#like i already am struggling to figure out what clothes let me fly under the radar and

[lovelythief]

𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑: 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐇 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐊

𝚜𝚊𝚔𝚊𝚝𝚊 𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘𝚔𝚒 𝚡 𝚏𝚎𝚖!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚠; 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚝𝚑/𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚌𝚕𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚔, 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚗𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚘𝚗 (𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗), 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢-𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 𝟷,𝟻𝟿𝟸

Gintaman stares at his long-lost friend with one stern eye. The other is tightly shut as the blood from his injuries runs down his chiseled face like tears, staining his gray suit jacket with every drop. He heaves with every breath, but stands tall. His once-brother shows no signs of exhaustion—of course not, a climax battle like this would be the biggest disappointment of the series if the positions were reversed.

Gurako and Patsuan stand behind Gintaman with horror on their faces, watching the scene before them unfold in silence as NPCs between the confrontation of the arc’s—the series’—grandest antagonist yet.

Gintaman steps forward, his fists clenched by his sides. “You still haven’t given up on this yet? You were being used.”

“I already know!” he yells with rage, but our hero doesn’t budge, “Still, I went along with it because I didn’t want to lose to you... Gintaman!”

The villain flicks his lighter and sucks in a deep smoky breath. “After the incident ten years ago, I made the choice to sacrifice everything to change the fates.”—

Gintoki’s eyes skim through the rest of the long-winded “this is why I became a villain and why I am going to try to kill you in ten pages” speech, far too engrossed in the active tension than the character dump the (gorilla) author clearly didn’t understand how to resolve after building it up, searching instead for the moment that shirts start flying and fists start connecting.

—“Our struggle has to end.”

“Gintaman!” Patsuan yells, his arm held back by Gurako who shakes her head, letting Gintaman continue his stride forward, who clutches at his suit jacket and rips all of his clothes—except his signature blueberry boxers—off his muscular figure.

His opponent does the same, leaving himself in banana briefs and widening his stance as he prepares to lunge at Gintaman, no more words necessary. It was a duel between hard-boiled men who communicate best with bloody knuckles.

It’s impossible to tell who gets the first hit.

They both rush forward with right hooks aimed at the chin, connecting simultaneously, and staggering each other.

Gintaman steadies himself first, throwing arms up and heaving a loud battle cry, his attack weaved through and leaving him wide open, only for—

 “Gin-to-ki.”

Your exaggerated voice calls out for him again, but he ignores it. He’ll deal with whatever you want later—right now he’s invested. He has to keep going. He struggles to find his panel amidst the action-packed pages, but quickly continues where he left off.

He ignores the shadow over him that blocks the light, dimming his manga. He can still see Gintaman’s fierce eyes.

“Sakata Gintoki.”

Gintoki makes the age-old mistake of lifting his gaze to meet yours, and before he could bark a bitter “what do you want?”, you snatch his precious Jump from his grasp and throw your arm up high, staring him down. Why would you be upset when he was the one being interrupted?!

“You’re supposed to be helping me clean today,” you scold. You keep a broom firmly in your opposite hand, and Gintoki wonders if you’d try to whack him with it if he refuses.

“It’s plenty clean here,” Gin argues, “so just let me read in peace!” Though he reaches for his Jump without moving from his position on the couch, you pull it away further.

You scowl. “It’s your mess, Gintoki. You need to pull your weight too—you can’t rely on me or Shinpachi to clean up after you.”

He’s not even listening to you ramble on about how he should be sweeping or whatever. “Give it.” Gintoki interrupts with a demand.

You move back and raise the broom towards Gintoki like a weapon, pointing the bristles at his chest to keep your distance. He stands up, towering over you even from a distance, and steps forward. You step back.

He lunges.

Weaving under his arm, you smack his back with the broom.

Oh, he’s really pissed, now.

Gintoki grabs the broom and yanks you close, sweeping his feet under yours and knocking you down to the ground so he could take the book. You tucks it close to your chest and rolls as soon as you hit the floor but you aren’t fast enough to stop Gintoki from falling to his knees and grabbing your ankle, pulling you back.

You hold Jump high above your head and kick your foot back to hit Gintoki’s chest, meeting firm muscle and barely budging him. He huffs and glowers at your feeble attempt to push him off. In a contest of strength, it’s obvious who would win. You both knew it.

“You brat,” Gintoki growls, “hand it over!”

“No!” you yelp, squirming in his hold as he firmly grasps both of your calves.

His biceps bulge against his tight shirt as he pulls you, sliding you across the floor on your stomach until he pinned your thighs down with his knees and arched over your back, forcing you still as he pries the book from your shaking hands.

There’s a moment of stillness as he keeps you pinned down, both of you panting softly from their spontaneous wrestling match, hearts racing with sexual tension thick enough to suffocate.

“C-Come on...” you whine softly as Gintoki’s weight begins to retreat from your body. It was a thinly veiled secret that you adored when he displayed his strength⁠—if the way he’s caught you staring at his arms or stomach was anything to go by. “Hurry up and get off of me, Toki...”

Gintoki considers his options; he could continue reading Gintaman and let you go, or...

He tosses Jump across the room and slides his arms under your shoulders, rolling back until he hits the couch and steadies you, confused and disoriented, onto his lap.

“Wha—ah!” you gasp, clutching onto his forearms for security as he presses your back against his broad chest, “Gin!”

“You complain too much,” Gintoki nips the shell of your ear, his frustration rolling off of him in waves. “You distracted me, and I won’t let you get off that easily—not after you made me fucking chase you.”

“But, but you—should’ve helped..!” your voice pitches higher with exasperation as Gintoki mouths at your sweaty neck.

He shamelessly grinds his growing erection against your ass. “Yeah, yeah, isn’t it about time you relaxed anyways?”

Gintoki’s hands slip underneath your clothes and makes quick work of them, tugging cloth aside and exposing your slicked folds to his fingers. Mockingly, he whistled. “Already drenched?”

“I’m not—nnh!”

Two large, calloused fingers slip inside and immediately curl upwards, catching as much of your wetness across his digits as he can. He slips them out and brings them up towards your face, scissoring his fingers and forcing you to watch how it drips down his hand and onto his wrist.

“Right,” he drawls, pretending to be bored.

You press against his arms, trying to pry yourself out of Gintoki’s embrace, but you freeze when his voice drops another octave and feels the gentle smack of his dick against your lower back as he frees it. “You can’t lie to Gin-san. You wanted me to catch you. You wanted me to pin you down.”

“And since I’m so good at making a mess,” his arms come around under your knees, pulling your thighs up close to your chest, lifting you up effortlessly, and wrapping his hands around the back of your neck to secure you in place, “I’ll fuck you on this nice clean floor and ruin all your hard work.”

You shudder and claw at Gintoki’s firm forearms, helplessly watching his cock glide against your folds, threatening to fulfill on his promise⁠—threat?⁠—to make a mess of both you and the floor.

Gintoki flexes his abs and exhales slowly as he lowers you down halfway, meeting resistance as he enters your tight hole. He arches against your back, forcing you to feel every inch of his broad chest and the subtle shifting of his muscles as he plants his feet firmly on the ground and bullies the rest of his length inside.

Your mouth falls open with low whine as his thighs go taut, the outline of his muscle strains against his pants, and he uses his legs to raise his hips and meet yours in sharp thrusts, fully taking advantage of the position he’s caught you in.

Gintoki’s hips stutter as he constantly rocks against your G-spot. His fingers tangle in the base of your hair and keeps your face angled down to watch the slight bulge of your stomach with each smack.

You cry out his name; restraining your with his body alone as he fucks you, you’re forced to confront the buzzing of lust in your head that clenches your pussy when you’re very kindly reminded of how easily Gintoki’s physical strength overwhelms your own.

“You like it when you can’t move an inch, huh?” Gintoki taunts, reading your body language—how you’re practically groping his arms—too well, “You get excited knowing that I could hurt you?” He feels your walls flutter and scoffs, a dangerous smile teasing his lips. “You’re an even bigger masochist than I thought.”

“Too much,” you choke around the breathy moans that each thrust coaxes out, “’s too much, Toki, I can’t!”

“Cum as many times as you want, but it’ll take more than that to satisfy me.” He cuts you off, his thrusts more powerful the longer he keeps you fucked out of your mind. “Did you forget that Gin-san has both strength and stamina?”

[marikosenwrites]

the secret tales of the agency.

notes: heyyyy first oc x canon fic :3 tell me how you like it!

w.c: 4.7k

pt.1 out of 4

this is the story of one man’s struggle and his growth and of parenting.

—————————————

a gray-haired man walks in windy streets with a steady and sharp rhythm, newspapers on racks of a nearby stand flapping wildly and leaves flying around, in sync with his dark green kimono.

he stares at the rolls of newspapers. he’s near enough to be able to see the titles. they state the truth behind the peace treaty between nations— about how the officials were found dead, all trapped in a room, and also about the diet members declaring an investigation on the matter.

his eyes widen and he remembers what had happened. four members sliced to death by a man wielding a sword, blood staining the floor. his thoughts are interrupted by his phone ringing— it takes a few rings until he picks up the phone.

he stares at the screen for a moment before picking up, the contact named “genichiro,” a good friend of the man’s. “it’s me,” he says, “are you prepared to join the military police? we’re the only ones who can make use of your powers. get over here.”

“from now on, i work alone.” and the man’s name was fukuzawa yukichi.

—————————————

fukuzawa walks pass street after street until he is face to face with a dull-colored building. he glances at the shady entrance, where in front was a dead body. often, the police asks him to figure out

cases— even if his job is to be a bodyguard for important people. his exceptional swordsmanship makes the police trust him more, hence why they’ve commissioned fukuzawa to help them with this case.

a woman found dead right outside the building where she works, apparently shoved out the window. he pays his respects to the dead body and enters the building to speak with the secretary— whom he was informed to ask about the woman beforehand.

the only elevator of the building lets out the sound of a bell, and the man exits with a clear destination in mind. he walks down the hallway and enters the president’s room and he’s met with pieces of paper covering almost every flat surface.

“my condolences,” fukuzawa mutters to the secretary, who is managing the papers. the man is wearing a white coat with documents in his arms. “she was a good woman.”

“thank you for coming, fukuzawa-san.” he finally turns to look at fukuzawa. he pushes his glasses up in the motion, eyes gazing up at the man’s tall figure.

“by the way, what are these documents?” he asks.

“i’m organizing,” the secretary replies as if it was a thing that was done often times. which led to the swordsman asking, “why?”

“i suspect that the murderer was either trying to steal or destroy these documents,” he answers a second time. “and in order to confirm that, i am arranging all of the documents in order of how likely they are to be stolen.

“this entire room is a catalog for determining the attacker’s motivations.”

fukuzawa glances at the window, “i’m told she was pushed out of this window.”

“the president took me in as a secretary. i’m indebted to her.” the secretary now looks at the photo on the president’s desk. “solving the nature of the crime would be the best farewell gift i can offer.”

“but, fortunately,” the secretary adds under the swordsman’s stare, “the assassin has already been captured.” fukuzawa lets out a grunt of surprise. “after murdering the president, he was apprehended by the guards on the first floor and is being held in the room next door.

he continues, “the ten fingerprints recovered on the back of the president’s clothes apparently matched the assassin’s.”

“he’s still next door?” came fukuzawa’s surprised question.

“he seems to have given up,” says the secretary. “he’s very quiet.”

“i would like to see the assassin.” the gray-haired man glances at the door and back to the secretary.

“be my guest.” the secretary turns his back to fukuzawa. “but i must ask you to not touch the documents.”

challenge accepted. with a short stare at the secretary’s coat, fukuzawa jumps a great distance, nearing the table then supports his momentum by landing both hands on the sides of the table, where no paper is on, and boosts his jump as he lands last in their room where the murderer is held.

once he enters the room, he spots the dual pistols and glances up, seeing a kid— barely twelve— sitting on a chair with his hands tied behind the wooden chair. ‘he’s quite an accomplished assassin,’ fukuzawa thinks. ‘reddish hair and dual pistols. which means he must be the child assassin so famous in the underground.’

‘but, if this boy is truly oda sakunosuke, how could he be captured by mere security guards?’

“as you can see, that man is maintaining his silence,” the secretary says from outside the room. “the municipal police should be here to take him soon. as for you—"

"hey there!" came a new voice from the entrance of the room. a boy and a girl— both looking fair too young to be an actual adult. the girl bows as the boy laughs. "it's damn windy today, isn't it!" fukuzawa steps forward.

"so, anyway…" he starts again. "is there any change we can relocate this company? The hills are a pain and the directions are so complicated!"

"…excuse me?" says the secretary, brows furrowing.

"also, i'm getting hungry. got any food?" the raven-haired boy asks.

"ranpo-kun…!" the girl finally speaks up. her tone is a warning to the boy, and it was as if a couple was arguing. "how many times have i told you to stop asking random strangers for food?"

"excuse me?!" the secretary repeats, astounded.

"here we go again, looking down on me like some kid." ranpo mutters under his breath. "well, don't worry about the food. just give me my work permit wait, don't tell me, have you lost it in all these documents? damn it! you're the secretary, make sure you find it! i don't have the slightest interest in the fingerprints in this room."

"what is your problem?" shouts the now-mad secretary. "regardless of the circumstances, this is the president's office. unless you're authorized, you may not be here."

"i'm authorized, though." the boy says without stuttering. "i'm here for an interview today."

"the president did say he would be interviewing an administration trainee…" the secretary says to himself.

"anyway, akatsuki and i just came here for the working permit that i'm supposed to get at the interview," ranpo remarks, "once i have that, i can get some funding from the government. mind if i move this useless paper?" he says frustratedly.

"you may not!" the secretary shouts once again, "the very positioning of these documents is a catalog for determining the attacker's motivations."

"come on, that's such a blatant lie," ranpo sighs. "forget it. i'll find them myself. i'll be done in an instant."

"boy." fukuzawa finally speaks up. "there's a mountain of documents here. how do you plan to find yours?"

"the old man can speak!" the raven-haired boy exclaims in disbelief. "unlike all your loose papers, ours has got a heavy stamp and it's printed on thick paper." he starts walking towards a window, skillfully dodging the secretary's hands.

ranpo grabs his hat, in hopes of the wind not blowing it away, and opens the window. strong winds burst into the room, fukuzawa's, the secretary's, and the girl's hair flowing wildly under the wind's influence. the papers in the room swirl around and make a mess in the neat room. the secretary stares at the boy in disbelief. the raven-haired turns around and spots the two permits he's been looking for. "found it," he says.

he closes the window, picking the two permits up and signaling for the girl, akatsuki, to come over. she follows and takes her work permit from the boy. "ありがとう (thank you)。"

"how could you…" the secretary fumes, "now i have to check every sheet and arrange it all over. and i still have to report on the missing documents within fourty-eight hours."

"why bother?" ranpo tilts his head to the side. "the documents are all here." the secretary freezes his actions midway and fukuzawa stares at the boy. "no documents have been stolen, and the assassin didn't even kill the president. like, you're the murderer anyway, aren't you, secretary-san? you're arranging documents to keep people away so that you can come up with an alibi. i mean, it's suspicious that the assassin's fingerprints were found on the president's clothes but nowhere else in he room.

"the obvious guilty secretary and the obviously innocent assassin are right here…and you're just standing there. come on, mister," ranpo turns to look at fukuzawa. "you're slacking on the job."

"fukuzawa-san…" the secretary sounds mad. "please kick those kids out of here. i can't have them making even more of a mess in here!" the swordsman goes back to the boy. 

"young man," he starts. "the assassin's fingerprints were found on the back of the victim's clothes. from when he shoved him."

"no skilled assassin could get close to the president without being noticed." ranpo states as akatsuki moves towards the president's desk, sitting on it and proving that she can, indeed see everything that happens. 

"that's because the door is right in view of the desk," came the girl's steady voice. ranpo nods at that. "and, if the president resisted before he was shoved out the window, like you said, the fingerprints would have indicated him being thrown out, not pushed out."

"he may have happened to be looking out the window." fukuzawa tries to protest. 

"opening the window and looking outside? on such a windy day? by herself?" ranpo retorts. 'he's right,' thinks fukuzawa. 'which means it must have been someone close to her.'

"it was someone close to him, and yet the assassin's fingerprints were the ones found on her back." the blonde-haired girl shrugs. "so those prints were faked. i heard it was easy to fake fingerprints nowadays— you just need to make molds of the fingers using putty or some other material. come to think of it— weren't you a police officer or something before, secretary-san? you mentioned the 48-hour investigation rule earlier."

"this is ridiculous!" came the secretary's outbreak. "how would i have taken the assassin's prints?! fukuzawa-san! kick these kids out in an instant!"

"you were able to get the assassin's prints because you hired him." ranpo adds, now walking towards the desk. 

"shut up!" the secretary yelled.

"since you hired him," the boy continues, "you could easily entrap a top-tier assassin. even get security guards to catch him. i don't think the assassin over there even knew he was being entrapped. i'm sure he'd talk if he found out he's been fooled. why don't you try asking him?"

behind fukuzawa, sounds of wood breaking echoes in the small room. the assassin seems to have broken the bonds binding his legs and jumped. "i have no intention of fighting you." oda says with empty blue eyes. 

"don't add more crimes to your guilt." fukuzawa tries to convince the boy. "you can get off with a lesser plea if you stop now." both of them get into fighting positions, noticing that neither of them were willing to back down anytime.

the gray-haired man lunges towards the red-haired boy and tries attacking him, but oda successfully dodges and kicks boxes filled with important notes towards the man. he slashes them away as the boy takes the chance to get back and take his dual pistols back. he pulls the trigger using his feet and runs towards the exit of the room. the swordsman tries to punch the boy, and he only dodges. boxes surround oda now, and fukuzawa decides to use his palm to try and disable the boy. instead, he uses it to his advantage and boosts himself back out of the room and jumps onto the table as another boost.

oda jumps back, now facing the secretary mid-air and the man gasps in fear. "やめろ！" fukuzawa tries shouting to the boy to stop him. the red-haired ignores his shout and shoots the secretary two times. the secretary slumps onto the floor and blood gushes out of his head.

"この世界に許しはない。あるのは報復だけだ。(in this world, there is no forgiveness. only revenge.)" oda glances back at the body and drops his two pistols, signaling that he will not fight.

"call an ambulance!" fukuzawa shouts akatsuki. "and contact the police!"

"we don't need to call the ambulence, do we? the secretary's dead anyways." akatsuki remarks, pointing at the large amount of blood on the floor. if he didn't die from the gunshots, he would've died of blood loss anyway. fukuzawa sighs in defeat.

—————————————

"miss, could i get another red bean soup?" ranpo asked the waitress in the restaurant.

"i would like another bowl of ramen, please." akatsuki said calmly.

more than sixteen bowls of red bean soup and two bowls of ramen. "why don't you eat the rice cake?" fukuzawa asks ranpo.

"'cause it's not sweet." the boy answers, as if it were the most normal answer.

"when did you two realize the secretary was the murderer?" he asks again.

"since the beginning." this time, akatsuki was the one to answer. "i mean, wasn't he wearing a coat? he must've been hiding the tools to fake the fingerprints in there. organizing papers while wearing a coat is too much of a hassle. it's easy to mess up."

"その通り！(that's right!)" ranpo exclaimed.

"boy…" fukuzawa started.

"僕の名前は江戸川乱歩。覚えといてね。(my name is edogawa ranpo. remember that.)" he finally introduces himself.

"私は安沢暁です。今日はどうも。(i'm anzawa akatsuki. thanks for today.)" the girl says mid-bite.

"what about school?" fukuzawa asks the both of them. 

"i was living in a police academy dorm, but i had an argument with the supervisor so exposed all his past affairs and got kicked out." ranpo explains his situation without much remorse in his tone. "since then, i've been bouncing from place to place. i was a live-in worker at a garrison, until i got thrown out for blabbingg about the head cheif's corruption."

"…i escaped from my orphanage. because they were abusing me, so i left. i got to yokohama a few days ago, and found ranpo. we've known each other since we were young." akatsuki says, and talking about her past seems like a bit hard.

"your parents?" fukuzawa looks down, sighing. "both of yours?"

"mine died in a car accident," akatsuki explains. it wasn't like she had a lot of memories about it. "his are also dead. because of another accident. i assure you, it's not the same incident."

"…what she said. so i came out to yokohama." ranpo looks back up, facing the older man.

"are you two full now?" he asks. 

"yeah, thanks to you." ranpo says.

"well done today." fukuzawa takes the receipt but is stopped by ranpo. 

"that's it?" asked the boy. "you're talking to a fourteen-year-old boy and a fourteen-year-old girl who's lost his parents, his job, and his future. that's all you've got?"

the man reaches into his sleeve and pulls out a business card. he hands it to ranpo, who asks, "what's that?" "my contact information," fukuzawa said. "security police. basically a bodyguard. contact me if you're ever in trouble. i'll help you two out once for free."

ranpo takes the card and looks at it for a second. he and akatsuki leaves the table.

"wait, boy—" fukuzawa's call was interrupted by his phone ringing with an unknown number. "yes?"

"help us, bodyguard-san. we don't have a place to work or to live. we're going to die." ranpo says without emotion. fukuzawa approaches ranpo.

"i'm headed to work. come with me. a client is looking for manpower. i'll broker a deal with you two. does that work?" he asks with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"really?!" he jumps at the suggestion as akatsuki says, "thank you."

—————————————

"a theater?" ranpo, akatsuki, and fukuzawa all approach a large theater.

"the manager has been lamenting a staff shortage," the man explains. "if i can finish my job here, i'm sure she'd be open to hiring you."

all three walk towards the entrance and spot a sign. 'the night is real. the day is a dream.' was that the name of the drama that was going to be on tonight?

"what job?" akatsuki asked. her question wasn't answered and they were soon brought inside the building. 

"we have some time until opening," the manager said. "check the scene for me."

"do you have some idea from who the threat came from?" questioned fukuzawa.

"the police will do the investigating." she says, turning her back against the swordsman. "your job is to arrest the attacker when it happens."

"could you at least tell me what the threat is?" fukzuawa pushes it. the lady takes out a piece of paper from her breast pocket and shows it to the man.

"we received this several days ago." the woman says. "'the angels shall bring true death upon the performers. v.'" she recites. she had studied the note multiple times already, but to no avail.

"v?" fukzuawa questioned as ranpo turned away, saying, "the performers, huh? so is it the actors who are going to be killed?"

"i can't wait to see what will happen," akatsuki smiles at the thought. 

"who are these children?" the manager finally turns to look at ranpo and akatsuki.

"they're looking for work," explained fukuzawa. "i heard you needed more people. i'm hoping you can interview them once this situation is resolved."

"please send me a resume, then. i'll evaluate them along with the other candidates." she turns back to fukuzawa. 

ranpo groans, "there are other people who signed up? there's no change i'm getting hired, then." 

"come on, ranpo-kun. how would you know without trying?" akatsuki nudges the boy.

"i told you i'd evaluate you, didn't i?" the lady puts a hand on her hip and stares at the raven-haired boy.

"nope," ranpo furrows his brows, "this hag's already decided she's not hiring me."

"hag?!" she shouts.

"you could've been honest with me from the start," ranpo continues as fukuzawa sends a glance that says 'help' to akatsuki, but she shrugs. "why don't grown-ups ever say what they're really thinking? same thing with how you're dealing with this guy. the reason you aren't introducing him to the municipal police is because you want him to keep and eye on the police. and vice versa, the police keep an eye on him. in other words, you don't trust anyone—"

"that's enough." the swordsman interrupts the boy's never-ending comments. "i don't care what your intentions are. i'm simply going to do my best to prevent the crime. i'd like to speak to the staff," now he's talking to the manager. "is that all right?"

"…do as you wish." she signals defeat.

"grown-ups are so easy to anger," ranpo says disapprovingly.

fukuzawa sighs. "i'm starting to see why you don't last long on any job."

—————————————

the trio enters an actor's room and it was dark. there was barely a light on. 

"why do you speak to me right before the show?" the actor, murakami tokio, faces the mirror. "do you know what an actor is going through prior to a show? we dive into a different world. as though we are different people." his cup is half-empty and he downs it in one gulp. "i've trained for nearly six months for this. if they mess with me, they'll be the dead ones."

"i respect your work. but you are the ones who may end up murdered," fukuzawa explains to the actor. "do you ever end up on your own during the performance?"

"yeah. we're defenseless when we're up there." he drinks another cup of water again. "i'm on my own for minutes."

"where?" a dumb question to ask an actor.

"on the stage." murakami answers with a hint of annoyance. how would this guy investigating the case not know? "i'm the lead actor."

"huh? you're the lead actor?" ranpo speaks up.

"へぇ。。。" akatsuki makes a laugh of amusement. “村上時雄って(murakami tokio)?"

"never heard of him." he states.

"who are those brats?" murakami glares at the blonde and the raven-haired.

"hey, what's this play about?" ranpo asks.

"you've received the script, haven't you?" he answers the question with another question.

"that script's boring. i gave up after the first page." the boy says boringly.

"oi…" fukuzawa warns the both of them.

"i see. if you think it's boring, then it must be boring." the actor drinks a third cup of water. "that's for the audience to decide, after all."

clack.

—————————————

they arrive in the room of the other actors- those that are paid to only be in the background, or have a few sentences to speak. the room is filled with chattering, people practicing lines or preparing their mental state for the big show.

fukuzawa, akatsuki, and ranpo approach a woman, eyes filled with determination as she applies a final layer of lipstick and smacks her lips. "have you met murakami?" she glances at them. "this play's practically a one-man show. he's been meeting a lot with the stagewright, kurahashi-san." she turns to face them now.

"no one actually thinks there's going to be a murder," another actor says to them. "but if someone's going to get hit, it'd probably be murakami-kun. he's got a lot of women chasing after him, too. i only have a minor role, it's not even worth it targeting me," he sighs, "maybe i'll become a taxi driver or something once this performance is over."

the three of them go and find another actor or actress to interview, finally finding a person eating treats and, probably, calming herself down. she bites down on a chocolate, and sticks a pinky out, "you know what that is?"

"hm?" fukuzawa and akatsuki both let out a noise of confusion.

"it's an affair," she smirks, "it's a tiny association. maybe they slept with a newcomer. or they broke up and quit the group." ranpo goes near the actress with grabby hands as he hopes to get a tasty chocolate or two. fukuzawa glances at akatsuki, who knows what's up, and she sighs but shrugs once again. the woman fakes giving ranpo a piece of chocolate, only to eat it herself in the end.

"i'm sure there's a person or two they want to kill," the actress ends with. you can clearly hear ranpo's grumbles of despair in the background as akatsuki tries to calm him down. 

———————————

they're back downstairs now, and fukuzawa is looking at the interior of the theater, now filled with people. "they have potato chips!" ranpo spots the snacks on a shelf at a nearby shop. "and the chocolate i missed out on!"

"ranpo! we're supposed to be investigating—" the girl tries to stop the boy from getting too many snacks. meanwhile, the swordsman spots the headline of the newspaper once again. 'so it wasn't a dream,' he thinks to himself.

"i'm getting hungry, ojisan." ranpo points at the snacks as fukuzawa starts walking away. "hey, ojisan, are you listening?"

the three of them go back upstairs, with akatsuki leaning against the wall, fukuzawa looking down beside the railings, and ranpo sitting on a couch. "i'm starving," he says. "and i'm not getting that job anyways. whatever. someone's going to die soon and this theater's going to get shut down."

"i won't let the murder happen." fukuzawa suddenly says. ranpo lets out a small 'huh'. "that's why i was called here," continued the man. "neither the theater nor the municipal police are taking the threat seriously. regardless of the motivation behind the threat…"

"ano, ojisan. it wasn't a threat at all. it's just a warning. think of it as a prediction. a threat always offers two options, don't they?" akatsuki steps out from the corner, arms folded and palms up into the air, representing two options. 

"threats usually say, 'if you don't do this, i'll do this!' and all that. but this one is just saying what they will do, so it's a warning. it's also more of a declaration. the attacker hasn't made any demands of the theater to begin with anyway." ranpo continues what his friend was saying.

"…when did you realize that?" fukuzawa stares at the both of them. 

"when we heard what the letter said. to say the truth, it's quite easy to seperate both of them. i don't know why you didn't think of it as a warning," the blonde explains.

"when did you realize the secreatary was the killer?" he had asked.

"since the beginning," the girl said.

'this boy and this girl must see the truth,' fukuzawa thinks. "why didn't you say anything, if you knew?" he asks out loud.

"i thinks you'd noticed." ranpo replies. "i didn't think you'd misinterpret the warning as a threat." 

"do you two believe everyone else notices all the things you notice?" fukuzawa asks again.

"no documents have been stolen, and the assassin didn't kill the president." ranpo had said.

"the reason you aren't introducing him to the municipal police is because you want him to keep an eye on the police." he said, too.

'this boy doesn't understand that nobody else knows anything.' the swordsman realized. 'both him and the girl are convinced that everyone else already knows the truth and is simply hiding the fact that they know.'

"the two of you, what can you gather of me from what you see?" he challenged ranpo and akatsuki. "you said you two have nowhere to stay tonight."

"we don't." ranpo confirms.

"you can stay the night at my place. just answer my question."

"your place?"

"yeah. so, tell me. tell me anything you notice about me."

"grown-ups sure do love their quid pro quos." ranpo gets up from the couch and walks so he's next fukuzawa.

"i'm not much of a detective, ojisan. it's simply not my forte. you should let ranpo-kun tell you instead." akatsuki smiles sheepishly and stretches a hand out towards ranpo. "さ，どうぞ，名探偵さん。(so, go ahead, detective-san.)"

ranpo smirks and starts, "i've only just met you, so there isn't much i can tell…you're in your early thirties. you're a bodyguard. a master of martial arts. single. right-handed. you chose a seat by the wall at the restaurant, so you must be a swordsman as well. i guess that the reason you don't use your katana for work anymore is because you're ashamed of your last job," fukuzawa gasps as he recalls the events. 

"what's a job that involves swordplay and that you'd be ashamed of? come to think of it, there was some buzz about an incident a few years ago…pro-war bureaucrats and overseas military cliques were found dead one after another during the peace treaty debates. and. you were grimacing a bit as you looked at the newspaper headline in the shop earlier. もしかして，おじさんー(are you—)"

"黙れ！(silence!)" yells fukuzawa. 

ranpo was hit with such a force from just a voice and he flew back, hat dropping onto the floor. akatsuki managed to catch the boy right when the man yelled at him. ranpo's cinnabar green eyes met the girl's blood red ones as he let out a shaky breath. 

"ah—" fukuzawa rushes over to the two, only understanding what he had done then. "sorry. are you two all right?"

"私は大丈夫。(i'm alright.)" the blonde was the first to react. 

"あ、うん。。。大丈夫。。。(uh- yeah...i'm okay...)" ranpo stutters from the shock. he stands up and his eyes are still wide open and darting around, looking for his hat.

'this boy's the real deal,' he thinks.

"here." fukuzawa picks it up and hands it back to him. "help me with this job," he invites ranpo and akatsuki. "if we manage to do well, i'll introduce you to more work. well?"

"okay," they say in unison. "we'll help."

the buzzers sound and a bored female voice says, "the doors will now open. please make your way to the theater."

'what the hell am i doing?' fukuzawa curses himself. they've entered the theater now. 'もう何者と組まないと決めたはずなのに。。。(i've already decided that i won't work with anyone...)'

but his body tells him otherwise. 

"let's go," he says to the both of them.

—————————————

ending notes: credits to @cafekitsune

none of the bungou stray dogs characters, except my own, belong to me. property of asagiri kafka.

please do not repost or translate my works on other websites. marikosenwrites 2024

[goldkirk]

on the one hand, my desperation to vanish safely behind a large hoodie and jeans out in public the whole day today is overwhelming, but on the other hand, it is literally august and one of the hottest days yet and I WILL get sick if I wear anything more than a light shirt and shorts inside OR outside

[dirty-brainrot]

(Not like him ²)

Here's the 2nd part to this!

Pairing(s): Stardust Crusaders x Reader

After traveling for weeks and days with the crusaders, all of you have finally reached Cairo. You helped them track down DIO to the best of your abilities. But you were able to only scout the area for them at night and kept an eye out for any stand users under DIO's influence. (And yet with all of your efforts, your relationship with Jotaro hasn't changed. He's still wary of you.)

Iggy had been wounded. None of you were there to see what happened so you could only guess that the boston terrier was attacked by a stand user. On the brighter side, Kakyoin returned fully healed after the incident with the water stand.

You all wasted no time and headed straight for DIO's mansion. Although, you had a hard time keeping up because of the thick clothes you wore to protect you from the striking sun.

The time you had there was excruciating. Your allies had a near-death experience at the fight with Vanilla Ice but good thing you were there to prevent that. Although, they had sustained heavy wounds, making them unable to help further, and had to fall back.

DIO's minions were able to stall you all until sunset. Forced to fight DIO at night, you discarded the heavy cloak, also gaining the upper hand. And all of you fled away thinking of a way to figure out his stand's powers. Jotaro chased after the vengeful Polnareff while you, Kakyoin, and Mr. Joestar figured out the body-stealing vampire's stand.

Currently, you were on the trunk of the truck, gripping tightly on the edges so you wouldn't get thrown off. You screamed to Joseph on the wheel. "DRIVE FASTER!! HE'S GAINING ON US—" You looked back at the car that DIO was in but you were only met with a corpse hurtling towards you at great speed. Startled, you jumped off and rolled around the pavement. The car slammed into a building and exploded with debris flying all over. Worried for your companions, you ran towards the car. The corpse sat there but they were nowhere to be found.

Relief washed over you once you saw them swinging from buildings to building and calling your name. You glanced behind you to see DIO's silhouette in the smoke, calling out to you. "Y/N... Join me..." Not wanting to handle him on your own, you ran after Kakyoin and Joseph. Jumping from buildings to another as your stand had no swinging abilities like theirs. "Joestar!!" Catching up to them, you spoke in panic. "What's the plan?! He's going to catch up sooner or later!"

"Don't worry Y/N!" Kakyoin grabbed your arm and pulled you away from Joseph. You both hid behind a building. Confused, you looked up at him waiting for answers. "We made a plan. I will set up a trap while Mr. Joestar distracts him." Provided with little context; You nodded slowly, unsure. He quickly made a platform with [Hierophant]'s tentacles for you and him to stand on. You stood beside him, watching the Joestar struggle to keep DIO away.

Once he was in the designated spot. He was finally able to entrap him in place, kakyoin used his splash move. "Emerald Splash!" Trapping DIO into his 50-meter Emeralds Splash web.

"Smart..." 'With this... we can get DIO to use his stand..!' You mumble and he flashes you a quick, small smile. "Hmm... Y/N... This will be the last chance I give you a chance to join me—" You interrupted him, growing frustrated with his repeated words. "Just stop with that already! After what you put these Joestars through... I'll never join your side." You growled at him and he laughs, mocking you. Kakyoin fired emeralds at him, making him halt his laughter.

As Kakyoin stated, nobody can deflect his emerald splash but DIO was able to do it with his bare hands. "That won't hold him for too long, Kak... Will this work?—" And right on time, DIO finally decided to reveal his stand's true power. "[The World]'s true power is, indeed, the power to reign over this world!"

A loud echoing noise, then suddenly, everything stopped. 'His stand...' You didn't get the chance to finish your thought as he starts to cut Kakyoin's trap while flying in your direction. "Dear Y/n... My beloved half-blood... You could've ruled the world with me... But it's too late for that now." 'This is no good... My secret weapon is the same as his too..!' [The World] pulled back his arm, getting ready to strike a punch. But it wasn't directed at you, it was directed at Kakyoin's stomach.

As [The World]'s fist was halfway through the air, you moved through stopped time, surprising DIO but that didn't stop him. You grabbed Kakyoin's arm and pulled him away, taking the hit through the stomach. Unlike DIO, your [The World] can only pause and move through stopped time for a second or two. Making it slightly weaker.

DIO was still caught off guard by your stand's ability, his own stand's arm still plunged into your stomach as time started ticking again. Your hair wildly slapped against your face as you flew through the air until you felt yourself hit a water tank. Kakyoin and Joseph called out to you but you weren't able to hear them due to the ringing from your ears from the metallic impact.

Feeling numb, you tried getting all your senses all together but it was to no avail. Slowly, you tilt your head up. you could see Kakyoin's silhouette swinging on buildings trying to get to you. Being strict by drinking anything but animal blood is giving you a huge withdrawal. Your regeneration isn't as fast as it was before... "-N...Y/N!" You snap your head back up to see Kakyoin looking at you with concern. "Y/N, are you ok?!" You cough out blood and weakly spoke. "Same stand... DIO can stop... time.." Kakyoin glanced back behind him and back to you. He avoids looking at your stomach, feeling sick that he can see through the hole.

"Wh—why aren't you healing?" He stutters and helps you get out of the water tank. You collapsed on top of him and he gently sets you down on the floor, kneeling beside you.

"Need blood..." His eyes widen and you shook your head. "Tell... Joestar that.. DIO...can stop time.." You croak. Your body is regenerating but it wasn't as fast as how you wanted it. Kakyoin nodded and stood up, expecting him to leave you and help the elder Joestar but you were wrong. He called out his stand and shoot the large clock, breaking its hands.

"Fool..! Just go find Jota—" He stops you and grabs your arm, pointing it to his neck directly at the carotid artery. "You said you needed blood right?" Kakyoin said with a stern face. Your eyes widen as you tug your hand away from his neck, failing due to lack of strength. "Yes... but I don't need it- I can manage." you croak out while Kakyoin kept a firm grip on your hand. "Y/N, you saved me. You need this to be able to fight DIO." 'He doesn't even know if I actually saved him... He has this much trust in me..' Biting your lip, you hesitantly shoved your sharpened nails in his neck. You only needed a small amount...

He visibly winced but it disappeared quickly. You drank a small portion of his blood while your wounds start to regenerate at a quicker pace. Slowly getting your strength back, you rose from your sitting position and quickly removed your fingers from Kakyoin's neck. He stumbled a bit but you helped him regain his footing. "G-go..." You nodded and prepared to jump through buildings to catch up with Joseph and DIO but before you did, you glanced at Kakyoin. The guilt slowly rising within you, he notices your look and smiles. "...thank you." You mutter and with that, you searched for DIO and joseph.

Jumping from buildings to buildings again, time would often stop but thanks to Kakyoin's offering, you learned that you could stop and move through time for at least 5 seconds or more. Following the trail of bloodshed, you saw Joseph's dried corpse in the distance. "Oh no..." No time for grieving, you continued. Getting closer, you start to feel the presence of your damned brother.

"ROAD ROLLER!" There they were, on the bridge with Jotaro losing to DIO. Quickly, you made your way to them. "DIO!" You screamed before freezing in time. He laughs and throws the road equipment towards you, it gets stuck in time after it was inches from you. At least Jotaro doesn't have to worry about getting crushed.

Once time started ticking, you evaded it by punching it with your stand. Given the opportunity, you stopped time. DIO froze due to his stand's ability cooldown. You gave him a hard punch in the stomach like what he did earlier. Your stand's hand goes through him then you slow down and freeze while DIO starts moving again. He starts laughing at your attempt. "Foolish Y/N.... I am stronger than you." He pushes you. You flew back and your stand's hand went out of his stomach. It regenerates as nothing had happened.

DIO approaches you, your body tilted as it was frozen in time. "Why couldn't you just let me kill the Joestar's bloodline?" [The World] raises its arm, ready to decapitate you as DIO spoke. "Just for this, I'll make you suffer to what I had to go through just to get this body—" Then suddenly, he froze too. Behind him, you could see a towering Jotaro. "It seems like you can only stop time for 9 seconds..." He glances at you and nods, as a way of thanking you for distracting DIO to help him regain his strength.

"Now, it won't take even a second to finish you off!" Jotaro shouts and points at DIO. He approaches him from behind. Jotaro starts his monologue and kicks DIO on the legs, breaking them. "Time has begun to move again." Time starts and you dodged the falling DIO. He falls into the concrete, his legs bleeding. Jotaro hops off the road roller. "How long will your legs heal? Two seconds? Three seconds?" He stood in front of DIO. Ready to give him a beatdown. "The moment you heal. I'll throw [Star Platinum] at you."

DIO elevates himself, his knees shaking. He seems to be mumbling something. "-How I do it, does not matter!" He splurts out blood to Jotaro's eyes. 'He's playing dirty-' You jumped into action, helping Jotaro counter [The World]'s leg attack. You and Jotaro both punched its leg. [Star Platinum]'s hand starts to crack as well as your stand's but it healed quickly. DIO smirks at Jotaro but it instantly switched as the three of you heard another crack. [The world] starts cracking and falling apart. DIO screamed in agony. "WHAT?!" He starts splitting apart while yelling. "IMPOSSIBLE! I-I AM DIO!" He repeats his words and explodes into pieces. Body parts flying around and his blood tainting the floor.

That's it. It's done.

You sat down and sighed in relief. "Glad he's gone. He always stole my food..." Jotaro chuckles but abruptly stops. "Do you think... The old man's blood can be retrieved back?" You look at him with wide eyes. He looked determined and from his question, you could guess that he had a plan. "What do we have to lose?" And with that, the two of you called the Speedwagon Foundation.

Everything went well in the ambulance, Jotaro nearly punched his grandfather and you laughed at their antics. Avdol and Iggy gained prosthetics, Polnareff was mildly injured (comparing to Iggy and Avdol.) And Kakyoin is gaining some of his blood back.

You stayed with the Joestars while the others flew back to their home country.

But you can't help but think about the sweet warm blood that Kakyoin offered you. Maybe drinking a few more human blood wouldn't be too bad...

[the-revenging-angel]

Alec VolturuX Fem-vampire

Hello, I am responding to a request from @delfina0008

I am always happy to respond, so enjoy what I have done and I can always edit it, have a good day/night.

──── ⋅•⋅⊰∙∘❁༓❁∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ────

You bite your lip, opening your eyes to see the books circling around you, moving at rapid speed as the furniture also starts to lift of the ground, a satisfied feeling comes over you to know that all your training and hard work was paying off. “Y/n” I turn quickly to see my bedroom door open, Alec froze when seeing objects and furniture fly around the room before they all drop to the ground, a groan leaving your lips as you lie on the floor, tired from all the practice. “I’m sorry la mia luna” he muttered, coming over to kneel beside you “It’s okay, my love I should have done better” you sigh, closing your eyes, his hands lift you easily and into his lap as he softly kisses your temple. “You’ve been practicing so hard, la mia luna” you sigh, kissing his neck, feeling a smile come over you when seeing his spine straighten before you lean up and trace more kisses down his neck, around where his pulse point should move had he been human and along the pale skin of his neck. “la mia luna” he released breathily, even after being together for so long he claimed that it he could never get use to you, the feel of you, the sounds you made or the simple smile’s you sent his way when you both thought no one was looking.

 

His grip around you tightened to a stronger hold as your lips descended further down his neck, past his collar bone having him shiver before he’s pushed you down on the ground, his eyes staring at you wildly before his mouth crashes to your own, you moan when feeling the kiss, the familiar pit or arousal and want settling in your stomach as Alec work’s your mouth open. “Alec” you spur as he bites your lips before his hands work on moving your leg aside so he could settle between your thighs, he pulls away, his lips red as his eyes stare at you with animal want. “Do you want to stop?” he asked hoarsely, you stop yourself from smiling, no matter how many times you two had been so intimate he had always stopped to ask, always making sure you were sure of wanting him, wanting him to touch you, to please you like he always did more incredible and breathtaking than the last. You shake your head before reaching for him, he lets out a short sigh of relief before capturing your mouth again, reaching for your thighs, he pushes your legs wider, fitting himself against you as you moan lowly when feeling every outline and movement of his very hard member against you.

 

“I can’t feel enough of you” you argue starting to pull his robes off, he helps you kissing your shoulder as you lean up to push the robes off knowing if you ripped them the others wouldn’t be pleased about yet another set ripped to shreds. You feel his under shirt and lie back down as you run your hands up the shirt, you smile when seeing his whole-body freeze when feeling your touch, your hands that he kissed and held running along his flesh, his body that yearned for your touch every damn moment of every damn day. He pulls the shirt over his head with one hand as his pale skin covered in a few bites received from war and battle of defending their coven “Y/n, I’m sorry” you raise a brow before feeling his hands rip your clothes off your white skin “Alec!” you attempted to scold before he leaned down taking your nipple into his mouth through your bra, you bite your lip as you wrap your arms around him feeling his tongue trace over the bud in a circular motion of pleasure and distraction, filthy moans escaped your mouth if you weren’t panting or whispering Alec’s name before you feel his middle finger start at the end of your bra tracing slowly down your skin, down the curves and around the bends of your figure before stopping at the bottom of your robes, above your very wet pussy, he stopped for a second leaving his finger their before he pulled away.

 

He stared down at you, your body in front of him, calling for him “I refuse to take you on the ground la mia luna” he muttered before lifting me up around him, you moaned when feeling his member line up with you once again before he started walking, your body grinding against him in an effort to make him as sexually frustrated as you were, you fall down on soft sheets with red silk covering it all, your scents intertwined on the bed. He undid his belt throwing it behind him as he ripped your bra off as well, taking your entire breast in his mouth as you face the top of the bed, your toes curling at the pleasure he always gave you “Alec, I want more” you moaned sensually, you felt his hand trace down your side and shiver in anticipation of what was to come before his hand sneaks down your skirt and underwear, he stops for a moment when feeling your wetness drop onto his hand “Fuck la mia luna, my goddess, my mate you have no idea the self-control I have barely maintained around you” your eyes widen at his words before black fabric comes into view as your thighs are stripped of stockings and your skirt, his finger tracing your folds as they leak. “Alec!” you moan, reaching for him as his tongue flicks over your nipple, a small pant leaves your lips before your breast is released, you breath out a moan before you look up at him biting your lip, he undoes his zip, pushing his pants away before reaching for your soaked panties but he stop’s, moaning loudly when you touch his strained member.

 

“Y/n” he struggled to say, looking down at you with raw want, his eyes no longer holding thoughts of his day but of you, you that made his heartbeat, you who he cuddled up too every night, you who he needed now, you bite your lip, running your fingers over the thin barrier, he moans, hands gripping the sheets as he takes deep breathes, you lean up rubbing the outline of his member, distracting him as you slowly pull his briefs down. “Y/n” he moans, you slice a clean line through the briefs throwing them before pushing him down on the bed, his eyes widening when looking up at you, he watches as you lean down, licking up his rock hard member, his hands grip the sheets as he watches you do it to the other side before you suck just the tip into your mouth, swiping your tongue over it, precum dripping out as you swallow it down, you look to meet his eyes having his hands rip through the sheets, shocking you but not having you stop as you slip your panties down your thighs and legs. You let go, hands against his chest as you push him back on the bed, he looks up at you as you kneel above him. He reaches for your hips, helping you slip down as your penetrated by him, the slight sting slowly going away when you stop, your hands resting against his chest as his fingers dig into your thighs, you move slowly in a rhythm, sucking air in as you move your body, sounds of lust and pleasure fill the room as you work faster, working into a habit as you both moan.

 

“la mia luna, my love, my light- I-“ he turns you over, your eyes widening for a moment before his thrusts become deeper, his sounds become louder and your orgasm becomes closer “Alec!” you scream, tightening around him in the most sensational way, having his eyes close as he tries to continue his pace that has you screaming so loud, his determination to have you come closer to the edge that you were already so close to “Come on y/n, come with me” his thrusts become sloppy as he holds your hips in a bruising hold, trying to keep you close before the winding in your stomach, the over whelming feeling of heat and full comes to an end and everything becomes white as you lie on the bed, warm liquid’s filling your very sensitive pussy as you and Alec pant. The high of pleasure and euphoria coming to an end as you clung to Alec, he brings you closer before you both lie back on your bed, your head resting on his forehead, rubbing your nose over his pale skin “Are you okay?” he asked, kissing your forehead, you laugh looking up at him, winding your legs together as he smiles. “I am more than okay, I am simply….” You struggle to find the word “in ecstasy?” I smile, looking into his crimson eyes “I am in ecstasy, because of you” he leans forward kissing you once again, your hand reaching up to his neck as you lean forward to deepen the kiss, his arms coming around you and pulling you closer, you laugh, climbing on top of him with a wide smile as you turn back over. The world forgotten as you stare at your lover, your mate, your everything, not seeing the books stacked around your room, lifting in the air or thinking of the consequences of your ripped cloaks.     

  ──── ⋅•⋅⊰∙∘❁༓❁∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ ────

{my moon = la mia luna}

Feed back is always welcomed

Talk soon

Love Bethany

[ducessaeva]

a long ramble on my sasha wing au brainrot

there was a request and I am nothing if not eager for an excuse to ramble-

(Spoilers for all seasons of RQG, and I guess the fic if I ever write it, Idk, writing is hard)

sometimes people are born with animal features, such as wings, tails, unusual markings, etc. it’s rare and nobody really knows what causes it. Fey? Wild magic? Whatever it is, the Meritocrats don’t know, and they don’t like rampant magic things going around they can’t control, so for whatever reason (maybe them directly or maybe just subtly over time), these features are generally considered to be bad omens, and people who have them tend to hide or remove them.

Sasha was born with wings, but in Other London most of this info isn’t common knowledge, she just knew that there was no room to fly and wings made her too easily identifiable, so she always hid them under clothes (they fold up pretty small, it’s magic dw about it). She never learned to fly, she could use them to slow herself from falling a bit but that’s it.

she initially doesn’t like them much, for the above inconveniences, but she’s very protective about who gets to see them or know she has them. She keeps them covered from everyone in the party, after the channel crossing she lets Zolf and Hamid see them, Bertie never finds out about them (thank goodness for bad perception checks)

in Paris she’s comfortable enough around the gargoyles to let them out, and they give her a few pointers on how to fly, she also figures out a way to manipulate the magic leather jacket so she can extend her wings through the back of it if she wants to get them out quickly, because if magic clothes can fix themselves and resize to every wearer then why not be able to pop out wings through em?

this is where it goes even more canon divergent because I’ve decided to just put all the things in one au, so as the airship is ascending she second guesses abandoning Wilde, because they really did put a lot of work into him not dying and it would be really inconvenient and his illusions really were cool, so she tells Zolf she’ll meet them in Prague and flies back to the ground. she and Wilde escape Paris together, at one point she accidentally reveals her wings by reflexively covering both of them from debris, and he doesn’t make any puns or comments on them. (which does a lot for her trust)

so they end up on the way to Prague, probably by train so they end up spending a few days together traveling. she starts bleeding from her scars and loses some feathers, they don’t have any healers with them but she gets by on healing potions. this is also when Wilde stops sleeping and uses potions/coffee to get by, which she notices, but neither of them want to talk about their respective things so they ignore it, when they do talk it’s mostly light stuff like puns, she trusts him enough to offer him borrowing a dagger just in case something happens on the way, their friendship is just really important to me

they arrive in Prague at the start of The Day That All The Things Happened, Wilde goes to the meritocratic offices before knowing the situation, Zolf’s already gone, she doesn’t have time to process because there’s so much going on and also forgets to tell Wilde anything because of it so he still misses everything, she also doesn’t know about Bertie’s ring and ends up struggling to keep herself away from him all day, which finally culminates in the opera and having two magical compulsions dragging her towards the stage, powerful enough that against her will she lets her wings out so she can fly to them, and being forced to show them in front of all those people is very traumatic for her so she gets even more protective over them after that

(she’s too out of it to really pay attention to the plot the rest of that day because it’s only then she finds out she’s undead, probably misses Bertie’s will entirely, but Wilde bullies his way into the university before the cult of Mars shows up, and makes sure to help her hide wings before anyone else comes in. he’s still annoying to Grizzop but maybe gets a tiny bit more sympathy for defending Sasha)

(continues under the cut bc s3/4 spoilers)

I haven’t figured out everything in Cairo or Damascus, but in Rome it diverges big again, when she’s falling in the dimension shift she manages to throw/fly herself forward into Grizzop and send them both flying sideways, which hurts so much that she passes out but he catches her, and in my brain the direction of falling changes it so instead of going to wrong time it goes to wrong place, so they fall out very conveniently in Korea about three weeks travel from Okinoshima. (her scar from passing out again is her feathers go white at the ends, as well as developing chronic pain in her wings, so it’s much more difficult to use them)

they struggle with language barrier but manage to find out where they are and get there at just about the time the party is getting back from Shoin’s, since they don’t know where else to go aside from where Wilde had said to meet up before the timeskip, and they go through quarantine with everyone else at the inn.

from there I haven’t decided the entirety of how s4 goes, especially since Grizzop is really hard to write and should probably change the plot just from being there because of how he is? Maybe??  I also have multiple ideas of how certain plot points could go and it’s very hard to pick just one

(mainly 174 I have a lot of variable ideas for)

(and some for 206-208)

(the urge to write suffering vs the urge to have everybody live..)

(also the body swap, I have vague thoughts of Sasha and Wilde switching? because he did still seem to get magically put to sleep despite the cuffs so if there was someone to swap with maybe he would have been able to. If they did swap Wilde would be insufferable about being able to do magic again, but respect not using Sasha’s wings without permission, and Grizzop would be v ready to murder if he did anything at all, Sasha would mostly be uncomfortable with being so tall and so much slower)

generally she has a great time on the airship anyway, at some point is comfortable enough to let everyone see her wings, or at least most of them

I do want her to survive to the end of the series if nothing else (and possibly change how the finale went in certain ways but I haven’t figured out how—maybe her being there puts a fey/wild magic influence in that changes how magic works in some way? Persephone? Persephone related to fey magic?? hmmm)

also she and Cel get along great and she helps with building the airship (mainly in the carrying things to places they tell her to department but she’s interested in figuring out how it works), they show her how to make better bombs too, she also makes friends with the kobolds and absolutely gets in on Hide the Fang and y’know if she can start picking up Latin supernaturally fast why can’t she also pick up Draconic or Japanese to have kobold chats

also also Wilde was born with wings too, but his family had them removed when he was very young, he has no memory of having them but still has scarred ridges on his back where they should be. when he dies and comes back they’re also restored

lowkey decided that the resurrection doesn’t change wing colors either because if Sasha dies I still want her to have black wings, but it maybe makes them go white at the ends for Wilde too

Wilde and Zolf still have their thing somewhat in the background too of course, Wilde and Sasha are just also really important to each other

(I really didn’t start out intending for it to be so much of Wilde and Sasha but they are my favorite characters so I may be projecting)

Idk how to end this- thanks for reading if anyone got through all that XD I have no idea how to discuss things over tumblr but I would love to, or hear thoughts/criticisms/anything etc., genuinely I have done nothing but think about Sasha and wings for so long and am losing my mind

tl;dr sasha has wings and i guess it fixes some stuff and she is so loved

[a-jynx]

Expensive Taste; P3 [Finale]

Excerpt; Gambling is uncertain, just like your future. Are you willing to throw it on the table and hope for the best..?

Warnings; Cursing, fighting, blood mentioned, suicide/mentioned death, graphic death description, derealization/dreamland, If I miss any warnings, please let me know!

Pairing; Quackity x reader (Female pronouns)

[ Male vers. / GN vers.]

a/n; well, this is it, guys! The final post! I cannot thank you all enough for the love this series has gained and I hope even with this series ending, you all still love the post I make in the near future! More imagines, series, and headcanons are ready to be posted, so keep an eye out! Now, without further ado, enjoy our ending! <3

~~~~

Metals clash and clang as sand kicks up from each step from Y/N and Sap’s wrestling. He shoved his body forward, sliding his sword along the edge of his sister’s. She grunted, ducking down and grabbing a handful of sand before tossing it up into his eyes, causing him to yell and swipe his sword blindly.

“Goddamnit, Sparkler! You just won’t die will you?!” Sap yelled as he scrubbed at his eyes, squinting as he saw her figure running away from him. He could practically smell the copper leaking from her - a steady stream spilling from her nostrils as it stained her t-shirt and chin.

“Fuck off, Sap! What’s the point of all this?! We’re separated! We have our own countries! Just let us live in peace!” She screamed as he dove into her, knocking her sword ahead of them while his weapon landed to the side with a thick thud. They wrestled through the sand, his hands flying around and grabbing the clothes and skin he could. She reached up, knocking her fist into his chin, causing his stitches to split open on the bottom while one of his hands found its way around her throat; squeezing tightly.

“There’s a big point to all of this, Y/N.. I’m tired of being second place! I’m tired of being a second thought, a maybe! You always got everything handed to you!” Sapnap spat as she struggled underneath him, gagging as she tried to get whatever air down she could. She reached up and grabbed his wrist, somehow yanking it off as she gasped, knocking her elbow against his chin and up into his nose. A wail left him as he squinted back the tears, some already spilling as he pinned one of her arms down under his knees before reaching over and dragging his sword up.

“Sap! Sapnap, please, Sappy I- I- You can’t do this!” She screamed, thrashing underneath him as a smile split across his crimson-colored lips, it dripping onto her chest as he scoffed, holding his swords’ hilt with both hands and dangling it over her throat causing her to still with wide eyes; her own tears spilling down her reddened cheeks.

“I am worth more than second thoughts and a few maybes - I’m worth so much more.” He hissed, raising the blade high before driving it down, only for his body to seem too slow.. Everything seemed to freeze as he blinked, feeling his tears trickle faster as he slowly released his death grip on his sword. The blades’ point dangling above Y/N’s throat..

“What.. What the hell am I doing..”

“SAP- SAPNAP-” The raven-haired man blinked, feeling his hot tears drip down his cheeks as his vision adjusted to the low light of the rising sun dusting across his bedroom.. His bedroom? He blinked again, only to look down when he felt a quivering hand grip his wrist. Snapping his eyes down, his lips fell apart as Karl shook beneath him; his lip quivering as blood trailed down his cupid’s bow and down his cheeks, a small puddle beside him.

“Sapnap, baby, it’s me… Fuck, it’s me, please,” Karl’s voice quivered and broke as Sapnap shot backward, his sword falling to the dark oak planks with a clatter as he scooted away from Karl, who sat up and hunched over, gasping lightly whilst grasping his throat.

No… No, I didn’t.. Did I..? Sapnap’s hands shook as he brought them close, studying them as he noticed the few specks of fresh blood on his calloused fingers and palms. Karl carefully crawled towards his fiance, tears and blood mixing as he sat on his knees in front of him, grasping Sap’s wrists and tugging to catch his attention.

“Sap, Sap-baby I’m, it’s okay.. I’m okay,” Karl whispered, his voice hoarse as Sap sunk down against the dark oak wall, his own lip shaking as Karl tucked himself into Sapnap’s side. Dragging his arm up, despite the heavy feeling, he hugged Karl close, licking his lips as he rested his head on top of the brunette's locks, breathing in the old book smell - the paper and the ink feeling something of comfort as he shook in Sap’s grasp.

“I.. I’m sorry,”

“Don’t, it’s okay.. You’re going through a lot,” Karl shook his head with a small smile, flinching at the skin pulling from his nose - which looked broken. The raven-haired man leaned forward, caressing Karl’s wet cheek, and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead as the male tried to giggle, only for it to come out as a cough. A hand-shaped bruise already forming across his windpipe. Sap felt dread drip through his veins as he blinked, his fingers gently sliding down to his neck, causing Karl to flinch before melting into the touch.

“I love you. Fuck, IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou,” Sap repeated over, and over, hoping for it to stick. Hoping he would at least feel regret for causing someone he loved so much pain… So much hurt. But, somehow he felt nothing except dread..

“I know.. I know, and I still love you. I will always love you, Meathead..”

~~~~

Sap has been through a lot these past days - I don’t know what to do to help anymore. His sleep-walking has gotten worse - more physical. I’m used to yelling, screaming, possibly kicking or wandering around the house. I never thought he’d get more physical than merely slapping his bedside tables lamp onto the floor. I never thought I’d be the one he’d smack and try to… I know he doesn’t mean it, but it’s so difficult to feel hopeful anymore.

These past few days have been hell, and I’m not seeing heaven at the end of this week. There’s no light at the end of this tunnel, and I believe Sapnap and I are leaning more towards Purgatory than anything else.

I don’t think I can help anymore.. Everything is straying from the original storyline and I can’t - I can’t fix it. Not anymore. This new story is set in stone, but I feel as if it’d be better this way. Safer, maybe. Sapnap is set on getting back at Y/N, that poor girl, I wish he’d see how much happier she is since moving to and dating Quackity. I don’t see why Sap can’t leave them alone, they both seem happier with each other than when either with us. Maybe we’re the toxic villains in this story, maybe we’re the delusional couple that believes everyone wants what we have, but in reality no one wants it. Everyone sees how broken we are and I wish Sap would see that - I wish he would see just how much I’m trying to hold a smile and not flinch and whimper away from him, but… But, he just doesn’t want his eyes open. He’s squeezing them tightly shut and I don’t think I can try them open.. Even if I wanted to.

He tried to apologize with kisses, neck bites and promises to not do it again, but I know it’s a lie. He’s grown too much into the role of a villain and I don’t believe anyone can save him - especially me. Maybe it’d be easier if we ran away - moved on from all of this chaos and allowed them to live in peace - no, no that’s dumb he’d come back for them. He promised to make her pay for what she’s done, whatever that may be. It’s all dumb but I still love him. I still want to make us work, but God Who Knows what I would have to go through to try and make it work! I love him.. IlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehimImisshim- Karl paused his writing as the word ‘miss’ appeared. Tears welled up in his eyes as he squinted, sinking onto the floor with a choked sob, feeling the tight closing of his throat as he fought back the tears. His windpipe still ached from Sapnap’s hold earlier, the bruise lightly faded but still prominent.

“I miss him so much,” Karl whimpered, burying his face into his sweaters’ paws, coughing to cover up the strangled cry. Picking up his pen once again, he sniffled but continued his writing.

I say it too much. That I love him, but I don’t think I can’t trick myself into believing that I truly love this man after what’s happened.. After everything that’s been lost. We lost ourselves because our supposed happiness cost too much. So, we gambled and now we lost everything.

Karl jumped as a door slammed upstairs, causing him to curl in on himself, sheltering his written-down thoughts. Fresh tears threatened to spill down his cheeks as he shook his head, wiping away any that spilled over. Closing his book with a thud, he stowed it away where only he could find it, not wanting Sapnap to find his inner thoughts.

“Karl! Babe, come on, we’ve got to get ready-” Sap’s voice called throughout their small home as Karl inhaled deeply, standing with his slightly shaking legs. Peeking through a small peephole in his library’s door, he opened the door and quickly walked out, turning and locking it behind him before hiding the key away once again.

“Hey, Sap-baby! Sorry, I just.. I had something to take care of. What’d you need?” Karl broke into a smile, trying to hide the pain he still felt as Sapnap grinned wickedly towards his fiance, stepping forward and wrapping an arm around the brunette.

“I have a plan that’ll blow away that stupid Las Nevadas country! They’ll never know what hit them,”

“Sap.. Why’re we going to even try? Quackity and Y/N don’t deserve this! They deserve happiness as much as we do, and… And it’s not fair to try and rip that away just because you’re jealous-” Karl fell backward into the wall as he gripped his face, his eyes wide as his bottom lip quivered. Sapnap stood over him, his eyes darkening as he clenched his fist around his swords’ hilt. Sap had struck him.

Sap carefully knelt down next to Karl, leaning close as he whispered into the shaking males’ ear. “I could care less about their fucking happiness. They stole what was mine, and I’m done being a second thought. Even with you, Karl. Get your head together, we’re leaving in an hour.” Sapnap spat, his spit landing on Karl’s reddened cheek causing another flinch as he watched the raven-haired male stock out of their shared home, leaving Karl on the floor cradling himself.

He’s gone. He’s gone and he’s not coming back. And I don’t think I want him to..

~~~~

“That meeting didn’t help shit,” Y/N sighed, cracking her knuckles as Quackity moved to stand next to her with a huff, pressing his chapped lips to her shoulder and neck. “No one knows what we’re up against with Sapnap-”

“Mi Amor,” Quackity spun them around, cupping her cheeks as she melted into the gentle touch. “I’ll take care of him. I’ll take care of us. Anything he tries to do won’t hold me back from having a good life with you! You’re my forever, Y/N..” He pressed his lips to hers, causing her to grin into the kiss as his thumbs swiped over her cheeks, still cradling her face. His lips moved carefully around her face, peppering it gently as she giggled into the butterfly-like touches.

“I think we’ll go far, Mi Caballero.. I put my faith in you.” She whispered against his skin, pressing her own soft kisses across his scarred flesh. “I’ll always put my faith in you.” Quackity wrapped himself around her as if to shield from the efforts of her brother; the desperate need to keep her safe - alive.

“Quackity.. I don’t want to kill him. Them. I don’t think I could-”

“Y/N, he’s a threat to our happiness,”

“I know. I know he is, but what about Karl..? Karl didn’t even know Sapnap was acting this way and… And it’s not fair for him to be punished for something my idiotic brother did.” Y/N swallowed around the thick lump growing in her throat. Quackity stood in front of her, shock written on his features as he sighed, pressing his forehead against her shoulder.

“Y/N,”

“No, Quackity, I know! I know there’ll be nothing to stop the carnage but Karl has worked WITH us to get Sapnap to stop! He’s always been the-”

“The peacekeeper.. That’s how he was in our relationship. That’s just how Karl has always been, it’s just a part of who he is.”

“Then.. Then why does he have to suffer because of Sapnap’s decisions?” Y/N muttered, leaning further into Quackity’s touch as he wrapped his hand around, swiping his thumb over the nape of her neck, attempting to comfort her.

“Everyone faces consequences, sometimes they sadly are from people they love..” Q whispered into her hair as she rolled her lips together, frowning at the confirmed thought. Maybe Karl was already too gone..? Too lost with Sapnap’s promise of revenge on their shared ex.. The couple turned as their shared bedroom door opened, revealing an armored Punz. A sneer was already plastered onto his lips as he took a slow step into the room.

“Punz?”

“Everyone’s been evacuated to the village a ways North. Mayor Liek wasn’t fond of it, but I got him to allow our citizens to stay, at least for a while.” The blonde flashed his teeth as Y/N shook her head with a grin.

“Charlie?”

“Safe.”

“Niki?”

“Safe as well,”

“What about-”

“Y/N, I promise everyone is safe.. Now, come on, I already got our horses waiting-”

“What?” The room went quiet as Punz’s voice trailed as Quackity allowed Y/N to move away, stepping between the two males with furrowed brows. Punz pinched his lips together as he sighed, glancing at his boss.

“You didn’t tell her?”

“I was warming up to it,” Quackity hissed as Punz tilted his head with a groan, wiping his hand over his face as Y/N huffed out a laugh.

“What the fuck were you gonna tell me?” She crossed her arms over her chest, turning towards her fiancé with a turned up lip. Quackity reached out towards her, making her step back, knowing if she allowed him to caress her she’d go without much fight or say.

“Mi propósito-”

“No, Quackity, what is Punz talking about? What were you getting at?” She growled as Quackity shot a glare towards his right-hand man.

“I just thought,”

“If you’re about to tell me you thought it would be a good idea to send me with Punz to the village, I’m going to get heated,” she snarled as her fiancé took a step back with a small laugh, holding his hands up. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding!”

“I told you I wanted to protect you-”

“So, sending me away and leaving you to fight for our country ALONE was the best way to protect me? That’s really rich, Q.” She spat, turning towards Punz as he leaned against the wall, trying to make himself invisible.

“Did you know about this..?”

“Parts of it-”

“Un-fucking-believable.” She hissed, rubbing at her temples before moving past Quackity and snatching up her ax as the two males blinked, watching her march downstairs causing them to rush after her.

“Mi esposa, Y/N, this isn’t your fight-”

“No. This is just as much my fight as it is yours, Quackity! I mean, Jesus we just agreed that Sapnap would do anything to have this - YOU - back! I’m not backing down from him, especially when he has an unfair advantage!” She shouted, her voice echoing through the abandoned casino floor. The boys shared a glance before looking at her, startled by the sudden tears on her cheeks. “I’m not losing this. I may want mercy for my brother, but I’ll put myself on the line if I have to to protect what I love.”

Quackity blinked, feeling his own eyes water before he moved forward, grabbing her hand and caressing the sapphire ring, rubbing his thumb over the stone before nodding, flashing her a heartfelt smile.

“We’ll protect what we love.” He pressed another gentle kiss to her knuckle as she coughed out a laugh as Punz cleared his throat, staring at the couple with a soft smile.

“I.. I hate to break this up, but.. They’ll be here soon. Do I need-”

“Go take care of our people, Punzie.. Q and I got this.” Y/N grinned, moving towards Punz, caressing his scratchy cheek before pressing a quick and gentle kiss to his cheek. Her eyes watered as he rolled his lips together, nodding, feeling his own eyes begin to water as he tugged the girl into a tight embrace. Moving his mouth closer to her ear, lowering his voice as he spoke.

“Of course, Sparks.. Come back with him, yeah? I don’t think he could run this place alone.” Punz grinned, pulling back from the hug as Quackity moved towards them, clapping the blonde on his shoulder before nodding to him.

“We got this. If you need anything, use your communicator.”

“I’ll keep an eye out, Bossman.” Punz saluted off, turning on his heel and moving out the casino doors; leaving the two alone once more. Y/N turned towards Quackity, grabbing his hand and pressing a tight kiss to the corner of his mouth before sighing.

“What’s the big plan..?”

“Wait and see what they plan on doing first.. Fighting or talking.” Q sighed, giving a tight squeeze to her hand as she squeezed back.

“Great plan.”

~~~~

Quackity sat on the steps, his ax laying beside him as he watched Y/N move into the sand dunes, her netherite ax glittering in the afternoon sun. Blocking the bright sun with his hand, he dropped it as he watched her figure disappear. He should’ve gone with her. Should’ve stayed close in case they pulled-

“Quackity.” A voice called from off to his side, he blinked quickly standing as he saw Karl standing there, nothing in hand. Q gulped as he gripped his axes’ hilt, clenching his jaw as Karl held up both of his hands, shaking his head as he took a few steps forward towards his ex.

“I have nothing - no weapon, no trickery - nothing. I just wanna-”

“Talk?” Quackity scoffed, aiming his ax towards Karl, who took a step back. “Yeah, that’s how this all started with Sapnap saying he just wanted to talk.” He couldn’t help the hiss that followed. Karl frowned, dropping his hands as he nodded, chewing on his bottom lip nervously before sighing.

“This was all your fault anyway, Q,”

“The fuck?” He growled as Karl rolled his eyes, gritting his teeth.

“You know it’s the truth! You left us behind for all this-” Karl paused, gesturing around them as Quackity’s eyes followed, seeing around Las Nevadas with a sparkle in his eye. He was proud. “The fame? The money? It’s turned you cruel. I mean, my God! It’s turned you into a con! A fucking joke, if you ask me.” Karl hissed as Quackity scoffed, taking a threatening step towards the hoodie-claded man.

“Well, it’s a good thing there are no askers, Karl. And that’s rich coming from you! You and Sapnap abandoned me! You both left me behind to have your own little fantasies, leaving me to defend myself and come out on top!” Quackity laughed, gesturing around them before aiming his ax back towards his ex, a glint in his eye.

“I came out on top - the fame, the money, the country, my people, and my fiancé - just happen to be a part of my own little fantasy! I saw you both had made your own happiness, so why shouldn’t I follow in your all’s footsteps! I did it! I built something you two could never and now you want to take and tear it all down!” Quackity spat, his teeth clenched as Karl glared towards the raven-haired man, gulping gently as he nodded.

The breeze moved around them as it seemed to thicken the tension, threatening to tip either of them off, as Karl sighed, allowing a smile to split across his lips. “Y’know, Big Q, I never got to thank you..”

“Thank me?” Quackity spat, visible discomfort on his features as Karl nodded, his smile growing. It was working.

“For leaving! I never wanted you back, Sap did. I didn’t want you back since we were doing just fine without you around! I mean, we built our own country!” Karl laughed, it echoing through the vacant alleyways. Quackity grew wide-eyed at this, his mouth falling open as he felt the sand and air start to irritate his throat and eyes, yet he couldn’t bring himself to blink.

Karl broke into a teeth-filled smile before continuing, “and besides… Look what happened when he tried to drag you back into a relationship that never, probably ever, fucking needed you.”

The dark-haired and brunette stood two steps away from each other, both fighting against their own morals to try and decide what the next move would be until a sharp scream caused them to flinch. Karl grew wide-eyed as he took a few steps away from Quackity, his mouth falling open as he sighed out, “y/n..,” then broke into a dead sprint.

~~~~

Metals clash and clang as sand kicks up from each step from Y/N and Sap’s wrestling. He shoved his body forward, sliding his sword along the edge of his sister’s. She grunted, ducking down and grabbing a handful of sand before tossing it up into his eyes, causing him to yell and swipe his sword blindly.

“Goddamnit, Sparkler! You just won’t die will you?!” Sap yelled as he scrubbed at his eyes, squinting as he saw her figure running away from him. He could practically smell the copper leaking from her - a steady stream spilling from her nostrils as it stained her t-shirt and chin.

“Fuck off, Sap! What’s the point of all this?! We’re separated! We have our own countries! Just let us live in peace!” She screamed as he dove into her, knocking her sword ahead of them while his weapon landed to the side with a thick thud. They wrestled through the sand, his hands flying around and grabbing the clothes and skin he could. She reached up, knocking her fist into his chin, causing his stitches to split open on the bottom while one of his hands found its way around her throat; squeezing tightly.

“There’s a big point to all of this, Y/N.. I’m tired of being second place! I’m tired of being a second thought, a maybe! You always got everything handed to you!” Sapnap spat as she struggled underneath him, gagging as she tried to get whatever air down she could. She reached up and grabbed his wrist, somehow yanking it off as she gasped, knocking her elbow against his chin and up into his nose. A wail left him as he squinted back the tears, some already spilling as he pinned one of her arms down under his knees before reaching over and dragging his sword up.

“Sap! Sapnap, please, Sappy I- I- You can’t do this!” She screamed, thrashing underneath him as a smile split across his crimson colored lips, it dripping onto her chest as he scoffed, holding his swords’ hilt with both hands and dangling it over her throat causing her to still with wide eyes; her own tears spilling down her reddened cheeks.

“I am worth more than second thoughts and a few maybes - I’m worth so much more.” He hissed, clenching his eyes tightly together as he raised the blade high; it glittered in the sun before driving it down. His sword moves fluidly through muscle, tissue, and crunches through bone. Snapping his eyes open as he heard Y/N whimper, a flash of crimson and colors filled his vision. He felt his heart nearly explode.

“No.. No! No, no, no, no, Karl, please-” his throat seemed to tighten as he held onto his fiancé's twitching body. Blood-stained hands and shirt while tears trickled faster than he thought he could produce them. Karl reached up with a shaking hand, blood dripping from his fingertips as he caressed Sap’s stubbled cheek, swiping his thumb through the tear streaks. The brunette still held a smile, guiding Sap’s head down and pressing their foreheads together.

“Shh, sh, it’s.. It’s okay, Sappy.. It’s okay,”

“No! No, I - I, FUCK Karl I’m so sorry, baby,” Sapnap whimpered as Karl pressed a gentle kiss to his lover’s lips, flinching as blood slowly trickled from his lips. “It’s okay.. I.. Shit, I’ll always… Always love you, Meathead..” Karl coughed, his blood splattering across Sapnap’s chest and neck as he felt the muscles move through Karl’s body, slowly relaxing as he laid across the sand. Y/N quickly moved, knocking Karl further into Sapnap’s grasp. The dark-haired man gripped the swords’ hilt, ripping it from his lover’s chest before curling in on him, holding him tightly as a choked cry left his strangled throat.

Y/N clapped her hand over her mouth, blood decorated their chest and stomach as they rushed to scoot away from her grieving brother, shaking as he suddenly looked to the sky and screamed. Her eyes grew wide as Sap slowly sat Karl down, she kicked up sand as she struggled to rise to her feet.

“You,” Sapnap spat, tears, and blood streaking down his cheeks as he slowly rose, dragging his sword up with him. Karl’s body lay at his feet as he stumbled through the sand, his grip tightening on the hilt. “I’m going to fucking KILL YOU!” He suddenly screamed, causing Y/N to stumble towards her own ax, grabbing it and throwing sand towards him again before making her way back towards the safety of the casino. The steps of her brother closing in, the eerie feel of heat suddenly licking at the base of her neck.

“Sapnap, fuck off with the fire! This isn’t a fair fight, asshole!” She screamed through her own tears. Karl sacrificed himself.. For her. What the fuck..

“Fuck fair! Fuck fair fights! This is to the death, Sparkler!” Sap screamed as she suddenly turned, firing her own fireball towards her older brother, wincing as it collided with his shoulder causing him to scream out.

Sprinting back into the streets of Las Nevadas, Y/N met the frantic eyes of Quackity, only growing wide at the sight of her. She swallowed, feeling the sweat trickle down her face as she rushed towards him, grabbing onto his wrist and tugging him behind her.

“Why the fuck are you-”

“Not my blood! Stay close and don’t stop running!” She called over her shoulder before darting towards the space needle, her heart beating against her chest like a bird trying to escape a cage. They squatted behind a cobblestone wall, their shared breathing shaking as she gulped, clearing her throat.

“I.. Shit, I think I have a plan-”

“My type plan or?”

“Definitely not, but I need you to trust me-” her voice stopped as a fireball flew over them, making them flinch as rubble and cobblestone fell on top of them. Quackity quickly moved over her, grunting as large pieces of rubble slammed into his back.

“Moving now,” Y/N moved from underneath him, grabbing Q’s wrist and quickly running from Sap’s whose loud cries and powerful attacks shook Las Nevadas. Y/N carefully sat Quackity down against a buildings’ wall, worry etched across her face as he shook his head.

“I’ll be fine,” he grunted, moving to where Y/N could see the dark crimson - a little there - blooming in his white shirt.

“Yeah, if you stay here,”

“Like hell, I’m leaving you alone to fight him-” Quackity spat, going to push himself up, but falling back against the wall with a groan. Y/N moved close, moving some of his loose hairs’ out of the way and placing a careful and quick kiss to his forehead before pressing their foreheads together.

“I’ll be fine, besides, my fight is with him,” she grinned, leaning back as Quackity’s eyes took in every detail. Memorizing everything - each little mark, dimple, acne spot, sweat trail, and even each little splatter of blood, whether hers or someone else’s - he wanted to remember it all. He reached up, caressing her face, and swallowed thickly.

“You better come back to me, Mi esposa,” Quackity all but sighed, wetting his lips with his tongue before pressing another kiss to her lips. He wanted to remember the taste of them - whether smeared in cherry lip-gloss or smothered in sweat and tears - he wanted to remember the feel of them against his.

“Quackity, mi marido, someone has to help you run this place,” she giggled before backing away slowly, allowing Quackity’s hand to fall from her cheek as she stood and quickly ran away - towards Sapnap. Q watched as she disappeared behind the buildings, fear bubbling in his gut as he squeezed his eyes shut, thinking if he did it tight enough, he’d wake up from whatever hell this was… He opened his eyes again, the pulsating pain and fear still very real, still very prominent. This hell had made its way into his heaven.

~~~~

“Come out, come out wherever you are~” Sapnap sang as he marched through the streets. The whooshing from his ablaze hands licked and bit fear into Y/N’s veins; she pressed herself into the steps of the Space Needle, snarling before standing and moving into the open.

“Oh, Sapnap!” She called out, causing him to snap his head around with a sickly, crazed smile on his face. He craned his neck as he slowly turned towards her, the fire blazing in his palm growing as she took a step back, further up the steps.

“Sparkler,” Sapnap growled, making his way towards her only for her to stay put. “What? Not a scared little bitch anymore?” He stood a few steps away as she allowed a shaking breath to pass her lips before allowing her free palm to break out into vibrant, blue flames.

“Why would I be scared of someone who can’t even kill the right person.” She spat, a snarl on her as his crazed smile turned into a gnarled frown. Orange and red barreled towards her, colliding into the column as she dove to the side, stumbling as she launched her own fire, the blazing blue colliding with the orange.

Flames collided with one another, mixing and pulling at the others’ colors. Y/N grunted as she felt her body shake, fatigue barreling through her muscles as she fired blue flame after blue flame, each not threatening to hurt but to collide and disturb the pathway of Sapnap’s.

She gasped as she flew back, her back colliding with the entrance of the Space Needle. A sharp cry escaped her as she slowly rose, feeling her body try and crumple over. Sapnap had moved closer, the orange colors seeming to have moved up into his dark eyes. Y/N cried out as she forced herself up and to move into the darkened and abandoned Space Needle, attempting to light a small flame, only for it to die in her palm. Sighing through her gritted teeth, she noticed the skin on her palm was bubbled and raw.

“Goddamnit,” she gasped as another fireball barreled past her, barely missing as she scrambled towards the stairs, gulping as the steps creaked and ached under her quick steps. Sapnap’s slow and loud steps echoed over hers as he suddenly spoke.

“Running is pointless, Y/N! It doesn’t matter how long it’ll take, it doesn’t matter who gets in my way-” he growled, his voice echoing as she hid among the mass of chairs and tables, cradling her hands as she flinched, a crumbling sound followed by a yell.

“I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!”

Swallowing thickly, Y/N called out, hiding again as thundering steps came up the stairs. She gulped as he rounded the corner, stalking towards the balcony while mumbling under his breath, barely audible to her. Carefully stepping out, she stood tall behind her brother before slamming the head of her ax against the polished floor. Sapnap turned around with a huff, straightening his shoulders as he slowly closed his fist, killing the flames easily.

“Sparkler,”

“Shut up.” She hissed, clenching her teeth as she walked towards her brother, raising her ax to point towards him. “Just shut the fuck up.”

Sapnap wandered backward, the wind picking up as they exited onto the balcony, his ax dangling by his side as he stared at his little sister. The prodigy. His eyes switched between her face - sweat and tear streaks mixed with the blood, causing it to stick to her glistening flesh - and the head of her glinting ax.

“Now what? What the fuck are we supposed to do here, Sap?” She growled, her grip shaking as Sapnap squinted, tilting his head before shrugging. The sun began to set behind the horizon line, the land washed in brilliant oranges, pinks, yellows, and tinges of purples. It looked almost peaceful - it could’ve been a good day. But, blood already stained the date.

“Make a decision, I guess..” He mumbled, suddenly dropping his ax to the floor as Y/N flinched away, keeping her ax up as he blinked - his eyes seemed… Dull. Dead, even.

“What decision..?” She already knew what they were. What two decisions she had to pick from, but who said she wanted to think those were the only ones..?

“Oh, come on, Sparkler… You already know,”

“Doesn’t mean I want those to be our final decisions!” She spat as he shook his head, turning to look at the sunset, a sudden smile breaking across his face. Y/N felt fresh tears pulling at her burning eyes, her bottom lip quivering.

“Y’know… I was always jealous of you,” Sap mumbled, still facing away from his sister as he squeezed his eyes shut. “I’ve always been jealous of you - you got everything you ever wanted! I mean, you got an amazing life, a loving boyfriend-”

“Fiancé, actually..” She added quickly as he nodded, swallowing thickly.

“Right. Because who wouldn’t want to marry you..? You’re perfect-”

“I never wanted this life, Sappy.. I wanted something good! Sure, I’m happy with Quackity but holy shit I missed you! I missed having my big brother around… I- I missed you.” She growled as Sap slowly turned his head towards her, his brows furrowed as his smile turned into a frown and his eyes held sorrow - regret maybe..?

“I should’ve been better, I should’ve been happy that you found someone I knew would be good for and to you, yet I wanted to steal him back-”

“You could stay with us..” Y/N suddenly cut in, slowly dropping her ax as Sapnap shook his head, causing more tears to well up in her eyes. “You could live with us here, in Las Nevadas, Sapnap, please! I - I know how I acted before, but I love you! You’re my family - my blood - I need you, please,”

“You don’t need me, Sparkler..”

“I may not need you, but dammit I want you here!” Y/N screamed, her voice hoarse as she tried to hold back her cries, the tears already escaping as Sapnap shook his head gently, a small smile on his face as he licked his lips, allowing his own tears to cascade.

“You may want me here, but I don’t want to be here..” He spoke before grabbing the railing and- and- Y/N felt her eyes grow wide as she launched forward, dropping her ax as her fingertips dug into the back of his shirt. Barely grasping it, barely catching the fibers under her nails as she screamed, watching him fall… And fall… And gone.

He made the decision for her. Sapnap gave her what she needed, even when he would sob about how she got everything… He had known in his mind, she deserved it all…

~~~~

“This is what’s all left of Kinoko,” Foolish rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at Quackity as he sighed. “No one else wants the territory - too far from anywhere else. So, what’s the verdict..?” Foolish crossed his arms over his chest as Q rubbed at his chin, glancing between the beautiful homes, cherry blossoms, and fountain, it all looked… Magical.

“I’m not sure… Hijo, ven aquí!” Quackity called, watching as a young boy came running up the large stone steps, he couldn’t help the smile on his face. He bent down as the dark-haired boy came rushing into his arms, hugging Quackitys neck tightly as Foolish flashed a warm smile.

“I’m surprised Y/N let you bring him,” Foolish mumbled as they moved further into Kinoko as Quackity shrugged, setting the boy on his hip as he giggled, messing with his father’s tie.

“It’s been seven years, Foolish.. She had to let him leave Las Nevadas at some point,” Foolish nodded along with his boss’s words, feeling shy for bringing up the harsh past.

“So, Karl, what’d you think we should do..?” Q glanced at his son with a large grin as his son grinned, wiggling in his father’s grasp before hopping down. Little flames sparked from his palms as he laughed, running towards the fountain and cherry blossom.

“Can we please keep this tesoro, Papa?! Please! It’s so celestial!” The young boy cheered, his laughter filling the eerie and dulled kingdom as the two older males nodded, laughing along with him. Q turned back to Foolish with a knowing smirk.

“You heard the kid, Foolish.. Kinoko Kingdom becomes part of Las Nevadas,” his voice trailed as they began to talk about the preparations for how Kinoko Kingdom could be added into their country, neither of them noticing Karl sneaking into his Uncle’s old home.

Moving through the mushroom and dark oak decorated home, Karl grinned as he brushed his chubby fingers across the etched in carving of a heart with ‘K + S + Q’, he couldn’t break from the smile as his face became marveled with the house. He paused as he came to a small door underneath their stairwell, furrowing his brows he slowly tugged on the door, frowning as it seemed locked.

“Maldita sea..” Karl muttered as he looked around, moving boxes until he discovered a small golden key. Grinning he moved back towards the door, pushing the key into the lock and turning he gasped as he felt a sudden pulse rush through his body, almost knocking him over.

Pushing the door open gently, his eyes bugged at the sight of the large library - new, old, colored, bare, open and closed books decorated the space, including the small desk that held a closed and wrapped book with a pencil attached by a string to the spine.

Furrowing his brows once again, Karl moved carefully towards it; his fingertips brushing against the leather as a giggle escaped his throat. Sitting in the large seat, Karl grabbed the book carefully as dust moved around him, causing him to sneeze.

Opening the cover with gentle movement, he couldn’t help the gasp that left him as he read over the words… Again, and again, and again. He felt his heart swell as he gently closed the book and held it tightly to his chest, feeling tears gently fill his eyes.

“KARL! Hijo, ¡es hora de volver a casa!” Karl jumped at his father’s voice, blinking and wiping at the tears in the corners of his eyes. He held the book close to him as he quickly left the library, shutting and locking the door, taking the key as he rushed back outside, meeting his father and Uncle Foolish.

Both of their voices became mixed and faded as Karl’s mind went back to the books’ entrance page.. The words etched into his heart and mind bringing another smile to his face.

To My Mini-Me; I know I left this place in good hands, little bookkeeper! Take care of it for me, yeah? And please always remember I love you.

I love you so much.

~ Uncle Karl

~~~~

a/n; well, I hope you all enjoyed this series! I'm already on the works for a Wilbur x reader soulmate auuuuu - so I hope you guys will enjoy that!

Until Tomorrow, I hope you have a beautiful day! ~ J

[skellebonez]

How's about 45 and 54 where canon MK finds himself in the Inverted AU Universe? Because I think that'd be funny

Poor MK is having the second worst day of his entire life. This is not the situation he should be in AFTER THE FINALE. This would have been way different if I wrote this when you sent it in, but now you get a very sad Monkie Kid.

You may technically be an adult, but you’re still my child./ Yeah well dying generally puts a damper on things.

When MK was knocked out they were on the deck of the drone ship, fighting off some kind of demon that the White Bone Spirit had taken under her control.

When MK woke up they were on the sandy shores of Mount Huaguo surrounded by baby monkeys and one Six-Eared Macaque looking down at them with a face of great concern.

“Are you-” Macaque started to ask them, unable to finish his sentence when MK screamed and kicked out and just barely missed making contact that would have sent him flying backwards into the nearest tree. “Whoa, no, it’s alright! I’m not-”

“What did you do to me this time, Macaque!?” MK yelled, looking around for a weapon, any weapon, something they could use to defend themself. Their eyes fell on something familiar, something that shouldn’t exist anymore and they froze at the sight of red and gold.

“Little one, is your name MK?” Macaque asked softly, holding up his hands as he slowly walked forward back toward the started and confused young adult before him. “I found you washed up on the shore. You need to lay back down, you’re still-”

Macaque let out a yelp of surprise as MK dove, hand firmly grasping the familiar warm-cold center of the staff.

But it felt... wrong, somehow.

They didn’t let go.

"OK, WHAT IS HAPPENING!?" MK shouted, holding the stolen staff in front of them as they turned on the immortal monkey that was their one time mentor. "Is this Jin and Yin again? Is this the Calabash!? Did they change it so my stuff doesn’t work in it anymore!? I'm not falling for that again!"

"I'm sorry, the what?" A new voice rang from behind him. One a little... too familiar...

It was MK. It shouldn't be possible, not if the Calabash was working the same way it had worked before, but it was them. But not.

Like... the way the staff felt.

The Other MK standing in the too bright sun wore a stark sky blue and black instead of his signature orange and red, a large hefty backpack in that same blue slung over his back. And he was... tall. Not unusually tall, just taller than MK was. And also looked incredibly angry as he carried a box of medical supplies.

"The... Calabash..." MK repeated, holding the staff closer to their chest with a nervous gulp. Their hands twisted around the staff nervously, hoping the repetitive action would ground them against the repeating 'THERE IS ANOTHER YOU STARING AT YOU WHAT THE HELL' whizzing in their head. "This... this isn't Jin and Yin again after all, is it?"

MK gulped again, blinking as their vision swam suddenly and their head felt like it was filled with... something. Like liquid but if it was as light as air.

"I don't know which answer would be better for you," Macaque said softly, honesty palpable in his tone. Something so odd for the Monkie Kid to hear in their ears with that voice. "But no. We are very much real."

"Oh..." MK said plainly. "Oh that's bad. That's... Oh boy..."

Before their eyes rolled back in their head and they passed out they were pretty sure they saw a few more overly familiar faces rushing to them.

~

When MK woke a second time they were once again moved, but to somewhere else far less familiar than the shores of Mount Huaguo and the drone ship... but also too familiar. They also now realized that their head hurt... a lot. Like, a lot a lot.

“Finally, you’re back from the brink of death,” that same overly familiar voice rang our in their ear. They snapped their head to the side, regretting it instantly as it made their vision swim again and lights pop in front of their eyes. “Hey, no, don’t do that!"

The other MK jumped up, kneeling down in front of them and poked them in the forehead. His scowl didn’t seem to let up in the slightest, but it tilted in a way that felt more concerned than angry.

"... why am I looking at my own face?" MK asked, not sure whether they should continue to stare at their own face or to look anywhere else to keep their brain from short circuiting trying to process what the actual hell was happening.

“Considering you were able to pick up my staff,” the other MK said, removing his finger and gesturing to the rod that was still across MK’s chest (how had he not noticed the extra weight of it still in his hand?). “I’d say we have some kind of multi-dimensional bullshitery going on here. Unless you’re, somehow, a robot made of the same shit Red used to get the that thing in the first place, but I don’t think robots bleed from head injuries.”

Ah. That would explain why his head felt like someone had cracked it open and shoved cotton balls into it.

MK looked around, taking in the stark white walls and the overly clean smell and the clean white sheets they were laid on.

“... am I at the hospital?”

“Oh, absolutely!” Other MK yelled, raising his arms in frustration as he paced the room in a familiar excess of energy. “But unfortunately for us you don’t exactly exist here! So we’re figuring out a way to make them believe you’re me with some really fucked up memories my dude! Which is easier with, you know.”

The other MK knocked on his head twice, wincing a bit as the second knock seemed to be harder than intended.

“... but you’re..?”

“I snuck in.”

“OK, well, thanks for the help,” MK started, sitting himself up with more than a little struggle. “But I need to figure out what the heck happened and get back to-!”

“Oh no you don’t!” Other MK said, jumping on the bed and standing over him. That was... well, MK would definitely say that was a very weird but effective way of keeping someone from getting up. “Macaque already ran off without letting me stop him, I barely got him to take some backup, to figure out what in the hell is happening. You are me and I know myself and if you ever tell anyone this I will end you, but you are way too injured to be doing anything right now!”

“I have to do something, Other Me-”

“No, oh no I hate that, just call me Blue,” the other MK said, the scowl on his face softened ever so slightly once again. Just slightly. “It’s a lot better than ‘other me’. And there’s nothing we can do until Macaque gets us some answers.”

"So... what, Blue? Am I just supposed to sit around and wait for someone to come and rescue me if he finds nothing!?" MK snapped, grip on their staff tightening so much that their knuckles paled and creaked in stress. "Just do nothing while who knows what happens to my friends!?"

"No," Blue said, placing his hand on MK's shoulder and frowning when the other shrugged it off and curled in on themselves. "But hurting yourself isn't going to help you get back to them. And as long as you’re here you’re my responsibility.”

“I’m a grown ass adult, you should know that.”

“Yeah, well, dying generally puts a damper on things and you’re not so adult that you can’t escape death,” Blue said, letting himself fall back into a sitting position on the bed. “Unless you got to keep your invulnerability or something, but given the crack in your noggin that doesn’t seem... like...” Blue trailed off, looking at MK with an odd expression. “... are you ok? Like. Emotionally?”

“Huh?”

“You’re crying.”

MK wrestled with one of their hands to free it’s iron grip on the staff (not their staff, their staff was gone, they had to remind themselves that their staff was gone and... and so was so much else), raising to their cheek to discover that at some point in Blue’s retort they had indeed started crying.

“... what happened to you?”

“It’s a long story,” MK said, wiping their face on their arm (they now realized they were wearing hospital dressing). “I...” They grabbed the staff with their now free hand again, twisting the grip carefully and freeing the iron hold their other hand had. “Can I just... keep this for a bit longer?”

Blue looked at MK, looking between the other him and the staff that was rightfully his before sighing and rubbing the back of his neck.

“Not like I need it right this second,” he said, his scowl vanishing completely as he stood and yanked over his backpack and put it back on after he pulled a baseball cap out and squished his hair into it and pulled it down to cover his face. “There’s gonna be someone here with you at all times until you get out, just to keep you in the loop of what’s going on here. We’ll figure out where you’re staying if Mac doesn’t figure out a way to get you home by tonight.” He moved toward the entrance to the room, turning back before opening it. “I’ll be back, I gotta restock my bag. There’s a couple people who wanna talk to you already... don’t... freak out.”

Before MK could ask what Blue meant the young man opened the door and slipped out, talking to someone just out of his line of vision before running off down the hall.

And then they saw the overly familiar sight of Pigsy and Tang... except they weren’t.

Pigsy, their Pigsy, was always in a chef’s uniform unless he was sleeping. Rough edges softened when he smiled or looked at MK or Mei with that exasperated look that MK knew meant he cared. Tang, their Tang, was a scholar who looked the part in every way, old fashioned clothes and books in hand. Always smiling when he could manage it and carefree.

This Pigsy was.. soft. And fluffy. Literally soft and fluffy. And wore oversized sweaters and smiled in a way that fit more on someone else’s face but felt right at home on his. This Tang was...

Well, the only way MK could think to describe the man before them was “skinny biker with probably hidden muscles who would kick your ass”. He looked the same but his hair was more wild, sunglasses pushing his bangs up, decked out in a (probably fake) leather jacket... but he had the same scarf.

And he and Pigsy were holding hands.

“I suppose you already know who we are,” the biker version of Tang said, smile on his face very awkward and seeming somewhat forced in a “I don’t know if this is helping but I’m gonna try” kind of way. “And we know who... you are. Kinda.”

“Yeah,” MK responded, thinking for a moment back to when he was found on the beach. “Were you... were you the ones with Blue, the other me, on Mount Huaguo?”

“Yeah,” the soft Pigsy said and... wow, hearing that voice say something so gently so casually was throwing him through a loop. “M-Blue was convinced we needed to get out of the city for the day and brought us along for his training. We didn’t expect to find... well, another him...” Pigsy frowned, the first one MK saw on his face and it felt so much more openly worried than their own Pigsy’s scowls. “How are you feeling?”

MK looked down at the staff in their hands, then back up to the two men in front of them.

They weren’t the two people MK considered father figures. They weren’t. But they were. And as MK tried to process this they felt their breathing speed up faster and faster and faster until-

“Hey,” Tang said, gentle and soft voice breaking MK from their racing thoughts as he reached out to put a hand in MK’s hair but stopped himself short. Probably in remembering that they weren’t Blue. “You can stay with us if you want. Once you’re discharged and if you need somewhere to stay.”

Well... that didn’t help at all.

No.

Instead it opened the floodgates and MK started crying harder than they had since the final fight with the White Bone Spirit, curling in on themselves as the last few days and what had transpired really hit them.

“What the FUCK did you do!?” He heard his own voice shout from the doorway.

~

It looked like PIgsy’s apartment. But not.

MK’s hands clenched at air, wishing they still had the staff for comfort. But no, they insisted that Blue take it back when they were discharged.

Blue was still the Monkie Kid after all. He needed the staff to fight.

MK... was just MK here. And they couldn’t fight, not while recovering from their injuries anyway.

But oh how they wish they hadn’t given it back. It felt so right and yet so wrong to hold it. They didn’t realize how much they had grown attached to the object until it was...

“MK?” Once again Pigsy’s voice startled him, not for the first time since they arrived at the apartment and MK took up the extra bedroom that this world’s counterpart had once stayed in until the apartment above the shop opened up for them. “Do you need anything?”

“No,” they responded, hands gripping the edge of their jacket in an attempt to hold something solid. It wasn’t the same. “I can handle myself.”

“I know you can, but you don’t have to,” Pigsy said, coming into the room holding a cup of water and putting it on the nightstand. “And you don’t have to talk to us, if you don’t want to... but it’d probably help. Even if you just ramble about something.”

Had this been the other Pigsy he probably would have something something like “You may technically be an adult, but you’re still my child”. Something firm and gruff and filled with underlying affection for the younger adult. But this Pigsy... there was some of that there. A firmness to his words, though the gruffness was missing. But he could feel the affection he must have had for Blue transferring to themself, the knowledge that they weren’t the same person holding most of it back.

But it was still there.

And MK hadn’t really talked to anyone since the short lived argument with Blue.

“... You uh...” they started, chuckling quietly as they twisted their fingers together. “You said you own a flower shop? My Pigsy, uh... he, runs a noodle shop.”

It wasn’t going to help. MK was certain that talking about their family and friends and how different they were would probably make how he felt worse.

But sitting there and ignoring it would make it worse far quicker in their mind.

So MK talked. For hours. Eventually Tang joined the two, both listening as MK recalled all the differences and similarities and...

Well. They listened. Just like their own Pigsy and Tang would.

... they wondered if they would ever get to go back.

[wormstacheangel]

have some latinenatural for day 1 of @spnprideweek dean trying to come out to himself

Dean didn’t like going down this neighborhood. It never made him any money, plus the block is a dead end, so he always ends up circling back around with his heavy cart. His Tio always yelled at him for it, wasting precious time in a block where nobody paid him any attention because these Americanos aren’t used to people walking around selling comida.

Pero Dean always had one customer that always came running out whenever Dean came around, and he was worth the extra minutes he had to petal in the hot sun.

“Dean!”

Dean hears his name, expecting it but still feeling relief from hearing it. He looks ahead, his fingers stopped ringing the bells that have become background noise to him by now, and sees his favorite customer running out of the big white house Dean can only ever dream of renting. He wouldn’t ever dream of owning; he can’t have dreams so impossible.

Dean petals a little bit faster until he breaks in front of the pretty face he sees at least three times a week.

“Cas.” Dean practically beams at him even though he was trying to stay cool. Smooth. “Mi Angelito.” Dean winks, and he doesn’t miss Cas’s eyes widened and ears blushing at the nickname. “How you been?”

[continue reading under the cut or read on ao3]

Cas was dressed in his usual white button-up and slacks but they looked a lot more ruffled up than usual. His hair looked unkempt as it curled at the ends—Dean wasn’t complaining he loved it—and his typical neat shirt was wrinkled with sleeves pulled up to his elbows. He looked the guy up and down before his eyebrows creased together.

“You okay, Cas?”

“Yeah.” Cas sighed, shoulders slumping as he reached to run his hand through his hair—that probably explains the bed head—before smiling back at Dean with a deep breath. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

“If you say so.” Dean jumps off the bike and walks over to his cart. “The usual?”

“Please.”

Dean nods once before getting to work on a raspado de vainilla for Cas. He works in silence for a minute, just the sound of the ice scraping between them before Dean looks back at Cas.

“You know, si quieres, you can talk to me.” Dean looks up to see Cas was already watching him. “I know I’m a nobody, but I hear nobodies are great to vent to.”

“You aren’t a nobody, Dean.” Cas’s expression softens at the words. His eyes brighten as he looks at Dean, almost as if he can see into his soul. Then, just as Dean was about to drown in those baby blues, Cas looked away. His fingers started to twitch as he looked sheepishly at the ground. “Plus, my problems are small. I can deal with them by myself.”

Dean looks away, packing the ice into the cup before reaching to pour the vainilla as he talks. “Yeah, I know you can, pero; I just wanted to let you know that you don’t have to.”

Cas is nothing but a customer that Dean has been crushing on—it was a small, slow, and scary realization. The only reason they’re on a first-name basis now is because Cas once left his name tag on, and Dean asked what it meant.

Dean handed Cas his raspado across the cart, Dean needed to keep his distance, but he knew when Cas reached for it, their fingers would touch; he looked forward to the simple touch each time.

They did, and Dean’s breath catches in his throat before he works on chicharrones, lots of limon, and a little bit of chile.

“But I get it, you know, if you don’t want to talk to me.” Dean looks up to see Cas still staring at him but with eyes filling with tears. “Holy shit.” Dean put the bag down and walked around to stand by Cas’s side. He grabbed a napkin from his cart and handed it to Cas to wipe his eyes. “Dude. Dude, please no llores. Don’t cry. People are gonna think I did something to you, and I’ll lose customers.” Dean tries to joke, but Cas doesn’t crack a smile. Instead, he rolls his eyes.

“Dean, nobody but me ever comes out here.”

Dean shrugs. “Potential customers then.” Dean grabs another napkin and reaches to wipe the tears that were already falling. “Estas bien, Angelito. Talk to me.”

“I-I shouldn’t.” Cas accepts Dean’s kindness for a second longer before gently moving Dean’s hand away. “You’re working. Let me just pay you so you can stop wasting your time here.”

Dean nods, stepping away from Cas so as not to seem pushy. As much as he loved being so close to Cas’s face, he didn’t want to seem creepy about it. This neighborhood has eyes everywhere, and Dean couldn’t really risk having his cart, his livelihood, be taken away just cause he has a small crush on the white boy.

So Cas gives him the exact change to the quarter and smiles sadly before he waves goodbye. Dean waves back as he gets on his bike to pedal out of this neighborhood and into a more comfortable one. He didn't ring the bell until he was out of there.

Cas doesn’t come out to see him the next day or the day after that, and now he has to wait until next week to see him. If Cas still wanted to see him.

“I don’t know why you still go over there,” Sam says as he helps Dean unpack the car.

Dean’s side gigs included selling his homemade food Friday through Sunday—he can almost call himself a caterer—while on Thursday, he preps during the day and works as a janitor in a big law office at night. Today was Thursday, so Dean had to wake up early to go to the big marketplace downtown. They sold the chicharrones de harina in bulk for cheap, and they had all the ingredients he’ll need to make the syrups for the raspados himself.

Sam rarely comes with Dean to get all these things since he was always busy with school, but today he came along on the day that Dean ran out of maiz azul. It just meant more trabajo para los dos.

“Or why you still sell raspados when you make more money on the weekend with your food.” Sam continued as they struggled to carry the bag of maiz to the kitchen. They both let out a heavy breath when they finally dropped the bag in the kitchen. Dean’s going to spend the next hour cleaning and soaking the damn corn after this. That doesn’t even include cooking it and finally making the damn masa.

“El trabajo es duro but I like it.” Dean pats Sam’s shoulder before they go back to the car to get the rest of the things. “I like going down neighborhoods and saying hi to people.”

“I get that pero why do you have to go to their side of town?”

Dean doesn’t know how to answer that.

He hasn’t told anyone about Cas. About how one day he was bored and wandered over to that neighborhood only to find Cas laying on his front lawn with a book covering his face. Dean, for some reason, couldn’t help but to ring the bells louder, startling Cas. Dean laughed for half a second before a book went flying to his face, knocking him off his bike. Cas learned too many cuss words in Spanish that day, but the big bruise was worth it.

Still, Dean didn’t want to tell anyone about Cas. Afraid to even speak of him because that would mean that his crush was real. That he had actual feelings, romantic ones, for another guy.

He knows que su Tío no lo va sacar de la casa pero todavía Dean tenía miedo. He was scared to admit this part of himself was real when it felt like a sin in his culture. ¡Ser gay es una cosa pero bisexual! ¡Ni madres! That doesn’t exist. Not where he is from.

So he’ll keep it to himself. Keep Cas as his secret fantasy and nothing more.

“The houses are nice to look at. One day, Sammy!” Sam was already groaning at Dean’s words that sounded more like an old man’s recurring ‘when I was your age’ stories. “One day, I’ll get us a house like that! One where we can each have our own room. And bathroom.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Whatever. Let’s just finish this so I can go back to my homework.”

“¡Estas pendejo! After this, you’re gonna help me clean the bathroom and throw away the trash before Tio comes home.”

“But Dean,”

“¡Pero nada! ¡Piensas que soy pendejo como tu, pinche mamón! Don’t think I don’t know you spend that time babeando por tu novia.”

“Dean!” Sam quickly passes him in a huff of embarrassment while Dean laughed, following Sam back to the car to get more groceries.

When Monday rolls around, Dean forces himself to come down Cas’s street again. The bells rang softly at first, only getting louder as he came closer to the house. He didn’t see a car in sight, so he thinks maybe Cas isn’t home.

He was already pedaling away when he heard someone call out to him. He hits the breaks half haphazardly, and the gallons shake on his cart, threatening to fall out. He was about to turn around, but then he realizes he hears footsteps running closer, and then he hears heavy breathing by his ear.

“Fuck.” Cas hands rest on his knees as he tries to catch his breath. “Are you-are you trying to run away from me?” Cas looks up with a teasing smile, it was beautiful, and Dean didn’t realize how much he missed him until now. “I am your only customer around here, so that’s a pretty bad business decision if you ask me.”

“I-I didn’t think you wanted to see me.” Dean could have joked around with him, but instead, his mouth decided to kick the conversation off with some honesty. Dean looked down at the bike handles as he talked. “Since you didn’t come out last week, I just figured-”

“Oh.” Cas stood up straight as he ran a hand through his overgrown hair; his clothes looked neat again, though. “I didn’t mean to make you think-”

Dean holds his hand out to stop Cas from talking, feeling embarrassed with every word. “Para. You don’t have to explain. No me debes-you don’t owe me anything.”

“I know that, but I want to. Talk, I mean. If that’s okay with you.” Cas looks at Dean with soft, warm eyes, a drastic difference from the red-rimmed eyes from the last time they saw each other. “After you’re done with work, of course.”

“I um-I usually head home around six. I can um,” Dean rubbed at the back of his neck, not meeting Cas’s eyes as he carefully says. “I can come by after if you want.”

“I would like that.”

Dean's head shoots up to stare back at Cas, who looked shy, pero siempre más guapo que la última vez que Dean lo miró.

At that moment, Dean wanted to lean in and kiss him more than he has wanted to kiss anyone in his 26 years of life, but he won’t. He still wasn’t sure if this was Cas asking him out as a friend or as something more. He was scared, but he knew his heart raced in excitement more than anything.

Dean finally broke away from the staring contest as he cleared his throat to get off his bike. “Todavia quieres-Do you still want your raspado?”

“Oh. Sure!”

It was silent while Dean made raspado, but he couldn’t wait for their fingers to graze again when he handed the cup over to Cas.

“Just the raspado today.” Dean still loved when Cas said it, trying not to laugh even though he loved Cas’s embarrassed blushing. Cas reaches into his pocket, but Dean reaches to touch his shoulder to stop him.

“On the house.” Dean holds it out and just like before their fingers touch, burning him.

“No, Dean, I couldn’t.”

Dean shakes his head to stop him from arguing any further. He jumped back on his bike and looked back at Cas as he said, “You can get me something later. Is seven okay?”

“Seven is…perfecto.” Cas flinched at his Spanish, but Dean couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Pues, te miro mas tarde, Angelito.” Dean reached to pat Cas’s cheek before he started pedaling away.

“Dean! I don’t know what that means!” Cas calls out to him.

Dean doesn’t turn around to respond, mostly to hide the stupid shit-eating grin he had on his face. “I said I’ll see you later!” But he does wave goodbye, ringing the bell as he goes.

Dean really liked him, and it brought fear into his heart pero al mismo tiempo; he hasn’t been this excited to just be around someone in such a long time. So maybe this is his time to accept that maybe, for sure, he is crushing hard on a guy.

Dean sighs as he stops on the sidewalk to hang his head and quietly whispers, “For fucks sakes, soy un pinche gay.”

Well, at least he can admit to himself—sort of.

[stillebesat]

An Unconventional Defeat

Sanders Sides: Patton, Virgil Blurb: Patton knew that heroes started out young, far younger than villains ever did. But this young? Inspiration: From the Anon prompt: “I can take care of myself just fine.” with Virgil. Fic Type: Superhero!AU, Villain!Patton, Hero!Virgil Overall Fic Warnings: Near Death Experiences, Death Talk, Injuries, Hospitals Taglist in Reblogs:

He’s fourteen.

Patton stared down at the prone form of his nemesis, Onyx, in the darkened hospital room, mind racing.

He knew that heroes started out young, far younger than villains ever did. But this young?

Sure, that no good empathy that the heart twinged with seemed to chime all stronger for the children. For those naive fools who were still optimistic about life and wanted to believe that good would always win out in the end. That being good was the best way to live your life. That you could change the world for the better.

Patton had been a fool like that. Once.

He’d wanted to be a teacher. Once. Be an example to the rising generation. Once.

And then he’d had his eyes forcibly opened in college to just how cruel and heartless the world actually was. Goodness only got trampled. Squashed. Taken advantage of. Goodness only got used until it wasn’t useful anymore and then got dumped like so much trash. If one wanted to change the world permanently. One couldn’t do so by being good.

Kids though?

The poor fools didn’t realize that yet. That being good wasn’t well...good. For anyone. Hero work? Pointless. Especially with how active Patton was in the city.

Hero work didn’t put food on the table. Hero work didn’t pay the bills. It was a thankless never ending job.

A job that landed a fourteen year old in the hospital with head trauma, a broken leg, arm, fractured ribs, and multiple puncture wounds in the shoulders and abdomen that had only avoided killing the kid by sheer dumb luck.

A fourteen year old that Patton had been fighting for a good three years now, not that he’d known that until nine hours ago.

Onyx had always snarked at him in a deep distorted voice, had always been covered by an ever shifting melee of shadows that never showed just who was manipulating the darkness around him.

He growled under his breath, rubbing the back of his neck. Eleven. The kid had been freaking eleven when he’d first shown up to stop Patton from razing the police department to the ground.

No wonder Onyx had been so ferocious in defending the place. He’d still been of an age to see the cops as fellow heroes. The good guys. He hadn’t yet discovered their darker side. Just how much like school ground bullies most of them could be to the weak.

Patton clenched his hands, conscious of the frost coating his fingertips, of the room getting noticeably colder. “You’re an idiot.” He told the sleeping hero in a low voice, tensing as the shadows sluggishly stirred at the sound of his voice. “Ruining everything.”

He’d been trying to take down Onyx for ages. Perfecting the best way to use his ice bolts to freeze those shadows of his once and for all. It had been the best moment of his life seeing the hulking figure finally stagger when his ice had successfully pierced through the darkness and not fly out the other end. To know that they had stuck. To see those dark wisps vanish like so much smoke as the hero plummeted from the sky. To have a crater form from the impact that left a dust cloud floating in the air with no hint whatsoever of his shadows preparing to strike back.

It had been his greatest moment of triumph. The final defeat of his main nemesis.

An icy javelin had already formed in his hands, aimed for Onyx’s heart before Patton’s feet had even hit the ground.

But instead of the square jawed overly muscled hero he’d expected to finally see underneath that murky shadow disguise...he’d found a freaking child laying there, bleeding, broken, and unconscious.

One Virgil Hawkins. Fourteen years old. Orphan. Parents dead since he was nine. Grandmother dead since he was eleven though apparently no one else had realized that little tidbit yet besides Patton because he’d actually tried to find the woman last night after he’d rushed the boy to the hospital for emergency surgery only to discover the little urn with her name on it on the mantle of the fireplace in her home.

It was one thing to kill a Hero. And Patton...well he’d done in his fair share of heroes over the last decade. But killing a child? His heart might be cold. Frozen even. But as much as he itched to end Onyx the hero permanently...ending Virgil the child was an entirely different matter.

Not that anyone would know. Not that anyone would care if Virgil vanished the same evening Onyx died. He could freeze the kid’s heart here and now and not even the staff supposedly watching the boy would think much of it, injured as he was.

Patton frowned, breath misting in front of him as he held out an ice coated hand over the child, an icicle easily forming in his fist.

It would be so easy.

Who would care about the disappearance of a single boy? One who was practically a ghost in his civilian life. Certainly not the news. Certainly not the cops the kid had risked his life to defend. A kid only surviving as it were because he’d been clever enough to keep his grandma’s social security checks coming to the house as a source of income.

No one would notice if he just...vanished. Not even the school the kid attended would. Not when they couldn’t even tell him if he’d shown up yesterday for class.

No concerned teacher. No concerned counselor. No friends to worry about him suddenly vanishing. Not even the staff here in the hospital cared enough to keep more than a cursory eye on their John Doe as the police attempted to track down the boy’s nonexistent family.

Virgil had no one.

Patton let the icicle dissolve back into his skin, his hand lightly resting on the boy’s warm forehead, fingers lightly brushing the stitches there.

No one to pay the hospital bills. No one to look after him once he was released. No one to ensure that he had food, clothes and shelter. No one to stop him from being a fu-freaking idiot and going out to attack a villain old enough to be his Father.

Patton shuddered, pulling his hand back. Crofters forbid that. Teenagers were the worst. Onyx only proved that tenfold with how easily he’d wound up Patton in their fights. To have one living in his own home? With their constant mood swings, inability to do chores, and dependence on social media? Ha. No.

A groan from the bed drew him from his thoughts right as the shadows around the bed surged at him, latching onto his arm and jerking him forward with a startled yelp.

“Cold.” A hoarse voice whispered as pale fingers shakily rose from under the blanket, twisting to catch Patton’s wrist as the shadows pulled him within reach. Onyx’s eyelids fluttered as he placed Patton’s hand on his forehead. “Cold.”

Was he insane?! Patton growled, the temperature in the room dropping another ten degrees as he struggled against Onyx’s shadow grip. “Let. Go!”

The hero had the gall to smirk, dark eyes unfocused as he opened them fully, the shadows pulsing around them. “No way, Icy.” He whispered. “You cold. Feels good. You stay.”

WHAT?! He wasn’t an icepack! “I’ll freeze your burning head off! LET GO, you idiot!” He allowed a thin layer of ice to form under his hand to prove his point. It was bad enough that Onyx could match him throw for throw on a good day, it was worse knowing that a fu--freaking half-drugged teenager could still hold him with minimal effort.

Virgil closed his eyes, stupid smile growing wider. “Rubber. Glue. Back to you.”

Patton blinked. “Huh?” What was that supposed to mean?! This was why he hated teenagers. They didn’t make a lick of sense whenever they spoke.

“You’re the idiot here.” Virgil dropped his hand, the shadows releasing their grip. “Coming in uniform? To a hospital? To see me? For shame.”

Patton scoffed, taking a step back. He wasn’t some first year amateur to walk in the front door dressed like this. “Like I care if anyone sees me, kid.”

If it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t afford to let anyone see him actually caring about anyone’s welfare, especially some ‘random’ kid found on the street after the big fight with Onyx, he would have blasted the front doors off their hinges and made a grand entrance instead of manipulating the ice of his clothes to resemble simple civilian attire before sauntering inside, no questions asked. After all, no one ever looked twice at some guy walking around in a black shirt and blue jeans, not even in a hospital.

Though. He flexed his fingers. It wasn’t like it was outside his wheelhouse to freeze people to death if they got in his way.

Onyx frowned, the shadows pulsing as he opened his eyes again, making eye contact. “No...you wouldn’t would you….why are you here--No.” The darkness gathered underneath him, carefully carefully pushing the kid upright in the hospital bed. He hissed, uninjured arm moving to wrap around his stomach. “Why am I here and not dead, Icy?”

Patton lifted his chin, glaring at the hero. “Did you want to be dead?” He asked, hefting a javelin of ice in his hand.

The teenager had the gall to roll his eyes, though Patton didn’t miss how the shadows surged around him in a protective shield. “Missed your chance, buddy. Don’t tell me your frozen heart actually thawed a little during our fight.”

“No.” Patton jabbed at the shadows, not at all surprised when they easily shattered his weapon with a quick twist.

So the kid wasn’t as out of it as his dilated eyes made it seem. Good to know.

“So I’m alive then….why?”

Why did it matter? “You’re fourteen.”

Virgil scoffed, slowly moving the arm that was in a cast so it too rested against his stomach. “So? You’ve killed kids before.”

Patton stiffened, ice flashing from his feet to cover the floor like a mini ice rink. Did the boy honestly not care about his own life?! “You shouldn’t have been fighting me in the first place, Onyx! You’re a kid. A Fu-FREAKING KID. Your biggest worry should be passing some stupid Math test! Making friends in school. Not squaring up against the worst villain the city has ever seen!” A villain that always, always killed his nemeses no matter what.

Virgil huffed, spreading his arms, the shadows twisting around them. “Last time I checked, this kid could wipe your ass into the dirt without breaking a sweat. I can take care of myself just fine, thank you very much.”

“But you shouldn’t HAVE to.” This wasn’t some stupid dystopian novel. No normal eleven year old should have such a stupidly high Chosen One complex.

“And who’s fault is it that I have to, Icemas?” Virgil’s eyes practically glittered like obsidian shards as the shadows lifted him off the bed, turning him to face Patton properly, the machines squeaking in protest as the various tubes connecting them to the hero shifted out of alignment. “No one else was stepping up. No one else would face you.”

“That’s the point!” Patton hissed, shooting a ray of ice to the door, crystals covering the window there and locking it in place so no one else would be able to investigate the alarms going off, before stepping forward to jab a finger at the boy’s chest, though he was careful to not actually touch the wounds there or send any ice bolts at him. “I’m showing everyone that being a hero is a useless archaic practice! No one should have to risk their life day in and day out for complete strangers who will never appreciate your sacrifice! If you had died tonight, Virgil, who would have cared?! The media? Ha.” He shook his head, gesturing to the blank TV screen in the corner as the shadows pulled back to quiver behind the young hero. “They’d mourn you for maybe a week tops before moving onto the next sensational story, the next stupid hero trying to make a difference. Maybe, maybe they will name some shiny new building after you, to remember you by, but then what? NOTHING. You’d be DEAD before you could ever drive and it would have all been for naught!”

Virgil frowned, shadows lowering him so he was sitting on the bed. “...You know my name?”

Patton stiffened. That’s what the kid was worried about? Him figuring out his civilian identity instead of nearly dying?! That was so messed up. “Someone had to try and track down your family, kid. The idiots here weren’t gonna do it.”

The hero had the gall to grin, though Patton didn’t miss how his fingers clenched the sheets. “Aww, well isn’t that sweet of you, Popsicle. How did that go?” He tilted his head to the iced over door where distant voices could be heard as the handle rattled. “Good old mom and dad waiting outside to see me? To check in on how their ickle Virgikins is doing?”

Teenagers. He hated them. “You know they aren’t. You have no one.”

Something flickered in the boy’s eyes. “Oh! Then let me guess.” He rested his chin on his uninjured hand. “You let the staff know I’m on my own? Do I get the oh so fun opportunity to experience our stellar A+ foster care system now?”

Patton rolled his eyes, shooting another bolt of ice at the door for good measure. “Please. They still think you’re a John Doe.” The lazy bums were waiting for him to wake up first. Hoping that Virgil would tell them who he was before trying to track down his identity or family.

“Excellent.” Virgil gave the door an appraising look. “Think they’ll believe amnesia?”

Patton blinked. “....Do you not feel the stitches holding your head together?” Or the baseball sized lump on the back of his skull from hitting the pavement?

The hero shrugged. “Honestly?” The shadows pulsed around him. “It’s all kinda fuzzy agony currently. Can’t differentiate what parts of me hurt and what doesn’t.”

How was this kid even awake?! Patton stepped forward, pushing the boy back down flat on the bed. “Then REST before you hurt yourself further, idiot.”

“Aw, love you too, Popsicles.”

“DON’T CALL ME THAT.” He would never be a fu-freaking Father to anyone.

“Or what?” Virgil relaxed against the pillows, even as his hand twisted to catch Patton’s wrist again. “You’ll kill me?”

If he wanted to do that the kid would be dead already. Patton jerked free, another ice spear forming in his hand, pointed to the boy’s throat. “No.”

“Aw. You scared to?”

“NO. I’m not killing a KID. Our fights are done with, Virgil. No more Onyx. He’s DEAD.”

The boy scoffed, pushing the spear to the side. “Last I checked, Icy,” The shadows surged over him in a swirling mass until the familiar shadowy form of Onyx stared back from the bed. “We’re the same person.” His voice echoed. “And I’m still alive and kicking.”

Ooooohoooho. Patton could feel his eye twitching as ice crept up the walls and window. If it were just Onyx he’d take great pleasure in killing the hero here and now. He itched to do so. But he couldn’t. Not with knowing that Virgil the child hid underneath the darkness. “I won’t fight you, kid.”

The shadows pulled back, revealing Virgil looking far paler than before, his face glittering with sweat. “Coward.”

“Idiot.” The kid needed to see a shrink. No normal fourteen year old would be this stubborn about wanting to constantly go up against him and face death by his hand!

“I know you are but what am I?”

The window shattered, sending frost covered glass glittering to the floor. “Hopefully grounded by the fool that ends up taking you in.” He got out through gritted teeth, ice particles shimmering in the air, ready to defend as the shadows around Onyx sprung up like a series of blackened tentacles writhing behind him.

He pitied whoever ended up with this troubled teen in their home…though...maybe he could arrange for the kid to be shipped across the country to live far far away from here. Getting out of this place could set him straight. Snap him out of this stupid hero phase he was in.

Virgil threw his head back, laughter ringing throughout the room as banging sounded from the door, the ice blockade cracking under the strain.

Judging by the way the ice was shearing off, someone with heat abilities had finally shown up.

Virgil shook his head, still grinning, though his eyes held no laughter as the shadow tentacles sharpened into jagged points, all aimed at Patton’s chest. “Oh that’s rich. Me, grounded? Like a normy would be able to stop me from coming after you the next time you decide to wreck the city.” He pushed himself up onto one elbow, jabbing his cast at Patton, the shadows quivering behind him like a pack of hunting dogs waiting to be unleashed as the temperature in the room dropped even further. “Face it, Popsicle. If you’re not gonna kill me then you’re stuck with me being your nemesis. If you want me to stop being the hero and keep me alive, then you have to stop being the villain. And we both know you’re not gonna do that. Your precious plan is too important to just give it up for my sake.”

And that was the crux of the matter wasn’t it? Patton snarled, raising his hands, the ice particles in the air morphing into a slew of arrows all directed towards the boy. He didn’t want to kill Virgil. But he couldn’t give up his plan. Give up being the villain. Not after a decade of fighting to get all those idealistic fools to see what a farce being a hero was. He was so close to winning. So close. “Fine.” He surged forward, grabbing the boy by the throat, ice arrows darting about to block the shadow tentacles of the kid’s from interfering. “You value my plan more than your pathetic life? Then you should--”

BANG.

The door behind them shattered, sending a heat wave full of shrapnel blasting into the room.

IDIOTS.

Patton whirled, flinging a wall of ice towards the figures in the doorway in an attempt to block the worst of the heat from outright killing Virgil then and there. IDIOTS! Did they not care at all that an already injured kid was in the ro---

A half melted silver door knob burst through the resulting steam before Patton could react to it, clocking him between the eyes with enough force to knock him backwards, his world vanishing into cold, silent darkness as the hospital floor rushed up to meet him.

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Serenade (Daniela Dimitrescu/Reader) Pt. 6

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Rating: T for language, brief violence, and a line that hints at past physical abuse (depending on how you choose to interpret it) Warnings: Mild TW for implied/referenced abuse Notes: Okay so this was supposed to be somewhat therapeutic? But it ended up taking longer to get to that part than I intended, so... Don't worry though, next chapter will be fluffy and also involve more, like, actual Daniela scenes. Previous Chapters: Pt. 1: Nocturne, Pt. 2 Overture, Pt. 3: Accelerando, Pt. 4: Toccata, Pt. 5: Poco a Poco

Chapter 6: Elegy

(Elegy: A piece of music in the form of a lament)

When you dream, you do not dream of being locked in a tower, awaiting a kindly knight to come save you. When you dream… you dream of your old home, infested with monsters, nearly unrecognizable. Of being forced to flee, leaving everything you loved behind. Of escaping to a remote, quaint little village, only to end up trapped once again, as friendly faces morph into gaping maws and fangs dripping red. When you dream, it is less a nightmare, more memories retouched, covered in a fresh coat of paint.

Waking up is but a brief source of comfort. One hand goes to your head, rubbing gently, as if you could wipe away all traces of your past. A quick glance around your shared room leaves you confused, but serves as a welcome distraction. Though there are six beds in the room, yours is the only occupied one, the others having all been vacated and made presentable. The only explanation that fit with what you knew was that everyone had gotten up, and gotten to work, without waking you. Panic filled you as you connected the dots, knowing that missing work was a death sentence.

Rushing, you rise to your feet, throwing your dresser open to search for fresh clothes. While the castle’s staff was almost entirely female, the Dimitrescu family didn’t enforce traditional gender presentation, allowing maidens to choose whether to wear a dress or a button-up and trousers. Remembering the wound on your neck, you pause, glancing in the dorm’s singular mirror to inspect your injury. Most of the blood had rubbed off in your sleep (and would likely be a nightmare to clean from the sheets). There were, however, a few spots where dried blood mingled with the protective scab. Considering how late you already were, you didn’t believe you would have time to clean up.

As much as you hated the thought, the best you could do was go for a button-up, hoping the collar would hide the worst of your disastrous appearance. Your hair was another matter entirely, far messier than it normally was, and you struggled to brush/comb it enough to be mildly presentable. Good thing Daniela won’t see me today, you think, remembering her insistence on skipping today’s lesson.

Then you remember the rest of your conversation with her; the yelling, being dragged to your feet, and the pain in her eyes. For a moment you feel woozy, pausing in the middle of buttoning your shirt. Your eyes focus on a spot on the now-closed dresser… and suddenly you wish you had paid more attention when you first woke up. There’s a note stuck to the furniture, clearly addressed to you.

Heard you had some trouble yesterday. We’re just glad you’re alive! A certain someone has been a lot nicer since you started playing the piano, and we’re grateful. To show that, we decided to split your morning duties among ourselves, so you can sleep in. If you’re reading this, then it’s still before 4 AM. Feel free to just relax for a while, or even get some more sleep! We’ll be by to make sure you’re up eventually.

Sincerely,

Daphne, Rosalia, Ygritte, Alexandra, Juniper, and Riley

“I… have… freetime?” You mumbled, still a little drowsy, but now also shocked. This was a complete first for you. Maybe even a first among the servants! Sure, you had been given breaks before, but having a couple hours to do whatever you wanted? No one had ever pulled strings like this for you before. It made your chest feel warm, and you just about forgot the whole mess with Daniela. “I’ll have to find a way to pay them back, even if they think they’re paying me back.” With that said you relaxed a little, no longer rushing getting dressed, though still leaving your neck the way it was. You figured you’d stop by one of the maidens’ restrooms before you officially started your shift.

In the meantime, you knew exactly what you’d be using this time for: finding those damn piano books you had been promised!

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

“Let’s see… dust, more dust, a dead spider, even more dust, and- oh shit, the spider is not dead,” you said, barely holding in a yelp as the arachnid scurries away from you. If you had known the attic would be so unclean, you might not have bothered to come up here. So far your targets had alluded you without giving so much as a hint towards their location. The library had seemed a likely location, but you had heard Daniela’s voice within, and anxiety had sent you dashing away. Up here, in an area clearly used for storage above all else, was the next best guess, as far as you were concerned. Still, you hadn’t seen anything worth your time yet.

Just insects, really. Not even terribly interesting ones. Well, there had been a shiny beetle of some sort, but it had crawled into a crack in the wall mere seconds after you saw it. Other than that, though, nothing but creepy crawlies. Creepy flyers?... Both, for sure. One fly in particular kept buzzing around you, weirdly interested in what you were doing.

Somehow you didn’t understand what that meant until a firm hand had wrapped itself around your neck. The grip was tight, putting more than enough pressure to make your vision blur. Thankfully, or perhaps unfortunately, the culprit didn’t intend to just choke you out. Instead they lift you and toss you aside- casually, at that. You hit the wall with a terrible crashing sound, certain to leave bruises, and narrowly avoid toppling into a stack of heavy crates. So much for enjoying some free time, you think. Stunned for several seconds, you find yourself left helpless as your attacker approaches.

“You’re not allowed to be up here,” a voice snarled, familiar enough to leave you terrified. Of course you had to run into the most violent of the Dimitrescu sisters. “Looking for a way out, hmm? Or are you stupid enough to think we’d leave a weapon where a wretched thing like you could find it?” Cassandra asked, pausing only to send a swift kick your way. A grunt escapes you, leaves you coughing, but it doesn’t hurt as bad as hitting the wall. Despite wanting to curl up and give in, you tried to drag yourself to your feet. Surprisingly, Cassandra makes no move to stop you, perhaps enjoying the sight of you struggling.

“Lady… Daniela… gave me permission,” you said between painful breaths. By the time you’re back on your feet, the vampire before you is watching you with narrowed, albeit curious, eyes. Normally it would take a lot of courage to face her. But you’re exhausted, in pain, and you’ve taken nearly as much hurt from someone who called themselves your lover. It’s not brave to stare down Cassandra, it’s foolhardy. It’s idiotic, really, and yet you find yourself unable to care. “I’m just looking for a couple piano books I’ve been told about, so I can use them to help teach Lady Daniela.”

“Oh? You’re her instructor?” Cassandra asked, a strange smile overtaking her expression. Something in the atmosphere has shifted, dangerously, but you can’t figure out why. Clueless to your self-betrayal, you nod in response. Instantly Cassandra’s smile turns into an open-lipped snarl, and she reaches out to grab you by the shirt, this time slamming you into the wall with her own hands. “Then you’re the reason she kept me up yesterday, crying non stop! I’m going to rip you apart, you vermin.”

The look in her eyes is, most definitely, the scariest thing you had ever seen. It’s feral, inhuman, and unstoppably determined. But when tears fall from your eyes, it’s not because you know you’re about to die. No, it’s because the last thing you think you’ll ever hear is the news that your partner had been sobbing for hours… and that you were the reason why. Your heart aches, both physically and emotionally, as you brace yourself for the bloody end.

Instead, the grip on your clothes loosens. You don’t dare open your eyes to see why.

“What the fuck do you want, sis?” Cassandra asked, sounding like she had turned her head away from you. Before you know it you’ve been let go, and you slide to the ground, too surprised to hold yourself steady. When you look up, you see an irritated Bela pulling Cassandra away from you, whispering something you can’t quite hear. They argue for a minute, under their breath, keen on keeping you out of the loop. Eventually the younger of the two storms away, but not before making a dent in the wall with her fist.

“What a child,” Bela said, rolling her eyes at the display. Then she’s walking back towards you, extending a hand in an offer of assistance (one you gladly accept). “That girl has the foresight of a magic eight ball, I swear. If she had actually killed you… ugh, I can hardly stand to imagine how inconsolable Daniela would become. Then I’d have two insufferable sisters. Regardless, do tell me why you thought it would be a good idea to come up here unaccompanied? It is normally off limits for servants, after all.”

“I-I, well… I mean, firstly thank you for saving me, I had no idea-” Bela holds a finger up in a ‘shut up’ motion, then puts it away as soon as you pause- “right, you don’t care. Look, I was just trying to find the piano books that Lady Dimitrescu mentioned, but I’ve looked all over and I can’t find them, so I should really just go,” you explain, eager to get out of the attic. To your surprise, Bela gives you an odd look before turning away. Then she takes no more than five steps, shifts to the side, and opens an old cabinet. Inside you can see a dozen books of sheet music, notably from several different decades, all worn but still in decent condition. “How did-?... I thought I checked there.”

“Well, you must have been distracted. Nonetheless, you know where they are now, and you owe me twice over. With that in mind… come with me. We have things to discuss,” Bela commanded, walking away before you could protest. All you can do is grab the sheet music, tuck it under one arm, and follow her to who-knows-where.

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

“I’ll have to have you make my tea more often,” Bela mused, letting the mug keep her hands warm. The two of you were sitting in some sort of study, a room that you had never been inside before. From what you could tell it belonged solely to the eldest Dimitrescu daughter. Inside were several shelves, each filled with well bookmarked collections, a desk next to a massive window, a couple simple chairs, and a few instrument cases. All in all it was an aesthetically pleasing room, organized but not exactly neat. You could certainly imagine Bela spending entire days in this chamber. “Now, why do you think I brought you here?” Her voice brings your focus back into the present moment, as well as sends a spike of anxiety through you.

“Based on what nearly got me killed earlier… Does it have to do with Daniela crying?” You asked, doing your best to indicate just how bad you felt about the subject. No matter how cruel she could be, you did honestly care about Daniela, and even wanted a real, healthy relationship with her. Desire, or willingness, wasn’t the root of the problem by any means. Something told you that Bela understood this, maybe even respected you for it.

“Guess there’s more in that pretty head of yours than air and symphonies, hmm?” Bela replied, laughing a little as she did. It was a far nicer sound than Cassandra’s maniacal giggling, for sure. “Now, I don’t know all the details about what happened- just that there was an argument, clearly a bad one, and Daniela barely made it through dinner before locking herself in her room. Luckily for you, our mother doesn’t seem to know about your little ‘fight’. She’s not sure what upset Dani, and I doubt my sister would tell her, so your secret is safe. Assuming that I blackmailed Cassandra well enough, that is. Anyway, I can’t help you, and by extension my sister, if I don’t know the full story. In case it wasn’t clear, that’s your cue to start talking.”

You’re surprised, admittedly, by a number of things. But Bela seems impatient, so you go over the details of the previous night with her, occasionally pausing to let her ask questions. The whole time her focus is on you, unwavering. There’s also a noticeable lack of judgement in her expression, even when you voice your regret about how you handled the situation, and what is there seems directed more towards Daniela than yourself. Once you finish, Bela releases a deep sigh. One of her hands goes to rub her forehead as if warding off a migraine.

“Well, I can’t say I’m terribly surprised, as much as I wish I could. Daniela’s always had her head in the clouds, and it’s left her tripping over her own feet more than once. Still, this is certainly one of her bigger messes…” Bela said, shaking her head in disbelief. “I’m going to have to talk to her about this, aren’t I? There’s no way she’s going to process this correctly on her own.” This time she seemed to be talking to herself, gaze locked on her tea as if it might suddenly offer to speak to Daniela in her place. When the tea stayed silent, understandably, she returned her focus to you. “You seemed upset, earlier, about this ridiculous situation. I am going to assume, from that, you are genuinely interested in my dear sister. Normally, this would be the part where I drain you of all blood, and possibly keep your skull as a memento... mori. Yours would look lovely on a window sill, I think.”

She pauses, head tilting a little to the side, clearly evaluating your artistic value.

“However, Daniela appears to care about you, far more than her usual fleeting infatuations. So, for now, I have decided not to eviscerate you, you’re welcome,” Bela cooed, teasingly, enjoying the way you shifted uncomfortably in your seat. Still, you were glad that you would apparently be surviving the day. “So I’m going to give you some advice, which you will take, and you won’t even owe me anything extra for this. Daniela is in love with the mere concept of love- and she has been for as long as I can remember. Romance novels are practically the only books she reads. It’s… embarrassing, truly. More than that, I get the impression that she couldn’t even begin to describe what love actually feels like. She’s digested so much of that written drivel that it warped her senses. Of course, the, ahem, situation we find ourselves in, here at the castle, has undoubtedly added to this effect.

“To get to the point, Daniela’s terribly, hopelessly clueless when it comes to things like what she wants from you. And so I take it upon myself, as her older sibling, to ensure that you understand. Moreso, that you are not dissuaded. If this is an actual chance for her to experience real romance, then it could make her happier than I’ve ever seen her,” Bela explained. The look in her eyes was incredibly soft, to the point where it made you realize just how much this odd little family cared for each other. “Don’t give up, don’t let her occasional infuriating antics push you away. Given enough time… I think the two of you could, I suppose, compliment each other quite nicely. But if you break her heart? I will pull yours from your chest and eat it raw. Understood?” Gulping, you nodded quickly, ignoring the feeling of heat rushing to your cheeks. It was one thing for Bela to want her sister to be happy, but another thing entirely for her to acknowledge your “suitability” for the position. “Good. Now return to whatever it is you maidens normally do. I have a sister to talk sense into.”

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

Hours later, you stand alone in a display room, dusting various relics from bygone times. A trophy here, a bizarre art piece there, strange, unlabeled tools you can’t quite imagine are for wine-making. It’s a fascinating collection, really. But your mind is focused on other, far softer things. All you can think about is what Bela had told you, about how Daniela really is interested in you, and how she thought the two of you could make it work. After the chaos earlier in the day, this was exactly what you needed. Just some time to yourself, working quietly, thoughts all to yourself. Even your bruises bother you less, the pain fading out into the background. Considering where you are, though, it is not at all surprising that your peace cannot last. As soon as you finish your task you move towards the exit.

The door swings open, outwards, at your touch, only to reveal a familiar figure reaching for the doorknob. Both of you gasp, taken by surprise, before your gazes meet. Of course it’s Daniela. Who else would you bump into right now?

“I thought about what you said,” she blurts, suddenly, eyes wide and hands shaking. “We need to talk, yeah?”

[floorbe]

Can I request a NSFW head cannon or one shot of dom! Fuyuhiko x Short Fem! Reader and what Fuyuhiko does when he gets jealous she’s talking to a tall guy

sure thing! n*sw under the cut//

~

-Despite what he vehemently spouts, he’s actually a bit insecure about his height

-Especially if you’re taller than him, even if by a little

-One day when he sees you talking to someone much, much taller than you, he doesn’t think much at first

-That is, until he sees the guy very blatantly flirting with you. Like, hand on your arm, winking, gesturing back to the exit. You, of course, are oblivious

-Fuyuhiko does not like it. He’s immediately behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and asking what’s up 

-“Sorry ‘bout that wait, babe, bathroom line was long as fuck. Who’s this?” 

-Once the guy recognizes the very large body guards behind Fuyuhiko glaring at him, he leaves pretty quickly

-You’re confused, and even more confused when Fuyuhiko insists you two leave early with a frustrated edge to his voice

~

“You-” his voice cuts off, huffy as you close the door quietly behind you both. You’d been watching him grind his teeth the entire car ride home, insisting that he didn’t want to talk about it in the car. You watch his face morph from anger into something quieter, more sincere in his real emotions as he struggles to find the right words. 

“...You’re fine with my height, right?” is what he settles on, voice considerably quieter from just a moment ago, but there’s still a rough, uneven edge to it as if he’s trying hard to not blow up at you. You can tell it’s hard for him to be so genuine instead of just settling things how he used to.

His back is to you, and you wonder if he’s feigning undoing his tie, because he’s never taken so long to undo it before. You swallow thickly, mind immediately flashing a memory of the taller guy you were talking to. “Of course I am,” you reassure him, placing a hand on his back as you circle to his side. He’s tense under your touch, but you can see him take in a deep breath as he relaxes slightly. 

His eyes meet yours, and you swallow thickly at the intenseness in them. They scan your face, as if searching for any sign of dishonesty, before settling on the floor. He’s quiet, and you’re not sure if he’s unsure of what to say or if he’s thinking. You take another step to stand in front of him in the silence, giving him a smile as you bring your hands up to rest on his chest. 

From the way his tie is crumpled yet still intact, you figure he was fiddling with it as an excuse to avoid facing you. You slide your palm down it, smoothing it across his chest before hooking your fingers under it. He watches you closely as the pads of your fingers skim up the tie and to the knot, carefully wrapping your fingers around it and tugging on it lightly. 

He complies with a quirk of his brow, frown still deep as he comes closer to you. “I’m yours, Fuyuhiko,” you murmur, lips barely brushing against his, “No one else matters to me.” You watch his eyes slide halfway shut, his eyes flickering between your lips and your eyes. He’s hesitant (insecure?), you realize, for what reason you’re unsure, but you’ll be damned if you’ll let him stew in it. 

“Fuyuhiko,” you murmur again, tone breathy as you pull yourself flush against him. You can feel his chest rising with each breath he takes, and you let your palm not holding his tie rest over his heart. His eyes are wide now, attentive, waiting for your next words. “I’m yours,” you repeat, tilting your head just slightly as his eyes almost droop completely shut. “Take me.” 

He blinks in surprise, jolting back slightly as he stares at you. He doesn’t get a chance to ask the burning question on his mind, obvious from the way he’s intaking to speak, when you’re pulling him close to you again, “Please.”

His lips are smashing against yours in an instant, hands coming up to latch onto your waist and pull your hips against his. There’s a fire in the way his lips are melding to yours, harsh enough to where you know they’ll be aching later, and it’s only emphasized when his teeth hook into your bottom lip. You gasp as he tugs on it lightly, a grunt escaping his lips as his fingers travel under your top. 

He pauses for a moment as you shiver, releasing your lip and pulling back, breathing heavy as he scans your face once again. “I... I don’t want us to do this because you feel like you have to,” he nearly whispers, his harsh grip on your waist loosening to swipe his fingers over the area softly. 

“I want this,” you reassure, smiling adoringly at him, “I want you.” 

He doesn’t get to ask the ‘are you sure?’ that you know is playing on his lips, because you’re already covering them with your own. You raise your hands to tangle through his short hair as much as you can, memorizing each ridge and corner of the shaved patterns. His kiss is softer this time, more loving, almost as a reminder of his adoration before it slowly turns back into the fiery passion shown moments before. 

In a second he has you pressed against a wall, hands climbing under your shirt with renewed fervor. You shiver as his warm hands race to your bra, cupping your breasts roughly from beyond the material. You gasp as his teeth suddenly dig into your bottom lip, nearly shoving his tongue into your mouth as you eagerly let yours meet his. 

You let out a moan into his mouth as his knee comes to press directly against your clit over your clothes, and you instinctively buck into the welcome pressure. He slowly grinds his knee against you, starkly different from the way his hands are already trying to impatiently rip your bra off from beneath your shirt. 

He separates only tug your shirt off, and as soon as he’s able to he’s pressing sloppy kisses against your neck, hands fumbling with the clasp of your bra. You throw your head back against the wall, too overwhelmed with the sensation of his knee teasing you along with his mouth heatedly working on your throat, nipping and biting it as he finally tosses your bra aside.

You gasp out his name once as he suddenly moves to suck on your nipple, pushing against the small of your back to arch into him as his knee’s grinding becomes more jerky. 

“F-Fuyu-!” you can’t even finish your whine of his name as one of his hands trails down to replace his knee. “P-please, please-!”

“Please what?” he nearly growls, “Say it.” 

“Please,” you whimper, bucking your hips against his nimble fingers as they barely stroke you through your pants. “Need you-” you whine loudly as he stops stroking you, “F-fuck me, please, please-!” 

Those seem to be the magic words, for Fuyuhiko immediately yanks down your pants and underwear in one pull, letting you step out of them hastily before he grips your thighs harshly and lifts you up. You yelp, locking your legs around his waist as he presses you back up against the wall. 

Your hands reach his slacks before he does, desperately undoing his fly and nearly shoving his pants down. As soon as his cock springs out, you let out a whine, hips grinding towards him helplessly as you feel yourself throb incessantly. 

He wastes no time slamming himself into you, and you throw your head back against the wall once more as he sets a brutal pace, his hands still gripping your thighs as he leans his head into the crook of your shoulder. You tighten your legs around him, struggling to pull him even deeper inside of you. 

You’re quickly reduced to moans and whimpers as you feel the drag of his cock filling you so deliciously, so perfectly that you’re sure he was made for you. “Mine,” he suddenly hisses, and you swear his thrusts get even rougher if possible, sending you into a daze as you try fervently to meet his thrusts with your own. 

“You’re fucking mine, got it? All mine,” he growls, and as soon as he lifts his head to meet your eyes you’re coming around him hard, letting out a cry of his name. 

“Oh fuck, sweetheart,” he groans, eyes rolling back as you squeeze him tight, “That’s it, that’s it, cum around me, fuck!” And with that he’s shoving as deeply into you as he can, biting his lip harshly as he cums. You whine breathily at the feeling, still dazed from your orgasm, weakly twitching your hips towards his. 

The only sound you hear as you both come down from your highs is your heavy breathing, resting your forehead against his as you try to regain your sense. He presses a clunky kiss against the corner of your mouth, still holding you up against the wall. You start to loosen your grip on his waist to let yourself down when he suddenly bucks his hips against yours, making you gasp. 

“We’re not done yet,” he breathes out, eyes glinting in a way that makes you shiver in excitement. “We’re far from done, sweetheart.” 

[emeraldblossom254]

A worthy sacrifice

Prompt: “whilst defending Thoma from having his Vision taken by the Shogun, y/n gives up hers in his place, losing all her former memories including those of Kazuha and her relationship with him”

(Note! Replace the given name (EEVIE) with Y/n if you’d like to read this with self insert)

Genre: Angst

Setting: back at the resistance camp after her Vision was taken from her

—“You…won’t get away with this”—

“You won’t get away from the Decree, pest,” the Electro Archon yelled from the wooden stage in front of the statue - she was a tall woman, donning nothing but purple, and she sneered in anger as her hand that was once held outward, jolted in front of her face. “Your punishment starts now!”

As the woman spoke, Eevie was lifted with an invisible force, her eyes screwed shut from all the agonizing pain she had endured a few moments before.

Her eyes shot open as she felt the force come to an immediate stop, her body hovering directly in front of the seething woman. She gasped for air sharply, as she was now mere inches away from the woman’s body, a dark aura surrounding the two of them. The woman then snapped her focus to Eevie’s waist, where the glow of her Dendro Vision slightly dangled from her belt. With a single movement, the woman reached with her other hand, using her abilities and taking the Vision from the ropes where it was tied to Eevie’s waist, as she gazed at the fox hybrid with a cold look in her eyes.

“You,” Eevie tried to breathe as she spoke, gasping for the air the pressure refused to give. “You won’t get away with this…!”

She struggled to breathe the more she spoke, the pressure getting worse and worse on her throat. Her tail thrashed violently as she attempted to breathe properly, though it was of hardly any use. The Shogun only veered her eyes from the Vision in her hands to pierce Eevie with her stare.

“But you see, pesky fox,” the Archon spoke coldly as she raised her hand up, the same one that controlled the energy that suspended Eevie above the ground. Eevie started to rise up higher above the ground, people in the crowd gasping in shock and fear at the sight.

Eevie attempted to keep her breathing steady, panic kicking in very quickly, as the cold-hearted woman continued, “I already have-”

With a flick of her hand, Eevie was sent flying toward the ground, with no time to brace for the impact. Thoma had broken free from the ropes binding his hands at the same time, allowing him to race forward and catch her. Eevie collided with him, finally, causing him to fall backwards onto the ground, while still holding Eevie in his arms.

“Eevie?!” Thoma spoke, startled, shaking her unconscious body in his arms. Her silence - and unresponsive, unmoving state - was all he needed, before he looked up, watching as the Archon was walking towards them, a sharp, glowing katana in her hands.

Placing his right arm under Eevie’s legs, Thoma rose up on his feet, glaring angrily at the woman before them, the look in her eyes cold, deadly, like that of a snake.

Thoma took no time at all, bolting for the edge of the rock, leaping with a small grunt as he clutched onto Eevie, making sure not to harm her as he landed, running away from the crowd, from the woman, from everything. “We need to get you to that resistance camp,” he said, despite knowing she wouldn’t hear, as he ran, his legs barely letting up speed as he jumped through cracks of rocks and over steep cliffs to reach the beaches.

It wasn’t long before he spotted a vacant, bare boat with nobody around it. Placing Eevie inside, he hurriedly pushes the boat, jumping inside and grabbing the boat’s paddle, before taking a deep, tired breath.

“Don’t worry, Eevie, you’ll be okay. Just hold on a little longer..”

—“Who am I? You don’t remember me…?”—

Meanwhile, a young male dressed in red, gold, white, brown, and black sat under a big tree close by the cliffside. His hair was white as snow, with a crimson-red streak in it, and he donned bandages wrapped around his left hand, reaching up his forearm, the ends of the tape hidden within his onyx-dyed sleeve. His eyes opened slowly, letting the sun’s setting light flood his ruby-coloured orbs. A deep inhale was quickly followed by a sudden hitch in his breath.

Something bad is about to happen, if it hasn’t already.

The male looked to his left, a habit he has, expecting to see the figure of a female fox hybrid with mahogany-orange clothing and a few sachets on her belt, her red-orange and white tail wagging in her enthusiasm to see him for the first time in a while - but she wasn’t there.

Instead, what he saw in the distance beyond the cliff was a man - one in all red, with blonde hair, but unfamiliar to him - running towards the camp he considered his temporary home.

A look of confusion and concern lined his face as he stood, leaping from one hill to the next, until finally reaching the biggest building atop the other cliff. Quickly sneaking into the back of the main building.

The more he could see what was happening from the frontlines, the better.

Kazuha walked into the dimly lit room, which bookshelves filled with several large reads, unique and rare rocks, strange writings, and more - making it seem like a maze in the small tent.

Passing one of the bookcases, he entered another small room with a desk in the center, flooded with papers, texts, and documents. A taller male - a hybrid, much like the female a Kazuha had expected to see on the cliffside, but rather than a fox, this boy was a dog - stood at the desk, his blonde tail wagged softly and slowly as Kazuha stepped closer, his dog ears perking up.

“Oh, Kazuha!” The male spoke, turning around, his journal in hand.

His tail wagged as he caught sight of Kazuha, but the motion of his tail began to slow, as did his enthusiasm - his concern growing more and more - as he recognized the expression etched into Kazuha’s face. “Is- everything okay?”

“Gorou?” Kazuha spoke, a trace of confusion laced in his voice, “Do you know what’s happening outside?”

Gorou’s ears dropped at that question, tail coming to a complete stop, as he turned around to face the main door of the building. His ears shot up again, his muscles tensed up, quickly turning back around to meet Kazuha’s eyes again, as they shared the same knowing, concerned gaze.

It didn’t take long for Kazuha to put it together.

“Eevie-” both of them spoke in unison, walking towards the door -having to maneuver around a table and a chair or two.

Gorou unlocked the door and swung it open, swiftly stepping onto the deck and in front of the resistance banner before the door. Kazuha followed not too far behind, fear and worry plastered onto his face, the worry was deep, as if it had been painted there.

“She’s not alone,” Gorou spoke out - snapping the shorter, white-and-red haired male out of his thoughts. Kazuha nodded and kept his gaze on the figure running towards them. “The smell of fear and pain,” Gorou continued, his mouth curling into a pained expression, though it was more so of a snarl. If the man running towards them was here to cause trouble, the resistance general would be ready.

Kazuha’s expression shifted to confusion at Gorou’s words.

He didn’t know what to make of those words. ‘Pain? Fear?’

He thinks to himself, frowning. ‘All I can smell… Is a type of guilt I never want anyone else to experience.’

The tall blonde man in red kept running at an alarming pace, confusion rising in the members of the resistance.

“A man in bright red?” Some had thought, confused.

“Who is that guy?”

“Is he carrying someone?” The concerned whispers didn’t cease as Thoma ran.

The boy was focused, his legs ready to give from under him. His panting was matched with his racing heart, and sweat drenching his shirt. The figure in his arms had yet to awaken, steadily breathing, even through the jumps and hurls that Thoma had gone through to get her here. As he approached the front of the building atop the cliff, his legs finally gave way, buckling under him as he heaved, still clutching onto Eevie as though she’d break if he let go of her.

Looking up, Thoma saw an arrow aimed directly at his head. At this point, he could care less about the arrow. He just wanted Eevie back home safely, regardless if he died in the process or not. The man behind the drawn arrow raised an eyebrow at him, watching in surprise as this man looked up at him unbothered.

He growled at Thoma as he lowered the arrow, throwing it on the ground.

“State your purpose here, trespasser!” Gorou yells, causing Kazuha to jump slightly, and reach for the dog-boy’s arm with a trembling hand. Gorou turned to him, seeing his scared expression like a jumpscare. “K-Kazuha?”

Kazuha took a few shaky steps toward Thoma as he spoke, “You’re the friend she mentioned, aren’t you? You’re Thoma?”

Gorou stepped back, taken aback by the scene, as he realized he almost shot the friend of a friend, and his ears dropped instantly.

“She stepped in the way,” Thoma spoke with a raspy breath, shaky - it sounded like he was going to start crying. He gulped dryly and lowered his arms, letting Eevie’s body shift in his grasp. Her ears were layed back, her signature Kitsune mask missing - along with her Vision. “She saved me and my Vision, but-” he coughed harshly, and took a deep breath as Kazuha inched closer to him, kneeling down in front of him, on the verge of tears as he gazed down onto Eevie’s unconscious figure.

He didn’t want to believe it was her.

“Can you walk any further?” Was all Kazuha said in return. He knew what was happening, what was wrong, but he’d rather get them out of the humid air in the camp before having to hear it. Thoma shook his head, giving Kazuha his answer as he scooped up Eevie from the blonde male’s arms. “Gorou? Could you help him in?”

Gorou kept his ears and tail down as he nodded, still upset about his recent actions. Reaching under Thoma’s shoulders, Gorou lifted him up and walked him into the tent, lowering him down on a cot in the back rooms, surrounded by herbs and tables with vials of medicines covering them. Thoma let out a groan as he rested on the cot below him, receiving a worried glance-and whine-from Gorou.

On the cot next to Thoma’s, Kazuha lied Eevie down, and pulled out a few herbs, with what looked like a beetle, crushing them all together into a fine powder.

His face was lined with worry, the smell of fear in the air made Gorou’s ears shoot up as he turned round to look at him. Kazuha had never been seen with tears in his eyes..

Not since his and Tomo’s incident with the Shogun.

He sniffed a little, as he unknowingly dropped a few tears in what was supposed to be a powder mixture, causing him to curse under his breath. He took small amounts of the now clumpy contents, and lifted up Eevie’s shirt just a little bit above her ribs.

And there, a wound with dried blood was visible. Her chest rose and fell as she breathed slowly - every movement agitating the crusted blood around the wound.

“Stronger than the winds of the raging storm, Eevie. You made me proud, nonetheless,” Kazuha whispered to himself, though partially to her, as he worked on the wound with a damp cloth. “I just hope…” he paused as he let a tear fall down slowly, “I just hope you remember everything.”

As he wiped it clean, some fresh blood started to spill slowly against her ribs, the injury red and irritated from being touched. He acted quickly in cleaning the rest of the wound and placing the mixture in his hands onto the gash. His eyes widened instantly after he applied it, bracing for the next few seconds.

A sharp yelp escaped Eevie’s lips, and she sat upright, eyes wide as she stared at the others in the tent, her gaze confused, scared, even. She looked at the contents in the white-haired male’s hands, and put two and two together easily enough. “Stars above, that was cold..”

Kazuha stood up, eyes almost flooding with tears, but whether they were tears of joy or fear is uncertain as he inched closer to her, and placed his hand on Eevie’s shoulder.

Gorou and Thoma watch from the other cot, Gorou’s ears kept below his head in worry. “Eevie, are you alright?”

She flinched back from Kazuha’s hands, and stared at him, unsure, his scent unfamiliar. She tried to take a moment - she felt like she had seen them before, yet their names and faces were strange, unknown to her. When she spoke again, her voice sounded hushed, her volume barely above her usual, cool tone.

“Do… Do I k-know you?”

Kazuha gasped softly. He had known this would happen, which was probably the root to the reason he started crying to begin with. Attempting to regain his posture, he looked away and took a slow deep breath. Gorou and Thoma gasped, and Thoma covered his mouth in shock. Gorou could only bring himself to stare. She saw this, unsure why they seemed so surprised. She looked back up at Kazuha with a confused expression.

“E-Eevie?” He started, his eyes on the brink of tears, voice cracked. “Who am I? Y-you don’t remember me?”

Gorou stood up, shakily walking up to Kazuha, his eyes also flooding suddenly as he reached out for Eevie’s hands.

“Hara, i- if- do you remember anything? Anything at all?”

Kazuha’s composure broke- shattered at this moment. He knew what her answer was. He knew what would happen. Walking away, Kazuha quietly slipped out the door behind him as Gorou held onto Eevie’s attention.

“Do you remember any of us?” Thoma asked, worriedly, watching as Gorou’s tail slowly swept between his thighs. He was scared. He’s never seen anything like this before. He knew Kazuha had, but never imagined he’d see it in person.

“I’m sorry. I’m trying.. I feel like I should.. but I can’t..” Eevie lowered her head - why did she feel so guilty? She didn’t know these people, at least, not the way they seemed to know her. “I can’t recall who any of you are..”

Gorou lowered his head, his tail tightening against his thigh as his ears went lower with sadness. He whimpered as he lifted his head up, peppering a small kiss on her knuckle. Eevie smiled softly at the gesture, still lost and confused.

Thoma attempted to stand up from the cot, wincing as he did so, walking- or limping over next to Gorou. “You saved me from losing my vision, Hara. Sh- she took yours instead. You said that helping friends was important to you, and-” He choked on his sobs as he spoke, watching Eevie’s expression shift dramatically as she stared at him, but despite her memories being gone, she felt bad. Without even realizing, her hand is on his and she gave him a gentle smile.

“I have no recollection.. but I feel, that, if you got to keep your Vision, then it would have been a worthy sacrifice.”

Gorou still kept his head on her hand, small tears escaping his eyes. ‘Where’d Kazuha go?’ He thought, worriedly, ‘is he okay..?”

—“Should it have been me?”—

Kazuha walked away from the camp, his pace slower than usual.

He couldn’t stop the tears that poured out, staining his fair toned cheeks with red. Occasionally wiping the tears away, he barely acknowledged the resistance members that said hello, hardly lifting his head.

He knew where he was going, where he wanted to go, but his sense of direction was shot. His composure lost- his emotions, stronger than an angry sea.

A sharp pain to the head - followed by a pained wince - reminded him he made it where he wanted to go. He didn’t lift his head from the tree trunk his face had hit. He just kept it there, his shoulders falling with the rest of him as his tears continued to rampage across his cheeks.

A small bloody spot on his forehead started to assume position, thankfully not gushing like his tears. He crawled in front of the tree to the spot he was in before Thoma had showed up, before he had seen Eevie hurt and stripped of herself.. and her memories.

On his knees, he sat there at the corner of the cliffside, trying so hard not to scream out in the agony, fear and guilt that consumed him.

“Should it have been me?”

—“You don’t need to be sorry”—

Eevie eventually snuck out of the tent, and followed the smell the white-haired male had left, a scent that was familiar, almost - cinnamon, fresh rain, and maple leaves.

She tracked it to the large tree at the cliffside, and caught view of him, the very same individual she’d seen in the tent. She walked towards him, keeping her gaze down and closing the distance between herself and him. When she spoke, she sounded.. scared, though whether she was scared of him, or scared of the fact she couldn’t remember him, is unclear.

“I’m sorry.”

Kazuha kept his head down, the pressure in his head much more intense than a few seconds ago. He wanted to stand up and hug her, hold her, help her remember, but even if he could, it’d be of no use. She couldn’t remember what was taken from her even if she was taken back to relive it all over again.

He just barely lifted his head enough to see her out of the corner of his eye, sniffling before responding, “There’s no need to be, little vixen.. it wasn’t your fault.”

He choked back a sob as he spoke, not even caring that he wasn’t looking at her.

Eevie walked up to him, and hugged him from behind, not saying anything - she just felt like he needed it, and perhaps she was right.

He felt her head in the crook of his neck, an overwhelming mix of relief, fear and longing feeling tugging at his heart. He leaned into her hug and sobbed again, attempting to twist his torso around to grab her right side with his left arm to scoop her up in his lap. She seemed a bit surprised by this, her head tilting, like a confused puppy. It’s not too surprising, though- it’s not like she could remember what she was to him, or vice versa.

He absorbed her expression, tears still falling endlessly as he pulled her in for a tight hug in his lap, sobbing into her shoulder as he continuously mumbled, “I’m sorry..! I’m so sorry!”, and, “what can I do?” repeatedly against her neck.

She let out a low whine, and hugged him back, her tail swished slowly as she buried her head in his neck - her instincts telling her what her memories could not.

“You don’t need to do anything.” She whispered, she leaned back, and touched her forehead to his. He winced softly, because of the mark on his head from hitting the tree when he came here, but he eased into the feeling of having her this close again. “I may not remember anything, but my instinct is enough to tell me this is.. right. That I belong with you. I should be the one apologizing, I can’t even remember your name..”

He chuckled softly and smiled at her words. “You don’t remember your Kazuha?”

He looked into her soft, green-eyed gaze, his vision burning a little due to the tears that threatened to spill again.

She looked guilty, and avoided his gaze as she shook her head, though she did take notice of his head wound, and she leans forward, swiping her tongue over it, just like a dog would have. “You’re hurt..”

Kazuha looked confused by the sudden change in expression and action, not really caring that the wound was bloody at all.

“W-well, it’s just a scratch. It’s okay,” he assured her, smiling softly. “I just hit my head on the tree behind me,” he followed, lifting his bangs out of the way. The mark stung a little, which he was good at hiding, to keep her from worrying too much.

She met his gaze once more, “are you usually so dismissive of such injuries?”

Her chiding sure hadn’t left her, even if her memories had. She examined the mark closely, seeing it already scabbed over, just barely..

He laughed softly at her question, cupping her face in his right hand, gently caressing her cheek. “And so what if I am? Anything to make you happy, right?” His mind said she was the same little vixen he always remembered, the same one that would lean into his touch when he cupped her face like that.

But she didn’t

Her ears flattened back, she seemed a bit confused by the gesture, her instincts told her it was okay, but without the memories of their time together, memories of him, and who he was to her, she didn’t know how to react. Her gaze looked torn as she pulled back, not knowing whether to trust her head or her heart. He pulled away, realizing, remembering what was happening, tears threatening to fall again as he takes his hand away from her face guiltily.

“I-“ he started, attempting to hide the tears that blinded him, “I’m so sorry..”

She reached for his hand, feeling bad. “I assume that.. we were.. partners, before my Vision was taken..?” Kazuha lifts her off of his lap, allowing her to stand on her knees next to him. He lowered his head again, trying to steady breathe before answering her, his voice cracking periodically.

“Y-ye-Ah. Yeah.. we were,” he took both of his hands and held them both in his lap, attempting not to choke on the tears he’s been holding back, “But it’s okay- it’s okay if,” he gulped down on the lump in his throat, the tears finally breaking free as he spoke, “it’s okay if you don’t want to, or if you feel that you’re not okay with it. I-“ his eyes had flooded as his composure broke yet again, the pressure rebuilt in his head as he put his head lowered once again.

She thought for a moment, and took his hands in hers. “..I do. I do want to. Right now I may not remember much, but my instincts have given me the intuition to know that, if I had chosen you before, then perhaps I could again.. I don’t have my memories. But, if I still have you..”

Her ears dropped to the sides of her head, she can’t bring herself to finish a sentence that contains a false hope within.

—“My autumn wind”—

Kazuha gazed down at his hand, seeing the amount of concern in her grasp. He could sense the emotion she was holding, but didn’t want her to push it out forcefully.

He took her hand and caressed it softly, tears still streaming slowly against his cheeks.

“You’ve always had me, little vixen,” he whispered softly, knowing she could hear it, regardless of how softly he said it.

“Like the water needs the clouds to hold it up, and the feathers keep the bird high in the sky, you and I have always supported each other and encouraged each other. I doubt there’s anything that can keep us from continuing that.”

Eevie smiled softly at his words, letting out a soft sigh of comfort as she spoke, “If that is the case, then I will continue to stay by your side.. my autumn wind.”

So this is my first ever writing on here. Very interesting little run of events here, to say the least. Thanks to the help of a good friend of mine, with his ideas and editing skills, his oc gets brought to life in a format that i’ve always peaked interests in. His oc, Eevie, now has another journey to start with our beloved Kazuha.

We hope you enjoy this piece of work, and hope to see your awesome reactions! Thanks for reading!!

~Emerald & Milo 💚

Milo @Eevie_Inky

[in-my-feels-probably]

INEFFABLE - Kaz Brekker

Chapter Three

If you would like to read this on Wattpad, it’s on there as well, my @ is in_my_feels_probably and there’s a few visuals and better descriptions and stuff on there. otherwise, enjoy, let me know what you think, and you can check out my masterlist for updates and more.

INEFFABLE - Kaz Brekker

ineffable (adj.) too great to be expressed in words, utterly indescribable; too sacred to speak of. 

Chapter Three

A little while later, the Crows were back at the Slat. Elham and Inej were gathered around Kaz’s desk, Kaz furiously going over papers, constantly checking his pocket watch for the time. Inej was growing more and more uneasy by the minute.

“What was that, hmm? You want to tell me?”

Kaz didn’t even look up from his work. “Be more specific.”

“It was one thing when we had at least a week to find a way across the Fold, but sunrise? We have to say no.”

“No.” Kaz and Elham said simultaneously. Kaz and Inej both turned to look at Elham. She shrugged, picking at the skin by her nails. “I’m not letting Pekka Rollins or any other man like him get this kruge when we have a shot at it.”

Inej exasperatedly sighed, knowing this conversation was a losing battle. “We can’t go!”

“Can’t we?”

Elham opened her mouth to speak, but the words died on her tongue. Inej had pulled up her sleeve, revealing her Menagerie tattoo. Elham’s heart sank into her chest. She hated that Inej was indentured to Tante Heleen, and she hated thinking about what Inej had to go through before Kaz took her into the Crows. Thinking about it made her sick to her stomach. While it’s true that Barrel men were not good men, and Heleen wasn’t a man, her fate would remain the same. The Valkyrie would get to her one day.

Inej looked at the pair with pleading eyes. “I can’t go.”

“You will. I have a plan.” Kaz looked as determined as ever. Inej sighed, and Elham gripped her hand, trying to be of some comfort.

“No, you don’t.”

“Inej!”

Inej persisted. “I’ve worked for you long enough to know when you’re still figuring things out. You don’t know how to pull off this job.”

Kaz’s face was menacing, and Elham straightened up, ready to break the tension. “I still have six hours, and right now, you aren’t helping.”

“Maybe you find a way across, but that doesn’t solve this problem!” Inej shoved her wrist into his face, and Elham reached for her hand, trying to calm her. Kaz only grew more frustrated.

“If I can’t crack this, no one’s going.”

“And if you do?”

“Then maybe you stay here!”

“Kaz, stop, that’s too far and you know it.” Elham pulled Inej closer to her, slowly stepping between her and Kaz. She could see Inej’s eyes beginning to cloud. Inej leaned her head around Elham’s shoulder, directing her voice to Kaz.

“Maybe I won’t be here when you get back.” She let go of Elham’s hand, easing her way out of her grip, and quickly leaving the room. Elham sighed, before turning back to Kaz.

“Inej? Inej!” Kaz tried following her to the archway of the door, but she was already gone out the window. He turned and walked back to his desk, where Elham was standing with her arms crossed, waiting for Kaz to speak. He didn’t.

“Do you want to explain to me what the fuck that was? Why would you say that to her, and what plan do you have to get her out of her indenture? Or do you just not tell me anything anymore? You know I trust you, I want this heist to work too, and I’m here to help in any way I can, but you know that crossed the line. That was above your usual level of prick.”

He scoffed, almost grinning. “Always the sarcasm. You’re welcome to join her if I’m too much trouble for you. I really don’t have time for this.”

Elham’s face fell. Kaz almost winced. “You’re such a bastard! You’re lucky I want this just as bad as you, and I’m willing to deal with your bullshit. You’re just gonna have to deal with me. Now, what’s the plan?” Kaz sighed, before breaking eye contact and turning to look out his door’s window, peering out into the Crow Club. There was a sound back in Kaz’s office, and the two exchanged glances. Kaz headed towards it.

“Inej? Listen, I--” Kaz stopped. There were multiple sets of footsteps headed towards them.

Kaz slowly backed up, a light panic on his face. He motioned for Elham to get behind him, and she slowly withdrew her sword. Two men came up into the archway, slowly advancing towards them. Kaz eyed the men, before jabbing the end of his cane into one of the men’s stomach, sending him flying back. He swung again, before the other man caught the end of his cane, sweeping it out from under him. One of the men grabbed onto Kaz, angling him by his shoulders, smashing his head down onto the desk.

Elham was panicking. She could tell that these men were Dime Lions, and that meant nothing good. But she couldn’t watch Kaz be restrained and beaten, so she slowly eased behind one of the men, raising her sword. She angled her arm high, ready to swing, before a hand wrapped around her throat, her sword being ripped from her hand.

She looked up to see Kaz on his knees restrained, struggling against the two men, before his face paled. Elham was forced to her knees, a hand still wrapped tightly around her throat. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see another man walk into her line of sight, and he replaced her attacker's position, holding her back as well. Elham tried turning to see who the leader was, before he gripped her jaw in his hand, forcing her to turn back to Kaz.

“Ah, ah, dear.” Elham stilled, rigid, breath picking up. She knew that voice.

Pekka Rollins.

He moved to stand in between her and Kaz. Kaz’s breath had hitched, and he had stopped struggling, now still in his attacker’s grasp. His face was strained, and Elham knew how painful this must be for him. To not only have someone touching him, holding him against his will, but to have Pekka Rollins standing in front of him with the upper hand, and she desperately wanted to get out of her attacker's hold, to get her and Kaz out of his office.

“Evening. Mr. Brekker, is it?”

Kaz was seething. “You’re a long way from home.”

“Am I? Like you were earlier, when you took a Grisha from the Orchid.”

Kaz was struggling in the Dime Lion’s hold now, trying to back away from Pekka approaching him. “The Orchid isn’t Dime Lion’s turf.”

Pekka was kneeling in front of Kaz now, almost blocking him from Elham’s sight. “Well, it’s a new acquisition, hmm. You heard it here first...now.” One of Pekka’s men tossed him Kaz’s cane, and Kaz began to struggle.

“Now, I know you saw Dreesen. You got the jump on whatever job he has. I don’t want the details, obviously, it’s just that you have a little travel hazard ahead of you. So, here’s the deal. You can do nothing, walk away from it. I’ll tell Dreesen I’m taking over for you. Then we’re even.”

“Not even close.”

“Hang on. The other option is...I’ll cave your head in with your own cane and dump you in the harbor. Hmm?” He had wrapped the head of Kaz’s cane around his neck, pulling him closer. Kaz’s breathing had picked up, he was clearly panicking and struggling.

Elham couldn’t take it anymore, and leaned as far as she could towards Pekka. “Leave him alone! Do whatever the fuck it is you came here to do, and go, just let him go, or we’re going to have a problem.”

Pekka swiftly turned, striking her across the face with the end of Kaz’s cane. He once again wrapped his hand around her throat, leaning in close to her face. She kept a cold facade, staring him down, ignoring the blood that was dripping from the cut in her eyebrow down her face.

“Don’t fucking touch her!” Kaz struggled to get to Elham, but Pekka just waved his hand in his direction, and the men tightened their hold on Kaz, pulling him back. “Brekker, you do that again, and it’ll be her head I cave in with your own fucking cane.” He turned back to face Elham, caressing her face. She leaned her head back as far as she could, before launching spit in his face.

Pekka calmly pulled a cloth from his coat, wiping his face. He returned it to his pocket, before turning back to Elham. He backhanded her across the face, and she could hear Kaz grunt behind Pekka in distress. “You’re a feisty one, eh? I’ll be out of your hair in just a minute, love, just give me a minute. And do shut up, I’d hate to put another scar on that pretty face.”

Elham sucked in a breath, setting her gaze on the floor. Pekka was satisfied with that, turning back to Kaz.

“Now, where were we? Ah, yes, you can drop the deal, or I can dump your bodies in the harbour. That first option seems better now, don’t it?” He backed away from Kaz, standing up. Before he could turn to leave, Kaz spoke up.

“Tell me...have we ever made a deal before?”

“You and me? Nah. Otherwise you’d know better...or you’d be dead.” He turned away, picking up Kaz’s cane, smashing it on the table. He grabbed Elham’s sword from up off the ground, examining it. She shook her head, struggling.

“This is a fine little blade...I like the hilt, it’s real fancy. I think I’ll keep it.” He smashed the sword against the table, bending the blade. He put it on the ground, pressing his foot against the end of it, popping and twisting the hilt from the top of the sword.

“Come on.” He motioned for his men to follow, and they released their hold on Kaz and Elham, pushing them to the ground. They left Kaz’s office.

Kaz scrambled towards Elham, who was rubbing her wrists, trying to soothe the skin from the tight grip that held them. She looked up at Kaz, eyes tearing up, noticing the bruise forming on his temple.

“Are you ok, Kaz?”

“Am I ok? He hit you in the head with my own bloody cane, he fucking hurt you, are you ok?” Kaz was gritting his teeth, trying to keep his composure. Rollins had hurt her, right in front of him.

She mustered up a smile, wiping at the blood on her face, wincing. “I’m fine. He broke my fucking sword though.” She wiped under her eyes, taking a deep breath. Pekka was going to pay for tonight.

“Saint’s, Elham, we can replace a sword.” He didn’t say it, but his tone was clear. She knew what he meant.

We can’t replace you.

Her eyes softened. “Are you ok, Kaz? You know what I mean.” He did know. She didn’t mean the pain, or having to see her get hurt, although that alone was enough to make him hurt. She was talking about seeing Pekka after so long, being restrained against his will, being touched. On top of it all, his cane was broken.

He couldn’t deny that his skin was crawling, that his head was clouded with thoughts of Jordie, that the waters had risen. That he knew this mission would be near impossible without the support of his cane.

But she was there.

She was there, and she was hurt, and neither were in the mood to be any more vulnerable than they just were. He just nodded his head. “I’m fine, El. You need to get that cut cleaned up.”

She just nodded, uneasily standing up, feeling on edge, glancing around. He stood, watching her uncomfortableness, seeing her eyes cloud. He knew what she was thinking.

“You’re safe. I’m not going to let anyone get to you. Now come on, we’ve lost too much time.”

He handed her a cloth off his desk for her to wipe some of the blood off with. She held his gaze, looking at him thankfully, and nodded, following him to the door.

---

A/N - hey guys, here's another chapter, i hope you like it! i'm trying my best not to go too out of character and keep it realistic, but it's just so fun to write some sappy shit. anyways, i'll have another chapter out soon, i hope you liked this one, let me know what you think. as always, comment or message me with anything, check out my other work, requests are open, and thank you so much for the support!

[toricrypticice]

The Golden Scarred

CHAPTER ONE (Losing it all)

`Hunter sighs as he leans back on his bed, his whole body aching slightly. He groans slightly, putting his hands over his face. Rascal tweets concerned landing on the male’s knee. Hunter sighs annoyed as he looks down at the bird removing his hands. He tweets again. 

“No no he didn't    ...this time” he sighs “but even if he did it’d only be because i messed up” This only caused the palisman to tweet angrily pecking his leg. “Ow hey! Belos is just doing his best okay?” The bird just stares at him. “What?! He is!” he rolls his eyes standing causing Rascal to flitter up “Whatever i don’t have time for this i should be figuring out how i can help heal his curse.” he sits at his desk taking out some paper and a book out. Rascal steals his pencil flying into the air. Hunter scoffs in annoyance. “Tsk- Palisman “ he shakes his head in annoyance. 

Weeks later

Hunter pet the bird softly as he reads before there’s a knock at his door. He gasps and Rascal lets out a soft tweet. “Shhh” he warns quickly, putting his book over the Palisman to conceal it before he stands, opening the door for none other than kikimora. He frowns, leaning slightly to block the view of his desk. 

“Golden Guard, Emperor Belos has requested your presence “ Kiki glares. Everyone knew the emperor never ‘requested’ anyone, if you didn't go well let's just say you wouldn't have to worry about any future meetings with the emperor. Hunter nods. He lifts his cape draping it on, before sliding his mask over his face, closing the door and heading to meet with his uncle. He can’t help but notice Kikimora lingering near his room. He narrows his eyes but continues, turning the corner. Why was she staying at his room? This puzzled him slightly but he shook it off, probably just jealous that the Emperor wanted to see him instead of her. I mean, come on he was WAY more useful. But this was weird, he didn’t currently have any missions to go over with the ruler. Maybe he was getting a new assignment? Yeah... He takes a deep breath before knocking on the huge wooden door. 

“Come in”

The Emperor's voice booms and Hunter can feel his heart start to race lightly. He bites his lip as he pushes the door open, kneeling in front of the steps to his Uncle’s throne. The room felt cold. 

“You wanted to see me Emperor Belos” Hunter looks up at his uncle. His uncle was leaning on his hand breathing a bit heavily as his piercing blue eyes stared down at Hunter. 

“Hunter.” He starts his voice low sending chills “Have you had any luck finding more Palisman like I asked?” The menacing male's fingers tapped on the arm of his throne a bit too quickly, almost impatient. Hunter can feel the tension in the air and he gulps but stands to answer as usual. 

“No sir I have not but I am working to-” Hunter is interrupted by a loud growl causing him to stop short in terror. Emperor Belos morfs slightly, a sharp spike flying towards the other male. Hunter flinches but it was too late. He gasps loudly as the abomination goo slices through his mask, carving a bit deeply near his left eye. He lets a light hiss of pain which he knew would only anger the emperor further. He resists the urge to hold his face as he feels the warm blood drip down under his chipped mask, his eye already having issues staying open. He clenches his teeth, feeling pain seer his face as his heart pounds quickly. 

“DON'T LIE TO ME!” Belos roars standing.  Hunter gulps, putting his head down flinching back as he bows again. Not knowing what to say. Dont lie? But that means..! There was the sound of Belos snapping his fingers before the door opened, someone entering. There is a light sound of quick short steps. 

Kikimora.

Hunter knew the sound all too well. He raises his head slightly, his eyes widening at the sight. 

Smug Kikimora holding a Palisman. 

A Small Red Bird. 

His Palisman. 

Rascal.

She hands the staff to the emperor. Hunter can feel his blood run cold as Belos tightly grips it, continuing to keep his scalding glare on Hunter. Kikimora's smirk showed slightly under her shirt as she leaves without another word bowing to the emperor. As soon as the door closes Hunter can hear his heart thumping loudly or maybe that was just the titans. He gulps slightly. He knew it was forbidden. Wild Magic and now he had been caught. But worse.. Rascal had been caught. But maybe it was for the best he was only here to serve the titans will after all. 

“You Disappoint me so much Hunter and after everything I've done for you. After everything the titan has done for you.” His voice booms as he looms over the young male, his grip on the Palisman tightening. As Rascal lets out a pained noise Hunter stands instinctively. 

“Don't-!” Hunter shouts, reaching his hand out, his words stopping short as he realizes his mistake, his hand dropping quickly. He grits his teeth as he watches Belos carefully place the staff down looking back down at the male. Hunter seemed to shrink back feeling shaky and a bit dizzy, “I-I'm sorry I-I didn’t-” Before Hunter can explain himself Belos dissolves into the floor reappearing next to him. His eyes widen as he flinches back when Belos ambushes him. He moves to avoid the hit, putting his hand up as some sort of feeble defense; this results in the emperor's strike piercing his ribs instead of his intended spot. Hunter chokes out a strangled yelp of pain. He holds his side in grief as blood starts pooling out, staining his shirt already. He stares in shock at his uncle as he quickly moves back. 

Sure Belos hit him before, hurt him. But this was-

He..

..

Belos growls again, advancing towards the male. 

At this Rascal flies forward flashing a fire spell into the emperor's face. He growls enraged as he steps back shielding himself from the blast. Hunter reaches forward grabbing onto the staff quickly. Using the staff to teleport further back from the Emperor. “Please Uncle.” His voice was desperate. He coughs using his free hand to grip his side to stop the bleeding gritting his teeth to keep from wincing. 

“You shall regret siding against the titan!” He morphs worse, shooting forward fast. Hunter gasps moving both hands onto the staff shakily moving back and creating a shield just before Belos could land a hit. He gasps the shield faltering slightly as his vision blurs. 

“I AM DONE WITH THIS!” The Emperor's voice  came out garbled and wrong. Hunter's shield suddenly dropped no matter how hard he tried to bring it back and his eyes widened as Belos smirks. A spike hit into his left shoulder launching him back, his body slamming forcefully against the window. 

“Agh” Hunter’s head spun as his vision blurred again. He closes his eyes for a moment hearing a slight crack. He quickly opens his eyes again, his vision focusing enough to see the Emperor launching a bright light towards him with his staff.  Hunter screams loudly before slamming his fist down on the glass so he would fall through before it hits him. The window falls through almost exactly at the bright light explodes, launching him further back from the tower. His grip on Rascal loosens as he feels dizzy and tired, his vision blurring again as the ground approaches quickly. He can feel sleep start to take him as his vision goes dark. 

Rascal takes action quickly supporting the males body, flying upwards and fleeing the castle. The Palisman lands when they are a good while away hidden in the woods. He flies up and pecks at Hunter’s face gently trying to wake him. It was urgent that Hunter took care of his wounds and to took shelter. By the look of the clouds it'd be raining soon. Hunter groaned painfully, struggling but forcing his eyes open. He felt sick to his stomach and his whole body was hurting badly. He let out a breath gripping his side as he sat up a whimper leaving him. He starts to shakily stand having to use his staff for support his head swimming. He moves his free hand from clenching his side to covering his mouth as he gags from the amount of pain he was under.  He starts to limp looking for shelter for the night. The sky cracks overhead brightly before booming loudly.  He cowered slightly, his ears were still ringing from the explosion.  Hunter sniffs softly as he walks, tears starting to drop down his face stinging his eyes and burning the left side of his face.

“For titans sake” Hunter mumbles, agitated by this sudden emotion. He wasn’t supposed to be crying, he was the golden guard, he was to remain strong and yet he still couldn't believe everything that just happened. 

Did he- 

betray Belos?

He feels more tears start to well and he shakes his head he couldn’t think about that right now he needed to focus. Rascal chirps and Hunter couldn’t help but smile.

“At least you're safe “ He stops by the river, ripping his cape off, peeling his top letting out a slight hiss before coughing into his gloved hand. 

“Ugh dammit!” He growls, ripping the sleeves off his shirt once it was off. Rascal flitted around him tweeting with concern. “Shush bird” he grunts, dipping one of the sleeves into the water before he dabs his abdomen where the deep hole was. He lets out a gasp, followed by a sputtered howl of pain a few more tears falling. He shakes his head, instead he would just stop the bleeding yeah yeah that should be fine, he'll be okay. He stretches the dry sleeve before grabbing a nearby stick putting it between his teeth. Rascal lands by his feet chittering confused. Hunter wraps the cloth around his waist taking a deep shaky breath before suddenly securing it tightly over the gash. He lets out a strangled yowl, his teeth clenching down on the wood splitting it as he hunches forward tying it tight before he staggers slightly using his staff for support as he holds his side spitting out wood chips.  He gags coughing again, this time when he pulls his hand away from his mouth it is coated in crimson. 

“Fuck that’s not good” he mutters seeing black spots in his vision he shakes his head ignoring it. He slowly kneels by the river groaning slightly as he does so. He slowly shakily takes his mask off frowning at his reflection. Jeez he looked like hell. His hair was a mess, his whole left side of his face was sticky with blood. He winces at the slight dropping the mask, his hand immediately going to where Belos had stabbed. His face felt hot and throbbed instantly, stinging at the sensation. He pulls his hand away, wincing feeling tears build again. He was useless. He outlived his usefulness to Belos. He had no one. 

A loud Hiccup erupted from his throat startling him, he flinches when a droplet of water from above touches his leg. Ah boiling rain of course.   He dips his hands into the water below splashing his face wiping it with the wet sleeve wincing with a hiss. He puts on what was left of his shirt before wrapping his cape back around him, slipping his mask back over his face . He wobbles slightly letting out a slight hiss. His body was aching everywhere, every move he made agony, he just wanted to rest. “Come bird we need to find shelter. “

Rascal tweets landing on his shoulder as he starts to limp searching, if only he knew the area his vision was becoming a bit fuzzy. He pants slightly leaning on a tree. “Just give- *huff* me a m-moment” He coughs roughly. The sky crashed above again any second the boiling rain would come down he needed- 

He sees a nearby cave. YES. he breaks into a run just as the water starts to pool down he huffs sputtering once he reaches the cave coughing harshly as he falls to his knees. Rascal tweets softly and hunter lays on the cold cave ground “I know just i need a moment to rest” he confessed his eyes feeling heavy  “Im sorry” his voice was shaky as he felt his vision go blurry falling asleep. 

Hunter woke up after sleeping through almost all of the next day. He groans gasping as he sits up seeing he was in a dark cave. His head felt fuzzy but slowly he pieces together what happened. He frowns. “Right” He shakes his head standing carefully. Rascal twitters at this. “No no I'm not going back… not just yet i need- i need to prove my worth again” rascal seemed upset by this response. “Come on, I need to go into town and get some actual bandages.” He grabs his staff heading into Bonesborrow. He keeps his head down as he walks, feeling his heart racing badly. He shakes his head. He needed to calm down so he wouldn't be caught. No one could- he stops seeing a new coven poster. His shoulders start shaking

Wanted for treason against the emperor.

Reward one million snails.

Wanted Alive

The Golden Guard.

 A picture of Hunter

His eyes widen and he feels like he can't catch his breath.  He quickly rips the poster down looking around to make sure no one saw, he spots a booth with half off merchandise. He wanders over deciding to just focus his attention on something else for now. He picks up a half off basket seeing a black cloak,  he puts it in the basket. He then sees some cloth bandages, he puts those in the basket as well seeing a few more customers start to also notice the sale he waits until he notices the stand owner distracted before he breaks off into a run from the stand. 

After a few minutes of running he hears the shout of ‘thief!’ he had been expecting, he turns a corner hiding against the wall, he takes his cloak off putting the new black one on slipping the hood up. He stashes his old cloak in the basket panting, already feeling exhausted for the day. His body aches but he ignores the feeling heading back to his cave he almost nearly collapses when he gets back. Rascal tweets sadly 

“i know! but i had no choice i don't have anything” he snaps angrily taking the gauze out with a frown. He slowly takes his shirt off feeling his hand shakes “i can do this..” he felt shakier than yesterday. He unties the shirtsleeve he had used as a makeshift bandage he lets out a loud whimper as he peels it from his body. It was soaked in blood. He gulps feeling tears build as he holds back a gag as the slight of the gash which oozed and bled when he removed the clothe. He gulps clenching his teeth as he tightly starts to wrap his torso whimpering “ahh titan” he sniffs hacking loudly as he ties it off  before he gasps in pain “fuck t-that was worse than yesterday..” he mumbles holding his now bandaged wound. He lays down feeling dizzy from the exertion. Rascal tweets and Hunter shakes his head. “No i’ll take care of the rest later.” he mutters feeling tired but his eyes open slowly when his stomach growls loudly. When was the last time he had eaten? He couldn't remember. Rascal twitters again which causes Hunter to get agitated and a bit overwhelmed.

 “I know that! I don't have food! I don't have proper shelter! I have nothing!!” he yells as he sits up feeling so alone he shakes his head as Rascal flinches back. He frowns, feeling his stomach turn and he stands  “just-.. stay here i’ll go find food.” he mutters shakily leaving the cave. He sighs, he should have grabbed food in town then he wouldn’t have to go looking, what would he even find in the woods. Probably death. Plus he wished he hadn’t yelled at Rascal. He was just worried. Hunter frowns before he hears a snap of a twig. He gasps quickly diving into a nearby bush letting out slight hiss of pain before he peers out. 

Luz the human walking with a plate, a plate of… sandwiches. Oh god. Food!!  His stomach growls loudly again and he blushes darkly backing further into the bush. 

“Did you hear something Hooty?” Hunter watches as the human walks over to where a blanket was set up, a strange worm owl looking creature waiting for her. Hunter sticks out his tongue. What the heck is that? Hooty only hoots happily. 

“Luz you forgot the tea, don't worry I’ll get it! Hooty to the rescue!” he chants as he zooms away to which Luz gasps, putting the plate down and running after the demon. 

“No Hooty!! You know what happened last time.”  Hunter's eyes widened. Unguarded food. He doesn't even think as his legs pull him forward, he sprints over picking up one of the sandwiches he pushes his mask up eating hungrily scarfing it come grabbing another sandwich as he chews he stares at the plate tempted to take the last sandwich as well but he shakes his head running back away as he hears voices. Shit shit shit, he dives again into the nearby bush feeling his side flare with pain. He clenches his teeth staying completely still holding the sandwiches close to his chest as he pants quickly staring back at the blanket as the two return., “That’s weird I made three sandwiches? One for you, me and King.” She looked around the area and hunter ducks deeper feeling branches dig into him uncomfortably, but it was worth it for the sandwiches. He lets out a light sigh of relief as the human sits down before he slips from the bush running off unaware that Luz in all her confusion had spotted the male running off. Hunter runs back to the cave panting heavily before breaking out into a light laugh, Rascal looking at him confused

. “Ha I risked my life for sandwiches'” his laughing slowly started to turn to slight hiccups “how far I've fallen” he sniffs sliding down the cave wall. He pulls off a small piece off the sandwich as he sniffs crumbling a few pieces on the ground for rascal. Rascal chirps concerned flittering to his knee. “No just eat, I'm fine” he wipes his face, he couldn't afford to be weak. He takes one bite before putting the rest in his bag for later he didn't know when he would get food again 

[tomtenadia]

A Little Braver - Chapter 14

It’s Monday and it’s new chapter time.

First of all... the gif above is one of the most hilarious scenes in Top Gun, so when i started writing this chapter I knew I had to re-enact it. The manoeuvre is called buzz the tower. 

This chapter is a moment of respite from what’s going to happen next. it’s a bit angsty at the beginning, but then it gets lighter.

CW: hurt/comfort,  PTSD, panic attacks, and also a bit NSFW,

Enjoy

----------

She was in a room, of that she was sure. The heat was becoming unbearable by the second and the smoke enveloped her in a tight grip. Her eyes burned and she felt lost. Everywhere she looked there was smoke. Slowly she walked to a door and once she opened she saw fire. She walked in. She had to find him. She moved a step and her skin felt on fire. She walked and walked.

“Help,” she heard a male voice. She moved towards it. But when she found the person she noticed it was too late. She could still recognise his features: Sam. He was dead and she was too late. She started running as the tongues of fire chased her and the sense of being lost got worse. She ran and collided with something metallic. It was a plane. Its wings were broken, the canopy smashed. She noticed a figure in it. She walked to the aircraft and her heart stopped when she noticed the silver hair: Row— an explosion filled her ears.

Aelin woke with a scream, she threw the duvet aside and launched herself off the bed, crashing on the floor and then ran for the bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach in the toilet. Over and over again. Tears pricked her eyes and she noticed her hands shake visibly. Exhausted, Aelin plopped on the floor and let the tears fall. It was just a bad dream. Just a bad dream. But she could still smell Sam’s charred skin and the odour of kerosene. Her sobs intensified and when she started hyperventilating she realised a panic attack was building up.

“Rowan…” she called but remembered too late that he had gone out with Aedion. She tried to bring her breathing under control but failed and the sense of terror grew stronger. Slowly, trembling she dragged herself back to the bedroom and once she reached the nightstand, with trembling hands, grabbed her phone and called Rowan.

His answer was immediate “hey you, miss me already?”

Aelin could not reply straight away, she tried to calm her breathing “I…” she started sobbing again “I am scared.” Was all she managed before her sobs took over completely.

“Aelin, where are you?” Rowan’s voice was panicked “Are you at home?”

He and Aedion had driven her home before going for their night out.

“Yes…” he voice barely audible.

“I am on my way.” And he closed the conversation.

Aelin dropped the phone and collapsed exhausted on the floor.

Rowan had cut his night short and drove back home like a madman. He should have never left her alone. He knew she was suffering from nightmare and panic attacks. But the idea of going out with Aedion had been very tempting. They had a great night and they had a fascinating chat that helped him a lot. His heart raced and growled at every single set of traffic lights. He had to be back home quickly. Aedion had mentioned to keep an eye on Aelin for PTSD. He hadn’t told the man that Aelin was already showing two symptoms. The nightmares and the fact that at night she struggled to sleep. He was getting really worried and his finger tapped nervously on the steering wheel.

He finally made it home and ran in the house, sprinted to the bedroom and found Aelin on the floor. Her mobile had slipped from her hands. He hoisted her in his arms and took her to the bed noticing her clammy skin. Gently he deposited her on the bed and went to the bathroom to grab a cloth. With it he brushed her face and cleaned it. She had been sick. He stood again and went to grab a fresh pair of pyjama and changed her making sure not to cause any more injury to her arm. Gently he tucked her under the blanket. She was sleeping and he did not want to wake her. He kissed her head and then he went to get himself ready for bed. Once he joined her under the blankets he pulled her to his chest and enveloped her body with his. His strong arms looped around her frame and his leg draped over hers in a protective embrace.

*

It was early morning when he woke, kissed Aelin’s head and brushed her blonde hair away from her face. She had managed to sleep throughout the night and he relaxed. She must have been exhausted after whatever happened. He imagined she had another nightmare and a panic attack. She was his brave and fierce Fireheart and it destroyed him to see her like that.

Rowan felt her move and slowly shift to awareness, her body turned and blue, beautiful eyes met his.

“Morning.” He smiled at her and kissed her briefly.

“You are here.” Her hand brushed his face.

“Of course I am here.”

“You…” but she stopped and shook her head “it’s nothing.” And she turned.

“What is it, Aelin?”

“Nothing.” She repeated and curled in a foetal position turning her back to him “you will leave me eventually. Everyone does.” He heard her cry.

He rolled her over and made sure she faced him “I am not going anywhere.”

“You will leave me, just like Sam did…” she whispered against his chest “and I will be alone again.”

His heart ached painfully. He wanted to make her a promise that he would always come back but his job was just as dangerous as hers and he could not utter that promise and lie to her.

“Do you want me to give up my job?”

She looked up at him “no.” she kissed him “no, I could never ask you that. No matter how much it scares me.” She leaned a bit more into him “Just come back to me.”

“It will be my pleasure.”

They remained in bed holding each other for a while. Aelin had told him about her nightmare and telling him felt good.

Rowan looked at his phone and groaned “damn I need to go to work.”

Her face turned sad and he kissed her pout away, then he had an idea “Come with me.”

“Uh?”

“You are still a consultant. I know that Lorcan has continued our project with Aedion. But you can come and see for yourself what we have done.” Then he gave her a big smile “you can see me fly as well. The guys and I will be probably running some drills as well as we have a performance review coming.”

The smile that she gave him almost made his heart melt. With renewed energy she jumped off the bed, ran to his side and began pulling him out of bed “come on, shower and we are going.”

“Fine, fine,” he complained and dragged himself out of bed, then he grabbed her and carried her to the bathroom sack of potato style. Aelin trashed in his arms, he pinched her buttocks in reply and she squealed. He deposited her in the bathroom and once free he started to undress and Aelin stared at him while leaning against the sink with a wanton smile on her face.

She peeled off her clothes and walked to him. Her hands brushed his chest, following the lines of his tattoo and then her tongue traced the same path. He folded his arms around her and pushed her in the shower and opened the jets. Another step and she was pinned to the wall. Aelin looked up at him “I do love a good wall in the morning.”

In a second his mouth was on hers, a hard demanding kiss. Her mouth opened to him and his tongue brushed against hers “well, let’s try and not disappoint you.” He pulled her legs around him and with one thrust he was in her.

The shower took longer than expected but it had put Aelin in a better mood and that’s all he cared about. He was getting ready in his uniform and smiled when Aelin hugged him from behind “What?” He asked softly while tying his tie.

“Thank you for being at my side last night.”

Rowan stiffened “I should have been with you all night, but I didn’t.”

Aelin placed a kiss on his back “but you came back straight away and it helped. In your arms I slept peacefully. You made me feel safe.”

“Well,” he turned and faced her “I need to make sure we do that every night.”

Aelin nodded and went to her side of the closet to grab her clothes “did you have a nice time with Aedion?”

“I did. And he helped. He went through this a few times and well, it felt good to talk with someone who could fully understand.” Then he stopped and looked at her “I don’t mean that you can’t. You have been supportive and amazing.”

Aelin stepped up to him “I know, but Aedion has been in the military. I haven’t. He can help you talk about things I might not understand. That’s why I asked him to take you out.”

“Thank you.” He said leaning over for a kiss “Are you ready?”

Aelin twirled in front of him, she just had jeans and a hoodie and he still thought she was the most stunning creature he had ever seen “I am, captain. All ready to see my top gun in action.”

My. Rowan felt a tug of deep joy at hearing her using that possessive for him. Since she forced the topic after the opera he realised that he had been fooling himself when he tried to convince himself he had no deep feelings for her. He wanted her. To be with her. To commit to her. And he was going to show her just how much.

He took her hand and together they walked out of the house.

*

They arrived at the base not long after “do you have your badge?” He told her as they reached the first check point.

Aelin fished it out of her bag and showed it to him.

“Captain,” the man in the booth said acknowledging Rowan “captain.” He added towards Aelin.

They drove through the second check point without being stopped and then Rowan parked in the staff car park. Aelin put her lanyard with her badge around her neck and followed Rowan inside, taking his hand.

They walked into his office and Aelin took in the room. She had been inside the first time she had visited him but not bothered to notice anything around. The place looked immaculate and super organised. A big filing cabinet at his back and a bookshelf full with books. Aelin went to have a look and discovered they were all books about flying. Then at the top of the shelf she noticed metal planes all lined up.

“This one,” he said, pointing to a plane with propellers “it’s called a spitfire. It’s quite an epic one.”

“Did you fly it?”

Rowan laughed “No, it’s an old plane. I wasn’t even born when it was used but it’s just gorgeous.”

“It looks cool,” said Aelin looking at the other models.

“These are some of the other planes I have flown.” He pointed to the remainder ones. 

“And this?” She took in her hand the model of an aircraft carrier.

“That is the first aircraft carrier I have served on. I met some great people there.” And lost a lot as well, but he did not say that out loud. “It was my first mission and like a proper newbie I was all excited and eager to prove myself.”

Aelin smiled and then her eyes noticed a picture on the wall behind his desk “is that you?”

Rowan nodded and walked closer to her “the day I graduated from the academy. I was nineteen.”

She took his hand feeling the anguish in his voice “you look quite dashing.”

“I felt smug as fuck and invincible. I had finished the academy at the top. I came out number one.”

“Such a nerd.” She gave him a smile.

He turned her and grabbed her shoulders “don’t tell me that you were not a competitive brat at the academy.”

“I was the only woman at the time. I had to fight twice as much. I showed them all and I finished at the top as well and I made captain well before some of the morons who thought that they were better than me because they allegedly, had the correct reproductive apparatus.”

Rowan snorted and Aelin glared at him “don’t tell me you are one of those because I am going to dump your arse so hard you have no idea.”

He kissed her “No. I have been fighting with Lorcan for a while to get women to serve in the airforce if they want to. The navy has them, the army does as well. We are the only corp that doesn’t and I have been losing this battle for a while. Lorcan is one of those and since he doesn’t believe in the fact that women should be allowed in the airforce he never brings the fight to the higher levels.”

She kissed him and she felt like her heart could explode with love for him.

“He really is an arsehole.”

“I am not his biggest fan either recently.”

“Can’t you take the fight higher up? Go over his head?”

Rowan sighed “we are run by a bunch of old fashioned mummies who are even more retrograde than Lorcan.”

Aelin was about to reply when someone knocked at the door. At Rowan’s invitation she saw the man called Gavriel enter the room “We are all ready to go. We got clearance from the tower and the guys are getting changed now.” Then he noticed Aelin and gave her a big smile “hello, captain.”

“Hello, Commander,” she greeted him remembering his rank. She had liked the man from the start.

Rowan kissed her “I’ll be back in ten minutes. I need to get changed. I’ll come and get you.”

Aelin nodded and he left with Gavriel.

“So, you finally decided to do the right thing,” said the other man to Rowan.

“Uh?”

“Stop grieving and being scared and finally try to be happy.”

Rowan gave him a tight smile “she is worth it.”

*

Aelin waited in his office and when she got bored she grabbed one of his books about flight and started reading. She had been doing some research on her own to understand his job a bit more. She grabbed one that seemed to start from the basics and began reading how a plane did manage to stay in the air. She was so engrossed in the book that she missed him coming back. When she lifted her eyes she saw him standing in front of her in his flight suit. Gods, he was… she had so many naughty thoughts crossing her mind.

“What are you reading?” He asked her, noticing the book abandoned on the desk.

“Oh…” she cleared her voice “just discovering how a plane can stay up.”

Rowan laughed “four forces: thrust, lift, drag and push or gravity” he told her with a smug smile and then he offered her his hand “come on.”

She followed him and they walked to the hangar and every so often she checked him out. In the jump suit he was even hotter than usual.

They entered the hangar and Aelin noticed a lot of people swarming around the five jets “the engineers are getting the planes ready,” he explained her as they got closer to his.

They stopped and Rowan got to open the canopy and finished to dress by adding what he had told her was a G suit used to help with the pressure with manoeuvres where they had to pull a lots of Gs. She stared at him doing all the checks to his suit and then gave a man at her side the thumb up.

“This is Greg,” said Rowan nodding at the man at their side “he is my engineer. Once we are ready to go he will take you to the observation tower.”

Aelin smiled. She was really going to see him fly.

“Give me a have fun kiss,” he said leaning into her.

Aelin brushed his hair and kissed him deeply, then she broke the kiss and her forehead was against his “Be safe.”

He kissed her nose “I love you,” he said very softly.

He left her and climbed into his jet. She studied him finishing to don his helmet, do some checks and then he waved at her. He gave Greg a thumbs up and Aelin saw some other people take the jet away. No taxi, she corrected herself using the right term.

“Miss, you can come with me. They are taxing out and it’s going to get loud in here.”

Aelin nodded and followed the man, casting a glance ever so often to where Rowan had disappeared.

They climbed up the tower and Aelin gasped at the view. She could see the jets lined up on the runaway.

“They are waiting for final clearance from the tower. They will go that way for a bit, but eventually will come back here.” He passed her a pair of binoculars “these are handy.”

Aelin thanked him.

“Don’t leave until someone comes back to collect you. Probably captain Whitethorn will come himself. You are safe up here.” He explained her and Aelin nodded.

The man disappeared and she leaned against the wall. She stared at the jets and then realised she had no idea how to tell them apart.

One at a time all the jets took off, they disappeared at the horizon and eventually came back a flew by the tower. One of them rolled its wings up and down and she had a feeling that was Rowan.

She giggled and grabbed the binoculars.

A moment later she felt a presence at her side. Lorcan had joined her with a thermos of coffee in his hands “Enjoying the view?” He asked in a bored tone.“The fun should start soon. Whitethorn is probably explaining the parameters of the exercise and creating the two teams, that’s why they are still in formation. As soon as the game starts you will see them veer up and break into two groups.”

“How can you tell them apart?”

“Habit.”

Aelin rolled her eyes.

“Whitethorn is that one,” he pointed at the jet at the head of the formation.

“That’s it.” Said Lorcan and Aelin saw the team break apart like he had told her.

Lorcan brought out a radio and he changed to a channel that allowed him to listen to radio chatter of his pilots.

“Do you do this often? Coming up here and watch them, I mean.”

“Every time they are out. I am not as much as a monster as the captain depicts me.” He sighed and looked at his pilots “I care about them. They are my team.” then he chuckled and pointed at the jets in the air “Fenrys is already trying to get a lock on Whitethorn. Can you see how he is flying?”

Aelin followed the scene with interest and the radio went silent as the man probably concentrated on their job.

“Moonbeam is sneaky but there is a reason why Whitethorn is the best.”

“I got your arse, Iceman.” She heard Fenrys over the radio. Then something amazing happened. She saw the jet in front of the young lieutenant pull up in a vertical and breaking and letting the other jet pass him the he pulled down and Rowan ended up behind him and over the radio she heard a noise.

“Another time, wolf.” She heard Rowan laugh and the sound warmed her heart “you can sit this one out, pup.” 

“That was awesome.” Said Aelin in awe.

“Whitethorn is not an easy one to get. I think in many years of drills only Gavriel managed the feat a few times. And we all believe it was because well, he was not himself.”

Aelin had an inkling she knew when that was. 

“I think he needs this today. Losing that student has sent him back to a dark place.”

“How so?” Asked Aelin curious.

“Not my story to tell.”

They went back watching the exercise “that is a high G barrel roll, isn’t it?” She remembered it from thew video.

“Well done, captain.”

“Rowan has told me about some manoeuvres.”

“You see why he did that?” Lorcan pointed at the jets.

Aelin nodded, “the plane behind him is too close for comfort so that is an option to shake him off.”

Lorcan nodded “That is Gavriel. He probably painted him once already and had Rowan’s tail and a firing solution as well so Rowan pulled that manoeuvre to get rid of him and succeeded.”

“That’s Connall being his wingman. And Vaughan is with Gavriel.”

Then she gasped. Rowan had just flew in between Vaughan and Gavriel in a vertical line then she saw him bank and get back in formation.

“That’s Connall gone as well. It’s just Whitethorn against Vaughan and Gavriel.”

Gavriel was fast and sneaky. Even someone like her could see that. 

Rowan was on his own but Lorcan did not seem worried. His planes flew mere metres from a second one, their bellies almost touching. He rolled away and then pulled into a dive chasing the plane that was trying to escape. He stood at the other person’s tail playing chase until she heard over the radio curses coming from Vaughan and she knew the man was out as well.

“Now things get interesting.” Commented Lorcan who seemed cheerier all of a sudden.

“Rowan told me you are against the idea of having females in the airforce.”

His face turned hard again “I was just starting to like you, captain.”

“What is your problem with our gender?”

“You cannot do that.” He pointed at the fight scene in front of them.

“That is exactly what I heard all throughout the academy. I was the only woman at the time. I was told I did not have what it took. That as a woman my body could not sustain the heavy training regime, that I had no chance of becoming just as good a firefighter as a man. They thought that me being born with a vagina prevented me from being a firefighter.” She explained, not removing her gaze from the two remaining planes “I proved them all wrong, sir. I finished the academy at the top of my class. I set the record in one of the exercises and no one has broken it just yet. I made captain before many of those pricks and I am still to this day the only woman who did so.”

“This is a dangerous job.”

Aelin scoffed and showed him her bandaged arm “I almost died after running into a building on fire. And I do that on a daily basis. Don’t talk to me about a dangerous job.”

Lorcan breathed out “you made your point.”

“Elide has her own ideas as well on the matter. She might be tiny but she is one scary woman.”

His face all of a sudden lost its hard edges. Oh look, the man had feelings.

“She is quite an amazing woman.” He confessed.

“You’d better remember that.”

“She told me about… her past.”

Aelin knew. Elide had told them.

“It doesn’t bother me. I mean, it bothers me what the fucker did to her but not that she… has no experience.”

“Good, because Elide is very nervous about all that stuff.”

“When she is ready.”

Aelin nodded and went back to the fight. It looked like Rowan was trying to get on Gavriel’s tail. The older man pulled into a vertical but Rowan never left him. Aelin stared at the climb and wondered how many Gs they were pulling. The jet flew with the canopies facing each others. Aelin then noticed Rowan’s plane break formation. Pull, again the strange breaking manoeuvre and make a precise loop that landed right on Gavriel’s tail. 

A moment later she heard the long beeping sound and soon after a barrage of curses from Gavriel.

“That was damn sneaky.”

Aelin laughed and waved at him, not sure he could see her “That was awesome.”

“Oh, they are not done yet. Rowan’s drills are quite intense. We are in for much more fun. Now they all want revenge.” Added Lorcan leaning again against the wall and taking a sip of coffee from his thermos. 

“He really is good.”

Lorcan nodded “he was the best since flight school. And his cool temper helps him to be great in a situation of great stress. That’s why we have been fighting recently. He has been rash and impulsive. That is not him.”

Aelin did not make any comments on that.

“Rowan and I have known each other for a very long time, since we were both still in Doranelle.” He told her “he is very respectful of rank and etiquette but with me and in private he had always spoken his mind and a few times he had pegged me down a few notches. We both have clashing tempers and it tends to end badly at times.” He sighed “I had no intention of suspending him but I had to. And I have a feeling he looked for a fight on purpose to get suspended. To be with you.”

Aelin gasped. She was not expecting such revelation. She had assumed Lorcan had followed the rules.

“I hope you realise he put his career in jeopardy for you. A captain pulling a stunt like that and breaking aerospace lockdown was bad. And leaving his post at the airbase in Doranelle was just as bad.”

“I am grateful that he did, though. I might be selfish but he helped me greatly and he is still doing it.”

“Don’t fuck up his life, captain. One woman did it already and I think it’s enough.”

Lorcan’s words toward Lyria sounded quite harsh.

The exercise eventually came to an end but Lorcan stood there with her.

She heard Rowan ordering the team to go back to base.

“Tower, this is Iceman, requesting permission for a flyby.”

“Request denied, Iceman.”

“Get your arse back to base, Whitethorn,” shouted Lorcan over the comms.

Aelin stared at Rowan’s jet, the only one still in the air and looked at the very strange trajectory.

Then it was a matter of a second and a deafening noise startled her and a second later she heard a curse. Lorcan had spilled his hot coffee on his uniform and was now threatening the worst punishments for Rowan. She wanted to laugh but she restrained herself.

“Let’s go back down, captain. Your boyfriend is in for a treat.”

They got back inside and by the time they were back in the hangar the five jets were parked as well and Rowan was complimenting his team for a nice training session.

“Whitethorn.” Shouted Lorcan marching up to him “The tower clearly denied you the flyby. What is your problem?”

His green eyes landed on her and she saw a flash of amusement in them. 

“I should ask you the same thing, sir. Your uniform needs a change.” With his head he pointed at the stained clothing.

“Your arse in my office. Now.”

Rowan stood to attention and followed Lorcan. He looked at Aelin and winked at her.

“Did you enjoy that, captain?” It was Gavriel’s voice at her side.

“Immensely. It was super fun to watch.” She sighed “I know that when you guys do it for real is not fun, but this drill was awesome.”

She turned to where Rowan and Lorcan had disappeared and got worried “Will he be okay?”

It was Connall who answered “they will yell at each other for a while. Lorcan will call the captain reckless. Explain to him what regulations say with regard to the dear practice of buzzing the tower.”

“What’s buzzing the tower?” She interrupted not recognising the expression.

“The manoeuvre the captain did. It’s a very low pass made to startle or frighten someone. The noise of the jets, as you have experienced is quite high. The captain knew the commodore was with you and very likely had coffee.”

“It was a stupid thing to do.” Added Gavriel not happy “he knows that manoeuvre is dangerous.”

“Let the man have some fun. With all the shit that is going on he has been in a foul mood.”

Gavriel growled at Fenrys “first of all, our job is not to have fun. If that’s what you want, well I have got news for you, boyo. You are in the wrong job.” Gavriel moved closer to the young lieutenant “the captain has lost a student. Have some fucking respect for someone who is grieving.”

Gavriel shouted some orders to the ground crew and moved away “it was a pleasure to see you again, captain.”

She waved back at the man. She liked him. The three young men followed as well.

Not knowing what to do she found her way back to his office, thinking it to be the best and safest option. He came back to her half an hour later and he did not seem too mad.

“Are you two still alive?” She asked him as he walked into the office and lay down on the sofa.“Yeah, he is still alive. I told him to fuck off only once.”

She stood from his chair and walked to him “buzzing the tower was not a great idea.”

He looked at her with curiosity.

She tilted her head “they guys explained the manoeuvre to me.

He stood, closed the distance and his arms went around her waist “I was saying hi to you…” he kissed her “and when I saw Lorcan I knew he’d have coffee with him. He always does.” He kissed her again “and can I add how much of a turn on is when you use technical terms?”

“You are evil.” She poked him in the chest.

“No news there,” another kiss “did you enjoy the show?”

“It was awesome. So, so awesome. And you are quite incredible, captain. And I also recognised one of the manoeuvres from the book you were reading on the beach.” She told him all excited.

“Which one?”

They were so close their bodies were now touching “the high G barrel roll when Gavriel painted you.”

His jump suit was unzipped down till his navel and her hands landed on the t-shirt he wore underneath and he had the suit sleeves rolled to his elbows. He was stunning.

“So… so turned on just now…”

She pressed against him, his hands found their way in her hair and pulled her close for a hot kiss.

“I have so many naughty thoughts as well…”

“And I feel like breaking another rule…” he whispered in her ear and Aelin felt heat pool at her core.

He went to the door and locked it and when he turned he saw that Aelin had removed her hoodie and t-shirt and was sitting on his desk with just trousers and a bra.

Rowan closed the distance in a second, and his mouth claimed hers with an intensity that took Aelin off guard. She had quickly learned that sex with him was never boring and that the man had the power to reduce her to an exhausted mess. Not that she complained…

“I love naughty Rowan,” she teased with a finger on her lips. He moved between her legs, pulling her closer and took the finger in his mouth sucking it and licking it suggestively.

Aelin removed her bra and heard his gasp, then she proceeded to free him from the jump suit and leave him in his black briefs and his grey TAF t-shirt. She looked down and discovered him hard for her. He grabbed the back of his shirt and tugged it off.

“Are we doing something about those trousers, captain?”

Aelin smiled and slowly and with provocation unbuttoned her jeans and started lowering the zip. In a swift motion he pulled them down and away, taking her underwear with them, leaving Aelin stark naked “in a rush, captain?”

He bit her earlobe “the door might be locked, but people might still come and look for me.”

“Well, we better be quiet and pretend there is no one in the office.” And she kissed him eliciting a moan from him “I said quiet, captain.”

Aelin jumped off the table and a moment later was on her knees in front of him. Her hands grabbed his butt and then pulled down his briefs “lean against the table, sir.” He did so and a moment later her mouth was on him and he had to restrain himself to stifle the loud moan that threatened to escape from him. She looked up at him in his green eyes and with her tongue licked the tip.

“Fuck,” swore Rowan never breaking eye contact with her. She looked at him and could see lust in his eyes. Her tongue licked the length of him and then she took him in her mouth fully and Rowan let out another curse “If you…” his hands tightened on the desk when she added a hand “continue like this I might not— ” and his protest was cut off when she gently added teeth as well. She still looked at him in challenge and then sucked hard and that was Rowan’s undoing. He pulled her up and deposited her on the desk on her back, her legs wrapped around his waist.

“You wicked, wicked woman…” he told her silencing her protests with a sizzling kiss while a finger slipped into her and Aelin’s back arched at the feeling he coaxed from her. With her legs, she pushed him closer and felt his hardness nudging at her entrance and pulled a bit more as if to tell him what she wanted. He kissed her and his finger hooked inside her teasing that sensitive spot inside her.

“Whitethorn,”she ordered him.

“Such a demanding woman,” and with those words he pushed into her and Aelin had to cover her mouth with her hands to stop the indecent moan that was about to escape from her.

It hadn’t take them long to reach their peaks and now Rowan was leaning on top of an equally spent Aelin. It had been short and intense.

He kissed the space between breasts “I didn’t even have time to greet your friends here,” he added posing gentle kisses on each breasts.

She pulled him in for a kiss “it’s okay… this woman here feels very pleased and satisfied.”

He smiled at her “we better get dressed again. Just in case.” Very quickly they got their clothes back on then Aelin walked to him “I blame the jump suit.”

He raised an eyebrow “not the amazing content inside?”

She kissed him “the jump suit makes the content tastier.”

“Come on,” he took her hand, unlocked the door and walked out of the office “I promised to show you what we did.”

Aelin squeezed his hand and followed him. He took her around the airbase and they covered all the places that she had mentioned needed changes. The works on hangar bay 2 were almost over and the place was still empty but in far batter shape that last time she had seen it. Aelin walked closer to the walls and touched them “fire retardant paint?”

Rowan nodded “Aedion suggested it. The whole of hangar 2 is painted in it. And once the works here are all done, we will do the same in the main hangar.” She walked around impressed that they had taken on board every single suggestion she had made “I am impressed, captain. The place looks amazing.”

“Given the budget we got, Lorcan had ordered to do the same in the main hangar.”

“So, the man can do his job. Good to know.”

Rowan took her around the rest of the base and Aelin approved of what she had seen.

“What time is your doctor appointment?” Asked Rowan as they got back to his office.

“I will need to go soon.”

“Will you text me?” He asked her brushing a wild lock of hair from her face.

“I will let you know.”

She had a meeting with a doctor about her return to work. She knew it was only for desk duty but the idea of going back at the station was quite exciting.

Rowan pulled her into an embrace “go get them.” In response she kissed him.

“Don’t kill Lorcan, captain.”

He gave her a huge grin and she left.

-------

the gif above gives you an idea of one of the trick our bird boy pulled.

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