#they’re much closer and blurrier for me

[stayathome-ts]

The problem with accidentally viewing your life through a semi-fictional lens due to context is that you start applying that to the present as well as the part, and often reality doesn’t work that way, except when it does and that just confuses the whole thing.

[livwritesstuff]

What are your headcanons for what the girls call their grandparents (to me their grandparents are Wayne, Claudia Henderson, Hopper, and Joyce)

hello hello :)

okay i have touched on this the teensiest amount but let’s unpack it in full

Wayne, to Steve and Eddie’s daughters, is Grandpa Wayne (or just Grandpa). Wayne is, for all intents and purposes, Eddie’s dad, so there’s no question about him being a grandparent to Eddie and Steve’s kids.

Joyce and Hopper are both Poppy indiscriminately.

Very selfishly, I just thought it was cute, so I’m not sure how that would have gotten started or where it would have come from other than that Steve is Pop/Papa to his daughters and so there is definitely some kind of natural flow there.

In a real(er) way– I also think that Steve being older (19/20) when Hop absorbed him into the little family he was building became an excuse to not really talk about the way Hop and Joyce essentially became Steve’s parents, so that line was a lot blurrier with them than it was with Eddie and Wayne. They were all fine kind of stubbornly not acknowledging it until Moe came along and then suddenly they were faced with the notion of, like, you're not technically her grandparents, but also you are…but you're not…but you are.

And as for Claudia Henderson, I honestly hadn’t thought at all about her role in this ‘verse until you brought her up.

I'm not sure if I see her being a full-on grandparent role to them, but I definitely see her being chronically present, especially before Dustin has a family of his own.

She definitely finds out that Hazel was born and is packing her bags to head up to Massachusetts to help out. Dustin catches wind of this and is, like, “Mom…you can’t just show up. You’re not – you have to ask.”

But she insists, "Oh, but Steve did such a lovely job looking after you when you were young. I should return the favor!"

The girls don't see Claudia as often as they see Wayne and Joyce and Hopper, but when they do, she acts like she's been there for every single day of their lives, always doting on them and knowing their favorite meals and giving them gifts and treating them like they're just as much her grandchildren as Dustin's own kids.

And then they’re driving away from the family reunion or whatever like, “Wait – how exactly are we related to her?”

Eddie replies, “She’s Pop’s brother’s mom," as if that's any help at all.

I also have vaguely referenced before that after Steve's dad passes away (2009-ish), his mom moves closer and tries to be a little more present. I think she'd be Grandma to the girls, but they are significantly less close with her than with Joyce, and Joyce is 100% who comes to mind when they think grandmother on Pop's side.

[starwalker42]

febuwhump day 12: "can you hear me?"

episode: Biogenesis | tw: self injury | teen and above

I’ve known she was coming. I could hear her, against the background of voices and noise and information, a familiar undercurrent to the crashing, rolling surface. Scully.

Now she’s close, getting closer. I want to get up, want to meet her at the door and hold her against me, but I’m scared. The doctors think I’m dangerous. They think I’ll hurt them, think I’ll hurt Scully, and even though I don’t want to, I’d never dream of hurting her, I don’t know if I can trust my body right now. It moves without me wanting it to, and doesn’t move when I do. I can’t trust myself, not like this.

“Mulder.” She sits down across from me, almost close enough to touch. “Mulder, it’s me. Can you hear me?”

I can hear her. In more ways than one.

God, he’s so weak, and he looks so scared, so afraid – afraid of me? Does he trust me? Why didn’t he call me, why didn’t he tell me what was happening, why did he call her – no, not the time, not now, he’s in pain and he needs you and you’re his partner – and he screamed for you, he screamed your name, he knew you were here, he knew… god, Mulder, what’s happening in your head?

The pain is back. It’s too much, far too much, to hear every thought and feel every sensation and see every image from someone else’s head as well as my own. My close to block it out. I see, through Scully’s eyes, my hand close into a fist and start to thump against the side of my head.

“Mulder!”

She wants to jump in and grab me, make me stop, but she’s too scared of what I might do to myself if she touches me without warning. I feel the conflict within her, know what she’s going to say before she says it.

“Mulder, please, I know you’re in there. I need you to stop hurting yourself.” Baby, she adds in her head. It very nearly reaches her lips.

I want to listen to her, I want to stop, but I can’t feel my body. I can’t control it. And that makes me angry. I see myself moving, moving towards Scully, and hear her: oh, Mulder, no, please, they’ll take me away from you, but she doesn’t move, and then I’m closer to her, fists clenched and jaw tight, and she looks into my eyes –

Where are you, Mulder? How do I get through to you? I’m so sorry, I’m sorry I left you with her, I’m going to keep you safe –

And she’s imagining, now, which is blurrier than reality, but still enough for me to see – she’s imagining us somewhere warm and safe, me in her arms, pressing her forehead to mine and wrapping her whole body around me, kissing me – kissing me? – softly, so, so softly, and everywhere I look in her head it’s safety and warmth and love, all aimed at me.

In the real image of me, my body relaxes, and I sway towards her – she reaches for me – that’s it, Mulder, it’s me, it’s okay – and then the door opens.

No, not yet, I need more time, don’t –

There’s more voices, now, more thoughts, more images, and it hurts so bad, and as if through a twisted kaleidoscope of different colours and angles I hear all of them hear me moaning and see them watch me lash out at all of them. And they’re taking Scully away, Scully’s leaving, and I force her name out again, push my own thoughts past the roar of them in my head.

She hears me, but can’t turn around, isn’t allowed to come back to me. She wants to, though – I can still hear her, fading into the undercurrent again but not disappearing, even as she’s taken away.

Fuck’s sake, why won’t they just – he wasn’t going to hurt me, he’d never hurt me, he just wanted – I don’t want to leave him, don’t make me leave him, I need him to know, I need to tell him – you could’ve told him, but you’re too scared to – I shouldn’t have gone, he thinks… god knows what he thinks. Oh, god, Mulder. Mulder please don’t leave me. Please hold on.

@today-in-fic

[havetheavengersdoneanythingwrong]

An Aside -- Beyond the World's End

"If, by some one-in-a-million chance, she is able to deepen her bond with her Master, that Master will gain immense power.

But it should be kept in mind that she is utterly different from humans, and is something abnormal.

Her compassion, her love -- is not meant to co-exist with humanity."

--

I find myself in a cave.

It's horribly dark, in here. Glancing down to my hands, they're already shaking. I can hear the faint movements of water about me -- the sounds of crashing waves, softly, from beyond the stone walls.

I find even breathing to be a struggle. As though there's something in the air that weaves its way into my lungs -- suffocating me.

...I take a breath in -- met with the horrid iron-like stench of blood.

Not met with anything else -- merely that, and that exclusively.

Blinking, I find my eyes burning, ever-so-slightly.

But even as my vision grew blurrier with time, even then, I could spot something moving --

--slithering--

--from the shadows.

"...Master."

...A familiar, deep, steely voice.

'Gorgon.' At a glance, and that alone, I knew full well where I stood.

Not as an ally, anymore. In this world -- a dream, I so believed -- I were now a victim.

More aptly --

"...Even you end up here. As had the others before you -- heroes seeking salvation from me, for the sake of the world. The world, and its people."

...The slithering grows closer. A face bows to meet me -- piercing purple eyes meeting my own in a piercing stare.

Even now, I already feel my limbs grow stiff.

"You are no fool, Master. And in this land here, you have your chance to play the hero. To bring me down -- realize what a mistake you've made. What a Pandora's Box you have opened by letting me free on this world." A blade drops at my feet. It's rusted, yet sharp -- a dual-ended longsword. My limbs free -- I pick it up, in a moment, as though I had no other option.

"...I propose upon you my mercy, Master. I have tolerated you enough to grant you this much. So make your decision." The woman slithers backwards, only a couple of paces.

"Face me, and defeat me -- and when your world is at peace, you will find no threat from me to destroy it all over again."

A smirk danced across her face, as the snakes gathered.

"Fail, and I will destroy it all. You included. My feast will be everlasting, dear Master -- you have never been an exception to this."

And not waiting for an answer --

--A laser fired down, scorching the Earth beneath me. Jumping leftwards, holding the blade's flat end in front of me, another blast razed the place my feet once stood on -- barely scrambling to land, I found myself met with another blast, jumping backwards to narrowly avoid its impact.

"You keep running, Master. Do you view yourself as incapable of defeating me?"

Her grin fades, only for a moment -- another blast, just as I took a hasty footstep right, setting aflame where I then stood.

"You know that answer as well as I do, Gorgon..!"

Another step left -- and with it, another place on the cave floor that now left itself a charred mess. The lady approaches, snapping her fingers -- another blast, forcing me to dodge forwards.

"You will have to make a strike eventually, Master. Do you desire to die without even inflicting a scratch on your killer?"

The stench in the air stifles my breath -- I cough, and she meets that with a beam I only barely step out of the way to avoid.

In front of me, only a step away, lay the Servant herself -- up close, her arms crossed, furrowing her brow. Her grin faltered, for a moment.

"...Master."

"--Damnit, this isn't..."

"If you do not kill me, I will kill you. If you cannot kill me, someone else will. Do you see what this means for you, Master?" Her hand reaches out -- towards me. My heartrate spikes -- despite the stuffiness of the air, I take a sharp breath in.

"You must kill me to stand a chance. You must defeat me to even have a hope of succeeding."

...And was she wrong?

As I stand there, this beast ready to annihilate me where I stand -- I realize.

I stand no chance.

If I cannot defeat Gorgon -- neither could I defeat anything else.

Even in our first meeting -- in Babylonia, that time ago -- I found her only the preparation for something far stronger than she could ever hope to be.

And in comparison -- the threats were sure to grow stronger than even the Beast herself.

...The woman's eyes slid down -- her mouth opening.

"...I shall curse you -- as you have cursed me. So melt away, in P--"

...In a moment, I found my wits.

That Mystic Code -- it shone, in a moment, and at that -- I found a rush.

Of yet-unseen strength -- a glimpse of the willpower I perhaps should've always had.

My vision went blank -- those seconds passed in hours, in years.

Each movement, each twitch --

--as I stabbed the blade directly, in one fell swoop--

--into the ground.

"--Master..?!"

It was a dream.

This, all within it -- was a dream.

Her desires to end the world remained. That, I was sure of.

And yet, her words spoke of something beneath what she'd said.

To defeat an opponent --

--...I didn't have to kill them.

She was far larger. But with that momentary burst, I threw myself headlong into her stomach -- winding her, preventing her from uttering the True Name of Pandemonium Cetus.

I tossed my arms around her -- using what little strength I had, tumbling to the ground, taking her by surprise -- taking her with me.

The Servant coughed, wincing slightly -- a moment taken glancing about, attempting to gather her bearings.

To decipher what happened.

"...Master. You are aware that you have lost."

"...I'm not a hero, Gorgon."

...The woman's eyes widened, the slightest bit.

"...I am weak. Worthless, even. I know I can't beat you in straight combat. Not alone. And... Despite it all..." ...I breathed out a soft sigh. Squeezed my eyes shut.

"...I know full well what you may do, when the end is in sight. That you might end everything, and me alongside it. It's probably the same for a lot of people here."

"...Master..?" "...Perhaps I'm selfish. --No... I am. I know that much. What I know of the world outside Chaldea isn't much... Only how cruel it is."

...I can hear her breathing. Slowly, shaking breaths.

"...This world can be made better. No matter what... Until the day that I end up here, at your hands, I..."

...

"...I want to be safe. Me, and those people that remain with kindness. Our close ones... Those few people who remain innocent."

"...And the rest, Master?" "...They can burn, for all I care."

...

"...You fool... I try to teach you a lesson, and yet you remain, saying things like that."

...I can hear a chuckle, from her. A hand rests itself on the back of my head.

"...I will kill you last, Master."

...Opening my eyes, just for a moment, I find myself met with a soft smile. The eyes of a predator -- staring me down, finding within me... something. A glint of recognition in her eyes -- the hand on my head, pushing me slightly forwards.

"...Yes. I will kill you last... And gently, indeed."

[braunbakery]

meet me at our spot (2)

☞ eren jaeger x reader [fem bodied] [chapter word count: 2k]

☞ sfw, fluff, mild angst, modern au, short fic, other characters present

fic plot: before high school, you and eren were best friends. after high school, you and eren are strangers still grasping at those same past threads.

inspired by meet me at our spot by the anxiety

prev. next

2. something’s got ahold of me

a once-off conversation is just that - once-off. so you try to convince yourself there’s no point in dwelling on seeing eren yesterday, or dwelling on how he helped you sit back up, or how he smiled at you before he left. there’s no point. it was just a coincidence, a fluke.

eren has an entire group of friends. armin and mikasa, who you’ve shared a couple classes with and known since they were young. jean kirstein, who’s guts eren swore he hated back in the first couple days of freshman year. connie and sasha, who you know of course because of the commotion that always seems to follow them. he sees them everyday, and he only said he’d see you around as a courtesy.

you repeat this as a mantra over and over in your head, trying to distract yourself from looking up every few seconds the wind causes the leaves outside the treehouse to rustle and the small voice in your head that hopes it’s eren.

you sit cross-legged on the floorboards, pulling out more weird trinkets and drawings from years ago and placing them in a plastic bag to the side. now you know there’s not really any chance of being interrupted by eren again, of being rendered speechless when you’re just trying to get your shit and go (so why does your chest keep sinking whenever you swear that you can hear someone come up the ladder only to be met with an empty doorway?)

at some point you start to get sick of yourself, keeping your head focused on the box in your lap and shoving whatever even seems remotely yours into the plastic bag. so when you hear what distantly sounds like footsteps again, you don’t look up.

“hey,” a voice speaks, and your head lurches up from your hunched over position. it’s eren, hand on the frame of the doorway and peering into the wooden room.

“hi,” you practically squeak out. eren steps in.

“you back again?”

“yeah,” you say, “i still have…some stuff.”

you wonder if knows that’s as soon as he left yesterday you got out of here.

eren leans down and picks up the photo album from yesterday off of the floor, “you want this?”

“oh, you can keep it if you want.”

eren walks closer to you and sits down next to you. he doesn’t seem to notice you watching him carefully, “nah, i remember it was your idea, right?”

“yeah,” you hesitantly confirm, “but theyre our photographs.”

you notice eren freeze and you regret saying that because now he’s looking at you in a way…in a way that makes you feel like he only ever looks at you like that.

“this is one weird custody battle,” eren jokes before putting the photo album back down and grabbing the box in your lap.

“hey!” you exclaim, shoving his arm, “i was literally looking through that.”

“yeah,” eren offers you a shit-eating grin, “and now i am.”

“how are you still so annoying?”

“and how are you still so easy to annoy?” eren moves his face closer to yours.

you feel blood rush to your face and mumble sheepishly, “shut up.”

and with that, eren seems satisfied enough to let you balance the box halfway on his lap and the other half on yours, both of you rummaging through clutter silently as an excuse to sit for a little longer.

you hear an engine rev after eren does and only when you look at him do you realise hes stood up and is practically hanging out of the treehouse in an attempt to peer down at his drive way.

“oh,” he says, and you wonder if it’s more so to himself than to you, “it’s reiner.” it seems dumb, but you only realise he’s speaking to you when he turns back to you like he’s waiting for a response. you’re not really used to all this talking with him. like…talking personally to you and not the you that walks past him every once in a while.

“right.”

“him and a few of the others are coming over to hangout.”

“right,” you start anticipating him bidding you goodbye and climbing back down the ladder, but the goodbye never comes and he still stands over you like he’s deep in thought.

“do you…wanna come?” eren sounds out, like he’s testing out how the syllables feel on his lips.

“…what?” what the hell is he talking about?

“to hang out,” eren says carefully, eyes flicking back and forth between yours, “with us.” he adds.

with eren’s friends? you don’t want to be possessive or weirdly resentful but the first thought you have is that he’s inviting you to sit with the people that he prefers. you have to mentally slap yourself to remember that drifting away is normal, and they’re all probably really nice. and it was four fucking years ago. and you don’t stay friends with the people you knew when you were 8.

“oh…are you sure?” you ask. eren shifts from one foot to the other before taking another step towards you. the box in your lap feels like it’s slipping from your grasp.

“yeah, why not?” he says, and he must notice how he doesn’t sound very convinced of himself either when he watches your eyes droop because he’s quickly interjecting before you can say anything back, “it’ll be fun. come on.”

his hand extends out to you. you want to slap his hand away and tease him, say you don’t need his help, that you’re not an old lady, but your palm is already meeting his and you can already feel calloused fingers over your skin and him pulling you up to stand in front of him.

the short journey between the treehouse to eren’s kitchen is a blur, and saying hi to reiner and who he brought with him (bertolt, you think. as well as connie and jean) is even blurrier, because all of a sudden you find yourself seated on one of the stools in eren’s kitchen and absentmindedly listening to whatever the hell they’re talking about.

you appreciate how eren spares you a glance every once in a while, offering you a close mouthed smile like you haven’t not been in this house since you were 14.

“hey, eren,” reiners voice bellows from the front of the house and you hear him unlock the front door. the look you and eren are sharing is cut short by reiner, “armin, mikasa and sasha are here.”

“‘kay,” eren responds even though the three new visitors are already waltzing into the living room. you’re still frozen in place. you don’t even remember the last thing you said.

“guys, this is my - sasha get out of the fridge - my neigh–” eren tries to start, but sasha is suddenly barreling towards your seat at the kitchen island.

“hi! you’re in my bio class, right?!” sasha excitedly asks you, practically jumping on the spot.

“you mean she was, sasha. we’re not in high school anymore,” connie calls out from behind her. sasha rolls her eyes.

“it’s so nice to see you!”

“thanks…it’s nice to see you too.”

“you’re scaring the girl, sasha,” jean comments before deciding to grab something from the fridge himself. sasha immediately follows after him. you lock eyes with eren again and you realise he had already been watching you.

“hi,” a soft voice greets you, and suddenly mikasa is standing by your seat, “nice to see you again.”

“yeah, it’s been forever,” armin adds from beside her.

“you guys know each other too?” reiner asks from across the room, leaning on one of the kitchen counters next to eren.

“from when we were kids,” you say, flitting your eyes to eren only to find that he’s looking at you again. you want him to stop so you don’t have to focus so hard on speaking anymore, but you want him to keep doing it because it’s nice to know that he’s still knows you’re here. which sounds pathetic but, eren’s got such a big group of friends that sometimes you think it was kind of inevitable that he slowly drifted away from you.

“we all kinda knew each other before high school, reiner,” armin explains, sparing you another smile.

“you and bertolt literally transferred in halfway through freshman year, how do you not know this?” jean calls over to reiner.

“just slipped my mind i guess.”

“he was too busy trying not to be mistaken for a senior,” connie jokes. the room laughs. you try to.

“don’t you mean a security guard?” jean adds. everyone laughs again. you didn’t really spend that much time looking at the two boys when they had transferred, so the joke is kind of lost on you, but you smile along anyways.

“ha-ha, very funny,” reiner sarcastically retorts, “don’t know why you’re laughing, bertolt. think someone mistook you for someone’s dad once.” another eruption of laughter.

you really don’t wanna start feeling out of place (well, more out of place than you did before) but when everyone starts shooting jokes and comments across the room at each other, it gets harder and harder to stretch out a smile over your face at each one. and it gets harder and harder to look up and eren, to watch him laugh along with everyone or have him lock eyes with you again, until you’re all together just staring at your lap.

you think…you think it’s time for you to go.

eren stands at the corner of his kitchen, still leaning against his counter, so you carefully slip out of the stool and make your way towards him, wanting to try your utmost best to make this exchange as short as possible before you go back home.

“i think i’m gonna go,” you say to him quietly, awkwardly staring anywhere other than his face.

“hm?” eren is cut out of the lively conversation with his friends and is looking back at you, lips parted momentarily as his tries to figure out what you said. he takes a step closer towards you and your heart skips a beat, “wait–“

you cut him off, trying to get out of there before you’re reminded even more of how you just faded away from eren’s life, “thanks for inviting me.”

you quickly whisk yourself away to the front door before eren can say anything more, not trying to deal with any more of what always seems like general politeness to you. just as you’re about to step out of the front door, a hand wraps around your wrist when you let go of the door handle and you turn around to be met with eren behind you, looking just as shocked with himself are you are.

“uh…” eren’s gaze shifts between your eyes repeatedly, “is everything okay?”

you look down at his hand around your wrist and back up at him, “yeah. just tired.” you feel his grip loosen but he still doesn’t let go, and a part of you isn’t ready for him to.

“see you around?” he echoes what seems to be his catchphrase. you nod your head in a way that you know isn’t as enthusiastic as what he might like to see. he’s just being polite. today was another coincidence, another fluke, and he isn’t actually going to want to make any effort to see you again. even if you’re just next door. he hasn’t for the past four years.

“yeah,” you quietly respond, slipping your wrist out of his grasp. you can still faintly hear chatter from inside the house. eren watches as you trod down the front steps to his house and make your way back over to your own, the back of your head never turning even just for a second to look back at him.

eren doesn’t like regrets. he doesn’t like wasting time on them, he doesn’t like how they make him feel like he should be in a rush to do something that he’s not even sure of (that he can’t even take back). but as he watches you leave his house, he thinks that if there’s one thing he’d let himself regret, it’d be not realizing he’d fallen away from you before it was too late.

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[sunshineandcybertronians]

A Chance Like This - Knockout x reader

Word count: 7,740 Warnings: none Takes place on the episode “Flying Mind” A/N: This is the longest oneshot I’ve ever written and actually turned out pretty good. I wrote this over a year ago. I think I did a good job adding enough that it wasn’t just the whole episode written down.

You were staring wide eyed as Bulkhead told the human charges about his adventure being stuck on Nemesis. The group of listening humans, including you, was standing on the high platform closest to the groundbridge.

“And when the Insecticons backed off, I got inspired by my proximity to the power core, and did what I do best.” He hit his fist into the other servo making a loud crash for dramatic effect.

Miko and you stood by the yellow, metal guards while Jack leaned on the desk, Raf was sitting by the computer, and Agent Fowler stood in the back.

“Whoa,” you let out. Being stuck on the ship would be something you hate; you would have no idea how to get off.

“You trashed Megatron’s ride like a rock star in a hotel room.” Miko threw her hands into the air.

“So what are we going to do now?” you asked when you realized the Decepticons would in one spot and unable to move for a long period of time.

“We should hit the ‘Cons right now, while their vulnerable,” Arcee said to her teammates with determination.

“Megatron’s warship may be grounded, but let’s not forget we remain vastly outnumbered,” Ratchet, who was apart from the group and on your right, reminded.“Especially since he has added the insecticon hive to his ranks.”

“Then maybe it’s time for me in call in an air strike,” Agent Fowler stepped closer to the railing. “Or for us to consider more extreme measures, Agent Fowler.” The prime had a grim look in his optics that made you uneasy. He gestured for Ratchet to follow him down the corridor. Their heavy, metal steps resonated through the room. Your heart pounded as your mind searched the all the possibilities of what could happen with worry. Not just because Optimus Prime having that emotion was a reason for concern. 

Because there was someone on Nemesis that you didn’t want hurt.

He walked back into the room with a blue circular object, with gray designs covering it that made you stumble back.

“Is that…?” you began, but couldn’t finish the sentence.

“The spark extractor? Yes,” Optimus replied.

“I thought that… doing that would be too violent and wrong… to just take all of their sparks at once. Why…?” You struggled for words in shock.

“Although I would greatly prefer lesser means, it could be our only chance to end the war.”

“I guess. I just wish… it didn’t have to end like that. There has to be another way, right?” your eyes reflected sadness and hope.

He let out a sad sigh. “While I wish the same, I fear we have no other option.”

You whimpered. There was the urge to say more and attempt to convince them to choose another path. Yet you knew everyone would probably get annoyed at you for defending the villains, and Optimus Prime made up his mind. Who were you to question his decision? There was still something inside of you that wanted to stop it, that wasn’t at peace.

You didn’t want all of the Decepticons to die. You didn’t want Knockout to die.

You didn’t know him that well, but you were fond of him. His personality, his finish, just everything about him made you have a soft spot for him. When you got the chance, you’d try to get pictures of him, it was just hard to without getting caught. You wished you were actually friends with him, although now it would be too late.

The thought of him dying twisted and stabbed your heart. You probably should have never let yourself get that attached, but there was no going back.

A beeping at the console in front of Ratchet interrupted your thoughts.

“Optimus, I’m detecting a massive energy spike at the Decepticon crash site. It appears to be dark energon.” Ratchet had a serious and grim expression on his faceplate.

Everyone, except Optimus Prime, flinched at the news. They stared at the map with a purple circle on what you assumed to be the crash site.

The groundbridge lit up with the light swirling and dancing once Ratchet flipped the switch. It seemed much blurrier than usual. That’s when you realized how much tears formed in your eyes. You swiftly blinked them away, refusing to be caught. A part of you wanted to run in, to see if there was a way to save him or see him one more time. The thought of seeing his faceplate twist in pain in flinching as his spark was wretched away from him was enough you have you rapidly blinking. Please don’t cry in front of them; please don’t cry in front of them, you repeated in your mind. How would they react if they knew you cared for a Decepticon? They would probably send you to therapy or a mental hospital or something.

All the Autobots but Ratchet, who was staying, and Optimus, who seemed to be planning on entering last. They effortlessly shifted to their vehicle forms and quickly went through. You took a sharp breath when you noticed the extractor in Bumblebee’s hand as he transformed.

Fowler was saying something to the prime about how he had to be there to witness the Decepticon defeat, but you couldn’t pay attention. You just kept thinking about Knockout. Was he going to die? That couldn’t be right. Not now.

Optimus agreed to bring Agent Fowler and drove through the groundbridge. Then the light disappeared, leaving you to wonder when it would be done.

The last time you saw him could literally have been the last time you’d ever see him. You’d never get the chance to meet him or be friends with him. He’d be gone forever. You were panicking. When would the spark extractor be generated? Had it already happened? Was he already not existing anymore? Would you feel something when he was extinguished, like suddenly feel a part of you was missing or punched in the gut? All of these questions and negative emotions filled you and you believed you would burst. You already wandered and began pacing in the corner where everyone would be less likely to notice you. Just in case you broke down crying, which was becoming more likely by the second.

“Team’s down, requesting medevac,” Fowler’s voice came through the comm.

Your eyes widened and your heart leaped. “What?” you turned to the screen. You had been prepared to gain sadness from Knockout being terminated, not the Autobots being injured. Needless to say, you were concerned.

“What happened?” Ratchet asked.

“The Nemesis shot some crazy beam at the 'Bots and now they’re frozen.”

“What?” Jack asked.

“Are they…” Raf wasn’t able to finished the sentence in fear.

“I don’t know. I need to examine them. Hang tight. I will be there.” Ratchet opened up the groundbridge.

It took a while to get everyone back. Ratchet was the only one big enough to carry them and had to do so one at a time. As they were brought in, all the humans grew more sad and worried. It was terrible to see them still and lifeless like that. You prayed they were okay.

“Did they get the chance to use the spark extractor?” you asked when the question crossed your mind and you managed to reached Fowler on the higher platform.

“No. The 'Cons were too fast,” Fowler answered.

A sigh of relief escaped you, however as you did so, you masked it as a cough, to avoid everyone’s questioning eyes. It meant Knockout was alright. It may have been wrong, with everyone frozen, but you were actually happy the turn of events happened. It meant Knockout was still alive. You just hoped the others didn’t stay that way forever.

The other three on the floor below were still gazing in sorrow at the awkwardly posing cybertronians as Ratchet scanned them. His metallic steps echoed through the quiet room as he inspected the console.

“They’re alive, but I’ve never encountered this form of stasis lock.” He held his chin with his digits while staring at a large screen that currently showed Optimus.

“The 'Cons are crossing the Atlantic,” Fowler marched right up, near the vitals displayed in green. Ratchet’s optics shifted from the console’s information to the human. “Making a bee-line for North America,” he waved his arm horizontally to illustrate his point.

“Wait, we can track them?” Jack noticed as the three other walked over on the floor below.

“Why aren’t they cloaked like usual?” Raf lifted an eyebrow.

Your eyes widened when you realized it now that they mentioned it.  Fowler’s facial expression changed, a clear indicator that the same just occurred to him.

“None of this makes a lick of sense,” the black male voiced what everyone was thinking, “they had us in the crosshairs, but the 'Cons just took off.”

“They even bailed on that spark extractor thingy.” Miko waved her hand, as confused as everyone else.

“Megatron could have gotten the spark extractor AND destroyed Optimus. He would never turn down something like that. Why?” The thought tangled in your mind as you tried to make sense of it.

“Wait,” Jack said when an idea struck him. “If the ship isn’t cloaked, maybe the communications relays are open and-”

“Ehp, eph.” The medic cut him off and rotated around to the teenagers. “Are you suggesting that we just call Megatron and ask him what’s happening up there?!” he sarcastically thought, attempting to show the insanity of the idea.

As ridiculous and unlikely as it sounded, surprisingly, it didn’t sound like a bad idea considering the circumstances. The kids simultaneously shrugged and Ratchet looked in shock as it struck him that they were serious. For better or worse, it was probably the best plan. You needed to know what was going on. It was worth a shot. Ratchet then stared at Fowler and you for your opinion. You both did the same as the humans before.

After contemplating, he finally opened up communication. This gave enough time for the three to climb up onto the same floor you were on. “This is Outpost Omega One to Decepticon warship. Megatron, please respond.” If he felt awkward sending a message to Megatron, he wasn’t showing any signs of it.

He glared at the larger screen, waiting for a response, but none came. You held your breath. Were you actually going to hear Megatron? Even if he was on Nemesis and couldn’t do anything to you while you were safely at the base, the thought terrified you. At the same time, you wanted him to answer, to figure out if everything was okay, if Knockout was okay. Maybe you would get lucky and the shiny, red mech would answer. However, that scenario was unlikely and everyone would be suspicious if you began fangirling before you could stop yourself.

More silence. Was it supposed to be this long? Did Megatron decide to ignore them?

“Megatron,” Ratchet repeated.

Everyone seemed to freeze, yet there was more silence. You expected it to last as long as the last one, when suddenly a noise hit your ear. A bee-do-beep of someone connecting to the comm link reverberated in the air.

“Megatron has been relieved of his command,” an unfamiliar, intimidating voice shot out of the speakers. There was no picture on the screen identifying who it was. Almost made you wish the 'Cons stayed quiet, but it presented an important piece of information and you were eager to learn more.

Ratchet’s faceplate briefly twisted in confusion before returning to its former stern state. He was probably wondering who it was and how Megatron, being as strong as he is, could be pulled off of his Decepticon throne. The latter was the one currently on your mind, along with if Knockout was well.

“Who is this?” Ratchet questioned.

“ 'Who is this?’ ” the deep voice repeated.

“Have you taken control of the Decepticon vessel?”

All of the humans stared at the huge cybertronian monitor, while Raf stared at Ratchet. Fear of the current situation was written on the young boy’s face.

“I AM the Decepticon vessel

The color drained from your face at that news. The warship was alive? Whaaa…

"Any Cybertronian who interferes with my mission will be neutralized,” Nemesis continued.

The previously green screen suddenly hosted large pictures of frozen Decepticons. It flickered through three individual images, displaying some vehicons frozen to panic and insecticons on the ceiling unmoving. To your dismay or relief, it didn’t show Knockout. It only left you feeling restless at the uncertainty of his condition. Then they faded away to how the console appeared before.

“What mission?” Ratchet asked in a less authoritive tone, most likely a result from processing the new, alarming information.

“Priority one, decrypt Iacon database and recover Decepticon technology.” he spoke as if reading a script

“For what purpose?” the medic pressed for more information.

Everyone stayed focusing on the blurry, static picture as if it would change into something interesting. No reply. Then the static identification picture blinked out as the link ended.

“He hung up? Rude!” Miko commented and crossed her arms. You stared at her. Clearly her priorities were pretty mixed up if her first concern was a huge warship being rude, rather than the fact the Decepticon vessel just got a mind of its own and is holding the 'Cons hostage or worse.

There was no telling how dangerous it could be. Although, your top concern was what happened to Knockout. You prayed with all of your heart he was safe.

“Rude?!” Apparently, the older agent had the same thought as you. “There’s a giant spaceship, flying around, collecting Decepticon weapons of mass destruction!” He waved his hands around.

“Ah ah,” Jack interrupted, “A ship filled with neutralized Decepticons.”

“How does that make it any better?” you questioned.

“This could our only chance to slip aboard and download the Iacon database,” the teenager explained. He pointed up as if the ship were above you.

“So Optimus can decode it,” Raf finished Jack’s thought.

You nodded and had to agree. It was a great plan, and you were surprised it never occurred to you.

Ratchet turned to them, staring down as he processed it. “Ingenious.” He was clearly impressed. He looked up with certainty. “I will infiltrate the Decepticon warship.”

“No!” you blurted out. Provided, you were mostly concerned about Knockout, but you still cared about your other Cybertronian friends.

“Not ingenious,” Jack disagreed, putting emphasis on the first word. “You saw what it did to the Decepticons.”

“And probably Megatron too,” Raf added.

“And team Prime,” Miko read more off the list of Cybertronians who were neutralized. Her gaze became hard and serious.

“Yeah. We can’t have you frozen too,” you objected.

“But that tub had me dead to rights, and I’m still breathing,” Fowler pointed out, smiling.

“The ship may be blind to humans,” Jack concluded the best answer.

A smile crept onto your face as a plan cooked in your mind.

“Very well, Agent Fowler,” the Cybertronian reluctantly agreed. “But at the first sign of trouble, I am bridging you right back here.” He shifted to face the console and pulled out what looked to be an alien version of a USB, like what Jack had that restored Optimus Prime’s memory. “Now, in order to download the database, you will need a compatible transfer drive.” He held out the USB, which was relatively the same size as a book. A slightly oversized book.

“A what?” Fowler had confusion written all over his face as he took the drive with two hands.

“He’ll also need tech support,” Raf volunteered with a smirk, knowing that he’d be coming along.

“And backup,” Miko nodded with her arms crossed.

“Which includes me.” You stood tall. You wanted to help your friends. Besides, it would be cool to go on the ship and possibly see your favorite Decepticon. It would be nerve-racking, but your excitement removed any fear.

“Hrmm, very well,” the medic grumbled. Faltering over to the controls for the groundbirdge, he punched in the coordinates and the way through started up out of nowhere.

The colors danced around in a wonderful phenomenon, however your eyes and mind had grown accustomed to it with how frequently it was used. You took a deep breath to steel yourself, knowing that the enemy’s vessel was on the other side.

“Be careful,” Ratchet reminded, his voice taking a more gentle tone.

“We will,” Jack nodded before marching through.

they casually walked in, confidence boosted by the fact they were all paralyzed. They all stood there, towering over you. The fact that they were so stiff and lifeless made it feel like a horror movie. As soon as Fowler made it through, the swirling vortex closed behind you as if it was never there.

“Fowler to base. We’re in,” the agent reported back with the drive tucked beneath his right arm.

“Good,” Ratchet answered. “Their data core should be accessible from any console.”

All of you began your trek through Nemesis’ dark and long corridors. They all stood there, towering over you. The fact that they were so stiff and lifeless made it feel like a horror movie. Miko stared up and Jack stepped over a giant foot.

Was the fact that the corridors were long mentioned before? Because you were beginning to sweat. You prayed that you wouldn’t have to walk much farther. Then again, this is a Cybertronian sized ship. What did you expect? And of course Megatron would have to punish the Decepticons with long walks and halls that all looked the same!

Raf gulped when you reached the end of the corridor and it split into two, “H-here’s one.” He tentatively point to the right.

Your prayers were answered, both of them. A console, and the one you wanted to see the most.

You spied Knockout, frozen and leaning on the console. He may have been paralyzed, but at least he was still alive. It made your heart ache and wish you could help him. However, it was probably better that he wasn’t awake, so he would be unable to squish any of you. That was the problem with him being a Decepticon.

The Japanese girl ran up to him. She banged her fist on him three times. Knock, knock knock! You had to clamp your hand over your mouth and bite your tongue to prevent yourself from screaming at her to be careful, not hurt him, or mess up his finish.

“Doc Knock is knocked out,” she grinned with satisfaction.

You smiled slightly and loosened up at  Miko’s joke, finding it somewhat humorous. Although you felt guilty for it.

After Miko confirmed that Knockout wouldn’t be awake to hurt you, you were the first to run over. Your eyes stared up at him and all of his shiny glory. The way the light from the console shone on him and causing the illusion of his color being slightly altered was magnificent. He was even more hot in person, especially this close.

Your heart skipped a beat. You had never been that close to him before! After some hesitation, and wiping your hands on your pants, you lightly ran your fingers against his finish. Although it wasn’t long, since you didn’t want to ruin perfection with your oils. It felt so smooth and glossy. A touch of heaven. That made you both want to touch it more, and afraid to touch it in fear you would spoil it. You were dragged back to reality and took a step back when Raf began speaking.

“Look. The ship’s decoded two sets of Iacon coordinates.” Raf stepped closer and stared up at the console with wide eyes. Red from the screen reflected off of his glasses. A beep cut through the eerie silence and a row of random lines was added to the other two. “Three!” he added. The young boy flipped around to Fowler and the drive. “Let’s rip and run.”

“Okay,” you nodded and stared up, trying not to lock your gaze on the red mech since everyone was watching. “How’re we gonna get up?”

Without any words, Raf rushed to the bottom of Knockout’s pede with Agent Fowler following closely behind. You tilted your head in question of what they were going to do when they began climbing on the Cybertronian, using him like a ladder to get up. A bright red blush to rival your crush’s armor sprang onto your face. It came into realization that you would have to do the same.

“There’s the port,” Raf said once he reached the top, but you hadn’t made it up yet.

You never felt more nervous in your life. At first thought, you considered taking your shoes off, as to not scuff the paint. However, you were doubtful of how clean your socks were, besides, the others would question why you took your shoes off. Taking a deep breath to calm your nerves, you placed a shaky hand on Knockout to steady yourself as you hesitantly began climbing.

“Sorry, Knockout. Please forgive me,” you whispered under your breath, facing down in attempt to make this plead unheard by the others above you.

Your face became a more radiant red, if that was possible as you made your way up him. You did everything in your power to not get finger smudges on him. Thankfully, the way he was leaning forward made it easier to scramble up, rather than having to vertically scale him.

Fowler and Raf had moved a lot quicker than you as you were hesitant and careful. You heard the drive click into the port and a soft beep emanated from the data being downloaded. When you reached the top, you stayed standing on Knockout, on the black part between his head and red shoulders, for a few seconds, not wanting to leap off of him. You debated sitting on his shoulder or not. At first you decided you had a job to do and the others may judge, although it was a shame considering you would probably never be the same position again.

Taking a glance down, you noticed that Miko and Jack decided not to climb up. Another blush crept up as you realized that you didn’t need to climb up. Well, it was done. Now you wanted to stay, and you were glad you were able to touch him so much. You pressed your lips together into a line and pondered it. On second thought you decided you would sit, you didn’t need to stand on the console. They didn’t need your help. Besides, you were afraid you would accidentally press a wrong button on the control panel if you did.

With a smile, you sat on his shoulder. You made a small prayer that your pants were clean enough. It felt nice sitting there, like you belonged there. You were convinced you could have stayed like that forever. When you were sure no one was looking, you stared down and admire Knockout’s face.

That’s when a brilliant and awesome idea came into your head.  What if you took a selfie? That would be like a dream come true, aside from actually being friends with or dating him. It was risky, as in they could very well spot you doing it… It was too tempting. You would probably never get the opportunity for this again. The rewards outweighed the risk, and you simply couldn’t help yourself.

You stepped down and flipped out your phone. After tapping on the camera, you started to angle it correctly.

“Seriously?” Miko on the ground shook her head in disbelief.

“When else will I get a chance like this?” Your eyes stayed fixed on the phone screen, carefully positioning the phone so it gets both you and Knockout’s face without dropping your phone. Dropping it this high would probably break it. With the way his helm was dangling from being shot with the paralyze beam, it made it more difficult than you wanted.

Upon clicking the button to take the picture a few times, you smirked and examined the selfies. They were clear and fit enough you and him in. It was a little dark, but there wasn’t much you could do about it. If you activated the flash, you’d have the whole room’s shifting their focus onto you. Apparently the teenage girl decided to ignore you, because she wasn’t paying you any attention now. Thankfully, no one else seemed to take notice of her remark. You were very giddy and grateful that you got the opportunity to do that. You felt like a kid left in a candy store, told you could get whatever you want.

Miko and Jack below stared up. They studied the screen and the warship’s destination displayed on it.

“Um, why is the warship heading for Manhattan?”  Jack inquired upon peering closer at a smaller screen to the left of the larger one.

Everyone else followed his gaze to verify the truth of his words. What you saw confirmed it. It displayed a map of the north section of the western hemisphere. One moving circle hovered above the Atlantic ocean, most likely where you were located now, and the other stayed grounded in New York.

Raf’s eyes shifted back over to the decoded coordinates. The first set was flashing. “Because that’s where first set of coordinates are located?”

“What?!” you let out in surprise, sitting up straighter and almost standing. Thankfully, this didn’t draw any attention to yourself and they didn’t notice you sitting on the Decepticon. They were too concerned with processing the information and staring at the screen.

Fowler’s face displayed fear like you had never seen from him before. “What would a relic from Cybertron be doing in the Big Apple?”

“The Iacon relics landed on Earth eons ago, Agent Fowler,” Ratchet explained gravely on the other side of communications, “long before the city was built atop it.”

Jack immediately deciphered the meaning of the situation. “Which means if the ship wants this one it may have to move some buildings out of the way.”

All of the present humans’ eyes stayed locked on the map in horror. The Nemesis clearly  had lots of power, and without the Decepticons controlling it, it would make no effort to stay hidden. It would simply use all the fire power it could to complete its goal. How much damage would be caused and how many lives would be taken if it reached the city?

“Our mission just got complicated,” Fowler stated while pressing the earpiece. “How do we deter this ship?”

As he spoke, you noticed the other two humans, climbing up. Barely managing to stop the whine that desired to vibrate in your throat, you hopped onto the platform for the console’s keyboard. You couldn’t help but cross your arm and glare whenever Jack and Miko appeared in your line of vision for ruining your time with Knockout. Instead you averted your gaze to the map as they stepped onto the same platform as you. Normally you’d be nervous and doubting if it could support everyone’s weight, although these uncertainties to the back of your head. Raf was staring down, holding his chin while he thought.

“I would advise disabling the navigation module. Call up the main navigation menu,” Ratchet instructed.

You followed everyone’s gaze to the controls to the left of the one you stood on.

“There,” Raf pointed. How he knew that the other panel was for the navigation, you had no idea. It looked exactly the same as the one you were on. Maybe because it was under the screen displaying the map.

Before the boy could make any other movement, Agent Fowler lifted his hand in front of him. “Step aside, son.”

He leaped to the other side. When he tried to figure out how to make it work, it pressed his hand onto a slab of metal that stuck out slightly farther than the rest. As soon as his hand came into contact, there was a zap. Electricity danced around his hand. You and the other three jolted in shock. The government agent groaned previous to falling backwards unconscious. Unfortunately, backwards was right off the platform.

“Agent Fowler!” Jack cried out.

All of you rushed to reach him, but it was too late. He took a heavy hit as he slumped to the floor. You cringed at the muffled bang of him colliding with the ground. All you could do was pray that the damage from both the shock and falling would only be temporary. He rolled over and groaned weakly.

“System access detected,” the same voice from early on the comm broke you out of your transfixed horror. Once again, you and the other three jumped and hastily searched the room, although this time out of fear. Your figures were rigid. “Interference will not be tolerated.”

“There,” Raf said once he spotted it.

He pointed up at something that resembled an egg poking out of the ceiling and lowering slightly. It was shiny and black. If you were seeing correctly, you thought you saw a camera installed in it. It swiveled around to scan the room.

“Reveal yourself,” it demanded. At one point, the camera seemed to point straight at you

“It doesn’t see us,” Miko grinned in victory, loosening up her fighting stance.

You felt yourself smile a little, relieved at the good news.

“Yet,” Ratchet grumpily reminded. “The ship must not be scanning for carbon-based life-forms. But once it widens its search parameters…”

“We’re toast,” Raf finished.

“I’m bridging you back.”

“No,” Jack waved his hands in an 'X’ while firmly refusing. “There are millions of lives at stake in New York, and we four are currently the only ones who can do anything about it.”

Once again, Jack was the master of logic, and you agreed. If humans couldn’t be seen, then the four of you were the only ones who could save everyone. You glanced down, shifting from Fowler to Knockout, your eyes lingering on the red mech. You didn’t want the same thing to happen to you, but you needed to stop this thing to save Knockout from this frozen state… oh, and the Autobots… aaaannd all the other people in New York that you completely just forgot about. Apparently Knockout’s life, although he wasn’t technically dead, meant more to you than millions of people. You had strange priorities. Maybe it was time you got them straight and/or took some therapy… Nah!

“If it knows we’re here now, shouldn’t we talk more quietly so it doesn’t detect us through sound?” you urgently whispered.

“The sounds you’re making is too quiet  for the ship to detect,” the medic answered you. “You’re out of your element, Jack. These readings, the ship’s rapid recovery,” he listed, “all point to the fact that Megatron employed Dark Energon to repair it.”

Jack had leaped down when Ratchet was speaking. “Hold on,” Jack interrupted as he took Fowler’s pulse. “If you’re saying the ship is fueled by dark Energon, we can dump it, right?”

Miko and Raf lowered themselves on the edge and let themselves drop to follow Jack. They landed on their feet with zero apparent injuries.

It probably wasn’t a long way down if they were fine, but it looked unsettled from your position. You bit your lip as you prepared yourself to jump. However, when counting down from three, you stopped on two because of an idea floating into your brain. You practically skipped back to Knockout and climbed down on him. Not only did you get to touch him again and be close to him

“Hmm,” Ratchet made a sound of approval you never thought you’d hear. “You’ll need to reserve the warship’s Energon infuser. Follow the main overhead conduits,” he instructed.

“I think I should stay here,” you stated, holding your hands close to you, “in case anything changes on the screen and to watch Fowler. I don’t think we should move him in this state and I don’t think we should just leave him either.”

They nodded. “Good idea,” Jack approved, “Just stay out of trouble.” With that, they bolted down the corridor, following Ratchet’s directions.

“I will.” You mumbled as they turned out of sight, “Not much trouble I can get into just sitting here.” You knew what they meant, don’t get neutralized. Then once again, your eyes landed onto the familiar glossy finish.  With a smirk, you added, “Well, if he were awake I see how I could get into trouble.”

Most of your time was spent admiring Knockout, sitting on him and kicking your legs back and forth. You occasionally glance at Fowler or the screen to make sure nothing changed. To most, it may have been uninteresting, but considering that most did not have an obsession with a shiny red Decepticon, or maybe most would if they knew his existence, you were occupied with studying every detail of Knockout. The only thing that could make it better is if he were awake, in a situation where you’re friends, and you could talk.

While gazing into his face, you realized something you could do. Something you were tempted to do. Kiss him. Your face flamed up to the same color as his armor. You could do it, no one would see. Wait a second, there were probably security cameras, although even if that weren’t a possibility, you’d still be hesitant just because it’s embarrassing. Whining slightly, you bit on your lip as you restrained yourself.

A sound of smooth motors moving distracted you from your current daydream. Your eyes immediately leapt to the ceiling to observe a gun device lowering and pointing at you.

“I am infested with alien life-forms!” Nemesis growled.

It must have widened its search enough now. “Uh oh.” You let yourself slid off of Knockout. Fortunately, the cannon was aiming higher, probably at your head, thus it just barely missed Knockout. You were barely look back at the blaster before it began firing again. A light blue electrical orb sailed over your head as you ducked and bolted out of its path. Your head turned all over the place, with your hair flying, to find a place to hide.

Strangely enough, when the fact that it was an area built for larger creatures was taken into account, there weren’t many places to take cover. One of the few places you spotted was underneath the console controls, a dark pocket to stay out of sight. That was the area you rushed to. Blood pounded in your ears as you pumped your legs as fast as you could, paranoid that a blast would hit you.

Once in the cover of the shadows, your eyes searched for any danger. You noticed Fowler still passed out on the floor. Fortunately, the warship seemed to completely pass over Agent Fowler, probably since it already shocked him. That made it easier for you; all you needed to worry about was yourself. In the middle of your thought, you spotted the gun lowering itself until it saw you. Without any time to spit out a curse at your luck, you lurched out of the way.

“All parasites will be eradicated!” it shouted again.

The only other place you could go to avoid being neutralized was behind Knockout. You didn’t want him to get him himself from being your shield; however that blaster wasn’t giving you much of a choice. You ducked behind him, your back just an inch away from touching him. The balls that Nemesis attempted to throw at you buzzed upon coming into contact with him. “Sorry.” You hoped it wasn’t hurting him.

It seemed like it ran out of options of how to freeze you, or maybe it just hadn’t calculated another way yet. Before it could, the gun slowly choked and paused like a lawnmower running out of gas.

“Critical power drain. I am… in… command. Prepare to be… neutralized…” The final string of its power and command was undone. It sputtered while being pulled back into the ceiling, a welcomed action that caused you to sigh in relief. The light began to fade from red to blue.

“They must have done it.” You smiled in victory.

The screens and lights faded from creepy red to a pleasant blue, not to different from the color of energon or the Autobots’ optics. The room was still dim, yet it filled you with hope and served as another sign that the mission was accomplished. Agent Fowler was gradually waking up. You were unaware if the damage had simply worn off, or if all the Cybertronians who were hit would presently wake up.

Your gaze shifted to Knockout. You felt guilty about using him as a shield, but now you were worried about something else. What if he wasn’t paralyzed anymore? He did seem to be slumping over more. You decided to hide in case he wakes up, not wanting him to crush you or be disgusted by a human. If he was disgusted at the sight of you it would break your heart. You managed to drag Fowler under the console into hiding with you, to prevent him from meeting the fate you imagined.

Upon seeing Jack, Miko, and Raf dash to you, a rush of joy came over you. The fear of being caught by a non-neutralized Decepticon flowed out of you and was replaced with euphoria for saving the day and the mission completed. You came out of hiding under the console to meet them. The whole time you moved as quickly as you could while helping Fowler walk.

“You’re back! Is there a button we need to press to make the Cybertronians go back to normal or-” you began, wanting to make sure Knockout and the Autobots would be able to move again.

“They’re already waking up.” Jack pointed behind him, “We saw Megatron unfreeze. We need to get out of here.”

“Megatron?!” Your eyes widened and felt a scare cord being struck at the tyrant’s name. Your friends were brave.  Then your brows furrowed in confusion, since Knockout was still frozen. Then you nodded when you remember how many times he was hit when you were hiding. Of course it would take him longer to come out of it, considering that the ship was firing every three seconds.

Miko slung Fowler’s arm over her shoulder. "On your feet, soldier!” She aided you, taking the man’s weight out of your hands.

“And beavers and ducks and walnuts and grandma?” he deliriously spoke while flailing his other arms as much as you would allow. With that he wiggled out of yours and Miko’s hold, causing him to fall onto the ground again. Miko appeared seriously freaked out. If it weren’t for the still dangerous circumstances you were in, you might have laughed.

A beep emitted from the monitor which drew your attention to it. A fourth Iacon relic location was revealed. The bar that displayed the download progress was half way filled.

“That’s all that’s been downloaded?!” Jack exclaimed in frustration at the slow rate of progress.

Maybe it would have been better to let Nemesis stay in control for just a little longer to download more. Then again, that wouldn’t have been an option considering that it detected you humans just seconds before you shut it off. If it had seen you sooner, you all may have been immobilized.

“The Iacon file must be huge!” Raf reasoned in attempt to calm the older teenager.

The whirring of a groundbridge appearing from behind made you turn around. There it was, your beautiful ride home in all of its colorful glory, although not as glorious as Knockout’s colors you might add. Speaking of which, you probably needed to book it out of there before he awoke.

“Sa-weet!” Miko let out. She attempted to carry Fowler out by supporting his arm on her shoulder. Raf did the same on the other side. “Come on! Here’s our ride!” Her eyes locked onto the portal as they stepped towards it.

You were about to copy their movements when you noticed Jack standing his ground. That was when you remembered the drive. Oh right, you felt like facepalming, you were such a dummy! How could you forget something so important?

Raf noticed it too. “Jack?” he turned his head.

“Get Fowler out of here,” Jack ordered.

“I’ll help.” You ran back to him. You didn’t particularly want to be around when Knockout came out of his neutralized state, for reasons stated above. Although you didn’t want to seem like a coward, especially after the other three dumped the dark energon while you stayed behind. Plus, you were still somewhat reluctant to leave Knockout.

“No, I can handle it, you need to go!” He waved his hand.

“Nope! I’m helping,” you shook your head, firmly refusing.

He sighed knowing that it would absorb too much time to convince you to go. Marching forward, he stared at the drive with the precious downloaded information. “Some’s better than nothing,” he admitted. “I’m not leaving without that drive.” With that he clambered up.

To your amazement, you began crawling up Knockout before Jack did. You grinned at your triumph over your uneasiness about it. Now if only you had remembered gloves. It was painful to feel how oily your fingers were on his flawless finish. You could possibly leave a note apologizing for the fingerprints. You pouted when you remembered that you had to leave as soon as possible and couldn’t linger on his shoulder that time.

Promptly, you hopped off onto the panel and tugged on the drive along with Jack. His back was facing Knockout, while you were facing the opposite way, wanting to see Knockout as you worked. You grunted while pulling on it, the drive showing resistance.

As soon as the Decepticon medic opened his optics, you saw, since you had been staring at him without realizing it. “Uh oh,” your face paled. Your eyes widened, however, not from shock, from staring into his amazing red optics. You didn’t think you’ve ever seen any more gorgeous optics, the way it was a glowing red ring surrounded by dark red. It made you forget everything for a second. Maybe it was worth possibly becoming squished to witness it.

The way he smirked after spotting you just made him twice as hot. At that moment, Jack noticed your reaction and turned around, his facial expression making it clear that he already guessed what happened. He stepped back, completely forgetting about the drive.

Knockout flicked his servo into a long, skinny drill that would be terrifying enough to make it into a horror movie. At this motion, Jack stumbled back and fell. You took another step away while crouching and gnawing on your lip. No, he’s the villain and about to kill you, you can’t be mentally fangirling over how hot he is, you thought to yourself.

“Say 'ahh’,” he spoke in a threatening tone with his smooth voice while moving the drill closer to you and Jack. Yet his face still appeared as handsome as ever and you wished you could take a picture.

“Ah,” you quickly said, before you could stop yourself from following his command.

His drill flinched back and paused. He seemed confused and raised an optic ridge, surprised and amused by your response. A small smile began to creep into his facial features.

“I’m here to offer a second opinion,” Ratchet, who you hadn’t noticed coming through the groundbridge because your attention was set on Knockout, said right before he threw a punch. It knocked the Decepticon medic, who was turning around, into the console with a loud crash. The impact then sent him flying back and hitting the ground, his back facing the ceiling.

You felt bad for him, staring down. Who knew Ratchet could pack a punch like that? Or maybe you should have known. Once again, you were tempted to kiss Knockout, as if your affection would heal him. If there were camera filming, whoever would watch it would think you just walked close to Knockout and not realize unless they actually paid attention. Either that or there would be so much going on they would completely miss it.

Plus, Jack and Ratchet were focusing on each other. It left an opening. In the chaos and what was going on, you’d do it so briskly no one would even notice. It was risky, but the lack of time pressured you. When else will you get a perfect opportunity like that? In the end you decided to go for it.

You allowed yourself to slip down and began rushing to his face as soon as your feet hit the floor. Since you had made your decision so quickly, Ratchet was just beginning to reach over to pick Jack up while you were doing this. Upon reaching the mech’s white faceplate, you leaned in a placed your lips on his cheek for a second. He felt so cool and smooth, like before. However your lips were more sensitive than your fingers, making the experience twice, or even triple, times as amazing.

You heard the drive being pulled out with a shink, which meant it was time to go. After giving him a small peck, you practically skipped around to where they’d see you, feeling giddy with what you’d done.

“Where’s (Y/n)?” Ratchet asked while he searched the room.

“Down here!” you yelled and waved on your tippy toes, now standing just a foot away from the tip of Knockout’s helm.

Ratchet reached down to pick you up after handing Jack, who was in his other hand, the dive. You could have run just fine, but the Autobot medic was faster than you, and he probably wanted to get you out of there as soon as possible.

“Bye,” you yelled and waved happily, still excited from what you accomplished, as you were carried through the tunnel of light.

Although the whole dark energon taking over the Nemesis was a bad thing, you were still happy it happened. If it didn’t, Knockout would now be dead and you wouldn’t get to see him up close or kiss him. You hoped you would see him again soon.

[futures-tense]

Hello :) Can I ask for bleeding, hurt TK, please, for BTHB? What if an explosion in a minefield injured TK? Some shards stuck in his neck and body, but adrenaline made him feel nothing until he saved the boy. Only after that he begin to feel that sth was wrong (sth like the woman who was inside  mri, 2x07). Tk in really bad shape,Owen frantically trying to stop the bleeding and apologizing to TK for his unfortunate comment about being a father, begging him to stay awake. TK being like, it's ok, you're gonna have a son soon. Gwyn&Carlos yelling at Owen in hospital?

Anything for you :)

i need you now more than i needed you then//2.6k words//

TW: the whole minefield incident, another hospital trip naturally

TK always loved the calls that made his heart pound, made adrenalin course through him. It was a good distraction- therapeutic almost. Dangling forty stories above the streets of New York City by nothing but a simple carabiner or two; using the truck’s hose to stop the person who was shooting at Owen and Tommy; blindly navigating a minefield to save a couple of teenagers- like he’s doing now- that’s what make his job a little more fun. The excitement. He knows he shouldn’t enjoy it as much as he does but- what can he say?

Like father, like son, he thinks.

That is- after all- how they’d ended up here: in the middle of the field with no map and absolutely no idea where the mines were placed. His dad had refused to let someone else take over- despite everyone’s protests that he’s having a baby. Or, as he’d said, he’s going to be a father.

TK can’t help but roll his eyes at the memory. This probably isn’t the time to dwell on it because at any moment a bomb could-

An explosion of dirt and bits of metal fly through the air and TK crouches closer to the ground, covering his face.

“Dad! Dad, are you okay?”

“Fine- I’m fine,” Owen calls from ahead of him and he lets out a breath. The dust starts to settle and Owen looks back at him. “You?”

“I’m good, I’m good,” TK nods. “What about the boys?”

Owen calls up to the boys they’re trying to save and TK scrunches his eyes closed, trying to push away the ringing in his ears.

“Captain Strand? TK, are you both okay?”

“We’re good, Cap,” TK says as his father sets up for the next jump. “Was this really the best idea we could come up with?”

“The Bomb squad’s too far out, he won’t make it.”

He knows she’s right but he kind of hates it. Something about this doesn’t seem right.

Owen finally makes it to where the kids are and TK jumps to the next circle, just barely making it. A sharp pain spreads through his abdomen- and his leg, and his chest- and he has to bite back a groan. He ignores it and jumps again to catch up. Thankfully, everyone’s attention is focused on Wes; they don’t see him wince. He puts it aside and sets to work: he applies the tourniquet and is finishing the dressings just as the bomb squad pulls up.

He gets his radio set and starts to report the good news- the kid will live- but something stops him. The world sways around him and he can vaguely hear someone calling his name. The ground starts to hurtle toward him but someone catches him. His helmet is pulled from his head and that’s when everything starts to hurt.

“Hey, hey, son, look at me, look at me…”

“Dad?”

He has to squint against the sun. He wants to sit up but Owen presses his shoulder down.

“No, no. You’re- Captain Vega!”

He seems so far away, so distant. Which is fitting for him, he thinks. His dad’s always been distant, always been-

Wait, something’s wrong, right?

He tries to sit up again. “Dad, what’s happening?”

“No! TK, stop it. Just… when the mine blew… Why didn’t you say something? You…”

Owen is pressing bandages to his chest and leg and trying desperately to hold it together but TK can see him slowly start to lose his grip.

“I need Captain Vega, now!”

“What about Wes?”

“They’re fine; you’re bleeding, why didn’t you say something? Why didn’t you tell me?”

TK can only shrug. “You’re gonna be a father.”

Owen freezes and finally meets his eyes. “No, no, TK, that’s not- I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t-”

“Dad, it’s fine,” he slurs. The world’s getting a little darker, a little blurrier. “Everything’s gonna be fine…”

“No, stay awake. C’mon, kid, stay awake.”

He will admit that he doesn’t remember much from that point on. He does remember a steady, constant pressure around his hand, a reminder that he’s not alone (maybe Marjan or Judd); he remembers hearing soft and tearful pleas from his father; he remembers that much.

But after that everything is too much and he gives in.

Continue on AO3

[darkacademicfrom2021]

The Dark Team (part 14)

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(Taglist: @lucywrites02, @louieboo87, @the-departed-potato, @jesuswasnotawhiteman, @idontknow296, @beksib, @spythoschei, @geekwritersworld, @whatafuckingdumbass, @mysticunicorn7 @shadowolf993 @toe-vind-ek-jou @joscelyn02, @t00-pi, @irwxnhugsx )

Huge warning: explicit abduction/kidnapping. Violence, blood, torture (non-explicit).

It didn’t take you long to realize the blood in your body was not yours.

Where were you? Your head was dripping something cold. It wasn’t blood, but it was thicker than water. A putrid smell didn’t let you breathe properly, and… what were you sitting on? Something cold. A metal chair. Thin. If you moved, you’d fall. If you fell you couldn’t put your hands up to save your face; tied up head to toes.

With covered eyes, all you could do was to listen. Trying not to panic, you checked all and any noises that surrounded you. The room was tiny and closed. Away from the city noises, so maybe many floors up. You were alone. People walked around the room; there was a corridor, but nobody seemed to care you were in there even though they clearly knew it. You heard several footsteps approaching the room, standing on the door and then leaving again, muttering things to each other. How did you get there? Where were Loki and Peter? Oh God, if Peter got kidnapped too...

Moving your head around and shaking it fiercely, you finally managed to take the tape off your eyes. The incandescent lights blinded you, hinting you that you were there for longer than you had initially thought. They took off your wrist watch; where your first location device was. That way Tony couldn’t track you down. They didn’t take off the earbuds, though, and you chuckled to yourself. You had them designed especially for these kind of extreme situations. The chuckle quickly faded away.

You looked around now that your sight was restored, and made sure nobody was around. Cameras… yes, four of them. Probably a bunch of microphones, but how would you know. Whatever. It wasn't like you had any other choice. You activated your earbud with your shoulder, trying to connect with the Stark Tower.

“Hello?”, you whispered. Your voice cracked, and you weren’t sure if it was the terror of getting caught, or because of the long period of time you were silent. “Hey? Is anyone…?”.

“Good evening, Mx. y/n”, called Friday’s voice. Alright. It was an evening. Bad way to start, because the last thing you remember was at that Saturday night. “Your heart rate is increasingly high, are you having an anxious epis…?”.

“Listen, Friday”, you cut her quickly, trying to keep it down. “Is anyone in the Tower? Mr. Stark? Anyone?”.

“The only one currently entering the building is Dr. Bruce Banner. Would you like me to put him…?”.

“Yes, fast”. God, Friday was painfully slow, and you were starting to freak out. “In the meantime, try to tell me everything you can about where I am. Can you trace my location down?”.

“Unfortunately, your second location device is damaged, and the first one is impossible to track”.

“What can you tell me?”. Where on Earth was Banner and why was he taking so long?

“It is Thursday afternoon, currently the day is rainy with a precipitation of…”.

Friday kept talking, but your brain wasn’t able to keep up with her uselessness and the crippling fear of not being able to get out of this one alive. As far as you knew, nobody was here to save you.

“Hello?”, called Bruce’s voice from the other line, interrupting Friday. “Who’s this?”.

“Thank God. Bruce, it’s me, y/n. Listen, I…”, and as you were about to explain, you heard his gasp.

“Oh my God, y/n! I’m calling everyone. No, wait. Where the Hell have you been?? Where are you? Are you safe??”, his voice was many pitches higher than the usual. Why was he so freaked out? You haven’t said anything yet.

Wait.

Did Friday say Thursday?

“Bruce, I have no idea where I am, I just woke up and I’m tied up. You have to help me. Where’s Tony?”.

“He’s out there looking for you; so is the rest of the team. I have to let them know you’re calling”.

“WAIT”, you shaked. He stopped and waited in silence. “I’m not sure how long I actually have in here. Help me first, alert them later”.

“Alright. I can’t trace you. Have any plan in mind?”.

“I…” you looked around. “I can tell you… agh”, you gasped, and he jumped again, asking you a thousand questions at a time. “Banner, I’m frightened, you’ll have to calm down because otherwise I will have a fucking heart attack”.

“I’m sorry. Answer one question at a time. Are you hurt?”.

“I’m not sure”.

“What do you mean?”.

“I’m covered in blood”.

“Then you are hurt”.

“I don’t think it’s mine”.

“What?”.

“Let me guide you through what you have to do to actually trace my location. There’s a method, I…”, you started saying, but you soon ran out of breath. You explained with little detail what he had to do, and everything was becoming dizzier and blurrier. “I think I have a contusion”.

“You… you think?!”.

“Shh, don’t scream. My head hurts”.

“You’ll pass out. Quick, tell me all you can before you do so. We’ll get you out of there. Do you see movement?”.

“Just outside the room. Men in suits, prisoners tied up from behind, cops…”.

“Anything inside the room? What’s the place like?”.

“Nobody’s in here, other than me. Seems like a… an interrogation room. But old fashioned. There isn't any windows and there’s not many other objects other than the chair I’m in”.

“Is anything behind you?”.

“Yes. There’s… I’m not sure what that is. Looks like some sort of teaser, but bigger. And has a line of buttons with a beeper in the holder. And…”.

“That’s… oh crap”.

“What?”.

“We have to get you out of there. Do you have any marks in your neck?”.

“Marks...? I don’t…”, but as you were about to deny it, you touched your neck and it burned, badly. It burned both your neck, your hand and your head. You screamed in pain.

“You have a sensor with electroshocks. It alerts them you’re awake. You have little time to speak with me now, before they get in. Try to play unconscious as they get in, alright? It’s gonna be okay”.

But it didn’t feel like it was gonna be okay at all. I’m getting killed in here, aren’t I?, you thought, sighing. And Bruce was right. Footsteps approached your room, louder with each step. The empty corridors made the shoes echoe all the way up to your doom.

“Bruce, I don’t even have what they want. I… wait, you said the whole team. Are Peter and Loki too? Are they safe?”.

“Yes, they’re safe and looking for you”.

“Are they looking for Bucky? He was kidnapped too”.

“What? Bucky’s always been with Steve on the other mission”.

“What? No, they lost him and then he got abducted and was being tortu…”.

“No, listen. Those were old Hydra recordings. It was all a trap for you to fall in. We don’t have much time, we’ll explain everything once you’re safe in the compound”.

“What if I never get out?”.

“Do as I say, you’ll be alright”.

“I hear them coming closer”.

“Play unconscious, I’ll track them down with their voice pitches and will figure out where they work. Stay silent. Don’t move”.

You did as he said, and closed your eyes, dropping your head as if you were still sleeping. Three people walked in. You figured at least one of them was holding the big teaser, because behind you something buzzed and your neck hurt again.

“Must’ve passed out again. Check out they’s not making it up”.

One of the men stomped on your foot so harshly, your eyes watered. But you didn’t move half an inch. Not a single sound escaped your throat. Not a single muscle moved your body.

“Should we wake them up and try with another session?”.

“Won’t say anything in this state”.

“Maybe we can crack them, because of this state”.

One of the men grabbed your hair and pulled up your head violently. Your eyes opened reluctantly and you flinched.

“How long have you been awake?”.

You didn’t answer.

“What have you heard?”.

You didn’t answer.

“What do you remember?.

You didn’t answer. One of the men sighed.

“It won’t work. We’ve been trying the same thing for too long. Maybe we need to high up on the voltage and go from there”.

“We don’t want them dead, they have to talk first”.

You started shaking uncontrollably. You had to stop yourself from sobbing. Banner whispered something but you couldn’t hear it. Your ears were filled with that high pitched tone that would usually mean you’ve been shouted at. But you weren’t. It was all too silent to be true. Violence would not always come in a loud way, would it?

“Alright, wipe them again, just in case. Delete this day too. We’re going big tomorrow morning”.

[fantastic-bby]

Lia

Pairing: (F)Reader x Felix

Word count: 2.6k

Genre: Guardian Angel!Felix | Fluff | Romance 

Summary: When Felix accidentally reveals himself to you, he has no other choice but to explain what he was planning. You think through the many years spent together, reliving those moments that he’s been by your side when he suggests taking you up to Heaven to turn you into an angel. 

Warnings: Mentions of a car accident | Mentions of alcohol 

Masterlist || Chan - Maive || Minho - Kira || Changbin - Skye || Hyunjin - Nova || Jisung - Blair || Seungmin - Raisha || Jeongin - Avia

“F-Felix?” 

“I-I can explain,” he stutters. You stare at his wings in complete disbelief. You watch the way they fold behind him ever so shyly when he realises he’s too far deep in to make any excuses. “I’m your guardian angel.” You can feel your heart racing in your chest and before you know it, you’ve collapsed. Felix lets out a panicked squeak before running to catch you. “(Y/n)?” He tries shaking you to wake you up, but when it’s obvious that you’re unconscious, he’s even more panicked. “Oh god, o-okay.” 

Without any other options left, Felix resorts to carrying you to his bedroom and tucking you in before he moves to his living room. He tells himself he’ll just tell you it’s a dream when you wake up.

Oh how Felix manages to mess that up. 

“It was not a dream.” You almost choke when you see your boyfriend standing in the kitchen with a pair of wings extending from his bare back. Felix whips around and almost spits out the orange juice he was drinking when he sees you. 

“Oh my god,” he winces as he realises he was being careless around you again. Felix moves to you slowly. “I won’t hurt you, I promise.” He realises how tense you are. He can sense how scared you are. “I know how weird and freaky this seems, but I would never hurt you.” 

“T-Then, why d-d-do you have w-wings?” Your eyes are still fixated on his wings. 

“I am your guardian angel. The simplest way I can put it is that I was assigned to protect you when you turned 16,” Felix explains, “I’m basically supposed to watch over you until your time comes. I keep you safe from demon stuff and spirits and all the jazz.” 

“You say ‘all that jazz’ like it’s so normal,” you huff. He gives you a sheepish smile. 

“I wasn’t supposed to show you I was a guardian angel—damn it,” he groans. “I’m not usually this careless around my humans.” You watch the way Felix runs a frustrated hand through his hair. He’s fucked up. He’s already getting shit for dating you, now the deities are going to pound on him for revealing himself. 

“So…” you trail off as you let the new information process in your mind, “you’re my guardian angel.” Felix nods.

“Whenever a human turns 16, a guardian angel gets assigned to them. It’s up to the angel how they’d go about the protection,” he explains slowly, worried that you might get confused, “they could stay hidden or show themselves and be a close friend to watch over you. Some angels just float around secretly and others will just add themselves into your lives; like I did.” You stare at him blankly. “(Y/n)? You in there?” He waves a hand in front of your face. 

“Y-Yeah,” you quickly nod. “It’s just a bit much. I didn’t think angels existed.” You continue to just stare at him, taking in the sight of his new form. A few moments pass before you step closer, your hand reaching out towards his wings. “May I?” 

“O-Oh,” he nods. “Go ahead.” Your fingers come into contact with his feathers and you’re surprised at just how soft they are. Felix subconsciously retracts them shyly, a blush coming on his cheeks when he hears your thoughts. He relaxes a tad, letting you admire his wings.

“Your wings are so pretty,” you breathe out softly as you bring your other hand up to brush through his feathers. He turns away from you, hiding his blush the more your fingers gently graze his wings. “Wait.” The realisation strikes you and you pull away to look at Felix. “If you’re my guardian angel, then is this…” you gesture to the both of you, “okay? Shouldn’t there be rules on these kinds of things?” 

“Ahah,” Felix lets out an awkward laugh. “Yeah, they’re not that happy with me on that. They’re giving me a pass because they said you’re good.” You give him a questioning look. “Well, say you’re good enough to be an angel, they’ll make you one. That way, we’ll be angels together.” He has a shy smile on his freckled face. “That is if—you know—you would like to join me in becoming an angel.” Your heart softens. 

You’ve never loved anyone more than you’ve loved Felix; that much you’re sure of. He had been by your side throughout high school and college; even staying with you after you had both graduated and moved to working your own separate jobs. Staying by your side may have been his job, but he made you happy. 

The many times he had run over to your apartment whenever you felt unsafe finally made sense. Felix always came quick. Even when you were both in high school, Felix somehow managed to sneak his way into your family’s hearts as well. Your parents barely bat an eye whenever he slept over for weekly movie nights and they never really questioned it whenever he would show up unannounced on days you were feeling your worst. 

“Are you okay?” he questioned softly when he found you crying in the corner of your bedroom. You shook your head. Felix sat beside you, wrapping his arm around your shoulders to bring your head to his chest. “I’m here for you. I’ll always be here.” His words stuck to you. Ever since then, the first person you’d reach out to was always Felix. 

Even when you were in that car accident, all you could think about was him. 

The damage was so much that you knew you were slowly starting to lose consciousness. Everything was becoming blurrier and the dark spots in your vision were getting bigger. The moment Felix came to your mind, you swear you heard him calling out to you right before you lost consciousness. When you came to, you were in a hospital with Felix sleeping in the sofa chair beside your bed. You felt terrible. The first thing you heard other than the beeping from the machines that you were attached to was snoring from your friend. You turned and your chapped lips parted when you saw him sleeping, soft snores leaving past his own parted lips. 

You turned to look around the room, wondering just how you ended up in the hospital; the memory of Felix running up to you completely hidden in your mind. “You’re finally awake.” His voice makes you turn to see him looking at you with lazy eyes. 

“What happened?” Your voice came out raspy, causing you to cough. 

“You got into an accident,” he muttered as he sat upright, stretching his arms out above his head. “The doctor told me to get him when you wake up.” Felix stood up, scooching over to your bed. His hand brushed your matted hair gently. “I’ll be right back, okay?” Your hand quickly moved to wrap around his wrist, stopping him from moving away. 

“Don’t leave,” you said softly. Felix’s eyes immediately softened. 

“Just for a moment, (Y/n). I need to get the doctor,” he told you, his hand adjusting to hold yours; thumb gently running over your knuckles. “I promise I’ll be back.” Your grip around his hand loosened as he left your hospital room. You sat in your bed, waiting a few minutes before he returned with a nurse. Felix called your family before moving to stay by your side while the nurse called your doctor. 

Felix was there even when you were coming home drunk from a college party. 

“(Y/n), be careful!” he squeaked when you trip over your heels. “Take those off. You can wear my sneakers.” Felix slips his shoes off and slides them over to you.

“Thaaaaank you, Lixieeeee,” you giggled, slipping your feet into his shoes. “What about you?” You looked down at his socked feet. 

“Don’t worry about me. Let’s just get you home.” He continued to carefully guide you home, holding your hand gently until you reached your dorm. “Drink this,” Felix handed you a glass of water. You take it, gulping down the entire glass. “Careful! You’ll choke,” he scolded. You gave him a look before placing the glass on the counter. 

“I’m fineeeee,” you slurred. Felix shook his head before guiding you to your bedroom. “Just get some sleep, okay?” He handed you a random t-shirt, turning around to let you change before helping you into bed. 

“Don’t leave me,” you whined when he started to leave. Felix let out a soft sigh. 

“Do you want me to stay in your living room?” he questioned. You shook your head, grabbing his wrist and tugging him into bed with you. 

“Stay with me, Lixie,” you muttered against his shoulder. Felix blushed at the close contact, unsure of what he should do with his arms. “You know Lixie,” you started softly, “we’ve been friends for so long, but I think I like you more than that.” He froze at your words. “You’re so cute and you’re so nice to me.” You looked up at him, your hands moving to cup his face. “Your freckles are so pretty. They’re like stars,” your thumb ran over his freckled cheeks. Felix stared at you, unsure of what he should say. He had feelings for you. He just didn’t want to say anything because he was your guardian. 

“Get some sleep, (Y/n),” he finally said. 

“Thank you, Lixie,” you hum as you snuggle into his chest. Felix barely missed the soft ‘I love you’ that slips past your lips. He dismissed it as your drunken haze, not wanting to dwell on anything that would only make his feelings for you grow. Felix closed his eyes, making a mental note to grab some ibuprofen for you when the morning comes. 

He was even there the time you got into a fight with a classmate, resulting in many bruises to your face. 

“(Y/n), (Y/n), calm down,” Felix frantically tried to calm you down. 

“No! This bitch deserves it!” you stubbornly yap as you still tried to reach out to her. 

“She’s not worth it, (Y/n),” he grabbed onto your waist and pulled you away. 

“Pussy!” your classmate spat at you. 

“Come on, (Y/n). Let’s just head home,” he muttered as he started to drag you away from her. You only managed to calm down when Felix dragged you back to his place where he cleaned up the busted lip your classmate gave you. 

“And then she said you were not even that great of a dancer! Do you know how much of an asshole she is?!” you rambled. Felix only nodded, humming every once in a while to let you know he was listening. “She called my dog ugly! My dog! That tiny ball of fluff that’s the same exact breed as hers! She’s pretty much calling her own dog ugly.” 

“Don’t worry about it, (Y/n). She’s not worth your energy,” he hummed when he deemed your face cleaned up. “Now, how about I heat up some leftover pizza and we can watch a movie together? How does that sound?” Felix’s suggestion did little to bring your mood up, but you agree nonetheless. You watched as he moved around the kitchen, putting pizza into the microwave and grabbing a few bottles of soju from the fridge. The years you’ve spent together slowly settle in your mind and you realised just how much time he had spent with you. 

You thought through the years and you realise:

You love him. 

“(Y/n)?” Felix waved his hand in front of your face. “You in there?” You nodded. 

“Yeah, I’m here.” 

Felix only realised he was falling in love with you when you got accepted into the dean’s list together. He thought the smile on your face was the most beautiful he had ever seen. Felix liked seeing you happy. He realised that when you ran up to him with open arms. 

“Felix! We’re in the dean’s list!” you excitedly giggled as you hold up your phone to show him the email.

“Yeah,” he nodded, “we are.” Felix couldn’t hold back his smile at how happy you looked. He thought you were radiating—glowing—and he realised how much shit he was in just by falling in love with you. He tried so hard to keep his feelings at bay, but when he realised he couldn’t anymore, he started thinking of a plan. 

The thought of turning you into an angel only came to Felix’s mind when he found a fallen angel lurking around your apartment. If you joined the angels, you would be safe from their influence. Not only that, Felix would be with you forever. He kept the plan in his mind, only opting to bring it up to his deities when they finally figured out what he was doing. 

It was a normal movie night for the both of you. You had just gotten home from your part time job  and Felix was lurking around your kitchen to see what kind of snacks you had hidden from him. When he heard your door open, he peeked over your fridge door to see him dragging yourself into your home tiredly. 

“How was work?” he questioned as he finally pulled out two bottles of beer from your fridge. 

“Terrible,” you sighed. “I’m just glad I can finally relax and just watch movies with you.” Felix could feel himself lightening up when he hears just how relieved you are to be home. 

“I picked out something fun.” 

“Horror fun or funny fun?” You gave him a weird look. 

“Funny fun.” His clarification makes you feel more relieved. 

“There’s popcorn in the cupboard next to the fridge. I’m gonna go get cleaned up first.” You disappeared into your bedroom, leaving Felix to prepare the living room. When you come out, you’re pleasantly surprised when you see him surrounded by a makeshift pillow fort. “How’d you get this up so quickly?” you asked with a small smile. 

“Speed, and also,” Felix turned around to grab a cushion, “you have a lot of cushions for one person.” The smile on your face didn’t disappear even when you carefully crawled into the fort where he had set up your laptop. “It's a perfect space for cuddles.” He outstretched his arms, making grabby hands to silently ask you to crawl into his embrace. You climbed into his arms, letting Felix hold you tightly against him. 

“Let’s start.” You hit play, letting the movie start while resting your head on your best friend’s chest. Felix didn’t plan it, but when you realised he wasn’t watching the movie, you looked up at him. “You in there?” Your voice was soft, sounding genuinely concerned. He stared at you—blinking a few times—and leaned down to kiss you. You didn’t move; shocked by the sudden gesture, but you kissed him back nonetheless. When he pulled away, your face was completely red. “Felix-”

“I’m in love with you,” he confessed. Felix awaited your response, feeling his confidence slowly fading away the longer you just stared at him. Instead of rejecting him, your hand came up to cup his cheek. 

“I love you, too.” Your thumb brushed over his cheekbone gently. “I’ve been in love with you since we started college.” 

“Yeah,” he chuckles, “you told me that time you were drunk. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to embarrass you.” 

“What?!” you squeak. Your face became even more red if it was possible. 

“What? I saved you the embarrassment,” he cheekily teased. 

“(Y/n)? You in there?” Felix’s voice pulls you out of the memories you were replaying in your mind. You nod, smiling at the phrase he’s used so many times whenever you’d zone out. 

“I’m here.” You take a step closer to him and take his hands in yours. “I’ll be an angel with you.” A smile breaks onto his face. “I want to be with you forever.”

[tewqut]

At the end, time always runs out.

One shot angst Lukanette with a sort of happy ending

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25678018

“Let’s go, Luka! Prom starts in exactly 30 minutes! We still need to pick up Rose.” Juleka yelled from the other room as she quickly checked herself in the mirror. She had a beautiful purple nightgown filled with black flowers all around the edges. Her hair had purple highlights and no longer covered her eye. She had grown to be a more confident woman than she was back in collège.

She opened the door to see Luka laying on the bed under his sheet covers, reading a book with his hoodie and pijamas. “Hey Jules.” His voice raspier than usual. He also changed his hair. He stopped straightening his hair, revealing his natural wavy locks tossed to the side. He had highlights as well, but his were blue.

Juleka's hard glare softened at the sight of her brother. “Are you still sick? I thought you said you felt better.” He was now pale and had red spots on his left wrist.

She sat down next to him as he placed his book down, “I’m fine Jules. Just don’t feel like going after all.”

“I feel like I should stay home with you. You know, to take care of you now.”

Luka coughed before he shook his head, “No. Absolutely not. You have to go. It’s your senior prom and Rose isn’t just going to get engaged by herself.” He grinned, knowing well about his sister’s plan to purpose yet didn’t know about Marinette’s plan.

Oh boy, her future sister-in-law was going to have to change plans.

“Are you sure you can’t just come for a bit? I’m sure Mom can come pick you up anytime.” She secretly pleaded he would come for the sake of Marinette. Maybe, just maybe after the two love birds finally got together he would feel better. “Besides, Adrien ordered an eight person limo. Marinette’s going to be looking for you.”

He gave a light cough and groaned before tossing around to the other side, facing away from Juleka. She heard a honk from outside their houseboat. They were here for her. “I’m worried about you, Luka, but I’ll see you later. If you need anything, Mom is home.”

Hearing no response, but just a goodbye wave from him, she left with her friends. After she was gone, he turned around again. “Yeah I’m worried about me too.” He whispered quietly to himself. He felt something running down his nose. Blood. “Oh no! Not again!” He hissed, quickly getting up and rushed to the bathroom.

“Where’s Luka?” Marinette asked as everyone started getting out of the limo. She had arrived first to the ballroom to help her parents set up the desserts.

“He’s not feeling well right now.” Juleka answered.

There goes her plan flying out of the window. She bit her lip in thought, “Maybe I should stay with him.” she said before receiving a bunch of objections from her friends.

“No! Girl this is your prom! You can’t miss it!”

“Dudenette, this a one in a lifetime!”

“I’m sure Luka wouldn’t want you to miss it.”

“You always dreamed of attending prom with that exact dress.”

“Let’s go!” Rose grabbed her arm and dragged her in while everyone followed, laughing. She figured she can always check on him after prom and come up with another plan to tell him how much he meant to her.

Luka came out of the bathroom, holding a towel up under his nose. His eyes landed on the white tuxedo blazer with black lapels Marinette had made just for him. Marinette. He had told her he was going to be there. Letting out a sad sigh, he shook his head and laid back on his bed facing away from it before he looked back at it again.

“Alright people! How are we feeling tonight?!” The Dj asked as everyone shouted and cheered. “It’s time to announce the prom king and queen of this year. This year’s prom king and queen are… Adrien Agreste and Kagami Tsurugi!”

Everyone cheered as they happily went to collect their crowns and had their first dance as prom king and queen. Marinette smiled, seeing the couple holding each other with such care and passion. Every couple started joining after the Dj changed the music to another slow dance song.

Her smile faded when she caught him standing at the end of the dancefloor, staring at her with the same tuxedo she did for him. Adrien rushed to her and nudged her, “Well, aren’t you going to go to Mr. Dreamyrolly?”

How can I love when I’m afraid to fall?

But watching you stand alone, all of my doubt

Suddenly goes away somehow

One stop closer

She nodded, walking up to Luka as he did the same. Both meeting in the middle. Both of their hearts beating faster for the person in front of them without the other knowing. Something about that night was going to be unforgettable for both. He was the first to speak, “Hello Ma-Ma-Marinette.”

Her face lit up, loving the way his nickname for her left from his lips. “I thought you wouldn’t make it.”

“I told you I would be here. I will always try to be with you.”

Her stomach did flips she didn’t even know it was possible. Screw the plan. She was going to do it the Couffaine way and tell him. “Luka” she cupped his cheeks as she leaned in, “I- umm will you hold me and don’t ever let me go?” But she was always going to be Marinette. She was always going to have to overthink about everything and come up with a plan. Everything would go perfect if she planned them.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her close as she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned on him, practically smelling his natural aroma, Tobacco Vanille.

Time stands still, beauty in all she is

I will be brave

I will not let anything take away what’s standing in front of me

They slowly danced to the soft music, letting their worries aside and concentrated on their special moment. “Y’know this will be our song from now on.” Luka said.

She hummed in agreement, never letting go off of him. Both continued dancing in sync not knowing all her friends were looking at them, smiling and taking pictures of them, ready to tease her afterwards.

I have died every day waiting for you

Darling, don’t be afraid

I have loved you for a thousand years

I’ll love you for a thousand more

After the song ended, they walked to their table and talked with the rest of the gang. They received a lot of teasing which scared both of them. Marinette didn’t know if Luka still felt the same for her or had someone else and Luka didn’t know if Marinette felt the same as he did.

They were scared of losing the other as a friend that Luka stopped expressing his feelings towards her after the incident with Felix and she never mentioned it. Later, they all started dancing. After almost dancing to every song with Marinette, Luka felt tired, so low, and out of energy. Excusing himself from her, he went to sit down.

“Luka, come on! Let’s dance, this will be the last one.” Juleka pleaded, “They’re going to play Jagged Stone next then I’m going to propose to her.”

He didn’t want to disappoint her and he felt much better after sitting down for a bit. Plus who doesn’t say no to The Jagged Stone. He got up and was pulled into the crowd, next to Marinette.

They were all hyped and started dancing like crazy, both of them laughing as they stared at their friends. Adrien was trying so hard to fit in. They were having the best time of their life. Dancing like it was the end of the world ...

Luka couldn’t no longer hear the music well as if his ears were plugged, his vision started getting blurrier. He loosed up his tie as he suddenly felt like he couldn’t breath and the room was turning hot. He placed his hand on his heart, feeling pain on it. Marinette was the first one to realize his uncomfort face and confusion.

“Hey what’s wrong?”

They reached out to each other, “I- I don’t know.” Just after he said those words, he collapsed to the floor giving no time for her or anyone to catch him.

Everyone moved out of the way, surrounding them in a circle, “Luka. Hey! Wake up! Somebody help!” She looked around the crowd, her voice tearing up, “Somebody help, please!”

Juleka came running, falling to her knees next to him as Ivan tried to get everyone to back up. Adrien came rushing to help Luka out, checking his pulse. Alya called emergencies while Rose called his mom.

And it was...

Luka was quickly rushed to the hospital with Marinette never leaving his side until they didn’t permit her from going further with him.

She will never forget the words she heard from that day.

“We don’t know what it is or what’s wrong. His body isn’t responding to some of the antibiotics we have given him. We have put him in intense care and have supplied an oxygen tube to help him breathe better, but it isn’t looking very good.”

“You don’t know what it is?! Me son is in there! Sick! You're a doctor for God’s sake! Do your damn job!” Anarka shouted louder than usual, catching off guard Juleka and Marinette. She fell to her chair, covering her face with her hands.

“I’m sorry Madam Couffaine, we’re trying the best we can, but it’s like magic. We have never seen anything like it.”

“Just go.” Anarka replied, coldly. The doctor excused himself and left without another word. As soon as he left, she started to cry hysterically while Juleka tried comforting her mother.

Marinette got up and went to the bathroom, opening her purse to let the red kwami out. “Tikki, what’s wrong with Luka? The doctor mentioned magic and we both know there is magic in the world.”

Tikki only floated in circles, trying to find a way to tell her holder. This frustrated Marinette, snapping out on her. Tikki finally stopped, taking a deep breath, “You know how the snake miraculous is the most dangerous since it involves time...” Marinette nodded, understanding, “Time isn’t supposed to be controlled. He has used the miraculous too many times and now time is finding a way to restore itself by eliminating the thing or rather the person who's been bending the rules.”

She had the idea, but she needed to confirm it, “What are you trying to say, Tikki?”

The red kwami looked down unable to face her, “He’s dying, Marinette. Luka is dying.”

No. Anything, but that! She leaned against the bathroom wall in disbelief, slowly falling to the ground, and hugged her knees. No! He couldn’t leave her! “He can’t. I’ll save him. I’ll find Alix. She can go back in time and fix this. Tikki, spots o-”

“No Marinette! There’s nothing we can do, nothing I or any other kwami can do. Time will only come back for him and you’ll be putting Alix in danger as well. He’s far too ill to be saved now. I’m so sorry Marinette.” It hurt Tikki to see her so broken. So desperate and lost with no guide. They stayed like that for an hour and never left the Couffaine’s side.

She was able to see Luka the day after. She didn’t know it was possible to see him with a smile at his state, but there he was. Smiling like nothing was wrong, like the machines that were attached to him weren’t reminding him and her that his heart was slowly dying. “Hello Ma-Ma-Marinette.”

She ran up to hug him and was immediately embraced by his arms. Her safe space was about to be ripped apart from her. “How are you feeling?”

“Like yesterday, just a little worse.” He chuckled, weakly. His voice was way hoarse than yesterday.

She pulled a chair next to him and started massaging his hand with hers. They talked for three hours, well mostly her distracting him from the situation they were in. She talked about the designing school she got accepted to in New York, about Jaggged’s new song, about her dad almost burning the whole building because he forgot to turn off the stove.

Juleka came interrupting them to let him know if he wanted to see his friends which of course he did. Adrien came first, leaving a huge teddy bear on the side and spoke for a few minutes before his manager called him for a photoshoot.

Little by little his room started to fill with gifts. She watched from afar, seeing his smile never leaving his face as he interacted with each one. By now, the doctors had confirmed what she already knew. His friend’s were coming to see him one last time alive without even knowing.

At night, she observed him as he slept. Anarka had given her permission to stay with him. She knew her son loved her so much, he would be happy just to see her.

He wasn’t getting any better like she hoped to, like she prayed to. They had hooked him up to a ventilator to help breathe for him and keep him from having an organ failure so he wouldn't be able to talk. They had now detected multiple diseases and infections in his body. The disease in his lungs advanced rapidly as well as other neurological symptoms. Their objective now was to keep him as comfortable and stable as possible.

For the next three days, she chatted with him through a notepad. While he slept, she talked to Anarka and Juleka every once in a while. The red spots on his left wrists had expanded to his whole arm and now had black dots as well. His hair was wet from all the sweat he had. A big red bruise had appeared on his left cheek. She eventually fell asleep crying next to him.

She left the next morning to go home to take a shower, a new pair of clothing, and to eat other than coffee. She came back the next day and overheard a conversation going between the doctor and Anarka.

“The brain infection is advancing very quickly, Madam Couffaine. I’m afraid it might be a good time to take Luka off of the ventilator for a few hours so he can speak to you and say what he needs to say before it’s too late. We will be putting him back on it, but I don’t know how much time he has left. I’m sorry.”

“But you can revive him, bring him back to live, right?” Anarka held onto hope, squeezing it. No mother wanted to hear that her son was dying.

The doctor shook his head, “Luka is an adult and he signed a living well with a DNR order among other things.”

This couldn’t be happening. Everything was going so fast. There’s still so many words to be said between them. So many adventures to be explored. So many obstacles to face. She needed her Luka, her Dreamyrolly, her Rockstar, her Viperion.

In only a day, Luka looked worse than ever. He had sleeping bags under his eyes. His face was covered with black and red bruises on his modeled grey face. He no longer was hooked up to a ventilator, but had an oxygen tube under his nose. His hair was soaked with sweat. He had lost weight since he was admitted, completely different than the Luka she spent time with before all this.

“Hi”

He turned his head towards her, “H-hey” Even with having a labored breathing, he managed to give her his infamous smile.

She couldn’t continue watching him slowly dying in these 4 walls room. She pulled her hands inside her sleeves, folded her arms, and started crying.

His smile left, “Marinette.” He frowned, “Don’t cry.”

Marinette sniffles, clearing her tears with her long sleeve, “I’m so sorry. I- I thought I could be strong... I-”

Luka moves over weakly and pats the spot next to him on his bed, “Come here.” Seeing her hesitate, he repeats himself again “C-come here.”

She quickly walked over to the bed and lied next to him. She starts sobbing quietly as she wraps her arms around him and pressed her forehead against his. “Y-you’re... so... strong.” His difficulty in breathing prevented him from speaking clearly.

They gazed into each other’s eyes. Her tears never ending as he continues having labored breathing. She needed to tell him. He deserved to know the truth even if it hurt her. “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

He shakes his head, “You d-don't... mean t-that.”

“But I do. You taught me what love is.” She cupped his face in her hand as tears rolled down his cheek. This was the moment she told him... “I love you Luka.”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She certified him

“Yeah?” He needed to ask twice, he was probably hearing things due to his condition.

She chuckles through her tears at his adorable face with puppy eyes , “Yes.”

They both started laughing which quickly turned into sobbing.

Luka exhaled slowly. He reached for her face and leaned in for a kiss. She met him halfway, connecting their lips together for the first time. It wasn’t like anything she imagined. It was more. She didn’t know how she would be able to live without him. They pulled away slowly for Luka to catch his breath again.

“I l-love...I love...you too.” He chuckles, showing off his cute dimples, “You will always have that. You will be alright, okay?”

She nodded, “Okay.” She held him tight as they cried together, holding to the other. He slowly exhaled again.

He was always aware of his situation and he wasn’t scared to die, but now, he had a new reason to live. He wanted to make her feel loved and take her out on official dates. Life wasn’t fair.

“Can I see him?” He asked, “He’s the only one I need to see left.”

Marinette knew exactly who he was talking to and he wanted to see his holder as well. She closed the curtain from the transparent doors then opened her purse to let out the snake kwami as well as Tikki.

“Massster! I’m ssso sssorry! Thisss isss all my fault!” Sass began crying at the terrible state of his holder.

Luka gasped for air, “N-nonsense. D-don’t... blame yourself... for... this. I enjoyed... our t-time together.”

Sass turned towards Marinette, “Guardian, I can sssave him. Let him transssform. I will hold on for asss long asss I can.”

“You’ll die Sass, of exhaustion. You’ll be regenerating his health over and over again.” Tikki explained.

“N-no! T-thank...you Sass, b-but... I... I will need y-you a-and T-tikki to look... aft-ter Marinette...w-when I’m g-gone.” He coughed harder than the previous.

Both kwamis nodded before rushing into Marinette’s purse after hearing the door slide open. “How’s me boy?” Anarka asked, followed by Juleka.

“I...I’m fine...mom.” Luka gasped again for air.

Juleka, Anarka, and Marinette sat close to him. Marinette was the closest one, that’s how he wanted it.

Luka held out his trembling hand to her, “W-will you... hold... my hand, Love?”

“Yeah.” She grasps his hand inside her own. “I love you, my rockstar.”

He smiled, brightly. He would never get tired of hearing those words from her, “I... I love you... too.” She kissed his forehead then his lips. She wasn’t shy anymore about who was looking. That was the way things were when she was with Luka Couffaine. She ran her fingers through his soft wavy locks, making him instantly fall asleep with a smile on his face.

Not even 30 minutes pass, Luka’s vital sign monitor starts showing the numbers in red indicating his heart rate is getting slower and slower as well as his blood pressure, his oxygen saturation, his raspitary, and his temperature.

All of them look up to the monitor as the machine beeps frantically until it stops and is replaced by a flatline.

Luka Couffaine’s melody stopped playing forever…

A nurse entered, shutting off the machine’s alarm and left after giving her condolences. Anarka leaned on Juleka as they sobbed together holding one another. They couldn’t believe he was actually gone. Marinette whimpered, kissing his forehead and told herself he was okay, that he was still here with her.

“Luka” She whispered, pushing his hair out of his face. “H-hey. Hey. Luka…” She continued, expecting him to smile and scare away her fears like he always did. However, this time he didn’t. “Hey. Breathe. Breathe…” She kept whispering to him. “You’re okay. Hey...” She let out a soft sob “Stay with me. Stay with me. You stay with me...” She finally broke down “No. Please. Please…” she wailed. Juleka had to practically pull her and her mother away from Luka’s body as the doctors came to take him away.

Her heart left with him ever since that moment…

One year later

Marinette held her closed umbrella to her side, unbothered by the raindrops falling on her, drenching her dark hair and black clothing. He was never fond of umbrellas and she knew that.

She knew he loved the rain, from the feeling of cold wet drops on his skin to the smell of it.

She bent down, never losing eye contact with the Ogee Top headstone in front of her. Her cold fingers brushed against the words carved on the stone as tears started to well up on the corner of her bluebell eyes.

Luka Ryver Couffaine

The Viperion

2001-2021

Beloved son, brother, lover, and friend, whose music was turned off far too soon.

“Why did you have to go so soon, my sweet rockstar?” She whispered, whimpering, “I’m trying so hard to be alright like you said, but I… I can’t. Not when you’re not here with me.” She sniffed and cleared her throat, “but I’ll see you again. I love you.” She kissed the single white rose and placed it next to the headstone.

“Save me the spot next to you.”

Bonus part; (optional)

An 89 year old Marinette groaned as she laid slowly on her bed. Her back and feet were killing her from all the walking for another premiere of her new clothing line. She picked up a picture frame of Luka she has kept from her nightstand. Her wrinkled and trembling fingers traced his unforgettable face before kissing it. “Goodnight, my love. I’ll be there with you very soon.”

She placed it back and wished her long-time friend/Kwami goodnight. With a smile on her face, her wrinkled eyes slowly closed forever.

When she opened her eyes again, she wasn’t on her bed anymore, but standing in a familiar pier. The sun shined brightly down on Paris, the birds chirped as they flew away. People walked happily down the streets and she could have sworn she had seen Jagged with Penny, but that wasn’t possible. They had passed away various years ago.

She breathed in the fresh air as she closed her eyes, letting nature consume her. She felt so much better than last night. Her muscles didn’t ache and her body wasn’t wrinkled anymore. Her grey thin hair had turned back to its natural thick hair color. She was back in her 20 year old body. She opened her eyes and looked down at herself. She wore a white dress with green and pink floral all around it. Her light pink flats making her feet feel so comfortable.

“Hello, Ma-Ma-Marinette.”

Her eyes shot wide open as her heart stopped upon hearing the sweet voice of the one she has loved for her whole life. Turning around, she found Luka standing there. Healthy. Wearing a red and black flannel with a few top buttons opened, black skinny jeans, and dark brown suede boots. He extended his hand, waiting for her to take it.

She didn’t think twice to push his hand away and wrap her arms around his neck while he quickly embraced her tight. “I missed you so much, my rockstar.”

He chuckled, “I missed you too, Love.”

She pressed her forehead against his, gazing into his aqua blue eyes. “I love you so much.”

He smiled widely that melted her heart away. “I love you too.”

After so many years, they found each other’s lips again. The same sensation they felt 72 years ago never left and wouldn’t leave. This time no one would take their happiness away. Time would never run out. There was no ending, only a beginning.

“Now come on, our family and friends are waiting for you.” They held hands and started walking to the bakery, “By the way, why Dreamyrolly?”

“Luka. Shut up.” She said before they laughed like the old times, disappearing to the background.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welp this is it. This one shot was inspired by the show 13 reasons why. You can also find this story in ao3 at @tewqut. Hope you liked it. Tewqut out!

[emsylcatac]

hi i wrote a sad/angsty post-reveal pre-relationship fic please don’t hate me i’ll drop a fluffy one later tonight! And the ending is still hopeful.

Thank you Lisa & Alizeh for beta-reading ♥

Never let me go

Summary:

“I’m still in love with you. And I’m all for us to… to hug and comfort each other when we need but not when it feels… when it feels like you…” 

Like you love me, he doesn’t say. But she can hear it and she wouldn’t even be able to deny it if he were to let the words escape him.

Read it on AO3

* * * * *

Ladybug wraps her arms tighter around his torso and nuzzles further into his neck, until she can feel his hair tickle the tip of her nose and her cheeks. She feels so good, like that, half spread on him, and yet the sitting position on the roof she’s in should not make her feel this comfortable. She rearranges her legs so they’re now half in his lap, too, and lets out a happy sigh, closing her eyes.

“Hum…”

Her eyes snap open.

“Could you…”

She can feel him struggle to formulate what he wants to say. But by now, she already knows what his next words are going to be. So before he can let them out, she gets off of him, she should have remembered.

“Sorry,” she simply says.

“It’s okay.” The tremor in his voice says otherwise.

Of course, it’s not okay. She knows that.

“It’s just that…” he sighs. “I’m not ready yet.”

She hums in acknowledgment, because she isn’t sure that she can trust her voice right now. She’s not looking at him; she doesn’t feel his eyes on her, either.

“I’m trying. I promise you that I’m really trying,” he goes on.

She doesn’t want him to make this promise; she doesn’t want him to try.

“But...knowing who you are now…” he sighs again. “It doesn’t exactly help my feelings to go, you know.”

It’s unfair how he can be so open about them with her.

“I’m still in love with you.”

Really, really unfair.

He chuckles without humour. “In fact, it’s only been making it worse. I’ve been falling deeper and deeper and… and it’s not fair to you,” he whispers the last words.

And oh, how much she knows how he feels. How she understands him so, so well. Because it’s the same for her, too. She almost snorts in agreement, before catching herself and settling for smiling sadly instead. She still can’t bring herself to look at him.

“And I’m all for us to… to hug and comfort each other when we need but not when it feels… when it feels like you…”

Like you love me, he doesn’t say. But she can hear it and she wouldn’t even be able to deny it if he were to let the words escape him. She brings her knees closer to her and hugs them— a small compensation from when she was hugging him and it doesn’t quite do the job, but she has nothing else to cuddle instead.

For what must be the hundredth time since she knows who he is, she’s cursing herself for doing the ‘right thing’. She could ignore it; oh, how she could ignore his blue eyes and his words and herself as well as the whole world frozen and pretend it didn’t happen because… because no, it did not happen—not in this timeline, anyway— but she can’t. She can’t because she must have seen it for a reason, and ignoring the warning would be very, very selfish of her.

...She really wants to be selfish now.

“I’m sorry, Marinette,” he whispers.

He shouldn’t have to feel sorry for something he has no control over.

“I promise you that I’m working on it and that I won’t let my feelings get in our way.”

He promises, again.

Sometimes she thinks that maybe, maybe she could tell him. She could tell him that she loves him too, and that the reason why she can’t let herself be with him now is because of what the future might be. But if she does, she doesn’t quite trust herself to not listen to him and cave if he were to tell her that it wouldn’t happen. If he were to promise her that he wouldn’t let it happen.

So she keeps quiet.

She notices somewhere in the back of her mind that breathing is starting to get a little harder with each passing seconds. The lights of the city she was stubbornly fixating on suddenly get blurrier, their colours merging together the more she tries to focus.

She really, really needs him now.

A warm hand touches her shoulder, as if answering her prayers. “Little bug?”

She can feel him looking at her now, but she doesn’t dare look back at him just yet.

“I’m there for you when you need me, you know. And even when you don’t need me, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Talk to me. You can tell me what’s bothering you and…” he trails off.

She turns her head towards him. She can distinguish his form through her tears, and his arms opened to her.

“...and if you just want a hug, you can ask m—oof.”

She doesn’t need to be told twice. She lets her tears fall more freely now, sobbing silently and clinging to him as much as she thinks he’d allow her. His arms wrap around her, and the feeling they bring  is both satisfactory and painful—a reminder of what she can’t completely have yet.

Or ever, a voice murmurs in her head, if he keeps his promise.

She hates this promise.

“If you needed a comfort hug tonight, you should have said so since the beginning. You know I wouldn’t have denied it, ma Buguinette.”

That wasn’t why she had cuddled to him in the first place. She had just wanted to be close to the person she loves and enjoy the cool and quiet night with him. But now she needs his comfort.

“What about you?” she manages to say.

“Don’t worry about me. You’re the one who’s hurting.”

He’s patting her hair now. It’s so unfair.

“It’s hurting you, too.”

He squeezes her one time.

“It’s nothing. I’ll just have to… delay letting go of you for a few more days,” he chuckles silently.

She can breath for a few more days, then. She’ll live with that.

“You could also never let me go,” she mouths against his chest—not that he can hear it.

[sadaboutniall]

something about you;

introduction | masterlist | tag | wattpad

Twenty Eight. January, 2018.

The second time Niall gets to stare at Isla from the altar at a wedding, it’s because their best friends are getting married. This time, they’re both up there—Niall’s the best man and Isla’s the maid of honor and this feels so right compared to last time, so much more complete. Just like last time, Niall knows he should be looking at the bride but it feels impossible to keep his eyes away from Isla for more than a few seconds at most, to do anything other than think about what it might feel like, one day, to watch her walk up the aisle toward him. 

They get to walk down it together, at least, arm in arm behind Mully and Emilia once they say their vows. Niall’s a little surprised to notice that he can hardly see through his tears, that every time he blinks the sight in front of him gets blurrier and blurrier, enough that he’s actively thankful to have Isla guiding him along. Over the music and the roar of Mully and Emilia’s guests in the pews, Niall can hear Isla sniffling too, and when he clears his vision enough to look at her she’s watery-eyed and emotional, clutching her bouquet to her chest desperately. 

Niall knows this moment isn’t about them, but he can’t help himself. They exit out onto the stone steps of the church, flower petals fluttering through the air, and this feels real, just for a second. Isla, her hair blown back with the Irish wind, tears in her eyes, a boundless smile on her face. If he squints just right, this moment could be theirs. 

He wants it to be. 

-- 

‘Finally, if there’s one thing Sean and Emilia taught me,’ says Isla, holding her champagne glass in the air. Every eye in the room is on her, and Niall feels like he’s bursting with it, a combination of pride and protectiveness. ‘It’s that love will always find you. I’ve had a complicated, twisted love story of my own, and all along the way I’ve looked up to Sean and Mia. There’ve been moments where I was jealous that things worked out so perfectly for them, and moments where I looked at them and felt an acute sadness, a longing, a twinge of third wheel.’

Laughter, from Isla, and the crowd. Emilia blushes scarlet, and Mully looks smug. ‘But, above all,’ Isla continues, ‘watching Sean and Mia’s love story has shown me over and over again that love has its own way. I’m a pretty logical person, most of the time. I’m a lawyer, I like facts, and I like reason—but I also like to believe that the Universe has a plan for us all. I think Sean and Mia are living proof of that. When two people are meant to love each other, to be together, the Universe will conspire to make it happen. Maybe the Universe will make one teenager move halfway across the world, to a whole new country, to meet the person they’re meant to be with. Or, maybe, the Universe will bring two people back together after half a decade apart, because they’re meant to be together. The Universe has a plan, Love has a plan, and I think Sean and Emilia are a perfect, beautiful, flawless result of that plan in action.’

‘Mia, Sean, my two best friends in the entire world: I love you. Thank you for showing me what love is, what love can do, what kind of love everyone on Earth deserves. I think I speak for everyone here when I say I’m absolutely, unbelievably delighted for you. Congratulations, and I’m so, so excited for whatever comes next.’ 

Smiling, Isla wipes at her eyes with her palm, champagne glass still raised. ‘To the Mulhollands,’ she says, holding the glass higher, tipping it back for a drink as the rest of the wedding repeats after her. Around them, the hall bursts into cheers, and Niall wills himself to stop crying. 

-- 

The night speeds by them, a blur of sweaty bodies on the dance floor, of roaring laughter and raised pints. Mostly, Niall remembers Isla: her cheeks flushed with alcohol, her hand brushing against his as she passed him her shoes to hold while Emilia pulled her away to dance, the wet brush of her lips against his cheek, the tendrils of brown hair curling around her ears. He remembers her delighted gasp when they cut the cake, her muffled sniffles during the first dance, her head resting on Niall’s shoulder as Emilia’s dad gave his speech. 

He remembers being surprised at how happy Isla’s parents are to see him: at how his dad shakes his hand, how her mom kisses him on the cheek. He watches them, seated at a table with his own parents, and imagines them as grandparents someday, a mini him, a mini Isla, seated on their laps. 

And he remembers this, too: slow dancing with Isla near the end of the night, guests slowly saying their goodbyes, the DJ gently bringing the party back down to Earth. They’re swaying in the middle of the room, Isla’s head on his chest, his arms around her waist, and it’s so peaceful, so right, that Niall doesn’t even want to go to bed, despite the late hour. He wants this, he’s sure. He wants it forever. 

‘Isla,’ he says, smoothing one of his hands down her back. ‘Can I ask you a question?’

She glances up at him, eyes soft, head tilted. He can tell she’s tired so he pulls her closer to him, lets her support even more of her weight against his body. ‘Everything okay?’ she asks, furrowing her brow.

‘Jesus, yeah,’ he brings his hand up, cups her cheek. ‘Everything’s amazing. I love you so much.’

‘I love you too,’ she smiles, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of Niall’s thumb. ‘You look so handsome in your tux.’

‘Yeah?’ He can’t help it, the heat rising in his belly. ‘You think so?’

‘I do,’ Isla fingers one of the undone buttons on his shirt, skin brushing his chest hair. ‘Glad Mully decided to go with the forest green. It’s good with your skintone.’

‘You’re sweet,’ Niall brushes his lips against Isla’s gently. ‘So I’ve been thinking?’

‘Dangerous.’

‘I know. But this is a good idea, I reckon.’

‘I’ll be the judge of that.’

‘Actually, you’ll be the barrister—’

Isla laughs, shaking her head gently. ‘What’s up, Niall?’

‘Well,’ Niall hadn’t expected to feel so nervous asking this. He swallows thick, ignores the hammer of his heart against his ribcage. ‘You know that talk we had the other night?’

Isla knows what he’s talking about right away, he can tell from the sad look that works its way across her face. It breaks his heart now the same way it broke his heart then, holding Isla in his arms as she cried at the news that Mully and Emilia will be moving to LA after their honeymoon, trying to comfort her when she said, over and over, that London would never be the same without them. 

‘It just… got me thinking,’ Niall smooths a hand over her hair, a little frizzy with sweat. ‘I know you’re really sad about them moving, and so am I but, like, maybe it’s time for you to move too?’

‘Huh? I can’t move to LA, Niall, I’d need to re-do law school and—’

‘No, no, petal,’ Niall laughs a little, biting back tears that are already working their way forward. ‘Move in with me?’

Isla exhales, mouth falling open gently. ‘Oh,’ she whispers. ‘Oh my God.’

‘If you don’t feel ready that’s okay,’ Niall rushes. ‘But, I mean, it’s way closer to your work and I already brought it up to Willie and he’d be only delighted to have you and I fucking love having you around all the time. And I thought maybe it would make you feel a little less lonely, too, on top of all that.’

‘Niall, I can’t afford—’

‘Honestly, petal, I don’t give a shit if you pay rent or not. I’m already paying for the place.’

‘But I want to contribute. I’m not just going to live off you for nothing, Niall.’

‘Yeah, I figured you’d say that,’ he laughs, heart fluttering as Isla blushes. ‘You can keep paying the rent you pay for your place right now, and I’ll use that money as part of the rent every month. Or you can pay for WiFi and electricity yourself, or pay for the groceries, or the heat and hot water. There are a million ways we can make it work, Isla. If you want to draw up one of your fancy contracts—’

‘I do,’ she says, softly. ‘It would make me feel a lot better.’

‘That’s okay with me,’ he brushes his thumb along Isla’s cheekbone. ‘I just want to wake up with you every morning. It’s bullshit, living across the river from each other. There’s no point.’

‘Yeah,’ Isla nods gently. ‘I want that, too. I love waking up with you.’

‘S’my favorite thing in the world,’ he tells her honestly. ‘I’d be the happiest guy in all of London.’

Isla laughs, eyes glinting with the golden fairy lights in the hall, with fresh tears. ‘Monday morning,’ she tells him. ‘I’ll take a stab at that contract.’

In his chest, Niall’s heart does a somersault. He feels a warm tear make its way down his cheek, his stomach turning to mush. ‘I’ll tell my lawyer to expect it,’ he laughs, leaning in for a long, gentle kiss. 

####

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[loveisblindfanfictionbka]

Love Is Blind: Chapter Four

Leandra and Melissa sat at the cafe table with Robyn and she told them about her conversation with Chris. 

“So he’s got you thinking exactly what we’ve been telling you all these years,” Melissa mused.

“No, he just has me questioning if there was something in my marriage that I missed,” Robyn replied.

“I think you should meet him, Robs,” Leandra interjected, “you two seem to have a really good understanding.”

“No, we have a good thing going. I don’t want to ruin that.”

“I don’t think you want to be happy.”

“I do want to be happy but on my own terms. And I’m not ready. Talking to him made me think about my ex and just reminded me that I really still love him. And I don’t want to. I swear I don’t want to but something has this hold on me and-”

“We get it. Y’all were together for a long time.”

“It’s not just that. It’s- you ever meet someone and you just know that they’re it? Well he was it for me.”

“So what do you call this thing with Christian?”

“A friendship. I have no interest in making it more than that.”

“You ever been to therapy?”

“I tried it for a few weeks but I didn’t get anywhere.”

“Maybe you should try it again.”

“I don’t know.”

“Robyn, do you like being miserable or something? Is that the only thing still connecting you to Chris? Because if not, I don’t understand your apprehension to getting better.”

“I want to get better, I’m just scared of what that means.”

“Well Sis, you’ll never find out until you try.”

Robyn sat back in her office after returning from lunch with Leandra and Melissa. She didn’t have any appointments until 3 unless any emergencies came in so she had time to just think. She grabbed her phone and went to her dating app

A: Are you available to talk?

A few minutes went by before she got an answer

C: Sure, I just finished my last class. What’s up?

A: My friends think I should go to therapy

C: Ok. What do you think?

A: I’m not ready.

C: Why do you think that?

A: I don’t want to spill my guts to a stranger. Not when there’s someone who deserves it more

C: Deserves what? Your anger or your feelings?

A: My anger

C: So tell that person

A: I don't know where he is

C: So find him. I doubt your ex-husband was like some CIA type

A: Lol, no but I don’t think I’m ready to talk to him either

C: Do you ever think you’ll be ready?

A: I’m not sure

C: I think you’re thinking about it too much. Honestly, therapy should be for you and no one else. If you aren’t ready you won’t do anything but waste your money because you’ll fight everything at every turn. Nothing penetrates if you aren’t ready to hear it. And even if the therapist does happen to get through to you, it will not give you the closure that you’re seeking. The questions you want answers to, only your ex-husband can answer

A: I hate that you’re right.

C: Lol, there’s a lot of trauma that influences this rightness

A: Unfortunately. How are you? Was rude of me not to ask that first

C: You had something important to say, no worries. I’m fine. I was talking to my daughter and she wants a puppy

A: What kind?

C: Not sure yet. We’re gonna do some research before we make a decision

A: That’s good. I’ve had a lot of puppies be sent to my shelter because people didn’t pick the right dog for their lifestyle

C: That must suck. Do you have any pets?

A: No, I’m not home enough

C: Ah, understandable

A: would the puppy be your first pet?

C: No, I had a dog when I was a child but in my old profession, me and my ex were never home enough, it was always something with either my job or hers

A: That’s understandable. 

C: You ready for your gala?

A: Physically? Yes. Emotionally? No. I’m working on convincing myself not to cancel

C: Is it really that hard?

A: Yes but I made a promise to my employees and stuff so I really do want to honor that

C: Do you need another incentive?

A: Depends on what you’re suggesting

C: How about a gift? Just for your effort of going to this event

A: And how am I supposed to get said gift?

C: I can mail it. Do you have a secure mailing address you would like me to send it to?

Robyn thought about her random PO Box that she uses when she doesn’t want to give out her work or home address.

A: PO Box 124, New York, NY 10003. Do I get to know what the gift is beforehand?

C: Nope. I’ll send it and make sure it arrives the morning of your gala. Think that’ll work?

A: I guess but I’m nervous about what it could be

C: You’ll see

A: And do you have a secure mailing address?

C: PO Box 762, Middletown, NY 10940

A: Upstate. Do you travel to the city every day or?

C: No, I have a condo near Columbia. I stay during the week then go home on the weekends. 

A: How many hours of a drive?

C: Actually like 2 hours. It gives me some peace from the loud city life and gives my daughter some balance.

A: What’s it like up there?

C: Very spacious. I live in a somewhat rural part of Middletown. I have a couple acres of land surrounding my house.

A: I can’t even imagine what that would look like. Even when I lived in California, I was in the busiest part.

C: I think I appreciate it because I’m older now. I definitely enjoyed living in the city when I was in Cali

A: It holds a beautiful sense of excitement

C: Do you live near your business or far away?

A: I have an apartment nearby but I might start looking for a house soon. Maybe renovate a brownstone

C: That’s always a good deal. Would you rent out?

A: Nah. I don’t have the energy to keep up with being a landlord. It’s a job within itself

C: Very true.

A: I’m guessing you should be going, is your daughter school age?

C: She goes to a headstart program at a private school since she’s only 3 but they keep her until around 5 in aftercare. I usually have a late class today but I canceled it

A: Oh. Is something wrong?

C: No, I’d just rather not be out and about this evening.

A: Ah. Well thanks for talking with me. I got an appointment coming in soon

C: Anything major?

A: Nope. Just a check up

C: Well if you have time, I’d love to talk to you again

A: Talk or chat?

C: Talk

A: My clinic closes at 7 so I should be home by 8

C; And dinner?

A: I’ll probably grab something on the way home

C: So how about a dinner date then? We’ll eat and keep each other company

A: I’d like that

C: Great. See you at 8

A: See you at 8

Robyn closed her app then rested her head on her desk. She was drained.

                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So what color is her dress? Jessica asked as she and Chris stood in the florist shop. 

“It’s navy blue.”

“I think this corsage would be perfect. It’s simple, elegant and can be pinned to the dress instead of being situated on her wrist.”

Chris walked over the piece his sister was referring to. It contained a navy blue rose, a white rose and some baby breaths, “I like that one.”

“Do they deliver to PO Boxes?”

“Yea, that’s why I picked this shop and it’s fairly close to the Post Office where her PO Box is.”

“Why didn’t you just get her work address?”

“The whole point is to be strangers. Giving me her work address would defeat that purpose. She’s an established vet, I could probably look up her work address and find her, which, again, defeats the point.”

“Do you know what she looks like?”

“Not really. Her photo was a full body shot so the closer you zoom in the blurrier it gets. Same as mine.”

“And that doesn’t worry you? What if she’s ugly?”

Chris laughed, “what does that matter? We don’t ever plan on meeting each other. 

Besides I’m not allowed to be nice to a possibly physically unattractive woman?

“You know that’s not what I’m saying. It’s just- I don’t understand this whole online dating thing”

“There’s nothing to understand because we’re not dating.”

“Yea. Right.”

“We are both in rebuilding stages of our lives and we like talking to each other. That’s all. If I was interested in more, I’d definitely would’ve insisted on meeting her or just moved on by now.”

“You told her about your nervous breakdown and suicide attempt. You haven’t even told your ex-wife that and you want me to believe you’re not dating.”

“Yes because we aren’t.”

“You’re buying her gifts?”

“I buy my friends gifts all the time.”

“You told her about Anesa.”

“And?”

“You talk almost everyday.”

“I’m not seeing your point.”

“My point is you’re dating this woman.”

“Jessica, big sister, I am not dating anyone. I like her, yes but that’s as far as it goes. I need a friend and she’s one for me. That’s it. That’s all.”

“You are so in denial, Chris.”

“I’ve accepted my situation, you’re the one with the conspiracy theories.”

“I’m just saying, I don’t want an ugly sister in law especially not after my last one. She was gorgeous and the point is to upgrade not backslide.”

“You get on my nerves, Jess.”

Jessica laughed, “is this all you’re getting for your friend?”

“Just because you said it like that, I am returning you home and finishing this adventure by myself.”

“Come on, don’t be like that Little Brother.”

“Then stop making this a bigger deal than what it is.”

   This was definitely a big deal. Robyn stared at the box of things Chris had delivered to her PO Box and her heart melted a bit. The flower corsage with navy and white roses was beautiful. She loved the card that came attached but what shook her was the books he had gifted. One night they had stayed up talking about literature and she mentioned that she loved poetry but never had the time to really build up a collection. Wrapped with a red bow were two compilations of black poets. The note under the bow stated, “I’d like to contribute the first books to your poetry collection. It’s always good to start with the essentials (smile).”

Robyn grabbed one of the books and sat down in a chair just as Leandra walked in with her hairstylist beside her.

“What’s all this?” Leandra asked.

“My friend sent me a gift.”

“Your online friend?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, he must really like you.”

“I like him too.”

“Did you send something back?”

“I just got this, this morning so I’m still thinking.”

“How’d he get your address?”

“He doesn't have it. I gave him my PO Box.”

“Oh your stalker box.”

“Don’t start, Lele.”

“So how you feel?”

“I’m ok. I still don’t wanna go.”

“Girl, I ain’t talking about this stupid ass gala. How do you feel about Chris?”

“What am I supposed to feel? I really love the gifts but that’s it”

“I’m looking at your face and it’s more than that.”

“He got me poetry books.”

“What? You found someone to indulge your weird ass literature taste.”

“Look, just because you only like sex books doesn’t make my taste weird. I am cultured.”

“I have a master’s degree too so save it. How’d he know to get that?”

“We had a conversation about books and I told him I always wanted to start a collection of poetry but never had the time nor knew where to start and I guess he remembered.”

“What made him send you a gift?”

“It was a little joke about how he could get me to not back out of the gala. I honestly wasn’t expecting him to go through with it but he did.”

“A man who keeps his word. He really likes you.”

“I know.”

“So...still never gonna meet him in person?”

“That was never part of the deal.”

Leandra groaned as she flopped down on the couch, “are you at least gonna get some from somebody at this gala?”

“Ewww….no. I’m staying at most an hour then coming back home.”

“Have you talked to Chris?”

“Not today.”

“Do you only chat on the app?”

“Yea.”

“Oh.”

“Why?”

“I thought you would’ve gotten his phone number by now.”

“Nah, that’s too personal. I wouldn’t give my number to someone I haven’t met yet.”

“So meet him.”

“No.”

“Ugh….you get on my nerves, Robyn.”

Robyn laughed, “what’s your plans for tonight?”

“Getting the baby from his father and going home.”

“How is my nephew?”

“He’s good.”

“And his father?”

“Still alive, unfortunately.”

“Don’t do Max like that.”

“He gets on my nerves.”

“How?”

“He keeps asking me if we’re getting back together.”

“Aww...Lele, he still loves you.”

“That’s not my problem.”

“And you still love him too. You always playing hard to get.”

“Ch….I am hard to get. Thank you very much.”

“Is that why y’all keep going on vacations together?”

“If a man wants to take me to Puerto Rico or Costa Rica free of charge, who am I to say no?”

Robyn laughed, “Lord, what are we gonna do with you?”

“Love me, duh.”

Leandra stayed until Robyn was ready to leave for the gala. As she climbed into the back of car, she grabbed her phone

A: Hey stranger

A few minutes passed before she received an answer.

C: Hey. How are you?

A: I’m great. On my way to the gala

C: Still decided against an escort?

A: Yea. Besides, I don’t plan on staying there long.

C: Ah ok

A: So….thank you for the gifts. The corsage is perfect for my dress

C: You’re very welcome. My sister helped me pick that out.

A: Tell her I said thank you

C: I will

A: So what are you up to?

C; Laundry and grading work

A: What’s the task this week?

C: Students had to craft an original piece of music modeled after a piece they enjoy so I’ve been listening to music tracks all day

A: How’s it sounding?

C: I’ve gotten a few good ones but what passes for music and what these students are modeling their pieces after is awful. 

A: That bad?

C: Some of these songs just can’t find a key and then when I listen to their reference tracks, I understand why. Music production has gotten so lazy over the years

A: You think so?

C: I’m gonna send you the best one I’ve heard and the worst one and tell me what you think

A: I’m getting homework now too, Professor

C: Lol. I just want you to hear what I’m dealing with

A: Send it. I’ll get back to you when I can

C: No rush. I’ll be home all weekend with this.

A: Cool. How’s the puppy search going?’

C: Good. We’ve narrowed it down to three puppies. I told her she has one week to pick one and then we’ll find a place to buy it.

A: As a shelter owner, please try and get a shelter dog. So many of them are good dogs that were in bad situations.

C: I will keep that in mind.

A: That’s all I ask

C: So what’s your plans after the gala?

A: Home.

C: Up for a video chat?’

A: Absolutely. I kinda miss your automated voice

C: Lol Same here

A: Anything else going on

C: Nope. I live a rather simple life.

A: Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

C: To be honest, I’m not quite sure

A: Something giving you doubts

C: My daughter told me she feels sad for me

A: Aww...why?

C: Because I’m alone. It’s kinda hard to explain to a three year old the difference between alone and lonely

A: Lol true but then don’t explain with words, show her with actions. She probably thinks you don’t have a life and for children, they haven’t commanded the power and beauty of peace and stillness. They still have so much they haven’t explored

C: You have a point

A: Honestly, if you find things to do when she’s not around, she’ll probably feel a bit better about you

C: I’ll have to find me a new hobby then

A: What’s your current hobby?

C: I don’t really have one to be honest. My job involves music now so it’s not really a hobby anymore

A: It could be, it’s not like you make music for your class, do you?

C: Not recently

A; Do you sing, play instruments? What?

C: I have a decent voice but I play the piano, the guitar, and can do alright by the saxophone

A: What type of music do you prefer to play?

C: Nothing like an old school soul song. I love playing Sade records on the sax

A: I might have to compel you to play for me one day

C: I would offer to play tonight but my instruments are in storage

A: No rush. It’s just a thought

C: I’d love to play for you though

A: You making me feel inadequate

C: In what way?

A: The gifts. The music offers. Doesn’t feel like we’re on even footing

C: Well only you know what you have to offer. Find what works. I’m always open for gifts or moments

A: I’m gonna have to think of something. Thank you for the poetry books by the way. It’s a good start of a collection

C: The classics are always your best bet

A: I’m a little surprised you remembered

C: Why? 

A: It was such an odd conversation and it was late when we had it, surely you wouldn’t have remembered it

C: That’s a weird assumption. If there is one thing I’ve learned from being married, it’s learning to listen just as much as you like to talk. Reciprocity is the key.

A: Very true.

C: Are you at the gala yet?

A: Just pulled up

C: Well I hope you have a good night for however long you are there

A: I hope they do the award ceremony first so I can get my award and leave

C: If I gotta try and find a life, you need to live yours. You never know you may enjoy the time

A: We’ll see. Talk to you later

C: Later 

[ak47stylegirl]

Alan: Part 2 - FabFiveFeb

Okay here’s the much-wanted Part 2 everyone been asking for :D I hope you guys enjoy this. @gumnut-logic you may need to get your candy canon out... 😅

Part 1

—

"Scott, we've got a situation."

John's hologram appeared in the middle of the Comms room, looking deadly grim.

This was going to be a bad one, wasn't it? He thought as he stood up from behind Dad's desk, sharing a look with Virgil who had stopped playing his piano at John's statement.

"Lay it on us Thunderbird Five.." He commanded with a frown, something was off with John, he seemed on edge and tense. "what's the situation?"

John sighed heavily, "There been a car crash at the 420 cross country race, a bad one and they're requesting that we handle it..." John frowned at something on his screen, "I'll fill you in on the way…"

"FAB, John, we're on our way!" Virgil said as he ran to his launch, "tell Gordon to meet me down there!"

"FAB.."

He frowned as he made his way to his launch, that had been the race Alan had wanted to take part in...

—

"There are two or three cars that took the brunt force of the crash, the others luckily were able to avoid the same amount of damage.." John explained grimly, projecting an image of the crash into thunderbird one cockpit.

Gordon whistled at the image, a grimace on his face, "that's some crash, any casualties?" Gordon asked over the Comms, a frowning Virgil next to him.

"One," John said stiffly, his eyes hard and professional. "I don't know which one or if there is anymore, all I know is that we're on a time limit here.."

John was right, the longer it took to get medicinal attention to the drivers, the more chance that this rescue was going to become a recovery, he thought with a grimace, taking a good look at the hologram, You couldn't tell where one car ended and where the other began-

Wait, was that?! His eyes narrowed into a logo on one of the cars that he was all too familiar with. Dread filled him, oh no, no no, please no! "John, why is there a Tracy industries logo on that car…"

Virgil's and Gordon's eyes widened, taking a closer look at the hologram themselves. Virgil swore. 

John just closed his eyes, his shoulders dropped before looking at him with a look that chilled him to the core. "You know the answer to that Scott…"

—

He wakes to the sound of something dripping, his head not being able to make out what it was or even where he was. There was a ringing in his ears that only got louder as he gained more consciousness.

Something was running down his face,, and he felt weirdly off, he couldn't understand why... he tried to touch his face to see what the wet thing that was running down his face was but was unable to move his arm, something was holding it where it was...

Pain was starting to register and with it was the realisation that he was upside down, he tried to move his neck to look at his surroundings but only gasped in pain, his body seizing up.

His vision was blurry and getting blurrier as he started to slip into unconscious again, but he could make out broken glass, bent metal, torn sparking wires but what caught his attention the most was that there was so much blood…

His blood...

(To be continued) 

[blurry-fics]

Fade With Time

Summary: After a hard breakup, Josh finds himself struggling to return to normal. 

Pairing: ex!Josh Dun x Reader technically, but really more of Tyler x Josh friendship

Word Count: 1400

Warnings: Angst

Square Filled: If There’s A Rocket Tie Me To It by Snow Patrol

Author’s Note: The last @bandombingo​ post before Where Did We Go starts and the first fic of the year/decade! I hope you enjoy this one :) (picture credit)

I watched as the distant lights of the next city we were playing in grew steadily closer. I had always liked seeing the skylines of new places. The blanket around my shoulders was slipping, washing my shoulders with cold air, but my attention was too focused on the outside world to care. Maybe if I stared long enough, I could forget all the other things that were bothering me too.

It had been only a couple weeks since Y/N had broken things off with me, just before the start of the latest tour. Had it not been for my busy schedule between rehearsals and my flight to Ohio, I was sure that the end of the relationship would have broken me. I was so sure that they were the one for me, but evidently they hadn’t felt the same. The words they had said before they left still echoed in my head.

I love you, Josh, but I can’t do this anymore.

If they had loved me, why hadn’t they stayed?

My daydream was interrupted by the sound of someone getting out of their bunk. I quickly drew the blanket back up around my shoulders, holding it tight around me for a sense of security. With bated breath, I sat and listened for whoever it was. I hoped they would go back to bed without noticing me, allowing me to escape another conversation about how I had been feeling lately. Everyone on the bus - hell, everyone on the crew - knew I hadn’t been myself lately, although I would never admit to that.

Tyler stepped through the curtain a short time later. He rubbed at his eyes with one hand, not yet noticing me. His feet made hardly any sound as he walked over to our little makeshift kitchen and grabbed the cup marked with his name. He glanced around before turning on the tap and filling it up. I stayed quiet, thinking that I might actually be able to get through this without Tyler noticing me on the couch.

Tyler shut off the tap and turned, leaning his back against the counter. He had just brought the cup to his lips when his eyes landed on me, huddled on the couch. His chest rose and fell slowly: a sigh. I already knew what this meant.

“I didn’t even see you there,” Tyler said as he shuffled over towards the couch. It was an innocent start to a conversation that would end up going much deeper.

“What are you doing up? It’s like three in the morning.”

“I could ask you the same,” I asked. My walls were up.

“Bad dream and a sore throat.” Tyler held up his cup for emphasis. “Alright, what lie have you got for me today?”

I turned back towards the window. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Josh, why are you lying to me, man?”

“I’m not lying.”

“You’ve had bags under your eyes all week, you’re nearly asleep during every sound check, and I’ve watched you chug no less than two Red Bulls before every show. I think your problem is that you don’t want to sleep, not that you can’t.”

“Why does it matter, anyway?”

Tyler set his cup down on the small ledge beneath the window and reached out, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“I’m fine.”

“Josh, you’re not fine.”

I clenched my jaw to stop it from shaking. Tears were already pooling in my eyes, so I leaned forward and rested my chin on my hands, making it harder for Tyler to notice. The lights in the distance were twinkling, but as the tears continued to come, they became blurrier until they were just streaks of light in my vision.

“No. I’m not.”

“Will you talk to me about what’s going on?”

“I just don’t know what to do. I can’t stop thinking about Y/N, no matter how much I try. I never realized how intertwined our lives were until they left, and now I just find traces of them everywhere I look. It’s easier to let myself fall apart and avoid the reminders than to actually try. It’s like…” I paused and swallowed hard. Tyler rubbed my back. “When I used to be stressed or I couldn’t sleep, they used to have me lay on their chest and listen to their heartbeat and eventually the rhythms would match up and I would calm down. Now I lay alone in my bunk and I can hear my heartbeat echoing in my ears and it’s just another painful reminder. They’re everywhere I look, Tyler.”

“I know it’s hard, but those feelings will fade with time. You just have to push through them and make new memories, then before you know it, that’s the first thing to come to mind.”

“I guess.”

“Hey, when was the last time you ate?” I shrugged. There wasn’t a proper meal that I could remember, just snacks whenever I felt like I needed one. “Alright, let’s change that.”

I sat quietly while Tyler got up and made me a sandwich. He hummed quietly as he did so, but not loud enough to wake anyone else that was sleeping. I appreciated the noise, it gave me something to focus on other than the endless cycle of thoughts in my head.

“Here,” Tyler said, passing me a plate as he sat back down on the couch. “Eat.”

“I’m not that hungry,” I mumbled.

“That wasn’t a question, Josh. Besides, it’s your favorite, so you might as well enjoy it.”

I stared down at the sandwich for a moment before finally picking it up and taking a bite. I chewed slowly and eventually swallowed, made difficult by the lump that was still in my throat. As much as I hated to admit it, the food tasted good.

“We’re not going to let you keep wearing yourself down, Josh. Can you at least agree to trying to take small steps to help yourself out?”

I nodded slowly, taking another bite of sandwich. Tyler was right about needing to take care of myself. My complete opposition to doing so had only made the last couple of weeks harder.

“Good.”

Tyler sat quietly with me while I finished up my sandwich, then helped me off the couch and back towards my bunk. After my meal and a break from my thoughts, my eyelids were starting to grow heavy, though the idea of laying down to sleep still scared me. The quiet of the bus gave me too much room to think.

“Get comfortable, I’m going to go grab something,” Tyler whispered. I nodded and carefully got up into my bunk, trying my best not to disturb Mark beneath me. He was a heavy sleeper, anyway.

Tyler returned thirty seconds later with a pair of headphones and my phone. He handed only the headphones to me and motioned for me to put them on.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Making sure you’re able to get some sleep tonight.”

He took the other end of the cord and plugged it into my phone. I waited patiently while he clicked and scrolled, obviously on the hunt for something specific.

Quiet music began to play a short time later. It was instrumental, but had enough rhythm and beat to it that it would keep me distracted as I tried to sleep. Tyler, obviously pleased with himself, looked up to me with a smile.

“How is that?” he asked.

“Good,” I nodded. “Thanks.”

“Will you be able to sleep?”

“I think so.”

“Alright. Is there anything else you need?” he said, finally passing my phone to me.

“No.”

“Then I’m going to head back to bed. We do have a big show to play tomorrow, after all.”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

I waited until Tyler was safely in his bunk to draw my curtain closed and close my eyes. The soft music quickly began to lull me into a deep sleep. It was the first night in weeks that I managed to fall asleep without tears in my eyes.

And I was determined to make sure it wasn’t the last.

*     *     *     *     *

and a little bonus picture :)

[have-each-others-six]

face to the wind, eyes to the sun (pt. seven)

part one

part two

part three

part four

part five

part six

welcome, ladies and gents and nonbinary folks to the final part in this series! thank you all for being so supportive of my first multipart fic, it makes me so happy to know that people like my work. this has been an amazing experience and i thank you for coming along on the ride!

tw: death, blood, beheading

***

zero.

Catherine of Aragon opens her eyes, and the first thing that strikes her is the horrible pain in her chest.

The last thing she remembers is sitting in her bed with the rest of the queens, but they’re nowhere to be found.

This is really happening, she thinks, and when she looks around, she sees her bedroom at the house of Thomas More, with its deep red walls and dark wood paneling. It’s still grey outside, precisely like she remembers it.

Then she notices the priest at her bedside. Her vision gets blurrier, and her hearing becomes worse, but she can still make out his words to the other figures in the room.

“Not long now,” he mutters. “I would say she’s got only minutes left to live.”

She realizes she can’t breathe anymore, and her chest is seizing, and she remembers this now. She remembers the thrashing, the screaming, the agony that reached into every fiber of her body.

Her heart is being torn apart from the inside, tumors taking over the healthy tissue and making her chest spark with pain, her hands twitching of their own accord, and- 

She’s all alone when her heart finally stops beating and her last breath leaves her lungs.

The last thing she sees is the sky.

*** 

Anne Boleyn is kneeling on a wooden scaffold facing her death, and she is trembling.

It’s like one of her nightmares, but this time it’s painfully, brutally real. The executioner is standing there with a sword, and the crowd is furious at her, and she’s trying very hard not to cry.

While she’s panicking, a memory surfaces from the last time she was beheaded. The executioner pretended to look for his sword, and when Anne was turned away, he sliced off her head.

She stops shaking, and she makes a silent vow not to break eye contact with the man who’s going to kill her.

It’s going to be okay, she tells herself. It will all be okay.

“Where’s my sword?!” the man clothed in black exclaims, but Anne’s jaw tenses and she doesn’t look away.

Realizing his ruse has fallen through, the executioner growls. “You’re lucky the king told me to make this quick, or I’d rip you apart as slowly as possible.”

Chills scrabble down Anne’s spine, but she doesn’t give him a response. She closes her eyes, and Maggie, behind her, slips a blindfold over them. Anne can tell that she’s trembling.

It’s a small blessing that she can let herself cry now, but only a few tears fall before the sword is swung.

The last thing she sees, through the fabric of her blindfold, is the sun.

***

Jane Seymour immediately feels the loss of Kat’s warm body in her arms when she awakens in her bedroom within the palace.

Her head feels heavy, and she can’t lift it off of the pillow.

Somewhere in this castle, she knows, her son is sleeping, being held by a woman who isn’t her.

She also knows that somewhere north of here, Katherine Howard is a thirteen-year-old girl who is days away from meeting the first of many monsters she will encounter.

Blind rage fills her at the thought of that evil, evil man coming anywhere near her daughter, but she can’t even clench her fists, her body completely weakened by disease.

Jane wishes more than anything that she could have her girl in her arms again and Edward by her side, but she can’t.

Her son will be forced into monarchy far too soon, and Kat-

Kat is going to be beheaded in five years.

Five years from now, after Jane is long dead, after the mourning period is over, Katherine will be beheaded.

Jane thinks she’s too dehydrated to cry, but a single tear leaks out the side of her eye and slips down her cheek.

It’s not long now. She recognizes the heaviness in her limbs, spreading towards her heart.

“It’ll be okay, love,” she says, although it’s more of a breath. She hopes Kat can hear her, wherever she is. 

The first time she died, she went without a real fight. She’d tried to stay alive for Edward, of course, but she had died quietly. One raspy, crackling heave of her lungs, a sigh, and then she was gone.

Now, she screams as loud as she possibly can. 

She kicks, she pulls at the sheets, she twists and turns, anything to keep her alive longer for her son and her daughter.

But it’s pointless.

The last thing she sees is the look on Katherine’s face just before they’d both disappeared, the image stark in her mind when her consciousness ebbs away.

***

Anna of Cleves knows where she is.

She’s surprised, honestly. She has terminal brain cancer in the year 1557, she would think the illness would be so far gone at this point she would have no thoughts left at all. But she knows she’s in her bed in the Chelsea House, where Parr had lived after her remarriage.

She hopes Parr is okay, because Anna knows she isn’t. It’s almost like she can feel the cancer spreading through her.

Her ability to speak is gone, but she remembers that from last time.

Someone sits by the side of her bed. Her vision’s blurry, and she struggles to recognize the face of the person there. She tries to puzzle it out based on their posture and they way they’re holding her hand so tightly, but the logic that should link the characteristics into an image of a person in her mind is failing her.

“Just hold on for a bit longer,” the nameless figure pleads, and it’s the sound of her voice that makes everything click.

It’s Bessie.

She can’t see her very well, but she can picture her sitting there, anxiety creating that familiar crease between her eyebrows and forcing tension into her shoulders, her dark eyes calculating her thoughts at a speed far outpacing any of the gentlemen at court.

Anna tries to squeeze Bessie’s hand in place of a hello, but the cancer has taken her motor function too, so she just looks at her, trying to communicate everything she feels in one glance.

“There you are,” Bessie says softly, recognizing the alertness in her friend’s eyes, and Anna knows she’s smiling. “Come on, Anna. I know you can do this.”

You can do this.

She can’t. She knows she can’t.

When the darkness finally overtakes her, she can hear Bessie scream, and she wishes she could comfort her dearest friend but she knows that it’s pointless to hope for the impossible.

The last thing she sees, somehow in perfect clarity, is a flower on her bedside table, a white rose that’s losing its petals. She can’t tell if it’s a dream, but she doesn’t have time to think about it before she falls into unconsciousness.

***

Katherine Howard is being pinned down onto splintery wooden beams by a man who is going to cut her head off.

Her breath is coming too fast, rushing out of her lungs before she has a chance to breathe in.

She’s hysterical, but she can’t show it. She’s a queen getting beheaded, she’s not allowed to show emotion. That would be against the rules.

There’s something she feels like she needs to remember, but she doesn’t know what it is. The last thing she remembers is Henry screaming at her, spittle flying out of his mouth, telling her she would be beheaded for her crimes.

No, wait, that’s not right, is it?

That’s not the last thing she remembers.

She remembers being held. Wrapped up in loving, safe arms, being told that everything would be all right.

Katherine doesn’t remember who it was, and the curiosity about the partial memory doesn’t abate when the man with the sword steps closer and puts a blindfold over her face. She’s not an idiot. She knows what comes next. 

Desperately, she tries to fish for the person’s face in the fog of panic in her mind before she dies. She’s hyperventilating, all of her composure gone at this point, and she needs something to focus on so she doesn’t start screaming.

She can’t remember.

She can’t do anything, she’s powerless yet again, she’s alone, she’s alone, she’s alone, she’s alone-

“It’ll be okay, love.”

The voice doesn’t come from anywhere around her, but she hears it as clear as day.

“Mum?” she asks in a tiny voice, and all of her memories come flooding back, music and color and faces all reappearing in her mind. She knows she heard Jane’s voice.

But Jane’s not here.

She’s dead.

That thought echoes through her as the dull blade falls heavily against her neck for the first time, and she finally lets herself scream, guttural and raw and filled with tears. It’s not a merciful death, like her cousin’s six years earlier. This is a beheading fueled by malice and bitterness, and the executioner knows exactly how to make this go on for as long as possible.

The last thing she sees is her mum, holding out a hand to her with a sad smile on her face, and Katherine takes it, leaving the pain and fear behind.

***

Catherine Parr is waiting to die.

She can hear her baby girl Mary somewhere, her infant scream-cries carrying through the cavernous halls of the castle, and although the sound makes her ache, everything is reduced to background noise in the glaring thought that she will die in a few minutes.

It’s funny, but she’s almost gotten used to the idea, after thinking about it so much over the past twenty-four hours. Her death has just become another fact of her life, and it’s pointless to fight against it.

But it feels like a knife being driven through her chest knowing that her family is going through the same thing, in all their different ways, the people she loves being put through unimaginable pain.

This time, she can’t save them. She won’t be transported into the modern world again, searching for the other five wives of Henry and getting them together to write down their stories in song. 

It’s September, but there are still leaves on the tree outside. Had it been a late summer the year she died? She doesn’t remember. Why can’t she remember? She needs to remember everything, doesn’t she? If she forgets, what will she carry with her into the next life?

Panic seizes her, and her breathing is stuttered as she tries to desperately remember the summer before her death. It was hot. The strawberries were in season outside. She was pregnant with Mary, sweet little Mary, who cried so loudly when she was born that the nurse said God himself could hear her.

I hope he could hear you, little one, Catherine thinks. I hope he’s with you when I can’t be.

Mary wails again like she knows what her mother is thinking about, and Cathy flinches at the sound like she’s been slapped. Even that tiny movement causes a spasm of pain to radiate through her whole body.

Not long now.

In some sort of small miracle (or curse, depending on how you look at it), the apathy that had filled her body vanishes, replaced with rage and fear and resolve.

Cathy steps out of bed, the blood rushing to her head and making her dizzy, and she stands unsteadily on her feet.

Spots darken the edges of her vision, but still she stands, refusing to die without resistance, and she stands near the window, watching the leaves rustle in the trees outside.

Katherine liked it when the trees changed colors. She’d run down the street, kicking up leaves on her way to the theatre, and Anne would join her after a while, and the rest of them would roll their eyes but smile at the two of them leaping through piles of orange and red.

The wave of memory hits Cathy unexpectedly, and tears start to sting at the back of her eyes.

In a few years, the musical will fade out of existence, and they’ll be forgotten. And even if they aren’t, no one will remember the real them. No one will know or remember the ones who cried and made mistakes and kicked up leaves in the autumn.

“Catherine of Aragon liked knitting and reading books about astronomy and having picnics in the park,” Cathy says, surprising herself by speaking, her voice raspy and almost too quiet to hear. The words are rushing out of her because she doesn’t know how much time she has left to say them.

“Anne Boleyn tried to put fedoras on pigeons one day and wore a lot of eyeliner because she liked to and she gave people hugs when they needed them. Jane Seymour could cook like a master chef and watched old sappy movies and loved her daughter more than anything. Anna of Cleves knew how to make people laugh and made wishes on ladybugs and owned seven pairs of sunglasses. Katherine Howard jumped up and down when she had too much sugar and cuddled with people she trusted and tried to plan surprise parties but usually gave the surprise away.”

Her voice is cracking with tears and death now, but she’s still standing.

“Catherine Parr loved them all. She loved them and they died. They died too soon but they still got at least a small chance to truly live, and they were messy and they were loud and they made each other better.”

Mary has stopped crying. The big house is crushingly silent in the echo of Cathy’s makeshift eulogies, and she doesn’t want it to end this way.

Her strength’s giving out, and her knees buckle, but someone is there to catch her.

“Careful there, Cathy, or you’ll crack your head open on all this fancy-ass furniture.”

“Mum, swap with me- there you go, now it’s easier to hold her.”

“You’re okay, darling, we’re here.”

No. It can’t be. Can it? 

Can she dare to hope?

She opens her eyes, and it’s the five people she wants to see most right now, holding her up and keeping her from crumpling to the floor.

“How are you here?” Cathy asks, softly, disbelievingly.

“We don’t know,” Anne responds honestly. “We don’t even know if we are here.”

“We’ll stay as long as we can, though, love, all right?” Jane says. Her voice is comforting, and she’s smiling at Cathy like she knows everything will be okay.

Time passes. She doesn’t know how much. The queens sit down, and Cathy lays across their laps. She lets herself relax, tries to memorize everyone’s faces and voices and movements.

Aragon’s hand combs through her hair, the gesture soothing Cathy’s jangled nerves, and when she looks up at her godmother there are tears in her eyes. 

“It’s all going to be okay, honey, I promise you,” she whispers. “We’ll all be okay.”

Cathy lets her eyes drift shut, warmth spreading throughout her whole body, and Aragon’s gentle fingers in her hair keep her calm.

“I don’t want you to go,” Parr murmurs.

“I know, my darling. But we can’t stay. You know we can’t.”

She does know. That doesn’t stop her from clinging to the idea that maybe the world will be kind, maybe she’ll get more time. But that’s naïve.

The world is several things, but it is not kind. 

“Goodbye, Cath.”

The queens disappear, and with no one to hold her up, Cathy falls to the floor, and it feels like her brain rattles in her skull when her head hits the ground.

The last thing she sees is complete darkness.

***

Someday in the future, on a Monday, maybe, or a Thursday, some indeterminate weekday, a European history teacher asks his students about Henry VIII.

Most of the teenagers sitting in the desks blink slowly in his direction, wondering when class is over and hoping against hope that this information won’t be on the test.

The teacher rolls his eyes. “Come on, guys. Anyone? Wake up a little here. There’s a rhyme, does anybody know the rhyme?”

Somebody yawns.

“I’ll even help you out a little. Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived…” He trails off, waiting for someone to fill in ‘I’m Henry the Eighth and I had six wives’.

No one does, but a girl with dark brown hair and glasses mumbles something softly, words you could only hear if you were right next to her.

“But just for you tonight, we’re divorced, beheaded, live,” she whispers, not intending anyone to hear her. She never talks to anybody. 

However, the blond girl sitting to her left lights up at the words and beams at her, and the brown-haired girl smiles back, a little surprised.

They walk to their next class together, talking about their favorite songs and dances from the show, and each of their worlds is a little brighter when they part ways.

The queens’ stories don’t end with their death.

They don’t end at all, really.

Every time someone says no to something that they know is unjust, or allows themselves to be wild and crazy, or protects those they love, or refuses to let insults keep them down, or is brave enough to tell the truth, or helps to share the stories of those who want to tell them- the legacy continues.

And the queens’ souls can finally rest.