#only thing is i never send them to her and they've been rotting on my hard drive ever since

[littleweepingdalek]

procrastinating on my uni work by trying to learn book binding..... all normal here....

[jasmines-library]

Hi. Um... i have been craving angst

👀 and my angsty mind has been making up... scenarios, but like would love them typed out so i can read 💀 i live your work, p.s. <3

anyways, would like to ask for something along these lines:

reader is a batsibling

is kidnapped

fam cant find her for a few days and is panicked

they find her somewhere, blindfolded and tied up, on the ground and caked in blood

they get her some med stuff and whatever

and they're like how did this happen so they somehow get cctv or duke uses his powers or something and finds out that they've been beaten for info

and they get like really angry and all that jazz

:D rest up to you!

would be great if you did it 🥺

but i understand if it's too much

love youuuu 💖/platonic ehe

okay, i will excuse myself from your asks now. byeee

Loaded Silence

hello hello! Thanks for requesting. This was super angsty, but as you put I crave it too... ❤️

Warnings: Kidnapping, Torture (not very graphic), fear, medical scenes.

Word Count: 1.5k

⛤ BATFAM MASTERLIST ⛤

It had happened unexpectedly. You were there one second and gone the next. In a blink of an eye. Nothing more nothing less. That was all it took for you to slip away. Damian could have sworn he was only gone for a minute. To stretch his legs and grab something to eat. But that was all it took for them to sneak in. Quiet as a mouse they crept in, splitting through the open window at the back of the room. Leaving it open had been a careless mistake, but who was to think that you would have been taken in the safety of your own home? 

They grabbed you roughly from behind. A set of rough hands pinning you to the sofa, clamped tightly over your mouth as another worked to tie a heavy bandage around your eyes. You had squirmed feebly trying to gain some leverage. Your training desperately tried to kick in but at that moment, you were not a vigilante. You were Y/N Wayne: A citizen, child to the wealthiest man in Gotham and utterly fucked. 

You had no choice after that than to allow them to drag you downtown, you had kicked and cried blindly, desperate for one of your brothers to chase after you. But whoever was gripping you tight enough to bruise was clearly experienced and you knew that they stood no chance so unexpectedly. 

When they tossed you down on the ground, you thought it would offer some relief. The room was dank, dusty and smelt of water rot and mould. This was the part where they would send a ransom note to Bruce and he and your brothers would come charging in sooner or later. But you had never been more wrong. 

“We know who you are, Wayne.” A voice spoke. Feminine but not soft spoken. Threatening. “Or would you prefer Raven?”

Your stomach dropped as bile burned the back of your throat. You knew you could fight now, but you were defenceless weaponless with your hands and feet bound together. 

“The fuck do you want?” You spat, though the effect of the venom in your words was lost for you looked so helpless. 

“Bold of you to speak to me that way, given your predicament.” The woman chuckled, prodding you with her foot. “You’re here as a sort of…payment.”  She mused. “I suppose you could call it that.”

“What?” 

“My husband.” She started, moving away from you. You could hear her pacing around the room but you  could only conjure up images in your mind. “Leader of the greatest crime suricate in Gotham. And now, he’s dead. Rotting in some coffin in the ground, thanks to your father.” 

She moved closer again. Her heels clattered against the floor. 

“He took away the only thing that ever mattered to me!” She gripped your wrist, lifting you up off the floor and leaning into your face. “So now, I’m going to take away one of his toys until someone tells me how to get him out! His precious little girl. Oh how I can’t wait to see the look on all of their faces when they see you. That is of course…after we have a little fun.”

~

There was still no sign of you. And it felt as if they had searched every inch of the city. The high and the low but still nothing. No one had slept much in the three days you had been missing. Their nights were either spent searching for you on patrol or laying awake staring blankly at the ceiling as their minds conjured up the worst. None of them said it outloud but the possibility that you were dead loomed over them. But no one ever said anything. They just continued to search in silence. It seemed like Babs and Tim hadn’t torn their eyes away from the screens since Damian came barging into the room three days ago, doubled over and panting as he revealed the news. The only time they ever moved was to head to the bathroom or to make another mug of lukewarm coffee. 

The rest of the family were out on patrol. That was what they were calling it anyway. Really they were looking for you. And still there had been no sign until Dick stumbled upon a window. It was low down to his feet covered by concrete as though the building had just sunk into the concrete. And when he tried to peer inside, it seemed to be covered by something on the inside. 

It could have been nothing.

But Dick was desperate. 

He called over the other vigilantes with a signal on his com. They all came tricking over towards him silently through the city. Some bubbling with hope and anticipation, but all dreading the worst. 

Moving around the back of the house, Dick pushed open the door. 

~

You had never been more scared in your entire life. Everything ached, burned or stung. From what you could feel there didn’t seem to be a single inch of your skin that wasn’t covered in blood. It clung sticky to your skin, cracking every time you managed to bring yourself to shift against the floor.

She had continued her onslaught for hours, trying to force answers that she knew you would never be able to give her from your chapped lips. She would leave every once in a while, returning silently to catch you off guard with another round of pain. You couldn’t see her: the blindfold still remained firmly around your eyes, so you had to anticipate when she would return as you cowered against the back wall in a pool of your own blood. You were unsure how long it had been since she tossed you into the room. Without the relief of sunlight, your woozy mind had lost track of time. 

And then a pair of hands gripped your shoulders. And you screamed, trying to recoil away from them. You didn’t make it far. Your body was too weak.

“No! No please! No more!” You begged, tears dribbling down your cheeks to mingle among the dirt and blood. “I already told you I-I don’t know anything! Please!”

“Woah, woah.” It was Dick’s voice that broke through to you, though they had all called out to you. It was him who had reached out to you in the first place, hesitant that the smallest touch would break you. As soon as they were met with resistance they knew you were here. And they fought as fast as they could to get to you. Praying that they wouldn’t find you as you had. Sprawled out across the floor in a pool of your own blood as you struggled to breathe. “It’s us.”

“We’re here, Kid.” Jason leaned forwards to remove the blindfold from your eyes as Dick tried to support you in his arms. You squiremed weakly, still untrusting. But the minute the blindfold was off and you had finished adjusting to the onslaught of light. You broke.

You collapsed into Dicks arms, sobbing and shaking. He cupped the back of your head with his hands and held you, giving Jason and Duke a nervous glance. Your blood had already begun to stain the front of his suit as you whimpered in his arms, clinging to him tightly. 

When he tried to shift you, you let out a sob and clung to him tighter. He wasn’t sure if it was because he had hurt you or because you were scared he was going to leave you. Probably both.

“Y/N?” Jason whispered, moving to crouch by your side. “ We’re here now. We’re going to get you home okay? Can you tell us what happened?”

You shook your head and buried your face into Dicks chest trying to block out the pain.

Eyes turned to Duke who watched you with sad eyes. They observed as he surveyed the room, taking in the horrors that the light revealed. And he couldn’t help the gasp that slipped out of his lips. 

He paled at what he saw. Winced at the way your face contorted with pain as the woman towered over you, tossing you about the room like a ragdoll and slashing you with various tools as she screamed at you. He saw how she would catch you off guard by sneaking up on you in the dark as some cruel game to satisfy her sick amusement. He felt sick. 

In the time it took for him to see the echo of your agonies, Dick had managed to coax enough for him to stand so they could bring you out of the room and get you urgently to medical attention. 

The two looked at him expectantly. And once he had managed to stutter out what he had seen, Jason was tensely clenching his jaw and fists. 

Someone was going to bleed tonight. He was going to make sure of that.

Taglist:

@aestheticdaisies

@hell-o-kittys

@xxrougefangxx

@mamapucket

@hearts4robs

@harleycao

[ender-princee]

Okay, I'm putting this here because God do I have a lot of thoughts, and I don't have a limit here hehe.

Okay, so we all know how yesterday all the eggs (at least the ones that woke up) showed up dirty and with various other traumas. (Chayanne having the feeling he was supposed to wake up, Tallulah feeling in pain and like it would never end, Leonarda just very drawn back and quiet.) And how those with hats had them skewed off and all that.

So I know the theories for those were either a) hatching b) rotting c) they got taken by the federation and beat up.

Based on today, the eggs being missing and the only thing being left is their signature thing, all three things are still a possibility with the way they work. (Although some are more likely than others)

So a) hatching. Honestly out of the three, this is the least likely even if I want it to be true. In mythology from what I can remember, Dragons typically like much warmer climates (ie: volcanoes, deserts), so the eggs could have left of their own volition to go hatch in a warmer climate like they're supposed to. However, This is helped by cellbits code the other day that said the word "eclosion" which means to come out of a shell or pupal state, and would also be explained by quackity studios post of "Oops 🍳" (which is where I got the warmer thing because technically this would be the eggs getting "warmer")

b) rotting. This is still a big possibility as I read from someone who's owned several snakes, and since dragons are technically classified as reptiles we can guess at how their gestation period would work using snakes. It's been about 4 months since the egg event started and most snakes hatch in 45-70 days (sorry if this is inaccurate I did my best but cannot look at snakes at all so this was a little difficult to look up) and taking into account that dragons are much larger than snakes we can guess that they would have at least double the amount of time of the largest snake gestation time.

Which is about 4 months.

Of which after, snake eggs can begin to start rotting because of some shit idk (I am terrified of the things) but they would show discoloration if they did, and/or also growing bigger like Chayanne seemed to look the day before they all left.

Which could imply they are rotting, and they all left to be together when they were rotting as they didn't want to see their parents see them in that state, or the federation took them because this was happening and the plan of federation experiments had failed. (I know it's a lot and probably a long stretch but I have thoughts and I need to put them down and thanks to that one person on twt for mentioning the discoloration and sending me on a rabbit hole of thinking)

Okay finally c) the eggs got beat up by the federation. This is honestly the most likely solution for when they all showed up dirty and such. Because this followed by being kidnapped with no warning other than the cryptic code sent by quackity studios yesterday would make a lot of sense.

We saw evidence of physical attacks in ways other than the dirt and items being messed up in Chayanne being confused, Leo being uncharacteristicly quiet, and Tallulah claiming that her entire body hurt. All of which was likely the punishment of letting one of the new players die on the way back to spawn which they were specifically instructed not to do. It also makes sense as to why they waited to do this, because if they had just done this immediately, they wouldn't have everyone on the server concerned and it wouldn't be an overall punishment. They would have to wait for the new players to get to know the eggs and then the punishment would have more effect when the federation took them.

This would also make sense as none of them would just leave, and especially not without their trademark item/clothes, which has never happened (as far as I'm aware) even in the previous two times they've been kidnapped. That and the federation does not wish well for the eggs or the islanders even if cucurocho claims that we'll know where they went soon.

So in summary most likely is c, least likely is a, and god what the hell were you thinking is b because I feel like that is a major stretch but idk there's my thoughts Tumblr.

Honestly, kudos to you if you read that entire basically essay of me rambling about theories. There's probably more that I forgot lol.

[birgittesilverbae]

#i am having Thoughts actually about the PDAs on the Degasi bases and the trailers and 'they've been dead since the beginning' ...rood! Subnautica is one of my favorite games and that's just... ouch.

I can't stop going back to it, it's such a comfort game for me (I say as I screech at a warper fucking me up again)

Ava the sole survivor of the Aurora, her lifepod coming down hard in the Safe Shallows. upper body strength from working with the drones in engineering coming in handy now that she's in swim-to-survive mode.

it's beautiful, the first truly beautiful thing she's seen in she doesn't know how long, after a life of ship corridors and spaceports and overcrowded planets. she trawls around among the coral and the plants and admires the peepers and cobbles together a seaglide to provide her with more mobility

she watches the Aurora burn, and the only thing she mourns is her drones. she watches the Sunbeam disintegrate from the beach of an alien island, and she mourns herself as much as the crew. all fallen victim to Alterran greed

the distress calls come one after another after another. names and voices she recognizes in passing send hope thrilling through her that she's not alone here, but she moves to give aid, and again and again finds a destroyed lifepod, the remnants of last days scattered about in data boxes and flares, PDAs and fragments of machinery. no bodies, though. there are never any bodies.

Ava thinks that makes it worse somehow

driven further afield by radio alerts and searches for components to build larger and larger vessels. a lifepod PDA sends her towards a rendezvous point and she tries desperately not to get her hopes up, but they're dashed again when no one awaits her on the Floating Island but ghosts

she spends days among the rotting corpse of a once thriving set of bases, gorging herself on marblemelon and lantern fruit after too long subsisting on cured fish. spends days living with the shadows of the base's inhabitants, pictures sketched out for her in notes and voice memos and files left scattered around a facility she comes to realize had been abandoned in haste

a crew of three, half the size of that which had initially manned the Degasi. Lilith and Mary - a pilot and a mercenary frequently immortalized in verbal sparring matches with each other over the losses of their other crewmates, over the next course of action, over the grief Ava can hear in every taut syllable - and Beatrice

Ava finds herself hoping for Beatrice's soft measured tones every time she uncovers another PDA, for her musings on the planet's biodiversity and scathing asides about Lilith and Mary's inability to co-operate. she's not stupid, she knows that between state of disrepair of the island bases and the increasing urgency of Beatrice's warnings, it's almost a surety that all three of them had died here in the mudslide, but she holds out hope again. when there's nothing left to cling to, she clings tight to hope.

the last PDA she finds on the island buoys her momentarily, until she realizes where it's sending her

there's more to the story of these three survivors, but if she wants to hear it she's going to have to go deeper

[meekmedea]

brain rot - dis aliter visum au rambles

ugh I have so many random thoughts about this AU that my mind feels like it will explode if I don't type it out.

so this au I had where Clemensia manages to mentor Reaper (successfully)

Reaper knew full well what he was doing during that interview when he 'confessed' his love for his mentor

it's even more scandalous now that he's survived and they have to stick to the story - but mentor and tribute duo manage to make it work

Read the AU here on AO3

SPOILERS below (these are things I mostly imagined happening in this AU - some are more background things)

CLEMENSIA & REAPER

it took them a while to be close - it was like begrudging allies (on Reaper's part) to wariness, then neutral feelings - then hmm maybe we are somewhat friends - to friends - to whatever this relationship we have with each other is

they are close enough that he tells her of District 11, of his and her political leanings (they were young and drunk)

in a way, Clemensia is trapped in the Capitol, he has freedoms that she cannot (travelling between district 11 and the Capitol)- he is her only window out. Clemensia never tells him that, of course. But she also misses him a lot when he's away.

Reaper never tells her that because of his flag stunt - his family was killed. He figures out pretty quickly that she has no idea of it either.

He's very lucky that the 10th games weren't that well advertised in the districts. Because otherwise, people might have mixed feelings about him - whether that be seeing him as a suck-up to the Capitol or just doing what he did to survive. Especially with how Clemensia and him have tied their fates together so publicly with the whole 'knight/lady' role they've played up.

while he was in the Capitol, he attended many events with Clemensia - mainly because she is part of the elite, and also he will only attend if she goes with him.

but even at these events, he is pretty closed off. Uninterested for the most part to talking to just about anyone else. If anything, she gains a menacing/brooding bodyguard who just glares at anyone who just as much speaks a word that rubs him wrong about Clemensia.

There's a reason why people thought Clemensia and Reaper were lovers - and that was one of them. Their game plan when he'd been a tribute also contributes to things too.

TBH I considered making their constant appearances together is where the idea of having a Capitol escort to keep the victor in line/show them around coming from

the years where they were apart because of his 'betrayal' was hard on both of them. Clemensia refused to speak of Reaper to anyone. Reaper, on the other hand, had nobody he could speak to about her. It doesn't help that in the early years after his betrayal Clemensia remains one of the 'elite' and known as part of President Snow's close circle.

Reaper writes letters. Many letters, but never has the courage to send them out to her. Eventually when he meets Clemensia's son, he decides to give some of them to him.

both Clemensia and Coriolanus married in their late 20s, and rather close to one another. So when news comes that Clemensia is married - for a moment, he does fear very briefly that it was to Snow.

He's in his late 40s when the ribbon is sent to him from Tigris - it's the same burgundy that Clemensia tied around his wrist when they were 18. And while there's no note, he just KNOWS its from her.

there's a deleted line where Reaper tells Clemensia once they remeet after the districts have successfully rebelled, "I'd have named my son Clementine if he wasn't born a boy."

because yes, Clemensia and Reaper both have grandchildren that are meant to remind themselves of the other. Clementine (Reaper's granddaughter) is more obvious in name, but Rhea's name (Clemensia's granddaughter) is based off the greek myths and is a nod to D11's agriculture. Rhea is said to be derived from the word meaning 'earth'

CORIOLANUS VS REAPER

the beef between them

and YES, every time Reaper mentioned that Clemensia's friend was strange (pre and post games)- he was referring to Coriolanus.

Coriolanus: You are NOT good enough for my best friend, and I don't want you around her. END OF STORY.

Reaper, immediately going to look for Clemensia: Hey Clemmie!

the fact that Coriolanus despises how Clemensia allows Reaper to call her 'Clemmie' - Reaper knows it and calls her that, mostly to piss him off. Also, because he's grown fond enough of her to call her that now.

Coriolanus sort of gives off she was my friend first vibes. And he is like classist too...

to be honest, I considered both as possible/potential love interests for her, but ultimately, I decided against it. But you do see hints of where Coriolanus' route may have gone in the dis aliter visum AU

if these 2 were left alone in a room, it's not a pretty scene for long. The only thing keeping each other from killing the other is Clemensia.

CLEMENSIA & CORIOLANUS

these two could have gone in so many directions, I have to admit that my drafts had quite some variety: from love interest, to former lovers, to being in-laws. But they would have never had a happy ending

regardless, they stayed pretty close friends for quite some time. Enough that Tigris worried whether Clemensia would ever see Coriolanus for what he was

they did hook up (sort of) in their 20s - they were drunk, and both were attracted to one another - but it never went anywhere

she did have a crush on him at one point - her father admits that he thought she'd marry someone else (Coriolanus) when she announces her plan to marry Felix - I like to imagine Coriolanus and her had this sort of are they/are they not dating vibe to them when they'd been younger

Coriolanus keeps her around for a variety of reasons - 1) friendship 2) attraction (since she was never bit, she remains the prettiest in his eyes, and like most of society's eyes) 3) she's a victor 4) their little lie to Dr Gaul, if they are close, there's no reason either will betray the other --- there's more reasons, I'm sure, but I can't remember them all at the moment haha

they drifted apart with their respective marriages to others - one of those things, you know? But their children were close so they remained in contact with one another.

haha there's this whole alt scene where I imagined how their respective children were: Selene (Clemensia's daughter with Felix) + Lucius (Coriolanus' son with Livia[?])

much like Coryo + Clemmie, Selene + Lucius were good friends. Except where their parents remained friends, they did not.

Livia is livid when Lucius spurned his arranged match (she set up the match), in favour of Selene. Coriolanus is annoyed, but more so that it causes a scandal, and not much else.

the two go to Clemensia to ask for her blessing & because they know that she (and Felix) are the only who could really argue in their favour.

ultimately it is Clemensia who convinces Coriolanus to agree to it.

TBH these 2 were potential parents of Snow's granddaughter that he asks Clemensia about. but in the end, I scrapped that idea. Snow's granddaughter is just related to Coriolanus, and has no blood relation with Clemensia.

What really sealed the coffin in Coryo and Clemmie's deterioating friendship was her daughter dying because of his orders.

there was this deleted line from the scene where Coriolanus and Clemensia are arguing over her daughter's death and his son's death (since the 2 were rebels) - in this deleted scene, he says Clemensia should be grateful he kept her name/rest of her family out of this. Furious - Clemensia screams back that he might as well kill her too - for being the mother of a rebel.

had I gone down the route where Selene and Lucius having a child left behind - you can bet Coriolanus and Clemensia would have fought tooth and nail over custody for the granddaughter. Coriolanus would have won eventually - but would have yielded to the occasional visit to Clemensia.

I can't find the line anymore, but to show he bears no (little) ill-will, he would have allowed their shared granddaughter to visit. And on that first visit, the granddaughter brings along a bouquet of red roses.

the 2 former friends have this strange understanding near the end of the AU

It's kind of like how Reaper and Clemensia have this relationship at the end that there can't quite be defined by anything. But Coriolanus and Clemensia's at this point, is far more twisted, and there's no way the two would ever fully be able to reconcile.

there's an understanding at the very least- and perhaps for Coriolanus, no matter how their relationship turns out, he has this soft spot/degree of affection for her.

SHORT callout to FELIX RAVINSTILL

he is such a minor character, but in the end, Clemensia chooses him, and he is the one that she sticks with

it's such a small thing, but if you keep an eye out on the clementines in the fic, he is the first to 'give' them to her - granted he is sending them to Reaper, but he is the one who donates them to her

in all other cases, Clemensia is the one to give them out - she gives them out to Reaper, to Coriolanus - and they are never given in return to her

while she's in the hospital, though she gives clementines to Felix, it's more reciprocal by this point.

In return he brings her orange blossoms, clementine inspired desserts, dedicates his writings to a 'Miss Clementine' that later becomes 'Lady Clementine'. And even in their marriage, he ends up being the one giving them to her all the time

[library-child]

Killdeer Fields

Written for @asouefanworkevent

Content warning: Alcoholism, utter mental deterioration

"And a man calling himself Hangfire told you you'd never see your father again? That's all?" police officer Hallward asked.

Ellington just nodded, too tired to speak.

He put his pen and notebook away and gave her a sympathetic look. The station typewriter had already been put away in one of the wooden boxes stacked against the walls of the shed. The police station itself had been flooded months ago when the water had reached the center of Killdeer Fields. Officer Hallward had moved to an abandoned farm shed uptown, but now, he was leaving along with everyone else.

"What are we to do now?"

"I'll send a telegram to the authorities once I'm at the train station. But first, we'll need to find someone who will take you along."

"I can't leave!" Ellington protested. "What if he comes back and I'm not here?"

Officer Hallward sighed. "No one will ever come back here."

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

Ellington ran up the muddy road past the abandoned farms, ignoring her aching feet. Everyone had always complained about the upper part of Main Street being an uneven clay road. Now, it was the only part left. All the shiny new cobblestones downtown had been washed away by brackish water.

She reached the last farm where some sickly-looking cows still stood on the field.

"Bill," she called, knocking at the door of the farmhouse. She had only ever known the farmer who had supplied her father with milk for the rescued animals as Old Bill. "Are you home?"

There was no answer, but Ellington found the door was open. The smell of rot and cold smoke hit her as she moved down a dim hallway until she arrived in the kitchen and nearly gagged.

Old Bill sat slumped on a bench at the table, surrounded by bottles and dirty dishes. The table and the floor were stained with tobacco. His sparse hair and worn clothes were crusted with dirt.

"Why, Ellington." He broke into a slow smile as he noticed her. His few remaining teeth were black. "How nice. Where's your father? I haven't seen him in a while."

Ellington swallowed hard to force back the tears. She was terrified. "So - so you don't know where he might be? He's been kidnapped! Nobody knows why!"

Bill coughed violently, steadying himself by clutching a half-empty whisky bottle.

"Kidnapped, you say? Ah. Probably those blasted other farmers. They've been making my cows sick, you know. They're jealous. Every night, they sneak over the fence to poison them."

Ellington ran.

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

"I understand you've been asking everyone about your father's whereabouts."

Mrs. Gray, mayor no more, watched the movers carrying the furniture out of her grand hall onto waiting trucks. She had lost the election as the flood had risen.

"You claim he was kidnapped by a man named Hangfire."

"Hangfire claimed it. He called me on the phone. His voice was terrible." Ellington had no strength left to hold back her tears. She just wept.

Mrs. Gray sighed with a mixture of pity and disgust on her face.

"You need to stop that. Nobody has time to deal with such nonsense. You should have come to see me before anyone else."

She gave Ellington a handkerchief and patted her shoulder.

"Pack your things and come back here tomorrow morning. We'll take you with us and get you a job at a farm. You are a capable girl. In a few years, you'll surely manage to build your own place. Wouldn't you like that?"

Ellington didn't argue with Mrs. Gray. She went home to pack her suitcase. But she never showed up at Mrs. Gray's house. Instead, she dragged her suitcase behind her all the way to the train station and snuck into an empty cargo car. Her arms ached from carrying her father's record player. She feared the music might give her away, but nobody was around, and she couldn't bear the silence.

[peachymilkandcream]

Break Me Slowly|Part 16|YandereLevi x Evelyn

(A/N: Another day another shot at degenerate Levi. Bro doesn't even know his wife got knocked up yet and I intend to keep it that way for a little bit because he deserves to suffer as well for his not very cash money behaviour)

WARNINGS: noncon, dubcon, manipulation, domestic abuse, yandere themes, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, stockholm syndrome, violence, mind breaking, misogyny, etc.

==========================================

Evelyn rubbed her eyes, the sounds of digging in the dirt of the basement haunted her dreams to the point she couldn't even think properly anymore. Sleep evaded her, she had just barely convinced Levi not to touch her last night, still unsure how to tell him about their unborn child. Eventually she would have to, but she didn't even know what to say, all chances of freedom would be gone forever, he would never let her go now. Her fate was sealed.

Levi nudged her with his elbow, she had been dozing again, noticeably so. He was desperately trying to keep up appearances, there had already been a lot of questions when he married her, as to why she was taking a leave of absence. Now that she was back there was more suspicion, more whispers, even the slightest thing she did would cause people to question what was really going on. Thankfully, everyone was more interested in her, a high ranked veteran suddenly returning to action, more than Petra's disappearance. It was as if she was forgotten, her corpse rotting in their basement.

As for right now, it was only Captain and wife, Commander Erwin, and Hange present, the only ones who could be kept on the inside when it came to information. Eren was in prison, Zeke held captive, Evelyn finally was filled in on the details of their plans considering the hostile nations surrounding them. She was never important enough to hear all of this before, sent into enemy territory without so much as a clue what would come next. But those in authority leaving her to her fate was nothing new by a long shot.

"So as promised Levi, since Evelyn retrieved this information for us I'll uphold my end of the deal." Erwin slides a set of papers across the desk for Evelyn to take.

"Discharged?" She asked in disbelief.

"Levi's demands in the whole arrangement, one last mission. And as your Commander I'd like to thank you for your service-"

"Are you kidding me!?" She stands to her feet, slamming her palms on the table. "After all of this I'm discharged?! For what? To be Levi's permanent housewife? Are you that intent on screwing me over Erwin? As if you haven't done enough-"

"I don't think getting upset will help anything-"

"Go fuck yourself- spew your casualty of war bullshit somewhere else, I'm tired of hearing it!"

Levi grabs her by the shoulders, forcing her to sit.

"Hange? C'mon, you get it. You know everything they've told you is bullshit."

Hange can't meet her eyes, guilt coursing through her. "I"m sorry, but I can't disobey Commander Erwin."

Evelyn struggles against Levi's grip, wanting nothing more than to strangle the person she called friend.

"Settle down, Evelyn." Erwin's expression matches Levi's in sternness. "We're trying to give you a proper send off-"

"Then do one in front of everyone. Let me get on a stage for a moment and tell everyone why I was being discharged."

"You know we can't let you do this."

"Because you're scared that they'll know the truth and turn on you. It's sad really."

Levi pulls her close and whispers in her ear. "Behave yourself woman or I'll take you out of here and then you really won't like what happens next."

For now, at least, she shuts her mouth, so hard she hears her teeth click together. It wasn't worth it, at least for now.

"So with Zeke held in custody, Levi we're going to need you to guard him."

Levi casts an annoyed glance at his Commander. "Are you shitting me Erwin? First I let you send my wife away for a month, and now I have to sit and watch that fucking monkey for who knows how long?"

"I'm sorry Levi, I wasn't aware that your personal life overruled the future of this entire country."

He chewed the inside of his cheek, clearly annoyed. "And what about Evelyn?"

"I can take care of myself Levi."

"Oh I'm sure you can, especially when a big strong man comes to protect you."

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know what it means wife."

"Enough." Erwin interjects. "I prefer it if you didn't have a domestic in my office. And Levi, Hange volunteered to make sure Evelyn is safe and taken care of while you're gone."

He seems wary of the thought of entrusting his wife to someone else, even one of his closest friends, doesn't sit well with him. But for once Erwin has a point, he can't let his personal life trump the future of this country, if he didn't do his part now his kids wouldn't have a future. "Fine. So long as you remember Hange that-" He clears his throat. "Talk we had about Evelyn's needs?"

Hange nods in agreement. "Don't worry, I know how to take care of her. Finally we'll get some girl time without you!" She laughs, and the glint in her eye signifies she's already full of ideas.

"Then I guess there's nothing more to discuss." Erwin stands. "Meeting adjourned."

============================================

What Levi wouldn't give to have Erwin in front of him right now, put him through this hell. "Just watch Zeke", he didn't think that meant listening to the smug bastard ramble on and on about the most annoying of topics.

"Guess you weren't well liked by the ladies, since you think you know everything."

The hairy bitch. "I do know. And I was liked enough, so-"

"Oh that's right, you're the lucky devil who got married to the Titan Shifter."

"She has a name you know." His teeth were clenched, for most, mentioning his wife could be a death sentence, unfortunately this time killing the prisoner wasn't an option.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to insult you and your lovely wife."

Levi chooses to drop the subject, when one of the other Scouts whispers in his ear that someone had come to see him. Which was odd, since only the handful of Scouts present and a few higher ups knew where they were.

Hands gripping his swords, he follows the Scouts to the edge of the forest, surprised to see his wife dismounting her horse. "What the hell are you doing here?" It was by no means an unwelcome surprise, but a surprise nonetheless, and the trip could have been dangerous.

"I need to talk to you, privately." She says, something clearly amiss.

Without letting the concern show on his face Levi nods for her to follow him, staying relatively away from the others. "What is it?"

"It's Eren, he's escaped, him and a group they're calling the Jeagerists are looking for Zeke, trying to find him to do who knows what."

His eyes flash with anger. "I knew the bastard was against us from the start." He turns, ready to confront Zeke when she touches his arm.

"Wait- there's uhm, there's more-"

"Then what is it? Speak quickly woman I don't have time for this."

She had to tell him, she knew that, she had to tell him she was pregnant in case something happened to either of them. It should be so easy, why was she hesitating now?

"Just that-" Why was she trembling so much? He was a man, just a man, not the demon her mind had turned him into. "You need to be careful, I don't trust him-" At the last moment her courage vanished, making her lose the nerve to tell him.

Levi seems suspicious, feeling there was more, but even that confession was surprising and sweet, she wanted him to be safe for her. Maybe she was turning around, maybe after all of this they could be a real family.

He pulls her into his arms, squeezing her tightly like he always did to comfort her. "I will be, don't worry about me, I'll come home to you, I promise."

She sighs, she was truly a coward, but at least a somewhat loving action from Levi was worth it. "I know you will."

The almost sweet moment ended when they both heard a scream coming from the inner camp. Levi pushed her away and scanned the trees, his heart beating out of his chest and his swords drawn. He glances from the woods to her, his mind working as he fits together what's happening.

"Get out of here."

"What's going on?"

He pushes her forcefully towards the clearing. "Run!"

Nearly tripping on her own feet she forces them to move, running through the trees.

She takes a look over her shoulder, seeing Levi charge towards the centre of camp where those dozens of bright lights start exploding.

[golbrocklovely]

I'm genuinely curious, what makes Colby different from Sam? Honestly, like Sam is seen with a few girls and everyone thinks it’s great he’s “getting back out there” but Colby just says hi to a girl and it’s like WWIII “why is he dating her?” “We must stalk her and send her death threats at once!” Like I’m so baffled at how differently they’re treated for basically doing the same thing.

i've gone on tangents about this before in the past, but no one likes when i do that bc it points out something that either a) ppl don't want to agree with or b) they don't want to admit it's true.

reality is, while colby might be loved more in this fandom, ppl don't respect him like they do sam. sure, sam gets his fair share of hate, but it will never be comparable to what colby gets. and i genuinely mean that.

and if anyone comes at me, would you like me to show you the actual list i've made up of all the shit colby has been hated on for, and it doesn't even scratch the surface? i mean, you want proof of my belief, take the fact he got a death threat so bad (that all of us fans saw) that he left twitter for like a week and then completely changed the way he goes on that site now forever (aka keeps it at an arm's length).

ppl respect sam. they don't respect colby. which is why colby's love life becomes a warzone while sam can go around and have multiple partners in the span of a couple months, and it's not a big deal. the most heat sam got this year bc of his love life was only bc he took his current girl to the same spot he took kat on their first date. and that was it.

also, colby has been single longer, so more fans over the years legit believe that they have a chance with him. fanfics have rotted some of these ppl's brains and makes them think they have a choice in the matter when they don't. fans think they have an ownership over colby, which is why they lash out when he does something they don't agree with or want him to do.

and it's not even the hate these girls get that's alarming (i mean it is, don't get me wrong). it's the weird obsession that follows it. it's the fans that stalk these girls and knows their every move and becomes fans of said girls (who 9 times out of 10 are just random insta models that don't do anything). there are fans in this fandom that now legit talk to ms singer like they've been a fan of her for years, filling her in on colby's every doing in comments and livestreams.

if yall could just... stop being weird, that would be great.

[pinkseas]

[parasocial bestie] boutta send another ask before you can answer the previous ones.... bro girl (gnc) do you ever think about xiao post-teyvat... after lumine leaves..... like ive took an entire night just hours laying on bed once just to rot my brain on what's gonna happen after all that stuff i told u abt his ideal endinfg and shit i dont remember hhUEHAHAHAHGH BUT LIKE, THE CORE OF IT ALL that he learns and remembers lumine's words to heart; and there's the extra bit i said perhaps, on that time he won't have someone who had made his life a little better, no longer by his side, he would try to delve in a curiosity he had thrown away before. the desire to seek something new, something he used to have, put aside in priority for duty, and that he's not meant to indulge things like other living things do.

i love the thought that xiao takes the step of being in lumine's shoes, not entirely, but the mere concept of being a traveler. a wanderer. someone who's simply curious, who wants to explore what they've never seen. this is a life lumine is at her finest, other than the responsibilities she's weighed to. xiao would just want to Try and feel her experience. he'd leave liyue if only for a few days, still clinging to the thought of,... home? liyue finally felt like home than a place he's obligated to protect. and that's thanks to lumine too. his travels progress with ease with his own form of teleportation through the permit of wind, and he settles to visit,.. places. landscapes, nature,- to meet the people can wait later. for now, he's only here to explore and just... be.

it latches at the very center of my brain for weeks about post-traveler concepts like this like i DONT dig and do not like just outright Despise a xiao that misses lumine to the Extreme, someone to cling onto, because it defeats the purpose of him who's meant to be free and being able to choose. it doesnt mean anything about him forming attachments and loyalty, although hes still loyal to lumine in regards he sees her as a dear friend who taught him so much about life, the life he has and that he should cherish it. and he does, and will try, with all these little steps of moving forward without the hand that pulls you along. the people who cared for him who had been the hand that pushes along, will still push, but now all of his actions are made on his own volition. i just love that. i love that after lumine, he starts to live again. he slowly, but surely, know how to live.

so first of all "bro girl (gnc)" fucking SENT me im gonna cry why is that so funny to me i love that so bad

and second of all okay ngl i dont think about it OFTEN but i do. think about it. i Absolutely Do Think About It. and the way you've described it is flawless i have nothing to expand upon nothing to add no little comment to make im just. speechless. delving into the curiosity he had thrown away before. becoming a traveler, a wanderer. meeting people coming later, for now focusing on exploring, on seeing all that the world has to offer. still regarding lumine as such a dear friend. his actions being his own. learning how to live again. im going to lose my MINDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD.

not getting too close to mortals at least for a while at first, too wary of the pain he's caused them before, too aware of the degree to which he will outlive them (those from the chasm are exceptions, and he'll remember them for centuries after they're gone, even if only in fleeting thoughts). but meeting some of the other archons. becoming closer with other adepti. a small circle, but a circle nonetheless. <- cannot stop thinking about xiao and nahida eventually becoming friends dorry i had to say SOMETHING. its hard to imagine him and the wanderer as Friend friends, but i can see them crossing paths sometimes if they hadn't already met through lumine, realizing fairly early on that neither of them are human, working together pretty well whether in fighting or simple exploration. sharing a sort of wonder at the world, a deep will to be better, knowing what its like to exist solely for one purpose and knowing more still of what it's like for that purpose to leave them, to be taught how to exist without it, to further learn themselves how to exist without it. idk. very different people but a solid few similarities in their lives. xiao albedo friendship i hope i pray at least eventually idk i think they'd just Vibe.

still thinking about xiao and nahida as friends. xiao knowing a lot about various plant life and taking care of it, nahida teaching him the rest and filling in the gaps when he asks. learning how to sew. learning how to best care for the wildlife. learning how to use his hands gently. they're rough and calloused and for so long they existed to wield his weapon, nothing more, but now they make messy stitches and pat down the dirt around freshly planted flowers and ever so carefully pet the stray cats he sees in different cities. xiao is not a weapon. maybe he never was.

idont even know where my train of thought is anymore im just. im just. im just. o(-(

[griefpersevering]

the ripples they cause

Read on AO3 🕷 Playlist 🕷 Buy me a cup of tea ☕

Chapter Twenty: Cradle To The Grave

Notes:

We're finally easing into the comfort part of the hurt/comfort! I really wanted to put an extra thank you note in here, because this fic has been getting so much love lately, and I appreciate all of the comments and kudos you guys are sending my way. And, some brilliant person has nominated this fic for an Irondad Creator Award, which blew my mind!! Thank you all for being here, and I'm so glad you're enjoying this fic.

Sneak peek:

The Countryside is gloomier without the flash of hope they'd cradled on the way there.

There's no reason for them to stay there now they have the book, so Tony suggests they try to find the path back to the Beach. He never dreamed he would call a cave home after 2008, but at least it feels safer than this nightmare of a place.

They don't make it thirty paces past the front gate before the house collapses behind them. They stand there and watch the rubble until it stops moving. Maybe the mansion's only purpose is to protect that book, and now they've relieved it of its duty, it can finally die.

Tony doesn't fucking know. Trying to rationalise anything in this place gives him a headache.

The fog surrounds them quickly, thicker than before. He can barely see a foot in front of his face, but Nat keeps hold of his good hand so they don't lose each other. It slows them down, but with his health declining rapidly, he doesn't mind the slower pace.

Now they know there's no way out, what's the point in pretending to be cheery? He brought this punishment upon himself, but that doesn't mean it's fair. After everything they've sacrificed, after all they've done to protect people, why does the universe deny them one last chance at happiness?

If Nat is thinking the same thing, she doesn't say it out loud.

As if his existential crisis isn't enough to deal with, the scenery decides to be much more unnerving on their journey back. They don't stop to watch a fog-shrouded figure play the piano in an otherwise empty field, even when the keys set on fire. They don't pause to look at the rotting cottages floating hundreds of feet above their heads, or to acknowledge the distant group of people watching them with glowing eyes.

After a minute or an hour or a day, the grass underneath Tony's shoes turns to concrete, and he breathes a sigh of relief.

"Nearly there," Nat says.

Tony doesn't ask her what they're planning to do once they reach their destination. As far as they know, the cave they're walking towards will have crumbled like the mansion, and they'll be left to deal with the harsh wind and frequent storms without shelter.

He stops walking. The despair crushes his lungs, snaking up his throat and threatening to choke him. What's the point in any of this, if he can't help Peter?

Nat squeezes his hand. "We can figure this out, Tony."

"How? By holding a seance with Clint? Because I know for a fact that he wouldn't—"

"Obviously not," she snaps. "I don't know how. But we won't fix it by standing here and complaining about it."

Sometimes he regrets being such an asshole.

"Sorry," he mutters, and they set off again. "I just hate how we got our hopes up and then..."

"We'll figure it out," she repeats, nodding firmly. "We always do."

Last time they tried to solve a problem, the solution required both of them dying. Tony doesn't like his chances.

He glances around the City's architecture, trying to distract himself from the spiralling panic he feels from the lack of control he has over this situation. More of the graffiti is readable this time around, and the lamp posts and billboards all scream messages out into the perpetual night.

THERE ARE THINGS I WANTED TO SAY AND NEVER DID, says a neon sign.

WE'RE JUST KIDS. WE WEREN'T MEANT TO BE HEROES, the road markings state.

WHO ARE YOU, WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING? asks a boarded-up shop window.

The messages become more unsettling as they continue walking. Who are they intended for? Nat's eyes skim over them, focusing on the road ahead rather than the cryptic notes, but they draw Tony in. Every time he averts his gaze from one, he finds another waiting for him.

Maybe they're meant for him. Fuck, maybe someone is holding a seance.

One sentence appears more frequently than the others. Scrawled on every inch of brick and concrete and metal, the handwriting becomes messier every time Tony reads it.

I CAN'T REMEMBER.

I CAN'T REMEMBER.

I CAN'T REMEMBER.

"Do you see that?" Tony asks Nat, but before she can answer, he steps onto sand.

"I told you we'd make it," Nat says, nudging his shoulder.

Tony doesn't turn to acknowledge her. He doesn't even register the touch. All he can focus on is the kid standing on the Beach in front of them.

To Nat, he probably looks like another lost soul. He has his back turned to them, but Tony could recognise Peter anywhere.

He's taller than Tony remembers.

Continue reading on AO3!

[tundrainafrica]

You haven't read the manga?..... If you only read the cherry picked levihan moments then let me tell you (not sending this with ill intend btw) that for every small Levihan moment there's a big eruri one. Like that convo where he shuts hange out after it was said about her crush on shadis? Levi actually talks afterwards about how he wants Hange to take over the rots mission and for Erwin to stay tucked in safe.

When Hange was hurt during the uprising the moment he sees Erwin he's just nonchalant about? And yes she said she was okay and he was mad about her being hurt in the first place, but the looks he gives erwin not only this moment but throughout? Not really platonic tbh...

Or the falling debris scene where he seems distracted? Yes he's thinking about hange's safety but the worried look is at Erwin's direction on the wall.

And also in chuugaku, there's a chapter about Erwin and Levi's relationship, exposition provided by Hange herself, where it's pretty much implied that Levi has the hots for him (complete with a bottom levi joke). Like he's the only member of the "home-making" club headed by Erwin where he basically cleans and cooks for him while erwin reads his paper like they're a couple and they've put marks like: don't search eruri on tumblr/ao3 haha.

Point is while levihan is a ship that's MAYBE canon, there's a lot more concrete evidence for eruri. The only thing that throws it off is there's no discussion about Erwin's feelings nowhere that could be interpreted as romantic. And combine that with his crush for dok's wife back in the day maybe he wasn't into Levi the same way/ maybe bi, we'll never know.

But Levi legit was in love with him.

What strengthens levihan on the other hand is that hange is transparent about her feelings for Levi. And if you take the last chapters into consideration then levi could have reciprocated them. It wasnt framed as clear as his feelings for Erwin though imo.

I'm not against either ship and think they're both precious, but levihan is a lot harder to read into and it makes me sad their romantic relationship wasn't more developed if romance was what Isayama hinted yo towards the end. Maybe yams left levihan up to interpretation deliberately? Maybe we read too much into it and it's not really there? Maybe eruri was queerbaiting? Maybe both are canon and Levi's just swings both ways? Idk the answers to any of that and unless the author comes clean we'll never be sure about levihan a hundred percent. Less doubts about eruri though...

Anyways, no hard feelings and I really LOVE your fanfics! Hope you have a very nice day and continue writing!

I have been looking for the right time to go through this ask because this ask just kinda made me think but not like about anything against the eruri ship. Like go ahead, ship eruri and feel free to meta eruri in my anon inbox but like the arguments here are a bit wishy washy.

Like that convo where he shuts hange out after it was said about her crush on shadis? Levi actually talks afterwards about how he wants Hange to take over the rots mission and for Erwin to stay tucked in safe.

Well, of course he would ask Erwin to stay tucked safe. Erwin is literally missing one arm and Hange was the most competent person to lead in the field at that point in time. How is this related to romance? I mean, if you wanna play the romance game, remember that Levi was legit injured, he could barely stand and he still forced himself to stand up to talk to Hange.

When Hange was hurt during the uprising the moment he sees Erwin he's just nonchalant about? And yes she said she was okay and he was mad about her being hurt in the first place, but the looks he gives erwin not only this moment but throughout? Not really platonic tbh...

Levi literaly gave the most poker 'pokerface' in this scene and I do not understand how it could be seen as not platonic. If we're talking about non platonic looks then maybe we should look for a scene where Levi's biting his lip seductively because let's face it, all the looks Levi gave Erwin, Hange and Petra could all be interpreted as platonic, we're all just a bunch of shippers trying to find the romance and the canonicity for our favorite ship lmao.

Or the falling debris scene where he seems distracted? Yes he's thinking about hange's safety but the worried look is at Erwin's direction on the wall.

Yeah, because people like to stare at someone else while worrying about a particular someone's safety. I dunno but what if Levi was worried about both of them? Why do we have to blatantly disregard the fact that he explicitly mentioned 'Hange' in that scene and shoehorn Erwin's position in that scene.

And also in chuugaku, there's a chapter about Erwin and Levi's relationship, exposition provided by Hange herself, where it's pretty much implied that Levi has the hots for him (complete with a bottom levi joke). Like he's the only member of the "home-making" club headed by Erwin where he basically cleans and cooks for him while erwin reads his paper like they're a couple and they've put marks like: don't search eruri on tumblr/ao3 haha.

Levi is literally an implied minor in chuugakkou and Erwin is a teacher. Nothing else needs to be said.

Point is while levihan is a ship that's MAYBE canon, there's a lot more concrete evidence for eruri. The only thing that throws it off is there's no discussion about Erwin's feelings nowhere that could be interpreted as romantic. And combine that with his crush for dok's wife back in the day maybe he wasn't into Levi the same way/ maybe bi, we'll never know.

But Levi legit was in love with him.

The flawed evidence above will only make for a flawed conclusion.

What strengthens levihan on the other hand is that hange is transparent about her feelings for Levi. And if you take the last chapters into consideration then levi could have reciprocated them. It wasnt framed as clear as his feelings for Erwin though imo.

As someone who has watched the show and read the manga and discussed this with people, none of my casual watcher friends even noticed Eruri crumbs. A lot of them didn't notice Levihan crumbs either so hey, we both lose here I guess.

I'm not against either ship and think they're both precious, but levihan is a lot harder to read into and it makes me sad their romantic relationship wasn't more developed if romance was what Isayama hinted yo towards the end. Maybe yams left levihan up to interpretation deliberately? Maybe we read too much into it and it's not really there? Maybe eruri was queerbaiting? Maybe both are canon and Levi's just swings both ways?

My personal take on this and the takes of a lot of casual watchers I have talked to is, Levihan has more crumbs than Eruri but maybe it only got development given the circumstances post season 3 since Levi and Hange were working closely together. If Erwin didn't die, maybe there could have been more Eruri moments. I haven't seen enough though and I cannot so hastily conclude that Levi was in love with Erwin.

Levi could have in love with both of them. Or just one of them.

And yeah, maybe Levihans are reading too much into it. But so what if we read too much into it?

I like them. I will continued reading too much into relationships which I believe could have been healthy and could have had a great dynamic if they pushed through as something romantic.

The point of getting into a relationship is for two people to come out of it better people and I will continue to ship a couple which I think is sending a good message to others regardless of whether or not it was framed clearly enough for people to see the 'romance.'

'Living together' with someone may not be as clear as sex or a kiss for a lot of people but I think it runs MUCH MUCH MUCH deeper. Sex and kisses are a dime a dozen. Commitment and Cooperation are diamonds.

[paper-cloud]

i. the crushing weight of what happens next

part of "(there will be a) tomorrow"

fandom: prospect (2018) characters: ezra, cee rating: T words count: ~3K context: post-canon general warnings/tags: see series masterlist warnings/tags for this chapter: ezra's pov. angst. not graphic descriptions of wounds, blood and amputated limbs. mentions of minor characters' death. (probably very) inaccurate but anyways vague descriptions of medical treatments and post-anesthesia symptoms. taglist: @ravensmutty @buttercup--bee @thegreenkid (again, thank you all for your interest and encouragement! :3) @krissology @ezrasarm @bonktime (please forgive my nerve, i won't tag you in the next chapters unless you'll explicitly ask me to! just thought about someone else who might be interested and you guys are AMAZINGLY talented and inspiring "prospect"/ezra writers. it's not my intention to waste precious moments of your time! 🤡

[SERIES MASTERLIST] [MAIN MASTERLIST]

He'd have thought it was almost ironic – opening his eyes to the light only to see nothing. To feel pain.

He'd have laughed about it, most likely. A bit later, he'd have acknowledged it was a reasonably fair compromise; for him and any other wretch that'd ever dared play dice with darkness and miraculously made it out alive.

And in the very end he'd come to laugh at himself, too.

He knows the drill. Someone who trades their own life with the contract of the highest bidder doesn't see the universe in black and white, let alone is in a position to draw the hypothetical line between the two of them.

Must be an even more wicked universe than he's ever cared about, then.

At least, that's where the struggle of opening his eyes made him stumble upon; when a blade of light thrust through that hint of a gap he'd pushed himself to create in the middle, resonating through the dark coils of unconsciousness like a harsh, unforgiving bell.

A skilled mariner over silky rivers of natural redundancy and rapids of professional edges, Ezra is a man who can appreciate a sharp wit when he recognizes one.

That was too much even for him.

Floundering in between a blinding whiteness and a black hole that wasn't even completely black, but permeated by a thick, suffocating haze that filled every ghost haunting his mind with its stench. With the color of diabolically lush leaves.

Forest— spores— poison— death.

It hadn't been enough to let him dangle in apnea above a roaring vortex of lifeless emerald; take him away from the grey flow whose elusiveness he'd come to appreciate more than he'd ever hated to endure its chaos— from the bubble built on the routine series of one last jobs that, in the end, never really were.

There'd been a moment when, from the higher parts of the room, his pupils tumbled down, tripping over a patch of green discreetly lurking in a corner.

He almost threw up.

It had taken him a while to clear out the misty grit clotted in his corneas— focus on white walls, light wood paneling... a harmless seedling in a pot.

He'd breathed heavily, deeply. He sure hadn't got much relief from it. Still, he'd been able to hear its sound, louder than he'd ever heard it before, the musical, cooling mesh of oxygen particles in and out of his lungs almost begging his fingers to be touched.

Oxygen.

Fresh air.

Had he been less sore – less convinced it was just the residual effects of anesthesia pulling pranks on him –, he would have burst out laughing. Even more so if some poor soul of the medical staff nearby would have called for reinforcements from the other side of the space station before storming into his room.

He'd be laughing now, too. The best he can manage is sitting on his bed, leaning his back on the headboard – which is what he's struggling to do right now— and well, sometimes the room lighting still slightly bothers him. Of course, with all the painkillers and antibiotics they've given him, he wouldn't feel like the wound on his stomach is swallowing the entire arsenal of stitches and bandages.

He just wouldn't like her to get the wrong idea.

He blinks several times, like a man who no longer trusts his eyes. How can he, when they're burning like that, in such a different fire from the one from days before – damp and flickering? For reasons he can imagine, she seems to be faltering. Totally beyond his comprehension, he could swear she's smiling at him. Something inside his ribcage creaks oddly, while the curve of his chest arches upward.

"Birdie."

It's just a huff of breath, weak and hoarse, yet scratches his throat all the same, in a way that its walls feel studded with rock spurs. Actually, Ezra doesn't remember talking since they left the Green behind – which, being him, is saying something – and it's like an eternity has passed since their pod docked up there.

The nurse who let her into his room has just left and Cee sinks her hands into the pockets of her sweatpants. She's still smiling— just the faded shadow of a smile, now that he takes a better look at her.

"How's your wound?"

It sounds a lot less plain than he expected.

She hasn't moved towards him any further, and for now she's not showing any hints at wanting to. In her irises, Ezra recognizes thumping stars and cerulean clouds, all clustered in the black circle cut by the large porthole next to his bed. All before catching the thin mist veiling them. As if she did want to reach those stars, let herself get carried away by those streams of bluish dust, but she had no idea how or what to do there.

He looks down, the borders of the bandages over his abdomen slightly raised under his black short-sleeved tee. He clears his throat.

"S'healin' nicely", he says, with a deliberate lightheartedness that costs him a sharp, bizarre inflection in his voice. He closes his eyes soon after, tilting his head condescendingly. "That's how the nurse feels about it, anyway... S'not like I can feel much more right now."

This reminds him of those vacuous moments between brief, chaotic waking states and delirious dreams. When he'd managed to reconnect some essential key points scattered around in the talks of surgeons and nurses; the weariness he felt from simply gathering he was on a space station due to enter the orbit of Mesos in three cycles and something standard hours. All while his only solid reference point – the only indisputable proof he was still alive – was the sequence of beeps chirped by the medical monitor perched nearby. Constant, not monotonous. Friendly, even. Sometimes, he actually comes to miss it.

"A trust fall to the extreme, I'd guess", he snorts, a sly laugh as weak and heavy as the words trudging out of his mouth. As the whole rest of him.

Whatever answer she's considering, Cee freezes it in a quick purse of her lips – maybe a nod, but for his own good he'd rather be doubtful. Then she starts looking around.

There's a chair under the board firmly anchored to the opposite wall – probably a desk or something he's never needed to test, whatsoever. She grabs it and puts it next to his bed. She sits down, bringing her legs to her chest, squeezing them in her arms.

Waiting for what, Ezra has no idea, and he's afraid she doesn't have any, either.

He doesn't speak, though, nor does he encourage her to do the same. Her pearly gaze roams steadily but unhurriedly from him to somewhere beyond him, her nose buried in the gap between her knees. He studies her carefully, two purple crescents above her cheeks, a few hair strands swinging down her face without her wiping them out. The nights she's slept through haven't been any more peaceful than his.

Trust, he recalls in the meantime.

It sure brings an odd taste to his mouth. Something close to sweaty spacesuits, grimy paths and gone-off ration bars. A single word for two human beings forced to share the same air filter for days; that, and the image of a dead body left to rot miles behind and the desperate commitment not to end up in the same way.

His gaze just happens to trip over his right side, taking in the deflated sleeve over the emptiness that saved his life. When he lifts it back to the girl, meeting her eyes just before they can flutter away, he realizes they were both looking at the same spot. And he realizes something else— something he's already understood, yet not quite.

There is no tube binding them now.

"Why d'you do it?", he mumbles a split second later, almost like somehow the thread of his question has immediately knotted to the one of his previous thought.

He huffs. He shouldn't even have asked her, in all honesty. Seeing her like this, at least he should have put it in another way, danced around it, it's not like he’s never been good at stalling, after all—

"Comin' back", Ezra says instead, and when he swallows, he mainly does it to send his heart back down his throat. If he'd died without being given the last chance to be this straightforward on this matter, he would have probably kicked his ass all the way to the other side. 

This time, Cee doesn't avoid his gaze. He shouldn't be surprised by how collected she looks, given the calmness she handled his infected arm with and then told him about when she used to slip into Jata Bhalu carcasses. But he can't help it when he thinks she can't be much older now than what she was then.

He watches her breathing in, wobbling her pupils here and there, seemingly considering his words. She's not afraid, not any more than what she seemed to be when she walked into his room. Maybe she's just better than him at playing pretend – but this, he can't tell whether it's more of a good than a bad thing. Especially for her.

One thing he can tell is that she's not the same girl who pointed a trembling gun at him before running away into the woods. He knows she's not afraid.

He knows...

So is it the hunter's instinct he has to blame if he feels she is?

"Guess I've seen too much death on that forsaken moon to just... turn my back on one I can help– one I can do something about."

If he was standing in front of an entire mountain crumbling down into the ocean, he wouldn't hear its sound. ‘Wouldn't even be the worst he deserves. She did hesitate before adding the last few words, but Ezra refuses to believe she did that because she was afraid of hurting him. He may be a wretch, but not a fool.

Kevva, for a man who's always managed to untwist himself from far tougher situations with the tangles of his tongue alone, he's sure having a deal of trouble – and he wishes he could put all the blame on his current physical condition.

There is no word he doesn't have to weigh carefully now, to prevent it from taking too sharp edges once out of his lips. He may float around it forever. But once he's let her go without saying anything, he'll hardly find the courage to look within himself again, more than after any other job that hardened his hands with calluses and tarnished his eyes with blood.

He doesn't know for sure. In fact, everything he was sure to know – about the turning direction of the universe and the one of the wheels in his head – has already collapsed in front of him, tracing a flaming tail. An unforgiving meteor following a trajectory far beyond his grasp.

He just knows silence scares him, in a way that a wrong word will never do again. It terrifies him. More than as a talkative person, as a castaway on a hostile moon for too many cycles to keep their count – with the only company of a mute. Silence is green; the green of the most poisonous pollen, lethal in his brain just like toxic spores enveloped in his lungs. The green of snake scales ready to stand and scratch his flesh until liquid crimson pours out of it.

And at the end of the day, this is the only fucking thing he can tell himself to know without having his guts churning and chest heaving a beat later.

"Stop looking at me like that."

It's more of an exhausted prayer than an annoyed remark. Ezra blinks, stunned by the sudden return from the shapeless stream of his thoughts.

"Like what?"

"Like you're looking for the words to thank me", Cee settles back into her chair and this time she lets one leg touch the floor, "Tell me you owe me, and you– you're sorry about what you did."

Ezra sniffles. "Would it be bad?" 

"No, it—". She closes her eyes for a moment, clenching her jaw. "Just no good", she breathes out, calmer.

And the discordant note in those words conjures up ghosts not yet vague enough for Ezra to be able to tolerate them without something twinging inside him— like a violent flutter of wings. Voices groping their way up ravels of compromises. Damon, deep in the forest. Himself, with the mercenaries in the Queen's Lair. Cee, days before that. After he—

She's right— those words she hasn't said yet, but whose shadow he feels looming every time he catches her wetting her lips.

Some things just can't be split evenly.

"This is not the Green", she states, suddenly more confident but no less exhausted. "If you're going to hang around just because you need to, once we reach Mesos¹ you'd better be on your way."

Ezra doesn't interrupt her. A faded echo starts making its way into his ears. A former prospecting partner, many years ago. An easy job on a forgettable Fringe moon.

Gems don't have an expiration date. Deals do. Strike 'em if you need to, get rid of them as soon as you can. Unless you care to dig a quicker way to your grave.

He didn't pay attention to it, then. He'd thought it was just the empty rhetoric prospectors drop absentmindedly to fill the time between an unrewarding digging and the next. All the more so under the rickety advice of a couple too many.

His eyes still wide open, hands shaky, he merely reciprocated the awkward bottle lift of his partner, whom he didn't know more than the meanders of that quarry. A toast to a faceless future – a nothingness still more reassuring than what was all around and behind them. Not to the darkness of the cave, basically unbreakable if only for the red halo thrown by the twinkles of sharp, sinister Prystines². Not even to the two poor bastards that had set out with them, ending up skewered a few hundred paces behind – one by mistake, the other to return the favor of saving him from the clutches of a furious Aiu³.

Like an idiot.

Several contracts later preventing him from missing a beat in front of similar hiccups, the logic of that statement no longer sounds so absurd to Ezra. Luckily for him, Cee understood it long before him.

"I was just lookin' for the words to tell ya you'll be better off without me—"

Half a truth. Half a heartbeat. After all, she isn't the only one of them who knows how to sell it.

He leans his head back against the headboard, eyes half-closed, a sly grin baring a couple of his upper teeth. It would almost be intimidating, except that the glint hitting them doesn't quite match the dying one in his eyes.

"—But you beat me to it", he finishes, and he sounds like he's about to fall asleep.

He slowly turns his head away, looks through the porthole. His gaze clutches to the passing asteroids outside, distant nebulae spraying the sidereal black with hues of purple, blue, red— then green, again. A climbing plant squeezing him from the inside, discomfort starts creeping on him an inch of his body – what's left of it – at a time.

He doesn't want her to think he's angry at her, and it's the only concrete foothold emerging from the fluid, magmatic chaos in his mind.

How could he be, when she came back to get him?

She didn't have to.

She doesn't have to be here, either...

"I'm sorry", she suddenly blurts out.

He meets her eyes again, a mix of bewilderment and disapproval shading his own. He shakes his head.

"Don't."

"I just—". She starts fiddling with the extra fabric created by the folds of her sweatpants. Then she sighs deeply. "I have no idea what I'm gonna do now."

He snorts. "Not that it's s'pposed to make you feel any better, but... neither do I."

He doesn't have a hazy helmet choking the glimmer in his eyes, an air filter breaking some frequencies in his voice— maybe just those making him sound sincere, while saving those trapping him into the swamp of self-loathing.

He was nothing but honest when he told her the rules of the game on the Green. When he openly admitted he was a killer, and when he assured her he wouldn't trade her for the Sater's Aurelac. And she's always seemed to believe him, maybe for that kind of desperate inertia that washes over people when they need something to cling to. Whatever the case, Ezra can only hope she wants to believe him now. But she doesn't speak, and for a moment his fear of not saying enough overcomes that of crossing her boundaries.

"But w—", he immediately bites his tongue, "—you still have three cycles to figure things out. Someone up here will be able to help you. Even so, please know you'll always have my most sincere gratitude."

The effort of lining up all those words and so few pauses to catch his breath casts a thick fog over his ears. His eyes suddenly hurt again and he finds himself squinting.

What happens next, he just records it, hardly managing to follow each cause-effect relationship. A series of events softly raining on him without making a noise, while he can quite imagine them to be way more prolonged in time. Cee leaning towards the lighting panel on the wall, sliding her finger counterclockwise, and the white coating the walls turning less painfully bright; her getting up, walking away, dwelling just before the door. "I'll come to check on you tomorrow", she says, sniffling.

She tilts her head, holding his gaze in her watery one for an agonizingly slow while – Please, don't ask me why.

He blinks once – Of course.

Then, the automatic door is once again engulfed by the wall, closing behind her with a metallic rustle.

Tomorrow.

His heart is taken by a spiraling jolt that leaves an empty cave behind. When it falls back into place, Ezra finds something has tripped in there, shapeless and quivering like the nucleus of a newborn star.

Hope, terror and everything that lies in between. 

___________________

NOTES:

1) Mesos — Invented planet. Its only raison d'être is that "mésos" in Greek means "middle" and my intent was to frame this story in a moment of transition (after those of movies) for both Ezra and Cee. 2) Prystines — Invented kind of crystals. They're implied to be huge, red and very sharp, thus endangering the path through the cave. 3) Aiu — Invented predator, ideally a big feline.

A/N:

Yeah, uhm... at this point, if someone was ever to give me any kind of feedback, constructive criticism or random thought, I think I'd just melt into a puddle for the attention alone. And to all those who came all the way down here, your bravery shall not be forgotten. ♥️✨

In my defense, it's (almost) all P**** P*****'s fault & of his habit of taking orphans under his wing from one planet to another.

I know people in the fandom generally tend to make Ezra and Cee go along straight away after the movie, so this will be a slightly different take on things, I guess... But even if I don't know if I'll keep this series going atm (life & maturity exam suck), a final reconciliation is definitely on the way. ;)

Oh, and any beta reader that should feel like helping me out for when I'll have the next chapters ready is warmly welcomed! My DMs are always open and I swear I don't bite! :3

[andyousaidtruelovedidntexsist]

so, i follow you, and have for a while and i thought "they've been watching emerald city! i should totally tag them in this fic when i post it on tumblr, or send them an ask to see if they have anything they'd want written" but then i was like "no, that's weird. they probably don't recognize my url or anything and i don't want to be weird" BUT! LO AND BEHOLD! you just posted my fic, which is super awesome, thanks! anyway, if you want a prompt filled let me know, and thanks for the boost

 I remember you, @awriterincowboyboots! We have interacted a few times!!  :D :D

And if I am being honest, the fact that you haven’t changed your tumblr url has helped a great deal! ;) :D :D :D One yr everyone was changing their urls, and well…I lost track. And I couldn’t tell who was who anymore? It was sad.. :P And then the porn blogs arrived in droves. And suddenly, looking at ones’ followers list was MOST DEFINITELY unsafe–alas, things were less dicey with the regular old spam blogs. :P ;)  So I had to give up. :P

(By the way, has anyone figured out the spam porn blog situation? Besides going in one by one, and blocking them? Every time I have done that, I keep getting bombarded by their…stuff…and I am REALLY not comfortable with that. So I have been ignoring the fact that they quietly exist on my followers list. :P )

At the risk of sounding childish…. please, tag me always!! :D :D I know my url is a mouthful (I have grown to hate it, thought about changing it, but its hard to keep track of people when they change their urls so I haven’t done it lately I think that it has been a few yrs since I have changed my url_)    But I would really appreciate you tagging me!! :D :D :D :D :D It would have been absolutely tragic if I had missed that fanfic!! (Yes, yes I really do mean that!) 

Yes, I will definitely be taking you up on your offer!! :D :D :D :D :D I have had a few ideas bouncing around in my head–it will be nice to pass them on to you!! 

Most of my ideas are kind of disjointed tho… in a single story idea… What if Dorothy/Lucas (after the end of the season’s episodes, idk?) go to Glinda, and what if Glinda agreed to send Dorothy home (because if Dorothy defeated the Beast Forever, that would be a really big thing–maybe big enough for Glinda to be willing to take the time to send Dorothy home) but what if Glinda was setting a trap? What if Glinda is super shady? What if Dorothy/Lucas are ambushed by Glinda’s people at Glinda’s palace(?) home? What if somehow Lucas is the sentient form(?) being (?) of the Beast Forever (who seems to be a season of awful natural disasters created by magic(?)  But Lucas doesn’t know because of his amnesia? And what if Lucas is coerced into eating a poison apple (because a dagger is being held against Dorothy’s throat and only a witch can kill a witch (and he doesn’t want to imagine a world--or Kansas that doesn’t have Dorothy in it) and he hopes that Glinda will still send Dorothy home and that maybe Dorothy will be okay and their attackers said that if he takes a bite of that poisoned apple  that they will let Dorothy go…) and so he takes a bite, seemingly dies… Dorothy freaks out… maybe even brings the walls down on everyone’s head (like Morgana did in Merlin BBC with the citadel stone walls falling brick by brick.) Dorothy somehow (with magic?) escapes with Lucas’ body. What if Dorothy is pregnant with Lucas’ child? What if Lucas never had the chance to know that Dorothy is pregnant? What if Dorothy somehow meets the 7 dwarves (and what if she and the Dwarves become friends)? What would the child of Dorothy (1 part hero/1 part villain–all depending on who you are talking to) and Lucas (the man that the kid never had a chance to know) have to deal with? Infamy? How does Dorothy handle her loss (because she loved Lucas, and now he’s gone but she has a little piece of him in their child who has his eyes) What does Dorothy say, what stories does she tell her child about Lucas? So….basically, I would like a Snow White Au, with tons of angst and eventually lots of fluff with the eventual realization that Lucas is only cursed–not dead–and a true love kiss bringing Lucas back to the land of the living. But it would be really great if there were a couple of yrs before Dorothy figures out that no, he isn’t dead… Oh yes! And  Lucas’ body was kept in a pretty glass coffin which is hidden away in a beautiful meadow. Maybe it was spelled to keep his body from rotting? (Because actually digging up a grave 8ft under would be pretty dark, but you can take that route, if you want.) Maybe even a little bit of Dorothy/Lucas growing back together (because she had thought that Lucas was dead, and its been yrs and things are different, Dorothy is different even tho she still loves him) But I would really like something that kind of explores who Dorothy is to the people of Oz… like is she the boogeyman under the bed? Is she a hero? What tales of her (and Lucas’ exploits are told?) And how would a child have to deal with all of that, to having a parent who is basically a myth–one of those scary terrifying heroine ones. How does Dorothy handle her grief? How does Lucas recover after being cursed for so long? And some Dorothy/Lucas fluff and cuddles? 

…..Okay… so that was longer than I thought it would be… If you would like something shorter, I definitely can, and would be super happy to give you one. :) :D :D :D

Thank you for being so awesome!! Getting your message today was a pleasant surprise to wake up to today (you made me smile, I am really glad that I found your fanfic!!!)

I hope that you don’t mind me posting this… I started to get worried that Tumblr would gobble up this message if I did otherwise!! :) :D

I hope that you have a wonderful day today!! ttyl