#sorry i read mark of athena the week after it came out and now i have a mild obsession with how the act of waiting for resolution

[zukkaoru]

as much as it emotionally destroyed me, i do have to say those last two pages of bsd 109 are like. the perfect cliffhanger. and i'm kind of super glad bsd releases monthly rather than weekly so it can actually hold the weight it was given

[bright-eyes-strawberry-lies]

I can always tell when people haven't read the books and are just parroting shit they hear thinking it’s so hot when it’s icy cold so welcome to another segment of Robin Educates Ya'll With Quotes From The Series: Nico and Percy edition!

--

“I won’t tell on you,” he said. “But you have to promise to keep my sister safe.”

“I...that’s a big thing to promise, Nico, on a trip like this. Besides, she’s got Zoe, Grover, and Thalia -”

“Promise,” he insisted.

“I’ll do my best. I promise that.”

[Titan’s Curse, pg 119]

--

Bianca’s jaw tightened. “No. I’ll go.”

“You can’t! You’re new at this! You’ll die.”

“It’s my fault the monster came after us,” she said. “It’s my responsibility. Here.” She picked up the little god statue and pressed it into my hand. “If anything happens, give that to Nico. Tell him...tell him I’m sorry.”

“Bianca!” But she wasn’t waiting for me. She charged at the monster’s left foot.

[Titan’s Curse, pg 196]

--

Awestruck, I looked to Nico. “How did you-”

“Go away!” he yelled. “I hate you! I wish you were dead!”

The ground didn’t swallow me up, but Nico ran down the steps, heading toward the woods. I started to follow but slipped and fell onto the icy steps. When I got up, I noticed what I’d slipped on.

[Titan’s Curse, pg 308]

--

Annabeth and Grover helped me search the woods for hours, but there was no sign of Nico di Angelo. [Titan’s Curse, pg 309]

--

“I can’t let Nico be in any more danger,” I said. “I owe that much to his sister. I...I let them both down. I’m not going to let that poor kid suffer anymore.”

“The poor kid who hates you and wants to see you dead,” Grover reminded me.

“Maybe we can find him,” I said. “We can convince him it’s okay, hide him someplace safe.”

[Titan’s Curse, pg 310]

--

“So the Nico boy is gone now?”

“I-I guess. I tried to search for him this spring. So did Annabeth. But we didn’t have any luck. This is secret, Tyson, okay? If anyone found out he was a son of Hades, he would be in danger. You can’t even tell Chiron.”

[Battle of the Labyrinth, pg 38]

--

“Percy has been worried about you, Nico. He can help. I let him see what you were up to, hoping he would find you.”

[Battle of the Labyrinth, pg 167]

--

“We missed you at dinner,” I said. “You could’ve sat with me.”

“No.”

“Nico, you can’t miss every meal. If you don’t want to stay with Hermes, maybe they can make an exception and put you in the Big House. They’ve got plenty of rooms.”

“I’m not staying, Percy.”

“But...you can’t just leave. It’s too dangerous out there for a lone half-blood. You need to train.”

“I train with the dead,” he said flatly. “This camp isn’t for me. There’s a reason they didn’t put a cabin to Hades here, Percy. He’s not welcome, any more than he is on Olympus. I don’t belong. I have to go.”

I wanted to argue, but part of me knew he was right. I didn’t like it, but Nico would have to find his own, dark way.

[..]

“Makes sense,” I admitted. “But I hope we don’t have to be enemies.”

He lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry I was a brat. I should’ve listened to you about Bianca.”

[...]

I wasn’t sure what he meant, but I nodded. “Keep in touch, Nico.”

[Battle of the Labyrinth, pg 342-344]

--

He looked up at the Furies and took a deep breath. “I’ve done what my father asked. Take us to the palace.”

I tense. “Wait a second, Nico. What do you -”

“I’m afraid this is my new lead, Percy. My father promised me information about my family, but he wants to see you before we try the river. I’m sorry.”

“You tricked me?” I was so mad I couldn’t think. I lunged at him, but the Furies were fast. Two of them swooped down and plucked me up by the arms. [...] “All right, traitor,” I growled at Nico. “You’ve got your prize. Take me to the stupid palace.”

[The Last Olympian, pg 119/120]

--

The mountain of darkness loomed above me. A foot the size of Yankee Stadium was about to smash me when a voice hissed, “Percy!”

I lunged out blindly. Before I was fully awake, I had Nico pinned to the floor of the cell with the edge of my sword at his throat.

“Want...to...rescue,” he choked.

Anger woke me up fast. “Oh, yeah? And why should I trust you?”

“No...choice?” he gagged.

I wished he hadn’t said something logical like that. I let him go.

Nico curled into a ball and made retching sounds while his throat recovered. Finally he got to his feet, eyeing my sword warily. His own blade was sheathed. I suppose if he’d wanted to kill me, he could have done it while I slept. Still, I didn’t trust him.

[The Last Olympian, pg 129/130]

--

Nico slid off Mrs. O’Leary’s back and crumpled in a heap on the black sand.

I took out a square of ambrosia - part of the emergency god-food I always kept with me. It was a little bashed up, but Nico chewed it.

“Uh,” he mumbled. “Better.”

[...]

I caught him before he could pass out again.

[The Last Olympian, pg 132]

--

“Go back to your father,” I told Nico. “Tell him he owes me for letting him go. Find out what’s going to happen to Mount Olympus and convince him to help.”

Nico stared at me. “I...I can’t. He’ll hate me now. I mean...even more.”

“You have to,” I said. “You owe me too.”

His ears turned red. “Percy, I told you I was sorry. Please...let me come with you. I want to fight.”

“You’ll be more help down here.”

“You mean you don’t trust me anymore,” he said miserably.

I didn’t answer. I didn’t know what I meant. I was too stunned by what I’d just done in battle to think clearly.

“Just go back to your father,” I said, trying not to sound too harsh. “Work on him. You’re the only person who might be able to get him to listen.”

[The Last Olympian, pg 139/140]

--

Percy stared at his jelly donut. He had a rocky history with Nico di Angelo. The guy had once tricked him into visiting Hades’s palace, and Percy had ended up in a cell. But most of the time, Nico sided with the good guys. He certainly didn’t deserve slow suffocation in a bronze jar, and Percy couldn’t stand seeing Hazel in pain.

“We’ll rescue him,” he promised her. “We have to. The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death.”

[Mark of Athena, pg 172/173]

--

“Plans?” Hazel asked. “Nico has until sunset - at best. And this entire city is supposedly getting destroyed today.”

Percy shook himself out of his daze. “You’re right. Annabeth...did you zero in on that spot from your bronze map?”

[Mark of Athena, pg 384/385]

--

Otis trudged over to the dias, stopping occasionally to do a pile. He knocked over the jar, the lid popped off, and Nico di Angelo spilled out. The sight of his deathly pale face and too-skinny frame made Percy’s heart stop. Percy couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive. He wanted to rush over and check, but Ephialtes stood in his way.

[Mark of Athena, pg 508]

--

At Otis’s feet, Nico shuddered. Percy felt like a hellhound hamster wheel somewhere in his chest had started moving again. At least Nico was alive.

[Mark of Athena, pg 509]

--

The past week or so, Percy had imagined a lot of scathing things he might say to Nico when they met again, but the guy looked so frail and sad, Percy couldn’t muster up much anger.

[Mark of Athena, pg 536]

--

Nico’s eyes looked like shattered glass. Percy wondered sadly if something inside him had broken permanently.

[Mark of Athena, pg 539]

--

To recap: Percy never promised Nico that he wouldn't let Bianca die - he promised to do his best. Percy never promised Bianca that he would look after Nico. Percy spends months looking for Nico and never not even once told him to get lost. Nico was manipulated by Hades so that he'd bring Percy to him, and Percy was rightfully angry about it. The last person to betray Percy was Luke (and you all want Luke to die for that). Percy constantly worries about Nico.

Percy doesn't have to apologize to Nico for shit and he didn't "do him dirty" in the slightest.

[florenceandthemachine]

that original lifeline

chapter 4 / 5 - “you deserve what you are given” - 2.2k

in which Eddie has a chance at some closure—but not in the way you might think. 

note the update to the chapter count—it didn't feel right wrapping up everything in one last chapter. the beautiful, wonderful @buckleydiazs inspired a totally new ending with one of her recent works and honestly you should all be reading everything she’s ever written.

that all said and done, I won't keep you waiting too long. the last chapter will be up tomorrow, and I love all of you forever and ever.

read on AO3

For all intents and purposes, Eddie Diaz felt like a dead man walking. 

He had been swallowed up by the Earth and spit back out, in once piece, but that didn’t mean that he was whole. 

For the first month, he seemed to fluctuate wildly between the first three stages of grief, but honestly, he attributed a good portion of that to the mandatory leave of absence he had been given from the 118. He had already lost an eternal being, so sure, absolutely, losing the one routine he had going for him was great!

As ashamed as he was to admit it, his denial spiked the highest whenever he was around Christopher. His son was so good, so fucking kind, and sweet, and it just didn’t feel fair for Eddie to do anything other than smile with him and support him in any way that he could. He had to admit, that was the only shred of silver lining he could see in his mandatory leave—he got to wake up with Chris every morning, he got to take him to school and pick him up after, and he got to give Carla a very, very well deserved vacation. 

If he spent the hours that Chris was out of the house begging to a God that he figured hated him, well, that was his own business. 

When he did get angry, Eddie made damn sure to do it on his own time, in his own house, in his own state of being—he would sooner jump back under an exploding fire truck than allow any of his anger leak through to Chris, and besides, the only person that he was really angry with was himself. He still didn’t know why he had volunteered to go down in the first place—Chim would have been the much more logical choice, he was smaller, he was lighter, and he could move faster, all of that proven when Chim had successfully pulled the kid out of the muddy hole in record time. Unfortunately, there was one thing he didn’t have—the heaps of fucked up brainpower that Eddie seemed to tap into whenever he was out on a call that involved a kid. 

Somewhere around the six week mark, Eddie’s brain had finally given up on bouncing back and forth between denial, bargaining, and anger, and instead slipped right into stage four—a deep, comfortable, whole body depression—one that felt impossible to shake, one that felt like a thick, weighted blanket, wrapped around his body, layering guilt, sadness, shame….

…well. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone that he wasn’t in a great place. But what the hell else was he supposed to do, go to therapy?

“Hi, I’m Eddie, I’m sad because my guardian angel died. I haven’t been able to sleep in weeks without nightmares about being buried alive. Why yes, I am still on active duty as a firefighter.”

Yeah, that was going to go over so well.

One of the many fucked up surprises this newer, nihilistic state of being brought him were the rare moments when he managed to break out of the shell he used to call a personality. He would snort with a sudden spike of laughter at something a comic on television said, or feel a pulse of genuine sadness when he was reading Chris his bedtime story. The moments were few and far between, and they were never more than a few seconds long. 

So, the surge of resignation he felt when he saw red and blue lights erupt in his rearview mirror came as something of a surprise, in and of itself… and then he realized he was going ten over the limit, and resigned this entire day to another page in the Eddie Diaz book. 

It was one of his rare days off—rare, because he had been picking up every extra shift he could to help keep his mind busy—and Chris had been overjoyed at the idea of spending a day with Abuela, a rare treat for both of them once Carla entered their lives. Eddie had swung by after work, had an early dinner with his family, kissed Abuela and Pepa goodbye while dodging all of their questions about what was wrong, and why he looked so sad, and if you would just talk to us, Eddito. He had ignored it all, skillfully loaded Chris into the back of his truck, pretended not to feel a little envious when his son passed out within minutes, and—

—and now he was getting pulled over for speeding.

Eddie allowed himself all of five seconds to rest his head against the steering wheel, the urge to scream only lessened by the knowledge that Chris was asleep in the back of his truck, before he pulled out his wallet and fished his license and registration out. He rolled his window down as the officer started to walk toward the truck, unable to even entertain the idea that he was going to drive away with less than a ticket for whatever it was he had done wrong.

“You can go ahead and put those away.” 

Eddie blinked in confusion as the officer approached his window, his hand hesitating awkwardly before he slowly pulled his arm back inside his truck, the cards tossed absentmindedly onto the passengers seat of the truck.

“I don’t need your license to know who you are, Edmundo. It’s good to finally meet you. I’m sorry it had to be like this, but I had to ensure we wouldn’t be interrupted.”

Typically, an announcement like that usually would have set off every siren in Eddie’s head, but he hadn’t had the energy for something like that for weeks now. Instead, he shifted in his seat, not quite leaning out the window but definitely getting a better look at the officer standing just outside his truck, the lights from her squad car still blinking in his side view mirror. 

“How do you know who I am?”

She smiled, expression sharp and calculating, and Eddie didn’t need her to take off her sunglasses to know that she was looking him over, staring right through him. He didn’t know why, but he suddenly felt desperate that she would approve of whatever it was that she saw. 

“My name is Athena.”

Suddenly, things clicked in his brain, and it wasn’t just in the sharp smile of the officer—or, not officer—standing in front of him. He was knocked back, almost violently, sitting outside of a shitty shake shack with Buck, ankles knocked together under the table, laughing about whatever.

He almost choked as a surge of emotion shot through him, rattling the very shell of his empty being, a sadness and a guilt so strong, so overwhelming, that it threatened to spill out of him in a moments notice. He gripped the steering wheel so hard he wouldn’t have been surprised if he bent it, face going through a flurry of emotions, not trusting himself to speak when he couldn’t even breathe. 

Fuck, here Eddie was supposed to be strong, for his kid, for his teammates, and four words had him blinking back tears in the drivers seat of his truck. “Athena, I—I’m so sorry, I didn’t know what he was going to do, I wouldn’t have let him, I promise, this is all my—“

“Hey, hey, stop that.” She took a small step forward as Eddie felt his jaw click shut, tucking her sunglasses into her uniform pocket. “I don’t blame you for anything, and you shouldn’t be blaming yourself. Buck told you about our relationship with free will, right? Well, he had it, too. Everything he did was by choice. His energy was his own to give, and you can’t beat yourself up for him choosing to use it on you. He wouldn’t want that.”

Her smile had softened into something more genuine, something more understanding, and as much as Eddie wanted to let it calm him down, wanted to trust it, he… couldn’t.

Eddie felt another wave of emotion surge forward, dangerously close to the edge—anger this time, hot and sticky in the back of his throat. Here this perfect stranger was telling him what to think, what to believe, what Buck would want, and the worst part of it all was that Eddie had no reason to doubt her. All in all, he really, really didn’t know Buck—not as well as he thought he did, certainly. But maybe not even at all.

No sooner did that thought enter his mind did his anger die down, leaving him feeling nauseous, guilty, and as gross as it was to admit it—a little pleased. He hadn’t felt genuine emotion in so long, he had been beginning to think he couldn’t anymore. 

Eddie let out a rattling breath as he leaned forward to rest his head on the steering wheel once again, only now, Athena looked mostly sympathetic, arms loosely at her sides, thumbs tucked into her utility belt as she waited for Eddie to get his bearings again. 

“I miss him.”

Athena let out a little laugh as she nodded her head, her smile wide again, looking at Eddie with something between fondness and exasperation. It was a look he had grown very used to, spending more time with Abuela.

“I know, Eddie. I do too.”

They shared another moment of silence while Eddie counted his breaths, interrupted only when Athena cleared her throat and looked down, kicking at the ground near Eddie’s front tire.

“I’m not going to stand here and try to placate you with promises, or niceties, because this world is already unstable enough, and I am not going to waste either of our time. I’m here to offer you a choice, Eddie. I’m here to offer you a chance of… closure, of sorts.” 

Eddie felt his pulse start to quicken as she spoke, not because of the words she said, but because Eddie could already feel it—the same warmth, the energy that used to dance around Buck, was already beginning to swirl around Athena’s narrow frame, making Eddie homesick for a place he didn’t think he would ever be able to return to. 

“What, um…” He had to swallow, taking a moment to look at Chris in the rear view mirror, still conked out against his doorframe. “What exactly are you offering me?”

Athena’s jaw was squared again, slowly lifting her hand up from her belt, fingers splayed before her. If it was a little darker out—if Eddie closed his eyes—he could almost swear they were luminous.

“Buck was under my care, he was my responsibility, and that means you were too, even if it was in an indirect way. Eddie, I didn’t know what was going to happen, before or after you went down that hole, but I hope you believe me when I tell you how sorry I am that you had to go through that. No human should ever have to deal with… with a loss of that magnitude.”

And there it was, the unbreakable truth that Athena had been dancing around since she pulled him over. Loss. It was a loss, Buck really was gone. Not an angel, not a guardian, not anymore. Eddie had to swallow again. 

“I can’t lessen that pain. Only time can do that, and to what extent, even I don’t know. But what I can do is take it away from you, make you forget. Your life will still be your own, but the moments where Buck shone through will be altered, so you’ll have seen the situations just like any other human would have.”

Eddie took in a deep breath, letting it out between loose lips, taking in a few more before he could speak. “So it’ll be like I never saw him in the first place. Like I never knew what was protecting me.”

Athena nodded her head, moving her fingers slowly, focusing on them as much as she was on him. “It’s important to me that you understand I won’t force you to do anything here—this is all your choice. And I’m sorry to say it’s a choice you have to make relatively quickly, I’m already breaking enough protocols being here right now.”

Eddie laughed—he couldn’t help himself, the sound pulled from his throat without him expecting it. “So I guess you’re where Buck got his strict adherence to the rules, huh?”

Athena clicked her tongue and leaned in to smack his arm with her free hand, but the smile on her face was genuine, the touch feather light compared to what Eddie knew she could do.

“His presence has been a bright spot in your life, and I’m glad for that, but I know it can get awful dark without that light. So, it’s up to you. Do you want to keep living, having had this experience, but knowing that no one can relate to it, can help you past it now that it’s over? Or do you want to forget you ever saw his light, to be able to move forward without this darkness weighing on your heart?”

-

For the first time in months, Eddie was able to sleep through the night. 

[whump-tr0pes]

Ash/Athena AU: Epilogue, in which Gavin is a dumbass

The team is safe. One thing Isaac can’t understand, though, is why Gavin had to hurt the man who set Isaac free. He’s about to find out more than that.

Y’all, I seriously had the time of my life writing this with @ashintheairlikesnow. Letting my characters let loose and have fun (and then tying the whole thing up into an angsty little bow) has been one of the best parts of the last few weeks for me. I hope you read her Daniel Michaelson series, if you haven’t already (she’s just getting into The Bad Arc, which promises to be horrible.) She is the Conductor of the Spice Train and Angst Connoisseur and she was just absolutely amazing to write with.  

AO3

NOTE: I really feel the need to point out, Gavin is way more of an asshole here than he is in canon. Please keep it in mind!

“Isaac, we need to go.” Vera’s voice was soft and low as he stared after Nate’s car as he sped away with Danny. He turned his head a little to acknowledge her, but his eyes stayed fixed on the car.

He felt her next to him, felt her warmth. A soft hand on his shoulder. He finally turned to face her. He had tears in his eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Isaac,” she murmured.

He licked his lips and blew out a slow breath. “It’s okay,” he whispered, his voice pulled tight into a sob.

She pulled him into a hug. “No, it’s not. And that’s okay.” She kept her head away from the bandage on his neck. He shuddered against her and folded into her arms.

“I thought –”

“I know,” she soothed.

“He…” Isaac buried his face in her shoulder. “I thought he claimed me. I thought he used me. I thought he… he didn’t care. And he did. He cared enough to get me out. Walked through the basement with me. He… he took…” He swallowed and more tears wet her shoulder. “He took that sedative for me. He… he pushed a gun away from my head…” He trembled as his chest swelled in another sob.

“I know,” she murmured against his shirt.

“I thought… I thought it was all a lie. That… that he just wanted… wanted to…” He gasped with sobs.

Vera pulled him closer. “But he didn’t. He liked you. He cared about you. He never wanted to hurt you. You need to remember that.”

Isaac clutched at Vera’s waist and muffled a weak wail in her shirt. “I thought I could have something good,” he whimpered. “I thought I could have something that didn’t hurt.”

“And you did,” she said gently. “You did, for a little while.”

He nodded weakly and closed his eyes. He let her hold him.

His tears stopped after a while and he pulled back. He scrubbed his face with his sleeve and saw her doing the same. He turned back to the house. “Sorry. Let’s get the others and go.”

They all must have been watching out the window. Before he reached the door it opened and everyone stepped out, carrying only what they had had on them when Nate had told them to run. Sam came out with wide eyes. They went right to him and pulled him into a hug.

He pressed a kiss against the top of their head. “We should go.”

They pulled away and nodded. Isaac looked up at the others. They headed for the car. Gavin came last.

Gavin’s face was pinched with some dark emotion Isaac couldn’t place. His eyes looked glassy, almost like they were filled with tears. His mouth twisted into a bitter grimace. He shuffled along behind the others with his shoulders hunched forward.

Rancor curdled in Isaac’s stomach. Danny saved me and Gavin still had to hurt him. As Gavin reached the car, Isaac stepped forward and squared up with him.

“What is your problem?” he growled.

Gavin’s eyes flicked up to him with a ripple of fear. Gavin swallowed. “Um.”

“He saved me,” Isaac said in a low and dangerous voice. He felt the others freeze around him. “His mother is the one that claimed me, and Danny saved me. I’d be dead right now if it weren’t for him, or at the very least chained up in her fucking basement. She’d be torturing me for information about you, Gavin Stormbeck. So why did you have to take the thing that… why did you have to hurt the person who saved me from her?”

Gavin’s throat bobbed. “I…”

Isaac took a step closer. Gavin took a step back.

“I thought I was going to be a plaything again, and it broke me,” Isaac snarled. “I thought I was going to live the rest of my life the way you kept me. Hurt me. I thought it was happening all over again. I thought I was going to be tortured again by a syndicate son. Someone just like you.”

Gavin held his hands out in front of him. “Isaac…”

“How can you be angry at him when you’re the one who broke me first? How can you say you cared that he claimed me, when you’re the reason I’m covered in scars? You burned me. Just because you didn’t brand me…” Isaac’s skin shuddered at the memory. “But you marked me so much worse.”

Gavin’s eyes were wide. His voice rose to a desperate whine. “Please…”

Isaac’s hands closed around the front of Gavin’s shirt as he closed the distance between them. “Why do you care so fucking much what happens to me when you’re the one who tortured me?”

Gavin shoved Isaac’s hands away from his shirt. “Because I didn’t know I loved you then!”

Isaac’s breath froze in his chest. “…what?”

Gavin’s had his hands over his mouth like he’d just spoken a mortal sin. He shook his head and backed away from Isaac.

Isaac took another step forward. “What the fuck did you say?”

Gavin trembled. “I…”

“Did you just say you…” Isaac wet his lips. “Did you just say… that?”

“Um…” Gavin’s eyes flicked to the others.

“How… why?”

Gavin’s mouth fell open. “Why… Are you kidding?”

Isaac blinked. “I… don’t…”

“Why do I… um…” Gavin’s face fell into his hands. “Have you looked at yourself?”

Isaac flushed red. “You like me because you think I’m… pretty?”

Gavin’s eyes rolled to the brightening sky. “No, you idiot…”

“Then…” Isaac spread his hands in disbelief. “What…”

“You’re good, Isaac,” Gavin sighed at him, exasperated. “You’re so, just…” Gavin squeezed his hands into fists in front of him. “You’re just so fucking good, it drives me absolutely fucking insane. How you’ll… how you just… fucking give yourself, how you protect us and you’re so fucking nice to everyone… except me! After everything, you went and slept with some fucking syndicate son like his name doesn’t even matter, like he’s not exactly the same as me…”

Isaac’s face darkened. “He’s not the same. He never hurt me. He never tortured me. He’s the one who was tortured.”

“What, and you found someone else as broken as you think you are and you figured, ‘sure, whatever, guess I’ll let this one fuck me’?”

Isaac swallowed. “What do you mean… as I think I am?”

Gavin threw his hands up. “You’re not broken, Isaac, you dumbass. You’re so fucking strong it drives me nuts. I just…” Isaac was shocked to see tears shining on Gavin’s cheeks. “I just… I gave up everything for you, I left my family, I left my name, I left my life, because my mom offered to give you to me and I just… couldn’t!” Gavin swiped his sleeve angrily across his face. “And I hoped, it was stupid but I just hoped that maybe you could forget –” Gavin’s mouth snapped shut. “Not… not forget. But if you could… if you could just… see that I’ve changed, that I’m better… If you could just see how much I care about you, and I always have, I just didn’t understand it before…” Gavin’s voice trailed off in a miserable whine.

“If I could… what?” Isaac knew the answer. He didn’t want to hear it, but he knew it.

Gavin stared miserably at the ground. “If you could just… see how much I care about you, maybe you would… love me the way you loved that syndicate prick.”

Isaac’s mouth hung open. He felt empty with shock. His body felt numb. His legs were still wobbly from what Nate had given him… What did he call it? Isaac remembered asking. He remembered Nate told him, but couldn’t recall the word. The sounds. It was all so confused.

“But… why… would you hurt Danny? If he’s the one who… saved me… you should be…”

“Because I’m fucking mad at him!” Gavin shouted. “Because he’s so fucking sweet, he’s fucking… broken and I wanted you to be mine, for months I wanted you to be mine…”

Gavin crumpled and burst into sobs.

What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck, WHAT THE FUCK.

“Gavin, we…” Isaac’s mouth was dry. “We have to go,” he said a little weakly.

“No fucking shit,” Gavin sobbed miserably. “Because now we’re on the run from my mom and his fucking horror-movie mom… What are they, anyway? Ryan’s not –”

“Not like her,” Isaac said quickly. “I’m telling you, Ryan’s not like her. They’re not the same.” Isaac looked around, a little dazed, still reeling from the shock. “G-Gray?”

Gray kept their eyes pointed at the ground. “I don’t know,” they murmured. “We should really get going.”

[alextriestowritestuff]

Re-reading The Heroes of Olympus

Alright so I’m reading the Son of Neptune (TSoN) by Rick Riordan again. I think I first read it in 2012, about a year after it came out. I originally opened up the book to read one passage because a saw a PJO tik tok that made me nostalgic. And now I’m on page 60 lmaoo so guess I’ll just continue reading it. 

I’ve mentioned this before but I used to write Percy Jackson fanfic. I’ve read the entire PJO series three times and Rick Riordan is my favorite author. I was in 6th grade when the Last Olympian came out and I remember going to Barnes and Noble and getting a copy so that was cool. I was a little older, about 13/14 when HoO series came out. I read the Lost Hero, I didn’t like it lmao. Percy wasn’t in it so I was uninterested. Also I don’t like Jason and Piper so I was suffering through their POVs lol. Don’t kill me, sorry. I remember liking Son of Neptune though and I read Mark of Athena but I deadass don’t remember what happened in that book so I have no opinion on it. I still haven’t read the last two books in the HoO series so I guess that’s what I’ll do this month. So I’ll keep up with this thread and let you guys know my thoughts if anyone is interested! I’m not going to re read the Lost Hero though, like I remember that it took me a week to read that. I can read a book (that I’m interested in) in about 2-3 days tops so I’m not going to waste my time doing that lmao. I think there’ll be spoilers in this thread so warning. 

So I’m 30% of the way into TSON and it’s good. I forgot how different the Roman camp is from Camp Half Blood. I think they both have their pros and cons though. I love Reyna (l did in my first read as well) even more now. She was HBIC. I just always felt that her and Percy would’ve been a great couple lmao. I do like Percabeth in the books only tho, fanfic Percabeth isn’t my jam. 

I’m realizing that Nico really didn’t have the typical demigod ‘experience’. Like he’s been so many places and I feel bad for him because you know, he doesn’t really have a place. Over the years, I’ve been spoiled about the series so I know a couple of things and one of them is that he gets a love interest eventually so hopefully that is coming up soon. I really feel for the kid lmao. I don’t have much to say about Hazel and Frank. I forgot she used to black out and pop out jewels. I remember being irritated with her black outs though and that still hasn’t changed. I’ve never quite warmed up to Frank but now that I’m reading it again, I think I was too harsh on him when I was younger. He’s actually quite smart and thoughtful. I appreciate that both Hazel and Frank’s identity as Black American and Chinese Canadian are explicitly mentioned and woven into their backstories. I think Hazel was the first obviously black character I read as a child (other than Rue from the Hunger Games) and I remember being really proud of that as a black girl. Welp I’ll check in when I’m 50% of the way in or when I’m done. We’ll see!

[userdokja]

Not really soulmates | Tony x Reader, Steve x Reader (Three)

summary: You have been waiting for your soulmate for years, But when you met Tony you forgot about finding your soulmate and focused on your own life, But when your soulmate came who turned out to be Steve Rogers, you have to choose between the one you love and the one you were meant to love.

Series Masterlist

A/n: ya'll ready for some drama?

----

You woke up in surprise, Tony's alarm was ringing on the nightstand. It was just 5:00 in the morning. You brought him to his room after hours of trying to relieve the pain.

"Tony?" You rubbed his shoulder to try and wake him up. "Tony..Are you okay?"

He turned himself around and looked at you. "I think it's gone.." He mumbled, And touched his chest. You removed his hand away to look at it, And it was the sun.

"You told me you knew who it was, Tell me." He didn't answer. He just touched your cheek and smiled sadly, His fingers softly touching where your mark is.

"Tony, you're acting weird. What's wrong?"

"Thank you for being here." he moved his hand away. "But you need to go, you still have your soulmate.

----

It hurt you every time he pushed you away but it was what he wanted, And he needed some space.

You sighed and sat down on your couch. And turned the TV on, as you were looking for movies to watch your phone rang.

You answered and waited. "Hey."

"Sorry, who's this?"

"It's Athena. from Y/b/f/n's  work. And she didn't have time to call you because she's in a meeting at the moment. But she wanted you to know that there's a case about marks and she thought it might be related to yours."

"What about it?"

"Is there any chance that you're getting a new mark?"

"No, But i do know someone who just got another. He was in a lot of pain."

"It's a rare case. like really rare, In the 1990's there was only two recorded cases. Getting a new mark would be a miracle for those who lost their first one because it's like a second chance.  And the best thing is they won't die because of having no mark. But, If you get your second mark right after you lost your first one it will hurt maybe three to four times more."

"Okay..So What's this got to do with me?"

"Maybe Y/b/f/n was just worried, And to warn you maybe. In 1990 one of the two died because of the unbearable pain after they got their second mark too early. I know this is a little confusing..."

"It's alright, Maybe I can do more research about it. Thank you for telling me this Athena." The call ended and you processed what she told you, Tony's didn't hurt as much because it's been a few months since he lost his. You turned off the TV and did more research about the man who died getting their second mark. It turns out It's only been three days after he lost his. His relatives said he's been in pain for four more days and died a week later because no one knew what was going on.

Until they saw his new mark.

----

A day later y/b/f/n came with a box of pizza. she told you that. 'You both needed a break.' So you spent the whole night braiding each other's hair like 12 year old girls, while telling each other your problems. she also gave you a list of cases about marks to read.

The top two rarest case already happened to Tony.

Losing your mark (without anyone dying) = if one of the two people is falling in love with another person or both are falling out of love .

(Effects of one person falling out of love / falling in love with someone else. would be changing the color of the mark of the other to white, Pain throughout your body, and passing out. The side effects depends on the person's health)

getting a new mark = If a Markless person falls in love with another person.

"How's your soulmate?" You asked her, She found hers when she was 18, And it was the Ideal soulmate meeting everyone wants. Like a romantic novel coming to life.

"Oh you know.. I found this small red box in his drawer--" you cut her off with a gasp.

"No way!"

"I honestly don't know what to tell him... I probably won't and just tell him after." She laughed softly. "How about you?"

"I went on a date with Steve the other day... And then Tony called he was in pain. And he has a new mark, I stayed with him for a while but he made me leave the next morning." She stopped braiding your hair.

"He got a new mark?"

"mhm."

"And you met with Steve?"

"And he also knows I'm his soulmate now.." You mumbled under your breath but loud enough for her to hear.

"So you finally felt that soulmate tingle?" You could feel her smiling behind you.

"Yeah." You smiled as you remembered the feeling. "I hope there's a second date though.."

after a few moments of silence you stood up to grab a glass of milk, you took it out of the paper bad because you forgot to organize everything earlier, You noticed a small sheet of paper. And it was Steve's number.

"He let his number." You told your best friend and she awe'd.

"Call him!"

"Why?"

"Just call him!" You rolled your eyes and dialed his phone number. You waited nervously as it rang while Y/b/f/n was smiling excitedly at you.

"Hello?" He finally answered.

"Hi, I got your number, It's me Y/n."

"Oh, Y/n I'm glad you didn't accidentally throw it out." You laughed.

"Well I almost did..." there was an awkward silence.

"Uhm.. I wanted to ask if you wanted to go to uh.. a second date probably?" Your eyes widened and y/b/f/n looked at you quizzically.

"Yeah, of course."

"Great!" he told you where it was going to be, and when. once you ended the call y/b/f/n immediately asked some questions.

"He asked me out on a date!" She seemed more excited then you were.

She told you about what you should do on your next date, Probably taking a walk around and having some Ice Cream. But scratched the Ice cream part off because 'Steve's already been cold for too long.' and should try some hot chocolate instead.  You both fell asleep a couple of hours later after talking all night.

----

When you woke up, Y/b/f/n was already gone. She left a note saying she had a date with her soulmate. Maybe this is the day he's going to propose to her. You got ready for the day, Hoping that Fury wouldn't call you out of blue for a mission. You were brushing your teeth when suddenly a sharp pain came on your mark. You gargled some water and immediately pushed your hair out of the way to see what was causing it.  The mark was white, and the pain was starting to get stronger.

You walked out of the bathroom to get your phone, But you realized you couldn't call anyone and you definitely didn't want to ruin someone's date, especially and they're probably getting engaged. You breathing pattern wasn't normal, The pain is covering your body, And that made it hard for you to control your powers. Your plants near your window slowly dried.

You could feel the coldness replacing the heat of your mark as it disappeared. an hour later, It was completely gone. You were still on the floor beside your couch, gripping the pillow as tightly as you could. Your trembling fingers reached up to your neck. Suddenly there was a knock on your door.

"Y/n? It's Natasha, I need to tell you something about Steve.." You were too tired to answer. "I know you're in there." She kept on knocking for two minutes until she broke in. Her eyes widened at the sight of you.

"Tell me about it." she rushed to you quickly, "who was it?"

"Sharon Carter." You nodded, you felt tears gathering again.

"He asked me out on a date last night."

A/N: ALL WILL BE EXPLAINED AGAIN THE NEXT CHAPTER BECAUSE IT'S A LITTLE CONFUSING. I'M SORRY I KNOW IT'S CRAP.

Permanent tags: @aintnouseofpretending @heartbeats-wildly @just4muggles

Series taglist: @mixedfandxms @breakthesystm @mystrangerfics @vxidnik

Marvel Taglist: @hollymac79

[dumbledearme]

chapter thirty-five—return to the sea

read Child of Land and Sea here

Act IV — To Stop The Tide

Part X — Your hocus-pocus isn't tough enough and your mumbo-jumbo doesn't measure up.

The room was small, but Andy sat as far away from the others as humanly possible. The gladiator fight had somewhat broken her spirit. Usually, she didn't feel bad about killing monsters, but just the thought that it was for entertainment, that people were amused, it made her feel sick.

Anthony didn't try to comfort her. He seemed thankful she didn't want to be close to him which saddened her even more. He kept his mind on Luke. "Something was wrong with him," he kept saying. "He was acting so strange."

"He looked pretty pleased to me," she answered. "It was a nice day torturing heroes."

"No. There was something wrong with him. He looked... scared. I know him. He wanted to tell me something."

"Probably wanted to invite you to stay and watch him kill me. He has a great sense of humor."

"Whatever, Andy," he said and looked at Rachel. "Which way now?"

Rachel didn't respond right away; she'd become quieter since the arena. "We'll follow the path," she said. "The brightness on the floor."

"You mean the brightness that led us straight into a trap?" Anthony asked.

"Just leave her alone, Anthony," Andy told him. "She's doing the best she can."

"Right," he said getting up. "Since you girls don't seem to need me, I'll take a walk." And he marched off into the shadows.

Andy rolled her eyes. "Something is wrong," she said, "but with him! Like this place isn't horrible enough. I don't know how much longer I can take."

"I think he's afraid," Rachel declared.

"Afraid of what?"

"You're gonna think I'm crazy," she said softly, "but I think he's afraid of you."

Andy blinked. "Of me? Why would he be afraid of me?"

Rachel shrugged like she thought that was something Andy should find out by herself. "You were right to bring me here," she said. "I can see the path. I can't explain it, but it's really clear." She pointed toward the other end of the room, into the darkness. "The workshop is that way. The heart of the maze. We're very close now. I don't know why the path led through that arena. I... I'm sorry you had to do that. I saw your face when... I thought you were going to die."

"I'm usually about to die," Andy told her. "That wasn't the bad part."

Rachel studied her face. "Do you do this all the time? Fight monsters? Save the world? Don't you ever get to do normal stuff?"

"I don't even know what normal is anymore," Andy admitted. And then something occurred to her. "Hey. How about your family? Won't they be concerned?"

Rachel's face turned bright red. "Oh... they're just... Not likely, you know? I could be gone a week and they'd never notice. I'm really tired, Andy. I'll sleep for a while, okay?" And she curled up, using her backpack as pillow.

A few minutes later, Anthony returned. "I'll take first watch," he said. "You should sleep."

Without arguing, Andy lay down, feeling miserable.

She woke up with Anthony shaking her shoulder. "Andy, wake up! Earthquake!" Sure enough, the room was rumbling. The three of them grabbed their things and ran. Hundred tons of marble was crashing down behind them, but they kept moving. The earthquake only stopped when they reached a stainless steel hallway.

"This way," Rachel said, beginning to run. "We're close!" They arrived at a set of metal double doors. Inscribed in the steel, at eye level, was a large blue Greek delta. "We're here," Rachel announced. "Daedalus's workshop."

Anthony pressed the symbol and the doors hissed open. Together, they walked inside. What shocked Andy the most was the daylight – the blazing sun coming through giant windows. The workshop was like an artist's studio.

"Di immortales," Anthony muttered. He ran to the nearest easel and looked at the sketch. "He's a genius. Look at the curves on this building!"

"And an artist," Rachel said in amazement. "These wings are amazing!"

The wings looked exactly like the ones Andy had seen in her dreams, so much so that Andy couldn't bare to look at them. She walked to the window and stared at the view. "Where are we?"

"Colorado Springs," a voice said behind them. "The Garden of the Gods." Standing on the spiral staircase above them, with his weapon drawn, was Quintus.

"You!" Anthony said. "What... Where is Daedalus?"

Quintus smiled faintly. "Trust me, boy. You don't want to meet him." He walked pass them and stood beside Andy by the window. "The view always changes," he told her. "Everyday is something new."

"It's an illusion?" she asked.

"No," Rachel answered for him. "It's real. We're really in Colorado."

Quintus regarded her. "You have clear vision. I knew a girl like you once. Another princess who came to grief."

"Oh my gods," Andy breathed out. Now that he was so close, she could see clearly too. "You're Daedalus," she accused. "I've seen... You're an automaton. You made yourself a new body."

"That's not possible," Anthony whispered.

Quintus glanced at him. "You know what Quintus means?"

"The fifth, in Latin."

"Yes. My fifth body."

"You found a way to transfer your animus into a machine?" Anthony asked. He sounded extremely disgusted. "That's not natural."

"It's still me," Daedalus said. "Our mother makes sure I never forget that." He tugged back the collar of his shirt. At the base of his neck was the mark Andy had seen before.

"A murderer's brand," Anthony said.

"For your nephew, Perdix," Andy guessed. "The boy you pushed off the tower."

Daedalus's face darkened. "I did not push him. I-"

"Let him die."

Daedalus gazed out the windows. "I regret what I did, Andy. I was angry and bitter. But I cannot take it back, and Athena never lets me forget. As Perdix died, she turned him into a small bird – a partridge. She branded the bird's shape on my neck as a reminder. No matter what body I take, the brand remains."

"Why did you come to camp?" Andy asked.

"To see if your camp was worth saving. Luke gave me one story. I preferred to come to my own conclusions."

"So you have talked to Luke."

"Several times. He is quite persuasive."

"Well, whatever he said, he lied," Anthony said to Andy's surprise. "You can't let Luke through the maze!"

"The maze is no longer mine to control. I created it, yes. In fact, it is tied to my life force. But I have allowed it to live and grow on its own. That is the price I paid for privacy."

"Privacy from what?"

"The gods," he said. "And death. I have been alive for two millennia, hiding from death."

"How can you hide from Hades?" Andy asked.

"A clever man can do almost anything. The gods don't see everything. I have buried myself very deep. Only my greatest enemy has kept after me, and even him I have thwarted."

"Minos?"

Daedalus nodded. "He hunts for me relentlessly. Now that he is a judge of the dead, he would like nothing better for me to come before him so he can punish me for my crimes. After the daughters of Cocalus killed him, Minos' ghost began torturing me in my dreams. He promised that he would hunt me down. I did the only thing I could. I retreated from the world completely. I descended into my Labyrinth. I decided this would be my ultimate accomplishment: I would cheat death."

"And you did," Anthony marveled, "for two thousand years."

A loud bark echoed and Mrs O'Leary appeared. "There she is," Daedalus said. "My only companion all these long lonely years."

"You let her save me," Andy said.

"Of course I did, Andy," he replied. "You have a good heart. And I knew Mrs O'Leary liked you. I wanted to help you. I felt guilty..."

"Guilty about what?"

"That your quest would be in vain."

"What?" Anthony said. "But you can still help us. You have to! Give us Ariadne's string so Luke can't get it."

"I told Luke that he needed the eyes of a mortal girl, but then again, who would love him enough to come down here? He was so focused on the idea of a magical item. He can't understand that love is the best guide, that love sees all. And, of course, the string works. Though it isn't as good as your mortal friend here."

"Where is it?" Anthony asked.

"With Luke," Daedalus said sadly. "I'm sorry. You are several hours too late."

With a chill, Andy realized why Luke had been in such a good mood. Anthony's face was turning a bright shade of green. He seemed about to puke.

"Kronos promised me freedom," Daedalus said. "Once Hades is overthrown, he will set me over the Underworld. I will reclaim my son Icarus. I will make things right with poor young Perdix. I will see Minos's soul cast into Tartarus, where it cannot bother me again. And I will no longer have to run from death."

"That's your brilliant idea?" Anthony growled. "You're going to let Luke destroy our camp, kill hundreds of demigods, and then attack Olympus? You're going to bring down the entire world so you can get what you want?"

"Your cause is doomed. I saw that as soon as I began to work at your camp. There is no way you can hold back the might of Kronos. I'm doing what I must. I'm sorry."

Anthony violently pushed over an easel. Architectural drawings scattered across the floor. "I respected you. You were my hero! You... You built amazing things. You solved problems. Children of Athena are supposed to be wise, not just clever. Maybe you are just a machine. You should have died two thousand years ago." Although he was clearly on the edge, he didn't raise his voice once. Andy was impressed by his self-control.

Daedalus looked down. "You should go warn your camp."

Suddenly, the doors of the workshop burst open and Nico was pushed inside. Then Kelli and two Laistrygonians marched in behind him, followed by the ghost of Minos. He fixed his gaze on Daedalus. "There you are, my old friend."

Daedalus's jaw clenched. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Luke sent his regards," Kelli said, repeating what one of the princesses had said before killing Minos. "He thought you might like to see your old employer."

"This was not part of our agreement," Daedalus said.

"No, indeed," Kelli agreed. "But we already have what we want from you, and we have other agreements to honor. Minos required something else from us, in order to turn over this fine young demigod. He'll be quite useful. And all Minos asked in return was your head, old man."

Daedalus paled. "Treachery."

"Nico," Andy called. "Are you okay?"

He nodded morosely. "I'm sorry. Minos said you were in danger. He said you needed... my help."

"You wanted to help me?"

"I was tricked," he said.

Andy glared at Kelli. "Where's Luke? Why isn't he here?"

The she-demon smiled. "Luke is busy. He is preparing for the assault. But don't you worry. We have more friends on the way."

Then all hell broke loose.

Anthony stabbed the empousa in the stomach and with an awful screech, Kelli dissolved into yellow vapor. Minos called other spirits and Nico tried to stop him.

"You do not control me, fool," Minos said. "I've been controlling you!"

"I am the son of Hades," Nico insisted. "Be gone! All of you."

Minos laughed. "You have no power over me. I am the lord of spirits! The ghost king!"

"No." Nico said, this time very softly, in such a threateningly way that Minos stepped away from him. "I am." And with unimaginable power, he somehow made a crack on the ground and Minos and the other spirits were sucked into the void.

Rachel grabbed the nearest chair and threw it at the windows that broke into a million pieces all around them. Andy breathed in. She focused on the water below.

"Brace yourselves!" she warned. And then she shouted, letting her power take over. Not a minute later, water erupted into the workshop. Andy tried her best to control it. She made the water grab her friends and get them out of there, returning to the sea. She stayed behind and trapped the monsters into balls of water and pressed them until they exploded.

Then everything stopped. Andy was in the destroyed workshop with Daedalus coughing in the corner. She glanced at him one last time. The inventor was cut in a hundred places and bleeding golden oil instead of blood.

Andy turned her back at him and threw herself out of the window into the ocean.

They were all wet and extremely upset.

"The workshop moved," Anthony said looking up to Daedalus's hill. "And there's no telling where."

"How do we get back in there?" Andy asked.

"Maybe we can't. The empousa said there were others coming. If they found Daedalus and killed him... he said his life force was tied to the Labyrinth. The whole thing might've been destroyed."

"He isn't dead," Nico said with certainty.

"How do you know?" Andy asked.

"I know when people die," he said giving her a glance that made clear he hadn't completely forgiven her yet.

"We need to get into town," Anthony decided and the others agreed.

Rachel found another entrance to the Labyrinth easily. The dirt tunnels turned to stone, but Rachel had no trouble guiding them. To Andy's surprise, Anthony and Rachel started up a conversation as they walked. Turned out Rachel knew something about architecture from studying art.

Andy took the chance to focus on Nico. "Thank you for coming after us," she said.

Nico's eyes narrowed. "I wanted to see Daedalus," he said but it sounded more like an excuse. "Minos was right. He should die. Nobody should be able to avoid death that long. It's not natural."

"You were after him," Andy guessed. "A soul for a soul. You were gonna trade him for your sister."

"It hasn't been easy," he admitted weakly. "Having only the dead for company. Knowing that I'll never be accepted by the living. Only the dead respect me, and they only do that out of fear."

"You could be accepted," Andy told him. "You could have friends at camp. If you want."

He stared at her. "Do you really believe that?"

Before Andy could answer, everybody stopped. There was a dark tunnel to their right. Wind was coming, as if an exit was near, and it brought the smell of eucalyptus.

"There's something evil down that tunnel," Rachel said.

"And the smell of death," Nico added.

"Luke's entrance," Anthony guessed. "The one to Mount Othrys." Unable to stop herself, Andy started forward, but Anthony held her arm. "Don't."

"He could be right there," she said. "Or Kronos. We need to see what they're doing."

Anthony hesitated. "Then we go together."

"No," Andy said. "I'll go. You guys stay. They can't have Nico or Rachel. You stay here with them. I'm just going to check it out. I promise."

With a miserable expression, Anthony handed her the Yankees cap. "Be quick about it."

It was like a stab to her back seeing Ethan Nakamura there with a bunch of telkhine. "At least we salvaged the blade," one of the monsters said. "The master will still reward us."

"Great," said Ethan. "Now, if you're done with me, I-"

"No, half-blood," another one said. "You must help us make the presentation."

The weapon was a scythe – a six-foot-long blade curved like a crescent moon. It was the weapon of Kronos, the one he had used to slice up his father, Ouranos.

"We must sanctify it in blood," a telkhine said. "Then you, half-blood, shall help present it when the lord awakes."

Andy dashed into a main hall and found the sarcophagus. Luke wasn't there. No guards. No nothing. It was too easy. Andy stood over the coffin. Her hand touched the lid. With a single move, she pushed back the golden lid and it fell to the floor. She lifted her sword, ready to strike, but when she looked inside, she didn't comprehend what she was seeing.

Luke was in there. Eyes closed, skin pale.

Then the voices of the telkhines were behind her. "What has happened?" one of the demons asked.

"Careful," the other one warned. "Perhaps he stirs. We must present the gifts now. Immediately."

They shuffled forward and knelt, holding up the scythe. "My lord," one said. "Your symbol of power is remade."

Silence.

"He requires the half-blood first," the other one said.

Ethan stepped back. "What do you mean?"

"Don't be a coward! He does not require your death. Only your allegiance. Pledge him your service. Renounce the gods. That is all."

Andy took off the cap. "No! Ethan, don't!"

"Trespasser!" The telkhines bared their teeth.

"Ethan," she pleaded. "Don't listen to them. Help me destroy it!"

"I told you not to spare me, Jackson," Ethan said sadly. "'An eye for an eye.' You ever heard that saying? I've learned what it means the hard way. When I discovered my godly parent. I am the child of Nemesis, Goddess of Revenge. And this is what I was made to do." He turned toward the dais. "I renounce the gods! What have they ever done for me? I will see them destroyed. I will serve Kronos."

The building rumbled. The coffin began to shimmer. Luke sat bolt upright. His eyes opened but they were no longer blue – they were golden. He leaped out of the coffin and looked at Andy. "This body has been well prepared. Don't you think so, Andy Jackson?"

She stared at him open-mouthed.

Kronos laughed. "He feared you, you know," the Titan said. "His jealousy and hatred have been powerful tools. It has kept him obedient. For that I thank you."

Ethan collapsed in terror. The telkhines trembled. Then Andy lunged at the thing that used to be Luke, thrusting her blade straight at his chest, but his skin deflected the blow like he was made of pure steel. He looked at her with amusement. Then he flicked his hand and she flew across the room.

Andy slammed against a pillar. She struggled to her feet. "What have you done to Luke?"

"He serves me wit his whole being, as I require. The difference between us is he feared you, Andy Jackson, and I do not."

That's when she ran. Time slowed down around her; the power of Kronos was slowing her down. Then Rachel called her name. Something flew past Andy and a blue plastic hairbrush hit Kronos in the eye.

Andy limbs were free and she ran straight into Rachel, Nico and Anthony, who were standing in the entry hall, their eyes wide with dismay.

"Luke?" Anthony called. "What-" Andy grabbed him by the shirt and hauled him after her. She ran as fast as she could, straight out of the fortress. They plunged into the Labyrinth and kept running, the howl of the Titan Lord shaking the entire world behind them.

[demialwrites]

Kitty Kompanion Ch 5

Genji hadn't been at the watchpoint for longer than a full day for the past month. Not having a work schedule for yourself, you lost track of what day it was.

You did offer to do paperwork, but Winston waved your suggestion off. "Athena does all that."

So you doubted yourself that Genji seemed be going on longer and longer missions. Overall, you were okay. Your breasts were so nice and full, and your stomach didn't have as many stretch marks as you had feared. You should have been grateful that you were safe and healthy. The piece missing from your heart disagreed. Whispered to you that it was unfair. You wondered why you should get out of bed, to face the loneliness. The tempting sleepiness pulled you back down. You closed your eyes, chasing the split second before unconsciousness that was free of any worry. The extra sleep had the opposite effect that sleep normally has. You spent the day feeling like shit and looking like it, eyebags and all.

You gave up training after falling and bruising your hip. Your centre of gravity had shifted without you noticing. You sat there, annoyed. You punched the floor, resentful that the further along you got, the more your job was becoming 'being pregnant.' You took your frustration out on Genji's cock when he was home. Making him lay back while you rode him until you tired yourself out. Your fingers gave you a less satisfying orgasm, and it was getting harder to reach properly. Genji welcomed your use of him, contentedly drinking in your curves with his hungry gaze. As soon as your thighs refused to obey you, he guided you back slowly with his hands at your back to avoid ripping his knot out of your cunt. Genji curled around your pregnant stomach to give love to your swollen breasts. These was some of your best times with him lately, because his knot locked inside you guaranteed some quality time. You traded tender kisses and discussed possible baby names until he had to leave again.

Genji noticed the growing length of his missions, as well, and picked up the habit of bringing you a small stuffed animal from each new location. Whether he stole them or bought them, you didn't mind. The theme was baby versions of animals whenever he could find them. You had amassed a sizeable amount in a short time. You lay in the bed, surrounded by the stuffies, because half its occupants weren't there most of the time anyway. You were wondering if Genji's presents were doubling as baby toys. He indignantly huffed when you asked him this.

Later he confessed to Jesse and Hanzo in the Orca that his scheme had been found out, and his brother had no sympathy.

"Don't be cheap, then!"

"It is called being frugal, Hanzo. You would go broke just trying to get a first date," said Genji, taking a jab at Hanzo's expensive tastes in cologne, bath oils, eyeliner, skincare, and separate combs for his hair and his fur.

"At least he pays for the things," Jesse pointed out, when Genji would have no problem stealing them.

"As if there is honour involved in something so insignificant," Hanzo said.

"There is to me," Genji growled. "Who is the one who is single, and who is not?"

"Genji's got a point, Hanz," Jesse said. "You might try bein' nice every once in a while."

Hanzo squared up with the cowboy, ears flat and his tail waving. His white teeth peeked out of his sneering lips. Jesse barely twitched.

"You should work on that attitude. It's bringin' team morale down," he drawled, casually puffing on his cigarillo with a finger and thumb holding it steady.

Hanzo picked a far away sniper perch to sulk in after the Orca landed.

"Sorry if that was unprofessional, Jesse," Genji whispered to him.

"As long as we stick to the plan and come back in one piece, you two can cat fight all you want."

Hanzo wheezed poorly contained laughter. He got a hold of himself and asked McCree if he plucked his joke from the dumpster they passed on the way over. Jesse took his cigarillo from his lips.

"Well, I'll be."

"He laughed," Genji said. His chest expanded with a deep breath. He let it out slowly, placing a hand solemnly on Jesse's shoulder. "I will make an appointment with Angela for him when we get back. He is clearly terminal."

"Do not!"

Jesse and Genji fell against each other, snickering quietly so enemies wouldn't hear.

Genji returned from that particular mission with a stuffed baby beaver. He found you napping with all the stuffies. What an adorable sight you made, with your pregnant belly protruding above all the stuffed animals. He had no idea you missed him so badly, and instead was drawn to join you for your nap. He added the baby beaver to the pile and then pushed some to the side so he could slot himself into the cuddle pile next to your body.

You would have remained in the bed with this surprise appearance of Genji, but you an immense need to pee and right now. You inched towards the side of the bed, dragging your extra weight along. It disturbed your bedmate. He shifted around and you stopped with your legs hanging off the side of the bed, waiting for him to greet you. Genji opened his eyes, hazy with sleepiness, and spied the stuffed animals.

"My kittens," he cooed, sweeping his arms inwards, gathering some stuffies to his chest. He curled up around them, his tail touching his chin, and went back to sleep. You could tell he was sleeping by his peaceful, steady breathing.

You were about to pee yourself, so you quickly used the bathroom. Then you swiped your phone from the bedside table and snapped a pic of Genji cuddling his 'babies.' You had no idea what was going on, but you had to save this.

You woke him, and he whined at you sleepily not to show anyone because he didn't remember talking to the stuffed animals at all. But too bad. Too late. The picture was already taken. Genji left for another mission, and now you had this darling photo to look at to comfort you while he was away.

"Hey, Angela."

"How are you feeling? You look tired."

You were on a first name basis with the pretty, blonde doctor now, and you knew the drill for your check-ins. You stepped on the scale, so she could record your weight gain. To be fair, a medical program was automatically recording all the data for perusal at Angela's convenience.

"I am, but I'm fine otherwise I think."

"That's good. I'm tired as well," she groaned and launched into some gossip. "Everyone is keeping me very busy. Did you hear that Tracer recalled into friendly fire for the fifth time in three months? She's doing her best under the circumstances, but...Ugh! And I'm trying to convince Winston to switch to natural peanut butter as a compromise, but he conveniently keeps 'forgetting' to buy a minifridge for it. Then I just about put Jesse's cigar out on his leg. Ahhh, but I have the best sleeps after days like that!" She grinned. "Also makes me look forward to seeing your healthy little baby bump in comparison."

"The Winston part might be partly my fault. I ate all his bananas a week ago."

"That's alright. He's an adult; it's squarely on him," she said, pointing at her shoulders. "Come, come. Sit."

You sat on the exam table.

"My favourite part! Hearing the tiny heartbeat." She took the stethoscope from around her neck. "Athena, bring up the audio feed for the mother to hear."

"Yes, Dr. Ziegler."

Angela played your heartbeat for you. Then the baby's. You got a little light-headed each time with the realization that a tiny life was growing inside you. You cupped your belly tenderly.

"Almost makes me want to give up being a doctor to have children," Angela said wistfully.

You looked up in surprise.

"What?"

She chuckled. "Got you!"

"Whatever," you muttered with a smile.

"You know what's next," she said. You did, lying back on the exam table so the medical equipment could scan your uterus. "Let me just quickly go over your stuff here..." she said, walking over to the console.

You waited patiently. You wished Genji were here, but that was no surprise.

"Wait," the doctor said. You sat up, already on alert. "Am I that tired? Did I forget you were having twins?"

Dr. Ziegler was squinting at the screen and rubbing her cheek in deep confusion, while you fought the urge to flail about in panic. No, you did not mention twins!

"Wait," she said again. This time you deflated onto the exam table, already done with the surprises. "This one is reading as a few weeks younger. That cannot be..."

You nodded to everything she said, trying to ignore the lack of blood flowing to your brain. Dr. Ziegler released you for now, intending to study the results of the scans of the second baby. You dumbly walked down the hallway with your hands to your baby bump, until a thought smacked you like a pebble to the head. Genji was still not here, again! You fisted your hands angrily and jogged back to your room. You paced back and forth at the foot of your bed. The object of your anger was out on a mission, again.

Athena had to say your name twice before you realized she trying to get your attention.

"Athena! Right, sorry," you said, depositing your rear on the bed. "What can I do for you?"

"An audio transmission for you from Agent Genji."

You adjusted the position of your feet needlessly and smoothed invisible wrinkles on the stomach of your shirt.

"Alright. Connect us, please."

Your beloved's voice spoke your name, warmly drifting down from the ceiling.

"You!" you seethed.

"What? I-"

"Another baby! Angela says I'm pregnant with a second baby! Appeared out of nowhere! ...I think," you added quickly. "I don't know..." A tsumani of angst came crashing over your anger, snuffing it. "And you're not here!" you wailed.

You tried not to be selfish and blame Genji for not being here, but you just did. You failed. You were overwhelmed and alone. You stared at the floor, waiting to be chastised for not handling it better. Genji had never lost his patience with you before. Maybe this time you went too far.

"You may have to explain to me again what that means when I arrive home. For now, go see Angela. Please try not to stress too much. We will get through this. Together."

"The transmission has ended," said Athena.

"Thank you, Athena," you said sadly.

"You're welcome."

"Together," was Genji's last word to you. Of course he had your back with this. You were foolish to think otherwise. Still, the prospect of two babies to take care of was daunting. Hopefully, Angela had an explanation of where the second baby came from, and soon. And maybe...she was mistaken about the whole thing. You had mixed feelings about that. For now, all your previous emotions receded, leaving you drained and raw. You fell back onto the bed, needing another nap.

[buckinviteseddie]

Buddie Week, Day 4: "Are you flirting with me?" "You finally noticed?" + love

Read it on AO3

@buddieweek2020

The next day when he left work, Eddie went straight to the gym. He was excited, as it had been almost a month since he just had the routine of going to work and returning home. He had no friends in L.A. and didn't know much about the city. Eddie was always the kind of introvert person and had a hard time making friends. The few he had in El Paso were people he trusted extremely and knew he could count on whenever he needed to. And who knows, maybe he would make friends with someone nice at the gym.

It was not too full when it arrived. Henrietta, who worked at the gym reception, greeted him with a huge smile. “Good evening, Mr. Diaz. Ready for your first day?"

"Good night. In fact, you can just call me Eddie and yes, I'm really excited ”. Eddie smiled shyly at her and then went through the turnstile when he was cleared to go. “What do I need to do if I need help from a personal trainer? ”.

"This is not a problem". Henrietta pressed a button on the table and seconds later a tall, blond boy appeared.

Of course, Eddie was attracted to men, but he never felt anything like what he was feeling when he saw the guy in front of him. He was very handsome and had blue eyes the color of the sea. The guy was more muscular than he was, that was more than remarkable, but nothing disproportionate. He was attractive and charming and not only for his muscles, but also for the way he smiled. Eddie couldn't help himself at the moment.

“Hey dude, how can I help you?" The guy asked.

“Uh, so, I'm new here and it's my first day. Could you show me how I do my exercise series? ” He lifted the paper in his hand with the exercises and then smiled awkwardly that made him want to punch himself.

He was looking like a teenager when was in front of some crush and didn't know how to act. Eddie was an adult man, he should have known how he behaves in situations like this, but it was kind of hard when he had a fucking man who was almost two meters tall and hot as hell in front of him.

“Sure, I'm here for that. Don't worry, I will help you ”. The guy winked at him and it was too much for him. “By the way, I'm Evan, but you can call me Buck. Everyone calls me that here ”.

Eddie shook the blonde's hand when he offered it. “I'm Eddie. I don't remember being introduced to you. Bob and Athena introduced me to all the personal trainers here yesterday when I came to enroll ”.

"Oh, it's because I was off yesterday." Evan took him to the first equipment where he was going to start the series and put his hand on his shoulder before going. “I will be close by. When you're done here, just go and call me okay, Eddie? ”.

He shook his head in confirmation. "OK. Thank you, Buck ”.

It was a slightly peculiar nickname, but Eddie didn't care. The rest of his training went smoothly. He asked Buck for help from time to time and he even touched him to show him how to do the exercise properly. It was excruciating and Eddie was asking the gods not to have any erection with those touches, as his shorts were a little tight and he would definitely be caught red handed and he would certainly never come back there. He was not at all good at dealing with awkward situations.

Buck was a fucking Greek god and Eddie couldn't help the looks he gave once in a while when the boy was around. Once in a while Buck caught him in the act making him blush, but Eddie just smiled shyly and pretended he didn't know what he was doing. He didn't really know what was going on. Eddie was never so attracted to a man. Yes, he knew very well that he was bisexual. And yes, he was a little reserved about it, but he wasn't being a bit reserved by the crush he was having on his personal trainer.

When he got home, Eddie didn't think twice about taking off his clothes and running for a shower. And he didn't really think twice about to touch himself thinking about Buck. He had held on for the duration of the training, but he really needed to release that energy. He was so attracted to the blonde and didn't care at all that it had only been a day since they had met. Nor did he care whether Buck was straight or not, not least because he wouldn't call him for a date or anything. Eddie was always the type of guy who didn't know how to act with girls or even guys. He was terrible at flirting and even call someone fot a date. Shannon, his ex-wife, had been an exception since they met in college and he had received help from his campus colleagues to get her to go out. They had a good time and stayed together for a long time until the marriage cooled and then decided to split up. And since then Eddie has hooked up with few people. He knew he was attractive and handsome, but he was not the type of person who meets someone by app and has sex on the first date. Of course, he didn't judge who did it, but it wasn't for him. So, deep down he knew that this crush on Buck wasn't going anywhere and he was already happy if he could just admire him every day when he went to the gym.

The week passed and each day he interacted even more with Buck. He was a nice guy and if it weren't for the fact that Eddie was having a crush on him, they might even be great friends.

Eddie couldn't confirm it, but he thought Lena, one of the gym's personal trainers, was flirting with him. But he really wasn't interested at all. She was cool and they even talked about wrestling from time to time since Eddie participated in some championships in El Paso and she in L.A., but he wasn't interested in her. As much as the gym was full of beautiful people and considered by society "the standard of beauty", none of them were Eddie's type. Buck was the only one in the place who really messed with him in a way he never thought possible.

One day while he was staring at Buck while he was helping a young guy on one of the machines and Eddie admired the way his biceps flexed and his shirt was even tighter on his arms and his shorts marked his thighs, he saw Bob watching him and catching him.

"Hey Eddie, I can see you're enjoying it here, right." Bob said when he approached and greeted him.

Eddie swallowed and forced a smile as he wiped the sweat from his forehead as he was struggling to do the exercises and not because he was caught in the act while admiring Buck. "Yes, of course. Here is a great gym with great professionals ”.

"Yes. I know, huh". Bob snorted. "Well, enjoy your training."

"Thanks, Bob."

Damn, did Bob know he had a crush on Buck? Well, he was just watching the boy teach the correct way to use the machine, that's all.

He was leaving when the elevator door was about to close, but it was locked by one hand and immediately revealed a Buck in front of him.

The blonde got into the elevator and stood right next to him with arms almost brushing each other. “Did you leave without saying goodbye to me?" Buck crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows as he faced Eddie.

“I'm sorry, dude. I didn't find you anywhere after I took a shower and got dressed, so I decided to leave”.

"I was in the employees' locker room taking a shower". Buck smiled. “By the way. Are you flirting with me? I could have sworn I saw you flirting with me earlier. ”

If Eddie knew how to breathe, now he just didn't know how to do it and the burning that went up all over his body was real. "Eh, uh, no". He shrugged. “Why would I be flirting with you? Eddie tried his best not to face Buck. He was clearly ashamed of the situation, and the fact that Buck was laughing like a fool only proved it.

“Well, because I was also flirting with you. In fact, I’m doing this all week". Buck snorted.

Eddie looked at the boy in surprise and then faced him too so he could analyze the situation well. "Excuse me? I never realized that ”.

“Well, since the first day I met you, I found you attractive and I watched you while you practiced your exercises. At first I thought it was a little wrong, since I work here and everything. But I saw you watching me and so I was curious. Flirting with customers is wrong. Not that Chimney doesn't do that to some women, but I think it's completely wrong". Buck shrugged.

"I'm a flirting disaster, sorry". Eddie admitted. "But you are really beautiful so I couldn't help looking."

“You finally noticed?". Buck joked aiming for the whole body. "Just kidding, I'm not that kind of guy who keeps showing off".

When the elevator door finally opened, Eddie thanked God or he was going to grab Buck right there and God only knows how it was going to end. “So, see you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is my day off". Buck was leaving, but he came back on the same shelf. “But how about we go out, what do you think?".

“Like a date? Eddie asked.

“Yes, like a date. What do you suggest for our first date?".

Eddie smiled like a fool at the guy's response. "I don't know much about the city, so I leave it to you."

“Okay then, I'll take you to a nice place and you'll love it. See you tomorrow, Eds ”. Buck winked and left when Eddie said goodbye to him.

Damn, he wasn't believing it was happening at all. He was going to have a date with Evan Buckley, the guy he had been crushing for weeks. Eddie was laughing like an idiot on the way home. He was feeling like a teenager again when he had his first high school crush or something, but he really didn't care. He was feeling so good, and Eddie hadn't felt that way in years. He spent quite disturbing moments after the divorce with Shannon and when he returned to the home of his parents who were disturbing his head saying that he was wrong to divorce Shannon and that he would never be happy again, but finally he was feeling good again. Eddie didn't know what the end of this would be like. If they would only have this date and then everything would come back as it was before or if something else would happen, but he didn't care, at least not at the moment. He just wanted to be able to enjoy that feeling and be able to enjoy the moment with Buck.

When the next day came, Eddie was very nervous. It had been so long since he had done that kind of thing and he didn’t know how to act, but he decided to stop by a flower shop and buy a pretty bouquet of flowers for Buck before meeting the guy on the pier that was the place where they had agreed .

Once there, Buck was waiting for him. He was so beautiful, with a pink shirt that valued his biceps and tight jeans that valued his thighs well and a dress shoe. Eddie sighed deeply and went to meet him. He would do well.

"Hey handsome". Buck greeted him as he looked him up and down. “You look beautiful, and those pants really valued your butt. Oh sorry. I forgot that you are shy guy and everything ”. He hurried as soon as he saw Eddie start to blush.

"Thank you". Eddie frowned, but smiled. " This is for you". He handed the bouquet to Buck and smiled again when the guy sniffed deeply at the red roses in his hand. “And by the way, you look beautiful. These pants gave your legs a good boost ”.

"Hey, I thought I was playing games here". Buck slapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"Well, apparently not". Eddie shrugged and Buck just snorted.

"Come on, let's go for a walk and then eat something". Buck pulled Eddie's hands together and Eddie didn't question at any time.

He was feeling pretty good next to Buck. It was as if all the day-to-day tiredness was gone.

They spent the night enjoying themselves at the amusement park on the pier. Buck was the guide for the night and took Eddie up and down the park toys with a smile on his face that made Eddie just want to look at him. Before taking a break to eat, they decided to go on the ferris wheel. Eddie was a little afraid of heights, but he didn't care at all, maybe a little when the toy started to rise and the city started to expand around them. Buck's eyes were even more beautiful in the moonlight and the landscape behind them was the slice of the cake to make it even better.

"Can I ask you something?". Eddie started.

Buck shook his head. "Yes, sure".

"Can I kiss you? ”.

Without even giving an answer, Buck narrowed the space between them and then kissed him. It was a slow, good kiss. It was as if their lips fit perfectly and had been made for each other. Just feeling Buck's hot tongue against hers made all the hairs on his body stand on end and the sensation was very good and he didn't want to stop. After a few minutes, they only stopped to breathe.

“Wow!" Eddie smiled against Buck's lips.

“That was good, huh? ”.

"A lot".

They then kissed again and only stopped when they finally came down the ferris wheel.

"I want this more often". Buck said at last.

"Me too".

Eddie's eyes shone like the stars right above them and he was feeling so good that he didn't want it to end.

"Come, let's eat something". Buck led him to a restaurant.

The rest of the night was between kissing and fondling. People occasionally looked at them, but they didn't care at all. All that mattered was each other's company.

When they left, they kissed again and then they hugged for a while.

"Thanks Buck, for this amazing night." Eddie said in an almost muffled voice on the boy's shoulder.

Buck pushed him away just to look at him. “Hey, you have nothing to thank me for. We made this night incredible. You are wonderful, Eddie Diaz ”. Buck kissed him lightly and then smiled at him. "If it weren't so strange, I would invite you to sleep with me tonight". He raised his index finger and raised his eyebrows. "Just to sleep".

Eddie snorted. "It is a tempting proposal, but I have a lot of things to do tomorrow".

"No problem, we will have many other opportunities".

“Are you already thinking that we will have other dates?" Eddie frowned.

“Of course, I do. Or you do not want? ”.

“Yes, I do and a lot. But is that ... ”. Eddie smiled. “I'm not devaluing myself or anything. But you are such a handsome guy, maybe you want to go out with other people ”.

“Eddie, I've been flirting with you for over a week. And besides, I kind of passed that stage of hanging out with a lot of other people. I want something more solid and I really enjoyed being with you and I want to get to know you better ”.

"Well, if you didn't notice I'm kind of a disaster at that, so I hope you have patience." He scratched the back of his neck and was a little uncomfortable.

Eddie was a fucking total disaster when it came to relationships. But since Buck was willing to risk it. He was more than ready to step out of his comfort zone and try to improve in that regard.

“We have all the time in the world, Eds. I'm not going anywhere".

Buck pulled him into a tight hug and kissed the back of his neck. If someone saw them from the outside, they would think they were a couple of lovers who had been dating for months, but little did they know that this was their first date.

But Eddie was feeling so good next to Buck that he didn't even care to show it and be caring. He never did that to anyone and as much as it was new to him, Eddie was more than comfortable.

“See you tomorrow at the gym?" He asked before saying goodbye to Buck.

"Yes, sir". The blonde saluted and Eddie just laughed.

When he got home, he threw himself on the couch and remembered the moments of the night. It was all so perfect it looked like a cliché romantic movie. He laughed at the thought, Eddie hated cliché films. But if his life from that moment on became a real cliché, he wouldn't care about that.

The next day when he arrived at the gym, Buck greeted him with a huge smile on his face. Of course, they kept everything as it was before, so no one would suspect anything, especially because whether or not that was Buck's place of work, but deep down Eddie knew that the blonde had told Hen about their night since they were best friends. Because when Eddie greeted her, she gave him a knowing look and a sly smile on her face. Well, he could live with that.

The weeks went by and things between them grew every day. Eddie finally accepted Buck's invitation to sleep with him, and yes they only slept close to each other right after a delicious dinner Buck made for him. They were in no hurry and sex would be a consequence. Of course Eddie really wanted to have Buck all over, but he would be able to wait.

They had two, three and it was on the fourth date that Buck asked Eddie to be his boyfriend while they were on the balcony of a chic French restaurant in town.

"Yes. Of course, I want to be your boyfriend, Buck." Eddie replied.

“C’est parfait. Tu es parfait ”. Buck replied and then kissed him.

"I have no idea what it means, but I agree".

Buck snorted as Eddie took his hand. "You know, a few months ago I came from El Paso and I really had no idea what would happen to me in this big city, but meeting you was the most perfect thing that ever happened to me, Evan".

Buck sighed and smiled. “Wow, that was awesome. And yes, I can say the same. Getting to know you was the most perfect thing that happened in my life, Eddie Diaz. And I really don't want that good feeling that I'm feeling to ever end ”.

"Me too".

Eddie kissed Buck with all the desire he was feeling and that was an oath that he was more than ready to open his heart to someone and being in love with Buck only gave him the certainty that he was on the right track and that his parentsm they were wrong. He was capable of being happy and was capable of being loved.

[stormquill]

Misconduct, Ch. 10 [Soldier 76/Reader]

You have an extremely inappropriate crush on your commanding officer. Maybe if you work hard enough, you’ll stop having feelings.

[ AO3 Link ]

Author's Notes: Collaboration with @antiloquist. Follow the blog @ http://miss-conduct.tumblr.com/

Chapter Notes: I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG

This mission is a trap.

The harbor stretched out beneath you, delicate waves reflecting the light of daybreak as they rocked the idle boats and splashed against the pier.

They’re expecting us.

Below you, merchants and tourists set about their business for the day, sidewalks growing thicker with life while you jotted down streams of consciousness in your notebook.

How do you stay a step ahead if you’ve already tripped the wire?

The wind, thick with salt and cold against your skin, teased the edges of your paper. You brushed your hand along them, flattening the defiant pages.

You were perched on the rooftop of a nearby building—unauthorized access for an unauthorized investigation—keeping one eye on the harbour and the other on your pen. You were awake most of the previous night. Unlike 76, sleep hadn’t come easily for you.

With the retrieval mission less than twenty-four hours ahead of you, you’d been sitting up here since dark, studying the area and trying your best to decide which sea vessel, if any, seemed out of the ordinary. The whole thing reminded you of the old holo-puzzles you had as a kid, the ones that projected three-dimensional scenes side-by-side and left you to figure out what the differences between them were. Yet, all the sailboats were identical to one another: long, sleek bodies with white sails measured and curved and hung with mathematical accuracy, built for a trained hand and an experienced sense to catch the transatlantic winds just so.

It didn’t help you knew jack shit about sailing.

The cold breeze returned, sharper on your reddened cheeks. You pulled your scarf tighter around your neck. It still smelled a little like your Commander, you noted, and you had to stop yourself from smiling.

You remembered the soft sound of his breathing as he slept next to you, anxiety swirling beneath your chest at the closeness of his welcome presence.

“I’m at my best when I’m with you.”

Burying your face back into your scarf, you made an embarrassed little noise at the memory. He’d said that. Your Commander. The rough, stoic military figure who didn’t waste his time with idle compliments and sugarcoated lies, who helped you find a goal and eradicate the fears associated with working towards it—he felt better with you.

Why you?

You tried to keep the other snapshot of last night from flashing across your memory like a strobe, when your quiet tears dried and you lay awake, thinking in the dark. You felt him stir beside you—subtle, at first, but growing more and more restless. You finally gathered enough courage to swallow hard and turn towards him, your shaky hand reaching to steady him through his nightmares, when he breathed the name ‘Gabriel’ with a whispered sadness you didn’t think he was capable of.

You drew your legs to your chest and cradled your notebook in the seat of your lap, trying to will back your concentration.

You had so much work to do.

-

76 woke with a sleep-induced hangover, the unfamiliar feeling of a full night’s rest weighing heavy on his shoulders.

He sat up to regain his bearings, ignoring the dip in his chest when he realized you were no longer at his side.

When it came to you, his worry took the liberty of jumping to the worst conclusions. He wondered if he’d crossed a line, maybe, if something he’d said or done had scared you into sneaking out to be on your own. This was the most forward he’d been with you since the infirmary—that desperate hug feeling more and more like a distant memory, even though it was only a week ago.

Determined to freeze out his guilt with a shower as cold as he could make it, 76 made it halfway to the bathroom when he spotted a small pan and hotplate on the front counter.

A sticky note attached to it read, in hurried handwriting,

be back soon :D

and something in his chest flipped, again—the other way, this time.

He could see you doing this, almost too clearly. You, going down to the front desk and requesting kitchenware so he wouldn’t burn his fingers from misusing the old coffee maker. You, writing a note so he wouldn’t wonder where you were. You, adding a smiley-face as an afterthought so your tone didn’t come off as short. It was more courtesy than he’d ever show you, if the roles were reversed and he left you behind without a word. It was more thought than he deserved.

Still, your messy scribbles on the yellow square of paper eased his spike of worry.

Cold water diluted his thoughts, working slow and steady to dull his senses for a while.

The front door unlocked. He heard the heavy thunk of your dropped pack, the screeches of a chair scraping against the floor. He sighed, choosing instead to focus on the resurging headache building pressure behind his eyes.

Maybe he could will the thoughts away it, if he tried.

Shutting the tap, he dried off before wrapping his towel around himself. He stuck a toothbrush in his mouth and palm-fulls of shaving cream to his cheeks, and with his mask and tactical headgear sitting idle on the counter, he couldn’t help but fantasize about foregoing the remainder of his routine. He could just stroll out of the bathroom right now, after all—maskless and towel-wrapped, approaching you with clear intent, threading his hands through your hair and leaning in until he kissed away the surprise in your expression.

His heart rate ticked up a notch.

Gripping the edge of the bathroom sink with one hand, 76 turned on the faucet with the other and splashed more cold water against the face. The fresh shock brought him back to reality, and with it, the judgement of his own eyes in the mirror.

Throughout your training, 76 had always avoided discussions surrounding the fall of Overwatch—whether it was to protect your integrity or shelter his pride, he couldn’t say for sure. If you admired him for who he was now, was it still selfish to hide the truth to keep you at his side? Would you even know who he was?

Who he used to be?

76 dressed himself, and slid his mask back on with an audible click.

Another to add to his list of questions he really didn’t need answered.

-

Running a towel through his still-dripping hair, 76 stepped into view wearing nothing but his mask and a pair of jeans that hung too low on his waist, and for a moment, you forgot how to breathe. He didn’t seem to notice you staring, thankfully, because you couldn’t tear your eyes away from him if you tried.

Broad-shouldered and well-defined, his physique was hinted at from the way his shirts hugged him beneath his jacket, yet this was your first time seeing...this much. Your Commander was built as strongly, as solidly as you imagined him to be, the same wall of muscle who’d caught you when you fell, who carried your injured self to the dropship, who wrapped his arms around you in some hospital room once upon a time.

Thick scars crossed around his torso in a variety of patterns; gunshots, stab wounds, burn marks—battle wounds of all shapes and sizes mapping the terrain of years past. They looked like they were painful, once, but also served to make him look even more ruggedly alluring. You imagined what each one would feel like under your fingertips, if you ran your gentle hands over his bare skin, tracing each scar, feeling his soft, deep laughter between idle stories of each one.

Heat rose to your cheeks.

Yikes.

“Any new intel?” he asked, snapping you from your reverie.

You swallowed. “No, sir.”

Finally, he pulled out a rolled, dark-grey shirt from his duffel bag, and slid it over his head. You couldn’t help but watch with bridled keening at the way his body moved, your eyes catching on the sculpted dip of his hips disappearing beneath his waistband before the view was hidden by his t-shirt. His shirt of choice was short-sleeved, though, keeping those wonderful arms of his exposed to your wandering eyes.

After a brief pause, 76’s visor met your gaze, and your head snapped back to the pages of your notebook half a second too late.

From the corner of your eye, you saw him turn towards you and cross his arms over his broad chest. Shit, had you upset him? It didn’t matter, your soul would abscond from your body from embarrassment, in any case.

“It’s a sorry sight, I know,” he muttered. “Guess my bikini days are over.”

You blinked. What was that?

Embarrassment?

“I’ll wear a bikini with you, Commander,” you laughed, lifting up your shirt to expose the jagged line of scar tissue tearing a crack through your side. “We match, see?”

He went quiet, the opposite of what you wanted.

Maybe he thought your scars were unsightly, too.

“...sorry about that, again. Kind of a rush job.” He averted his gaze. “You could probably talk to Angela about it, have her fix it up for you.”

“Low on the priority list,” you said, lowering your shirt. “Besides, chicks dig scars, right?”

76 chuckled softly, a sound you never heard enough.

“So, no new intel.” He grabbed the glass pot off the counter and filled it under the kitchen tap, pouring the water into the reservoir of the coffee maker. “Where does that leave us for tomorrow?”

“We know their vessel is out of commission, but we don’t know whether they’ll be using a new one or if they’re aborting the mission altogether.” You sighed, scratching your neck with the back of your pen. “On the other hand, this mission couldn’t be a bigger trap if Sombra rigged the boat with Christmas lights. Technically, we don’t know if Amélie is even here.”

“You want to confirm the target before going in.”

“Might be best if we did that before charging into foreign civilian territory with unregistered guns blazing.”

“Ideas?”

“Mhm.” You thumbed through your journal, looking for the correct page. “Athena’s been keeping an eye on every security camera in the harbor for anything irregular, but this morning, I made a listing of more isolated key points around the dock. You know, places that are very poorly monitored, or—” You paused to take a massive yawn. “—not monitored at all, wow, excuse me.”

Attention caught, 76 realized you were doing that little squinty thing with your eyes, a technique perfected only by the nearsighted and the sleep-deprived. He took a closer look at you, noticing the stress in your expression and the redness in your eyes.

“How did you sleep last night?” he asked.

“I didn’t,” you frowned, running a hand through your hair to try to put it back into some sort of sensible shape. “I’m fine, though. I can sleep after.”

For a split-second, 76 saw too much of himself in you than he liked. In that moment, you were so far removed from the recruit he met all that time ago—intimidated, obedient, unable to hold up the gun they built themselves—but here you were now, thousands of miles from home, headstrong and confident and ready to charge into hell.

He wanted to ask you if you were okay, if he’d done anything untoward, if you wanted to hit ‘reset’ and pretend yesterday never happened—however, he figured he’d been pushing enough boundaries with you lately, and he had no intention of putting you under any more undue pressure. You didn’t need to communicate every thought and feeling just to ease the tension of his worry. You’d tell him what was wrong, if you wanted him to know.

“Commander,” you began, chewing on your pen, “I need a second pair of eyes on this.”

He nodded.

It wasn’t any of his business, otherwise.

-

This time marked your turn to wait in the hotel room while 76 left to investigate the harbour. Your tiny hidden cameras would find new homes at the drop points you’d given him, so you could monitor the shadows while Athena watched the security cameras. 76 suggested you get some rest while he was away, as Talon wouldn’t be transporting the unconscious body of a wanted criminal in broad daylight, but you were too stubborn to comply.

“Any discrepancies from the diagrams, so far?” you asked over comms. You didn’t want to know the answer so much as you wanted to confirm he was still on the other end of the line.

“Not that I’ve noticed,” his radio-distorted voice replied. “You’re nothing if not thorough.”

“Still feel like we’re missing something, though.” You rolled over to the other side of the floor-bed, folding an arm behind your head. “Every boat’s got an owner, every owner’s registered and accounted for. These people are all celebrities in the global sailing community, too. Can’t imagine any of them being connected to Talon.”

“You can’t assume who Talon can and can’t get to.”

“I know, I know...”

“What about crewmates? These trips aren’t made solo, maybe they have someone on the inside.”

You shrugged, even though he couldn’t see you. “It’s possible, but we’re talking over 40 people who need to be investigated and monitored on an individual basis. We don’t have that kind of time.” You wracked your brain for overlooked possibilities, listening to sounds of the busy harbour bleeding into the background of 76’s communications line. “Hey, Commander?”

“Hm?”

“How would you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Picture this.” You rolled onto your stomach, facing the open laptop in front of you. “We’re here—same time, same place—but all of Le Havre is enemy territory. Eyes everywhere. I’m in a coma. How do you smuggle me across the ocean?”

“I’d find a less public way of doing it, for one. It’s a major harbour—there’ll be other days when the place isn’t crawling with civilians and security because of a global event.”

“You think Talon’s not trying to be quiet about it?”

“You said it yourself, this mission is a trap. Whatever they’re planning, I wouldn’t be surprised if part of it involves dragging us out into the open.”

Your heart sank a little. “So you don’t think Amélie is here, after all?”

“No, the intel is accurate. I’m sure of it. But I don’t think they’re keeping her where they’re telling us to look.”

Tapping on your keyboard, you flipped idly through the security camera screens, oddly-angled views provided by each hidden camera 76 managed to plant. He was convinced you were searching in the wrong places, looking only where they wanted you to look, and he was right.

But if this was a distraction, then where the hell was Amélie?

“You finally fall asleep on me?”

“No,” you said, indignant. “Just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Well...instead of trying to figure out where she’s going to be, I’m wondering where she is now. Keeping a grown woman’s body in suspended animation—I mean, the energy, the equipment needed—you can’t exactly pack it in a suitcase and go to a motel, you know? This stuff’s huge.”

“You’re saying they can’t transport the tech the same time as the body without drawing attention.”

“Meaning the tech must already be here,” you continued. “Their vessel allegedly needed repairs after the storm, right? But what if they never planned on leaving the day of the race in the first place?”

“The event gave them an inconspicuous opportunity to cross the Atlantic,” he completed your thought, “but they’re waiting until after the festival to travel.”

You sat up quickly, grabbing another one of your notebooks and rustling through the pages. “According to my records, the repair station should be located on the other side of the—”

“Already on my way.”

“Did you need me, Commander?”

“All we’re doing is confirming the target. We’ll regroup and move out tonight.”

“Good.” You sighed, heartbeat still wild from the sudden revelation. “That’s good.”

It seemed so obvious, looking back on it. You were getting close. This was actually happening.

You shut your eyes and took another deep breath. Behind your eyes, a picture of Amélie. High ponytail. Blue skin. Sharp eyes. A stunning, dangerous ambience suggesting she’d harm you for the mere implication she needed to be saved. Outside of the context of your Commander, you knew next to nothing about her.

Your focus drew back to the sound of 76’s movements over the communication line. “Sir?”

“Yes?”

“What was she like?” You cleared your throat. “Amélie, I mean.”

“Oh. I...didn’t know her that well.” (He chose his words carefully.) “She was a dancer, I think. Back in the day.”

“Going through an awful lot of trouble for someone you barely know.”

“Could say the same for you, agent.”

“Touche.”

“I might have not known her myself,” he continued, “but she was close to people from the old days. They still want to bring her home, find out the extent of the damage. If it can be reversed.”

“Damage?”

“Talon kidnapped her, brainwashed her. Broke her down and built her back up into...whatever she is now.”

You felt your chest tighten. You’d known that Talon was a terrorist organization, but to think they had the power to strip someone of their autonomy, to shatter them, only to glue the fragments back together to form someone who would willingly reflect their image—it terrified you, knowing it was even possible to destroy someone so completely.

Unable to stop yourself, you spoke up, softly. “Is that what happened to Gabriel?”

“...not quite.”

You shared silence after that.

You couldn’t find much internal non-restricted intel on Amélie Lacroix or Gabriel Reyes, other than the fact that, on-record, they were dead. If anyone could answer all the questions this raised, it would be 76, but you wondered if you even had the right to ask, to dredge up classified history to satiate your own curiosity. Even now, mentioning Gabriel out loud—the name 76 whispered in his sleep, now said so casually in his wake—filled you with enough guilt for an apology to hover at the edge of your lips, half a breath away.

“Some people get caught up in the wrong side of the war,” 76 said, his voice low, “others just follow the signs. I’m partly responsible for steering him in their direction.”

“You two were close,” you offered.

“Partners,” he continued, “in...more ways than one.”

You felt ashamed of your emotions as soon as they flooded through you.

For some reason, you remembered that woman—Sombra, Zarya had called her—holding up those pictures in front of you, tapping a long, purple nail against the portrait of the one who was the most important for your Commander to find. You’d almost died needlessly, preserving the information you’d been given, but you didn’t have a right to feel anything over this, not when he tried to discourage you at every turn.

(“If I told you I wasn’t interested, would you still be volunteering yourself for this mission?”)

Would you have still done it if you knew?

“...why are you telling me this, Commander?”

“You deserve to know what it is you’re getting into.”

You laughed, rubbing a hand over your face. “A little late for that, don’t you think?”

“How so?”

“Sir, with all due respect, if I knew your investigation was about tracking down an ex-boyfriend gone rogue, I...I don’t know, I would have approached this whole thing a little more. Tactfully.”

“...Reader, he’s a terrorist and a wanted criminal. I’m not exactly trying to ask him to prom, here.”

“I know, but...” You sighed. “Is this why you wondered if I had ulterior motives to helping you?”

“It wasn’t because of Reyes, no. It was because I didn’t want you putting yourself in harm’s way for a stupid reason.”

“And what reason would that be?”

“Caring too much about an old man with nothing left to offer.”

Your shoulders slackened as you curled a little into the microphone. You could hear the defeat in his voice, the self-loathing burning in his tone. He blamed himself for whatever happened to Gabriel—you knew he did—and suddenly, the mystery of him unraveled itself to you, just a little more. Was he worried about the ghosts of his past threatening to haunt his present?

Was Gabriel the reason he preferred to be alone?

“Well, god knows you don’t care about yourself,” you finally said, laughing a little. “Someone’s gotta do it.”

A quiet chuckle in return. “I don’t think you’ve done anything to deserve that kind of punishment. Don’t go throwing your life away for my sake.”

“I think you’re being a little melodramatic, sir.”

“I’m serious,” he said. “If anything goes wrong, get yourself out. Don’t worry about me. Stay safe.”

“I’m not letting anything happen to you, Commander.”

“If I couldn’t keep that promise, I sure as hell don’t expect you to. I have a lot of debt, Reader. I’m just trying to pay my dues.”

“This mission isn’t about you trying to atone for your sins,” you snapped, “it’s about bringing Amélie home. And I’m finishing what you started, with or without you.”

The line went quiet.

The following silence was of a different nature than the others punctuating your conversation. There was no background noise, no sound of his footsteps across the harbour—you couldn’t even hear him breathing.

Something immediately struck you as wrong.

“...sir?”

One of the many video feeds on your laptop monitor swapped to the shared link of 76’s visor, allowing you to see a live feed from his perspective. You maximized the window. He’d arrived at the repair field on the other end of the harbour—a large, open area with boats of all sizes, mounted on wheels and hauled back onto solid ground. The colours of the display were all wrong, though, and it took you a moment to realize he’d activated the thermal camera built into his visor. Dark navy and neon blues stained most of the idle scene, easing into the brighter colours of more vivid forms, of the fluorescent yellows and reds of people up moving about. The vessel 76 faced, however, contained the unmistakable form of a person in the cargo storage area, folded into themselves in a fetal position; their heat signature was significantly weaker than those walking around outside—unmoving and cramped and cold—but still very much alive.

“You were right,” 76 said.

“Holy shit,” you replied.

-

“They’re expecting eyes on the main harbour. Whatever they’re doing tonight will point to one of the ships there—if we don’t follow, they’ll know something’s wrong.”

“So one of us needs to flank while the other takes the bait.” Lying on your stomach, you glanced up from your notebook, eyes half-lidded. “You remember that subset of plans, right? For splitting up?”

76 turned the page of the notebook he had in his hands. “All seventeen of them.”

“Good.”

The late afternoon tinted the room’s natural light, from greyish whites of overcast to warmer shades of sunset. 76 sat on the floor with his back propped up against the side of the bed; you laid perpendicular to the mattress, hanging a little off the edge and over his shoulder. You were both pouring over the newest journals you’d scrambled together: finalized strategies for the evening’s assault.

76 had given up asking you to reconsider your participation some time ago. He could tell by the tone of your voice and the look in your eyes that you were determined to prove yourself as dependable support this time, in light of what had happened in Romania. As much as you insisted that this rescue mission was not place for him to compensate for his misgivings, he knew you had your own you wished to atone for, and nothing he could say or do would keep you from his side once you made that decision. He really should have been more worried, but a part of him was...relieved, almost, to not have to go through this alone.

(How selfish.)

He stared into his lap, pouring over the same set of plans for the hundredth time that afternoon. Your handwriting was messy and the pages were filled with random diagrams with no keys or legends to speak of, but he was able to make sense of your thought process if he tried. A side effect of spending so much time with you, he figured.

He turned the page and found it filled with water-based survival tactics. “Remind me why we need this one, again?”

“In case we get knocked into the harbour or lost at sea,” you said, stifling a yawn.

“You made different plans based on whether we could or couldn’t swim.”

“Immobility contingencies. Cement shoes and all that.”

“You think they’re going to make us walk the plank?”

“Hope not.” You shifted around on the bed behind him. “Most of our equipment isn’t waterproof. Winston’ll be furious.”

“I’m sure you can talk him down. He likes you.”

“You think?”

76 turned the page, again. This one was a compendium with the makes, models, and owners of every ship in the harbour, as well as emergency escape routes from these vessels, their distances from dry land, and equipment that could be abandoned based on relative urgency. The longer he stared, the more your words and equations and statistics began swimming on the page. Your thought process was so thorough—too thorough—the detailed science you and Winston so often buzzed about splayed across the pages in his hands, lost on him. Was this amount of detail really necessary, or was all this just your anxiety speaking?

Did you only feel prepared if you were entirely in control?

“Last chance to back out, Reader.” He continued browsing the pages. “I won’t think any less of you.”

You shook your head. “You’re not going out there without me. Let me protect you, Commander.”

“I’m the one who dragged you here. You’re my responsibility.”

“And you’re mine.”

“And I’m yours,” he repeated, softly.

When he realized what it is he said, you’d already drifted off to sleep, your cheek smooshed against your folded arms without a care in the world for comfort.

As always, you looked peaceful when you were asleep, as this was the only time your head wasn’t plagued with plans and thoughts and imagery of worst-case scenarios. He could see the stress in the way you held yourself, in the furrow of your brow and the tilt of your shoulders as he watched your mind fill with what-ifs of every situation. But in sleep, you were still, with your worried expression finally softening to one of quiet contentment. He could count your eyelashes, given how close he was. He wondered what you dreamed about.

He wondered if you dreamed of him.

A thought came to him, one he would’ve berated himself for in any other context, but with your steadfast presence by his side and your pages upon pages of your dedication in his hands, affection began swelling within him, unexpected and unrelenting, building a pressure beneath his chest that made his heart hurt just to look at you. In that moment, he adored you completely, for all you once were and all you now are and all you’d grown to be, and he couldn’t stop himself—not from releasing the locking mechanism on his visor, not from sliding off his faceplate and resting it on the floor beside him.

Slowly, gently, he leaned towards you, placing a soft kiss to your forehead.

You breathed the smallest, happiest little hum in reply.

He pulled away, but you shifted and followed, sleepily following the traces of his warmth.

And he lets you.

-

Your phone alarm went off later that evening, marking the start of preparation time before the mission hours ahead of you. Still groggy, you groaned a little in protest, burying your face deeper into the unyielding, leathery surface you were laying against. Come to think of it, this bed wasn’t very comfortable. And why did it smell like your scarf?

Your eyes flew open, and sure enough, you were met with the familiar colours of your Commander’s jacket, having rested your head on his shoulder from behind in your sleep. If you were positioned better, you would’ve shoved yourself off and apologized at once—but the weight of his head was settled against yours, keeping you snug against the side of his neck. You noticed his faceplate on the floor as soon as you registered the feel of his stubble scritching along the top of your forehead.

You went stiff.

“Hey,” he muttered, feeling you stir.

“...h—hello.” You kept your eyes forward; as close as his unmasked face was to yours, you were very determined not to look up.

“Sleep well?”

“Mhm,” you squeaked. Your cheeks were burning. “Think I drooled on your jacket, though.”

He chuckled, soft and deep, and you felt his shoulders rumble with his laughter. “I’ve cleaned off worse, agent.”

You could almost see the loading circle floating above your own head, struggling between acknowledging the compromising position you were in, or letting the realization of the mission ahead sink in your chest and settle fully in your gut. Your remembered the assignment your immediate future held and your stomach flipped; in spite of the work you’d poured into the preparations, you still didn’t feel ready to face the dangers lying ahead of you. Not completely.

Cold sweat beaded at the back of your neck as you began drowning in your own worry. You felt your grasp on your surroundings begin to slip.

Mistaking your rush of panic for discomfort, 76 slid his faceplate back on and made a move to stand.

Before you even realized what you were doing, you’d grabbed onto his arm.

“Don’t go,” you pleaded. “Please.”

The desperation in your tone was enough to make him stop short.

You knew you had to get up and face this—that’s why you were here—but for now, you didn’t want to move. Your Commander, warm and solid beside you, was pretty much all that was keeping you from a full-on panic attack, an explosion of anxiety repressed under your constant illusion of control.

And just like that, he was back at your side. He folded his arms and leaned back against the bed, reclaiming his seat on the floor. You weren’t leaning against each other, anymore, but you both kept silent until your breathing steadied and your grasp on his jacket eased.

“Sorry,” you whispered. “I’m just...I’m scared. About tonight.”

“Nothing wrong with being scared, agent. Keeps you careful. Keeps you safe.”

You smirked. “That why you’re never careful? Because you’re never scared?”

“On the contrary,” he said. “I’m terrified.”

“Of what?”

“Not being able to protect you. God knows you won’t do it yourself.”

You laughed, weak and shaky, at the sound of your own words being thrown back at you.

“I’ve told you before,” he continued, “if I was alone here, I would’ve done this a lot differently. But it’s not just me on the line, anymore. It’s us out there. You and me. If either one of us gets reckless, we’re both done for.”

“So we promise not to be reckless.”

He turned to face you fully, the still-unfamiliar bright blue of his visor piercing straight through you. Still on your stomach, you leaned up on your elbows, levelling his gaze with as much intensity as you could muster. You both knew, now, that you were partners in charge of keeping one another grounded—two nervous soldiers taking solace in each other.

“Do you promise?” you repeated.

He reached a hand over to tuck an errant lock of hair behind your ear, savouring the surprise in your expression and the sound of your breath catching ever so slightly.

“...promise.”

It took all of your willpower to stop from launching yourself forward into his arms.

You held your hand to the back of his, leaning into his gentle touch. “Let’s bring her home, Commander.”

He curled his fingers around yours, and you could hear the smile in his voice. “Sir, yes, sir.”