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midnight-in-town · 3 years

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About the current (last?) arc of AnY and going full circle

Sorry if some fans already mentioned those ideas but I’ve been rereading the current arc, because it’s been quite long and the pace has its flaws sometimes, so I wanted to broaden my perspective on the story.

First of all, as an introduction can I just say that I’m, as always, impressed by Hak’s character. He had so much cliché and shallow potential when the story started (I really used to roll my eyes at him), but he became one of my absolute favorite by how deep and strong-hearted he actually is, once he allows people behind the walls he built around him. Anyway, my love for his character & development knows no boundary. I had to say this, ok. I’ll explain why later in the post. Moving on.

A conflict of generation

If there is one thing I love about Kusanagi-sensei, it’s the feminine touch she adds to her writing. For example, when she naturally addressed periods during the Xing arc and it fit perfectly, because that’s just how her writing goes. In this arc, it shows through the initial bold move to tell us readers about the past through the thoughts and words of a character we’ve never met, that is to say, Yonhi, Yuhon’s wife and Suwon’s mother.

And yet, it made absolute sense, because Yonhi was the reason behind the cataclysm that eventually led to Yuhon killing priests, as well as the falling-out between him and his younger brother, Il. All along, Yonhi was the silent but pained witness to this feud, watching as the ego of two brothers destroyed everything when none of the two backed down, leading to first Kashi’s death, then Yuhon’s murder and finally Suwon’s coup.

So, in a way, even if I think Suwon makes a far better king than Yuhon or Il, his circumstances kinda precede the logical decision to get Il out of the picture before he completely annihilated his own kingdom in poverty and war, because there is too much resentment and hatred that fueled Suwon while growing up, even if we readers know that his motivations are primarily about saving Kouka from war against the Kai Empire.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely despise both Yuhon and Il but, unfortunately for Suwon, Yona growing up sheltered and mostly unaware of the horrible truth highlights her own decisions throughout the series to be completely selfless and wanting to own up to her father’s misjudgement, rather than trying to get back at Suwon, effectively breaking the cycle of hatred amongst the royal family.

Why the Wind Tribe kept on supporting Il when everyone else could notice that he was betting on his daughter as the reincarnation of King Hiryuu to save his country is beyond me (Mundok plz explain). Not that Yuhon was better, preaching wars, and I’m glad that Il eventually reconciled with Yonhi, telling him that he would accept Suwon’s judgement but...

...I can’t forgive him for his words.

Like Yonhi, I’d rather he would have hoped that his conflict with his brother did not reach his children than entertaining it the way he did.

Hopefully though, now that Yona read Yonhi’s memoirs, she will work towards achieving that goal. Not that I have any doubt, since she never really managed to hate Suwon.

Speaking of the past generation, reading the latest chapters I couldn’t help but wonder about Yona's sad dream... could it be that she inherited Kashi’s gift? Kashi did say that she had these prophetic visions since very young which doesn’t seem to be Yona’s case, but I’ll keep the idea in mind, because it’s interesting. I mean, from Yonhi’s memoirs, it seems that Kashi envisioned that the child she would have would be Hiryuu’s reincarnation (whoever the father was going to be), so Yona inheriting the same prophetic gift from her mother would make sense.

What an ironic parallel to Suwon inheriting the Crimson Illness from Yonhi if that’s the case, am I right?

Yona as Kouka’s next Queen

And by that I do not mean Keishuk’s plan to marry her to Suwon, because of her popularity with Kouka’s people. Obviously, the story always was to conclude in Yona getting her throne back and that’s even easier to imagine with Suwon’s disabling illness, but becoming a ruler is tough work and Yona had no real experience acting as a leader for an entire country.

She didn’t know much before her father’s murder and, even after she became a runaway with Hak and the rest of the HHB, she finely dealt with crises affecting some parts of the kingdom but never the whole kingdom at once, like it’s doomed to happen with the war against the Kai Empire.

So I really appreciated her stepping up when Suwon couldn’t, because that’s definitely good training and we see the results in the latest chapters:

To be fair, I always thought that Keishuk would be the biggest thorn in Yona’s side during this arc but, as many characters have said in this arc, he’s rather clever and honest about what he intends to achieve, which is why it’s not in his interests to get in the way of Yona if they share a similar goal.

Looking forward to her facing even greater challenges. Good luck, Yona. <3

War against the Kai Empire: there is strength in unity

The Kai Empire has been depicted as the story’s big bad for a long while now and the common goal for which Yona’s faction and Suwon’s allies could unite, but I’m glad to get more specifics and new characters to explore that part of the plot.

Namely, Mei and Vall. With Chagol, they seem like the perfect foil trio to Suwon, Yona and Hak, except that Chagol seems like a real thorn in the other two’s backs, when a strong bond still ties our main trio in spite of the sad circumstances of the beginning. I particularly love the mirroring reflection between Mei and Yona...

...except that Mei is not at odds with one kingdom but with two and that she also deals with the Crimson Illness. :/

Now that war has started, the big threat that South Kai represents will obviously be dealt with, but Kouka kingdom will need more than its five tribes to win this. That’s where I’m sure we all expect to see old “enemies” come back, namely Xing Kingdom, since Kouren signed a military agreement with Suwon, thanks to Yona and Tao. I would bet that this won’t be enough either, but Xing are the only known allies that Kouka kingdom has.

There is another “enemy” we know from the previous arc though, who have strong feelings against the Kai Empire, specifically about rulers treating their women badly and they are...

...Ying Kuelbo and the Tully tribe.

The big difference between Xing Kingdom and the Tully tribe is that Suwon never met or dealt directly with Kuelbo the way he did with Kouren and Tao. The Tully tribe lost and Kuelbo ran away, betrayed and having to find a new way to take on the Kai Empire. That’s why I think the Tully tribe would eventually make for a good ally in this war: it showed good promises when Yuran and Yona got along and I think Yona understood where Kuelbo was coming from, especially now that Mei is with them and can probably tell them in details about Chagol.

Not saying this will happen soon, but since there is someone who met and fought against Kuelbo, probably gaining his respect, if this person was to seek the Tully tribe to make them Kouka Kingdom’s ally on Yona’s guidance, I think Kuelbo would give it a thought. That’s right, I’m talking about Hak, who’s currently on his way with Yoon to the Earth Tribe to fetch a drug that will not be able to save neither Suwon nor Mei, thanks Zeno for spoiling us.

That’s what I meant when I said that Hak slowly became one of my favorite characters throughout the story. While the Sky Tribe seems to be taking bets on who between Yona and Suwon will eventually sit for good on that throne, there is a good chance that Hak will be one of the key players when it comes to winning that war against South Kai. Not that we should expect any less from the Thunder Beast. <3

To be very honest though, I expected this arc to be very tough for his character, because the truth behind Il’s death and Suwon’s coup would never be easily understandable to him (Yona’s own words, not mine):

Yet, surprisingly he was able to at least listen and, no matter if he will ever understand Suwon’s choice or not, he decided to trust in Yona’s decision to back Suwon in the rising political issues.

In general, I love how Hak is the least bound by the past before Suwon’s coup. He did respect Il as his king, but he did not protect Yona in the beginning for anyone else’s sake but her own. Just like Kashi once asked him to always protect Yona (which is sweet since she could see the future) but, considering he never even thought about her words once in the story, it’s likely he doesn’t remember that at all, making the choice to be by Yona’s side defined as solely his own.

It’s this strength of his that eventually led him to say recently that he would go fetch that drug with Yoon, knowing that it was for Suwon’s sake (surprising Suwon himself), just like he will definitely fight for Kouka Kingdom, not because Yona wants him to but because it’s clearly his own desire (see ch211 where he let Yun go alone so that he could help the Earth Tribe fight):

All that makes Hak the wildest card of every agency in the plot, not simply because he’s strong and reliable and the biggest worry of the Sky Tribe, but because...

...Yona and the four dragons will never give him up.

Through Hak, Yona will be able to assert her political weight and he will be there for her, like he always was, making it impossible for their little group to lose. What a power move, I love it.

I think I should stop there because I already rambled so much. Looking forward to the rest of the arc, it’s going to be a wild ride!!

#akatsuki no yona #hak #yona #suwon #yuhon #king il #yonhi #kashi #any theory #as of:#any211 #my analysis

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purrincess-chat · 4 years

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Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s Spite Playlist: Remix CH3

It’s akuma time! This chapter hurts worse down the line, if you can believe it. I have a lot up my sleeve for Alya and Marinette this go round ;)

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Previous First Next AO3

Chapter 3: Ignorance

Nino entered the locker room, nodding his head to the beat playing in his headphones. Alya was taking the whole Marinette situation hard, so he wanted to make sure she was okay. Maybe they could go out for some ice cream to cool off, then try talking to Marinette about what happened. Surely, there was an explanation for it.

As he rounded the corner of lockers, his eyes widened with terror. Red lips upturned into a sinister smirk, and Hawkmoth’s newest creation stared back at him with a set of familiar hazel eyes.

“Alya?” he gasped.

“Not anymore.” She trailed her thumb over the small pitchfork in her hands. “I’m Backstabber, and I’m going to get revenge against my so-called ‘bff.’”

Nino turned to run, but Backstabber launched a pitchfork straight into his back where it disappeared with a spark. She paced over to him, lifting his chin as tiny devil horns matching her own appeared on his head.

“Now,” she cooed. “Isn’t there something you have to say to your best friend?”

♪♫♪ Let It Die ♪♫♪

Across the street, Adrien and Marinette sat in her living room, picking away at their homework. Adrien was in her living room. Sitting on her couch. Drinking her tea. He was too beautiful for words, his gorgeous green eyes scanning over his maths problem. His face alone made her regret ever leaving Francoise-Dupont. How was she going to survive without seeing his radiance every day?

Marinette was too busy memorizing the rhythm of his breathing to focus on her work, the memory of his arms wrapped around her still fresh. He’d cradled her in his arms. Of course, it was because she was ugly crying, but she would ignore that detail.

Adrien was too perfect for words. How did she ever think that he would abandon her when she left? Their friendship meant a lot to him. She meant a lot to him. It was a fact that she’d spend hours dreaming about. One day he’d hold her in his arms and whisper those three beautiful words. Then they’d get married, have 3 kids and a hamster named-

Adrien’s phone rang, snapping her from her trance, and her heart sank. It was probably his father demanding that he come home like normal, but to her surprise, Nino’s picture flashed on the screen.

“Hey, Nino, what’s up?”

“Ya know what, Adrien? I’m tired of your goody-two-shoes act, pretending you’re all innocent,” Nino said.

Adrien’s eyebrows raised. “What are you talking abou-”

“I’m gonna tell your dad to start homeschooling you again so the rest of us don’t have to put up with you anymore.” Nino hung up with a maniacal laugh.

“What was that about?” Marinette asked.

“I don’t know,” Adrien said, staring down at the screen, “but it can’t be good.”

“You don’t think he was akumatized, do you?” She reached for her purse.

“If not him, then probably someone else, I should get home before things get too crazy. I’m sure Ladybug and Chat Noir will handle everything soon, so stay inside where it’s safe, okay?” He shoved his tablet and textbook back into his school bag quickly. “See you around, Marinette.”

“Uh, yeah, see ya…”

Marinette reached for her purse the moment the door shut behind him. “Let’s get out there and capture this akuma before Nino gets to Gabriel Agreste. Tikki, transform-”

Before she could finish the phrase, the front window of the living room shattered, and Marinette shielded her face from the debris with a yelp. Her purse tumbled under the coffee table out of reach.

“Hey, Marinette.” A familiar face loomed over her with a twisted grin. “Remember me? Your bff?”

“Alya?” Marinette gasped, stumbling over the side of the couch. “What happened to you?”

“Don’t play dumb with me.” She readied another pitchfork. “I’m not Alya anymore. I go by Backstabber now, but I bet you know all about that sort of thing.”

Backstabber tossed a small pitchfork and caught it again as Marinette inched toward the stairs.

“What are you talking about?” She needed to reach her purse, but Backstabber was closing in.

“You know what you did,” she snarled. “I’ve got a pretty pitchfork here, how would you like to shove it into my back? Oh wait, you already did!”

Marinette turned to dash up the stairs, narrowly dodging the pitchfork as her parents burst through the front door.

“Marine- Oh!” her dad gasped before taking a defensive position between Backstabber and the stairs. “I won’t let you hurt my daughter!”

“If you knew what she was really like, you wouldn’t bother protecting her.” Backstabber’s eyes narrowed as Marinette’s mom entered the room. “But tell me, daddykins, can you protect your wife and your daughter?”

With a flick of her wrist, Backstabber launched another pitchfork at Marinette’s mom. Her dad jumped in front of her, turning his back and taking the attack himself.

“Dad!” Marinette gasped as two horns appeared on his head before she retreated through the trap door into her room.

“Tell me, Marinette,” Backstabber continued, pursuing her calmly as Marinette scrambled to the loft stairs. “Did you ever consider me a real friend?”

“Of course, I did!” Marinette paused halfway up.

“Then how could you abandon me?” Backstabber palmed another pitchfork. “How could you leave without telling me?”

“How could you abandon me?” Marinette shot back, eyes stinging. “How could you take someone else’s side over mine? How could you put me in the back of the class by myself and not even apologize?”

“Lila was right about you. You really are just an attention-seeker, always playing the victim,” Backstabber said.

Marinette clenched her jaw before crawling over her bed and through the skylight onto the balcony. She climbed over the wall, wobbling as she made her way out onto the rooftops.

“You know what I think?” Backstabber called, and Marinette spun around to face her. “I think you’re the real liar. Always running late, making up excuses, disappearing suddenly, so what secrets are you hiding, Marinette?”

Before Backstabber could attack, Chat Noir smacked the pitchfork from her hand with his staff. “It’s dangerous to play on the roof. Someone could fall,” he said with his usual taunting lilt.

“I don’t think Marinette can sink any lower.” Backstabber glared through her. Marinette’s hands clenched into fists at her sides.

“What happened to you two? I thought you were best friends,” Chat Noir asked, taking a defensive stance in front of Marinette. “Not too long ago you were putting your neck on the line to save her, and now you’ve turned your back on her?”

“She turned her back on me!” Backstabber shouted.

“Only because you were being a bad friend!” Marinette shot back.

Backstabber flinched, squeezing her eyes shut before she unleashed a slew of pitchforks with a growl.

Chat spun his staff to deflect them as Marinette cowered behind him. She needed to find a way out of this to transform. Maybe Ladybug could talk some sense into Alya, but her purse was still down in the apartment.

“Ah!” he hissed as a pitchfork grazed his arm.

Marinette cupped her hands over her mouth in horror, but nothing happened. “Why didn’t it transform you?” she asked, closing her eyes and picturing her dad. “Of course! Her attacks only work if they hit you in the back.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to keep this battle face-to-face,” he said, wrapping an arm around her, “but first I should get you to safety.”

“Not so fast, kitty!” Backstabber growled, charging in, but he dodged out of the way before she could strike.

Landing in the street, Chat Noir set Marinette down and brandished his staff once more.

“Go! I’ve got your back,” he shouted as Backstabber gave chase. “Cataclysm!”

As Marinette ran up the street, Chat Noir touched his palm to the concrete, opening a crater to the sewers to distract Backstabber while Marinette escaped. She needed to meet up with Tikki before Chat Noir changed back.

Ducking back into the bakery, she tiptoed around the counter and pressed a hand to the side of her mouth. “Tikki?” she called in a hushed tone, creeping over to the backdoor.

“Marinette!”

She jumped as her kwami phased through the floor and flitted into her face.

“Thank goodness.” Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. “Come on, let’s go before Backstabber gets the best of Chat Noir. Transform me!”

Chat Noir’s cries echoed between the buildings as Ladybug stepped out of the bakery, and with a practiced toss, she created a net between two light poles with her yoyo to catch him.

“I see this battle is really flying by,” she said as he climbed down.

“Yeah, and we need to move quick. I don’t have a lot of time left.” He held up his ring finger where three pads flashed.

“Oh look, the cockroach has joined her mangey stray,” Backstabber cooed.

“And she’s about to kick your butt.” Ladybug charged in.

With each strike, Ladybug scanned her person, trying to figure out where the akuma could be hiding. Nothing stood out besides the intricate brooch embedded in her suit. Alya never wore jewelry, and Ladybug couldn’t fathom why the akuma would be there. As she dodged another swing, a familiar photo of the two of them nestled inside the jewel stood out. Back flipping out of the way a few times, she pressed her hands to either side of her mouth.

“Chat Noir! The akuma is in the photo in her necklace!” she called as Backstabber crossed her wrists to block his staff, forcing him back a few paces.

“What’s the plan for getting it because I’m running out of time,” he said urgently—his last two pads flickering.

“Lucky charm!” She caught the two necklaces as they fell from the sky, turning them over in her hands to read the two halves of a heart together. “Best friends forever… What am I supposed to do with this?”

She glanced around with a pensive frown, singling in on the photo in Backstabber’s necklace and the tears bubbled in the corner of her eyes.

“M’lady?” Chat Noir dodged another pitchfork.

“Go! I’ve got this.” She ordered, but he eyed her skeptically, his ring flashing.

“Are you sure, m’lady?” he asked.

“Positive.”

Chat Noir glanced between them with a conflicted frown before vaulting himself into the rooftops.

Ladybug took a stance in front of Backstabber in the middle of the street. “Just you and me now,” she said with a gentle determination.

“How do you expect to beat me with that?” Backstabber scoffed, cocking a hip to one side.

“Not with this.” Ladybug shook her head. “With words. You’re upset that your friend abandoned you, right?”

Backstabber seemed taken aback. Her jaw clenched as Ladybug held up the necklaces.

“She’s your best friend, and right now you’re hurt and confused, but have you considered that maybe she’s feeling the same way?” Ladybug continued.

“She left me!” A tear rolled down her cheek. “She didn’t even say goodbye!”

“Don’t you think she has a reason? Best friends don’t just abandon each other.”

Backstabber weighed it before shaking her head. “What reason could she possibly have had?”

“There’s a lot you probably don’t know about your friend. Secrets that she wishes she could tell you but can’t…” Ladybug averted her gaze. “I’m sure you’re both hurting, and Hawkmoth took advantage of that, but you’re stronger than he is, Alya.” At the sound of her name, Backstabber flinched, and Ladybug paced over to place her hands on her shoulders. “I know you are.”

Backstabber searched her gaze, lips quivering, shoulders shaking. She hugged her sides as hot tears spilled down her cheeks, sinking to her knees. Ladybug crouched beside her, fastening one of the necklaces around her neck before opening the clasp of Backstabber’s locket and removing the picture inside. Ladybug stared at it with a frown before ripping it down the middle, separating the two smiling girls and freeing the black butterfly from inside.

“No more evildoing for you, little akuma.”

♪♫♫ Miserable at Best ♪♫♪

When the doorbell rang, Marinette stood up from the couch and straightened her blazer. She took a deep breath before striding over to answer it. Miraculous Ladybug set everything back to the way it was, but there were some things that her superpowers couldn’t fix. This time she would have to face them herself.

“Hey…” Alya gave a half-wave when Marinette opened the door.

“Hey,” Marinette replied.

“Sorry about earlier,” Alya said with a wince. “I was upset about you leaving, and I guess Hawkmoth could sense that.” When Marinette remained quiet, she bit her lip. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Marinette averted her gaze. “I didn’t want anyone to make a fuss because I’d already made up my mind.”

“Why did you leave?”

“Because-” Her words caught themselves on the tip of her tongue.

What was she supposed to say? That it was because her friends abandoned her? That her friends trusted a stranger over her when she’d proved to them time and time again that she was trustworthy and honest? That she didn’t say anything because her friends would have tried to guilt her into staying because she couldn’t provide them a believable answer for why she was leaving? Even now she couldn’t think of a viable way to prove to Alya that Lila was lying, since she was so insistent on Marinette having evidence. Alya wasn’t one to take her word without proof even though she seemed to have no trouble doing that for Lila. Marinette wasn’t sure which was worse: Alya’s lack of trust in her or her overabundance of trust in Lila.

“Because of Lila?” Alya asked, and Marinette fixed her gaze on the door handle. “Why are you so bothered by her? She’s never done anything to you, and all you’ve ever done is accuse her of lying about everything.”

Marinette wanted to tell Alya the truth more than anything, but given her track record, she didn’t think it would do any good. She couldn’t prove that Lila had threatened her, and even mentioning it would seem like another vain attempt to defame her. As much as it pained her, Marinette didn’t have an answer for Alya. If she was so bent on having concrete evidence, then there was no point in trying to come up with one, so she simply shrugged.

“I don’t know what has gotten into you, girl, but it’s not healthy,” Alya said. “If you’d just give Lila a chance, you’d see that-”

“No,” Marinette said firmly, and Alya’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Sorry, but I won’t play along with her.”

“Play along with- this isn’t a game, Marinette! She’s just a person with an exotic life,” Alya chided, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Honestly, it won’t kill you to try.”

“I can’t be friends with her.” Marinette shook her head.

“Why?” Alya asked. “Give me one good reason why. I’m sure if you tell her about Adrien-”

“It’s not about Adrien.”

“Then what?” Alya held her arms out. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous of her getting attention from everyone.”

Marinette recoiled at that, eyes stinging. The fact that Alya even mentioned that proved that Lila had her hooks in too deep. Alya couldn’t be saved. As much as it pained her, there were some villains out there that even Ladybug couldn’t defeat.

“I’m not jealous of her, but I am a little hurt that my best friend is siding with someone she barely knows over me,” she said with more bite than she intended.

“Can you blame me with how sketchy you’ve been acting? What proof do you have?” Alya shot back, hands balling into fists when Marinette shifted her weight. “Lately, I feel like I don’t know you as well as I thought I did, girl.”

“I’m starting to think the same,” Marinette said.

“Then I guess we shouldn’t consider ourselves bffs if there’s so much we don’t know about each other!” Alya retorted. “Maybe we shouldn’t even be friends at all.”

Marinette suppressed a sigh, heart sinking as she held Alya’s gaze before three of the most painful words passed her lips. “Maybe we shouldn’t.”

Alya took a step back, jaw dropping. Her eyes burned into Marinette’s, fresh tears bubbling in the corners. Marinette wore a steely mask, relaying no emotion despite the hammering in her chest. She bit her lip to hide how it shook.

Alya finally flicked her gaze to her feet, rubbing at her cheek before a tear could escape. “Well, I guess that’s that then,” she said. Alya turned and stormed down the stairs.

Marinette closed the door, lingering with her hand on the handle. Her shoulders shook, and she sank to the floor with a whimper, hot tears spilling down her cheeks. As it turned out, the high road was far lonelier than she’d ever imagined, but there was no going back now. She’d made her choice.

#mdcspr #marinette dupain-cheng's spite playlist remix #my writing

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walkerwords · 4 years

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“The Savior Sessions” Part 23 of 33 - Negan x GN!Reader

IMAGE CREDIT: AMC

SERIES MASTERLIST

Summary: You were right in Alpha seeking revenge for crossing into their lands and now swarms of Walkers are arriving at the gates of Alexandria. Still trying to deal with the emotions in your own mind, you are tasked with supervising Aaron and Negan who are to work together. What happens when the three of you get stuck over night in a cabin together and what is Carol thinking?

Word Count: 6061

Warning: Swearing

Song I Wrote To: “My Blood” by twenty one pilots

Note: This one takes place in ep 3 of season 10 called “Ghosts”. In this chapter, we get a better look at the reader’s life before the end of the Savior war and especially what they knew about Carl and the letter he left for Negan.

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A cataclysmic event.

That was what you witnessed when they dropped fire on Atlanta. Everything was burning and the air was thick with the smell of hot metal and melting tar. You could still remember the way your skin felt as you ran through the street, trying to flee from the destruction.

That was the first night you finally saw a Walker up close. You had seen them on the TV and images that flashed on public monitors in the heart of the city, but never had one been mere feet away. It moved towards you as if you were the only thing in the world that mattered. You wanted to run, to scream, but you just stood there, watching.

You could hear the commotion behind you as people ran for their lives, but nothing could distract you from the Dead man in front of you. Fresh blood dripped from its mouth as it reached for you. Stumbling back, you couldn’t think to do anything else but examine how something as beautiful as a human being had become...this.

A shot came from a nearby convoy as the military tore through the rubble-filled streets, ending the Walker once and for all. They didn’t stop to ask if you were okay and they didn’t yell at you to run, they just kept going and you were alone again.

As you stared down at the man that once was, you couldn’t stop the thoughts that ran through your head that said, “Perhaps this is next for all of us. Perhaps this is what is meant to happen.”

That thought followed you all the way from the city and into the hills where you eventually met Carl Grimes and it had never truly left you.

Even now as you watched Walkers approach your home in waves, those two little sentences were buzzing in the back of your mind, trying to make themselves known. However, just as you had for about a decade now, you shoved them away and picked up your weapon.

The number of Walkers that fell upon Alexandria was something that you hadn’t seen in years. Being so far from the cities, it was rare to find massive hordes right near the communities or even groups of more than ten or fifteen. However, now there were groups of ten or twenty every time you turned around and you knew why.

Alpha was pissed.

You had tried to warn them when they went over her borders, but of course, nobody batted an eye when you spoke up.

You couldn’t understand how one day your thoughts mattered and the next, they went clear over everyone’s heads. You knew you weren’t in charge, that didn’t both you. What did bother you was that your people had begun to question you, rather than relying on your council. You started to notice it after the blizzard and then even more so as your relationship with Negan furthered.

While you still held a position of respect within Alexandria, you knew that you were looked at differently because of Negan, but you didn’t hold an ounce of resentment towards the man that you loved. Negan was the most important part of your life now and if that meant that nobody looked to you anymore, that was something that would have to get used to.

Especially in moments when you were the only one dealing with the Dead.

Aaron and the others had arrived home in the early hours of the morning, desperate to get their children home safely and when they saw you on watch, they had avoided your eyes immediately. You knew why they crossed over, but if you had had it your way, you would have been glad to watch the world burn.

There had been a discussion, well rather an argument, earlier as more waves of Walkers approached. Lydia had been present in the meeting hall when Daryl had begun questioning her.

You had stayed in the back, ready to jump in to defend her if necessary, but she was handling it well. Lydia had explained that she didn’t think the Walkers were from her mother and that Alpha would have sent a horde. You weren’t so sure about that.

You knew fear tactics and this was textbook.

Then there was the fact that Alpha now wanted to speak to Michonne and Daryl. You hadn’t even volunteered to go with them to the South border because you knew they would shut you down. However, you didn’t mention that bringing Carol was just as much of a risk. While you were pissed and wanting blood, Carol’s vendetta was even more personal.

Once some of the Highwaymen began throwing insults at Lydia, you took her out of the room and let Daryl deal with them. The last thing she needed was more venom thrown at her and you weren’t going to have her stand by and be spit on.

Instead, you began to help clear out the Walkers again while you thought about what to do about her mother. While you didn’t agree with accepting Alpha’s terms and her borders, antagonizing her was the last thing you wanted to do.

If you were going to take her out, you wanted to do it when she didn’t expect it. You didn’t want a firefight or a clashing of swords, you just wanted her and Beta dead. It was that simple. Though, like most things in the fucked up world known as the apocalypse, nothing was ever truly simple.

Negan was not too far away from you, helping to load the corpses into the wagons. You were keeping an eye on him as he worked, but you kept finding yourself distracted as the day wore on. Especially by one memory in particular…

--------

Months Earlier…

“This is either a trick or you pulled some huge strings on the puppet masters of Alexandria,” Negan said as he closed the door to your house behind you. Lydia who was sitting on the couch glanced up from the art book in her hands, something you had found in the garage a few days before and gave to her.

“If you keep questioning Michonne’s decision, she’s gonna send your ass back out into the cold to sleep in the snow,” you warned, taking off your heavy coat.

“I’m not complaining,” Negan said with a grin and a wink. With a sigh, you gestured for him to make himself at home.

“Lydia, did you eat?” you asked as you entered the living room to turn on your newly fixed fireplace.

“Siddiq brought me something,” she said quietly as she stared at Negan who looking at her with curiosity. You gestured between them.

“Lydia, this is Negan. Negan, meet Lydia,” you introduced.

“Nice to meet ya, kid,” he said with a neutral face, trying to gauge her reaction.

“Hi,” she said shyly, folding her legs underneath her on the couch.

“Jailbird here is gonna be staying with us when it’s below zero,” you explained as Negan leaned against the wall near the fire. “So just watch where you step so you don’t step in his ego while he’s here.” Negan scoffed.

“Wow, (Y/N), that hurts,” he said.

“Yeah? Well, so does this,” you said, as you gestured to the fresh wound on your side. “I’m gonna go change the dressing, try not to corrupt her, yeah?”

“I would never!” he called as you climbed the stairs towards your room. However, instead of searching for gauze, you remained on the landing and listened in on Negan and Lydia. “What are you reading?” Negan asked after a moment and you could hear the flipping of pages in the quiet of the room.

“(Y/N) found it in the garage,” Lydia said.

“Ah, Dalí,” Negan said. “I like his stuff.”

“The clocks are cool,” Lydia admitted and you smiled to yourself.

“That they are,” Negan agreed. “How are you doing? I heard life is sort of kicking you in the teeth at the moment.”

“I’m better than I was yesterday,” Lydia said. “At least a little bit.”

“And tomorrow you’ll be a bit better than you were today. Takes time,” he said.

“Nobody wants me here,” she whispered, almost too quiet for you to hear.

“(Y/N) does,” Negan said, “and trust me, coming from them, that means a lot.”

“Why are you locked up?” Lydia suddenly asked and Negan remained quiet. It was only after about a minute that he sighed.

“Do you really want to know? It’s not a pretty story,” he said.

“Neither is mine,” Lydia admitted and then you heard her shifting on the couch, settling in to listen to him.

“Alright,” Negan said, almost reluctantly. “It all started when a man named Rick visited Hilltop for the first time…”

-------

You were knocked out of your memory as arguing reached your ears.

Still reeling from your thoughts, you searched for the cause only to see Gabriel stepping in between Aaron and Negan. Aaron’s morning star prosthetic was already attached and you could almost see the smoke coming out of his ears as you rushed over to find out what the damn issue was.

“You need fighters,” Gabriel was saying. “He can fight, you’re taking him.”

“What now?” you asked, already regretting the question.

“Your buddy doesn’t trust me to help him take out Walkers,” Negan explained. “Though, I’ve already expressed my desire to stay here and bury corpses instead of hanging out with Captain Hook here.” Aaron glared at Negan and you were already getting a migraine.

“Seriously?” you asked Gabriel who was already on the verge of giving up. “Fine, I guess I will play babysitter.”

“Fucking perfect,” Aaron swore.

“Hey,” you said, pointing at him, “don’t break the asshole pact,” you said, reminding him of the conversation the two of you had on his porch before you left for the fair. You had finally repaired your relationship with Aaron and you weren’t going to blow it now.

“I know, I know,” Aaron said, getting where you were coming from, “but it doesn’t extend to him.”

“I never said it did,” you defended.

“You want to referee these two?” Gabriel asked, throwing his hands up in defeat. “Fine, be my guest!” Gabriel stormed away and you turned to both of the men before you with your arms crossed.

“Great, now you’ve pissed off the Priest.”

————

The three of you walked through the thick forest in silence.

Normally, you would have been chatting or joking with Negan about being outside the walls for the first time together, but your romantic getaway was nowhere near as special as you thought it would be.

Aaron dragged his feet alongside both of you. You could hear his feet digging in the mud and you knew he was doing it on purpose to annoy Negan. Jesus had taught him how to move through the woods in silence just as Lydia was teaching you.

This only made you even more annoyed.

“You’re quiet today,” Negan observed, poking at your side. You looked over at him and took his hand, squeezing it a few times before letting go.

“Sorry,” you said, returning your hand to rest on your sword.

“What’s gotten into you?” Aaron asked.

“I’m pissed off, Aaron,” you explained with a huff.

“Well, I can see that,” Aaron said.

“Not helping,” Negan shot back. Aaron just rolled his eyes at Negan’s comment. You pushed on, ignoring both of them. It had only been a couple of days since the satellite fell and while Eugene felt that harvesting the tech from the machine was necessary, you still thought it was foolish.

Your mood wasn’t getting any better no matter what Lydia or Negan tried. If you were being honest with yourself, you just needed a break. All you wanted to do was go away for a while and not think about communities arguing or masked menaces tracking your every mood.

You just needed a moment.

Now with the meeting happening at the Southern border, you didn’t know what to expect. Just as long as Daryl came back in one piece, you would be okay.

For now.

The three of you ended up in a clearing not too far from Alexandria, but far enough to see where the Walkers would be crossing towards the main road that led home.

Aaron gave Negan an old broomstick to handle the Walkers and he wouldn’t give in to your request of giving Negan your knife. It was ridiculous, but you figured it was better than Aaron yelling and Negan making ridiculous comments.

“You have that look on your face,” Aaron observed as he took a swig of his water after taking out another Walker.

“What look?” you asked, unbothered by the blood stuck to your blade. Negan was nearby, always twirling his stick around to amuse himself.

“It’s the same look you had the day Rick and Daryl brought Jesus to Alexandria,” he explained.

“Annoyed?” you asked, staring off into the trees.

“More suspicious,” he said. “Though, I would throw in just a dash of pessimism, too.”

“Is that so?” you asked.

“You know, when I met you, I really didn’t like you,” Aaron said and you scoffed.

“Ouch,” Negan muttered.

“There was just something about you that I didn’t get,” he went on. “Rick acted as if you were some kind of boogeyman.”

“This isn’t sounding any better, Aaron,” you said, leaning on your sword.

“What I’m trying to say is that you always seemed like the black sheep of the family and I think we need that kind of thinking right about now,” he said, surprising you.

“I thought you would be on team, ‘cross the border’,” you said.

“So did I,” Aaron said.

“But?” you prompted.

“I don’t know anything at this point. At least, I feel as if I don’t,” he admitted. “All I do know is that we can’t treat these...people like we have in the past with other enemies,” Aaron said and you didn’t miss the glance he threw at Negan. Negan ignored him, but he was still listening.

“Right, and now with Daryl agreeing to meet with these psychos...” you sighed.

“Daryl knows what he’s doing,” Aaron tried.

“Well, out of the three of us here, I’ve known him the longest. I know how blind he can be when it comes to his family and with Carol hurting the way she is, he ain’t gonna stop until Alpha is dead,” you said.

“I remember how he used to be,” Aaron said, but you shook your head.

“You didn’t know him before Alexandria, before the Prison,” you said. “Daryl used to be loud and sharp. After his brother went missing he became standoffish and reckless. Nobody could work with him, not even Rick. The crazy son of a bitch once impaled himself on his crossbow bolt when his horse threw him off. Then, he got shot in the same afternoon on Maggie’s farm cause Andrea thought he was damn Walker. The man doesn’t know when to slow down.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Aaron asked.

“It was when nobody knew him. Nobody knew what to expect. The only people he was even decent to were Carol and Carl.”

“Not you?” Negan asked, hauling another body over to the pile.

“Definitely not,” you said, thinking about all the arguments the two of you would get into. “We were civil, but I think we saw too much of each other in another. I remember Merle, Daryl’s big brother seeing us work together against the Governor. He used to make some really ridiculous comments, but one always stuck with me. Merle would say that we were ‘just two screwed up kids who ended up at the end of the world,’ and hell, he was right.”

------

The three of you worked into the late afternoon, early evening as sweat bloomed on your brows and blood stuck to your boots.

Negan did his best to take out the Walkers with his stick, but he was itching for a blade. If Aaron wasn’t around then he knew that you would give him one without question.

As he watched you, he could see how anxious you were getting. You had mentioned that Daryl never slowed down, but you never did either. You became distant and restless when you didn’t have a target in your sights. It was one of the many things he loved about you.

After taking down another three Walkers, you wicked the blood from the sword that had become a part of you.

“I’m going to get some more water,” you announced. “Try not to kill each other.”

“I’ll do my best,” Negan said with a wink. You ignored him as you grabbed the canteens and headed into the trees.

Negan and Aaron were silent as they continued to kill the Walkers that broke off from the main horde that the others were handling. Without you to be there as a buffer, Aaron began to bite his tongue so he didn’t blow up at the man next to him.

Negan however, could feel the heat coming off him.

“Are you just gonna keep staring at me or are you going to man up and tell me what’s on your mind?” Negan said, turning to face his adversary.

“I have nothing to say to you,” Aaron said.

“Ah, we both know that’s not true,” Negan said. “You’ve been just dying to give me a piece of that mind buried under all those curls. So, come on, lay it on me.” Aaron was quiet for a moment before he let his anger win over his decision to remain somewhat civil.

“You’re not good enough for them,” Aaron said and Negan raised his brows, taking in the words.

“If you think that pisses me off,” Negan began, “then I hate to break it to you, but you’re not the first to disapprove.”

“I won’t be the last either,” Aaron threatened and Negan caught onto what he was saying.

“If this is about Maggie,” said Negan, “then I think you need to take a step back. She can want me dead all she damn well pleases, but the fact is, she had her chance to kill me and she didn’t take it.”

“She’d do it now,” Aaron said.

“Why, because I’m in love with one of her friends? Are they friends? Because last time I checked, (Y/N) never talks about her.”

“You don’t get to dissect every relationship they’ve had. You are the reason that (Y/N) lost two people they really cared about, three if you count Sasha,” Aaron said.

“I had nothing to do with Sasha’s death,” Negan said. “I didn’t kill her.”

“No, you didn’t,” Aaron agreed, “but you are the reason she’s dead.” Negan glared at Aaron, trying to control his breathing.

“It was war, Aaron, or are you forgetting your merry bunch of survivors killed my men as they fucking slept? You pulled the trigger first. You can be pissed at me all you want, but do not look at me and see a monster when you’ve shed just as much blood.”

“You wanna know what I see?” Aaron asked. “I see someone that's pretending.”

“Come on, man, just let it go,” Negan said as he moved past Aaron, going to follow you. However, Aaron was faster, throwing out his leg and blocking Negan’s step, sending him to the ground. “Jesus!” Negan swore. “Did you just trip me? What, are you? Twelve?” Aaron sneered at him, but Negan wasn’t having it. Getting to his feet, he towered over Aaron. “What the hell is wrong with you? I've been puttin' my neck on a block for you people all goddamn day!”

“You don't give a damn about us,” Aaron said, not believing it for a second. “If you gave a shit, you'd leave. That's what everyone needs.”

“I can’t do that and you know it,” Negan said.

“Because you love them?” Aaron asked with a scoff.

“Is that so hard to believe?”

“Coming from you? Absolutely! They may have forgiven you for all the death and torture, but the rest of us haven’t!”

“Nobody has forgiven anyone!” Negan said. “You think (Y/N) forgives me for murdering their friends right in front of them? They don’t and I haven’t asked them to! Look, I did what I had to do back then.” Aaron was silent then as Negan’s words cascaded over him.

Aaron then tilted his head just as a predator would when watching its prey. “What did you say?” he asked, but Negan remained silent. “No, no, no. Open that up. Tell me why the love of my life had to die,” he ordered.

Negan shook his head, but he took the bait. “Okay. One simple fact. One truth kept my people going... if you don't protect what belongs to you, then sooner or later, it belongs to someone else. That goes for your land, your wallet, your home, your country... everything. It is your job as a man to protect it. That's the story of America, the story of the whole goddamn world. And ain't nothing changing it... not you, not me, nobody,” Negan said, getting into Aaron’s face, but the latter wasn’t backing down.

“Are you saying that Eric's death was my fault?” he asked but Negan remained still. Aaron then shook his head, stepping into Negan’s space even more. “Well, if I failed Eric,” he whispered. “Then you failed your wife.” Negan went still, looking down at Aaron with fury in his eyes.

“Careful,” Negan warned, trying to remain calm, but Aaron wasn’t done.

“Yeah. She died hating you, right? Gabriel told us the story and I know that (Y/N) has heard it, too. Hate to break it to you, but you will never see her again.” Negan’s mouth turned into a smirk as light entered his eyes.

“What? You wanna say something?” Aaron challenged.

“Yeah,” Negan said and then with a quirked brow pointed over Aaron’s shoulder. “Behind you,” he whispered as Walkers converged on Aaron. Aaron took out one in a hurry as another, which was covered in vegetation, fell on Aaron, taking him to the ground. Aaron yelled as the Walker reached for his face, but he was able to hit it over the head with his morning star, killing it easily.

However, something was wrong. Negan was gone and Aaron couldn’t see.

------

By the time you got back to the clearing, it was night.

Of course, this was the time for you to get turned around and have to double back. You pushed into the clearing, ready to get the boys back on track when you were met with an empty space.

“Seriously!” you yelled, throwing your hands up. “I say not to kill each other and they leave me,” you muttered. “No, no, (Y/N) they’ll be just fine, just two people who hate each other. Why should it matter if they both care about you? It’s not like that fucking matters.”

You continued to talk to yourself as you shone your light on the ground and managed to find Negan’s footprints. “It’s a good thing you’re practically bigfoot,” you whispered as you headed into the trees. You were then very happy that Daryl had taken all that time to teach you how to track or you’d be out there stumbling over Walkers and roots.

The tracks were accompanied by another set. You figured they were Aaron’s considering how precise they were. Walker tracks were more random and uneven. They led away from Alexandria which only made you even more annoyed. “Right, let’s go away from the walls and the warm food. Assholes,” you swore as you climbed over a fallen tree and kept moving.

Eventually, you saw a flickering light in the distance. Stepping over what was either a dead Walker or a half-eaten deer, you arrived at a cabin. Noises of alarm echoed from the cabin and you ran towards it, kicking open the door. You slid into the main room just as Negan finished killing the last Walker with a crowbar. You would have to ask where he got that later.

“What the hell?” you asked, alarming Negan.

“(Y/N)?” Aaron’s voice came in the dark. “Negan?”

Negan looked at you and in the dark of the room with only the moon to illuminate his features, he looked incredibly intimidating. “You alright?” Negan asked Aaron who was looking around the room rapidly. You took a step closer to him, confused.

“Yeah,” Aaron said. “How did you…?”

“Your light switched on,” Negan explained, reaching down to turn off the flashlight that was on Aaron’s belt.

“What’s wrong, Aaron?” you asked.

“I can’t see,” he said, looking around the room, trying to focus on anything, but couldn’t. Negan kneeled in front of Aaron who stiffened as Negan got close.

“Flowers growin’ out of the Walkers is hogweed,” Negan explained, looking at Aaron’s eyes.

“Hogweed?”

“Nasty shit,” Negan said with a glance over at you. “Causes rashes, blindness…”

“Is it permanent?” Aaron asked as you leaned against the wall.

“Sometimes,” Negan admitted. “You wash your eyes out?”

“Yeah, in a stream, but I… I didn’t have,” Aaron tried and then you realized you still had the water.

“Here,” you said tossing the full canteen to Negan who gave it to Aaron. Aaron drank half of it in one go, desperate to quench his thirst.

“Alright, come on,” Negan said as he helped Aaron off the floor and you were surprised to see that Aaron let him. Negan got him settled in the old chair before joining you next to the window.

“What are you doing?” Aaron asked.

“We’ll take watch and leave first thing in the morning. That good with you?”

“Yeah,” Aaron said softly. “Yeah, that’s good.”

“You two are both idiots,” you said, crossing your arms.

“We know,” Negan and Aaron said at once and you couldn’t help but smirk at that. Aaron settled into the chair, the reaction to the hogweed taking its hold, but he didn’t sleep.

Instead, he listened.

“Maybe don’t run off in the middle of the night when a lot of Walkers are around, okay?” you said.

“Sorry,” Negan said sheepishly. You nodded to him, peering out the windows, letting your mind wander. “What are you thinking?” he asked.

“What?”

“You look lost in thought, have all day,” he said with a shrug.

“Uh, I was thinking about Rick,” you said.

“Anything in particular?” he asked. You were quiet for a moment before turning to fully face him.

“I lied to you before,” you said.

“When?”

“When you asked me what the vote was on what to do with you. I told you that Rick just decided. He and Michonne had the final say, but that wasn’t the whole truth,” you admitted. “Rick asked me what I thought he should do.” Negan was quiet for a moment.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing at first,” you said. “I didn’t have an opinion right away. I was angry with you and I wanted you to pay for what you did, but I… I didn’t know if death was the answer. I was conflicted.”

“Why?” he asked and you looked at him with glossy eyes.

“Because of Carl,” you admitted and you saw something shift behind his eyes at the mention of the late teen. “I read the letter that he wrote to you. Michonne let me after she had given me the one Carl left to me. I knew what Carl wanted. He wanted the fighting to stop, he wanted the hate to stop, and he wanted you to be a better man. How was I supposed to deny him that?”

“Did you tell Rick this?”

“Sort of,” you said with a sigh. “I told him that Carl had written to me asking me to take care of him and Judith. Carl trusted me to be the protector of his family because he couldn’t anymore, but he never needed to ask. I would have died for Rick and I will die for RJ and Judith if it came down to it.”

“I know,” Negan whispered.

“I thought about it for hours, the question Rick asked me, and then I told him that it wasn’t up to me and it wasn’t really up to him either. Carl had already made the decision. Rick had already made promises to the people he loved. He promised his best friend, Shane, that he would protect his family because Shane did it first; He promised Lori that he would protect Carl and he did.

“What happened to Carl wasn’t Rick’s fault no matter what he thought. Most of all, Rick promised Michonne that he would build a good life for their daughter, and I had to remind him that he wasn’t allowed to break that promise. Carl had an idea, and if we had killed you, we would have been dishonoring him and everything he wanted to fight for but couldn’t. I had to make a choice and for once it wasn’t for my survival, but for securing Carl’s legacy. You once asked me why I stayed in Alexandria when I felt as if I never quite fit.”

“And you said it was because Carl was buried there,” he remembered.

“Alexandria is strong and still standing because of Carl. It’s not just because his grave is there. It’s because everywhere I turn, I see that kid’s influence. I made a promise when I read the letter he wrote to me. I can’t break it now and I never will.”

“Where is all this coming from?” Negan asked. You wiped at the tears that formed in the corner of your eyes.

“I feel as if I’m starting to lose sight of him, Negan,” you said. “I look around and I don’t see Carl, I see Alpha’s face or Jesus’ blood on my hands. I can’t see the good anymore.”

“There is still good in this world, (Y/N),” Negan promised. “You just gotta search a little harder.”

“I’m tired of searching,” you said. “I try to be there for Lydia, but most days I have no idea what I’m doing. What the hell does she see when she looks at me? I don’t even know what I see when I look at her.”

“Do you wanna know what I see when I look at Lydia?” he asked.

“What?”

“I see a scared kid who’s had a shit life and who needs you to look out for her,” Negan said.

“Right,” you said, but Negan wasn’t convinced you were getting it. You then looked up at him. “What do you see when you look at me?” Negan didn’t even hesitate.

“Possibilities,” he said and it threw you for a loop. Looking at him in the dark of the cabin, you could only see the truth pouring from him.

“What do you see when you look at yourself?” you whispered.

“Not much,” he answered.

“Negan…”

“It’s alright,” he said. “I’ve accepted it. You know, when I went back to the Sanctuary and saw what everything had become, I finally got it.”

“Got what?” you asked. Negan reached out and dragged his knuckles along the back of your arm, savoring the feeling as if you were going to fade away.

“That my number was up the second Rick told me he was going to kill me in that clearing,” Negan said, avoiding your eyes. “I just didn’t know this would be how he’d do it, condemning me to a life of self-hatred,” he said with a self-deprecating laugh.

“Why are you saying this to me?” you asked.

“I’m just trying to let you know that it’s okay if I don’t get the happy ending. I was more of a fan of horror films than fairytales anyway,” he admitted.

“What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Just…” Negan trailed off and then pulled you towards him, wrapping his arms around you. “Just be still with me right now. Just, be still.”

-------

Negan eventually fell asleep after you convinced him to get some rest.

You were too wired to even think about sleeping. You sat on the floor between Negan and Aaron, your sword reflecting moonlight across the dark room. The next time you heard a voice, it was Aaron’s and not Negan’s.

“I’m sorry,” Aaron whispered. “I didn’t mean to run off.”

“It’s okay,” you said, reaching up to squeeze his hand. Aaron went to say something else then when Negan began talking in his sleep. You were used to it from all the times you spent by his side in bed, but Aaron froze as he listened to the nonsense.

It wasn’t until actual words were formed that Aaron sat up. “Simon,” Negan muttered. “Si…,” he said again and then went back to mumbling before growing silent again. It had been a while since he dreamed about Simon, you realized.

“What the hell was that?” Aaron whispered.

“Negan, he talks in his sleep. He says the names of his victims sometimes.”

“Simon?” Aaron asked, surprised.

“Negan strangled him when he tried to overthrow him. Simon was the one who ordered all the men and boys to be killed at Oceanside. He killed the boy at Hilltop and was the one who massacred Jadis’ people. Negan never knew any of it,” you whispered.

“Makes sense,” Aaron said and you furrowed your brow.

“How so?”

“Negan doesn’t hurt kids,” Aaron said simply.

“No, no he doesn’t,” you said, glad that Aaron understood that.

“He still grinds my gears,” Aaron said.

“I know.”

“And since when is he a fucking botanist? Hogweed, really?” Aaron scoffed.

“He’s been out in the world for a long time,” you said.

“Yeah, I know,” he said and then, “I never knew about Rick.” You sighed, but you figured he had been listening.

“Nobody knew, that was the point.”

“I guess I never realized just how much he put on you,” Aaron said.

“I didn’t mind,” you said, leaning your head against the chair.

“Maybe you should’ve.”

-------

The next morning, Aaron was still struggling with his eyesight, but it was getting better.

Negan slung one of Aaron’s arms around his shoulders to help him walk as you carried the weapons. Rosita pulled open the gate when you got home and yelled for Siddiq as you explained what happened. The doctor came running down the street with worry. Once he saw that Aaron was in one piece more or less, he took him from Negan.

You knew that Siddiq and the new doctor, Dante, would get him fixed up in no time. After making sure Aaron was okay, you began to lead Negan back to his cell. As you approached the Grimes’ house, you noticed Michonne, Daryl, and a very pissed of Carol standing on the stoop.

“Uh oh,” Negan said as he stuck close to you. As you got closer, Carol shoved past both of them and into the house. The look on Daryl’s face made you incredibly nervous considering he had just returned from the meeting with Alpha.

You and Negan stopped next to them and Michonne seemed to relax at the sight of you, knowing that at least you were okay.

“What happened?” you asked.

“Carol shot at Alpha,” Michonne divulged and you sighed, trying to contain your anger.

“Fucking fantastic,” you swore. “How much shit are we in now?”

“She knew we crossed,” Daryl said. “She knew about all of it. The fire, the blizzard, and even when Michonne and Aaron crossed by the river. She’s got people everywhere.”

“So Carol felt the need to light the fire further?”

“You’re telling me you wouldn’t have?” Daryl challenged but you remained quiet. Daryl shook his head as he walked away. “I need to find Lydia,” he said before heading across the street.

“This is only going to get worse now,” you said to Michonne who nodded.

“I know,” she said. “Get ready for a fight.” Michonne turned and followed Carol back into the house, still rigid from the night before. You sighed, gripping the sides of your head as every fear was coming back.

“Are you actually pissed Carol tried to kill Alpha?” Negan asked.

“No,” you said, removing the keys from your belt, “I’m pissed that she missed.”

AN: Next Chapter is going to be an important one. Hint: Carol becomes desperate and turns to an unlikely ally.

TAGS:

@lucillethings @cameronsails @stark-dreams @amaroho @thanossexual @yes-sir-hotchner @boom-bunny @delusionalteenagewhispers @scootankle @ritajammer21 @writteriguess @tea-atfive @jennydehavilland @waspyyy @yespleasejayhalstead @hoemadegrace @writingdeadangel @huffledor-able541 @pulplorrd @felicisimor

#the walking dead #walkerwords #savior sessions #negan imagine #twd #twd imagine #negan x reader #negan x gn reader #negan fanfiction

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snarwor · 3 years

Text

moon and old stars - chapter 9

holy shit it’s been awhile huh. no warnings for this one <3

Masterlist | Read on AO3

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

Din thought about frost a bit too much.

It made almost no sense. Navarro was a lava planet, sulfuric and burning in dangerous pools less than a klick outside of city limits. His missions took him through the hottest damn planets. One of his only memories of his childhood was whining at the cold, and feeling the heavy weight of his father’s jacket settling around his shoulders. Heat and warmth and weight, that was love.

Of course, the exception to this was the blurrg which had fallen on him on Arvala-7, which was hot and heavy and smelly.

But Grogu, the kid. He weighed barely anything and was no warmer than perhaps a Loth-cat, and yet the weight which had settled over Din the moment he’d shot IG-11, the warmth which had filled his bones when that little hand had reached out for him, it was unlike anything he’d experienced before.

Crash landing on the ice planet with Mrs. Frog and the kid had been an exercise in fear, in hopelessness, in compartmentalization. The Crest was damaged beyond reasonable repair, there was a very odd biological imperative happening, there were karking ice spiders, yet the thing that filled Din with the most dread had been the cold. It seeped in and leached the warmth and hope from his bones, staining his beskar with ice, splintering like cracks in stone. False fissures.

When they'd managed to get to the atmosphere again, he joked about all of them dying in the harsh vacuum of space, and it didn’t even register until they’d hit the balmy surface of Trask. He’d made light of an icy, deadly situation, which was, at its core, supposed to be heavy and blood-hot. He’d been horrified when he realized.

He remembered listening to Omera speak on Sorgan about the history of the valley they lived in, how everything had been ice thousands and thousands of years ago, a massive glacier which melted and froze and melted and froze until an entire mountain had split in two. Din couldn’t believe it, but when he’d gotten back on the holonet, he looked up the phenomenon, and marveled at how cold destruction could bring such an idyllic sanctuary.

He began to see signs of it all over his travels. Ancient canyons with split boulders, once-whole halves laying cleaved by no tool made by man or machine. Din told the kid his findings. “Frost did this. Water gets in everywhere, it settles deep and when the cold hits, that water expands, and breaks things if it’s lucky enough.” Of course, the kid only paid attention when he had dried meat rations in his hand, but he liked to think he was paying attention at least some of the time.

His sanity had sprung a leak on Morak. Boba Fett had taken an ax to that leak and filled every splintered part of him with water until he felt like he was near drowning. His first gasp of air was on the armchair at the safe house, when they had been the only people in the entire galaxy. The shame was his heart’s first winter after the flood. The setup on the Lothal moon was an early spring snowstorm. The safe house had been a mild summer. The water had not left him. But when they boarded the ship, when they fought the Dark troopers, when…

Don’t be afraid.

That had been such a shock to his system that all that latent love and affection in him, feelings left dormant and misunderstood in the abscesses of his heart, froze. It was so cataclysmic he couldn’t even hear himself think over the groaning heave of his every canyon and valley. He was broken. He could not be put back together at all. And when Boba had said those five words, the frost started to melt, sure, but the cracks and chasms remained, evidence of a too-cold climate for anything like love to grow in.

Unless.

The melting sensation Boba had given him, the weight and warmth Din had always associated with love, perhaps it had been as natural as a cleaved boulder, but thaw had been intentional as well. It wasn’t Boba’s fault for the freeze in his heart. It wasn’t Boba’s fault he had existing cracks in his foundation. But he’d cleaned up the aftermath, several times over, taken his broken pieces and patched them together, said “I know you’re not whole, but I love you just the same” with every soft pass of a hand over his hair. With every pleasured moan he drew from Din’s lips. With every suspended second their gazes held, and every gentle press of a kiss, Din realized that the crags in his heart had smoothed over in places, didn’t hurt him as much as they had before. It wasn’t Boba’s fault for this new fissure, and here Din was, cutting the man on his own broken edges.

“Why didn’t you let her just kill me when she had the chance?!”

And still.

“Din—”

And still.

“No. Tell me why.”

And still.

“Because I love you, Din.”

The words sat in the air between them like a physical thing, an old moon in orbit, waiting to see if the shooting star would strike it down or warm it back. The last words his mother had said to him, before she was gone forever. He’d always understood that love wasn’t something to be volleyed back and forth, love wasn’t supposed to be expected or returned, not the true love his mother had given, and not the shy, defeated love Boba was giving him now.

And still.

“I love you, too.”

Boba let out a shuddering breath, half a laugh, and a single tear. “Then you understand why I couldn’t let you go.”

Love could look selfish, but it never felt selfish. At least not to Din. He let go of the bottle, and hung his head in his hands instead. The familiar shame of crying in front of Boba washed over him, and as his shoulders shook, he mourned that freeze a little, because he could at least pretend he was solid when it was there. Not now, though. Not now.

With hesitation, Boba’s arm wrapped around the slumped line of his shoulders. Without hesitation, Din leaned into it. “He’s gone,” Din rasped.

Boba made a noise he probably hadn’t meant to before the other arm came up to pull Din into his lap, curl him up small and safe. With the beskar, he was much heavier, and less kind on his aching body, but Boba bore his weight without complaint. “Not gone, just somewhere else,” Boba said, stroking a hand over Din’s head in a well-practiced motion they’d perfected since Morak. “I’ll...” The promise sat on the tip of his tongue. “If you really want him back, I can help you find him.”

Din shook his head, cried out and drained. “You don’t have to,” he said softly. “Your debt to me is paid, you don’t—”

“I don’t offer this to you out of a sense of obligation. I don’t offer any of myself to you for that. Maybe once, but certainly not now, jat’ika.”

The name hurt Din like a punch to the gut. The objection sat behind his lips like a fathier at the starting gate. He lifted his head so their eyes could meet again. Openness sat in Boba’s expression, and Din realized, all at once, that the two of them had really changed in those soft weeks between Tython and here. Without breaking eye contact, he brought his hand up to cup the back of Boba’s neck, and leaned in to press their foreheads together. A stuttering breath left Boba’s chest, a flash of that softness Din didn’t often see in him.

“I’m sorry,” Din said. “For what I said about your father.”

“You were upset,” Boba hedged. Din shook his head, only a little, as to not break the mirshmure’cya too fast.

“It doesn’t excuse it. I won’t say anything like that again. Forgive me, please.”

“I understand,” Boba said, bringing his own hand up to touch the apple of Din’s cheek. “It’s forgiven. Don’t catastrophize a mistake, Din.”

Din couldn’t help but laugh, a little. “Catastrophize.”

“Exactly,” Boba said, returning the smile. “Do you need to talk some more? Are you injured from the mission?”

This time, Din hedged, “Cuts and bruises, rattled my brain fighting a darktrooper, nothing huge.” Boba leveled him with an unimpressed look. “If it bothered me, I would have taken care of it.”

“Forgive me if I don’t quite believe you can take care of yourself.”

“Hoverskiff daddying, are we?” Din asked, a smirk on his mouth that both endeared and infuriated Boba in equal doses. Boba leaned back to press a smacking kiss to Din’s forehead.

“Show you daddying. C’mon, up. We’ll talk while we get you patched up.”

As Boba removed the armor from Din’s body, the weight which pulled at Din’s conscience followed suit. He felt able to take a full breath of air again, letting Boba smear bacta on his cuts and bruises, like every breath got easier than the last. Boba made him laugh, made him smile and forget he was ever frozen, forget he was ever broken and jagged and rough-edged. And when Boba mentioned the kid, the memories came with an ache, but no sharp pain. He would have permission to grieve, later. He knew that much. But for now, they reveled in the feeling of being alive after another difficult day, a unique sensation to the two that felt more familiar than coming home ever had.

“Your helmet.” Boba finally reached that topic, which predictably pulled a sigh and a downcast expression from Din’s face.

“I broke the Creed on Morak. And again, on the cruiser.” He left out the moments with Boba specifically. You are not of a Creed you can disappoint while in here. The only truth is that you are mine.

“You were saying goodbye to your son. I know men who would raze whole planets to the ground for the chance. It’s an honorable thing, what you did. Not a dishonorable one.” Din can’t make himself believe it in its entirety, not really.

“But the armor—”

“You told me once I’d have to peel your armor off your dead body. Yet I had to, to patch your wounds, give you comfort.”

They looked at the pile in the corner, gleaming beskar and worn padding which had protected Din for years. Clearly, he wasn’t dead, and yet, the armor went. Boba continued.

“And that to hand mine over to me was against the Creed. Until the more honorable realization was proven, you were returning it to me.”

Ret’urcye mhi. How funny that goodbye sounds like return to me.

“Your helmet was in the way of protecting your foundling, until it was not. Ke’juri beskar’gam, but not at the expense of k’ara’novo aliit, nor ke’gaa’tayli aliit bralir, nor ke’ba’juri sa Mando’ade.” Din felt the tears fall, but did not look away. “You are no less Mandalorian for making the decisions you did. In fact, you are perhaps more suited to hold that saber because of it.” He took Din’s hands. “You have protected and cared for your family. One of your aliit is learning what you could not teach. Your son is Mandalorian because he is yours.”

“Then why do I feel so guilty?” Din asked, his chest jumping a little in a hiccup, eyes shining with yet-unshed tears. Boba brought his hands up to kiss at their knuckles.

“It’s not guilt. It’s grief. We carry it differently, but it does not make us. The same as our armor. It is something we wear, something sacred, but it is not the armor who protects a son.”

Din fell into his arms, pressing grateful kisses to Boba’s mouth, his face. Tears of relief, not shame, not guilt, fell across his cheeks and smeared onto Boba’s skin, but he didn’t mind. His soul was still redeemable, he was still an upright man, deserving of salvation and absolution, deserving of the love which patched him together.

He realized he was speaking. “I love, I love—”

“I know, I know,” Boba repeated, not in a volley, but letting Din know his love had somewhere safe and soft to land.

And that it always would.

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

Mando'a - Translation

jat'ika - y'all should know this one by now mirshmure'cya - Keldabe kiss, soft headbutt for emotion, or apply forcefully for stronger emotion ret'urcye mhi - see you again, goodbye aliit - family, clan

Tenets of the Resol'nare (Mandalorian Creed) mentioned in m&os ke'juri beskar'gam - you will wear armor k'ara'novo aliit - you will protect family ke'gaa'tayli aliit bralir - you will help your clan succeed ke'ba'juri sa Mando'ade - you will raise Mandalorians

Other Tenets not mentioned because they don't make me cry as much ke'jorhaa'i Mando'a - you will speak Mando'a ke'shekemi haar Mand'alor - you will rally to the cause of the Mand'alor

#moon and old stars #my writing #mandalorian fanfiction #star wars fanfiction #din djarin/boba fett #bobadin

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marrys-dream-world · 3 years

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if we’re bound to be something, why not together? (chapter six)

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Notes: I will finish this, I promise. Don't worry. Day six: clown. @ladynoirjuly

Chat Noir noticed right away that Ladybug was in a bad mood.

Considering the increasing burden of protecting the city from the now duos of Akumas and Sentimonster, plus the frustration of not getting anywhere particularly telling to find Hawk Moth with the help of the grimoire, it shouldn’t be a surprise. But his Bugaboo had been in high spirits in the last few days, Alya’s support and his own making a dent into the stress that was piling up on her. So when she showed up to an akuma fight all frowns and curt words, he did a double take.

Caught up in his thoughts, he was nearly hit by a bunch of small, red balls, only dodging because Ladybug’s yo-yo wrapped around his wrist and pulled him away.

“Thanks, my lady!” He grinned. “That was a nice je-”

“Not now, Chat Noir.” She snapped, with an angry flush to her cheeks. “We have to end this now. Lucky Charm!”

The smile dropped away from his face as red and black cotton candy fell on her hands, making her angrier, if possible. He could admit that he wasn’t very fond of this akuma, either. Not that he actually liked any, but some were easier than others. The Jester was proving themself to be a problem, though, with the weird ability to infinitely take off their clown nose and turn whoever it hit into a laughing mess that can’t do anything else. It looked right up his alley at first, puns making his tongue tingle, but since the akuma was too fast, he didn’t have the time he needed to quip.

“Chat Noir!” He heard Ladybug calling and cursed himself for getting distracted again. When he looked over, she saw her throwing an object at him. “Cataclysm it!”

It was one of those plastic flowers that squirts water. “On it! Cataclysm!”

The flower came undone and the small black butterfly flew out, barely flapping it's wings before being capture by Ladybug's yo-yo. Uncharacteristically, she purified it quietly and sent it away.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" She called out, releasing the healing lovely that shut down the hysterical laughter from the affected citizens on the streets.

"W-what happened?" The plain-looking girl sitting on the ground stuttered. Chat Noir did a double take when he realized that it was the akuma victim.

"You were akumatized." He explained softly. "You were-"

"I-I don't really want to know, Mr. Noir." She said, cheeks flushed red. "Can you please get me down to the streets? I wanna go home."

"I can take you-"

"No, really, it's fine." The girl said, withdrawing into herself further.

He sighed. "Okay, climb on my back."

She did just that, hiding her face against his neck. As soon as they were on the ground, she climbed down as fast as she could and stammered a "thank you" before running down the metro steps, leaving her now fixed joke flower in his hands. His heart hurt, he hated when the victims weren't even willingly to talk about their problems by the end, it was much harder to help that way.

"Tough akuma, huh." Chat said when he arrived back at the top, Ladybug waiting with an annoyed expression. "Pound-"

"What were you thinking?!" His partner shouted and he took a step back.

"What are you talking about?"

"You almost got hit today just because you were joking around! I told to stop doing that, Chat Noir!" She snapped and he shrugged, trying to keep a nonchalant stance.

"Couldn't let the akuma outshine the true comedian of the hour, huh."

"You can't let the akuma hit you just for a stupid joke!"

"It's not stupid, bugaboo. I know you love them, you already confessed." He cooed, pleased.

She turned even redder, if possible. "Not all of them are funny! Some are just stupid!"

He started to laugh, before it quickly faded away. A memory came to mind, one which he tried to suppress because it haunted-

"It's not funny!"

"Yeah, I know." He supposed the muted tone of his voice was jarring enough, because Ladybug deflated.

"... Chaton? Is everything okay?" She asked and, if it wasn't for the growing pit of regret growing in his stomach, he would have found the fast change from annoyance to concern in her voice funny.

"Of course, why wouldn't it, my lady?" He tried a smile but her face didn't change.

"You're doing that thing again."

"What thing?"

"Smiling, but not really." At her words, the smile dropped from his face. "C'mon, you know you can tell me anything. Is it your dad again?"

"No, not right now." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just remembered that my jokes really aren't all that funny. A friend of mine would certainly agree with you."

She clicked her tongue. "I told you loads of times that you aren't funny sometimes, that can't be it."

"It's not that, it's just that I played a joke on this friend of mine and she didn't think it was funny. She cried, Ladybug. I felt awful and she did forgive me, but maybe I'm just not good with jokes at all."

Marinette had been incredibly upset when he pretended to be a statue in front of her and he could see her hurt blue eyes as if she were standing in front of him.

Ladybug frowned. "But she did forgive you, didn't she? Was the joke that bad?"

"Well, I didn't think so." He said, having spent tons of nights thinking about what exactly went wrong that day. "It was a simple prank, really, but she got really upset. Maybe she just doesn't like pranks."

Marinette had been extremely upset when she found the gum on her seat on the first day. Then again, it was because she thought it had been Chloé's doing.

"Yeah, your friend could be a downer." His partner teased. He was acutely aware of her elbow nudging his arm.

"Nah, she's the best." He said fondly, thinking about Marinette's kind nature and bold personality. "I'm probably not that funny, really."

"If you say so." Ladybug said and he caught sight of a sour frown on her face.

He raised an eyebrow. "It's okay, really, my girlfriend didn't think I was funny either."

"Well, it doesn't matter. I think you're funny." She said firmly, seemingly unaware of what it did to his poor heart.

"If my lady says so, it must be right." Chat grinned, elated. "Hey, did you feel that? Think it's going to rain?"

"What? I didn't feel-" Ladybug sputtered as water squirted on her face from the flower in a laughing Chat's hand.

He waited for her to shout an angry "Chat!" and turn red, but she just stole the toy from his hands and aggressively squirted water on him, laughing when he hissed. It was a loud, beautiful laugh.

He could listen to it for days.

#ladynoirjuly #ladynoirjuly2021 #Ladynoir #ladybug #chat noir #my stuff #ml fic #if we're bound to be something why not together

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2manyfandoms2count · 4 years

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You can count on me (I will be there for you)

Aaaaand here we are with the final chapter of this story! A very cracky finale, with a surprising amount of fashion judgement and a lack of serious damage. I’ve made them suffer enough on their wedding day.

Thank you so, so much to everyone who’s read so far! It was a genuine pleasure to write this story, and the positive response has warmed my heart. Lots of love for everyone 💕 Hope you’ll enjoy this!!

---

Chapter 9

Max has conveniently chosen the room they’d all met up in earlier for their lift back, Ladybug notices as she steps out of the portal. Rena Rouge and Queen Bee are standing at the door, discreetly peeking at the reception on the other side. They turn around when they hear the portal’s low hum.

“How’s it going?” Ladybug asks, joining them in their stakeout.

“I think they’re starting to feel a little uncomfortable.” Alya nods towards the next room, and Marinette steals a look, not knowing if her friend is referring to their primary suspects, or Nino and Kagami.

A look inside answers her question. The four of them are standing in the middle of the room, and it’s quite clear from their body language that her friends are doing their best to look at ease, while their interlocutors are clearly desperate to go. They show it differently, though: whereas Gabriel is standing straighter than ever, eyes darting towards the nearest exit as Nino enthusiastically speaks to him about something involving large hand gestures and a lot of shoulder pats, Nathalie seems exhausted, shrunk on herself while Kagami talks about something technical, if Ladybug can trust her frowns as she explains.

“Well, as long as it’s them and not the guests, it should be alright. Wouldn’t want a mass akumatisation on our hands.” Ladybug straightens up and sighs.

“So, it’s really them?” Alya asks.

“I think saying ‘most probably’ would be an understatement.” She shakes her head.

“Poor Adrien,” Queen Bee mutters next to them. “This is honestly the last thing he needs.”

Marinette looks at Alya worriedly, and her friend squeezes her hand. “He’s up to speed, I think he’s hanging in there.”

“I’ll have a talk with him later.” Ladybug promises herself.

“Anyway, what’s the plan now?” Queen Bee turns towards her expectantly.

“Well, see, that’s my problem, I’m not entirely sure how to go about it-”

“I am.” Chat Noir walks straight past them, stormy eyes fixed on the two suspects, his tail slipping through Ladybug’s fingers, and he's out in the open before she can retain him. She hadn't heard the portal close behind him, nor his approaching footsteps.

She starts to run after him, we don’t have a plan, what is he doing, but Rena Rouge grips her arm before she can, yanking her back inside their honorary headquarters. Ladybug’s offended look melts as her friend delicately takes her veil out of her hair. She’d completely forgotten about it.

“Might not want to out yourself to them right now, since they probably don’t know who you are,” her friend says softly.

“Now go make sure your partner doesn’t get into too much trouble. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. We’ll figure something out if anything happens, but you generally do pretty well without the B team.” Queen Bee pushes her out of the room with a wink.

Ladybug glances back one last time before she heads in; Max has come closer, and her three friends smile at her reassuringly as she does. She smiles back, hoping it expresses just how much she’s thankful for them being there, and not how worried she is about what might unfold.

---

Chat Noir barely hears the guests’ gasps as they make way for him. He strides purposefully into the room, his eyes trained on his father. Gabriel Agreste. Hawkmoth.

When he catches sight of the dark figure approaching him, the man tenses even more than he’d already been, which Chat hadn’t thought was possible. Yes, you can be worried, he thinks, nodding at Nino and Kagami to relieve them of their duties. Both stand aside, and start ushering people away from the newly formed trio.

“Chat Noir,” Gabriel greets coldly, eyes flickering to his right hand’s ring finger.

Even now, that’s all he can think about, Chat shakes his head, protectively balling his hand into a fist. He’s ready to seize the opportunity, even if it means disrupting his only son’s wedding. He hopes his scorn is visible as he looks at him.

“What a… pleasant surprise,” his father lets out without conviction, a hint of a smirk playing at his lips.

It takes all of Chat Noir’s willpower to not spit at his feet, and even more to not spit in his face.

“Mr. Agreste,” he says through gritted teeth. “I believe we need to talk.”

“Do we? Whatever about?” His eyebrows shoot up, and he looks around the room with fake amusement, as if trying to find an allied face in the crowd. Most people look away uneasily. He’s a powerful man, but his challenger is one of Paris’ most trusted protectors. Something must be up, and although it isn't clear what side it's best to be on, something tells them it's not Gabriel Agreste's.

To the untrained eye, Gabriel looks perplexed, almost hurt by the request. To Adrien Agreste, though, who has spent years scrutinising his father’s facial expressions, searching for any hint of pride, love, anything positive, there’s no mistake; he can read the fear in his eyes.

He takes a step forward.

“That’s a nice scarf you have today.” He nods towards his father’s neck, sporting his classic candy-cane Ascot. “A little… ten, fifteen-years ago, though, don’t you think? If it ever was in fashion.”

“It’s a signature look,” Gabriel scoffs, offended by the superhero’s words. “As Chanel once said, la mode se démode, le style, jamais.”

“Yet that implies that you actually have style, which is a statement I’m sure I’m not the only one to disagree with.” He takes a look around the room, pouting pensively. “Actually, you know what? I think the scarf should come off. It clashes with the wedding’s colour scheme. Unless it holds a higher meaning to you?” He asks innocently, but there’s no mistaking the threat in his eyes as he holds a hand out.

Gabriel shares a look with Nathalie, who nods uneasily. He takes off the tie, revealing a single, gleaming, amethyst underneath (bingpot, Chat thinks), and hands it over to Chat Noir. “Of course not. In fact, if this is a way of getting something of mine, you know, I would’ve given it to you for a lot less hostility. Would you like it signed?” He smirks again.

Chat is about to lunge at him when he feels a hand on his shoulder.

“Chat Noir, don’t you think we should take this some other place? Somewhere less public, perhaps?” Ladybug asks soothingly.

Chat’s eyes flicker to her for the briefest of instants. It’s enough for Gabriel to seize the opportunity.

“Nooroo, dark wings rise!” Gabriel makes the most of his opponent’s distraction, yanking Ladybug by the arm to hold her against him.

She yelps as she feels the cold metal of his cane against her neck, almost choking her. Her eyes dart wildly around, taking in the panic that washes over the room, and she tries to free herself, but Hawkmoth tightens his grip. People scream and push each other as they run for shelter. This is exactly what she’d wanted to avoid.

“There, you have what you want, don’t you?” Hawkmoth lets out a dry laugh. “A public reveal. Maybe you should’ve consulted with your girlfriend first, though.” Ladybug feels the cane start digging in her neck, and she gasps.

“She’s not my girlfriend anymore,” Chat Noir snarls, taking another step forward. He knows he can't go straight for his opponent with Ladybug trapped like she is. He'd run the risk of her getting severely injured.

Ladybug is thankful for his diversion; her captor’s attention is fully on him, rather than on the hundreds of agitated guests. Her mind whirrs as she tries to think of something to do that wouldn’t end in total carnage, but the lack of oxygen is making her mind fuzzy.

“Oh? What a shame. You know, I could help you get revenge for her breaking your heart. I’ll take her earrings as down payment, and you can give me your ring when you’re done.” His smile makes him look deranged. Chat Noir can feel the panic rising in his chest, but represses it.

“Who says she broke my heart?” He shoots him a look of disgust and opens his hand, ready to invoke his Cataclysm.

He doesn’t get that far - a portal opens behind Hawkmoth and out flies Carapace’s shield in a flash of green, hitting the villain straight in the head before falling at his side.

He grunts and loses his grip on Ladybug, who seizes the opportunity to take a deep breath and scramble to Chat’s side. Her partner steps in front of her, his arm extended protectively in front of her body, as Hawkmoth pushes himself up to reach for his cane.

He stumbles back down before it can fly back in his hand, yellow flashing out from the same portal and hitting him in the lower back. His knees buckle under him. Queen Bee and Carapace step out of the portal, the former rewinding her spinning top.

Chat Noir yanks Hawkmoth’s brooch off of his immobilised body, releasing his transformation. Kagami comes forwards, holding Nathalie with her arms pinned behind her back. The assistant had apparently tried to make a break for it when her accomplice had transformed. They are soon joined by the police special forces, advancing cautiously behind their shields to secure the perimeter.

As Gabriel and Nathalie are cufflinked and brought out of the room, Ladybug catches Adrien and an illusion of herself out of the corner of her eye. She doesn’t think she’d look as panicked and distraught as Alya is making her, were she a mere bystander, but then again, her expression matches Adrien’s. It probably isn’t as over the top as she thinks it is.

Carapace picks up his shield once the floor is cleared, dusting it a little before fastening it to his back.

“I know it’s not the first time I knocked Hawkmoth in the head, but man, it feels even better now that I know who he is.”

“He deserves all the worst.” Chloé looks at Nathalie and Gabriel’s backs the same way she’d looked at socks in sandals the previous summer - with complete and utter disdain. Ladybug is almost surprised that she doesn’t sprint after them to kick them or something.

Chat nods along, before his attention snaps to Ladybug. Worry wrinkles his forehead as he holds her at arms’ length, looking for any sign of injury. “Are you alright, my Lady?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about me.” She waves his concern away, even if her voice is hoarser than usual. She pushes him back slightly and cups his cheek.

He’s the one she’s worried about. An anger she’d never seen so potent on him had seemed to emanate from him as he talked to Gabriel Agreste. She needed to talk to him about it.

“Marinette?” Alya’s voice sounds in their ear, interrupting their fussing over each other. They wince a little at the volume.

“Yes?” She replies, keeping a hand on him.

“People are starting to fuss over you and Adrien, I think you should come and detransform. I’m not sure I can handle hugs.”

She glances at Chat Noir.

“Go, I’ll be fine.” He squeezes her shoulder. “I’m going to make sure they don’t escape their lift to jail. I promise no punching will be involved, even if I feel like I missed out earlier.” His smile is a little tense.

“Okay.” She lets go of him cautiously. “Come and find me after?”

“I purr-omise.” He kisses her forehead and watches her walk out of the room, barely sparing a glance at their doubles who start following her. She therefore misses fake-Adrien retaining fake-Marinette and whispering something in her ear. The latter nods, and he kisses her knuckles before leaving through another door. Fake Marinette blushes and gives him a small wave with a lovestruck smile. Alya really has us nailed down, hasn’t she, he shakes his head as he watches the scene unfold.

“Hey dude, how are you holding up?” Carapace drapes an arm around his shoulders. Queen Bee and Kagami move closer to them as well. From the concerned look on Chloé’s face, Adrien deduces that the others must have brought her up to speed on the situation. She’d never been a big fan of Chat Noir.

“It’s a lot.” He admits, raking a hand through his hair. “But I’m so thankful for you guys. I lost it earlier, and that almost lost us Hawkmoth and Ladybug.” He looks up at his three friends with a small smile.

“We’ll always have your back.” Chloé pats his arm. “Especially when it’s this satisfying.”

“Now, go and watch your progenitor get driven away. I hope you’ll find it enjoyable.” Kagami nudges him towards the exit.

He nods and takes his leave. He has one last card to play to make it truly fulfilling, and he’s definitely putting it down.

---

Chat Noir walks towards the van, feeling his anger boil again at the sight of his father’s profile through the back doors’ windows. He takes a moment to breathe in deeply and think happy thoughts. Now that Hawkmoth has been arrested, he’ll finally be able to reveal his identity to Marinette. He’ll do it before the end of the day, so they can make the most of their honeymoon. Maybe there is a silver lining to this, after all.

Having regained his cool, he strides up to the van, his step unusually heavy. Gabriel Agreste looks up at the sound of his footsteps on the gravel, and frowns.

“What do you want?” He asks dryly.

“See, I just thought our conversation earlier was cut a little short. What with you attacking Ladybug and everything.” His eyes shoot daggers.

“Why would you care, if you’re not together anymore?” His father scoots a little away from the van’s back doors as Chat Noir approaches.

“I never said we weren’t together anymore. And even if that were the case, I’ll remind you that we’ve been fighting evil, you, for over a decade. Nothing could break our bond at this point. But what I actually meant was that ‘girlfriend’ is no longer a suitable title for her. She’s now my wife.” He tells him, an almost manic glint in his eye. This is going to hurt you so much, and I'm going to enjoy every last minute of it. This is for hiding Maman from me.

“Are you expecting congratulations from me?” Gabriel all but rolls his eyes, his voice laced with sarcasm.

“Well, even if you didn’t exactly say it, I feel like you covered that part earlier.” Gabriel’s eyes are on the verge of reckoning. He would probably figure it out with a little mulling over during the drive, but Chat needs the satisfaction of seeing his expression at the exact moment he realises what he means. “She’s a bit busy at the moment, but I’m sure she’d join me in thanking you for coming to our wedding today… Father.”

Gabriel’s jaw drops and Chat enjoys watching the thousands of emotions that flicker through his eyes, distorting his face as the van starts to drive away. It’s perfect timing. He can see his father shouting, banging on the doors, but he’s out of earshot. He stands on the porch until the vehicle is out of sight, then heads back inside.

He’s almost tackled by Marinette as he does.

“Chaton, something just… doesn’t seem right,” she whispers as she hugs him. She’d thought about it while she reassured her parents and some other guests that she and Adrien were fine, although the latter's absence made her question his well being. Not wanting to worry too much about it, she’d dissected the events in her head, instead. “Everything seems to be sorted now, we uncovered Hawkmoth’s identity, but then who was blackmailing me? Who was blackmailing him? And why?”

Chat Noir notices people are looking at them a little pointedly, whispering. He untangles himself from her arms and reluctantly steps away. “We’ve got all the time in the world to discover that, Princess.” He nods towards their audience and she nods in understanding, although she looks a little disappointed. “It was an honour saving your wedding.”

“Yes, thank you for that.” She clears her throat.

“We can discuss it with Ladybug after your honeymoon.” He says, and she notices he’s a little tense, almost brooding as he stands before her.

“Speaking of which, I… I should go and find Adrien.” She looks around, hoping she’ll finally spot the familiar mop of blond hair in the crowds that have returned, slightly shaken. Alya told her that he’d gone to freshen up after the arrest, and she can’t help but wonder if he’s okay. It’s been a little while. “Want to come with?”

“I don’t think my presence is necessary. I’ll catch up with you later.” He feels a giddy smile spread on his lips, his thoughts clinging to his reveal. Marinette shoots him a quizzical look before heading off towards the stairs leading to the bedrooms.

He manages to beat her to his. He detransforms, and opens the door right as she’s about to knock.

“Oh, hey, Marinette.” He jumps back a little, pretending to be caught off-guard by her presence. “I was just about to join you downstairs. Is everything alright?”

“That’s my line.” She tries to joke, but his jumpiness concerns her a little. “Can we talk, just for a second?”

“Yeah, of course.” He opens the door wider for her and leads her inside the room, fidgeting with his ring. He invites her to sit at the foot of his bed.

Marinette opens her mouth, then closes it. She frowns as she tries to find a good opening question, comment, anything. She hasn’t been this tongue-tied since collège, and this has got to be the worst moment for it to strike again. She utters a couple of words, but backtracks again and again. None feel really right in these circumstances.

Adrien patiently listens as she tries to find the words. She doesn’t dare touch him, if her distance on the bed tells him anything. He wished she would though; he could do with a hug, their previous one having been interrupted. He knows hugging Adrien could make her feel uncomfortable, though, on account of the fact that she thinks he might have feelings for her, and that she doesn’t want to lead him on. Always so thoughtful, his Lady.

“How are you feeling, Adrien?” Marinette finally says, carefully taking his hands in hers and squeezing them. “You say the word, and everybody goes home. I’m really so sorry things turned out this way, had I known, I wouldn’t have done anything today…”

“Marinette,” Adrien squeezes her hands back and looks at her earnestly. “Trust me, you did the right thing. It would never have been a good time to learn about my father’s… activities anyway. At least you had everybody who matters with you, ready to help. It might have been more complicated to have that any day.” He smiles sadly. “Besides…” He starts, but hesitates.

“Adrien, I’m here for you. You can count on me to be there, to listen. Don’t hold back.” She leans forwards, encouraging him when his silence stretches.

Adrien’s smile strengthens, becoming almost hopeful as he shifts closer to her on the bed. This is it, he thinks. Now or… well, not never, but this is as good a time as any.

“Besides,” he clears his throat, “I’ve been meaning to tell you something for a while now, and I guess this is just a sign that we should have this conversation now. You said that we should wait, but-”

“Ah, there you two are!” Alix barges into the room without knocking, and Marinette would have flung herself at her to thank her for the interruption, had she not been afraid of hurting Adrien’s feelings. She carefully lets go of his hands and stands up, crossing her arms over her chest.

She hadn’t liked Adrien’s tender eyes just now. Like they were hoping for something she knew he knew she couldn’t give him. She didn’t feel like turning him down today, not after everything that had happened, after he’d basically lost his family. But she wouldn’t really have a choice if he tried again later.

Where are you, Chat Noir? she thinks. Having him around would probably keep Adrien at bay. She wonders what better things he could have to do at this moment, but nothing comes to mind.

She turns towards her friend. She’d have to do, for now.

“Alix?” The young woman had started slow clapping about halfway through her inner monologue, looking excessively smug.

“I’ve been looking for you two everywhere, I wanted to congratulate you in person.” She grins.

Marinette and Adrien look at her, slightly puzzled. Marinette wonders if she’s off somewhere, and just wanted to say goodbye. Clapping seems a little over the top, though.

“You solved my mystery!” She clarifies, prompting Adrien and Marinette to look at each other.

“Care to elaborate?” Adrien raises an eyebrow.

“She got us a sort of escape game as a wedding present,” Marinette starts explaining, although she’s failing to see how everything ties up together.

“Yeah, and you did really well! Not gonna lie, I was expecting more drama from today, but hey, it was probably for the best.” She sighs when she sees her dumbfounded friends’ faces. “See, both of you were just so cute together, it was honestly getting a little nauseating back in the burrow.” Alix sarcastically joins her hands near her cheek. “Everything was in order, no end of the world in sight” she shoots a pointed look at Marinette, “but that made you slow down on the Hawkmoth hunt, so I had to do something. I know I’m not supposed to meddle, but hey. Hawkmoth and Mayura were getting on my nerves, and I’d kept my mouth shut long enough. ” She shrugs. “And I thought the detective play was pretty fitting, remember Mylène’s Akumatisation, when we were trying to film that movie for a competition in collège? You guys played some agents or something, and I think it was the moment pretty much everyone started shipping you two together, if they hadn’t already been.”

“But, we're not..." Marinette starts before another thought goes through her mind, the first of many that prevent her from finishing her sentences. "And the envelopes…” She shakes her head, trying to organise her thoughts. Things don’t add up in what Alix is saying, but she’s too stunned to figure it out.

“Planted by me, for you and Hawkmoth. I thought it would speed things along, whoever made the first move. Sorry for freaking you out so much. I actually wasn’t expecting you guys to go through the fake wedding route, but it ended up making things a lot easier for me. Everybody was in the same place at the same time, so really, great job on that.” She nods to herself before looking up at them again. “It was even super easy to get Max to bring his equipment, just had to make a post on one of his usual forums saying a life-size hide and seek was a great wedding activity, especially if you had earpieces for the seekers, and voilà. You have a convinced man.” She gives them a satisfied smile. “I’ll get him to launch a game before the end of the day. He might be disappointed otherwise.” She adds pensively.

Her friends still look at her like she’s grown a second head. She rolls her eyes at the lack of response, but kind of understands.

“Anyway, I know there’s a lot to unpack, but just know that everything’s fixed now. I’ll leave you two to enjoy the honeymoon you so deserve. Ladynoir for the win!” She winks.

Turning around, she takes a couple of steps, hands digged in her suit pockets, mentally counting down for Marinette to connect the dots.

3, 2, 1…

“Wait, Alix?” Marinette calls out to her friend.

“Yes, boss?” Alix smirks as she turns around.

“What do you mean, Ladynoir?” She’s frowning, eyes darting between her and Adrien.

“It's a ship name, for Ladybug and Chat Noir?" Alix asks, angelically batting her eyelids. "Oh, no, don't tell me; you guys hadn’t reached that part of your discussion yet.” She snaps her fingers and shakes her head, her grin giving away how unrepentant she is. “Well, spoiler alert, then, I guess.”

Marinette turns towards Adrien, who’s smiling sheepishly at her.

“I was just about to tell you, Bugaboo,” he says and her eyes widen in response.

"I'll leave you two to it!" Alix smiles as she walks out of the room, whistling the wedding march tune. She doesn’t need to turn around to know Adrien has probably taken his bride’s hand in his and is probably kissing her knuckles, while Marinette is on the cusp of having a meltdown.

Her job here is done.

She slides the ‘do not disturb’ panel on the door handle; something tells her they might need it. So what if the first dance is even more delayed. She’s not in charge of the day’s schedule.

But she definitely won the best present award.

24 notes · View notes

rainsonata · 4 years

Text

Doppelgänger 14/15

Chapter 14: The Cataclysm

Fandom/Pairing: Elsword; none Rating: T Word Count: 6,968

Summary: It was like looking into a mirror. What happens when one’s reflection talks back and throws uncomfortable questions? El Search Party struggles to find entrance into the Demon Realm, but Dominator has a plan.

Alternative Title: Dominator fucked up and now everyone meets their alternative selves

AO3 Link / FF.NET Link

— [Chapter 01] [Chapter 02] [Chapter 03] [Chapter 04] [Chapter 05] [Chapter 06] [Chapter 07] [Chapter 08] [Chapter 09] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14] [Chapter 15] —

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

Class Notes:

Canon Path: Knight Emperor, Aether Sage, Daybreaker, Rage Hearts, Code: Esencia, Comet Crusader, Apsara, Empire Sword, Doom Bringer, Ishtar and Chevalier (Innocent), Bluhen

Alternative Path: Rune Master, Oz Sorcerer, Anemos, Furious Blade, Code: Ultimate, Fatal Phantom, Devi, Flame Lord, Dominator, Timoria and Abysser (Catastrophe), Richter

Transformation Path: Immortal, Metamorphy, Twilight, Nova Imperator, Code: Sariel, Centurion, Shakti, Bloody Queen, Mad Paradox, Iblis and Anular (Diangelion), Herrscher

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

Code: Ultimate

Henir’s Time and Space existed in a separate plane of its own, balanced between all dimensions and existed at a point where time did not exist. A portal cracked open from the side, forming an enclave big enough for their group to squeeze through.

Ultimate entered first. She forced her wings to fold back to avoid crushing the person behind her. It was the same as it was the last time she had visited. They all landed on the familiar blue platform shared by parts of Elrianode. Electric circuits glowed beneath their feet. Blue cubes hovered around their platform among the stars. A dark sun eclipsed by the moon floated above their heads.

Despite gaining access to knowledge from the libraries and databases from her journey, Ultimate had little understanding of Henir’s Time and Space and its existence. Its architecture bore strong resemblance to that of the corrupted monsters and machines in Elrianode. The administrator of the facility was placed in what appeared to be a form of punishment. Ultimate felt her circuits hum into mild stress at the thought of being locked into one place.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE DIMENSION WILL COLLAPSE?”

Loud chatter disrupted Ultimate’s train of thought. The queen of destruction closed her eyes and allowed her programs to run scans in the background. Glave was nowhere to be seen, but Ultimate needed to update her database on Henir’s Time and Space.

“I’m sure she was joking.” Knight laughed nervously. The red knight fought to restrain Aether by placing his hands over her shoulder and gently nudging her away from Metamorphy. The elementary mage did not back away and had her staff out with a dangerous look in her eyes.

Ultimate recognized that expression. It was the one humans had when frustrated and confused. Aether was both.

“I don’t joke,” Metamorphy said with a bright smile. She was unaffected by her counterpart’s outburst and stepped out of the portal with her arms behind her back.

Her sensors notified Ultimate that other organic beings were present. Orange and red light filtered through her ocular lens to let her know there were a few dozen warm bodies. Metamorphy was correct in that they were the last group to have arrived. The platform they were on was one of many. Small stairs connected each platform and formed a chain of them to travel in between them.

Ultimate heard their names being shouted by the others that saw their arrival. It was too much for the Nasod in keeping track of them all. She allowed herself to ignore them and instead watched her friends interact with each other. Their reunion would be short before they learn about their fates.

A figure appeared from the mass of people. Ultimate’s scans shot up in response to the high energy levels emitted from Paradox. The time traveler’s energy level was unstable, making it difficult for Ultimate’s systems to keep up with the changes. It was as if Paradox wasn’t human.

“Of course it’s you causing all the noise.” Paradox was in his adult form and covered his mouth to hide a snide smile. He said to Metamorphy. “So you told them your intentions. Didn’t think you would become the harbinger of bad news.”

“I don’t remember asking for your input,” Metamorphy’s expression soured. “I doubt your group took it any better than mine did.”

“You took us here knowing we were going to react like this?” Knight protested, “You’re okay with us watching the world be destroyed?”

“Reborn,” Metamorphy corrected.

“Explain,” Ultimate looked at Paradox and Metamorphy with cold eyes. She noticed more people crowding around them and listening in to Metamorphy’s explanation. Did they know about this before they did? “I don’t quite follow what you mean by rebirth.”

Destruction and rebirth were two concepts humans liked to bring up through history. Their religion and cultures were built around both. When one group had fallen, another would rise, sometimes stronger than the last in ways Nasods wouldn’t be able to.

Ultimate was placed into deep slumber because her creator feared that his race had once again fallen into the cycle of death. He was correct, but Adrian failed to recognize that humans were just as compatible with creation as they were in destruction. For she had seen her teammates come up with plans and concepts that helped others. However, Ultimate began to understand his sentiment when Metamorphy showed glee in explaining the death of a dimension the Nasod queen had only come to known for a few days.

“Rebirth makes it sound grander than it actually is,” Metamorphy said. “It’s more like a soft reboot. Having everyone into the same dimension is stressing the system and forcing it to shut down to reset itself.”

“You’re saying it’s going to come back?” Phantom asked.

“Yes,” Metamorphy hummed. “Maybe not one-hundred percent. It should be restored to the state before the dimension broke down.”

“We’re really doing this.” Bangs covered Knight’s eyes, “We’re letting people suffer again.”

There was tension in the red haired man’s features. His shoulders rose and a hint of blue flickered over his glassy eyes. Ultimate frowned and questioned the El’s influence over Knight. Did the El have a stronger presence with Knight than it did for Rune?

“I’m sorry we had to resort to this,” Rage offered Knight an awkward pat on the back.

“So this is what happens when too many timelines intersect,” Bringer mumbled to himself. “This is the end.”

Being a few hundred years old, Ultimate wasn’t one to be as sentimental as most were in occurrences such as the soft reset Metamorphy was suggesting. The end wasn’t a foreign concept to her. According to numerous history books, many Elrian civilizations documented the Nasod war as the death of a prosperous era and the end to the benevolent relationship between Nasods and humans. Rune’s sacrifice to the El was the end of their search for the El Lady and the El Masters. A soft reset would mark yet another ending of a story arc in human history.

Was there truly an end?

“Resetting will fix everything?” There was a bite to Flame words and sharpness in the look she exchanged to Metamorphy and over to Paradox. Biting the bottom of her lips, Ultimate could see the flame user trying not to get excited.

“I don’t know about that,” Paradox scoffed. “No one has done a reset before. I’m not sure if Glave can even do it.”

“Is that why you brought us here?” Abysser asked. “I knew Glave deals with time and space, but do you really think he’s going to agree to helping us?”

“Didn’t he already help you in Elrianode?” Crusader had his arms crossed, “He gave us information about the corrupted Elrianode monsters and about the Dark El.”

“I suppose it could be too soon to ask for help again.” Empire said, “We’re already here, so we should at least try.”

Empire had what humans called “cautious optimism”. When Ultimate expressed her confusion, Rune explained that people wanted to see the bright side of something, but remained careful out of the fear of being wrong. The knight captain remained so, putting on a composed mask but smiling as a way to reassure the others. Flame did the same, but her enthusiasm was more overt and offering loud cheers.

Crossing her legs, Ultimate examined a floating cube reflecting her face back. She hadn’t noticed before, but some of them acted as monitors and showed the viewer different worlds. Each surface focused on a different part of Elrios, but one caught her attention. Ripples formed over its otherwise smooth surface and offered her a glimpse of a moving figure.

A woman sharing Devi’s face darted across a muddy terrain with a toothy grin. She wore white outfit similar to that of the warriors from Fluone's Northern Empire, followed by a white fox with many tails. Behind her was a blonde man in a white suit covered by equally pristine armor and a destroyer. An elven woman was with them. Her hair was tied back into a long braid and hoisted a sword and a bow. The sky was red and they were fighting a monster several times their size, covered in spikes and baring sharp teeth.

An emotionless face reflected back at Ultimate from the screen. The Nasod queen froze, waiting for her circuits to process the face of her twin. Pale blue wings sprouted from the back of her counterpart from another world she didn’t know of. Were these people her friends from another dimension?

“My, my. There are more of you than usual.” A male voice mused, “Your group gets bigger each time we meet, but this is the biggest I’ve seen.”

A single orange eye peered through the metal mask Glave wore. His voice made it impossible to tell his age, a quiet chuckle followed by a light toned statement that placed many people on edge. The locks placed around his collar were for a man who had committed unspoken crimes.

“You took your time,” Paradox sneered. “Where have you been?”

“Hello, Add.” Glave chuckled, “I see you have made use of the knowledge I have given you.”

“Cut the crap and tell us what we need to do to undo this idiot’s mistake!” Bringer growled.

“It looks like there’s three of you now,” Glave looked at Bringer, Dominator, and Paradox. “I suspected this day would come. How can I help you?”

Bringer fumed as Bluhen commented about the brawler being singled out with his other selves. Dominator was less pleased of being grouped with his alternatives, crossing his legs and sitting on Dynamo in a silent sulk. Paradox became a sitting duck as soon as Glave showed up, glaring at the administrator of Henir’s Time and Space with distaste.

“We need your help,” Crusader explained. “The Demon Realm where we came from is falling apart. If we don’t do something, we won’t be able to save Elrios.”

“Is that so?” Glave looked at the mob, “Is that because all of you were involved?”

“Yes,” Anemos said. “Add said there were too many of us and it’s causing problems for everyone and the people living in Demon Realm.”

“I expected this to happen for some time,” Glave admitted.

“Because you taught someone how to time travel?” Nova raised a brow.

“Yes, but he isn’t the only one learning to open portals.” Glave said, “I’m sure you remember the demon invasion in Velder?”

“That’s right, they were trying to open portals to invade Elrios!” Aether exclaimed, “But what are you trying to say? Metamorphy said you could reset the dimension and return us back to where we were supposed to be!”

“Did she now?” Glave said, “That is a heavy task you are asking of me.”

“Please, Glave. You helped us before and you gave us all the information you knew about the Dark El.” Knight lowered his head, “I don’t know what we can offer this time, but you’re the only person I know who can help us.”

Ultimate looked back to Knight, trying to understand his intention. He led a massive group, yet maintained the humbleness Rune had. There was no humor in his intonation, coated by shame and guilt. She was confused about where the unnecessary emotion came from. He was no different than Rune.

“What can you offer this time?” Glave chuckled again, “Resetting a dimension so I can send all of you on your merry way? It will only take time before all of you find each other again.”

“I know it’s our fault this happened, but that’s why I want to change that.” Knight said, “I only want-”

An arm blocked Knight from getting closer to Glave. Immortal stepped up and shook his head to Knight, effectively silencing his counterpart with a tiny smile. The sword user beamed at Glave and offered the man a forced grin.

“Yo, Glave! I got a better deal than myself over there,” Immortal nudged Knight to the side. “Why stop at resetting one dimension? You’re right, we might try to see each other again and that means you’ll have to fix our mess again. So why don’t you sit down and listen to what I have to say?”

“Oh?” A smile could be heard in Glave’s raised intonation, “What do you propose?”

“Why don’t you make it so that dimension traveling is stable across our three dimensions?” Immortal nodded, “You won’t regret this because you will never be bored!”

Anemos once proposed to Ultimate that Glave’s strange requests were done out of boredom. She kept her voice low and hushed with a snide comment that was uncharacteristic of the elven woman. Ultimate couldn’t relate to the emotion as Nasods did not get bored, but she knew that humans had a tendency of finding ways to entertain themselves when placed in isolation. She could see why Glave would go to such lengths to reach out to the El Search Party when his traveling was limited to a few spots.

“Never get bored, huh?” Nova laughed to himself, “That’s so Elsword.”

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

Chevalier

In contrast to the cold weather in Varnimyr, there was nothing in Henir’s time and space. It was warm yet cold. Big, yet small. An infinite sea of platforms floated in space, small stairs suspended in midair and connected to one another. Just big enough to fit all twenty nine of them and its administrator.

The first time he had visited Henir’s time and space was by Glave himself, who had a tendency of showing up at resting spots in Elrios. A strange light in his eyes gave away that the man had plans of his own. He wasn’t one to share his intentions and Chevalier didn’t want to do with any of it. Chevalier didn’t lack strange people in his life after he formed a pact with Ishtar.

It has been weeks since Chevalier last saw the administrator of Henir’s time and space. With a look of boredom and a shrug, Glave offered useful information on the Dark El and a quick history lesson of the Henir heretics involvement of it. Their dependence on Glave brought discomfort to the half-demon butler.

“Are we nothing more than entertainment for this man?” Ishtar scowled, “Fixing someone else’s mistake in exchange for our livelihood. What kind of nonsense is this?”

Chevalier hushed the former demon ruler. He had seen the hasty plan wrapped together by the newcomers as if it was second nature for them to dimension jump at a last minute’s notice. There was no reason to give Glave a moment of doubt in handing over a gift to their group.

“How would we travel to each other’s worlds?” Apsara asked.

“I gave the coordinates to the nerd and the musclehead,” Paradox snorted. “I think that’s enough.”

“This is a good idea?” Chevalier wondered aloud, “Demons have tried to cross into Elrios through portals in the past. What makes you think they won’t find out about our new access to them?”

“It’s only a problem if you blurt it out in the cold open like the amateurs you are,” Paradox grinned. “With twelve of you, that surely won’t be a problem, would it?”

Chevalier couldn’t make head or tail(s) about the man who shared Doom Bringer’s face. The time traveler had two forms he could use however he pleased. That was how he tricked Knight into believing he was harmless, yet they were expected to take Paradox’s words as truth. The butler’s gaze locked into Bringer, who nodded as a confirmation.

“That’s right, he gave us the coordinates for each other’s dimensions.” Bringer said, “Is that all you want to say?”

“You’re not the type to have idle conversations, are you?” Dreadlord chuckled, “I suppose it can’t be helped with our situation.”

Was the Demon Realm they came from beyond saving? It wasn’t their world, but it was the one the El Search Party promised to protect. It was a relief to make amends with the dark elves and the other creatures living there. Despite the poor relation between demons and Elrios inhabitants, there were civilians living in both. Most importantly, it was Ishtar’s home. Behind her sly smiles was sadness and nostalgia for a place that no longer accepted her.

Chevalier and Ishtar poured blood and sweat into fighting their way into Demon Realm to restore her reign as a ruler, only for all that effort to go to waste. He couldn’t imagine the thoughts going through Ishtar’s mind in watching her world be reduced to ashes.

“It’s fine,” Ishar placed a hand over Chevalier’s left forearm. She said with a forced smile, “It doesn’t bother me. Everything will be okay.”

“Are you sure?” Chevalier disliked how childish he sounded when he asked a seemingly simple, yet personal question to the one he was supposed to protect.

“Metamorphy said it would be reset, so I’m sure of it.” She closed her eyes, “My people are no strangers to rebuilding themselves. We should be thankful Grave is agreeing to help us again. This will be the second time we owe him.”

“That’s already several times less than some of us,” Immortal gave a light chuckle. “Are you ready then?”

All this talk about portal and interdimensional travel was a familiar topic that gave Chevalier a migraine. He could understand why the ability to do so was so appealing to demons. With that sort of power, Chevalier would gain access to stronger allies, multiple versions of himself that would likely share the same objective as he did. It took the effort of many people to prevent such power from falling into their enemy’s possession.

Meeting their alternates added an extra layer of complexity on top of the original intention to seek out the Dark El. The butler knew they wouldn’t hear the last about portals after the first time they attempted to cross a dimension over from Lanox. Chevaliar had doubts that their group would return to Elrios any time soon.

“You all right, there?” Abysser’s annoying voice popped into his vicinity. “What’s going on in your mind?”

“Nothing,” Chevalier said.

“No one thinks about nothing,” Abysser snorted. “Hey Ish, what’s he thinking?”

“Don’t call her that!” Chevalier growled. Why was being around himself so grating? Ishtar gave Abysser a small smile, but the demon monarch mentally cackled at the exchange between the two butlers. Chevalier sent glares at the tiny demon, struggling not to fill his mind with profanities. That only made Ishtar laugh harder.

“Did I say something funny?” Abysser was concerned, “You look like you ate something bad and Ishtar is giving me a weird look.”

Chevalier stared ahead, focusing his thoughts and eyes on Glave. The administrator’s lips were moving, but he couldn’t hear the words. For the first time, he wished Ishtar didn’t have to share the same mental space as him. The demon monarch was usually good about backing off and giving him privacy, but Ishtar was taking delight in picking at his thoughts whenever Abysser was around. Her Cheshire grin was one that was usually reserved for teasing Bluhen.

“Ciel was telling me how much he likes you!” Ishtar dared to speak a complete lie. Her lips couldn’t have spread out even further if she tried. The demon monarch bore a mischievous smirk that was more in line with her appearance age.

“Aw, I think you’re cool too!” Abysser beamed.

Chevalier groaned.

He spied a camera shot of Varnimyr from one of the reflective cubes floating nearby. They functioned similar to the Nasod technology used in Elysion to monitor the city. Red clouds swirled in a dangerous haze, obscured by dark portals consuming the rest of the sky. Demons trekked across the fiery path, seeking for shelter in confusion to what was happening to their world. The demon realm was a mirror to what Lanox was weeks before the demon invasion. So this was how Glave always knew where to find them.

Past his former days as a hitman, Chevalier pondered on how he would use them. How easy would it be to find his target before they realized he existed and... Chevalier didn’t allow himself to complete the thought. Those days were over. He would have easily picked to live in the present than in a bloodtorn past where he too often scraped the bottom of the barrel for less savory jobs.

“It’s okay if you don’t know what to think about any of this,” Abysser read his silence as uncertainty. His eyes glazed over the cubes. Anger appeared in a short moment before he said, “I don’t think anyone would know how to react.”

“You think?” Chevalier gave a dark chuckle. At least Abysser’s voice was good at distracting him from those troubling thoughts. “I was questioning my sanity when you introduced yourself.”

“I can’t be that bad,” he feigned a hurt expression.

“It’s like a dream,” Chevalier said. “Everything gets resolved as quickly as the problem came.”

“We must be blessed because we now have three Elswords,” Abysser smirked. “Lady Luck seems to like them.”

“I wouldn’t call it luck if it means having to sit through the world crumbling before us,” Chevalier said.

“You’re welcome to join them,” Abysser grinned.

“I’ll pass,” Chevalier scoffed.

“Don’t you ever get bored of acting cool all the time?” Abysser asked.

Chevalier shrugged, wondering what the demon meant by that. While he was troubled by the idea of watching a dimension reset itself, Ishtar did not need to add his premature death to her list of growing worries. Having sympathy for demon realm civilians wasn’t going to make him into a martyr. He was not Knight.

“What needs to be done to begin the reset?” Anemos asked.

“Your visit was unexpected, so I won’t be able to start immediately to fix your… mishap.” Glave said. “For saving the dimension, I expect a token of exchange shortly after. I’m sure it won’t be difficult for one of you to acquire it.”

Chevalier was sure the first part was a lie, but he didn’t have the proof nor motivation to say otherwise. He took Glave’s word for it and nodded in agreement. His mind glossed over the mention of payment, mildly interested in what the administrator of Henir could want. Glave had previously formed exchange services for them running errands. The requested items were often unique objects obtained from strange circumstances and battles.

“You can tell us about the price after you finish saving the world,” Immortal said impatiently.

Similar to Knight, he carried weight in his steps and was terse in his words. He had a sharp look in his eyes, hazy from the effect the Dark El had. Chevalier could feel the Dark El radiating from the sword user, yet he retained his reason and intelligence.

“There will still be limitations on how many can visit different worlds,” Glave added. “Your dimensions will no longer collapse under the new laws, but having large groups together will cause a delay in regular timeflow.”

“As in…?” Flame squinted.

“Try not to visit in big groups,” Phantom finished for her.

“Having big groups does make it harder to avoid detection from the enemies,” Daybreaker remarked.

Being forced to arrive as small groups sounded cumbersome, but it was more than what he expected from Glave. Impressed by Immortal’s ability to sway the administrator of Henir, Chevalier quietly thanked the redhead and offered a pat on the shoulder. Immortal backed away, as if the young man had seen a ghost. He kept looking at the butler’s face with a careful expression before moving his eyes over to Ishtar. Fear struck across Immortal’s gaze before he apologized to Chevalier for staring.

Confused by Immortal’s reaction, Chevalier accepted the apology but frowned. Was it something he had said? Did Immortal have a bad relationship with the other Ciel from his world? It took a split second for Chevalier to force himself away from drawing out his gunblade because of the way Immortal looked at Ishtar, an expression he was quick to recognize. It was one of fear mixed with anger. What did the other Lu do to make Immortal respond like that?

“Forget it.” Immortal rubbed the back of his head, a trait he shared with Rune and Knight when frustrated. “I need to let the others know what’s happening.”

“I know you have a lot on your plate, but Glave won’t be ready any time soon.” Chevalier said. He wished there was something he could do to help the young man. “You should take the time to rest.”

“Lucky for us, time doesn’t exist here.” Immortal let out a dark chuckle.

“So after this, we’ll return to where we were before like nothing happened?” Chevalier asked.

Immortal nodded.

Rune’s group would go back to Elrianode before they entered Demon Realm. Would they once again attempt to enter their Demon Realm or would they change plans and remain in the ancient city? Chevalier and his friends would return to a restored Varnimyr with its inhabitants being none the wiser, still in danger because of a strong demonic presence they have yet to identify. Where would Immortal and the others go?

“Don’t waste your time thinking about the things that don’t exist in your world,” Immortal said. He gave the butler a critical expression, “I’m sure you’re curious about what my world is like, but that’s our problem to figure out.”

Problem? Chevalier realized he was judging a group of people he had only met a few hours ago and felt guilty. It wasn’t his place to make opinions on something he didn’t understand.

“Perhaps we’ll meet again under better circumstances,” Chevalier said.

“Maybe,” Immortal’s expression softened. Despite his young face, there was age in his eyes. Chevalier didn’t understand why, but he sympathized with Immortal’s struggle to hold the team together. That was something he could relate to. “Maybe not.”

“Can you at least tell me if you found the Dark El?” Chevalier asked when Immortal excused himself.

The redhead broke into a burst of genuine laughter, “Would I be here if I knew the answer?”

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

Immortal

Resting his head back against the palm of his hands, Immortal took deep and controlled breaths as Shakti had taught him. He felt his chest hover before deflating, letting his mind wander off into the distance and blocking out the pointless chatter around him.

More waiting. Nothing he could do to speed it up. Time didn’t exist in Henir’s Time and Space, which was great because that meant the stakes were lower, but made the extraneous delay worse for the sword user. Immortal was itching to get up and find something to do.

Paradox didn’t trust Glave, but it wasn’t a question about trust. Glave was useful. He had access to knowledge and power that could easily switch their position in their current battle against the demons. Immortal wasn’t going to ignore a viable resource, not when Glave was so eager to offer his services.

It was torturous sitting around and waiting for Glave to do his thing and send them back. To hell with Glave saying their visit was unexpected. He knew the guy was keeping a careful watch on his group. Something about them having “potential”, whatever that meant. Glave was never confused when his team visited the administrator, often offering them valuable information they needed. There was no reason for Glave to begin being surprised by their appearances.

Immortal’s concentration was broken by girlish giggling. Scowling at nothing in particular, he opened his eyes to see Metamorphy pointing at Paradox while talking to Devi. The magical girl motioned a pair of cat ears with the use of her index fingers. Devi had a similar expression as Immortal, confused by Metamorphy’s chatter. Flame was amused and mouthed a few words Immortal couldn’t hear over the rest of the mob.

“It’s hard to hear your own thoughts,” Nova commented. The older man settled down next to Immortal. “I’m surprised it took effort to find them.”

“I’m surprised too,” Immortal mumbled. “We should have let Aisha lead.”

“She would be happy to hear that.” He could hear the smile in Nova’s tone without looking at the former mercenary. “Convincing Glave to let the paths crossover more than once was a bold move.”

“So was letting the Dark El take over.” Immortal balanced one of his blades to see his reflection shine over its glossy edge and smirked, “I’m a bold guy.”

“If you say so,” Nova chuckled. “I understand wanting to restore their dimensions, but why take the extra steps to let them transverse to our worlds?”

Portals weren’t a novelty for Elrios. Humans and demons alike have spent centuries toying with the idea of interdimensional travel, fighting to ignore the barriers placed by the gods to prevent them from mingling. In many ways, demons held very human qualities in wanting what couldn’t be obtained. If it wasn’t Knight or Rune’s teams attempting to use portals, Immortal was sure the demons would make additional attempts to break into another dimension.

“I like to call it a haunch,” Immortal said. “Just in case something like this happens again. Besides, they could use the extra help.”

“In fighting Rosso?” Nova raised a brow.

“Not so loud!” Immortal shushed him, “I don’t think they know about him yet, at least that’s what Paradox told me.”

“Letting them know won’t hurt them,” Nova gently told him. “They already know they will make it because of us.”

Immortal questioned if it was wiser to let the other El Search Parties know what they were getting themselves into. His team had barely scraped out of the battle with bloodied cuts and bruises that took days to heal. Unlike Knight’s team, they had no healers and relied on potions crafted by their alchemists.

What would he tell Knight and Rune? That they were going to be ambushed by a burning midget with a giant blade? Immortal sighed, frustrated by the dilemma. Their timelines were already tangled up thanks to Paradox. There was no use in hiding knowledge from each other, yet he hesitated.

Their small team of eight grew at Rosso’s awakening. Paradox showed up when the first blood was drawn. When asked why, the time traveler shrugged with a mischievous smile. Immortal could never understand what went through Paradox’s mind and wasn’t sure if he wanted to.

It was one of the rare fights that summoned Iblis and Anular from the depths of hell. Iblis’s face was twisted with madness and delight in the pain she was able to inflict on their enemy, dragging Anular along on an invisible chain formed by their twisted bond. Their party was down to the last of its members able to fight when Immortal thought he saw red hair and a claymore before passing out. When he woke up, Bloody Queen was nowhere to be seen.

“You think our help will be enough?” Immortal pondered on the implications of being able to regularly interact with his alternates. They were just a walking distance from him, but he couldn’t bring himself to face them.

Nova noticed his hesitance.

“You should check on them,” Nova followed his gaze over to the two red haired men talking to each other. “I’ll let you know when it’s time for us to leave.”

“What if they hate me?” Immortal was surprised by his own doubt, annoyed by how honest he sounded.

“Before you finish that thought, I think they’re more concerned about their problems than about you.” Nova said without heat in his words, “They followed you through this plan because they believed in you. I think your appearance might be a breath of fresh air for them.”

“You sure put a lot of faith into this eighteen year old,” Immortal laughed.

“If age was a concern, I wouldn’t have followed you when we first met.” Nova smiled. “If they give you trouble, I can talk to them too.”

“I don’t think that will happen,” Immortal laughed again. Knight and Rune were foolish, but had good intentions. That made three of them. He gave a mock salute to Nova with a toothy grin, “I won’t be gone for long.”

It wasn’t hard to find Knight and Rune. They sat huddled together like they have known each other for years, speaking hushed whispers that raised Immortal’s radar. He forced those thoughts away, putting on a big smile as he was supposed to. Relaxed, waving at the two as if he wasn’t bothered by the idea of being the bringer of bad news that they were going to have to deal with a half-demon brat in a matter of hours, two weeks in Rune’s case.

“Yo!” Immortal heard himself speak. He waved to them, “Fancy seeing you two here!”

“You’re the one who brought us here,” Knight waved back with a sigh.

“I know,” Immortal kept smiling. “I told you I would help you guys get home!”

“That felt a little too easy,” Rune said. “Do things always go smoothly for you?”

“No,” Immortal heard Knight’s voice alongside his. He stopped to look at Knight, who wasn’t as surprised. “Really?”

“Yes,” Knight stressed. The look on his face was one of someone who was exhausted from all the interrogating from others. Impatient, he pressed his hand against his forehead when he saw doubt in his alternates. “Maybe the things I went through weren't as long and strenuous as it was for you, but I have struggles too!”

“Never said I didn’t believe you,” Rune patted Knight on the back. “Just surprised, that’s all.”

Even if Immortal had purposely avoided talking to Rune and Knight up to this point, he was envious of how easy it was for them to talk to each other. Knight and Rune lacked the tension in their shoulders, relaxed and eager to trust others. It wasn’t that Immortal couldn’t relax, but there was a constant nagging voice in the back of his mind. Conwell urged him to take the next step to avoid the uncertainty of death.

“Did you make Raven worried again?” Rune asked.

“Me? Worry him?” Immortal smirked at the idea,“When isn’t he worried? He’s going to get white hair if he keeps fussing like that.”

“Ours already has white hair,” Knight said without humor.

Having only caught a short glimpse of Rage from a distance, Immortal was only able to recognize the former mercenary by the monstrous arm. It was nothing like what Immortal was used to, a strange mesh of machinery and organic compounds.

Rune threw his head back and let his hair flop over his face in uncontrolled laughter. Covered in runes, his appearance was a sharp contrast to Knight’s conservative armored look. It was amazing how consistent their looks were to their personalities. If not for their shared names, they could have been different people.

“Anyway, I think it’s only fair I share some information about what’s coming up for both of you.” Immortal ran one hand through his hair.

“You mean what was causing the earthquakes in Varnimyr?” Knight asked, “Yeah, Paradox mentioned something about that. Rune and I were talking about that.”

“Did Paradox mention how strong the next enemy was?” Immortal asked.

“We’re going to have to fight something stronger?” Rune laughed, “When is that not the case?”

They were taking the news better than Immortal thought, maybe too calmly. He didn’t like how quick Rune was to accept his word. No hesitance or questioning involved. Maybe Paradox was right about him needing more caffeine. Knight blinked, letting the new information process before nodding in agreement to Rune. He looked at Immortal with interest and ushered him to keep talking.

Well, that’s why Immortal was here - letting them know what they were getting themselves into. It wasn’t going to stop them from going after Rosso, because they were Elsword and none of them could ignore someone’s cry for help. If no one was going to fight Rosso, who would? The ones who felt the most connection to the El. Good gods, why did all of them have to be big damn heroes?

“The enemy will be heavily protected from outside its tower,” Immortal explained. “You need to take down the barriers quickly before they overwhelm you. Make use of everyone’s abilities and distribute your strengths. If one person gets shot down, let someone else take over.”

“People died?” Knight looked alarmed.

“No,” Immortal realized his wording and stepped back. “But you’re going to need all the help you can get.”

“Is that why you asked Glave to let our dimensions overlap?” Rune asked.

Immortal cocked his head to the side, “Am I scaring you yet?”

“Not really.” Knight’s brave front was betrayed by his face losing color. Clearing his throat, he said, “Telling us what you know will make the fight easier.”

“Will it be easier?” Immortal asked more for himself than to the others. “I doubt things will ever be easy for any of us, but you’ll continue?”

“Of course!” Rune bumped his fist up, “Who the hell do you think we are?”

Knight nodded in agreement.

“Figures,” Immortal smiled. “Then I see no point in stopping either of you from doing what you have to do.”

He sat with his legs crossed with his body leaned back, looking up to the stars surrounding Henir’s time and space. No wonder Glave kept finding excuses to leave this bubble and interfere with his group. There was nothing to see once the novelty in the monitor panels and space wore off.

“What’s your team like?” Knight asked.

“You already saw half of them,” Immortal said. “What do you think?”

“Blunt. They have a lot of energy,” Knight after some thought, clearly putting careful consideration into his response. How cute.

“They have a lot of powers we haven’t seen before,” Rune commented. “Where did Paradox learn to use portals?”

“None of us know,” Immortal shrugged. “Metamorphy thinks Glave is involved, but that’s besides the point. Paradox does what he wants.”

“You mean he isn’t with you?” Knight asked.

“Yes and no,” Immortal said. “Our team is a little smaller than yours because we don’t travel together.”

Immortal saw the wheels spinning in Knight’s head, taking in the new information and forming new questions to throw at the sword wielder. He caught the red-haired knight tongue-tied on whether to probe further. It didn’t matter to him. If Knight asked, he would let the other know that their team functioned differently. Having a smaller team didn’t bother Immortal. It made traveling easier and drew in less attention.

“It must be hard fighting that enemy if you had a smaller group,” Rune said.

“We’ve managed,” Immortal replied.

Although Iblis, Anular, and Paradox had joined for the bigger fights, he wasn’t sure if they counted as allies. Their loyalties laid elsewhere, not in him. Anular followed wherever the corrupted queen went and Paradox had a separate agenda unrelated to the El. It was better than no help at all. He wanted to offer the two El Search Parties more than that. No one deserved to barely scrape by with burns and blisters on their sides.

“I hope we get to see each other more after this,” Knight spoke up. His voice was quiet, but firm. There was determination in his tone. “Not just to help each other, but to talk. It would be nice to stop thinking about saving the world for once.”

“You need to come visit!” Rune exclaimed, “Not sure how similar our worlds are, but it would be nice to take a break once in a while.”

“That sounds nice,” Immortal closed his eyes.

Yeah… he liked the idea of that. When was the last time Immortal rested and didn’t stop to think about the state of the world? Traveling with his friends for the last several years was fun, but it’s been months since Immortal got to enjoy himself. Maybe he could ask COBO services for suggestions.

“Elsword!’ Nova’s voice forced him to blink and look up. “Glave said he’s ready!”

“What do you know, it’s already time.” Immortal murmured to himself. “Guess it’s time to watch the world end.”

“It’ll be okay.” Even Knight sounded unsure. He turned to Immortal for help, “Right?”

“Guess we’ll find out very soon,” Rune had an uneasy smile. “We have the front row seats to watch it unfold.”

Immortal wondered what went through Rune and Knight’s minds as they passively sat there and witnessed a cruel image. Displayed on multiple screens was the same climatic scene of a redden world. Varnimyr was already red from the chaos caused by Rosso, but the portals have crushed the mountains and trees that made up the region. They dissipated into fine dust and sucked into the portals. The inhabitants’ cries were silenced by the light.

A blinding light flared from where they stood, beaming downward into a distant galaxy containing the demon realm. Immortal watched the light consume what was left of the crumbling dimension with a promise of starting anew. His very being felt electrified in response to the Dark El in the demon realm inverting on itself.

Glave remained standing in silence. His fingers traced over a diagram of portals overlaying between different spheres of galaxies and interdimensional planes. The display of writing and symbols meant nothing to Immortal.

“I look forward to watching the three of you make use of the reset” He heard Glave chuckle, “Don’t let it go to waste.”

He watched as Glave manipulated something to make the lines intertwine before his body snapped into shock. Unable to hold his head up, Immortal lost his focus and closed his eyes. Glave’s laughter echoed in his head.

#elsword #eltag #elsword fanfiction #my writing #mywriting #doppelganger #Elboy (Elsword)#Rena (Elsword)#Aisha (Elsword)#Raven (Elsword)#Eve (Elsword)#Chung (Elword)#Ara (Elsword)#Elesis (Elsword)#Add (Elsword)#Lu (Elsword)#Ciel (Elsword)#Ain (Elsword)

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hattafan2593 · 5 years

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Couturiere - Chapter 15: Epilogue

Things eventually stopped being so tense. But they were never the same.

Marinette stopped going out of her way to do things for the class. No more free outfits, no surprise birthday cakes or croissants for the whole class, no banners for competitions, no last minute babysitting.

Oh sure, she would still do things if they asked her nicely. But now she started charging commissions for her work. Admittedly cheap commissions, but commissions none-the-less.

No-one in the class complained. They knew they had taken their everyday Ladybug for granted for far too long. It was only fair she got something back in return.

Marinette was still kind and polite when speaking to everyone, but she still wasn't comfortable hanging out with anyone except for Alya and Adrien.

But she was trying. And in turn, they did all they could to ensure Marinette didn't regret giving them a second chance.

(Chloe was still...well, Chloe. But her insults had lost a lot of their venom - it probably helped that Mrs. Bustier actually scolded her when she stepped out of line - and for the most part, she left the class alone.)

"Hey, Ladybloggers. Alya here. I'd like to address some of the comments and questions I've been getting as of late.

"Some of you have noticed that a couple of my videos have been deleted. There's a good reason for that.

"You see, those videos were all interviews with a, former classmate of mine, Lila Rossi. In these videos, she said to have been close friends with Ladybug, as well as other, more outrageous claims. I'm...sad to say that I didn't check to see if any of these claims were true. I saw this person who was supposedly connected to Ladybug, and I believed she could be beneficial to me and my blog.

"Sigh...I have no excuse. As an aspiring journalist, I should have known better. I didn't check my sources, and as a result several people were hurt by Lila's lies...including my best friend.

"I can't change what I've done. All I can do is apologize, from the bottom of my heart, and do my best to make sure that I never make the same mistake again. And for those of you still following me...I hope you will continue to watch as I move forward.

"Thanks for listening. Alya out."

It had been a month since they had moved back to Italy. And Lila still wasn't speaking to her.

Mrs. Rossi wasn't moved. If Lila thought giving her the silent treatment would get her to let up on her punishment, she was sorely mistaken.

She could understand, to an extent, how her frequent absence could have led to her daughter making up stories for attention. But skipping school? Bullying another student? There was no excuse for that!

Honestly, she was lucky that her getting expelled was all that happened! What if her lies about all those trips she supposedly took had gotten back to her superiors? She could have been fired if they thought she was wasting embassy time and money instead of doing her job! And then where would they be?! Did she really have no sense at all?!!

Still...

Something had happened to Lila that night. The night of that "study group". According to the news reports she'd watched, her daughter had been...physically assaulted at the hands of an akuma. They wouldn't diverge any specific details, Lila wouldn't say anything, and since Ladybug had fixed everything, there wasn't any evidence of what had happened.

But something had happened. And Mrs. Rossi was torn between the desire to protect her only child and the urge to dismiss her unnatural silence as another one of her tricks.

In the end, she decided to send Lila to a therapist.

She was glad she went with her parental instinct, because what the doctor had to say was alarming to say the least.

"It's clear that your daughter suffered some sort of trauma, Signora Rossi. I believe that what she went through has scarred her so thoroughly that she is unable to speak."

She had taken her to a pediatrician, just to be sure. There was nothing physically wrong with her throat or vocal chords.

She kept getting reports from Lila's teachers expressing concern about how withdrawn she was. And yet, doubts still lingered...

It was only after she had gone to her daughter's bedroom one night to check on her, only to see her sitting upright in bed, her face twisted in an open mouth scream with no sound coming out, did Mrs. Rossi finally accept the horrible truth.

Lila had been rendered mute.

Ladybug and Chat Noir sat on the roof of the Louvre, looking out over Paris.

10 days after defeating Couturiere, Ladybug had met up with Chat for their night patrol, only to be glomped and squeezed and spun around by her very relieved partner as he asked her questions. Was she okay? Did Couturiere hurt her? How did she get her Miraculous, and more importantly, how did she get it back?

After asking Chat to stop crushing her ribs, Ladybug explained that the akuma had attacked her from behind, knocking her out. The next thing she knew, she woke up on the ground and the earrings were back in her hand. Couturiere had apparently lost them while she was fighting Chat, and after he had Cataclysmed the akuma, Tikki had managed to sneak them out of the hotel and back to where she had been lying unconscious.

"Tikki woke me up, telling me that I had to use Miraculous Ladybug NOW! I didn't really ask questions. I put on the earrings and...well, you know the rest."

Chat had folded his arms, his face pinched in worry. "You know...it's a good thing akuma victims can't remember anything after they're de-evilized. Otherwise we'd have to worry about your secret identity being exposed."

"Yeah...good thing we don't have to worry about that."

(If Ladybug's eyes kept darting to the side, or if her voice shook a little as she told her story, or if she kept rubbing her arm nervously, Chat didn't notice. And if he did, he didn't care. He was just glad that his Bugaboo was alright.)

Now it was a week later, and the two heroes were basking in the beautiful sunset.

And yet, Chat was still bothered by what happened.

"I should have been there, m'lady. You never should have had to face Couturiere alone. I let you down."

"Chat, I didn't even see her coming until it was too late. And it all worked out in the end. Beating yourself up over it won't help things."

Chat was still unsure, so Ladybug added, "Why don't we put the blame where it actually belongs? On Hawkmoth."

Chat gave a weary smile, then nodded. His face then morphed into anger.

"I hate him, Ladybug. I hate him so much."

Chat's claws dug into his knees. "He just keeps on hurting people...people we care about, and we keep having to clean up the mess he leaves behind!"

Chat was no stranger to watching his friends and loved ones be akumatized. But Marinette was...different. She had been one of the first real friends he had made since he started public school. She had been nothing but kind to him, as Adrien and as Chat...even when he had done nothing to deserve that kindness. He didn't know why but Marinette was...special. She was like the sister he had never had.

(Sister. Riiiiight. Keep telling yourself that. said a voice in the back of his head that sounded suspiciously like Plagg.)

He would never forgive Hawkmoth. If he ever got his claws on that terrible man...

Ladybug placed a hand on Chat's shoulder, and he felt some of the tension bleed out.

"Hawkmoth can't hide forever, chaton. We will catch him. And his victims will finally get the justice they deserve."

And with that affirmation, the wielders of Creation and Destruction looked out over their beloved city.

This latest akuma had put them through the ringer.

But they had come out of it victorious in the end, and they were all the stronger for it.

And when the next threat came, they would be more than ready.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #akumatized marinette #akumanette #marinette dupen chang #ladybug #chat noir #lila rossi #lila rossi's mother #couturiere #mrs. bustier's class #alya cesaire #theoryfan205 #teresarosiadeviluke2112 #thank you guys so much for reading #I never expected my fic to get this popular #but I appreciate it none the less #hattafan2593

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shedreamsofstars · 4 years

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Cataclysm of the Heart - Chapter 5

She’d waited so long to hear those words fall from his perfect lips. She’d never even stopped to consider that they might not be sincere.

They were going to die. He’d been sure of it. It had only been meant as a comfort. Something to keep a smile on her face as their end loomed. Neither of them had counted on being rescued.

Start from the beginning | Next Chapter

...xxx...

Sonic tapped his fingers against the table, drumming out a fast-paced rhythm.

He'd heard that a steady beat could calm raging nerves but so far it was doing nothing for him. If anything, he was inclined to say that the drumming was making him more nervous. Even still, he couldn't stop his fingers from moving.

Two cups of tea sat in front of him, the steam floating off the top in psychedelic swirls. One was his own, and the other for the girl he was meeting here any minute now. He took a careful sip from his cup, not sure if he enjoyed the taste or not before placing it carefully back on the dainty plate on the table.

It seemed a little ridiculous that he was sat in a tea shop of all places. Especially when just days before Eggman had levelled parts of the city with his laser canon. But life was persistent and apparently, so were teashops.

Although the reason why Eggman hadn't finished what he'd started was a mystery that haunted him, his own survival still seemed impossible to comprehend. The base he and Amy had been inside was one of the direct targets of the canon.

He had resigned himself to a slow and inevitable death, and right when he thought he could no longer outrun the eternal sleep that would claim him at last, he had jolted at the sound of a loud and intense whirring.

There had been a bright white light. He remembered that much at least. But then his memory cut out and the next thing he knew, he was lying in a bed that wasn't his and shaking from a fitful dream. Or perhaps it had been a nightmare.

His brother had appeared instantly, those wise beyond their year's eyes sending a burst of calm through his nerves. It hadn't taken much brain power to figure out that Tails had used one of his many inventions to save both him and Amy. This one in particular was a mining prototype that homed in on potential underground resources - although it had served the purpose of digging through the rubble of a building to find two hedgehogs just as well.

Amy had recovered much faster than he had, and the next time he awoke, it was to find her laying curled in a chair beside him. She'd lifted her head drowsily, as if it felt too heavy to be her own, and when she saw him stirring she wept and fell into his stiff arms.

Tails had reappeared at the commotion, glancing between the two of them in confusion, before catching them up on the dire state of their world. Sonic barely heard Tails through the thrum of his own blood in his ears, angry at both Eggman and at himself as the events before the rescue came into clarity.

Eggman might have razed his world, but Sonic was about to raze whatever part of the girl in his arms was still left standing.

Now, here he was, sipping tea and selfishly focusing on his own problems instead of the people who had been hurt and displaced by Eggman's attack. He would help them. He would. Right after he fixed his biggest mistake to date.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, the guilt of his own actions sliding down his gullet like oil. He glanced at the time on his communicator and his fingers stilled. It was six o'clock on the dot and Amy Rose was never late, which meant ...

He turned to the door, straining to hear any movement on the other side and sure enough he could hear the soft thud of footsteps. Sure, it could have been just another patron of the tea shop, but he knew better.

This was it.

Sonic clutched the spoon in his hand a little tighter.

The bell above the door tinkled lightly and he stood, the spoon clattering to the table as he turned to see a pink figure closing the door behind her. She greeted the lady at the counter with a small sad smile stretched across her lips before noticing him.

Her eyes lit up, the smile widening a fraction.

Sonic struggled to return it.

"Hey," she said quietly, and he ignored the clenching in his chest. She brushed her lips against his cheeks before sitting, and Sonic let her.

He let her have these last few moments.

It was the least he could do before he shattered her heart in his clumsy fingers.

...xxx...

"No."

Amy glared at him, her green eyes narrow and intense. She sat across from him, slumped against one of the four glass walls that caged them into a box-like prison.

After waking up in an otherwise empty room, the pair had exhausted all options of escape. They were tired and woozy, likely from whatever drug had knocked them out clean, and completely out of options.

"What? I didn't even say anything," Sonic grumbled in response, trying to find a more comfortable position on the hard metal floor beneath them. What else was there to do except sit and wait for their captor to show up.

"You were about to, I can see it on your face," she snapped back. "We have to get out of this stupid cage, and that is the only thing we're going to talk about."

Sonic couldn't help but agree, at least with part of her statement.

As it happened, he found there was absolutely nothing else he wanted to talk to her about. He was too annoyed to hold a normal conversation, and she had been very clear that the one thing he was open to talking about was off limits.

The anger from their last encounter outside the base was still simmering under his skin, searching for a way out. The last thing he needed was to start a fight with Amy in an enclosed space. That wouldn't end well for either of them.

They sat in an uncomfortable silence that made the tension between them painfully obvious, even to Sonic's normally oblivious self. In an attempt to distract himself, Sonic decided to focus on anything but her.

It would have been much easier if there were other things in the room he thought with irritation before checking himself. What had the world come to when all he could find to do was criticise Eggman's interior decor?

Finally, Sonic settled for staring blankly at the wall behind Amy. Perhaps it was his unquiet mind, but did it seem like the room was shaking? He narrowed his gaze. It was almost as if the room was on an unstable surface, or even in the air. There were no windows to confirm his theory but before he could ponder it further, Amy's voice cut into his thoughts.

"What do you think happened?"

"What?" he said, shaking himself back to reality. If he remembered correctly, she was the one who decided that they couldn't talk about what happened with them. So why was she bringing it up now?

"Sonic. What do you think happened?" she repeated again.

Sonic glared at the ground beneath his feet in confusion. "Well, I think that I ruined things by-" He was cut off abruptly by a visceral groan and glanced up to see Amy rolling her eyes dramatically.

"Not between us. I meant with Eggman," she said pointedly. "The first time, he only fired his canon twice. Tails said he could have blasted the entire planet to smithereens and yet… he stopped. What do you think happened?"

There was a pause.

"I don't know Amy. I really don't. But I suppose we'll find out soon enough," Sonic sighed. "Where is he anyway?" he said, glancing behind at the door in the wall, the only adornment in the otherwise blank and lifeless room. It looked to be of solid metal and had no window to see through.

He turned back to the girl beside him and they fell instant into that weird silence again, tense and unforgiving. Sonic was starting to go crazy with all the unspent words and energy and anger. He tapped his foot on the ground in a fast-paced rhythm, and when that wasn't distraction enough, he began to tap the back of his head against the glass wall behind him.

"Oh, for god's sake, will you cut that out."

"Can't," Sonic said, refusing to elaborate further. The only way to get himself to calm down would be to clear the air between them, which wasn't likely to happen.

"Look, we don't have anywhere to run-"

"Don't I know it."

"This isn't the best place Sonic," Amy said, less angry and more sulkier than she had been outside of Eggman's base.

This wasn't the best place; he knew that and felt a twinge of annoyance towards her. But nowhere was, so what difference would it make.

"I know, but what else is there to do right now?" he replied, feeling a note of bitterness creep into his tone.

There was a moment's pause and then he heard shuffling. He glanced up to see Amy moving to sit beside him with a strange look on her face. "Fine," she said, turning to stare at the wall he'd been eyeing for the past twenty minutes. "We can talk, but on one condition."

"What's the condition?" he asked. Sonic knew he'd give anything to be able to fix things with Amy, nothing was too great a price. Heck, his running be damned if it meant this girl before him would stop looking at him like he'd shredded her soul every time she laid eyes on him.

"I'm so tired Sonic, of being lied to and of hurting all the time. I'm done hearing excuses and apologies from you, I really am. Just this once, promise you won't lie to me."

"I promise."

She met his gaze. Green on green. The same and yet, so distinctly their own that to call them that would be to say that the dull green of the grass was equal to the polished shine of jade.

"Tell me the truth," she said softly. "Tell me why you said what you did."

An irrational wave of anger washed over Sonic as he took in her words. Every word he'd said to her since the incident hadbeen the truth. It still was, so why was she sat there acting like all he ever did was spew lies to her his entire life.

"Truth?" he said with a low chuckle that lacked all warmth. "What do you think the truth is Amy?"

She shifted away from him a little and Sonic was glad for the space. He knew he should have stopped speaking right there and then whilst he still could, but he didn't.

"Do you think I'm happy that I hurt you? Is that it? Because I'm not. I could never be happy about hurting you, and the fact that you could even think that is ..." He clenched his fists, fighting with his next words. "I hate myself for what I did Amy."

Amy's eyes widened in shock at his admission. He could see the pain flitting through them as plain as the truth on his lips but now that he finally had her full attention, it was like the dam had broken. He couldn't stop the words from pouring out of his mouth as fast as he could run.

"Is that the truth you've been waiting to hear Amy, that I hate myself for ever thinking it was okay to pretend at loving you to make you feel better. To make you feel safer when we should have died? Well, congratulations, you got what you wanted. We can form a damn club now. You and Eggman can fight each other for president but I'll be the honorary member."

"That's not fair," Amy spat back, heat rising in her own voice. "You don't get to make this about you and how you're hurting."

"Maybe not, but I am hurting Amy. I'm hurting and nobody cares that I'm sorry for my lack of judgement in a moment I thought I might not live to see another day, least of all you."

Amy blinked hard, her eyes shining with tears she refused to shed. She opened her mouth to respond but before she could, the door slammed open and Eggman waltzed into the room, an obvious spring in his step.

The two hedgehogs jumped up in unison, pressing closer to one another in a defensive manoeuvre, all their hate and hurt and everything in between put aside in favour of their shared disdain of the man that stood before them.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't two of the most loathsome beings in existence. Having fun in there?"

Sonic worked his jaw, keeping his smart mouth shut for a change. Maybe it was their expressions, or perhaps he had been listening to their argument outside the door, but it was clear from the glee on the old man's face that he knew things were rocky between him and the girl beside him.

"What are you planning Eggman?" Amy asked, also refusing to heed his previous question.

Eggman tutted softly, wagging a finger in their direction. "Now, now. Let's not be so hasty to get to the main event and spoil all my fun. Why don't we talk about you two and why you've been amusing me so for the past five minutes, trouble in paradise?" he said with snort.

He had heard everything.

Sonic risked a side-ward glance at Amy and found her baring her teeth at the man. Good, at least her anger was directed away from him for the time being. Let Eggman bear the brunt force of that particular aggression for a change.

"What are you planning?" Amy repeated shortly.

"I'm more interested in hearing your little lovers spat," Eggman continued, linking his hands beneath his chin.

"Answer her!" Sonic said through gritted teeth. The world was on the line. There wasn't a chance in hell he was going to sit around wasting precious time talking to this man about his love life, or lack thereof.

"Oh alright, you spoilsports. I'll give," he said, thin lips twisted into a smirk. "Besides, it can't be that hard to work out after my first thwarted attempt. I'll admit, my power systems chose an inopportune moment to cut out and I had to replace several of my generators over the past week or so, but this time, my canons are fool proof. This time, they won't spare a soul."

"You're going to blow Mobius apart," Sonic finished, swallowing hard only to find his throat bone dry.

"Exactly!" the man said happily. "And at the heart of the action, you two will get a front row seat. Of course, you'll also be the first to die but I'm sure your ghosts will languish at the sight you'll see below you. In fact, I'm counting on it."

"You'll never get away with this," Sonic seethed, his hands crushed into tight fists.

"Oh, I already have Sonic. After I leave here, I'll be well on my way to a completely different planet. One with plentiful resources, and no pests like you about to ruin my fun. But rest assured, I'll look back fondly at the dust and ashes of Mobius that float around the cosmos."

"You're a monster!" Amy screamed, her eyes flashing wildly as her hammer appeared at her side. She smacked it against the cage, but just like they'd tried earlier, it glanced harmlessly off the glass. Eggman stepped back in alarm before composing himself, a blank mask falling across his face as he ignored the seething pink hedgehog in favour of Sonic.

"It was a displeasure having known you hedgehog. I'd stick around and chat, but I really don't care to be blown to bits with you," he said, heading towards the open door. He spared them one smirk before the door shut with a metallic clang, the locking mechanism clicking into place.

"Damn it, we have to get out of here. We have to do something," Sonic growled, banging his fist helplessly against the glass. Amy laid a gentle hand over his to still him.

"What are we supposed to do Sonic? We don't even know where we are," she said, a tone of helplessness crawling into her words.

Sonic worked his jaw, his gaze falling to the metal wall behind her again. "No. We do know," he said suddenly, remembering his earlier thoughts. "Eggman said we'd get a front row seat to the destruction, right?"

"Right…?" she agreed, not quite following.

"And didn't he say we'd see the destruction below us."

Amy nodded, her eyes alight with realisation. "There's only one place we could be."

"We're in the cannon," they said in unison.

#sonamy #sonamy fanfiction #cataclysm of the heart #iheartsonamy #fanfiction

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vgckwb · 4 years

Text

ML: Chasing Shadows (A Fan Supplemental) Chapter 4: Of Nightmares

I’m skipping to covering chapter six (mostly) here, since there wasn’t a lot I could do with chapter five of Runadaemon’s story. Also, this might be the last chapter, since their next chapter will be the last, and I think it’ll tie everything up nicely. However, I do have a trick up my sleeve, should the need arise. If Runadaemon somehow outdoes me on this idea, I will edit this to say that it is the end. Thank you.

Also, angst and some suggestive content.

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After the incident at the library, Marinette texted Alya. “Hey. You have some explaining to do and videos to show me.”

Alya responded. “Oh. So you found out?”

“Yes,” Marinette said. “And pretty soon, the whole school will too…”

“Oh. You’re not happy about this. I see.”

“Please just show me the footage.”

“Right. Meet me at the steps.”

They met up. Marinette seemed worried. “Hey Alya.”

Alya looked at her. “Dang, you really don’t look good.”

“Yeah…”

“Well, here, maybe this will cheer you up?” Alya said. She showed the videos to Marinette.

Marinette’s face grew redder and redder with each passing second as she continually reached for Adrien at every opportunity. She eventually had to cover her face. “What am I going to do?”

“I’m assuming you talked to Adrien about this,” Alya said. Marinette nodded. “Well, he wanted to cuddle up with you. I’m sure however embarrassed you are about that meeting, once you settle down, it’ll be fine.”

“I wish,” Marinette said bleakly. Alya was confused. She sighed. “Adrien and I weren’t the only ones in the room, and we got caught saying some pretty embarrassing things.”

“Like what?” Alya asked.

“Mainly that I’m sleeping with Adrien, and that we’re friends with benefits” Marinette answered.

“Oh” Alya said. “Are you worried?”

“A little…” Marinette said.

“Well, don’t worry,” Alya said. “If it was a friend, they would know by now anyway. They can possibly see this all as just a misunderstanding. And no matter what, I’ll always be on your side.”

Marinette smiled. “Thanks Alya.” She leaned on her, and Alya gave her a sideways hug.

Later that night, Marinette was in her room getting ready to go to sleep. She was already up later than she usually would go to sleep, stressing out about the situation, so she talked to Tikki to try and calm herself down. “Tikki, do you think everything will be alright?”

“You heard Adrien and Alya,” Tikki said. “They have your back, no matter what!”

“And what about everyone else?” Marinette said. “No matter what, something’s going to happen.”

“Well, in that case, I’d say you just need to weather the storm,” Tikki replied. “You’ve handled worse.

Marinette smiled. “Tikki? Did you happen to know?”

Tikki had to think on it. “Well, I had my suspicions, but generally I tend to sleep when you sleep.”

“I see… Thanks Tikki. Good night Tikki.” Marinette got nestled into bed.

She awoke to see a newspaper on her bed. She felt confused. She read it. “‘Agreste Family to Leave Paris Indefinitely’?! ADRIEN!” She ran out in search of him, but there was no trace on him in sight. He was absent from all his usual places, and his house was empty. “No. It can’t be true.”

Suddenly, she was in a dark isolated room as Ladybug. Surrounding her were all of the video files of her and Adrien cuddling. Ladybug tried not looking at them, but they followed her eyes wherever they went. “Stop. Make it STOP!”

Hawk Moth emerged from the shadows. “Memories” he said.

“Huh?” Ladybug said, turning toward him.

“These are now nothing more than memories,” he said again. His words hurt twice as much with him silhouetted against the images of her and Adrien being cozy together. “However, you can get him back. You’re familiar with the wish granting capabilities of fusing the ladybug and cat miraculous.” Ladybug nodded. “Well then, need I tell you more? Get Cat Noir’s miraculous, and give me yours, and you can have Adrien back. I’ll even let you make your wish first.”

Ladybug was so distraught. She was so blinded by her sadness that she felt a connection to Hawk Moth. “Deal!” she said with a grimace. She then left.

She patrolled the rooftops of Paris to look for Cat Noir. She found him. And he didn’t seem to notice her. She snuck up on him. Within a few inches, she raised her yo-yo to knock him out. However, he happened to turn around at that second and say “Hey Bugaboo! How’s it going?”

Ladybug stopped in her tracks. She looked into Cat Noir’s face, and saw nothing but trust and admiration. She couldn’t do it. This was her partner, whom she’d sworn to protect Paris with. And she made a deal with her arch-enemy to get who she loved back. “I’m so selfish” she said, collapsing onto the ground, tears streaming out of her eyes.

Marinette woke up to the sound of her alarm. Her heart was racing. She had had bad dreams before, but never like this. She felt scared. She was supposed to be safe at home, and yet she felt more unsafe than ever.

To make matters worse, once she had gotten to school, the rumor mill had already started. No one tried talking to her, outside her usual friends, and everyone was staring at her. Marinette felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. Because now she had to deal with these slut-shaming rumors, on top of protecting the miraculous and saving Paris from Hawk Moth. Atlas got off lucky.

She ignored Adrien. She figured talking with him would only make things worse in the public eye. After all the rumors seemed to be about her, and Adrien was left squeaky clean. Of course he would. He’s Adrien! Marinette kept getting more and more upset. Just weather the storm!

The storm kept getting bigger and bigger every time she thought it would die down. At this point, Marinette felt like capsizing. I know I’ve faced plenty of evil villains, but this makes them all look like child’s play.

She kept having nightmares as well. At first, it was only that deal with Hawk Moth one that ended with her being a crying mess. But as it got worse, a new one popped in.

Everyone in her class was surrounding her. They were all calling her various names. “Hussie!” “Harlot!” “Slut!” “Two-timer!” “Whore!” “Trick!” Marinette could barely hold herself together. She curled up into a ball and cried.

“Well well” Hawk Moth said. “Teenage girls have it rough. They have to present themselves in such a way where they have to be available, but not too much. Caring, but not too much. Trendy, but not too much. I truly feel sorry for them. Fly away, my little akuma, and give this girl everything!”

The akuma flew to the school, into the classroom, and fused with Marinette’s purse. “Succubus! I am Hawk Moth! Why don’t we teach these fools what a real demon possessed by lust looks like?! Of course, I’ll also need Ladybug and Cat Noir’s miraculous.”

“Yes Hawk Moth” said Marinette. A purple-black aura surrounded her. When she emerged, her skin was fire red. Her eyes, a glistening gold. Her hair, upright and flaming blue. She was dressed in a black one piece, with black elbow-length gloves, black knee-high boots, and a little black purse. She was also sporting wings and a tail. “I am Succubus! With one kiss, your soul is MINE! Starting with YOU!” She pointed at Chloe. Chloe looked scared. Succubus jumped to Chloe and looked her in the eyes. Chloe got lost in her trance, and they exchanged a passionate kiss on the lips.

Once she was finished, a white energy was seen leaving Chloe’s mouth and going into Succubus’. Chloe then turned completely pale, and her eyes rolled up so much that you couldn’t see her pupils anymore. “Who’s next?” Succubus asked. Everyone panicked and started running. Their panic was no match for Succubus, who managed to fly around the room, shove her tongue down their throats, and steal their souls.

“Marinette!” cried a voice. Succubus turned around to see Cat Noir. “Stop this nonsense!”

“I’m not Marinette anymore, kitty! I’m Succubus! And I’m going to capture the hearts and souls of everyone in Paris!”

“Not if I can stop you!” Cat Noir called out.

“Oh please!” Succubus said. She cornered Cat Noir up against the wall. “Come on kitty. You know I’m irresistible.” She walked her fingers across his chest “Now pucker up!” She began to kiss him.

“No,” Cat Noir said. Succubus was confused. “You’re not as cute as Marinette was! And you never WILL BE!” Succubus was completely flustered. “CATACLYSM!” He grabbed her purse, freeing the akuma.

When Marinette came to, he realized what she had done and began crying over it. The dream would always end before she could turn into Ladybug and fix everything.

Marinette wasn’t sure which dream was worse. She kept trying to relax herself throughout the week, but to no avail. Nothing she did could make this situation better. What’s worse, sometimes she would hear tapping. She was so out of it that any outside noise felt like the name-calling. “STOP!” she said.”I know! I know. I’m just a tramp. So please. Just stop.”

One day, Marinette finally decided to talk to Adrien about all of this. If he had been making her sleep better, then maybe she could get a half decent rest for the first time since this all started. However, Chloe came up to Adrien and practically gripped him like a hawk gripping a field mouse. When Marinette saw Adrien push her off and she started talking about some vile stuff, Marinette decided to leave. She didn’t need any of this right now.

She plopped herself down at her desk. Alya could sense her concern. “Marinette, I’m sure it’s not like it sounded.” Alya’s voice pleaded but Marinette resolutely got out her eye mask and settled in at her desk for a nap. She was too tired for this nonsense, and the rumors weren’t going away despite Adrien’s constant efforts to suppress them.

“Alya, I’m certain he wasn’t talking about me.” Marinette quietly admitted. “But I’m also too tired to deal with drama this morning. My sleep has been terrible, and I can’t stop remembering those cursed videos you showed me.” Marinette firmly settled the mask over her eyes.

Alya sputtered, obviously incensed. “Cursed?!” Alya screeched. “They are not cursed! They will become heirlooms of the cutest couple in our country one day! They are the cutest bullshit I’ve ever witnessed! How dare you call them cursed!” Alya hissed, offended on her friends’ behalf.

“They’re cursed because they keep running through my mind and all I wish is that I could have experienced any of that awake.” Marinette muttered. Alya was conspicuously quiet, but Marinette was too busy fighting the tears building in her eyes. They burned and itched but Marinette was determined not to rub her mask and show that she was crying.

She eventually got lost in her thoughts. Marinette didn’t hear Adrien come in, or Alya leave. Half asleep, Marinette almost missed it when someone wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and Marinette drowsily sniffled at the congestion building in her throat from silently crying. The drowsiness was chased away by adrenaline when Adrien wrapped her in his arms though.

Adrien was so warm and firm, soft in just the right spots to make it comfortable for Marinette to snuggle forward bravely. Marinette took a whiff of Adrien, noticing that he wasn’t wearing the cologne he sold. His natural scent was so soothing, though. She wondered absently if they bottled this scent anywhere. It felt so safe and comfortable here, with Cat.

…Cat? The sudden realization hit her hard. Unfortunately, a lot of stuff hit her hard, so the burst of adrenaline got countered, and Marinette was rendered unconscious.

This time, it began as a new nightmare. Paris was in a crystalline white. She was furious. She looked at herself. She didn’t have the Ladybug miraculous anymore. She had the cat. And to top it all off, she had been akumatized. She was Lady Blanc.

Everything was taken from her. Her love. Her friends. Her family. Her joy. Everything. She waged a war on all of Paris. Nothing could stop her.

“M’Lady!” said a voice from behind. Before she could turn around to see who it was, she felt a warm glowing hug. She looked behind her in the moment to see that it was Mister Bug. He held onto her tightly and didn’t let go. Lady Blanc felt tears coming. But these were tears of joy. She hadn’t felt so happy in a long time.

The destroyed Paris faded, as did their costumes, leaving Marinette and Adrien. Adrien let go of Marinette. “Thank you,” Marinette said.

“My pleasure” Adrien said.

Marinette looked at him. “So. You’re Cat Noir?”

“Of course. I told you as much” Adrien said.

Marinette blushed. “I can’t believe the two people stealing my heart were the same person.”

“I could say the same thing,” Adrien said.

“So, would you be willing to go out with me?” Marinette suggested.

“Of course” Adrien said. “There’s one thing you have to do first. Convince me. The real me.”

“Real?” Marinette said. “So, this is another dream?”

Adrien nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll receive the same answer from the real me.”

“How can you be so sure?” Marinette asked.

“Those ‘cursed’ images? They’re your proof” Adrien said. “I never objected. I even wanted it. You have nothing to be afraid of.”

This was the first time she believed those words since this rumor mill started. She smiled. “Do you mind if I just stay here a little longer?”

“Based on those images, I don’t mind at all.” Marinette hugged Adrien and burried her head in his chest. She just stayed like that until she decided to wake up.

OMAKE 1:

(Time: Marinette and Alya’s weekend together. Location: Hawk Moth’s Lair)

“I feel a disturbed presence. A restless sleeper, looking for something out of their reach! Fly away, my little akuma, and evlize him!” Hawk Moth said.

The akuma flew into Adrien’s room, who had been pacing back and forth. “Adrien?!” Hawk Moth pondered. “Fall back! I’m not turning my son into a supervillain!” The akuma retreated.

OMAKE 2:

(Time: The week of the rumor mill churning. Location: Hawk Moth’s Lair)

“I’m sensing the presence of someone who wants to quash some scandalous rumors! What perfect pray for my akuma! Fly away, and capture this poor young girl’s heart.”

It got to the school, and started to approach Marinette. “What?!” Hawk Moth had to double think this again. “Fall back! If Adrien considers her marriage material, I don’t want her turning into his own personal nightmare!” The akuma left.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug fanfic #Sleepybug and cuddle-chat #runadaemon #Marinette #adrien #alya #hawk moth

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nevergiveupneverrun · 5 years

Text

Bodyguard - Chapter Thirty-Eight “Private world” Part Two

Hello, I hope you’re all doing great and that you’re happy. Here is chapter thirty-eight of my Story Bodyguard. It’s Friday and Friday means that a new chapter is here!

I’m sorry by advance for the mistakes… English isn’t my first language and I do my best. Here is the link of the previous chapter: Click Here.

I hope you will enjoy this chapter :) 💛

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- He’s always been like that, our Owen… he can not bear to have something that resists him… or scares him. Do you remember how you scared us when you wanted to learn to swim? Asks Rosie in a laugh.

- Rosie, have pity, not yet these anecdotes, I answer in a smile.

- Wait, this one I love it, replies Rosie. Owen’s father had forbidden him to come too close to the lake when he was still a little boy, she said, turning to Amelia, explain to him that it was dangerous, that you had to know how to swim… and of course, all that intrigued Owen. He ended up meeting us one afternoon on the terrace… you were, what, 6-7 years old? She asks me speaking to me again.

- Yes, something like that, I answer embarrassed.

- So we were sitting, his parents, my husband and myself… we thought he wanted to sing us something or play to us some notes because he was precocious of the guitar and piano like his father. But there, we watched with fright the jump of this little boy all dressed in the water after having launched with conviction a: “I’m not afraid!”.

- No, you jumped! Exclaims Amelia looking at me.

I nod with a smile.

- And we’ve seen him struggle before he can more or less keep his head above water, but his father jumped into the water quickly to bring him back to the bank. He has never agreed to not know how to do something, to have that feeling of fear, he prefers to conquer it as soon as it’s born and feel it.

I feel Amelia’s eyes piercing me for a few moments but I dare not meet her eyes…

- I hope you will remember that when you will be a father, in your turn… your children will necessarily be a little daredevil…

- You will remind me when it’s on the agenda… which is not the case at all…

- It will be and maybe faster than you think. If there is one thing I want to see in this world, it’s a little Hunt Junior. You will make a great dad, don’t doubt it…

I look up and find directly the pupils of Rosie who watches me moved before her attention goes to Amelia.

- Well, kids, it’s a little late, I’ll leave you, she said, standing up from the table.

- I’ll go back to change quickly, to give you back the dress, replies Amelia leaving her chair quickly.

- Amelia, said suddenly, Rosie. It’s not necessary… this dress is for you, you can keep it…

- But… well, it’s yours and I cannot…

- She’s not mine… she’s your’s now… explains Rosie in a whisper.

I tiptoe to get the coat and the purse of Rosie.

When I come back to the living room, my accomplice took Amelia in her arms and I can tell she’s blowing something into her ear which Amelia nods weakly.

The two women come off after a few seconds and turn to me.

I open Rosie’s trench to help put it on and then hand her, her purse.

- Thank you, Owen, she says in a smile.

- Wait, I’ll take you to your car, I suggest opening the door of the house.

Rosie lets me do it and passes in front of me, while we find the outside.

We walk a few steps in silence before I break it.

- Thank you so much for the meal, Rosie. I think it did a lot of good to Amelia and with all my favorites plates, it was nice attention from you. And it is adorable to have offered her the dress.

- It’s normal, I have no use… I don’t have a girl to give it to… and something tells me that this young woman deserves it because she seems special for you… or am I wrong? She asks me, arriving in front of her car.

- I… do not really know, you know… I answer, lowering my eyes.

- Hey, look at me.

I perform and find the eyes of Rosie shining in the darkness around us.

- You know it deep inside you… and if you want a scoop, it’s completely reciprocal… the looks don’t lie, believe me. Don’t leave your chance of happiness pass. React like this little boy who was not afraid to jump into the water to learn to swim. You just have to do the same to prove to yourself that you can love, to learn how to make this young woman happy. She’s waiting for you…

She opens the door and slides on the seat after these last words.

- And I was not joking that you would be a wonderful dad… and in my opinion, you have already found the perfect mom… she says in a wink while starting.

Her little Hyundai moves away quickly, disappearing after a few meters through the forest that surrounds the property.

I go back to the house with a steady step: Rosie’s words had marked me, she was formidable to make me think and point sometimes what could seem obvious, but I did not see.

I open the front door slowly and find the warmth of the house.

Jingling glass and porcelain immediately catch my attention.

I take the direction of the kitchen and I discover Amelia facing the sink, busy doing the dishes.

I block a moment, seeing her from the back: she had tied her hair for the occasion and my eyes could scan her bareback at leisure…

- You should not have… you already did everything with Rosie…

- It doesn’t bother me…

- But it bothers me, I reply as I approach.

She turns slightly to the side to speak directly to me.

- You would be the first man to claim the right to be able to do the dishes.

- And you, the first woman who does not take the opportunity to escape it.

- I started, anyway… and I’m almost done.

- And stubborn with that… I’m going to at least wipe and tidy up then, I said, putting on a clean towel and smiling at her as she looks at me.

I am tackling a task without waiting, the only sound of the lapping of the water and friction of fabrics rising around us… until the soft sound of Amelia’s voice resonates again.

- Rosie really cares about you. You seem to have a strong connection.

- Yes… she is a wonderful woman… she considers me a bit like her son, you know… she and her husband, unfortunately, couldn’t have children…

- She has very maternal words about you… and she is very concerned about your well-being…

- That’s the least you can say, I replied with a smile.

- It’s very touching anyway, she murmurs while wiping her hands after finishing the dishes.

Her weak voice warns me slightly. I watch her leave the kitchen quickly. I finished wiping the elements that I had in hand and left with haste to follow her.

I find her sitting on the couch, staring at the fireplace in front of her.

- Amelia? Something is wrong?

I go around the sofa and place myself in front of her. She doesn’t react and I sit down on the coffee table, to find myself at her height.

- No, don’t worry, it’s okay… this evening just makes me aware of many things…

I don’t press her and watch her patiently.

- I just realize… I don’t have an anchor like you in a beautiful story, no reason to be… I’m more of a life accident… she says with an awkward smile.

- An accident? But what do you mean?

- Your parents have desired you and Rosie is right, this house is full of love… just the opposite of what I experienced…

I perceive her pupils twinkling, moistened by an emotion that suddenly wins her.

- I am the result of a mistake, Owen… I’m sure you have plenty of memories of your parents sharing moments of complicity and tenderness? She asks me, finding my gaze in front of her.

I nod silently without daring to interrupt.

- I never lived this for myself… because my father died… when I was five years old… I have very few memories of him but the only ones I have left are the moments spent with him in his shop. He was always there for us, especially for my big brother, Derek and me… and then, one day, I was with Derek in his shop… two guys came in, they took the money but they wanted his watch…they killed him before our eyes… two guys killed my dad for his watch…

I put a hand on her knee, feeling that the story deeply feels her.

- My mother was growing distant with me after his death just as my sisters… I became addicted to oxycodone during my teenage years… slowly losing the link with reality… and I was just a burden to her and my sisters, I overdosed drugs when I was 16… I discovered what « descent into hell » meant… and yet, there was a wonderful man by our side, a man who helped us and who helped me tremendously…

She looks down at my hand against her knee, staring at my gesture for a few seconds.

Her voice resounded again, hoarse by the beginnings of sobs.

- Richard did everything for us, for me, he helped me a lot with my brother… he has been present at every important moment of my life… always there for me… even when I went to the rehab center… she says stopping a few seconds. It was a ray of sunshine, my Richard…

My heart squeezes in realizing Richard’s role for her, and how much her loss was a cataclysm.

I immediately think back to the accident and the guilt directly overwhelms me.

- It’s thank to him, I think I held during those years… to his regular visits, his little attentions, his help to realize my dream…

My fingers tighten a little more on her knee while a breath escapes from my lips.

- I am sorry, Amelia.

She is looking for my eyes and her wet eyes make me flinch.

- Everything is my fault… if I did not have this idea to shoot the music video elsewhere, it would never have happened…

- What?

- I thought I was the smartest… and result, I tore you off the dearest person in your eyes… if you knew how bad I am...

I drop my head over my words, ashamed myself, unable to support the gaze of Amelia.

Silence settles unbearable after my confession.

Until unexpected warmth and gentleness suddenly cover my hand.

The one I had kept on Amelia’s knee.

And I then notice one of her hands resting on mine while perceiving her thin voice.

- You have nothing to reproach yourself for… you could not know…

- I should have thought about it… this is not the first time I’m dealing with this kind of crazy… I could have put myself in his head and I would have immediately perceived the risk…

- Please, don’t torture yourself… nobody could imagine that he would go there… it’s not your fault,… you hear me?

I feel her fingers tighten against my hand, and I gently lift my face to her.

- It is not your fault, she repeats, staring into my eyes.

I nod, troubled by her look with this certainty and sincerity that I read there.

- I miss him, but It is this crazy who is the only one responsible… and what hurts most is that he took my only support in my tortured past… Richard was my only marker, my only constant… and everything evaporated with his departure…

- No…no, he is always there with you… even if you do not have a place that includes all these memories, you just have to create it inside of you… and to regain that strength and energy that Richard has so often transmitted to you…

She scrutinizes me, her eyes a little bigger, after my remark.

- All you need is an image, a sound… when I don’t come back here and I need to remember memories that are dear to me, all I need is music… a melody and the voice of my mother that I have on an old vinyl… for a very particular song which is for me inseparable from my parents. I’m sure you have something similar which would allow you to rebuild that feeling of well-being, those fleeting notes of happiness that you experienced…

I watch her intently as she seems to think.

I turn my hand under her to embrace our fingers.

A sign to encourage her to express this bond that will allow her to remember Richard and his forays of happiness that he offered her during this unstructured childhood that she endured.

- It can be an image that you just have to visualize… or maybe a song…

She hesitates while I see her nibbling her lip.

- Well…

- Yes, tell me…

- There is a song indeed. It’s the first song I heard on tape… one that Richard… that he had offered me and that helped me to keep going when I was not going well when I was in rehab center… or when I had a hard time.

I extend my head a little close to her, encouraging her with a benevolent look.

- It’s… it’s Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.

Bohemian Rhapsody… the opportunity was too good… I had the song in my father’s discography.

- Wait for me a second… we’ll test the method right away, I said with a finger raised with a smile.

I go upstairs to my room: my child’s room that I had brought up to date in my previous passages. I had always refused to occupy my parent’s room.

I opened a large wardrobe where I had taken care to store various souvenirs, including all the records of my father. I start reviewing them when suddenly it’s a whole other object that captures my attention. An object that I had decided to hide previously several years ago.

I had to redeem myself, to fade that guilt I still felt after Amelia’s confession.

I needed to prove to her that I was there for her.

That I was ready to do anything to support her… all the sacrifices… all the challenges…

And it was a perfect symbol.

I take this object that I install on my shoulder without shivering through me.

I go back to the ground floor and find Amelia, stare into space while waiting for me.

I stand in front of her and she looks at me with big eyes, stunned.

- Owen, what are you doing with…

I don’t let her finish her sentence, sliding my fingers on the guitar while scrutinizing her.

Her pupils widen at the first notes and at the precise moment when my voice rises in the room.

Then after a few seconds, I can see her eyelids relax slightly as I continue the melody and the words escape freely from my mouth…the lyrics of a song that I know perfectly.

I discern a tear escape and slip slowly on her cheek in parallel with deeper and regular breathing.

She smiles shyly and puts her head against the couch and I had the impression that the song was part of her, that she literally carried it.

Her head sways subtly, her lips suffuse a few words (”as if nothing really matters”) and then soon her eyes slowly close: I continue the song until I conclude it with a series of chords that I improvise… and watching the young woman in front of me, her head bent against the edge of the couch.

A young woman who has finally found peace, carried away by one sleep that I hoped would not torment her, but would be able to soothe her as my hands and my voice had seemed to achieve.

Finding the sweet memories of this man who has constantly supported her in the hardness of her childhood.

I remove the guitar and pose on the coffee table near me.

I am slowly approaching Amelia: she is definitely asleep, her face serene and peaceful.

I sit at her side and slide my hands on one hand under her legs and behind her back to take her in my arms.

I get back on my feet and go into the house, bringing her against me.

I step onto the stairs when I feel her head nestle in my neck and her fingers slide against my chest. I continue to climb with caution without being able to ignore these small gestures… and the soft skin that I feel under my fingers… the skin of her back uncovered and her thighs half-bare by her dress.

I enter the room of my parents, occupied by Amelia during our stay.

I put her as gently as possible on the bed, untied my hands from her in a slow and controlled movement. I then cover her with a light blanket at the foot of the bed.

I fix her a few moments, reassured by recognizing the same calm face that I had observed a little earlier… making me think that the dreams that occupy her are sweet for once.

I feel a smile settle subtly on my lips and an irrepressible desire wins me by looking at her asleep.

My body sets in motion without my being conscious of censoring it.

Until that sweetness that my lips taste me hangs on me at the moment.

My gaze stared on that forehead that I just have kissed, wishing her a “Good Night” more affectionate and intimate that by three words that I could have whispered to her.

I leave the room on tiptoe and go down to the living room to check the closing of the door and windows.

My eyes are on the coffee table that sits in the living room… and on this guitar, I had the strength to get out of its “prison”.

An instrument that represents so much pain… and yet in this evening, it had allowed me to comfort this woman so special to me…

This music that I had cursed all these years was the key to her rest and probably her rebirth.

And maybe mine.

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#greysanatomy #omelia #omelia fanfiction #omeliafics #Owen Hunt #amelia shepherd #owen x amelia #amelia x owen #richard webber #bodyguard #fanfic #Fic

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