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backtobackbakubabe · 5 years

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I’m Gonna Make This Place Your Home (Part 6)

Bakugo X Reader

Words : 3036

Warnings: SMUT! THERE IS SMUT IN THIS CHAPTER (finally) also there’s some violence and mention of abuse.

Runaway reader finds a home with Bakugo. But will trouble follow?

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You were packed in record time. It helped that you didnt have much to pack.

Bakugo was now pulling you into a car you didnt know he had while yelling at someone on the phone. “No you cant come!”.... “Because we’re trying to hide her and blend in and your hair is literally a bride red fucking target!”... “Yes! I will tell you once we’re settled... Thanks Man..”

He threw his phone out the widow of the moving car and sped up. “Alright so they found you, and they know you’re with me. We just need to get somewhere safe and lay low for a bit. I’ve filled Kirishima in on everything and he’s going to see what he can find out through our hero database.” His grip was tight on the steering wheel and shoulders were stiff as boards. He was stressed out.

You reached over and placed your hand in his lap. You could feel him relax only slightly, but enough for him to release some tension. “Where are we going?”

I’m going to drive us out of town then stop at a random hotel. We’ll check in under a fake name and use cash. I have enough to last us a while.” He took the hand that you had put in his lap and intertwined your fingers, “They’re not going to lay a finger on you. Not if I can help it.”

Later that night you laid next to him while he clicked away on his laptop. “You threw your phone out the window but kept your laptop? Wouldn't they be able to track that as well?”

He scoffed, “I wish they’d try. This is government issued from work. As soon as they even tried it would alert my agency of their location and who they are.” He continued to click through. He started off by asking who I ordered the pizza from. From there he hacked into the cameras of all the locations near our apartment and was now busy watching through hours of footage trying to find whoever wrote the message on the box. You tried to stay awake to keep him company but your eyes were so heavy. His fingers threaded through your hair, “Go to sleep babe. They’ll be plenty of time to talk tomorrow.”

So you snuggled into him and let sleep take over. You kept waiting for him to join you. In fact every so often you'd reach out to join his dream, but he wasn’t there. You hoped he wasnt driving himself mad with all of this investigative work. Wasn’t that was Kirishima was supposed to be doing?

Hours later you heard a loud “Mother Fucker!”

You shot up strait and grabbed onto Bakugo’s arm. “What is it? What’s going on?”

“That fucking asshole from the coffee shop was the one who rated you out... Your boss.” He turned the laptop towards you and sure enough there was a video of him sneaking into the pizza shop and writing his lovely little note on the pizza box before turning to the camera and flipping it off. “He’s one of eight brothers. All of them bad news. The oldest brother is the head of some secret society that they’re all members of. They call him the puppeteer. Riku’s the youngest and his job is to find girls and trick them into going to a ‘party’ after which they're never seen again. Police have been trying to take them down for years but there’s never been enough evidence. I had Kirishima email me over every file he could find on this secret society.”

He opened up a new tab that was full of pictures, mugshots, and reports. “They call themselves the Pure. They believe in arranged relations and breeding for maximum quirk efficiency. There’s allegedly a lot of really important people involved which is why a case has never been made against them. Drugs, arms dealing, racketeering, kidnapping, slavery... this.... this is crazy. How can they be involved in so much but no one even know about them. I’m a fucking hero and I had never heard about it.” He turned to you, his red eyes burning with intensity. “How do you run from something that doesn't exist?”

You scrolled through the file before your heart stopped. “Bakugo.. I recognize that man...”

He looked over your shoulder and you could hear him gasp. He recognized him as well. He had seen him in your dreams. This man had been your prison guard for years. He had hit you, starved you, drugged you, stripped away your clothing and left you to freeze. He was an animal, he was evil, and Bakugo wanted to kill him.

According to the file his name was Bruce. He was from Slovakia, and as far as anyone knew he died in a train accident fifteen years ago. You wish he has though.

“I’m going back to sleep...”

Bakugo held you to him, “You sure? You don’t want to talk about it?”

“I know his name now... I know his face. I think it’s time I pay Bruce a little visit... You coming?”

It clicked with him what you meant. You were about to visit him in a dream. And there was no way he was going to let you do that alone.

He gripped your hand and spooned up behind you. “You sure about this?”

Your only response was, “If it gets to be too much for you , you can leave at any time.”

Then you were falling asleep and taking Bakugo with you. You had done this plenty of times when you were held captive. Taking people with you into dreams was easy enough. They usually couldn’t affect anything the way you could though.

The bright light flashed behind your eyelids signaling that you were connecting with your intended target.

Eh. Even his dreams were gross. You looked around and saw he was dreaming of an orgy. Naked women and drugs everywhere. You strolled right up to him as he sucked at some poor girls neck. You had to touch him to control the dream. That was the rules. And usually you waited for them to make that decision. But not Bruce. He didnt get that privilege. You slapped him across the face.

He shoved the girl off of his lap, “What the fuck-” his eyes met yours and his angry scowl turned into a disgusting smirk.

“Hello Bruce..”

“Well if it isnt my little slut? I was wondering when you would show up. I was careful to never tell you my name but I knew it would only be a matter of time.”

“My name is Y/n..”

He chuckled, “Shit I didn’t even know you had a name. Thought you were just another one of the boss man’s pets.”

Your fist shook with rage and all of the girls disappeared and you were back in that cold room that had been your cell.

His eyes shifted back and forth, “What are you doing? This is my dream. You cant...”

“Oh but I can. I am capable of much more than you ever knew.” All of the sudden his face started to sink in as if he was starving. His skin became littered with bruises. His ears and nose began to bleed just like yours would when they made you overuse your quirk.

He started to panic and tried to run away but his foot was shackled to the floor like the animal he was. “Fucking bitch! Stop it!”

But you didn’t. You continued to make him suffer, he deserved it after all. All the sudden a hand came down on your shoulder. You grabbed it and threw the person to the ground. Your eyes glowing purple with rage. But they softened when you realized it was just Bakugo. Looking worried with his hands held up in surrender, “It’s just me. It’s alright. It’s okay. Just breath. Calm down. This isn't you!”

You ran your fingers through your hair and began to pace. You really wanted to hurt the asshole in front of you but you couldnt allow yourself to stoop that low. You couldn’t break down like this. Especially not in front of Bakugo. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little on edge right now. I hope I didnt hurt you.”

He shook his head as he regained his footing, “I’m fine, you're the one I’m worried about. You sure you can handle this. We’ve been here for only a few minutes and it looks like you're already losing it a little bit. I’ve never seen you so... angry before.”

Bruce started laughing that sickening laugh that made your stomach turn. “Your little boyfriend thinks so highly of you. I wonder if he would stick around if he knew some of the twisted shit you pulled to get out of here.”

You walked over and gave him a swift kick to the ribs, “I did what I did to stay alive. I will never apologize for that.” You knelt down to look him in the eyes. “Now tell me where you are.”

He spit blood onto your feet, “This is just a dream. You can do what you want and it’ll never actually hurt me. I’m not telling you shit!”

You narrowed your eyes at him but a cool smile came over your face, “That’s true... Assuming you ever actually wake up. I can make sure you don’t. Keep you here forever, in a coma. Have you ever wondered what happens when you die in a dream? No one really knows right? Because our brain wakes us up because it wants to avoid the trauma. Well I know what happens... Would you like me to show you?”

Bruce gulped as his eyes shifted from Bakugo to you. He spit one more time before he groaned, “FINE!...We’re in the mountains. We're at the main campus for the Pure. There’s a big meeting coming up and everyones coming.” He went on to ramble in great detail about how to get there. He made it very clear that you wouldn't make it past the front gate. That they had some strong quirks up their sleeve.

He was still spilling his guts when Bakugo grabbed your hand. “What if he’s lying? What if he’s setting a trap?”

You sighed and rubbed your temples, “I don’t think he’s that smart.”

You looked over when you no longer heard Bruce’s labored breathing. “Shit... he woke up” You reached for Bakugo’s hand, “Come on we should wake up too.I have a feeling we have a lot to talk about..”

“You’re fucking right we do.”

You woke up and you felt that your face was soaked in tears. You may have put on a brave face in Bruce’s dream but it didnt change the fact that you had been terrified to be face to face with him again. You wiped furiously, trying to dry your cheeks before Bakugo could see. He probably already thinks you’re unhinged. No need to fuel the crazy fire.

You took a few deep breaths before turning around and facing Bakugo. To your surprise his eyes were wet as well. “I’m sorry. I know you’re the one who just had to confront the monster from your past. But... That shit was hard to watch. What did he mean when he said you did twisted shit to get out? You told me you jumped out of a moving car?”

You bit your lip and played with the hem of your hoodie. You couldn’t look him in the eye when you told him this. “I lied.... I was scared if I told you the truth you would be scared of me.”

He cupped your damp cheek and kissed your forehead, “You say scary.. I say badass.”

You would have laughed if the moment hadn't been so tense. “I uh.. If I really focus I can make people see things... when they're awake. Like daydreaming.” You leaned into him and he instinctively wrapped his arms around your waist. “I made them see intruders when in reality no one was there. They all ended up shooting each other and when backup came I made them think that I was also dead. They threw me into the back of a van, didn’t even bother tying me up. When we got close to town I made the drivers vision go blank so he would crash and I could get away.”

Bakugo pushed your hair out of your face, “Why would you be scared to tell me that? Like you said in Bruce’s dream, you did what you had to. After everything they put you through? I know it has to weigh heavy on your conscious, but it shouldn't. Those people were bad people who did bad things. Who knows how many people you saved by taking them out.”

You nodded, “I guess... But heros aren't supposed to kill people.”

Bakugo smiled, “Well not to be a dick but I’m pretty sure I’m the only one here with a hero license. You’re a survivor. There’s a difference.”

You took a deep breath, trying to expel all of your anxiety. “I also didn’t want you to be constantly trying to guess if what you were seeing was real or if I was manipulating you.”

“Well I guess it’s a good thing I trust you then...”

You leaned forward and gently pressed your lips to his.

You should have known better though because there was rarely anything gentle about Bakugo. He returned you kiss with a burning passion that had you dizzy.

He rolled on top of you and your legs wrapped around him pulling you to you. You wanted him, all of him. You reached down to waistband of his pants and pushed your hand past it to palm him through his underwear. He groaned and bucked his hips towards you before pulling back. “Y/n. I love you. But are you sure you want this?”

You arched your back so you could peel your shirt off. You hadn't worn a bra to bed and naturally you weren't wearing pants so now the only article of clothing you did have on was underwear. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.”

He leaned forward and attached his lips to your shoulder while he rubbed one of your nipples between his fingers. You arched your back to lean into his touch a soft moaning falling from your lips. He smiled as his kissed trailed south over the swell of your breeds before sucking your other nipple into his mouth. Licking it and sucking util it grew hard. “Looks like someone has sensitive nipples...”

Your eyes blinked open, “What are you doing? Dont stop!”

He chuckled, “Yes ma’am.” He tore off his shirt followed by his pants. Now you were both in your underwear. He grinned into you and its made you throb. You bucked your hips up to meet his, desperately needing friction to ease the desire building inside you.

His lips returned to your neck as he tapped your hip signaling for you to lift them off the bed. Without any hesitation he ripped them off leaving you bare before him. His fingers teased around the sport you wanted him most. But he was trying to give you time to make sure you hadn't changed your mind. And as sweet as that was... You needed him. “Bakugo... I need you. Please.”

With a feral groan his slipped his middle finger into you and slowly pumped in and out. “God Y/n you’re so tight.” He added a second finger and you had to suck in a breath, shit that felt good. He had you whining beneath him. Squirming around his fingers wanting more.

He kissed up your neck until he got to you ear, where he stopped with a breathy whisper, “You ready?”

You wrapped your legs around him, “Yes! Please!”

His slid his underwear off and you heard the sound of him opening a condom then his weight returned to you. His forehead already sweaty pressed against yours. “You let me know if I need to stop. If it hurts, if you change your mind. I dont care just let me know...”

You nodded and he slowly pushed into you bit by bit. Letting you adjust as he went. It definitely stung but in the sweetest way possible. Your fingers gripped his shoulders as he began to thrust into you. It started out as slightly painful but all the sudden he snapped his hips at a completely different angle and you were seeing stars. You couldn’t help your moan of pleasure, “Oh shit! Right there!”

Bakugo picked up the pace looping his arm around the back of your knee and lifting it up so it sat on his shoulder. Heat began to burn within you as you pleasure climbed. You understood why in books they always called it that climax. Legs shaking, fingers digging into his back, “I’m gonna - I’m gonna-”

Bakugo growled as he thrust at an erratic pace, “Let go. I’m right behind you. COME ON Y/N!”

Just like that you you peaked and clamped around him as he stuttered into his own finish.

You both laid there breathing heavy as he rolled over and pulled you into his chest. His fingers carding through your hair with occasional kisses to the crown of your head. “Hey not to alarm you or anything but I literally saw fireworks...”

You laughed and gave him a funny look, “Yeah me too. That was amazing!”

He gave you a serious look, “No I totally agree.. best night of my life... but Y/n I dont mean metaphorically.. like I literally saw fireworks at the end there. I think you may have subconsciously used your quirk...”

You blushed, “Oh my god I’m so sorry! I didn’t even realize...” You covered your face with your hands out of embarrassment.

But Bakugo wasn’t having any of that. He took your hands and pulled them from your face, “Are you kidding me? That was hot. That was awesome! It was like you got to show me exactly how you felt.” He snuggled closer to you, “Makes me want to do it again.”

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Tags: @1000fandoms @carolinawindsay @targaryens-blog @fukyouthink @malibusurfer56 @theoneforallkiddeku @emmyljo @water-melone98 @opentheskeletonkey @ilikeanimeandbands @dexterous-deku @joonishantics @-hiddlesdweeb- @crimson846 @emotions-and-potions @tokoyamis-luv @itsmetsuki @awkwardlife202 @tinymatwrote

Hey guys quick thing about the tags, I really am trying to remember to tag everyone who asked. If you aren't here I apologize I have the memory of a goldfish lol. Just shoot me a message and remind me. Or if you want to be added thats totally cool as well! Also it looks like some of the tags aren't working as they should. So if looks like you’re there but you didnt get a notification let me know. Maybe I spelled something wrong lol. I tend to do that a lot! Thanks!

- Molly

#bakugo #bakugo katsuki #Katsuki Bakugō #bhna bakugou #bakugo x reader #bakugo imagine #bakugo x y/n #bnha #bnha fanfiction #bnha imagines #bnha x reader #bnha bakugo katsuki #mha #mha imagines #mha bakugou #mha x reader #my hero academia

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shanie-the-toyaddict · 4 years

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So, to all my Zowens buddies out there, @ilovesamizayn. @coloursflyaway, and @le-vrai-champion... I had another dream last night. And NO I will not specifically be making THAT into a story. BUT I am starting a new story. Why? Because I clearly hate myself, that’s why. Also, it’s going to be Zowens Angst because clearly I want all of YOU to suffer as well. The only details I’ve worked out so far is that (due to phenomonal cosmic alignmnent) it takes place on the night/early morning after Fastlane 2018 where they (along with Shane) cost each other the WWE title, and occurs during the road trip to the next show which, for reasons I will explain shortly, occurs in Toledo. If you ladies recall, the following tuesday on Smackdown, the two of them were remarkably cohesive as a team despite their spat the previous weekend and my brain took the dream I had last night and decided “Let’s explore this, shall we?” Now, for the reason of location and cosmic alignment. Instead of strictly being based on the dream itself, the story is based on the incident BEHIND the dream (which is a recurring one). The story of how, when driving back from Columbus to Toledo after Ringside at RAW in 2003, My fiance and I got into a small auto accident that left the car unable to run... which was nearly deadly in the aftereffects because, while we did own cell phones, the nearest populated towns were 35 miles in any direction (that stretch of highway was known for being a population DESERT), while the soonest a tow truck can get there is a little over an hour and it was 2 AM on the coldest night of the year. I’m not even joking, if you watch that episode of RAW from TV, even the announcers make a reference to how bitterly, TERRIBLY bad the weather was that night. The two of us came dangerously close to freezing to death in that car waiting for rescue because, due to his large size there was no place in the car we could huddle together and also we only had one blanket between the two of us and it had several large holes in it. And yes, this story is going to be heavy angst because, well, you know those Hallmark movies and romcoms that have the people falling in love while trapped in a frozen car? IT AIN’T LIKE THAT. NOT BY A LONG SHOT. No, what you ARE doing in that situation is cursing the fact that cell phones shut off in frigid weather and now you can’t even call your family to say goodbye because you are GOING to die in a snowbank and you basically sit there, shivering hard, teeth chattering, talking with the one you love about all the children you will never have because dammit you have to stay awake if you fall asleep you might not wake up. I’ve... blocked most of that event from my memory outside a few details. But one thing I do remember is the pain when our car was extracted and we were able to get it working again and turn the heat on. THE PAIN OF THAWING OUT OMG. I will also say that, while we did get home by dawn, we had to sit in the car as long as we could (before we ran too low on gas to get home) because our bodies and minds were too frozen to function and get home. Why the fuck the tow truck guy didn’t think to get us medical attention, I don’t know, we were pretty much both hypothermic. Also, my hands were so badly frostbitten that, after I gave the driver my AAA card, I dropped my wallet in the snow because I couldn’t feel it in my hands and was too groggy to realize I had lost it until the next day. It was a very very VERY bad night and, guess what, now I’m turning it into a Zowens story because WHY THE FUCK NOT! That’s how we deal with our past trauma, right? Turn it into fanfic? Right? RIGHT? *sigh* I’m already working on this and, if it gets done and finished, I can promise every one of you who read it that it will have hurt me far more to write it than it will hurt any of you to read it. But, maybe if I confront this demon, the nightmares will end. Worth a shot, anyway. Sorry for the long post. Just had to get that out there to start the healing.

#Fanfiction #Personal #Long Post

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writeyouin · 4 years

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Swerve X Reader – Changes - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - I’m Sticking with You

A/N – Here it is to keep you all company in quarantine. Also, this reminds me of a fave song of mine: Honey by Bobby Goldsboro. As usual a special thank you to @rocksinmuffin for starting this off with the amazing prompts.

Warnings – Mentions of suicide and mnemosurgery.

Rating – T

Swerve sat at a table inside his hab-suite, holding a gun in his servo. It wasn’t fancy or large; it was little more than a pistol really, but it would do the job. He thought he’d feel something about his upcoming demise, but after spending all of his tears on you, there was nothing left to feel. Still, Swerve didn’t think he deserved a quick and painless death. That was why he was spending a short while re-watching his memories of you; it would help further twist the proverbial knife to cause a little extra pain.

“(Y/N), my dearest, my darling, my everything,” Swerve said to the paused memory that only he could see. “I always knew this day would come. I knew if we ever got together you would eventually learn that I was no good for you and that you would leave. Admittedly, I was being selfish when I married you. I hoped… I wish we could have had a bit longer together before you went away.”

He sighed, finding that he wasn’t out of tears for you as he previously thought he was. The coolant slipped unchecked down his cheek and Swerve continued his monologue, though his vocaliser was heavy with static as he did so.

“No matter what happens, or wherever I end up after this, I want you to know, I will always love you, even if you don’t love me anymore.”

With that, he played the memory he had been saving till last; it would be the last thing he saw before taking the fatal shot.

The memory was one of the many times that you had sang the Velvet Underground’s ‘I’m Sticking with You.’

Swerve’s frame shook with his final tears. He couldn’t keep his servos steady as he lifted the pistol.

‘Anything you want me too

I'll do anything for you

Oh, I'm sticking with you

Oh, I'm sticking with you.’

The song drew to an end and Swerve closed his optics. He held the pistol barrel to his helm, vented air through his systems and put his finger over the trigger.

Ultra Magnus ran to the holding cell. Only minutes ago, he had made a check on the security cameras, which was where he saw Whirl unmoving in a pool of his own energon; if he had ever thought Whirl to be suicidal, he would never have sent him to solitary confinement.

Slamming his palm against the cell’s scanner, he opened the door. He scanned Whirl, finding him alive, barely. Rushing to his aid, Ultra Magnus applied pressure to the stab wound whilst calling Ratchet and Velocity for medical assistance.

Fortunately, while Ultra Magnus was doing all that he could to save Whirl, he didn’t miss the giant note on the cell wall. His optics widened in surprise and he sent out an all-bot-alert to find out who was the closest to Swerve’s room. It was Chromedome who responded first, with a general message of curiosity.

Ultra Magnus thanked Primus that he had go in touch with one of the bots who knew just how important a Conjunx Endurae was.

“Chromedome, you must take this message to Swerve immediately. (Y/N) did not leave him intentionally. An accident must have caused the Rod Pod to malfunction. He needs to know.”

“What are you going to do?” Chromedome responded, concerned for your safety as he had been since the moment you left.

Ultra Magnus didn’t mention his priority to Whirl. Instead he simply answered, “Organise a rescue party. Now tell Swerve. Go!”

That was around ten minutes before Swerve picked up the gun that could end his life.

You pressed a servo to a dent in your helm, already regretting the damage that had come to your new body. Fortunately, it was mostly just scraped paint, but you still felt the occasional twinge of pain from another bump elsewhere. Then again, you felt you could live with a bit of minor damage to your systems. After the Rod-Pod crash-landed on the alien planet, you knew your previous human body would have died upon impact.

Orienting yourself, you stood up, feeling nauseous when the ship lurched forward. You stood as still as you could, waiting to see if it would make any more sudden movements. When you thought it was safe, you walked across the ceiling of the upside-down ship to the control panel.

“Ship,” You called, hoping it might respond. “Rod-Pod? If I say I’m Rodimus will you wake up please?”

The ship didn’t respond. You had hoped it might at least send out a warning or an error code or something, but it seemed completely destroyed. You didn’t even think there was any power left in it since the screen and lights were off.

You remained perfectly calm as you kicked at the ship’s entrance, taking a few goes before it broke open. You stumbled out into a desert comprised of fine white sand wherever you looked.

“Great, I couldn’t have landed in a city or near a town. No, I had to land on fucking Tatooine.”

‘Ugh,’ You thought dismally, ‘More like discount Tatooine. At least real Tatooine had some buildings…somewhere.’

Still, you were Cybertronian now. Maybe somewhere in your brain was instructions to repair the Rod-Pod. You looked at the crashed ship, noting for the first time that the exterior was on fire. There was no way in hell you were repairing that.

Trying to hold onto your previous sense of serenity, you thought about how Whirl had taught you to bring your optics online during your previous panic attack. If making a call was anything like that, maybe you could call Swerve. You hoped you could. Not only were you in need of rescue from the desert planet, you also needed him to know you were sorry, that you still loved him, and most importantly, that you would get back to him, no matter what.

“If Marlin the fish can get his son from a dentist in Sydney, I can do this. Uh, body, call Swerve,” You commanded.

Nothing happened.

“Please, call Swerve?”

You closed your optics and pictured your old communicator as well as Swerve’s face. ‘Please… I need him. Please don’t cut him out of my life.’

You grew both frustrated and upset when several more attempts at calling your husband didn’t work. What if it was the dent in your head causing interference? Or maybe you were too far away from Swerve for anything to happen? Was that possible? You had never thought to ask Swerve how his body worked; it had simply never come up in casual conversation. Suddenly a truly dreadful thought hit you. What if word of your departure had reached him already? He wouldn’t think you had left him, would he? He wasn’t the most stable bot at the best of times, and you knew the way his separation anxiety and fears of being inadequate could course him to self-destruct.

“CALL SWERVE!” You screamed at yourself, fearing for his well-being. “NOW! I- I need to know that he’s safe. Please…” You fell to your knees, crying and holding your head in your servos, “Please, call Swerve.”

Once again you were left with nothing but the deafening silence that surrounded you on the barren planet, but you weren’t ready to give up. At least, you thought you weren’t until you heard the rumbling of engines. Looking to the horizon, you saw five vehicles that looked like quad-bikes in the distance, the riders of which were hidden under white body armour.

Venting air through your systems in a manner that simultaneously soothed you and freaked you out, you decided to take a long walk away from the Rod-Pod. You had heard tales of the scavengers that lived on barren planets. They had probably been travelling since you crashed, hoping to steal whatever was left over from the ship. Yet, as you moved further to the left, so did the bikes. You continued moving further away from the Rod-Pod, but the bikes changed course to match yours. You prayed that they were coming to your aid, yet as they got closer, you saw the giant crossbows come up from the vehicles subspaces.

If you were still human you would have broken into a sweat. As a Cybertronian you couldn’t do that, but you still had your fight and flight response to work with. You ran. Every so often, you would risk a look behind you, hoping that you would be able to scan one of the vehicles and transform. As with your earlier attempts to call Swerve, nothing happened when you tried to transform. The only thing you did find from occasionally looking back was that the organics chasing you weren’t actually wearing white body armour; they were the armour, so to speak. You supposed it had to be some kind of exoskeleton, stretched over long bony limbs that stuck hideously outwards.

You kept on running, putting all the power in your new legs into fleeing the monstrous organics. What had started off as the Star Wars experience had quickly turned into a bad remake of Mad Max: Fury Road.

You wished that having a Cybertronian body could have been as easy as having a human body, but apparently without instructions or a mentor, you were useless. You couldn’t call for help, you couldn’t transform, and worst of all, you couldn’t outrun your hunters. That much became clear as you saw them gaining in your peripheral view. What you didn’t see was the two quadbikes behind you aiming their crossbows for your arms, though you soon felt it. Screaming in pain, you fell to your knees.

Although it was probably futile, you fought the waves of searing hot pain, forcing yourself back up and facing off against your eerily silent attackers. You pulled against the barbed hook in your left arm, trying to remove it. However, no amount of brute strength could save you from the electrical charge that both crossbow bolts emitted, coursing through your systems to temporarily shut them down. This time, when you fell to the ground, you didn’t get back up, and the raiders were free to claim you as their prize.

Chromedome pelted down the hallway, making his way to Swerve to tell him the partially good news. He couldn’t wait to see Swerve’s face when he told him that you hadn’t left him and it was only going to be a matter of tracking the Rod-Pod’s trajectory to find you and bring you home to him.

Without even bothering to knock, Chromedome burst into Swerve’s hab-suite, shocked to find Swerve holding a gun to his own helm. As quickly as he had entered the room, Chromedome wrestled Swerve to the table, which wasn’t too difficult considering how much smaller Swerve was compared to Chromedome.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Chromedome yelled in a panic.

“GET OFF ME!” Swerve cried out in a mix of anger and pleading. “I NEED TO DO THIS!”

“NO, YOU DON’T. YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT (Y/N).”

“DON’T! Don’t Mention her name please,” Swerve voice fell to a whisper and he stopped struggling against Chromedome, though he still reached for the gun which was only a short way from his grasp. “I failed her, Chromedome. I failed her and she hates me. My wife… My wife hates me.”

Chromedome had been to the emotional prison that Swerve was trapped in many times before. He had lost count of the amount of times that he had visited relinquishment clinics on Cybertron, preparing for the day he might snuff out his own spark. He knew from those experiences that Swerve wouldn’t just believe him if he told the truth about you. Instead, Swerve would think it was all an elaborate lie to stop him from ending his life. That left Chromedome with the problem of what to do.

Without thinking about it, Chromedome held Swerve down more firmly, releasing his mnemosurgery needles from the tips of his fingers. He told himself he was doing this for Swerve. After all, he was only planning to remove the memories of your departure until Swerve was in a safe place for him to explain everything. If Rewind was there, he would have told Chromedome that he was only doing it for himself, and that mnemosurgery was both addictive and evil; Primus knew they had had the argument enough times in the past, but if Rewind wasn’t around to see it, then it didn’t matter if Chromedome fell back into old habits and performed one tiny memory rewrite, did it?

“What are you doing?” Swerve asked, feeling the panic rise inside him. He began struggling again, babbling as he did so, “Chromedome, did I hear a shunk? I distinctly heard a shunk. Was that your needles? You can’t rewrite my memories. I don’t deserve to live for what I’ve done. CHROMEDOME, I MEAN IT! DON’T YOU DARE CHANGE ME! DON’T YOU DARE!”

“Shhh,” Chromedome hushed the mini-bot in a tone that was supposed to be comforting but sounded only menacing to Swerve. “It’s all going to be all right. In a few minutes, it will all be over.”

There was a quiet knock at the door, followed by Rung’s soft voice, “Swerve, are you in there?”

Chromedome cursed and covered Swerve’s mouth. Seeing the needles that were to wipe his memories only made Swerve panic more, and he was afraid that he might purge his tanks, even if his mouth his covered.

Rung continued speaking, used to being met by the silence of his patients when they had been through something traumatic, “I was just finished with work today and I thought you might like some company.”

Throwing his head from side-to-side rapidly, Swerve managed to shake Chromedome’s servo loose, “HELP! HE’S GONNA RE-WRITE-”

Chromedome pushed Swerve’s helm into the table, and whispered in his audial-receptor, “I’m helping you, idiot.”

But it was too late for Chromedome, Rung had heard enough in that cry for help and had used his all-access pass to enter the hab-suite. He took everything in, made a note to work with Chromedome to save him from his mnemosurgery surgery addiction, and called security all in the space of under a minute. For now, Swerve was safe and alive, though Swerve knew it wouldn’t be long before his second attempt to journey to the afterspark.

You woke up in a metal cell and you didn’t have to touch the bars to know they were electrified; evidently, you new body had better hearing than your previous one, allowing you to hear the hum of a strong electrical current. You wondered whether you should call for a guard to see what they were going to do with you, but what was the point? You would probably find out soon enough anyway.

Sitting up in the corner of the cell, you examined the damage to your arms. You had always thought that Cybertronians didn’t feel much pain compared to humans, but evidently you were wrong. The only difference between the two species was how resilient Cybertronians were. Whoever your kidnappers were, they knew how to get past Cybertronian resistances.

You heaved a sigh and winced as you put your arms down. You thought about trying to call Swerve again but decided against it. He was probably trying to call you, and if he couldn’t do it then you had to be too far away.

‘Swerve…’ You thought of him and all the ways he made you happy. Being without him since the first time you were married only made you morose as you sat with nothing but the hum of the fence to keep you company.

This could be the last night of your life before it came to an untimely end. With that in mind, you thought of Swerve and started to sing.

“I'm sticking with you,

Cause I'm made out of glue.

Anything that you might do,

I'm gonna do too.”

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bluesey-182 · 5 years

Text

We Have To Stop Meeting Like This - Chapter 8

holy shit??? i finally did it??? i finished this chapter??? amazing. since there are so many chapters now i’m just going to start linking the fic on ao3 instead of linking all the posts separately. i hope that’s okay. now, without further ado, here is the update:

--------

“Hey, I didn’t think you’d answer.”

On the other line of the phone came the blasting sounds from a video game as someone shot a simulated gun. “Why?” Cardan asked. It sounded like he had his cell on speaker phone. “Cause it’s one in the morning?”

Jude couldn’t help herself--she rolled her eyes even though he wasn’t there to see it. “No, Cardan, because I thought both of your hands had been gnawed off by a giant rat. Of course because it’s almost one o’clock.”

There was uproarious laughter--deep and male--from the other end that didn’t sound like Cardan’s laugh. His roommate, probably. But if he had heard her, that confirmed her theory about being on speaker.

“First of all,” Cardan’s amused voice cut through the laughter. “The only rat that would be big enough to best me in a fight is an R.O.U.S from The Princess Bride and they don’t actually exist. And second of all, darling, I’m a nocturnal creature, so of course I’m awake to answer your late night booty calls. Now what can I do for you?” Machine gun fire continued in the background from his end, joined with shouting from Cardan’s roommate to “watch out, dude, watch out! damnit now you’re dead. way to go, geezer.”

“I just,” Jude began but quickly cut off, unsure of how to proceed knowing that someone else was listening in on their conversation--even if he was clearly wrapped up in whatever violent video game the two boys seemed to be playing. “Um…”

“Hang on, Jude.” There was some mumbling from his end as words were exchanged, then a click like a door being closed, and suddenly the game’s noises were gone and Cardan’s voice was closer. He had taken her off speaker. “Okay I’m alone now, sorry. Is everything okay?”

“I just,” Jude started again and trailed off once more. “I can’t sleep.”

It had been almost a week since her last seizure. A week since Cardan broke down her door to find her on the floor laying in her own blood. Six days since Madoc hired someone to fix the girls’ door, five days since Madoc ordered Jude to move back home until they could get her seizures back under control, and two days since Vivi finally helped Jude convince their father to let her stay in her own apartment. The last week had been exhausting and yet Jude was restless. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t scared after what had happened.

“Do you want me to come over?” Cardan offered helpfully, and the sincerity of his offer nearly brought tears to Jude’s eyes.

“No,” she admitted. “No, I want… out. I don’t want to be here right now.”

“Where do you want to be?”

“I don’t actually know.”

A brief silence washed over them, interrupted only by the sound of Taryn’s cat meowing from somewhere in the apartment. Finally, Cardan said, “I’m on my way to pick you up.”

--------

The first thing Jude noticed when she got into Cardan's car was his wild hair. The perpetually messy curls were somehow even more unkempt than usual. The second thing she noticed was that Cardan was wearing sweatpants that fit him in a very pleasing way underneath a hoodie that some primal part of her begged to steal from him. The third thing she noticed was his smirk at her noticing him.

"Good evening," Cardan said in a mockery of a stereotypical vampire voice.

"What, are you Dracula now?" Jude teased.

"I think I'd be more of a faerie than a vampire, actually."

"Then why the vampire voice?"

"Jude Duarte: ever the critic."

"Spare me.” Jude tugged the seatbelt across her body and buckled it with some effort--the buckle itself was coated in a sticky substance that was likely spilled soda. She hoped it was soda. “Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"Cardan--"

"I promise there's not immediate danger to your person, if that's what you're worried about. Just trust me?"

Jude searched Cardan's face for any trace of deceit but came up empty. Hesitantly, she nodded her assent. Satisfied, Cardan put the car into gear and drove down the street like a person who decidedly deserved to have their license revoked. At Jude's surprised shriek, he laughed, earning himself a scowl from Jude.

"I thought you said there was no immediate danger to my person," she said.

"I just floored the gas a bit, it's not like I ran a red light into oncoming traffic."

"You really are such a terrible driver, you know that?" Jude asked once Cardan had stopped laughing. Instead of a verbal response, Cardan reached for the volume nob on the radio and turned his music up to deafening volumes. As he had done before in the car, Cardan began singing along to the words--the sound more shouting than singing--as he occasionally looked over to Jude to sing parts of the lyrics to her. His face was so openly happy and carefree that something in Jude’s chest tugged on her like a line trying to reel her into him. Watching his lips form the words made her want to kiss him. Hearing his terrible singing made her want to join in. Watching the streetlights flash across his face made her feel free, alive, happy. Her mind told her heart that she was right where she was supposed to be.

The song changed and Cardan flashed a grin over to her but soon frowned at whatever expression was on her face. Quickly, he spun the volume back down to near silence and asked Jude ever so gently, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she croaked. Really, nothing should have been wrong, but her chest was aching in a way she couldn’t place. It was the sort of feeling of being happy but fearing it at the same time--a fear that it would end. “Can I play a song?”

Cardan looked as if he didn’t quite believe her answer to his question but nevertheless waved a hand to his phone on the dash in permission for her to pick it up. A cursory search through his music library showed her mostly alternative rock and pop music and loud punk songs, but in his playlists she found one with a promising title of “Chill Music.” She also found a playlist with her name on it. Jude pretended not to see it, even though her heart skipped a beat, and instead clicked on the first playlist.

Khalid started playing through the speakers as Cardan turned into an unlit parking lot in front of a chain of mostly darkened store-fronts. The stereo continued to play even after the car was shut off before finally turning off completely when Cardan crawled into the backseat and opened a functioning door to get out of his crap car. He came around to her side of the car and opened the door for her, holding his hand out to her like some fairytale prince asking a princess for a dance instead of a boy in a dark parking lot on a late night outing in his sweats who had also just clambered around his own car like a jungle-gym.

“Shall we?” He asked. Jude rolled her eyes at his dramatics--eliciting a laugh from Cardan--but accepted his hand and allowed him to guide her out of his car.

“Are you ever going to get your dented front bumper fixed?” Jude asked when her eyes caught on the evidence of their first meeting. She was surprised that even after all that time had passed he still hadn’t taken his car into a body shop. He clearly had the money for it. “Or your door, for that matter?”

“Nah, it pisses my dad off that I’m ruining the car.”

“Makes me wonder if you crash it on purpose,” Jude teased.

“Maybe I do,” Cardan admitted flippantly, his voice at odds with whatever flashed in his eyes. “I do a lot of reckless shit. But crashing into you truly was an accident, in case you're wondering. Now, let’s go inside before all my precious fingers fall off. It’s cold out here.”

"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?"

"Well there's only one place still open right now," Cardan said, indicating with his hand one of the only lit buildings in front of them. A half burnt out sign above the doors proclaimed the place to be Ginkgo Garden and the smell of Chinese food drifted through the air. Jude inhaled deeply and looked to Cardan for confirmation of food in her near future. He smiled softly before offering her his hand to hold. Somehow, in the dark, it seemed like no big deal to hold onto him. She took his hand and they strode towards the restaurant.

“Why are they still open?” She wondered aloud. Beside her, Cardan shrugged.

“We’re in a college town and they do late night deliveries to the panicked students trying to cram everything into their brain at once?” He suggested.

“Makes sense.”

Inside the front doors they were blasted with a rush of hot air coming from an unseen heater in the ceiling. Jude welcomed it and, beside her, Cardan shivered one final time as if to shake the cold from his body for good. He released her hand to pull open the second set of inner doors for her, and Jude tried not to mourn the loss of his hand in hers. The restaurant's interior greeted them with green chairs and wallpaper patterned with mandarin trees. Soft music played softly over the sound of clinking dishes coming from the kitchen. Other than the young man standing behind a counter to the left of the door, no one appeared to be in the front house of the restaurant. Cardan exchanged familiar greetings with the smiling guy at the counter as Jude further took in the beautiful and elaborate decorations all over the place. It felt more like a home inside than a restaurant with its cramped but lovingly decorated space. Behind her, Cardan and the man kept chatting like old friends and Jude wondered just how often Cardan came here.

“Jude, this is Harry,” Cardan interjected into her train of thought, confirming her suspicion that he was a regular here. “Harry, this is Jude.”

“Hey, nice to meet you,” Harry smiled at her with so much genuine warmth that for a moment Jude was caught off guard by the open kindness from a total stranger. On its own accord her face seemed to smile back, but something told her it came out a bit more like a grimace. Cardan grinned at her and turned a conspiratorial grin towards Harry.

“I’m afraid Jude doesn’t smile much,” he said.

“You’re such a dick,” Jude remarked.

“She does, however,” Cardan continued, “say sweet nothings such as that to me all the time.”

Jude rolled her eyes as the two boys chuckled and decided it was best to tune them out. When her efforts proved fruitless (Cardan had proceeded to start listing all the “wondrous, heartfelt names” that Jude had “very fondly” called him since they had met for Harry to laugh at in increasing volumes as the names got more creative) Jude caught sight of a sign near the back that read "Bathrooms" with an arrow pointing in the wrong direction. Over her shoulder she caught eyes with Cardan long enough for an exchange of nods--one from her indicating where she’d be and one from him acknowledging that he understood--then ducked into the single stall restroom and locked the door behind her. Sounds from outside the small room reached her through the thick door as if from underwater. Everything sounded distorted and far away. Though she could hear the undertone of Cardan’s voice, all distinct words were drowned out, leaving behind only a melodic quality to his speech. She loosed a heavy sigh and turned so her back was against the door. From this new perspective, she caught sight of herself in the mirror.

She liked to think that the mirror was hung unusually high but knew the reality was that she was too short to see her reflection below her shoulders. In the mirror she could see the dark circles under her eyes as evidence of her sleepless nights. Not for the first time, she wondered what Cardan saw when he looked at her. Did he see the girl in armor or the girl beneath it? Was she pretty to him? Or were her edges too sharp?

Jude tore her gaze away from her reflection and stepped forward to the sink where she turned her attention to the drain instead. As if on autopilot, she absently reached out to turn the sink handle, cupped some cool water into her palms, and gently splashed it onto her face. Droplets of water ran down her arms into her rolled-up sleeves as she allowed herself to stand there for a moment with her hands covering her face. Finally, she took a deep breath, snatched a paper towel from the dispenser, dried herself off, and walked out of the bathroom to find Cardan playing on his phone at one of the tables.

“All good?” He asked.

“Yeah, I got an eyelash in my eye and needed to rinse it out.” The lie came easily, but then again they always did.

“I ordered some food to go, Harry just ran back to get it for us. I was thinking we could take it back to my place and watch TV? I’ll even let you pick the show, as long as you don’t pick something that sucks.”

“Says the guy that watches Criminal Minds,” Jude teased, falling back into their easy banter.

“Hey,” Cardan pointed an accusatory finger in her face as she sank into the chair opposite him and she batted it away like an annoying gnat. “Criminal Minds,” Cardan continued regardless, “is interesting. It’s interesting to me how someone can be so fucked up to do the things they do.”

“And why do you do the things you do, Cardan?”

“Because my family didn’t want me so now I must act up to get attention.”

“See? That didn’t take fourteen seasons to explain.”

Just as Cardan made to reply, the kitchen door opened to reveal Harry carrying a large brown bag. Cardan stood and took the food, goodbyes were exchanged, and then Jude and Cardan were walking back into the cold. Before the doors closed all the way, Harry’s voice called out, “It was nice meeting you Jude!” and she waved over her shoulder and tried for a real-looking smile this time. When she turned back around, Cardan was standing with the passenger side door open for her.

“You know I can get my own doors, right?” She said with no real heat behind it.

“Yes, well, I keep getting to the doors before you and it seems foolish to stand and wait for you to open them for me.”

“I hate you, do you know that?”

“You’re lying. Do you know that?” Cardan grinned his wicked grin and Jude considered stomping on his toes. Instead, she got in the car. Cardan jogged over to his side of the car and pointed at the window controls as a request for Jude to roll it down for him. She shook her head in mockery, pretending not to understand what he was asking. Cardan gave her a withering look and mouthed at her to roll down the window. With her left hand she reached over for the controls and locked the doors.

“Jude,” Cardan groaned through the glass barrier as Jude began to laugh. “C’mon, my balls are freezing off.”

“Fine, fine.” She unlocked the car. Cardan glared at her and Jude continued to laugh.

Finally the sight of him shivering out in the cold, as well as the beginnings of a snow storm drifting through the air, became too pitiful and Jude rolled down the driver’s side window for Cardan to crawl through. Immediately his hands reached for the heater and he turned to her with a scowl as she laughed.

“I so want to be mad,” Cardan said as he reached into the backseat to set the bag of food onto the leather backseat, “but your laugh is distracting me.”

“I’ll stop laughing then,” Jude replied, trying to school her features into a more serious expression. The efforts sent her into a laughing fit again.

“No,” Cardan said softly. His lips curled up into a small smile while he watched her. “Don’t stop. I like your laugh.”

At his confession, Jude’s laughter finally petered out. The sudden silence in the car felt deafening as the two of them sat at stared at each other. The air felt charged with--something. All Jude knew was that if she didn’t look away now, her feelings were going to overwhelm her.

She looked away.

Cardan cleared his throat as Jude played with the hem of her jacket. Neither of them spoke as he turned on the car, connected the bluetooth on his phone to the stereo. Not a glance was exchanged as the music started up again and Cardan turned to look through the rearview window to back the car out of the parking lot. When the car pulled up to the third stoplight in a row, Cardan broke the awkward silence.

“Do you want me to take you home?”

“No,” Jude whispered. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just…”

“It’s okay.”

Jude resumed fiddling with the hem of her jacket as the streetlight washed over them in green and the car proceeded with its progress down the road.

“I’m scared,” Jude found herself saying.

“I can take you home,” Cardan offered again softly, looking over at her with those dark eyes that she could so easily drown in.

“Not of you,” Jude said. “Just… this whole… seizure thing has had me messed up lately.”

“Understandably so.” Though he still looked concerned, Cardan seemed to have relaxed slightly at her words.

“I mean… What were you thinking?” Jude continued.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Jude started, then stopped abruptly. “I mean what were you thinking when I called you? When you found me just laying there? Were you thinking ‘oh god she’s so pathetic’ or--”

“Jude,” Cardan interrupted, stopping her words with a gentle hand placed over her knee. “Please don’t ever think that I’d feel like that.”

“Then what were you thinking?” Until now Jude hadn’t noticed the moisture in her eyes. She tried to hold the tears back, but Cardan noticed them anyway and pulled over onto the side of the road. As the car rolled to a complete stop, all of Jude’s emotions finally poured over and she was crying, she was crying, she was crying. Distantly she registered Cardan’s fingers brushing against the backs of her hands. He asked a question, asked if it was alright to touch her, and took her hands in his when she nodded. Gingerly, he cradled her hands in his. Reached out to wipe away the streams of tears rolling down her cheek. Whispered to her until his voice finally reached her and she began to calm down. His thumb was rubbing soft circles into the back of her hand as his other hand trailed gently through the hair framing her face. Slowly, slowly, Jude came back to herself, back to the car, back to him. She forced herself to look into his eyes because the only other option was to let the shame of her tears consume her. In his eyes, though, was only a gentle understanding. Any judgement or disgust she may have expected was missing from his gaze. The Cardan sitting in front of her was so far away from the Cardan that she had met when he rear-ended her, or the Cardan she had ran into at Valerian’s stupid party. The Cardan in front of her was without armor and she longed to take off her own.

“Do you really want to know what I was thinking?” He asked her gently. Jude nodded, unable to speak. Instead of answering right away, Cardan looked down to where he still held her hand and watched his own fingers draw circles on her skin. His voice cracked when he tried to speak. "When you called me…. when you called me, I had some joke ready to make you laugh or call me a jackass or roll your eyes at me. But then I answered and you didn't say anything at first and I knew something was wrong. I know you don't remember, but I do. You said help. Just help, that was all, but you sounded so scared and my heart started beating out of my chest. I asked you where you were three times before you were finally able to tell me you were at home and then you were completely silent. I drove like a bat out of hell to get to you, pushing the speed limit by 20 in some areas and daring the cops to pull me over, because there was no way in hell I would stop for anything. I was on the phone with you the whole time, just hoping you'd say something else, anything else, but you never did. I got to your place and… you wouldn't answer the door, Jude.” He looked up at her, his eyes glazed over. “I have never in my life been that afraid or that desperate to get to someone. So I broke the door in. I didn't even know I could do that,” Cardan laughed without humor and turned his eyes to look through the windshield. “I was just so goddamn panicked. And then I saw you there, and you were crying, and that was the only way I knew you weren't dead. There was so much blood, Jude. And you weren't moving. And all I could think was ‘I can’t lose her. I can’t lose this girl that makes me feel like I’m more than the fuck-up my family has always seen me as. This girl that makes me feel safe enough to laugh without cruelty, who smiles so rarely but so brightly, who calls me a jackass even though her eyes seem to be begging to say something else. I can’t lose this girl when I’m just finally getting to know her.’ All I could think about, Jude…” When he looked at her this time, it was his eyes full of tears. “Was that you had to be okay. Because I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t.”

Was she crying again? Instinctively Jude’s hand tightened around his and she cradled his hands like he had done to hers. She didn’t know what to say, didn’t know if there was anything to say. She felt useless as Cardan gathered himself back together without a word from her, but then he brought her knuckles to his lips and brushed a kiss across her skin.

“Thanks,” she whispered lamely. “For saving me.”

“Sorry for breaking your door.”

“I didn’t like it, anyway.”

Cardan laughed, but it was a shadow of his usual one.

--------

At midnight Jude awoke having to pee. Yuri On Ice still played quietly on the television that washed the room in a soft blue light. Empty containers of Chinese food were spread haphazardly around them on the comforter. Cardan was sprawled out on his bed beside her, mouth open slightly as soft noises of sleep escaped him. At the sight of his peaceful face Jude stopped to look at him for a moment. The planes of his face looked softer in sleep--his cheekbones and jawline less like they could cut her heart to pieces, his beautiful mouth so invitingly soft and begging for her to make them smile. And those beautiful black curls of his were a halo on the pillow. He was so heart-achingly beautiful.

She thought she might love him.

The revaluation jolted her out of bed and she rushed to the bathroom while her heart jackhammered in her chest. With the bathroom door closed and safely separating them, Jude tried to reason with her own racing thoughts. Love was a complicated thing. Love was a distant memory that came with her mother spinning her around in her arms and sticky fingers from popsicles and chasing her father around the living room when he snatched her blanket from her. Love was something she chased to get from Madoc, something she found late at night curled in bed with her sisters as they laughed to hide their shared heartbreak, something the morning light seemed to wash away once reality set back in. Love was something that could die, and the thought of losing Cardan hit her like a punch to the gut. For a moment she couldn’t breathe.

No, she couldn't love Cardan. But back in his bedroom, when she crawled into bed and he immediately wrapped his arms around her without waking up, she wondered if maybe it wasn't just possible--but undeniable.

She felt him shift behind her until their bodies were pressed together and then his soft voice spoke into her hair. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she replied a little breathless. "Just had to use the bathroom."

Cardan hummed a response and was likely already halfway to being asleep again when Jude rolled over onto her other side to face him. His eyes reluctantly opened to look at her, bleary and half open. He really was beautiful. Jude’s chest tightened with want.

No, she couldn’t lose him. And yet...

"Cardan," she breathed before she could lose her nerve. "About what you said at the hospital. About you telling them you're my boyfriend…"

"I didn't know what else to s--"

"What if I want you to be. My boyfriend, I mean."

A small, sleepy smile spread across Cardan's face as his eyes drifted closed once more. He pulled Jude into him more so that her head rested against his chest--planted a kiss on top of her head, and said, "Then I'm yours."

Moments later he was softly snoring.

#jurdan #the cruel prince #the folk of the air #the wicked king #my writing #jurdan au #text post #okay to reblog

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thetokenmuggle · 4 years

Text

Of French and Ice Cream

Sailor Moon Au : Part Two

“I can’t believe you all crashed my morning coffee date,” Jane huffed looking over at Minah, Tyler, Lucas and, sadly even, Tara and Enzo. “And I can't believe he actually bought you all coffee,” she grumbled as they stepped into Astor Academy.

“Well in my case I am going to assume that I am M’s favourite, other than you of course,” Tara said. Jane's nose scrunched up, she couldn’t even argue against that. Tara was everyone’s favourite, to be honest, many a time she had heard Luna wish she could stay with Tara instead. “And I offered to pay him back for mine,” she said with a frown.

“Maybe M felt guilty about the bad news he shared and realizes he made a stupid decision and is trying to win our forgiveness by giving us coffee,” Tyler snapped taking a sip of his coffee. “Honestly how M even made it to college with his bad decision making,” he continued ranting ignoring the way Jane was plotting his death. Jane took a deep breath in trying to stop herself from snapping, hearing Daehyung or Daniel as he was called now was in town was a bit of shock but if he didn’t shut up soon Jane would have no choice but smacking him across the back of the head.

“Tyler,” Minah warned, “Maybe you boyfriend, bless his heart, understands that going to school is an impossible task without a little caffeine,” Minah said. “Especially when you consider we have to deal with Lucas fangirls and worse - Tyler fangirls,” Minah said with a shudder. “Why would these girls do that to themselves,” she said shaking her head. “They could at least fangirl over Lucas and Enzo instead,” she said earning a glare from Tyler and a smirk from Enzo.

“Maybe M is just nice,” Lucas offered, Jane turned to face him, brows furrowed. “Just saying,” he muttered, shrinking into himself which admittedly was an impressive task given his height. Unlike Tyler’s reaction to hearing about Daehyung, Lucas was a ball of excitement about Eunha possibly coming to their school though he had become more subdued when they got closer to the school.

“Also notice that neither Lucas nor Tyler have been swarmed by their rabid fanbase yet,” Minah said, raising an eyebrow. “Do you think a miracle finally happened and they managed to grow some brain cells?” she asked sarcastically.

“Ha ha ha,” Tyler said with an eye roll.

“It's kinda true though,” Tara said with a frown. “No fangirls and none of the lovestruck fools that normally follow Minah either,” she said, causing Minah to scoff. “You’d think after a whole Summer of not seeing them in person they would be waiting for them to arrive,” she pointed out. “Also where are those girls who usually wait for Jane and Minah to show them how to style their uniform for the year?” she said. Jane and Minah looked over at each other and smirked, it was kinda fun seeing how everyone tried to recreate their style.

“Maybe Minah was right but an even bigger miracle happened and they went and got a life?” Enzo suggested.

“Too unrealistic,” Jane commented, shaking her head. “I bet it's an alien invasion,” Jane half-joked. She was enjoying just being a normal teenage girl who was just trying to figure out how to see her boyfriend but ever since that Asteroid had landed at the start of Summer, Jane (and Luna who hadn’t been able to shut up about it) had a feeling something bad was going to happen.

“Well, maybe we should see what that crowd is looking at?” Enzo said pointing to the staircase where everyone was standing around. Jane’s eyes narrowed as she looked over, spotting the majority of the senior year gathered around the stairs. She even spotted a few of Lucas’s more loyal fangirls.

The group moved over to the staircase, frowning as the sound of a guitar being strummed assaulted her ears. She couldn’t explain it but something about it just seemed weird. Like she knows it should sound nice but it was just off.

“Can anyone see anything?” she asked turning to her friends, Minah and Tara both shook their heads.

“It’s just some guy playing the guitar and a girl standing next to him,” Enzo said, sounding bored. “How boring,” he shrugged, stepping away from the crowd.

“And it’s not Eunha,” Lucas frowned in disappointment. Jane tried not to coo at how cute Lucas was, if Eunha did come to this school she better treat this boy right. “Honestly it’s nothing special,” Lucas shrugged. Jane frowned, she knew her classmates had a habit of idolizing their fellow peers but this was a little ridiculous.

Minah scoffed next to her, “This is so dumb,” she said with a scowl. “Come on let's go, I am not waiting here all day,” she said linking arms with Jane and Tara (who had grabbed onto Enzo not letting him escape this). “Lucas, Lee, let’s go,” she called as she moved forward, Jane was pretty sure she stepped on some people’s feet by accident, unlike Minah who may or may not have dropped her coffee on someone on purpose.

They stopped at the top of the stairs where the guitar boy and his friend stood. Guitar boy stopped playing while the girl looked extremely annoyed by their presence. “Excuse me,” the girl said in an obnoxious and potentially fake french accent.

“Maude no,” Guitar boy said, his eyes solely focused on Minah. Jane raised an eyebrow as this boy stepped forward, reaching out and grabbing Minah’s hand, bringing it up to his lips and kissing it.

“Julien,” Maude all but growled at the guitar boy. “What are you doing?” she asked glaring daggers at Minah. Jane moved forward just enough to shield her friends from this girl.

“Yeah what are you doing?” Tyler said, stepping in front of Minah, puffing his chest out to make him seem tough. “Keep your hands and lips to yourself,” he snapped. Jane rolled her eyes at this testosterone-induced staring contest, men, how tragic.

“Mind your business chipmunk,” Minah said elbowing Tyler.

“Don’t talk to him like that” The girl, Mauve?, snapped, racing over beside Tyler. “Are you okay?” she asked sweetly. Jane turned to Tara wondering if she had any idea what was actually happening but even she looked confused. “I’m Maude, do you need to go see a nurse, I can’t believe that girl you were only looking out for her… how ungrateful,” she continued as Tyler looked at her perplexed.

“I am fine?” he said, raising an eyebrow as the Maude girl leeched onto his arm.

Tyler was saved by the bell ringing and the entire student body pushing past in a rush to get to class leaving their group behind, the newcomers seemingly disappearing in the rush. “Well that was interesting,” Jane said as the six of them stood at the now-abandoned staircase.

“That’s a nice way of putting it,” Enzo said, Tara and Lucas nodded in agreement, all four of them looking over at Minah and Tyler curiously. “Well we have to get going,” he said nodding to Tara and Lucas, “good luck with those two,” he said gesturing to Tyler and Minah who were now bickering.

Jane groaned, “Lucas, your know how you are Tyler and Minah’s favourite?” Jane asked sweetly. “Maybe they would like it better if we swapped classes … just for today -” she said pouting. If Enzo wasn’t around she would have bought up the fact that Lucas was one of her sailor guardians who swore to protect just to make sure she got her way.

“I am not,” he started to say when a girl came running down the hallway cursing herself for being late. They watched said girl crash into Lucas, Jane winced feeling sympathetic for the girl, Lucas was like a wall. “Hey are you okay?” he asked, an arm wrapping around her to stop her from stumbling back. His eyes widened as he took in the girl, mouth hanging open.

“Oh i am fine, sorry,” The girl said, causing Jane, Tara, Minah and Tyler to turn and look at her. They all knew that voice, it was Eunha, well Emily as she apparently goes by now. Jane didn’t think it was a coincidence that she did end up going to the same school as them, just like them being in the same apartment as M wasn’t whether it be by design or fate.

“Why are we all staring at that girl?” Enzo whispered. Jane snapped out of her thoughts to see the girl shifting uncomfortably.

“I am just gonna,” she said as she wriggled out of Lucas' grip. ”Excuse me,” she said nodding before racing down the hall leaving a pouting Lucas in her wake.

“Well that - let’s just go to class,” Jane said with a frown. “We can figure out what is going on during lunch,” she said.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Jane never imagined being the fifth wheel at their table despite being the only one of her friends who was actually in a relationship but here she was watching as Minah and Tyler both dealt with the school's newest students. Julien and Maude, two exchange students from France who in Jane’s oh so humble opinion had some of the worst french accents she had ever heard and she had heard a few.

She had zoned out halfway through this lunch, Tara and Lucas had stayed for a few minutes but after the Julien and Maude show decided that they had to catch up with their other friends and they would talk about Emily and Daniel later.

“I find it hard to believe someone as beautiful as you doesn’t have a boyfriend,” Julien commented looking at Minah with what could only be described as heart eyes. Minah hummed, looking down with the smallest smiles on her face. Jane raised an eyebrow, she had never seen Minah be affected by any guy flirting with her, especially not with such a basic line. If anything it was usually Minah flirting and reducing the boys to a puddle only to leave them because she wasn’t interested in anything serious.

“I can, she isn’t that pretty,” Maude said haughty, looking down her nose at Minah. Jane’s eyes narrowed a silent plea for the brunette to continue so she could punch her stupid face for saying such nonsense.

“Oh that is because she isn’t looking, we have a will they won’t they thing going on,” Tyler said glaring at Julien. Jane covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. “Plus our dear Minah is dealing with some issues thanks to her ex,” he pretended to whisper before letting out a yowl. It didn’t take a genius to figure Minah had kicked him under the table.

“We have nothing going on,” Minah said, eyes narrowed.

“That’s not what you said last night,” Tyler shrugged, a cocky smirk on his face. Jane looked between the two of them not noticing the way both Julien and Maude looked practically murderous. “Why must you hide our love like this?” he said dramatically.

“I will end you,” Minah said through gritted teeth.

“I think we should go,” Julien said standing up, Maude followed suit. Jane felt a little sympathetic for the pair, mostly for Julien (if she was going to be completely honest.) having to witness this argument it was disturbing for her to watch she could imagine what it would be like to be an almost stranger watching along.

“Oh no don’t leave, especially not because of that fool,” she said reaching out to grab Julien's wrist. Jane raised an eyebrow at the way Maude seemed to fume, her eyes narrowed at Minah’s hand. “Or how about I come with you,” she said sweetly, eyes fluttering and a soft smile on her lips. Jane rolled her eyes knowing that Julien was a goner. The boy nodded, a dumb smile making its way onto his face and like that the pair had gone, walking off to the other side of the schoolyard. Maude had been completely forgotten.

“I am still going,” Maude said, eyes darting to Tyler hopefully.

“Okay see you in class,” Tyler shrugged before turning to Jane. “Can you believe her? What is Minah thinking?” he ranted. Jane once again had to cover her mouth to stop herself from laughing at Tyler’s complete dismissal of Maude. “What’s wrong with you? Why do you keep covering your mouth?” he said, sparing Jane an annoyed glance. “I swear everyone is losing their mind today,” he said shaking his head.

“Just a cough,” Jane lied. “And you say that like you are not included in the mind losing,” she said shaking her head. “Saying all that stuff to Minah, it’s like you have a death wish,” Jane commented.

“I am saving her from her own terrible taste,” Tyler shrugged. “Between Minah and Lucas, i swear i am going to be exhausted. Let's hope Enzo does his job and keeps fools around for Tara,” he grumbled, a determined flash behind his eyes.

“You could just, you know, mind your own business and not get involved,’ Jane said in a sing-song voice causing Tyler to roll his eyes.

“Clearly i can’t,” Tyler said simply, “Lucas wants to run into the mess that is Eunha and Minah is going around with Julien who by the way smells like dead roses,” he huffed.

“You were smelling him?” Jane asked, scrunching her nose up. “That’s a little weird,” she said looking at Tyler judgmentally.

“Tyler’s being weird again, nice to know somethings don’t change,” Lucas teased, making his presence known. Tyler rolled his eyes, flicking a crumb up at Lucas. “Did you really smell him?” he asked looking at Tyler curiously.

“Oh shush,” Tyler said with a huff. “You can’t judge me, mister. I've been following Eunha around like a sad little puppy dog,” he said, judgment clear in his voice.

“Her name is Emily now thank you very much,” Lucas corrected. “And i have not, I’ve been with the guys,” he said proudly before pouting. “Plus even if i did want to talk to Emily she has become friends with Mimi,” he said sitting down where Minah had been sitting. “Why is life so unfair?” he questioned.

“Oh stop being so dramatic,” Jane said. “Who cares if she is friends with a girl who doesn’t like you because you beat her high score at some silly Sailor V game,” Jane said, rolling her eyes at the whole situation. “I am sure one proper look at you and Eun- Emily will be in love,” Jane said patting his back. “And if she isn’t there are plenty of other girls who would love to be with you,” she added.

“Though your fan club as dwindled thanks to that new weirdo,” Tyler said with an eye roll. “You know I saw him making eyes at Eunha just before,” Tyler teased, smiling faintly.

“Please that boy only has a heart eyes for Minah, mon cheri ,” Jane said mockingly, Julien’s use of the French language irked Jane but to his credit, he did better than Maude who seemed to just make odd noises. “And if Lucas’s fan club has dwindled then yours must be non-existent now,” she said looking at Tyler who blanched at the thought.

“Look just because neither you nor your boyfriend are fan club worthy but -” Tyler started to speak but was cut off by the sound of an ice cream truck jingle. Jane’s brows furrowed together, she would never say no to ice cream on a hot day but they had never heard an ice cream truck around their school, well ever.

It was like everyone paused as the truck's song continued to play, “creepy,” Lucas muttered under his breath. The day got even stranger as the school gates opened allowing the truck to come in. Their principal was notably strict about what was and what wasn’t allowed in their schools, Jane can recall that one time Antoine tried to order a pizza at school - he was in detention for two months and had to work as a delivery driver for one of them.

Within the blink of an eye majority of the student body had surrounded the truck causing Jane to pout. She wanted to get an ice cream cone but with that line lunch would be over before even half of the crowd disappeared.

“You’d think they’d have never seen an ice cream van before,” Tyler murmured, face contorting into one of thinly veiled disgust. “How childish,” he said with an eye roll.

“Okay Mr I’m too cool for ice cream,” Jane said, watching as Tara and Minah made their way over. She raised an eyebrow last time she looked over at Tara was chatting away with her friends and Minah had disappeared with Julien, probably to find an empty classroom ‘to get to know each better’.

“Problems?” she asked as they arrived, the pair couldn’t look any different, Tara’s eyes were downcast and she chewed her lip while Minah stood with her hand on hip and annoyed huff escaping her lips.

“Apparently Julien really likes ice cream,” Minah said rolling her eyes. “As soon as he heard it he was all like i have to go excuse me and just disappeared on me, people do not disappear on me,” she ranted.

“Julien and the entire school,” Tara said, “Does anyone else find it weird how literally raced over?” she questioned.

“Everyone but us,” Lucas pointed out rather unhelpfully.

“Yeah, but at the same time it’s the first day of school, who doesn’t need a mid-afternoon pick me up?” Jane questioned, trying to squash the nerves in her stomach. This year was going to be normal, she was going to have a normal senior year dealing with normal girl problems. No negaverse. No Beryl. Just homework and boy problems ( not that she has those.)

“I know but everyone, I am pretty sure one of the girls in my grade is lactose intolerant,” Tara pointed out.

“Oh and Stephanie told me once she doesn’t eat ice cream because it ruins your skin so -” Lucas frowned. “But maybe it’s the first-day blue’s, I felt little nuts after Mr Warren’s class,” he added hopefully.

“Hey T, i got you an ice cream,” Tara’s friend Ara called out, tossing a wrapped ice cream at Tara before taking a bit of her soft serve and fainting.

“Ara,” Tara raced over to where Ara had just fallen, Tyler followed after her. While Minah and Jane shared a concerned look.

“Looks like the negatrash is back,” Lucas said looking around the schoolyard as students rapidly started to fall to the ground.

“Unfortunately,” Jane said with a frown. She couldn’t believe it though, she had beaten Metalia, the evil force had been defeated by the power of the silver crystal. It couldn’t be Enzo she thought, maybe Daehyun and Eunha? But why would they? Sungjae was a possibility, no one had seen or heard from since the rebirth and he was the most heavily influenced. Maybe he was calling the shots, somehow got Daehyun and Eunha to work for him. Regardless she needed to deal with the problem at hand. “Moon! Prism! Power,” she shouted to transform. Minah and Lucas had followed suit transforming into Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter respectively.

“Mimi,” They looked towards the van seeing Eunha crouching down next to her new friend. “What the hell did you do?” she shouted towards whoever was in the van. The only thing that could be heard was maniacal laughing and icy tentacle springing from inside the van. The tentacle wrapped around her waist holding her in place as it started to drain her energy.

Jane and Minah didn’t have time to react as Lucas raced forward. “Supreme Thunder!” he called out as a lightning bolt sprung from his crown at the tentacle creature. Eunha crumbled to the ground barely able to move. That ruled her out as a possible suspect.

The monster leapt out of the van, as expected it was as ugly as ever. A vaguely human esque blue creature with tentacles for arms, its eyes were shaped like snowflakes and its midsection was covered in what looked like sprinkles. The creature hissed at Lucas who was now standing protectively in front of Emily.

“Venus love chain,” Minah called out, her power whipping the monster causing it to swirl around to face herself and Jane.

“Hey Ugly,” Jane called out, causing the monster to turn around to see her and Minah. “Yeah you, I get that you aren’t from around here but this isn’t going to end well for you,” she said down at the monster in contempt. “I am Sailor Moon, the champion of justice and i say on the behalf of the moon, I shall right wrongs and triumph over evil and that means you,’ she said with her usual arm movements. By this point, she had her speech down a fine art.

The creature turned to hiss at her before lifting one of it tentacle arm up and aiming it directly at Jane. Jane watched in morbid curiosity as it opened revealing a slimy ball of what looked like at icecream. “Gross now icecream has been ruined for me forever,” she muttered. The ball of icecream grew bigger that closer it got to Jane, she leapt out of the way only to see Minah got caught in a ball of ice cream.

Despite the seriousness of the situation Jane had to stop herself from laughing because honestly, the image in front of her was hilarious. She couldn’t look for too long because the monster hadn’t forgotten about her and started to rapidly fire at her causing her to run and jump all over the yard. The one plus side with a Jane sized distraction the monster had forgotten all about Lucas who had moved to aid Minah who was less than happy about her situation.

“Can you give me a break,” Jane panted, she had to get back into her old Cardio program if she was going to be doing all this running again because right she was really struggling. The monster hissed, using one of its tentacles to reach and grab Jane. “Crap,” Jane snapped as she was hung upside down by the monster.

Jane struggled to fight her way out of it. “Mars fire ignite,” was heard before a fireball hit the tentacle causing Jane to be released with a thud.

“Everyone say thank you Sailor Mars, you have the best power,” Tyler boasted. He was served a piece of humble pie when the creature took aim at him, he just escaped. “Mercury a little help right now,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Oh i thought Sailor Mars could handle this since he has the best powers,” Tara called out from whatever she was, Jane spun around trying to figure out where exactly she was but had no luck. “Mercury Aqua Mist,” was heard before the whole school was covered in mist. Any chances she had of finding Tara was gone now all she could see was the ugly ice cream sundae in front of her.

Jane knew that this was her opportunity to finish that creature off. “Moon Tiara Magic,” she exclaimed, attacking the creature watching as it let out a pained screech and turning into a vapour leaving nothing but what looked like a card. That was new. Jane stepped forward tentatively picking the card up. It was empty except for a border. She hummed pocketing it, she would show Luna it when she got home. Maybe she had an idea of what it meant.

She knew soon the rest of the school would be waking up and if it was anything like when Shitennou attacked they would have no memory of what happened at all, it was as weird as it was annoying. Luna had tried to explain why it happens to her once but Jane at the time didn’t really care and now she was too afraid to ask knowing that she will get a scolding from her moon guardian.

“I am never eating ice cream again,” Minah said shivering, “That was disgusting,” she whined. Jane looked at her sympathetically as they began to de-transform. “So much for a normal life huh,” she said somewhat bitterly. “Let’s just go to class before the rest of the masses wake up,” she huffed.

“I thought you look pretty…. Cool,” Tyler said chuckling causing everyone but Lucas who was moving an unconscious Emily into a more comfortable position. What a gentleman. “Hey it’s not my fault she looked pretty sweet, too bad Julien wasn’t around i am sure he’d tell Minah she looked yummy,” he continued.

“Oh that is it,” Minah said smacking his side causing Tyler’s eyes to widen. “I’ve had enough of you today,” she said as Tyler raced away, Minah following after him threatening to cause him serious harm.

“Do you think it’s the negaverse again?’ Tara asked quietly. “Should i be keeping an eye on Enzo?”

“I don’t know,” Jane sighed, that was her answer to both questions. She didn’t know what was going on anymore but Minah was right their hopes of a normal year were dashed.

#story

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ckret2 · 5 years

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Anonymous said: If you’re not burnt out by IZ right now, how about a prompt about Zim in food service? could be during his banishment, could be on earth, could utilize that new FOODCOURTIA/SOLAR SYSTEM MALL info, or could just be anything else you come up with where he’s being his usual self, but also working with food. Hope this sounds fun!

As it happens, today I was writing a scene about Zim in food service for ISS, and it's low enough on spoilers that I can post it in full like a oneshot.

A few notes: 1. If you're not reading ISS, all you need to know to understand this scene is that Zim is working at Bloaty's because he keeps being absent from school. "That doesn't make any sense?" Yes. 2. If you're not reading ISS, feel free to assume that Zim is lying about every single thing he says, because within the context of a oneshot he might as well be. 3. All violently injured characters will recover from all their injuries with no complications, never fear.

This scene is hot off the presses, which here is a euphemism for "totally unproofed and probably riddled with autocorrect errors."

###

"What do you mean I can't pay by card?!"

"I mean you can't pay by card, sir," Zim said flatly.

The human pounded his fist on the counter. "Why won't you let me pay by card, huh?! WHY?!"

Zim gestured dramatically at the melted cash register and card reader between them.

"I've been a loyal customer for forty years!" He pounded on the counter another couple of times. "FORTY YEARS!"

Zim glanced at the wall calendar and then the wall plaque listing the date the business had been established. He was not surprised to learn that the building was, in fact, still twenty-two years old.

"Is this how you treat your loyal customers?! Huh? Huh? Huh? HUH?!"

Zim snapped on his best customer service smile. "My deepest and sincerest apologies, Valued Customer. I am but a poor foolish child laborer and did not realize you'd been a patron for longer than I've been alive. I would never have been so discourteous had I realized."

The human scoffed, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. "Typical. Kids these days."

Zim gestured again at the melted equipment. "To make up for my grievous error, I humbly invite you to scan your own card on our fine Bloaty's Pizza Hog® currency-consumption equipment."

"Finally!" The human pulled out his card and leaned in. "Now, let's see here..."

While the customer was distracted, Zim ducked back into the kitchen. "Hey. Pizzasmith."

Weird Name looked up from his work—converting the now-broken electric pizza oven into a wood-fired oven with a pile of newspaper and lighter fluid—and pushed his headphones off one ear.

"That large pepperoni and bacon I just gave you the order for?"

Weird Name nodded and held up the paper with the order.

"Burn the pizza."

Weird Name gave Zim a thumbs up and put his headphones back on. Zim wondered what machine the headphones were plugged into that hadn't melted when every other machine in a ten block radius had. Maybe Weird Name just liked wearing dead headphones.

Zim returned to his post just in time for the customer to snap, "HEY! What's the big idea?"

Zim blinked innocently. "What do you mean, Valued Customer? I am but a minimum wage laborer and therefore incapable of big ideas."

The customer waved his card threateningly. "You made me pay by card, but your card machine's broken!"

"Oh dear. It seems I've made another inexcusable error. Surely I will be rightfully fired for this," said Zim, the most powerful employee in the building. "I am terribly sorry, Valued Customer. I should never have asked you to pay by card instead of cash."

"Hmph!" The customer thrust over a wad of dollar bills. Zim pried open the warped drawer on the melted cash register with a crowbar, deposited the cash, and offered the customer his change.

As the customer moved off to a table to wait for his pizza, the bell over the door rang. Zim looked over wearily, hoping it wasn't a family with kids, and held back a sigh when he saw something worse. Oh, Dib. At least his oversized cranium held enough brain cells to understand what "the card reader isn't working" meant, but Zim probably wouldn't be able to get rid of him for hours. Dib probably planned to camp out at the booth nearest the front counter, do his homework, and yell taunts at Zim. At least his sister was with him, she should keep him from starting a full-blown battle while Zim was on shift.

"Hey," he said flatly. "Card reader's down, cash only. If anyone else comes in and you're holding up the line to throw stupid dissection threats at me, I will destroy you."

Gaz leaned over the counter, seized Zim by the collar, and yanked him to her. He helped as he suddenly found himself suspended in mid air between Gaz's fist in his shirt and the edge of the counter digging into his hips. Zim quickly said, "It's just for tonight! I'm sure corporate will send a new card reader soon!" He was lying. He'd probably have to break into some corporate warehouse and steal a new card reader himself.

Gaz pointed at the melted cash register. "Is this your fault?"

"Eh?" Zim tried to turn around to look. "Oh, the melted machines! Oh yeah, heh. Yep. Another evil plot."

"So." Dib snacked a baseball bar in his hand. "You sent Dad to the hospital."

Zim stared blankly between Dib and Gaz. "Did I?"

Gaz jerked him the rest of the way off the counter. "His robot arms exploded because of you!"

With a shriek, Zim crashed to his knees at her feet, only held upright by her grip on his clothes. "I didn't mean to! It was an accident! The prototype was supposed to do something completely different, I wasn't trying to make every electronic in this part of town blow up!"

"But you did, Zim. You did." Gaz held out her hand. Dib smacked the handle of the bat into her palm.

"Wait! No! You can't hurt me!" He mentally groped around for a reason why. "I'm... I am... prrregnant? Yes! Ha!" He pointed at his abdomen. "Zim is incubating innocent life! That means you can't touch me!"

Gaz's wrathful glower deepened. "Is your face full of eggs?"

What did face eggs have to do with anything? "Ehhh... I don't think so, why?"

Gaz raised the bat.

She and Dib left twenty minutes later, eating a cheese pizza out of the box.

The other customer plodded up to where Zim was collapsed on the floor. "Hey." He knelt and gently shook Zim's shoulder. "Are you still alive, kid?"

Zim let out an affirmative moan.

"Good," the customer said. "My pizza's burned! I've never been so insulted! I've been a loyal customer for fifty years! I want a refund! I want to complain to your manager! I want a year of free pizzas!"

Zim burbled.

#invader zim #fanfic #my writing #in short supply #anonymous #ask

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akitokihojo · 5 years

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In Between: Finale

You guys have absolutely no idea how much research and work went into this fic. I’ve had to clear my Google search history on multiple occasions because it just looked sketchy as fuck and my FBI agent was probably getting real sick of my shit.

I really wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who’s read this story, and even those who are just reading it now. I can hardly begin to describe the gratitude I feel. The reviews and keyboard smashes and simple comments saying, “......fuck.” were all so amazing and appreciated, and also very rewarding! Thank you all so much!

Also I want it noted, just for my own pride, that the fighting/martial arts mentioned in chapter 4 and coming up in this chapter are actually choreographed. Like, I got the fuck up out of my seat and physically choreographed the scenes. I’m trained in some martial arts so I did my best to apply that to my writing, and I’m really glad no one walked in on me throwing hands at the air.

Okay, I’m done rambling! I hope you enjoy the conclusion to In Between! Thank you so much for reading!

Previous chapters can be found in my fic masterlist, as well as on AO3 and ff.net.

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Inuyasha stirred as a shiver crawled over his skin, discomfort disturbing his sleep and waking him as he blinked his eyes open with a meager grunt. The apartment was still mostly dark, save for the light from the momentarily-blinding rays from the television, but he figured the sun was beginning its ascent into the sky from the way distant sounds were reaching his ears once more. He closed his eyes, knowing he wouldn't fall back asleep but unwilling to allow the lethargy to leave just yet. He could already feel the ache in his neck from sleeping on the couch, but it still wasn't enough motivation to get him to move any more than wiggling his foot to check and see that Kagome was still nearby. When his toes brushed nothing but air, he reached a little further and grazed the rough texture of a throw pillow.

Perking his head up, he blinked a few times to focus his vision on the vacant side of the sofa. Inuyasha took in the scents of the room, her aroma still around but diminished. It wasn't fresh. Reality began to sink in as he curled up to a sitting, an unnerving sensation tingling within his stomach as he swiveled his head to look about the room. The bathroom door was open. The TV's volume was set low to a mumble. Her scent wasn't stronger no matter which way he faced. Kagome was gone.

He jumped from the couch, growling a curse as he snatched his phone from the counter to check for any notifications. Nothing. There were no abnormal odors around; no one had come inside. What the fuck could have possibly happened while he slept? This was why he hated letting his guard down on the night of the new moon. Too much got past him. Too much could occur that he had very limited power to prevent. Inuyasha dialed Kagome's number, putting the call on speaker as he stormed out of the apartment, following her feint scent down the stairs and toward the lobby. It went to voicemail.

"Kagome, where the fuck are you!? Answer your phone!" He demanded at the beep. He kept pace down the stairwell, immediately hitting redial and calling her cell again. Voicemail. He hung up that time, his bare feet slapping against the tile of the small lobby. Her scent led out the door and he damn near halted in his tracks from the way his entire body went violently rigid. She left the building completely. Hours ago, and it wasn't by force. How fucking stupid do you have to be not to understand how horrible of an idea that was? What could have compelled her? Jesus, why did she leave?

Inuyasha was fuming, his nose suddenly catching a horrendous stench as he stomped forward and threw the door open, bringing him to a stop right there in the doorway. It was familiar and recent, and he realized he'd been so hyper focused on Kagome's scent that he almost completely missed this one. A painful ache churned inside of him. The scents of the two didn't mix, and he was becoming more and more disturbed as he tried to figure out what the hell was going on. Inuyasha flinched as his deafening ringtone went off in his hand, forgetting he'd turned it all the way up just after turning human the night before. Kagome's name and contact picture had the screen coming to life, her bright smile only making him all the more furious.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now!?" He answered, stepping back inside and dropping the door.

"Woah," A deep voice on the opposite end drawled, smooth and low. "Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

An unbearable chill washed over Inuyasha's body, each muscle quaking as it passed through, keeping him glued in place as his stomach gradually turned to lead, weighing heavily within his own abdomen.

"It's been a long time, Inuyasha." He said his name slow, enunciating every syllable.

"What - how did you..."

"Oh, it was easy. She's much like you, you see. She has a hero complex. Texted her saying I was Kikyo and in trouble, and she waltzed on out the door to save her. Didn't even have to come up with a sob story to twist her leg a bit."

It dawned on him that he'd never told her. Of course, she didn't know any better, Kagome thought Inuyasha was still on the lookout for Kikyo. This was his fault.

"Let her go." Inuyasha ordered, the words clenched in his throat. His teeth ground tight causing his demand to come out as more of a deep, guttural growl than a clear bark, and the chuckle from the psychopath in the receiver had his blood boiling over and pumping searingly through each vein of his body.

"I'm sorry, I didn't get that."

"LET HER GO!" He bellowed, the shout echoing in the lobby he stood in. "You want me, you've got me! She has nothing to do with this!"

"You'll just have to come and get her." Naraku laughed. There was a muffled scream in the background, and Inuyasha's ears inadvertently pinned to his head. It wasn't close, it sounded far off; like Naraku was standing a good distance away, but nonetheless, it came from Kagome and it caused something to stir excruciatingly within him.

"Awe, did you hear that?" Naraku taunted, his voice knocking up an octave. "I think she's saying, "Come save me. Come save me, Inuyasha." Oof, she's a feisty one."

Inuyasha couldn't tell what was happening. As he was talking, he'd heard Kagome's grunts getting louder, like Naraku had moved closer to her. Then he suddenly lurched away, the oof more of a reaction sound than anything.

"Where the fuck are you!?"

"In all the time we've spent together, have I ever given you an answer that easily?"

Inuyasha struck a nearby wall, his fist easily punching through the drywall material. "I'm not playing these games again!"

"If you want your precious Kagome back, you will. Don't worry, I'm not completely heartless. I left you a clue to give you a head start. I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon, Inuyasha."

The line went dead, three dull beeps signifying so.

Immediately, Inuyasha stormed after the repugnant smell. He curved around the corner to the three adjacent walls of mailboxes labeled specifically pertaining to each unit, his ember eyes landing on the polaroid picture taped to his own. He ripped it off, his mouth parting as he took in the low-quality, scratchy sight of Kagome on her knees on the dingy, damp, brown floor. Her dark hair was wild, covering a good portion of her face as she looked into the camera, shadowed eyes hidden beneath deeply-furrowed brows. Her hands were tied in front of her, a rope cinched around her wrists in what looked like a double column. The ends were loose along the floor, secured around a nearby, metal support beam. Her mouth was covered with silver duct tape, which explained how muffled her cries sounded, and it took everything in Inuyasha's power not to look away from the picture. Instead, he pulled it closer to his face, he studied her surroundings, the rusted beams lined in a row, the weeds that had grown through the cracks in the ground, the graffiti littering the distant wall in the very corner of the photo. It looked like an abandoned warehouse, but it was hard to tell. The place was dark, making details even more difficult to make out, Kagome seemingly illuminated by the camera's flash.

He racked his brain for all the abandoned warehouses he knew of in the city, all the abandoned warehouses he may have had a run in at. If this was a clue, then he knew the place; there was hardly anything else that he could note in the picture that would give it away. He had to know where she was, so where the fuck was she? What warehouse could potentially play a significant role in tying he and Naraku together?

There was one east of town in an industrial area. There had been an accident there years ago and the place shut down. There was one near the lake off a winding road that was overgrown with shrubbery by now. He hadn't been there, personally, but he knew Sango and Hojo busted a sex operation at that location. There was a warehouse immediately south of him, but it was recently purchased by a construction company so it was inhabited and he couldn't imagine Naraku getting away with stocking a person along a support beam in plain sight. Inuyasha flipped on his cellphone flashlight, holding it to the picture to reach for any additional detail he could scrounge up that the dim lighting provided in the mailroom couldn't help reveal, desperate to find anything, his sharp eyes landing on the hint of yellow graffiti in the upper left corner on the distant wall.

It hit him like a flying brick. He knew where she was.

County Jail - One hour earlier -

"He's been screaming to get you guys down here for hours. He refused to calm down until we called you."

"Has he said what this is about?"

"Just that it was important and you'd want to hear this. He's in here." The guard opened the door, a disheveled Byakuya sitting in a seat at the table, cuffed hands shaking on top of the metal surface. His violet eyes shot up at her, perturbation written into the deep lines beneath his eyes. His lawyer stood mere inches from him, his chin raising indignantly as they entered the room and the guard shut the door behind them.

"Alright, you've got us here. What was it you wanted?" Kagura asked, setting her briefcase down on the table as she took a seat across from them. Sango sat in the neighboring chair, her eyes studying the angsty criminal.

"I'm ready to talk." He admitted as his attorney joined them, his expression stone cold and straight. "Naraku, he - he's about to make his move. Today. He's gonna do something today, he's been going on about it for months. It's going to be on the nine year anniversary of his arrest, that's what he said. That's today!"

"What is he going to do?" Sango firmly asked, inching inward as the suspense in the room intensified.

"I-I don't know." He shook his head, his heightened nerves evident in the chatter of his jaw. "I just know he's going to do something reckless! I mean, this is Naraku we're talking about! We don't need to add to his kill count, maybe we can stop him in time!"

"Where is he, Byakuya!?" She asked, more fervor to her tone, enunciating each word that left her lips.

"Now that's where I have to stop you. We've yet to strike a deal." Gatenmaru interjected, his hand held up to halt all conversation. "What do you got?" He directed the question to Kagura.

She held herself professionally, unfazed by the inquiry as she sat up tall and answered, "Seventeen years without parole."

"Let's be real, you and I both know that's not the best you can give. Try again." There was challenge glimmering in his slanted, black eyes.

"He's being charged with aggravated assault, aiding and harboring a fugitive, and accessory to murder. Seventeen years is what's on the table. Take it."

"Accessory to murder?" Gatenmaru guffawed. "He wasn't even aware the murder took place. That charge won't hold in court."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure it will considering it never would have happened had your client not helped his brother escape from the institution."

"No." Byakuya cut in, his eyes staring widely at the table beneath his forearms. "No! No! No! You know damn well that's not what I care about!" He shouted, Gatenmaru staring back at him with an expression that said he knew better for his client.

"Give us a moment, we'll work it all out."

"No!" He darted his sharp and direct gaze across to Sango, and she almost flinched from the desperation behind it. "I don't care about my sentence, I'll do my time! I don't care if I never see the light of day again, just - don't - kill - him."

"What?"

"Don't kill him! No matter what, do not kill him! Please! He can get better with medication, can't he? Give him another chance! That's all I want!"

Her mouth parted, the skin of her lips slowly peeling open, stunned from his powerful plea. It wasn't practical, though. She knew it, and the riddling stiffness of the prosecuting attorney seated next to her told her Kagura knew it as well. "I promise we will do everything in our power to have Naraku safely apprehended."

"That's not what I asked for! I want complete assurance that your team wont exercise commonly-known police brutality against my mentally ill brother! Promise me that!"

"Byakuya, I can't." She stated carefully. "I hear you, I understand exactly what you're worried about. It's never in our mission to kill a perp, please recognize that. Our number one goal is and always will be the safety of everyone involved. Sometimes, though, things don't work out that way-"

"Well, make sure it does!"

"If Naraku is in a manic state and poses a threat, our team may be given orders to take him down any way that we can. That's just the reality of it. I swear, I will do everything I can to avoid violence."

"That's not good enough!"

"We're wasting time, Byakuya!"

"You think I'll personally help send in a sniper to shoot my brother down!?"

"The sooner you tell me, the sooner we can get to Naraku! Like you said, maybe we can stop him in time! But that window may close if you don't tell us what you know!"

"You don't have to tell them!" Gatenmaru intervened.

"And you can't aid in the obstruction of justice! Back off, Gatenmaru, or I'll personally make sure you're disbarred!" Kagura snapped, darting a warning glare at the defense attorney.

"Byakuya, give us a chance to give Naraku a chance! You've gotta work with me, this is the only way the odds can potentially be in our favor!"

He stared at her, lips pressed together in a restrained snarl. It wasn't good enough for him. Unless he had a written and signed agreement that his brother wouldn't be harmed in his arrest, he refused to comply. Sango seemed sincere, but he didn't trust her. She was a cop. She was a dirty, careless, tyrant of a cop that liked to wave her power in the air like a picket sign. She couldn't fool him, but he could definitely fool her.

He controlled his expression, softening the disbelief in his scowl to appear as convincing as possible. He even sagged his shoulders in defeat, observing as Sango leaned forward for the information he was about to give. "He's at the warehouse by the lake. Off of McArther Road.”

—

Inuyasha shoved a small, loaded pistol into his boot, concealing it beneath his jeans as he hastily double checked that the Glock was still strapped to his hip. He grabbed his badge off the bedside table, clipping it to his side as he snagged the phone he'd dropped on his bed and dialed his partner.

Koga picked up on the second ring, opening his car door and stepping out as he pressed the cell to his ear.

"Bad timing." He answered.

"Meet me at the warehouse at the county line." Inuyasha gruffly said. He seemed breathless, like he'd had the wind knocked out of him. There was an edge of panic in his tone, aiding in the bite behind the order. Koga couldn't stifle the confusion that wrinkled his forehead. What was happening? Why was he coincidentally being pulled to one warehouse when he'd just shown up at another with an entire armed squad.

"What's going on?"

"He's got Kagome!"

"How!?"

"I don't have time to explain! I'm leaving now! I don't know how long it'll take me to get there since I don't have a fucking car, but-"

"How do you know where she is!?" Koga kept out of the swarm of specialists and cops, keeping his hot tone as hushed as possible as he stepped behind a swat truck for an inkling of privacy. His instincts had been telling him something was incredibly off since Sango called them all in before the butt crack of dawn, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was exactly, dismissing it as the climactic ending to this overdrawn affair with Naraku. There was a heavy weight on his chest now, discomposing him even further.

"Because," Inuyasha growled. "I just got off the phone with Naraku not even five minutes ago! He left me a picture, and she's tied up in a warehouse and the only logical one is at the base of the woods!"

"No, Inuyasha, that doesn't make sense! Byakuya told us he's in the warehouse by the lake! We just pulled up, everyone's getting into position to swarm the mother fucker!"

"I don't have time to prove otherwise! Whether you come or not, I'm going to save Kagome!"

"Inuyasha, no! He wants you! You'll get yourself killed!"

"He has her, Koga." Inuyasha ground out a restrained sigh, answering steadily. "As long as she's safe, I don't care what happens to me."

The call ended and the wolf demon didn't hesitate in his course of action. Shoving the phone into his pocket, he ran over to where Sango and Totosai stood, going over their plan of execution at the hood of one of their black cars.

"Inuyasha called. Naraku has Kagome. He thinks they're at the warehouse on the opposite side of town; at the county line."

"What!? How!?" Sango reacted, her shocked expression trickling fear.

"I don't have those details, but there's a huge chance our little rat lied to us. Inuyasha's on his way there now. We've gotta back him up."

"We cant leave until we make sure the premises is clear." Totosai firmly stated. "Inuyasha may be wrong."

"Or Inuyasha may be taking on Naraku alone." Koga said.

"Go." The chief nodded after a very small moment. "I want you communicating the entire time. The moment we get out of this warehouse, we'll head your way."

Koga spun around, running back to his car to speed back out to the main street. The moment his tires connected with the concrete at the base of the long, winding road, he flipped on his lights and blaring sirens, racing to cross town as quickly as possible. It was still the early morning; the streets weren't too inhabited. Still, there were plenty of crossroads he needed to slow for, and each time he pressed on his brakes he felt more and more trepidation trickle over him.

Inuyasha's lungs were burning, his chest heaving, sweat dripping from his forehead and over the bridge of his nose as he looked over the weathered warehouse on the opposite side of the chainlink fence. Windows lined the higher portion of the walls, some broken and blocked off with cardboard, some filthy and impossible to even catch a glare with. He studied the few clear ones, checking for visible signs of life that may have been watching him from the second story at the end of the dirt and weed-occupied yard.

He could smell the two of them, their scents clashing obnoxiously within his olfactory system. There were traces of sweat. Plenty of it. He tried ignoring the damp smell of water that had been sitting for too long; he figured that exact odor would taint his nostrils when he noted the small puddles near Kagome in the picture. Most importantly, he did not smell a smidge of blood, fresh or old. It should have been a relief, but it didn't mean a thing with this criminal. He didn't know how long she'd been alone with Naraku, but he heard her in the background while they spoke on the phone. She was alive forty-five minutes ago. At the same time, that was forty-five minutes where anything could have happened to her.

Just as he was about to push through the unlatched gate, one hand prepared on the pistol in the holster on his hip, he heard the tread of tires nearing, the gravel along the ground grinding beneath Koga's heavy halt. Thankfully, the sirens were already silenced, and as he ripped the keys from the ignition, he'd flipped off the lights as well.

Inuyasha jogged to meet him half way, the both of them kneeling behind some shrubbery to stay as out of view as possible. Naraku knew he was coming, but he didn't need to know he brought backup. If they could keep the element of surprise, the odds would be more favorable for them.

"So, what the fuck happened?" Koga asked, keeping his voice low as he pulled the gun from his side and flipped the safety off. He was fully equipped in his bulletproof vest and windbreaker, the collar of his white shirt poking from beneath.

"I don't know - I don't fucking know. It was the new moon last night, I fell asleep, and apparently Naraku somehow tricked her into thinking Kikyo was in trouble, so she snuck out to help by herself instead of waking me up."

"Kikyo-"

"Yeah, I didn't tell her." He venomously interjected, wanting to cut that part of the discussion off at the knees. "It doesn't matter right now. I don't know how long they've been alone, and I don't know what he's done to her. I don't smell blood, and when he called me, I heard her in the background. That was almost an hour ago, though."

"She's alive, don't worry." Koga tried reassuring, giving him as unwavering of a look as possible. Inuyasha only spared him a small glance, ember eyes vehement with anxiety and rage, tearing his sights away to study the warehouse from the edge of the bushes.

Kagome gave another tug to the skillfully-tied knot around the support beam, her fingers struggling from the trembling she couldn't suppress. Her nails caught onto the rough rope, catching and losing grip, catching and losing grip, snagging and almost breaking. Before trying again, she whipped her head around, observing her immediate surroundings to make sure her captor wasn't coming back yet, air pressing out of her nose like she'd just finished running a lap. Still clear. She fiddled with the knot again, trying to hurry, a flutter in her chest making her feel like Onigumo could appear any second.

No.

His name was Naraku. She needed to remember that. He was a manipulative liar, and Onigumo didn't exist.

Her nails flicked off of the tight rope painfully and she clenched her tongue to the roof of her mouth to stifle the gasp she almost gave. It wasn't budging. The rope cinched around her wrists was too secure to slip through, and the more she'd tried, the more she felt the material digging into her skin. Her hands were a furious red from the many attempts of using her weight to pull away from the beam she was restrained to, the slack in the rope attached to the middle column of the wrist tie only allotting her about three feet of distance. It was no use. Despite all of her struggling and fighting to make tying her down as difficult as possible, he still prevailed by knocking her head against the pole she was held captive to, debilitating her long enough to get the rope attached. She was partially successful, though, and any feat is better than nothing right now. He'd initially tried restraining her hands behind her back, but all the flailing she did didn't allow him to.

Approaching footsteps alerted her to stop, carefully watching the direction they were coming from. The abandoned building wasn't completely empty, stacks of freight slabs and wooden crates filling multiple areas of the large room, making it impossible to see around the corner he'd disappeared behind ten minutes ago. There were small puddles of old, murky water here and there from openings in the ceiling, bits of trash littering the floor, and broken, molding wood that had crumbled from the second story. As the echoing grew louder, a sloshing sound coming from a tiny pool he must have stomped through, she tried to hold herself as casually as possible, stepping in towards the beam to allow slack in the rope. She didn't want it to appear as if she had been trying to escape; she didn't know if it would be the thing to set him off.

Naraku rounded the bend, swiping his dirty hands through his short, choppy, black hair. He was wearing a long sleeve, black thermal that raised and exposed an inch of his midriff as he lifted his arm, his ripped jeans a faded blue that bunched and disappeared beneath tightly-strapped boots. The man gave her a sealed-lipped grin the pursed just a little, cocking his head as he sauntered towards the small, upside-down crate he'd taken residence on before.

"Sorry, had to piss." He shrugged, squatting down.

Kagome could do nothing more than stare at him. Watch as he watched her. Observe as he took the long kitchen knife from the side of his boot and dragged his rough-looking thumb over the dull edge of the blade.

"Y'know," He spoke, his voice deep and smooth. "Inuyasha should be here soon, I presume. He'll be so relieved to see you're not hurt."

He stood, slowly making his way over to her, the knife glistening with the early rays of sunlight that peeked through the opened, side door. She backed up as he neared, her shoulder blade brushing the metal beam, and his smile grew wider.

"Oh, don't be afraid, don't be afraid. You know you're just a casualty in all of this, Kagome." Naraku slid his calloused hands over the side of her face, the sweat plastered on her skin from the unwavering stress feeling sticky and moist as he caressed the apple of her cheek with his thumb. She couldn't help the shaky whines that escaped her throat as he touched her, as he gripped both cheeks between his fingers and squeezed to get her to stop turning away from him. The sturdy tape on her mouth crinkled with his aggression, pulling at her sensitive flesh.

"I never wanted to hurt you." He whispered. "Now I do. It would be a waste not to at this point. And if I do it just as your half breed boyfriend shows up, oh, he'd cry like a little baby, wouldn't he?"

Kagome whimpered, her brows crinkling as she tried to shake her head no, to plead with him, but he kept her restrained. Naraku shushed her, a smirk pursing his lips further, the gleam in his red eyes showing thorough enjoyment from her spiking panic.

"What do you think he'd do at the sight of your blood, huh? Think he'd freeze? Go into a blind fury? Think he'd scream your name like bloody murder? Oh, the thought of it all just gets me so hot." He raised the knife to her face, grazing the smooth side of the dangerous blade over her cheekbone and temple, taunting her skin. "I want Inuyasha to die in pain - and not just physical. I don't want him just writhing in agony from a stab wound or two. I want him bleeding from the inside out. I want him begging for mercy because his mind and heart are about to explode from helplessly watching his whore get murdered." Naraku pulled back an inch or two, taking the kitchen knife and leisurely licking up the sharp edge, wincing minutely as blood seeped from the slice in his tongue. His Adams apple bobbed as he swallowed the copper liquid, his lips quickly lining scarlet red.

Dropping the knife to the ground, Naraku pinned Kagome's jaw between both hands, holding her hostage as he kissed the duct tape over her mouth, swiveling his head passionately as she gasped. She could feel moisture dripping from his mouth and down her chin. There was a churning in her stomach, a lump forming in her throat, her body was shaking, aching to get this freak away from her. She was pinned to the beam with his body, her hands stuck between them, and without much thought to how much power she may even be able to back herself up with, Kagome bucked her hips forward, shoving her fisted, tied hands into his groin.

Naraku lurched away, grasping his pelvis with a slight bend, but not completely doubled over and groaning as she had hoped. She was only able to nudge, but thankfully the area was notoriously sensitive enough to effect him even this much. Utilizing the space between them, Kagome brought her knee up and shoved her foot into his torso, pushing him away with her kick. Naraku stumbled, a groan on his breath, and the moment her foot landed on the ground she reached for the knife, stomping the sole of her canvas shoe against the blade and dragging it along the dirty cement closer to the support beam so she could bend and grab it.

The man began laughing, the sound low like a chuckle and growing to a malevolent octave. "Uh, oh! Watch out! Kagome's got the knife! Oh no!" He gibed.

Kagome gripped the handle as tightly as she could, the rope on her wrists making the hold slightly awkward. She tried not to let that show though, breathing heavily as she held the blade out before her.

"That's fine. Keep it. I've got others." Naraku shrugged carelessly, sauntering toward her. "It's always fun watching women try to put up a fight, and I can tell you're as plucky as they come." Kagome tensed incredibly as he continued his path, backing up. Even though she was the one with the weapon, she knew how easy it would be for a demon to overpower her. He smiled, the cracks of his straight teeth stained with blood, the crimson liquid dribbling down his chin and to his neck. "You're gonna die here, Kagome. You can fight all you want, but you're still gonna die."

She whimpered, powerful shudders racking her body and she gripped the knife even tighter to make sure she wouldn't drop it, tears stinging her eyes as they quickly poured down her cheeks.

"In fact, the fun should be starting soon. Your puppy should be able to smell my blood from far off. I wonder if he smells it now. I wonder if he can differentiate whose blood is whose. Can he tell it's mine, or will he just smell the copper in the air and assume it's yours? Either way, I sense something's coming." Naraku sang, his face lighting up as he stopped just before the tip of Kagome's blade. She had to fight off the reaction to look around for whatever he spoke of, forcing herself to keep her burning eyes glued to the criminal.

"Come on, what are you waiting for? You could literally end it all right now." He dragged his feet forward two inches, pressing his sternum to the sharp point. Kagome winced for him, stepping back against the beam only to have him follow, intimidatingly standing with his arms spread out, his red-painted grin beaming sadistically. "You could leave here with Inuyasha the second he arrives. Inuyasha wouldn't have to endure any pain. All you've gotta do is stick me. Come on. Just push it in. You could end this, you have the power. Do it, Kagome. Come on! Come on! Do it! Stab me! You know you want to! If you don't, I'll kill Inuyasha and it'll be your fault because you had the fucking opportunity to stop me! How could you do that to him!? You won't even try to save his life! Stab me! Stab me, Kagome! Do it! Stab me!"

Kagome sobbed, choking slightly on the muffled sound, terrified of the manic man before her, his red eyes wide and bloodshot. Spittle was dribbling from the plush of his bottom lip. He was scowling like he was suddenly furious, but there was also a hint of humor flushing through, curving his mouth upward.

"See that's the thing." Naraku murmured menacingly. "You think the knife, itself, is going to protect you. No, baby girl. You need to have the volition to back it up."

He yanked at the rope that hung from her wrists, taking Kagome by surprise by pulling her hands down and to the side, the kitchen knife falling from her fingers and clattering against the floor.

Koga crouched low, each step mindful and as silent as possible as he rounded the corner away from Inuyasha who'd planned to enter through the front, the gravel grinding beneath his feet. He kept his gun aimed at the floor, rushing to the rusted door he could see toward the end of the long wall. As he approached, small, pained gasps met his ears, accompanied by a man's vehement shouting. The orders were twisted, growing louder and more devilish before completely dying off, a clank echoing throughout the warehouse. Koga kneeled just before the opening, leaning to side-glance through the opened door.

Kagome was held at an angle by the ties around her wrists, her eyes pinched nearly shut from the jarring look of fear crinkling her face, thick tape over her mouth, a dark red covering the silver that had dripped to the curve of her chin. A man slowly slid his fingers through her hair, curling and snagging the dark locks to pull her head back, curving his body to whisper in her ear. Koga couldn't hear it, but the drowned sob from Kagome told him everything he needed to know.

"Hey! Get your fucking hands off her! Let her go!" Inuyasha's voice bellowed through the warehouse, his gun pointed ahead of him. Naraku smiled, slowly turning his head to face him, his hand still wound in Kagome's raven hair. The whimper that left her throat at the sight of him was heartbreaking, her current state wringing his insides agonizingly. He desperately wanted to shush her, to tell her everything would be alright, but he could only spare her brief glances for the moment. Until Naraku was taken care of, he needed his undivided attention on him. He couldn't let his guard down.

"Well, it's about time you got here. I almost thought it would just be Kagome and I having all the fun."

"She's not a part of this." Inuyasha seethed.

"You know that's not true."

"Let her go. I'll stay. You've got me all to yourself."

"Her screams are much more rewarding than yours."

"No, Naraku! This isn't how it's gonna go down!"

"Oh, and you're gonna tell me how it is? I don't think you're the one with the power here. You may have a gun, but I've got the girl."

"Come on, Naraku, just give her to me. You set her free, I won't even fight back." Kagome made a gurgling sound of protest through the duct tape. "You can kill me! You can get your revenge! Just give her to me first!"

"You want her?" Naraku chuckled. Unfurling his fingers, he released the rope and her hair taking a large step to the side. "Go on, Kagome. Be free. Run to Inuyasha! Go on, girl!" He bated, taunting the both of them with her captivity.

Still, she struggled to wiggle her way free of her restraints, desperate to get away, to cross the large room and clutch onto Inuyasha for dear life. Naraku's laughter bounced off the walls boisterously, infuriating her, and if looks could kill she knew the scowl on her face would have burned him alive. A thunderous growl ripped the air, and she could practically hear Inuyasha's grip tighten dangerously over the trigger.

Naraku shrugged in an oh well manner, the blood on his jaw and neck a darker shade than before as it noticeably dried. Inuyasha could only hope Kagome had done that to him. As he held an unfaltering grip on his pistol, he realized he had a clear shot. He could take Naraku out where he stood, but his conscience riddled him. He didn't have the proper provocation to justify killing him, though he really, really fucking wanted to. He could wound him, but even that was a stretch. Lashing out, putting a bullet through him could cost his badge and a lot more trauma on Kagome's behalf. She didn't need to see that. Looking at her now, the stiffness of her muscles, the small quakes that inadvertently racked her body, the fading bruise on her cheek that was accentuated by her paled skin, the sweat that caused her bangs to wave and stick to her forehead, she'd been through enough. His one priority was to get her out as unscathed as possible. He'd handle whatever Naraku had to throw at him after he saw to her safety.

"We don't need to play these games, Naraku. You're upset about what happened all those years ago, so-"

"Nine years ago, to be exact! Happy anniversary, sweetie." Naraku winked.

Inuyasha paused, allowing his words to sink. He couldn't imagine what was so significant about the ninth year, but he could understand that Naraku had planned for everything to fall on this day. He gave a feeble nod of acknowledgment. "You're upset about what happened nine years ago."

"Upset would be a bit of an overstatement, don't you think?"

"An overstatement?" Inuyasha asked, muddled. "Well, how about you tell me what's going through your head. Let's start with that, okay?" He kept his tone as level as possible, his ember eyes glued to the seemingly amused man before him.

"Was that word too big for you, half breed? I'm not mad." Naraku claimed. "I don't care that I was found out, I don't care that I was arrested, I don't care that I was sentenced to life in an insane asylum, I - simply - don’t - care. You want to know why I've been targeting you and your girlfriend? It's because of the arrogance you portrayed during my interrogation. You had this air about you that spoke volumes of how you felt you could never be beat. You were so young. Fresh to the field, right? It was pretty evident that you were the rookie in your department, and I thought you were merely overcompensating so it wouldn't bleed into our one-on-one time. Then, a few hours in I realized that was just a flaw in your personality. You're cocky, Inuyasha. You carried yourself like you could never be destroyed. And I wanted to be the one to destroy you.

The one thing I could never get out of my mind, though, was the moment you lot finally got the warrant to search mom and pop's cabin. I saw it. In your eyes. There was a brief glimpse of fear, and god, I've been dying to see it again ever since! What were you so afraid of? Was it because deep down you knew Hakudoshi was dead?"

"Don't say his name!"

"Was it because you knew a little boy had been killed and you failed to stop it?"

"Naraku!"

"You didn't want to admit it to yourself, but the moment they gave you the green light to go that's when you knew you had to face the music! You were about to see little Hakudoshi rotting in the ground!"

"Shut the fuck up, you disgusting piece of shit!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Inuyasha. You failed before you even tried." Naraku shrugged again, apathetic to the trembling of the half demon's rage. "I've never left a victim's side before they were dead, and you caught me on the edge of the woods on my way out. Much like this place.”

Inuyasha felt a thick mass build in the center of his throat, seeing red, fighting his finger's muscles to squeeze the fucking trigger and end everything now. As the escaped criminal swiveled his head to face Kagome, Inuyasha damn near lost control, clenching the breath in his lungs as a dangerous rumble reverberated from his chest.

"I bet you're wondering how I could be so cruel, aren't you?"

"Don't fucking talk to her!"

Kagome flinched, worried, brown eyes flickering back and forth between Naraku and him.

"See, to me, it isn't about cruelty. I thought if I watched the life drain from a person's eyes, I'd eventually feel something. Over and over, I tried. And over and over, I failed to feel an ounce of pity. I will admit, though, there was a good amount of exhilaration." Naraku knelt down reaching for the knife by his feet and Inuyasha went hot, flexing his hands over the grip as his gun followed his every move.

"NARAKU, STOP!"

"Make me." He smiled, curling his fingers around the black handle.

A shot was fired, ringing loudly in the abandoned building and paining Inuyasha's ears, the sharp sound of a ricochet bullet almost drowning out the startled shriek from Kagome.

"Drop it!" Koga ordered, running in from the right-side door. "Right now, drop it!"

Naraku had covered himself in reaction to the gunshot, the knife in a white-knuckle grip over his head. He slowly unsheathed himself, his jaw tensed and eyes closed in agitation as he rose to a standing.

"I was wondering when you'd finally crawl out from your hiding spot." He drawled.

"Drop the fucking knife." Koga reiterated, blue eyes slanted in determination. Slowly, steadily, he was side-stepping his way to Kagome.

"Or what? The K9 unit will play good cop - bad cop with me?"

"Actually, we're more notorious for bad cop - bad cop." Koga cocked a brow, his gun firmly aimed at the bold man. "We don't really have the patience for mentally breaking scum when we’re perfectly capable of physically doing it."

Kagome looked away from the scene before her, brown eyes colliding with vivacious ember. They were so close, he was a small sprint away, yet she felt like they could have been separated by several locked rooms in between. She watched his eyes flick back toward Naraku, making sure his attention was still focused on the wolf demon, then switch back to her. He parted his lips, silently mouthing two words, but she didn't comprehend, furrowing her brows and shaking her head in question. Once more, he made sure he was clear, then tried again, mouthing "Back up," a little slower than before.

This time, it was her that made sure Naraku wasn't paying attention. She watched as his terrifying eyes challenged Inuyasha's partner, watched as he loosely wobbled the kitchen blade in between his fingers. Carefully, she took one step away. When his red irises didn't land on her, she took another. One more had her at her rope's length.

"Naraku, if you think I won't pull this trigger right now you're fucking wrong." Koga's deep voice boomed. Naraku swiveled his head back and forth in mockery, trying to irate the wolf, but he held firm. It wasn't something he wasn't used to from perps. "Drop the knife. Don't give me a reason. Your brother doesn’t want anything to happen to you. Byakuya didn’t want a deal on his sentence for talking, the only deal he wanted was assurance that you would live. He wants another chance for you to get healthy, but that also means you’ve gotta work with us.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Naraku continued to play with the blade. “None of that sounds like it’s any of my business.”

“He wants a better life for you.”

“Then he should have paid for a hotel instead of hiding me in a warehouse.”

“He’s fighting for you, Naraku.”

“I didn’t ask him to. I’m not interested in his pitiful plea bargain, and I’m definitely not interested in anyone’s mercy. Fuck you guys.” He laughed.

“That’s fine, that’s your prerogative, but here’s the thing: you’ve got two loaded guns aimed at your head. If you take a step in any direction with that weapon in your hand, we’re provoked to shoot. If you throw the knife, we’re provoked to shoot. If you even look like you’re about to do something stupid, we are provoked to shoot.”

There was consideration on Naraku’s face as he pondered, his red eyes bouncing over to Kagome, his grin wicked and stained. Another growl from Inuyasha ripped though the air, a clear warning to look away from her, but the demonic sound went ignored. There was a flinch in her expression as he stared, the hollow of her throat emphasized as she sucked in and held her breath.

“Looks like plans have changed, sweetie. That’s okay, though. I’ve already left my mark on you, haven’t I? You’re never gonna forget me.”

“Stop talking to her!” Inuyasha shouted viciously.

The kitchen knife fell from Naraku’s fingers, bouncing against the floor, and he took a single step toward her, both Koga and Inuyasha stiffening incredibly. Koga matched his step, only a few feet separating him from sheathing Kagome behind his back. Her glare didn’t shift away from the criminal, though. She held her venom toward the man unwaveringly, her chin raising indignantly at his statement.

“Just remember, Kagome,” He paused, licking his lips. “You could have saved him. Whatever happens to Inuyasha is entirely your fault.”

Her nose crinkled angrily, but she couldn’t hang onto it. There was no stopping her eyes from traveling over to the half demon in the background, his scowl deadly until he met her concerned gaze. Instantly, a remorseful look washed over him. Inuyasha shook his head, his silver ponytail hardly swaying with the subtle movement, and she could tell he just wanted to soothe her; his way of protecting her the best he could at a moment like this. This was her fault, though. She easily fell for Naraku’s ploy. She broke Inuyasha’s trust and basically trotted all over the dedicated security he’d provided. She snuck out in the middle of the night and got them all stuck in this dangerous scenario. If anything happened to Inuyasha, she was to blame.

Maybe nothing would happen, though. Maybe he was all talk. He was in a mental asylum, so he wasn’t all there in the head, right? From her angle, it seemed like he was cornered. Koga was doing a really good job at talking him down, he’d even dropped his knife. Maybe Naraku didn’t comprehend things as clearly. She couldn’t remember if Inuyasha told her what degree of instability he harbored, so it was hard to decipher what could have potentially been going through Naraku’s head as he spoke.

Her abductor launched and she hardly had time to react, his hand snagging and yanking the tail of her rope as he ran passed laughing. Kagome fell to the floor with a choking gasp, her rib cage slamming against the beam with his strength and direction, and before she could look up or gather herself, she felt a body hovering over hers. Koga had crouched low, his hands snaking around her waist to help her sit up, and as she opened her eyes, she saw a blurred Inuyasha sprint passed them. Koga shouted a boisterous demand for Inuyasha to stop, but by the heavy curse lingering on his breath, she knew it went neglected. Everything was happening so fast, and as she realized Inuyasha was chasing after Naraku alone, an obnoxious alarm started blaring in her head. She stammered to her feet, her dirty, white shirt slightly clinging to her side from the damp floor she’d collided with.

Koga shoved his gun into the holster on his hip and snatched the discarded kitchen knife from the floor as Kagome pulled back on her ties, and he worked to cut through the tail. As soon as the rope was cut free from the beam, she stumbled backward, catching herself and immediately charging after Inuyasha. Koga dropped the knife and hooked his arm around her lower abdomen, lifting her off the ground in her haste and carrying her over to the cover of the wall of nearby, stacked crates. She was grunting and shouting in protest, squirming in his hold, her words incomprehensible and muffled.

“What the - what the hell are you doing!?”

Kagome pushed him back, her fingernails flicking at the edge of the duct tape on her mouth, but they were too shaky to get an actual grip. Koga took over and grabbed the opposite end, yanking the thick, stained tape right off her face, a furiously red rectangle left in its wake.

“We have to go after Inuyasha! Naraku’s gonna try to kill him!”

“Hang on, stop moving!” Koga barked, fiddling with the knot of her wrist cinch. “I have to get you outside and I need to call for backup first!”

“Call for backup NOW!” Kagome demanded, deep brown eyes piercing him threateningly. Koga dropped her still-restrained wrists, using his body to shield hers as he heard Naraku shouting incoherently from the second story on the other side of the large building. Kagome started struggling with him again, trying to free herself from his cover so she could run after them, practically growling with her vehemency.

“Look, I’ll call for backup now but then I still have to get you outside! Stop fighting me! The sooner I get you safe, the sooner I can go help Inuyasha!”

That last statement struck her still, and the wolf demon didn’t waste time in ripping his walkie from clip on the back of his pants, squeezing the button on the side as he called his team to their location for immediate assistance. As soon as the call was made, he gripped the center of the cinch, pulling her to run out of the building with him. His car was all the way out on the street, and he didn’t feel comfortable running all the way off the premises to lock her in the back seat and racing all the way back. Anything could happen in that time, and the sooner he got back inside to help, the better. He made a sharp left to the very back of the building toward a large, broken shed sitting just before the fence separating the woodlands from the grounds. The shrubbery was overgrown and intruding on the territory, tucking the backside of the shed in growth and vines. Koga spun her in front of him from behind, forcefully bending her knees to sit in the dense protection. He kneeled in front of her doing a once over, something he hadn’t been able to do just yet.

“You okay?” He asked huskily, brows arched in concern. There was a bruising scarlet peeking from beneath her bangs just over her left eyebrow, and he gently pushed her hair out of the way to check the thick bump on her forehead to make sure it was nothing worse. Kagome nodded with a breathy “yeah,” and Koga asked if she was sure for reassurance purposes, making sure she wasn't bleeding anywhere. When she nodded again, he sighed out, gently grabbing her by the jaw to make sure he had her undivided attention. “Then for the love of god, Kagome, stay here!”

Koga ran off, his gun now gripped between both hands as his speedy steps along the gravel disappeared.

Kagome tucked herself further behind the shed, her heart pounding rapidly. Her thoughts kept shifting to the horrible and potential what if's of the situation as she desperately tried to listen to what was taking place inside the building, her ears filled with nothing but the rustle of the trees' branches just feet away. Opting to busy herself, Kagome wriggled her wrists in the confinements of their wraps, the flesh beneath raw and irritated from her consistent tugging, pulling, and twisting to break free for hours now. The knot looked tighter than ever, and Kagome huffed in aggravation, figuring she'd been the one to make matters worse with her struggling. Her wrists were stuck being bound for now, until someone could cut her free.

Sitting there in hiding was more torturous than being tied to the beam. As her breathing came together, she peeked from the corner, looking back for some semblance of awareness. There was a gelatinous sensation in the depths of her chest, dense, spreading, the clouds overhead providing an ominous darkness on the already-dingy warehouse while her brown eyes sought for any signs of the three men. The wait continued, increasing the boiling uneasiness Kagome stewed in, and she searched harder, poking her upper body out further. In her peripherals, the subtle gleam of silver caught her attention, a four-foot rod sticking out from the weeds along the edge of the shed. There was a moment of hesitation, her sights never leaving the metal in case it would suddenly vanish in thin air.

Crawling out on her knees from the sheathing Koga had placed her in, she picked up the rod, working on the adjustment of her awkward grip to hold it as solidly as possible, opting to curl her right fingers tight around the dirty metal and support that grasp with her left hand. With a deep, determined breath, Kagome rose to her feet and ran across the gravel space, heading for the door she and Koga had exited from.

Inuyasha had followed after the crazed man as swiftly as he could, but managed to lose sight of him in the makeshift maze of palettes, crates, and other large, abandoned, warehouse objects. Even on the second story it was hard to get around. This building wasn't left like this; he'd been here before during an undercover stunt. This was just evidence of the incredible amount of free time Naraku had had since August.

He held his gun at the ready, leading his way with it as he listened closely and curved around corners. The entire place was swarming in Naraku's putrid scent, making it impossible to pinpoint his location that way. The man was still, he had to be. Inuyasha couldn't pick up any clatter from shoes hitting the wood beneath their feet, whether walking or running. Nothing. No raspy breathing, no laughter, no noises whatsoever other than the distracting wind from outside and his own, careful footsteps along the path. As he nudged through a particularly narrow route, there was a close creak, but before he could prepare, he was smacked in the jaw with a damp slab of wood.

"So, that girlfriend of yours," Naraku began, standing taller than him as Inuyasha stumbled backward, clutching his chin. "Not the brightest crayon in the box."

"Don't fucking talk about her!" He growled.

"She leaves the safety of your nest for a girl you chose over her at one point - that was the closest I'd ever come to feeling sympathy for a person, because ouch. - gets herself kidnapped, and when she had the opportunity to do something to help the situation, she didn't. She froze. Even better, she cried."

Inuyasha said nothing, taking aim as Naraku sped at him. He swung the board and Inuyasha shot a split second later, the bullet missing as the gun was flung from his hand, slid along the wood, and slipped beneath the railing, falling to the first floor.

"Whoops." The criminal grinned.

The half demon swung his fist, his hook effectively dodged by Naraku's nimble feet. Naraku dropped the board and clutched the tee shirt at his chest, swinging him around, surprising Inuyasha with his strength as he was slammed against the wall.

"What's going on, big MMA fighter? I thought you could spar! Or are you just stalling so I'll give you every little detail of what I did to your precious Kagome?"

Inuyasha flung his forehead forward, colliding with Naraku's and forcing him to stumble backward. The man recovered quickly, shaking his head and running his hands through his hair to smooth out the short, messy locks.

"All you had to do was ask."

"Shut the fuck up!"

"We kissed. It was pretty magical." He shrugged, reaching behind and yanking a pocketknife clip from his belt. He flicked it open, twirling the small, sharp weapon skillfully in his fingers. "Oh, god, and that tape I put on her mouth was an absolute necessity. She wouldn't stop screaming for you! Inuyasha! Inuyasha! Save me, Inuyasha! Inuyashaaaaa!"

He knew that Naraku was just trying to get under his skin, but god fucking damn it, it was working. He clenched his fists tight, his claws pinching into his flesh, and ground his teeth together, trying not to give the nut case the reaction he was looking for.

"I'll admit, I'm a little upset I didn't get to go through with my original plan. I had this whole thing ready to go where you were going to watch me kill her. You wouldn't be so smug and arrogant then, would you, Inuyasha? That's okay, though. I did enough damage to her to last a lifetime, and her poor, little puppy won't be able to protect her from the scars and nightmares. That, I can assure you."

"What, you think you're gonna kill me?"

"It's everything I've been dreaming of." Naraku smiled, still twirling his pocketknife.

"Keep dreaming. It ain’t happening."

The manic man lunged at Inuyasha, swinging his knife back and forth in an attempt to slash him, and the half demon sped backward. His back collided with a wall of stacked palettes and he knew he had one chance to get this right. Naraku went to stab him, and Inuyasha tried to clasp his wrist to nudge it in the opposite direction, his palm landing higher than intended and clutching onto part of Naraku's fingers along with the blade. At this point, with the amount of adrenalin coursing through his system, he hardly felt the skin slice at the heel of his hand, only understanding he was bleeding through the sharp tinge of copper wafting through his nostrils.

Sliding down and incorporating his freehand, Inuyasha struck the inside of Naraku's wrist outward with furious pressure while simultaneously smacking the side of the blade inward, the pocketknife flying from the criminal's grip and clinking to the floor. Immediately following, Inuyasha threw the back of his fist into Naraku's face, clipping his nose. Naraku's head flew back with the force, his footing following, and Inuyasha seized the opportunity, angled himself, and struck him hard with a sidekick to the ribcage.

He staggered backward, clutching his abdomen with heavy breaths, dangerous red eyes blaring at the half demon. With a snarl, he lunged again, swinging his fists, and each blow was deflected by Inuyasha's swift reflexes, palms effectively shoving Naraku’s forearms aside while stepping for proper angling. As Naraku's relentless attacks were thwarted, Inuyasha punched him in the jaw, clutching onto Naraku's upper arm to keep him in place and hooking his forearm inward, smacking his elbow to his opponents cheekbone. He released Naraku's arm but kept a grip on his sleeve to allow motion, swinging his fist into Naraku's sternum to get him to double over, then slamming his elbow into his upper back. He fell to the floor, his laughter coming out wheezy and slow.

Inuyasha crouched, snagging the back of Naraku's shirt as the man began to pick himself up, lifting him to his feet and slamming him against the railing. He folded backward slightly, the top of the rail only reaching his mid back.

"What are you gonna do, Inuyasha?" Naraku asked breathlessly, blood trickling from his right nostril. The stained and crusted smile on his face was disgusting, taunting, and challenging. "You gonna kill me?"

"No." The half demon replied, a growl on his tongue. "As great as that sounds, I'd much rather watch you rot away in the asylum."

"Wrong answer." He laughed.

"Don't act cocky, Naraku. There's no fucking way you're getting away from me."

"Wrong again." Naraku rocked against the railing, bucking his hips harder each time until the rotting wood the rails were screwed into cracked and began to crumble. The guard fell back, taking huge chunks of the flooring with it, causing Inuyasha to instinctually stumble backwards, a hissed "shit" heavy on his breath. As he looked up from the wood beneath his feet, Naraku was gone. Rushing forward to the edge, Inuyasha expected to see his opponent's body laying on the ground level, broken and seeping away life, but all he saw was the crumbled wood and broken, rusted rail.

"Mother fucker!" Inuyasha shouted, flailing his arms at his side in exasperation. He gave an exaggerated huff, quickly wiping the leaking blood from his palm on his jeans and leaning down to retrieve the pistol in his boot before jumping from the second story to land on the top of a low wall of nearly-unstable crates, bringing him to wobble slightly to keep upright. From there, supporting his leap by bracing his hand on the edge of the box, Inuyasha's feet met with the cement flooring, pistol immediately at the ready.

There was an incoming shuffling of feet from a large pathway behind him, and he swung around, gun aimed at a fully prepared wolf demon.

"Fuck!" He growled. "Where's Kagome?" Inuyasha quickly asked, lowering his weapon.

"She's safe, don't worry about it. Where's Naraku?" Koga aimed his pistol to the floor, blue eyes studying the line of blood that had escaped the corner of Inuyasha's mouth.

"No fucking clue. He slipped away from me."

"I heard a gunshot-"

"I missed."

He gave a curt nod, looking around at the spacious areas between man-made walls of objects. Inuyasha trudged forward toward the far opening and Koga took up the rear, his head swerving left and right for full awareness. As they came through to an empty corner, they paused in the center, Inuyasha's aggravation notably spiking.

"Come on, Naraku!" He boomed, his voice bouncing off the walls. "No more games! You started this, now lets fucking end it! Right now!"

Silence.

A moment later, Inuyasha and Koga were moving again, Koga once more trailing behind. As they approached a very wide area that he would have guessed was dead center of the warehouse, a dangerous feeling puddled in the pit of Koga's stomach. They were being watched. He couldn't pinpoint which direction the sensation was flooding from, lingering in place as he glanced around the dingy area, the space sparsely illuminated thanks to the boards covering the windows above them and the dark clouds hanging overhead. He heard the scuffle of Inuyasha's boots proceeded further. The curse in his growl. And then he heard fast-paced running coming right at him.

Inuyasha spun around as a loud commotion ensued behind him, Koga grunting as Naraku worked to overpower him. The half demon's gun was poorly aimed, shifting back and forth for a good shot as Naraku pinned Koga face down, his knee in the wolf demon's back, crouching low and squeezing the grip of the gun right from Koga's struggling hand.

"As you wish, puppy dog." He chuckled, pressing the muzzle to Koga's temple. The snarl on his partner's face was ferocious, and as he bared his fangs, Naraku smacked him in the same spot with the butt of the Glock. "Let's end this. Go ahead and shoot. You've got one chance."

Inuyasha scowled, his hands giving a feeble tremble from the insurmountable pressure that thickened the air. His gun twitched left and right, up and down, following Naraku's movements but never spot on as he kept attached to Koga's body. Inuyasha wasn't close enough to have a clear position on him. They were at an angle at the other side of their large space, and when Inuyasha tried to take a subtle step forward to up his advantage, Naraku cocked a sneer and pulled on the tight knot of Koga's ponytail to lead him to stand on his knees, shielding himself behind the broad torso of the wolf demon, the gun only leaving the side of his head to reposition just behind the lobe of his ear.

"Let him go, Naraku!"

"The only way I'll do that is if I'm dead." He said. "Or he's dead. Whichever comes first."

"Take the shot, Inuyasha!" Koga ordered, blue eyes piercing him as sharp as any bullet.

"Yeah! Take the shot, Inuyasha!"

"You can shoot him, you can shoot me, but there's no way you're getting out of here alive!"

"Don't fucking talk! Just shoot him!"

"Why, because the backup your buddy called for five minutes ago is here?" He remarked sarcastically.

"Any minute now."

"Inuyasha!"

"I could kill Koga now, kill you a split second later, and then I can go grab Kagome who's conveniently been hidden behind the shed out back and slash her throat all before the SWAT team shows up. And you probably thought you were being so slick, huh Moon Moon?" Naraku clutched the front of Koga's jaw with the hand that once held his long, brown hair, bringing his partner to shake his head in resistance against his hold. "Man the power of sight is incredible! You know there are a few windows here, right?"

Inuyasha's brow twitched as he seethed anger, a demonic need to rip this fucker to shreds just for threatening Koga and Kagome shaking him to the core. His fingers curled tighter around the grip of his gun, focusing with all that he had to get a clear shot.

"Don't think about it, just shoot him! Shoot him!"

"Shoot me."

"Inuyasha!"

"Shoot me."

"I swear to fucking god, Naraku, let him go!"

"What's the matter, Inuyasha? Can't pull the trigger? Wont save your partner? You’re not even gonna try?"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

"How many times has he saved you? Come on, Inuyasha! Be the hero you've worked so hard to become! Where's your pride!?"

"Inuyasha, it's okay." Koga's expression had calmed considerably, his voice lowering to just above a whisper. He was trying to level with him, trying to tell him it was alright to miss. Though his face lacked any signs of nervousness, his wavering tone failed him.

"Shut up, you stupid wolf."

"Inuyasha." He tried again, steadier.

His finger flexed against the trigger, still not confident in his aim. His heart pounded painfully hard, a dense weight sinking in his abdomen. If he misses, Koga dies. If he misses, Naraku pulls his own trigger. A thick mass in his throat made it difficult to swallow, and Inuyasha could feel himself losing grip on the situation. What the fuck was he supposed to do? He could try to stall until their backup actually showed. If he could succeed in that, if he could manipulate Naraku just as well as he's manipulated them all, there was a chance he wouldn't have to risk Koga's life at all. As he parted his lips to speak, to ask a question, Naraku beat him to the punch, his deep voice causing Inuyasha's to hitch in the back of his mouth.

“Out of time. If you wont take your shot, I will." Naraku re-aimed his pistol and pulled the trigger, the loud bang echoing throughout the building.

Inuyasha staggered backward, collapsing to the ground.

Kagome instantly felt something snap inside of her, running out from her concealed spot with rage and terror etched into the lines on her face, whacking Naraku in the shoulders and neck with her metal rod. Both he and Koga fell forward, and Kagome swung again as hard as she could, hitting Naraku in the center of his back. He wheezed, and without thinking, she threw aside the rod, jumping for the gun in his hand. She heard her name being shouted multiple times, but it was muffled by the grunts and curses both she and her opponent omitted. With a jerk in the opposite direction, she got the gun from his grasp, her tied hands useless in supporting her body as she tried to scramble away belly down, but Naraku was now on top of her, his large, rough hands fighting for her to release the weapon. Unintentionally, Kagome squeezed, the gunshot and kickback from the pistol startling a yelp from her, but working in halting Naraku's attack for the smallest moment.

He clutched her hair and shoulder and spun her over, pinning her with bruising force and straddling her hips, his hands wrestling to grab the Glock from her, struggling against her never-ceasing wriggle to keep her hands above her head and away from him. Purposefully this time, she squeezed the trigger again, using the moment he flinched to aim the gun at his mouth.

"Get off of me!" Kagome slowly commanded, her tone lethal. Her brown eyes were slanted deadly, but her trembling limbs betrayed her. The room was silent, or maybe her ears were working against her as well, a thumping sound riddling the sense. It wasn't until he gave his infamously taunting and overdone chuckle that she knew it was all in her head.

He crawled backward, and she tensed her core considerably to follow him, having to incorporate her elbow along the floor as she sat up tall. As soon as her legs were beneath her, Kagome rose to a stand, shakily ordering him to stay on his knees as her aim stayed glued to his mouth.

Naraku looked at the barrel, then to her, the curve finally leaving his thin lips to lay flat.

“How valiant of you, Kagome.”

“Don’t talk!” She demanded breathlessly, shaking her head, wild strands of dark hair falling in front of her shoulders and over her cheeks.

"Or else what? You'll shoot? You couldn't even hold the knife straight before, what makes you think you can kill me now?"

"Shut up!"

"You don't have the guts. You're nothing but a damsel in distress."

"Am I?" Kagome asked, taking a small step in and raising the Glock to the bridge of his bloody nose, the muzzle just inches from his sweaty skin.

Naraku closed his mouth, all traces of amusement completely vanished.

Inuyasha could see it, the glazing of her eyes, the paleness settling into the cheeks he’d just witnessed were red, the hollow of her throat as she struggled to take in actual breaths. Tears brimmed at her bottom lids but all other expression was disappearing from view. Her sights were set on Naraku, hardly blinking. She was moving past the point of rational thought. She was zoning.

Glancing to the side, Inuyasha noticed Koga watched the scene play as well, his lips parted and curved into a frown of concern. Holding that weapon, feeling the crushing weight of fear, her mind racing through horrible scenarios and which one was more likely to take place, rob her heart, break her spirit, he'd seen it before. Her fight or flight had completely taken over. It was telling her she wasn't safe, telling her she had no other choice. A wall was forming around her, one that would become thicker and thicker, almost impenetrable, the more seconds ticked by.

And Inuyasha could only hope he could get through that defense.

“Kagome.” He started gently, leaning on his good arm to sit himself up completely.

Koga slowly rose to his feet, moving with absolute control, blue eyes set on the girl just feet away. Any fast movements could startle her, could cause her to do something she didn't want to do. He made sure to stay as silent as possible, allowing Inuyasha to be the voice of reason she needed.

“Kagome, it’s okay now.”

Their gazes never broke, and Inuyasha could tell Naraku's red irises were holding her captive with their silent and menacing threats.

“I need you to put the gun down, baby.” He aimed his own pistol at Naraku in a way to take over, keeping his voice as soothing as his gruff tone allowed.

She shook her head as her face contorted, tears streaming down her cheeks while a feeble whimper escaped her lips. She wanted Inuyasha to keep talking, she wanted the constant reminder that Naraku hadn’t succeeded in killing him, thinking if he stopped coaxing her she’d turn and find he was actually dead on the floor and it was nothing more than her mind playing evil tricks on her. At the same time, she was too afraid to comply.

“Come on, put it down. You don’t need it.”

A minor twitch. Still no response.

"Hey, I need you to listen, Kagome. Everything's fine now, trust me. Put the gun down."

“I can’t.” She cried, her shoulders heaving with her deep gasps for air.

He tried not to let out his sigh of relief, clenching it in his throat. It was obviously too soon to celebrate, but he was reaching her. Thank god, he was reaching her.

“Yes, you can. Kagome. Look at me, baby.”

“No, I can’t!” She cried harder, voice breaking. “He’s gonna do something!”

“I promise you, he won’t. I’ve got a clear shot - if he moves, he’s dead. Now look at me.”

Kagome hesitated, scared he was wrong.

“Look at me.”

Finally, she shifted her gaze, her head unsteadily following her eyes as she fought against her instincts. As soon as she saw him, she nearly doubled over from the crushing sobs that left her lungs. His charcoal tee clung to his chest and shoulder, the large area soaked and deep in shade, blood beginning to drip down his left arm. He was sitting upright, his gun aimed at Naraku, ember eyes flickering back and forth from the criminal to her. He was alive. He was hurt, but he was alive.

Inuyasha smiled, finally letting out that alleviating huff. "That's my girl."

"You're okay?" She whimpered, still holding her aim.

"I'm fine." He said reassuringly. "Go ahead and put the gun down now, okay?"

"But-"

"Do you trust me?"

Kagome nodded, a faint mhm on her breath.

"Good. Then you know for a fact that I won't let anything happen."

Kagome tried to gather herself, forcing her lungs to take deeper, more level inhales. Turning her head, she gazed back down at Naraku, her hands trembling along the grip. The man on his knees had deadpanned, his eyes locked on her from just above the barrel. She gave a small nod in acknowledgment to her half demon's statement, exhaling from her mouth and loosening her fingers. From her right, a large hand smoothed over the back of her own, slowly, gently reaching for the gun, a voice whispering as she flinched, "It's just me, it's just me." Kagome allowed Inuyasha's partner to take the pistol with no resistance, his arm snaking around her back to tuck her into his chest as he took his own aim on Naraku. His thumb grazed her shoulder where he clutched her firmly, doing his best to soothe her anxiety down. The vest he wore was thick and scratchy, but not uncomfortable, his inhales bringing the material to rub against her curled-in forearms and cheek and causing a physical sensation that helped bring Kagome back to the present.

She relaxed in his arms, shifting to look over her shoulder at Inuyasha. He held his pistol steady, ember eyes alight as his heavy breaths brought his body to sag in what seemed like relief.

Shuffling feet reached their ears, a woman calling Koga's name, and he bellowed, "We're here!" in response. "We have an officer down! Call a medic!"

More commotion broke through as it sounded like multiple people were on the way to them, Sango leading the pack as she curved through the opening in the makeshift wall with her Glock aimed at the floor. She took in the scene, her brown eyes wide from shock, scouring the area with a shake of her head as she immediately ran to Inuyasha's side. Hojo, who was right behind her, pulled a pair of handcuffs from his backside, kneeling down to secure Naraku's wrists behind his back, Koga never lowering his pistol until he heard the tight clicks of both cuffs locking into place.

It was finally over.

Sango pressed both palms to Inuyasha's wound, glaring at him as he huffed and tried to push her off so he could stand.

"Stop! You know better!" She barked, applying additional pressure to the wound until he winced and sat back; the only way she knew to get him to comply.

Inuyasha rolled his head to the side, glancing over at the girl in Koga's arms. She watched him, worry creasing her brow and creating the pout on her lips. The wolf demon went to guide her away, out of the warehouse she'd been held captive in for too long, but she resisted, recoiling to leave Koga's hold to join Inuyasha on the cold floor. His partner didn't lose his grip, and Inuyasha's sensitive ears caught his low tone trying to persuade her away, using the word "temporary" multiple times.

Though she didn't fight Koga, knowing she needed to listen to him right now and let everyone do their jobs, her deep, brown eyes never left her half demon. As each step took her further away from him, she felt scared, twisting her body to keep sight of him. Inuyasha cocked a small smile at her, and she knew he was covering his discomfort.

Then he spoke, and though she'd just heard it not even a minute ago, a warmth rushed through her veins as his husky voice said, "It's okay, baby. Go."

Outside, the cinch was cut from her wrists, a hiss sliding over her tongue as her face contorted, blood quickly making its way through once again. The skin was red and irritated, more so at the base of the heels of her palms where all the pressure was focused each time she tried to squirm her way out, indents decorating the entire area. There were broken blood vessels dotting the surface, and even a spot where her skin had inadvertently broken. The medics cleaned it up and bandaged the small cut while she sat on the tail of the ambulance.

"I don't need to go to the fucking hospital." Inuyasha groaned, the EMT pressing gauze to the wound on his shoulder. "Just tape it up so I can leave."

"Actually, the bullet didn't pass through."

"What?"

"It wasn't a clean shot." The first responder stated, examining it beneath the absorbing material to see that the bleeding was slowing. "It's still in there. We need to get it out, which means you're going to the hospital."

"Just stick your finger in there and pull it out." The half demon arched a brow.

The medic paused, concerned, looking up in question at his captain.

"Yes, he is always like this. I'm sorry." Totosai frowned. "You're going, Inuyasha. That's final."

He huffed, the sound rough and exaggerated as he caved, too tired to battle the order, and leaned back against the wall. His shirt had been cut off of him to make his bullet wound accessible without straining his shoulder by lifting it over his head, the remnants of the tee on the floor beside him. They'd cleaned the surrounding skin of the mess of blood, thankfully, imagining the gory sight holding the potential to traumatize Kagome even further.

"Fine. I'm not going out on a gurney, though." He tried not to flinch as the EMT taped fresh gauze to the hole in his deltoid, extending over his clavicle and part of his pectoral. "And, I want to see Kagome first." His voice had unintentionally dropped an octave, losing its harsh edge.

It was more of a necessity than a desire. He needed a moment with her, and everyone's nod told him they understood that just as well as anyone. Sango held her hand out for him to take, helping him to his feet with her stained palms. They were dried, but just in case, he wiped them on his jeans and headed out.

He hadn't expected the way his feet carried him faster and faster toward the door, almost at a run, ignoring the pinch in his shoulder that would most likely be completely healed in two days. The pain was nothing compared to the boiling uneasiness in his core due to the separation from her. His adrenaline was still high, ember eyes drifting over the surrounding area and hubbub of officers and detectives, two emergency busses parked off toward the fence he and Koga had entered through. He headed in their direction, jogging now, his heart leaping in his chest as he spotted her sitting next to Koga on the tail. There was a blanket wrapped around her and her eyes were at half mass, staring at the rocks on the ground, her legs bobbing uncontrollably from the angle she'd propped them in.

Glancing up, those hopeful eyes landed on him, widening as she immediately jolted from her seat, throwing the blanket from her shoulders and running over to him. It was easy not to pay any mind to the throb in his arm as he skidded to a stop, grasping the breathless woman and silencing her sobbing apologies by crushing his lips to hers.

"You're so stupid!" He kissed her again. "God, you're so stupid! Why would you do that? Why would you leave?"

"I'm sorry!" She cried, fingers twitching against his bare sides.

"Are you okay?" He pressed their foreheads solidly together, a hand threaded through her thick waves at the back of her head. The heat of her skin washed over him, and he found he, himself, was trembling almost as badly as she. "I was so fucking scared, Kagome, tell me he didn't do anything to you!"

"I'm sorry! I love you! I'm okay! Nothing happened!" She said quickly, panting.

"Fuck." Inuyasha kissed her again and again, parting just enough to look to her for further reassurance.

"I swear. He hardly touched me."

The half demon parted her bangs, inspecting the welt on the side of her head, his fingers traveling over the green and yellow mark on her cheek, and landing at the crook of her jaw, planting one last, sweet kiss on her lips before clutching her into his chest, breathing her in before he inevitably had to let go.

He could already see his own, personal medic waiting for him at the side of his ambulance. He was being patient, but Inuyasha knew the sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could get Kagome home to his place and tend to her. He hugged her a little tighter for a moment, kissing the top of her head before curving to whisper in her ear.

"I have to go to the hospital, okay? Should be quick, they've just gotta take care of this injury." He looked up to scout out his partner, unsurprised to see the wolf demon standing not too far off, watching them, waiting for his cue with his arms crossed. Inuyasha gestured for him to come over, loosening his grip on Kagome and wiping the one stray tear just below her eye that hadn't dried. "Go with Koga."

Ember irises met the gleam of his partner's baby blues - he'd always teased that his eyes were a little too girlish for his build - and they clasped hands, bringing the other in for a firm shoulder bump, a silent thank you for all he'd done for Kagome thus far.

"We'll be right behind you." The wolf mentioned, taking up Kagome's side. Inuyasha nodded, glancing back at her, running his thumb over the brown stain on her chin.

"See you soon."

"Yeah. Soon."

Just as Inuyasha went to step away, a police vehicle approached to leave the gates. As it slowly rolled past, the gravel cracking beneath its tires, Naraku peered through the backseat, arms still restrained behind him. His lips pulled tight into a menacing grin, bringing an icy chill to crawl down Kagome's spine. She and Inuyasha followed the black and white car with their eyes, watching it meet the pavement, driving off toward town and disappearing from sight.

Three months later

"In the matter of The People V. Byakuya Saisei, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant, Byakuya Saisei, guilty your honor."

There was a collective sigh throughout the courtroom. Kagome's mother, who had been squeezing the life out of her hand, deflating when she heard one of the assaulters would be spending up to twenty-five years in prison. Kagome glanced to her left towards the defendant's table where he sat, Byakuya receiving sympathetic pats on his back from his attorney. Behind him were his parents, his mother in shambles while his father sagged in utter disappointment. Their son didn't bother to look back at them in apology. According to his confessions, he resented them and even almost blamed them for his decision to aid his brother in everything.

The room ceased its stirring as the judge slammed her gavel down three times, the old woman's voice demanding everyone's attention as she gave her closing statements. Byakuya was sentenced without the chance of parole, and Naraku, whom Kagome had only had to encounter once since trials began and was not currently present, was reassigned and transferred to a high-risk penitentiary to live out the rest of his days under deliberate and watchful security and isolation when necessary. With a thankful dismissal of the jury, the judge slammed her gavel once more, stating court was adjourned.

"Are we done yet?" Inuyasha groaned, trudging along at Kagome's side, her feet working a little faster than his to keep pace with his longer strides on the sidewalk. She lifted the small, frilly-wrapped package in her hands, white spiral ribbons splaying over her fingers.

"Does it look like we're done?" She cocked her head to the side, arching a brow. "Come on, this is the last one!"

"I still don't think Koga should have received anything." He huffed.

"He helped just as much as anyone."

"Eh." Inuyasha grimaced, shrugging wanly. "He was moral support."

Kagome rolled her eyes, giggling lightly as she reached for the handle of one of the glass doors, only pulling it open an inch or two before Inuyasha reached over her head and took over, holding it for her as she passed through. She paid him a silent regard, smiling gratefully as she entered into the flower shop.

Her heart began to pound. She knew this whole thing would be good for her in the end. Her therapist had mentioned that she should get closure for everything that had happened, and one of the ways they discussed was giving thanks to the people who'd helped her get through it all. Still, the last time she was here, she'd been running for her life, and the mind had an awful way of making her trip down memory lane feel more dire than it currently was. Inuyasha's shoulder brushed hers, and she glanced up at him. His silver bangs hung off his forehead with the tilt he held it at, a shimmer of sun shining through the far off window catching a small section of the fringe, illuminating the soft tones of his natural color.

"Good morning - oh!" The raspy voice of an elderly woman spoke, catching both of their attention. Kagome noticed the thin woman behind the counter, her grey hair tied behind her neck in a very loose bun, eyes wide and lined with age. Kagome walked further in to greet the woman, stopping before the mid-sized table separating them. "You're that girl from the news! Jinenji's mentioned you, too. Says he knows you."

Their case had been all over the news stations, most of which following the tedious and meticulous trial from the arrest up until the verdict was made last week. Though their faces weren't in the papers as much as Naraku's and Byakuya's, they'd incidentally been given the spotlight on television - her a little more than Inuyasha considering the amount of her involvement - far more than they'd ever liked. Not many people reacted to seeing her anymore, especially since the marks had long faded and Inuyasha proved to be a lethal bodyguard toward lingering cameramen, but mostly because the popularity these sorts of trials build only last so long. There was the climax of the testimonials that brought a lot of attention, but even before last week, all of their focus was centered on the sentencing of the criminals. Nevertheless, being recognized still caused Kagome to stiffen uncomfortably, though she'd admit she much preferred "that girl" to everyone knowing her name again.

In reply, she swallowed her embarrassment, smiling politely with a slight nod. "Uh, yeah."

"And you," The old lady redirected her gaze to Inuyasha, angling her chin according to their height difference. "You're that half demon."

She was rather blunt as she spoke, showing what could be mistaken for bitterness. Kagome couldn't bite back the way her face twisted into a slight scowl, upset for the way he'd been greeted.

"Relax, I don't mean that as a slander. You've done us all a favor and shown other half breeds that you don't have to be full-blooded anything to be something." She said, the lines on her cheeks pulling upward with her smile. "My boy, the owner of this shop here, is a half demon himself."

Kagome softened at the information, happy for the praise Inuyasha deserved, glancing up as he nodded stiffly in acknowledgment, running his hands through the short, freshly-cut hair at the back of his head, his cheeks brushed lightly with pink. He brought his hand to rest at the small of Kagome's back, the straight, silver strands smoothly flowing back to their rightful place along his crown.

"Is Jinenji here?" She asked. His mother pointed to the doorway in the far left corner, sitting back in her chair with a pleasant expression.

Kagome lead the way, the scents of the radiantly-red roses they passed almost demanding her to stop and smell them. Jinenji had his back turned toward them, his large body curved and hunched as he tended to his work. She gave a light rasp to the frame she stood in, watching as the gentle giant turned to peek over his shoulder. He jumped, those large blue eyes alight with shock as he spun around, almost bumping his head on the ceiling.

"Hi." Kagome smiled happily.

"It's you." The big half demon grinned. "You're - you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." She admitted, almost shying away. He'd seen her fresh from Byakuya's attack. The image of her locked in his memory must have been her battered and tearful face. She could understand that not even news reports could take the place of real life witnessing. Kagome held out the small gift in her hand. "This is for you."

"For me? What for?" Jinenji asked bashfully, taking the package in his fingers and making it look even tinier than it actually was.

"You helped me when you didn't have to. It's not much, but it's my way of saying thank you."

"I - I was happy to do whatever I could."

"And I appreciate it. More than you'll ever know. They're brownies, I made them myself." Kagome stood taller, her hands clasped in front of her. Jinenji thanked her, his voice soft, accepting her gift as he pulled at one of the white ribbons to untie the knot.

Kagome turned, reaching for Inuyasha to bring him beside her as opposed to standing behind. He took her hand, his fingers entwining through her own, a tender manner about himself as he looked at the man before them.

"This is my boyfriend, Inuyasha. Inuyasha, this is Jinenji. He's the one that saved me that night."

Inuyasha held his free hand out to shake Jinenji's, the sizes of their palms incomparable, but the message spoke just as powerfully. "Thank you. For all that you did."

"I didn't do much."

"But it meant everything."

73 notes · View notes

camillemontespan · 5 years

Text

gossip girl: cordonia’s elite [part two]

Warnings: Reference to suicide attempt

***************************************

Maxwell woke up bleary eyed and groggy. As usual, he woke up with a heavy weight in his chest and the first thought of, 'Oh its morning again. Great.'

All Maxwell wanted to do was sleep. He wanted to be lost in a deep sleep, unable to wake up, far away from the negativity of the world around him.

As his eyes adjusted, he saw that there was someone lying beside him.

'AAAH!' he shouted, bolting up.

Camille screamed and rolled off the bed, landing awkwardly on the floor. She sprang up like a meerkat. 'Hey, Max.'

Maxwell rubbed his eyes harshly. 'Camille.. What are you doing here?'

She exhaled. 'I heard about what happened. I'm back now. Permanently.'

Maxwell closed his eyes and swallowed down the lump in his throat. He and Camille had always been great friends, together through thick and thin. He had missed her so much when she went away to Switzerland.

Camille sat down gently and took his hand. Her eyes roamed over the bandages wrapped around his delicate wrists and she sniffled.

'Why didn't you tell me you were struggling?' she asked quietly. 'I could have helped.'

Maxwell sighed. 'How? Babe, you were away in a different country, living your own life. Nobody could have helped me.'

Camille bit her lip. 'I'm so fucking sorry.'

Maxwell smiled weakly and squeezed her hand. 'Not your fault. I take it Bertrand told you?'

Camille nodded. 'I got the first flight as soon as I heard.'

Maxwell sighed and tried to think of a way to explain how he had ended up in here. How he had found himself in such a dark place.

He knew it didn't make sense. He was Maxwell Beaumont, one of the richest students at the Cordonia Institute. He was happy go lucky, excitable and threw incredible parties. He was doing well in his studies. The fact that he was being held under surveillance at a rehabilitation centre didn't make sense.

'I was struggling,' he whispered. 'I guess I started panicking about my future, what it will entail. I started having bad dreams and I couldn't stop thinking about mom and dad..'

Camille frowned. 'Your mom and dad?'

Maxwell clenched the duvet and kept his eyes down. 'I know they died when I was ten, you'd think I'd be over it by now -'

Camille grabbed his hand. 'Maxwell, don't you dare say that! Losing parents is not something you just get over, it's a chasm that stays with you forever. Believe me, I know. You're allowed to grieve.'

Maxwell's breathing came out hitched. 'I tried to cover my feelings up by always throwing parties and just plastering a smile in my face. But it's not enough you know? I don't do anything to honour my parents legacy. All I do is party. I don't do anything meaningful. I feel like I let them down.'

Camille shook her head fiercely. 'Max, your parents would be proud of you. You've done so well. You will never let them down.'

Maxwell smiled sadly and raised his hands to show his wrists. 'I'm weak.'

Camille leaned forward to pull him into a tight hug. He smelled of cotton and hand sanitiser. 'You are not weak, Maxwell Beaumont,' she whispered. 'You are the strongest person I know.'

****************************************

Good morning, Cordonians. Sleep well? I know I did, happy in the knowledge that everything is back to how it should be. Camille is back in town, the precarious position of Queen Bee (or C? Or O?) is called into question yet again and, even better, there is a Beaumont Bash this evening.

Anyone who is anyone will be in attendance which means I have a front row seat to the drama.

******************************************************************

'So how was Texas with your mom and what's his name..? Bastard, was it?' Jackson asked as he prepared breakfast.

Savannah sighed and didn't reply. Drake sipped his black coffee. 'Bastien,' he corrected his dad. `You know that.’

Jackson pretended to roll his eyes then spotted how silent Savannah had become. He sighed and chucked her under the chin. ‘Sorry, honey. It’s just hard, that’s all. I don’t mean to put you in the middle.’

Savannah nodded mutely and turned her attention to her phone, scrolling down her screen. She let out a groan. ‘When are we going to get invited to a Beaumont Bash?’ she asked, showing Drake her phone screen with the headline GOSSIP GIRL.

It was Drake’s turn to roll his eyes now. ‘When we’re actually somebodies,’ he told her. ‘Which will be never because we’re Walkers.’

Jackson stopped turning the bacon and whipped around to look at his son. ‘Hey! What’s wrong with being a Walker?’

‘Everything..’ Savannah muttered, ignoring Jackson’s wounded expression.

*******************************************************************************************

Camille spent most of the afternoon with Maxwell. They moved on from serious chats to discuss university, Cordonia, Bertrand, the tv show Stranger Things and if it was true that Kiara had slept with Leo and Rashad at the same time.

‘I bet she did!’ Maxwell squealed, laughing. ‘Kinky Kiara!’

Camille hit him playfully on the arm. ‘Shh Max! Be nice! I like Kiara!’

‘Yeah, you and the entire university swim team!’ Maxwell laughed, snuggling down into his duvet.

‘Nothing wrong with being sexually adventurous,’ Camille told him seriously, raising her chin. ‘I think it’s great.’

‘Oh, believe me Cammy, I’m aware.’

Camille hit him again and Maxwell descended into cackles. It felt good to have his friend back and to think about meaningless things like Kiara’s sex life. It was a welcome distraction.

‘Are you going to my brother’s party tonight?’ Maxwell asked, wiping away his tears of laughter. ‘Apparently it’s going to be a rager.’

Camille stopped laughing. ‘Bertrand’s throwing a Bash? Really? While you’re cooped up in here?’

Maxwell nodded, seeing the dark shadow pass over Camille’s features. He wished he hadn’t said anything. Camille gripped onto the duvet tightly, her jaw set.

‘I can’t believe your brother is throwing a fucking party while you’re in here,’ she muttered, her voice like a razor. ‘That’s disgusting.’

Maxwell stretched out, trying to act casual and push down the tension. ‘He likes to keep up appearances,’ he told her. ‘You know how he is. He needs to maintain the Beaumont image of money, glamour and no suicide attempts ha.’

His little dark joke didn’t work.

Camille bolted up and pulled on her coat. Maxwell sighed, knowing she had made up her mind. ‘I take it you’re going to rip him a new one, huh?’

‘What made you guess?’ Camille asked sharply, slinging her handbag over her shoulder. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’ She hugged him and strode out the door, leaving Maxwell back to his unwelcome thoughts.

*******************************************************************************************

Beaumont Bashes were legendary in Cordonia. The Beaumont brothers, Betrand and Maxwell, had watched their parents throw these parties when they were children and they longed to join in. When their parents died in a car accident when Maxwell was ten and Bertrand was fifteen, Bertrand decided that he could continue to throw parties as a way to remember them.

They hired menagaries. They once had firebreathers perform. Limitless champagne flowed, money was no option and every Bash was better than the last. But it was the Bash that was held before every new university year that was the best one.

If you were someone, you were invited. This meant you needed either money, status or be friends with people who knew the Beaumonts.

Savannah and Drake had none of these things.

They attended the Institute of Cordonia on scholarship. Savannah was studying Education while Drake was studying English Literature. While Savannah longed to join the elite, Drake was happy to just keep his head down, study, graduate with honours and then fuck off to go to America or something. He did not want to be friends with anyone at the university because he viewed them as stuck up, vapid dickheads with no brain cells.

He couldn’t wait to graduate.

Savannah was still bitching about never having been to a Bash, hours after breakfast. Jackson, irritated by her constant moaning, took her phone and confiscated it.

‘But I need to know who’s going!’ she protested. ‘I need to know who’s wearing what, if Camille is going!’

‘Who the hell is Camille?’ Jackson asked.

Savannah sniggered. ‘Ask Drake.’

Jackson looked at Drake, waiting for an answer. Drake turned red and looked away, not wanting to answer the question. Because who was Camille to him, really?

He had had a crush on her since high school. They had been in the same Biology class and he had admired her from afar. He thought she was gorgeous; caramel skin, brown eyes, dark hair and a throaty laugh that made people turn around to smile at her. She had always been popular in school and Drake actually liked her because unlike their fellow students, she was nice. She never made anyone feel like a loser and even though they had never actually spoken, Drake had a feeling she would be nice to him. When they graduated high school and Camille left for Switzerland, Drake wished he had been brave enough to talk to her. Why hadn’t he just said hello? Now she was back and hopefully she would be attending the Institute. If she did, Drake was going to make sure that he said hello to her. It was a tiny goal but for Drake, it meant a lot.

*******************************************************************************************

Camille had quickly given her grandmother, Gisele, a hug and kiss before running upstairs to get changed. Gisele followed and sat down on the bed as Camille got ready, chatting away without a breath.

‘Oh I saw Elsa this morning at the farmer’s market, she says hello,’ Gisele was saying happily. ‘And then I bumped into Hector, oh he is so goodlooking! I swear, if I was ten years younger..’

Camille smiled and listened as her grandmother filled her in about her day and the people she met. It had only been the two of them together after Camille’s grandfather passed away four years ago; Camille’s parents had died when she was five years old. She had been adopted by her grandparents and despite the early tragedy, she had had a happy and comfortable childhood. They lived in a villa by the harbour with painted blue shutters and a rooftop terrace with 360 views of the ocean; it was a sheer contrast to the poky apartment Camille’s parents had lived in which had needles covering the carpet and damp stains in the living room.

Camille chose a gold silk bias cut dress and rose gold strappy heels. Her hair was tousled and hanging down in waves and her make-up was smokey. She sprayed her Chanel perfume to her wrists, inhaling the scent.

Giving her grandmother a quick kiss, Camille grabbed her gold clutch and called their driver, Henry, to get the car ready.

She arrived an hour late for the Bash which was deliberate. Her grandmother had taught her that showing up late to a party wasn’t rude, it was merely stating the fact that without her, the party hadn’t started yet.

Camille took a glass of champagne on arrival and surveyed her surroundings, ignoring the whispers from the other guests who had spotted her. She ignored the sound of cameras clicking and the quick typing of fingers on screens, clearly sending messages to Gossip Girl that Camille Montespan was in the building.

She waved to some girls in the corner who were wanting her attention. She always said hello to people and always made an effort to be nice; her grandmother had raised her well.

Bertrand had gone all out for this Bash. Servers were dressed like Greek gods and goddesses while a lifesize statue of Posideon was standing in the middle of a fountain; champagne was flowing from his marble nipples. Camille wrinkled her nose. Money didn’t buy class.

She knew Olivia and Liam would be here tonight and she was keen to avoid them while she looked for Bertrand. Luckily, Bertrand wasn’t hard to find as he was standing at the top of the staircase with a sword. He sliced the sword into a champagne bottle and everyone cheered when champagne fizzed out, soaking the guests nearby.

Bertrand let out a cackle then stopped when his eyes met Camille’s. He cleared his throat and passed the bottle to a guest, before slinking down the staircase to greet her.

‘Camille Montespan, you look like a goddess!’ he cried, fixing an artificial smile on his face. ‘It has been far too long, darling!’

He kissed Camille’s cheeks. Camille copied his smile. ‘Can we talk?’ she asked quietly, keeping the smile on her face. Bertrand nodded and guided her outside to the courtyard which was empty.

‘Darling-’

Camille whipped around to face him. ‘You’re throwing parties while your brother is in a facility?’ she hissed.

Bertrand raised his hands in defence. ‘Camille, it’s not what it looks like. Let me explain.’

‘No, Bertrand,’ Camille spat, rounding on him. ‘Let me tell you what it looks like. Your younger brother has tried to take his own life and is being kept under 24/7 supervision at a rehab facility. Meanwhile, you’re throwing parties and nobody is saying anything! What the fuck?!’

Bertrand pressed his fingers on either side of his nose and exhaled. ‘Camille..’ he ground out. ‘Let me fucking talk.’

Camille narrowed her eyes and waited for him to begin his speech. ‘Nobody needs to know what Maxwell is in there,’ Bertrand told her. ‘We don’t want the publicity. We want this to just stay in the dark. I had this Bash planned for months; if I cancelled it, people would wonder why and that would invite questions and soon, people would find out about my brother. So, it’s business as usual. We keep the Beaumont reputation intact.’

Camille stared at him, her eyes wide. ‘Wait.. you are holding a party to keep up fucking appearances?’

Bertrand opened his mouth to justify himself but Camille bulldozed through. ‘Your brother tried to commit suicide and you’re worried it’s going to tarnish your reputation? How dare you? How disgusting a person are you, Bertrand? He adores you, he would do anything for you, but as soon as he needs you, you turn around and throw a party because God forbid all of Cordonia finds out that not everything is all sunshine and roses in the Beaumont household. God, you make me sick-’

‘Don’t lecture me about things you don’t understand,’ Bertrand interrupted, his voice rising. ‘You haven’t been here, Camille. You don’t know how hard I tried to help him and to keep us above water. You have swanned in, Princess Camille, acting like you know everything when you fucking don’t.’

‘He’s my best friend-’

‘And he’s my brother,’ Bertrand said, his eyes filling with tears. ‘He’s my family, my only family. Don’t you dare act like I don’t care about him when I fucking do. I love my brother.’

Camille looked ready to reply but Bertrand cut over her. ‘Get out of my party,’ he said quietly. ‘I don’t want you here.’

Camille clenched her fists. ‘Bertrand, I’m sorry-’

‘You said enough,’ Bertrand whispered. ‘Just get out.’

He turned on his heel and stormed back into the house, slamming the door on Camille. Blinking back tears, Camille made her way back to her waiting car and asked Henry to drive her to the Palace Hotel Bar.

*******************************************************************************************

Savannah had managed to log into Gossip Girl on her laptop, now that her phone was confiscated. Jackson gave up trying to manage her. The family were sat around the table eating spaghetti, listening to Savannah who would gasp and announce to the two disinterested men who was wearing what to the Bash.

‘Penelope is wearing Prada, of course! Oh and Kiara is wearing the same dress but in a different colour…’

Jackson and Drake ignored her, exchanging bored glances.

‘Oh! Ooh, interesting..’ she whispered.

Drake sighed and threw his fork down on his plate. ‘What? What is so fucking interesting?’

Savannah rolled her eyes and showed him the laptop screen. ‘Camille’s at the Palace Hotel Bar,’ she told him. ‘Either she went to the Bash and left early or she didn’t go.. She looks really sad.’

The screen showed a bad quality image of Camille sat at the hotel bar nursing a martini. Clearly, a hotel guest had seen that she was there and sent the tip to Gossip Girl. Anyone could be paparazzi these days.

Camille did look sad.

Drake’s heart tugged.

‘She’s back in Cordonia after three years, who knows how difficult it must be to try and get back in with her friends..’ Savannah continued. ‘Maybe she has nobody..’

Drake was up in an instant. He didn’t know why but something was urging him to get to that hotel bar and say hello. He wanted to say hello.

Jackson watched Drake fling his jacket on. ‘Where are you going?’

‘Out,’ Drake said. ‘Don’t wait up.’

Before he could think about how stupid this was, he was out of the apartment and hailing a taxi to the Palace Hotel Bar. This was his chance. She wasn’t at the Bash; she was alone; she might want company?

Maybe he was being delusional.

Maybe she was meeting someone there? But who would prefer to go to a hotel bar rather than a Beaumont Bash?

Enough second guessing.

This was it. He was going to say hello.

Drake was going to say hello to Camille Montespan.

#drake walker #trr au #trr fanfic

27 notes · View notes

diyunho · 5 years

Text

The Joker x Reader - “ Nobody” Part 1

After not feeling well for months, The Joker finally found out why: the life threatening condition is so serious there’s only a 50/50 chance of survival. Dealing with a brain tumor is not going to be easy, that’s why The King of Gotham asked his half-brother Arthur to help Y/N while he’ll undergo treatment.

The Joker yawns, repositioning his head in your lap.

“You want a small pillow?” you pause the movie you’re both watching and he refuses.

“No,” J stretches on the couch. “These are soft enough,” he pokes your thighs and you squirm, ticklish to his touch.

Suddenly, the cell phone chimes and J reaches his hand to grab it from the table.

“Arthur is here,” he announces. “He wasn’t in a hurry, hm?” The Joker mumbles while getting up.

You decline to comment and do the same because you can hear the elevator going up to the Penthouse. You could say the anticipation is making you a little bit nervous: you’ve been with J for about 10 months but you’ve never met Arthur. Probably it’s safe to assume they are not very close yet soon after finding out about the illness, The Joker contacted his sibling to let him know and sure enough he agreed to come over and help.

Although Mr. Fleck is three hours late, it doesn’t mean he is trying to back out on his promise.

The elevator opens and Arthur emerges dressed in one of his red suits, anxiously passing his fingers through his curls. J wants to criticize and his brother is in no mood for a lecture:

“Before you lash out, I was delayed by an unexpected issue!” he keeps talking and walking in your direction. “My apologies.”

“What issue?” J growls and Arthur extends the palm of his hand, firmly shaking yours, definitely not waiting for an introduction: “Hello there,” he smiles. “I’m the older, smarter, funnier and more charming version; you must be the better half.”

“Riiiiiight…” The Joker rolls his eyes, annoyed.

“Y/N,” you smirk at the man’s remark and he lets go of your hand, explaining his delayed arrival:

“Don’t get worked up, kid. One of my projects required immediate attention and I had to sort it out.”

You expect The Joker to protest the nickname but he doesn’t mention anything: Arthur always called him that since they were teenagers and your boyfriend is used to it. Doesn’t bother him at all.

“Do you want a drink? Are you hungry?” you offer and he nods a no.

“I’m good; thanks,” he takes a sit on the nearest armchair and the couple reprises their position on the sofa.

A few moments of silence before Arthur decides to talk about the reason why he’s at the Penthouse.

“Sooo… What did the doctors find out? How bad is it?” he inquires and you unconsciously cling to J’s arm, not willing to hear about it again.

“The brain tumor is too big, I can’t have surgery yet. I already started with lower doses of medication 20 days ago, I have to gradually build up to the higher doses so my body can handle it. Soon I’ll have chemo every 3 weeks, then every 2 we…”

A low chuckle and Arthur covers his mouth in horror.

“Sorry…” he has a chance to whisper before bursting out laughing.

“Here we go…” The Joker crosses his legs, patiently waiting for his brother to finish his outburst. The King of Gotham may not be an accommodating individual, but his sibling’s condition is something he has always tolerated without any problem.

“I’m very…” Arthur tries to speak but the strenuous sounds he makes at the end of each cackle prove how much he’s struggling to control his inappropriate amusement. “…s-sorry,” he continues to snicker while digging in his pocket for a small piece of laminated paper. He finds the item and hands it over to you; you curiously inspect the writing: it basically explains his neurological disorder in a few words.

“It’s fine, J told me,” you return the information to its owner.

“I can’t believe you still have that,” The Clown Prince of Crime huffs as Arthur is slowly regaining his composure.

“I’m very sorry,” he emphasizes his regrettable outpour. “You were saying?”

J deeply inhales and reprises the briefing:

“I’ll have to do chemo every 3 weeks, then every 14 days until the tumor shrinks enough to be operable. I guess I have a 50/50 chance of surviving the whole thing, that’s why I asked for your cooperation in helping Y/N oversee my affairs. I will get worse before I might get better, thus here we are.”

Arthur pulls tissues out of the box next to him and gives them to the devastated Y/N: The Joker didn’t notice you are quietly sobbing by his side.

“Please stop crying,” he kisses your temple, avoiding your emotions like he regularly does. The best option is to divert the gathering towards another topic. “We got ready one of the bedrooms upstairs for you; I hope that’s up to your standards.”

“My standards are normal,” the truth is blurred out. “You’re the fancy one, kid. That’s why you’re The Joker and I’m Joker; I don’t need any glorification. Plus, I didn’t oppose when you picked this half of town and left me the other.”

“You’re an idiot!” the green haired man stands up from his spot, wanting nothing more than to retreat to the master bedroom after an exhausting day.

“Runs in the family,” Arthur nonchalantly hints and you snort, blowing your nose in a tissue.

“Keep your mouth shut!” J advices and you have no clue he’s referring to more than just the constant bickering going on between them. “I’m calling it quits, are you coming?”

“I’ll have a smoke on the terrace first, “Arthur searches for his pack of cigarettes and you believe this is the perfect chance to chat with him:

“I’ll stay with our guest, alright?”

“Suit yourselves,” The Joker grumbles and you follow his brother outside on the huge patio.

“I forgot how nice this is from the 30th floor,” Arthur stirs the conversation while lighting up a cigarette.

“Yes, it’s a lovely view,” you wipe your tears and he resentfully mutters:

“I fucking hate this town…”

You sigh, not wishing to interrupt in case he has more to add and the plain inquiry catches you off guard.

“How are you holding up?”

The question resonates in the awkward stillness and Y/N elects to bring him up to date.

“I’m doing the best I can under the circumstances. He’s not doing well…” you sniffle and Arthur pays attention to your confession. “The medications may be in low amount, but they are strong; they make him very confused at times, plus the side effects of the tumor… he forgets things, he has no idea where he is or… or… who I am. The doctors advised that when it happens we have to go with the flow and not push for him to recall details. His brain is under a lot of pressure and this is only the beginning.”

Arthur blows smoke up in the air, displeased with the news about his younger sibling.

“Shit, that’s rough…”

That’s surely the understatement of the year for the heartbroken Y/N.

“When he doesn’t recognize me, I tell him I’m nobody, just a person taking care of the place and he doesn’t even know the difference. I suggest you avoid any type of confrontation while he’s like that; please generalize everything you articulate and don’t complicate the situation.”

“Of course… Yeah, yeah, of course,” he is fast to agree with your guidance.

“Thank you,” you sincerely show your gratitude because you appreciate his presence. “I think I’ll join him upstairs; tonight he’s beginning higher dosage on his pills and he might have a reaction.”

“I’ll stay and finish my cigarette,” Arthur scratches the scar above his lip. “Which bedroom is mine?”

“Fourth one on the left.”

“Perfect, I’ll find it,” he waves as you return inside, eager to check up on The Clown Prince of Crime.

**************

“What the … t-the hell?” The Joker stutters, groggy from the strong medications swallowed a few hours ago.

You barely distinguish his wobbly silhouette standing by the bed.

“What’s wrong?” you turn on the lamp on the nightstand, instantly aware of his wet boxers.

“I d-didn’t make it to… to the bathroom,” J seems out of it, yet at least he realizes that much.

“Oh, it’s totally fine,” you maintain your cool and jump off the sheets, rushing to help him. “The doctors warned accidents could happen since the drugs are making you dizzy and super drowsy. Let’s step in the bathtub, shall we?”

You take his hand and lead a compliant boyfriend to the master bathroom; sometimes it’s easy to deal with him in this state, sometimes it’s not.

Luckily tonight he’s obedient.

You turn on the water and he tightly holds his boxers while you attempt to yank them off him.

“Who…who are you?” The Joker sulks, unhappy with your movement.

“I’m nobody,” you reply and manage not to cry at his disorientation. “I’m here to help you, ok?” you calmly try to reason with his baffled mind.

“I… I… I don’t want you to see me naked,” he complains and Y/N has an easy solution for the apparent controversy.

“I’ll close my eyes, deal?”

You do as vowed and J lets you undress him, finally ending up in the bathtub for a quick, relaxing soak.

“You want bubbles?” you glance at him once the body is submerged under the warm water.

“No…” he yawns and you fold a towel, placing it under his head in case he’ll pass out.

“Where… where am I?...”

A faint knock at the door and Arthur talks in a low tone:

“Everything good?”

“Yes, we’re fine,” he distinguishes your reply; he just returned from the underground garage with his suitcase and discerned the commotion: made him wonder if his assistance was necessary.

“Who was that?” The Joker enjoys being pampered by the stranger he doesn’t recognize for the moment; apparently forgot about shyness also because he has no objection to the sponge bath now.

“The maintenance guy,” you lie without blinking while pouring more shampoo over J’s toxic green locks.

*************

10 am

Arthur joined you and The Joker in the kitchen less than 5 minutes ago; he positioned himself against the counter, this way he has a broad perspective of the whole space. He sips on the fresh coffee, observing the scene unfolding at the table:

J is reading a magazine and you feed him breakfast, caressing his hair every few seconds. You didn’t mention anything about last night; he woke up feeling a bit better and it’s safe not to agitate him with useless facts.

“Are you hungry?” you address Arthur and he lifts his shoulders up, undecided.

“Maybe… I’ll munch on something shortly.”

“Hurry up before it gets cold,” you encourage him and The Joker is already as crabby as he can be.

“Stop bugging him! If he wants to eat, he’ll eat!”

“I’m not bugging him,” you defend your action, upset at J’s feisty attitude.

“She’s not bugging me,” Arthur tucks a rebel curl behind his ear, disapproving of his brother’s assumption.

“I’m not,” you sweetly smile and The Joker slaps your fingers away from his hair.

The cheerfulness dies on your face and you get up, kicking the chair in the process.

“I’ll bring your morning meds,” you enunciate and leave the kitchen in a hurry.

“Goddamn irritating,” J hisses at your behavior and Arthur can’t zip it.

“Are you stupid?” he sucks on his cheeks and that definitely gets your boyfriend’s attention.

“What did you say?!”

“I’ve been here for minutes and she didn’t take a single bite out of anything, too preoccupied with making sure you eat. Do you even notice how she looks at you?” he raises his voice. “So I’m asking you again: are you stupid?”

“Excuse me?!” J abandons his seat and the threatening demeanor queues Arthur about the imminent scuffle, not that he’s willing to avoid it.

“I wasn’t clear enough?” the latest provokes his sibling. “ARE. YOU. STUUUUPID?” he repeats, cracking his neck with anticipation.

You are coming downstairs with the meds and the ruckus happening in the kitchen makes you speed up.

You are certainly not disappointed at the show: J and Arthur are wrestling on the floor, relentlessly hitting one another.

“Stop it!!” you shout and your plea is ignored. “Stop it!” you insist when you detect Arthur’s bloody nose and J’s busted lip. “Are you deaf?! Stop it!!”

This is the last drop: after another shitty night and the stuff you endured recently, you are completely lacking any kind of patience for anybody’s nonsense.

You toss the vial with The Joker’s tablets on the counter, snatch the ice bucket from the freezer and fill it out with water. The ice cubes float in the clear liquid: the 8 gallons metal container is pretty large since it’s used for J’s grape juice cans.

You thud on the marble floor and dump the freezing concoction on top of the two heated fighters, the sudden shock from the unexpected impact being enough to halt the brawl.

“Ugg!!” J rolls on his back while Arthur crawls by the stove. “What are you doing, Y/N?!” he yells and you storm out, firmly squeezing the ice bucket to your chest without realizing.

The loud bang of a shut door bears witness of your justified rage concerning the altercation; how can you not get mad at such crap?!

Arthur seeks for his beloved cigarettes in the interior of his orange vest, triumphantly lightening one after failing the first trials.

“I like her,” he puffs the fumes out, leaning towards his brother because J is gesturing for the bud.

The Joker takes a deep drag, admitting for once:

“Me too.”

“I thought you quit,” Arthur points out.

“I did,” his brother answers, glaring at the ceiling. “Clean up this mess!” he orders and continues to smoke.

“Nope, we should let fate determine,” the older sibling suggests and J falls into the little trap.

“Rock, paper, scissors?”

“Ready?” Arthur smirks and counts. “1…2…3!”

“… … … Dammit!” The King of Gotham cusses.

“Have fun, kid!” the winner plucks the cig away from J. “Gimme, these are bad for your health!”

**************

“Are you in here?” The Joker sneaks in his office and watches you patrol around the desk, still vigorously attached to the infamous ice bucket.

The lack of reply makes him approach the distressed woman; you avoid gazing his way at all costs.

“I need my pitcher,” he sniffles and Y/N disregards his sentence. “You’re aware I like to use grape juice on ice for those bitter capsules. There’s no bucket and no ice in the freezer so… what am I supposed to do? Skip my morning remedy?”

A hint of lowered resistance and he’s taking advantage of it.

“My lip hurts,” he rubs the swollen, red spot. “I need ice for this too.”

You place your precious bucket on top of some folders, cautiously examining the superficial cut.

“Stitches won’t be necessary,” the obvious result updates a pouting J.

“Are you sure?” he plays dumb and wraps his arms around your waist. “Take a closer look, I can’t afford to walk around with chipped dignity.”

You peck the unharmed corner of his mouth, mad you’re giving into such cheap amendments.

“I’m positive…”

The Joker grins and kisses you, entirely convinced it wasn’t hard to get under your skin.

“You’re not going to leave, are you?” he rests his forehead on yours and Y/N is speechless at the question. “This is the tumor talking, obviously,” J fixes the tiny mistake when he sees your reaction.

“Obviously…” you whisper, sadly reckoning he purposely avoids any type of sensitive debate about your future together.

The Joker though is carefully listening to Arthur mumbling on the hallway, suspicious at the meaning.

“Is he eavesdropping?!” you focus on the faint words also and it clicks for J.

“Cut it out!!!” he screams while Mister Fleck is not phased, joyfully concluding the ceremony the couple didn’t agree to.

“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you Nobody and Joker!”

“What was that?!” you crinkle your nose, puzzled.

“He has a minister license and never used it; he tried to hitch me with my ex too,” J clarifies his brother’s odd conduct.

“You may now kiss the bride!” Arthur shouts and The Joker had enough:

“Shut the fuck up!!!”

“What am I supposed to do with my license then?!” the wavy hair pops in the door frame.

“I don’t care!” J snarls, fed up with his sibling’s persistence. “Go pester someone else!” the door is slammed in Arthur’s face; fortunately the 42 years old is not the type of man to be easily offended.

He adjusts the pieces of tissue sticking out of his bloody nose, proudly holding the minister accreditation at eye level.

“I got myself a sister-in-law,” Arthur chuckles at his achievement, impatiently searching for a pack of cigarettes in the pocket of his red jacket.

Also read: MASTERLIST

You can also follow me on Ao3 and Wattpad under the same blog name: DiYunho.

#the joker x reader #the joker fanfiction #the joker imagine #the joker arthur fleck #the joker jared leto #the joker joaquin pheonix #the joker #joker fanfiction #joker arthur fleck #the joker suicide squad #joker suicide squad #mister j #Mistah J #arthur fleck x reader #dc #dcu

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pipermasters · 5 years

Text

Hide and Seek- Phic Phight

Prompt: Start and end the fic with the same sentence, the first time it's positive and happy. The second time it's chilling and foreboding.

@quishaphantom

Sam couldn’t find Danny, and she’d been looking for hours. He was unfairly good at hide and seek.

“This is impossible,” She huffed to Tucker. “He has to be cheating!”

Tucker snickered. “It’s your fault for choosing to play in the park- I warned you he was good.”

“No one is this good!”

“Danny is,” Tucker smirked, reclining in the shade of a tree.

Sam scowled, hand on her hips. She turned in a circle, scanning the crowded park. Danny wasn’t hiding in the playground- she’d checked twice. He wasn’t by the fountain, the pond, or the amphitheater; She was seriously beginning to wonder if he had snuck into the bounce house that was set up for some kid’s birthday party.

“My offer still stands,” Tucker teased. “I’ll find him for you- you just have to admit he’s the king of hide and seek!”

“You swear he’s not cheating?”

“I swear,” Tucker stretched his arms above his head. “But I also swear that as soon as I show you, you’re gonna feel like an idiot.”

“I’ve looked everywhere!” Sam cried. “Twice! If anything, I’ll be impressed.”

“Nah,” he disagreed. “You’ll feel stupid.”

Grumbling, Sam followed Tucker towards the part of the park populated by trees. She’d already spent too long in there looking for her friend; She’d even climbed the trees to see if he was hiding in the branches.

“He’s not in here, Tuck,” She assured. “I checked.”

“You didn’t check everywhere.” Motioning for her to be quiet, Tucker crept over to a log, an evil grin on his face. He jumped on the log, stomping his feet. A shriek sounded from inside before none other than Danny Fenton was scrambling out.

“Not cool!” He shouted, shoving Tucker playfully.

Sam stared at him. “You were in a log?”

“Yup.” Danny brushed dead leaves out of his hair.

“Told you you’d feel dumb!” Tucker laughed.

“Three hours,” Sam couldn’t believe it. “You sat there for three hours? Didn’t you get bored?”

Danny shrugged. “Not really- I was texting Tucker.”

“Tucker!” She snapped in betrayal.

“To be fair, I had no proof of he was here,” he slung an arm over Danny’s shoulders. “But I had a good idea.”

“Sometimes I think you two share a brain,” Sam crossed her arms, smiling.

“That’s what happens when you’ve been friends for 12 years!”

“12?” Danny verified the math in his head. “My God we’re getting old.”

“You’re in 8th grade,” Sam rolled her eyes. “You aren’t old.”

“In a few months we’ll be in high school,” Tucker pointed out. “Can we consider ourselves old then?”

Sam just laughed as she and the boys left the park to get lunch at the Nasty Burger.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tucker couldn’t find Danny, and he’d been looking for hours. His best friend was still mortified over losing his pants in front of Paulina.

“Dude, come on,” Tucker called. “It’s not that big a deal!”

Tucker and Sam had been searching the town since Danny had run out of school, going ghost behind a tree and taking off. Now, Tucker was in Danny’s house, checking every hiding spot he knew of.

Frustrated, Tucker pulled out his phone, dialing Danny for the thousandth time. He smirked when he heard his ringtone.

“Rookie mistake, Danny!” Tucker followed the sound to Danny’s room; there was a shuffling in the closet, presumably caused by Danny trying to silence his phone. Tucker threw open the door, sighing when he didn’t see his friend.

“I know you’re here dude, being invisible won’t work,”

With a sigh, Danny appeared, sitting on the top shelf in his closet. It had been his designated moping spot in middle school- not that anyone else knew that was where he hid. Tucker had thought Danny had given up on hiding there, but obviously he was wrong.

Pocketing his cell, Tucker climbed up to join him, squishing himself into the remaining space.

“I’m amazed we still fit up here,” Tucker said lightheartedly. Danny said nothing.

“C’mon man, it wasn’t that bad.”

Danny scoffed. “I beg to differ. I totally blew any chance I had with Paulina.”

“That’s so not true! We all know you never had a chance,” Tucker chuckled weakly as Danny glared at him with glowing eyes.

“Not helping.”

“Sorry.”

“I hate these powers,” Danny moaned, burying his head in his hands. “They’ve been nothing but a curse!”

“You don’t really believe that, do you?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“What about all the awesome stuff you’ve been able to do?” Tucker asked. “Dude, you can fly! Do you know how many people wish they could do that?”

“It’s not as great as you’d think. If I don’t keep my mouth closed, I get bugs in my teeth.”

“Okay, gross. But what about your other powers? You can turn invisible!”

“As if I wasn’t invisible before!” the ghost groaned, hitting his head back on the wall.

Tucker rolled his eyes. “You’re so dramatic sometimes. You aren’t cursed dude. You were given a gift- just like any other superhero! Think of all the people you’ve helped- people you’ve saved? Do you think they see you as a curse?” Danny said nothing. “Exactly.”

“I still totally embarrassed myself today. Paulina probably thinks I’m some perverted freak!”

“Well, actually, before Sam showed up, I think she was impressed!”

“Really?” Danny’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “Why?”

“Dunno,” Tucker shrugged. “But I did see her tell off Mikey for laughing at you. Maybe you didn’t blow it after all.”

With a smile, Danny reverted back to human. “Thanks Tuck. What would I do without you?”

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

Jazz couldn’t find Danny, and she’d been looking for hours. He’d come home that day with another failed science test and was trying every way possible to avoid telling their parents. Clutching the test in one hand, she scaled the ladder leading to the roof- since getting his ghost powers Danny had been spending more and more time up there.

Sure enough, Danny was laying flat on his back, staring vacantly at the clouds.

“Hey Dan- “

“Jazz, don’t,” Danny draped his arm over his eyes. “I really don’t need you to lecture me right now.”

“Lecture you?” Jazz sat next to her little brother, reclining on her hands. “What makes you think I’d lecture you?”

“You’re my big sister- it’s what you do.”

Jazz smiled, nudging him gently. “Well it’s not what I’m doing now. I just wanted to talk.”

“About what?”

“Mom and dad.”

Danny removed his arm, looking at his sister suspiciously. “What about them?”

“Well, maybe it’s time to tell them about… you know…” Jazz glanced around, making sure none of their parents’ equipment was around to hear her. “Your powers.”

“No!” Danny shot up, eyes wide with panic. “Jazz I can’t!”

“Why not?” she set a calming hand on her brother’s shoulder.

“Are you crazy?” Danny snapped. “What do you think they’ll say Jazz? They’re entire life is dedicated to hunting ghosts; Dad can’t go one day without talking about new methods of dissecting things molecule by molecule! And mom,” Danny shuddered. “I don’t even want to imagine what she would think.”

“They’ll love you no matter what, Danny,” Jazz assured. “They just want what’s best for you.”

“And you expect them to think that being a ghost is the best thing for me?” Danny scoffed. “They’d never stop trying to ‘fix me’.”

“You don’t know that!” Jazz argued. “They’re worried about you Danny- being a secret superhero doesn’t leave a lot of room for normal teenage things. You don’t eat or sleep regularly, you’re falling behind on your chores, and your grades are slipping!”

“I know!” Danny shouted, frustrated. “But what am I supposed to do about it? I can’t be normal and save this town at the same time!”

“They could help with that too! You already borrow their stuff all the time- imagine if you worked together to create new gear!”

“No!”

“You’re being unreasonable! Are you really that scared they’ll hate you?”

“Yes! No! Kinda!” Danny seemed to deflate, all anger leaving him. “It’s complicated.”

Jazz paused, feeling her frustration melt away. Her brother looked so tired and lost. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into a soft hug. “Want to tell me why?”

“Do you remember when the accident first happened?” Danny asked quietly. “When the portal exploded?”

“Of course I do. Mom and dad were arguing all the time. Mom was so mad that- oh.” She trailed off as realization hit her. “You’re scared of them fighting again, aren’t you?”

“It’s not like they don’t fight anyways,” Danny muttered. “But mom was so distressed, and she was so worried that there would be side effects, and knowing what I know now about Vlad and how he got his powers… I don’t know how they would handle it.” He groaned, glaring at the test in Jazz’s hands. “Of course, they might understand ghost powers more than another failed test.”

Jazz glanced at her brother before shredding the test, the pieces blowing away with the wind. “What failed test? As far as I’m aware the teacher misplaced your test after putting in an incorrect grade.”

Danny looked at her, shocked. “But… Jazz, that’s- “

“Cheating?” She shrugged. “Given the circumstances I think it’s fair. C’mon, I’ll help you study for your retake.”

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

Amity Park was in utter chaos. Buildings were in ruin, overturned cars burning in the streets. Civilians ran around in horror as emergency services did their best to calm the crowds. Parents and children cried out for one another, having been separated in the panic. In the midst of it all, Sam, Tucker, and Jazz were anxiously watching the road.

The ghost attack had come out of nowhere, catching them all by surprise. Danny had been completely overwhelmed, even with support from his friends and sister. The ghost had dealt a particularly devastating blow, sending Danny through the pavement and into the sewers. The three had tried to follow, but police were already on the scene, keeping them away.

The Fenton’s had appeared on the scene 10 minutes ago; they’d entered the sewer 30 seconds later. For 7 minutes the trio had heard muffed shouts and battle cries as various equipment sounded, smoke rising from the hole in the street.

A minute later, Jack Fenton emerged, hoisting his wife after him; she proudly brandished a shaking thermos. Happily, they lead the crowd away, Jack making a point to brag in front of everyone who had ever doubted him. Determining there was no danger, the police marked off the area to be fixed as soon as the mayor sent a construction crew. They too left to celebrate with the Fenton’s.

Tucker, Sam, and Jazz stayed, waiting for Danny to join them.

At 5 minutes, Jazz got anxious; After 10, Tucker was starting to panic. When Danny still hadn’t appeared 15 minutes later, Sam jumped over the caution tape with a declaration of “Screw this, I’ll find him myself!”

Sam didn’t find him after 15 minutes.

Tucker was still scouring the wreckage 30 minutes later.

Jazz hadn’t found him after an hour.

Twenty minutes later, Tucker had made himself hoarse calling for his best friend

Twenty minutes later, Sam was searching by the light of her phone.

Twenty minutes later, Jazz started to cry.

Jazz couldn’t find her brother- he wasn’t laying on their roof.

Tucker couldn’t find his best friend- he wasn’t hiding in his closet.

Sam couldn’t find her hero- he wasn’t under a log in the park.

He’s the king of hide and seek. He’s just hiding. He’s unfairly good at hide and seek.

Sam couldn’t find Danny, and she’d been looking for hours.

#phic phight #prompts #quishaphantom #Danny Phantom #fanfiction

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ocular-intercourse · 5 years

Text

OC MASTERPOST

Alright, putting this together you really notice how old most of these characters are, theres a lot of cliched and coincidental stuff in there that i & others came up with when i was 15-21. Finn got the whole brunt of my edgy scene teen angst phase... but then again Asher is brand new and not looking any better so there’s that. Sorry children, i love the drama. Also all of them being queer men is absolutely just teenage me living out my queer male identity through them before i even knew it hasghj.

NAME/NICKNAME: Finnegan Bastien Jeong-Bak / Finn, Junebug (by his fans) (his terrible mish mash of a name is product of his parents forcefully pushing their heritage away to make it easier for Finn to fit in, once they reached his sister they were more relaxed about the problem)

AGE/BIRTHDAY: 27 years / 17.04.

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: French Canadian / Asian (South Korean)

BASED ON: /

GENDER/SEXUALITY: Cis male / bisexual (probably pan if he’d be more informed)

FAMILY: FATHER | Jin Hee Jeong | 48 years | janitor | very difficult relationship, for most of his life he considered his father to be a good dad till the drinking started and then the abuse, hes still not quite ready to let his relationship with his father go, so he keeps in contact, which often led to fights with Shawn, as well as the fact that Finn still has not outed himself in front of his father out of fear of rejection

MOTHER | Yeon Soo Bak | 47 years | owns a café | similarly rocky, they are now at a good point but he knows his mother struggles with his identity and life choices, so much she tried to manipulate a lot of things in the past but learned to leave that be, he is grateful towards her for leaving his father when she did. he bought her a café cause he loves her so much

SISTER | Sun Marise Haywood, née Jeong-Bak | 24 years | stay at home mom | he was always close to his sister, she just assimilated into his friend group in high school, and still is an important part of his life, or is again, they had a phase of not talking after some jealousy issues regarding his relationship with Shawn and her friendship with him, Sun is very protective over her brother and his mental instability and does her best to keep him healthy. That includes a very strict anti-Shawn stance, regarding the pain he has caused her brother in the past. Sun is happily married and has a daughter, a fact that somewhat relieves Finn, at least someone in the family that fulfills their mother’s wishes.

NIECE | Molly Florence Haywood | 4 months | A literal baby. Finn famously is not very keen on children, especially babies and goes out of their way. His niece however managed to steal his heart, plus he can just give her back to her mother when she becomes troublesome, the ideal arrangement. He likes to spoil her.. not that she would care at this point.

HALFBROTHER | Bryant Cole Reno | 7 years | student | His father’s illegitimate child with an American prostitute. Classy. But not Bryant’s fault. Finn learned of his existence when he was 3 and has since then sort of taken part in raising him, not that he would ever consider that to be true. He is very sensible to his brothers living conditions considering the bad stuff he himself experienced growing up, and does his best to ensure him to grow up happy and healthy, which includes denying him contact with their father (despite not pulling the same measures for himself). Bryant is a smart kid, overachieving, Finn already feels like he is dancing circles around him, and truly does not know where the kid gets it from.

FRIENDS: Noteworthy are on the Canadian side: His childhood/youth best friend Kitty (deceased), almost equally important Logan & Colin (all three of them share a brain cell), his ex-girlfriend of 5 years Emily (rocky long distance friendship atm), ex-affair & close friend Raphael (his voice of reason). On the American side: Close friends Randy (trashfire bff) & Jade (cinnamon bun), his ex-boyfriend of ~4 years Shawn (heartbreak!!).

S.O.: No one atm cause he is, even after 2 years apart, still very much desperately hung up on Shawn and not getting over that breakup anytime soon. Learning that Shawn is in a new relationship has thoroughly pulled the rug out from under him and left him questioning why Shawn managed to move on so much quicker (and if the other guy is more attractive than him). He also struggles very much with the fact that Shawn has made extremely positive progress in the two years without him (unable to see that the same is applicable to himself too).

I guess that still deserves an entry here:

Shawn Alexander | 28 years | currently Barkeeper & Musician | Shawn comes from a rich family and therefore has the polar opposite starting conditions to Finn, but nonetheless experienced many shared interests, but also miseries, from abusive fathers to drug use. With two general distinctions: While Finn’s mother acted after discovering the abuse, Shawn’s mother stayed complicit. While Shawn escaped into his heroin addiction, Finn developed an strict anti-drug stance after Kitty’s death. They were a volatile mixture, the good times were extraordinarily good, the bad ones catastrophic, with Finn quickly acting out when cornered and Shawn reacting aggressively, their fights were often ruthless. Finn has considered many times since they broke up that maybe people who love each other, even this strongly, are not necessarily automatically meant to be together. That does naturally not have any impact on his feelings or his lacking ability to act reasonable when it comes to emotions.

OCCUPATION: Professional Tennis Player (out of spite)

ABILITIES: highly athletic, good cook, excellent singer & musician, good technical understanding (esp. towards cars), fluent in french (native) & english, minor knowledge of korean

INTERESTS: cooking, music, sports, cars, video games, podcasts about movies, games, techincal innovations and whatever obscure topic interests him at the moment (podcasts, games and other media is stuff that he only recently discovered for himself, since his job does not allow for a lot of time with his friends, so that’s his compensation)

APPEARANCE: 6′3″ tall and muscular (but too lean for his liking, he cannot built up mass for the love of it), dark brown eyes and nearly black hair, currently a little over chin long but worn in a bun or ponytail (he feels like short hair makes him look like a child, but he’s also just too busy/lazy to get haircuts every couple of weeks), a prominent scar runs through his left eyebrow, he has multiple tattoos, a flower pattern on the inside of his right arm, a skeleton with a laurel wreath on the inside of his left arm, a geometric pattern just above his ankle on the inside of his right leg, more geometric patterns on his shoulder blades and a moth in the middle just below his neck

PLOTPOINTS: born in Montreal to south korean parents | best friends with Kitty (Catherine) | best friends with Logan & Colin | struggles in school because of growing up with multiple languages, hyperactivity and later problems with authority figures | free time either spent on the streets with his friends or with his father at his job as a mechanic | relationship with Emily age 13 | growing behavioral issues at first misunderstood as ‘only’ adhd | starting music (drumming, later other instruments) & sport (tennis) to make him tired | dedication to sport & music as compensation for bad schoolwork, to show he’s at least good at something | father loses job, becomes driving instructor | move to poorer area of town | added stress in family setting | with 15 diagnosis BPD after behavioral issues became increasingly dangerous | Finn becomes aware of his father’s drinking problem, often being the one to take care of him during and after these times | with 16 affair with 25 yo Raphael (in hindsight Finn finds this somewhat alarming) | more time spent away from the family, more time on the streets with minor criminal activities & drug use (in varying degrees, Kitty taking heroin being the strongest) | school work evens out through good grades in subjects he was interested in vs bad grades in everything else | with 18 family vacation in New York, Finn meets Shawn, they have an ons | break-up with Emily, after she finds out about his affair & one-night-stands | after Finn & the others were away for another vacation they come back to find out that Kitty has used the opportunity to kill herself with a planned overdose, Finn never reads the good-bye letter, he spends the next months in a state of emotional crisis and gives up on finishing school, when he can get out of bed he spends his time with sports as an distraction | Jin-hee’s alcoholism & job clash as he and a student get in an accident with alcohol in Jin-hee’s system, he loses his job and the trial, now having to pay heavy compensation for the damages, pushing the family further into poverty | Finn and his father start to fight more and more, with Jin-hee’s condition worsening and Finn provoking him, either actively, or by choosing not to carry his weight in the family and generally being an undesirable son, resulting in Jin-hee venting his anger by hitting his son | with Finn turning 21 his mother definitively discovers what had been going on, she leaves Jin-hee in an ugly divorce, takes her kids & moves to New York | despite everything Finn keeps contact with his father and has somehow managed to mostly forgive him | Finn & Shawn meet again & quickly end up in a relationship | when Finn learns about Shawn’s heroin addiction he wants to end things, but decides to give him a chance | what follows is 4-5 years up and down with two break-ups, one after a series of misunderstandings and meddling from Yeon that end up with Finn cheating, another one after a burned Shawn learns, after giving it another chance, about things that Finn has hidden from him, such as Jin-hee’s illegitimate child that Finn himself has only recently met, and a row of events unfold that lead to Shawn attempting but failing suicide | when he learns about it Finn declares Shawn as dead in his eyes and tells him he never wants to see him again | another emotional crisis for Finn and again he throws himself into sports to drown out the bad thoughts and make himself too tired to think, only this time he meets the right people and with the right support ends up gliding into the professional sports world | he spends the next two years building up his carrer like a madman and thoroughly enjoys being occupied at all times, as well as for the first time in his life having a stable and strict rhythm to his days, a healthy sleep cycle & positive reaffirmation that help with his mental stability.. oh, and he’s pining for Shawn of course

BONUS INFO: I created him when i was a wee teen but wrote him in different RPGs almost till today, so there were a lot of different versions and revisions. Originally he was a caucasian redhead, it was only years later that i put it together that much of his family dynamics and some of his character would very much fit a minority/immigrant narrative. He was always french-canadian, but in the beginning he moved to England instead of New York (fun fact: it was Canterbury, which is why i later used the city for Teddy instead). Really sad to have lost Shawn’s accent, but honestly it makes much more sense for the city to be so much closer to home. If i would call any of my OCs my main OC it would definitely be Finn, he is my obsession, there’s next to no days where i don’t imagine him in some sort of scenario, AU or canon. I am however hesitant to use him for anything, since part of his story, meaning Shawn’s character, belongs to my friend Mel, who i’ve lost contact with. When i was last writing him in a RPG i used korean actor Kim Bum for his faceclaim, and i still like to reference his pictures, look him up and you’ll see what i mean with Finn looking younger with shorter hair.

NAME/NICKNAME: Wendell Theodore Parker / Teddy

AGE/BIRTHDAY: 19 years / 23.09.

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: British / Caucasian (or whatever the god side counts as)

BASED ON: originally comes from a Percy Jackson RPG

GENDER/SEXUALITY: Cis Male / gay

FAMILY: FATHER | Julien Samuel Parker | 45 years | cardiologist

MOTHER | Demeter | goddess of harvest, agriculture & fertility of the earth

STEPMOTHER | Katherine Marie Parker | 44 years | lector

HALF-BROTHER | Bradley Howard Parker | 24 years | author (alias J. B. Baxter)

HALF-SISTER | Amanda Carrie Parker | 20 years | student of cultural sciences

+ a shitton of half-siblings on Demeter’s side

FRIENDS: Rufus Whitmore | 19 years | Son of Apollo | Actually Zeke’s best friend and No. 1 in the ‘kick Zeke in the ass to make him stand by his feelings club’ which is why Teddy is phenomally thankful for the support. Maybe due to his dad Rufus generally has a very healing, hardworking and good-natured personality, though combined with a bit of a superiority complex.

Caspar Renier | 19 years | Son of Dyonisus | With Dyonisus practically being the party god and all Caspar is very much the agent of chaos in Teddy’s life. He lives for experiencing new and exciting things and likes to incite the same in others. While Teddy loves all things safe, Caspar brings the risk, but somehow the two manage not to annoy each other, but to balance things out. Caspar is Teddy’s best friend since the early days of the academy and reason for many good things that Teddy would have otherwise been too timid about.

Riley O’Donovan | 20 years | Son of Ares | Basically Teddy’s arch nemesis since the early academy days. For some reason he has decided that Teddy was just the right person to push around and pick on, supported by his twin and another half-brother. Teddy, being the pacifist that he is, and generally trying to avoid confrontation, did his best to stay out of their ways, telling himself that fighting back would only make them fight harder. Teddy was with them when the academy was attacked and Riley’s brothers died. Together they fought and survived. At their next meeting they quietly recognized that the experience had connected them and to let bygones be bygones. They are developing an akward friendship with lots of guilt and grief, that’s mostly consistent of helping each other out and, weirdly enough, unquestionable trust through shared trauma.

S.O.: Zeke... i don’t remember his surname, since Teddy is a RPG character he is obviously another person’s character, i’ll try to think back on more info. As a Hermes son he is the charming wayfarer type person, with a guitar on his back and a taste for freedom, i believe he was a year older than Teddy. The relationship is rocky at best and Teddy feels unloved most of the time but his intense feelings for Zeke make him want to hold on and hope for the better just for a little while longer.

OCCUPATION: Student

ABILITIES: [supernatural] control over plants and weather in the immediate vicinity, too much use of his abilities quickly causes hunger, headaches, nausea & exhaustion | an integral instinct about the beginning and natural end of lives, when he concentrates he can tell a person’s age, or if they are close to the end of their lives in case of a natural death. he chooses not to use this ability | his control of plants is quite trained, changes in the weather are mostly out of his control & follow violent mood swings. They show themselves as changes in temperature in his immediate vicinity

[other] low abilities in sword fighting (he shows little motivation because of his pacifistic nature, but has good instinct when it is necessary), slightly better at archery & hand to hand combat, good at riding & general animal handling

INTERESTS: monsters, he has an affinity for anything monstrous and creepy, in fiction & reality, as a unusual choice for Demeter children he wants to work with monsters in some capacity in the future | animals | plants

APPEARANCE: unkempt wavy to curly blonde hair in various states of darker blonde to bleached to grown out color, darker blue/green eyes, 5′10″, cycles through being slightly underweight & healthier depending on his mental state, his clothing style has no apparent rhyme or reason and consists of anything he likes, mostly color- & youthful, wears a leather necklace with a coin pendant at all times. he chooses to be mostly clean shaven, but has a surprisingly strong beard growth

PLOTPOINTS: born, officially, as the 3rd child of the parker family based in Canterbury, happily growing up in a loving upper to middle class family | only trouble so far is the inability to sit still and concentrate on school classes | with 14 he learns of his true nature and the world of gods & demigods | spirals into thoughts of being an outcast and disruptive in his family, considering his father’s infidelity and his ‘mother’s’ will to live with her husband’s illegitimate child | decides to run away after witnessing a fight between his parents while on vacation in America | gets picked up by Zeke, another runaway child, and as it happens another demigod | after sharing their stories Zeke reunites Wendell with his family against his will, Teddy initially resents him for it | the family reconciles, Wendell’s ‘mother’ confirms how much she sees him as her own son | Teddy starts to visit Gaia Academy during his regular school holidays, where demigods get educated and trained according to their special circumstances eg. myths, monster attacks & magical abilities | his brother begins to write about a fictional character based on Teddy’s life and has success with a series of children’s books | reconciliation & later close friendship with Zeke | big homesickness | a bad first romantic/sexual experience, the adjustment to the world of myths & the stress of constant change between regular school & academy life leads to an overwhelming sense of loss of control, which results in an eating disorder that he learns to control via therapy and his family’s support | dreams of becoming a monster herdsman despite his lack in battle prowess due to his strict pacifistic beliefs | is bullied by 3 Ares sons during most of his time at Gaia | gets in the awkward situation of falling in love with his close friend and self-proclaimed heterosexual Zeke, feels the situation is too hopeless and the friendship too precious to do anything about it | pines for years | drunkenly kisses Zeke after receiving a thoughtful birthday gift (aforementioned necklace) | panics about said kiss after Zeke steers clear of him for the rest of the week | turns out Zeke just had a whole week of gay panic™ and needed some time to come to terms with maybe possibly being in love with a guy despite not usually being attracted to men | Zeke confesses & agrees to a relationship | the thing is messy, with lots of sneaking around and no pda, even in private, allowed as Zeke struggles with a religious upbringing and acceptance of his new identity | as a whole Teddy deals poorly with this behavior but endures for the chance of being with his hopeless yearlong never gonna happen crush | meanwhile the world of the demigods is in chaos with wars between different pro- and anti-god-fractions | when an anti-god-organization attacks the academy, Teddy is forced to fight and kill to survive next to his longtime bullies | he & his loved ones survive but afterwards he is not only traumatized by his own actions and the things he has seen, but also the fact that he of all people survived while better fighters died | while the academy reorganizes itself he spends time at home and struggles with the discrepancy between his vs his family’s experiences and not being able to share what happened with a medical professional to work through his trauma | disillusioned he decides it is time for him to mature, when the academy reopens at a new location he dedicates himself to more battle training and after reconciling with the one surviving bully through their shared experience even asks the ares son for personal training

BONUS INFO: Oh, Teddy boy! He also went through several RPGs and rewrites. The first one was a pretty basic Percy Jackson RPG, with Camp Halfblood and all. In that version Teddy was a child of Hebe, and chose to leave his home in one of the many Springfields in America for the safety of his family, since monster attacks suddenly started happening. On his way to the Camp he met Zeke, they had a little road trip and fought their way to their destination. It was a lovely story of hurt/comfort with Teddy being helplessly lost and scared and Zeke taking care of him. An unlikely team that strangely worked out. The whole runaway thing in his current story might not make a lot of sense, but it was our way of incorporating the original runaway/road trip story that was near and dear to our hearts. I’m not sure why i ended up making him a brit when we switched forums, maybe because i missed British Shawn and had to make up for it. The new RPG obviously had a lot of changes on the Percy Jackson Story, it was just inspired by the idea of demigod children but that was about it. Again, since Zeke is not my character i am hesitant to work with this, also i would like to make the setting more original, though i guess there’s only so much you can do with demigods, maybe creating an entirely new pantheon idk. That’s the problem with RPG characters i suppose, they are rarely uninfluenced from other people’s creations, and often based on preexisting works, but i refuse to give up on him. When i first created him i had Boyd Holbrook in mind. (Which is very fun considering his look in Logan, i imagine later Teddy to look like that and what a big fucking ooc contrast that would be to him rn.) Here is an avatar that captures the Teddy feel during the original road trip very well, bonus the matching Zeke ava (obviously portrayed by Jackson Rathbone), bonus bonus a Rufus ava, ft. Aaron Taylor-Johnson:

NAME/NICKNAME: Avery Sanders / Ace of Spades (a sort of artist’s name), Ace

AGE/BIRTHDAY: 22 years / 15.05.

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: American / Caucasian? (or whatever, the god thing, plus he does not know his dad)

BASED ON: said Percy Jackson inspired RPG

GENDER/SEXUALITY: Cis male / asexual (/ poly/panromantic?? he does not know either or really care honestly it’s all just whatever)

FAMILY: FATHER | Michael Hide | deceased

MOTHER | Nyx | goddess of the night, daughter of chaos

HALFBROTHER/LEGAL GUARDIAN | Dale Sanders | 42 years | ?? occupation: lying bastard weasel?? | Their relationship sure is something. In short Ace IDOLIZES his brother big time, though he would never say those words out loud but it is very fucking clear to everyone. He is like a miniature Dale, or trying to be, or trying to surpass him. This makes the last developments in Ace’s story very very complicated. He’s still kinda brainwashed enough that he’s still holding on to the hope that he’s just not informed enough to understand his brother’s motives.

FRIENDS: Benedict Bovine | 21 years | Son of Morpheus | Ben & Ace were roommates in the academy, and no friends for a long time. The Morpheus son was just too much for him, too happy, too optimistic, too intrusive, too annoying. But that’s probably exactly the personality you have to have to stick with Ace and not give up on actually truly befriending him. Somewhere along the way they ended up being best friends which Ace is secretly desperately clinging to because not too many people bother with trying to get close to him even with him being actively unapproachable. Ben has gained a special status in his life and therefore special treatment, namely experiencing Ace’s more positive characteristics and rare insights behind the mask.

Elisabeth Fendi | 22 years | Daughter of Nike | As a Nike daughter she likes challenges, and befriending or even dating Ace certainly is just that. But she had positive reinforcement by looking at Ben’s & Ace’s relationship and knew the goal was achievable. Long story short Ace lost a bet and had to go out with her, and actually kinda enjoyed her ambitious, competitive nature. She whittled him down to becoming friends at least. They certainly do not treat each other overly tender, but that suits both of their nature’s just fine. Elisabeth just kinda started hanging around Ace & Ben and the three are now sticking together.

S.O.: Well not sure actually, there was one version of the Story where Ace dated a girl named Liz, and Elisabeth certainly has some of her characteristics. But it definitely occurred to me that Ace himself has no desire to actually pursue a romantic or sexual relationship of any kind, but has no problem having sex if it just happens to happen. In another version of the story Ben, Ellie & Ace end up having a threesome under somewhat dramatic circumstances and i’ve been playing with the idea of both Ben & Ellie looking to enter a polyamorous relationship with Ace and him just kinda going along with it cause it’s whatever to him and he loves and trusts them and likes being close to them so it’s not a huge difference to him anyways.. which would just be Ace clumsily trying to show his genuine feelings for once and learning how to express affection, both physically & romantically and probably failing a lot. I think i’m sticking with it but i’m not sure about the circumstances yet.

OCCUPATION: Student

CHARACTER: callous | unimpressed & unfazed | has built up a pretty impenetrable unapproachable wall & layers of alter-egos before anyone can end up actually getting to know HIM | lone wolf | slightly misanthropic traits | paranoid & suspicious | fake superiority complex, talks himself into feeling superior to cover up insecurities | cool | hardy | streetwise | casual, mostly outwards to reaffirm his cool, relaxed persona | stoic pokerface | disrespectful unless respect is earned (mostly through undeniable talent in skills he considers worthy) | rebellious, tactless, provoking | trouble with authority figures | might not show his emotions but has no trouble speaking his mind even in unhelpful ways | critical, towards himself and others, actively looks for flaws | show-off | willing to learn & commit himself to bettering his abilities at all times | proud (of his abilities and his reputation) | long-sighted, analytical & strategic thinking | intuitive | resourceful | has talent to lead but decides not to, does not want responsibility over the actions of others | keeps his word always, to a fault, even when joking | persistent | humorous, ironic & sarcastic | underneath his fake persona actually awfully sincere, it just takes time to get there | pathologically loyal | protective, self-sacrificing & caring towards close friends | despite everything and unbeknownst to himself actually undeniably morally good & heroic

ABILITIES: [supernatural] control over shadows | sensing nightmares | Ace is rather trained in hiding in or concealing his movements with shadows, depending on the time of day and the contrast in shadows he can completely hide his presence, the later it gets in the day the easier it is. The control over seeing other people’s fears and nightmares on the other hand is completely out of his hand, it usually happens against his will and leaves him with an aftertaste of said fear that he then carries around for a couple of days.

[other] excellent speed & sword fighting | years of hellish training with his brother have left Ace with an uncanny reaction speed and instinct towards incoming danger, his battle prowess has led to many monster encounters that at this point are neither hard nor surprising.. and honestly kinda fun | musical talent | Ace has lost his heart to electronical music and uses much of his free time to create his own tracks under the pseudonym Ace of Spades. They are mostly rap & electronic mash ups and remixes of popular songs with his personal spin added to them | composure | at any given time Ace has trained himself to stay calm and not show his feelings, so much that at this point he can hardly stop it, which leads to many frustrated people in his life who constantly have to guess what he’s feeling or if he’s even feeling anything at all. It has also made him a practically unbeatable poker player

INTERESTS: music | big city life | close quarter combat | technical gadgets esp. for creating music | challenges | irony | birds | movies & games & writing reviews | dumb irony, he lives for it, he has picked the elective prophecy class that is meant for the demigod children that actually have some sort of fortune telling ability, just because he thinks it is funny to sit between these actually clairvoyant people as a clearly non-gifted person trying to read something in tea leaves or whatever that has no reason to be true, he goes very long ways for stupid jokes & stories that might end up amusing just himself

APPEARANCE: light blonde hair cut into a buzz cut for convenience, almond shaped light blue/grey eyes, with his 5′8″ a little under average height with a broad build, average weight, his athleticism is countered by bad eating habits and most of his hobbies consisting of siting around for an extended amount of time, almost perpetually wearing a pair of ray-ban sunglasses (he’s light sensitive and likes to hide his eye-movements, but also just thinks it’s cool, as an added bonus it seems to provoke people), his clothing is mostly athletic and casual but he also enjoys throwing people off with unusual pieces, often seen with baseball-caps front or backwards facing, generally not a lot of effort put into his appearance aside from maybe considering what would make the look ironic, also owed to lack of money, lots of his clothes are worn out hand me downs from his brother peppered with the weird shit you can get at thrift stores

PLOTPOINTS: Since his father died while his mother was pregnant she had to improvise and ended up leaving the baby at one of her other son’s doorsteps | Dale, probably rather incompetently, improvised and with lots of peculiar quirks, raises the kid in a tiny, rundown Chicago apartment supporting both of them with occasional part-time jobs | With his knowledge of the world of the gods Dale decides to prepare his half-brother early | Once he learns that that is not normal Ace spends some time worrying about his brothers sanity, regarding the unusual habit of teaching a kid sword fighting and testing his abilities with surprise attacks, but enjoys himself too much to question it (he never thinks about that the constant vigilance and dedicated training might be considered somewhat abusive living conditions for a child - might not have been healthy but it DID make him stronger and that was surely a good thing Dale had in mind, very normal, totally okay.. he is incapable of seeing, or wanting to admit to his brother’s flaws) | They live off fast-food or anything they can get their hands on, with occasional unpaid electricity bills or similar poor conditions, but with a strong sense of solidarity | School was not his favorite thing, he had to get out of his - in his eyes - fun unusual living conditions to sit still and be well behaved and listen to weird stiff adults, and the children made fun of his ragged clothing and general otherness | Spends his free time exploring Chicago, roaming the streets, getting into minor trouble here and there, or with his brother, fighting or watching him make music or play around with electronics, or watching movies, playing games | As is tradition, learns he is a demigod with 14 which honestly does not really come as a huge surprise to him, at least his brother did not turn out to be some weird doomsday nutjob and had a reason for all the sword fighting | Gets kinda excited in hopes of getting along better with other demigods than he did with the other human students.. turns out him being a demigod was not the problem in the first place. Does at least find some like-minded people in his half-siblings. | At home he starts part-time jobs to support his brother, starts making music himself, has several blogs with movie and game reviews, and of course the usual duels between him and Dale, which he never once wins | After graduating regular school with 19 he is not very motivated to continue his training at the academy, but is basically tricked into finishing it anyways, by his brother suggesting he would win this one since he himself has never graduated Gaia. At last, something to be better at than his brother! | When the academy is attacked by an anti-god-organization Ace fights easily and competently.. till he is faced with fighting the one person he has never beaten, his brother. He fights him anyways, conflicted by the feeling of betrayal and sheer disbelief that this could actually be happening. Naturally he loses and ends up skewered through his torso by his brothers sword. When he is unconscious he gets saved and healed by Apollo children, and the fight is over when he wakes up again. He first of all tries to find out if his brother was maybe captured or killed, but finds no trace of him. | When he returns home while the academy reorganizes he finds the apartment empty, half hoping for his brother to come home so he can confront him, his top priority being to learn why his brother has been acting that way because he still refuses to believe that he actually tried to kill him, and rather wants to think that Dale must have had SOME kind of reason that would make all of this okay. | Dale never returns. Ace bitterly sells all of Dale’s belongings to pay for the bills of the apartment that he is suddenly sitting on all by himself, which makes his home very sad and very empty | Ellie and Ben visit him, well aware that Ace’s entire worldview has been shattered and not trusting him not to do something reckless [enter possible threesome here?] | Ace starts to obsessively try to find out about Dales whereabouts and the group he was working with, both Ellie and Ben being annoyed and worried about him doing this on his own refusing any help or interference | Ace manages to find what he believes to be a temporary hideout for the organisation and some documents that he hopes to find further clues in | When the Academy re-opens Ellie & Ben convince him to go back there, with Ace secretly just hoping to hear more about the official measures of the demigod world that have been put in place to find and stop the organization | He shares the found information with what is basically the equivalent of the police in the demigod world, and exclaims to be eager and capable to join any deployment, but is of course refused | Instead he silently plans to take off on his own again, hoping to find his brother for answers or revenge, depending on the outcome

Okay, but here’s the FUN part of the whole story, something that Ace is not even aware of anymore: When he is 18 he finds out about his brothers activity in the anti-god organization (their name is rubicon by the way) and is as always immediately willing to copy his brother and join them, regardless of their shady morals. Thing is, they have a selection process where they have an oracle check potential candidates, turns out the oracle decides that Ace’s heart is just too good and pure in the end to make him an effective member. They alter his memories, fill them with a normal summer of an 18 year old Ace, and send him back home none the wiser that he would have absolutely done the exact same things he found so impossible for his brother to be doing that it ruined his entire conception of the world. Fun. I hope he does not find out.

BONUS INFO: I cannot begin to describe how funny it is to read Ace’s character sheet. Sounds conceited maybe, but every time i reread it, which is maybe once every couple of years, i make myself cry from amusement. It’s so stupid. It is completely written in his voice and it is fucking hysterical, he is such an idiot wow. His vita starts with a rewrite of Will Smith’s Prince of Belair rap, and that’s just the beginning. I wish i could show you but it’s in German so that’s probably useless for most of you. But please know that i really fucking love it and am amazed that i wrote that at some point. I always had trouble figuring out how i want him to look. I believe i used Garrett Hedlund as a faceclaim on the RPG site, but it was not 100% fitting. Dacre Montgomery’s portrayal of Billy in Stranger Things has some Ace vibes, but also not entirely. Imagine their lovechild i guess. I also never planned on him being asexual, the connection to his name was not planned at all, it just hit me a couple of months ago out of nowhere and i immediately knew it was true. Of course he is asexual!! Also i have not yet decided whether his brother is an absolute cold bastard, or if Ace’s instincts about him having reasons are right. Regardless, Dale’s treatment of Ace is not okay from the very beginning. That’s where this whole story started, cause i found it so interesting for the idealized bigger brother that just seems to be cool and fun to actually be somewhat or very much abusive, e.g. Dave & Bro Strider in Homestuck who were very much the stepping stone here. I really liked Bro when i first read it as a baby teen, and then later saw the discourse over him being abusive, and only then did i realize shit you’re right in actual real life that stuff would be ptsd inducing wow, in that very moment i myself was Ace and had my weird idealized image shattered, so i wanted to make a character that could show how easily it is to overlook this stuff sometimes. Also totally just forgot for a while how sad a lot of his character is, ppl did not like him even before he made himself hard to be liked so he’s very distrusting and negative towards people for a long time.😥 Better make up a weird persona for people to dislike at least they’re not disliking my actual self cause they never actually get to see it. WHELP most of my other characters are either fun or tragic depending on the situation, Ace is just both simultaneously at all times

NAME: Asher ? [he is still unfinished since i never used him for anything so don’t mind the questionmarks]

AGE/BIRTHDAY: 21 years / 06.07.

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: American / Caucasian

BASED ON: /

GENDER/SEXUALITY: Cis male / gay

FAMILY: FATHER | ? ? | 42 years | multibillionaire business man / sociopath criminal | their relationship can very much be described as a hostage situation, there is nothing pleasant here, his father obsesses over his legacy and the idea of what he wants Asher to be and Asher resents him with a burning passion

MOTHER | ? ? | 41 years | unfortunate trophy wife | there is not much of an actual relationship here, since he started art school they have pretty much not talked a single word, he resents her for being distant and quiet and complicit in his father’s behavior

SISTER | Claire ? | 22 years | various creative part time jobs | the one that luckily got away!! Claire dodged a major bullet and got out of there as soon as she could, living her dream as a independent artist in various fields from writing plays to performance art, Asher adores her & would never tell her about the truth of his situation since she got out of there unscathed, they call each other regularly, but don’t see each other as much as they would like to, she is a big reason for his own interest in art

SISTER | Stella ? | 5 years | Kindergartener | Stella is loud and quick and knows no boundaries, a happy energetic little girl. Asher probably spoils her.

BROTHER | Leo ? | 5 years | Kindergartener | Stella’s twin brother but the polar opposite. Timid, soft-spoken and kindhearted. Asher probably spoils him too. Asher is also fiercely overprotective in regards to his brother, cause he knows how his father likes to treat his sons. Luckily he also knows that his father would takes his sweet time before revealing his true self, but he dreads the possibility of his father involving his brother earlier nonetheless.

FRIENDS: May ? | 21 years | photography student | awfully loyal, May comes from a rich family herself and can therefore understand or excuse a lot of Asher’s less pleasant traits, she is too stubborn to let him push her away and is glad he has mostly given up towards her, now she just has to get him to treat others the same way. knows he has troubles with his father, but does not know the specifics since Asher would rather take that info to his grave to protect her. is worried, always, since Adam disappeared, but has no other solution but soft encouragement for Asher to move on

S.O.: Devin ? | 20 years | animation student | Half Mexican/Half Afro-American. Anxiety kid, moves to his father’s new family & his sister because they live closer to his future art school, falls in love with the wrong white boy. Big nerd, big introvert, all about anime & games, spends more time on the internet than anywhere else (sound familiar anybody?🙈). Romanticizes the wrong behaviors. Draws, a lot, any given time, super talented, Asher envies him. Big cuddly, kind, somewhat shy and self-conscious, cannot say no or be mean most of the time. Just 100% good soul. Shows Asher the wonderful world of fiction and other entertainment cause that guy apparently grew up in a cave. Asher is 100% hurt and Devin is 100% comfort, Asher feels bad about that. Devin is impressively patient and supportive and the sole reason Asher can breathe again. Sometimes. Asher does not know what he could possibly be bringing to the table but Devin seems content, Asher does not understand why.

OCCUPATION: Student of Photography/Economics Night school

CHARACTER: i feel like Asher needs two separate character descriptions since he’s living in extreme circumstances that have greatly changed his characteristics over the course of a year or two, but i’m sticking with Asher today, just know that he used to be happy, carefree, outgoing, a huge charmer, even a flirt, remnants of some of these more positive traits can still be found if you catch him in the right moment.. and then there’s the things he mostly pretends to be that don’t really belong there either, but i guess that shows how others perceive him

ABILITIES: His father’s irrevocable antiquated notion of how a person of his status has to be educated resulted in a flashflood of tutors from the moment Asher was capable of learning things, involving classical music, several languages, riding, sailing, debating and the more exceptional choices of self-defense through various ways including knife and gun handling, owed to his father’s choice of a rather dangerous lifestyle. The only ability that grew out of his own interests is anything regarding photography. He also has the uncanny ability to switch personas in an instant, he can go from cold asshole to so charming that it puts others at ease, to collected proud superior son in a second, depending on what is needed, these different modes are crucial for his survival.

APPEARANCE: Groomed snobby rich boy that looks down on you. Black hair, pale blue eyes, 6′0″ tall, lean. Judging by his clothes alone obviously wealthy. Mostly somewhat sophisticated with lots of dress shirts and classy cuts. A serious young man! Contrasted by more relaxed clothing choices in his personal space. Mostly black & darker colors. Tattoo of a dead raven on the inside of his right underarm, he hides it in front of his father who hates it. Unquestionably a pretty boy™ but Asher has grown to detest his looks, avoiding mirrors or photographs. He looks too much like his father. Has dimples if he smiles brightly but nobody gets to see them anymore.

PLOTPOINTS: The most entertaining way to start the story is probably through Devin’s POV, and then explaining Asher’s behavior with his life story. Very quickly: Devin, moving to his father to visit the art school in an nearby town, is searching for a new therapist he had been visiting for social anxiety, through a work connection his father organizes an appointment with an prestigious therapist before the schoolyear starts. He gets curious about this well dressed tense looking guy he sometimes meets in the waiting room, and starts to hope to see him more often, but never manages to work up the courage to say anything, till one day the guy storms in mid breakdown to interrupt Devin’s session and demands that the therapist had to see him immediately. Devin uses the opportunity to get his attention for once and earn some bonus points, graciously offering him his session. He even gets a thanks later when they meet at the pharmacy, so he’s happy, and hopelessly crushing on this dude. With help of his sister he figures out that the guy is actually local celebrity, billionaire son Asher, that just happens to visit the very same art school Devin will be visiting soon. So Devin very much looks forward to that and spends lots of time daydreaming about getting together with Asher, who actually kinda seems pleasantly surprised to see him again in the school setting. Asher is distant, but friendly at first, and thanks to Asher’s friend May who is welcoming and inviting in Asher’s stead, Devin somehow luckily gets roped up into the group that sometimes hangs out with Asher, with him graciously paying for any expenses. Devin manages to overlook Asher’s more unpleasant sides, willfully focusing on the good stuff instead, not wanting to give up on his little fantasy just yet, with Asher warning that he would and should come to hate him eventually. What follows is a wild up and down of Asher either being sweet or an complete asshole and Devin being thoroughly confused yet intrigued, the guy is obviously troubled, often leaving class early in a panic or not showing up at all and generally looking like a nervous mess on some days, which just makes Devin want to get behind the reason for everything. On one of the sweeter nights he manages to get a kiss out of Asher, only for him to show his cruelest behavior yet the following days, either ignoring him completely or reacting aggressively. [Cue Asher’s Story:]

Born in a cozy coast town to a filthy rich family. | Firstborn son therefore in his old-fashioned madman of a father’s brain his legitimate heir, instead of his two years older daughter (lucky her tho) | Father puts every breath of his being into grooming Asher to be his successor, which includes high pressure, expectations and next to no free time from an early age. No failure allowed. Knowing nothing but this high pressure environment Asher just complies and honestly somewhat enjoys putting maximum effort into things to please his father and his own ego. | Somewhat sheltered upbringing due to wealth & little free-time | Easy time in private elementary school where a lot of pre-existing effort lets him relax a little more. He makes a row of superficial friends, but still spends most of his time studying, only socializing when socially expected. | Still very success-oriented in high school, but learns to relax a little more around newly made friends of less stressful backgrounds. | Gradually without really realizing when it began ends up in a relationship with lower upper class boy Adam, they later discuss and decide they started dating somewhere around age 15. | The relationship is accepted and free-time allowed as long as Asher continues to perform exceptionally well in everything. | Both boys share their love for art, while Asher starts getting interested in photography, Adam focuses on painting, both inspired by and potentially aiming to later visit the prestigious art school in their hometown | The twins are born! Asher is instantly smitten with the little creatures and proceeds to be a loving brother | Asher’s father starts to take him to business meetings and other professional settings as insight into his later life as his father’s successor. | Asher, most likely not unaffected by his wealth & prominence of his family, has some successful exhibitions of his photographs and gains a small amount of recognition in the art world. He decides to pursue the profession full-time in the future, not entirely revealing the decision to his father just yet, who lets him play around with his hobby as long as he brings home achievements in that area as well | goes into prolonged discussions with his father regarding his wish to study photography, who eventually caves under the condition of Asher simultaneously visiting business classes on weekends or in the evening | Both Asher and Adam get admitted to the art school (it needs a fancy name i just dont have one yet) and study there after their graduation from high school | The meetings Asher’s father brings him to start to kinda rub Asher the wrong way, as some criminal elements get revealed, his father’s comment being that it was time for him to learn about these essential things as well. Asher is morally appalled, but has not even begun to realize the extent of his father’s criminal activities, to which he begins to introduce him more and more in the following years. | Asher eventually fully understands that his father is head of a self-built mafia-like organization that seems to reach most of America in some way, and that that is the true succession his father is grooming him for. While Asher might be able to agree with some of these duties, he soon realizes that most of what his father is expecting him to do from now on are things Asher is not willing to do under any circumstances, like brutally punishing people for offenses against the family in varying ways, that Ashers father insists on carrying out personally to further his ruthless reputation and control over his underlings, partners or rivals. | For the first time in his life he fails to meet his father’s expectations and actively goes against orders which results in his father pressuring him in any way he can. When Adam suddenly disappears without a trace when Asher is 18 he immediately has the uneasy feeling that his father was involved, he did not however anticipate his father actually truly murdering his son’s boyfriend to set an example of what happens when Asher disobeys. | Asher has a complete breakdown, spends some time at a mental health facility, and comes to the decision to tell everything to the police, only to have them call his father and have him pick him up. Further tries to tell any authority about what happened end in similar ways, his father seemingly having control over everything or always being one step ahead. Eventually he threatens Asher that if he continues, he would have him convicted of Adam’s murder, having plenty of psychiatrists to falsely attest to his guilt. Asher refrains from trying to out his father, half because he was scared of the consequences, half because if he truly would go to prison - which at this point did not eve sound bad to him - his father would most likely just shift his attention to his younger brother instead, which ends up as the main intervention to Asher being able to escape the situation in any way. | From now on Asher spends his time terrified and traumatized, trying his best to please his father in ways that do not include physically harming other people. At the same time he starts violently pushing every friend or acquaintance away, to make sure his father would not find another person to use as motivator and punishment. May being the only remnant of his former friend group that refuses to leave his side despite him lashing out against her here and there in hopes for her to finally get it and leave him alone. | A year later there’s this black guy about his age that apparently has the same therapist and ends up in the same class at school and is genuinely nice to him without asking for something in return which hasn’t happened in a while and feels so nice he forgets himself and gets carried away, being nice right back, and unfortunately can’t help himself having lapses in his self-control towards this guy over and over again, cause he’s just so kind and warm and welcoming, and it feels so so nice, but instantly regretting it as Devin gets clingier and bolder, but still not being able to stop entirely, till he stupidly kisses him one night and immediately has nightmares of his father murdering Devin, which allows him to draw the line and finally be as repulsive towards the guy as he should have been from the beginning. I have various potential scenarios in mind for the following but they mostly go like this: Devin, trying to figure out why Asher is like THAT, learns about his long-time boyfriend disappearing last year and never being found, with the police claiming there were signs of him just running away to a bigger city, but Asher and Adam’s family believing that something must have happened to him. He deduces that Asher has developed a massive fear of abandonment (which in a way is true but way understated) which is why he keeps pushing him away when he gets too close. When he confronts Asher he just gets furious at the mention of Adam and eventually gets so worked up that he starts talking about Devin not understanding ANYTHING and that he has no idea in what kind of situation he could end up in when he sticks too close and that he should just fuck off, but Devin naturally just picks up on the weird shit and Asher sounding increasingly scared, so he keeps poking at the topic till Asher finally breaks down and tells him that his father is basically a sociopathic criminal mass-murderer and being Asher’s friend let alone boyfriend paints a big fucking target, and then he just ends up having to explain the entire situation in hope that Devin learns and just stays quiet but most of all stays the fuck away. Long story short: he doesn’t. He vows not to leave Asher alone with this any longer, and now that he knows that Asher actually likes him there’s no way he would stay away anyways. Asher still very much tries to convince the other one to leave him be, but to no avail. The rest is them finding an arrangement that works out with lots of secrecy and sneaking around and pretending to not even know each other (more or less successful), Asher panicking a lot, and dealing with a shitton of guilt, but kinda learning to live again and not just function miserably, and them trying to find a solution to Asher’s problem that does not involve people potentially dying, and Asher just dreading the next time his father calls him in and what he might expect him to do then. I have more plot points planned out but i’m just gonna keep them for myself for now. 😋

BONUS INFO: First i gotta say Asher is very much a character i created to cope with stuff when i was feeling really fucking low last fall. I made a character that’s hanging on by a thread, because i was, so i could at least use these feelings for more lifelike daydreams and give them more of a purpose and direction. The initial idea that sparked the storyline was a person falling in love with a clearly unwise choice, which ended up being Devin crushing on the dude having a mental breakdown at the therapist’s office (genius boy). Somewhere along the line the main character shifted to Asher because of the aforementioned reasons. Devin’s POV is probably really more entertaining though, since he gets to unfold all the mysteries that Asher is keeping from him. Inspirations? Uhm, i guess Life is Strange (a mixture of Nathan & the Prof, and the art school setting), the general John Wick world and Veronica’s family in Riverdale, god also laurel’s family in htgawm

#here have this #personal #ocs #teddy #asher #ace #finn #draws #oooof #oof that took way way longer than expected #might edit some things when necessary #adding friend descriptions for finn and family descriptions for teddy #but not n #ow #probably linking this on my page idk

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missymwac · 6 years

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Call of Jury Duty

“Am I in the right place?”

That was the question I asked a very stressed out security person as I reported for jury duty early this morning. Yes, the dreaded “Day of Duty” had arrived and I was not looking forward to it. I was trying my best to remain upbeat and positive about the whole thing, citing my “civic duty” and all, even trying to harness my inner Stanley Hudson from The Office:

But truthfully, I wasn’t feeling it. As I made my way downtown, I was unsure of everything, especially where to park. Turns out, they have many signs for jurors to follow-and they all lead to a parking garage. I don’t like parking garages. I have nothing against them-they serve a purpose. It’s just, well, I suck at parking. The only thing worse than a parking garage to me is parallel parking. If someone said, “Listen, woman, you either parallel park this Jeep Wrangler or live in exile, wandering the woods in a pair of leggings with little cameras printed on them and eating kale for every meal,” then I would have no other choice than to wave goodbye to the regular world and shove my bloated farty stomach into a pair of customized leggings made in China.

Now, this is my first jury summons, so I had no idea what to expect. I knew that I had to be there at 8:30. I knew that unless I had planned ahead and received special permission (which I hadn’t) I was not allowed to bring in my phone. I knew that the attorneys for the plaintiff and the defendant would ask us questions, but that was about it. What I didn’t know was, where, exactly, I was to report. See, in our town there are three courthouses and they are all clustered together on a corner. And yes, I did have a map, but following directions on a map falls right under “Parking Garage” on the List of Things I Don’t Do Well.

I was running a bit behind schedule (see parking garage above) so when I was informed that no, I was not in the right place, I started to frazzle. The summons said 8:30. What if I was late and got into trouble?I had left in plenty of time, and yet, here I was running down the sidewalk. It was like the dream I have that I am back in high school and can’t remember my locker combination and I’m standing there trying every combination I know and my books are falling on the ground and OMG, I FORGOT TO DO MY HOMEWORK.

I ran across the street and up the steps to the OTHER courthouse, waited in line, walked through a metal detector, and then waited some more while security had to “take a look at my keys,” which I thought odd, as other than my plastic Jesus flashlight, there is nothing powerful on that lanyard. I suspect they wanted to get a good look at flashlight Jesus but didn’t want to ask.

Security complete, I made my way back to the jury room and checked in with a very very nice woman who asked my name.

“Do you need to see my summons?” “No.” “Do you need my photo ID?” “No, sweetheart, you’re fine.”

Had I known that they weren’t going to verify my identity, I could have put an ad on Craigslist: “Jury Duty Proxy. Must be female or identify as female. Must be willing to be bored out of your mind for 4 hours. Script will be provided. $15 an hour.”

Soda, coffee, and water was available while we waited, but thanks to my walnut-sized bladder, I passed on all three. I noticed the clock on the wall as I went to take my seat—8:30am exactly. Booyah. Take THAT, parking garage! And then I continued to glance up at the clock: 8:45. 9:00. 9:20. 9:45… I felt brain cells start to die off with each tick of the second hand.

Finally, a bailiff and judge’s assistant came to get us. I’m not sure if “judge’s assistant” is the correct term, but it’s what I remember he was. And if you happen be an assistant to a judge, I mean no disrespect; I don’t know legal terms. But whatever your name is, really, waiting almost an hour and a half? We need to do something about that.

They issued us all Juror numbers and made us stand in several rows. My number was 33, which pleased me, as my favorite number is 3. Yes, it’s a stupid thing to be happy about, but when you wait 1.5 thirsty hours in a large room with nothing but a 2014 Real Simple magazine to keep you company, you find joy where you can.

Numbers in hand, our band of possible jurors tromped out to the elevators and up to the 7th floor, where we were put into yet another order to make entering the courtroom easier. I commented to the woman next to me that in the time it took to arrange us, we could have already been in there. She agreed AND had a British accent, so she also made me happy. I was grasping at Happiness Straws, people!

Into the courtroom we go where the attorneys and their clients were waiting. We all sat down and counsel made introductions. I tried to figure out who, exactly, were the defendant and plaintiff, cause there seemed to be an awful lot of people on one side of the room. Turns out, the plaintiff had an attorney, another attorney, another woman who isn’t an attorney but serves some purpose, the plaintiff and the plaintiff’s brother. The plaintiff’s side really needed a bigger table.

The judge enters and we all rise. It’s the first time I’ve been in a courtroom and the first time I’ve ever risen for a judge. I mean, I’ve watched Judge Judy, but I don’t rise for her. Sorry, Judy. The judge was nothing but kind, thanking us all for giving of our time to be there and be a part of this very important judicial process. He asked if anyone had a reason that they felt made them unable to serve on a jury and oh, did the hands go up. He addressed each possible juror, row by row.

Now, I’ll be honest-I was going to raise my hand. I went in there knowing that I was going to raise my hand. I have pre-paid sessions on my books and being selected for a trial is going to be a pain and possibly cost me money, as I will have to reschedule those appointments and hope that everyone is okay with the rescheduling and if not, I will have to refund hundreds of dollars. I had my speech all prepared as to why I could not serve on a 2-3 day trial and then…I heard the reasons others were giving:

“My dad has Alzheimer’s and we are in the process of moving him into a long term care facility. It’s just me and my brother taking care of him and we take turns, because we both have to work.”

“I am budgeted down the dollar and can’t afford the $7.50 an hour stipend the court issues. I need my work hours or I won’t be able to pay my rent.”

“I take care of my dad and my grandmother. Both are in a wheelchair and my dad just had a pacemaker installed, so he can’t do any sort of heavy lifting. As for my grandma, I cook for her and help bathe her and take both she and my dad to their doctor appointments.”

Yeah, THESE are true hardships. And having heard them, I kept my mouth shut.

The process continued with counsel asking open questions to all of us. If we had something we felt relevant to the question, then we were to raise our hand. And many did…including me.

See, the case going to trial was a civil case involving a very elderly lady (plaintiff) and a young woman in her 20’s (defendant) I don’t know the details, but it involved a car accident in 2015 wherein the plaintiff was claiming negligence on the part of the defendant. The plaintiff claimed the results of the auto accident left her with lingering back and neck issues.

The attorney for the plaintiff went first. He was an older man who was very hard of hearing, which resulted in him speaking quietly. So quietly, in fact, that the woman sitting in front of me raised her hand and suggested he use the microphone.

The questions included things like:

“Has anyone been injured in a car accident?” “Do any of you have family members working in the medical field.” “Do any of you have any knowledge or relationship with either counsel, the defendant or the plaintiff?” “Do any of you have issues with believing the assessment of a physician?” “Do any of you believe an individual should not be reasonably compensated for injuries.”

And there it was. The question that caused my hand to shoot up.

I stood, introduced myself as we were instructed to do, and said that I have a question. I really wanted to say, “Let me answer your question with a question,” as I’ve always wanted to use that line in a serious conversation, but felt that a courtroom setting might be pushing it.

Me: “I obviously don’t know the details of this case, but this is all over an auto accident, correct?”

Attorney: “Yes.”

Me: “And this case is a LAWSUIT over the auto accident, correct?”

Attorney: “Yes.”

Me: “Okay, then I think I do have issue with the term “reasonably compensated.”

Attorney: “What do you mean by that?”

Me: “Well, my daughter was recently in accident, just a little over a year go. She was sitting at a red light and a truck ran the red. It hit a car in the intersection which pushed another car into my daughter’s vehicle, pushing it up onto the sidewalk, totaling the car. 12 inches more and she would have been carried away in an ambulance. She was injured, both her back and her neck, but never once did she consider suing the guy who ran the red. She was thankful she was alive. The driver of the truck was simply in a hurry and made a bad call. No one died. Life was going to go on. But again, a lawsuit never entered her mind. Or ours.”

Attorney: “Okay, then, but let me ask you-don’t you think that if an individual is injured in an automobile accident that they are entitled to reasonable compensation for those injuries.”

Me: “Define “reasonable compensation.”

Attorney: <silence>

Me: Because what’s reasonable to some people certainly isn’t reasonable to others. And furthermore, isn’t that the reason we HAVE auto insurance? I mean, by law, we have to carry it. And doesn’t most auto insurance pay out medical when these things happen? And let’s face it, life stuff DOES happen. To all of us.

Attorney: “So you don’t think reasonable compensation due to negligence is required.”

Me: “I never said that. I said that I don’t know the details of the case, so I could be wrong, but if insurance covered the medical needs following the accident, then a lawsuit seems rather a waste of the court’s time. A lawsuit, at least to me, is a pretty big deal. I mean, let’s face it, we’re a litigious happy society, are we not? And there are big issues that demand that course of action. Giant, life shattering events. But this? Again, I don’t know the details, but from what you’ve shared with us thus far, I just don’t see it.”

I sat down and glanced at the counsel tables. The plaintiff was shooting daggers at me with her eyes and the attorney for the defense was looking down at his notes, but I swear I saw a hint of a smile.

But then, it started to snowball. Another hand shot up.

“Yeah, I can’t remember her name over there, but I agree with her. I served as foreman on a case where someone had already been compensated but sued anyway. I just think we sue over everything now.”

Another hand.

And another hand, all echoing that sentiment.

Jiminy Christmas. Would this help or hinder my chances of getting picked? I had no idea.

In the end, I didn’t get picked for the trial, and that’s okay. I was actually kind of invested in it at that point and would have liked to have been picked, but I was glad to at least have spoken my thoughts to the room as instructed and if they gave someone a different perspective, then good.

After the jury announcement was made, I said a little sadly under my breath, “Oh, I didn’t get picked.” The guy in front of me turned around and said, “Hah! Did you think you would after that? It was great, by the way. You practically made the case for the defense right there.”

I have nothing further. Juror #33 rests, your honor.

xoxo

#jury duty #the office #stanley hudson #missymwac coffee starbucks lawsuits hotcoffeeishot #frivolous #jury selection #courthouse #backinjuries #autoaccident #judge #attorney

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alexander-anders · 6 years

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Is that { he/him + Garrett Hedlund } walking through the door? Oh no, that’s just { Alex Anders }. They’re { 31 } and room with { Nico Daimen }. Sometimes they might remind you of { yellow paint, muddy hands, broken mirrors}, and they’ve lived in the house for { two months }.

for those of you who don’t already know him, this is my sad, difficult child. He causes me much pain and I love him, but I’m also sorry for any characters who attempt to interact with him. Anyway, allow me to explain his shit past in bullet points below ~

tw: death tw: ptsd tw: war

Alex grew up in deep Texas. Like, DEEP Texas, small town, the works. He had a single mom and he was an accident, the last of five boys. His siblings did not care for him, making him kind of the black sheep of the family, the one that always ended up getting picked on.

He was always a little odd, but most people blamed it on him being the youngest. He was five when it took a more serious turn, he started responding to voices that nobody heard and talking about things just before they happened. It was an impossible feat, and everyone did their best to hide that part of him. Magic might be acceptable in their world, but less so in their area and certainly not this form of magic. Psychics were not welcomed, at least not when it came to their family.

So Alex did his best to suppress the powers and spent most of his childhood in solitude. The best thing to happen to him was in high school when he was sent to the school counselor on his second day. She had her own magic and was able to recognize his gifts, take pity on him. She taught him how to control it, suppress it only when necessary, even use it to his advantage.

At that point, Alex realized he was actually very smart. He was able to put more focus on school, and by the time he graduated, he had his pick of colleges. He knew exactly what he wanted; to help people. He picked the most difficult road he could and started working towards medical school. When it came time to choosing a specific path, that was easy too. He wanted to go where he felt he could do the most good, so he joined the military.

It was not a good choice. Shipped off to a foreign fort under heavy fire, he spent two years in hell. Unable to gain relief, he was trapped there in horrific conditions, doing whatever he could to keep the men around him alive and together. Living with them in his head, under claustrophobic living conditions, he eventually snapped.

Alex walked out in the middle of the night, in the open. He’s still not sure how far he made it, before he walked into an IUD. Miraculously, he didn’t lose any limbs. He did land on a rock that left a dent in his skull and permanently ruined his ability to shut things off. He woke up from it as a prisoner of war, spending the next two years in a dirty jail cell.

He never expected a rescue, but it came anyway. People were calling him a hero and telling him he was going home. They told him that his family would be coming to pick him up, and unwilling to face them, Alex left. He started walking and he didn’t stop until he found and airport and bought the first ticket out of the country with the money he’d been given with an honorable discharge.

The plane landed in Paris. He wandered, for a while, living off the streets and the kindness of strangers. Eventually, one of those strangers was decent enough to take him to Les Amis de l'ABC. He had a room, he had work, he had something to do again. And it got easier. Working kept the demons in his head at bay, and while the nightmares haven’t gone away altogether, the’ye getting better.

Okay so because I understand that doesn’t really explain everything about Alex or what he can do, allow me to throw some extra random stuff at you:

His abilities: I’m hesitant to say ‘abilities’ honestly, bc this is not an abilities rp. But he does have a specific form of magic and DO NOT ask him to try spells, it won’t end well. So, here’s what he can do:

Telepathy: Alex can hear people’s thoughts. Well, Alex can’t NOT hear people’s thoughts. They’re not always definite words, and some people are more clouded or guarded. But, he can’t stop himself from hearing, and sometimes it gets way too loud for him. Sometimes he also can’t keep track of what’s thought and what’s said out loud and responds to thoughts.

Empathy: He doesn’t really feel what people are feeling as much as he sees their emotions in colors. Kind of like an aura around them. He has a color for most emotions, but sometimes it comes across as an adjective like ‘streaky’ or ‘curly’ instead.

Psychometry: When Alex touches things, he can get a read off of them. Sometimes it’s a memory, if it was a strong one. Sometimes it’s just a feeling connected to the object. If it’s a person, touch usually just makes his other powers stronger.

Clairvoyance: This one is MUCH weaker and rarer than the rest, for him. He very occasionally gets flashes of things that are about to happen, or could happen. They don’t always come about, and he doesn’t always know if it’s real or just his mind making things up. Occasionally, he can seek something out, but it’s really not a trustworthy enough gift for him to rely on.

Personality: So my child is a little scrambled in the brain. He has some MAJOR PTSD and Survivor’s Guilt, and his brain damage has sort of messed up his ability to talk straight. So he uses a lot of riddles and metaphors and generally I just decided I wanted to challenge myself with a character and created this absolute disaster of a human, please love him, please plot with me <3

#lesintro #about #alex #my disaster child #hmu if you wanna plot #all four of you #lol

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warcats-cat · 6 years

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Accident

A/N: Hey friends! It’s me again! So, I want to preface this one with MAJOR TRIGGER WARNINGS which will be posted just below this paragraph. This fic is about a car accident. Specifically, it is (roughly) the story of the accident I was in not too long ago. I’ve changed a few things to fit the characters and tried to fill in details that I don’t remember, but I was told about later. This is a coping fic; I won’t be offended if you don’t want to read it. However, as always, thanks so much to my amazing, wonderful, and super duper nice beta @ironwoman359 for everything she does and in general being a really cool person, and to my two best friends in the whole world @bleustatic and @radioactivecitylights for being with me through everything.

Trigger warnings for: Car Accident, panic attack, hospitals, medical talk, shock, trauma, minor injury, rude/uncaring hospital staff, talk if chronic medical conditions. If you would like me to tag anything else on this, Please PLEASE let me know. Thanks for reading! I love you all!

There was rain falling on his head, dripping onto his glasses, and making it harder to see.

“You’re going into shock, sweetheart.”

He was shaking all over. His ear was still ringing, and it hurt so badly.

“Can you tell me your name?”

He was trying to just remember how to breathe.

“I’m sorry.” He responded. “I didn’t see him.”

“It’s ok.” There was a woman sitting next to him. She had told him she was a nurse, but he couldn’t remember her name. “Accidents happen. That’s why it’s called a car accident. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Patton. Patton Hart.”

An umbrella was suddenly above him. He must have missed the other woman with him leaving to get it. Patton could hear sirens in the distance.

He hadn’t even seen the other driver. He had stopped and looked both ways. He had never seen him.

Patton could remember looking out the window as he turned, and the panic of realizing there was another car hurtling towards him in the rain. He could remember his foot pressing the gas as hard as he could, hoping in that split second for a miracle.

Patton could remember the split second in between, when he gripped the steering wheel as hard as he could and tucked his head down just slightly, not even consciously, as his car was sent spinning and finally landing.

Patton could remember the seconds after, dimly thinking that he had never known there was an airbag above his window, and that the one in the steering wheel hadn’t gone off. That his car was talking to him. That his left ear was burning, and ringing, and it felt like a gunshot had gone off right next to his face.

Patton could remember jumping out of his car and running over to the other driver, the only thing he could manage to say was to ask if he was ok. The other driver wouldn’t even talk to him.

Now he was sitting on the curb of a parking lot just off the road. There was a woman who apparently was a nurse talking to him. He was going into shock. He couldn’t stop crying.

“Could … could one of you please get the lamb from my car?” he asked quietly. He felt stupid as it came out of his mouth. An air freshener that doubled as a stuffed animal that Roman had bought him for some reason he couldn’t remember. He needed something in his hands. Maybe it would keep his brain and body from falling apart.

Logan.

Logan was still at work, and wouldn’t be home for at least another hour. But Logan would know what to do. What to say. Virgil was halfway across town. Roman was somewhere for an audition, and Patton was kicking himself for not being able to remember where.

“I need to call my housemate.” Patton told the nurse, as the stuffie-lamb was passed into his hands. At some point he had taken off his glasses, trying to keep them from getting more speckled with rain. He kept the lamb in one hand and wiggled his cell phone from his pocket with the other. His hands were shaking as he tried to dial, even using speed dial was difficult.

“Hello? Patton?” Logan’s voice started Patton’s crying again in full force.

“Logan I was just in a car accident.” The words rushed out of his mouth, pinched with his crying. “I didn’t even see the other driver. Oh my god. I don’t know what to do.”

“Patton you have to breathe. Are you alright?” Logan asked. His voice was tight, and he spoke quickly.

“My ear hurts. And my shoulder.” Patton felt like he was fixating on his ear. He had only just stopped holding onto it, in the same way a child holds onto a paper cut or a pained wrist.

“Did you speak with the other driver? Did you get his information?”

“No, I…” Patton didn’t know what to say. The other driver wouldn’t even talk to him, and kept loudly proclaiming that his back ‘kinda hurt, a little.’ Patton could hear sirens getting louder. “I don’t really know what happened. I didn’t see him. I was turning and I was fully stopped and I looked both ways twice and I swear I didn’t see him.”

“Patton, please, you need to try to breathe. Have the police gotten there? Are you still in the road?”

“No, they’re not here yet but I can hear them. There’s some ladies here with me.” Patton said. He gave the lamb another squeeze. The woman holding the umbrella was speaking with the other driver now, and taking down notes for Patton. When had that happened?

“That’s good. May I speak with one of them?”

Patton nodded in response. It wouldn’t occur to him until later that Logan couldn’t actually see him doing that. He pulled the phone just slightly away from his good ear. The left one had stopped ringing but still stung pretty badly.

“My housemate wants to talk to you. Is that ok?” Patton asked the nurse quietly. She smiled gently at him and gave an affirmative, and Patton passed over the phone.

As soon as the phone was out of his hand, there were too many people talking to him. There was a man he was fairly sure was a firefighter trying to ask him questions, and someone he hadn’t yet spoken with trying to interpret all of his answers to the fireman as answers to her, and other people making noise and the sounds of cars slowly being allowed to pass and it was all far too much.

He snapped, “Please there’s too many people and I can’t think!”

The fireman took that as an attack on him, and made a face and dismissive motion, and then Patton was tripping over himself to apologize. The nurse handed back the phone and smiled again.

“It’s alright, sweetheart; it’s ok to be overwhelmed.”

“Patton?” Logan’s voice sounded again on the phone. “I’m on my way home right now. Can you have them take you to Mercy Hospital when the ambulance arrives? I will meet you there as soon as I can. I will also call Virgil and Roman. Do you want me to stay with you on the phone?”

“No.” Patton said. His phone made a mid-call beep to tell him that someone was trying to get ahold of him. “I think someone else is trying to call.”

“Alright. It’s going to be ok, Patton. The important thing is that everyone is conscious and speaking. No one was seriously injured. I’m going to hang up now. I’ll see you soon. I love you.”

Logan never said that unless something was wrong. If nothing was wrong, why had an ambulance been called? He hung up with Logan and was immediately greeted with a call from Virgil. “H-Hey, Virge.” He tried, but couldn’t help the shake in his voice.

“Pat? Patton are you ok? I got a text from Logan like twenty minutes ago that you were in a car accident?? Are you ok?” Virgil was almost as upset as Patton was. At least, he sounded that way. But Virgil was also prone to over-panicking, especially concerning his housemates. They often felt as though they were all each other had, and Virgil felt that loneliness the most keenly of the four.

“I’m scared.” Patton responded honestly. “I’m scared and I’m upset and I wish I had just gone home.”

“Don’t.” Virgil started. “You can’t do that, remember? You can’t stick on the what-if’s. If I can’t, you can’t.”

“I know that. But it’s hard.” Patton heard more sirens. The ambulance this time. He was thinking about the costs and insurance and his car and everything else their house of four was splitting between them that was now going to be significantly strained. “I think the ambulance is here. I have to go.”

“Ok, Pat. I’ll see you there.” Virgil’s voice was soft. The ambulance had arrived and Patton was being escorted onto it. He felt like he was running out of time. He had never been on an ambulance before. He toyed with the plastic clip on the lamb in his free hand.

“You’d better drive safe, mister.” It was automatic. Patton had always worried about his friends, his family, and always told them to drive safe. It was out of his mouth well before the irony of the statement registered with him. Virgil chuckled, and it was a little watery.

“I will. Always.” And with that he hung up. Patton was loaded into the ambulance. The person sitting in the back with him strapped him onto a rolling bed and looked miffed when Patton responded to the question of whether he needed anything with a request to retrieve his nearly-forgotten dinner. The rest of the ride was filled with only the noise of both medic’s radios reporting in and out and making noises that Patton couldn’t really make out.

As the ambulance drove on, Patton was hyper-aware of every bump and crack and tumble that passed under the wheels. His face was sticky and his nose was stuffed and he rubbed his thumbs along the soft fur of the lamb now clutched in both of his hands. He felt terribly unsafe as the ambulance made a wide turn onto the highway and his rolling bed rolled widely to one side before the medic caught the bed and held it in place. All at once the trip to the hospital was achingly long and passed in a blur. The what-if’s of his evening clogged his brain. His ear had finally stopped hurting.

The ambulance finally stopped at the emergency entrance, and he was being unloaded. His glasses were sitting in his lap with his phone, but when the doors opened he could still see someone just outside. Someone in loose black yoga pants and a red top, someone who had clearly been doing something entirely different just a half hour ago. Patton started to tear up again.

“Is that your brother?” the medic asked. Patton felt stupid and small all over again, and couldn’t even understand why.

“No, he’s my housemate. But he might as well be my brother.”

The medic didn’t respond, but Roman walked over to the bed, and once again, Patton was told to breathe. Roman walked alongside the bed as it was pushed in through the maze of hallways and doors.

“Lean back, Padre. Relax. You’re ok.” He said. Patton hadn’t even realized he was forcing himself to lean up. He let his shoulders and head lay back against the slightly inclined bed and watched the ceiling as it passed above him. People were talking. Probably talking to him. But as he tried to lean up again, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, closer to his collarbone than the forming bruise and strained muscles. “Easy. Just lay back, ok? You’re ok. Logan and Virgil will be here in just a few minutes.”

Patton tried to lay back again. He fiddled with the lamb. He was pulled into a hospital room and the bed was lowered, and he had to sit up to move off the ambulance’s bed and onto the hospital’s bed. There were too many beds, quite frankly, and not a single one of them comfortable.

The hospital’s bed, at least, was inclined better, so he felt like he was sitting up and could see everyone. Roman sat in one of the chairs next to him, politely smiling at the nurses, while they worked to confirm Patton’s name, date of birth, etc. Patton was given a plastic bracelet with a barcode and finally they left.

Finally, Patton was alone.

He couldn't help himself, he started crying again, and Roman moved to the bed and took Patton carefully in his arms for a hug. It was awkward, but it helped and Patton finally started to feel grounded.

And, of course, Roman’s phone began buzzing in his pocket right then. “Ah, the others are here. I’ll be right back to show them in, ok?”

Patton almost didn’t want to let him go, but he watched as Roman left and fiddled with the lamb and wormed his own cell phone back into his pocket, and then wormed his wallet out to give a passing nurse his insurance hard.

Logan all but stormed into the room, taking up a spot close to Patton’s feet after giving him a one-armed hug, bumping his left shoulder on accident. Roman came in after with Virgil not far behind. Virgil’s face was pinched, his upper lip curled slightly as he looked up and forced himself to breathe through his nose.

He’s scared. He’s been scared. It’s starting to hit all four of them.

Roman pulled him aside slightly; not out of the room, but away from his first position just a few inches from the foot of Patton’s bed. Roman took Virgil by the shoulders and looked into his eyes.

“Look. He’s fine. He’s fine, and he’s awake, and he’s talking. He’s gonna be ok. We’re all gonna be ok, Virge.”

Virgil swallowed hard and moved over to Patton’s right side, and stood there for a minute. He leaned over and gently pressed his forehead against Patton’s. It was affectionate and gentle, and Patton reached up with his good arm and wrapped it around Virgil’s shoulders to pull him closer, because they were both still scared out of their minds. But they could finally start to relax.

The four spent the next three hours in the hospital just waiting. Patton’s request to use the restroom was met favorably. His request to eat his dinner was met with an angry nurse loudly and rudely reminding him that he is in a hospital and was in a car accident and ‘if you’re only worried about eating right now then you shouldn’t have come to the hospital in the first place.’

Patton tried not to cry again as he explained that he hadn't had anything since early this morning, and his medical record did show a condition induced by stress and low blood sugar, and he didn't want to faint on top of everything else. The nurse left in a huff. The doctor came in to ask if he wanted anything to eat or drink. The doctor returned with apple juice, just in case.

Virgil was the only one who remained standing through everything. Maybe he just couldn't make himself sit. Patton was sure that, if their positions were reversed, he would have done the same thing. Roman sat in a chair to his left. Logan was sitting in a chair at his feet, and right next to the door. Patton could feel himself starting to relax as the fear wore off and he continued to be surrounded by his family.

Roman had to tell him, gently, to stop obsessing on what-if’s and maybes, saying that they would only eat him alive in the end. Roman was right, of course, but Patton couldn't stop. He didn't want to be there, in that moment. He wanted to be at home, talking about his day at work, and looking forward to tomorrow, and listening to the others talk about whatever they did today, and seeing their happy faces.

Instead, everyone’s faces are pinched, and the room is largely silent.

They sat in the hospital for three hours and finally, the doctor came in with papers. One for insurance. One for the bill for their copay. One for work tomorrow, in case he wakes up and doesn’t want to go in. (His boss had already called, frantically, and told him that he would ‘not be coming in tomorrow for any reason because you need to rest.’) There are other papers, but Logan took them all, likely to keep Patton from worrying.

Someone offered Patton a wheelchair for his walk out to the main exit where Roman’s car was. Roman would be the one driving him home, and then the duty of rides to and from work and other places would be split. Patton declined the wheelchair. There were other people who probably needed it a lot more than he would. Still, Virgil took his good arm and carefully walked alongside Patton all the way to Roman’s car, and didn't let go until Patton was seated in the driver’s seat. Virgil pressed his forehead against Patton’s again, and Patton gave him a little kiss on his nose.

“I’ll see you at home, kiddo.” He couldn't say ‘drive safe’ again. He didn't know why he couldn't.

Logan comes over next, and gave Patton another gentle hug, carefully wrapping his right arm under Patton’s left to avoid the bruising. He said nothing, but that was ok. Logan’s eyes gave the impression that his brain was running a marathon. The hug said everything that needed to be said.

Roman got into the driver’s seat as Logan and Virgil went to find their own cars and head home. Patton pulled the seatbelt across his chest as Roman started the car, already buckled in. Patton looked out the window the entire time. Roman had turned the radio off. The drive was silent save for the sounds of the road.

Patton could feel the car move. The road was familiar; the one he took nearly every day to work, and back-and-forth from the craft store, and some old friend’s houses, and in general when he would drive. He’s never noticed all the cracks and bumps under the wheel before. He’s never noticed the noises that the tires make against the asphalt. He’s never noticed anything other than the cars around him as he drives, and the path ahead that he has come to know like the back of his hand.

In that moment, however, those were the only things he could focus on; the cracks and the potholes and the bumps. Every turn picked up the pace of his breathing, just for a moment. Every car that passed on the two-lane road was the sole object of his focus until it was past once again. The road was dark in the evening light, and the blinding headlights of other cars were, mercifully, few and far between.

He’s never had trouble driving before. Now he sat wondering how long it would be before he had that comfort back.

They arrived home in the blink of an eye; Logan and Virgil already there. Patton walked upstairs to his bedroom almost like a zombie. He dressed for bed, and took his medicine, and laid his glasses on his nightstand mechanically. He had carried the lamb up all the way to his room, and now it sat there on his desk. He went over to grab it and laid back down, holding it tightly.

Patton cried himself to sleep, confused and scared and exhausted.

He never saw the other driver.

He should have gone straight home from work.

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