#multichapter story

[andaniellight]

Hey has anyone made a fic where in the first weeks of being a straw hat crew Sanji and the others discussed about the importance of celebrating birthdays on the going merry and of course out of the five of them it's Zoro who couldn't care less about his birthday except if they're going to celebrate it with lots of alcohols and no sweets, cakes, whatever the hell those kinds of atrocities. But because Sanji was only 19, raised by Jeff for years which means he's petty as hell, he took that as a challenge to make mosshead obsess with his own birthday for the rest of his life.

He even told the whole crew to plan it with him. The kind of special birthday that can be make Zoro want to stay sober enough to enjoy without feeling guilty bullshit. All of the straw hats are onboard of course—hah! Onboard. Obviously they are. Mainly because they will all get to feast on so many meals and desserts prepared by their insanely skilled chef. All Sanji's got to do is prepare the most Zoro-kind of birthday cake and a banquet that will alter Zoro's remaining braincells forever. Maybe even make a bunch of pavlovas that taste like alcohol also. Won't hurt and worth to try, right?

[hjbender]

Finish the story first and then post it Finish the story first and then post it Finish the story first and then post it Finish the story first and then post it Finish the story first and then post it—

[chenziee]

One day... one day I will write a fic about how Zoro and Sanji fucked during/after the party in Cocoyashi, which ended with Sanji panicking and running away in the morning, leaving Zoro beyond confused which in turn lead to all their fighting and bickering

Zoro tried to talk to Sanji about it the very same day, and then again and again, but Sanji always runs away. Zoro's pissed about it, which only escalates their fighting.

Nami is the only one who knows what happened--Zoro told her during one of their drinking-buddies sessions and she was very supportive... even while calling them both idiots several times over. But she's always there for Zoro when he needs to vent or just have someone sitting next to him.

(Luffy knows something happened between them. He doesn't know exactly what but he does have a pretty decent guess. But he never askd for exact details because it's not his business and he also doesn't really care what exactly happened anyway. But he knows and he knows it's been bothering both Zoro and Sanji every single day since and that makes him unhappy but again, not his business.

"I don't know how you always just know these things," Law tells him one time after Luffy had explained to him what the weird tension between them was. "But I guess it very you. Also very you that you just let them be a couple of awkward twelve year olds without doing anything about it as their captain."

Luffy only laughs.

Law kisses him.

They don't talk about either Sanji or Zoro the rest of the night.)

It gets even more complicated after Thriller Bark but they still never talk about it and nothing really changes... although it feels like now, they're fighting just for the sake of fighting. There is something heavy and unspoken undeaneath it all, but neither of them wants to poke into it. It's too fragile, too scary and too painful to even think about.

Then Sabaody happens and they don't see each other for two years... and when they do... they find nothing really changed. It's awkward, Sanji still refuses to talk about anything that is not insults with Zoro and Zoro... Zoro had thought the two years would have helped to forget about that one night but no. He wishes they did.

And then...

Then Zou happens.

And now, now Zoro isn't sure what he regrets more.

Ever catching these feelings at all... or letting Sanji run away from him?

[emeraldhazeidentity]

Chapter 20 of Solace is now up!

[inkandpaperqwerty]

Do you like to see Envy suffering and struggling and generally in as much despair as is humanly (and non-humanly) possible? Of course you do. Because everyone does. Since this is the case, may I humbly request you check out my Brotherhood AU where Envy survives the Promised Day but is captured by Mustang. You can find Seeing Red on AO3, fanfiction.net, and wattpad. If you do check it out, please let me know what you think!

[naminethewriter]

On the Road, Just the Two of Us

Chapter Five: Living the Ranch Life, Just the Two of Us (again, not really, but shush)

Masterpost | First | Previous | Next | Ao3

Summary: This was written for @dukeceit-week-2024, @dukeceitweek

Janus and Remus are living in a campervan at the moment. Are they going somewhere? Who knows. The only thing that’s important is that they’re together.

Content Warnings: probably not accurate to actually living on a ranch, I'm sorry..., Original Background Characters

🌻🌻🌻🌻

“Janny! Janny! Look!” Remus yelled as he ran over to Janus who just left the chicken coop with a basket full of eggs.

“What is it, dear?”

“I look like a genuine cowboy! John lent me his vest!”

“That’s great, honey! Your boots really make the outfit.”

“They do, don’t they!” He lifted his legs to inspect the brown, knee-high boots with fringe at the side that were very cliché but one of Remus’ favorite possessions. “Anyway, John’s gonna teach me to lasso, you wanna come?”

“I promised Jane I’d help in the kitchen. But you have fun.”

“Thanks, I will!” With that Remus ran off in the direction of the cow stables. Janus chuckled as he looked after him before making his way to the main house. He went to the kitchen and placed the basket on the counter.

“Thank you, Janus. You’re a big help,” Jane smiled, as she wiped her hands on her apron and moved over to inspect his haul.

“It’s not why we’re here,” Janus quipped. “We came for a five-star hotel experience and not because Remus always wanted to see what living on a ranch was like.”

Out of the window, the two of them could see Jane’s husband John showing Remus how to tie a big length of rope into a proper noose for lassoing. Jane chuckled at the sight.

“He seems like an excitable fellow. It’s too bad you two are only staying a week. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind having you for longer.”

“You’re the first person to ever say that, I think,” Janus joked, though there was some truth to that. Usually, both he and Remus had a hard time fitting in with their surroundings. The last four days they spent on the ranch, helping out where they can and learning a lot of new skills had been physically intense but mentally relaxing in a way Janus wasn’t used to from his usual routine.

“Oh, I doubt that!” Jane huffed. “You are both so nice, how could anyone not want you around?”

“Let’s just say, if we’d been born into this kind of environment, a lot of things might have been different.”

“Well, that’s obvious. Everyone would be different if you changed just one aspect of their past. I always thought that dwelling on the what-ifs was a waste of time. Live your life how you see fit and don’t look back too much. You’ll miss what’s in front of you! Now take these potatoes here. They need peeling and cutting.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Janus quietly started on his work while Jane bustled around him, humming lightly to the radio that was playing on low volume in the corner. In between the peeling and cutting, he looked outside. Remus seemed to have the time of his life, waving the length of rope over his head and running around without abandon.

“I don’t think I’ve seen him that happy in a long time,” Janus commented, more to himself than to Jane, though she did stop her own vegetable cutting.

“That so? He seemed to me like that from the start.”

“Yeah, this trip’s been good for him.”

“I mean it, Janus, if you wanna stay longer, you can! We have no other bookings for a week or two.”

Janus looked over at her and she was smiling at him with a warm expression he’s never seen on his own mother’s face.

“I appreciate the offer, Jane, but sadly we do have somewhere to be.”

“Is that so? A shame. Where you off to, if I may ask?”

“A wedding. Remus’ brother will be quite mad with us if we miss it.”

“Oh, I’d imagine! I’d be cross with you as well!” Jane laughed. “Well, then let’s make the most of our time together and cook to our hearts content, huh?” She gently nudged Janus’ side with her elbow and he smiled. Looking out the window, he saw Remus sitting on the ground, somehow tangled up in his own rope with John trying to free him. Both seemed to be laughing though, so Janus wasn’t worried.

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

Another month. There was no need to worry for another month. They just had to keep an eye on their destination. That’s all.

[fountainpenguin]

"O, my queen, to shield thee from danger's deadly call... I will sin, I will kill- I will sacrifice my all..." (x)

---

Final chapter of Criminal Experience today!

Chapter 9 - “Silenced”

❤️ Read on AO3

💙 Start from Chapter 1

💚 More Pixels Imperfect fics

---

Impulse, Skizz, and Mumbo stand their ground - In that order, for better or worse - and our story draws to a close.

(First 1,000 words under the cut)

---

Flickers later…

They shimmer into "people form" again with a great rush in the toes. Teleportation wraps the body, strangles the neck, and snaps them to the floor. Oof. Skizz lands on his feet, but slumps against the wall. Mumbo slams belly-first to dirt. The chill of the air and stink of composters leaves no doubt as to where Skizz dropped them. Mumbo braces on his forearms and takes a ragged breath, which turns into coughs and gags.

"Oh, goodness… I might be sick."

Impulse isn't doing much better. He heaves, snuffling mostly, and shakes his head about. His tattered wings flap behind him like something fighting for a scrap of life. Did something get torn out of him in that jump from there to here?

"Impulse-"

"Eugh," Skizz mutters, and makes a disgusting slurping noise. He glitters white and gold from the spectral arrow BigB pinged him with, and his skin's coated in dark blotches that look like dark, fresh burns. His knees bend. He squelches to the ground. A yell lashes overhead. Stomping feet kick up sand in a great scuff-scuff of illager boots. Mumbo presses flat to the dirt. They're under the arena, apparently in the loo… or at least some changing room with composters lined against the wall, separated by banners. BigB is up there right now, and Impulse coughs thickly in his elbow crook. The screwed-up eyes don't hide the sparks leaking from the corners.

"We gotta… run. Not hide… Illusioners can see through blocks."

"Forget that bit- Skizz is glowing. He'll chase us anywhere unless we teleport." Me too. White glitter still dances up and down his arms.

"Yes." Impulse cringes forward, clutching his arm. Did he bang it in the fall? Did Carrie land that on him? His shirt is torn, overall straps hanging loose. Mumbo glimpses just a flash of blue down his back where the mace must have pierced before Impulse drags his attention to the panting enderman. He lurches forward. Mumbo sits too (with a wince), but whatever he's feeling… Well. Impulse has it worse. Mumbo had the shield. It blocked a few arrows, but Impulse took some heavy hits. The shield lies abandoned in the dirt, plugged with arrows. So is Skizz.

"Don't pull," Mumbo warns, staying Impulse's hand as the phantom hybrid reaches for the nearest shaft. Impulse's claw-tipped fingers shake against the air.

"Skizz, we gotta go… We gotta go. You've gotta come to or he's going to find us. He's coming this way, I'm sure."

"Indeed." Mumbo casts his eyes to the blocks above. He can hear sand scuffling. "Impulse, he's digging in. He's breaking blocks. Hang on- Is he allowed to do that?" The bathroom ceiling can't be more than one layer deep. Only those blocks of sand stall the illusioner's descent, and he sounds as though he's on his knees and throwing whole handfuls behind him. That isn't proper mining. He's not grabbing blocks. He'll make himself a little sinkhole, filling it with spilled sand as he goes.

Impulse shifts closer. He grips Skizz's turtleneck collar and rolls it downwards. Skizz's every breath comes out in huffs. Mumbo catches one glimpse of thick blue soul goop at his neck and quickly looks away. Impulse, though, stays steady as. "All right, Skizz," he's saying. "We've gotta go. I can't carry you… Our pixels will blend together. Can you teleport? Can you walk? … Mumbo, start working on a way out."

"Through the door?" It looks open; it's the direction BigB isn't coming from (for the moment). Impulse makes a rolling gesture with his hand.

"Not that way- Just take the blocks from the wall."

"But- the roleplay immersion-"

"MUMBO!"

"Yes, sorry. I'll do it." He does have the pick. Mumbo spins it in his hand and starts hacking at the blocks, throwing strength in every swing. He gets two blocks deep before he cringes up, a spiral of pain flicking up his back. "Oh, wow…"

Swinging my scythe and jumping off roof's really catches up… And BigB's still digging overhead, furiously tearing through clumps of wet sand. The storm rages on above. Ah, yes. That's where Skizz's burns came from.

Skizz smiles feebly, shaky fingers clutching his jumper to his chest. "Hey, Impy… Got you out of there, didn't I?"

"Shh, shh… We're gonna be okay. Just try not to let those wounds seal over too much… We need to get you clean."

"The soul spawners give regen," Mumbo whispers, and Impulse bows his head. Skizz's fingers find the man's cheek, tracing sand and bits of soul goop from the bristles on his chin.

"You got a sword, Impulse?"

Impulse grasps his hand, pinning the palm against his face. "I don't trust that man. He's got a quiver full of arrows, lookalike copies, and Mumbo's scythe. We don't fight anymore. We just run, Skizz… Come on. How's your legs?" And louder, "Mumbo, how's that escape route?"

"… Impulse, it's raining. Skizz won't make it."

"Then we take the wall blocks and build a new ceiling all the way back."

"Uh, with BigB right behind us, dude? And the locals will hate us if we take from their art project and don't give back."

The phantom hybrid shudders, dropping his face to his hands. Mumbo watches his bony tail drag across the dirt floor. He lowers the pick. From this angle, Impulse's injuries look like butterflies on display. Blue soul energy soaks the back of his neck, shirt, and overalls. Some of those blows look to be from Carrie and her mace, though certain gashes mark him as a man who took the local flock captain in a fight. He oozes up and down his body, and more than one arrow's still stuck in his flesh. Even with the regeneration aura pulsing through the hub, that's got to hurt. And those won't seal with the arrows in them.

… Skizz has arrows jabbed up and down his body. They pepper every chink BigB and his clones could land. And every breath's a fight. It drags at him like he's got the hiccups. He flickers between solid color and bright, bold red.

"Impulse?" The word is soft when it leaves Mumbo's lips. For a moment, the loo lapses into silence, because honestly, Mumbo thought Skizz said it. But Impulse turns his head. He's got loose pixels smeared around his eyes, unstable energy leaking down his skin. He's waiting for a question. So Mumbo licks his lips and gives him one. "You're… you're the escort. What do we do? … I'm no good without my scythe. Seriously, that's- I'm just pants without it, honestly. It had Illager's Bane and Ambush on it. Um. Don't worry about the allays, though. I left them with a friend. She'll… she'll come through."

[Full chapter on AO3 - Link at top - Work is now complete!]

[emeraldhazeart]

Listen.

That WIP isn't dead.

We've just put it out to pasture.

Yeah, we could tell it just wasn't feeling it's usual self this season, so we've decided to give it a rest to take the pressure off.

When will it be back? We don't know. Rest and recuperation takes time. It'll tell us when it's ready to return.

And hey, if it ends up having to retire, that's fine too. We've had a good run with this WIP. Would be a shame to work it into the ground if it's really not a doer. Not all WIPs are born to be winners, after all.

And there's always the possibility of producing a new WIP from it. Who knows, its offspring could just go on to be the next big thing.

[ozzyfromthecafeteria]

y’know what. i feel like sharing so have a snippet from a big wip i’m working on currently. this one’s tilted static sroadtrip and i had an idea of the wyatt masons, quitter, and megan getting tossed out of the static into minneapolis and embarking on a roadtrip to seattle:

About 41 minutes out of Minneapolis, Megan turns into Monticello, trying to remember how to get to the Perkins restaurant. Everything’s eerily silent and empty, save for the radio playing Park It and the discussion about lamprey eels between Lev and Trip. Nines promptly searches for images of lamprey eels (fae got some service 20 minutes ago, so even with Minnesota appearing entirely deserted, someone must be around to be maintaining the cell towers) and Midnight shrieks.

“WHAT IS THAT?!” Di twists in her seat, eager to see what Midnight just screamed at. Jasmine flinches, startled awake from her nap.

“EWW!” Di yelps, swatting her arm and missing Nines’ phone. “Their mouths look so weird!”

“What?” Jasmine whispers, craning her head upwards. “What’s going on?”

“Be nice to them!” Trip defensively snaps. WY-8’s antennae flicks up and down, intrigued. “Their mouths are adapted to better help them latch onto their prey! Hey, quit giggling! I said stop!” Trip swipes lightly at Lev, who’s failing to suppress their laughter.

[thatdammchickennugget]

There Will Be Blood - Part Two

pairing - remus lupin x fem!reader

chapter warnings - none

wordcount - 1.8k

series masterlist - previous chapter - next chapter

After hauling all of their luggage into the entryway of the cabin, James took Lily by the hand to lead her down into the basement. Lucky for you, turning on the power and the water heater was fortunately always James’ job. You were quite happy to never step foot into that creepy basement.

Marlene and Mary were tasked with pulling the sheets off the furniture and putting them away while you got the keys from the designated drawer in the kitchen to go and unlock the door leading to the back porch. Taking a broom and a rag to swipe down the wooden benches surrounding the firepit right outside the glass doors leading into the living room.

You went back inside to get the thick fur blankets to lay on top of the benches, passing Remus who was working on getting a fire started. Brushing your hand along his shoulder as you walked by him, you told Peter to start unpacking the box filled with bottles of alcohol Sirius had brought.

James and Lily came back upstairs, the former holding the beforementioned blowtorch in his hands. Lily started on turning on the lights scattered around the floor, instantly changing the atmosphere of the lodge into a cozy one, as James made his way to the front door.

You finished setting up the outside, turning on the fairy lights strung around the porch railings before going back inside. Soon the front door was fixed and almost everything unpacked. Sirius had already turned on the stereo and chosen one of the cd’s from the shelves, filling the room with the sounds of his favourite Queen album.

James and Lily had already taken their bags up to the attic, where James’ room was. The others grabbed their bags and followed Remus up the stairs.

“Some of us will have to share. There’s six of us but only 4 more rooms,” the tall boy told the others.

Mary hugged Marlene’s arm closer to hers. “We can share. Don’t really want to sleep alone in here.”

Sirius and Peter shared a look, before each of them sprinted to one of the smaller rooms at the end of the hall. Remus let out a sigh and pointed the girls to the room they could share.

“Well, I guess you get to share with me,” you said and bumped your hip against his, walking to the last available room.

Smiling as you entered the master bedroom, you turned on the lights and dropped your bags at the foot of the king-sized bed. Usually, you had this room all to yourself, the boys letting you have it as it was the only room on the floor with its own bathroom attached. You never complained, seeing as that specific bathroom had a beautiful bathtub overlooking the mountainside.

“Which side do you want,” Remus asked, scratching the back of his neck and not meeting your eyes.

“I’ll take the right.” You let yourself fall onto the mattress, closing your eyes. When Remus did not move from his spot near the door you sat back up to look at him, cocking your head to the side.

“Maybe I should sleep downstairs,” he considered.

“I’m not letting you sleep on the couch,” you told him, tapping his leg with your foot. “You’re acting as if we haven’t slept in the same bed before.”

A blushing red crept up to his ears as his hand went back to his neck. “But that was years ago.”

Pulling up your legs to sit on criss crossed on the bed, you jokingly rolled your eyes. “And? I’m not bothered by it. And knowing James will probably make us watch a horror movie tonight, I think I’d actually feel better with someone else in the same room,” you reasoned, watching his shoulders relax slightly. “Unless it bothers you. I can go ask Pads if he’ll switch with you.”

“No, it’s okay,” he rushed out, stumbling over his own feet as he walked to the other side of the bed. “Just wanted to make sure you were fine with it.”

⋆⁺₊⋆ ❄ ⁺₊⋆ ❄ ₊⁺ ⋆

“What are you doing?” Remus asked when the two of you entered the kitchen. Lily was crouched down, sweeping something into the dustpan she was holding.

“We found some dirt in here. We think it must have been some kind of animal that dragged it in. It can’t have been us. It probably got in through that open window upstairs.” She went to empty the dustpan into the bin. “James and Sirius are looking if they can find it.”

“I’m sure they’ve got that covered. I’m going to start the fire outside,” Remus said and squeezed by Peter and Mary, who were busy getting dinner started.

“Need any help in here?” you asked your friends, hopping up on the counter, your legs swinging back and forth. The water on the stove was already bubbling and Mary rushed to dump in two packs of noodles, almost punching Peter in the face with her elbow where he was stirring the sauce.

“We’re all good here,” Lily smiled at her as she went to supervise. “But thank you.”

You jumped back down and walked into the living room. James and Sirius were both lying on the couch watching Remus at the firepit outside. Apparently they were already done with their search. You went around the room closing the curtains, not liking the feeling that someone could be watching from any of the windows.

“Did you find the intruder?” Plopping yourself down between the two, you pulled your legs up to rest them on Sirius’ lap. His hand went to pinch your calf, earning a kick in his thigh in return.

“Nope,” James replied lazily. “It was probably just a squirrel looking to nap some food.”

You only hummed in response, your eyes now fixed on your best friend as he smiled at the small flames dancing around in the metal bowl. Sirius and James exchanged a mischievous glance over your head, their eyes crinkling in amusement.

“We should go and join Moony,” Sirius suggested, pushing your legs off his lap, and standing up to offer you a hand. Marlene came hopping down the stairs as Sirius dragged you out to the porch. James grabbed a stack of blankets before following along.

You all had dinner around the fire that night, staying out even though the wind found it’s way into the blankets and you were freezing. Usually, you were one of the first to complain about being cold and wanting to head inside but bundled up and sharing a thick wool blanket with Remus, you could not bring yourself to care.

Mary took over your role this time, being the first one to move to the living room, quickly followed by Lily and Peter. The three started a game of settlers of catan on the coffee table while the rest of you stayed outside, most of you nursing one of the beers Sirius had provided.

“Want to head inside?” Remus mumbled close to your ear when he noticed you shivering, and you nodded up at him. He stood up first, wrapping his part of the blanket around you as well. He settled down on the couch, watching the game as you went to rifle through the selection of movies the boys had brought on the trip.

You rolled your eyes when you saw it was mostly scary movies, just as you had predicted. But there were two Christmas movies as well, both of which you took with you to the couch. “I say we all decide on one of these right now so we can outvote those menaces out there,” you urged, mentioning towards James, Sirius and Marlene who were still talking outside, unaware of the plot going on against them.

They decided on watching Home Alone and you took it upon yourself to argue your case when the others finally joined you, ready to start the movie night. When everybody was ready to start you claimed your spot next to Remus, wrapping half of your blanket around his shoulders again. Sirius sat down on your other side. Peter plopped down in the armchair and the girls cuddled up on the other couch, James placing himself on the floor in front of Lily, leaning his head back against her leg.

You fought to keep your eyes open but not even halfway through the movie Remus felt the weight of your head drop against his shoulder. He fondly smiled down at you, the movie forgotten, and gently reached around you with his arm to slap Sirius when the boy started making kissing noises at him.

The room was almost completely dark when someone nudged your shoulder to wake you up. Your best friend was leaning over you, his eyes drooping with sleepiness and curls sticking up messily all over his head. The only light was coming from the stairs and the tv was already turned off.

“Come on, let’s go to bed,” Remus said softly as he helped you sit up, the blanket dropping from your short frame. Holding onto his hand, you silently crept up the stairs and into your shared room.

He let you use the bathroom first and you quickly brushed your teeth and changed into your comfy pyjamas, now slightly regretting not packing a prettier pair as you looked down at your toothless themed sleeping pants.

Remus had already turned off all the lights and closed the curtains when you stepped back into the room, only leaving the small lamp on his bedside table on. Crawling beneath the thick covers, you watched him close the door behind him.

You were already drifting back to sleep when you heard a noise coming from the glass doors leading out onto the balcony. Body stiffening up, you lay still, listening if you could hear the noise again. There the noise was again, the sound raising the hairs on your arms and neck.

Trying to tell yourself that it was nothing, your mouth ran dry and your muscles tensed up as the noise continued, sounding as if someone was tapping on the glass from the other side. Slowly, you got to your feet, trying to steady your breathing as you approached the curtain covered doors.

Your heartbeat started pounding in your ears as you reached out to move the curtain to the side, pulling it back with a quick motion, not giving yourself the opportunity to hesitate. Nothing was out there. Moving a little closer, you tried peering further into the darkness, only seeing the snowflakes being thrown around by the wind.

“What are you doing?”

Remus’ voice startled you and you jumped back, letting the curtain fall back into place. Putting a hand to on your racing heart, you fixed him with a playful glare. “You scared me. Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“I wasn’t sneaking,” he let out a laugh, aware that you were not actually mad at him. “What were you looking at?”

“Nothing. Let’s just go to bed,” you waved him off, moving back to your side of the bed, completely unaware about the boot-shaped marks in the snow just outside the glass.

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[raving-raven-writing]

Entertainer Spider WIP Snippet-Avatar Fanfiction

Why do I do this to myself? ...I think my brain was wanting something a bit different, as I was starting to find it difficult to edit my WIPs that I already have. And this idea has been floating around for awhile. Anyway, this is a snippet of an upcoming multichapter story for Avatar. Anyway, I will first put a brief summary of the story idea, and then the snippet itself. I am not sure how long this story would be...maybe about six chapters or so. ___________________________________________________________ This story would be Spider centric. In this, Spider has been missing for years, and Paz and Quaritch, desperate to have their boy back, hire a PI to try and find his whereabouts. It takes years, but eventually, after looking long and hard, the PI is able to find him. All these years, he has been sold into human trafficking, "working" as entertainment at a very seedy bar, run by a man that is more than unwilling to let Spider go free. _____________________________________________________________

For a moment, all Paz could do was stare at this young man that supposedly was her baby boy.  This PI they’d hired had searched longer and harder then the first PI they hired, but how could he be so sure that this boy was hers. When MJ had disappeared, he had a head of blond curls that she enjoyed running her hands through. He had a bright smile, a gap in his front bottom teeth as it awaited for the adult tooth to grow in. His eyes had been clear of any pain, any suffering. Her MJ had been innocent. This boy before her though, this young man, was like a polar opposite. His hair was long, about shoulder length, twisted into braids and styled in a way that most of it was pulled off of his face to one side while some hung braids hung around his face.  The smile was gone, replaced by a stoic expression, the innocence in his eyes gone. A nasty scar pulled at the skin on his face, from the corner of his lip to just in front of his ear. Down and wrapped around an entire arm was a tattoo that looked like large tarantulas crawling on spider webs, small skulls intertwined amidst the webs. 

The only thing she recognized from her little boy were her dog tags. They glinted in the light, but the closer he got, and as she squinted, she could indeed make out her name on the metal. Paz tore her gaze back to the young man’s face to get a better look at his eyes. They were the same shade as her own; they were most definitely the  eyes he inherited from her. They weren’t as warm as she remembered them being, but as the two of them locked eyes, they softened ever so slightly.

Before she even knew what she was doing, she closed the small distance between them and cradled his face, surprised at the stubble she felt along his jaw, but she silently reminded herself that MJ was sixteen now, nearly a grown adult, of course he would have started to grow facial hair. Her vision blurred as she struggled to blink back tears. Gently, she stroked her thumbs over his face, being extra gentle as she grazed the scar on his face. “My sweet, baby boy."

[ohkate]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Shameless (US) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Ian Gallagher & Mickey Milkovich Characters: Ian Gallagher, Mickey Milkovich Summary:

"Is this the part where I ask for your number and promise I'll call?" Ian asked cheekily, unzipping his fly.

"Nah. This is the part where you pull out that cock and show me why I should bother with your doofy ass in the first place," Mickey stated. Without warning he brazenly reached into Ian's underwear to get himself a good preview.

[forabeatofadrum]

Just Some Guy (8/9)

Notes: Folks, we've made it. We are at the end. It is Matty Chris D.'s final year at Watford and boy OH BOY.

But it is not the end. There is an epilogue. I'll save potential word vomit for that chapter.

AO3

–

Year 8

MATT

The 8th year is optional, but me and my friends all return for it. What else will we do?

Someone who doesn’t return is Baz Pitch.

The rumour mill is insane, but honestly, what is everyone’s deal? I heard Trixie say that Baz’s probably off to Ibiza, and that’s the most plausible one.

I know that maybe I should be worried that he’s hurt, or that the civil war is about to happen, but I am just fucking grateful that I won’t be caught between him and Simon Snow again. It’s my last year. Please, let me get through this in peace.

And I truly believe he is just chilling in Ibiza. All the other rumours are just way too wild. Maybe the dude just wanted a longer vacation. Who can blame him? I hope he has fun in Ibiza and maybe stays there for longer so that it will finally be quiet in class.

This year is already pretty exciting, because the Veil has lifted. My family isn’t expecting anyone, although I admit I hope that one of my grandparents will come back through the Veil to smack either or both of my parents for their divorce.

A guy can dream, eh?

--

I can’t believe I am doing this. I am skipping class to take Leslie birdwatching around the grounds. John is once again the true MVP here. He’s given me an overview of when there aren’t any teachers around. He needs to know that for his job and I need to know it to take my girl on a date.

This is the most exciting thing I’ve done in my entire time at Watford, and I went to America!

We’re going to look at fertile doves. If you are in their presence, you will be under a light love spell, as in, it will heighten your feelings for the other. It’s going to be so romantic!

These birds only fly around this era of England around October, so it’s now or never. Leslie and I hold hands as we walk around the grounds, and I am so glad I get to share this with her. Why would I go to Magic Words is I can do this?

I hand Leslie my magickal binoculars. She watches the gorgeous fertile doves and I tell her all the facts I know about them. There are five of them and they’re taking a well-deserved break from their trek. They’re sat on some tree branches and it’s perfect. You can perfectly see the colours of their feathers and the plums on their heads.

“This is lovely, Matt,” Leslie has a smile on her face. I cannot see her eyes, since she’s holding the binoculars in front of them, but I imagine that smile reaches her eyes.

The love spell is working. I too am overcome with adoration for Leslie. I do a happy dance while she’s focused on the birds.

“Here,” she hands me the binoculars after a while.

I assume my smile is as big as hers and I look at the birds. I think they’re about to take off. But then, suddenly, out of nowhere, all five of them go stiff and fall off the branches. Their eyes are still open and some have their beaks open as well. It’s as if they just got frozen in time.

I feel a hand on my shoulder. I lower my binoculars and look over my shoulder.

Leslie stares at the five birds in shock. She looks haunted.

“Matt? Are they supposed to do that?” she asks, her voice waivers.

I shake my head. No, that’s definitely not what is supposed to happen. The two of us stare at the unmoving birds for a few minutes before realising something really is wrong. Leslie slowly walks towards the birds and pokes one of them.

“Matt… I think… I think they’re dead.”

She casts a Death doesn’t discriminate to make sure and the birds indeed give off a red aura, indicating they’re capital D Dead. I also walk towards the birds and yes, they truly are lifeless.

What. The. Fuck?

“Leslie, what…” I trail off. What can I say? These beautiful beings just dropped dead right in front of us for no reason.

Leslie walks away from me, but she returns with flowers. The two of them place them around the birds as a sign of respect. That’s all we can do. Soon, someone working on the grounds will find them and hopefully preserve them.

Well.

Our date just got fucked. I hope this isn’t an omen for our future. The birds that symbolise love just dropped dead in front of us. This was not the romantic outing I had hoped for.

By now, the Magic Words class has ended. It’s the last class of the day, so we walk to the Dining Hall, knowing our friends go there to study.

When we see them, they all seem exhausted.

“Hey, how was your date?” John asks.

I shake my head. I can’t talk about it.

“How was Magic Words?” Leslie says, trying to stay calm, “Bet we didn’t miss much.”

“Oh, you did,” Scott bemoans, “The Humdrum attacked.”

“What?” Leslie exclaims.

“That bastard sent flibbertigibbents!” Luis sounds aghast, as if he questions the Humdrum’s audacity, “Fucking pests.”

“The Chosen One saved us all, of course,” Sam sighs, “He cast Dead in the air and it worked like a charm.”

I know I should be grateful that Simon Snow saved my friends. Flibbertigibbents can be dangerous in big numbers. They drive mages mad. But my mind immediately connects the dots. Simon fucking Snow probably killed the fertile doves and ruined my date!

At moments like this, I wish I were fucking Normal.

--

Baz Pitch comes back somewhere after Halloween. I guess his trip to Ibiza took longer than expected. Both Simon Snow and Agatha Wellbelove make such a show of it. Baz, entering the Dining Hall in grand fashion, and Simon, his nemesis, and Agatha, his… classmate, standing up. It’s an ordeal. I turn back to my scones and tea.

One person who’s also glad to see Baz is Sam of all people.

“What?” Sam says, “I have eyes. Baz Pitch might be an elitist arsehole, but man, he’s fine.”

“Really, Sam?” Ryan asks, surprised.

I scoff.

I’m not gay or anything (or so I think), but I don’t think Baz Pitch is that attractive.

“You could so much better,” Arnold also says, “Baz Pitch has this weird dead looking grey skin.”

“And eyes that stare into your soul,” Scott adds.

“And the slicked back hair makes him look like a posh git,” Luis also says, although Baz Pitch is already a posh git.

“Jeez, alright, guys, I get it. Baz Pitch isn’t hot,” Sam laments.

“Whatever. I hear he’s into Agatha Wellbelove, like every straight guy,” Leslie says, “And Agatha might be into him.”

I jerk my head towards her.

“What?”

I might no longer be into Agatha. After all, why would I when I am happy with Leslie? But why would Agatha be into him?

“Dee overheard Simon and Penelope talk about it. So don’t quote me on it.”

I groan. Really? Does that mean that classes will be even more insufferable than usual? I don’t need Simon Snow and Baz Pitch disrupting every class to fight with each other over a girl.

--

There apparently was a dragon attack and Simon Snow and Baz Pitch saved the school?

Look, I was in my room, listening to loud music through my headphones and eating ice cream, because Leslie and I had a fight. This time, John didn’t tell me to go outside, so I completely missed it.

But I’m now walking towards the Cloisters in order to make up with my girlfriend, and everyone’s talking about it.

I look around and I don’t see any damage, so I suppose I didn’t miss anything important. Fine. Let me save my relationship in peace and quiet.

Later, John wants to fill me in about the dragon attack but I shoo him away. Leslie and I made up, so I really don’t give a shit.

--

I sometimes seem to live under a rock. So does my dad. After Christmas Eve at my mum’s, I joined my dad in the countryside, and we just… didn’t learn about the Humdrum’s defeat till five days after it actually happened. In our defence, we decided to do an off-the-grid holiday. No phones. No internet. Just me, my dad and the dog he recently adopted since he’s lonely.

So when I see all the missed calls on the 29th, I wonder who the fuck died.

The Mage, apparently.

The day after, John and Leslie come to visit to tell me and my dad everything. It’s very kind of them, since it’s quite a trip. (I think.) (Where does John actually live? I’ve known him for eight years, but I’ve never been to his house. He always comes to me.)

But, well, the world goes on, even though the leader just got killed by his heir. Some believed that the Mage’s death would change everything, but that didn’t happen. The Coven reconvened and decided that there’s no need for one glorious leader.

Besides, more information about the Mage resurfaces. It isn’t pretty. He apparently killed Natasha Grimm-Pitch and mages are currently trying to mend the relations between the creatures he unfairly targeted.

The Old Families have retreated.

The world just changed in a big way, and I don’t notice a single thing. My life goes on as usual. I go to Watford, I play chess, I kiss Leslie, work for Miss Possibelf and hang out with my friends. It’s as if this war never happened.

It’s all so… normal. Not Normal, just normal.

I mean, it’s a good thing the Humdrum is gone, I guess, but apart from the annoying attacks, I barely noticed anything of the Humdrum in the first place. I’m just some guy.

Simon Snow, Penelope Bunce and Agatha Wellbelove didn’t return after the holidays. Baz Pitch did, but no one really knows what to do with him after everything. Turns out he, Simon and Penny have been working together since he came back from Ibiza. It’s quiet in classes without Baz picking fights, or Penelope’s opinions on everything. Sometimes people ask Baz how Simon’s doing, but he refuses to answer. It looks like he wants to protect Simon.

Maybe that’s the most mind-blowing thing of all of this. Simon Snow and Baz Pitch, cooperating?

But hey, I didn’t keep track of Simon Snow’s Chosen One antics before. I am not starting now. I need to graduate! I have better things to focus on.

I mean, his trial is big news and hard to miss. I decide I am glad that he and Penelope don’t get charged. But the Chosen One’s story is over, and I, for one, am fucking glad.

--

My last day is woefully uninteresting. My dad comes over to help me pack my stuff. Then my mum joins us for the leaving ceremony. Baz Pitch is on top of our class and he gives a touching speech. I assume. I didn’t hear him over his messy aunt’s blubbering.

We have a somewhat awkward celebration dinner with Leslie’s parents and after that, Leslie and I hurry away to get ready for the leavers ball.

The leavers ball is… fine. The real treasure of Watford is the friends I made along the way. Oh, and my diploma, I suppose. John, Leslie, Scott, Arnold, Luis, Sam and I laugh and reminisce over our time here. We talk about how this is the end.

“Not really,” John says, “There’s the epilogue after this.”

“Sure,” Luis just says.

We talk about all the times Scott flipped the chess board, or how Luis and Leslie got us all into football, or the fact that John always knows everything, and so on. The memories keep coming and they don’t stop coming.

But at one point, I want to have some time with my girlfriend.

“May I have this dance?” I ask and hold out my hand.

Leslie pretends to swoon.

“So romantic,” she says with a smile.

We slow dance and whisper sweet nothings. Her hands are on my upper arms. At one point, she pinches me.

“What?” I ask.

Leslie is staring at something behind me.

“What?” I ask again.

“Baz Pitch… and Simon Snow… are slow dancing.”

She spins us around, so that I can see it for myself and I am glad I did, or otherwise I wouldn’t have believed her. It’s really true. Simon Snow and Baz Pitch are chest to chest. One of Simon’s hands is on Baz’s shoulder. The other is in Baz’s hand. Baz has his other hand against Simon’s back holding… a tail? (I heard rumours of Simon Snow giving himself dragon wings and a tail, but I always dismissed them.) (So, they’re partially true?) (I mean, I don’t see wings.)

“What… are they doing?” I say to Leslie.

“Dancing,” Leslie answers, albeit in a confused tone, “But… why?”

We’re not the only ones that are confused. People are obviously staring. Everyone is as confused as us.

Are they together? No, it can’t be. I know that their rivalry mellowed when Baz came back from Ibiza, but… what? Besides, even though we can’t hear what they’re saying, they both seem upset and frustrated. Damn, did they just find a new covert way to emotionally destroy each other in public? Do they no longer want to pull focus to their fights?

And isn’t Simon still dating Agatha? They are the World of Mages’s most well-known couple!

But then Simon starts kissing Baz sloppily and I am so baffled I forget to move my feet and Leslie slips. I should help her, but I can’t stop looking. It truly is the messiest, sloppiest kiss I have ever seen in public and I am openly gaping.

I’m not the only one. People all around the courtyard are in a state of shock.

“Matt!” Leslie exclaims, making me snap out of it.

Right.

“Sorry,” I help her up.

“That’s enough dancing for now,” she sighs and walks back to our friends. I follow her with my (definitely metaphorical) tail between my legs.

Our friends are talking about Simon and Baz. I assume everyone is.

“Well, Sam, our hearts are broken,” Ryan bemoans.

“We’re all seeing this, right?” Luis asks, eyes wide.

“But… they hate each other,” I say. I can’t believe this. They spent the past 7 years making every class fucking unbearable, and how they’re dating?

Really, what the fuck? Did we all suffer for nothing?

The audacity!

John must notice I am annoyed, and he puts his hand on my shoulder.

“That, Matty Chris D., is what we call a well-executed enemies to lovers,” he raises his glass towards Simon and Baz, “Man, Jack and Bitty can’t even hold a candle to them.”

“Who?” I ask, but John just waves my question away.

I look over to Simon and Baz again. Simon says something to Baz. Baz nods. They stop dancing and walk away, hand-in-hand.

This is real.

What the fuck?

But as confused as I am, I must admit that I feel happy for them. I mean, I am still incredibly confused, but this is a good thing. I watch them leave the ball, which makes sense, considering it’s a bit of a snooze-fest, and I decide that they must’ve worked through a lot of shit to get here.

Before they’re out of my sight, I see that Simon says something to Baz and his face is beaming with happiness.

Yes, I am glad for them. I hope I never see them again after today, but I wish them the best. I mean, now seeing them as this ordinary lovey-dovey couple, I realise they’re not that special.

After all, they’re just some guys.

--

End notes: The sentence "After all, they're just some guys" is one of the first things I wrote for this fic, back in 2022. And here we are. *happy sigh*

Also, thanks again to @you-remind-me-of-the-babe for brainstorming magickal birds!

[borathae]

I FINISHED CAERULA LUNA MY BESTIES

IT IS FINALLY DONE I HAVE FINISHED CAERULA LUNA

[ashrillvenheim]

Awakening Past

Chapter 20

NOTE: I mentioned in the previous chapter my method of limiting myself to the pages I write. Well, in THIS chapter I seem to have FORGOTTEN. The ones that come after if I have stuck more to that rule XD

pairing: Ashley Graham x Leon S Kennedy.

Content: (+18) romance, angst, gore, erotic/suggestive themes at some point, slow burn, violence, action, self-harm, death talk,

If you're a MINOR DON'T keep reading, thank you.

Archive of our own / WORK LIST / Awakening Past Masterlist

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Narsson drank water for the twelfth time and cleared her throat softly. Here she thought the trip was going to be exciting and she would have a lot to talk about. They'd been provided a private jet for their trip to Norway and Enma would be elated... if Ashley wasn't quiet and impassive as an iceberg. What had gotten into her? She thought about asking him, but then... she remembered their mild confrontation days before, when she told him she was sleeping with Leon. It was definitely normal for her to be angry.

The teacher sighed and got up. 

"I'm going to get something to drink, want some?"

Ashley let out a single grunt of denial and Enma rolled her eyes walking to the back seats of the plane, where Leon, Chris, and Jill were. Redfield saw Narsson's long face and leaned back in the seat.

"Is something wrong, Enma?"

"I don't know what's wrong with Ashley, but she looks like she's carrying a ticking time bomb about to explode."

This time it was Leon who breathed heavily.

"Yes... yesterday... she came home very angry."

The three of them turned to him.

"And do you know why?"

The agent kept sliding his finger across his cell phone, reading the latest news.

"She didn't tell me, but..." he fell silent suddenly, remembering how she undressed in front of him.

"But?" asked Narsson with some impatience.

"She had a date, so whatever it was, something had to go wrong."

Enma's eyes widened in surprise. Ashley had gone on a date? With whom?

"Did I know him?"

"Narsson," Leon's voice was a little dry. "This is not the time for gossip, okay?"

The woman was surprised at the man's blunt tone, feeling a shiver run down her spine. It was as if... he was also irascible about Ashley's situation, had they fought? The truth was, it was burning Leon alive inside that night. The one date night Ashley had and she came back barely an hour and a half after she left. Something went terribly wrong. And from the way she asked him half naked if there was something wrong with her, he could tell it had been something that Dylan had done.

He raised his blue eyes to Ashley's seat in the back and caught her profile looking out the window. When they got back, she would have a little chat with Dylan.

"Ladies and gentlemen passengers, please fasten your seat belts."

Narsson hurried back to her seat next to a mute Ashley and they waited for the plane to land.

*

Time had decided to go against them. They had arrived in Oslo, where one of those rare summer storms would take place and the temperature was lower than they had expected. Even when they arrived at the hotel, they were notified that a polar front and probably snowfall would be coming in the next few days.

They went up to their respective rooms with little more than their carry-on bags, something that Narsson found horribly hard.

"I still don't know how you can travel with so little," said the anthropologist. 

Ashley dropped her backpack in the closet and plopped down on the bed.

"What more do you need than clean underwear, a toothbrush, a bar of soap, and two changes of clothes, huh? All that stuff fits in a bag and you have plenty of room left over."

Enma growled indignantly and Leon laughed softly, aware of the influence he had had on Ashley's attitude. Efficient and simple. Enma grunted at the blonde's response and went to the bathroom.

"I'm going to take a shower before you tell me to use the rain for that too."

Jill laughed and pulled out her things. They split up the rooms, leaving the three-bed side for Jill, Ashley, and Enma, and Chris and Leon the double on the other side of the room.

Ashley turned her head toward the large window and watched the dark clouds beginning to form on the horizon. She didn't mind the cold, in fact, it was pleasant to her in regards to the smells. Winter and autumn were the times when she had the least headaches, as the humidity made them cooler, unlike summer. Her thoughts were lost as she heard the voices of the agents in the background and Leon became aware of her absent air. He was still thinking about what Narsson had asked him on the plane. They were on an official mission and all he could think about was what had happened that night. Ashley hadn't told him anything else and it was eating him up inside. He sighed heavily and tried to think of something else. He glanced at the clock and grabbed his jacket.

"I'm going to go ask what time dinner is." He turned around to head out of the room.

"I'm coming with you."

Leon froze as he heard Ashley's voice and saw her walk past him. The man stood transfixed for a second, where he met Chris' eyes and he gave him a soft affirmation, encouraging him. Kennedy took a deep breath and walked out with Ashley into the hallway.

In the elevator, Leon felt his nerves churning in his stomach and decided to pull out something to chat about before Ashley noticed, although she probably would have already.

"Do you think I can't manage to ask about dinner?"

The soft laugh Ashley let out made the man suddenly calm down.

"I don't trust your Norwegian."

"The receptionist knows English."

"Yes, but the gentleman who works with her doesn't, so what do you do if he attends to you?"

Leon smiled.

 "I trust my sign language skills."

"Well, I don't."

Leon finally laughed and they were silent for a few moments. He thought about it and went to part his lips to ask her about the incident when the metal doors opened at reception. Ashley walked out first and Leon followed with a sigh. She could feel the tension between them since the argument they had at the museum, where he reproached her for only having eyes for Narsson. After that happened about her dinner and they hadn't spoken again. And she didn't like it at all.

She snapped out of her thoughts when they approached the counter and an elderly man served them in Norwegian. Leon turned to Ashley who gave a mocking pat on his chest and struck up a conversation with the man. Leon stood listening to her engrossed, when suddenly his cell phone vibrated. The man took his eyes and attention away from the counter and slid his finger across the messages, seeing a number he didn't know. It was Emily. He arched his eyebrows and opened the notification, not expecting what he saw next.

It was a piece of news. A short, unfocused video of an altercation in a restaurant with a gunman. Leon's thumb paused as he read another message from Connors.

“Tell me it's not Ashie.” 

Leon was struck mute and reflexively clicked on the link to the video. It was barely ten seconds, but in the low quality, he could see a gunman pointing a weapon at some people and one of them was tapping the gun before the shot and then reducing the assailant. It was not clear. It didn't have good quality or good focus. But it had blond hair. And the way to get rid of an assailant with a gun was the same technique he used.

His blue eyes lifted to his companion, who was still chatting with the old man at the hotel, and then he looked back down at his cell phone. Emily had texted him again.

"And?"

He took a second and then typed in the answer. If that video was real, the time Ashley arrived... how agitated she came back... it fit that situation. He told Emily and she replied.

“Has she told you about it?”

“No.” He replied.

“I see...” Connors took several seconds to text her again “maybe it's not her, if she didn't tell you it could just be a fluke.”

Leon knew Emily didn't think so, any more than he did. Because it was too much of a coincidence. But he answered her the same way, trying not to make a big deal out of it and then saying goodbye to her. But now there was already a demon inside him demanding to know what the truth was. His muscles were tense again and his heart was racing as he saw Ashley finish speaking and look for him in the crowd. It didn't take him long to find him and walk towards him.

"They have food service for the rooms, they have dinner here very early."

Leon affirmed without replying and Ashley arched her eyebrows.

"Is something wrong?"

The agent summoned all his training and answered matter-of-factly.

"Yes, the jet lag is killing me and I think I'd like to take a shower before I order dinner."

Ashley didn't doubt his words. She had no indication that he was telling her a lie, so she nodded and turned toward the elevator. Leon watched her walk and his countenance became somewhat more serious. Luck smiled on the man when no one else entered the elevator with them. His mind was going a thousand, still replaying the brief video he had seen, but he wasn't going to mention it to her, that wasn't right. So he opted for what he thought that day when he walked into her house and almost got naked in front of him.

"Ash, what happened that night?"

He heard Ashley's heart skip a beat and turned to look at her.

"And don't tell me 'nothing'."

The blonde sighed, aware that there was little she could hide from Leon at that point, but... she didn't want to tell them about her misfortunes.

"I guess everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong."

That was her answer and, honestly, Leon had expected something more elusive. Even if it was vague, it told him enough about the situation. He clenched his fists.

"Dylan did something to you?"

Ashley could sense the irritated tone of the question and for a moment she felt again everything she went through that night. Everything that made her arrive at Leon's house almost in tears and almost undress in front of him. He had to swallow his breath before answering.

"Why do you care so much? I didn't ask you about Narsson."

There went that little knife again. Leon frowned at his companion's hurtful words, but he didn't hold it against her. He was just being honest.

"Because I care about you, Ash, and... I've seen you down since then."

Those words made Ashley feel guilty for what she had just told him and she sighed to make amends for her defensiveness.

"I turned out not to be his type."

Leon watched her. Wasn't she going to tell him about the armed man incident? Or maybe she wasn't because it hadn't really been her.

"And what was his type?" he asked, wanting to see what else he could get out of her, but he didn't expect Ashley to give him a blunt answer.

"At least not one that could break his arm with her bare hands."

The elevator stopped with a "ding" and Ashley stepped out first, leaving her interrogator behind. She didn't want to tell him. She didn't want to describe the way Dylan looked at her when she took the gunman down, when she almost dislocated his shoulder. She didn't want to tell him about the helplessness she felt when her date had idealized the Ashley who sang drunkenly that last time. A woman eager for romantic affection and with a seductive, mysterious air. That was the image Dylan had had of her. And that was shattered with a simple show of force.

Ashley clenched her fists, holding back the lump in her throat. Even that night she refused to cry out of shame that Leon would hear her. And she still carried a needle in her chest. Was it that hard to like someone in all her ways? She opened the door and walked in with a sigh, followed by Leon, who looked at Chris with a long face. Redfield understood that whatever conversation they'd had, it hadn't improved the situation they were in much.

"Any news?" was all the brunet could say as Ashley jumped into the shower.

"We have to order the food," Leon explained, sitting down in the shared living room. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Ashley grabbed her sleepwear and walked quietly to the bathroom. It definitely hadn't changed a bit and worst of all, he knew she hadn't told him the whole truth. Was she ashamed to tell him? Leon thought for a second and finally growled to himself. How could she tell him about her romantic emotions when he himself lied to her every time she asked him about his? 

God, he was such a jerk.

*

After everyone had cleaned up and made themselves comfortable, they called room service to order dinner. Narsson had been lying in bed from the long trip, so Ashley took over translating the orders. Chris, Jill, and Leon listened to her like children, still amazed by the strange language that sounded alien to them. Ashley managed to tune out a bit by speaking in another language she had so far only shared with Narsson, and a part of her started to feel better when she was done.

When dinner arrived, Enma awoke from her coma and they ate together in the living room. They planned out everything they would do tomorrow at the museum and got a few things in order. Chris and Jill ran down the list to Narsson about the confidentiality of the trip and the half-truth about the BSAA's involvement as a means of security and blah blah blah. They all knew Narsson would end up doing her own thing, so they would make sure to keep an eye on her.

With their bellies full, it didn't take long for them to go to sleep, and although not everyone's mind was at ease, the fatigue of the trip ended up dragging them deep into the darkness of dreams.

*

They had brought a lot of new pieces with them since the last time Narsson came. It was Ashley's second time traveling to Oslo, the first being the year she started paleobiology at Amherst. Her amber eyes swept over the various display cases that protected specimens of the fossils found by Narsson early in her career as an archaeologist. Through the glass, she saw the three agents prowling the hallway with watchful eyes, on the lookout for any movement. She noticed Leon looking at some old bronze pieces and for a few seconds she remembered their conversation in the elevator. He knew perfectly well that he was hiding part of the truth from her, he was no fool, but at least he had been considerate enough not to bring up the subject again. At least for now.

"Narsson, long time no see."

A male voice sounded next to her speaking in Norwegian and Ashley saw a man hug her former tutor.

"It's been a while, Professor, do you remember my student? Well, she's graduated, she's not my student anymore," smiled Enma pointing to Ashley, who shook the man's hand.

"Of course I remember you, young lady. How's your Norwegian?"

Ashley smiled broadly. 

"Much better, sir."

The professor arched his eyebrows in surprise and clapped his hands proudly.

"Impressive."

Graham felt a great satisfaction come over her as the three of them began to chat and this time she actually managed to follow the conversation.

As the three of them chatted, Leon watched Ashley get into her sauce. Chris and Jill noticed the way he was looking at the president's daughter and decided to mess with him a little.

"You're going to erase her face from staring at her," Jill whispered in a mocking tone, causing Leon to turn quickly to her.

"Just listening," he turned to the other relic, but Chris rounded his broad shoulders.

"Yeah yeah, sure Kennedy. Hey, were you able to figure out why she was that mopey on the plane?"

Leon sighed, remembering the video and the conversation in the elevator.

"Sort of, although she didn't want to tell me."

Chris and Jill looked at each other and it was the woman who followed.

"Are you sure it's nothing serious?"

Kennedy thought long and hard about telling them, but he didn't want there to be any problems later, so he opted to tell them what Ashley had mentioned.

"It was a date gone wrong. Very badly," he finally punctuated, looking at the red stone bracelet on his wrist.

"Is she like this because of a bad date?" Chris was surprised and Leon glared at him.

"What, she can't be like that?"

Chris was amazed at Leon's sudden change in attitude and shrugged his shoulders with a sigh.

"I'm not saying she can't, but we've all been there, haven't we?"

"I think you and Jill have rejected others more than you've been rejected."

"Well, I mean, yes, but you get the same hard time," Jill justified.

This time Leon laughed derisively.

"No, it's not the same at all," he growled under his breath, the voice of his memories taking power in him, making him think of his past relationships and how they made him feel like a loser.

Chris and Jill sensed that darkness in Leon's words and were aware of how little they knew some facets of him. Chris cleared his throat and tried to work something out in the direction of the conversation.

"And... has she told you why?"

"No," the man answered in a whisper, ‘she just walked into my house all of a sudden and undressed.’ he thought to himself and then added. "But whatever it was, it's something that asshole told her."

Jill stared at him for a few seconds and Leon turned to another display case.

"You're not... jealous?"

Leon stiffened.

"Me? Jealous of what?"

Valentine jabbed his elbow gently.

"Of that guy asking her out."

He looked at her with reddened ears and frowned, looking away.

"I'm just pissed off because he gave Ash a bad evening, not jealous."

He remembered the dinner they shared after Ashley's presentation. On how they laughed and played. It was a very nice evening and that was how the one the other day should have been.

"He doesn't deserve her then," Chris said in a firm tone and Leon looked at him.

"Definitely not," he agreed with the dark-haired man as he looked through the glass of the display case at Ashley's figure.

Narsson chatted a while longer with his old professor while Graham said goodbye to him to go and explain the situation to the agents. The three turned to her.

"Well, he said-"

"Ash, in our language," smiled Leon. Ashley looked at him in confusion, until she realized he had continued speaking Norwegian.

"Sorry, we've been talking about Narsson fossils and the like."

Chris crossed his arms.

"What's the latest?"

"It's not a clue per se, but he mentioned to us that to the north, in the direction of Tradheim, in the more coastal area, they are carrying out small excavations in search of ancient Scandinavian vessels or objects. They seem to have found primitive sites half a year ago and started digging about a month ago," Ashley explained, looking at the notes in her notebook.

"It doesn't seem to have much to do with what we're looking for, does it?"

"No, but in Spain I doubt the miners in that town expected to find fossilized parasites. You never know."

It was a valid enough argument in view of the situation, so Redfield nodded without complaint.

"And where did you say it was?"

Ashley named the directions Narsson's professor had given her and watched Chris's brow slowly crease.

"I think I'm going to buy aspirin for the trip, my head is going to burst with this language."

"Don't be exaggerated," laughed Ashley and then saw Jill and Leon's expressions. Leon responded with a sigh.

"Ever since I started going to college with you, I still don't understand shit every time you talk to Narsson."

Ashley rolled her eyes at the sight.

"I'm going to buy you a goddamn dictionary," grunted the blonde.

"Hey, that's what we got you for, right? To translate," smiled Chris, but Ashley sighed heavily.

"The one who's going to need those aspirin, is going to be me...."

The agents laughed helplessly and one of the museum guards hissed for them to lower their voices, making all four of them blush with embarrassment. Ashley scolded him and they were invited to lunch by Emma's teacher, something none of them denied. Their stomachs, already empty, rumbled so loudly they feared they'd be thrown out of the museum at that rate.

*

Chris cursed for the nineteenth time when he heard the desperate voice of the GPS.

"Shut that thing up Jill."

Valentine rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't have to if you just followed the guide, why the hell didn't you turn at the exit?"

"Because it didn't look like it went anywhere to me."

Jill wanted to strangle him. Her murderous impulses were definitely starting to burn inside her.

"What didn't you think? You're in a foreign country! What the hell does it look like to you if you don't know anything around here!" Jill burst out, unable to take it anymore.

"Please forgive me, Miss Smarty Pants! I'm sure you've got the address wrong!" exclaimed Redfield, losing his patience and about to rip the GPS off the dashboard when it spoke again.

Jill looked at him in disbelief.

"So now it's my fault? You've got some balls."

The trio in the back seat listened quietly to the scene, but all three thought the exact same thing.

They looked like a marriage.

"I'm sure you spelled the address wrong." Chris repeated, tapping the little machine somewhat aggressively. Jill slapped his hand.

"You're going to end up breaking it, you handful."

"Then fix the damn address yourself."

"The address is right, I typed it in." Ashley said nervously from the back seat. Jill put her hands up to the sky.

"Thank God! Someone who agrees with me."

Redfield grunted, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

"Then the thing is broken."

"How about you do what it says and stop complaining?" Leon finally jumped in with a sigh.

"Kennedy, you shut up, you're prettier."

The agent grunted, throwing his head back and hearing Ashley and Narsson laughing beside him.

"You're a fucking ogre when you're angry." he mumbled.

"I'm not angry."

"And a liar too."

"I'm going to break your mouth Scotty."

Leon was annoyed at Chris's tone and his name.

"Oh, I'd love for you to try, Christopher."

When they managed to stop that pitched battle and Chris finally decided to listen to the GPS, they managed to get back on course, but made a stop for gas.

While Jill gave Chris a piece of her mind for being stubborn, the rest of them went out to stretch their legs.

They had rented a van to travel to the seaside town that Narsson's teacher had told them about. It was the most discreet thing to do and right now they didn't want to attract so much attention.

Enma went to the gas station to buy something to snack on and Ashley decided to venture towards the cliffs in the background.

The wind was strong and was stirring her blonde hair furiously. It was freezing cold, even though it was summer, and she could see dark clouds in the distance approaching land.

They'd definitely been hit with shitty weather.

Ashley lowered her golden orbs toward the churning sea at the foot of the cliffs. She felt the salty sea smell fill her completely. She closed her eyes and listened to the crashing of the waves hitting the bare rock, a sound that rumbled until it rattled her soul.

"Watch out for the wind."

She snapped her eyes open and turned in surprise toward the voice. A man with dirty blond hair was looking out at the waves as she did. Gray hair already decorated his sideburns and much of his beard. Ashley was surprised she hadn't heard him, but she noticed his salty scent, just like the sea.

She stared at him silently, doubtful that it was her he was talking to. But then he turned back to her, drilling his gray eyes into the woman.

"Beware of the wind." he repeated. "For it is the breath of the ocean beasts."

Ashley sensed a slightly thicker accent, but understood his Norwegian. Seeing that she was the one he was talking to, she smiled, looking out to sea again.

"At least their breath doesn't smell bad." she replied in the same language.

The man was surprised to hear the young woman's accent.

"Are you a tourist?"

"On a business trip, looking for vestiges of the past."

The man stared at her for a few seconds and then raised his gray eyes to the vast ocean on the horizon. Silence fell between them for a few moments, deafened only by the furious pounding of the sea on the cliffs.

"Many want to know the past, for the humans of old faced monsters that no one now believes in and perhaps are still among us."

Ashley heard the man's raspy voice. Even though it sounded faint in tone, it could be heard above the thundering of the waves and she felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Should the humans of now... forget the monsters of the past?"

They spoke in the breaks of the waves. After the question, another deafening thump enveloped them and the man answered in that deep, mysterious tone.

"When fishermen prayed to the gods for safe crossings or when we were still discovering these lands, beasts dwelt here. Monsters that in the long northern summers did not appear, but roamed everywhere in the dark winter months, when the cold and the shadows accompanied them. They were predators that only fables described and that were only forgotten after they were annihilated with the fire of the gods and the justice of Odin."

Ashley listened in silence, feeling the cold claws of memories brush her mind brazenly.

"They sound like fearsome beasts," she said in a lost, thoughtful tone.

The man turned to her calmly.

"Tell me, miss, have you ever seen monsters?"

A huge wave hit the bare wall, rumbling in her ears even louder and deafening her deepest thoughts, but bringing out her darkest ones. The young woman's golden eyes lifted to the horizon, lost in memories.

"Maybe."

It wasn't a lie. He might think she was just taking him for an old coot, but the man knew those kinds of looks, those expressions.

Too well.

"And you're not afraid to meet others?"

Ashley took a deep breath.

"I'm more afraid of knowing they're there, but not seeing where they're coming from."

The wind swirled around the two, as if caressing them with its icy hands. The man's voice became deep.

"There are many unknown beasts in the world, there always will be."

He took a deep breath and then turned to the stranger, looking at him with his amber eyes.

"I know, just as there will always be someone looking for them."

The wind howled and shook the trees as their gazes met.

Two strangers in a secluded place, talking about monsters of the past and beasts that could still live among them.

It seemed far-fetched and any normal person listening to them would think so, but... when two people who have seen shadows in the darkness were talking... it didn't take much to understand each other.

Then the man took a step toward her and without a word held out his hand. Ashley watched him for a few seconds and then gave him hers to shake.

The skin was rough and calloused. Weathered by the passage of time and demanding work, but he felt that rough surface on her palms as well. The man nodded and turned his wrist to make her open her hand and place a small object in Ashley's palm. He closed her hand tightly.

"An amulet. May Odin be with you, traveler."

He released her hands and turned to walk silently and leave with the same stealth with which he had appeared. Her amber eyes followed the man's figure until he was lost in the sea mist. She looked down at her hand and opened her fingers to see what the stranger had given her.

It was a leather necklace with a silver medallion on which were strange runes drawn forming a kind of pentagram.

It was a compass of Vegrisir.

Ashley was surprised and raised her eyes again to the direction in which the man had gone.

"Thank you," she whispered into the wind, hoping her voice would resonate even to that peculiar stranger.

Still lost in thought, she watched the medallion shortly before she caught the scent of Leon approaching.

Kennedy reached her and looked in the same direction she had seen the stranger Ashley had shaken hands with go.

"Who was he? Did he want something?" he asked curiously and noticed the leather and metal pendant her companion was holding silently.

Ashley clutched the amulet tightly, feeling a strange energy fill her, as if the words she had shared amidst the roars of the sea had encouraged her.

She took a deep breath and turned to Leon.

"And of those pieces of advice that sometimes you have to listen to."

Leon looked at her in confusion, not understanding the meaning of the words. He went to ask, but Chris's voice calling them made him turn toward the gas station.

"Are they calling us?" Ashley asked, putting the amulet in her pocket.

"Yes, we should go," Leon announced, turning to her again.

They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds, melting into each other's eyes as the sea wind gently swayed them.

"Let's go back," Ashley whispered then, taking her eyes off him.

Leon let her pass and walked after her with a strange feeling in his body. A mixture of calmness and... uneasiness.

*

By the time they reached their destination it was already dark.

Or so it was supposed, because it was the first time they had seen the famous midnight sun. While Narsson talked with the locals, the four Americans stood gazing at the sky, absorbed, earning soft laughter from some elderly people sitting on a porch.

Enma came soon after to take them to the small shelter in the village and the agents followed her.

It was a dwelling with an area set up for travelers like them. Narsson and Ashley greeted the kindly elderly couple who had put them up, and the other three smiled with a nod.

"You definitely need to learn a few words," Ashley laughed as she climbed the wooden stairs to the top of the house.

"Do you want me to pop a vein?" Chris grunted, crunching the wood under his weight.

"You're overreacting," Graham reproached him before opening the door to the room.

The room had nothing to do with the hotel. They all slept in the same room and had a single shower to share, plus a stove by the window.

It was much more modest, but it was sturdy. The beds were solid wood and the furniture was hard.

"At least the bed isn't going to split with you, Chris," Leon scoffed, setting the backpack aside.

Redfield rolled his eyes.

"Will you guys stop messing with me? You don't seem to have anything better to do."

Jill patted her partner on the back.

"It's too much fun."

The captain grunted and finally entered the room. There were two bunks and a small bed to one side. Leon and Chris decided to take the lower bunks, while Jill and Ashley took the upper bunks. They decided to let Narsson have the single bed.

After putting on the sheets and washing their faces from the sea salt, they decided to go down to the bar run by the hostel owner himself.

They had a drink and some food at a small round table. A few locals dared to say hello and Ashley was the one who took the initiative to talk.

The locals warned them of the unstable storm that was coming and would probably arrive tomorrow or the day after. They were very friendly to them and especially to Ashley, surprised to hear her speak their language.

They chatted some more and after several drinks from the Norwegians they stumbled off.

The group waved them goodbye and laughed among themselves, feeling the tension they had built up venting a bit.

There were many who paid them no attention, but there were others with curious eyes.

*

The next day they went down to the excavation early. They thought they wouldn't sleep a wink that night because of Chris, but it turned out that he didn't snore unless he got into a bad position, something Leon was grateful for, otherwise he would have tied him up with a gag.

The temperature had dropped a lot and they had to bring out more clothes than expected, but nothing they weren't all used to, although Narsson again complained about not being able to bring the luggage.

This time Leon was the one who drove to the excavation by general vote and Chris spent the ride with his arms crossed and grunting.

Ashley watched the scenery with a blank, thoughtful stare. Her thoughts caused her to reach into her pocket and pull out the metal amulet.

She looked at the shape of the runes and the structure of the engraving for a few seconds and then slipped it over her head and tied it around her neck.

Leon watched the action from the rearview mirror, his blue eyes scanning the small metal object that now decorated her neck. And he saw Ashley push her hair aside and tuck it behind her ear, raising her eyes to the inside rearview mirror. Their gazes met for an instant and Leon quickly averted his.

The GPS told him the end of the trip and Leon parked near the dock. The five of them got out and the sea breeze greeted them again along with the cloudy and increasingly dark sky.

"It looks like it's going to rain," Chris said, watching the storm clouds. They put on their jackets and walked towards the area cordoned off by archaeologists.

Narsson decided to go ahead to talk to the expedition leader while Ashley approached some of the workers. On the other hand, Jill, Chris and Leon scanned their surroundings, alert to any threats.

Some of the DSO department thought that sending so many agents to simply investigate was too much. The BSAA had already sent Chris and Jill and for the President to attach Ashley and Leon to investigate was something that some of the charges were not entirely convinced of, but President Graham was quite clear with his words when he said that he did not plan to mess up again and send just one agent.

Leon knew he was referring to how he was sent alone on a rescue mission that later ended up being something much bigger and even if he had survived, it would have been easier with more qualified agents.

Leon circled the fenced off area and watched the workers hiding in deep holes.

He saw Ashley chatting with some of them and even taking notes in her notebook. Maybe what she experienced in Spain made her take that path, but she was definitely passionate about what she had studied.

It went rather smoothly. Narsson caught up with the project manager and explained that they were looking for new samples of a reptile specimen that had been found. That revelation left Enma somewhat disappointed, as it had nothing to do with the creature they were looking for, but she decided to keep digging.

Meanwhile, Ashley had ended up going into one of the holes they were working on and an elderly man was showing her some shrapnel they had found, mainly seashells. It wasn't particularly new, being an area on the coast, so the man focused more on showing her the different layers that bounded the earth, and in one of them Ashley could see a slight darker tint. He even thought she smelled ash.

"What about this layer?" she asked the man in Norwegian.

"We think it belongs to Viking times. It may be from old sieges when they burned the villages they plundered."

Graham listened carefully and inhaled, wanting to pick up some nuance, but instead sensed something else.

She stood up abruptly looking in one direction. The three agents saw her blonde head peek out of the hole and pin her eyes in the distance. 

Leon turned in that direction and listened. Had he caught a strange scent? The three agents became alert when they saw her emerge from the hole. Ashley waved goodbye to the man and walked away from the excavation, sniffing the air.

But the scent was gone.

The blonde stood looking around as Leon approached her.

"Did you smell something?" he whispered discreetly.

"It seemed familiar, but it disappeared very quickly, so I don't know if it was just a passing scent."

Leon looked at her in confusion.

"Familiar? Of what?"

She sighed.

"I don't know, I think I've smelled it before, but I don't remember where or when."

"I'll tell Chris to keep an eye open." Leon's tone of voice became aggravated and Ashley assisted.

"I'm going to see if I can get anything off the premises."

Leon watched the woman walk toward the dock and after warning Chris and Jill to be on the lookout, he hurried to Graham again. Although he knew she could take care of herself, it was best not to get too far apart.

Ashley walked down to the dock and wandered among the old boats. She stopped in front of two men mending some fishing nets, and they looked at her with some suspicion. Graham approached and could hear one of them muttering disdainfully.

"Excuse me, may I ask you a few questions?"

The instant she began to speak their language, the fishermen's faces changed completely. They remained in their seats and looked at her intently. Leon stood back as he listened to them chat. He could see how well Ashley was doing and... how cheerful she looked.

The more she talked to the fishermen, the looser she felt. The anxieties that had populated her mind on the plane and a few days before were dissipating.

Like that feeling Dylan had put her through... the one that gave her the impression of being desperate for attention and physical contact. Like she was just looking for someone to share a bed with.

It made her feel like a desperate fool.

But there... no one knew who she was, where she came from or what she did, and yet she managed to connect with the locals just by speaking their language. They didn't look at her as a fool or see her as a piece of meat to pick at.

She felt... valued.

At one point in the conversation, she asked them about villages the Vikings used to ravage or even legends of monsters attacking villages. At first, she thought they would laugh at her and her wild questions, but far from it they told her about old tales and local myths.

And finally, she got to hear the word "monsters."

Ashley's eyes fell on one of the fishermen and she asked him about it.

They seemed to be tales for children who didn't want to listen to their parents, but Ashley felt there was something more behind the stories. There was something sinister that made those words almost come alive.

She asked them if those tales were from the area and the other long-bearded fisherman nodded, telling her that that whole area of coast suffered many raids and... misfortunes.

They talked without realizing that their voices sounded lower and lower and slower. Ashley noticed the fishermen's eyes, elusive and darkened by the passing years... or experiences one didn't want to know about. When she was aware of the depth of the men's words, she decided to ask one last question.

"Are any of your places nearby?"

Both fishermen looked at each other for a moment and then felt.

Leon watched Ashley say goodbye to the men and walk back to him. He sensed her amber eyes look to a distant area and knew she was thinking of something.

"Any leads?"

"I have been told that a couple of kilometers from here there are remains of an old fishing village, which was abandoned, they don't know if by a siege by Vikings or... by something else." Her last words were barely a whisper that sent a shiver down Leon's spine. The man looked in the same direction as she did and then put his finger to the small earpiece he, Chris, and Jill were wearing.

"Kennedy here."

A few seconds passed.

"I hear you." Jill's voice answered.

"Ash has spoken to some locals who have mentioned some old ruins. How's Narsson doing?"

"She is still with the manager, Chris has gone with her to look at the geological maps they are showing her. It looks like what they are looking for are old subway caves throughout the area that were buried."

Leon was thoughtful for a few seconds.

"Okay, I've got you on the line. Ashley and I are going to go ahead and take a look at the area. I'll keep you updated."

"Okay."

Kennedy pulled his finger away from his ear and turned to his partner.

"When Chris and Narsson are done, they'll come to our location. Do you have the radio on you?"

Ashley lifted her jacket to show him the device tucked inside a plastic holster. Leon reached up and gently took the backpack from her.

"Come on, I'll take it for a while. I'll follow you."

"Thank you," she said before setting off for the area the fishermen had told her about. Maybe they would get some answers there instead of more questions.

*

The sky turned dark and the storm clouds looked like they were going to engulf everything beneath them. The wind began to blow hard and to shake the treetops furiously.

The two figures walked silently along an old muddy path, now overgrown with brambles.

Leon began to hear thunder in the distance and raised his sapphire eyes to the overcast sky.

He didn't like thunderstorms. He turned to Ashley and the first thunder rumbled like an angry celestial drum. He watched her cringe for an instant and knew she wasn't too amused either.

The two walked in silence, their minds sinking in that sea of memories they shared.

In the storms and... in that night.

"Look."

Leon's voice brought Ashley to her senses and she raised her eyes to the craggy cove between the cliffs. It was farther from the sea than the town they had been in and at first glance it just looked rocky and overgrown with trees and grass.

They walked until they reached the place and as they approached they could see small vestiges. Small piles of stone covered by the moss of yesteryear could have been a stone wall to keep the animals in the corral.

Ashley knelt down to pull up some weeds and look at the bare rock blackened by some past fire. There was nothing left to indicate that there had once been a village there, only traces of stone and a very old nail that Leon had found while digging in one area.

Another clap of thunder echoed in the sky and the first drops began to fall. The two put on their hoods and continued investigating.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Leon asked, running his palm along crags made in the stone and then turning to face her.

He saw her crouched down as the rain poured down on her.

Graham stood up silently and looked around.

"Yes, this is it," she whispered. He stood motionless for a few seconds and then crept through the trees with Leon until they found a stranger abandoned on the ground. It was overgrown with brush, brambles, and moss, but it was strangely round. Leon and Ashley pulled out their knives and without a word began to cut and bring to light what was underneath.

A pit. Or what was left of the silhouette of one.

It seemed that at a more present time, someone had closed the hole in the well with timbers of questionable sturdiness.

"Well, this is something," Ashley said not quite sure what to do next.

Leon picked up a small stone and threw it into the plugged hole. He listened carefully and sighed.

"It doesn't look very hollow, maybe the earth has filled it in by now."

They both sighed and the rain got louder, making Leon's head buzz more.

"Maybe we should go ba-"

Ashley pushed him against a tree and covered his mouth in a second. Leon tensed and looked at her in confusion, but when he met her eyes he knew something wasn't right.

Ashley remained static. She inhaled softly and her pupils constricted. She let go of her partner's mouth and hid behind another tree trunk. Leon saw her tie her backpack tightly and then pull her pistol from her thigh holster.

Leon reflexively did the same and all his muscles tensed violently.

He glanced sideways at the woman and watched her lips move slowly.

"We've been followed."

Leon frowned and made sure the gun was ready.

The thunder began to deafen the place and Leon found it increasingly difficult to hear anything in the pouring rain. But for Ashley it was the ideal situation. The rain accentuated the smells more, expanding them and making them reach her more easily and clearly. She closed her eyes, listening to her racing heartbeat and steadied her breathing.

She sensed the shades of her followers and recognized them.

They had the same scent as the mercenaries who tried to kidnap Narsson.

For a second she thought about how they had found them, but if Wesker was as smart as Chris claimed, then it wouldn't have taken him long to come to that conclusion. Researching Enma's background was enough to find the museum where he displayed his old find. They would probably talk to Narsson's professor as well and he may have stopped by his classmates so the man could tell them where they had gone.

He was definitely a man you didn't want to have as an enemy.

Leon heard some whistling and had to make a great effort to make out the footsteps. He cursed inwardly at the intercession of rain and raised his gun, ready.

Ashley motioned for him to wait. They were still approaching.

"Where the hell did they go?" someone said in the background.

The footsteps were becoming clearer even to Ashley. A violent clap of thunder split the sky and Leon had to quickly cover his ears. He gritted his teeth and his blue eyes locked on Ashley's on the other side. They both looked at each other in silence as their hearts thundered in their ears. They didn't look away from each other as they heard the voices getting closer and closer.

Ashley breathed in softly and sensed three people... no, five. 

It was a small group like them, probably recon. Both Chris and Jill had mentioned to her that Wesker was not a man who was on the front line other than when necessary, so he may not have even gone all the way to the coastal town they were in and stayed in Oslo. Redfield also let it slip that he was no ordinary human, that he was a bioweapon himself, so she assumed his scent would be very different from that of the mercenaries.

He let the air out gently. He didn't want to form mist and give away his position.

"Look for them, they should not be far away." Another man's voice was heard in the undergrowth. "Do you have the thermal scopes?"

Leon and Ashley tensed suddenly and looked at each other in alarm. If they used those sights, they would be hunted down in a second. Graham raised his hand and his heart skipped a beat as he caught a scent approaching Leon. He motioned to his partner as another clap of thunder made Leon curse. The agent stuck to the log and waited.

And waited.

It was as if time stood still as the rain seemed to fall in the background. Leon stopped hearing it for an instant and focused on the footsteps as his heart pounded in his chest with a drum. 

He was close.

 He saw the tip of a rifle peek over the side of the tree trunk. He filled his lungs and held his breath. 

He had only one chance. 

First the gun. 

A hand peeked out. 

An arm... a shoulder... 

The soldier's eyes met the agent's and before he could even blink, Leon grabbed him by the throat. 

He tensed all his muscles and strangled him with all his might while covering his mouth. Ashley watched the man struggle in trying to break free from Leon's deadly grip, but to no avail. She smelled the adrenaline and watched his eyes roll until he stopped moving. 

Ashley felt her heart shrink as she saw the body left dangling in Leon's arms and he didn't blink. His face was now serious and hard as steel. There was no room for doubt or emotions. Only instincts. 

He thought the soldier's threat had passed, but then a beeping sound began. Leon and Ashley both blanched. 

"There!"

Shots whistled and the two ducked behind their trees. Leon looked at the soldier and saw a small bracelet. That made that sound. A bullet hit the trunk at Leon's head level and the man grunted. 

"Fuck," he shot in the soldiers direction. Ashley mimicked him, trying to spot his pursuers in the bush. Kennedy took firm aim and when he heard footsteps, he fired. One man screamed as he was hit in the shoulder and Ashley pushed back another.

Leon put his hand to his ear and pressed the receiver. 

"Chris!" a bullet made him flinch with a jolt. "Jill!" he called into the transmitter. But the sound of a click silenced him. 

Leon turned around. 

Ashley turned around. 

Between them flew a spherical object. A grenade. 

They saw it in the air. The rain stopped. Their hearts thundered in their ears. Their bodies rose up burning. 

Run. RUN. RUN. 

Ashley pushed Leon with her body and they fell into the hole of the well before the explosion. Wood and earth showed and the bomb shattered the rock walls. And they fell.

***

His ears were ringing between the impact of the grenade and the roar of the water. He felt a body clinging to him in the fall. 

"GET AIR!" 

Leon only reacted to Ashley's shout an instant before sinking into the icy water. They held on with all their might as the current swept them through those underwater tunnels. They shielded each other's heads and held their breath and the violent shaking. They felt the agony and the fear of not knowing if there was an end. If they would make it out. When the current spat them upwards. They stuck their heads out in desperation and breathed in pain. They gasped and swam until they touched the rough crevice. They groaned in pain and grunted as they climbed onto land, feeling their whole bodies scream. They had suffered bumps and abrasions. Leon looked at his legs with cuts, torn cloth and blood slowly oozing out. They were minor injuries, so he didn't take much notice of them. He turned quickly to Ashley with his heart in his fist and barely breathing. 

"Ash-" he coughed the seawater from his throat and watched her spit out the saltpeter. He saw some cuts on her hands and noticed her arms and back, but, like Leon's, they were only superficial.

He crawled over to her and pushed her hair away from her face as her gasps echoed in the cavern. 

"Are you... okay?" he asked breathlessly. She raised her eyes and clung to his arm. 

"Yes,... And... you?"

Leon looked around and took a shaky breath. 

"I'm fine." It took a few more seconds for their breathing to calm down. They stood up in pain and looked at the place where the torrent of water had spat them out. 

"Where are we?" Leon said, wringing the water out of his jacket and pulling his hair back. 

"It's salt water, so we still have to be on shore,” she replied, opening a backpack to make sure she hadn't lost anything. She was thankful she had packed samplers of plastic bags. After inspecting it she stood up and began to feel cold. 

"We should find a way out before we get hypothermia," Leon said rubbing his hands together and looking at Ashley. She inhaled deeply and arched her eyebrows.

 "I smell ... wood?"

Leon looked surprised. 

"Wood? Which way?"

She sniffed and pointed to a narrow gap between the walls. 

"That way." Ashley's tone of voice was a little louder and Leon grunted, covering his ears. 

"Speak softer, please," he whispered. His eardrums were still ringing from the explosion and the salt water that had gotten into his ears didn't seem to be coming out. It was a very unpleasant sensation that was just giving him a headache. 

"Sorry," she apologized in a whisper and then took his hand and led him. "come."

Leon let himself go. He felt terribly dizzy, as if he had been hit several times with the palms in his ears. He heard Ashley's footsteps mixed with the swaying of the water inside his ear canal. He grunted in frustration and watched Ashley squeeze into a small hole. He slid sideways and waited for her to reach the other side and then followed her to him. 

"Fuck... I barely... pass..." he gasped holding on to the stone so he could move forward. 

"You need to do less pull-ups, your pecs are too big," she scoffed in a soft voice wanting to take the heat off the situation and was happy when she heard Leon laugh under his breath. "My pecs are perfect." 

"Then tuck in your belly." 

"Idiot."

This time she was the one laughing. Kennedy finally managed to get out, but saw Ashley slip as she gave him her hand to pull him up. He grabbed her like lightning and they both fell down the slippery rock. It was more of a startle than anything else. They made it to the end unharmed in the blink of an eye. They got up carefully so as not to slip again and stood in pity. 

"Wow,” Leon whispered, shining his flashlight on the old and worn wooden structures. A graveyard of Nordic ships.

The hulls were mangled and almost rotten to the core, but the isolation of the cave had ensured that they had been preserved until now. Leon and Ashley approached carefully and Graham originated the wood full of algae and verdigris. 

"How long has this been here?" Leon lifted the flashlight to the masthead on the bow and then slid it down to the wreckage of other vessels. "They look like shipwrecks." 

"Yes, maybe the ocean currents dragged them through the caves." Ashley took out the knife to scrape the surface of the wood and then opened the backpack. 

"I'm going to take samples... shit."

Leon turned to her. 

"What's the matter?" 

The plastic canisters had broken from the impact they'd taken underwater. Ashley rummaged through the bottom, pulling out the unusable and was glad she'd packed bags of blood to use as possible liquids, something she didn't take to the expedition in Spain. 

"I don't have many containers, most have broken, but I think I can manage."

With great care and patience, she chipped the slippery wooden surface and inserted the remains through the tube of the bag. Leon watched her for a few seconds and then walked around the other side. The echo of the water between the tunnels echoed in his ears like waterfalls, making it difficult for him to even hear Ashley. He kept an eye out for an unlit area and an old plank that sagged under his weight. And he heard a creaking sound. Leon froze and all his muscles tensed. He didn't move, wondering what that had been.

"Ash?" he called to his companion with some urgency. "I think I stepped on something... that's not wood.

Ashley turned and finished putting the bag away quickly. She ran to him with flashlight in hand and shone her light at his feet. She knelt down as she saw that some of it was wood, but underneath was something else. Graham lifted the splinters with the knife and whispered.

“Lift the foot slowly.”

He obeyed gently and lifted the drop of rotten wood, letting Ashley see what was underneath. When she saw it, the flashlight almost fell off, and she gasped for air for a second.

Bones.

He had stepped on a skull. But her horror didn't end there.

When Ashley pushed aside a large chunk of wood, the two of them suddenly moved away.

A plaga.

They both saw that the creature was pierced in half and realized what that meant.

“That... is much bigger than the ones in... Spain,” Leon whispered, circling the body. “Haven't you smelled it?”

She shook her head. 

“Everything smells like salt and seaweed, it is very difficult to perceive such old and small smells.” She paused, following Leon, who found the other half of the plaga. “Besides, this... looks like the ones from the grotto I found in Spain.”

“The ones that were dismembered?”

Ashley nodded.

 “Those were far below even the catacombs we were in.”

Kennedy was silent for a few seconds. 

“So they're older than the ones Ramon had inside.”

They both internalized what that meant: the creatures had been around for a very, very long time.

Finally, Ashley reacted and pulled out the knife to extract samples of the plaga.

The water hadn't ruined the analog camera, so she was able to take some pictures.

“Ash, here's more!”

Leon had found an area overlooking the water where there were more bodies or remains of what had once been humans. From the looks of it, they had fought off the parasites, as they were all impaled, burned, or dismembered. It looked like the reason for the shipwreck was the plagas and the ship was at the mercy of the ocean just like the bodies, ending up being washed up there.

“Here, go take pictures of all this. I'm going to finish taking samples from inside the ship,” Ashley said, handing him the camera.

“Be careful.”

She smiled at him and walked to get between the skeletons of the old ships while Leon put his photography skills into practice.

Inside the ship, the smell was terrible. Ashley had to hold her breath every time she scratched the decaying surface filled with algae and some other mollusks.

The place felt... forgotten. As if time had disappeared and everything the sea had washed up there had become a mere eternal mausoleum. The air was heavy, and the cold went through the bones, making both Leon and Ashley shiver.

“When we get out, I call for the shower first,” Ashley said, grunting in disgust as a seaweed fell on her head.

She heard a soft chuckle in the background. “We'll draw lots when Chris and Jill find us.”

Ashley pulled out another baggie and saw that she only had one more left. She couldn't take too many samples.

“Jill?” she then heard Leon call out to the ex-cop. “Jill, do you read me?”

Leon could only hear choppy sounds and noise. He grunted, trying to focus all his attention on getting a response. They had to be looking for them; the explosion would have alarmed them. Leon and Ashley had locators, so at least they could track them.

He focused again on trying to hear his companions over the earpiece.

And a board hit his head.

Leon fell face first into the puddle of water he had been photographing. He jerked his head out with a grunt, but he was grabbed by the throat and plunged back into the water.

Who the hell was that? He hadn't heard him. He had been so focused on catching something from his companions that he had let his guard down.

He struggled with his attacker and felt his lungs burning from not being able to catch his breath. He managed to land a kick to his attacker's head, and he fell backwards. He came out of the water gasping and saw one of the soldiers. He must have pulled out a knife, and he saw Ashley emerge from between the boats. The man lunged at the officer with the gun, and Leon raised the gun, pointing it at his head.

But the man was quicker. “Knives are better for close combat, rookie.”

“FU-”

Leon dodged the fatal stab, but the blade sank into the side of his waist. Leon roared and grabbed the man by the wrist, striking him in the head. The soldier threw his body over him, and they both fell into puddles on the stone. Leon screamed as the man pulled the knife from his flesh and stopped him as he went to stab again.

Ashley jumped on the soldier's back, deflecting the knife and keeping it from plunging into Leon's chest. He hit her in the temple with his elbow, but she didn't let go.

She only saw red and smelled blood.

They wouldn't hurt him. Not anymore. She wanted to protect him. Save him.

Leon punched the soldier in the stomach, making him grunt. The agent threw him into the air with a kick, and Ashley didn't hesitate. She charged at him, and the soldier hit her hard, but she managed to cover herself and answer him with a hook that sent him reeling.

“Don't hesitate. Don't think. Act.”

She couldn't see. She was blinded by adrenaline and fury...along with terror. Her body moved on impulse, drawing the knife.

She dodged a kick and plunged the blade into the soldier's thigh. He screamed, but before he could react, she drove the knife into his neck with the violence of a hammer.

The man convulsed for a second before going still and falling dead to the ground.

Ashley gasped uncontrollably. The blood was warm, and the smell was suffocating.

The stench of blood... rancid and... hot.

“LEON!”

She couldn't stop. There was no time to think about what she had just done.

Not now.

Leon's grunts tore at her as she dropped to her knees beside him.

There was so much blood. Too much.

“God, God, God...” Ashley pulled off her jacket and pressed it hard against the wound, wrenching a scream from Leon. “Put it there, Leon, please!”

He ran for his backpack as he heard the man's pained moans.

This time, he was the one bleeding out. Not her.

Quickly.

She went back to him and pulled out some small towels she had stuffed in the backpack. She pulled out bandages and a first aid bag she always carried with her.

Leon was sweating and shaking. His face was paling by the second.

“Hold on,” she sobbed, lifting his shirt to see the wound. It was on the side of his waist. She didn't know if it had hit any organs—maybe not, as it was too far on the outside—but he was bleeding a lot.

She quickly took out the disinfectant and poured it all over the wound.

“FUCK!!!” he roared in pain, biting his other hand to hold back his moans and grunts of agony.

Ashley's eyes watered and clouded over. She had to hurry. Her hands couldn't shake now. “Please, not now.”

“Don't fail me now,” she whispered as she pulled the suture needle out of the little metal box.

Leon was running out of strength, and the color was leaving his skin too quickly. Ashley hurried to sew with her heart in her throat and tears in her eyes.

“No...no...please...hold on....”

She closed the wound, but the scarlet puddle that had formed was worrisome.

“Leon?”

She got no answer.

“Leon? LEON!”

She felt for a pulse and held back a scream as she felt how weak it was.

Blood. He needed blood.

She thought quickly. She was a universal blood donor. Yes, yes, she could give it, yes, come on.

Almost hyperventilating, she pulled the last remaining bag out of the backpack along with needles. God, she never thought she'd need these, she'd only brought them for fluids, and now she was going to do a homemade blood transfusion.

Either that or Leon would die.

She strapped the belt to her bicep and dug the needle into her vein. As the bag began to fill, she cut the sleeve of Leon's T-shirt and pushed the thin metal into his pale veins. She secured the IV and lifted the bag, then opened the path.

The time it took for the red liquid to flow down the tube into Leon was agonizing.

This was madness. She didn't even know if it would work.

She could only wait.

And with every passing second, she felt like a part of her was dying.

She didn't know how much time passed or how much blood would have entered Leon's body. She was still pressing on the wound with trembling hands when she heard a grunt of pain.

She turned breathlessly to him and sobbed with joy when she saw those eyelids part.

“ God... Leon... Can you hear me?” She whispered brushing sweaty locks away from his face.

 He took a second to focus his eyes and then look at the woman.

“ Ash... Are you okay?”

 Ashley laughed through her tears.

“ That's what I should be asking you... you idiot.” She stroked his cheek and Leon gave her a faint smile.

I need a few more minutes to fully regain consciousness and see Ashley's blood rushing into him.

“Are you... a walking hospital... or what?” he whispered weakened, but feeling the energy return to him. He hissed when Ashley moved the hand he kept pressing on the wound to see if it was still bleeding.

The towel was clean.

“ Being it was good for me.” And she took his pulse again, calmer now, and wiped away the sweat. - How are you feeling?

“ Wonderful.” he sighed with a soft laugh that made her grunt. “ Have I earned the first turn in the shower?”

Anyone would think this situation was absurd. That he wasn't behaving like a man who had been on the verge of bleeding to death. But Ashley knew he was doing it as much for her as for him.

“ Maybe I'm going to have to help you take a shower.” she joked now with dried tears.

 Leon smirked.

“ That doesn't sound like a bad plan.”

Ashley laughed softly and wiped her nose with her free hand smearing it with Leon's blood. The smell of iron and became so intense that it even eclipsed the scent of the salt surrounding them. But right now he didn't care if he couldn't smell other smells, now he just wanted to see Leon recover.

But the adrenaline was starting to drain out of her and her thoughts began to take hold.

She had killed a person.

She still felt the warm sensation of blood on her hands. Her body had acted alone and before she knew it there was a man lying on the ground with her knife through his throat.

Her body began to tremble and her breathing to shake.

But it had been so fast... everything had turned red when she saw Leon full of blood.

As if it wasn't her.

She didn't feel the hand that touched her wrist and the voice that called out to her. Only a sharp pinch made her react.

“ Ash.” she turned to Leon with dilated pupils. “Breathe.”

It took her a second to process that word, but she saw Leon do it and unconsciously imitated him.

“ That's it. - he whispered, breathing in and out with her.”

He may have been through a lot of things, but killing a person wasn't one of them.

And Leon knew how hard it was. He knew all too well.

They breathed together and even Leon stopped feeling dizzy. It seemed Ashley had given him enough blood.

“ I'm doing much better. The wound seems to have clotted, doesn't it?”

Ashley gently lifted the cloth, even she looked surprised.

“ It's very fresh, if you move too much it will open up, but it's not bleeding, did... my blood help?”

Leon sighed heavily.

“ Whatever it was, it is welcome.”

Ashley laughed softly.

“ You're not dizzy anymore?”

“ No, it was just in time, thank you.”

She smiled and let the air and heaviness out of her body, now fully stained with Leon's blood.

“ Be still for a while.”

“ Yes, ma'am.”

“ I'm going to take the-”

It was like nightmares in slow motion.

That strange feeling of stillness that he saw everything in great detail, but at the same time he was unable to react.

And what he saw was the nightmare coming back to him.

He saw a deformed face. Teeth closing around Ashley's shoulder.

And a scream breaking his ears again.

The pain of his wound disappeared and his instincts made him grab the hilt of the knife still plunged into that man who was no longer human.

But a monster.

He saw the teeth sink into her flesh and all his muscles pulled at the fist, severing the head all at once as it fell rolling to the ground.

Ashley brought her hands to the hollow air of her neck and shoulder. She felt the blood between her fingers, but it barely came out.

What it was doing was burning.

She looked at Leon and then at the man she thought she had killed. She saw her partner's eyes widen like saucers and terror fill his expression.

“ No... no, no, no, no, no, no, no.”

He looked at her in despair and when he saw those black veins spread from the bite, he felt like he was going back to that night.

To the same place. To the same nightmare.

“Leon what's hap-”

Ashley began to cough and her throat tightened. Her eyes contracted and her body began to shake and sweat. Leon grabbed her tightly.

This couldn't be happening.

Ashley's breathing became somewhere between ragged and anguished.

This had to be a nightmare. No...not again...not her.

She saw his amber eyes bloodshot and as she screamed at him. Leon didn't process her words, it took him a while to understand that she was asking him to release the IV.

What IV? Then he realized they were still sharing blood. Leon's thoughts stopped working as he watched those black veins spread across Ashley's skin. He began to feel hot. An unpleasant tingling running up and down his body.

He called out to her until his voice rasped from the effort as he watched her tremble more and more and the burn by the second. He was unable to react, but a part of him knew what was happening, what was happening to them. And he remembered the nightmare.

It was another bad dream. He just had to wake up.

He only had to wake up.

[hobidreams]

hiii dreamers 🥺 i thought i'd drop the first few hundred words of a half-finished Sope fic that will probably never get done but i can't stop thinking abt this dynamic lately

childhood best friends to lovers, roommates, there's only ever been one bed!!! 😭💗