#so i still have 2k words of what would have been the prologue saved up

[opossum-rights]

The Way Things Happen

After being caught in a villain attack, your life is intertwined with those of the aspiring heroes that saved you.

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Prologue: Word Count, 2k

You’d never thought it would happen to you.

That’s what they all say, isn’t it? Every evening the news broadcasts the latest villain attacks, and seeing the number of injured you can’t help but imagine what if you were involved in a situation like that. It’s only ever a brief hypothetical; being in your home makes the idea of danger seem so far away. There were times you felt scared by an attack, USJ and Hosu the most, but being a student in the business course neither really left much of an impact on you past moving into the dorms.

To put it simply, you’ve been lucky. With all the chaos in the city as of late, you nor your loved ones have ever been in so much as a minor accident.

You didn’t think you’d be the first.

…

“Good job today, kid,” says one of your supervisors. You jokingly huff at the nickname. You were the only business student able to land a work study position, so you were the youngest in the office by a sizable gap.

“Thank you, miss,” you reply, bowing your head as you pack your things.

“Need a ride?” She lives in an apartment building near yours, so there have been many times where she’s either picked you up or dropped you off. Everytime you say she doesn’t have to, but she insists. Her own kids have gotten to the age where they don’t need her to drive them around anymore and she misses the feeling. A sweet woman she is, looking out for you inside the office and out.

“Not this time, I have a couple errands to run.” You shrug on your coat, grab your scarf, and thank her for the offer.

“Alright then, just be careful. It’s late.” You assure her that you’ll be fine as you place your gloves on and walk out the main doors. She’s right, it’s already dark out.

It’s winter, the streets dotted with the occasional office worker just finished with overtime, yourself included. It’s the time when U.A. sends their students off to gain experience working in their field under the pros. You had gotten lucky, managing to land a spot with Best Jeanist’s PR team. You smile into the knitted scarf wrapped around your neck, still giddy at getting to work in the same building as the now 3rd ranked pro hero in the country. It isn’t everyday you see him, much less interact with him, but you know you made the right choice when he was there to personally welcome you and give you a tour of the main floor you’d be working on.

Taking a deep breath, you watch as the steam from your exhale fades into the air. You speed up to a light jog when your shop of choice comes into view. Stepping into the department store, you take a moment to soak in the heating as the doors close behind you. A small jingle plays signaling a customer, and a worker greets you. You politely smile back.

The harsh artificial lighting makes your eyes squint. Bringing a hand up to rub them, you’re suddenly thrown off balance, almost falling over but able to regain your footing.

“Don’t stand in the middle of the doors, dumbass.” You look up to see a man in a dark hoodie walk, more like stomp, in front of you. You stutter out an apology, but he only grunts in reply, turning away from you and moving behind a shelf. There was something about him that made you nervous. He looked almost scared, or erratic. You shake off the bad feeling in your stomach.

You try not to let your encounter sour your mood and make your way to the stationary aisle. The other workers at the agency sometimes poke fun at you for your taste in stationery, but you say that if every pen works the same you might as well pick one that’s nice to look at. You stand by this sentiment even if you can feel your wallet get a little tighter with each pack of star-shaped highlighters.

You spend your time browsing the selection, taking notes of any brands showcasing deals or collabs. No matter how unnecessary it is, you’ll buy it if it’s cute enough. A ceramic container catches your eye, pastel and polka dotted it would be perfect as a pencil holder. You take it in a gloved hand.

The aisle you’re in is on the other side of the store from the checkout area, which is why you weren’t able to hear what was happening. Where you can’t see, the man in the dark hoodie quietly threatens a cashier, telling her he’ll hurt her if she doesn’t give him all the money in the registers. She tries to stay calm, and buys time while she presses the panic button, alerting nearby heroes that there’s a situation. He gets angry, pulling out a knife and thrusting it out. That’s when you become aware that something’s very wrong.

A high-pitched shriek sounds out from a worker; a harsh wince causes you to drop the container. It breaks into small chunks as it hits the ground. You curse under your breath as you instinctively bend to clean it up.

“Shut up!” A man roars. The same man that you ran into when you first arrived, you recognize his voice. He sounds furious. You freeze, letting the piece of ceramic you had between your fingers fall to the floor.

“Please, sir-“ Another worker tries to calm him down. You can hear other customers in the store rush for the exit. You can’t bring yourself to do the same.

“Nobody moves!” You assume he has some kind of weapon, most of the footsteps stop and some people let out gasps. You can hear a kid muffle her cries from an aisle over. The beat of your heart sounds in your ears, and you can’t make your legs move. Still crouched to the floor, you focus your eyes on your shaking hands.

Someone yells out, causing you to realize it’s not only your hands shaking. You’d assume it was an earthquake if it wasn’t for the cracks splitting the floors and moving up the walls. It’s his quirk, someone must have done something to set him off.

This breaks you out of your trance. You stand up, one hand grasping a shelf as you struggle to keep your balance. It only gets worse. Items are thrown to the floor and displays are knocked over as people scramble for safety.

You try the same, making your way to the nearest exit sign. The man knocks it up another notch, making it hard to stand at all. You reach out to catch yourself on the wall, but it isn’t enough.

You fall onto your back, hitting your head on the ground hard enough to stun you for a moment. You grunt in pain, waiting for the ringing to fade back into clattering metal and screaming. Lifting yourself into a sitting position, you only see a glimpse of the shelf to your side as it falls right onto your left leg.

Your mouth opens to let out an agonized scream, but you can’t force out any audible noise. It’s broken; your nerves feel like they’ve been lit on fire. The pain makes you dizzy, forcing you to lie down. Trying to move it would be pointless, only causing more harm. There’s no way you’re going to be able to push such a dense metal object. You feel disconnected from it all.

Head spinning, you try to think back to your first aid classes. All U.A. students were required to take them, no matter the course. It doesn’t even occur to you that everything taught is virtually useless if you’re the severely injured one. You’re not a hero, you’re just a regular person. This shouldn’t be happening to you.

The shock of what’s going on makes you feel sick, dizzy, nauseous. The pain in your leg is so sharp that it dulls all your other senses. You’re in shock, and can only lay there helplessly as the cracks in the walls grow bigger and move up to the ceiling. You can’t even process the building growing darker as lights crash onto the floor, as do pieces of the ceiling. One must’ve fallen on the same shelf on top of you, as the pain reignited something fierce.

Your vision fades in and out while you try to gasp for breath. The sound of the building rumbling turns so severe that you know it’s about to collapse, and you pray that you pass out before it does. An explosion rings out, and you go limp.

You’d never thought it would happen to you.

…

It’s only light that you see, vague shadows moving in and out of your vision. You can’t hear, can’t feel, can’t move. There’s someone above you, that much you can make out. Your head feels like it’s stuffed with cotton, and slowly your hearing comes back. You’re only able to make out vague sounds, not the specifics of what they are. He’s yelling at something, not helping your head pain in the slightest. All of a sudden there’s another figure making its way into your vision. They’re yelling at each other, at least the first one is.

Gazing up at them you try to focus your vision. It doesn’t help much. You can make out that the first boy is wearing oddly shaped accessories on his lower arms and that the other has white and red hair. In the back of your head, something tells you that this isn’t the first time you’ve seen them, but you’re still too out of it to remember from where.

You can slightly feel someone grab one of your wrists. You glance over to see a head of green. The boy sees you’re looking at him and turns to the others to tell them something. They all turn to you. The loud one shouts over his shoulder, gesturing to you.

It starts to get overwhelming when more people arrive and start moving you around. You whimper, using your hand to grab the green-haired boy’s. He stills for a moment. Gently, he takes your hand between both of his, stroking the back of it. His lips are moving, but you can’t tell what he’s saying.

You’re being lifted up. It frightens you and you try to move but can’t. The boy must see how scared you are. He holds onto you as he stands to follow. He stays with you as they place you into a bright, loud, vehicle. The harsh attack on your senses causes you to fade in and out. You don’t know it, but he doesn’t let go until your eyes close and don’t reopen.

…

The evening news tells the story of a robbery gone wrong. None dead, but several injured. Though most had managed to escape the building before it collapsed. The perpetrator was captured by none other than the current number one hero Endeavor, off hours but just happened to be nearby with the U.A. students he’s mentoring. You almost got to meet him, shame you were in shock and being rushed to the hospital.

You had the most severe injuries, fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you see it. A couple of broken bones in your left leg and foot, a pretty bad concussion, and a fractured rib or two. You needed some surgeries, a couple weeks stuck in the hospital, and even longer stuck in a cast.

Once you came to and lightened up on the painkillers enough to think, you figured out where you knew the boys who saved you from. You saw them all do well at the sports festival and put on a performance with their class in the culture festival. The three first-year hero students with the most potential for the top, they say.

You should thank them sometime.

[darks-ink]

Ectober Week day 6: Unearthed (AO3)(FFN)

Content warning: Suggested character death, descriptions of corpses

In the stress of the events that followed the Accident, as Danny struggled to control his new-found ghost powers and as ghosts started attacking Amity Park, the trio completely forgot about the body that they had buried in the woods.

Until someone found it.

Crime in Amity Park, real actual crime, committed by humans, was exceedingly rare. Robberies and muggings were practically unheard of, never mind murders. And while ghosts attack the city almost constantly, physical injuries are very rare. Sometimes people get injured in the general chaos, hit by debris for a ghost fight, or get threatened, but no one ever gets killed.

So when a corpse is found in the woods near Amity Park, the whole town becomes abuzz with rumors and gossip.

The police are called, the crime scene thoroughly investigated, and the corpse is studied, but the public is told nothing except that a body was found.

But good God, were the police unprepared for this. Working in Amity Park prepared them for a lot of weird things, the job lending itself not to strict, highly experienced police officers but rather the adaptable younger officers, and most of them had never dealt with actual dead bodies like this.

And the investigation wasn’t easy, either. It clearly wasn’t a recent crime, the body partially decayed and burned beyond recognition. They can’t even prove if a ghost was involved or not, because any traces of ectoplasm that might have been left behind would have evaporated a long time ago.

The slight body is brought back, and carefully examined. It was almost impossible to determine the cause of death, but there didn’t seem to be any injuries. They determined it was likely that this person had been killed by the same thing that had scorched them so badly, but they weren’t sure what, exactly, that had been.

It was much easier to determine who this person had been. The corpse was male, a mere teenager at the time of their death. And while he had been burned beyond recognition, there were more ways to identify someone than just by looking at them.

When the results of the DNA comparison came in, every single person on the case was baffled. They decided to verify it by comparing the teeth of their corpse with the dental records of the DNA match.

It was an exact match.

There was only one problem; the person that was a perfect match for the corpse from the woods was still alive.

It was one of the newer officers who suggested that they didn’t actually know if he was, in fact, alive. And while this might normally get a person send off to get their head checked, it actually wasn’t too crazy for Amity Park.

The boy was still in the city, still lived with his parents and still attended school, but he hadn’t been to any medical check-ups in close to two years. It was absolutely possible that the boy was a ghost.

Which led to the next concern: was the ghost that lived among them in the city the teen’s own ghost, or was it a different ghost pretending to be someone he wasn’t?

While the ghosts of Amity Park weren’t known to kill people, they had been known to pretend to be alive. Some could even pull it off so convincingly that no one knew until the ghost blew its own cover, usually in a fight with Danny Phantom.

So the possibility that a ghost had attacked an innocent teenager, killed him, and then replaced him, was rather unnerving. It was made all the more chilling by the knowledge that this boy had died and no one had noticed until they found his corpse.

This opened the way to another horrifying possibility, however. Maybe the boy’s parents never noticed because they were the ones to kill him.

They had always been ghost nuts, even before Amity Park saw its first ghost. And if the boy had died two years ago, as his records implied, then that would have been just before the city had its first spectral visitors. The parents might have found a way to guarantee that the boy would become a ghost, and killed him so they had proof.

But the police weren’t paid to speculate, they were supposed to find evidence and prove what happened to the boy. And so they set out to FentonWorks, where they interviewed every member of the family separately.

They couldn’t diverge too much information during the interviews, of course, and the people they were interviewing weren’t the easiest either. Between the adult Fentons, who would constantly ramble about ghosts and their inventions, the older kid, who seemed to be analyzing every single word the police said (and even what they didn’t say), and the youngest kid, the possible victim, they had their work cut out for them.

The parents seemed genuinely upset by the news that the dead body that had been found was a teenager, and immediately jumped on the possibility that a ghost was responsible. While this would be rather suspicious for most people, it was rather characteristic for the Fentons. Between their responses, and their general behavior towards their family, it was declared unlikely that they were responsible for the death of their own son.

The oldest child, the daughter, also carried no answers. When she was asked if her brother had changed over the last years, she had shrugged them off and told them that “he was a teenager, it would be worrisome if he hadn’t”. Her gaze was sharp and calculating, however, and she was clearly taking in every word they said. They ended up cutting off the interview early, afraid of letting anything slip.

Her younger brother, the ghost, the possible victim, was the most befuddling. When they asked him if he had heard of the body that was found in the woods, he didn’t respond with recognition. No, his eyes lit up with fury that had the officers shaking in their shoes, and clenched his fists as if he would go out and beat up the person responsible right that instant if he had known who it was.

It was clear that this ghost wasn’t the killer of Daniel Fenton, but this just raised more questions. Because if he wasn’t the killer, and he didn’t know that it was his body that they had found (didn’t even seem to consider that possibility), then who was this ghost? Was it the ghost of Daniel who had forgotten about his death when he became a ghost? Or was this just some random ghost who decided to pretend that he was Daniel, and then never stopped?

When the officers met back at the station to discuss everything they had learned (and everything they hadn’t), they could only come to one conclusion; they had to interview the ghost again, but this time with a focus on identifying him.

This proved to be easier said than done, however, because they had to achieve this without the ghost finding out that they had found the body of the boy he pretended to be.

The spirit that may or may not be Daniel Fenton was brought into the police station for further interrogations. He seemed to have gone through a personality shift since the last time, however, and played the act of a stubborn teenager far more than he previously had. He was obstinate and bull-headed, eyeing them with utmost suspicion and constantly questioning why they were asking him this.

When the man leading the interrogation finally reached his wits end and growled out “Dammit boy, we know you’re a ghost” the specter freezes up, eyes blown wide with barely hidden fear.

“I- I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he stammered out. “Me, a ghost? That’s- that’s crazy.”

The interrogator sighed deeply. “Look, we identified the body as Daniel Fenton’s. That means that you,” he poked Danny in the chest with a finger, “are either Daniel’s ghost, or you’re some spirit playing pretend.”

Danny scowled at the officer and swatted away the finger, speaking with venom dripping from his voice, “I’m no pretender.”

“So then why not tell us who killed you? Because I gotta tell you kid, when we asked you about the body last time, you looked ready to murder whoever did it.”

Danny hunched in on himself, blushing, with embarrassment of all things clear on his face. “I… forgot.”

“You what?!”

The boy shrunk in even further, rubbing the back of his neck in what had to be a nervous gesture. “I forgot about the body.”

The officer blinked at him, stunned. “You forgot that you died?”

“Not that I died! Just- just where we left the body.”

The interrogator groaned, sinking his head into his hands. “Can you at least tell us who did it? Who was this ‘we’?”

Danny smiled sheepishly, still rubbing the back of his neck. “Uh, it was an accident. And my friends and I, we just kind of, uh, panicked. So we buried the body and then just kind of forgot about it?”

“Well, we’re gonna need official statements from you and your friends. And then we’ll have to inform your parents.”

“Wait, no, you can’t! They’re ghost hunters! Why do you think we decided not to tell anybody?!” Danny scrambled up, the panicked look back on his face.

“Look, it’s just protocol, alright?” the officer attempted to soothe, but Danny just glared at him.

“Really, you have a protocol for ‘a kid dies in an accident and comes back as a ghost’?”

“Kid, just calm down, okay? I promise you that it’ll be fine, your parents clearly love you.”

Danny huffed, but slumped back into his seat.

“Fine, so what now? Official statements from the three of us, and then? Gonna officially declare me dead? Send me off to the Ghost Zone? Set ghost hunters on me to make sure I don’t turn malevolent?”

The officer glared at him, but Danny ignored him.

“Well, if Phantom hasn’t kicked you out of the city then you’re probably fine to stay.” Danny snorted at this, but the officer didn’t understand why.

“As you guessed, we don’t have protocol for this. Most people outside Amity don’t know ghosts exist. Hell, most people in Amity don’t even know that they could pass for living as well as you apparently can.” Danny muttered something under his breath, but the officer didn’t catch what he said and chose to ignore it.

“So, we’ll take your statements, and then we’ll talk with your parents to figure out the rest.”

And so Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley found themselves at the police station, where they managed to comfort a once-again panicking Daniel Fenton, before all three had their statements taken.

Danny rode in the back of the police car with the same officer that had interrogated him earlier that day, and a female officer he didn’t recognize. He felt like he heading towards the gallows, ice-cold dread pooling inside him.

He also felt somewhat guilty that he hadn’t told the officers the truth, and hoped that it wouldn’t come back to bite him. But the truth was just so ridiculous, they probably wouldn’t have believed him anyway. Better to play along, he thought. Not that that stopped him from feeling guilty.

Instead he tried to focus on calming himself down. He took a deep, if somewhat shaky, breath. Calm down Fenton, he bit at himself. You’ve faced off against ghosts like Pariah Dark, but you’re scared of your own parents? They love you, they’ll accept you, and it’ll be fine. They don’t even know you’re Phantom! They have no reason to hate you!

All too soon, and simultaneously not soon enough, they reached FentonWorks. Danny followed the officers to the front door, still trying to cork up his overworked emotions. He’s so occupied that he doesn’t even listen to the conversation between the police and his parents, just trailed after them and slumped into a chair in the living room.

He heard the male officer clear his throat, and snapped back to attention, cringing slightly at the worried expressions on his parents’ faces.

“So, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton. As you know, we found the body of a dead teenager in the woods near Amity Park recently.”

His mom frowned, glancing between the officer and Danny. “Yes. But how is this related to Danny?”

“Well, we successfully identified the body-” Oh no, nope, too brash. They needed to break this to his parents with more care- “and we’ve received statements confirming it,” the man just kept talking, completely oblivious to Danny’s panicking. “The body belongs to your son, Daniel Fenton.”

Danny froze up, fingers digging into the armrests of the chair with almost enough strength to tear them, anxiously gazing at his parents. His mental cursing fell silent, dread washing away all his emotions until he just felt numb.

The expressions on his parents’ faces hardened, and their hands shifted to reach towards the anti-ghost weapons they carried, and yep, this was going exactly as he feared. But he stayed still, frozen in place.

The moment was broken when his mother swung up an ecto-gun, however, which was knocked aside by the female officer, the shot just barely missing Danny. He panicked, went intangible on instinct, and fell through the chair and onto the floor behind it.

“A dirty ghost replaced our son! Some filthy piece of ectoplasm killed our Danny and replaced him!” his dad roared, and Danny remained crouched behind the chair. He could feel adrenaline bubbling up, his core releasing ghostly energy into his body, and he was struggling to stop himself from transforming.

“Please calm down! We assure you that no ghost killed your son-” “And how can you be so sure?! It’s been pretending to be our son for lord know how long, how do you know it didn’t lie about- about killing him?”

Danny forced himself to block out the shouting match, glancing around the chair and catching the eye of the male officer. The man turned slightly towards him, then jerked his head towards the front door almost imperceptibly. Danny frowned at him before understanding dawned on him, and he turned himself invisible but remained in place for another moment to confirm. The man nodded, and Danny took this as a dismissal. He hesitated for another moment before turning intangible as well and launching himself towards the nearest wall, phasing through it.

Once outside, he confirmed that no one could see him, and then retained visibility again, having dropped his intangibility the moment he was through the wall. He stopped for a moment to think, trying to figure out what to do next. He checked that he still had his phone on him (he did, thankfully), and shot a quick text to Sam and Tucker, asking if he can stay over at one of their houses.

He stuffed the phone back into his pocket before they answer, deciding to go on a patrol first, to blow of some steam. He reached out to his ghost core and let the cold power flood over him, transforming him into Danny Phantom.

Turning invisible once again, he launched himself into the air. He retained visibility again somewhere in the clouds, but can’t bring himself to care.

Several hours later, while on patrol with Sam and Tucker, he received a text from Jazz. It simply read “mom and dad think that a ghost killed Danny and replaced him, wtf?” and Danny can’t stop the snort that comes through. God, what a mess.

“Hey guys, I gotta go talk to Jazz. I’ll meet you back at Tucker’s place, okay?” Receiving two nods as answer, he quickly texted Jazz (“omw”) and shot off towards FentonWorks.

He hovered outside her window and knocked, then entered as she nodded at him. He opened his mouth to explain himself, but Jazz was faster.

“So, what on Earth is this about?” she snapped at him, and he rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly.

“Well! When the accident happened and I became half-ghost, I may or may not have left behind my old, fully-human body. And since we were kind of, you know, panicking, we decided to bury it in the forest so no one would ever find out what happened.”

Jazz stared at him, incredulous. Danny hunched up in response, blushing in embarrassment.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I thought we were past lying to each other, Danny.”

“We are! I just… I just kind of forgot?” he muttered, guilt lacing his voice.

“Oh my God, please tell me you’re joking.” Jazz stared him in the eye, then sighed. “Danny, how on Earth did you forgot about the fact that you buried your own corpse in the fucking woods.”

“Look, the Accident was a really confusing time, and then I had to learn to control my ghost powers, and then ghosts started attacking and we just kind of forgot, okay? Now will you please help me explain this to mom and dad so they’ll stop shooting at me?”

Jazz looked at him with an expression he couldn’t read, but she put her hand on his shoulder and pulled him into a hug. “Of course, little brother. We’ll figure this out, okay?”

Letting go again, she put her hands on her hips and put on a determined expression. “So, first things first. How much are you going to tell them?”

“Uh, everything, I guess. Well, except for the Phantom part, they don’t need more encouragement to shoot at me.”

“You’re not going to tell them about Phantom? Are you sure?”

“Jazz...” He sighed. “If this goes well I’ll tell them, okay?”

She nodded, before cutting back to the original subject. “Alright, so you’re going to tell them that you got into an accident with the Portal, and that you instantly became a ghost, and that you freaked out and decided to bury your body and pretend nothing happened. Does that sound about right?”

“Yeah, I guess so. You think that that’ll be enough?”

“Of course it will be enough. The only reason they freaked out is because they care about you. Do you have somewhere to stay for tonight?”

“Uh, yeah, Sam and I are sleeping over at Tucker’s place.”

“Good, good. Come by tomorrow after breakfast and we’ll talk this through with mom and dad.” Seeing his hesitation, she spoke again. “Danny, don’t worry about it. Everything will be fine, I promise. Now go and get some sleep, because you need it.”

He smiled at her and disappeared. She shook her head, a fond smile on her face.

The next day, not long after his family would normally have breakfast, Danny found himself hesitating in front of the door of the house. He took a deep, fortifying breath, and then walked in.

He could hear quiet chattering coming from the kitchen, and made his way over. He watched them for a moment from the doorway before his dad spotted him.

“Danny-boy!” he boomed, before remembering their last interaction, face souring instantly. His mother’s face also fell, but Jazz smiled at him and grabbed their parents before they could pull out any of their weapons.

“What are you doing here, ghost?” his mother hissed. “Haven’t you caused us enough pain yet?”

Danny winced, and Jazz glared at their mother before chastising her. “Mom! I asked Danny to come over, not that it should have been necessary since he lives here.”

“Jazz, that’s not your brother. That’s some foul ghost playing a sick game of pretend.”

“No, you listen to me! Danny has been a ghost for two years, but he never told you. And this is exactly why! He came over to tell you what happened, and you won’t even let him!”

“Jazz, you knew? How- how long have you known?” Danny had never heard his dad so quiet, and he hated it. He hated everything about this entire conversation. He could barely stop himself from turning invisible.

“I’ve known for a while now, but he told me about a year ago. And yes, I know the entire story.” She looked over at Danny, hoping that he would take over to tell his story. Seeing that Danny wasn’t about to join the conversation, however, Jazz kept going. “Do you remember when he had an accident in the lab, in freshman year?”

His parents glanced at each other, and loosened up a little. “Was that it? Was it- was it one of our inventions that- that killed our son?”

Danny sighed, drawing the attention back to him. “Yeah. It was the Portal. I uh, I turned it on while I was inside.” He shrugged at them, smiling sheepishly. “You put the on button on the inside, that’s why it didn’t work.”

“Sufferin’ spooks,” Jack swore quietly, eyes locked on Danny.

“But if it was the Portal, then how did your,” her breath caught for a second, “your body end up in the woods?”

“I panicked, okay? We didn’t know what to do and we were all really freaked out so we decided to just bury my body in the woods and pretend it never happened.”

“Oh sweetie,” Maddie mumbled, standing up from her chair and walking over to Danny. She touched his face, gently, before pulling him against herself, hugging him. “Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry.”

A second pair of arms wrapped around the two of them as his dad joined in. “Oh Danny-boy,” he muttered, and Danny was shocked to see tears forming in his dad’s eyes.

“It’s- it’s okay. You didn’t mean it. I don’t blame you for panicking.”

Finally they pulled away again, and he saw his family all smiling at him, and he found that he couldn’t keep the truth to himself any longer.

“Actually,” he glanced over to see Jazz nodding her approval, and steeled his resolve. “Actually, there’s something else that I need to tell you. Uh, promise you won’t freak out?”

“Of course Danny-boy, you can tell us anything!”

He stepped away from them, closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply. Then he called on his ghostly core, and let its power wash over him.

“I’m, uh, I’m Danny Phantom too. This,” he made some vague hand motions towards himself, “is what I actually look like as a ghost.”

Suddenly he was drowning in warmth as his father hugged him again, ruffling a hand through his hair. “Look at my son the ghost hunter! I knew you would follow my footsteps!”

“Well, I still think that Phantom has done some… questionable things, but I’m guessing that you have an explanation for all of that?”

Seeing that Danny was getting overwhelmed, Jazz cut back in. “He does, trust me. He has told me everything.”

His mom nodded, and then smiled at him. “Then I must say that I’m proud of my ghost-hunting son as well. My own little superhero, huh?”

She re-joined the hug as well, and Danny’s dad grabbed Jazz and pulled her in as well. Danny melted away in the familial love, feeling far happier than he had in a long.

He was in such a state of bliss that his next words slipped out without intending it.

“Also I’m only half-ghost, I’m not actually fully dead.”

“WHAT?!”

Cut intro / Prologue of sorts.

Also available as a 15 chapter fanfic / sort of continuation eventually.

[ghostlywritten]

If Only I Had Stayed In The Shadows - Chapter Thirteen

James Potter x OC

A/N: This is more of a short interlude to explain James' thought on everything and a quick pre-taste on Cec's state of mind. I hope, you enjoy. Thank you for all your reviews and thoughts on it.

Words: 2k

Prologue  Chapter One   Chapter Two  Chapter Three  Chapter Four  Chapter Five  Chapter Six  Chapter Seven  Chapter Eight  Chapter Nine  Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve

James Potter was restless. He was giddy, he was elated, he was happy. The love of his life had said 'yes' to him! Or would have said 'yes' to him! Same difference. His brown eyes stared wide and awake at burgundy red canopy of his bed. He couldn't find any sleep within him. Not with the amazing revelation that he had discovered no longer than a few hours ago. Or was it only an hour ago?

He had lost any sense of time.

'It did not get me to say yes back then, but...'

'If I had known this side of you before, I might have agreed.'

'To- you know.'

'To going out with me', James thought, smiling as his heart burst in happiness. 'It worked exactly as I had planned. No, as Sirius had planned.' He remembered the party back then, when he tried the new tactic of 'being civil' and Sirius had suggested to take it up a notch. 'He was right all along.' The messy-haired boy turned his head towards the bed, where his best mate's form was sleeping peacefully and jumped up, promptly throwing himself on him.

"What-where-who?!" Sirius spluttered, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. James couldn't even think about how disgusting that was as he took his head and started planting multiple kisses wherever he could reach. "Oi Prongs, what-"

"Pads, you are the bestest mate any mate could ever ask for," James said word for word between every kiss. Sirius laughed, a smile reaching his eyes as he noticed how happy his brother in all but blood was.

"Of course I am," he boasted, "What made you finally realise it though?" James dropped himself down next to him, facing him with a blissful sigh. "Did you dream about me saving your life or something?"

"Yeah, something like that," James grinned, his eyes lit up and Sirius' smile widened, appreciating how infectious his good mood was. "You won't believe what happened today."

"Have you finally realised that I'm the better Quidditch player than you and are here to congratulate me?" Sirius guessed jokingly.

"Wha- no! Be sirius!" Sirius opened his mouth. "No, don't go there!"

"Wow," the grey-eyed boy chuckled, "you won't even let me do my signature joke. This must be big."

"It is," James looked at him with wide excited eyes, "You won't believe what Lily said to me today!"

Sirius blinked at him. "Evans?"

"Yes, Lily Evans," James replied impatiently, wondering if his best mate got hit on the head whilst Sirius wondered when the last time had been that he had mentioned her. "We talked today after studying and she literally told me that she would say 'yes' to me asking her out!"

Sirius' mouth opened but he was speechless. "What?" he cleared his throat, feeling dread creep up on him.

James giggled - actually giggled - in delight. "She said, if she had known this side of me that I've been showing her lately she would have said 'yes', Sirius! How bloody amazing is that!"

"Yeah, really amazing," Sirius said half-heartedly before looking at his mate grinning to himself in bliss, "But I mean, it doesn't matter anymore anyways, right?"

"Why? What do you mean?" James asked him confused and Sirius stared at him as if he were crazy. "Because you are with Cec now? You know, your girlfriend?!"

James' smile faded as he thought of his current girlfriend. "Yeah, Cec is the only hindrance right now. Lily will surely say yes when I'm not taken anymore."

Sirius stared at him in disbelief. "So, you're just gonna disregard her like that? Throw her away now that the red-head has finally decided to pay attention to you?"

James furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't understand why you are so surprised. This was the plan all along. Your plan, Pads." Sirius' heart dropped as he realised what his mate meant. 'I'm just saying that if you want this new tactic to work and make it actually believable you will have to go out with someone else. You know, make her see what she is missing and what she could have had…make her come to you.' "I thought you would be happy about this," James continued to ramble, feeling his elation deflate the more he thought about Cec himself. 'She will understand.'

"That- bloody hell, James," Sirius said, frustration clear in his voice, "I only said that so you would finally get your head out of Evan's ass and move on."

James frowned. "How would that have happened with that plan in mind?"

"I don't know, I thought you would bloody forget about the plan," Sirius sat, sitting up as he got more agitated, "Hell, I forgot about it long ago." James raised himself up as well, opening his mouth but his best mate cut him off, "I didn't think you would go along with the relationship for so long just for the slightest possibility that Evans would say yes to you. You were freaking together for almost a year."

"Eight months," James corrected, causing him to roll his eyes, "And of course, I didn't forget about the plan. It was the reason why I got together with Cec in the first place."

"Yeah, but I didn't think you were faking it this whole time."

"I wasn't faking it!" Sirius raised an eyebrow and James shook his head, confused why that had been his immediate reaction to the accusation, "I mean, I wasn't really faking it. I like Cec, but as a friend."

Sirius snorted, "Sure, your snogging sessions in every corner in this school was just friendly."

"That was just...practice-"

"Sure, it was."

"-for when I'm finally with Lily."

"James, you sound like a real dick right now," Sirius said deadpanned. James sighed frustrated, all the happiness gone. "I don't get it. You were all for it at first. Even came up with the bloody plan." He stilled as he watched his grey eyes flash with guilt and calmed down. "What changed your mind now?"

"Just...Cec is a great girl. And she made you great, too," Sirius said simply and he shot him a surprised look, "She made you reflect on everything more, think more about your future and what you're gonna do. We all started talking more about serious stuff and not just about who we are going to prank next."

"We didn't only do that!" James protested and Sirius sighed tiredly, "No, of course not. But most of the time."

James stayed quiet for a thoughtful second before remarked, "She is a good listener."

"And good with advices," Sirius added.

"And good in comforting."

"Definitely."

"And good in lightening up the mood...conversations are always easy with her," James continued and Sirius watched him silently as he noted his chocolate brown eyes glaze over as he remembered all the times with her, "Even silences are comfortable with her. And she is a bloody good Quidditch player. I bet you my life that the Montrose Magpies will recruit her some day...," James trailed off, her smiling face clear in his mind, "...yeah, she is great friend." Sirius groaned, hitting his face with his palm.

"What?" James asked, blinking.

"How can you still consider her with all the things you've just listed?" Sirius said exasperated.

"Sirius, I would bloody say all that about you as well," James countered back, causing his grey eyes to soften, "Except for the thing with the Montrose Magpies. You are not that good of a Quidditch player." Sirius scoffed, punching his arm lightly and they chuckled quietly together. "But you see what I mean. I consider Cec as a friend, a very good friend."

Sirius sighed in defeat. "And Lily," James continued, a besotted smile gracing his features, "She's just the light of my life. She is so beautiful and smart and always knows what to say. And she is funny-"

"Alright, alright. I get it," Sirius cut him off, dreading his long-ass speeches about Evans that he had not missed at all in the past months. "So, what are you gonna do now?"

"Well, explain everything to Cec, break up and then ask Lily out. Duh."

"She's so going to hate you for this," Sirius remarked. 'And me, too,' he thought, feeling his heart clench at the thought.

"Who? Lily?"

"No, Cec."

"No," James declined easily, settling back on the mattress with his arms behind his head, "She might get angry, but she will understand." 'She will.' "She always understands me."

"If you say so," Sirius said doubtfully, lying down next to him.

James listened to the breaths of his friends in the silent night, thoughts racing through his mind. Of all the times they had sat together in front of the fireplace in the common room, talking for hours on end. Of the dates they had in Hogsmeade, in the kitchens, anywhere on the Hogwarts grounds. Of her warm and loving gaze only directed at him, making him feel at peace and appreciated. Yeah...she will understand.

...

I sat, staring blankly into the darkness. It was probably way past midnight, maybe even the early morning. Or maybe just an hour had passed since I was hit with the crushing revelation.

I had lost any sense of time.

'It was just an act.'

'We look like we are besotted with each other.'

'James, you dumb asshole,' I thought numbly, only just realising the tears that had welled up and spilled over my cheeks, now that I was engulfed in darkness. I sniffed. 'You stupid, bloody asshole.'

Taking a shuddering breath I thought back on every single moment, wondering if there had been any sign - just a little one - that could have warned me. The sudden interest in me perhaps? I mean, I had been suspicious in his sudden disregard in Lily, but somewhere along the line I had let myself fall into the trap and started dating him. 'I should have persisted more. Maybe he would have told me of this blasted plan and spared me of what I'm feeling right now.' I closed my eyes, pressing a hand against my chest in hopes that it would somehow shield the hurting, beating organ from feeling any pain. An overwhelming pain that was starting to constrict my throat.

Opening my eyes, I desperately looked for any kind of distraction, seeing only a bed, dark tall walls and a few windows in the wish room Sirius had shown me not long ago.

'Sirius!' I bit the inside of my cheek as another painful wave hit me. Had he known about James' plan to use my oblivious self for his own selfish reasons, regardless of what would happen to me?

They were best friends, I would be surprised if he hadn't known.

A whimper escaped me as I staggered up and trudged towards the bed, dropping myself on it and curling up into the ball as tight as I could.

How life-changing a few seconds could be..

[vivianweasley]

Someone Better (Chapter 2)

Summary: Your friend invited you to a Hogwarts alumni blind date dinner party. She paired you with someone that looked like your ex boyfriend Draco, but what if the one you truly wanted was sitting at the other table?

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Fem!Reader, Draco Malfoy x Fem!Reader

Word count: 2K

Warnings: creepy guy (OC) being handsy, poor writing.

A/N: I guess you don’t really have to read the previous parts to read this? One part left! Hope you guys would like it:)

Prologue  Chapter 1  Epilogue

Please do NOT repost my work or translate it on another site without permission! Thank you! Reblogs and comments are always welcomed:)

It was a week before Christmas and your old Hogwarts friend, Lexie, came to visit you. But somehow she was shocked to learn that you were still single.

“Merlin, Y/N! You’ve been single for what? Three years now?” Lexie realized she was shouting since everyone in the book shop was glaring at her now. She lowered her voice, “Please tell me you’re already over Malfoy.”

“I am. It’s just that...I haven’t met anyone yet.” You came up with the most ambiguous excuse ever.

“Yea obviously! You’re not going to meet anyone if you keep hiding in this little book shop.”

“That’s not true,” you whispered. A particular face appeared in your mind, but you decided not to tell Lexie about it.

“Oh right! I’m arranging a blind date dinner party this Saturday at the Three Broomsticks. You have to come!”

“But I...”

“There’s not but! Don’t worry, it’s for Hogwarts alumni, so you probably know most of them already. And I will assign everyone a date! You have to show up, or else I’ll come kidnap you!”

You knew Lexie was just trying to help, even though her approach was a little bit forceful. But you reckon it’s not going to hurt, just think of it as a chance to meet new friends.

“Fine, I’ll go. Please don’t come kidnap me.”

Saturday, you actually took the time to clean up yourself. You did your makeup and put on a blue dress. 

To be honest, you couldn’t even remember when was the last time you dressed up like this. Was it when you were having dinner at Malfoy Manor on Christmas Eve when you were 16? Or was it the Yule ball?

“Y/N! You showed up!” Lexie dragged you to their table as soon as you entered the Three Broomsticks.

“This is Ralph Burke. You were in the same year.”

The man before you was pale and skinny. He was wearing a suit and his hair was styled neatly. For some reasons, you found him really familiar, but you couldn’t figure out where have you seen him before. So you just supposed that you two must have had the same class before.

“Nice to meet you. I’m (Y/F/N) (Y/L/N).” You held out your hand, but he took your hand and kissed the back of it. The unexpected intimacy froze you. You pulled your hand back stiffly, not knowing how to react.

Lexie was nowhere to be found now, so you just sat beside Burke awkwardly. You glanced around and saw Lee Jordan was also here. He looked uneasy too and he was looking around, possibly waiting for someone. 

Lee was Fred’s friend so you knew each other. You wanted to walk over to his table and chat with him instead, but Burke began talking, “So Y/N, where do you work?”

You couldn’t help but furrowed your brow a bit. Since when were you two on first-name basis now?

“I’m working at Flourish and Blotts.”

“Why would a girl like you work at a place like that? It’s a waste of your talent. Look, I know some people in the Ministry. I could introduce you to them.”

“Thank you, bu I...”

“You don’t have to feel embarrassed. My position in the Ministry is actually pretty decent and I know many people from ‘up there’...” And he went on ranting about how successful he was, but your attention was soon captured by a familiar figure walking into the Three Broomsticks and towards your table.

So Fred was the person that Lee was waiting for! 

He saw you too and you could see he was surprised. You waved at him and decided to just ignore Burke and go sit with Fred. But Lexie’s voice pushed you back to your seat again.

“Brilliant! Everyone is here now! So I assume you already knew, the person sitting next to you is your date tonight! Please don’t swap dates since I spent ages picking them specifically for each one of you! And please do me a favor. At least give me two couples tonight, alright?”

Everyone was laughing along, but you could only produce a forced laugh. Why would she pair you with someone like this? What exactly was going on in Lexie’s brain?

Much to your dismay, you listened to Burke bragging about how brilliant he was for the entire night. But you found yourself keep glancing at Fred. His date tonight was Hannah Abbott and he was making her laugh. It seemed like they were having a good time. 

You hated to admit it, but you were jealous. It seemed like he could chat and flirt with anyone and make them laugh so effortlessly. Was Fred like this to everyone? So you weren’t special?

You didn’t even have time to process what’s the meaning behind your thoughts, but Burke’s hand already snaked around your waist.

You were stunned by the touch and tried to back away from him.

“Oh sweetheart, don’t pretend like you don’t like it,” he was clearly drunk, “We both know I’m just your type.”

You froze. You finally realized why you felt like you’ve seen him before. He was trying to imitate Draco all along and he was doing it since when you were still at Hogwarts. Draco used to complain about him before, but you thought he was just pathetic and told Draco to just let him be.

“I’m so much better than Draco Malfoy! Why can’t I get his girl?” He was inching closer and closer to you. You were trying to back away from him, but he was gripping tightly on your arm. 

“Mate, back off from my girl!” Burke was suddenly dragged off of the seat and thrown to the floor by someone.

It was Fred! 

You ran to hug him, possibly smashing your face into his chest.Your brain was flooded by a mixture of anger, terror, and distress. It was as if the nightmares from your last two years at Hogwarts came back. You were trembling and you finally started to cry. But Fred hugged you back and whispered comforting words in your ear.

You couldn’t hear the crowd and Burke’s wailing anymore. All you could hear was Fred whispering softly, “Do you want to get out of here?”

You nodded and hugged him tighter.

The noise in the Three Broomsticks disappeared. Fred apparated the both of you into his apartment above the joke shop.

Fred led you to the couch in front of the fireplace and wrapped you around with a blanket.

He was about to go to the kitchen to pour you a cup of warm tea, but you were holding on the hem of his jumper, “Can you...can you stay with me for a while?”

Fred nodded and sat beside you on the couch. You rested your head on his shoulder. Fred was going to wrap his arm around your shoulders, but then he realized that someone was just harassing you. He didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable, so he just rested his arm on the couch instead.

You both remained silent for a while. The only sound you could hear was the crackling fire in this silent apartment. 

“So, why were you there?” Fred finally spoke.

“Why were you there?” 

“Lee dragged me there.”

“Lexie dragged me there.”

Fred chuckled, “Guess we are the same then.”

“Fred?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for saving me today,” you said softly, without looking at him. The scene of him saving you was playing on repeat in your mind. And Merlin, the words he said were also making the butterflies in your stomach go crazy. You lowered your head more, praying that he wouldn’t see you blushing.

“No worries.” He joked, “But seriously though, what was your friend thinking pairing you with a git like that?”

“Maybe cuz she thought I still fancy that type. You know, someone like Draco or whatever.”

This was probably the first time that Fred ever heard you mention Draco’s name.

“So you don’t fancy that type anymore?” Fred was nervous when he asked this question. He felt his heart was going to pop out of his chest at any minute.

“No I don’t.” 

Fred sighed in relief, “That’s brilliant! I mean..I just want to say that...it’s good to look forward! Anyways, where are you staying for Christmas? I can send you a Christmas present.”

Fred’s reaction made you smile. “You are going to give me a present? What is it? Give me a hint!”

You were really excited. You looked at Fred with anticipation lighting up your eyes. The fire in front casted a soft glow on your face and Fred could see the speckles in your eyes now. He was simply lost in your eyes. For a moment, he thought he must be drunk, or what else could possibly be clouding his senses right now?

“Haven’t made up my mind yet. What present do you want for Christmas?”

“You.”

Yep, Fred was pretty sure he was definitely drunk now, “What?”

You didn’t know when did you became so bloody brave. Maybe it was because of the festive atmosphere. Maybe it was because you still couldn’t think straight from the unpleasant incident that happened just now. 

You took a deep breath and began, “Maybe I read everything wrong. Maybe you helped me only because you are a nice person. Maybe you were just talking rubbish when you called me ‘your girl’. But screw that. I fancy you Fred, for quite a while now. So if you really want to give me what I want for Christmas, all I want for Christmas is you.”

Fred was speechless for a while.

During the one or two minutes that he remained silent, you felt like an absolute idiot. Great, now Fred must feel awkward and is probably thinking about how to turn you down politely. 

What should you do? Pretend that you were just talking nonsense because you were drunk? Or should you just disapparate? This seemed like a nice idea. It is fast and you don’t have to explain anything.

You reached for your wand, but when you were about to say the spell, you heard Fred say, “I fancy you too.”

Now it felt strange hearing an affirmative answer. Your eyes widened and you were just staring at him while still holding your wand.

Fred chuckled, “Does it mean that I don’t need mistletoes to kiss you now?”

You finally let out a laugh. You nodded and he pulled you closer. When your lips were pressed together, you thought this was probably the best Christmas present you could get.

“Fred,” you were cuddling on the couch now with your head resting on his chest. “Do you know why I never mention anything about Draco?”

“Merlin, you just said you fancy me a few minutes ago and you are already talking about your ex boyfriend?”

You slapped him on his arm jokingly, “I didn’t talk about him not because I was still not over him, but because I was scared to talk about anything that happened during my last two years at Hogwarts. But I think I’m getting better now. I think I can finally begin to talk about those years now.”

He ran his fingers through your hair and he kissed your hairline, “That’s all in the past now. We can make new memories from now on.”

You smiled and closed your eyes. You were always worrying about your future and torturing yourself with your past, but right now, you were just living in this moment. His embrace was so secure and comfortable, you couldn’t help but slipped into a peaceful slumber. It has been a while since you last fell asleep so easily.

[cxmetery-gates]

VALOR - DARTH MAUL

PROLOGUE: FREEDOM

SUMMARY: Ucilla Zykoff, a troubled Padawan, and her Master are sent to protect Duchess Satine Kryze alongside Master Qui-Gon Jinn and Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. However, an ambush leaves Ucilla wither her first taste of freedom. WORD COUNT: 2k NOTES: I told myself not to make a Darth Maul fic. Oops. I also told myself to just make my OC human and definitely do not create a race of near-humans. Didn’t do that either. I’ll be posting a ramble about Ucilla’s species in the future! WARNINGS: sci-fi violence, kinda angsty?

VALOR MASTERLIST

THROUGH THICK CLOUDS OF DUST and an onslaught of armored fighters closing in, a racing heart hammered as erratic as the blaster fire pointed in her direction. Wrath encased the young girl, white-hot rage allowing for her power to extend to the weapons stationed in her hands. A fuchsia hue lit up her surroundings as each blade swung, a bubble appearing as if forming a shield to deflect the oncoming storm.

Ucilla Zykoff huffed at a lock of loose icy blonde hair that attempted to block her vision. Her palms were beginning to perspire as she worked beside her Master, blocking blaster fire and reflecting them back into the chest of her enemies. The rebels were no match against two well-trained Jedi, so her bewilderment as to why the Mandalorian terrorists were not aware of their eventual defeat was only natural for the hot-headed Padawan.

A beam of scarlet missed Ucilla's head by an inch. Recalling the time a blaster bolt constrained her to rely on a splint for a month, Ucilla, with her teeth bared, swung her lightsabers at great speed and agility, projecting two rounds through a pair of skulls.

The Jedi Council sending Ucilla and her Master on this mission was inevitable. Growing concerns about a civil war was on the rise caused by a heritage-based splinter group stirring up problems, leading Mandalore to grow more and more worried. To diffuse the tension between the planet and the traditionalist Mandalorians, the Council sent two of their best Jedi along with their Padawans to take care of the situation and to protect the future Duchess.

Peacefully and civilly, they were told.

One of Ucilla's lightsaber penetrated upwards through the ribs of a human who flew too close, the other blade thrown to dismember another while slicing through their jetpack.

Well, at least she tried.

Following traditional Jedi styles of dueling did not come as naturally as the offensive for Ucilla. As a Youngling, Ucilla was routinely reminded that the light side of the Force should control her movements rather than relying on defeat or death as her enemy's outcome. Ucilla guessed her aptitude for aggressive maneuvers was why Adi Gallia was assigned as her Master. Adi Gallia was one of the best of Jedi Masters: focused, determined, and, perhaps most importantly, strong with the light side. It would not have surprised Ucilla to find out the Jedi Council were hoping Master Adi would rub off on the girl.

Ucilla deflected another torrent of bolts, the swing of her two purplish-red lightsabers creating a haze around her lithe figure. Not too far away, the Padawan spotted her Master, a cobalt saber cutting through attacks as if this were nothing more than practice.

Amidst the battle, Ucilla suddenly felt vibrations beneath her feet, the tremble of echoes. Her mind was mostly focused on the assault, but her species' sensitive senses allowed for the Padawan to identify the peculiar shifts in the ground: the reverberation of what sounds like footsteps in a tunnel.

Confused, Ucilla willed herself to focus on the dirt, throwing herself behind a fallen building to lay close to the ground, pressing her ear into the rubble. As impossible as it seemed, Ucilla felt the quakes beneath the earth of Kalevala as terrorists moved in and move out, both above and beneath the surface. Suddenly, there were scattered explosions, the dirt beginning to loosen and with her sharp senses, Ucilla could sense what her Master could not.

Per his instruction, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn's Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Duchess Satine Kryze took a speeder to the rendezvous point, their hide-out on Kalevala. What was supposed to be an investigation into the seeming ghost town turned into the battle Ucilla and the two Jedi Masters face alone in the center of the city― nearing the heart of the next attack.

"Kriff," swore Ucilla, bouncing up to her feet. During the ambush, Ucilla and Master Adi became separated from Master Jinn. Before their separation, Master Jinn made the remark that this could have been a trap to capture the Duchess while in search of food and supplies. Ucilla, ever the pessimist, agreed with the Jedi Master's assessment, but she wasn't prepared for the explosions erupting under her feet as the Mandalorians' attempt to usurp the future ruler.

In hindsight, the action makes complete sense for their war-hungry kind. Looking at where she was, to blow up an entire city just to undermine four Jedi is in ancient Mandalorian style, after all.

Her thoughts shifted to the Padawan and Duchess. Both Jedi Masters ordered Obi-Wan and Duchess Satine to head back to their hide-out before so much as a scout found them. Now, Ucilla wondered how long they were in the enemy sights. Fearing the worst, Ucilla could only imagine the fight Obi-Wan and the Duchess found themselves in now.

"Master!" Ucilla cried out, rushing towards Adi. The two Jedi make haste to hide behind debris. With their backs against the dusty, fallen pillar, Ucilla took several deep breathes before facing her Master. "There's a tunnel system beneath us, and from what I've learned about these traditionalists, I don't think they're just for soldier transportation. I think the Mandalorians are setting off bombs to destroy the city."

Master Adi nodded. "They want to take over Kalevala the only way they know how: through destruction."

"Unfortunately," Ucilla growled, ducking her head as a shot skimmed over the pillar. "We need to get out of here. I sense something worse than blasters if we do not leave."

The Tholothian give an aspirated exhale. "Try to retreat to the alley," Master Adi responded. "From there, we will find Master Jinn."

Ucilla looked behind her where Master Adi's eyes were trained. An alley could be spotted but there was a far and wide opening between them and safety. But orders were orders, and a good Padawan listens to their Master.

The Jedi leap from their position, finding an assault of beams pointed in their direction. Ucilla could not tell for sure, but it seemed as though the number of Mandalorians multiplied by tenfold. Even with two fuchsia sabers, Ucilla thought another just might help.

And perhaps it would have: Ucilla fell to the ground with a yelp when blaster fire shot through her left shoulder. The sensation burned every charred piece of flesh that the fire dug through until it shot through the other side.

The blonde Scaki shot backwards on her back, rolling to avoid further hits. Unlike ever before, an indescribable shade of red passed over her vision, turning her agonizing pain into raw power. Had her Master had the time, Master Adi most likely would have scolded her Padawan for using the Force to propel a dozen advancing Mandalorians straight into the buildings so fast that they had no time to scream before death took them.

"Ucilla!" the Master cried, scarcely lifting her eyes from blasters. "Are you alright? Can you get to safety?"

The voice of Master Adi broke Ucilla's concentration, a good thing for everyone.

Grunting with a shake of her head, Ucilla stood, attaching one saber to her belt while the other continued to block incoming attacks. "Go," the Padawan shouted, "I'll cover you, Master."

As though the earth below let out a large exhale, the ground beneath the square quaked, a rumble coming from the underground. For a moment, Ucilla, Master Adi, and the rebels ceased all fire as their balance became lost.

No one found their ground again. With another mighty roar, the earth was close to collapse. Ucilla knew this, so did Adi.

The Force was hesitant with Ucilla's desires, as if pleading not to. Ucilla was not after a suicide mission, but the fear of her permanent death did strike a punch to her courage. As long as she planned it timely, she would survive.

And she was right.

Just moments before, Ucilla Force-pushed her Master several meters away and, no more than a few seconds later, Ucilla found herself running away from the collapsing earth, yet still caught amongst the rubble. Using all that she was trained in as well as the gifts of her species, Ucilla dug through the rubble, ensuring where she lied would not allow for rubble to completely crush her.

Ucilla's heart was loud in her eardrums. Darkness encased her no matter where she was. Her golden eyes were attuned to the dark, yet no shapes could be spotted in the enclosed space. The air was thick in dust, heavy in uneasiness. It was moments like these where Ucilla wished she had paid more attention in her training. Though mediation was an easy skill, the impending doom disrupted all her thoughts, slicing through any kind of call she attempted to push out.

No matter how hard she tried to call out to her Master, Ucilla came to realize no one was coming to help her. It was not long before Ucilla felt her Master slip away, no doubt joining up with Master Jinn and Obi-Wan to relocate with the Duchess.

She should have known the Jedi Master would not come to search through the rubble. There were matters far more important than a Padawan: cities to protect, battles to be fought, innocents to save. The Jedi were sent to Mandalore to protect the world and the rulers from the rebel group, and Ucilla's passing would not hinder such plans. The Scaki girl would be remembered for her bravery and self-sacrifice.

Shock eventually took over. Before long, all Ucilla could feel around her was the dirt in the callous of her fingers and weight of stone trying to collapse. As though her breathing stopped entirely, Ucilla's racing heart, thoughts, and very life also seemed to slow down. The Padawan almost felt dead as she lied in a state close to rigor.

A great feeling entered her as she found strength to move. Fearing that she would perish alone under a fallen city, anger and preservation finally unlocked her lifeless body. Her hands pressed against the stone slabs, nails dig into dirt, and shoves force the rubble around her to lift away, creating an opening for the moons and starlight to fill the void.

Ucilla was cautious as she ascended. No life could be spotted according to her senses, but she was still not completely convinced. When her hands gripped the edge of the ground from where it fell, she pushed herself over, only to end up lying face up in the dirt, her breathing hard and muscles shaking.

The stars that dotted the sky looked similar to those above Coruscant. All constellations began to look alike after seeing so many skies on so many worlds. She found no home in the night sky she watched as a Youngling, and now, as she watches the interstellar clouds on Kalevana, Ucilla realized she never had a home. All she had was a cell.

It was not long before Ucilla let out a laugh, her golden eyes watching the stars shine down on her. Her pale hands reach up to cover her mouth, a giggle escaping between her fingers. It was only then did she feel the tear-stained paths on her cheek, but by that point, it was unclear whether those broke free amidst her turmoil or as she relished in her newfound joy.

So, this is what freedom tastes like.

Ucilla found her golden eyes lost in the fields of stars and nebulas. Just as them, she had no obligations, none to abide by or listen to. She had herself and that felt like enough.

As Ucilla walked towards where she came, she stumbled across her discarded cloak. After brushing away the dust, the now-presumed-dead Padawan slipped her arms through the sleeves then pulled the hood over the top of her head. Ucilla stuffed the lightsaber attached to her belt into the inside pocket in as she leaned down to grip a discarded blaster.

Kalevana was not completely desolate. All planets have populated cities full of inhabitants who want nothing to do with wars or Jedi business. That was what she planned to find, and Ucilla was apt to have her way.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

TAGLIST:

@bonesaldente​

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[gracelessfighters]

Dragonfly

Chapter 1

Summary: Y/n has just moved to the Outer Banks and is struggling to enjoy it until she meets a few certain pogues (again its an awful summary i’m sorry)

Word count: 2k

Warnings: I don’t think theres anything

A/N: I was originally doing a one shot with this but I hadn’t even got to writing the main bit yet when it seemed to be getting longer so I think if people like it I’ll make it a series and this is kinda like the prologue because theres not much interaction with the pogues and stuff (also the grammar might not be great but oh well) - any feedback would be lovely!

It had only been a week since you’d moved away from Oregon, starting a new life in the Outer Banks, and so far you were struggling to enjoy it. Yes, it was a beautiful place but it wasn’t home to you yet, no matter how hard your dad tried to make it seem like it was, you missed being on the mainland, where you could drive to places whenever you wanted, you missed your friends, but most of all you missed your mum. Your mum dying a few months ago was what caused your dad to move out here - he no longer wanted to be reminded of her wherever he went, whether that was to Cannon Beach where you spent most of your time surfing, swimming and being with your friends (or your mum depending on the day); or if it was just to the shops, he’d be reminded of her everywhere, so apparently that meant he would drag you both to the other side of the country, far away from everything you loved.

It could’ve been worse, you supposed, he could’ve moved somewhere without a coast, which would’ve been your own personal hell, as being in the water was what made you happy and where you went to cool off if you’d argued with your dad or had a bad day.

Annoyingly, since moving here you’d only been able to get down to the sea in the evenings or at night as your days were spent either unpacking or looking for a job somewhere on the island. So far you had returned back to your house, having no luck in anyone hiring you, today was different though, you’d been offered a job at this place called the Wreck, a cute little restaurant in the middle of the island, and you had bought some food from there back with you so you and your dad could celebrate a little.

Pulling into your driveway, you turned off the engine, before getting out you stopped to look at your house - it wasn’t a great looking house, you knew this, and according to the sales person who sold it to your dad, it hadn’t been lived in for a while, which was obvious by the fact that your dad had been fixing it up all week. Your family had never come from money, your dad was a plumber and your mum had been a teacher at a high school, so not hugely paying jobs - but the money (or sometimes lack thereof) hadn’t bothered you guys, as long as you had enough money to eat well and enjoy life together, then it was alright. You agreed with this mentality, but you liked having a part time job to pay for certain things, it was how you’d saved up for a car and how you got your surfboard, so it was worth it.

Stepping out of the car, you made your way to the front door to go inside, and headed straight for the kitchen to put the food you’d brought back with you into the oven to reheat a little before eating.

Realising you hadn’t heard your dad say hello, you called out, “Hey dad, I’ve brought food, where are you?”

You heard a faint answer from the bathroom, and when you got there he was on the floor and attempting to fix the pipes under the bath by the looks of it.

“Hey, how’s that going?”

“Terribly if I’m being honest, one of these pipes had rotted from the inside out so when I tried attaching something to it, it snapped.”

“Oh that’s fun, please tell me the shower still works?”

“Yes it does, don’t worry you won’t have to go anywhere smelling like you do now.” He laughed as you stuck your tongue out at him.

Stepping back slightly so he could stand up, you replied, “And to think I brought you some food, guess I’m just gonna eat it all myself now after that comment.”

You began walking back towards the kitchen when your dad put his arm around your shoulder, “Oh, if food is on the line I take it all back, you smell great.”

“Wow thanks, that seemed really sincere.” You say, smiling back at him as you reached for the oven gloves to get the food out of the oven and onto the plates on the side.

Once you had dished everything up, you both sat at the small dining table in the corner of your kitchen, a comfortable silence falling between you as you dug into the food in front of you.

Your dad broke the silence, “This is really good, where is this from?”

“A little restaurant called the Wreck, that also happens to be where my new job is.”

“You got a job? Damn, you kept that quiet.” He laughed, “I’m really proud of you Y/N, and I know your mum would be too.”

You looked up at him, smiling, “Thanks dad, and there’s no need to be emotional, it’s just a part time job.”

“I think you’ll find I can be proud of you whenever I want, which just happens to be all the time because you’re amazing my little dragonfly.” He reached across the table to ruffle your hair, before retuning focus back to the food in front of him.

You also looked down at your plate, still smiling but trying to stop your dad from seeing how your eyes watered at the nickname your mum had given you when you were younger. The nickname came from the time you and your mum had gone on a walk in the woods near you, where there was a big lake, with hundreds of dragonflies flying around it - initially you had tried to catch some of them, but when that failed, you’d stayed still, holding your hand out hoping one would land on you. Within minutes a large blue one had landed on your hand, which was then followed by a couple more, your mum had taken a picture of this, capturing the joy on your face when you looked at the multiple dragonflies. Since then it had been your nickname, your mum even getting you a cute silver necklace with a dragonfly charm on it for your birthday a few years back - which you’d pretty much never taken off.

“So,” your dad spoke up again, “at this place, the Wreck, are there any people your age who work there as well?”

“Um, there weren’t many people working today when I was in there, but there was this one girl, I think its her family who owns it, and she seems quite nice.”

“That’s good, hopefully you might become friends then.” He smiled at you reassuringly, you bit back your comment about how you had friends at home because you knew he only meant well, and he was struggling just as much as you were in this move, so you just nodded and ate your last mouthful of food.

After you had cleaned your plate, you said to your dad, “I think I might go surfing in a bit, once my food has settled, because I’m going into work tomorrow to collect my uniform and do a small shift, and I’ll probably be too tired to do it after that.”

“Okay that’s fine,” he turned to you as you walked out the room, “just don’t be out too late, and like usual, be careful.”

“I’m always careful.” You smile at him before going upstairs to get ready.

—————

The beach was nice and empty at this point in the evening, probably because the sun was just setting and people would rather not be out in the cold or dark. But you liked the peace and quiet of it, hearing the waves crash against the sand always relaxed you, and there was no need to worry about what other people think of you if there are no people around which was a bonus.

You set out into the water, board in hand, before it was deep enough to get onto it and paddle out a little further. Once you were far enough out, you began waiting for the perfect wave, riding a few that weren’t too great in the meantime, enjoying it all the same though. As you were sat on your board, waiting for another wave, you heard some voices on the beach, and looked over there to try and make out where abouts it was coming from. Eventually you saw a couple of figures walking across the beach, and from where you were it looked like two guys, maybe around your age, but they hadn’t noticed you yet and you weren’t sure whether you wanted them to.

It was unlikely you would be unnoticed for long though because if they looked out to the water they’d be able to see a person, especially if you were riding a wave. Checking the water behind you again, you saw a promising wave begin to form, and so you began paddling to try and catch it, forgetting about the boys on the beach as you focused, and just before the wave broke you stood up, and started riding it. You turned to angle yourself on the wave slightly better before doing a kick flip, and successfully landing it - you couldn’t help but let out a little whoop at your success, always happy when you landed a trick well. After this you only managed a few more seconds on your board before the wave crashed onto you, knocking you into the water.

You quickly swam back up to the surface, getting your board beneath you so you could start paddling towards the beach - deciding to end the night on a high and before it got late enough for your dad to start worrying about you.

As you got nearer the beach you saw that the boys who you’d seen walking were now standing there watching you come out of the water, you’d been right about them spotting you when you were out there.

Once out of the water you rang your hair out before putting it into a bun to keep it out of your face, and just as you started moving again the two boys approached you, in a way that seemed nervous you thought. The closer they got, the more attractive they became, both very tall, one with long brown hair and the other blonde and both with incredible bodies. Damn maybe you wouldn’t mind it here after all.

“Hey, we haven’t seen you around here before, are you new?” One of them, the brunette one, asked.

“Um yeah I moved here last week.”

“Oh that’s cool, by what we saw you do just then I’m assuming you surf a lot?” This time it was the blonde one who had asked the question, and as he did you could see his eyes move up and down your body, a small smirk on his face when he met your eyes.

“Yeh I lived by the coast in Oregon, so I’ve pretty much surfed since I was a kid, which is basically the only thing this place has in common with home, so I’m taking advantage of that.”

The brunette spoke up again, “Thats nice, um, I’m John B and this,” he indicated to the other boy, “is JJ.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Y/N,” you smile at them, “but I need to go now, so I guess I’ll see you around?”

“Yeh that’d be great” JJ replied as you turned around and starting walking back up to your car, turning around one more time to give them a quick wave.

Once you were at your car, you could still faintly hear them, and from what you could work out they were talking about you, nice things it sounded like, you rolled your eyes and got into your car to drive home and collapse in your bed, still thinking about the way JJ had looked at you.

[highpope]

Silver Keys - Ch. One

JJ Maybank x oc / Soulmate AU / Topper x oc

warnings: none, if there are any let me know!

Word Count: 2k ish

Notes: Hi guys, sorry this is so long overdue. I was fighting with this one. But i really wanted to update this story. It’s not my fave but that’s okay. ** As always, reblogs and feedback is welcome and appreciated. 

Masterlist - READ PROLOGUE FIRST :))

June sat at the piano she got for her 16th birthday. She had been saving up for years and finally had enough money for a keyboard. It wasn’t the same as the beautiful grand piano at her instructors, but it did the job. June nervously watched the clock tick down to midnight and tried to focus on the song she was trying to learn. If she came into lessons next week without having learned at least half of it she wouldn’t be on track to play at the recital in a few weeks. It was a big deal to her parents, and June too. The recital was on the mainland with tons of different kids from the surrounding areas. June had never gotten an opportunity to play and she wasn’t about to let worrying about her potential soulmate stop her. 

She took a deep breath and began to play. As the minutes turned to seconds, June was gracefully gliding her fingers up and down the keyboard, trying to make sense of the melodies, allowing the notes to soak into the room. 

On the morning of her birthday, June walked down the stairs into the kitchen to see a note and a box of donuts. It was Saturday, meaning both her parents were working and Olivia, her sister, was going to be sleeping the day away. June grabbed a powder sugar donut from the box and read the note: 

Happy Birthday, Love! We can’t wait to celebrate with you tonight. 

Have fun today, Mom and Dad

She smiles and folds the note up. June was just about to grab another donut when the doorbell rang. She looked at the time, 9:30. There’s no way any family member would be stopping by and Olivia’s friends wouldn’t show up unannounced. June opens the door to reveal JJ dressed in shorts and a light long sleeve t-shirt. 

“Happy birthday Ju Ju!” JJ exclaims.

June rolled her eyes, “God, please don’t call me that.” She opened the door wide to let him in. The nickname originated from June’s younger sister. They were five years apart and she couldn’t properly say June’s name for quite a while. So from ages 5 to 8, she was Ju Ju. 

“Nah, I think 18 is the year we bring it back,” JJ said, slinging his arm around her shoulders. 

“Absolutely not,” June says, tapping his cheek lightly, “Thanks though.” He smiles as she jumps up onto one of the stools in the kitchen, “what’s up?”

“You, miss birthday girl, have very important places to be. Go get dressed.” 

“Where exactly do I have to be?” 

“Well, first, Kie’s and then,” JJ motions like he is zipping his lips and throwing the key away. June narrows her eyes causing him to throw up his hands in defense. 

“Okay, fine, but don’t eat my donuts!” June runs up the stairs and begins to get ready. She decides on a blue tube top, shorts, and a white cropped jacket. She runs a brush through her hair and packs her swimsuit and a few other things in a drawstring before going down the hallway to leave a note for her sister. She tells her where she’s going to be and to call when she gets up. 

JJ and her drive to Kiara’a in his truck, the windows down and the radio stuck on the same channel it’s been on since he got it. They’ve learned to tolerate it. JJ was so proud of the truck when he first showed the pogues. He had gotten a busted down pickup from some guy on the island and fixed it up pretty much by himself. The rest of them promised to never make fun of it. 

“Happy Birthday!” The pogues yell when June opens the door. She can’t contain her laughter. Everyone is wearing pink sparkly party hats. Kie instantly comes over to her, throwing her arms around her neck, “baby is eighteen!” June squeezes back and accepts a hat identical to the rest and hands one to JJ who shuts the door behind them. 

“Looking good, boys.” June laughs at Pope and John B posing in their hats. 

“It’s the required attire didn’t you hear?” John B asks, kissing the top of June's head and Pope slinging an arm around her shoulders. They lead her through the kitchen and the sliding door to the outdoor patio. The lounge chairs are set up along with string lights and a birthday banner. It was perfect. The whole thing, being with her favorite people, the perfect weather. 

“You guys didn’t have to do all of this.” 

“But you deserve it. You’re always the first to do anything for the rest of us,” Pope says. 

“He’s right, Juney,” Kie says, smiling. 

“You’re a bunch of saps,” JJ says plopping into a chair. 

After spending the morning and early afternoon hanging out in Kie’s backyard, the five piled into the van and headed down to the beach. The boys were in the water before June could even set her stuff down. It was arguably not warm enough to swim, but that didn’t stop them. Kie and June decided to layout, occasionally sneaking a few drinks from the water bottle filled with alcohol. 

“So how are you feeling about the whole soulmate thing?” Kie asks, bumping her shoulder against June’s. 

To be honest, June had forgotten all about it. She could barely sleep last night she was so nervous, but now that it could happen whenever, she felt much better.

“Honestly okay.” She admitted.

“Do you think you already know who it is?”

“I mean that happens more often than not, right? Just look at our parents.” Kie’s parents had known each other in high school, having grown up on the island, but didn’t know they were soulmates until later down the line. That happens all the time. Whether or not it’s just coincidence or really is fate, June hadn’t decided yet. 

“I guess you’re right.” She paused before speaking again, “I don’t think I want to already know them. I don’t want to marry someone we went to high school with and be stuck here only for our kids to end up the same way.” Seeing Kiara open up like this made June wonder about her own future. 

“Don’t worry Kie, you’re gonna go somewhere cool like Australia and stop the wildfires and clean the oceans and fall in love with some really hot girl and leave us all behind forever.” 

She moved her sunglasses off her face to hold back her hair, “I could never leave you, but you really think so?”

“Of course. You’re going places. John B, JJ, and I are gonna be stuck here smelling like fish bait until we’re 80.” June gags.

Kiara laughs, making a disgusted face, “what about Pope?” 

“Nah, he’s too good for this place.” They both laugh so hard they don’t even notice the boys had made their way back to where they were laying.

“What’s so funny?” John B asks, shaking out his hair.

“Nothing,” Kie says with a smile on her lips. The boys share a knowing look before dropping it altogether. That’s when June’s phone chimes with a message from her sister. 

Mom said to make sure you were home soon for tonight. We’re almost all set up here.

I guess Aunt Morrane is coming:/

“No,” June groans at the last of Olivia’s message. 

“What’s wrong?” JJ asks, sitting down next to her. 

“My Aunt is coming to dinner tonight.”

“The horror!” John B mocks. 

“Stop! I’m serious. She’s a nutcase.” June replies, throwing a towel at his face. He catches it in one swift motion. 

“Ju it’s gonna be fine.” JJ said reassuringly, “I’ll drop you back off.” 

The pogues only stayed a little while longer before packing up their stuff into the van and parting ways once back at Kiara’s. 

“I won’t have any fun without you,” Kie begged before June got into the truck. 

“You’re gonna be fine.” The rest of the group was going to the first official kegger of the summer. June always missed it. She was sure she would hear all about it tomorrow when she would stop by the chateau with a bunch of water and ibuprofen in the morning to make sure they were all breathing. 

“Hey, thanks, J,” June says when JJ had pulled up in front of her house. 

“No problem,” he starts. June reaches for the door handle, “actually, I got you something.” 

Surprised, June says “You didn’t have to get me anything.” 

He waves her off and reaches into the glove compartment, pulling out a bracelet, “uh. It’s not wrapped or anything.” 

June examines the bracelet, it was a brown braided string with a single pearl threaded in the middle. 

“I love it.” 

“Really?” JJ asks, scrunching up his nose, “because it’s okay if you don’t I just thought-”

“No, no I do. Thank you,” June says and reaches up to kiss his cheek. Just then there is a loud pounding coming from the passenger side window, causing June to startle and drop the bracelet. Both June and JJ lean in to grab it off the floor of the car and smack heads. “Shit, sorry”

“Ow!” 

JJ finally grabs the bracelet and hands it back to her before they are both faced with Aunt Morrane opening the door and practically dragging her out of the truck. 

“You know,” her aunt starts, “darling, everyone is waiting inside.” 

“I’ll just be one second, I promise.” She says flashing a smile to her aunt and pleading eyes to JJ. He tries to hide his laughter. 

Aunt Morrane locks arms with June and begins walking up to their sidewalk, quite literally dragging her by her feet, and begins talking about this show she was watching.

“Happy Birthday, Ju Ju!” JJ yells from the truck. June tries to flip him off as discreetly as possible with her aunt still gripping on to her. 

At the door, her mother engulfs her into a hug, “Happy 18th, love.” 

“Thank you, mama.” 

“Was that JJ? You know he could've come in. We have enough food.”

“It’s okay, Mama, he had plans.” That satisfied her enough as she went to close the door and straight back into the kitchen. June took off her shoes and that’s when she heard it. It only lasted a minute and she couldn’t recite it if she was asked, but it was there. Faint, but clear. Just how Pope had described it. Just how everyone had described it. Her soulmate. 

taglist: @allycat449-blog @ifilwtmfc (hi im sorry I forgot to tag yall) 

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[fresh-outta-jams]

Plastic Heart - Part 13

Namjoon x Reader Author: Mo Summary: When you get the highly-anticipated BTS dolls for Christmas, your life takes a turn in a way you never could have expected. Note: You asked for it, here it is! Part 13 <3 There’s a good bit of fluff in here. Part 14, is my favorite so far, so I cannot wait for you to read it, I think you’ll really like it, but I really like this part too <3 Love youuuuuuuu Warnings: None? Word Count: 2k

Prologue, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Once you and Namjoon picked out snacks (popcorn and M&Ms, of course) and drinks, you sat down together in the theater. Namjoon’s curious hand hovered over the bucket filled with golden goodness and you watched expectantly as he took a handful and popped it into his mouth.

“Well?”

“It’s good. Like. Really good. Holy shit, I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this.” He grabbed another eager handful, a few stray pieces falling from his hand and landing on his sweatshirt. You giggled. God, he was so cute. “Can I try some M&Ms?”

“Of course.” You tipped the bag into his hand, leaving him a little pile of the chocolate candies before eating a few of them yourself.

“These are good too, oh my God…” He hummed, and then wiped his salty, buttery hands on a napkin.

“You’re gonna do this every time I introduce you to new foods, aren’t you?” You teased, laughing as you ruffled through his soft hair. He laughed too, grinning shyly and trying to hide behind his large hands.

“I’m just excited, I’m sorry--”

“It’s cute, Joon. It’s really fucking cute, don’t apologize.”

“You think I’m cute?” He blushed, heart lurching.

“The cutest.” You smiled, reaching up to pinch one of his adorable dimples.

“(Y/N)?” You looked up at the sound of someone calling your name. It was Ella, one of your BTS-obsessed friends. Fuck. You’d been able to squirm away from the cashier at Hot Topic, but Ella...Ella was smarter than that. She’d catch on that something was up. You weren’t sure how you were going to get out of this one…

“Ella! Hey!”

“How are you?” She walked up to where you and Namjoon were situated, right behind the railing at the front of the top section of seats.

“Doing great, you?”

“Oh you know, same old. I’m down there with some of my friends from my dance class.” Her eyes trailed to Namjoon and a mix of emotions fell across her features. Disbelief and confusion being among them. “And this is…?”

“Um, this is my, uh, friend...um, Joon...sung. Joonsung.”

“Right. I’m Joonsung.” Namjoon offered his hand, following your lead.

“Nice to meet you...Joonsung. Has uh, anyone ever told you you look like--”

“Namjoon? Yeah, I get that a lot. My parents moved here from Korea in the 80’s, so we might be distant cousins or something.”

“Oh. That’s really neat.” Ella seemed dumbstruck. You looked up at Namjoon, impressed. He was as quick-witted as his namesake, and in this moment, you were thankful for it. “Well, it was nice to meet you. We’ve gotta meet up sometime, (Y/N). You wanna have a study night this week? Hunker down at the library and get some work done?”

“Yeah, sounds great! We can ask the group chat after the movie.”

“Yep! See you later.” Ella walked down to the front section of the theater, where her friends were waiting for her. You sat back down, exhaling a relieved sigh. A close call, to say the least.

“You just saved our asses.” You laughed. “God, that was close…”

“We’ve had a few of those today, huh?” Namjoon chuckled and shook his head. “I didn’t think borrowing someone’s face would be so difficult.”

“It’s your face, too.” You pouted, looking at him. You knew it had to be tough, to be...well, modeled after someone else. Even moreso now that he was walking around in public and...human. But it was still hard for you to watch him feel bad about it. “It’s your face as much as it is his.”

“Well, it’s not, though.” He shrugged and stared at the cupholder between the two of you. “It was his face first. Years before it was ever mine.”

“You know, I read once that everyone in the world has like seven dopplegangers out there and they don’t even know it. As far as anyone knows, you’re just...one of RM’s. Hell, there are like seven people out there that look just like ME and it’s not like they ‘stole’ my face, right?”

He thought about it for a few moments, a smile slowly conquering his features. Namjoon nodded. “Thank you. You make me feel...so real. Like...like this is something I was always meant to have.”

You met his eyes, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “Who’s to say you weren’t?”

Namjoon didn’t know how to reply to that, so instead, he only smiled. The lights dimmed shortly after that, and the movie started twenty minutes later. Maybe Namjoon was mistaken, but your hand just seemed to be sort of...resting on the armrest over the cupholder. Hmm. He wondered why.

And so he wondered for a few more minutes until it occurred to him that maybe...this was a Thing that girls did when they wanted their hand held? Were you sending him some secret message that you WANTED him to hold your hand? His heart raced, palms suddenly feeling sweaty. He subtly dried them on the surface of his new jeans and swallowed thickly. Jeez, no one ever told him navigating a human crush would be so difficult.

Well, actually, Yoongi had.

So, he spent the next few minutes building courage. How was he supposed to KNOW you wanted to hold hands with him? He didn’t know much about humans. Maybe this was just what human people did, resting their hands right over the cupholder between them and the person they were out alone with. When you’d held hands in the mall before, it was different. It was FUNCTIONAL. It was so he didn’t get lost in the crowd. Holding hands with you here, in this dark theater where there was no chance of him getting lost...it was different.

And yet, despite all of that, he still found his hand tentatively hovering over yours, his heart racing faster than it ever had before. His warmth met yours, and you melted against his touch, fingers welcoming his and giving his large hand a reassuring squeeze.

He looked over to find you smiling bashfully, and he knew he’d made the right move. Maybe this human thing wasn’t so hard after all.

You held hands with him the whole movie. Namjoon couldn’t believe this was happening. He was actually HOLDING HANDS with YOU! You’d been a giant compared to him only the day before, and now, he was not only human-sized, but he was TALLER THAN YOU by a margin large enough to warrant him bending forward to kiss you.

Woah, Namjoon, knock that off. He stopped his thoughts before they could wander any further. Holding your hand and kissing you were two very different things. And yet, it was all he wanted to do now, all he could think about. He’d overcome many hurdles today, and yet, he was scolding himself for wanting just one more. Would it be too much to ask? Just one kiss? He’d never kissed someone before, and after all, you wanted him to have as many human experiences as possible, didn’t you?

He tried to pay attention to the movie, he really did, but all he could think about was you. And so, before he knew it, the credits were rolling and the lights went up. You turned to look at him.

“Did you like it?”

“I did!” And it wasn’t technically a lie. He loved this movie because it was the reason he was sitting there with you, his large hand wrapped around yours. “What time is it?”

“It’s like...five o’clock. Jeez, we better get home to the guys. I’ll make us some dinner when we get there, alright?”

“Sounds good.” He nodded. As fun as his day out with you had been, you were right. You shouldn’t leave the boys home for this long. Plus, there was a new little friend in the shopping bag hanging from your arm rest, and he knew how much it sucked to be stuck in a box for an extended period of time. There had been a time when he didn’t know anything BUT his little plastic box. And now, he was out in the real world. It was wild how fast his life had turned around. But he wouldn’t have it any other way.

***

When you got home, you handed Koya to Namjoon to get him out of his little plastic prison while you started boiling water for the noodles of the pasta you were going to make.

“You’re back!” Jimin greeted excitedly. He was managing the right side of your Playstation controller while Jungkook was manning the left as they fought yet another digital dragon.

“Did you have fun?” Yoongi smirked from his spot on the couch. He’d woken up from a wonderful nap not too long ago, but at the moment, he and Jin were on your laptop, doing research. They weren’t exactly sure how their friend had made the transition from plastic to person, but they’d like to do the same if the universe would allow it.

“Lots of fun, thank you very much.” Namjoon chuckled. He peeled the plastic off of the box and then lifted the clear plastic cover. For a little while, Koya sat there motionless, and Namjoon panicked. “It’s alright, little guy. You don’t have to pretend anymore. We’re not going to hurt you.”

“Like he’s going to believe that coming from a human.” Yoongi shook his head and left the laptop to walk over to where Namjoon was sitting on the other couch. He used his large human hands to lift Koya out of the rectangular black box and set him on the table instead. “Let me try.”

It shouldn’t have stung when Yoongi said it because he was right, and Namjoon had always wanted to be human...but...there was something hurtful about his own kind being afraid of him. So afraid of him that they wouldn’t move even when he told them it was alright.

“It’s alright, Koya. You don’t have to worry about scaring him off. He already knows. Until this morning, he was a doll like me.” Yoongi told the little Koala, petting the top of his furry blue head.

Slowly, he looked around, blinking. He looked up at Namjoon with big, innocent eyes. This man looked just like his dad. JUST like him. So, not resisting the urge anymore, Koya ran into his dad’s arms, nuzzling against his warm chest. Namjoon swore his heart about exploded, and he embraced the little blue koala carefully. There was some sense of paternal pride welling inside of him. Was this what it felt like to hold your child?

“We’re gonna take care of you, alright? I promise.” He murmured, cradling Koya as he walked to the kitchen, where you were talking to Hoseok and Tae. You’d put your hair up and were standing at the stove next to a pot of boiling water. You put the noodles in and stirred it a few times before letting it sit for a while.

When you turned around, Namjoon was standing there, holding the cuddly little koala, and your heart melted.

“Koya, meet (Y/N). She’s gonna be your mom.” He said, softly bouncing your new bundle of joy.

“And what does that make you?” Hoseok chuckled.

“Well, I’m his dad, obviously.” It took Namjoon a moment to realize what he was insinuating, but when he finally did, his cheeks flushed red. “Well, um, I mean, if you want to--”

“You think too much.” You teased, poking Namjoon’s nose. “I mean, we’re human, so...kind of going to be the parents around here for the time being.”

“Yeah...O-of course.”

“I see your humanity hasn’t made you any less awkward.” Tae laughed. “Still our clumsy Namjoon.”

“You can take the doll out of the clumsy, but you can’t take the clumsy out of the doll.” Hoseok agreed.

“Oh hush.” You walked up to Namjoon, who still had Koya cuddled against his chest, and gently pet his little head. He snuggled against your hand. “Welcome home, Koya. I hope you like it here.”

He nodded wordlessly, reaching his stubby little arms for you, so Namjoon let you hold him for a few minutes while the noodles boiled.

“Need any help around here?”

“Could you just set the table? A napkin and a fork for each of us.”

“You got it.” He walked over to the silverware drawer and pulled out two forks, laying a napkin under each one.

“Thank you, Joonie.” You smiled and handed Koya back to him so you could handle the noodles.

Namjoon sighed softly, watching you cook dinner, your new little blue friend in his arms, and he finally knew what it meant to go weak in the knees. You were his girl. You always had been, but now...he didn’t know how to ask you to be more...

Tagged: @iie-wakarimasen, @lilgaga98, @catbugsugarpea, @demonic-meatball, @backtonormalthings, @kbowen9, @honig-bienchen, @coolcat494, @ffantasylandd, @feed-my-geek-soul, @ayoo-bangtan, @xxqueenwxtchxx, @cap-lu20, @finninpoposu, @coldbookworm, @sitkafay, @daniawinchesters21, @okaysoplshelpme, @zamirayinyue13

[littlethingwithfeathers]

Writing Update: 9-9-19

Work was a little slow this week, and will likely continue to be. I’m still catching up from being at Dragon Con last week, plus I’m in tech for the show I’m working on this week. But “Intercalation” has begun publishing and that will keep my queue going for a couple months while I work on some other projects. Thanks for following and reading!

Publishing now!

Intercalation (HBO’s Chernobyl): A Valery/Boris/Ulana fix-it fic that picks up immediately after the final scene of the show. Ulana and Boris try to re-balance their lives after Valery is viciously ripped away from them, all the while facing reminder after reminder of the people they were before Chernobyl and the people they had become together while they were there.

Excerpt:

July 16, 1987

Standing on the poisoned ground of Chernobyl, Boris and Ulana watch helplessly as the car drives away from the makeshift courthouse. They watch with their hearts in their throats and their stomachs in their shoes as the KGB drive away with their comrade in tow. Not "comrade" in the Party sense of the word. They'd perverted it. If telling a truth that potentially saved lives was punished like this, they'd perverted it. They perverted everything.

But what else was there to call it? They'd never dared name the strange shape that had formed around the three of them. Between them. Through them. A year in the crucible of Chernobyl had changed them inexorably, as the accident would change everything for kilometers around it and for years to come.

And now they were split asunder, just as cruelly as they had been fused together.

"Where are they taking him?" Ulana asks, staring up at Boris with wide, lost eyes. She looks shell-shocked. Horrified. I did this,her face says. I told him to tell the truth at all costs, and now he's going to pay. Just him. It should be me.

***

Other “Friendship is Unnecessary” fics at various stages:

But Most of All : Based off this post. In progress, currently just past the 2k mark. This is a short, upbeat, porny little one-shot of Nat being a shit and teasing Steve. Because honestly… this series needs some levity after what I’ve done in “Stolen Season.” Not sure of an ETA, but soon.

One of Those Things (Prologue): Since I’ve written this beast of a series completely out of order, and thus all my author notes are no doubt VERY confusing, I thought I’d put a short prologue on the front. Just a couple of short scenes to plant some seeds and give an actual starting place to this whole sprawling, intertwining mess, but also to give me a chance to address new readers so my forewords on the rest of the fics don’t seem weird. I’ve got a little more than a thousand words written on it which is probably about a third to half way.

Untitled Pre-War Steve/Bucky and Pre-Avengers Phil/Clint/Natasha: Partially a request from @crazyevildru that I’m toying with. Probably a flashback or a memory. This series really does need more Steve/Bucky, and I feel bad about it. I’m thinking of also adding a prequel/flashback of Clint/Phil/Natasha as well… maybe have the whole thing be a discussion over dinner post-Endgame.

Sweet and Honorable (Title pending):  Set post Civil War. Bucky insists on coming with Sam and Natasha to rescue Steve when he gets captured. This is starting to take shape in my head as a sort of work through for some of the issues that get raised in “Echo in my Soul.” Given what we know about the new Black Widow movie, I may hold off on this one for a bit. At least until I can figure out how I’m going to squirm around or ignore the added canon. (can’t wait for that movie BTW)

***

Other works coming soon!

Hymn of Acxiom: Scarlet/Vision. It would be post Endgame, with Wanda helping a newly reconstructed Vision who has no memories and no personality without the Mind Stone to network all the pieces and facets of his personality.  This is next on the docket after “Intercalation.” I’ve really only just gotten started. Sketching scenes and playing with theme. Don’t expect anything before November.

Untitled Sarge/Melinda May fic: I know. I KNOW! Don’t give me that look. You’re watching the same show I am and you’re seeing what I’m seeing. This shit writes itself. I’ve been sketching on a few things, and now that the season’s wrapped up I have an idea of what I want to do. I might crowbar in a few days just so that I can have some exploration time… sometime between (SPOILERS) May shooting Sarge and them heading for the Temple.

A Maelstrom Whirls Below: I’m toying with the possibility of a sequel to my Darcy/Eddie/Venom fic “A Room for Rent in the Fourth Estate.” A rough outline is in place, and I’m starting to sketch around on a few scenes. But right now it’s just some ideas and a few zippy one-liners. It’s starting to get some traction though! Likely won’t start work in earnest until after all this Chernobyl and Wanda/Vision stuff is done, but I’m definitely letting it percolate.

Hang By Every Word: The outline for my Stucky fic is still coming along but it will be awhile yet before I start writing on it in earnest. The basic theme (and I’m sure this has been done, but fuck it) is the undoing of Bucky’s conditioning one trigger word at a time. And each trigger word locked down a memory that HYDRA deemed integral to Bucky’s personality. And of course… they all involve Steve. So I have to write things from Steve’s point of view, and all ten memories have to be written from Bucky’s point of view, and they have to tie together into a cohesive narrative. The memories are out of order, but Steve’s timeline isn’t and… It’s a challenge. I’m still largely in the brainstorming phase… writing little snippets here and there. Nothing’s solidly taking form just yet. Again… just letting it percolate.

[lilcutieana]

Alive ~ (Robot Kim Seokjin)

Pairing:  Robot! Kim Seokjin| Reader Words: 2k Rating: M (mature), smut in future chapters. Warnings: Strong language, violence, mentions of death and lots of angst  Genre: Hybrid AU, Robot AU  Synapse: A world where hybrids are no longer seen as pets and have been replaced by robots instead. Where robots have feelings, emotions and adapt just the way you need them to. 

So… Which robot would you like to order?

Masterlist || One shots Masterlist ||Chapter 1

                                             Prologue 

After the hybrid human war in South Korea, both humans and hybrids faced tremendous losses. The hybrids now co-existed with humans and humans have reverted back to using robots for their needs instead of owning hybrids.

Hybrids are no longer the pets and slaves, but live proudly alongside humans, have children with them; and, being genetically advanced in every aspect-- they're preferred candidates for every human job. No longer are they experimented on, or created in labs—they’re born naturally now.

The robots are far more advanced now and humane. They come with memories, emotions, functions—all things customized according to the need of the owner. The more money and power you have—the more you are favored. These days not just everyone gets to own a robot of their own. Only the ones who deserve them the most—gets to own them. It’s extremely hard to customize robots after all. Not everyone can do it.

And that is the reason why crimes have significantly increased. No human can stay much longer without releasing their stress and inner hatred onto someone else—be it hybrid or human. Now that it’s taken away—they’ve resorted back to unleashing it on each other.

"Ma’am, our next applicant seems quite the troublesome one. I don't think we can discourage them."

"That's okay Suwon, hand me the form. I'll take it from here." Miyoung smiled at her secretary, looking up from the desktop screen.

Suwon pursed his lips. His grey ears atop his head twitching in annoyance. He didn't like it one bit when the rich and powerful people demanded robots and never cared for them enough. Humans were selfish. The rich-- even more so. They had too much money and time on their hands and destructed everything around them.

"Suwon." Minyoung placed her arms on her lap and turned towards him. "Don't judge every man who is not here for donations, but, to buy from us. Even rich people can have genuine reasons."

"If it’s a birthday present for someone whose choice they aren't even sure about, or a sex toy for their sexually deviant child, or worse-- a punching bag for their aggressive friend—I refuse." Suwon snapped. Turning his head, he glared at the wall, breathing hard. "They are humane, our robots are like a young child, with feelings and no memories. They need love, care, attention to understand the world and then gradually adapt to the owner and they do not, under any circumstances, deserve being treated like absolute shit just because they aren't made of flesh and bones."

"And that's exactly why Suwon, we run multiple tests before taking requests." She licked her lips, a silent command in her voice, "he must have waited long enough, send him in and leave his form with me."

"But, miss, he's ..." Suwon hesitated, the form clutched tight in his hands, his tail flicking behind him nervously.

"I don't pay you to make decisions for me, Suwon." She turned her attention back to her desktop screen, saving the documents she had been working on. A previous request for robot puppy—to help the owner recover from the loss of her puppy in an accident.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. Right away." Suwon left the room with a soft click of the door, followed by Miyoung sighing in her seat. She was just an ordinary robot maker. And now, she ran one of the biggest companies in Asia, producing top-notch robots – who never disappointed. The reason? Their memories were replaceable and could be manipulated. That was the company secret.

Every two years, the robots had to be brought for routine checkup and recovery. A week-long process where they helped the robot heal any trauma or get additional improvements and software upgrades—for a charge, of course.

There were people who couldn’t afford to pay for the robot that they needed to live. And for that, she was the first, and the only company in the world—who accepted them to pay their debts through working. They were trained for a month and sent to houses for a survey of robots, customer satisfaction, suggestion, and other important data. And that was the second key—for the success to her company.

A curt knock on the door, startled her out her reverie, revealing a man in his late fifties—or was it sixties? She couldn’t tell. She was quite bad at the age guessing game. His eyes were a bit sunken in, dark freckles on the left side on his forehead and cheeks, dark skin and a beautiful relaxed smile. He didn’t raise any alarm bells in her yet, and she deemed him safe enough. For now.

“Please, take a seat.” Gesturing towards the couch, she got up from the chair and followed him there. “Would you like something to drink?”

“Ah… No. Thank you for asking, miss.” He smiled back politely and sat down, picking a blue cushion and positioning it over his thighs. “I need a robot for this woman.” Placing a Polaroid photograph of a young hybrid girl on the table between them, the man regarded Miyoung carefully.

“Do you know for sure that’s exactly what she wants?”

“Yes. That’s exactly what Y/N needs. A robot of her own who she can trust not to leave or to die.” He nodded solemnly. “I’ve known her for a little over five years and with time—her depression and anxiety got worse. But not that my son’s no more, who she had been dating for a few years, she’s losing herself. She’s dying on her own—wouldn’t accept any care, is being ridiculously stubborn too. I just don’t know any other way.”

“I see. A care bot then.” Miyoung nodded to herself, her eyes darkening. “I’ll need you to fill up a form and add all specifications before we can decide on further things.”

The man nodded and licked his lips. Clasping his hands over his thighs, he looked around the office, his gaze sharp and calculating. “Can the robot’s memories be manipulated?”

The question came out of nowhere and Miyoung, was absolutely not expecting this question out of all others to come from a harmless looking man.

“Yes, they can be. But not by the ones who own the robot.” She answered carefully, gauging his reactions to the new revelation. The public didn’t know much about robots—except their types and their functions.

He slumped in his seat, relaxed. “That’s a relief. I wouldn’t want someone else tampering with its memories. Even though a robot—I believe they’d have their own personality, feelings, and emotions.”

“That’s right. They do. They’re almost the same as a human, just more innocent.” Miyoung smiled back, relieved. Her doubts about the man melting away. He might be rich, but he had a better understanding. He wasn’t as bad as her secretary had made him out to be.

“There’s something… I’d like you to know beforehand.” He leaned forward with his hands clasped over his knees. “The reason behind my son’s death is still unclear. Though she needs all the care, I’m worried about the robot that would replace my son in her life. I need the robot to be strong enough to defend itself.”

Miyong’s heart sunk. She knew the request couldn’t have been as simple. Either he was threatening her, or maybe he didn’t need the robot to protect the girl—rather to spy on her. To maybe find out about his son’s death. She wondered what his real intentions were. Did he suspect the girl as a murderer?  

“I’ll look into it and prepare a bot according to the form you’ll be filling up. There will be people discharged to get a feel of your place and to survey different things. Don’t be too alarmed.” Miyoung nodded, a smile on her lips that were just as fake as her lashes.

What had she got herself into?

═══════ ⋆★⋆ ════════ 

“Y/N, a bright young woman of twenty-three, mourning over the death of her lover of age twenty-eight, lives in a house they both owned at the upper rich side of Seoul.” A lanky boy in his late teens, huffed along behind a tall, broad-shouldered and lean man dressed immaculately in a suit, carrying two suitcases while scaling the unending steps to said house.

“She refuses to eat, drink or even talk to anyone. She’s resigned to staying inside their shared bedroom and you—as handsome as you are—are expected to get her out of her slump. That’s your task.” Nodding to himself, he stopped and stared both ways, looking for the address he was supposed to drop off the handsome robot in. Delivery was always a pain in his ass.

“So you agree I’m handsome?” The robot turned around, his stoic expression turning into one of pure innocence and wonder.

“There’s nothing to agree upon, you know? That’s just the way you were designed.” The boy averted his eyes to the side, his neck flushing a faint pink. “Anyway, that’s all you heard from all the important stuff I’ve been raving about?”

The man shrugged his shoulders, a pensive look on his face. “I’ll figure it out somehow. How bad can a dog hybrid be?”

“You just cursed yourself to doom.”

“I’ll deal with it. So… when do we get to eat?” he asked excited, his eyes sparkling under the sun, and his blonde hair making his caramel skin look paler than it was.

“Whenever you decide to cook the countless recipes saved in your memory.” Looking around, the boy’s eyes fixated on a fairly large mansion to their right. Its yard looking more intimidating than welcoming. “Looks like we’ve made it here. This is as far as I go.”

“Yeah, thanks, man. I’ll carry these suitcases from here.” The robot picked up the heavy suitcases from the teen’s hands as if they were just textbooks. “Stop looking at me like I’m the Ironman. I’ll miss you. Its been fun the past week learning with you.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I was only doing my job.” Patting his elbow, the boy turned around, his ears a bright pink as he continued walking away—kicking a stray pebble along.

Giggling to himself, the suited man straightened his jacket and bit his lip. Well, he hadn’t expected to come to stay at such a luxurious home. Well, he supposed he’d enjoy his stay while it lasted.

Dragging his suitcases behind him, he walked forward with a new purpose, the gates opening on their own as soon as they scanned him. The gravel path crunched under his boots—a gift from the one who had designed him, the foliage around was trimmed to perfection, even the water in the little fountain had been sparkling and shimmering. The house was indeed well looked after—at least from the outside.

Then why was the owner not looked after? Why did she need him?

Knocking on the ornate door with a simple floral design, he wasn’t one bit surprised when nobody opened it for him. Sighing, he slumped against the door, dropping the handles of the suitcases he’d been carrying.

“Y/N… I know you’re watching me, and probably listening to me too.” Licking his suddenly dry lips, he continued, “I’m Kim Seokjin, here to be your caregiver. Won’t you let me in?”

Though he was right, she was watching him and listening to him from the other side of the door, what he didn’t know was how broken she was and how much those very words affected her.

They meant a completely different thing to her. Those were the exact words he had spoken to her the first time they met. The words she never wanted to hear again. 

Prologue || Chapter 1

[pjmnns]

Golden

You are an assassin. A little girl has come up to you, handed you all her pocket money, and asked you to kill her abusive relative.

Assassin!AU, Doctor!AU // angst, fluff, crack (?)

Pairing: Reader X Jungkook

Rating: M (mentions of abuse and alcoholism)

Warnings: mentions of abuse, alcoholism, drugs, and assassination

Word Count: 2k-ish

>> Prologue

The night wind blew through your hair as you sat perched atop the city’s skyline, the lookout spot above the horizon as the darkness of the night looms over the settling cityscape.

You swing your legs over the edge and let them hang, the rubber sole of your leather boots creating a soft drumming against the cold concrete, the same cold solidity that your fingers feel as you revel in the moment leaned back.

Bending down to collect your sniper, your steady hands rest easy on the gun, fingers not reaching for the trigger this time.

As you peer through the scope which begins to trail through the city, your sight lands on a still but small, delicate frame. You take a moment to focus once more, as your breath stills and gaze deepens.

Standing there, in the middle of the sidewalk amidst the bustling of people and fluorescent lighting is a little girl. Beanie pulled down, escaped hair fluttering in the wind, hands clutching at the open edges of her padded jacket, looking right towards you, right into the end of your sniper.

Taken aback, you break your gaze and your focus, yet all your thoughts are possessed by the fragile figure who caught your scoping.

Choosing to look again, you roam the city and see her there once more, same small frame, same solid stance against the bitter cold.

Despite the chilling wind, however, the edges of the girl’s mouth begins to lift, a soft grin broken by the widest, dazzling smile you had ever seen. The sight almost makes you mirror a smile unconsciously, almost.

As you continue watching her, your eyes trained on her but apparently hers on you as well, she lifts an arm and waves at you?

Her small hand is motioning for you to come down but again you’re taken aback and physically furrow your brows.

What the—

As you slowly let down your sniper, your sight now raw and unconcealed by the deadly weapon, you realize the girl had left and the busy sidewalk now remains barren of the small figure.

Quickly you pack your gun into your bag and swing it over your shoulder, opting to leave via fire escape, quickly skipping steps on your descent as you are somehow still left in confusion and just a little bit of bafflement.

Nothing midnight coffee can’t fix.

Slowing your pace as you enter into the public eye, pacing yourself as any other normal person would on the streets, you reach your favorite cafe that catered to your midnight tendencies.

Waiting in line, you attempt to cease all thoughts of the little girl, silencing all thoug— a little tug at your jacket sleeve. Peering down you realize it's the same little girl with her beanie pulled down and rambunctious flyaways.

Her bright big doe-eyes look up at you, admiration in her gaze yet also burning with fire and determination, her fingers still pinching at your jacket.

Her voice is small at first but as she tip-toes towards your ear, you make out her simple request:

“Can you kill someone for me?”

It’s not the first time you’ve had those very words spoken to you. But from a little girl, the first, yes.

As you slowly straighten, you realize it's your turn to order. Approaching the counter, you’re wary that the girl follows you and attempting to act like you usually would you place your order.

“Anything else for you tonight?”

“Uh no that’ll be all— did you want something?” Gesturing at the little girl who was still at your side. She slowly shakes her head but you go ahead and order her a small hot chocolate anyway, the smallest of smiles tugging at her mouth. Cute.

You settle at a small booth near the back of the coffee shop despite the blatant lack of any other customers. As the little girl settles in her seat, her hands begin fumbling at her pockets before putting thin, crumpled pieces of cash and loose change onto the table. She feels for all the places that could’ve possibly housed money as you look on silently. When she finishes, she pushes every wrinkled bill and lackluster coin towards you before whispering a small “Can you please do it?”

Trying hard not to display any astonishment you feel or curiosity that lingers your thoughts, you observe the little girl that sits before you.

Her eyes are bright and round, framed by long dark set eyebrows. Her eyes themselves are so captivating, burning with bright innocence yet there is a shadow that looms over the brilliance; but still there remains a fighting resilience as if there had been too many nights those eyes could not stop crying but even more nights fighting to hold in tears.

You notice the way she sits: a little too closed in, a little too withdrawn as if she’s defending herself from the world.

As much as you attempt to fight back the urge, the thought pushes through and you realize that she reminds you of someone a little too much. She reminds you of yourself.

“What’s your name?”

“Ara. What’s your name?”

Finally the little girl and her antics get to you as you finally show your surprise. A little taken aback, you realize no client had ever asked for your name before. Wary of the consequences of telling the little girl your name, you choose to anyway because for some reason, you want to earn her trust.

“Y/n. So Ara, tell me, what is this job about?”

For the first time tonight, you notice her confidence falter and she breaks her stare from you. Weakly, she looks up and begins her story, looking at you fearfully yet earnestly.

Ara’s parents both died in a car accident when she was only six, being left to be placed in a distant relative’s home. Though hopeful at first, finally having a familial place to go to after being left with a desolate hole in her small heart, her tiny heart becomes more shattered. The relative turns out to be an abusive alcoholic who wants nothing to do with the young girl, spending sober days assailing her with toxic words and mental stress; drunk nights physically lashing out. For years Ara endured the abuse, not believing in the fact that she deserved the mistreatment but rather choosing to seek the golden end of her misfortune, choosing to endure and wait for her own happiness. “I believed that if I could handle this, only good things will come to me later… but good things still haven’t come yet.” Her eyes look down, finally being drowned by the hopelessness and despair that she had to face for too long.

She fought for too long. Closing your eyes and releasing a shaky breath, you collect the money.

You reach for her hands tenderly and press the money into them.

“Keep it Ara. You will need it to start your new life.”

She silently gasps and stuffs her money back into her pockets before taking your hands again and caressing them into her warm cheeks. You finally break a smile and can’t help but dissolve in the moment.

Before she leaves, you press a napkin into her hands with your private number, reminding her to call you after school on the third day of the following week. As she nods to display her understanding, you begin to walk away. After a few steps, you feel small arms encircling your waist and realize that Ara ran after you to hug you. Smiling again, you take her arms and spin around, kneeling to her height. Pulling her beanie down more, you whisper “Take care Ara” into the silence of the night.

xx

On the third day of the following week, you silently slip into the dilapidated apartment that Ara had given you the address to. The strong scent of alcohol lingers in the stale air, evidence of the smell litters across the floor, an innumerable amount of bottles strewn everywhere. Your face scrunches in disgust as you realize the world that Ara had to live in— the shadows and filth that she is surrounded by, trading her dreams for the security of each further moment she spends here. You wonder how she hasn’t crashed and burned, despising the place that was supposed to be filled with renewed hope and love. As you walk deeper into the apartment, you notice a door slightly ajar. Peering inside, you realize it as Ara’s room; a clean and organized space, making the most of the window that overlooked the city skyline just like what you love to live smiling to yourself.

Hearing the slam of a door, you snap out of the moment and push yourself against the wall, slowing your breath and reaching behind your back for the pistol that is tucked into your waistband.

As you move out of Ara’s room, ghosting the wall, you notice the man that had burned Ara’s hopes and dreams of love, of family.

Continuing to observe his movements, he sets down a parcel and rips it open, its contents spilling out. You focus your sight and realize that the bastard was dealing drugs. Taking another, smaller parcel, he slips it into one of Ara’s backpacks and the moment of realization hit: he was using Ara as a drug mule… now it made complete sense as of she needed a way out.

Silently, you move out from the shadows and walk behind the bastard. Placing the barrel of the pistol gingerly against his occipital, your finger lingers over the trigger.

“She deserved better and you know that.”

Click. His body crumples to the ground, cold, dead, and gone.

You tuck the pistol back into your waistband and gather all of Ara’s things, taking any and every trace of her existence in this wretched place. Leaving the apartment, you know that if any suspicions were to arise, it would be related to drugs and the people behind them, the life that Ara saved herself from.

Later that day, your phone rings. The strange number with no caller ID, being one of few people who have it. As you pick up, you hear the familiar, resilient tone across the line,

“Hi y/n. I’m ready.”

xx

After a 14-hour shift in the emergency room, Jungkook unlocks the apartment doors and throws his keys on the counter. The lights are on which means you must be home early and the room smells oddly refreshing. Not that your home didn't usually smell nice, the air just felt different and Jungkook made a note of that.

As he makes his way to the living room, he stops as he notices you cleaning a pistol familiar thing and showing the ins and outs of it to a small girl not familiar thing. Looking up you grin sheepishly as his eyes move between you, the gun, and the little girl. His mouth opens to speak but closes as his hand slowly raises and points towards your room, cocking his head quizzically while his eyebrows crease.

“I’ll be right back okay Ara. As soon as we’re done I’ll introduce you to this handsome man.” Giving a wink to the little girl, you stand and ruffle her hair, her response being a small giggle which blooms in your chest. As you follow jungkook into the room and close the door behind you, you turn to face a very confused yet sassy jungkook with hands on either side of his hips.

“Y/n explain. Please.”

Spending the next ten-minutes, you rapid-fire explain to your boyfriend the entire situation, making sure to pout as you detail the shitty life that she’s endured thus far and adding in the small quips that you’ve managed to notice about the little girl to him. Your entire spiel ends with a deep intake of oxygen as you step closer and earnestly ask him: “Can we please keep her? Please?”

Jungkook fights back a grin as his brows raise at your diligence, something he’s always admired. He pulls you in closer by your shoulders and engulfs you in a tight hug, not even trying to suppress his face-shitting smile.

“Y’know when I said I wanted to start a family with you, this wasn’t what I meant.”

As he pulls you away and stands with his arms around your waist, he looks into your eyes and you know that he knows how much Ara means to you now, and you realize that he’s willing to share that special place in your heart.

The two of you move to leave the room, but not until Jungkook whispers into your ear, his hot breath fanning over the nape of your neck, “You better make her the best goddamn assassin in this city y/n.”

“Hell yeah babe.”

—

Hi everyone!! I hope you enjoyed this fic! I am an absolute sucker for assassin!AU’s, especially badass female assassins. Stop by my inbox and ask me anything and everything or even just to talk,, I’m thinking about writing another part for this just because I didn’t get enough Jungkook in !! But thanks for reading xx

[intothedanvers-e]

Reconnected

Word Count: 2k

Pairing: Tom Holland x latina reader

Summary: The way you two ended hurt like hell, but you couldn’t stop each other from living out your dreams. You knew it was dumb but you never wanted to erase his number from your contacts, hoping that one day he’d call you and want to meet with you again.

Author’s Note: I made myself emo writing this at essentially 2 am but I couldn’t get this idea out of my head. Thank you to everyone who read the prologue to this series!! I didn’t expect anyone to like it and im so glad yall did!! If youd like to be part of this taglist please let me know! If you have any feedback also please don’t hesitate in sending it to me!! I hope you guys like it!! SIDE NOTE: italics means its a text message from Tom, italics + bold is a text from y/n

Here’s my masterlist!

Prologue Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Chapter 1

You were standing at the end of a red carpet that seemed to go on forever. You swore that if Jane wasn’t standing next to you, you would’ve collapsed already. You were extremely nervous; you were an author not a famous person who was used to doing stuff like this! Before you knew it someone was passing forward a sign with your name on it and was directing you in front of the hoards of cameras. It all seemed to go by in a flash (no pun intended) because by the time you knew it you and Jane were at the other end and being escorted into the beautifully decorated ballroom.

You became overwhelmed immediately. The ballroom looked like a scene straight out of a movie; there was beautiful decorations on every table and the lighting had all been done to make the room look like it was magical. You could tell some of the decorations were inspired by the books that were nominated for awards. You walked over to a table that had your name on one of the plates and almost lost it when the centerpiece was a replica of an important stone in your book. If it weren’t for the fact that you were in a room full of your heroes, you would be in tears by now.

“I need a drink. Real bad,” you said turning to Jane who you knew was just as overwhelmed as you but did a much better job of hiding it.

“It’s in open bar. Get your drank on girl,” she said pointing to a beautiful bar that looked like it was covered in snow.

You simply nodded at her and walked to the bar, trying to keep your hands from shaking.

“Can I have a lime margarita please?”

“Coming right up.”

You smiled and looked around the room, trying not to freak out at all the amazing people that were trickling in. This was something beyond your wildest dreams. Never in your life did you ever think you’d become a published author, let alone be in a room with the worlds most spectacular writers of your generation.

“Let me guess, a lime margarita?”

The voice sounded familiar. It was almost soothing. You turned around and came face to face with none other than your ex, Tom Holland. You quickly looked around the room, just to make sure you weren’t hallucinating.

“I’d been looking for the most beautiful author in here and I finally found her,” he said taking a step closer to you and leaning against the bar.

He still made your heart flutter.

“What are you doing here?”

“Well you know, Spider-Man spends quite a lot of time reading to kids, so I got the honorary invite. Also…I wouldn’t miss you winning this award for the world.”

Hearing him say that send a mixture of nerves and warmth up your spine. You knew he meant it, there was no doubt in his mind that anyone other than you would win that award. You, on the other hand, had spent days convincing yourself there was no way in hell you were winning that award but that it was still an honor to be nominated.

“I’m glad you’re here, but I’m not winning that award. Have you seen the other nominees? People with years and years of experience. There’s no way I’m getting that.”

You looked down at your feet, suddenly realizing how badly you actually wanted it.

“Years and years of experience yet you managed to get the nomination just off of the two books you’ve written. That’s a feat in itself if you ask me.”

You turned to smile at him. You so badly wanted to hold him and kiss him. You wanted to go sit down and tell him how there hasn’t been one day where you haven’t thought of him. How you were insanely proud of all that he is now and just catch him up on everything that’s been happening in your life. You wanted it to be just like before, except with a few more years of experience gained.

You were about to say something when a woman came and wrapped her arms around him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Tom froze and tried to shift his body away from you but couldn’t because of the way she was holding him.

“I’d been looking for you baby,” she said connecting her lips to his neck. She turned to you and smiled.

“I don’t believe we’ve met.”

You grabbed your drink and walked away without saying anything. You knew this would happen, you just didn’t think you’d feel this heartbroken. You sat back down in your seat without saying another word to anyone.

The awards ceremony had begun but you were too busy trying to calm yourself down enough so you didn’t hear your heartbeat in your ears anymore. Suddenly, your phone buzzed. It was a message from Tom.

“Please let me explain.”

You locked your phone and put it on the table face down. It buzzed again.

“It’s not what you think.”

You put it back on the table. It buzzed again.

“It’s publicity. We’re not really dating; Marvel just wants to get some buzz going on around me.”

You finally decided to reply.

“Who’s this?”

He responded instantly.

“I know you still have my number saved Y/N. I thought about calling you a million times but could never bring myself to do it. Please let me just explain everything to you.”

You put your phone on Do Not Disturb and set it on the table. You tried to pay attention but ultimately failed. You didn’t mind however; you were nominated for the biggest award of the night which usually meant that one was going to be dead last. You sat in your seat and messed with the beautiful dessert on the plate in front of you. Oh how one person can ruin what was supposed to be the most important night of your life. Oh and how much you hated that a guy you haven’t seen or talked to in almost 2 years could ruin it so easily.

Suddenly your phone started vibrating again, only it was a phone call. You were scared it was Tom but decided to check anyway. It was your sister. You showed Jane who was calling and she nodded as you stepped into the lobby.

“Hello?”

“SIS! HERMANA! UUUHHH MY WATER BROKE SO UUUHHH IM ON MY WAY TO THE- OH FUCK! OH MY GOD THIS SHIT HURTS!”

“What?! Samantha?!”

Someone else took the phone from your sister.

“Mija, its happening. We thought we would let you know so you could enjoy your night and look forward to meeting your niece or nephew later tonight, hopefully.”

You could hear screams from your sister.

“Later tonight?! No ma! I’m not missing my only sister giving birth to her kid! She’s not doing this without me!”

“Mija no te vas a faltar recibiendo ese premio.” “Sweetheart you’re not going to miss out on getting that award.”

Your abuela sounded so calm compared to your sister and mother.

“Abuela nothing is more important that being with you guys when that baby gets here. I’m not leaving my sister alone in there with you two crazies.”

Your abuela let out a laugh.

“But Y/N you didn’t drive, how are you going to get there?”

You froze suddenly realizing your mom was right. You and Jane had been picked up by one of the drivers the event sent for you.

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll be there.”

You clicked and turned around. You jumped almost 5 feet in the air when you saw Tom standing behind you. He scared the shit out of you.

“What the fuuuck!”

“Shit sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.”

You nodded and tried to walk past him but he stopped you.

“I came in my car,” he said taking out his car keys.

You eyed him carefully.

“Look I know right now I’m the last person you want to sit in a car with, but Y/N I have a car and your sister has gone into labor so you haven’t got many options.”

“Where’s it parked?”

“The valet recognized me and put it in the first spot closest to the exit.”

You sighed and pointed toward the lobby doors.

“Lets go, my sister is about to have a fucking baby.”

The two of you sprinted toward his car and exited quickly. You texted Jane the entire situation, letting her know that if you do win for some reason to go up there and read the speech you had written on a sheet of paper in your clutch you left on the table. She was freaking out on you for leaving but she also understood. For you it was always going to be family first.

You drove in silence for a bit. Suddenly Tom spoke.

“So Samantha’s pregnant. Congrats. When did that happen.”

“No offence but that’s none of your business,” you said with your eyes glued to the road. There was a bit of traffic but you were a bit closer than your mom to the hospital so you hoped to get there in time.

“I’ve missed you.”

The words felt like he was pulling your heart out of your chest and started stomping all over it. You saw the hospital on the next street.

“You can leave me out front.”

“No offence but I may come to your advantage. I’ve come to do charity work here before, they love me. There’s no faster way of getting where you need to go than walking in there with a celebrity they love.”

You rolled your eyes, but said nothing. You knew he was right, and you didn’t want to risk missing your sister giving birth. He turned into the parking lot and pulled the window down. The parking attendant’s face lit up.

“Mr. Holland! What brings you here tonight?”

“Hey bud! So I kind of got a family member who’s just gone into labor in there and I need to get in there and to her as quickly as possible.

“Sister or a cousin or something?” he said grabbing his walkie.

“Girlfriend’s sister.”

You don’t know how but within 5 minutes you were walking into the waiting room of Labor and Delivery. You saw your aunts and cousins taking up some of the seats in the corner. Your cousins lit up when they saw Tom, they recognized him as Spider-Man. Your aunts, however, recognized him as your ex. You walked over to greet them.

“Long story. He’ll keep the kids busy. Where’s Sam?”

They pointed you to the doctor who had just walked out.

“I’m looking for Y/N Y/L/N?”

“That’s me,” you said walking over to him.

“Your sister is looking for you. It’s time.”

You turned to look at Tom who gave you a reassuring smile as he was already knelt down playing with your cousins.

“Keep them busy please. And thanks.”

You turned around and walked behind the doctor.

It seemed like the longest two hours of your life. There were a few complications but you finally had a tiny, perfect baby nephew. They moved your sister in one of the rooms and because she seemed to be okay they said she could have just adults come visit her. You smiled and walked out to get your aunts.

“He’s perfect. You guys can go see him, I’ll stay out here a bit.”

The smiled and kissed you on the cheek as they walked to your sister’s room. You turned and saw all of your cousins folded in chairs fast asleep. Tom was in the middle of them, carrying your 2-year-old godson in his lap. They were both fast asleep, your godson was leaning his head against his chest and Tom had his head against the wall. Just the sight of him made you instantly fall in love with him all over again. Your stomach couldn’t stop doing cartwheels. You quickly took a picture of the sight, not making a single noise. No matter what happened between you two, you wanted this moment to last forever.

Taglist: @tom-hollands-eyelash @colourful-fandoms-ruined-my-blog @greenarrowhead @minispidey @beautiful-holland @hazhasmycoffee @truthfulchange @hollandlovely @cutiepie-holland @thothollandd

strikethrough means you asked to be part of the taglist and i couldnt tag you for some reason!

[forever-more-never-again]

Burning (Scene 2/?)

Prologue / Scene One  

*I do not own marvel or any MCU characters**Gif not mine*

Slow burn Natasha X (enhanced!Mutant!) Reader

Word Count ~2K

Warnings: Battle, Fighting, Death mentioned

I couldn’t wait! I had to post the next part. I’m so excited about this series you have no idea! Please feel free to pop into my ask box for anything. Should I start a tag list? Anyways, Enjoy this next part!

Prologue / Scene One / Scene Two / Scene Three / Scene Four / Scene Five /Scene Six / Scene Seven / Scene Eight / Scene Nine / Scene Ten

Masterlist

*Reader’s POV*

After the initial shock of seeing Aliens pour from a hole in the sky, I kept myself tucked to the side of the alley. I debated with myself about what to do.

If I helped protect the city, I was bringing the spotlight I’ve been trying to avoid right to me. But if I didn’t help, my conscious and guilt would never let me forget all the lives I could’ve saved.

I peered once more around the alley, surprised to see a group of people who appeared to be fighting the aliens while in costumes. I gasped, I recognized Captain America in the group.

My eyes wandered and landed on emerald green eyes looking directly at me. The woman was in all black with bright red hair. I raised my hands and took off my sunglass to get a better look at her as we continued to stare at each other.

I saw her take a step towards me before being brought back into the battle. I quickly walked towards the middle of the alley and shrugged off my coat and shirt, shaking my wings as they savored the freedom, no longer being restricted.

Now clad in just a sports bra and sweats, I jumped out of the alley right as one of the alien creatures attacked the woman I had seen earlier. Before I knew fully what I was doing, I felt the warmth of the fire as it burned out from my hands, charring the alien.

Now, even with withholding my name from the heroes, just a few minutes later, I was in the thick of the battle. For that was the only thing I could think to call it. When I was given orders to help and protect, my chest swelled with a strange emotion...pride.

I was keeping steady right under the portal, my wings slowly using the air currents and their power to keep me up. I looked around and realized I had to let my enhancement come into play.

I hated using it because, unlike my wings, I wasn’t born with them. They were given to me through experiments and torture when I was trapped in the base.

Searching within myself I found that foreign warmth and let it spread through me. I let it take control and without looking I knew that my once black wings would now be ignited by flames. My hair also held flames as it blew around my face and my hands glowed orange with barely contained fire. I knew that if anyone looked at my eyes they would see a swirling mess of reds and oranges.

I spotted an Alien fly towards the man called Thor, who was distracted trying to keep the portal from expanding.

I flung my hand out towards it and a stream of fire shot it out of the sky.

I saw the man I just helped look towards the source of the fire and seeing me, he nodded. I swore I could see a smile on the man’s face.

Shrugging it off, I went back to scouting from above. Without a way to communicate with the rest of the group, I was left to my own instincts and sight.

I looked back towards the man wielding lightning and saw that he was gone from the building. Looking around I saw him battling a couple Aliens on the ground.

I heard low growls and glancing up saw the Aliens pouring out of the portal now that there was no blocking them. Summoning up my inner fire, I blasted out a screen of flames across the sky. The area around me filled with the screams of Aliens catching fire and falling to the ground.

Suddenly I was overtaken by a memory of thirteen year old me tied down to an operating table, screaming as red liquid was pumped through my body, surrounding by people in lab coats who just stood around watching.

My fire started flickering as the images continued to flash across my vision. Without realizing it, the fire went out,my wings returned to their normal black color and stopped supporting me.

I started plummeting to the ground, screaming in agony, holding my skull as if it would explode if I let go.

I was brought back to reality by something large catching me out of the sky. My body jerked at the sudden stop of free falling.

Looking up, all I saw was green. I was being held by a giant green...person?

The thing looked down at me and I swore I could see emotions in its eyes. It gently brought me to the ground and let go of me so that I was standing on my own.

“Hulk!” A shout from the man everyone called Captain made the giant thing stand upright and turn around.

Hulk. Huh. Odd name.

I glanced around, trying to shake the memory from my mind. There was still an Alien Invasion to stop.

The woman from before came up to me. “Think I could get a lift to one of those?” She pointed up to one of the chariot type things the aliens were using to fly with.

I grinned at her, my wings already preparing for another takeoff, “Sure thing. Hold on.”

The woman wrapped her arms around my neck, sparking a strange sensation to spread through my stomach. I shook it off, jumping off the ground to one of the chariots. The woman let go, falling and landing on the back of one of the creatures. I watched in amazement as she took two knives and stabbed them through it to take control of its nervous system.

Shaking my head I flew up towards where the man in Iron was fighting off the creatures.

“You got some major power there, girl.” I could hear his smirk through his mask.

Shaking my head, I blasted a creature out of the sky, “Not by choice, Iron dude.”

“It’s Iron man sweetcheeks.”

I laughed and flew up and over him, taking his back.

I was close enough I could hear the team speaking to the man through their communications system.

I recognized the woman’s voice, “I can close it! Can anybody hear me? I can shut the portal down!”

The captain shouted, “Do it!”

Right then, both me and the man in Iron turned towards a strange sound. “Damn.” We looked at each other and then took off, “No, wait!”

“Stark, these things are still coming!”

The man looked at me when he responded, “I got a nuke coming in, its gonna blow in less than a minute. And I know just where to put it.”

He spoke to me, “You gonna cover me?”

I nodded, “I’ll keep them off you. You sure you know what you’re doing?”

“Not a clue.”

We reach the missile as it jets through the air. Stark catches it and wrenches it up towards the portal. I fly beside him, frying any aliens who try to come at him.

“Stark, you know that’s a one way trip.”

The man replied to the Captain as I looked sideways at him. I barely knew the man, but I respected him for the sacrifice that he was going to do to save his city.

Pretty soon we reached the portal, I hung back as the man flew straight into it.

It seemed that the whole world was holding its breath. I slowly drifted to the ground to stand with the rest of the fighters. My eyes grew wide as the remaining alien creatures spasmed and seemed to die on their feet.

Looking back up to the portal, I was terrified to see what looked to be an explosion headed right towards Earth.

The Captain spoke beside me, “Close it.”

I swung my horrified look to him. The Iron man was still inside that portal!

I crouched down to leap up, planning on finding him in that explosion. But before I could, there was a bang, and the portal disappeared.

I looked on in horrified amazement as I saw a lone figure fall out of the sky. “Look! It’s the Iron man!”

The rest of the team looked up at my exclamation. The lightning man frowned, “He’s not slowing down!” He swung his hammer in a move I knew would mean he was planning on flying up to catch him. My wings spread and I leapt into the air.

But before I or the man with lightning could catch him, the creature who they called the Hulk slammed into him and a building, bringing the Iron man down to the ground.

We all raced over to him. The lightning man ripping off the Iron Man’s mask, letting me have my first look at the man.

I hung near the back of the heroes as they all looked on in sorrow. It appeared that the man in Iron was dead.

The Hulk let loose a rage filled scream at the man’s face, and a grin found its way onto my face as the Iron man gasped and opened his eyes. “What the hell? What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me?” He glanced at me and smirked, “Except for her. I’d let her kiss me anytime.”

I scoffed, surprised to notice tears pricking the corners of my eyes.

The captain leaned back and sighed, “We won.”

I looked back over the block of New York. It truly looked like a war zone. Debri and destruction everywhere with alien bodies scattered between. I was barely listening as Iron Man talked about getting some sort of food.

I looked over when the Captain clasped a hand on my shoulder, “Hey. You really helped us out. If you want to come, we would love to have you on our team. What do you say? Want to become an Avenger?”

I looked at each face. Did I want to? I thought back over my years being a plaything for the men who held me captive, being made into a weapon.

I looked into the blue eyes who asked the question, “I’ll follow you guys.”

He nodded, looking pleased. The team headed towards the tower to finish up some loose ends and I hung back. I wanted to belong. To be a beacon of good and hope. But I also knew I had my own loose ends to deal with before I could truly commit to the heroes of New York.

So before they realized that I wasn’t following them, I took off down an alleyway. I quickly found another giant coat, apologizing to the people I stole it from, and covered up my wings.

I tried to wipe as much dust and grime as I could from my face before I disappeared through the chaos.

[littlethingwithfeathers]

Writing Update: 9-2-19

I have returned from DragonCon! Time to start editing and working on new stuff!

***

Publishing next Monday!

Intercalation (HBO’s Chernobyl): A Valery/Boris/Ulana fix-it fic that picks up immediately after the final scene of the show. Ulana and Boris try to re-balance their lives after Valery is viciously ripped away from them, all the while facing reminder after reminder of the people they were before Chernobyl and the people they had become together while they were there.

Excerpt:

July 16, 1987

Standing on the poisoned ground of Chernobyl, Boris and Ulana watch helplessly as the car drives off. Watch with their hearts in their throats and their stomachs in their shoes as the KGB drive away with their comrade in tow. Not "comrade" in the party sense of the word. They'd perverted it. If telling a truth that potentially saved lives was punished like this, they'd perverted it. They perverted everything.

But what else was there to call it? They'd never named the strange shape that had formed around the three of them. Between them. Through them. A year in the crucible of Chernobyl had changed them inexorably. As the accident would change everything for kilometers around it.

And now they were split asunder, just as cruelly as they had been fused together.

"Where are they taking him?" Ulana asks, looking up at Boris with wide, lost eyes. She looks shell-shocked. Horrified. I did this, her face says. I told him to tell the truth at all costs, and now he's going to pay. Just him. It should be me.

She clearly expects to be chastised. Boris knows that look. He's seen it in his subordinates before. And if he's being honest, he is somewhat angry with her in this moment. He does blame her at least in part for what happened, but he doesn't have the heart to lay into her. The fight is gone from him. He'd warned her before and that was enough input from him on the matter. If the look in her dampening eyes was any indication, she would blame herself for this for the rest of her life. 

And besides. It was Valery's choice in the end. And it had been Boris who'd made sure he got to make that choice. He was as culpable as she.

***

Other “Friendship is Unnecessary” fics at various stages:

But Most of All Because They Offend Thee: Based off this post. In progress, currently just past the 2k mark. This is a short, upbeat, porny little one-shot of Nat being a shit and teasing Steve. Because honestly… this series needs some levity after what I’ve done in “Stolen Season.” Not sure of an ETA, but soon.

One of Those Things (Prologue): Since I’ve written this beast of a series completely out of order, and thus all my author notes are no doubt VERY confusing, I thought I’d put a short prologue on the front. Just a couple of short scenes to plant some seeds and give an actual starting place to this whole sprawling, intertwining mess, but also to give me a chance to address new readers so my forewords on the rest of the fics don’t seem weird. I’ve got a little more than a thousand words written on it which is probably about a third to half way.

Untitled Pre-War Steve/Bucky and Pre-Avengers Phil/Clint/Natasha: Partially a request from @crazyevildru that I’m toying with. Probably a flashback or a memory. This series really does need more Steve/Bucky, and I feel bad about it. I’m thinking of also adding a prequel/flashback of Clint/Phil/Natasha as well… maybe have the whole thing be a discussion over dinner post-Endgame.

Sweet and Honorable (Title pending):  Set post Civil War. Bucky insists on coming with Sam and Natasha to rescue Steve when he gets captured. This is starting to take shape in my head as a sort of work through for some of the issues that get raised in “Echo in my Soul.” Given what we know about the new Black Widow movie, I may hold off on this one for a bit. At least until I can figure out how I’m going to squirm around or ignore the added canon. (can’t wait for that movie BTW)

***

Other works coming soon!

Hymn of Acxiom: Scarlet/Vision. It would be post Endgame, with Wanda helping a newly reconstructed Vision who has no memories and no personality without the Mind Stone to network all the pieces and facets of his personality.  This is next on the docket after “Intercalation.” I’ve really only just gotten started. Sketching scenes and playing with theme. Don’t expect anything before November.

Untitled Sarge/Melinda May fic: I know. I KNOW! Don’t give me that look. You’re watching the same show I am and you’re seeing what I’m seeing. This shit writes itself. I’ve been sketching on a few things, and now that the season’s wrapped up I have an idea of what I want to do. I might crowbar in a few days just so that I can have some exploration time… sometime between (SPOILERS) May shooting Sarge and them heading for the Temple.

A Maelstrom Whirls Below: I’m toying with the possibility of a sequel to my Darcy/Eddie/Venom fic “A Room for Rent in the Fourth Estate.” A rough outline is in place, and I’m starting to sketch around on a few scenes. But right now it’s just some ideas and a few zippy one-liners. It’s starting to get some traction though! Likely won’t start work in earnest until after all this Chernobyl and Wanda/Vision stuff is done, but I’m definitely letting it percolate.

Hang By Every Word: The outline for my Stucky fic is still coming along but it will be awhile yet before I start writing on it in earnest. The basic theme (and I’m sure this has been done, but fuck it) is the undoing of Bucky’s conditioning one trigger word at a time. And each trigger word locked down a memory that HYDRA deemed integral to Bucky’s personality. And of course… they all involve Steve. So I have to write things from Steve’s point of view, and all ten memories have to be written from Bucky’s point of view, and they have to tie together into a cohesive narrative. The memories are out of order, but Steve’s timeline isn’t and… It’s a challenge. I’m still largely in the brainstorming phase… writing little snippets here and there. Nothing’s solidly taking form just yet. Again… just letting it percolate.