#no clue if anyone uses the group tags but I’m not gonna tag each individual character

[smoothriverrocksrock]

Haven’t fully organized my thoughts on this yet but I think there’s something to be said about how G1 Dinobots, Insecticons, and Stunticons are all inherently tied to Earth. It’s hard to say with the Insecticons, but considering they didn’t know Megatron at first I think it’s safe to say that none of them were there to witness the beginning of the war, or even fully understand why it happened. They were all just made / found and expected to go along with the it. None of them ever even had Cybertronian alt modes, just the Earth based ones they were made with. The Aerialbots also kinda fit into this, but I’d say less so since they were made from altered Cybertron vehicles and seemed to show a preference for the other planet.

I think a neat fic idea could be made out of the three groups deciding they had no obligation to the war since they weren’t from Cybertron. “Not my planet, not my war” type stuff. Also think something interesting could be made with the other bots thinking less of them because of their Earthly ties, since in the show the characters already seem to be a bit against them (The Dinobots being seen as dumb and destructive, the Insecticons as untrustworthy gluttons)

[huihuiheart]

Kinktober D15: Yes Sir - Mafia! Changkyun

Pairing: Mafia Boss! Changkyun x f! Reader

The reader works for him, but not really in regards to heavy mafia business. She manages the bar part of his front and takes care of clients in the illegal card games in the back, that’s it.

Warnings: Mafia themes, thigh riding, dom + sub themes, sir kink, mentions of alcohol, mentions of gambling/poker games, praise kink, cursing, a little manhandling, dirty talk, implied sex.

Word Count: 1,804

Tag list: @hyunsungcore​ 

Most people would hate working for Changkyun, especially with the reputation he had. You, however, didn’t mind one bit. He barely had you doing anything illegal, and even what you did do was just getting his players drinks and such while they played. Changkyun mostly lets you handle the entirely legal aspects of his business, not wanting you at risk. He also trusted you, though, which is how you came to know about the business that he ran behind the scenes of the bar you kept functioning. You being one of the few girls he trusted to serve the games, the only one when it came to some more high profile individuals. Changkyun was more than fair to you, though. He paid you generously, giving you a business card for whatever the bar or games might need to be purchased to keep well maintained. He also ensured your protection, walking you to your car at the very least every evening, having given you a simple silver drop necklace with an emerald on it. He had told you to wear it everywhere as a sign that you are one of his so that no one would mess with you. It seemed to hold true too, the symbol must have mixed enough with your clueless aura towards mafia things to never have been bothered at all. 

What you didn’t realize is what his gift to you actually meant. Changkyun had an arrangement with a couple of other mafias that their family who wasn’t a part of the mafia would be left out of trouble and wars, offered protection by all of them. Changkyun’s marker for those people to him was an emerald. The only thing was, you were the only person Changkyun had given something to for protection. He had no family left, and anyone whom he was close to was in the mafia with him. A group that you were more than familiar with as well. The group regularly meets on Monday evenings when no one else would come to the card tables and discuss things both in life and in mafia happenings, a weekly meeting, and socializing all in one. This one of the times when Changkyun only trusted you in that separate room. 

“Good evening guys, I’ve got everyone’s usual.” You announce making your way around the table to hand out various drinks to each of their perspective recipients, ending as usual with Changkyun, “You all know what to do if you need anything else, yes?”

You’re nearly satisfied with yourself at the cheer and glass raise you get from most of the men who are now invested once again in the cards being dealt for this round. Until Changkyun gently grabs your wrist and motions you to lean in for him to whisper. Changkyun didn’t often if ever have an issue with you, so this wasn’t something you were used to from him. That being said, you wanted to have both his approval and attention for more reasons than you’d openly admit.

“Y/N, I want you to bring me the paperwork for the bar for the past year, please. We’re discussing some things, and I want to ensure that we have everything correct. Can you do that for me, doll?” The way he purrs out the term doll while his hot breath ticks against your ear and neck nearly brings you to your knees, but you keep it together in front of all of them, giving a curt nod. 

“Yes, sir.” You simply say before scurrying towards the exit as quickly as possible without seeming suspicious, not having any clue that every time you called him sir, he had the same problem brewing inside him as you did when he calls you doll. Diligently you bring him the records he’d inquired about, not concerned in the least that he’d find fault in anything you’d done knowing you ran it without issue and always informed him of major things before just going ahead yourself. His legitimate business had profited a lot since you took over running it, if anything he just needed the details for comparison purposes, you were sure. Continuing to fulfill your duties of keeping the bar running and the men playing cards satisfied, you had no qualms at all. Until after the bar closed when you found Changkyun waiting in the back for you alone looking over the files, placing his drink down with a soft clank, as his eyes met yours when you entered the room.

He unbuttoned and rolled up the sleeves of his crisp button-down before leaning back in his seat and motioning you over while undoing a few of the buttons covering his chest, just enough to give a tease, “Come here doll. We need to talk.”

Your eyes widen, gulping a little at this darker side of Changkyun as your nerves tick up a few notches, making your way over, “Is something wrong, sir?”

“Yes, but it’s nothing you’ve done. Have a seat doll.” Changkyun taps his thigh as if inviting you to sit on his lap, causing your throat to try up as you blink at him.

“O-On your lap, sir?” Your question comes out shakier than you intended, and Changkyun chuckles at how flustered you are.

“Yes, on my lap. We’ll be looking at files together, so it’d be easier that way, don’t you think?” Changkyun’s lazy smirk is smug, but it has the fire you’ve been trying to quench all night flaring up hotter than before. Yet, you didn’t argue, not when you might not get another chance to feel his body pressed so closely against yours, even if you both were fully clothed. Changkyun’s arms slipping around your waist and pulling your back flush to his chest as he brings the files up to rest on your lap.

“The boys were more than impressed with your work doll, they praised it even. You see...we have a couple of legitimate businesses to hide what we do, but yours is the one that runs smoothly. Never gives us any trouble. In fact, you do so well that we actually legitimately profit, whereas the others try to suck us dry and skim money from us. Which is why I’ve decided to offer you something...well a couple of things.” Changkyun explains showing you the numbers that compare the bar you ran versus their other fronts.

“Let me guess...you want me to run the legitimate businesses for you too?” You predict already spotting numerous problems that would need fixing just based on the numbers alone.

Changkyun hums against your neck, breath brushing right against it as his thumbs start to rub circles into your hips where he’s gripping them, “ Exactly, we were thinking just giving you one at a time, and once you smooth that one out we’ll add another and so on. Though there is another thing.”

Your brows furrowed in confusion as you can’t think of what else there could be, “What is that exactly sir?”

“I want you to be my queen. I’ve thought so for a while but seeing just how hard you work only further proves to me that you’re who I want. I’ll keep you out of the mafia side of things of course, but I want to be able to treat you like you deserve....even if you don’t want to be that for me...at least let me reward you for being so good for me doll.” Changkyun’s words are slightly muffled against your skin as he trails kisses down your neck, hands slipping up to grip and roam your sides, showing exactly what he wanted.

“Reward me then sir, however, you’d like.” You sigh softly, already melting into his touch, only for him to toss the files aside and make you stand. Though you soon understand why as he makes quick work of your clothes, before moving you to straddle his thigh, facing him this time.

“Well, maybe I saw wrong, but I think you might just have a thing for my thighs with how often you stare, doll. So why don’t you do whatever you’ve imagined on them, hm?” The certain, cocky look on Changkyun’s face shows that he knows for a fact, he wasn’t wrong and that you did indeed love his thighs. 

“Yes, sir.” You purr seductively, licking your lips and slowly starting to rut against his clothed thigh, mewling whenever he’d flex it beneath you as your nimble fingers worked to undo the remaining buttons on his shirt and expose his chest to you. His hands roaming and groping at the skin as you start to work your hips faster, his hands gripping your ass and making you grind harder against his thigh, rubbing more and more delicious friction against your clit, and leaving more of your slick against his dark jeans with each drag of your hips. 

“F-Fuck look how out of breath you already are, doll. You look like the prettiest little thing getting off on my thigh like this, make it messy. I’ll reward you like this whenever you want, you just have to ask, doll.” Changkyun’s words have you mewling, back arching, and drawing his attention to your breasts, where he sucks one of your nipples into his mouth, pulling back with it between his teeth and making you more desperate. Changkyun chuckles darkly, noticing how needy you’re getting, and bounces his thigh, groaning against your skin where he’s suckling on your breasts each time your thigh rubs up against his bulge. Your thighs tremble as your high approaches, letting Changkyun take control over your actions rutting against his thigh, only able to give in and moan for him.

“S-Sir I’m so close, I-I’m gonna cum. P-Please.” 

“Such a good girl, knowing to ask for permission first. Cum for me then doll. This is a reward, after all, cum all you want for me until my pants are ruined because of your mess.” Changkyun gives you all you need to hear to release a shrill cry and spill onto his thigh as your high pulses through your body. You pant softly, as you come down from your high, Changkyun peppering kisses over your shoulders and collarbones.

“You did so well for me, doll. Did amazing cumming all over my thigh like a good girl. Making it all sticky and wet with your juices.” Changkyun praises softly before pulling back and raising a brow at you in question, as you work on undoing his pants for him.

“I think it’s time for you to make me your queen now, Sir.” You give him the same smirk he’s been giving you all night as you give him a true answer to his earlier invitation as well as move to get what you both truly wanted.

“Fuck doll. I thought you’d never ask.”

[the-bee-graveyard]

The Fine Line: Chapter Three

Other Chapters

Summary: The Gladers (+Brenda, and Group B members) try to make up for the grave mistake made during their plans by throwing a party. Vince can be bribed with cookies. Brenda does not like party games. Jorge ships Newtmas.  Thomas makes a not shocking realization. Everyone wants to slap Newt and Thomas.

Sorry if there are any grammatical/spelling errors I proofread but that’s quite ineffective.

I dedicate this chapter to @madmathis18, sorry about your paper Madalynne

Tag List (let me know if you want to be added): @izzymultifan

Chapter Three: The Fine Line Between Friends and Lovers

Part One: Minho’s POV

Say they screwed up would be an understatement. They didn’t screw anything up. Screwing something up implies that it can be salvaged.

And Minho had no clue how the hell they could possibly salvage this.

“How the hell can four people be so stupid?” Sonya ranted, they sat in their circle going over their failure. The four people she spoke of were Minho, Gally, Newt, and Thomas. Newt and Thomas for not realizing they were madly in love with each other, and Minho and Gally for making everything worse.

But Minho had a new plan, a new plan to replace their old plan, which now laid in metaphorically shreds scattered across the beach on the safe haven.

“Shut up Sonya, I have a plan,” Minho said. Sonya, Frypan, Harriet, and Brenda all groaned, which Minho found ridiculous since he always had flawless plans. He glared at them before he spoke again. “Phase one: Minho goes and tell’s Newt he’s absolutely not attracted to him. Phase two: we convince Vince to let us throw a party tomorrow night. Phase three-”

“Phase three of what?” A voice interrupted. Minho spun his head around to see Jorge standing there. 

“Nothing,” Minho replied.

“We’re trying to get Newt and Thomas together,” Frypan said at the same time.

“May I join?” Jorge asked.

“Of course,” Minho said. Jorge sat down in between Brenda and Teresa, who weren’t sitting as far apart as they were at the last meeting but still pretty far apart. “Phase three: we start up a wild game of truth or dare-”

“Absolutely not,” Gally interjected, Frypan had opened his mouth to protest to.  They used to play truth or dare in the glade, and the games always got so out of hand Alby had to shut them down. Once Gally had been dared to bathe in his own drinks, and another time Frypan had been dared to eat two sticks of butter.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Teresa said. Minho almost said something mean, but he bit his tongue. He really wanted to try to get along with Teresa for Thomas’s sake, even if he still sort of hated her guts. “We won’t give anyone else anything too extreme, just stuff to sell the game to Newt and Thomas before we attack them with dares.”

“I like the way you think Teresa,” Harriet said. “So how do we get Vince on board?”

“I have an idea for this,” Jorge spoke up. “How quickly can you whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies Frypan?”

-Time Gap, an hour-

“Heyyyyy Vince,” Minho said cheerily, Sonya and Frypan at his sides. They were all there for a reason: Frypan because he made the cookies, Sonya because she insisted on coming and Minho was too afraid of her and her girlfriend to say no, and because they all agreed that Minho had the least shame out of all of them and could easily bribe a resistance leader with cookies.

“Oh god,” Vince muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. “How can I help you three?” 

“We just wanted to let you know Frypan just finished making a batch of chocolate chip cookies,” Minho said, holding the plate of cookies so Vince could smell them. Their leader reached for a cookie but Sonya slapped his hand before he took one.

“They come with conditions,” Sonya snapped. 

“There it is,” Vince sighed. “What?”

“We want a party tonight. On the beach. We’ll plan everything, all you have to do is sit back, relax, and eat your cookies,” Minho said. The look on Vince’s face said no, but Minho didn’t take no for an answer, escipecally not when his friend’s whole relationship rely on this party. They didn’t call Minho cupid for nothing (he could hear Sonya’s voice in his head saying no one called him that, but Sonya’s voice could shove off). He held the plate closer to Vince’s face, and he saw the mans face soften.

“Fine,” Vince grumbled, snatching a cookie from the plate. “If anyone dies it’s on you.” Sonya and Minho high fived.

Part Two: Teresa’s POV

They sat in another circle, but this time Jorge was missing and Newt and Thomas filled his place (sitting quite close to each other if Teresa did say so herself, which she did). Teresa took a sip of Minho’s special drink.

“So may I ask why we’re gathered here?” Newt asked Minho.

“We’re going to have a nice fun game of truth or dare,” Minho announced. To say Newt looked horrified would be an understatement.

“There’s no buggin’ way I’m playing, nope,” Newt said, his arms crossed and his expression firm.

“Please Newt, it’ll be fun,” Thomas pleaded, giving the blonde boy puppy dog eyes. Newt sighed, clearly giving in.

“Fine,” Newt grumbled.

“Great,” Gally said. “I’ll go first. Minho, truth or dare?” Teresa already knew how this first part would play out, they’d planned it out.

“Truth,” Minho said.

“Is it true that you’ve got a thing for Newt?” Gally asked.

“Nope, I’ve only got eyes for you babe,” Minho said, before leaning in and kissed Gally, resulting in a gagging noise from Brenda (Minho flipped her off).

“If you’re so eager to move on, Brenda, truth or dare?” Minho asked, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Teresa didn’t expect to get heated this early in the game, but then again, she should never underestimate Minho and his competitive agenda. 

“Dare,” Brenda said, leaning back.

“I dare you to kiss Teresa,” Minho announced. Teresa swore the words echoed off of something. Everyone quickly turned to Brenda, waiting to see her reaction. 

Brenda said nothing, grabbing Teresa and kissing her quickly before pulling away, the sudden movement shocking Teresa. Her lips immediately felt cold once Brenda pulled away.

“Thomas, truth or dare?” Brenda said as if nothing had ever happened. Teresa couldn’t tell if she wanted Brenda to act like nothing happened, or she wanted her to be mad, or what. 

Teresa used to think she knew everything.

But if she knew everything then why didn’t she know why she wanted to kiss a girl who hated her so much again?

Part Three: Thomas’s POV

Thirty minutes later Thomas and Newt had swapped shirts, Aris was soaked from running in the ocean, Sonya and Harriet were “glued” to each other, and Minho had to end every sentence with “bubbles”. 

“Thomas, truth or dare,” Harriet said. 

“Truth,” Thomas said. His last dare was to go over to the bonfire and compliment Vince’s shoes, so he decided he’d take a break from dare’s for a little bit. 

“Who’s the most attractive person in this circle?” It wasn’t a hard decision, even though it should be. They were all very attractive individuals, but Newt outshined them all with his fluffy blonde hair and deep brown eyes Thomas could and would drown in.There there was his smile and his hands and the way he never let anything get him down.

And most importantly, the way he said Tommy. He could never say the words with anything but affection, even if he was pissed, and Thomas loved it.

Then it hit him. Like a brick.

Thomas loved Newt. Like, loved loved Newt.

Shoot.

“Earth to Thomas, you gonna answer or not?” 

“Oh yeah, Newt,” Thomas said. Newt grinned and patted Thomas on the back. “Minho, truth or dare?”

“Dare. Bubbles,” Minho said.

“I dare you to come up with a compliment for everyone in this circle.” Minho mumbled something under his breath and then began unenthusiastically.

“Frypan, you can cook like a saint. Brenda, you have the second best hair, besides me of course. Bubbles. Harriet, you’re absolutely terrifying. Bubbles.  Sonya, you’re a great plotting buddy. Bubbles. Aris, I don’t think you’re a creepy vent-kid anymore. Bubbles. Teresa, you have nice eyes. Bubbles. Thomas, you’re not the ugliest shank I’ve ever met. Bubbles. Newt, you’re the nicest person I’ve ever met. Bubbles. Gally, you’re the second hottest person here, besides me of course. Bubbles. Newt, truth or dare?”

“Truth,” Newt said. He’d only did one dare, which resulted Thomas wearing a shirt too tight and Newt wearing a loose shirt that looked good on him, everything looked good on him.

“Have you ever been in love with anyone in this circle? Bubbles.” Thomas followed Newt’s gaze as it landed on every single one of them, before his eyes met Thomas’s and lingered longer than they did on everyone else.

“Yes,” Newt said, looking away from Thomas, blushing. Thomas may be going out on a limb, but maybe, just maybe, there was a one in a million chance that Newt returned a small amount of his feelings?

“Really, who is it? Bubbles.”

“No, no, no,” Newt teased. “One question per turn.” Thomas’s heart sank, he wanted to know too. But he couldn't say that, then they’d all knew Thomas wanted to know and then they'd figure out he was utterly and hopelessly in love with Newt and always had been.

[hopesbarnes]

Black Swan (15)

Summary: Y/N used to be a Russian spy under the code name Black Swan. But that was a lifetime ago, now she’s a part-time avenger, dance teacher, surrogate sister to Natasha Romanoff, and trainer to new Shield Agents. She’s come a long way from the days of killing targets and being tortured. But when someone from her past comes around will she be able to ignore her history anymore? Or will she end up falling in love with the only man her sister ever loved?

A/N: Just the epilogue left. Major shoutout to @starbxcks​ I really wouldn’t be posting this without you.

P.S. Does anyone want to see the solo costumes, and the videos I found of what I imagine the dances to look like?

With one week until competition season officially began, and arguably the most important competition of the season you were stressed. Every day was hectic with practices. Bucky tagged along every day as your unofficial assistant. He kept notes for you and learned everything he needed to know in order to assist backstage. Sometimes it was hard to keep track of that many girls at once, and while you could handle props yourself it was easier to have someone else do so. 

He kept track of your masterlist of what was required for each dance (shoes, costumes, hairpieces, props, etc) and who was in what dance. He also wrote down every little thing you needed to remember, and you have no clue how you did competitions before him. You managed to wrangle Natasha, who had watched your previous competitions, and Clint to assist. She agreed to help with stretches and hair/makeup while Clint would mostly be moral support and do the heavy lifting.

On Friday morning the four of you, in separate cars full of props, suitcases, and random assortments of things needed for the weekend, drove the three hours to the competition. All the girls (and boys) competing would head over after school ended in time for a nightly meeting you were holding. 

Bucky was practically bouncing the entire car ride, asking questions about how the weekend would run and the chances the girls would win. After the week of hanging around the studio, the girls started calling him ‘Mr. Bucky’, and even gave him a few “Team DAD” shirts to wear the weekend (one of them just so happened to be covered in glitter). He protested saying he wasn’t a dad, but they deemed him as such anyway. It just went to prove that children hold no judgments, even when a giant super-soldier with a metal arm is in a dance studio.

The rest of the day was a blur. You checked into the competition and dropped off props, had lunch with Bucky, Natasha, and Clint-which wasn’t as weird as you thought it would be. Clint and Bucky quickly fell into a joking rhythm-, met up with the team and handed them their goody bags and door decorations, wished them all a good night’s sleep, then ate in your room and went to bed early curled up against Bucky.

------

Bucky’s three alarms went off at 4:30 am and both of you got up and took a shower and got dressed in your shirts with the dance studio name on them, yours saying “COACH” and Bucky’s saying “TEAM DAD”. You applied some glitter eyeshadow and added a bow to your hair while Bucky put his in a half french braid. Within no time at all you had packed your bags for the day and headed to grab breakfast.

The entire day was packed, your first number started at 8 and the last was at 4 pm. Thankfully, everything was relatively spaced out and the little kids weren’t until 3 o’clock.

Natasha and Clint ended up joining you in the ballroom hallway at 7, both excited as well. They went off to help do hair and makeup while you gathered your two soloists for warm-up. You placed the hair strips in their hair and Bucky double checked that they would stay in place and they had everything they needed. 

They both warmed up fine, and went on stage and absolutely crushed it. All the girls from the studio cheered loudly for both of them and they both scurried off to get ready for their other dances. 

You met up with the two seniors for their duet at 11, and you walked them through stretches. Bucky and Clint were helping with props, so Natasha joined you backstage. The two dancers practiced their lifts and they went off without a hitch. You almost had tears watching them, and they weren’t even going full out with emotions or all the steps. 

As you waited in the wings for them to go on, Bucky found you and gave you a quick kiss before holding your hand as they went on stage. 

Their dance was beautiful. They took the steps you gave them and brought them to life. Every movement was purposeful and their faces depicted the emotions so well. You could see the story they were telling through their dance and let out a few tears. 

When they finished and came off stage you hugged them both tight, thanking them for the job they did. It was amazing, and everything you ever hoped for. 

---

There was a lunch intermission between the solo, duets, and trios before groups started in the afternoon. Clint brought food for you, Nat, and Bucky and the three of you found a table to eat at. The boys talked about how insane the dancers were and how they didn’t even think they could do what these kids did. Natasha talked about how she wanted to possibly join the studio on a part-time basis because she didn’t realize just how much she missed it until now. 

After finishing up lunch you gathered the little kids and made sure they all had their correct tights and shoes. You put their hair accessories in and sat them down to remind them to point their feet and smile wide. They ran through their routine fine and were adorable on stage. Afterward, you made sure each girl found their parents or were with Natasha before gathering the large group with Bucky and practicing the dance, making sure the girls were still stretched and energized. 

One girl scraped her knee pretty bad and you went to find a first aid kit, only for Bucky to open his backpack and pull out a kit with everything a dancer could ever possibly need. He disinfected the wound, bandaged it, and had the girl back on her feet ready to perform. You kissed him on the cheek and thanked him for being as amazing as he was. 

The girls were set backstage, and you had enough time to run out to the audience for this dance. You managed to grab two seats in the front and Bucky and you watched the girls give it their all.

Against all odds, every single dance was perfect and there were no major hiccups with any routine. It was by far your best competition, and you know for sure it’s because of the team you had with you. 

After a few more hours, the girls all gathered on stage and you sat in the audience with Bucky, Natasha, and Clint. They went through individual genre categories first, and all of your dances were given platinum (highest score) and managed to take first in their respective categories. All the dances qualified for nationals and that took a huge weight off your chest. 

But what you really wanted was for the solos to place top 3 overall, your groups to take first in their size group, and possibly for your duet to take overall first place. You crossed your fingers and silently hoped throughout the awards.

They announced your solos, and your girls placed second and fourth. The girl who got fourth looked slightly disappointed but smiles nonetheless. Your duet placed first for duo/trios and you jumped up excited. 

The two group dances scored first overall for small and large groups respectively. The announcer announced that the last award of the night would be the overall highest score for the entire competition. 

“And with a perfect 300, Gravity!” the announcer said and you almost screamed. Bucky and Clint jumped from their seats, while Natasha dove to hug you. Nothing mattered but the joy you felt in that moment. 

After every competition, the whole team books a restaurant. This one was no different, and after the end of the awards, all the families make it to a restaurant a couple of minutes away. The girls are all in various costume parts, or just sweatpants and their team jackets. The tables have bobby pins and lashes discarded, and giggles fill the air. In the middle of the room is the giant trophy (amongst the other smaller ones) and it’s the best feeling ever. 

You grab a booth with Bucky, Natasha, and Clint next to some of the other teachers and parents and make your way around to congratulate all the girls and see how they’re doing. When you get back to the booth Natasha excuses herself to the bathroom, and the minute she’s out of sight Clint squeals.

“I’m gonna do it,” he says and Bucky gives him a strange look while eating a few french fries. 

“Propose,” he says and shows the ring you had picked out with him.

“Oh, OH!” you say and light up. You’ve been waiting what feels like forever for this to happen.

“I’m gonna have her come outside with me in a little bit, and ask her,” he says grinning. He tucks the box back into his coat and you all pretend like nothing happened when Nat comes back out. 

“Hey, babe will you come with me to grab something from the car?” he says before she can scoot back into the booth.

“Uh- yeah I guess,” she says, stealing one of Bucky’s fries and grabbing Clint’s hand following him outside.

You see the two of them head outside and look away. This was their moment, and you didn’t want to take that from them.

“I didn’t get to say it earlier, but I’m so proud of you, love.” Bucky says.

“I never could have done it without you.”

“Okay, bullshit,” he says laughing. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

[mithranqueersmusings]

Baby, You’re A Rich Man VI

Chapter: 6/28

Rating: T (Violence warning)

Summary: Ringo could never understand why that group of three boys made him feel so uncomfortable, or why the way George looked at him sent him into a panic. After a chance encounter Ringo discovers the truth and has no clue what to do with the information.

Tags: AU - Gangsters, Slow Burn, Smut, Eventual Romance, Violence, Angst

Pairings: George Harrison/Ringo Starr, John Lennon/Paul McCartney

AO3 link here / Fic masterlist here

The heavy sound of thumping against the front door echoed through the flat loudly and George immediately shot up, being a light sleeper was one of the many things he had to adapt to in his profession. He leaped over Ringo cautiously, careful not to wake the smaller man, and rushed over to the door to swing it open, finding John looking frenzied. He was fully dressed and George could see the light outline of a gun under his jacket, yet another thing he quickly had to learn to notice, but he still looked somewhat dishevelled with his tie askew and his hair ruffled.

"Get dressed, now. It's Paul." John ordered and George simply nodded, spinning around to collect his discarded coat from the floor, his knife from the table and rushing into his bedroom to pick up his gun. There was no time to panic, as soon as he allowed himself a moment to think about the severity of the situation he wouldn't be able to function. He hurried back to the door where John was struggling to keep his composure, beads of sweat collecting on his forehead. George simply nodded to him and they made their way to the stairwell as they couldn't afford to wait for the lift. George slammed the door behind him without bothering to lock it, causing Ringo to stir.

At times like this George cursed how they lived so high up in the tower, but it had been insisted that they were as close to the top as possible as though it made them somehow better than everyone else. It was all about status, his superiors used to say, to know that you were above others. John was clearly finding it difficult to keep it together as he rushed down the stairs rapidly, almost slipping on the steps at times and George began to worry; if something had already happened to Paul, how was John going to handle it? It was best not to think about it, not when they didn't have all the information. They managed to get to the lobby fairly quickly and they dashed out of the front door where they found an array of cars waiting for them, they rushed into the closest one and tried to catch their breath. In the front seat was their superior, George had never liked him much, who looked at them disapprovingly as if they kept him waiting. The cars sped off quickly before John and George could even begin to relax, this was bad... There had always been tensions with the other families and every so often someone would overstep the boundaries, but it had never been anyone George truly cared about before, and he dreaded to think the situation Paul might be in right now. When George had spoken to John last night he seemed extremely worried that Paul hadn't come home that evening which wasn't particularly rare, but it wasn't often that John didn't know where he was and it was putting John on edge with all the threats they'd been getting from this family. There had been a few isolated fights in bars between groups but nothing major and George didn't expect it to bubble up like this.

"What's the plan?" John spoke rapidly, he was gripping onto the edge of the seat desperately.

"All we know is that they've got Paul hostage. They said they have terms they want to hash out, but haven't said what." Their superior spoke facing forwards, he sounded completely calm "We wouldn't even be asking you two along, but they insisted that they spoke to you alone. I'm completely against it, but they didn't want to run the risk of Paul getting hurt. He already sounded pretty beaten up."

George took a sharp inhale when he heard the plan, they'd never done anything this high profile alone before and he had no idea if they'd be able to get Paul back safely. He looked over to John in an attempt to show a knowing look but he was just gazing out of the window, his hand still gripping tightly on the car seat. If he felt confident enough on his own he'd insist that John stayed behind, but he doubt he'd even allow it. As close as George was to Paul, John knew him better by far and the two shared an insanely close bond. They drove the remainder of the way in near silence, George fiddled with his gun in preparation and tried to compose himself. When the cars came to a halt John finally returned to reality and he took a deep breath, then passed George a sombre look to let him know that he was ready.

"We'll be here on the corner if you need us. I can't stress how important it is that you get this right, if you fuck up and leave here without Paul then I wouldn't bother coming back at all. Negotiate with them, I don't think there's a limit to how much he's willing to pay to get Paul back safe, and don't do anything stupid." Their superior spoke bluntly and it didn't help George's nerves at all.

They stepped out of the car in silence and started walking down the empty street, it was horribly cold without their coats but neither of them noticed the chill. George took another look at John who walked with clenched fists and a tight jaw, looking determinedly ahead.

"John..." George somehow managed to mask the nerves in his voice "I know how you must be feeling right now, but we really need to do this calmly... For Paul's sake."

John sighed and slowed his pace, looking at the ground "I can't stand the thought of it George. Paul all tied up and beaten, absolutely terrified and all alone. It should've been me instead."

George wasn't sure how to respond, Paul was always the one to calm him down if he got like this, he just gave John's arm a reassuring squeeze "You can't think like that. We're gonna get him back, we've just gotta be smart about it. Paul wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, even if it's for his own good."

John smiled at the thought of Paul's good nature, but the tension in his body still remained. Eventually they made their way to an abandoned warehouse where two threatening-looking men stood at the door, one was leaning on the wall and smoking a cigarette, the other looking focused with his arms across his chest. They nodded knowingly when George and John stood in front of them, giving them a surveying with their eyes, and opened the heavy door. George went first, he was feeling really nervous about the entire situation but most of all he worried that John might do something stupid. They found themselves in a dimly lit, mostly empty space which had a man positioned in every corner. In the centre was the one of the higher-ups of the Chapman family; they had been rising up the ranks at an alarming rate the past couple of years and seemed to have no issue about muscling their way to the top. Neither George nor John recognised their face but it was clear that he was the man they were here to see. He smiled at them devilishly as they entered the room and had the door shut tightly behind them.

"Such an honour to finally meet you both." His grin widened as he placed one of his hands in his pocket, no doubt fiddling with a knife "Now I'm sure you're worried sick about your good friend Paul, but rest assured he's very much alive with just a little wear and tear. You know how it is."

George began scoping the room, eyeing up each man individually and trying to gauge how many of them had guns and concluded it was the one in the furthest corner, and no doubt their gracious host was carrying too. The four men looked tough enough but George learned quickly that muscle and intimidation only went so far in this business, and his family had always valued skill and wit above all else, so he wasn't too alarmed. The central man worried George most of all, anyone who like to blab was dangerous and often unpredictable. John only stared straight ahead at the man and George wasn't even sure if he was listening, his mind seemed far more preoccupied with his bubbling anger.

"Now of course, you have no reason to believe me. You don't know me from Adam, so it's probably best if I show you." He clicked his fingers and one of the goons went into the next room, no doubt to fetch Paul.

There was nobody in the room with the hostage? These guys were amateurs, George thought, but that didn't make them any less of a threat; even if they weren't smart, they could have many tricks up their sleeve. The man returned from the room dragging Paul by the neck of his jacket, he tossed him onto the ground beside the negotiator. Paul fell down on his knees hard, he had tape over his mouth and his hands were bound together tightly with rope - George could see even from his position the red marks from where the rope had aggravated the skin, these guys were far from hospitable, and he had dark bruises on his face. The sight made George want to cry, he'd seen Paul beaten up before of course but never had he looked so defeated. John let out a grunt and his hand was twitching, eager to draw his gun, and Paul's weak gaze on him only seemed to infuriate him further.

"This should be simple. You give us the money, and we give you Paul. Mind, he doesn't come cheap and he's caused an awful amount of damage with the fuss he kicked up when he took him. We thought he'd be the calmest out of you lot, but I guess we were wrong." He took a step towards Paul who seemed to sink in his presence.

The thought of Paul fighting back against his kidnappers made George proud, they were wrong to underestimate him "How much?" He'd heard these situations go down once or twice, but he had never been the initiator of it all and be tried his best to replicate what he'd seen.

"50,000 ought to do it. After all, no price is too high for your precious Macca, right?" His tone was sinister and it made John scowl to hear Paul's nickname coming out of such a vile mouth.

"Are you mad!? 50 grand for beating the living shit out of him? He can barely fucking stand! If you don't think the consequences of this are gonna be dire, then you're wrong mate. Hand him over to us now, and we won't have to hurt you." John growled, this wasn't a good sign at all, and the man only laughed in response.

"Hurt me? Please, spare me the theatrics. You lads are full of fire, I'll give you that much. But let's not get carried away here, you wouldn't want to do something you'd regret." With this final word he pulled out his knife, it glistened in the low light of the room, and placed it slowly under Paul's chin and his eyes lit up in panic. "Would we?"

George didn't even have time to think before he heard the gunshot, he barely had time to breathe before the man's body hit the floor lifelessly. John had never killed before, but he had acted without a second thought and no sign of regret. One shot went square in the man's head and another to the man in the corner closest to them, the bullet firing into his chest and killing him where he stood. George never liked using his gun and his first instinct was to always go for his knife, so he pulled it from his pocket and extended the blade before the chaos truly began. Luckily John had shot the only other guy with a gun, whether that was intentional or pure chance George didn't know, and the three other men pounced with their knives out.

John took out his knife now, it would've been ridiculous to carry on shooting when things got hectic, luckily he remembered that even in his haze of rage. John rushed at one of the men and made quick work of getting him on his knees with a well-placed kick and a hard punch to the head. John was far stronger than he looked and the Chapman's plan of demanding some of the youngest of the family in hopes that they'd be weak and inexperienced had truly failed. John disarmed the man but took a hard punch in the stomach which winded him for a few seconds.

Meanwhile George was tackling two assailants and it wasn't easy, he ducked and dodged their knives as best he could as he had to focus hard on not being overpowered. He really hadn't anticipated this situation, and while he understood John's reaction completely he cursed him for being so impulsive.

John pushed the larger man further onto the ground, kicking him hard in the ribs a couple of times to ensure he stayed down. His head was entirely empty of thoughts, he was running on pure adrenaline and instinct. He rushed over to George's aid and managed to grab one of the men from behind, kneeing them in the back and forcing them to the ground. George had already been punched around a fair bit but he didn't look shaken, barely taking his eyes off the other man for even a second. The worst part about situations like this was not knowing how far your opponent was willing to go, most people would submit and beg for mercy eventually but there were a few groups who were truly willing to fight to the death, and George worried that these men would fall into the latter category. The man swung at George's face and knocked him backwards, he managed to avoid the next one and landed a hard punch in his stomach.

At the point George was gaining confidence that they might be able to handle it, the door was thrown open and the two guards from outside rushed in with their knives out. Distracted, George got punched in the side and stumbled backwards, he had to make peace with the fact he'd have to use his knife. The smell of blood and sweat was spreading throughout the room, the sounds of grunts and heavy breathing. George flashed John a look, he looked almost crazed. The man charged at George again, this time with his knife, but George acted faster and sunk his blade deep into the man's stomach and he pulled away with a scream. He moved his hands quickly down to his stomach, pulling them away to see them covered in warm blood.

It was three against two now, if only Paul was in a state fit for fighting the odds would be equal, but he remained tied up in the corner helplessly watching his friends. John had been pummelling the other man, pinning him down to the floor as his mercilessly punched his face again and again; he looked completely lifeless. George had to pull John away, he was getting lost in the haze of the violence. The man rolled over onto his side, his eyes puffed up, and spat a long trail of blood onto the floor. The guards helped him up to his feet and somehow he was able to stand, his shaking hand clinging to his knife. They were far larger than the two of them and George was already feeling exhausted, his chest badly bruised and his head swimming in pain. Then the other men were on them, one brandishing his blade and stabbing it sloppily into George's side, it pierced the skin but luckily wasn't too deep.

"Fuck!" George screamed out, feeling the blood quickly dampening his shirt, but he had no time to even think about the pain as he speared his knife upward into his attacker, just below his ribs and holding it there for a few seconds, then pulling it out swiftly and pushing the limp body to the ground.

The wounded man had managed to land several hard punches on John, he must've been running high on adrenaline and George winced thinking about how much pain he'd be in when it wore off. The second man was keeping John in place, grabbing his arms from behind while he got battered. George stumbled forward, his mind was getting hazy with the blood loss, and stabbed the man from behind in a last act of exertion. His grip on John slacked who was then able to pounce on the final man, knocking him to the floor once more and resuming his pummelling. The room was almost silent now, bodies littering the floor, excluding the rhythmic punches John threw on the man's bloodied face. Blood was spilling out all over the floor in pools and George struggled to avoid it as he shuffled over to John and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"John-" George huffed, but John shoved him away with his shoulder and continued his assault. "John! We need to get the fuck out of here! Grab Paul and let's go!" He wanted to sound more commanding but he just sounded weak, he needed medical attention and quickly.

John seemed deaf to George's words until he mentioned Paul, then his head lifted quickly to look at his friend who sat frightened in the corner. John rushed over and cut the restraints as carefully as he could but he was still shaking from the whole ordeal, he removed the tape from his mouth and Paul gasped for breath.

"Can you walk?" John asked, he sounded close to tears.

Paul tried to stand up, holding onto John's forearm tightly for support but when he tried to rise to his full height his knees buckled and he fell forward. John held him steadily then lifted him into his arms with ease. George finally had a moment of relief, seeing the two of them reunited, but it was short-lived with the repetitive pangs of pain shooting through his body. John looked over at George who simply nodded, he knew he was able to walk back to the car but anything further felt beyond his capabilities. And so they left the warehouse as quickly as they could, leaving behind the battered bodies.

When they were in sight of the cars multiple men piled out to help them, one taking Paul quickly and lying him in the backseat of a car to see to his injuries. The rest crowded around John and George, one helping George walk as his pace weakened, and assessing the damage. It was at this point George learned John had also been stabbed, after his jacket was thrown off there was that too-familiar red mark on the back of his shirt. He had no idea when it happened but he was stunned at how easily he powered through the pain and George wondered if John even noticed it at all in his frenzy of emotion. John seemed far more interested in watching over Paul than getting any help himself, and he refused to lie down in the back of a car so he could be seen to, and instead was treated standing up beside the car Paul was in.

George felt relieved as soon as he sat down and the exhaustion fell on him like a weight, he could barely feel the stitches going into his skin as he looked up at the night sky. It was rare that anyone was ever sent to the hospital, it was far too risky to send someone there if they'd been in a gang fight because the police were never too far behind. But there were limits to what their doctors could do, and there weren't always enough if any at all, so every so often they'd have to brave the repercussions. Luckily George had never been so unfortunate as to end up in hospital, and he prayed that his luck would continue. At some point their superior walked over to George with a face painted with disappointment, but he was far too checked out to pay him any attention and eventually he gave in and sent George home. Paul had to report to the higher-ups and John refused to let him go alone, so they went off in a separate car. George lay in the backseat of another, watching the streetlights as they drove back to his flat in silence.

It wasn't long before he began to return to the present and he began to think about the man he'd left on his sofa. He felt like shit, but the thought of being able to return home to Ringo's soft, blue eyes and wide smile made him feel just that little bit better. He only hoped that the sight of him in such a state wouldn't scare him away, he realised in that moment that he cared very much what Ringo thought about him. A weak smile spread on his face, he'd never had someone to return home to before and he hoped it would become a common occurrence.

[godzillagirl-14]

Wish Upon an Idol (Ch. 2)

Chapter 2

Pairing: ot7 x reader 

Summary: The Bangtan boys have the ability to grant wishes (unbeknownst to you, the brand new addition to their friend group) So when you jokingly wish you had superpowers to “help the world in a way you knew how” what happens when you wake up the next day with extraordinary abilities? 

A/N: So this chapter is more of a backstory for the reader and boys. I have no clue where I’m going with this story but I have a general idea, but if you wanna throw in ideas and theories about what you think is gonna happen, don’t be afraid to comment. Also don’t be afraid to comment if you’d like to be apart of the tag list :) 

Warnings: Drama, Angst, a lot of Action, Smut (later on), and a bad attempt at being humorous. 

Warnings for this chapter: Things get a little heated . . . sort of.

Word count: 3,054

Launching himself out of his bed with an energy and agility he didn’t know he possessed, Yoongi burst through his door into the hallway, hightailing it to your room, six other men hot on his tail. He practically threw himself at your closed door, forcing it open and almost taking the poor thing off its hinges. The whole thing would have been comical honestly, watching the Min Yoongi run like a man escaping Hell to the bedroom of the girl he’s head over heels for, but they could laugh later. In the middle of the room is where you laid in bed. Now this wouldn’t have been so bad, had you and your bed not been alight with flames. 

Yep. 

You were quite literally on fire. Standing still in shock for only a minute before springing into action, all 7 boys suddenly moved as if they got a swift kick to the ass. Yoongi, Namjoon, Hoseok, and Jin all helped to haul you from the flaming bed, making sure to pat out the lingering flames that remained on your clothes. Meanwhile, Taehyung, Jimin, and Jungkook all ran out of the room, Taehyung and Jimin to the kitchen and Jungkook back to his room. 

Quickly grabbing the small little fire extinguisher on top of their refrigerator, Taehyung never thought he would be using the small object to extinguish the girl of his dreams. He expected to use it for a Namjoon related cooking incident, not this. Beside him, Jimin practically propelled himself into the fridge to get as many water bottles his arms could carry. Was he being a little too dramatic? Maybe, but he was determined to make sure you didn’t go dehydrated. 

Jungkook sprinted down the hallway to his room, grabbing a t-shirt and a pair of his boxers because surely you’re clothes had to be charred and gross. He was secretly elated at the idea of you wearing his clothes. He just wished it were under different circumstances. All three of them ran back to your room as quickly as they could, all meeting their doom in your doorway where they inevitably collided, sending all of the items flying. They barely had any time to get their bearings before they once again sprung into action, scrambling to get the items together. Three grown men running around like chickens with their heads cut off. You would have laughed had it not been for the situation. 

The sound of the fire extinguisher putting out the fire made you startle out of your thoughts and you unintentionally pushed yourself closer to Jin’s arms - not that he was complaining- as he soothingly rubbed the smooth skin of your arms. 

Wait. Smooth?

Pulling away from you, he examined the skin of your arms and legs, seeing as they were not covered in third degree burns. Your poor clothes however were burnt to shit. 

“She doesn’t have any burns.” Hobi stated the obvious as he took notice in the way that Jin was looking over your completely unharmed body. As if realizing that you weren’t injured, you gently pushed Jin away from you, taking a couple of steps towards your full body mirror. Looking over at your ruined pajamas and unmarred skin, you slightly pouted. “I really liked those pajamas.” you mumbled to yourself. 

By the time Taehyung had finished putting out the fire, the smoke had finally flitted up in the air, covering the room in an intense silence as you gratefully took the clothes in the Jungkook’s hands. . . And then the smoke detector went off. 

The constant and shrill beeping noise was already annoying in itself and the boys automatically cringed. But your poor eardrums; it felt like someone was brutally taking a sledgehammer to your skull while screeching in both ears. The violent shudder that wracked your body shocked the boys around you as you sunk down to the floor with your hands pressed against the sides of your head. A painful cry tore from your throat as you felt as if your head would explode. 

You faintly heard a shout from somewhere in the room before the shrill noise stopped and you immediately relaxed, however the pounding headache remained. You saw a hand trying to hand you a water bottle, but you felt too nauseous to put anything in your mouth. 

You did, however, reach out to the hand, grabbing onto their forearms and forcing yourself up, coming face to face with the beautiful Park Jimin. He gave you a small concerned smile and your felt your skin heat up. And it wasn’t because of the fire. Quickly shaking your head to clear your thoughts, you continued to hold onto his arm as you looked around the room. 

“Guys,” they’ve never seen you more serious in the short months of you living with them. “I need to go to the hospital, I think I’ve been drugged.” 

It was silent for a solid ten seconds before the room erupted into loud boasts of laughter. You once again cringed at the overwhelming noise, stopping the bile from rising to your throat. You were so confused; why were they laughing? There’s no other logical explanation as to why you felt so sensitive to everything. It felt as if they were screaming right in your ear, you could distinctly smell each of the lingering scents of the cologne that they wore yesterday, you were hyper aware of where each boy stood, being able to feel every single movement of the drop of sweat that traveled from your thigh to your ankle, you could see the tiny individual fabrics of Taehyung’s night shirt. It was all too much. 

The only logical explanation your brain could come up with was that someone had snuck into your bedroom to assassinate you, tried to drug you and when that process was taking too long, set your bed on fire. 

Yeah. . . that had to be it. 

The laughing continued and you thought you were gonna have a stroke. “Why are you so loud?!” you shouted, rubbing your temples to alleviate the headache that was forming. The room fell silent and you sighed in pure relief, leaning back into Jimin’s frame, barely registering the feeling of his arms wrapping around you as you closed your eyes. 

As you were taking deep breaths to calm yourself down, you footsteps approaching and you automatically knew it was Namjoon. How? You had no idea. You just knew. 

Placing a gentle hand on your arm, you opened your arms and came face to face with Namjoon. Your breath was knocked right out of your lungs. It’s like your were seeing him in ultra 4k HD. You were too stunned to speak. 

“(Y/n). . . you need to listen very carefully,” he spoke calmly and clearly and you found yourself entranced by his voice as you nodded. “You weren’t drugged.” you cocked your head to the side in confusion and he wanted to coo at you for how cute you looked in that moment. “We need to tell you something, but we’re going to take you to the living room and sit you down to explain everything, okay?” 

You nodded mindlessly as you let yourself be led into the living room. Sitting down on the couch next to Namjoon, he began massaging your knuckles as you looked at the rest of the boys sitting around you. A sharp exhale pulled your attention back to the boy occupying your hand. 

“Okay, let’s start from the beginning.” 

~ ~ ~

Kim Namjoon was the son of a merchant. Selling goods abroad internationally, his father sold things from exotic spices to valuable Jewelry. Namjoon worked alongside his father in their little shop, always examining every treasure his father brought home as if it were a gift from a deity. He loved it. 

As time moved along, his father enlisted the help of six others boys, as his father was getting older in age and wasn’t able to get things done as quickly as he was used to. The six boys were practically strangers to each other and Namjoon, but they kept things polite and introduced themselves as Kim Seokjin, Min Yoongi, Jung Hoseok, Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung, and Jeon Jungkook. They kept things professional, only talking to each other to discuss items that were to be imported and exported. Anyone visiting the shop could sense how tense the poor boys were. It’s not like they hated each other though, they were just complete strangers to each other, not being comfortable enough to have a conversation that wasn’t about business. 

Until it happened; All seven boys were just hauling back some goods they got from trading in Africa, when they were checking the different seasonings and spices they got back. They could practically recite the list in their sleep, always seeing the same ingredient on the list every time, but not this time. As Yoongi read off the list to Hoseok to make sure they were all accounted for, he stopped short when he read an unfamiliar name. “Huh, this is a new one,” he stated, his tone nothing short of bored. 

That was when Jin walked past them, looking into the crate to see the foreign seasoning. “Well it’s about time we got something new. I was so bored with the same old stuff, I’m glad we’re spicing things up a bit.” 

It was silent for only three seconds before the sound of squeaky laughter filled the room as Jin proceeded to laugh at his own terrible punny joke. Soon the others joined in with laughing. Some were laughing at the joke, some were laughing at Jin’s laugh, but they were all laughing together. They even cracked more jokes to keep the laughter from dying out. It took them twice as long to get their job done that day as they kept having to stop from doubling over in laughter. 

After their jobs were done and it was time for them to go home, they found that they didn’t want to go home just yet. So when Taehyung had asked if they wanted to go and hangout at his house for some drinks, they all almost immediately said yes. And they spent the night drinking, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. 

They were inseparable after that, finding any excuse to hang out with one another. And soon the friendly feelings turned into something more . . . intimate. Lingering touches and longing gazes became less and less subtle the more time the boys spent with each other. Until one day, Jimin just walked up to Yoongi and placed a big fat kiss right on his lips. And then proceeded to do it to the remaining five boys. They were ecstatic that someone had finally taken initiative as they were all too chicken to do it themselves. 

So, the kisses and lingering hugs and more. . .promiscuous acts became more and more frequent. As the years passed, their bonds only became stronger, and as Namjoon’s father officially passed down the business to him to retire, they felt as if they were thriving. One day, the boys were to travel to the Middle East in order to pick up some stock and bring it back to Korea. It was no big deal to them as they have done it countless of times before. 

Just as they were finishing up their transaction, they began to explore the village for an inn that they could stay at for the night before heading back. They stopped at a stand, buying various types of foods, their stomachs practically roaring to be fed as they smelled the delicious food. Just as they were about to head back to their inn, they spotted three small children; a girl and two boys, wandering around the market as if lost. But that wasn’t what caught the boys’ attention. They looked absolutely starving. 

They watched as the little children begged many people for food only to either be ignored or to be rudely told to leave. One man even shoved the poor girl when she asked him for an apple. The seven men watched in shock at the display, observing the way the children’s shoulders slumped as they continued walking. As they got closer, Namjoon observed the amount of food in his hands before ultimately coming up with a decision. He could buy more food. 

Stepping up to the three children, he squatted down to their level, holding out the bag of food to them. They looked at him warily, but he persisted, giving them a kind smile as the girl slowly reached up and took the bag. Soon enough the rest of the boys were doing the same, handing off their bags of food to the two small boys. The three children stood in shock, staring up at them with wide curious eyes before launching themselves onto Namjoon, effectively tackling him in a hug. They did the same to the rest of the group and the boys don’t think they’ve ever smiled this hard before, but as they watched the children run off excitedly with their meals, they felt a fluttering in their hearts. 

Later on that night as they all got their rest, after buying more food and eating their dinner, Jungkook was slipping in and out of consciousness. He didn’t know why, but he had the strangest feeling that someone was watching them. 

It wasn’t until he opened his eyes and shifted in his bed did he see three pairs of glowing eyes staring directly at him. 

The poor man almost went into cardiac arrest. 

Upon discovering the three watchers, Jungkook let out a less than manly scream, alerting the six other sleeping figures in the room as they all jerked awake at the noise, trying to get their bearings as they also caught sight of the three figures in the room. 

Cue more screaming. 

It wasn’t until the three figures stepped into the moonlight filtering through the window did the screaming cease. The three children stood before them, close lipped smiles adorning their faces. Even though they stopped screaming, they were still pretty freaked out, staring at the three children for some sort of explanation. 

“We would like to thank you for your kind gesture,” said the female child, holding up her hand to stop any protests or screams from the 7 adults looking at her in fear. “But let us introduce ourselves first.” 

With that being said, the girl and two boys looked at each other, before looking back at the boys. A light began to illuminate their figures, completely engulfing them, and if that weren’t enough to freak the boys out, the children’s skin began to melt off their bodies and drop down on the floor with a wet plop. 

Once the light subsided, the children were gone and in their place stood three ethereal beings smiling down at them fondly. The 7 boys looked on in astonishment. staring at the beings in awe. 

“Hello,” the female being started. She was absolutely gorgeous with glowing golden skin and black hair pulled back away from her face. Her body was adorned in necklaces, bracelets, and rings, all glimmering in the moonlight. “My name is Kaikha. And these are my brothers Shasme and Ghokhero.” 

Shasme had blazing red skin, black hair framing his face and jewelry covering his body as well, sporting a whole extra set of arms. Ghokhero was a pale blue, completely bald, and only sporting golden bracelets on both wrists. The three stood - actually floated, as the boys looked down and found they have no feet - waiting for a reaction that didn’t come as the boys were stunned to silence. 

“If you have not figured it out yet, we are those three children you saw in the market. And we are so grateful, we would like to thank and repay you for your acts of kindness.” Shasme said, chuckling as the boys were still to shocked to speak. Kaikha, Shasme, and Ghokhero began walking towards the seven boys, placing a hand on each boy, speaking in unison. 

“We bless you with the gift of granting others what their hearts desires. May you bring happiness and humility to the world in the many years to come.” Their palms glowed bright, nearly blinding the boys as the light later faded. The three deities looked at the boys with pleased smiles on their faces. “Your act of kindness gave us hope in this dark world. It needs more people like you.” 

And with those last parting words, the three beings were gone in the blink of an eye. . . 

~ ~ ~

You stared at the boys around the room, trying to process the information they had just bestowed upon you. 

“And after that, we went back to Korea as if nothing happened. We vowed to keep it a secret so no one would take advantage of our powers. And because of this, we were able to grant your wish last night.” Taehyung concluded, having a vice like grip on Jimin’s hands. He was nervous about your reaction. 

It took a moment to collect your thoughts, but the first question that came out of your mouth was - “Wait, how old are y’all?” 

“Uhm, a couple thousand years old.” Jin answered, and your jaw dropped. You shook your head, trying to wrap your head around it all. “Ok, let me get this straight: You seven men, are actually immortal beings from Ancient Korea who were regular merchant boyfriends until one day, an act of kindness got you noticed by three Middle Eastern gods and they were so impressed by you, they gave the gift of granting wishes which apparently had the side effect of immortality and now fast forward to today, you guys are 7 of the most famous men in the world and no one knows about your secret except for you and me and now I have superpowers over a mindless wish I made after watching a Marvel movie?” 

They mulled over your brief explanation before nodding as you heard variations of “yes” “yep” and “yeah, pretty much.” Another long beat of silence took over as you took in and processed this revelation. 

“That is so. . . cool!” 

A/N: Hello! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as we learn how the boys got their powers in the first place. I don’t know how I feel about that backstory, but I hope you liked it. Let me know what you think. How do you feel about their backstory? How do you think the story will turn out? I’d love to hear your feedback!

[goliath-de-senfina-sango]

Homo Ecto Sapiens

Chapter 2 Fandom: Danny Phantom Rating: General Audiences Relationships: Jack Fenton/Maddie Fenton, Danny Fenton & Jack Fenton & Maddie Fenton, Danny Fenton & Jazz Fenton, Danny Fenton & Tucker Foley & Sam Manson Characters: Danny Fenton, Jack Fenton, Maddie Fenton, Jazz Fenton, Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Mr. Lancer (Danny Phantom), Dash Baxter, Lunch Lady (Danny Phantom), Dorathea "Dora" (Danny Phantom), Paulina Sanchez, Valerie Gray, Princess Dorothea, Princess Dora, Skulker (Danny Phantom) Additional Tags: Fix-It, Danny Fenton has ADHD, Multilingual Tucker, Trans Male Character, Multilingual Danny, Bisexual Danny Fenton, Bisexual Tucker Foley Summary:

Danny Fenton stood inside the dark tunnel of the only portal his parents couldn't get to work because he couldn't say no to a dare. He tripped on his way out. Now he has to deal with figuring out how to come out to his parents as being half ghost, while dealing with all the ghosts that come out of the portal.

Tucker and Sam stare at each other.  For a handful of moments, neither is entirely sure what they should do.  Sam is full of shock and anger and regret and terror.  She could've died.  Her best friends could have died.  How is a teenager even meant to process that?  She wants to curl up on the ground and hide from everything in that moment, will all the nasty reality that is Ghosts away.  But Tucker is bent over Danny, and Danny is out cold.  So she packs away the emotions, cools her shit, and bends down.  "You get his legs, I'll take his shoulders.  FentonWorks?"

They get him there.  Danny's parents are downstairs, working on something.  They get Danny on his bed, and Sam slumps against the door.  Tucker and Danny skipped over a detention essentially and all three have skipped school.  So Tucker goes down to erase the Fenton's voice mailbox and sends out a bug to his own.  Sam has no clue why he has that ready but asks if he can do it with her folks' line.  He asks for a few minutes. The silence passes, Tucker gets on Danny's laptop.  He always fled to the tech when he needed somewhere safe.  Eventually, he asks.  "You ok?  Today went to shit."

"No, I don't think I am.  Like, the worst I've got is some bruising that my make up can handle.  I need a shower, I guess."  They both know why she isn't actually ok.  Neither wants to bring it up.  So instead, Sam checks Danny's closet and finds something she'd left there a couple months back.  "I'm gonna do that actually.  Keep an eye on him?" Tucker grunted in acknowledgment.  That was the best she'd get so Sam grabbed a spare towel from the dresser and headed to the shower.

When Sam got back she looked over Tucker's shoulder.  Images of old ladies in familiar looking uniforms were all over the screen.  "Looking her up?"

"If we know more about her then we can talk it out with her right?"  Tucker's fingers paused over the keyboard.  He stretched, looking over at her.  "Right?"

"Probably.  Looking to work that Foley Charm on her?"  Sam elbowed him lightly in the ribs.  Tucker clutched his chest as though he'd been broken.  Thank gods for that smile on his face.  "Tell me you aren't planning to flirt with her.  Danny might get jealous."  Tucker snorted.

"I don't think Danny is into old ladies who occasionally burst into flames." Tucker went back to typing and clicking, screen light glaring off his lenses.  "So, my theory is that ghosts draw on ambient energy to sustain themselves.  When we went into that fight my phone was on like… 50 percent.  When we got here it was at 17.  So maybe we should carry batteries on us?"

"And our wrist rays."  Sam was never letting herself be helpless like that again.  "what've you got on her so far?"

"She said the menu hasn't changed in 50 years and she wasn't kidding.  So I'm looking back at people employed by Casper back when she was alive, and hoping I can recognize her facial structure."

"Impressive."  Sam sighed and looked over at Danny.

He zipped up his suit.  Sam made a face at him and pulled off the logo of his dad's face.  "You can't go around with this on your chest."  He agreed. If Danny ever met aliens of the extradimensional kind, he didn't want them to see his dad's face plastered on him.  Danny walked into the tunnel that was his parents' ghost portal, looking all around it.  The whispers of those other worlds called out in his head again.  As he walked deeper into the portal, Danny saw nothing wrong.  Not a nut or bolt out of place.  He got to the end. It was dark.  Too dark to see anything.  Turning back, he kept a hand on the wall to steady himself.  His foot hit a raised panel, and Danny leaned to the left for support. There was a click.

Danny opened his eyes and saw Sam looking down at him.  Not unusual.  The soreness in his muscles, however, was.  Danny stopped mid-stretch and winced.  "Oh. Right.  20-foot meat monster."  Tucker was at his desk, turned around in the chair and giving him that frown he had when Dash had slammed Danny into a locker.  "How long was I out for?"

"Four days."  Tucker reached under Danny's bed and lifted up a bag of Nasty Burger.

"Four Days?!"

"Nah, like, 2 hours dude."  Tuck chuckled and handed him a wrapped burger.  "You need this dude, that fight took a shit ton outta you."

“Don’t I know it.”  Danny unwrapped the burger and sank his teeth in.  He'd been hungrier than he thought.  It felt like a blink before the burger was gone.  "Thanks, dude, I really needed that.  We basically skipped lunch, didn't we?"  That thought had a horrible domino effect and Danny tore the burger wrapping in half.  "Fuck, my parents are gonna kill me!"

"I erased the voicemail from your box, mine, and Sam's.  Don't worry about that."

"Speaking of, how ya doin Sam?"  Danny turned, looking his friend over and wincing at the bruises on her arms.  “Fuck, the meat pile did that?”

“Yeah, turns out being grabbed up by a bunch of proceeded corpses can do some damage.”  Sam shrugged.  “It’s nothing I can’t fix with some concealer and sleeves.”

“It’s still warm though,” Danny said.  “You good baking yourself?”

“The heaters in the school barely work, and it’s nearly October, Danny.  Things have cooled down plenty.”  Sam frowned and looked over to Tucker.  “Do head injuries affect the perception of temperature?”

“I’m sure they can.  If only someone hadn’t summoned up a meat-obsessed lunch lady with a menu change.”  Tucker paused and raised a brow.  “Actually, how in the hell did you even get them to change it?  Nevermind the why.”

“The why, Tucker, is that schools need to promote healthier changes in the food we consume.”  Sam had that fire in her eyes.  Again.  Danny let out a long sigh, which went ignored by his bickering friends.

“And removing an entire food group from the menu was your solution?”

“It’s one we don’t even need Tucker!  Do you know how inefficient the transfer of calories from meat into our bodies is?”

“We need protein, Sam!  If there’s anything that the Lunch Lady said truthfully it’s that!  Look at Danny!  He barely gets any protein, you can see how that’s turned out for him.”

“My dude, I’m not the only skinny person here.”

“And whether or not we have meat and protein isn’t your decision to make for us all, Sam!”  Tucker glared balefully at the vegan and stood up from Danny’s chair.  “You had to be an individual and have all your individual needs met over what anyone else wanted, didn’t you?  No one but you even wanted this menu change and I’m going to fix it!”  Tucker stormed out of the room, leaving the door open.

“Oh like Hell you’re gonna undo all my hard work!”  Sam barged out as well, completely forgetting Danny as she slammed his door shut.  And Danny stared at that door for a moment before groaning into his pillow.

“This is going to be a whole thing, isn’t it?”  For several moments, Danny laid there and stared up at the constellations he’d put up on his ceiling in glow in the dark stickers.  His stomach reminded him of its existence, and Danny groaned again.  He still had some allowance left, so he went out and headed to the Nasty Burger.  Considering Tucker’s words and how much he’d done that day, Danny ordered a full meal.

After he’d eaten and walked it off on the way home, Danny let what had happened that day go through his mind.  Even as he fought off a small angry blob with his wrist ray, growling at it.  “Ghosts aren’t mindlessly violent beings. I know that.”  He needed to believe that.  “So, that means that she can be calmed, somehow.  She kept going on and on about the benefits of meat, and she died years ago…”  An email notification popped up on Danny’s computer, and he sighed.  “Right, homework assigned by Lancer.  What would I do without Tuck?”

The next day, Danny pulled on one of his darker shirts - a gift from Sam with some constellation’s accurately displayed - and some jeans.  His parents didn’t come up to join him and Jazz that morning, which was likely for the best.  Danny didn’t need their ghost radar pointing at him before he could figure out how to break their biases.  The second his cereal was finished, though, Danny pulled out his journal and attached pencil.  “No,” Danny snapped when he heard Jazz take a familiar breath.  “It’s not a diary, no you may not read it.  For the 11th time, Spazz.”  One weird benefit of super hearing - I can tell when she’s about to speak.  Everyone had different rhythms for when they spoke and when they were thinking etcetera.  Danny knew his sister’s patterns almost as well as Tucker and Sam’s.

Danny wrote into his journal a goal of recording his encounters with apparently sapient ghosts and how quickly he managed to pacify them.  If only he could think of how to pacify this one.

Once the hybrid got to school - later than he would’ve been had those damned blobs not been so interested in fucking with him - Danny groaned as he was dragged to the Vice Principal’s office.  There he found Tucker, who was glaring down at the desk in just the right angle to look like he was glaring directly ahead.  A trick he’d developed for gathering valuable passwords while tricking Lancer and other authorities into thinking he was just a semi-rebellious teen.  Danny couldn’t tell what Tucker could possibly be trying to gather from the desk now, but he may have just been scowling.  Tucker was complicated that way.

“Take a seat, Mr. Fenton.”  Danny obeyed and took his seat, looking steadfastly at the space just behind Lancer’s head.  “Tell me, gentlemen, how and why did you leave my office when both of you were already being punished for starting a food fight in the cafeteria?”  Before either could come up with an answer, Lancer slammed his hand down hard on the desk, and Danny flinched.  “What could possibly have possessed you two to skip school for the rest of the day?”

Danny squirmed a bit, while Tucker took even, obviously measured breaths.  He then looked up at Lancer directly.  “We were worried about Sam, sir.  She hadn’t answered any of her texts, and she always answers even when we’re fighting to make sure we know she’s safe.”  Not untrue, Sam wouldn’t have been able to answer a text if they tried that.  Danny nodded along to Tucker’s story.

“We left out the window to find her, which took forever since she had gone to find a way to help organize something for the school.”  Danny put on his most apologetic face.  “We’re truly sorry about ditching you, Mr. Lancer, but we had to make sure our friend was safe, you see.  We wanted to make sure none of the jocks or anyone had gone and done something horrible to her as revenge for getting the menu changed for a week.”

Lancer glared between the two of them for several seconds more, and Danny fought to keep himself still.  “Fine,” Lancer finally allowed.  “I will be following up with Ms. Manson to confirm all of this, but you won’t be receiving too harsh a punishment for looking out for your friend.  For endangering yourselves by leaving through the window, however, and for leaving without simply telling me, you will be serving both lunch detention and after-school detention.  Do you understand, boys?”

“Of course, Mr. Lancer.”  It amazed Danny, at times, that he and Tucker could speak in unison.  They were like twins.

“Dismissed.  You two best not be late to my class.”

On the way to class, Danny brought up his thoughts on trying to appease the Lunch Lady.  “Her name is Agatha,” Tuck said.  “Agatha Reece.  And maybe you could, I dunno, teach her about the health crisis in America?  Help me organize the school to reform the menu the right way?”

“You want it changed too now?  I thought you were gonna get it changed back early, or something?”

“Oh no, the food around here sucks either way.”  Tucker rolled his eyes.  “I just wish we had like, a better storage of better food in general.  I could recommend my uncle and aunt’s farm for fresh, nearby food products.”

“If only we knew how Sam had convinced the school to do this whole ‘vegie week’ thing.”  Danny shook his head.  “That’s what really doesn’t make sense to me.  We’ve only been in school for like, a month or so.  How the hell did Sam ‘wear them down’ so quickly?”

“No clue,” Tucker growled.  For a moment the hair on Danny’s nape stood on end at the sound.  “But, I’m going to make a petition, and head around the school getting signatures for a better permanent change decided on by the students.”

Danny patted Tucker’s shoulder and nodded somberly.  “Leave some printer paper for the rest of us at least?”

Tucker raised his nose, Danny now straining to hold in the laughter in front of the door.  “Sorry Danny, but a man on a mission has to go to all lengths to complete his quest.”

Danny bowed at the waist.  “Of course, Friar Tuck, how could I possibly forget?”

“You are forgiven, peasant Daniel.”  Tucker laughed and pulled Danny into the classroom.  Things would be alright.  Danny just needed to weather the storm and make sure both of his friends were still friends by the end of it.

It proved far more difficult a task done than said.  The three had most classes together, but Tucker was busily writing something down every few seconds in a second journal in his desk while he worked.  Tuck had the most fascinating form of ambidextrousness.  He barely paid any attention to Danny’s attempts to start a conversation and crumpled up any notes about Sam he slid over.

Similarly, Sam was ignoring him almost entirely.  She took her notes, but every time she caught him whispering to Tucker, she glared and went cold on Danny himself.  Am I not allowed to talk to both of my friends?

Lunch came around, Lancer had them eating in his room, and Danny had never been more grateful to Tucker’s mom than he had been when Tuck handed him an extra bagged lunch.  “Tuck, you are the best.”

“I know it, dude.”

“Gentlemen!  This is meant to be a time of quiet reflection upon your misdeeds.”  Lancer glared at them until the teens went to silently eating, and Lancer went back to whatever he was doing on his computer.  If Danny focused on the man’s headphones hard enough he could pick up the faint sound of… blasters?  Weird.

At the end of the day, however, while the two were meant to be heading to detention, Tucker was going around and asking groups of friends who were lingering about something and holding up a clipboard that Danny was almost certain he stole from his dad’s office.  Along with that pen.  Never was Danny ever earlier than Tucker to something, but apparently, detention was one of those things.  Sam, surprisingly, was also there.

“Lancer got you too?”  Danny asked as he swept a bit nearer to the goth

“I was gone all day.”  Sam shrugged, pushing the few remains of grass and mud into a pile and then grabbing a dustpan.  “Plus I wanted to help clean it up anyway.  We need this place to eat in after all.”

“Actually, I heard Jerry and Katelyn at least were eating on the theater stage.”  The two scooped everything up into a trash bag with the dustpan.  “They were inviting some other people to bring sandwiches and chips and stuff.”

“Oh wow,” Tucker called out from where Danny was very sure he shouldn’t have been able to hear them.  “No one wanted to eat garbage right from the ground?  I’m surprised, shocked even.”

“Had you actually been there to see, Tucker, there were plenty of people eating peacefully in the cafeteria today!”  Sam looked downright murderous and stomped off to clean away from Tucker.  Danny sighed a heavy sigh and shook his head.

The detention had gone on for an hour, but it’d felt like forever.  Danny watched both his friends march off in different directions and groaned.  Another friendless night for him.  After a trip to the Nasty Burger, Danny did a little walk around the city.  A few ghosts that he could see when the world lost focus skittered away from him, or ignored him entirely.  Some attacked, but his wrist ray had yet to run out of juice even though he forgot to charge it last night.  “Maybe something to do with my other self.  Gonna have to ask mom and dad about that.”  A shiver ran down Danny’s spine, a puff of mist coming out of his mouth and he looked around, letting his senses shift into that surreal state of his ghostly self.  He saw nothing out of the ordinary.  Relaxing, Danny sighed and headed home.

"Danny!"  His dad, Jack Fenton, only seemed to speak in exclamation marks. Danny wondered if he'd ever had an inside voice.  "C'mon, dinner's ready son!"

Danny raised a brow.  "Who cooked?" He'd eaten his Nasty Burger meal and was pretty sure he got all he needed.

"I did!"  On the other hand, more food that wasn't infected with ectoplasmic residue sounded nice.  Danny set down his bag and headed into the kitchen, where his dad had set out chicken, mashed potatoes, garlic bread, and spinach.  His mom and sister were already sitting and eating, and Danny gave them both a wave.

"Hi, Danny!  Juice is in the fridge.  Jazz reminded your father and I we need to refresh our minds with some air every now and then.  I thought, why not a family dinner?"  Mom shrugged as she picked up a chicken leg.  "Jack insisted on cooking."

"Mom," Jazz said in her best calming voice, "Dad never mutates the food."

While Mom and Jazz debated who had the bigger mishaps with ectoplasm - Danny felt the Christmas turkey and Dad dragging them into a world of blinding perpetual light ranked as the biggest mishaps period - Danny grabbed himself a plate and fruit punch.  Jazz clearly grabbed some groceries before telling their parents to surface.

Halfway through his meal, a thought struck Danny.  "Hey Dad, Mom?  How does ectoplasm interact with electricity in its rawest most natural form?  The ectoplasm not the electricity."

Jazz stared at him in betrayal, Why written in her expression.  His parents, however, jumped on the thought of their son having an interest in their work.  Danny had never seen his dad swallow food that fast.

"Ya see Danno, ectoplasm as it is when we retrieve it is naturally an energy thief.  In relation to electromagnetic radiation, it soaks in any and all of it from the area with the exclusion of green visible light.  That's why it feels so cold."

"If we can refine our engines properly we can utilize the flip side of  that natural state," his mom added, "We could revolutionize energy efficiency in technology around the world!"

"It can store up a lot of power, but once it hits it's maximum?"  Dad held his hands together then spread them out so fast he almost smacked Jazz and Danny.  "It all comes out in an intense burn!  Ectoplasm is either plasma hot or cold as space.  When it's cold, it'd drain the power out of everything around it."

Danny nodded, letting the info process for a couple of moments while he ate.  "So if, say, a ghost was to eat human food…?"

"Well," his mom twirled her fork around.  "It likely wouldn't, but if it did the ghost would soak up all the energy that could be gotten out of the material in the food, leaving nothing but ashes."

Danny nodded, curiosity satisfied, and steered the conversation elsewhere.  Once he was done clearing off his plate, Danny was struck with a realization.  It was the sort of thing that happened all the time, when a thought lingered in his head, waiting to present itself.  Usually, that was artistic inspiration.  Now he knew exactly how to calm down Agatha.  Up the stairs, he ran to his computer.

AO3

[alexboehm55144]

Alex Final Wars 2: Dark Alex, Chapter 4 - Old & New Friends

Before we get into the story I want to say one thing: I would like to dedicate this chapter to Stan Lee, the father of Marvel comics. Thank you for making us all true believers, and for touching so many people with your work. You will forever live on in our hearts.

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

After arriving in Zootopia, the typhoon landed in a large, designated landing zone within the city. Alex, Toothdee, Kion, and Jasiri were going to be getting in a car, and Alex would take them to a location of significance regarding the wolf everyone was confused about. Right now Alex was waiting outside, getting some fresh air, while his companions were using the bathroom or doing other things before leaving.

As Alex waited, he spotted a figure, a snow leopard, walking up to him.

"Excuse me, Alex Boehm?" The snow leopard asked.

"Yeah, who's asking?" Alex responded, noticing that the snow leopard seems oddly familiar to him.

"I'm Fabienne Growley, from Zootopia News Network"

"Oh yeah! Now I remember you!"

"Anyway ZNN wants frontline coverage of this war with China, and I was assigned to be stationed on a US warship to report on its operations, and I was hoping that ship could be the typhoon"

"Really? Hmm..." Alex looked back towards the ship "I mean I hope you know that we aren't going to be in the background doing a support role. The typhoon is a purpose-built warship, it's gonna be right in the thick of the action"

"I understand the dangers, that's why ZNN sent me, due to my experience. I've reported on wars and conflict before and been in dangerous situations. Besides, your warship is probably the safest place in this entire war"

"Well, then I think we have an open bunk you can use. Frankly, I must say it's an honor that you chose the typhoon"

"Well, I'm honored that you said yes. Thank you so much" Fabienne said, shaking Alex's hand.

"You won't find a safer or more interesting warship to be stationed on, so good choice. Now if you have any equipment or personal effects you need to gather up, I suggest getting them and moving in"

"Of course, thanks again" the snow leopard started walking away, presumably heading back to her car so she could drive home and gather up things like reporting equipment and clothes.

"Who was that?" Toothdee said as her, Kion and Jasiri joined Alex.

"Fabienne Growley, from ZNN. She wats to be stationed on the typhoon so she can report on this war"

"Really?" Jasiri asked "That's amazing"

"Get ready to see yourselves on the news a lot" Alex laughed "Now then, let's get going"

"I still don't know where the heck you're taking us," Kion said with a quizzical look. "Or what this has to do with the gray wolf we encountered"

"You'll see, just be patient"

The team got into a bright red and sporty looking car before Alex began driving them to an unspecified location. No one asked any questions, trusting Alex knew what he was doing, but they didn't exactly like being in the dark.

Soon the car pulled up outside a building with a large pink neon sign that said "Howlers Moon"

The group got out and Alex walked right up to an old man who was standing near the door. The doorman had a neatly combed head of hair, along with a name tag sporting the initials 'S. L.'. He scanned over at the group through his tinted aviator sunglasses, before waving them into the building. It was loud inside, with music blaring and bright lights flashing. Mammals of all sizes were drinking and chatting with others.

"And the reason you've brought us to a Zootopian club is...?" Toothdee asked, not understanding the significance of this endeavor.

"You'll see" Alex responded, gesturing for the group to follow him to the dance floor.

Alex scanned the crowd of mammals on the dance floor before his eyes lit up as he spotted what, or rather who he was looking for. The group drew closer to their target, who was a female wolf in her early 20s, with long flowing hair that was dyed a light pink, along with her fur that was dyed blue. She was dressed in a bright red dress that appeared to be ripped at the bottom as part of a stylistic choice. She moved at a rapid speed around the dance floor, all while singing along to the music.

"There's the wolf I know!" Alex said cheerfully.

The blue wolf's tail shot up straight in surprise before she turned around and saw who had called to her.

"ALEX!" The blue wolf yelled, jumping into Alex's arms.

Alex picked her up and spun her in a circle while the pair laughed, before setting her down and turning towards Toothdee, Kion, and Jasiri.

"Guys, this is Jay Burdell, but you can call her JayJay. Jay, this is Toothdee, Kion, and Jasiri" Alex said, pointing out the individuals as he spoke their names.

"Nice to meet you," JayJay said, shaking Toothdee's hand, before doing the same with Kion and Jasiri.

"Nice to meet you too," Toothdee said, before looking at Alex and asking something. "How long have you known her?"

"A while" Alex responded, while JayJay complemented Jasiri on something she did with her hair.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

Alex shrugged "there was no reason to. And no one ever asked"

In Toothdee's mind that wasn't really the best reason for not telling anyone about a new friend, but at least the secret had eventually made its way out.

"Now, onto important business..." Alex said, gesturing for the group to follow him outside so they could talk about sensitive matters.

000

"Dark counterparts?" JayJay said in total disbelief after seeing the footage captured from Chima, as well as some explanation from those who were there when the footage was recorded.

"That's what they said they were, and we have no real reason to suspect otherwise," Alex said.

"Wha... I don't... how is this possible?!"

"You know as much as we do. We're totally in the dark, we have no clue who they are, where they come from, or how they are tied to China"

JayJay looked at the footage again, paying particular attention to the gray wolf, which was her dark counterpart.

"Darn," The wolf said, pointing to her counterpart, "I think she wears the color gray better than me"

"Well technically that person is you, so it would be impossible for her to wear that color better than you" Toothdee explained.

"Yeah, but it might go better with her personality. If what you say is true, they have more of a 'darker side' than I do. As such the color gray goes better with them because their personality is more sinister than mine. Also, I don't really wear gray that much."

"Ok, enough about fashion," Alex said, "what matters is that whoever or whatever these people, they still have to be stopped"

There were murmurs and nods of agreement from the rest of the group.

"Then it looks like I'm joining you," JayJay said, handing Alex back his phone, which had the footage on it.

"Joining us?" Toothdee questioned.

"Yeah, she has a dark counterpart as well, so I think she has as much stake in this as we do," Alex said, coming to Jay's defense.

"Eh, that's fair," Toothdee said.

"And don't worry," Jay said with a slick smile "I can handle myself"

000

While the team, now including JayJay, were heading back to the typhoon, Alex got a call from Eris.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Alex where are you?"

"We're just a few minutes away from the typhoon, why do you ask?"

"Because this black car pulled up, and a striped bunny and an arctic fox got out, and they're saying they're from the Zootopia Intelligence Agency. Laval is currently outside talking with them"

"Ok, well just hold on, we'll be there momentarily"

A few minutes later the group pulled into the designated landing zone and spotted the strange characters Eris had described. The rabbit was dressed in a formal suit, and the fox a formal suit with a skirt, and both of them spotted sunglasses.

"Can I help you?" Alex asked.

The striped rabbit took off his sunglasses and flashed a badge that said ZIA on it before speaking. "I'm Jack Savage, this is Skye Winter, we're from the Zootopia Intelligence Agency"

"Oh yeah," Toothdee said "I forgot Zootopia had an intelligence agency, it's like a city-state"

"Anyway..." Jack began "...the ZIA wants to make sure Zootopia stays safe during this war. They want us to join you on your ship, to help you fight the Chinese, and make sure Zootopia stays safe. We will act as an arm of the ZIA working with you"

"Ok..." Alex thought over this for a moment, before a familiar looking car pulled up.

"Give me a sec," Alex said, walking over to the car as a gray rabbit in a pink shirt and jeans got out of the driver's side door, and a red fox in a green Hawaiian shirt exited the passenger side door.

"Nick! Judy! What are you guys doing here?"

Alex bent down so he could hug the pair.

"Well..." Judy said, Toothdee texted us and said you were here in the city, and what's been going on with you guys lately. I'll be straight with you Alex, we want to help."

"Help?"

"Yes, we fought alongside you against the meterex, we want to fight alongside you again, only this time against the Chinese. Sometimes protecting Zootopia means doing more than patrolling the streets"

"Don't you 2 have to go into work though?"

"We have a lot of vacation days saved up, and we were hoping you could put it in a good word with Bogo that we're doing our part to make the world a better place"

"Well, you know I'm never one to refuse help. If you want to join us again, then move back into your rooms on the typhoon. I'll put in a word with Bogo"

"Should me and Skye also find a room to bunk in?" Jack asked.

"Jack? Skye?" Nick said, just now noticing the 2 mammals.

"You know each other?" Alex said.

"Yeah, we're great friends!" Judy said as she embraced Skye "Nick, you've known Jack since you two were kits, right?"

"Correct" Nick said as he exchanged a friendly greeting with Jack.

"Why does everyone have some sort of secret friends?" Toothdee said.

"Well, Jack and Skye want to be stationed on the typhoon, acting as an arm of the ZIA to make sure Zootopia is safe during the war," Alex said.

"You should definitely invite them on board. You won't find mammals more determined and experienced than Jack and Skye" Judy said, making Skye smile as her friend praised her.

"Well then, Jack, Skye. Judy has put in a good word for you, so gather up your belongings and move into some rooms. I'll give you a tour of the ship later so you know where everything is"

"We only need one room," Jack said "but thank you for bringing us onboard"

The 2 fox and bunny pairs began to remove suitcases from their cars, presumably filled with items they'd need for their stay on the typhoon. Fabienne Growly also pulled up in her car with a suitcase and camera equipment and began to move onto the ship.

"Look at all these great people," Alex said to Toothdee "Seeing all these faces, all these mammals that are going to be working together, I don't think the Chinese stand a chance"

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I would like to thank Vivziepop for giving me permission to use her character JayJay. I hope everyone liked the addition of so many new characters to this story! In the next chapter, things heat up again as the team enters another battlefield! See all of you next week! Excelsior!

[riverofmemoriesft]

. Between the Lines . 179

"Are you sure about this, Luce?" Natsu asked. They stood together in the entrance to the arena, Cana nearby. "You don't have to do this, you know."

"No, no, it's fine," Lucy disagreed with a hum, strapping the gauntlets that Sting had given her on. She gave Natsu a quick smile, propping her hands on her hips. "I've got Cana going in there with me and Yukino, too," she added, gesturing to where the Twin Dragons were giving Yukino a similar talk down. She gave him a comforting look. "I'll be fine, Natsu, trust me."

"I do," he huffed. "It's that princess and your stalker that I don't trust."

Lucy laughed and gently pressed her forehead to his in a reassuring touch. "It'll be fine, Natsu," she repeated, closing her eyes. He copied, his eyes fluttering shut, and then pulled back. She smiled warmly at him. "Go sit with our nakama and cheer for me, okay? I'll do my best to win."

"Kay," he rumbled. "I'll make sure no one comes after you."

She merely smiled and sent him off before taking her place beside Cana. Yukino joined them along with the three mages of the other guilds - one of which was a friendly Chelia. Chelia offered Lucy a beaming smile and then focused as the announcer called for them to enter.

"Welcome to the last game of the Grand Magic Games!" the announcer shouted as they all walked in. Lucy exchanged a determined look with Cana. "Tomorrow marks the duo fighting and the last day will contain the battling of the entire team!"

Cheering exploded from the crowds.

Lucy grinned, somewhat excited to be given another chance at fighting. She and Natsu would be put up against Sting and Rogue, and Lucy had heard Mavis giving a lecture to Natsu about how to use a Unison Raid. She was sure she'd get a lecture that night and they'd kick Sting and Rogue to hell and back the next day.

"Today's game will consist of one simple idea: tag, you're it!"

"What?" Cana muttered, bewildered.

"The goal is simple: touch as many people as you can! Whether it be through magic or through physical touch, each touch gets you a point! The one with the most points wins!"

Lucy grinned. She had this one handled. She raked through the Spirits she held and decided on Loke and Virgo. Loke would enjoy the challenge and the flirtatious Lion would be more than willing to run around grabbing women - which she hoped Erza went after him for later - and Virgo would have the advantage of sneaking around under ground.

She could see Yukino's gaze searching nothing as she, too, picked out who she'd be summoning, and they exchanged looks of amusement as they spread themselves out at the announcer's demand.

"Go!"

"Open!" Lucy shouted, snapping her keys out. "Gate of the Lion! Leo!" She ducked to avoid Chelia as Chelia flew at her, laughing. Loke spun her safely out of the way of Lamia Scale's mage, grinning. "Open! Gate of the Virgin! Virgo!"

"At your service, Princess," Virgo greeted, bowing respectfully. "Shall I deliver their punishment?"

"Touch as many as you can!" Lucy ordered, and then laughed when Cana sprung at her, cards chasing the others around. Loke used his light to burn her cards away. Virgo dove into the ground with determination on her face.

As they chased one another around the arena, Lucy found that she was pretty good at the game, which had been slotted for ten minutes at most. She miraculously swept out of Pisces' touch when the Spirit lunged at her on Yukino's pleading demand and she somehow avoided Cana's cards.

And when the timer went off, Loke and Virgo returned to her side, both panting softly for breath. Loke grinned. "I touched plenty of women for you, Princess."

"Not surprised," she muttered, rolling her eyes and planting her hands on her hips.

Everyone heaved for air, looking expectantly up to listen for who'd won how many points. "In sixth place we have Mermaid Heel," the announcer said after a moment of waiting, and Mermaid Heel cheered despite the disappointed look on the woman's face. "In fifth comes Blue Pegasus. Sabertooth takes fourth!"

"Good job, Yukino," Lucy praised, calling her words to Yukino, who flushed when her guild joined in and shouted her name.

"Third place goes to Lamia Scale and second to Fairy Tail Team A, leaving first with Fairy Tail Team B!"

Lucy blinked, and then smiled so big, she thought that her cheeks would split. Excitement lit her face as she threw her arms around Loke in a tight hug, thanking him and Virgo excitedly. Fairy Tail exploded into cheers, shouting praise to Lucy and Cana, and Lucy felt the despair over her loss to Minerva vanish.

She'd done well, she felt. Cana gave her a huge grin and a thumbs up as they made their way back to the entrance of the stadium. Lucy sent Virgo and Loke back to their own Realm after thanking them again and Yukino joined the pair of women a moment later, eyes warm.

"You did well," she praised Lucy, her eyes glowing. "And I'm sure you'll do well tomorrow though I do hope that my team wins, you understand."

Lucy laughed. "Of course. It'll be fun to spar with Rogue and Sting."

She wouldn't have to worry about them doing anything brutal at least.

Yukino left them soon after and Lucy and Cana were met by an excited group of individuals just outside of the entryway to the stadium. "Lucy!" Happy shrieked, slamming into her. Lucy hugged him tightly, and he purred proudly at her. Natsu was next, throwing an arm over her shoulders with a proud look, and the rest of their team filed in to praise her.

Lucy didn't care much for other people's opinions on a normal basis, but she was excited that she'd done something good for the guild and appreciated it.

"Good job, Luce!" Natsu cheered. "Tomorrow, we're gonna kick Sting's ass!"

"Rogue's going to be there, too," she reminded.

"Yeah, but who cares."

"You should, he can hide in your shadow," Lucy pointed out.

Natsu shrugged carelessly as Makarov and Mavis came over to greet she and the equally as excited Cana with warm gazes. Mavis turned a gentle smile on Lucy as Wendy told Lucy that she'd been cheering extra loudly for her, and Lucy giggled, hugging the dragon slayer.

No one took notice of the tired and haunted look on Charle's face.

Natsu could barely hold still and it was driving the blonde crazy as he bounced back and forth beside her, his onyx eyes full of impatience as he glanced back and forth between the line they were in for some quick food and Gajeel, who stood nearby with Levy and her teammates, speaking to the cat in her arms with a thoughtful look. Finally, holding Happy, Lucy jabbed him with her elbow, bothered. "Natsu!"

"Huh?" he muttered, looking at her.

"Stop with this...moving thing you're doing!" she demanded with a huff. "It's driving me crazy!"

"Sorry," he muttered, forcing himself to stand still as she retrieved their food. She handed it to him, grateful to food for distracting Fairy Tail's Salamander from his excitement. Natsu chowed down without hesitation. Lucy ate her food a little slower, but enjoyed the cheer with which Natsu ate.

"Hey, Natsu!" a voice suddenly called.

He looked over his shoulder. Romeo came sprinting out from between two people, his eyes narrowed. He grinned at Natsu faintly. "Natsu," he gasped, doubling over and panting for air. Natsu impatiently waited for him to catch his breath and finally, Romeo rasped, "Mavis wanted to talk with you in private."

Natsu fumbled his food, nearly dropping it. "What?!" he muttered, stunned. "Why?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. She told me to come find you."

"Okay, I guess I can go talk with her…" His gaze shifted to Lucy uncertainly, not wanting to leave her alone, but Lucy waved him off with the promise that she'd find someone. "Okay," he repeated. Romeo led him away and Happy cheerfully purred from atop her head that he'd protect her.

"Thanks, Happy," she chuckled and then jumped when something jabbed her in the back. She whirled around.

"Hey, Blondie," Cobra said with an impatient huff, narrowing his eye. He was alone, his hands on his hips. His good eye never left her face as he suddenly leaned in, muttering in a low voice, "Thought ya should know. Heard something weird earlier. Couldn't figure out where it came from though."

"Okay?" Lucy said. "What was it?"

Cobra looked agitated as he said bluntly, reciting what he'd heard, "'How do I get around this? I can't allow it to happen. Should I kill them? Disable them? Is she against me or with me? Do I kill her? Who do I dispose of? Who is going to cause the worst of problems? Definitely them. I have to figure out how to deal with them.' Kept goin' on like this. Couldn't decipher who they were talking about. Kinda have to focus to hear thoughts. Was some kind of person muttering to themselves."

Lucy shivered. "Great. Thank you for telling me. But why haven't you told anyone else?"

Cobra shrugged. "Kinana would tell Master. Don't want this gettin' around and causing a panic, ya know? I don't know who was saying it. Can't even give you a clue as to who to look out for except that it was definitely a guy."

"But why me?" Lucy demanded.

Cobra made a sound that was akin to a growl. "You're the one everything's centered around, ain't ya?"

"Yeah," Lucy admitted. "For whatever reason."

Cobra snorted, rolling his eyes. "Damn it, Blondie. You're kinda blind. I'm thinkin' you might be one of the ones the bastard was talkin' about, 'cause he mentioned keys a couple times. He needs keys."

"Don't let him get them."

Lucy's eyes widened just a fraction. She whirled on her heel and Cobra swished some venom in his mouth, ready to fire it off should he need to. No one took notice of the person cloaked in black. This person was clearly different from the one who'd been stalking her, Lucy realized. So much smaller. Petite. With a high-pitched hoarse voice that didn't match anyone Lucy knew. Yet, it was familiar.

"What?" she whispered.

"Don't let him get the keys of the Zodiac," the cloaked girl said angrily. "You can't let him. If he gets the keys of the Zodiac, you've doomed us all." Her voice trembled. "Please."

"Who the hell are you?" Cobra huffed. He looked almost panicked, nervous. Lucy found out why when he rasped, "Why can't I hear your thoughts?"

The woman gave a faint laugh. "Because we figured out how to block them. Please," she continued, turning her head back to Lucy. Lucy couldn't see her face, but she could feel the sharp pleading eyes on her. "Please. You have to stay with Natsu, Lucy. You can't let anyone separate you from here on out. The second you do...they'll strike and bring hell upon us."

"Who are you?" Lucy croaked. Happy shivered atop of her head, his tail lashing back and forth desperately, and the cloaked girl shifted back as she realized they were gaining the attention of the nearby Levy and Gajeel, who was staring harshly at the girl in the cloak.

"I can't tell you," she answered hastily, "But please. We're doing our best to help you. Don't judge us too harshly. We're...trying. We're trying and he's trying so hard, even if he keeps breaking our rules. He can't help it. The one following you that is. I'll have a word with him. Don't approach him." Without another word, she spun around and bolted.

Gajeel suddenly sprang forward, a scowl on his lips, and Levy called his name as she watched him in confusion. He caught the girl by her cloak, but she hissed something that no one but Cobra heard.

Cobra's gaze darted over Lucy's head to stare at someone.

Gajeel released her with a shocked look and then she was gone, his crimson gaze staring at the cloaked girl as she slid out of view. "Gajeel!" Levy called, rushing over with a frown on her face. "What-"

"Her face," he rasped without prompting. Lucy frowned at the odd way his voice trembled. As if he wanted to say something, but didn't dare. As if he wanted to tell them more, but if he did, it would hurt them. Without another word, he shook his head and stalked away as quickly as he could. Levy exchanged worried looks with Jet and Droy and then jogged after him, her brow furrowed as she called his name.

"Did you figure out who it was?" Happy asked as they turned to Cobra. Lucy pressed her lips together when he hesitated before saying hastily that he didn't.

Liar.

Cobra snorted, but said nothing more, only, "Here comes your boyfriend, Blondie. I'm out."

"What happened?" Natsu demanded as he approached, out of breath from running full speed for them. Happy launched into the tale for her, too lazy to remove himself from Lucy's head, and Lucy continued to watch after where the girl had disappeared to, stunned.

Just how many strangers were running around?