skinned, bloody corpse.  What surprised her, though, was what was beside him.  Another corpse.  Heldig’s.

Sophie collapsed beside Al and started sobbing over him, Flare sat down beside her and put a comforting arm on her back.

“It’s all over.”

-----

A somber silence filled the air as two caskets were brought down into a large hole, big enough to fit both.  Rain started falling as the coffins where buried, making the atmosphere even more depressing.  

“I met Al on the day his house burned down,” Sophie sobbed, “He was walking down the alley, and he looked completely lost.  I took him in.  The next morning he told us the story of what happened, and soon we saw news reports of Heldig, who was going around killing people mercilessly.  I introduced him to Flare and we became friends,  I hoped that we would be able to live our life together, but now that dream can never become a reality.”

The grave was beautiful, showered with flowers and pictures of the two that were somehow salvaged.  The most important thing on the grave, though, was the beaten up heart-shaped locket in between both graves.  

Sophie hovered over the grave and sighed. “I guess I couldn’t protect you after all.”

[dyde21]

Infiltration

This if the first time I’ve posted a serious chunk of their story. It touches on some more elements of their world, and kind of hints at what they do without revealing my hand yet. Some of you requested like, like @tinnyhi so I hope you all enjoy this! I love writing for these two so much! :D Warning, it’s kinda long.

XxXxXxXxX

Tyler did his best to ignore the rancid smell emitting from the dumpster as he huddled next to it next to Ashe. It was rank, but judging by the scrunched up expression his partner was sporting, she wasn't enjoying it much more than he was.

Tyler watched carefully as Ashe's shoulders rose and fell as she took a few deep breaths. It was starting to get later in the day, and as the sun set it got harder and harder to see her. Ashe was decked out in black cargo pants and a black sleeveless hoodie. Her right arm was covered by an archer's guard and a bow was strung over her shoulder and across her chest. Tyler also could see various tools latched across her, that Tyler could only imagine were added during her lifetime of missions. The combat knife strapped on the back of her belt particularly stood out to him, and he knew she definitely knew how to use it. Her sister was scary with a knife, and Ashe didn't seem to be that far behind her. They had recently begun teaching him to use one, but Tyler preferred a bigger blade to that. Despite the increasing amount of danger they were currently getting into, seeing Ashe's determined face set him at ease and gave him the impression that they could deal with whatever came their way.

Taking a deep breath, Ashe figured it was time they moved. It was dark enough to provide them cover and based off the tip they had gotten, it was about time. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked at her partner one last time to make sure he had everything he needed. It wasn't his first mission, but he was still new enough to them that exposing him to danger had her nerves on overdrive.

Tyler was wearing, at her suggestion, black pants and a black hoodie, and his messy hair was tucked up under a black beanie. A sheath was strung across his back, holding the sword he was borrowing from Ali and he seemed to have taken her advice about bringing a knife, a coil of rope, and thankfully a bag of canisters she had prepared just in case. Honestly, she expected to see him shaking far more than he was, but instead he looked ready and determined. That focused look was in his eyes, and she had a feeling he was at the top of his game today. That helped ease her nerves, at least a little.

“Ready?” She asked quietly as she motioned above them.

Nodding, Tyler quickly climbed onto the trashcan, before linking his hands together and crouching down. Hopping up, Ashe stepped on his hands before he managed to lift her upwards so she could grab the fire escape. It seemed the ladder had been ripped off so they had to improvise. Pulling herself up, she made sure her quiver was sealed shut before she knelt down and offered a hand to Tyler.

Taking her hand, Tyler heard his partner grunt with effort before she managed to help hoist him up enough to get a hand on the metal before she gave him room to climb up as well.

Seeing him pause, Ashe quirked an eyebrow at him.

“It's... kinda hot how strong you are.” He muttered after a moment, pulling the hoodie on his sweatshirt a little tighter around his face.

Rolling her eyes, Ashe just smirked and continued to climb the fire escape. They could finish their flirting after the mission. She was just glad he was relaxed enough to joke. Tyler was too serious of a person to let his guard down in a situation like this, but staying calm meant he wouldn't jump at every little thing and was less likely to make a mistake.

Leading the way up the escape, they reached the top level. Carefully, she stepped onto the railing, and managed to reach up and grab the roof, before hoisting herself onto it. Turning around to offer a helping hand, she found her partner already pulling himself up. Grinning in approval, she instead went to scout out the windows. They just needed to find a good entrance point. Carefully examining a few of them, she found one that was rusted over enough. Pulling out her knife, she quickly jammed it against the metal a few times, digging it in behind it before she managed to pry it up enough for the busted metal to break. Removing the window, she set it down gently. Sharing one last glance with Tyler, she climbed through it and landed on the metal walkway inside. The inside of the building was a large warehouse, with a catwalk along the upper part. Inside of the warehouse was mostly empty, a few large containers scattered around. Hearing the new silent thud of Tyler landing next to her, she began to sneak around to get a better view of the one part of the building lit up with a few flood lights.

Not daring to get any closer, she hid behind the railing.

Kneeling next to Ashe, Tyler tapped her on the shoulder. “What do you see?” He tried looking over the railing at the lit up spot, but it was useless for him. They were too far away to make out any details. At least he was. Ashe had astonishingly good vision, far beyond what could be considered “normal”.

Focusing, Ashe managed to make out the details of the situation. There were three guys currently loading duffle bags with some packages of... something. If their intel was right, it was some sort of drug. “We found them.” She offered to her partner quietly. “Not really sure just how much is there, but it's a lot. Definitely what we were tipped off about. They're loading it up to transport it looks like.” She muttered, pausing. Their mission was just to scout out the place, figure out the plan, then retreat and regroup to form a new plan with the rest of them. Ami had given them very specific orders not to engage.

“So are we leaving?” Tyler asked, confused by Ashe's expression. They should just slip back out, right? They'd go back and engage later with proper reinforcements to ensure no one got hurt.

“We won't make it.” Ashe muttered to herself, her hand fiddling with her knife. “If we go back, they'll be long gone by the time we can report back. We only have a few minutes by the look of it, then they'll be no way to track them down.” She continued, frustration building. She wanted to jump down there and settle the situation, but she knew that there was too much riding on it to blow their chance. Plus it wasn't just her life in danger, Tyler was also at risk if things went south.

Biting her lip, she knew she had to play it safe. Maybe Ami could tra-

“HEY!”

In an instant Ashe had her bow drawn and an arrow notched as she aimed it at the man at the end of the catwalk. She had been careless! How could she have failed to notice him? Of course they'd have patrols while they worked.

The man at the end of the catwalk pulled out a gun, aiming it at them. “Lower your weapon. One move and you two are dead.” His voice was gruff, but serious.

Ashe paused as she looked at him, frowning. He had gotten the jump on them, she had no way to escape without activating her powers, and there was no going back from that once she started it.

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Tyler staring at her with a worried, yet determined expression. It was clear what he was thinking.

“Let's do this.”

Smirking, Ashe was reminded once again why she had the best partner in the world. Even in a dangerous situation like this, Tyler knew just what she needed to hear.

“Fine.” Ashe said to he man, lowering her bow. As it was about to reach the ground, she felt the familiar rush of a battleground erupting around them.

The wave of energy rushed over the area, transporting them to an exact copy of the area they had been in a minute ago. She felt the rush of superhuman strength filling her body, as all the fetters were released and Ashe felt her fire powers returning to her control.

The man wasted no time in entering the battleground as well, but before he could properly react a massive wall of ice crept along the walkway and erupted the ceiling, providing them some cover.

Looking behind her, she saw Tyler with one hand on the walk way as the ice extended from his hand. He looked at her carefully. “Looks like we're in this now. There's no way the others wont notice this battleground, they'll be here in minutes. We just need to buy ti- LOOK OUT!” Tyler shouted as he slammed his other hand down behind him, erupting another wall of ice to block an arrow that had been fired at them from behind from someone else that snuck up to them.

Looking down over the railing, Ashe saw the guys loading up the bags started moving faster, still on the other side of the battleground. It seems they were intent on not joining in the fun and just looking to run.

“We need to pull them in.” Ashe muttered, wincing at the sound of gunfire from the first guy who was still firing at the walls of ice. She hated guns. They were just the lazy person's weapon.

Glancing over, she saw Tyler pulling out his sword as a shield of ice formed on his other hand. “I'll go low, you go high?” He asked.

After a moment Ashe nodded. “Fine, but be careful. I'll cover you from up here.”

Nodding, Tyler focused for a moment as he held his hands together. A flash of cold later and he handed five daggers made of ice to Ashe. “Ready?”

Ashe took a deep breath, before nodding. Running, she lept over the railing as she turned mid air, throwing the daggers with extreme precision.

Meanwhile Tyler had hopped the railing, landing on the ground with a soft thud in a pile of snow. He sprinted towards the distorted images of the guys loading up the bags.

Throwing her last dagger, Ashe was satisfied as she saw it connect to the arm of the guy with the gun. Letting out a whistle, she landed on roof of one of the containers.

At her cue, Tyler let the energy he had carefully stored in the daggers exploded without focusing on them too much. Judging by the surprised screams, their usual plan had worked.

The men dropped their guns to the ground as they continued to freeze solid, the explosion of ice from the daggers wreaking havoc on machinery and rendering it useless.

Tyler rushed forward as he held his hand out towards the faint forms of the guys who were rushing to finish loading the drugs into the bag.

Upstairs, Ashe hopped back onto the railing and rushed towards the man who had the gun. Not wanting to give him a chance to either use his powers or come up with another weapon, Ashe ducked a punch from him as she slid past him with her momentum, spinning around and landing a solid punch into the guy's side. Ashe heard him let out a groan as he doubled over. He tried to swing back with an elbow, but Ashe ducked him again, before grabbing his arm and slamming him over her shoulder and onto the walkway. Satisfied that he wouldn't be moving for a moment, Ashe took off back sprinting down the walkway as she pulled her gloves onto her hands properly again. Letting out a whistle, she let flames engulf her hands. Sure enough at her sign, Tyler got the message and the ice walls he had made before shattered harmlessly into dust as she rushed towards the other guard. Throwing a ball of fire, it exploded against the mans chest and knocked him back a foot. Before he could regain his balance, Ashe slammed her foot into his chest and knocked him back further.

Unfortunately the man managed to regain his balance, and pulled out a knife cause Ashe to falter for a moment. But she couldn't afford to lose momentum. As she ran, she waited for the right moment before she jumped onto the railing with one foot as the man stabbed forward with the knife. Careful with her moment, she jumped off railing, and flipped over him, landing on the other side gracefully. Without looking, she spun around and planted her foot into the man's back and sent him tumbling forward.

Standing up, she wiped some sweat from her brow. She was about to call out to Tyler when a knife whizzed past her face, she just barely leaned back in time. Narrowing her eyes, she rushed towards him again as fire slowly spread from one hand, up her arm to her shoulder, than down her other hand. It seemed there were more people who wanted to play.

Downstairs, Tyler had finally managed to get a hand on the last drug packer. Focusing his grip on the man's shoulder, he managed to pull him into the battleground and slam him into the ground. Luckily it seemed all of them had powers otherwise he would have been screwed to stop them.

Feeling a sense of danger screaming in his head, Tyler ducked right as a foot soared over his head. It seemed the guys he had pulled in from earlier were ready to fight. Letting that tight ball of ice he could always feel in his chest expand ever so slightly, he let a sword and shield form from his hands. Raising his shield, be blocked a thrown knife as he sliced out with his sword towards the other guy. The blade wasn't sharp enough to to seriously risk their life, but based off the groan the guy let out Tyler figured it would do enough damage. Backing up, Tyler tried to make sure he had a good position to face the group of them without being surrounded. Seeing them rush him, he smirked and stabbed his sword into the ground. A wave of ice erupted from it, pulsing outwards as waves of ice shot upwards and sent the group flying backwards. Pressing the opening he made, he struck out with his sword. A clean cut on one of the guy's chest left a trail of ice that quickly began to creep across it, beginning to freeze him enough to take him out of the fight.

“BEHIND YOU!” Ashe's voice cut through the sounds of combat. Trusting her, Tyler waved his shield behind him and felt a heavy blow connect to it. Grunting with effort, he turned around and kicked forward to make the guy back up. Tyler stepped forward to continue forward with a strike when the table collided into his side and sent him flying off. Sliding along the ground to a stop, he grunted and struggled to get back to his feet quickly.

Watching her partner go flying, Ashe's eyes widened. She felt her heart start to pound, and the fire deep within her was aching to be set free. Knowing she still had to keep things under control, she just narrowed her eyes. The large man currently trying to maim her swung out with another punch that seemed like it was in slow motion to her. He was far too slow to land a hit on her. Dropping down, for the briefest moment she let her control over her powers slip as she slammed her hands onto the railing below him. The metal blasted downwards and the guy dropped like a rock, collapsing into a heap on the ground as bits of the railing fell on him. Hardly sparing him a glance, Ashe figured that would knock him out of the fight for a while. Drawing her bow, she quickly grabbed two arrows before firing them off and striking two of them. One through the leg, and one grazed the guys arm. Both of them flinched and it gave Tyler the time he needed to get back to his feet.

Vaulting the railing, she landed on the ground and sprinted towards one of them. Another table was thrown at by she guessed some form of magnetism, but she vaulted over it, landing into a front hand spring as she pushed off and twisted mid air to kick the guy with perhaps more force than was needed, as he then went flying off to the side and hit one of the trucks with a satisfying thud.

Turning towards her partner, she saw him slam the hilt of his sword into the back of some guys head who dropped like a rock unconscious.

“Good j- whoa!” She jumped back as a someone lunged towards her with a sword. Ashe was a bit too slow though, and the sword left a gash on her side. Dropping to her knees, she clutched her side wincing. It wasn't as bad as it could be, but it still hurt and was bleeding. Luckily she healed abnormally fast, but the pain was blurring her vision a bit. Still, despite the pain that was burning in her side, her concern shifted towards her partner who was staring at her with a horrified expression. She could still take care of herself, but she needed him to stay cal-

“ASHE!” Tyler's horrified scream ripped from his throat. She saw his eyes widen, and ice begin to creep over his skin. Instantly she knew what was about to happen. “Tyler it's okay!” She tried to reassure him, taking a shaky step towards him.

In a matter of seconds, it felt like all the heat in the entire building had been rushed out. A chill went down her spine, and suddenly she could see her breath. It was coming.

Two large pairs of white white wings sprouted from Tyler's back as he stared at her, a furious expression on his face.

Instantly the rest of the group still standing rushed towards Tyler, knowing something bad was about to happen.

Drawing her knife, Ashe managed to throw it into the calf of one of them, but her wound was still stabilizing. If Tyler got hurt because of her...

Tyler's gaze shifted towards the rest of them, an expression that scared Ashe was etched on his face.

“EVERYONE FREEZE.” He roared out as he slammed both hands onto the ground.

Ashe closed her eyes and looked away to shield it from the sudden frosty smoke the was kicked up as she felt the temperature plummet even lower. It felt like she had been punched in the gut as she sudden sucked in a chilling breath of air. Looking back, Ashe's jaw dropped at what she saw.

The entire building had been coated in a layer of ice. All the men who had been rushing towards him were trapped in a mountain of ice that held them all in place A table which had been thrown at him was suspended in place as a pillar of ice had caught it.

Tyler was left kneeling on the ground, gasping for breath as fragments of ice coated his body. He was shivering violently as he looked up at her.

Looking down, Ashe saw the frozen carnage had avoided her. There was a clear row of ground that remained completely untouched by his outburst, just where she was.

Tyler crawled a step towards her before he gasped in pain and clutched his chest.

Feeling a renewed sense of urgency, Ashe forced herself to feet. She felt her wound at least somewhat closed already thankfully.

Before she could reach him, one last guy stepped out from behind one of the trucks he had taken shelter behind. He raised a knife, causing Ashe's heart to jump to her throat. Ignoring the protest in her side, she lunged forward as her anger got the better of her. Her glowing hand slammed into the man's chest, and there was a fiery pulse that sent him rocketing backwards. Her force had been unrestrained, so she was confident that guy wouldn't get up any time soon.

Kneeling down next to Tyler, Ashe helped him sit up. His eyes were glued to to her side, his lips slightly parted in that way he had the habit of doing when he was worried.

“Tyler, I'm fine. I'm already almost healed.” She offered, showing him her side. It was true, her wound had been reduced to a freshly healed wound. Far from fully healed, but enough that it had stopped bleeding already.

Tyler opened his mouth to say something but broke down into coughing as he shivered violently in her arms.

“Here.” Ashe cooed gently as she wrapped one arm around him to support him, and the other she placed against his chest. Focusing on the warmth she felt in her heart whenever she saw him, a gentle, more restrained heat began to flood from her palm as she focused on warming up his chest. Slowly but surely color returned to Tyler's face and his shivering slowed. Biting her lip, she took another glance at the warehouse. Tyler had just unloaded a lot of power. She knew overusing his power plummeted his body temperature, no matter how many times she warned him not to.

“Are you okay?” Was all he said once his voice was stable again.

Ashe rolled her eyes and couldn't help but laugh. “I told you I was. I heal stupidly fast, remember?”

Tyler just frowned, but nodded. “If you say so.” He said, still clearly doubting her. Not that she could blame him, there weren't many others who could heal as quickly as she did out there.

There was suddenly some protest from the large metal door that had been frozen over, before it was suddenly blown open. A large man was standing there, a massive clay more in his hands as he stomped forward.

Quickly scrambling to her feet, Ashe threw herself between Tyler and him. She knew Tyler would still be down for a few more minutes while Tyler returned back to normal, so she'd buy him time, injured or not. She drew her bow, firing off another few arrows that were all just sent off to the side by one massive gust of wind from a slice of his sword. Ashe narrowed her eyes as a dangerous level of heat started to leak from her. Her wings formed behind her, and after a flash of fire she was in her personal set of armor. This guy was a cut above the chumps they had just dealt with, and if he showed up as reinforcements, more were surely on the way. Tyler had practically sent up a danger beacon with that last attack. Letting the fire within her lose, she leaned forward as flames began to dance across her and on the floor near her. The kiddie gloves were off. This was now a fight of life and death, and to hell with the idea of anything even scratching Tyler again.

The man just stomped forward as he swung his sword ready for a fight clearly.

Ashe felt Tyler stagger to his feet next to her as she saw a sword and shield form in his hand again. Ice began to leak from him as he clearly let his limits go. His wings appeared, but he still couldn't properly form his armor yet. It looked like just forming his wings was taking all he had, but Ashe was going to destroy this guy. They had come too far to lose now.

Stomping forward, another row of ice shot up from the ground towards the guy, but with a massive swing of his sword the ice shattered.

Ashe didn't waste her chance though. Before the man could ready himself for another strike, she had already blasted forward, in a mighty round house kick. She let loose a powerful fiery blast , unrestrained. Luckily it seemed to work as the man was launched backwards a few feet. He was definitely a cut above the rest though, as he merely landed back on his feet, reading his sword again. Tyler took a defensive stance in front of Ashe, and before either of them could react, the man raised his sword.

“Here it comes.” Ashe warned, watching him intently. Danger was radiating from him, but suddenly there were two presence that dwarfed him and made him feel like a small pup. Every instinct in Ashe's body told her they were walking death, but they were familiar.

There was the distinct sound of metal striking metal, and the man's great-sword was slice cleanly near the base as it fell to the ground broken. He just looked up at it in confusion, but before he could choose a course of action, his body was suddenly lifted airborne.

The woman that was standing where he had been, her foot extended upwards just stared up at him with a murderous expression. Crouching, she literally vanished from her spot, reappearing above the large man. She brought her leg down into an ax kick, and the man spiked downwards with enough for that the ground shattered into a crater around him. The woman continued to spin downwards as she followed through with one last kick. The crater deepened, and only the woman emerged from it. As she approached them, the other woman walked up, sheathing her sword casually.

Ashe's eyes widened. “Ali! Ami!” She let out a sigh of relief, letting her wings and armor disappear. She rushed forward to great them, relieved from the bottom of her soul to see her sisters here. That meant it was over, there was no one left that could stand against them.

Ami opened her arms for a hug, before her eyes widened and she vanished from her spot.

Ashe looked around confused, until she saw Ami holding up Tyler who had passed out.

“Is he...?” Ashed asked, scanning him over as carefully as she could looking for any injury she might have missed.

Ami just hoisted him to get a better grip on him as she smiled. “It's okay. He just passed out from exhaustion again.”

“But you Missy.” Ali interrupted as she walked over, and Ashe felt the hem of her shirt being lifted as her sister examined her side.

Ali stared at it for a moment, before sighing. “You're lucky you heal like a freak. It still needs to actually heal properly though. But you should be fine for now.”

Ashe pouted, pulling her shirt back down. “I'm fine. We need to finish up here though. No one escaped, we pulled them all in here. But some might get back up soon. “

Ali just fixed her ponytail. “Don't worry about that. We took care of all the reinforcements when we felt the fight start, and called for back up. Our cops will be here soon, they'll bring them in.”

Nodding, Ashe felt a sigh of relief. This truly was finally over. She took a step towards Tyler before she felt her world spin and her sense of balance was suddenly gone. Why...?

Ali caught her sister with a sigh, brushing her bangs behind one ear to get a better look at her. “He's not the only one who overdid it.” She muttered.

Ashe was going to protest, but felt the creeping darkness being too heavy and soon she passed out.

XxXxXxXxX

The next time Ashe woke up, they had just been pulling up towards their mansion again. She was in the backseat of their van, and Tyler was resting his head on her shoulder as he breathed slowly. Regrettably she gently nudged him to wake him up. She didn't have a choice, they needed to get cleaned up after that last fight.

He just looked at her with that adorable sleepy expression Ashe was way too fond of. She smiled and kissed his forehead. “We gotta get cleaned up then we can sleep properly.

He looked around, confused to be in such a different environment. “What happened.”

Ashe just nestled her head against his. “It's okay. We did our job. It's over. We can debrief later.”

Tyler seemed to accept that before he nodded.

A little while later and Ashe found herself padding through the house towards Tyler's room. They had been welcomed back, and while she had sent Tyler off to shower and get cleaned up, Gabriel had brushed her off saying that “debriefing could surely wait till the morning, no?” Now she just needed to see one last time that Tyler was indeed safe.

Ashe found her boyfriend sitting on his bed, yawning as he ran a head through his hair sleepily. When he saw her, he grinned and held out a hand for her.

Ashe returned the smile and took his hand, letting him her towards his bed and onto his lap as they just hugged for a moment. “We did it. We're safe.”

Tyler nodded. “That was scary for a minute there.” He said, his hang ghosting up the hem of her shirt to rest over her wound gently.

Ashe just smiled and kissed his nose. “You know I heal fast, and I drank one of Jackie's healing potions. It's like it never happened.”

Tyler just grunted a mild disapproval. “Healing fast isn't a good excuse for you getting hurt.

Ashe quirked an eyebrow. “You were hit with a table.” She muttered, smirking at the defeated expression Tyler got.

“Touche.”

Ashe just laughed. “We're fine. That's all that matters.”

Tyler nodded. “Now we can sleep.”

Agreeing with her partner, Ashe went to stand up but felt his arms turn into a vice around her. She laughed gently. “I cant sleep unless I go back to my bed.” Ashe explained, still amused by the pout on her boyfriend's face. After a moment he let her go after another brief kiss with her.

“Or you could spend the night here.” Tyler offered a voice almost too quiet for her to hear.

Ashe flushed red as she turned to look at him, surprised.

Tyler's eyes widened as he waved his hands back and forth. “Not like that! I just meant... sorry... never mind. You're just... a comfy pillow.” He muttered, his face turning increasingly red as he looked like he regretted learning to talk.

Ashe tried to calm her own blush. “I know what you meant.” She muttered reassuringly. Even if they were in a relationship, they had both agreed they were waiting till marriage before they got too... physical. No matter how difficult it was at times, it was important to them to wait.

Hesitating for just a moment, weighing the chance to cuddle with Tyler with dealing with the gossip and teasing she was sure to hear tomorrow. Rolling her eyes, she closed Tyler's door before walking back towards his bed.

“Only because you are also an amazing pillow.” She offered. Tyler just grinned and scooted over, giving her plenty of space.

Ashe paused, glancing down at her clothes. She had just grabbed the first pair of clean clothes to change into when she showered meaning she was in one of Tyler's larger T-shirts she had taken a liking to and sweatpants over her underwear.

A yawn escaped her as she debated going back to her room for a comfier pair of shorts.

“I'm too tired to go back to room. Can we pretend like it wont be super awkward if I take off my sweats so I can be comfy tonight.”

Tyler flushed a deep red, but nodded after a moment. “Yeah.” He said, though his voice seemed a bit hoarser than usual.

Trying not to dwell on it, Ashe quickly pulled off her sweats and climbed under the covers quickly to save them both some embarrassment.

Tyler just pulled her close, wrapping an arm over her stomach as she nestled against him. Falling asleep in her arms, Ashe couldn't have felt safer, or happier. She knew that no mattered what was ahead of them, with Tyler at her side they could handle it. Soon she was out in a peaceful sleep.

As Tyler was drifting off with Ashe in his arms, he knew that he would continue to work to get stronger. Ashe was his partner in every way, and they could overcome any challenge together. He hugged her a little bit closer as sleep finally overtook him, dreaming of their happy future.

[water-hates-learning]

Pieces of Life

Hey, check it out, I found more old fan fiction. I’ve been digging around in my folders upon folders upon folders and finding some treasures. Most are garbage and not worth sharing. 

But this one’s actually finished and isn’t half bad. A different style from my usual writing but kind of interesting. 

It’s a sort of crossover with His Dark Materials so everyone has daemons. As in, their souls are manifested outside their bodies as animals. That’s basically all you need to know.

-----------

Matt dies slowly when the zombies chew his arm off. He’s left bleeding out on the ground as his painted bat daemon’s struggling gets weaker and weaker. 

He watches her fade into ripples of golden dust. 

Then his eyes roll back and he dies.

****

Tord’s tasmanian devil goes out like a light when the zombie’s converge on him. She doesn’t even have a chance to cry out for him before he’s gone.

****

He just wants his daemon back! He just wants to see his darling Camelai again! Doesn’t he deserve that!

Matt makes a choked sound that comes out gummy and wet in this rotting, zombie body. His gaze flicks with hot jealousy to Tom’s daemon curled around the man’s neck. He wants his daemon back, he just wants her back.

And Tord’s trying to stop him.

****

Tord is free.

He finds the fragments that made up Riordan and he is delighted to be with her again.

They’ll come back at some point, they always do. As long as they’re not zombie’s, as long as they’re not undead, they always come back. Tom always calls it some sick joke of the universe.

****

Their daemons don’t like going to visit Hell. The land of the dead is not for those who still have their souls.

Edd digs his fingers into Ringo’s thick fur and won’t let him go. Camelai is hiding in the folds of Matt’s overcoat, whimpering and keening. Tord’s precious Riordan is snapping and snarling in his arms. There’s no sign of Phoena but if the shivering lump in the pocket of Tom’s hoodie is anything to go by, she’s just as frightened as the rest of them.

They don’t talk about that trip. And it’s a long time before their daemons forgive them for it.

****

The clones don’t have daemons and that’s how they know who to aim their weapons at.

In the end, there’s a pile of bodies and an ill miasma over the house. Their daemons huddle together in fright as Bing’s hyena daemon cackles her way out the door after him.

****

When Tord and Riordan leave, Ringo sulks by the windows for days. Edd pretends he’s fine and every thing is just dandy, thank you very much.

Poor Camelai tries to help Matt remember and keep his memories straight. But she can only do so much. He forgets so easily now, his mind fractured and cracking in places, like a clay pot too long in the kiln.

Tom says “good riddance” and immediately moves into the abandoned (and bigger) bedroom. His stoat demon nests in an old black trench coat left behind until he stuffs it angrily in the dumpster a few days later.

****

The Ringo from the future is missing an ear and his fur is patchy.

But at least Edd’s future self has his daemon.

There is no bright orange bat or caramel colored stoat accompanying the future Tom and Matt.

****

Eduardo’s Jezabell harasses Ringo whenever she can. Edd’s gorgeous Siberian Cat is larger than the Iberian Lynx but that doesn’t stop her. Nor does it seem to deter Eduardo from harassing Edd.

****

Matt thinks Jon's big Leonberger daemon is actually really nice. After all, he did catch Camelai before she hit the ground when that demon stopped possessing them.

And Merryweather is such a nice name.

He can't help but wonder why on earth they hang around a sourpuss like Eduardo.

****

Edd swerves the car while he's looking at the map and accidentally splashes Mark with a puddle as they're heading towards ASDFLAND.

They're still chortling at the look of indignation on the Formosan Odd-Scale snake daemon's face from her position on Mark's shoulders when Phoena--who rarely speaks aloud--wonders why the puddle was red.

****

Matt and Camelai panic when they see the zombies and he clutches her close.

The will not lose each other again.

****

Ringo feels it when Edd is struck by the light coming from Eduardo's roof mounted dish. It's like a bolt through the heart. Even from his position under the porch, safe out of the rain, tugging at the limits of their bond, he can feel it.

He feels it when Edd falls off the roof, too. It's his yowling cries that draw their friends out of the house to rescue them both.

****

They have a witch's bond now.

While Edd and Eduardo are fighting in the sky, Ringo and Jezabell wrestle on the ground.

When they apologize, Jezabell looks as though lightning has struck her.

****

Phoena doesn't remember what happened after Eduardo had punched them out of the car.

All she can do is cry as her bond with Tom is stretched so taut she can barely breathe. She doesn't know where he is. She can't find him, and their bond is scraping a hole in her heart. She mewls desperately and drags herself from the alley, looking for help.

She can feel an unbridled rage and mindless fury smoldering at the edges of her heart.

She knows what happened.

****

They're hiding from the rain when Edd finds the book.

While his friends and their daemons mess about noisily in the background, he reads of an English detective and his Beagle daemon venturing to America to find a missing prince.

A tired and alcoholic sheriff with a ragged Coyote at his side give them aide. And together, they rescue the prince and his Hummingbird daemon from a trio of bandits, putting the town at peace once more.

****

Ringo has an "I told you so" air about him as Edd bends over the toilet again to throw up more of the ancient bottle of Cola.

****

Phoena bristles the second they step into the house but says nothing. Tom can sense something's off but he can't tell what it is.

Then he finds a familiar Tasmanian Devil daemon playing lookout.

And finds Tord trying to pick the lock to his old bedroom.

****

Riordan says they don't have to do this.

Tord doesn't answer her.

****

Camelai curls into Matt's neck after Tord strikes them and refuses to speak to anyone for the rest of the day.

She can't understand what's happened to change things so much.

****

Tom wants to be sick. Phoena's claws are digging into his shoulder.

The bullets are digging into the walls of their lives.

****

Blood soaks into Eduardo's shirt as he clutches Jon to his chest.

Next to them, Jezabell is helplessly nuzzling at Merryweather as he begins to fade away into ribbons of golden dust.

****

Tom is hurt and Phoena is almost dizzy with pain. There's blood in his eyes but the harpoon hits true.

The robot goes down in hail of smoke and fire.

They don't bother to try and see where it lands.

****

Adara gently carries the wounded Riordan in her Doberman Pincer jaws. Thijs perches on her back, his sharp Gyrfalcon eyes keep a look out for trouble.

Tord says nothing the entire time Pat and Pau are patching him up.

****

They don’t come away unscathed from this ending.

But Phoena’s small claws are perfect for helping Tom put pieces of Susan back together again.

Edd spends most of his time with his usually distant daemon laying across his lap.

Camelai is rarely seen these days, content to hide in the lapels of Matt’s jacket.

But they have each other. That has to count for something.