#still working on coming up with a good ship name for them but haven't decided yet :P

[critfailcleric]

"I'll kiss it better later"

[cokou]

Sharing 共有

Kidd × F!Reader × Law キッド×エフ！リーダー×ロ

event. 100 followers event! Requests all open till 17th of July 2024. ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ sum. Fighting over you is useless, you just need to pick which one! Decision is on you! ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ tw. No genre mentioned. Reader is a straw hat! Pre sequel to two other stories. ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ a/n. I had been delayed because, work and clearly Haven't had enough time to write at all. Hope y'all enjoy this! //Do not translate or transfer my works, this is my only account. Will not be crossposted anywhere. // Masterlist♡

Your eyes slightly open from the sun shining through your face by the opened window of your room on the ship, looking at the direction where light was shining. You slowly get up, you rub friction on your eyes to see much more properly, looking by the wall across the room whilst losing focus.

As you heard the loud arguments outside by the deck, you had figured that the men, Kidd and Law, were still here since last night. Not being able to recall everything that much, all you remembered was that they stayed by the ship drinking with the others involving you as well. You exited your room and was met by the windy weather, you shiver slightly and made your way into the sunny's kitchen.

You take whatever was left in the table and munched on it, proceeding to start the day earlier. Walking into the deck, the argument of the three men became louder to your ears, Luffy, Law, and Kidd. You heard that they were fighting something about what Luffy did.

"The hell's with you ruining everything again?!" Kidd blurted.

"Hah?! I didn't even do anything!" Luffy fought back.

"Coming from the guy who decided that running right through the bandits after stealing from them WAS a great idea." Law chimed in.

You continue to listen to their bickering and fighting across the upper deck, trying your best to not give a single care. But you just happen to want to eavesdrop on them, so that's exactly what you did.

"What? It was i great idea c'mon!" Luffy tilts his head.

"Where the hell is the GREAT idea there?!" Kidd was starting to hold grudges on Luffy based on his tone.

"We might just take (Name)-ya with us for the next next we do the work in the island." You lean on the deck as you heard your name coming from Law's mouth, he was planning to take you with them? You didn't understand why out of everyone he could've picked it was you.

"Right (Name)-ya?" Your eyes widen in confusion as Law looked up to your direction and smiled at you, slightly fixing his hat.

"Might be the greatest idea you got there Trafalgar." You felt even more confused as Eustass agreed on Law's opinion, which obviously never happens at all.

"Me? Why me?" You lean cloeer into the railing as you raise your voice for them to hear.

"Oooh! (Name), she's pretty good at those things!" Luffy smiled at their suggestion, taking on their side to take you with them.

"Eh, you seem like you'll get the fucking job done." Eustass adds. You tilt your head slightly of you could have probably messed up on with the mission.

Thinking about you falling into an endless ravine and not being able to scream for help, or get eaten by alligators, or possibly bitten by a large snake! You shook your head at the thoughts of dangerous, reckless things you could do from destroying their expedition.

"That won't be a good idea at all!" You step back onto the upper deck, crossing your arms as you look at them from the chair you sat on.

"Oh well, you don't have a choice (Name)! I agree with their ide—"

"Who the hell said I'm gonna agree to that?!" You cut Luffy off making him jump from your sudden outburst. But you think about it slightly, getting to spend time with Trafalgar and Eustass, THE Trafalgar and Eustass. You change the perspective of your mind,

"Fine, I'll do it!" You stood up from the chair and make your way to them. Luffy unknowingly smiles at your decision and so does the two. Before you knew it, you three were launched off into the depths of the Island, which was a pretty city. The way buildings and structures were built was perfect, it was definitely one of the prettiest places you've seen out of all the Cities you've been on.

"So what are we doing?" You ask them.

"Eh, just gotta steal some good ol' stuff in here, aye." Kidd answers. You nod at his answer and began looking and admiring the buildings.

"It's pretty much a suprise to get to work with ya, I didn't expect it to say the least." Law looks at you, the same usual straight face he displays. You nod at his remark and bring your hand to rub your chin, thinking of how you guys were fonna steal without getting caught in such a huge city.

As you three wander into the city hoping to find a building that looks like will be stuffed by treasure, you came across two ways around the city, a straight path and a right path.

"We should split into two groups." You suggested.

"Sure, go with me." Kidd grabs your wrists but was immediately stopped on his tracks by Law grabbing your other wrist as well.

"No, (Name)-Ya is coming with me." He pulls you back to him, making you fall into his torso as he moves you out of Eustass' reach.

"Fuck off Trafalgar! She's coming with me!" Kidd pushes Law slightly and grabs a hold of you. You push both of them away,

"ACTUALLY i will decide who'll i go with!"

If you chose...Law ↓

Kidd scoffs at your claim to be with Law and started walking off into the right path, staying on the place with Law. You two continuesly made your way towards the straight pattern of the cities roads. As you two walk along the road, you were met with much more tall structures and people, staring off into the distance, you seem to notice someone being chased off.

"What's with them?" You asked.

"Persons probably a bandit, let's go. We're definitely in the correct way." He grabs you and started running fastly into the same direction the person was being chased off. You two arrived Infront of the gate of the biggest structure in the city. Law decides to break off the lock and conceal the both of you inside.

Inside was definitely a large sum of golden furnitures, searching and ravaging the cabinets and drawers one by one. You two were so busy with taking all the items that it went past an hour inside.

Finally finishing with the little adventure inside, you two went out from one of the structures windows and landed on someones roof, trying the best to not attract any contact with the city people. Unfortunately you two's luck had ran out and you two were chased by Marines since someone had reported seeing you two running on the roofs.

Not only have they grazed your arm a bit but you two had managed to outrun them, successfully meeting up with Eustass into the Sunny once again.

If you chose...Kidd ↓

Kidd smiled widely as you pick going with him instead, mocking Trafalgar and laughing him off. He grabs your wrist and fled with you towards the right side of the city. Inside were homes of different sorts, the road was busy and there were lots of stalls by the road.

Unfortunately, you two had no enough money to buy anything from them, so the walk was pretty boring. Across the seemingly endless road, you two were led into an empty part of the city, being greeted with nothing but the sea. You two were frustrated and decided to enjoy some view first before riding out the main road.

"No treasure here then, that's shit." Kidd scoffs and grunts.

"What about we rob the homes instead?" You suggest.

"Great idea but, eh, no. That's a million times fucking harder, plus our goal is to not attract any attention at all aye." You sigh at his remarks and you gently sat down on the ground. You two first enjoyed the view, not knowing how much time had passed. Eventually Killer had come to get you two and said that he asjed Trafalgar where you two headed into the city.

Killer takes you two out the dity and back into where the ships were docked, sadly you two hadn't found anything at all, on the other hand, Law had brought a large bag full of golden treasures. It's safe to say that Eustass and Trafalgar picked a fight onto each other again.

Eustass calling Law boastful and overproud just because he found them instead of the both of you, whilst Law called him a jealous bastard.

—

Back at the Sunny again, you three decided to end the day with dinner with the Straw hats, specifically you. You two slumped over your bedrooms couch and talked about how the expedition went for each sides, they weren't so bad after all! Thanks to Luffy messing up, you three had gotten clower in a span of the day. Especially with the person you chose to be with.

———

Pre-Sequels; NSFW

More for us //T. Law × Reader

More for you // E. Kidd × Reader

©Cokou 2024, all works belong to me.

[angelofsmalldeath-codeine]

What we lose in art when blogs leave the platform

Last night I was working on my fics database (I’m the spreadsheet kinda autistic) and checking if the links I had were still working and trying to fetch links for the ones I had recently added. I was upset about the number of blogs gone (some might have changed name and I haven't kept up and that one is on me). Some really amazing stories, art and overall fun is all gone. Precious interactions that help build the community totally vanished.

The vitriol and unjustified hate I see spewed everywhere has gotten to unbearable levels. I’ve been in fandoms and fanfic communities since the days of printed zines and yahoo/geocities groups that were uber hard to get into. I have survived all the websites that shutdown leading us to mourn the loss of that work. Fanfic was akin to contraband and harshly judged. We know we are weirdos, hence why we find community in alternative spaces away from the mainstream.

It feels like people want us to go underground again. Cool, we can do that, but we gonna be gatekeeping the hell outta these spaces then.

What peeves me the most is the puritanical take that has been recently brought into the space and how that’s used to measure others and judge them on some standards they are not even aware of until they start getting hate. Said hate is usually delivered via anon asks, of course, because god forbid them having the decency of defending their shitty takes, right?

Still on the puritanical take, the goalpost seems to change often too. It is self-serving. Kink shaming/topic judging is the default mode until someone decides they like that particular thing and it is no longer controversial. Why are you censoring your peers? Why do you assume that everyone subscribes to your beliefs, tastes, preferred topics and tropes? The performative activism isn't a good look either.

Sometimes this fandom feels like the mormons who do the soaking thing so they can get off before marriage without actually fucking. If the cock goes in because my friend is jumping on the mattress, that is on the mattress, not on me. I digress but y'all get the gist.

I have been on this hellsite since its launch and have seen many fandoms come and go. The assholes eventually fuck off to be toxic somewhere else, but they do tend to jump from fandom to fandom for a while until their reputation and toxicity catches up with them. It takes too long and the damage they cause is often quite extensive.

We are not in competition with each other here. I have said it so many times... Tumblr isn't a monetised platform and fanfic is a gift economy. Leave your fucking TikTok and Instagram cut throat mentality at the door. We don't tear each other down trying to build ourselves up in this house.

During the pandemic fanfic came into the mainstream mostly because of people on TikTok. Great! We are a welcoming bunch and it makes us happy that more people can find joy in consuming fan made art of their favourite shows and ships in whatever form they choose.

It is not because we've opened the door that we will let y'all trash the room. I'm sure you were raised better than that.

Can you not be assholes? Much appreciated.

P.S.: I am too old to care and have zero fucks left to give about anyone's feelings getting offended over this. Fuck you very much.

[tae-rambles]

OP ch 1116 SPOILERS

My reactions as I read:

love the women of Wano fangirling over Yamato - so cute

also Otsuru as beautiful as ever (another character with a scar over/around their left eye... seriously whats up with that)

"no one from back then is even alive today" while showing Imu... i see what you did there Oda

so i'm guessing Imu was in love (/obsessed? - i question the healthiness of their relationship) with Nefertari D Lili? and thats why he's after Vivi now - that's been the most likely theory for a while now, the portrait only reinforces it

Imu is big mad lol

also i like how the reactions shown in this section are from Alabasta - it neatly thematically interconnects this section

oh, Karoo, Igaram i'm so sorry but don't worry, your princess is ok (as much as she can be after her father was assassinated)

they don't even have a body to properly bury their beloved king :(

and we know who stole it - Greed

oh god, Stussy... i'm tearing up...

Kaku's expression... man...

Edison reframing conflicting emotion as a sign of humanity i love it

Stussy decided to keep living! :D i'm so happy!

i feel sorry for the surviving Lulusians but why is Moda reacting like she didn't know? she must have seen what happened together with Sabo since the were on the same ship... maybe she didn't realize the disaster was man-made?

and there are still some countries that didn't know? huh... (hello Elizabelo II and Dagama from Prodence Kingdom :D (had to look up their names))

Momo almost blurted out they have an ancient weapon capable of flooding the world in front of everyone lmao

Joy Boy wanted them to be passed down? Oden also wanted to open Wano even though he knew that would release Pluton... interesting... there might be much more to the weapons or to the flood than Vegapunk knows... e. g. there's still the question where did such massive amount of water come from and why is its surface rising when there are at least two (2) giant holes in the ocean (Enies Lobby, Lulusia) that haven't been flooded yet... this is not how water physics work

Sengoku stress eating lmao

and Akainu literally smoking with anger lmao

i wonder what Crocus' thinking (why doesn't Oda show us Rayleigh's reaction here as well though?)

maybe Stella realized something was up exactly because you cut off your memory synchronization? like why else would you do that unless you were up to no good. that's just too obvious. also, since you cut contact, not only could he not see into your head, you couldn't see into his either! it's obvious how you didn't notice what Vegapunk was doing and why you didn't know about the recording. York, you might be a Vegapunk but your greed and arrogance made you dumb

yes, he knew about the government coming to kill him at least

oh i've seen people theorize the snail is with the Iron Giant! Congrats for your theory being right! :D

Rayleigh! :DD i'm so glad i was wrong! we did get his reaction! and he's drunk and calling Vegupunk an ass for spoiling the fun XD i love him so much

also Shakky beating up scoundrels in the background my queen

Damn! even though it was only 13 pages and we didn't learn anything we haven't at least suspected at some point, i really enjoyed this chapter :D

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Another day/week/hour of accumulating thoughts which haven't marinated enough.

That Zzinu guy (I can't remember his actual name) is really hanging out with everyone relevant in the industry, he's everywhere 👀 I saw him with RM on IG and at some concert, had no idea they were buddies.

Why did Jungkook come back just for a few days? What was that damn urgent to fly to Seoul only to go back to US in no time? I thought someone would enlist, but nope.

I took the bus downtown twice today instead of calling for a car. I have to stop being delusional and accept that I'm not rich.

I'm not gonna write a review of Tedros' album cause I don't feel there's a point, but I do have like a few things to say. Why is it being talked about like he started working on Layover 3 years ago? I mean, he started working on music, yes, but this thing that came out? That's like some team who probably put together the music a lot more recently. But hey, I'm just babbling so what the fuck do I know? Slow Dancing sounds good. I mean, nice enough to have it in the background in a playlist. All the songs feel too short, like they're some samples and they just decided to release them that way. Since his contribution was mostly singing the actual songs, it feels like he gave Min Hee Jin a pinterest board of who is Taehyung and from that entire thing, she created the Kim Taehyung artiste aesthetic. It's her vibe all over it. Just as it's her entire shtick all over NewJeans. It screams more MHJ than the actual idols.

I tried so hard in the past 30 min to stop myself from being bitchy, but I can't help it. To those who think that they got out of the jikook cult and now they're smarter and feel the need to still use the tag to post their bullshit? Wake up, you're still in a cult, you just switched to another. Absolutely pathetic. I wish I could fuck with pjms cause I admire the way they stand up for Jimin and they're like the most organized fanbase. But the moment they started using cult/tkkr narative and making Jimin sound like a puppet, I just knew they're not better. And a sign that I cannot affiliate myself to any group in this fandom, I'm riding on my own like I always have.

You know what's ironic though? Jikookers are basically the only ship fandom within bts who since the beginning and especially in the latest years, should have just sat back and relax cause they're so damn privileged. No other pair in bts is giving what dumb and dumber (I call them that with all my love) are doing together, but there's not a day in which I don't see stupid anons or jikookers fighting and bringing arguments. Waste of time!

And in that vein, pjms would only have to learn from their god damn classy bias who is no doormat and act accordingly. Fight for him without acting so damn stupid. In terms of artistry, he's the best out there out of this group and others in his generation. Isn't that fucking cool? And look at his behavior. Let army and kpop stans get frustrated thanks to Jimin's achievements and how you can contribute to that, not using the same foul language which only trashy stans are using. Do better ffs. Fix that attitude. And stop believing you know Jimin's brain and soul inside out. No one does. It only makes you sound like any other delusional kpop stan.

Key's Good & Great is out. I only had time to watch the mv once during actual work hours (fitting) and I can't get into anh details, but I liked the idea of workaholism tied to a simulation. There's tons of layers and stuff to be analyzed there, perhaps some other time.

[windor-truffle]

many thoughts head full they're only tangentially graces related but idk where else to vent:

I feel like I should have/did already know this about myself but holy shit I (and many others) am an absolute slut for the redemption-style ship trope, the ol' "I know you and I love you and that's why I can't let you deviate into this darker place I'm stopping you I'm saving you I'm helping you I'm bringing you back." and now I'm gonna ramble abt it because aaaaaaaaaa

I swear I've loved this trope for a while now but I think analyzing graces in part heightened my awareness of it until it hit a breaking point (w an ace attorney video of all things) and I realized that *all* of my favorite ships are this way 😅 Richard and Asbel fit it of course they're like the prototype of the simplest yet effective way to enact this: a pure-hearted protagonist who believes in his friends until the end but is willing to stand against them vs the love interest coerced (and in this case also outright possessed) into very obviously morally wrong actions by the exacerbation of a flaw but ultimately saved when they can put aside their pain and embrace the help that comes with companionship and makes that pain bearable. Paragons that cling on to hope even if it makes them seem naive or causes them to get hurt sometimes along the way are SO sexy and when that hope is rewarded with what they wanted, the redemption of someone who others thought to be beyond salvation, I the audience am also bursting into tears I don't care if it's cliche it's SO GOOD 😭

You know which other popular ship does this? Not hard to figure out I already mentioned Ace Attorney but yeah Phoenix Wright changed his whole career just because he heard that the hero who once stood up for him when no one else would was now a ruthless prosecutor and he had to find the truth of what had happened to his beloved childhood friend Miles Edgeworth (I've made the Richass comparison before and there's even an AA AU fic for graces but I haven't read it yet 😔). The AA fandom eats this gay ship up but how can you not 💜 Edgeworth being stopped in his tracks by this incessant bluffing optimistic man who stood fast against his selfishness (paraphrasing something Edgeworth literally says in JFA 😅) until he starts to question himself (because of some "unnecessary feelings") and eventually actually believes in himself after years of feeling guilt over a crime he thought he committed and shame of letting down the beliefs his supposed victim instilled him (the same beliefs that Phoenix is determined to bring out in him again) and ultimately leaves to figure out what his goal as a prosecutor really is then returns for my all-time favorite case Farewell and Turnabout and now it's Edgeworth's turn to say "I've learned what I stand for and the lengths to which I'd go to maintain it because you set me on this journey, now it seems it's your turn to walk this same path of doubt and discovery but don't worry I'll be right beside you, I'll walk it with you so you don't have fear going as far astray as I once did." Like. ;_;

But holdup I'm not done naming ships 'cause Fluri also does this to an extent. Yuri has to call out Flynn when it becomes apparent his blind trust in his mentor has made him complacent in the very crimes he sought to fix from within, and Flynn retorts by condemning the methods that Yuri has resorted to, the "dirtying of his hands," though I'd argue though that Yuri's double homicide is actually not a deviation from his morality but rather an extreme fulfillment of it. But it's still delightful though the way they have to pull each other back from the pitfalls of their own brands of justice, ie. entrusting too much power in fallable governments vs. appointing yourself the power to decide who gets to live or die. And like the previously mentioned ship, this pair works the best when they combine their different approaches (everything about how they infiltrate Ragou's manor is brilliant) because that way they can keep each other in check. It's almost like finding the balance in enacting justice is the theme of these games or something 😅

Last ship I wanna mention isn't even in canon but I can't resist the opportunity to plug my own (unfinished 😓) sormik fic "Falling Awake" because this is DEFINITELY what I was going for, a Mikleo threading the line of morality out of both despair and desperation to see their dream fulfilled even if the cost is steep, and a Sorey who struggles to reconcile whether this fallen seraph before him really is his friend or whether he can even be saved. A Mikleo who places the decision of whether to cross that line fully in Sorey's hands, trusting him to make the right call even as he begs him to let him do this, and a Sorey who can't let down the dreams of their past by allowing this particular tainted method to be its fulfillment. Everytime I work on it I start weeping even though I'm the one who wrote it 😅

Before I wrap this up though I wanna shoutout some variations of this trope, because it can obviously go a lot of different ways. I know V's rather fond of the more twisted love version in which instead of trying to bring their loved one back from the brink they jump off together, a la Kresnik Bros Bad End Best End 😁 In some ways I almost think this trope is "purer" because rather than trying to restore their beloved to what they think they should be (morally good) they embrace them as they are (amoral but kinda sexy bc of it 😂). True love lets the world burn 💜

Also worth mentioning is the delicious variation wherein the fallen party really was bad from the start, such as being a mole for an evil group, but caught feelings along the way and started wanting to be the kind of person the other seemed to think they already were. Dramatic irony is my fave and there's so much angst you can tease as the character evolves from "haha I'm deceiving them can't wait to betray them" to "shit I'm actually so much happier here with them but our relationship is built on a lie and when it comes out that I am a villain I will be undone and have nowhere to turn except from whence I came but I no longer want to be there." I feel like there's a lot of instances of this trope but the one that came to my mind first was Shadowhand Essek from Critical Role, there's the excellent Shadowgast ship of course but I like that he has this dynamic with the whole party who have been nothing but kind to him and inspire him to want a better life despite what he's done and what he's still trapped in.

Anyway, if anyone read this far first of all thank you 💜💜💜 I really have just been stuck in fandom ramble analysis mode for the past few days it's kinda insufferable but at least tumblr blogs are a good outlet for it 😅 And secondly uhhh if any of my impassioned ship/trope descriptions remind you of a particular media/ship lmk (I feel like Soriku might fit this but I never got that far into the series). I can't say I'll get to anything right away but if it's got this kinda vibe that's like catnip to me I'll happily stash the recommendation away for a future obsession someday 😅

[sharkface-daydreams]

alrighty, AU time. some of these are partially posted. some are partially written. some of them will never see the light of day and/or are only half formed ideas shaped by delirious whimsy. but i think they're fun.

tagging @autisdicksimmons bc this is your fault (affectionate)

Thread Gulch Chronicles - the 4th wall touching cross stitch au. still haven't decided if i want to do anything related to framing

Andy the bomb but turn him into a ship ai and give him a crush on a dirty little shisno au - partially posted as of rn but the guy who works on this isn't out very much so it's in limbo kinda

Tripartite "villains in love" au (i know the name is stupid, bite me) - all take place in the same universe. stassney lives and ends up Stockholm syndromed with Felix who he rescues from dying at the bottom of the tower, locus realizes Doyle's romantic notions of soldiers are actually what's correct and either they fuck off together and Doyle fakes his death or locus surrenders idk haven't decided, and sharkface and price say fuck all this shit and fuck off into the aether for a happy ever after. there's some bits posted as the Unfettered [WIP snips] on ao3

Afterburner - Hargrove recovers Sigma and Sigma is given to sharkface to assist in killing freelancers (underdeveloped, that's literally all i have written lmao)

Double Triple - the triplets and the trio trying to make the best of their ice planet abandonment with hijinks and nonsense and dwindling supplies

Foxtrot Echoes - the honeypot au: version 1 contains no actual York ai but it's completely contrived and hinges on sharkface being a good enough actor to fool Carolina, wash and epsilon in order to get closer enough to kill them. bro fails step 1 tho and falls for Carolina and has to come clean thereby destroying the whole reason he'd confessed. angst!!! version 2 contains actual York ai but he's an early attempt by freelancer to acquire another ai so he's not technically a smart ai but he's still an ai and his and shark's psyches bleed into each other a bit

Heartstrings au - I only have Gravity posted bc tbr the rest of this is completely self indulgent Locington schmoop but I'm always a sucker for a good betrayal plotline

Shark mechanic au! the feds n news scoop up a fishy enemy and as they need all hands on deck he helps them as a mechanic and bonds a bit with the ducklings

modern band au - shark in a band with wash, south, pills and sleeves, all sorts of drama. not very well developed but lots of Sharklina angst

Xmas sharcus bit - this might get written eventually. modern au where the mercs gang gathers at Locus' for the holiday and during an argument with Felix, shark breaks an ornament that's really important to his bf locus… then works really hard to fix it but it's like glass u know so it's a huge pita. idk. Christmas schmoop, i was miserable on antivirals when i did this lol

the Sharklix "get worse together" enemies who fuck to kinda friends who fuck and also get revenge together au. unlikely to be posted, it's a little too self indulgent lol

games of the heart - au where Sharkface realizes he can't beat the freelancers physically so he suckers wash into falling for him so he can turn around and shred his heart to pieces. underdeveloped, self indulgent

get your kicks - the long haul trucker/greasy spoon waiter lolix au featuring unhappily married locus and licherally dying of boredom working for tips along the desert freeway Felix (thanks Ross for the line i took and ran with 💖) also the road is route 66 and modeled after the old route 66 on earth for novelty reasons

Lazarus - locus does his good guy shtick and returns often to help a sangheili colony and winds up with an alien baby. someone activates a temple of regeneration on chorus, and now alive Felix goes hunting for revenge. parts of this posted in scribbles n bits but it's not a full thing in the first place

the Locnut farm family rivalry au with donut and his two moms next door to locus and his two dads who are in a Midwestern rivalry but the two of them are getting along much too well

MaceFace! Mason and Sharkface run into each other at physical therapy and get chummy and eventually set out together for revenge since Lolix and the freelancers are both on Chorus

The Outriders AU - an enormous crossover undertaking with characters in the Outriders game universe… this will probably never be done but i got great plans for it. the mercs and a few others get freaky superpowers, there's an epic quest for info to secure survival, and Dr Church is trying to reverse engineer the superpowers unethically and causing problems so what else is new

MetaNut meet-cute/horny au where donut doesn't get shot bc Meta gets attached and also yanks donut over the cliff with him during the fight but they both survive and work their way back up to civilization while everyone else assumes them dead. plural meta au ✌️ also they have a little cottage with a garden and bees

the "no-PFL" SharkPrice AU where Price is hired at the same Charon building untoasted Sharkface is working security for and also Price and Dr Church are bitter exes and Church thinks Price is cradle-robbing when he sees them together

red Team Shark AU where Boose and Shark are friends and bond over losing your friends

Tear The Throat - also known as the SharKey AU (the one that comic is about) where Sharkface gets the key because he grabs it and tosses it to Felix not knowing it bonds to one person. This is a Chorus-loses AU bc they can just turn the key on the purge and call it a day and cash in.

WashFace au where Wash and Terrence were together before whatever shit happened that got Wash almost court martialed and sent to PFL, and Wash doesn't shoot when Sharkface makes his little "as long as I'm alive" speech bc he recognizes him when he takes off his helmet. and shark is like wtf you're supposed to be DEAD and gdi he can't kill wash now this is fucking unfair

extremely underdeveloped Dragon Age au with Sharkface as an apostate fire mage but like that's literally all there is to it lmao … shape shifter with dragon form could be fucking cool tho

fucking hell i forgot the Yurch au, that shit just started sprawling. yellow church gets stuck in cabooses head after church's time travel shenanigans in s3? and then yoinked out into a spare Android body and now there's a new guy on Blue team but he's church but he's not. blue church gets sent to rats nest with the others instead of isolated and they rescue all the fragments. EL/NOD AU. this is also what i made my freelancer OCS for but only Rhode island is actually in the story until they get to chorus. few variations on that one

[cobaltstarling]

So, I rewatched Glass Onion today, second time watching it, and

Like all the cool kids on Tumblr, I have an idea.

I was gonna put this under a read more but y'know what, I'mma tag it with spoilers and that should be enough. Besides, if you haven't watched it yet... what's wrong with you? >:I

ANYWAY.

At the end of the movie, things aren't looking good for the two non-'Disruptors'.

Birdie is basically a sinking ship at this point. She's already signed the statement taking full blame for the sweatshop thing, and even if she tried to weasel out of it, there is solid evidence that she (seemed to) know what she was doing. And Birdie's not going to be getting the money for her shares after testifying against Miles. Peg will have to leave, or go down with the sinking ship, and neither option is great for her having future work.

And on the other hand, we have Whiskey. Now that Duke's dead, she can't really use him to increase her media presence any more. She could try to continue his channel, but that doesn't seem like a good idea. Because A. His channel was dying, and B. It'd be too much of a shift from the maledom bullshit to her running the channel all on her own. Her plan was to get herself out there enough and then eventually run for politics. So that may be what she'll do.

However, while Whiskey is smart, she will still need an assistant. Someone capable of keeping up with a hectic schedule, someone who knows to hold her back, who knows when they should stay quiet, and what not to say. Because as smart as Whiskey is, people do make accidents.

And Peg is very good at keeping Birdie off of social media when she needs to, and will likely appreciate having someone with more brain cells to assist.

So, why don't they go together? Whiskey enters politics, with Peg as her assistant.

And the idea doesn't stop there! Considering that the Disruptors are going to testify AGAIN Miles Bron, so he's going to go away for, y'know, definitely one murder (one of them said they would testify that they saw him driving away from Andi's house), maybe two (they were all there to see him give Duke pineapple juice), one attempted murder (one of them said they'd testify that Miles took Duke's gun), and likely have Alpha taken away from him as well (one said they'd testify that they saw the napkin), or at least, what's LEFT of Alpha, Helen might end up finding herself with a bit of money. Enough to fund, say, someone she became pretty fast friends with on a Grecian island, after talking to her once and finding out that she was a lot more than just a pretty face.

Of course, due to the fiasco with Klear, it might be that Alpha is completely bankrupt and in deep debt and completely dissolved before Helen can acquire it.

But the main crux of my theory is that Whiskey and Peg at least know each other, Whiskey has seen what a hard worker Peg is, and knows how much of a disaster Birdie would be without her, and Peg knows Whiskey, and likely knows, like Helen does, that she is more than just a pretty face. And even if not, can you think of someone else who Whiskey would hire as an assistant?

She might want to hire Claire, but if she did, it would likely be as an advisor more than anything else. And it might just be that her name is mud by the time this comes around in which case Whiskey would want to distance herself from her.

Here's the thing though, even if the disruptor's names are mud after this, because they would have to admit to perjury, or at least the one who will testify about the napkin will. Lionel will be in trouble for trying to push Klear when it comes out how dangerous it is, Claire will be in trouble for pushing for the power plant when she knew how dangerous it is, Birdie's going to be in trouble for the sweat shop thing...

But they could still make comebacks from this. It's not impossible, stranger things have happened.

You know who won't be making a comeback, though?

Miles Bron, the man who decided to power his house on an experimental fuel he had been told was dangerous, and which led to the Mona Lisa being burnt.

At least, while he is in prison, he will have the comfort of knowing that he is spoken of in the same breath as the Mona Lisa...

Even if that comfort is miniscule, considering he was the man who destroyed it.

[authorangelita]

I was tagged by @rosieblogstuff 😃

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

259.  I really want to hit 100 stories in both MacGyver and White Collar fandoms.   😁

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

594,984.  That averages out to 2,297 words per work, which is actually better than I thought it would be.  I write a lot of short pieces. 

3. What fandoms do you write for?

In order of most fics to least: White Collar, MacGyver 2016, Teen Wolf, White Collar RPF, Dark Angel, Supernatural.  There are a few other fandoms, but they're related to an event I did on LJ where you wrote down 15 characters from various fandoms, and people gave you random numbers, and you had to write a drabble/ficlet that included those characters. 

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Redraw the Lines (White Collar)

Letter T: Tired (Teen Wolf)

Letter Q: Quilt (Teen Wolf)

Letter K: Kidfic (Teen Wolf)

Friendly Advice and Family Dinner (White Collar)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I always plan to respond, but I'm super behind at the moment.  One of these days, I'm going to catch up!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Listen, I'm not proud of it, but I did once write the death of Peter and Elizabeth's dog Satchmo in White Collar fic.

On the MacGyver front, it's hard to tell.  Maybe Regrets (Jack) where Jack decides they all need to leave the Phoenix. 

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I don't know that I would classify many of my fics as having a happy ending. I think Altered Course, the AU where Jack and Diane decide to foster Mac after his grandfather dies, has a pretty happy ending. 

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, not really.  There are a couple of White Collar fics that I wrote that some people didn't like, but I still didn't get hate for them. 

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Nope.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I haven't finished one, but I've tried a couple of White Collar/Teen Wolf crossovers.  That event I did with the 15 characters included crossovers, but they were so short, I don't know that they really counted. 

The craziest one from that was probably Luc Johnston (Tru Calling), Peyton Sawyer (One Tree Hill), and Peter Burke (White Collar) In a love triangle.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don't think so.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, back in the post-Dark Angel days.  A friend and I did a kind of role-playing thing where we wrote a bunch of Dark Angel fic that was mostly never posted, and several Dawson's Creek fics that were CJ/Jen-centric.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Is the Ever Given too obvious?

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I have a whole folder of fics called Limbo.  I've talked about this one before, but I have this idea (and I posted a ficlet of it during an event last year, I think) where Mac spirals after Jack "dies", becomes addicted to pain pills, and pushes everyone away until Jack comes back.  I would love to write it, but the amount of research needed boggles my brain. 

Another one that I probably won't finish is the one post-Regrets (Jack) where (post-Phoenix) Team Improv becomes an elite Search and Rescue team where Jack flies the helicopter, Mac gets winched down to rescue people, etc.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Oh, this is a good question!  And also a tough question.  Umm, Jack's voice, finding unique ways to twist an h/c story,  and the occasional zinger dialogue. 

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Also a good question and another tough one.  Fully fleshing out scenes, not starting paragraphs with someone's name, and coming up with endings that aren't cheesy.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I'm uncomfortable with it because I don't speak any other languages, and everything I know about translation apps/sites makes me nervous.  I named a fic with a word from another language, and I often think about changing it because I'm worried it means something terrible in a different language.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

General Hospital.  Those fics are lost to time (or the secret FFN account that I will never share).  I was 14/15, and they were terrible.  But I'm so glad I had that brief fandom experience.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

For White Collar, it's Redraw the Lines.  I really don't think that answer will ever change.  For MacGyver, that answer changes often, and I'm still writing stuff, so maybe I haven't written it yet.  Today, it's Wearing Your Wounds.

I'm not sure who's been tagged so far, so if you want to play, please say you were tagged by me! 😃

[mythvoiced]

-. on my third cup of chamomile I forgot my mother telling folks when i was a kid that she didn't like making me chamomile tea because it doesn't work on me it has the effect on me coffee has on most folks I am READY to fucking GO what's up chamomile tea to sleeP? NO MY BEAUTIES chamomile tea to something pls insert something that makes sense and is hype i can't think of anything, SO--

I do wanna get to some ooc messages but I can't promise I can get my brain in order to be coherent BUT ANYWAY, BEFORE THAT, dropping this asshole

Kim Minjun, 37, he/him, bloodsucker asshole baby~ Not in the literal sexy vampire sense, I mean he rose from the dirt and decided to make his living thriving off of what we made celebrity culture into, the very notion of celebrity culture itself

You want those pictures of Spider-man on your desk by Wednesday? You wanna know who's doing who and who's smoking what? You want exclusive details on a private party to start shit, get legal info acquired illegally just to have a story to tell about the latest celebrity divorce? Well, then Minjun's your fucking guy

Actually born Kim Jung-hoon but he changed it to Minjun because it sounds more... modern, fresh, better

He's a sleaze, a bit of a motherfucker honestly (forgive the cursing I'm matching his energy, his attitude), he doesn't care about the lives he could potentially be ruining, he operates according to the idea of 'well that's how this world works, don't like it? jump ship'

He'll dig up just about anything, he's started from being a sneaky piece of shit stalker following celebrities around to having built enough connections to be among the first to know when someone with a Reputation is entering this or the other club

But that's not even where his real forte is, oh no; gathering info is easy, figuring out how to get it around is difficult: who to sell it to? who's gonna pay the most, who's gonna turn into an enemy if you share the wrong name, the wrong location, expose the wrong people? no, he's good at finding shit, but the complexities of having to mind connections and be careful with who you drag into the dirt? not his favourite

What Minjun really excels at... is spinning shit around, he can turn the most innocuous of pictures into the drama of the century, by carefully nurturing doubts and rumours, he's a snake, a bastard

He's always hated the entertainment industry, he thinks himself above it, because he's not as desperate as them, he doesn't do what he does because he's otherwise got no worth in life, he doesn't sell his soul, he sells the souls of others

He doesn't think he's on the right side of history, oh no, by no means, he just thinks... well, don't become a celebrity if you don't want this treatment

The more I write about him the more I hate him lmao BUT GOOD WE NEED VILLAINS, UNREEDEEMABLE ONES

He comes from a relatively poor background, if comparing it to Hyun for example, but if he'd minded his business he would have just... lived a 'regular' life

He's particularly efficient when used as 'spy on the competition', new script ideas, new music ideas, new design ideas, you want to know what Shakespeare's next big play will be, Nicholas Bottom? well, then hit up this fucking clown

Only child, if his mother knew what he was up to she'd beat the shit out of him, he doesn't respect his father (haven't decided if he even lives still) but he does love his mother which is why he hasn't told her

Biromantic but he's a walking red flag so I hope the broadened pool of dating options doesn't fucking date him, demisexual

He can probably be fixed but WHY? why would you do that to yourself

He does have one little plus point, he's kind of like old school mafia in the sense that he doesn't mess with children, and anyone below 20 is a child to him, so he doesn't really mess with young idols and trainees

He actually hates the idol industry he thinks it's exploitative and abusive which is real fucking rich coming from him, but hey

I'LL WORK ON MORE ♥

[mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune]

Spinelluva Boss AU: Spinel & Ozzie x Fizz's Fusion (2024)

---------

[Note: yeah one of the plans I have for "Spinelluva Boss Home Is Where The Spinel Is"........is that Spinel will end up fusing with Ozzie and Fizz...so maybe this fusion will be like half-platonic & half-romantic, this drawing will be for both here and over at Quotev, also I know the story might not be 100% perfect but I'm happy that some still like it. and this fusion's pronouns will be She/Her & They/Them...can't really decide on a good name for them yet though...but she is suppose to be a fusion made from Fizz and Ozzie's romantic love for each other, and the platonic feelings that may also be a mix of a small crush on Spinel...as well as Spinel's growing fondness for them, but it doesn't mean they will 100% end up being ship together, which is why this fusion of those three, is both half-platonic & half-romantic...she has four eyes and is wearing a jester outfit, and has a Imp tail that is pink and white. their outfit is suppose to be a mix of Fizz and Ozzie's outfit as well...]

Credit for Helluva Boss goes to Vivienne "Vivziepop" Medrano

Credit for Steven Universe goes to Rebecca Sugar

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

I should of posted this in 2023 when I had first drew it, and just now I had to make some finishing touches on it today before I post it up...

so yeah, drew this on September 13, 2023

and posted it on March 20, 2024...

I know I did lay down, because I wanted to lay down before posting this up...but I had ended up falling asleep without meaning to.

guess I really was a bit more tired than I thought, but anyway this is the last post for today, I might post more tomorrow or the day after tomorrow or whenever I'm able to come back on.

also I will be using this drawing as a Cover for a future chapter of Spinelluva Boss: Home Is Where The Spinel Is, so it be for both here and for over at Quotev, the story is still on hiatus so the whole update on the story might not be right away and so adding this drawing of Spinel/Ozzie/Fizz's fusion might be a while...

but like one of the tags says for this, "do not reblog without permission", only I can freely use this for both here and for over at Quotev.

and I know the chance of others liking this fusion so much they want to draw it as well is very VERY slim, but even if some do end up liking it enough to want to draw it as well, and they didn't have to ask, they would still need to give credit...

but I still have doubts that anyone would be interested in drawing this Crossover fusion right away and some might have no interest at all, so yeah once again I know I have some doubts.

and I'm also okay with this fusion not getting much attention even before she is suppose to appear in that story.

I don't think I have added her yet anyway, but if I haven't yet then I will make sure to try to add her in a future chapter, which might not be right away but whenever I'm able to...

plus I should check sometime to see if they are already in there or not, and if I hadn't added her yet then I might still have time to work on the idea of her a bit more...

the story will still be on hiatus, and I think it is possible that I hadn't really added her yet to the story, and if I haven't yet...even if I do double check...then I guess her appearing in a future chapter will be worth the wait...anyway don't know what I should name her though.

maybe a good name will come to me sometime...

I'm going to go back to laying down in bed, and go to sleep...

hope some of you like this fusion who doesn't really have a name yet.

[panzershrike-pretz]

✨ 💼 🎹 for the OC asks!! 🥰

HELLOOOO! :D thank you so much for the ask!!

Here aee the answers! I decided to go with one of my characters I haven't made a post about yet, Juni! Because I love her!

✨- How did you come up with the OC’s name?

Her whole name is Juni Sharma!

Originally, her name wase meant to be Juniper, actually, but I ended up calling her Juni way more. Story-wise, she's of indian-secandinavian descent (her dad came from india, while her mom is finnish; they met in the US and she Exists). From what I found on good ol' internet, Juni means lovable, young or born in june.

While Sharma, her surname, came from her dad. It means "bliss", "happiness" or "warmth".

If I may be jonest it's been a while since I named her and I don't fully remember my intention with the name, so theresearch about the meaning was done now again. It certainly still fits her!

💼 - What do they do for a living?

Piracy! Juni joined the crew alongside Natasha, her best friend, so she wouldn't be left behind.

Due to her blindness, Juni prefers not to get involved in physical combat - instead, she works with Darty as another of the ship's musicians! That, and she also cares for the children.

Rarely she works as a spy as well, guve that her power is of enhanced hearing.

Begore that, she was a stundent and part-time worker at a restaurant, as a waiter. When she was able, she'd play as well for an extra money.

🎹 - Do they have any hobbies?

Juni isn't fully blind, she still loves to write poetry. It's one of her favorite past-times, even if she finds it very hard. Her boyfriend, Millard, loves to help when she asks and they both enjoy to read together as well.

She plays the violin; she got classes from a very young age and while her vision was deteriorating due to glaucoma, the violin was her best friend. She had a hard time adapting, especially since she was so young when she started to loose her vision, and it's still hard for her to fully deal with it but she's doing better now. And the violin stuck around.

Finally, Juni is a lover of horses! She always loved to ride them on her uncle's farm and had riding classes up until she disappeared (fucked off; her family thinks she's dead). This love for the animals stuck with her as she grew. Now, she rides whenever she gets a chance to visit Andy and Ted's ranch.

I'm debating on giving her own horse as well. Maybe?

[x-authorship-x]

YOU WOULD??? OMG WHENEVER I SAY THAT I'M WRITING SHISUI/HIDAN PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY IT'S A TRASHY SHIP

Anyway. I don't actually know how well they could work in canon, but the idea for the fic is that Hidan has been around for a long, long time (in canon it's never said for how long he's been immortal iirc and I love potential immortality-based angst, also we never really see him use any chakra except for like, sticking to trees I think? So I like to think that he's been around from before the chakra people started to be born) and he used to be some sort of mercenary hired to kill people, and one day he was sent to take care of the army of a kingdom where Shisui (maybe I'll use some different name for this past version of him but I have yet to decide) was the ruler

Used to being unmatched in a fight, Hidan finds himself stopped by Shisui who is able to fight him somehow equally and so Hidan gets basically obsessed with Shisui and they eventually end up being lovers

One day Shisui, who knows will eventually die and leave Hidan alone, performs a ritual to link their souls together and make them soulmates, making Hidan promise he'll find him in every single one of his future lives (and I think I'll put some kind of soulmark on both of them as a result of the ritual to show that they're linked)

The main story takes place around the time the Uchiha coup should happen (with past memories sprinkled here and there once Shisui starts remembering his past lives) when Shisui meets Hidan during an ANBU mission and they fight since Hidan had been hired as a temporary mercenary/bodyguard to protect Shisui's target, however during the fight something happens (to be determined, I'm not super good with writing fights but I'll come up with something) that makes it so that Shisui's soulmark is revealed, after which Hidan refuses to fight him anymore

Shisui doesn't think much of it at first, but he starts meeting Hidan on every single mission after that first one (Hidan knows he can't exactly walk into Konoha, he's not stupid and I think I'll make him a bit less psycopath as well, so he waits until he sees Shisui leaving and then follows him, and since I'd put him as someone from before the chakra times he'd have no chakra for Shisui to sense him) and after a little while Shisui decides to confront him about it

I have a bit of a bullet point list after this (Hidan telling Shisui they're soulmates, Shisui not believing him, Shisui starting to have dreams/remember his past lives etc...) but that's as far as I got and it's, like, two chapters truly fully written? And that's it (because all the past stuff will be later on so I haven't actually written it as chapters yet)

It all started because I saw a fanart with Hidan and Shisui together (not romantically, they were just in the same picture) and my brain just couldn't stop thinking about them being actual lovers

I plan on making it a bit dark and go quite heavy on Hidan's romantic obsession with Shisui, and after Shisui will realize the truth I'll probably put in there some good Uchiha-obsession as well. Not on 'yandere' levels (I don't like the yandere cliché too much) but still enough to make it clear that their relationship isn't all roses and flowers (is that a saying in english? I just kinda translated a saying from my og language 🤣), they're both very unhinged and quite co-dependant with each other

And now that I talked about it with you I feel like I wanna go write more of it, so now I need to find the WIP...

Anon, look at me, right in the eyes: we are talking about fictional characters from the most ridiculous hair-brained series that has somehow gripped us all for donkey's years. Don't let anyone make you feel bad for how you're playing around with canon, it's all make believe anyway and we should be allowed to be as unhinged as we like haha

Have fun and screw the haters!

1) this whole idea is super cool!!! I'd love to see where you go with Hidan's religion and the morals of his human sacrifice and blood letting etc (there is a fascinating Sakura-centric fic out there where Sakura is converted to Jashinism, the author has some extremely interesting takes on the religion) and how it interlines with Shisui's own dubious morality within the bigger picture of Shinobi morals being fucked up like crazy to begin with...!

2) Shisui somehow beats Hidan and gets his interest? Ayyyy Hidan can't draw blood and kill him if he's not fast enough to catch him first~

3) toxic evil murder husbands... Nice, brings to mind-

Hidan kills people for his homicidal religious zealousness... Shisui looks like a saint in comparison but that's just because he rewrites the minds of his opponents so no one even knows how bad he is (🙏🙏🙏 Shisui deserves to be a human monster, as a little treat 👉👈)

4) Also this has the potential for that whole "A fell first but B fell harder" dynamic because Hidan has been loving Shisui as a lifestyle for DECADES but Shisui gets bulldozed by memories and pitches headfirst into obsession after fighting Hidan's claims for a little too long... 😩

Thanks for sharing, Anon! And good luck with the WIP, if you do decide to continue!

[talesofsorrowandofruin]

heyyyyy! if you're still doing the dragon asks game, can I request fire and poison? 👉👈 thank youuuu ❤

Thanks! :D

Fire: share a snippet with some dialogue you’d like to show off. Here's an excerpt from Houses Full of Deceit:

With heavy sarcasm he asked, "What do I owe this pleasure to? Have you been hired to kill me or have you come to turn yourself in?"

Colman laughed. Just once, and with an odd rattle in his chest. "Neither. You'll never believe this but I've come to you for help."

"Really." Yo-han leant against the door-frame. "What sort of help? Did someone hire you to murder their enemy and now won't pay?"

"Not quite. Have you heard of the Hastings murders?"

"Not a word," Yo-han said. Now he regretted not buying international newspapers regularly.

Colman looked up at the ceiling. He didn't sit up, or prop himself up on his elbows, or move any part of his body except his head. "Horrible business. Husband, wife and three children all dead. Shot in the head. And guess who's got the blame?"

Yo-han frowned. "You didn't kill them?"

Colman gave him a downright offended look. "Have I ever killed children?"

To be honest Yo-han had no idea. He'd never been able to work out how many murders Colman had actually committed. Luckily Colman didn't wait for an answer.

"I was in Italy when the Hastings — Hastingses? — were murdered in London. First I heard of it was when I was recognised at the Italian customs. Had to run for my life. Got hold of a paper and discovered the whole thing's been pinned on me. My picture's in every paper in England and most of the ones in Europe too. So I decided to leave Europe. Got as far as Siam by pretending to be a missionary, then I met an attaché of the American embassy in a bar. He'd just been reassigned to Japan. So I got him drunk, stole his tickets, and got on the ship under his name. When we stopped at Seoul I went for a walk around the harbour and never came back. Then I wormed my way into the British embassy, found your address — you'd be amazed what people will say when they think you're Lord So-and-So — and came here."

"You seem to have had a very exciting time," Yo-han observed dryly. "And when did you get injured?"

Colman's casual façade cracked. As he looked at Yo-han, weeks of exhaustion and fear showed on his face. "How did you know?"

"You haven't moved once since I arrived. Either you're unbelievably lazy, or you're trying not to aggravate an injury."

Colman moved his left arm away from his side. "Remember when I said I ran for my life? I meant it. In Bangkok I was recognised again. That was why I resorted to something as stupid as identity theft. The guy went at me with a garden fork, believe it or not. It's shallow but hurts like hell."

Poison: share a snippet that’s all about relationships (good or bad). Here's an excerpt from Silver Glass:

This is not how David wanted to bring Alec into his bedroom. Alec is still shaking. He collapses onto the settee and stares into the fire. David pours him a glass of water and sits beside him. He wraps his arms around Alec's waist and rests his head on his shoulder.

"You'll have to marry her," he says. Alec makes a noise like a wounded animal. "Listen to me. She can destroy us both. You'll have to marry her, collect evidence against her — do you think she'll be faithful? — and divorce her the first chance you get. Ruin her reputation so well that no one will believe anything she says against you."

Alec cranes his neck to look at him. "But David…" He closes his eyes and visibly steels himself to continue. "No church will marry us, no law recognise us, but in my heart I'm married to you. I can't stand in front of God and man and swear to take that woman for better or worse, forsaking all other. It would be a monstrous lie."

David kisses him. He tries to pour all his unhappiness, all his rage at the situation, all his love for Alec into the kiss. Alec responds in kind.

When they break the kiss David presses his forehead against Alec's. Alec wraps his arms around David and pulls him closer. They watch the fire together.

"I couldn't continue this relationship with you," Alec says sadly. David knows him, knows his efforts to reconcile his sexuality with his religion, and was expecting this. "I'd be legally married to her, so I would be breaking a commandment."

"Aren't we already breaking commandments?" David asks. He doesn't want to be a married man's secret lover, but when the marriage is a sham built on blackmail it can hardly be considered binding.

Alec smiles ruefully. "Not one of the ten commandments, unless you count this as covetousness. I can list every reference condemning us, but only adultery is forbidden in the ten commandments."

They fall silent for a while. Alec has stopped shaking. David can guess what's going through his head, and knows his decision before he declares it.

"In the morning I'll tell her I agree to marry her," Alec says, and he says it as if he's reading his own death warrant.

David tightens his grip on him. The morning. It's afternoon and morning is getting rapidly closer. He calculates how long it will be before their absence is commented on. Not long enough. Especially if they miss dinner. But after dinner…

To hell with restraint. He can sneak out of Alec's room and back to his own before the servants start their rounds.

"You know, we haven't had our wedding night yet," he says.

Adding Deceit's and Glass's taglists: @lightgriffinsect​, @oh-no-another-idea​, @kittensartswriting, @writingpotato07, @sarahlizziewrites, @acertainmoshke, @author-a-holmes, @sam-glade (Let me know if you want to be added to/removed from the taglist!)

[ashrillvenheim]

Awakening Past

Chapter 7

64.media.tumblr.com

QUICK NOTE: THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!!!!

pairing: Ashley Graham x Leon S Kennedy.

Content: (+18) romance, angst, gore, erotic/suggestive themes at some point, slow burn, violence, action, self-harm, death talk,

If you're a MINOR or feel uncomfortable with any of these genres or ships, please DON'T keep reading, thank you.

Word count: 10k :3

Archive of our own / WORK LIST / Awakening Past Masterlist

prev / next

The birds chirped with the coming of the good weather. It was nice, as long as the only pigeon in the neighborhood didn't decide to stay on his balcony and sing good morning for forty-five minutes.

He adjusted his belt with a grunt. He still had to admit that he had managed to catch up on his pending hours of sleep.

He looked at himself in the mirror, tying the buttons on the sleeves of his shirt and putting on his black leather jacket.

He slipped the gun into the holster and tied his shoes before leaving the room.

He knocked on the front door and heard a "come in."

The two big dogs greeted him enthusiastically, causing Leon to smile and pet them as they sat on the couch.

“What are you going to do with the dogs?”

The owner took a few seconds and then appeared in the hallway. He had to admit that she looked good in those jeans with a simple brown T-shirt and a dark green jacket.

“They're coming with us, is there going to be a problem?”

Leon looked at the animals who sat obediently in front of him, pulling a smile from him.

“Not as long as they don't make a fuss.”

Ashley nodded and tossed him the car keys.

“I'll drive back.” she informed him, grabbing her backpack from the hall closet.

Dr. Petrov was passing through some DSO offices in Boston, where he had arranged to meet them so he wouldn't have to make them drive all the way to Washington.

Leon unlocked the car and Ashley loaded the dogs into the trunk. The agent looked at his watch and made sure they were on schedule. Ashley fixed the netting between the trunk and the back seats and closed the door. Leon sat behind the wheel and started up as she climbed in.

“How was the night?” asked the woman, putting on her seat belt. Leon turned the wheel, accelerating gently.

“ I almost shot a pigeon.”

“You've met Henry then.”

Leon turned to her.

“Hen- you named the pigeons?”

“That pigeon. As you may have seen, it's quite distinctive.”

“More distinctive with a bullet.”

Ashley let out a chuckle, leaning back against the door. They hadn't spoken again about what had happened a few days ago. They didn't feel like arguing, it wasn't a good way to start. Leon played it down, but Ashley did want to tell him some things, not all of them, but... the ones that mattered most right now. It wasn't the time though, not yet. Not after seeing how he reacted to seeing her confrontation on campus.

“Do you mind if I turn on some music?”

Leon shrugged his shoulders in affirmation without taking his eyes off the road. Ashley turned on the CD player and let Amy Winehouse play in the background.

“I've got rock if you want to switch later.”

Leon nodded in rapt attention, glancing at the mirrors frequently. They were silent for a few minutes during which Kennedy went over the questions he wanted to ask Ashley about the accident, but didn't know where to start.

“Are you going to ask at once?”

Leon turned in confusion and saw her eyes closed and her head cocked to one side.

“Ask you what?”

She went on talking without parting her eyelids.

“About the university and the incident.”

The agent looked at her in surprise.

“What makes you think I wanted to ask you about that?”

“Since you've been here, you haven't brought it up again, and besides, you tense your jaw when you're thinking about something.”

“Do I do that?”

“Only when you're thinking about it a lot and you're not convinced.”

“And when I'm convinced?”

 Ashley was silent for a moment.

“You smile and do it no matter how bad it is.”

“I don't jump in if it's a bad idea.”

“Says the one who threw me down a waste chute.”

“I knew we'd be okay.”

This time her golden eyes locked on him for a second.

“You had no fucking idea what was at the bottom.”

The man fell silent and gave the steering wheel a squeeze.

“I had a hunch, and they usually work.”

“I don't dispute that.”

This time it was he who looked at her, seeing her, again, with her eyes closed.

“Are you going to fall asleep?”

A subtle, faint chuckle came to him.

“Depends, do you have any interesting topics to talk about?”

“I'm the driver, shouldn't you entertain me?”

He seemed to have already forgotten what he wanted to ask her about the incident. 

Leon could see Ashley's smile out of the corner of his eye. He knew she was making that gesture, he was sure of it. 

And he didn't have a good feeling about it.

“Did you know penguins have teeth?”

“They have beaks, not teeth.”

“Oh yes, they have teeth inside their beaks.”

“What…”

***

The receptionist looked up from his screen to find probably the most attractive man he had ever seen in his life.

Leon S. Kennedy.

He had heard of him, but, unfortunately, had never managed to coincide his shift with one of the agent's visits, but finally, there he was, and he had to admit that the rumors had fallen short.

"We have an appointment with Dr. Petrov," she said. His vibrating voice coursed through every cell of the receptionist.

"Yes," he replied sheepishly, "you are accompanied by..." he looked at the list and his body froze. "Did you come with A-Ashley Graham?"

Leon looked confused by the man's reaction.

"Eh, yeah?"

The two turned as they heard the front doors open and a woman walked in with two dogs. The canines sat down across from the secretary and Ashley grinned from ear to ear.

"Ben, I haven't seen you in a long time!"

The receptionist began to blush as his heart raced violently.

"A-Ashley, h-how are you do-doing?" he stammered helplessly.

"All right, I brought the puppies with me today."

Ben stood up to look over the counter and his eyes sparkled with excitement.

"These are Min-nt and P-pepper?"

"Yes, they can stay with you if you like."

It was as if the sky had opened up for the man.

"C-can I?"

"Sure!" Ashley pulled them in with the man and ordered them to guard their position.

"If someone bothers you, you tell them to bark."

Ben nodded with a huge smile and gave them the number of the room where they would be met by Petrov.

Ashley and Leon were about to start walking down the hall when Ben spoke.

"Ashley, t-thank y-you f-for the o-other t-time.

She smiled.

"No problem."

They got on the elevator.

"Is there something I should know?"

Ashley waved her hand dismissively.

“His asshole ex-boyfriend came after they broke up demanding to get back together, saying that without him he wasn't capable of doing anything because of his shyness and stuttering.”

Leon looked at her, fearful of the story.

“I assume you got in?”

The young woman's laughter was enough.

“Well, I just cleared things up a bit.” She saw the agent's worried expression. “ I only threatened him with an urgent visit to the dentist, that's all.”

“Nothing more?”

“It was enough for him to see Dana with me.” she paused thoughtfully. “I'd have to visit her, I haven't been able to come to the last training sessions.”

The elevator doors opened.

“Do you want me to tell you another curiosity?”

Leon looked at her in horror.

“No, don't even think about it. Between the penguins and the dolphins, I've had enough of you.”

Ashley laughed, stopping in front of the office door. The agent noticed that the woman was hesitating with her hand on the knob, but not turning it. He watched her take a few seconds to catch a deep breath. 

“Are you all right?”

“Yes” she paused, exhaling. “It's a moment before meeting new people.”

Another puff and she blew the air out. She turned the knob and stepped inside.

The giant bear who called himself human turned toward them. Leon stepped forward to shake his hand in greeting.

“From what I can see Miss Graham does know how to keep her appointments.”

Ashley laughed watching as Leon rolled his eyes with a grunt and then fixed her gaze on the man to step forward and extend her hand as well. Petrov took it firmly, something that made Ashley's body tense subtly under Leon's gaze.

“At last I met the president's daughter, it's a pleasure.

“The pleasure is mine.”

The doctor motioned for them to sit across from him.

“Well, I guess Dana told you why you're here.”

Ashley's golden eyes locked onto the man's chocolate ones.

“Regarding the incident on campus, or am I mistaken?” Leon asked.

Petrov looked at the agent for a moment and then turned back to the young woman. The two looked at each other.

The doctor realized that something didn't add up. Weren't they supposed to be close? After all, they went through all that... oh. He looked at the golden irises that vibrated for a moment as if they were denying.

He understood.

But he had to investigate. For science? Maybe a great motivation was his simple curiosity.

“That was one of the reasons, but I can see that you are in good shape.” He paused, taking notes. “Do you mind taking off your jacket?”

Ashley nodded and left it on the chair showing her compression bandages. The doctor stood up pointing to the gurney for him to sit down and proceeded to remove the cloth. Leon stood silently and watched from the side. He perceived the blonde's skin completely even as if she had not been the victim of any blow. Was it normal for the blow she received to heal in just 4 days?

“I see that the training with my wife has paid off.” laughed the doctor, pulling a smile from Ashley.

“If I can't block a kick I'd be screwed.”

They both laughed as the man examined and felt the young woman's forearms, which were completely healed, something that did not go unnoticed by Victor.

“I wanted to ask you a series of questions.”  He looked sideways at Leon. “If it's all right with your guardian.”

“About what?” Kennedy's voice was calm, but with a tinge of concern.

“Similar to your reviews.”

Leon seemed reluctant to agree, folding his arms across his chest.

“Is it about Spain?” the female voice startled them both. “Or after quarantine?”

“Have you developed psychic abilities, Miss Graham?”

She laughed.

“No, but apart from the campus event that's the only thing I could be called here for.” He stared at her and the doctor understood.

“Yes. I've been in charge of Leon since you came back from quarantine and since his other mission.”

Ashley arched her eyebrows.

“His other mission? I thought he was in charge of my father's security.”

Leon cleared his throat, shifting his weight uncomfortably on his leg.

“I was called back to Spain.”

“WHAT?!” she exclaimed. It almost seemed calculated. “why didn't you tell me anything?”

“I guess for the same reason you didn't tell me about the confrontation on campus.”

This time it was Ashley who rolled her eyes.

“I can't believe it. Are you going to continue with that?”

The agent didn't answer, he just looked at her.

“He was sent to assist the BSAA unit they deployed there.”

“I had heard some of that from my father.” She nodded.

“I went to guide them through the terrain.”

She looked at the ground.

“I see…”

Petrov looked at Leon and he responded with a look on his face that implied guilt. The doctor decided to leave it aside.

“Well, back to the subject, miss. My wife has been informing me of your progress over the last few years. Would you like to add anything, is there anything unusual that you have noticed?”

Ashley stared thoughtfully at her hands.

“I wouldn't know. When I started training with her I noticed that I had developed more strength and may have even grown since then.” she laughed nervously.

The doctor smiled at her and asked her to squeeze his hands when asked.

“Do you do any sports apart from training?”

“Climbing. It helps me calm down before I face things, I guess it's like a meditation for me.”

Leon looked at her surprised by her answer, although he could more or less understand why she was saying it.

“Any anomalies?”

This time the agent looked at the doctor remembering that very question at his last checkup. Ashley stared at the floor thoughtfully. She didn't know whether to answer. Should she?

If she did...maybe they would want to study her or...maybe they would re-medicate her.

“It’s not getting out of here.”  The doctor told her, to which Ashley couldn't help but scoff.

“We both know that's not true.”

Leon held back a smile at the cheekiness of the answer but Petrov did not.

“Well, I see you've learned since then.” His words were understood only by the two of them.

“My sense of smell.”

 Leon turned attentively.

“Excuse me?” Petrov said to her somewhat astonished.

“I feel that my sense of smell has improved.” she paused for a moment "a lot.”

The doctor approached the table to write it down.

“How well developed do you think you have it?”

“Do you have a parakeet?”

Leon looked at her quizzically, but the way Petrov turned to her gave away that she had got it right.

“How did you…”

“Your hands smell like feathers and not pigeon ones, I'm used to those.”

The doctor looked as enthusiastic as when he gave Leon the hearing test.

“Can you smell anything else?”

 Ashley shrugged her shoulders.

“I smell more distinctly, but you'll have to be more specific.”

“What do you smell in this room?”

She closed her eyes and the agent looked at her, curious. 

Had she suffered similar anomalies to his?

“ Well, watermelon, dust, newspaper, gasoline, metal, cologne... isn't that the perfume Dana used to wear? No, wait, it's mixed with something like... vanilla? She mentioned to me that her sister was a vanilla lover.”

The doctor's laughter startled them. The man slumped back in his chair.

“What a pair of specimens.”

“Hey, we're not lab rats.” Kennedy growled.

Petrov looked at him mockingly.

“Those guys can't hear the secretary's footsteps.”

Ashley was surprised.

“The one with the raspberry shampoo?”

They both turned in confusion and Petrov replied in puzzlement.

“I guess so, but what's she got to do with it?”

“She's on her way up.”

The three were silent for long seconds, then Leon subtly cocked his head.

“Oh, yes, she's coming.”

Petrov crossed his arms.

“How do you know it's her?”

“She's lame.”

Leon and Ashley looked at each other at their synchronicity and laughed hopelessly. Petrov watched them in disbelief until a minute later when someone knocked on the door.

The doctor let in the plant secretary, who walked in awkwardly.

“Is something wrong?” he asked worriedly.

“Nothing, doctor, just a blister on the sole of my foot, nothing important.”

Victor handed her some special band-aids and asked her to avoid heels for the time being. She nodded and left.

The doctor sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. Ashley looked at Leon not knowing what to do, whether she should get up or not. The laughter that echoed from underneath caused the two to turn to the veteran only to see him burst out laughing.

“This is why I became a scientist.”

They watched him notice a number of things with a huge smile on his lips, as if he had found a new treasure to investigate.

“As far as I can see.” he began again. “The anomalies present are more noticeable in Ashley than in you Leon. I'll attribute it to the length of exposure you each had to the parasite.” He paused before getting up again. “I'd like to examine that wound on your back.”

Ashley went to take off her shirt.

“Would you mind keeping an eye on Ben? I'm sure he'll be fine with the dogs, but keep an eye on them for me.” she asked Leon.

He seemed to hesitate, but when he saw her lift her shirt he moved on impulse out of the clinic.

“I'll wait for you downstairs.” he announced before closing the door.

She and Petrov were left alone. The doctor sat on a stool behind the young woman and unfastened the clasp of her bra to feel the wound. He asked her to place her arms in different positions to see how the skin behaved.

“Is he far away?”  he asked suddenly. Ashley took a few seconds to answer.

“Yes" she finally said.

“Do you want to ask me something?”

Ashley shifted her arms and sighed.

“Does he... remember anything?”

Petrov touched the ends of the large scar.

“I'm sure there are things he hasn't told me, but from what I've seen, no, it seems not.”

“I see.”

“-Why don't you tell him?”

“Even my father doesn't know, Dana must have told you. Maybe it's better this way, you don't know how furious he was when he saw the footage of the campus attack.”

“You're not a child.”

Ashley let out a giggle.

“I don't think he's yet able to see that I'm no longer hiding in containers.”

“Wouldn't it be the right thing to tell him, then?”

She fell silent at the doctor's words.

“Probably, but first I want him to see that I can do things without him being afraid I'll fall, maybe when he understands that I'll be able to tell him.

“Besides me and Dana, who knows?”

“My escort Maria, my friend Emily Connors, Katherine Connors' daughter, Ingrid Hunnigan and Chris Redfield.”

“I'm surprised your father didn't find out.”

“Hunnigan made sure it stays between us.”

The doctor finished looking at the old injury and Ashley tied her bra back on.

“Leon is not stupid.”

“I know and that's why I have to be more careful. I know he'd be more upset to find out on his own than to be told by me.”

Petrov smiled.

“For the short time you were together I have to admit you know each other quite well.”

Ashley looked at a distant point.

“It is said that it is in critical situations that a person's true nature shows through. I guess we had enough time to see that side of each other.” She paused as she put on her shirt and jacket. “By the way, do you know who were the guys that wanted to take Narsson away?

Petrov denied.

“They're interrogating the one you caught, but it looks like the second explosion has given him some kind of amnesia. They're working on it.”

“Hmm…”

“We'll keep Leon posted on that, in the meantime, everything seems to be in order.”

Ashley nodded and opened the office door.

“By the way doctor, Dana is going to kill you if she finds out you hid the cake from her.”

The man paled and sniffed his hands as he heard the young woman's laughter trailing off.

This youth. Between Leon and her, they'll keep him entertained until retirement.

*

She found Leon chatting with Ben. It seemed his charisma had made the shy receptionist open up to him. The dogs rested at the agent's feet, as familiar with him as if they had known him for some time.

She went to approach them when she caught a familiar scent but didn't know where exactly it was coming from.

Ashley stood on guard catching Leon's attention, who was puzzled by her behavior until he saw a mastodon leap from the second floor railing. He drew like lightning, but Ashley rolled at full speed dodging the behemoth and its embrace of death.

“Ashi! It's been a long time!”

“Dana!”

Leon felt a shudder as he saw the massive, nearly six-foot woman approach Ashley. She was a mountain of muscle, a veteran of countless battles, and the wife of the bear doctor named Victor Petrov. Graham gave her a hug and Dana responded to the gesture for a second before turning her hips and putting her in a headlock. The young woman went airborne causing Leon to exclaim, but in one swift motion, she grabbed the collar of her assailant's jacket and clung to it landing on her feet.

“You were too confident last time.” Dana laughed, releasing her grip and gently patting her shoulder.

“Yeah, you almost broke my rib.”

They both laughed as Leon holstered his gun and approached.

“Are you crazy?” he caught the big woman's eye. Dana turned to him and her lips quirked into a huge smile.

“It's you, Leon! How are you doing, pup?”

The agent growled, rolling his eyes.

“Are you going to keep calling me that?”

“You two will always be my cubs.”

“They're all cubs to you Danna.” laughed Ashley mockingly.

“That 's true too.”

Her thunderous laughter echoed through reception. 

She was a formidable woman. She was in charge of instructing new recruits and would fight anyone who asked her to. It was another thing to win if you could even land a punch on her. 

He still couldn't believe that Ashley had been training with her. It was understandable then, how she had improved so much in such a short time.

“What brings you here?” she asked, releasing her and resting her hands on her hips.

“The check-up you mentioned to Maria.”

“Oh, yes, I remember now.”  He looked Leon up and down again. “You've changed these last few years Kennedy, it's been almost 5 years since I've heard from you.”

Leon smiled.

“Let's just say they wanted to keep me in one piece, so they moved me to Washington.”

Dana laughed and pointed to Ashley.

“She's stuck it out longer than anyone else with me.”

Leon looked at her.

“And that's why you taught her to do crazy things? You know she threw herself at armed soldiers?”

She patted the blonde on the back.

“That's my girl! Hit first and ask later!”

The agent grunted, scrunching the bridge of his nose. 

This woman was definitely hopeless. Why had he thought she'd tell Ashley off? He looked at his watch.

“We'll have to find a place to eat, don’t you think?” he asked, trying to change the subject and making Graham realize what time it was.

“Leon is right, as much as I would love to stay, I have work to do. I'm preparing for my final exams.”

Dana's expression softened and a sweet smile formed on her lips.

“I know little one, I wish you all the luck in the world, you'll do great. You deserve it.”

Ashley smiled, giving her another hug under the agent's watchful eye. When they parted, the blonde whistled softly and the dogs came calling. They said goodbye to Dana, who gave them a couple of treats and they said goodbye to her and Ben, but not before the veteran agent recommended a place to eat.

*

The sun gently caressed their faces. They walked down the sidewalk following the directions Dana had given them.

“I didn't expect you to pull the gun.” said Ashley.

“What do you expect me to do if I see a grizzly jump off the second floor onto you?”

Ashley laughed. It was true that Dana and Victor looked like two giant bears, but deep down they were pieces of bread.

“It's their way of saying hello.”

“Yeah, and to kill someone if you don't dodge it.”

They both let out a laugh as they continued walking towards a small park.

Between two buildings was a narrow alley leading to an inner courtyard. This led to an outdoor terrace, covered by a roof of creepers that wrapped around wooden beams. Ashley waited at the door while Leon asked for a table. Drinks were brought out to the terrace for them along with metal bowls for the dogs. The two sat in the shade.

“It's been a while since I've eaten outside.” she whispered, looking up at the hanging flowers.

“Don't you usually go out?” he asked, taking a sip of his wine.

“You mean parties?”

He nodded.

“No. Just small celebrations of people I know, but as far as college parties go, I've never liked them.”

“I thought you were popular in those circles.”

She let out a giggle.

“What was popular was my cleavage and my wallet. Blonde with little brains and money. I guess they'd see an easy prey in me, that's why I stopped going after my freshman year.

Leon's gaze darkened for a few seconds.

“Is there anyone on campus I should be worried about?” His voice was serious and deep, showing his cautious and distrustful side.

Ashley smiled, trying to calm him down.

“It's been a while since I've had a hand laid on me, don't worry.”

Leon arched an eyebrow.

“What do you mean it's been a while?”

“I'm not going to lie to you and say there hasn't been some asshole who thought he had the right to grope me, but since I made it clear to him that if he did it again he'd never see a sunrise again he didn't.”

“Your father could have locked him up.” He said teasingly, though Ashley noticed in his tone that he would have done worse.

“Yes, but, honestly, it has served me better to earn a reputation as a rough bitch rather than a rich fool. It keeps people in line.”

“Wasn't there an agent with you?”

“I made a deal with them that they would escort me to the university, but that they would leave me free while I was inside. One of them was always on campus.” She paused to sip her lemonade and take in the deep look Leon gave her. “I can tell by the way you look at me that you're going to be by my side at all times, right?”

He only gave her a subtle nod.

“Not even in class?”

He denied softly.

“Only to go to the bathroom as far as I can see.”

He nodded again.

“Until we know who they are and what these mercenaries want I don't plan to leave you alone.” he stated.

Ashley sighed.

“You don't have to keep an eye on me, you have very good hearing, you can hear me from across campus if I need help.”

Leon just looked at her seriously, not angry, just impassive and she understood.

“I'm not going to be able to convince you, am I?”

He swayed his head slightly so that his lips could follow.

“Nope.”

The two stared at each other. Ashley fixed her eyes on his sapphire ones and took a deep breath.

“Do you still see me the same way you did two years ago?”

The question caught him by surprise and he looked at her puzzled.

“What are you saying? You're still the same Ashley you've always been, why would I see you any different?”

She gave a faint smile and shook her head.

“I'm still Ashley, but I'm not the same as I was two and a half years ago, Leon. You taught me that I couldn't go down that road.”

“Me?”

“If so, as soon as I saw you I would have demanded to know why you left, why you didn't stay with me. But now I can only say, thank you.” she smiled a gesture that left him speechless “ I had to learn to fight my own monsters because I saw that there was no one there to pick me up from the ground when I fell. I had to get up and thanks to everything you did for me it gave me the strength to be what I am now and I want you to see that.”

“Ashley…”

“I know it's your job and I'm not asking you not to protect me. I'm asking you to be with me, not as a victim but as someone who knows how to stand up for herself and can have your back. I want you to value me for who I am now, not who I was before.”

Her golden eyes drilled him with such intensity that he hadn't realized he had been holding his breath. He sighed, dropping his shoulders, aware of his words, of what he had been doing without realizing it.

He had been treating her like a child.

Like the fragile person he'd found in Spain and believed she was still that way.

Until he saw the recording and felt afraid.

Because now she was able to face problems. Dangers he used to face only to protect her.

Suddenly he felt ashamed of his behavior, of having taken for granted that she was not capable of facing problems, that he needed him.

And it wasn't like that anymore. She no longer did. She no longer needed him as her infallible guardian but as a partner to count on if she was in trouble.

Leon clenched his fists aware now of what his words had implied when he walked into her house with the recording.

He parted his lips in regret.

“I'm sorry.”

With the same sweet smile, she leaned toward him to brush his knuckles and make him look at her. 

Amber and ocean met. 

“Promise me you'll worry less and let me deal with things first?”

He let out a defeated chuckle.

“I'll try, yes.”

“Here's your order, enjoy.”

The waitress put the plates between them and their eyes lit up like embers at the delicious smell.

“Did you save the address?” asked Ashley.

Leon took a bite.

“Definitely yes.”

They both laughed and began to eat with new energy. 

Ashley felt a great weight lift from her shoulders as a great joy washed over her at being able to start a new phase with Leon.

Getting to know each other as normal people, without fear that they could be attacked from behind. They could have a nice, normal friendship, as they discovered during their time in quarantine. They were eager to learn from each other and after all, being the daughter of the president and a secret government agent was a lot to talk about.

**

“Highway to Hell!”

The dogs barked the chorus.

The driver drummed on the steering wheel and the co-driver laughed, humming the refrains.

“Come on, don't leave me alone!”

Leon let out a laugh and joined her in the melody. 

He'd rather hear her. It wasn't that he sang badly, if he didn't go up to very high notes he could pitch pretty well, but compared to Ashley he was nothing. It was better to listen to her, but as swoony as she was he couldn't help but let her energy rub off on him. 

So the two of them sang rock and cursed on some metal and then chilled out with some soul at the end of the road.

The dogs ended up lying down from so much barking and Leon closed his eyes with his head against the window as Ashley hummed under her breath.

“I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Spain.” The humming stopped and silence reigned for a few seconds. “I didn't mean to worry you.”

Ashley took a few seconds to respond, as if she was waiting for Leon to add something else, but he didn't.

“I understand, and I'm glad you're back safely.”

She heard a chuckle.

“I'd better be, I'm still waiting for you to ask for this back.” He raised his left hand with the bracelet dancing on it.

“Not yet.” she laughed, looking straight ahead.

They stood in silence for a few seconds until the agent changed his posture and turned to Ashley.

“When do you have your exams?”

“At the end of this month and then, I will present my work.”

“What is your project about?”

“I'm studying and doing a glossary of fossils from the Cretaceous to Cenozoic transition. An analysis of specimens that were frozen in the Ice Age compared to those that evolved.” she saw Leon's expression of uncertainty and added with a laugh. “the mysteries of the past are something that has always caught my attention and the transition from dominant reptiles to giant mammals is something very curious..”

Leon's smirk set off Ashley's alarms.

“Who knows, you might discover the source of your stubbornness.”

“Something much better! Maybe I'll discover the gene that made you look like a normal person, but makes you behave like a compulsive jerk.”

“Do you know where to start?”

“With mollusks, you have a certain resemblance.”

Leon tapped her on the shoulder with a laugh. Ashley turned the corner and opened the gate to the building's garage. They opened the trunk to let the dogs out and went upstairs to their respective homes.

“Next week I'm going to pay Professor Narsson a visit.”

“She's still in the hospital, isn't she?”

“Yes." Ashley suddenly fell silent as if she realized she had just made a big mistake. He looked at her questioningly.

“Ashley?”

Her amber eyes watched him and her lips twitched.

“I have a feeling I'm going to run into her on campus.”

He arched his eyebrows.

“But she hadn't been discharged yet, had she?”

Ashley laid her hand heavily on his shoulder.

“I'll tell you when we get back to class.”

Leon laughed and pulled out his keys.

“I'll be filling out reports if you need me.”

“Now that I know you can hear me through the walls, I don't have to come looking for you.”

“Come on, are you going to yell at me?”

She laughed and passed her door, but before closing it she added.

“I'd like to try the seared meatballs you made.”

Leon turned around in disbelief.

“How do you-”

Ashley tapped her nose, mockingly.

“Go to hell.” The man reddened with embarrassment at his failure and went home, hearing her giggle in the background.

They decided to resume their chores for the rest of the afternoon now in better spirits since the discussion. Maybe he could finish those reports today.

**

He was going to shoot it.

He swore to his mother he was going to shoot the pigeon.

Two hours.

Two fucking hours it had been chirping.

And to top it off he didn't know on which window, he couldn't see it.

"Stop please."

**

The knocking at the entrance startled her. She opened the door to her bodyguard.

“Please tell me your dogs know how to hunt.”

She looked at him puzzled, trying to understand his long face then laughed.

“Is it Henry?”

“It's going to be Henry the stew if he doesn't shut up in twenty minutes. Tell me you know how to make it stop.”

Ashley leaned against the doorframe.

“The infamous Leon Kennedy desperate for a pigeon?”

He growled.

“My patience has a limit.”

She smiled as she let him pass and then headed for the kitchen. She picked up a piece of dry bread and broke it into crumbs. She opened the window and left a trail to the wooden frame. 

The dogs sat obediently beside Leon in the living room and the agent was surprised when he heard her chirp in much the same way and then wait. Ashley remained knelt beside the trap in silence. No one moved and several minutes later they heard a flutter. A pigeon with a black wing and the rest of the body white appeared. It pecked at the trail of crumbs tucking its body into the landing with surprising familiarity. Leon didn't expect for Ashley's quick movement to grab the bird and hold it in her arms. He watched her carry it toward the back of the hallway where she had a small studio with caving and climbing tools. A wide table occupied the central area with fossil replicas, stacks of papers and tools. In one corner of the room, on the floor, was a small cage with a blanket and she tucked the pigeon inside.

Leon arched his eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the door frame.

“It's not the first time, is it?”

Ashley smiled, closing the door and throwing the blanket over it.

“There are times when he moves from apartment to apartment, but this week he seems to have taken a liking to your house.”

Leon let out a chuckle.

“Ashley Graham, the flying rat whisperer.”

“Poor thing, don't call him that.”

“Sorry, do you prefer Henry, the pigeon that almost ended up in my oven?”

Ashley rolled her eyes, closing the workshop door.

“I'll release him when you finish the reports.”

“I don't know if I feel like finishing them now.” sighed the agent, stretching out his arms.

The young woman looked at him for a few seconds.

“When does Hunnigan need them?”

“First thing tomorrow.”

The two looked at each other for a moment, impassive, until Ashley proposed.

“I'll fix you the steak from last time if you finish it in two hours.”

Leon opened the front door to head for his apartment on the spot.

Ashley smiled heading back to the dining room with her notes. She would heat up the oven in a bit, she had a feeling he was going to finish the papers in less time.

***

The sky was cloudy.

The looks were elusive and the red brick buildings seemed grayer than usual. The campus was emptier than usual because some students had requested to follow their classes online due to the incident a week ago. The gates at the entrance were closed and only let in students with ID.

They parked the jeep and looked around.

There was more security than usual, but nothing alarming, after all the last thing they wanted was for the campus to look like a concentration camp. 

Ocean orbs scanned the surroundings.

It was strange to return to a student center. He hadn't been to college, but the Police Academy was a hotbed of hormones, definitely an experience. He couldn't help but stifle a sly smile thinking about what he would find there.

“Leon?” a soft voice sounded beside him and he turned to meet those bright amber eyes. “Is something wrong?”

He shook his head and unbuckled his belt.

“Nothing, I was just thinking about the drastic change in my line of work.”

Ashley gave a mocking sneer.

“Do you think you're going to hold up?” she hated it when the agent gave her that devilish lopsided grin, so seductive and mocking that it made her want to slap it off. 

If he wasn't careful he'd be dealing with a pack of hyenas after him.

The woman grabbed the bag, got out of the car and headed for the entrance. She gave her escort a sidelong glance.

“Do I have something on my face?” he scoffed.

“I'm just thinking about what kind of day is going to be with you here.”

He chuckled under his breath.

“Any warnings? Any idiots I should know about?”

“Na, when you meet them you'll know it's them.”

They both smiled and crossed the threshold of the grand entrance. Even with students missing, the hallways were crowded. The buzz of voices overlapping each other gave Leon a headache. He turned to Ashley and saw her scratching her nose.

“How are you doing with the sniffing thing here?

She turned around somewhat surprised by the sudden question.

“The first time in Boston I threw up. That week was horrible. It took me a while to get used to the sudden changes, but now it's just my nose that usually itches, and you?”

The agent looked in the background as he heard some books fall.

“Headache until I manage to tune out the banalest sounds.”

“Like Henry.” she scoffed.

“I wish I could ignore that damn bird.”

They crossed the inner courtyard as the incident hallway was closed. Sasha had sent her a message a few days ago informing her of the room they would be in until the end of the term. He hadn't said anything to her regarding Narsson, but when they reached the crossroads that led to the classroom hallway, Ashley sighed. 

Just as she had feared.

“I can deduce that there shouldn't be that many people in that classroom, right?”

“Nope.” She paused as she caught other scents as she approached the door. “I guess the other one is Patrick.”

There was a chuckle.

 “Yap.”

He grabbed the doorknob and they entered the room.

“Speaking of the devils.” Greenish eyes bore into his student's amber.

Ashley threw her arms up in the air without taking her eyes off her teacher.

“Shouldn't you be in the hospital?”

Leon froze and turned to the blonde ¿in what language had she spoken?

“The food sucks.” replied Narsson. Patrick and Leon looked at each other blankly and Maria walked over to them.

“Enma is from Norway. She speaks in Norwegian to Ashley and Sasha.”

The three of them turned to the heated conversation that was beginning to form between teacher and student.

“You ate at least three meals a day.” Ashley pointed to the crutches propped up against the desk where Emma sat. “ What have you done to be discharged?”

“Nothing.”

They both locked gazes in silence. Sasha couldn't hold back a smile as Ashley turned to the three agents.

“Maria, what has she done? Tell me she didn't start a fire.”

Narsson rolled her eyes indignantly.

Maria laughed.

“Sorry, Emma.”

“Traitor.”

“She was being too annoying and they sent her back in exchange for going twice this week for a checkup.”

Ashley's face suddenly changed and became incredibly serious.

“With what car?” This time she spoke to her in English.

“I was hoping you would come with me this week.”

With menacing slowness, Ashley crossed her arms over her chest.

“So I'm no longer your punctual chauffeur, but you've given your word in a hospital that I'll accompany you?”

Narsson shrugged her shoulders somewhat embarrassed now.

“Yes?”

“You know I don't like hospitals.”

“I know, but it's only two appointments, it's not a big deal.”

Leon's eyes saw the seriousness in Ashley, understanding why she wasn't amused. Even if he hadn't lived through it, he still remembered how they chased her down and tied her up in quarantine. 

So he couldn't help but step forward.

“I'd like to avoid unpleasant places for her.”

Those greenish eyes turned to the man's oceans looking him up and down. He stood stoically at Ashley's side.

“And you are?" she finally asked him.

“Leon Kennedy, I'm in charge of Ashley.”

The teacher scrutinized him and leaned back in her seat.

“So you're Leon Kennedy.”

The agent arched his eyebrows in confusion.

“Have we met?”

“Ashley has told us about you, the one who accompanied her to Europe for her operation.”

The agent glanced sideways at the blonde who cleared her throat and set the bag on her desk.

“I hope good things.” he teased the man, eliciting a sigh from his protégé.

Narsson smiled. He glanced at Ashley but out of the corner of her eye he watched the agent. 

She had to admit he was a sculpture. That strong athletic bearing that hid under those flattering jeans and attractive jacket. That straight hair, perfect for tangling your fingers through his locks and those ocean eyes that made you get lost in them. If you told her he was a model she'd believe it.

Leon adjusted his gloves and approached Narsson, extending his hand.

“It would be a pleasure to work with you.”

Enma accepted the gesture feeling the strength of the grip the same as Ashley's and then watched him greet Sasha the same way.

“I'm Patrick Johnson.” The brunet held out his palm to Ashley with a smile. She mimicked his gesture and squeezed it resolutely, catching the man's attention.

“Ashley, nice to meet you. My father has told me about you, but we've never met.”

“Now we'll have time to catch up.” he joked with a chuckle. She was infected by the man's joy and couldn't help but laugh too.

“Well.” Sasha's voice caught the attention of those present. “I'm going to give you an update on classes and meetings. If the agents have to be with us, they need to know our schedule.”

Narsson and Ashley nodded as they both continued with their notes. Sasha updated them in a jiffy. Thanks to him the teacher didn't miss any of the meetings or calls she had to make. Ashley didn't usually forget things, but sometimes time would fly by and Sasha would have to let her know to go to class. He liked to manage and organize and was an incredible help to the small team they had formed. Thanks to him they were more efficient and made better use of the time they had.

“By the way Emma.”  Narsson glanced back at the group. “Your secret admirer comes back.”

The teacher rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair and throwing her head back.

“I want to shoot myself, can't you understand things?”

Sasha arched her eyebrows.

“Maybe he's not too sharp with hints.”

Ashley scoffed under her breath, still with a glance at her notes.

“If burning the flowers and leaving them next to a note that says "please stop" doesn't seem like a direct enough hint, well, I don't know.”

Sasha turned to Narsson.

“You burned the flowers?”

“Because I don't get him first, otherwise....”

The three stood in silence with Sasha and Narsson looking at the agents, now aware that they were not alone. 

Leon smiled.

“Oh, don't worry about having government agents listening to your insinuations of murder, it's okay.”

They both went white and heard Ashley laugh.

“Don't even listen to him, he's the first one who would break someone's hands.”

Leon turned to the blonde indignantly.

“It's not like I'm a bully.”

She pointed at the three bodyguards.

“You're walking weapons, so I'm within my rights to say you're dangerous.”

This time, it was Maria who laughed helplessly.

“Says the one who puts heads in toilets.”

Leon gave Maria a puzzled look, then turned to Ashley whose cheeks began to redden.

“It was one time.” she defended herself in embarrassment.

“The president's daughter putting other students in toilets?” Leon's mocking voice made Ashley turn to him, her face still flushed.

And how he liked that new expression.

“It's justified if he was snooping on people in the bathroom.”

Patrick laughed.

“Does your father know?” Johnson asked.

“He'd have a heart attack.” she gave the three agents a withering look. “This is not getting out of here.” her tone was threatening. The trio put their hands up in surrender and sat down. 

While Narsson, Sasha and Ashley worked in silence, the agents chatted calmly.

“How's it going with Hunnigan?” smiled Leon looking at Patrick.

“You won't believe what she said to me the other day.”

“Surprise me.”

“She said, I forbid you and Kennedy to get into trouble. I don't want to do any more paperwork than I already have without getting my coffee."

“I told you the coffee was a good idea.” the blue-eyed man hit him on the arm and turned to Maria. “How is James? Ashley told me he got shot.”

“It takes more than a bullet to finish him off. He's like a grumpy old man because he can't go on the tatami.”

“A vacation is what he needs.” sighed Patrick stretching.

Maria let out a chuckle.

“We all need them, Johnson.”

Ashley subtly raised her eyes to see Leon's tired smile at those words. She hoped his time with her would be quiet and he could rest from everything else. He'd had enough battles that neither Maria nor Patrick could imagine. In the end, what reached their ears were his feats once he returned.

But nothing was said about what he lived to achieve them.

They continued working and chatting for a while longer. Ashley looked at her watch and started to pack up. Leon heard her and turned to her and then stood up.

“Shall I help you with something?” he asked when he saw her with so many notes. Ashley's look of despair was comical.

“My will to live. I hope you had sugar for breakfast, because you're going to need it.”

They said goodbye to the rest and went out into the hallway.

“I have to stop by the bathroom for a moment.” Leon nodded and held her notebooks and bag while he waited outside. He pulled out his cell phone to entertain himself in the meantime.

"Have you seen that one?" a whisper came to him, as clear as if spoken aloud.

"He's hot as hell, isn't he?"

He lifted the cell phone subtly to peer over the screen without giving it away. A small group waited between the stone columns in the hallway.

"Are you going to ask for his number?"

So this is what Ashley was referring to. 

“Sorry to keep you waiting, there was a queue.”

He raised his eyes to Ashley, who picked up the notebooks from the man's arms.

"Is he with Graham, Narsson’s little bitch?"

Leon was static. What had she just called her? 

"What do you want to bet she's sleeping with him?"

"With those scars and those hands...I'd cringe."

"She'll pay him, she's got nothing else."

Leon clenched his fists and with an impassive look turned in the direction of the group and made eye contact with them. The two women shrank back and fell silent all at once, only to look away from where they were going.

“Is something wrong?”

The soft voice made him turn to look at Ashley. He couldn't say anything to her, only look at her. She noticed the direction he had been looking in and saw the small group with their backs to them.

“Oh, don't mind them, shall we go?”

They started walking, but he whispered worriedly.

“Did you hear them?”

She denied.

“I can get an idea. That was faster than I thought!” she laughed "you're a sight for sore eyes!” she joked, smiling at him.

He didn't know how to react.

“Doesn't it bother you?”

“You get used to it, it's like trying to convince two flat earthers that the earth is round. Better to pass.”

The agent looked straight ahead, dodging a student.

“I don't understand why they would say such things.”

Ashley scoffed under her breath.

“I went over a course, Leon. It's easier to justify that I got that through sexual favors than through merit.” she paused, "The only thing I'm worried about is that you'll find yourself in all that trouble because of me.”

Leon gently bumped Ashley's shoulder to make her look at him.

“Princess, they tried to eat me, murder me and disintegrate me. Do you think I care what some kids who don't have two functioning brain cells think?”

Ashley held back laughter as they went to enter the classroom.

Leon approached the professor for a few minutes. She watched him show his identification and the man nod intensely. It was curious what different facets Kennedy had. When he took on the attitude of an agent, he became serious and intimidating. His voice deepened faintly and his eyes hardened and it was difficult to disagree with him when he inspired such authority. The professor shook his hand and he walked between the seats until he reached Ashley's side.

“Are you ready?” she whispered almost inwardly, but aware that Leon could hear her perfectly well.

“Come on, I don't think it's that big of a deal.”

**

“I remind you that in two weeks we have the final exam, please those of you who have not handed in the work, you have until the day after tomorrow, otherwise, you will not be able to choose to take the exam.”

Exclamations of distress were heard from the back of the room, causing the professor to leave in exasperation.

Ashley was picking up the papers when she heard the body next to her slump over the table. She turned to Leon, who was muttering with his face against the desk.

“I'm going to shoot myself if every class is like this.”

Ashley smiled.

“Well, this has been the most entertaining so far.”

Leon turned to look at her with an expression that screamed, "Really?”

“If he pulls another one of those jokes, I'll throw myself out the window.”

“He was doing it because you're here.”

“What's that got to do with anything?”

“An agent attending his class?”

“I told him I'm here for protection, not as an educational researcher.”  

“He doesn't know that. But thanks to you I didn't fall asleep.”

Leon grunted, banging his forehead on the table.

“How did I come to this?”

“You want to go back to chainsaw chases?”

“Don't tempt me.”

Ashley laughed and slung the bag over her shoulder.

The agent mumbled one last time before following her. They walked silently down the hallway to the next classroom. Leon watched his surroundings like a hawk, feeling the weight of his gun at his side. Even after so many years, being in crowded places made his body hopelessly alert. And he knew it was the same for Ashley, even though her calm appearance didn't show it, he could hear her heartbeat as it quickened. The amazing thing was how quickly she had to have gotten used to it. 

She had no choice.

Missing class was a focus for bad rumors. The president's daughter's bad reputation could affect her father and unlike other rich people's children, Ashley was aware that her actions were out in the open and she should not make a false move.

And we all know that forcing something is not good.

But there she was. Walking beside him through the crowd of students about to finish her degree and get out of that cage of beasts who wanted to see her falter. 

He had to admit that he didn't have to live that contempt. At the Academy he had good colleagues who supported him in hard times.

But what he did have were some eyes on him.

"Is that Graham's bodyguard?" he heard some whispers.

"I wish he'd follow me into the shower."

Leon let out a chuckle ,catching Ashley's attention.

“Something wrong?”

“I'd forgotten how horny people are in college.”

She laughed.

“I told you you'd give me more headaches.”

“Hey, it's not like I'm the only one on campus. I've seen some very attractive people.” he paused hesitantly for a moment, but his mouth was faster than his head. “You'll have interested people, too.”

“Why do you say that?” Ashley was curious, intrigued to know what his answer would be.

“Oh, come on, you'd have to be blind not to see that you're beautiful.”

"More so now than even two years ago" thought the man, but he kept that to himself.

A tingle ran through Ashley's stomach and her cheeks flushed subtly.

It was... different when others told her. Ever since she got back from Spain she stopped caring so much about her appearance. Between training and climbing she stopped wearing makeup and nail polish, though that didn't mean she stopped liking to dress up once in a while. It was just that... she began to attach more importance to feeling better herself than to others seeing her look good. And in part she felt more liberated, but it was hard with the scars. 

Aside from her back, she had several smaller ones scattered all over her body. From all the struggles, falls and fights in Spain, plus the new ones from her training and outings in the mountains, although she usually used to say they were scratches from the dogs.

Maria and James also thought they were from that. Only their father and Leon knew where they really came from. They weren't very visible, you had to look, but once you did you couldn't miss them.

Unconsciously she brought her hand to the side of her neck, where a fine knife mark had left a nick.

“I'm calmer this way. I had enough in Boston.” Leon saw her amber gaze harden. “I'm tired of looking like a broken doll that anyone can take a piece of. I'm tired of grinning like a fool while being treated like an idiot.”

Leon listened to her in silence, sensing the fury contained under that affable look. 

How far had she been holding out for those two and a half years? 

It looked like she was trying hard to get through college as soon as possible and get out of there.

They turned the corner and Ashley growled deeply at the unpleasant smell, confusing Leon.

“Graham, I see you're still in one piece.”

“Talking about idiots.” she growled through her teeth.

Leon looked down the nearly empty hallway. A platinum-haired woman was watching them sitting on one of the benches, accompanied by two other people. He turned to Ashley, who gave the fakest smile he'd ever seen in his life.

“To your misfortune, I am, Carla.” She spat out the words as she opened her locker and changed her stuff.

“Wow, that's your new bodyguard? I see you don't waste your time, how much did you pay him to "take care" of you?” The venom in that word was exaggerated and Leon stiffened his demeanor going into agent mode.

“Excuse me, Miss…”

“Carla Hoffman.”

“Miss Hoffman, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from making such comments.”

Carla's smile subtly widened at the sound of Leon's voice. Harsh but velvety, made to whisper in the dark.

“Excuse my manners agent, it's just that I find it a shame that you have to protect a bitch, how much is she paying you, I could offer you a better deal.”

"When you meet them you'll know who they are." Ashley's words came to him causing him to clench his fists and subtly tense his jaw.

Oh, no, he wouldn't let that one go. He was going to tell her a couple of things.

A violent thump startled him and Ashley looked at her with the darkest eyes he'd ever seen.

“Less than what you pay those you call friends.”

Carla's smile faded, darkening her expression.

“Do you feel safe around him? Are you afraid to come here?”

The throaty chuckle that emerged from Ashley gave Leon chills, and in the muscles of her shoulders he could see the tension. 

This side of her was... new.

“And you? Do you feel safe insulting me from there? Do you want me to come closer? go ahead, or are you afraid I'll know who you've been with this time? of all people, you're the last to call me a whore.”

The woman's face began to turn red and her expression of pure fury broke her composure.

“What do you k-”

“Stop meddling in my business and I won't meddle in yours.” her voice grew violently aggravated. “But do it and you'll wish you hadn't spoken to me the first day. Trust me, you don't want to be on my bad side.” She gave her one last warning look and took the key out of her locker to return to the hallway. Leon heard her curse her under her breath before walking into the commotion. He glanced sideways at Ashley and took a few seconds to speak.

“I could leave you the gun to scare her.” He joked, though still overwhelmed by the violence in the blonde's expression.

She was slow to respond, her face still scowling and her teeth clenched, then growled.

“I don't need a gun to break her teeth.”

He'd never seen her threaten anyone. Fuck, He'd never seen her angry like that. 

He still remembered two and a half years ago, when he'd gone looking for her at the White House and a woman among the guests had made a pass at Leon. When she dismissively branded Ashley as a broken little girl. He remembered how Graham cringed at those words and simply backed away, like a little scaredy cat.

And now...she had the fury of a tiger that wouldn't let her claws be cut and her teeth removed.

“Don't you think you've gone too far with the threat?” Leon asked.

Ashley turned to him with an arched eyebrow.

“Do you think I've gone too far?” her voice sounded sly and a faint, lopsided smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

“Not a bit.”

They both smiled and went upstairs to the second floor classrooms.

Sometimes he forgot. He might not be fighting undead or human-eating monsters now, but he had entered a realm he hadn't stepped into in a while. People could also be monsters hiding under fine clothes and friendly smiles and what made it partly more complicated than fighting beasts was that you didn't know who the monster was and when they might attack. And she'd had to adapt to that situation faster than he had, who was sent on missions with hardly any human contact.

But as her bodyguard there were lines he couldn't cross to defend her without giving the wrong image. Ashley mattered to him, perhaps more than it suited a mere bodyguard, but after all they had been through it was inevitable and so he had to be cautious. He couldn't throw a punch at the first jerk who insulted her. He couldn't help smiling to himself.

It was true. He didn't need to.

She would be the one to punch them.

[ofcryptsandhallow]

DeathBringer thoughts, opinions and criticisms

I want to like DeathBringer as a character. When he's not with glory he can be a very interesting character. Given that I'm taking Tui's word in good faith and he is indeed meant to be around Glory's age, this would imply he is a prodigy for his age, that he has done a lot of things most dragons his age have not done or are unable to do. That is a very cool idea to think about.

However, this NEVER gets brought up or utilized and it comes across more like Tui had TOO many plans for DB, but just fumbled hard to make any of them work to the point she had to shove them aside for a winglet instead of a main line book! This winglet does fix the age situation I think, that's what I heard I haven't read it BECAUSE IT IS NOT THAT READILY AVAILABLE WITHOUT PIRATING.

Hell, I don't even like the ship that much, the Glorybasket ship, and yes I'm one who prefers that name over any other shipname for them, GloryBringer sounds cool, but as an apparently rare enjoyer of the scavenger book, I liked the Murder basket name, it's funny and cute? And I bet he prays to the moons that no one finds out about the nickname. And honestly the book wasn't that bad, most people don't seem to like it because dragons took a back seat in the book and I think that's ok! We knew about the humans existing in the world of wings of fire and finally got an idea of how their society works and I actually think that's cool as a lore buff.

As for why I don't like the ship, it's not because of the weird age mistake that happened, or the fact that he was originally sent to kill Glory and his friends. It's actually because once he's with her, he is just a simp. There is no more personality, he's just a simp. And yeah he could have been secretly a dorky assassin all along but we don't get to see that prior to them getting together, do we? Nope, not really, he's more charismatic and sassy if anything. He does nothing that plot relevant afterwards, and it's just disappointing, given they could have been a power couple that put the SASS in asSASSin.

Honestly just wasted potential over all, giving all the build up only to throw him aside like that and downgrade him. Not to mention ignoring that he is one of many nightwings who killed and hurt other dragons only for it to be forgotten and ignored with Mastermind taking the fall as the Nightwings' scapegoat. Like he was a prodigy assassin who killed and maybe tortured who knows about many dragons prior to meeting glory and all the other nightwings get punished sorta (mostly mainly only Mastermind overall) but he gets a free pass cause he's the queen's boyfriend?

Also another reason I don't like the ship is that with how simpy he is, but also how Glory seems mostly disinterested, it feels very very one sided. I've seen people throw the "but glory hides her emotions!" argument at the wall, but like ... Not really? She's more blunt and straight forward about her emotions, if she likes something she'll let you know, and if she doesn't, you also most definitely know. And she had moments of being sweet and loving to her found-family, if she liked and truly liked Deathbringer back, even if she wasn't very interested in open/public displays of affection, we'd know and have her being generally sweeter and nicer to her supposed boyfriend.

Instead it comes across as not wanting the dumb love sick idiot basicly get himself killed for him, even though he's supposed to be a very capable assassin who could handle himself just fine and would be the number one dragon to guard her overall, especially compared to the rainwings who still aren't 100% sold on the idea of hurting another dragon even if that's the best case scenario. Literally we see this in the book that they aren't still fully ready to be proper guards for queen and she decided to bench her best option.

And at worst she seems kinda actually annoyed by her advances and hasn't gotten around to telling him off yet. I don't think it's a good look that THIS is how it comes across to at least readers. At least one scene where they aren't in the public eye and her returning the advances or being more openly affectionate with him would have been nice. The idea they SUPPOSEDLY have a dragonet together in the future (Firefly) isn't confirmation as that's only implied to be in a few timelines, not all and comes across as a nod to the fan ship at best.

Like the ship doesn't bode well to me and I think is written horridly. End of the story.

As for his appearance, I like it. He's a blue toned/hued whatever Nightwing. I personally think nightwings can be any cooler, but are normally dark, often near black hues of those colors, like how crows and ravens under the right light are actually very colorful and pretty to look at. Yes, blues, greens and purples may be the most common colors, but other colors CAN exists and do so, often with white freckles being the most common to exist marking.

For the record, I think the opposite exists for icewing, being they can also be almost any color but a pale, pastel near white shade of so.

But yeah I think only one other Nightwing that's blue like this vibrantly exists, and people like to assume she's a hybrid, which I hate to death given how proud nightwings are of being Nightwing historically, I feel like intertribe couples are rare and shouldn't be the first thing to consider when a dragon looks "weird" than what's status quo. Biodiversity exists, and so do genetic mutations that exist independently of a dragon being a hybrid. A dragon doesn't need to be a hybrid to look weird or different than what we've seen a tribe to look like.

Like for example a white Nightwing can just be albino, and a black icewing could just be melanistic.