#let's hope that the rabbit is going to use all its murderous potential to protect instead of harm

[oldtvandcomics]

Rabbit is armed and ready to go.

I missed out on the big tiger drawing last year, so I’m making doubly sure to participate for the rabbits.

Also, killer rabbits! Never miss an opportunity to draw a killer rabbit!

[lonelyghosts-stuff]

Avengers Infinity War-First Time Watching Reaction Play-by-Play (Pt. 2)

Part 1

I wonder how many people Gamora has killed? What made her finally snap to not serve Thanos anymore?

How DID Gamora find it? Like, who told her?

How did Thanos capture nebula?

Poor nebula. She’s literally been through hell and back.

Ohhhh she snuck on board...

Thanos you suck so much. You favor one daughter over another.

Oh. Where was said map to the soul stone?

Gosh I feel so damn bad for nebula. She was raised as his daughter too but he tortured her and tore her apart. Nebula never had the chance to be her equal. She deserves so much.

Taught groot as an elective? What about all speak?

Buckle up rocket. It’s gonna get emotional.

Thor is literally all alone. He needs a time to sit alone and cry and break a whole building.

Rocket and Thor friends? Please

1500 years old? Jane, honey, you escaped.

Gotta give it up to Hemsworth’s acting chops here. Especially talking to nobody in reality. Just a bunch of cgi

Ew ew ew eye socket

Should have washed that yikes

Snuck it out by hiding it up your? Huh? You watch too many movies rocket.

Huge title card. Thank you. I wouldn’t have known where we were despite them saying their location many times.

How is that video game battery not dead?

Perceptive rabbit

I LOVE that they used a dwarf to play a giant character!!! This is brilliant! (And that dwarves are giant for some reason lol.)

Soooo again Thanos killed everyone EXCEPT Eitri despite his “morality” supposedly being balance

Poor hands

Poor nebula

Smart nebula

Maybe should have waited to be fixed fully first

Ah crap. SOMEONE PICK UP THE SPACE PHONE

MANTIS

Love how Stark asks for peters help in steering and not Stephen lmao

Nice parking job

Peter, stop popping pop culture refs

Lmao ITS ABOUT TO BE THE ICONIC SCENE

YES PLEASE

Blanket of Death. Capey has a new nickname.

Where’s Gamora

Who’s Gamora

Why is Gamora

What master do you serve?

Jesus?

I mean, yea I do. So does Pratt lmaoo.

LMAO PARKER’S FACE WHEN QUILL SAID THOR WASNT HANDSOME

Storm breaker time baby

“In theory it could summon the bifrost” who theorized this? How do you only theorize and not know?

Oh my gosh mantis is just bouncing around

Mr. Clean lmao

Kick names, take ass

Hey now, these guys saved the galaxy and universe from Ego so lmao

Oh no I know the scene coming up

Poor quill lmao

“I’m half human. So the 50% of me that’s stupid, that’s 100% of you.” “Your math is, blowing my mind.” What’s funny is that Quill’s math was actually completely accurate lol

Stephen having a stroke or a seizure? You good homie?

Soooo if Strange looked to the future and so possible outcomes, what does that mean for the TVA? According to them, there’s ONE sacred timeline, so all other branches are erased (which again messes up what smart hulk eventually says in end game. See kids, this is why you don’t mess with time travel in stories. There’s no way to go back in time without creating a time loop). Ehhhhh I’ll let it slide. Just ignore it... sigh... I can’t help it if I’ve studied paradoxes

Hmmmm not good odds I’ve gotta say...

Watch like, outside of the millions of realities that strange saw, there were like a million or billion more he missed where they won with no casualties lol

Hey Red Skull. Long time no see. How did he get here anyways and why?

Yea you’re prepared all right...

Gotta say, Lord Elrond has seen better days

I’m not ready to say good bye to this Gamora. Gamora and Loki and Nat go down as my favorite characters, gotta say. I know that Tony does and it’s sad, but his feels more satisfying because his sacrifice directly results in them winning. Loki is murdered. Gamora is murdered. Nat died just for a stepping stone for the avengers. She has no idea whether or not they will actually win in the end.

I’m hopeful they may bring Nat back like in the comics, red room clone style.

We got back vision, Loki (kinda), variant Gamora, a new captain America, why not Nat? Yea we have a prequel, but gosh I love her so much.

“You must lose that which you love.” Couldn’t that apply to like an object or something? Could I not throw my Nintendo switch over the cliff? Or my dog? (I would hate that just as much as a person, don’t get me wrong, I’m just curious about the rules)

Yea boohoo sad for Thanos... loses his favorite daughter. I don’t care about him. He deserves suffering.

Poor Gamora doesn’t think he’s willing to do it.. GIRL RUN!!!

Thanos deserves all the suffering.

He does love you Gamora... but that love... it’s selfish. It’s blind... Thanos seems to be a chaotic vigilante who is narrowminded, tunnel vision on his goal with no regards of the cost. But he is evil. If there is ever an alternate route to an end that doesn’t result in the loss of innocent lives, and you know that but you willingly choose the once that costs innocent lives, that is an evil decision. Maybe Thanos isn’t evil, but he’s not good. Far from it. He’s obsessed with this idyllic Utopia but he rushes to one method of getting there. Yes, people suffer. It sucks... it’s unfair... it’s horrible. But it is never the right of someone else to dictate whether or not said person would be better off dead. Who lives, who dies. If Thanos truly was neutral and not selfish, he would have thrown his own life into the mix of the potential 50/50 snap. Thanos is not good. He’s not misunderstood. He’s a murderer. A genocidal cult leader. I have no tears for him. Only for those who suffered more at his hands.

Rant over, time to try not to cry about Gamora...

Her face of realization

Gamora run please

Thanos, I hate you. (Great character her, but not a good person)

Poor Gamora

Oh my gosh the emotion here is great but I’ve heard this sound used as a meme on TikTok too many times aghhhh

Gamora!

What a way to die

I’m crying again. I miss her already...

Who the hell designed this place and put the stone here???? Who did this?

Cry Thanos. Suffer. My only comfort here is that you are sad. You deserve suffering. You really do...

The TVA is laughing here and I’m not okay..

Poor Peter Quill... he’s also lost a lot like Thor, but has had the “luck” of not knowing his family too close.

Wakanda babyyyy

No, you don’t want Starbucks, you want Dutch bros

Lmao I love rhodey. Poor Bruce.

BUCKY BUCKY BUCKY

HUG

NO CMON HAVE A LONG HUG

MALE FRIENDSHIPS ARE SO IMPORTANT.

Yea Shuri show em up.

Okay quick pause, I love love LOVE how Shuri is smarter. It’s a powerful moment for females BUT it’s not done in a way that’s condescending to males! It’s not saying women power because men bad, she’s just good! (And she has had access to technology they never could have but I digress). More of this please Hollywood. Don’t let being a female be the power. I don’t want strong female characters, I want strong characters who happen to be female. Ones who hold their own, have faults like anyone else, struggle, have weaknesses and strengths, but are strong without putting down others. Just a comment, just because a woman character may not be as strong as a man character, that is not saying she’s weak. If you’re the second strongest human in the world, you are NOT weak. You’re just not as strong as the strongest human ever, but that’s nothing against you. LET WOMEN STAND ON THEIR OWN MERITS WITHOUT SEX AFFECTING THEM!

Anyways

I love Shuri

I wish they had more time. She definitely could have done it. But stupid Thanos

Ughhhghhg

I know what many scenes are upcoming... with quill and peter and vision and everyone else

Let👏🏻Bucky👏🏻Have👏🏻Peace👏🏻

Thank you Nat!!! I love that Nat is so protective and selfless.

GET THIS MAN A SHIELD

Bucky needs love please. He’s my stand in, manipulated, greasy, long haired, dark and mysterious, stabby boy. (Also I need Bucky and Loki to meet. But let Loki finish his show (and come out of it alive because if he doesn’t I will sue) and be the antihero hero we need. Please. If he doesn’t get reintroduced into the mcu as a hero I will sue.

Thor, sweetie, are you a masochist?

Back to wakanda

Oh no, bad CGI, floating head Bruce banner. I’ll let it slide... sigh....

Can’t like, you just rain bombs on them forever?

JIBARI TRIBE YEA BOYYYYY

Sorry Proxima Midnight, you look like a frog and your name sounds like a middle schooler’s OC.

How nice. Diplomatic meeting.

“Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood.” Reeeeeeally wish you didn’t say that, T’Challa...

Yay big CGI battle commence! It’s like a really expensive animated cartoon at this point

WAKANDA FOREVER!

Poor Bucky. Forgot this dude doesn’t know much about the modern world.

Ahhhh Kamikazi aliens

I just wanna say that I love that Wakanda still has the artistic culture in their clothing and tradition all the while having badass, super advanced technology.

Why can’t they just rain bombs down the whole fight lol. Rhodey has those super nice bombs, like, do that they he whole time? Please? Why do you not have a barrier around the entire king.

No M’Baku, it’s not the end of wakanda. But half of all life, yea

WAKANDA FOREVER YEAAAAAAA

They should honesty all have nano tech suits like black panther lol. Or iron man suits. Fine maybe the most powerful one with the best quality material for the king, but besides that, yknow.

Wow Steve is hot with a beard.

So much happening at once. Thor, Wakanda, Vormir, Knowhere, am I missing anything?

Okay, but what IS the full force of a star? Like in Newton’s or something? Juls? Is it heat?

What’s this metal? How does it fare with vibranium?

Get off your wooden butt, groot.

“He needs the axe” are you Thor, the god of axes?

Soooo, I thought Thor didn’t NEED the hammer, it just helped him concentrate his powers or act as a conduit. Is that retconned already?

Cmon groot, put down your game. Soooo, is Groot worthy? He technically lifted it. Or is it a technicality because it wasn’t fully finished yet?

Cmon bucky, use that fancy arm of yours.

Wow they’re getting destroyed.

They need wanda to help.

BADASS ENTRANCE BABYYYY

How did Thor know to come to wakanda?

Floaty head Bruce

“BRING ME THANOS!”

Ahhhhhahahaha yeaaaaaa

Cry Thanos. Do it. I hate you.

Much more of a purple grape nutsack.

Oh gosh... I know what Peter Quill is going to do. I still don’t hate him.

“With all six stone I would simply snap my fingers. They would all cease to exist.” Orrrr, now hear me out, I know I sound like a broken record now but... MAYBE DOUBLE THE RESOURCES INSTEAD?? That’s not mercy. That’s not up to you to decide whether or not someone’s better off dead.

Smoosh

Yea quill has experience with the power stone

AIM FOR THE HEAD

Cmon it’s basic zombie tactics

I love peter quill lmao

Go capey!!!

Magic with a kick!

Poor Peter

CAPEY NOOOOOO

Wow he’s OP

Ouch quill just got majorly clotheslined

NEBULA

“Where’s Gamora?” 😭😭😭 SHE CARES AGHHHH

Restrain him! Work it mantis!!!

Why even remove the gauntlet, just slit his throat... kill him....

Quill no... stop being cocky...

Oh no

Quill please don’t

JUST SLIT THANOS’ THROAT

Quill please....

Poor quill. Just lost the person who really really loved him

Okay, I still love star lord. Idc what others think. He reacted realistically. If you hate peter quill for how he reacted, you better also hate Tony Stark for how he reacted to bucky when he learned bucky killed his parents despite knowing for a fact that bucky was brainwashed. Yes it was annoying... yes they were so close, but quill is so human here. I don’t hate him. He gets too much hate for acting like any normal person would have. Distraught, grief filled, he lost his love. Someone who helped him open up and finally move on from his mother’s death and fathers villainy.

Spider man saving mantis gives me life

How did that power stone blast not kill them?

Clearly Thanos has played Majora’s Mask. At least he has good taste.

So close vision.... but I know... I know what happens.

YES BUCKY AND ROCKET GUN CIRCLE.

Lmao give rocket Bucky’s old arm.

“I am Groot.” “I am Steve Rogers.” Comedy gold

Cmon Thor, go after the big one first.

Cmon wanda, save them. We need some scarlet witch magic up here to stop these

Okay that was so cool. AND THEN SHE USED THE BLADES

Oh no but now Shuri is alone

So close yet so far.... Dangit... vision was almost good

Ouch. Bonk to the head

YEA BLACK WIDOW

BADASS TIME

AND OKOYE!!

LETS GOOOOOOO

BADASS WOMEN

Ouch poor vision

Cmon Thor back up vision

Please

Hulk is in his feels

Cmon hulk grow up

Ooooh smart move banner

Aaaaand he’s gone

Giant blade look oit

Corvus, screw off.

YEA STEVE

WHERE IS THOR WHEN YOU NEED HIM

CMON NAT

Oh dang. Nice one wanda. But also, sheesh. Helluva way to go. But no big.

Yea vision. Stabby time.

Now vision and Steve, kiss.

Spider man saving everyone’s lives.

YEA STRANGE

Where was this in New York???

MULTIPLYING

WHY DIDNT YOU DO THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE????

Oh no

Well then... ouch. Soooo where’s the real stone???

Hey look Tony, you have a fan.

Okay I’m just pissed odd they didn’t just kill Thanos when they had him subdued. Like, worry about the glove AFTER he’s not longer a threat

Oof

Tony is taking a beating

HE WAS STABBED

WHAT

I don’t want your respect Thanos. That’s an insult.

They will remember him. They will remember him Thanos. When he kills you.

DOCTOR STRANGE WHAT?

You really doing this??? I guess he knows what needs to unfold for them to win... dang. I wouldn’t trust him tho.

Peter Quill in berserker mode

Where’d he go?

Name dropping the second movie

Strange knows everything about to go down. Who dies, who lives, what Thanos is about to do... he’s accepting his soon dusted demise because Stark needs to live...

AIM FOR THE HEAD UGHHHHH

Stop teleporting. That’s Loki’s gimmick.

KILL THIS RAISIN LOOKING NUTSACK UGH

Homie way too OP

Poor wanda and Vis...

HER LIP TREMBLE

PHENOMENAL ACTING

SAY I LOVE YOU

I JUST FEEL YOU

AGGHHHH IM CRYING AGAIN

Poor wanda. To have to kill her love... this.. this is a sacrifice Thanos... not your murder....

Wow Steve is holding back Thanos with pure brute

WANDA IS SO STRONG

HOLDING BACK THANOS WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY BREAKING THE MIND STONE

I LOVE YOU

AGHHHHHHHHH

And I know what happens next...

Poor wanda

Piss off thanos you understand nothing

You lost more than she could know? Bull crap. You are causing everyone to lose...

Cruel reality. Wanda has to see him die twice. RIP Vision

RIP half of all life...

AIM FOR THE DAMN HEAD

IF THOR KILLED HIM THEY COULD HAVE USED THE GAUNTLET TO BRING EVERYONE BACK TO LIFE. USED THE TIME STONE TO REVIVE THEM ALL.

How did that not kill Thanos tho. It may not have been a head shot but still.

Lil Gamora

What is this place?

Is this the soul realm?

Thanos, I hope you suffer forever. You deserve all the pain...

Rest In Peace: Vision, Loki, Bucky, T’Challa, Groot, Wanda Maximoff, Sam Wilson, Mantis, Drax, Peter Quill, Dr. Strange, Peter Parker (I don’t feel so good), and everyone else...

Thank you Nebula.

Thanos, you do NOT deserve to retire peacefully—wipe that smile off of your face

Oop, Rest In Peace Maria Hill and Nick Fury too... Motherfu— (so close Sammy boy...)

Yea Thanos you didn’t really think that through. Much more than half will died since other people rely on other peoples lives

Good thing he hit that button last minute huh? I wonder how captain marvel would fare in the TVA? are her powers considered magic? I mean, she clearly doesn’t know everything since she only just learned about Thanos (which is funny because she was supposedly traversing the universe to protect people)

Welp... onto movie two!

[xxpadfootxx]

Fanning the Flames of Heroic Turmoil - Part 1 (Word Hurt More Than Spikes)

Summary: [THIS IS A PART 2 OF NIGHT TERRORS & NEW BEGINNINGS]

Despite Izuku’s hero training interfering with with their progress, Izuku & Dakota have slowly grown closer over time, their bond strengthening and their friendship developing into more than just a boy and his pet. Izuku and Dakota are ready for anything. They have each other and that’s all that matters... but will it be enough? Or will some revealed secrets about Dakota’s past and her connection to some of the world’s most dangerous villains tear their bond up from the seams?

A/N: As it says in the summary, this is a part 2 to Night Terrors & New Beginnings. This multi-chapter fic was just getting really long so I decided to make it into a series. So if you haven’t read the first part then you are in the wrong place! Sorry it’s so long, I hope you enjoy this series anyway!

Izuku laid back and crossed his arms underneath his head, closing his eyes as the sun warmed his face and the grass brushed against his arms. He sighed, finally allowing his body to relax after the grueling past few weeks he had put himself through in order to perform his best at the Sports Festival. Although he loved being around Dakota, he had forced himself to stay away from her during the Sports Festival, not wanting to either overwork himself nor be distracted while he prepared to display his talents to any pro-heros who were willing to take him on as an intern.

Dakota told him she understood completely and had left him alone, remaining in the dragon sanctuary but he had felt her slightly melancholy mood when he saw her for the last time before the festival. Now that the festival was over, Izuku had taken the first train to the sanctuary, his heart desperate to see his best friend again. Almost immediately upon walking into the sanctuary and seeing all of the dragons living peacefully behind Fumihiros’ cottage, Izuku had felt himself relax, the calming aura of the place allowing the tension to melt from his muscles. Izuku peeked one eye open when he felt a movement beside him.

“Gods, I feel like I’ve broken every bone in my body,” Ochako said with a groan, laying down on the soft grass beside Izuku.

“I agree with you on that one,” Izuku said with a chuckle.

“Oh! Deku, I’m sorry I totally forgot!” Ochako said, turning to him with her face red with embarrassment. She had forgotten that Izuku really had broken his bones in the tournament.

“Don’t worry about it,” Izuku said with a warm smile. He had only been teasing her.

“Are we not going to go find our dragons?” Ochako asked after a short moment of silence.

Izuku smiled when she said ���our’ dragons. He had been so afraid in the beginning that Ochako would reject him as a friend when she found out about Dakota. When he had knocked on her door all those weeks ago to recruit her for her help in rescuing the captured dragons, he had expected her to never speak to him again, even if she did decide to help him. The exact opposite had ensued, Ochako becoming closer to him than anyone ever had been before, aside from his own family. She came with him every time he went to the dragon sanctuary, her smile bright and her eyes wide if not a little cautious, eager to learn.

“I just told Dakota we were here,” Izuku said, glancing back up at the sky. “She didn’t respond but I know she heard me so we can just relax here until they show up.”

When Ochako didn’t say anything in response, Izuku glanced over to find her watching him, her eyes glimmering in wonder.

“What?” Izuku asked nervously, his face turning red under her stare and his eyes darting away from her gaze.

“Oh sorry!” Ochako said, snapping out of her haze. “I just still think it's so cool how you’re able to communicate with her. I have to admit, when you first did it, it kind of freaked me out a little. But now that I’ve seen you do it more often, I find it so cool!”

“Oh, yeah,” Izuku said warmly, his face getting somehow even more red from her praise. “I’m still getting used to it even though it's been so long since we first bonded. I’m starting to get the hang of it now though! It helps to know that Dakota is just as new to this as I am.”

“Damn right, half of the time I have no idea what to do or how to respond,” a voice suddenly said through the bond, making Izuku jolt in place.

“Deku, are you okay?”

“Yeah, Dakota just talked to me and I wasn’t expecting it.”

“Dakota spoke to you? Where is she?”

“Right above you,” Dakota said through the bond, making Izuku smile and look up. There, sitting in the branches of the tree right above the pair was both Dakota and Legoshi, their wings still spread slightly, signaling they had just landed.

Ochako followed Izuku’s eyes and smiled brightly when she saw her winged friends, moving to rest on her elbows to get a better look at them. With roars of joy above them, Dakota and Legoshi raised their wings and leaped from the branches, gliding down to their respective riders. Ochako stood and met Legoshi once he landed on the ground, her arms out to encompass his neck in a hug. Legoshi purred and reached his neck around her back to nuzzle her affectionately, her whole body surrounded by him.

Izuku leaped up and met with Dakota before she even landed completely on the ground, her wings still beating a little when he jumped up to wrap his arms around her. As soon as he saw her his heart had jumped into his throat like a rabbit, beating steadily and filling him with an overwhelming sense of love he hadn’t expected.

“I missed you too,” Dakota chuckled down the bond as she landed on her back legs but kept her front legs reared into the air to encompass Izuku in a hug of her own. Izuku squeezed her harder in response. When they finally parted, they turned to see Ochako had already made herself at home curled up against Legoshi’s body, his tail coiled around her protectively. Assuming the same position, Dakota laid down on the soft grass and curled her tail around Izuku as he settled down against her side with a sigh.

“Gods, I missed this,” Ochako whispered.

“Me too,” Izuku said, leaning back even further into Dakota’s warm scales.

“You two seem tired,” Dakota growled down the bond, her striking blue eyes revealing her concern and her tail tightening its hold across Izuku’s lap.

“Yeah,” Izuku said. “We are pretty tired, but even with the hard work and the stress, the festival was really fun.”

“It was really fun,” Ochako agreed, using context clues to figure out what Dakota had said. “Well, the last round with the one on one fights was hard, I was up against Bakugo which kind of put a damper on the fun part of the festival, but I learned a lot and I was happy he didn’t go easy on me.”

“Oh yeah, Ochako was amazing, you should’ve seen her!” Izuku said, not noticing the blush that immediately bloomed on Ochako’s face at his words. “I offered to help her but she didn’t need it, she had this fantastic plan where she used the power of Kacchan’s blasts against him, floating the debris around her to create this amazing meteor shower! She would’ve won if it weren’t for the fact that Kacchan had at least one more giant blast in him. She was so fantastic though, I wish you could’ve seen her!” Izuku suddenly stopped when he realized he was rambling and placed his hands over his mouth, glancing at Ochako apologetically. She shook her head at his apology, her bangs swinging in front of her face.

“Thanks Deku, you were amazing too! He had a difficult opponent as well. He actually made it through two rounds before losing. The first round was against a kid with a mind control quirk, but he managed to break free of it and send the kid out of bounds! He didn’t lose until he was put up against Todoroki, but that was only because instead of taking over Todoroki’s weak spot like he was supposed to, he helped him through some tough issues he had with himself and brought out his full potential.”

Now it was Deku’s turn to blush as she boasted about him, her eyes sparkling as she recounted both fateful battles.

“Yeah, he tends to see the best in those who may not always deserve it,” Dakota said down the bond, shifting her wings uncomfortably. “That’s what makes him so deserving of the title ‘hero’, though.”

Izuku glanced up at his dragon in shock not only at the blatant compliment in her words, but also at the sly jab she had aimed at herself, but her head was turned away, her eyes purposely looking elsewhere.

“What did she say?” Ochako asked.

“She just said that she thought I was worthy of being a hero because of my faith in people,” Izuku said, his heart warming as he mulled the compliment over in his mind.

“Well she is damn right,” Ochako said, the words slipping out of her mouth before she could stop them. Slapping a palm over her mouth she looked to see Izuku looking at her with a surprised, warm look on his face. She smiled at him, still flustered she had let that slip. Grasping for a change in subject that could dissipate the tension in the air, her mind landed on their friend Iida.

“Hey Deku, did something seem off about Iida after his phone call with his family after the Sports Festival? I feel like he received some bad news but he wasn’t saying anything.”

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about Iida ever since he came out of the locker room that day. And did you see what he put down for his internship choice? He picked one in Hosu, where all of the attacks from the Hero Killer have been happening.”

“Hero Killer?” Dakota asked.

“Yeah, the Hero Killer, also known as Stain, is a villain who believes that the heroing system is corrupt and full of fake heroes. He tried to protest and spread his beliefs through rallies and riots but when he got shut down he turned to crime, murdering heroes he believed to be unworthy of their title,” Izuku explained. “Dakota asked,” He said, in response to Ochako’s questioning stare.

“The most recent attack was in Hosu,” Ochako said, picking up where Izuku left off in his explanation. “He killed a few heroes down there and then disappeared, but the authorities are guessing he will be back in Hosu soon, should he follow the pattern he has almost always followed in his past killing sprees.”

Dakota grunted and looked out over the sanctuary, her eyes roving over the relaxing dragons. She watched as Jack walked out of the small cottage and made his way over to Sasori, his handsome Triple Strike, holding out some fish for his best friend.

“Izuku?” Dakota asked in a soft whisper down the bond.

“Yes?” Izuku also responded down the bond, taking her soft tone as a hint that she wanted to talk to him in private.

“Please keep each other safe and don’t die. You and Uraraka are both very strong individuals but when you are together, you make a formidable team. Even so, watch each other's backs. I never want to feel the agony of seeing Haruka or Fumihiro walk through those doors with nothing but tears and regret.”

Izuku looked up at his dragon in shock for the second time during their interaction but was met with Dakota’s genuine, striking gaze rather than the back of her head. Her eyes were swimming with suppressed emotion and her tail fins were flicking anxiously against Izuku’s legs. Tears bubbled up under Izuku’s eyelids and overflowed onto his cheeks, leaving clear steaks on his soft skin.

“Deku? Is something wrong?”

Izuku rubbed his face with the sleeve of his shirt. He was so grateful for all of his friends but right now, Ochako and Dakota seemed to be the two individuals in the world who understood him the most. Dakota was direct and bold but kind and sensitive thanks to her troubling past. Ochako was patient and never seemed frustrated or jealous over Izuku’s bond with Dakota, always waiting patiently for him to fill her in and respecting his decisions when he decided not to share the information with her.

“No, I’m alright Ochako,” Izuku said calmly, the tears finally drying from his eyes. “Dakota just told me that we need to take care of each other. She knows we are going to help Iida but she cares about us and wants us to use our strength as a team to keep each other safe.”

Ochako stared at Dakota for a moment, her determined chocolate brown eyes meeting Dakota’s searing blue gaze without fear.

“I can do that,” Ochako said, reaching up with a soft palm to pat Dakota’s nose. Dakota purred and nuzzled Ochako affectionately.

“I can do that too,” Izuku said, his eyes coming to rest on Ochako as he made his promise, his heart hardening against the idea of her getting hurt.

“Good,” Dakota said down the bond, which Izuku repeated to Ochako, before laying her head down on the soft grass beside Izuku, allowing sleep to overtake her in the warm afternoon sun. Legoshi soon followed suit, his tail curling even more around Ochako, the electric dragon really having grown affectionate towards Ochako after the dragon rescue, her warm heart and kind, patient words bringing the stubborn dragon closer and closer to her until he was wrapped around her finger like a small puppy. Ochako smiled at her dragon before curling into his side even more with a sigh and closing her eyes.

“Just gonna relax for a while…” Ochako mumbled.

Izuku knew they would have to be home before dark but he let all of them sleep, his own eyes having to fight to keep from drooping closed now that the initial excitement of seeing their dragons again had faded off. Izuku busied himself with keeping watch over his friends. He knew there was no danger within the dragon sanctuary, but it gave him something to do and it calmed his heart to know they were safe. 

He knew he still had a long road ahead with Dakota, the pair only just starting to get the hang of flying together despite their successful attempt during the dragon trap rescue, but he couldn’t wait to trek that journey with her, their bond strengthening every day. Leaning back into Dakota’s warm side, Izuku gazed down at Ochako, watching as the brilliantly gold rays of the dying sunlight splayed out across her face and set her hair on fire, the chocolatey brown meshing with the gold into a fiery orange that was bursting with color and energy. He listened to her soft breathing and felt his heart start to beat erratically as his eyes roved over her plush lips, the flesh puckered slightly in her sleep. 

Finally tearing his gaze away from his sleeping friend, Izuku gazed out over the peaceful sanctuary. Jack had gone back inside the cottage but Sasori was attempting to get more fish from the large lake towards the middle of the sanctuary. He watched as the dragons fluttered their wings and nuzzled their eggs, their bodies relaxed and calm, finally free from the stresses of worrying about hunters and trappers. Dakota sighed and shifted behind him, making Izuku glance back at her. He made up his mind then, curled up within Dakota’s scales and surrounded by these wondrous creatures that no matter what happened, he was going to be here to protect them. To change the minds of the people around him and give these creatures the amazing life they deserved.

_____________________________

“Anyone want to meet up for dinner after school today?” Kirishima asked the group sitting at his lunch table, his eyes bright and his fork waving in the air excitedly.

“Sorry, we already have plans,” Izuku said, motioning towards Ochako and himself without really thinking.

“Oooooh!!! Something special planned tonight Midoriya? You both have been pretty busy after school ever since the festival ended, anything we don’t know about that we should?” Kaminari asked from beside Kirishima, his eyebrows raising and his teasing smile widening as Izuku choked on his curry.

“W-what!? N-no we just-” Izuku was scrambling for an explanation when Ochako piped up beside him, her composure a lot more solid despite her burning cheeks.

“Deku has been helping me study for the upcoming final exams,” Ochako said. “I really struggle with logarithms and he is really good at them so we’ve been meeting for study sessions almost every day to help me prepare.”

Kaminari stuck his tongue out at her in response. “You two are boring.”

Izuku glanced at her gratefully when Kaminari dropped the subject and continued to shovel food in his mouth, trying to get the flames in his cheeks to die down.

“Alright, I understand why you two can’t come, anyone else though?” Kirishima asked, glancing around the table. “Bakugo?”

“Fuck off, Shitty Hair.”

“Great! So, Bakugo is coming, who else?” Kirishima asked again, ignoring the glare Bakugo threw at him.

“Jirou? Yaoyorozu? Kaminari? Ashido?”

The students he called out to eventually agreed to come even if it took a little convincing, eventually forming a small dinner group for the evening.

“Anyone else? Final call! How about you Iida? Wanna come?”

Izuku and Ochako both discreetly glanced at their friend. They had found out shortly after the Sports Festival that his older brother, Ingenium had gotten attacked by the Hero Killer in Hosu. Both of them were trying to keep a close eye on their friend but Iida was making it hard for them, only responding to questions with curt, one word answers and mostly avoiding as much human contact as possible. It had taken Izuku and Ochako almost twenty minutes to convince him to eat lunch with them.

“Iida?”

Iida remained silent, his eyes glassy, his mind obviously preoccupied in his own world.

“IIDA!”

Iida finally snapped out of it, blinking rapidly and glancing over, he found everyone at the table to be staring at him.

“Oh sorry, I was busy thinking, what did you guys want?” Iida asked in a tired, monotone voice that sounded so unlike him it made Izuku’s stomach clench.

“It’s fine man, I was just wondering if you wanted to come eat out for dinner tonight with us, you know, get your mind off of things for a little while,” Kirishima said, his voice softening at the look and sound of their normally energetic class representative.

“Oh, thanks Kirishima but I think I’ll pass on this one.”

Izuku and Ochako looked at each other. They both wanted to breach the subject and desperately wanted to help their friend but they both felt helpless. They had spent endless hours talking it over while trying to study. They had even brought the issue to their dragons for advice but even that hadn’t cracked Iida’s hardened shell. After a few more minutes of staring off into space, Iida stood abruptly and left without a word, dumping his mostly full tray of food into the trash and heading off on his own, his shoulders slightly slumped and his back tensed like an iron rod.

Izuku stood up to follow him but stopped when he felt Ochako lightly grip his wrist, her head shaking to tell him to give Iida some space. She knew it hurt Izuku to sit still, and she wanted to help him too, but with the way he was now, he just needed some space and time to get used to the new tragedy in his life. Izuku slowly sat back in his seat and hung out with his friends for the rest of the lunch period, but his mind was never far from the suffering of one of his closest friends.

____________________________

All throughout the day, Izuku had given Iida his space but never stopped trying to think of solutions. He was still mulling it over as he walked down the hall to his last class, his thumb pressed against his chin and his mouth moving as he mumbled a series of plans to himself.

“Something got you thinking, Midoriya m’boy?” The strong voice of All Might said suddenly from Izuku’s right. Izuku jumped a little in surprise and turned to see his idol and mentor standing in a small alcove of the hallway, his large muscled form covered by a snappy yellow suit that complimented his gold hair.

“Oh! Hello All Might! Sorry, I was just thinking, what can I do for you?” Izuku said, bowing quickly.

All Might waved off his bow and beckoned for Izuku to follow him, a small piece of paper clutched between his first two fingers on his left hand.

“Have you found where you want to intern, young Midoriya?” All Might asked.

“Oh, I have some ideas but as I didn’t get any offers, I’ve been trying to narrow them down based on different aspects such as where they are located and how well I could use my quirk and-”

All Might cut him off with a chuckle.

“No need to get into much detail, Midoriya, I was just asking because this morning you got an offer.”

“Really!?” Izuku asked incredulously, his eyes as wide as saucers as he looked up at his mentor.

“Yep,” All Might said, lifting the slip of paper and waving it in the air. “He’s an old friend of mine and he watched the festival. I told him about you and you captured his interest.”

Excitement flooded Izuku’s system but something about the way All Might said it made his eyes glance over at him in concern.

“But…?”

All Might sighed and pulled Izuku down a deserted hall, away from a group of oncoming students.

“There are two things about this man you should know if you decide to intern with him. One, he is terrifying.”

“Huh!?” Izuku gasped.

“Yeah,” All Might chuckled. “He will push you to the brink to make you the best of the best. Don’t let his age fool you, he is the toughest person I’ve ever met.”

“Okay, what’s the second thing I need to know?” Izuku asked.

All Might’s gaze darkened and Izuku felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He may look up to All Might but he had to admit, when his idol had that look on his face, it sent a cold shiver down his spine. All Might leaned forward then and placed his strong, large hands on Izuku’s shoulders, his eyes boring into Izuku’s frightened gaze.

“I respect and look up to my mentor but there was something he did many years ago that I still do not understand. We are on speaking terms but things are a little uneasy between us because of this incident that happened.” All Might said.

Izuku waited patiently as his mentor took a deep breath and steadied himself, almost as if he were about to tell Izuku about some horrible tragedy. He wanted to hear what All Might had to say but he was worried and scared. He was already worried about Iida, it might not be worth it to associate himself with this internship opportunity if it was going to be so stressful.

“Midoriya, my mentor… he… well he…” All Might gulped. “He bonded to a dragon.”

Izuku froze at All Might’s words, his eyes wide with shock but what All Might mistook as fear.

“I know, it’s terrifying and awful, to be forcibly connected with such a vicious, bloodthirsty beast. I tried for years to convince him to get rid of it, there are hospitals who perform bond-breaking operations, but he refused. He was corrupted by the beast, telling me that the dragon wouldn’t hurt anyone and that he loved it,” All Might’s nose scrunched up in disgust as he talked, the horror within Izuku growing by the second, but for reasons entirely different than what All Might thought.

“He still keeps the filthy creature with him, had a friend of his turn it into a cat as a disguise. There were several times where I considered turning him over to the authorities, getting him some help, but he seemed normal most of the time and I respected him too much to do that,” All Might sighed as he looked at Izuku’s horror-stricken face. “I promise, kid, I’m not telling you all of this to make you feel scared or dissuade you from taking this opportunity, but I felt you should know before you make your decision so that you know what you are comfortable with. I know you got attacked by a dragon earlier in the year, and I don’t want to force you to face anything you aren’t ready for yet.”

Izuku forced himself to stay calm, his fingers instinctively curling over his right palm behind his back to hide his bond mark. He swallowed thickly and smiled at All Might, telling himself over and over again that All Might had no idea, that Dakota and Legoshi were safe at the sanctuary and that he wasn’t going to be taken away. Bowing and slapping his arms to his sides, Izuku paid careful attention to keep his mark hidden, a newfound determination flowing through his limbs.

“Thank you All Might, sir! I greatly appreciate the information but I will go forward with this internship opportunity. If I can’t face my fear of dragons now, then I never will, and I may need that courage in the future, dragon attacks are a common thing people call heroes for and I want to be able to help everyone involved no matter what.”

Izuku stood up and held his left hand out, allowing All Might to gently place the paper in his palm. His mentor then did something he didn’t expect, he leaned down and gave Izuku a hug, his strong arms encasing him warmly.

“You’re a good kid, young Midoriya, and you will make an amazing hero. I have no doubt you will make me proud.”

Izuku beamed at the praise but his stomach still churned at All Might’s words, his mind conjuring up images of All Might staring at him in shock and utter disappointment, a gun or a sword held to Dakota’s head as she struggled and roared in pain.

“Thank you, sir.”

All Might eventually released Izuku and moved past the boy, rolling his shoulders and standing up straight, preparing to show his face to the high-achieving staff and students of U.A. once more.

“Wait! All Might,” Izuku said just before his idol could walk out into the bustling hallway. “What kind of dragon is it?”

All Might glanced back at him.

“You know dragon types?”

Izuku forced himself to keep from flinching at All Might’s questioning tone.

“Yeah, after I was attacked, I was curious. I was obsessed with finding out what type of dragon attacked me and why it let me live. I studied a bunch of dragon books so I could be better prepared in the future and force myself to work through my new reality of having to deal with this initially crippling fear.”

All Might turned around to face the boy, and Izuku was shocked to see a small tear slip from All Might’s eye.

“I understand, Midoriya. His dragon is a Deadly Nadder. Do whatever you need to do to prepare for your eventual confrontation with the beast. Luckily, with my mentor, you won’t be attacked, but as you know, dragons are evil, vile, nasty creatures, and they are as smart as a whip. Never turn your back on it.”

With that, All Might fell into step with a few oncoming teachers, greeting them warmly as if he had not just rocked Izuku’s world. Izuku fought to control his breathing. He wasn’t worried about the dragon at all, he actually tended to like Deadly Nadders thanks to their playful personalities and gentle mannerisms. He was worried about All Might and his mindset about dragons, thoughts about All Might’s words on the bond-breaking operations making Izuku’s blood run cold. Clenching his fists, he looked down at the card he held in his hand.

“Gran Torino…” Izuku muttered to himself as he read the paper with his address and phone number.

Resituating his face into a neutral expression, Izuku flowed into the crowd just like All Might did, making a mental note to tell Dakota and Ochako about this new development as soon as he could.

[butterflydm]

The Untamed Rewatch (ep 8)

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I have added a rewatch-specific tag to these posts: cql rewatch. I’ll only put rewatch posts in that tag!

At the beginning of this episode, we sort of rewind a bit before we continue the scene from the ending of ep7. We find out that before he visited the bunnies, WWX went to say goodbye to Wen Ning only to find out that he'd already left. I'm sure this increased his suspicions of Wen Qing, due to the timing — he and Lan Zhan find out what the mountain was hiding and she immediately leaves? Suspicious, indeed.

For most of this scene, WWX is gentle with the bunnies (until his siblings show and then he just chucks a rabbit at Jiang Cheng which 100% made me flinch). He also essentially uses their silence as a sounding board for his own thinking process, where he's thinking aloud and supplies their answers for them. His reaction here is, I think, both about him thinking of himself and Lan Zhan as a team — they're supposed to do this together! — but also, independently, about his own desire to keep his promise to Lan Yi. The lantern scene in the last episode shows both sides of that — he makes the promise with the lantern but is also making a point of wanting Lan Zhan to be part of that promise and not have to do things alone.

After the sibs show up, we also get the first iteration of Jiang Yanli's character throughline, which is her desire to keep (her) family together, when she talks about how she wouldn't want them to take a bunny home because it would miss its family. Jiang Yanli's deep devotion to her family, especially her brothers, is a theme we will return to often in the future — and leads, ultimately, to her sacrificing her life to save her brother's. But here it is just a sweet character note.

LWJ saying goodbye to the bunnies is short but it's a lovely little scene.

The scene where Wen Chao comes to try to threaten Lan Xichen is mostly about setting out the stakes — that Lan Wangji is vulnerable now that he's left the Cloud Recesses and that the Cloud Recesses themselves are not invulnerable. Wen Chao is a bully, so he's big on threats when he feels like he's in a position of power. He speaks with the weight of his father's power behind him right now, so it's easy for him to make threats. He also very much wants to prove himself to his father, since he knows there are others in his father's court who are very ruthless.

WWX has taken off after LWJ and he signs his little note that he left behind for his family with a smiley face. I love him. Jiang Yanli knows immediately that WWX must have something more serious in mind than just a night-hunt. Jiang Cheng, though, took the note at face value, which is an indicator for their future behavior when it comes to WWX's post-burial mounds behavior. And JFM, of course, knows about the Yin Metal stuff, so I'm guessing he made his own assumptions about what WWX is doing.

And Wei Wuxian is out of the white guest disciple robes and into his own color scheme. Though, here he doesn't wear black but instead wears a deep blue, very similar to the color that Jiang Fengmian wears, though he accents with red instead of light blue.

It does connect WWX visually with JFM in a way that his two bio-kids are not, though Jiang Yanli's light blue accents do match her father's. WWX was cute in the guest disciple robes, but the dark colors do really work for him. From what I can see of the layering, it's a red inner robe, then the dark blue with black accents (where LWJ has his cloud embroidery on his own outfit). It's interesting because when I was just thinking of WWX's 'signature colors', it was black and red that came to mind, but this is definitely a very deep blue that echoes JFM's clothes.

WWX is here to lecture LWJ on trying to do the Yin Metal quest on his own. He accuses LWJ of wanting all the credit of being a hero, which LWJ takes as seriously as it deserves (not at all). And now that LWJ is off on his own, he's also wearing blue, though a much lighter shade, with white accents. This leads into the bonding/binding talismen scene, which I like on a few different levels. To start with, it feels like a physical/magical expression of WWX's desires in general — he wants LWJ to treat him like an equal in this journey. He wants to be closer to him, expressed here in physical distance, but WWX makes it clear he means emotionally as well. And LWJ resists because, for him, the closeness is a red flag of a whole bunch of emotional potential that he, at this point, does not want to let himself feel but WWX's entire personality and presence basically mean he's gonna be forced to.

So… in the town, they meet up with Nie Huaisang and I think… was WWX not actually kicked out of classes early? Maybe the lantern ceremony was actually the end of the studies for the guest disciples? Because Nie Huaisang has also left Gusu. And the conversation implies studies are over for all guest disciples. Now I'm trying to think of why I assumed he had been kicked out early — is that a book thing that enough posts implied must have also happened in CQL, maybe? Nie Huaisang and Wei Wuxian laugh at each other for not going straight back home after the end of studies, then NHS notices that LWJ is there and he's concerned.

At Lotus Pier, Jiang Cheng is sneaking out to go find WWX when his sister catches up with him. And because I'm noticing these things now, Jiang Cheng has dark blue inner robes with lighter blue over them and darker accents, while Jiang Yanli has white inner robes with lavender on top and darker purple accents.

Anyway, he thinks she's there to scold him or tell him to stay but she's just here to warn Jiang Cheng to be careful on his journey, much like we had the inner thoughts of Lan Xichen hoping that his little brother would be careful. Jiang Cheng isn't as noisy about it as WWX, but he also obviously craves his older sister's approval as well.

Hmm, I hadn't given enough thought to Jiang Yanli-Lan Xichen potential parallels before now, but they do both fit into the niche of protective and concerned older sibling (along with Wen Qing). I'm… going to think about that some more. Lan Xichen is definitely in a confidant type role to Lan Wangji, much as Jiang Yanli is to Wei Wuxian. They are both better at 'reading' the truth of their younger brother's emotions than pretty much anyone else is. And they're both calmer personality types, too.

Lan Wangji may be feeling a little left out now that NHS has joined their journey — once Nie Huaisang shows up, WWX is basically all over him, hanging around his shoulder and calling him Nie-xiong again. But WWX has not forgotten about LWJ at all — he notices when LWJ stops walking, and then grabs his wrist and tugs him along when LWJ hesitates because of the crowd. When they talk about poetry, we learn as a character note, that while NHS can't memorize the Lan Sect rules, he is very capable of remembering things that actually interest him, like stories about poetry, etc.

We do also see here that NHS has genuine admiration for LWJ — he isn't just intimidated by him, though he is a bit, he also admires his grace and elegance. Which makes a lot of sense, of course. A large part of NHS's character is his admiration of beauty and artistry. Of course he notices those traits in LWJ!

WWX turns it into a bit of a teasing thing, and NHS is very indignant about WWX's inability to admire LWJ's aesthetic beauty (he might also be thinking about how his own robes are actually whiter than LWJ's are at the moment), but then WWX steals another look at LWJ and smiles a little and doesn't look away until NHS elbows him (gently).

The three of them go to investigate the poetry story situation but they find an empty house and trampled flowers. NHS notices a feather on the ground and recognizes it as being from the shadow-bird that the Wens use to spy. Okay, so THIS is where the last piece of Yin Metal was. There was one with the Wen Qing goddess, one in the Cloud Recesses, one with the Chang clan, one here with this flower-poetry family (... I didn't catch their name), and then the last (unknown by pretty much everyone) piece with the murder turtle.

Okay, and this is what prompts WWX to tell NHS about the Yin Metal. That makes sense. He knows that Nie Mingjue knows, and now NHS has essentially been dragged into a potentially dangerous situation without much knowledge about it. So, I think it's fair and makes a lot of sense for WWX to read NHS in on the situation, given that he is the sect leader's brother and potentially now at risk. NHS is concerned about their safety while WWX is more concerned about the mission and his partnership with LWJ — and he makes it clear here that he doesn't consider telling NHS about the fragment as adding him to that partnership.

I am also intrigued by the mini-foreshadowing of NHS asking WWX to come to Qignhe for his safety. Someone who cares about WWX and is worried about his safety as he travels a dangerous path, asks him to come home with them so he can be safer. Huh. They discover here that they're being spied on by the Wen shadow-bird, so it doesn't go any further than that.

Okay, okay, I think I have the whole goddess-connection the way they did in the drama figured out. I mean, the reasons why they did it that way. Because they wanted a more straight-forward chronological narrative, they needed to add more plots to the younger storyline, but they didn't want to make up too many things out of whole cloth. So, they took the events that had happened in the present timeline and moved them to the past but made sure to have NHS there for this particular episode so that he would experience this event with WWX and LWJ. This creates an empty space in the present-day timeline that can be easily filled in with NHS once all the information is in place — NHS saw the goddess when she was active, we saw the fan behind the screen in episode 1 — so it's about placing NHS at the scene, essentially, imo. That's my theory.

Wen Qing is trying to figure out how to foil Wen Chao's plans without alerting him. Is it because of a fondness for WWX or, at this point, does she just feel like she owes him for what he did and was willing to do to protect her brother? When Jiang Cheng arrives, she realizes she has a chance, but she wants to try to be discreet (I think this ends up not working in that sense? Wen Chao realizes she's to blame, I believe. We'll see!). So she doesn't return his greeting (and he is happy when he initially sees her) and plays the echo game, essentially, to make him feel like she's mocking him, so that she can get up in his face and give him a private message without, hopefully, alerting the Wen guards that she's doing it.

Oh, is this Dafan Mountain lady the same 'granny' that takes care of Wen Yuan later on? I feel like she is and it would make sense given that this is Wen Qing and Wen Ning's original home. I do like the spooky atmosphere that's set up here. The actual effects and acting from the extras we get when the trap is 'triggered' essentially doesn't live up to the set-up, but I feel like a lot of that is budget issues, so I sympathize.

I don't, in general, have a lot to say about fight scenes, though this fight does have some visual echoes to the later fight with the Xuanwu, which I found interesting.

As to the puppeting of the off-shoot Wen clan here… I guess this is Wen Chao using the fragment of Yin Metal he has recently acquired? So their excessive slowness we can potentially attribute to him not being very good at it? I mean, the real reason is budgeting issues, I'm sure, but I can kinda squint and make it work. They aren't scary, though.

Next episode: the road trip/treasure hunt continues!

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[shymeg]

This was no ordinary Saturday

80. "I just found out my best friend and love of my life isn't human and, you're criticizing me for being shocked?! for Anonymous 

synopsis: It started out at Pop's. I was just walking home when the person I secretly loved turned into something supernatural.  Was I dreaming? Was I going to make this out alive?  This was no ordinary Saturday.

                         This was no Ordinary Saturday

I was writing my manuscript having my black coffee at Pop's like any typical Friday evening or early Saturday morning and forgetting that it was a full moon. I never really paid attention before. Why Betty and Archie never wanted to hang out with me. I mean, all I  did was type away at my story. I wanted it to be as realistic as possible. I mean, after all, I was a lurker in the shadows- a lone wolf, Yet now that I think back on it, a lone wolf might die. I mean most wolves run in pacts. They aren't meant to be alone.

So, if it's alone, it was probably abandoned, so that fits me mentally. It more likely was injured in some way a defect I guess that fits me too. Wolves had a pretty coat at first, but after all the fights they get into, they tend not to maintain that beautiful coat of theirs.

So,  minding my business well people, watching as I typically do. I mean, I want the best story, and after, Jason Blossom’s murder. He was shot, which is better than him drowning to death since he was supposed to be this grade A swimmer, so he should have known how to swim. That or do the dead man's float even I am capable of that one. Yet, why was he shot, and for what reason? I was pondering this exact thought when Pop Tate himself came over to me, "Hey Jug, it's 3 A.M. I need you to go home at least for a little while. So, I can pretend I'm not running a hotel."

I blushed from embarrassment. I was going to have to go to my little hole in the wall. Closet now that the drive-in was no longer. I couldn't go home. My dad was violent when he drank. It was a given he'd be drinking today probably all day it being Saturday early morning. I was not going to let my dad beat me because he was drunk or asked where I have been? Where was his food if I was at Pop's. When he knew my job was at the drive-inn and now that was gone taken from me. I still held the picture in my backpack of JellyBean and me. It made my heart hurt. Knowing her and mom just up and left me with that monster. Yet, I think I reminded mom by looks alone too much of him, and she couldn't see my face. I had resentment sure which 15-year-old kid wouldn't?

Yet looking at Pop Tate, I understood his predicament. I stayed for hours here, unless Archie invited me to his place, which was less these days because he was so into football. Pop fed me like I was his foster son. He never asked for payment, and every once in a while, I'd do odd and end jobs, and he'd smile, and I would feel like I repaid some of my debt. Knowing it could never truly be repaid. Pop Tate was a saint for putting up with me, feeding me and keeping me warm this long without asking any questions.

I nodded and said, "Thanks, Pop." He put out his hand, and a paper bag was in it, "For the road until I see you again for breakfast," he had a genuine grin on his face. Like he truly wanted me back. I took the bag, and I hugged him. He embraced my hug.

I was heading for the school and to my secret window when I heard a noise in the bushes. I figured it was just a rabbit. Yeah, a rabbit. Yet, it was howling like a wolf. I wanted to creep closer. Was it hurt? Why would a wolf be in Riverdale? Maybe, just maybe it was an injured dog. I thought back to Archie's dog, and I wouldn't want it lying there alone, crying.

So, I took out my pocket knife encase. I went closer to the bushes, and that's when I saw it. The most vivid white wolf I have ever seen with these emerald eyes pleading for me to stay away. Yet, I couldn't. I looked at the wolf, and I saw that its paw was bleeding badly. The wolf was also limping, and I wondered, was the leg broken?  Was it merely limping do to the paw alone? I wasn't sure, and I was about to call the DNR when the wolf smacked my phone away from my hand.

I was fuming. That phone and my computer may be old, but that's all I had. It wasn't a smartphone like my friends had, but it was a phone, and it was mine. If that stupid wolf broke it, I was going to be livid. Yet, I looked again, it's emerald eyes and saw the pain. Like I could feel it, but how?

I went to try to get my phone when the stupid wolves paw landed on it, "Hey," I shouted. Great, I'm talking to a wolf. When suddenly, the wolf let out a yelp. I saw it. I thought I was dreaming at first, but no, I was still here before Riverdale High and my hole in the wall. The wolf was transforming before my very eyes.

Her vivid white fur becomes peach-colored skin. She had on pink polka undies that made me blush and a pink bra again, making me blush for looking. I turned around embarrassed for her and myself. I would never want to get caught like this. Yet, I wasn't a werewolf. Wait, those are real? I turned to see a shimmer of blonde, yet instead of that iconic ponytail, her hair was wavy and down. It couldn't be, could it? No, way Betty Cooper was a werewolf? Yes, I must be dreaming. I pinched myself. Nope, still here. I heard her whimper behind me. I knew she was injured. Yet, she was practically naked.

I realized I still had my flannel shirt around my waist, so I threw it to her. Hoping that would help. I decided to walk fast away from her towards the direction of the school. I was livid. Why didn't Betty tell me? I thought I was her horror movie, buddy? Her go-to number 2 guy? Only because she wanted Archie. I could never be Archie. I was the cynic, the half-empty guy, the loner that nobody wanted to say out loud they were my friend. I was the social pariah, the outcast, the person from the wrong side of town, the one that shouldn't even be going to Riverdale High. Yet, I was told by my social worker that I'd be going because they didn't want to fail me. I had potential. Blah. I was so mad at Betty. It's not even sunrise yet, so why was she changing? Was it because she was hurt? I didn't care; I muttered to myself. I had no real clue how the Supernatural worked. I never truly believed in it. Now, I saw what she was a werewolf, and I was truly alone.

Next thing I knew, I  spun around so fast and was thrown to the ground held down. "What did you see?" "Get off of me" I tried to fight her off, but she was too strong.

"I'll let you go when you tell me what you saw," Betty gripped harder.

I yelped in pain. I just wanted her to let go. Her eyes looked sharp, jagged even. Did her eyes glow? Did I imagine that? I have no idea anymore about anything.

I closed my eyes and hoped this was all a bad fucked up nightmare. I just wanted to go to my bed in the hole in the wall. I just wanted my friend Betty the one I thought was like me, well human, anyway.

I felt a tear pierce my skin. Of course, I'd cry. "I'm not going away" her voice was angry and husky I looked up I swear my eyes were pleading with hers, "I didn't see anything, I just want to go home." she shook me hit my head against the ground, "You lie!" Sure we all lie, but in this case, not really. I turned around when Betty changed. I didn't see her get hurt. I heard the cry and was hoping it was an injured dog. "i... I  di...did  didn't sssseee  any  anything." Great, now I'm stuttering! she scratched me, "Lie again, and it will be your eye!" I thought she was my friend. I thought wrong. I Gulped down as more tears began to fall. "What do you want me to say? I'll say it," I began to plead. I feel defeated, feeling humiliated. My heart rejected by a friend I knew since Childhood.

Her green eyes looked straight into me. Like she could see my soul. She shivered. She howled. I thought she changed from her wolf form? Why was she still howling? Is it a process? Does she not realize she's not a wolf anymore? My mind was thinking and analyzing every little thing when she hit me. "Get up!" Yeah, that would be so easy. That's what I was doing when you rudely laid me flat. Wouldn't let me get up, but now you will after threatening my eye? I wanted to scream. Yet I got up on wobbly legs. She put my hands behind my back, and she looked like she was going to kill me. "What did you see?" "Nothing, I turned my back." "What did you see before that?" "a wolf that was injured. I was going to call the DNR, but the wolf rudely took my phone." She had the nerve to look at me sheepishly." This phone?" As she picked it up off the ground? Slipping the phone into my back pocket so I couldn't get it.   Betty's green eyes stared  straight into my blue eyes and stated, "you aren't lying." I wanted to scream, no shit. Instead, I said, "Can I go now?" She looked sad, "Unfortunately, No." "WHAT" "You can't because you saw  me." "I did not" I stomped my foot I was throwing a tantrum. "Jughead, you did. You handed me this." I finally looked at her. She was wearing my flannel. It made my heart sing. Yet, something else filled it with dread. She was using that against me. Cause I gave her my clothes? "Hand it back. We can pretend I never saw you with basically nothing on. My apologies you wanted to walk around with your bra and panties." Betty looked pissed at me now, and I didn't care, "I CAN'T have your smell on me, Jughead. If I go back and we don't explain what happened, you might have a hit out on you from one of them thinking you can't be trusted." I glared at her, "Really, they'd kill me because I know? Well, why don't you kill me?  I have no protection, anyway!" She laughed and smiled, "Oh Jug, you are so dramatic." she shrugged, "Plus, why are you overreacting about this?"

Had I  entered the twilight zone? It was the full moon, after all. But somehow I went off, "Really, Betty, you hid this from me, I was supposed to be your friend. Why would you expect me to be okay with this? You threaten me. You hurt me, and you don't care. You act like this is a normal thing. I want to go home and go to sleep."

Betty's wickedness was back, "Oh Jug, but your house is in the opposite direction. The way you were walking was to the High School. So, I'm not the only one holding secrets. Plus, I couldn't kill you, but I might use you as my pet. If you continue with this little game of yours, so stop being upset and march. I wouldn't want to have to force you."

I gulped. I felt Betty's hand on my neck. She kissed my cheek. she whispered in my ear, "If you are a good boy, I might let you sleep in my bed later." She smiled that wicked smile, "I always liked you, Jug, and after tonight, don't worry, I won't turn you, but I might just make you mine."

I thought this would be a typical night to walk home.  I was deadly wrong. I'd be happy if I made it out of this still alive along with being human as I marched to the unknown with my hands behind my back with a robust supernatural being that I love.  

[lamiasluck]

A Touch of Madness

Summary: After meeting Him and realizing that the town had an unsettling dark side, Eric decides to spend some time with Tulip outside. The both of them could use some alone time to think about their situation. Unluckily for them, it turns out they aren't as alone as they thought.

AU: Magic au, every ego has magical powers and familiars

Characters: Eric Derekson and Wilford Warfstache

Words: 2188

Read on AO3! The Magic AU!

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Clockwise, counter clockwise, clockwise, counter clockwise…

Eric found himself getting dizzy trying to follow Tulip’s movements. She was running circles around him while he sat cross legged on the soft grass below. The day was nice, so Eric figured that he could bring Tulip to a nearby forest to folick. Admittedly, he used it as an excuse to calm himself down, but who would blame him? This supposedly quiet town has already given him more than he could bargain for and it has only been a week. It was hard to wrap his head around the situation. At the very least, he assumed that there was some sort of crime group in the town. And by Bim’s nonchalant attitude towards murder, he knew that this group had loose morals.

Moving should be his next plan. Getting as far away from this town as possible was a welcomed goal, but an unreachable one. The plethora of money Bim gave him was enough to buy new potion supplies and tidy up the shop at least. However, he had nowhere near enough to buy a new place to live. Especially in a place far away enough from danger. He moved here to lay low, not to be threatened for his life all over again.

So he needed more customers, but more customers also meant more threats. Potentially. If he treaded carefully, he could avoid future conflicts. But who knows what kind of person could walk through his shop’s doors next?

His breathing became much more shuddered than usual ever since he met Bim. It was like his usual panicked personality was exaggerated. Try as he might, nothing could fully calm him down.

Tulip thumped her back legs loudly once she saw Eric zoning out. He flinched at the sound, but soon returned to his senses. Petting Tulip always somewhat calmed him down on days like this. The bunny hopped onto his lap and nudged her head against his stomach, taking full advantage of that fact. He let out a quiet giggle at the sight. As Tulip continued her attention seeking, he reached in his bag and pulled out a pouch filled with rose petals. Her favourite treats. The perfect reward for such undying support.

Unbeknownst to them, there was another onlooker creeping in the shadows. They let their presence be known by dashing between the bushes within a blink of an eye. Eric and Tulip froze in place as they stared at the source of the sound. The creature moved again, and for a brief moment, Eric saw a silhouette. Another rabbit.

“Oh… oh thank god-!” Eric let out a breathy laugh. “Tulip - Tulip it’s okay. It’s okay, Tulip, nothing to worry about.” He was about to calm down his familiar before the unknown rabbit jumped out of its hiding place. Tulip huddled herself closer to Eric as he let out a surprised yelp.

The creature looked more like a hare than a rabbit. Even then, it looked… off. Compared to Tulip, it made her look like a baby in size and stature. It also looked more hostile, much more hostile. If its jutting, sharp teeth and bloodshot red eyes were anything to go by. Eric hoped that the dirty red clumsily covering its body happened to be apart of its coat, and not its unforseen victim.

It hopped closer to the two, carefully sniffing the air. Eric did his best to put on a brave face and shield Tulip, but he had no clue how to help the situation. So he did what he did best.

“Pl-Please go… please don’t hurt us…”

Beg.

The hare must have not understood his pleads. Or it didn’t care. It kept creeping closer until it was face to face with Eric, eventually turning to look at the shivering bundle in his lap. As scared as Eric was, he never budged and shielded Tulip more. Nothing was going to stop him from protecting his familiar. Not even the creature’s dagger-like teeth.

Eric screwed his eyes shut as the hare sniffed his face. It let out odd growls and snorts, but never hurt him. Yet. So long as Tulip didn’t get hurt, he didn’t care about his own wellbeing.

“Snuggles?!” An unknown voice sounded off in the distance. “Snuggles, where are you~? You little rascal!” The man’s voice laughed.

Within a minutes time, a brightly dressed man literally popped into existence. He paid no mind to Eric’s panicked state and focused on the hare. “Oh, there you are!”

“W-Who are you?!” Eric screamed. Tulip jumped from her spot in Eric’s lap and into his arms, startled by the overwhelming noises.

“I should ask you the same thing, friend! Why, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” The pink clan man showed him a bright smile. He had an eye catching appearance, to say the least. Lots of pink, an upbeat attitude, and a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Exactly the type of person that would name a killer hare, Snuggles.

All Eric could do was hyperventilate, eyes darting between the man and the hare. The man followed his gaze and finally connected the dots.

“Ah, I see. Did Snuggles scare you? I didn’t realize that he ran off.”

Eric gave a short nod, hugging Tulip close to his chest.

The man looked down at the hare with a stern look, huffing to himself. He made a few “tsk” noises at the hare to add to his scolding. “Now what did I tell you? You can’t make friends by scaring them.” Much to Eric’s surprise, the hare backed down at Wilford’s tone, pressing his ears to his head. After giving the hare what-for, he turned back to Eric with a softer expression. “My apologizes, friend, my familiar is a rambunctious fellow. My name is Wilford Warfstache, pleased to meet you!”

“Um, I… I’m Eric,” he muttered. He relaxed ever so slightly at Wilford’s friendly attitude. His name seemed to strike a chord in Wilford and he watched his confused expression cautiously.

“Eric?” Wilford pondered to himself for a moment before his eyes shone brightly once more. There might as well have been an actual lightbulb over his head as he remembered. “Right, Eric! The potion maker! Bim’s told me all about you.”

And now he was back at square one in terms of panic level. Hearing Bim’s name again made him visibly pale. “Did - Did he, um, what did he say about me?”

“He said you were quite the character! All innocent and cute, just like that little rabbit of yours.”

“Really?” Eric fidgeted at Wilford’s comment, even Tulip squirmed in his arms. He was confused as to why people kept casually complimenting him. But, then again, he probably would be considered cute when compared to a criminal. At least Bim wasn’t joking when he said he liked his personality. He clung onto any sense of relief in his situation, for his sanity’s sake.

“Yes, of course I’m not one to lie,” Wilford said with a cheeky smile. “I’ve been meaning to pay you a proper visit, but I suppose life wants to be a jokester.” He let out an awkward chuckle. “My dearest apologizes again. I hope I didn’t scare you too much.”

“It - It’s okay-! It’s not the first time…” And it won’t be the last. Not in this town. Eric got up and slung his bag over his shoulder, allowing Tulip to hide within the fabric. “I should - I should get going now. I closed up shop to be here… I shouldn’t - it’s selfish…”

“Nonsense, friend! You shouldn’t apologize for that,” Wilford reassured whilst patting Eric on the shoulder. The shorter man squeaked at the contact, but gave him a shaky smile as he looked up at him. “Everyone needs a break from the madness every once and awhile. Why don’t I walk you back? It’s the least I could do.”

There was a brief silence as Eric thought about Wilford’s suggestion. He looked at Wilford, then he looked at Snuggle’s red eyes, and he nodded. Maybe it was because Wilford was friendly or maybe it was because he didn’t want to risk immediately getting on his bad side. Wilford did know Bim afterall, there must be something darker hiding behind all that pink. Either way, they walked back to his shop side by side.

Besides the peaceful sounds of the passing breeze, Snuggles kept letting out these deep snorts as he twitched his nose at Eric’s bag. He knew these were happy noises, Tulip made the same noises, albeit a much softer version of them. Either way, Eric made sure to keep Tulip close to his chest.

“Aw~ Snuggles really likes your familiar! I’ve never seen him so excited,” Wilford said.

“Tulip’s really - really shy, um, so-sorry… She only trusts me,” Eric explained.

“That’s okay, you two must have a good bond, then. How delightful! Snuggles and I are quite the pair as well, always eager to show off our powers.”

Eric didn’t want to know what kind of powers Snuggles had. His strong appearance was enough to make gruesome assumptions. He wondered how someone could compete with such a familiar, however. “So… so you can teleport?”

“I can do lots of things,” Wilford corrected. “Why, I bet I can do anything you can think of!” To showcase his point, his snapped his fingers and plethora of bubbles appeared from his palms. He giggled at Eric’s amazed reaction, popping a couple with his finger.

There were so many possibilities for such a power. “You can do everything?!” Eric had trouble contemplating them as he stared at the bubbles. They smelled faintly like cotton candy.

“A jack of all trades, some would say.” He snapped his fingers again and the rest of the bubbles popped in unison. “I do favour certain tricks, of course.” This time he pointed his hand in a finger gun, aiming at a large leaf. He mimicked a shooting motion and the leaf was ripped off the tree. The sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the forest. Eric flinched at the sudden sound and screwed his eyes shut. By the time he opened them again, he saw that the leaf on the ground with a bullet shaped hole in the middle.

“O-Oh… oh my god.”

Wilford laughed again and blew off the wind from the barrel of his “gun”. “Snuggles still gives me a run for my money, y’know? Tough little guy!” He called for Snuggles and the hare immediately jumped into his arm. Snuggles - well - snuggled in his arms, happily grumbling as he pressed a kiss on his forehead.

If the blood on Snuggles’ coat didn’t exist, Eric would have thought that the familiar was cute. He calmed down exponentially since the gunshot, but he worried about the amount of power this town had. He only assumed that Wilford was apart of this crime circle. However, he didn’t dare to ask for closure. He didn’t have a death wish.

Their walk continued and before they knew it, they were right in front of the little shop’s door. Eric fished out his keys. “Did - did you need something? Um… you said you wanted to visit.”

“I suppose I just wanted some new company. I’d love to stay and chat, but I’m afraid I don’t have the time,” Wilford sighed. “I’m already late for a meeting.”

“Oh, that - that’s okay,” Eric rushed out his response. “I hope, um, I-I’m sorry for making you late…”

Wilford gave him another pat on the shoulder. “Nonsense, I’ll be fine. Dark will go easy on me, he’s never mad for too long.”

Eric tilted his head at the name, Dark. The blunt title shocked him back to a reality he was already very aware of. There were more questions on his tongue, but he stayed silent in favour of being left in the dark. A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of meeting someone deserving of that title.

“Bim was right about you, your personality is downright addicting! I’ll be sure to give you another visit when I have the time,” Wilford said. “You’ve sparked some curiosity amongst us actually.”

“I - what?”  

“Ta-ta, Eric, until next time!” Wilford and Snuggles poofed away in the blink of an eye, leaving Eric with his last thought.

After standing dumbfounded for a moment, he returned to his peaceful shop. Tulip poked her head out of his bag and sniffed the air with caution. With a shuddered sign, he let her rest on a table and sat down himself. This was only the tip of the iceberg. He didn’t want to think about his unforseen fate. Wilford was surprisingly nice, though a criminal could always put on a friendly face.

He rummaged through his bag again and pulled out the pouch of rose petals. Tulip ate the treat with fervor as Eric gave her a hefty clump. It was what she deserved after putting on a brave face. He watched with a smile, relieved that he lived to see such a wholesome sight. At this point, they both needed treats for their bravery.

[thedarklordmegatron]

Wicked Games

Libertus Ostium/Nyx Ulric

Warnings for swearing, major character death, skeletons and an ambiguous ending!

He would never understand what it was exactly that possessed him to return to Insomnia and alone at that.

It was stupid. Completely and utterly stupid, and if he did by some miracle make it back to Lestallum in one piece, which he seriously doubted he would, Amicitia was going to kill him just so Leonis could revive him and kill him again. Had Iris not mentioned that one of her scouts claimed to have seen Glauca’s armour whilst doing recon, he would have happily stayed in Lestallum organising the remaining Glaives, all while ignoring Insomnia as he had successfully done so for the past nine years. As it was, his stupid ass just had to go and dig through the ruined city with nothing but a torch, a bottle of water and some vague idea as to where he should begin his search.

That being said, if Cor hadn’t been dealing with the movement of a large caravan, the Marshal would already have been scouring the city, looking for whatever remained of Drautos. Back before the fall, it had been no secret among the Citadel’s staff that the Marshal of the Crownsguard and the Captain of the Kingsglaive had been intimately involved. Pelna never had managed to erase the image of them fucking like a pair of rabbits out of his head.

He and many others had questioned Leonis’ loyalty after the news of Drautos’ betrayal began to spread. Cor had been less than impressed when the Hunters had briefly turned against him, informed him that they would not follow the man who had slept with the enemy. It had taken months or hard work, Six knows how much blood, and the word of those who had survived Insomnia because of him, before people had begun to trust him again.

Looking back on it, he really ought to have admitted his own guilt, let the people attack him instead of the man who would give everything to protect the people of Lucis. But he was a coward and he’d stayed silent. While he was not here for Glauca and could not carry whatever remained of him back to Lestallum, not when he had every intention of finding Nyx, he could at least return a portion of that armour as an apology for his cowardice.

There was, however, a little hope in his heart, that should he find the traitor, Nyx might be somewhere nearby. The last time he’d seen him, he’d been wearing the Ring of the Lucii, the damned ring that Leonis claimed would burn a man not of royal blood from the inside out; if that were the truth then he very much doubted his husband would have walked away in one piece.

A shriek from up ahead had him throwing himself behind the nearest piece of debris, the remains of an upturned van, and smothering the light from his torch. Taking care not to make any sound or give away his position in any manner, he peered around the edge of the metal just in time to see an Iron Giant emerge from behind a building. As was just his luck, the Daemon paused and looked in his general direction. Holding his breath he stayed completely still, waiting with bated breath for the blasted creature to move on.

After what felt like an eternity it did wander off, though not before crushing a few minor Daemons beneath its feet. Staying still, Libertus watched on for a few more minutes until he was absolutely certain that no other Daemons would be making an appearance.

“Okay,” He muttered softly, switching his torch back on and looking around. He had two options. One, navigate his way through a minefield of sinkholes, glass and god knows what else, risking making one hell of a noise and potentially killing himself by falling into a hole. Or two, clamber over the seriously unstable looking stack of concrete and steel that had to have come from one of the collapsed skyscrapers. As if making his decision for him, a group of imps appeared in the same place as the Iron Giant had been. Concrete it was.

Cracking his knuckles he shook his hands out and slowly climbed the unstable mound, taking great care to be as silent as possible. The last thing he needed was for the imps to see him and decide he’d make a good dinner. But for once luck was on his side. Nothing fell out from beneath him and there were enough footholds that he was able to scale the debris relatively quickly. Once atop the pile, he glanced back at the imps and was relieved to find them squabbling among themselves a fair distance away.

He made sure to climb down a few paces, ensuring that he was suitably hidden from sight before raising the torch and looking around. Something had happened here, that much was certain, if not by the sheer amount of destruction, then by the fact it looked like a giant foot had literally crushed the entire area. Nothing immediately jumped out at him, Daemonic or armour-wise, so he continued to move further down.

Had it not been for the fact that his foot literally sank through the metal, successfully through his boot in the process, he would have easily missed the remains.

“Fucking-!” He hissed, instinctively reaching down to grab hold of the injured leg. It was only then, as he attempted to pry his leg free without causing any further damage, that he realised what it was his foot had gone through. Despite being warped and rusted, the result of being exposed to the elements for nearly a decade, the metal was still somewhat recognisable. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” Very slowly, he moved closer, taking care to keep his foot as still as possible when it became clear that he’d gone through the chest “Of all the gods damned rotten luck” Sighing heavily, Libertus moved his torch into a more convenient position, illuminating the small area.

Muttering under his breath, he placed a hand on either side of the armour and very slowly wriggled his foot free, hissing as the sight of his shredded leg. That was going to be a bitch to walk on but was certainly not worth using a potion on. The boot, on the other hand, was going to be a hard one to explain away, the younger Amicitia was going to murder him, she’d only just given him the new pair.

Once certain that his leg was not going to kill him, he turned his attention to the remains of the man he had once called ‘Captain’. For a moment he did nothing but stare. Had it not been for the armour he’d never have been able to identify him, after all, everyone’s bones looked the same.

Removing the body, well skeleton really, was impossible. Whilst he did admittedly have an empty bag, he’d brought it with the intention of finding his husband and giving him a proper burial; not to carry the remains of a traitor back to the one person on the planet who missed him. Personally, he would much rather leave the man’s bones to continue to rot or eventually be eaten by a Daemon, whichever came first; but at the same time, he’d seen the way Cor sat upon the rooftops after a long shift, running his fingers over a well-worn ring.

“By the Six I hate you,” He muttered softly, closing the distance between them. Leaning over the armour he paused. There, laying embedded in what would have been Drautos’ chest, was one very familiar Kukri. With shaking fingers he reached out to cautiously run his fingers over the hilt. “Nyx,” He paused for a second before pulling it free and sitting back on his heels. There was no mistaking the detailing and the familiar if damaged beads. So Nyx had been the one to kill him. Not that he was particularly surprised, Nyx was a stubborn bastard and considering Nyx hadn’t met up with him, he suspected that Drautos had been the one to seriously injure, if not kill, his husband. Although he suspected the Ring of the Lucii had something to do with the significant lack of a second body; unless Nyx had somehow managed to put some distance between himself and the traitor.

“You fucking bastard.” He hissed, holding the Kukri over his heart and glaring at the skull. “You absolute fucking bastard!” In a fit of rage, he grabbed hold of the nearest movable object, a fairly large piece of debris, and slammed it onto the skull, watching in satisfaction as the bone gave way and crumbled. “I hope you burn in whatever hell awaits you!” He repeated before slamming the rubble down once again, suitably destroying the remaining shards. The shriek of an imp had him falling silent, Nyx’s Kukri held firmly in place against his chest. He sat in silence, waiting for the imps to move on.

When it became increasingly obvious that the creatures were not going to be leaving any time soon, he slipped the bag off his shoulder and tucked the blade away among his supplies, pausing only briefly to touch it once more. With it secured safely, Libertus turned back to Drautos’ remains before reluctantly leaning back over the armour and digging around inside. He hadn’t expected to find the ring, but it was a pleasant surprise to find a simple gold band and chain buried among the bones of his neck.

“I’m not doing this for you,” He whispered, sparing a quick glance to the top of the debris pile and the imp that had crested it “This is for Cor. He didn’t deserve any of the shit you put him through. And if you think for a moment any of us will ever forgive you for what you’ve done, you’re wrong. I will never forgive you for killing Nyx. Never. You’re a traitorous piece of shit and every single child born will know that it was you who did this to us.” With the ring safely in his possession, Libertus clambered to his feet and stumbled off in the opposite direction to whence he came, the screams and footsteps of the Daemons spurring him on.

Of course, Drauatos screwed him over again. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to look for his husband because the gods-damned traitor took up too much time and still managed to hurt him despite being long dead. With shaking fingers he freed his phone from his pocket, activated the voicemail and continued running. He shouldn’t have gone alone. He should have just bitten the bullet and brought Cor with him. That being said, if he was going to die, if a Daemon did decide to make him dinner, he’d gone down with Nyx’s voice still ringing in his ears.

“Hey Libs, it’s me. Just making sure you’re okay. You’re not replying to any of our texts and I’m just a bit worried. Give me a call or drop me a text when you get the chance. Love you.”

“To listen to your message again, press one. To save your message press two-”

“Message saved. Next message. Received on Friday the sixteenth of May, M.E. 756 at eight o’three am.”

“Hey Libs, it’s me. You didn’t come home last night and you’ve got me worrying. Please tell me you’re okay or do me a favour and text Pelna. I just want to know that you’re somewhere safe. I’m heading off to the signing now, Drautos called me in early, so I’ll try to give you a ring when I get a chance. Love you.”

“To listen to your message again, press one-”