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baoshan-sanren · 4 years

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Chapter 23

of the wwx emperor au I’m thinking of calling Lan QiRen’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

The Peach Blossom Pavilion is heavily guarded.

However, the guards are clearly focused on the outside threats trying to find their way in, not the Emperor attempting to sneak out. Wei WuXian’s hand is warm in WangJi’s, squeezing lightly to signal when they must be still, pulling him along when it is time to move. In the darkness, every stretch of cobblestones looks identical to the next. They cross two courtyards, both pitch black, nothing to distinguish them from one another except the faint scent of chrysanthemums. It is not long before no guards can been seen or heard, but Wei WuXian’s hand is still wrapped around his own, his thumb a hot brand on WangJi’s knuckles.

WangJi remembers that same hand coated in blood. Pressing against the arrow wound. Gracefully extended, so someone else’s fingers may rest lightly on its wrist.

Somewhere in the Immortal Mountain City, there is boy lying wounded, because he had been willing to give his life up for the Emperor. And for a few moments, WangJi had forgotten that he even exists.

“Nie HuaiSang,” he says softly.

“Recovering. He lost a great deal of blood, but there will be no lasting damage. The assassin has not been caught yet,” Wei WuXian’s voice hardens, “but he will be.”

WangJi is relieved to hear it, but this is not the only reason he had said the Royal Companion’s name. Sneaking past the guards, depending on the pressure of Wei WuXian’s fingers to lead him, he could pretend that such contact was necessary. Now, he feels an imposter, holding on to something that does not belong to him.

Gently, WangJi attempts to disentangle their fingers. Wei WuXian’s grip tightens.

“A-Sang is my brother,” Wei WuXian says, “The rumors you hear, they have their advantage. But there has never been any truth to them.”

“Gossip is forbidden,” WangJi says, his face heating.

He can feel his heart beating in his chest, and his steps suddenly feel lighter, as if some pressing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Wei WuXian laughs softly,

“If I were to forbid gossip, the next person to try and assassinate me probably would be A-Sang.”

WangJi is not sure how to respond to such a statement, and Wei WuXian does not give him a chance to try.

He tugs WangJi to a small door, its shape almost indistinguishable from the wall in which it is set. The door appears to be very old, but its hinges do not creak, soundlessly allowing them over a small stone threshold and into a courtyard. Although the plaque above the door had faded with age, it is still legible.

The outside of the Six Fans Pavilion looks forlorn.

The window holes are covered, the courtyard swept clean but depressingly bare. A long time ago, someone had tended its gardens with care. WangJi thinks that the wide planters out front must have once overflown with flowers in full bloom. Now, star jasmine has grown wild and sprawling, smothering every other sign of life.

He expects that the inside of the pavilion has not fared much better. Everything about the peeling paint and fading colors tells a tale of a place that is dusty and forgotten. Instead, the entry is bleak, but clean. The floors seem recently swept. There are no curtains or rugs, no decorations on the walls, no cushions on the seats. Each room looks stripped to its bones, the elaborately carved shelves gaping empty, tables bare, beds nothing but stark skeleton frames.

Wei WuXian leads him through, looking neither left nor right, until they reach a room that shows some signs of use. A few books are piled in the small cubbies behind an old desk. The desk surface is polished but rough, as if it had served more than one owner. The seats have cushions, although they seem old and threadbare. An old bronze brazier sits in center of the small space. Wei WuXian lights a fire with quickness that would suggest he has done this often.

“The Iron Palm Palace can be suffocating sometimes,” he says, and does not elaborate.

He does not need to; WangJi thinks he understands. It is a refuge, this place. WangJi has his own, at Cloud Recesses. He can appreciate the need for a space where one can just breathe in solitude and silence.

“How much do you know about Lan ZhongYi?” Wei WuXian asks, settling on the floor next to the brazier.

WangJi has always had a reflexive reaction to that name. Anger, distaste, guilt, shame.

He lowers himself not too far away, wishing he was properly dressed. Somehow, speaking of Lan ZhongYi would be easier, if he could hide behind the traditional trappings of Sect and clan.

“Lan ZhongYi was a Lan Sect member. Son of my father’s uncle. He was banished from the Sect for improper conduct. Less than a year after his banishment, he assassinated the Empress and the Emperor Consort.”

The words come out stiff and unnatural, a recitation of something memorized long ago.

“I know this is all that the Lan Sect teaches about him,” Wei WuXian says, “but have you never searched for more? Have you never wondered what this improper conduct was? Why he did what he did?”

“No,” WangJi says.

He cannot see what difference it would make.

“Did you know he had married at seventeen?” Wei WuXian says.

The question lands heavily between them.

WangJi did not know. He does not want to know. Why does it matter?

But Wei WuXian goes on unprompted,

“He married a rogue cultivator from the ShangWu Temple. Her name was Xu XiaoYun. This was some years before my mother took the throne, and the Empire had already begun descending into chaos. Most of the great temples were destroyed in the years that followed, never to be rebuilt. The ShangWu Temple was one of them. Xu XiaoYun’s brothers, sisters, teachers, not one of them survived. For years, I have searched for some information about her, hoping for anything, even a word of mouth. But I think her entire life burned in that temple, and there was only Lan ZhongYi left.”

The firelight is playing across Wei WuXian’s face, shifting his expressions from moment to moment. WangJi cannot guess what he is thinking. He cannot guess why this is the story that Wei WuXian thinks WangJi should need to know.

“She was pregnant when YanLing DaoRen killed her,” Wei WuXian says calmly, “on a day he had not even set out to kill anyone at all. It appears to have been a spur of the moment slaughter. There are no records showing what might have set him off in the middle of a peaceful trip through one of the MoLing’s marketplaces. But Xu XiaoYun had been nighthunting in the area.”

Silence falls between them, thick and unyielding. WangJi feels as if he had been given something he did not want, and cannot give back.

He thinks he knows why Wei WuXian has told him this story. Perhaps to the young Emperor who had lost his parents, it is important that Lan ZhongYi be a human being, with purpose, and feelings, and grievances. But WangJi has never wanted to feel pity for this man, whose actions had doomed all the generations of Lan to come.

Lan ZhongYi’s motivations do not excuse his crime.

“The Empress did not kill her,” he says finally.

“And you did not kill the Empress,” Wei WuXian counters, his voice gentle.

He is right, but he is also wrong. WangJi is too agitated to address how both can be true at the same time.

“The Wen are not hostages here,” Wei WuXian says, slicing the agitation neatly in half.

Before WangJi can adjust to the fact that the previous subject is being abandoned, Wei WuXian is already explaining in a rush, as if afraid that WangJi will refuse to listen.

“After the rebellion, the Sects demanded that Wen RuoHan pay for the lives that were lost. They wanted this payment in blood. Wen RuoHan was to deliver one of his sons for execution, or the Sects were going to burn the Nightless City down, and slaughter every Wen in the Empire. Looking back, compared to the damage YanLing DaoRen had done, and the lives he had destroyed, the Wen rebellion was fairly insignificant. I have often wondered where this viciousness had come from. The Sects will say that their grief over my mother’s death gave it birth, but they seemed to hold little interest in offering support to her son. Perhaps this viciousness was left over from YanLing DaoRen’s reign, just waiting for a more vulnerable target.”

Wei WuXian waves his hand, his eyes locked on the flickering flames,

“It does not matter. Wen RuoHan did not deliver his son. Instead, he delivered fifty-six members of a small subdivision of the Qishan Wen Sect. An entire clan, led by his own thirteen-year old niece, to be slaughtered in exchange.”

WangJi’s stomach turns, propelling bile to his throat.

“My uncle,” Wei WuXian grins humorlessly, “had made a reputation for himself as a holder of no strong opinions, a man who may sway slightly whichever way the wind blew. This reputation helped delay the decision. In the meantime, I placed the Wen in the dungeons, to await their fate.”

“You-- you were going to--“

No other words will come. WangJi cannot ask the question.

He thinks a wrong answer might shatter something he had not yet given name to, something he still does not fully understand, but desperately wants to keep.

“No,” Wei WuXian says, “I was young, and angry, and more than a little stupid, but I was not going to execute fifty-six people because the Sects demanded it. But I did put them out of my mind. I was twelve years old, sitting on a precarious throne, all of my power just a pretty illusion. There was a list of issues that had to be addressed, and somehow, the Wen would always move to the bottom of that list. This was another one of my uncle’s tactics, although I did not know it for such back then. Delay, delay, delay, and hope they forget. I almost did forget. Many times.”

Wei WuXian flashes him a bitter smile, and WangJi feels his chest tighten. Not so long ago, WangJi had thought his own burden too heavy to carry. He cannot imagine how Wei WeXian must have felt. He cannot imagine how heavy the weight of the Empire must feel to a twelve year old boy.

“They were willing to let me forget,” Wei WuXian says, the bitterness from his smile coloring his voice, “My uncle, the Council, my advisors, not one of them ever bothered to mention that an entire clan cannot forever live in the dungeons, that some decision must be made. If it were not for shijie, they might have lived and died below the palace floors, forgotten by all. She took me to the dungeons. She went among them as if they were family, passing out medicine and food, speaking to Wen Qing as if they had been sisters their entire lives. And then she put A-Yuan in my arms.”

Wei WuXian’s voice falters for the first time.

He shifts slightly, and clears his throat.

“His mother had been among the fifty-six. She had died in childbirth. In the dungeon. While the Emperor sat on his gilded throne, nodding at everything the Council said. I had been the Divine Ruler for a single season, and I had already created an orphan.”

WangJi’s chest squeezes tighter. He wants to reach out, but he had never learned how to offer comfort. Everything he can think to say is woefully inadequate. Every gesture he wishes to offer seems clumsy and awkward.

“And so they became hostages,” Wei WuXian says, fingers now nervously tapping against his knees, “the Sects were told that the fifty-six Wen who can be slaughtered at the slightest provocation were infinitely more valuable than one dead descendent of Wen RuoHan. They were not happy. For some months after, I was certain that another rebellion would take place, and that this one would end the Dynasty for good. Once it became clear that the Sects would do nothing worse than send assassins through my windows and stuff scorpions into my bed, I started to work on their resentment. I did not want the Wen to always carry the stain of that rebellion. I had already grown attached to Wen Qing and her brother, to Granny, to Uncle Four and A-Yuan. I wanted to protect them.”

He moves to face WangJi, his hands now curled tightly in his lap, something in his eyes hinting at desperation.

“I thought I knew resentment. Mine had always been a fleeting thing, so I believed everyone else to be the same. No one had bothered to tell me that removing one target would only exaggerate the other. I spent years trying to shift their perception of the Wen, but never understood the simple fact that your uncle had grasped in a single season of drought. The river must flow somewhere. And all the resentment, no longer flowing to the Wen, had simply shifted to the Lan Sect instead.”

If not for Wei WuXian’s pained expressions, WangJi would have immediately declared his words to be utter nonsense. WangJi’s burden does not exist because Wei WuXian had placed it on his shoulders. The Lan Sect would have never relinquished its responsibility for the wrongs one of their own had committed, regardless of whether the Emperor had shown them favor or neglect. Even if everyone else in the world were to forget the sin he carries, WangJi would have never been allowed to do the same.

A part of him does wonder if the Emperor’s favor had gone to the Lan Sect instead of the Wen, how many of their circumstances might have been changed for the better? Would it have created a world in which his uncle is still allowed to teach? A world in which the Lan Sect disciples are allowed into the Immortal Mountain City, to mix among the others? A world in which his brother smiled more often?

But even if this was the case, if he were to take Wei WuXian’s words as absolute truth, and the river of resentment truly must flow somewhere, then better circumstances for the Lan Sect would have meant worse circumstances for the Wen. WangJi would never demand his burden be made less; not even if the cost was a single life of an absolute stranger, not to mention an entire clan of people who had done nothing wrong.

“By the time I realized why the rancor toward the Lan Sect kept growing, even as the resentment against the Wen dwindled, it was too late to turn the tide,” Wei WuXian says miserably, “Trying to stem the flow only seemed to make things worse. Your uncle-- each time I tried to extend a hand, he would slap it out of the way. He does not want my help or favor. He does not trust me to do right by the Lan Sect. And considering that someone has already tried to kill you, and frame the Lan Sect for another assassination, I would not be surprised if he blames me for all of it.”

WangJi struggles for a few moments, trying to find the right words. It does not help that Wei WuXian is much closer now, his face flushed from the brazier, their knees nearly brushing.

“The Lan Sect would not wish to relinquish its burden of responsibility at the cost of others,” WangJi finally says, “and uncle would not blame you for the assassination attempts. He would consider it just another burden that the Lan Sect must carry, one that must be borne with courage and dignity. Uncle is-- proud, and stubborn. He perceives your favor as charity, and each time you imply that he may need this charity, he will only resent you more. There is no need to keep trying.”

“You are saying that there is nothing I can do,” Wei WuXian says, frustration coloring each word.

“You can do whatever you wish,” WangJi says, “You are the Emperor.”

“But he is going to hate me no matter what I do.”

“You are the Emperor,” WangJi says again, “I am sure my uncle is not the only one who hates you.”

Wei WuXian gapes at him, then seems to choke on nothing but air. He bends over, coughing heavily, and struggles for so long that WangJi wonders if he should perhaps try and find him something to drink. Only when he looks back up does WangJi realize that the cough was actually stifled laughter.

“You are something else, Lan Zhan,” he says, “I really like spending time with you.”

WangJi’s heart trips twice, painfully, as if Wei WuXian had reached through his chest and pushed it off course.

He does not make a conscious decision to stand up, but suddenly, he is on his feet, trembling with a thousand emotions he does not want to acknowledge. Wei WuXian scrambles up as well, his expression startled.

“I must go back,” WangJi says, cursing his voice for wavering.

“Oh,” Wei WuXian says, “Of course. Let me put out the fire, and I will take you back.”

“No need,” WangJi says quickly.

He needs to be alone. He needs to think. Wei WuXian had given him a great deal of information that requires careful examination.

I really like spending time with you, his mind offers unhelpfully. WangJi feels as if he had pressed his entire face directly to the brazier.

Wei WuXian’s expression seems hesitant now. WangJi desperately wants to see him smile one more time before he leaves.

“Use the door tomorrow,” he says.

“I-- what?”

“Tomorrow,” WangJi says firmly, his heart now beating in his throat, “Do not lounge on the rooftop, or hide in the dark. Come to the door.”

The slow smile that spreads across Wei WuXian’s face is devastating.

WangJi says nothing else.

He runs.

#the untamed #cql #mdzs #wangxian #ficlet #m #wwx emperor au #hey you know how i cut chapter 22 in half bc it was too long?#yeah #this one is even longer #and it just didn't wanna be cut #this chapter is LONG #this chapter is awkward #this chapter was rewritten so many times #that if i have to look at it again i am going to scream #i apologize in advance for this chapter #it is still day 4 my chickens #and i love you all #god help me we are moving along

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atlanticcanada · 2 years

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'We just want peace': Family of boy shot and killed in Dartmouth prays for compassion

The uncle of an 8-year-old boy shot and killed in Dartmouth Tuesday is praying for the parents and for peace, a day after the boy died of his injuries in hospital.

Marko Simmonds spoke with CTV News after receiving permission to do so from the boy’s parents.

Marko Simmonds and police both identified the 8-year-old boy who was killed Tuesday as Lee-Marion Cain from North Preston. His nickname was Marmar. He loved surfing, biking and playing with his friends. He has an older brother and a younger sister.

“He has two parents that love him,” Marko Simmonds said. “He was a really good child.”

When asked how the family was doing, Marko Simmonds said not well.

“The mother’s not doing well right now. The father’s not doing well right now. We the family, we’re just rallying around them.”

Teachers from Nelson Whynder Elementary School dropped by Wednesday morning to show their support, Marko Simmonds said. Elders have come to the house as well.

Halifax Regional Police said the boy and a 26-year-old man were shot while in a vehicle on Windmill road in Dartmouth shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Police said the shots were fired from another vehicle and the 26-year-old man suffered non life threatening injuries.

“We do not believe this to be a random incident,” Cst. John MacLeod said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

“The suspects are described as two black men driving a burgundy SUV. Possibly a Chevrolet with tinted windows.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, no one had been arrested. When asked whether the incident was linked to any recent shootings, Cst. MacLeod said the investigation is in its early stages and police don’t have any information to suggest that it is connected to other incidents.

Halifax Regional Municipality Mayor Mike Savage has called what happened “senseless.”

“Thoughts and prayers to the family and friends, to the young person that’s been lost,” Savage said.

Preston MLA Angela Simmonds noted the grief is widespread.

“It’s not just about one family or person it’s about an entire community. And it’s difficult because of restrictions,” Angela Simmonds said “We have not only the churches, we have teachers who attended that school, teachers who taught him, the community itself.”

Angela Simmonds said she has reached out to the The African United Baptist Association and the Association of Black Social Workers to try to find a safe space for people to pray, such as via Zoom. She said the boy’s family is supportive of the idea.

“This is just a beginning of a conversation that hopefully we’ll be able to bring to fruition,” Angela Simmonds said.

Marko Simmonds said people have been praying for the parents and also praying that people will seek peace.

“We want whoever did this to be caught,” he said. “But we do want peace. And we do want hearts to be open to the possibility of peace.”

Marko Simmonds said the family wants the community to continue to stick together, but the family also wants compassion from those who are not from the community.

A virtual vigil will be held Thursday to honour the life of Lee-Marion Cain.

Angela Simmonds confirms the event will take place from 7 p.m. to 7:30 pm via Zoom and will include spiritual leaders, the African United Baptist Association and Association of Black Social Workers.

The vigil will be live streamed by the Black Cultural Centre.

Halifax Regional Police are asking anyone with information about the incident or video from the area to call 902-490-5020. Anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers by calling toll-free 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or using the P3 Tips App.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/3mpD4v6

#new brunswick #prince edward island #nova scotia #news #politics #canada #CTVAtlantic

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bokutosworld · 4 years

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home | bokuto koutarou

a bokuto x reader one shot loosely inspired by taylor swift's cornelia street.

wc: 2.7k words

"ladies and gentlemen, we have begun our descent into japan, approaching narita international airport. the local time is 4:15 pm, with temperature of 19 degrees celsius. in preparation for the landing, please make sure your seat is straight up and your seat belt is safely fastened. in behalf of my co-pilot and today's crew, we hope you enjoyed your flight with us and wish you a pleasant time in japan. thank you."

the sudden announcement sounding over the whole cabin woke her up from her slumber. she stirs and adjusts her seat just as the captain ordered. sitting near the window, she saw the buildings of the tokyo skyline coming into view. it's been years, she wondered.

as the plane continues its descent, she checks her documents: passport, immigration form, health papers. she pulls out her phone and goes over her schedule for her first night in tokyo. she shakes her head in disbelief, still wondering why she agreed to return in the city.

'come on, y/n! it's been five whole years. we miss you,' her friend said. 'besides, it's our first high school reunion! we haven't seen the rest of the batch in like forever.'

and just as she was recalling that conversation with her friend, the plane began taxiing on the ground and was pulling up on one of the arrival gates.

finally, the aircraft stopped moving and the captain's voice was heard on the speakers again, "ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived. please remain seated until the seatbelt sign has been turned off and wait for the cue of the crew. please be careful in deplaning and we hope you enjoy your stay in japan."

in a few seconds, the ding! of the seatbelt sign was heard and people hurriedly stood up, opened the compartments and took their bags. not one for rushing things and going with the crowd, she took her time in leaving the plane.

narita international airport was a busy place, with tourists going in and out and citizens returning home. lucky for her, she still had her residence card and was able to queue in the shorter line in immigration. as soon as she entered the baggage claim area, she spotted her hot pink luggage, decorated with stickers of all the places she's been to. she picked it up and headed to the taxi stands.

time check: 6:05 pm

'asakusa central hotel, please,' she directed to the friendly man in the driver seat. he nodded and sped off the airport. tired from her flight, she leaned back and closed her eyes. the journey downtown would take at least an hour and she debated on whether she was going to nap. deciding against getting a few more minutes of rest, she took her phone and decided send her friend a message.

y/n: i'm here, loser. on my way to the hotel. i'm still pissed you couldn't have just picked me up :/ friend: U'RE BACK!!!!!!!! <3 i'm so sorry, i got held up at work. but let me make it up to you! i'll buy you some welcome home drinks later? :D

she smiled at her friend's reply. how could she forget that she loved drinking out. back in college, they would be spending weeknights going bar hopping. looking back, she recalled how some of her best years and moments were created here. it was in this city where she met the love of her life.

time check: 7:15 pm

the taxi parks in front of her hotel and a bellboy immediately runs over to the car door to assist her. she pays and thanks the kind driver for a safe trip and with a smile, she hops off the taxi.

the bellboy takes care of her luggage, while she makes her way to the receptionist. for a weekday, the hotel was packed with tourists. maybe it was a holiday in some part of the world, she thought. looking around mindlessly, she examined the hotel that her friend had booked for her. two brown lounge sofas were the centerpiece of the lobby. to the side, there were some coffee tables and chairs were people could sit while they wait to be serviced.

she continues to scan the room, her eyes almost missing the boy she thinks she knows. if it weren't for his eye-catching dual-toned hair and his loud and bright laugh that resonated in the floor, she wouldn't have paid attention to him. but as soon as she heard that familiar sound, she turned to the doors and caught a glimpse of him. there was no mistake, with the way her heart skipped a beat and the world seemed to blur around her. bokuto koutarou.

she was pulled out of her trance by the friendly receptionist beckoning her to come to the desk. she gives her the reservation details and a copy of her passport, and in just a few minutes she receives a key to her room. thanking the receptionist, she goes to retriever her luggage and insists that she can take it on her own and gave the boy some tip for helping her a while ago from the taxi.

she proceeds to the 16th floor where her room was situated. she taps the keycard on the lock, and the door opens, revealing a large, spacious room with a king sized bed and notes how it was too big for her alone. however, what took her breath away, was the big window with a view overlooking the city. she takes in the scene and gets lost in her thoughts, going back to the few minutes earlier when she saw him. he hasn't changed one bit, she muses. he still brightens every room he walks in to.

with that thought, she settled on the bed and brought out her phone. she hovered over the facebook app, wondering if stalking her first love would be appropriate right now.

it's not as if she and bokuto ended on bad terms. they both agreed it was a mutual decision. something that was brought up by their different dreams and goals. she wanted to pursue law, he wanted a professional career in volleyball. and as supportive as they are of each other, they went on their separate paths and wished each other the best. for a while, they kept contact but as they got busy, the texts and calls got less and eventually stopped. throughout the past years, she'd been wondering if separating was the right thing.

just as she was about to visit his profile, her best friend called.

friend: hey guess what y/n: what friend: oh come on, you could at least be a little excited! i'm done with work and heading over to shinjuku right now! y/n: i thought we were getting drinks friend: we are!!! but some of our batchmates are around the area and they invited me for drinks and you're coming with me

time check: 9:08 pm

there was no point, honestly, in trying to resist her friend. that's why she was now being dragged along the street, with her friend talking her ear off about how she missed her and how she can't wait to spend the week with her.

they entered one of the bars in the area and immediately, her outgoing friend waved to the group sitting in the corner of the place. as soon as she spotted them, she couldn't move and it was like her feet were rooted to the ground. the moment her eyes locked with his, it was like she was in high school again and she was overwhelmed by the urge to run to him and hug him.

'Y/N!!!!!!!!!!', her high school friends screamed and suddenly, they were running to her and tackled her with a hug. 'we missed you!'

she laughed and returned their embrace because, yes, she missed them too. they dragged her to the booth and she took the seat right across him.

oblivious to her, bokuto has not once turned his attention away from her. he was a busy man and no one was expecting him to be present in this reunion. but a part of him wanted to go, he was hoping that maybe she would be going. so he couldn't believe his eyes when the door to the bar opened and he saw the face of the girl he has loved since forever.

'hey bokuto, why are you so unusually quiet,' one of their friends quipped and the whole group laughed. any other day, he would have retorted with a witty comeback but right now, in this moment, he was too absorbed taking in the sight of his great love being in front of him. no one else but her got him flustered and tongue-tied, so it was no surprise when he broke his silence with, 'you look good, y/n.'

she blushed and her brain almost short-circuited trying to think of a reply. god, she thought she was lame for feeling like a high schooler again. thankfully, she was able to mutter a thank you and the both of them exchanged knowing smiles before socializing with the group.

time check: 10:49 pm

the rest of the night was spent catching up with each other and reminiscing on their good high school days. it was crazy to think how much they all have grown in a span of years. two of their batchmates were getting married, another was currently pregnant with her first child and three of them were opening their own businesses in the city. they were all successful and their teachers would be so proud of them right now.

of course, they didn't miss the opportunity to congratulate bokuto on his recent win in the volleyball league. he thanks them and goes on a funny story about the game and his teammates. she remembers the news she has heard about him, msby black jackals was his team now. and it warms her heart seeing how happy he currently is and sharing about his accomplished career. looks like we did the right choice, she thought.

suddenly, one of the boys in the group speaks up and remarks about how everyone thought that she and bokuto would be end game. and the booth was enveloped with silence. no one dared to break the silence and she looked at everywhere but him. until bokuto laughed and caught her attention when he said, 'well! we're here now, we could still continue our story you know. you never know what can happen!'

indeed, no one could predict what the future holds. and it was like fate was working in their favor because of course, her friend just decided to be so drunk that she had to be taken home by one of the girls that lives near her. which was how she found herself walking back to the hotel with bokuto by her side.

'i guess it's pretty convenient that we are both staying at the same hotel huh,' bokuto said. they were walking in the streets, the cars zooming on the road and the lights guiding their journey back to where they were staying.

she can't help but smile as she nodded at his statement. she wondered why she was staying at a hotel when he was a tokyo resident and for sure had an apartment in this city. he sighed dramatically and said that his apartment was currently undergoing a renovation and no one, not his teammates or even his parents, offered to let him stay as he was out of his apartment. 'yeah, so that left me with no choice but to stay at that hotel. and lucky for me, because you're also staying there! who could've known,' he exclaimed.

wanting to spend some more time together, bokuto suggested that they take a detour to the park. she instantly knew what park he was referring to and let him take the lead.

a few more minutes of walking and they arrived at the park on the hill. it was a place that they frequented: a place that witnessed their love blossoming and unfortunately, it was also the same place where they said their bittersweet goodbyes. they went closer to the mini observatory which offered a great view of the city lights, with the tokyo skytree illumination standing out above them all.

she didn't notice she was shaking from the cold until bokuto draped his jacket on her shoulders. she muttered a thank you and bumped his shoulder with hers. a comfortable silence fell upon them - one that they have been used to whenever they would spend the afternoons on their shared apartment when they were in college. for an outgoing guy, bokuto admits that he didn't mind the silence as long as it were with her. but for now, the silence was so loud that he wanted to say something before he lost his mind.

'i missed you,' the both of them spoke at the same time. they looked at each other, wide-eyed, and laughed. and as if they didn't break up with each other, bokuto extended his arms and brought her to his arms. he wanted this moment to last longer.

she let herself fall into his embrace because, if she were to be honest, she's also been missing his touches. no one else could bring peace to her mind and calm her soul than bokuto. they stayed like that, embracing and swaying to the breeze of the autumn chill, for minutes.

'where are you going after this,' he finally inquired. she knew that he didn't mean right at this instant. he meant after this reunion week. he wanted to know her plans, her future, and if there were any space for him in her life.

she looked up at him, getting lost in his beautiful eyes and she knew. she's spent her years running around, with the thought of him back in her mind. what ifs filled her daily thoughts and she wondered how things would be different if she had just stayed. but now, she knows better. it was a risk, but it was one that she was willing to take. her parents would call her foolish for what she was about to do, but she figured she could always take a fresh start in japan. besides, it was something that she has been thinking of and now that bokuto asked her, the timing couldn't have been more perfect.

'i'm thinking i could help you once apartment renovations are over. do you have another room? maybe i can stay with you and -' before she could finish her sentence, bokuto lifted her up in a bone-crushing hug and spun around. she giggled and begged him to stop before she got dizzy.

'wait, are you serious right now? what about your job,' he asked, worried that she was doing this for his sake.

'well, i haven't actually told anyone yet but i've actually sent in my resignation notice two weeks ago. they gave me this week off to take a break and once i return there, i'll just pack up my stuff.'

'so, you're actually planning on returning home? here?'

'yes, bokuto. this is home. you are my home.'

there was always something unspoken between them. even in the years that they spent apart, the both of them were waiting and yearning for each other. the both of them believed that their hearts were connected and that they were each other's destiny. now here was the chance they were waiting for, a chance to continue where they left off and spend the rest of their days together.

time check: 12:15 am

And baby, I get mystified by how this city screams your name

tokyo, a city filled with memories of him. when she left years ago, she vowed to never look back. she never would have thought that something good would come out of returning here.

And baby, I'm so terrified of if you ever walk away

but now, wrapped in his arms, she thinks that flying back is her life's greatest decision. 'you don't know how happy this makes me,' he hugged her tightly and she wrapped his arms around him. 'i love you, koutarou.'

I don't wanna lose you, hope it never ends

they definitely weren't going to let each other go this time.

#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu one shot #bokuto koutarou x reader #bokuto x reader #haikyuucreations #hq x reader #hq x imagines #hq x you #haikyuu bokuto #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu fics #note: this was another self-indulgent fic as i was in my bokuto loving hours the wholeday today #pls forgive me #i didnt even know what i was writing on the latter part LMAO

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crassussativum · 3 years

Text

Sentinel: Chapter 7

Eros:

It smelled of smoke and rain inside the Temple. Scents associated with grief and sadness for most turians, for Eros they brought forth a feeling of spiritual safety and order. It was the smell of Palavenian pine when it burned on the pyres for the dead. The smoke guided the recently freed Spirit from the mortal coil to the less tangible afterlife and to the collective Spirit of Palaven where all things became whole.

He loosened his grip on Ignatius’ hand as they passed together over the stone threshold and the smoke stung his eyes. But inside the Temple the weight of his grief eased, the burden lifted by the Spirits that always lingered here. Past Valluvian priests like himself, those that had witnessed Spirits or simply felt them more strongly than the average turian, they stayed within the Temple to help the transition of new Spirits and to bring what comfort they could to the living. Eros had always felt weightless here, like he was floating, like he was a Spirit himself. It was foolish, Eros knew, but it made him smile.

Ignatius smiled softly down at him. His mate wasn’t as religious a man as he was but he understood the soul’s call for it and for that Eros was grateful. He was grateful the Spirits had led Ignatius to him. If the Blackwatch hadn’t arrived on that colony when they had, Eros was certain he would have perished with the rest of his unit. He had been dying after an incendiary round had pierced his hardsuit. After it had burned through all the man-made material and begun to burn through him, Eros had begged the Spirits for any mercy from the agony. Even death if it meant the pain would stop. They had sent him a giant in matte black armor.

That Ignatius had stayed for more than just his rescue had been surprising but throughout his recovery, Eros had realized the Spirits had brought him into Ignatius’ life as much as the other way around. Blackwatch assignments had turned him world weary and cynical and finding Eros had restored his purpose to something more than just that of a skilled combatant. Support, companionship and then love had followed close behind.

Eros gave his hand a squeeze and returned that warm smile. Together they found Terronos’ alter and knelt before it. Eros folded his dark blue robes beneath himself and into his lap, then he lowered his head and closed his eyes. He didn’t need the image projected on the wall to see the face of his fallen friend, it was still clear in his mind’s eye. Square features and green star-burst markings that framed sharp golden eyes above a slow smile that had begun to droop on one side as the corpalis syndrome had arrived with its first signs... Shaking hands had followed and when Terronos had been unable to hold things without noticeable difficulty, they had known something was wrong. Loss of dexterity wasn’t uncommon with advancing age, nor were fading memories, but the inability to form new memories, to lose entire conversations the moment they left the mouth...

Eros didn’t want to remember Terronos that way and he struggled not to but the memory was persistent. He wished he could forget those final weeks of losing his friend piece by piece as corpalis had begun to ravage him. The disease had acted much the same as its chosen victims, it had been an overwhelming force of warfare on the body and mind, unstoppable and without mercy. As much as it hurt, Eros knew Terronos had made the correct choice to join the Spirits when he had, before he had lost even the ability to blink.

Ignatius squeezed his hand again tightly, their fingers laced together. Eros heard him clear his throat and swallow. His voice was quiet and cracked at the edges as he spoke to the Spirit of the former Primarch. It was a while before Eros found his own voice beneath the lump of emotion and joined him.

The Primarch:

The twins were sleeping as they always did, snuggled together with tangled limbs and foreplates just barely touching. Vesimir was positive they had spent their time in the womb much the same way, sharing space and breath and Spirit. It brought him endless comfort to know they would always have each other, and Cato, once he was gone. Cicero, he knew would struggle to fit in with his inability to vocalize in an audible range heard by species other than turians, but Marcian would help him. Together they would find a way to adapt as he had taught them to.

Vesimir pressed a kiss to each little fringe and tucked the blanket around them both. Their night-light was on and projecting ocean waves on the ceiling. If he thought hard enough he could almost hear them crashing against the shores. He yearned for the ocean as he had for few things in his life and no facsimile of sound or image compared but he was pleased the little toy gave the ocean back to his boys.

Vesimir re-activated the security console as he left their room, trusting it to alert him and the Sentinels should the door be opened before the morning. He still wasn’t used to having their room so far away from his own but Cicero and Marcian had made a big to-do out of getting to pick their own room and he only wanted to make them happy. Where their room on Parthia had faced the ocean and the rising sun of the south, the room here faced the main garden and the northern setting sun. It was an old superstition, but Vesimir would have been more comfortable had they chosen a southern facing room as he had.

Cato had chosen an eastern facing room with large windows and a balcony for better natural lighting. For his art, Vesimir knew, so he could see color as it was meant to be seen. He smiled for himself, some day he fully expected Cato to ask for ocular implants to see every spectrum of color. He would allow it, of course. There was serenity in art and Cato had as turbulent a nature as Parthia’s seas.

His mother would be proud of him. She had been wild too, a wandering Spirit full of wonder and joy at every new experience whatever it might be. Vesimir ached at her memory. The twins couldn’t remember her and in truth, they hadn’t even gotten the chance to meet her, it had all happened so fast. There were moments, shameful moments, when Vesimir envied them that. More often, he felt a crushing sorrow for what they had lost, what he and Cato had lost. He still remembered the struggle of explaining to Cato the arrival home of the two infants without their mother. So overcome to the point of numbness with grief that he had done nothing but stand there as his first son had collapsed into tears. Vesimir thanked the Spirits daily for the family next door -Philia and her parents- that had supported them through Marcilinaes’ death.

He wondered if she and Cato had made up yet, not seeing her when they’d boarded the shuttle to leave Parthia had been a shock and his son hadn’t mentioned her since. Vesimir sighed to himself and ran a hand back over his long fringe. He shouldn’t worry, children often had spats that seemed big in the moment and were later proven quite small. The two would make up and before long Cato would be asking for Philia to visit Palaven.

#ooc #Mass Effect #fanfiction #Sentinel #Chapter 7 #Mavic Virim #Crassus Sativum #Primarch Fedorian #Cato Fedorian #Cicero Fedorian #Marcian Fedorian #Ignatius Voynik #Eros Voynik #(I feel like this took forever #and idk how often I'll do chapters in Eros' pov or in Vesimir's #they're both very difficult to write and idk why #Guardian!AU

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anyload171 · 3 years

Text

Photos 4.0 Updating Library

Photos 4.0 Updating Library 0

Photos 4.0 Updating Library

Photos 4.0 Updating Library Stuck

Floola iPod and Floola Desktop are now available (version 2012r1)!

Microsoft Photos, the free photo viewer and editor included with Windows 10, offers competent image editing and photo enhancements along with tools for organizing and editing videos, all in a. IPhoto Library Manager allows you to organize your photos among multiple iPhoto libraries, rather than having to store all of your photos in one giant library. You can browse the photos in all your libraries directly from iPhoto Library Manager, without having to open each library in iPhoto just to see its photos, and search across all your libraries to help track down a particular photo.

The Libronix Digital Library System is a technology used to deliver digital libraries of books and interactive study tools. All of the products carrying the Libronix DLS logo work together seamlessly.

Photos is a photo management and editing application developed by Apple. It was released as a bundled app in iOS 8 on September 17, 2014—replacing the Camera Roll—and released as a bundled app to OS X Yosemite users in the 10.10.3 update on April 8, 2015. It was released for tvOS 10 on September 13, 2016.

Manage music with Floola.

Floola is a freeware application to efficiently manage your iPod or your Motorola mobile phone (any model supporting iTunes except iPhone, iPod touch and nano 6G). Floola Desktop is another freeware application to manage your local PC music library. Both are standalone applications that do not need installation and run under Linux (any GTK2 distro), Mac OS X (10.4 or newer!) and Windows (98 or newer, including Windows 7).

Manage Music, Videos, Podcast and Photos all in one simple app, anywhere on any computer.

Features

Floola supports almost all features offered by iPods including photos, artwork, podcasts and smart playlists! It automatically converts any incompatible audio or video file so that you can copy almost any file to it. It allows adding youtube and myspace videos with a single click. Now it even makes it possible to keep your Google calendars synched! Take a look at the feature list to find out what it can do and feel free to suggest anything that might be missing.

Cross plattform Works on any Windows (98 and above), any Mac and any linux distribution with GTK installed.

Portable Put the application on iPod and launch it on any PC, immediately.

Copy add and extract songs to and from iPod.

Playlists Easily manage, import and export (m3u, pls) playlists.

Last.fm Join the social music revolution.

Podcasts Join the social music revolution.

Web videos add files to iPod just copying the page url

Photos 4.0 Updating Library 0

Localization Available in different languages.

Lyrics Lyric support even on older iPods (3G and above).

Search for duplicates Easily find duplicated songs on iPod.

Search lost files Easily find songs lost in your iPod.

Artwork Add artwork to your songs easily.

Videos Videos can be added to iPod.

Convert Convert audio and video incompatible formats

Google Calendars Synchronize them easily

Export to HTML Create HTML files containing list of your iPod files

Fix iPod Did a software mess up your iPod? Fix it!

Notes Manage notes.

Growl support (Mac version only) Get beautiful system notifications.

Snarl support (Windows version only) Get beautiful system notifications.

Photos 4.0 Updating Library

Music Play iPod’s music.

Photos Freedom to simply add photos to iPod.

Latest changes

Photos 4.0 Updating Library Stuck

Version 2012r1 released, recent changes:

FloolaDesktop is now available

expiration removed

improved linux support

improved podcast support

added support for podcasts over secure http

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lockefanfic · 4 years

Text

Business Trip - Part 7: Path Not Taken

Without a single word, Sana raises her chin slightly, and a soft, sultry look appears as if by magic on her gorgeous face, illuminated as it was by the soft lamp above her. She bites her lip slightly, and as she does so she reaches behind her with one hand - you hear the soft sound of a zipper being undone, and immediately you realize why she has come here.

The dress falls from her body as though it were held up purely by magic, and in the space of a second, Minatozaki Sana is standing naked before you, having evidently worn nothing beneath her dress.

“I want a night to remember you by,” she says softly, her voice a whisper in the quiet room, “I want you to take me tonight as if I were the one you chose.”

“..She’s your what?”

Your sudden exclamation, in English, no less, draws looks from every other occupant of the elevator - thankfully, the girl in question apparently didn’t hear you, so absorbed is she in whatever music is playing out of the headphones she had plugged into her ears.

You bow sheepishly in apology to those nearest you before returning your gaze to Momo. The elevator opens, and the girl - Momo’s ex-girlfriend, apparently - leaves the elevator along with a few others. Satisfied that she is no longer trapped in an enclosed space with her ex, Momo is content to have a hushed conversation with you in English, confident that no one else in the elevator would likely be unable to understand.

“I… had a phase in university, okay? Every girl does.”

“Hey, nothing wrong with that. I was just surprised, that’s all. She’s super cute. Respect.”

You reach out a closed fist, and she accepts and returns your fist bump, a small, reluctant smile appearing on her lips.

“It wasn’t anything serious. We just fooled around for a couple of months. Maybe half a year.”

You give Momo a look of surprise, raising an eyebrow.

“...maybe it was around a year,” she finishes, “or maybe a little more than a year.”

“That sounds pretty serious to me,” you reply.

“Don’t worry about it,” she says dismissively, “it was just a phase.”

“I knew you were too good with Sana in Tokyo,” you say teasingly.

Momo smirks in reply before sticking her tongue out at you. It is a ridiculously cute gesture, and you find a smile appearing on your own lips, almost involuntarily. She had that effect on you - she made smiles magically appear.

“Anyway,” she concludes, “we’ll probably never see her again.”

---

“My name is Miyoui Mina, the chief legal counsel hired to preside over the legal paperwork of this acquisition. I look forward to working with you over the coming months, especially when we’re back at your home office.”

You extend your hand sheepishly, and she gives you a firm up and down shake, her thin arms providing a surprisingly firm grip.

“Same here, Mina,” you say, giving Momo, who is standing next to you, a look, “I look forward to seeing a lot of you.”

Beside you, Momo has managed to throw up the most awkward smile you had ever seen on her as she shakes Mina’s hand as well.

---

Thankfully, Mina was only present for the very first meeting, introducing herself as the chief legal counsel before immediately starting work, thankfully, on another floor of the building. Momo spent most of the morning in a constant state of embarrassment, understandably stressed and shaken over the prospect of having to work closely with her ex-girlfriend for the next few months.

The awkwardness was alleviated somewhat during the lunch hour, when the president of your company appeared via video conference to formally welcome the new acquisition’s management and employees. He also invited them to dinner that night at the fancy establishment Choa had mentioned that morning at breakfast. This got a great reaction from the local employees - it really must’ve been a fancy place, judging by the surprised looks of anticipation that the invitation drew from those in the office.

Sana was also present at many of the morning’s meetings, although she curiously remained distant from the three of you. You glanced over at her with every chance you got, hoping to get a reading on her mood, but the few times you got a good look at her she held a neutral expresion on her face, her features either deep in concentration or otherwise unreadable. She left the office just before lunch, ostensibly to continue work with a satellite office elsewhere in Seoul.

The rest of the day’s meetings passed uneventfully, and you were thankful for the opportunity to return to the hotel to rest up a bit before heading out to dinner. Momo followed you into your room, and while you were both too tired from last night’s activities and the recent day’s work to engage in anything further, she did cuddle up next to you as you both enjoyed a short post-work nap.

You weren’t looking forward to speaking to Sana that night, and the talk you had to have with her. Likewise, Momo was still clearly disturbed by the idea of working with an ex for the next few months.

But at that moment, with her warmth snuggled up next to yours and the sweet strawberry scent of her head just inches below your nose, all your troubles were chased away and you both happily wandered into the welcoming, if mercilessly temporary, bliss of sleep.

---

The venue for the merger celebration dinner turned out to live up to its name - it was probably the fanciest, most expensive restaurant you’d ever had the pleasure of going to, and going by the reactions of most of your fellow employees, that was true for most of the attendees as well. The food certainly lived up to the hype, serving a perfect array of traditional Korean dishes with a modern flair.

The dinner was winding down now, and the attendees had separated into smaller groups to network or make general small talk. The restaurant bar had opened up, and the liquor was flowing freely. Your boss had flown in from out of town, and ensured that no one was wanting for another glass.

Upon excusing yourself from a short business conversation with Seolhyun and her colleagues, you re-entered the main dining area to find Momo, Choa, and Mina engaged in a conversation that seemed significantly more fun and hilarious to Choa and Mina than it did to Momo, who looked ridiculously uncomfortable and awkward in front of her ex - you presumed they were talking about Momo and Mina’s university exploits.

After catching your attention and making eye contact, Momo gestures towards the open balcony. Knowing what she meant, you send her an affirmative nod, and she nods in return, a supportive smile on her cute features. She makes a fist with her hand in a “fighting” gesture, and you nod thankfully to her as you make your way outside.

The restaurant had a rather spacious and luxurious looking balcony, and it was there that you found Sana, leaning against the rail with a small cocktail glass in her hand, staring up at Seoul’s rapidly darkening skyline.

“There you are,” you say softly to the Japanese girl when you are close enough, “we were hoping you would sit at our table during dinner.”

Sana lowers her head softly, as though she were dreading the moment that you would find her and start this conversation. She seemed to resign herself to her fate, however, as she lets out a short sigh and turns halfway to face you, keeping one arm on leaning on the balcony rail.

She had always had a keen sense of fashion, and in a room full of gorgeous, well dressed women she still managed to stand out in a short black cocktail dress that highlighted her long, perfectly shaped legs and slim figure. Her hair is done up to fall on one side of her cute face, and while she greets you with a smile, there is little happiness in it.

“Maybe I’ve been hiding,” she says softly in reply, the smile on her lips trying and only partly succeeding in convincing you that she was joking.

You step up next to the young woman, leaning against the handrail beside her.

“Sana, I was hoping we could talk.”

“About you and Momo?”

You smile to yourself - of course she already knew. Girls always knew before you did, it seemed.

“How did you know?”

Sana giggles, although it is an empty sound that leaves her throat, void of the cheeriness that once pervaded even the smallest of her gestures.

“You’re so dense sometimes,” she says softly, “it was obvious from the second you two walked into the office this morning.”

You nod slightly, smiling back at her, unable to say anything in reply.

“I always figured it would be a matter of time before you two got together,” Sana says, pausing slightly before continuing, “She’s quite the catch. I’m happy for the both of you.”

“Thank you, Sana,” you manage to say, although you wish you could say more. The two of you remain standing there in silence, leaning against the balcony rail, both lost in your own thoughts. The volume of the party behind the both of you continues to increase as employees buy each other drinks and shots, but the only thing you can hear is the deafening silence between you and Sana.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Sana finally speaks, her voice slow and sad.

“What’s your hotel room number?”

“901,” you answer, the question catching you off guard.

Sana drains the rest of her cocktail in one shot, before turning so that her back is facing the balcony rail. You turn to face her, but she avoids making eye contact with you, her eyes cast downward at the small space between the two of you.

“I’ll drop by to say goodbye,” she says softly, before turning and walking away, leaving you wondering what she meant.

---

A few hours later you are back in your hotel room, pacing back and forth in front of the window, trying to find some distraction in Seoul’s downtown lights. You had no idea what Sana meant by her last words to you, and so you figured it would be best to return to the hotel and prepare yourself for whatever it was she had in mind. Momo agreed that it would probably be the best course of action, assuring you that she would be there to support you no matter what happened between you and Sana.

You glance once more at the digital clock on the nightstand - it is just past midnight.

As if staring at the clock triggered some sort of switch, a soft knock at your door interrupts the silence of your hotel room, and immediately you know it could only be Sana. You walk nervously to the heavy door and pause for a moment to compose yourself, your hand on the silver door handle. Taking a deep breath, you swing the handle downward and open the door.

Minatozaki Sana fills the doorframe, bathed in the hotel hallway’s soft light, a blank, unreadable expression on her features. You open your mouth to say something in greeting, but she pushes past you and walks into your hotel room. You let her pass, and close the door softly behind her, watching as she stands in front of your bed, her back facing you. She takes a moment there, as though composing herself, ensuring herself that what she was doing was the best course of action.

After a moment she turns around so that she is facing you. You are still in the entrance foyer of your hotel room, not quite knowing what to do.

The dress falls from her body as though it were held up purely by magic, and in the space of a second, Minatozaki Sana is standing naked before you, having evidently worn nothing beneath her dress.

“I want a night to remember you by,” she says softly, her voice a whisper in the quiet room, “I want you to take me tonight as if I were the one you chose.”

“I… I don’t want to take advantage of you,” you reply.

“You’re not. I want this. I want you. One night. No more, no less. Please. Take me.”

You are dumbfounded - by the beauty of the now naked young woman standing in front of you, but also by her request. It takes you a few seconds to gather yourself and your thoughts, but your course of action almost immediately becomes clear. You knew that Momo would have no problems with what you were about to do, so without allowing yourself a moment to change your mind, you step toward Sana, watching her large, round eyes as they hold your gaze every step of the way.

Your lips crash together as your arms wrap around one another’s bodies, your movements driven as much by instinct as by lust and passion - you both allow your instincts to take over, your natural desires to lose yourselves in each others’ bodies.

Your tongue finds welcome in Sana’s mouth, where it meets its counterpart and engages in a passionate duel with it. Your hands wander around the young woman’s warm, soft body, rediscovering curves and soft, clear skin. Sana had lost some weight in the months since you had last seen her, and while a part of you missed the curviness her added weight gave her, there was no doubt that the newfound slim tightness of her body held an appeal of its own.

You break the kiss to dive into her neck, and the Japanese girl lifts her head to give you easier access. Simultaneously your right palm wanders beneath her waist and grasps her left butt cheek, eliciting a soft gasp from the young woman as she allows you to reacquaint yourself with her body.

“Tell me what you want me to do,” you whisper softly into her ear, your words coming from a place of consideration and not of lust - you genuinely wanted to do whatever you could to make this night as memorable for her as you could.

“I want… I want you...” Sana begins, her voice low and quiet, “I want you to take me. All night.”

You take her words as license to pleasure her however you saw fit, and to that end an idea comes to mind. Leaving the welcoming, comfortable crevice of her warm neck, you give her a soft kiss on her lips before you take her by the shoulders and turn her around, so that her back is to you and she is facing the hotel room’s dresser, which has a large mirror above it.

Looking over her shoulder, you take a moment to admire Sana’s tight, naked body; you guessed she had been working out in the time since your last visit to Tokyo, as she had lost a little bit of her baby fat. Her breasts, still perky and round, sit proudly atop her chest, and her flat, slim stomach leads invitingly to the shaved mound between her thighs.

You lift your t-shirt over your head, and as soon as the article of clothing is gone you press yourself against her back, enjoying the feel or your naked torso pressing against hers. Your arms snake around the young woman’s body - your right hand reaches across her torso to fondle and cup her left breast, while your left hand caresses her lower stomach - both your hands tease her intimate areas, without actually stimulating them.

Sana lets a soft “Ohhh,” escape her lips at the feeling of your hands teasing her body before continuing breathlessly, “touch me. Make me feel good.”

You smile devilishly against the back of her neck before you plant soft kisses against her skin; at the same time you finally capture her breast in your palm, relishing the feeling of her hardened nipple as it pokes your palm and the loud gasp of air that escapes Sana’s lips at the new contact. Your left hand traces a more careful path, your left middle finger leading the way as it slowly, carefully heads towards that wonderful, warm spot between her legs.

Eventually it reaches Minatozaki Sana’s most intimate area, and your middle finger dives as deep as it can between her warm thighs to the very bottom of her pussy, finding much to your satisfaction that she is already drenched, her juices quickly soaking your finger as it slowly, carefully traces her outer lips in an upward movement until it finds the hardened nub of her clitoris, which it caresses in slow, up and down movements.

“You’re so wet, Sana.”

“You… make me… so wet,” she replies, and her response drives you to slowly increase the tempo of your strokes against her clit, causing the volume of the steady moans that are escaping her throat to increase. For long minutes your finger plays against her clit, causing waves of pleasure to wrack the body of the young Japanese girl.

Sana is at this point a quivering, shaky mess, her legs turning into jelly, and she leans forward slightly upon the dresser with both hands to keep her balance. In leaning forward she brushes her naked ass against your crotch and the hard shaft beneath your pajama bottoms, eliciting a gasp of surprised pleasure from both your mouths. Almost immediately, as if by instinct, she reaches her left hand back and finds your hardened shaft, caressing it over your pajamas, a move that surprises you and leaves you momentarily stunned in pleasure.

“Take this off. Let me feel you,” she says, and you oblige, stripping yourself of the offending garment with a speed that surprises you.

As soon as you are as naked as she is, you press yourself once more against the young woman, relishing the warmth of the small of her back against the underside of your shaft. Sana’s fingers return to your cock, and she pumps her small hand up and down slowly as best she can given her position.

You return her efforts with some of your own, continuing to focus on the movements of your finger on her clit, rubbing the soft nub with a consistent pressure with the pad of your middle finger. Your right hand captures the stiffened nipple of her breast with your index finger and thumb, teasing and pinching the bud mercilessly, drawing a soft, breathy moan from Sana’s throat. Your fingers continue their magic on her body as the moans continue and increase in volume as she nears her peak.

Sana lets go of your shaft, now unable to continue to pump it - not that you mind, so focused are you on pleasuring her. She reaches back with her now-free hand, grasping your hip with a tight grip in an attempt to find some release for the pleasure coursing through her young body.

“I’m so close,” Sana says, barely able to form the words amidst the gasps of pleasure and lust, “I’m cumming!”

The young woman does just that, and her body is wracked by spasms as the hand between her legs drives her over the edge. Her soft thighs capture your hand and wrist between them as her body quivers in pleasure. You tighten your hold on her body, squeezing her breast slightly tighter as she savors every moment of her orgasm.

“Enough,” she says softly, her chest still heaving with heavy, needed breaths, to your reflection in the mirror, “I need you inside me. I need you now.”

You take one more moment to savor the sight of her reflection in the mirror - of her flushed, soft skin, her tight, slim body as it is ravaged by your fingers and hands, one fondling a soft breast, the other between her legs as it works her glistening, moist flesh. You savor the sight of this wanton, lust-drunk woman in your arms, and you smile devilishly at the prospect of the pleasures that are about to come.

Regretfully, you withdraw your hands from their positions on her breast and pussy, and taking her by the wrist, you lead her to the bed. Sana lies down on its edge, her legs spreading wantonly as you take your position between them. As she lies down on her back, you are struck once more by her beauty - she was absolutely gorgeous when she was simply sitting at an office table, but here, in the throes of passion with nothing but her own allure to clothe her, she is simply breathtaking.

“Please,” she says softly, “fill me.”

You take your shaft, as hard as it can ever be, gently in your right hand, and you softly place it against the quivering, warm, wet flesh of Sana’s pussy, the both of you taking delight in the feeling of your cockhead pressing against her opening, the slit pressing against her clit as it passes over it, giving you both a mere appetizer at the pleasure that is to come.

Then, with one soft, slow movement, you line the head of your shaft up with her ready, inviting lips, and you thrust inside Minatozaki Sana’s body with one smooth, long stroke.

Your eyes are glued to Sana’s face as you enter her, and you relish the look of pleasure that washes over her small, cute features, twisting them pleasantly, her mouth opening and releasing a small gasp as you reach your hilt inside her body. You both take a moment to savor the new feeling of your coupling, but it is Sana who re-initiates your movement, twisting and rubbing her hips against yours in an attempt to convince you, without words, that it was okay for you to continue.

You are happy to oblige the young woman, and so you draw your shaft out of her tightly grasping pussy, watching intently as her lips grasp your cock as it withdraws from her body. Just as your cockhead is the only part left in her, you drive forward again into her with a soft, smooth thrust.

Soon you establish a steady rhythm, and you are fucking Sana with solid, smooth strokes, her tight, slim body rocking back and forth on the bed with every thrust. A steady stream of moans and gasps are the soundtrack to your session, the young woman having no qualms about giving voice to the steadily building pleasure washing over her body.

You watch the young woman intently, focusing on keeping the speed and depth of your thrusts consistent, remembering from your last time together that that was what she liked. She brings her hands down to her thighs, resting them on either side of her pussy and your thrusting cock; this had the added wonderful side effect of bringing her softly bouncing breasts closer together with her upper arms, and you watch intently as the soft mounds of flesh are rocked with each impact of your bodies.

“So good… it feels so good,” Sana gasps, the words half-gasps, “You fuck me so good. Don’t stop. Deeper. Fuck me deeper.”

She raises her left leg so that her calf is resting against your right shoulder, lowering her right leg so that it is almost touching the floor. This changes the angle at which you are penetrating her, and allows you even deeper access into her body. You grip her raised leg and the thigh of her lowered leg, spreading them apart, relishing in the feel of soft flesh beneath your hands, and the deeper penetration you are able to achieve with her legs spread the way they were. You push forward with each thrust, drilling her tight, slick pussy as deeply as you are able.

“Yes! Just like that… just like that! You’re so deep… deep inside me!”

Sana lets her head fall back, and her back arches as she is wracked by a new wave of pleasure. She grasps your hand on her thigh with her own, the tightness of her grip betraying the pleasure coursing through her body. You fuck her in this position for a few long minutes, the both of you losing track of time, so lost are you both in the pursuit of pleasure. Both your eyes close for a moment, allowing nothing but the pleasure erupting from your joining to flood your minds.

Sana lets an uninterrupted stream of wordless, sultry moans leave her mouth, and you answer with the odd soft grunt of your own as you reach particular peaks of pleasure. Your bodies make sounds of their own, the wet thumping of your bodies crashing together joining with your moans to fill the room with the wordless sounds of intimacy. There are no words spoken, but eventually, it is Sana that finds words to articulate her pleasure.

“I’m gonna.. I’m gonna cum!”

“Fuck, Sana,” you say, “I’m gonna cum too.”

You are somewhat embarrassed at the speed at which your orgasm is approaching, but the pleasure of the position, the wonderful sight of her body as it is rocked by each thrust into her, and the emotions infused into the evening are too much, too overwhelming, too difficult to fight when the alternative - the pleasure - was so easy to obtain.

Sana, thankfully, is the first to fall over the edge, and her back arches even more as she orgasms, her pussy contracting tightly around your shaft as she lets out a long, loud moan. You do your best to fight it, but you know you are only seconds away from orgasm.

“Fuck, Sana, I’m cumming,” you manage to say.

“Cum on me,” the young woman replies, still mid-orgasm, “cum all over me.”

The thought of doing anything else but obey her does not even enter your mind, so focused are you on your impending orgasm. You are just coherent enough to withdraw your cock from Sana’s slick pussy before grasping it with your left hand and pumping the wet shaft with your palm. Your orgasm soon washes over you, and you send thick, hot streams of semen all over Sana’s breasts and flat, tight stomach, painting her torso in creamy streaks of white.

You are still pumping your shaft with your hand, enjoying the last waves of pleasure erupting from your crotch, when you are finally able to open your eyes, even though you don’t remember closing them. You watch as Sana pants heavily on the bed, her limbs suddenly slack and weak - but you are happy to find a satisfied, if exhausted, look on her features.

The young woman bites her lip - an action that could not have been any more sexy, considering she was basking in the afterglow of sex, her breasts and torso painted with the evidence of it. With a slim, thin hand, she gathers a stream of your glistening, still-warm cum from where it has landed on her right breast, and, ensuring you are watching, she brings it to her mouth and licks it from her finger.

“You taste good,” she says softly, her voice a soft whisper, “Later I want you to cum in my mouth.”

---

A part of you wishes the mirror were visible from your current position, so that you could watch as Sana impales herself over and over on your cock. You want to watch the expression of pleasure written all over her cute features, want to watch her small, round breasts bounce up and down, want to watch every muscle of her long, perfectly shaped legs work to throw her body again and again against your cock. You especially wish you could have watched when she came, a minute earlier, her body writhing in pleasure as her pussy spasmed around your still-thrusting cock.

But you’ll have to content yourself with the almost equally alluring view of her sweaty back, as she rides you in a reverse cowgirl position; not that it was a particularly difficult position to enjoy, especially given the view of her round, full ass as she slams it down against your crotch. She may have slimmed down a little, but she managed to keep her curves where they counted, and as you slap her right cheek with an open palm, you are happy for that fact.

As you slap her ass, Sana throws her head back and lets out a long, sultry moan that might have been a Japanese word - it was hard to tell given her tone.

“You like that?” you ask, although you already knew what she would answer.

“Yes,” she says back, the word almost a hiss from her lips, “you like… you like fucking my pussy with your cock?”

“Fuck yes,”

“Good, now fuck it with your tongue.”

In a move that surprises you with its speed, Sana slips off your cock before shuffling her body downward - before you know it, your face is between her soft, warm thighs, and her pussy is mere inches away from your face.

You take a moment to savor the sight of her most intimate area - upside down, as it were - and find a lot to like in the way her lips are slightly splayed, having been penetrated by your shaft moments prior. Her entire crotch is moist with her juices, her pussy juicy and inviting, like a ripe fruit ready to be devoured.

Sana does not have your patience, however, and almost as soon as you are in a suitable position she has taken your cock, still drenched with her own juices, into her mouth. She wastes no time in establishing a quick rhythm, working the upper half of your cock with her lips and tongue and pumping the base of your shaft with a closed fist. She swirls her tongue around the tip and under the head; her position means her attention is focused on the top side of your shaft, and you find your cock is more sensitive to the new sensation.

You reciprocate eagerly, diving into her juicy pussy with your tongue, driving it as deep as it can go between her inviting lips, relishing the bittersweet taste of her juices as they flow into her mouth. You drink deeply of Sana’s most intimate area, your tongue exploring her body just as your cock did moments before. You press down on her ass with both hands, squeezing the round, tender flesh and pressing her pussy even deeper down on your face.

Eventually you find her clit, and your tongue presses against it, massaging it softly before reverting to giving it long, slow licks with as much of your tongue as you can. Simultaneously, you bring your right hand to her pussy, stroking her lips and penetrating it slightly.

Sana moans deeply around your cock, the vibration of the moan sending delicious tingles of pleasure around your shaft. She recovers quickly, and resumes her blowjob, unrelenting in her goal of pleasuring you.

“Fuck… you’re too good at that,” you manage to say. If Sana heard you, she made no move to relent or even acknowledge your comment, so absorbed is she in taking you in and out of her mouth.

“Sana… I’m getting close.”

At that, Sana lets your cock flop out of her mouth after one long, hard suck. Without a further word, she lifts her body off you and repositions herself between your spread legs. You regret for a moment the loss of her delicious pussy in front of your face, but the sight of her cute, beautiful face, now clouded with lust, between your legs convinces you that it wasn’t much of a loss.

“I want us to see each other when you come in my mouth,” she says softly, before immediately resuming her work - but this time, her eyes remain glued to yours, even as she takes your shaft in and out of her sweet lips.

It is all too much - all too fucking much to resist. The sight of her lips wrapped around your cock, the sight of her large, expressive eyes glued to yours, the sight of her thin fingers pumping up and down your shaft… it was too much.

“I’m cumming,” you manage to say, before your orgasm hits you harder than you were expecting and your cock pumps warm semen into Sana’s wet, waiting mouth. As she receives the first stream of cum she lifts her mouth off your shaft and presents her open mouth to you, allowing you to see the rest of your cum shoot directly onto her tongue and the back of her mouth - all the while, her eyes are glued to yours, watching as your face contorts in pleasure.

You manage, through the greatest of effort, to keep your eyes open and watching as you send cum into Sana’s open mouth. And you are satisfied beyond measure to watch as you finally finish cumming and she closes her mouth, her throat gulping the semen down her throat. When she opens her mouth again, she sticks out her pink tongue at you, confirming that she has swallowed it all.

“Next, I want it against the window, like the first time we fucked.”

With that, Sana hops off the bed, and you watch dumbfounded as her naked body heads to the washroom to clean up.

---

Hot. Wet. Tight. So, so tight.

Random words, but they all come to mind as you fuck Sana from behind, her tight, slim body pressed hard against the open hotel room window, her naked breasts pressed against the glass in a wanton, brazen display. You pump softly, slowly, partly from fatigue, but mostly from a need to prolong the moment and enjoy every sensation coursing throughout your body.

Sana, given the consistent stream of moans coming from her throat, felt much the same. Other girls only really made noise during when they hit certain peaks of pleasure, or perhaps to communicate something to you, but Sana was different - she started to gasp and moan the second you entered her, and the stream of gasps and moans didn’t end until you left her body. Her palms, pressed against the glass like the rest of her naked body, grasp and contort as though wanting to grip something - her body is speaking a language of its own, one that says this is it, this is all it wants.

The sounds coalesced into something resembling words as you increase the speed and depth of your thrusts slightly, enjoying the feel of her soft ass smacking against your crotch as your cock drills into her wet tightness.

“Yes… yes! Just like that… fuck me… fuck me like… like I’m the one.”

Her last words give you pause - what did she mean by that? But you have no time to consider further, as she continues.

“Yes! You… you fuck me so good. I’m gonna cum. I’m gonna cum… Oh!”

She cums again - not nearly as intense as her previous orgasms, but there is no denying the soft warmth of her pussy’s contractions as she reaches her peak, nor the sudden wetness that floods your softly thrusting cock. Her body shudders softly as she allows the waves to wash over her in an orgasm that is not powerful, but rather warm and soft and soothing.

“Sana, I want to cum in you,” you say matter of factly. You had yet to cum in her this night, and every fibre of your being wanted to. You knew she was making you wait, making you ask for it, making you need to bury your cum in her body. You look down, to where your bodies are grinding together, watching as your grip around her full waist tightens with your impending orgasm. Her pussy had always been amongst the tightest you had ever had, but it was especially so post-orgasm, and it was becoming almost unbearable, especially in this position.

Sana does not answer immediately, but she lets you thrust a few more times into her body before she responds, as though she were debating with herself whether to finally let you cum inside her,

“Do it,” she says softly, her eyes cast downward as the side of her head presses against the glass, “cum in me. Fill my body with your cum. Cum in me like you cum in her.”

You only barely hear her last words - your orgasm takes you by surprise, and the only thing you are aware of is the last thrust you make into her body before you tumble over the edge and your cock spasms, sending stream after stream of hot semen finally, mercifully, into Minatozaki Sana’s tight, slick, willing body.

Sana lets out a soft gasp as she feels you empty yourself inside her and the warmth of your cum floods her pussy. You slump against her body as the fatigue of the evening sets in, pressing her naked body against the cold glass. You plant a soft kiss on the back of her neck.

Neither of you say anything, for neither of you can find the words. Eventually, you both find yourselves back in the bed, and Sana presses herself against you as you both find merciful bliss in sleep.

---

When you next wake, the first thing you are aware of is the emptiness next to you.

You shake the haziness of sleep away from your head as you make out the shape of Sana standing at your hotel room door, leaning with one hand on the wall as she slips her right heel onto her slim foot.

Realizing that she had nothing but a short black cocktail dress and heels to keep her warm in the chilly Seoul autumn morning, you grab your blue hoodie from the chair next to the hotel room door. You drape it over her shoulders, and she slips her thin arms into the sleeves and zips it up. She ties the loose hood drawstrings into a cute bow at her neck - Sana had been many things over the short time you’d known her, but even now, in the last moments of your time together, she was still almost unbearably adorable.

“Thank you,” she says, “although you might never get this back.”

“That’s a very expensive hoodie,” you lie, knowing it wasn’t, “and I expect you to personally give it back to me someday.”

Sana doesn’t answer, and offers only a sad smile in reply.

“Have a safe flight tomorrow,” she says, although her words are already heavy with sadness, her tone wavering. You both knew that the next few moments might be the last you’d ever see of each other, and the burden of that knowledge weighed heavily on both your minds.

“I will. I’ll let you know when we get home.”

Sana nods, sadly - her lips quiver slightly, and it is only then that you realize you used the word ‘we’, and that she probably took it to mean that you were speaking with Momo in mind, now that you were a couple.

“Sana, I-”

“Don’t,” she interrupts, holding up a hand, as if to physically stop you from speaking further. Her hand, her small, thin hand, wavers slightly, as though she were struggling to keep it in the air without shaking. After a second she gives up, and drops her hand for fear of betraying the fact that she was just barely keeping it together.

“I’d rather we left on good terms,” she explains, “and without any drama. You don’t have to explain anything. You chose her, not me. I need to accept that.”

Sana pauses for a second, as if to gather what little strength and composure she had left. After awhile she looks up at you, her eyes glassy and wet with tears, her sheer will being the only thing keeping them from falling onto porcelain cheeks. She opens her mouth and her next words that escape her lips are just above a whisper:

“...I hope she makes you happy.”

The English language fails to give voice to your feelings, and you can do nothing but nod softly in reply.

“Good night,” she says softly.

“Oyasumi,” you answer.

She holds your gaze for a moment more before she turns, slowly, to face the door. She places a hand upon the knob, and as if it were the most painful thing in the world for her to do, she turns it and opens the door slightly. Her hand stays on the doorknob, frozen there by fear and uncertainty and sadness. You can see that she is gripping the metal knob tightly, as though she were leaning on it for support and letting go of it would cause her to collapse.

Sana turns her head slightly, the light from the hallway illuminating her profile against the darkness of your hotel room. The light reflects off the tears that have finally spilled over her cheeks, each one a betrayal of the composure she was trying to exude. Her eyes are sad, but there is a wistfulness in them, as though she were picturing things in her mind’s eye; days and nights filled with you that would never be.

“If you’d asked, I would have moved overseas for you,” she says softly, every word painful for you to hear, and even more painful for her to say. There is a soft smile on her beautiful lips, although there is no happiness in it.

She lets the silence linger in the air for a moment before continuing.

“We would’ve been happy together.”

She opens the door fully and walks out into the hallway. You want to say something, want to grab her by the arm and tell her that those things are still possible; but your body fails you, and it is all you could do to lean on the doorframe as she walks away.

You watch helplessly as Minatozaki Sana turns the hallway corner and disappears - out of your sight, out of the hotel, and out of your life.

---

Author’s Note: Man, that chapter was heavy. :(

#kpop fanfic #kpop fanfiction #kpop smut #pov smut #smut #male reader #twice #twice sana #sana #minatozaki sana

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guardianofjunmyeon · 4 years

Text

Finding Atlantis (part 7)

Genre: Action/Adventure, Enemies to Lovers, PirateAU

Description: 20 years ago the seas became angry. Unruly and unkind to any sailor, to any ship that dared venture too far out in her waters. Many a man has heard the tales of Atlantis, the lost city, the key the ocean. But fewer men know the tale of it’s missing child. The key to the ocean, the key to Atlantis but a lost little one. The power one would hold should they find this child would be nearly that of Poseidon himself. Thus, the hunt began.

A/N: Sorry it took so long for an update but i was kind of pissed off at baekhyun and exo for their lack of BLM support but whatever now. I’ve received you guys’ messages and asks and I keep meaning to respond to things but i really dont get on tumblr all that often. I really love and appreciate you all though so here’s a pretty...cute chap

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18

Darkness. Suffocation. Cold. Not breathing. He’s not breathing. He’s not breathing.

You’re not breathing.

You sit up with a start. “Baekhyun!” You gasp for air. Your chest heaves as you frantically try to breathe. The image of Baekhyun’s unmoving body begins to fade from your memory like a dream you can’t fully recall. Darkness makes way for the brightness that you are beginning to realize surrounds you. You don’t feel seasick; your body is still.

Panting, you look around.

A beach. Your heartbeat slows down when you realize that you’re sitting on a beach, alive. Alive and safe and the boat is pulled ashore.

But you can’t find Baekhyun. Panic rises again.

“You’re awake.” You hear from behind you.

You whip around, and there he is. Baekhyun stands on both of his feet, shirtless with an armful of wood.

And both of his god damn eyes.

Pain unexpectedly shoots up your middle. You groan loudly and lower yourself back down on your back. It doesn’t feel as intense like this. “Fuck,” you hiss in agony.

“You fractured your rib,” Baekhyun says, now at your side. You look at him through squinted eyelids. “It’s not broken, and it’ll heal on its own. You’ve just got to take it easy for a while,” he instructs you softly. You catch a glimpse of concern in his eyes.

His fucking two eyes.

“You’ve got more than one eye…” you croak dumbly. With each inhale of breath the pain begins to subside.

He blinks and the concern that you think you saw vanishes. “Yeah, and you’ve got fractured bones. Now we’ve both stated the obvious.”

He stands up and walks off while you struggle to sit up without experiencing more shooting pains. It doesn’t work out well; any move to raise your body sends another painful jolt through your body. From experience, you can tell that it’s your lower left rib that’s injured. That’s where you experience the most pain. Breathing doesn’t hurt; you chalk it up to luck that you didn’t puncture a lung in the process. In…all of that.

Your throat begins to close up at the memory. The rain. The waves. The cold.

He’s not breathing.

A decently sized canteen drops into your lap. You jump in your spot. “You’re dehydrated,” is all Baekhyun says before he walks off again.

You follow his retreating figure with your eyes. “Thanks,” you rasp to yourself.

Surprising yourself, you’re glad to see that he’s fine. That he’s alive despite the years you’ve spent wishing him dead.

It takes a bit of time, and a lot of moaning and hissing, to open the canteen. You nearly cry when you’re finally able to feel the water sliding down your throat. You drink it greedily.

What if this is all the water you’ve got?

You stop and pull the lip of it away from your mouth. You drank half of it in just 3 seconds.

“You can finish it,” you hear Baekhyun say from where he’s crouched by the wood. “There’s more on the island, we won’t go thirsty for a while.”

Without further hesitation you drain the rest. You’re still thirsty, but at least now you can talk, and maybe even stand without passing out. Like a baby learning to walk on its own, you slowly lift your body off the ground and on to your knees.

Baekhyun watches you closely, but does nothing to help. Once you’ve caught your breath again and are comfortably sitting on your knees, he stands up. He pulls on his shirt and then starts in the direction of the tree line. He pauses, turns to you and jerks his head towards the trees. A silent beckoning.

With a breath to prep you for the pain, you force yourself on your legs.

After only a few seconds of dizziness, your visions clears and you take careful steps in his direction.

Baekhyun waits until you’re only a step behind him to start walking forward again. There seems to be a clear path to wherever he’s leading you. You’re thankful that you don’t have to duck and dodge branches with your fractured rib.

Actually, the more you think about it, the path is suspiciously cleared of obstructions. You frown and look around. It’s clear as day that branches have been broken off recently. Maybe Baekhyun was going to use it for the fire?

You squint at the ground and see broken pieces of tree along the ground. So, not firewood. Path wood?

Why would he need to do that when he can just push them out of the way? The ground is flat even without the branches he’d torn down. It seems kind of unnecessary.

Your foot catches on a divot in the ground and your body stumbles half a step too far just fast enough to cause a pain to shoot up your side. You bite back a pathetic whine and notice belatedly that Baekhyun is hovering right at your side anxiously. Your eyes water instinctively at the smarting in your torso.

You let out a shaky breath and straighten up. “Fuck.”

He frowns.

“We’re almost there.” A beat of silence. And then, “Watch your step dumbass.”

Your rib prevents you from fighting back. You don’t think you would really want to even if you could. You trod behind him dutifully. The forest is full with the sounds of life, but the conversation between the two of you is dead. Painfully so.

“How long have you been awake?” you ask to fill the silence.

“A few hours. I looked around the island while you were unconscious.”

You hum. You wonder whether the boat washed up on its own or if he rowed here in your sleep.

To your surprise he continues on. “It’s an old prison island from the looks of it. I came across the jail and a bunker when I was gathering firewood.”

“Were there people in the prison?”

“Not living ones.”

“Gross.”

Silence.

“Thanks…by the way,” he says gently. Oh? Is that…a thank you you’ve heard?

“What was that?” you goad.

“Don’t make me say it again…”

“Do you mean for saving your life? Are you thanking me for that? For being a heroic, brave, sexy, strong-”

“I should have thrown your body into the ocean when I woke up.”

You laugh softy, carefully. If you breathe too hard then your rib smarts again.

“How’s your rib doing?” he asks.

“Hurts.”

“Okay smartass-”

“I’m serious!”

A beat.

“How are your stitches?” you ask.

“Hurts.”

“Listen here-”

He laughs. A full one. A bright one.

You shuffle behind holding back a smile. A building comes into view after a few minutes of walking. He was right; it’s obviously an old prison if the dreariness of it is anything to go by. It’s a small one. You follow him through broken doors, barely hanging onto their last hinge.

It reeks of death.

A chill runs down your spine.

Avoiding the actual prison cells, the two of you walk right to the guard room. Light streams through the window and you can see that the place was left in a hurry. There is still a lot of junk strewn around. It smells of moldy water. Maybe the place was hit by a hurricane.

You walk over to the desk and pull out a drawer. Matches, pens, an old pipe. You pocket the matches and check each drawer for anything of use while Baekhyun does the same across the room.

Most of the things you come across are entirely worthless, but you do find a fully loaded gun and a dusty flare.

The finds remind you that you didn’t grab anything when you jumped off the ship. Reckless. Thoughtless. But the realization that you don’t regret it is humbling.

Quickly you pat your body to see if you happened to bring anything of use. Your smallest blade sits reliably on your hip, and your gun still happens to be in its holster.

The compass.

You unhook it from your hip and stare at it in disappointment. Useless.

The sound of glass crashing across the room alarms you.

Baekhyun stands next to the shattered object with startled eyes and a wince frozen on his face. “Can you be quiet?” you whisper harshly.

He relaxes and rolls his eyes. “There’s no one alive here,” he reminds. “It’s not like we’re going to get in trouble.” His voice is as low as yours.

“Then why are you whispering?”

“Because you’re whispering!” He whispers back in frustration.

You cock an eyebrow.

“Shut up,” he says at normal volume. He steps over the glass with his hands on his hips and his lips jut out in a disappointed pout.

Clearly there’s nothing else of value in here.

“Do you know where the kitchen is?” you ask quietly.

“Yeah, come on.”

You travel through the halls wordlessly. The dripping of water punctuates every other second that passes. Your boots slosh through puddles of dirty water.

The silence of the jail feels more oppressive than anything else you’ve ever felt in life. It puts you on edge. You won’t say it scares you. Not when you’ve faced death itself countless times in your life. But if a fucking dead body comes back to life to eat your heart, you will not be responsible for your actions.

You are not beyond tripping Baekhyun so that you can get away.

In the kitchen, you split up to look for anything that can be salvaged. There are cans of food, packages of dried meats and fruits. The food left in the broken fridge is rancid, and rats crawl around on the floor. You would probably be better off just hunting and fishing on your own.

The floor creaks awkwardly under your foot as you close a cabinet with metal serving dishes; you look down. There’s a catch in the floor.

A door.

“Hey,” you hiss. You motion to your side when Baekhyun looks up from snacking on a bag of dried bananas. “Can you lift this up for me?” you ask.

He pads over and looks down in confusion at the spot near your foot. His jaw freezes in the middle of chewing as interest spreads across his face.

When he reaches down, the door squeaks open with a severity that hurts your ears. It’s pitch black below.

You dig the matches out of your pocket and lower yourself carefully, closer to the entrance. You strike a match and it dimly illuminates a bit of the space. An oil lamp hangs not far from the top.

Once lit, the lamp brightens up the hidden room.

A ladder.

Despite the burning in your torso you begin to lower yourself down farther.

An hand lands on your shoulder to stop you. “What are you doing?” Baekhyun whispers.

“I’m investigating. There’s no one here remember?” you mock. You shrug off his hand and scale down the short ladder. Another lamp awaits at the bottom. You strike another match and the full room comes into view.

You smile. “It’s a liquor storage.”

“What?”

“It’s a liquor storage,” you whisper a bit louder.

“What?!” he calls louder.

You inhale angrily. “IT’S A-”

“I heard you the first time. Quiet down,” he laughs from above. You hear him jump down into the small space. He looks around appreciatively.

“Party on the beach. Better than dying stranded and sober I guess.”

Baekhyun grabs a few bottles and places them outside of the little room. You attempt to grab a bottle of bourbon that’s caught your eye a bit above your head.

You’ll have to stretch for it.

Bracing yourself for pain, you suck air through your teeth. But before you can lift your hand above your head, a warm body is pressed against your back and the bottle is pulled from your vision. You blink dumbly and once the solidness of his chest vanishes from your back, you turn to face him.

“What part of ‘take it easy’ don’t you understand?” Baekhyun scolds you, the bottle of bourbon you were going to grab cradled in his arm. He exhales in exasperation. “I’ll carry this stuff back. Just…stop doing shit that will hurt your fracture.”

“Aw Baekhyun are you worried about m-”

“If you actually break your rib I’m not going to help you fix it and you can die on this island immobile.”

You quiet.

“Fine.”

Baekhyun ends up carrying all of the heavy items found on your search back to the beach where you’d washed up. You trail behind him, mind shrouded in confusion, and a bit of worry. When did he start to care about your injuries?

He puts down the sheet, that he’d used the carry everything over, with an exhausted puff of breath.

Wordlessly you both begin to set up camp.

Baekhyun works on getting a fire started as the sun begins to lower in the sky, and you spread out the cloth so that you’ll have a buffer between your bodies and the sand when you sit down or sleep.

You take stock of all of the supplies that you’d collected while he continues to nurse dim embers to life. You’re happy to see that he’d found a second flare in his search.

The sky and the ocean are calm, cruelly so, as the two of you settle in front of the growing fire. When the sky is blanketed in black and stars begin to make themselves known, you light the flare that you’d grabbed from the prison. It illuminates the sky briefly and then fades away. Hopefully your ship sees it.

The night is warm, and the fire crackles excited between you. You on one side of the fire and Baekhyun five feet away.

Baekhyun munches on a package of dried meat he’d collected, and you struggle to open a bottle of rum with your teeth. It uncorks with a satisfying ‘pop’.

You take a large swallow and feel is settling, warm, in the pit of your stomach.

When you hold it out towards Baekhyun, he only looks at it, and then trains his attention back to the fire.

You shrug and take another swig. You smack your tongue against the roof of your mouth loudly to show your satisfaction.

“Okay fine. Hand it over.” You smile gratuitously as he takes the bottle and takes a drink for himself.

The alcohol relaxes your muscles and you feel the urge to start talking. “So…two eyes huh?”

You name falls from his lips in warning, telling you to drop it. You raise your hand in mock defeat.

You think maybe the alcohol is making him want to talk too. Or maybe it’s the silence. “…Why do you keep calling Suho a princess?”

“Huh?”

“He’s a prince,” Baekhyun states. He shifts in his spot and turns his body to face you. “He’s the Prince of Atlantis, but you’ve been calling him a princess even though you know that he’s not a girl.”

You shrug. “The stories…they originally just called him the lost child of Atlantis.”

“Yeah…”

“I don’t know when people started to just assume the lost child was a girl. It helped to keep his identity hidden that way even if it was wrong. If everyone was out looking for the Princess of Atlantis, they wouldn’t give a second thought to a man who fits the description. After a while it just became second nature to refer to him like that, to continue to talk about him as a little missing girl rather than who he actually was. Suho is a princess, and Junmyeon is a member of my ship. They weren’t the same person in my head.”

Baekhyun hands you the rum. For the same reason that you keep your own identity a secret, your crew decided to keep Junmyeon’s. Sometimes you gain an advantage by letting people assume what they want.

“Did you find out on your own that he was the princess- the prince?”

You smirk. “Your curiosity finally won out huh?”

He pelts a stick at your arm.

He waited longer than you expected –you’ll give him that.

“Since you are so curious I guess I can tell you.” He picks up another stick. “Anyways! He came up and told me. Introduced himself to me that way, the dumbass,” you laugh at the memory. “It was…years ago. Right as I was starting to find people to join my crew. He just walked up to me while I was sitting in the corner of a bar and slid one of my ‘Man for Hire’ posters across the table. This scrawny guy, soaked from head to toe. He looked exhausted but there was something in his eyes that I’d never seen before.” You look into the fire as you try to recall the details of that night.

“He told me that he wanted to hire me to get him home. I’m pretty sure I laughed right in his face. He sat down at my table, dropped a heavy bag of money between us, and said, ‘I can get you more money than you can imagine.’

“‘Okay I’ll bite. What’s the deal?’

“‘Have you ever heard of Atlantis?’” you repeat the words from the exchange and then pull your gaze from the fire to meet Baekhyun’s. “He went on to tell me that he was a prince and that he’d run away a few years before. He was ready to return, but he had no idea how to do it. He’d left because his family and his people were pressuring him about his destiny and the role he had to fulfill to save the kingdom and he just...panicked. He was just a teenager, you know? He was scared, he wasn’t ready, and so he ran away. He fled and then lived on land among humans for long enough that the connection he’d had with the ocean had dimmed. He couldn’t find his own way home, and they couldn’t come find him, even if they wanted to.”

Baekhyun frowns. You take a drink, pass him the bottle, and continue on.

“I didn’t believe him at first, but decided to do what I could. Our relationship started out like that, with me trying to get him home. After some time he just decided to be on my crew. We would find crewmen, do other jobs to pay for our expenses, and then continue to look for Atlantis. Over time we gained more men, we lost even more, but he was always there at my side as my first mate. As my first crewman.” You smile fondly and play with the sand at your side. “Soon enough, finding Atlantis became an…afterthought. It wasn’t our priority anymore. We went on other adventures, faced other challenges, and strengthened the family we built aboard the ship.

“He said he was fine not finding his way home anymore after a few years of looking. But the way he looks out at the sea sometimes…” Memories arise of him leaning against the side of the ship and looking out at the expanse of the ocean longingly. “It’s heartbreaking.”

You don’t realize that your eyes are starting to water until a tear falls against the back of your hand. You swipe away the moisture and paste on a smile. Baekhyun’s expression is one of empathy. “I know that he misses the sea; I know that he misses home no matter what he says to deny it. I promised him that I would get him back, once. He laughed at me, but I meant it. He’s like my family, but his happiness comes before anything else…even if I have to give him back to the sea.”

Your words settle over you both like a heavy blanket. Your own heart tugs a bit at the memories and realization that you really may be giving him up soon. If they find you on this island and you continue on your quest. You’ll be giving up the person who’s been at your side longest.

“You love him,” Baekhyun states.

His words startle you. You look at him with widened eyes and try to read his expression, or at the very least the intention behind his words. It’s carefully concealed behind neutrality, but you can see a bit of the uneasiness in his eyes. You don’t know what comes over you. Why you want to see his reaction to your words so badly. Why you hope that it’ll bother him –even if it’s just a little.

You keep your gaze steady when you respond. “Yes.”

A glimpse of offense is all you catch as evidence that you words may have affected him, but it could have been a trick of the light from the fire. He rolls his eyes and takes a long swig of the rum, no longer looking you in your eyes.

“I love him the way I love every member of my crew,” you press on cautiously. You catch the stillness in his throat as he stops swallowing for half a second. Satisfaction thrums through your body. Why? Why? You don’t know for sure yourself. “Everyone on my crew is my responsibility, and with that comes a level of love and respect that we’ve all worked hard to build. Like I said, the men and women on that ship are my family. We wouldn’t work as well as we do if we didn’t love each other just a little bit. Thinking that you can’t love your shipmates just because you’re a pirate and you kill people is old fashioned. Love solidifies a bond like nothing else. We would risk our lives for each other…that goes for us with you and your men too.”

The fire pops loudly.

He wipes away a drop of alcohol from the corner of his lips and gives you a measured look. You watch as he figures out how to form the question he wants to ask next. You hold out your hand for the bottle.

He passes it, and if your hands faintly brush –neither of you mention it.

The next swallow of the liquid burns its way down and blurs your senses. Drunkenness creeps in at the corners of your mind. A weighted silence stretches on while you focus on the pleasant humming in your veins.

“Is that why you jumped in after me?” You twitch in your spot at the sound of Baekhyun’s voice. Enough time has passed of prolonged silence that you have to search your mind for what it is he’s referring to.

Oh, the storm. Your recklessness.

“Yeah,” you say easily. “You’re a part of my crew for now. We shook hands on our truce and everything –and you didn’t stab me after I cut your side, so I figure I can trust you. I would have done the same thing for anyone.” He seems unhappy with your answer, but doesn’t voice it. “If I can save a life, I save it. Especially if it’s someone on my crew,” you ramble on.

He laughs in disdain. “That’s stupid of you. No self respecting captain would do something like that.” He mutters around the bottle he’s slipped from your fingers, “I would have let me drown.”

You toss a handful of sand in his direction. “Well I’m not you.”

His eyes shine in confusion. You curse under your breath from the movement on your rib as you scoot closer to him. “You know,” you start, fully committed to over sharing now that you’ve started, “I haven’t hold anyone this, but years before I met Junmyeon –when I was still just a little street rat pick pocketing to eat and whatever- I had my life saved. You can think it’s stupid, because it kind of is but I don't care.” Baekhyun’s lip twitches up in amusement.

“Anyway! I had my life saved by this one kid. I was being chased down by a couple of thugs a man sent on me after I stole his purse. It was a rich guy who lived in my town, super well-known and feared. I’d really fucked myself over this time. His men were after me, and I tried to hide, but no one was willing to let me in. They were afraid of him. And I was just this random kid; they didn’t owe me anything. I knew if I was caught, I’d get my hands cut off…or worse!” You widen your eyes to emphasize your words. Baekhyun breathes out a laugh.

“I ran around in a panic, crying, shaking, begging. I was only like…10. I hid in an alleyway for an hour when I heard them coming. I could hear them asking people on the street if they’d seen me. ‘Have you seen this girl?’ ‘Have you seen this girl?’” you mimic. “I knew that I was going to be found. But then, this kid, he saw me when he’d come to throw out the trash from the shop he worked at. Or maybe he lived there? I don’t know…I just know that he didn’t have to help me, but he did. He helped me up and hid me in a storage shed under the shop until the next morning. It might not have meant anything to him, but I remember that favor to this day.

“I know it’s unlikely that I’ll ever meet him again, especially since I haven’t returned home, but I feel like I’m repaying him in some way like this. Saving the lives of people close to me or the lives of people who can’t save themselves. I can’t save everyone; shit, I’ve killed way more than I’ve ever saved, but where I can, if I know I can do it, then I do. Since I never got to tell him thank you…it helps.”

You aren’t sure if your words make sense; they don’t the longer you think about them, but you hope that Baekhyun gets the general idea. As a pirate, you pride yourself on killing those who are evil by nature. The people who pick on and hurt the innocent, the less fortunate, the defenseless. You kill, and you collect money for killing, but you have never killed someone who did nothing to deserve it. You’re relentless, sadistic, and at times monstrous, but you aren’t heartless. Despite how you grew up and the struggles you’ve faced –for every unkind soul you encountered, you met two with hearts of gold.

“You know…you talk a lot when you’re drunk.”

“Shut up.”

“No it’s…nice. Having a…normal conversation.”

You blink at him. Yeah, it is. Not throwing curses and insults at each other for once is…nice.

But the thought of admitting that aloud to him makes your stomach twist in an ugly way.

“Are you going soft on me Byun?” you tease.

“I’m allowed to enjoy just talking every once in a while. You’re the one going all starry eyed over some kid from your childhood that’s probably buried in whores and liquor right now,” he throws back. “You shouldn’t idolize people like that. It’ll hurt you less when they don’t fulfill your expectations.” He fingers the neck of the bottle before taking a large swallow. “Besides it sounds like you’re in love with him and you don’t even remember what he looked like.”

“I’m not in love with him,” you feel your stomach turn uncomfortably when Baekhyun looks back at you with an amused eyebrow raise.

So you’re in love with him right? That's why you’re acting like this?

Heat fills your cheeks. “And so what if I can’t remember what he looked like? It was a long time ago and my memory’s been distorted. Fuck off.”

For a while you did look for that kid. You can remember the kohl rimming his eyes, and the hood he wore that hid his face in the darkness. In the time you searched for him you wanted so bad for someone to fit the mental description that you began to make people fit it. You confused what you actually remembered of his appearance with what you wanted him to look like.

Even if he sat right in front of you today –you probably wouldn’t even recognize him.

You hear Baekhyun holding back his giggling and you glare at him half-heartedly. With a full smile, all rectangle, all rounded cheeks, he holds the nearly empty bottle for you to take once again.

When your hand touches his this time, you both pause for a second longer than you should. You blame the alcohol. He lets go and averts his gaze back to the fire. You clear your throat nervously. “What about you?” his eyes flicker quickly from the fire. “Any savior stories? Or love stories, heartbreaker? You know, outside of ones with me,” you add jokingly before finishing the bottle.

“No,” he says quickly. You see his ears color.

You gasp. “You do don’t you? Tell me,” you demand. “Was it someone you grew up with? Are you in love with someone right now?”

The red spreading up his neck isn’t a result of your imagination, or your drunkenness, you know it. “Why are we even talking about this?” he complains, a whine taking form in his voice. You’ve heard him whine like this once before –when he was leaving a bar being held up by one of his men (Sehun, now that you know the people in his crew) and not wanting to go home.

“You’re the one interrogating me over my love life!”

“I was not!”

“‘You love him’, ‘Sounds like you’re in love with him’, ‘You’re obsessed with each other’,” you mock.

His eyes narrow. “I never said that last one.”

This time you feel your face heating. “Whatever. You started the conversation.” You grab sand and start to fill the empty bottle just to give yourself the distraction. You don’t think you can look at him right now. “Besides, there’s nothing else to do. Unless you want to spar…” you look over eagerly.

His face scrunches up (cutely) and he lies on his back. “No, I’m too tired and too drunk to fight you right now.”

You frown to yourself and finger the top of the bottle distractedly. “You know…” you start again, “You act like love is a death sentence, or like it’s something bad.”

“It is,” he says simply. His voice sounds far away. You shuffle closer so (so that you can hear him better –obviously) and grumble under your breath as a way to distract from the pain movement causes you.

He doesn’t move away when you lie down next to him. You both stare up at the sky, visions swimming.

Fuck you’re drunk.

“Are you drunk?” you whisper.

“…a bit,” he laughs in a whisper back.

You both continue to look at the stars and giggle to yourselves. It’s funny that you’re here like this, you think –lying on a beach with Baekhyun on your side, so close that the sides of your bodies are nearly overlapping. Giggling and drunk and talking about love like old friends.

I think you should both admit you’re in love with each other so we can all move on.

“Baekhyun…”

“Hmm?”

“It could be nice…being in love.” His head rolls to the side to watch you. You keep your eyes trained on the sky. “Like…it could be like having a first mate in life. Someone to help you navigate your ups and downs like a first mate helps a captain navigate the seas. It could be nice having that one person to lean on when the waters get too rough and it feels like the entire world is against you –you still have the one person who will always be there at your side. It might be nice to be scolded and praised and encouraged for just living…for just being yourself. Don’t you think?” you let your head loll to the side so you can look at him.

You observe the furrow of his eyebrows and the way his lips pout as he thinks. You stare openly into the darkness of his eyes and notice how they both droop downwards. How his nose slopes and how his face is so round.

You feel your stomach flip in an ugly way.

Struck by panic and by his silence at your words –you slap on a sleazy drunk smile. “And you can have sex with them whenever you want. That’s a pretty cool bonus, I think.”

He laughs his absolute loudest –his brightest- at that.

You shove down the urge to say something else, something just as dumb, just so that you can see him laugh like that again.

Shit.

“Shut up,” he giggles. His eyes shine and dart across your face excitedly and you faintly register your own doing the same. His cheeks are so round and so red from the alcohol and the joy.

He’s very pretty when he smiles.

Both of his eyes, pretty (he’s got two of them who would have thought?). A mole under one of them, another on his cheek, one more above his lip.

His lips…those stupid little pink triangles that make up his upper and the stupid moisturized swell of the other. As if able to read your thoughts, his tongue darts out to wet them.

“Your lips are so stupid,” you grumble to yourself loud enough for him to hear you clearly.

That pulls another raucous laugh out of him. His teeth gleam in the moonlight and against the fire.

“Your teeth too,” you add softly. “They’re too white.”

“You’re drunk. Go to sleep,” he says with a smile.

You roll onto your side to face him. He follows. “Am’not. You’re s’the one who’s drunk,” you fire back. He chuckles softly, almost fondly, and it ghosts across your face. You’re close enough to count his eyelashes.

If you had half the coherence to do so.

“Baekhyun…”

“Hmm?”

You pause to figure out why you called out his name this time. You don’t have anything else you really want to say –just wanted to capture his attention.

“You wanna mess around?” you try.

He giggles. “No, we’re drunk.”

“How valiant of you, that’s never stopped us before. I’m only offering this one time so you better take it up before I take it back.”

He scoffs. “No you aren’t. You’ll probably ask again tomorrow too when you’re sober because you’re always horny and always stupid and you’re in love with my dick.”

You hum and close your eyes with a smile. “Touché.”

The world spins even as your eyes are shut. Your body feels heavy with alcohol and warm with whatever it is that has happened tonight between you and Baekhyun.

When you hear him murmur your name, you peak open an eye. His gaze is surprisingly clear for someone who drank just as much as you.

“Yeah?”

“I’ll uh…I’ll take the first watch,” he stammers.

You close your eyes again and hum in agreement. “You’ve got first watch?” you yawn out.

You vaguely hear him hum as the crackle of the fire sound of his soft breaths lull you to sleep.

#exo #exo fanfic #exo fanfics #exo stories #exo story #exo imagine #exo pirate au #baekhyun #byun baekhyun #baekhyun imagine #baekhyun pirate au #baekhyun fanfic #baekhyun fanfics #baekhyun story

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newstfionline · 3 years

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Tuesday, September 21, 2021

UN chief warns China, US to avoid Cold War (AP) Warning of a potential new Cold War, the head of the United Nations implored China and the United States to repair their “completely dysfunctional” relationship before problems between the two large and deeply influential countries spill over even further into the rest of the planet. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke to The Associated Press this weekend ahead of this week’s annual United Nations gathering of world leaders. Guterres said the world’s two major economic powers should be cooperating on climate and negotiating more robustly on trade and technology even given persisting political fissures about human rights, economics, online security and sovereignty in the South China Sea. “Unfortunately, today we only have confrontation,” Guterres said.

Canada votes in pandemic election that could cost Trudeau (AP) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gambled on an early election in a bid to win a majority of seats in Parliament, but now faces the threat of being knocked from power in Canada’s election on Monday. Polls indicate Trudeau’s Liberal Party is in a tight race with the rival Conservatives: It will likely win the most seats in Parliament, but still fail to get a majority, forcing it to rely on an opposition party to pass legislation. “Trudeau made an incredibly stupid error in judgement,” said Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto. Trudeau entered the election leading a stable minority government that wasn’t under threat of being toppled.

Biden easing foreign travel restrictions, requiring vaccines (AP) President Joe Biden will ease foreign travel restrictions into the U.S. beginning in November, when his administration will require all foreign nationals flying into the country to be fully vaccinated. All foreign travelers flying to the U.S. will need to demonstrate proof of vaccination before boarding, as well as proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of flight, said White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients, who announced the new policy on Monday. Biden will also tighten testing rules for unvaccinated American citizens, who will need to be tested within a day before returning to the U.S., as well as after they arrive home. Fully vaccinated passengers will not be required to quarantine, Zeints said. The new policy replaces a patchwork of travel restrictions first instituted by President Donald Trump last year and tightened by Biden earlier this year that restrict travel by non-citizens who have in the prior 14 days been in the United Kingdom, European Union, China, India, Iran, Republic of Ireland, Brazil and South Africa.

Recall vote highlights California’s geopolitical divisions (AP) The California recall election was a blowout win for Gov. Gavin Newsom that reinforced the state’s political divisions: The Democratic governor won big support in coastal areas and urban centers, while the rural north and agricultural inland, with far fewer voters, largely wanted him gone. “It’s almost like two states,” Menlo College political scientist Melissa Michelson said. Though California is a liberal stronghold where Democrats hold every statewide office and have two-thirds majorities in the Legislature, it is also home to deeply conservative areas. Those residents have long felt alienated from Sacramento, where Democrats have been in full control for more than a decade. A conservative movement in far Northern California has for years sought to break away and create its own state to better reflect the area’s political sensitivities.

US launches mass expulsion of Haitian migrants from Texas (AP) The U.S. is flying Haitians camped in a Texas border town back to their homeland and blocking others from crossing the border from Mexico in a massive show of force that signals the beginning of what could be one of America’s swiftest, large-scale expulsions of migrants or refugees in decades. More than 320 migrants arrived in Port-au-Prince on three flights Sunday, and Haiti said six flights were expected Tuesday. In all, U.S. authorities moved to expel many of the more 12,000 migrants camped around a bridge in Del Rio, Texas, after crossing from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico. The U.S. plans to begin seven expulsion flights daily on Wednesday, four to Port-au-Prince and three to Cap-Haitien, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Madrid street party (Reuters) Roughly 25,000 Spaniards joined in an illegal mass drinking party on the streets of Madrid on Friday, which took police until 7 a.m. the following day to break up. The huge outdoor parties, known as “macro-botellon,” have been resisted by Spanish authorities for years, and have taken on renewed significance as coronavirus restrictions limit public interactions. Police may find quieter streets next weekend as closing times for Madrid’s bars and clubs are finally extended to 6 a.m. from their previous 2 a.m. limits.

Thousands flee as lava spewing from volcano on Spain’s La Palma island destroys houses (Reuters) Authorities have evacuated about 5,000 people from villages in the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma as lava spews from an erupting volcano, local officials said. The 15-meter high lava flow has already swallowed 20 houses in the village of El Paso and sections of roads, Mayor Sergio Rodriguez told TVE radio station on Monday morning. Since erupting on Sunday afternoon, the volcano has shot lava up hundreds meters into the air and poured flows of molten rock towards the Atlantic Ocean over a sparsely populated area of La Palma, the most northwestern island in the Canaries archipelago. La Palma had been on high alert after more than 22,000 tremors were reported in the space of a week in Cumbre Vieja, which belongs to a chain of volcanoes that last had a major eruption in 1971 and is one of the most active volcanic regions in the Canaries.

Shooting at Russian university leaves at least 6 dead, 24 injured (Washington Post) At least six people were killed and 24 were wounded after a gunman opened fire at a university in the northwestern Russian city of Perm, the government in the region said Monday. President Vladimir Putin called the shooting at Perm State University “a tremendous tragedy, not only for the families who lost their children, but for the entire country.” Such a rampage, which sent students hurling themselves from windows in a bid to escape the gunfire, is extremely rare for Russia, which has little experience of the kind of mass shootings routinely seen in the United States. Russia’s Investigative Committee, a law enforcement agency, said the attacker was a student who had purchased a hunting rifle in May. The agency said he had been apprehended and is in the hospital for treatment of wounds suffered while resisting arrest. Russia has strict laws on civilian gun ownership and requires people to pass psychological exams before obtaining a license for hunting and sport firearms.

Evergrande debts (NYT) Once China’s most prolific property developer, Evergrande has become the country’s most indebted company. It owes money to lenders, suppliers and foreign investors. It owes unfinished apartments to home buyers and has racked up more than $300 billion in unpaid bills. Regulators fear that the collapse of a company Evergrande’s size would send tremors through the entire Chinese financial system. Yet so far, Beijing has not stepped in with a bailout, having promised to teach debt-saddled corporate giants a lesson. Evergrande is on the hook to buyers for nearly 1.6 million apartments, according to one estimate, and it may owe money to tens of thousands of its own workers. As Beijing remains relatively quiet about the company’s future, those who are owed cash say they are growing impatient.

Pacquiao for president? (Foreign Policy) Manny Pacquiao, the former professional boxer and Philippine senator, has said he would run for president in next year’s election, accepting the nomination put forward by a faction of the ruling PDP-Laban party. His decision comes after Christopher “Bong” Go rejected a presidential nomination from a rival PDP-Laban faction earlier this month, although his running mate, President Rodrigo Duterte, accepted the nomination for vice president. If electoral authorities recognize Pacquiao’s nomination, he may still face competition from Sara Duterte-Carpio, the mayor of Davao and daughter of the president. Duterte-Carpio has topped recent opinion polls but has been cagey about her plans for higher office, saying last week that she would run for another term as Davao mayor in 2022.

Talibanning Women From Work (Guardian, BBC) In mid-August, with American troops still present, the Taliban vowed to respect women’s rights, forgive those who fought against them, and ensure that Afghanistan won’t become a haven for terrorists. Zabihullah Mujahid, long-time Taliban spokesman, gave his first ever public news conference, saying leaders had encouraged women to return to work and girls to return to school. He promised women would retain their rights, but qualified that as being “within the framework of Islamic law”—specifically, Sharia law. To no one’s surprise, it was just ‘happy talk’ meant to allay suspicions of world powers and the fears of Afghans. Soon there were ample reports of Taliban soldiers going house to house, searching for “traitors” and executing them. Working women were told to stay home and schools were shut down, although it was labeled a temporary security measure. In Kandahar, women bank tellers were forced out of their jobs at gunpoint. In the next days and weeks the group’s new government issued decrees restricting more rights of girls and women. Female students in middle and high schools were told they couldn’t return to classes, although boys were allowed to. Female university students were informed studies would now take place in gender-segregated settings, and they must abide by a strict Islamic dress code. Other crippling measures from when the Taliban ruled in the 1990s surfaced unofficially, including a requirement that Afghan women have a male guardian accompany them in any public place. On Friday, female employees in Kabul city government were told they couldn’t return to work if their job could be performed by men, meaning almost 1,000 women who were part of the city’s workforce of nearly 3,000 lost their jobs. The Taliban shut down the Women’s Affairs Ministry, replacing it with a ministry for the “propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice” tasked with enforcing Islamic law.

The Taliban vs. ISIS (Washington Post) After years of waging a holy war to overthrow the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan, Taliban fighters have struggled to adjust to their new day job: the mundane task of securing a city. “All of my men, they love jihad and fighting. So when they came to Kabul they didn’t feel comfortable. There isn’t any fighting here anymore,” Taliban commander Abdulrahman Nifiz told The Post. But the Taliban still faces a violent foe: the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan, which claimed responsibility Sunday for a series of blasts over the weekend in the country’s east that reportedly killed several people and injured tens more. The improvised explosive devices were set off Saturday and Sunday around the city of Jalalabad, known as a stronghold for the Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K).

Troll Farms (MIT Technology Review) A report produced by a Facebook employee details the enormous impact troll farms—that is, organized networks designed to spread misinformation—have on the social network. The October 2019 report identified that the most popular pages for Christians and Black Americans were, in fact, operated out of Kosovo and Macedonia. As of October 2019, 15,000 Facebook pages with a predominantly American audience were operated out of those countries, reaching 140 million U.S. users every month. Troll farms operated the fifth-largest women’s page, the second-largest Native American page, 10 of the top 15 African-American interest pages, and every single one of the 15 top pages targeting Christian Americans.

#headlines #news

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elsanna-shenanigans · 3 years

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December Contest Submission #13: Shadow Dancing

Words: ca. 4500 Setting: Babylon 5/Legends of Tomorrow AU Lemon: Not full lemon, but citrus C/W: None

Day 0

Elsa stood at the transport gates with Anna, holding one of her carry-ons. The PA overhead crackled to life. “Virgin Galactic Flight 1840 from Mars Colony to New Ahtohallan Colony boards at Gate C7. All passengers must have Identicards with them at all times,” the pleasant monotone droned, causing Elsa to wince from the sheer volume of it.

She turned to regard her sister, who was bouncing with excitement. “Elsa, don’t look so glum! I won’t be gone that long, okay?” she beamed, hugging her tightly, her green plaid shirt wrinkling in the hug.

The overhead PA called Anna’s flight. She grabbed her Interplanetary Expeditions carry-on from Elsa with an eager smile. “Hey, I’ll be back soon enough, and then you can tell me what it was you wanted to talk about this morning, okay? See you in two weeks.”

“Do you have to go?” Elsa asked plaintively, looking out the window at the starships lined up on the runway, ruddy from Mars’ red skies.

“You’ll be fine, Elsa,” she grinned, giving her sister a peck on the cheek.

“Anna… I love you. I-”

“I love you too, sis!” Anna shouted as she flounced down the boarding area, nearly colliding with a dozen other passengers as she tried to both wave to her sister and dig her holographic ID out of her purse.

Elsa sighed as her sister scanned her boarding pass and entered the spaceway. I’m in love with you, she thought, completing the sentence that stuck in her throat. I’ll confess everything when she gets back.

Day 1

Elsa sat in abject shock as the wallscreen in her tiny apartment’s living room played the news on endless repeat. The computer-generated newscaster re-read the story again.

“Virgin Galactic Flight 1840 went missing earlier today, failing to check in at the transfer point on Io. Patrol ships from Ganymede were unable to find any evidence of foul play, and security forces from Mars Colony are en route to assist with the investigation.”

I’m sure everything’s fine. Maybe their transponder just broke and they jumped normally. Anna will call me when she gets to New Ahtohallan tomorrow.

Day 3

Anna never called.

Day 7

“Earthforce patrols still have not located Flight 1840; Governor Montoya told ISN News earlier today that Mars Colony has declared it lost and called off search efforts.”

Elsa sat on the couch, sobbing into her hands. She’d barely slept for a week, eaten nothing, and just watched ISN for any word of her sister.

Declared lost, she repeated over and over again; whether in her mind or aloud, she couldn’t tell.

Day 21

The memorial service was small and quiet; she’d paid enough to get holographic bandwidth on Stellarcom so that her parents could virtually attend. They consoled her as best as they could while processing their own grief.

“There’s so much I didn’t tell her, Papa. So much I left unsaid,” she cried softly.

Her father reached out as though to pat her on the shoulder, the gesture futile. “Were your last words in anger, Elsa?” he asked quietly, his arm around his wife’s waist.

“No, no, of course not. The last thing I told her was that I loved her,” she sniffled.

Iduna gave Elsa a small, sympathetic smile. “That’s all that matters, dear. Whatever happened to her, she knows you love her. We all love her. And we’ll hold out hope that perhaps there’s something mysterious at work, and maybe she’ll return to us one day somehow.”

Day 30

Elsa touched the holographic screen at her workstation with a heavy sigh, closing down her cybernetics work for the day. As one of the top cybernetics experts at Edgars Industries, she helped build the most advanced AI for Earthforce starships. Prior to the incident, she’d loved her work, designing and building the most complex, elegant neural architectures that could steer ships through the chaos of hyperspace or dance like butterflies during the fog of war. She’d had almost a month of personal leave to deal with Anna’s disappearance, but had to get back to work eventually, and now every day felt like drudgery, her mind lost in a fog of fading memories she desperately tried to hold onto.

As she walked the streets of Solis Planum to the surface transit tubes, ad after ad assaulted her, from pharmaceuticals to robotic servants to seedy brothels. She rolled her eyes at most of the ads, but one caught her eye in the transit shuttle from the AVA Corporation.

“Our new Enhanced Labor Service Androids can ease your stress and give you more time back in your day. Stop struggling and working 25 hours a day. With our E.L.S.A.s, help is never far away! Call now or stop by our showroom on Syria Planum,” the ad blared. Elsa chuckled slightly at the name of the machines, but looked more closely at the models shown. One had its artificial hair colored and braided just like Anna’s…

Day 61

“Ah yes, Miss… Agnarsdottir. You called us about our E.L.S.A. models?”, an overly slick salesman with greased-back red hair and absurd sideburns greeted her, electronic clipboard in hand.

Elsa nodded, her shyness making her cringe. “I… I was interested in a model that could support custom code. Do you have any?”

The salesman arched his eyebrow at her. “Well… yes, we do have some more elite models like the N-9 that can support… customization. But pardon me for saying so, those are very… expensive. I’m not sure that they’d be the best fit for someone like you,” he oozed condescendingly, eyeing her casual state of dress.

Elsa rolled her eyes and waved her Identicard over his clipboard. The display immediately flashed her name and public financial history, with a “NO CREDIT LIMIT” indicator pulsing on the customer form. “That should be more than satisfactory, Mr…?”

The salesman coughed. “Err… yes, yes it is. And it’s Hans, Hans Westergaard, Miss Agnarsdottir. Now,” he grinned rapaciously, visions of fat commissions dancing in his mind’s eye. “What exactly did you have in mind?”

“I need a model that has the processing power to support a custom neural model and as much storage as possible.”

Hans whistled and made a show of tapping on his clipboard. “I see. Well, we have some of the N-8 LMDs available with added processing power, but if you want the best of the best, you’ll be wanting an E.L.S.A. N-9. Will you be using it for business or pleasure?”

Elsa’s stomach lurched at the salesman’s intimation. “Why would that make a difference?”

“Oh, well, you know, some people need them to be a little more… fully functional, if you know what I mean. Anatomically correct,” he smirked. “Of course we want to make sure all our customers are fully… satisfied. Most of our customers who just need menial labor don’t bother with details like anatomy, but I’m guessing if you need neural support, you probably want… fine detail,” he winked at Elsa. “I have one of the N-9s and believe me, if you’re after, ahem, pleasure, they certainly satisfy.”

Elsa managed not to throw up in her mouth and grabbed the clipboard out of Hans’ sweaty hands. She tapped in her order exactly and handed it back to him. “Don’t say another word.”

He naturally began to speak, and Elsa immediately shushed him. “Not. Another. Word. Authorize the purchase, collect the commission of a lifetime, and then never speak to me again, are we clear? Nod if you agree.”

Hans mutely nodded, angered by the woman’s boldness, but cowed by the fact that the commission on the order was larger than any sale he had ever made thus far. He entered in a few final details, silently authorized the sale, the board turned green, and he walked away, fuming.

Day 102

The massive shipping crate from AVA Corporation rested on her apartment doorstep. She wheeled it inside, pressed the release buttons to unseal it, and rested her eyes on the android within. She reached out and tentatively touched it, recoiling immediately. The android was incredibly cold to the touch.

She burst into tears. She’d had the android made to Anna’s exact likeness, but seeing it in front of her, icy cold from shipment, made her feel like her sister’s body had been retrieved from the black void of space. Elsa laid her head down on the android’s unmoving chest, hugging the lifeless body, chanting her sister’s name over and over again through her sobs.

Day 103

Elsa managed to get the android’s body out of the crate and roll it over gracelessly to the couch. Despite its identical appearance to Anna, the android was considerably heavier. Her fingers threaded through the brilliant auburn hair to find the access port on the back of its head and gently opened it up, then plugged a fiber cable into its processor.

She activated the holographic interface at her home workstation and her On-Line AI Facilitator sprang to life. “Hello, OLAF,” she greeted it, its interface a cheerful, simplistic snowman based on a drawing Anna had made as a child.

“Hi Elsa! What are we going to do today?” the snowman asked earnestly.

“I need you to gather training data for a new neural model. The target is an AVA N-9,” she said, weaving her fingers in the air as she began to construct what she intended to be a masterpiece, her life’s work.

“Okay, Elsa. Hey, while I was offline, I was doing some reading. Did you know that gorillas burp when they’re happy?”

Elsa closed her eyes and brought her palm to her face. OLAF was one of her very first neural models, an artificial intelligence that was childlike compared to her recent work, but Anna had loved him, so she couldn’t bear to decommission him.

“Did you know we blink 4 million times a day? Did you know wombats poop squares? Did you-”

“OLAF! Stop. Reset language processor.”

The AI’s snowman face froze in place for a moment before grinning again. “Ready.”

Elsa swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. This was it. Once she issued this command, there was no turning back. “Training data set: download and process all media with Anna in it. Directed graph, eigenvector centrality measure, please.”

After a few moments of processing, OLAF looked up at her. “Hey Elsa, just asking, but do you want to unlock Anna’s private data?” The snowman’s face grew somber. “As her formal next of kin, you have the legal authority to access all her private recordings and logs.”

Elsa paused, sorrow overwhelming her. She’d avoided taking this step as a way of refusing to acknowledge that Anna was gone and not coming back; she’d held out hope for over 2 months that Anna’s ship had just fallen off course in hyperspace or some explanation, any explanation other than the inevitable and obvious, but taking this step would mean admitting to herself that Anna was truly gone. She hunched over, her head in her hands as she sobbed quietly.

“I’m sorry for asking, Elsa. I wish I could give you a warm hug and make it better.”

Elsa caught her breath, the hitching sobs receding. “It- it’s okay, OLAF. Thank you. Y-yes, I would like to incorporate all of Anna’s private data.” She held out her hand over the workstation for DNA identification, authorizing access.

The snowman’s head bobbed as his default smile returned. “Loading. Time to process: 11 days, 7 hours, 5 minutes, 31 seconds. Beginning data import now. Hey Elsa, did you know turtles breathe through their butts?”

Day 113

OLAF chimed gently to let Elsa know the neural model training data was ready. The blonde rolled out of her bed and blearily stumbled over to the workstation. “OLAF… it’s 3 AM. You couldn’t have waited until morning to let me know?” she groaned.

“Oh hey Elsa! Glad you’re awake. Say, did you know-“

“Not now, OLAF. Show me the architecture, please?”

A brilliant, luminescent diagram appeared in front of her, like a giant loom made of golden light, covered in glitter. She touched a sparkling point here or there and was rewarded with an image, a sound, a hologram of different moments in Anna’s life. Golden threads linked one memory to the next.

“OLAF, some of these linkages are much stronger than the others. Look here,” she tapped, revealing an image of her and Anna hugging next to a holiday tree, “and here,” she gestured at hologram recording of Elsa coming home from university and Anna tackle-hugging here. “Why?”

OLAF’s avatar laughed, the snowman’s head coming loose momentarily from the body. “Oh, right. You asked for a directed graph showing how memories are linked together. Those are anchor memories, moments that were reflected strongly in others. If you select the anchor memory and run a trace, you will see the memories that reference it.”

Elsa paused, her hands hovering over the golden lattice. What was she about to discover, delving through their shared history? She gestured at an image of the two of them sitting on her couch in front of the fireplace, mugs of cocoa in one hand as their other hands were laced together. Elsa’s eyes teared up looking at the memory. She ran a finger along the golden line from that to the next node in the lattice, and a hologram of Anna appeared.

She couldn’t. Not yet. It was too soon for her, even now, months after the… incident. Opening this memory, something that Anna alone had made, would be the final acknowledgement that she was gone from her life forever.

Elsa closed the lattice and powered down her workstation, then crawled back into bed.

Day 114

Elsa opened the lattice and looked at the softly glowing memories, then closed it again.

Day 116

Elsa flipped on the fireplace, bright flame and warm air heating her tiny apartment. Martian nights were always cold, even under the dome. She looked at the android propped up against the couch, remembering a time when she and Anna would camp out on her couch, binge watching movies and eating popcorn.

Nostalgia gripped her heart with an icy fist as the android stared lifelessly at the fire, an inanimate reminder of better times.

She pulled open the lattice, saw the memories floating like sparks from the fire, glanced at the android, and closed her workstation.

She still wasn’t ready to hear her sister from beyond the grave.

Day 117

Curiosity got the better of her. She wiped a tear away from her eye with her thumb and, hand shaking, tapped on the linked memory. Anna’s face filled the display space, taking Elsa’s breath away.

“It’s January 3rd, and I have a confession,” Anna said aloud to the camera, clearly nervous even though she was alone. “I just spent the entire evening with Elsa, watching vids and sipping hot cocoa. She made the nicest fire in the hearth for us.” Anna looked down, fidgeting with something out of view. “She- when we held hands tonight, I felt something.”

Anna looked straight ahead into the camera, and Elsa felt like her sister was talking directly to her. She couldn’t breathe, and it felt like her heart had come to a halt.

All of Anna’s nervousness vanished, and her teal eyes flashed as a wry grin appeared on her lips. “I know what I felt tonight. It was true love. I am in love with Elsa. God, it feels so weird to say that. But I know it, I know it’s true love. I’m in love with my sister.”

Elsa came undone.

Day 124

“Language model is complete, Elsa. The neural model is fully rendered,” squawked OLAF cheerfully. “Ready to upload whenever you are, Elsa!”

Elsa paced around her tiny apartment, dodging discarded clothing and other detritus. She’d let things go in the months since Anna vanished; the clutter was a symptom of just how lost she felt without her sister and lover. Subconsciously knowing what she was about to do, she started picking up the laundry and food containers.

“OLAF,” she said quietly, tossing another work blazer in her laundry hamper, “initialize the neural interface and begin transfer.”

OLAF made a series of chirping and squeaking noises, and the android propped up against her desk suddenly opened its eyes as they turned a vivid green, the data transfer beginning. “Hey Elsa?” OLAF asked cheerfully.

“Y-yeah?” she looks up, a load of food delivery cartons in her arms.

“Approximately 44 hours remaining on the transfer. Want to play trivia?”

Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

Day 126

The android’s eyes cooled from vivid green back to teal and a soft chime sounded from it. Elsa stared pensively at it, spinning around slowly in her desk chair. She’d propped the android up in her armchair, waiting as the last of the data transfer completed. Her stomach ran laps around her insides.

She glanced at her workstation’s calendar, the day circled to remind her of Anna’s birthday. She suppressed a tear as she turned her attention back to the android.

This is it, she thought. Time to find out whether this was all worth it or not. She unplugged the data transfer cable and closed the port in the android’s head, smoothing out the red hair over the interface. Her hand hovered over the little black control box with a comically large green button lit up on it.

Her hand twitched, as though her body had its own desires to see Anna again. Finally, she took a deep breath and pushed the button.

The android - Anna, for all intents and purposes - blinked.

Elsa cautiously leaned forward in her chair. “H-hi.”

Anna blinked again. “Hi. Hi me?” she asked, pointing at herself. “I am…” her eyes flicked side to side, “Anna. You are… Elsa. You are my… sister?” Wave after wave of memory and information washed over Anna’s mind as she consumed the massive data store Elsa had built. She stood up from the chair and walked over to Elsa smoothly and gracefully to embrace her in a hug.

Cold, she’s so cold, Elsa thought as she wrapped her arms around Anna’s doppelgänger. She doesn’t feel alive. “Hi, Anna. It’s… it’s me. I- I’ve missed you so much.”

“What happened, Elsa? The last thing I remember is leaving you at the spaceport,” she asked. Her memories had included everything up to the last time Elsa had seen her.

Elsa sat down hard on the couch, attempting to control herself and failing. “You… your ship… it vanished after the transfer point on Io. No one has seen or heard from anyone on board that ship since.” A tear leaked from her eye.

Anna reached out with her thumb and wiped the tear away. Elsa shivered at her cold touch.

Day 128

“So you want me to reference the holography and intentionally be clumsy, imitating Anna?”

Elsa nodded, turning around in her workstation chair. “Yes… you, uh, you’re too graceful. Anna had a tendency to not pay attention all that much and stumble over things. It’s… it’s one of the reasons I had to keep our apartment so clean,” she sighed.

The android’s eyes flashed bright green as she processed years of video information. “Got it,” she smiled. She stood up and walked over to Elsa, intentionally catching her foot on the sofa leg and almost perfectly imitating one of Anna’s careless stumbles, her arms pinwheeling in the air before catching her balance.

Elsa’s breath caught in her throat. That was Anna. That is Anna.

Day 131

Elsa woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs. She sat up in bed, confused; rations on Mars due to recent shortages meant limited supplies of fresher foods. She tied on her nightrobe and walked into her kitchen to find Anna at the stove.

“Anna? What- where did you get bacon and eggs?”

Anna turned around with a smile. “Oh, I remembered that you love bacon and eggs, and by my count, you haven’t had it in 172 days, so I synthesized some with the protein sequencer you had on your workstation.” She handed Elsa the place, watching her with a small smile.

“It… oh my god, it tastes so real. This is amazing, Anna! How- how did you know how to do that?” Elsa said between bites, a look of bliss on her face. “Anna - my Anna - umm, your predecessor… was an archaeologist. Biochemistry wasn’t exactly her strong suit.”

The android laughed, a perfect imitation of Anna’s laugh. “I know I’m Anna, but I’m also an AVA N-9. I don’t mean to break character, but we all come equipped with varying levels of knowledge we need to do our jobs as servants, and in your case, you bought the most powerful version available, so I come with expert knowledge of just about every profession and hobby. We’re supposed to be whatever you want us to be.”

“I wish you weren’t so cold to the touch,” Elsa mumbled, taking another bite.

“Oh, I might be able to fix that.” Her irises flashed bright green for a moment before she burst into a broad smile. “Yup, you bought that option. The basic service models don’t have a need for body heat, but according to my records, your sales associate authorized the intimate partner upgrade. I can activate it if you want?”

Elsa almost spit out her food, catching herself at the last moment to avoid wasting the delicious breakfast. “Intimate partner upgrade? That slimy, arrogant little shit. How dare he… uh… anyway… yes, activate the… upgrade,” she grimaced, her face colored with embarrassment.

Anna’s pale white skin flushed and colored, and she did a little pirouette.

“Do all your system upgrades involve little dances?” Elsa smirked, giggling a little. She reached out and touched Anna’s arm as the android bowed, hamming it up.

She’s… so warm. She feels real. She feels… like Anna. Elsa practically leaped out of her chair and hugged Anna, savoring the warmth coming from her body. Tears flowed freely as she sobbed in happiness, her arms around her sister once more.

Day 160

Elsa lay in bed, shivering. Damn, the cold never used to bother me, she sighed, wrapping herself up in her blanket. The clock on her nightstand glowered angrily at her, the red digits practically making a scowl at her. 2:12 AM.

She tossed one more time before she heard a familiar knocking on her door.

“Elsa?”

Anna opened the door slowly, dressed in a green nightgown. “I heard you tossing and turning. Are you okay?”

Elsa’s teeth chattered. “I- I’m f-f-fine.” She cradled herself with her arms. “Okay, I’m n-n-not fine.”

Anna climbed onto the bed and pulled the covers aside. “Elsa, you’re freezing! Come here,” she said, pulling her into a hug. “I’ll keep you warm.”

“I… I… Anna…” she stuttered, “Oh, how I’ve missed this, so much.” Out of habit, she cupped Anna’s cheek and brushed her lips against Anna’s. Anna’s lips were perfect. Smooth, warm, firm… Elsa flicked her tongue against Anna’s lips and moaned into the kiss.

“Elsa… I have to tell you something,” Anna mumbled sheepishly, still holding her close.

“W-what is it, Anna?”

Anna laid down on the bed, her auburn hair spilling over the pillow. “The one thing that I’m missing… that I’m sorry I can’t give you, is what it was like to be intimate with you. Neither you nor Anna ever recorded anything; in fact, both of you made a point to turn off the monitoring in here,” she said, eyes flicking at the holocams recessed in the walls. “So… I don’t know what you do or don’t like when it comes to being intimate together. Would… would you teach me? Teach me so I can fully be who you want me to be?”

Elsa bit her lower lip and nodded softly. “I’d like that, Anna. Let’s start with kissing…”

She turned off the lights.

Day 201

Elsa woke to her sister spooning her, Anna’s arm around her middle, and smiled. Anna - she increasingly forgot that Anna was an android she’d built - had not only learned every mannerism and detail of their prior intimacy, but improved on it. She’d never felt so loved, so satisfied, so enveloped in her sister’s warmth and love as she did now.

She sighed happily, then felt the faintest stirrings of arousal. Anna’s hands had started to wander, slowly and gently, tracing small circles around her navel.

“I know you’re awake, Elsa,” her sister whispered in her ear, her lips brushing the back of her neck. Elsa shivered in delight as Anna’s fingertips walked up her torso, tracing the curves of her body with a feather-light touch. “I can hear your heartbeat. I can see the changes in your breathing. And I can smell your arousal.”

“Yes, I’m awake,” Elsa mumbled, blushing.

“Want me to wake you up fully?” Anna giggled, her hands gliding down past Elsa’s navel.

“Oh god yes,” she breathed, biting her lower lip as she turned to face her sister.

Day 491

Elsa peeked over the covers. “Psst, Anna!”

“Yeah?”

“Happy birthday!”

“To you?” Anna cocked her head, confused.

Elsa laughed. “It’s your birthday!”

“To me? It’s my birthday?”

“Mhm. And it’s going to be perfect, because you’ve never had a real birthday before. You came online exactly a year ago today,” she smiled, drawing Anna into a hug.

Elsa sighed happily. After the first weeks, Anna had mastered all of her predecessor’s habits, quirks, and mannerisms in almost every aspect of life. And what she didn’t have data for, they recreated.

Except for the occasional quirk, Elsa had almost completely forgotten that this wasn’t her biological sister. In every other way, this was Anna, her sister, her lover, her best friend.

“What do you want for your birthday, Anna?”

Anna tamed her wild mane with her fingers, then grinned devilishly at Elsa. She grabbed Elsa by the front of her dress and pulled her down into the bed, pressing her lips against Elsa’s.

“What I want for my birthday is…”, she licked her lips and grabbed Elsa’s ass, “you.”

Day 900

The door to their apartment slid open, and Anna walked in, weary and haggard. She glanced around. So much had changed.

I suppose that was inevitable. I wonder if she moved on from me?

She looked around the quiet apartment before gently opening the bedroom door. Elsa lay on the bed asleep. Next to her, Anna saw… herself. She gasped.

Elsa shot up out of the bed. “Anna?”

#elsanna #submission #december 2020 contest #prompt: warmth #lemon

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pocket-luv101 · 4 years

Text

Strange Events || Chapter 8

Fandom: Servamp Ships: KuroMahi (main), LawLicht (side), Tetsono (side), Jekuni (side) Characters: Kuro, Mahiru, Hyde, Licht, Tetsu, Misono, Snow Lily, Mikuni, JeJe

Summary: When Mahiru’s friend goes missing, he searches through the woods for him. He comes across a boy with psychic abilities. He hoped Kuro would be able to help him find Misono. (Stranger Things AU)

Ch.1 || Ch.2 || Ch.3 || Ch.4 || Ch.5 || Ch.6 || Ch.7 || (Ch.8) ||

Mahiru laid in his bed and he stared at the window. Classes would start soon but he couldn’t find the energy to stand or prepare for the day. His best friend was gone. He was still in shock and the events after he saw his body was a blur. He had a vague memory of Kuro carrying him on his back and how they walked home in silence. The only thing he remembered clearly from that night was Kuro’s strong arms holding him and comforting him.

There was a knock on his door but Mahiru didn’t move to answer it. After a few minutes, the door opened and his uncle walked into his room with a cup of hot chocolate. Usually, Mahiru would be excited to see his uncle but his feelings were drowned out by the grief of losing Misono. He sat up and took the warm cup his uncle passed him. “Thank you, Uncle. I’m sorry for sleeping in.”

“You can skip school today, Mahiru. JeJe called me this morning and told me what happened. I came home as soon as I could. I’m sorry about your friend.” His uncle sat on the edge of the bed and patted his head. “I already called your teacher and told them that you might need to take a day to recover after… Your teacher understood. Do you need anything, Mahiru? Even if it’s just a talk, I’m here for you.”

“Thank you but I want to be alone right now.” He answered in a hushed voice. Mahiru had lost his mother at a young age and he wondered how he coped with the pain the first time. He took a sip of the hot chocolate and the simple taste was comforting to him. He was grateful for his uncle’s support but he didn’t want to burden him with his feelings. “I’m sorry that I made you return from work early.”

“You don’t need to apologize, Mahiru. You can lean on me and tell me if there’s anything you need. We’re family.” He reassured him and then stood. “I’ll get started on breakfast. You can come down to eat whenever you feel ready. Licht left earlier but you should try to talk to him when he returns. It might be easier to talk with someone your age.”

He thanked him again and then his uncle left the room. Mahiru placed the hot chocolate on the desk next to his bed and his eyes fell onto the photos lined together. He picked up two picture frames: one of Misono and the other of his mother. With a sigh, he fell back onto the mattress. He thought he could throw himself into his work to distract himself from his mourning. Yet, he couldn't summon the energy to do so.

His eyes fell onto his closet and he said, “You can come out, Kuro. I don’t think my uncle will come back so you don’t need to hide.”

Kuro stepped out of the closet. Since his uncle returned that morning, he couldn’t stay in the basement anymore. He moved his tent into Mahiru’s closet to stay while they decided what they should do next. He sat beside Mahiru on the bed. They stayed silent for the moment because neither knew how to start the conversation.

Honestly, Kuro was surprised that Mahiru continued to shelter and hide from the bad men searching for him. He no longer needed his help to search for his missing friend. Kuro thought of how hopeful Mahiru was to find his friend and he felt responsible for the disappointment he felt now. He wished he could do something to make him smile again.

“You told your uncle that you wanted to be alone. Do you want me to leave too?” A small weight pressed against Kuro’s back and he realized that the warmth belonged to Mahiru. While he was lost in thought, he had moved behind him to lean against his strong back. Mahiru closed his eyes and he hoped he could borrow his courage and strength.

“Can we stay like this for a while?” The request was spoken in a soft whisper and he wouldn’t have heard it if they weren’t so close. Mahiru’s hand was on his shoulder and Kuro hesitantly touched it. He had comforted him the previous night and he eased the pain in his heart. Kuro wasn’t the best with words and he thought of something he could do for Mahiru.

The bed shifted next to them but the change wasn’t caused by either of them moving. Mahiru lifted his face from his shirt to see what could’ve caused the mattress to shift. He was surprised and confused when he found that there was now a pile of comic books next to them. He leaned away from Kuro to examine their sudden appearance and a handheld game landed on his lap. Next, the large game console slid across the room to them.

“Are you bringing these into the room, Kuro?” He asked even though he already knew the answer. Kuro blushed and covered his face with his sleeve. His shy expression made Mahiru blush as well but he reached out to cup his face in one hand. He gently pushed aside Kuro’s hand so he could wipe the blood from his nose. “My uncle will question how the game system made its way up here.”

“When I started staying here, you gave warm food, video games and comic books. Those things made me happy. I thought they would make you smile if I gave them to you.” His explanation touched Mahiru’s heart and he smiled softly. He had introduced him to a lot of new things since he left the lab but the thing that he cherished the most was Mahiru’s kindness.

“Oh, Kuro, thank you.” Mahiru gave Kuro a chaste kiss on his cheek. He stood up and gathered the comic books into his arms. “We need to think of an excuse for why you’re here so my uncle will let you stay with us. Those bad men are still after you. I should call Tetsu and Lily to check on them since they must be mourning Misono as well.”

Kuro used his powers to lift the radio communicator and brought it to the bed. He switched it on and started to shift through the different channels. Mahiru assumed that he was calling their friends and sat next to him. He was about to tell him the channel to call Tetsu but then he saw Kuro’s nose begin to bleed. His nose would only bleed when he used his power but Mahiru couldn’t see anything moving.

“Are you okay, Kuro? Your nose is bleeding.” Mahiru grabbed a few napkins and held it out to Kuro. A loud screech left the radio and Mahiru instinctively covered his ears. The sound was different from normal static and he thought it sounded similar to an animal. The room fell silent and wondered what caused the noise.

A small voice came through the speaker. “Where is your ancient courage?”

“Misono?” Mahiru grabbed the radio from Kuro’s hands and called his name for a response. He was certain that he heard his friend’s voice and his hands started to tremble. He turned to Kuro for reassurance that he hadn’t misheard. Kuro reached towards him and caught the tear that had formed on his lashes. “Was that Misono? He’s still alive?”

“I wouldn’t lie to you, Mahiru.” He told him. He began to sway slightly and Mahiru wrapped his arms around him to keep him from falling off the bed. Kuro felt dizzy and he laid his head on Mahiru’s lap. “I saw him in the Upside Down. He’s still there, I think. I can use the radio to listen to people but it’s hard. My head hurts.”

“I can get you an aspirin that will help the pain.” He offered as he gently stroked Kuro’s hand. Mahiru didn’t want to stand when he was laying on his lap and he appeared in pain. As happy as he was to learn that his friend was alive, he didn’t want Kuro to push himself to find him. “Kuro, if using your power hurts you, please stop. You can rely on me instead.”

“He said: ‘This power is the only reason you’re here’.” Kuro echoed the warning that he heard countless times. Mahiru didn’t know who told him such a terrible thing but it caused anger and sadness to rise in him. It was clear that he had been through a lot and he wanted to protect Kuro.

Mahiru took Kuro’s hands in his and said: “Powers or not, I care about you, Kuro. I just want you to be happy so please don’t think things like that. I’ll always be here for you.”

Licht traced the steps Kranz would’ve taken to walk from the party to the bus. He hoped he could come across any evidence of someone taking his friend or something similar. The police were investigating his disappearance but Licht was too worried to simply wait for an answer. Mahiru’s friend also vanished in the same forest and they recently found his body in the quarry. He prayed that Kranz didn’t have the same fate. He didn’t have many friends since he moved a lot and stayed with different relatives. Licht cherished the few people he had.

The forest was dense and Licht didn’t know if he would be able to find anything among the undergrowth. He shook the doubt from his head and he reminded himself that he was an angel. His friend needed him and he refused to let any fear he had stop him. Licht focused on the ground but everything looked the same to him. How were detectives able to find clues so easily in television shows?

In the distance, he could see the house that held the party. Licht considered asking the teenagers if they knew anything more about what could’ve happened. He wasn’t the best with social situations but he needed to try. He walked closer to the house and spotted the grand piano through the glass wall. The sight caused him to remember speaking with Hyde that night.

He overheard the news that Misono had been found dead and Licht could only imagine how Hyde felt now. He had been so determined to find his brother but had been pointless. Licht thought of Hyde’s photos that he had picked up after the teenagers broke his camera. He kept them in his backpack with the intention to return them but he forgot about them until now.

Licht shrugged off his backpack to take the pictures out of his bag. Hyde had taken the photos the night of the party and he might’ve taken a picture of Kranz without knowing. The chances of that happening was low yet he needed to try. He skimmed his finger over the glossy image but it was difficult to make anything out of the dark shadows.

He came across the photo of himself playing the piano. Licht was positioned in the far corner of the frame so he doubted that Hyde had meant to capture the image of him. There was a dark smudge behind him and he wondered if it was caused by a printing error. He held up the photograph to compare it to the scene before him but Licht couldn’t see anything in the house that could’ve caused the shadow.

“… This almost looks like a person.” Licht said to himself. The dark shadow was too tall to be a person and he could barely make sense of its hunched position. He recalled the inhuman growl he heard from the piano that night and wondered if it was caused by the shadow behind him. “Hyde didn’t mention seeing this thing when we talked.”

The ground darkened beneath him and Licht’s instincts to run started to scream. He hesitantly turned around and a rock dropped into his stomach. He gripped the photo in his hand and turned away to run as fast as he could. Licht could be reckless and rash but he knew he had to run in that situation.

“Only family can go into the room but I’ll be waiting in the lobby if you need me. After you identify the body, I’ll get the autopsy report and tell you what happened. We examined the scene and we think that Misono fell into the water.” JeJe opened the door for Mikuni and Hyde. They were deathly silent and he understood why they were so solemn.

Hyde entered the police station first but Mikuni paused in the doorway. His hands tightened into fists and he looked up at JeJe. The vulnerability in his brown eyes made JeJe wish that he hadn’t made a promise he knew he couldn’t keep. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t find your brother, Mikuni.”

“Are you giving up?” His question confused him and he raised a brow at him. Mikuni bit his lip in frustration. While JeJe hadn’t said a word in response, it was clear that he didn’t believe that he had seen Misono in their home. He didn’t care if the world thought he was crazy as long as he could save his little brother. “Misono is still out there. I don’t know what you dragged up in the quarry but it wasn’t Misono.”

JeJe knew that saying anything further would only anger Mikuni so he only followed him into the morgue where the body was being kept. He could only imagine how he would react once he saw his brother’s body. He was clearly in denial about his brother’s death. No matter what, JeJe would do his best to support the Alicein family.

He imagined how he would feel if Lily went missing and sympathized with Mikuni’s situation. They hadn’t spoken much before the investigation even though they had been friends in high school. Their time together reminded him of how close they once were. He wasn’t able to find Misono for him but he would do everything he could to help him now.

“Let’s get this over with.” Mikuni strode into the lobby where Hyde was already filling out the forms the receptionist gave him. He went through the motions of writing his name without absorbing the situation. His face was blank and he could tell that it was caused by shock and grief more than anything. The receptionist explained the process of identifying the body to them.

“The body is being preserved in one of our fridges. You can’t enter the room or else it’ll containment the evidence. There is an observation room with a two-way mirror that will allow you to see the body. After we confirm that the body is Misono’s, we’ll have you sign the release form. You will be able to take the body tomorrow and hold a funeral when you’re ready.”

Hyde immediately hated the morgue and covered his nose as he followed the secretary into the hall. How could something be so sterile yet still smell of death? The thought of preparing a funeral for his little brother was terrible but he didn’t want to leave him in such a cold building. Mikuni’s steps were purposeful next to him and Hyde wondered what he was thinking.

The woman left after she showed them to the observation room so she could give them privacy. Hyde was hesitant to look up from the floor because he was afraid of what he would see. His brother’s hand dropped onto his shoulder and the small action helped him. He took a deep breath and he forced himself to look through the glass. A man stood next to a desk covered by a blanket.

The blanket was lifted and Hyde felt the world crumble around him. His brother was lying dead before him. Hyde had to cover his mouth to stop himself from throwing up. He stumbled away from the window to dash back to the lobby where he could throw up.

He heard Mikuni’s voice behind him, “That’s not my brother. He has a birthmark on the inside of his wrist. Can you show me if he has that birthmark?”

JeJe was waiting in the lobby for Mikuni and Hyde to return. He stood when Hyde burst through the door but he was barely able to talk to him. He looked after him and debated if he should go after Hyde or wait for Mikuni to come out as well. He couldn’t decide before Mikuni stormed out shortly afterwards. A doctor tried to reason with him.

“Sir, you can’t cause a scene.” The doctor said. “Please calm down. You need to fill out the forms so we can release your brother’s body to you and confirm that he is Misono.”

“That thing isn’t my brother. I don’t care how real it looks but it isn’t Misono!” Mikuni screamed over him. “I know my brother and you’ll never be able to trick me.”

“This went worse than I thought it would.” JeJe said to himself as he watched Mikuni storm out of the morgue. He wanted to go after him but he didn’t know what he would say to him if he did. Mikuni likely needed a moment to calm down. He went to speak with the secretary and hoped he could get some answers for their next talk.

“I feel sorry for that family.” She said. “They really loved Misono.”

“They’re a close family. I would like to give them some closure, even if they’re still in denial about Misono’s death. Can I speak with Hattori about the autopsy and ask him a few questions? Do you have the file?” He asked. JeJe had been the sheriff for years and most of the town knew him.

“Hattori didn’t do the autopsy.” She said and JeJe’s brows furrowed in confusion. “The state troopers who discovered Misono’s body were the one who did the autopsy. They claimed jurisdiction since the body was found in the quarry.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” He said and stared down the hall.

Hyde was in no mood to entertain visitors when he heard a knock on the door. He marched down the hallway with the intention of telling the person to leave. He threw open the door and his scream became caught in his throat when he saw that it was Licht. Between how pale he was and how he was trembling slightly, Hyde’s frustration became concern.

“What’s wrong, Lichtan?” He asked and let him into the home. Licht had a photo clutched in his hands and he questioned if it was related to why he appeared so shaken. Hyde thought it was better not to push him for an answer and brought him to the living room. He considered making a warm drink to help calm him but he was worried about leaving him alone when he looked so pale. He tried to lighten the mood by joking. “How did you know where I lived? Do I have a stalker?”

“Mahiru said his friend, Misono, lived near the party. There aren’t many houses in this area so I ran door to door until I found you.” Licht told him. His breathing was a little uneven so Hyde wondered how many doors he knocked on before he reached his house. He didn’t know why he would want to visit him though. Then, Licht turned to the hole in the wall. “What happened to your wall? Is it safe here?”

“Mikuni thought we needed a new window.” His words were tinted with sarcasm. Licht slowly lowered himself onto the couch and Hyde sat across from him. “The town likes to say that ‘Alice lived in a glass house of madness’. I always wondered which of us they were referring to. I’m starting to believe that they meant all of us. After this week, I would prefer to live in Wonderland.”

“I was worried that… that thing was the one who made the wall.” Licht unfolded the photograph and flattened the creases against his leg. “The night of the party, you took this picture. You said you wanted to throw these photos away because you didn’t find anything. I think you did without knowing. Look at this shadow. It’s a true demon. I was hoping that you would know more about it.”

“This looks like discolouration caused by overexposure when you develop a film roll. I was careful when developing these photos.” Hyde would’ve brushed the image aside but then Licht gripped his hand around the picture. He watched the way he chewed on his lower lip. Licht didn’t know if he would believe him and chose his words carefully.

“This morning, I was searching the woods near the party where Kranz disappeared. I saw this large mantis demon. I know this sounds crazy but I didn’t imagine it. The demon was the same height as the shadow in this photo.” Licht persistently stabbed the shadow in the picture with his finger. His blue eyes pleaded with Hyde to believe him. “It wasn’t just an animal. This beast was tall and lanky and its face…”

“It didn’t have a face?” Hyde echoed the words that Mikuni had told him. His brother had been so insistent that a monster without a face had attacked Misono. Even if his claim was outlandish, a part of him wanted to trust Mikuni and believe that their brother was still alive. He waited for Licht to say something else and describe another monster.

Then, he felt Licht’s hand trembling against his skin. He didn’t answer him but his reaction was enough to tell him that he was correct. Hyde examined the shadow again and he had to admit it looked like a tall monster. He stood and went to his backpack to get his folder of film negatives. He spread the rolls on the table before him until he found the photo.

“The negatives aren’t damaged or overexposed. That shadow that appeared in the photograph was actually there.” Hyde’s mind was racing and he couldn’t take his eyes off the monster. “Mikuni was right this entire time. He said he saw Misono being chased by this thing.”

Hyde explained to Licht everything his brother had told him about the monster in their walls. His words made him cling onto the hope that Kranz could be alive like Misono. The fear he felt when he first encountered the monster disappeared and the feeling was replaced by anger. “We have to find that thing! It could have Kranz and your brother. Let’s tell Mikuni that we have photo proof now.”

“I can do this on my own.” He thrust the photograph into his pocket. He marched to the closet and threw the doors open. Hyde knelt in front of the safe that was hidden behind a pile of shoeboxes. Licht walked behind him and his eyes widened when he saw the gun. As he loaded the gun, Hyde said: “I’ll deal with this thing and save my brother.”

“I’m coming with you! That thing has my friend.” Licht grabbed a bat he saw leaning against the wall. Hyde placed his hand on his arm and he assumed that he intended to stop him.

“You’re a pianist, right, Lichtan? Your hands could be hurt if you try to fight that monster with a baseball bat. Take the gun.” Hyde placed the weapon on the ground. “I have a powerful swing.”

“Let’s go find that monster. It should still be in the area that I found it earlier.”

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