#who has resigned themself to always standing there and watching as you go and destroy yourself while cracking a joke.

[everysongineverykey]

and for my next trick i present... my Grand Tv People Freakout Extravaganza!!! *falls to the floor weeping violently*

[fandomxpreferences]

Let Me Love You

Pairing: Rooster x female!reader

TW: swearing, sad brad, angst with a happy ending (for the love of god we need some happy rooster, this man is endlessly tortured)

Summary: Bradley has been dealt a shitty hand in life, and he's determined to protect himself from getting hurt again. Everything is turned upside down when you blow into his life looking like everything he swears he doesn't want. (Based off this request)

Word Count:2.3k

A/N: Apparently im incapable of keeping it short and sweet. I have no idea how this happened, I didn't even know what direction I was going to take it and next think I know I have this so enjoy

Bradley Bradshaw didn't do relationships. It was a universally accepted fact by everyone that knew him. After seeing the way his dad's death destroyed his mother, he decided he could never do that to someone he loves. He accepted his fate, resigning himself to a life with no wife or kids.

When his mom got sick, he came home and took care of her until she passed. If there was ever a glimmer of hope that he would one day have the white picket fence and perfect family, it died with her. The only person left that he could count on was his Uncle Maverick. Then he pulled his papers from the academy. Bradley was left alone in the world, scrambling to find a way to fix the gaping hole that was blown into his future. Trust didn't come easily to him after that. 

He'd had a few girlfriends scattered throughout his life, if you could call them that. They were more like flings that lasted a few months before he shipped off to another part of the world, never looking back. He knew it could never become something real. He was the love them and leave them type, and he was okay with that. Can't miss what you never had, right?

His mom had always kept his dad's memory alive, sharing stories of their love. Bradley couldn't wrap his head around how his mom never so much as looked at another man after his father's passing. No one would have blamed her. But she insisted that Nick Bradshaw had been it for her. Their brief time together was better than anything she would ever get from a lifetime with someone else. He never understood what she meant. Until he met you. 

From the second Bradley's eyes landed on you, he knew you were going to rip through his life like a hurricane. You had waltzed into the hangar that day with a heart-stopping smile. You were one of only two women in his Top Gun class and he could immediately see why. There was an air of confidence about you. Your hair was neatly styled, your shoulders back and head held high. He felt time stand still, and for the first time in his life, he wondered if he had been wrong all those years. You met his gaze, and he saw his entire future in your eyes. Maybe he did want someone to come home to.

He kept his distance the first few days, observing from afar. You were an extraordinary pilot. He was in awe watching you in the air. Your instincts were razor sharp and you flew your aircraft as if it was an extension of your own body. You were always two steps ahead, somehow anticipating what your opponent would do before they seemed to know themself. You flew extremely fast and loved to show off, yet you were remarkably precise and calculated. It made you a formidable rival. Bradley could never understand how you could just let go and trust your intuition. 

On the ground, you managed to be self-assured but kind. You could hold your own when provoked but had a laid-back and fun personality otherwise. Everyone seemed to like you without trying. You were easy to be around and made everyone feel like a part of the conversation. Your energy was magnetic and Bradley could feel himself getting pulled in. 

You were the only woman he ever felt himself wanting to break his own rules for. He found himself jealous of everyone who got to interact with you. His fists clenched when one of the other pilots managed to draw out a laugh and his body tingled whenever he saw your smile. You were dangerous, and he knew if he wasn't careful he would fall in love with you. Little did he know, it was already too late. 

From that point on, he avoided interacting with you unless in the air. If he did find himself in your presence, he was cold and shut off. You were never one to make enemies and didn't understand why he hated you. You had barely spoken to the man. You didn't get too hung up on it, letting his comments and attitude roll off your back. It went on like this for your entire time at Top Gun, and anytime you crossed paths for the next couple of years. Eventually, it hit a boiling point. 

You've been assigned to the same mission as Bradley, and the two of you have been paired up. You're drowning your sorrows at the bar on base, keeping your distance from Bradley a few seats down from you. You feel him shooting daggers at you and decide you've had enough. You stand and march towards him, stopping a couple feet away and crossing your arms. 

"What the fuck is your problem?" Your face is hot from a mixture of alcohol and anger. He shoots you a glance and scoffs. "I don't have a problem." He shrugs, and you roll your eyes. 

"Bullshit, Bradshaw. You've hated me since we were in Top Gun." Your eyes narrow and Bradley can't help but think you're cute when you're mad. He'd never admit it but his heart was racing, excited to talk to you even if you were chewing him out. 

He looks at you fully and his heart drops when he sees tears in your eyes. Shit. He never meant to make you cry. Truthfully, he didn't think you had noticed him enough to be able to elicit any type of response in the first place. His face softens and he sets his beer down. 

"I don't hate you." His voice is soft, but you hear him crystal clear. You shrink into yourself, your liquid confidence dwindling. Bradley has never seen you so timid and he mentally curses himself for being the cause of it. "Then why are you always mean to me?" You ask with a small voice. 

He avoids eye contact and crosses his arms. He's too drunk for this. "Because you scare me." He admits. "I don't like getting close to people, and I wouldn't be able to help myself." 

After his confession that night three years ago, your relationship changed. He slowly opened up, telling you all his most safely guarded secrets. You were best friends, one of you never far from the other. 

Bradley knew he was in love with you, but he also knew the two of you could never be together. You didn't feel that way about him and even if you did, he was determined to never let himself have the life he so craved with you. He was okay with keeping his feelings to himself if it meant protecting you. 

What the sandy-haired idiot didn't realize, was that you were head over heels for him too. It killed you to know you couldn't have more with Bradley. He had told you his reasoning for never wanting a serious relationship or family. You couldn't blame him, even if you did want to smack him in the back of the head for making choices based on a hypothetical situation instead of the very real one standing right in front of him. 

So that's how your relationship worked. Both of you decided that it was better to have each other as friends, than not at all. Which is what brings you to your current predicament.

You and Rooster are sitting across from each other on his couch. Every Friday you two order takeout and stay up watching shitty reality shows, but tonight you decided to add alcohol. You've both had a bit too much to drink, no longer paying any attention to the re-run playing on the tv.

You'd been thumb wrestling, the sounds of your giggles mixing and filling the room. All of a sudden, Bradley pulled back and got a serious look on his face. You had laughed and asked him if he was okay, but he didn't respond. It's been several minutes since either of you has talked, Bradley looking deep in thought. 

You're about to ask again when he looks up at you. Your heart squeezes when you see unshed tears on his water line. You don't say anything, silently reaching out to grab his hand and run your thumb across his knuckles. If you thought your heart hurt before, what he says to you leaves it shattered on the floor. 

"Everyone I've ever cared for has either died or left me. Except for you." A tear falls off his face and you reach forward to cup his cheek. It's a drunken moment of vulnerability, but you know the sentiment is real. You silently wonder how long he's been carrying that thought in his heart.

His large hand holds yours in place, and you realize your hand is completely enveloped in his. Your stomach does a flip when you feel how warm he is, and you can't help but notice how they fit together like puzzle pieces. 

"Look at me," you say and his eyes meet yours. "I will never leave you, Bradley." Before you have time to think it through, you lean forward and press your mouths together. His lips are softer than you expected, and electricity shoots through you. It's like a ball of fire explodes in your chest, sending warmth all the way to the tips of your fingers and toes. 

The second you make contact, Bradley is kissing you back. The two of you are chest to chest, lips moving in sync like you've done this a million times. Your bliss is cut short when Bradley launches backward as if he's been shot. He quickly stands and turns his back to you, running his hands through his hair. 

You stay on the couch and watch him pace. You should feel embarrassed, but all you can think about is how you want to hold the broken man in front of you until he's whole again. You know you can't go back to the way things were after tonight. Your voice is soft, and Bradley stops dead in his tracks when he hears you. "I'm in love with you." 

"Don't," he starts. You can hear in his voice that he's sobered up significantly. "You're not in love with me. Please, tell me you’re not in love with me. I'm not going to be able to pretend anymore. Please, let me pretend." He whimpers. 

You stand and walk towards him, stopping only a few inches away. You already know what he means, but you open your mouth to ask anyway. He gives you a pleading look, silently begging you not to continue. 

"Pretend what, Bradley?" His eyes screw shut and heavy tears stain his cheeks. He takes a deep breath before opening his eyes to look at you. "That I'm not in love with you too." He shakes his head and steps around you to sit back on the couch. 

His head drops into his hands and he continues. "If I let myself imagine a life with you, I'm too selfish to stop myself. I can't leave you like my dad left my mom. I can't leave anyone to mourn me." He sobs. 

You kneel in front of him and gently bring his face up where you can see it. "It's too late." You're crying now too and Bradley feels his heart break even further.

"I decided a long time ago that loving you is worth the risk of losing you. Please, let me love you." You choke out. 

"What if you're not the one coming home to an empty house? If I let myself love you and you're taken from me too, I don't think I'll survive." He admits. 

The only thing scarier to him than never coming home to you is the thought of you never coming home to him. He never thought he'd fall for another pilot and have to face the idea that he may be the one left heartbroken.

You place your forehead against his and close your eyes. "If god forbid something happens to me, I don't want to spend my last moments not knowing what it feels like to be loved by you. There's always a chance of something happening. What if we grow old and realize we missed a life full of love, because of fear? You keep asking what if something happens, but have you ever thought to ask what if something doesn't?" 

Bradley feels his resolve crumble. He knows that pretending he doesn't love you isn't going to make it hurt any less if he loses you. You're right, he'd rather mourn you knowing what it feels like to love you. What it feels like to kiss you, wake up beside you, have you trembling beneath him. He thinks about how it would feel to spend the rest of his life having to wonder and realizes how cruel it would be to sentence you to the same fate if something happens to him. 

In a split second, Bradley's entire world shifts. He lurches forward and his lips meet yours in a bruising kiss. His broad arms wrap around you and pull you up into his lap. You don't hesitate to kiss back, tangling your hands in his mop of curls and pulling at the hair on the nape of his neck. He licks your bottom lip and you part your mouth to allow him access. His tongue massages yours and he internally scolds himself when he realizes he could have been doing this all along. 

You pull back after a couple minutes, gasping for air. Bradley lays down, pulling you with him. The two of you stay like this, hearts and minds racing. There's a comfortable silence as you process what this means. 

Neither of you feels the need to say anything, there's a mutual understanding that everything just changed. You both know that everything could be ripped from your hands in a matter of seconds, but you don't care. You're his and he's yours. Nothing else matters.

[noxturnallyevermore]

Tw: (Nonexplicit, Implied) Major Character Death. Implied Mass Genocide.

Word count: 1,291 words

A writing I did, kinda a vent piece. It's also an original work, you don't know the characters (neither do I).

Two forces stood at the edge of a cliff. The chilled wind howled harshly around them, yet went ignored in all but necessity to plant feet into long dead grass or be kidnapped by the North Wind.

"What happened to you? I thought you were good now, I thought you changed!" The Hero yelled into the face of their friend, close enough to where it wasn't needed, even over the wind. Standing toe-to-toe, anger on their face evidence of internal unease twisted into ugliness.

The friend, once a villain, stared back at the Hero, known only as the paragon of good. Villain's gaze held no contempt, only confusion and hurt. They've no clue what brought this about, had they really not changed? No, they have. They are no longer that person anymore. The one who hurts others for no reason except so that they don't get hurt themselves, the one who destroys to prevent their own destruction. The Once Villain allows themself to get hurt now. Suppose this will be an addition to the growing list. Will it continue to grow more after this?

"I have changed. I didn't know you did too. I guess one of us can be wrong." Villain whispers in turn, barely audible above the weather. Resignation at the hands of a turn of events so cruel, did this come about due to a misunderstanding?

Winds blow harsher and the two forces grab each other for support, The Hero grabbing Villain's shirt and Villain grabbing hold of The Hero's shoulders. A hand immediately shifts to The Hero's face, cupping a cheek so tenderly it's impossible to mistake it for anything malicious. The Hero knows those hands could level cities in a snap, anyone like that holding something so preciously could never wish to destroy it. And yet. The Hero believes those Villain's hands will never be clean of those misdeeds.

"Of course I've changed, Villain. One doesn't just go through what we have and not come out changed." Rage softens into fondness in the Hero's eyes for just a moment, that intoxicating understanding Villain loves so much, craves with their entire being. "But that's the issue, isn't it? I change and it's imperceivable, nobody cares. But you change and you haven't really, you will always have blood on your hands." Strong hands tightens into fists, twisting into Villain's shirt, their face shifting once again into one of a rage that only further confuses the villain. The hold was as necessary as it was equal to signify their anger.

"I don't understand. What have I done to cause this? Tell me what I've done. Why do you bring up my past?" Villain drops their touch like it burns, despite the freezing wind shaking the world around them. A bitterness rises within their aching heart, sorrowed tears coming to the corners of their eyes, not yet ready to fall and chilled by the air. Pushing away from the Hero's hold, Villain takes a step back towards the edge of the cliff.

"As if you don't know." Scoffing, the Hero drops their death grip with ease to let Villain back away, only to grab Villain's hands crushingly in one of their own and pull them back, away from the treacherous edge. The Hero gestures out to the town below said cliff, a sight of destruction and carnage. It's not the first time Villain is seeing this since they've got here, they watched it happen, and that's what this entire thing is about?

The wind turns to rain, nearly hail, not quite snow. The dirt beneath their soles turns to mud, the view of the town grows opaque. Bitterness turns to anger with the growing obscurity of the town behind sheets of heavy precipitation.

"You think I did that." It is but a simple murmur into the space between them, a statement of fact. Ice in their eyes so cold it burns, their anger was always the quiet kind.

"I know you did, it has your signature on it, I would know it in my sleep. Who else but you, Villain?" The Hero exasperates, their free hand gesturing to the carnage of the town now dragging down their features, marring their flawless features into something scrunched and ugly, even The Paragon of Good has imperfections. Villain would've thought it cute under other circumstances. The Hero's other hand still grasps tight around Villain's wrist.

"I don't know, a copycat? You aren't the only person on this planet who knows my M.O." Villain deadpans. "You catch them all the time."

"It's been years since something like this has happened. Copycats have never even attempted something as wide scale as this, only you would've." The Hero's expression softens in an inkling of nostalgia, their grip going lax once again. "Only you Villain, I-"

"Don't call me Villain! As you just said, it's been years, Hero! Is that all I am to you? Is that all I'll ever be? It's been years and I haven't spilled blood once, not committed a single crime once and yet I am still the one you turn to with nothing but blame!" Villain finally snaps, their quiet rage coming alive like a raging inferno.

It's the Hero's turn to look confused, a shaking finger pointed at their face, just barely brushing their nose. The rain soaks through their clothes now, dousing the fires of the town below but it won't undo the carnage. For a moment, the wind has ceased.

"What do you-" Starts the Hero, only to be cut off once again.

"No! You will let me speak. Did it never occur to you that the one you cast me aside for may very well be the one behind all this? Not even the most paramount of paragons can redeem every villain and yet you seem inclined to try!" Their rage goes quiet once more, firm, even their exclamations are back to barely above a whisper. No need to yell when the storm is breaking, if only for a moment. Villain backs out of the Hero's personal space, gesticulating wildly along their words, as they've always done while trying to make a point. Some habits will always stay the same.

"Villain, will you just-" The Hero tries one more time, worry now crossing their features, reaching for Villain's hand once again.

"Don't call me Villain when you know my name." Their tone drops by the octave, yanking further away from the Hero's reach.

Temperature dropping even further, the winds pick up harshly once more, could now rival a blizzard's. Breaths come in visible puffs. Chests heaving in tandem in the charged pause, quiet if not for the screaming gusts of air slicing the space between them. Heavy snow kisses their dripping hair and freezes their drenched clothes. Mud beneath their feet now proving to be as difficult an adversary as they used to be to each other.

An explosion shakes the ground, the Hero looking away from Villain to see the aforementioned Replacement step out of a cloud of smoke with a vile grin and arms spread wide; an almost manic look to their eye, trained only on the Hero.

"I knew I would find you here. But what's strange is that you are alone. Oh well, do you like what I've done for you? It was all for you! All for you." But the words fall on unhearing ears, the Hero looking back to the empty space where Villain once stood. At the edge of the cliff.

The Hero scrambles to the edge, locking eyes with a plummeting Villain. A hoarse, broken scream of the Villain's name into the storm and Villain mouths one phrase, closing their eyes, the tears finally falling.

"I told you so."

[bluerosesburnblue]

I don't suppose you could explain the ending for khux for me?? i've watched it and i've been following the translated storyline for it and this ending just. does not make a ton of sense to me. i can usually figure out kh endings no problem but this time i'm just lost.

Isn't that just the state of the writing for it, where even people familiar with the series are having trouble understanding it. And, of course, the game dies as it lived: screwing over Global so we can't even compare/contrast with an official English version yet to see if it's more clear

Anyway, sure, I'll try to break it down scene by scene (Note: these aren't the actual scene titles, I just needed a way to delineate them so I made titles up)

Scene 1: The Master and Luxu

The update begins with a continuation of the past flashbacks expanding on the Case of Luxu and the Master of Masters' instructions to him. He explains that he knew that Darkness could only truly be defeated in the future, and so he made sure that Keyblade wielders would exist to fight it by recruiting many Keyblade wielders in Daybreak Town (as per the start of KHx) and then using the Dandelions to stall Darkness's takeover and give them time to make sure that the Keyblade legacy would live on. As Luxu turns to leave, though, the Master stops him with one more bit of information that he feels Luxu needs to know

He explains that back when he was younger, the being known as Darkness tried to gain the advantage in their battle by becoming incorporeal and attacking people's hearts instead of their bodies. There were 13 of these original Darkness beings, and because they lack bodies they aim to win by quantity and so created the Heartless as lesser, but more physical versions of themselves. The original 13 still haven't given up their desire to regain a physical form, however, and so they target those with strong hearts to take their bodies for themselves

The Master of Masters, knowing this and knowing that something without a physical body can't be destroyed, came up with a plan. He took in six children, his apprentices, and raised them to be a prison for Darkness. To foster light so strongly within them that Darkness couldn't possibly taint it, and then seal the strongest 7 of the 13 Darknesses within himself and his students, trapping the Darknesses inside their impenetrable hearts of light. Then, he instigated the Keyblade War. This is only my interpretation of the line, but it sounds to me like the purpose was to get the Foretellers killed in the War and the Darkness sealed inside of them along with them. How this relates to them coming back in KH3 is unclear

When Luxu asks if the War and the idea of a traitor were necessary, the Master goes on to say that the purpose of making the Foretellers believe there was a traitor was to instill negative emotions like fear and doubt in them. Darkness feeds on those emotions, and so by making sure that his students would produce them and yet not have their light tainted, he would attract Darkness into their hearts by giving it something to eat, only for it to realize that it was trapped in light that couldn't be consumed. The infighting amongst the Foretellers was bait to lock Darkness in their hearts the entire time

After that, there's only six left and so the Master chose five individuals, the Union Leaders, to be the uncorruptable lights that would house the weaker Darknesses. The final one, he would simply trap in the Data Daybreak Town

At this, Luxu flies into a rage at his master, angrily shouting that he can't possibly accept a plan that sacrifices so many people, but the Master stands up and starts talking over him. He's made it clear that he doesn't see Darkness as human, and he's seen this inhuman thing take countless lives, including people he's cared about. He doesn't believe them to be heroes, and he doesn't care. The entire purpose is just to ensure that in the end, humanity is what survives the war. He knows it's a tragedy, but for one who believes that tragedy can't be fully avoided, this is a solution that will at least save some

Luxu accepts this answer and leaves, but behind his back the Master muses on what Luxu, the traitor, needs to do. Luxu was the traitor from the lost page the entire time, given a role to take him out of the infighting so that his identity as the traitor wouldn't be discovered (or at least, that's how it seems to me considering that he needed the Foretellers to fear and doubt to attract Darkness to them)

Scene 2: Fleeing Daybreak Town

We now cut to the real Daybreak Town in the present, where Lauriam, Elrena, Ventus, and Brain have just emerged from the Data Daybreak Town into the real-world version of the lifeboat room. Daybreak Town is breaking down around them, about to be fully consumed by the aftermath of the Keyblade War which had been temporarily staved off while the Data simulation was running

Brain is attempting to enact his plan to extract all of the Dandelions from Data Daybreak Town and bring them into the real world, but he's worried that there won't be enough time to actually do it before the simulation shuts down and the real Daybreak Town is destroyed. The only thing he has time to do is get their three remaining friends (Ephemer, Skuld, and Player) out to the real world, and the only way that he can think to do this is to send Lauriam, Elrena, and Ven away to the future and to safety and then send the remaining lifeboats back into the datascape so that there's enough for the three trapped in there to use

Brain is willing to stay behind to man this operation, but he wants to ensure that at least one of the true Union Leaders (Lauriam) manages to live on in case things go wrong and save as many of them as he can, so those going to the future must be sent first. Lauriam, etching his mission to finally find Strelitzia (or even just her data) into his heart, departs with Elrena and Ven. Once they're gone, however, Brain notices someone enter the room and turns to find Luxu approaching him

Scene 3: Those Trapped in Data

We now cut to Player, Ephemer, and Skuld in the data version of the lifeboat room, contemplating how the others are doing. Just as they muse about how quiet the end of this world feels, Player turns to find that four of the remaining six Darknesses have entered the room (presumably the other two are the one sealed in Ven and the one that Luxu was fighting in the real world and who helped Maleficent, who seems to be gone by the time Brain and the others end up back in the real world)

The Darknesses, it seems, have come to politely ask the gang to open up a way out of the Data Daybreak Town for them, so that they can spread to other worlds. They don't want to fight, and obviously even if they did they'd win, so just open a gate for them to escape with already. They could always just take over Ephemer's friends and force him to watch as they rip them away until he complies

Ephemer mocks this and moves in to attack, but before he fully commits he whispers his plan to Player: he and Skuld will hold them off to buy time for Player to get into the last pod and run. To his shock, however, Player begins mimicking Darkness's speaking patterns and then goes to attack their friends. It seems that Darkness has done to Player what they did to Ven, taking them over and forcing them to act out. Player is now their bargaining chip; they'll only give Player back if Ephemer opens the gate. And since Darkness can only be defeated if it has a body, their options are to give in or destroy the possessed Player

This initiates the final boss fight against Ephemer and Skuld, Player's dearest friends who have been with them since before the war

And the duo prove no match for the Darkness-possessed Player, who taunts them about not just leaving when they had the chance. Ephemer begs his friend to stop as Player goes in to finish off Skuld, and in his desperation to protect one friend, he opens up the portal to Game Central Station and forces his fallen friend though. As it closes, Ephemer breaks down in tears, muttering apologies to the friend that he was unable to save

Scene 4: Luxu and Brain

We cut back to where we left off in Scene 2, with Luxu confronting Brain in the real lifeboat room. He introduces himself, and Brain is taken aback that one of the missing masters has finally returned. Luxu asks Brain if he's a Union Leader, and when Brain confirms that he is, Luxu then gestures to the missing pods and asks where the others are. Brain tells him that one escaped, and the other two are still trapped in the data. Luxu's confused; there should be five Union Leaders, but Brain only listed four. He asks what happened to the fifth, and Brain confirms that they were struck down

Luxu assumes that Brain is going to make his escape, but Brain denies this. They have a friend who he calls a Dandelion (even though Player did not consider themself one) who is trapped alongside the other two Union Leaders, and he intends to get all three out no matter what. Furthermore, Brain has no intention of using one of the real lifeboats. Rather, he has resigned himself to staying behind in the past and finding some way to survive the end of the world to eventually extract the rest of the Dandelions from the data as well, and wake them from their data sleep

Luxu, however, has some bad news. While normally that would be true, the Data Daybreak Town was designed to lock Darkness away. Once it's locked up, nothing will ever be able to get out of it again. If anything could get out, then Darkness would as well. It was meant to be a grave for an intangible being

Not only that, but Luxu expresses doubt that Brain has properly prepared for his friends who use the lifeboats to awaken in the future. What does Brain plan to use for mediums? Who are the memories going to come from? Brain doesn't have an answer, but he has to do this and he's willing to put his life on the line for it

This seems to earn Luxu's respect

Scene 5: The Two Who Remain

We now resume with Ephemer and Skuld in the data lifeboat room, having just sealed Player away. The two real pods that weren't used yet are digitized and sent to Ephemer and Skuld to use for their escape. Ephemer picks up the weakened Skuld and places her in a lifeboat, then looks forlornly over to the one on the other side of the room. The one meant for Player. Then he reclines back into his own pod and the two leave the Data Daybreak Town

Scene 6: "You're So Gullible"

We now join Player inside of the familiar tunnel that joined the Data Daybreak Town to Game Central Station

The four Darknesses swarm around Player, commending them for goading Ephemer into being desperate enough to open up a gateway for them, implying that Player was at least partially in control by the end of the fight. In a bizarre way, they seem to be trying to help Player as they warn them they must cast off their body if they don't want to be destroyed by the simulation shutting down

Player laughs

They ask if Darkness is always this easy to trick. After all, it can't go anywhere without a Keyblade and without a body it can't use one, either, which is why it needed one of them to open a path for it. Player turns, and locks the end of the pathway that leads to Game Central Station. And since Ephemer sealed the Data Daybreak Town end when he cast Player and the Darknesses through the portal, all five of them are now trapped in this space between worlds on the cusp of shutting down along with Data Daybreak Town. This was Player's plan all along, opening their heart up just enough for the four Darknesses to try and use them as a host and then provoking their friends into sealing them away and taking Darkness with them

Darkness flies into an anger-fueled frenzy but is unable to do anything to escape. Player collapses, and Chirithy appears. Petting them much like they did during the Keyblade War, Player apologizes for forcing Chirithy to be sealed away with them since their hearts are bound. Chirithy shakes their head, signaling that they don't hold it against Player, and the two go in for a final hug and are bathed in light

Scene 7: The Destruction of Daybreak Town

Back in the real lifeboat room again, Ephemer and Skuld emerge and are met with blaring sirens signaling that the world is at its end. The other are gone, including Brain and Luxu, and the two have no idea what happened to them (or that Luxu was involved). They simply hope that they made it out safely, and decide to check outside just to see what's going on

They're met with the destruction of Daybreak Town. Smoke is everywhere, the sky is red, and pieces of debris are being drawn into a swirling dark orb in the sky not unlike the destruction of Destiny Islands from KH1. Ephemer decides that they need to leave, now, and Skuld muses about how it takes a lot of time and effort to build something, but none at all to destroy. The two retreat back into the lifeboat room to make their exit

Scene 8: The Master's Plans

We now cut to our final continuation of the flashback of Master of Masters' talk with Darkness from before he disappeared

Darkness muses that it truly does not understand the Master of Masters at all. The Master asks if it wants to, and Darkness replies with a very clinical, "Yes, understanding your enemy is important." The Master muses if it means all of the Darknesses or just the one who is speaking, and Darkness states that it's speaking for all of them

The Master muses for a bit about how small worlds are easy to control. If this small world simply expands gradually over time, then eventually there will become parts of it that the light can't reach, but Darkness will have free reign over anywhere it pleases (much like real light can only shine so far, and anywhere it doesn't reach is filled with shadow). This skews everything in Darkness's favor when vying for control and is precisely what would happen if the world of the Age of Fairtytales continued to expand

Darkness simply notes that of course it will always be around, that's what "friends" do, but the Master says that sometimes he'd like to be left alone. And so, to get away from Darkness, he plans to flee to a world that Darkness does not know about. One where neither Darkness nor Light can be controlled. Darkness asks what this world is, and the Master says that humanity, even if their lives end, want to believe in a world that exists for them in the future. For him, this is a world of fiction and imagination. This implies that he plans to flee into the world of Quadratum, the fictional world that we learned about in Melody of Memory that exists on the other side of the "real world"

Darkness is clearly lost as it asks if he's talking about the Data World. The Master simply says that even if it started out as fiction, you can make it real. But he won't explain any more. After all, the point is that this is a world that Darkness doesn't know about. It cannot reach it, even if it tried

Of note is that he mimics what the illusory Xehanort remarks about Sora in Melody of Memory by calling this a place where neither your "eyes nor voice" can reach, much like Sora's voice could not reach Kairi in The Final World from Quadratum. His final description of it is as "a world of [symbol]." It's unclear if this is an actual term that is unpronounceable and unspeakable in-universe, or if this is simply done to censor the word for the players

Scene 9: Goodbye

We once again return to the real lifeboat room amidst the destruction of Daybreak Town. As she gets into her pod, Skuld starts sobbing and thanks Ephemer through her tears for staying with her until the end. Ephemer tells her that she can't give up until it's all over. As he goes into his pod, he flashes back to all of the time that he spent with Player, and mutters their name through his tears as their pods close and the room caves in around them

(AND THIS IS WHERE IT SHOULD'VE ENDED BECAUSE IT WAS ACTUALLY PRETTY GOOD UP TO THIS POINT BUT HERE WE GO)

Scene 10: Where Do Dream Eaters Come From?

Player and Chirithy are floating in a white void alongside all of the other Dandelions that were trapped in the Data Daybreak Town and their Chirithies. Some of them are familiar faces, like the "My friends aren't my power" kid and the squad of four kids that Player had befriended and their ex-teammate. As Player awakens, they watch these sleeping Dandelions revert to the forms of hearts that are then eaten by those Chirithies, transforming them into the Spirits seen in Dream Drop Distance

Player's Chirithy explains that because Chirithies are bonded to their Keyblade wielder's heart, they take on a state to match their wielder. If the wielder dies, so do they. And if the wielder falls into a deep sleep, they take on a stronger form to protect it

Contrary to what the fandom is saying, NO, Spirits aren't dead Keykids. Rather, the Chirithies are simply taking their sleeping hearts into their bodies and transforming into a stronger form to keep them safe. This is only my assumption, but I would assume that this is possible since they don't technically have bodies anyway, having been digitized. Therefore, their body-less hearts would otherwise have been sent directly to sleep with no protection, hence the Chirithies moving in

Now, this still doesn't make sense regarding Dream Drop Distance by overriding the lore that all Dream Eaters are simply the form that Darkness takes in Sleeping Worlds, which made sense from a metaphorical perspective of "you sleep at night which is dark, so dreams are darkness and both good and bad dreams are made of the same stuff." And also you can totally craft Spirits and have them explode if they take too much damage, all with zero indication that a keykid heart was involved in the creation process or released on destruction, but whatever, let's just move on

Player asks if this is what will happen to them and their Chirithy, and Chirithy responds that they have a choice. If Player doesn't want to go to sleep, then their heart will be broken down and reconstructed as an entirely new heart to live a new life

Smash cut to an unfamiliar town where a woman in purple with black hair and silver eyes hand over what is obviously a baby Xehanort to a hunched figure in a blue cloak, holding a cane. She sobs. Cut again to the figure in blue holding baby Xehanort standing on Destiny Islands' play island. Cut once more and Xehanort is now his teenage self from Dark Road on the beach of the play island. The figure in blue is standing on the ledge behind him, and as Xehanort stands up to walk to the shoreline, the figure collapses onto the ground. Xehanort does not notice this. Two more cuts, this time to the day that Xehanort found himself in Scala ad Caelum and a chess match with Eraqus

We return to Player, who closes their eyes peacefully and decided to move on to another life. Chirithy is confused, but goes in for a final hug as both of them dissolve into light, Player's heart flying off into the white void

The implication of all of this being that not only did Player reincarnate as Xehanort, introducing reincarnation into a series that it has never been a part of and overcomplicating the lore even worse, but that Xehanort isn't even from Destiny Islands in the first place, invalidating nearly all of his character motivation from the series

This is so bad that it deserves its own post though, so we're moving on

Credits Roll: Scenes From the Game Play Over It

Post Credits: Aftermath

We find our scene in a vast expanse of water, littered with debris. A lone lifeboat floats amongst the rubble. Some houses from Daybreak Town can be seen partially submerged, setting this after its destruction. The lifeboat comes to a stop and opens up, revealing Ephemer's silhouette. He looks around

It's unclear why Ephemer seems to have landed so far back in the past compared to the others, though some people have noted that he also doesn't appear to have lost his body, so it could be that his pod simply didn't activate (note how we only saw it close, not disappear into light like Lauriam and crew's) and that Ephemer didn't time travel at all but simply rode out the destruction of Daybreak Town inside the lifeboat

We see a rendition of the scene from KH2 where Diablo the raven brings Maleficent's cloak to the three fairies and she revives, showing that this scene was, indeed, her coming back from her time travel adventure

Lauriam wakes up in the field of flowers from Dwarf Woodlands, and looks confused and startled as a white butterfly flits about him. The flowers clearly a nod to his element among the Organization

Elrena is shown still unconscious along the cliffs that lead to Maleficent's castle in Enchanted Dominion. Much like Lauriam, her element is represented in the thunderstorm that rages around her

Ventus is shown unconscious in the Keyblade Graveyard, and a silhouette approaches him. Many believe this to be Xehanort finding him, though as of now the figure's identity is unconfirmed

We cut to a scene of Luxu dragging the black box behind him in the Keyblade Graveyard, much like a certain scene from the end of Back Cover. However, this time the scene continues and he removes his hood to reveal Brain's face. The implication here is that after Scene 4 above, Luxu took Brain's body as the first of many that he would steal to prolong his own life. This is why neither of them are seen when Ephemer and Skuld emerge from the datascape; Luxu has already taken Brain's body for his own and made his escape to survive the destruction of the world with the black box

We get a title card, but are treated to one final scene. Brain wakes up (sans hat) in the same town that we saw baby Xehanort being given away in. A hooded figure in strange garb arrives, holding Brain's hat, and asks if he is Brain. At Brain's confirmation, the figure returns the hat and introduces themself as Sigurd (a Norse mythology name much like the other Scala ad Caelum characters so far). They seem to have been waiting for Brain and report that they found him into an earpiece of sorts

Brain is understandably confused, and Sigurd explains that they know of the Brain who escaped Daybreak Town's destruction and that he would appear in this spot on this day. Brain panics, realizing that he doesn't know where any of his seven other friends are and if they made it to safety. Sigurd tells Brain that he's the only one who made it to this spot. Brain, utterly crushed that all of his friends have seemingly perished, listlessly follows Sigurd as Sigurd leads him to their headquarters

On the way there, however, something catches Brain's eye. He sprints to the fountain and looks up at something that's not in the frame in shock. Sigurd explains that this is a statue of this town, Scala ad Caelum’s founder (so Xehanort's actually from Scala...) and the first ever Keyblade Master, Master Ephemer. The camera pans up to show the statue of Ephemer as we know him holding the Master Keeper Keyblade that he got from Brain

Brain is overcome with emotions, and through his tears states that he knows exactly who that is. That's his best friend, and he's so proud of him for rebuilding

This is just my speculation, but what I believe is going on in the final scene with Brain is that when Luxu took his body, he ejected Brain's heart from it. A lifeboat wasn't used up, so Luxu must have either used time travel on his own to send Brain's heart to the future or simply left Brain's heart stranded and waiting in the ruins of Daybreak Town. This would let Luxu have his body, but Brain's stranded heart could make a new one with the proper resources in the future like the other hearts sent via the pods. That's what I think the focus on the hat is about. Luxu is shown without it after he takes Brain's body, and Sigurd has it. So my assumption would be that the hat was the medium used to bring Brain's body back like Maleficent's cloak was for her. It’s possible that Luxu set this up, but I can’t confirm. As for the memories, I couldn't say

I would also speculate that this scene takes place a decent amount of time before Dark Road, since Eraqus has been implied to be a descendant of Brain due to their similar looks. If Brain is in Scala ad Caelum in the past, then he could easily be the grandfather that Eraqus mentioned

My final bit of speculation is that the reason Sigurd and crew know who Brain is is because Ephemer, the founder of Scala ad Caelum and the inheritor of the Book of Prophecies, likely saw when Brain would emerge and set up a system to take care of him, knowing that he wouldn't survive to see him again

Apologies for the length, the ending was 40 minutes long. But, hopefully, I've made it clear which scenes are connected to which and what is actually happening. If it wasn't actually clear, there's two flashback sequences involving the Master of Masters that take place before KHx, the scenes in the data and real lifeboat rooms are running concurrently with each other (Brain and Luxu are having their conversation at the same time as Player is being possessed by the Darknesses, etc.) and everything else is roughly chronological with the exception of the scenes where Maleficent, Lauriam, Elrena, and Ven are revived after time traveling. Lauriam, Elrena, and Ven's scenes all must take place sometime before or around BBS (Lauriam and Elrena for their ages to match up, Ven because he's in BBS). Maleficent's is at the beginning of KH2

[liebredeaconito]

[ID: In light blue background with two floral stamps and one plant stamps, in black it reads: “Loki/Sigyn. Writing prompt: “Whatever you want,” they always said. Always there, always ready to help me, and then more. Kiss me? Whatever you want. Marry me? Whatever you want. A dozen times a day, the backdrop of their lives until...“Stay with me. God - stay with me - please - don’t you dare die-” They only smiled, softly. “I love you.”. Rating: Teen and Up Audiences. Tags: Angst / Comfort / Hurt/ Fluff / Brief alcohol mention ” End ID.]

Link in the Reblogs! Or read full here: 

“Whatever you want,” he said. And he always said it. Like he couldn’t stop himself, because, in the end, he couldn’t refuse her. Kiss me? Whatever you want. Marry me? Whatever you want. And it was worth it every single time. Loki felt like a smile from his wife could warm the whole planet in an instant.

Whatever you want.

“Stop torturing yourself!” Sigyn screamed, desperate to make them understand. Or to understand herself.

“It’s not torturing, it’s the truth, Sigyn” Loki sighed “it should have been me who died” they sat and took the glass full of alcohol. Sigyn felt hopeless. She felt everything crumbling down and did not know what to do with it, how to hold it together.

“I’m not gonna sit here and watch you destroy yourself”

“Then go! Leave!”, Loki shouted back, “Whatever you want,” they said, venom in their words. A flash of pain crossed Sigyn’s eyes.

“Fine” Sigyn turned on her feet.

Loki opened their eyes, realizing what she had said. No.  “Sigyn! Wait- she was out of the door before Loki could say anything.

---

It was almost dark when Sigyn made her way back after cooling down. She shouldn’t have left but she couldn’t comfort Loki or even make her change their mind. It was something they would have to live with. Still, she could not be apart from them long.  

From the distance, Sigyn saw Asgrad’s guards in front of her hideout. Too many. She started walking faster and soon running as she saw as Loki was being dragged out. Loki looked accepting, not calm, but resigned.

Until they caught Sigyn running at the corner of their eye. Loki trashed and pushed against the guards, but could not free themself.

“LO-” Sigyn started screaming as she was cut off by a mouth on her hand, dragged back to the shadows of a nearby alley. She was being held. It was someone from Fenrir’s crew. She kicked but soon it was Fenrir in front of her. “We came as fast as we could, but Asgard’s guards were faster”, a defeated pause “I’m sorry, Sigyn”. She cried the rest of the run to a safer place blurry by the tears.

Soon the capture of Loki was announced, as well as her execution date. Too soon.

Everyone else was gathered around the broadcast device, listening to everything. They had tried everything to pinpoint Loki’s location, but no one had reliable information. Wherever they were, the world could only witness. People wanted to comfort her, try and hold her, but she couldn’t stand anyone’s touch. She kept waiting to look up and find her spouse. So she listened from another room.

“Stay with me. Don’t you dare die” she whispered to herself as she felt her guts twist. “Please”.

Whatever you want. The absence of the words was overwhelming and the sounds of cries filled every room.

---

Loki’s vision was fading, she felt the train moving with her blood. She felt Sigyn holding her. She felt like dying but not quite. Soon, she felt nothing at all.

Loki was deep in the darkness, not the awful thing she had been exposed to before, but a limbo of her own mind. “Don’t touch her!” a hurt and enraged voice said. Moment passed. "Just wait a little longer, we're almost there." She heard. She felt warm and cold. “Don’t die on me, you can’t leave me again”. Whatever you want, Loki tried to say, for she recognized the voice, like it was pulled from the back of her head, from her dreams, but her lips wouldn’t move. She couldn’t feel her lips. But then, she could feel her hand, as it was being held and squeezed sporadically. She tried to squeeze back, but nothing she tried to do worked.

“I miss her so much ” Sigyn said. I’m here, Loki tried to say again.

---

Now.

Loki gasped softly for air, to fill her lungs, and then she tried to open her eyes. Her head hurt, the lids of her eyes were heavy and breathing would have been more difficult had she not been in… a hospital room.

The lights were dimmed, so she did not suffer from a sudden influx of light. She blinked trying to get a hold of her surroundings. A window. A closet. A tiny table with a bunch of papers, pens, and coffee paper cups. A couch… and silhouette curled in it.

Sigyn.

Loki could see the bags under her eyes, the uncomfortable position. So tired, diligent, beautiful. So many years they had been apart, they were not the same anymore and still, Sigyn was beautiful. And still here wife. And still here. She tried to whisper her name out and finally succeeded. Her wife steered in her sleep and opened her eyes.

“Loki?” she whispered like she was afraid it was a dream. She got up and got closer to her. “Loki! You are awake!” she said enthusiastically as she sat on the chair next to her and took Loki’s hand in hers. Loki blinked slowly as she felt Sigyn’s gaze on her face, as she left a soft kiss on her knuckles and brought their tangled hands to her forehead, feeling her warmth. Seconds, or hours passed when Sigyn let go and stand. “I have to get a doctor”

“Don’t… leave” Loki tried to lift her hand. Sigyn’s eyes softened as she sat again and put her hand over hers, caressing.

“Whatever you want.”

-----

It’s true that after the storm comes the calm. Loki thinks to themselves as they pour thermos of tea and make their way into the roof of their new home. They had taken the time to attend a proper garden now, and with help, they put up a garden swing as well. A garden swing big enough to put your legs up in it, to nap on calm summer days, or watch the stars like tonight. Sigyn has brought more cushions and soft blankets, making a nest in it.

“It’s not that cold”

“Shhh, it’s gonna be. Trust your wife” Sigyn had said before going up. Loki laughed as they saw her climb up, making sure the blankets did not make her lose her balance. She stuck her tongue out in victory as she got to the top.

Loki is up now and takes a moment to thank whoever it is to thank for this. Sigyn looks at them and when Loki just smiles she sticks her arms out, in a motion that says “Come here already”.

Loki hand her the thermos as she climbs in and gets under the covers, nestling close to Sigyn. “You are cold!” she complains. “And you”, says Loki, as they put their hand under her sweater “, are very warm”. A shiver runs down Sigyn’s body and snuggles closer to her spouse.

“Kiss me?” she asks. Whatever you want Loki doesn’t say before kissing her.

[toomuchponytail]

I don't know if you're taking requests right now but I had this whump idea though I don't usually write whump stories but would like to see your take on it. “In the end…NOBODY WILL EVER LOVED ME!” They let out a sarcastic laugh, broken with pain “I DON’T EVEN LOVE MYSELF! HA! Can you IMAGINE!” Tears started coming through and with that they collapsed on their knees sobbing into themself “How can you ever care for yourself when no one ever care for you, when no one ever loved you!”

AAAHHHH!!!! This is so freakin’ good? Like you don’t write whump and you just…come up with that dang incredible dialog? If you ever decide to change your whump writer status I will 100% read what you throw out into the internet void, (tag meee!!) I love this! Holy baloney batman?! Sorry, I’m just excited….Whew.

Also I am always taking requests! I sometimes don’t see them if they are commented on an actual prompt because I’m always a little scared I’m going to get attacked in the comments for sucking so bad? (Is that embarrassing? I’m embarrassed lol but yeah that’s why I don’t go in there super often…yikes) But I will eventually get to anything that’s submitted! (Unfortunate emphasis on the eventually, sorry Anon) 

Alright, here we go, I’m feeling angsty, so this one is sad, a lil more than a touch dramatic, and TW for suicidal thoughts and talk! Here’s an antagonist who’s full of self loathing, and has never really been loved and a hero in sudden grief, so here we go! *Cracks elbows* 

(It’s long, and I don’t know why anyone would expect anything less from me at this point) 

The hero was sitting at home, feet up, flipping through television channels, having a night off for once. It had struck them as odd that no one had called them asking frantically for help, no one had put his signal in the night sky.

But he wasn’t going to complain, he didn’t remember the last time he’d had a night off. 

He flicked the channels as far as the news–thinking abstractly that the excess of channels but fraction of decent content was a true criminal act, before he stopped, frozen by sudden horror. 

The remote tumbled out of his hand. No, no, no! Was all that their mind was capable of producing. 

A reporter was standing in front of a building overtaken by flames, her hair was being whipped around by the wind, sidekick’s civilian identity was pictured next to their masked one on the screen, “The child of wealthy oil tycoon and owner of a shipping company has been killed this evening, they were better known by their masked identity as sidekick, helping hero fight the crime that has long plagued our streets.” The blonde reporter’s eyes misted with tears, she cleared her throat and continued, “Their secret was uncovered this evening when they were pulled unconscious  in a warehouse fire suspected to have been started by the antagonist, the hospital pronounced them dead on arrival. 

Hero made a soft choking sound, rolling off of the couch and onto the floor, they watched with wide eyes as the reporter wiped tears from her eyes, “There is currently no news of where hero is, and no news of the antagonist claiming the slaying of their longtime enemy. Wherever they are, the police are looking for them, and I have been assured in a statement by the chief of police that the antagonist will be found and questioned in the killing of sidekick,” she looked like she wanted to say more, but swallowed hard instead, when she wrapped up her report her voice was raspy with tears, “More on this as it develops, and to hero, wherever you are, I am deeply sorry for your loss, and to us, the people of this city, I am deeply sorry for our loss as well.” 

Somewhere Hero’s phone was ringing, he let it go, checking it to see if by some awful chance they’d missed sidekick’s call, they hadn’t, but they did miss this one, only when it started up again, his burner phone announcing it’s tinny necessity to the world, he groped for it feeling like his arms were full of wet sand. When he flipped it open he couldn’t say anything, it was like his throat had closed, his eyes burned. 

“God hero,” it was vigilante’s voice, gruffer than usual, “I’m going to make them pay for this, I’m leaving right now, I’ll get them I promise you.” 

Hero didn’t say anything, there wasn’t anything to say, there was, however, something to do. 

The hero got to them first. 

Blind with righteous aggression they stormed into the Villain’s base with eyes that already glowed a neon green. Not even having bothered to change into their uniform Hero ripped through the base, destroying everything in his path, not that he could see what he was destroying, his eyes were far too blurred with tears. The tears diffused the neon color, but by the time they reached his chin they were no longer charged with power, just grief. 

“Where are you? You coward!” Hero roared brokenly, “Get out here!” 

A handful of henchmen, all of them covered in ash from the fire rounded the corner, hero recognized the one in the front as the antagonist’s second in command, he grabbed the henchman’s collar lifting them effortlessly into the air before he could turn and get away, henchman had no choice but to grab onto the hero’s forearm as they were lifted. 

“Where are they?” Hero growled, henchman could see the wild and unrestrained grief on the hero’s face. 

“They didn’t mean it, hero you know that,” The henchman’s voice was gentle, their eyes full of regret, “You can’t hurt them,” they were trying to talk some sense into them, this wasn’t like hero at all. 

“Try me!” Hero roared, “Tell me where they are or I’ll–I’ll beat it out of you!” 

“Leave them alone hero,” The antagonist’s voice came from behind hero it was soft, resigned, “I’m right here, I know I can’t hide from this.” 

Hero put henchman back on their feet, they strode over to the antagonist with murder in their eyes, the antagonist flinched when hero grabbed them, but didn’t move away, hero’s red rimmed eyes beginning to glow again, “What right did you have?” Hero choked out brokenly, “they were just a kid, a kid antagonist!” 

The antagonist doesn’t trust their voice, they can’t meet the hero’s eyes. 

Hero shook them, ignoring the sound of henchmen coming up behind them, the antagonist held up a hand their eyes found their second in command, looking on in concern, their hands clenched at their sides, their eyes dark with sorrow, “Go, clear out,” the antagonist commanded over the hero’s shoulder. 

“But…” 

“Go.” The antagonist’s eyes are broken glass, they give away that they know this will be their last order, “No vengeance,” they breathe, “Just get out of here.” 

The henchman swallows hard, but they follow orders, leaving the hero and antagonist together in the ruined base. Their henchman doesn’t look back, it was the kind of goodbye the antagonist figured that they deserve. 

The antagonist’s attention moved back to the hero, tears burned like sand in their eyes, “Go ahead hero,” they whispered, “I won’t stop you.” 

Hero hit them then, letting the antagonist hit the floor, feeling so utterly wrung out by the wrongness of it, by the wrongness of all of this, they let their tears fall freely as they hit the antagonist again, and again, and again. But it didn’t make them feel any better, it wasn’t even really vengeance, hurting the antagonist wasn’t going to make sidekick come back, it wasn’t even revenge, they stopped their attack, hardening their resolve. 

The antagonist struggled back to their feet, a bruise, one of many, forming on their cheekbone, but their eyes are confused, “I said it was okay,” they gesture to the hero’s eyes, “go ahead, nobody will blame you.” 

Hero is staggered by this, even in their raw sorrow, “You want me to kill you?” They’d wanted to kill them when they’d burst in here, they’d been intending to, wanted to blast them until they were little more than a smoldering stain on the linoleum floor, but something was still holding them back, their useless morals, and now the antagonist was asking them for it? 

The antagonist looked away, asking in a small tight voice, “Do I deserve anything else?” 

The hero is not thinking, they want the antagonist to suffer, they want more than anything for sidekick to kick down the door with one of their terrible corny jokes, but that won’t happen, that won’t ever happen again, and that is the antagonist’s fault, maybe they can’t kill them because this isn’t really revenge, maybe the antagonist needs to feel what they do right now. 

“Who’s someone who loves you huh? You monster? Where is there someone who cares about something like you?” Hero asks, their thoughts darkening to something foreign and terrible, thoughts that would keep them up at night for weeks to come.  

In the end it was those questions that broke the antagonist finally, their face screwed up, “This is the end,” they choked out, “do you see anyone here?!” 

Hero swallowed, it was is if they’d been broken out of a trance, taking a half step back from their enemy, scared of what they had been about to do, of what they could be reduced to. 

“I don’t have anyone, nobody will ever love me,” they whispered it like they were realizing it for themselves, then, louder, their voice growing to a shout, ringing full of self-loathing, “In the end …NOBODY WILL EVER LOVE ME!” They force out some mockery of a laugh, broken with pain,” And is that really such a surprise? You both were the sole holdouts, the only ones who’d never called me that. Monster.” the antagonist shuddered, “I don’t even love myself!” they laughed darkly, “HA! Can you imagine?!” Their facade fell then, collapsing to their knees shaking with broken sobs, “How could I? How can you ever care for yourself when no one else ever has cared for you? When no one has ever loved you?” They covered their face with their hands, their body shaking with sobs, “I deserve it, I deserve that title, I proved that tonight! I didn’t want…I didn’t mean…It doesn’t matter!” 

They fixed broken eyes on the hero, “I am a monster, so you’d better kill me, before I have to do it myself!” 

Hero faltered, and because they can’t seem to be able to do anything else, cursing themselves for their own soft heart they drop to the floor and pull the unresistant antagonist into them, they can’t speak over the lump in their throat, but they hold them close, crying tears of their own, not angry anymore, just full of anguish. 

‘I’m sorry, god, I’m so sorry hero!” The antagonist sobbed into hero’s shoulder, “I tried to get them! They went back in! I don’t know why!” The hero can’t bring themselves to say anything. 

They sit like that for a while, weeping on the floor of the antagonist’s base, the antagonist crying for what they’d become, for what had happened to sidekick, and the hero crying in grief, both of them mourning what is, what was, and what could never be again. 

After an indistinguishable amount of time, both of them having run out of tears and settled into shell shocked silence, not having moved off of their shared place on the floor, there was a hesitant knock on the door. 

“Boss?” It was the antagonist’s second in command, their voice hesitant,  hero rose on shaky knees, helping the antagonist to their feet wordlessly, the sadness having washed everything away and leaving only exhaustion. The antagonist would have fallen if the hero hadn’t looped their arm around their shoulder, helping them limp to the door. 

“I-I told you to go,” there wasn’t any emotion in the antagonist’s voice, it was a monotone statement. 

“I know, but, um, Sidekick is alive.” 

The antagonist can feel the hero start beside them, “W-what?” Hero croaks out sharply, the antagonist is glad they were able to speak, this time it was their turn to have shock steal their voice completely. 

The henchman pushes the door open, their eyes widen in shock at finding hero still there, let alone finding the antagonist wrapped around them, but they force themselves to look away, clearing their throat, “um, we have it on footage, sidekick left through a secret exit, it looks like they faked their death.” 

“I’m guessing you didn’t know about this?” The antagonist asked hero who looked back at them with wide eyes, they shook their head mutely. 

“What the hell is going on in here!” Vigilante yelled from the doorway, a large weapon clenched in his deft fingers, his eyes were red from crying too, darting from the antagonist to the hero, and back to the antagonist again.  

“Sidekick faked it,” hero stated softly, trance-like, not even moving to let go of the antagonist. 

“Wh-what?!” Vigilante stuttered, dropping the weapon, it clattered noisily on the floor, henchman winced expecting it to go off, when it didn’t they relaxed their shoulders, “yeah, we have the footage,” they repeated, “They were picked up by a limo, and, um,” henchman glanced back at vigilante with a touch of worry, “They looked pretty smug about it too.” 

“What they hell is going on?” Hero wondered out loud, accidentally parroting vigilante. 

“I don’t have any idea,” the antagonist shook their head, “But we need to figure it out.” 

“Together?” vigilante grumbled at the same time as henchman, they were both met with glares from their prospective leaders, one soot stained and bruised, the other who’s eyes just momentarily glinted neon green. 

Together it was.